Familiarizing with the Body

"Damn it, that was embarrassing." Raditz wore a look of chagrin, not stopping until he was far from Vegeta and Nappa.

He still hadn't fully mastered his body—couldn't even handle something as basic as flying. Over the next few days, using his injury as an excuse, he planned to familiarize himself with every aspect of his form.

First came the level of his power.

Raditz picked up a rock and gave it a light squeeze. With a sharp crack, it crumbled.

Using no more force than he would to hold a cup, he could easily crush stone. It startled him. But this was exactly what he needed to control—as his power shifted, he had to learn precise manipulation to truly command this body.

"If I remember right, my Battle Power right now is about the same as a Saibaman in pure strength—1200. Add in other factors, maybe 1500. Let's test my attack power."

Raditz tried to sense the energy within him, gathering it into his palm. Miraculously, a blue current coalesced at the edge of his hand, gradually forming a sphere of light. An Energy Blast! A flicker of joy lit up inside him.

This was the most basic technique. Any warrior who couldn't use an Energy Blast had no right to call himself one.

"Ha!"

With a shout, the energy sphere shot straight toward a barren mountain.

Light exploded! A deafening roar followed—BOOM! Smoke billowed up from the blast, gray dust scattering in all directions, countless fragments of rock raining down. The massive mountain was reduced to nothing but a stub of rubble at its base.

A single small Energy Blast packed that much punch. So a Battle Power of 1500 wasn't low after all!

Then again, Master Roshi had blown away the moon. It wasn't surprising he had this kind of strength. Besides, the Energy Blast he'd just fired couldn't even be steered—it only shot straight ahead. He was still far from mastering it.

"I need someone to spar with," Raditz suddenly thought.

After all, fumbling alone wouldn't match the progress of real combat. He'd already gotten a rough feel for moving his limbs and learned to channel energy. A few rounds of actual fighting would yield huge gains.

With that in mind, Raditz activated his Scouter.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

A dozen signals popped up at once, warning chimes ringing in his ear as the numbers flickered nonstop.

250, 582, 322, 455, 890, 1421... The highest was over 2300!

He'd assumed Nappa's "not much Battle Power" meant nothing above 1000. But now it seemed this planet was close to mid-tier.

Raditz didn't take any chances. He'd start with the weak ones and headed for the target with a Battle Power of 250.

Before long, following the Scouter's directions, he found his mark.

It was a Cosmic Being with a frog's head, dark green all over, powerfully built. A row of round white hemispheres lined its chest, and it had four arms, each gripping a weapon.

When it saw Raditz, it instinctively backed away.

"A Saiyan!" it cried out, raising a Laser Gun.

Raditz could tell—the people of this planet were terrified of Saiyans. The Frogman's hand trembled as it held the gun. The Scouter automatically focused on him, the numbers ticking up slightly.

"So when emotions change, Battle Power shifts too," Raditz murmured.

Just then, the Frogman fired.

The beam was thin and sharp, packed with intense energy, streaking straight for Raditz's chest.

"Bring it on!" Raditz didn't dodge. He gathered an Energy Blast in his hand and hurled it forward.

The two energies collided, instantly sparking violent friction. Flames scattered through the air, shockwaves rippling outward. Then Raditz's Energy Blast overpowered the steady stream of light, slamming into the Frogman. Soil churned up in its path, trees snapped, and the air screamed with explosive cracks.

BOOM!

A thunderous blast echoed in his ears. A huge crater scarred the ground, the surrounding area scorched black. The Frogman had been vaporized in the explosion—not a single fragment remained.

The gap in Battle Power was too obvious. Using an Energy Blast, it took no effort at all.

Just as he was savoring the thrill of his first battle victory, the Scouter suddenly blared a warning. Dozens of energy sources around 300 Battle Power were converging on him from all directions.

"Perfect timing." Saiyan blood still ran in Raditz's veins. He couldn't help clenching his fist, a spark of excitement rising.

He charged forward, bursting through several patches of forest, and found the gathering point. Seven more of the Frogman's kind—all looked alike, differing only in size—were racing toward their fallen comrade. They ran straight into Raditz.

"A Saiyan! It's a Saiyan!" someone shrieked.

Then everyone joined in, faces twisted with both ferocity and fear. Agitated, they glared at Raditz, weapons raised, but none dared advance.

If you won't come to me, I'll come to you! Raditz didn't hesitate. He dashed at them, his own sprint speed surprising even himself.

He didn't use Energy Blasts this time. Instead, he went for close combat—elbow strikes, side kicks, flurries of punches, knee strikes, back throws, headbutts... He pulled out every move he could. There was no polished combo, but sheer Battle Power dominance was enough to take down several Frogmen.

Soon, only two were left alive. Facing Raditz, they were gripped by boundless terror.

They exchanged a glance, steeled themselves, and attacked together!

Two fists were no match for four hands—and they had eight between them! Though their Battle Power was lower, their attack speed wasn't bad. It posed a real challenge for Raditz.

"Come on!" Raditz roared, throwing punch after punch.

One against two, Raditz still held the upper hand. A single blow from him could snap an opponent's arm clean off. Their eight-handed flurry was completely within his defense! At first, his eyes struggled to keep up, but as the fight wore on, their movements felt slower and slower.

After several exchanges, all the Frogmen's arms were shattered, bones piercing through skin, purple blood gushing from the wounds.

They shrieked, and the white hemispheres on their chests suddenly burst open. The flesh sacs inside unleashed an energy blast, catching Raditz off guard.

"Boom!"

The massive impact sent Raditz flying several yards.

"Damn! I let my guard down!" Clutching his neck, Raditz pushed himself up from the ground and saw the Frogman before him topple over, dead.

He then checked his own body. Aside from a bit of dirt on his Battle Suit, there wasn't a single scratch.

"Looks like even their dying strike can't pierce my Battle Suit. Tough defense. And my body's not bad either—after taking that hit, I don't feel even a twinge of soreness..." Raditz mused to himself, but then the smirk on his face froze. "Crap, I was supposed to find food!"

On the other side, Vegeta crossed his arms, tapping his fingers impatiently against his biceps as he stared in the direction Raditz had gone. "That brat, taking his sweet time. I'd love to kill him..."