"I'm sure it's destiny,
It was already decided,
Even when we first met,
We can't change it,
If love hasn't ended yet,
Like a night where even the moonlight has hidden,
My heart is turning black,
I'm placing my longing into the falling rain,
In case you would forget me,
If it's fate, I'll accept it.
If means that love is a sin."
- 'If We Are Destined' by Ben
(A Korean Odyssey OST)
Episode 18
The Omen
"You're here early." Gine gasped as she found her sons at the front door of their residence. It wasn't midnight yet so she was surprised to find them already back home at this hour. They were supposed to be at Prince Vegeta's engagement party.
"Vegeta suddenly disappeared after the press conference." Raditz explained to his mother as he sat down the sofa.
"Did he reconcile with Bulma already?" Gine asked in concern.
Raditz and Kakarot grunted in disappointment. "I don't think he still has plans to reconcile with her. I mean, it's already been weeks since he started treating her coldly."
"Hmm... I wonder how Bulma would react to the news of Prince Vegeta's engagement." Kakarot muttered to himself, feeling bad for her.
"Where's dad?" Raditz asked as he looked around for his missing parent.
"He went out with Toma and the others to hunt down for the business. They'll be back soon. I prepared some muffins for snacks. Do you want some?" Gine offered.
Kakarot jumped off the sofa, "Cool, mom! I'd love some!"
"Pffft... You glutton." Raditz teased his younger brother. "You just ate a lot at the party, remember?"
"Hahaha. Well, I'm famished! Aren't you hungry, too?" Kakarot laughed.
Raditz shrugged as he looked away, "Well, I guess you're right."
"Alright, I will get you some." Gine smiled at her sons and she walked to the kitchen to get them some muffins.
"I sure do hope Vegeta forgives Bulma and reconcile with her soon. He might act harsh and rude to her lately but I know, deep inside he won't be able to resist her." Kakarot said.
"It's already been more than two weeks since he acted like that. He's absorbed himself too much with his training we even barely see him at all."
"Do you think Vegeta really is training or is he just locking himself up in the training room? Because I doubt he'll be able to concentrate with his training especially when he's still thinking about Bulma."
"Who knows?" Raditz mumbled. "Anyways, how is it going with you and that cook, huh? Are you still secretly going out with her?" He asked curiously.
Kakarot suddenly blushed at his older brother's question. He looked away as he scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Well, yes. Last time I took her to the newly opened amusement park in the Royal City."
"Wait? An Amusement Park? Why is there such a thing on Planet Vegeta anyways?" Raditz questioned.
Kakarot shrugged as he pouted, "I don't know. But Chichi was happy when I took her there. She said she didn't know why it felt like she was in her home planet while riding the Ferris Wheel."
Kakarot reminisced how beautiful Chichi looked to him as she stared down at the image of the Royal City from the top of the Ferris Wheel. He was amazed and completely starstrucked by her radiance. Chichi turned to him, a dazzling smile blinding his eyes also warmed his heart. She thanked him before she pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. The unexpected action made Kakarot frozen in shock at what she just did. Something inside him seemed to snap open and then waves of electricity flowed through his entire being in a flash. It felt warm, amazing, wonderful. So right. He felt a sudden connection to Chichi, something he never felt before. It was as if he knew she was the one destined for him at that very moment.
Kakarot absentmindedly touched his lips and smiled to himself. His face going red at the memory. Raditz stared at his brother oddly.
"Wait, don't tell me you two already kissed each other -!"
Kakarot blushed even more and he suddenly shut his brother's mouth with his hand. "Raditz! Shhh! Mom might hear!"
"Mmmmmppph! Oooommmphh! Pppfftt!"
Not long after that, Raditz and Kakarot heard Bardock and his crew approaching their home. The five Saiyans were laughing boisterously about their catch, a giant bull they found at the mountains they plan to roast. The two brothers turned to the direction they heard and finally Kakarot let go of Raditz.
"You fool! If anyone else learns about this, especially Vegeta, you'll be dead meat!" Raditz growled on his brother's ear.
"Keep it under wraps, okay?" Kakarot pleaded silently as he jumped off the sofa to greet his father. Raditz just stared at his brother and shook his head in disbelief.
"Woah, dad! That's huge!" Kakarot gasped at the sight of the dead animal his father and his friends were carrying.
"Nice catch." Raditz complimented as he followed Kakarot out.
"I know, right." Bardock smirked proudly.
"It's more than enough for tomorrow's business" Panbukin chuckled. He's a huge fair-skinned and fat Saiyan with a bob hair cut and a mustache.
"Did you get anything for us from the Prince's engagement party?" Seripa asked the two younger Saiyans. Seripa is a short haired, fair skinned Saiyan woman. The only female on Bardock's crew. She is good friends with Gine.
"Sorry but we left as soon as Vegeta was gone."
"I see. I wonder how he feels being betrothed to Kinoko."
"Bitter. It was obvious that he didn't like the situation he was in. He never liked Kinoko in the first place." Kakarot said.
"Wow. It's surprising that he agreed to be engaged despite his bitterness. Kinoko sure looked a lot like Queen Saya when she was her age."
"I agree. Prince Vegeta's dislike of her was mostly due to that." Gine came in.
"So what do you want us to do with this, Chef Gine?" grinned Totepo.
As they chop the meat of their catch, Bardock abruptly felt his head throb and he suddenly collapsed to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably.
"Bardock!" Gine cried as she ran towards her husband.
"Dad!"
"What's happening to you?! Hey! Bardock!"
"Are you alright?!"
His family and his crew members became anxious of what was happening to him. Bardock was violently convulsing on Gine's arms. Once his seizures finally halted, Bardock's eyes snapped open. The pupils and irises were gone, making them all white. Another vision of the future flashed upon his mind.
At the same time, all seers on Planet Vegeta saw the rebirth of the Dark Prince.
~=o-O-o=~
"W-Who the hell are you?!" Vegeta demanded. He was completely stunned by the boy who was in front of him that his jaw dropped in consternation. He looked and felt exactly like the Crown Prince of all Saiyans except for his pair of soulless grey eyes.
The strange boy, who simply stared back at him with his emotionless eyes, took a piece of cookie from the brown paper bag he was carrying in his arms. "Omnomnomnomnom." the boy responded while he slowly chewed on his cookies.
Vegeta raised an eyebrow at his odd response. "Huh?!"
"Omnomnomnomnomnom..."
"What? Is he saying that his name is Omnomnomnomnomnom?" Vegeta wondered to himself, giving his look-alike an odd look.
"..."
"I-Is he making a fun of me?!" Vegeta indignantly asked in his mind, gritting his teeth together. The way this impostor was behaving in front of him, the Royal Crown Prince of Planet Vegeta, was irking him. Nobody ever ignored his question or made fun of him like this! Ever!
Vegeta's body shook in aggravation, a vein bulged in the left side of his wide forehead, sparks of ki and electricity flickered around him as his power rose little by little along his growing impatience. "Grrr... Don't mess with me!" Finally losing his patience, he disappeared from where he stood and appeared right in front of the impostor. He fiercely punched the boy in his abdomen, almost folding the boy crosswise at the impact and causing him to gag his cookie out. His duplicate doubled over the cold concrete ground due to the excruciating pain that racked his body down to the core. The merciless prince gazed down at the faker with a remorseless gaze. "I am asking you a question, fool! Don't make me repeat myself!" The prince's voice was deathly low, void of emotion.
The Vegeta look-alike coughed a few more as he trembled on the ground in pain. Vegeta scowled at the impostor's display of physical weakness and was disgusted by it. He cannot believe such a thing who looks exactly like himself could be so pathetic!
The indignant prince gritted his teeth in anger, "Come on now. At least don't make my face look pathetic! That punch won't directly kill even a worthless weakling like Raditz!" Vegeta spat derisively, "Get up or I will kill you here!" he suddenly barked.
The other 'Vegeta' whimpered as he carefully picked his cookie bag and himself up from the ground in agony. Once he was finally standing on his two feet, his knees shaking and feeling like he was about to gag again, he looked up at the Saiyan Prince with his still blank stare, he muttered in a low voice, "Ouji-sama, it is my greatest shock to find out that you are such a very rude person. Haven't you heard of the saying 'Do not talk when your mouth is full'?" His voice was plain, flat, almost robotic and expressionless despite the pain he was in. As if he was some machine programmed not to show pain in his voice at all.
"Nobody cares! Plus, your mouth isn't full right now!" the completely pissed off prince yelled.
The boy took another cookie and bit into it. "It is," he said as he chewed. A smug smirk upon his lips.
"Grrrr..!" Vegeta's patience finally broke and he harshly grabbed the damn copycat towards him by his armor's collar. He glared at him with his most terrifying killer look that would have made anyone pee their pants or scamper away out of fear of his impending wrath. However, the other 'Vegeta' remained unsympathetic to his own situation at all. "Do you have a death wish?! I can make you suffer a gruesome one until you decide to speak about what I wish to know!"
"..."
The boy simply stared back at him without any changes in his expression. This made Vegeta's ire flare even more and he effortlessly lifted the impostor in the air.
"So I guess you are not one for words, are you?" Vegeta growled dangerously. His eyes were piercing and icy, especially murderous as he glared maleficently at his copy. In his free hand, he created an orb of ki. "If you are not going to tell me what you are, I will destroy you in here and right now!" he snarled venomously.
The other Vegeta just stared down at his original. There was still no expression in his eyes. There was no fear nor defiance. Nothing but a blank, soulless pair of grey eyes. And this made Vegeta even angrier. Is this piece of shit accepting his death without even trying to fight back?
"Aren't you even going to fight back against me? At least show me some Saiyan pride! Do not humiliate me looking like me yet acting like some pitiful, cowardly trash!"
"..."
The fake Vegeta suddenly muttered in a robotic voice, "GHYUIENXATI19370004957294682019487."
Vegeta was suddenly taken aback, wondering to himself, "W-What is he saying? Is that some kind of code or something?"
"W-What..?" The prince muttered, completely not understanding whatever language this copy was saying.
The fake Vegeta sighed in defeat, sounding really hopeless. "Just as I thought. Ouji-sama has no knowledge of the Project."
"Project? What Project?" Vegeta quickly demanded.
"I was not supposed to relay information if you are not a part of the project, Ouji-sama." answered his look-alike.
Vegeta suddenly yelled indignantly, "I AM THE ROYAL CROWN PRINCE! Of course, I should be part of whatever Project you are talking about!"
"But you don't know what the passcode is." The fake one pointed out as a matter-of-factly.
"Who the hell cares about the damn passcode?! Just answer me!"
"I can't. I'm sorry."
"...Then die!" The prince remorselessly declared as the ki orb in his hand grew larger. He was about to fire it towards his unfazed copy when he noticed something.
~=o-O-o=~
"Bardock! Bardock!"
He could hear his comrades' voices calling out his name relentlessly but he couldn't answer back to them. Inside his head, Bardock found himself trapped on Raditz's future self. As his first born son, he witnessed his Crown Prince turned to a heartless monster as he killed the people around them without remorse, without any mercy. Everyone killed in a gruesome way, blood and gore poured everywhere. And the prince, bathed with the blood of his victims laughed cruelly at the horrific scene he made. Bardock, as Future Raditz, was on his knees down the ground, just watching and gaping at the mortifying scene playing right in front of him. Goosebumps sent shivers down his frozen spine.
"Why?" he asked himself, as Raditz questioning Vegeta's actions.
"Power is everything. The strongest survives while the weaklings perish. They started this game by drawing my blood. I will fight back shedding their own!"
"Vegeta, what the hell is happening to you?! Snap out of it, you fool! This isn't the way!" Kakarot shouted beside him.
"Grr... Shut up! Don't you dare stop me! They killed them! I will kill them all! Every single one of them! I will make them pay with their blood!"
Visions of completely mutilated corpses, a masked man destroying Vegeta to pieces, Vegeta transforming to an Oozaru and a mountain of corpses flashed on Bardock's eyes. It felt so real. Vegeta's bloodlust was fearsome.
"Bardock!"
"...I'll show them no mercy! They'll witness what it means to incur my wrath. I'll destroy them all!"
"Vegeta! Stop!"
Another vision of Planet Vegeta exploding snapped Bardock out of his trance. He heard someone else's voice laughing cruelly at the sight. He had no idea whose voice was it but it sounded like the most sadistic and sinister monster the universe had ever seen. The owner of the voice must be enjoying the Saiyan Planet's destruction.
"NOOOOO!" Bardock screamed as he snapped and jolted up like someone waking up from a bad dream.
Everyone was staring at Bardock in shock. The Saiyan seer panted. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He was growing pale with pure terror and dread.
"Bardock, can you hear me?" asked his wife. "It's alright. It's me. I'm in here. Don't worry." Bardock turned his fearful eyes towards his concerned mate and like a scared child, he leaned over her chest to calm himself down. Gine reached out to her husband's back and rubbed her hands over there.
"What did you see?" Gine asked after a while.
"It's about the Crown Prince again." Bardock responded with a grunt.
"Prince Vegeta? What about it? What did you see?"
"Nothing's changed since last time. The result is still the same. I just saw him, saying things about power and bloodshed. He's so angry. There's so much hatred in him that he's become a different Saiyan. I don't understand... Something's going to happen which would make him snap like that and reawaken him to the way he was before."
Gine asked Kakarot to reach out for a journal to which Bardock take notes of his visions. The last time he had a vision was when Vegeta first transformed to an Oozaru (see Episode 14). It was when Prince Vegeta's future swiveled a different path. The original prophecy foretells of Vegeta becoming the Legendary Super Saiyan, defeating the Galactic Emperor and saving the entire Universe from the tyrant. Many years after Bardock correctly predicted that Raditz and Kakarot will stand beside Prince Vegeta in order to realize the original prophecy, Bardock started to have visions again after he met Bulma but back then, Vegeta still becomes a Super Saiyan and beyond that, still realizing the prophecy.
"I still don't understand how could the prophecy change so drastically." Toma wondered.
"We've been counting on Prince Vegeta since he was born. What caused him to become the one who'll destroy us instead?" Seripa said.
"I think someone is changing the future. That someone is causing all this and would become the trigger to Vegeta's change of heart." Bardock voiced his opinion.
"Who do you think it is?" asked Panbukin.
"Whoever that is, he's putting the entire universe in great peril."
Bardock realized that the rebels might have something to do with the change in Vegeta's future. But it might be someone else. Is it the Masked Man or...
Bardock remembered having an old vision of a hundreds of thousands of odd images of Vegeta with pale grey eyes staring back at him and being inside those tanks.
"Oh no... How could I forget about that?"
~=o-O-o=~
...
...
...
The prince stared at the blank expression of his look-alike. It was strange to see someone not giving a damn about what was about to happen to him. There was still no fear or terror on the boy's face at all despite his threat, he wasn't even trying to save himself as if he was accepting his fate just like that. He guessed this thing had no plans of telling him the truth after all even if he rip him from limb to limb. And that completely pissed him off!
He remembered Nappa's words earlier while he was dressing him up for the engagement party. About how there were strange rumors about his Sadara doll. Then the question, "What are you going to do if you do actually meet someone who looks exactly like you, your highness?" flashed back at the back of his mind.
"I will kill him on the spot! There is only one Crown Prince of all Saiyans, the Great Vegeta-sama, and that is me!" That was his cruel response.
Therefore, why was he hesitating? He demanded answers and wanted them right now! Of course, this isn't that alien who has the ability to copy people. He could sense his own power within this thing! He scrutinized everything about the boy and realized the big, bold numbers painted on his left chest plate.
8990.
"What is that? Some kind of manufacturing number? Could it be that there are 8989 others like him? Like some mass clone or something?" Vegeta wondered to himself. Then suddenly, he realized something.
Clone? A Clone? Could it be..?
~=o-O-o=~
Bardock shifted his gaze to his comrades, staring at each of them as he said in a low voice and a serious look on his face. "Do you remember there was this rumor going on fifteen years ago about a plan to clone Prince Vegeta for military purposes?"
"Yes, I heard about that but didn't the king abolished that project? He even made a law not to talk about it again." Toma said.
"Wait, what? There was a plan to clone Vegeta?" Kakarot repeated, confused.
"Yeah, there was a rumor. I heard the project failed so many times because they were not able to create a live clone with the same power level and abilities as the Crown Prince that left King Vegeta disappointed. They abandoned the said project afterwards and made a law not to talk about it again."
"So Prince Vegeta has no idea about it at all?" Raditz asked.
"I doubt he knows about it. I don't think he'll take it lightly if he learns about it." Seripa responded.
"Woah, really?" Kakarot gasped.
"Don't you try to tell him. The king could sentence you to your death!" Bardock warned.
"I won't tell him, okay. I'm just surprised to find out they were able to sneak on the Crown Prince like that." Kakarot assured.
"Me too." Raditz agreed.
"Why did you ask about that, Bardock?" Seripa questioned their leader.
"Because... I saw them and they might be the reason why Vegeta will revert to his dark side."
~=o-O-o=~
Vegeta stared at the impostor in shock and quickly pulled away as he shockingly realized that the thing he just dropped right in front of him is possibly a clone of his. The Clone Vegeta fell to the ground, gasping for breath. The prince gaped at him in utmost incredulity. At the back of his mind, he remembered there was a time in his childhood that he willingly gave his blood sample upon his father's request. He was told that it will be used for research purposes in order to find an easier way for him to become the Legendary Super Saiyan. Up to now, the data gathered are being used for that purpose only, to help his scientists create training materials for him and the synthetic medical liquid used in his medical tank.
At least, that's what he assumed.
How then, could a thing such as this impostor exists? Did the Ministry of Science and Technology create him and 8989 others? But they won't be able to do that given their contract - unless of course, if his father, the King was directly involved with this so-called 'Project'.
Vegeta gritted his teeth together in irritation, did his father just betray him? He stared at the impostor with a hateful glare. "So, you are my clone, huh?" he growled. The Clone Vegeta looked up to him in shock. "Don't look so surprised. I am not that stupid!"
Clone Vegeta numbered 8990 blinked at his original's ireful words. He uneasily lowered his eyes and said, "Yes," as he timidly stood up, picked up his brown paper bag, took out another cookie and ate it.
Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, frowning at his look-alike, "So, what are you doing in here anyways? Did you show up to me because you wanted to go head-to-head with me? Finding you in here is by no accident. You lured me to this place by making me sense your power."
Clone Vegeta swallowed the food in his mouth and let out a loud sigh. He turned his eyes to the prince and said, "The data was correct about you after all. Ouji-sama is indeed perspicacious."
"So are you just going to stand there and mutter like some kind of mechanical bot or are you even going to try to kill me?!" the impatient prince sneered. "Though I seriously doubt you are able to copy how much I've gotten stronger all this time! Don't think for a second a clone can stand up to the real deal!"
The clone looked at him, still with his blank stare, "Actually, I have no intention of getting into a fight with Ouji-sama. I am not programmed to engage in a battle with you."
"What?!" Vegeta shouted before he frowned in disappointment. "You're useless! What are you doing showing up yourself in front of me, then?"
"..." The clone fell silent as he lowered his eyes once more.
The prince grunted in annoyance. "Fine, fine" he groaned. "I suppose you really have no intention of giving me information as to who is behind this project. I should destroy a pitiful puppet like you but then I think you will prove to be a bit more useful to me than becoming a pool of blood and chunks of meat." His scowl faded as he smirked. "Hmph! Very well. Start walking. I think you'll eventually return to your base or laboratory or wherever you live. I shall follow you so I can meet with your creator and ask him directly myself. And don't think of escaping again! I can still follow you using my Hibiktus!"
The Vegeta Clone let out a defeated sigh and said, "It appears that I have no other choice. Do as you wish, Ouji-sama."
Vegeta followed his clone around, deeply thinking about that time when he willingly donated his blood samples for research purposes. He was very young at that time. Maybe he was around three years old. Being a mere babe in the woods, he was easily wheedled into doing it because of his fascination with being the chosen one. He was excited upon expecting new possibilities for him to reach a greater power. For years, several tests and researches were done for him. His scientists were able to give him the best training equipment during those times, in which he eventually outgrew due to his powers becoming stronger. Then it came the time when his scientists proved their limits and were unable to create things that could withstand his strength. He eventually got bored with it and began to be displeased with their performance until Bulma and her father came up with the Gravity Simulator Project.
Of all things, he never expected that some traitors would come up with a ridiculous idea such as cloning him. What is the purpose of this guy? He was actually surprised to find out that they are not programmed to kill their original. Yeah, he thought this guy would do so because that's what he read about the clones in the book he found in the library. (See Episode 16)
Also...
Vegeta frowned at the image of his clone gobbling down his cookies rapaciously like some wild animal. As a royal prince, he felt disgusted by his image doing such a repulsing thing.
"Hey you, Nisemono!" He suddenly called out. 'Nisemono' means 'copy-guy'.
The Clone Vegeta number 8990 halted from his steps and turned his head towards the Saiyan Prince. "Yes, your highness?"
The embarrassed royal stabbed a finger in the clone's direction. "At least try to eat with some manners! Don't make me look like some glutton pig!"
"Geez! Now I begin to wonder what kind of humiliation this bastard has done with my face?" Vegeta wondered to himself.
The clone turned away, hugging his paper bag of cookies like some selfish brat not wanting to share his blessings with his older brother. "You're just jealous because you're not eating. If you want some cookies then go back to the palace and order your cooks to make cookies for you. You're maybe the Crown Prince of Planet Vegeta but I will never share my food with you."
"What?!" Vegeta was taken aback by his clone's words. "W-Who said that I'm jealous?! I don't care about your damn cookies at all! What I was saying is that you should eat a little more slowly because people might see me in you and you are embarrassing me with the way you are gorging at your food!"
"I don't see how that is my problem." The clone pointed out.
"Why you!"
An alien ice cream sandwich vendor who was passing by found a pair of twins arguing on the street. In his own perspective, he found the older twin yelling at his younger brother. He let out a sigh and decided to butt in.
"Hey, hey. You pair of twins over there! Stop fighting!"
Vegeta halted his ranting and turned his furious eyes to the one who dared to make him stop. "Mind your own business! We are not related at all! He is not my twin brother! Don't you ever try to stop me or I will fucking kill you!" The prince the alien failed to recognize spat venomously.
The man was taken aback by the boy's ire. He instinctively stepped back, raised his hands as if he was being arrested by a police and said, "Whoah, hold it. Just calm down and relax. You can't be serious about disowning your twin brother like that. It's pretty obvious you are twins." he smiled while he took out two chocolate ice cream sandwiches from a small ice box he was carrying and handed one to each of the twins. "Here, take this ice cream and I hope it will help you cool down your hot temper. You shouldn't pick on your siblings because they are family. They are the only person who will be by your side and help you no matter what happens."
"HE IS NOT MY SIBLING!" Vegeta shouted back, completely offended and bristling with his seething ire. He can't understand why this stupid alien kept on insisting that he and this... failure of a copy are twins. They're NOT related at all.
The ice cream vendor just laughed at his lie, "Yeah right. Whatever you say, you cannot deny how you two look like identical twins. Hehehe..."
Vegeta giving him a portentous glare was not being effective at all. Why was this alien trying to lecture him? Of all people, why him?! He is the prince of all Saiyans! He shouldn't care about this damn impostor!
"Take care of your brother." The ice cream vendor turned around, his smile fading with a melancholic look. "You wouldn't know when fate will separate you. My younger brother was killed during a purge. Back when he was alive, I used to have lots of arguments and disagreements with him that we always fight. It's when I lost him that I realized I should have taken good care of him instead of making him cry. Oh, my poor, poor brother!"
"Hmph! I couldn't care less..." Vegeta muttered to himself.
"When you feel like crying or if you feel so angry, you should eat ice cream. It will help your temper cool down." The man said. He sniffed and then ran away with a sorrowful cry about his dead brother.
"What do you think am I to be bribed by a stupid, childish thing such as an ice cream?! Don't treat me as if I am a little child, you bastard-! Huh?" The prince got pissed off and was about to throw the ice cream sandwich back when he perceived that he was holding nothing in his hand and he looked down at his hand to find the ice cream sandwich he was given earlier missing. He turned to see his clone looking away, feigning ignorance.
"Hey you, nisemono! Did you just eat my ice cream?!" Vegeta demanded.
The clone shrugged, still keeping his ignorant facade. "I don't know what you are talking about."
"Your face tells me you are the culprit, you fool!" The mad royal shouted.
"But we have the same face."
"I can see ice cream on your lips, you liar!"
The clone wiped his lips with the back of his gloved right hand and declared, "Nope."
Vegeta exploded with rage, "Why you! Give me back my ice cream, you impostor! That was mine! Give it back! Aaaah!"
"Hahaha." Clone Vegeta chortled with a smug face, though Vegeta didn't know if he was indeed laughing or just insulting him. "Ouji-sama says he doesn't want to be treated like a child but you act like a child over an ice cream. Hahaha." he teased.
Vegeta was startled by those words as a faint warm blush reddened his cheeks in embarrassment, "W-What did you say?!"
Clone Vegeta continued to chaff at the offended royal, "I said you are childish just like the data says about you."
"Hey! I am not a child!"
"With that petite height and puerility, people would think you are no different from a child. No wonder why they say you are a spoiled, immature brat."
Vegeta yelled back at such insult, "Who the fuck told you that?! I will hunt him down and rip him to pieces!"
The sound of a stomach loud rumbling cut Vegeta's ranting off. He turned his eyes towards his pouting clone who was rubbing at his stomach unhappily. "Now that I've run out of food, can I ask Ouji-sama for some last three wishes?"
Vegeta snorted at the silly question, "Do you think I'm some sort of genie to grant you wishes?!" he retorted.
Clone Vegeta lowered his eyes in despondency, feeling rejected. "I see that Ouji-sama has no intention of granting my last requests..."
Vegeta wondered why he could somehow hear a disappointment in the way he uttered those words. His clone turned around and sauntered away. The prince didn't miss the dejection upon his silver eyes. Vegeta hated to see that in his own image. He released an angry sigh and immediately relented. "Fine, what is it?"
The Copy Vegeta paused, smiled faintly to himself and told his original, "I always wanted to eat a Behko steak, wondering what that meat tastes like. The steak is too expensive for the low or mid level soldiers of the -" he paused for a moment before continuing. "- Military to afford."
"Hmph! What a useless wish! And here I thought it was something crucial only the Royal Crown Prince like myself could grant." The prince remarked. At the mention of food, he immediately felt his own stomach growl in hunger. "Come to think of it, I haven't eaten my dinner yet..." he thought to himself. He blushed once more as he cleared his throat in shame and he grumbled to himself. "Now I want steak too."
He flickered his eyes at his expectant clone waiting for his decision. Vegeta was wondering to himself about what kind of glutton this clone was. He's been eating for quite sometime now but he seemed unsatiated. The prince heard another growl coming from his tummy, causing him to blush again and he sighed in defeat. Well, he cannot deny that he's getting famished too.
"I heard of a good place where they offer the best Behko Steaks on the planet." The prince told his clone. "It was some underground restaurant near the theater. Come with me and we'll look for it."
They strolled around the streets for a moment until they found an underground passageway which led to the same exclusive restaurant Kakarot brought Chichi on their first date. (See Episode 14). They took that route and the people were looking at their direction in awe. Aside that it was very rare to see a pair of Saiyan twins on Planet Vegeta, some people were shocked to notice the clone's resemblance to their Crown Prince. The people would recognize the royal armor the prince don and would fall down to their knees with their heads bowing in respect as he passed by them. They were shocked to find Prince Vegeta along with someone who looked exactly like him. The adults already knew what the look-alike was and were appalled to see an actual clone of their Crown Prince. But how did the prince find out about him? More importantly, was the project revived? But wasn't it abandoned for years already? What is the meaning of this?
Vegeta and his Clone numbered 8990 went inside the restaurant. Upon immediately recognizing the royal heir, the staff did their best to satisfy him and his strange companion. They offered him the best of their cuisines. Vegeta and ATI 8990 feast to their heart's content. The clone Vegeta was especially ecstatic at the food before him, making wonderful comments about the taste of each cuisine he enjoyed. Prince Vegeta noticed how the clone's initial impassive demeanor was replaced by a fervent gratification and he wondered if he could keep it up enough to bribe and convince him to tell him more about the project behind his creation.
About two and a half hours later, the pair left the underground restaurant satiated.
"That was so good!" Clone Vegeta smiled joyously, saying that for almost a hundredth time. "Ouji-sama, can I ask for my second wish now?"
Vegeta just asked, "What is it?"
The clone pointed at the amusement park not far from where they stood. "I am also curious if the rides there are indeed thrilling just as the advertisements mention."
"I doubt it." Vegeta answered with complete disinterest.
"But look at those lights! I want to get into that gigantic ferris wheel too! The data informed me it is the highest ferris wheel on Planet Vegeta."
"That's because it's the only ferris wheel on the planet." Vegeta informed him.
Clone Vegeta suddenly became ecstatic, "Come on! Let's try it! Let's try it, Ouji-sama! Please!"
Vegeta sighed and immediately relented for the sake of convincing him later. They skirted around the park, took several (not-so) thrilling rides that didn't even impress the Saiyan Prince at all but made his clone overjoyous. While inside the Ferris Wheel, Vegeta watched his clone be excited about the view of the royal city from above. He scoffed at the child-like smile of his facsimile as he stared down at the Royal City.
"Seriously, any Saiyan could see that image once he levitated himself enough so what's with him being that happy? Why the need to ride this junk?" Vegeta wondered. The naivety displayed by his duplicate suddenly reminded him about Tarble. His clone's cheerfulness about such petty things made him miss his little brother deep in his heart. He wondered about how Tarble and Gure were doing living together on Planet Teketeke.
Come to think of it, Tarble never gave him a call since he left Planet Vegeta. He was expecting to receive some messages from Tarble but it has already been months since they departed and not a single message was sent to him. Something made him worry. He decided he'll try to contact his brother as soon as he returned to the royal palace. Despite the Saiyan royal law depriving Tarble of his royal status and being part of the Saiyan Race after being mated with Gure, Vegeta still sees him as his younger brother no matter what.
~=o-O-o=~
"What do you mean by that?!" King Vegeta yelled as he slammed his fists upon the arm rest of his throne where he sat.
In front of him were three among the ten seers who suddenly had an ominous vision about Planet Vegeta's future. The three seers, who were invited to the party, made an abrupt scene during the engagement party when they suddenly had those terrifying visions. King Vegeta ordered for the seers to be taken to him in the throne room where he and the Royal council gathered to privately listen to what the seers were about to tell them. "Are you telling me that the Crown Prince's future has changed!"
"Y-Yes, your Majesty." said the eldest and the leader of the seers. The fear was evident upon their faces. They have boldly relayed the King of the apocalyptic vision they had.
In the corner, Paragus and Nasu let out a devilish smirk at the news. So in the end, their arrogant Crown Prince isn't the Chosen One after all. Just as Paragus had predicted, it would be Broly, his son who will become the most powerful Saiyan of all and rule the Saiyans just as he wanted him to be.
"How did that happen? W-What did you see?" demanded the anxious ruler. He couldn't understand the reason behind this.
"The Crown Prince will be reborn to become an extremely dangerous monster, your Majesty. There will be blood, death and destruction upon his wake. He will slaughter all of his people and destroy the entire universe he's supposed to protect!" responded the Eldest Saiyan seer.
Now, even the opposition was anxious. "What?"
"S-So what you're saying is Prince Vegeta will become an uncontrollable beast who would destroy us all?" gasped Nasu.
"How is that going to happen?! What caused him to become like that?! Tell me!" The king demanded.
"Does the Galactic Empire have a role in this?" asked Paragus.
"That is a possibility since Frieza said he will be taking Prince Vegeta when he returns." Kabu said.
"So Frieza will be coming soon to take Vegeta away." King Vegeta gasped. He turned to Zorn and asked, "Are there any news from the Galactic Empire?"
"None, your Majesty. We have not received any messages of Lord Frieza's upcoming arrival yet."
"There's still time to protect him. Where is the Crown Prince? Tell Vegeta to return here at once!" King Vegeta commanded.
~=o-O-o=~
After the Ferris wheel ride, they roamed around the park again for a few minutes while eating shaved ice cream. Finding a snapshot photobooth, Clone Vegeta quickly dragged the Crown Prince into the booth.
"Ouji-sama. My last wish is for us to take a picture together." The ATI 8990 said.
'Finally,' Vegeta sighed inwardly. After wasting all of his precious time, he can finally end this worthless lollygagging. He begrudgingly agreed to his clone's last wish and willingly had his picture taken with him.
The clone took two different pictures and chose the stickers and frames he deemed worthy of their coolness. After he was contented with the pictures, he had them printed by the machine's built in printer.
While waiting for his clone to be finished with his business, Vegeta received a message through his scouter. It was from Nappa.
"Vegeta-sama!" Nappa was saying, he sounded like he was panicking. "Vegeta-sama, your highness, can you hear me?"
"What is it, Nappa?" Vegeta responded irritably, not taking his eyes away from the clone.
"You have to return to the royal palace immediately, your highness. His Majesty is looking for you and he is commanding for your presence as soon as possible."
Vegeta scowled angrily, not forgetting the lies his father told him about his donated blood samples. He snarled and spat back at Nappa irately, "Tell him I'm busy! I'm in the middle of doing something really important! I'll see him later and I have lots of questions for him to answer! Tell him to prepare himself when I return to the palace! Don't bother me again with nonsense things!"
"But your highness - !" Nappa was immediately cut off when Vegeta hang up on him. King Vegeta was waiting for the response on his throne and the General bowed down to relay the Crown Prince's furious words to the King, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince said he's busy right now but he assures that he'll see you once he's done with it. Sounds like he's in a terrible mood. He told me to tell you to prepare yourself when he returns to the palace as he has a lot of questions for you to answer."
"That brat! How could he be missing again just when he's needed the most?!" King Vegeta yelled in rage. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what his son meant by those words. "What questions?"
~=o-O-o=~
Once he got the actual photo, Clone Vegeta took one of the pictures and handed the other one to his original. Vegeta made a disgusted look at what his clone deemed as a 'cool' and 'wonderful' photo. The images showed Vegeta looking at his impostor with a disgusted look while his clone wrapped his arms around his. A wide smile stretched across his copy's lips.
"You can keep it. I have no need for such a thing." Vegeta demurred, his demeanor returning to his princely geste. "Now that I have granted your three wishes, you may lead me to your base now." The prince coaxed.
Clone Vegeta number 8990 blinked back at him and then raised his chin to examine the stars for a moment. Even his apathetic behavior has unfolded once again as if he just lost his energy. He lowered his head and stared back at his original, "I'm sorry, Ouji-sama but I won't be returning to the base tonight. There is a mission I need to attend to within the next twenty minutes." he told the expectant prince.
"Whaaaaat?!" Vegeta whined lengthily. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?!" he complained.
"Because you didn't ask."
"Do you even have a fucking common sense?! You should have told me that earlier instead of wasting my time and money!"
"I fail to see how that is my problem." ATI 8990 shrugged.
Vegeta clenched his teeth together, his short fuse snapping once again. He grabbed ATI 8990's collar and pulled him towards him, intent on finally ending the despicable imitation to his royal image once and for all.
"You're useless to me then!" The furious royal heir growled. He formed a deathly ki orb with his free hand to destroy this facsimile when Clone Vegeta unexpectedly sprayed a sleeping gas at his face.
"Aah! Fuck! Damn you! How dare you do this to me?! I will fucking kill you, you damn impostor!" Vegeta cursed as he stumbled backwards before quickly collapsing on the ground.
Just as Vegeta's consciousness faded, he found his clone staring down at him with a remorseful gaze. The last thing he heard him say was a faint, "I am truly sorry. Thank you and goodbye, Ouji-sama." before darkness consumed his consciousness.
~=o-O-o=~
Clone Vegeta watched at the Saiyan Prince with regret. He didn't expect the original Vegeta to be this persistent and compelling. He cannot tell him everything yet, not now. The plan was to make Vegeta see it through his own eyes. He did not intend to use the sleeping gas on the prince but it left him no choice in order to prevent himself from being killed by him. Though he would prefer being destroyed by Prince Vegeta than being mowed by that traitorous psychotic Saiyan. Despite being close to his preference, he has to proceed with the plan.
The plan to end the Project Denzetsu once and for all.
He picked the unconscious Prince from the ground and used the Hibiktus technique to teleport himself on the Crown Prince's bedroom. He gently laid the unconscious heir down his king sized bed, and wrapped him with his silky comforter. He turned on the air conditioner as well to keep the prince comfortable. After watching the sleeping prince for a while, he walked to Vegeta's study table, picked up a pen and one of the photos they had together and scribbled down some coordinates and a time on the back of the photo. Once he was done with that, he turned his eyes back to the Saiyan Crown Prince, melancholic tears falling down from his pleading, fearful gray eyes.
"Please save us, Ouji-sama."
He left the photo on the bedside before disappearing to thin air to proceed to the training field where he must fulfill his deathly mission.
~=o-O-o=~
Vegeta fluttered his eyes open, finding himself on his bedroom. He wondered about what happened and how he got back home. Still in a heavy sleepy daze, he sat up on his bed and tried to recollect about the strange dream he had just now.
In his dream, he met a Saiyan who looked exactly like him. He recognized the impostor as his clone created from the blood sample he was wheedled into donating in the Ministry of Science and Technology back when he was a little child. Despite having almost exact physical features (for the clone had a pair of soulless gray eyes), his duplicate had a laughable power level. He didn't expect to find a clone of his being this worthless but for the time they shared together, Vegeta somehow felt an attachment to his clone.
It was as if he could see the clone as being another younger brother to him. A younger twin brother. He didn't know if it has something to do with him longing for Tarble but he knew that the emotions he felt was similar to a brotherly bond he shared with his little sibling.
He decided to try and contact Tarble through his scouter. He would like to berate his brother for not sending him any messages after he left. Just as he was about to pick up his scouter lying over his bedside table, he found the photo he took with the Saiyan who looked exactly like him. The image quickly reminded him of what happened, memories he thought was only a dream flashed back on his confused mind.
Once he clearly remembered it all, he scowled at the picture in his hand. "So it really wasn't a dream!" he gasped in aghast.
Finally reminded of the dirty trick ATI 8990 did to him when he got sprayed by the sleeping gas, his expression quickly shifted to a rage filled one. "Why that impudent little traitor! I will kill him once I see him again!" he seethed as he crumpled the photo in his hand.
Realizing he's back in the Royal Palace, he immediately decided to see his father and demand him to answer the questions he had on his mind about the 'Project' and the Clones. He was sure the king knows something about it. He will show him this picture as proof if he dares to feign ignorance to him.
Looking down, he noticed that there was something written at the back of the photo. A pair of coordinates of a place and a time. "And what are these about? Could this be the location of the military base he was working in? No, he left a time here. Does he want to meet me on this place at 26h? But he just told me that he'll be on a mission tonight, right? Wait... Could it be a place where he will execute his mission?"
He reached out for his red lensed scouter lying on his bedside table, attached it on his left ear and hold the button upon its core part. "Computer."
"Yes, Prince Vegeta." Responded the flat monotone voice of his computer.
"Give me the information for coordinates N1479 NE16481."
A few moments later, the computer responded, "The coordinates N1479 NE16481 pertains to an abandoned Military Training site near the coast of Paprika Island which is located 27 miles North East from your current location, your highness."
'An abandoned training site?' Vegeta wondered to himself. Why would anyone perform his mission on a derelict spot? Vegeta immediately felt something dubious about it. Why would that copy bastard tell him about this place? Is this some kind of trap meant to lure him so the clones could destroy him?
'I am truly sorry. Thank you and goodbye, Ouji-sama.'
His clone's words echoed at the back of his mind. Those are not the words of someone planning to kill him. It was a mixture of regret and gratitude. He thought he saw a small, grateful smile upon ATI 8990's lips before he lost consciousness. Plus, the way in which he said those felt as if those would be someone's final words. As if he was thanking and saying goodbye to someone before he dies.
As if ATI 8990 knew his time of death would be coming tonight.
Vegeta gritted his teeth together. Something within him felt heavy at the thought of his clone dying. He couldn't really understand what it meant to him, why he felt anger and worry at those words from his duplicate. He was like an older brother becoming anxious for the safety of his siblings. He knew it because that's exactly how he felt everytime Tarble is in trouble. But why? That is just nothing but a clone. A thing made from protein, drugs and his own somatic cells. Just a thing. But why does he felt a brotherly bond like this? This is only the first time he met him! He shouldn't give a damn about that thing at all. He meant nothing to him. He's just a thing.
A thing with his face, his blood, his power and his pride.
He grunted to himself as he decided to change to his black General's armor, wore the blutz wave protector goggles over his eyes. He turned to the table where he left the jewelry he was supposed to give Bulma tonight. He guessed he'll have to give them to her tomorrow as there is something more important for him to do. He engulfed himself with tendrils of his blue ki, disappeared to thin air and teleported himself to the place the computer informed him from the coordinates written on the back of the photo.
~=o-O-o=~
ATI 8990 stumbled as he darted through the dark, wasted building left in this isolated, almost barren wasteland, to escape the crazed man meant to kill him. The predator that stood on the wrecked balcony above had an odd white mask with an eerie green jewel on the center of its forehead covering his mysterious face. His build was incredibly bulky, he seemed larger than Nappa. He was covered by a long white cloak. His hair was a glowing neon green, spiked and jagged to different directions.
The Saiyan Hunter tilted his head to the side, staring down at his escaping prey with a pair of eerie glowing white eyes.
"Run away, little one," sang the hunter. The sound of his voice was filled with sadistic delight. "Run away, run away all you want. Try to run away and hide. In the end, when I catch up to you, you'll be nothing but a pile of gore and blood to satisfy my seething thirst! AHAHAHA!"
ATI 8990 sprinted around until he reached the empty field and after gaining a safe distance away from the psychotic beast, charged up a 'Galick Burst' attack, a one handed purple blast, towards his opponent. The unfazed masked man merely grunted boredly as the blast zeroed in his direction. In the blink of an eye, the 'Galick Burst' hit what it seemed was a green barrier surrounding the mysterious enemy's body and propelled back to where it came from. Unable to move due to shock, ATI 8990 was caught in the blast and was sent flying a several distances away.
The Masked Saiyan sighed and then gracefully jumped off the nearly demolished balcony down the ground. He regally walked towards the fallen Vegeta Clone. "What a wasted effort. You already know that kind of attack won't affect me at all and yet you still persist on using it. What were you trying to pull in here, huh?"
ATI 8990 picked himself up, stealthily charging up a tiny bit of purple ki in between his fingers and surreptitiously planting them into the ground. He quickly turned his head over his shoulder before he ran away again.
"Tch! Running away? At least, do your original some justice! The Real Prince Vegeta wouldn't be running around like this, you pathetic copy!" mocked the mysterious man as he watched his prey try to escape again. He raised an arm and charged up a small green ki orb and fired it towards the Clone. ATI 8990 saw this and was able to use Hibiktus in time to teleport himself away from the blast's trajectory. Just as the blast detonated, ATI 8990 secretly planted another 'Galick Bomb' into the ground before the smoke clears off. And then he teleported again into several random directions. This annoyed his opponent greatly and he fired him blast after blast. Within the smoke, the sneaky Vegeta Clone left lots of Galick Bombs under the ground. These would serve as a trap, like a landmine that would destroy the Legendary Super Saiyan once and for all.
"I must kill him. This man is a traitor to the Crown Prince, biding his time on his side only to betray him and take away everything from him. Legendary Super Saiyan, you say?! He's just a faker! He's the one who changed the prophecy! The reason why everyone is going to die! I have to kill him, to save Ouji-sama from the dark fate this man created for him!"
ATI 8990 continued with his plan, using his adversaries' rage to his own advantage. However, it didn't last long as he was soon caught up by a faster, much powerful blast that burned most of his body and sent him barreling across the entire training field.
"Playing at me, you fool? Too bad, you're too weak and slow! Do you think you can win against me with just a running trick like that? Don't make me laugh." mocked the Masked Man as he sauntered forward towards the beaten Clone, finally intent on putting an end to this game. "Don't worry. It's almost time for me to end your sufferings. Prepare yourself."
An unexpected sound surprised the burly Saiyan. It was the sound of a dark chuckle emanating from ATI 8990. It somehow reminded him of Prince Vegeta whenever he was planning something mischievous or sinister.
"What are you laughing at, you fool?" asked the Masked Man, who doesn't sound a bit impressed by the way this Fake Vegeta laugh at him. It's creepy.
"That damn barrier of yours is such a pain in the ass, you know. After observing your battles, it seems to me that you are able to project some type of powerful barrier around your body that has the ability to reflect projectiles and attacks. However, I noticed that it takes time for you to charge up your ki while creating that barrier. You may be able to quickly make one so long as you can predict an incoming attack towards you. That's why..."
"Hm?"
ATI 8990 turned his head towards his adversary, a victorious smile upon his lips. "That's why I led you to the path of your own destruction."
"What?"
ATI 8990 raised his right index finger and pointed it towards the predator, collecting tendrils of sparking purple ki energy to form a tiny orb of electricity. The Masked Man immediately recognized the Crown Prince's signature move.
"The Galick Beam again? How many times do you have to use that worthless attack against me, huh? You know how futile it would be and yet you kept on using it. Hehehe..." the Masked Man grinned.
ATI 8990 smirked, "Is that so?" he declared as a purple lightning spear burst from his finger towards the Masked Man who simply grinned devilishly within his mask at the attempt.
ATI 8990's Galick Beam collided with the hunter's neon green ki barrier. It easily reflected the lightning spear but instead of propelling back to its attacker, it bounced off towards the ground, activating the Galick Bombs planted below the soil. ATI 8990 had carefully calculated the angle of his beam so it would fall right to the closest bomb.
It was too late for the Masked Saiyan to even react just as the training field exploded like a landmine. The shockwaves reached several miles, shaking the entire Paprika Island.
~=o-O-o=~
Meanwhile...
Vegeta was blown away by an invisible force that immediately struck him the moment he appeared on the skirts of the Paprika Island, sending him propelling back about a mile away from the island. The Saiyan Prince was able to stop his momentum in midair and he glared at the invisible force field that attacked him.
"What the fuck is that?!" he asked himself. He raised a hand to reach out at the force field, feeling a powerful yet clammy sensation running through his arm. He frowned to himself.
"Seems like an electromagnetic wall." he observed. He looked inside the wall, trying to sense ATI 8990's ki inside but he soon realized he couldn't. "An electromagnetic barrier made to conceal any energy bursts from the inside to the outside world. Even if there was a battle raging on in there, nobody outside this barrier would ever sense or feel it. It was also made not to allow anyone else to go inside via teleportation. Just what kind of mission is that duplicate about to do?"
...
"Even so, if he doesn't want me here, he wouldn't leave those coordinates to me. Should I destroy this thing?"
After a few moments of contemplating to himself, Vegeta decided on one thing. "Alright. I'll do it." he nodded to himself. "I'll try to control my strength or I might destroy the entire planet if I used too much power."
He put both his hands forward and vigorously pushed for a while. With a loud roar, his blue aura burst to life and he start to power up. Sparks of bluish white electricity snapped around his arm and on the surface of the imperceptible wall that was on his way. Flames of his ki flared wilder just as his powers rose. However, before he could even summon some thunderclouds, an explosion from the inside caught his sights and his powering up was cut off. The shockwaves from the explosion was surprisingly powerful enough to destroy the barrier. Thanks to his ki release earlier, the shockwave was unable to affect the Saiyan Prince at all as his powerful aura protected him from its devastating force.
Once the smoke was clear, Vegeta descended on the ground, completely flabbergasted at the amount of power that caused that explosion. With the barrier now destroyed, Vegeta was able to sense the two fighting superpowers now and he immediately teleported his way towards that direction.
Only to find something that would haunt him forever...
~=o-O-o=~
ATI 8990 panted heavily as he was on his knees on the ground. Even if he was completely beaten, a victorious smile was upon his lips.
"Take that, you traitor! Legendary Super Saiyan, my ass! You are nothing if you leave your guard down against a surprise attack!" he exclaimed. He panted some more before he picked up the photo he was keeping inside his armor. He held it almost religiously as he stared down at Prince Vegeta's disgusted image with a look of admiration. "I did it, Ouji-sama. Now, you can be proud of me. Hehehe..." he grinned. In his imagination, he saw an image of himself being recognized by the proud prince.
At last, the Crown Prince's fate would return back to its original path. He's saved Prince Vegeta from the darkness that was about to consume him. The clones who followed the leadership of the rebellious ATI 9001 planned this all along. In order to protect Vegeta's true destiny. Once the Prince finds out what happened here, he will find a way to stop this mad Project, punish those behind it and their creation and then it will be all over. Whether Vegeta destroy the remaining clones is out of the question now. After all, it was the clones' fate to be killed. They're all nothing but mere test subjects. But they all rather be killed by their original than those bastards.
So this is how it feels to be victorious. It was a joyous feeling, something that could swell up your ego. You feel so strong, so powerful. It feels good.
In his joy, ATI 8990 threw his head back and laughed boisterously.
However the sound of his victorious cackle was short lived because when the smoke cleared, the Masked Man appeared to be completely unscathed. His huge body engulfed by a neon green light.
The look of joy slowly melted from ATI 8990's face as it was replaced by dread. How could this man survive that kind of attack when he was sure he was completely defenseless and unprepared?! Is this the power of the so called 'Legendary Super Saiyan'?
"Aahh..." complained the Masked Saiyan as he tilted his neck. "You play dirty just like the others. You disappoint me. Do you think Vegeta would be proud of the honorless way you puppets fight? What should I expect from a cheap, fake copy like yourself anyways?
"So do you have any dirty tricks under that filthy armor of yours? You might want to use them all before I decide to rip you to pieces."
"..."
"What? Are you just going to gape at me like that? After all that talk, you're just no different from the others. A pathetic weakling. At least, fight back and don't make Prince Vegeta look so pitiful!"
"Aren't you even going to fight back against me? At least show me some Saiyan pride! Do not humiliate me looking like me yet acting like some pitiful, cowardly trash!" ATI 8990 heard Vegeta's words earlier. Yes, that's right. He is the clone of the Crown Prince of all Saiyans, the Legendary Destroyer of Worlds. Everything that is Vegeta is also the same as his. If he was going to fight, he should have the pride and honor of the Saiyans. He won't let himself be killed by a traitor that easily, no matter how powerful this opponent is!
"No, you're wrong." ATI 8990 declared. "I may just be a clone to you but I carried the blood of the Saiyan pride in me! I will fight till the end. No matter what!"
ATI 8990 picked himself up, with a new resolution to fight. Despite the burns he received from the blast that almost took his life earlier, he put up a strong fighting stance, Vegeta's infamous battle pose. His grey eyes focused on his enemy's with fierce determination. The Masked Saiyan watched at the Clone Vegeta silently.
"That's more like it."
ATI 8990's blue aura burst to life and with a loud roar, summoned up all his power from the depths of his being. Once he was at full power, he leapt off the ground to charge at the cruel Green-haired enemy.
The battle was short-lived though. After giving the clone a free punch on the center of his chest, the Masked Saiyan kneed him hardly on the chin, causing ATI 8990's jaw to break. Before the Vegeta clone could fly upwards due to the sheer force of the impact, the monster took him by his slim neck and started choking him. ATI 8990 was completely paralyzed by that last attack and he found himself at the mercy of his predator.
"I guess that's just all the 'Blood of the Saiyan Pride' could offer." The Masked Man snorted, tightening his grip on the Vegeta Clone's small neck, causing him to start struggling as he choked. "How disappointing. You bore me. I guess it's finally time for me to end your miserable life."
'Help me, Ouji-sama...' That was all ATI 8990 could think of just as the Masked Man prepared his finisher blast. Tears fall from the completely sorrowful eyes of the clone as he realized that death's door is about to open up for him and take him away. Tears dropped from his grey eyes, feeling such regret. 'So this is how it feels when you are close to death. It's so cold... Feels like something heavy and powerful is pulling me down into a deep water of darkness. I'm sorry... I failed you, Ouji-sama. Please... Help me...'
Memories of his short life flashed through his mind. The moment he first opened his eyes in the research institute and cried like some newborn baby, the day when the doctors put on a helmet over his head and programmed him as part of the ATIJEBU Military. Of the first memories he had, having a conversation with one of the doctors about his original, the sheer astonishment and admiration he felt when he first saw the Crown Prince when he proudly stood up against the Galactic Emperor. The deaths of his brothers by the hands of this beast he reluctantly watched over and over again. The Rebellion led by ATI 9001, the orders given to him by their leader to gain the attention of the Crown Prince. The moments he helped Vegeta sneak out of the palace in order for him to see Bulma. The moments he tried to cover up for the Crown Prince's whereabouts so Nappa and the Palace Guards won't be suspicious with him gone. The moments he stalked Vegeta secretly. When Vegeta finally found him, the time they shared together today.
Somehow, he felt inside him that Vegeta is very close by. He had no idea if it was only an image made up by his imagination at all but the prince's presence somehow gave him relief.
'He's here... Ouji-sama truly is an amazing person. Thank you for coming to see me one last time.' he smiled to himself. That was his last thought before the Masked Man exploded him to pieces of blood, gore and body organs that flew in all directions. All that remained of him was his head that held a mix of terror and agony upon his dead grey eyes.
The Masked Man unceremoniously threw the severed head away. "Now, that isn't fun." He mumbled to himself, staring down at the grisly remains of the clone he just murdered. He turned around and stretched his huge, burly arms in the air. "Aaaaaaargh! When am I going to fight that 9001? I heard he's the only clone capable of fighting like the real Prince Vege-."
"GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
An abrupt scream of pure, frenzied fury reverberated nearby and it made the Masked Man to whirl around in the direction of that unexpected sound.
"What-?!"
He barely dodged in time just as a deadly spear of a ki beam unexpectedly shoot in his direction and nearly cut off his head. To his astonishment, he found a fully enraged Saiyan Crown Prince charging right towards him, bathed with the outrageous ominous destructive power and wrath of a completely incensed Legendary Destroyer of Worlds.
Vegeta's wrath finally explodes! Has the dangerous fate of the Saiyans finally been decided? Would they survive the wake of their Crown Prince's indignation?
