Where Did Raditz Go?

A year and a half later.

Kami's Lookout.

Goku sat quietly in the center of the plaza, legs crossed, hands resting flat on his knees, eyes tightly shut.

His breathing was long and steady; every inhalation and exhalation seemed to merge him with the entirety of the Lookout.

Over these past few years, he had shot up in height, the immature features of his youth gradually fading away to reveal the faint outline of a young man.

"Hoo—"

Goku let out a long, stale breath and slowly opened his eyes.

"Goku."

Kami's aged voice drifted from behind him.

Seeing that Goku had finished his training, Kami approached him, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze carrying a hint of approval.

"Your meditation is much more composed now than it was a year ago. You used to be unable to settle down, but now, you have begun to learn how to feel the flow of ki itself."

Goku stood up, brushed the dust off his training gi, and grinned. "Hehe, Kami-sama, my training here is just about finished. Compared to Raditz, who do you think is stronger?"

"Raditz..." Kami nodded slightly, pondering for a moment. "That young man is indeed no simple matter. Even I cannot clearly see the extent of his true strength."

"So that means I'm still not stronger than him? Just as I thought."

Kami watched Goku's excited expression, a trace of helplessness appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Your opponent today is not him," Kami said sternly. "Piccolo Jr. has confirmed his participation in this World Martial Arts Tournament. You should understand his objective."

Goku's expression turned serious as he nodded. "Yeah, I won't let him get his way."

"Go." Kami turned and walked toward the depths of the Lookout. "Let me see the fruits of your three years of training."

"Yes!"

Goku bowed to Kami's retreating back, then turned and walked to the edge of the Lookout.

He looked down at the endless sea of clouds and the faint blue expanse of the ocean below.

Without a moment's hesitation, he leaped, his body like an arrow released from a bow, hurtling toward the world below.

The wind whistled, his training gi snapping violently in the airflow.

Goku adjusted his posture, streaking through the clouds at high speed toward the island where the martial arts tournament was being held.

"I wonder if Raditz is participating in this tournament. I really hope to cross paths with him."

As soon as he finished speaking, he accelerated.

The World Martial Arts Tournament venue.

With some time still left before the official start, the area inside and outside the venue was packed solid with a dense crowd.

Goku landed on the plaza in front of the venue entrance. No sooner had his feet touched the ground than he heard a familiar voice from the side.

"Goku! Over here, over here!"

Krillin waved his arms and jumped up and down, his round face full of smiles. Standing beside him were Tien Shinhan, Master Roshi, and the others.

Goku walked over quickly, the smile on his face growing brighter.

"Krillin! Tien Shinhan! Master Roshi! Long time no see!"

"Hey, hey, you guy!" Krillin looked Goku up and down, his eyes widening. "How did you get so tall!"

"Hehe, I just suddenly had a growth spurt recently." Goku scratched his head, laughing mindlessly.

"Damn it." Krillin gritted his teeth, his face etched with envy and frustration. "Am I the only one who didn't grow? This is so unfair!"

"Krillin," Master Roshi said, leaning on his cane and adjusting his sunglasses with the air of a master, "height is not the issue; strength is the key."

"But Master Roshi, you've said that so many times already!" Krillin muttered.

Tien Shinhan stood with his arms crossed, his gaze lingering on Goku for a moment. "Goku, your presence is completely different. You must have trained very hard these past three years."

"Yeah! Kami-sama's training was very strict, but it was very effective." Goku nodded, his eyes flashing with the desire for battle. "Tien Shinhan, let's have a good fight when the tournament starts!"

"That is exactly what I intend."

Yamcha stepped forward, patted Goku on the shoulder, and laughed. "Haven't seen you in three years, and you've grown into a man. Oh, by the way, Bulma is over there, but she's been in a bad mood lately, so don't provoke her."

"In a bad mood?" Goku followed Yamcha's gaze, met Bulma's eyes, and walked over carelessly to greet her. "Bulma! Long time no see!"

Bulma looked at the tall, big young man before her, stunned for a moment, then let out a cold snort and turned her head away.

"Goku, you've grown tall, haven't you?" she said in a flat tone.

Goku didn't pay much attention to it. After looking around, he scratched his head and asked, "Huh? Isn't Raditz with you guys?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Bulma's expression darkened immediately, as if a sore spot had been poked.

"Don't worry about him," she said irritably. "He's not on Earth anymore."

"Eh?!" Goku's eyes widened in disbelief. "If he's not on Earth, where could he be? Bulma, don't joke around."

"I meant exactly what I said," Bulma said, her voice rising. "He went to another planet."

To another planet?

As soon as those words left her lips, Sun Wukong's mouth fell open. "Wait, wait, wait?! That guy Raditz ran off to an alien planet? That's way too over the top!"

"The problem is he didn't even say a word before leaving," Krillin said, hands on his hips, looking somewhat dissatisfied. "He could have at least let us see him off. That guy is still as mysterious as ever."

"Hold on, don't you guys think this is strange?" Yamcha looked at Bulma. "Bulma, Raditz went to space using your spacecraft, right?"

Bulma huffed, not denying it.

"What exactly is he doing in space? Did he say when he'd be back?"

"How should I know!" Bulma turned her head away, her tone sharp and impatient. "He just said he wanted to increase his strength, then borrowed the ship my dad built with a Gravity Chamber and took off. He didn't say where he was going, acting all mysterious, and he even had to use Shenron to wish for the coordinates."

She swallowed the words "and he didn't even take me with him," but the expression on her face betrayed her true feelings.

They had only just made their relationship official six months ago, yet not long after, that jerk claimed he needed to improve his strength, insisted on going to an alien planet, and left without even looking back.

Krillin and Yamcha exchanged a glance, tacitly agreeing not to press the matter further.

Sun Wukong, on the other hand, clenched his fists with a look of pure innocence. "Wow, so Raditz went to find even stronger opponents! That's so cool! It looks like he's already far surpassed us!"

Bulma looked at Sun Wukong, speechless.

She realized that there might truly be no room for anything other than fighting in Sun Wukong's brain.

However, he might have actually guessed correctly.

That guy was indeed a training fanatic, spending his entire day locked inside the Gravity Chamber.

"Forget it, let's not talk about him anymore." Bulma took a deep breath, patted her cheeks, and pulled herself together. "Let's go, we need to register."

"Right, right, registration is the priority," Krillin chimed in. "This tournament is packed with experts; we can't miss it."

The group crowded together and headed toward the registration desk, chatting and laughing, quickly shifting the topic to the upcoming tournament.

However, none of them noticed a tall, green figure standing quietly in the corner on the other side of the plaza.

Piccolo.

He wore his white turban and cape, keeping most of his face hidden in the shadows, but his eyes, sharp as a hawk's, were locked firmly onto the group.

Piccolo's hearing was far superior to that of an ordinary person; from the very first sentence they spoke, he had heard every single word clearly.

"Raditz isn't on Earth?"

Piccolo's pupils constricted slightly as the image of the man who had thoroughly defeated him a year ago flashed through his mind.

The man who had shattered his ambitions with a single move had actually left Earth?

He didn't know what to make of the feeling.

Surprise? Relief? Or perhaps a tiny sliver of disappointment?

"Hmph." Piccolo sneered, his lips curling into a sinister arc. "If that guy isn't on Earth, then doesn't that make me the strongest person on the planet right now?"

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he clenched his fists involuntarily, causing them to crackle.

The desire to conquer the world burned in his chest like a raging fire.

"No."

Piccolo's gaze instantly cleared, and he shook his head.

"He will come back."

His intuition told him that the man wouldn't die in space. He would definitely return, and when he did, he would be even stronger than when he left.

"In that case..."

Piccolo's gaze shifted back to the group.

"I'll start by carving these guys up."

"Since they dare to enter this tournament, they must have some skill. I'll make them grovel beneath my might."

His eyes finally settled on the young man with the black, spiky hair surrounded by the others.

Sun Wukong.

"Especially you." A burning fighting spirit ignited in Piccolo's eyes. "In this martial arts tournament, I will trample you under my feet."

He adjusted his cape and turned to walk toward the registration desk.