— "I already put them down. Oh, Mom, I'm going to fight in a tournament. Maybe there'll be food," he said, and without realizing it, drool spilled from his mouth like a waterfall.
— "Son… are you sure you don't want to rest?" Gine asked, worried about Raditz's condition. "Wouldn't you rather stay and eat?"
Raditz was at a crossroads.
— (On one hand, I want to be strong. But on the other hand, there's food. Although if you're strong, you can get lots of food… yet if I don't eat well, I won't become stronger.) He thought, deeply conflicted. Suddenly, visions of all the future villains and their powers filled his mind. He knew he had to become strong no matter what. Even though he loved the idea of eating Gine's delicious dishes, he declined, determined, with a fiery gaze that declared he would never be humiliated by anyone.
— "Sorry, Mom. I have to become strong. Goodbye."
Gine, upon hearing her son refuse food, was surprised.
— (This boy is so strange, always lost in thought and only responsive when food is mentioned, but today that wasn't the case. Surely this is important to him. Oh Bardock, your son is identical.) — Gine thought, sighing with resignation as she wished the best for her little one.
~~ "Good luck, my Raihatsu‑chan." ~~
Raditz left his house determined to win the tournament. He pulled out the ticket and looked at the address: "Vegeta Tournament — City Center." Just thinking about becoming stronger made him happy. He leapt into the air and began flying at high speed.
— "Greatness, here I come," Raditz said joyfully. "Though I must be careful not to show all my power. Foolish King Vegeta…"
Five minutes later, after flying at maximum speed, Raditz arrived at the city center. Although it wasn't his first time there, he was still amazed by the many differences—the colors of the buildings, their height, and their finishes.
— "It's so different from the elites' city. Stupid poverty! Well, that doesn't matter. Where's that great tournament?" Raditz muttered as he admired the view. Because he was talking to himself, the people around him began to look at him strangely. As always.
After a few minutes of searching, he finally found the so‑called "Tournament." In reality, it was a massive coliseum, with glass windows and giant screens displaying advertisements. One of the ads read: "Grand Elite Tournament — prizes greater than a high‑level elite mission and a surprise reward. Show your power!" Raditz's face went goofy, and he began to drool as wild ideas ran through his mind.
— "It could be… £5,000 or £10,000 rubies. That… that would mean a mansion in the most expensive part of Planet Vegeta," he thought, astonished. — "Even a prize of £2,500 wouldn't be bad. Oh, hehe."
Distracted by the announcement of the elite prize, he didn't notice the crowd moving toward him. By chance, someone bumped into him. Raditz felt annoyed and was about to shout until he saw the girl before him.
She was a beauty in every sense. The girl looked about thirteen years old, wearing a gleaming high‑elite class armor. Her face was clean and delicate, her dark eyebrows well‑shaped, her black eyes carrying a peculiar purple hue and a spark of curiosity. Her hair was unlike other Saiyans—short, straight, and neatly styled.
She looked like a princess. From her elegant posture to her aura of superiority and grace. Raditz, upon seeing her, could only think, "Beautiful." The girl frowned slightly, her lovely face tightening, and then she walked away.
The boy, still dazed, snapped out of it and headed toward the tournament. But before he could take a step, a stranger stopped him, grabbing his armor.
— "Stop right there, stupid! Who do you think you are to cross gazes with the princess? Trash, this guy will teach you a lesson for your ignorance!" the stranger shouted arrogantly.
Raditz frowned. In the blink of an eye, he vanished and reappeared behind the arrogant stranger. Without wasting a second, he placed his hand on the man's back, ready to unleash an energy blast if he moved.
The stranger grew nervous. He hadn't expected a boy who didn't look older than seven to be so fast—fast enough to surpass his own speed.
— "Fellow Saiyan, calm down. It was a joke, you don't need to be so tense. How about we calm down and talk?" the stranger said, shifting his arrogant tone to a more friendly one, though trembling slightly from the situation.
Raditz gave a small smile and lowered his arm. The other boy seized the opportunity and tried to launch an energy blast. But before he could finish his surprise attack, Raditz appeared in front of him and grabbed both his hands, making it impossible to fire. The stranger grew even more nervous and tried to negotiate again, realizing his treacherous attack had failed. But our protagonist didn't find the act amusing. He released one of the boy's hands and delivered a strong punch to the arrogant fool's abdomen.
Raditz let out a few small chuckles as he realized his power had increased, and with his radiant smile still shining, he entered the tournament. At the entrance, he saw two directions: one marked Participants and the other Audience. Without wasting time, he took the path for participants.
Upon arriving, he saw a man sitting at a small table with a box and a tablet. The man looked as though he hadn't slept in a long time, with deep dark circles under his eyes and a weary expression. Raditz approached him and handed over the ticket. The man looked at the boy, then at his tablet, entered the ticket code, and asked his name.
Raditz, smiling, said: "Achoo." The man looked confused and asked, "Achoo?" Raditz replied: "Bless you."
The man didn't seem to understand the fabulous joke, entered the name anyway, and told Raditz to step onto a platform.
Realizing his mistake, Raditz tried to ask for his name to be changed, but by chance another boy shoved him, causing him to trip and fall face‑first onto the platform.
While our lucky little hero rubbed his face, the platform began to rise, and a bright light blinded his vision. After a few seconds of adjusting to the glare and blinking several times, he finally saw—and was astonished to find—a massive crowd all around him.
Not knowing what else to do, Raditz waved to the crowd. Then he heard a super enthusiastic voice:
— "MY NAME IS ERS, AND I AM THE PRESENTER OF THE SAIYAN TOURNAMENT!"
At those simple words, the entire crowd roared with euphoria.
— "THE TOURNAMENT IS ORGANIZED BY KING VEGETA TO SELECT THE YOUNGEST ELITE OF THE PLANET!" — shouted the presenter.
The crowd screamed again, swept up in total excitement. Meanwhile, Raditz stood frozen in place, able to think only one word:
— "WHAT!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, the tournament has just begun!" shouted the announcer with excitement, and the entire stadium roared with enthusiasm. "As you know, the first part of the tournament begins with a free‑for‑all battle—EVERYONE AGAINST EVERYONE!"
— "Wait, what…?" Raditz asked himself in surprise, thinking of the possible similarities to other tournaments. "This feels like the Tournament of Power. Suspicious…"
"And it ends when only ONE remains standing!" the announcer declared, thrilled.
— "How exciting! This is incredible," Raditz thought, completely exhilarated. "This is the dream of every anime lover—to embark on epic battles and fantastic events. I'm lucky."
"The tournament will begin in 3, 2, 1!" the announcer cried in total euphoria, and the crowd shouted along with the countdown. "GO!"
At that moment, everyone inside the stadium began to fight.
The battle erupted in a frenzy—powerful energy blasts and strikes resounded throughout the arena. Raditz, for his part, admired the spectacle of ki lights.
Distracted, he was suddenly attacked. An energy ball was fired at him. It nearly hit, but missed thanks to Raditz's poor perception, sending him flying several meters through the air.
With a frown, the attacker emerged from hiding. Raditz realized from his aura that he was just a low‑class warrior, about fifteen years old if his ki was any indicator. The boy charged directly at Raditz, seeing him only as another prey—lucky, perhaps, but prey nonetheless.
Raditz wasted no time, rushing at his opponent at considerable speed. To the boy's eyes, Raditz vanished, only to reappear at his side.
This amused our protagonist, and with a grin he delivered a kick that sent the opponent flying. The low‑class warrior crashed violently against the ground, his momentum carrying him into an invisible wall. The wall electrocuted him to the bone, leaving him out of combat. Raditz was surprised by what had happened, wondering if he had somehow grown stronger.
Before he could think further, another opponent appeared, wearing mid‑class armor. Raditz took the initiative and charged.
The warrior threw a punch, and Raditz mirrored it. Their blows collided, seemingly canceling each other out. Raditz smirked and launched another, stronger punch. His opponent failed to react and took the hit full force, knocked out instantly.
Raditz thought his opponents were too weak. Unsure whether to wait for someone stronger, he turned his gaze to watch other fights—and spotted a familiar bald figure.
— "That glow… is that Nappa? I think…" he wondered, then called out: "Is that you, Nappa?"
The muscular bald man struck his opponent with a powerful blow, knocking him out. Hearing someone call, he turned and saw a mid‑class combat armor and his bold little companion.
— "Raditz?" he asked, doubtful. "What are you doing here?"
Raditz, recognizing Nappa, approached in a blink. Standing less than two meters away, he felt Nappa's aura—more volatile than before—confirming his suspicions. Both he and Nappa had grown stronger. More impressive still was the lack of hostility from his burly friend, who was usually aggressive whenever they met.
— "Hey Nappa, I see you've gotten bigger," Raditz greeted, starting a casual conversation and forgetting the chaos around them.
— "Haha, of course. I see you haven't fallen behind either, and that armor suits you well," Nappa replied warmly.
— "Haha, true. By the way, thanks for the new armor," Raditz continued.
While explosions echoed around them, the two carried on a friendly chat. This made Raditz happy, but the crowd grew restless, booing and shouting for them to fight.
— "Buuufff, we want blood!" the stadium demanded.
Raditz felt annoyed at the interruption, but also excited. His blood boiled, and with fervent desire he asked Nappa if he wanted to duel. Nappa smiled, took a combat stance. Raditz did the same, glaring at him. Nappa returned the look. As they prepared to fight, an energy ball fell between them, sparking the battle.
Raditz shouted and charged at Nappa. Nappa took a defensive stance, blocking the attacks. The black‑haired boy's strikes showed power and speed. Nappa struggled to keep up, but knew this kid was some kind of battle maniac. When Raditz tried to ram him, Nappa reacted quickly.
Nappa leapt back, then charged again. Raditz deflected his attacks, unlike before, and hurled ki blasts at him. The bald warrior jumped again and unleashed a barrage of ki. Raditz grinned and did the same.
Both engaged in a fierce clash.
Nappa smiled and charged an attack in his mouth. When he fired, a massive golden beam shot forth.
Raditz, seeing this, had to stop his assault and dodge. He smiled broadly at the power of Nappa's attack.
— "Ufff, that was close. If that had hit me, I might not have come out unscathed," he told himself.
— "Hey Nappa, let's give it our all in the next attack," Raditz said.
Nappa, seeing his comrade's enthusiasm, nodded.
Both began charging their attacks. Nappa prepared his Cannon Bomb, gathering immense energy in his mouth.
Raditz placed his hands at his waist, charging his own energy.
Nappa unleashed his massive blast, and Raditz fired his attack, shouting:
— "RED KILLEEEER!" — "AHHHHHHHH!"
— "AHHHHHHHH!" — Nappa roared.
Their attacks collided. The entire stadium witnessed a fusion of red and yellow light. The clash seemed equal, but Raditz screamed louder, his attack gaining ground. Just as it was about to strike, Raditz stopped, and Nappa slowly descended.