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The fight was over.
Under Harry's careful control, he'd let Raditz win — on purpose, but without making it obvious.
You learn through battle. You adapt through battle. You find your flaws through battle — and grow stronger because of it.
Once his goal was achieved, Harry made sure to lose in a way that didn't expose him, didn't make him look weak, and didn't make him lose face.
After all, lasting that long against Raditz with only 360 power level was impressive enough. From the outside, it looked like he only lost because he'd run out of stamina.
Raditz might've won, but it wasn't a satisfying victory.
He honestly hadn't expected Harry to last that long under his attacks.
Others might not realize it, but he knew full well he'd used nearly eighty percent of his strength — around 450 in battle power, at least.
If Harry had held out a little longer, Raditz would've been forced to go all out.
Next time, Raditz thought grimly, I won't struggle like that again. I need to figure out how to beat you fast.
For him to think that way — it showed Raditz wasn't the idiot people thought he was in the original story.
He'd found flaws in himself too, realizing that the fight shouldn't have been this hard. Harry's tactics had dragged him into an exhausting match.
Of course, he had no idea that Harry had been toying with him the entire time — using the match to test his limits and build real combat experience.
If Harry had fought seriously, he could've ended it with a single move.
When the sparring ended, the Saiyans who'd been watching began cheering and showering both of them with praise.
Most of them were lower-class warriors, but even a couple of elites had stopped to watch.
Everyone — whether they admired Raditz's strength or Harry's endurance — was genuinely impressed.
Of course, part of that came from who was involved.
After all, Bardock was Raditz's father and Harry's uncle.
Bardock, the so-called "lower-class warrior" whose power had shot past 10,000 in just a few years — a living legend among their kind.
He'd earned his respect the hard way, proving that dignity comes from strength. Even elite warriors had to show him deference now.
Not that Bardock cared for flattery. He knew too well how much scheming went on among the Saiyans.
The upper ranks were obsessed with status and power — selfish, manipulative, even willing to stab comrades in the back to climb higher.
The lower-class fighters, weak as most of them were, at least still had something human left in them.
Bardock never liked mingling with the elite. He avoided their "high society" gatherings altogether.
Behind his back, they whispered — calling him "just a low-class Saiyan," saying strength alone couldn't change his bloodline.
Only after Bardock gave a few polite words did the crowd finally start to disperse.
Raditz and Harry stepped forward to where Bardock stood.
"You okay, big brother Harry?"
Celari came running over, her face full of worry — a rare look that caught Harry off guard.
"I'm fine," he said with a faint smile. "Just burned through a lot of stamina, that's all."
Usually, this little girl was all pride and attitude. Seeing her openly concerned like this was... unusual.
But it was real concern — not an act.
Gine didn't seem surprised. Bardock knew the two had been close since childhood. He simply sighed, noting how much she'd grown in just half a year — both in height and strength. Her power level had already hit 180.
Celari gave Bardock and Gine polite nods — but when her eyes landed on Raditz, the friendliness vanished. Her glare could've cut through steel.
Raditz frowned, clearly irritated. "Hey! It's not like I was trying to kill him, okay? No need to look at me like that. It was just a bit of after-dinner exercise!"
"Hmph! You totally did it on purpose!" Celari shot back. "Everyone knows you've been training under Prince Vegeta. You've got all those elite tutors and special gear! If Harry had the same resources you do, he'd never lose to you!"
Her words were fiery and irrational, but Harry couldn't bring himself to scold her.
Because deep down, he knew she was just standing up for him — even if he didn't need it.
After all, he'd been the one holding back.
Raditz's temper flared. His face went red as he snapped, "My strength is from my own training! You think sticking close to the prince means I get free power-ups or something?!"
That one hit home.
No Saiyan could stand having their hard work dismissed like that.
He was still young — barely five — and no matter how mature he acted, he was still just a kid inside.
But Celari didn't back down. Her look said it all: she thought Raditz was just showing off by beating Harry.
Gine wanted to step in, but didn't know how. She'd watched both of them grow up.
Bardock caught her eye and shook his head slightly — a silent signal to let it play out.
He could tell his son had some pent-up frustration, and this might actually be good for him.
Being misunderstood, targeted, doubted — sometimes those experiences are necessary.
Only by going through them do you grow stronger, until the opinions of others can't touch you anymore.
That was how Bardock himself had grown.
"Damn it! Harry!" Raditz barked. "Tell her — did I go full power on you? Did I try to kill you?!"
Harry looked awkward for a second, then gently caught Celari's wrist.
"Celari, you've got it wrong," he said softly. "Raditz was just sparring with me for fun. He didn't use his full strength. If he had, I'd have lost the moment the fight started."
Raditz's shoulders eased a little at that.
Celari listened, but she still shot Raditz a defiant look. The two had been rivals since they were toddlers — it was basically built into their DNA at this point.
Raditz opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, Gine finally stepped in.
Only, instead of defending him, she reached out and tugged him by the ear.
"See? This is what you get!" she scolded. "You were always bossing Celari around when you were little. No wonder she can't stand you!"
"Ow, ow, ow— Mom, let go! You're gonna rip it off!" Raditz yelped, nearly in tears.
Bardock sighed and stepped in. "Alright, that's enough. It was just a friendly match. Raditz won, but Harry didn't really lose either. So Celari, stop glaring at him. You're all still young — a few years from now, you'll look back and realize all this bickering doesn't mean much."
A few wise words from Bardock — part lecture, part fatherly guidance.
It worked.
Harry understood a little more about what it meant to grow up. Celari stopped glaring so fiercely.
Not that she forgave Raditz, of course. That would take time — and Saiyan girls were known for holding grudges.
Harry could only sigh helplessly. He knew her well enough to know — for all her fire, Celari was unusually mature for a five-year-old.
"..."
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