Earth.
Once Raditz got serious, Nappa was quickly pushed onto the back foot.
Every move Nappa made looked full of holes in Raditz's eyes.
A straight punch? His guard wide open in the center Raditz slipped to the side with a burst of speed and drove an elbow into his ribs.
A high kick? His stance unstable Raditz swept his supporting leg out from under him.
Nappa hit the ground hard, and before he could recover, Raditz followed up with a point-blank blast of ki that sent him flying a hundred meters away.
In that moment, Raditz completely eclipsed Nappa. Not just in power his technique was on a different level.
"Looks like big bro really did grow a lot under Master Roshi," Goku said, recognizing familiar movements in Raditz's attacks.
Vegeta's interest in this "Master Roshi" they kept mentioning grew even stronger.
"Hey, Son Gohan. That 'Master Roshi' is he really that strong?" Vegeta asked, turning to Gohan.
"Well… how do I put it," Gohan said slowly, "in terms of battle power, anyone here could steamroll him. But in terms of martial arts, everyone here is still below him."
His wording was vague, but Vegeta understood.
"Hmph. In the end, the bigger fist is what matters," Vegeta scoffed. "What good is a 'higher realm' of technique? As long as I keep raising my power, any so-called 'realm' will crumble in front of me."
His pride was as extreme as ever.
The moment he heard Gohan say Roshi's raw strength was weak, the idea of going to study under him evaporated.
"Vegeta, don't look down on everyone else," Gohan countered. "Out in the universe, there are plenty of people with more talent than you. Are you really that confident you'll always crush them from above? At the same level, you absolutely wouldn't beat Master Roshi."
"Hmph."
Vegeta was clearly unhappy, but he also knew Gohan wasn't wrong, so he didn't argue back.
In the arena
Nappa could no longer keep up with Raditz's movements. In pure hand-to-hand combat, he was being completely overwhelmed.
"Raditz, this is ridiculous…" Nappa's anger faded, replaced by a sour, frustrated helplessness.
He had trained hard these past two and a half years. Yet somehow, in that same time, Raditz had raced past him.
"It's not that I'm ridiculous," Raditz said calmly, "it's this planet's martial arts that are ridiculous. Master Roshi is ridiculous."
He would never forget it: a geezer a hundred times weaker than him taking out a rice cooker and sealing him away like it was nothing.
And he'd gotten his wish he'd learned that technique himself.
In the capsule in his pocket, there were ten thumb-sized bottles, each one sealed with a talisman.
That was why, even after witnessing Goku and Vegeta's insane battles, Raditz stayed so calm.
The Evil Containment Wave that was his trump card, his confidence. He was sure he could seal away Goku, Vegeta, or any of the others even if they were going all out.
Of course, a trump card only works if no one knows about it. If everyone knew, they'd be on guard.
Just like in the original story: when Roshi tried to seal Frost, the Evil Containment Wave backfired and ended up trapping Vegeta instead.
That's what happens when the gap in power gets too big.
And there was another serious flaw a sealed container could be broken from the outside. As long as someone destroyed the vessel, the sealed target could escape.
"Raditz, these past two and a half years I wasn't just fooling around either," Nappa said through gritted teeth. "I've still got one last move. If you can block it, I'll admit defeat."
He spread his arms wide. The muscles along his forearms swelled again, and his ki surged toward his hands.
In his left palm, pure Saiyan energy condensed, golden light flickering, arcs of lightning crackling around it.
In his right palm, the gathered ki turned into a blazing red mass, like a ball of living flame.
"Nappa, you can use that move by yourself now?" Raditz's face changed.
That's right the technique was the fusion attack they had created together: the Flaming Meteor technique. Back when they fought Ginyu in Frieza's body, its power had rivaled the Death Comet.
If Ginyu's battle power hadn't far outstripped theirs at the time, he probably couldn't have taken the fully-boosted version of that move.
"Nappa, are you sure you can handle the backlash?" Raditz asked, legs bending, hands drawing back at his waist as a blue ball of energy formed between them.
"Quit yapping. If I'm using it, I can take it. Hyaa!!"
Nappa poured everything he had into it.
The two masses of energy finally completed their charge.
He shot up into the sky, posture almost identical to Vegeta when he used Final Flash, and slowly brought his arms together.
To get to this point, he'd asked Vegeta for a lot of advice.
Final Flash and this technique worked on a similar principle two fully-charged ki spheres merging into one devastating beam.
"Flaming Meteor Impact!!"
Golden and crimson ki intertwined, the terrifying blast carrying a scorching heat that seemed ready to burn the world itself.
"Kamehameha!!"
Raditz had already mastered Roshi's signature technique.
A blue beam that was in no way inferior to Flaming Meteor Impact roared out to meet it.
Boom!!!
The instant the two attacks met, they detonated. There was no drawn-out stalemate, no "you push, I push back" beam struggle.
The Flaming Meteor was like a powder keg any slight interference would trigger an explosion.
That was the result of Nappa's modifications. The original version of their joint technique didn't behave like this.
Fortunately, this blast took place in midair and didn't gouge a second scar into the Earth's surface.
Even so, the shockwave that rolled across the ground put everything below through a merciless beating.
As expected, Nappa's stamina hit rock bottom, and he dropped out of the sky like a powerless stone.
Raditz, by contrast, still had something left in the tank. He forced himself into the air, just barely catching Nappa before he hit the ground.
Gohan tossed them each a Senzu Bean.
"Not bad. That was a great fight. Uncle Nappa, your improvement surprised everyone," Gohan praised, walking over.
"It's all thanks to the old man's teaching," Raditz said, actually sounding modest.
He'd learned to be humble.
This new Raditz was a breath of fresh air even Vegeta looked at him with genuine surprise.
Raditz hadn't just raised his martial arts level his state of mind had climbed too.
In that moment, it felt like Saiyans had shed a bit of the savage label people stuck on them.
"Hmph. I'm going to train under him too," Nappa snorted.
"All right, all right, that's for later. For now who's next?" Gohan asked.
Krillin was clearly itching to move. He glanced at Tien, then turned back to Gohan.
"Let me and Tien go. I lost last time, but these past two and a half years haven't been for nothing."
"What do you think, Tien?" Gohan asked.
Tien just shook his head.
"Krillin isn't my match. Gohan, I want to fight you."
Tien's challenge was directed straight at Son Gohan. His fighting spirit surged, and his aura erupted like a geyser.
"Me? Tien, you sure about that?" Gohan could feel the surging pressure rolling off of Tien.
"I am. Gohan, I don't think any of them can beat me now," Tien said, looking meaningfully at Goku, Vegeta, and the others before turning back. "So I want to fight you."
"You bastard, what did you just say?" Vegeta exploded.
Any random 'small fry' thought they could challenge him now?
"Hmph."
Piccolo also let out an unhappy snort.
In his eyes, Tien had never even been in the running as a rival.
Only Goku who had actually fought Tien and Krillin at the Lookout wore a serious expression… tinged with excitement.
"Tien, I knew I wasn't wrong back then. You weren't going all out," Goku said quietly.
"Goku… I owe you an apology for that," Tien replied, embarrassed. "But if I'd really used my full power in there, that artificial space might've shattered. So I chose to surrender."
Back then, in that flawed copy of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Tien had never released his true strength. He'd sensed that if he pushed a little harder, the dimension itself would tear apart.
"Good, good… I've grown up surrounded by opponents who were either too weak or way too strong. I've been waiting forever for a truly even match," Gohan said, laughing in delight. "Tien, since you're that confident, I'll accept your challenge."
"Then let's begin," Tien said, taking a single step
And in the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of Gohan.
"So fast!" Vegeta's pupils contracted.
Everyone present realized at the same time: Tien Shinhan was not simple.
"Hold it. Let's change venues," Gohan said. "I don't think Earth can withstand our power anymore."
"Fine."
"Everyone grab on to someone. I'll take us somewhere else," Gohan said, preparing to use Instant Transmission to move the entire group.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to add this story to your Library, drop a review, and leave a Power Stone if you enjoyed it!
Craving more chapters? Join my Patron to unlock advance releases and dive deeper into the story!
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"