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DRAGON BALL HARDCORE

THE SAIYAN SAGA, part 1

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It's been six whole years since the dragon team last saw each other at Goku's marriage party, but it's not really like they're trying to avoid each other. They just happen to live at very remote places of the world and they were settling in on their new lives. But one day, Bulma decided to work her magic to call everyone for a reunion. She along with Puar and Oolong arrived at kame house that morning to find the place a mess and see Krillin sleeping in the couch; not grown more than a few inches since last time they saw each other. She made him run around the house to clean it up, as the others would arrive by noon.

The Son family at mount Paozu received a knock on the door; a little flying drone that extended a metal hand and gave Chi-chi a letter. It was pretty early in the morning, she was making some breakfast for when Goku comes back from his warm up in the woods. There was no way they would miss this, especially because Chi-chi wanted them to meet someone.

…

Yamcha was the first to arrive at Kame house by running through the sea without letting a single drop of water hit his clothes. He could've come with Bulma earlier, but as usual they had a bit of a hassle yesterday and she was giving him the cold shoulder. He got so accustomed to it that his lack of care makes her more angry at him. Krillin managed to defuse the situation as it is his special ability.

Soon enough, Tien and Chiaotzu arrive by flying, Tien carrying Launch by the shoulders as she holds some plastic bags of food. They were dressed for the heavy winter of the mountains, but soon they realized that kame house lives in eternal summer heat. They do some catching up; both Yamcha and Krillin asking them if they could teach this flying stuff to them, and Krillin asking if Tien and Launch got busy in these six years, what got Tien beet red. It was a common tradition for turtle students to be intrusive perverts.

And at last, everyone sees the yellow cloud coming by from the skies above. Goku and Chi-chi jumped down to greet the others, and Chi-chi had a kid on her arms; little Gohan, Goku's son named after his grandpa.

They reacted as shocked as anyone would expect. That whole scene brought a lot of questions that Bulma, Yamcha and Krillin were in denial about the answer. Goku then snapped them back to reality as they were looking at him weird. They accepted it and moved on to not make it awkward; Chi-chi went to the kitchen as everyone else surrounded Gohan from all sides, asking all kinds of questions. He had a tail like Goku, and there was a lot to unpack there. Krillin and Yamcha didn't want to question Goku about the tail, as they feared that the truth that Goku is unaware of. They decided to skip it for a little later. They have to tell him, before it becomes a tragedy to him as it was to his grandpa.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Píccolo was locked inside deep meditation, training inside his mind; getting ever closer to perfecting a certain technique to kill Goku with. But while he was meditating, he sensed something; some powerful ki. He opened his eyes and looked back, only to see what looked like a meteor landing on Earth. It gave him all the bad vibes, and he decided to go check it.

He watched from the clouds as a poor farmer went to check a white ball that just fell on his farmland. Piccolo knew that was not just a meteor, there was a stupidly powerful energy inside that thing. But it didn't end there; the white thing opened up, and a man floated out from the inside. Long black hair, weird armor, and a device on his right eye; it was Raditz.

The farmer shot him, but Raditz just caught the bullet and flickered back, killing the farmer. Piccolo had enough, he needed to leave right away, but suddenly the scouter on Raditz's face started beeping, and he looked straight at Piccolo up in the clouds; scaring him. Raditz saw a power of 493, which was surreal for this planet.

He caught up to him in a flash, and now Piccolo was face to face with this alien. Suddenly Raditz frowned, disappointed that it wasn't someone named Kakarot. Piccolo inquired, "who are you?"

To which Raditz didn't answer the question, but said,"I'll come back here and kill you later. I'll tell you my name then," Just like that he flew away, leaving Piccolo behind.

Piccolo was utterly humiliated by that encounter, this man, who was he looking for? Those questions motivated Piccolo to follow after him; this guy is trouble.

Raditz saw a bunch of living people to his surprise, and also some strong power levels reunited somewhere in this sea. One power of 246, two of 314 and 317, one of 379 and one of 503. "The strong one must be Kakarot," he thought.

…

Back at kame house, everyone was having a good time, Goku eating bowls and more bowls without stopping; always eating like it's the last day of his life. But then, Goku jumped from the table, alerting everyone. He sensed Raditz coming, something only he knew how to do at the time. He rushed outside as some followed after him; he was acting like an insane person. He was clearly shocked, and when Krillin went outside he knew why. Goku looked straight up, seeing someone up there in the sky, flying.

Raditz slowly landed in front of them, putting Goku's guard up to the max; Gohan still clinging to his leg. The others could feel at the very least that this guy was trouble, and he began his welcome by berating Goku, but calling him Kakarot. He was ashamed that Kakarot hadn't cleansed this planet from these puny earthlings yet.

From there, the dragon team gets to hear first hand Goku's story, known not even by himself. Turns out he is a Saiyan, a race of monkey people that commit mass genocide for a living, and this person right in front of him was his older brother, Raditz. And to confirm it all, he shows them his tail around his waist; proving beyond all reasonable doubt that this guy might be saying the truth. But even so no one wanted to believe him. Goku came to earth to kill all of them? That's insane; and apparently he didn't do it only because he suffered a severe blow to the head as a baby.

Naturally, everyone gets angry and shouts for him to go away. If Raditz can't buy Goku's alliance with truth, he'll do it with threats. Maybe getting in touch with his Saiyan nature might get his brain running. Yamcha was the first to step it up, a mere power level of 314, telling Raditz to go away before he regrets it. Goku shouted at him to stop, but it was too late.

Raditz just backhand slapped Yamcha away, sending him crashing through kame house. Tien and Krillin assumed a stance just like Goku. Yamcha really, really felt that one; hurting like nothing else. There was no going back, Raditz had to make a good hostage to force Kakarot through a tough spot, and that tailed boy seemed like the perfect choice; might as well have some time with his uncle Raditz. Goku thought it might end up in a fight; he quickly grabbed Gohan and threw him to Chi-chi, who was by the door.

In a blink, Raditz dashed towards Goku and kicked him in the stomach, and he fell to the ground in pain. Tien tried to attack, but Raditz dodged and punched him back. Krillin tried to kick him, but Raditz grabbed his leg and threw him at the sea, really far. The strongest warriors on Earth, down in three seconds; a new record. He then made his way inside, knocked out Chi-chi and took Gohan by the scruff of his hair.

Raditz gave Goku an ultimatum. Raditz is either taking his son or Goku along with him. If he wants to join them, he has to kill a million people in the world by tomorrow, or Raditz will have to do it for him; his Saiyan initiation if you will. Then, he flew off back to his pod.

Everyone was still freaked out; it all happened so fast. No one was fatally wounded, and Goku was rushing things as always. He called for the nimbus, planning to defeat Raditz no matter how much his energy terrifies him. The other warriors knew there was something bad to this, and they were willing to go along with Goku. Maybe fighting together just like they did against King Piccolo, they might have a chance to beat that guy. Goku grabbed Krillin by the hand, and Yamcha grabbed the Nimbus tail. They went off into the horizon with Tien and Chiaotzu flying right behind. Goku told the others to stay there, and to tell Chi-chi that everything is gonna be fine when she wakes up.

From above, Piccolo was watching it all play out. Now it was a good chance to follow along; and maybe kill all six birds in one stone.

…

They managed to locate Raditz by following the Dragon Radar, since Gohan had a dragon ball on his hat. They discuss a way to even defeat a guy so strong, and Goku brings up his tail. It was his weakness as a kid; if they are lucky, it might be Raditz's too. Someone must grab the tail and pin him down, that is the plan, and they were all ready for it.

They all jumped down and were immediately confronted by Raditz, who kept Gohan locked in his pod. Goku ended up folding in the simple goal of mass murder that Raditz wanted, and that made him very disappointed. There was not much to say between two brothers that never met, Goku demanded that he hand over Gohan in one piece, but Raditz is not gonna let his little brother push him around.

The Z-warriors began by taking off their weighted clothing, shoes and wristbands. Goku was surprised that they were also doing it; they learned a thing or two from his fights on the 23rd tournament. Raditz was surprised; all of their powers jumped up a little; perhaps his scouter was poorly calibrated for such a weak planet. Chiaotzu went to 298, Yamcha to 354, Krillin to 365, Tien to 422 and Goku to a good 592. Those numbers weren't bad from what he saw; of course, they could never beat soldiers of the Saiyan army, and certainly they didn't stand a chance against him.

They rushed to attack, the triclops dashed to his side to attack him from the back, but they were like annoying flies to him. They tried to hit him with all they got, but they soon came to realize they couldn't match up to Raditz with their fists alone, so they brought up their techniques, and that was when Raditz truly got confused.

He saw their low power levels start to grow somehow; Yamcha threw at him his Soukidan, which had a power of 708. He was controlling that ball of energy to pester him, really fast and annoying. When Raditz finally caught it, it exploded in his hand, doing no damage at all, but it was still something to watch out for, especially when he saw another one of them grow. Goku's Kamehameha, at a power of 1.184. Raditz had to dodge that one; it wouldn't kill him, but it would do a lot of damage, even to his power of 1.500. But all those attacks were a diversion. Suddenly a power grew above all the other ones, coming from above. Tien was preparing his Kikoho, which before even being released, towered the others with a power of 2.110. That's when Raditz had to dodge at all costs. His scouter managed to save him from the instant death, and Tien burned all his energy hoping that would do the trick.

Raditz then set his foot down and shot a ki ball at Tien. It was way too fast for him to dodge it, and he was struck out of the air with an explosion that caused serious injuries; blood coming out of his arms and chest as he tried to block it.

Raditz was certain that Tien was out, so he turned his attention to Goku and Yamcha, but then he came to realize two of the fighters were gone. That's when they suddenly appeared behind him; Chiaotzu and Krillin tackled him from behind. It was by an inch or so that they failed to grab his tail, and were punished severely with strong punches to the face. He prepared a Double Sunday in both his hands to kill them off, but the Z-warriors ultimate plan succeeded in the end. Goku managed to dash right before he killed Krillin and Chiaotzu, and grabbed his tail.

Three of them nearly died, Tien is still injured, but it was all over.

That would be the case, if Raditz wasn't in constant battles since his childhood, against enemies that tried to take advantage of that exact same flaw, to the point he grew resistant to it. Goku was foolish to think that would work, as he too trained his tail to become stronger; why wouldn't Raditz?

As punishment for his stupidity, he got an elbow to the nose and fell on the floor. Yamcha tried rushing to save Goku, but he got dispatched with force. Raditz began to step on Goku for trying to use such dirty tactics against his own brother. It seemed like everything was near its end for the Z-warriors, but then everything changed once Raditz got attacked from behind by Piccolo, and launched away from Goku.

He was watching the entire fight play out, but now he knew he had to step in. If he wants this guy dead, he cannot let Goku die. They united forces against the common enemy, but even with their high powers united, the world's strongest combination was still no match for Raditz. So Piccolo stated his plan. He told Goku about his new technique he's been developing, and that would kill Raditz for sure if he can only buy him a few minutes. Goku wasn't inclined to help Piccolo, but he didn't have anything else to work with.

Raditz then revealed how insignificant they are, not only telling them about the fact that his power surpasses theirs up to three times, but also saying that there are in fact other two Saiyans out there, the other two that are still alive beside him and Kakarot. The group scattered around those plains did not like that information one bit.

For several long minutes Goku rushed down Raditz, getting pummeled to the floor every time, while Piccolo prepared his Makankosappo. Raditz really started to worry, as every single time he looked back at Piccolo, his power was rising a little more while his two fingers were placed on his forehead. He put Goku on the floor one last time, and saw Piccolo's power clock in at 1546, and knew he had to kill him before it went any higher. But then, Goku with his last strength grabbed Raditz behind his back and shouted at Piccolo to fire his attack. Piccolo wasn't expecting this, but this was literally the best case scenario to him.

Goku was ready to die if it meant taking out a threat such as Raditz, but someone wasn't ready to give up Goku just yet; and that one was Krillin. Right as Piccolo was about to fire, he tackled Piccolo, making him miss the only shot he could afford. He saved Goku's life once more, but was that really the right thing to do? Piccolo called him a fool, and now Raditz was with a cold sweat, and ready to unleash his anger on Goku. This fool could never be his brother; sacrificing his life for these buffoons; a shame to all his family. He was about to kill Goku when Krillin stepped in, saying that he will have to kill him first. Raditz immediately turned to him, but it didn't really seem like he was paying attention. Almost as if he was staring at something behind Krillin.

Little did Krillin know that he himself was a distraction for someone else.

Gohan, furious for watching his father being beaten to a bloody pulp, along with all those new friends he met at kame house, made him blow up in a power above the 1.000 mark. For just a second, Gohan was the strongest fighter in there, and that's all he needed. He broke through the Saiyan pod, and blasted towards Raditz like a meteor, hitting Raditz right in the chest. His armor cracked, and his scouter fell off his face. He was left gasping for air as the others watched in absolute shock and confusion of what just happened. Gohan passed out, and just like that, the last capable warrior was also on the floor.

Raditz managed to pick himself up, and soon he exploded in rage. It was embarrassing for him to struggle so much in this damn rock, and he wanted to finish them once and for all. The sky suddenly turned black. It was bizarre, but soon they realized someone must've summoned Shenron. Raditz began charging his final attack. He prepared to blast this entire land to dust. The others could do nothing but watch.

And as the lights were about to fall down and destroy all of them, Raditz simply vanished. His ki, his voice and everything else had simply disappeared.

…

They were all confused, but then they all heard a voice of someone that suddenly appeared in the field. It was Kami. Turns out that while they were fighting, he requested that Mr. Popo gathers the dragon balls, and wishes that Raditz return to where he was 3 months ago; Shenron didn't have the magic power to do anything else to him, and neither had Kami. He had to do it before the earth's warriors were killed in vain.

But then, just as everything seemed okay, they all hear a sound coming from Raditz scouter that he left behind. It was a voice from someone, thinking that Raditz had been killed off, then asking another person what they should do about it. The other person then said that it didn't matter, since Raditz was a weakling anyway. But just in case, they will go to earth and destroy everything; no one gets away from making the Saiyans look pathetic, let that be clear to everyone in the galaxy. And besides, those dragon things that they just said sound a bit interesting; it wouldn't be bad to know what they can do. "It might take one year to get there," the first guy remarked, as just then, Piccolo stepped over the Scouter, destroying it.

Everyone was lying on the floor, completely defeated by an enemy, and now his stronger superiors had just declared war. Naturally the mood got really grim. Piccolo refrained from killing a weakened Goku and friends right there, knowing that this would once again be a threat that would require them to fight together to surpass. But he did have other plans, so he took the sleeping Gohan with him, saying that he would take care of this boy's training up until then. If anyone tried to stop him, they would die. Just like that, he flew away, unchallenged.

Bulma alone soon arrived in a flier but it wasn't necessary. Kami gave them all some of Korin's Senzu Beans to heal. They fought bravely, but it wasn't enough in the slightest to harm him. The hardest blow was delivered by a 4 year old, and there were more of those Saiyan's coming. They wondered if they should go to Piccolo and take back Gohan, but that was trivial as Kami said that the boy was a trump card that Piccolo wouldn't just kill for no reason. And besides, he wasn't evil like King Piccolo was; he simply hated Goku. He was on his way to give Gohan proper training to use all his potential, and they should do the same.

That meant, they were in for the training of their lives if they wanted to have a chance to beat these Saiyans, and they only got one year, so better start now. He invited all the warriors to come to his lookout in the sky first thing the next morning, as he would train them personally. But Goku, although he could reach great powers training with Kami instead of Popo, Kami could deliver him, and only him, to a teacher much more spectacular than himself.

Placing his hand on Goku's shoulder, they simply disappeared, leaving the remaining warriors there on the field to get their bearings and think of what they're gonna tell Chi-chi of this whole situation. All they knew is that if they wanted to survive and do something useful this time, they would have to train their hardest, because leaving it all to Goku and Piccolo didn't turn out to be a good idea. Bulma breaks up with Yamcha for the seventh time, since he'll spend a whole year apart. Yamcha was pretty nonchalant about it, promising to take her back once he's done beating up the space aliens.

…

Goku was welcomed to King Yemma's palace and all his employee ogres. He gets to cut the line of souls all the way to his office with Kami, as he explains that this was the place where souls get sent to either heaven or hell. Now in front of Yemma's desk, Kami becomes anxious like never before, pleading that Goku gets to test his skills running through Snake Way. Yemma quickly skimmed over Goku's profile in his book, seeing notes about all his heroic acts of which Goku barely remembers, and allows Goku to go as Kami's chosen one. Kami explains that at the end of Snake Way lies the greatest martial arts master that a mortal could ever hope to meet, and that Goku was going to train with him.

And so, all the warriors went their different ways to prepare for this crisis soon to arrive. Under Kami's tutelage, the earthlings get to train in the many rooms hidden in the magic lookout, one of them was the room of soul and illusions, where they would test their skill constantly, as two Saiyans would take real form, and fight them to the death. Goku would spend most of the year running across Snake Way and all its shenanigans, and his son Gohan was forced to live out life in the wild until Piccolo saw fit to train him in battle. Whatever happens then, Kami knew that this would be one of the hardest battles that this planet will ever see.