Chapter 4: Raditz's Turncoat

"It's alright he's with me!" called out the second, more familiar power as it landed just behind Raditz. The namek spoke in a low, gruff tone, deeper and throatier than even Vegeta's. Like Raditz, a halo hovered over his antenna propped head symbolising the fact that he was indeed dead, they were in hell.

"P-Picollo!?" exclaimed Trunks.

"Trunks. . ." realised Picollo, "Vegeta. . . What are you two doing down here?"

"Yeah, how'd you kick the bucket Vegeta?" chided Raditz once again in a humorous tone.

"Raditz, they're not dead." Picollo informed, pointing out the fact that there were no halos floating above them, "What, did you come to pay us a visit or something? There's no way in or out of here, so how'd you get here without dying?"

Trunks turned back so he faced the Room and pointed at it casually, "There's some sort of malfunction with the new room; it keeps throwing us around to different places!"

"What room?" asked the namek.

It suddenly dawned on Vegeta and Trunks; Picollo and Raditz were completely oblivious to the fact that the veranda of the Room of Spirit and Time was right in front of them, just like the people in the city had been before. Picollo stepped forwards and into it, and almost instantly his expression changed. The first step onto the tiles he took revealed to him the entirety of the room, and seeing the astounded expression on his mentor's face, Raditz followed suit.

"Huh!?" exclaimed the green man in shock, "I destroyed the entrance to this place twenty years ago!"

"Nice room you got here." Raditz joked.

"What happened?" continued Picollo.

"Oh, Mr. Popo and Dende rebuilt it for training purposes," Trunks explained as he trekked back up onto the porch and into the archway of the Room. He sat himself down on the floor casually, and then gestured to the one broken hourglass, "but then father accidentally broke one of those, and ever since then the room's been jumping around like crazy in time and space. And we're trapped in too, behind the door there's just a brick wall!"

"Hm," Picollo paused for a second, considering the saiyan's words, "Is this true Vegeta?"

Trunks looked back over to his father, who he then realised hadn't said more than two words since they'd got here; he was simply stood just outside the room staring into the sky quietly.

"Vegeta?"

"Quiet! Don't you hear that? Someone's coming."

Trunks, Picollo and Raditz instantly cast out their senses across to where Vegeta was looking. But they didn't need it to know someone was approaching, they could hear him echoing loudly in the distance.

"VEGETA!!!" the voice screamed over the faraway cliffs, and was instantly recognised by all except Trunks. Picollo and Raditz exchanged glances, and the prince himself just continued to stand quietly.

"It's him!" Picollo barked, dropping into a fighting stance.

"It's alright Picollo, I'll take him, it's my fight." Raditz suddenly interrupted, stepping forward out of the Room bravely causing all to turn to him.

"You don't have to do this Raditz."

"But I do!" he insisted boldly, contrary to Picollo's complaints, "I need to make up for past mistakes here. Don't worry; I'm far stronger than him now."

The long haired saiyan then took off into the air and hovered midflight some fifty metres above in anticipation for the fight to come. He let out a deep breath; their last encounter hadn't gone so well for him, but things had changed now, after training under two of the greatest teachers in the universe, this time would be different. He was clearly a different person to the one who'd threatened the earth all those years ago, and that man seemed like an eternity away from his now respectable self.

"VEGETA!!!" the voice wailed once again; this time it was closer, as a sparkle of light began to come into view.

"Raditz, it's me the idiot is after, now come down so I can face him, I'll end it quickly." called up the saiyan prince, reluctantly sticking his neck out for Raditz.

Trunks looked around confused, everyone present seemed to know this newcomer, and they also seemed to know who was coming too. The boy felt helpless in his ignorance, but if Picollo trusted this new man 'Raditz' then he knew he must too. He'd heard the name somewhere, he just couldn't quite put his finger on it, and didn't have time to concern himself, he had to be ready to fight.

"No!" shouted Raditz in reply to Vegeta's surprisingly generous suggestion, "You stay there prince! This buffoon isn't worth your time!"

Vegeta was slightly taken aback by Raditz's speech; it had been the first time someone had addressed him as royalty in many years, and it was a refreshing change. Though he no longer felt as though he was too good for anyone of any race; he'd felt that way about earthlings once, but since then he'd risked his own life countless times to help them out. He considered rushing forwards to take on the idiot coming their way and beat his loyal comrade to it, but then remembered that Raditz was a saiyan, and had the same pride as he himself did. Vegeta knew that if anyone came between him and his opponent, or tried to intervene he'd be offended. It must've been the same for Raditz, and so reluctantly, Vegeta stayed put.

The hulking beast known as Nappa came into view, homing like a missile straight for the saiyan prince who'd killed him twice now. His bald head glinted in the low light as he lifted it so his face could be seen.

"VEGET-"

Smash! Raditz's right fist connected powerfully into the larger man's jaw with a sickening crush and Nappa was halted by the blow, which knocked him back ten feet or so where he hovered smugly, wiping away the blood from his mouth which trickled down onto his chin.

"You will not touch the prince Nappa." stated Raditz bravely in a commanding voice.

"Raditz, Raditz, Raditz," jeered the saiyan with a broad smirk, "where have you been in this last year? I've been missing my favourite punching bag!"

Raditz only snarled in response in a display of built up saiyan aggression and his hatred for the man standing before him.

"Now out of my way Raditz! You don't want the same as last time do you?"

Raditz then vividly remembered their last encounter; during the short lived reign of Super Android 17 he'd rushed towards Vegeta and the rest of the Z-Fighters in a desperate bid to help them out.

* * * * *

Ten Months Ago

I must get to Kakarot! I have to warn them! Thought Raditz, as he pushed his flight speed into overdrive and zoomed across the planes of the earth, following a small group with Cooler and Android 19 at its head. They were completely oblivious that he'd privately swapped sides after seeing his own brother selflessly fight so many heroic battles over the years from down in hell. But one man knew about his renegade; he'd confronted Nappa about the whole ordeal, pointing out that even Prince Vegeta had changed his ways and that perhaps they'd be wise to do the same. Nappa of course had disagreed; he was purpose built only for destruction, and didn't like what Raditz had to say to him; his hatred and loathing for Vegeta blinded him to all reason. Since that day they'd been at odds and their fists had met each other more times than they'd cared to count, but one thing remained constant the whole time, Nappa had always won. His eyes darted around the small pack he was a part of, searching for that man, but he was nowhere in sight. He wondered where indeed Nappa was, and knew that just because he couldn't see him now didn't mean he was safe. After confessing to Nappa all about his feelings towards the earthlings he knew that while he may be dumb, Nappa would know instantly about Raditz's plans to aid the Z-Fighters now that they'd escaped from hell, so he'd have to be extra vigilant.

Then it flashed before him, a glimmer of something in his mind like a quickly accelerating presence heading for his direction. He stopped to get his bearings, letting the whole troop of evil, heartless monsters overtake him. They didn't stop to await his catch up, they just left him behind as he'd expected, and so with an open sky he could pinpoint the man's location properly, but by the time he had, Nappa was upon him already.

Raditz threw up his fists in an x-shape to block his old friend's flying, fist leading punch, which rocked his body with an incredible shake and set him back at least five metres before he managed to regain composure. He'd absorbed the brunt of the man's attack, but Nappa was built like a bulldog, even if blocked, his attacks would still deal damage. He was lucky his arms didn't break. This time Raditz rushed forwards and exchanged a flurry of punches so fast that Nappa couldn't hope to avoid. Though for a man of his size, they were weak. A punch tickled across the brute's jaw, but the saiyan responded with a huge right hook that sent Raditz into a nearby cloud.

"Why are you here Nappa!?" called Raditz, re-emerging from the mist nursing a fractured right forearm and a bust lip, "My business is mine alone!"

"Ha! Don't come at me with that crap little Raditz, you were going to help out the earthlings! And as always, that makes you my enemy!"

"Then let me go to them! Just let me switch sides if I want to!"

Nappa remained silent, and never changed his facial expression of a dumb and overconfident grin. He'd not let Raditz go, because if he ever got back to the Z-fighters he'd be under the protection of them all, and he'd be a fool to think he could take Vegeta on.

Raditz continued, stricken by the fact that there was no worming out of this. As he'd done for the last few decades, he'd have to rely on just himself. Vegeta and the Z-warriors weren't coming to help him, so he'd have to settle things the old fashioned way. Nappa had always been a far more superior fighter to himself, but maybe he could change that, maybe his training had finally made him exceed Nappa since their last meeting. "There's no way out of this is there?" he said, "It's just you and me."

"That's right Raditz! You and me! At least you'll keep your pride; you've got no one here to see you fall!"

With the exchange of banter complete, Raditz and Nappa both simultaneously began to power up, revealing a huge secret from them both. Raditz charged power into his system excessively, and as his hair turned a shimmering gold, symbolising the first transformation of the Super Saiyan, he didn't stop. He carried on powering and powering, muscles expanding to fill the saiyan armour that could expand to any size. He roared like the mighty dragon in a multitude of pain and excitement rolled into one, and the second wave came over him. Sparks of blue static from his own bioelectricity began to bolt all close around him, and his hair shrunk so that it was just below his shoulders, though still long enough so that anyone observing could tell who it was.

Sadly though, Nappa's transformation had subsided as well, and though both had successfully attained the level of Super Saiyan 2, it was clear who had the higher power; Nappa. Raditz could sense this, and a pit began to well up in his heart; dying in hell had no consequence, every time Nappa defeated him he was revived instantly. But not this time. He sighed reluctantly, wishing he was more troubled: death didn't concern him anymore, wherever he was going, he was sure he'd just end up in hell again, and the cycle would carry on again and again, he'd never break it. And so with one last breath, Raditz channelled all his energy into his hands, which began to cackle thunderously. Every last iota of power within his command he summoned forth, and he could see Nappa was doing something similar.

Finally, the charge was over.

"DOUBLE SUNDAY!!!"

Raditz pushed both hands together to fuse up the built up energy and without a moment to spare launched it at his opponent. The bright yellow beam hit Nappa's midflight and both exploded in a bright light upon collision, sending out a fierce aura that could be detected throughout the entire planet. It shook the Earth with its violent display and blinded those watching from below, who could've mistook it for a second sun. Raditz, completely drained, sighed and closed his eyes, slipping into an uncomfortable permanent sleep.

"Senseless." joked the bald-headed brute as he noted Raditz's now nonexistent power level. He smashed his way out of some broken rubble, as the blast had knocked him headlong into the ground below. He got to his feet, but immediately fell over; the blast had taken more out of him than he'd thought. "Woah, Raditz sure packed a big one there!" he said to himself. He'd unintentionally powered down into his regular form, finding that Super Saiyan was now out of his reach from the amount of energy he'd consumed.

Nappa looked around; he was at the centre of a southern city he'd encountered some decades ago during his brief time on earth. Smiling evilly, he noted the dozens of human lives inhabiting it, and grunted irritably as he upturned his front two fingers. His ki flared out into a wild, uncontrollable blast emanating from his very body that engulfed the city in an instant, flattening every skyscraper, every home, every person in sight for miles around. The thought made him smile, until a familiar voice interrupted him.

"You're still the brainless idiot who knows only how to destroy; one would think that a man with your experience would know when to call it quits, you bald headed buffoon!!!"

With another disgruntled noise Nappa turned around to face his new enemy; it was Vegeta, poised proudly atop a rock with his arms folded like he was some kind of royalty. Oh yeah, remembered Nappa, he is royalty.

Vegeta continued, "I recommend you split town Nappa, immediately! Unless you want to be killed by me again!"

Disregarding that he'd been completely exhausted, drained out of Super Saiyan and recovering from a fight that took place less than a minute ago, Nappa rushed the saiyan prince like a madman, never stopping once to realise that he'd have no chance whatsoever until it was too late. He was overpowered by Vegeta's ki attack, and as he died screaming painfully he wondered whether his fully powered up stage would've been a match for it either.

"You completely lost control of yourself!"

* * * * *

Raditz awoke, and through hazy, water streamed eyes he could make out a line of sorts. A queue of featureless, fluffy looking souls lined up before him, and a glitzy voice spoke out loudly on a megaphone.

"All souls to the checkout please, all souls to the checkout thank you!"

Raditz got up, much to his surprise; he could get up? His muscular, six foot five form now towered above the souls in the queue to his right. He held out a palm in front of him, and fizzed some energy into it loudly, frightening three souls, he held out his other hand in apology.

This is odd, he figured as he stepped into the line, feeling oddly out of place among the dead, why do I still have my body? Last time, things were much different; I was just another of these lost souls.

"Raditz?" the megaphone voice called out, and the warrior jerked his head up past the queue to the checkout, "Raditz, son of Bardock, advance to the front of the queue please, thank you!"

Looking guiltily around at his fellow deceased, Raditz stepped out of line and made his way to the front tentatively. He was led to an arched room of sorts, with pearly white surfaces and a huge mahogany desk before him. Small blue men, caretakers of the afterlife stood on guard directing souls to their destination, and behind the desk sat the enormous King Yemma, judging each one by one to discern their future. Raditz, surprised he could still activate ki, soared up to the desk and landed right in front the man, feeling insignificant in comparison to the god's huge bulk.

"Raditz!" boomed the fiendish looking giant jokingly, "Glad you could make it!"

Raditz glanced around, taking in the strange blue men approaching the front desk, ready for action as though they thought Raditz would attack their leader. "Sir, if I may ask," Raditz spoke politely to avoid any unpleasant misunderstandings, "why have I kept my body? Why haven't you sent me back to hell yet?"

"Hmm," Yemma considered thoughtfully, teasing the saiyan looking so impatiently for answers, "You like it inhell?"

"Of course not!" Raditz insisted.

"Well to your first question; you kept your body because you have incredible power, and the potential to become even stronger. And to the second; because you're not going back to hell."

Raditz almost face-vaulted when he heard the comment, his heart soared up into his throat, his wildest, unfathomable dreams finally come true as Yemma continued.

"We've had our eye on you for some time Raditz, but with no way to spring you out we've had to sit and watch. Now that you died again we've finally got a chance to meet, and I can offer you the training up top that you deserve."

The saiyan was truly stunned, the fact that Yemma had been keeping an eye on him all this time as a potential saviour was encouraging; he now knew that his moral exploits had not gone unnoticed, that he wasn't the only one with any kind of dignity.

"So to the north is snake way. You start immediately. Shouldn't take you long to get to the end considering your strength, but I think you'll find the prize much to your liking."

* * * * *

Present Time:

Nappa's eyes widened in horror as Raditz recalled his tale and he realised where exactly the long haired saiyan had been all this time. King Kai had inadvertently been the reason for Nappa's being here; if it weren't for his training and the kaio-ken, he would have squashed Kakarot in a heartbeat. He steadied himself to appear calm in the face of danger, and brought up a question to his nemesis.

"Oh so that's where you've been all this time." Nappa jested, noting Raditz's unwavering expression, "So tell me this little Raditz, why aren't you up there now? Did the great Kai kick you out for being so pathetic?"

Raditz flashed a small grin, which evolved slowly into a chuckle. His wild hair rocked from side to side as he hummed with laughter before he answered Nappa's question. "No Nappa. I learned all I could from King Kai, and then he sent me back down here, to learn under someone more powerful; Piccolo."

"What!?" Nappa cried, "You've been training under him!?" in the past Nappa had killed Picollo, but that had been years ago; he knew now from watching his battles on the viewscreen that the namek had more power and experience than either of them, and if Raditz had indeed been took on board as an apprentice it spelled bad news for him.

"Show him what you learned from me Raditz," called up Picollo suddenly; even his gruff voice caused Nappa to shudder in fear, "you can't beat him without it."

"You're right. . ."

"Show him what!?" Nappa stammered, looking back and forth between the two of them, "Show me what!?"

"Watch closely Nappa," Raditz taunted, dropping into a power-up stance, "you might learn a few things."

Raditz's hair shortened drastically and glowed with a distinctive golden light as he powered up into a super saiyan. His power rose, though without training himself to read ki signals properly Nappa had no idea what was coming. Raditz let out a stunted, pained groan as his hair grew a little further, down to just underneath his shoulders and spiked wildly like pines on a Christmas tree. His golden aura suddenly cackled to life with blue bolts of electricity, as super saiyan two was activated, fighting past the imbalanced Ultra Saiyan level. Still his power rose.

"No, no, no!" Nappa screamed, "Stop!!!" he didn't need senses to know that Raditz had far surpassed him, and his power kept rising and rising. Raditz let out a howling war cry that echoed across the cliffs so that every villain in hell could hear him.

"He's doing it!" Picollo exclaimed, "Come on Raditz just a little more!"

Vegeta and Trunks watched in marvel as more golden light flashed from their saiyan adversary. His hair dropped even further down to waist level, its original length, and his eyebrows sizzled away, protruding the thick hard bone of his brow ridge, set into a frowning glare cast at his old comrade. Raditz had ascended to Super Saiyan 3, and Nappa looked more scared than he'd ever been.

"DOUBLE SUNDAY!!!"


Go Raditz! :D Again I hope you like, I had to fill in the inconsistencies about Raditz being shown with a pack of villains in GT and the fact that Nappa doesn't go Super Saiyan in his 'fight' against Vegeta. So now the roster is up to four; I will in time reintroduce all the major ones (Goku, Gohan, Goten, Uub etc.) I'd just like to do it one or two at a time so it doesn't become all cluttered and incoherent. Thanks for reading :)