Raditz raced through the jungle.
But he soon discovered a fatal problem: his ability to sense others' ki had a limited range.
Earlier, with Bulma pointing him in the right direction, he could just barely sense the ki as it was about to disappear beyond the edge of his range. But once Goku's Flying Nimbus carried him farther away, Raditz lost track of him completely.
Raditz had lost his direction and could only vent his frustration at the vast jungle around him.
"Damn it!" Raditz slammed his fist into a nearby boulder, sending shards of stone flying. "I should've brought the Scouter!"
Ever since Raditz had learned how to sense other people's ki, he had rarely carried the Scouter, leaving it at Bulma's house instead. After all, he knew that the power levels it displayed were only rough estimates.
Now, Raditz realized that its ability to locate targets was far more useful. If he had it with him, he could find Goku in no time.
With no other choice, Raditz searched the jungle carefully, hoping to find Goku unconscious.
If Goku ran into that guy named Cymbal in his current state, he would be utterly defeated. Raditz could only hope that the demon had been careless enough to spare Goku's life.
The search continued until nightfall. The moon hung high in the sky, and Raditz still hadn't found a thing.
There was no point continuing to search blindly, so he had no choice but to return to the tournament grounds.
"Raditz, thank goodness! You're back..." Bulma greeted him happily. But when she saw that he had returned alone, with no sign of the other boy, her smile froze.
Master Roshi let out a deep sigh of relief when he saw Raditz return. "Listen, the fact that you made it back alive means... all we can do is pray that Goku's luck holds out."
"Now we have to prepare for the worst." Master Roshi's tone was firm. "First, we need to collect as many Dragon Balls as we can before King Piccolo does."
"Only then can we bring Krillin back to life—and maybe even Goku."
Raditz nodded silently. With no way of knowing Goku's condition, they could only proceed this way for now.
He knew they would eventually have to face Piccolo to gather the Dragon Balls. But as long as he stayed by Master Roshi's side, he wouldn't let him use the Evil Containment Wave and die like he had in the original story.
After they finished discussing their plan, everyone prepared to head back to Kame House.
Before they left, Raditz wanted to take the other aircraft to Bulma's house and pick up the Scouter.
But Bulma needed materials and tools to make a new Dragon Radar, so Master Roshi suggested they all go together to her house first.
Clearly, he was more worried that Raditz would go off alone to look for King Piccolo again.
So everyone took the fastest aircraft back to West City. After picking up what they needed, they headed for Kame House again, traveling through the night.
By the time they arrived at Kame House, the sky was beginning to brighten.
Raditz wasn't in a hurry to look for Goku anymore.
As soon as he got the Scouter, he put it on and checked. Goku's power level wasn't showing on the lens. Clearly, if the story hadn't changed, Goku was badly injured and unconscious somewhere.
Everyone had traveled all night and endured the loss of a friend as well as the threat of the demon king. They were exhausted in both body and mind, and Raditz was no exception. The moment he entered the house, he found a place and went to sleep.
By the time Raditz woke up, it was already afternoon.
He put the Scouter on again and checked.
Staring at the display on the lens, Raditz furrowed his brow. "Why can't I get a signal from Goku?"
A sense of foreboding had already begun to well up inside him.
Could Goku really have failed to survive this ordeal?
"Raditz, what's that on your face?" Master Roshi and the others asked, curious about the strange device he had put on as soon as he woke up.
When everyone looked his way, Raditz could only push his jumbled thoughts aside.
Maybe Goku was badly injured but fast asleep on Yajirobe's back?
Putting those thoughts aside, Raditz began explaining the device in his hand.
"You're saying that tool can show how strong someone is?" Tien Shinhan asked in surprise.
"Yeah, but it only gives a rough estimate of their minimum power. It's displaying all your power levels here. Tien, yours is..."
Raditz read out everyone's numbers. Aside from his own, everyone was under two hundred. Tien was the closest to that mark, at 178.
"What about King Piccolo?" Tien asked.
"...260."
The enormous gap sent a wave of oppressive dread through everyone.
For a while, no one spoke.
Until...
"Hmm... it's light gray," Master Roshi said suddenly, adjusting his sunglasses.
"Master Mutten, what are you talking about? Is that some kind of strategy?" Yamcha asked excitedly.
"No, I'm talking about Bulma's panties."
"Uh..."
Hearing Master Roshi's words, Raditz reflexively glanced at Bulma too.
Hmm, he was right.
Thwack!
Thwack!
"The world's about to be ruled by demons, and you still have time to think about this kind of nonsense!"
"And you, Raditz!" Bulma glared at him. "Don't think I didn't see you!"
Raditz sheepishly rubbed his head where he'd been hit, too cowed to protest.
"I was trying to distract everyone and ease the tension!" Master Roshi insisted, sprawled on the floor after being beaten.
"Don't ease anything!" Bulma snapped.
"Anyway, don't worry about those numbers. Just focus on doing your part."
"Bulma, you've finished the new Dragon Radar, right? Hand it over," Master Roshi said. "Collecting the Dragon Balls is dangerous right now, but we have no choice."
"But the Dragon Balls can only grant one wish. Should we bring Krillin back to life, or Goku?" Bulma asked.
They hadn't heard anything for so long that she thought Goku might have met the same fate as Krillin.
"Maybe we should think about it another way," Yamcha objected. "If we're making a wish now, we could wish for King Piccolo to be destroyed."
"If it works, we can get rid of that demon for good."
"That means we'd have to wait a year before bringing Krillin and the others back to life. Will their bodies turn into skeletons by then?" Puar asked worriedly.
"We went through all that trouble to bring them back, only for them to be skeletons..." Oolong imagined a skeleton getting up and greeting everyone, and broke out in a cold sweat.
"Don't worry about that. I can make a cryogenic capsule to preserve Krillin's body," Bulma said. "But we'd have to find Goku's body first, if he really is dead."
Master Roshi adjusted his sunglasses. "Then it's decided. Tien, Chiaotzu, and I will collect the Dragon Balls. Raditz and Yamcha will look for Goku. Everyone else will go with Bulma to get the capsule."
"No." As soon as Master Roshi finished speaking, Raditz shook his head firmly. "We can put off looking for Goku. I believe he's still alive."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Compared to that, collecting the Dragon Balls is more important. Master Mutten, you know how dangerous it is."
"That's why I have to go," Raditz said, his expression serious and his voice resolute.
Master Roshi fell silent. Of course he knew. That was why he had tried to send everyone else away, planning to face King Piccolo alone.
Even with only a slim chance of winning, he still intended to try.
Sigh... I'll figure out a way to make them watch from the sidelines. If I fail, they'll at least have a way to fight back.
Looking at Raditz's determined expression, Master Roshi sighed inwardly. Unable to refuse him outright, he could only reassure himself that way.
"In that case, the four of us will collect the Dragon Balls. Everyone else will travel together and take care of the cryogenic capsule," Master Roshi said, revising the assignments in a solemn tone.
"Yes, Master Mutten!" Yamcha replied at once, relieved.
"Understood." Raditz nodded too, setting his doubts aside for the moment.
"Let's not waste any time. We leave now!"