Last Time on…
Dragon Ball: Reborn
Goku and friends' long-overdue reunion was interrupted by the coming of a mysterious visitor from space. Upon arriving on Master Roshi's island, the wild-haired stranger revealed himself to be none other than Goku's older brother, Raditz. He went on to explain he and Goku were from another world—Saiyans from the long-dead Planet Vegeta. Their inhuman physiology was the reason Goku and Gohan were born with tails and could transform into monstrous apes when in sight of a full moon.
But Raditz was not on Earth for altruistic reasons. He was forced to deliver a harsh truth: Goku was sent there as an infant to destroy all life so the planet could be sold to the highest bidder. Due to his childhood head injury, Goku remembered none of this and refused to carry out his mission. A battle ensued, though Raditz was far more powerful than the combined might of Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and Roshi. With Earth's defenders down for the count, Raditz took the only bargaining chip he could find. He kidnapped Gohan and sped away, encouraging Goku to reconsider his role in the future of their species.
After being rejuvenated with Roshi's emergency Senzu Bean, Goku took to the skies to find his one and only hope for saving Gohan. Against his better judgment, he met with his mortal enemy, the progeny of Lord Piccolo, who mocked and denied Goku's pleas for help. It wasn't until Chi-Chi made a last desperate appeal to Piccolo's own lack of parentage that they, at last, agreed to an alliance…
Season 1, Episode 3 —
"Trump Card"
Raditz careened through the air on his way to his ship. He soared at a steady pace, not seeing much point in getting there as quick as possible.
He wasn't lying when he said Earth was a beautiful planet. Taking in the sights and sounds of such a lush world was soothing. It was a nice change of pace from the barren, war-torn vistas he'd grown accustomed to.
His nephew was tucked under one arm, out like a light. With any luck, he'd stay that way for a while. The subject of procuring food was still on the agenda, as was making his reconnaissance call home. He also needed to touch base with his other important contact. Having a terrified child screaming throughout his errands would be vexing, to say the least. It would also raise more questions than he felt like answering at the moment. He preferred not to knock the poor thing out again. Even though the kid was half-Saiyan, there was only so much head trauma he could take.
To be fair, it's not as if you'll erase any vital programming…
A large crater faded into view. It was several hundred feet in diameter, smack dab in the middle of what appeared to be farmlands. That was unfortunate. One less spot he could scavenge for nourishment.
His employers had a vested interest in not seeing him starve, so the pod he arrived in was well-stocked with a nutrient-rich protein supplement. It was about as appetizing as it sounded. As soon as he landed on a new planet amidst his travels, gathering something he could actually sink his teeth into was usually priority one. Saiyans by nature possessed immense appetites. The gruel his bosses provided did not satisfy on any appreciable level.
He halted his forward momentum and plummeted from the sky like a stone. He used none of his energy to slow his descent, instead focusing it into cushioning his landing. His boots thudded into the ground, sending a spiderweb of fissures in every direction. The sound was like that of an avalanche.
Once the sediment beneath him ceased reverberating, he trotted to the edge of the crater. Amazingly, the little one didn't awaken. Raditz stepped over the lip of the basin and slid down its side on his heels. Once he reached the bottom, he came face-to-face with his ship.
The space pods used by the Planet Trade Federation (colloquially referred to as "Attack Balls") were marvels of modern science. They came in three sizes to best fit whoever happened to be piloting them. No matter the model in question, they all sported the same design aesthetic. Completely spherical, silver in color, a single hatch on the front, and a large magenta viewing window in its center. Elegant in its simplicity. The Saiyans appropriated the technology from the Tuffles, a race whom they originally shared Planet Vegeta with. Generations after the civil war that wiped out the Tuffles, the Federation arrived and married the Attack Balls with their own tech. This augmentation gave the ships the power they needed to cross interstellar distances in record time. Before, the Federation needed to play the long game, planning their conquests decades in advance. Those selected for the Infiltration Protocol were relics of that bygone era.
As he mentioned to Kakarot, the Saiyans' relationship with the Federation was mutually beneficial. At least in some respects.
Raditz went to tap a button on his Scouter before remembering he was no longer wearing it. He completely forgot he left it for Kakarot. He rolled his eyes at having made such an impulsive, foolish decision. Not that he felt he needed to calculate power levels particularly bad at this juncture. Nevertheless, the handy little device provided a much easier method of interfacing with his ship, among other functions. Doing minor, trivial tasks would be marginally more annoying without it.
Raditz placed a gloved palm on the ship's port glass. A second later, a glowing outline appeared, tracing around his fingers. Some digitized text emerged, prompting him to remove his hand. Soon as he did, a loud click emitted from the hatch, followed by twin bursts of steam. The clouds of vented atmosphere hissed until they dissipated. The hatch lowered open towards him. He sidestepped out of the way so it could unfurl upon the ground. Once it did, a set of small steps extended, and he climbed them into the craft.
By most spacecraft standards, Attack Balls were small, even at their largest size. The interior of Raditz's reflected this. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the universe, but it more than got the job done. The whole of the inside was taken up by a single brown seat recessed into the white padded foam. Attack Balls always came in hot and fast. Their durability was through the roof, hence why they created sprawling craters wherever they landed. This was why the padding was essential. If not for it, any passenger would liquefy as they made contact with a terrestrial body.
The seat bore two armrests with simple touch controls on either side. This was how the majority of the craft's functions operated, sans Scouter. The antigravity drive located beneath the seat was what allowed it to leave a planet's surface with no external means of propulsion. Whenever the ship needed to take off, the antigravity drive would adjust its harmonic frequency to match that of the planet where it was stationed. This frequency would achieve resonation with the core. Once resonance was attained, it would shift into asynchronous harmony. This caused the Attack Ball to fire from the surface like a bullet, having repelled itself from the planet like opposing poles on a magnet.
Raditz sat down in his command chair. Having little room to do anything else with him, he placed the unconscious child facing forward between his legs and used his thighs to pin him there. He tapped a beat on the control panel under his left hand and watched the stairs recede and the hatch raise back to its closed position. Another hiss signaled the pod pressurizing.
Much better.
Saiyans were notoriously adaptable, though their ideal conditions were harsher than what Earth offered. The Attack Ball quickly filled with a denser atmosphere and an increased gravitational pull, also governed by the drive below him. Seeing as he was a tad more content, he was ready to get to work.
He performed another series of gestures with his left hand on the touch panel. As he did, the twin laser arrays on either side of the chair's headrest activated. They moved rapidly as they drew a three-dimensional construct of blue light in front of Raditz's face. He lifted his fingers and manipulated the structure with a series of swipes, pokes, and claps.
After a while, the amorphous blob of data coalesced into the shape of a head. It jittered, emitting bursts of static every few seconds. Were he closer to base, the picture would've come in much clearer. Once the communication channel was open, Raditz folded his burly arms over the top of his nephew's head, shielding him from view.
The holographic form was reptilian. Like the midway point between a frog and a crocodile, sporting a small tuft of hair atop its head. It cooed in a raspy voice.
"Soldier #734, we are receiving you. Status report?"
Raditz cleared his throat.
"I have arrived on Planet—"
"—Wait, wait, wait," the reptile interrupted.
It took the Saiyan an instant to realize they weren't speaking the same language. He cursed himself again for giving up his Scouter. He needed to think of an explanation, fast.
The reptile affixed a Scouter to its own face.
"There we are. Soldier #734, what happened to your Scouter?"
"I was…I was flying over the ocean nearest to my crash site. I. I detected a power level I thought might have been noteworthy and went to investigate. I was mistaken, merely a thermal energy spike. Unfortunately, I dropped my Scouter in the water on my way back," said Raditz, saving face.
"That is indeed unfortunate. You were able to auto-translate the native tongue prior to this accident?" the lizard-person asked. Raditz nodded.
"Yes. I settled amidst some farmlands. I encountered a local who proceeded to fuss at me before attacking with a primitive firearm. This was a poor decision on his part, for obvious reasons. The obscenities he screamed in my direction were enough for my Scouter to auto-translate, hence our discrepancy a moment ago."
The scaly 3D model mulled this over. It seemed satisfied.
"I see. Status report?"
"I've successfully landed on Planet Earth. So far, no signs of Soldier #728, nor his Attack Ball. As you've already gathered, this world remains unconquered. I intend to collect more intel on what could've thwarted the destruction of all surface life. Once the reasons for mission failure become clear, along with the whereabouts and/or fate of Soldier 728, I will recommence the mission directive," Raditz dictated, lying through his teeth.
"Understood, 734. Do you require assistance neutralizing the native population?"
"No. The creatures here are weak, fragile. Whatever caused 728 not to complete his mission, it wasn't opposition from the indigenous people," Raditz answered. This was, for the most part, true.
"Very well. We expect an update from you within forty-eight Earth hours. And we anticipate the planet's full razing in one of their weeks.
"Copy that," Raditz agreed.
"Over and out," the reptile replied. Digital snow overtook the hologram and disintegrated it into nothingness.
Raditz breathed a sigh of relief. He removed his arms from his nephew's face and smacked himself in the temple for being stupid enough to part with the single most useful device at his disposal. Luckily, he didn't need it for what came next.
Raditz tapped another pattern, this time into the touch panel on his right side. A new glob of laser-charged particles glowed into existence. He acted out an extra series of pantomimes, this set taking much longer to complete, due to the farther distance he was reaching out. Once finished, a different form took shape in the iridescent mass. This one was less clear, less defined. Only a scant few features could be deciphered in the graphical noise and artifacts. The figure possessed the thick eyebrows, raven hair, and dark-brown eyes typical of Saiyan males. He had an angular face with a pointed chin and sharp nose, as well as a prominent widow's peak. He also wore a Scouter fastened to his face, meaning they wouldn't run into any translation snafus.
"My liege," Raditz spoke as he closed his eyes, placed a hand over his heart, and bowed his head.
"Your Scouter's off, yes?" the face asked him. Though greatly distorted, the voice was throaty and deep.
"Don't have it. No need to worry about anyone else listening in," said Raditz. This was an upside to the furnishings of Attack Balls being so sparse. The holographic projection system was the only built-in means of communicating with anyone else in the Federation. Due to it needing to be activated by hand, it afforded its pilots a certain amount of privacy, so long as a Scouter wasn't on or nearby. Were his Scouter with him and functional, his superiors could eavesdrop if they so wished. His contact on the other hand only ever used Scouters he himself tampered with beforehand so as to make his more clandestine operations untraceable.
"What's going on over there?" the hologram persisted.
"Would you prefer the good or the bad news first?" Raditz asked.
"You know me better than that. Always start with the bad," replied the voice.
Raditz let his shoulders go slack.
"I found Kakarot. He's one of the 'lucky' four percent."
The face cringed.
"What's the extent of the damage?"
"Total memory loss. Every scrap of his conditioning erased. Happened not long after he got here. Assimilated with the population, took a wife and son. Full native."
"Damn it all."
"It gets worse," Raditz continued, "he lost his tail."
The silence that followed was punctuated by the figure leaving the hologram. Raditz heard what he thought was a shout in the distance, followed by an explosion. The figure from the hologram returned shortly thereafter.
"You mentioned there was good news?" the projection asked, noticeably more flustered than before.
"Kakarot has made many friends here. He has a family. While that may sound like a detriment, I believe it's a weakness we can exploit. Saiyan programming or not, no one has the stomach to watch everyone they care for die in front of them. Not when they can stop it. No matter the cost. I'm sure with a little more persuasion, I can convince Kakarot the smart move is to join us. In return, I will agree to spare his loved ones."
"Hardly a consolation. So much could go wrong. What do you plan to do if he says no?"
Raditz exhaled.
"If he refuses? I take away his ability to choose."
The hologram stared at him.
"I need you committed to this cause, Raditz. I know he's your brother, and you'd rather not get your hands dirty if you can help it. Showing his people mercy might be a viable negotiation tactic. It also might show a lack of conviction. I need to know if push comes to shove, your loyalty will be to me and the mission."
"The mission? Of course, sire. It'll hardly be the first planet I've wiped out."
"Not the Federation's mission, you dolt. Our mission."
Raditz blinked in rapid succession. Once comprehension took over him, he gulped and nodded.
"Yes, sire. You needn't worry about my conviction. Even if I have to strangle every friend he has with my bare hands, he will leave this planet with me."
"Make sure he does," the hologram affirmed.
"There's one more thing," Raditz appended. He lifted his arms and pointed at his nephew's head.
The hologram angled its gaze downward for the first time.
"What's that?"
"My brother's son."
There was a pause, during which everyone remained still.
"What're you telling me? You abducted his child? If it needed to be done, so be it. You don't need my approval for every action you take there."
"That's not it, my liege. He is Kakarot's son. By blood."
The hologram's eyes went wide.
"I assumed you meant he adopted a family. Do you mean to say Earthling and Saiyan biology is compatible?"
"Perhaps not all Earthlings. But humans? Definitely."
"Are you quite positive? I don't see a tail anywhere."
"My guess is Kakarot and his mate removed the boy's tail at birth to help him blend in. Or, he simply may not have been born with one. Could be a quirk of the crossed genetics. In any case, he has Saiyan blood running through his veins. He stood up to me when I first took him, however briefly. He has the ferocity, the tenacity. It just needs to be cultivated. Brought out."
The projection's eyes darted back and forth, processing a great many things.
"This is good news, my friend. With long-term ramifications. This could be a way to propagate a new Saiyan race. Mixed blood is better than none at all."
"My thoughts exactly. Which is why, at the very least, we may need to set aside more than Kakarot's loved ones. The Federation expects all life wiped out within an Earth week, roughly equating to three of ours. If we can commandeer a ship before then—one large enough to suit our needs…we could take a few hundred. Settle the refugees on a different planet. Rebuild the empire in secret."
"I'll see what I can do. The Federation still has ties to a few bands of pirates. I'll make contact. Either way, they're on the fringes of the outer rim. There's no way any of them will reach you fast enough. I can call in a few favors, see if the Federation will give you more time."
"That would be ideal."
The projection watched the unconscious body of Kakarot's boy stir.
"You know what else this means, don't you?" the hologram questioned. Raditz cocked his head, uncertain.
"I'm not sure, sire."
"This could mean one less survivor we need to track down. We can focus all our efforts on finding Tarble. We might not need to waste manpower looking for low-class trash like Paragus and his brat."
"Are you sure the ritual will work with a half-Saiyan?"
"About as sure as I am it will work with one missing a tail. Which is to say not sure at all. Nevertheless, I'll take any bone the universe is willing to throw me."
Raditz nodded in agreement.
"Do your best to bring Kakarot around. I'll work on my end. Check back with me in three Earth days."
"As you command, my liege," Raditz bowed as the hologram dissolved into gray-blue snow once more.
With that done and over with, filling his belly seemed the most prudent thing to do.
Raditz retyped the combination to open the hatch on his ship. He slid out from behind the rousing child, aiming to keep him locked in the pod. No doubt he'd be fully conscious once he returned. Sick as he was of navigating these conversational minefields, he needed to think of how best to pacify the boy once he awoke. It wouldn't do anyone any good to have him crying and begging for his mother for the next several days. He'd never been alone with a kid before, which posed a conundrum regarding how calming a presence he could actually be if he put his mind to it. He decided he would dedicate his thoughts to the matter as he hunted down some grub.
The hatch closed behind him as he ascended the crater and traipsed through the leveled farmlands. He bent down and sifted through the dirt, looking for some edible vegetation, anything to satiate his appetite. The possibility of having to fly to a populated area to solve this problem was becoming ever more real. This irked him to no end.
As Raditz was preparing to take off, he heard a noise echoing across the horizon. He could've sworn it sounded like a sonic boom. He looked over his shoulder and spotted what appeared to be two bodies in the sky, miles away. Two bodies approaching at breakneck speeds, halving their proximity in the blink of an eye.
Two bodies headed straight for him.
Raditz tensed his muscles. He squared himself, anger rising in him like water attaining a rolling boil. Within seconds, Kakarot and some green thing in a trench coat landed before him.
You must be joking.
Goku flew alongside Piccolo. It was an odd sensation, traveling headlong into battle with his greatest enemy. It wasn't altogether unpleasant. Whether one counted Piccolo and Lord Piccolo as a single being reincarnated across two bodies or as a parent and child, this was the most civil they'd been in Goku's presence during either lifespan.
A year prior, when Gohan was taken for the first time, the pair united against a shared adversary. The friction between them was undeniable. All the same, their opposing martial arts styles worked in tandem excellently. Each fault in one complimented the other. Goku liked to think this was because they had more in common than they realized, that maybe they shouldn't abhor each other with such vigor.
Despite some notable exceptions which came out during their talk with Chi-Chi, Piccolo saw themselves as Lord Piccolo's spirit and mind reborn, full stop. Goku viewed the two's relationship as familial, even with shared memories and feelings considered. It was plain as day to him they were distinct people with separate thoughts, desires, and mannerisms. Goku's hatred was reserved for Lord Piccolo, stemming from the losses he suffered at their hands during the deceased monster's reign. Truth be told, he didn't have much against their progeny when it came right down to it.
It was an instinctual thing, Goku's desire to always look for the best in others. To find noble qualities even they weren't aware they possessed. It was an instinct he now knew ran entirely counter to the mental conditioning he underwent as a toddler. This cemented the principle as all the more worthwhile in his mind. More often than not, his life philosophy that everyone possessed at least a shred of good in them worked in his favor. Most of his friends were former would-be villains, turned by the man's innocence and kindness. He had a preternatural talent for curbing the insidiousness in someone's heart. He supposed he himself was no exception to the rule. Whatever sparked his inner light must've come from deep within, a place ingrained in the fabric of who he was. Otherwise, why else would he have concussed himself, coincidentally erasing his darker nature? One might argue handicapping himself for life at such a young age was a pure freak accident. It certainly wasn't without its consequences. One could also argue it was a rather decisive demonstration of fate's handiwork.
In Piccolo's case, Goku needed to put facts before intuition. He was forced to entertain the very real possibility they synced up well due to how much Piccolo studied him and his moves. Knowing one's enemy was one of the most important rules of engagement, after all. Learning the Turtle Hermit techniques like the back of their hand to better exploit them when given the chance was, more likely than not, Piccolo's aim.
Still. It was plain as day, as a duo, they were a force to be reckoned with.
"You feeling up to this?" Goku yelled from atop the Nimbus.
On the way, he'd spent a requisite few minutes getting them up to speed with what occurred on the beach outside Kame House. Piccolo already pieced most of it together on their own, based on what they sensed from the fluctuating power signatures. Though they sported an iron-clad poker face, Piccolo seemed distracted since the debrief, hence Goku's question.
Before leaving the rock valley, Piccolo donned a hooded, long-sleeved white robe. The trim around the sleeves and hood was gray. The bottom of the garment flapped in the breeze behind them like a cape. Inside the hood was a strip of eggshell cloth that doubled as a collar and neck warmer. Cascading over their forehead from underneath the top of the hood was another length of fabric, this one purple in tone with a silver border. This combined with the collar served the purpose of shielding their face from view or the elements, should they have decided to pull it up over their nose and mouth.
"Your brother's the one you should concern yourself with," Piccolo replied between labored breaths.
They were sweating like crazy, which further confused Goku. They shouldn't be expending so much energy keeping up with the magical little cloud.
"I would offer to let you ride with me if I didn't think you'd fall right through," the Saiyan joked. Piccolo grit their teeth and spat.
"I wouldn't be caught dead on that toy of yours, much less with you."
"Touchy, touchy," Goku laughed. "Seriously—why do you look so tired? You sure you're not gonna be out of juice by the time we get to Raditz?"
Piccolo eyed their dubious cohort. They wrestled with telling him something. In the end, they gave in, only because it did pertain to the battle at hand. In all probability, the plan they were concocting would need Goku's willing participation to succeed.
"While you've been slacking off, growing complacent with your worldly pleasures, I've been training my mind and my body, nonstop. I have a few new techniques under my belt, one of which I've been passively charging since we set out. If we end up needing it, it could provide a nice, clean end to our mutual foe."
"Wow. You have been busy," Goku complimented. "You test this one out yet? I'm dying to see it!"
"Not on anything living. Nonetheless, the experimentation I've done has proven more than sufficient. It'll be a shame if I have to waste it on this interloper. I was saving it to use on you."
Goku's jaw hung slack as he computed this. His look of shock turned into a smirk of excitement.
"Aww, you're sacrificing a surprise move you were gonna use on me to help me out. How sweet."
"I can turn around and leave you to contend with the alien on your own," Piccolo shot back, unable to contain the wry smile spreading across their own face. They were ashamed to admit they were enjoying this small bit of camaraderie. They chalked it up to having been in the wilderness with no one else to converse with. Being alone with one's own thoughts for so long could make any company tolerable, it seemed.
"No, no. In all honesty, I can't thank you enough for this, Piccolo. I owe you, big time," Goku divulged.
Piccolo paused before saying anything.
"I'm not doing it for you," they said at last, turning their head and avoiding eye contact.
"Huh. So even Big Green has a soft side. I know for a fact Gohan will appreciate it. I mean, you are helping save his life. Again. I better keep a lookout, or he's gonna side with you one of these days and try to take me out," Goku chortled.
"I told you, I don't give a damn if your brat lives or dies!" Piccolo snapped, shutting him up immediately.
Goku arched an eyebrow in puzzlement. Did he touch a nerve?
"Then…who are you doing it for?"
"Dangerous line of questioning. As I said, I can turn around."
"If you were gonna bail, you would've done it already," Goku chastised, seeing through the bluff. Piccolo sneered.
"I won't deny your wife has a gift for persuasion. She exploited a weakness I didn't know I had. I respect that. Anyone who bests me deserves my admiration if nothing else."
"Even me?" Goku asked, genuinely curious.
Piccolo was caught off guard by the query. They didn't quite know how to respond.
"I. Suppose," they said with great effort, disgusted with themselves. "I'll only say it once more, Goku. I'll do what I can to help you. To appease your woman. To keep your spawn away from Death's door for another day. Once this is over, nothing changes between you and I. Got it?"
Goku nodded. Somehow, he didn't think that would hold completely true.
"Sounds good. Also, can't wait to see this attack of yours."
"Problem is, I haven't perfected it. It takes a while to prime yet compensates with immense power. The more I use it, the faster I get with it. That said, if we find ourselves on the ropes, I might need you to provide a distraction so I can get a clear shot."
"I think I can manage that," said Goku. "Got a name for it yet?"
"I've been tossing around a few. Nothing so asinine as the 'Turtle Destruction Wave'."
"Hey, c'mon! Only Master Roshi's ever called it that. It's always been the Kamehameha, far as his students are concerned," Goku replied with mock indignation. To be fair, Goku thought even "Kamehameha" was a little unwieldy of a moniker for the ultimate technique of the Turtle Hermit martial arts school. It wasn't easy to say, nor was it descriptive in any way, shape, or form. Even so, he couldn't argue with how empowering reciting the words and firing a beam of shimmering blue fire from one's hands was. It was the type of feat most took decades trying to master, to harness enough spiritual energy for. The vast majority who tried couldn't do it, regardless how long they practiced. Performing the attack only a few short hours after witnessing it for the first time was what originally clued Roshi in to Goku's latent potential as a boy.
"For now, I'm calling it the Impaling Light," Piccolo spoke, jarring Goku from his trip down memory lane.
"Huh. That sounds pretty interesting. Little edgy, though, doncha think?"
"It's not an edged attack," Piccolo replied, confusion on their face. Evidently, they did not catch Goku's meaning. A rare case of the shoe being on the other foot.
"No, I mean, it's like you're trying too hard to make it sound cool. You might as well call it the 'Killing Gun', or the 'Special Beam Cannon'," Goku clarified. Piccolo grumbled.
"You haven't even seen it! It is not a cannon, nor is it a gun."
"But it is special, right?" Goku grinned. Piccolo contemplated elbowing him off his vehicle.
A tremor went through both of them, strong enough to stop them in their tracks. They held their positions in midair, shaken to their cores by an incredible energy source.
"That would be him, right?" Piccolo asked. Goku nodded.
"He's close. Let's put on our game faces."
Goku hopped off the Nimbus and let it evaporate behind him. With a sonic boom, the two continued onward to meet their extraterrestrial quarry.
Raditz looked back and forth from Goku to Piccolo. It was a while before anyone spoke up.
"Kakarot. You're here sooner than I expected. Your wounds have healed nicely. And quickly," the elder Saiyan noted. He would need to figure out later what on this planet gave someone the ability to regrow a mouthful of teeth and mend broken bones in mere hours. He wondered if it had anything to do with that Kami fellow.
Goku said nothing. Neither did Piccolo. Raditz chewed the inside of his cheek, understanding the silence, the semi-psychic murmur beneath their traded glances.
The brain damage must've been more severe than he'd initially assumed. He'd hoped his sibling would've been smarter than this.
"I take it you're not here to talk? A foolish decision, really."
"I'm gonna give you one chance," Goku blurted. "Where's Gohan?"
Raditz stuck out a thumb and gestured behind him matter of factly.
"Kid's fast asleep inside my ship. He's fine. I told you I wasn't going to harm him. Just because you needed to be taught a lesson doesn't mean you can't take me at my word."
"This doesn't have to go the way it did last time," Goku continued. He swallowed hard and placed his hands at his sides, his fists tight.
"Oh? I'm positively trembling at the idea," Raditz mocked. He turned his attention to Piccolo. "Who's your new friend, here? Another comrade for me to play with? If this goes 'the way it did last time', I suppose I'll have to knock some sense into them as well."
"We're not friends," Piccolo piped in, their jade skin glistening with sweat. "I reckon you'll find me more formidable than the rank amateurs in Goku's entourage."
Raditz chuckled. He pointed an index finger in the green one's direction.
"I like this one. Certainly talks a better game than the others," Raditz praised.
"We don't have to do this. If you truly are my brother, prove it."
Raditz was growing irritated. He took a few steps towards Goku.
"And how shall I do so? You want a DNA test? Or do you wish me to abandon my mission as you did? You think I want to kill everything on this rock? I don't take pleasure in ending lives, causing suffering. I don't do it for the paycheck, either. I'm not heartless."
"Then to Hell with your bosses! Join us. Fight alongside us. Help me protect this planet," Goku pleaded. "You're the strongest fighter I've ever come across. With you on the team, your company wouldn't stand a chance against us."
Raditz froze. He gulped a mouth of hot saliva.
"You'd be surprised."
The worst part wasn't Goku's defiance, nor his naïvety. It was the fact Raditz considered it, if only for a moment. A moment which seemed to stretch on and on in his mind's eye. He found himself enjoying the fantasy of having a real home to call his own. Others to care for. Someone to hold dear. He dared himself to think it could work.
As quick as the thoughts arose in him, the reality set in. His real allegiance wasn't to the Planet Trade. He needed to remind himself he served a truer master, held a greater purpose. And like it or not, his sibling was an essential component to said purpose.
"Did you bring my Scouter with you?" Raditz questioned through grit teeth. Goku furrowed his brow.
"Your what?"
"The device I gave you!" Raditz hollered, seething.
Showing his hand at this early a stage was ill-advised. Normally, he wouldn't have. But he thought it might be the only way to get through to his brother. To make him understand the larger machinations at work.
"Why?" asked Goku, unsure how the location of the headset mattered. He made a silent prayer to Kami the thing wasn't some sort of bomb Raditz could activate at any moment. The last thing he needed was the people he cared about in even more danger.
"Because my employers can listen in on it. Do you have it or not?" Raditz said, metering out his words, careful and cautious.
Goku debated telling the truth. He was reluctant to give away any possible advantage they had. At first, he wondered if the potential for Raditz's bosses to listen in might keep him on something of a leash. Then he remembered it was them giving the push to wipe out all life on Earth. The more Goku considered it, the less harm he figured being honest could do. He preferred it that way, anyway. He was a terrible liar.
"No. We Earthlings are more resourceful than you give us credit for. We didn't need it to find you," he answered after a spell.
"Good," Raditz said with a long exhale. The issue of how he'd been able to lock onto his power level without the device was a topic for another day. "Listen to me, Kakarot. The fate of one planet pales in comparison to what's at stake, here. As I said, you have a role to play in all this. Razing planets is busywork. It's a means to an end. I do it to blend in, to stay under the radar. To bide my time. I am an integral part of a rebellion that is forming."
"A rebellion against who?" Goku asked, his guard lowering ever so slightly. Piccolo folded their arms.
"My employer. The Planet Trade. Specifically, the one who owns and operates it."
"What happened to the Saiyans' arrangement with them being…mutually beneficial?" Goku retorted, struggling for a moment to recall the exact phrasing.
Raditz flared his nostrils.
"They're the one who destroyed our home planet."
Goku recoiled. Piccolo held their ground.
"Go on," Goku urged. Raditz shrugged his shoulders.
"After you were sent off Planet Vegeta, the leader of the Planet Trade Federation decided to sever their ties with the Saiyan race. Different individuals will give you differing reasons as to why. The result is the same, whichever explanation you subscribe to. They annihilated our homeworld. Not with an army. Not over the course of several long weeks. Not with a weapon. With their own. Two. Hands.
"They killed our mother. They killed our father. They murdered our king. The only ones who made it out happened to be off-world when it happened. We estimate the survivors to be in the single-digits. Thus far, we've been able to account for seven, of which we've made contact with four. Among them our prince, his attendant, myself, and you."
Goku listened intently. Finally, things were starting to make a little more sense. He wasn't quite so reluctant to believe Raditz when he claimed not to be heartless anymore. However, he was fuzzy on a few important details.
"Okay. So, what? You want me in this rebellion?"
"An over-simplification. But essentially? Yes."
"My problem is I don't see how killing all life on this planet helps your rebellion in the slightest."
Raditz pinched the bridge of his nose. It baffled him how these answers weren't obvious.
"The three of us who've already aligned hide in plain sight. The Federation exterminated our people, though felt hunting down the stragglers was unnecessary. That the death of our race was enough of a show of force. Either fall in line or stay the hell out of the way. We work for the tyrants who obliterated our home whilst we strive to undo them from within. Yes, it means doing our jobs and occasionally leveling another world. It's a dirty business, but we're good at it. All the while, we search for the other survivors so someday our prince may unite our powers under the common goal."
"So, that's the cost?" spoke Goku, having heard enough. "Watch millions perish—"
"—Billions," Piccolo chimed in, still as a statue. They too were apparently sick of the intruder's spiel.
"Thank you, Piccolo. Billions. For what? To avenge one planet? Well, it's NOT. Worth it. Can't you see? You're just another cog in this machine of torture."
Raditz growled. He clenched his fists and shifted his stance. Gravel and rocks began to levitate in the air around him. His anger was palpable.
"How DARE you!? Where's your pride? It's not about avenging one race, Kakarot. It's about avenging ours! And every other the Planet Trade has wiped out. They use us like puppets. We're not strong enough to fight back. Not yet. Not without all our cards on the table."
"All I'm hearing are excuses," Goku replied. He bent his knees and placed his elbows into his waist as he focused his energy, gathered power. Piccolo followed suit. More debris floated around the trio, the atmosphere growing thicker, more tangible. The static in the air caused the Saiyans' hair to crackle and flow as if in a gust of wind.
"Pains me to say it, but Goku's right. You and your ilk made your choice. You fell in line with monsters, expecting you wouldn't become monsters yourselves. Trust me, I know a thing or two on the subject. You see yourselves as heroes, playing the long game towards a greater good. You're cowards," said Piccolo. Goku looked in their direction, surprised by their words and delighted they seemed to be on the same page.
The expression on Raditz's face was one of pure, unadulterated rage. He flexed, causing a series of fractures to open in the ground beneath him. Clouds gathered overhead. The three warriors' power levels skyrocketed.
"Like last time it is, then," Raditz said from the pit of his throat. A vein pulsated in his forehead. "Call it tough love. One way or another, you will unite with us, brother. How many pieces you want to be in when you do is your choice. Along with how many of your dear ones need die before it happens."
The talk was over. Negotiations were through. The battle had begun.
Goku and Piccolo leaped from their positions in unison. They each landed on either side of Raditz and showered him with flurries of punches and kicks. He moved his arms and legs rapidly to block every blow, expending considerable effort in so doing. While Scouters always accounted for potential spikes, the amount of energy the two gathered in such a short while was unheard of. He was sure if he'd been wearing it, it would've sizzled and burst atop his skull in an electric frenzy.
Raditz seized Piccolo by the wrist in mid-punch. He twisted violently, taking the green one down to their knees. In the same instant, he craned his neck to avoid a roundhouse kick from Goku. He caught the leg at the peak of its extension and threw his brother aside by the ankle. He then delivered a dropkick to Piccolo's chest that sent him soaring backward.
Goku jumped to his feet and launched at his brother. He managed to land a decisive right cross that knocked Raditz off balance. He followed up with a knee to the stomach and a two-fisted smash to the elder Saiyan's spine. He expelled a mouthful of bile from the hit. He tensed his abdomen in preparation for another attack.
"You'll pay for that," he said as he palmed Goku's knee on its next approach.
He reached his free arm up and placed his hand between Goku's neck and shoulder. In one fluid motion, he lifted Goku off the ground and spun his body in midair before headbutting him in the solar plexus. The move was devastatingly strong, powerful enough to rocket Goku into the hillside several dozen yards away.
A green and pink striated length of flesh looped around Raditz's throat. No sooner did he register this than it tightened and yanked him off his feet. His oxygen supply was cut off in an instant. He fumbled at the leathery noose, suffocating as he moved.
As he tumbled upside down, he saw Piccolo a substantial distance away, reeling him in with what appeared to be their own elongated arm. Those extra few moments of being able to gauge the situation were the undoing of the strategy.
Rather than resist or plant his boots into the earth, Raditz tucked his body into the pull and extended his legs at the last moment to double kick Piccolo directly in the face. Soon as he did, Piccolo's elastic arm unfurled and receded to its original proportions.
While on their back, Piccolo performed a kick up and returned to a fighting stance. They charged forward and traded blows with Raditz. Half their moves connected, slowly but surely chipping away at the Saiyan's reserves of stamina. The other half were blocked or countered in brutal fashion. Piccolo was undeniably a challenge, yet brute strength was not on their side. If this kept up, the mongrel would outlast him.
"Kaaa…"
Piccolo's ears perked up. They twitched and aimed towards Goku. He was preparing his signature technique. If he was able to pull it off, it might end up being the deciding factor in the encounter.
"Meee…"
Goku was squatting a few feet away from a markedly him-shaped imprint in the rock wall where he landed. He pivoted his arms in great circular motions in front of him. As he did, particles of sapphire energy collected in his clawed hands. He recited the incantation that went along with the attack, each word becoming louder, more booming.
"Haaa…"
Piccolo dove towards Raditz. They reached behind him, gripped, and proceeded to knee him repeatedly in the chest. It was a highly telegraphed play, thus Raditz was able to shield himself from most of the strikes. The point wasn't to harm him. They needed to keep him distracted, his guard directed away from his brother.
"Meee…"
The orb of light in Goku's hands was now enormous and blinding. He pulled it to his hip, rotated his torso and compacted the shimmering ball into a more manageable state. White and blue fire swirled around him, heating his body but not burning it. A matching aura flashed and surged, igniting the grass at his feet. The ground started to buckle and shake beneath his might.
Raditz gripped Piccolo's calf and spun them by it. He used a variation of the move he performed on Yamcha and unfurled Piccolo across the ground like a whip. They screamed out in pain.
"NOW, GOKU!" Piccolo signaled.
Raditz arched an eyebrow before understanding washed over him. He whirled around to see his sibling throwing his hands outward in an open clamshell shape. The sphere of vibrating energy he wielded looked absolutely menacing.
"HAAA!" Goku bellowed.
Something triggered in the heart of blue plasma. It shifted once, twice, then emitted a piercing beam of raw energy. The beam only grew larger from its focal point. It scorched the earth it traveled over, devastating anything and everything in its path. Raditz danced on his toe tips, ready to evade at the last possible moment.
Piccolo delivered an impressive body slam to Raditz's vertebrae. It was enough to push him into the air and forward, on a direct collision course with the beam. With fractions of a second to spare, Piccolo scrambled to get out of the way. They almost made it.
Raditz raised his hands and attempted to palm the attack as it reached him. One arm ricocheted off the dynamism and became engulfed, the armor surrounding it singed off in an instant. He used that bit of momentum in tandem with a thrust from his other arm to corkscrew away from the blast. In continued onward through Piccolo. Goku funneled all his effort into moving the billowing fireball in his hands, causing the beam to curve around. Piccolo flattened themselves on the ground to avoid further damage.
Raditz had enough. He bared his teeth, tensed his upper body, and slammed his uninjured hand headlong into the blast. The beam stopped in its trajectory, spilling all its energy in a concussive detonation around the invader. The ground didn't stop shaking for close to a minute.
While smoke filled the area, Goku dashed over to Piccolo.
"Piccolo! Piccolo, are you all right?" he asked, frantic.
Most of their robe was burnt away, the remnants existing in smoldering tatters. He bent and grabbed the green one by the shoulder to hoist them to their feet. Once he did, he saw the terrible cost the duo's gamble had wrought.
Piccolo's left arm was severed—no, disintegrated—at the elbow. The wound was cauterized, meaning they wouldn't bleed out there on the battlefield. All the same, this was a tremendous detriment to their odds of victory.
"Oh, man! Piccolo, I'm s-so sorry," Goku stammered.
Piccolo wobbled as they got to their feet, then shoved Goku's helping hand away.
"I'm fine! I've endured worse. Besides, we've got bigger problems."
The murky air was clearing. All was becoming visible once more. As the gasses dissipated, Raditz was revealed, still breathing, still standing. His palm was extended in the position it had been to catch the Kamehameha wave. The fingers jittered, the now exposed skin raw and burnt to a crisp. The Saiyan's gloves and shoulder plates were gone, melted or outright vaporized in the wake of the attack. He breathed heavily, the effort of neutralizing the beam having definitely taken its toll.
His tail looked to have unfurled from his waist at some point during the commotion. It now undulated at his side, reeking of burnt hair.
"First," Raditz huffed. "I'm going to grab your friend by the neck. Then, I'm going to tear off every other limb they've got. After, I'll break every bone in your body, Kakarot. I don't care if I have to bring you to my master paralyzed from the neck down. You are coming with me! And because you seem to delight in pissing me off, I'm going to take renewed joy in extinguishing all life from this infested trash heap. You won't be able to do anything but watch. I won't shed a single tear for the fallen," he raged, his voice ragged, the look in his eyes approaching mania.
Piccolo cinched their lips tight, wiggled their stump. They grimaced at the searing wave of anguish as it traveled through them.
"Crap. I'm. I'm sorry, Piccolo. This is all my fault. I m-might've just killed us," Goku whispered, crestfallen.
"Enough with the apologies! We'll worry about it later. We need a new plan, and we need it now."
"Got any suggestions?" Goku wondered aloud.
Piccolo smirked, despite the fury exuding from their shredded appendage.
"Yeah. One. I've gotta use my new move. Think you can hold him off long enough to give me a bead?" Piccolo formulated. Goku nodded without even considering what that would entail.
"You got it. How long do you need?"
"As long as you can give me."
Raditz walked toward them. It was a gradual approach. Perhaps he really was hurt and running low on power. Goku thought if he played his hand right, fought smart, he just maybe stood a chance.
He took off flying a few inches above the dirt towards his brother. As he sped at him, he made his hands into fists, ready to deliver a series of crushing blows.
Raditz plucked him out of the air by his throat and chokeslammed him. Each of the punches Goku prepared glanced off Raditz's seared shoulders, causing only the most minuscule amount of damage.
The ground caved in with Goku's impact. Raditz rounded on him. He sank a foot into his brother's ribs, descended bit by bit, snapping them one by one. Goku screamed in agony. He kicked like mad, landing several direct hits to Raditz's face and collarbone. He shrugged off the attacks and lifted Goku into the air before slamming him back down again. He repeated the motion five times more. Goku was done kicking after that.
Still holding him by the neck, Raditz cocked back and tossed his sibling like a fastball. He whizzed past Piccolo and landed in a crumpled mound outside the crater housing the spaceship.
Goku's head bobbed over the lip of the basin once he skidded to a stop. He drooled blood down the concave dirt barrier. From his perspective, he could see a topsy-turvy image of the Saiyan's pod. He watched with rapt attention as Gohan pounded on the circular window from the inside. He was scared out of his mind, tears staining his face.
Goku knew no matter how frightened his little boy was, the danger of his predicament (being trapped somewhere he wasn't familiar with) must've paled in comparison to seeing his father beaten and bloody a stone's throw away. He couldn't believe it was mere hours ago when everything was normal, quaint. They were all trading stories from their early days, with Gohan thrilled to no end, at last able to experience some of the hero worship all boys should feel for their fathers.
"You could've made this easy on yourself," Raditz hollered, trotting over to where he'd pitched his brother. He smiled gingerly at Piccolo as he passed them. The green one trembled, unsure if their compatriot was down for the count and if they'd have to step in.
Raditz arrived at Goku. He knelt down to face him.
"You started this. When you and your friend got here, you said you were going to give me one more chance, yes? Well, now I'm going to give you one more chance. This planet will be cleansed. Not everyone has to die. I know I can be pragmatic. I can also be merciful. The master I serve? The one who will be the savior of the Saiyan race? He's arranging transport as we speak for a hundred people. We aim to use them to breed new Saiyans on a planet far from the Federation's reach. Your friends and family can be among them. All you have to do is submit. Give up. Join your people, brother. Fulfill your destiny."
Goku spat blood into Raditz's face.
"My destiny…is to protect the people…right here," Goku panted.
Raditz swiped a hand across the red loogie speckled across his nose and forehead. This only resulted in spreading a ghoulish crimson smear across his visage. Goku sniggered.
"Lemme. Lemme guess. I'm gonna pay for—"
Raditz sucker punched him in the mouth. The sound echoed for miles.
Piccolo placed their index and middle fingers between their antennae. They focused and poured all their energy into a single point. It was now or never. They weren't likely to get a better shot. Goku was out cold. Raditz's back was turned. The distance between them was larger than they would've liked, but they were out of options. This was it.
"Impaling Light," Piccolo spoke low.
An infinitesimal ball of golden energy blinked to life at their fingertips. Sparks crackled off its surface as it rotated faster and faster. Debris hovered around Piccolo and into the sky in a helical shape. The earth began to rumble.
Raditz looked over his shoulder. He saw what Piccolo was doing. He rolled his eyes in exasperation, wondered when the hell this would end. He stood up straight and made his way to the amputee.
"Was this your plan? Thought you'd get the drop on me, eh? Let's have it," Raditz boasted. He made a fist and pounded his chest, puffing himself up.
"You talk too much," griped Piccolo.
This was no good. Since he was aware of what was going on, he would dodge the attack at the last possible second. As soon as he caught a glimpse of it, he wouldn't be stupid enough to try and tank it.
They supposed they were getting what they deserved for throwing in their lot with the man who murdered their progenitor.
Raditz stumbled. His eyes widened. It wasn't from Piccolo's steadily rising power level.
Somehow, Goku got to his feet. He was holding Raditz's tail firmly in his grasp. A bolt of real fear coursed through the elder Saiyan.
"My. M-my memory sucks," Goku spoke between staggered breaths, "but I remember one thing, clear as day. When I was a kid. When I…had a tail? Whenever someone did this—"
He jerked with both hands in opposite directions. The thick, furry rope of flesh spasmed in his grasp. Raditz howled. Piccolo was awestruck.
"—it hurt. More than anything I've ever felt," Goku finished.
He throttled the tail again. His brother shrieked and instinctively backhanded him. Goku spat more blood yet didn't fall to the ground. He planted his feet, determined to be an immovable object, no matter how much of an unstoppable force Raditz was.
He squeezed the tail. He felt a bone crack beneath his grip. Raditz nearly threw up from the pain.
"Piccolo! Your attack! Do it now!" Goku shouted. Piccolo smiled.
"Well played, Goku," the green one yelled back.
They grinned with genuine pleasure. In seconds, the tide of the battle had turned. Now, Piccolo was presented with a far better opportunity than they could've ever dreamt of. They concentrated, poured every last ounce of strength they possessed into the revolving yellow orb in front of their face. Their antennae danced with the revolutions, their ears pointed straight behind their head.
"Kakarot!" Raditz begged. "You don't know what you're doing. If you kill me, someone far worse will come to take my place. I won't be able to protect you. There's no way you can ever hope to win. Your only chance is to join us. Please, listen to me! You're damning your entire race!"
He was panicking, on the verge of a meltdown. Goku felt an acute pang of guilt eating away at him. His hold loosened by a fraction.
"Goku, what're you doing!?" Piccolo cried out, disbelief blanketing their face.
He wanted things to be different. He wanted to be able to trust his brother, to have a brother. He shut his eyes tight, chewed his lower lip.
"Goku, you cannot take pity on him!" Piccolo called out. "If you let him go, he will slaughter your entire family. You know he won't stop there—he'll destroy this world! You can't let that happen!"
"Don't listen," Raditz gasped. "Your place is with us. I won't harm your family. I'll stay here and fight alongside you, I swear it."
"HE'S LYING! Think about the millions he's already killed! THE BILLIONS!" Piccolo screeched, desperate.
Goku's eyes watered. This didn't feel right. Killing someone, let alone his own brother? It went against his very nature. The only exceptions he made in the past were when the fate of the Earth was on the line. Even then, it was only after the deaths of so many of his friends, so many innocents he did what needed to be done.
How is this any different? And when has knuckling an enemy under ever gotten them to change their ways? Either you finish him here, now, before he has a chance to kill anyone, or you do it later. If you can. By then, how much of the blood will belong on your own hands?
He needed to stifle these feelings. Remorse could come later. When his son was rescued. When his friends were safe. When he was given room to gather his bearings, to reinforce the idea he did what was necessary. He knew no one else would blame him. Not his grandfather, not his master, not his wife. Not his boy. Only himself.
Don't even think about it.
"My race…is the human race," said Goku, his tone decisive and final. "If this is what the Saiyans have to do to survive…maybe they should be damned. Myself included."
Raditz lost it. He powered through the pain and rushed Goku. His moves were sloppy, muddled by anger and outrage.
Goku weaved in and out of each attempted strike. He wrapped Raditz's tail around one of his fists and pulled, using it as a guide to move him into the path of the attack.
"PICCOLO! NOW!" Goku roared.
He placed a foot in the small of Raditz's back. He kicked and yanked simultaneously, ripping out his sibling's tail by the root. The sound he produced in response was nightmarish.
Piccolo removed his fingers from his head and thrust them forward. As soon as he did, the marble of light burst, sending a corkscrew of energy at the aliens. It seemed to suck the color and vibrancy of the atmosphere surrounding, the glow growing more and more intense as it drilled through the stratus.
It reached Raditz in mere blinks. Once it connected with his center mass, it appeared to stop. Though the pause felt like minutes from all the fighters' perspectives, in actuality, it lasted a fraction of a second. The beam tunneled through the Saiyan, eating through armor and flesh as if they were nothing. Raditz couldn't even get out a scream before the attack burst from his shoulder blade.
Goku had just long enough to realize what was about to happen before it did.
Piccolo's move shot through Raditz, continued past, then entered Goku. Another brief pause preceded the technique doing exactly as it did moments ago. It emerged from his spinal column before arcing through the air and colliding with a mountaintop in the distance. The Impaling Light subsisted for an instant more until at last, it dissipated.
Raditz dropped to the soil like a ton of bricks. Goku collapsed to his knees. Blood bubbled up in his esophagus. The pain was white-hot and searing for all the time it took to fully splay onto the ground. Everything was numb after that.
The passage of time became fluid, immaterial. At some point after being run through, Goku noticed Piccolo standing much closer, only a few feet away from Raditz.
"Sorry, Goku," they snickered. They used a knuckle to wipe some extant sweat from their face. "My attack worked exactly as planned. Better than I imagined. I know, I kept you out of the loop. I told you, nothing changed between us. I helped you secure your kid and stop this blowhard. Now, you've paid for Lord Piccolo's life with your own. Consider us even."
Goku's head lolled to the side. He looked at Piccolo, his vision blurring and refocusing like a camera's aperture. Perplexingly, he smiled.
"Sounds…fair…to me," Goku hissed, practically inaudible. He knew Piccolo would hear it with those ears.
They knotted their brow in confusion. There was no way Goku could've seen it coming. He didn't even know the nature of the technique prior to witnessing it. How could he be so complacent with dying at the hands of his one true enemy? So peaceful-looking?
Piccolo wanted to devote more thought to the conundrum. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by Raditz twitching. Then convulsing. Then getting up.
"No. That's impossible," Piccolo muttered, slack-jawed.
The Saiyan rose, crimson vitality pouring from the gaping hole in his trunk. He covered it with a charred hand, the red seeming to retaliate from the pitiful attempt at mitigating the damage by redirecting out his mouth. He staggered towards Piccolo, unintelligible threats in the forms of gurgles escaping his lips.
The beam must've gone between his heart and lungs, judging from the point of entry. Close enough to damage both and destroy neither. If nothing else, Saiyans are tenacious.
Raditz extended his own index and middle fingers. An identical pinpoint of energy started to build there, though his was magenta in hue, as opposed to the sun-like shine of the Impaling Light. Piccolo was petrified, unable to move or speak or do anything in protest. They were spent.
I suppose this is what I get, Piccolo considered. They closed their eyes and sighed, inviting their doom.
Raditz raised his fingers towards Piccolo. What followed was a noise like a gunshot, though he hadn't yet fired. The sound was shadowed by another. One of rending metal. It rang much more akin to an explosion than an energy attack.
The last thing Raditz did was open his mouth in shock. Then, Gohan appeared, bursting headfirst through his uncle's chest.
To Be Continued…