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Frieza's cold, sharp laughter echoed through the multiverse chat. "Super Vegeta? More like 'Supine Vegeta.' You were flattened onto your back the moment you finished that sentence," Frieza mocked, his eyes glinting with malicious delight.
He had fully expected Vegeta to fail, but the sheer speed of the humiliation was a masterpiece of comedy. "Wait, this feels familiar. Didn't you pull the same stunt on Namek? You claimed to be the Super Saiyan of legend, and then I broke your spirit along with your ribs."
Watching the screen, Vegeta's jaw tightened until the bone nearly snapped. Thick veins throbbed on his forehead, but for once, the Prince of Saiyans was speechless. The shame was suffocating. He had been crushed twice in the exact same pattern: once by Frieza and now by Cell.
Each time, his skyrocketing confidence was met by an even more overwhelming wall of power. He glared at his past self on the screen, wanting to scream at the screen for being so blindingly arrogant.
"Vegeta truly played the most essential role in Cell reaching his Perfect Form," Sengoku remarked from the One Piece world, his voice heavy with tactical disapproval. "Cell was starving for power, and Vegeta didn't just invite him to the table—he handed him the chopsticks."
Zhang Zhiwei nodded, his long beard fluttering. "He gave Cell two golden opportunities. First, he let Dr. Gero escape, allowing Androids 17 and 18 to be activated. Now, he's stood by and watched the absorption happen."
"The worst part is that Trunks tried to stop it both times," Duanmu Yan added, his voice dripping with pity for the young time-traveler. "I feel for the kid. Having a father who actively sabotages the mission is a nightmare. If my teammates were that useless, I'd rather fight the monsters alone. Then again, I usually do."
In the Dragon Ball world, Krillin looked down at his hands, his heart heavy. "@Piccolo, @Tien Shinhan, I'm sorry. I let you all down." He took full responsibility for his hesitation. "If I had just pressed the remote and destroyed Android 18, Cell would never have reached this level. I was weak."
"Don't beat yourself up, Krillin," Tien Shinhan replied. "The lion's share of the blame lies with Vegeta's ego."
Yamcha seized the moment to twist the knife. "Krillin apologized, but where is Vegeta? Why isn't the 'Prince' bowing his head? According to the narrator, you owe Piccolo, Tien, and even 18 an apology for your stupidity!"
Vegeta remained silent, simmering in a volcano of impotent rage inside his spaceship. He refused to give Yamcha the satisfaction of a response, though he cursed the man internally. Is he still bitter about Bulma? he wondered.
"I still don't get it," Piccolo grunted, his Namekian sensibilities baffled by human emotion. "Why didn't you just blow her up?"
Tien Shinhan sighed, understanding what the warrior-monk did not. It was clear Krillin had developed feelings for the beautiful cyborg. Meanwhile, on the road to West City, Lapis looked at his sister, Lazuli. "It seems that bald little martial artist has a crush on you," he teased. "That kiss you gave him really scrambled his brains."
Lazuli remained silent, her gaze fixed on the screen. Seeing Krillin choose her life over the safety of the world touched a part of her she usually kept guarded. Knowing he was currently on his way to find them made her stomach flip with a confusing mix of emotions.
The narrator mentioned Krillin's kindness would bring him "benefits." She wondered if those benefits involved her. Did I survive? Did we... end up together? She bit her lip, waiting for the video to reveal the future.
On the screen, the battle shifted. With Vegeta unconscious, Trunks stepped forward. He urged Krillin to take his father to safety while he held the line. As they retreated, Trunks began to roar, his golden aura exploding outward. His muscles ballooned into massive, boulder-like proportions, his Ki swelling until it felt even greater than Cell's. He looked like a god of pure destruction.
However, the tide turned instantly. Despite his massive power, Trunks couldn't land a single blow. Cell moved like a phantom, effortlessly dancing around the bulky Saiyan. "Power without speed is a delusion," Cell sneered, toying with him. "You've increased your strength at the cost of your mobility. You're useless like this."
Realizing his tactical error, Trunks slumped, his golden hair flickering. Cell, bored by the lack of a challenge, asked if there was anyone else worth fighting. Trunks mentioned that Son Goku and Gohan were still training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
This piqued Cell's vanity. He decided to host a "Cell Games," a grand martial arts tournament to decide the fate of the Earth. He even hijacked a television station to broadcast the ultimatum: the world had nine days to prepare.
Just as the deadline began to loom, the doors to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber creaked open. Son Goku and Gohan stepped out, but something was different. They weren't powering up; they were simply existing as Super Saiyans. Their golden hair was calm, their auras soft.
Vegeta, watching from the sidelines, realized Akira's tactical genius immediately. By staying in the transformation constantly, they were training their bodies to handle the strain as if it were their natural state. This "Full Power Super Saiyan" mastery was a level of efficiency Vegeta hadn't even considered.
After a massive meal and a change of clothes—Gohan donning Piccolo's weighted cape and gi out of respect—Goku took his son to Korin Tower. Goku asked the old hermit cat to gauge his power against Cell's. He powered up to only half of his maximum, but the sheer pressure of his Ki sent shockwaves through the very foundation of the Earth. Even the Lookout high above trembled under the golden weight of his energy.
Vegeta gripped his arm, his teeth bared in frustration. He had been surpassed again. Korin looked at Goku with a grim face. "Even with this... I don't think you can beat him."
Goku didn't look worried. He smiled, as if he had expected that answer. But it was Gohan's reaction that stunned everyone. While the others were trembling at Goku's half-power, Gohan looked confused. "Is that all, Dad?" he seemed to wonder. To Gohan, that terrifying level of Ki felt normal—implying that his own hidden potential was already far beyond what anyone could imagine.