Vegeta's mind raced with a thousand thoughts. His eyes were full of a complex mix of frustration, loss, and a stubborn refusal to give up.
On the other side, Frieza's screams rang out once again, sounding even more tragic than before.
Earlier, when he was being beaten, Frieza hadn't even had the strength left to scream. But now that he was back in peak condition, the pain was much more intense, and his screams were loud enough to carry for miles.
Broly spent a full hour beating Frieza before the tyrant was once again on the verge of death. He lay paralyzed on the ground, not even having the strength left to groan.
Frieza lay there on the Sacred World of the Kai, staring blankly at the planets floating in the sky. The light in his eyes slowly faded as the terror of the beating truly set in. All of his previous arrogance had vanished.
"Are you satisfied this time?" Broly stepped forward and lightly tapped Frieza's cheek with the toe of his boot. He asked with a playful grin, as if he were teasing a caught prey.
Frieza didn't say a word. Two streams of hot tears rolled down from his eyes, mixing with the dirt and blood on his face. He looked utterly pathetic.
Watching from the side, Vegeta's eyes grew red, and he almost shed a tear himself.
Why does watching Broly beat Frieza feel even more painful than when he beats me?
It's like I'm the one being hit.
Vegeta felt a wave of stifling frustration in his heart.
"Broly, that's enough. Stop it. If you keep going, you're actually going to kill him," Goku said, quickly stepping in and grabbing Broly's arm to stop him.
If the beating continued, Frieza really would die.
Broly gave Frieza a few more kicks to the stomach before reluctantly powering down. He returned to his normal state and patted his hands together with a satisfied look, as if he had just finished a major task.
Then, Broly seemed to remember something. His eyes fixed on the bag of Senzu Beans in Goten's hand.
Goten immediately understood. He pulled a Senzu Bean from the bag and tossed it to Broly.
Broly caught it and swallowed it without a second thought. The energy of the bean quickly spread through his body, restoring his stamina to its peak and instantly healing his wounds. Even the tooth he had lost grew back.
Broly didn't want to experience being ambushed while weakened ever again. That feeling of being helpless and frustrated was something he only wanted to feel once.
"Frieza, do you want another Senzu Bean so we can have a match? I haven't fought your Black form yet," Goku said, rubbing his hands together with anticipation. He leaned forward slightly, clearly itching for a fight.
Frieza: "..."
Lying on the ground, Frieza felt like he wanted to die.
Are you guys all ganging up on me just to farm XP?
One after another... do you really think I'm just some pushover you can play with?
Frieza closed his eyes and didn't even bother to respond to Goku. He didn't have the strength to move a single muscle.
"Goku is talking to you! Didn't you hear him?" Broly frowned and delivered another slap.
Slap!
Frieza was slammed into the ground, leaving a person-shaped crater in the Sacred World of the Kai.
"We're even..." Frieza whispered weakly, his eyes still full of lingering fear.
Frieza just wanted this torture to end as quickly as possible. He didn't want anything to do with Broly ever again.
"Didn't you just say we weren't even? Why are we even now?" Broly wasn't about to let it slide. He leaned over and stared at Frieza with a playful look, clearly not finished having his fun.
Frieza's heart tightened. Afraid that a slow answer would lead to another beating, he quickly changed his tune. "I... I was just joking! We were even a long time ago!"
As he spoke, Frieza managed to force a smile that looked more like a sob, and his body instinctively shrank back.
"Are you sure you don't want to go another round, Frieza?" Goku asked, still looking hopeful.
After all, it had been a long time since Goku had a serious fight. During the trip to Universe 11, Broly had done all the work, and Goku hadn't had a single chance to move. His hands were practically itching to fight.
"Goten, give me two Senzu Beans!" Vegeta barked, standing up and calling out to Goten.
"Huh? Uncle Vegeta, you only need one bean to recover. Why do you want two?" Goten asked with wide, innocent eyes, holding the bag of beans.
Vegeta's face turned even darker, and a vein popped on his forehead.
Can this kid stop poking at my sore spots?
Even though he was confused, Goten generously pulled out two beans and tossed them to Vegeta.
Vegeta caught them, popped one into his own mouth, and then aimed the other at Frieza's mouth with a flick of his finger.
Thwip!
The bean flew straight into Frieza's mouth.
Frieza's first instinct was to spit it out.
Are you going to use me as a target for XP again?
I'm not playing with you people anymore!
But then Frieza thought about it. He was so weak he couldn't even stand up. If he didn't eat the bean, he'd have no way to escape.
Fine, I'll recover my strength first.
If they really try to fight me, I'll just say I have a stomach ache and hide.
Frieza gritted his teeth and swallowed the bean. A warm current spread from his stomach through his entire body, and his stamina and injuries were instantly restored.
Frieza leapt up from the ground and glared at everyone, his eyes full of caution.
"Frieza, you—" Goku started to invite him to fight, but Gohan cut him off.
"Dad, is it my turn? I haven't had a chance to move yet. How about I go a round with Frieza first?" Gohan clenched his fists, looking eager.
But as soon as Gohan finished speaking, Frieza suddenly clutched his stomach and crouched on the ground with a pained expression.
"I... my stomach hurts! I'm not in top form today, so I'm not fighting any of you!" Frieza said firmly, his voice hiding a hint of panic.
This was the only excuse Frieza could think of.
Goku: "..."
Gohan: "..."
Father and son looked at each other, completely speechless.
"Dad, why do I see a bit of Mr. Satan in Frieza?" Gohan whispered to Goku with a small laugh.
Mr. Satan always made excuses like this whenever he knew he couldn't win.
"Yeah... they really do seem a bit alike," Goku nodded. He then reached out a friendly hand toward Frieza.
Frieza instinctively thought Goku was going to hit him, so he quickly grabbed his head and curled into a ball, terrified of being struck.
Goku: "..."
Goku's hand froze in mid-air, and he stood there awkwardly.
I was just being nice. Why does everyone think I'm the bad guy?
"Frieza, where is that other dimension you mentioned?" Vegeta asked, gritting his teeth as he looked at Frieza. His eyes were full of determination.
I have to go to that space to train and surpass Frieza.
Hearing the words "other dimension," Frieza's eyes lit up.
This is my chance to get out of here!
Frieza quickly said, "I'll take you there! Let's go right now!"
"Let's go!" Vegeta nodded and was the first to fly up into the sky.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two of them turned into streaks of light—one purple and one red—and shot into the sky, quickly reaching the edge of the Sacred World of the Kai.
"Hey, Vegeta! When are you coming back? Are you still going to Future Trunks's parallel world?" Goku shouted at their backs, afraid Vegeta would forget.
"Wait for me to get back!" Vegeta's voice echoed from the distance.
Soon, Vegeta and Frieza vanished into the horizon.
"So, Vegeta? Are you going in there to train too?" Frieza asked as they flew.
"Of course. This time, I'm going to surpass you and Kakarot no matter what!" Vegeta gritted his teeth, his stubbornness pushing his speed even higher.
"Ohohoho!" Frieza laughed loudly, his voice echoing through space. "What a coincidence—I'm going in to train too! When I come out, I'm going to pin that Broly fellow to the ground and get my revenge!"
"You should know that sparring is much more effective than solo training," Vegeta said, already planning to use Frieza as a training partner in the other dimension.
"Aren't you afraid I'll accidentally kill you?" Frieza asked with a mocking laugh.
"Hmph. Try it then! I won't lose to you!" Vegeta snorted and accelerated.
The two of them sped toward the dimension Frieza had mentioned.
But as they flew, Vegeta suddenly stopped. He floated in the vacuum of space, his face looking a bit pale.
Frieza slammed on his brakes and looked back at Vegeta with a mocking smile. "What? Changed your mind? Too scared to go?"
Vegeta: "..."
Sweat rolled down Vegeta's forehead as his expression grew worse.
Because ahead of them was the vacuum of space.
Saiyans cannot survive in space for long.
"Ohohoho! I just remembered—you Saiyans can't survive in space, can you?" Frieza laughed even harder, his tone full of mockery. "This is open space. You can't cross it, can you?"
Vegeta ignored the mockery. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver Hoi-Poi Capsule, tossing it out.
Pop!
The capsule burst open, turning into a small oxygen mask.
Vegeta strapped the mask over his face and took a deep breath. He spoke coldly, "Frieza, there's no need for your insults. Let's just get to the other dimension as quickly as possible."
With a snort, Vegeta accelerated again.
"You're going the wrong way. It's over there," Frieza said, pointing in a different direction with a sigh of exasperation.
This guy can't even get his directions straight.
Vegeta, his face dark with embarrassment, made a sharp turn and caught up, following closely behind Frieza.
After another ten minutes of flying, Vegeta finally saw a dull, yellow planet. It looked completely lifeless, its surface covered in jagged rocks and deep craters, with no moons orbiting it.
Frieza led Vegeta down to the planet, landing in front of a massive statue. The statue was of a black cat, and its face looked quite a bit like Champa, the God of Destruction. Its eyes were stern and majestic, as if they could see right through a person's soul.
But none of that mattered to Vegeta. His mind was filled with nothing but training and surpassing his rivals.
The two of them walked straight toward the statue, passed through its eyes, and entered another dimension.
Vegeta looked around and realized the environment was very similar to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber on Earth. Outside the main area, there was nothing but a vast, white void that stretched on forever, with no sense of direction.
"Frieza, that Black form of yours... you just finished training it, didn't you? It's still unstable," Vegeta said without looking back, his tone certain.
"That's right. I only recently mastered it," Frieza nodded, not bothering to deny it. He then asked, "What about your Ultra Ego? You only recently mastered that too, haven't you?"
"Same here," Vegeta answered simply. A faint, purple-red aura began to glow around his body.
"Ohohoho! In that case, my Black form is stronger than your Ultra Ego!" Frieza laughed proudly, his voice full of smugness.
"What we need to do now is master these forms to their absolute limit, not waste time with petty bickering!" Vegeta barked. He leaned forward slightly, getting into a fighting stance.
"By the way, did you bring any Senzu Beans? If you get hurt, there's no one here to heal you," Frieza suddenly asked, a hint of concern in his eyes. If Vegeta got too injured to fight, their training wouldn't be very effective.
"I don't need them! I can beat you without any beans!" Vegeta snorted. He was the first to attack, throwing a powerful punch at Frieza.
The two of them stopped talking and began a fierce clash in the other dimension. Purple-red and purple energy intertwined as the sound of their strikes echoed through the void.
Three minutes later...
Thud!
Frieza delivered a kick to Vegeta's chest, sending him crashing to the ground. The purple-red aura around Vegeta dimmed instantly.
Vegeta: "..."
Lying on the ground, Vegeta felt a sharp pain in his chest. His eyes were full of frustration.
I lost... that quickly?
"Vegeta, you're not up to much! It only took three minutes for me to take you down!" Frieza rubbed his nose and laughed even harder, his tone full of mockery.
"Again! I'm not finished yet!" Vegeta gritted his teeth and scrambled up. He wiped the blood from his lip and lunged at Frieza again, his purple-red aura exploding outward.
On the other side, Goku realized there was nothing left to fight, so he led the others back to Earth.
As soon as they returned, Goku found Bulma and explained that Vegeta had gone to another dimension to train. He also confirmed the departure time for the future with Trunks.
"Wait, where's Yamcha? He was just here, and now he's gone," Goku said, looking around Bulma's courtyard.
"He was sent to the hospital... Vegeta beat him so badly earlier he almost died," Bulma said, shaking her head in amusement. "That Vegeta... he really doesn't know how to hold back. He showed no mercy at all."
"Well... maybe we should send him a Senzu Bean? It would heal him instantly," Goku said, scratching his head. He felt a bit sorry for Yamcha. He turned to Goten and asked, "Goten, do we have many beans left?"
"We have plenty, Dad! There are at least fifty left in the bag," Goten answered loudly, checking the bag. The beans clinked together with a crisp sound.
"Goten, why don't you take one to Yamcha so he can get better?" Goku suggested.
"No need," Bulma said, stopping Goten. "You guys should keep them. You'll need them in Trunks's world—they could save your lives if things get dangerous. Yamcha's injuries aren't fatal; the hospital can handle it. Besides, we still have Dende, don't we?"
Goku thought about it and realized Bulma was right, so he didn't push it. "Alright then. We'll head home for now and come back when it's time to leave."
With that, Goku said goodbye to Bulma and Trunks and flew back toward his home at Mount Paozu with Bardock, Gohan, and Goten.
The Sacred World of the Kai had also returned to normal.
The Supreme Kai, Old Kai, and Kibito had teleported back from the other planet and begun cleaning up the mess from the battle.
As for Beerus, he was still hanging upside down from a large tree, snoring loudly. He had fallen into a deep sleep. According to the Old Kai, he wouldn't be releasing any more Destruction energy for a while, so everyone could finally relax.
Broly also breathed a sigh of relief. He found his old picnic mat in his warehouse, spread it out neatly, and carefully arranged the leftover food he hadn't finished earlier. He was ready to get back to his picnic.
"Say, Broly? Goku and the others are heading to Future Trunks's parallel world. Don't you want to go along and see? There might be lots of good food there," the Supreme Kai said, crouching next to Broly and rubbing his hands together.
"No! I'm staying here. I'm not going anywhere!" Broly refused flatly. His eyes were fixed on a piece of roasted meat, as if he were afraid someone would steal it.
"Well... there's something I'm not sure if I should mention," the Supreme Kai said, taking a deep breath and looking serious.
"Just say it. Don't interrupt my eating," Broly said, taking a large bite of the meat and chewing loudly.
"Actually, while you were fighting Frieza, I took a quick trip to Trunks's parallel world and discovered something incredible," the Supreme Kai sighed, his tone growing heavier.
"What is it? Does it have to do with food?" Broly asked, finally showing a bit of interest and stopping his chewing.
"I found you in that parallel world! Another Broly!" the Supreme Kai said gravely.
"Me? Another me?" Broly pointed to his own nose, looking completely confused. He had no idea what the Kai was talking about.
"If my guess is right, that version of you might be like Vegeta—his body was stolen by Zamasu!" the Supreme Kai explained, trying to make Broly understand the gravity of the situation.
"Switch bodies? What does that mean?" Broly was still a bit lost, his brow knit tight as he put down the meat.
"Don't you know about Black Vegeta? Zamasu used the Super Dragon Balls to switch bodies with Vegeta and became Black Vegeta," the Supreme Kai explained patiently. "Besides Vegeta, Zamasu also switched bodies with Goku... and you!"
"Switched bodies with me? Why would that Zamasu guy want to do that?" Broly scratched his head, still a bit muddled, but he could feel a spark of anger rising in his heart. The idea that someone would dare to steal his body was too much!
"I already told Goku about this, so he knows too," the Supreme Kai added.
"So... in that other world, I was killed by that Zamasu guy, and then he used my body to do evil things?" Broly finally understood. His eyes turned cold, and a faint dark green aura began to glow around him.
"That's pretty much it," the Supreme Kai nodded.
"Then I'm going! I'm going to that parallel world and I'm going to teach that Zamasu a lesson! He'll pay for using my body!" Broly gritted his teeth, his fists clenching with a loud crack. He didn't even care about his picnic anymore.
"Great! Before they leave, I'll take you to Earth so you can go with Goku and the others," the Supreme Kai said, a relieved smile on his face. He was glad Broly had agreed to go.
Broly didn't argue. He picked up the roasted meat again and began to eat with large bites.
About twenty hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Trunks's time machine was finally fully charged, sitting in Bulma's courtyard. Goku, Gohan, Goten, and Bardock arrived right on time.
Trunks paced back and forth in front of the machine, ready to leave at any moment. His eyes were full of urgency. He couldn't wait to get back to the future and save his home from Zamasu.
"Trunks, is the time machine ready? Can we head out?" Goku asked with a smile.
"It's fully charged! We can leave whenever you're ready!" Trunks nodded. He looked around but didn't see Vegeta. "Where's Dad? Haven't he and Frieza come back yet? They didn't forget, did they?"
"Don't worry, Vegeta will be back. He promised me he would, and he never breaks a promise," Goku said with a confident smile. He knew Vegeta well—the man was stubborn, but he was always true to his word.
Just as they were talking, a flash of light appeared.
Flash!
The Supreme Kai and Broly appeared in the courtyard.
"Broly? You're coming too?" Goku asked, surprised. He hadn't expected Broly to join them.
"I'm going," Broly nodded firmly. A faint dark green aura was already radiating from his body. The thought of getting to beat up that "Black Broly" was starting to get him excited.
"That makes sense. After all, in Trunks's world, there's a Zamasu who stole your body. You definitely should go and see for yourself," Goku said, nodding in agreement.
"I'm going to crush him! I'll show him what happens when you use my body for evil!" Broly said, rubbing his fists together. The green aura around him grew even thicker. He was clearly raring to go.
To be continued…
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