In the boundless cosmos, a colossal star fleet raced faster than light.
At the center, within a command room, Frieza sat inside his cute little hover cradle, floating before a massive viewing window.
Outside, galaxies and nebulae streaked past, painting a grand cosmic tapestry.
Frieza was in excellent spirits—excited, even.
This trip to Namek carried a dream more important than ruling the universe itself.
"Hohoho…"
He laughed softly, imagining his wish being fulfilled.
The Ginyu Force had arrived on Namek first and confirmed the truth.
The Dragon Balls existed. Seven of them. If gathered, his dream would come true.
For Lord Frieza, collecting them was trivial—almost boring.
But there was one thing he could never fix with power alone.
His height.
The thought of finally shedding his small body and becoming tall and imposing made him giddy.
He pictured his snickering subordinates' faces twisting into shock and awe.
Then hurried, chaotic footsteps echoed outside.
A terrified shout rushed toward his door.
"Lord Frieza! Lord Frieza! Something terrible has happened!!!"
Frieza frowned, fantasy interrupted.
He turned slowly to the doorway.
A communications soldier tumbled to a stop at the entrance, pale with panic, gasping for breath.
He didn't dare run in. Fear rooted him at the threshold.
Frieza watched him. That gentle, icy smile returned.
He lifted a hand graciously.
"Hohoho, come in. Don't be so frightened. I allow it. What is so urgent?"
The soldier staggered in, dropped on one knee, voice shaking.
"R-Reporting to Lord Frieza! We just received the latest intel from the Namek front!"
Frieza's brow rose; his irritation eased.
"Has Ginyu found all the Dragon Balls? Hohoho, efficient for once."
"N-No!" the soldier blurted, shaking his head violently.
"I-It's Vegeta! He's on Namek, and… and…"
"Vegeta?"
Frieza's smile vanished. A shadow crawled across his face.
That filthy Saiyan monkey—rather than hiding on some backwater world—had shown up on his target planet?
"And what else? Speak."
His voice cooled.
The soldier trembled harder.
"N-Not just Vegeta…!"
"Not just one?"
Frieza's tone sharpened further.
"Raditz? Nappa? Those worthless dogs together won't change anything."
He assumed Vegeta had brought his two lackeys.
"N-No…" the soldier stammered, sweating.
"T-There are four of them on Namek! And… and one Saiyan has already defeated Captain Ginyu!"
"…What?"
Frieza jolted upright, disbelief flaring.
He knew Ginyu's strength—far beneath Frieza's first form, but still among the galaxy's elite.
How could a Saiyan beat him so easily?
Frieza's face twisted with fury.
The soldier, nearly collapsing under that pressure, sped up his report.
"And… the rest of the Ginyu Force… have all been killed by Vegeta!"
"What?!"
A monstrous aura burst from Frieza, flooding the room.
Instruments shattered, ornaments flew.
The soldier was crushed by the pressure, nearly blacking out.
Frieza slammed his fist into his pod's armrest, roaring:
"VEGETA! You damned ape! You dare do this?!"
He snapped his gaze to the shaking soldier, voice low with murderous intent.
"Explain! I ordered that no one engage Vegeta without informing me first! How dare Ginyu disobey my command?!"
The soldier swallowed in terror and forced out:
"I-It's because when they first saw Vegeta… they… they…"
He squeezed his eyes shut and shouted it:
"They were killed instantly… by Vegeta. Captain Ginyu tried to resist, but another unknown Saiyan toyed with him and defeated him quickly!"
To the soldier's surprise, Frieza's rage drained away like receding tides.
His aura withdrew. The crushing pressure evaporated.
Frieza fell silent, lowering himself into his pod once more.
Vegeta… annihilated the Ginyu Force in an instant?
Another Saiyan… humiliating Ginyu before killing him?
That wasn't merely "strong."
Ginyu's men were each above forty thousand in battle power; Ginyu himself around one hundred fifty thousand.
To erase them so effortlessly meant Vegeta and that other Saiyan had reached a terrifying height.
Could the legend be real?
A Super Saiyan…?
Frieza's gaze sharpened into something deep and lethal.
He looked down at the soldier with a calm, unreadable voice.
"Mm. I understand. You may go."
"Y-Yes! Thank you, Lord Frieza!"
The soldier's face lit with desperate relief. He bowed repeatedly and hurried to leave.
The instant one foot crossed the doorway—
A thin, silent purple beam shot from Frieza's fingertip.
It pierced straight through the soldier's heart.
His expression froze mid-joy. He toppled forward with a dull thud.
Guards at the door, expressionless and practiced, dragged the corpse away and cleaned the floor as if nothing had happened.
The door closed.
Only Frieza remained, alone in dead silence.
He floated back to the viewing window, eyes on the flowing stars, thoughts turning sharply.
After a long pause, he spoke.
The door opened again; a messenger entered and knelt.
"Your orders, Lord Frieza."
Frieza didn't turn, still watching the cosmos.
"Use encrypted channels to contact my father, King Cold, and my brother, Cooler. Tell them to come to Namek in the North Galaxy—immediately."
He paused, voice hardening.
"Tell them there is a miraculous treasure here that grants any wish. And a Super Saiyan may truly have appeared."
The messenger shuddered at the news, but bowed quickly.
"Yes! At once, Lord Frieza!"
He fled.
Frieza was alone again. Slowly, the doubt faded from his face.
A smile returned—thrilling, cruel, absolute.
"Hohoho… Super Saiyan…"
He savored the words.
"I admit it, Vegeta. You and your helper have surprised me. But…"
His grin spread, filled with ambition.
"Hohohohoho!!! I, Frieza, will be the strongest! No matter who stands against me, the winner will be Frieza—always!"
"Hohoho!!!"
On Namek…
Vitri watched in helpless disbelief as Goku and Ginyu were "fighting back and forth"—or more accurately, Goku was enjoying himself while Ginyu barely survived.
"I don't get it…"
Vitri rubbed his forehead.
"He could erase this guy casually. Why does he always drag it out for fun?"
Even as he complained, his eyes held a faint knowing smile.
That was Goku—born to fight for the joy of it.
Still, Vitri scanned the surroundings and soon spotted a strange alien frog by a muddy puddle, cheeks puffed as it croaked.
He strolled over and plucked it up with one hand.
Then he looked back to the battle, eager for the show.
Sure enough, realizing the gap was hopeless, Ginyu's face twisted into a desperate, snarling grin.
"D-Damn Saiyan! You forced me into this!!!"
He leapt back, then began savagely beating himself.
He slammed his chest, his abdomen, again and again—wrecking his own body until he was bleeding and barely standing.
His ki plummeted.
"Huh? What are you doing?" Goku asked, baffled.
"Even if you can't win, you don't have to do that!"
"Heh heh heh… you'll see…"
Ginyu spat blood, grin turning eerie.
Then he threw his mouth wide and screamed:
"Special Technique—BODY SWAAAP!!!"
A bizarre, otherworldly energy erupted from him.
A blinding beam blasted from his mouth straight at Goku.
"Whoa! What's that?!" Goku yelped.
Instinct screamed danger.
He crossed his arms, gathering ki to block.
Vitri's eyes shone—he'd been waiting for this.
Just before the beam struck Goku, Vitri flicked his arm and barked:
"Catch this!"
The frog in his hand flew like a bullet, dropping perfectly between Goku and Ginyu.
The beam struck the frog—and swallowed both it and Ginyu's defenseless body.
Light raged for seconds, then faded away.
Goku lowered his arms, patting himself.
"Huh? I'm fine? Didn't feel anything."
He looked up—and his jaw dropped.
Ginyu was now croaking in panic, limbs flailing awkwardly on the ground.
Far away, the frog was wobbling upright, struggling to control its new body.
Goku ran over and squatted, staring at the croaking "frog-Ginyu" with huge curiosity.
"Hey, what happened to you? Why are you squatting there and acting like a frog? Is this some cool new technique? That's awesome!"
He even squatted beside him and tried imitating the frog croak.
Vitri and Whis, sipping tea at the table, spit their drinks in perfect sync.
"Hohohoho~"
Whis shook with laughter.
"What an… imaginative countermeasure, Vitri-san~"
Dende stared, dumbfounded.
Nail, just healed, looked deeply embarrassed.
He'd seen Vitri throw the frog.
The result was satisfying, but the method…
He inhaled, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully to Vitri and Whis.
"Thank you for your aid, Lord Vitri, Mister Whis. This area is secured. I must return to the Grand Elder at once. May I entrust Dende to your care for now? I would be eternally grateful."
Vitri waved dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't be so formal. Dende stays with me. Go. Your Elder's safety matters more."
"Thank you!"
Nail bowed again, knelt to ruffle Dende's head.
"Dende, listen to Lord Vitri and Mister Whis."
"Mm! I will, Nail. Be careful!"
Nail launched into the sky toward the Elder's home.
Goku finally snapped out of his "researching technique" mode and ran back to Vitri, pointing at the frog still struggling with Ginyu's body.
"Vitri! What was that? Why did Ginyu turn into that? Did you and Whis-san do something?"
Vitri smiled "warmly" and beckoned.
"Come here. I'll explain slowly."
Goku instantly jumped back, slapping both hands over his cheeks.
"No way! Your smile is weird! You're gonna pinch my face again! When I was little you always smiled like that right before pinching me!"
Vitri's smile cracked.
He tried to look more sincere.
"Relax. I'm not pinching your face this time. Come here, I've got something important to discuss."
Goku hesitated and crept forward.
"What is it—ow!"
Vitri snapped a palm onto his back-of-the-head.
"Can you please be serious in a fight?! That beam was an evil body-swap technique! If you got hit, you'd be stuck in Ginyu's body for the rest of your life, you idiot!"
Goku clutched his head, pouting.
"Oh… it was body swap? I didn't know… who'd think he had a weird trick like that…"
Whis watched, munching snacks with a delighted "spectator" smile.
A sharp sonic boom tore through the sky.
A streak of light slammed down, kicking up dust.
Vegeta returned after clearing the soldiers.
He saw Vitri scolding Goku. A flicker of amusement crossed his face—then vanished as he forced a stern look.
He marched up, tone annoyed.
"I wiped out the Ginyu Force and all their trash. Where's Frieza? You said he'd show up soon. Don't tell me you're messing with me again!"
Vitri didn't respond. He just kept scolding Goku.
"See that? Look how clean Vegeta's work is. You took ages on one guy, he erased a whole crowd. From now on, learn from Vegeta—be efficient!"
Goku blinked, utterly earnest.
"So I should be like Vegeta? That means before every fight I have to cross my arms and say a bunch of stuff… and after I win I say, 'Hmph. Trash'?"
Vitri: "…"
He looked at Goku's innocent face and felt despair.
This kid's brain wiring was hopeless.
"KAKAROT!!!"
Vegeta's face exploded red. Veins bulged.
That line made him angrier than any insult.
Vitri watched the "friendly" bickering and smiled in satisfaction.
"Heh. You two really get along."
"Huh? We don't!" Goku shouted.
"Hmph! Stop talking nonsense!" Vegeta barked at the same time.
Their synchronized outrage only made Vitri grin wider.
He lifted his gaze, sensing through Namek's atmosphere into the deep void.
Frieza's evil ki was nearby, already within the same star system.
But oddly… it was lingering at the system's edge, not approaching Namek at all.
Vitri frowned.
"What's Frieza doing? Did losing the Ginyu Force scare him off?"
Whis smiled lightly beside him.
"Ah-la~ perhaps Mister Frieza really is afraid. And he isn't alone—he has brought some 'helpers,' you know~"
Vitri turned, intrigued.
Helpers that Frieza would call in now…
A thought clicked.
"Don't tell me… he called King Cold and Cooler too?"
Vitri closed his eyes, letting divine power sharpen his senses, searching for unusual strong presences besides Frieza.
A moment later he opened them, amused.
"Huh. Guess I was right."
Goku and Vegeta both turned sharply toward him.
Vitri chuckled.
"It's Cold and Cooler. What about it? You scared? If you are, I can send you back to Earth right now."
Vegeta crossed his arms with a disdainful snort, chin high, giving his answer with the back of his head.
Goku, meanwhile, sparkled with excitement.
"There're even stronger enemies? Vitri, how strong are they compared to Frieza?"
Vitri's smile turned sly.
"Stronger. Each of them is a bit above Frieza. So be careful. Don't get blindsided."
Then casually:
"But don't worry too much. If it comes to it, I'll step in."
Ignoring Goku and Vegeta's renewed glare-match, Vitri sat back in Whis's chair, lifted the warm tea, and sipped comfortably.
A couple of ice-demon types weren't worth his concern.
They'd make excellent sparring partners for Goku and Vegeta.
What Vitri didn't notice, however, was the faint glow at the tip of Whis's staff.
A tiny floating projection shone there—
showing the inside of the Briefs estate in West City.
Bulma was pouting, stuffing a mountain of luggage into capsules at lightning speed.
Then she threw her arms up and shouted:
"Whis, come pick me up!"
Whis took a sip of tea and said with a smile:
"Oh dear~ sorry, Vitri-san. Beerus-sama has an urgent matter for me. But don't worry—I'll be back in a few minutes."
Vitri waved him off, unconcerned.
Even if Whis didn't return, Vitri's Instant Transmission was more than enough.
Whis smiled at Vitri—eyes full of mischief.
"Then I'll see you all shortly."
He tapped his staff, turned into a streak of light, and vanished.
Vitri watched him go, feeling vaguely uneasy about that look—
like Whis was about to prank him.
But he quickly dismissed it and sipped his tea again.
"Huh. This is actually pretty good. When we get back, I'll have Bulma prepare some for me."
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