Vegeta and Bulma returned to Namek.
In truth, they had been gone only a few minutes.
Most of that time had been spent lingering at the Great Kai's domain in the Otherworld.
Behind Vegeta walked Piccolo, Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha.
For Goku, Krillin and Gohan, their arrival triggered a rush of emotion.
Their fallen comrades had returned to life and had come to Namek to reunite with them. It was a moment none of them would forget.
Nail and Dende, too, greeted Piccolo warmly.
For them, Piccolo carried a complicated significance.
He was one of their own, yet he had lived his entire life on Earth, separated from his people.
Seeing him again stirred feelings difficult to describe.
Once the Namekians learned that Piccolo had returned, they welcomed him with sincere respect and invited him to visit their new planet anytime.
He had Nail and Dende's acknowledgment.
And when it came to strength, even Nail admitted defeat.
Despite everything the Great Elder had taught him, Nail's current power was still under four million.
Piccolo, through his training in the Otherworld, had advanced far beyond that level.
Piccolo's strength revived Nail's confidence.
Perhaps Namekians still had hope of reaching the Saiyans one day.
Seeing everyone gathered happily, Vegeta felt no desire to stay.
He was an outsider and always would be.
This warmth was not something he wished to join.
He quietly asked Bulma if she was ready to return.
Bulma answered without hesitation.
Wherever Vegeta went, she would go.
When she looked at Yamcha this time, she did not even glance twice.
Her decision was absolute.
Yamcha noticed.
And the sense of defeat weighed heavily on him.
Anyone could see that Yamcha still carried unspoken feelings, but Bulma would never look back.
Even without Vegeta, she would have hesitated to return to Yamcha.
With Vegeta, she had already experienced what it meant to be valued and protected.
That feeling had rooted itself deep inside her heart.
Vegeta was pleased with her answer.
He placed a hand on her shoulder and used Instant Transmission.
The pair vanished from Namek.
Nobody stopped them.
Goku looked at the place where they had stood moments earlier.
He had hoped Vegeta might stay a bit longer.
He still had questions, still wished to learn a few techniques, still wanted Vegeta to teach him Instant Transmission so he would not need to travel all the way to Yardrat.
But Vegeta left with the decisiveness of a man who never lingered.
Goku sighed.
"So it looks like I really have to go to Yardrat after we deal with Cooler. Well… he is like that. Even if I asked, he probably would not teach me."
Hearing this, the others spoke up at once.
"Instant Transmission is incredible. If we get a chance to learn it, I want to try."
"Yes. With Instant Transmission we could travel across the galaxy in an instant. Going back to Earth would be easy. Even visiting King Kai would be simple."
"After Cooler is defeated, let's all go together."
Their excitement was infectious.
Goku nodded with a smile.
"Once Cooler is dealt with, we will go to Yardrat together. They might have other techniques too. We might grow even stronger."
His words filled everyone with hope.
Then Goku shifted the conversation, speaking about the power levels of Piccolo, Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha.
"It is unbelievable how strong you all became. King Kai really held back when he trained me."
He remembered those days vividly.
Back then he had pushed himself as hard as he could, yet the strongest he had reached was only around eight thousand.
Now the four before him had far surpassed that.
Krillin folded his arms thoughtfully.
"If we get a chance, I would like to meet King Kai again and ask for advice."
He had grown a lot, thanks to the Great Elder's potential unlocking and months of training.
He had once believed that even if he could not match Goku or Gohan, he could at least keep up with Tien, Yamcha and Chiaotzu.
But after seeing their strength, he knew the truth.
Even Chiaotzu's power was no joke now.
And Piccolo… Piccolo was on an entirely different level.
As their discussion deepened, they exchanged insights from their training and shared the progress each had made.
…
Meanwhile, on Earth—
Vegeta did not take Bulma back to Planet 79.
He took her straight home.
He had already acquired Earth's coordinates, so the moment they arrived, he set a spatial imprint upon Kami's Lookout.
Now he could return here instantly, even without sensing anyone's ki.
He would never know that moments after his departure, Goku's group decided they would all journey to Yardrat together once the Cooler threat was resolved.
Even if Vegeta had known, he would not have cared.
He was already far ahead of them on the path.
What others learned now no longer mattered to him.
Standing atop the Lookout, Bulma stared wide-eyed at the familiar sky.
Then she saw Kami and Mr Popo and finally understood what had happened.
"Earth…? This is Earth's Lookout. Kami… and Popo!"
Though she knew Vegeta could return by coordinating with King Kai, this sudden arrival caught her unprepared.
She had not even thought about the moment of coming home.
This was only the second time she had ever stood on the Lookout.
The last time Popo had carried her here to repair the Namekian ship and learn the Namekian language.
"Long time no see, Miss Bulma," Popo said kindly.
Bulma greeted him with a bright smile.
Kami, who understood everything through King Kai, felt nothing but gratitude toward the girl.
Without Bulma, half of what had happened would never have been possible.
Vegeta briefly informed Kami that Goku and the others would remain on Namek for a while.
To his surprise, Kami actually expressed the desire to visit Namek and humbly asked Vegeta for help.
The guardian spoke politely.
He held no authority over Vegeta, and the request was gentle rather than demanding.
Hearing this, Vegeta nodded with mild interest.
He did not owe Kami anything.
But neither did he dislike him.
If the old Namekian wished to see his homeland, Vegeta did not mind offering assistance.
~~~~~~
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