Chapter 36: A Fateful Duel
"Does that mean Goku is now our enemy?" Kibito Kai turned to look at the crystal ball.
High above a desert wasteland, Goku and Vegeta stood face to face, suspended in midair. The fierce wind howled around them, while sandstorms raged below.
"Goku only became the way he is because he hit his head when he fell off a cliff as a child!" The Elder Kai had his hands clasped behind his back, his expression filled with worry.
"If that's the case, then what else could Goku be but an enemy? Saiyans were originally like Vegeta... could Goku also be thinking about conquering the universe?"
Kibito Kai's face grew exceptionally solemn. Suddenly, he stood up and paced a few steps.
"What are you doing?" the Elder Kai asked, confused by Kibito Kai's actions.
"I'm going to help Vegeta. While they fight, I'll do my best to awaken Goku's pure and kind nature!" Kibito Kai said as he prepared to use Instant Transmission.
"Wait a minute. Come here first; I have something I need you to do on the way," the Elder Kai called out, turning toward Kibito Kai.
"Uh... Ancestor, what else do you need me to do?" Kibito Kai hesitated but walked over to the Elder Kai.
"Bang!"
The Elder Kai picked up the crystal ball and smacked Kibito Kai on the head with it. "Hmph, with your level of strength, you'll just get in the way! No, you'll go there just to die!"
Kibito Kai rubbed the large lump swelling on his head, looking aggrieved. Watching the scene in the crystal ball, he muttered, "The fight is about to begin!"
In the air, Vegeta's expression was somewhat irritable, his temper even worse than it had been back at Bulma's villa.
"Hmph, do you think I, the Prince of Destruction, would fear you?"
"The true nature of Saiyans, huh..." Lin Qi crossed his arms and landed atop a mountain peak, gazing at the two figures confronting each other from afar.
"Next, I'll enjoy this destined battle!"
"You've been chasing me relentlessly since our first fight... all the way until now," Goku sneered, his tone dripping with disdain as he flew straight toward Vegeta.
"Is that the tone you use when speaking to a prince?" Vegeta, even more enraged, charged toward Goku.
Though both remained in their base forms, their rapid movements and the collisions of their fists were overwhelmingly powerful.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In just a brief exchange, they had already fought hundreds of rounds.
"Haah!" Vegeta roared, and his battle power suddenly surged. His energy flared out, spreading across the ground and intensifying the chaotic winds and swirling sand.
Transforming into Super Saiyan 1, Vegeta instantly gained the upper hand. His fist hurtled toward Goku's cheek with incredible speed.
This forced Goku to take things more seriously. Tilting his head, he narrowly dodged the punch.
"Hmph... You think you're the only one who can transform?" Goku let out a cold snort, yelling as he also ascended to Super Saiyan.
Vegeta didn't respond but launched another relentless barrage of attacks at Goku. Each punch carried immense force.
The two exchanged blows back and forth, their figures constantly flashing through the sky in an intense battle.
"Ha..." After creating some distance between himself and Vegeta, Goku caught his breath. "You're stronger than I expected... as expected of the genius Prince!"
"Hmph, isn't the real genius you? I've already come to accept that fact. You're the true number one..." Vegeta snorted coldly, glaring at Goku. "The gap between us has been clear since the Cell Games..."
"You always achieve things I can't... I spent so long in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, yet I made no progress!"
Lin Qi's lips twitched slightly. Why did their fight suddenly turn into mutual flattery?
"Hmph... You've always been one step ahead of me. Even now, with Super Saiyan 4, it's still the same..."
"My pride has been completely shattered by you, and you have the nerve to call me a genius... Go to hell!"
Vegeta's forehead veins bulged as he shouted, transforming into Super Saiyan 2 and throwing a powerful punch at Goku.
"Hmph, you're asking for trouble!" Goku retorted coldly, transforming into Super Saiyan 2 as he met Vegeta's punch head-on.
"Seriously..." Lin Qi, watching from the mountain peak, felt utterly speechless. Anyone who didn't know better might think these two were just sparring.
At this rate, with one transformation after another, how far were they planning to go?
"Ugh!"
With a pained cry, Goku was sent flying by Vegeta's punch, crashing into the rocky mountain where Lin Qi stood.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Lin Qi quickly leaped into the air as the mountain crumbled beneath him.
Goku smashed through several mountains before finally coming to a stop, embedded in a rock face. Debris tumbled down around him.
Centered on Goku, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the mountain until it collapsed entirely, sending a massive avalanche of rocks tumbling down.
Buried beneath the rubble, Goku roared, "Haah!" His explosive energy shattered the rocks that had covered him.
Surrounded by an intense aura, Goku ascended to Super Saiyan 4. The desert around him seemed crushed under the weight of his power, as a massive sandstorm erupted.
Seeing Goku's transformation, Vegeta was unwilling to be outdone. With a shout, he too transformed into Super Saiyan 4.
"I thought you'd need more time to warm up..." Vegeta sneered as he lunged toward Goku, throwing a powerful straight punch.
But Goku used Instant Transmission to evade, leaving Vegeta's punch to hit only air.
The two fighters disappeared once again, their movements too fast to follow. The sound of their bodies colliding reverberated through the air.
Explosions echoed continuously, and the overwhelming aura of destruction permeated the earth, causing it to tremble.
Meanwhile, far away, Gohan was studying when his pencil snapped on the page.
"Crack."
"Uncle Piccolo..." Gohan stood abruptly, rushing toward the living room with his broken pencil still in hand.
Piccolo, sitting on the sofa and watching TV with Pan, turned to Gohan and asked, "What is it?"
"Did you feel that? Over in the western desert..." Sweat dripped down Gohan's face. "They're fighting with their true power..."
"I have to stop them... This will destroy the Earth..."
"Gohan..." Piccolo stood up calmly, patting Gohan on the shoulder. "I sensed that Lin Qi is there too!"
"Maybe it's just Lin Qi training them! It's not impossible!"
"Really?" Gohan thought about it and realized he might have overreacted. He was being overly dramatic.