"Who's there?!"
Vegeta leapt from the massive rock, spinning around in an instant. Raditz and Nappa held their breath, their eyes darting toward the source of the voice.
How was this possible? They had swept the planet three times. There shouldn't have been a single survivor left, let alone someone capable of sneaking up on them. Nappa and Raditz glanced at Vegeta; his face was a mask of pure fury. They knew that look—someone was about to have a very bad day.
"It's only been three years, Vegeta. Have you forgotten me already?"
Gran stepped out from behind the boulder, followed by the Supreme Kai and Kibito. It was now Age 740, Gran's third year in this world, and he had grown into a sturdy nine-year-old.
Even after three years, the memory of his "arrival" was etched into his mind with crystal clarity. He remembered being broken and bloodied, and he remembered Vegeta—rather than offering a hand—blowing up his space pod and leaving him to rot on a hostile planet. No Senzu beans, no Dragon Balls, no med-chambers. If he hadn't known about Whis's love for gourmet food, he would have been dead within hours.
Finally, he was standing in front of the "Perennial Runner-up" again. Gran felt a surge of excitement. I'm going to enjoy breaking you.
"Three years?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes. He had only been on this planet for a day. "So, you aren't one of the locals?"
Nappa and Raditz exhaled in relief. If he wasn't a local, it meant they hadn't failed their sweep.
"Three years and you've already grown dim-witted, Vegeta," Gran taunted. "If I were a local, how would I know your name?"
"You...!" Veins throbbed on Vegeta's forehead. Despite his rage, he didn't charge blindly. He stood his ground, analysing the trio.
Who are these people? Vegeta wondered. The boy in front was dressed in strange, ornate clothing. He was roughly the same age as Vegeta but nearly a head taller. His companions were dressed just as oddly.
Raditz and Nappa stared at Gran, but they couldn't quite place him. Over the last three years, Gran had transitioned from a mortal to a being with the Peak Grand Kai dimension. He carried a subtle, divine pressure that felt alien to the Saiyans.
"Still nothing? Let me give you a hint: Three years ago, you discarded a comrade. That comrade was me."
"Discarded? Then you're a Saiy—" Vegeta started to piece it together, but Raditz beat him to it.
"VEGETA! It's Gran!" Raditz shrieked, his face pale with terror.
"He's right!" Nappa stammered. "It's him! How is he even alive?!"
The Return of the "Shame"
Vegeta's pupils shrank. He looked at Gran again. Saiyans usually grew slowly, staying small until their teenage years. Gran was nine, just over a meter tall, with round, bright eyes and a face that still looked somewhat "innocent" compared to the battle-hardened snarls of other Saiyans.
"It really is you," Vegeta said, stunned. "You were supposed to die on that rock. How did you survive?"
"Hahaha! You called me a disgrace to the Saiyan race. Naturally, you wanted me dead," Gran laughed, looking down at the Prince. "But I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm very much alive, and I've come for my revenge. Are you excited, Vegeta? Surprised?"
"Revenge? On ME? Hahahaha!" Vegeta threw his head back in mockery. Raditz and Nappa shared a look—they didn't know how Gran survived, but they were certain he had lost his mind. This was Vegeta, with a power level of 6,000.
"You should have stayed in whatever hole you crawled out of," Vegeta said, his tone turning murderous. "But since you've come all this way to die, I'll be happy to oblige!"
"Vegeta, wait!" Raditz called out. "We were just talking about gathering the remaining Saiyans. Since Gran is alive, he's an extra pair of hands. Maybe we should let him join us?"
WHAM!
"Are you telling me what to do?" Vegeta kicked Raditz squarely in the gut, sending him skidding across the dirt for a hundred meters. Nappa, who was about to say the same thing, immediately shut his mouth.
Vegeta turned back to Gran. "I hate being told what to do. However... Raditz has a point. If you crawl back to me and serve as my subordinate, I might overlook your disrespect today."
Shin and Kibito, watching from the sidelines, were speechless. Is this kid insane? Does he have any idea who he's talking to?
"Three years, and you're still as arrogant and cold as ever," Gran said, glancing at the fallen Raditz and shaking his head.
"Arrogant? Cold? That is what it means to be a Saiyan!" Vegeta sneered. "I was born with a power level of 1,000. Now I'm at 6,000. I have the talent, I have the power—why wouldn't I be arrogant? Gran, one last chance. Serve me, and I'll let this go. Tell me your choice."
Gran's lips curled into a smirk. "My choice? You think you're something special, Vegeta? You're just garbage. You think I'd follow a piece of trash like you? You aren't worthy."
The air went dead silent. Nappa began backing away slowly. Gran was a dead man.
"YOU'RE DEAD!" Vegeta roared, launching himself forward.
In the blink of an eye, Vegeta felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He looked down. A small fist was buried in his gut. He looked up, and Gran was standing right in front of him.
How?! Vegeta's mind raced. He hadn't even seen him move!
"I'm here for revenge," Gran whispered playfully. "And the garbage thinks he can lead me?"
Gran hadn't used much force—he didn't want to kill the Prince by accident.
"AGGGHHH! I'LL KILL YOU!" Vegeta screamed, his 6,000 power level exploding like a dam breaking. The ground shattered, and boulders turned to dust. In Vegeta's mind, Gran might have trained a bit, maybe reaching 1,000, but this surge of power should have blown him away.
"Still too weak," a voice whispered in his ear.
Vegeta looked down. Gran hadn't budged. His fist was still pressed against Vegeta's stomach. "H-How... how are you doing this?!"
"Because you're pathetic, Vegeta."
"SHUT UP! I am the Prince of all Saiyans! A low-class reject will not mock me!" Vegeta swung a haymaker aimed at Gran's temple, his fist breaking the sound barrier.
Gran didn't even flinch. His Second Stage Physical Instinct took over; with a slight tilt of his head, the punch whistled past his ear. Vegeta launched into a frantic combo—punches and kicks flying like lightning—but Gran dodged every single one with effortless grace as they moved the battlefield a kilometre away.
The Scouter's Lie
In the distance, Nappa helped Raditz up. "What the hell is going on? How is Gran this strong?"
Raditz, trembling, tapped his scouter. Beep! Beep! Two numbers appeared. One was 6,000 (Vegeta). The other was... 600.
"This makes no sense!" Raditz gasped. "Gran is only showing 600! How can someone with 600 dodge a 6,000?!"
Nappa stared at the display. "He had 800 three years ago. Did he get weaker? No... that's impossible."
Back at the fight, Vegeta was panting heavily after twenty minutes of his "Prince's Strategy"—bombarding the area with energy blasts. Gran stood in a clear patch of ground, looking bored.
"Your energy is too wild, your control is non-existent, and your combat awareness is a disaster," Gran critiqued. "You're a mess, Vegeta."
"Shut up! All you do is hide!" Vegeta spat. "You have no Saiyan pride! You're a coward!"
"I'm a coward because you can't touch me? Then what does that make you?" Gran asked, enjoying Vegeta's "impotent rage."
Vegeta gritted his teeth. His scouter said Gran was only at 600. How was he being played by someone with a power level of 600?
"Vegeta, do you know how much I've 'suffered' for this day?" Gran lied through his teeth. In reality, he learned everything almost instantly, though getting his butt kicked by Beerus during training did actually hurt. "I swore I'd come back for you."
The atmosphere shifted. A sense of dread washed over Vegeta.
"The warm-up is over," Gran said, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "You said that if the Super Saiyan legend is true, only you could achieve it? Well... I hope you're ready to see the real thing."
BOOM—!
Gran stopped suppressing his power. The full weight of 1,000,000,000 (One Billion) power level erupted into the atmosphere.
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