Spaceship

When Raditz reappeared before everyone after being missing for nearly a year, Krillin and the others were beyond shocked.

They bombarded him with questions about where he had been for the past year.

When Raditz explained that he had been undergoing secret training with Master Roshi, everyone finally understood.

"Master Mutten is really something, giving you private lessons all by yourself," Krillin said with a hint of jealousy.

"Haha, it's not like that. I'm just a beginner, so I couldn't train with you all yet. I needed a year to get the basics down, but I'll be training with you from now on," Raditz immediately clarified.

"Just as Raditz said, the three of you will be training together. The training ahead isn't something you can complete with physical strength alone," Master Roshi told the trio.

"Be prepared."

The next day.

Master Roshi brought the three gathered students to a waterfall.

Following Master Roshi's instructions, the three sat down beneath the cascading water.

"Focus your minds and feel the flow of ki within your bodies."

Master Roshi sat down with them. "Guide it, and use it to resist the external pressure."

The three mimicked Master Roshi's posture, sitting cross-legged and slowly closing their eyes to sense the flowing ki.

Raditz reacted quickly; he had experience in this area, and now it was a matter of practice making perfect.

He immediately adjusted his breathing, allowing his ki to circulate more efficiently through his body, slowly guiding it to move in rhythm with his own pace.

Before they knew it, a day had passed, and the three sitting in meditation had each gained different insights.

This method of ki training could not be mastered overnight. Master Roshi had them spend time there every day to meditate and contemplate, while the rest of their time was still dedicated to their previous basic training.

It was indeed a long process; even though Raditz could already sense its existence, he could only control it quite clumsily.

And so, the three began a new phase of training as time quietly slipped away.

Six months later.

Now, only Raditz remained under the waterfall. Krillin and Yamcha had both completed their ki training and had departed to begin their own individual journeys.

In truth, Raditz had finished long ago and was already capable of performing the Kamehameha on his own.

However, Raditz intended to go a step further and master the Flight Technique along with a few other skills.

"Whew..."

"I thought that if I distributed my ki evenly throughout my body, I would be able to fly. It seems I thought too simply."

Raditz recalled the scene from the anime in his past life where Son Gohan taught Videl.

As a pure-blooded Earthling, Videl had mastered the use of ki and was able to lift off the ground within a few days.

This should have been a simple step, yet Raditz was stuck.

Stepping out from under the waterfall, Raditz scratched his hair in frustration.

"I've mastered other skills so quickly, yet I can't grasp the most practical one. I'll just have to take it one step at a time; I am a late bloomer to martial arts, after all."

"It's time to go collect the Dragon Balls."

More than a year had passed, and the Dragon Balls had long since returned to their original state. Raditz was ready to gather them to resolve the hidden dangers within his body once and for all.

Thus, the next day, after bidding farewell to Master Roshi, Raditz piloted his aircraft toward West City.

The aircraft landed once again in the ecological garden of Bulma's home.

Coincidentally, Bulma was having afternoon tea with her family.

"Oh my, Bulma, your little boyfriend has come to see you."

"Mom! I've told you so many times, he's not my boyfriend!" Bulma said, somewhat annoyed, a faint blush flashing across her cheeks.

"Hello, Auntie and Uncle!" Raditz said, feeling a bit awkward.

"I'm here to borrow the Dragon Radar from Bulma."

"Raditz, are you going to collect the Dragon Balls?" Bulma's eyes lit up.

"Take me with you! Those two guys, Krillin and Yamcha, have gone off to do some mysterious secret training, and I've been stuck at home all by myself. It's so boring."

"That's fine, I don't think there will be any danger," Raditz replied readily.

"But, speaking of secret training..."

"Doctor, would you be able to build a gravity room?"

"What kind of gravity room?" Dr. Brief adjusted his glasses and asked curiously.

"A room that can alter gravity," Raditz explained.

"That... not at the moment. I lack the relevant data, and my research rarely touches upon that."

Raditz understood that Dr. Brief wasn't being modest.

After all, he was the man who had invented things like the Hoi-Poi Capsule.

"What if there were an alien spacecraft that could provide assistance?"

"An alien spacecraft? Where?" Bulma asked, suddenly excited.

"I don't know the exact location yet, but I already know how to find it."

"If a spacecraft truly exists, and if the relevant technology is available, building the gravity room you mentioned shouldn't be difficult," Dr. Brief replied confidently.

"That would be absolutely fantastic, Doctor!" Raditz said, feeling a surge of excitement.

If the gravity room could be built ahead of schedule...

As he envisioned his combat power soaring to new heights, allowing him to roam the world at will, he couldn't help but feel his heart race.

Raditz blurted out, "If it can be built, I will fulfill any request you have, Doctor."

As soon as he said it, he realized that Bulma's father was the richest man in the world and a world-renowned scientist.

There probably wasn't anything that could catch his eye, was there?

"No need to be so polite. If you can really bring me an alien spacecraft, I'll be the one who's grateful."

Dr. Brief's research had essentially reached the limit of what Earth could offer and was currently at a bottleneck.

If he could have an alien spacecraft to study, it might lead to a new breakthrough in existing human technology.

"No time to lose, I'm heading out now."

Plans couldn't keep up with changes; it seemed the matter of collecting the Dragon Balls would have to be pushed back.

Leaving West City, Raditz piloted his aircraft toward a desert.

"Leaving in such a rush, I haven't even prepared half of my things," Bulma complained softly from the passenger seat.

"Haha, don't worry. Once we find that ship, we'll have to come back and hand it over to your father," Raditz comforted her while piloting.

"But for now, we need to find someone first."

"Who? Goku?" Bulma asked.

"No, someone who can find the ship. Remember how Goku found the last Dragon Ball?"

"You mean... Fortune Teller Baba!"

Arriving at Fortune Teller Baba's Crystal Palace once again, Raditz felt a different state of mind.

The first time he came here, Raditz was still a confused youth who knew nothing about martial arts, relying on external tricks to win his battles.

This time, even if he couldn't defeat an opponent like Goku's grandfather, he at least wanted to put up a good fight.

I hope for an evenly matched opponent so I can get a rough idea of my progress after over a year of training.

The ghost assistant inside the castle led the two of them to Fortune Teller Baba.

Seeing them, Fortune Teller Baba asked in confusion, "Aren't you the ones who are with little Goku?"

"Pardon the intrusion, Baba, but I have a request this time," Raditz said.

"I am ready. Please choose a fighter to battle me."

Fortune Teller Baba was secretly surprised by the young man's demeanor.

It's only been a little over a year, yet he's changed so much. My brother really does have a knack for teaching, and besides...

A certain premonition caused a ripple to pass over Fortune Teller Baba's usually calm face.

"No need. This time, I will provide the divination for free."

"Huh?"

Raditz had already set his stance, and Fortune Teller Baba's words left him bewildered.

"Free? For me?"

Fortune Teller Baba had only ever given Goku a free reading, and that was after he had defeated Demon King Piccolo and become the strongest in the world.

Me? Why?

"Raditz, since Fortune Teller Baba said so, just ask about the ship. You don't have to fight," Bulma said, standing by the ring with her hands on her hips, speechless.

The surprise came too suddenly; I can't process it.

Raditz stopped overthinking it and carefully explained his request.

The ship he was looking for was the one Goku had arrived on as a child, which should still be preserved, undamaged, somewhere in the Mount Paozu range where Goku had stayed.

Once he obtained the specific location, Raditz rushed into his aircraft, ready to depart.

"Honestly, so reckless," Bulma rolled her eyes.

"That boy will save the world at some point in the future... together with little Goku," Fortune Teller Baba suddenly said.

"Huh? This guy?" Bulma was choked by Fortune Teller Baba's shocking statement.

Goku saving the world is somewhat believable, but a year ago, this guy Raditz couldn't even save himself, could he?

In Bulma's eyes, the idea of Raditz being involved in saving the world was nothing short of a fantasy.

"It will happen, I have a premonition. In the near future."

Aboard the aircraft.

"Bulma, ever since we left Fortune Teller Baba's, why haven't you said a word?"

Raditz watched Bulma in the passenger seat, looking deeply troubled; she had been sitting there in a daze ever since they boarded the craft.

"It's nothing..."

Bulma snapped back to reality, staring blankly at Raditz.

Suddenly, without warning, she leaned in close to him, scrutinizing his face as if trying to uncover some hidden secret.

"..."

"W-what is it?"

Bulma's suddenly magnified face made Raditz feel a flicker of nervousness, and he instinctively tried to pull back.