At that moment.
Vegeta was feeling conflicted.
He wanted his guess to be right, but at the same time, he didn't want it to be.
Still, he knew it was almost certainly true.
Tarble's strength had completely surpassed his!
After all, Tarble had trained for just one day the day before yesterday and gained a very real six hundred million in power!
There was no way he and Trunks had both misread it, was there?
At that rate of growth, wouldn't it be perfectly normal for Tarble to surpass him after a year of training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?
Hearing Vegeta's words, Tarble smiled, then turned to Licks and instructed him, "Licks, you go first."
Licks had thought Tarble would tell Vegeta himself. He hadn't expected Tarble to make him do it.
He paused in surprise, then quickly recovered and replied, "Yes, Prince Tarble."
Then he puffed out his chest and gave Vegeta a solemn report.
"Prince Vegeta, my power level has now reached 63.47 billion."
"On the final day before we came out, I also successfully mastered the Super Saiyan 3 transformation."
"Of course, I owe all of this to Prince Tarble's guidance."
Even though Vegeta had been prepared, the moment those words reached his ears, he was still taken aback.
His eyes widened in astonishment.
But when he remembered that Tarble and Licks had brought a Gravity Chamber in with them, his surprise eased a little.
If he'd been able to train with a Gravity Chamber in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, his power would have increased even more.
He couldn't compare with Tarble, but surely he wasn't weaker than Licks.
What truly shocked him was that Licks had reached Super Saiyan 3!
He'd seen Super Saiyan 3 with his own eyes, and he knew the transformation had a major flaw.
It consumed an enormous amount of stamina and energy.
More importantly, it prevented its user from gathering ki.
That was exactly why he'd never considered transforming into a Super Saiyan 3 himself.
It looked like Tarble had learned the transformation too...
I should have told them about Super Saiyan 3's drawbacks...
With a trace of regret, Vegeta turned a questioning gaze toward Tarble.
Tarble didn't answer right away. Instead, he cautioned him seriously. "Big Brother, before I tell you my exact power level, I hope you'll prepare yourself."
Vegeta's heart lurched, and he eyed Tarble with suspicion.
Prepare himself?
What did that mean?
Had Tarble's power level... become unimaginable?!
That couldn't be!
Even with incredible talent, surely three or four hundred billion would be the limit?
His gaze grew intense, and he grew impatient. "Hmph. Just how high is your power level?"
"Spit it out!"
"Why would I need to prepare myself for something this trivial?"
He really wanted to know, but the words sounded different coming from that haughty mouth of his.
Seeing this, Tarble's smile faded at once.
The gesture made Vegeta's heart leap too.
Why so serious?
Was something wrong...?
But before he could dwell on it, Tarble calmly said, "Big Brother, my base power level is 1.2 trillion now."
The instant the words left his mouth, Vegeta's eyes bulged, his pupils contracted, and his lips parted. He stood rooted to the spot.
1...1.2 trillion?!!!
What shocked him even more was what Tarble said next.
"Yeah. I've not only mastered the Super Saiyan 3 transformation, I've also mastered Super Saiyan 4!"
"In Super Saiyan 4 form, my power is 4,000 times my base level!"
"Good thing Big Sister-in-law upgraded the Scouter enough to—"
Vegeta couldn't hear the rest.
The words "Super Saiyan 4" and "4,000 times" were pounding through his mind.
His head was spinning.
In just one year, Tarble had reached the terrifying base power level of 1.2 trillion. He'd even surpassed Son Goku in ability and mastered the Super Saiyan 4 transformation!
Was this still the kind of Saiyan warrior he'd known?
Tarble sincerely praised Bulma. Seeing that Vegeta seemed to have been stunned speechless, he suddenly felt a little bored.
So much for being prepared.
He'd still been shocked!
With a faint, teasing smile on his lips, Tarble waved a hand in front of Vegeta's eyes.
"Hey, Big Brother?"
"Big Brother!"
He raised his voice for the final call.
And sure enough, it worked. Vegeta came back to his senses.
"Big Brother, are you all right?"
Vegeta saw the faint, mischievous grin on Tarble's face, and a trace of embarrassment flashed in his eyes.
But it was quickly replaced by profound shock.
"Tarble, you're not joking, are you?"
Tarble couldn't help feeling exasperated.
Who would joke about something like this?
He nodded firmly. "No, I'm serious!"
The moment Tarble finished speaking, Vegeta suddenly threw back his head and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"
His laughter brimmed with exhilaration.
Vegeta was overjoyed, but Tarble and Licks were both baffled.
Several enormous question marks seemed to hover over their heads.
Was there something wrong with this guy's brain today?
But Vegeta was laughing so wildly that neither of them interrupted him.
Everyone had their moments of madness.
They understood!
They understood!
Tarble sensed Trunks's ki and realized he wasn't home.
He widened his range and discovered that Trunks was with Son Goten.
So much for training hard.
What a child.
Well, with Earthling blood and a peaceful world to live in, it would be strange if he took training seriously.
Playing around was only natural.
At last, Vegeta seemed to have laughed enough. His laughter stopped abruptly, and he shot Tarble an almost feverish look.
"Tarble, well done!"
"I thought you wouldn't surpass me so soon!"
"I didn't expect it to happen this quickly!"
"Hahaha, excellent!"
"Our Royal bloodline really is the strongest!"
For once, he'd cast off his usual stern demeanor. The brightest smile he'd ever worn spread across his face.
After hearing him, Tarble finally understood why Vegeta had gone wild with laughter.
So that was it!
Vegeta, you're too fixated on this!
You don't just want to surpass Son Goku. You also want to prove that Royal Saiyans are the strongest.
With your nerves taut every day, how could your training ever measure up to Son Goku's?
He'd just finished that silent assessment when Vegeta urged him again.
"Tarble, hurry up and transform into Super Saiyan 4 for me!"
"What does Super Saiyan 4 look like?"
Vegeta was so excited and eager that he wasn't at all discouraged by being surpassed. Tarble found it quite surprising.
The Vegeta he knew wasn't supposed to be like this.
Wasn't he meant to shout something like, "Don't get cocky! I'll surpass you one day"?
Still, after being... properly trained, perhaps this really was how Vegeta would react.
Before you continue