Chapter 1
Bulma slowly breathed in the cool ocean breeze. Muten Roshi's island did have at least one good quality, she admitted to herself. It was miles away from everything. She frowned as she thought of her last fight with Yamucha. Lately she had begun to doubt that Yamucha would take their relationship seriously. Sure, they'd had some great times together, but every time Bulma had tried to get serious, Yamucha had just avoided her. Last night she had finally broken it off with him. It had hurt, of course, but what had hurt her even more was Yamucha's reaction. He had just shrugged and left. No goodbye, no apology, just one wave of his hand and he had left.
Bulma forced herself to concentrate on matters more relevant to her present situation. Irresponsible though he had been, Yamucha had been an excellent martial arts teacher. He had taught Bulma every technique he could think of. She remembered how surprised he had been when she had told him she wanted to learn to fight as well as he could. She smiled as she remembered all her training sessions with him. Fighting had seemed to be the one thing that they had connected on. She had improved rapidly and eventually had mastered all of his techniques, as well as developing some of her own on the way. At first Yamucha had been pleased with her progress, but when she began surpassing him in a couple of areas his pride had gotten the better of him. After a while he refused to teach her anymore. Gently - but effectively - she had managed to pull the last couple of moves from him, but when she had reached his limit, she found herself wanting to learn more. She was amazed at Yamucha's fighting abilities, but she was even more amazed at her own.
So far, no one but she and Yamucha knew about her powers. She was keeping her ki completely hidden, even now, in order to surprise everyone later. She wanted very badly to continue her training, however. She wasn't here just for a reunion.
Now she was finally going to get to see Goku again, after all these years. She hoped that he would be able to find time to train her. She really had no idea what he had been up to since she last saw him. She wondered if he had kept in shape.
Kuririn walked up next to her. "Hard to believe it's been five years, eh Bulma?" he said. "You look great. How's Yamucha?"
Bulma frowned at him. "Don't ask," she said angrily. "If I never see that jerk again it'll be too soon."
Kuririn laughed, despite himself. "Same as always, huh? I hear he's playing pro baseball now."
Bulma wondered if she should tell Kuririn about her fighting skills. No, it would probably be better to wait and tell everyone at once. Suddenly she could sense a strong ki approaching. It had to be Goku. She looked in the direction of its source.
"What're you looking at?" Kuririn asked. He looked too. "Hey! I sense someone's coming! It's Goku. Boy, it'll be great to see him again!"
Bulma smiled. She could see Goku now. He was riding Kin-to'un. But who was that with him?
They landed on the beach a few feet away. Goku was wearing his Kame gi, and looked nearly the same, with the exception of the small boy in his arms.
"Hey Goku," Kuririn said eagerly. "It sure is great to see you. It's been a long time, buddy."
"Too long," Goku chuckled. The little boy stared interestedly at Kuririn and Bulma.
"Who's the little guy?" Bulma asked Goku, smiling kindly at the shy child.
"This is my son, Gohan," Goku said proudly. He set Gohan on the ground. Muten Roshi had come out of the Kame house just in time to hear that last statement, so he shared in the general outcry of surprise.
"Ah!" Muten Roshi cried. "I see you named him after your grandfather."
"That's right," Goku replied.
"Your son?" Bulma said in amazement. "That's great, Goku! You and Chichi must be so proud!" As she and the others recovered from the shock of hearing that Goku had a son, Gohan stepped forward and bowed.
"I'm very pleased to meet all of you," he said politely.
Everyone bowed in return, each one amazed at his etiquette, considering his parents.
"He certainly is polite," Bulma said admiringly.
"Yes," Goku replied. "Chichi's been teaching him manners, and lots of other things."
Bulma stooped down to meet Gohan at eye level. "How old are you, Gohan?" she asked.
Gohan counted on his fingers. "Four," he replied.
"Are you going to be a great fighter like your dad?" she asked.
"No," Goku interjected. "Chichi doesn't let him train. She says it's a waste of energy. Instead, she makes him study night and day. She's bound and determined to make him some sort of scientist."
Bulma resented Chichi's decision, but decided to let it go. She was both a scientist and a fighter, so she decided that she knew more than Chichi on the matter. Still, she didn't want to ruin the atmosphere, so she switched to another subject.
"Is that a real dragonball on his hat?" she asked, as Gohan walked off to meet the turtle.
"Yes," Goku replied. "We've been collecting them over the years. We have two others at home. Gohan wants to see the dragon, but he'll have to give up his first."
Bulma looked at Gohan again and noticed something she hadn't seen before. "Whoa, Goku, he has a tail!"
"Yeah, he was born with one, like me," he replied.
Bulma glanced at Muten Roshi. He asked Goku - in a carefully worded question - if Gohan had ever seen a full moon. When Goku replied that they all went to bed a little too early for that, Bulma and Roshi breathed a sigh of relief and pretended that they had been joking around. Pretty soon they had returned to light talk of old times.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Bulma exclaimed. "I nearly forgot! There was something I wanted to show you all."
"What's that Bulma?" Goku asked.
"Well," Bulma began, "I suppose the best way to explain this is to show you. Now everyone stand back!" She decided to fire off a big Kame Hame Ha. That would certainly get their attention! But she didn't get the chance.
Goku unexpectedly tensed. He spun around and faced away from Bulma. He began to shake.
"What is it Goku?" Kuririn asked worriedly.
"I...I don't know," said Goku. "Wait! Yes! Someone's coming straight at us! Wow! What a power! It's an evil ki too."
Suddenly Bulma could sense this mysterious power too. And not only was it evil, it was huge!
"I sense it too!" said Kuririn nervously. "What do you think it is, Goku? Do you suppose it's Piccolo?"
"I don't think so," Goku said anxiously. "It's much too evil, even for him!"
"There he is!" Bulma shrieked, and pointed to a speck in the distance. They all watched as it grew larger and larger. Soon they could see him distinctly. Bulma guided Gohan behind her. He peeked around her legs in curiosity as a strange man landed on the ground in front of them all.
Bulma glared at him. She was sure he was there for some evil purpose.
"Who are you?" Goku asked him. "Why are you here?" The strange man smiled.
"He resembles you, Goku," Bulma said. "Have you ever seen him before?"
"No, never," Goku replied. "Hey, wait a minute!" he gasped, pointing to the newcomer's midsection. "He has a tail!"
The strange man laughed. "Yes," he said to Goku. "All Saiyans have tails, just as you, Kakkorot, have one."
"Huh?" said Goku, and he tried to see where his tail would have been. "But I don't have a tail anymore. And what is a Saiyan? And who are you?"
"What?!" the stranger roared. "What do you mean you don't have a tail anymore? What happened to your tail?!"
Goku was obviously bewildered. "Why?" he asked angrily. "What's the big deal, anyway?"
"Tell me, Kakkorot!" the stranger screamed.
"It was removed for good a long time ago," Goku replied.
"You fool!" the stranger cried. "No wonder you haven't completed your mission! You allowed the source of your greatest power to be taken away from you! Now you can't transform in the light of a full moon!" He looked as if he were about to explode from his anger. But slowly he cooled down. Savagely cursing Goku, he sighed angrily.
"Oh well," he said, shaking his head in disgust. "What's done is done. Now, Kakkorot, what do you mean 'what is a Saiyan?' How could you forget such a thing? Did something happen to you when you were young? Did you fall on your head or something?"
"Well, yes," Goku said, puzzled. "But why..."
"Oh, you idiot! You must have forgotten your mission too! No wonder you don't know who I am! Well, let me refresh your memory, Kakkorot. I am your big brother, Raditz."
"What?!" Goku said, taken aback. "My brother? I don't have a brother!"
"Oh, but you do," Raditz said, grinning. "And there's much more. You are from the planet Vegita. You are a Saiyan, a space warrior. The place you've so foolishly called home all this time was not your real home at all."
"I don't believe you," Goku said angrily. "I've lived here all my life."
"Goku," Muten Roshi said quietly, "I think there's something you should know." He told them all about how Goku was found by Son Gohan in a little space pod and what a holy terror he was before he bumped his head.
"I came from outer space?" Goku said in disbelief. Roshi nodded. Goku turned back to Raditz. "Why did you send me here?"
"Your mission was to eradicate all life on this planet so that it would be hospitable for our clients. There are still just as many of these pathetic earthlings here as there was when you landed, if not more. Now, I'm going to give you one chance to redeem yourself, Kakkorot. Not long ago, our home planet was destroyed by a comet. Only four of us Saiyans were away when it hit. You are one of the four. You can see why we need every available man, so I'll cut you a little slack. Get rid of these puny inhabitants and join us. We will overlook your mistakes if you perform your mission now."
"Ha!" Kuririn jeered. "You are a nut! Goku would never dream of doing such a thing! I think you'd better leave. You won't find what you're looking for here." He walked up in front of Raditz. "Allow me to show you off the island."
Suddenly Raditz unwound his tail from around his waist. It began to glow intensely.
"Kuririn, watch out!" Goku yelled. But it was too late. With one strike of his tail, Raditz slammed Kuririn in the face, sending him flying - horizontally - backwards. With a crash Kuririn smashed into the side of the Kame house.
"Kuririn!" Bulma and Goku cried simultaneously, horrified at what Raditz had done. Glaring in hate at Raditz, Bulma walked away from the others and towards the unwelcome stranger.
"How dare you!" she snarled. Unwittingly, she increased her ki.
Raditz sneered. "Don't make me angry," he said, taking a step closer. "That is, unless you want me to do the same to you."
"I'd like to see you try it, you smelly, hairy animal!" she growled, balling her hands into fists. "You just try that and you'll be missing a tail!"
Goku placed his hand on her shoulder. "Knock it off, Bulma. Don't make him angry," he said. She realized suddenly that she had let her ki slip past normal. Suppressing it quickly, she stepped back away from Raditz and looked at Goku sheepishly. She wondered if he had sensed her ki? He looked back at her with a puzzled expression on his face. It was enough to make her wonder, but she wasn't sure. She retreated, unwillingly, and joined Roshi and Gohan.
"What a jerk!" she grumbled, and she walked over to Kuririn, who was just beginning to recover from his encounter with the Kame house. "Are you alright, Kuririn?" she asked, helping him out of the side of the house.
"Yeah, but I wish I could say the same about Muten Roshi's house," he replied, brushing himself off. They turned their attention toward Goku and Raditz. Apparently Goku had had enough. He appeared ready to attack Raditz. Gohan clung to Bulma's leg, watching the newcomer with some degree of awe, as well as a great deal of fear.
"Come now, brother," Raditz chided gently. "You can't tell me that you'd rather protect these pathetic weaklings than join us. You've missed out on all the glory for so many years. It's not too late to start over. What do you say, brother? Join us!"
Goku didn't hesitate to reply. "And if I refuse?" he said angrily.
"Then we have no use for you, and you'll be destroyed with the people you so foolishly choose to defend."
Gohan broke away from Bulma and ran over to Goku, wrapping his arms tightly around his father's leg. "You won't go with him, will you, daddy?" he asked Goku with tears in his eyes.
"Don't worry Gohan," Goku said reassuringly. "I don't care what he says. He's no brother of mine. And my answer is no!" he said to Raditz.
Raditz laughed, ignoring Goku. "Now that's a real Saiyan," he said, pointing to Gohan. "He might be of use later on, with the proper training."
"Did you hear me?" Goku yelled at him, taking a fighting stance. "I said no! I'll never join your band of space pirates!"
"Oh, come on, brother," Raditz said, a little peeved. "You couldn't defeat me on your best day. I don't think you have much choice."
"We'll see," Goku said coldly. He picked up Gohan and handed him to Bulma. He turned to face Raditz as Gohan wailed in protest.
"Alright, Raditz. If you're going to destroy me you'd better do it now, because I refuse to harm a single inhabitant of this planet for your 'clients,' whoever they may be." He prepared to attack.
"You poor fool," Raditz said, grinning. "You really do think you can beat me, don't you?" He pressed a button on the apparatus attached to his ear. A figure flashed on the green screen in front of his left eye. "Just as I thought," he said, shaking his head and smirking. "Your power level is far below mine."
"So, he needs that little gadget to guage ki," Bulma thought, "and it can't sense that Goku is hiding most of his power. I hope he's holding enough back. This guy is definitely bad news."
Suddenly Goku attacked. Bulma recognized his characteristically flawless form, but something went wrong. Raditz displayed lightning speed in a swift counterattack, which soon had Goku cringing and convulsing in the shallow surf. Gohan ran to his father, crying in fear. Laughing, Raditz picked Gohan up by his shirt and held him before Goku.
"Let him go!" Goku said painfully but fiercely.
"You may have him back after you kill 100 earthlings," Raditz said. "In the meantime, I think it's time your son gets to know his uncle!" With that, Raditz blasted off with Gohan, who was bawling his head off.
"Nooooo!" Goku shouted desperately. With some effort he managed to get to his feet.
Bulma wanted more than anything to take off after Raditz, but she was distracted by something beeping in her pocket. Suddenly she realized what it was. She pulled out the dragon radar and saw that a dragonball was rapidly moving away from them. It only took her a second to realize why it was moving so quickly.
"Goku!" she said excitedly. "Look at this! This has to be the dragonball on Gohan's hat! With the radar, we won't have too much trouble finding them, at least. Defeating Raditz, on the other hand," she added gravely, " won't be as easy. I don't know, Goku. I have a terrible feeling that you may have met your match this time."
"She's probably right," someone said above them. They all gasped. It was Piccolo!
"Oh, great," Kuririn grumbled. "What else could go wrong today?"
"You might make me mad, for one thing," Piccolo said, as he floated down to the sand in front of them.
"What do you want, Piccolo?" Goku asked.
"I followed Raditz here," he replied. "I had a little run-in with him earlier, and I thought it might be in my best interests to see what he was up to. At any rate, I can see that he may pose a problem."
"I was just about to go after him myself," Goku said, glancing at Bulma's dragon radar. "He took my son. I have to stop him."
Piccolo sneered. "You'll have no chance against him," he said dryly. "That is, unless I go with you. I think we should join forces for now. His power is much stronger than anything I've ever sensed before, and it will take two of us to defeat him."
Goku couldn't hide his surprise at Piccolo's offer of a truce. Piccolo noticed.
"This peace is only temporary," he said, baring his teeth. "I'm only helping you because this Raditz stands in the way of my conquest of the world. When this fight is over, we are again enemies."
"I don't agree with your motives Piccolo. You're wrong to want to take over the world. But in this case you're right."
"Alright then," Piccolo said. "If you can stand to work with me, then I can bear working with you, but don't forget, when this battle is over, consider our partnership dissolved."
"Bulma," Goku said, turning around. "We need to use your dragon radar."
"All right Goku," Bulma said, handing it to him. "Here. Please be careful. Chichi will have a fit if you come back all battered and bruised."
Goku laughed, and he and Piccolo took off after Raditz. Kuririn made a move to follow, but Bulma touched his arm.
"What?" he asked.
"Kuririn, I don't think Goku would appreciate your help right now," Bulma said. "You saw how easily Raditz floored him earlier. I don't think you can do much for them."
"Bulma's right Kuririn," Muten Roshi said, sadly shaking his head. "You could only, at the most, serve as a distraction to Raditz. And besides," he added, adjusting his shades, "you've already been wished back with the dragonballs. We could wish Goku back if worst comes to worst, but not you."
"Well, we can't just stay here," Kuririn said angrily. "What if something happens to Goku? I want to be there to help if I am needed."
Bulma had been thinking the same thing. "Well, come on," she said. "Let's follow them in my air car. They'll have had enough time to fight by the time we get to them, so we won't be in their way."
They both liked that idea. In no time at all they had piled into Bulma's car and had taken off for the battlefield.
On to the next Chapter!
