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Chapter 12 - freedom part 2

Aquí tienes la traducción y adaptación narrativa de esta segunda parte:

Sensing the full impact of the blow and spotting the clear opening in his attacker's guard, Boiton didn't waste another second. He launched a lethal counterattack, his strike flashing forward to bury itself deep into the unibrowed boy's liver.

The blow completely stole the boy's balance, forcing a thick spray of blood from his lips. Bloodshot and wild, his eyes bulged as he made one last, desperate strike—like a cornered beast clinging to its final moments of life.

He missed entirely. Annoyed by these endless attempts, Boiton slipped past the blow and charged Ki into his right palm. Blasting it point-blank, he sent his opponent crashing into utter defeat.

With his rival broken, Boiton sprinted back toward the stadium. But as he crossed the threshold, a terrifying roar shattered the air. A crushing weight settled over the atmosphere, forcing him down onto his knees, physically unable to stand.

He couldn't fathom what could produce such an overwhelming pressure. Sweat beaded on his forehead as a horrifying thought took hold: Is it King Vegeta?

Did... did he find me out? he wondered, panic gripping his chest. No, it can't be...

His face turned red with effort as he tried to force himself up, but the sheer gravity of the aura made it nearly impossible to move.

Then, after a few agonizing minutes, the aura vanished into thin air, leaving him baffled. Just as he pushed himself up, he felt a series of sharp, stinging pricks in his shoulder.

He shot his gaze upward to find Nibock—that wretched scientist—grinning down at him with evil satisfaction. The scientist pressed a button on a remote.

The device instantly unleashed a high-voltage surge. Boiton sensed the danger a split-second too late; a agonizing, searing pain burst from his shoulder.

"AGHHH! AARGH! AHHHHHH!" he screamed with everything he had, his body contorting violently under the raw electrical current flooding his system.

AGHH... NOT... AGAIN! he tried to think, his mind fracturing under the shock.

After a few horrifying seconds, his body gave out, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

The scientist stepped over his ruined frame. With a look of pure disgust, he spat on him and began kicking his helpless body with sickening malice.

"Did you honestly think you could escape me?" Nibock sneered, his voice dripping with superiority. With a cruel grin, he planted his boot directly onto Boiton's face, applying his full weight to crush the boy's head into the dirt.

As the crushing pressure bore down, Boiton was overcome by agony and utter helplessness. He was completely broken, entirely at the mercy of his enemy.

"Cur... curse... you, you bastard..." Boiton wheezed through gritted teeth. "Wh-where is... Alexander?"

"Oh, my sweet child, everything is just fine. He is being very well taken care of by our King," Nibock mocked, his voice laced with heavy sarcasm. "You, on the other hand, belong to me now. And no matter how hard you struggle, this weapon is engineered to drain the stamina of any fighter. Not even a warrior with a power level of 7,000 could withstand it."

As Nibock's taunts echoed over him, Boiton fought with every remaining shred of will not to yield—not to die at the hands of this trash. Deprived of physical strength, memories flooded his mind.

He remembered the day his parents vanished. He remembered the cold weight of being alone. He remembered Alexander, and the single promise that tied them together: "Survive." He had a mission. He had to save Alexander, and he had to save Valentino.

Fueled by a sudden flare of resolve, he defied his broken body. Slow, agonizing inch by inch, he began to push himself up—even with Nibock's boot still crushing his face.

The scientist's smug smile faltered into genuine shock. Where was this strength coming from? His weapon was flawless! How is a mere half-breed resisting it?!

"I see you're determined to be a nuisance," Nibock spat, bringing a weapon up and aiming it directly at the boy's head. "Pity you chose to fight me."

Boiton sensed the lethal intent, but it was too late. He was trapped. In that split second, he knew it was over—he wouldn't be able to save Alexander. He was going to fail every promise he had ever made.

"Forgive me... Valentino..." he stammered, unable to stop the tears from welling up.

Nibock grinned and pulled the trigger.

Suddenly, a blinding Ki beam streaked out of nowhere, blasting the weapon right out of his hand. Nibock spun around in shock and recognized the victor of the tournament.

"Achu! Why are you interfering?! This brat is an enemy of your King!" he barked.

Before he could react, Raditz materialized right behind the scientist. With a single, devastating strike, he knocked Nibock out cold. As the scientist collapsed into the dust, Raditz muttered under his breath:

"That's not my name..."

He lowered his gaze to the bruised and battered boy lying on the ground.

"Well, well, if it isn't our little guest. What are you doing out here? And why are you beat up again? Are you some kind of trouble magnet?" Raditz asked, scratching his head.

Boiton looked up at his savior, but through his hazy, failing consciousness, the figure bled into the image of old Valentino. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face as he choked out his final words:

"Alexander... The King's... dungeon..."

Before he could finish, darkness claimed him, and he fainted.

Raditz blinked, thoroughly confused. Still bewildered, he hoisted his guest over his shoulder and took off toward home.

What on Earth is going on here? he wondered.

Nothing made sense to him. Why was everything so vastly different from the series and the manga he remembered?

First, good-natured Saiyans, then a tournament, and now this kid who seems to have a personal vendetta against the King... he mused. Did my mere presence butterfly-effect all of this? Man... I wish I had internet again!

Unable to make heads or tails of the situation, he pushed the thoughts aside and flexed his power, flying at top speed toward his house. When he arrived, he found his father standing at the front door with his arms crossed.

Raditz lowered his head awkwardly, carrying Boiton in his arms as he slipped past. Bardock watched in silence as his son placed the stranger inside a medical pod. As Raditz stepped back, Bardock finally broke the silence.

"What's going on?"

"Well... he's... a friend of mine," Raditz lied smoothly.

"Raditz..." Bardock warned, his tone growing impatient.

"He's got trouble with the King," Raditz admitted outright.

"..." Bardock let out a low murmur, stroked his chin in thought, and finally gave a single nod. "Only for a few days."

Relieved that his father was backing him up, Raditz couldn't help but offer a wide grin and nod back.

"Just remember, Raditz—not everyone out there will do the same for you," Bardock lectured, his voice dropping into a stern tone. "In this world, everyone looks out for themselves. Some will even bite the hand that feeds them."

The words struck a chord. Raditz's smile faded as ghost memories of his past life surfaced—the sting of an old friend's betrayal. A brief pang of phantom pain tightened in his chest. He took Bardock's advice to heart and nodded respectfully. "Don't worry, father. I understand."

Bardock gave a curt nod and asked how his day went.

"Hectic, annoying, and stressful," the young Raditz replied bluntly.

Bardock nodded, resting a heavy hand on his son's shoulder. Though Raditz still found it tough to read his new father's stoic moods, he knew this gesture meant unwavering support.

Stepping back, Bardock waved a brief farewell to his family, announcing he would be off on a mission and returning in seven months.

Gine came outside, pulling Raditz into a warm hug. He hugged her back before heading up to his room.

Lying on his bed, he looked up at the ceiling and made a silent vow: he would protect his family, even if it meant taking on Frieza himself.

Speaking of Frieza, I need to hurry up, he thought. I have to get stronger, well out of his sight... But where?

Then he remembered that his squad was scheduled to depart for a distant planet soon. A grin spread across his face.

Lucky break! Man, I'm fortunate, he thought. Now... what do I do with this suicidal kid? What's the best move for him?

As he deliberated, the chime of the medical pod chimed from downstairs. Puzzled, he ran down the stairs to find the boy wide awake.

The moment Raditz approached, the boy met him with a glare of pure fury and blindly lunged at him.

Raditz effortlessly sidestepped the wild swing and brought a heavy blow down, knocking him out cold once more. But as he did, something felt... different. His body felt lighter, sharper, stronger than before. A faint aura of milky-white energy pulsed subtly around his skin.

This again? Well, I'm not complaining. This weird energy is flowing through me, making every cell in my body feel hyper-charged.

"I should check my power level," he muttered to the empty room.

He darted upstairs to his bedroom, pulled open a drawer in his wardrobe, and grabbed a Scouter. Flipping it on, he pressed the activation button.

Before the device could read his power, the strange aura abruptly vanished. The Scouter beeped, cycling through the numbers before settling on a clean 1,500 units. Raditz scratched his head, reminding himself that he was still somewhat fatigued from the tournament.

Determined to figure it out, he closed his eyes and tried to force that dormant power back up.

Five minutes of intense straining passed... Nothing. The strange energy refused to surface.

Puzzled, he decided to break down the experience step by step. He thought back, searching his memory until he recalled the Moon. He remembered the strange sensation that had coursed from his tail right up his spine, and how his Ki had condensed into a specific focal point.

He probed deeper into his mind, but that singular memory was all he had to go on. Uncertain, he tried channeling his energy directly into his tail. At first, nothing happened. He gritted his teeth and poured almost his entire reservoir of Ki into it. Suddenly, he felt a faint flicker of that strange power—just a microscopic fraction, but it was there!

Overjoyed by the breakthrough, he reached for the Scouter—and promptly passed out from exhaustion.

When he woke up the next morning, he rushed downstairs to check on his guest.

Finding the boy still passed out cold on the floor, Raditz felt a sudden pang of guilt for getting so carried away with his training that he'd left him there. He hoisted Boiton up, laid him onto the bed, and used several thick ropes to bind him securely to the frame. He shrugged, completely unsure if the ropes would hold a warrior, but figured with any luck, the kid wouldn't wake up until afternoon anyway.

Leaving Boiton safely tied up, he grabbed his backpack, stuffed it with food, threw a towel over his shoulder, and headed out into the open plains to train.

Dropping into a high stance, he began throwing rapid punches and kicks into the air.

After five minutes of non-stop shadowboxing, he paused, pulled out the Scouter, and scanned himself.

The lens flashed red: 4,000 units.

Raditz smiled. While his power gain wasn't exploding at Vegeta's ridiculous rate, it was still a massive leap forward.

Now, it was time to test yesterday's discovery.

After three agonizing hours of trial and error, he finally managed to sustain that strange energy within his body—if only for three short minutes.

Exhausted, he collapsed onto the grass, grabbed his towel to wipe away the sweat, and began scarfing down his food. As he chewed, he analyzed the effects of the technique.

I feel stronger, tougher, faster... and my muscles swell slightly while it's active, he pondered. Then, eyes widening in realization, he blurted out: Wait... did I just accidentally invent the Kaioken on my own?!

[Author's Note: Are you serious right now? (Facepalm)]

I wonder how much this actually multiplies my power level, he thought, jumping back to his feet with renewed enthusiasm.

"Hell yeah! Time to put it to the test!"

He clicked the Scouter on. The readout flickered: 4,110 units.

Interesting, he thought. He took a deep breath and triggered the mysterious power. The Scouter immediately began to beep frantically.

A second later, the display locked in: 4,932 units.

"HOLY CRAP, THIS IS INSANE! My power just went up 1.5 times!" he cheered triumphantly.

[Author's Note: It's a 1.2x multiplier, kid.]

[Raditz: Oh... really? Thanks, Author-sama!]

[Author's Note: Don't mention it, kid.]

"HOLY CRAP, THIS IS AWESOME! My power just went up 1.2 times!" Raditz corrected himself with a grin. "This is gonna be my secret trump card!"

Looking up at the sky, his smile brightened. Time to gear up for the mission today.

...

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