Vegeta's Random Power-Up In The Freeza Arc

[Xyex]

The best 'non Zenkai' term I've seen used is "Saiya-jin recovery power-up" but it's still not all that great. "Zenkai" is just so much easier, and everyone knows what you're talking about.

Anyway, for the topic, I think Vegeta's statement to Jeice was just him bragging like usual. He figured Goku could'nt be the one to become a Super Saiya-jin because he was to soft, that left just him, and he was constantly getting stronger and stronger so, to him, it was just a matter of time. As for the change between fighting Jeice and Freeza, I figure it was the nap letting his exhausted body fully recover. He was likely just too strained before that to draw out his full power.

Vegeta went from around 30,000 (I think) to at least 500,000.

I doubt he was more than 400,000, actually. He was completely exhausted after their brief struggle but Freeza didn't even break a sweat.

[Godo]

Vegeta went from around 30,000 (I think) to at least 500,000.

I doubt he was more than 400,000, actually. He was completely exhausted after their brief struggle but Freeza didn't even break a sweat.

Yeah, that sounds more plausible actually.

Also, we have to add that Goku and Vegeta were many times stronger than an average Saiyajin (Vegeta was the highest ever at the time he landed on Earth), and that they didn't know of Freeza's newer forms.
From going to their above average power to an unimaginable power is enough to believe that you almost have attained the power of a Super Saiyajin.
Both Goku and Vegeta could have dueled Freeza's first form at the time Vegeta was bragging about his new powers.

[Thanos6]

I myself support the idea of Vegeta's quick snooze doing this. I've seen it called his "power nap" in more than a few places.

[russ869]

What term would we use to replace it?

There is no term to replace it, because there is no real term for that. You might as well call it the Dragonball "Near-Death Recovery Powerup™."

As for what the original poster was asking, the reason we went from Vegeta being shocked that Gokuu was so strong even going so far as to postulate that he may be a "Super Saiyan" to Vegeta suddenly thinking he's probably a Super Saiyan is this. Mainly that Vegeta still looks down on Gokuu as lower-class (his defeating Vegeta last time they met was sort of fluke after all...) and so it seems logical to him that anything Kakarot can do he can do better. Not to mention his strength had been increasing at an insane rate over simply a matter of days while on Namek. And seeing as how had just survived a run in with the Ginyu Tokusentai, a feat he previously would have thought to be impossible, maybe the idea that he was becoming Super Vegeta wasn't all that far-fetched.

I still think he could've become a Super Saiyan on Namek if he wasn't suffering from "Damn-I'm-Not-the-Main-Character Syndrome." Oh well...

[Xyex]

There is no term to replace it, because there is no real term for that. You might as well call it the Dragonball "Near-Death Recovery Powerup™."

Except that 'near-death' is a misnomer because Vegeta's biggest Zenkai occurred after a beat down that left him no where near dead.