Protect . . .

No, not again. Vegeta wouldn't stand by and let his home be destroyed. He hadn't been there when his father had perished. He selfishly hadn't been there, but now things were different. He wouldn't let earth follow the same route. He would do as his father had. He would lose no more kin.

Now was the time to pay his debts.

Vegeta opened his eyes, looking up at the sky with a new perspective. He was a prince. And he had a duty, not only to his father legacy, but to everything that his father stood for. As Vegeta struggled to his feet, he could feel new power surging through him. The exhaustion was gone, and it was replaced with something much deeper than his desire to better and strive. Along with his goal to be the strongest fighter in existence, something else now gave him purpose.

Vegeta inhaled and was aware that his features were changing. He could feel his muscles strengthening and his vision intensifying. His hair was lengthening down to his knees. Then the transformation was complete. He had ascended. He was a prince, and he now possessed a crown of gold.

It was time.

Barely had Vegeta pushed off from the earth than he was in front of Kakarrot, deflecting a lethal blast toward those below, those who had given him temporary invincibility. They would not be hurt. No, he would not allow it. Not again. Not anymore.

Vegeta looked and saw Kakarrot's expression of surprise and horror, but he was strangely calm and focused. As he extended a hand and placed it upon Kakarrot's chest, a surge of power flowed through him. Nothing, not even temporary invincibility, compared to this. This was beyond.

"A prince protects his world."

Energy flowed from his hand, and the shot was released with such power that it knocked Kakarrot back to their previous battlefield. Vegeta was there in an instant and he landed lightly, watching as Kakarrot struggled to his feet.

"How could. . .you should be gone!" Kakarrot spat. "Your injuries were lethal!"

Vegeta looked at his body, feeling notes of pain. But any pain was obscured by the power that now consumed him. "Give up."

Kakarrot's eyes blazed. "Never."

Vegeta took a fighting stance but hesitated in attacking. It wasn't that he didn't think that he could win; that was obvious. The question was, how? Annihilating Kakarrot was something that Vegeta had always dreamed of doing, but now, faced with the option, he paused. This wasn't Kakarrot. Not the one he was used to, anyway. Not the one with the infuriating, happy-go-lucky demeanor and seemingly-endless supply of both energy and humor. And Vegeta didn't think that anyone would take kindly to his ending Kakarrot, notwithstanding the fact that he would've ended them all in a heartbeat.

This was someone different. A Saiyan warrior from Planet Vegeta. A relic from a past life in Vegeta's memory.

Vegeta knew what he had to do. He had to bring Kakarrot back. And he knew just how to do it. Leaping forward, Vegeta swiped a false punch toward Kakarrot's stomach then brought another fist and connected with his head. As he watched Kakarrot crash into the ground, he wondered if he'd put too much force into the blow. He didn't want to lethally injure Kakarrot while trying to return him to normal.

Kakarrot was up with a roar, but Vegeta easily dodged his next attack; each time Kakarrot rose, Vegeta was there to beat him down. Several times, Kakarrot attempted to flee the battlefield and make his way to a populated area so Vegeta wouldn't be able to fight to his full ability. But Vegeta pushed Kakarrot back again and again, preventing his advance and not allowing him to even consider injuring a single human or Z fighter. This time, he would win. He wouldn't let no more warriors fall. Not as long as he existed.

Suddenly, Vegeta was aware that something was happening. He felt his power draining out of him as though a dam had just broken and drained out his reserves. He had been so completely consumed by his newfound power and strength that he hadn't realized how much the form had been sapping his remaining energy. In a moment, his golden hair disappeared. Exhaustion and pain hit him, and he fell without having been struck. His body hit the ground with a crash, and he looked up to see Kakarrot descending. With a snarl of triumph, Kakarrot landed nearby, electricity still crackling around his body. Vegeta knew that his energy was spent. Though the battle was over, Vegeta refused to give up. He would win no matter what.

He had to.

"It looks as though the great prince is now the one who's bowing," Kakarrot sneered, staggering a bit before straightening up, walking over to where Vegeta had fallen on his stomach, and looking down at him. "Where did your strength go? Where did your royal air go?"

Vegeta exhaled sharply as Kakarrot kicked him in the side but made sure to stay silent. Sooner or later, Kakarrot would let down his guard. Vegeta just had to wait for the right moment.

"It looks as though Planet Vegeta will have a new ruler," Kakarrot said. "First your father and now you. Fitting, isn't it?"

Vegeta saw red, but he forced himself to stay down no matter how much his mind screamed for him to get back up and fight. He clenched a rock in his fist and said nothing.

"I will be a much better ruler than you would've been," Kakarrot continued. "There is no room in our race for a compassionate Saiyan."

Vegeta saw the opening even as Kakarrot continued talking. Taking aim, he threw the rock like a bullet at Kakarrot's head. But at the last moment, Kakarrot saw the attack and leaned his head to the side, dodging the stone. Then he laughed. "Even from this distance, you can't touch me. It's pathetic, really. How much stronger I am than you. Now, Vegeta, hail me as your prince."

Vegeta gritted his teeth. "Never. You have no royal blood in you, and my father and I were better leaders than you'll ever be."

Kakarrot's eyes burned and he kicked Vegeta again. "Silence!" he snarled. "The victory is mine! Admit your defeat!"

Vegeta smirked. "A prince never lowers himself to a low-class warrior. You'll never be royalty. Even if you defeat me, you'll never win."

"Take it back," Kakarrot said, his voice now dangerous as he lifted Vegeta off the ground by the scruff of his uniform. "I will annihilate the world which you call home. I will destroy everything which you say you hold dear and then come back to end you."

"Well, then, Kakarrot, I only have one thing to say to you," Vegeta said.

Kakarrot's eyes narrowed. "What's that?"

Here Vegeta smiled. "Don't . . . drop your guard."