Chapter 156: Raditz Arrives
"Right, one last thing—how are Krillin and his girlfriend doing? They should've gotten along pretty well after spending a whole day together.
If nothing major happened between them, help me send Krillin to Korin Tower. Have him get some Senzu Beans from Korin—the more, the better. I'll need them."
Zastin, still rubbing his lower back from earlier, looked helpless.
"They're both pretty shy—just normal dating. I'll take care of it. Young master-in-law, do you have any other questions?"
Franklin scratched his head with a grin. "Nope, that's really it this time. Send us over."
Zastin moved quickly. The moment Franklin finished speaking, a white light swallowed the entire group, and the next instant, everyone vanished from the transport chamber.
"Your Majesty, I've already sent young master-in-law over."
"Good. You've been getting along with him quite well—it looks like you're close enough to speak freely. Very good. Keep it up."
"Yes… but there's something I don't quite understand. Isn't young master-in-law surrounded by a few too many girls? Wouldn't that be bad for Lady Lala—"
Zastin didn't finish before Qiduo appeared in the transport chamber and raised a hand to stop him.
"What you need to do is maintain your relationship with that kid Franklin. I'll decide the rest. Here—this is a deep-violet energy core. Use it for now. An orange energy core will be delivered soon. If your strength doesn't improve, you won't even be able to scare off small fry who dare approach Earth. Remember—assist Franklin properly."
"I will not disappoint His Majesty. I will do everything in my power to support young master-in-law's growth."
Receiving the deep-violet energy core, Zastin's expression grew solemn. He placed it into the concealed slot at his lower back that hid its energy signature.
The white light faded. Hiratsuka Shizuka and Kotegawa Yui stared at the surrounding green mountains and the towering fortress ahead, their mouths falling wide open in disbelief.
After walking over to Ikaros, Franklin expanded his spiritual sense, covering a one-meter radius around him. A faint, invisible aura formed on the outside of his body, masking all energy.
"Ikaros, remember—don't leave within one meter of me."
"Yes, Master."
With everything arranged, Franklin finally smiled at the two long-haired black-haired girls.
"So, Shizuka-sensei—still think I'm doing magic tricks? If you still don't believe it, you'll see plenty more things later that will break your worldview."
Though Franklin teased her, Hiratsuka—now convinced seven or eight parts out of ten—still lifted her chin stubbornly and shook her head sternly.
"Hmph. I said I don't believe it, so I don't. Who knows what trick this is? There's no such thing as supernatural forces in this world. I'm a believer in the Church of Science—your tricks won't fool me."
Franklin sighed helplessly. "Fine, don't believe me. Just think of it as watching a movie. At least it'll plant a seed of doubt in your heart."
"Franklin! You're here! Just now I felt a burst of energy—I thought I was imagining things."
Goku was the first to fly out. Franklin waved at him with a smile.
"Your big brother showed up, so I came to discuss something with you."
"Big brother? What do you mean? I have a brother?"
Franklin slapped a hand over his face.
"How can you forget that fast? During our fight with King Piccolo, he said it—his past life was killed by your own big brother."
Goku scratched his head in confusion, and after a long moment, he finally clapped his hands.
"Right! I remember now! Then he's a Saiyan too. He must be strong."
Franklin nodded. "Normally, he'd be overwhelmingly strong.
But now… you all got too strong too quickly. Compared to you, his battle power's a bit lacking.
I'm here to talk about how to deal with him. Saiyans are naturally ruthless—it's hard for one to turn out as kind as you."
Seeing Goku's puzzled look, Franklin explained seriously,
"Actually, you were extremely violent as a kid too—and your body was even taken over for a while. You probably don't remember much. Later, I knocked your memories loose and healed you—that time when your head hurt and you drank all those potions."
"I remember that now. Franklin, what I'm trying to say is—if my big brother really wants to do something bad, I won't take his side.
Earth is the place that raised me. If he tries anything, I'll stop him myself."
Seeing Goku's serious expression, Franklin nodded calmly.
"At his speed, he'll be here soon. Let's wait. If he doesn't behave, we'll go with my plan."
The moment Franklin finished speaking, another flash of white light erupted. Krillin and Momo appeared among the group, Krillin holding a bag in his hand.
"Franklin, I brought the Senzu Beans you asked for. There were twenty, but on the ship, a little kid charged me some toll fees, so now there are fifteen left."
"A kid? Charged toll fees?"
Franklin facepalmed. "Momo, you didn't tell him who that kid was?"
"He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. Maybe a royal guard's child? Krillin said we had enough beans, so he gave the kid a few."
Franklin stared speechlessly. "You're part of the royal guard, aren't you? And you didn't recognize the king of Deviluke. Amazing."
In that instant, Momo's face drained of color. Krillin also trembled once he realized what Franklin meant.
"Th-the things I said earlier…"
Franklin waved a hand casually. "It's fine. Father-in-law is very forgiving. Later, give him any leftover Senzu Beans as an apology. He'll be happy."
"Then Momo—"
"Lala, Momo, Nana—she shouldn't be in trouble, right?"
The dazed Momo finally noticed the three princesses behind her. She froze, then immediately dropped to her knees, head bowed.
"Momo greets the princesses."
Seeing her timid, flustered state, Lala waved it off. Momo and Nana didn't mind either.
"It's fine. Dad won't care. But that bald guy has to apologize properly."
Following Nana's guidance, Franklin nodded.
"Krillin, perform well later. If you do, I'll give you something nice. You can offer it to my father-in-law as your apology—he'll love it."
Right after he spoke, a sharp sonic boom echoed across the sky.
Looking into the distance, a burly man flew toward them, a thick tail swaying behind him. He halted in midair from afar.
Seeing several pink-haired figures, Raditz immediately sensed something was wrong.
Checking the readings on his scouter, he slowly exhaled in relief before descending a short distance away.
"Kakarot… are those your friends standing next to you?"