Inside the command room.
The moment Turles stepped inside, he locked onto the figure standing with his back to him in front of the hover chair.
Vegeta.
Turles stopped at a suitable distance from Frieza's chair. He dropped to one knee.
"Lord Frieza."
"Ho ho ho-you're quick, Mr. Turles."
The tip of Frieza's tail lifted from the armrest and pointed to the other side.
"Come, meet him."
Vegeta turned around.
The two Saiyans' eyes met.
At that instant, Vegeta's pupils narrowed slightly.
A Saiyan?
Their eyes met, and Turles stood where he was without moving.
Compared with Vegeta, he too showed a measured hint of surprise.
The air between the two Saiyans seemed almost frozen.
The two of them stood there like that.
Frieza sat in his hover chair, one hand resting on the armrest.
He watched the two with great interest.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Ho ho ho-"
The laughter slipped precisely into the silence between them, gently snapping the string stretched to its limit.
"Well?"
"Are you two surprised to meet one of your own?"
Turles was the first to react.
Almost without pausing, he lowered his head slightly and cupped his hands in a crisp, efficient motion.
"Lord Frieza!"
"Thank you for your thoughtful arrangements. I'm overwhelmed."
"Ho ho ho-you're too polite, Mr. Turles."
Then his gaze shifted to Vegeta, who had remained silent all this time.
Frieza clicked his tongue softly.
It was unclear whether he was pleased or disappointed.
"How cold, Vegeta~"
Frieza sighed, his regretful tone perfectly measured.
"I thought you Saiyans would be a little more... enthusiastic with one another."
It sounded like a joke.
"Mr. Turles, don't mind him. Vegeta has always been like this. Allow me to introduce him: the man before you is none other than the Saiyan Prince-Vegeta IV."
Frieza finished his introduction.
Turles turned his head aside.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"I didn't expect you to be His Highness the prince."
"How rude of me."
Although Turles used an honorific,
anyone could hear that he didn't care in the slightest.
Turles's gaze rested on Vegeta for less than a second before he casually looked away.
"Still, Planet Vegeta is gone now."
He turned slightly toward Frieza.
"So naturally, there is no prince anymore."
He paused.
"The only people here are warriors of the Frieza Force."
Whether Frieza had arranged for him and Vegeta to meet out of some twisted amusement or simply to introduce two of his subordinates to each other,
the two of them banding together?
That was certainly an outcome Frieza didn't want to see.
Hearing this, the tip of Frieza's tail paused on the armrest.
His courteous smile remained on his face, and he seemed to agree with Turles.
Vegeta stood where he was.
Inevitably, he felt that his pride as the Saiyan Prince had been challenged.
A Saiyan who'd come out of nowhere?
He stared at Turles.
Turles didn't avoid Vegeta's gaze, but he didn't deliberately confront him either.
Vegeta also turned toward Frieza.
"Lord Frieza."
"This 'new friend' you wanted to introduce..."
He paused.
His tone carried just the right amount of mockery.
"Is some guy who came out of nowhere?"
The tip of Frieza's tail hung in midair without falling.
Vegeta pressed on.
"Isn't he just some Low-Class Warrior who came back from a backward star region?"
By Vegeta's reckoning, aside from his own squad, the only Saiyans who could still be alive were Low-Class Warriors sent to remote planets as children, just like his younger brother...
"Ho ho ho-"
Frieza laughed.
He shook his head, seemingly denying what Vegeta had said.
"Vegeta, you've got that wrong."
The tip of his tail lifted from the armrest and swayed lazily in the air.
"Mr. Turles joined our force through his own strength."
"Let me tell you something."
"Don't be too surprised, but Mr. Turles has a power level of 38,000!"
Vegeta froze at once.
His eyes filled with disbelief.
Countless words came together in his mind as a single cry!
"Impossible!"
He, Vegeta, was the most gifted warrior in Planet Vegeta's history!
He firmly believed it!
His power level had now surpassed his father's back then.
His power level of 18,000 made him even more certain that he was the strongest Saiyan in history!
And now Frieza was telling him that some unfamiliar Saiyan had a power level of 38,000?
In the end, he lost his composure. With this pride buried deep in his heart about to be shattered, he couldn't remain calm.
"38,000?"
Vegeta gritted his teeth.
"Lord Frieza, are you sure the scouter wasn't malfunctioning?"
This time, Dodoria couldn't hold back a snort.
"I operated the scouter myself."
"Who are you to question it?"
Vegeta clenched his fists without realizing it.
He said nothing more.
"Ho ho ho-"
Frieza finally laughed again.
"My, my, Vegeta, why so quiet?"
He tilted his head, his voice full of concern.
"Don't tell me you've been frightened?"
This time, Vegeta forced his emotions down and chose to avoid the situation.
"Lord Frieza, I'll take my leave."
The alloy door slid open, then closed again.
Vegeta's figure disappeared from the command room.
Only Frieza, Zarbon, Dodoria, and Turles remained in the command room.
Frieza tilted his head, and the tip of his tail finally settled back on the armrest.
"My, my-Vegeta's temper hasn't changed."
He sighed, putting on a helpless expression.
"Don't take it to heart, Mr. Turles."
Turles lowered his head and cupped his hands.
"That arrogant prince's rudeness is infuriating."
"Your generosity is admirable, Lord Frieza!"
Turles's words struck a chord with Zarbon and Dodoria beside him.
He had spoken their minds exactly.
After the confrontation between Turles and Vegeta just now, these words made them feel a little more affinity with Turles.
Turles had a higher power level than they did, and he was so polite. By comparison, Vegeta was weak and arrogant. Some damn prince he was-he was nothing but a savage monkey!
Frieza nodded in satisfaction as well, though he maintained his gentlemanly manner.
"There's no need for that, Mr. Turles. It's only what I should do. I've always been very considerate toward warriors who make outstanding contributions to the force."
"Speaking of which-"
Frieza flicked his tail.
"Now that you've joined our force, Mr. Turles, you can't stay idle forever, can you?"
Frieza continued.
"A batch of missions will come in a few days. Mr. Zarbon will inform you of the details then."
"Get some rest for now~"
"Yes, I'll take my leave."
When he reached the door,
Frieza's voice called after him.
"Oh, right, Mr. Turles."
Turles paused.
"Since you said that the only people here are warriors of the Frieza Force,"
"I'll expect you to live up to the standards of a warrior of the force."
"You won't disappoint me, will you, Mr. Turles?"
Turles came to a stop.
"Understood!"
The alloy door closed behind him.