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The day had finally arrived.
The day that the prince, the predestined hero of Planet Vegeta, would emerge from his incubation tank.
The king of all Saiyans, Vegeta III, had arrived at the nursery much sooner than expected and this had put every member of the medical staff on edge. All of them could feel his cold black eyes burning through them as they double, triple-checked the charts, and searched the monitors for any slight changes in brain or heart activity.
Nothing could go wrong on this day, not in the slightest. Any setbacks or mistakes would doubtlessly result in a very sudden, very painful death at the hands of their king. That was if they were lucky.
"How much longer is this going to take?" King Vegeta’s voice was deep and rolled like crashing thunder in the immense space, causing everyone to nervously jump in response. He sounded irate as he crossed his arms over his chest and hissed. "You said it would be today, Doctor Arugu."
"It will be, Your Royal Highness," the lead physician, an elderly Saiyan male with a thick white beard and heavily scarred hands, bowed low. "We are just about to drain the tank."
"Then, get on with it," the king urged on, a subtle tinge of distress in his harsh tone as he placed a red scouter to his left ear. "I am ready to meet my son."
The lead physician bowed low again and returned to his team, barking orders at them to carry on with the next step quickly and flawlessly. Everyone scrambled to their designated areas and began the process of removing the Saiyan child from his incubator.
As intricate passwords and override commands were typed in and sent through, the tank emitted warning blares as the liquid within bubbled and churned.
The king turned his scouter on, focusing on the child before him. As of that moment, his power level was a hundred points higher than it was at the last reading. King Vegeta snorted proudly.
Excellent , he thought to himself. I expect nothing less of you .
To be honest, King Vegeta was not able to accept anything less than exceptional. Not from this child, not the heir of Planet Vegeta.
Before his first heartbeat, the small prince was yoked with a burden of unimaginable weight. It had been foretold in their ancient legends and by their wisemen throughout the ages that a most spectacular being would be born once every one thousand years, a Super Saiyan. This being would destroy any and all threats that stood in their way and he would lead all the Saiyans to triumph and glory.
The next Super Saiyan would be born within their lifespans, the wise men predicted. A glorious warrior with striking blonde hair and tremendous power.
The next Super Saiyan, the King predicted himself, would be born in the royal House of Vegeta. He would have to be if there was to be any hope for their people against their cruel overlord, the frost demon King Cold.
King Cold was a savage and heartless tyrant who used the Saiyan king and his strongest soldiers to carry out his sadistic commands upon the inhabitants of every planet they conquered.
His two sons, Cooler and Frieza, were just as cruel as their father.
Especially Frieza. Out of the two siblings, Frieza was the most cunning, volatile, and unpredictable.
And now, he had been given complete control over all Saiyans by his doting father to rule them and use them however he saw fit.
King Vegeta III could not stomach this fate for himself and his people. But, he was not strong enough to stand up to Frieza or his father. He knew his limitations.
It would have to be his son, Prince Vegeta IV.
Over the last three years, the child within the tank was nourished to perfection with the best concoctions of scientifically-enhanced nutriments and proteins while a constant stream of information on his heritage, Planet Sadla, the Royal House of Vegeta, battle strategies, techniques and maneuvers, the titles and roles of the citizens on Planet Vegeta played in his tiny ears.
The liquid continued to drop down the tank, inch by inch, down the drains below and all in the room kept their eyes on the life that was about to emerge.
Slowly, the child dropped to the bottom of the tank as the weightlessness was replaced with gravity. As the last of the liquid drained away, the child remained still with closed eyes and clenched fists.
"Prepare for extraction," Doctor Arugu commanded two specific members of his team. "Carefully now."
One member typed a code into the tablet in their hand which resulted in more warning blares and a mechanical hiss. The other staff member took out a keycard that had been corded around their neck for the last three years and, at the exact same time as Doctor Arugu, slid the card into one of two slots in the side of the tank. The top half of the tank began to lift, exposing the child to the atmosphere. Swiftly and with practiced expertise, the first member removed the oxygen mask, the earbuds, and the metal harness from the small body. But right before they could even lift the child, the king thundered mightily.
"Leave him," he ordered.
"But, my king," Doctor Arugu resisted lightly. "We need to take him to the medical ward-"
"I said LEAVE HIM."
His voice shook through everyone, down to the marrow in their bones. The medical staff all took a collective step back as King Vegeta approached the child that remained unmoving beneath the warm lights of the tank.
Doctor Arugu exchanged concerned glances with his assistants, cleared his throat softly, and addressed the king.
"My king," he began. "It's imperative that we take the prince to the medical ward. It takes a typical Saiyan child a couple of hours before they are cognitive-"
"My son is not a typical Saiyan child," King Vegeta cut him off. "Now, silence that jabbering hole of yours and watch."
Doctor Arugu clamped his mouth shut, a sweat drop running down his temple. The king crossed his arms, his cold stare hardening and the tail around his waist bristling.
"Get up," he ordered the child. Nothing. The king leaned in closer, his voice just as loud as before. "Get up NOW, boy."
The child flinched and his tail sprang to life.
Doctor Arugu and the entire medical staff gasped in absolute disbelief. Without turning, the king lifted one finger to silence them all.
They all watched as their prince slowly awakened, eyes fluttering open with hands opening and closing. The tail whipped back and forth erratically and then calmed as the prince sleepily raised himself up into a sitting position and wiped the tank liquid from his face. He blinked for a few seconds, his large black eyes adjusting to the lighting, and stared at the tall Saiyan that stood before him.
He was the spitting image of his father. Thorny black hair that shot upwards like wildfire, two thick mean-looking eyebrows crowned his dark intense eyes, his little mouth turned downward into a scowl. The only difference between them was their height and hairline, the king possessing a dramatic widow's peak and the prince with thick black bands of hair streaking across his forehead.
Doctor Arugu, amazed by the sight before him, stepped forward and gaped at the young prince.
"Fascinating," he stated in wonder. "Never in all my years have I seen a child awaken so quickly! Absolutely astounding. He truly must be the legendary Super Saiyan."
"Of course he is," King Vegeta said with a confident nod. "This is who he was bred to be from the very beginning. Do you hear me, my son?"
The child blinked and gave one single nod.
"Do you know who I am," the king asked the prince.
The prince slowly shook his head, his eyes still blurred but wide with curiosity at the intimidating figure that loomed over him.
"I am your father," the king continued. "The king of all Saiyans, Vegeta III. Do you know who you are?"
Something inside the child's brain connected as his eyes brightened, the embedded loop of information replaying in his mind and producing the answer to the question.
The child opened his mouth, trying to form words for the first time in his life. He struggled for a few moments, grunting and humming and growling as he quickly figured out the method of articulating.
"I-l… am Prince Vegeta IV," he slowly croaked out, saying his own name with such confidence and high regard that the king grinned with delight. "I am...the prince of all Saiyans."
"Get out of that tank, Prince Vegeta," King Vegeta commanded him, "and stand on your own two legs before your king like a warrior."
Prince Vegeta's little legs trembled as he slowly lifted himself up to his feet, his tail helping him in maintaining this new sense of balance. When he found a sturdy stance and straightened his back, loud gasps could be heard from the doctors and medical staff, as no Saiyan child in any of their records throughout their history had ever been able to stand on their own immediately after extraction.
The prince jumped down from the incubator onto the cold tile floor beneath him. He approached his father and stood before him, upright and proud. They locked eyes, the king finding no fear of authority or death in this young child's stare.
"Are you ready to fulfill your destiny, my son?"
Prince Vegeta nodded dutifully.
"Then, come with me. Your training begins immediately."