Tenshi

Introducing, Raditz

The moon.

Master Roshi and the lady were talking about the moon earlier. Is this the link to Goku's past? What does the moon have to do with Gohan - with Raditz?

"Yeah, lemme guess, I was probably supposed to blow that up, too..." Goku got into a defensive stance as he recognized Raditz's lock on Gohan. His brother, on the other hand, stood casual with his arms crossed in annoyance. "You fool! You know as well as I do, it's the key to unlocking your true potential! I'm sure at least once in your life you've looked at the full moon!"

There it is! Again with the full moon! 'Unlocks your true potential'? What does that mean? Goku's friends sure knew, though. Their faces were morphed into horror as Raditz's words sunk in. The mere memory of Goku (at least, it seemed to be the case) 'unlocking his true potential' when he was younger resurfaced unpleasant memories for the trio. Does that imply his true potential is dangerous? Is Goku a danger to us all despite his nice and calm nature? Is it the same with Gohan? Is that the common trait for all with Saiyan blood?

The expression on Raditz's face when Goku said he had no idea what he was referring to was contorted into absolute awe and disbelief. The fact that his brother was oblivious to the "true potential" his whole race was aware of (from the looks of it) was not only disgraceful in his eyes, but an utter slap in the face to his race's culture.

"What happened to your tail, Kakarot?!"

"My tail? Why?"

"Answer me! Now!"

I glanced down at Gohan's tail, unsure about Raditz's concern for Goku's lack of one. "It was removed permanently a long time ago!" Raditz shook in anger. His fists were clenched, nails digging into his palms. His tail wagged in the air at a furious speed. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Your true power is gone now! Without your tail, you've lost your ability to transform at the full moon! Now I can see how you can be on good terms with these weaklings..."

Transform? Into what? What exactly is the Saiyan race capable of?

I held on to Gohan tighter, his tail affectionately wrapping around my torso. I could feel the lady shaking in fear so I looked up at her to try and reassure her with a smile. I didn't work; we were both too frightened to force our muscles to form a smile of any sort. Goku declared that, just because they share the same blood, it does not make them brothers of any kind. He called Earth his home and demanded that Raditz leave. Roshi backed him up, yelling at the intruder that Goku would never destroy peaceful planets like him. Krillin adds on, reaffirming the fact that Goku has even saved the Earth from evil.

Raditz didn't care for the heroic speeches. He darkly chuckled and walked closer. Gohan's tail gripped my shaking form intensely and I did the same with his hand. The Saiyan's maniacal tone continued to resonate in the wind as he approached us. His tall stature strolled past our trio and his evil energy surged through my body once more. The lady hurriedly moved us away from him, but the feeling did not evaporate in the slightest.

"You see, about 25 years ago, our home planet, Vegeta, met with an unfortunate accident when a huge comet slammed into its surface. The planet was vaporized and the Saiyan race destroyed." He turned back to look at Goku, "There's not too many of us left now, brother. In fact. As far as we can tell, there are only four... including you. We were the only Saiyans away from home when the planet exploded... Like you, the rest of us had been sent off to perform a few "hostile takeovers"." Raditz continued to explain that, because of the small number of Saiyans remaining, it would prove difficult to fulfill their next conquest. Raditz said that they were almost afraid they had to "pass it up". Unfortunately, Raditz remembered his long lost brother. And so he seeked Goku for his aid in plundering an innocent world.

"You're not as powerful as I might have hoped, but still, with your help we should manage nicely." Raditz got close in Goku's face, a malicious sneer showcasing across his face. We shook in fright; Gohan's tail was now squeezing my torso as hard as it could. It started to hurt, but I couldn't focus on the pain, only Raditz's heinous energy radiating off into the atmosphere.

"I've heard enough!" Goku roared, "I'd die before I'd join a gang of pirates like you!" Sweat continued to break on Goku's forehead. He was clearly overwhelmed by these past few minutes. His brother on the other hand, was calm and collected, retreating back to his crossed-arm position. "Interesting," he said before turning his gaze upon Gohan. I glared at him as Gohan pressed deeper into the lady's body, shielding himself from the icy stare. "I have been meaning to ask you, Kakarot... I couldn't help but notice your son has a tail." Said tail rattled against my trembling frame but not letting up it's grip in the slightest. My fingers lightly wrapped around the fur, careful not to tug on it; I learned long ago that tugging on his tail weakened Gohan.

"If you won't join us, I suppose I'll just have to settle for taking the boy in your place." We all yelled in protest. I held on to my best friend closer than ever, not allowing Raditz to seize him away. He neared us again, but Goku and Krillin were in their stances, ready to fend this foe off and away from Gohan. One step from Goku, Raditz disappeared into thin air then reappeared almost instantaneously. He kneed Goku in the gut, sending him to the ground, helplessly. Seeing his father fly to the other side of the island with a single attack, Gohan broke out of our holds and dashed to his side. "No, Gohan!" I ran after him, trying to beckon him back to safety. But just before I could grab him, Raditz beat me to it. Snatching up his nephew, Raditz peered down at my small and quivering figure. His vile smirk sent shivers to my spine, overtaking my senses. I fell to the ground in horror, pushing away from him and to Goku's side.

"Like I said... I'm taking your son... If you ever want to see him alive again, I suggest you listen closely!" Gohan's cries echoed in the air. Tears of my own were threatening to spill. Goku continued to grunt and groan in pain, clenching his stomach in visceral anguish. "Now then, I'll give you one day to think about my offer. Although, let's be realistic, Kakarot. I'm not giving you a choice. So, when you decide to join us and you will... There's something I want you to do... Prove to me that you mean it... You can start by eliminating 100 of these pathetic earthlings. Just stack them here on the beach when you're done. I'll be back tomorrow for a head count." The impure energy blossomed into a state even more evil than before. The radiating aura glowed in a dark haze, no trace of light to be seen. Gohan cried for his father, but it was no use. Goku was much too injured to even sit up, much less free his son from his brother's grasp. Raditz cackled to himself, knowing that there was nothing any of us could do to liberate Gohan from his clutches.