"Hmph, say whatever you want." Vegeta's eyes sharpened, his face filled with the satisfaction of getting his wish. "Don't you still have one move left? Go ahead and use it. I'll defeat you all the same."
After the fierce battle, he felt that his strength had improved once again, and the prince's arrogance surfaced anew.
"That would be too wasteful." Raditz shook his head, then suddenly took out a Scouter and tossed it to Vegeta.
"What does this mean?" Vegeta asked with a frown, holding the Scouter.
You don't even understand that? Time for me to show off! Raditz sighed in disappointment and shot Vegeta a helpless look.
He pointed at the Scouter, signaling for Vegeta to put it on.
Fortunately, Vegeta played along and put on the Scouter despite his doubts. Otherwise, Raditz would have been unable to resist pinning him down and putting it on him himself.
"The upper limit of old Scouters is too low. I specifically had Earth's scientists improve its accuracy and measurement limit. This Scouter can now measure Battle Power up to fifty thousand."
"Hahahaha! Don't tell me you can reach fifty thousand Battle Power, Raditz? How come I never noticed you had such a sense of humor before?" Vegeta mocked him mercilessly. He would never believe Raditz's Battle Power could reach fifty thousand.
Fifty thousand Battle Power? Wouldn't that have been enough to kill him long ago?
"I naturally don't have fifty thousand, but I'll still give you quite a shock." Raditz tensed his body again. His muscles swelled, veins bulging visibly. His long hair swayed behind him, its tips curling slightly upward as a flickering red aura enveloped him.
His Ki rose rapidly. The dark clouds dispersed, revealing the daylight once more, and the atmosphere seemed to freeze.
"It's coming—the Kaio-ken!" Piccolo and Goku cried out at the same time.
The others wanted to speak but stopped themselves, as though something had lodged in their throats. They could not hide the shock in their hearts. Their hands began to tremble unconsciously, gripped by fear born from the depths of their souls.
At Bulma's home, dense cables ran from one room to another. Three high-end precision instruments were neatly arranged on a table, connected to the computer's main screen.
These were the finest devices currently available on Earth. As Capsule Corp's genius scientist, Bulma's talent for science was beyond question. The data she was receiving through these machines came from the Saiyan Scouters. Data from thousands of miles away appeared on the screen with only milliseconds of deviation.
Since Raditz wanted to monitor the Scouter's effectiveness, and Bulma wanted to study this interstellar communication technology, the two had reached a partnership.
At that moment, Bulma stood blankly before the screen.
She watched a number constantly jump on the display, rapidly soaring from twenty thousand to thirty thousand, then climbing to forty thousand. The equipment operated at high efficiency. The flickering lights pulsed at a terrifying speed, while the entire machine emitted a continuous buzzing sound and its fans spun furiously to cool it down.
"I measured Master Roshi's Battle Power before—it was only 139! Who is this? Could it be Goku, or Raditz?" Bulma's face paled in fright. Though she did not understand exactly what the numbers represented, she could tell that forty thousand was an enormous figure!
It far exceeded the original Scouter's limit. In other words, forty thousand Battle Power was not a number ordinary people could reach. After all, this Scouter was designed for use across the universe!
Master Roshi, far away at Turtle House, was equally shocked. He sensed two enormous bursts of Ki clashing fiercely, one of them still rising to a level he dared not imagine. It was Raditz's Ki!
"Beep beep beep—" "Beep beep beep—" The Scouter kept refreshing its upper limit, until the number finally settled at 41,100!
Over forty thousand Battle Power!
Vegeta's pupils had lost focus. His empty gaze turned pale and blank, and all he felt inside his skull was a warm, dizzy sensation. Nothing else remained.
That overwhelming pressure bearing down on him could not lie. The red aura erupting from Raditz's body blasted through the air, like miniature thunder exploding. His muscles seemed to contain endless power, and the force spilling from him made hearts tighten, afraid to relax even for a moment. The storm that followed blew in wave after wave, sending even charging dinosaurs flying whole. It was utter chaos.
"No... impossible..." Vegeta shook his head in disbelief, trembling for no reason at all.
The words he had spoken moments ago now seemed like a joke. His face burned as if he had been slapped hard.
He continued muttering the word "impossible," his mentality shattering on the spot.
"Vegeta, if you want to fight, we can continue. But I still want you to seriously consider my proposal. Join forces with us against Frieza!"
"You... don't think you can get cocky now! I'm the strongest Saiyan in the universe!"
Raditz was speechless. Was Vegeta still obsessing over who was stronger? Wasn't the answer obvious right in front of him? A prince's pride really was troublesome sometimes.
But Vegeta's strength was crucial, and Raditz did not want to give up on him.
Looks like I'll have to beat him up first! Yes, that's what I'll do!
Having made up his mind, Raditz moved. He pressed the heels of his palms together, curled his fingers, and drew his hands from in front of him to his waist.
The opening stance of the Kamehameha!
When he trained with Goku, he had specifically asked about how to use the Kamehameha. Though its principles were simple, compared to other moves, its differences became clear.
They all appeared to release tremendous energy through Ki, but the way Ki flowed was vastly different. That was what created the fundamental differences in each person's ultimate techniques.
The Kamehameha was not the most powerful, but it had the best balance and room for further bursts of power. No wonder it was Earth's most popular finishing move!
"Let's decide the winner with this one move!"
"Take my Galick Gun!" Vegeta refused to admit defeat. He gathered Ki in both hands and concentrated his Battle Power.
He had been driven into a corner. There was no retreat left for him.
His original plan for this trip to Earth had been simple: kill a bunch of trash, eat some good food, find the Dragon Balls to make a wish, then leave in style.
Who could have imagined it would turn out like this?
All the resentment and fury in his chest merged into this earth-shaking attack. He was determined to blast Raditz into dust!
Galick Gun, fire!
At the same moment, the Kamehameha thrust forward. The Kaio-ken's red aura dyed the Kamehameha red as well, and its light shot forth.
The massive storm swept outward, surging for thousands of miles. Gohan and the others had to shield their eyes with their hands, relying solely on Ki to judge the situation.
At Bulma's home in the distance, the machines roared as they operated. The prolonged workload had pushed them to their limits. The fans could no longer keep up with the rate of heat buildup.
Bang!
The equipment exploded, billowing out a cloud of smoke...
As for the Kaio-ken, my understanding is that it starts at double power, with the maximum being a death sentence since the body cannot bear the strain. There are claims online that the original Kaio-ken was a 1.5-times boost, but that feels strange and not very credible. There is also an image saying Goku used double power against Nappa, so the Kaio-ken's amplification starts at ×2. It is possible that Kaio-ken means the Double Kaio-ken, or that Kaio-ken merely raises the upper limits of various attributes.
Also, I personally believe the multiplier refers to the amplification of the Kaio-ken itself and does not directly apply to Battle Power.
Before you continue