Chapter 35
Backdrop to the Deadly Battle
In deep space three space pods fly at incredible speeds, at a velocity that most earth aircrafts would be torn apart by. The pods passed by a pale world with a ring around it and two more orange worlds of varying sizes. It's then that the spaceships pass by a large star, this section of the universe's sun. It's at this point that a number of beeping sounds rang off inside of one of the pods. The Saiyan inside stirs awake, his eyes slowly open. He now stares out his front window where he sees two more pods slightly ahead of him.
He lets out a restless groan as he does his best to stretch his limbs inside his cramped pod. It's then that it comes into view, a planet Raditz has nothing but bad memories of. Raditz scowls at the blue world called Earth, the last time he was here not only did he lose his life but also the freedom to stand beside his brother. Raditz can't say he's glad to be back here. Last time it was for the sake of his brother but now it was at his expense. Raditz began to recall the events which led to making a bee line for this planet.
It was two months short of a year ago, when Raditz and his squad were sent to conquer a fairly easy world. It was a forest world, and they had just finished off a settlement of bipedal, green, bug aliens. Raditz and Nappa were currently finishing off the remaining aliens while Vegeta sat on what was left of a wall to a destroyed medium sized house. He seemed to be listening intently to something on his Scouter. Raditz had just planted a boot to an alien's head, crushing it when Vegeta's ear perked up followed by the sound of clear intrigue in his voice, "Hmm?"
Right then Raditz was hit by a ki blast from behind, it was so weak it only caused him to flinch out of surprise. He looked back at a half dead bug missing an arm with it's only functioning one aimed at him. Raditz let out a mildly annoyed grunt but the second he took a step in the bug's direction Nappa appeared above it and body slammed the bug back-first. Nappa let out a hearty laugh as Raditz rolled his eyes at him. Raditz spoke in an annoyed tone, "I had that one."
Nappa rolled onto his belly and then pushed himself to his feet before saying while examining his kill, "You know the rules, first come first serve."
Raditz grumbled, "You and your stupid "rules"."
Raditz crossed his arms out of annoyance while Nappa walked towards him saying, "Hey don't be like that, there's plenty of bugs left."
Right then Raditz quickly put an open palm forward and fired a Ki blast in Nappa's direction. He flinched out of surprise but was quick to reel an arm back but not to deflect the attack. Instead, Nappa's Scouter went off pointing an arrow to his far right. Before Nappa's arm could make a sweeping strike the Ki blast Raditz fired went by Nappa and nailed a bug alien that was directly behind him. The second the blast collided with the alien it was vaporized.
Nappa frowned while looking over at Raditz who was now giving him a wry grin. Raditz then mockingly said, "So much for first come, first serve. What? Where you holding back on that overgrown cricket?"
Nappa grumbled at the insinuation that he would hold back. He scratched his bald head as he looked back at where the bug used to be. He muttered under his breath, "I was sure I squashed that thing flat."
Nappa began to say as he turned to Raditz, "Screw it, it ain't worth thinking about- huh!"
Raditz's eyes widened in confusion at the look of surprise on Nappa's eyes until his own Scouter lit up like Nappa's did before. Raditz turned around and saw another bug leaping toward him. Raditz immediately raised an arm to block a clawed strike only for the thing to suddenly get pulled upward canceling its attack. Right next to Raditz stood Nappa holding the bug by the head. The creature began to claw at Nappa but with a snap it went limp.
Nappa looked at Raditz clearly confused as he said with equal amounts of bewilderment in his voice, "I thought you killed this one already."
Raditz turned around to see that the one he killed was indeed missing, after this Raditz looked back at Nappa who tossed the dead alien over his shoulder. Raditz said with uncertainty in his voice, "It was, I crushed its head, I'm sure of it."
They both shared a troubled look before they both scanned their surroundings only to witness an impossible sight. The many corpses of aliens they left in their wake began to stir and turn as if they were waking up from a nap. They looked at them in shock, not only where the bodies rising from the dead but former, fatal injuries like massive chest wounds or crushed heads healed in an instant. It was as if they had all risen from the dead.
At that thought Raditz's eyes widened in revelation as he recalled how he came back to life. Raditz's right hand subconsciously drifted to the center of his chest, where he once had a fatal injury. Raditz gritted his teeth as he came to, what he considered an insane conclusion. "What have they done?"
Raditz kept these words to himself as he pondered for what reason the Earthlings would have to revive the people here. Raditz stopped himself at that thought, realizing that it's more likely that it is more than just this world being affected by whatever wish the Earthlings made. He could only assume that Kakarot told them enough of their previous conquests to want to make a universe wide wish. The only mystery here that gave him pause was what was Kakarot's role in all of this.
Raditz began to refocus as the aliens around them were now focusing their attention on them, having clearly overcome the shock of coming back to life. Raditz and Nappa got into combat stances, ready to kill these aliens a second time. The fighting hadn't yet started as Raditz looked around only to see Vegeta who not only was standing up but smiling with a scary look in his eye.
Nappa noticed Vegeta's expression as well which confused him as well. They both questioned why Vegeta didn't look shocked. It was the opposite in fact, he had a look of pure joy on his face. Vegeta's smile turned into a sadistic grin as he yelled at his two comrades, "Brace yourselves, I'm done with this world."
Both Nappa and Raditz gave him shocked and fearful looks as they both braced themselves for what came next. Vegeta began to let out a low growl as his Ki began to rise, a purple electric aura covering his body. Vegeta slightly crouched down as his arms were moved closer to his core. Vegeta then let out a mighty yell as he stretched his arms and legs outward. Suddenly the whole battlefield was engulfed in a massive purple explosion, vaporizing all but the Saiyans present. When the dust settled, they were in the middle of a desolate wasteland, a ten-mile-wide crater, in all directions.
Nappa and even Raditz were unscathed, Vegeta held back enough to not kill his men while also wiping out the revived aliens. Vegeta had a calm yet confident look as he looked down at his fist muttering to himself, "It's my time at last."
Nappa had a look of relief while saying out loud, "Oh good, you had me worried there for a second Vegeta."
Vegeta crossed his arms while still smiling, he said, "Not to worry Nappa, I have better sense than to blow up the planet we are still on."
Nappa rubbed the back of his head as he said, "Yeah, I figured that but…"
Vegeta put an open palm forward signaling Nappa to stop what he was about to say. Nappa gave him a confused look before Vegeta pressed a button on his Scouter, turning it off. His allies knew the routine by now and did the same. It's at this point that Raditz was very worried, they hadn't done this in a long time. Before going back on missions after Kakarot's "death" he had ordered them to behave like normal. Vegeta reasoned that they needed things to cool down before they start any trouble.
It was obvious to Raditz that something big enough to warrant avoiding Freeza's prying ears had occurred. Raditz knew it was about the sudden revival of the aliens of this planet, but he didn't know why. Only he and Kakarot, a number of the earthlings, should know about a method to revive the dead. Vegeta shouldn't know about any of it and Raditz hadn't believed he'd let any information about the Dragon Balls slip in these past few months.
Raditz crossed his arms in anticipation for what Vegeta had to say. Vegeta looked at Nappa and said, "I've been preparing for this day, and we all have Kakarot to thank."
Raditz and Nappa blinked at that statement, Nappa smiled and said, "We do? What did he do, find some secret to beating Freeza?"
Raditz began to worry even more after Vegeta let out a short laugh before saying, "A secret? You could say that, yes. He does indeed have a secret, one that he hid from us."
Nappa blurted out, "W-what?"
Raditz grew even more worried, it was clear that Vegeta had somehow discovered what Kakarot was hiding. Raditz would like to think that Vegeta was talking about some other secret, but he knew Vegeta well enough by now. He wouldn't make such bold statements unless he was completely certain they were true. Raditz determined he would just have to wait for Vegeta to explain himself.
Nappa surprised Vegeta and Raditz as he was the first to doubt him, "N-now hold on Vegeta, are you sure he was hiding something? Maybe he meant to tell us but got wrapped up in the whole Freeza wanting to kill 'em thing?"
Vegeta frowned at the comment, he didn't expect Nappa to say that. He felt irritation rise up but had enough self control to not lash out at him. Instead, he said, "I had my suspicions long before his "execution" I set up the Scouter I gave him to where I could eavesdrop on him even if it was shut down."
Raditz froze upon hearing this, it all started to make sense now. He wasn't just bored with their mission; he was listening to what Kakarot was saying all the way on Earth. His reaction to these aliens' revival was because he must have heard the wish being granted. This could only mean one thing, Kakarot was present during the wish. Raditz however, wasn't about to jump to any conclusions yet. There are any number of reasons he could have, to be around when the wish was granted.
Nappa then asked, "What did you suspect him of, what was he hiding?"
Vegeta was glad to answer him, "Kakarot hid the existence of a set of magical orbs that can grant wishes."
Raditz tensed up, he wondered how much Vegeta really knew. For all he knew Kakarot could have learned about these balls after they faked his death. This is when Vegeta pointed an index finger at Raditz and said, "This fool was brought back to life by them."
Raditz took a step back out of surprise but before he could make any sort of argument Nappa suddenly said, "What! What makes you think that?!"
Vegeta smirks while crossing his arm, clearly confident in his answer he tells Nappa, "I suspected something happened after seeing Zarbon's reaction to his survival. He looked like he saw a ghost, like he didn't expect to see him again."
Raditz raised his eyebrows in surprise thinking to himself, "All the way back then? I was careful but it seems Zarbon alone gave him reason to investigate."
Vegeta continued with a frown, "It became more obvious when he went out of his way to talk to get a report from him. He could have easily had him make a written report, but he wanted it in person and most telling it was on Freeza's orders."
Nappa began to understand as his expression relaxed, Vegeta then said, "I wasn't quite sure what it could mean so I kept an eye on them. Their conversations in his jail cell, the fact Kakarot was even beaten was put into question as well. Kakarot is way too strong to be beaten even if he refused to fight him."
Vegeta's eyes sharpened as he said, "I grew interested and I doubted Raditz would talk even if threatened. So instead, I assisted in his escape and faked his death."
Vegeta smiled again as he got closer to the end of his explanation, "Because of this I bugged his Scouter and ensured he would have it on hand by telling him I would call when we were ready to strike against Freeza."
Vegeta finally said the most important part, "I kept an ear out for every conversation he had there. He's grown quite soft, soft enough to use these magical orbs to summon a Dragon and wish every individual killed by an alien in the past two years."
Nappa was in shock at this revelation while Raditz's arms slumped over in defeat. He knew with the bugged Scouter he would no doubt have discovered the existence of the Dragon Balls. He, however, did not expect that Kakarot was the one to make the wish. It was proof that not only had he hidden the existence of these orb but also that Kakarot used them for his own ends. Raditz didn't need to think about it at all to know that this was a bad situation for himself, who helped keep this information hidden. It was even worse for Kakarot, with this discovery it was clear that Kakarot wasn't as loyal to them as they had thought.
Raditz knew that Vegeta wouldn't take this discovery lightly. To Vegeta this was as good a betrayal, with the Dragon Balls they could have actually stood a chance against Freeza. The fact he didn't reveal this the second he had the chance to mean that Kakarot wasn't working to his benefit. That was something Raditz knew Vegeta wouldn't stand for.
Nappa finally laid his gaze on Raditz and with a serious question. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. If this was a few months ago then Raditz would have revealed everything out of fear. However, things have changed a great deal between them since Kakarot escaped to earth. Because of this Raditz revealed everything out of respect toward Nappa. He started with, "You need to understand it wasn't my decision to make. Kakarot held this information back because of what happened on Prune."
After this Raditz told them everything, from Freeza's betrayal, Zarbon's interference, all the way to Kakarot's decision to keep the Dragon Balls hidden because he feared what Vegeta would do to the earth in order to acquire them. Raditz did avoid the detail that Kakarot didn't trust Vegeta with immortality. He knew Kakarot would be in big trouble regardless but hopefully leaving out certain details will cushion his punishment, even if just a little. By the end of the explanation Nappa angrily takes a ruined building down with a single swipe of his hand.
He angrily says, "That dirty bastard! After all the years we've worked for him, after all the humiliation. He has the nerve to do away with one of our own a-and over what?"
That's the question on everyone's mind, no one, not even Vegeta had a concrete answer to why Freeza wanted to kill Kakarot and went so far as to have Zarbon help in killing Raditz. They only had theories and speculation; it could have been because of the Super Saiyan legend. It could be because he didn't like Kakarot in particular or that he decided there was one too many Saiyans alive for his liking. Because no one had an answer Vegeta jumped to the topic of Kakarot's deceit.
"That moron, keeping such a useful tool at his disposal. If you make the right wish, Freeza would no longer be in our way. Instead, he wastes it on reviving the trash we just took care of."
Raditz didn't comment on that, instead he attempted to redirect the conversation by saying, "Things must be the same on other worlds. I'm sure Freeza is busy quelling all of the worlds that were conquered in the past two years."
Vegeta added, "That's exactly the reason you won't be punished along with him. His wish has created the perfect opening for us to make our move."
Raditz raised an eyebrow while saying, "Huh?"
At that, Vegeta explained himself, "Freeza's forces will be busy dealing with the aliens Kakarot revived. His attention will be spread thin while we head to this Earth."
Nappa cracked his knuckle while chuckling, "I like the sound of that, it's about time we broke off from that bastard anyway!"
Raditz however, cautiously said, "Hold on, isn't this risky? He's expecting us back soon, if he figures out what we're up to then…?"
Vegeta with a confident smirk chuckle and says, "We won't be able to leave just yet. After all, this whole planet's population was just revived. It's the same for every other planet Freeza has conquered. By the time Freeza realizes we're off-world it will be too late."
Raditz thinks about it for a second and smiles, finally agreeing. That confident expression melts when Vegeta's expression twists into one of malicious intent, "Besides we have business on this "Earth". Kakarot still deceived us, such defiance can't be tolerated."
Raditz looked panicked which is when Vegeta added, "Not to worry you fool. I know you will raise a fuss otherwise, so we won't kill him. Slaughtering all the little earthlings he chose to side with will suffice."
Raditz's expression relaxed, he knew it would hurt Kakarot but if it meant he would live then he could accept that. Though if he were to be honest, he's been itching to make the earthlings who killed him pay for the bad memories they gave him while on that world. So Raditz smiles and says, "Alright so long as I get first dibs."
Vegeta cracked a smile at seeing that Raditz's loyalty had been strengthened. Nappa smiled too, giving Raditz a cocky grin before saying, "Don't get cocky punk!"
Raditz chuckles before saying to Nappa with his own grin, "It'll be like normal, the Saiyan with the biggest body count wins."
Vegeta had since adjusted to this new dynamic, ever since Kakarot left, Nappa had started competing with Raditz. This is strange since Nappa had only ever gotten competitive with Kakarot. He used to regularly antagonize him but lately Vegeta had witnessed Raditz sparring with Nappa when they were done with a big job. It didn't matter to Vegeta personally, but it did make him ask more questions about Kakarot's influence on the group. Even with him missing he exerted a change in his allies. With the information that Freeza betrayed them, Vegeta now believes he's come closer to finding out why Freeza wanted him dead.
Regardless, Vegeta chuckled and said, "Alright, you have a grudge. If they can't beat, you then they aren't worth our time."
Raditz ignored the clear insult and began to call his pod, as did Vegeta and Nappa. Vegeta then said, "I'll make a false report to Freeza. After that we'll be on our way."
Vegeta sent the message and soon after they all left for earth. But on the way Raditz secretly sent a message to warn Kakarot. He thought that he at least deserved to know what was coming, he owed his brother that much. Especially considering the likelihood of Kakarot siding with the earthlings.
Raditz tells Kakarot that they know and are coming his way. He urged Kakarot to give up and accept his punishment. Raditz hopes his brother will heed his warning but doubts he will. If one part of Kakarot's character were to remain the same in all of the months he's been gone. It would be that he's stubborn to a fault. He just hopes he can look him in the eye after all of this business is settled.
Back to the present Raditz hears three beeps before Vegeta's voice echoes in his pod, "We're here."
Nappa made his own comment, "So this is where Kakarot wound up. Looks pretty decent from here."
Vegeta lets out a huff before saying, "The planet doesn't matter, we're here for their Dragon Balls."
After a short moment Vegeta speaks again with mild confusion, "Hmm? It seems the signal to Kakarot's pod disappeared at some point during our journey."
Raditz didn't comment on this discovery but didn't like what it could mean. He's afraid Kakarot may have chosen to not heed his warning. Nappa chimed in, "Ah, that don't matter. We have the planet's coordinates anyway!"
Vegeta with a slightly inquisitive tone said, "I was hoping to make contact with Kakarot first, but it seems we will need to locate him with our Scouters instead."
Vegeta shook his head and said, "Whatever, we'll search for the strongest Power Level, no doubt it's Kakarot's, determine his loyalty, dish out his punishment and learn about the Dragon Balls. We can decide what to do next from there. For now, we'll head to these coordinates."
Another series of beeps enters Raditz and Nappa's pods as a new set of coordinates is entered into their Space Pods navigation computer. In about half an hour the three pods break through the Earth's atmosphere. The three pods have marked the city below as their landing zone. They crash into it without warning, one Pod grinds through a busy street, sending cars flying left and right. A second pod smashes through three large buildings before hitting what looks like a park. The last pod smashed through a single building before hitting the ground and grinding through a smaller building until it came to a stop.
The surviving humans crowd around the three craters which landed generally in the same area. They talk amongst themselves, "Wh-what's going on?" "Was t-that a meteor?" "What sh-should we do?"
Suddenly all three pods' doors open in unison making the entirety of the crowd around them flinch and take a step back as three men with monkey tails and strange armor exit the space pods. Another series of mutters escape the crowd around the pods, "Wh-what's kind of armor is that?" "T-they h-have monkey tails?" "Wha-what do they want?"
Vegeta takes notice of his surroundings before saying, "The tech here is somewhat impressive but nothing compared to more advanced worlds."
Raditz adds to that, "their tech hasn't changed that much since I was last here."
Nappa commented on that with a mildly uncaring voice, "What did you expect? It's only been like over a year, right?"
Raditz shrugged his shoulders while Vegeta paid the question no mind. Nappa then shrugged and said, "Whatever."
He then cracked a sadistic smile and said with clear sinister intentions, "We should greet these insects."
Right then Nappa stuck his index and middle finger upward. Raditz was in the middle of blurting out, "Wait Nappa-!"
Right when an explosion erupted under their feet which engulfed the whole city vaporizing all but the Saiyans at the center of the explosion. The blast was so large it could be seen clear from orbit. The citizens only had a split second to register what was happening. Their deaths were so swift they didn't feel anything. Nappa let out a hearty laugh as he said, "A little too warm a greeting wouldn't ya say, Raditz, Vegeta?"
Raditz let out an exasperated sigh as Vegeta gave his own groan. Raditz was the first to say, "Nappa, please think before you do something like that again?"
Nappa raised an eyebrow and gave Raditz a confused look before Vegeta said, "Nappa, do you remember why we are here?"
Nappa answered immediately while looking Vegeta's way, "Yeah, to find these "Dragon Balls"."
Vegeta then questioned, "And what if one of these balls were in this city, hmmm? We would have already lost our wish for Eternal Life. All for your stupid greeting!"
Nappa flinches at the realization and at being scolded by Vegeta before saying with regret in his voice, "Ugh, you're right. Sorry, I wasn't thinking."
Raditz shrugged again before saying, "It's too late now, all we can do is hope there wasn't one here."
Raditz then thinks about it and says, "Now that I think about it, there was a Namekian among them. He's the one who finished me off. Perhaps he has a connection with them, maybe he could even help on that front."
Vegeta smiled and chuckled before saying, "We'll see, now let's search for the greatest Power Level. It's sure to be Kakarot."
The other two Saiyans nod in response and turn on their Scouters and begin scanning for large Power Levels. Nappa in a bewildered tone says, "That's strange there are a large number of power levels over 3,000 clumped together."
Raditz takes note of that and says, "That must be them, they must have gotten stronger."
Nappa said in response, "It doesn't really matter, these are still below average for us."
Vegeta gave Nappa a warning, "Don't underestimate them Nappa, Kakarot must have learned those strange techniques from this rock. They could be suppressing their battle power."
Raditz jumps to a new question, "We need to find Kakarot, how likely is it that he's among them?"
Vegeta says back, "He could be but if so then I'll have to make his punishment more severe. I can't have one of my subordinates' sidings with such trash over his own kind."
Vegeta then muttered, "Perhaps I should take care of him first and force him to watch as we slaughter these earthlings."
Raditz grimaces at the thought but Nappa is the first to say, "Hold on Vegeta, we don't know for sure. He could be taking a morning nap or something!"
Vegeta frowns at the comment but lets it go when Raditz suddenly takes note of something, "It seems they are on the move, do they know we're after them?"
Vegeta smiles and lets out a short laugh before saying, "We'll see, let's catch those insects first."
The three Saiyans floated into the air and flew towards the large number of Power Levels.
Right after the Saiyans landed and destroyed East City Krillin and all those on the Lookout took immediate notice. First, they felt the chill of their combined Ki and then they witnessed the destruction only one of their numbers caused. They were all horrified by the site, not only at the destruction their new enemies have caused but also by the ill surprise that the Saiyans have arrived a full two months early.
Some gawked at the site, others grimaced, and a few glared angrily at the explosion knowing full well what it meant. This was a similar scenario to what happened when Raditz arrived and destroyed South City. Kami breaks the silence by stating what everyone else was thinking, "This can't be, their two months early. How is that possible?"
Krillin grimaced and said bitterly, "Kakarot's brother must have lied about the time, or he was mistaken."
Tien hollers at Popo, "Mr. Popo, how much time do they have in the Room of Spirit and Time?"
Popo honestly says, "They have an hour unless they decide to leave early."
Tien shakes his head and says, "Not a chance, they still think they have another two months left."
Chiaotzu immediately asks, "Couldn't we knock or just open the door and yell?"
Kami warned against this, "Any tampering with the door will cause it to disappear. Also, sound doesn't transfer through the door because of how the dimension works. It's the same reason why we haven't heard them at all from this side of the door."
Krillin curses and says, "Damn it! We'll have to stall them for an hour and hope they have grown strong enough. Kami, could you find a way to contact King Kai and try and get Yamcha back soon?"
Kami nodes and says, "Right away!"
Chiaotzu gave a suggestion, "If we just suppress our Ki, wouldn't that work to stall them?"
Krillin immediately shook his head, "We can't afford to hide, they already started destroying cities. Besides… We can't discount the possibility that they have already spotted us with their Scouters. If we just disappear now, they might just find this place."
Chichi suddenly said, "We can't let that happen! If they do anything to the Lookout, they might destroy the door to the Room of Spirit and Time."
Tien nodded and said, "I agree, we just need to buy time for an hour. I'm sure we can survive for a single hour."
Chichi nodded back after which Krillin looked at Kami and said, "I know this goes without saying but be sure to update them on the situation when they get out. I'm confident we can last an hour, but I don't know about much longer than that."
Kami nods and says, "I'm sure they will know the situation the second they feel the Saiyans Ki."
Krillin says, "Good, we better go. I'll stop by Korin to grab a bag of Senzu Beans."
Right then all of them aside from Kami and Mr. Popo flies off but not before Krillin zips down to Korin Tower and gets a bag of five Senzu Beans. This was all that he had available, so he told them, "Use them wisely!" As they flew by.
Author's Notes: There we go, we're finally getting to the meat of the arc. Some might have noticed this chapter was released two weeks later than normal. That's because when I wrote this one, I felt not enough happened, so I went ahead and started and finished the next one. Because of this you will get the next chapter a little later after this one. Anyway, thank you for reading, leave a review talking about the chapter if you feel like it. Anyway onto the Power Levels!
Power Level:
Krillin: 5,450
Tien: 5,400
Chiaotzu: 3,500
Chichi: 5,000
Raditz: REDACTED
Nappa: REDACTED
Vegeta: 18,000 Max Power
