[16]. Sending Away Kakarot

By the campfire, two small figures sat cross-legged, each gnawing on a roasted deer leg.

"-gege, how could that little brat nail be so weak and still have the nerve to bet with you?" Ausbi'er asked, speaking between mouthfuls.

"He's not weak. His combat power is over 1000—higher than yours," replied.

He reached out to wipe the grease off her little face but ended up smearing it more. Ausbi'er puffed up her cheeks in annoyance, her lips curled in a pout.

"Wow! That strong?" Ausbi'er drooped, feeling a little discouraged. Even random kids they met had higher combat strength than her.

After received the Great Elder's potential unlocking, his combat power soared to 12,000. Meanwhile, she was only at 1,200. Who knew how long it would take to catch up?

Lowering her head with a sigh, Ausbi'er sulked as she bit into the meat.

 chuckled silently, saying nothing.

Truth be told, nail had incredible talent—possibly even greater than Piccolo. The only difference was that Piccolo had an indomitable will, born from his constant desire to surpass Goku. Even when he could no longer keep up, he never gave up.

If nail had the same drive and determination, he might surpass even Piccolo in the future.

After a while, tossed the bone into the river and laid down on the grass.

It had been months since he last had real food—on the spaceship, it was all nutrient fluid. Now that he'd eaten his fill of grilled meat, his stomach and soul both felt satisfied.

 scooted closer to Ausbi'er.

"Little Ausbi'er, now that you've learned Instant Transmission, we'll leave tomorrow and return to Planet Vegeta."

"Yay! We're finally going home!" Ausbi'er clapped her hands with excitement.

"Aunt Gine's going to be so surprised when she sees how strong we've gotten!" she added with a mysterious little grin.

"Hmm?" raised an eyebrow.

So the little rascal liked showing off too, huh?

Still, he had to admit, it did feel good to act humble in front of others and then suddenly reveal one's true strength. Playing the underdog had its charms.

He grinned inwardly. Sure enough, birds of a feather flock together.

He could already imagine the look on Bardock's face when he saw how much stronger had become—it was going to be a good show.

Both and Ausbi'er froze for a moment.

There they were, sitting side by side by the fire, their faces lit by the flames—eyes half-squinted, as if lost in a daydream.

If someone could read minds right now, they'd easily know what the two were thinking:

Both were fantasizing about how cool they'd look showing off back on Planet Vegeta.

The next morning.

"Alright, let's go say goodbye to Elder Husu and the others."

After putting out the fire, took Ausbi'er and teleported back to Planet Yardrat.

Shwoosh!

They reappeared at Elder Husu's residence.

 knocked on the door, and Husu soon emerged.

"Wise Elder, we're getting ready to leave now," said respectfully, a touch of reluctance in his tone.

After all, they had lived here for half a year. Leaving all of a sudden did feel a bit emotional.

But had no choice—he had to return to Planet Vegeta to save his people.

"So soon?" Husu looked surprised.

He had been keeping track. spent six months learning Instant Transmission, and now even Ausbi'er had grasped the basics. Their talent left him utterly stunned.

"Thank you all for your hospitality. And thank you for teaching us Instant Transmission. The people of Yardrat will always be our friends. If you ever need anything, you can find me on Planet Sadala!"

Since Planet Vegeta was about to be destroyed, shared the location of Planet Sadala, the original Saiyan homeworld, with Husu.

Husu opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

 and Ausbi'er weren't natives. It was normal that they would leave after completing their training.

Husu sighed deeply. A year of interaction had turned strangers into true friends.

After saying goodbye to Husu, they also went to bid farewell to Supa, then made their way back to the spaceship they arrived in.

Turning to take one last look at the Yardrat town behind them…

"Let's go."

With that, the two figures—and their spaceship—vanished from the surface of the planet.

Planet Vegeta.

Thunder rumbled across the sky as countless Saiyan ships streaked overhead, leaving behind glowing white trails.

These were Saiyans returning from off-world missions, summoned urgently by royal decree.

Ships rumbled down one after another, landing in clusters.

"How'd the mission go?"

"Don't ask. We nearly died out there!"

"Huh? What happened?"

A stream of Saiyans emerged from their ships, chattering about their recent assignments.

At that moment, a larger ship opened its hatch, and out stepped a muscular Saiyan in combat armor, a tail wrapped around his waist and minor scars dotting his face.

"Captain, I'm back!" he called as he strode forward.

"Good to see you again, Garis," Bardock said with a smile. He had come to greet his squad members personally today.

"Yeah... Where are those two little guys— and Ausbi'er?"

"They're out on a mission."

"What? I thought you said we wouldn't send them out until they grew up!" Garis's tone turned a bit stern.

Garis's parents had died saving Garis. He had promised to protect the boy.

Because Garis was often away on missions, he had entrusted to Bardock. But now he learned the child had already been dispatched.

"This was 's own request," Bardock explained. "I only assigned him a very simple task. You know Saiyans—"

Before he could finish, thunderous roars exploded overhead.

This was no ordinary sound—definitely not from a Saiyan spacecraft.

They both looked up.

What was that?

A massive interstellar ship loomed in the sky.

"Captain Bardock! Isn't that one of Frieza's ships?" Garis asked in disbelief.

Wasn't Frieza supposed to arrive in half a month?

Why was he here early?

"Frieza..." Bardock muttered through gritted teeth as he stared at the ship.

Was the nightmare about to become reality?

"Garis, I'll explain 's situation later. Right now, I have something important to do!"

Bardock turned and ran off.

"Captain...?" Garis watched Bardock's retreating figure, utterly confused.

That evening.

Delicate and slender, Gine followed behind Bardock through the shadows.

Bardock carried a small spacepod on his shoulder—stolen from the launch center. Inside it was their infant son, Kakarot.

He had already removed the tracking device from the pod.

Tears streaked down Gine's face. She bit her lip to stifle her sobs, afraid to alert anyone nearby.

"Bardock… are you really going to send Kakarot away?" she choked.

"We have no choice. I hope I'm wrong. If I am, we can always bring him back later." Bardock gently set the pod down.

Through the transparent dome, they looked at their child—Kakarot—their hearts full of sorrow.

"Kakarot... you have to live," Gine whispered, her tears flowing again.

Bardock wrapped his arms around her tightly, staring up as the pod blasted off—soaring beyond the sky.

The next day.

Ships continued to return to Planet Vegeta.

Suddenly—two older-model ships dropped straight down from the skies.

Through the transparent hatches, two small figures could be seen inside—wide awake and calmly watching the landscape pass by.

They were and Ausbi'er, returning at last.

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