Frieza didn't find it strange at all that Vegeta had gone missing.
He'd long known that Vegeta had no true loyalty toward him. Keeping Vegeta around was never about trust — it was about humiliating the Saiyan race and having a powerful errand boy at his disposal.
When it came to matters of personal interest — especially something as valuable as the Dragon Balls, which could grant eternal life — betrayal was only natural.
Frieza floated out from his spacecraft, gazing through the glass at the dark void of space. One of his subordinates immediately handed him a glass filled with crimson liquid.
He swirled it gently, his voice calm and elegant.
"There seem to be two rather strong individuals on Earth. Their Power Levels exceed the limits of those outdated scouters Vegeta's team used. How... interesting."
Dodoria and Zarbon exchanged glances, both seeing a flicker of surprise in the other's eyes.
They themselves could overload those old scouters — though just barely. If Zarbon transformed, it would be easy enough.
From their perspective, if Vegeta and Nappa had encountered such enemies — and two of them, no less — they were probably already dead on Earth.
The thought made both of them smirk with a trace of schadenfreude.
Then Frieza suddenly turned around and said casually,
"Let's take a little trip to Earth. I'd like to see how my dear Vegeta is doing these days."
...
On Earth —
Bulma was hosting a dinner party at her house. Among the guests were Goku and his friends, as well as Kaito and his "family of three."
Goku was devouring a massive bowl of noodles at lightning speed. In the middle of eating, he suddenly looked up and asked,
"Hey, Bulma, where's Yamcha? Haven't seen him around today."
Bulma froze, a vein throbbing on her forehead. She glared at him and snapped,
"Just eat your food! Why are you asking so many questions?"
Goku swallowed, about to speak again, but Krillin jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow and whispered,
"They're obviously having a fight. Just keep your mouth shut."
Goku tilted his head in confusion for a second, then went back to his meal as if nothing happened.
Kaito and Eighteen were sitting at a table, while Seventeen stood opposite them wearing an apron, grilling meat over a small stove. He let out a long sigh.
Eighteen frowned.
"What's with all the sighing? You're gonna burn that meat!"
"C'mon, Sis, have a little sympathy for someone who just got dumped, will you? I'm miserable here!"
"Tch. That's not heartbreak — it's luck. Better to see through that Marron girl early. Next time, try not to be blind."
"Easy for you to say. You got lucky — the first person you met was brother-in-law..."
Eighteen's face lit up at that. She tilted her head proudly and wrapped her arm around Kaito's.
"That's right. I am lucky. Got a problem with that?"
Seventeen twitched. He looked down and began smacking the spatula against the grill, venting his frustration on the poor pieces of meat.
Across the yard, Gohan was standing before Vegeta, holding a small cream cake in his hands.
"Vegeta-san, you should try some! It's really good!"
Vegeta scowled like the entire world owed him money and barked,
"Who wants to eat that kind of junk?! Get out of my sight! I don't want to see you!"
But the moment he shouted, his stomach betrayed him — growling loud enough to shake the air.
"..."
"Pfft!"
Gohan couldn't help laughing, though he quickly covered his mouth. His wide, blinking eyes made it even worse for Vegeta — like a slap to his pride.
He wished he could crawl into a hole right there.
This was all his own fault. Goku's family always offered him food, but every time he'd take a single bite, close his eyes, and pretend to meditate — as if he didn't need to eat like mere mortals.
Of course, the leftovers never went to waste — Goku ate them all.
Given a Saiyan's appetite, eating one bite per meal was ridiculous. Now, Vegeta's arrogance had caught up to him, and a little piece of cake had pierced his defenses completely.
He swallowed his pride — and his saliva — and muttered in a low voice,
"Brat… bring that cake here."
Gohan immediately pushed the cake toward him. Vegeta stared at it in silence.
His arms were still bound by the black restraints Kaito had forged, leaving him unable to lift even a small dessert. The only way he could eat was to lean down and bite directly from the plate.
But of course, his royal pride would never allow such humiliation.
So, once again, he had to rely on that "brat."
"Kid… you're Gohan, right? Do me a favor. Bring it a bit closer. As you can see, I'm… not exactly in a convenient position right now."
Realizing the situation, Gohan quickly stepped forward and held the cake up to Vegeta's mouth.
"Sorry! I didn't think about that!"
Vegeta still looked grumpy, but a faint curve touched the corner of his lips — almost invisible.
For the first time since surviving under Frieza's rule, he felt what it was like to be cared for. Gohan's innocent sincerity had somehow touched the proud Saiyan prince.
He murmured a barely audible "thanks."
Gohan heard it anyway.
A bright smile spread across his face.
"You're welcome, Vegeta-san! Try it — it's really good!"
"...You don't have to shout. Hmph. Not bad, though."
Vegeta chewed the cake, speaking with rare honesty. It was, after all, far tastier than the alien limbs he'd gnawed on in space.
Hearing that, Gohan immediately said he'd go grab more. Vegeta didn't stop him — he even added,
"Bring me some meat too. Cake alone doesn't fill you up."
"Got it!"
Gohan nodded enthusiastically and turned to fetch more food — but just as he took a step, a massive shadow fell over the yard.
Everyone instinctively looked up.
A colossal round spaceship was descending through the clouds.
Gohan froze in place, staring in awe.
"What is that? It looks so weird!"
Vegeta's eyes went wide.
"That's Frieza's ship! He's here!"
"Frieza? Is he a Saiyan too?"
"No! He's our mortal enemy! Don't think I don't know — it was him who destroyed Planet Vegeta!"
Vegeta's eyes blazed with hatred — and just beneath that, a flicker of fear.
But when his gaze shifted to Kaito, a strange calm returned to his heart… along with a hint of dark amusement.
"Frieza... I can't wait to see the look on your face this time."
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