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Beerus dropped straight onto the ground."Whis, we're leaving!"
"See you next time, North Kai!"
A flash of golden light streaked across the sky, and the two vanished into the distance.
The Kai bent down beside the badly injured Goku."Goku, you can't keep charging in like that. If Lord Beerus hadn't gone easy on you this time, you'd be dead!"
Earth
A luxurious cruise ship party was in full swing.
At the center of it all, Bulma stood proudly on deck, scanning the crowd—until her eyes landed on Vegeta, stretched out on a lounge chair in full battle armor.
"So you really did show up!" she said with a knowing smile. "I knew you wouldn't ignore your beautiful wife."
Vegeta turned his head with a dismissive snort. "Hmph."
"Everyone's over there, having fun. Come join us!"
But her husband didn't even flinch. "Leave me alone."
Bulma crossed her arms. "You love acting cool all by yourself, don't you? Fine, whatever. Saiyans are such a pain sometimes."
Just then, a voice echoed in Vegeta's head."Vegeta, it's me—the Kai."
Vegeta shot upright. "The Kai? What do you want from me?"
The Kai's tone was deadly serious. "You need to listen carefully. Lord Beerus, the God of Destruction, is heading your way."
Vegeta froze. "God of Destruction Beerus? …I've heard that name before."
"All you need to know is this," the Kai continued. "When he gets there, no matter what happens, don't fight him. Don't lift a finger. If you do, Earth will be wiped out."
"Goku already made that mistake. He attacked, and Beerus took him down in just two moves."
Vegeta's face drained of color. "Two moves… to beat Kakarot?"
Goku slowly opened his eyes."Wow… I didn't think anyone could be that strong."
The Kai sighed heavily. "You should count yourself lucky you're still alive, kid."
Goku slumped, frustrated. "If I want to get stronger, maybe the only way is to fuse with Vegeta. But even then, I'm not sure it would work."
"You're kidding me," the Kai groaned. "You still want to fight him?"
But Goku wasn't even listening anymore. "He mentioned something about a Super Saiyan God… I wonder if that's a transformation I can reach through training, or if it's an actual Saiyan with godly power."
"Right—the Earth! You need to warn them, Kai!"
"I already told Vegeta," the Kai muttered. "Though honestly, he's the one most likely to cause trouble."
Struggling, Goku pushed himself upright."Vegeta… if Beerus shows up, there's gonna be big trouble. I have to get back to Earth fast. I can't just lie here while the planet's in danger."
Earth
Vegeta's expression had grown dark."God of Destruction Beerus… where have I heard that before?"
Then, a lazy voice drifted to him."Hey, Prince Vegeta."
He whipped his head around, searching. "Was that my imagination?"
Suddenly, a finger tapped his shoulder—pop!
Vegeta spun, sensing danger, and leapt back just in time.
"Hello there."
Vegeta's face hardened. "Who the hell are you?"
Beerus gave a careless shrug. "Do I really need to tell you? You're already dead."
Vegeta's fury spiked. "What did you just say?!" He lunged.
But before he could reach Beerus, his body locked up and he collapsed to the deck with a thud."What the—my body… it won't move!"
Looking up at Beerus's face, memories slammed into him. He remembered his father, King Vegeta, groveling on the ground with Beerus's foot on his head, too terrified to fight back.
God of Destruction Beerus… No wonder Kakarot couldn't last more than two blows.
Beerus crouched down, studying him. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the Super Saiyan God?"
Vegeta's face twisted in fear. "S-Super Saiyan… God?"
Beerus shut his eyes. "So you really don't know."
At that moment, Bulma came walking over with a tray of drinks. "Oh, so here you are."
But then she froze. "Vegeta?!"
"Stay back!" Vegeta barked.
Beerus rose smoothly. "That's no way to treat a lady, Prince Vegeta."
Bulma blinked. "And who might you be?"
Whis stepped forward with a polite bow. "Forgive the intrusion. I'm Whis, and this is my master, Lord Beerus."
Beerus gave a slight smile. "We just happened to pass by Earth and spotted Vegeta here."
Bulma looked stunned. "Wait—you actually have friends? That's a surprise." She studied the two. "I thought so… you don't look like Earthlings. I'm Bulma, Vegeta's wife."
Beerus smiled and shook her hand. "A pleasure to meet you."
"Why don't you join the party?" Bulma offered brightly. "It's my birthday today. You're both welcome."
Beerus chuckled. "Thank you. To be honest, I've been smelling the most delicious food since I arrived."
"Then follow me!" Bulma beamed, leading them toward the festivities.
Vegeta broke into a cold sweat. "Wait—!"
But it was too late. Bulma had already introduced Beerus and Whis to everyone.
From the shadows, Vegeta muttered to himself, "As long as no one pisses him off, we might be safe. But with Piccolo and Majin Buu around… this could get messy."
For now, Beerus was content to indulge in the endless food, mingling with the others.
Half an hour later, Beerus leaned lazily against the railing."Still no sign of this Super Saiyan God… and I'm stuffed. Might as well head back and take a nap."
Vegeta knelt, holding up a tray of food for him. Beerus picked up a pastry and asked casually, "That Saiyan I fought on King Kai's planet… what was his name again?"
"Son Goku," Whis reminded.
"Right, Goku. What's he to you?"
Vegeta muttered, "Call him my rival."
"'Rival,' huh?" Beerus said with a smirk. "Saiyans sure have changed since the last time I saw one. All that fire in their blood… gone."
...
Meanwhile, in another timeline
Vegeta stared in disbelief at the viewing screen."That woman? My wife? In the future, I actually marry an Earthling? Impossible. I'm the Prince of all Saiyans—I'd never stoop so low!"
"But Beerus is looking for a Super Saiyan God… Could it really be the legendary warrior from the old stories?"
Back on Earth, a sudden splash soaked Beerus from head to toe.
Vegeta's heart almost stopped. He spun around to see Goten and Trunks standing there with water guns.
Both boys froze under his glare."S-Sorry!!!" they squeaked before bolting.
Vegeta's face went pale as he turned back to the dripping, silent Beerus.
Whis tilted his head. "You're upset, aren't you?"
Beerus's lips curled into a snarl. "Upset? No. I'm furious."
A terrifying purple aura erupted around him, shaking the sky as his energy surged.
He floated into the air, crackling with raw power.
Without a word, Vegeta dove headfirst into the sea. Beerus frowned in confusion. "What's he doing?"
Moments later, Vegeta burst back into the air clutching a massive octopus. With a wild yell, he swung it overhead, flinging it skyward. A blast of ki shot from his hand, exploding the creature into a dazzling spray of colors like fireworks.
Then, still dripping, Vegeta stormed into the kitchen with one giant tentacle in hand—and to everyone's shock, displayed flawless cooking skills that left the crowd speechless.
"..."
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