Raditz Promoted to High-Class Warrior, Bardock Gets Jealous and Curses Gou Kong on the Spot

"Bro! Bro! Long time no see! What've you been busy with lately? Hm? Did you miss me?"

Raditz shot over like a little cannonball and buried himself headfirst in Gou Kong's arms, his big black eyes full of stars of admiration.

The little guy did not give Gou Kong any time to react. He shoved the chair aside with his butt, sat down pressed tight against him, lifted his small face, and his mouth opened like a floodgate as he began rattling on.

Clearly, this little guy had already drafted the whole thing in his belly.

The contents were nothing more than typical three-year-old Saiyan bragging, like how he had beaten a simulated monster flat in energy-management class, or how the instructor had praised him by name in front of everyone.

But Gou Kong still listened with keen interest, nodding from time to time, his large hand covered in hard calluses gently stroking the tuft of signature black hair on top of Raditz's head, the motion as practiced as if he were wiping down his own weapon.

At this age, recognition from the strong was the greatest happiness.

"So today! I took the talent test and the physical test, and after the examiner looked at the data, he actually said this to me! 'Amazing! From today on, you're definitely a high-class warrior!' Bro, what do you think? Isn't that super awesome? One day, I'm going to surpass high-class warriors and become an elite Saiyan like you, standing beside King Vegeta and protecting the royal palace!"

The more Raditz spoke, the more excited he became. His little face flushed bright red, and his tail snapped behind the chair with loud cracks.

"Yeah, of course! No matter what, you're Bardock's blood." The corner of Gou Kong's mouth lifted in a smile, and he ruffled Raditz's head. "From now on, don't slack off. Keep honing your combat power. As long as you're willing to work hard, you'll definitely become as strong as me."

"Mm! I definitely will!" Raditz nodded hard. Then, as if he had thought of something, he grabbed Gou Kong's hand from the top of his head and held it in both his small hands, his face solemn.

Gou Kong looked at the child's innocent, radiant smile, yet for no reason, his heart sank.

A strange ache rose in him.

The happier the child was, the more ironic Gou Kong found it.

Because at this point in time, no matter how hard Raditz worked, that future was one destined never to come true.

In just a few short years, that bastard Frieza would descend, and this planet, along with all the Saiyans on it, would turn into cosmic dust in an instant.

Of course, to cover up his crime, Frieza would lie and say Planet Vegeta had been destroyed by an asteroid impact.

Even so, the blow of losing his home and his people would undoubtedly be the end of the world for this little guy before him, who could not even wear his battle suit properly yet.

After that day, would this child still be able to smile as carefree as he did now?

If the future truly could not be changed, then all he could do was count on this kid's resilience.

He only hoped cruel fate would not twist him into that arrogant yet pitiful figure from the original work.

Gou Kong gathered his thoughts, shifted his gaze away from Raditz, and looked toward Bardock and his wife sitting across from him.

"Raditz is way too excited. Look at him. He didn't even tell me, his own father, and turned around and spilled everything to Mr. Gou Kong." Bardock clicked his tongue, picked up the high-energy drink the server had just brought over, and took a swig. Then he crossed his arms, his brows slightly furrowed.

Seeing this, Gine immediately burst out with a "pfft" of laughter, her shoulders shaking.

"Oh my, heavens, that sour smell of jealousy is about to drift over to the next table, Bardock."

"Who's jealous? Stop talking nonsense." Bardock gave a cold snort and turned his head to the side, wearing the tsundere look of someone clearly thinking, "I'm really pissed, but I won't say it."

Gine smiled and reached out, gently patting her husband's solid arm as she comforted him softly. "Raditz likes Mr. Gou Kong the most. Aren't little ones this age all like that? They think their idol is even cooler than their old man. You're a grown man, so why are you competing with your son?"

"Hmph. Got it."

Bardock very reluctantly uncrossed his arms. Though his tone was stiff, much of the jealousy in his eyes had faded.

"I'll let it go this time for Gine's sake. But Raditz, next time something like this happens, you have to tell your old man first. Even if you're a high-class warrior now, I'm still your dad. You kept it from me and only told Gou Kong... If we hadn't run into each other today, how long were you planning to hide it?"

"I was going to tell you first, but maybe I got so happy I forgot. Right, bro?" Raditz blinked his big eyes and turned to Gou Kong for help.

Gou Kong nodded along and chimed in, "Yeah, this kid gets so excited he forgets things. It's understandable."

Hearing that answer, Bardock's tense expression finally eased, and he simply spat out one word. "Mm."

Gine and Gou Kong exchanged a glance from the side and smiled in tacit understanding.

It seemed that even someone as strong as Bardock had an indestructible suit of armor that became incomparably soft when he faced his family.

"Anyway, sincere congratulations on your son's promotion to high-class warrior. Raditz is only three, right?" Gou Kong smoothly changed the subject.

"Yeah. I thought spending a year in the nursery capsule would slow his growth a little, but I didn't expect his talent to be this high. He became a high-class warrior at three." As Bardock spoke, a hint of pride unconsciously appeared on his face. "Though he's my son, to be honest, it really shocked me."

Hearing this, Gou Kong could not help teasing him. "Heh, the old man is still a low-class warrior, but the son has surpassed him and overtaken him to become a high-class warrior at three. How hard does that slap to the face ring?"

"Shut up!" A vein instantly bulged on Bardock's forehead, and the corner of his mouth twitched as he forced out a smile. "Class this, class that—surviving on the battlefield and making a name for yourself is what really matters! Besides, it's not that I can't become a high-class warrior. I just think the test is a hassle, and there's no need to take it, you idiot! If I wanted to, I could pass it anytime!"

"Oh? Big talk." Gou Kong's temper was also stirred, and his brow lifted. "As a guard by King Vegeta's side, you don't even have the title of high-class warrior. Aren't you afraid of embarrassing yourself if word gets out? And if I hadn't gone easy on you during that spar just now, you really think you could've touched the hem of my clothes?"

"Bullshit!" Bardock slammed the table, and the huge sound made all the tableware jump. He shot to his feet and glared down at Gou Kong. "That time in the arena, you cheated! We agreed on a fair hand-to-hand fight, but you suddenly used that ghostly footwork. What kind of skill is that? Real combat doesn't have so many rules! Are you going to make the enemy throw away their weapon and box you fair and square on the battlefield? What idiot would fall for that?"

"Huh? You're obviously just too useless, and now you're blaming me for being too good because your skills were inferior?" Gou Kong did not back down in the slightest. He also slapped a hand on the tabletop and used the force to stand, his face almost pressed right up against Bardock's.

Veins bulged on both of their foreheads as they began a highly Saiyan-style contest of "forehead ramming."

The originally sturdy alloy dining table let out creaking groans, as if it could not withstand the surging aura spilling from these two bosses with ten-thousand-level combat power and might fall apart at any moment.

"All right, all right, both of you, stop!"

At the critical moment, Gine gave a sharp shout. With one hand each, she accurately grabbed the flailing arms of Bardock and Gou Kong.

"Huh?!" Gou Kong and Bardock froze at the same time.

The two, who had just been desperately straining against each other, suddenly lost their points of support. On top of that, they had both been using too much force, and their centers of gravity instantly tipped.

The two cried out in alarm and pitched forward uncontrollably, their two hard heads crashing solidly into each other.