Footsteps echoed through the dark hallway. There was no one but him and his escort. The older man walked a few steps in front of him while holding a tablet in its hands. He wanted to speak, but he knew it was better to keep quiet. As they moved forward, his long hair swayed around while he tried to keep his composure in check. It was tough because he was too excited. Ever since this man showed up at his doorstep, he was barely able to remain calm. After all, he was personally requested to be the prince's guard. Just who would have thought his very first mission would be something big like this? Not even in his wildest dreams did he dare to imagine that he, a mere low-class Saiyan by birth would be given such a task, such privilege to accompany the prince.

His small and chubby frame trembled as they approached the giant door. A drop of sweat rolled over his young cheek as he stared at the door. He squeezed his tiny hands into fists and nervously smirked. This was his chance to make himself stronger and famous. He could already imagine the look on his father's face when the man finds out about it. His devilish smirk grew as he thought about it, however, it quickly vanished once the door opened.

The moment he stepped inside, he felt the intense glares from the older warriors. He paid them no mind and focused on the figure in front. Once they approached the throne, he dropped on his knee while the escort bowed.

"Your majesty, I brought the child I've told you about." The short-haired man raised his head and gestured toward the tense-looking boy. "If I may, sir. I think he'd be of good help to the young prince." His short cape waved around him as he turned back to his king.

The king's head rested against a left hand while he stared at the long-haired child. "Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, the child's a low-class. Why would I assign a weakling to be my son's guard?" His eyes drifted toward the warrior and waited for an explanation.

"Of course, you're right. However, we've been doing several tests and the child's battle power quite above other low-class Saiyans his age. It may be because he was born with the highest power level amongst the Third-Class rank, sir."

As the sunlight illuminated the royal chamber, the king shifted in his chair and placed a hand under the chin. "And you think this child has the potential to rise through the ranks and be of great service to my son? Perhaps, you're right, Zorn, but why don't you assign an already proven warrior?" He stroked his beard as he waited what his guard had to say next.

The strapping-looking warrior had an answer to that as well. "Sir, we already have Nappa and two other warriors put under the prince's command. However, it might be a good option to have someone close to the young prince's age. And at this moment, I believe this child's best suited for that role." Zorn tilted his head slightly to the left and glanced at the nervous boy.

Silence prevailed in the royal chamber as the king thought about it. His intense glare terrified the young boy. "Hmph, very well. I'll allow it." The king suddenly rose from his chair and approached his guard and child. "Raise your head, boy. What's your name?" The white robes around his legs swayed as he halted only two steps from the boy.

He was barely able to breathe. The man's presence was overwhelming. Drops of sweat dripped on the crimson carpet as he tried to summon enough courage to lift his head. Before he did that, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed to show his composure, strength, and respect to his king. Slowly, he moved his little head up and introduced himself to the King of all Saiyans.

"My name's Raditz, sir!"

A few warriors chuckled at the loud and childish voice, but the king remained serious. "Raditz, do you pledge yourself to serve as a guard and a thrust worthy warrior to my son, your prince?" The king's husky voice penetrated the boy's ears as he glanced down.

"Yes, sir!"

The king nodded and took a step forward. "Hn, that's all I needed to hear. Zorn, prepare the child and give him the newest scouter model we received from Freeza." With that being said, the king moved past the child and his guard. He walked out of the chamber, accompanied by other warriors.

His dark pupils remained stuck on the king's back until the door closed. This was truly it. He was officially recognized as a worthy warrior to serve under the royal family. A huge grin appeared on his chubby face as he rose from the floor.

"Follow me, Raditz. You'll be given a new set of armor and a brand new scouter. I believe the young prince and the others are already prepared for the mission."

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A lifeless body fell on the solid ground while the child breathed laboriously. His face was covered in red scratches while he held his left arm. Slowly, he descended to the ground. However, not even a second passed when the scouter came to life. The warning forced the young warrior to lean back, thus avoiding the laser beam. He let out a frustrating growl when he saw the humanoid reptile with a laser gun pointed at him.

With bent knees, the boy launched himself at the bluish reptile who cried out. The chubby warrior moved left and right, dodging the beams as he closed the distance. Once he was in front, he jumped and with a merciless kick struck the reptile in the head. Acting fast, he kicked away the gun and sat on the reptile's belly. He repeatedly punched the enemy in the face until the creature's battle power reached zero.

While the boy took his time to catch a breather, the other warriors commented on his performance. "For a low-class, he ain't that bad." The short-haired male crossed his muscular arms as he stared at the boy with two companions.

"Yeah, I heard this's the brat's first mission. Not bad, wouldn't you say so, Nappa?" The warrior glanced in Nappa's direction while he dropped the lifeless body on the ground.

The tall and muscular warrior Nappa just frowned as he stared at the recruit. "Heh, I'm surprised he even survived this far. Just who taught that brat how to fight?" He released a chuckle as he stroked his mustache. Just what was the point of having a Thrid-Class trash in their team? He couldn't understand what was Zorn thinking when the man came with such a decision.

"Hm, I bet he got it from his father. From what I heard, Bardock's making quite a name for himself."

When he heard that name, Nappa's ears twitched. "Bardock? I think I heard that name somewhere..." He tried to figure out where he heard that name before, but the colossal warrior failed to remember.

"The low-class bastard's gotten himself quite famous recently. He and his team took over a difficult planet in only three days. From what I heard, the guy's power level already on par with some Middle-Class warriors."

Nappa's eyes widened for a moment. That was it. However, he didn't know it was a group of low-class Saiyans who finished the job. "Bah, whatever. Trash's still trash. I'm 100% sure he's going to die in the next mission." A smirk appeared on his face as he glared at the young boy who with a slow pace approached the flame-haired prince.

As he approached the prince, his vision began to blur. He released a faint curse and shook his head, the last thing he wanted was to appear weak in front of the prince. The boy let out a heavy sigh as he found a free spot close to the flame-haired prince. He turned around and held his left arm tightly, concealing the wound and blood.

Occasionally, he glanced at the shorter kid who was maybe a year or less younger than him. The young prince had not even a single scratch on his armor which was fascinating to Raditz. He heard some stories about the Saiyan prince, but he never imagined the kid was this strong. This was a sign, for sure. If he stayed by this boy's side, remain loyal to him, surely he would grow stronger and climb the ranks. He could already see it. Raditz, the Elite Saiyan warrior!

The faint smirk grew as he was lost in his thoughts. Suddenly, he snapped out of it when he heard chewing noises. "Hey, do you think it's wise to eat that?" He noticed the prince was eating some strange, purple looking-fruit.

He received no answer. "Umm, t-this was your first mission as well, right? It wasn't as tough as I'd thought it would be." The long-haired boy kicked the lifeless body that lied near them and laughed.

The little prince stirred his black orbs to the other child and swallowed a piece of fruit. "Hn, it was disappointing, a bunch of weaklings. But for someone like you, it was perfect." Was all the young prince Vegeta had to say and resumed eating the fruit quietly.

Raditz blinked a few times, confused by what his prince meant by that. However, he could see the flame-haired warrior didn't want to speak with him anymore, so he remained silent as he stood by his side.

.

"Raditz! Damnit, wake up already!"

Once he heard the loud noise and felt the pain on his face, he finally opened his eyes. What just happened? He blinked a few times before getting up. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his head. He released a loud curse as he placed a hand on his head. Now it came back to him. They were fighting some weird-looking bastards when two of them appeared from behind and blasted him into the ground. He immediately looked around, but there were only his brother and nephew.

"Kakarot, where are we? What about Vegeta and Nappa?" Slowly, he tried to get up and he did while ignoring the pain in his back.

Kakarot's entire face was drenched in sweat and bruises. Half of his armor was gone and the same situation was with his son. "They're still fighting. Damnit, how humiliating! If it weren't for this gravity, I'd killed them all!" The wild-haired warrior punched the ground. He hated this, it remained him of his time on Earth, when he was occasionally beaten by those martial artists.

Of course, he got himself wounded because his younger brother and nephew never experienced such higher gravity, unlike himself, Vegeta and Nappa who were already used to it since birth. Suddenly, the loud explosions in the distance caught his attention. He was sure, Vegeta and Nappa were going to make a mockery out of him, again. He squeezed his fist tightly, bitten the flesh inside his mouth as he glared at the illuminating explosions. There was no time to sit back and relax. The last thing he wanted was to listen to their insults.

He spat on the ground and took a deep breath. "Did Vegeta say anything? Are we to join them or clear another sector?" Raditz glanced at his brother who had some trouble standing.

Throbbing veins were visible on Kakarot's legs, arms and face as he confronted the high gravity. "No, I assume we should proceed with the already established plan." His entire body trembled as he defied the force. Drops of sweat dripped from his chin as he tried to take a step forward.

With that in mind, Raditz repeatedly closed his hands as he turned around. He glanced at the night's sky and took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll go and clear the sector. You and the boy stay here, you'd be only in the way since you're not used to the gravity." Despite the injury, he was confident he could finish the mission on his own.

Upon hearing that, Kakarot frowned. "Bah, you can't be serious!? I'm not staying behind!" His loud, angry voice echoed through the wasteland. Suddenly, however, his footing was taken from him and the wild-haired warrior fell on the rocky ground.

"Just for once, shut up!" The Saiyan shouted as he violently put a boot against his brother's chest. "Look at you! You can't even move let alone fight! Pathetic!" With that being said, Raditz took off, leaving Kakarot and Gohan.

Kakarot coughed a few times before he tried to get up. His son tried to help, but he pushed the boy away. "S-Screw you, Raditz! If you think I'll just sit back and do nothing, you're a fool! I-I'll show you and those bastards not to underestimate me!" Relying on his strength and will, he rose from the ground with heavy breathing.

.

As he flew above the ground, Raditz pushed the button on his scouter several times. The device calculated the number of enemies ahead and their power levels. A grin appeared on his face, ready to fight and kill. He needed it, he needed to do it on his own. At this moment, his brother and nephew were in his way. However, what bothered the long-haired warrior was the little dream he had. He couldn't but wonder when was the last time he dreamt of his childhood and why now. Maybe it was because of his brother's words.

The strong wind carried his hair as he was lost in thoughts. How could he forget, that he was personally picked by the king's right-hand man? They recognized his strength, potential and yet, he was constantly ridiculed by Vegeta and Nappa. Why did he even allow those two to stir him off his path? Perhaps, Kakarot wasn't such a fool after all. It was all in his head, doubts, fear and self-loathing which was inflicted by Vegeta and Nappa over the years.

He clenched his teeth, cursing himself for allowing that. Because of them, he remained weak. Constantly cowering behind them when a difficult mission was assigned to them. No wonder Vegeta grew so powerful and yet, he remained so weak. Instead of utilizing their Saiyan ability like Vegeta and Kakarot, he ran away from it, afraid he would die.

A ki blast grazed his face while he was flying. He stopped mid-air and looked down. His dark spheres locked on the warriors on the ground. With tightly closed fists, he launched himself at them with great speed. Once he crashed, the ground cracked and caused tremors. With a loud growl, he dashed at the warriors who attacked him.

He buried his knee into the warrior's gut and smacked him away with an elbow. The Saiyan suddenly ducked, thus avoiding a flying kick. He extended his arm and seized the enemy by the leg. With full force, he smashed the man against the ground. As his enemy bounced back, he took hold of him and flew toward the group. As he approached, the enemy group fired at him, but the Saiyan used the man as a shield. With a wicked smirk, he threw the lifeless warrior at the others, creating an opening for himself.

While he continued to fight on his own, Raditz's body was slowly shutting down. His armor sustained serious damage, parts of it were blown away. The black gauntlets were vaporized by the countless energy blasts. His tight suit was filled with holes, revealing the bruises across his muscular legs. However, the long-haired warrior paid it no mind. He was going at it no matter what. No more would he cower behind and be imprisoned by the fear which was installed by others. From this day, he would meet every challenge and grow more and more powerful so he could do only one thing, payback!

His vision began to blur, blood dripped on the ground as he pushed forward. His appearance scared the warriors who remained alive. They watched the invader with terror in their eyes. Before the Saiyan could kill any more of their people, they ran away from the battlefield.

Seeing the cowards flew off, Raditz lifted his fists a little and screamed. The force of his growl shattered the ground he walked on. After five seconds, he dropped on his knees. His entire body was burning. Two bangs hovered above his forehead as he stared at the ground while the sweat mixed with blood fell on the brown soil. Shortly after, his hands gave up and he completely collapsed on the ground. With little energy he had, the warrior turned his body around, so he could see the sky.

With only an eye open, he stared at the night's sky. His tail swirled beside him as he observed the bright stars. A little smile appeared on his bruised face as he closed his eye. Just who would have thought he needed a scolding from his younger brother to finally get his act together. It was embarrassing, he should have come to such realization on his own. He truly was a sorry excuse for a warrior, but not anymore. Raditz allowed the darkness to consume his consciousness as he lied in an open field, surrounded by fallen warriors.

Thank you all for the continuing support. I always read your reviews and the criticism is appreciated as well. Also, I'd like to update this story more frequently but sometimes my work gets in the way and other stuff as well. As usual, I apologize for the grammatical and spelling errors.

I hope you'll enjoy the new chapter. Until next time, bye!