Whoosh!
Ken's figure blurred and in an instant, he appeared behind Vegeta.
He moved so fast that even Vegeta didn't register it.
Rubbing his eyes and shaking his head, Vegeta frantically looked around for any sign of Ken.
"Behind you," Ken said calmly.
Startled, Vegeta turned his head stiffly and locked eyes with Ken standing right behind him.
Wham!
Ken struck Vegeta on the back of the neck with his palm.
Of course, he had infused the strike with a trace of Divine ki, converting it into a high-intensity energy form.
He hadn't converted it into Destruction.
If he had, that single strike might have reduced Vegeta to a pile of ash.
Even so, the force was enough to send Vegeta sprawling forward, blood spurting from his mouth as he hit the ground.
Thud!
He collapsed face-first, lying prone on the ground, his body completely out of sorts.
His expression was one of total shock, his face contorted, eyes wide with disbelief.
I… I got injured by Ken?
How is that even possible?
I must've let my guard down and failed to dodge!
Yeah, that must be it!
There's no way someone with a power level of only 100 could hurt me otherwise!
For all his pride, little Vegeta's mind was still rather naïve.
"I'll try using healing now," Ken said, stepping forward. A swirl of murky Divine ki enveloped Vegeta's body.
Immediately, his injuries began visibly healing at an astonishing speed.
In under ten seconds, Vegeta had fully recovered.
He jumped up, shocked at the sudden restoration of his body.
Ken also sensed Vegeta's energy to confirm—there was no change in his power level.
After all, Vegeta hadn't been on the brink of death. Healing alone wouldn't trigger a power level surge.
"You really healed me?" Vegeta asked, stunned.
"Told you so. When it's time to leave, don't forget to call me. The planet I'm taking you to is quite special," Ken said before lifting off into the sky and flying away.
Vegeta remained frozen in place, still dazed.
Wait a minute…
Did he just brush off the fact that he injured me?!
——
Ken soared across the blue skies of Planet Vegeta, quickly making his way back to town.
The streets were bustling—Frieza had summoned more and more Saiyans back home.
Since Ken was born, he had never seen this many fellow Saiyans in one place.
Among the returning crowd, Ken spotted someone familiar—Bardock, Goku's father, had just arrived via space pod.
Bardock had returned from an offworld mission at Frieza's command.
He looked nearly identical to Goku, save for the long scar stretching across his cheek—a mark from battle. His tail waved lightly in the wind behind him.
"Bardock, long time no see! You're still alive?" a Saiyan named Lutrra greeted him with a grin.
"Do you know why Frieza summoned us all back?" Bardock asked.
"No clue. Rumor has it there's a giant planet that needs conquering, and we need a massive force to pull it off," Lutra replied.
Bardock fell silent, his gut whispering that something wasn't right.
"Oh yeah, the Frieza Force has also been asking around about something called a 'Super Saiyan,'" Lutra added casually.
"Super Saiyan?" Bardock frowned. "You mean that legendary figure?"
"Yup, the hero of legend!" Lutra said proudly.
Super Saiyan.
A myth widely spread among Saiyans.
Said to be the strongest being in the entire universe.
Of course, in Saiyan understanding, "universe" only meant Universe 7, not the twelve multiversal realms.
"In my understanding," Ken said, walking up like a tiny professor, "there are two kinds of Super Saiyans: regular ones, and the Legendary Super Saiyan."
His sudden arrival made both Bardock and Lutra blink.
"Well, if it isn't our little prodigy Ken," Lutra chuckled, pressing the button on his scouter. After scanning, he clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Yikes… your power level's dropped to just 100? What the hell happened to you?"
"No big deal," Ken replied nonchalantly.
Lutra: "…"
Bardock: "…"
Bardock looked closely at Ken, curiosity filling his gaze.
He had heard the rumors.
Ken had once been an elite prodigy—hitting a power level of 20,000 at just age four.
And yet, in a single year, that number had plummeted to 100.
What the hell happened?
Of course, Bardock—being away on missions all the time—hadn't heard about the mysterious book Ken had been training with.
"Tch, acting like you know so much about Super Saiyans!" Lutra scoffed. "You'd better worry about your power level first. You've wasted your talent!"
"Ken, how much do you know about Super Saiyans?" Bardock asked, genuinely curious.
"Just what I said: there's the regular kind, and then the Legendary kind," Ken replied with a smile. "The Legendary Super Saiyan only appears once every thousand years. We shouldn't bother chasing that. But with proper training, you guys can definitely become regular Super Saiyans."
Bardock's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Hahaha!" Lutra burst out laughing.
"Ken, you said 'you guys'—what, you're not including yourself in that?" he teased.
"Yeah… I probably can't become a Super Saiyan," Ken sighed.
"Because you're washed up, right?" Lutra snorted.
"No," Ken said, gazing skyward. "Because I might just skip the Super Saiyan form altogether and become a Super Saiyan God."
Lutra: "…"
Bardock: "…"
You serious right now?
I can't even keep up with this guy anymore.
"And to become a Super Saiyan, you need to have a certain amount of S-Cells," Ken continued with a gentle smile. "And the way to develop S-Cells is actually pretty simple—have a peaceful heart."
"S-Cells? A peaceful heart?" Lutra frowned. "What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Bardock, you're doing well. You've already begun generating S-Cells, but it's not enough yet," Ken said, ignoring Lutra. "Still, if you stay true to who you are, I believe you'll become a real Super Saiyan before long."
"Me… a Super Saiyan?" Bardock muttered, stunned.
"Hahaha, Bardock, you're not seriously buying into that, are you?" Lutra laughed even harder.
Ken just shook his head. He wasn't going to argue.
The reason he spoke to Bardock like that was because he knew the truth.
At the moment of Planet Vegeta's destruction, Bardock would likely be flung 1,000 years into the past.
And the legend of the Super Saiyan?
It would all start with him.
So why not complete the story?
Just as Ken was about to leave, two royal guards flew in and landed beside him.
"Ken," one said, "His Highness the Prince has ordered everyone to report to the spaceport by 10 PM tonight. No exceptions."
"You should wear a scouter next time," the other added, tapping the device on his eye. "Makes contact easier."
"Next time? Got it. Thanks for the heads-up," Ken replied with a nod.
Next time, huh?
If my estimate's correct, Planet Vegeta won't be around much longer.
There won't be a next time.
The guards departed.
"Ken, are you guys heading offworld?" Bardock asked, surprised.
(End of Chapter)