Vegeta

In November of Age 762, two spaceships broke through Earth's atmosphere.

A year after Raditz left, Vegeta and Nappa arrived as scheduled. Their ships did not land on the surface, instead hovering above the Eastern Wasteland—standard Saiyan invasion protocol. They descended openly, concealed nothing, and avoided no detection. They wanted the natives of this planet to watch the end of the world fall from the sky.

Vegeta stepped out of his ship, the white breastplate of his battle armor reflecting a cold gleam beneath the noon sun. He stood atop a jutting boulder in the middle of the wasteland, numbers rapidly refreshing across his scouter lens. Nappa followed behind him, his over-two-meter frame casting a broad shadow over the barren land.

"High-level power readings on this planet—seven." Nappa pressed his scouter and reported them one by one. "The strongest is near Korin Tower, with a reading of roughly 18,000. The other six are nearby—two around 8,000, three around 4,000, and one around 3,000. Vegeta, that 18,000 is as strong as you."

"Scouter readings don't mean everything," Vegeta said coldly. "Raditz said there are two Saiyans on this planet. Kakarot, and another called Talos. The last reading before his scouter exploded was 18,400—if that reading was real, it was Talos. The one near Korin Tower at 18,000 should be him. Kakarot was only at 8,600 a year ago. He can't be above 10,000 now."

"Then we take out the strongest first." Nappa grinned, revealing a mouthful of gleaming teeth.

Vegeta did not answer. He raised a hand and pressed the side of his scouter, extending its scan range over the entire wasteland. Then his brow furrowed slightly—the six weaker energies were speeding toward them. They were not running away. They were coming to meet them.

"They're coming to us."

Six figures emerged from the edge of the horizon. Talos flew at the forefront, his orange gi snapping in the rushing air. Son Goku was at his right, his power in normal form already having surpassed 10,000. Tien Shinhan and Piccolo flew side by side on the left—maintaining a fixed distance, their different energies faintly resonating with one another. Krillin trailed half a step behind, his energy suppressed until it was nearly undetectable. Chiaotzu flew last, his small round cap pulled low. A year of special training at The Lookout had transformed every one of their energies.

The six landed roughly thirty meters from Vegeta and Nappa. Wind swept sand and dust between the two groups across the wasteland, filling the air with the dry, earthy scent of dirt and an oppressive tension ready to ignite at the slightest touch.

Vegeta's gaze swept over each of their faces before finally settling on Talos. The number flickering across his scouter lens froze at 18,000—almost identical to the data Raditz had recorded a year ago. No growth at all in an entire year. A cold smile curved Vegeta's lips.

"So it was you. Raditz said you blew up his scouter with one move. A power level of 18,000 is indeed impressive for a low-class warrior. But if you haven't grown at all this past year—" Before he could finish, his figure vanished from the boulder.

The next instant, Vegeta appeared before Talos. His right fist, wrapped in white energy, blasted toward Talos's chest with such speed that a ring of sonic vapor exploded through the air. The force behind that punch far exceeded his normal reading of 18,000—at the instant he attacked, Vegeta had already raised his power to its limit, leaving no room for testing his opponent.

Talos shifted aside and evaded the blow. Vegeta's fist grazed his chest, the force of it slicing a shallow tear into his orange gi. Talos struck back with his palm toward Vegeta's wrist, but Vegeta immediately turned his fist into an elbow, smashing at Talos's neck from an even shorter range. They exchanged several blows in the span of a breath—Vegeta attacking fiercely, Talos dodging. One was the strongest prince of the warrior race; the other, a warrior who had crossed into this world with memories and a system. Their base power levels were both around 18,000, but their fighting styles could not have been more different.

Vegeta suddenly withdrew his fist and leaped back, landing ten meters away. He rolled his wrist and sneered again. "You're faster than I thought. But Raditz's record was right—you haven't gained any power at all this entire year. Eighteen thousand is certainly strong, but only before you meet me. Let me show you what the true Saiyan Prince is capable of."

He took a deep breath, and the energy around him abruptly surged. His power level shot straight up from 18,000. This was not an explosive doubling like Kaioken, but a power unique to Saiyans—continuously rising in battle, growing stronger the longer they fought. When he charged again, his speed had increased by a full thirty percent.

Talos did not retreat. Crimson energy erupted around him.

Kaioken. One times. Power level 36,000. Two times. Power level 54,000.

Vegeta's fist stopped in midair. Talos had caught his wrist between two fingers—not to deflect the force, but to lock it in place outright. He could feel the full force of his punch completely neutralized between those two fingers, leaving him no room even to struggle. He looked up at Talos, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

A faint scarlet glow flickered in Talos's eyes. This was the effect of the Out-of-Control State layered with twofold Kaioken, his power already exceeding the upper limit of what Vegeta's scouter could display. Talos released his fingers, and Vegeta's entire body was pushed back onto the boulder by a gentle yet irresistible force.

"You said I hadn't grown at all this past year." Talos's voice was as steady as if he were commenting on the weather. "You were wrong. I didn't raise my base power because I spent all my time on Kaioken. You think 180,000 is my limit in normal form, but that's only the starting point of my onefold boost."

Vegeta rose from the boulder, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and stared at Talos for a long while before speaking. "Since when have you been planning this battle?"

"Since the day I landed on Earth. I knew Planet Vegeta would be destroyed by Frieza. I knew Raditz would come looking for Kakarot. I knew you would reach Earth one year after Raditz left. I prepared for every step—not for how to defeat you, but for how to keep you alive after defeating you."

"Why?"

"Because Frieza is still alive. Planet Vegeta wasn't destroyed by a meteor—it was Frieza. He feared the Saiyans' potential. He feared the legendary Super Saiyan. So he wiped out your entire race in one stroke, leaving only the three of you who were away on missions. You know that better than anyone." Talos crouched down, meeting Vegeta's eyes. "Vegeta, you didn't survive this long just to be Frieza's dog. You are the Saiyan Prince. Your father, your planet, your people—they all died at Frieza's hands. You use pride to hide your hatred because you know you can't beat him. But now, you aren't the only Saiyan standing here."

Vegeta did not answer. His fist clenched at his side, then loosened, then clenched again. On the other side, Nappa had already grown impatient. With a roar, he charged forward, his right fist wreathed in energy as it smashed toward Talos's back.

Son Goku blocked him. A driving punch collided head-on with Nappa's fist, and a shockwave exploded from the point of impact, sending sand and dust from the wasteland billowing into the sky. Nappa's power level was 4,000—Goku's normal power had already crushed him a year ago at 8,600, and now that it had surpassed 10,000, the gap was even wider. But Nappa was a battle-hardened Saiyan elite, not an opponent who could be easily defeated by power level numbers alone.

"Krillin!" Goku shouted.

"Coming!" Krillin drew in a breath and formed a complicated hand seal before his chest. After a year at The Lookout, he had refined his control over energy to a degree that even Kami found astonishing. Kami had said he had reached the level of "precision cutting"—able to slice through the hardest target with the thinnest energy blade without harming anything around it. Now, he used that ability to set the formation.

Several extremely thin energy threads shot from his fingertips, weaving an invisible net through the air. Nappa's fist slammed into the Qi Net, but the threads did not break. Instead, they wrapped around his wrist like spider silk. Nappa strained to break free, only for the threads to cinch tighter. The next second, Tien Shinhan and Piccolo's combined attack arrived. Tien took the front—an improved Volleyball Fist barrage, every strike landing solidly on the joints where Nappa's defenses were weakest. Piccolo attacked from the flank—his arm stretching out to wrap around Nappa's left arm from a blind angle. A Third Eye Beam shot from Tien's forehead, grazing past Piccolo's arm and striking Nappa's scouter with perfect accuracy. The tactic was called Third Eye Link, a combination technique the two had forged through a year of repeated practice—Tien attacked, Piccolo restrained the enemy, and the Third Eye Beam finished it.

The scouter exploded. Nappa covered his left eye, temporarily blinded by the flash, and could barely move within Krillin's Qi Net. Goku seized the chance, gathering a Kamehameha in his palm. The blue sphere, trailing a blazing tail, crashed into Nappa's chest. Nappa was blasted backward, plowing a trench dozens of meters long through the wasteland. He struggled a few times but could not get back to his feet.

Vegeta watched Nappa fall, then looked back at Talos. The contempt and rage in his eyes had already been replaced by something far more complicated. "What you said about Frieza—do you have proof?"

"I don't need to give you proof. You already know it in your heart. You were out on a mission the day Planet Vegeta was destroyed. Frieza said it was struck by a meteor—did you believe him? The Saiyan homeworld had one of the strongest planetary defense systems in the universe. A meteor could destroy it? You spent all these years pretending to believe because you had no power to question him. But now, you do." Talos stood and extended a hand toward him. "You have two choices. Fight Frieza with us—or keep being his dog."

Vegeta stood there in silence for a long time. Wind swept sand and dust past him over the wasteland, his scouter lens reflecting the profile of his tightly clenched jaw. Then he reached out and grasped Talos's hand.

"I'm not doing this for you." Vegeta's voice was low and hard. "I'm doing it for Planet Vegeta. Frieza owes the Saiyans a debt, and I'll collect it with my own hands."

"Fine." Talos released his hand. "But before you collect that debt, you need to learn how to work with others. You're used to fighting alone. We're used to fighting as a team. Frieza isn't someone one person can take down. You need to trust your comrades. Trust isn't your strength—but you can learn it. Your first lesson starts now. They—" He pointed at Goku, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and Piccolo. "—took down Nappa in thirty seconds. Did you see it clearly?"

Vegeta glanced at Nappa lying in the trench. Nappa was not unconscious yet and was trying to drag himself out of the dirt, but that invisible Qi Net was still wrapped around him. Thirty seconds. Four people. No injuries. They had taken down a 4,000-power elite warrior. Vegeta withdrew his gaze. "Their teamwork was decent."

"Just decent?"

"...Very good."

Tien lowered his fists and looked at Vegeta, adding coldly, "Not very good. Perfect. Every joint, every blind spot, the exact moment his scouter was blinded—all of it was part of the plan. What you saw was not four people fighting. It was one person watching the same target through four pairs of eyes. If you want to join us, you need to learn to put aside that prince's pride and trust us with your back."

Vegeta fell silent for a moment. "What do I need to do?"

"Help Nappa up first," Talos said. "He's a Saiyan too."

Nappa was still cursing as Vegeta dragged him out of the trench, but after hearing Vegeta's account of Frieza, he stayed silent for a long time. He looked at the lingering marks of energy threads around his arm, then at the bald kid, and finally nodded.

"If we're fighting Frieza—count me in. But bald kid, can you give me a warning next time? That net almost snapped my wrist."

"It wouldn't snap." Krillin matter-of-factly withdrew his energy threads. "Precision control is my specialty."

Nappa glared at him, then suddenly broke into a grin. "Interesting. The people on this planet fight completely differently from what I expected."

"You'll get used to it." Goku ran over and patted Nappa's arm. "From now on, we're comrades. I'm Son Goku, a disciple of the Turtle Hermit School."

"...I'm Nappa. No need for introductions. I've already memorized your power level."

That evening, everyone returned to Turtle Hermit House. Bulma arrived in a Capsule aircraft carrying new scouters—not military-grade ones, but improved scouters designed for training. Vegeta sat on the beach, watching the young martial artists in orange gis chase and roughhouse beneath the setting sun, his expression complicated. Nappa had already taken off the upper half of his battle armor and was being dragged into the sea by Krillin and Goku to learn how to swim. The two Saiyan elite warriors flailed about in the water like children who had never learned to walk, while Tien Shinhan rested with his eyes closed beneath a coconut tree. Piccolo floated cross-legged above the sea, flipping through the Turtle Hermit School's basic martial arts manual that Master Roshi had given him. Chiaotzu sat beside him, using telekinesis to suspend a pebble in midair. Without even looking up, Piccolo said, "It's crooked."

"It hasn't even started spinning yet!"

"I predicted you'd go off course."

Talos walked over and sat beside Vegeta. He said nothing, merely gazing out at the sea. The setting sun dyed the entire Southern Sea gold and crimson, while waves shattered against the reefs into fine white foam.

"Frieza," Vegeta finally said. "His base power level is 530,000. What's your limit now?"

"18,000 normally. 36,000 with onefold Kaioken, 54,000 with twofold, and 72,000 with threefold."

"Threefold? When did you break through?"

"A year ago at Korin Tower. The price was the same as what Master Roshi paid back then—I spent two months in bed. More than half my meridians were ruptured, and the system nearly forced itself into hibernation. But after I pulled through, my power ceiling was opened again. Still, Frieza's 530,000 is only his first form. He has a second form—his power level jumps to over one million. His third form is even stronger. And his final form—his full power exceeds one hundred million."

Vegeta's expression changed. He remained silent for a long time, his fists clenching and loosening at his sides. "One hundred million. My current power level isn't even a fraction of his. How do you plan to fight him?"

"I asked you to stay not so you could fight Frieza alone. Kaioken is my personal trump card, but the team is everyone's trump card. Krillin's ki control can perform precise cutting attacks. Tien Shinhan and Piccolo's combination techniques can already instantly kill opponents with power levels of 4,000. Goku's normal power level has passed 10,000, and with onefold Kaioken, it reaches 20,000. Add your trait of continuously growing stronger in battle, and his Instant Transmission—"

"Instant Transmission? When did Kakarot learn that?"

"He learned it at The Lookout a year ago," Talos said. "Mr. Popo taught him a sensing technique that let him predict an opponent's movements during battle. He combined that technique with ki sensing and developed Instant Transmission."

"Just how much have you been training over this whole year..." Vegeta muttered, with none of his initial arrogance left in his voice.

"Enough to take down Frieza." Talos rose to his feet and headed toward Turtle Hermit House. "But only if you're part of this team—not some prince standing on the sidelines watching. Starting tomorrow, you'll train with them."

Vegeta didn't answer. But he didn't refuse, either. The sun sank beneath the horizon, and the lights of Turtle Hermit House cast a warm orange glow across the beach. The sea breeze swept by, carrying Nappa's coughing after being choked by a wave, Goku's laughter, Krillin's complaints, and Master Roshi's roar from inside the house: "Who threw my picture book into the sea again?!"

Everyone from the Turtle Hermit School had assembled. Their next destination: Planet Namek.