Kame House
Aside from Gohan and Piccolo, everyone else still looked at Raditz with thinly veiled disgust.
Raditz, however, couldn't care less. In his eyes, apart from his younger brother Kakarot, Gohan, and that Namekian, the rest were nothing more than ants. And really, since when does a man care what ants think of him?
Earlier, Gohan had explained to everyone about Vegeta, Nappa, and Piccolo's alien origins and, of course, the existence of Frieza.
"My god… Goku, all this time I've known you, and you're an alien?" Krillin blurted out in shock.
"No wonder you have a tail, and turn into a giant, violent ape when the moon is full," Master Roshi finally understood.
Sure, Earth had all sorts of odd folk cat-headed people, dog-headed people, animal hybrids but no one who could transform into a skyscraper-sized gorilla. Turns out, Goku wasn't even from this planet.
"Elite warriors can control themselves in that form," Raditz suddenly interjected.
"Gohan, is that true?" Goku's eyes glistened with emotion.
He had long known, deep down, that it was he who, transformed into the Great Ape, had stepped on and killed Grandpa Gohan.
"Dad, you don't need to blame yourself. You're low-class by Saiyan standards, so losing control in that form isn't your fault. I'll find a way to fix that someday," Gohan said gently.
"If I could've stayed in control, I wouldn't have killed Grandpa…" Goku's voice grew thick with sorrow.
"Don't be too hard on yourself," Master Roshi consoled. "Your grandpa didn't have much time left anyway. You could say it was a natural passing."
"I know, Master Roshi. I just… suddenly missed him, that's all."
Krillin, seeing his friend sinking into sadness, quickly decided to change the subject.
"Goku, I want to go to Namek with you and help them in their crisis."
"Hmph. What good would a shrimp like you be there?" Piccolo snorted before Goku could reply.
"You!" Krillin was furious, but what could he do? He wasn't strong enough to win that fight.
"Enough, Piccolo. They're my friends. You don't get to insult them," Goku said, displeased.
Gohan's eyes lit up at Krillin's suggestion.
"Of course Uncle Krillin should come! This is a rare chance to see the wider universe!"
In truth, Goku had been trying to break through to Super Saiyan form, but with his power level still under three million and no way to summon the right kind of furious emotion, he hadn't succeeded. Not even Yamcha's death had pushed him over the edge.
If Gohan was honest, part of that was because, deep down, Goku valued Krillin more than Yamcha.
And in Dragon Ball lore, there's a saying: When Krillin dies, miracles happen.
So, with Krillin volunteering, Gohan wasn't about to let that golden opportunity pass.
"I'm coming too," Tien Shinhan said, standing up.
"If Tien's going, so am I!" Chiaotzu added.
"You two won't be going to Namek," Gohan said. "I'll take you to another planet instead."
That made Goku remember the story of Gohan's recent trip to the Three-Eyed People's homeworld and the earlier sorrow vanished as he eagerly filled Tien in on the details.
Ten minutes later…
"So I'm the only real Earthling here? You're all aliens?" Krillin said, dumbfounded.
"Not necessarily," Gohan teased. "You don't have a nose or a sense of smell. Maybe there's a No-Nose Star out there."
"Exactly! Where else would freaks like you come from?" Bulma agreed wholeheartedly.
After the brief gathering, they all went their separate ways. Gohan contacted King Kai and learned that Vegeta and Nappa would reach Earth in four months, while Frieza's forces, farther from Namek, would take a year to arrive.
Perfect. Four months to deal with Vegeta and Nappa, then head to Namek to have the Grand Elder unlock the hidden potential of Goku, Krillin, and Raditz and wait for Frieza.
Mount Paozu
First things first, Gohan took Raditz back home.
"Raditz, train with my dad. You've got combat experience, but your control over ki and your training fundamentals are garbage," Gohan said bluntly.
"Yes, Gohan, I understand. Kakarot, I'm in your care," Raditz said.
"Hmph. Come with me. I'll start by teaching you to control your energy. Honestly, I don't know how someone this sloppy survived in space," Goku said, unimpressed.
Raditz's face twitched, veins popping, but he quickly smoothed his expression. "You're right."
What else could he do? Argue? Refuse? Not if he wanted to keep breathing.
He followed Goku into the gravity chamber, while Gohan stepped into his own. The four months of brutal training began.
"Ahhh! Kakarot, you're settling a personal grudge! That hurts!"
"Don't hit there! Saiyans have weaknesses there too, you!"
"Brother, I'm helping you overcome your flaws… heh heh," Goku said, wearing a mischievous grin unlike anything Raditz had seen before.
"You bastard, Kakarot!!"
With inhumane training, senzu beans, and the gravity chamber, Raditz's power skyrocketed from about 1,000 to over 100,000 in just two months.
Ki control. Near-death recovery. Senzu beans. Gravity training. Every condition for rapid growth was there. All that remained was the willingness to endure pain.
By the end of those two months, he'd hit a bottleneck.
That's when the lady of the house returned.
Chi-Chi Returns
"What? Your brother? You never told me you had a brother!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, frowning at the long-haired, scowling man before her a man who practically radiated bad news.
Still, out of politeness, she said, "Hello, big brother."
"No, no, that's not necessary," Raditz said quickly, paling. In the past two months, he'd suffered plenty under Goku's "instruction."
"I'll say this now. Don't you dare be a bad influence on Gohan," Chi-Chi said sternly.
"Me? A bad influence on him?" Raditz looked at her in disbelief, then glanced at Gohan.
"Hmm? Got a problem with that?" Gohan asked, voice low and dangerous.
"Nope! None at all!" Raditz said, shaking his head so fast it was a blur.
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