Raditz wasn't sure whether he could get them to help him collect the Dragon Balls from the other villages.
He told Moori about the idea.
Moori pondered for a long while.
"As your friends from Earth, I believe they're all decent people who love peace."
Whether they loved peace was anyone's guess, but they were certainly all fighters.
Raditz figured the Grand Elder had just given Moori a reminder. He couldn't make this decision on his own.
As long as they could do it, that was enough.
The Namekian Dragon Ball squad was assembling!
They split into four groups.
Raditz and Bulma teamed up.
Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu teamed up.
Krillin and Yamcha each went on their own.
"Ahem, I'd like to say a few words."
Seeing how eager his companions were, Raditz cleared his throat twice, putting on airs.
"There are three things the Dragon Ball squad needs to keep in mind this time!"
"First, don't let your emotions get the better of you!"
"Second, don't misjudge—"
Smack! Raditz suddenly slapped himself across the face.
Everyone stared at him strangely. Raditz gave an awkward smile. "Just remember that the Dragon Balls come second. You can get along with them and be friendly."
"That's the important part. It has to do with whether you'll be able to grow stronger later."
"Grow stronger?" Krillin and Yamcha looked utterly confused.
"What does one thing have to do with the other?"
"Just do what he says," Tien Shinhan replied.
"All right, that's all I had to say. Take your Hoi-Poi Capsules and get going!"
The others took out their Dragon Radars, each chose a direction, and flew off in different directions.
"What about us?" With only Raditz and her left, Bulma grew bolder and slipped her arm through his.
"Us?" Raditz looked at the Dragon Ball on the radar that nobody had chosen. "There's no rush."
Since the others were collecting the Dragon Balls for them, they might as well take their time and enjoy themselves.
Raditz carried Bulma into the air and slowly flew off in one direction.
One month later.
"Isn't he cute?" Raditz asked.
"Mm... I guess."
"Want to give him a pat?"
"Is that okay?" Bulma hesitated.
"Go ahead," Raditz said. "What do you think?"
"Not bad."
"Right?" Raditz gave the little boy's head a good ruffle too. "We should've taken a picture. I'll show it to Piccolo when we get back. His expression will be priceless."
"..."
Dende stared at the two of them in silence.
He might've only been born three days ago, but he wasn't some helpless, unhatched egg.
He could already talk, see, and walk on his own.
He struggled to free himself from the big hand holding him down.
"Who are you, old man?"
Raditz: "..."
Who are you calling old?
The giant hand came down again.
"All right," Bulma said, rolling her eyes. "Look, he's already dodging you."
For some reason, when they heard from Elder Moori that a new companion had been born in his village and named Dende, Turles insisted on coming to see him.
There were other Namekian children in the village. What made Dende special?
He really was special.
Raditz remembered that Dende had the ability to heal.
And its effect was on par with a Senzu Bean.
That made him especially valuable in the future, when Senzu Beans were scarce.
But that time was still far off. Raditz still had a sizable supply of Senzu Beans.
He'd only come by because he was bored and had come across a familiar name.
He and Bulma had already toured the whole planet.
They'd gazed out at the sea, explored the mountains, and looked up at the stars.
Well, there were no stars. Three small suns surrounded the planet, so it never got dark.
To be honest, the planet had far too few people. It was nowhere near as lively as Earth, and it felt a little monotonous.
All Raditz could do was take Bulma from village to village and check in on what Krillin and the others were up to.
They were all doing pretty well, and had mostly gotten involved in the Namekians' daily lives.
The village elders hadn't gone out of their way to make things difficult for them, either. The tests they set were all related to everyday life.
Tien Shinhan had the toughest task. He had to fight the three Namekians in his village and defeat them to pass the test.
Tien Shinhan's power had improved a lot since before, but how could he possibly fight and beat Namekians with power levels close to fifteen hundred?
By Tien Shinhan's estimate, the three Namekians were about as strong as Goku and Piccolo had been during the World Martial Arts Tournament.
But things took a turn when Tien Shinhan used the Solar Flare during one of the challenges.
The Namekians were especially interested in that sort of fighting technique.
In the end, the fight turned into a showcase for Tien Shinhan's skills. He pulled out one technique after another. They weren't very powerful, but they were highly useful.
When Raditz first arrived, he'd thought he might need to step in. Who could've guessed things would turn into a training session?
As expected of a man who'd learned techniques himself!
The Dragon Balls were collected without a hitch.
Raditz hadn't spent all his time sightseeing, either. He and Bulma had also visited two other villages to complete their tests.
In the end, it took nearly two months, but all seven Dragon Balls were gathered.
[Quest submitted] [Fusing the Seed of Miracles]
With all seven Dragon Balls collected, the system's quest objective was complete.
Once the system finished integrating its abilities, Raditz suddenly discovered a mass of golden energy inside him.
In Raditz's eyes, the Dragon Balls, which had been orange and marked with five-pointed stars, had changed too.
They had become glass spheres filled with golden vapor.
Raditz reached out and touched a Dragon Ball's surface. The golden vapor inside swirled wildly, and the golden energy that had been still within him began to tremble.
Raditz felt that if he wanted to, he could easily send the energy into a Dragon Ball and strengthen the golden vapor inside.
But he didn't do that.
Until he understood what it did, it was better not to act rashly.
He tried something else, channeling the power through his entire body.
Raditz soon discovered, to his delight, that the energy produced by the Seed of Miracles could make the Seed of Life produce more life energy.
It was enough to let him recover at almost the same rate as he did on a planet, even when he was away from its surface.
And on the planet, his recovery had become even faster!
The effects he'd discovered so far were already impressive. Raditz suspected there might be other uses he'd yet to uncover.
June, Age 757.
Today was destined to be a day the Namekians would remember.
They would once again witness the majestic form of their "God of Dreams," Porunga.
They couldn't even remember how long it had been since they last used the Dragon Balls.
They took the occasion very seriously. All six elders had gathered to welcome this thrilling moment.
But the one who'd made the wish hadn't returned yet. He'd gone to see the Grand Elder, along with his companions.
Meanwhile, after finishing his initial tests of the Seed of Miracles, Raditz hurried to the Grand Elder with Krillin and the others.
"Raditz, can I really get stronger?" Krillin asked nervously, voicing what the others wanted to ask as well.
"Based on how you've performed lately, you should be able to."
At this point, Raditz wasn't sure whether the Grand Elder would unlock their potential.
He hoped he hadn't just been getting his hopes up.
"We're here."
Raditz spotted a stone house on the sheer cliff ahead. Nail was standing outside.
"The Grand Elder wants you to go in," he said coldly.
He glanced at the others behind Raditz but said nothing and didn't stop them.
The Grand Elder had already informed Nail that Raditz would bring his friends along.
"Welcome, visitors from Earth."
Seeing the Grand Elder's enormous, corpulent body, Krillin and the others stared in astonishment. "He's a Namekian too? He looks different from the others..."
"He's the Grand Elder of the Namekians. You can think of him as their common ancestor," Raditz explained.
Then he introduced the companions at his side to the Grand Elder. "These are my friends from Earth. They came to visit, and, well... to borrow your Dragon Balls."
"Welcome."
"I've seen how you've behaved during your time here. You're all friends of the Namekians."
"If you don't mind, come a little closer. I'll give you my gift."
It worked! Raditz breathed a sigh of relief.
He gestured for Krillin and the others to step forward.
The Grand Elder placed his hand over Krillin's smooth, bald head.
"I will awaken the power hidden within your body," he said.
"Power hidden within me?" Krillin gave an awkward laugh. "Does that sort of power really exist? I've trained hard, but I haven't gotten stronger in a long time... Haha..."
In the next instant, a powerful aura erupted from Krillin's body.
"Ah!"
"Power... I have power!"
"My power really got stronger!" Krillin shouted excitedly.