The Namekians stared at the battlefield, eyes wide, faces frozen in disbelief.
Just moments ago, King Cold had stood like a tyrant who could crush the world with a gesture—
And now he was gone.
Erased.
A young Namekian swallowed hard, voice trembling.
"T-Too… too strong…"
"Is this… the power of a Super Saiyan?" Nail couldn't help murmuring under his breath.
He'd seen Son Goku fight before—
But Vegeta's style was different.
Goku ended battles with control.
Vegeta ended them like a storm.
Fast. Brutal. Absolute.
Bulma crossed her arms, the corner of her mouth lifting.
"That guy… Vegeta. For once, he actually did something decent."
Goku walked up and patted Vegeta on the shoulder with a grin.
"Nice work, Vegeta! Your strength really has grown a lot."
Vegeta clicked his tongue and shrugged Goku's hand off.
"Hmph. Kakarot, don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't helping you."
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. The noble Saiyan prince would never admit he did a good deed."
Vegeta shot her a glare, but didn't bother arguing. Instead, he looked around and asked coldly,
"King Cold is dead. The Namekians should be safe now. Are we leaving?"
Bulma turned toward Goku. "So… we're just going back?"
Goku didn't answer.
His expression shifted—subtle, but immediate.
His smile faded. His brow tightened.
He stared into the far distance, as if listening to something only he could hear.
"Goku?" Bulma noticed right away. "What is it?"
Vegeta narrowed his eyes and followed Goku's gaze, but he couldn't sense anything.
Goku, however, had been training Spirit Control—his senses were sharper than before.
And now…
He looked unusually serious.
"I feel it," Goku said quietly. "Far away… there's a very strong ki. And it's moving this way."
Vegeta frowned. "Kakarot—why can't I feel it?"
"Because it's far," Goku replied. "And my sensing is better than yours. That ki is… really far."
Vegeta hesitated, then grudgingly accepted it.
But another question rose immediately.
"Frieza is dead. King Cold is dead. That means the strongest in the universe should be the two of us."
His eyes sharpened.
"So who could possibly have ki strong enough to make you react like this?"
Goku closed his eyes again, focusing harder.
"This ki… it feels similar to King Cold's."
Then his eyes snapped open.
"I know who it is."
Vegeta's brow rose. "Who?"
Goku's voice turned low.
"Cooler."
Vegeta blinked. "Cooler? Who the hell is that?"
"Frieza's older brother," Goku said. "If King Cold came here for revenge… Cooler definitely knows too."
His gaze stayed fixed on the horizon.
"Now that King Cold's ki vanished… he'll realize what happened. Probably through a scouter or his network."
Bulma swallowed, suddenly tense.
"Wait—so we basically raided Frieza's whole family tree?!"
She pointed at the sky like it might produce another relative at any second.
"He doesn't have like… another brother? A cousin? An uncle? A whole clan of short psycho lizards?!"
Goku waved quickly. "No, no. As far as I know, it's just King Cold and Cooler."
Then he added, blunt and honest:
"But Cooler is stronger than both Frieza and King Cold."
Bulma looked between Vegeta and Goku. "But you two are Super Saiyans now. If he comes… you can just team up, right?"
Vegeta scoffed like she'd insulted him.
"Team up? Don't be ridiculous. I don't need Kakarot. I'll handle him alone."
Bulma's eyebrow twitched.
This idiot… got stronger and immediately started floating.
Goku kept sensing, expression oddly thoughtful, then said,
"I could handle him alone too."
Vegeta glanced at him sharply.
Goku continued, calm as ever:
"But the grudge between Frieza's family and the Saiyans… it's better if you finish it."
Vegeta's lips curled into a cold, excited smile.
"Good. King Cold was too weak. I barely warmed up."
He turned toward Goku.
"How long until this 'Cooler' gets here?"
Goku calculated silently.
"He's fast, but the distance is huge. At least a month."
Vegeta's pupils tightened.
"A month away… and you can still sense him?"
Goku nodded. "His ki is strong enough. And… he just directed killing intent at us. That's how I found him."
Bulma's heart sank.
So they weren't leaving.
Not anymore.
She exhaled and asked, "Then what do we do? Wait here?"
Goku looked at Vegeta.
"I think we shouldn't lead him toward Earth."
Then he turned to Bulma.
"We'll wait for him here."
Vegeta nodded immediately. "Fine. But I'm using the training room."
Goku smiled. "No problem. I brought a backup ship too, just in case."
Vegeta didn't waste a second—he headed straight back into the ship to train.
With King Cold gone, Namek finally gained a brief peace.
Namek's year was 130 days, which meant its Dragon Balls also recharged faster.
A few days later, the Dragon Balls regained their power.
Elder Moori used them to revive two villagers Vegeta had killed.
Then, with the final wish, the Namekians left Namek behind and relocated to their new planet.
Soon…
The entire world felt empty.
Only three remained on Namek:
Goku.
Bulma.
And the Saiyan prince who refused to talk to anyone unless it involved fighting.
Bulma looked over the silent village and sighed.
"They all left… It's suddenly so quiet."
Goku nodded. "It's better this way. If Cooler shows up… we won't have to worry about collateral damage."
Bulma glanced around again, then pouted slightly.
"Yeah, but… I'm kind of sick of staring at green water and green sky."
She hesitated—then her cheeks warmed faintly.
"…So how are we supposed to spend the next month?"
Goku didn't answer right away.
He closed his eyes again and sensed the far-off ki.
A moment later, he opened them with a small frown.
"He's faster than I thought."
Bulma stiffened. "How fast?"
"From now… about twenty days."
Bulma's eyes widened.
"Twenty?!"
Then she lowered her voice, more serious.
"Goku… if things get dangerous… are you really not going to team up with Vegeta?"
Goku reached out and squeezed her hand.
"Don't worry. Cooler might be stronger than Frieza and King Cold…"
His gaze was steady.
"But only a little. I can handle him."
Bulma nodded slowly. "Okay. I believe you."
Then she added, softer:
"But you still need to train too. You can't just relax for twenty days."
Goku blinked. "Train? You don't want me to stay with you?"
Bulma waved him off quickly, acting casual.
"I'm not a three-year-old! I'm fine."
She paused, then looked at him with a spark in her eyes.
"Actually…"
She leaned closer, voice brightening.
"Goku—teach me that Spirit Control thing. You said it's not limited by raw power… and even Earthlings can learn it, right?"
Goku froze for a second, surprised.
Then his smile returned.
"…Yeah."
He nodded.
"Okay. Let's start."
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