The atmosphere grew heavy and quiet.
Vegeta stopped speaking, giving the Grand Elder ample time to think.
Things had gone this far. If the Grand Elder refused, that would be a real problem.
Of course, Vegeta had considered that possibility.
If the Grand Elder turned him down and couldn't unlock his potential, Vegeta would have to settle for the next best thing: leave Planet Namek and lie low on Earth.
Earth had Ultra Divine Water, which could also unlock hidden power. Even if it wasn't as effective as the Grand Elder's potential unlock, Vegeta could still rise to power if he was given enough time.
As for what happened on Planet Namek, he wouldn't get involved.
He just didn't know if Krillin and Kakarot's son, Son Gohan, would survive without him.
Either way, it had nothing to do with him!
Whether Kakarot could defeat Frieza as he had in the original story had nothing to do with him, either.
Every man for himself.
He would take Bulma and Vegeta with him, but he wouldn't look after anyone else.
If Frieza wiped out Planet Namek in a fit of rage, leaving no Dragon Balls behind, Vegeta wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
It wasn't as if the Dragon Balls had become extinct. Vegeta didn't mind telling Bulma that Planet Cereal had Dragon Balls, too.
And if all else failed, there were Dragon Balls in the Demon Realm.
Then there were the Super Dragon Balls.
Even if they couldn't get their hands on any of those three kinds of Dragon Balls, Bulma could build a Time Machine. They could travel to another timeline to make a wish, or bring a Namekian from another timeline to succeed Kami on Earth and restore the Earth Dragon Balls.
If the story still followed more or less the same course as the original, so much the better.
Kakarot wouldn't kill Frieza outright, either. That would give Vegeta plenty of time to grow stronger. Then, when Frieza invaded Earth, Vegeta could finish him off once and for all.
As for whether Future Trunks would appear in this timeline, Vegeta didn't care. By then, he would be strong enough to kill Frieza himself, even if the boy did show up.
After a long while, the Grand Elder seemed to receive some new information. His presence grew even more weary and frail.
Vegeta didn't know what had happened. He assumed the Grand Elder had made up his mind or glimpsed some new future.
In truth, Frieza's men had found another village. After slaughtering its inhabitants, they had taken the fourth Dragon Ball.
They really had been lucky: they had picked a village that had a Dragon Ball and found an elder willing to hand it over to protect his people.
Unfortunately, even that hadn't spared the village from slaughter.
"I'll help unlock your potential, but I can't guarantee that it'll make you very strong. Is that acceptable?" the Grand Elder asked.
There was no guarantee in his words, but at least he was willing to help Vegeta unlock his potential.
"Fine! Once I'm strong enough, I'll defeat Frieza myself. Then you can summon Shenron and wish for all the Namekians Frieza killed to be brought back to life," Vegeta said.
The Grand Elder sighed silently at Vegeta's words.
He didn't know how Vegeta had learned so much, but the situation was exactly as Vegeta had described. They had no other choice.
The potential unlock was just like when the Grand Elder had helped Krillin and Son Gohan in the original story.
He still had some reservations, but things had come this far. He couldn't keep letting suspicion get the better of him.
What worried Vegeta most was that the Grand Elder might discover his secret—that he had come from another world—while unlocking his potential.
After all, in the original story, the Grand Elder had been able to read Krillin and Son Gohan's memories while unlocking their potential.
"Don't be nervous. Please relax. I won't do anything besides unlock your potential," the Grand Elder said, making Vegeta's heart skip a beat.
The old man had seen through him, so he had decided to come right out and say it.
"I hope you'll keep your word. If you see certain things, you'll probably realize you were better off not looking. You might even feel guilty—or afraid," Vegeta said, trying to discourage the Grand Elder from pulling anything.
The truth was, the Grand Elder's abilities really were extraordinary.
Kakarot had also demonstrated a kind of memory-reading ability when he arrived on Planet Namek.
But Kakarot's deep perception through ki was very different from the Grand Elder's memory reading.
Kakarot's ability came from reaching a certain level of mastery over ki, and it required the person being read to cooperate.
The Grand Elder's ability, on the other hand, was clearly on a higher level. He could probably see everything that had happened in the past.
"Here we go!"
In an instant, the Grand Elder's hand, resting on Vegeta's head, pressed down with sudden force. A wondrous power burst from his body, passed through his palm, and surged into Vegeta.
The sudden sensation of an outside force invading him made Vegeta's whole body tense.
But it didn't feel unpleasant. Instead, it was incredibly soothing. As soon as his body absorbed the power, every cell in him began to burn with energy.
The power not only unlocked Vegeta's strength, but also stimulated the cells in his body to divide and expand.
Vegeta could clearly feel his strength steadily increasing. Most importantly, it was as if something had been stirred within him, filling him with a strange sensation.
Was it the power of a Super Saiyan?
No!!
Under the Grand Elder's power, it seemed that the most primal, wild power of a Saiyan was being drawn out.
Memories surfaced. Vegeta recalled Kakarot in the Dragon Ball Daima storyline, after Neba, a Namekian, had unlocked his potential.
No way! No way! No way!! Could I do it, too?! Vegeta was overcome with excitement.
If he really could, he would undoubtedly become strong enough to crush Frieza with ease.
That would be a short-sleeved version of Super Saiyan 4!
Unfortunately, just as Vegeta started to feel it happening, the sensation abruptly vanished, as if it had never existed.
It was like reaching the moment just before an explosion, only for the feeling to suddenly disappear. No matter what he did, it wouldn't come back.
"Phew... It's over. I'm sorry, but this is all I can do." The Grand Elder released his hand with a gasp. He was drenched in sweat, so he really had done his best.
Vegeta clenched his fists, feeling the strength he now possessed.
He was disappointed, but reaching this level of strength was still something to be grateful for.
"Did unlocking my potential affect your lifespan, too?" Vegeta asked.
The Grand Elder nodded slightly. "All power has its drawbacks in some way, and that's especially true in my current state..."