Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball.
"Hey, so I've been meaning to ask. What planet are you guys from?" Launch asked.
Vegeta and Nappa shared a short glance, in which Vegeta shrugged in indifference.
"Planet Vegeta," Nappa replied, almost curtly.
Launch blinked. "Didn't you say your name was Vegeta?" she asked, turning to the saiyan prince.
"Yes," he responded, without elaborating.
Launch hummed. "Well, that's weird," she said, before thankfully dropping the issue. "Anyway, this place is all you can eat per person. I already paid for all of us, so dig in."
The two saiyans shared another glance, and this time, both smirked.
That restaurant was forced to go out of business the next day.
"Holy crap, you two eat a shit ton," Launch commented. "I'm pretty sure that place was out of food. Alright, where to next…"
"Actually, we were wondering about something you said earlier," Nappa spoke up, now that their stomachs were full. "You said you met someone with a tail, like ours, right?"
Launch blinked. "You mean Goku? Why, do you guys know him?"
"Not directly. But we're looking for him."
Launch thought for a moment. "Honestly, I haven't seen him in years. But if you want to find him, the best place to start looking would be Kame House…"
"Well, that leaves Plan A," Nappa said. "Seek out the highest power levels. We're bound to find him eventually."
"There's no need," Vegeta said, with his eyes closed. "They're all on their way." Nappa pressed a button on his scouter and looked towards the sky in amazement.
"Those power levels...I have to say, this is unexpected."
"Kakarot isn't the only one who's been training it seems," Vegeta said nonchalantly. "They've all been preparing for our arrival."
For the second time that day, awed whispers broke out among the citizens of East City, who had still been marveling over the arrival of the aliens. It wasn't long before 8 figures were hovering over the city. To everyone's amazement, the two aliens, who were now under surveillance from the military, rose through the air to meet them.
"Thanks for showing us around, little lady!" Nappa shouted as he flew off the ground to greet his fellow warrior. "It's been a while, Raditz," Nappa he said. "Mission report?"
Raditz, who was standing beside Goku and Gohan, nodded at Nappa in acknowledgement. "Kakarot has made significant progress over the past year. As he's been training independently from me for the past six months, I can't say to what extent. But I'm confident he could hold his own against me now."
"That's better than I expected," Nappa said. "You've made a lot of progress yourself, actually. Your power level has risen by 4,000."
"Thanks in part to our spars," Raditz replied, before turning to Goku, who flew forward to introduce himself.
"Hey, the name's Goku! Nice to meet you!" he shouted.
Nappa chuckled, before extending a hand. "Nappa," he responded. "Former general of the saiyan army and advisor to King Vegeta." The two shook hands, and Nappa frowned. "Goku, huh? Weird name. I'm just going to keep calling you by your saiyan name, to be honest."
Goku laughed. "That's fine. Raditz already does that, so I've gotten used to it." Nappa simply nodded, and then turned back towards his companion, who had been silent up until now.
"And this...is Prince Vegeta. Last heir to the saiyan royal bloodline, and our current leader."
Goku and Vegeta's eyes met, and a silent exchange seemed to pass between the two. For a moment the two just stared at each other assessingly. After a moment, Goku broke the staring contest, breaking out into a friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you, Vegeta!"
The prince just scoffed, causing Nappa to burst out laughing. The saiyan they were trying to recruit evidently had no shred of tact whatsoever.
He'd fit in just fine.
"As much as this reunion is heartwarming," Piccolo spoke up, "Perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere. You two have made quite the scene." Nappa smirked, knowing that the Namekian was referring to the arrival of earth's military.
"Yeah, we noticed. It's still not the worst welcome we've ever gotten, all things considered."
"The earth's government is not very accepting of anything that could potentially be a threat," Piccolo stated.
"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Nappa said, still smirking. Piccolo rolled his eyes. He had already come to terms with the fact that he was an alien. No one had outright told him, but it had been heavily implied.
"As it happens, I know a few wastelands where we won't be disturbed," he said, ignoring the jab.
With that, the 10 warriors flew off into the distance, much to the dismay of the government agents who had been attempting to track their movements.
At the speed they were going, it took a while before they arrived at a barren rocky wasteland which, true to Piccolo's word, was completely deserted.
Krillin chuckled nervously. "You know, with this setup, it's almost like we're gearing up to fight or something."
Goku's brow furrowed. "Aren't we?" he asked, causing Krillin to fall silent.
Yamcha looked scandalized. "Wait, are we?"
"Well, gee, I assumed we were," Goku said, rubbing his head. "We've been training all this time...I wanted to see how strong they were!"
"Well, we're clearly not on the same page then," Yamcha replied. "I myself have been training for whatever threat is approaching earth. And assuming that's not the saiyans, I have no reason to fight people who feel like an endless well of ki."
Nappa suddenly started laughing. "See that everyone? That's the difference between a saiyan and a human. Humans fight when they have to. Saiyans fight when they want to. And as it happens, I've been in a cramped pod for the last year, so I'm just itching for some action! Bring it on, Kakarot!"
"Wait, Nappa." Vegeta's voice cut him off as he looked at the prince questioningly. A smirk had appeared on Vegeta's face. "I get this one."
Nappa blinked. "Really?" He looked back at Goku as is if trying to find something he'd missed. "He doesn't seem that good."
"I guess we'll find out," Vegeta said vaguely. "Get ready, Kakarot."
Goku looked elated. "Sure! I've heard a lot about you from Raditz, but I didn't think I'd get to fight you right off the bat!" He got into a ready stance as the rest of the warriors backed up to give them room.
Nappa shrugged. "Alright then. Raditz, wanna spar?" The long haired saiyan nodded as the two flew a short distance away.
"Vegeta's power level is much lower than normal," Raditz commented. "I assume you two both learned to sense and suppress ki on your way here?"
"Of course," Nappa replied. "Once we knew it was possible, it was only a matter of time. We just practiced by focusing on each other's ki. There wasn't much else to do." Raditz nodded in understanding as they both got into ready stances.
Meanwhile, Vegeta and Goku were staring each other down, waiting for each other to make the first move. By an unspoken agreement, they both charged forward at the same time, their fists meeting in the middle.
"You're suppressing your power so that it matches mine," Goku observed as they tried to push each other back. "Any reason for that?"
"Well, you aren't going all out either," Vegeta replied. "So while we're still getting warmed up, I thought I'd teach you your first lesson. Power levels aren't everything." With that, the two flew into a series of punches, kicks, blocks, and parries until they were blurring back and forth through the air. To Goku's astonishment, he felt himself starting to get pushed back. But his senses told him that Vegeta's ki was still on level with his own, which only meant one thing.
This guy...his fighting experience outclasses mine.
He flew backwards to catch his breath, and to his slight annoyance, Vegeta let him, silently waiting for him to engage again, which he soon did. This time, he fared better, but his opponent still had the edge. It was a humbling experience. He already knew there were fighters out there whose power outclassed his, but to think that this guy was beating him through superior skill alone? He suddenly got a sense of the sheer amount of combat that Vegeta must have seen in his life to be able to accomplish that kind of feat. Like himself, the saiyan was a natural, but Vegeta fought like a well oiled machine. He was the pinnacle of efficiency. Every movement, breath, and second invested had a distinct purpose for the prince to fulfill, and fulfill it he did. The guy was ruthless. He remembered his training with Kami, in which he had learned to fight like that. He could only assume that the others had undergone the same training. But his current opponent brought it to a new level. It was as if it was as natural as breathing to him, but Goku could tell there was conscious thought behind every maneuver as his defenses were systematically dismantled. It was as if he was using a style that specifically countered his own. Most experienced martial artists settled into a fighting style that suited them, and then learned to fight that way without thinking about it. But for someone to swiftly and consciously adapt like that on the battlefield, with little to no reliance on his own preference of style...it went beyond natural talent.
This guy was a genius.
Goku gasped as another attack broke through his guard, this one aimed at his solar plexus. He was completely open as regained his breath, but his opponent made no move to capitalize on it.
"Are we done getting warmed up?" the saiyan prince asked instead, arms crossed and tail swishing back and forth behind him.
Goku smirked at him. "You know what? I think we are. Kaioken times two!"
Vegeta looked on with interest as red ki erupted around Goku and his power doubled.
"I knew you were holding back, but to think you were only using half your strength...you've actually surpassed both Raditz and Nappa."
The two saiyans who were watching were both rightfully shocked hearing this. They had both been undergoing intense training for years in order to reach their current strength. Although Vegeta kept calm on the outside, inwardly he was slightly unnerved. That was an ungodly amount of progress for a single year.
Goku rubbed his head sheepishly, the red ki flowing around him all the while. "Well, that's not the whole story. What I was using before was actually my maximum in my normal state. But in other world I learned a technique that lets me multiply my power passed its normal limits."
Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "There must be drawbacks to a technique like that."
Goku just smirked. "I guess you'll have to find out for yourself."
Vegeta, taking that as a challenge, raised his power to match Goku's again, and charged forward. Goku was surprised as once again he was once again hardpressed to fend off the blows.
Jeez, how much power is this guy holding back?
After being sent hurtling through the sky by a staggering punch to the face, Goku raised the stakes again. "Kaioken times three!"
Vegeta's eyes widened slightly as he felt Goku's ki surge again.
Fuck, how much power is this fool holding back?
Once again, he preemptively raised his power level to match Goku's. He was surprised to see that rather than charging straight away, the other was being courteous enough to let him power up as well. That either meant that he was confident his maximum power was significantly higher, or that he wanted to fight Vegeta at his maximum regardless.
He was willing to bet on the latter. What a fool. He could respect that sentiment, but it was foolish nonetheless. Were this a true battle to the death, it would be downright stupid and subsequently cost Kakarot his life. Deciding to teach the other saiyan that lesson early, he instead rose his power to near its maximum.
Goku's face portrayed his shock at the turn of events as Vegeta rushed forward, not giving him any time to raise his own ki in turn. The first hit was barely deflected on instinct, but the second nailed him right in front of his heart, causing him to stiffen, and then fall as Vegeta withdrew his arm and his body slackened.
The surrounding fighters, most of whom had been cheering for Goku, with the exception of Nappa and Raditz who were back to focusing on their own spar, stiffened as they watched their comrade tumble through the air. Yamcha nearly rushed forward to catch him, but was blocked off by Piccolo. "Don't interfere," the green man said gruffly, much to everyone's worry.
"The Namekian's right," Nappa's spoke up. "He's not done yet." True to the saiyan's word, Goku clenched his fists and straightened out of his fall, red ki erupting out of him once again as he took in a few heavy breaths. Vegeta calmly observed him.
"So, are we done yet?" the saiyan called. "I know you can't keep that technique up forever!"
Goku grimaced, knowing he was right. Although he could keep up a times two Kaioken indefinitely, the times three was a different story. He needed more training for that one. Still, he wasn't going to give up that easily.
"Heh, that was way too short. I'm just getting started Vegeta!" he shouted, causing the prince to raise an eyebrow.
"Is that so? You seem confident for someone whose heart skipped a few beats after that last hit."
"It hurt, I'll give you that. But I've been in much worse situations before," Goku said with a smirk.
"Really? Then I guess you won't mind if I test that resolve, will you?" Vegeta asked with a chilling smile as he cupped his hands at his sides. Goku's heart nearly skipped another couple beats as he realized what the other saiyan was doing, and what direction he just happened to be facing while doing it. "If you don't stop this energy blast, I doubt the human race will survive the fallout!"
The surrounding fighters save for Nappa and Raditz all stiffened again upon hearing the proclamation. Were the saiyans the threat they'd been warned about after all?
"Hah, you're bluffing!" Goku shouted. "You were on your own in East City for over an hour and you didn't kill a single person!"
"Killing without reason is childish and beneath someone of my stature," Vegeta replied. "But there's no issue, is there? If you're really just getting started, then you'll be able to stop my Galick Gun no problem!"
Goku sweatdropped. Crap. He's serious. Quickly cupping his own hands at this side, he started charging up his first mentor's signature move. "Ka—me—ha—me—"
"Galick Gun, fire!" Vegeta shouted as he unleashed an enormous wave of purple energy from his palms. Goku's eyes narrowed as the blast descended upon him, and subsequently, his home.
"HA!" He unleashed a blue energy wave just as large, and the two met in the middle, producing a massive shockwave and pushing all of their observers back, without exception. It soon became apparent that Vegeta was winning out as the purple beam pushed the blue one back. Straining under the raw force, Goku realized that if he didn't overcome this attack, the humanity could very well pay the price, whether the prince intended it or not. The thought spurred him on, and his own self preservation was momentarily forgotten. "Kaioken times four!"
His power surged once again, and the blue beam quickly triumphed. Vegeta looked on with a slightly awed grin as both energy waves raced upwards to greet him. "Incredible," he whispered, right before the blast consumed him.
The other warriors all covered their eyes to protect against the blinding light. Raditz looked a bit concerned. "Hey, is he gonna be alright? I know he wanted to force my brother to use his full power, but that was a bit much."
"He'll be fine," Nappa said. "He was able to power up to maximum at the last second. I'm sure you felt it."
"Yeah, but that blast was still pretty intense. I doubt he'll get out completely unscathed," Raditz pointed out.
"Do we ever get out completely unscathed?" Nappa countered. Raditz had no answer to that.
As Goku's body began trembling, he let the kaioken subside, and took a deep breath.
He'd lost.
As the smoke cleared, Vegeta's form was revealed again. His armor was broken in a few places and he was covered in burn marks, but he was still fit to continue.
"Shall we call this match, Kakarot?" he taunted as he floated down to level with the other saiyan.
"Goku smiled weakly. "I'm not...done yet," he panted.
"Yes you are," Vegeta retorted, before appearing behind him and chopping in the back of the neck. Goku, in his weakened state, lost consciousness, and Vegeta caught him by his collar. He looked up at Nappa and Raditz, gesturing for them to follow, before flying back to ground level.
A/N: Power levels:
Goku: 25,000
Raditz: 28,000
Nappa: 45,000
Goku (Kaioken x4): 100,000
Vegeta (Testing Goku): 100,000
Vegeta (Maximum): ?