The Prince Ascendant

Chapter Twenty Five: Mounting Frustrations

"Damn it all to hell!" Vegito yelled, punching a nearby mountain, reducing it to dust. It'd been a year since Gohan achieved Super Saiyan 3, but not even he and Gotenks together, at full power, was enough. Even when Sakura was thrown into the mix, this tension building within him refused to abate. They could break him physically, but his power was never truly taxed, his abilities never fully tested. He always held back, he had to...if he didn't, Vegito knew he could inadvertently kill his children.

"Now now," Elder Kai said, patting Vegito on the shoulder. "There's no need to take it out on the planet, youngster. You're feeling...pent-up, aren't you?"

"How could you guess?" Vegito said through his teeth, trying his best not to lash out at the Old God. "I haven't had a good fight in years. It hurts to never be truly tested! I WANT A CHALLENGE!"

"I expected something like this," Elder Kai said, shaking his head. "It seems your natural Saiyan battle drive has been magnified like everything else about your sires' personalities."

"What do I do about it, Elder Kai?" Vegito pleaded. "I feel like I'm losing my mind!"

"Apart from seeing one of your planet's therapists," Elder Kai said as he began to pace back and forth. "I don't really know. There's a lot of ways to relieve tension: a massage, a long bath, herbal tea...spending time with a pretty young lady..."

"I know where you're going, Elder Kai," Vegito began, narrowing his eyes. "And I'm asking you now to head back where you came from. I'm really not in the mood."

"Sorry," Elder Kai said with an embarrassed cough. "You're right, that was inappropriate. Anyway, there's lots of little things you can do to relieve some of your tension."

"The thing is," Vegito said, sitting on the ground in a huff. "I've tried all that stuff. I meditated with Piccolo, went to a spa with Bulma and Chi Chi for a week, spent time with my kids, trained, and I'm pretty sure the world's supply of chamomile tea has taken a drastic hit in the past few months. Nothing works, and I'm nearing my wit's end!"

"There might be a solution," Elder Kai began, scratching his chin. "I do know a soothing spell, but it only works for a little while, and I can't do it too often."

"Why not? Is it dangerous?"

"Worse," Elder Kai said, looking Vegito straight in the eye. "Its addictive, like a drug. If I give it to you too often, you'll get hooked...I've seen what happens when people get addicted to this kind of spell and then have to go off it."

"What happens?" Vegito asked in a sick voice.

"They get restless, irritable," Elder Kai started, closing his eyes. "They have trouble sleeping, suffer wild mood swings, strange cravings, even hallucinations. Its not pretty."

"I think I'll pass," Vegito said with a sigh. "Thanks for the offer, though, Elder Kai."

"Any time, my boy," Elder Kai said, giving Vegito a pat on the back. "I am responsible for your creation, its my duty to help you. If you ever need to talk, I'm always here."

With a wan smile, Vegito teleported away back to Capsule Corp. The house was empty: Bulma had taken the children and her parents, minus her father whom Vegito used to get there and was quite enraptured by his current work, out for the day to go shopping. She'd invited Vegito to come along, but he just wasn't feeling it, right now. Instead, he walked over to a nearby drafting table and, moving a few sheaves of paper around, began to draw on the paper. He had no idea what possessed him to do such a thing, but for some reason, it felt therapeutic. His hand moved almost automatically, each stroke of the pencil adding a new feature to the scene he was crafting. Though he couldn't see it in his mind, Vegito began seeing the shape of a cave, lit by a light without source, with runes on the floor...runes of an unknown language. After several hours, Vegito put the pencil down and looked at the finished product. He could just barely see the outline of what looked like a chamber in the centre, at the rear of the cave. He couldn't recall where he'd seen such a thing, or if he'd even seen it at all.

"That's quite good," Vegito heard from behind him, startling the Fused Warrior. "Where is this cave?"

"I have no idea," Vegito replied, turning to Dr. Briefs. "I've never seen it before in my life. It was just the first thing that came to my mind."

"A warrior and an artist," Dr. Briefs remarked with a laugh. "Colour me impressed! The control of perspective is excellent, and it looks so real!"

"Thank you," Vegito replied, blushing a little. It wasn't often Dr. Briefs handed out such blatant compliments.

Taking his leave, Vegito flopped down on his bed a few minutes later. The drawing had helped him feel at lest a little better, but as it was, he was still grinding his teeth. It'd gotten so bad that Bulma had insisted that he wear a retainer at night, so as to not chip his teeth as he slept. Putting it in, Vegito crawled beneath the sheets and willed himself to sleep. Naps were one of his only respites from his raging mind. In his dreams, he could face any opponent, and they could be as strong as he wanted. This time, however, the fight came to him...as he dreamed, Vegito could see, in the vast expanse before him a tall, slender, cat-like being with long ears, purple skin and glowing, red eyes. He grinned sadistically at Vegito. A flash of Vegeta's memory ran through his mind, and Vegito knew who was his mind had chosen him to fight: Beerus, the God of Destruction.

Grinning like a madman, Vegito readied himself. This was one opponent he didn't have to power up to get a good fight. In his dream, Vegito turned into an ascended Super Saiyan and charged. His muscles found rock-hard flesh, and they were pleased. The amount of power he was putting out in this dream was still under his maximum, but he was actually having to try for the first time since he was created. That was when dream-Beerus lost his grin and turned his head. Following the god's eyes, Vegito could just make an outline of a tall humanoid with tall hair in the blackness. In Beerus' eyes, Vegito saw respect and...what had to be admiration as he looked at this form. This was someone Beerus thought of as his better, that much was obvious. Before he could gleefully charge this new opponent, Vegito awoke to Bulma sitting on the bed and brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Bulma," Vegito said, yawning. "I was having the most wonderful dream, just now."

"Fighting Frieza again?" Bulma asked with a laugh.

"This time, it was the God of Destruction," Vegito replied as he stretched.

"That purple cat-guy you told me about?" Bulma asked, arching her eyebrow.

"Likely the most dangerous being in the known universe," Vegito answered with a wistful sigh.

"Only you," Bulma began with another laugh, slapping her husband lightly on the back. "Would go all love-struck schoolgirl at the thought of fighting a god, Vegito."

"I can't help it!" Vegito said in a pained voice. "He's the strongest being I can imagine! I want to fight him so badly, it hurts! A real test, against someone who makes the other gods tremble. The one person that caused King Vegeta to go down on his hands and knees and beg."

Bulma simply smiled at her husband as he gave her a kiss on the head and walked out of the room, likely to go train more. The tension in his body was growing to unbearable levels, but he couldn't just unleash everything here...there was a very good chance he'd end up doing major damage to the city if he did. He needed to feel his maximum, the wait for someone strong enough to pull it out of him naturally was too long. Flying as fast as he could as a Super Saiyan, Vegito went to the middle of the ocean south of Kame House. There, he concentrated, focusing his ki and drawing it out. Transforming into an ascended Super Saiyan, Vegito continued to push. The maddening frustration with his current state empowered him, aiding the Fused Warrior as he plumbed the depths of his power. He'd never used this transformation before, not himself, but he needed to feel it.

Vegito screamed, letting out all his rage as a violent storm kicked up around him. The world beneath him quaked and massive waves started kicking up around him. A hurricane was brewing, and Vegito was at its eye. His skin felt like it was on fire, his muscles were screaming in protest as his body rebelled against what he was doing. But, even as his entire nervous system screamed in agony, Vegito felt tension releasing from his body, as if some valve had been opened, allowing the pressure to finally be relieved. He forced his mind further, imagining fighting Beerus and needing every drop of his power to fight the Destroyer on an equal footing. His body ceased its groaning and Vegito knew he'd become a Super Saiyan 3, but that was no longer enough. There were depths yet to plumb and, so, Vegito pushed even further. The world began to shake violently, and no doubt there were stations around the globe reporting massive earthquakes. Then, he hit a barrier. Something stopped him from going further, and the shaking quieted down as Vegito's ki stabilized. He had few doubts that even the Grand Kai could feel his power in the afterlife.

This barrier was unlike the ones he remembered as Goku and Vegeta, between the first three Super Saiyan states. This felt more...biological. Like his body simply refused to go further. Was there really a cap on his power? No, barriers were meant to be broken. The Goku in him began plotting. He knew his limit, but he would push it, force himself beyond it, break it down. But, if his guess was right, and it was a limit of his body...an idea struck him. Reverting back to normal, Vegito thought of his wife, Bulma. She was a genius of unchallenged intellectual might, much as Vegito was a genius of the regular kind of might. If his body had a hard limit, maybe she could help him find a way around it, or through it. Vegito refused to let something as simple as biology stop him from getting stronger. There were beings beyond him in power, there was always someone better, or at least, that's what the Vegeta in him was saying. Where ki and, to a degree, magic had helped him become one of the strongest warriors to ever live, perhaps technology could help him...yes, it made an odd kind of sense. Focusing on his wife's ki signature, Vegito used Instant Transmission and appeared before Bulma as she sat on the couch, drinking a cup of tea.

"There was a lot of shaking earlier, dear," Bulma said, putting her cup down. "Was that you?"

"Yeah," Vegito said a bit sheepishly. "I just...couldn't take it, anymore. I pushed myself as far as I could, but I hit some kind of...limit."

"A limit, huh?" Bulma said, looking at her husband with an arched eyebrow. "Something tells me you're not telling me about this just to keep me informed..."

"Perceptive as always," Vegito said with a laugh, sitting on the couch next to her. "Bulma, dear...I need your help. To become stronger and break my limits."

"Aren't you strong enough already, though?" Bulma asked.

"I am never strong enough," Vegito said firmly. "If I accepted something like that, I'd get complacent. While I'm not adverse to relaxing, I can't let myself fall behind. There might be a time when I need to be at my absolute best. If...if I'm not, I could end up losing you all, and I refuse to let that happen."

"I understand, dear," Bulma said, kissing her husband on the cheek. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Is there any way you could...I dunno," Vegito began, searching hard for the words he needed to describe what he wanted. "Find out if my body has any limits on the amount of power it can output?"

"A biological limit, huh?" Bulma asked herself. "I might, yeah. Though, I wouldn't suggest doing it on Earth, since your maximum power tends to cause massive collateral damage. I could attach a kind of sensor on you, using something similar to the old scouters I reverse-engineered a long time ago. That could measure your power output and see when it plateaus. At the same time, a second sensor in the same setup would monitor your vitals and take periodic blood samples to monitor things like heart rate, blood pressure, O2 levels, cell membrane coherence, and so on."

"Is there anything you're not insanely good at?" Vegito asked with a laugh.

"Well," Bulma said with a smile. "I know Chi Chi's a better cook than I am."

Vegito laughed again. "That may be, but," he said, pulling her close to him. "I knew coming to you would be the right move. You're amazing."

"And don't you forget it!" Bulma said, poking Vegito in the stomach.

All in all, it took six months for Bulma to complete the monitoring device. If Vegito didn't know any better, he'd say that she delayed for a month or so just so it could coincide with his checkup with Elder Kai. The device, which looked like an elongated bracelet made of a bunch of weird screens monitoring all his vitals, as well as his ki output, wrapped snugly around his right forearm. Kissing his wife goodbye, he teleported to Supreme Kai's world, right next to Elder Kai.

"That the monitoring thing Bulma was making for you?" the Old God asked, looking at Vegito's right arm.

"Yep, she really came through, this time," Vegito said with a smile and a nod. "Thanks again for letting me use this place for testing."

"Any time, my boy," Elder Kai said in a friendly tone before plopping down on the ground. "Shall we get down to business, then?"

"Let's," Vegito said amiably, sitting in front of Elder Kai.

"Well, my boy," Elder Kai said after a few minutes. "I think I can safely say that you have a clean bill of health. Might I say, you look quite a bit less tense than you used to."

"I have a goal," Vegito said simply. "Something to...I dunno, do. It might not be a challenging fight, but I at least have something to work for, finally."

"I'm glad you've finally got something to work for," Elder Kai said as they stood up. "I won't keep you, then. You go work towards your goal, my boy, and good luck to you."

Flying to the other side of the planet, Vegito hit the green button on the device's touchscreen and, seeing the "MONITORS ACTIVE" flash across the screen, the Fused Warrior lowered his arm and focused his ki once more. The ki already pouring out of him as he ascended to Super Saiyan 3 was like a tsunami, the world beneath him was shaking violently as he continued, forcing out as much power as he could muster. For what felt like hours, Vegito strained, calling up the titanic level of ki and bringing it to the surface.

On the other side of the world, Supreme Kai stood in awe with Kibito and a smiling Elder Kai. The amount of ki flooding their planet was unbelievable. Supreme Kai finally understood how Vegito had so easily killed Majin Buu, his level of power was unlike anything he'd heard, even in myths. Why did this man need to get any more powerful? What, in all of the universe, could threaten a creature with that kind of power at his disposal? What kind of insane creatures were these Saiyans, that one could become so powerful?

"The mind fairly boggles, doesn't it?" Elder Kai said quietly as the world shook.

"How, ancestor?" Supreme Kai asked in a strained voice. "How is he capable of generating that much power?!"

"Vegito," Elder Kai began, narrowing his eyes against the wind being kicked up by Vegito's continuing buildup. "Is the fusion of what had to have been the two strongest beings in the universe, second only to Majin Buu. Our earrings, when used for fusion, amplifies everything a great deal. Magic, physical strength, intellect, cunning...everything down to the fusees' personalities. Even without the amplification, Vegito would be a force to be reckoned with. Thanks to the Potara earrings, I think the only creatures this universe has to offer that could challenge him anymore are the likes of Beerus."

"I don't understand, ancestor," Supreme Kai said. "Why, if he's so powerful, does he want to get stronger?"

"Its in his blood," Elder Kai answered. "Saiyans seem to have a natural drive to become more powerful, even if a threat isn't present. This personality trait was combined and magnified by the fusion of Goku and Vegeta, to the point that its become an overwhelming need in Vegito's heart. Becoming more powerful is now as much a part of him as his limbs. It is part of his very purpose and being held back, even by his own body, is driving him mad."

"I...I see," Supreme Kai responded as Vegito's ki plateaued.

Back on the other side of the world, Vegito had finally hit his maximum, his body refused to budge. Now, he had to maintain it...just long enough for Bulma's device to get as much data as it could possibly acquire. Seconds felt like hours as his body strained against him until, at last, Vegito could no longer maintain his current power level. Tired and content, he reverted back to normal and hit the red "STOP" button on the device's touchscreen. Not wanting to waste any time, Vegito locked on to Bulma's ki signal and teleported away to meet his wife, and give her the data she'd need to help him break past his current limitations.

"Back already, huh?" Bulma asked playfully. "I take it that you succeeded?"

"I held my power for a good ninety seconds, maybe more," Vegito said, exhaling as Bulma gently removed the apparatus from his wrist and hooked it into a nearby computer. "That was a lot more tiring than I thought."

"Makes sense, I guess," Bulma said absentmindedly as she started tapping away. "The few times I saw Vegeta as a Super Saiyan 3, it always wore him out really fast. You might have all his experience, but your body's still going to behave differently from his. Let's see..." she hummed to herself, looking over the complicated graphs and diagrams before her. "Here's your power, seems to rise on an almost exponential scale...then, there it is, the plateau. Okay, got the timestamp for when your power started to level off," Bulma said to herself, tapping a few keys and bringing up some more graphs. "Heart rate's accelerated and O2 levels are high, but that's normal given the adrenaline levels in your blood...I think I found it! Your cell membranes start to decay as you plateau, which is why you can't maintain your maximum power for very long. They return to normal as you revert, though...hm..."

"So," Vegito said, looking at the glowing screen. "You're saying that, once I hit my maximum, my cells start to break down?"

"It would appear so," Bulma said, tapping her finger against her chin. "I wonder...AH!" she said sharply, making Vegito jump. "But, wait, you don't have a tail..."

"Why would not having a tail be important?" Vegito asked, wondering what was going through her mind.

"Well," Bulma said, tapping some more keys and bringing up a picture of the moon with what looked like radiation readings. "When I heard about Saiyans other than Goku becoming Great Apes after being exposed to the full moon, I did some research. It turns out that the sun is sending weak amounts of radiation I call 'Brute Waves' down to Earth. Now," she continued, tapping another key, bringing up another graph. "Normally, the amount is very tiny, not enough to trigger a transformation. However, the full moon acted as sort of a reflector dish, focusing the Brute Waves on to Earth. Saiyan tails act like an antenna, picking up these Brute Waves, causing the body to respond with transformation. I could probably manufacture these Brute Waves, but without a tail, you wouldn't respond to even a lethal dose."

"What good would becoming a Great Ape do me?" Vegito asked, his eyes narrowed. "I'd just be a big, strong monkey, unless...wait a minute, are you suggesting that the Brute Waves and transformation somehow change my body and make it more durable?"

"Its only a theory," Bulma said, placing her chin in her hands. "But, it makes sense. From what Vegeta tells me, your ki bolsters your body's defenses. Being a Great Ape increases the amount of ki your body has, but from what he told me, the increase in defense isn't fully accounted for by the ki boost, not according to Planet Vegeta's scientists, at least. That means, there has to be something else happening behind the scenes that they weren't seeing."

"I wonder if Dende could restore my tail," Vegito said, wondering. "If you could build a Brute Wave generator, we could take it to one of the uninhabited worlds near Supreme Kai's planet and test it out, that way, nobody can get hurt if I lose control."

"You think its worth a shot?" Bulma asked her husband in a curious tone.

"I do indeed," Vegito said with a nod. "Its something I wouldn't have thought of in a million years. Being a Super Saiyan always seemed to supplant that little trick, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were more to it than meets the eye. Besides, we can do it safely, and Vegeta was able to control the form, so I ought to be able to, as well."

"We can have Sakura and Gohan on standby, as well," Bulma said, happy to be plotting once again with her husband. "And the generator can have a limited power supply. Once your body burns through the remaining Brute Waves, you should revert to normal, or at least weaken enough to where we can sever your tail."

"Sounds like a plan!" Vegito said with a wide smile, kissing his Bulma. "How long do you think it'll take you to rig this up?"

"No more than three months," Bulma said, tapping a few keys and bringing up a blank schematic on her computer. "I'll get started right away!"

"Feels good to be moving forward again," Vegito said as he walked out to the hallway, glad that he had someone so brilliant on his side.

Whis clicked his heels together in joy. "Oh ho!" he said, happily. "This is going to be interesting! I have to say, that Bulma sure is a smart little lady, I'm very impressed. I can't wait to see what they cook up! I'm on the edge of my seat!"

Watching with rapt interest, Whis' mind ran at a thousand kilometers an hour. There were only six more months until Lord Beerus would awaken, and it looked like his challenger would end up even stronger than he'd anticipated! Even if their little plan didn't yield anything useful, which he doubted given the Earth woman's apparent knack for figuring things out with surprising ease, Whis knew that Vegito would end up training even harder, maybe even working on making his little friends stronger, too. It'd been a very, very long time since Whis had his blood rushing through his body this fast! Anticipation was building in him like a balloon ready to burst. He was suddenly acutely aware of the passage of time, and it was going by almost painfully slow, for him. Whis grinned. Eons. It'd been eons since he'd been this excited about anything. For the first time in what had to have been at least a billion years, Whis was excited, his gaze fixed solely on Vegito and his comrades, waiting to see what new scheme they'd hatch next.

Author's Notes

This is the last before Beerus awakens! Needless to say, Whis is kind of mirroring my own excitement, with all this. I love Beerus, I love Whis, and I freaking love Vegito. When I was ruminating about how to get Battle of Gods in here without it either being a complete rehash, Gogeta feature, or "Vegeta ends up the god, instead" thing, I thought about using Vegito, and lo and behold, it happened! Yeah, this was partially planned out, I'll admit. It was too good an idea to pass up!

Phuxeds: I hadn't thought about that, but that does introduce kind of a major problem. If Shenron could do that, then why not clone an army of Vegitos? Eventually, it'd remove all challenge from the story and, thus, all dramatic tension. Don't get me wrong, I do like the idea...ooh. Hm...might have actually given me something of an idea, there...

That's about it for this installment! I'll catch you guys later for Chapter Twenty Six of The Prince Ascendant, Battle of Gods! Take care!