No matter who you are,
You are absolutely no match for me
I am the Saiyan Prince
You'd better remember that
No matter how badly I get knocked down,
My pride will never break down
I am the Saiyan Prince
I am number one!
With every battle, with every wound,
I go higher,
I get stronger
The blood flowing through my veins is that of a warrior race!
Saiyan blood!
Get you down! Get you down!
I was born to fight
Saiyan blood!
Beat you down! Beat you down!
I am the legendary now!
- Vegeta (Ryo Horikawa), "Saiyan Blood!"
(Dragon Ball Kai Character Song Collection: Vegeta's Theme)
Episode 31
Fight Day
Kakarot came to Broly's house the night before the fight. He brought some beer and fried meat to eat with his friend. When he saw that Broly had new company, a pair of aliens Broly saved from the Royal guards a few nights ago (See Episode 26) who Broly introduced to him as Cheelai and Lemo, Kakarot was glad that his friend isn't lonely in the house anymore. Cheelai and Lemo were distrustful of Kakarot despite his cheerful and friendly nature, mostly because he is on the ruthless Crown Prince's side who ordered for all aliens to be executed that horrible night. So they didn't join Broly and Kakarot's little feast and left them alone in the dining room to themselves.
"How is Vegeta doing?" Broly asked after a while of eating and drinking.
"He's still pretty much the same but is less violent lately after the punch I gave him in the Gravity Room." Kakarot claimed.
Broly blinked, "You punched him?" he gawked.
"Yeah. I had enough of his bullshit." Kakarot spat. "I saw what he did to all those innocent people and to Bulma as well. He's become uncontrollable and too blinded by his own hatred. I can't help but knock some sense into that ridiculously hard royal skull of his."
Broly shook his head in awe of his friend's courage. He never knew Kakarot had the guts to do that. The Saiyan was always cheerful, gentle, understanding and kind, Broly couldn't imagine him being that indignant or even having the guts to stand up against the fearsome ruthless Saiyan Prince. Not even himself was capable of doing that despite his strength. "Unbelievable." he uttered breathlessly.
Kakarot shrugged his shoulders and shifted, "It's just because I was afraid of losing him into the darkness. I don't want to see him become the monster dad saw in his vision."
"I wonder if the new visions changed."
"Dad said that the punch I did to Vegeta changed the new prophecy drastically. From the looks of it, it seems that it has returned to the way it was before but..." Kakarot's words drawled. "There is still something he cannot understand."
"We met the other day when he was hunting down Soi." Broly mentioned.
"Ah... It's because of the Royal guard he sent to look for Doctor Malaka. Renkon returned to him only to report a lie because of his fear of Soi's threat. I heard you intervened with Soi's plans and convinced Renkon to tell Vegeta the truth about the mastermind behind Prince Tarble's death."
"Yes. If I only knew, Vegeta wouldn't have ruthlessly murdered the aliens across the planet."
"I still don't understand Malaka's role in all of this." Kakarot wondered, his brows furrowed in his concentration to think.
Broly decided to enlighten his friend, "He is the Crown Prince's royal doctor so there's no doubt he knows everything the opposition wanted to know about Prince Vegeta's development. He was the one who provided the opposition the latest information of Vegeta's rapid development in power and the latest blood samples used to create the latest batch of the Atijebu Military Clones. He is the traitor in the Palace Vegeta's been looking for this entire time but my father created plans to divert his observations to make him think it's Bulma Briefs and her family."
"Paragus really is one sly enemy."
"As for the alien rebels, it is true that the opposition and the aliens created a pact to fight together to bring Vegeta down, but as we both know, they failed to that. If you ask me, Vegeta is the tough one. Imagine him crawling his way back to life and survive all that."
Kakarot chuckled. "He's amazing, right?"
Broly laughed with him. "Yeah. It's a disappointment how he acted so recklessly and uncontrollable the time he woke up. I'm glad that you are able to bring him back to his senses. Thank you, Kakarot."
Kakarot was quickly flustered at Broly's words and his shrugged in discomfort, "Of course, this is nothing without your help too, Broly! But I guess it was out of luck that I survived that encounter. I was beginning to think if I failed that time, that you are our only hope of stopping him."
"No. I cannot do that. If I did, I would have only provoked him even further. His rage was the result of his frustrations of the Project Denzetsu. I was the subject of that grotesque project, forced to kill nearly nine thousand of his clones to achieve a power that could eventually surpass and kill him. Prince Vegeta has witnessed me brutally killing those clones before his very eyes, and the trauma it caused him eventually gave birth to the hatred and thirst for vengeance he harbored during this whole ordeal. His only way to satisfy that is for him to beat me in battle. Now, I'm beginning to understand why he was forcing me to fight and if that's what would give him the justice he seeks then I'll gladly give him that in order to pay for the sins I did to him."
"You know what, when we were kids, I thought how we were lucky to be of the Crown Prince's acquaintance. Now that I have given much thought about it, it's actually the opposite. Vegeta is lucky that he has us on his side no matter what. If not for the friendship he forged with us, he would have lost himself in the darkness without anyone stopping him and pulling him out of there. We've been good friends to him, he should be rewarding us with kindness, not trying to kill us."
There was silence between them as they filled their mouths with the fried meat and some more sips of the beer.
"Honestly, with the upcoming tragedy we must prevent, your Annual Power Assessment should be postponed." Kakarot grumbled.
"What tragedy?"
"You never heard anything about it? Freeza is coming to destroy us all tomorrow."
Broly was stupefied by the sudden news, "What?"
"Everyone's preparing for the war against the Freeza Galactic Empire Army. Freeza has learned of the prophecy of the chosen one to rise as the Legendary Super Saiyan killing him. He's coming for us all, especially Vegeta, whom he must destroy before he could rise and kill him. That's why we were busy all day long."
"I was never notified of this or any postponement of the Power Assessment."
"Vegeta insisted that the fight between the two of you shall proceed as scheduled. Seriously, if Freeza is going to attack us, we have no time to fight amongst ourselves. Vegeta should have realized it too but his pride is getting in his way."
"Please take me to him, Kakarot. I will try to persuade him with postponing our fight. What's more important is his safety and protection being the chosen one."
"I don't think Vegeta will even agree on postponing the match. You know him. He's pride incarnate himself! I bet he'll be reckless tomorrow. He won't even accept being protected by us at all... Not even working together with any of us."
"Please, Kakarot." Broly pleaded.
Kakarot sighed. "Alright but don't say I didn't warn you. I cannot take you directly to him because we both know that he has banned your presence in the Palace and that the guards are being protective of him. I will take you somewhere nearby and you wait for him to pass by after his training. Okay?"
"Thank you, Kakarot."
~=o-O-o=~
It was already late in the evening when Vegeta finally decided to end his final training session before his big fight against his rival, Broly, tomorrow morning. While on his way back to his Palace, he suddenly sensed an upcoming attack from his left side. He halted but didn't bother to make a move to dodge because he knew that the arrow was not actually meant to hit him but to simply gain his attention. As the arrow passed quickly in front of him, he grabbed the shaft with his fingers and took the note that was tied at the end.
'May I humbly ask for a moment to speak with you tonight, your Highness. - Broly.' the note read.
Vegeta turned his head over to the direction where the arrow came from. He saw a figure move several feet beyond the trees. He immediately knew who that was. He strolled towards the secluded place where Broly was hiding himself and found the tall, bulky warrior leaning against the bricked wall with his eyes lowered to the grass. But when Broly sensed his presence he quickly stood in attention and bowed down before him to give his respects.
"Thank you, your highness." Broly said with a smile of relief.
Vegeta raised an eyebrow at him. How did Broly enter the Palace when, by his strict order, he was banned to be in here anymore?
"What are you doing in here at a time like this, you fool?" the prince demanded him imperiously. He was supposed to tell Broly how fearless he was to come in here and with the guards rounding the Palace but then decided not to say anything about it because he is well aware that the weakling guards were no match for Broly's power.
"My apologies."
"How did you get in here anyways?"
"Kakarot teleported me."
"What-?"
Before Vegeta could say anything that would probably curse Kakarot to the pits of hell, Broly quickly defended their friend by saying, "-I asked him to teleport me in here. Please don't be mad at him. He said that he cannot teleport me directly to you because the army was being cautious for your protection so he told me to wait for you until you are finished with your training and find a way to get your attention. I stole a bow, an arrow and a piece of paper in an office... I'm sorry."
Vegeta glared back at him darkly before he contemplated to himself. There must be something important Broly wished to speak to him that's why he went into the trouble of being in here.
"Alright, now speak and cut to the chase! I've got no time to waste listening to you!" he ordered.
"I heard from Kakarot about Freeza's upcoming attack. He said that the Galactic Emperor may come to destroy us all tomorrow, at the time of our Annual Power Assessment match. I was beginning to think if... Maybe we should postpone our battle and-."
"No," Vegeta quickly denied.
"But, your Highness-!"
"-We are going to fight as scheduled! There will be no backing out after all the preparations we did! Or are you telling me that you are going to withdraw?"
"No, your Highness. I'm not backing out. It's just that... I was thinking that maybe-"
Broly was about to suggest about teaming up but Vegeta had cut off his words with an angry bellow.
"-You will not deny me this battle, Broly! If you are thinking of getting your way out of this fight, I will not let you!" Vegeta shouted at him, fury blazing in his eyes. "Our fight is everything to me! You tried to steal my birthright and my destiny being the strongest of us all! How dare you disgrace my pride and honor by asking me to postpone the battle I've waited for so long?! I don't care about whatever happens or what Freeza is planning to do! I am still going to destroy him, and you tomorrow! It's the only way I can avenge my pride that you and your foolish father dared to insult!"
Broly timidly lowered his eyes in disappointment, realizing the truth on Kakarot's earlier words to him.
"I don't think Vegeta will agree on postponing the match. You know him. He's pride incarnate himself! I bet he'll be reckless tomorrow. He won't even accept being protected by us at all... Not even working together with any of us."
"Fine, if that's what you truly want then I guess I have no other choice." Broly grunted. "I will do as you wish and fight you like you wanted, on the condition that you give my father the last chance to redeem himself by fighting like a true Saiyan so he can at least, defend himself."
"First you tried to persuade me into postponing our match, and now you are demanding me to pardon your traitor of a father and give him a chance?" Vegeta said in a mocking tone and then he suddenly raised his voice once again, "That nerve of yours to speak to me that way! I can't believe you are so capable of being so shameless! Just who do you think you are talking to?! Don't you order me around! Only I can decide the fate of your traitorous father and you have no right to tell me otherwise!"
Broly raised his hands in jitters to reach out to the enraged and ballistic prince, "Your Highness. My apologies, but please calm yourself."
"Don't touch me!" Vegeta screamed at him as he angrily slapped Broly's hands away from him.
Broly pulled his stinging hands away and hid it behind him. "I'm sorry." he mumbled. He once again lowered his eyes to the ground, feeling hopeless.
Vegeta turned his intimidating glare to his rival which eventually softened when he found the larger warrior's eyes filled with unshed tears and his lips quivering as he fought his tears at bay. He focused his senses to Broly's ki and found him feeling rather disappointed, hopeless, angry at himself and pretty much horrified by him. Vegeta wondered how could Broly be an emotional, soft hearted coward and an uncontrollable bloodthirsty powerhouse at the same time. All that battle power and talent put into waste with that disgusting timidity of his! This is all that damn Paragus' fault for raising Broly this way!
"You are aware of the reason why I held your father as my captive, aside from all the betrayal he did to me and my father, don't you?" Vegeta finally spoke in a much calmer tone than earlier. Broly raised his eyes to look at him and indeed slightly.
"Yes, your Highness." Broly replied. He knew it was to use Paragus as a bait for him to fight the prince with all his might, because Vegeta was well aware of Broly's love for his father. As long as Vegeta holds Paragus life, Broly will have no choice but to obey anything Vegeta wanted him to do, else, the prince could have already killed Paragus a long time ago. That way, Vegeta could humiliate both father and son and regain his broken pride once he has beaten Broly at his best tomorrow, and when that happens, he would successfully make Paragus regret his blinded decisions and hopefully save Broly from his father's unspeakable cruelty.
"Then there you go. Return to your home and stop wasting my time listening to this drivel. I'll see you in the arena tomorrow."
Vegeta left Broly after that. Broly never felt so disappointed for his own failure his entire life.
~=o-O-o=~
Kakarot was waiting for Broly outside the Palace Gates. When he saw Broly walking towards him with a downcast look on his face, Kakarot already knew that he failed to persuade the prince to postpone the match.
As both of them walked back to Broly's home, Kakarot asked, "How did it go? Is he angry?"
"He was livid. I thought we might end up fighting tonight instead of tomorrow." Broly responded.
Kakarot commented with a knowing look. "Thought so."
~=o-O-o=~
Vegeta woke up earlier than he normally does the following morning and just as he expected, everybody was busy for the preparations of both his battle with Broly and Freeza's upcoming arrival. Nappa suspected that this was only because Vegeta was quite excited on the prospect of fighting and proving himself as the strongest Saiyan to have ever lived. Renkon came to him to report a problem with their plans to make the Briefs escape since the soldiers are using the underground tunnel to prepare for the war and cannot be used as a means of escape. Vegeta decided that he will personally distract the soldiers and the guards by making a scene and while he's doing that, Renkon must use the time for him to pull Bulma's family out of prison. Nappa and Renkon stared at each other, knowing what may happen when the mischievous prince mentioned that he will make a scene this early in the morning.
Vegeta gave another order to Renkon to return to the prison and specifically instructed him to burn the entire building. That way, Renkon can pull Paragus out of there and bring the traitor to him. Burning the entire building would cover up the fact that they let their captures escape and would make up as a good excuse for Vegeta to pull Paragus out of there because of his plans to use the former Prime Minister to subdue Broly.
"Let's go." Vegeta ordered them. Nappa and Renkon had no choice but to follow him out, even though they were inwardly questioning Vegeta's sudden decision about the former Prime Minister.
They proceeded to the prison first. Using his ability to manipulate electromagnetic energy through his ki, the prince made sure that all the CCTV cameras around him will not catch any of their actions by penetrating his ki through its circuits and causing any recorded data to become static. Vegeta commanded all guards on duty in there to follow him out into the underground tunnel where the rest of the Royal soldiers and guards are busy preparing themselves and their weaponry for the upcoming war. Renkon was left in the dungeon to open the prison and assist Bulma's family out. They made a shortcut towards the underground tunnel, where they heard Vegeta yelling furiously at the fearful guards and soldiers about their so-called 'poor preparedness', checking and tossing their weapons on the floor, criticizing their ability to assist and protect him in this war with their rusty, useless weapons and their lousy power levels. Kakarot was waiting for them far away from the indignant Crown Prince and the fearful Royal forces.
As soon as Kakarot found them, he immediately meet them and teleported them away. Renkon returned to the prison, and as per the Crown Prince's instruction, burned the entire place down. He quickly pulled Paragus out of the aflamed prison.
Because everyone else outside became distracted by the burning building, Renkon was able to bring Paragus to the Crown Prince's Palace, using Vegeta's secret path the prince told him to take, which would eventually lead to the room of his wardrobe.
Once they reached their destination, they found Vegeta opening his wardrobe room as he was already expecting them to appear there. Renkon was carrying the paralyzed former Prime Minister in his back and when Paragus saw the Crown Prince who did this to him, he gawked in disbelief, inwardly questioning why this royal guard brought him to Prince Vegeta of all places.
"Good grief! Took you long enough!" Vegeta growled in annoyance.
"I'm sorry, your Highness." Renkon panted.
Vegeta flickered his eyes to the exit. "Leave Paragus on the floor, you may proceed to the venue. I'll meet you in there with Nappa and Kakarot later."
Renkon put Paragus down, bowed before the prince before he went out of the ridiculously huge room full of garments. Once Renkon was gone, Vegeta finally focused his full attention to Paragus. He scowled, the pathetic sight of the traitor who dared to murder him boiled his blood with unspeakable rage. Paragus was about to demand the prince what he was planning to do with him but when he felt the pulsing fury radiating off the Prince's invisible aura, he began to fear for his life.
Vegeta let out an angry breath through his nostrils while his dark glare remained to focus on his despicable enemy. For a moment, Vegeta inwardly questioned himself for this decision, doubting any possibilities that Paragus would actually redeem himself at all. Is he doing the right thing? The old man was a despicable, sneaky, scheming snake after all. But then, the fool is still Saiyan in both flesh and blood. With the upcoming war against Freeza, Vegeta wanted for the entire Saiyan race to fight as one, because if anything would threaten someone like Freeza, it would be the unity of the most powerful warrior race of the universe. Vegeta didn't really wish to tell Paragus to fight with him or alongside him. In his opinion, he never needed any help from anyone at all. He just didn't want to see any Saiyan, even Paragus, to be killed helplessly by the Galactic Empire.
Putting aside his anger and his personal pride for the sake of his duty as the Crown Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta fell on his knees next to Paragus, raised his right index and middle fingers to point at Paragus' left chest, closed his eyes, calmed his mind and concentrated deep within himself.
Paragus would have squirmed away from the brat's touch if only he could move, but he was helpless in this situation. He was forced to watch Vegeta do his strange thing, inwardly asking himself what he was trying to do. Paragus' first suspicion was that the prince is finally delivering the final blow. His suspicions only grew when he started to feel a scorching fire suddenly engulf his entire body and burn him. Bewildered, he glared at the boy and was about to open his mouth to spat curses at him, only to be forgotten when he saw Vegeta's red haired transformation happening before his very eyes.
Paragus couldn't believe what just happened!
Aside from his missing left eye, all of his injuries had been healed by the odd power that emanated from the Crown Prince. What he was so stunned about was the red haired transformation the prince subconsciously performed before him, the same transformation Malaka and Horenso kept on babbling about.
The Super Saiyan god.
When Vegeta finally opened his eyes, fading back to his normal dark haired form, Paragus' expression quickly shifted from awe and disbelief to his usually bitter one.
"Don't expect me to thank you just because you managed to do this." Paragus spat bitterly as he picked himself off the floor and checked on his body with a dubious look. He can finally move every part of him now but cannot use his powers yet as his ki is still being restrained by the cuffs around his wrists.
Vegeta snorted out loud as he stood up in his full height and watched at the ungrateful Saiyan before him, "Don't misunderstand my intentions, Paragus. I didn't do this because I have forgiven you for all the betrayal you did to me and my father. Hearing your unwanted thanks would make me puke anyways. I just have a word to fulfill, that is all."
Paragus turned his confused gaze at him, "A word?"
"Your son came to me last night. He told me that if I gave you a last chance to redeem yourself then he will do his best to fight me today." Vegeta clarified him.
This made Paragus seethe with rage. Good thing his ki was still being restrained by the shackles on his wrists or he might have caused an unwanted ruckus, though Vegeta was obviously not worried about it at all. That foolish son of his humbled himself before his own enemy?! How unacceptable!
Vegeta saw Paragus' fury and decided to mock him. "Ooh, does it anger you that your son came to me begging me to spare your pathetic life again? That's what you get when you never taught him anything about true Saiyan pride."
Paragus hissed at the insult.
"Speaking of pride, as much as I hated you, knowing the events which may transpire today pushed me to have a deal with your son. Up until now, despite his father's betrayal and the son's blinded obedience, you two are still Saiyans in your own right. I realized that you are still useful to me alive than dead."
"You are asking us to fight for you? Foolish child, are you still being trustful to us even after all we did? You truly are soft and weak!" Paragus spat.
Vegeta snorted again, "Don't get the wrong idea. I do not trust you one bit. You do not have any tiny speck of Saiyan pride in you, but I know that as much as you do, the blood flowing through your veins and your quaking flesh at the mere exciting thought of an upcoming battle are still that of the pure Saiyan warrior race. I do not need your help but your son, Broly insisted me last night. You can blame Kakarot for being so persistent and not minding his own business. You can do whatever you want but know this, the time I beat your son in the Annual Power Assessment may also be the last thing you'll ever see. If you do not want that, at least, fight to survive. I do not wish for Freeza or anyone in his army to steal my chance of finishing my revenge against you."
"Freeza?"
"He's coming to destroy us all today." Vegeta nonchalantly said but he put an emphasis on the last word.
Paragus' face paled at that.
"Now do you see the stupidity you made when you tried convincing my father into having a treaty with the Freeza Army months ago?"
Paragus snorted, "Why should I be afraid of being destroyed by Freeza? I have my Broly! He will crush that rotten Emperor to smithereens with the legendary power you will never have!"
Vegeta let out a mirthless chuckle and reared his head back to cackle boisterously at the older Saiyan's words.
"What's so funny?!" Paragus demanded, insulted by the Crown Prince's mockery.
"I have no idea why you believe your own foolish assumptions so much when I was prophesied to be the one to deal the final blow against Freeza." Vegeta tried his best to contain his laughter. Once he was able to get a hold of himself, he forced his expression to become neutral "No matter, you can believe what you want. I guess you should see it for yourself later. Go now. I made you special arrangements so you can make your last minute plans with your beloved son before the battle. Enjoy your time with your son, for this could be your last chance."
Vegeta watched Paragus leave while the older Saiyan glared back at him with a remorseless look that's full of disgust and hatred. He shook his head at the unbelievable adamant ungratefulness of that rotten old man, visibly disappointed at Paragus' continued insubordination. Vegeta was completely aware of the truth though. He felt Paragus' hardened resolve with killing him was actually faltering the moment the prince has healed him. He wondered to himself the reason why though.
Unbeknownst to Vegeta, when Paragus saw the red haired transformation the Saiyan Prince did and felt its overwhelming pressure which is undoubtedly much more powerful than that of the power of the Legendary Super Saiyan, Paragus' determination has been broken. The former prime minister heard about the transformation from Horenso when Vegeta was recuperating after his battle with Freeza, and was wondering what kind of power that was which seemed to be different than what Broly could do. (See Episode 6) Despite that, Paragus still refused to believe that there is something much more powerful than the Legendary Super Saiyan, until Malaka's report to him a few nights ago. (See Episode 28) Now that he has seen it happening before his eyes and felt it himself, Paragus began to doubt his own plans. How could this happen? Didn't the seer he consulted eleven years ago said that his son was meant to surpass the Legend, that he will make the greatest king the Saiyans ever had and would be feared by the entire universe for his power and his name alone? The same prophecy was the reason why Paragus used the opportunity to kill Vegeta using the people he cared about because the seer told him that the Crown Prince was meant to die young saving and protecting his loved ones, but he failed killing Vegeta that way. (See Episodes 12 and 23)
Paragus cannot understand the meaning behind this. Did the seer told him a damn lie?
Paragus met Bardock in the hallway. The low class warrior had a stern look on his face as he passed by him. After a few steps behind him, Bardock halted and called his attention, "Wait, Paragus."
Paragus stopped walking when he heard Bardock told him that. "What do you want, low class scum?" he spat.
"I will only say this once. I know how much you hated the royal family for what King Vegeta did to you and your son but..." Bardock turned his head over his shoulder left shoulder. "Are you truly willing to sacrifice your own son for the sake of revenge and ambition? If you continue this manipulation then you shall realize the greatest mistake that you have foolishly believed for so many years. It's not yet late for you to redeem yourself and change your son's fate."
Paragus swirled to face Bardock, "What did you say, you low class scum?!" he demanded as he pushed Bardock to a nearby wall.
Bardock glared back at the suddenly furious Paragus as he said in a cold voice, "I think you know exactly what I am talking about. I was present at that time. Try to remember it well."
Bardock harshly slapped Paragus' arm off him, turned away and left the completely astounded and confused Paragus in the hallway.
~=o-O-o=~
"Your Highness, Bardock is here to see you." Nappa informed Vegeta by the door.
Vegeta was sitting at his cushion seat, perturbed by his thoughts when he heard Nappa's words about Bardock.
"Let him in." he said.
The maids opened the doors for Bardock to enter the Crown Prince's quarters. The older Saiyan noticed the odd look of uncertainty on Vegeta as he lowered himself to bow down in respect to his future king.
Bardock waited but Vegeta kept silent about his thoughts. The prince didn't want for Bardock to know how much he doubted his decision of healing Paragus and letting that traitor go just like that. What if Paragus and Malaka meet somewhere and conspire together with the alien rebels once and for all? Aside from Broly, Vegeta is also aware of Freeza's upcoming attack, other than the alien rebels' plan too. He has too many enemies waiting to attack and kill him today.
Also, about his dearest Bulma and her family. Did his Generals successfully did their plan well? Has Bulma finally met with her mother, father and sister? (He doesn't care about that male slave of theirs.) He wondered how they're all doing right now.
"Is something wrong?" Bardock asked, Perturbed about the Prince's unsettling silence.
Vegeta's cold glare focused on him as if he just noticed that Bardock was there in front of him. His frown deepened, he absolutely hated it when people would distract him from his deep thoughts.
"It's none of your concern." Vegeta told him in an icy tone.
Bardock persisted, not convinced by the reply. "Really? Why do I get the feeling that you are doubting something? Hm?"
Annoyed, Vegeta snapped at his Generals' father. "Why are you even here?!" he angrily demanded. Like father, like son. Both Bardock and Kakarot's persistence irritated him to the core. Can't they just leave him alone for a moment to think by himself?
"I was going to check on you before you go into the battlefield. I bet you're the one who caused that fire in the detaining center just now." explained Bardock.
"It's not me." Vegeta quickly denied, darting his eyes away from Bardock's face to the sides.
"Why else did I meet Paragus on the way here, you troublesome brat? Do you honestly think your father would approve of your decision to pardon the Briefs and even Paragus?"
"Of course not, but they can't do anything if I decided to let them go. I have personally pardoned the Briefs but Paragus is of another matter. He is of Saiyan Blood and I do not wish for anyone else to take my revenge from me if he gets killed by anyone from the Freeza Army. I let him go for now so he can defend himself later on."
"Thought so. You burned the detaining center so you could destroy any evidence and make others think the Briefs died in the fire."
"I already told you I didn't!" Vegeta pressed.
"By your orders, clever yet mischievous brat." Bardock pressed even further. "You can lie to anyone but me. I watch over your future, remember?"
Vegeta rolled his eyes. Yeah, right. Trying to hide something from Bardock was impossible. It's the same as Kakarot. He knew they cannot read his mind, but for some reason, those two can read him easily in another way. Bardock can do this by the visions of Vegeta's future through his, Raditz's or Kakarot's future selves. The consequences of the Prince's unpredictable actions and decisions could help the lower class warrior know if Vegeta has something going on his mind. "You can only see glimpses of my future because of the bond your sons shared with me." he pointed out.
Speaking of the future, Vegeta wondered if Bardock was able to see the family he saw in his dreams. He was worried about his and Bulma's future, he wanted to ask Bardock about this but was reluctant to do so.
"It's going to be alright." Bardock suddenly said after several seconds of silence between them. "When you stand against Freeza later, you will know what to do. Just continue to hold into your Saiyan Pride, remind yourself of who you are and fight for what you truly believe you want. We both know your father is correct when he said that you cannot save everyone, but I trust that sneaky little plan of yours. Bulma will be safe with Raditz. I can assure you that."
Vegeta considered Bardock's words for a short moment before he gave him a warm, grateful smile, "Thank you."
"Someday, you will rise above all and become the greatest king the Saiyans ever had. I won't spoil you much of your future since it is still subjective to your decisions or whatever is the decision of those around you but... because of Kakarot's interference, Rest assured you that if you keep this up, then there's a better and happier future waiting for you, as compared to what I've seen you become before that son of mine stood against you. Geez, you made all of us worried about you when you suddenly decide to forget what you truly are just for the sake of revenge or getting power. That wasn't like you at all."
"My apologies," Vegeta mumbled, embarrassed of his terrible actions and that he was being scolded once more about it.
Bardock let out a disgruntled sigh, awkwardly reached out his left hand to pat Vegeta's head and rub the boy's flame shaped hair, giving him a smirk with the same pride and adoration he showed to his sons.
"I'm just glad that you were able to come back to us. What matters most is that our prideful Saiyan Prince is back to his normal pompous, bratty and overconfident self again." Bardock said. "Never forget that you are Saiyan Pride incarnate. No matter what situation you face, you will never lose."
Vegeta stared at the man he considered as his uncle, the father figure he had as a child, one of the lower class Saiyans who, despite his pathetic battle power in comparison to his own, had gained his respect for his bold and straightforward way of thinking and talking to him, courageous enough as well. He could clearly see where Kakarot got that blatant and somehow irking attitude of his.
He instinctively purred at the older Saiyan's touch as he let him rub his head for a while as he thought over his decisions in the near future.
Vegeta decided that when he becomes the King, he would give this man the honor to stand beside him during his rule. Bardock already saw that happening though and he inwardly chuckled at the thought of the vision.
Vegeta will be the greatest King the Saiyans ever had... And also, the oddest one.
~=o-O-o=~
This is the most anticipated day of every Saiyan. The opening of the Annual Power Assessment Tournament, which the Ministry of War had been preparing for months on the King's direct order. Prince Vegeta and Broly were the talk of the town and many anticipated that the upcoming battle will be the best because of rumors about Broly's strength.
However, this day is what should be called as Doomsday, for the Galactic Emperor will be arriving soon to destroy them all. Their only hope of salvation from Freeza's upcoming wrath is through the strength of the true chosen one to become Legendary Super Saiyan.
Saiyans gathered early in the morning at the venue of the fight. The Chiri Stadium is the largest and most advanced battle stadium across Planet Vegeta. The spectator seats that surrounded the arena has a sitting capacity of 500,000 audiences. The arena is a simple elevated stage with the field size of 580 square meters made from concrete tiles. On two sides above the spectator seats were huge flat screens with the size of 300 inches were facing each other, these will be used to display the fighter's profile and information later.
For those who are unable to come to the stadium and who were also anticipating the battle across the universe, the battle will be seen live through television and radio broadcasts provided by the Saiyan Royal Media.
The spectator seats filled up quickly and so far, it was exciting and peaceful. Broly was the first to arrive in the participant's area and was held as a VIP, assisted to a private chamber by the officials. Broly obediently followed them and was surprised to see his father silently waiting for him in the empty room the men provided him as per the Crown Prince's royal command. Once the father and son were left alone, Broly addressed his father, who was glaring at him rather sternly in complete but fearsome silence.
"Father! How... How did you..?" Broly breathlessly asked, roaming his eyes up and down his father's body and ignoring the intimidating glare Paragus was giving him. The once paralyzed former Prime Minister was healed completely aside from his lost left eye, his arms were still shackled by the ki cuffs as he's still a criminal. The younger Saiyan was questioning how his father's paralysis was healed for some reason.
"Prince Vegeta had someone bring me to him this morning." Paragus explained in his gruff voice.
"He did?" Broly asked breathlessly, taken by his surprise and disbelief.
"He just came to show off his newly acquired healing ability to me just to mock me, saying that he didn't heal me because he has forgiven me or anything. He said that he was giving me some last chance to redeem myself because of some word he has made to you." Paragus clarified with a bitter look on his face.
Broly smiled to himself, feeling glad to know Vegeta had listened to his request last night after all.
"What did you do this time, Broly?!" Paragus seethed at his son, causing Broly to wake up from his deep thinking. "Are you out of your mind?! Today is supposed to be the day you are meant to finish off that arrogant brat and rise to claim what is rightfully yours being the most powerful Saiyan among all!"
"Yes." Broly replied quickly. "I made a word to Vegeta that I will fight him at my best today, using my full power and without holding anything back, just as what he wanted. But... When I heard of the upcoming apocalypse which was supposed to happen today... I thought that whoever wins our fight meant nothing if we are all going to face destruction at the hands of the Galactic Emperor. It wouldn't matter since we are all going to die anyways.
"When Kakarot told me of Freeza's upcoming arrival, I have decided to fight as a Saiyan warrior, alongside everyone, in order for us to survive. Despite my unlikely rivalry to his Royal Highness, we both know that our entire race's fate, no, the entire universe's fate, rests upon our shoulders, being the two most powerful Saiyan warriors. Vegeta and I agreed to compete today, and to prove to everyone who's the real chosen one among us. But all of that will only be proven once Freeza is dead by the hands of either one of us. I could only hope that it will end with both of us but we both know there could only be one victor."
"Yes. There could only be one victor in this fight." Paragus insisted this. "And that will be you."
Broly looked at his father's eyes warmingly and smiled, "I will do my best for you to be proud of me in my own way, father. So please, watch me."
After witnessing Vegeta's Super Saiyan god transformation earlier, the Prime Minister already realized who the true chosen one is. He was just too stubborn to accept it. He refused to accept it, especially when he realized the cruel fate his son is going to suffer at the end of this. If anyone is going to be the chosen one, it should be Broly. The seer he consulted could never be mistaken. If it ever was a mistake, then Paragus will do whatever it takes for Broly to be the last man standing.
"Son," Paragus said as he put his hands over his son's shoulders. "Believe in your own power. You are the Legendary Super Saiyan, the most powerful of our kind. You don't have to be afraid of anything."
Broly's eyes widened in surprise when he heard his father's words. For the first time in his life, Paragus has given him words of encouragement in a sincere way rather than the harsh exertion of authority he used to give him since childhood. And for some reason, it reminded Broly of Vegeta's speech about Saiyan Pride. With Paragus saying those words to him, Broly felt more motivated than before.
"Father..." Broly's eyes began to water due to being overwhelmed by his joyous emotions about Paragus' words.
Paragus smiled a little, "I know you can do it, Broly. You pushed yourself all the way through here. There's no turning back, son. The time has come for you to unleash your true power and show the universe the power not seen for thousands for years! No matter what happens, I will forever be proud of you, my son."
"Thank you... Father."
~=o-O-o=~
Vegeta teleported himself on the other room where his father, Bardock, Gine, Nappa, Kakarot, Zorn, Renkon and a Saiyan carrying some kind of infrared power counter waited. He was donning a new design of armor specifically created for him by Okura for this event, which he revealed after he removed that long red cloak he was wearing. It looked similar to his usual white and gold armor without the cape, but the shoulder pads were replaced with straps, offering less protection on the shoulder area. There are no crouch pads below it either. The red insignia of the Royal Family Crest still embedded on the left chest plate. Underneath the armor was a navy blue long sleeved, skin tight jumpsuit that covered every inch of him from his neck down to his heels. He also wore his usual white gloves and golden toed white boots.
He tossed the cloak away, letting Nappa catch it in mid-air. Everyone stared at his new clothes and they noticed the obvious change in the Prince's physique. They didn't notice it these past few days because the jumpsuit he used to wear in the Palace was a little loose fitting against his small frame, or probably never noticed it when he's wearing his training clothes the time he first became a Super Saiyan, but because he's wearing a skin tight jumpsuit and an armor that showed his broad muscular shoulders due to the straps replacing the pad, they realized how much muscle mass he gained throughout his training. They were more well-defined and bulging, but not overly bulky. It could be the effect of training under the enormous amounts of gravity for almost two weeks, his diet his chefs specially prepared for him during his entire regimen and perhaps, his transformation into a Super Saiyan too.
The Crown Prince faced his father and his Generals, glancing at Renkon and Kakarot who gave him a silent nod, meaning that Bulma and her family were taken by Raditz to safety by taking off Planet Vegeta. The prince gave them a silent but satisfied look for a job well done.
"Alright. I'm ready." he announced. He turned his eyes on the Saiyan with the power counter and his records, the person assigned to 'weigh in' his power level before the fight. The Saiyan approached him to begin the initial assessment.
There was another person assigned to Broly as well. And while their initial assessments and comparisons are being done, all their supporters are assisted to their vip seats, closest to the battlefield, while King Vegeta and Zorn remained.
Before the King leaves his son, he told his only rightful heir, "Yon... Fight like a true Saiyan warrior filled with the pride and honor of the Royal House. Always remember who and what you are, and why you are fighting this battle. Never lose sight because of your uncontrolled emotions, rather, always keep your rage in check. Your anger brought forth your true power but do not be blinded by it. You are the Crown Prince of all Saiyans, the true chosen one, descendant of the Legendary Super Saiyan and..." the king paused for a moment, wondering if he should continue or keep his son's godly powers the prince was unaware about a secret so it would come out as a surprise. His proud smirk widened. "...my son." he pat his son's shoulders. "You know that I am always proud of you even with that spoiled, hot-headed and stubborn bratty attitude of yours."
"Tch! You always say the exact same words every year, Papa." Vegeta complained, utterly unimpressed by his father's lame and kind of awkward effort of encouragement. Though, after all these years, this was the first time Vegeta reacted to his father's words verbally. The previous years he had rudely ignored them and simply gave his father a cold shoulder as he walked away, not wanting any words of encouragement from the father he used to hate back in the day. King Vegeta blinked in surprise, learning that his son had actually listened to them, not realizing that the prince only listened because he was hoping to hear the words he wanted for his father to say. (See Episodes 4 and 5)
"Well, I just thought of reminding you time and again." King Vegeta mumbled awkwardly.
The Prince rolled his eyes at his father. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."
~=o-O-o=~
After nearly thirty minutes of waiting, the opening ceremony has finally began. The elated crowd was silenced when they saw the marching of the Royal Soldiers as they lined up to honor the arrival of the Royal Family.
"Ladies and Gentlemen from across the universe, welcome to the opening of this year's Saiyan Power Assessment Tournament! Live at the Chiri Arena, Chiri Island, Planet Vegeta. Here's your official host and referee, Kyuri Kamatsuna!"
Kyuri is a lively young Saiyan female with a cheerful voice. She has a short height, black hair tied in a high ponytail and wore a pink, grey and gold scheme of battle armor that fits perfectly on her curvy frame.
"Please rise, kneel, lower your heads and put your right hand over your left chest to welcome the arrival of His Majesty, King Vegeta Benolencé Breigh the Third and His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince Vegeta Benolencé Breigh the Fourth."
Everyone did so as the King and Crown Prince of all Saiyans strode royally on the special aisle between the lined up Royal Guards, behind them followed Zorn and Nappa. Father and son walked towards their designated VIP seats, facing the audience.
The people are told be seated by Kyuri and watch an intermission number after that. A lively dance by a group hyped the enthusiastic audience. After that, the King gave his speech to his people.
"The Power Assessment Tournament has always been our yearly festival where we Saiyan Warriors can show the progress of our continuous growth in both strength and prowess in battle and prove our worth. This year, this Power Assessment could probably be the most anticipated battle in the History of the Saiyan Race. To celebrate the opening of this tournament, our first contenders are two of the most powerful Saiyan Warriors of our time, contending for the title of the strongest and the true chosen one. I have no further words about their amazing powers, I will only allow them to show us their incredible potential. I am looking forward to see more of my people climbing up the warrior class ranks this year and let us prove the entire Universe that the power of the Saiyan Race shall never be underestimated! I hope that everyone would have a great time during the fight. Hyareh Esna Maste, Saiyajin!"
There was an applaud from the audience following King Vegeta's speech. Kyuri took over to do a quick run down profiling about the first two competitors of this year's Power Assessment. While these happen, Vegeta and Broly were called to prepare themselves to enter the ring. The screens lit up to life, divided into five columns and several rows. The left side of the column was labeled with different characteristics pertaining to the information of the contenders. From their name, birth date, age, height, weight, battle power and warrior class rank. The next four columns are grouped into two, with the left as the information from last year's Power Assessment to compare with the updated ones today.
"We have our defending strongest. His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, Vegeta Benolencé Breigh the Fourth." Kyuri announced as Prince Vegeta's recently taken photo appeared above the two columns next to the labels. Unlike his previous photos from the years before where he is usually seen to have a cocky smirk and eyes filled with pride and confidence, Vegeta's expression in his new picture was both intimidating and serious.
"...All of his previous fights in the Annual Power Assessment for fifteen consecutive years have been consistently perfected by a single shot." There was a very quick video of Vegeta's previous battles where he quickly finishes his opponents with a single kiai or punch or even his special technique, the Galick Beam.
"His last year's battle power level was at 18,000 karos, further solidifying his unique and special status as a Super Elite. According to the CPRD department, Prince Vegeta's powers have been developing rapidly this year due to the change in his training regimen. We'll later find out how much of his power level had grown in comparison with last year's records!
"As for the challenger, we have one of Prince Vegeta's friends. Since their childhood, he was seen to possess the potential to one day challenge his Royal Highness' might - though it wouldn't be the case since it was Prince Vegeta himself who forced this usually quiet but extremely powerful Saiyan to battle against him today." Broly's picture appears on the screen next to Vegeta's. His face looks as timid as it did in his previous photos. "We have Broly Oleracea! The only son of the former Prime Minister, Paragus! Like Prince Vegeta, he has a consecutive streak of wins during his eleven years of experience in the Annual Power Assessment. He is of an Elite Warrior status and was the strongest of Prince Vegeta's Generals and protectors. His last year's battle power level was at 15,000 karos. According to Prince Vegeta himself, Broly's power has also grown drastically since last time due to some confidential training he did within this year. How would he compare to our Crown Prince's great might? We will find out soon! Here's a quick comparison of our two contenders!"
The screen showed the following data:
Prince Vegeta Benolencé Breigh the Fourth vs Broly Oleracea
PRINCE VEGETA
Birthdate: 0119 Age 732
Age: 17 years old | 18 years old
Height: 150 cm | 164 cm
Weight: 110 lbs | 123 lbs
Battle Power: 18,000 karos | ?
Warrior Rank: Super Elite
BROLY
Birthdate: 0416 Age 736
Age: 13 years old | 14 years old
Height: 200cm | 216 cm
Weight: 220lbs | 257 lbs
Battle Power: 15,000 karos | ?
Warrior Rank: Elite
Kyuri began explaining the rules. While this occurs, Vegeta found Broly approaching him without hesitation below the ring, just to say thanks for considering his plea last night.
Vegeta told Broly without looking at him, keeping his commanding countenance, "You can thank me by fighting me without holding anything back. Your father's ki is still under our control and I will release it once our real enemy arrives so he can at least, defend himself."
"Yes, your Highness. I will do my best." Broly assured him with a small grin.
They listened on to the rules being announced by the energetic host.
"The warrior can fight in any way he wants with the following exception: The usage of unauthorized weapons or any dangerous things such as poisons or the like, which are not associated with a fighter's special or natural ability is extremely prohibited. A victor will only be declared until one of them is rendered completely unconscious or unable to fight within an unknown but certain time limit, otherwise, the fight shall be considered a draw. The time limit is signalled by the sound of this blaring siren."
A sample of the siren is played in the background for about five seconds before halting completely.
"...Until then, a special announcement shall be made by his Majesty."
"And now, everything is set. Let me ask you, ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY?!" shouted Kyuri, causing the crowd to cheer and howl with excitement in unison. "In that case, Yastha Sektum!" (Prepare yourselves)
"HYAREH!" the crowd roared in unison, a term for their unified battlecry.
Vegeta and Broly entered the ring from the opposing sides, while the announcer declared the official introduction.
"Entering the ring towards the blue corner is our defending strongest, His Royal Highness, Prince Vegeta the Fourth! On the red corner comes the courageous challenger, Broly! Both of these young but powerful Saiyan warriors were born on the same generation, four years apart, but used to be really close with each other. It is well known that these two shared quite a heated but friendly rivalry until recent events. This is a decisive battle in which they will settle and prove to everyone in the universe whom among them deserves the honorable and great title of being the most powerful Saiyan of all! The proud and strong willed Crown Prince against his timid but mighty General. This is the most anticipated battle of the entire Saiyan Race!"
The crowd cheered once again while King Vegeta and Paragus were on the edge of their seats.
"And now, here is the official initial battle power reading!"
On the screen, next to their final battle power rating taken from the previous year, digital numbers began to rapidly rise from a single digit to three, four... When the numbers reached the five and six digit stage, everyone let out gasps of shock as they held their breath. They watched in anticipation and disbelief as it reached the seven digits, meaning the battle power reading is in the millions.
And then it halted.
"They're on par with each other!" Kyuri exclaimed. Several gasps of awe and disbelief was heard from the crowd. Broly stared at the screen with a disinterested look, even as he found his Elite Status becoming that of a Super Elite. Their fathers, however, were visibly disappointed. Vegeta noticed their pissed off reaction, especially that of Paragus, and let out a snort while smirking mischievously.
"Unbelievable! Prince Vegeta and Broly are equals by the initial battle power readings! I wonder how much their battle power would fluctuate during their fight! I can't wait to see!" the exultant referee continued.
"No way! Battle power at four million?! And both of them are equals!" Kakarot gasped.
"One among them has purposely held back his true power to be on equal terms with the other." Bardock said.
Kakarot turned to his father. "You don't mean Broly did it so he cannot further damage Vegeta's already broken pride? This would only make Vegeta extremely pissed off with him."
"Who knows," Bardock pointed out. "I think Vegeta was the one who held back just to piss off both of their fathers. That mischievous little rascal." he snickered, shaking his head.
Seeing how the King already looked annoyed, the announcer swallowed nervously. She raised her right hand in the air, exclaiming, "Yastha Sektum!" (Get ready/Prepare yourselves) prompting both Vegeta and Broly to fall into their signature battle stances.
Kyuri then quickly put her hand down as she shouted, "Takai!" (Fight!)
Broly reared his head back and released a mighty roar in the sky as he powered up. The battle power reading began to increase steadily up to six million.
"Come!" Vegeta said confidently.
A smiling Paragus howled in the background, "Do it, Broly!"
Broly's beast like roar resounded across the arena. He dashed forward with blinding speed as he zoomed into Vegeta's direction and attacked him with a potent right hook.
"Vegeta!" King Vegeta shouted for his son's name, worried that the prince would be overpowered by Broly due to the sudden increase in Broly's strength.
Vegeta instantly powered up, quickly closing the gap between his and Broly's powers, much to Paragus' disappointment. He blocked Broly's punch by crossing his arms. Vegeta observed Broly's ferocious face with a pompous smirk. The younger Saiyan began to throw lots of hard punches rapidly however, the ever confident prince easily dodged them. Each punch Broly released was hard and full of force, but Vegeta was not worried about it at all. The flaming haired royal deflected one of Broly's blows and attacked, landing a mighty kick in the larger Saiyan's unguarded belly. Although Broly took the blow head on, he quickly turned and slid his body backwards against the flooring of the arena until he was able to stop himself, and then kicked off to pursue Vegeta once more. Despite Broly's attacks containing such a frightening speed, Vegeta easily dodged the incoming punches with the same smug expression on his face.
The audience watched breathlessly. Most of them already had a hard time following through the fight. Vegeta and Broly's power began increasing and so as the numbers on the screen.
"Not bad! I'm finally starting to warm up!" Vegeta said then he countered by throwing a punch of his own, causing Broly to take a step back. Using this as an advantage, the prince reared back and hit the soles of his boots to smash against Broly's chin, then he whirled around to sweep his leg low, causing Broly to stumble sideways. He let out another spinning back kick to the other Saiyan's side which sent his opponent barrelling on the same direction. Vegeta lightly kicked off the ground to follow Broly's trail.
Broly quickly released his aura to stop his momentum. Crouching like an enraged cat, his eyes instantly flashing yellow and his expression turning more feral, Broly leapt to meet Vegeta. The prince noticed this change, and he quickly let his primal power out, transforming him into the initial stage of the human form containing the primal powers of the Great Monkey beast. Vegeta's onyx eyes changed into a glowing crimson, and his canines grew. A wild look replaced his confident look a few moments ago.
"What is this? Suddenly both of their moods changed!" the referee announced. "Prince Vegeta and Broly seemed to gain some odd transformation which felt the same in nature but with subtle differences! It feels like they are releasing the feral nature and primordial power of the Oozaru form while being in their human forms!"
While they have basically the same form but with different eye colors, they seemed to be evenly matched. Their power boost was immense and so as their speed, each of their punches now induced shockwaves that caused tremors across the battlefield. The fight escalated, with the two warriors battling like wild animals hungry for each other's blood.
While they locked hands on the center of the arena, both struggling to completely overwhelm their enemy's strength by pushing the hardest they could, they began to release the second stage of their animalistic transformation. Their muscle mass dramatically increased as feral growls reverberated through their bared fangs. The stage began to tremble and crack underneath their feet, and small debris levitated in the air as both of their powers shoot to intense, planet-shaking levels.
"Unbelievable! They continue to transform even further! Just look at those swelling muscles! Their battle powers are steadily increasing to the eight digit stage!"
This only prompted the crowd to get more elated with the fight, completely amazed by the display of power Vegeta and Broly are releasing.
Feeling himself being pushed back, Vegeta raised his voice in irritation. The ki he had been holding back gushed out as Vegeta's hands began to glow golden and he steadily strengthened his grip on Broly's hands. Noticing this, Broly began to panic and tried to pry his hands off the prince but Vegeta roughly pulled him in with his new strength, nearly ripping Broly's arms off his body.
"You're starting to piss me off!" the prince roared in irritation.
Right before the astonished Broly's eyes, Vegeta pulled his head back and then nailed him with a headbutt, causing the enormous Saiyan to flinch as he stumbled backwards. The prince quickly pulled his right hand back, concentrating his ki into his shaking fist, all the glow and energy surrounding his body collected into that point. With a mighty beastly roar, Vegeta smashed it against Broly's face, sending the larger warrior rolling back several meters on the ground. Blood spurted out of the younger Saiyan's nostrils and mouth as his nose and lips broke at that puissant impact.
On that very short moment, Vegeta's battle power completely overwhelmed Broly's level until both of their power readings plummeted back to the initial reading, causing them both to change back to their normal forms.
When Broly didn't stand, Vegeta raised his voice once again, "What's matter?! Don't tell me you're done already?! I know that wasn't your best at all! Get up, fool! Hurry up and show me your true nature and your full power!"
Broly groaned on the ground as he slowly picked himself up, his body began to shake as he fought to control his primal mind. He can feel it coming, threatening to seep off his remaining sanity once again. Due to fighting someone mighty like Vegeta, Broly could feel his blood boil with elation, his basal Saiyan instincts resurfacing, causing his more rational mind to be pulled back. Broly tried to fight against it. The green jewel on his coronet began to flash on and off. Even though he promised Vegeta that he will fight him on his best today, Broly had purposely tried to hold back because he feared what might happen to both him and Vegeta once that mind has taken over him.
Noticing Broly's reluctance only made Vegeta more livid at him. With a bulging vein visibly pulsing on his forehead, the Saiyan Prince yelled, "You told me that you will fight me at your best today! I never told you to hold anything back! Are you mocking me by purposely trying to control that power and that alter ego of yours?!"
Prince Vegeta's furious words caused whispers among the crowd, questioning what he meant by those words.
Broly lifted his eyes up to gaze up to Vegeta, "My apologies, your Highness. I do not mean to insult you. I just... I'm just afraid... Afraid of..." he grunted through his gritted teeth.
"Afraid of what? Losing control?! Don't be a hypocrite now! We both know how much you wanted to kill me all along!" Vegeta roared in indignation.
"No, your Highness!" Broly quickly denied.
"Stop lying to me, Broly! I can feel it it in you all this time!"
"Those aren't my feelings at all! It's..."
"Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?! I already told you I know what you've been going through! That's exactly why I'm telling you to release it now!"
"What is that brat talking about now?!" King Vegeta wondered.
"I don't know, your Majesty." Zorn responded.
"Broly should do what Vegeta says. He's just making his sufferings even worse." Kakarot mumbled.
"What do you mean?" his mother asked him, puzzled.
"There is a reason why Vegeta has forced Broly to fight him today. It's not just out of revenge. He's actually trying to save Broly by doing that."
"What?"
"He's trying to free Broly from the cage within himself created by the trauma Paragus made him go through so Broly can fight like the true Saiyan warrior he is." Bardock clarified.
"What the hell are you doing, Broly?! Stop holding back! Show Vegeta your true potential and beat him to a pulp! It's time for you to release the beast and show everyone the true power of the Legendary Super Saiyan!" Paragus shouted at his son on the sides, which prompted an outburst from the crowd. What is Paragus saying? That Broly is a Super Saiyan too? But that's impossible. There could only be one Legendary Super Saiyan, right? And the Crown Prince himself is the prophesied to become one!
"If you are just going to hold back on me then this fight is meaningless to me! You have not only insulted my pride and honor once, and now you are blatantly mocking me in front of my people?! How dare you!" Vegeta roared at Broly. He was so livid, his brown, furry tail behind him bristled with his rage. The sound of his fury made the entire stadium fall into dead silence. "Pathetic fool! Worthless trash! How dare you call yourself a Saiyan?! You have no pride or honor to your word! If you are so reluctant with going through our deal then I will do whatever it takes for you to release that alter ego of yours. You are not going to stop me from making you pay for everything that you and your father did to me!"
He quickly pointed a finger towards Paragus' direction, the tip of that finger glowed with sparks of electricity as he charged up his special move, the Galick Beam, making a clear threat to kill Paragus once and for all. Broly's eyes widened with dread, his jaw dropped and his lips trembled. Vegeta snarled and glared at him furiously, daring Broly to do something to stop him from killing his father.
"What a disappointment. Do you honestly think you can be greater than me with that pathetic attitude of yours?! How dare you think that I would lose to a sorry excuse of a Saiyan like yourself?!" Vegeta shouted.
Broly clumsily approached his prince, pleading him. "Please... Don't do it. Stop.", but this only made the royal heir even more furious at him.
Vegeta slapped his hands away from him with his free hand. "Are you begging me in the midst of a battle, Broly?" he observed the larger warrior's almost teary eyes and this rose Vegeta's anger to greater heights. "How dare you call yourself a Saiyan!" he roared as he fired the Galick Beam meant for Paragus, towards Broly instead. It didn't skewer him at all but the force was enough to push Broly back. Before Broly could do anything, he found a completely enraged Vegeta charging at him, engulfed with the power of the Oozaru Alpha.
Broly instinctively defended himself but was unable to stop the frenzied attacks Vegeta was rapidly throwing at him as the prince continued to yell, "This is unacceptable! I will not allow you to mock me this way! If you do not release your true power then I am going to kill you!"
But not even the threat to his own life was enough to make Broly submit to what the Saiyan Prince wanted. With a wrathful scream, Vegeta smacked Broly's left cheek with his palm so hard it nearly broke Broly's neck. Vegeta kicked Broly's chin upwards and smashed his other palm against Broly's face, hitting his head backwards into the ground and causing several cracks to break throughout the arena surface.
"And if that isn't enough threat for you then I am going to kill your father!" the prince roared in fury. He quickly raised a hand and fired a blast towards Paragus' direction. Broly, who was completely stunned by Vegeta's earlier attack, watched in horror as the blast zoomed in towards his defenseless and utterly shocked father. The ensuing small explosion and the smoke that followed it finally caused Broly to snap, thinking about his father's terrified face and his inability to save him from the rampaging Prince's attack.
Once Vegeta felt Broly finally snapping, the prince let out a satisfied smirk.
Broly's hands instantly clutched at the sides of his head, suddenly feeling the powerful primal mind taking over him as his rage went out of his control. Unable to take the pain in his head any longer, he reared his head back and let out a mighty roar. The ground beneath their feet began to shake as Broly's power rose and rose, the skies darkened and rattled with a thunderstorm. Broly's coronet cracked and exploded along his full power. His yellow eyes disappeared as the veins within them popped up to make them entirely red. Green aura bled out of his shaking body, completely engulfing him with its intense destructive and uncontrollable power.
"Haaahh! Haaah! Aaaarghh! Graaaahhh!" Broly roared just as his muscles began to bulk, slowly, painfully. Broly sluggishly grew in width and height, for about nine feet tall. His hair spiked up, changing its color from jet black to neon green.
"What is this?! Upon Prince Vegeta's provocation, Broly has finally snapped and began to transform into some giant mutant!" Kyuri finally spoke after that heart-pounding tension between the enraged Vegeta and the hesitant Broly earlier.
"That's it, Broly! Let it go! You are a free Saiyan now. Come out and show us your true colors!" Vegeta persuaded him.
"Ruuuuaaaaaaaargghhhhhh!" Broly's roar reverberated across the field in response to the Prince's coaxing. Lightning began to strike down from the dark thunderclouds that swirled around them as Broly's powers continued to build up. The number on the screens grew rapidly up to nine digits, causing everyone to worry now. Powerful and chilling gale began to blow around him as well.
"Broly's power is getting out of control and it's rapidly rising! Has the timid Broly finally made it to the top?!" the referee announced. It was good that she was being protected by the barrier created by the Ministry of Science and Technology to keep the spectators safe from any damages the fighters' destructive powers may create.
Despite the strong wind, Vegeta stood against it with no effort at all, "You have killed so many of my clones, I think it is time for you to face the original! Your father thinks he could use you to kill me with this power, therefore I'm commanding you to use it as he trained you to do! Only that way we could end this fight properly."
"Gwwaaaaaaaaooooooooooohhhh!" Broly continued to scream, his power kept on rising and rising, upon the commanding authority of the alpha within Vegeta.
"That fool! What is he doing?!" King Vegeta shouted.
"I'd never imagined Broly to be this powerful! No wonder Paragus thinks he could use him to kill Prince Vegeta!" Zorn said.
"If the two of them fight like this they will rip the planet apart!" Nappa said.
"What are you gawking at, Yon?! You must not let Broly become that killing machine! What are you going to do if he loses control of himself and destroy us all?!" King Vegeta yelled at his son, pissed at the brash display of cockiness instead of doing something to stop Broly before it becomes a problem.
Hearing his father panicking, the Saiyan Prince laughed. Turning his head over his shoulder, he assured, "No worries, Papa! If that happens then I am simply going to stop him. This is what I want! I want to fight Broly at his best, at this uncontrolled state of his. I want to test out what kind of power lies within this so-called, 'Legendary Super Saiyan' Paragus has been bragging about!"
"You fool!" his father argued.
Broly floated in the sky, finishing his awakening power up with a burst of his massive green energy. He had never felt so free before. Just as Vegeta felt after he was resurrected by the full moon's power, what Broly wanted right now is to kill and destroy the one his Saiyan instinct recognized to be the strongest one, a threat to him. The Crown Prince himself.
Paragus, who was actually alive and well due to being in the spectator's seat, paled in terror when he saw that his son's full power has broken the control device. With his teeth chattering, he said fearfully, "My Broly... He's... He's out of my control now... He'll kill us all... It's all over..."
Vegeta snorted upon hearing this commentary from his rival's father.
Broly's mind was clouded with his primal desire to fight, kill and destroy. Focusing his completely white eyes on the seemingly confident prince in front of him, he grinned a sadistic and psychotic smile as he laughed manically. "Ahahahaha! I am going bathe in your blood! And I am going to make sure that your death will be slow and painful." he declared as he pointed at Vegeta with his finger.
"Ah... So you've finally decided to come out and show your true colors." Vegeta addressed the evil alter ego of Broly with a cocky smirk. He had his arms crossed against his chest and he spoke with his usually confident tone, "Your old man and his supporters were convinced that you were far stronger than me because you have achieved this transformation they think is the Legendary Super Saiyan form. Let's test that theory, shall we?"
Broly laughed like a demon once more. "Very well. As you wish... Little prince." the darker side of Broly, who is now in control of the Saiyan's body, spat with obvious elation. He rolled his tongue across his lips in anticipation of the royal blood he's about to spill.
"What is going on with Broly? He's become completely different from earlier!" Kyuri's resonant voice boomed. "What terrifying aura he's emitting too! It's like he's become a monster capable of destroying the entire galaxy! Is this... Is this really the Legendary Super Saiyan Paragus was talking about earlier?"
The announcer's words caused an outrage from the audience, saying it was insolent of her. She swallowed the lump collecting on her throat due to being terrified of her people's collective protests. She began to stutter and shake as she turned her head to Vegeta's direction. She continued, "Yet, despite Broly's display of overwhelmingly malevolent energy, Prince Vegeta doesn't seem to be fazed about it. Just look at how calm he is. Does this mean that His Royal Highness has something hidden under his sleeve?"
With Broly's power finally reaching at three hundred million karos, Vegeta is obviously overpowered. But then, the prince wouldn't let Broly think that. He had silently powered up his ki. A golden glow began to envelope Vegeta's body as if it was a second skin. His hair and eyes remained their dark color though, not yet releasing his secret transformation for now.
The two disappeared into thin air. It was soon followed by a series of even more shockwaves from different directions, as the two exchanged blows in midair. The force of the shockwaves shook the entire arena with more intensity than before. Everyone stared at the open air in awe, feeling the vibrations shaking the place and even themselves. Not even the Elites are able to follow the ultra rapid fight.
"Yon..." the King growled impatiently as his fists shook on his sides. The prince was still holding his true powers back for some reason. He knew that the boy liked to play games but this is just an utter waste of time. If Vegeta doesn't become a Super Saiyan, Broly would beat him into a pulp even before he could transform.
"Impressive... There's no wonder why your old man was confident. He wasn't exaggerating when he referred to this form as the Legendary." Vegeta said as he gracefully dodged Broly's hypersonic super powered blows. Broly was obviously much more powerful in this state but Vegeta's speed increase after his training under the enhanced Gravity environment has gained him the upper hand. Broly's hefty build was a disadvantage against someone with a much leaner and smaller figure like Vegeta. The prince knew of this and he deliberately used his advantage in this fight.
"That was only a mere demonstration of my full power! I'm still warming up!" Broly declared.
Vegeta smirked once more. "By all means, don't hold back on me! I want to see if you can really do what the legends say about you!"
Broly put more power into his attacks but the prince was just agile and graceful, playing around. This is causing the larger Saiyan to be extremely pissed.
"Are you just going to prance around?! And here I thought you wanted to fight me at my best!" Broly mocked.
"Tch! Of course I do! I just wanted to test the waters first or I may accidentally kill you once I release my full power!"
"Kill me? Ridiculous! The only one who's going to be killed here is you!"
They exchange blows, though Vegeta's attacks felt like nothing to Broly in this form. Soon enough, Broly's speed suddenly increased and he was able to catch the prince by his small neck. This made the earlier pompous prince to panic, suddenly regretting such a miscalculation in his part and causing the glow surrounding his body to fade out.
Finally seeing the two fighters appear in midair, everyone gasped in surprise to find their Crown Prince in the mercy of his opponent.
"Yon!" King Vegeta shouted as he rose from his seat, filled with his anxiety over the life of his only remaining son.
While Paragus was inwardly getting pumped up at the sight of his son having the upper hand. "That's it, Broly! Do it!"
"I'll kill you! I will break your fragile little neck and kill you slowly and painfully - just as how I did with thousands of your pitiful copies!" Broly spat at the prince, reminding him of how he had mercilessly killed Vegeta's clones just to gain this power.
Triggering Vegeta's trauma of that unforgivable event, the prince began to struggle against his iron grip. He tried kicking the younger Saiyan's torso but to no avail.
Broly pulled his free hand and created a small ball of neon green energy, the same thing that exploded ATI 8990 that night. (See Episode 18) Vegeta watched at the orb, reminiscing the death of the clone he spent an entire night with. With his own rage slowly boiling, the ki Vegeta has been holding back all this time began to flow out of him. His body began to be enveloped by a bright gold light once more, but this one was more intense than earlier.
Just as Broly attacks, Vegeta caught his massive wrist with his left hand. Broly's white eyes widened in surprise by his capture's sudden increase in strength.
Crack!
Vegeta had mercilessly broke Broly's wrist with a loud snap. The pain was enough to bewilder Broly and release him as if he was holding an iron hot rod, causing the larger warrior to step back while clutching his now broken wrist in agony.
Vegeta fell to the ground, he slowly picked himself up and stooped forward like a lifeless puppet, the golden light rising from his skin was like some smoke coming out of him. Broly watched in wonder of that odd energy waking up from the seemingly broody prince.
Vegeta's fingers twitched with the sudden anticipation to kill as his rage seethed deep inside of him. A low growling sound reverberated deep within him, a terrifying manifestation of the Oozaru's rage boiling within him. The smoke-like energy grew as the dark clouds looming above them swirled around, like a forming hurricane.
"What is happening to Prince Vegeta now?! He suddenly began to be engulfed by an even more intense golden energy than before! Even his battle power is rising exponentially up to nine digits!" Kyuri asked nobody, just commenting about what she was seeing right in front of her.
On the sides, even Paragus was beginning to worry and be confused. What is this golden energy? His mind numbed as he realized that the description to the Legendary Super Saiyan was being the Golden Warrior. Could it be?!
Vegeta raised his now glowing crimson eyes as he glared at the completely stunned Broly in front of him with a cold, deathly stare.
"You fool. Don't get so cocky just because you managed to catch me off guard! Up until now, I am not using my full power on you yet." the Prince's cold voice rose and resounded.
"What?" Broly mouthed, confused.
"You've already seen the glimpse of it when you killed ATI 8990 and when I was revived after your father tried to kill me. Did you honestly think that what you witnessed those times was already my full strength?"
"Impossible! You must be bluffing..."
"Hmph! Believe me... That is only the tip of the iceberg..." Vegeta said with a smirk. "I must admit that your overwhelming strength had become a threat to me when I first discovered this. I must congratulate you for achieving this level of power and ascending beyond the ordinary Saiyan level. You caught my attention and you made me realize how much I had been slacking due to my own neglect. However, I'm no fool to be simply left behind by a scum like yourself. Unlike you who achieved your power due to a nasty experiment your traitorous father had plotted against me, I gained this power on my own! I am the true Saiyan prodigy foretold in the prophecy and legends! Now, prepare to witness the true Legendary power of the Saiyans not seen for thousands of years!"
At one corner, King Vegeta shouted, "Do it, Yon! It's time!"
The Crown Prince straightened himself, pulled his clenched fists on his sides and let out a powerful shout into the skies. "HUAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Suddenly, his dark hair slowly changed color from dark brown to neon green, the same as Broly's for a very short moment until it glowed bright gold, causing everyone's jaw to drop in complete astonishment.
"HRAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
A potent and highly destructive shockwave erupted from Vegeta's body as his beastly roar reverberated across the battlefield, the golden light of his energy blasting upwards into the dark skies which blared with the thunderous sound of the lightning striking the ground, like the hell's bells signaling the awakening of the Saiyan Prince's legendary might. Broly's eyes opened wide as the immense pressure hit him head on, causing him to stumble a few steps backwards.
Vegeta was glowing golden. His hair was no longer dark brown but the same color as the legendary energy he was emitting. His earlier scarlet eyes were now a pair of piercing jade gems.
"Wha.. What the hell is that?!" Paragus asked in dread, not knowing what has happened to the Crown Prince.
Not far from Paragus was seated, Bardock responded to his question. "I think you know exactly what that is."
"The legendary?!" Paragus asked, realizing that his earlier musings were true. "Impossible! My Broly is the Legendary Super Saiyan! Only one can appear every three thousand years!"
"That could be but didn't you see Vegeta's transformation? He had purposely slowed it down for everyone to see. In between the transition from his normal form to the golden form, his hair turned green for a very short moment."
"What are you saying?!"
"I am saying Broly may be able to have the same powers as that of the Legends, however, it is somehow warped and incomplete. Probably due to the mental stress and psychological effects of your own manipulation."
Paragus glared at Bardock.
"The legends described the Super Saiyan being the Golden Warrior with immense power that is unlike that of any other Saiyan. I think you could tell just how intense Vegeta's power is now by sensing it yourself. That form Vegeta is in now is the true Legendary Super Saiyan told in the ancient legends."
Even from such a distance, the pressure Vegeta was releasing could be clearly felt. Paragus believed that Broly was strong, and was confident that the Crown Prince will never be able to beat Broly any longer no matter what he did. But as he was now, Vegeta had completely surpassed all of Paragus' expectations. Realizing this and the other red haired form he saw Vegeta performed in front of him this morning, Paragus began to shake in his knees.
Vegeta was indeed the true prodigy and the chosen one of the Saiyans.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd applauded. Just before their very eyes, the legend had been realized. The savior who will defeat the Galactic Emperor had finally ascended to the pinnacle level of Saiyan strength.
"What did just happen to his Royal Highness? He's glowing with an intense golden energy! Wait, I am hearing claims that the transformation Prince Vegeta just performed is the true Legendary Super Saiyan! What a surprise!" Kyuri was saying, her voice filled awe.
Engulfed in his golden aura, Vegeta was glaring at Broly. The green haired Saiyan had instinctively taken notice of the prince's new power up. However, instead of feeling fear, Broly only felt even more excitement for this battle. The stronger his opponents become, the more he wanted to rip him apart. His baser Saiyan instincts boiled within him, causing his primitive strength to build even more.
"Broly's powering up! What bottomless power!" the announcer exclaimed.
Sensing Broly's growing strength, Vegeta watched with a calm stare, not seemingly bothered by his adversary's rising power at all. He flared his aura to life and powered up as well.
"Gaaah! Even the Crown Prince's power continued to grow! It looks like we are witnessing two extremely powerful and destructive cyclones trying to intimidate and overwhelm the other!"
With his mind filled with rage and bloodlust, Broly blasted off to charge at Vegeta, igniting a violent furious battle between them.
After closing in just enough to almost touch his nose, Broly disappears from the stoically observing Vegeta's sight. Speeding up, Broly moved around from Vegeta's rear to attack him from behind. However, Vegeta simply raised his right fist over his shoulder and hit Broly's face without even looking back.
As if he had been smacked by a colossal hammer, Broly was blown back at an insane speed by Vegeta's direct powerful hit. Broly halted in mid-air, turned around and dashed towards the completely silent prince. But he suddenly stopped when Vegeta abruptly appeared before his eyes. Vegeta kicked Broly downwards, causing him to plummet down into the ground. With an emotionless stare, Vegeta opened his palm and released invisible air bursts, causing shockwaves that pushed Broly even deeper into the crater he just created.
Unable to shake off the shockwaves, Broly crashed deeper into the ground. Just as he got up, Vegeta instantly appeared before him by using his Hibiktus teleportation technique and kicked him up to the sky again.
Broly lured the prince close enough to him so he could strike him in point-blank range but Vegeta had completely seen through this. Disappearing from his trajectory, Vegeta fazed behind Broly and kicked him with a flying dropkick on the back of his head. The enormous Saiyan cried out in pain as he got blown away again. He quickly recovered and charged once more.
As Broly let out a full-force punch straight towards the prince, Vegeta side stepped and kicked off the ground to perform a summersault while grabbing the Saiyan titan by his green hair and roughly pulling him backwards with him and then towards him. Once close enough, Vegeta released Broly's hair and plowed his right fist into the larger warrior's face, which sent Paragus' son flying backwards across the field.
"Prince Vegeta is completely thrashing Broly with his overwhelming strength! While Broly continued to power up, Prince Vegeta can immediately close their gap without any effort. Power wise and speed wise, his Royal Highness overpowers Broly by a long shot!" Kyuri exclaimed with a voice full of excitement. The crowd cheered in response to her words.
As Broly was getting blown away by Vegeta's overwhelming attacks, his completely white eyes burned with uncontrollable rage as he gets back up to his feet and stubbornly continued his assaults towards the royal heir. Calmly observing this, Vegeta launched a ki blast the size of a handball. As the energy orb connected squarely to Broly's unguarded face, the Saiyan's figure disappears within the smoke caused by the explosion. Vegeta proceeded to charge forward towards Broly's location. Although Broly blew the smoke away with a wave of his hand, he launched a sidewards kick towards Vegeta with a cry, it doesn't affect the prince at all when he effortlessly blocked it with his left hand.
After several more exchange of super powerful blows, Broly was beginning to gain more control of his actions and power. It was probably due to the fact that he is beginning to enjoy this exchange despite the pain of Vegeta's assaults. He didn't want to stop, didn't want to lose despite already realizing his losing ground.
Vegeta observed that Broly was getting back his control, little by little. Some of Broly's blows would slip by his defenses and hit him, causing Broly to fight with even more rigor. The prince would eventually regain his bearings and overwhelm Broly again. Not one among them wanted to lose or be beaten by the other and so they fought their hardest to win.
Eventually, both of them were smiling, enjoying their furious battle. Broly was relishing the fight despite being beaten, not because of sadistic delight or masochism, but of satisfaction. He never had a fight as fierce and challenging as this one, and he felt free, happy. On the other hand, Vegeta lost all interest when he learned how much he was overpowering Broly by a long shot. He was only enjoying himself when he saw that Broly was finally fighting for a reason of his own, not influenced by that of others. Broly was fighting back in order not to lose against him, finally a speck of that Saiyan Pride Vegeta had always wanted for Broly to learn.
Completing his purpose for this battle, Vegeta declared. "You're finished!" and let out a single blow from the elbow to the larger Saiyan's belly, which has completely overwhelmed Broly and causing him to bend over in pain. Realizing he is no match for such strength, Broly finally fell.
"That is for all the clones you have killed in order to gain this power. The Atijebu Military Clones have finally been avenged." Vegeta whispered in a low, icy tone only he and Broly could hear.
"Everyone, finally our contenders appeared after their impossibly hypersonic exchange in mid-air and it seems that Broly, even with all the amazing prowess he had, was completely outclassed and beaten by our ascended prince!" Kyuri announced.
Utterly beaten and out of energy, Broly was forced to return to his base form. He helplessly collapsed down to his knees, panting heavily out of his fatigue and exhaustion. Vegeta quickly stretched his arm sidewards to effortlessly catch Broly's limp body before it falls on the floor.
He leaned over Broly's left ear and whispered, "Never forget that pain."
Broly's eyes widened, wondering what Vegeta meant by that. Suddenly, the prince let him go by pulling his arm away and smashed his other fist against Broly's chin, which sent the larger Saiyan knocked down on the floor.
Paragus leaned back on his seat, unable to say anything about the fight. He knew that his son already did his best but was still completely overwhelmed by the prince. He inwardly admitted his defeat even though it hurts his personal pride after what they did to make Broly reach this state of power.
Meanwhile, King Vegeta was still on the edge of his seat. He watched in anticipation just as his son saunter forward towards Broly and stopped right in front of him. The prince stretched his right arm out, his palm facing the beaten Saiyan and flared his golden aura to life. "Finish him now, Yon... Kill him now!" he urged.
"Stop!" Paragus cried out on the other side, panicking and causing Broly, who was trying his best to pick himself off the floor, to shoot his head in his direction. Finding his father alive and unharmed after all, Broly smiled in relief as he realized that Vegeta's earlier attack on his father was some sort of ploy to make him believe that he murdered Paragus right in front of him just to make him snap and release his true power.
Vegeta growled in irritation. How could their fathers be so annoying to give them ridiculous orders such as this? Can they just shut up and let him finish this fight the way he wanted to?!
Just as Vegeta was about to end the fight with his finisher blast, he quickly looked up into the sky, noticing the enormous power closing in on their planet.
He's finally here.
~=o-O-o=~
"The Legendary Super Saiyan and the Super Saiyan god... I looked into it just as you have ordered me to do, Freeza-sama."
The skinny, bubble headed Kikono reported his master, the Galactic Emperor, Freeza. Their spaceship, along the entire fleet of the Emperor's Galactic Army hovered in the atmosphere of the ominous red planet of the Saiyans.
Freeza was staring at the huge screen in front of him. He was watching the battle the Saiyans have been broadcasting throughout the universe. Vegeta was staring up into the sky, into the screen, as if glaring at his audience.
Beside the Emperor watched his guards, including the limp Saiyan they have taken as their hostage, the late Prince Tarble's loyal attendant, Onio, who was being held by two of Freeza's foot soldiers. The Saiyan stared in awe at the screen, mesmerized by the sight of his future king finally attaining the fabled Saiyan state.
"What did you find, Kikono-san?" asked Freeza.
"It is just as Onio-san said. These are only myths passed down from generation to generation, some kind of fairy tale told by the older generation to the young ones to inspire. But..."
"But what?"
"It is also true that the Saiyans believed that their Crown Prince, Vegeta the Fourth, is going to be the living proof of the myths. It seems that every three thousand years, this Legendary Super Saiyan appears to become a savior to the Saiyans against a powerful evil that threatens their people. Because of Prince Vegeta's exceptional abilities, the legend was believed to be fulfilled once again when the Crown Prince reaches his full potential when the threat appears. The seers among the Saiyans saw this happening as well, thus, the birth of the prophecy of the Saiyans that have been waiting for so long."
"Oh..?" Freeza muttered. "It is just as I thought."
"Yes, milord."
Freeza's red eyes bore into Vegeta's image in the screen in front of him. If Kikono reported to him that the Saiyan Prince's full potential will be awakened once the threat has appeared, then this form Prince Vegeta is currently possessing right now is indeed the Legendary Super Saiyan foretold in the vision by that Kanassan scum. It doesn't appear that he has some godly power though.
"But then, we have another Saiyan who appears to be the Crown Prince's worthy rival. He seems to be with exceptional power as well and has achieved a somehow, warped version of the Legendary Super Saiyan form. If Prince Vegeta decides not to kill that man, then there will be two Super Saiyans whom you must defeat."
Freeza had considered the threat of one Super Saiyan after the Kanassan seer told him of his dreaded future. Since the day he has destroyed Planet Kanassa, Freeza was having continuous nightmares about his upcoming death. He dismissed the thought as just being paranoid, tried his best to keep his normally calm composure despite the fear of his demise that threatened him. He believed that one monkey won't be able to kill him. But with Vegeta being a Royal Prince, he can lead his people to unite and rebel against him. A Super Saiyan, as much as he wanted to believe it to be just as a fairy tale character like Onio told him, is something he must look out. He would always dream of a Super Saiyan, who he believes is Prince Vegeta himself, haunting his nightmares and showing him to the gates of hell as if he was the Grim Reaper himself.
He could clearly remember Vegeta's resounding words to him as he appeared like the star actor in that hellish nightmare. The despicable Saiyan's hair was like a golden flame burning his eyes due to its blinding glow, instead of his normally dark hair. His green eyes ablazed with the Saiyan fury thousands of years in the making.
"I am the long awaited answer to all those who cried out for help against your reign of terror across the universe. A living hope in the form of your greatest nightmare. I am the fulfillment of the prophecy and a three thousand year old legend. The harbinger of your death, brought to life! The legendary golden warrior, the Super Saiyan, burning with the fires of vengeance! And yes! Just like gold, I AM INDESTRUCTIBLE!
In order to prevent those nightmares from coming true, Freeza relentlessly trained to release his latent abilities. He was born a prodigy and never trained his entire life until the threat of a Super Saiyan came to haunt him and became one of his worst nightmares.
Freeza smiled a cruel one, "It is a good thing that I have prepared myself for this day as well. After all, an Emperor like myself must not let anyone dethrone him, especially not some lowly, dirty monkey. I have to become more powerful than this so-called Super Saiyan, in order to subjugate that fierce little beast to my whims."
And yes, just as Vegeta said in his nightmares, just like gold, he has become indestructible!
"All of the Saiyan warriors are currently gathered in that arena, sire. Do we commence our attack on Planet Vegeta?" asked Kikono.
Freeza and his cohorts were more than well aware of the Saiyans' might, especially when they are gathered into a single group and fight in unison. However, the Emperor of the Universe wasn't the least bit worried about it. Yes, these insolent lowly monkeys were pests in his eyes but no matter their numbers or their strength combined, they will never be a match against his greatness.
Freeza chuckled, considering Kikono's words funny. "Of course, my faithful servant. After all, these Saiyans are a race of warriors. They must have felt it in their blood that something is coming to destroy them all. It's interesting. So instead of destroying them all at once by blowing up their planet, why don't we land and play with them a little?"
"As you wish, sire."
Just as an unstoppable menace, Freeza and his army descended upon Planet Vegeta, bringing the death and destruction of the Saiyans.
(A/N: Listen to the song below as this happens)
In time, the birds will cease their chirping
In time, the winds will overflow with deceit
In time, the flowers will hide their buds
In time, the moon will forget its cycle
In time, the sky will be captured by the night
In time, the sea will freeze over
He's coming. Hell will be exposed.
He's coming to attack. Even dreams will freeze.
The voices of you insects gradually wears on my nerves
I'll teach you your place, you lower life-forms
Time for the perfect emperor to get his wish
The poem of love is only a chilling elegy
Even today, the bugs crawl over the ground
Flattering me as they seek their prey
Fine words are nothing but empty consolation
Everything shall bow down before me
Futile courage is only a chilling elegy
- Demon KAKKA, "Only a Chilling ELEGY"
(Dragon Ball Kai Character Song Collection, Freeza's theme)
Next Episode: The Saiyan Warrior Race vs the Galactic Empire! Someone sacrificed his life to protect his loved one during the raging war! Whose life has fallen? Find out next chapter!
