By now, Bardock had been caught red-handed by Reiz, and he felt a little uneasy.
After all, sending Kakarot away had been Bardock's personal decision. It wasn't official.
Now that Vegeta's teacher had seen him, Bardock couldn't help feeling anxious.
If Reiz told King Vegeta, then Bardock would be breaking the law.
When that happened, not only would Kakarot be recalled, but Bardock would be punished as well.
Gine was even more alarmed. Her face went pale, and she gripped the spaceship even tighter as she shielded it.
"Is this Kakarot?" Reiz asked with a faint smile, ignoring Bardock's sharp gaze.
"Hm?" Bardock was taken aback, unable to make sense of it for a moment.
How did he know Kakarot's name?
Reiz didn't explain. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the Sphere Spaceship, and his smile softened.
"Kakarot, I'm Reiz." He waved at the baby inside the spaceship, his smile gentle.
The little one inside seemed to sense something. He stopped crying for a moment and stared out through the transparent canopy with his round eyes.
But soon, he opened his mouth and started wailing again.
Bardock was completely dumbfounded.
Gine's beautiful eyes widened, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.
The Prince's teacher had actually greeted Kakarot.
That was an enormous honor for Kakarot.
Actually, Reiz liked Kakarot quite a lot.
As the protagonist of Dragon Ball, Son Goku had always had a pure heart. That had never changed.
Although people later teased him by calling him Goku the Dog, he was still the same innocent, kind Son Goku.
"Kakarot." Reiz beckoned to him with a finger, his smile growing brighter.
Bardock's mouth twitched.
Why do I feel like you're calling a dog?
"Waaah! Waaah!" Kakarot gave him no response at all. He cried even louder, his little fists pounding against the cabin wall with a series of thuds.
Gine's face paled. She hurriedly turned sideways and shielded Kakarot with her body, afraid Reiz might do something to her child.
"Reiz, what exactly are you after?" Bardock stepped forward to stand in front of his wife and child, his gaze sharpening again.
He had heard of Reiz, but if the man dared to harm his family, Bardock wasn't someone to be trifled with.
Reiz glanced at him, his smile unchanged.
"I can tell that your son, Kakarot, will become an extraordinary warrior one day," he said softly, a faint smile on his face. "Even the Prince won't be able to compare to him."
Bardock froze.
Gine froze too.
Reiz thought that highly of Kakarot?
A baby with a Combat Power of only 2?
Bardock's expression grew complicated.
Of course he wanted his son to become a powerful warrior, but... his Combat Power was only 2.
No matter how much they trained him, how strong could he possibly become?
"His... his Combat Power is only 2. I'll be relieved if he grows up healthy and safe," Gine said, her voice tinged with bitterness and helplessness.
As a mother, her greatest wish had never been for her son to become a mighty warrior. She only wanted him to live a safe and peaceful life.
On this planet, where the strong preyed on the weak, even that wish was a luxury.
"Go on. Hurry up and send him away," Reiz said, waving Bardock and Gine off. "Let him leave this planet."
Bardock's pupils contracted slightly.
"You... you already knew?" He stared at Reiz, his expression complicated.
"Coming to such a remote place in the middle of the night with a baby in your arms makes your intentions pretty easy to guess, doesn't it?" Reiz said with a smile.
Bardock's eyes shifted uneasily.
For a moment, Bardock even considered killing this man named Reiz to eliminate any future risk.
Sending Kakarot away had been a secret decision between him and Gine. If word got out, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But after thinking it over, Bardock suppressed the thought.
He didn't seem to have any real ill intentions. Better to let it go.
"I'm leaving," Reiz said, waving his hand as he prepared to go.
This matter had nothing to do with him, and he didn't want to get involved any further.
"Wait!" Bardock suddenly called after him.
Reiz stopped and glanced back. "Is there something else?"
Bardock didn't answer right away. He took off his Scouter, then pointed at the one Reiz was wearing, his gaze full of meaning.
Reiz paused, then smiled and removed his Scouter.
He knew what Bardock wanted to say.
"I heard the Frieza Force has been asking around about Super Saiyans," Bardock said gravely, lowering his voice as if he were afraid someone might overhear. "I assume you know about it?"
"I've heard about it too," Reiz replied with a slight nod.
"I have a bad feeling," Bardock said, his voice growing lower, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "I can't shake the sense that Frieza is plotting something."
Reiz looked at him and fell silent for a moment.
Bardock's instincts were indeed sharp.
In the original story, he was one of the first Saiyans to realize Frieza was plotting against them.
Unfortunately, no one believed him.
"Your instincts are right," Reiz said slowly, his tone turning serious. "Frieza will come to destroy this planet in no more than a month."
Reiz chose not to hide the truth from Bardock.
After all, Bardock was a decent man.
In the original story, he was a true warrior and a devoted father.
He fought to the bitter end to give his wife and child a chance to survive.
Reiz trusted that Bardock wouldn't spread the word.
Besides, in the original story, even when Bardock told everyone that Frieza planned to destroy Planet Vegeta, no one believed him.
They would all just laugh at him, thinking he was talking nonsense.
"What... what did you say?" Bardock's expression changed, his pupils shrinking sharply. "Does the King know?"
Reiz shook his head. "No. And he wouldn't believe it."
Bardock fell silent.
He knew Reiz was telling the truth.
With King Vegeta's temperament, he would dismiss such a claim as nonsense.
The King was currently caught up in a dream of Saiyan revival. How could he possibly believe that Frieza would move against them?
"Besides, even if he believed it, what good would that do?" Reiz spread his hands, smiling helplessly. "All the Saiyans together are no match for Frieza."
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