"Damn it! What's going on here!?"
Vegeta leaped a few steps back, his muscles tense, his face looking extremely ugly as he observed Raditz opposite him.
The Prince, surrounded by an aura of malevolent energy, drew the attention of passersby, who either quickly avoided him or raised their phones to snap pictures…
Vegeta no longer had the patience to care about this. He only wanted to understand what was going on and how Raditz suddenly appeared.
Raditz, on the other hand, was completely at ease, watching with great interest, almost amused, clearly enjoying the sight of Vegeta's miserable and awkward state.
"Didn't you die a long time ago?" Vegeta's bloodshot eyes locked onto Raditz as he clenched his fists and shouted!
Raditz was speechless. "How did I die a long time ago?"
He couldn't help but recall that event many years ago…
Back then, he and two companions were traveling in a spherical spacecraft, on a mission. He had just closed his eyes to take a short nap when, suddenly, the power of the Dragon Balls had transported him directly to Earth! And there, his father, his younger brother, and that annoying Yamiru all made their dramatic entrances, giving him one scare after another. They weren't even afraid of terrifying him!
Afterward, it was his father who made him undergo physical corrections of his personality… meaning, his father dragged him around Earth while trying to foster some emotional connection, but at the same time, Bardock was telling his eldest son: "Don't even think about it. Earthlings have done us a favor, and if you mess with them, I'll be the first to disown you!"
Vegeta still couldn't believe it. He and Nappa had seen it with their own eyes—the only thing left in Raditz's spacecraft was a set of clothes, as if he had vanished into thin air.
They had assumed that Raditz was probably killed by some cosmic ray during the flight, one that only killed organic bodies.
But to their surprise, years later, Raditz was standing right here on Earth again!
Not only was he alive and well, but he also seemed to be in much better shape. His mental state was far better than when they were all slaughtering people and selling planets for the Freeza Force.
And most frustratingly...
How could Raditz, this useless fool, have such strong energy!?!?!?
Vegeta's mind was in chaos, as if the very world around him was about to shatter. He suddenly shouted and attacked Raditz, his hands crackling with high-density energy!
The wind blew through Raditz's long hair as if time had slowed down. The electric lights reflected slowly in his dark pupils, and Raditz gave a slight smile.
Boom! The clash of lightning.
By the time Vegeta realized, he had been flipped and stomped into the ground by Raditz.
The Prince was stunned, and then his rage exploded!
The fury was not only for Raditz but also for himself.
How could he be so strong?
How could I be so weak!?
This is fucking unbelievable!
Raditz effortlessly stomped on Vegeta, who was struggling with all his might. No matter how much resistance Vegeta tried to muster, Raditz easily suppressed him, with no chance of escape.
Aren't you supposed to be so powerful?
Vegeta's forehead was covered in veins, his teeth gritted so hard they almost shattered, his face pressed against the road, cracking under the pressure. His aura exploded with intensity...
Boom! Raditz placed his big hand on the back of Vegeta's head, slamming it into the cement ground, extinguishing Vegeta's aura as if it had vanished completely.
Let's see how tough you are now.
Raditz knew when to stop. After all, he had been thoroughly educated by his father, and there was also Kakarot… Suddenly, he thought of something from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and his expression became somewhat dull, a little melancholic as he sighed. "Alright, Vegeta, I'll let go now. Don't go wild, okay? I don't want to kill you. If I kill you, my life won't be great either... but don't force my hand. Okay?"
Saying that, he indeed released his grip and moved away from Vegeta.
Raditz crossed his arms and looked elsewhere, using a fierce gaze to disperse the crowd that had gathered, waiting for the Prince to calm down.
After a moment, the sound of rocks shifting came from nearby, and Vegeta slowly pulled his head and body out from the cement crack. His chest heaved with violent breaths, his eyes bloodshot, and he was holding back the trembling fists.
Vegeta's bloodshot eyes looked at Raditz, somewhat disbelieving, but also with a bit of anticipation, as he questioned, "Are you... a Super Saiyan?"
"..." Raditz paused, then opened his mouth, "Huh?"
Vegeta was about to ask again, but Raditz raised a hand to stop him and sighed, "I see... you think I'm a Super Saiyan? Heh…"
Raditz, the eldest son of the Bardock family, showed Vegeta a self-deprecating smile that was hard to understand.
After a moment of smiling, Raditz's tone became dull again, "I'm such a weakling. How could I be a Super Saiyan... Seriously."
Vegeta's expression stiffened, and a question mark seemed to slowly appear above his head.
Raditz looked toward the Martial Arts Temple's arena, where the sounds of a bustling crowd could be heard. In a vague tone, he said, "If you want to see a Super Saiyan, follow me."
With that, he turned and began walking toward the World Martial Arts Tournament arena.
Vegeta remained silent for a moment, clenching his fists. He turned his head to look in that direction. He could sense that there was some strange energy in the area Raditz mentioned.
But that energy didn't even come close to Raditz's power from earlier. How could it possibly be a Super Saiyan?
With a puzzled expression, Vegeta coldly followed behind the large figure of Raditz, easily squeezing to the front row of the audience.
"Is this the trash we're dealing with?"
As Krillin and Chi-Chi concluded their match on the stage, Vegeta sneered in disdain.
Raditz remained silent. The World Martial Arts Tournament moved at a quick pace, and before long, the second match's contestants, Piccolo and Goku, flew to the stage to take their positions.
He is... Vegeta's pupils narrowed as he fixed his gaze on Piccolo standing on the stage.
Wasn't this guy from before... what was it again? Vegeta felt a phantom pain in his neck, and a white cape flickered across his mind...
Before he could recall the last memory of being knocked out by Piccolo's chop, his attention snapped back to the other person on stage.
That hairstyle! That face!
Isn't that exactly like Raditz's father, the famous low-class warrior from back then?
In other words, this guy is Raditz's brother?
Wait a minute...?!
Vegeta turned in shock to Raditz, who was calmly waiting for the match to begin.
"Now, the second match of the quarterfinals in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament... Goku versus Piccolo..." The small-bearded referee raised the microphone, saliva flying, and swung his arm down to announce with passion, "Now—let's begin!"
"Goku! Go for it!" A woman in the audience cheered loudly. "Knock out that ugly bastard!"
Vegeta frowned in impatience—such lowly women from Earth.
On stage, Piccolo ignored Bulma's shouting, casually removing his cape and the cloth on his head.
Opposite him, Goku flexed his wrists, cracked his neck with popping sounds, stretched his legs, and even hopped a bit to loosen up, looking relaxed.
Piccolo discarded his cape and head wrap, and poof.
Goku clapped his fists together with a light "Heh" and smiled.
The match had begun!
In the front row of the audience, Raditz clenched his arm tightly.
As soon as the gazes of Goku and Piccolo met, they both disappeared from the stage.
It was as if a gust of wind swept across the stage, and the next second, an earth-shattering collision echoed from the center of the arena—Boom!
Zzzzz, zzzzzzz... The air around the stage seemed to be filled with visible chaotic electromagnetic waves, energy currents bursting everywhere. Goku and Piccolo were locked in a clash, their elbows pushing against each other, their eyes burning with battle intent.
Whoosh!
The wind finally arrived, sweeping in all directions, sending most of the audience tumbling back like wheat in a field, with a cascade of startled gasps.
Bulma and Tights were inside the energy shield of Gine, so they weren't affected. Tights sighed; this kind of battle, there was really nothing to see! But Bulma was still enthusiastically cheering for Goku... Meanwhile, Gine murmured nervously, thinking that she couldn't even keep up with Goku's movements after his battle with the previous gods, only able to track his movements through the air.
Behind the Martial Arts Arch, Chi-Chi and the little bald guy almost couldn't hold it in, nearly showing their Satanic expressions... The level difference was too much...
"Heh..." Meanwhile, Yamiru floated in the air, one elbow resting on a wall, smiling with interest, "Over 900 round, back and forth, Goku with a slight advantage... Not bad for a warm-up!"
————
Piccolo: 4,500,000
Goku: 5,000,000