Note: This fic is dedicated to MasakoX, whose stories and boundless well of creativity inspired me to write this story. I have great respect for you, and I wish you and your channel great fortune in the future. And also to the other Dragon Ball fans out there who have taken a moment at some point to sit down and wonder, "What If 'X' happened instead of the main story?"
With a mighty boom, the fighters collided with each other and the shockwave of the impact sent them reeling, but it was the Earthlings who went on the offensive. Raditz, still damaged and cringing at a jab that the green man sent at his fractured chest piece, scowled at the trio charging at him. Even with his current condition, his battle power was higher than the whole group's combined.
Piccolo and Krillin led the brunt of the attack, while Roshi hung back, knowing that his age and rigid movements would only slow down the two younger, more physically fit warriors. The two warriors struck multiple blows at the towering Saiyan warrior, who cursed at the ones that managed to slip past his defenses; fighting with one arm is something he has never had to work with. Whenever he deflected the green man's punches and jabs, he left himself open for the bald one to land a strike on him. The punches were hardly strong, but they still reminded Raditz of his weakness.
I need to even the playing field somehow, Raditz thought, blocking an elbow strike to his face and lashing out with a swift kick to Krillin's face. The monk flew back, blood specks flying into the air as Roshi rushed to his student's aid.
Piccolo paid no heed to this, doubling his efforts to keep forcing Raditz on the backfoot. He swung a leg out, aiming for Raditz's midriff, only for the Saiyan warrior to block it with his knee. "Damn!" Piccolo cursed, ignoring the spike of pain running up his leg from the contact.
"You're only delaying the inevitable," Raditz chortled, throwing out a punch at Piccolo's shocked face, who barely has time to block it. The force sends Piccolo skidding back and Raditz takes a moment to catch his breath, feeling winded despite how little the fighting's been up until now.
"I expected more of a challenge from you fools, yet it seems that you're unable to pick up Kakarrot's slack," He called out to Roshi and Krillin, the former leaning back into a stance from afar while the latter-
Wait. Where did the bald one go?!
*PI-PI-PI-PI*
"HYAAH!"
Raditz looked behind him and paled at a twin yellow kikoha barrage fly towards him. He leapt up into the air, trying to find the source of the blast and saw the bald one glaring at him. "Neat trick," Raditz said, throwing his arm back to channel energy. "Now let's see if-"
The monk lifted his arms and Raditz's eyes bulged in recognition, glancing down to see the twin kikoha coming his way. This one can manipulate his energy like Kakarrot could?!
He threw a hastily-charged Saturday Crush at the incoming blast, causing it to explode in a bright explosion that forced him to shield his eyes from the glare. Moments later, when the smoke cleared and the glare faded, Raditz lowered his arm and looked back to where Krillin was, only to find him missing.
"Where did-"
A sudden beep from his scouter saved him from a surprise hit to the face, gliding back and smirking at the dumbfounded expression on Krillin's face. Raditz jabbed his elbow at the monk's cheek, grinning at the sound of something cracking, before slamming his knee into the man's gut. Krillin's eyes widened in pain and screamed in agony, only to be silenced by a palm strike to his chest that sent him spiraling downward to the ground.
"And for my next trick, watch as I add a third body to my kill list for this planet," Raditz announced, launching himself toward the immobile Krillin, who could only stare at the descending space pirate in paralyzed terror.
"MOVE, YOU DAMN CLOWN!" A green arm suddenly outstretched to grab Krillin by his gi's collar and yank him back to its source of origin; Piccolo. Next to him, Roshi helped his student back up to his feet, all the while keeping an eye on Raditz.
Raditz halted his descent and boggled at another one of the green warrior's strange abilities. These Earthlings are clever than I thought them to be. Perhaps purging this world will take some time after all.
"My, my," He drawled, smirking at the group watching him from afar. "You're all so tenacious for a bunch of weaklings. I've visited countless worlds across the stars, yet never have I come across warriors capable of manipulating ki as effectively until this planet. Tell you what, you give me the secret to this ability and I'll consider taking the one who tells me in Kakarrot's place."
He paused, eyeing the three warriors with a condescending look. "Whaddya say? Not a bad deal, right?"
"Unbelievable," Piccolo hissed, a bead of sweat trailing down his temple. "Even in his current state, he's able to be toying with us. At this rate, who knows if we'll be able to take him down before we run out of energy."
"Yeah, that double kikoha attack took a lot outta me," Krillin whispered back, patting down his gi. "I can scrape together what I've got left for a weak Kamehameha, but that's it. What about you, Master Roshi?"
"I've got plenty of fuel in the tank, but I'm not as active as I used to be," Roshi admitted, setting his cane on the ground. "The last time I got serious was against the old King Piccolo, and that was a long time ago."
Piccolo scoffed. "Tch. I remember," At their confused stares, he rolled his eyes. "I'm not just the son of the old demon king, I'm also his reincarnation. His memories are also mine and all I can recall from that encounter was you trying, and failing miserably, to use the Mafuba to reseal him. And I don't see you carrying a rice cooker on you anywhere, so that's out of the question, right?"
"Sadly, yes," Roshi gravely confirmed. "I didn't have time to create a new talisman on the trip over, so right now, our options are limited... but," The old master tilted his head down and his shades glinted from the sunlight. "That doesn't mean we're out of this yet."
Krillin smiled hopefully at his teacher, while Piccolo looked dubious. "Really? Something as powerful as the Mafuba?"
"Not quite, but it'll give us enough time for you two to land a critical strike with what ki you have left."
"Master Roshi, what are yo-"
"TIME'S UP!"
Blurring in between the three huddled men, Raditz grinned at the fear on their faces and made his move. With one hit, he backhanded Roshi across the field, the blow breaking the man's shades in the process, while sweeping his leg out to strike Piccolo in the gut with his booted foot, causing the demon to retch in pain. And to accommodate for his immobile arm, Raditz employed his tail on Krillin, mirroring the moment back on Kame Island when he sent the monk flying into Kame House with said tail. Now with all three separated from each other, Raditz had free range to pick off his targets one-by-one.
"I'm sorry for breaking up your little chat, but then I got to thinking, 'I've been taking it too easy on you since I arrived on this planet', and sought to correct my error. First and foremost," Raditz looked out to the field and his malicious gaze settled on the unconscious Gohan. He stretched out a hand and began channeling energy into it. "Taking out the strongest one here."
"GOHAN, NO!" Krillin screamed, taking off towards the child with great fervor, only for Raditz to launch the blast towards the tyke. Gritting his teeth, Krillin cupped the palms of his hands together and charged what energy he had left into a ball of blue spiraling energy. "KAMEHAMEHA!"
The Turtle's School signature technique fired out of Krillin's hands and sailed in the direction of Raditz's attack, with the Earthling praying that he can reach it in time. Much to his relief, the Kamehameha wave struck Raditz's energy blast and redirected it in the opposite direction of Gohan towards a small field. It collided with the earth and exploded, kicking up mounds of burnt dirt and foliage into the air.
Krillin sighed, his body beginning to shake with exhaustion... and then fear when a towering shadow blocked out the sun behind him. "OH CRA-"
Raditz grabbed the top of Krillin's head and picked the dwarf off of the ground, only to smash his face down into it. The monk coughed up blood and he saw stars spin all around him, before the Saiyan warrior brought his boot down on his back with the same amount of pressure as his punches. Krillin cried out in pain, distantly hearing Roshi call out his name in alarm and Raditz cackle viciously above him.
"I don't know what it is on this planet that causes people to risk their lives for the weak, but whatever it is, it must be contagious!" Raditz kept stomping on Krillin's back, enjoying the sound of his screams and of his bones breaking. Still, he lamented being in this state, as he should've been able to kick a hole straight through the monk's body by now.
He raised his foot up again, only for his scouter to pick up someone charging at him before he heard the footsteps themselves. He pivoted on his heel and used his raised foot to turn it into a kick, colliding with a wrinkled arm. The old man, huh? Interesting.
"Mast-" Krillin tried to speak, but only coughed up blood.
Roshi skidded back from the impact and glared defiantly at his student's estranged older brother. "To think that one of the greatest students the Turtle School produced could come from such evil roots," He declared, hands weaving through motions completely foreign to the Saiyan. "And I thank Kami that he became a better man than you, someone who preys on the innocent with a soul blacker than demons."
Raditz chuckled. "Really? A soul blacker than demons, huh? Then what would that make me, the devil?"
"If that's what you prefer, then yes!" Roshi's hands glowed a crackling yellow and Raditz's scouter began pinging the old man's number, which was growing higher by the second!
200... 300... over 400 units, that's impossible!
"For the people of Earth and for my precious student that you killed, this move will secure your defeat, Saiyan! Behold-"
"OH, NO YOU DON'T!" Raditz snarled, lunging towards Roshi with an outstretched hand.
"MY LIGHTNING FLASH SURPRISE!"
Twenty thousand volts of raw, untamed electricity poured out of Master Roshi's fingertips and struck the mad Raditz head on, wrenching out violent cries of pain from the battle-hardened warrior. Straining himself, Roshi lifted Raditz's massive frame up into the air with his technique, pouring everything he had in his ki reserves in making sure that the Saiyan warrior couldn't break free from his spell. He thought back to the climax of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, where his move was broken by Goku transforming into a giant gorilla through size and raw power alone. While he might not be as gargantuan as his pupil was back then, their similarities in power were scarily close.
And because of that, Roshi couldn't risk keeping up the technique for much longer.
"PICCOLO, NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!" He called out to the Mazoku warrior, who was watching the spectacle in awe. "CHARGE WHAT KI YOU HAVE LEFT FOR AN ATTACK RIGHT NOW! I CAN'T KEEP THIS UP MUCH LONGER!"
Piccolo grunted in acknowledgement, placing his feet apart from each other and beginning to concentrate. While he may not have enough ki (or time, for that matter) to charge up another Makankosappo, he had enough to create a Makosen strong enough to put Raditz out of commission. I just need a few more seconds...
"D-damn you," Raditz howled, struggling against the agonizing wave of electricity frying his nerves and sizzling the hair on his body. "I-I won't let you win li-like this! I won't!"
"Your compliance isn't a factor here," Roshi stated, gritting his teeth as he felt Raditz beginning to fight against the hold. Damn, this wasn't good. Even with his injuries, Raditz is formidable enough to break free of his Lighting Flash Surprise in just a few moments. "PICCOLO, HURRY!"
"IT'S COMING!" Piccolo yelled back, veins pulsating along his head and muscles. To think that he would be forced to work alongside his father's killer and his allies in order to save the planet from destruction. The irony was not lost on Piccolo, but that didn't mean that he could salvage a win from this scenario afterwards.
His hand glowed a golden hue and he grinned savagely at the terrified Saiyan, whose scouter picked up on Piccolo's growing power level. "THIS IS IT, SAIYAN, NOW JOIN YOUR BROTHER IN HELL! MAKOSEN-"
"WAIT, STOP-"
"HAAAAAH!"
Golden light lanced out of Piccolo's hand and toward Raditz, who could stare at the oncoming beam in pure terror and redoubled his efforts to break free. Below him, Roshi fell to one knee, his hold on the Saiyan warrior beginning to wane despite Krillin's shouts of encouragement nearby. Had he been a few years, the hold would've lasted long enough for the blast to hit. But he was an old man, past his prime and rusty from years of inactivity.
And so, the hold was broken and Raditz swung his arm up in time before the Makosen struck its target.
"Oh god," Bulma gulped, guiding her hovercar back towards the battlefield minutes after Krillin and Roshi had jumped ship to fight Goku's evil older brother... from space! She could've hardly predicated the events of today playing out as they did, especially with the arrival of that bloodthirsty monster and his kidnapping of little Gohan (whose existence also boggled Bulma's genius mind), and with what she saw earlier.
Raditz and Piccolo standing across from each other, locked in fierce battle, while Goku and Gohan lied on the ground, motionless.
She blinked back tears at the recollection, nausea blooming in her gut, and instead focused on piloting back to the battlefield. It had been ten minutes since Krillin and Roshi joined the battle, and she counted down the amount of time it would take for a fight to last that long... if it didn't finish anytime sooner.
Stop it, Bulma, you're acting like a little kid! They're fine, I know it! They'd have to beat that Raditz creep by now, or else...
She swallowed back the lump forming in her throat. Or else, Earth and everyone on it would die.
Unlike the speed she had flying over here, Bulma kept her foot steady on the accelerator, going at a mundane speed that the hovercar was not made for. Coming up to the battlefield, she prepared herself for the worst (Krillin and Roshi dead, Piccolo defeated, Raditz laughing at their dead bodies) and was relieved to see the three people-technically, two, she still didn't trust Piccolo that much-alive and huddled together in a small circle.
Laughing with glee, she landed the hovercar on the ground and hopped out of it, running over to where the warriors were sitting. "You guys, you're alri-"
"Quiet!" Piccolo barked, glaring at her with disdain. She yelped and leaped back before giving the demon king a fierce look.
"Easy, Bulma," Krillin spoke up, bruised and bloody while leaning on Roshi for support. Little Gohan was sprawled across Roshi's lap, seemingly asleep. "We're all a little on edge."
"What? But... you beat Raditz, right? He's dead, isn't he?"
"No," Roshi gravely said. "He's still alive."
Bulma paled, her hands trembling in fear. "N-no way," She gasped, looking around for the space warrior. "Where's he at, then? Did he go back to his home planet or what?"
"He's in that crater," Piccolo used his head to gesture towards said area. "I managed to hit him with an attack and it looked to have done some damage on him. It would've done more if somebody," He sneered at the ashamed Roshi. "Hadn't lost his nerve at the last second."
"He ran out of energy, you bastard," Krillin scowled at Piccolo, unusually aggressive. "Maybe if you didn't take the time to make your grandiose villain quips, Raditz would be dead by now. Ever think of that?"
"Whatever," Piccolo growled, looking away. "The point remains that Raditz is still alive. We just don't know what he's doing exactly."
"...okay, and why haven't you gone to see?" Bulma asked, confused by their weird moods.
Roshi sighed, "It's because we're out of energy. We've spent everything we had in that battle, and have nothing but our hands and feet to fend off Raditz if he comes charging out of that crater. Fortunately, he's in a similar position."
"Wait, so he's out of energy too? He's just... sitting down there?!" Bulma was incredulous. She'd never heard of a conqueror waiting around after a battle because he was tired, the mere thought of it seemed ludicrous. After dealing with Piccolo (both his dad and the current one) she expected them to go down swinging, but apparently, this Saiyan was a different breed from the rest of Earth's would-be destroyers.
"Yeah, and all we can do is wait." Krillin leaned off his teacher, looking determined, despite his injuries. "We may be out of energy, but we're not going down without a fight. And neither is he. So whenever he comes out, it's gonna be our last fight. Either we win..."
"Or we all die," Piccolo bluntly stated.
That sent chills down Bulma's spine. She cursed herself for being so powerless in this situation, looking at her friends in their current condition, and it was then when she realized something.
"Where's Goku's body?"
That made both Krillin and Roshi blink and the two frantically looked around for their friend's body, only to be stopped by Piccolo speaking up. "His body's gone. I saw it fade away not long after Raditz fell into that crater."
"And you didn't think to say anything because?!" Krillin exclaimed, his face flushed red with anger.
"Because it makes no difference right now," Piccolo sneered. "Unless you expect Goku to sit up and start fighting with his chest gone, then our situation is remaining the same. The reason it's gone is probably Kami's doing, but for what purpose..."
He trailed off, turning his head to the crater. After a moment, he jumped to his feet, a look of frustration on his emerald-skinned face.
"He's on the move!"
Everything hurt.
To think that he, an elite warrior among his race, would be pushed to such humiliating lengths. It tarnished everything that he stood for, and the thought of a band of Earthlings getting the jump on him hurt more than than the burns on his body. Raditz leaned his body back against the shattered remains of his space pod, taking in deep breaths to calm himself.
It had been sheer luck that the old man's hold on him wore off before the blast hit, and he barely had enough time to brace himself before the green man's attack hit him dead-on. His armor shattered from the explosion and his body was singed with burns from the energy wave's heat, but he still clung to life desperately, even after falling into this crater and ignoring the pain his body felt. His right arm was numb, unable of feeling anything. Ironically, the attack had cauterized the exit wounds created by the green man's drill beam, but it still meant that he couldn't use it. His armor was almost gone, save for a small portion covering his right breast and everything else from his midriff below.
Worst of all, his scouter had been knocked off him when the blast hit. He didn't know if it was destroyed or laying up there with the enemy, but it hardly mattered now. With his pod destroyed, he was marooned on this world until help came for him from either his comrades or someone higher up.
Raditz's face twisted with anger. Vegeta, you damned fool. Your plan backfired like I knew it would, and now, we risk bringing the Freeza Force down on our heads.
Despite their high battle powers, Vegeta and Nappa couldn't handle the elites of Freeza's organization with ease, like they do with him. Vegeta, at best, could defeat Kui in a one-on-one battle, but against the likes of Zarbon or Dodoria? Or gods forbid, the Ginyu Special Corps? They would be squashed like bugs and they all knew it. And the less said about their master, the better.
"Shit," He growled, slamming his fist into the dirt. And again. And again. "Shit, shit, shit! How... how can this be? I am a Saiyan, an elite warrior! Worlds tremble at the mention of my name, and yet... and yet...!" He howled in anger and slammed his fist back down into the dirt. "I am bested by pests on a backwater mudball like this?! It's preposterous, impossible... and I will not allow it to STAND!"
He staggered to his feet and forced himself to stand tall, even through the trembling of his right side. Closing his eyes, Raditz summoned the last reserves of his energy to levitate off the ground and then rocket up into the sky, a hundred meters from where he was. From his position, he could make out the vague outlines of the Earthlings and a new addition to their ranks; the woman he saw with his brother before.
"You haven't won here, fools!" He screamed, before a cough abruptly escaped him. To his dismay, he noticed it was blood. His blood. That red mist from before swirled into an intense frenzy. "YOU AND YOUR LITTLE PRECIOUS WORLD ARE ALL DOOMED! IN ONE YEAR'S TIME, MY COMRADES WILL COME FOR ME AND TOGETHER, WE WILL KILL YOU ALL AND LAY WASTE TO THIS GARBAGE PLANET!"
"Co-comrades?" The Earthlings stammered, while Piccolo paled in horror. He recalled Raditz's earlier claim from before about the other Saiyans in space, how much stronger they were than Raditz...
"MY SCOUTER HAS BEEN TRANSMITTING THE EVENTS OF THIS BATTLE TO THEM IN SPACE AND THEY KNOW OF MY PREDICAMENT! SOON, THEY WILL COME AND YOU WILL ALL FALL BEFORE US!" Raditz cackled madly, pupils dilating in absolute rage. "SO ENJOY YOUR LITTLE VICTORY WHILE YOU CAN, BECAUSE IT'S THE LAST ONE YOU'LL EVER HAVE!"
Then he spun around and blasted off into the distance, becoming little more than a speck in a minute's time. Those he left behind were trembling from the mad man's declaration of war, heedless of the small device laying on the ground not too far from their position.
Thousands of lightyears away from Earth, in a small system similar to the Sol System, a planet burned. For weeks, its defenders fought valiantly against the strange men who descended from the stars and laid waste to their cities. Their greatest warriors threw everything they had at the invaders, but it was all for naught. Now, in the aftermath of their latest slaughter, two men sat alone in a field of their victims, enjoying the spoils of war.
And listening to the conflict happening on Earth while it plays out.
"Pffh, you hear that? Raditz thinks we're coming for him. What a weakling."
"Yes, it's completely pathetic. Letting himself be beaten by men with such low battle powers."
"Yeah... still, I dunno. Wanna put this planet on hold and head for Earth, maybe teach those fools a lesson."
"A waste of time... then again, Freeza would become suspicious about Raditz's presence that far out in uncharted space."
"True, and the more he begins sticking his nose into our business, then the more-"
"Quiet, Nappa. Even with these scouters being modified, we can never take too much chances."
"Sorry, Vegeta."
"...I am curious, though, about the potential in Kakarrot's son. If what Raditz said was true, a child's power level raising from a single unit to over a thousand in an instant is no small feat. Especially for one so young."
"Could've been a mistake, though."
"No. I don't think it was. Raditz took damage from the brat and it led to his defeat, even against the pitiful powers he was up against. And if a child can grow that strong when their blood is mixed with that of an Earthling's DNA..."
"So, what? You sayin' that the kid's some kinda Super Saiyan?"
"Of course not. However... perhaps paying a visit to this planet Earth is on the table, after all. What do you say, Nappa?"
"Are you kidding? Hahahah, I'm in!"
"Excellent. Then let's be on our way, shall we?"
Bringing himself to his full height, Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, grinned darkly and looked to his comrade to follow in his stead. Towering above him but inferior in terms of strength, his loyal lieutenant, Nappa, laughed boisterously at the promised carnage that was to come.