Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball GT, and their characters are owned by Toei Animation, Shueisha, FujiTV, and Akira Toriyama!

Art cover by salvamakoto!

-X-

Despair, misery, fear, and hysteria rendered the prideful warrior unable to move. The arrogant man shivered with fear; his black orbs quivered with horror as the wind swayed his flame-like hair. Drops of cold sweat rolled down his temple while he floated high in the green sky. His mouth was wide open and yet incapable of producing a single sentence. After going through so many desperate and dangerous lengths to obtain a massive increase in power, it was all for nothing. Never in his life did he feel so small and hopeless.

"I'M A SUPER SAIYAN!"

What a joke! He deluded himself into being something he was not. There was no such thing as a Super Saiyan. That was just superstition, a mere legend passed down to entertain the children. And like a fool, he believed in it and thought he made it. However, he was quickly brought back to reality. His dreams of governing the universe as the supreme warrior crumbled into million little pieces. There was nothing for him anymore; only death awaited him. After everything he went through, he would fail to regain his birthright and die on some desolate planet.

Tears slid down his cheeks as he stared at the creature standing on a little island. For the first time, he cries. He wanted to scream and curse the universe and every single being in it, alive or dead. However, his body shut down completely. He hovered in the air and waited for the dreadful creature to end it all; his will to fight was long gone.

"Super Saiyan... My dear, silly Vegeta. I'd never imagine you, of all people, to believe in such nonsense. I feel disappointed."

There was nothing he could come up with and say. The only thing he could do was wait and stare into those cold and menacing crimson eyes. "Now, then... Let's see how well you fend off one of my attacks." His hands trembled as the ruthless tyrant stepped forward.

Before he could process anything, a sharp pain went through his entire body. Blood leaked out of his nose as he was on course to collide with the island. Mere seconds before crashing, a firm grip seized his leg and spun him around. He groaned, but the once-proud prince could not produce any sound after being smashed into the solid ground. His head was buried into the shattered soil, causing the rough stones to cut his face. Once again, a hand grasped him by the ankle and dragged his battered body across the island.

" Come now, Vegeta. Is this it? Don't tell me you, a proud prince of a Saiyan warrior race, won't even try? How sad."

The sarcastic remark and the chuckle didn't fall on deaf ears, but the prince didn't care anymore. He only thought about how he disgraced himself and the royal bloodline. His body got thrown into the mountain at full force, causing the black pupils to vanish for a second upon such impact.

While Vegeta's body remained stuck, Freeza slowly approached. The cruel emperor glanced at the earthlings and the only living namekian with a nasty smirk. Naturally, the warriors were too scared and powerless to do anything even if they wanted. The tiny creature gazed back at the prince and, with a swift motion of the hand, caused the mountain to crumble on top of Vegeta.

As the stones buried the Saiyan, Freeza loomed over the rubble. "What a shame. It seems I extinguished all the fire in you... It's sooner than I'd liked, but I think it's time to finish this once and for all." The creature placed both hands in front, and using telekinesis, he lifted Vegeta out of the debris.

"The story of the Saiyans ends here, with a fallen prince unable to even die with dignity. Then again, not a single Saiyan tried to fight back when I destroyed your precious little planet."

Devilish laughter reached his ears. Slowly, the warrior opened his eyes, but the pain was too much. Just trying to move his muscles resulted in feeling terrible pain. Suddenly, he felt a warm sensation near his abdomen. With barely an eye half-open, he gazed down, only to see a pinkish light. The last thing he saw was a wicked grin on Freeza's face before being blasted into the planet Namek's green sky.

"Farewell, Vegeta."

Once Freeza closed his left hand, the pinkish orb carrying Vegeta detonated. The warrior's agonizing scream rang across the area until his voice died out. Others could only watch with fear as the Saiyan prince's burnt body fell into the water. Frightened by Freeza's terror, the three of them took a step back, not knowing what to do now.

"Dammit! What now?! None of us stands a chance against this monster! Not even you, Son Goku!"

The last namekian warrior clenched his sharp teeth tightly as he glared at the mighty Freeza. "Well then, I suppose it's time to get rid of you as well... it would only be fair, don't you think?" Piccolo snapped out of his thoughts and hissed at the tyrant, who quite clearly enjoyed toying with them.

"Tch! Gohan! Krillin! There's one thing I need you to do... Give me all of your ki and get to Goku's spaceship. I'll fight him until Son's here."

Upon hearing such a thing, the little hybrid immediately disagreed with his mentor. "I-I can't let you fight this monster on your own, Mr. Piccolo! You saw what Freeza did to Vegeta..." Before Gohan could say another word, the tall warrior snapped.

"Enough! Do as I say! There's no time to lose!"

The young boy hesitated but complied once the bald earthling chimed in. "Trust in Piccolo's plan Gohan. Unfortunately, the two of us can't do anything but do as he says." Gohan didn't like it, but there was nothing he or Krillin could do; besides repeatedly uttering Son Goku's name.

"Oh! What are you up to now? Hm, go ahead. I'll let you do whatever you're trying to do; I hope it will be far more amusing than what Vegeta tried to do..."

Piccolo snarled at Freeza's remark and such casual behavior. They were nothing but ants to that dreadful monster. The namekian's hands quivered as he glared at the tyrant who just stood there, with an overconfident smirk on its pale face. He shifted his attention to Gohan and Krillin, who were about to pour all of their ki into him. Just as they were about to do so, a sudden gust of wind from behind caught everyone by surprise. Everyone, including Freeza, gazed to the spot only to see a wild-haired man don in an orange gi standing there.

"G-Go..."

"Dad!"

Son Goku's expression remained solemn and focused. His eyes locked on the opponent standing several steps away from him. As he observed the small enemy, a single drop of sweat traveled down his jawline. It was unreal; he couldn't believe the ki oozing out of such a tiny person. However, instead of feeling fear, he wanted nothing more but to fight this creature. Naturally, the most important thing was for his friends and son to get out of here alive.

The martial artist stepped forward and approached the startled group. "As I thought, that huge ki belongs to you, Piccolo... It looks like Krillin and Gohan managed to bring you back with the dragon balls after all." He smirked as he stared at the battle-damaged namekian.

"Humph, yet it wasn't enough to defeat the likes of him..."

Goku's orbs stirred forward, taking another look at Freeza. "Yeah, but thanks to you guys, I've recovered from all that damage from earlier... Now, let me handle it from here." As he resumed walking toward his opponent, a faint glow surrounded the Saiyan's body.

While Krillin and Gohan wondered if that was Son Goku, the warrior approached the emperor with determination in his eyes. "So, you must be Freeza. You're a lot smaller than I thought you'd be." Appearances sure were deceiving.

"Hm, it seems I've overlooked a few bits of garbage. I'll need to dispose of you and your pitiful group of friends the same way I did with that simple-minded Vegeta."

Upon hearing the name of the arrogant Saiyan, Goku couldn't help but wonder if the man was indeed dead. He focused his senses elsewhere, trying to locate the warrior's ki, but there was nothing. A part of him felt sad and robbed of the opportunity to battle the prideful prince. Just as he was about to shift his focus back to Freeza, a sudden spike caught his attention. Son Goku's eyes widened at the rapid increase in power, and it wasn't stopping.

"I-Incredible... This ki's off the charts! Just whose is it?!"

Freeza noticed the man's demeanor change and wondered what was going on. Naturally, the tyrant mocked the Saiyan. "Ho, what's wrong? Don't tell me you had a change of heart after stumbling upon a wall you'll never be able to surpass?" His words fell on deaf ears, and it annoyed the creature.

Suddenly, the sky began to darken, much to everyone's surprise. Out of nowhere, lightning started to strike the island they stood on. Krillin got spooked by it and jumped to the side as the strong wind began to blow.

"Ahh! What's going on, you guys?! I've got an awful feeling about this!"

Suddenly, Son Goku and Piccolo quickly moved their focus to the ocean upon feeling a massive surge of power. Both took a step back and stood firm as a giant pillar of golden light erupted from the water. The ocean began to evaporate while parts of the island started to crumble and levitate in the air. Lighting strikes occurred more often and closer to the pillar of golden energy.

Even Freeza, who didn't know how to sense ki got uneasy about such a strange phenomenon. "Hm, just what's going on? Is this some cataclysm occurring? Or something's causing this?" The creature got lost in his thoughts as he approached the island's edge and observed the event in front of his crimson eyes.

Mere minutes before the strange event occurred, the limp body of the battered man continued to sink further into the darkness. Pieces of his torn and damaged armor slowly tried to get back to the surface while he continued to fall. His fingers and brows twitched, indicating the warrior was still clinging to the living world. The man didn't even know why he was still trying to remain alive. He was outclassed in every way, humiliated in front of weak little earthlings and a namekian. His pride as a warrior was torn to shreds and stepped on like it meant nothing.

"I'm the only one capable of being the warrior of legends! The one meeting the requirements to be a Super Saiyan is me! I'm the Super Saiyan!"

How could he be so naive and stupid to believe in such nonsense? His father constantly praised him as a prodigy, that he would be a Super Saiyan one day and rule the universe. The man's image floated in his mind as forgotten memories of childhood surfaced. He could remember everything, the sky of his world, the humid and hot weather, the rough landscape far in the distance. It felt so real, and yet, none of it existed because of Freeza.

The tyrant's vicious face flashed before him as he kept sinking deeper into the dark. Even now, when all hope seemed lost, the warrior blood in him sought retribution. Was he going to abandon everything and further disgrace himself and his entire race? Suddenly, the Saiyan clenched his teeth and closed both hands tightly. He halted himself from falling and just floated in the same spot.

A deep and unfathomable rage began to smolder within his core, so pure and directed at no one else but Freeza. He didn't fight it and just allowed the madness to overtake him. The Saiyan prince welcomed the wrath and simply let go of everything that binds him to reason.

The outburst of energy evaporated the water as Vegeta released a might cry. His pupils were completely gone as the golden glow enveloped his frame. The shockwaves emitting from the prince separated the ocean while the pillar of yellow energy soared high into the sky. Consumed by rage and unbelievable power, the Saiyan warrior bit the flesh inside his mouth and flew towards the surface.

Everyone gathered on the island was forced to shield themselves because of such incredible force, even the likes of Freeza. The mad tyrant glared at the slowly fading pillar, wondering what was happening. Suddenly, he noticed a silhouette inside it. The frame and posture were familiar, and it didn't take long for Freeza to realize it was his former minion standing there.

"Oh, my poor Vegeta. I thought you'd learn your lesson by now, but I was wrong. I'll gladly put you back in your place, right beneath my feet where you belong."

Freeza lifted his arm and pointed the index finger at Vegeta. The pinkish orb appeared instantly and was ready to be fired when something forced the emperor to halt. All the glow and energy that surrounded the prince began to get absorbed by Vegeta. While Freeza stared at it, Son Goku quickly realized what would happen.

"Everyone run! Get away from here fast!"

Goku yelled at Piccolo and the others, concerned for their safety. He didn't understand what was going on with Vegeta, but the type of ki coming from the Saiyan was too dangerous. The martial artist dashed forward and grabbed his son while Piccolo took the bald earthling. They tried to move as far as possible, but a powerful shockwave threw them toward the ground. While everyone screamed, Son Goku acted swiftly and spread his arms out, creating an energy shield. The Saiyan raised on Earth stared with astonishment at the released amount of powerful ki. He steeled himself, but once the released ki came in contact with the barrier, Goku and the others were blown away.

The power outburst cleared away the dark clouds and ravaged planet Namek's landscape. Anything that got in the way of the ki got disintegrated. However, countless stones formed a circle around something. Suddenly, white light emerged from the cracks. The rocks got blown away by force and revealed Son Goku and the others alive.

"A-Are we still alive?!"

Krillin's stammered voice caused Goku to smile as he turned to his best friend. "We sure are! Glad to see you guys in one piece." The martial artist winked as he gazed at his only son, who helped Krillin stand.

"Hmph, for now... There's no telling what will happen not only to us but to the entire universe."

Everyone looked at Piccolo, who flew out of the rubble and landed on the nearby island that didn't get obliterated. "Freeza's ki remains as powerful as ever! We have no chance against such a monster! However, Vegeta... what the hell happened to him?!" As he stood on the edge of a cliff with the others, the namekian thought of the Saiyan prince.

"Um, maybe what Vegeta was babbling about earlier was true... What was it again? Super Saiyan?"

Piccolo nodded while Son Goku wondered what the term Super Saiyan was. "Whatever this Super Saiyan thing is, I think he might have done it. The power Vegeta is pouring out at the moment is fantastic." Which was precisely what made the namekian uneasy.

At the same time, a purple sphere descended from the sky. The orb slowly disappeared and revealed a bruised tyrant with a scowl on its face. The mighty Freeza looked at his quivering hand and saw blood. For the first time in his life, he was bleeding. What made it worse was the fact that a Saiyan inflicted pain upon him and caused him to shed blood. The emperor shot a fierce glare toward the floating prince, whose change in appearance confused him.

"What kind of change is that?! Saiyans are supposed to be able to transform into an Oozaru?!"

Freeza closed his bleeding hand tightly and smirked. "Honestly, it doesn't even matter. Your last-minute act of desperation won't amount to anything, Vegeta. You'll perish by my hand just like your father, your people, and the entire planet!" The tiny creature lifted his other hand and aimed at the prince.

The pinkish beam traveled fast at the Saiyan. However, before Freeza could even notice, Vegeta vanished and materialized behind him. A sudden strike from behind caught the tyrant off guard. The force behind the punch was so strong it sent Freeza flying far away.

"Ughh! W-What was that?!"

Somehow, Freeza stopped and immediately glared back at the island that seemed so far away. He pondered what happened when the Saiyan prince clad in golden light rushed at him from the island. The emperor positioned himself to strike the poor fool, but the light was gone. Confused, Freeza looked around, only for Vegeta to appear a mere step away from him and grab his wrist.

"Ah! What do you think you're doing, Vegeta?! Unhand me, you dirty little..."

A ferocious strike to the gut rendered Freeza unable to move or breathe. While the creature puked, Vegeta hovered above him. "Aghh... I-Impossible! How could you hurt me so much?! A-A weakling like you could never hurt me, the mighty Freeza!" After a few seconds, Freeza rose and tried to land a blow, but the Saiyan leaned back and countered with an uppercut.

"Kuhh!"

Freeza's entire body went limp for a second. A thunderous roar from the Saiyan warrior pierced the sky as he thrust his kick into the emperor's abdomen.

"No more... I've had enough of you and your voice!"

The aura surrounding the Saiyan prince spiked as he seized Freeza by the tail. He spun around as fast as possible and released the hold. No wasting time, he went after Freeza and crashed his knee into the creature's back.

While Freeza screamed out of pain, Vegeta placed his palm against the tyrant's back and fired a blast. The blast carried the smaller creature right toward an island. Freeza cursed out loud, and a mere second before colliding with the ground, he managed to move away.

"Vegeta..."

The fearful being slowly turned around and glared at the prince with intense venom in his eyes. His body trembled with fury as the warrior, surrounded by a golden glow, descended on the ground. Naturally, the emperor followed and landed only a few steps away from the flame-haired warrior.

Silence prevailed on the battlefield until a smirk surfaced on Vegeta's bruised face. "Scared yet, Freeza? You should be, after all, you've awakened the warrior of legend from within me. My rage, my hatred toward you, made me into this! I, Vegeta, have finally made it! I am a Super Saiyan!" The Saiyan powered up his aura and, with a prideful grin, glared at Freeza, who took a step back.

"Super Saiyan... It can't be! No, no, no! I won't allow it!"

Consumed by fear and anger, Freeza charged at the prince, who just stood there, smirking. "Come, Freeza! You'll meet your downfall by my hand! As it was supposed to happen!" Vegeta bent forward and suddenly burst forward, ready to obliterate the mighty emperor once and for all.