“Krillin, are you all right?”
Krillin shook his head.
“I’m fine!”
Goku let out a breath of relief, then turned his gaze back to Raditz.
Raditz stood with his arms crossed, looking back at Goku, his tail swaying gently at his side.
Goku asked, “You’ve got a tail too? What’s going on here?”
Raditz smiled faintly.
“My idiot little brother — you still haven’t recognized me.
“Looks like you’ve completely forgotten me. Don’t tell me you knocked your head as a kid?”
Goku rubbed his head, puzzled.
“How did you know that?
“I don’t remember it myself, but Grandpa told me I fell off a cliff and hit my head.”
Realization dawned on Raditz.
“Damn it, so you really did scramble your brain. No wonder you don’t remember anything…”
Master Roshi explained, “Goku, the late Gohan once told me —
“he found a little boy with a tail,
“though the boy had a fierce temper and wouldn’t let anyone get close, no matter what.
Quite the headache.
“But one day, that child fell off a cliff,
“and though he suffered a serious head injury, his life force was so tenacious that he survived.
“From then on, that fierce temper vanished, and he became a good, obedient boy.”
Goku said, surprised, “So that child was me?”
Master Roshi nodded.
Raditz, having heard Master Roshi’s explanation too, finally understood.
He looked at Goku and Master Roshi and smiled.
“So that’s how it was.
Thanks for filling me in, old man.
“Now listen up, Kakarot — it’s time I told you who we really are.
“The truth is, you’re not from Earth at all.
You were born a warrior on Planet Vegeta.
“Our race is the strongest warrior race in the entire universe — the Saiyans!”
“Wh-what did you just say?”
“The warrior race — the Saiyans!!!”
“You’re lying, right?”
Raditz glanced at Chi-Chi, then spotted Gohan, who had a tail of his own. New chapters come out on g.com first.
He started toward Gohan, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
“Heh heh heh heh, Kakarot, this brat’s yours, isn’t he?
“Never thought you’d go and have a kid with some inferior Earthling.”
Goku immediately stepped in front of Gohan.
“What are you trying to do?”
“Stay back, or I won’t hold back!”
With that, Goku dropped into a fighting stance.
Raditz’s expression darkened at the thought of his own little brother raising a hand against him.
“Kakarot, you idiot,” he snapped angrily.
“I’m your older brother — you think I’d hurt you?”
He swept a glance over Chi-Chi, Gohan, and the others, demanding,
“Kakarot, don’t tell me you’ve actually started thinking of these lowly Earthlings as family?”
Goku jabbed a thumb at his own chest.
“That’s right, they’re my family, my friends. I don’t care who you are — I won’t let you hurt any of them!”
Krillin stepped up beside Goku too, glaring at Raditz.
“Goku’s an Earthling now!
“He’s saved the world before — there’s no way he’d team up with scum like you. Get out of here!”
Goku nodded too.
“That’s right, Krillin’s got it. I’m no Kakarot — I’m Son Goku, an Earthling. Now get lost!”
Raditz sneered.
“Hmph, tell me to get lost?
Don’t make me laugh.
I came all this way, through all this trouble, just to bring you back with me.
I’m taking you, no matter what!
“Let me tell you something — counting you, there are only four Saiyans left alive.”
Everyone froze in shock again.
“What? Only four Saiyans left?”
Raditz nodded.
“That’s right. So no matter what, I’m bringing you with me, Kakarot!”
Goku refused again.
“I’m not going anywhere with you!”
Raditz’s temper flared.
Come with me and conquer planets.
“As a Saiyan, you should be thrilled at the battles to come!”
With that, Raditz closed in on Goku, ready to drag him away by force.
But right at that moment, the scouter over Raditz’s eye began beeping wildly.
“Hm? Another powerful energy signature?”
Raditz turned to look at Oryon standing behind them — his hairstyle looked strikingly Saiyan.
Shifting his gaze downward, he spotted a tail behind Oryon too.
Shock flickered across Raditz’s face.
“No wonder your Power Level is over two hundred — you’re a Saiyan too?”
So he’d been found out after all.
Oryon had no choice but to nod.
“So what if I am?”
Raditz broke into a grin.
“Hahaha, another surviving Saiyan in this world — what a stroke of luck.
“Not long ago, we found a planet that looked like it’d fetch a good price.
“But according to our calculations, with just the three of us, conquering it would take far too long.
“So I thought of Kakarot — never expected to find a lucky bonus on top of that. Why don’t you join us too?”
He glanced at Goku, then over at Oryon, and went on.
“Your Power Levels are still far too low,
“but that’s mostly because you haven’t had proper training here on Earth.
Just spend some time training on a planet with higher gravity later, and that’ll fix it.
“And with the two of you added to the three of us, our elite Saiyan squad will be unstoppable from here on out.”
Oryon took a deep breath.
Fine, if it came to dying, so be it — he was standing with the protagonist’s crew after all; even if he died, the Dragon Balls would bring him back.
A stint of suffering on King Kai’s Planet would send his strength through the roof.
Dying would be worth it.
Oryon’s expression darkened.
“I refuse to go with you!”
Raditz froze for a second.
“Are you two both out of your minds?
“As Saiyans, don’t you look forward to hot-blooded battle?”
Oryon shot back mockingly, “Is this ‘hot-blooded battle’ you speak of just being a dog for the Frieza Force?”