Raditz

When Raditz's spaceship entered the solar system, Talos was playing chess with Korin on the top floor of Korin Tower. Only three pieces remained on the board. Korin's white piece had been forced into a corner, and a rare serious expression appeared on the cat's face.

"Your style has changed." Korin held a chess piece between his fingers, his tail swaying lightly behind him. "You used to pursue the optimal solution with every move. Now, sometimes you make a move that doesn't seem very smart. Like that last one—you could have captured my piece in seven moves, but you took twelve and went all the way around."

"Because some battles don't need to be decided quickly." Talos placed another piece. "The detour is part of the game too."

Korin looked at the board in silence for a moment, then grinned. "Looks like the Ultra Divine Water didn't turn you stupid. How's that kid Goku? Before he drank it, I clearly warned him—the Ultra Divine Water is essentially poison. It forces out one's potential at the cost of toxic agony attacking the heart. Apart from Mutaito, everyone who drank it throughout history died."

"He pulled through. He endured six hours of agony, two hours longer than I did when I drank it." Talos recalled the scene. "I carried him down from Korin Tower to Turtle Hermit House. He rambled nonsense the entire way—calling for his grandpa one moment, Krillin the next, then calling my name. But when he woke up, the first thing he said was, 'I want seafood congee.' His power level shot up from 4,200 to 8,600, surpassing my current base form."

"Sayian blood really is terrifying." Korin adjusted his tiny sunglasses. "But you're even more terrifying. When you drank the Ultra Divine Water, it took you only two hours to complete the potential awakening—the fastest I've ever seen. And after you woke up, you didn't say a word. You just started meditating to regulate your breathing. Back then, I thought this kid was either a monster, or he had something in his heart greater than that pain."

"Both." Talos rose and walked to the edge of Korin Tower, gazing over the endless sea of clouds below. The first time he had climbed this tower ten years ago, it had taken him three full days. Now, he needed only three seconds. "He's here."

A tiny point of light appeared on the horizon. It wasn't a meteor; meteors did not fly against the direction of the atmosphere. The light rapidly grew larger in the sky above Korin Tower. Flames from its hull rubbing against the atmosphere made it resemble a miniature sun. A moment later, the light went out—not because it vanished, but because it had entered the lower atmosphere. A round spaceship emerged from the flames, trailing a faint white tail as it plunged toward Earth's surface.

The ship was not heading for Turtle Hermit House, nor was it heading for Mount Paozu. Its trajectory pointed directly at where Goku was currently located—the Lookout.

"An exact lock." Talos's voice sank slightly. "He knows Goku is at the Lookout. That means Raditz used his scanner to sweep the locations of every high-power target on Earth before entering the atmosphere. His 1,500 is only his base power level, but his scanner is military-grade."

"You knew he would come." Korin put down his chess piece and stood, walking over to Talos's side. "Eight years ago—no, even earlier. You had been preparing for this day ever since you first climbed this tower."

"Eleven years and six months." Talos leaped over the edge of Korin Tower. "Let's go."

"Where to?"

"To the Lookout. To meet him."

Goku had stood in the Lookout's plaza for the entire morning. He wore his orange Turtle Hermit School gi, his tail stretched taut around his waist. Kami stood behind him. There was no expression on the old man's face, but the fingers gripping his staff tightened slightly. Mr. Popo stood beside Kami without saying a word.

The spaceship crashed into the edge of the Lookout's plaza. The impact smashed a shallow crater into the white stone tiles. The hatch sprang open, and a tall figure stepped out. His long hair reached his waist, his battle armor was black as ink, and a red scouter covered his left eye. Raditz stood beside the ship, looking down at the only youth standing in the plaza.

"Kakarot." Raditz's voice was low and cold. "You've grown up. You were still an infant when you were sent to this planet. Your mission was to wipe out every living thing on it. Looks like you did nothing."

"My name isn't Kakarot." Goku took up his stance. "My name is Son Goku. This planet is my home."

Raditz gave a scornful laugh. "You don't even remember your own name. What about your mission? The natives of this planet should have been slaughtered by you long ago. Let me see—" He pressed a button on the side of his scouter, and the numbers on its lens rapidly flickered. "Power level 8,600. Not bad for a low-class warrior. It seems this planet really did make you stronger, but it's still not enough. Planet Vegeta has been destroyed. Lord Frieza needs the remaining Saiyans to conquer a troublesome planet. I'll give you a chance—come with me and finish the mission together. If you refuse—"

"I refuse."

Raditz's expression turned cold. He raised a hand and pressed the side of his scouter. Two new markers appeared on the lens—one in the direction of Korin Tower, the other in the direction of Turtle Hermit House.

"I've scanned all the companions you left on this planet. Direction of Korin Tower—power level 9,200. Direction of Turtle Hermit House—2,500, 3,200, 2,800, 410." He listed their power levels one by one, his tone growing more contemptuous. "Aside from that 9,200 near Korin Tower, the rest aren't even at the level of low-class soldiers. If you won't come with me, I'll kill them one at a time."

"You can't."

A voice descended from the sky.

Talos flew in from the direction of Korin Tower and landed at the other end of the Lookout's plaza. He descended from the sky, his feet touching the Lookout's white stone tiles without haste. Goku looked at him, stunned for a moment, then broke into a grin. "You came."

"I came."

Raditz's scouter turned toward Talos, and the numbers on its lens went wild. The instant they stabilized, his pupils abruptly contracted. "Power level 9,200. Who are you? A Saiyan? Impossible—I've known every Saiyan on Planet Vegeta. There's no one like you."

"Low-class warrior, serial number 0372. Kakarot and I were born on the same day, in the same month, in the same year. We were launched toward Earth in the same batch. Of course you don't know me—my base power level was only 1 when I was in the launch pod. If your scouter's historical records can go back more than thirty years, you should be able to find that number."

"Power level 1?" Raditz's expression twisted for a moment. "A low-class warrior with a power level of 1 became 9,200 thirty years later? Just what is on this planet—"

"This isn't a problem with the planet." Talos cut him off. "You rely too much on your scouter."

Raditz's scouter began jumping wildly again—because Talos's energy was rising at an unbelievable speed. Onefold Kaioken. A red aura erupted, and the white stone tiles of the Lookout's plaza hummed under the shockwave. Power level 18,400.

Raditz's scouter exploded. Fragments flew off his face and sliced the corner of his eye, but he even forgot to wipe away the blood. The last number he saw in the instant before the scouter exploded was one he had never seen in his life.

Not a number a low-class warrior should possess.

"What kind of monster are you...?"

Talos did not answer. He looked at Goku and spoke calmly. "Goku. I'm sparing his life not because he has any value—it's because he's your brother. Whether he acknowledges you or not, he shares your blood. Say whatever you want to say to him now. Once you're done, he has two choices—stay on Earth, or go back and tell Vegeta that Earth is not a place they can touch. If he chooses the latter, he can leave alive. If he chooses the former, he can stay alive."

Goku stepped forward and stood beside Talos. Raditz covered his left eye, wounded by the scouter fragments. Blood seeped through his fingers, but his pupils remained locked onto the two people in front of him.

"Raditz." Goku spoke, his tone so calm that even Kami was surprised. "I don't remember you. I don't remember Planet Vegeta, or low-class warriors, or missions. But I know you're my brother. If you're willing to stay—there's a place for you in the Turtle Hermit School. If you're not willing, then go back. But there's one thing you must tell Vegeta: Earth is not a place he can come to whenever he wants. There is a group of Saiyans here. We're not here to conquer. We're here to protect."

Raditz remained silent for a long time. Blood from his left eye dripped through his fingers onto the Lookout's white stone tiles, but he did not wipe it away. His gaze shifted between Talos and Goku several times before finally dropping.

"Vegeta won't believe me. His power level is 18,000, and Nappa's is 4,000—after he sees my scouter records, he'll only think I'm lying."

"That's his problem." Talos turned around, his back to Raditz. His tone was so calm that it was as though he had already moved on to the next matter. "You only have one problem—which side will you choose?"

Raditz did not answer. But neither did he press any more buttons. The ship's engines restarted, and he turned to walk through the hatch. Just before it closed, he paused.

"Kakarot. Your name—it was given to you by our father."

The hatch closed. The spaceship shot into the sky, trailing a pale blue flame as it disappeared beyond the atmosphere. Goku stood where he was, staring in the direction of the vanishing trail for a long time. Talos did not urge him. The entire Lookout fell silent, with only the eternal wind high in the sky blowing past the edge of the plaza.

Kami stood at the entrance to the Lookout, leaning on his staff. A faint smile appeared on his aged face. "Raditz's ship is leaving Earth's orbit. He didn't send a signal. Vegeta and Nappa will arrive on schedule in one year—but at least Raditz did not actively lead them here. That means he took in what you said."

"Not because he was afraid," Mr. Popo added. "Because he saw that he could never win. And he saw his younger brother's choice."

Goku withdrew his gaze from the sky and turned around. "Talos, that guy called Vegeta—his power level is 18,000. How much stronger is he than my current 8,600?"

"You can't beat him in your base form. But they won't arrive for another year. One year is enough for your base power level to break 10,000." Talos turned and looked out over the endless sea of clouds below the Lookout. "Over the next year, you won't be the only one getting stronger—I need to train in seclusion at Korin Tower and push Kaioken to threefold."

"Threefold? Didn't Master Mutaito say last time that your body still can't withstand it at your current level—"

"Even if I can't withstand it, I have to." Talos cut him off. "Vegeta's 18,000 is only the beginning. Frieza's 530,000 is still ahead. If Kaioken can't break through to threefold, we'll be wiped out on Namek."

Goku fell silent for a moment, then grinned. It was the exact same smile he had worn when he first met Talos on Mount Paozu eleven years ago. "Then we'll train together. You'll train in seclusion at Korin Tower, and I'll learn new techniques from Mr. Popo at the Lookout. Krillin is at the Lookout too—Kami said his ki control has reached the level of 'precision cutting,' and he's developing a completely new support-based fighting style."

"What about Tien Shinhan and Piccolo?"

"Tien Shinhan is training an advanced version of the Third Eye Beam with Chiaotzu beneath Korin Tower. Piccolo is teaching himself the Namekian language in the Lookout's library. He said the source of Namekian power lies on Namek, and he needs to go back and see it. But before that, he has to learn all of the Namekians' combat knowledge." Goku scratched his head. "He also said something that I thought made a lot of sense—'I am a Namekian, and I am also an Earthling. Protecting both planets is my responsibility.'"

Talos looked at Goku, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. Everyone had grown up. Eleven years ago on Mount Paozu, Goku had been a child who couldn't even sense ki. Now, his power level in his normal state was 8,600 and about to break 10,000. He could calmly persuade his brother to stay or leave. That wild child who had once asked him, "What are brothers?" could now stand on his own.

"See you in a year." Talos held out his hand.

"See you in a year." Goku clasped his hand. "Then we'll beat up Vegeta together."

"Not me. Us."

Looking down from The Lookout, the sea of clouds churned below. Sunlight streamed through gaps in the clouds, painting shifting patches of light across Earth's surface. Talos leaped from the edge of The Lookout and flew toward Korin Tower. Goku stood in the plaza, watching that orange figure vanish into the clouds before turning toward the depths of The Lookout. Mr. Popo was waiting for him there, ready to teach him an entirely new combat technique—not a move, but perception. Learning how to anticipate an opponent's actions in battle was more useful than any technique.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away at Turtle Hermit House, Master Roshi was teaching the baby Old Master Zhao held to recognize characters. The baby gripped a brush in her tiny hand and drew circles across the paper. Master Roshi didn't care what she drew; he simply repeated the same character over and over.

"Turtle."

"Goo—!"

"Wrong! It's turtle—! The turtle of the Turtle Hermit School!"

The baby giggled. Master Roshi sighed, but he couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from curling upward. Outside the window, a flock of seagulls swept across the clear southern sky. There was still one year until the next battle.