It was the dead of night when Trunks carefully opened the window of his bedroom. Finally, the coast was clear as he sensed his parents and younger sister deep in their slumber. He jumped out of the window and landed softly on the ground, carrying a bag full of clothes on his back. He silently dashed away from his home until he reached the road out of West City to take out his Hoi-Poi capsule which would make his air car appear. He would rather drive to Mount Paozu rather than fly and risk his father sensing his ki. He wanted to escape from his father's punishment until he decided to just leave the planet with Goku without him.

Once he managed to reach the Son residence, he got out of his car and went straight towards the backyard where Goten's room was supposed to be. He knocked on Goten's window, waking up his best friend since his childhood.

"Trunks-kun, what are you doing here?" Goten asked as he rubbed his eyes, opening his window.

"Come with me, Goten, please?" Trunks said in a low manner.

"Huh? Where?"

"Just come, I'll tell you later, okay?" Trunks hissed. "And bring some of your clothes."

"Huh? Okay."

Goten grabbed his bag and put on some of his clothes and his cellular phone in it. He then carefully got out of his window and followed Trunks to his car where he sat next to the drivers' seat. Trunks drove off as soon as Goten strapped his seat belt on.

"What's up, Trunks-kun? I heard what happened to Vegeta-san from dad earlier. Mom was furious at dad and wouldn't want him to come with you because he's been gone for ten years. Aren't you going to space with Vegeta-san?" Goten asked.

"I don't want to go with him, that's why I'm doing this," Trunks admitted. "We're going on a vacation on the other side of the Earth until the two of them leave the planet either tomorrow or the next day."

"Huh? Did you just leave your home without any permission? I don't think this is a great idea, Trunks-kun. You only risk angering Vegeta-san even more. Whatever punishment he's bestowing upon you would only become more hellacious if he finds out you're bailing out."

"In his state right now, if we keep on concealing our ki, he wouldn't know where we are."

"But my dad will. He can even teleport on any part of the planet with his Shunkanidou!"

"That's why you need to conceal your ki, too! Okay?"

"But my mom and Palace-chan would be worried."

"Then you can call them after dad has left the Earth. For now, let's just get far, far away from here."

"But–"

Trunks drove until they were both far away from the Paozu mountains where he decided to encapsulate his air car and unleash a personal two-seater jet plane. The two young men rode it, with Trunks piloting it towards the other side of the planet with tremendous speed.

Chapter 3

Defiance

Vegeta still couldn't believe that he had turned into a brat last night. He had been hoping when he opened his eyes the moment he woke up this morning that it was nothing but some sort of nightmare.

But here he was, lying awake almost all night, unable to relax at all. He had a nap for several minutes to maybe over an hour or two and that's it. He guessed it was probably due to how much time he was knocked out by the poison the night before.

Vegeta glared at the ceiling of his and Bulma's bedroom, with his arms over his head. He wore a pair of pajamas that Trunks used to wear when he was a kid, which Bulma had kept for some reason. Vegeta thought it was because Bulma initially wanted to have more children with him after Bulla's birth, or perhaps it was for their future grandchildren once Trunks or Bulla got married and had children of their own. He was somehow thankful about that for at least, he had something to wear.

Bulla decided to bring him to shop for some new clothes for him some time before he leaves the Earth, and it was something that Vegeta dreaded. He didn't really mind accompanying his beloved daughter to things that made her happy but he wasn't really fond of the activity itself. In his opinion, both Bulma and Bulla waste too much precious time going around from one shop to another, thinking which items to get or not. Impatient as he was, Vegeta was quite impressed with himself that he always managed to end the day without going violent at all. What a complete change, he remembered how he used to destroy entire civilizations or explode several planets for such when he was younger several years ago.

Vegeta sat up, turning to a mirror across the bed and staring at his reflection. The young boy with long bangs and a flame-shaped hair and wearing a pair of light blue pajamas stared back at him curiously. They both blinked at each other. In his mind, the pajamas the reflection wore warped into his royal Saiyan Armor, and the chubby, curious face's expression shifted into a malevolent expression.

He recalled he was perhaps the same age as this when he and four other Saiyan survivors which include Nappa, Raditz, and two Saiyans he never cared to know their names attacked Planet Hebi. Now that he thought about that time, it was there that those two unnamed Saiyans met their end by his own hands.

Those darn Hebinian survivors must have thought that turning him into a brat would weaken him, that's why they did this. But where did those fools go after making the wish? They said they were here to take revenge on him yet they didn't kill him at all. Was this all what they wanted from him or was there anything else?

Vegeta frowned, recalling the bastards who did this to him. No matter, he will never forgive them for this. He swore that he would find them and make them pay dearly for this.

When Vegeta came downstairs, he found Bulla eating her breakfast in the kitchen. He stared at her oddly, looking at the clothes she was donning. He was expecting her to be wearing her seifuku uniform but she wore a red, strapped-sleeved leather crop top, a mini skirt adorned with a red belt with golden buckle around it, a pair of red, satin, fingerless opera gloves, and a pair of cuissardes of the same color. He frowned at the odd style, not impressed that his daughter, at that age, wore something like it with all its impracticality in his personal opinion, but he decided to ignore it. In the past, he could have said something rather harsh about that style of clothing but considering how teenage girls tend to follow a strange trend of fashion on this planet, he decided not to say anything about it. After all, her fashion sense was similar to that of her mother, a way for her to freely express herself.

Vegeta sighed. The Earth has truly made him soft, but he didn't mind it anymore. He was satisfied so long as his loved ones are safe and happy.

He walked into the kitchen, his daughter finally noticed his presence and she beamed at him, "Ah! Good morning, papa!"

Considering that cheerful smile, he guessed she has finally come to terms with the fact that he got turned into a child as compared to her angry, in denial reaction yesterday.

"Hn," was his only answer as he grabbed the backrest of the seat located at the end of their dining table and jumped into it. "Why aren't you in school by the way?"

"Isn't it obvious? I took the day off for you, papa! Don't you remember? I promised to take you shopping for clothes."

Vegeta seemed to pale at that unexpected plan, "That's today?!"

"Of course, papa! If I know any better, you will leave as soon as the ship is all done and working. So I believe it's good to take you shopping as early as I can," Bulla told him with a huff.

Vegeta blinked at his daughter with a dumbfounded look. A maid robot approached him and asked in a female, monotone voice, "What do you want to eat for breakfast, Vegeta-sama?"

Bulma had already adjusted the programs on the technology across the entire compound to respond to Vegeta's new form and tone yesterday evening before they went to bed. It was easy since his biometric data was still documented in its database.

The maid robot flashed a holographic screen with a list of available breakfast meals for him to choose from. Vegeta turned to the menu and chose his food from the variety of choices and the robot and its assistants prepared it.

When the robot left, Vegeta sighed as he stooped his shoulders forward. This is going to be a long day, alright. He might as well eat a lot.

"Is Bulma already working on the ship?" he asked Bulla.

"Yes, Gohan-san and Videl-san arrived almost an hour ago to assist her in the lab building. I'll help them out after we're done shopping."

He nodded. He thought he have to check his wife out later after breakfast.

Once his ordered food was cooked, the robots placed a gargantuan amount of dishes for his breakfast on the table then Vegeta started to eat. While he was grabbing some of the sumptuous feast before him, he quickly realized something. He frowned as he looked down at his outstretched right arm he was using to grab a loaf of bread about a meter and a half away from him.

"What's wrong, papa?" Bulla asked when she noticed her father's odd expression.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. Normally, he'd have no problem reaching that distance, but since he was turned into a brat, his sense of distance, his reach, and so as the balance of his own body would all be altered. It will be a problem for him in battle and that's unacceptable. He'd have to find a way to fix that in his current state.

He lowered his hand and turned to his daughter, "What time do we leave for your shopping spree?"

"At ten," Bulla replied.

"An hour and a half left. That should be good. Then I'll meet you up at the entrance."

That's what Vegeta said before he quickly devoured all his food and leapt off his seat, leaving his finished dishes for the maid robots to clean.

Bulma's antidote should have neutralized the effect of the poison those Hebinians attacked him with, but he realized that because of his new body, he had to get used to everything from scratch.

He decided to start with his ki sensing ability since it's useful with locating any potential threats, allowing it to direct him to where his wife is. His ability to sense ki signatures have probably dulled due to him turning into a child.

He thought he might practice by allowing his ki senses to direct him to where Bulma was. He closed his eyes, focusing on his surroundings, feeling the flow of energy around him. While he was indeed aware of her location since Bulla told her that she was in the laboratory, he decided not to rely on the information for the sake of this training.

He begins to visualize based on what his other senses tell him. Then he begins to filter out mental-generated visual images created by spatial manipulation, the noise of the surroundings and the scents of those around him, leaving out what the flow of energy made him feel. What remained are pulsing signatures of life force, what was called ki or life energy.

It all seemed the same, but as he dived in deeper, he could tell their differences now. Which energy belonged to humans and which are not. Ki of the same race seemed identical, but they also differ accordingly to their nature, level of strength, and what's on one's mind or heart.

In his years of living on Earth with his beloved wife, he has naturally committed to his memory and learned by heart her unique ki signature. Her ki has always been something precious for him as it had a bond that was connected through his very soul. It's the thing he would always look for the moment he awakes in the morning, something he always prioritized to guard and protect (his children followed, of course), so he knows exactly what her ki feels like.

Ah, there she is! He smiled to himself when he finally found her unique ki signature. There are several humans around her, and he could recognize Kakarot's first born son, Gohan, and his human wife, Videl, amongst the crowd. He began to walk carefully towards where he could sense Bulma's ki, with his eyes still closed. The humans he passed by paid him no mind as he did his strange training.

When he finally halted his steps and opened his eyes, he found Bulma staring back at him with her wrinkled, wide, blue eyes framed by black-rimmed square glasses. She held a pen and a clipboard as she was checking on something. She blinked back at him, probably wondering what he was doing.

Vegeta let out a wide child-like smile full of wonder and a kiddie squeal upon seeing her and he quickly ran to hug her, his small arms only reaching to her hips and his head leaning against her lower stomach.

Bulma couldn't help but giggle like a teenage fangirl at how adorable that was as she returned his embrace. He rubbed his face against her stomach and purred like a cat at her touch.

"Yaay! I did it! I found you, my Bulma!" he cheered, seemingly pleased with himself.

Bulma didn't know what was going on but she simply smiled and joined the ride, "Good job, Vegeta. Have you already eaten your breakfast?" she asked.

"Hn," he responded. "You?"

Bulma chuckled, "Of course, I did. I'm already working on the spaceship, you see."

He raised his head to follow his wife's field of vision and found a huge spaceship being constructed not far away from them.

"What do you think?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta's expression quickly shifted from elated joy (a thing that only his wife is allowed to see) to a childish angry pout.

"Why does it have to look like an octopus?" Vegeta complained.

Bulma burst into a fit of laughter. She suddenly remembered that he loathed octopi since that one time they had a family vacation back when Trunks was still a child. It was because he accidentally got blasted with octopus ink by a giant roasted octopus he was munching at after he carelessly pulled at one of its tentacles. While it was an unintentional mistake on his part, Vegeta was too prideful to accept such thought, and so he ended up blaming the entire species of octopus for his humiliation.

Not to mention how those slimy tentacles of the octopus remind him of worms…

He looked up to her as she tried her best to stifle her laughter. His cheeks began to feel warm and tingly at that, and so he looked away with a bashful look.

"If you don't like it then I guess we'll have to recreate it again from scratch but it would take more days before you can leave. Do you still prefer the shape of your good, old space pod? You know, the one you used when you first arrived on Earth. Or like the one you used to train in space before the Androids arrived?"

"Leave it be. I want to leave as soon as I can. I'm just baffled that you chose to model this ship from a ridiculous thing such as an octopus. That's all."

Now, Bulma didn't like that attitude.

"So you think it's ridiculous now, huh?! Just so you know, we're building this thing for just two days. Two days, Vegeta! It would take anyone years to make something like this, you jerk," she huffed.

"I know. You told me yesterday," he answered calmly, but with a mischievous smirk. Seeing that he has gotten on her nerves made him feel more elated. He always loved poking that fire within her.

"You… Ugh! Don't you have something else to do, Vegeta? Go away so I can finish this quickly and kick you out of my head as soon as I can."

He embraced her once again, although he could only reach as high as her hips.

"Thank you, Bulma." he told her softly.

Bulma snorted back, "Hmph! Just so you know, I'm only doing this because the Earth's in great danger. It's not for you to go back there to bring lots of trouble across the Universe like you did in the past."

He pulled away and looked up to her eyes in confusion. Does she mean she doesn't want him to take revenge? "But…"

"I thought about it last night, after how you swore that you will make those Hebinians pay for this…" Bulma explained. "I understand that you're mad about what they did to you and how their actions now threatened the Earth, but they probably didn't know that using the Black-Star Dragon Balls could have such consequences. They left the Earth intact and you alive and without much harm after all. If they were so obsessed with taking revenge against you, they would have already killed you in this vulnerable state of yours, right? Plus, if you go out there seeking to make them pay for what happened, won't that mean you haven't changed from what you used to be before? Instead of seeking vengeance, why don't you prove to them that you're no longer the same monster they met many years ago?"

"I… I don't know about that, but…"

"I know you're frustrated about your situation, but why don't you focus on collecting the Dragon Balls and saving the Earth instead of getting mad about it and wanting payback?" Bulma suggested.

"Are you worried that I might return to what I used to be before I settled down with you?" Vegeta asked.

He understood the reason why she might be worried about that. What happened with Babidi and at the Tenkaichi Budokai fifteen years ago took a toll on her heart. Even now, he could still feel a pang of guilt about the fear and pain of betrayal he caused her that day when he deliberately went into a murderous rampage in his attempt of making Kakarot submit to his demand of fighting him. Although it was eventually settled after he made it up with his contribution at defeating Majin Buu and returning back to her, he swore to never hurt her fragile and pure heart again for the sake of his pride and anger.

"No, because I now know that you're a changed man, Vegeta. You are different from what you were before you started living with me here. And after the things that happened during the Majin Buu fiasco, I trust you that whatever you did in the Tenkaichi Budokai fifteen years ago won't happen again. You promised me that, after all. I just don't want you to get into trouble, especially after you turned into this. So just focus on collecting the Dragon Balls and come back here quickly, okay? Can you promise me that too?"

"Fine, but I'm not going to collect the Dragon Balls just because I want to save the Earth or protect the humans. They aren't my responsibility. I'm only doing this because this planet has been our home, and for you, Trunks, and Bulla. It's because you cared for this world and the people in it that I end up doing the same thing anyways."

Vegeta pulled away from Bulma and turned to the ship. Not too long after that, Gohan peeked through the opened hatch airlocked door of the spaceship, "Excuse me, Bulma-san? Videl-san and I are done with the main control panel. Is there anything else we can do?"

"Ah, thank you, Gohan-kun. Vegeta, do you want to have a small gravity training room equipped inside the ship?"

"Yeah, that would be great."

Gohan finally noticed Vegeta's presence.

"Ah, Good morning, Vegeta-san! I heard what happened. I could say that you look rather adorable in that state." Gohan greeted with a polite smile.

"Just get working, would you?" Vegeta snapped at him rather impatiently.

Gohan chuckled, "Haha, right. A gravity room then. By the way, Dad told me to tell you that he wasn't sure about coming with you. He's still trying to convince mom about it though, but you know, ten years he's gone and mom was just ecstatic to see him again after all this time and here he was on the verge of leaving again. I think you should give them a call."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "It's not my problem if he could come or not. He's the one who wants to come with us anyways."

Then he started walking out of the laboratory.

"Is that so? I see," Gohan said, watching as Vegeta left the laboratory.

"Where are you going now, Vegeta?" Bulma asked.

"I'll be at the Gravity Room to train for an hour before I leave with Bulla to wherever she needs to shop. I have to get used to this small size after all."

"Kakarot, that idiot," Vegeta angrily grumbled as he strolled his way towards his Gravity Room. Once he was in front of the huge, metallic door of his training room, he halted his steps and frowned to himself. Feeling agitated for a reason he refused to acknowledge.

Vegeta-sama, you have a call coming from the Son Residence.

Their home's computer virtual assistant's female monotone voice echoed through the speakers. Vegeta sneered as he picked up the phone that looked like a black, wireless retro rotary phone (which seemed out of place because the house was high-tech) that was hanging beside the Gravity Room door.

"What is it?" was Vegeta's annoyed response to the caller, not the typical hello most Earthlings would say when they pick up the phone.

"Vegeta, it's me," Kakarot's voice said on the other line. Speak of the devil. What a coincidence that he called on cue when Vegeta thought he wanted to punch this fool for some reason. "Sorry, I can't come with you. Chichi was so mad at me she just won't let me go no matter how much I try to convince her. I've been hearing the end of it since I told her about it last night."

Instead of getting madder, Vegeta unexpectedly found himself quite amused. He couldn't help but chuckle as he imagined how terrified Goku must have been as his wife, Chichi, yelled at him all night. The way Goku was telling this to Vegeta seemed like he was a whining brat seeking help for anyone to save him from the wrath of his beloved woman.

"Yeah, Gohan told me," Vegeta said.

"Uh… Yeah. Anyways, is Goten over there too? He's not here at our place and he left without us knowing," Goku asked.

"Goten? Hmm…"

Vegeta quickly used his ki sensing ability to search for Goten's energy, and in turn Trunks' as well, since those two were always together. There's always no doubt that those two childhood best friends are onto something.

"No, he's not here, unless they're both suppressing their ki. That's weird. They never did this kind of thing before. Give me a moment, Kakarot– computer, has Trunks timed in at the office?"

The computer responded, "Vegeta-sama, there's no record of him timing in any of the Capsule Corporation offices."

"And he's not anywhere within this house, right? Check all the security cameras and search if he's left the area."

"Yes, Vegeta-sama."

After ten seconds, the computer reported back, "Vegeta-sama, Trunks-sama was last seen leaving the house earlier today at 2:37 a.m. He left through the backyard and rode in an air car. Scanning the CCTV all throughout the West City Capital, it seems his destination is towards the East."

That's towards Mount Paozu where the Son Residence is. There's no doubt about it. Trunks and Goten must be together. But why do they need to suppress their ki? Was it to…?

"I'll call you back in a minute, Kakarot," Vegeta told Goku as he hung up the phone. "Computer, connect me to the Capsule Corporation's President's Secretary."

After two rings, Trunks' secretary answered Vegeta's call.

"This is Vegeta. Has Trunks come in the office today?"

"Vegeta-sama?" the secretary was confused at the tone of voice at first but she still answered. "No, Sir. I haven't seen him this morning yet. He hasn't contacted me if he's coming or not either so I wasn't sure if he's attending a scheduled investment meeting that's within fifteen minutes. What do you suggest we do?"

"I see. Let it be, if the company lost a potential revenue, he will have to answer that to his mother. Cancel everything that's in his schedule today and notify Reggings to attend whatever is needed for tomorrow. I'll have a discussion with Bulma about what to do with Trunks and the position he's leaving soon."

Reggings is the Vice President of the company, Trunks and Bulla's cousin through Bulma's older sister, Taitsu. While the secretary was puzzled by what Vegeta was planning, she simply agreed to obey.

When Vegeta called Kakarot back, he told him to come over to the house with Chichi and invited them to play a game with their two slacker boys.

Trunks and Goten left the plane on an island and Trunks paid a local man a handsome amount of money for his speedboat so they could take themselves towards a very isolated Island. Once they arrived at their destination, Trunks set up a capsule house within a cave hidden in the forest within said island for him and Goten to stay in. They planned to stick around there for three days or until they were sure that Vegeta had left the Earth. Trunks specifically told Goten to never call anyone with his phone for now, not connect to the internet and to turn off any of his communication devices. Goten initially protested because that was a boring idea, especially when he'll lose a communication with Palace but Trunks explained that if he did that, it would give off their exact location to their parents.

Trunks offered to play some offline two-player action-adventure game with him through a game console that cannot be connected to the internet. He also mentioned that he has a library of movie, anime and game discs and some manga books as well so that neither of them won't be bored for those three days. The tempting offer was enough to make Goten abide but it didn't make him comfortable with the idea of them both running away from their parents.

"Do you think they already know that we're both gone?" Goten asked.

"I don't think they would suspect anything for now. It's only been a few hours. Even if they did know, they wouldn't care for now. They'll think we're just goofing off together. We always did, so that's not something new to them."

"Yeah, but the timing isn't right this time, especially when Vegeta-san has his eyes on you. You've been defying him and Bulma-san for the past few days and I don't think that's a good idea, Trunks-kun. Plus, you know how my mom would go ballistic if she found out that her cute and beloved son is missing."

"Dad and Mom's expectations and demands of me about being the President of Capsule Corporation had been pressuring me so much. I didn't want a life that's just all about officework, constant meetings, and endless paperworks. If that's not about it, dad would drag me into boring and gruesome training sessions with him, having to listen to his constant lessons about being a Saiyan adds to the stress. It's incredibly taxing you know, so I need you to understand how much I needed this break. Don't worry, I'll pay you after we're all done here. Let's just allow dad to leave."

"Well, yeah. I do understand you about the training part. He also drags me into it along with Gohan whenever he feels like it. He was a lot harsher and stricter than my dad ever was. A disciplinarian indeed."

"Remember that time when Dad filed a month-long corporate leave for me and Gohan without letting us know just so he could drag us into mandatory training sessions? That one was so unnerving."

"Hahaha! Yes, I remember that one! He had a rule about whoever was the late one would treat everyone for lunch! We had to race to the park because nobody would want to feed four extremely famished and exhausted Saiyans with a huge appetite. You were always the victim so Gohan would secretly return what you spent with us once Vegeta-san has left. We even tried to sneak out on him, thinking that we could outsmart him by camping at the park overnight, but then he suddenly decided to change venues out of nowhere! Vegeta-san truly is something else. He just does things whenever and however he wants without caring about anything else."

"That's why mom would sometimes complain about how crazy he could become, although I believe that's probably what she liked about him anyways. Dad's probably the most dangerous and most intimidating man in the Universe, he's also quite persistent and he cannot be stopped if he truly wants something. But since he got turned into a child, I think that has changed greatly. I'm pretty sure that his balance of mind, body, and spirit and his senses won't be that accurate. It would cost him a lot of his energy if he tried to search for us and considering the problem he had right now, I'm sure he won't waste his time and effort on that. He'd rather save his energy into searching for the Black-Star Dragon Balls than us."

"There's no doubt about it, those brats must be together right now," Vegeta said, pacing back and forth in the living room where he welcomed Goku and Chichi's presence. "Trunks was against the idea of him joining me on the quest to search for the Dragon Balls so there's a huge probability that he must have dragged Goten with him to hide and ran away from my order. After all, he must think that I was being unreasonable for disciplining him yesterday. He's a fool to think he could defy me."

"Goten-chan's also been defiant since Goku-sa left 10 years ago. Those boys indeed have learned to be rebellious now. I can't tell them what to do anymore." Chichi told him. Then she turned her glare at her husband, who inched away from her in horror. "This is all your fault, Goku-sa! This is what happens when you leave for so long and miss out a lot on your son! He must be rebelling because of your irresponsibility!"

"Don't be so mad at me, Chichi. I did try to discipline him before but he just won't listen to me too. It's probably Trunks' influence too."

"To be honest, I initially thought it's how his parents raised him and that Vegeta-san rubbed off on him as a child. But considering the situation now, that's most likely not the case."

"Oh, Trunks indeed took that from me," Vegeta admitted, being reminded of his childhood friendship with Kakarot's older brother, Raditz. "That's exactly how I did things with Raditz when we were young. But Trunks and Goten… They are foolish brats. They may have physically grown up but their minds are still that of immature, spoiled brats. They both think they're better than us, and are resisting what they think is control rather than discipline. Even if I used to be that rebellious, at least I never ran away from my battles and my duty as the inheritor of the pride of the Saiyans. I never raised Trunks to be such a damn coward! Damn it… If you'll allow me to teach those brats a lesson, I would make them regret ever defying us."

"Since Goten's not listening to me and I doubt he would also listen to Goku-sa here I think I should leave the rest to you, Vegeta-san. I had enough of that boy. Do whatever measures you can bestow to instill discipline on that foolish boy. If you have to take him out to outer space with you then you have my full agreement on it. But, are you sure it will be alright considering your current state?"

Vegeta let out a grin filled with sinister determination. Both Chichi and Goku swallowed the sight of that. It was that same malevolent smile he had when he blew part of the arena at the Tenkaichi Budokai around fifteen years ago. A smile which could make even the mightiest beings tremble in utmost fear for it meant that doom was about to be bestowed no matter what.

"Even as a child, there is a reason why the entire Universe feared me and my name being the Legendary Destroyer of Worlds. Even if my powers and my senses have been affected by being reduced into this state right now, I still have what it takes to live up to the reputation. Did they honestly think they could run away with their ki suppressed? Just who do they think they're trying to hide from?"

Vegeta was married to the wealthiest woman who owned a multi-billion zennie tech company that basically runs the entire world so he had both wealth and technology at his disposal. With these, he could basically run the planet however he wanted to. Aside from that, his contributions to the company's ever growing tech products earned him high respect from members of the research and development department. He was recognized to be one of the company's most intelligent assets due to his sheer knowledge and experience with alien technology that no human could have known. Vegeta was the Prince of all Saiyans after all, considered to be the strongest race of warriors in the Universe. His royal blood and super elite status had given him access to cutting-edge technology when he worked with the Freeza Force back when he was still a planet-conquering tyrant prior to his settling down on Earth.

Vegeta commanded the computer to contact Charusu, the head of the Capsule Corporation's Research and Development Team and gave him an order.

"I want all surveillance drones, CCTVs, and satellites activated across the planet, contact the media, the government, the bounty hunters, and spread the news. I want everyone and everything to search every single corner of the Earth for Trunks and Son Goten. Whoever manages to point me in their direction will take a ten million zennie as a reward for the effort."

Goku and Chichi looked at each other. While they both expected that wealthy people do anything they want, Vegeta being like this made them feel uneasy. For some reason, they could see why he is the Prince of all Saiyans and was greatly feared across the Universe.

Vegeta was determined to find the boys, and even those Hebinians or their allies in case they're still on this Planet. A determined thought crossed his mind as he sauntered towards his private command center at the Capsule Corporation's Research and Development Department, "Think you can hide from me, you stupid brats… I'm not feared across the Universe for nothing! You will see the very reason why I was given the title 'The Legendary Destroyer of Worlds'!"

Vegeta's eyes glinted with a sharp, unforgiving light as he remembered the final exchange he had with Trunks before the boy vanished. A command had been given: accompany him into space to retrieve the Black-Star Dragon Balls. It was a matter of urgency and time was running short, and if the Dragon Balls were not collected soon, the Earth itself would face obliteration from the curse of the magical orbs. But instead of stepping up to meet the challenge as his Saiyan blood demanded, Trunks had stubbornly resisted. Laziness, comfort, and insubordination had taken root in his disappointment of a son.

This was what's making Vegeta extremely livid right now.

With technology at his disposal—technology he had helped develop, blending Saiyan ingenuity and the human brilliance of Bulma—Vegeta was prepared for this pursuit. The trackers he activated were unlike any ordinary scouters; they were a combination of Capsule Corporation's finest advancements and data he had stolen from long-abandoned Frieza Force technology he used when he was younger in his invasion of various powerful worlds. They could read suppressed energy signatures by tracing even the faintest biological imprints, an edge Trunks and Goten would never anticipate.

He entered his private command center at the Research and Development Department, the team was there already obeying his direct orders, observing at a 3D hologram image of the Earth. There were several glowing dots that spread across the map, representing the millions of surveillance drones and satellites searching across the globe, from land, to water, and even the sky. Each drone has the capability of detecting energy signatures, kind of like how the scouter could do, but to compare, this technology could also detect even the faintest, suppressed energy signatures, a device he'd designed to track energy signatures even at their faintest levels, masked behind the most subtle frequencies. With the use of technology capable of filtering out the overlapping static of Earth's billions of life forms, he sought out the faint trail of suppressed Saiyan energy. And even if ki is suppressed completely, any living life form could still give off heat from their bodies, something that cannot be contained. And Saiyans have a unique kind of heat that could easily be filtered out from the rest.

Vegeta gave directions to Charusu and his team, barking orders here and there while observing and scanning the data they were getting and listening to their reports. While the team was initially befuddled by this child-like appearance, disbelieving that he was actually the same Vegeta they worked with, they simply obeyed his orders without saying a word about it. He doesn't look like he's in a friendly mood after all and that was something that has intimidated them.

The door opened and Bulma bolted in along with Bulla.

"Vegeta, what the hell is going on here? Why are you doing this all so suddenly?" Bulma demanded him.

"Trunks ran away right after I ordered him to come with me. He hasn't even checked in the office this morning." he answered without taking his eyes off the holographic image of the Earth he was critically eyeing.

"What?! Are you sure about that?!" asked Bulla.

"Kakarot and Chichi mentioned that Goten left their house without permission too. There's no doubt those two fools are probably together right now."

"Don't you think he's just trying to spend his time with Goten before you two leave?" Bulla tried to reason.

"Even so, there should be no reason for them to suppress their ki to this degree. This could only mean that they didn't want any of us to know where they went. That's suspicious. You and I are both aware that Trunks refused to come with me on the quest, that should be the reason for all of this. He's running away and defying my direct order. And what's more infuriating is that he dragged Kakarot's brat into this as well."

Bulma and Bulla saw the fury in Vegeta's expression, his dark eyes narrowing into tiny slits and blazing with the fire of his rage. His teeth gritted together while his small fists shook.

"That damn Trunks… He's become such a pain in the ass," he seethed. He dung a finger towards the interface. The holographic globe spun, glowing red zones highlighting suspected points of interest. They were far-flung, hidden in remote regions beyond the touch of civilization. Yet, something caught Vegeta's eye—a sudden blip, a trace of suppressed energy so faint that it barely registered. But Vegeta recognized that suppressed ki anywhere.

He smirked, the expression cold and unforgiving. "Found you, boy," he muttered, the deep, guttural tone belying the smaller body he now inhabited.

Bulma and Bulla decided to stop reasoning with him at this point. If there's something that Vegeta hated the most, it's defying him. Little did they know, he had killed people who dared to disobey him in the past–in fact, this was the reason why those two unnamed Saiyan subordinates he had along with Nappa and Raditz lost their lives on Planet Hebi.

Vegeta prepared himself to leave for the hunt, and Bulma pleaded with him to not be too harsh towards the boys. This time, he didn't yield to the promise, reasoning that such softness would only make things worse. They've already been too soft and far too tolerating of Trunks' behavior, but he wasn't yielding to obey them. Now, Vegeta will indeed make him obey and teach him a lesson that defiance is not an option when the Prince of all Saiyans gives a direct order.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Trunks and Goten just ended a video game they were playing. Both seemed heavily satisfied with how the game turned out and how fun it was until the weight of their decision pressed down hard on their chests. They had run away from home in hopes of seeking a moment of peace, a reprieve from the suffocating, toxic demands and expectations that their parents imposed on them.

"Trunks," Goten finally said, breaking the silence, "Do you really think we can really hide from your dad? I mean, it's your dad, and Vegeta-san is perhaps the most terrifying being in the Universe, even if he's turned into a kid. Plus, your family's the wealthiest in the world. I think they won't have much problem with spending quite a fortune just to look for you. They probably have Intel, or some crazy tech too, who knows?"

Trunks tried to keep up a brave front, forcing a chuckle, stubbornly believing that there's still a way for him to get out of his father's unreasonable demands. Although he could feel a gut-wrenching feeling for some reason, a sense of icy terror tore down on him as if he could tell that Vegeta has finally locked-in on them.

"We just need to stay low for a bit, hide here, and suppress our ki. He'll cool off eventually, and they'll give up. After all, he's short on time. He had to retrieve the Dragon Balls within a year from yesterday. I'm sure he won't waste that much time looking for us."

Vegeta giving up wasn't something Goten could actually imagine happening. The man's quite persistent and was willing to do anything to get what he wants and won't stop at nothing until he does so, at least that was how Gohan described him.

Before Goten could respond, the ground beneath them shuddered, a powerful force descending from above, causing the cave to break apart. Leaves and debris scattered as Vegeta dropped to the ground, splitting the once peaceful night with his sudden, terrible presence. The boys quickly shot up, eyes wide in horror as Vegeta straightened up, his dark raven eyes aflamed with unbridled fury as he stared at the two terrified half-Saiyan half-human boys with a look that usually meant death and destruction to all.

"So," Vegeta's voice was low, carrying the dangerous tone of calm before a storm. "You thought you could run from me, huh? How dare you defy my direct order, Trunks? You're not getting away with this..."

Trunks swallowed hard, his knees quivering as the father he knew seemed like a distant memory, replaced by the cruel, cold, and ruthless warrior who was once feared greatly as the Legendary Destroyer of Worlds. The silence was suffocating, broken only by the wind rustling the leaves.

"I-I'm sorry, Papa! We were just—" Trunks began, but Vegeta's sudden, sharp glare silenced him. He's not taking any excuses.

"You were just what?" Vegeta's voice rose, cutting through the air like a blade. "Daring to escape and defy my command? You darn brat!"

"You got it all wrong!" Trunks quickly denied.

"And what exactly did I get wrong? Raising a spoiled, irresponsible, honorless, coward of a brat?!"

Vegeta's aura flared around him, purple-tinted energy surging and crackling with raw power. It wasn't his usual blue-colored aura that Trunks was so used to seeing in his base form. The forest seemed to bend away from him, trees bowing under the sheer force of his presence. Ominous dark clouds begin to gather above them as if signifying the return of the Legendary Destroyer of Worlds. Goten and Trunks stumbled back, unable to meet his eyes, the overwhelming weight of their father's ki pressing down on their very souls.

"You will learn," Vegeta continued, stepping forward, each word a promise of consequence. "From this day forward, you will know why the universe trembled at the name Vegeta."

Vegeta quickly vanished from where he stood, and then he was suddenly jumping right at Trunks' face, much to the young man's surprise. Despite the effects of Vegeta's transformation into his child form, he quickly adapted to the changes in balance and reach.

Caught off guard, Vegeta's backhand sent Trunks barreling sideways into the trees, which was followed by a series of punches as his child-like father scolded him ceaselessly while also beating the living daylights out of him.

"How could I have such a slacking, irresponsible, cowardly fool for a son?! Fancy embarrassing your proud Saiyan royal heritage and warrior's honor by running away from your duties and responsibilities! Not to mention how you are well-aware that your home planet is in danger, and yet you refuse to participate in saving it despite knowing your family and friends are on it! I don't remember raising you to be such a coward! Just what would happen to you and this planet if Kakarot and I disappear from this world?! I doubt you can protect this planet at all, you pathetic slacker!"

Goten dared not to move an inch as he helplessly watched Vegeta pummel his best friend, thankful that he wasn't Trunks or that Vegeta wasn't his father at that moment, although he knew he'll soon face a different and probably more dangerous farce against his own mother once he got back home. Goten began to regret ever agreeing to come with Trunks here.

Trunks ended up beaten on the ground, collapsing due to the pain. Vegeta planted a heel against his chest, staring down at him with sheer intimidating intensity which made Trunks think his father's wrath was only just beginning.

"Stop… stop it now, papa. Please… I'm sorry!" Trunks pleaded shakily, every inch of him trembling in pure utter horror. He was trying his best not to cry in fear or pain or it would push his father's anger at him even more.

Vegeta smashed his fists together, his expression still cold and dark. "Have you learned your lesson yet, boy? If this ain't enough for me to make you obey me, I still have plenty of time to break your body and your spirit so you will never dare to defy me ever again."

Even though Trunks could easily turn into a Super Saiyan and push his father away from him, he knew that doing so would make matters worse for him.

"The two of you are going to come with me to outer space and collect the Black-Star Dragon Balls. I will be watching over the two of you, discipline you properly, and make you experience something that you never imagined!"

As the boys stood there, shivering under the Saiyan Prince's intimidating gaze, realization dawned that this would be no ordinary reprimand. This was a lesson from a man who refused to be defied, a warrior who would stop at nothing to ensure that the next generation of the Saiyan Warrior race would be disciplined, strong, and above all—fearful of what crossing him truly meant.

"But… Vegeta-san–" Goten was about to snap back but he quickly flinched when Vegeta glared back at him. He nervously swallowed before lowering his eyes and twirled his fingers together.

"What is it?"

While that was a seemingly calm question, it was actually more of a threatening demand. Goten hesitated to continue, weighing his options to either say what he was about to say or simply keep quiet. If he quieted, Vegeta would probably see it as being cowardly, if he answered back, Goten feared that he might end up the same way as Trunks. He decided it's better to continue since both options would end up the same way either. He will just try to say it a little bit sweeter in his hopes of cooling off his uncle's anger on him.

"You see, my Mother and Father won't surely allow me to go–I mean, especially my mother– she'll be worried sick if her beloved son–"

"It was actually her idea to send you off with me."

"What?!"

"According to your mother, you've been defiant towards her since Kakarot left with Uub ten years ago. She's had enough of your slackness and stubbornness, Goten."

"No way…"

Vegeta then turned towards his son, "And as for you, don't think I'll let you off easily with this one, Trunks. You should have known better than to defy me, underestimate me, and run away. Be thankful that's the only punishment I'm bestowing upon you because of both of your mother's pleas. In the past, I have personally executed Saiyans who defied me or ran away from their duties as a warrior."

Trunks lowered his eyes in shame, nodded in defeat and didn't dare to open his mouth to speak.

"Now, go home and start packing up your things. We're going the moment the ship's ready to go. Trunks, once you're done with yours, you are going to come with me and your sister to go shopping, and once we return home, we will train in the Gravity Room until the day we leave."

Trunks nodded once again, muttering weakly, "I understand, papa."

And so they went on their way back home to accept their punishment bestowed upon them by none other than the Universe's feared Legendary Destroyer of Worlds.