First Duel

"Krillin, did you fail to defeat him?" Raditz asked, knowing the answer full well.

"Hmph, that was just me being careless. Give me another chance, and I will definitely beat him." Krillin's face stiffened, but he remained stubborn.

Raditz smiled and walked over to Goku's side.

"Goku, do you have a moment? I need your help with something."

"What is it, Raditz?" Goku was busy cheering Upa on.

"Come on, let's go over there."

"Raditz, what's the matter? Why do we need to step away from everyone?" On the empty, grassy field, Goku asked, confused.

"It's like this, Goku. I've prepared a finishing move for the upcoming fight, but it needs to be used by surprise, and I need a little help from you."

"A finishing move? That sounds impressive. Tell me, what do I need to do?"

"You just need to do this... and then this..."

Goku jogged back to find that Upa and the others had already won, and the group was deciding who would step up next.

"Goku, where did you two go? Come help us decide who's going out there."

"I'll go." Raditz emerged from the house, and upon seeing the opponent on the stage, he immediately decided to step up.

"Uh... Raditz, what happened to you?"

Krillin and Yamcha stared at the man who had appeared before them, his entire body flushed a deep, glowing red.

Raditz panted heavily, steam rising from his skin as he walked onto the ring step by step.

He looked at the humanoid creature standing opposite him, his expression relaxing slightly.

Thank goodness it's not the Invisible Man. If it were, I'd either be toyed to death or collapse from exhaustion first.

Having absorbed the energy wave Goku created through the device on his right hand, Raditz felt the overloaded energy rampaging through his body. He knew he couldn't hold on for much longer.

"Big Brother Goku, can Big Brother Raditz beat that werewolf?" Upa asked worriedly.

"Trust him. Since he has such a miraculous ability, he's sure to win."

"What ability?"

Krillin immediately leaned in, just as curious about Raditz's current state.

A perfectly fine, handsome young man had gone out for a moment and returned as a "Red-Skinned Alien."

"Haha, it's a secret. You'll know soon enough," Goku said, acting mysterious.

In truth, even Goku didn't know how Raditz had done it; Raditz had simply asked him to fire off some small Kamehamehas, which were then miraculously "erased" by that metallic right hand of his.

Raditz looked at the werewolf opposite him—a common enough creature in the Dragon Ball world. Regardless of what abilities it possessed, he didn't hesitate, lifted his leg, and charged forward.

The werewolf watched the "red man" rushing toward him and chose not to meet the attack head-on, instead side-stepping with a flash of movement while baring his sharp claws.

"Pfft!" In the split second they crossed paths, three deep gouges appeared on Raditz's left arm, and blood splattered.

Raditz didn't feel much pain; the explosive energy within him had already set his body ablaze, dulling his senses.

He charged again.

The werewolf dodged to the side once more; he had no intention of engaging in a direct confrontation.

After a few rounds, Raditz, lacking any real combat training, could only charge blindly around the ring, while the werewolf dodged left and right, occasionally carving new wounds with his sharp claws.

As time ticked by, even without feeling much pain, Raditz knew he was already covered in wounds. The fight seemed one-sided, and the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for him.

"Huff—huff—huff—"

This doesn't feel like the style of early Dragon Ball. Shouldn't a werewolf like this just charge in head-first? Why is he playing it smart now that he's facing me?

Raditz thought helplessly. Even with all this strength, he couldn't land a hit if he couldn't catch his opponent.

"That guy Raditz doesn't know any martial arts at all," Krillin muttered from the sidelines, unable to help himself.

"Let's have him forfeit later; otherwise, it'll be harmful to his body," Yamcha added.

Goku remained silent, watching with sharp, focused eyes.

"Give up. You can't keep up with my speed."

"Even if you can sustain that enhancement ability for a while longer, it's useless. Once your time is up, that's when I'll counterattack," the werewolf said, pacing leisurely.

Raditz was speechless. Has this backfired? Who actually has an ability like that?

"How could that be? Is Mr. Werewolf afraid of a tiny human like me?"

"Hmph, you can't hold on anymore, can you? A clumsy attempt at a taunt. I hope you can still talk in a moment," the werewolf sneered.

He was indeed reaching his limit—the limit of needing to release the energy surging inside him.

Raditz gave up, sitting down on the ground and bracing his hands behind him.

"Come on then, let's see what you've got."

With that, the crimson hue on Raditz's skin slowly faded, the rising steam gradually dissipated, and his entire presence plummeted.

Seeing that the moment had arrived, the Werewolf's eyes gleamed as he flashed forward, his sharp claws swiping toward Raditz's neck in an attempt to throw him directly out of the ring.

Raditz, head bowed, curled his lips into a smile. His burning right arm trembled uncontrollably, and he lunged forward, delivering himself right into his enemy's grasp.

The enemy wasn't retreating, but instead delivering himself to his doorstep?

The Werewolf sensed something amiss and was just about to pull back when his wrist was clamped tightly by the other man.

"Mr. Werewolf, the outcome is decided. Take this... Kamehameha!!"

Immediately, he raised his right hand at close range, and a dazzling wave of energy erupted from his palm, blasting the Werewolf entirely out of the ring.

Losing his support, Raditz collapsed onto the ground, his strength completely drained. Watching Goku, Krillin, and the others running toward him, he drifted into unconsciousness.

When he woke up again, Raditz was in an unfamiliar lounge, with something like glucose being dripped into his hand and his body wrapped in bandages like a mummy.

"You're awake," Master Roshi said, stepping forward.

"Master Mutten, Bulma, why are you here?"

Hearing Raditz's question, Bulma, standing to the side, wore a look of concern. "Krillin said you had collapsed again, so he brought us here to look after you."

"To go and fight while injured like that, you really are a show-off."

"Since I was already here, I wanted to do my part," Raditz said sheepishly.

Feeling that his body had recovered quite a bit, Raditz sat up, preparing to go find Goku and the others. He hadn't forgotten the purpose of his visit; after working so hard for so long, it was time to reap the rewards.

"Your body recovers quite quickly." Raditz pulled the IV tube from his hand.

He didn't know if it was the effect of Fortune Teller Baba's medicine or if his body had been activated by the previous energy.

"Hmph, you really are just like Goku, both wrapped up like dumplings and already able to walk," Bulma said, speechless.

"I heard you even used the Kamehameha?" Master Roshi interjected, seemingly casual.

"Haha, I'll explain on the way. Let's go find Goku and the others first."

By the time Raditz walked to the side of the ring, hissing in pain with every step, he was already breaking out in a cold sweat, completely devoid of the lighthearted banter he'd had earlier.

"Your metal palm has that kind of ability? Energy absorption—that Dr. Gero certainly isn't an ordinary person," Bulma said firmly, thinking about investigating him when she had the time.

"It'll be hard to find him now; there's no telling which corner he's hiding in. We can only tell Goku to be more careful in the future."

Raditz didn't care at all about revealing Dr. Gero's abilities early. As for the butterfly effect, as long as he was strong enough, he could handle it all the same.

Besides, as long as he appeared alive and well in front of Dr. Gero, he would have to consider the possibility of being controlled.

Android 17 and Android 18 had controllers, so it was possible that he, too, had such control measures left behind.

After waiting for a while, Goku and his group emerged from a building.

"The timing is perfect. Finally, the final showdown between Goku and his grandfather."

Looking at the person in the crowd wearing the cat mask, Raditz felt a surge of excitement.

"Raditz, you're awake! I've already reached the last person. Once I defeat him, we can have Baba help us with the fortune-telling," Goku said excitedly.

"I knew you could do it," Raditz replied, equally excited.

The final duel began. After exchanging bows, both sides assumed their starting stances.

An invisible aura spread out, and the entire arena fell silent as everyone waited for the moment to arrive.