At first, Vegeta had all but accepted defeat. He didn't even feel like resisting anymore.
But as the battle dragged on, he suddenly realized something.
Of the Ginyu Force, only Captain Ginyu was still standing.
Meanwhile, behind him — Kakarot and those Earthlings — were completely unharmed.
Even in his dazed state, Vegeta understood something shocking:
'Their side… had the upper hand.'
And then, another thought hit him like a thunderbolt — one that stung far deeper.
'They all won their fights…'
'…and I, the mighty Prince Vegeta, got my face caved in.'
His pride roared awake.
'Why?'
'Why am I the only one getting beat like a child?!'
'I'm the Prince of the Saiyans! A once-in-a-generation prodigy!'
'How dare I be the weakest link?!'
'Unacceptable. Unforgivable.'
The battered Vegeta roared and sprang back up.
As Recoome laughed, certain of his victory, he was caught off guard — Vegeta had slammed a foot into the ground and launched a furious counterattack.
Recoome blinked. "Huh?! He's back?!"
He was still grinning like a fool when Vegeta's fists came flying.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Recoome barely had time to cross his arms in defense as a flurry of punches rained down.
Vegeta's strikes were fierce and focused. Each one packed enough force to rattle Recoome's bones.
Recoome grunted. 'Damn... if he'd landed even one of those clean, I'd be in trouble.'
But then, Vegeta's breath began to grow ragged.
Recoome grinned.
And then — BAM!
Recoome's fist slammed into Vegeta's chest.
"Guh!"
Vegeta coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of white foam.
Recoome didn't let up. He brought down his fists like hammers, pounding Vegeta with savage delight.
"Hahaha! You're better than I thought, Vegeta!"
With a final blow, he slammed Vegeta into the ground.
Then, in one of his signature poses, Recoome arched backward and dropped a knee aimed at Vegeta's lower back.
If it landed, Vegeta would've been paralyzed for life.
But — he wasn't done yet.
Vegeta slammed his palms into the ground and launched skyward at the last second.
Recoome cracked the earth beneath him, scowled, and gave chase.
His speed was overwhelming — in a single breath, he'd caught up.
CRASH!
Recoome's punch sent Vegeta hurtling downward — straight into a lake.
Recoome hovered above, laughing as he watched the ripples.
But suddenly — SPLASH!
Vegeta burst from the water, fist first, and smashed Recoome in the gut.
Recoome groaned, the force pushing him back through the air.
Vegeta, summoning the last of his strength, hammered his fists into Recoome's abdomen over and over.
But the giant only retreated a few steps before holding firm.
Then, with brute force, he grabbed Vegeta and powerbombed him into the ground.
BOOM!
Vegeta was buried head-first into the earth, only his legs sticking out.
"Hehehehe…"
Recoome chuckled as he yanked Vegeta from the dirt by his legs.
But as he did — BOOM!
Vegeta, already gathering energy, blasted him point-blank in the face.
Recoome roared in pain and finally let go.
But by now, Vegeta was spent.
He dropped limply to the ground, bruises all over his face, gasping for breath.
He couldn't even stand.
Recoome slowly rose, face bloody, hair half-burned off.
Still grinning like a maniac.
"Nice hit, Vegeta! That one actually stung!"
The others watching could hardly believe it.
"What is this guy…"
"What a freak…"
Recoome planted his fists on his hips and grinned. "Got anything stronger? If not… get ready to die!"
Vegeta glared, chest heaving. "You… you ugly bastard! You think I'm a child you can just toy with?!"
He tried to retaliate — but his body had nothing left to give.
Recoome tilted his head. "Aw. No more tricks? That's too bad. Guess it's time to end this."
He struck another ridiculous pose, then opened his mouth wide.
ZAP!
A huge energy blast flew straight at Vegeta.
He couldn't move. Couldn't even raise his arms.
He was going to die.
Krillin and the others shouted in alarm.
But Tien acted first.
BOOM!
He blocked the blast with a Ki shield, the explosion kicking up a cloud of dust.
When it cleared, Tien stood tall — untouched — while Vegeta lay crumpled at his feet.
Tien stared down Recoome.
"He's done. There's no need to kill him. Fight me instead."
Recoome blinked, then glanced at Ginyu. "Captain, what do I do? This guy's your opponent."
Ginyu folded his arms. "Whatever. If you're having fun, go for it."
Recoome lit up. "Hehehe. Thanks, Captain!"
He turned to face Tien.
"Fighting a half-dead Vegeta was kinda boring. Hope you can entertain me!"
Tien took a single step forward and raised his hands into a stance.
"As you wish."
Krillin rushed over to check on Vegeta and helped him up.
Only to get barked at.
"Don't butt in, idiot! If you had the time to save me, you should've attacked him instead!"
Krillin frowned. "What the hell, Vegeta? This was a fair one-on-one fight. You lost. I was just helping."
"Tien's fighting him now — fair and square."
Vegeta turned his head to look at Tien. His face twisted — a blend of frustration and bitterness.
'He's stronger than me…'
He clenched his jaw.
"…Tch. I don't need your help."
Vegeta shoved away and tried to stagger off on his own — but then stopped.
Krillin was holding out a Senzu Bean.
Vegeta froze.
He hesitated.
Then, without another word, he snatched the bean and tossed it into his mouth.
Crunch. Gulp.
WHOOSH.
Power surged back into him.
Bruises vanished. Bones mended. His Ki overflowed.
It was delicious.
The recovery, combined with the experience of near-death battle, pushed his strength to new heights.
Vegeta felt it — the roaring energy now coursing through his veins.
He looked at Recoome again.
This time… it felt different.
'If I fought him again... I could smack him around like a child.'
Meanwhile, Tien and Recoome's match had begun.
Recoome kept prancing, posing, and running his mouth with flashy, ridiculous moves.
But Tien was pure discipline — traditional stances, focused counters, relentless precision.
Punches, kicks, blocks, strikes — each one textbook perfect.
Oddly enough, the mismatch in style didn't look awkward at all.
Captain Ginyu had been casually watching, arms crossed.
But when he saw Vegeta fully recovered, his expression shifted.
Something felt… wrong.
'Wait a minute… Guldo's dead, Jeice and Burter are both down…'
'That leaves just me and Recoome.'
'And Recoome… isn't even winning.'
This is bad.
Then the battle between Tien and Recoome kicked into high gear.
Tien finally began to unleash his true power.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Ginyu's scouter went wild.
Unlike standard models, his had custom upgrades — capable of reading higher power ranges without blowing up.
He checked it — and nearly choked.
Tien's baseline power was in the low thousands.
But the moment he struck — it spiked to 70,000–80,000.
Ginyu's face froze.
'A hidden monster…!'
He quickly ran calculations.
'Let's wait… let him show more of his strength.'
'And if he turns out to be stronger than me…'
'I'll take his body.'
A twisted smile curled across Ginyu's face.
In his mind, Tien Shinhan's body had already become his.