Teaming Up with Prince Vegeta at Three Years Old, Raditz's Starting Point is Heavenly

"Hiss—"

Gou Kong sucked in a sharp breath as he touched the burning-hot spot on his forehead where he had just had that "intimate contact" with Bardock.

That hit had been seriously brutal. There was probably a perfect "Judge Bao bump" sitting on his forehead right now.

He rubbed the swollen patch of soft flesh and shot Bardock across from him an irritated glare.

That stone head of his—his skull was harder than the alloy floors on Planet Vegeta!

"You may be off duty, but that uniform still represents the dignity of the palace." Gine tidied up the tableware that had been rattled into a mess while helplessly scolding them. "You two are both grown men, yet you slam tables and glare at each other at the drop of a hat. What does that look like? It's only because you grew up together. If it were anyone else, I would've thrown you out already. Raditz, don't you think so?"

"Mm! Dad and Brother Gou Kong get along the best!" Raditz sat beside Gou Kong, hugging a cup of high-energy juice and slurping hard. At her words, he nodded vigorously, a ring of purple fruit stains still clinging to the corners of his mouth, his face full of worship.

In his eyes, this hardcore "forehead clash" between his old man and his idol was simply the highest expression of male Saiyan friendship.

How is this getting along? It's clearly two childish idiots competing to see whose head is harder... Gou Kong muttered inwardly, then took the chance to sit back down. He picked up the iced high-energy drink in front of him and gulped down a huge mouthful.

The icy liquid slid down his throat and into his stomach, instantly dousing the restless fire from moments ago.

He had to admit, while this restaurant's cold drinks were full of additives, they were first-rate for cooling off.

"True." Bardock also sat down across from him, a rare trace of embarrassment appearing on his hard, cold face.

Copying Gou Kong, he tilted his head back and drained the spicy liquor in his cup in one go. Then he grabbed a handful of ice cubes, stuffed them into his mouth, and crunched them loudly.

His cheeks moved much faster than before, clearly trying to hide his inner awkwardness in this rough way.

After all, that collision just now had hurt him like hell too.

"Still, aside from this guy Gou Kong, there really isn't anyone else I can argue with so freely." Bardock forcibly turned his head away, avoiding Gine's gentle yet extremely penetrating gaze, afraid she would see the trace of unnaturalness in his expression. He stubbornly muttered, "We fight pretty fiercely most of the time, but having a friend you can speak your heart to is a good thing in the end. I used to worry about you being such a quiet gourd... Looks like I was overthinking it."

As soon as he said that, even Gine at the side could not help covering her mouth and laughing softly.

Gou Kong raised an eyebrow but did not expose Bardock's awkward personality.

Saiyans were creatures who often expressed goodwill through fists and kicks.

For Bardock to say the word "friend" was already an unprecedented show of warmth.

"Enough. Let's talk business." Gou Kong set his cup heavily on the table with a crisp thud, pulling the topic back. "Raditz is an upper-class warrior now. According to procedure, is he going to be sent off to occupy planets soon?"

As he spoke, his rough, large hand naturally landed on Raditz's head, rubbing that unruly black hair.

The texture was hard and stiff, like touching sandpaper, yet it carried a strange kind of comfort.

Gou Kong even felt that this sensation was more stress-relieving than squeezing those high-end energy balls, and he could not help rubbing him a couple more times.

"Uh... well..." Gine looked troubled and laughed dryly. "You know I transferred to logistics ages ago, so I don't pay much attention to frontline matters. Even back when I was combat personnel, I just fought wherever the higher-ups pointed. As for the specific organization and deployment, I really can't make heads or tails of it..."

Gou Kong nodded thoughtfully, then turned to look at Bardock.

This was the real professional. As frontline combat personnel, and even a ruthless figure often summoned by King Vegeta, Bardock had the most accurate information.

Bardock understood Gou Kong's look. He set down the empty wine cup in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Low-class warriors have delayed physical development, so they have to wait until they reach biological maturity before they can be sent into space. But upper-class warriors are different. Someone like Raditz, recognized at this age, is extremely rare. As for the specific arrangements, they'll probably follow the standard for elite warriors."

"Elite warriors?" Gou Kong raised his eyebrows. "There aren't many elite warriors in total, right? You can count them on one hand? Are there actually elites around the same age as Raditz? This kid wouldn't happen to be the youngest, would he?"

"Mm, I'm curious about that too." Bardock crossed his arms and leaned back against his chair, his brow slightly furrowed. "But these are internal royal decisions. There's no need for us to dig too deeply. Since the higher-ups arranged it this way, they naturally have their reasons."

"Dad! I remember now!" Raditz, who had been eating and drinking with his head down the whole time, suddenly lifted his head. Because he had eaten too quickly, his small chest was still heaving violently. "When the instructor announced my promotion just now, I was too happy and didn't listen carefully, but later I think I heard Prince Vegeta mention my name! Oh, right! Prince Vegeta said that since I became an upper-class warrior, I'll be assigned to the same combat squad as him from now on! Starting next month, there'll be missions to conquer planets, and he told me to prepare in advance!"

"The prince?"

Bardock's eyes suddenly widened. His body, which had been lazily leaning against the chair, instantly straightened, and a trace of the pressure belonging to a top-tier powerhouse leaked out unintentionally.

Even with Bardock's composure, hearing this news inevitably stirred him.

For someone born a low-class warrior to produce offspring with the talent of an upper-class warrior was already a miracle in itself.

But what was even more shocking was that Raditz had actually been directly assigned to Prince Vegeta's team!

In Bardock's view, although he had a battle power of over ten thousand and had even vaguely touched a certain legendary domain, that was ultimately his personal secret.

In outsiders' eyes, he was still a low-born lower-class warrior.

And the fact that Raditz had been chosen by the prince meant this kid's potential had already received official recognition from the royal family!

"Considering the number of upper-class warriors and elite warriors, this arrangement is reasonable." A trace of understanding flashed through Gou Kong's eyes.

He knew just how terrifying Prince Vegeta's talent was. Before even turning three, he already had a battle power of over a thousand. A monster like that naturally had to be matched with the best teammates.

Although Raditz's battle power was only a bit over three hundred right now, his strength lay in his boundless potential. Placing him at the prince's side could be considered a perfect fit.

"Out of the cultivation pod in less than half a year and directly designated an elite warrior..." Gou Kong repeated Raditz's earlier words in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

Gine, at the side, was also full of shock. Covering her small mouth, she exclaimed, "That fast? Then His Highness the prince was born an elite among elites!"

Saiyan social classes were terrifyingly rigid. Ninety-nine point nine percent were low-class warriors, and the remaining zero point one percent were upper-class warriors and elite warriors.

The number of elite warriors was pitifully small. You could count them on two hands.

Aside from an exception like Gou Kong, who had been specially promoted by King Vegeta, and someone like Bardock, whose talent had not been discovered in time due to certain "special reasons," the battle power of the vast majority of Saiyans was strictly tied to their rank.

Now, Raditz could fight side by side with the future Saiyan prince. This starting point was practically standing at the very top of the Saiyan race's pyramid!

This is fucking ridiculous!

Gou Kong cursed wildly in his heart.

What kind of trash was Raditz in the original work?

A battle power of five, dead the moment he appeared.

But now?

He had not even appeared yet, and he had already reserved a seat among royalty!

Wasn't this butterfly effect a little too violent?

Still, complaints aside, this change was obviously excellent.

If he followed Prince Vegeta, not only would his safety factor be high, but resources would also be abundant. In the future, he might even become part of the backbone of the Saiyan revival.

"Hahaha! Good! Good kid!" Gou Kong suddenly burst out laughing, his palm as broad as a cattail fan smacking hard onto Raditz's back.

He failed to control the force of that slap, and Raditz nearly sprayed the juice in his mouth. His little face instantly scrunched up like a steamed bun.

"Ow!"

Though Raditz was in pain, when he saw the approval in Gou Kong's eyes, he immediately grinned again. That smug look was even more excited than when he had just been praised as an elite warrior.

"Being able to team up with the prince brings honor to your mom and dad!" Gou Kong laughed with heroic boldness. "I'm optimistic about your future! Today, I'll be keeping an eye on your training myself. No slacking off! You hear me, Raditz?"

"I hear you! I'll definitely train hard and absolutely won't lose to Prince Vegeta!" Raditz waved his little fist and shouted in a childish voice that was unusually firm.

"Hahaha! That's the spirit!"

Gou Kong looked at Raditz's energetic appearance and felt thoroughly delighted.

Originally, he had planned to go back to the palace to continue training after finishing this meal. Now, it seemed they had to celebrate!

This was a future star of hope for the Saiyans!

"Why do you even..." Bardock looked at the noisy antics of the big one and the little one, somewhat speechless, but he still could not help the corners of his mouth from rising.

Gine, meanwhile, looked at her husband and son with a face full of happiness, then looked at Gou Kong laughing heartily, her eyes filled with warmth.

"Waiter!"

Gou Kong did not give the two of them any chance to refuse at all. He grabbed the electronic menu from the table and shoved it directly in front of Bardock and Gine.

"Today's meal is on me! To celebrate this kid Raditz leaping through the dragon gate, we won't leave until we're drunk! Order whatever you want. Even if you eat this place empty, I'll pay the bill!"

After saying that, he waved his big hand and heavily pressed the call bell at the corner of the table.

"Ding!"

The crisp ring echoed through the quiet restaurant, signaling that a gluttonous feast belonging to the Saiyans was about to begin.