"Alright, everyone can head home now," Karnel announced after teleporting the group back to Earth. "Go see your families and—" He paused, noticing that while the others had already begun dispersing, Piccolo remained rooted in place, staring at him with an intense, analytical expression. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"
Piccolo's voice carried the weight of suspicion when he finally spoke. "Karnel, who are you really? King Kai was genuinely terrified of you back there. Your origins are definitely more complex than just being 'a Saiyan,' as Krillin assumes."
Karnel's smile was casual, almost dismissive. "I'm just a Saiyan who happens to be stronger than most. King Kai's fear is probably just a reaction to overwhelming power? you know how deities can be about that sort of thing. You're overthinking it." His expression grew more serious. "Now get going and reacquaint yourself with Earth's gravity. I can sense that brutal Saiyan will arrive within the next few days."
Time seemed to compress, and before anyone was truly ready, Karnel felt the familiar, violent energy signature entering Earth's atmosphere. Vegeta had arrived.
Standing in a desolate wasteland far from any populated areas, Karnel decided it was time to make his presence known. He allowed a fraction of his true power to leak out? just enough to serve as a beacon for both the approaching Saiyan prince and Earth's defenders.
The effect was immediate and dramatic. The sky itself seemed to recoil from the energy, clouds swirling into unnatural formations as lightning crackled across the heavens. The very air trembled with barely contained power, creating an apocalyptic atmosphere that could be felt across the entire planet.
"This is Karnel's aura..." Goku whispered, staring up at the storm-wracked sky from his position miles away. "So this is what he's really capable of. I had no idea he was this terrifying..."
The energy signature acted like a magnet, drawing warriors from across the globe. One by one, familiar ki signatures began moving toward the source at maximum speed.
"So soon?" Karnel mused, watching the approaching figures. "Vegeta's ship seems to be moving faster than expected. Did my little display motivate him?" He shook his head with amusement as he spotted Master Roshi, Goku, Piccolo, and the others streaking across the sky toward him.
Goku landed first, his voice urgent. "Is that Saiyan here? I can sense a cold, violent presence coming from outside Earth's atmosphere. It feels like it'll make landfall in less than ten minutes."
"Exactly right, Kakarot." Karnel studied Goku's demeanor with approval. "You seem remarkably calm and confident. I take it the gravity chamber training paid off?"
Goku's face lit up with genuine excitement. He threw a casual punch at the air, the resulting shockwave powerful enough to flatten nearby grass. "You bet! My strength has increased dramatically. That gravity chamber is incredible? after we deal with this Saiyan, I want Piccolo and the others to try it out too."
"Confidence is good," Karnel said with a slight smirk, "but don't get too cocky, or you might find yourself eating those words later."
While the others engaged in nervous chatter and last-minute power comparisons, Karnel remained focused on the sky. His enhanced senses pierced through the atmosphere and space itself, locking onto the approaching spherical spacecraft that contained their enemy.
"Time to say hello to our royal guest," he murmured, his eyes glinting with cold anticipation.
Inside his spacecraft, Vegeta emerged from his regenerative sleep cycle, his power having grown to an impressive 280,000 during the journey. His confidence had reached astronomical levels.
"So this is the planet where Kakarot has been hiding," he said, gazing at the blue marble growing larger in his viewport. "Beautiful, I'll give it that. What a shame that after I'm finished here, the natives won't be alive to appreciate it anymore."
Suddenly, an overwhelming energy signature washed over him like a tsunami. Vegeta's entire body shuddered involuntarily. "What the hell? That's the Saiyan called Karnel... How is he on this backwater planet? That power level... it has to be at least 590,000. A true Super Saiyan." His knuckles whitened as he gripped the armrests of his chair. "He's not planning to interfere with my mission, is he?"
The spacecraft finally completed its descent, crashing into the wasteland and creating a crater more than ten meters deep just a short distance from where Karnel and the others waited.
Steam hissed from the craft's vents as the airlock cycled open. A figure emerged from within? shorter than expected but radiating an aura of absolute arrogance and barely contained violence.
"His power has increased slightly," Karnel observed, easily reading Vegeta's undisguised energy signature. "Interesting."
Vegeta's scouter beeped rapidly as it scanned the assembled group. "Pathetic. Most of them barely register a few hundred units of combat power. There's only one reading I can't get..." His gaze locked onto Karnel with predatory interest. "The Saiyan who can suppress his aura. So humans on this planet can hide their power levels too? No wonder Raditz and Nappa were defeated. Their strength is clearly higher than Nappa's was, but in my eyes, that's still utterly insignificant."
His cold, calculating gaze swept across Master Roshi, Krillin, and the others before finally settling on Goku with particular intensity.
"You must be Kakarot, that failure Bardock's worthless son." Vegeta's voice carried disdain. "You're stronger than I expected, defeating both Raditz and Nappa in succession. Impressive for low-class scum. Come with me to New Vegeta, you might actually be useful."
Karnel nudged Goku with his elbow, his expression amused. "Meet Vegeta! Prince of all Saiyans! Your future best friend. Why don't you go introduce yourself properly?"
"Future best friend?" Goku looked genuinely confused. "I've never met this guy before. Why would we be friends?"
"Is that supposed to be the incredibly powerful Saiyan?" Krillin whispered, eyeing Vegeta's relatively modest stature. "He's not much taller than I am..."
Karnel stepped forward, addressing the group with calm authority. "Even after your intensive training on King Kai's planet, you won't be able to contribute much to this battle. Vegeta's power far exceeds anything you've faced before."
"I can feel it," Piccolo said grimly, his fists clenching and unclenching as he fought against his warrior instincts. "There's something absolutely lethal about his presence. He's incredibly strong." Despite his words, he stepped forward resolutely.
Karnel raised an eyebrow. "Piccolo's going to get himself killed. Do the rest of you want to join him?"
Tien said nothing, but his actions spoke volumes as he moved to stand beside Piccolo without hesitation.
Krillin, Yamcha, and the others followed suit, their faces set with grim determination despite the obvious mismatch in power levels.
"Going to your deaths even though you know you can't win..." Karnel murmured, watching their retreating figures with something that might have been respect.
Master Roshi's voice carried the weight of years of martial arts wisdom. "This is the spirit of a true warrior. I'm proud that they possess such conviction, even in the face of certain defeat."
The stage was set. Vegeta stood alone on one side, radiating arrogance and destructive power. On the other, Earth's defenders prepared to make their stand, knowing full well they were outmatched but refusing to back down.
And watching from the sidelines, Karnel prepared to witness what would either be a massacre or the beginning of something far greater than anyone present could imagine.
The real battle was about to begin.