Raditz didn't rush ahead this time. He obediently followed behind Nail.
They didn't say a word the entire way, not until they reached the village where Moori had been earlier.
Nail was simply displeased with Raditz. His first impression of him had been poor, and he was also confused by the Grand Elder's decision.
What had the two of them said before he arrived?
So as soon as he brought Raditz to Moori Village, he hurried back without wasting a moment.
As for taking the guy to the other villages, he left that to Moori.
Raditz watched Nail's retreating figure and curled his lip.
Battle-type Namekians were like that—quick to anger.
"Haha, it looks like you passed the Grand Elder's test, guest." Moori came over. When he saw the Dragon Ball in Raditz's hand, he immediately understood the Grand Elder's choice.
"You can just call me Raditz."
Raditz tossed the Dragon Ball lightly in his hand. "Yeah, the Grand Elder really is quite easygoing."
"Elder Moori, may I ask what your test is?"
"No rush, no rush." Moori smiled mysteriously and led Raditz to the room where the Dragon Balls were kept.
"Since the Grand Elder is very pleased with you, as his child, I'm certainly willing to make things easier for you."
Moori warmly took the Dragon Ball from its stone pedestal and handed it to Raditz.
"You can have the Dragon Ball for now."
Raditz accepted this second Dragon Ball, delighted.
"Thank you for your generosity, Elder. You'll surely become a great leader like the Grand Elder one day, leading the Namekians to greater heights!"
Raditz wasn't just flattering him. In the future, Elder Moori really would take the Grand Elder's place.
"Ah, there's no need to say things like that." Moori waved his hands repeatedly. "Everything is thanks to the Grand Elder's excellent leadership."
"All right, my test can't be skipped either. I only ask that you stay in our village for a while, spend time with our young people, and live alongside us for a bit."
"How does that sound? Pretty simple, right?"
It really was simple.
What Raditz had more than enough of right now was time. He could easily accept staying here for a while.
"Sure."
"Excellent, excellent. I'll have someone build you a house."
Moori smiled and turned to leave, his steps light.
Actually, this hadn't been the test he'd originally planned.
But earlier, while communicating with the Grand Elder telepathically, he'd heard that Raditz was very powerful.
So he'd changed his original plan on the spot.
His goal was clear: to build a connection with Raditz and, ideally, earn his friendship.
He understood the saying: a man isn't guilty of a crime, but possessing a treasure can bring him trouble.
If word got out that the Namekians had Dragon Balls, powerful people would inevitably come coveting them.
Someone like Raditz would be fine, but if the visitors were greedy people who stopped at nothing...
The Namekians, already on the brink of extinction, couldn't afford to suffer such a fate.
And if they could earn Raditz's friendship now, they'd have an ally in the future.
Elder Moori was truly going to great lengths for the future of his people.
Raditz didn't know about Moori's little scheme, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.
He followed Moori's arrangements and settled in.
Aside from his daily training, he spent time talking with Moori, listening to him tell stories about Namek's history. He also joined the young Namekians in planting saplings.
He'd heard that once these saplings grew, they would be beautiful. They'd once covered the entire planet.
Now, the Namekians were trying to bring that scenery back.
Listening to the young man in front of him make such bold claims, Raditz couldn't help laughing.
It wasn't that he thought the young man was wrong. It was just that seeing that shy smile on a face so much like Piccolo's struck him as a little comical.
Too bad he hadn't brought a camera. He really wanted to see Piccolo's reaction to this scene.
Several days passed. Raditz had practically become one of them, and he'd grown familiar with everyone. The young Namekians were no longer so reserved around him, and sometimes they even asked him for advice on how to get stronger.
That day, Raditz didn't go to train.
He stayed in an open area, with a strange device set up in front of him. It had a few buttons, a signal light, and a telescoping antenna.
"I remember Bulma teaching me to use it like this before. Why isn't there any signal?"
He fiddled with it for ages, but the signal light wouldn't come on.
It was a communications device Bulma had shoved into his hands before he left Earth.
It could receive and send messages directly to Earth from anywhere in space, allowing for real-time communication.
But the device had to be in a relatively fixed position. It couldn't be used while moving at high speed.
Raditz had been wandering through space before, constantly changing locations, so he'd never had a chance to use it.
Now that he was on Namek and would be staying for a long time, it was the perfect opportunity to try it out.
When the signal light still didn't respond, Raditz hesitated for a moment, then lightly tapped the side of the device twice.
"Beep, beep!"
The signal light came on!
"..."
What a terrible habit.
Raditz held the communicator to his ear, adjusted the frequency, and listened carefully.
A burst of static came through, followed by a familiar female voice.
"Hello?"
"Bulma, it's me."
"Raditz?!"
Bulma's voice rose several pitches on the other end, full of undisguised delight.
But before long, her tone turned cold.
"Hmph! You've got some nerve calling me."
"Heh heh heh, Bulma, don't say that. I've missed you." Raditz chuckled.
Hearing that, Bulma's lips curled into a slight smile, and her tone softened. "Then why don't you come back?"
"I can't come back just yet. But, Bulma, you'll never guess what I've seen."
A few children happened to walk over, curious. Their little Piccolo-like faces were pretty cute.
Hearing Raditz put on an act over the communicator, Bulma played along. "Hmph! I bet you wouldn't want to know where I am, either."
"Hm?"
"Where are you?" Raditz immediately asked.
Bulma didn't keep him in suspense. "I'm at Goku's. Everyone's here. Do you know why we came?"
Raditz thought for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "You're not attending Goku's wedding, are you?"
"Eh?! How did you know?"
So it really was his wedding. Raditz remembered that Goku and Chi-Chi had gotten married after taking part in the World Martial Arts Tournament.
"That's too bad. I won't be there. Tell him congratulations on the wedding for me."
"Tell him yourself," Bulma replied crisply.
"I'm handing the communicator to him."
After a burst of noise, Goku's voice came through.
"Hello? Is that you, Raditz?"
"It's me, Goku. Congratulations on your wedding."
"Hehe, thanks."
Goku sounded cheerful, then added eagerly, "Raditz, you must be really strong now, right? I really hope I can fight you."
"Wait until I get back," Raditz promised. "I hope you haven't slacked off on your martial arts, or you won't be able to catch up with me."
"I definitely won't." Goku sounded confident. "Raditz, do you remember Piccolo? I fought him at the World Martial Arts Tournament, and I even won the championship."
"Really?" Raditz replied, understanding.
It seemed the butterfly effect he'd caused hadn't changed the outcome of that fight.
Piccolo had still lost to Goku.