On Earth.
At that moment, the atmosphere was incredibly somber.
After learning just how terrifying the two Saiyans who were coming would be, Son Goku and Piccolo were dumbfounded.
The scene fell utterly silent, so quiet it felt uncomfortable.
Without a doubt, when their Combat Power was only a few hundred, and barely topped a thousand when they gave it everything they had, even a gap of several hundred points was something they couldn't easily overcome.
Compared to Lin Chuan, whose Combat Power was 5,000, the difference was like heaven and earth.
Now, with a Combat Power of 18,000, they finally realized just how terrifying their coming enemies were.
No matter how confident Son Goku and Piccolo were, and no matter how many hardships and dangers they had overcome in the past, emerging unscathed every time—
This time was different from all the others.
Standing off to the side, Lin Chuan didn't speak up to break the silence.
Now wasn't the time for him to intervene. He needed to let them come to terms with things themselves and find the will to fight.
Otherwise, even with him changing the course of events, things might end up having the opposite effect.
After a long silence, Son Goku took a deep breath and came back to his senses.
He reassured his uneasy son, then took the initiative and asked, "Elder Brother, about how long will it take that Saiyan named Vegeta to reach Earth?"
How long would it take for them to reach Earth?
By asking this, Son Goku had clearly chosen to meet them head-on.
What had happened this time made him understand that he could only face the challenge. He had no other choice.
Watch Earth get invaded and hide somewhere? He couldn't do that!
Beside him, Piccolo furrowed his brow and listened closely, his gaze serious.
He wasn't the type to sit back and wait for death either, so he understood Son Goku's thinking.
When all was said and done, the numbers might be terrifying, but he wasn't the kind of person who would be cowed by a mere figure.
He was shocked, sure. The enemy was undeniably powerful, but he wasn't going to just surrender and wait to die.
"Based on how long it took me to get to Earth, it'll take them no more than a year to travel here from the Olteda Nebula, where Vegeta and the others are! They might even arrive sooner!" Raditz said, his face ashen.
Clearly, he hadn't realized what his younger brother meant.
"A year... That's good! We still have time to train, then." At the answer, the tension eased slightly from Son Goku's face, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
If they were going to reach Earth in just a few days, or even ten days to half a month, there really wouldn't be anything else he could do.
Even if they had that much time to train, they might be able to surpass his Elder Brother Raditz, but they definitely wouldn't measure up to Lin Chuan.
If they couldn't even reach 5,000 Combat Power, how could they fight an enemy with 18,000?
If they couldn't break 10,000 Combat Power, they wouldn't even qualify to challenge their opponent.
They wouldn't even come close to a fraction of his strength...
But with a whole year, at least they had time to train.
Nearby, Piccolo nodded at Son Goku's words.
He'd known Son Goku was thinking along the same lines.
It had to be said that although Piccolo of this era hadn't entirely shaken off his old Demon King persona, he was already changing.
The way things had unfolded had forced him to change and adapt to this brand-new era.
Hearing Son Goku's words and seeing him clench his fist, looking so full of confidence, Raditz was utterly bewildered.
"Hey, Kakarot! You don't really think a year of training will be enough to turn things around and defeat Vegeta and the others, do you?!" Raditz's mouth twitched. He couldn't accept that his younger brother could be so foolish.
He had no idea that, with fate pushing him forward, his younger brother really would manage it in the future.
But before something so unbelievable happened, no one would believe it.
"Heh! I wouldn't put it that way. The way I see it, we can't just give up on ourselves because the enemy is too strong, right?"
"A year isn't a long time, but it isn't short either! Even if I can't reach that level of strength in the end, at least I'll have tried. I won't have any regrets."
Son Goku's answer was unwavering.
His words brimmed with encouragement.
It was no wonder he was the protagonist, the heart of the Z Fighters.
Even if he could be a bit dimwitted sometimes, and even a little selfish at times, in the end, he was always the one charging ahead and standing against every danger.
"That's right! And just because other people can't do it doesn't mean we can't!"
"All these years, our strength was held back by the limits of what we knew! But things are different now. We've seen that higher levels of strength exist, so a year is enough time for us to grow stronger!"
Piccolo chimed in.
He stood beside Son Goku, leaving even Son Goku surprised.
But Son Goku was glad. He hadn't killed Piccolo back then because he hoped that one day Piccolo could fight alongside him.
Sure, he'd had a selfish reason, too: he wanted to keep having a rival in the future.
But Son Goku really did want to become friends with Piccolo.
Hearing them, Raditz laughed in exasperation. "I admit, hard work really might make us stronger! After all, Talos is right here as proof!"
"But, Kakarot, you're too naive! And you, Namekian, are far too full of yourselves."
"Before you start making such grand claims, get your Combat Power—less than a thousand—to rise first!"
"You're not even qualified to fight me one-on-one. Forget Vegeta—even Nappa, with a Combat Power of only 4,000, could crush you to death with a wave of his hand!"
Raditz had given up arguing. He was simply stating the facts.
He wanted to make them understand that there was nothing wrong with imagining a better future, but they shouldn't get carried away.
Going from one thousand to ten thousand was pure fantasy.
However, Raditz had no idea how steadfast Son Goku and Piccolo's resolve was.
"You haven't even tried, and you're already giving up and saying it's impossible. Stop fearmongering!"
"If you're scared, then hurry up and run with your tail between your legs! Or you can go back and pledge your allegiance to them. Then you can all come invade Earth together and see if we can beat you!"
Piccolo's retort was brimming with the determination to show Raditz that he, Piccolo, the Demon King, would definitely grow stronger.
At that, Raditz lost control of his temper.
He thought he'd already been speaking as calmly as possible. This Namekian was asking for trouble.
"You're the ones who don't understand reality!!!"
"How could you, who have lived your whole lives on Earth, know just how huge the gap between different levels of Combat Power is?!"
"Forget it, Talos! You've got 5,000 Combat Power. You explain it!" With that, Raditz fell silent. He even pressed a hand to his forehead to show just how much pressure he was under.
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