DBZ
Vegeta could hardly believe his luck. The tiny Earthling Krillin had found the last dragon ball, and aside from the pretty girl cowering behind him, he was completely alone.
Oh, this would be fun. Vegeta remembered all too well how Krillin had nearly killed him back on Earth. He remembered the murderous look on Krillin's face as he brandished the fat man's blade. If not for Kakarot's interference, he would have gone through with it. He would have struck Vegeta down without the slightest hesitation.
If not for Kakarot's mercy, Vegeta would have died in disgrace, conquered by a wretched human. This wretched human.
In the days that followed his shameful defeat, Vegeta had agonized over the humiliation. Not even Frieza himself had ever managed to wound his pride as deeply as Krillin, who dared dismiss him as a harmless, pathetic loser, despite his own inferiority.
What right did a mouse have to spare an Oozaru?
But now, Vegeta could finally move on. He had found the insolent fool standing in front of him, utterly defenseless—and bearing the dragon ball to boot. What more could Vegeta ask for?
Once, Krillin had nearly destroyed him. Now, Krillin would provide him with immortality. The irony was oh, so gratifying.
Vegeta sneered at the man. "Well, the surprises just don't stop, do they? I found a couple of Earthlings far from home with no one around to save them."
To his credit, Krillin stood his ground, withholding the dragon ball as much as possible without exposing the girl behind him. His trembling betrayed his fear—making him the first person on this planet not to underestimate Vegeta's power—but instead of dropping to his knees, he stood poised for a fight.
Under normal circumstances, Vegeta would have been happy to oblige him, but he could sense Zarbon rapidly closing in, and he needed to conserve all his strength for the greater threat. Therefore, Vegeta took a moment to survey his surroundings.
The Earthlings were huddled at the base of a rocky mesa, where they had found a cave for shelter. Situated near a massive lake, it was a decent area to hatch their plans—and they were definitely planning something.
Vegeta couldn't help but notice the out-of-place desk where a computer tablet displayed aerial footage of four separate locations—including Frieza's base.
"Now, what do we have here?" Vegeta asked, taking a closer look at the screen. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the girl reach an arm out, but she was too scared to actually object. He smirked. "You wouldn't happen to be spying on Frieza, would you? Surely you're not that stupid."
The girl flinched while Krillin's expression darkened into hatred. Impotent hatred. Although…
Vegeta had to admit there was something different about Krillin. He was stronger now—stronger than he had any right to be.
How?
But that was a question for another time. Zarbon would be here any second, so Vegeta shot Krillin a warning look. "Mark my words, Baldy. If you value your life, and the life of your girlfriend, you won't try to escape. I have a brief matter to attend to, but it shouldn't take more than a minute, and then, you and I can have a nice, friendly chat."
Instead of answering, Krillin flicked his gaze toward the sky. He sensed it too, then. Zarbon.
Vegeta turned to watch as Frieza's most effeminate warrior finally caught up to him.
Tall and regal, with a smooth—albeit green—complexion, Zarbon styled his emerald hair in a long braid and adorned himself with expensive jewelry. His vanity was insufferable, and yet, it served him well, for it had an instant effect on the Earth girl.
She squealed in delight, blushing as Zarbon landed gallantly on one foot. "Oh, wow! Krillin, can you believe it? A knight in shining armor!"
A what?
Vegeta scoffed while Krillin grimaced.
Meanwhile, assessing the situation, Zarbon homed in on his quarry. "Vegeta… Did you really think you could escape me for long?" He eyed Krillin. "Well, well, well… I see you found the last dragon ball and the little pest that escaped Dodoria. As vexing as this day has been, at least now I can tie up loose ends."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. Krillin escaped Dodoria? Impressive.
"Hi, there!" the girl breathlessly interrupted, waving at Zarbon. "Can I just say…? That was quite an entrance! If you're here to rescue us, it would be a dream come true!"
Vegeta chuckled at the girl's naivete. Krillin, however, wasn't amused.
"Bulma!" he hissed at her. "Snap out of it! That guy helped slaughter Dende's village, and you're going to flirt with him?"
The girl—Bulma—glowered defensively. "Back off, Krillin! We're stranded out here, and for once, Goku's not coming to save the day!" Vegeta and Krillin both stiffened at the remark, but Bulma didn't seem to care. "If it's a choice between Vegeta and Prince Charming, I'm going to choose Prince Charming!"
Vegeta locked eyes with Krillin and suddenly perceived not just fear and hatred, but also… grief.
What did it mean? Had Kakarot perished after all?
A weight formed in the pit of Vegeta's stomach, though he could not explain why. He despised Kakarot and everything the fool stood for. Why should he care if a Saiyan peasant lived or died?
Probably because he wanted to be there to witness the life fading out of Kakarot's eyes. Because he wanted to have the pleasure of killing him personally.
How dare Kakarot die from something else?
"Oh, don't look so offended, Vegeta," Zarbon taunted, mistaking his displeasure for indignation. "You can't blame the girl for having good taste. Now then, enough distractions. You're going to tell me where you hid the other dragon balls—right now—or you'll answer to Lord Frieza."
"Enough!" Vegeta snapped, no longer in the mood for games. He aggressively powered up, enveloping himself in a crimson aura that startled both Zarbon and the Earthlings. "Take your best shot, you repulsive freak! I will never again subject myself to the likes of you or Frieza, and there is nothing—nothing!—that you can do about it." To prove his point, Vegeta extended his arm and fired a ki blast directly at his foe.
Zarbon dodged and launched himself forward, targeting Vegeta with a high kick. Crouching under it, Vegeta propelled himself into the sky. As Zarbon pursued, Vegeta used his height advantage to attack Zarbon with a brutal volley of energy waves. Zarbon weaved his way through them, then utilized his rapid movement technique to seemingly vanish, reappearing above Vegeta.
He fired his own ki blast at the Saiyan, but Vegeta intercepted the energy and redirected it down to the ground—taking care to avoid the Earthlings. He wasn't finished with them yet. A small explosion knocked the girl off her feet, but otherwise caused no harm.
Meanwhile, Zarbon rushed at Vegeta, landing a kick to the face—but it barely hurt. Vegeta countered with a violent blitz attack, punching and kicking in quick succession, putting Zarbon on the defensive. Good. Vegeta had no intention of letting up—until he heard an unexpected shriek from the girl.
Glancing down, Vegeta caught sight of Krillin dragging Bulma by the wrist, attempting to fly away while the Saiyan was distracted. Unfortunately for them, the girl wasn't accustomed to high speeds, and she couldn't contain her distress.
Vegeta snarled. "Going somewhere!?" He fired a volley of energy waves ahead of them, cutting them off. Krillin reflexively stopped short, but the girl wasn't able to adjust her forward momentum. The sudden deceleration jolted her backwards, and she landed hard on the ground, victim to a painful case of whiplash. She could thank Krillin for that. Vegeta had warned them not to run.
Granted, humans weren't prone to obey their enemies, especially not when they had Krillin's defiance—of course they would run—but if they tried Vegeta's patience a second time, he would break their legs. He couldn't juggle both them and Zarbon indefinitely.
Sparing another moment to make sure they stayed put, Vegeta lost track of his actual opponent, who abruptly appeared in front of him with his arm drawn back.
"Give it up, Saiyan!" Zarbon bellowed as he lashed out with a purple energy punch.
Too slow.
Vegeta veered around the attack and ascended above Zarbon, stomping his boot on the bastard's face. The impact sent Zarbon careening to the ground. Vegeta eased his way down after him, hoping Zarbon would crash, but alas… Zarbon recovered enough to land in a dignified crouch. Vegeta touched down gently, upright and confident, savoring the frustration on his victim's face. Zarbon was starting to get nervous.
Desperate, he charged at Vegeta with another kick, but the Saiyan easily vaulted over it and landed on the other side. Zarbon whipped around to face him, scowling bitterly, which made Vegeta scoff.
"I have an appointment with some Earthlings, Zarbon, and you're wasting everyone's time," he taunted, raising himself back into the sky. "Transform, already. Finish the job, if you can."
Hatred flared in Zarbon's eyes. He briefly hesitated, perhaps reluctant to expose himself in front of the Earth girl. She was pretty, after all, in a privileged sort of way. Unblemished. Very few women in Frieza's circles could say the same. Vegeta wouldn't be surprised if Zarbon fancied her as she fancied him.
But he would have to get over it… or die.
Zarbon must have reached the same conclusion, for he abruptly swelled into a rotund, reptilian beast, twice his normal size, and infinitely more grotesque.
As expected, the girl screamed—much to Vegeta's satisfaction. Krillin also yelped, no doubt sensing Zarbon's power boost. What a curse it must be for someone so vain to have inversely proportional strength and beauty.
Vegeta chuckled. Zarbon deserved all the misfortune he could get.
The snake jumped into the air after Vegeta, laughing presumptuously. "Congratulations," he growled in a much deeper, distorted voice. "You've survived long enough to see this form a second time. But it'll be your last."
"You know what, Zarbon? For once, I agree with you."
Vegeta treated him to another volley of energy waves, which Zarbon promptly dodged.
Finally… Vegeta had been itching for a proper rematch, and he enjoyed nothing more than pushing his own strength to new heights. He dove to the ground, landing in a crouch with a devious smirk. As Zarbon swooped down to punch him, Vegeta rapidly dropped into a plank position, avoiding the strike.
Flustered, Zarbon tried again, failing to notice as Vegeta gathered a fistful of dirt. Springing away from Zarbon's punch, Vegeta soared into the air, counting on Zarbon to pursue him.
Sure enough, the idiot took the bait, rushing headlong into a trap. Vegeta chuckled, tossing the dirt directly in Zarbon's eyes.
The brute stopped short, gasping in irritation, clutching his eyes with both hands. This was almost too easy.
While Zarbon struggled to recover, Vegeta swooped behind him and slammed his fist straight through his armor, discharging a blast of ki for good measure. The impact propelled Zarbon through the air, severely injuring him.
Vegeta followed through with an overhead hammer blow, toppling Zarbon down into the lake beneath them. The crash caused the water to erupt, and Vegeta stirred up the waves by bombarding them with another intense volley of ki blasts.
The girl screamed, obviously overwhelmed by the rage of battle. Was she really that helpless? Why in the world did Krillin bring her to this forsaken planet?
Some distance away from his submersion site, Zarbon resurfaced and launched himself aggressively at Vegeta. They swiftly circled around each other before engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat.
Vegeta grinned. He could do this all day, but Zarbon was lagging. Eventually, he had no choice but to pull out and catch his breath. Vegeta humored him, and they both landed in front of the Earthlings.
Zarbon growled in denial. "You're going to pay for this, Vegeta."
The empty threat made the Saiyan chuckle. "Face it, Zarbon. I've clearly surpassed you. I haven't even broken a sweat, so now would be a good time to start begging me for mercy."
"Begging you?" Zarbon laughed at the suggestion. "You think I'm going to prostrate myself to a miserable Saiyan? You're beneath me, Vegeta, and I'm going to enjoy crushing your skull."
"You still don't get it, do you, Zarbon? If you had bothered to learn anything about my people, you would have understood the folly of underestimating us." Vegeta owed the fool no explanations, but he couldn't resist gloating. Besides, Krillin would do well to appreciate his own predicament. "Saiyans were bred to fight, Zarbon—and not just to fight, but to win. Our genetics won't tolerate failure. Consequently, in the event of a harrowing defeat, our bodies adapt, making us stronger."
Zarbon's eyes widened while the Earthlings gasped.
"You can bleed us to the brink of death," Vegeta boasted. "Crush every bone in our bodies—it only makes us more powerful."
As Zarbon struggled to process the secret of the Saiyan race, Krillin had no trouble connecting the dots. "He… He's just like Goku. That endless potential… He'll never stop improving, no matter how often he's defeated."
Zarbon frantically shook his head. "No! That's impossible! You're bluffing, Vegeta. You don't have the strength to beat me, and you never will!" Desperate to prove himself, Zarbon charged forward in a last-ditch effort to win.
Vegeta welcomed it. "You're wrong, Zarbon! And you'll pay for your ignorance with your life!"
They clashed violently, fighting hand-to-hand, faster than ever. Vegeta relished it. For Saiyan warriors, nothing in the universe compared to the sweet taste of victory. He could have easily drawn it out, forcing Zarbon to suffer, but enough was enough.
Immortality beckoned.
With a final uppercut, Vegeta rammed his fist into Zarbon's stomach, impaling not only his armor, but also his flesh. Zarbon froze, stunned, as blood dripped from the fatal injury. His power level quickly began to plummet, and he weakly grasped Vegeta's head between his hands.
During their previous battle, Zarbon had seized Vegeta's head in a similar manner, holding him still while subjecting him to one vicious headbutt after another. Over and over and over again. The assault had been relentless and merciless.
But now, Zarbon was in no position to headbutt anyone. Ever again.
Panicking, his eyes flicked wildly around, darting in every direction, searching for someone to save him. Perhaps Frieza. Or even the Earthlings.
Vegeta half expected Krillin to object to Zarbon's murder. Kakarot certainly would have—the forgiving buffoon. But surprisingly, the little human refrained. Unlike his friends, he seemed to enjoy a healthy dose of practicality.
"Vegeta!" Zarbon choked out in desperation. "I was… just… following orders… Please… don't kill me… ugh!"
"Is it just me?" Vegeta asked spitefully. "Or did that sound an awful lot like begging?"
"Please!" Zarbon tried again. "Spare me… and I'll pledge my… allegiance… to you… We can… defeat… Frieza… together…"
Never.
Disgusted, Vegeta powered up a brutal energy beam, blasting it like a cannon straight through Zarbon's body. It was a killing blow, and the force of it sent Zarbon hurtling through the air. Dead. His corpse landed in the lake, where it sank to a final watery grave.
Vegeta watched in satisfaction. "Once I secure the last dragon ball, I will be the one who defeats Frieza. Alone." He took a moment to collect himself, powering down and curbing his belligerence. For the Earthlings, he would try a different tactic.
Of course, he could easily slaughter them as he had slaughtered those Namekians back in that pathetic village. It would save him the trouble of coercing them. But somehow, that felt… wasteful.
At Kakarot's command, Krillin had spared Vegeta's life on Earth. It was by far the most degrading humiliation Vegeta had ever endured.
So now, strangely enough, Vegeta wanted Krillin to live, to regret that moment. He deserved a lifetime's worth of self-loathing.
Turning, Vegeta calmly set his sights on his next target. Krillin stood courageously braced for a fight while clutching the dragon ball in his arms. Bulma, on the other hand, sat behind him, covering her eyes in helpless terror. Oh, Vegeta would relish making them squirm.
"Now, then…" he spoke in a menacing tone. "I believe we're due for a nice little chat. Aren't we, Krillin?"
Addressing people by their names made them so much easier to intimidate. It brought an unwelcome degree of intimacy that often spooked the victim. Krillin was no exception, shrinking back in alarm.
Still, it wasn't enough to break him. For all his fear, he had yet to stand down. If Vegeta didn't hate him so much, he might actually respect him.
"Come on, now," he coaxed. "I'll admit, you're significantly stronger than you were on Earth. That's no small feat. You're a credit to your kind, but that doesn't make you strong enough to challenge me. Face it. You're picking a fight you can't win. There's no shame in surrendering."
Krillin shook his head. "No… You're a genocidal monster. I would rather die than surrender to you, so take your best shot."
Vegeta sighed dramatically. "Oh, Krillin. I can do so much worse than kill you. I can make you watch as I kill your girlfriend."
The girl choked down a sob while Krillin fell back a step. "No…"
"Hand over the dragon ball, and no one gets hurt," Vegeta promised. "Refuse, and I will make her life a living hell before I slowly snuff it out."
Krillin glanced from Vegeta to Bulma and then bowed his head in resignation. "Damn it, Vegeta…" Slowly, reluctantly, he walked forward and offered up the dragon ball. "Here. You win."
"K-Krillin?" the girl whimpered as Vegeta secured his prize.
Finally! Excitement coursed through the Saiyan's body as he held up the dragon ball for a closer inspection. With all seven of these orange globes, he could summon forth the eternal dragon and make his wish for immortality. Then, he could take his rightful place as supreme ruler of the universe, killing Frieza in the process. And there was no one who could stop him.
Not even…
A small flame of bitterness threatened to spoil his victory. Frowning, he glared at the girl. "One more thing. What did you mean about Kakarot not coming to save the day?"
Her eyes widened as she realized how carelessly she had betrayed such vital information. "I… I…"
Krillin scowled, adjusting his position to better shield the girl. "That's none of your business!"
Such presumption. These Earthlings still had much to learn.
With the little patience he had left, Vegeta explained, "On the contrary. It's very much my business. As the Saiyan prince, I have a right to know what befalls my people."
"You tried to kill him!"
"Perhaps," Vegeta allowed. "As prince, I have the authority to execute my subjects at my sole discretion. But that is not a privilege I'm willing to share with anyone." Cradling the dragon ball in the crook of one arm, Vegeta raised the other and charged a threatening fistful of ki. "Now, answer the question."
Krillin hesitated, loyal to a fault, but ultimately, he could not bring himself to risk the girl. Shoulders sagging in defeat, he spoke through gritted teeth. "He's dead. Happy now?"
The girl flinched and once again buried her face in her hands.
"What killed him?" Vegeta asked in a low, dangerous voice.
"An asteroid. Bulma and I came to Namek ahead of him while he recovered from… his fight against you. He was on his way to meet us here when an asteroid destroyed his ship. He didn't survive."
An asteroid? Vegeta scowled. What were the odds? If he didn't know any better, he'd accuse Krillin of lying… but then, he could not explain the grief on the human's face. It was unlike anything Vegeta had ever seen before.
Could such emotions be fabricated?
What difference did it make? Vegeta was on the brink of immortality. It was hardly the time for unwanted distractions.
With a blazing burst of ki, he launched himself off the ground and hastened back toward the other dragon balls, leaving the Earthlings behind to fend for themselves.
DBZ