Chapter 4: The First Battle
Chi-Chi held on tight as the Nimbus Cloud zipped through the air. She was doing everything she could to focus, in order to locate Raditz's energy. Beside her and Goku, Piccolo was flying through the air, unaided by any vehicle. Chi-Chi knew that she had to learn how to fly on her own—Goku could do it, but he still wasn't very good at it.
Chi-Chi still couldn't believe that she had agreed to work with Piccolo. The words came out of her mouth before she had time to think about them. There was no guarantee that he wouldn't stab them in the back as soon as Raditz was dealt with, or that he would keep his word. All she could think about was saving Gohan, and if this helped her, then she would go through with it. But she wasn't going to take any chances around him. This was the monster who flattened Papaya Island during the World Martial Arts Tournament, killing most of the spectators just to beat Goku. They had to use the Dragon Balls to reverse the damage he caused. She wasn't expecting him to hold back against Raditz just because her son was in the area.
"Goku," Chi-Chi whispered in Goku's ear. "I know Piccolo said he'd help us beat Raditz, but I don't want to give him the chance to hurt Gohan. As soon as the two of you attack Raditz, I'm grabbing Gohan and getting out of there."
Goku nodded ever so slightly. He didn't fully trust Piccolo either, and the sooner Gohan was out of danger, the better.
"You do know I heard all of that, don't you?" Piccolo asked, causing Chi-Chi to jump. "Do whatever you want, because then you won't get in my way."
Chi-Chi shot daggers at Piccolo. She had completely forgotten about his telepathy.
"I won't get in your way if you stay out of mine," Chi-Chi said. "As soon as Gohan's safe, I'm joining the fight. Nobody takes my son and gets away with it!"
"Hurm!" Piccolo grunted again. "I guess Shenron didn't get rid of your temper when he gave you that tail."
Chi-Chi gritted her teeth as she tried to calm herself down. Piccolo was a monster, but she knew she couldn't kill him. His life was tied to Kami's, so if Piccolo died, Kami would as well, and the Dragon Balls would cease to be. That didn't mean she couldn't hurt him.
But that didn't matter. All that mattered to her was rescuing Gohan.
Gohan... Chi-Chi kept mentally kicking herself for her decisions over the years. She should have started teaching him the basics of martial arts earlier, like Goku said. It might not have been much, but it would have at least taught him to be more careful. She knew now that if she didn't let Gohan train after they got him back, she'd never hear the end of it from Roshi or Krillin.
Forcing herself to think of the upcoming fight, Chi-Chi started making preparations. First, she lifted the legs of her pants and started undoing the training weights she had strapped to her ankles and lower legs. Then she reached under her cheongsam and removed a belt with even more weights strapped to it. By the time she was finished, she had removed up to 230 kilos of heavy weights from her body. The weights were Goku's idea—that way, Chi-Chi could build up strength in her lower body while doing everyday housework, and the sparring sessions were also more intense with the heavy weights slowing her down. He had offered to have some weighted clothing made for her, but she declined, instead focusing on using old-fashioned methods. Besides, the weighted clothes were more focused on the upper body, and her fighting style was predominantly kick-based.
Goku noticed what she was doing and decided to follow suit, slipping off his weighted boots and the heavy shirt from under his orange gi. He wore slightly heavier weights than her—around 250 kilos instead of Chi-Chi's 230—but he was also stronger than her, so he needed the extra weight. He had a feeling that his wife was ready for heavier weights, but they'd cross that bridge when they came to it.
With all the weights now gone, Chi-Chi began her stretches, loosening the tendons in her legs and lower back. Raditz had caught the two of them off guard, but this time they were prepared. It was strange, but there was a side of her that was actually looking forward to the upcoming battle. All the training and sparring over the last four years was for this specific reason. She wasn't going to let her brother-in-law get the better of her again. She wasn't going to be a spectator again.
Piccolo watched Chi-Chi curiously as she stretched out her legs. He could definitely tell that the wish she made to Shenron had caused some drastic changes to her. He remembered her from the tournament eight years ago, but she was a weakling back then who didn't even like fighting. He figured she had potential, since she survived an energy explosion from him that leveled Papaya Island, but her lack of fighting spirit kept her from realizing it. Now, she was anticipating the upcoming battle with a hint of excitement, as if the old version of her was gone. It was enough to spark his curiosity and make him think. This woman said she had techniques that she wanted to use on him, and she didn't even seem scared to see him. Could she actually have a technique that would be enough to defeat him? He wasn't sure, but with the speed that she improved over the last few years since he saw her, he didn't want to take the chance. After all, Goku had defeated him twice—first when he punched a hole right through him and forced him to reincarnate, and then when he headbutted him in the side at full flying speed, nearly killing him again. Piccolo's connection to Kami and Goku's sense of mercy were the only reasons he was still alive today, and he hated that. He hated that Goku spared him, he hated that he now owed his worst enemy, and he hated that Goku's wife was also strong enough to potentially challenge him now. It felt like the entire universe was trying to deny him the kingdom he was rightfully owed.
Chi-Chi eventually felt Piccolo's eyes on her, but she did her best to ignore him and focus on finding Raditz. Clearing her mind, she started searching for his power level, remembering the same intensity she felt from him when he arrived. If Goku was right, then Raditz didn't know how to hide his presence and he should be easy to find. Eventually, she opened her eyes and pointed slightly to the left of her.
"That way, Goku." She said. She could feel Raditz's malice in the pit of her stomach.
"Really?" Goku asked. He still couldn't sense him, but turned in the direction that Chi-Chi was pointing, with Piccolo following close behind. A couple of minutes later, they sensed Raditz as well. "Wow, Chi-Chi. You're getting better at that than me."
Piccolo remained silent, but he also didn't sense Raditz until after Chi-Chi did. It seemed that her control over ki was even more refined than his.
Eventually, they got close enough to know exactly where Raditz was waiting, and could tell that he wasn't moving. Setting down as close as they dare without alerting him, they started to discuss how best to move forward.
"Obviously, she won't fight until your son is out of the danger zone," Piccolo grumbled, shrugging off his pauldrons and cape before removing his hat as well. The thud that came from when they hit the ground told Chi-Chi that they were weighted as well. "So the question is how we're going to get him out with Raditz around."
"Gohan knows how to fly the Nimbus Cloud," Goku said. "If Chi-Chi can get him on it, Gohan can fly to safety by himself, and Chi-Chi can focus on the fight. How does that sound, Chi-Chi?"
Chi-Chi thought long and hard about that. Goku was right: Gohan did know how to use the Nimbus, but he didn't like going very fast. If he got nervous and slowed down, it would give Raditz time to attack him. If she were to join the fight as soon as he jumped onto the Nimbus, however, she would be able to buy more than enough time for Gohan to escape. Raditz wouldn't be able to grab or jump onto the Nimbus, because only those with pure hearts like Goku, Gohan and herself can ride it.
"Alright," Chi-Chi sighed. "I think that should work. Just make sure you keep Raditz distracted long enough."
Goku nodded, but Piccolo was indifferent. With that decided, the two headed towards Raditz, leaving Chi-Chi with the Nimbus. Quickly climbing onto the yellow cloud, she urged it skyward. The field Raditz was in had no real cover, so her best bet was to go over him. After climbing around a thousand feet, she felt that was enough, and started urging the Nimbus forward. She moved slowly, wanting to give Goku and Piccolo time to engage and distract Raditz.
After a few minutes, she came upon a large crater. Looking down, Chi-Chi saw Goku and Piccolo standing in front of Raditz, staring him down. Acting quickly, she focused on suppressing her ki so that Raditz wouldn't be able to find her. That was one of the first tricks Goku had taught her, but she never thought she would use it. She preferred to face her opponents in the open now, without hiding. But things were different—she had to sneak past Raditz in order to get Gohan to safety.
A low growling noise alerted Chi-Chi: she was hungry. The gut punch from her evil brother-in-law had caused her to throw up everything she ate at the reunion, and she hadn't had time to digest most of it. This was a problem—she learned fairly quickly that she had trouble fighting on an empty stomach when sparring with Goku. With any luck, they would be able to beat Raditz before her stamina runs out.
Forcing herself to ignore her empty stomach, Chi-Chi focused on searching for Gohan. She looked in and around the crater, but to her dismay, Gohan was nowhere to be seen. Her heart nearly stopped when a horrible thought crossed her mind: had Raditz lied and already killed her son?
No, no, no, Chi-Chi thought in a panic. He couldn't have! Gohan's here! He's gotta be! Okay, calm down, Chi-Chi. Focus. Focus…
Closing her eyes, Chi-Chi steadied her heartbeat and concentrated on feeling for Gohan. Her ability to use and sense ki was noticeably different from her husband's. While Goku was able to sense power levels and determine just how strong his opponents are, Chi-Chi was more empathetic, and could feel the emotions and intent of others. She could tell that Goku and Piccolo were somewhat worried about their chances, even with the two of them working together. Raditz on the other hand, was still perfectly confident, and Chi-Chi could sense his murderous desire.
Eventually, Chi-Chi felt a tiny presence coming from the center of the crater. Looking down—staying out of Raditz's field of vision— she noticed a white, spherical pod lying at the bottom of the crater. Inside, she could feel Gohan's fear and loneliness, but also a glimmer of hope—he must have heard his dad approach Raditz. The pod seemed sturdy, but it was possible that a well-placed Anvil Kick might be enough to break through it.
It's okay, Gohan,
Chi-Chi thought. Mommy's coming to get you.
A commotion interrupted her thoughts. Looking back down, she saw Goku and Piccolo launching themselves at Raditz— the fight had started.
Chi-Chi watched carefully as the fight went on, waiting for the opportunity to swoop in and grab Gohan. Even with the two working together, Raditz was unfazed. Somehow, he was able to avoid and parry every single punch that they threw. It didn't take long for Chi-Chi to realize that they needed her help, but she stayed put and waited for her chance.
Eventually, Raditz went on the offensive. Moving with terrifying speed, he quickly pushed the two fighters back—away from the crater.
Now's my chance!
Chi-Chi urged the Nimbus straight down at full speed, holding on tight as the ground rushed towards her. She was 800 feet from the ship… 600… 400… 200…
NOW!
At 100 feet from the bottom of the crater, Chi-Chi tensed the muscles in her legs and leapt off the Nimbus…
Only to be hit in the back by a blast of energy and thrown away from the crater's edge.
Chi-Chi cried out in pain as the blast burned through the silk fabric of her cheongsam and singed the skin of her back. She hit the ground hard, skidding to a halt several yards away from the crater.
"CHI-CHI!" Goku called out, terrified for his wife. He knew that she wasn't good at taking hits, preferring to avoid rather than parry. And she just took a blast that was enough to sever Piccolo's arm.
"Pay attention, Kakarot!" Raditz shouted, before backhanding his brother in the head and sending him backward. With Kakarot down, he then flew over the crater and landed in front of his sister-in-law.
Chi-Chi shook the stars out of her eyes and struggled to her feet, only to find Raditz looming over her.
"Interesting strategy, little sister," Raditz said, a dangerous grin on his face. "If it were anyone else, you might have pulled it off. Unfortunately, you made one fatal mistake. Do you see this device?" He pointed to the eyepiece that he was wearing. "This is a Scouter. It lets me know what your power level is, as well as where you are. Now, I didn't know that you could hide your true power, but you still had to reveal it on your way down. You only gave me a few seconds to react, but that was all the time I needed."
Chi-Chi gritted her teeth angrily. She was so close to saving her son, but Raditz was just too fast. She realized that if she was ever going to protect Gohan from this monster, she had to defeat him.
"So," Raditz said, "it seems that you share Kakarot's decision to fight me. You clearly don't mind doing things the hard way, do you?"
Chi-Chi steadied her nerves, and ripped off her ruined cheongsam, exposing a Royal blue sports bra underneath. With the excess cloth removed, she got into a fighting stance. "I've done things the hard way for most of my life, 'brother,'" she growled. "I'm not about to stop now."
Raditz's grin widened. "Spoken like a true Saiyan," he said almost proudly. And with that, he threw his opening punch, only for Chi-Chi to sidestep out of the way and deliver a heavy roundhouse kick to the right side of his head.
Chi-Chi was in her element against Raditz. He was enormous—standing a full head taller than Goku, and much broader—so she could use her fighting style to it's absolute fullest.
Raditz recovered instantly, and began throwing a barrage of punches Chi-Chi, all of which she danced around before sweeping his left leg out from under him. Taking full advantage of his lack of balance and lowered height, she then followed up with several rapid-fire kicks to his face. Raditz took two of them before he brought his hands up to block the rest, then countered with an overhead punch that Chi-Chi barely avoided. The force of the punch dug a small crater into the hard, dry earth.
It didn't take long for Chi-Chi to realize that she needed to step it up. Her regular kicks were landing, but Raditz hardly flinched. Her fighting style was made for opponents of his size, but he was stronger and faster, and a seasoned fighter. She was in trouble.
Jumping away from him, she took a few seconds to concentrate her ki into her legs. Her feet started glowing a bluish white, and she then charged at her evil brother-in-law. Her ki infused legs launched her forward like she was shot out of a cannon, and she was on Raditz in a fraction of a second.
Raditz blocked her first roundhouse kick, but it felt like he was trying to stop a wrecking ball. The sudden blast of energy that followed her kick forced him off balance, and he was unprepared for the second kick that hit him square in the stomach. On the third kick, however, he was able to avoid her energy infused foot and counter with a haymaker to her left cheek.
Chi-Chi saw stars as she was thrown back from the force of the attack. She landed hard, even further from the crater than before.
"Well, well, well," Raditz said, massaging his abdomen where Chi-Chi had kicked him. "It seems you also have the ability to raise your power level. My Scouter read a peak power of nine hundred and seventy three when you channeled your energy into your kicks. That's far more impressive than I saw from you on that island."
Chi-Chi rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows, spitting out blood and a few teeth. Her head was spinning, and she couldn't get back on her feet.
"Oh, don't worry," Raditz continued. "I'm not going to kill you. Kakarot and the brat are expendable, but Prince Vegeta wants you alive. Maybe he wants you as his own wife."
Chi-Chi stopped dead when she heard that, then collected herself and stood up to glare at her evil brother-in-law. Raditz's eyes widened when his Scouter read another spike in her power level—one thousand, two hundred and ninety eight!?
"You can tell this Prince Vegeta that he's wasting his time," she growled. "I'm nobody's trophy wife!" And with that, she surged forward, moving impossibly fast and kicking with even more force. Raditz became singularly focused on Chi-Chi, to the point where he didn't even notice Goku behind him, charging an attack of his own.
"Kaaaaaaaaaaa…"
Chi-Chi threw a high kick towards Raditz's face, which he parried to the side.
"Meeeeeeeeeeee…"
Raditz threw a haymaker Chi-Chi's way, which she sidestepped.
"HAAAAAaaaaaaaa…"
Chi-Chi roundhouse kicked Raditz, but he backed just out of the way.
"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…"
Raditz caught another kick, pulled Chi-Chi close and rammed his fist into her midriff, knocking her away.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"
Raditz turned around just in time to see Goku's Kamehameha barreling towards him. The blast of bluish white energy hit Raditz square in the chest and exploded, covering the area in a cloud of dust.
"Chi-Chi!" Goku shouted, flying over to his wife. Chi-Chi was on the ground, struggling to get up. "Chi-Chi, are you okay?"
Chi-Chi groaned as Goku helped her off the ground. She was exhausted, sore and starving, but she was alive.
"That was incredible, Chi-Chi!" Goku said, clearly hurt himself. "You were able to hold your own when Piccolo and I had trouble even hitting him!"
"Gohan…" Chi-Chi groaned, pointing to the crater. "He's in a spaceship… at the bottom of the crater. We have to… get him out of there… before–"
"DOUBLE SUNDAY!"
The couple barely turned in the direction of the shout before two blasts of purplish white energy slammed into them. Goku felt his ribs crack from the impact, while Chi-Chi screamed as her right shoulder popped out of place. They both landed hard on their backs, and looked up as the dust cleared.
Standing in front of them, armor singed and cracked, was a grinning Raditz.
"Very impressive, Kakarot," Raditz said. "I wasn't expecting that. If it weren't for my armor, you would have done serious damage to me."
Desperately picking herself off the ground, Chi-Chi charged at Raditz again. This time, however, he was ready, and immediately grabbed her foot and threw her over his shoulder. She sailed through the air, landing near an injured Piccolo. Looking over at him, Chi-Chi saw that Piccolo was missing his left arm. His right hand, however, had two of his fingers pressed to his forehead. Yellow energy was crackling from the tips of his fingers.
Piccolo looked at the injured Chi-Chi. Unlike him, she can't regenerate very quickly. He knew that if she didn't relocate her shoulder, she was out of the fight for good.
"You did your part, Chi-Chi," Piccolo said, saying her name for the first time. "Let me finish this! SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!!"
Piccolo pointed his fingers at Raditz and fired a very unique beam of energy. The attack was comprised of two separate yellow beams, with one spiraling around the other. The attack surged towards Raditz at incredible speed—even Chi-Chi, in her injured state, believed that he had no way of avoiding it.
But Raditz once again proved them wrong. Straining his muscles, he just barely sidestepped far enough to his right to avoid the attack from punching a hole through his heart. Instead, the attack hit his shoulder and demolished the pauldron, singing his shoulder in the process.
"What!?" Piccolo gasped. "But… how? How can he still be that fast!?"
"Most impressive, Namekian," Raditz said. "An attack like that could easily have killed me. I suppose this means that I have to finish you off right now."
Raditz raised his left hand and charged a ball of purplish white energy. Piccolo didn't move, as if he was ready to accept his fate.
"DOUBLE SUNDAY!"
Chi-Chi could only watch as Raditz prepared to end Piccolo for good. His arm surged forward, and he roared in effort.
"RRRRAAAAAAA–OOOOOOOWWWW!!"
Chi-Chi and Piccolo both blinked in surprise. Standing right behind Raditz was an injured but alive Goku, and he was grabbing onto Raditz's tail, laughing to himself.
"You messed up, Raditz," Goku said. "I'll never forget how much my tail hurt when someone squeezed it!" He tightened his grip on his brother's tail, causing Raditz to scream and fall face first.
Chi-Chi knew just how sensitive Saiyan tails really are. Not only did she have her own tail pulled when sparring with Goku, but when they were still kids, she also used to grab Goku's tail whenever she was scared. She remembered how the strength always seemed to leave his body when she did that.
"Hey, Piccolo!" Goku called. "Do you think you can hit him with your new attack, now?"
"Hah! With pleasure, Goku!" Piccolo said. "I should have known you had something up your sleeve, you sly dog! Now hold him steady, because I can only do this one more time!"
Chi-Chi managed to force herself to her knees, and looked at her now prone brother-in-law.
This is wrong, she thought to herself. She felt sick at the idea of using such a dirty trick to beat him. I don't want to win like this. There's got to be another way to beat him.
"Kakarot," Raditz said, his voice strained. "Don't tell me your actually going to go through with this? I'm your brother!"
"Brother?" Goku retorted. "You kidnapped my son, tried to kill me, and even tried to take my wife away from me!"
"I was bluffing!" Raditz said desperately. "I would say anything to get you to come with me! But if you really won't go, then I'll leave you all alone! I could never kill my own family!"
"Don't listen to him, Goku!" Piccolo shouted. "He'll do anything to get loose!"
Goku didn't really believe Raditz,either. But when his eyes shifted from Piccolo to Chi-Chi, he saw the look on her face: disgust. He remembered what she said to him after their last sparring session, about how he didn't fight fair.
"You see?" Raditz said. "Even your own wife hates this! Kakarot, please! If you let me go, you'll never see me again! I'll tell the others that you want to be left alone!"
Goku gritted his teeth. "Do you promise to leave us alone?" He asked. "You'll never come back again?"
"Don't do it, Goku!" Piccolo shouted desperately.
"I SWEAR IT! I'LL NEVER COME BACK TO THIS PLANET AGAIN!" Raditz screamed.
Goku hesitated, then let go of his brother's tail.
"NO, GOKU!!" Piccolo shouted.
Raditz's reaction was instantaneous. Picking himself off the ground and getting up to his feet, he rammed his right elbow into Goku's face, knocking him back onto the ground. Walking up to him, he stomped his foot directly into Goku's broken ribs. Goku screamed in pain as Raditz put all his weight on his rib cage.
"Oh, Kakarot," Raditz cackled, grinding his heel on Goku's chest. "It seems this planet has made you gullible as well as weak."
Chi-Chi's eyes widened as she heard her husband screaming. She knew he saw her face, and let go because of her. It was her fault that he was suffering right now.
No more...
Chi-Chi forced herself to stand.
No more...
She reached around with her good hand, and grabbed her dislocated arm.
No more!
She tensed the muscles in her left arm, preparing herself.
NO MORE!!!
With a scream of pain, anguish and fury, she forced her shoulder back into place.
Raditz stopped when he heard the scream, his eyes widening in surprise. His Scouter was going haywire, and as he turned to look at his sister in law, he gasped in disbelief at the power level it was reading.
One thousand, seven hundred and forty nine!?
Goku was also in disbelief. He had never seen Chi-Chi this angry before. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot, her teeth were grinding against each other, and foam was forming in the corners of her mouth.
"What!?" Raditz shouted. "How!? How are you-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence. An instant later, Chi-Chi's foot had rammed into his stomach, forcing the air in his lungs and the contents of his stomach out of his mouth. He immediately doubled over, caught off guard by the attack. The next kick struck his shin, forcing it out from under him and dropping him to his knees. Chi-Chi then placed her foot on Raditz's left shoulder pauldron and pushed down, rocketing up almost fifty feet in the air while shattering the armor around his shoulder. Raditz put his hands on the ground to stop his face from slamming into the dirt. When he looked up, he saw Chi-Chi surging towards him in a series of rapid somersaults, screaming like a rabid animal. Sensing danger, he desperately brought up his left arm just as her energy infused right heel came down to complete her brutal Anvil Kick.
Piccolo watched in awe as Chi-Chi unleashed her Anvil Kick on Raditz. That was the attack that she was going to use on him? If she had, it would have beaten him in the same way that Goku's headbutt did.
Raditz groaned in pain as he felt the bones in his forearm break from the impact, then immediately countered with a point-blank blast of energy to Chi-Chi's midriff that sent her flying away from him. She hit the ground hard and popped her shoulder back out of place.
He couldn't believe what just happened. Her power level had nearly tripled in that moment. How could she possibly achieve something like that?
Now aware of her potential, Raditz decided to immobilize her for good. Pointing his hand at her, he fired another blast of energy that struck her left kneecap, bending her leg the wrong way.
Chi-Chi screamed as the pain shot up her leg. She had tried everything to beat Raditz, but nothing worked. All the strength left her body, and the exhaustion and hunger came at her full force.
"How did you do that?" Raditz demanded. "Where did that power come from?"
Chi-Chi didn't answer, which only made him angrier. Walking up to stand over her, he stomped hard on her broken leg and twisted his foot back and forth. Chi-Chi's screams grew louder and louder, while Goku desperately tried to get up to save his wife.
CRASH!
A loud noise distracted Raditz, who took his foot off of Chi-Chi's leg as he turned to the source. To his shock, he saw Gohan leaping out of the crater with pieces of his spaceship following close behind. Landing in front of Raditz, Gohan stared down his evil uncle with eyes full of angry tears. Raditz's Scouter read an astonishing one thousand, and it was still climbing. By the time it stopped, Raditz was in utter shock and disbelief.
Two thousand and twenty!
"LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!" Gohan screamed, and surged headfirst into Raditz's chest, crushing his already damaged armor and breaking several of his ribs. Raditz screamed in pain as he was forced back.
Goku, Chi-Chi and Piccolo couldn't believe their eyes. Gohan had never harmed a living thing in his life, but he managed to deliver a near-fatal attack in that instant.
Raditz was furious. He had come to this planet expecting to collect his brother, only to be severely injured by its inhabitants. Reacting entirely on instinct, Raditz delivered a brutal backhand to the unprepared Gohan.
"GOHAN!" Chi-Chi screamed as her son went flying.
Raditz closed in on the unconscious child. He was through with everything that was happening to him. He was going to kill the brat first, then Kakarot, then the Namekian. He would then have to wait for the other Saiyans to get there and give him a ride off world, but he was sure he could handle the woman on his own now. Raising a hand, he started charging another attack…
Which was when Goku got up behind him and grabbed him, holding him in a full Nelson hold and spinning to face a startled Piccolo.
"Now's your chance, Piccolo!" Goku shouted.
Piccolo shook off the shock and immediately started charging up his attack.
"Wait," Ch-Chi cried. "If you hit Raditz, it'll kill Goku too!"
Piccolo ignored her and continued charging.
"Piccolo, don't! You promised!"
"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"
"NO, PICCOLO! DON'T DO IT!"
A concentrated beam of yellow energy surged from the tips of Piccolo's fingers, straight towards Raditz and Goku. Chi-Chi screamed at the top of her lungs, reaching out to her husband.
"GOOKUUU!!!!"
The beam hit Raditz in the center of his chest, punching through his armor, flesh, bone and organs, before doing the same to Goku. Goku coughed out a torrent of blood as he fell backwards. Raditz fell forward, blood spilling from his mouth as well.
"GOKU!!" Chi-Chi screamed, rolling onto her stomach and crawling over to her dying husband. It was a pathetic sight—her right arm wouldn't work, and her left leg was ruined.
"Hey... Chi-Chi," Goku said, his voice strained. He reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing gently. "Don't worry. Everything's gonna... be okay."
"Kakarot..." Raditz wheezed. "How could you just throw your... life away?"
"He didn't." Piccolo replied, walking up to his mangled body. "You see, the Earth has what are called Dragon Balls. With them, you can wish for anything. In fact, I'm willing to bet that Goku will be resurrected by the end of the week, while you are gone for good. So, Goku will have the last laugh in the end."
That's right, the Dragon Balls! Chi-Chi remembered. She knew that Goku had used Shenron to bring others back before, but she never thought she would have to wish him back to life.
A dark chuckle distracted her. Looking over, she saw that Raditz was laughing.
"I wouldn't be so sure," he said. "You see... this device on my ear is... also a transmitter. The other Saiyans heard all of that... and they're coming here. And just to let you know... they're both much stronger than me."
Chi-Chi felt a nauseating sense of fear in the pit of her stomach. Even stronger than him!? She thought, horrified. We just barely beat him! How are we going to stop the other two!?
"How long?" Goku asked. "How long... before they get here?"
"It shouldn't take them... more than a year." Raditz chuckled. "They'll raze this planet to the ground... and they'll use those Dragon Balls to bring me back... I know it. So I think... I'll be the one who... has the last laugh."
Raditz continued to laugh, until Piccolo roared in fury and finished him off.
Somewhere in the universe...
Prince Vegeta and Nappa sat down after destroying another enormous city of insectoid beings, trying to process what they heard from Raditz's side.
"So, do you really believe what we just heard?" Nappa asked. "Do you really think that these Dragon Balls are that powerful?"
"It's entirely possible," Vegeta replied. "There have been rumors of similar artifacts on Namek, and if a Namekian is on Earth, then it isn't that far fetched."
"Hmmm," Nappa hummed, deep in thought. "And what about the woman? You sure you still want her alive?"
"More than ever," Vegeta said, grinning. "She's even stronger than expected, and if Kakarot's dead, she'll be looking for another soon. She will make a fine empress to rule by my side, and I can grant her things that Kakarot couldn't even dream of—especially with those Dragon Balls."
"Heh," Nappa chuckled. "So, what will you wish for first? Will we be bringing Raditz back?"
"No. Raditz was weak, and the power to wish for anything would be wasted on him. I was thinking more along the lines of eternal life. Then we could truly take the throne of the universe, not as Saiyans, but as Super Saiyans!"
"Hah! I like the sound of that!" Nappa laughed.
And with that, the two Saiyans returned to their spaceships and left the destroyed planet behind, setting course for Earth. While on the way, Vegeta couldn't help but think about the Saiyan woman. How did she get there? Why couldn't she remember anything? Several scenarios played out in his head, each less believable than the last. Did she hit her head like Kakarot? Was she pretending that she forgot? Was it possible that she was born of these Dragon Balls? He didn't know, but he would find out when he got there.