In the North Galaxy, on a harsh red-rock world wreathed in dust and cold wind, night had just fallen.
A campfire burned stubbornly beneath a sheltered cliff—the only warmth on the barren planet.
A strange alien creature roasted over the flames, sizzling with fat. Its rich scent drifted into the wind.
Three Saiyans sat around it: Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz.
Raditz stared into the fire, worry and fear twisting his face. He swallowed and asked again, voice shaking.
"Prince… are you really going to make a move against Lord Frieza? This… this is too risky!"
Nappa snorted with contempt.
"Raditz, you coward! You're backing down already? You call yourself a Saiyan while trembling before our enemy?!"
Raditz shrank under the roar, wanting to argue but finding no words.
Vegeta raised a hand, stopping Nappa. He turned slowly to Raditz, eyes sharp and deep in the firelight.
"Raditz… you have a younger brother, don't you? Sent off-planet before Vegeta Star was destroyed?"
Raditz's heart jumped. He nodded quickly.
"Y-yes, Prince. My father Bardock sent my brother Kakarot away on a pod. If I remember correctly, he was sent to a low-level planet called 'Earth.'"
"Earth…"
Vegeta repeated the name softly, eyes narrowing. His mind drifted to years ago, when he first left Vegeta Star to conquer a world called Sofu.
The mission had been easy. Sofu's people were helpless.
But it was there he'd lost a high-class warrior named Vitelli—
A man who'd defeated Prince Vegeta.
Vitelli's battle power had been lower, his experience unremarkable, yet he'd crushed Vegeta with casual ease—almost like playing with him.
That humiliation burned even now.
Later, when Vegeta shot down Sofu's king's ship, the dying king muttered something about "the long-tailed one… Earth direction…"
Vegeta's lips curled in a cold grin.
"Vitelli… you must've fled to that backwater because you feared my revenge. Pathetic!"
He stood sharply, firelight stretching his small but powerful shadow.
He snapped orders.
"Decision made! Forget Frieza for now. We leave at once—Earth!"
"Earth? Now?!" Raditz blurted, horrified.
"Prince, Frieza's scouts are still searching the outer regions! If we power up a ship now, they'll detect us. If Frieza himself comes… we're dead!"
Before he finished, Vegeta's killing intent poured out like ice.
"Raditz."
His voice dropped to something deadly.
"If you don't have the guts to break through, then you don't deserve to live."
He turned and walked toward their pods.
At the hatch, without slowing, he threw a command over his shoulder.
"Nappa. Deal with him."
Nappa stiffened, hesitation flickering.
"Prince… we Saiyans are nearly extinct. Raditz is still Saiyan. I—"
Vegeta's aura detonated, crushing Nappa's protest.
"Nappa, do you want to die too?"
Nappa choked, all words swallowing back. He clenched his teeth, raised his thick arm, palm aimed at Raditz.
"…Sorry, Raditz."
A blazing ki blast roared from his hand, slamming toward Raditz—
A blast that could flatten a hill.
In the last instant, Raditz's mind went blank.
He saw, hazily, a tall figure standing in front of him—overlapping with the vague memory of his father.
"Is that you… Father…?"
BOOM!
The blast exploded in a storm of dust and heat.
But when the smoke thinned, Nappa and Vegeta froze.
Raditz was still standing there—unscathed, not even a torn sleeve.
"How…? Impossible!"
Nappa barked, eyes bulging.
Vegeta's brow tightened. He swept the remaining smoke away with a gust of force—
And saw someone standing before Raditz.
A young man in black battle armor, black hair, black eyes, wearing a teasing smile as though he'd always been there.
"Who are you?!" Nappa shouted, snapping into a guard stance.
Vegeta's pupils contracted violently as recognition hit.
He gritted out the name, each syllable drenched in shock and fury.
"Vi—tel—li…!!"
"Yo. Long time no see, Prince Vegeta."
Vitelli greeted him like it was a casual reunion.
He glanced at Nappa's stunned face, then at Raditz, who was gawking at his back.
He smirked at Raditz.
"Raditz, been a while. When did you get such a refined taste? Calling the guy who saved you 'Dad' now?"
Raditz finally realized what had happened. His face went crimson.
"I-I didn't! I saw wrong! Saw wrong, okay?! Vitelli, you bastard! Why are you here?!"
Vitelli's grin widenened.
"Oh? You saw wrong? Sure, sure, I believe you."
Then he added in a maddening tone, "But you can fool your friends. Don't fool yourself."
"Y-you—!"
Raditz's veins popped.
"DIE, Vitelli! HAA—!"
Before he could move, Vegeta exploded.
"YOU BASTARD! How dare you show your face in front of me! DIE!!"
He shot forward like a cannonball, fist aimed squarely at Vitelli's head.
Vitelli lifted one hand lazily and flicked.
Vegeta flew backward even faster than he'd charged, tumbling across the ground like a rag doll before crashing to a stop in a cloud of dust.
He spat sour liquid, chest heaving with pain, face twisted in horror.
Vitelli shook his hand as if swatting a fly, then put on an exaggerated scared face.
"Whoa! Terrifying, Prince Vegeta! That punch almost killed me! Truly worthy of Saiyan royalty—so strong it's scary!"
The mockery lit Vegeta's rage even more.
He staggered up, eyes bloodshot.
"Damn you… how are you this strong?! There is no way you could be stronger than ME! Impossible!!"
He roared, aura flaring brighter, pale gold light licking around him. His hair spiked, his power surged.
"Hmph! You think Prince Vegeta can't beat you? Wrong!"
He jammed his thumb into his chest, eyes blazing.
"The me of now… is Super Vegeta!"
He charged again—
And Vitelli swatted him away again.
Vegeta crawled out of rubble, fell silent, and started muttering deliriously.
"Impossible… I'm Vegeta… Saiyan prince… how could I lose to a mere high-class warrior… hallucination… this is all a hallucination…"
Vitelli didn't bother further. He walked to Raditz, still bug-eyed, and gently pushed his hanging jaw back into place.
"Well? Regret it now? I told you back then your brain was better suited for science than fighting. See what happens when you don't listen?"
Raditz managed a bitter smile.
"If I'd listened and stayed in research… I would've died when Vegeta Star exploded. As a combatant… at least I survived long enough to escape with the prince."
Vitelli coughed awkwardly, scratched his nose.
"Uh… right. Details."
He turned to Nappa, who was sweating so hard his bald head shone.
"And you, Nappa? Been a while. Feels like you got taller."
Nappa rubbed his head, forcing a grin.
Vegeta, after clawing back some dignity, limped over.
Even crushed, his gaze stayed stubborn and proud.
He barked, "How did you do it?!"
Vitelli played dumb.
"Do what?"
Vegeta nearly shouted.
"Your strength! How did you get this ridiculous power?! I'm Super Saiyan Vegeta! And I can't even take a casual hit from you!"
Vitelli sighed.
"You already know how I got stronger. Why ask?"
Vegeta snarled.
"Don't feed me the gravity-room excuse! I can already handle thirty times Vegeta Star's gravity! There's no way you, the lazy one, outtrained me there!"
Vitelli shook his head, then bonked him on the skull.
"You brute. You only saw me in the gravity room. Have you considered that sometimes… 'slacking off' is more important than grinding blindly?"
Vegeta stared, then waved it off like a joke.
"Impossible! Slacking off can't make you stronger. I don't believe your lies!"
He huffed and turned away.
Then he barked at Raditz.
"Raditz!"
"Yes, Prince!"
"Since Vitelli saved you, you live."
Vegeta crossed his arms, voice cold.
"From today, you're no longer a combatant in my squad. Your new role is my researcher. Study… whatever. Nappa!"
"Yes, Prince!"
"Your job is to protect Raditz. Whatever he wants to research, let him."
Nappa and Raditz froze, then dropped to one knee.
"Yes!"
They understood—this was Vegeta's clumsy way of saving face.
Vitelli chuckled, then asked Vegeta, "You said you wanted to go to Earth?"
Vegeta snorted, chin high.
"So what? As Saiyan prince, I don't need to report where I go."
Vitelli said mildly, "I live on Earth now."
Vegeta's face changed instantly.
He whipped around, fuming.
"I knew it! That Sofu king babbled about Earth direction and I laughed! You really ran to that countryside planet to hide!"
Vitelli cut him off.
"Calm down. I went to Earth to find a way to get stronger. And I'm not stopping you from going either."
Vegeta glared.
"You're lying again about slacking off to train!"
Vitelli stopped wasting words.
He grabbed Vegeta and Nappa by the collars and waved Raditz closer.
"Listen up. I'll take you to Earth. But if you can't control yourselves—if you start killing people, wrecking the place, or acting like monsters…"
A chilling, indescribable aura burst from Vitelli.
Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz went bone-white.
Vegeta could barely stand, shaking.
Nappa's legs buckled.
Raditz slammed face-first into the ground, crushed by pressure, gasping.
"…I'll make sure you die without a trace."
Vitelli's voice was cold as judgment.
"Got it?"
The pressure vanished.
They sucked air greedily, eyes full of fear and awe, and nodded stiffly.
Vitelli returned to a relaxed grin.
He lifted Vegeta and Nappa by the collars, and planted one foot on Raditz's back.
Instant Transmission.
All four disappeared.
On the barren planet, only the campfire and half-burnt roast remained.
Some time later, several odd pods streaked down and landed.
Five bizarre figures emerged, lined up, and struck an embarrassing, over-the-top pose.
"We are the Ginyu Force!!!" ×5
They fanned out to search.
Captain Ginyu stepped to the abandoned Saiyan pods and reported into his scouter.
"Lord Frieza, only Vegeta's pods remain. The three Saiyans are gone. I've sent Jeice and Burter to sweep the area. We won't miss a single corner."
After a pause, Frieza's polite, murderous voice replied.
"Hohoho~ Thank you, Captain Ginyu. Find those Saiyan rats. Don't spook them. Contact me immediately once you do. I will come personally."
"Yes, Lord Frieza!"
Ginyu hesitated and added, "But Lord Frieza, isn't the Ginyu Force enough to handle Vegeta's traitor squad? Why trouble yourself?"
Frieza chuckled softly.
"I know you want to ease my burden. How considerate. But no. I must crush those Saiyan monkeys with my own hands to feel at peace. Remember—once you find them, notify me immediately."
The weight on "immediately" made Ginyu shiver.
"Yes. Understood."
While they searched—
Back on Earth, the first thing Vitelli had Nappa, Raditz, and Vegeta do… was eat.
Staring at the mountain of plates and the smoking service robots nearly short-circuiting from the speed of orders, Dr. Brief adjusted his glasses and sighed.
"As expected of Vitelli's friends. They eat exactly like him."