Collecting Dragon Balls

"Combat power 81..."

Raditz walked straight toward the person, only seeing his face clearly once he drew near.

I didn't expect it to be this guy.

A slightly chubby youth was sitting on the ground, devouring fish from a grill with gusto.

Hanging from his chest was a yellow crystal orb marked with a single star.

This person was none other than Yajirobe.

Yajirobe lifted his eyelids to look at the man before him, muttering indistinctly, "What are you looking at? If you want to eat, go catch your own."

He had no intention of stopping, as if the guy who had suddenly appeared wasn't worth as much attention as the grilled fish in his hand.

"I'm not interested in your fish," Raditz said, his voice steady. "I'm more interested in the orb around your neck."

"Hm?"

Yajirobe finally stopped chewing and wiped his mouth casually. "This? I picked it up a year ago. Pretty, isn't it? You want it? Not a chance."

The corner of Raditz's mouth twitched imperceptibly. "I'll borrow it for a moment and return it when I'm done."

Once he made his wish, he could just grab any orb to give back to him. Whether it was the original one or not was beside the point; he would have returned one, regardless.

"Not lending it."

Yajirobe's answer was crisp and clean. He lowered his head to continue gnawing on his fish, acting as if the conversation was over and it was time for Raditz to leave.

"How about this? I'll treat you to a grand feast in exchange for using your orb."

Upon hearing "grand feast," Yajirobe's eyes lit up, but he wasn't stupid.

"Eat first, borrow later."

"..."

Raditz didn't have any money to pay for a grand feast; he was currently freeloading off Bulma himself.

Realizing that talk was useless, Raditz lowered his stance slightly, his aura instantly turning sharp.

"Then forgive me."

Before the words had even faded, Raditz's figure suddenly blurred, leaving only a faint afterimage behind.

The next second, he appeared at Yajirobe's side.

A hand-blade struck as fast as lightning, aiming straight for the youth's waist with a clear goal—to disarm him of his long sword first.

"Hey! You guy!" Yajirobe was startled. His backside acted as if it were spring-loaded, and he lunged backward, his chubby body displaying agility that defied his appearance.

He used the momentum to roll to his feet in one fluid motion, effectively putting distance between them.

He brushed the grass clippings off his clothes, the lazy expression on his face vanishing, replaced by a sharp glint in his eyes.

Gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist, Yajirobe moved.

He kicked off the ground with one foot and shot forward.

"Iai Slash!"

The moment he neared Raditz, he unleashed a rapid draw-strike.

Raditz's expression tightened as his body was sliced in two by the blade's light.

"..."

Yajirobe was confused. To avoid taking a life, he had specifically used the back of his blade for the draw-strike.

Yet, there had been no sensation of impact; it was as if he had simply cut through the air.

"Hey!"

Raditz strolled out from behind a tree.

Seeing Raditz reappear, Yajirobe frowned and asked, "What kind of magic is that?"

"Afterimage Technique. How about it? Still want to fight?" With that, Raditz's figure flickered again.

In an instant, several "Raditzes" appeared around Yajirobe, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.

One of the figures even reached out directly toward the orb on his chest!

With a flash of steel, the figure was cleaved in two.

"Tch!"

Yajirobe cursed under his breath, swinging his blade like the wind, chasing the afterimages to create a curtain of steel.

The afterimages vanished one by one, but more soon appeared to surround him.

"Is all you can do is hide?!"

Yajirobe grew irritable. He stomped forward, causing the ground to tremble slightly, and swung his heavy blade toward a figure that appeared solid, his momentum imposing.

This time, Raditz did not choose to dodge. He stepped to the side, spread his hands, and condensed two golden cyclones of energy.

They merged and fused, transforming into a searing, brilliant orb of energy!

"Dodge!" With that, an energy sphere shot out from Raditz's hand.

Yajirobe's pupils constricted as the energy wave hurtled toward him, and in the nick of time, he rolled to the side.

The energy wave grazed the hem of his clothes and slammed into the rock wall behind him.

"BOOM!"

Suddenly, the rock wall collapsed, sending debris flying and filling the air with dust and smoke.

"That was close." Yajirobe looked at the crumbled stone wall, his heart still racing.

He weighed the situation; the opponent's speed was bizarre and his attacks were powerful. If he really kept fighting, he might not come out on top, and the key was...

"I'm done, I'm done." He suddenly sheathed his sword with a sharp clang.

The action was so decisive that even Raditz was taken aback.

"You only know how to dodge; this is boring. My fish is about to burn!" Yajirobe's tone was full of impatience and distress.

"I told you, I'm just borrowing it." Raditz spoke again, pointing at the One-Star Ball. "I need it for one thing, and I'll return it immediately after. As compensation..."

"I owe you a feast, not this kind of picnic," Raditz said earnestly. "A restaurant in the city, the kind where you can eat all the meat you want."

"You... keep your word?" Yajirobe asked suspiciously, his hand instinctively touching the crystal orb.

He had found this orb; other than being shiny and pretty, it had no practical use for him, but to trade it for a feast...

Yajirobe pondered secretly and swallowed hard.

"Of course, I promise," Raditz said.

"A promise alone is useless." Yajirobe muttered, his eyes lighting up. "How about this: I'll go with you! I'll watch you use it, you give it back to me right after, and then you take me to that feast!"

This was unexpected for Raditz, and he frowned slightly. "The place I'm going might be a bit far, and as for the time..."

If he really brought this guy along, it might cause complications when it came time to summon Shenron and make a wish.

Yajirobe patted his belly. "Enough talk. Either let me follow, or the deal is off. You choose."

Raditz looked at the "no room for negotiation" expression on the other's face, then glanced at the One-Star Ball he had to obtain, and finally sighed. "Fine, but you have to listen to me on the road."

"Don't worry, I'm only interested in food." Yajirobe nimbly stuffed the rest of the grilled fish into his mouth and said.

A day later, near a rocky area.

Relying on the Dragon Radar's tracking, Raditz successfully found Goku.

From afar, he saw Goku dragging a massive boulder with his tail.

That was the training he was doing to overcome the weakness of his tail.

"Goku, long time no see!"

Goku looked curiously at the slowly landing spacecraft. When the hatch opened, he saw the figure stepping out.

"Oh, it's Raditz! Haha, how did you know I was here?"

"Of course, because of this."

Raditz pulled the Dragon Radar from his pocket.

"I've already collected the other six Dragon Balls."

"So that's how it is!" Goku didn't hesitate and readily handed over the Four-Star Ball. "Here you go!"

Raditz took the orb, glanced at Yajirobe who was standing by his side looking around, and then said to Goku, "Goku, after I summon Shenron, the Dragon Balls will scatter. When that happens, besides getting the Four-Star Ball, can you help me pick up one more?"

"Hmm..." Goku tilted his head and thought for a moment, then patted his chest. "Should be no problem! Leave it to me!"

Once he got the Four-Star Ball, he could summon the Flying Nimbus and immediately chase down the second one.

"Good, then I'm counting on you."

Raditz placed the seven Dragon Balls together, then stepped back and shouted the incantation: "Come forth! Shenron!"

Instantly, golden light surged from the Dragon Balls, illuminating the darkening sky, and a massive green dragon soared into the air.