Bang!
Vegeta drove a kick into Temat and sent him crashing straight out of the sky.
Boom!
Temat slammed into the ground hard enough to blast out a crater.
"He's dead!" Raditz shouted excitedly.
But the words had barely left his mouth when Temat sprang right back to his feet.
Raditz's eyes widened so far his jaw nearly dropped.
He survived that?
What kind of monster is this guy?
Vegeta landed opposite him, calm and unhurried.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
At that moment, several figures rushed down from the sky and surrounded the area.
That much was only natural. Temat and Vegeta had been fighting this fiercely inside the royal palace grounds. It would have been stranger if no one had shown up.
"What's wrong?" Vegeta said with a smug smile. "Can't win, so you're calling for help?"
"Stand down," Temat said, expression calm as he waved the newcomers back.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The men immediately bowed to him.
"Go back and tell my father that I'll handle Raditz's situation myself," Temat said with a smile.
"Yes, sir!"
After bowing again, they promptly withdrew.
"That was enough for a warm-up," Vegeta said with a snort.
"Let's move somewhere else," Temat replied, pointing toward a distant stretch of empty mountains. "If we fight here, innocent people might get caught in it."
"Hmph. You say that like this is about to become some grand battle," Vegeta said with a light laugh. "But fine. Suit yourself."
"Let's go, then."
Temat turned into a streak of light and shot toward the uninhabited mountain range.
Vegeta rose into the air and followed after him.
"We should go too," Goku said to Raditz.
Raditz had no objection. Watching from the sidelines cost him nothing.
Besides, he did not believe for a second that Vegeta would lose.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Goku and Raditz flew after them.
But while they were flying, Raditz gradually began to feel that something was off.
"Kakarot, you're flying pretty fast," he said through gritted teeth as he pushed himself to catch up. "How high has your power level gotten over the years?"
"Power level? Hm... what is it now?" Goku said, scratching his head before shaking it.
"What, you've never checked it with a scouter?" Raditz asked with a snort.
"Scouters are outdated," Goku said with a smile. "These days, people talk about levels."
"Levels?" Raditz repeated blankly. He had never heard that term used like that before.
"I'll explain it properly later," Goku said. Then he smiled again. "But you really do need to train harder, Raditz. You still feel way too weak. That won't do."
Raditz's face darkened.
"Is that how you talk to your older brother?"
You're acting like you're stronger than me.
"Let's keep moving first," Goku said, growing more thoughtful. "Something about this Temat guy feels off. He's a lot stronger than he looks."
"Hmph. What do you know?" Raditz scoffed. "No matter how strong he is, he can't be stronger than Prince Vegeta. Prince Vegeta is the strongest Saiyan there is—"
Goku did not argue.
Say whatever you want.
After two seconds of silence, though, Raditz added, "Broly doesn't count. He's a Legendary Super Saiyan."
"Fair enough," Goku said with a nod.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Vegeta and Temat landed in a deserted mountain region far off in the distance and turned to face each other.
Goku and Raditz landed nearby soon after.
...
Back at the palace, Cabba and Lusen entered together and bowed to the king.
"You may rise," the king said with a smile. "You're here about Raditz, aren't you?"
Cabba and Lusen quickly nodded.
"Temat has already found them," the king said. "He's decided to deal with the matter personally and return them to the Grand Prison himself."
"Y-Your Highness is handling it himself?" Cabba asked, instantly energized.
The king stroked his beard and smiled.
"If the prince is willing to act, then they won't escape," Cabba said, his face full of admiration.
"Your Majesty, may we go watch?" Lusen asked hopefully.
"You may," the king said. "Just don't interfere with Temat's fight."
"Yes, sir!" Lusen answered.
Cabba was excited too.
Being able to watch the prince fight was not an opportunity that came often.
"Renso has already gone ahead," the king added, looking at Cabba with clear approval. "If you leave now, you should be able to catch up to him."
He thought highly of Cabba.
At such a young age, Cabba was already one of the finest among the Saiyans.
"Captain Renso too?" Cabba said, visibly startled.
These were all truly top-tier fighters.
Even Captain Renso had gone?
That only made it better.
"Do you think I could get an autograph from either His Highness or Captain Renso?" Lusen asked, even more starry-eyed than before.
The king just smiled and said nothing.
Cabba and Lusen bowed again, took their leave, and hurried outside the palace.
The moment they focused their senses, they immediately picked up two powerful ki in the mountains behind the palace.
Farther away still, there was also a small group flying at high speed.
"That should be Captain Renso and his team, right?" Lusen asked.
"Yes, probably," Cabba said with a nod.
The two of them sped off after them.
"Captain Renso!"
Cabba and Lusen bowed respectfully in midair as they caught up.
"You're Cabba, aren't you?" Renso said, recognizing him at once.
"Yes," Cabba said, startled. "Captain Renso knows who I am?"
"I've heard of you," Renso said with a smile. "You're one of the more promising Saiyans of your generation. So, what do you think? Interested in joining the Sadala Defense Force?"
"The Sadala Defense Force?" Cabba's eyes lit up.
"You more than qualify," Renso said.
"Yes! I'd be honored!" Cabba answered immediately, thrilled beyond words.
"Captain Renso, I'm—" Lusen began, trying to introduce himself.
I want to join too.
"Let's go," Renso said instead, not even looking at him before turning away.
This was a world where strength ruled.
If your power was lacking, people naturally looked down on you.
Renso had no interest in Lusen.
Compared with Cabba, the difference was simply too great.
Lusen gave an awkward smile and shrugged, embarrassed.
Cabba patted him on the shoulder and shot him a quiet look of comfort.
Then Renso, Cabba, and the others flew toward Goku's group.
Renso had only brought two subordinates with him, not many.
Temat generally disliked having too many spectators around when he fought.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Renso and the others landed not far from Goku and Raditz.
Goku glanced in their direction, let his eyes rest on Renso for a few seconds, then looked away.
"I remember that guy," Raditz muttered darkly to Goku. "The one with the little beard. I'm pretty sure his name's Renso. He's the captain of the Sadala Defense Force. He's strong. His power level's got to be over ten thousand."
"Probably higher than that," Goku said, shaking his head.
He could tell just from Renso's ki that if it were converted into a power level, it was already far beyond ten thousand.
Even without powering up, he had clearly passed that mark.
"What? Then how high do you think it is?" Raditz asked.
"Right now? At least fifteen thousand, I think," Goku said after considering it. "Though I haven't tried calculating power levels in a long time, so I could be off. Still, somewhere around there."
"Fifteen thousand?" Raditz said, going pale. "He'd kill us instantly."
Goku just smiled and said nothing.
"Prince Vegeta's power level used to be only eighteen thousand..." Raditz muttered under his breath. "These days it should be over twenty thousand, right? Although... hard to say. Prince Vegeta hit eighteen thousand a long time ago, and for more than twenty years after that, he barely improved at all."
Vegeta: "..."
His hearing was sharp enough now that he caught every word.
The veins on his forehead bulged instantly.
So those years really were wasted time!
Thinking about it now, he finally understood why Kakarot had managed to leave him behind again and again.
His own starting point had been incredibly high. At a little over five years old, his power level had already reached eighteen thousand.
But during the twenty years that followed, he had never given himself a proper training plan.
Kakarot, on the other hand...
His power level had been low for a long time, yes.
But Kakarot had laid a rock-solid foundation for himself.
He was the type who built slowly and then exploded forward all at once.
Vegeta had to admit that, at this moment, a lot of things suddenly made sense.
Then the corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smile, and limitless confidence filled his face.
Things were different now.
After a full year of training, his tail was no longer a weakness.
In fact, it had grown back during that year.
Temat only glanced calmly at Renso and the others after they arrived. He did not comment.
"All right," Vegeta said with a light laugh, staring at him. "Now are you ready to show me what you can really do?"
"You first," Temat replied with a quiet sigh. "Once I use my true power, things may get a little troublesome... I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself very well."
"Things may get troublesome?" Vegeta repeated, then let out a cold laugh. "Fine. Have it your way."
Golden light burst from his body as he transformed at once into a Super Saiyan.
A brilliant golden aura engulfed him, and violent energy surged outward in every direction.
Everyone present except Goku stared in shock.
"What is that transformation?" Lusen blurted out.
"Why is he glowing gold?" one of Renso's men cried.
"It's not just light. His ki changed too," said the other.
"So he transformed?" Cabba said, pupils shrinking.
Even Renso's eyes widened. He could clearly sense the tremendous jump in Vegeta's power.
"Huh? Huh? Huh?" Raditz cried out in disbelief. "Isn't that Broly's Legendary Super Saiyan transformation? Incredible, Prince Vegeta! Don't tell me Prince Vegeta is a Legendary Super Saiyan too! That's exactly what I'd expect from the prince!"
"You've got that wrong," Goku said, shaking his head.
Raditz looked at him in confusion.
"That's Super Saiyan," Goku corrected him. "Not Legendary Super Saiyan. Broly's form is different."
Raditz: "...?"
"What's the difference?" he asked strangely.
"It's not as strong as Broly's," Goku answered simply.
"Really? I'd always heard there was only one Legendary Super Saiyan every thousand years," Raditz said, half understanding, half not. "I thought Prince Vegeta might be one too."
Temat's expression had changed as well. The prince of Planet Sadala now looked much more serious.
"Go on, then," Vegeta said with a snort. "Transform, Prince of Sadala."
"What exactly is this form?" Temat asked, drawing in a deep breath.
"What? Don't tell me you can't do it," Vegeta said, a little surprised.
"I can't," Temat answered, shaking his head. "I've never seen a transformation like yours."
"What a disappointment," Vegeta said with open contempt. "I expected more from Planet Sadala's Saiyans."
In a single flash of golden light, Vegeta vanished and reappeared right behind Temat.
He moved so fast that even Temat failed to react in time.
By the time Temat sensed the movement behind him and turned, Vegeta was already there.
"Well?" Vegeta said with a smug smile. "How's that, Prince of Sadala?"
Temat: "..."
Bang!
Vegeta struck hard and planted a heavy punch straight into Temat's chest.
"Urgh—"
Temat spat up a mouthful of bitter fluid and lifted off the ground from the impact.
Bang!
Vegeta followed with a kick and sent him flying backward.
Thud!
Temat crashed to the ground, rolled dozens of times, scraped across rocks, and carved a long trail through the earth before finally sliding to a stop hundreds of meters away.
"Show me your real power," Vegeta said with a snort as he started walking toward him.
Temat leaped back to his feet, his face shifting again and again.
"I'm the prince of Planet Vegeta. You're the prince of Planet Sadala. We're both Saiyan princes, and this is all you amount to?" Vegeta said mockingly, then added with a grin, "Though with a face that looks so much like Ken's, I almost feel bad hitting you."
Bang!
He said that, but still kicked Temat square in the chest again.
And honestly, Vegeta found it deeply satisfying.
It felt like he was beating the hell out of Ken himself.
"Urgh..."
Temat coughed up blood and slid backward, his feet plowing two long trenches into the earth.
He braced himself, ground to a stop, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. His expression turned even heavier.
"This is bad," Lusen said in a low voice. "His Highness is completely outmatched."
"The prince is going to lose," one of the subordinates said darkly.
"Should we step in, Captain?" asked the other.
"It would make no difference," Renso said, shaking his head. "If even the prince can't handle him, you certainly can't."
"So we're supposed to just stand here and watch His Highness die?" Cabba said, face tense.
"Relax," Renso said with a cold smile. "The prince hasn't shown his true strength yet either."
"Does His Highness transform too?" Lusen asked.
"No," Renso said.
Lusen: "..."
Cabba: "..."
The two subordinates: "..."
All four of them fell silent.
The prince doesn't transform?
Then how is he supposed to avoid getting crushed?
"That guy called himself a prince too, didn't he?" Lusen asked, finally piecing it together.
"Looks like he's the prince of the Evil Saiyans," Cabba replied with a nod. "There aren't many of those left now. Just a few."
"Evil Saiyans," one subordinate said through clenched teeth. "No wonder he looks so evil."
The contempt on Vegeta's face deepened, and his grin grew sharper.
"We're both princes," he said. "You can't even turn Super Saiyan. So what exactly are you using to beat me?"
Temat said nothing.
"Oh, and one more thing," Vegeta added, slowly raising all five fingers. "Super Saiyan—the form you're looking at right now—multiplies your power by fifty."
"Fifty?" Temat repeated, thoughtful.
"Well?" Vegeta said. "Why don't you surrender nicely? Or have those people come help you?"
He was in no rush to finish Temat off.
The more Temat resembled Ken, the more satisfying it felt to grind him into the dirt.
For a moment, Vegeta even found himself thinking that it would be perfect if this really were Ken.
No. Don't even think that.
If it were actually Ken, I'd be the one in trouble.
Still...
Why did he look so much like him?
Could this be the mirror counterpart of the person from Ken's universe?
It wasn't impossible.
"Surrender?" Temat said with a smile, gently shaking his head. "A Saiyan would rather die than surrender."
"Hmph. Fair enough," Vegeta said, nodding. "That is the Saiyan way."
"I may not be able to turn into what you did," Temat said with his usual smile, "but I can raise my power too."
"Oh?" Vegeta said, instantly interested. "Then let's see it."
"All right," Temat replied, the same calm smile still fixed on his face. "Then I won't hold back."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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