NOVEL WEB Chapter 34: Ugly Wins, Pretty Loses
The water shattered like glass.
Vegeta exploded out of the lake in a trail of steam and ki, rocketing toward Zarbon with a scream locked in his throat. He slammed a fist into the elegant warrior's face, sending him skidding across the Namekian lakebed in a spray of dirt and water.
Zarbon wiped the blood from his lip, already rising with a frown. "You've gotten stronger."
Vegeta spat. "You haven't."
They clashed again. No banter now — just fists, bone, and blood. Vegeta ducked under a sweeping kick and retaliated with an elbow to the gut. Zarbon doubled over but recovered instantly, grabbing the Saiyan's arm and yanking him forward into a brutal knee to the ribs.
Vegeta coughed and retaliated with a headbutt that cracked the air, then unleashed a barrage of energy blasts that lit up the sky like fireworks.
Zarbon darted through the smoke, snarling. "You're still not strong enough."
He twisted midair and drove a spinning heel into Vegeta's spine, sending him plummeting into the ground with a shockwave that shook the horizon.
Vegeta staggered to his feet. Bruised. Bleeding. But laughing.
"Is that all, you painted freak?"
Zarbon's eye twitched.
Then his skin rippled.
Veins bulged. His muscles swelled grotesquely. His jaw extended. Armor cracked and snapped off his expanding torso. The transformation was violent and unclean, the exact opposite of his usual pristine aesthetic.
When it was done, the creature hovering before Vegeta looked like a nightmare born from radiation and bad genetics.
Vegeta didn't move.
"Ah," he said. "So that's the trick."
Zarbon didn't reply. He launched.
The first punch shattered part of Vegeta's armor. The next twisted his jaw sideways. A roundhouse flipped him end over end, and then Zarbon caught him mid-spin with a hammerfist that drove him into the dirt so hard the crater caved in around him.
There was no counterattack this time. Only blood.
Zarbon exhaled steam. "You lose."
Hours later, Vegeta floated inside Frieza's ship, submerged in a rejuvenation pod. The fluid glowed, and machines beeped around him. His eyes were closed. He looked peaceful — like someone sleeping through a storm.
Outside, a voice snorted.
Appule.
"Prince of Saiyans? More like Frieza's latest science experiment," he chuckled, flipping through a datapad. "Let's see how fast this one folds once we start asking about the Dragon Balls."
Inside the chamber, Vegeta's eyes opened slowly.
Burning.
Seconds later, alarms blared. Glass shattered.
Appule's body hit the wall with a crunch, his skull embedded in the control panel.
Vegeta stepped from the tank, dripping and snarling, ki already radiating off him like heat off a forge.
"You shouldn't have talked."
He moved through the ship like a shadow, leaving a trail of unconscious soldiers and flickering lights behind him. In the vault chamber, he stared at the five gleaming orbs.
They floated into the air with him as he vanished into the night sky.
Elsewhere, Kai sat in the middle of a shallow, glowing pool. It was warm from the nearby geysers, and tiny, firefly-like organisms blinked beneath the surface like soft stars. The Namekian moons above shimmered in the water's reflection.
Bulma sat beside the pool's edge, bare feet in the water, arms crossed loosely over her knees.
"Not bad, huh?" she said softly.
Kai leaned back against the edge of a stone, eyes closed. "I'll give Namek this — it's got a vibe."
"Not exactly how I imagined alien planets," she said. "I thought there'd be more screaming and gunfire."
"There still might be."
They were quiet a moment. Just steam, and stars.
Bulma kicked at the water. "Can I ask you something?"
"You usually do."
She gave him a look. "Why are you holding back? Not just your power — I mean… everything."
Kai opened his eyes.
He didn't answer right away. The water rippled between them.
"I guess… because once you take the gloves off, there's no putting them back on."
"That's a dumb answer."
He smiled faintly. "It's the truth."
She studied him, lips slightly parted like she was about to say something else, but didn't. Instead, she slipped into the pool beside him, water rising to her waist. Her hand brushed his under the surface, barely.
"I know you think you're protecting us by staying in the background," she said. "But you're not in the background. You're right here. With me."
Kai stared at her. Really looked at her.
"You talk too much," he said.
"Then shut me up."
He did.
She leaned in — just enough. He closed the distance. The kiss was quiet, warm, and real.
Nothing dramatic. No fireworks. Just one honest second, for once not trying to save the world.
When they finally pulled apart, she looked at him with soft defiance.
"You're still dumb."
"You're still loud."
"And if you die, I'll bring you back just to kill you again."
He laughed. "Fair."
Meanwhile—
Space tore open with rainbow contrails and a sound like four keytars screaming at once.
The Ginyu Force had arrived.
Their ship, bulbous and gaudy, crashed into the planet with unnecessary flips and sparkles. The door hissed open, releasing a slow fog and an even slower boom box playing a synthesized theme song that seemed to come from nowhere.
Out stepped five figures. Posing.
Captain Ginyu stood at the center, muscles oiled and flexing, his scouter flashing.
"Gentlemen… and Goldo. Welcome to Namek."
Recoome flipped his long hair back and struck a squat.
"Time to rumble."
Jeice did a spin with finger guns. "Oi, mate. Let's melt something."
Burter ran in place, moving so fast his image blurred.
Goldo sipped from a juice box and belched.
Ginyu raised a single hand and struck a ridiculous crouching pose. "Let's find the Dragon Balls… and look good doing it!"
They all shouted in unison.
"GINYU FORCE… STYLOOOO!"
The planet groaned in quiet protest.
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Okay I think this might be my first fully descriptive fight. Also sorry if you don't like the kiss thing. One question do you guys read this or listen to it on your phones.