After a few days of practice, meditating to refine his ki had become second nature.
Though Vegeta didn't know whether this method of training was slower, he felt that refining his ki this way was far more effective than his previous, conventional training.
Most of all, he could feel his mental strength improving.
He only truly realized this after his physical training. Meditating to refine his ki afterward not only restored his strength quickly but also replenished his mental energy, allowing him to make further progress.
Several hours passed in a flash. Since Planet Namek had no day or night, Vegeta had no idea what time it was. He didn't know how much had happened during those hours, either. All that mattered to him now was increasing his strength and achieving that final breakthrough.
He had to admit that he now had a thorough understanding of his own strength. This meditation had also deepened his grasp of ki.
So that's how it is. My understanding used to be rather shallow. This time, by consolidating what I know, I've gained a much deeper understanding. Vegeta opened his eyes and slowly rose to his feet. Feeling his powerful ki coursing through his body, he let the corners of his mouth curl upward.
Judging by how things stood, he was on the right path. At the very least, his strength was increasing rapidly.
Still, he couldn't help thinking of Kakarot.
He knew the original story, and how smoothly Kakarot's martial arts journey had gone, with one master after another guiding him. In the future, he would even have Grand Kai, Old Kai, and the even more remarkable mentor, Whis the Angel.
If things unfolded as they had in the original story, Vegeta would have to stay one step ahead in every way if he truly wanted to leave Kakarot far behind. And he couldn't afford to take a wrong turn!
"Next, I should..." Vegeta had just begun to speak and was about to test the next step when—
Suddenly, two ki signatures entered his range of perception, and one of them was rapidly approaching him.
"Heh heh heh! Looks like all the Frieza Force's Scouters have been destroyed. Otherwise, they wouldn't be acting alone. Better late than never, but this couldn't have come at a better time." A sly grin spread across Vegeta's face.
The story had already moved forward. He had no idea whether Krillin and Son Gohan had managed to rescue Dende.
Thinking back to the early part of the original Namek saga, his former self had joined the fight against the Frieza Force. First, he killed Dodoria, indirectly saving Krillin, Son Gohan, and Dende. Then Zarbon had beaten him half to death and taken him back to the spaceship to await Frieza's judgment. After recovering, he'd taken advantage of the chaos to escape with the Dragon Balls, then seized the chance to kill Zarbon...
He had to admit, it was one close call after another.
If he hadn't been the second male lead and a crucial character in the future, his former self would have been dead long ago.
Of course, in this real world, his former self had indeed been clever.
"Looks like you were destined to die by my hand." As the ki signature drew closer, Vegeta narrowed his eyes, his aura growing ever more menacing.
There's a road to Heaven, yet you refuse to take it; Hell has no door, yet you barge right in.
In the distance, the obese, spiky-bodied Dodoria sped through the air.
His Scouter had been destroyed, and he'd also run into the Earthlings who had rescued a Namekian child. Fury churned in his gut.
"Damn it! How long am I supposed to keep searching like this? King Frieza is something else. Since he's already contacted the Ginyu Force, why not just wait for them to get here before searching? The Namekians can't escape Planet Namek, and the Dragon Balls aren't going to grow wings and fly away." Dodoria grumbled nonstop.
If Frieza had heard those words, he would have been displeased, and might even have punished him.
Dodoria dared to say them now only because his Scouter was gone and he couldn't be monitored.
Those who regularly accompanied Frieza were under constant surveillance from multiple directions, at all hours of the day. They had to watch every word and action, never daring to slack off.
Come to think of it, Vegeta had once been a particular target of scrutiny, which was why he'd been watched. Otherwise, Frieza wouldn't have learned the news so quickly, nor would he have discovered Planet Namek and the Dragon Balls.
As for the Scouter Vegeta had now, it hadn't been detected for two reasons. First, it was a newer model with more features. Second, Vegeta rarely used it, and it had been offline with its default settings switched off. That was why it hadn't been located or monitored.
By now, Dodoria was becoming increasingly frustrated.
He flew along, searching for villages on Planet Namek.
There were plenty of men who'd come with him, but Planet Namek was neither especially large nor especially small. Even if they all spread out to search, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Just as he was about to halfheartedly go through the motions and bluff his way through—
A blur suddenly appeared above him. With his arms folded across his chest, the figure casually kicked Dodoria square in the face.
BOOM!!!!
Dodoria plummeted straight down from the sky and slammed into a lake, sending up a column of water a hundred meters high. The force behind that kick was obvious.
There was no doubt about it: Vegeta had struck.
He'd taken down his enemy with a single move. The scene resembled what had happened in the original story, though there were still differences.
Vegeta descended from the sky with a cold smile, tracking Dodoria's ki until he landed beside the lake.
Before long, Dodoria surfaced and struggled toward the shore where Vegeta stood, soaked and disheveled.
"Vegeta!!!" The moment he recognized the figure before him, Dodoria barely had time to catch his breath. Shock flashed across his face, then his expression twisted as he gritted out the name.
He couldn't understand how the hell Vegeta had dared to ambush him!
"It's been a long time, Dodoria. In such a hurry—where were you going?" Vegeta paid no heed to Dodoria's fury and taunted him with a mocking smile.
The memories of his former self were beginning to stir. Years of suppressed resentment and indignation made him want to kill this bastard as soon as possible, just to finally feel at peace.
"You bastard! How dare you attack me! You're asking to die!" Having momentarily forgotten the battle power he'd heard Vegeta had reached, Dodoria climbed out of the water and stood on solid ground. The venomous look in his eyes made his intentions clear.
But then his expression changed to one of delight when he noticed the Scouter Vegeta was wearing.
A moment later, delight gave way to intense greed.
"What am I supposed to do with you, Vegeta? You betrayed King Frieza, yet here you are, right in front of me! I suggest you hand over that Scouter. If you help King Frieza collect all the Dragon Balls, he might even show you mercy."