Vegeta's Tears of Despair

"Not bad, Saiyan brat. But!"

Frieza vanished from before Piccolo and Son Gohan. By the time they sensed him, Frieza had already appeared behind them!

"What?"

Son Gohan and Piccolo turned around in shock, only for a tremendous force to send them flying!

Son Gohan crossed his arms to shield his chest and head. The force from Frieza's kick made his arms feel as though they were about to break, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Piccolo was kicked far away and crashed into a mountain, triggering a violent impact!

Boom!

Rocks shattered, and Piccolo felt as if his entire body were falling apart! He lost all ability to resist and could not move at all.

"Uncle Piccolo..."

Son Gohan cried out anxiously and was about to rush over when Frieza chopped down at him with a hand strike.

Son Gohan hurriedly dodged, continuously evading Frieza's attacks and avoiding any direct confrontation with him!

"Saiyan brat, instead of worrying about that Namekian, you should worry about yourself first! Ho ho ho... Hyaah!"

Frieza's relentless attacks forced Son Gohan onto the defensive. In the end, exhausted from blocking, Son Gohan was struck on the head by Frieza's hand strike.

"Aah..."

The sound of bones breaking rang out. Son Gohan clutched his head in agony, blood flowing from all seven orifices as he fell to the ground.

"G-Gohan..."

Piccolo used nearly all his strength to stretch out a hand. Through his blurred vision, he seemed to see a man in an orange martial arts uniform.

"Piccolo, wake up! Eat the Senzu Bean!" Son Goku had arrived and placed a Senzu Bean in Piccolo's mouth.

"Is that... Goku?"

Piccolo bit down on the Senzu Bean and swallowed it, immediately returning to peak condition!

"Goku, go save Gohan! He's about to die!"

Piccolo hurriedly shouted at Son Goku.

"Yeah! Leave this to me!"

Son Goku's aura surged as he charged at Frieza!

"What?"

Frieza froze for a moment before Son Goku's fist smashed into his face and sent him flying!

Son Goku quickly placed a Senzu Bean into Son Gohan's mouth. Son Gohan was already on the verge of death!

"Gohan, come on, eat the Senzu Bean!"

Son Gohan could no longer speak. His aura was nearly gone, but he used his last bit of strength to chew and swallow the Senzu Bean!

Bzz...

Son Gohan's injuries instantly healed. Not only that, having returned from the brink of death, his aura surged dramatically, nearly matching Son Goku's current strength without Kaioken. Given Son Gohan's age, possessing such power was simply astonishing.

"Dad, he's too strong. I couldn't beat him at all!" Son Gohan stood up, controlling his tail with his mind and wrapping it around his waist like a belt.

Son Goku smiled and gently brushed the dust from Son Gohan's hair. "You did very well, Gohan. Leave this to me!"

Energy churned around his body as he walked toward Frieza.

"You're Frieza? You're much smaller than I imagined!"

Son Goku looked at Frieza coldly. Compared to his usual joking manner, he now appeared mature and steady, giving others a feeling they could rely on.

Frieza sneered at Son Goku. "So there was still some trash that hadn't shown itself?"

Suddenly, Frieza stared at Son Goku as though he had remembered someone. He said in surprise, "You look strangely familiar!"

A flash of realization struck Frieza's mind, and he remembered. "It's him! The Saiyan who resisted me to the end on Planet Vegeta. He looks exactly like him!"

"Ho ho ho... I see. Like Raditz, you're that Saiyan's son, aren't you? As expected, not a single Saiyan can be left alive! Ho ho ho... Just like those idiots on Planet Vegeta, they all deserved to die!"

"W-What did you say? Frieza... Resistance? What exactly happened?"

Vegeta, who had been hiding in the shadows, shouted furiously at Frieza. Especially after hearing Frieza mention Planet Vegeta, he could no longer suppress the rage in his heart and rushed out.

"Oh my, Vegeta. You rat still isn't dead? Ho ho ho... Fine, I'll tell you. I destroyed your Saiyans' Planet Vegeta with my own hands. Aside from this guy's father resisting me back then, all you other foolish Saiyans were on Planet Vegeta. Ho ho ho..."

Frieza let out his trademark laugh. His icy demeanor left Vegeta unable to move. The gap between them was simply too great. Vegeta's strength had not improved much, nor had he experienced the explosive growth that came later.

"Y-You bastard..."

Vegeta did not dare attack. He could sense the earth-shattering difference between himself and Frieza. He was far too weak now, and he had lost the blank period of growth he once had, leaving his power level stuck at just over twenty thousand—the same battle power he had when he returned from Earth!

"Ho ho ho... Vegeta, I'll deal with you rat later. Ho ho ho..."

Frieza did not think Vegeta was worth his attention at all. Instead, he turned his gaze to Son Goku, pointed at him, and recalled how Son Gohan had knocked away his attack earlier. A continuous barrage of Death Beams shot toward Son Goku.

"Goku, dodge!"

Piccolo cried out in shock.

Son Goku did not dodge. With his left hand like a blade, he continuously slapped away the Death Beams. Each Death Beam that struck the ground unleashed a violent, frenzied explosion.

"Ah..."

Vegeta felt a Death Beam fly past his forehead before plunging into the sea, setting off towering waves and making the seawater boil.

Vegeta slowly landed on the ground, sweat beading on his forehead. If that attack had hit him just now, he would have died instantly.

"Why? Why are Kakarot and that half-blood Saiyan so strong? I'm the prince of the Saiyans. Why? Why can a low-class warrior like Kakarot surpass me?"

Vegeta clenched his fists unwillingly, rage flooding his heart as he screamed soundlessly within. Desperate unwillingness, combined with hatred, filled his eyes with tears that slowly rolled down his cheeks.

The energy dispersed. Frieza looked at Son Goku, astonished to see that he was completely unharmed. "He knocked every single one away with only one hand!"

"Hahahaha..."

Suddenly, Vegeta laughed wildly in the distance, tears in his eyes. Frieza's expression turned cold.

"F-Frieza, I think you should use all your strength. Haha... Kakarot, he... he's the Super Saiyan you fear most! Haha... The strongest warrior in the universe from legend, the Super Saiyan! Frieza, you're finished. Serves you right! Hahaha..."

Vegeta's laughter made Frieza's eyes narrow. With a casual flick, a Death Beam pierced straight through Vegeta's chest. Before the stunned eyes of Son Goku, Son Gohan, and Piccolo, Vegeta's smile froze as he fell to the ground.

"You know, Vegeta, I hate it most when people joke about things like that. The Super Saiyan is nothing but a boring legend. What a noisy fellow, as annoying and disgusting as a mosquito! You should have stayed hidden like a rat instead of coming out. Ho ho ho..."

Frieza let out his trademark laugh and looked coldly at Son Goku and Son Gohan. As for Vegeta, he regarded him with utter contempt, like roadside trash.