Chapter 2: An Old Phantom
The small breeze inside of the large dome lightly brushed against the green blades of grass, the water in the pond ruffling into waves at its passing movement. A lone figure sat with his legs crossed at the northern edge, his body nearly completely still.
A second breeze, stronger than the first, soon ruffled the man's spikey hair. His black gi bounced a bit off his chest, showing the light weight of his clothing. Inhaling deeply, the man let out a controlled and long sigh before dropping his white gloved hands into his lap, clasping onto his knees.
"What is it this time, Whis?"
Vegetto turned his head slightly to the left, his pupils at the edge of his eyes and trained on the approaching figure who clutched onto his staff with a warm tone.
"Must it always be bad news? Perhaps I was merely visiting to comment on the new outfit."
Vegetto let out a small humored grunt in response, lifting his chin slightly.
"I figured it was time for a change, just as those two did. Yet it's still missing something..."
Whis nodded his head once with a smile, lifting up his right hand that suddenly grasped onto a black marker.
"Already taken care of."
Vegetto glanced down for a moment, shutting his eyes with a smirk at the sight of Whis' signature on the upper left of his black gi.
"Good."
Whis moved up to Vegetto's left side, standing upright in his gaze over the pond before the two.
"It appears you've been keeping up with all the latest news in the timeline, as a good guardian would. As well, it's rather refreshing seeing how far you've come since you're encounter with Demigra. You're certainly not the same fusion that threw that temper tantrum on Namek all those months ago."
Vegetto kept his attention on the pond, his tone flat.
"I've been watching your training with Kakarot and Vegeta on your homeworld. Since you've spoken your piece with them, I assume you've come to teach me the same?"
Whis chuckled slightly.
"If I had something to teach you, I would. Despite your ability to have finally found your own center, you still possess the tempered qualities of the two Saiyans. In discovering your own personality, you've managed to balance your ingredients together to create a near perfect warrior."
Vegetto bowed his head slightly.
"I'm not looking for praise, Whis."
Whis nodded his head once.
"A good example there, your pride enjoys the compliment I gave you. But your humility prevents you from accepting it."
Vegetto raised an eyebrow, turning his gaze up to Whis to meet his eyes.
"That, in all seriousness, is my lesson to you. You've seen both extremes and experienced each side of the spectrum now. But you must continue to strive for that balance, as you haven't found it completely yet."
He kept a warm smile, lifting his right hand.
"Close! But you're not done yet."
Vegetto nodded his head once, turning his attention back to the pond.
"Thank you, Whis. I assume there's something else you need to discuss, right?"
Whis turned towards the pond as well, pulling his free arm behind his back.
"Yes, unfortunately. I assume you know what happened with Earth?"
Vegetto nodded his head once.
"Vegeta didn't finish him quick enough, and you were about to rewind time to correct it."
Whis nodded once.
"Precisely. However, I encountered a problem with the timestream before I could make the change, so now the others are suspended outside of reality. Including Lord Beerus."
Vegetto lifted his eyebrow again.
"Why did you do that?"
Whis kept his warm smile, turning his eyes slightly towards his staff.
"As there is another nuisance meddling with the timeline, I couldn't reverse the events with my usual power and had to improvise. They won't realize what has occured since they're frozen in a separate reality, and I decided that it would be best if I let you handle all of the problems that may come from this."
Vegetto lowered his eyebrow, keeping a small smirk.
"Surely someone of your stature as well as Lord Beerus can handle this threat? After all, Frieza isn't that strong."
Whis chuckled slightly.
"On the contrary, I know you recognize the threat. Your attempt at balancing humility and pride there was good, but this time your overconfidence won out over reason."
Vegetto nodded once.
"Yeah, it was luck that those two were able to defeat Frieza in combat. Had he been more patient and worked on mastering his transformation, he would've been able to defeat both of them easily."
Whis nodded.
"Indeed. Without the extensive drain, Frieza's power was well beyond Goku to the point where the Saiyan couldn't even scratch him."
Vegetto turned his head slightly.
"That's why you want me to fight him then? You're not even sure if Lord Beerus could defeat him either?"
Whis let out a small sigh at the mention of Beerus, dipping his head slightly.
"No, the bigger problem with Beerus is that he may actually be able to pull it off. At the cost of destroying everything along with Frieza to do it."
Vegetto nodded in response, letting out a small sigh.
"Alright, I'll take care of it. What point in history are we dealing with?"
Whis turned towards the staff, a small image flickering to life in the globe floating in the center. The depiction showed a smirking Frieza sitting on a cement and ornately crowned throne in his final form, servants and soldiers lined down the corridor of his throne room.
"The strange aura emanating from the Scroll of Eternity takes place about two years into the future after Earth's destruction. Frieza's Empire has returned, and is back to ruling most of the known universe."
He turned towards Vegetto with a frown.
"And at this stage of history, he's learned to master his golden form. It won't be an easy fight."
Vegetto slowly pushed himself off the rock he had sat on, rising steadily to his feet.
"Am I strong enough to beat him?"
Whis kept his smile, yet raised an eyebrow.
"With your new transformation?"
Vegetto nodded his head once in response, watching Whis turn away.
"That is something that is better left unsaid. As we should focus on what's coming up..."
Whis gestured to the west with an open hand, the eruption of energy booming off in the unseen distance.
"I'm sure you're as eager as I am to meet the next Time Patroller to join your squad. I hear she's quite lovely for someone in her thirties."
Vegetto blinked.
"They've already decided the winner of the tournament?"
Whis shook his head with a chuckle.
"Oh no, they've only started the first round. I just happen to know who has the most potential out of your candidates, and trust that she will learn how to tap into her latent power when you show up."
Vegetto eyed Whis in confusion, watching the taller man gesture towards the closest portal to the west.
"Now, no time for playing. Let's make sure she wins this tournament, alright?"
The fusion grunted in amusement, crossing his arms and silently walked after Whis as the two headed for the open arena in another section of the city.