"What's the matter, Kakarot? You haven't answered me. Let's try again. If you want your children back, I want you to eliminate one hundred earthlings by this time tomorrow. Do you understand?" Raditz asked him slowly, while Gohan still cried in his grasp.
All Goku could do was nod, still having the wind knocked out of him.
"That's good. Do this little job for me, and you can join us. But fail, and I'll see to it your son suffers a most unpleasant end. As for your daughter, you can rest assured that you'll never see her again," he threatened.
"You coward! Hiding behind children!" Krillin said, gritting his teeth.
"That's right, you sicko! And besides, it won't do you any good. Goku isn't capable of killing anyone," Master Roshi argued.
"Quiet, old man! Kakarot is a Saiyan. I think you'd be very surprised at what he's capable of doing. Of course, it will make no difference either way. Every living thing on this planet will be eliminated soon. After we've finished our current job, I've decided the Earth will be our next target," Raditz told them with a sinister smirk.
"You, you what?!" Master Roshi exclaimed.
"Even without Kakarot, three Saiyans should be more than enough for the job. We could conquer this puny planet in our sleep. So you see, brother, whether you kill one hundred earthlings now or not, the end result is the same," he reasoned.
Goku didn't want to quit. He managed to crawl over, reach out, and grab the Saiyan warrior by the ankle.
"Leave – the kids – out of this," he grunted out.
"I wish I could Kakarot, but you understand. I need to give you a little extra incentive to do what I asked," Raditz said with false sympathy.
"Please, let 'em go," Goku begged.
"Just look at how pathetic you are. Please, brother, show some – pride," Raditz told him before kicking his hand away. "You have until tomorrow. Try to enjoy it." And with that, Raditz took to the air.
"I'm expecting great things from you, brother. Don't let me down!" And blasted away with a screaming Gohan and an unconscious Rinka. Both Goku and Gohan yelling desperately for each other.
. . .
Sometime later, when Rinka finally felt like the earth had stopped spinning, she realized that she was suddenly lying on the ground. Little hands were rocking her back and forth.
"Rin! Rin! Wake up! Please wake up!" It was Gohan; he was shaking her.
Rinka opened her eyes to see the tear stained face of her little brother. She sat up and put a hand to her head.
"Ow, that really hurt," she moaned.
She quickly realized that they were no longer on the island. Instead, they were now sitting in a wide, open field, right behind a blue pick-up truck. Gohan was cowering by her side.
"Rin! You're okay!" he sniffed. "I'm scared. What are we gonna to do?" he asked, his voice shaking.
"Do? About what?" she asked.
"That guy. He beat up daddy and took us away! What's gonna happen to us?" Rinka glanced around, but didn't see him.
"Where is he now?" she wondered.
"He went down – into that pit," Gohan pointed to a large crater that was nearby.
Rinka shifted to her hands and knees and crawled closer to get a better look. Meanwhile, Gohan scooted up right next to one of the truck's rear tires, gripping it tightly. It didn't take long before she saw the guy's head poke out from inside the hole.
"That bully," Gohan sniffed. "I hate him! Big – jerk," he whined.
"Don't worry. I'm sure dad is going to try and come save us. But in the meantime, we probably shouldn't try to get on this guy's bad side. I don't think he's going to hurt us, as long as he thinks dad's gonna do what he wants," Rinka tried to reassure him.
They watched as the space pirate moved closer. His feet were visible as he stepped right next to the truck they were taking shelter behind. They heard a loud crash, and suddenly the truck began to rise up off the ground, revealing Gohan and Rinka to him. He glared down at them.
"Oh, oh yeah! My dad could lift that too, ya know?" Gohan shouted at the brute, trying to sound brave. Rinka shook her head. There was just no reasoning with a four year old!
However, instead of responding, there was a blinding flash of white light as the Raditz guy used his power to blow up the truck! When he was done, Rinka was shocked to find that it had been completely vaporized! Gohan's response was to immediately begin wailing again. He crawled over and fearfully clung onto Rinka. She did her best to comfort him, but it was proving difficult as his screaming was aggravating her already pounding head.
"Shut up!" Raditz snapped angerly. "Can't you do anything about that crying?" he demanded of Rinka.
"No, I'm sorry. When he gets going, it's hard to get him to stop," she told him over the noise.
"I don't know why you're so mean! I didn't do anything to you," Gohan hollered.
Raditz came over and yanked the boy out of Rinka's arms. She looked panicked and immediately leapt to her feet.
"Please, don't hurt him," she begged, feeling terrified for her brother's safety.
"I'm not going to hurt him. Just putting him somewhere where that noise will stop grinding into my skull!" he told her irritably. Rinka shrank back a bit at his harsh tone.
"He must learn how to be strong. After all, you are both part of the brave Saiyans, too," Raditz told her.
"Wah! Put me down! Put me down! Rin help me!" Gohan cried out, as Raditz slid back down into the crater.
Rinka sprinted over to the edge of it and peered down to see what was going on. She watched as Raditz chucked the boy into some kind of spherical space craft.
"There," he said, closing the door on Gohan. "You can come out when you quiet down."
"You see, that's much better," he told her, as he climbed back out of the massive depression.
Well, it was true that he was quieter. She could see him pounding on the red window, situated on the front of the ship, but could barely hear anything. She glanced back up at this man who was supposedly her uncle.
"You seem much different than your brother. Not afraid of everything, like him," he commented to her.
"Yeah, well, he's been a bit sheltered," she admitted.
"Tell me, what kind of training have you received?" he asked her.
"My dad has taught me some martial arts, and how to use my energy – a little," she added.
"Good. A little is better than nothing. It should serve you well with us," he told her. Rinka grimaced a bit at the idea. "Now, I need to try to round up something to eat. Don't even think of trying to escape. I prefer not to see you come to harm, but I will not hesitate to punish insubordination. Believe me, it won't end well for you," he threatened.
Rinka nodded that she understood. That seemed to satisfy him and he turned to go. However, before he could, the little screen thing on his face started beeping again.
"A power level, of 710?" He clicked a button on the side of the device and started in surprise. "This says its within fifty meters of here! But where?" He turned to look at Rinka who was staring at him in confusion. Then turned fulling around to face where he'd put Gohan.
"What?!" he exclaimed. "That kid? Impossible! But there's no – but that's what my scouter's indicating!" He whirled around to Rinka again. "Girl, tell me now! Has your brother ever demonstrated any kind of special power?" he asked roughly.
"What? Special power? No, nothing like that. He's never even had any kind of training," she answered quickly, feeling afraid that he was suddenly so upset.
"Hmmm, piece of junk must be broken," he said more calmly, indicating the device before reaching up and turning it off. "I will return shortly," he declared before taking off again.
Rinka collapsed into the grass with a loud sigh. That had been a little scary, but now that he was gone, she wasn't sure what to do with herself. Just sit here and wait for him to come back, she supposed. She had no doubt that he would keep his word about punishment if she tried anything, and she didn't particularly feel like risking his wrath right now. Not with Gohan's safety on the line, and no idea of how to get him out of there.
He returned a little while later, carrying the carcass of some unfortunate animal, as well as several pieces of strangely shaped fruit. Rinka had never seen a fruit like that before. She wondered where he got it.
He tore into the creature, apparently unphased by the fact that it was still raw and bleeding everywhere!Rinka cringed as she watched him devour it. He had pretty much finished it off, when he finally noticed her staring at him.
"So, girl, what is your name?" he asked her.
"Rinka," she told him.
"Well, Rinka – I'm betting you're probably hungry. Here," he tossed her one of the pieces of fruit.
She caught it gingerly and stared at it. She wasn't really sure about eating this psychedelic looking fruit, but he was right. She was hungry! And if he could eat it without any kind of adverse effects, then she probably could too, she reasoned. She bit into it and began scarfing it down, while he ate one as well.
If he was willing to feed her, she decided that maybe she could get away with asking a few questions. Rinka felt like this might be a good opportunity to find out more about who, or what, she actually was. Maybe her only opportunity!
"Uncle Raditz, can I ask you something?" she ventured, attempting to soften him up a bit.
It seemed to work, as he fixed her with a satisfied smirk, looking pleased about the title.
"What is it, child?" he encouraged.
"You said our tails give us the ability to transform at the full moon. What do we turn into?" she wondered. His smirk widened.
"We take on the form of the mighty Oozaru, a Great Ape. It increases our size and strength exponentially, allowing us powers we could never dream of normally! Your father was a fool to let the earthlings remove his tail!" Raditz explained.
Rinka glanced behind her at her own tail, waving it around. Could it really do all that? And all she had to do was stare at a full moon?
"So we're – like monkeys?" she guessed.
"NO!" His sudden outburst caused Rinka to flinch. "We are far more than mere monkeys! Do not ever use that term again!" he roared at her.
Rinka stared back at him, looking shocked and very confused. "I – I'm sorry," she managed to squeak out. She didn't understand how she'd offended him, but she hadn't meant to! He must have sensed this, because his harsh expression eased a bit.
"It is, alright. You just don't know any better. But believe me, that will change. You will have the opportunity to learn all about our people soon enough," he rose to walk closer to her, but then abruptly turned away. "We are part of a proud and noble race, one of the most powerful in the universe, never forget that!" he lectured.
The little device over his eye blipped again, and he clicked at it, turning back towards where Gohan was.
"This thing's still going haywire," he growled. "And I didn't even bring the manual! Still – 710? Piece of junk!" he spat.
"Is that, really high?" Rinka asked carefully.
"For a child, yes. Impossibly so, but it's still nowhere near as high as mine," he boasted.
Rinka was about to ask him to check to see what number she had, when it began making more warning noises.
"What!" he exclaimed, flipping back around. "A power level of 650?" he questioned towards the sky. "No, there's two. One's 320 and the other's 330. Kakarot has a power level of 330, but Kakarot wouldn't be coming here, would he?" he asked, turning to give Rinka a questioning glance.
Did he expect her to answer? She had no idea! This whole getting kidnapped thing was a first for her. So she just shrugged.
"No, he can't beat me and he knows it! Besides, he has no idea where we are. That's it! This thing is driving me crazy!" he decided, turning it off.
But he was wrong – Rinka was able to detect the unmistakable sensation of her father's energy closing in on them. And he wasn't alone, there was another one, but who? She wondered.
Raditz sighed, "I need to take it easy." But the thing beeped again! "Uh! What the –!?" he exclaimed, whirling around just in time to see the figures of Goku – and surprisingly, the green guy Piccolo, looming on the horizon.
What is Piccolo doing here? She wondered. She thought he hated her father!
"Kakarot is here!" he shouted before turning and casting a very nervous gaze in Gohan direction. So, if his energy-reading thingy wasn't broken, did that mean that Gohan really had a number that was over double what her father's was? But that didn't make any sense!
Rinka didn't really have much time to dwell on it, because her father and Piccolo suddenly landed in the area right next to them.
Daddy! She thought excitedly with a gasp, but didn't get a chance to call out to him.
"Well, well, well. Look who's decided to drop in. It's little brother. Oh, and he's brought the green man with him. I was wondering who that second, insignificant blip on my scouter might be. I confess, I didn't expect it to be you. What a pleasant surprise," Raditz drawled, tossing one of the fruits casually up and down in the air.
"I have to hand it to you, brother. I didn't think I'd see you till tomorrow. You are a little more resourceful than I thought, and more foolish as well," he continued to monologue.
"We'll see about that!" Goku snapped back. His eyes darted around, spotting Rinka on the ground next to the massive gap in the earth. She was looking very unsure about what she should be doing. "Rinka! Are you hurt?" he asked quickly. She shook her head wildly. "Where's Gohan?"
She turned and gazed down into the crater behind her, then looked back up at her father. The motion was less than subtle, but it got the message across. He gave her a sharp nod. She slowly rose to her feet, readying herself for whatever came next. Raditz seemed to notice the exchange, but did not react to it.
"So, what brings you here, Kakarot?" he asked casually, like Goku's being there was purely coincidence. "Do tell. Have you already eliminated one hundred earthlings?" he asked.
"I'm here to get my kids back!" he said, as if that wasn't already obvious.
"I was afraid you'd say that. You are testing my patience, Kakarot. I've been more than generous with you, so far. Now for the last time, I strongly recommend that you join us!" Raditz pressed.
"I don't care what you recommend! The answer is still no!" he yelled back.
"You should listen to your big brother," Raditz warned.
"As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a brother!" Goku told him harshly.
Well, so much for her having a uncle, Rinka thought.
His comment didn't seem to sit too well with Raditz, as he proceeded to grip the fruit uncomfortably tight.
"Alright then. You can have it your way, Kakarot. I didn't come here to kill you, but it seems you have left me no choice. It's too bad, little brother. I do think you would have found the life of a Saiyan to be quite invigorating." Raditz took a big bite out of the fruit when he finished.
Rinka felt her hair starting to stand on end in fear. After all that, he was going to just – kill her father?
"Alright, I've heard enough talk!" Piccolo growled, tossing off his cape and hat. "You know why we're here, so let's get on with it." They hit the ground with an abnormal amount of force. Goku seemed surprised.
"Huh? Piccolo? I had no idea you trained with weighted clothing too," Goku said.
"What? Thought you were the only one?" he asked skeptically. He grunted with satisfaction and rubbed at one of his shoulders. "Oh yeah, I feel much lighter now," he mentioned.
Apparently in response, Goku began stripping as well. He removed his shirt, boots, and wrist weights, listing them off as he went.
"There's thirty pounds, and here's fifty, and another fifty. And two little fivers. That outta do it, Piccolo. Unless you can think of something else?"
"What am I, your tailor?" Piccolo scoffed.
Rinka snorted at the comment. Probably for the best if they didn't remove any more clothes.
Raditz tossed the remainder of the fruit aside, and laughed at the antics.
"Do you two really think that's going to make a difference?" he asked knowingly. "Fools! Who do you think I am?! A few weights aren't going to affect the outcome of this fight! I'm still ten times stronger than you are!" he boasted.
"That may be true, but strength isn't the only thing that matters!" Goku said haughtily. "Not when you can outsmart your opponent!
However, Rinka was pretty sure that it was still an important part to winning a fight. . .
"You really don't have a clue, do you brother?" Raditz asked. "You know what? I think I've decided I don't want you to join us anymore. A fool like you would only slow us down," Raditz said. "You're a disgrace to all Saiyans! Now prepare to die!" he screamed at him.
Both of the fighters took a defensive stance, and Rinka felt an instinctive draw to want to help. She made a motion like she was going to run out into the fray, but her father stopped her at the last moment.
"Rin, no! Stay back and out of the way!" he ordered. She froze for a moment, but then obeyed, backing away to the edge of the crater.
But, then she suddenly realized that Raditz was gone! She glanced around, frantically trying to find him. He reappeared, as if by magic, right behind where Piccolo and her father were standing! He planted a wicked elbow strike right into the middle of both their backs, nailing them both at the same time. They grunted and fell forward in pain, but then recovered just as quickly. They all stared back at Raditz in shock. It was like he had warped!
He laughed evilly, maintaining his pose. "Well, I'll give ya this. You know how to take a punch," he offered. "Good! That should only make this all the more enjoyable. Oh yes, let's find out how much pain you can really stand," he threatened.
"What's wrong? You look so pensive, Kakarot. Are you still trying to outsmart me? Well, think about this while you're at it. Your situation is even more hopeless than you realize. If you think I'm strong now, wait until I catch my stride. Truth is, I'm just getting warmed up," he taunted.
That didn't seem to go over well with either of them, and Rinka started getting a sinking feeling that she should be worried.
"I'll tell you what. Seeing as how your power levels are more or less equal, why don't we make a little game out of this. We'll call it: which of you can last against me the longest," Raditz said.
"Hmmm, needs work," Rinka muttered in response. He must have heard her though, because a moment later Raditz shot daggers at her with his eyes.
"No commenting from the peanut gallery!" he barked at her.
Rinka threw her hands up in annoyance and plopped back down to the ground in defeat, crossing her arms in a pout. She couldn't help, she couldn't talk – fine then! All that was left was for her to sit there and watch, like a good little girl. Lame! Well, hopefully they'd at least figure out a way to beat this Raditz guy.
"Now, as I was saying. The rules are simple, I cause you both a great deal of pain, and you writhe around in agony. The loser is the first to beg for mercy," he taunted.
"That's it! I don't care how strong he is. I'm not gonna stand here and listen to this. I would prefer to die," Piccolo declared. Raditz just laughed at him.
"Don't you worry about it, green man. We'll get to that in due time," Raditz assured him.
"Hey! Don't get ahead of yourself. You haven't beaten us yet," Goku reminded him.
You also haven't even started yet, Rinka thought with an eye roll.
"Trust me, Kakarot. I know an easy win when I see one. I'm a Saiyan! It's what I do," Raditz said.
"Come on, Goku. Let's finish this guy. We'll charge him together," Piccolo suggested.
"Wait, just a second," he told Piccolo, and flew up a ways to glance into the crater, apparently wanting to get a look at where Rinka had indicated that Gohan was. The boy peered up at him through the little, red window.
"Gohan," Goku grit his teeth in frustration when he saw him.
"Daddy help! Please daddy! Get me out!" They could hear Gohan crying through the walls of the pod.
"Be strong, Gohan! I'll be down to help you in a minute. Just hold on!" his father reassured him.
"Ha! You'll be down alright, but you won't be helping anybody!" Goku turned to glare at his children's kidnapper. "You should say your goodbyes, though. You won't get another chance," Raditz told him, and Goku re-landed on the ground.
"No! I won't lose," Goku declared.
"Alright, let's do this!" Piccolo announced.
Rinka had an overwhelming urge to shout: Leeeeerooooooooooooy Jenkins! But just grinned instead.
Goku and Piccolo charged at Raditz, both attempting to deliver a series of powerful punches. All of which seemed to be missing, unfortunately. The only reason Rinka knew this, was because he wasn't being thrown backwards. Her untrained eyes were having a hard time keeping up with what was happening.
She was finally able to make something out, when both Piccolo and her father were suddenly each taking one of Raditz' boots to their face. They both flew backwards, but recovered before they hit the ground and bounded back into the fray, all of them taking to the air. That quickly proved to be a mistake, as a pair of powerful energy blasts came shooting from Raditz' hands.
Rinka had to look away, as the blinding flash hurt her eyes. She ducked for cover, holding her arms up over her head. The earth shook with tremendous force when the blasts hit. She didn't risk looking again until the shaking stopped.
"Where did he go?!" It was her father's voice. She glanced up and blew out a sigh of relief to see that he was okay, for a second anyway.
Because not a moment later, Raditz materialized behind him. "Right here," he said, sharply kicking Goku in the back, sending him flying forward and eating dirt.
"What's the matter with you two? You can at least try to make better sport of it than this. You don't want me to get bored, do you?" he sneered.
Goku managed to pick himself up off the ground. He wiped at some blood that was leaking from the side of his mouth.
"Piccolo, are you alright?" he asked. Drawing everyone's attention to him. "Gah!" Goku gasped in shock when he saw his current state. He was missing one of his arms, blood dripping from the remaining stump!
Rinka gaped at him in horror! It was one thing to see dismemberment happening in video games. Seeing it in real life was more gruesome than she could have imagined! And the creepiest part, was that it didn't seem to phase Piccolo at all!
"Don't worry about it," he assured him. "It's not as bad as it looks. I'm not out of this fight yet!" Rinka half expected him to say that it was 'merely a flesh wound', or at least that 'he'd had worse'.
Apparently, Raditz thought that this was just the funniest thing he'd ever seen, because he began cracking up with laughter. "Oh excuse me! Has anyone seen my arm? You can't miss it, it's green!" he roared psychotically. The others just glared back at him. "Come on now, surely that pathetic excuse for an attack wasn't the best you could do?" he taunted.
"Okay Goku, if you have any new techniques you've been waiting to use, now's the time," Piccolo hinted. He just laughed back awkwardly.
"Sorry, I wish I did," he admitted.
"Ha! You slacker. Why you've been taking it easy, I've been developing a new attack," Piccolo boasted.
"Fools! Haven't you figured it out yet? All of your planning is futile! Whisper all you want, but you're still going to die," Raditz told them matter-of-factly.
"So, you think this attack of yours has enough power to do some damage, Piccolo?" Goku wondered.
"Yes," he replied confidently.
"And you can do it with only one arm?"
"Yeah, that's no problem. The problem is, it takes me a while to gather the energy for it. So, you'll have to last against him alone for five minutes. It's your decision," Piccolo told him. Didn't seem like there was much of a choice, though.
"Alright, if you're sure it'll work, I'll hold him off," Goku said.
"Well, the truth is, it's untested. I've never tried it against an opponent. I was hoping to save it for a special occasion. It's the attack I planned to use to defeat you," Piccolo confessed.
Oh, great! That wasn't ominous or anything!
"I see, and now you're using it to help me. You must be terribly disappointed," Goku joked.
"No, this'll be a good test, and if it works, I'll be using it on you next," Piccolo assured him.
"Heh, heh – figures!" he chuckled.
"You know, that wasn't actually intended to be funny," Piccolo told him.
"I guess I'll be sure to watch out the next time we meet, but for now, wish me luck!" Goku requested.
"Alright, do you best, Goku," Piccolo encouraged.
He then leapt into action, charging the Saiyan warrior once again. They began to go at each other with a volley of punches and kicks. Meanwhile, Piccolo held back, holding a pair of fingers up to his forehead while he began charging his energy. Rinka couldn't really make out what was happening, but it didn't sound very good.
Eventually, Goku was flung away, before leaping into the air.
"He's persistent," Raditz grumbled.
Goku then brought his hands behind his back in his signature pose for his most powerful attack!
"Ka – me –" he began.
"Impossible! His power level is skyrocketing!" Raditz exclaimed. "900 – 950!"
"Haaaaaaa!" Goku continued.
"But how?! He knows how to raise his power level by concentrating his energy into one spot!" Raditz realized.
"Meeeeeee!"
"Ugh! What?" Raditz scouter beeped again, and he flipped around to look at Piccolo. "His power level has gone up as well. It's over 1,000! Unbelievable, and it's still going up!
"Haaaaaaaaaa!" Goku finally finished, releasing the beam of energy straight towards Raditz!
Rinka could feel her excitement rising. Now this guy would see what her dad was capable of!
Raditz tried to duck and run, but Goku adjusted the beam so that it would follow him. He finally stopped and turned to face it.
"Enough of this!" he shouted, putting out his hands and taking the blast, full-force! It exploded all around him.
When the dust settled, Rinka stared in shock and fear at what she saw. Raditz was standing there as if nothing had happened. How could her father's strongest attack not even leave a mark?! It was baffling that he could be so much stronger. Her eyes darted at Piccolo, she really hoped that whatever he was doing was going to work, otherwise he and her father were goners! Then what would happen to her and her brother?
"Brother! I'll show you how it's done!" Raditz announced, unleashing a powerful blast of his own. It hit Goku square in the chest! He let out a cry of pain, and began to plummet back to the earth.
"Daddy!" Rinka screamed in distress.
Goku hit the ground hard, and before anyone could react, Raditz was on top of him once again. He pulled Goku up by the collar and was about to pound a fist into his face, when something stopped him. As if just remembering that he was there, he turned to see that Piccolo had finished charging his attack. Piccolo grinned devilishly at him.
"Let's see you stop this one!" Piccolo exclaimed.
"How foolish! I underestimated these guys!" Raditz was just now realizing. "Power level 1,330! I can't block that!" he said with dismay, before gritting his teeth and steeling himself again. "Alright, green man! Let's see what you've got!"
"It's all yours! Special Beam Cannon!" Piccolo shouted, firing the energy wave from his fingers directly at Raditz.
It was impressive! The most impressive attack yet. Rinka had to duck down again to avoid being blown away herself. Unfortunately, it still wasn't enough. The smoke cleared, and they all gaped at seeing that Raditz was still standing!
"He – he dodged it. He – he's faster than the – speed of light," Piccolo lamented.
"My, that was quite an impressive little trick. Look how easily it pierced my armor," he commented – like it was nothing!
Rinka suddenly leapt to her feet. "It was supposed to pierce your heart! You giant jerk-wad!" she shouted at him, her eyes staring to get teary. She was feeling so scared and frustrated that name calling felt like the only thing she could do. That had been their last hope, hadn't it? And Piccolo had missed. So what now? Were they all doomed?
"And I thought I had told you to shut up!" Raditz yelled back at her. "You're going to pay for that later," he threatened.
"Ugh! Darn it! All for nothing!" Piccolo said with just as much frustration.
"Now, I had a little trick that I had wanted to share with you, remember?" Raditz said as he turned back to Piccolo. "It's the one I was going to show you when we first met."
"Yeah, I know," Piccolo said, sounding scared. That wasn't good.
"Do you remember the name?" Raditz asked. He lifted up a hand and began charging his energy again, and a ball of light started to glow inside it. "Double Sunday!" he yelled, and was about to unleash his attack, but was suddenly cut short.
They all looked past him to find that during this time, Goku had managed to sneak up behind him and nab him by the tail! He chuckled merrily at his success.
"You were careless. I'll never forget how much my tail hurt when someone squeezed it!" Goku confessed, and bared down on the tail. Raditz howled in pain, before collapsing to the ground.
"You shouldn't do that," Raditz snarled at him.
"Piccolo! Do you think you can manage that attack one more time?" Goku shouted to him.
"Yes, Goku! With pleasure," Piccolo said with a smile. "I see you had a surprise attack, after all. You sly dog! Now hold him tight. This is the last time I can do this." Piccolo began charging his attack once again.
Rinka brightened. Did this mean they had a second chance now?
"Kakarot, please tell me you're not going to go through with this. I am your brother!" Raditz gasped out.
"Brother?! Don't be ridiculous! You kidnapped my kids, and you tried to kill me! And if I remember right, you said you were going to exterminate every human on this planet," Goku reminded him.
"I was bluffing. I would have done or said anything to get you to join us, I swear it!" Raditz argued.
"Don't listen to him, Goku! He'll say anything to get loose!" Piccolo yelled in argument.
"I was never going to kill you or your kids. Once I was sure that I couldn't persuade you to join us, I – I was going to leave this planet, for good. And that's the truth! I could never hurt my own flesh and blood, I swear! I swear it, Kakarot," Raditz begged.
Even Rinka wanted to believe he was telling the truth, but how he had acted before filled her with more doubt than hope.
"Do you promise to leave?" Goku asked.
"Yes, of course it's over. I'll tell the others that you won't join," Raditz assured him.
"No Goku! He's trying to trick you! Don't let him go!" Piccolo implored.
"Ahh! I'll never come back to this planet again, I promise!" Raditz continued to plead.
Goku's grip on the tail began to weaken, until he had completely released it from his grasp.
"No Goku!" Piccolo tried to stop him, but it was too late.
His actions met with almost immediate regret, as Raditz sprang up and delivered a wicked blow with his elbow right into the middle of Goku's face! He flew backwards, landing prostrate on the ground once again. Raditz instantly sprang at him, shoving his boot into Goku's ribs. He began letting out choked cries of pain, while Raditz laughed at his ignorance.
"Daddy!" Rinka shouted, again making a move to rush over to help.
"Rin, no!" Goku told her weakly, holding out a hand to discourage her from coming any closer.
"But, daddy," Rinka moaned, eyes welling up with tears at her helplessness.
"You've always been way too trusting, Goku!" Piccolo lectured him, while he continued to shout in pain under Raditz' heel.
"Fool! How could you?!" he demanded. "You're a rare breed indeed, my brother. Such a sentimental dope. You're way too soft to be a Saiyan warrior."
"No fair," Goku whined.
"You're right, Kakarot. But I myself am a first-class warrior, and I won't hesitate to kill. Even my own brother, if need be. Now say goodbye," Raditz told him.
He stepped down so hard on Goku's chest, that Rinka could actually hear all the ribs cracking. Her eyes went wide in terror, while Goku let out his most painful scream yet!
"Come on! I want to hear you beg!" Raditz continued his onslaught. "Beg for mercy!"
Rinka was really crying now. Terrified at her father's pain, and wishing there was something she could do to make it stop! But, every time she tried, he would just tell her 'no'. She didn't know what to do!
"What are you waiting for? Go ahead and try that little trick of yours again, or can't you handle it?" he taunted Piccolo.
"Ugh! It's no use! I need more time!" Piccolo lamented.
"Come on, Kakarot!" Raditz hollered as Goku continued to yell out in pain. "I want to hear you beg!" he told him again. "Go on, just say 'uncle'! Uncle, ha ha. Just look at that fool," he said, turning to Piccolo. "Why so blue, green man? Is it because you're powerless to help your friend? Or cuz you're just plain ugly?" Raditz sighed. "I guess you're not going to beg for me. You're such a disappointment, brother!" Raditz lifted a finger into the air. "Time to die!" he screamed, readying his final blow.
Just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, Rinka suddenly heard a loud crash come from behind her, followed by an explosion! She flipped around just in time to see none other than Gohan bust out from inside the space craft, debris flying everywhere! He leapt into the air and landed on the ground next to her.
"Huh?" Piccolo looked shocked.
"What?" Raditz demanded, just as dumbfounded.
Whoo! That was still a lot of intro! Hopefully the subtle changes will still make it interesting to read.
