As the coalition assaulted him, Vegeta’s fury flared. The adaptive echo fed on that anger. For a long moment, it seemed Vegeta might be consumed. Then, in a rare stillness, he chose a different path: rather than venting, he focused on the one memory he could not stand sharing—the first time he smiled in battle at the thought of surpassing someone he admired. He opened that feeling, let it spill out as an energy he’d never admit but always felt—respect.