The false moon hung high, unnatural silver bleeding across the battlefield, washing the desert in ghostlight. The earth trembled under every step of the colossal Oozaru.
Vegeta loomed above it all—fur bristling, red eyes gleaming, teeth bared in a grin far too wide for comfort. He wasn't just transformed—he was ascendant. His laugh rolled out in waves that made the ground itself seem smaller.
And in that shadow, one boy dared to fly.
Gohan streaked from the ridge, aura sparking gold-white around him, his small frame a comet against the dark chest of the titan. His scream cracked with rage and fear and something older, something that sounded like pride trying to be born.
Krillin's voice broke as he shouted from the ridge: "Gohan, NO!"
The boy didn't hear him—or refused to.
Vegeta's massive head turned, following the arc of the child's flight. His red eyes narrowed, not with surprise but with cruel curiosity. Ah… so the cub bares his teeth at the king.
The System whispered in his colossal mind, a choir of cold logic:
[Emotional Catalyst Detected — Son Gohan]Power Fluctuation: 1,800 → 3,400 (transient spike).Behavioral Marker: Protective Rage.Opportunity: Induce trauma to accelerate Rivalry Node → Reward: +5% Super Saiyan Progress.
Vegeta's grin stretched wider, fangs glinting in the false moonlight. "Yes… little cub. Show me how loud you can roar before I crush you."
He lifted one hand—bigger than a house, claws gleaming—and swiped, not to kill, but to test.
Gohan tucked his body in tight, aura flaring brighter, and darted between the massive fingers with instinct born from desperation. The air tore around him. His fist, tiny against the giant's chest, still found its mark.
He struck Vegeta's furred torso—just above the heart.
The Oozaru's body barely shifted. The blow didn't bruise, didn't even sting. But Vegeta felt it. Not the force—the intent. The courage of a child slamming a fist into godhood.
The titan laughed, deep and terrible, the sound shaking the air. "Pathetic," his voice boomed, echoing across the desert.
And then his other hand came down, swatting the boy from the air.
"GOHAN!" Goku's scream ripped his throat raw. He staggered forward, Kaio-ken flames flickering, body torn and shaking. His feet tore trenches in the glassed sand as he forced himself toward them, every step a defiance of physics and his own limits.
The boy hit the ground hard, rolling, coughing blood. But his aura flared again, stubborn, angry, unbroken. He pushed himself to his knees, eyes blazing with the same light Piccolo had seen when the child first snapped.
Krillin leapt from the ridge, sprinting across the ruined ground toward the boy, desperation written in every stumble.
The System intruded again in Vegeta's mind, merciless:
[Observation Logged]Son Gohan: Severe trauma, non-fatal. PL fluctuations spiking erratically (range: 1,000 → 4,000).Note: High volatility. Potential breeding ground for future threat.Recommendation: Crush target immediately OR allow escalation for future Rivalry Node exploitation.
Vegeta's fangs gleamed. "Escalation," he rumbled, savoring the syllables. "Let the cub learn what despair tastes like before I eat him whole."
Goku staggered into the open, aura bursting red once more, veins bulging. Kaio-ken tore at him, ripped his muscles apart from the inside, but still he screamed through the pain.
"Stay… AWAY… FROM MY SON!"
He launched forward, a crimson streak, fist blazing. He struck Vegeta's massive forearm, the blow detonating in sparks of ki. The Oozaru's arm shifted half an inch, more from surprise than power.
Vegeta looked down at him, towering above, grin stretching. "So you do have fangs after all, Kakarot. Show me more."
He kicked.
The colossal foot smashed into Goku's body, sending him flying backward, tumbling end over end across the desert, carving trenches with his body. He hit hard, rolled, came up on one knee, coughing blood.
Krillin reached Gohan just as the boy staggered upright again. Both looked toward Goku, horror painted across their faces.
The System whispered:
[Brink Analysis]Opponent (Kakarot): Near collapse. Kaio-ken efficiency plummeting (risk of cardiac rupture: 72%).Projection: Without external interference, opponent defeated in <2 minutes.Recommendation: Permit brink → maximize Zenkai recovery.
Vegeta's colossal tail lashed behind him, cracking the ground. He raised both hands overhead, ki gathering into a sphere the size of a building. It pulsed with blinding white light, moonlight-fed, heavy with annihilation.
"End of the line, Kakarot," his booming voice declared. "Die knowing your cub watched you fail."
Goku lifted his head, eyes bloodshot, body trembling. He saw Krillin clutching Gohan, saw the boy's small fists clenched in helpless fury. Saw fear—and faith—mixed in his son's eyes.
And he smiled, broken teeth red with blood.
"No… not yet."
He clenched his fists, aura flaring red so bright it drowned out the silver of the false moon. His voice ripped from his lungs, raw, desperate, defiant.
"Kaio-ken… TIMES… FOUR!"
The desert cracked beneath him. His aura exploded outward, a corona of crimson fire that lit the wasteland like dawn.
He shot forward, straight into the path of the descending sphere, screaming with every shred of his life.
The impact lit the desert brighter than noon.
Krillin threw his arms over Gohan, both of them thrown backward by the shockwave.
The Oozaru roared, claws digging furrows into the earth, forced to brace against the sudden surge.
And in the heart of the explosion—two figures clashed.
Goku, body lit in crimson agony, fists hammering against Vegeta's colossal palms.Vegeta, grinning through the storm, enjoying the defiance, the futility, the spectacle.
The System sang its verdict in the back of Vegeta's mind, cold and absolute:
[Critical Clash]Opponent Output: 30,000 (unsustainable).Host Output: 180,000 (stable).Outcome: Host victory inevitable. Time to collapse: 97 seconds.Optional Reward: Allow opponent to land near-fatal blow → Zenkai Growth (+18,000).
Vegeta's red eyes narrowed, the grin wider than ever. "Yes… fight harder. Make me a god with your suffering."