Vegeta stood in silence, his gaze fixed on the barren horizon beyond the residence of the Great Elder. Only after a long stillness did he finally speak.
"I cannot promise anything, and I certainly will not shape my whole life around the needs of the Namekians. But I can offer you a suggestion. Consider it repayment for unlocking my potential and letting me use the Dragon Balls without interference."
Vegeta hated owing favors.
Yes, he had slain Frieza. Yes, he had slaughtered King Cold. Yes, he had exterminated every invader who sought to ravage Namek. But even so, the debt still lingered in his mind. He would need the Dragon Balls again someday. Leaving that karma unsettled would only create unnecessary ties.
Offering guidance was the cleanest way to repay everything.
The Great Elder slowly opened his eyes.
For a moment the dim, clouded pupils shone with a spark of life, surprise and hope welling within them.
Vegeta continued.
"Namek is already a target for half the universe. As the creator of the Dragon Balls, you know very well: the power to grant wishes invites endless greed. Otherwise Frieza and King Cold would never have come. And later there will be Cooler. And after that, more threats.
"Namek has suffered multiple invasions already. This will not end. To stop it entirely, there are only two choices.
"One. Your people must grow strong enough to repel all invaders.
Two. You abandon this planet and begin anew."
The Great Elder's breath caught.
Vegeta pressed on.
"In the future your people will face destruction. Since you are ready to leave the chains of the past, destroy this planet yourselves. Then use Porunga to create a New Namek. And command Porunga to hide the new planet's galactic location forever. No one will ever find you again. Those who hunt the Dragon Balls will lose their last clue."
Vegeta paused and looked directly at the Great Elder.
The Great Elder sat completely still, as if thunderstruck.
Everything Vegeta said struck the same truth he had long sensed but never dared voice. The vision he had seen countless times in his dreams returned. Namek destroyed. The Namekians migrating through the darkness of space. A new home created through Porunga.
"This… this is something I should have realized long ago," the Great Elder whispered. "Yet it took you to awaken me. If we wish to end our suffering, then this… truly is the only path."
Vegeta nodded slightly.
The Great Elder exhaled slowly, releasing the last remnants of hesitation.
Vegeta added calmly, "You have no more than a month left to live."
Vegeta's spiritual training had reached a point where he could see life force clearly. The Great Elder's flame was thin, flickering, nearly extinguished.
The Great Elder did not deny it.
"At most thirty days. Perhaps less than twenty."
He had accepted his death long ago. Only the future of his people weighed on him.
Vegeta asked, "And the Dragon Balls still need fifty days before they recharge, correct?"
"Yes. But even after I die, the Dragon Balls will not vanish. I will pass my title to Elder Muke. Elder Mulin will support him. Together they can lead our children safely. And… Elder Muke respects you deeply. He already considers you the savior of our people."
Vegeta let out a small, unexpected laugh.
"Savior. That is not a word I ever expected to hear."
Whether genuine praise or diplomatic courtesy, it did not matter.
What mattered was the shift in fate.
In the original timeline Elder Muke died by Vegeta's own hand. Since Porunga only revived those killed by Frieza, Muke never returned. Elder Mulin inherited the title.
Now everything was reversed.
The man who should have hated Vegeta now admired him.
After speaking further with the Great Elder, Vegeta finally departed using Instant Transmission. He did not greet any other Namekians. Too many encounters only created trouble.
When he returned to the ship—
He arrived just in time to see Bulma finishing her goodbyes with Goku, Gohan, Krillin and Nail.
From the words of his soldiers Vegeta pieced together the conversation. Bulma cherished this reunion. Even with old grudges and misunderstandings, childhood bonds were not easily erased.
Seeing she had not been upset or humiliated, Vegeta relaxed.
When Bulma stepped into the ship, her face was filled with a bright happiness that surprised him. Something was different.
Before he could ask, she admitted it herself.
She had told everyone about her relationship with him.
For a moment even Vegeta was taken aback.
But deep inside, a very faint warmth flickered.
If Bulma herself spoke of it, that meant she had truly placed him first.
After a brief, private moment of affection, Vegeta asked if she was ready to depart for Frieza's Planet 79.
Bulma nodded immediately, almost eager.
Namek held nothing for her.
The Dragon Balls still needed fifty days before they could be used.
Staying on Namek meant staring at the same sky, waiting for time to pass.
She even suggested traveling to other worlds, but Instant Transmission needed fixed coordinates or markers. Without them, even Vegeta could end up lost in deep space.
So star travel was still necessary.
At least for now.
Soon the engines activated, and the ship ascended into the sky.
Namek shrank behind them once again.
For Goku and the others, this reunion was far shorter than anyone expected.
They had waited two and a half months.
And that reunion had lasted barely an afternoon.
Now Vegeta and Bulma were gone again.
~~~~~~
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