Ever since they'd gotten in touch, Raditz chatted with Bulma every day, sharing his thoughts with her.
He told her about Piccolo's identity, the scenery on Namek, and the enormous Dragon Balls—anything and everything.
Bulma was surprised when she heard the news, but soon she was chatting about other things as if it didn't matter.
Their conversations were nothing special, but every time he got through to her, Raditz felt especially relaxed.
It even eased some of the fatigue from his training.
These past few days, though, Bulma had been acting mysterious, saying she had a surprise for him.
Raditz couldn't imagine what it might be.
Time passed, and Kadis completed Moori's task. He was ready to head to the next elder's village and face its trial.
Before he set off, Raditz finally found out what the surprise was.
Raditz: "Ready?"
Bulma: "Ready."
Raditz: "Then go ahead."
Bulma: "Should I say it now?"
Raditz: "Go ahead."
Bulma: "Come forth, Shenron!"
Of course, this wasn't happening on Namek, and Bulma wasn't here.
The Shenron she'd summoned was on Earth.
The wish was simple, too.
Raditz stood in an open space and waited a while. Several figures appeared.
Among them was a lovely girl whom Raditz recognized at a glance.
"Bulma!"
Apparently, Bulma had wished to teleport herself to Raditz.
Using Earth's Dragon Balls, she'd traveled straight from Earth to Namek.
"Raditz!" Still a little dizzy, Bulma ran over to him happily, and they embraced.
"Bulma, it's been a long time."
"Hehe! You didn't think I'd actually dare to come, did you?" Bulma said, waving her fist with a spirited air.
Raditz smiled helplessly.
A girl had traveled countless miles to a completely unfamiliar planet just for him.
He was pretty touched.
A few hours earlier.
When he first heard Bulma's idea, Raditz had firmly refused.
But after thinking it over, he realized that if Bulma could use Earth's Dragon Balls to teleport here, he could use Namek's Dragon Balls to teleport her back.
It would cost them just one wish.
As far as he knew, Namek's Dragon Balls granted three wishes.
That was more than enough.
So Raditz happily agreed and told her what he had in mind.
A round-trip ticket included, with instant travel—a chance to visit another planet.
Amazing!
Bulma immediately shared the good news with everyone.
"Bulma, you're serious?!" Krillin jumped up from the sofa.
Master Roshi, sitting nearby, looked doubtful.
"I've got the Dragon Balls ready. If you don't believe me, I'll just leave you out when I make the wish later," Bulma said, giving him a warning look.
"Don't! I believe you, I believe you," Krillin hastily said, backing down.
"Then go tell Goku and Yamcha. This is such a great opportunity—we should all go together!"
"Sure, sure. I'll go right away."
After a while, a group had gathered in front of Kame House. Everyone who was supposed to come was there.
"Hey? Where's Goku?" Bulma asked, not seeing him anywhere.
Wasn't he always concerned about Raditz? He'd even said he wanted to fight him when he got back.
Why hadn't he come?
"Well..." Krillin scratched his head awkwardly. "Chi-Chi doesn't seem too keen on Goku going. They just got married, and now they'd have to be apart..."
"Right," Bulma said, understanding.
"Is everyone here, then?" Bulma looked around.
Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu.
Everyone who wanted to go was there.
Master Roshi, Launch, and the others said they'd stay at Kame House and watch over it.
"Come forth, Shenron!"
Raditz saw the group behind Bulma, all dressed for a carefree outing, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Did they think they were going on vacation?
"Hehe, Raditz, you snuck off to this place, huh?" Krillin said with a grin, walking up to punch Raditz on the shoulder.
"Krillin, you still haven't gotten any taller?" Raditz immediately shot back.
"Hmph!" Krillin snorted without replying, grumbling to himself.
They hadn't seen each other in ages, and that was how he greeted him? That was harsh.
"Glad you all made it. It's been a long time!" Raditz greeted the others, then glanced around and noticed someone was missing.
"Where's Goku?"
"He..." Bulma explained the situation to Raditz.
"I see." Raditz understood.
What a shame. Goku might have missed a chance to get stronger.
The others gathered around him, looking him over.
He was nearly six feet tall now, and his features were more sharply defined.
But most astonishing of all was the overwhelming aura he exuded.
"Raditz, you haven't slacked off on your training while you've been away."
"Looks like you've left us far behind," Yamcha said helplessly.
Thinking back to the old days, he'd been an inexperienced, green young man with no martial arts training, while Yamcha had already created his own Wolf Fang Fist. And now...
Sigh. Never mind, never mind.
Tien Shinhan stood silently beside them, staring blankly at Raditz. Suddenly, he felt an urge to head back at once and train as hard as he could.
"You all have a chance to get stronger this time," Raditz encouraged them, seeing their eager expressions.
"Really?!" Krillin jumped up, making sure Raditz hadn't forgotten about him. He hadn't slacked off on his training either.
"Yeah. It depends on your fortune."
"Uh... fortune?" Krillin looked baffled. The word felt unfamiliar.
"All right, let's go over and say hello." Raditz looked toward Moori and the others. "Bulma told you, right? This is Kami and Piccolo's homeworld, but its people are a pure and kind-hearted race."
"Don't do anything rash, okay?"
Moori smiled as he saw Raditz approaching with the people who had suddenly appeared. "Hello, visitors from afar. You're from Earth, just like Raditz, aren't you?"
A man who looked just like Piccolo, along with a whole group of "Piccolos," was smiling as he greeted them.
Krillin suddenly felt a chill, as if he'd crossed into another world.
Could Piccolo really smile like that?
The meeting was a little awkward, but it ended well.
After their initial surprise, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and the others realized that Moori was quite different from the Piccolo they knew.
Everyone settled in.
Bulma had brought a large number of Hoi-Poi Capsules, packed with pretty much everything they might need.
There was no need to build houses; they could set them up at the press of a button.
"Bulma, those Hoi-Poi Capsules of yours sure are convenient."
A row of houses appeared out of nowhere.
Krillin opened a door, revealing a full set of household supplies inside.
"Since we've left Earth, we might as well bring everything we can," Bulma said boldly. "Pick a room, everyone."
"You don't need to rush to unpack. I'll be heading to the other villages soon."
Raditz suddenly interjected, telling them that he needed to visit six villages to collect the Dragon Balls.
Bulma immediately said she'd go with him.
"What's different about the Dragon Balls here?" Bulma asked.
"Maybe... they're bigger?"
Raditz took the two Dragon Balls he'd already collected out of the stone house.
"They're huge!" Krillin exclaimed in amazement. "How powerful will the Shenron they summon be?"
"It should be a little different from Earth's Shenron," Raditz said.
"And it can grant three wishes."
"Three? No wonder it's so powerful."
"Why don't we all help you collect the Dragon Balls?"
"Bulma brought several Radars, after all."
"Well..."