3rd Person

Vegeta had just left with Orion in tow. The others were left with just Nappa as their opponent. Gohan couldn't help but feel nervous seeing his Uncle leave. "Is he going to be alright?" He asked nervously.

"Don't worry about him. He's our strongest fighter by a long shot right now." Piccolo said.

"But Orion himself said that he wasn't a match for that Vegeta guy." Krillin pointed out.

"Raditz, what do you think? Does Orion have a chance against that guy?" Yamcha asked the Saiyan.

"It's hard to say. The only time they fought each other before was when we were kids back on our planet. Back then, Vegeta was much more powerful than Orion, just like now. Despite that, Orion still beat him." Raditz told them.

"So he has a chance?" Tien asked.

"No. The only reason he won was because of the prince's lack of experience. He used up all his energy too quickly back then, and Orion took advantage of that. This is much different. Not only is the gap in their power even greater, but now Vegeta has much more experience fighting and using energy. I don't think Orion can win, though knowing him, he might pull something off." The others appeared worried at that.

"If Orion loses, then we're in big trouble. This guy is already a problem, but if Vegeta is that much stronger than Orion, there's no chance in hell we can win." Piccolo said.

"We just have to trust that he'll be alright. We have to focus on our opponent right now." Chiaotzu said.

"That's right. Orion is counting on us to take care of this guy, just like how we're counting on him. We can do this!" Krillin shouted.

"Finally! I've been waiting for a good fight." Nappa said with a grin. "All of you come at me at once. If you do that, you might stand a chance." The others quickly looked at each other and nodded before doing as Nappa said and rushing him from all sides. Nappa dodged and exchanged blows with each of them, enjoying every minute of it. Nappa enjoyed a good one v one, but he loved an all out brawl. It gave him a chance to really cut loose and enjoy himself. This was especially the case here, since none of these fools, aside from maybe Raditz, strangely enough, would be much of a challenge to him. 'Time to see what these maggots can do.' Nappa thought to himself. He surrounded himself with his energy and rushed at Tien, hitting his arm. Nappa's energy, which was surging like lightning, stunned Tien's hand, as well as burned it a bit. Nappa then jumped up and readied himself for another strike.

"Tien! Watch out! Get out of the way!" Piccolo yelled, but Tien didn't have time to move. Tien prepared himself for the deadly blow, but something unexpected happened. Yamcha jumped in front of Tien and took the blow for him.

"Yamcha!" Tien shouted. The attack was too much for Yamcha to take. He was sent flying, both his arms broken from trying to block the attack and his rips now shattered and piercing his organs. He skidded across the ground for a bit before coming to a stop.

"Yamcha!" Krillin yelled, running towards his friend. Everyone was still as Krillin checked Yamcha for any sort of sign or a heartbeat or breathing. Krillin's face scrunched up upon finding nothing. "Guys... We lost him. Damn it! What am I supposed to tell Puar and Bulma now, you jerk!?" Krillin yelled angrily, frustrated at his friend's sudden death overtaking him. Everyone was speechless. Yamcha was just killed in one hit by Nappa. If Tien was hit, he might have died as well, or at the least have lost his entire arm. Tien couldn't believe it. His friend, Yamcha, was now dead. He died trying to protect him. Tien, clenched his fist angrily, blood slowly coming out of his palms.

"You... YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" Tien yelled.

"Hahaha! Fine! If you still don't realize how pointless it is to try to battle a Saiyan, then I'll give you one more demonstration. Unfortunately, it will be the last thing you ever see." Nappa told Tien. Tien growled angrily as he formed his hands in the shape of a triangle.

"Yamcha. I promise I won't let your sacrifice be in vain. I promise! Either the Saiyan will go down, right now, or I'll be with you soon, Yamcha!" Energy swelled and cackled around his hands as he charged his life draining attack, putting his entire being into this attack. "Now TRI BEAM!" He shouted, firing the beam from his hands straight at Nappa, who looked only slightly concerned and confused by the attack. The beam hit him dead on, completely surrounding him in it. Everyone present was astounded by the power of the blast, being taken aback by it. Chiaotzu, however, knew that Tien put his entire being into the attack, meaning he wouldn't have much longer to live after it.

"Tien..." Chiaotzu said, tears forming in his eyes as his best friend's death was coming. Tien panted at the beam and dissipated. He looked at where Nappa was, seeing a cloud of smoke. When the cloud was gone, he saw a terrifying sight. Nappa, despite taking a few injuries from the attack, was mostly fine.

"Well, that wasn't half bad." Nappa commented, rubbing his body to get the dust off.

"I-It didn't have any effect!" Krillin exclaimed.

"It's like... nothing can stop him!" Piccolo panicked. Tien panted heavily, feeling his life ebb away from him due to the energy consumption of the Tri Beam.

"You...bastard..." He said with his last breath as he fell to the ground. Gohan looked at both Yamcha's and now Tien's body with fear. Once again, the people around him were dying and he was powerless to stop it. Krillin felt the same way as he looked at the body of Tien.

"Tien... no...You can't be dead too...! You can't...! We needed you! Everyone's dying and I don't know how to stop it!" Krillin trembled as he spoke, looking up at the sky and shouting one last time. "HURRY GOKU! WE NEED YOUR HELP!" Nappa just laughed.

"Pathetic, the lot of you. It only takes two deaths before you start calling for help? Disappointing. Oh well. I'll just continue with the rest of you." He said. Chiaotzu was now shaking with anger. How dare he! He killed Yamcha and Tien. How could he be talking like that? Chiaotzu began to think that he had to try to take out Nappa along with himself to avenge his fallen friend, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked and saw Raditz with a pained look on his face, but his expression also held a new sense of conviction and determination, as well as confidence.

"Don't. You'll only get yourself killed without doing anything to him. You saw what happened to your friend. Tien was it? He was brave for trying to avenge his friend, but reckless. He wouldn't want you to make the same mistake." Raditz then walked towards Raditz slowly. "I'll handle this."

"You? What can you do? You're just the same runt who couldn't even handle people with power levels under 500! What can you do against me?" Nappa taunted. Raditz wasn't fazed as he got ready.

"You'll see in just a few seconds." Raditz said as he dashed at Nappa, making the first strike. Nappa was shocked by the power of the blow and the speed. He had never seen Raditz move that fast or hit this hard. He smiled. Maybe the runt would finally be a worthy Saiyan and give him an actual challenge. Raditz kicked Nappa away and shot multiple Saturday Crashes at him. Nappa knocked a few of them away before throwing his own Bomber DX blasts at Raditz. Raditz then did the same, shocking Nappa even more. Raditz then rushed Nappa again, diving into his face with his knee. After sending Nappa tumbling away, Raditz picked Nappa up by the leg and threw him into the ground like Orion had shown him. He then pointed his hand at Nappa and fired a pink beam from his hand. Nappa dodged it last second and kicked Raditz away.

"I can't believe this. Raditz the Runt is actually giving me a challenge! I'm almost proud of you. Where was this when the other two died?" Nappa asked. Raditz looked away, ashamed of himself before turning to Nappa.

"If I'm truly being honest, even after training for a year with the others, I was still scared of fighting you and Vegeta. I realized this weak side of me long ago. Deep down inside me, I have an immense fear of dying. I'm one of the last Saiyans. If I die, then the Saiyans are that much closer to vanishing from the universe. Because of that fear, I've done my best to try to avoid death as much as possible, instead of rushing at it head first like you and Vegeta. I've tried to take my brother's advice of not being scared of failure or death to heart, but I couldn't do it all the time. Now, however, is different. I've realized that it's not just me at stake here. All of these Earthlings, the Namekian, Kakarot's son, and my brother, are all risking their lives in this fight. Those two, Yamcha and Tien, gave their lives for one another, something a Saiyan would never do. The only other time I saw something like that was when Orion tried to save me and Kakarot a year ago. If even these Earthlings can sacrifice themselves for their friends, family, and entire planet..." Raditz then clenched his fist, his energy surrounding him as he did. "THEN WHY SHOULD I BE AFRAID?! WHY SHOULD I BE SCARED OF DEATH IF THEY AREN'T!? I'M NO LONGER THE PATHETIC COWARD YOU KNEW! I AM RADITZ, A PROUD SAIYAN WARRIOR! I REFUSE TO LOSE OR DIE HERE!" Raditz then charged a Double Sunday and fired it at Nappa, who couldn't dodge it in time. The blast completely engulfed Nappa, creating a large explosion as a result. Everyone else was completely shocked by Raditz's new found display of strength and confidence.

"He...He got him!" Krillin said excitedly. "He can do this!"

"Incredible. He's gotten a lot stronger compared to before. Not just his power, but his mental fortitude as well it would seem." Piccolo said with a smile.

"Uncle Raditz!" Gohan cried out happily, seeing his uncle finally giving it his all for everyone. He had truly changed for the better. Raditz couldn't believe it himself. Just a year ago, he would have scoffed at the notion of fighting a stronger opponent for the sake of another. He would have ran to live another day, or pulled a dirty trick to survive. Vegeta and Nappa always scorned this approach Raditz had, calling him a runt as a result. Even when he did fight in life-or-death battles, he would always have this nagging fear in the back of his mind that would tell him to live no matter what. That living mattered more than whatever he was fighting for. But after seeing Orion try to save him and Kakarot was when that started to change. He couldn't understand why Orion would try to save him when they were enemies. Using the chance, Raditz had broken free of Goku's grasp and was about to fly away, but a new feeling started nagging him before he did. Instead of the constant feeling of self-preservation he usually had, he had the urge to save his brother from the same fate. In that moment, saving Kakarot was just as important as saving himself. That is why he tried to pull Goku away from the blast as well.

However, he failed. Raditz had survived, but he now had a pit in his stomach, seeing his younger brother now dying. It was a new feeling. He didn't even know what it was called. It was so overwhelming that he went back to what he always did: he ran away. Once he had left, he contacted the other Saiyans in a blind panic, not thinking things through and still completely dazed by the new feeling that was overwhelming him. It was only after Orion came and asked him to help defend the earth that the feeling started to fade, but only a little. That's when he started to train with Orion, Piccolo, and Gohan. That was when more new feelings appeared in Raditz. Being with his brother again brought about old familiar feelings of caring for him, as well as admiration and respect, but Piccolo and especially Gohan brought about new feelings. Piccolo was now someone that he respected due to his strength and intelligence, as well for the fact that Piccolo helped train him.

He almost saw Piccolo in the same respectful way he did with his father, as a mentor figure that was strict and rough at times, but never maliciously, as it was for good reason. Gohan brough many new feelings, being his nephew. Gohan was the first one on earth other than Orion to give Raditz a second chance. Despite what he had done, Gohan still treated Raditz like an uncle. Radit began to grow closer to the boy, until eventually, he wanted to protect him, with his life if needed. It was only when he saw Yamcha and Tien sacrifice themselves that it all clicked. Perhaps it was a weakness that he now had, but he didn't care. He now had a place he wanted to call home, his old family, as well as a new one, along with friends he wanted to protect, all of whom were people who didn't berate him every chance they got but actually appreciated him for what he could do. People who relied on him. He wasn't going to let them down.

Raditz looked at where Nappa was, the dust cloud from his attack now fading away. Nappa had a pained look on his face, as his armor was completely destroyed and he had multiple injuries on his body. Most of the injuries were light, but the ones on his arms were much worse as he had tried to block the blast. "D-Damn you, Raditz! How the hell did you get this strong?!"

"I trained with people who actually cared about me and what I could bring to the battlefield." Raditz answered with a stern glare. "I won't let you get away with just a few scratches. I hope you're ready to pay in blood for everything you've done!" Raditz was about to rush towards Nappa again, but stopped when he noticed Vegeta coming closer to them, his eyes widening at what he saw. "N-No..." He muttered.

"I-Is that...Orion?" Krillin stuttered, seeing the heavily injured Orion being carried by the collar by Vegeta.

"H-He only managed to get a few injuries on Vegeta!?" Piccolo exclaimed with terror.

"U-Uncle Orion!" Gohan cried out to his uncle. Vegeta looked at Nappa with a disappointed look.

"Nappa! What happened to you? I thought you could handle yourself! Especially against Raditz of all people!" He yelled at his partner.

"B-But Vegeta, Raditz got a lot stronger than he was before! But don't worry. I've already killed two of the worms, and Raditz will be next." He said while looking at Raditz with an angry expression, one similar to a predator looking at his prey. Raditz didn't falter under the gaze and just readied himself for an attack, though Vegeta spoke up to stop Nappa.

"Stand down Nappa! I want to ask them a question first before you kill them." Nappa looked at Vegeta with hesitation before backing off.

"Alright. Go ahead, Vegeta." Vegeta then looked at the others with a curious expression. "Orion here told me something interesting. He said that Kakarot was on his way and that he would prove to be an even better challenge for me. 1st question, how is Kakarot still alive and 2nd question, how would he be that strong when he couldn't even beat Raditz by himself?"

"W-We..." Krillin didn't know if he should say anything. If these two Saiyans learned about the dragon balls, who knows what could happen.

"D-Dragon balls..." Orion said with a pained voice. Orion knew they had to tell them. It was the only way to buy time until Goku arrived.

"Dragon balls? What are those?" Vegeta asked. Krillin gritted his teeth. There was no way he could stop them now. If he didn't tell them, they'd just kill him and everyone here.

"If you gather all 7 dragon balls, you can get any wish you want granted." He told them hesitantly. "Goku's been training since he died. Once he gets here, you're both dead meat!"

"They grant wishes?" Vegeta asked, his interest now fully peaked. "That's very interesting. That makes the trip here even more worth it. If we get our hands on those Dragon Balls, then we could wish for anything like immortality or eternal youth. Oh I see. The Namekian must have made them. That's the resource Orion spoke of. He used the dragon balls to revive Kakarot then? Hmm... very well. Let's give the hero time to come and save his friends."

"Do we have to? Can't I just finish them off right now?" Nappa asked Vegeta.

"Give them 3 hours. That's all he gets. After that, they're yours to destroy." Nappa looked angrily at the others, especially Raditz. He wanted to teach him a lesson, but he can't disobey Vegeta's orders. He stands down and walks towards Vegeta. "Good Nappa." Vegeta then turned to the others with a cocky grin. "Kakarot can't save you, but he just bought you 3 more hours of life. Oh, and here. Orion is still alive, but I doubt he will be of use to you anymore." He tossed Orion to the group, Orion's body landing with a thud in front of them.

"Th-Thanks...best...buddy..." Orion managed to say. Vegeta just scoffed at this. The others grabbed him and carried him a safe distance away from the two Saiyans before checking if he was ok.

"Uncle Orion!" Gohan cried when he ran up to Orion.

"H-Hey nephew... How're you doing...?" Orion asked with a dizzy voice.

"What happened to you? You're completely covered in wounds!" Raditz asked his brother.

"Vegeta...Galick Gun...Wasn't strong enough...to win a beam struggle..." Orion answered, closing his eyes. "Really tired...gonna nap now..."

"Orion? Orion!?" Krillin yelled with a panicky voice as he quickly checked his heartbeat. "...Good. He's still alive."

"I can't believe this is the state he ended up in after fighting Vegeta." Piccolo said. "We don't stand a chance against him. Raditz seems like an even match for the big one at most, but none of us except maybe Goku can even dare to take on the other one."

"Then that's all we can do. We wait for Goku." Chiaotzu said with a pained look. "Please get here soon..." With that, the group was forced to wait. 3 hours eventually passed, and there was no sign of Goku.

"...Time is up." Vegeta told them, getting up from his spot that he was seated at.

"No!" Krillin shouted.

"Hehehe. It looks like your mighty champion isn't coming to save you." Vegeta told them.

"He afraid or something?" Nappa asked.

"That would appear to be the long and short of it, I'd say."

"He's not afraid! My dad will be here any minute now! You'll see!" Gohan yelled back.

"That's right! Kakarot isn't one to run away from a fight, no matter how strong the foe is!" Raditz added.

"Damn it! What the heck is taking him so long?" Krillin asked through gritted teeth.

"Goku..." Chiaotzu said nervously.

"C'mon. Don't do this to us, Goku." Piccolo mumbled to himself. Nappa took a step towards the group with a grin.

"Well, all that waiting has made me feel a lot better. Too bad I only have the 5 of you to take it out on. I would have loved to have fought Orion, but he isn't in any condition to move." Nappa said. Everyone got into a battle stance, Krillin, Gohan, and Chiaotzu extremely nervous about fighting Nappa.

"We're playing for keeps now. We only have one shot at winning, so let's make it count!" Piccolo said as they all dash at Nappa.