Planet Earth — Northern Wastelands.
A lone space pod rested in the middle of a cracked, barren plateau. No trees, no life, not even an echo—just the whistling of cold wind scraping across the rocks, as if nature itself wanted to stay far away from that place.
The ship—round, metallic, and lifeless—looked like a parasite embedded in the skin of the world.
And inside it…
Gohan cried.
The little boy was curled up on the cold curved floor, knees pulled tight to his chest, clutching the red cap his father had given him just hours ago. The pod's interior was dim, the only light coming from flickering panels that beeped and blinked. Every pulse of that mechanical heartbeat made his sobs louder.
"Dad… Dad… Daaad!"
His voice cracked. His tears fell freely, pattering against metal. His small chest heaved with shallow, frightened breaths.
But beneath the fear… something stirred. A strange fire burned deep inside—a pressure he didn't understand. Something raw. Angry. Alive. Every time he thought of the long-haired man who'd torn him away from his father, the fire grew hotter.
The ship trembled faintly. The lights flickered.
Outside…
⸻
Raditz lay stretched out on a flat rock, hands behind his head.
He looked relaxed—almost bored. His armor creaked as he shifted, his tail flicking lazily from side to side. But his eyes were open, thoughtful, fixed on the horizon. The arrogance from earlier had faded into something more pensive.
Then, a sharp tone broke the silence.
BEEP—BEEP.
Raditz sighed and tapped the side of his scouter.
"This is Raditz."
A voice answered immediately—a woman's voice, low, firm, commanding.
"Raditz. Report. Did Kakarot agree to join us?"
Raditz smirked.
"Not exactly, Vegetta. But I found something you'll like. Kakarot… had a child. With one of the females of this planet. A hybrid."
There was silence. Then, a small note of intrigue.
"A hybrid…" she repeated slowly, savoring the word. "Interesting. I didn't expect a Saiyan to even be capable of breeding with such a weak species."
Raditz snorted.
"Neither did I. But the boy… isn't normal. His power fluctuates wildly. My scouter nearly shorted out. It's like he's got a bomb inside him—ready to go off."
Vegetta chuckled—not warmly, but with cold amusement.
"That is useful. Maybe too useful to leave there. If Kakarot refuses to cooperate, bring the child to these coordinates. Uploading now."
BEEP.
Raditz's scouter blinked as new data appeared—a star map, glowing faintly green.
He tilted his head. "Those are…?"
"The coordinates of our current position," Vegetta confirmed. "Nappa and I are finishing the purge of a minor civilization. But a half-breed Saiyan with that kind of potential… could be worth more than his father. If he survives training, he'll serve. If he doesn't… you know what happens to the weak."
Raditz glanced back toward his pod. Through the narrow viewport, he could just make out the small shape inside—the boy trembling, clutching his hat like a lifeline.
"Tch. He's got Kakarot's eyes… but that fear. I can't tell if it'll make him stronger—or just another burden."
Vegetta's tone was dismissive.
"Fear can be buried. Power can be trained. Either he adapts… or he dies. Saiyan law."
Raditz nodded.
"Understood. I'll give Kakarot his time. But if he does anything stupid… the kid's mine."
Her voice grew colder.
"Don't forget what's at stake, Raditz. There aren't many of us left. We need warriors, not excuses. Don't betray your blood."
Click.
Transmission ended.
⸻
Raditz looked up at the darkening sky. The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the rocks in red and gold. For a moment, something flickered across his face—not pride, not anger. Something else.
Envy?
Doubt?
He wasn't sure.
All he could hear now was the muffled crying from inside the pod.
"Tsk," he muttered, sitting at the edge of the cliff. "What is it about this planet… that even made Kakarot forget who he was?"
He closed his eyes.
And said nothing more.
⸻
Inside the pod, Gohan's sobs were fading—not because the fear was gone, but because exhaustion was taking over. His breathing slowed. His small heart thudded wildly in his chest.
And then, without knowing why, he screamed from the bottom of his soul:
"DAAAAAAAD!"
A pulse of raw, unshaped ki burst from him like an explosion.
The pod shook violently. Lights flashed. Systems flickered and died.
Raditz's eyes snapped open.
"What the hell was that?!"
And far, far away—beyond the stars—
a Saiyan princess lifted her head.
Something had called her.
⸻
Later…
The sky deepened to a cold blue. The air thinned. Dust swirled across the northern mesas.
Raditz stood atop a high ridge, cape of wind and hair flowing wild behind him. His scouter beeped again.
Beep… Beep… BEEEP!
Two power readings flared on the screen—racing toward him.
He focused.
"Seven hundred… no—seven-twenty… seven-thirty… seven-forty…"
A grin crept across his face.
"Kakarot. Finally taking this seriously."
Another reading appeared beside it—steady, dense.
"Six-fifty… Namekian signature confirmed."
He chuckled darkly.
"So the green insect decided to tag along. Fitting. Kakarot and the demon—two rejects playing heroes."
Raditz turned his gaze toward the pod. Inside, the soft light of the control panel glowed faintly.
"Don't worry, kid. They'll come for you. And when they do… we'll see what family's really worth."
⸻
High above, slicing through the clouds…
Two figures raced through the evening sky—one riding a golden cloud like a comet, the other gliding under his own power, cape snapping in the wind.
Goku and Piccolo.
The warrior of pure heart.
The demon born of evil.
One flying with hope.
The other with cold fury and pragmatism.
The wind roared, but Goku barely heard it. His eyes were fixed ahead—his mind far away.
"Chi-Chi…"
A memory flashed.
A warm room.
The smell of soup.
Gohan asleep against his chest.
Chi-Chi, smiling faintly through her weakness.
"Promise me… he'll be a scholar. Promise me he won't have to fight…"
His jaw clenched.
He could almost feel her trembling hand in his.
"Protect him… but don't confine him."
"I promised…" he whispered to the wind.
"I won't break it. Not today."
Behind him, Piccolo watched silently. No words were needed. They both knew this wasn't just another fight. It was a war for something far greater.
Goku glanced down at the rushing landscape—the forests, the rivers, the mountains. Everything he loved, everything that shaped him, was now under threat.
And above all…
Gohan.
Chi-Chi's legacy. The last piece of her he had left.
"Hold on, son," he murmured. "Dad's coming."
⸻
The Dragon Radar beeped.
Goku pulled it close. The four-star Dragon Ball—Gohan's cap—glowed on the display.
"This is it," he said, descending onto a cracked plateau heavy with the scent of stone and dust.
From afar, Piccolo's dark aura flared, spiraling as he prepared his own attack. Two warriors, two lights—one blue, one purple—rising in harmony.
"HAAAA… MEEEEEEEE…"
The glow consumed the plateau. Raditz's tail lashed behind him in panic.
"That power—impossible! He hasn't even transformed!"
Goku's gaze hardened.
And in his mind, Chi-Chi's voice whispered one last time:
Protect him.
"HAAAAAA…!"
The earth shuddered.
The air collapsed inward—every atom drawn to that growing sun of light.
Raditz screamed, diving forward.
"I won't let you—!"
But it was too late.
Goku roared with all his heart, all his fury, all his love—
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
And the world was swallowed in light.