Chapter 1

An Ominous Premonition

Vegeta woke up with a start—his eyelids popping wide open—letting out a gasp. The bright light of a sunny morning blasting through the glass wall and thin white curtains several feet in front of his bed. He blinked his eyes, dazed and disoriented for a while but he eventually realized that he just had a bad dream. After taking a few calming breaths, he sat up on the bed, and stared on his left side to see his wife, Bulma, had already gone. He turned to look at the alarm clock and it read 9:15. He clearly overslept much to his surprise.

He got out of bed, allowing his ki sensing ability to lead him to where Bulma was. He heard her talking to Trunks' secretary on the phone, who was complaining again about how their son left the office without prior notice again, like he's been doing these past couple of days. Trunks had been the President of his mother's prestigious, multi-million tech company for almost a year now but ever since he became one, he never enjoyed the executive life and work at all. Their son was always a slacker. He grew up having a laid-back, spoiled life. He preferred to go out and waste his time with useless things such as going to nightclubs or playing games. He reminded Vegeta of his own childhood back in his home planet when he used to escape his palace duties as a young Saiyan prince and his education to spend time playing fights or training on his own.

"Trunks is indeed my son," Vegeta thought as he silently snorted to himself.

Yesterday evening, Trunks got home late and drunk from a night out with his friends from high school along with Goten, but his parents pretended they knew nothing of his whereabouts despite already getting reports of him slacking at work. While Vegeta initially wanted to berate his son for his irresponsible behavior, Bulma told him to save it for another time since the boy reeked of alcohol or they might end up blowing up the compound. He relented, holding back his anger. While Vegeta knew that he also used to be this mischievous and irresponsible when he was young, he didn't wish for his children to be like him nor did he want them to live a nightmarish life like what he used to have. He wanted them to grow up well, as strong, independent, and responsible people living in a peaceful world which he would die to protect from all threats.

"That's what you get from spoiling him too much and allowing him to slack off," Vegeta told her when she put the phone down in frustration. He walked up to his wife, sliding an arm around her waist as he pulled her closer to him so he could embrace her from behind.

"That boy took a lot from you," Bulma shot back at him.

"I could have him under strict discipline if you only allowed me, but no, your heart is too soft for the boy. He's no longer a child who needs to be pampered. Since he became a teenager, he had become this irresponsible slacker. What would happen to him or your company if we're both gone?"

Bulma snorted, trying her best to stifle her laughter, "Don't talk as if you don't have a soft spot for Bulla too. And just like Trunks, she also skipped her classes but you didn't say a word to her."

"This and that are two different things, woman. Bulla is just a student, you know very well how those high school classes would bore someone of her level of intelligence. Even Trunks hated those when he was her age."

Bulma chuckled, "Right," she agreed.

"Trunks has more responsibility to do as an adult now, and therefore should be disciplined properly. Do you want him to ruin Capsule Corporation with how much he slacks off?"

"Well, no."

"Then let me talk some sense into that boy. If a talk doesn't fix the problem, then I would need to kick his ass if I see it fit."

Bulma sighed. As much as possible, she didn't wish for any of her children to undergo punishment from their father. Vegeta can be pretty harsh when giving out his corporal punishments to his children, especially his son, because after all, their children aren't normal humans. They're half Saiyans thanks to him, which made Vegeta believe that they could take his punishments better than any human could, but he only does this when he really needs to be. His children were quite a handful and they never feared their mother because they knew she had a soft spot for them. It was different with Vegeta. Like anyone else in this Universe, they greatly feared him. Their fear of their intimidating and terrifying father would eventually make them think twice before stepping out of the line or even make their mother worry.

And Trunks was definitely stepping out of the line this time, especially when he made his mother this worried and stressed like this.

Vegeta flew over to the main office site of Capsule Corporation to check into his son's office. There he found the tall stacks of paperwork almost due today or tomorrow and it made him utterly displeased with his son.

Trunks' secretary was surprised to find him there. She heard a lot of rumors about Trunks' intimidating father from others who worked at Capsule Corporation for many years now. She only saw him once during an event and she could tell just how imperious and fearsome he was. Good thing that despite her boss having the same face as his father, Trunks clearly didn't inherit his father's scary nature.

Hesitating to go inside the office to bring more stacks of paperwork or just leave Vegeta in there, she heard his cold, commanding voice, "What are you standing there for? Get in here and do your business."

"Yes," the secretary screeched. She hurriedly went inside the office and put down the stack of paperwork beside the others.

Taking up the courage, she swallowed her fear and asked rather timidly, "Uhmm… Vegeta-sama, is Trunks-sama going to return to work today?"

"Yeah. He should be returning soon," Vegeta responded.

"In that case, why are you–?"

"Because you told my wife about our son slacking off, and I'm here to see what is happening here," Vegeta said, eyeing the papers on the table. "Anything important among these? Things that needed to be taken care of now?"

"Yes," the secretary responded.

"Then prepare those things first and show him immediately. He's coming," he told her.

He turned to face the window and opened it. "That darn brat, he's really going to get it this time," he spat. Without looking back, he told the secretary, "Hey, don't tell him I'm in here. I have to catch him in the act and drag him back in here in case he tries escaping again."

The obviously fear-stricken secretary nodded in obedience. It was no secret to the employees of Capsule Corporation that Vegeta and his children weren't normal humans and possessed superhuman powers. It was part of their non-disclosure agreement that all employees must treat such occurrences as nothing but normal, and of course, confidential. Vegeta went out of the office through the window, levitating in the air and waited where his son wouldn't see him.

When Trunks entered the office looking already tired after being bombarded by seemingly endless reports from his managers downstairs. He let out a long, exhausted sigh as he lazily plopped down in his executive chair. He frowned at the tall stacks of paperwork in front of him. The secretary handed him the papers that needed to be signed by him immediately, explaining to him the urgency of those things but Trunks wasn't listening at all. He ordered his secretary to get him a cup of coffee, saying that he was getting a terrible migraine after all the drinks he had last night. The girl gave him a small nod and obeyed with a roll of her eyes that Trunks didn't even see. She knew that he only made that lousy excuse to escape his office work once again.

If only he knew his father was there… He wouldn't act this way.

Once the secretary was out of his office, Trunks carefully tiptoed towards the window, gently pulling the L-shaped lock and pushing it. Trunks grinned from ear to ear when he felt the fresh, warm air of the outside blowing at his face. After making sure that the coast was clear, he jumped off the window and flew into the sky. He laughed happily as he blasted off, feeling like he just escaped his prison cell.

However, his elated joy about his freedom was short-lived when he saw who was levitating in the air in front of him, getting in his way.

"Eh? Papa?!" Trunks gasped, inching away from his terrifying father. It was obvious to him that Vegeta was very displeased and furious with him.

"Where do you think you're going, boy?" Vegeta told him with a hard gaze. Trunks gulped in fear. The way his father glared at him reminded him of that day he had accidentally chopped off the top of his father's flame-shaped hair with his sword during training. He had never seen Vegeta so livid before and since then, he feared his father's wrath more than when he was a kid. Vegeta was softer towards him when he was a child, he remembered that Vegeta hugged him and even took him to amusement parks back then, but when he reached puberty and became quite rebellious and stubborn, his father had become stricter, grumpier, and more of a disciplinarian towards him. And even more so after he unintentionally slashed his hair during training.

"I… I… Uhm…" Trunks tried to find an excuse to say but Vegeta was too fast for him to react before his father grabbed the collar of his suit and dragged him back to the office. "Wait papa! Papa! Please let me go! I'm sorry! I'm going back to the office and work, I promise! Waaaah!"

The secretary just entered with a cup of coffee when she saw the father and son returning from their whereabouts, relieved that Trunks got caught by his father. Vegeta hurled his son into the floor, causing the young company president to roll and hit the opposite wall.

"Now get back to work, boy. Don't make me tell you twice!" Vegeta hissed at him. The secretary flinched and froze at the doorstep upon witnessing the true terror of her boss' father and was inwardly thankful that Trunks didn't inherit such a scary temper.

"Since you've been slacking off these past few days, you will have to finish all of your paperworks today. Aside from that, for all the days you decide to ignore your job, your salary will be cut off by half," Vegeta declared.

"Papa, you can't be serious, how am I–!"

"Trunks, you know very well that I am always serious. Since you decided to procrastinate, you have to spend all of your time to finish all of these today. No excuses. If you fail on this, you will never get any allowance from me or your mother, and all of your bank accounts will be closed," Vegeta told him.

"What?! You can't do that!" Trunks protested.

Vegeta gave him a sinister smile, "Oh, trust me, I can definitely do it, son."

"But mama will surely–"

"-Bulma agreed to it."

"Eh?!"

"Your mother may have spoiled you, and I may have been too soft on you, but you're not a child anymore, Trunks. We will not pamper you forever. You better fix yourself from being such a slacker and stop making your mother worried. Just be thankful that I'm not sending you to train in the Gravity Room with me, else I will be beating the living daylights out of you," then Vegeta gave his son a sinister grin. "Or do you prefer that as your punishment instead?"

Trunks lowered his head in defeat, "Fine. I will do as you say, papa."

"Good," Vegeta turned to the secretary, "See to it that he does his job. Report to me directly if he fails."

After that, Vegeta left the Capsule Corporation main office like a destructive storm, leaving his son completely devastated.

Now that that's done, Vegeta was free to go to the grocery store where he was planning to buy a new box of shaving cream and other stuff Bulma asked him to get for her. A few days ago, his daughter nagged him about his mustache, which she obviously disliked. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, he overheard Bulma and Kakarot's woman, Chichi, laugh about it in the kitchen, saying that they both didn't even like it in the first place. He never felt such humiliation in his life so he decided to shave it off. It's not like he wanted to impress his daughter and his wife or anything, but he knew he felt his heart skip a beat and his face flush hot and red when Bulma complimented him about how good-looking he was that day.

Vegeta turned around to stroll the road back until he reached a slope that led to the street market where he would buy the groceries. Bulma loved the high-class supermarket where she would do her groceries but they offered items that are more expensive than a normal grocery store. Well, they are freaking rich so he guessed it's no problem at all. However, Vegeta was quite the more practical one. He would always go for the cheaper but good quality ones he could find so he could buy more with the extra money he had. He was always known for his elitist views being the Prince he actually was but he was wise with his money, something he learned quite a lot during the times he lived with Nappa and Raditz. He always had control over their budget, else they would become poor. That's why Vegeta preferred doing grocery with ordinary stores found in the commoner's market. They offer the same things as the supermarket Bulma loved but a lot cheaper. He was a regular customer here, the employees would recognize him for his unique appearance so they would always greet him with a warm welcome because he's one customer who buys a lot from them.

He strolled around the grocery store with a pushcart in hand, picking up various products they would regularly use at home in bulk. He also bought meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, snacks, some condiments, lots of instant noodles for Bulma, and...

A pint of deluxe, limited edition chocolate fudge flavored ice cream for himself. Thinking about him eating that special ice cream made him excited to go home.

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Vegeta-san." said the boy, probably in his early 20s, who was scanning his items in the cashier's booth. "Did you see something you like?"

"Yeah."

"Let me guess, it's the ice cream, right?"

Vegeta nodded. "Yep!"

"Thought so. It's the only thing that you don't buy often. I'll give you a plastic spoon if you'd like to eat it now. It would be a shame to see it melt when you go home. I'll put your things in a hoi-poi capsule if you want."

"Uh... Yeah. Just a moment," Vegeta fumbled through the small case of hoi-poi capsules kept in his pocket. He picked the one numbered 101 labeled as groceries and handed it over to the boy, who gave his ice cream tub to him and a plastic spoon. He took his food and went outside to sit by the table. He opened the lid, took his spoon and ate his ice cream in a blissful mood as he waited for the boy to pack his grocery items.

"Ha! This time, Kakarot won't get his hands on MY ice cream!" he thought with a snort, thinking of that one time his best friend stole the ice cream he was saving for last after one training session. He was so infuriated at that time he almost killed the low-level fool. He snorted as he lowered his eyes. "I wonder how he's doing…" he wondered to himself. "I know he was somewhere, training and getting stronger… WhIle I…"

It had been ten years since Kakarot left to train the reincarnation of Majin Buu. He had no idea where he went or what he was doing right now. Though Vegeta won't admit it openly, he kind of missed Kakarot's presence around. Since coming to Earth, he had been trying to surpass, beat, or kill his fellow Saiyan warrior, a low class outcast who managed to outclass him, the great Super Elite prodigy and Prince of their proud and mighty warrior race. For years, he had such a relationship full of hate and jealousy towards Kakarot. However, after the great battle against the evil and powerful Majin Buu, Vegeta accepted that Kakarot was indeed number one, the better and more powerful warrior between them.

After that, Vegeta became more relaxed, accepting his newfound life here on Earth. Letting go of his past, his pride, his arrogance, his hate, and all of his ambitions in exchange for settling down for a more peaceful life with the family he made with Bulma.

While reminiscing of this, he looked around at what was in front of him. It was a typical day for humans, he saw. Not far away from him, he saw a grandmother peeling cloves of garlic; he can even smell its scent across from her. A teenaged boy wearing the same uniform as the boys from Bulla's school had scampered to his feet in a hurry, telling another boy, probably a friend or classmate, to hurry up. They seemed to come from a nearby computer shop and they're both getting late for school. Vegeta frowned, remembering that time when he caught Trunks cutting classes to play video games in that place back when the boy was still in high school. It was an unexpected encounter since Vegeta was passing by the grocery store to buy instant ramen that day, which Bulma had been craving for. He had grounded the boy for an entire week by not allowing him to play any of his video game consoles back at home and meeting up with Goten. He knew he used to play around when he was younger but he knew his priorities as well.

While Vegeta was satisfied at the fact that they fought hard and managed to stop the threats that came to destroy this planet (which included himself in his 30s), he thought about how kids these days are just too laid-back with their lives. They're just spoiled brats who knew nothing of the hardships of life since they lived with all these distractions of technology nowadays.

He turned his eyes leftwards and found a newly opened shop across the street. The feel of the said store looked antique with its wooden fashion but Vegeta knew that the property was vacant the last time he passed by this place. From what he could tell, it seems that it is a bookstore unlike any other. You could probably find cheaper second-hand books there, maybe even those rare books you cannot find these days anymore.

The store crew from the cashier came out of the grocery store to hand over his hoi-poi capsule. "Here are your groceries, Vegeta-san," he said. The boy noticed him staring somewhere as if entranced by it.

Vegeta tilted his head as he narrowed his eyes on the store. Something about it seems to pull his interest. He doesn't understand what it was though.

"That bookstore just opened this morning. The owner is a new guy in town. I thought he's kind of mysterious when he came by the store to buy his dinner last night. He also gave out some cool posters," the store crew pointed at the poster of the fabled Monkey King playing with his nyoibo in front of a full moon taped in the concrete wall on their left side.

"The Monkey King. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven…" Vegeta recognized. "Son Goku…"

He snorted. He wondered if Kakarot's Earth name was taken from this character in the ancient Chinese novel. He made a disgusted face at the image, trying to imagine Kakarot's idiotic face replacing the Monkey King's fierce expression. He shook his head. It doesn't fit the fool. If anything, between the two of them, Vegeta could relate himself more to the character. Both of them are prideful, arrogant, ambitious, cocky, overconfident and have a strong belief that they are the most powerful of all. Plus, Vegeta has the royal blood of the Saiyans flowing through his veins. He was always meant to be the king of their great warrior race.

But look at where he is now. He's eating ice cream in front of a grocery store, talking to a normal human boy who packed his groceries for him.

"Yeah. He's like a cool superhero character. He's immortal, super strong and super fast, can use magic, has several transformations and legendary fighting skills. He even eats gods for breakfast," he giggled. "I wish I could meet someone as cool and strong as him. The Great Monkey King... but that's impossible to happen."

Vegeta snorted. "What would you do if you actually met the Monkey King?"

"Hmm... I guess I'll get his autograph."

"Tch! You meet someone great and you'll just ask for an autograph?"

"Maybe a picture too, I guess."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Do you expect someone as proud as the Monkey King would agree to give his autograph and a picture to a mere human like yourself?"

"Should I just admire him from a distance?"

He snorted out loud. "I guess you'll be one lucky human to encounter such a powerful being. You'll never know when one's just around the corner."

"What do you mean?"

Once Vegeta finished his ice cream, he hurled the container and the plastic spoon by the trash bin a few feet away. It was a perfect shot.

"-Or right in front of you."

The boy was confused. Vegeta gave him a mischievous smirk as he got up from his seat and fixed his jacket for a moment before pulling out a bill from his wallet. "Thanks for the assist. Here, get some good, healthy food for your dinner. Stop eating too much cup ramen or you won't be living for too long," then he left the store without bothering to hear the boy's question about how he knew that he'd been eating cup ramen for the past few days.

As Vegeta walked back up the street, towards the district of downtown West City, a feeling of deja vu suddenly hit him when he realized where he was. Not far away was the Tongari Tower, the famous clock tower of the City. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, flashes of his dream this morning appearing in his mind.

Flinching, he turned around to look away from the tower, shaking his head to rid of such unwanted visions. And then his eyes widened in puzzlement at what he saw in front of him.

He was staring at his reflection through a glass window of some bizzare shop. The image staring back at him was himself, but as a child. Yes, he could clearly tell it was his childhood self because of the bangs the boy had, which he cut several years ago, and the flame-shaped hair he used to have. The round, chubby face was adorable but his dark eyes gazed at him in awe. Vegeta blinked his eyes, raising a hand to touch the cold reflection. The Saiyan boy in the glass window mimicked his movement at the same time. Their fingers seem to touch, although Vegeta could only perceive the coldness of the glass. He ran his hands over the image of the boy's face, still confused.

"What the hell is this? Is this some kind of trick?" he asked himself, the boy's lips moved at the exact time as his.

Vegeta took a few steps back to get a larger view of the shop and found the signage that read 'La tua buona vecchia libreria'.

Vegeta shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't interested in getting second-hand books right now, but there was something hypnotizing about this place which seemed to be calling out to him.

"What the hell is that?" he whispered to himself. Feeling that there was something strange about this shop, he stepped forward to see through the clear glass window what the store looked like inside. He could only see several tall antique looking shelves filled with various books inside. He cannot find anyone in there.

Vegeta focused on his ki sensing ability to seek out the energy of the owner. He's in there and with another one. Their ki had strength not much different from humans, though they didn't feel human to him at all. He narrowed his eyes, his curiosity now peaking even further. He turned to his right and walked towards the door with a sign that read, 'Welcome, we are open'. He raised his hand to pull the knob down and pushed the door open. The sound of a small bell rang as he did that.

"Is he the one we are seeking for?"

"Yes, Maguma. He is indeed the one. There's no doubt about it, the power of our magic revealed his true persona."

"At long last, we have finally found you. The Legendary Destroyer of Worlds."

The door closed with a loud sound.

Vegeta looked around the antique looking bookstore with interest and alertness as well. This shop was huge, very much like a library but with the aesthetic feel of the old times. He could smell the good scent of old book pages stored throughout the building. It wasn't that bright inside, the shop was lit by orange lights coming from the several lamps hanging on the walls. The shelves were made with black painted hardwood. They lined up on both sides of the store, leaving an aisle which would probably lead to the cashier's table. He saw that the walls of the shop were also filled with even more old books.

He walked through the aisle and a quavering voice suddenly asked him, "Welcome. Is there anything I could help you with?"

Vegeta quickly turned around with a gasp to see a small old man, with smoky grey hair, nebulous eyes, a weary face and a hunchback. Vegeta had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. An old man managing an old-looking bookstore selling old books. Of course, that could be mysterious. Why was he even here anyways?

"I..." he opened his mouth but couldn't find a better excuse. He knew he wasn't here to buy anything. He was just curious about the strange reflection he saw by the window. He let out a sigh of annoyance and asked, "Are you the owner of this shop?"

The old man raised one creased eyebrow at him. "Oh no, I am not. I am just working part time here," he said with a creepy laugh as he waved a hand to deny that he was the owner.

"Oh..." Vegeta muttered in disappointment. "I came from the grocery across the street and heard that the owner was giving away some posters of the Monkey King. You see, I know someone who was named after him and would like to show him the poster. Can I have a moment with him?"

The old man chuckled, "I see, so you would want to meet Master Rava," he raised a crooked finger and pointed at the wall across them. "Go there and turn right. He's by the cashier."

Vegeta nodded, "Okay," he turned around and walked through the rest of the aisle and turned right. He found a tall, handsome man with long, straight blonde hair wearing a vest over his necktie and light blue long sleeved polo standing by the cashier booth. He had a pair of thin eyeglasses over his baby blue, narrowed eyes. The man was lighting up a scented candle behind his table before turning to face the Prince.

"Hello there, how can I help you today?" the man, who was called as Rava by the old man earlier, asked in a calm, soothing voice. He had a warm smile and a dimple on his left cheek.

Vegeta halted his footsteps, his earlier demeanor changing into that which is befitted for a Saiyan Warrior. He crossed his arms over his chest and demanded with an imperious tone of voice, "Enough with the pleasantries. Who and what the hell are you?"

Rava made a confused face, "I'm sorry, what–? "

"Don't beat around the bush. I'm no fool. Don't think I have no idea that the glass window outside didn't have magical properties on it! I saw the posters of the Monkey King you passed around the area. It's not out of the goodness of your heart that you just gave them to the people around. It's an invitation to me. You know who and what I am, don't you?"

Rava's jaw dropped as he stared at Vegeta in surprise. He didn't know that the Saiyan Prince was this perceptive at all.

Rava smiled back in a friendly way, "I think you got the wrong idea. The image of the Monkey King is believed to bring good luck to those who do business. Plus, it's just a poster of a legendary character from an ancient book. I don't know why you think it has something to do with you.

"And about our glass window, I don't know what you just saw in it but that is just an ordinary glass."

Vegeta turned to where Rava pointed and saw his reflection in the mirror. It's normal. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Just what the hell is going on here?

"If you would like to take a poster, I can give you one. And since you came all the way here to check out our shop, why don't you take a look around, and see for yourself if you suspect anything out of the ordinary while I make you something?"

Vegeta stepped away from the counter to check on the store. It's true that there's nothing strange about the place like he initially thought it did earlier. Was he only imagining things just now because of that damn nightmare? No. He had always prided himself for having on-point perceptions. He knows he could trust his senses that there is something definitely wrong about this place.

When he returned to the counter, taking a random book with him from one of the shelves, the part-time worker from earlier offered him a seat. For a moment, he felt like it was a wrong idea for him to have entered this store, but what was he being so afraid of? Even if these two men were not human, he's sure they couldn't do any harm to him. He's stronger than any of them and he knows he could destroy them in an instant if he needed to.

Rava returned to the counter with a cup of tea, a piece of melon pan, and a rolled poster of the fabled Monkey King as promised.

Vegeta took the poster and rolled it out to take a look at the image of the Monkey King. Unlike the one that was taped on the grocery store, this one was an image of the legendary creature in his true demon monkey form under a full moon's light as he wreaked havoc in the world. Vegeta raised his black eyes suspiciously at Rava.

"I've been saving that one up for a special customer. It's my favorite image of the Monkey King. Pretty cool, right?" Rava said.

"And you think I'm that special?"

"Of course. You are our first customer to check out our store," Rava said. He held up his hand and pointed at the tea and bread. "Please, help yourself."

Vegeta took the cup of tea to take a sip before putting it down and taking the old book he randomly picked to read. Much to his surprise, the book contained contexts and symbols that's unfamiliar to him. He rolled his eyes, let out an exasperated sigh, and begrudgingly closed the book.

"Too bad I don't trust strangers like you," he hissed. "You know me. You've been calling out to me since I stopped in front of this shop when I saw that reflection. I know what I've seen and what I've sensed. I'm going to ask you one last time, and if you dare to feign ignorance once again–."

"What will you do then? Kill me? Just like how you did to my people?"

Just as he thought. This bastard cannot be trusted.

Vegeta was about to open his mouth, when he suddenly felt something within his chest jolt and he became dizzy. The room began to spin around him and he felt like his body was growing weaker by each passing second.

"Wha–What is…this? Damn…it!" he grimaced. He didn't take a sip on that tea cup. He pretended to take a sip, so it means that it wasn't the tea that's making him feel this way.

Vegeta collapsed backwards on the floor, looking like he was getting a heart attack. In his blurring vision, he watched as Rava's handsome human-like form change into a huge being that appeared to be a snake man.

"A Hebinian?!" Vegeta recognized. But he knew that this tribe of venomous alien warriors was supposed to be completely extinct more than forty-five years ago! He recalled he was sent to purge these strong beings when he was a child along with Nappa, Raditz, and two other Saiyans he never cared about to know their names. They effortlessly annihilated everyone after changing into their Oozaru forms and made sure that every single Hebinian was killed before they left that planet. He never thought there would be any survivors!

"You're quite a perceptive one, Saiyan. I admit we underestimated your abilities. But as you must know, it's not the tea that is poisoned… It's…"

The candle he lit up the moment Vegeta entered the store?! So this was a trap after all! These beings came all the way to Earth just to get their revenge on him in the most pathetic way possible. What cowards!

"You were right. We know who and what you are. We were once the victim of your terrible penchance, Legendary Destroyer of Worlds, the Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta Yonsei." Rava told him with a hissing voice. "You see, someone had found out that you were hiding on this planet for almost twenty years. Upon learning that you were indeed on this planet, we immediately set on a mission to lure you into our trap so we could take our revenge upon you."

Vegeta tried opening his mouth to say something but he just can't. He cursed inwardly, berating himself for not following his instincts earlier and falling into the enemies' trap. What a fool he is!

Revenge? Darn cowards! His mind burned with his fury, but instead of becoming stronger due to the anger he was feeling. He was only growing weaker. He cursed once more, realizing how he continues to lose his strength and his power with every second.

"Maguma," Rava called. "It is time for us to use the Dragon Balls you stole from the Earth's temple."

Dragon Balls? Did they just say they stole it from Dende's temple? What are they going to do with it?

Everything went black for him as he lost consciousness. His last thoughts was a furious cuss towards these pathetic fools.

Vegeta's eyes popped open as he let out a gasp, almost jumping up from lying down on the ground. He realized he was in an open meadow on the mountain not far from West City, and that it was already night. What the hell just happened? Where was he? How did he get in here? Where are those Hebinians who dared to take revenge and kill him when he was weak and powerless? He tried to use his ki sensing ability to search for his enemies, but he couldn't find them. They're gone!

"That's weird," he thought to himself. Where did they go? How was he still alive?

When he felt his stomach growl, he realized he didn't had any lunch at all, not even dinner. He had no idea what time of the night it was either and he wondered if Bulma was already beginning to worry about him. He decided to go home but realized that he doesn't have much energy to fly at all, so he walked back to the road leading to West City and rode a bus.

When he found a convenience store near one of the bus stops within the City, he went down the bus and entered the said store, complaining about how hungry he was. He took a basket and while he finds it strange that everything around him seemed taller than how he remembered it, he paid it no mind thinking that it must be due to his hunger or an effect of the poison he inhaled earlier.

After getting some bento sets and two liters of juice, he went to the counter to pay for his food. What he found in the exit after making his payment in the cashier made him furious.

"You!" he yelled, pointing at the blue-haired girl in the group of four girls who just entered the store. He noticed a slight change in his tone but he was so irate he decided to ignore it again.

The blue-haired girl and her friends stared down at him in confusion.

"Hey, Bulla! Just what do you think you're doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be at home by now?!" he yelled.

Bulla, his daughter, looked at him oddly.

"And what the hell are you girls doing here?! It's already past your curfew hours–!" he scolded. The four girls looked at each other in confusion, asking themselves who he was.

Bulla planted her hands over her hips and lurched forward to gaze down at him.

"Excuse me, little kiddo, but who the hell are you–?!" Bulla demanded him, gazing down at him with a disgusted look.

"–What do you mean who the hell am I?! Is something wrong with your vision and you can't recognize me at all?! And who are you calling a little kiddo?!" Vegeta yelled.

Bulla snorted as she rolled her blue eyes. A mannerism she inherited from her father. "What are you talking about? I don't even know you!" she sneered at him.

"What?! What do you mean you don't know your own father?!"

There was awkward silence in between them.

"Vegeta-san?" Bulla's friends gasped.

"Papa?" Bulla muttered. She looked at him up and down as if criticizing every bit of him with her critical eye. He does look a bit like her father though. Maybe he means she has a little half-brother she doesn't know about.

Vegeta shook his head in displease, "Hey… Look at this girl. How dare you glare at me like that? Just because I favored you more than your big brother doesn't mean I'll let this disrespect slide. Come with me and let's go home. We'll talk about this with your mother."

"No!" Bulla huffed in the air, crossing her slim arms over her chest as she defied him.

"What do you mean by no?! This is an order!" Vegeta shouted at her.

"You're not giving me orders! You're not my papa!"

"What the hell are you talking about, girl?! Of course, I am your father!"

"No, you're not!"

The door opened and Trunks appeared to enter the store. He was surprised to see his sister arguing with a small kid who looked like their father– wait… What?

Trunks approached them and asked Bulla, "Hey, what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be home?"

Bulla snorted, "Speak for yourself, Onii-chan! What are you doing here? I thought you said Papa is making you work for those times you missed at your job," then she let out a smirk reminiscent of their father. "You aren't supposed to take a break, right?"

"Aw come on. He wouldn't know if I sneak out a little to get a snack. Don't tell him or mom, okay?" Trunks winked.

"Fine, so long as you keep seeing me in here with my friends, a secret to them, too."

"What are you doing here anyways?"

"We're here to get some drinks, if you know what I mean," Bulla giggled. "Maybe you wouldn't mind treating us a few, Onii-chan?"

Trunks shrugged his shoulders, "Uhm… Well… aren't you a bit too young for that?"

Vegeta glared at his children, clearing his throat to get their attention. It effectively stopped their chitchats. It annoyed him how these two were talking as if he's not right in front of them.

"By the way, do you know who this is? He looks just like papa," Bulla asked Trunks. "Do we have some half little brother we know nothing about?"

"No… I don't think so. But his ki is exactly that of papa's, though it's very weak–"

Now Vegeta was beginning to become furious. Were his kids trying to suggest he had an affair with another woman?!

"Enough of this!" he suddenly yelled. Causing Trunks, Bulla, and her three friends to suddenly stagger backwards in surprise. "You will go home this instant even if I have to drag you both!"

He grabbed both of their wrists and dragged them towards the exit, causing both Trunks and Bulla to protest in unison. They effortlessly pulled themselves off his grasps, making Vegeta stumble forward on the floor.

The Prince was shocked. Did his children manage to pull themselves away from him? Damn, the effects of that poison must be terrible enough to make him lose so much of his prided strength. He just wanted to go home, scold his children about what he just found out they were doing, and get some rest with Bulma on his side. Perhaps, his beloved wife could make an antidote for him to make him feel better.

When he decided to pick himself up, his eyes were suddenly glued to the reflection he could see in the glass door of the convenience store. It was the same image he had in the Hebinian's bookstore glass window. He remembered how he ignored noticing that everything seemed taller and bigger than usual to him. Even the tone of his voice changed when he was yelling at Bulla earlier. The way his children and everyone else stared down at him. And how Bulla called him a "little kiddo"... It's all making sense now.

He instinctively touched his forehead to check if the bangs he could see in the reflection were real. He gently pulled the hair in his forehead and saw the fringes he half-expected to find. He looked down at his hands and his body, only to just realize that he was smaller and shorter than usual.

He let out a terrified scream after that.

Vegeta, the Proud Prince of the mighty Saiyan race, has turned into a child.