Raditz lay at the edge of the deep crater, hands behind his head and soft grass beneath his body. Watching the white clouds drift lazily across the sky, he relaxed completely and slowly closed his eyes.
Since arriving in the Dragon Ball world, he'd spent every day either fighting alongside Vegeta and Nappa or obsessing over improving his strength. Even during travel, he'd been confined to the cramped spaceship. He hadn't once enjoyed a moment of leisure.
Now, he was finally taking a brief respite—fifteen minutes of pure peace. No planning, no fighting, just enjoying the breeze, the sweet scent of grass, and the warm sunshine... Wait. Where was the sun?
Raditz sensed a shadow fall across his face and snapped his eyes open.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, startled to find Gohan's face hovering directly above his. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Perhaps because Raditz seemed less intimidating now, Gohan had gathered the courage to approach and observe him more closely.
"I... I finished it."
"Finished what... wait, you actually solved it?" Raditz caught himself mid-sentence, genuinely surprised.
Could a four-year-old child really solve such a problem so quickly? Raditz's expression shifted to one of disbelief. Chi-Chi's education methods were impressive indeed...
At that moment, he sensed two powerful energy signatures approaching—his ki perception detecting them even before his scouter beeped in confirmation.
Natural ki sensing truly was superior to mechanical detection.
Raditz felt a wave of relief. Fortunately, Goku had arrived just in time—otherwise, having promised to release Gohan upon completing the math problem would have complicated things. As Goku and Piccolo drew near, Raditz rose to meet them.
"Kakarot, you've finally arrived."
"I'm here for my son!" Goku shouted, his voice brimming with determination.
Beside him, Piccolo's white cape billowed dramatically in the wind like turbulent sea foam. He fixed Raditz with a solemn gaze. "I sensed a powerful force descend upon Earth some time ago. It was you. But make no mistake—I'm not here to help Goku. I've come to defeat you! You've become an obstacle to my plans for world domination."
Having been briefed about Saiyan strength during their journey, Piccolo remained cautious, his expression deadly serious.
Raditz smiled faintly, removed his scouter, and tossed it aside. The device contained not only communication equipment but potentially Frieza's surveillance technology—even when powered down, it wasn't safe.
The gesture immediately put Goku and Piccolo on high alert.
"Don't worry," Raditz said, picking up Gohan. "Gohan, your father's here. Go back to him." With a gentle motion, he returned the boy to Goku.
Goku embraced his son, patting Gohan's head reassuringly. "It's okay now, Gohan."
"Mmm..."
"What are you planning?" Piccolo demanded, dropping into a defensive stance, sensing something unusual about the situation.
Goku quickly instructed Gohan to move to a safe distance, away from any potential danger.
"There's no need to be afraid. I simply don't want others to hear what I'm about to say," Raditz explained. "This device can detect power levels and locations, but it's also vulnerable to eavesdropping. For safety's sake, I'd rather not use it. What I'm about to tell you is true and critically important."
"Heh, I'm not convinced," Piccolo replied with a skeptical grin.
As the reincarnation of the Demon King, he was all too familiar with deception. During King Piccolo's reign, lies had been commonplace, and in his experience, evil beings had no credibility. He wasn't about to trust Raditz's words.
"Kakarot, I've returned your son to you—that should demonstrate my sincerity. In truth, I only took him to lure you and Piccolo here. It was just... a small prank, nothing more."
"Well..." Goku hesitated. After all, this was his brother standing before him, and he genuinely hadn't harmed Gohan.
He wanted to hear what Raditz had to say.
Piccolo wasn't as easily swayed as Goku. He remained vigilant. "That alone isn't enough to convince me."
"Then I have no choice!" Raditz realized that direct communication would be difficult, so he decided to demonstrate his power. Once they understood the true might of a Saiyan, they might be more receptive.
Raditz leaned forward slightly, then accelerated with explosive force! "Whoosh!"
There was only the faintest sound of displaced air as Raditz vanished from sight. Goku and Piccolo, still wearing their weighted training gear, reacted a moment too slowly. By the time they sensed the presence behind them and turned, Raditz had already slammed his elbows into their backs.
The tremendous impact destabilized them both, sending them stumbling forward several steps before they regained their footing.
The same thought flashed through both their minds: So fast!
Raditz didn't give them a moment to recover, charging directly at Goku and unleashing a barrage of punches that left the Earth-raised Saiyan completely overwhelmed.
Through his training, Raditz had reached a power level of 1800—significantly higher than his full-strength level of 1500 from over a year ago. Neither Goku nor Piccolo could match his speed or strength.
"Ugh! Ah!"
Goku attempted to counterattack, but Raditz effortlessly deflected his strongest punches while each of his own strikes caused Goku intense pain. From behind, Piccolo launched an attack, his right hand positioned in a knife-like strike across his chest.
Piccolo moved with incredible speed, the air whistling as his hand, charged with powerful energy, seemed capable of slicing through anything.
However, Raditz was faster still!
Without even looking back, he whipped his tail around, striking Piccolo's knee with enough force to disrupt his balance and send him crashing to the ground. A swift follow-up kick caught Piccolo in the head, launching him a hundred meters away.
"His tail!" Goku spotted a potential weakness amid the crisis and charged forward with all his might.
The corner of Raditz's mouth curved upward as he halted Goku's advance. Blue energy instantly gathered in his palm, and with a resounding "BOOM—"
Dust and debris erupted everywhere as Goku was blasted backward, tumbling through the air.
"Damn... damn it all. It's clear we're completely outmatched..." Goku struggled to his feet, sweat pouring from every pore.
Piccolo was equally winded, panting heavily. Just two strikes from Raditz's tail had significantly depleted his stamina.
"I have a new technique, but it requires charging time. Can you keep him occupied?" he asked Goku.
"I'll try. The tail... I almost managed to grab it just now."
"Hmph, your brother is much stronger than you, Saiyan... so that's why he's so powerful." Piccolo bared his fangs in a bitter smile.
Goku could only respond with a pained grin of his own.
Neither had ever faced an opponent of Raditz's caliber—the gap between them seemed almost insurmountable. Goku suspected Raditz was holding back significantly; otherwise, he could have killed either of them with ease.
"Alright, let's stop here," Raditz announced unexpectedly, raising his hand to halt the fight, much to their surprise.
In truth, Raditz was concerned about his tail, which he hadn't properly trained to overcome its weakness. What if he got careless and they managed to grab it? What if Piccolo hit him with the Special Beam Cannon? Though his power level surpassed theirs, his combat skills and experience paled in comparison to these seasoned fighters.
Besides, he'd achieved his goal of intimidation. Communication should be much easier now.
"You should believe me now. I could easily kill you both, but I deliberately held back to show you I'm not your enemy. What I'm about to tell you is of utmost importance!"
Goku and Piccolo exchanged glances, then nodded, listening silently without further objection.
This was exactly the effect Raditz had hoped for. With their initial trust secured, he could now begin recruiting his allies.
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