Weeks went by since the return of Raditz and his kin, yet they didn't move from the spot. Ever since reporting back to Zarbon, they got put on standby. While the men grew impatient, thus making them annoying, he couldn't but feel the same. They were creatures who strived for combat and conquest, leaving them trapped in the same place doing nothing only staled their development. However, he had an idea as to why Freeza would order such a thing.

Naturally, the sudden comeback from the dead by his squad members made the galactic emperor suspicious. Who knew what brewed in that tyrant's mind, which is why Zarbon was coming here, to inspect what was going on. Just as he predicted, those low-class warriors are nothing but trouble.

A throbbing vein surfaced on his forehead as he thought about what to do. Annoyed, the short Saiyan released a low grumble. He couldn't tell Zarbon that those fools remained on that planet on purpose and spent their time training instead of getting back and serving the empire. No, that would make it even worse since Freeza kept tabs on their growth. He needed to make up something and pretend. It would have been much easier if it was that pink slob Dodoria, but Freeza was no fool.

The prince slowly opened his eyes and shot a glare at the people inside the room. As per usual, Nappa continued to bicker with Kakarot over and over. He didn't know for how long he could tolerate those two. It was an everyday struggle to listen to their voices. The other day he almost lost composure and obliterated both of them. However, he still needed these fools. And weeks ago, Kakarot did something he never thought possible, a mere low-class taking out a warrior such as Nappa. True, the bald male wasn't that young anymore, but that still didn't change the fact that Nappa was an experienced, elite Saiyan. It made him think if there was something special about Kakarot or if that was it.

His dark orbs drifted to the hybrid and Raditz. While the boy was reading a book, the long-haired warrior provided translations when needed. He frowned upon observing the two. If Kakarot breached through the rank, maybe so did they. He doubted Raditz, a weakling who always cowered in fear and avoided confrontations that were out of his league could accomplish such a feat. The boy, on the other hand, was a different story. Obviously, the child had potential; he was aware of it since he first met the hybrid. Despite being an offspring of a low-class, Gohan had a potential of a super-elite, just like himself.

He couldn't but wonder about some things as he watched the last of his kind. "Prince Vegeta! Prince Vegeta, please report to the conference room. Sir Zarbon awaits you there." The short male uncrossed his arms and rose from the chair.

"Hey, should we go with you, Vegeta?"

Nappa and the others were left to wait for an answer until Vegeta reached the doors. "No. Instead, be ready to leave the station at any moment." Once the metal doors slid open, the mighty prince left his warriors behind.

.

It didn't take more than five minutes for Vegeta to reach the room. He despised the idea of having a conversation with Zarbon, but there was nothing he could do about it, not yet at least. The prince let out a heavy sigh before entering the room.

As he stepped in, the lights were dim, and the man stood right in front of a large, round window. "Welcome, Vegeta. It's always a pleasure to have a chance and talk with you." Hearing that pretentious voice almost made him sick.

He knew it was a bunch of lies and that Zarbon just played around. "Hmph, can we skip pleasantries and talk about how we're still stuck on this station?" Vegeta remained firm on his spot while the tall and handsome warrior slowly approached, step by step.

"I explained everything in full detail in my report. Which is why I don't understand putting us on hold, wasting time here, and you check on us."

Vegeta's eyes remained locked in front while Zarbon walked around him. "Well, that's true. I must say you were most thorough in your report; lord Freeza was quite pleased." He tried his best to remain calm as the green-haired man slid a finger across his yellow shoulder guard.

"However, you know how our mighty lord can be. He wants to be sure there wasn't, how should I say, some hidden motive. For example, doing something behind lord Freeza's back, faking death or maybe, organizing a rebellion?"

For a split second, Vegeta's tail twitched, but Zarbon didn't seem to notice. "Humph, nonsense. My men nor I have any suicidal tendencies. We would never dare to move against Freeza. I know his punishments well enough, and trust me when I say this, Zarbon, I would never dare to betray him." He barred his orbs straight into the taller male's eyes for a while.

"Hm, you say that, and yet, you allowed Raditz to leave for planet Earth and retrieve two Saiyans without even reporting at the time. Isn't that..."

Just as he thought, he knew Zarbon would bring that into this. "That's completely irrelevant! We already had this conversation and paid the price for doing it without Freeza's knowledge. We learned the lesson, and we are not foolish to repeat another mistake." Vegeta raised his voice out of frustration but quickly regained his composure.

"Raditz and his brother and nephew are a bunch of low-class weaklings. They were overwhelmed by the forces on planet Zoon and were presumed dead after a search. Instead of dying like true warriors, they hid and bid their time to recover. Besides, I'm sure you already checked their status upon their first arrival here with the doctor."

There was a short pause after he finished his sentence. He observed Zarbon, who just stood there, all high and mighty judging him. "Hm, of course, I did... Well, I guess coming here was a waste of my time, but as lord Freeza's most trusted officer, I must make sure all is well within his illustrious empire." There was nothing more he wanted to do than to punch Zarbon in that smug face.

It took all he had from snapping at Zarbon when the male tapped his shoulder. "Oh, about your next mission! It's of great importance that you and your monkeys don't, and I repeat, don't do any severe damage to the planet, am I clear? The world has incredible resources and is very valuable on the market, so you and your squad be careful what you do." The prince responded with a nod and turned around, eager to leave.

"Continue obeying lord Freeza so passionately, and I'm sure he will reward you one day."

The Saiyan prince clenched his teeth tightly and frowned as he walked towards the door. His eyebrow twitched out of fury building inside of him. He didn't say anything and just kept the words to himself. After all, he will have a chance to vent all his anger very soon. As he marched through the corridor with scorching wrath in his dark eyes, he immediately contacted the Saiyans awaiting his call.

"Nappa! Docking area in five minutes. we're leaving!"

After traveling through the dark void for several months, the Saiyans were about to land on their next target. The space pods flew by a celestial body with rings around it and entered a planet's atmosphere. Flames enveloped the pods as they breached through and headed toward the ground. On the way down, a pod hit a floating rock and remained stuck there. Meanwhile, the remaining three fell from the purple sky on the rough ground, causing tremors and loud noise.

While the smoke rose high in the sky, the pods turned off, and the hatches began to open. Once the gates got lowered on the ground, the invaders emerged from the vessels, ready to do the job they excelled at with satisfaction. Each one of them flew out of the craters and met on a cliff.

The strong wind swayed their thick, black hair as they observed the planet's rough terrain. "So, this is planet Jung. What's so special about it?" Kakarot approached the edge and inspected the area. While the world seemed different and far more rugged than the rest he visited, he couldn't see what made it so valuable to Freeza.

"Jung... Isn't that the world rich with Blue Aurum resources? Hm, now I see why Freeza would want this mining paradise to himself."

What Raditz just said didn't help Kakarot at all. "Blue Aurum? What's that?" While the wild-haired warrior waited for his older brother to answer, he closed both eyes and focused. He tried to find the strongest person on this planet.

Their companion Nappa was flying towards them while the long-haired Saiyan explained. "Blue Aurum's a scarce material and extremely valuable. It can be used as fuel or to power up machines... Or a third option, to create a weapon powerful enough to destroy planets." A devilish smirk surfaced on Raditz's face as he approached his brother and nephew.

"And it just so happens this planet's full of it, and Freeza wants it for himself... What a greedy bastard."

Kakarot released a chuckle as his dark orbs noticed a system of bridges, railways, roads, and tunnels. It looked like everything was well connected and probably leading all over the planet.

"How do you want us to proceed, Vegeta?"

The prince finally opened his eyes and looked below. "As we always do. Slaughter anyone standing in our way, but no large ki blasts or explosions got it!?" He shot a fierce glare at Nappa, primarily who is known to forget himself while having fun. " Separate and keep contact through scouters." With that said, Vegeta went in his direction, leaving others on the cliff.

Saiyans stood there and just watched as their prince flew to the south. "Well, you heard the man, don't do anything stupid, idiots." The giant flew in the opposite direction, still visibly irritated about what happened between him and the younger Saiyan.

"Pfft! The nerve on that bald ape... I swear, I'll kill him one day."

Kakarot cracked his knuckles as he glared at Nappa's back with a nasty smirk. He closed his eyes for a moment and focused on the mission at hand. "Anyway, it seems our plan went well, wouldn't you say so?" He gazed at his brother, who was standing behind him.

Raditz's long hair strongly swayed on the wind as he removed the scouter. "Hm, I guess so. However, be careful, Kakarot. Nappa's not going to let the humiliation you brought upon him slide. He'll try to kill you at the first opportunity." He knew the older male for far too long; Nappa wasn't going to sit by and forget. No, Nappa will one hundred percent come after his younger brother; it was only a matter of when.

"Just a mere thought that some third-class Saiyan beat him will drive him mad... We must watch our backs now, more than ever before, even from Vegeta."

A drop of sweat rolled down Raditz's forehead. They were on a dangerous path, but they made their choice. He would not run away from it, not anymore. However, they still needed to behave themselves, especially in front of the prince. In contrast to Nappa, Vegeta was on a whole other scale. Raditz's mouth twitched out of frustration as he overthought about the future. Luckily, his younger brother's voice snapped him out of it.

"Ha, let them come! I'm a survivor; I'll overcome whatever I must to get stronger, even pain and defeat."

Raditz couldn't help himself but let out a low chuckle as Kakarot spoke with such conviction. "Hmph, idiot... Let's get this mission over with first. I'm going to the east; you two take care of the west side." He flew off and followed the tracks.

Kakarot and his son were the only ones left behind. "Come, son. Let's take care of this. We'll treat it as a practice and see how well you are really in tune with your ki." He glanced at his hybrid son, who responded with an eager nod. The wild-haired warrior allowed a smile to surface as he placed a hand on his son's head. Shortly after, they flew to the west and began the mission.

.

The resistance on the planet was nothing compared to the Saiyans. Each one of them was clearing their area swiftly and without any trouble. Since the planet was relatively small, their task would be over within a day. However, an unexpected situation occurred in the west sector.

Kakarot fought against multiple humanoid animals and beaten each one of them with ease. He moved between them gracefully and struck them with quickness and vicious blows. They tried to jump on him as a group, but the strong Saiyan pushed them away with a simple kiai. He dashed at them, slamming the humanoid sheep against the rough wall. While the officer slid down, he turned toward the others and chuckled.

"Is this all you got? Isn't there anyone stronger on this rock!?"

He charged at the group approaching from the sky and hoped for some challenge. Ever since he rose in power and beat Nappa, he looked for somebody to challenge him. He needed someone powerful to face him and push him over the limit; it was the only way to grow stronger.

While the wild-haired Saiyan got occupied, the young boy had his hands full. Gohan was surrounded and attacked by each one of them. His stern expression didn't change as he dodged the strikes. It was evident on his face just how focused he was and took the mission seriously. He was so intuned with his senses at the moment that he didn't even move a single step from the spot. The hybrid continued to dodge the attacks until he had enough of it.

Once all of them lunged at him, he jumped above them and spun in the air. While floating above them, Gohan placed a hand forward and released a ki blast. The explosion caused a strong tremor and a giant smoke cloud, catching Kakarot's attention.

"Hey! Control your energy better, Gohan! There's a massive amount of Blue Aurum near you, and a powerful blast could detonate the entire thing off!"

Gohan glanced at his father, flying across the purple sky and beating enemies so easily one by one. "Yes, father." He responded quietly as he gazed at his hands while standing right before a massive supply of Blue Aurum stacked in the wagons.

Just like his father said, he needed to be more careful and in much better control over his energy. He trained hard on that ever since he was little and especially on planet Zoon. One mistake here or in any other situation, and he could pay a prince. He closed his hands tightly and looked up. His eyes shone with determination to prove himself to his father at all cost.

He swung his arms forward and unleashed a barrage of ki blasts high in the sky. Every single shot landed on target, thus making the group in pursuit of Kakarot diminish. While the weak opponents were falling like flies, Gohan wasn't aware of a humanoid lion crawling towards him. Since the boy was so focused on taking down every one of them and his energy output, he didn't sense a dying lion approaching him.

Suddenly, he felt a weak grip around the ankle. Gohan halted and immediately looked behind, only to see an injured lion holding onto him. "Let go! You are already dying; there's nothing you can do, accept that and move on." The hybrid lifted his hand, ready to end the person's suffering but was somewhat surprised when he saw a smirk surface.

"Keh! Y-You arrogant little bastard... I-I may be dying, but I won't l-leave this world alone... Y-You're coming with me, boy!"

Gohan thought the male was delusional until he noticed sparks emitting from the baton. His dark orbs slowly moved up and saw pieces of Blue Aurum scattered across the ground and leading to a massive pile on the wagons. Upon realizing that such an amount would cause a deadly explosion if triggered, Gohan's eyes stretched as sweat slid down his cheeks.

"H-Ha Ha! Y-You're done for, cub! I-I hope the explosion is going to catch the other one as well!"

Consumed by fear, Gohan didn't know how to react and gave time for the lion to strike the rare material with full force. The bright light emitted from the blue aurum and only increased as it spread to the massive pile on the wagons. As the radiant glow consumed the place, a small ki blast struck the animal holding Gohan's ankle, thus causing the boy to snap out of it.

"Get out of there! Run, Gohan!"

Upon hearing his father's loud voice, the long-haired child turned around flew. Desperately, he tried to make some distance, but it was too late. The light consumed him, and the detonation created a powerful blast. Even Kakarot had trouble withstanding it and the tremendous shockwaves coming from the explosion. The Saiyan clenched his teeth as the armor fractured under such intense force. He paid no mind to the humanoid animals getting vaporized by the explosion. The only thing on his mind was the well-being of his only child.

Though the explosion caused a chain reaction, the connected mines began to explode. Even someone as strong as Kakarot couldn't bear with it anymore and got blown away. The wild-haired warrior screamed his son's name as he got flung high in the purple sky, heading straight for outer space. He tried as much as he could but couldn't stop himself. His body broke through several floating rocks until he finally remained stuck in the very last one.

"G-Gohan..."

He muttered his child's name again and again as he watched the explosions detonate all over the land. His pupils trembled with fear as a shocking amount of emotion build inside of him. The tail uncontrollably shifted around his waist as the powerful force continued to slam in his face. Blood leaked out of his mouth as he bit the lower lip. His fists shook with fury as he could do nothing but wait until all passed.

However, Kakarot couldn't endure it. A radiant glow began to surround his body as he pulled out his arms. As he violently pushed out, his white aura expanded and crushed the floating rock to pieces. He lifted both arms in front of the face and flew with full speed towards the ground. The force pushing him back was formidable, but the Saiyan didn't give up. With a vicious roar, he went through and tried to find his son no matter what.

As he flew low, he got caught in explosions. It blew him off the course, but Kakarot's will didn't waver. While the ground shattered and the lava burst out, the warrior still searched for his son. Numerous times he was forced to halt and shield himself from the flames bursting out of the ground. Half of his armor was gone by now, and the fire scorched the entire left arm.

"Gohan! Respond to me, Gohan!"

He screamed his child's name but all in vain. A dreadful feeling arose from his stomach as seconds went by. He muttered some words quietly as he frantically looked around for any sign of Gohan. The Saiyan didn't even saw a substantial fiery pillar coming from below. Kakarot got consumed by it and cried in agony. His burnt body fell on a boulder sailing across the lava. It hurt like hell, but the warrior shifted himself and slowly got up. While his knees quivered, he still searched for any sign and hoped to feel even the tiniest amount of ki coming from Gohan.

Suddenly, faint ki caught his attention. It was so low and in grave danger. "Gohan!" He dealt with the pain and jumped across several boulders as he headed to the place from where he felt the energy.

Kakarot didn't let anything come in the way anymore. His determination and urge to find Gohan was so powerful it pushed him forward. The Saiyan jumped away from the rock just in time because the lava swallowed it whole. He landed on a cliff and felt immense heat coming from below. As he bent forward and looked bellow, a piece of armor fell. The little bit of fabric suddenly evaporated in the air just a couple of seconds later.

Sweat rolled down his bruised face as he grunted. He lifted his head and looked around, searching for the hybrid until he spotted something on the other side. "Gohan! Don't worry, son! I'm coming to get you!" With no time to waste, the Saiyan leaped across the deep ravine all the way to the other side where his child was hanging.

He was about to reach the other side when Gohan's shoulder guard broke, and the child fell. "No!" Kakarot's scream echoed across the place as he blasted after his son's unconscious body.

The warrior managed to grab his son and secure him tightly in his arms. However, the blazing heat from below caused painful damage to Kakarot's back. "Gahh!" He could feel the fur on his tail burn along with the skin on his back. Kakarot used up all the energy he had in one burst and got out of there. He and his son floated high in the purple sky, enveloped in a white glow until his aura died. Kakarot closed his eyes and allowed his body to fall on a floating rock as he held tightly to his child.

While they lay on the rock, Kakarot tried to calm down. He was finally able to catch some breath and relax. Now that his son was out of there, he could assess the situation. Gohan was severely injured and needed medical attention right away. He wasn't sure his son would survive the long trip to the station if he put him into the pod. No, he needed to find something to help his son here, on this planet.

Since he had no time to lose, the Saiyan rose from the ground. "Tch! That useless scouter broke, and I can't call Raditz... Crap!" Kakarot released a growl out of frustration as he held his child.

He immediately focused and tried to locate his older brother's ki. It didn't take long for the wild-haired warrior to discover Raditz's energy signal. It was far away, but he was confident in his speed despite the amount of energy he lost. Since Raditz was the only one he could depend on, he needed the Saiyan's assistance in the matter right away.

With a grunt, the Saiyan summoned his aura and flew across the sky. The ground beneath him crumbled, and the mining sites got overcome by lava. He knew Vegeta was going to be furious, but at the moment, he didn't care that much about the prince's mood. The only thing he cared about was the health of his boy, the most important thing in the entire universe.

He never flew so fast before, not even when he was wounded, chased by earthlings, or hunt down by that wrinkled green demon. Kakarot covered a lot of ground quickly; however, his skin turned pale, and the aura slowly started to fade. Nevertheless, he knew Raditz was close. There were no explosions in this area, but he could hear cries coming from below. Suddenly, he twirled and flew toward the ground. As he approached, he saw his older brother toss away a corpse as if it was a trash bag.

"Raditz! Stop playing around with those weaklings and help!"

The long-haired warrior turned around, surprised to see Kakarot. "Huh? What are you doing here? Just what's going on..." He stopped talking once his brother landed and saw the condition of the Saiyan. "The hell happened to you!?" With a quick pace, he closed the distance but shifted the attention to the unconscious boy.

"I'll explain later! Tell me there's some kind of healing machine where I can make him get better! There's no way he can survive the trip back to the station!"

Kakarot's frantic look and the mere distraught about the child's well-being was something else. Raditz never saw a Saiyan parent care so much about an offspring before; well, except one. He wondered if his younger brother inherited her trait but quickly snapped out of it.

The taller warrior placed a hand under the chin and thought about it. "Honestly, I don't know... But I'm sure one of them does." He instantly vanished and materialized in front of a humanoid giraffe who tried to escape.

He kicked away the hover-bike and grabbed the poor giraffe by the throat. "Tell me, do you have at least a standard healing tank in your buildings?" A throbbing vein surfaced on the forehead as the animal tried to fight back. "Speak, or I'll rip your tail!" Raditz's harsh voice and dark expression froze the person.

"Y-Y-Yes s-s-sir! W-We h-have the h-highly a-advanced healing c-chambers p-p-provided by t-the owner o-of this w-world!"

The stuttering animal shook so much Raditz's entire arm began to tremble as well. "Bravo, see, you can behave when you try... Too bad for you, you won't be here to meet the new owner of this place." Or maybe it was for the better; the Saiyan thought as he threw the poor male into the ravine.

He quickly descended and approached the visibly worried Kakarot. "Come! I saw a building nearby while exploring the tunnels earlier." His brother's only response was a nod and followed quietly into the illuminated tunnel.

.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the world, the bald Saiyan just finished clearing his sector. He observed his work from a cliff with an arrogant smirk on his face. It was too easy, and he enjoyed tormenting the weaklings. He stroked his mustache and wondered how the others were doing. Knowing Vegeta, the prince was already done and probably resting somewhere. He knew better than to join the super-elite without calling first. His thoughts shifted to Raditz. However, the moment he thought of the long-haired Saiyan, he couldn't help himself but think of Kakarot.

Nappa clenched his teeth and emitted a growl from the throat. "Tch! Damn Kakarot... I want to kill him!" He couldn't stop thinking about the low-class warrior at all. That defeat was repeating over and over in his head. "It was a fluke! A lucky shot by Third-Class trash!" He angrily shouted, and his voice echoed across the valley.

He was an elite warrior, respected by many Saiyans in the past. His name and reputation struck fear in his opponents; hell, even the King thought highly of him. And yet, some lowly newcomer dared to challenge his authority. He couldn't allow it and would never acknowledge Kakarot. The moment the opportunity presents itself, he was going to take him down. He was sure Vegeta wouldn't mind, and as for Raditz and the brat, he could take care of them as well if needed.

A slight smirk appeared on his face as a drop of sweat rolled down the cheek. "He He... How about I visit them, huh?" The giant turned towards the west and pressed the button on the scouter. He tried to locate them, but there was no signal. "What? That's strange; there's no signal of Kakarot and his spawn..." For a moment, he thought the device got broken, but he stopped smacking the thing once he noticed thick dark smoke coming from the west.

"What's going on over there? Maybe I should check out..."

Nappa didn't dwell too much on it and flew to the west. It was weird; Kakarot and his brat weren't in their area, and there was some dark smoke consuming the horizon. He wasn't sure what was going on, but more than likely, nothing good. A devilish grin surfaced on the old warrior's face as he sped up. If his feeling was right, Kakarot messed up something, and he couldn't wait to see it.

Shortly after, the Saiyan reached the sector and just floated in the air. His creepy laugh echoed across the wrecked mining sites. "Ha Ha Ha! This is too good to be true! Once Vegeta sees this mess, they're going to beg for mercy. I can't wait to feel the terror in your eyes, Kakarot!" Nappa raised his hand and pressed the little button, eager to contact Vegeta and inform him of the damage Kakarot's actions caused.