Goku slowly lifted his head. His eyes—now completely emerald green—no longer held their usual clarity.
All that remained in his gaze was an icy fury, locked onto Vegeta in the sky.
Under that frozen stare, Vegeta felt a chill run through him for no reason at all.
He swallowed instinctively.
But then an endless surge of humiliation burst from his chest and drowned out that flicker of fear in an instant!
He—Vegeta! The noble Prince of the Saiyans! A prodigy among Saiyans!
Had actually… actually been afraid of a low-class warrior's look?!
What a joke!!!
"Kakarot!!!"
Vegeta roared, trying to blow away the wobble in his heart with sheer volume.
"So what if you've become a Super Saiyan too?! I'm the strongest Super Saiyan! I am—Super Vegeta!!!"
"Haah!!!"
He forced his power harder. The golden aura around him swelled again!
His body blurred. Like a golden meteor, he appeared in front of Goku in an instant, a fist packed with terrifying force ripping through the air as it smashed toward Goku's face!
But Goku only tilted slightly to the side.
His arm rose as if he'd foreseen it, perfectly intercepting the punch right along its path!
A crisp clang of a block.
And more than that—at the moment of contact, Goku's body naturally shifted into the best stance for power. His other arm drove an elbow forward, borrowing Vegeta's own momentum, and slammed it into Vegeta's chest!
A brutal impact.
Vegeta felt a massive force surge through him. Blood and ki churned in his chest as his body flew backward uncontrollably.
Watching nearby, Vitelli's eyes lit up.
He murmured under his breath:
"Oh? Now that's interesting. Mind moves, body follows—late strike, first hit… Looks like Goku's been to the Lookout and gotten a few pointers from Mr. Popo, huh?"
On Earth, the only one who could have honed Goku's reflexes and battle instinct to this level was that mysterious Mr. Popo. Vitelli couldn't think of anyone else.
"Vegeta!"
Goku shouted, instantly catching up in midair.
He whipped a savage side kick into Vegeta's stomach, launching him upward like a ball into the sky!
Vegeta spun several times before he barely stabilized himself, his insides roiling.
But before he could even breathe—
A shrill tearing of air erupted behind him. His face turned white.
"Damn it!!!"
Goku had already appeared above and behind him. Fingers interlaced, hands raised like a hammer, he dropped with crushing force—
A double-fisted axe blow slammed straight down!
Vegeta couldn't dodge. The strike landed squarely on his back.
Agony exploded through his body.
BOOM—!!!
Dust and debris erupted.
Vegeta's body smashed into the ground, carving out a massive crater.
Goku floated down, hovering above the pit. His golden aura burned steadily, green eyes cold as he stared into the depths.
He spoke, calm but oppressive:
"Aren't you the one calling yourself Super Vegeta? Is that all you've got?"
Inside the crater, Vegeta struggled to rise. Goku's words made him tremble with rage.
His clenched teeth nearly bled.
Humiliation. Fury. Defiance.
Everything churned and raged in his heart.
"If that's really all you've got…"
Goku's voice sharpened.
"Then today… you're losing right here!"
"HAAAA—!!!"
Goku detonated again. His golden aura flared even brighter!
He became a bolt of gold, trailing a long comet-tail of ki as he dove viciously toward Vegeta in the crater!
Vegeta's pupils snapped tight at the oncoming threat!
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to calm down.
"Kakarot!!! If you think you can beat me, Vegeta, you're still a long way off!!!"
He roared, hands whipping forward—
Dozens of ki blasts streaked out, trying to disrupt Goku's path!
At the same time, Vegeta flashed sideways and back, retreating at high speed while climbing higher into the air!
His hands drew to his waist, his body curling. His energy began to pour into his palms at an unprecedented rate.
A horrifying pulse of power spread across the battlefield!
"This is the final blow, Kakarot!!!"
Vegeta's voice twisted as he compressed everything into a gigantic purple sphere between his hands. The Galick Gun swelled rapidly, brimming with annihilation.
Seeing that, Goku stopped chasing. He dropped onto a towering peak.
His expression grew solemn. Feet planted wide, he pulled his hands back to his waist. A brilliant blue light gathered in his palms.
"Here it comes, here it comes! Classic scene!"
Vitelli slung an arm over Raditz—who was so tense he was practically petrified—while his other hand fumbled like he was about to pull out snacks, grinning:
"Beam clash, beam clash! Vegeta's dumbass is on the left again… Tch, should've brought sunflower seeds. Rookie mistake!"
Goku's Kamehameha condensed to a blazing blue star between his hands, shining like a miniature sun.
High above, Vegeta dumped every last drop of power into his Galick Gun, its size and intensity still climbing.
Both sides charged to the limit. The battlefield fell into a dead-silent calm before a storm, broken only by the low thrumming of compressed energy that chilled the spine.
Nappa, sprawled on the ground, and Raditz beside Vitelli both held their breath, eyes glued to the two world-ending beams about to collide.
They were praying like mad for Vegeta.
But… looking at Goku below—steady as a mountain, his aura no weaker—unease crept into their hearts.
Finally, both charges hit the peak!
"KA—ME—HA—ME—HAAAAA!!!!!!!!!"
"GA—LICK—GUN—HAAA!!!!!!!!!"
One blue, one purple—two colossal beams containing everything they had crashed together like roaring dragons!
BOOOOOOM—!!!
A deafening shockwave erupted!
The impact burst outward in a ring, tearing up the ground into layered waves of dirt. Massive boulders were shredded like paper and hurled away!
Dust and rubble pelted Vitelli and the others from afar, but they didn't even flinch, staring straight at the clash's core.
After a brief stalemate—
The outcome began to show.
Goku's Kamehameha pushed forward inch by inch, slow but utterly relentless, forcing Vegeta's Galick Gun backward!!!
"W-what?!" Vegeta's confidence froze, turning into pure shock.
"How is this possible?! Your power… how can it be stronger than mine?! I'm a Super Saiyan now! How can I lose?! I won't accept this!!! AAAAAH—!!!"
No matter how he screamed, no matter how he wrung the last scraps of energy from his body, he couldn't stop the crushing advance.
In a thunderous roar mixed with Vegeta's desperate scream, the blue Kamehameha swallowed the purple Galick Gun whole—
Then slammed straight into Vegeta!
"AAAAAAH!!!"
His body vanished into the ocean of blue light, screaming as he shot into the far reaches of the sky, shrinking into a blue star before disappearing beyond the horizon.
The clash's echo faded, leaving only wrecked earth and a howling wind.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
Goku panted violently, arms hanging limp.
His golden aura dissolved. Hair and eyes returned to their normal black.
He gazed where Vegeta vanished. Exhausted, but smiling.
"This fight… I won!"
Vitelli appeared beside him in a flash, laughing as he slapped Goku's shoulder.
"Attaboy! That's my Goku!"
Goku started to smile back—then suddenly remembered something. His grin died.
Sadness and worry replaced it.
He looked up at Vitelli, voice low.
"Vitelli… Grandpa Roshi… Krillin… and Launch… are they really all dead? Did Vegeta have them… killed?"
His eyes held one last, tiny hope, searching Vitelli for a denial.
He knew the Dragon Balls could revive them, but the thought of his friends enduring death still tore at him.
Vitelli's smile faded too.
He sighed, putting on an unbearably solemn expression, patting Goku's shoulder hard, and said in a voice dripping with tragedy:
"I lied to you."
Goku nodded reflexively, still wearing that sad face.
"I'm fine… We still have the Dra— huh?"
The next second, he froze.
It took him a long moment to turn slowly, staring blankly at Vitelli.
Finally, a dry syllable slipped out:
"Ah…?"
Seeing Goku's stunned face, Vitelli couldn't hold it in anymore. He snorted out a laugh, then quickly tried to keep a straight face.
"Just kidding! You don't have to thank me too much—just figured I'd help you out since you couldn't transform. Don't be moved. Just remember to treat me to a few good meals from now on!"
Goku blinked, still processing this reality-shattering update.
He asked carefully, as if afraid the answer would disappear:
"S-so that means… Krillin and the others… they're really okay? Everyone's fine?"
Vitelli didn't answer. He just turned away, shoulders bouncing as he tried not to laugh, and started walking off.
Goku's expression slowly changed.
His eyes widened. His brows rose.
A flood of rage snapped into place.
"VI-TE-LLI!!!"
He lunged after Vitelli, trying to grab his collar.
"I trusted you! And you lied to me—about everyone's lives!!!"
"Hahahaha! Sorry, Goku! Just a little joke~"
Vitelli laughed, dodging easily, flashing to the distance in a couple of blinks.
"Forgive me, Goku! I swear that was the last time!"
"I don't believe a word you say, you liar! Get back here!"
Goku roared, blasting after him despite his exhaustion.
One chased, one fled—both vanished over the horizon, leaving Goku's furious yelling and Vitelli's shameless laughter echoing across the wasteland.
Back on the ground, Raditz and Nappa—who had just managed to stand—looked at each other.
Then they both looked up at the empty sky where Vegeta had disappeared.
Raditz hesitated, then asked softly:
"Nappa… maybe you should fly up and… catch His Highness?"
Nappa shook his shiny head like a rattling drum.
"I'm dumb, not stupid! If I go up there and see the prince at his most pathetic, he'll kill me the moment he recovers. You want me dead?!"
Raditz thought about Vegeta's personality.
Yeah… that checked out.
So the two Saiyans just stood there craning their necks, silently praying:
Please be safe, Prince Vegeta…
…and—
Please fall down already. Staring at the sky like this makes us look so stupid…