Vegeta was still sitting and monitoring the power levels of Zarbon and Dodoria. The prince felt a bit of unease.
'Frieza.' He felt he could give anything..anything to finally see him dead.
Yajirobe was meanwhile snoring loudly.
"Huh?" Vegeta was a bit surprised when his scouter could suddenly detect Frieza's power-level drop..before vanishing completely.
He stood up on his feet. Was this it?
His mouth was hung open. Cold sweat made its way down his temple and forehead. He focused his scouter on the fat man called Yajirobe. A reading of fourteen hundred popped up. Yes, his scouter was fine.
It seemed good. It seemed just too good. Too good to be true, in fact. He almost felt like he was having a dream.
He could now detect the powerlevels of Zarbon and Dodoria make their way back to him.
A faint smile appeared on his features which gradually made way for a full-blown grin.
"Yes! It's finally over!" The prince began to laugh loudly. "He's dead. He's finally dead!"
...
Krillin raised an eyebrow, watching Vegeta's rare display of emotion. "What's going on with him? Did he finally lose it?"
"Or maybe," Yamcha chimed in, his tone thoughtful, "his plan with those two guys actually worked. Maybe they took down that Frieza. "
Krillin nodded slowly, piecing it together. "Could be." He glanced at Vegeta again, wondering if this meant the Saiyan might finally let his guard down, and give Yajirobe a moment to himself.
. . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .
Gohan sat on a rock, waiting patiently for his friends to return. A strong power level had flared up shortly after they left, followed by a sharp spike in Vegeta's energy. It seemed clear to Gohan that they were locked in combat.
His suspicions had been right; Vegeta's power had grown since he first arrived on Earth. Gohan had sensed the other fighter's energy vanish soon after, confirming the outcome. Then, two even stronger power levels had briefly appeared before fading away again, leaving the young half-Saiyan bewildered. This planet was home to a surprising number of powerful warriors.
Amidst his confusion, Gohan's main concern was his friends. He hoped they were safe and would return soon with Yajirobe.
Suddenly, he felt a familiar energy approaching. Gohan stood up, eyes brightening as he spotted a figure at the top of the cliff. "Mr. Popo!" he exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face.
The rotund man floated down, carrying a large can of fuel oil. "Good job keeping an eye on the spaceship, Gohan."
"Actually, I didn't have to do much. This planet's... eerily quiet." Gohan thought back to the bustling life of Earth. It was strange; this fertile, habitable area had no signs of life at all.
Mr. Popo nodded. "It's been like this for centuries."
Gohan's eyes widened in surprise. "Centuries? How old are you, Mr. Popo?"
"Eighty-five," Mr. Popo replied with a chuckle. "Though I don't look it, do I? I've just read a lot of Khami's history books, that's all."
"Wow..." Gohan mouthed, impressed.
Mr. Popo's tone shifted. "By the way, Gohan, we're going to bring your dad here."
Gohan's eyes went wide with amazement. "What?!"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vegeta stood with a smug smile, his senses now sharp enough to detect Zarbon and Dodoria approaching. Learning to sense power levels was a skill he'd picked up during his battles on Earth, and it was already proving useful.
Soon, the two henchmen landed in front of him.
Zarbon's face was serious, while Dodoria wore his usual nasty grin. Vegeta smirked to himself. 'Well, Dodoria always looks like that,' he thought.
"Vegeta," Zarbon began, narrowing his eyes. "We've held up our end of the deal. Now it's time for you to hold up yours."
With a sly grin, Vegeta pulled out his chequebook. He produced two pre-written cheques and held them out. "Here. Come and take them."
Zarbon glanced at Dodoria, who nodded and swaggered forward, his grin widening. "Ah, nothing like fat money! Love me some!" he chuckled.
But just as Dodoria reached for the cheques, Vegeta's hand ignited with ki. In an instant, the cheques turned to ash.
Dodoria's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!"
Zarbon's face tightened with surprise. "Vegeta!"
The Saiyan prince laughed coldly. "Did you really think I'd waste any more of my wealth on garbage like you? I've already spent more than you're worth. Besides, I still have the Ginyu Force to deal with."
Dodoria clenched his teeth in rage, while Zarbon's scowl deepened. "Vegeta," Zarbon warned, "you better honor your word. If not, we'll make you pay with your life."
Vegeta's smirk only grew. "Funny. I wasn't planning on letting either of you leave alive either."
Before Zarbon or Dodoria could react, their scouters started going haywire, buzzing and blinking as they tried to measure Vegeta's rising power.
The prince let out a scream of effort and ecstasy as his aura exploded around him, wind whipping up in every direction.
"Frieza's dead," Vegeta snarled, teeth bared and power surging like wildfire. "And now, nobody in, the universe will be able to stand up against me!"
The sheer force of Vegeta's energy made the ground tremble around him.
To be continued...