I stood beside Raditz as the dust settled.
"You good?" I asked quietly.
He rolled his shoulder once, flexing his fingers.
"My heart's cooled down," he said. "I can fight again if I have to."
There was a pause.
"…But that's not all."
I glanced at him.
"My stamina," he continued. "It's recovering faster. My ki too. I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't fought Vegeta."
I hesitated.
This was overdue.
"That's because I didn't just replace your heart."
He frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
I met his eyes.
"When Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon hit you, it didn't just destroy your heart. It obliterated part of your ribcage. Your spine took damage too."
He blinked.
"So…?"
"So replacing only your heart would've been meaningless," I said calmly. "Your structure was compromised. I reinforced your ribcage. Installed a mechanical spinal segment. It stabilizes your ki flow and supports the heart's output."
He stared at me for a moment.
"…You didn't tell me."
"I assumed it was obvious," I replied honestly. "You nearly died. Repairing only the heart wouldn't have saved you long-term."
Raditz inhaled slowly, processing.
"In hindsight," he muttered, "yeah… that should've been obvious."
He didn't sound angry.
Just… thoughtful.
Behind us, the others were recovering.
Tien leaned against a rock, breathing heavily.
Chiaotzu hovered silently beside him.
Krillin looked exhausted but relieved.
Piccolo stood apart, arms crossed, eyes distant—lost in his own thoughts.
And Yamcha…
Yamcha looked like a man caught doing something wrong.
I walked toward him.
"You okay?" I asked.
He looked startled that I even addressed him.
"…Complicated," he admitted.
"Complicated how?"
He hesitated before speaking.
"I never thought… of all people… you'd be the one saving me."
There it was.
Not jealousy.
Not anger.
Confusion.
He exhaled.
"It makes everything I did at Kami's place feel… pointless."
I shook my head.
"It wasn't pointless."
He looked at me.
"You won your fight," I continued. "You defeated the Saibaman. You almost died because you celebrated too early."
His expression tightened.
"If you treat every battle like a tournament match, you won't survive what's coming."
I stepped closer.
"The enemies we'll face won't fight fair. If they're stronger, they'll crush you. If they're weaker, they'll trick you."
He swallowed.
"You have to learn that yourself. I can't do it for you."
It wasn't meant to hurt.
But it did.
And maybe it needed to.
He nodded slowly.
"I get it."
I hoped he did.
Because next time… there might not be someone to pull him back.
Far in the distance—
The sky shook.
The clash of ki echoed across the horizon.
Goku and Vegeta.
Even from here, I could feel it.
I moved closer to observe.
A red aura flared in the distance.
Kaioken.
So he used it.
The battle wasn't as disastrous as my original timeline.
But it wasn't easy either.
Vegeta had been weakened.
But he was still Vegeta.
Raditz stepped forward beside me.
He slowly unwrapped his tail from around his waist.
A deliberate gesture.
A warning.
Vegeta noticed.
Even at this distance, I saw his eyes shift.
If he created a false moon…
Raditz would transform too.
And unlike before—
Vegeta was already injured.
Already drained.
If both went Oozaru now, Raditz might overpower him.
Did Raditz even know how to control that form?
Maybe not.
But it didn't matter.
It forced Vegeta to reconsider.
Goku pressed forward with Kaioken.
Vegeta fought back with desperation.
He had to end this fast.
He didn't know the Kaioken's limits.
But he knew his own stamina was running thin.
And with Raditz standing behind us—
The threat was obvious.
Gang up on him?
Raditz could have.
But he didn't.
Part pride.
Part uncertainty.
Part understanding that Goku might not fully trust him yet.
This was Goku's fight.
And Vegeta knew it.
He couldn't use Oozaru safely.
He couldn't afford a prolonged battle.
His window was closing.
And he felt it.
As the shockwaves intensified, I crossed my arms.
Finish this, Goku.
Because the longer it drags on—
The slimmer Vegeta's chances become.