Time passed slowly. The dazzling stars scattered across the vast, boundless universe filled every intelligent life-form with longing!
A toad-headed soldier in Frieza's fleet respectfully addressed him. "Lord Frieza, we'll reach our destination in less than a month. Is there anything else you'd like us to do?"
"Oh! We're almost there? At last, I can make my wish for eternal life come true..." Frieza said.
"Give the order. Once we land, quickly locate the Namekians and find the Dragon Balls as fast as possible! I can hardly wait!" Frieza said wickedly.
...Earth
Vegeta emerged from the Gravity Chamber. Through the doorway, the display's multiplier was still faintly visible: a whopping 800 times gravity. He was already nearing the limit of 1,000 times!
"These past two days, all I've done is train and work out with Bulma...!! This is so boring. Who knows when that stupid system will be fixed!!" Vegeta muttered to himself.
He stretched and headed for the shower! After all these days of training, boosted by the Gravity Chamber, Vegeta's battle power had reached 10 million! Having repeatedly watched the footage of Yamoshi that Mr. Popo had transmitted, and with his increased base battle power, Vegeta was now only one breakthrough away from becoming a Super Saiyan! Even without transforming, with a battle power of 10 million, he could give Frieza a run for his money at half strength by unleashing the Killing Intent Fist! Perhaps that breakthrough would come during the battle, too!
After showering, he saw Bulma making the final preparations in her workshop. "When can we set out, Bulma?"
"Whenever you're ready. I'm just adjusting the music system. It'll only take a few minutes," Bulma replied.
"Oh. Get ready, then, and call Chi-Chi to let Kakarot know. I'll go get Piccolo," Vegeta said.
"There's no need. I'm here..." A figure in a white cape walked in. It was Piccolo!
"How did you know I was about to leave?" Vegeta asked, puzzled.
"Hmph. Don't forget, I've fused with the Guardian of Earth! From Kami's Lookout, I can see everything happening on Earth," Piccolo scoffed.
"What? You bastard... Then you've been watching me and Bulma all this time..." Vegeta snapped. His fists were clenched, and he looked ready to teach the peeping creep a lesson!
Piccolo hurriedly explained, "Don't get the wrong idea. I have no interest in watching you two. We Namekians are hermaphroditic and reproduce by laying eggs. We don't have any need for mating; that's just an impulse of incompletely evolved beings!" Seeing the angry Vegeta reminded Piccolo of the torment he'd endured in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
"Hmph. Then you're missing out on one of life's greatest pleasures," Vegeta said casually, letting his aura fade.
"All right, I've already contacted Goku. You should get ready. I'll bring the spaceship up to the roof. Once he gets here, we'll leave. By the way, Vegeta, are the four of us going?" Bulma asked.
"Kakarot's half-breed, too. Oh, and get in touch with that bald guy named Krillin. He's not very strong, but he might come in handy!"
Vegeta thought of the scene in the original story where Krillin's death had made the heavens tremble. Frieza had killed Krillin, and Sun Wukong had transformed into a Super Saiyan in his fury! Even though Sun Wukong wouldn't transform this time, Vegeta was completely confident he could defeat Frieza. But being strong all alone was lonely! It was always good to have a few people by your side!
"All right, I'll call Kame House!" Bulma set down the remote and hurried off again.
"Hey, everyone!" said a man in an orange gi.
"Hello, Uncle Piccolo. Hello, Uncle Vegeta," Gohan greeted them politely.
"Hmph, Gohan. It's only been two short months, and you're already out of shape!" Piccolo said, exasperated.
"Don't blame Gohan. He's still just a kid. After Chi-Chi took him home, she wouldn't let him train. She's been making him catch up on his studies," Goku explained.
"Hmph. When you were Gohan's age, you'd already defeated my father. He has no combat experience at all. During the last battle, he was so scared he couldn't even move! A foolish woman will only hold you back from becoming stronger!" Piccolo said.
"Let's go wait outside." Vegeta had already changed into his Battle Suit! The suit Bulma had made had done away with the ugly shoulder design of the old version, replacing it with a close-fitting bodysuit underneath and armor like a vest on top! The blue bodysuit hugged Vegeta's firm muscles, making him look as if he'd grown a few centimeters taller!
"Do you want one? This outfit won't tear easily, and it offers some protection in battle," Vegeta asked the others.
"I still prefer my training gi," Goku replied.
"Same..." Piccolo said briefly, not even bothering to elaborate.
Gohan looked at it curiously. "Uncle Vegeta, could I have one? It looks so cool!"
"We don't have one in your size. If you want one, ask Bulma to make a few for you when we get back," Vegeta said flatly.
"Never mind, then. I won't need one when we get back. I was just curious..." Gohan didn't press the matter. He turned to Piccolo and asked, "Uncle Piccolo, sorry to trouble you, but could you make me an undershirt like yours? I already have a cape, but I didn't bring it this time. I just need the undershirt!"
Piccolo opened his palm and held it over Gohan's head. Strange energy enveloped Gohan, and soon he was wearing a snug, dark-blue outfit! He even looked a bit like he had during the fight with Cell!
Gohan tightened the straps around his wrists and said happily, "Thanks, Uncle Piccolo."
While everyone chatted, they waited for Krillin to arrive.
Piccolo suddenly said, "By the way, I passed by Korin's place before coming down. He gave me a bag of Senzu Beans, about twenty of them."
"Bulma, put them in a Hoi-Poi Capsule and keep them safe. If anything goes wrong, they could save our lives! Also, send that cat some food. Take plenty of dried fish and the like. After all, he's still a cat!" Vegeta said. That was the deal they'd made.
Piccolo tossed the bag to Bulma, who stored it in a Hoi-Poi Capsule!
Half an hour later
"Why isn't he here yet...? I'm getting sick of waiting!!" Vegeta said impatiently.
"What's the hurry? Kame House is over three thousand kilometers away," Bulma explained.
"I'll see where he is."
Piccolo closed his eyes and extended the two antennae on his head toward Kame House Island! He sensed Krillin's location. The man was flying along at a leisurely pace!
"Krillin, give it everything you've got. If you're not here in ten minutes, you're not coming!" Piccolo telepathically told him.
Krillin jumped in fright!!! "Who... Who's talking?? Where are you?"
Startled, he stopped flying and looked all around, but couldn't see anyone nearby!
"It's me, Piccolo. I'm talking to you telepathically! Hurry up, unless you want to get beaten up! Vegeta's already getting impatient," Piccolo explained.
At the thought of the mighty Vegeta, Krillin shuddered. A white aura surrounded him, and he sped toward Bulma's house!
"I see him. He should be here in about ten minutes," Piccolo said calmly.
About five minutes later, a figure appeared in the sky! Krillin had arrived!
"Krillin, you must really be afraid of Vegeta! I thought you'd need ten minutes, but you made it in about five," Piccolo said disdainfully.
"I'm not like you aliens... Oh, and there's Gohan, too, the half-breed. I'm a real Earthling. Who'd have thought you'd all become so unfathomably strong in just two months?" Krillin said, both amazed and defensive.
"Enough talk. Let's go!!" Vegeta said coldly.
Everyone made their way into the spaceship. With a thunderous roar, it blasted into the sky, and in an instant it had shot beyond Earth!
"That's fast! It's dozens of times faster than my old spaceship!!!" Vegeta exclaimed in amazement.
Bulma said smugly, "Of course! Just look at who built it! I'm the smartest young scientist of my generation. Give me the chance, and I could even build you a time machine!" Little did she know that in the future, Bulma really would build a Time Machine, on a ruined Earth where materials were in desperately short supply!
Out in the vast, boundless universe, Krillin and Gohan gazed at the stars beyond the window, overwhelmed with excitement. They pointed out every planet and star they passed, one after another, unable to contain themselves.
"Bulma, you promised me: if things look bad, you'll escape from Namek in the escape pod," Vegeta said worriedly.
Bulma hugged his arm and wheedled, "I know. Besides, you'll be there to protect me, right? My noble Saiyan Prince, surely you can keep me safe?"
"Let go... There are people here... What will they think!!!" Vegeta said, embarrassed!
Everyone was astonished. Krillin asked in surprise, "Bulma, are you two married?" Even the mystery of the starry sky couldn't stop their curiosity from catching fire!
"No, we've only just gotten together. If Vegeta wanted to, I'd marry him," Bulma said, gazing at Vegeta tenderly. In just two short months, she'd already been completely conquered, body and soul, by the domineering, seductive Saiyan Prince with his immense pride.
"When we get back, we'll have a romantic wedding," Vegeta promised. He didn't care who was watching; he gently put both arms around Bulma's shoulders. After all, he wasn't the Vegeta he'd once been. Aside from becoming stronger, he now cared about everything else, too!
Krillin blurted out without thinking, "Yamcha's only been dead for two months, and you've already moved on." The moment he said it, he regretted it!
He saw the pitying looks from Piccolo and Gohan, then saw the murderous glare in Vegeta's eyes. Terrified, he stumbled backward!!!
"Shorty, you're asking for it. You're too weak right now, so I'll help you out," Vegeta said, grabbing Krillin by the back of the collar and dragging him toward the Gravity Chamber. It was the only place that could contain their auras without causing damage!
Wails and screams echoed from the room. "Vegeta, let me go! I was wrong! I'll never say it again!!"
Everyone looked toward the Gravity Chamber sympathetically and sighed inwardly. There was nothing they could do to help!
"Serves you right. That's what you get for running your mouth!" Bulma murmured. Secretly, she was delighted. The angrier Vegeta got, the more it showed how much he liked her! She'd never expected that Saiyans could get just as jealous as Earthlings!
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