Episode 10
Visions
Whoosh!
It had nearly been ten minutes since Goku kept leading Bardock and Raditz high up in the skies. Bardock and Raditz began to wonder how long it would take them just to reach this tower Goku talked about earlier ago.
"Almost there!" Goku had to yell since the winds were howling in the air.
After a little more patience, Goku finally saw a spherical dome ahead of him. "Amazing, we're here!"
Once Goku had reached the interior of the tower, he entered inside. In the middle of this dome-shaped haven was a fat pillar with carved designs and patterns. In this tower, there was a furry creature, a miniature white cat named Korin who always carried a wooden stick around. He was with his assistant, Yajirobe, who was dressed in orange martial arts uniform while wielding a special kitana sword.
"Hi, Korin, Yajirobe!" Goku waved.
Korin and Yajirobe quickly recognized that familiar voice. Upon realizing that Goku was the one who came to visit them, they were glad to see him once again for they had not seen him in a long time ever since he left the tournament and started a new life with his wife, Chi-Chi.
"Goku, my old friend, it's good to see you," Korin approached the very famous fighter known to mankind.
"Still pickin' up fights nowadays? Aren't ya gettin' sick of training sometimes?" Yajirobe rubbed his nose.
Goku shook his head. "Why should I stop training? I need to prepare for any kind of battle always."
When Bardock heard that, he was quite relieved. At least his son here did not forget about what Saiyans had lived up for a lifetime and that was to fight constantly for many reasons.
"So Korin, have you grown those Senzu Beans yet?" Goku asked him.
"I'm in the process now," Korin replied. "It'll take time though since Senzu Beans don't grow in their usual fast pace during this time of season."
"I see. That's all right," Goku understood. "I'll wait."
When Korin and Yajirobe noticed Bardock and Raditz standing behind Goku, they were quite surprised and they asked who they were.
"I'm glad you asked. This is Bardock, my father. And this is my older brother, Raditz," Goku introduced them to his friends.
"Nice to meet you," Bardock and Raditz nodded.
"What the?!" Korin and Yajirobe nearly yelled.
"Goku, you never told me you have an older brother and a father," Yajirobe said to him. "I've only seen you livin' by yourself in this world."
Goku scratched his head, following with a nervous chuckle. "Actually, I only met them five days ago."
"Oh, well, guess you should enjoy your reunion then," Yajirobe shrugged his shoulders.
"I see," Korin approached the two new visitors. His cat eyes observed them from head to toe. "I thought so. You two look like Goku. Well, I'm glad we met."
Korin and Yajirobe then shook hands with them. Korin is a wise cat who is now over 800 years of age. The tower he stood on was officially his, calling it "Korin Tower." Goku first met this furry creature when he was a kid. He came to him since he needed the Sacred Water to defeat this high-ranking mercenary called General Tao who was part of this evil organization called "Red Ribbon." The Red Ribbon army, at that time, was on the hunt for the seven DragonBalls to wish for world domination. The Sacred Water, when drank, will increase one's power and speed tremendously, but it was a huge risk to take since it can also burn one internally. However, overcoming the powerful, lethal effects of the Sacred Water will bring positive results for a fighter's strength and momentum.
Korin's assistant, Yajirobe, is one of Goku's friends. He is a skilled swordsman, despite of his overweight. He loved to eat and tended to keep away from any kinds of skirmishes as much as possible, saying he rather be safe. He first met Goku after discovering he ate the fish that Yajirobe had been cooking and saving for dinner. Their quarrel was cut short when an enemy called "Cymbal" attempted to fight them both. Yajirobe was the one who beat Cymbal on his own with a single slash from his sword. He then helped Goku get to Korin Tower after Goku promised that food waited for him. Yajirobe is also a student of Korin.
"Sorry, Korin, Yajirobe, but time is tight," Goku apologized. "We need to head to Kami's Lookout as well. I'll definitely set up a reunion party so you guys can know more about Raditz and Bardock. Right, guys?" he asked, turning his head to them.
"Yeah, of course," Bardock agreed.
"That'll be great," Raditz nodded.
While Goku briefly talked with Korin and Yajirobe, Korin had his eyes set on Raditz from time to time. The brother of Goku looked quite gloomy. He can sense, his head was loaded with so many things, his mind was off from this world. Korin held his walking stick tighter. Not only that, he could sense a disturbed energy shaking inside Raditz.
"See ya again! Bye!" Goku waved and then escorted his family to Kami's Lookout this time, which was located higher up in the skies.
When they left, Yajirobe commented, "For a second, I thought that dude, Bardock, was Goku's twin brother. That Raditz didn't really look anything like Goku at all," he folded his arms.
"They're Goku's family all right, but the one called Raditz," Korin put his head down, "I sense a strong and dark vibe growing in his heart."
"What'dya mean?" Yajirobe looked at him.
Korin did not respond; however, he had sensed that kind of energy just a few days ago. Was it the same one? Did it really come from Goku's brother, Raditz? If it was him, whatever happened that led to his sudden, kind nature? Maybe he was wrong for that kind nature in Raditz will only remain there for the time being.
"Don't get me wrong, but Goku needs to be more careful around Raditz," Korin sensed.
"Aah, you think too much. Now where's the food? I'm starvin'!" complained Yajirobe.
"You think this is the perfect time to be thinking about that now?!" Korin yelled at him. Sometimes, his attendant cannot think of anything else except food.
Higher up from Korin's Tower was Kami's Lookout. As Goku flew above, it made Bardock and Raditz wonder if, as a joke, Goku was taking them to outer space instead. As they continued to accelerate, they noticed this very long, extended pole that was colored red.
"Hmm, what's that thing?" Bardock asked. "Is that used to connect Korin's Tower to get to the next tower we're going to?"
"Yeah, you can say that," Goku answered, "but that red pole is actually one of my most prized possessions. It's called 'Power Pole.' I used it as a weapon before when I was a kid. It really helped me in a lot of battles, but now it's stuck there 'cause before, I didn't know how to fly so I needed to use my pole to climb up to Kami's Lookout."
"I see," Bardock understood. He believed though he had seen this Power Pole from one of his visions.
So far, Bardock and Raditz had found Goku's friends quite interesting. They had their own lives and different personalities, but they all shared one common trait and that was they were as kind as Goku was.
While they continued to make their way towards Kami's Lookout, Raditz was constantly thinking about that crater and that Saiyan pod. Even though his father told him that it held no significance whatsoever, he had a hard time believing in him.
"Here we are!" Goku yelled. What they saw ahead of them was an ancient platform with four pillars at every corner of the oval-shaped lookout. There were planted trees, both pine and palm, as well as small shrubs and bushes. In the middle of the lookout was a chamber house with the inside being filled with secrets and mysteries.
The three warriors entered this place. They observed their surroundings with Bardock and Raditz being amazed by this new sight.
Goku remarked, "Pretty awesome, huh? Now where's Kami and Mister Popo? They should be here."
As Goku looked for them, Bardock and Raditz continued to look around them. There was nothing like this in their home planet: a tower and a lookout located way up high in the skies, which seemed like they could almost touch the outer space.
"Goku?" suddenly, two figures came out from the chamber. One of them was Kami, a greened, aged creature who bore resemblance with Piccolo. He was wearing a white robe with a symbol imprinted on front along with a blue, flowing cape on his back. Beside him was Mr. Popo, a black-colored genie, wearing a turbine, a white vest and pants.
Despite of their strange appearances, they both possessed supernatural powers. Kami is currently the Guardian of Earth, staying at his Lookout to see the all the things and events that were happening down on Earth. He also created the famous DragonBalls, powerful orbs that can grant any wish. Kami had an evil counterpart before named King Piccolo who ravaged and scattered doom to all the people on Earth until Goku appeared and ended his wrath once and for all. Kami also had a very mysterious past and childhood only he and his assistant knew of. Kami's attendant, Mr. Popo, is an immortal genie and also the gardener and caretaker of Kami for his plants and lookout. He is a great martial artist and trained the young Goku when he was thirteen to help him fully unleash his potential. Goku later tested these skills during the 23rd World Tournament. Today, they continued to look out for any danger from the Lookout and watch the people down on Planet Earth.
"Goku, how nice of you to visit, to see you well," Mr. Popo greeted him.
"Yes, it's been a very long time, Goku," Kami nodded.
"It's great to see you all again," Goku said.
"How's your family?" Kami asked.
"They're doing really well. My wife and my son are doing great. Actually, I'm planning to have a reunion party some time later…"
"What reunion party?" Mr. Popo asked.
"Well, you see…," Goku made way and showed Raditz and Bardock to them. When they saw them, Kami and Mr. Popo did not react in the usual surprise Goku's other friends had showed. Instead, they became quite alarmed around Raditz.
It took them a while to realize they had to stop their stares and greet their visitors.
"So, this one here is Bardock, my father, and this is Raditz, my older brother," Goku introduced.
"Hello," both of the Saiyan visitors said and bowed their heads in respect. They had to wonder which race they came from though. Apparently, Earth contained different kinds of inhabitants and not just humans.
"Hello," Kami greeted them back, but he held his walking stick tightly.
This strange silence once again took hand. Kami sensed something from these Saiyans, particularly Raditz, who, despite of his innocence, possessed an evil nature within him. Kami had especially felt a dark energy, which abruptly surfaced five days ago; however, it vanished in the blink of an eye on its first day of arrival. When that happened, Kami knew Earth was safe from harm for now. Today though, the sun seemed to refuse to shine its rays on the people on this abundant planet. Kami can sense or foresee an incoming predicament in their future can everyone's lives in danger. Upon looking at Raditz, it could be him or something bigger.
"Um, Kami, are you okay?" Goku finally asked. In reality, he had never seen Kami this quiet before.
The aged creature shook his head and tried to give back a warm smile. "I apologize. Today must be too warm for my frail skin. Anyway, so you are Goku's family. I haven't seen you before though."
"We've only arrived on this planet five days ago," Bardock said.
"Yeah, we just met," Goku added.
Goku was adopted after all, Kami thought. He wondered why Goku was not with his real family before when he was a child. Perhaps there was some sort of an incident that led them to be separated.
"It's nice to meet you all," Kami said once more. "I can see that you are fighters like Goku, am I correct?"
Bardock and Raditz were surprised that he was able to figure out that they were warriors, but since he carried a lot of wisdom, they should not be at all. A much older person can somehow judge a youth by using acuity. Raditz and Bardock replied with a nod.
"I see. Did you know that Goku, from whence he was a teenager, trained here in preparation for the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament just a year ago?" Kami asked them an important fact.
Bardock may have seen that event from one his visions, but Raditz had no idea at all.
"Really? Kakarot, you participated in a World Tournament?" Raditz asked him.
"Of course! It was also a time when I needed to defeat an enemy. That's why Kami and Mr. Popo here trained me a whole lot. I thank them," Goku said.
For the next few minutes, Goku socialized with Kami and Mr. Popo for old time's sake. Bardock would comment occasionally; however, Raditz was the only one who kept quiet the whole time. Even though he found this planet to be very fascinating, he could not stop thinking about that crater and broken ship. This reminded him again of his burning questions he wanted to get answers for. Kami was staring at the quiet Saiyan from time to time, sensing his emotions.
"Since you're all here, care for a cup of tea?" Mr. Popo then asked.
Goku glanced at the skies. The sun had already reached its highest peak, meaning it was afternoon and time for lunch.
"Oh , sorry, Mr. Popo, Kami, but Bardock, Raditz, and I need to head back home and get some lunch," Goku said. "My wife doesn't like it when the food gets cold and if I'm too long gone. I promise we'd head back home soon."
"I understand. There's no need for apologizing," Kami said. "Thank you for visiting us."
"Yes, we hope to meet again," Mr. Popo added.
"Don't worry," assured Goku. "Again, I'll be scheduling a reunion party sometime this week or so. Then you guys can get to more about Bardock and Raditz."
After saying their farewells, Goku and his family then left while the Guardian of Earth and his assistant watched them depart with these feelings of worry inside of them.
After a long silence, Mr. Popo decided to speak. "Kami, I think I know what you're thinking."
"Yes. I sense a strong vibe in that man's heart named Raditz," Kami told him. "And it's not only strong, but also filled with malice."
"Oh, Kami!" the immortal genie cried. "Don't tell me he's the same-"
"Unfortunately, he is," Kami already knew what he was going to say. "You may have missed it, my friend, but being the Guardian of Earth, I saw what happened five days ago. A kind of unforeseen incident erased his evil nature. Alas, it is only short-term. I can only say is that Goku must be very, very careful."
Kami put his head down while his assistant could do nothing, but stand in one place. They two needed to wait and see what will happen at the end.
As Goku, Raditz, and Bardock took off, passing by hills and mountains, and huge lakes, Goku began to talk to them.
"Well, that's about it," he smiled. "Now I'm real hungry. Do you wanna eat with us or you'd rather stay at Kame House for lunch?"
"We're fine, Kakarot," Raditz said.
"Yeah, we can just eat at Kame House. Thanks for the offer though," Bardock said.
"Okay!" Goku smiled again. "I'll just take you there then," suddenly, he turned his head more and gave them a wider smile. "Hey, thanks for taking this tour with me. Truly appreciate it."
Once Bardock and Raditz saw this smile of his, despite of their reputation as being fierce and serious Saiyan soldiers, they felt quite glad from the inside.
Time passed by and Raditz's amnesia had not disappeared yet. During the reunion party that Goku and his family had set up to invite old friends as well as Bardock and Raditz themselves, they had the opportunity to get to know more about the two Saiyans. They all found them to be very interesting, but only Goku, his family, and a few of his friends who had encountered the once evil Raditz knew the truth of who he really was. During sleepless nights and when days mysteriously seemed to have high tensions, Raditz were receiving these strange dreams too often. He still could not figure out the meaning behind these dreams, but they kept reappearing. Every day, his speculations and questions about his brother and father as well as about himself grew more and more.
Two weeks had passed, on a bright afternoon, when time struck at 12:30 P.M. sharp, lunch began at both Kame House and Goku's home.
Bulma was finishing cooking lunch in the kitchen while Krillin and Master Roshi were setting up the table. Bulma smelled her cooking and she was delighted.
"Mmm! This smells delicious. I'm glad I used my mom's cooking book for this," Bulma was serving the mashed potatoes on each of their plates.
"Yay, no more burnt fish and meat!" Krillin cheered, but tried to keep his voice down.
Bulma, however, was already standing behind him when he said this. "I heard that, Krillin," she became annoyed.
"I'm just kidding!" he laughed.
While everyone downstairs was fairly in a good mood, upstairs, Raditz was sitting on his bedside, feeling quite gloomy. He had not had a good sleep for the past several nights. He was worried that he was becoming to be an insomniac.
Perhaps he could not stop thinking about that crater and that broken space pod. He was convinced that there was something more to it than merely for display. Even though he obeyed his father of not going to that place since he said it held no significance whatsoever, he could not help but feel bothered by what he just saw on that day.
He was so frustrated; he placed a hand on his forehead. He grinded his teeth together, now feeling this sudden headache that had decided to come to him at the most inconvenient time. He just wanted to know the truth from his own father and brother, but even they could not be honest with him, he believed.
He just hated all of this, he screamed inside his head.
Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. Raditz quickly looked up and noticed his father standing there.
"Are you getting a headache again, Raditz?" he asked, noticing his behavior earlier, which meant he was in physical pain.
He did not answer him immediately. He then sighed, simply giving a headshake.
Bardock sighed back. He said in a disappointed tone, "You should probably go drink your medicine."
"I don't feel like it," he suddenly told him.
"Why not?" he asked.
"It makes me feel nauseous," Raditz placed his hand on his forehead again.
"It's one of those side-effects. Maybe it'll help make you feel less sick if you take the medicine with food. It says so on the prescription," Bardock suggested.
His eldest son did not reply again. Bardock cannot tell if he had considered this suggestion or not.
Even though he looked calm from the outside, Bardock was terribly worried. His son was growing quieter and more irritable as days went by. Both father and son had ended up arguing at times and leaving even feeling more frustrated than ever for the rest of the day. There were times that Raditz just did not want to talk at all. He would spend the rest of the time just…thinking.
Bardock sighed again. Before he left the room, he informed him, "Lunch is almost ready," he went downstairs without another word.
Raditz looked towards the window again. He just wanted to know the truth, he kept wishing to himself. He finally stood up and took the prescription bottle with him for his headache and body pain. He went downstairs to join everyone to eat.
Bulma had prepared quite a delicious buffet of homemade dishes for her friends and for the two Saiyan guests.
Krillin munched as he went. He savored the different flavors and spices that Bulma had added. "This is really awesome, Bulma! Your cooking has definitely improved!"
"Thanks for the compliment, Krillin," Bulma told him.
Master Roshi, with his chopsticks, tossed a sliced egg roll to his mouth. "It's really scrumptious. Even Turtle is enjoying himself."
Turtle was happily chewing on his meal.
"How's the food, Bardock?" Bulma asked him.
Back in their home planet, Saiyans mainly ate alien meats and special kinds of vegetables. The texture of the food ranged from soft to rigid and tastes could be either raw or flavorsome, depending on how a Saiyan would like his or her meal cooked. In Planet Earth, however, Bardock found Earth's dishes to be exotic and unique. He actually craved more for this kind of food.
Bardock must admit he really enjoyed an Earthling's cooking. "Very tasting indeed. I really like it a lot. Thank you. I've never tasted such a delicious dish before," he complimented respectfully.
"Oh, you men, you're too much!" Bulma was real flattered by their comments, she started to blush. She then turned to Raditz. "How about you, Raditz?"
Raditz, however, was simply sitting on his chair, his eyes staring at his plate. He had not touched his food one bit. He was just as quiet as all the other days were, but on this day, he had barely spoken a few sentences.
"Raditz, don't you want to eat?" asked Bulma with concern.
Raditz did not answer again.
Bardock glared at his eldest son. He hated this enduring silence from him, he caught his attention with a firm voice. "Raditz."
His voice had Raditz snapped back to reality. He quickly looked up.
"Are you gonna eat or not?" Bardock asked, sounding firmer.
"Oh, well, I lost my appetite. Sorry about that, Miss Bulma," Raditz was honest with her. He then looked up with more gloom shown in his eyes. "Father, can I ask something?"
Bulma, Krillin, and Master Roshi just stared at him.
"What?" Bardock responded while holding his fork to puncture this steamed broccoli on his plate to eat it.
"I think I need to go outside for a while," Raditz said.
When Bardock punctured the broccoli, he felt frustration again seething inside his chest, but he decided to let it all pass. He sighed. "Go ahead."
"Thanks," Raditz immediately headed outside and the sounds of his footsteps fainted. He stood near the shoreline salty waters that surrounded Kame House and all he could hear now were the sounds of the hushed waves. He then found himself staring at his own reflection.
"Oh, Raditz, is he okay?" Bulma began.
"I'm not sure, but he's really miserable today…well, just like all the other days he's been with us," Krillin sighed.
Master Roshi held his hands together on the table, his sunglasses shining a little. "I'm guessing he's trying to remember those lost memories he had before, questioning who he is from the very start, I highly presume. Sooner or later, he'll try to conquer the Earth again-"
SLAM!
The three faithful friends of Goku, including Turtle, had their attention caught when their table shook, almost knocking off the glasses of juices and water prepared. The disturbance came from Bardock who had slammed the dinner table with his two shaking arms. His face looked awfully upset and worried. He clenched more of his fists while trembling all over. Shadows were casted over his eyes and Bardock was grunting angrily under his breath.
Master Roshi was surprised. "Um, Bardock, are you all right-?"
"Judging by the look on my face, do you think I'm all right?" Bardock angrily asked him, now speaking his mind. He had been concealing his emotions for the past weeks. This was the day when he could not contain them any longer. He had to express himself.
"I know his ridiculous amnesia will go away soon, but that doesn't mean he has to be the son he used to be! Raditz, he's making me worried…why does this have to happen…? …ugh!" Bardock immediately stood up and furiously stomped upstairs, leaving an unfinished meal behind.
Bulma, Krillin, Master Roshi froze to where they were. They had never seen a person expressing this kind of emotion in their lives. They could only feel sorry for him.
"I feel sorry for him, y'know," Krillin understood his sudden outburst. "I mean, Bardock's a good guy, Goku's a good guy, except Raditz. And Bardock can't force his own son to change his ways. Only Raditz can change at heart."
"I understand, too," Bulma said who was not at all offended for Bardock to leave the meals she prepared for him behind. She understood how he felt since a lot crazy events were happening lately.
"Let's just hope Raditz will retain his goodness in him even if his amnesia cures," prayed Master Roshi.
Raditz was gazing at the skies, seeing the white seagulls flying together. He then decided to take flight and go somewhere else to seek answers for himself. He turned his head, making sure that no one was seeing him, not even his own father. From there, he left.
He was trying to look for that place again where he found that crater and broken Saiyan pod. He will defy his father's orders in hopes of finding answers to these strange dreams and visions he kept seeing for almost three weeks now.
Raditz desperately searched for that place again whilst saying, "I don't get it. I don't get it at all! I must be here for a purpose, more than just seeing my brother! Why? Why do I always feel like a part of me…is missing?"
After a few minutes, Krillin went outside to check on Raditz and ask if he will still eat his lunch, but only to realize that he was gone. He looked around and thought, "Huh, where did he go?" but probably, Raditz may still need some alone time. He had done this a few times actually, but he would always come back before evenings.
After fifteen minutes of searching, Raditz was able to find that place again, where that crater was with the broken Saiyan ship lying in the middle of it. Unbeknownst to him, this place was once a battlefield where he fought a hatred war against his own flesh and blood.
He slowly walked towards the crater while noticing this black burnt spot on the grasses. He bent down and ran his hand on the ashes to feel it. He stared at his palm, wondering what this was.
He then proceeded to check out the broken ship and then, he stared at it for a very long time. He was trying to remember, trying to connect all those strange visions he had been encountering mostly in his sleep. His father claimed that they were nothing more but dreams. He could not believe him, however. Why did feel like he had lived in that kind of past before?
Raditz then decided to get closer to the ship. He carefully slid down the crater, his feet sliding off dust. He then observed the fractured and broken parts of the machine. The ship was split into two, which indicated to him that someone broke through the interior. He strongly believed that his father was lying to him. If he and Bardock had come to Earth together to look for Goku, then they would need two Saiyan ships since a Saiyan pod can only accommodate one person. And this broken ship he was seeing now, someone must have broken through it in great anger and rage.
Raditz began to observe the controls of the ship and on it was a screen that seemed to stand out to him. With hesitance, he pressed this rectangular button that was close to the monitor. Miraculously, this ship had some energy left and the screen was able to play. It appeared to be a voicemail and it only contained one message inside.
Raditz felt like his questions will be answered at last. He went ahead to play this message. The voicemail though was almost as damaged as the ship was and so, it was fizzling like a broken recorder; however, Raditz could still hear two voices including his own. It was no ordinary voicemail. It was a conversation amongst the three voices. But why was it recorded? Perhaps the reason could be…was to help him not forget about something very important.
The message finally played.
"If you think it'll help us, then I've no problem with you looking for your brother, whatever his name is, but I heard he wasn't able to fulfill his mission when he was sent to that idiotic planet. How do you think that this low-life excuse can help us in any way?"
"How pathetic! Even your own sibling is just as weak as you are, Raditz. You low-class Saiyans are nothing but a waste of time."
"Shut up! I don't have time to listen to you both. I'll come back with him and make sure that he's the same killer Saiyan he's supposed to be. If he has really forgotten the pride of the Saiyan race, then I will not hesitate to kill him."
"Heh, heh, good luck then. But I wouldn't get your hopes up."
"That's right. You've become a softie for the past few years. I bet you can't even lay a finger on him!"
"Just shut up! I will prove to you who's the elite here…you'll soon see."
The conversation finally ended.
To anyone, it could have been a confusing and random message, but to Raditz, it was a shocking revelation. All this time, when he was listening, his eyes were widened with shock, he was gaped, his entire body trembling. All those mysterious memories and visions he had been having, they now made sense.
All of a sudden, something connected inside Raditz's mind rapidly, it overwhelmed him to the point he almost fainted. He tried to rid of this sudden, burning ache in his head though this was nothing but a tactile hallucination. He tried to fight it off, but he was powerless to do anything.
And then, as if there was a sudden shift in his emotions, he felt this great anger in his heart, which took control of his mind. He had never felt so livid in his life. He realized he had been deceived all along.
Shadows were casted over his eyes, his hand against his forehead while biting his lips hard. He began to talk to himself under his breath. "I remember why…it's all a lie…everyone's been lying to me…it's all a lie…!" he suddenly began kicking the walls of the ship, further damaging it with his right foot. "A lie…! Lie! LIE!"
At his last kick, the space pod shattered to even more pieces. Raditz was now breathing heavily.
He kept his head down. This dreaded silence took over until it was broken when he began to chuckle to himself under his breath. His laughter now was filled with nothing but complete…menace.
He understood why he was here at last. He was destined to be a planet broker. He arrived on this planet to accomplish one important mission. He was ashamed and disappointed to find out that his brother, Goku, failed to complete his assignment, which was to destroy Earth, because an accident occurred to him, an accident that completely changed him to a kindhearted person. His memories were erased completely. When he met him, he revealed the truth behind Goku's birth and his original nature that was supposed to stay with him in the first place.
"You were born in Planet Vegeta, our home planet. You're destined to be a merciless, prideful fighter like me. I am your older brother, Raditz!"
"WHAT?!" cried a shocked Goku.
Raditz was enraged when he found out about Goku's missing tail, the only source that can unlock this incredibly strong power a Saiyan was known for. Raditz remembered lecturing his younger brother for not being the heartless Saiyan that all Saiyans should be, he threatened him that he will take his own son, Gohan if Goku refused to join to him and his other comrades of abomination.
"Show us some pride, Kakarot. Remember what I said. It's either now or never!" Raditz left with a crying, helpless Gohan in his arms.
Goku cried out for his only son. He was ashamed to let Gohan slip into enemy's hands, but he will get him back and kick out this enemy out of their planet for sure.
Raditz then remembered the fight. He fought an easy battle against Goku with his unlikely alliance, Piccolo. He proved short work of them until Gohan, the half-Saiyan boy, who undeniably possessed a lot of potential, had his emotions reached to their peak. With his rage, he severely damaged Raditz with a full-charged attack, reducing his power level greatly. It was then Goku and Piccolo's chance to finish him off…
…until the father of Goku and Raditz, Bardock, stepped in and stopped their conflict; however, it only made Raditz angrier when he learned that his very own father was a changed man like Goku. His father even tried to persuade him to give up hi evil ways or else, he claimed that they will all come back to him. Raditz though refused to put an end to his evil deeds for he truly believed Saiyans were naturally born evil since they were tiny entities.
"Shut up!" hollered Raditz at his own family.
Goku and Bardock were completely surprised.
"This is the pride of all Saiyans! And I will not give it up so easily!"
To Raditz's great shame, his battle against Bardock proved no struggle to his father at all. No more options left in his action list, he decided to summon a Saibaman to attack Goku, Bardock, and Piccolo. It proved to be a meaningless call for desperation, however. Bardock instantly put an end to his games, but he continued to convince him to change to a better person, a better Saiyan, but his son refused still.
Then, that incident occurred: when his Saibaman became defective and decided to self-destruct itself to its own master. Raditz then lost all of his memories and was diagnosed with amnesia. The past few weeks, Goku showed kindness and hospitality to him and had his friends get acquainted with him to make him feel more welcomed in this world, to show him indirectly that a life filled with goodness was infinite times better than living a life under the work of evil. He hoped that these acts of kindness would make him change.
Alas, the dark mark within Raditz's heart remained.
Everything now made sense to him. Everything had finally been revealed.
…and he could not get even more satisfied than this.
The atmosphere around him darkly changed as his soft chuckles slowly turned into a raucous and sinister laugh. His heart had given way to that malevolence inside of him, that dreadful Saiyan pride which always craved for more greed and power.
Raditz then opened his eyes and his lips pulled a menacing grin.
He had now reverted to his old-self. He then said, "Yes, they've all been trying to deceive me, but it'll soon be their greatest mistake. I will not abandon the Saiyan pride in which the Saiyans have lived up to all their lives. Kakarot…," he remembered his younger brother and he began to hate him again, "yes, you're a disgrace to the Saiyan race. And this time, I will teach you a very valuable lesson."
All this time his memories were lost, but he had finally regained them. He was now hungry for revenge.
"And I'll make it fair to you, too, Father," Raditz said. Confident he was much stronger now, he planned to punish his entire family. "Brace yourselves!" he immediately took flight, dashing in the skies, ready to resume his mission. And he will make sure that he will do it right this time.
"Whatever all the acts of kindness you had done to me in the past, you should have never done!" Raditz shouted. "If you had enough prudence, you should've killed me instead! Prepare yourselves!"
At Goku's house, Goku and his family was feasting on a delicious lunch.
Goku munched away with grease smeared all over his mouth, savoring every bite and taste.
"Do you want more rice, Gohan?" Chi-Chi asked him after she took a bite of her vegetables.
"Yes, please," the little child smiled while eating rice and cooked beef.
At Kame House, Bardock was still in his room, sitting on his bed. He was staring out of the window. On his hand, he was holding one of Raditz's prescriptions, but this bottle was already empty since he already finished it last week. He was just staring at it.
"Raditz, is there any chance for you…at all?" he asked in his mind.
Just living in worry every day of what his eldest son might become, he constantly wondered if he actually had the strength to fight off the darkness in his heart or if he will just give in to it again. This was all just too much for him, Bardock suddenly threw the bottle against the wall out of frustration.
The bottle rolled towards the door and stopped there. Bardock stared at it again. He felt like he just wanted to scream to the entire world-
He was interrupted, however, when a vision appeared in his mind. He quickly saw an image of Raditz who seemed to be destroying…many innocent lives.
He had this sudden rush of panic, Bardock quickly got out from his bedside and looked out of the window only to find that Raditz was gone. At this unexpected moment, he was now facing the shocking reality about his eldest son.
"It can't be…Raditz…no, it's too early for his amnesia to cure," Bardock said with disbelief. "No, it's true. Raditz is…"
He tightened his fists hard. His visions never lied to him and they revealed that Raditz chose to continue to be an enemy instead. Without delaying any more time, he ran downstairs and left Kame House without notifying Krillin, Master Roshi, and Bulma about his terrible discovery. He raced against time to catch up with his eldest son before anything worse could happen.
Master Roshi immediately spotted him and tried to call him, but it was too late. "Bardock, hey! Where are you going?! …hmm, why he's in a rush all of a sudden?"
"Yeah, and he looked pretty worried, too," Krillin said who was out of the door. He had already lost sight of him.
"Is it about Raditz?" Bulma asked.
Krillin thought this was possible. "Maybe. I told you guys that he wasn't around even after lunchtime."
"Probably he just went to get him," Bulma believed.
"But with an expression like that?" asked Master Roshi. "He looked like he was panicking or something."
Bardock was flying at top speed, desperately looking left and right, searching for his eldest son. Unfortunately, his ability of sensing another person's energy was very limited since he cannot sense one's life force that far away yet, but he forced himself to. That vision of his only warned him of the impending danger ahead. "Darn, I can't find him anywhere. Where is he?!"
At Mount Paozu, Goku instantly felt that great energy also. This made him lose his appetite and he became more wary to his surroundings. "What's this I'm sensing?" he stood up from his chair.
Chi-Chi turned around to check on her husband while she was cleaning the dishes. "Goku, what's wrong?"
"Daddy, what's the matter?" Gohan asked who had just finished eating his lunch.
Goku suddenly hurried to the door, leaving his unfinished meal behind. "Chi-Chi, Gohan, just stay here. I need to go somewhere."
"Goku, you can't go yet! You need to help me clean up the house," reminded Chi-Chi.
"Not now, Chi-Chi. I'll be back!" Goku quickly headed outside and called on Nimbus. The golden cloud quickly flew to him. Goku hopped on it and left for departure.
"Daddy, where are you going?" asked Gohan with concern.
While flying in the skies, Goku said to himself, "That's a very strong energy. Whoever it is, it'll be eliminated for good if it's an enemy," but then, he quickly remembered his older brother. His eyes then grew wide. When he felt out this energy more, it was very familiar to him. It was not a new enemy rather he was about to confront the worse. "Wait, this energy I'm sensing. Is it from…Raditz? No, it can't be! Not now!"
His anxiety grew more. He did not expect his amnesia to disappear in such a short amount of time. Goku told Nimbus to go faster and the cloud obeyed his commands. While Goku tried to track down this frightening energy, all his focus now was on Raditz. He did not expect this to happen at all. He needed to stop his older brother before anything worse could happen.