The celebratory feast continued with a comfortable and familiar warmth. The soft murmur of happy voices and clinking glasses maintained the atmosphere.
Yet, among the friends who had just offered their heartfelt comfort and encouragement to the young Son Goten, two familiar faces slipped away.
One was Vegeta; the other was his son, Trunks.
The Prince of all Saiyans stood on a nearby rooftop with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed in deep thought. He was silently replaying the strange, unnerving events of the last few days.
Tap--!
The soft sound of footsteps broke his sharp concentration.
It was Son Goku.
"Vegeta," Goku called out.
Vegeta turned his head just enough to acknowledge him. "What is it, Kakarot?"
Goku scratched the back of his head and shuffled closer, grinning mischievously. That sneaky look instantly put Vegeta on edge. He jumped back a couple of steps.
"What the hell are you doing, Kakarot?!"
Goku peered up and down at him suspiciously, as if searching for something.
"Vegeta, do you have some kind of communication device on you?" he asked. "Something that connects to Trunks, maybe?"
Vegeta blinked at those odd words, and then the realization hit him like a physical blow.
'Why would Goku suddenly ask something like that?'
A few seconds later, the answer became perfectly clear.
It must have been when we were inside Gogeta!
The realization flashed in his eyes. Since Vegeta and Goku had fused into Gogeta, Trunks's inner turmoil had been heard by Gogeta.
Since Kakarot was part of Gogeta, he must have heard Trunks's voice, too!
Meanwhile, Goku looked utterly confused. He distinctly remembered hearing Trunks's voice echoing in his mind during the fusion. He wasn't the sharpest when it came to subtle things, but he knew that had never happened before in any of their previous fusions.
This could only mean one thing: it had to be related to Vegeta.
However, Vegeta kept his expression perfectly calm and composed.
Since he completely misunderstood, I might as well play along.
Without missing a beat, he pulled out a standard capsule and said dismissively, "It was this. But it's no longer necessary."
Then, right in front of Goku, he crushed the harmless little container between his fingers.
Of course, there was nothing inside it.
But the bogus explanation seemed good enough for Goku, who immediately dropped the strange line of questioning.
"Oh? Hey, isn't that Trunks over there?" Goku suddenly pointed. "And what's with all those girls around him?" Why are they dressed like that? They're all hanging off him!"
Goku's words instantly grabbed Vegeta's attention.
Following his son's ki, Vegeta looked down at the scene, and saw that Goku was absolutely right.
It was a sight Vegeta had never imagined.
He had always believed his son was like him, proud, disciplined, and loyal to one woman.
But now, he saw Trunks surrounded by scantily clad women, laughing and flirting.
Vegeta's face burned scarlet with a mixture of fury and embarrassment.
As a father, he felt utterly disgraced by his son's behavior.
In a white-hot burst of anger, he launched himself toward the ground. His voice like thunder, he hurtled toward his son.
"You little brat! What do you think you're doing?!" Vegeta roared.
Trunks froze instantly at the sight of his father's terrifyingly angry face.
What made Vegeta even angrier was that Mai was standing right there beside Trunks. That idiot had invited those scantily clad women to hang around him right in front of her!
In Vegeta's traditional mind, Mai was already his future daughter-in-law.
Truthfully, however, Trunks and Mai weren't romantically involved; they were just good friends. Mai was actually Bulla's personal secretary, and the women were there because Trunks had asked her to hire them for the party.
Trunks had just opened his mouth to explain when Mai stepped forward, instinctively grasping the source of Vegeta's anger.
"It's not what you think, Vegeta San," She quickly interjected.
Vegeta crossed his arms, his face dark with scorn. "I, Vegeta, have no such son!" he roared.
"And you, why are you defending him now?" he snapped, glaring at Mai.
Under that furious gaze, Mai immediately fell silent, not daring to speak another word.
Exasperated and wordless, Trunks finally understood what his father was truly upset about. He waved his hand, signaling the women around him to leave.
The girls spoke in unison, their voices airy: "Yes, young master."
Then, in perfect coordination, they tiptoed away in a certain direction.
In that direction stood an elderly man with a turtle shell strapped to his back. He was clearly aged but still radiated mischievous vigor.
It was none other than Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit.
Trunks had gathered the women for a simple reason: to please the old man and convince him to teach Trunks the Evil Containment Wave, also known as the Mafuba or Devil Sealing Wave. When asking for a favor, one must bring an appropriate gift. Trunks knew exactly what kind the Turtle Hermit liked best.
"Father, you've got it all wrong," Trunks said quickly. "These women are for Master Roshi. I brought them as a gift so he'll teach me the Devil Sealing Wave."
Mai immediately nodded in support. "That's right, Vegeta San. Trunks isn't like that at all."
In her mind, he was a rare kind of hero: handsome, brave, and the son of the world's richest family. If he were really the kind of person Vegeta imagined, he wouldn't need to look for women, they'd already be lining up for him.
(Mai herself, for instance, wasn't entirely immune to his charm.)
Vegeta snorted coldly. "Hmph. Don't let it happen again," he warned.
Trunks nodded slightly, turned, and walked over to Master Roshi.
"Well then, Master Roshi," he said with a smile. "These ladies can accompany you back to Kame House. Will you now teach me the Devil Sealing Wave?"
Suddenly, Master Roshi's nose began to bleed profusely. His eyes were glued to the voluptuous women before him; his mind was clearly overwhelmed.
But when Trunks mentioned training, the old pervert fought hard to regain his sanity.
"Of course," he said, his voice trembling with excitement. "I can teach you right now!"
With that, Roshi led Trunks into a secluded forest clearing.
The first step was learning how to draw the sealing talisman. Stroke by stroke, the old master guided Trunks, firm yet fluid, precise and patient.
After a while, Trunks had successfully mastered the complex symbols used in the Devil Sealing Wave.
"Hmm, not bad," Roshi nodded approvingly. "Now, I'll teach you how to use it."
Then, in the next instant, Roshi placed a small jar on the ground.
Suddenly, his shirt burst apart, and his muscles bulged with tension. He held his breath, his aged voice rising in fierce intensity.
"This move consumes an enormous amount of stamina, watch closely, Trunks!"
As Roshi's ki flared, the air around them shimmered and took on a deep green hue.
A formation of glowing, swirling symbols began to spin around him, vibrating the air with energy.
"This technique requires perfect control over your energy! Stay focused!" he shouted, his voice tight with effort.
Despite his perverted nature, Master Roshi was a martial arts genius.
With both hands raised, he channeled his power, instantly drawing a small stone by the green current and sucking it into the waiting bottle. Fwoop!
"Just like that, Trunks! You must practice diligently. Concentrate your mind and calm your heart. Don't rely too much on brute strength."
Roshi repeated his instructions several times to make sure the young Saiyan understood every detail.
Trunks nodded sharply. "I understand, Master Roshi!"
The Turtle Hermit clasped his hands behind his back, clearly pleased, though his thoughts were already drifting back to the women waiting for him.
But before he could leave, Trunks called out again.
"Master Roshi! There's one more technique I want you to teach me."
A sly grin tugged at Trunks's lips. He knew exactly how to seal the deal. "If you agree, I'll have a beautiful woman visit Kame House every day to keep you company."
Sure enough, Roshi froze mid-step, slowly turning around with a lecherous smile spreading across his aged face.
"What technique?" he asked, his voice thick with eagerness.
Trunks answered without hesitation:
"The Ten Thousand Nations Shockwave Palm!"
(End of chapter.)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395