"Doctor, the Saiyan race's genes really are impossible to crack. This kind of surge in power is just… just too bizarre." Deep in the forest Raditz had gone to, two Chimera Ant researchers were heatedly discussing the three Saiyans on the screen fighting Lord Slug.
"I see." The man they called Doctor said this and then stared silently at the screen.
This "Doctor" was the head of the Chimera Ant Genetic Research Division and the foremost expert on biological genetics in the entire Chimera Ant species.
Unfortunately, not even the Doctor—nor all the research teams of the Chimera Ants—could unravel the unscientific Saiyan power spikes.
They were absolutely, completely illogical, without any rhyme or reason.
Strangely, if it were really that easy to spike their power, why were the Saiyans so easily wiped out by Frieza?
He didn't even have to use his second form.
According to the data Meruem gathered after seizing control of parts of the universe, back when Planet Vegeta hadn't been destroyed and King Vegeta still lived, ordinary Saiyans would indeed see some increase in power after being badly injured, but nowhere near the exaggeration seen after Dragon Ball Z began. The increase was very limited.
It was impossible to reach the outrageous multiplicative jumps of the three on the screen. In fact, cases of such rapid power spikes had never occurred among the Saiyans before this.
It was as if this phenomenon only appeared after the Saiyans were nearly exterminated.
On reflection, that made sense. If all Saiyans really were that broken, never mind little old Frieza.
Give them a bit of time and even the universe's top power—Beerus—might not be able to stand against that race.
All they'd have to do is repeat the cycle every day: get injured, recover; get injured, recover.
On the surface, the Chimera Ants had now cracked the secret of Saiyan genes that let them rise in power when injured and grow in battle.
But they were baffled by how Goku and the other Saiyans could double their power from severe injury and multiply it again through gravity training. During Raditz's power surge, they also put many Chimera Ant elites—those who had already acquired Saiyan genes—through gravity training.
Regrettably, although their power increased, it was nowhere near Raditz's defiance of reason. With overly intense, overloaded gravity training, those Chimera Ant elites actually grew slower than others who followed the traditional methods Meruem taught.
The Chimera Ant whom the researchers called the Professor sighed and shook his head. It seemed this world's method of pushing power to the limit had nothing to do with them.
He'd once had the good fortune to ask Meruem why he valued these middling Saiyans so highly. Back then the strongest, Vegeta, was only at 18,000, while the weakest, Son Goku, had only a few hundred. Meruem's answer still puzzled him to this day. Meruem said only one thing: after Planet Vegeta's destruction, the Saiyans were protagonists blessed by this world's fortune—Heaven's favored. Once they grow, their prospects are immeasurable.
Fortune? Protagonists? What did Meruem mean by those terms? The Doctor didn't understand. Heaven? What's that? The atmosphere? He didn't get it.
Maybe the Doctor would never understand. Their ways of thinking were different. Besides, the Doctor had never read the power-fantasy "YY" novels on Qidian (censored).
"That Namekian is going to lose. He's at the end of his rope. If he doesn't have a new move, he's going to lose!" The Doctor stared at the screen, his glasses reflecting a strange light. No one knew what he was thinking.
And just as he predicted, Lord Slug was facing the greatest crisis of his life. Each of the three Saiyans had the power to go head-to-head with him, and he was dealing with all three.
If not for the three Saiyans' clashing personalities—repeatedly disrupting one another's moves—Slug might already have been defeated.
Even so, Slug now looked utterly disheveled, nothing like the swagger he had when he first arrived on Earth.
"Damn Saiyans! Damn Saiyans! I'll kill you!" Slug, eyes bloodshot, roared at Vegeta and the others.
All Saiyans must die!
"Tch. You? Only if you're capable." Vegeta glanced at Slug with utter disdain. He was very satisfied with the explosive power coursing through him now.
Of course, it would be better if he alone had reached this level. Though Kakarot (Son Goku) and Raditz (sic) were fellow Saiyans, Vegeta considered himself, as prince, a cut above them.
And by "a cut above," he meant in power. Status? Bloodline? He hadn't cared about those in a long time.
"Let's finish him quickly. The next target is Frieza. He'll pay blood for the blood he took from Planet Vegeta!" Raditz spoke as if squashing an ant. In a straight one-on-one, Raditz might not actually beat Slug. But Raditz had a trump card—a technique he wouldn't use unless absolutely necessary.
Chimera Ant Transformation.
Don't forget Raditz was no longer a pure Saiyan. Though he currently looked human, he'd been modified by the Chimera Ants and had the ability to transform into one.
After transforming, he wouldn't skyrocket in power, but he would improve. Raditz knew full well that without the Chimera Ants' modifications, he'd be at best on par with Nappa. In fact, thanks to bloodline, he might be worse than Nappa.
Reaching his current level was something he'd never have dared to dream of.
"You arrogant little insects! Don't get carried away! I'll make you disappear along with this planet! Aaaaah!" Slug's body started to swell, like a movie villain's transformation. None of the "allies of justice" opposing the bad guy stepped in to stop him.
"Getting bigger? What's the point? Don't tell me getting bigger also raises your power?" Vegeta mocked, watching Slug's body change.
And then—face, meet palm. Slug's ki did in fact jump by nearly half after he grew.
"Uh-oh, Vegeta, looks like you jinxed it." Raditz shrugged from not far away.
"Tsk. So what if he got a bit stronger? This can't compare to our Saiyan Great Ape transformation. It only adds a little power. I, Vegeta, will go teach him a lesson!" Vegeta was a cooked duck still quacking.
Don't be fooled—Slug had only increased "a bit," but in power-level terms, that put him at over three million now.
Vegeta had only 1.09 million. That was a threefold gap. At 1+ million versus two million, he might trade blows for a while and maybe even turn the tables. But 1+ million against 3+ million was likely to turn into a one-sided stomp.
Yes—Slug stomping Vegeta.
"This is my true, complete form, you damned little Saiyan insects. I'm going to crush you one by one!" A colossal green monster, Godzilla-sized, appeared before them.
Piccolo had once used a gigantification move against Son Goku. But his transformation was nothing like Slug's. Piccolo only made his body bigger—his power and ki didn't rise—and with greater strength came less speed; Goku toyed with him. In the end, he had to shrink back to normal to fight.
Slug's gigantification was completely different from Piccolo's. He was indeed a genius, his talent said to surpass Piccolo's—exaggerated, perhaps, but Slug certainly had his merits.
"Heh-heh. Man, I'm getting all fired up." Unlike Vegeta's annoyance and Raditz's solemnity, Goku felt a thrill at the sight of Slug's boosted power.
What an unbelievable guy. Challenging the strong had always been Goku's favorite thing—whether the opponent was evil or good, as long as they were powerful.
"So you were hiding something after all?" Raditz said to Goku, a comment that shocked and angered Vegeta.
"Kakarot! You were concealing your power just now!" Unforgivable—for the Saiyan prince to be surpassed twice!
Goku's power had been higher than Vegeta's before, but Vegeta was confident he could overtake him. He hadn't expected that Goku had been holding back! What did that mean? That he looked down on him?
Vegeta's forehead veins bulged fit to burst.
"Haha, didn't think you'd notice! In that case, leave this guy to me!"
"Twentyfold Kaio-ken!"
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