Dragon Ball: My power level has been maxed out!

"Hey, Vegeta!" Solo shouted with a laugh from the air, his voice carrying clearly across the open field to Vegeta's ears. "Stop hiding, we've seen you for a while now, come out!"

Vegeta was just about to appear when his eyes darted around, and he suddenly remembered something. He immediately shrank back, pressing his back against the rock wall again.

Who are you kidding?

You said you found me?

Then why are you still looking around?

Do you think you can trick me, Vegeta, out of here with this outdated trick?

Vegeta's lips twitched, and he clenched his teeth.

I'm not going out, what can you do to me?

"Over there." Goku quietly pointed to Vegeta's hiding place, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Soro had actually sensed Vegeta's presence long ago.

After all, although Vegeta has learned to hide his aura, he is not yet able to completely conceal it.

The faint, ethereal aura, like a wisp of smoke, drifted through the air.

Solo smiled slightly, a faint curve appearing at the corners of his mouth.

The two slowly floated towards Vegeta's direction, their bodies moving horizontally in the air at a moderate speed, like two fallen leaves being blown by the wind.

Vegeta's pupils contracted sharply, as if he had been pricked by a needle.

He quickly crouched down, bending his knees and curling himself up into a ball, pressing his back tightly against the rock wall, holding his breath for fear of being discovered.

Above them, Zoro and Goku hovered in mid-air, their figures casting faint shadows in the sunlight.

"There's a very faint aura here," Goku said with a smile, his gaze fixed on the direction Vegeta was hiding. "It should be Vegeta! Vegeta, your ki hasn't dropped to zero yet; it's far from enough!"

"It's near that rock." Solo chuckled, crossed his arms, and tilted his head. "Are you still planning to stay hidden?"

Vegeta: "..."

Vegeta's heart sank, as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart.

They found out after all!

It seems my ability to conceal my presence is not perfect yet!

That's really awful!

Vegeta's teeth were grinding together, and his fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly.

He took a deep breath, lifted his back off the rock face, and straightened his knees slightly.

Just as Vegeta was about to appear.

"Splash..."

A large fish suddenly leaped out of the lake, its silvery-white scales shimmering in the sunlight.

The fish leaped two meters into the air, tracing an arc, and flicked its tail, sending up a string of water droplets.

Then, the big fish plunged headfirst into the lake, splashing up a spray of water, and disappeared.

"It wasn't Vegeta." Goku stroked his chin, running his fingers along it a couple of times, and murmured in thought, "So it was a big fish!"

"Yes." Solo nodded silently, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Vegeta hid behind the rock, his body stiff, the muscles in his back taut like an iron plate.

He exhaled slowly, a long and light breath, like a taut string slowly unwinding.

He immediately felt grateful to the big fish a hundred times over, and even erected a monument for the fish in his heart.

"Let's go," Solo said to Sun Wukong, turning his body slightly.

"Okay." Goku nodded, turning his gaze away from the rocks. "Let's hurry and meet up with Krillin and Gohan first."

"Swish! Swish!"

The two figures flickered and transformed into two streaks of light, disappearing into the distant sky.

The two beams of light grew smaller and smaller until they became two dots of light that merged into the sky.

Vegeta cautiously peeked out, stretching his neck as far as he could, his eyes narrowed to slits, his gaze following the two departing figures.

Once he was sure the two had disappeared, he collapsed to the ground as if deflated, leaning against the rock with his legs outstretched, panting heavily.

A brief silence.

The wind swept through the valley, ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead.

Vegeta suddenly stood up from the ground, his body springing up and his feet firmly planted.

He gritted his teeth, his cheeks puffed out, and his body began to tremble again, like a leaf in the wind.

"Hmph!" Vegeta hissed angrily, his voice echoing through the empty valley. "You better not let me see you again!"

He held his chin high, hands on his hips, trying to make himself look less disheveled.

"Hey, what will you do when you see us?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out directly above Vegeta. It wasn't loud, but each word struck his eardrums like a hammer blow.

Vegeta's body stiffened abruptly, his neck lifting up mechanically like a rusty gear, looking at Zoro and Goku who were suspended in the air.

Two figures hovered steadily less than ten meters above his head, arms crossed, smiles on their lips.

Vegeta was struck dumb, his pupils contracted sharply, and his lips trembled twice.

Didn't those two guys leave?

When did they return?

His mind went blank.

"Snapped!"

Solo descended from the sky, landing beside Vegeta with his toes on the blue lawn, kicking up a small patch of grass.

He tilted his head, smiling as he scrutinized Vegeta, his gaze sweeping over him from top to bottom.

Vegeta was so frightened that his whole body convulsed, every muscle twitching as if he had been electrocuted.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Zoro," Goku suggested to Zoro, hovering low in the air, "I'll go check on Gohan and Krillin first."

"Go ahead, go ahead." Solo nodded, readily agreeing, and waved to Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong said no more, turned around, transformed into a streak of light, and disappeared into the distant sky in the blink of an eye.

Only Zoro and Vegeta remained on the spot.

Soro stepped forward, walked up to Vegeta, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Vegeta, you've got a pretty good learning ability," Zoro said with a teasing smile, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "You've already learned to hide your ki. Give you some more time, and see if you can completely conceal it?"

Vegeta's shoulder swayed as he was patted, his body tense like a fully drawn bowstring.

His lips moved a few times, and a voice squeezed out from his throat, hoarse and low.

"Solo... there's something I have to tell you!"

"What is it?" Solo smiled slightly, withdrew his hand, and crossed his arms. "Tell me."

"You can kill me, I won't complain," Vegeta sneered, raising his chin slightly and looking directly at Soro. "But I want you to promise me one thing."

"Tell me about it," Solo said with a smile, tilting his head.