Eternal Pride

The Capsule Corp used to be bright, happy, and filled with memories worthy of a home. Standing before this place, Vegeta no longer had the same vision. Everything seemed... empty and gray, far from reminiscent of what it used to be.

Almost as if it were the ruin of a planet destroyed by his own hands, the acclaimed home was nothing but a constant reminder of what had been lost.

"Vegeta?"

Mrs. Brief watered her flowers as she usually did, trying not to think about her daughter and little grandson who were gone and failing whenever she saw blue petals reflecting light from the drops of water that she couldn't distinguish from the watering can or her eyes.

Amid this habitual lament, someone familiar returned to bring her out of her moment of self-pity.

While her son-in-law who had been missing for months looked strangely young, much younger than usual, the expression on that normally closed face was undeniably melancholy and lost.

A trait that everyone who came to visit after Bulma and Trunks' death had in common.

Vegeta hadn't noticed this woman's presence until he had been called, more distracted than he allowed himself to be when he wasn't fighting.

This place stirred him in the worst way possible.

Bulma's mother, an always happy and smiling woman, who Vegeta sometimes doubted was an Earthling due to her lack of change with time, was finally showing signs of aging and sadness.

The weight of the loss must have been as bad on her as it was on him.

"D-Don't tell me that you..." Mrs. Brief feared the worst, not knowing what she would do if Vegeta had come to take her granddaughter away.

"No, I didn't come to take Bulla," Vegeta didn't need much to know the reason for this fear and concern, reassuring the downcast woman before she despaired. "I came to see her and pick up a few things before saying goodbye."

Relief filled her immediately, almost unable to believe her ears.

"It means..." Mrs. Brief felt the first ray of light brighten her shattered world at this rare display of understanding from the coldest person she knew. "That Bulla is staying with us?"

"Yes and no." Vegeta would make it clear what would happen from then on. "Bulla will stay with you on Earth, but Whis will help take care of her. Once a week, he will take her off-planet before returning her two days later."

To say that she liked what was said would be a lie, but compared to the possibility that haunted her every day, these conditions were more than acceptable.

"It's okay," Mrs. Brief agreed, even more knowing who Whis was and the closeness her daughter shared with the guiding angel. "In the end, you are her father. I have no say in your choices."

What she really meant that she didn't have was power. No one could stop Vegeta other than Goku. After what happened, Mrs. Brief didn't want to see that reckless man ever again.

Vegeta didn't exactly agree with the words spoken, but he didn't want to approach that subject and entered the home he intended to leave soon.

Of the whole house, the part that tortured him the most was not the living room where he played games with Trunks, or the kitchen where he gathered with everyone to share daily meals, but the bedroom where he slept.

Undeniably the place where he and his wife spent the most time together, was infused with her scent which brought back countless memories.

Merely being there filled Vegeta with the desire to let the rage take over and destroy everything in his path after the bastard whose ki he did his best to pretend didn't exist on this planet.

Trying to bury all this pain and anger, Vegeta opened the closet where a collection of fabrics and clothes lay unused.

If there was one thing Bulma wanted him to do, besides getting a damn job, it was to dress like an Earthling and fit into this world.

As if letting go of a part of himself, Vegeta shed his Saiyan armor and put on a set of clothes that Bulma had insisted for him to wear in the past, but never could because of sheer stubbornness on his part.

The shoes were comfortable and acceptable, not much different from what he normally wore. The pants, not so much. The fabric was decent and the bluish color was nice, much better than pink, but it was baggy and loose. Vegeta was used to fabric sticking to his skin, helping vastly with his movement, but he would put up with this change. On top, he wore a black tank top that he was used to, so no problem. His hands were partially covered by fingerless gloves, a bit odd, but no big deal. The beige jacket, however, with that high collar and length to the hip seemed inefficient, even more so for keeping it open so as not to feel suffocated.

All this result was displayed in front of the mirror and Vegeta felt... normal by earthly standards.

What would Bulma have said about this? She probably would have smiled, teased Vegeta with a hug and awkward words about him being handsome, wanting to take him out to dinner, and showing him off to her single friends. Very likely.

Unfortunately, he would never be sure of that.

All for being too proud... The thing Vegeta wanted to keep the most ended up preventing him from getting much more.

Avoiding thinking about it further, he gathered all those clothes, including that ridiculous pink t-shirt, and stored them in a capsule, leaving behind only his Saiyan armor and combat attire.

What he left behind wasn't mere fabric, but part of the reason for so many things that went wrong throughout his life.

While he would keep his pride, it was no longer just about his extinct race but about the man he had become.

With a silent goodbye to the memories of that room, Vegeta went to the laboratory where Bulma's father was.

"So you have returned, Vegeta," Dr. Brief exhaled smoke with each word, lighting a new cigarette while he hadn't even finished the one in his mouth. "The clothes fit you well... so did the youth."

The laboratory was dark and smelly, the result of someone who seemed to have given up on everything.

"You're going to die if you keep intoxicating yourself like that," Vegeta ignored the comments about his external change, saying exactly what he had said to Bulma when she wanted to follow this old man into more than just being a scientist.

"Very likely." Dr. Brief didn't need someone else to tell him what he already knew.

"Then I recommend you stop." Vegeta dispersed the irritating smoke and destroyed the source of the toxin between the old man's fingers with just one look. "Unlike me, you have a wife waiting for you outside and a granddaughter to pass on your knowledge to in the future."

Dr. Brief wasn't shaken to see his cigarettes disappear, the words spoken, however, managed to move him mainly by their irony.

"Of all the people I expected to come along to try to talk some sense into me, you, Vegeta, were definitely not one of them." In fact, no one expected anything remotely like that coming from the prince, as he was too proud to care about others not directly connected to him. Almost like a reborn man.

Which was nothing new. Vegeta had been changing over the years. Currently, compared to the past, he was a completely different person and would certainly continue to change in the future.

"Don't get used to it." Vegeta hoped that his message had been received, otherwise he wasn't sure if he would see this man alive again after this day. "That thing you were working on with Bulma, is it finished?"

Of course, he wouldn't come to me out of the goodness of his heart. Dr. Brief should know better. Taking out a capsule, he handed it to the prince. "Your improved gravitational chamber has been done for some time now." That was the last joint work he had done with his daughter; something to be proud of and painful to maintain. "She didn't want to give it to you earlier so that you wouldn't spend more time training than with your family."

That sounded exactly like something Bulma would do.

"A wasted effort..." Vegeta continued training as usual instead of spending more time with those he should have. Too late to regret it.

Still, regret was all that remained besides that familiar hatred.

"My exact words." Dr. Brief used to repeat himself on this subject. It might sound controversial, but he understood the prince.

A man's passion couldn't be denied, even if it cost precious time with those who mattered most.

"Heh." At least the old man seemed to understand. "I'll go see Bulla and leave." Vegeta turned his back and stopped at the door. "You better not kill yourself while I'm gone, or even the afterlife can't save you from me."

The last thing he needed was to feel responsible for the deaths of more people.

"I'll keep that in mind." Sometimes it was hard to remember that the man before him was practically a god. "And Vegeta," Dr. Brief also had one last thing to say. "Don't get too attached to the past and try to glimpse the future, or it will eat you up from the inside out in the worst way... Believe me, I know."

"Me too, old man. I know too." Vegeta continued walking without looking back, busy thinking about why someone else would repeat words similar to Whis' about a non-existent future.

The desire for revenge against Freeza remained in him even after decades, and not even witnessing the death of that cursed lizard twice could appease his remorse.

At some point in his life, Kakarot had climbed to this position of hatred that grew stronger over the years. The accumulation of humiliations as he was saved and surpassed time after time didn't help at all.

After having all that anger appeased by his years on Earth, Kakarot, once again, managed to make Vegeta hate him like never before.

In other words, nothing had changed for Vegeta. Having his mind focused on hating someone was an everyday thing; almost nostalgic.

The only future that existed was one where Kakarot died by his hand, or where Vegeta killed himself to finish the job.

Watching his son-in-law leave the laboratory, Dr. Brief opened a drawer and lit his best cigarette, enjoying a taste different from the others.

Goku, you have awakened a sleeping beast. That kind of look, the coldness and malice behind it as Dr. Brief watched Vegeta leave made his heart beat faster with anticipation. And you deserve everything that will come of this.

For what he did, there was no mercy and no forgiveness. Dr. Brief would live, not for the words spoken, depressed wife or newborn granddaughter, but to see the day his son-in-law would collect that debt in blood!

Vegeta stopped before the door of the last room of the house to be visited; the old nursery that used to be Trunks' and now hosted the only family he still had. Feeling the calm ki, he entered quietly so as not to wake the little and all-powerful Bulla. In his life, there weren't many things that Vegeta would allow to be part of his selfish pride, and the potential of his children was one of them.

Trunks had managed to become Super Saiyan earlier than Gohan, whose achievement was already exceptional.

There was a time when the mere thought of it sounded ridiculous.

He himself only managed to transform after the age of thirty!

After that, Vegeta theorized that the father's strength had a lot of influence on the latent potential of the child. Bulla, in this case, was granted after he acquired his divine forms and the result showed in the traces of divine energy within that tiny little body.

"One day, you will be the most powerful being in all the universes." Vegeta touched her sleeping face with a gentleness that could be interpreted as fear. Waking or even hurting the child was unthinkable, and he shuddered when his finger was caught by that little hand. "Delicate as a princess and strong as a warrior."

If there was one thing he wished for other than Kakarot's death, it would be to see and follow the growth of his daughter.

"A pity that it won't happen." By the time she would be old enough to walk and talk, Vegeta would no longer be around. "Fortunately, Whis will take care of you."

With a teacher like that from a young age, she would be in good hands and would rise to the highest levels, so he didn't have to worry about her future.

"Yes, you are going to be the pride of the warrior race...and Earthling, unlike me and that irresponsible bastard." Vegeta hoped that this would be the case, thus changing the course of this decadent universe for the better. "Farewell, Princess Bulla."

Leaving the representation of the last thread that kept his sanity intact with a kiss on the forehead and a piece of his heart, Vegeta gathered everything he needed and was about to leave this world, but not before leaving a message for the hateful ki that was monitoring him from the Lookout.

Wait for me, Kakarot! Vegeta looked directly at the clown, sending as much animosity as possible in an obscure display of his hate-filled determination. I will surpass you! And get my revenge!

With that, he left the planet behind along with a life that Vegeta was proud to have lived and regretted being unable to protect.

"He's gone." Piccolo sighed with relief as he felt the prince's unstable and sinister ki disappear, drying the cold sweat that dripped from his skin.

When Vegeta arrived, he could feel his energy as if it were the clarity of the sun and the inconstant fluctuation of an ocean.

Anger and sadness went together all the time, and only when he was in the presence of his daughter did the turbulence subside and then the ki of old Vegeta showed itself to them in a clear statement:

The Prince of Destruction was back, stronger than ever before.

"I know..." Goku needed a lot of strength not to try to approach his old friend... or enemy and talk about everything.

A useless and foolish idea. Vegeta wouldn't give him the time of day, much less listen to a word he had to say. It would probably end exactly like last time and make everything worse.

What Vegeta needed most right now was time to calm his mind and heart.

Like many others. Goku still remembers the kind of expression his own family was making when looking at him. All because of my mistake.

In addition to the judgment and disappointment shown by Gohan and Chi-Chi, Goten looked at him in a way he had never seen before, with hatred where there was normally only adoration.

Because of that, Goku hadn't come home these past few months, hoping for forgiveness that might not be there as he prepared for the fight against Vegeta.

After feeling the increase and change in the power of this rival of his, Goku knew he had made the right choice.

"What is your plan?" Piccolo asked for the sake of asking, figuring there was no plan at all.

"Give him the fight he craves and hope to calm his rage." Goku didn't know if he could do anything other than that. I...I don't know if I would calm down in his place.

When Merus died, someone that he only spent a few months with, Goku almost exploded with rage but managed to calm down and finally master Ultra Instinct.

What would have happened if it had been Chichi and Goten? Merely imagining such a scenario was desperate, and Goku had a better understanding of what was going on in Vegeta's head.

There is no forgiveness.

"That won't satisfy him, you know it very well." Last time, Vegeta sold his soul for the chance to fight Goku and Piccolo feared what would come next. "Only death can."

"Mine or his?" The answer was obvious and Goku hated to know that perhaps there was no other way.

"You will have to kill him, Goku." Piccolo had nothing against the prince. In fact, he even sympathized and identified with him. They both shared this feeling of displacement as if they didn't belong to this world and the group they were part of. While he had Gohan to accept him, Vegeta had Bulma... In other words, the bond that held him together was gone; broken by his own friend and rival. "Defeating and sparing him is the worst thing you can think of doing. The last time he went crazy like that, you almost had your immortal soul destroyed. If it weren't for the guilt of reviving Majin Buu and the family he had at the time, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"If I had let Krillin kill him after our first fight, we wouldn't be here to discuss this either," Goku remembered, trying to prove a point and perhaps find another solution; one that didn't involve dying or killing.

This was one of the few occasions when Piccolo had no way to disagree when considering everything Vegeta had done since he arrived on Earth.

Without him, Piccolo and neither Goku would learn about their alien origins and would continue to see each other as enemies and rivals. That was a minuscule goal when compared to what came after. While, yes, Vegeta brought the deaths of many, he probably never would have done so if Piccolo hadn't talked too much and divulged the existence of the Dragon Balls on a mere whim.

Not to mention that it was also Vegeta who turned the wheel of greater change. Without him, no one would have gotten so strong and gone to venture off-planet.

In Namek, Gohan said that Vegeta practically saved his life by fighting Freeza's men and buying time until Goku arrived. An event that repeated later when Goku had his body stolen and Vegeta put him in a healing tank, again helping everyone against a common enemy until help arrived.

A few years later, Trunks' arrival was accompanied by the disaster that the future would bring, someone who wouldn't exist if Vegeta had died. And even if someone else came back from the future, like Bulma or Gohan, who would have saved Goku when that android was absorbing his energy?

Mistakes were made because of the prince's excessive pride, but Goku was worse and even Gohan screwed up when overcome by rage during the Cell Games and arrogance after having his power unleashed to face Buu, making Piccolo believe it was all some kind of genetic trait or curse of the Saiyan race because even Cell wasn't free of it. Despite everything, Vegeta helped distract the perfect android and secured the victory.

Many things followed a similar logic later on. While Vegeta got in the way, he also helped and ultimately redeemed himself by coming up with the plan that would lead to Kid Buu's defeat.

Even in the matter of Beerus, they would all be dead without Vegeta, as they couldn't perform the ritual for Goku's divine form without him and Trunks...

Freeza's resurrection, the tournament between universes 6 and 7, the Goku Black incident, the tournament of power, Broly, and even the more recent Moro. With Vegeta dead, there was simply no telling what would have happened.

Piccolo believed that they wouldn't even get that far and would have died without leaving the planet at the hands of the androids that no one could face without the power and discoveries made during the trip to Namek and fight against Freeza.

"I'm not taking away his merit." He never would, even more so after acknowledging the truth. "Vegeta helped more than he hindered, that is undeniable. However..."

"He is the enemy this time." Goku wondered if he himself was not also that enemy. Maybe none of us should exist... Their time had ended when they died more than once. "So I have to focus his hatred on me and stop him before the universe suffers because of me... again."

Never before Goku had reflected so much on his choices and actions. While he had preferred to stay dead for seven years in an attempt to rid the world of the calamities he was attracting, they would still happen with or without him.

Yet these calamities were nothing compared to the events he had triggered.

Trunks' timeline was a prime example of this... and it was eventually destroyed.

"So you made up your mind?" Piccolo hoped so, rarely being able to witness such maturity coming from Goku. Perhaps everything that happened was for the greater good.

The loss of Bulma would remain marked in everyone's heart, without a doubt. However, the change that this misfortune triggered could be beneficial.

A Goku with his head and priorities in place would be a very welcome change.

"Yes, I will do what I have to do." The universe was more important and he wouldn't let anything or anyone destroy it. I'm sorry, Vegeta. You... leave me no choice.

After winning the upcoming fight, Goku would extend his hand to his friend and rival who still lived in his memories one last time, and the reaction gained from this gesture would determine what would happen next.

The seriousness in that look told Piccolo what he needed to know.

Vegeta, it's not your fault that you are in this position. I would also break down if Gohan and Pan had suffered the same fate as your family. There were few things to value in life and loved ones were one of them, even he understood that much. Only, sympathizing doesn't mean agreeing. Your threat against innocent lives simply cannot be taken lightly.

Vegeta was one of the most powerful entities in the universe and even the multiverse. Goku Black managed to practically destroy an entire timeline, and he was nothing compared to the Prince's current power.

If no one stood in his way, Vegeta could destroy everything known to mortals and gods in a matter of days.

And that couldn't happen, no matter the cost.