During their month of relative freedom, there was no rigorous training regimen, but Raditz still sparred with Vados to practice his techniques and maintain his basic conditioning. After all, when a warrior becomes too relaxed, their body loses that crucial fighting instinct—though this apparently didn't apply to the God of Destruction, who had been taking it easy all along.
After each training session, the three of them would sit together beneath the azure sky, above emerald grass, where gentle winds carried the rustling of leaves like ocean waves. Raditz's long hair cascaded to the ground, flowing like silk in the breeze. Champa and Vados each had glasses of iced drinks beside them, their faces tense with concentration as they watched each other with cautious eyes.
Champa's hand trembled as he reached forward. Never before had he been this nervous, his breathing heavy and labored. Anyone looking at his face would see the mighty God of Destruction drenched in sweat. But there was no choice—he had to make his move!
His thick fingers stretched toward Raditz, then suddenly hesitated.
"Which one should I choose?" Champa pursed his lips, muttering under his breath.
"Haha, if Lord Champa loses again this time, there won't be any space left on his face to paint!" Vados "helpfully" exposed Champa's predicament, causing Raditz to burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at!" Champa yelled at Raditz. "Hmph, it won't be me this time!"
The three of them were playing Old Maid, a game that had become essential entertainment during their training breaks. Raditz had also taught them games like Landlord, but Champa always lost and would storm off in a rage when his temper flared. Only in Old Maid could he occasionally triumph over Raditz.
Of course, Vados had never lost. Being an angel gave her countless ways to win if she truly wanted to.
Unfortunately, today was another day of frequent losses for Champa, and his face was covered in paintbrush marks. His round face was decorated with turtles and worms, thick black lines marking his ears like war paint.
The decisive moment had arrived. The conspicuous card bore Champa's own image. Raditz held one of the two remaining cards, and it was Champa's turn to draw.
Raditz thought he should let him win to avoid another tantrum, so he quietly positioned the card toward Champa. Champa's hands trembled as he faced his dilemma, his body leaning almost directly over Raditz, yet still unable to make his choice.
"Hey, don't try to deceive me," Champa suddenly laughed as if he'd seen through Raditz's plan, reaching for the lower card. "You deliberately put the card on top to bait me! I'm not falling for it."
Confident that victory was finally his, Champa's entire body relaxed as he confidently drew the card from Raditz's hand.
Before he could even look at it, Vados had already burst into laughter.
When the card was revealed, Champa froze in shock.
"Uh, Lord Champa, I didn't expect—"
"I'm going to destroy you, Raditz!"
"Don't—"
"Ahhhhhh!"
The two chased each other in a wild frenzy, somehow managing to split the inverted cone-shaped God of Destruction Realm in half... Eventually, everything was restored under Vados's divine power.
Playing and fighting had become routine, and Raditz often went fishing with Champa, discovering that even fishing could serve as training. But practice aside, in terms of actual catch numbers, Raditz consistently outperformed Champa.
Raditz couldn't even let him win if he tried. He would pretend not to notice when fish bit his hook, but Champa would always point it out. In the end, when the numbers inevitably favored Raditz, Champa would explode in anger.
Then came the familiar chase scene...
Sometimes Raditz suspected Champa did it on purpose, but the rotund deity refused to admit it, wearing an expression that said "I dare you to disagree—come and fight me."
Champa didn't just beat him up randomly, though. He taught Raditz valuable lessons through their chases and battles.
Every time Vados intervened to stop Champa, it was difficult to abandon the training opportunity.
"Time to eat!" Following Vados's call, the two combatants were brought to heel, and the bruised and battered Raditz alongside the triumphant Champa rushed to the dining table.
Vados healed Raditz's injuries and served the food.
"Lord Champa, you should mind your image. After all, you are a God of Destruction."
"No one else comes here anyway, and I'll be proper when I go outside." Champa waved dismissively, his stomach rumbling at the sight of the delicious dishes. He immediately dug in with gusto.
Raditz, another champion eater, wasn't about to be outdone. He ate like a man possessed, and it didn't take long for the two of them to clear the table completely.
Both sat heavily on the ground afterward, groaning contentedly.
Falling backward, Raditz lay on the soft grass, breathing in its sweet fragrance while gazing up at the endless sky. In the vast universe, strength seemed to have no limits. Standing on this broader stage, he realized his own insignificance.
This sudden revelation made Raditz shudder.
A strange thought suddenly popped into his mind: "Do you think I'm qualified to be a God of Destruction candidate?"
After those words left his lips, both Vados and Champa were stunned. Then Champa exploded into laughter.
"Hahahaha, what are you thinking?! Be a God of Destruction candidate? You... hahaha!" Champa laughed until tears streamed down his face.
Even Vados, always elegant and composed, couldn't help but chuckle.
"It's not easy to become a God of Destruction candidate. Your strength is nowhere near sufficient. The first requirement is passing the 'God of Destruction' examination, then you must accept guidance from a current God of Destruction. Finally, there's an extensive internship period. To become a true God of Destruction, you must understand the genuine meaning of 'destruction' and wait patiently for the opportunity to be promoted—and who knows how long that might take." Vados explained to Raditz.
"Destruction—it's the energy that can instantly erase anything in existence. It's a unique technique that only Gods of Destruction can create and wield. For someone like you, I'd only need destructive energy the size of a grain of sand to obliterate you completely. This isn't some superficial transformation trick you're used to!"
Champa finally stopped laughing and added his own commentary.
Indeed, when it came to the God of Destruction's most distinctive ability, it was undoubtedly 'destruction'—a technique capable of eliminating any object, terrifying to even contemplate.
"You're already an apprentice Supreme Kai, and you still want to be a God of Destruction candidate. I've never heard of such a thing! Hahaha!" Champa laughed again.
"You're probably the first person in centuries to ask such an odd question," Vados observed.
Raditz smiled sheepishly. He'd only asked on a whim, wanting to understand the gap between his current level and that lofty position. He wasn't actually eager to become a God of Destruction just yet.
"You should prepare yourself soon. Lord Champa will be taking a nap for several years, and it's time for you to leave," Vados announced.
"So soon?" Raditz murmured softly.
The peaceful, trivial moments of this past month had flown by incredibly fast. Now that his strength had reached a bottleneck, breaking through in the short term would be difficult. Progress here would be the same as in the lower realm, and after three years away, it was truly time to return and see how things had changed.