"Phew." Raditz took a deep breath, the excitement he'd felt at first now gone.
Without responding to the system, he tucked away his tail and pretended nothing was wrong as he went to rejoin everyone.
The others were already getting ready to head back.
As it happened, Raditz was injured, so nobody expected him to run back. Instead, he rode in the aircraft with Bulma.
Master Roshi set off on foot with Yamcha, Krillin, and the others.
Sitting in the aircraft, Raditz gazed out at the sparkling sea, lost in thought.
He thought back over everything that had happened: escaping the laboratory just before it self-destructed, then meeting Goku and the others for the first time—a meeting that had left a deep impression on him.
They had set off together in search of the Dragon Balls, then fought with all their might in the ring.
And at last, he'd spoken with Master Roshi and made his position clear.
After all those twists and turns, he'd finally gotten what he wanted.
Now it was time to think about what came next.
First, training with Master Mutten was important. Raditz knew nothing about martial arts and needed a teacher to guide him into that world.
Next...
"Bulma, I heard your family is wealthy and lives in West City. Do you have any machines at home that can examine someone's body?"
Now that he'd achieved his main goal, Raditz could turn his attention to his body. The Dragon Balls wouldn't be ready for another year, and they couldn't help him right away. He could at least make some preparations, just in case.
"You really should get checked out at my house. Since Dr. Gero modified you, he must have left some way to control you."
"From what I know, he's a scientist on the same level as my dad." Bulma reminded him gravely.
Then she turned the aircraft around and headed for West City.
Bulma's aircraft landed in a vast botanical garden. A refined, elegant woman was enjoying afternoon tea there.
"Oh my! Bulma, you're back? Is this your little boyfriend? He's so cute." The woman smiled warmly.
"Mom, don't say things like that. He's my friend, and he's here for a reason." Bulma blushed.
"Hello, ma'am." Raditz greeted her somewhat awkwardly, then followed Bulma to find her father.
"Oh-ho-ho, youth is wonderful!"
After passing through several cluttered laboratories, Bulma finally found Dr. Brief rummaging through a pile of machinery.
"Dad, I need to talk to you. Here's what happened..." Bulma explained Raditz's situation.
"Dr. Gero? I heard there was a fire at a few of the research facilities he ran not long ago. So he was with the Red Ribbon Army. That explains it. What a pity—he was a genius."
After listening to his daughter, Dr. Brief sighed. "Come on, let's go to my lab. I'll examine you."
Following Dr. Brief's instructions, Raditz lay down inside a single-person medical pod. After a series of procedures, a full-body scan was complete in no time.
"You were right. Dr. Gero did leave a control device in your body. If he wanted to, he could make you shut down the moment he got close to you."
Dr. Brief pointed to the diagram on the screen.
"And the control unit is in your brain. That's outside my specialty, so I can't help remove it. Would you like me to contact a doctor who specializes in that?"
"Thank you for your help. Is there any way to block the control device and render it ineffective?" Raditz wanted to try everything he could.
"That's easy enough, but it won't be a permanent solution. Have you made up your mind?"
"Please do it."
Seeing how determined Raditz was, Dr. Brief stopped trying to dissuade him and got to work.
Before long, he'd made a simple jamming device. "I added waterproof and shockproof materials. Just keep it on you."
"Thank you very much, Doctor." Raditz accepted the device and spoke sincerely.
"Now I can focus all my attention on training and just wait for the Dragon Balls to recharge."
In a distant underground room, Dr. Gero was busily operating several machines, hoping to rebuild his laboratory as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, a special computer screen went dark.
"Hmm? Number Zero. Is it dead, or...?" Dr. Gero wondered.
Number Zero was just a practice project he'd put together on a whim. When it left the laboratory, he'd decided to test it out rather than destroy it himself.
Against all odds, it had actually escaped alive and somehow repaired its weapon systems.
"The weapon systems I installed were only a cut-down version, but the data it sent back is still useful. Even a defective product managed to serve some purpose."
Dr. Gero's gaze was sharp as a blade.
"Whether you're really dead or just hiding, it makes no difference."
"Just you wait. I'll create an entirely new masterpiece. Then no one will be able to stop me from getting my revenge."
Raditz never heard Dr. Gero's vow of revenge.
At that moment, he was busy checking the system in his mind.
[Quest submitted] [Integrating Saiyan genes]
Feeling his body change, Raditz gradually became enraptured.
"So I'm a Saiyan now. The warrior race really lives up to its name."
He didn't need the system to tell him what was happening. He could feel it clearly, as if he'd eaten some miraculous treasure. His whole body trembled, his muscles grew firm, and his skin became tougher.
Suddenly, a powerful hunger struck. Raditz's head spun, and he collapsed to the floor.
After who knew how long, Raditz slowly came to and heard a familiar female voice nearby.
"Dad, what happened? Didn't your jammer work? Why did he suddenly pass out?"
"It should have worked. Could there be some hidden feature we didn't detect?"
Raditz's mouth twitched as he interrupted them.
"Bulma, I'm fine now."
"Your jammer's fine too, Doctor. I probably passed out because I hadn't eaten in too long."
Bulma: "..."
"Grrr~ Grrr~"
Raditz's stomach rumbled right on cue.
"Looks like you really are hungry. Come on, let's go have a meal at my house." Bulma teased.
Raditz followed her to her family's luxurious dining room. He ordered one of everything, then tucked in without a care.
The empty plates were piling up fast, and Bulma looked astonished. "I had no idea you could eat so much. You've got an appetite just like Goku."
After awakening as a Saiyan, Raditz's body was like a parched field, desperate for nourishment.
"Haha, it's been ages since I've eaten this much."
After the meal, Raditz was ready to head back to Kame House. Master Roshi and the others should be home by now.
After showing Raditz the basics of operating the aircraft, Bulma handed him a Hoi-Poi Capsule containing it.
"Don't let Master Roshi's lecherous habits rub off on you while you're learning martial arts from him. Come visit sometime."
"Thanks, Bulma. See you next time."
The setting sun cast its afterglow across the vast ocean. The wind swept over the water, raising golden waves like a field of wheat.
In the distance, Raditz approached, wobbling as he piloted the aircraft.
"I wonder how Master Mutten will teach me. I can't wait."
Raditz was already imagining a future like that of the Z Fighters, soaring through the sky and unleashing enough power to split mountains and overturn seas.