Saiyan Pride

Thump! Thump! Boom, boom, boom, boom!

His heart pounded powerfully, faster and faster, as if hundreds of people were hammering bronze mallets at once directly against his chest. Thick fur erupted across his body, and his frame suddenly swelled, stretching his bodysuit to its limit and crushing the rubble-strewn ruins beneath him. The transformation was incredibly fast. Before Vegeta could reach him, he had already become a Great Ape.

Roar!

The beast awakened and let out an earth-shaking roar.

Two Great Apes?!

Goku and the others retreated in horror, no longer knowing what to do. Things had already gone far beyond their expectations. Raditz had explained the Great Ape transformation to them, and they had made every preparation, even driving away the moon beforehand. So why was there still moonlight?

They looked at the mysterious glowing sphere hanging high in the sky, gritting their teeth in panic.

"Have they both gone insane?"

"No, Vegeta hasn't. Transforming into a Great Ape can make someone lose their mind, but talented warriors can overcome it after one or two training sessions, just like training their tails. Lower-class warriors need to go through a great deal of combat to stay conscious, and... my brother said he wasn't sure whether he could control himself either."

Goku's words made everyone suck in a cold breath.

Only Nappa bared his teeth. "Raditz still can't do it. There's a fifty percent chance he'll go berserk after transforming. Sometimes he controls himself well, and sometimes he goes mad until the end. You'd better prepare yourselves."

A fifty percent chance in a battle they absolutely could not lose? That was far too dangerous.

Goku wanted to help, but his Battle Power was nothing before a Great Ape. Rushing in blindly would be no different from seeking death.

At that moment, Raditz stood up, beat his chest with both fists, and spat several Ki Blasts from his mouth, sending them flying in every direction.

The merciless bombardment delighted Vegeta. Sure enough, Raditz was far less clear-headed in Great Ape form than he was!

Vegeta shouted and slammed a fist viciously toward Raditz's head. The angle was treacherous, aimed straight for his temple. His massive arm erupted with tremendous power, swift and ruthless, bursting with killing intent.

Boom—

A soul-shaking crash rang out as a colossal figure toppled to the ground!

Everyone was stunned—the one who had fallen was Vegeta!

Just as Vegeta's fist was about to hit Raditz's head, Goku had been unable to hold back any longer and activated Kaio-ken as he shot forward. At the critical instant, Raditz unexpectedly dodged with nimble agility, hooked Vegeta's ankle with one foot, and sent him crashing to the ground.

He had not lost his mind. On the contrary, the replacement of his soul had multiplied his mental strength several times over. Not only was he conscious now, he was more alert than ever!

He had deliberately acted clumsy to make Vegeta lower his guard.

Once such a massive body hit the ground, getting back up was not so easy. The initiative in the battle quietly changed hands.

Raditz cried out excitedly, but he made a mistake as well. He, too, had let his guard down.

Vegeta also had a tail. He hooked Raditz's ankle in the same way and gave it a swift tug, throwing Raditz off balance. His knees buckled, and he fell forward as well.

Both Great Apes had fallen!

Kneeling on the ground, Raditz pounced directly onto Vegeta and smacked him viciously across the face. What greeted him was a heavy counterattack to the abdomen. Then the two locked together and rolled several times, crushing the earth beneath them.

In the end, they simply grappled with each other, every punch landing solidly on flesh. Raditz even started biting—the most primitive, clumsiest, yet most violent kind of attack!

Vegeta cried out in pain. "Trash, let go of me!"

Unexpectedly, Raditz really did release his bite, only to immediately follow up with a lightning-fast punch straight into Vegeta's nose, paying back the debt.

"That's right, I used to be trash. But don't you think people eventually grow? Even the weak will become strong one day. The belief in becoming stronger never changes in anyone's heart. I may not be as noble as you, but if you use that as the basis for your arrogance, then you're wrong!"

"Today, I'll defeat you and prove it to you." Raditz stepped forward and unleashed Kaio-ken in his Great Ape form!

His enormous body became unbelievably fast. He lunged forward, his palm shooting out in an instant to cover Vegeta's head. He slammed him to the ground, then pressed him down into the earth with all his strength!

"Ridiculous! Urgh... huff... what do you know? I was born a prince..." Vegeta suddenly laughed contemptuously. Enduring the pain, he spoke through a mouth that was nearly twitching. "I am the strongest..."

"Is that so?!" Raditz added more force and drove a fist into his face. The ground for a thousand meters around them sank several feet, as though he were about to punch straight through Earth itself!

Vegeta kept talking. "Do you know what I intend to do? I don't need you telling me what to do. I have my own way."

"You and your brother actually joined forces with Earthlings to oppose me. You abandoned Saiyan dignity. You're both traitors to our people." In his agitation, he spat out mouthfuls of blood, pouring forth like a waterfall.

Raditz still pinned his head down tightly, warm sticky fluid coating his palm.

"Is that your reason? Did you think I didn't know everything about Planet Vegeta?" Raditz pulled back his arm and punched Vegeta in the chest, making the ground sink several more feet.

"It was Frieza who destroyed Planet Vegeta, and he still makes us work for him, humiliating us in every possible way. One wrong word, and we face cruel punishment. No one has forgotten those days!"

With that, he threw another punch.

"True, we had no power to fight Frieza back then. But how long were we supposed to live in disgrace before taking revenge? Were we supposed to cling to life until Frieza died of old age? You're proud of being the Saiyan prince, so do what a prince should do and defeat him! If it's power you want, we have it! A prince's dignity isn't the fear others feel toward you, and the title of prince isn't the pride of the Saiyans! Only by constantly growing stronger, gaining power, surpassing our limits, surpassing Frieza, surpassing every other powerful warrior in any universe, can we embody the true—"

"Pride!!!"

Raditz gathered all his strength into his final punch, raised his hand high, and smashed it down.

The final two words echoed with deafening force.

The fist stopped just inches from Vegeta's face. The fierce force of the punch made the Great Ape's features warp slightly, every strand of fur standing on end.

"You decide. Training and becoming stronger with us is absolutely the fastest way. I'll only offer help. I won't interfere with you." Raditz opened his fist and extended it in the gesture of a handshake. "My brother over there is Kakarot. His Battle Power is over ten thousand too, and with Kaio-ken, he's no weaker than you. If you want to challenge us, you're welcome anytime."

Raditz actually admired the pride in Vegeta's heart. It was precisely because of that pride that Vegeta stood apart from others and earned their respect.

When he was arrogant, he was handsome and domineering. Every now and then, he could even be unexpectedly adorable. More importantly, it was what drove him to become stronger.

The vast universe held far too many powerful warriors. Dealing with Frieza was only the beginning.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Vegeta threw back his head and roared, as if he wanted to vent all the fury of his life. That world-shaking wave of sound was clearly the overwhelming unwillingness surging from within him.