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Half an hour earlier.
Kaiōshin Realm.
A scrawny man in a vest was sprawled out on the ground, groaning faintly.
Before him unfolded a surreal scene.
Vegeta, with his veins bulging and face tense with effort, clutched a slab of pitch-black metal, the so-called hardest material in the universe. His jaw was locked tight, every muscle taut with strain as he endured immense pain. Behind him, just barely visible, something unexpected twitched.
A tail.
His Saiyan tail, long thought lost, now faintly protruded from his back once more.
Standing nearby were Elder Kai, the Supreme Kai (Shin), and Kibito, all watching the spectacle unfold.
"Ancestor, are you sure this will really unlock Vegeta's potential?" Supreme Kai asked, clearly unsettled.
"Stop asking dumb questions and watch!" Elder Kai snapped. "This is the special technique passed down from the Kaiōshin of fifteen generations ago! Open your eyes and learn something!"
Just then, Trunks, watching intently, realized what Elder Kai was doing.
"Elder Kai, let me give you a hand!"
Before anyone could stop him, Trunks moved behind Elder Kai and supported him by the waist.
"Hey, kid! Back off! You're rushing it!" Elder Kai barked. "You've got too much strength; if you're not careful, you'll tear his tail right off again! Let go of me!"
With a grunt, Elder Kai slipped free from Trunks' grip, muttering under his breath. Meanwhile, the scrawny man in the vest blinked in confusion, a string of snot trailing from his nose as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
"Wh-What's going on here...?"
But just then, a chilly gust swept through the realm. Shivering violently, the man quickly covered himself, his fragile appearance now even more pitiful.
"So... so cold!"
Kibito took notice, frowning. "Who is this guy?"
Suddenly, the man straightened up, puffed out his chest, and confidently jabbed his thumb toward his own face. "I'm neither Goku nor Gohan! I am the mighty fusion warrior born from both of them!"
No sooner had he said it than even he seemed unsure, his bravado slipping as his nose dripped again. Another gust of wind made him shiver helplessly.
Everyone froze.
Even Vegeta, who had been gritting his teeth through the pain, found himself stunned into silence.
"So... Kakarot's grand plan turned him into this pathetic clown?!"
Vegeta thought to himself. This is why I never agreed to that stupid fusion. This is just... disgraceful.
The failed fusion warrior's performance left the two Supreme Kais speechless, their faces blank with disbelief. Trunks, however, chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Looks like there was a little hiccup with the Fusion Dance, haha..."
He then turned to Elder Kai, observing the old man's subtle movements with laser focus.
Sure enough, a faint smirk curled at the corner of Elder Kai's lips.
It worked, Trunks thought, his mind racing. Vegeta's tail is responding. His latent Saiyan power is being unlocked. Elder Kai finally released his grip on Vegeta's tail and looked toward the pitiful fusion warrior.
"Heh, and just which fusion method did you use?"
"This particular technique... clearly has some serious drawbacks," he said dryly, "and you're a perfect example."
Trunks jumped in, eyes lighting up. "Elder Kai, does that mean you know a better method?"
With a knowing smile, Elder Kai reached up and removed the earrings from his ears.
"Use these, the Potara Earrings."
"If two people each wear one on opposite ears, they'll fuse into a single warrior. No need for synchronized dancing or power-matching nonsense."
His words rang like music in Shin's ears.
"The Potara can do that?" Shin asked, wide-eyed.
Elder Kai glanced sideways at him. "Don't believe me? You and Kibito can try it for yourselves."
As the two prepared to do just that, Trunks quickly stepped between them.
"Uh, Lord Supreme Kai, Mr. Kibito, maybe... don't?"
Elder Kai gave a short, disgruntled snort. "Hmph. Good thing the boy stopped you."
"Once you fuse with the Potara, it's permanent. There's no separation after that."
A flicker of sorrow passed through Elder Kai's eyes as he spoke. His voice grew quieter.
"I should know... Once, I fused with a certain... witch. I used to be a young, confident, handsome Kaiōshin. Now look at me. A hunched, cranky old pervert."
Still, he shrugged. "Gained some strange powers from her though. So it wasn't all bad."
Trunks didn't have time for Elder Kai's trip down memory lane.
There was only one thing on his mind.
"Elder Kai," he asked seriously, "are you absolutely sure it can't be undone?"
Elder Kai scratched his head, thinking hard, trying to recall the ancient knowledge passed down from long before even Goku was born...
"Oh, it's been so long... I might be a little fuzzy on the details," Elder Kai muttered, scratching his head.
"But if I remember correctly, the Potara's permanent fusion only applies when at least one of the users is a Kaiōshin. As long as neither party is a Supreme Kai, the fusion should only be temporary."
Trunks let out a quiet breath of relief. Just as I thought. The Potara rules aren't absolute; there's a loophole. He took the earrings carefully from Elder Kai and turned to look at the scrawny fusion figure wobbling behind him.
All they needed now was for Goku and Gohan to defuse. With the explanation done, Elder Kai returned to tugging on the stub of Vegeta's tail, coaxing it back to life.
Trunks watched closely, hope flickering in his eyes as he saw the small tuft slowly pushing through.
(Once Dad's tail is fully restored… with his current strength, he should be able to reach Super Saiyan 4. That would open up a whole new strategy for turning this around.)
(As long as he can retain his mind after going Golden Great Ape… the transformation to Super Saiyan 4 will follow naturally. And Dad, he's royalty. The proud Prince of All Saiyans. No way he'd lose control in that form.)
What Trunks didn't realize was that every word of his internal monologue was being heard.
By Vegeta.
Vegeta's eye twitched slightly, his focus momentarily shifting from the pain.
[So… the tail holds the key to deeper Saiyan power? The Great Ape… of course! With an artificial moon, we can trigger the transformation even without a real one! Heh… Kakarot, you idiot. Still clinging to fusion like a crutch. I would never fuse with you… not unless the universe was collapsing around us.]
Just then, with a sudden flicker of light, the skinny fusion warrior shimmered, trembled... and then split cleanly in two.
Goku and Gohan stumbled back to their original forms.
"Huh? What happened? Why'd the fusion break?" Goku asked, looking around in confusion.
Gohan blinked, then slapped his forehead. "Ah, our fingers! We didn't line them up right. That's probably what ruined the dance."
Trunks stepped forward, Potara earrings in hand.
"Goku Ojisan, Gohan, did you both catch what Elder Kai said just now?" He asked, holding up the earrings. "These are the Potara. You won't need to worry about synchronizing your moves."
Goku took the Potara, turning it over in his hand with a curious look.
"Wow, really? They're that powerful?" Without hesitating, he clipped one onto his left ear.
Gohan nodded and followed suit, placing the other on his right ear. Instantly, their bodies lit up with a radiant, otherworldly glow. A wave of power rippled outward as the light surged and faded, revealing a brand-new warrior, one whose presence silenced the realm.
He said nothing.
Calmly, he raised two fingers to his forehead.
Instant Transmission.
With a quiet fwoosh, he vanished from sight.
(End of Chapter)