Editor's Note: Fixed a point where I used the same word to describe the word, I used in the previous sentence and a poor place to split the page into two paragraphs.

Guts from the Gutless

Raditz tracked down a single, very weak Power Level trapped under a large piece of metal. After lifting it off of the mystery Power Level, Raditz realized it was Kakarot and also realized he was in bad shape. The top left part of his armor was shredded along with most of his right shoulder pad. Worse of all his injuries were severe, he had burns and scratches all over his body. Among these injuries, his arms and forehead were in the worst condition. Blood covered his forehead, and his arms had the worst burns of all.

Raditz let out a heavy sigh and said, "You always go too far, what could have happened?" Suddenly a weak chuckle escaped Kakarot's lips, "Yeah, you might be right." Kakarot's tone was very weak as he forced his words through the pain in his throat. Raditz let out a short laugh and said, "Really Kakarot, you need to stop getting this worked over. Who knows if any of this is gonna be permanent." Raditz pointed at Kakarot's arms and forehead. Kakarot let out another weak chuckle and said, "Y-yeah I b-barely feel my arms. How's my head?" Raditz gave his head a closer look and said, "I'm not a doctor but I'll bet it can be fixed." Raditz casually waves away the grievous injury to his forehead which Kakarot laughs off, not taking it the slightest seriously.

Raditz felt a lot more comfortable now, the tension he felt around Kakarot had vanished, and his brother was acting like his old self again. This is when Raditz's Scouter suddenly directed him to a power level close by. Raditz asked himself, "Did one of them somehow survive?" Immediately putting his guard up, he turns toward the location his Scouter indicated. Raditz's jaw dropped with a resounding, "Impossible, you should be dead!" Before them stood the supposedly dead Commander Jade. He had indeed survived his scrap with Kakarot and had now returned only to find Obsidian Base destroyed with the two Saiyans at the center of the base, one of whom was severely injured.

He said, "It seems god himself has given me a second chance." He looked around, his gaze examining what used to be his base of operations. He added to his previous declaration, "Though it seems I am too late." A look of remorse is plastered on his face as he thinks of those he failed to protect, "Officer Galena, my men, everyone, I'm sorry I failed you." Raditz looked shocked as he saw Jade's power level. Kakarot suddenly asked, "W-what's his power level?" Raditz answered him, "2,500, it hasn't dropped by a single digit."

Kakarot had a look of astonishment on his face, but it wasn't filled with fear or anger. If anything, Kakarot looked happy, but while being blindsided by his brother's mysterious expression Raditz was sent flying to his left, falling onto his back. Jade now stood before Kakarot who looked up at Jade. Jade looked right back at him and said, "It would seem you aren't invincible after all." Kakarot smiled while staring up at Jade. He said, "You've no Idea how happy I am right now." Jade looked at him strangely and said, "My men must have driven you insane. Why aren't you afraid, Saiyan?" Kakarot chuckled and said, "It couldn't be farther from the truth."

Kakarot looked into the sky while explaining further, "Your men, disappointed me. They wore gear that made em' stronger, they were cowards. They relied on a strength they didn't earn, it was insulting. I was afraid that you were the same, that you used fake power." Kakarot then looked at Jade and said while eyeing his Damaged chestplate, "However your Power Level hasn't gone down and your gear is busted, you didn't hold out on me and that…" Kakarot stretches his arms and legs outward despite the pain he felt in return, he said, "Is a relief."

Jade paused and then said, "You really are insane, or suicidal. You tell me my men were disappointments and cowards. Yet here you are, on death's door and despite all that you look no more afraid now than you did when we first fought." Jade said in response, "Out of respect for you, as a warrior, our armor is able to enhance the Ki we have but it has a limit. In your terms the limit would be 2,000. The amplification effects didn't enhance my level, our fight was fair." He then asked, "Before I kill you, If my men didn't do this to you then who?" Kakarot paused for a moment and said, "Me, I found yer' explody gear and shot it up."

Kakarot continued as his gaze floated back up at the sky, "Ya know, they gave up just like you did. They just decided they did all they could and just accepted their deaths." Kakarot with a clear mind said, "When you did it, I was confused. I can't understand just lettin' myself go out without a fight." Kakarot's gaze drifted down to Jade, "I still don't get it, why'd you give up, you still had fight in you. I saw it in your eyes." Jade paused at Kakarot's meaningful words but then said, "I knew I was beaten, I decided I would rather not see my race destroyed before I went. I wanted to be the first to greet my fallen soldiers on their way to the other world."

Kakarot thought for a moment before saying, "You shoulda fought to the end, given up so early was a waste, I wanted to see all you had." He didn't know what else to say so he closed his eyes shut. Jade put a hand forward and began to generate a Ki Wave. Soon Kakarot's life flashed before his eyes, eclipsed by a bright yellow flash of light. Kakarot thought about all the worlds he fought on, all the times he scrapped with Nappa, all the times Vegeta got annoyed with him. Most of all however Kakarot recalled Raditz, telling him stories by a fire in the middle of the night. Stories about great Saiyan warriors who fought great battles, bringing everything they had and returning as better warriors. Kakarot smiled at the thought of being like one of them but right now he was fine with having done everything he could have.

Kakarot suddenly thought to himself, "If only I could ov' seen how strong my brother could have gotten." Suddenly the yellow light vanished and Kakarot soon heard the sound of two men struggling. A mix of grunts and growls polluted his ears, forcing him to find the source. Kakarot forced open his eyes again only to see an unbelievable sight. Raditz had gotten Jade into a Full Nelson, wrapping his arms around Jade's arms from behind and holding him by the back of his neck.

Raditz had veins pulsing from all around his body as he struggled to keep a grasp on Jade. Jade yelled out, "Get off me!" Raditz yelled mindlessly, Kakarot couldn't believe his eyes, for a second, he thought he was hallucinating, imagining Raditz fighting Jade. If Kakarot had the energy he would have used it to shake his head in order to dispel this delusion he must have been having. In all of his years Raditz had never protected him like this, he had always used his brother as a decoy or outright left him to die when things got too risky for him. A handful of times Kakarot got gravely injured because Raditz left him for dead.

Kakarot even recalls an incident where Kakarot was captured and brought before a village with the village elders telling him off about the crimes, he and his allies have committed against them. In other words, Raditz had always proven to be unreliable and would always prioritize his own life over his brothers. It's part of the reason they had a rocky start with their relationship when they started taking serious missions. However right before his eyes Raditz was fighting against an opponent who was many times stronger than him. In Raditz's perspective, he felt overwhelmed by a sudden desperation. All he knew is that he saw Kakarot about to be hit by a Ki Wave and suddenly he rushed him, even choosing to do a risky grab move on the ex-commander.

Suddenly his grip weakened, and Jade grabbed Raditz by the arm and smashed him into the ground two times before throwing him. The second Raditz hit the ground however he was already launching himself at Jade again throwing a flurry of fists and kicks. Jade was too fast however, blocking them with ease. He countered with three jabs to his chest and a sidekick to his side, leaving a big crack in his armor. Raditz was pushed to his left, but he dug his feet into the ground skidding to a stop.

Raditz immediately fired off his "Double Sunday!" only for Jade to disappear and reappear behind him. Jade kicked him into the sky and followed him into the air while using Raditz as a punching bag before launching him elsewhere. This became a pattern as Raditz was ragdolled all over the skies above. After half a minute of being thrown around in the sky, Jade knees Raditz in his lower back while forcing him into the ground ten feet from Kakarot's position. He didn't let up when they hit the ground however. Jade grabbed both of Raditz's arms and pulled them upward as far as they could go without breaking them. He kept his right knee pressed against the Saiyans back, keeping him on the ground.

Now having Raditz restrained, Jade said while keeping his grip tight, "It would seem even monsters like you care for people other than yourselves." Raditz screamed out in pain while Jade pulled his arms further up, straining his joints. Raditz suddenly started talking despite the pain he was in, "Oh shut…arghh… up. Saiyans don't s-stand around while their…argh…their kin is about to be executed." It was a complete contradiction from what Kakarot had seen of his brother. Raditz never had a strong will and yet he still won't back down while in this position. Kakarot remembers a handful of times where Raditz would embarrass himself by begging for the enemy to spare him.

It was usually a tactic to get them to drop their guard but that made it work. Kakarot wondered if this was just another trick but he couldn't be sure, he still considered the possibility he was hallucinating. Jade then said, "Surely you don't believe that blind determination will save you here? If that were the case then I would have killed your brother in the previous fight." Raditz began to struggle to get his arms free while saying through clenched teeth, "My…my brother has always preached…argh…preached about the pride of the Saiyans. I be-believe if I rely on my own pride, then…argh…then I'll get even stronger!"

Jade responded by pulling his arms farther past their breaking point. Kakarot could imagine the sound of Raditz's arms cracking and popping out of place. Kakarot stopped worrying about whether or not this was a hallucination. Despite the poor state of his body Kakarot began to try and force himself onto his feet. He made no progress as his arms and legs wouldn't do what he wanted them to do. Raditz's agonizing scream grew louder and louder as thoughts rushed through Kakarot's head, "Forget about pride, forget about all the self-righteous crap I've spouted over the years. My brother needs me, damnit, why won't my body listen to me!"

Suddenly Kakarot hears a crunching sound, and his eyes widens in absolute shock at what he sees. Jade has been sent flying with a single knee square in his face. Before Kakarot now stood Vegeta, standing behind Raditz who was panting heavily, his arms back to their normal position. Raditz had a look of relief on his face, the pain in his arms was fading, though they were still very sore. Vegeta turned around, walked around to Raditz's side and kicked him onto his back. Vegeta looked down at Raditz and said in a cold voice, "After I'm done with the rabble, I want a detailed explanation on the disaster you two caused." Raditz nodded with a smile on his face which disturbed Vegeta a little bit.

Vegeta shook his head and turned his gaze to Jade who had gotten back up after his blow to his face. Jade yelled out, "Another Saiyan!" Vegeta said in a tone of amusement, "O-ho so you know who we are? I guess you pieced that together because of Kakarot. He's always been the talkative type." Jade immediately recognized his voice recalling what he heard in a memory, "You are out of your depth, fur ball, to me you are all toys." He remembered this statement from before Old Granite was destroyed, when he sent his men to check on the city only to get wiped out by a single alien.

Jade nervously said, "T-that voice!" Vegeta looked surprised for a moment before smiling and saying, "Oh, so I've become a celebrity, how flattering." Vegeta chuckled at his own joke which is when Jade angrily said, "You're the bastard that wiped out Old Granite, the murderer who killed every man, woman and child in the city." Vegeta let out a laugh and said, "A, haha, a heroic type, are you? How amusing… You should know I've done far worse since then." This caught Jade's attention but before Jade could ask the dreaded question, Vegeta said, "One of the weaklings at that other base wound up telling me about this little evacuation effort you all put into motion."

Jade's face grew pale which is when Vegeta said in response, "That's right, I just came back from paying them a visit." Vegeta then scowled and turned to Kakarot and Raditz while saying, "Sadly I had to leave the "clean up" up to Nappa. The explosion these two idiots undoubtedly caused was too distracting to leave alone." Jade then said through clenched teeth, "Why-why would you do that?" He then asked, "You want our world, what benefit do you get from going out of your way to kill people who were going to leave the planet anyway? Wasn't all this for profit?"

Vegeta looked back at Jade and said while giving him a twisted grin, "Profit? Ha, don't make me laugh, Freeza is the only one who cares about profit." Vegeta then explained himself, "I was just getting the job over with. Why let them escape when it's faster just to blow them away?" Vegeta then said, "You're people made it exceptionally easy by gathering everyone in one place, so I have to thank you. Your planet's forces aren't at all entertaining so thank you for speeding up the process." Jade couldn't stomach what he was hearing, unlike Kakarot who fought to survive and to improve, the man in front of him was nothing short of a killer.

He just wanted to get rid of everyone because it was his job, treating it like it was a long day at work. Jade clenched his fists which signaled to Vegeta that their pre battle conversation was finished. Jade then said, "I know it's hopeless, pointless even but I won't let my people's extinction go unpunished." Jade then yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'll kill you even if the effort tears me to pieces!" Vegeta let out one last short laugh and said, "Well go ahead then, hero." Vegeta started his battle with the last of the Toru people. They immediately rocket toward each other at incredible speeds but the power difference was obvious from the very start. Vegeta effortlessly knocked Jade in every direction.

He would kick him higher into the sky before launching him to his left with a swipe of his hand. This turned into a vicious pattern until Vegeta brought him to the ground where he quickly flew back into the air and fired a volley of blue Ki Blasts forcing Jade to wear himself down dodging them. Vegeta followed this by appearing in front of him and starting a barrage of jabs, right and left hooks. He then kicked him into the air again only to grab him mid-launch and grab his arm and leg and pull them in opposite directions. He said with a joyous tone, "What's the matter, do you feel like Raditz now?"

He kicked the middle of his back with his left knee and began drilling it deeper. Jade screamed out in pain, Kakarot watched on as Jade was treated like little more than a ragdoll. Kakarot felt genuine pity, he respected Jade as a warrior due to his spirit, he survived their fight after all. Soon Jade was brought down to the ground battered, bruised and beaten. He laid still in a crater made by his landing. Vegeta landed just outside the crater watching as Jade made multiple attempts to stand back up but each one was a failure. His body was pushed beyond its limit and was now useless to the Commander.

Vegeta approached the Commander and began kicking his body left and right, torturing Jade. After half a minute of torture, Kakarot had finally seen enough. He mustered as much power as he could into his voice and yelled out to Vegeta through a hoarse voice, "Vegeta stop!" Vegeta jerked his head over to Kakarot, surprised by Kakarot's outburst, he didn't think Kakarot had the energy to do that or the nerve to raise his voice to him. Kakarot then yelled out, "Just finish him already. You've had yer' fun, just get it over with. He deserves that much at least." While Vegeta was surprised by the outburst, he wasn't pleased with it.

A low class Saiyan, one who's at death's door is giving him orders. A thought occurs to Vegeta, he says while slowly walking to Kakarot, "You've got some nerve. You've caused me problems twice today. You defy me daily, you clash with Nappa often and if I recall I told you the next time you get in my way I'll kill you." Vegeta with a deep scowl said, "I've had enough of you, a low class welp like you should never have even thought about challenging your betters." Vegeta balled up his fists as he continued to approach Kakarot until his Scouter suddenly lit up and pointed behind him.

He was suddenly hit by an impressive Ki Wave from behind. It did no damage, in fact it did little more than push dust around but it still surprised Vegeta. He turned around and saw Commander Jade standing in the middle of his own crater with a single open palm outstretched in Vegeta's direction. Vegeta suddenly said, "What the-? How the hell are you still standing?" Vegeta was in the middle of saying, "You stubborn fool…" before he stopped himself and realized something. Kakarot weakly said to himself, "He's already gone." The light in Jade's eyes had faded, he used the last of his Ki, to hit Vegeta with everything he had and it was enough for Jade to die standing.

Vegeta didn't say a word, he just raised an open palm to the Commander's body and fired a Ki Wave which vaporized him completely. The wind carried his ashes away making him one with the planet he died to protect. Vegeta was speechless but soon returned to what he was doing, he turned toward Kakarot and approached him. He said, "I've decided that the Saiyans don't need you." Vegeta pointed an open palm at Kakarot and began to generate Ki for a Ki wave. Kakarot, figuring this was his end, decided to speak his mind about the Prince of all Saiyan right in front of his face, "It's too bad, I thought you could have been incredible, you had so much potential and yet you're satisfied with just being the strongest of the "Saiyans". You're a disgrace to us all, prince."

A vein in Vegeta's forehead began to pop, he spoke with anger seeping from his voice, "I'm going to enjoy this." Suddenly Vegeta is hit with a Ki Wave from his left, shocking him yet again. He jerks his head around yelling to himself, "That's impossible, I just–" Vegeta can't believe his eyes yet again, this time Raditz stood behind him with an open palm outstretched to him, using his other arm to hold onto his outstretched arms shoulder. Raditz didn't say a word leading to Vegeta questioning him, "What the hell do you think you're doing Raditz?"

Raditz spoke through a weakened voice, "What do you think, prince? I'm obviously protecting my brother." The look in his eyes were intense, he was barely alive and yet his gaze was fierce, much more fiery than it's ever looked before. Vegeta was more shocked than he was angry, he never pegged Raditz for a protective older brother. In fact Raditz has always been a coward by nature, never risking his life for his brother or anyone for that matter. Vegeta was unsure if Raditz was bluffing or if he was dead serious. With how defeated and bloody Raditz looked, Vegeta honestly couldn't read him at all. Vegeta, due to a lack of focus, canceled the Ki in his arm and turned toward Raditz.

Vegeta, now much calmer than before said, "Are you defying me Raditz." "If it's for my brother then yes." Said Raditz with fire in his voice. Vegeta paused for a moment before getting an idea. He said, "Surely you know it's pointless, I could kill you easily. Even if you were healed you wouldn't even be able to put a dent in my armor. Are you sure you want to defy me?" Raditz answers by firing another Ki Wave which Vegeta deflected elsewhere. Vegeta doesn't immediately do or say anything and Raditz does the same.

Vegeta then smiles, "Alright then, I am willing to ignore Kakarot's outburst and forgive his actions today. However you have to make up for his open defiance by taking his place." Raditz immediately said while dropping his hands to his sides and clenching them, "So be it." Vegeta's smile dropped before reforming, Vegeta then fired a Ki wave at Raditz hitting him dead center. It tore his armor apart and engraved in him a burning injury to the upper right of his chest. Raditz had a look of anguish on his face but just as he was about to fall, he slammed his feet into the ground securing his footing.

He clutched his chest but he refused to scream out, Vegeta's jaw dropped. He thought to himself, "Damn, he really did grow a backbone." After a minute of silence Vegeta let out a sigh after receiving a transmission from Nappa. The brute says, "Hey Vegeta, I finished the last of them, we're done." Vegeta repeated a few of his words back to them, "The last of them?" Nappa responded with, "Yeah I just went over the whole planet after finishing off their ship, there isn't a single one of them left." Vegeta let out another sigh and said, "Alright we're done here, call in your pod and put in the coordinates for the closest Freeza Recovery Stations."

Nappa immediately asked what for and Vegeta immediately responded with, "Kakarot and Raditz took a beating, I want them in one piece before Freeza raises a fuss." Nappa acknowledged the order and hung up. Raditz spoke in a weak voice, "Is that all?" Vegeta glanced at Raditz for a few seconds before saying while crossing his arms, "Yes, that will be all." Right then Raditz smiles while falling onto his stomach." Vegeta then took his Space Pod remote and called his pod as well as Kakarot and Raditz since they got destroyed with their armor.

The Pods soon relocated to them and right before he threw them into their Pods Vegeta said in a menacing voice, "There will be no more second chances, you two are only alive because one of you grew a backbone at the last minute." After this they all left for Freeza Recovery Station 619.

Power Level Guide:

Vegeta: 18,000 Full Power

Raditz: 1,400

Kakarot: 3,000

Jade: 2,500