Chapter Twenty-One
Raditz was awakened from his afternoon nap prematurely to the sound of his green scouter beeping in his ear. Checking the digits that flashed across his screen, the Saiyan's wary eyes shot open.
'Two power levels even higher than Tao are approaching,' The Saiyan said to himself, still half asleep. He shoved his feet into his boots and walked out of the capsule home. '371 and 386? It can't be?'
"This might be troublesome," Raditz said, walking past his bluenette lover and into the middle of the clearing. His Scouter said the readings were coming from above so the Saiyan looked up, his blood zealously coursing through his veins as he found himself expecting another set of challengers on behalf of the Red Ribbon Army.
Instead, the Saiyan's blood settled when he saw the silhouettes of his friends, Krillin and Yamcha, slowly hovering themselves down to the Earth. While they hadn't been the opponents that he had hoped to have met, Raditz was still intrigued by how much stronger his friends had become. Now it was his turn to see what this Korin fellow could do for him.
"Hey Radz," Yamcha, the stronger of he and Krillin now, happily greeted his long-haired friend as he landed in front of where Raditz had been standing right before Krillin did. He smiled at his new power, he knew that Raditz could tell the difference. "How ya been buddy? What's that piece of junk on your ear say about me?"
"I take it that you two had a pretty good climb?" Raditz teased, shocked by the growth the two had made in such a short time. "You're almost as strong as I am," The Saiyan added, making sure to stress the almost. His strength was still at 394 though Krillin and Yamcha had definitely both come quite a way. The Saiyan could have sworn that he managed to catch a glimpse of sweat trailing from the side of Yamcha's face… as if he had been expecting himself to somehow eclipse his own strength. Just the thought of it forced Raditz to hold back a slight amount of inappropriate chuckles… the Human race could certainly be quite the comedians at times.
"Sure did!" Krillin said with a smile, scratching the back of his shaved head. Originally, much like Raditz, he'd be susceptible to what he'd find at the top of the tower but he hadn't regretted it. Sure Korin had certainly made him and Yamcha work for his sacred water but the monk knew it had been a wise choice. He had never worked that hard for a drink and there had even been times he and Yamcha thought Korin was too fast to ever fool. "Master Korin definitely made fools out of us but it all ended up paying off. I feel tons stronger than before." The former monk applauded himself, building his energy around his body in a faint golden aura. "For the first time ever, I feel like I could take you in a fight!"
"Man, tell me about it Krillin," Yamcha followed up behind the shorter of the three. Without Krillin, he wasn't sure how long it would have taken to touch Korin but together they both pushed each other and kept the old feline on his paws. A task that should have taken him weeks had been finished in a little over a single week. Now, training under Roshi, the desert bandit had long abandoned his green fighting uniform from before and had an orange gi similar to Krillin's on his more swollen body. "So, did we miss anything my spiky haired alien friend?" The bandit asked Raditz with a toothy grin.
"Just some more pathetic attempts on getting the Dragon Ball," Raditz boringly answered the former thief. "Then I guess whoever runs this thing got desperate because they sent some mercenary to take it and kill me. He was pretty strong and I stopped him but… it came at a price." He added, sighing at the dreadful memories of Bora's last moments playing through his head. He looked over at Upa. The boy hadn't been his cheerful self since the incident and Raditz doubted that would change any time soon.
Krillin's face dropped as he connected the dots that Raditz was putting forth. His fist clenched to his side at this.
"Dammit, what's next?" The monk responded with an arched eyebrow. "I should have been here, it's not your fault, brother. We'll make these guys pay for what they did to Bora!"
"We'll do what we have to do," Raditz said, swallowing a lump and his emotions. Anger at the Red Ribbon Army. Guiltiness over Bora's death. Temporary relief at Tao's death. Anxiousness at finding these Dragon Balls and bringing Bora back. "I owe it to Bora and Upa both to find the rest of the Dragon balls and wish him back. Upa can't end up like I did, he needs his father. My cluelessness got Bora killed…"
"Alright, let's get to it then." Yamcha enthusiastically responded, his crimson aura surrounding him as his excitement peaked. Never before in his life had he ever felt so powerful! Was this why Raditz loved fighting? He'd have to thank Korin and the Turtle Hermit the next time he saw them both… they were the reason behind all this! He definitely wouldn't have made such progress training alone in the desert.
"You're getting too far ahead of yourself Yamcha," Raditz interjected, looking at the tower. If his two friends had gotten this much stronger, he was anxious to see what such training would do for someone like him. The Red Ribbon were a large army so he knew that they'd need every bit of power they could muster. "You two have shot up in power because of this tower… I think I'm going to have my go at it and have my own glass of this water! The stronger we all are, the less likely we are to run into any trouble… more fun for us right?"
"I guess you're right about that one. Krillin and I will wait down here for you," Yamcha said, giving in as he scratched the back of his ear-reaching hair. The Saiyan right about that one, what harm would some extra manpower do to them? In the meantime though, he only hoped that Krillin was down for a good spar! "Hey, are you as interested in testing out the results of the water as I am?" He asked the monk with his signature smirk on his face.
"Great, but while I'm gone show Upa here something. The kid needs a way to let out whatever he's feeling. He's much stronger than most of your kind at his age." Raditz instructed his Human friends. Whenever the Red Ribbon Army decided to attack again, they weren't going to be nice to anyone so it never hurt for the boy to be able to hold his own. Even then, in the long run it never hurt to have a few more fighters on their side of things. Looking to his friends one last time before parting ways, the Saiyan's gaze turned to the clouds above as he began his ascent up the tower of Korin.
Raditz let out a grunt in frustration, the crescent moon shimmering in the background. He had been climbing up the titan of a tower for quite some time now, somewhere between nine and ten hours if his sense of time hadn't warped from boredom. Even with the high reserves of superhuman stamina that the boy possessed, the young Saiyan had to admit that he was starting to feel more tired with each inch he pulled himself up. Looking up, his stone black eyes caught sight of what appeared to be an opening in the structure. 'So this was the top?' He thought to himself. A sigh of relief came as he let go of the wall, using what little energy he still had to shoot towards the opening.
Soon after, Raditz entered a small room. Pulling himself into it and back to his feet, the young Saiyan came eye-to-eye with the staff-wielding, fluffy white ball of fur that was the ancient Master Korin.
"Hello, young Raditz," The martial arts master giggled, easily evading Raditz's swaying hand as he walked through and down the Saiyan's mane of hair. 'This guy sure has a lot of fur for a human. And a tail?' He commented, analyzing the powerful alien he'd sensed so many years back. The young prodigy sure had grown in power very much recently. Even in his bout with Tao, Korin had observed and definitely noticed the fighter in this kid. Korin wondered just what the deal was with these Saiyans Kami had told him about. "You're my third visitor this week, I'm impressed with how quickly you made it. I wasn't expecting you to be here til morning time. " The cat said, pushing his thoughts aside for the time. Raditz was on their side… even the thought of the opposite sent chills down his spine. At 19, he was already a force to be reckoned with.
"I'm only here to get a swig of this Sacred Water not for the meaningless small talk," The Saiyan growled to the telepath, finally throwing the cat off of him. To his surprise, the feline landed on his paws. He had other plans than talking when the Dragon Balls came into play with the stakes they played in things. "Just save me the trouble and tell me where it is. I'm outta your fur after that." Raditz demanded in a stoic demeanor.
"It's just up there, you didn't even care to look for it did you?" The feline telepath devilishly smirked, pointing a paw at a sculpture. On the top stood a pitcher of water that rested peacefully. "Go ahead, you look quenched… have a drink." He teased the Saiyan.
"I think I will," Raditz replied, slightly confused. Instantly pouncing towards the pitcher, Raditz was at arms length of the handle when he was suddenly smashed to the ground by what he saw out of his eyes was a swift blur of snow. "But how?" He said, his eyes widening as he saw the plump feline standing in the same place he had been before. If anyone was oblivious to his tactics, they would think that Korin had not attacked him and then returned before he could even conceive that had gone on. Raditz grimaced at this, how had the cat moved that quickly?
"What the hell?" The Saiyan grunted, rubbing the elbow he'd landed on. He growled looking up at Korin, who was whistling without a care in the world. Who else would have hit him? They were the only ones here! "What's the trick? I'm not trying that again and just letting you hit me!"
"No trickery, I can just read minds," Korin explained, chuckling as he noticed how impatient this one was. He loved seeing the looks on every visitor's face when they first tried taking the water. "C'mon didn't that old turtle hermit teach you anything? Clear your mind and leap at me. Let instincts take over, that's the only way you'll dupe me."
The Saiyan calmly accepted the advice, closing his eyes and clearing his mind. He focused on one thing and one thing only, getting his hands on this water at any and all costs. Launching himself once again towards the water after doing this, Raditz saw Korin follow behind him from the corner of his eye. As the plump kitten cast his staff backwards to hit him, he struck only the mere aftermage of his foe.
'This boy is something else!' Korin said to himself, caught off guard by the Saiyan's cunningness. How had he been duped when he was the inventor of the Afterimage technique? He had no time to dwell on it though as a second later, the Saiyan revealed himself behind Korin, striking him with a vicious ax handle blow to the back of the feline master. Knocking the telepath to the ground as he had been knocked down previously, Raditz reached his arm out and put his fingers around the pitcher.
"Something like that?" The martial artist sarcastically mocked his pursuer with the roll of his eyes before he opened the container and drank more than a serving's worth without gawking for air.
"That was quite the show," Korin praised the long haired student, limping over to the Saiyan as he stretched his back out in an attempt to ease the pain from the blow he'd taken. He knew the boy was a flawless fighter but to have outspeed and outsmarted his defenses so effortlessly, he hadn't expected that! He had hoped to entertain himself with the brat for at least a day or two. "Your teacher took three years, those friends of yours took a week but to only take a few minutes to dupe me? I must be getting old."
"Cut the small talk," Raditz threatened with a growl, examining his body in confusion and flexing his muscles aggravatedly. He didn't feel much stronger? What was with this stuff? "Does it take a while to begin working? I don't feel much stronger, feline?" He asked the master.
"Well," Korin replied with a chuckle as he prepared to tell the Saiyan his long begotten secret. So he was actually one of the smart ones? "I don't see the big fuss. Why would you feel stronger after drinking just plain ole tap water?" The cat said, dismissing the Saiyan.
"Tap water?" Raditz repeated, anger starting to show. His fist clenched together so hard that some blood was drained by his nails. Had he wasted half a day on just some water? Had he been fooled yet again? "Give me an explanation, now." The Saiyan demanded the elderly mentor.
"Yes, tap water," Korin began with his explanation. The reactions were usually amusing but this Raditz guy was different. " There was never anything special about this water. It was the effort that you put into getting to and tussling with me that made you stronger."
"Still, I don't feel much stronger than before," Raditz warned Korin, a cold tone evident in his voice as he glared at him.
"Blame yourself. You're too strong and quick for these old fashioned tricks of mine to have much of an effect on you." Korin laughed uncomfortably. "I've never said this before but it appears that my tower isn't much of a challenge to you."
"So, I wasted my time?" Raditz grumbled, his aura rising as his temper also did. "If that was what you're trying to imply, then I'd be very upset." He added with venom in his voice.
"No, calm down." Korin confidently responded, trying his hardest to hide all signs that he was a little bit spooked. "You've gotten a little better, just not as much as those two human friends of yours. There's no shortcut to getting stronger, you know that. I do have something that I feel like could further help you out in your training."
"And that is?" The Saiyan impatiently asked, yet still somewhat intrigued by the mentor's words.
"A little something I'd like to call Senzu Beans," Korin said with a smirk, reaching out to Raditz to show him a handful of about a dozen green beans. "I've been growing them for centuries. You eat one of these babies and your energy will be restored. Catastrophic injuries too! I eat one and be full for days on end… wouldn't recommend the pain of regrowing an entire limb tho." He added with a snort. Growing pains were the worst.
'With these, I could begin more gruesome training and take advantage of this body of mine,' Raditz grabbed the brains and placed them in the small satchel that he kept tied around his waist. 'Then even if we're caught in a bind by Frieza or whoever… we'll be good to fight another day.' He finished, taking one of the beans at that moment. His muscles pumped as his energy returned to him. These had been worth it!
"Hey take caution!" Korin added, warning the long haired Saiyan with a pointed claw. "Those things aren't candy and they don't grow on trees, literally! I've saved a few over the past couple years but I'd hate to be in a bind and not have one of them suckers."
"Thanks for the offer," Raditz smirked, bowing to the teacher as a sign of respect and gratitude. "We'll see each other again." He finished, racing towards the edge of the cat's tower before he dived off of the base towards where his friends were no doubt waiting for him.
Krillin's eyes shot into the darky sky, nudging for Yamcha to divert his attention at what he was seeing. After just half a day, they couldn't believe that the dot they were seeing closing in on the sky was their Saiyan comrade. Within seconds, the pixel formed into the shape of a free falling Raditz. Landing, the Saiyan looked up at his two companions, his new power radiating from his confidence.
"Hey, you're back! It's only been a day, we couldn't teach Upa much outside of the basic ki blast and some Turtle fighting styles." Krillin laughed, hiding his astonishment at the Saiyan's speed in doing what took him and Yamcha an entire week. "He's a good listener."
Raditz's attention suddenly shifted to the silent native child, easing his finger over to the power button of his Scouter to register his strength. Examining Upa, Raditz managed to find out that his power level had increased to a 41, meaning that at least some progress had been made in the child's training. At least he was much stronger than the average Human and possibly even somewhat of a challenge for a decent martial artist. "At least now he's slightly stronger than he was before… meaning that it was better than doing nothing but waiting up for me." The Saiyan told his comrades, bending down to ruffle through the son of the now deceased Bora's smooth mane of hair.
"No offense but what the fuck are you doing back?" Yamcha questioned the Saiyan. "You got the water that fast? I was still climbing by this time!"
"He tried to stop me but it wasn't enough." Raditz said, shrugging off the Earthling and crossing his arms arrogantly across his armor. "Let's get a move on and find the Dragon Balls now! We don't know what this army's got planned." He demanded, turning to Bulma.
"About that," Bulma hesitantly began, handing the Dragon Radar to her lover. "I've been tracking all of the Dragon Balls' movements and it seems like the Red Ribbon's gone to their backup plan. They've spread them out amongst five other places I assume are their bases! I'm not sure about the seventh one, my radar's been acting strange but it isn't popping up." She said, making a mental note to herself to repair the machine as soon as she returned to her lab.
"Dammit," Raditz mumbled, just loud enough for his friends to see he was frustrated. He had already devised a plan to bombard the headquarters and fight his way to the Dragon Balls but there that plan went! Now, they'd have to split up and find them. Still though, whoever was behind this commotion still deserved a visit from him just for Bora. "That shouldn't be a problem though. It might've derailed our intentional plans but we've done this before. We're just going to have to find these things individually."
"So just like old times, huh?" Yamcha let out, thrusting his arm in the air. Just the Saiyan's words brought up deja vu in remembrance of the memories he'd made in the past year: meeting Raditz and fighting him, befriending the Saiyan's friends, and of course meeting his lover, Mai. "I've said I wanted to do it again. Of course the fate of the planet's on the line again."
"Now just two more manners," Raditz commented, scratching his chin. He knew the stakes and hated to have Upa and Bulma hurt in the middle of battle. "Upa and Bulma need safekeeping and training."
"What exactly are you saying, Raditz?" Bulma asked her martial artist boyfriend, already knowing where he was going. "If you're thinking of leaving me out of this adventure it's not going to happen. I'm the one who made the Dragon Radar, I could be just as much of a target as you!"
Raditz sighed as he brought the bluenette into a kiss. He knew she'd object to this but at the end of the day, her life was one of the most important things to the Saiyan.
"Blue, I don't want to jeopardize your survival with these guys. Bora was much stronger than you and look where he is now, plainly because of these people. You have to be somewhere safe, if I can't protect you… I'd snap," The Saiyan sighed, keeping his woman tucked in his arms as he spoke. He rustled a finger through her blue hair before speaking again. "These guys are sadists, I don't want you having to stomach anything I might have to do to get my point across with whoever's behind all this."
"We're going to have to put them somewhere with someone who can protect them," Yamcha suggested. The Red Ribbon Army was cunning and though he hadn't yet encountered them, Bulma had already told him the juice on them. These guys didn't seem like they were the type to play games either! "How about the old man's island? It's out in the middle of nowhere and we know how strong Roshi is! He could even train Upa while we're away."
"That seems like our best bet," Raditz answered, weighing through the options running through his head. He looked over at Bulma, he knew she wouldn't like the idea solely because of the hermit's mannerisms. Yet she had to understand where Yamcha was coming from, Roshi would definitely protect her and the others with his life. Her home was off limits, who knew what could go down if the Red Ribbon found her and Raditz was nowhere near! "Bulma, you ready?"
"One small flaw," The bluenette responded with a pout. There was only one person who she felt completely safe with. Her lover, Raditz. "There's no way in hell that you're leaving me on an island with that old pervert!"
"He may be a pervert but he's not a fool," Raditz shot back. Roshi knew he and Bulma were a thing, he wouldn't dare try anything unless he wanted to stir up some more conflict. "I'll beat him into the ground if he tries anything funny, okay?" He reaffirmed his girlfriend, smiling a toothy smirk as she sighed, giving in.
After an hour's flight, the group finally reached Master Roshi's secluded island. Properly explaining the circumstances to the Turtle Hermit, Roshi was now sitting in reflection with his three students. They were strong, that much was sure, but war was about far more than just strength.
"So, the three of you are going forward with these plans against the Red Ribbon Army, huh?" Master Roshi asked his students, talking to the three seated martial artists as he walked circles in his home, sipping from the flask he kept in his hands. "You have to make sure that you put an end to every part of their operations. This army is quite relentless so we must give them no way to resurface in the future and become another problem."
"Of course, master," Raditz responded, bowing down to the Turtle Hermit. He had already known what had to be done, the scenarios playing in his head the entire trip over. He knew that there would be no redemption for this army, only death. Even Roshi was okay with that, everyone in the room was aware of the circumstances. "So, could you watch over Bulma and train the kid?" The Saiyan asked the old master.
"We've been pulled into quite the situation," Roshi started, taking a swig from the flask once again. Swallowing the whisky in his mouth, the hermit heard what Raditz asked him. "Go handle what you boys have to handle. Everybody in this house will be protected to my dying breath."
"Thank you Master," Krillin thanked the old hermit, bowing down in gratitude and respect. "Once all this is finished, I'll have to thank you with some more magazines. Upa, I hope that you train hard under Master Roshi! If anybody can teach you, it's him." The monk added, speaking to the small Karingan boy.
"Yes sir," Upa happily responded, walking up to Raditz. "Mister Raditz… please avenge my father and bring him back to life as soon as you can."
"I'll do everything in my power to make it so," Raditz exclaimed, bending down to speak to the Karinga Indian before turning to face his magnificent woman.
"Hey Blue… do you think that it'll be possible for you to modify my Scouter to act as a sort of Dragon Radar as well as make your own sort of Scouters for Krillin and Yamcha to use so that we can communicate through this all? Take my own and do what you can." The Saiyan questioned his girlfriend, handing his Saiyan device to the bluenette. He knew fully well that if anybody could do that feat, it was Bulma herself… the smartest female, if not Human, on the face of the entire Earth.
"I don't see why I couldn't," Bulma answered, carefully taking the device from Raditz's hands as she examined its exterior. She grabbed her Dragon Radar and immediately ripped the screen from it, using both devices to create something new. "But it's going to take a bit of time… three hours at the least." She alerted the warriors as she decapsulized a small laboratory from her package of capsules, before she officially got started on his new project.
Once the genius in Bulma had finally completed the task that she had been asked to do, the three students of Master Roshi were finally ready to begin their exploration for the remaining six Dragon Balls. Improving their chances, Bulma had taken it upon herself to completely build two fully functional Scouters from what spare parts she had, she had even impressed herself! Along with that, the heiress of Capsule Corporations had also done a bit of extra tinkering with all the scouters to upgrade the alien-made hardware with the capability to track down Dragon Balls While it had taken many of the parts of her Dragon Radar to complete this, it more than made up for the loss of her very first invention with the creation of a highly advanced piece of technology.
"Raditz… you have to promise me that you'll come back." Bulma concernedly told her Saiyan lover, reaching out an arm to stop the young warrior from flying away from her clutches. "You defeat these guys and come back to me… okay?" The bluenette instructed her longtime friend and lover.
"Come on Blue… these guys haven't sent me anything to even pose a challenge," Raditz laughed, looking back to see a pout painted onto the blue haired genius's face. He had been trying to improve the mood but she really did not want to see him get harmed or even worse… killed. "I promise." The Saiyan promised, pecking the female's lips with his own lips, exchanging a 'see ya later' kiss with Bulma.
"Okay… stay safe, all of you." Bulma boldly demanded the three warriors in an assertive tone. This wasn't much of a suggestion but a threat, and Raditz knew just that. Bulma let out a light smile as she watched Raditz, now engulfed in his trademark purple cloak of flames hover into the sky, with Krillin and Yamcha following directly after him in white and crimson flames respectively.
"Now… remember everything that I have taught the three of you," Master Roshi sternly stated, watching as all three of his students blasted into the sky, leaving behind nothing more than a trail of multicolored flames in their place.
Once they were situated finely in the air, the three friends and martial artists began to engage in conversation with one another.
"So… how exactly are we going to find all of these Dragon Balls? Should we split up and go our own ways before reuniting?" Krillin questioned the other fighters. He knew that each of them were more than capable of holding their own in a fair fight against almost anything that could be thrown at them, but one could never know what the future awaited. They could possibly run into an incredibly powerful, vicious enemy at any given second and he would hate to be the one to do so once they ventured on their own.
"Judging by how I'm both the most powerful and fastest one here, I'm going to tackle the Dragon Ball farthest from us and head north," Raditz stoically answered his friend, his aura building up as he prepared to blast off in the direction of his intended bounty. With his further increased speed and strength, the Saiyan could complete a task that would take either Krillin or Yamcha three or four days in two days… tops. "Once you locate your Dragon Ball… either go after any ones within your reach or meet back up at Master Roshi's and group up there. See you guys," Raditz instructed his fellow martial artists before he immediately charged out of view, blasting through the clouds at a speed that rivaled the tremendously fast speed of light.
"I'll go after the nearest Dragon Ball… get my hands on one as soon as I possibly can," Yamcha explained to the former monk, blasting off from his location as well, his brilliantly colored crimson flames trailing behind his speeding body. While he hadn't shown it… he was more than eager to see what these Red Ribbon Army grunts had in store for anyone hoping to secure one of their Dragon Balls… eager to showcase his newfound strength to an unexpecting foe. "Later Krill," The former bandit's voice screamed through the gusting winds that had been created by both Raditz's and Yamcha's speed.
"And that leaves me to go with any one I please," Krillin shrugged before he too blasted off into the skies, soaring closer towards the Dragon Ball that he had assigned himself to secure with each passing second.
Raditz continued his flight through the skies, his muscular body shivering and trembling from the sheer coldness emitting from the frosty winds of the Earth. As his incredibly long journey advanced even more northern by the second, the Saiyan could feel the temperature dropping lower with each passing minute, if not second. Despite the freezing condition that he was currently in, Raditz gave his all to continue soaring through the freezing winds, his scouter making it sure that he knew he was rapidly closing in on the Dragon Ball he had assigned himself to collect, evident by the fact that the alien made device was frantically beeping in excitement.
'Damn… if I knew that it was this cold out here, I would have saved myself some trouble by bringing a coat or something,' The Saiyan thought to himself, gusts of freezing cold winds harshly striking his body as he rapidly charged his way through the air at the extremely quick speed that he happened to possess. Before the Saiyan could say anything else, pounds of snow began raining down on him, layers of ice slowly forming across his body as he began being weighed down to the ground. Raditz felt as his body was towed to the ground by the harsh weather of Planet Earth, knowing that it would be just a matter of seconds before he crashed down to the ground. "Dammit," Raditz managed to let out before his body collapsed to the ground, the Saiyan quickly blacking out as his body remained nearly completely frozen by the subzero temperatures that he was absolutely feeling. All the while cursing himself for his foolishness.
Raditz finally regained consciousness a short time later. Sneezing, the Saiyan's eyes shot open as he found himself wrapped in a thick blanket. He scanned the area he was in, taking note of the photos of a young family and the warm fire he was sleeping near. Having no memory whatsoever, Raditz shot up from his comfy seat and surveyed the room he was in for answers.
"Where am I? Anyone" The Saiyan screamed as his search brought forth no answers. Where was he? On command, two Humans walked into the room with the frustrated Saiyan. The first, a short girl with red hair, held a cup of cocoa in her hand while the second, presumably her mother, kept her hands on the younger's back. Seeing the smile on their faces as they walked in, Raditz backed down, accepting the mug from the little girl.
"So you're awake young man," The older woman said with a warm smile, easing Raditz's temper. "My daughter, Suno, was the one to bring you in from the cold. You were freezing out there and she didn't want the Red Ribbon to find you. Then you would have been sent to their camp."
"Is that so," Raditz slowly, sipping some hot chocolate from the mug. Wiping the chocolate buildup on his lips, the Saiyan thanked Suno for saving him. "I would have been a popsicle had it not been for you." He thanked the redhead, who was shyer than he would have thought as her face flushed an even lighter red than her locks of hair .
"I wasn't going to let those scouts take you where they took my father," The girl started. Raditz's ears shot up at this: so the army was taking prisoners? Were they yet aware of him? "My name's Suno, care to tell me yours stranger?" Suno asked the Saiyan, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Raditz," Raditz stated, answering the young girl's question. Normally, he would not stand around and engage in small talk but this time around, it was quite different. This girl and her mother had literally saved him from his frosty grave. Plus, they seemed to have at least some knowledge on his villainous targets, the Red Ribbon Army and that meant that would certainly aid him in his quest for the organization's prized possession… the Dragon Ball. "Now, what was that you said about the Red Ribbon Army?"
Just as Suno opened her mouth to begin speaking, the trio's conversation was suddenly interrupted by a heavy knock on the wooden door of their home. Going over to answer the banging door, Suno's mother encountered the surprise of her life as the door was forcefully slammed directly into her face, knocking the polite woman to the ground as the two visitors forced themselves into the home.
"Mother!" Suno cried out, quickly shoving her way through the towering individuals to make her way to her fallen mother's side.
Raditz's attention shifted to the home's two unwanted visitors, a threatening glare taking the place of her previously worriless glance. How dare they just barge in and attack innocents, any and all mercy he felt was gone from the plane of existence now. The Saiyan saw two different thugs, one a Human male wearing a black ski mask over his face and the other an anthropomorphic orange-furred canine, coming his way, two different types of guns aimed specifically at his muscular body.
"There's the kid General White's been searching for… the one who's been causing the boss all that trouble! The moment we bring 'em him… the General's sure to give the both of us a raise." The hound of the soldiers suddenly barked out as his eyes caught sight of the blanketed Saiyan, raising his gun directly at the warrior's unguarded body.
"And what makes you think that you're going to detain me?" Raditz sarcastically questioned his would-be captors, efficiently unwrapping himself from the woolen blanket that Suno and her mother had neatly wrapped him in. The tailed martial artist instantly hopped to his feet, standing before the two Red Ribbon Army grunts in a mighty fighting stance. "And just so that you know… I'm going to make the both of you pay for hurting a woman." The Saiyan warned his foes, causing the two hired gunmen to ready their firearms, the both of them ready to empty an entire clip of lead each into the tailed warrior.
Just as Raditz finished his hysterical statement, the two soldiers slammed their fingers into their guns' triggers, unleashing dozens of bullets soaring towards the Saiyan at an unreal speed. Unfortunately for the two of them, Raditz appeared to have much more than enough speed needed to effortlessly dodge a majority of the bullets fired towards him, the ones that actually managed to strike only doing so much as to issue a slight tingle on the Saiyan's hardened skin, inflicting no damage to their intended target. Before the two soldiers could do as much as reload their weapons, Raditz had already charged them, launching out a flurry of punches and kicks at the two men. Before any of them could even blink, the two of them were getting pummeled by a combination of strikes courtesy of Raditz himself. Firing his foot directly at the Human soldier's torso, Raditz could feel a rib or two shatter by the sheer force of the blow as the man was sent through the doorway, falling face first in a large pile of snow. Not letting up for a single second, Raditz then made his way towards the other minion, striking him with a speeding, yet extremely powerful uppercut to the chin, launching him outside to join his fellow fallen comrade in the glacial mound of snow awaiting his company.
"Now… get out of my face," Raditz harshly demanded the two thugs, his fists still tightly clenched to his side as he hoped to contain his anger. Without another thought, both of the Red Ribbon Army soldiers immediately shot back to their booted feet, not wasting a single second as they began fearfully scurrying their way back to their headquarters. Obviously, whatever the tyrant, General White, had in mind for them was by far, less severe than anything that this superhuman of a child could do to them. Plus, now he could keep a tab on the two soldiers and track them down to wherever it was that they were heading, hopefully their organization's regional base.
Once the two criminal soldiers had raced across the horizon, vanishing from Raditz's extended line of vision within seconds, the young Saiyan calmly walked back into the warmed shack that he had been provided shelter in, helping Suno's lovely mother back to her feet, with the woman thanking her muscular savior in retaliation. A slight frown managed to mark itself upon the Saiyan's otherwise stoic remaining face, a heavy weight figuratively smashing itself down, forcing itself upon the tailed warrior's conscience as he knew for a fact that it was because of him that Suno's mother now faced the possibility of a fractured nose due to the brutality of the soldiers.
"Sorry about all of that ma'am… I did not aim to showcase so much brutality in front of your daughter and yourself." Raditz respectfully apologized to the woman, scratching his head as he finally realized just how much violence he had displayed in the short, yet tense match. Obviously, no HUMAN mother would wish to see that much in a lifetime if she had a say and it… and they could especially not want their offspring to see such at the young age that Suno most likely was.
"Don't worry about that young man," The woman calmly responded, holding a warm towel to her slightly bloodied nose as she slowly spoke to her savior. The door had indeed struck her quite hard, but still… her pain was placed aside by gratitude towards the long haired martial artist for the courage he had displayed in taking down both of the grunts that repeatedly tormented her chilly, yet usually pleasing village. "My daughter and I are both all too familiar with that terrible Red Ribbon Army… it's really such a shame that no one has ever taken matters into their own capable hands and taught those thugs a lesson before you came along." She added, a disappointed sigh managing to slip and emit itself from her covered mouth.
"Wait –what exactly do you mean by that?" Raditz questioned the injured Earthling woman, a bitter scowl beginning to paint itself upon his face at the thought of the Red Ribbon Army mercilessly making the lives of these villagers a living hell to say the least. "Are you telling me that these guys have been doing this even before I came?" The Saiyan speculated, the taste of disgust entering his throat as he swallowed a lump of anger.
"I'm afraid to say that you're right," The woman continued, confirming Raditz's speculation as she was prompted to bring her daughter close by. Actually, this all had been going on for about a single month or two… before which she had lived a happy life with her husband and daughter, existing in the completely carefree village that she knew as home… Jingle Village. The day that the first batch of those men that would later make her daily life completely miserable had been stationed here in search of some type of priceless artifact, her happy, usually carefree life had taken a turn for the worse… her and all of the other villagers being labeled as their personal slaves until their search concluded.
"The leader of this sector, General White, and the dozens, if not hundreds, of soldiers at his disposal have been treating all of the villagers, myself and Suno included, like slaves for the past month… forcing us to do their work and alert them of anyone who comes for something called a Dragon Ball. If we do so much as refuse or talk back, they've already stated that they will begin to gladly gun us all down and then proceed to kill our village chief… who General White somehow managed to capture at his highly guarded base." She added.
"Even the children and such?" Raditz asked himself, a newfound source of anger introducing itself to him. These guys had the audacity to do such terrible things… and to do so PROUDLY? That actually sparked a nerve to the Saiyan and all the Red Ribbon Army did was give him more reasons to exterminate them. "I can't allow any of this to continue when I can put a stop to this. I promise that I'm going to storm their so-called base and rescue your chief and takedown anyone who tries to stand in my way." The Saiyan began, hoping to remain calm. Luckily for him, he would soon be taking his newly sustained anger out on some more waves of Red Ribbon Army soldiers… and they would see death as a mercy once he was done with them. "Do you have any ideas on where they could be setting up headquarters?"
"I-I've seen a number of those big ole meanies positioned at Muscle Tower a few days ago when I was playing in the snow… it's about a mile's journey from here." Suno suddenly interrupted, her voice revealing itself to the intrigued Saiyan. "There has to be hundreds of those guys there at least."
"Thanks… I'm about to put an end to all of this," Raditz promised her two hosts, his fists clenched together so hard that an ounce of blood withdrew from a wound on his palm. "Spread the news… you're basically free already." The Saiyan finished as he confidently walked back out into the fierce, chilly winds of Jingle Village, his newfound goal implanted into his mind. 'Hopefully those grunts haven't gotten too far ahead,' The Saiyan thought as he proceeded towards Muscle Tower.
Power Levels
Raditz: 410 (after taking a senzu bean)
Krillin: 371
Yamcha: 386