Raditz awakens on a soft bed, instantly noticing a strange, almost medicinal scent as it fills his nose. Confused, he opens his eyes... or eye, taking in the room around him. The place he finds himself in is extremely clean, with a multitude of strange machines and beds filling the white room. Ignoring the Quest complete! screen in front of his eye, he tries to haul himself out of bed, hissing in pain as agony fills his limbs.
"Woah big guy, settle down! You're still not healed up." a voice calls from the side. Raditz whips his head towards the sound, regretting it instantly as the quick movement sends spikes of pain throughout his body. Laying on a nearby bed is a short, bald man clad in blue hospital robes. The man is covered in bandages, and has a slightly bored expression on his face.
"You're in Wukong Hospital, on Earth. That other Saiyan fled the planet." Krillin says, answering the unspoken question on Raditz's confused face.
"I... I see." Raditz replies, his voice unsteady. "What happened while I was unconscious? Did Kakarot survive?"
"Kakarot...? Oh, you mean Goku! Yeah, he's on the bed to your right. The doctor said it was a miracle that either of you are alive."
"We are Saiyans. It's only natural that we are hardier than you Earthlings."
Krillin rolls his eyes. "That didn't help that bald Saiyan, did it?"
"...Fair point. Very few beings in the Galaxy can survive getting cut in half, and Saiyans are not one of them. Anyways... what happened after Vegeta knocked me out?
"You were able to destroy that artificial moon he made, then me and Yajirobe ended up fighting him. I got knocked out too, but Yajirobe saved the day. Before he got a chance to kill this... 'Vegeta', Goku told him to stop. He said that Vegeta was crippled, and would never fight again."
Raditz scoffs. "Never fight again? Please. Frieza's healing pods could mend Vegeta's wounds in under a week."
Krillin scowls at Goku's sleeping body. "So he's still out there, fully healed?"
"If he isn't healed yet, he soon will be. Why do you sound concerned? Kakarot should be strong enough to defeat him outright if he comes back."
"Well... ah, whatever. I may as well tell you, you aren't going to be healed anytime soon..." Krillin begins hesitantly. "While you and Goku finish healing up, we're going to go to Namek and use their Dragon Balls to revive Kami. We've got Bulma's dad examining your ship. He thinks that he'll be able to use it to create a ship of our own, assuming that Bulma can't get Kami's old ship working."
"Kami?" Raditz says, feigning ignorance.
"Piccolo's other half. He created the Dragon Balls and died when Piccolo did. If we revive him, then the Dragon Balls on Earth will come back. But that's enough about our plans... what about you? What're you going to do now?"
"Well, I betrayed Vegeta, so I can't go back to any space controlled by Frieza and his family... I suppose I'll try to stay here, on Earth... where's the child? Kakarot's kid?"
"You mean Gohan? He's already healed up. His injuries weren't that bad, all things considered."
"He heals fast... as expected from someone with Saiyan blood." Raditz brags.
"Fast? You've been unconscious for almost two weeks now."
"T-two weeks?!" Raditz exclaims, surprised.
"Yeah. Me, Gohan, and Bulma will leave any day now. We're just waiting for her to get the ship to respond to English commands. If she can't, we'll have to wait for Dr. Briefs to finish his ship."
'Two weeks?! How is that possible?! They should've been on their way to Namek by now, right? Is the timeline changed?? Does this mean that they'll arrive too late to stop Frieza from collecting the Dragon Balls?! System... you aren't going to kill me for messing up the timeline, right?!'
Suddenly, a second blue screen appears in front of Raditz, covering the Quest complete! screen.
Frieza has suffered an unexpected delay. He will arrive at Namek a day before the Earthlings do.
'A day before?! Isn't that exactly like the show? This seems very convenient, System... did you cause a delay?' Raditz thinks, his mind searching for ways to exploit this newfound ability that the System has gained.
No. The presence of Frieza's older brother has caused him to conceal his actions in an attempt to keep Cooler from finding out about the Namekian Dragon Balls.
'Cooler?!?! He exists in this Universe?! Does that mean that the other movie villains are around?!'
Raditz's System is strangely silent, the second screen fading away to reveal the Quest complete! screen. Sighing to himself, he ignores the strange look Krillin gives him, and settles into the hospital bed, mulling over the options presented to him.
'Ugh... you sure I can't choose all three rewards, System? I feel like I deserve it after that beating I got...'
The System continues to give him the silent treatment.
'Fine, fine...'
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'The Katchin sword sounds like it could really come in handy. On top of being pretty much unbreakable until I face Buu-tier enemies, it mixes really well with my speed technique. I wasn't able to beat Vegeta because my bones were too weak when compared to his. A sword would pretty much allow me to ignore that. If I move at max speed, and get a little bit stronger, I could dice Frieza up before he knows what's happened... assuming the System won't stop me. Yeah... maybe it'd be best to stay on Earth for the Frieza fight, I'll let Kakarot become a Super Saiyan while I relax here. Anyways, the sword could help a lot, and more importantly, it looks badass. But... I'd better look at the options before I choose this...'
'The Intermediate's Guide to Ki Control... it seems to just be an upgrade to the Beginner's Guide I got. That helped me a ton during my training, and is probably the only reason I'm still alive after the fight with Vegeta. This should put me on a level above the others when it comes to Ki control and, if it allows me to speed up my Ki condensing and purifying, I should be stronger than any of them... except maybe Kakarot. Actually, speaking of Ki condensing, what's my progress on that? System! Open character sheet.'
Name: Raditz
Age: 35
Power level: 2476 (17,896)
Health: 30/100
Stamina: 100/100
Ki: 100/100
Ki density: 3.51 (maximum of 6)
Ki purity: 4.7% (maximum of 7.5%)
Ki control: 20
Transformations: Great Ape (Semi-controlled)
Techniques: Advanced Ki sensing (4), Advanced Flight (4), Ki manipulation (7), Ki attacks (6), Master Telepathy (1), Kasokudo (5)
Warning: User is injured, power level reduced until you are healed.
Warning: User has 2 dozen broken/shattered bones. These bones are...
The System proceeds to list off the sciency names for the different bones, most of which fly over Raditz's head. His single eye glazes over as he reads the list.
Warning: User's Right Eye is blinded.
Raditz's bandaged left hand goes towards his face, feeling the bandages over his ruined eye. 'Dammit... I was hoping they could save it. But... System, what the hell is up with my character sheet?! I can understand my power level shooting up, I must've gotten one hell of a Zenkai Boost, but what's going on with the rest of it?! How in the world did my Ki density and Ki purity go up?! How did my techniques level up too?! They never went up when I last got a Zenkai! What's up with this, System?!'
User is a Saiyan. Saiyans have extreme growth during difficult battles, leading to rapid improvement. Most of your skills increased during the battle against Vegeta, and your Ki density, Ki purity, and Ki control stats improved while your were unconscious.
'My skills increased that much from a single fight?! How... how long was I fighting Vegeta for, System?'
User was fighting Vegeta for: 3 hours, 12 minutes, and 24 seconds total.
Raditz lays on the bed in stunned silence for several long minutes, barely thinking during those minutes. Eventually, he decides to ignore the undoubtedly impressive feat he accomplished, instead focusing back on his character sheet.
'Ok... why did my Telepathy skill increase?'
Suddenly, a voice appears in his head. "Hey Raditz! Finally awake?"
He replies instantly before he has a chance to think. "Hey Kakarot. Yes, I'm-- what the hell?! Why are you in my head?!"
"I'm speaking into your mind with Telepathy... wait, why are you so confused? We've been talking for almost two weeks now."
"We have?! I... I don't remember doing that."
"You don't?! Alright, give me a second..."
After several seconds, Goku's voice appears in Raditz's head yet again.
"King Kai said that it's natural. You'll remember it in a few hours to a few days."
"I see... what did we talk about, exactly?" Raditz asks, slightly panicked.
"Mostly training techniques, fighting techniques, and making sure that you won't try to take over Earth or anything. Why?"
"Just curious... anyways, I've got some things to think about, Kakarot. Don't bother me."
"Alright. Cya when I wake up!"
Raditz internally screams, worried that he may have revealed too much while he was unconscious. Soon enough, he decides that it's too late to worry about that, and he should focus on choosing his reward.
'Where was I... right, the guide! Getting access to new ways to manipulate Ki is invaluable, but...'
'10 Senzu Beans is also a fantastic reward. I could go with Krillin, Gohan, and... Bulma...'
His thoughts trail off, before he shakes his head to clear his mind, almost screaming at the pain from his broken jaw.
'I need to get my mind out of the gutter... anyways, I could go to Namek and get my potential unlocked! That would be a great boost to my power. Besides that, I'd also be able to abuse the Senzu Beans during fights. I could restore my stamina and health while constantly getting Zenkai Boosts if the fight is particularly deadly! But the other two options are great too... can I really not choose all three, System?' Raditz asks halfheartedly, not expecting an answer. To his immense surprise, the System does respond to him.
No. Choose a reward.
'Fine... ugh, it's such a difficult choice! If I have to choose one, then I guess I'll choose...'
'An Intermediate's Guide to Ki Control!'
'The sword is awesome, but I'm not even sure if I can lift it! Even though this Universe seems to have a higher limit to the amount of weight I can lift, I have no idea if Katchin is heavier in this Universe too. From what I can tell, I should be able to out-lift Buu-saga Kakarot right now, but for all I know, Katchin could be thousands of times heavier than it was in the original story.'
'As for the Senzu Beans... well, they're helpful... but Korin definitely has more Senzus growing right now. This is only a good choice if I want to go to Namek with the Earthlings, but then I'd miss my chance to laze about on Earth... or train with Kakarot, if I decide to accompany him to Namek. I'd also have to explain where I got them from...'
'Yeah, the Intermediate's Guide to Ki Control is the best choice. It will allow me to become stronger than I would be with the other rewards, and it should give me a boost in my training. Despite how much I disliked physical activity in my past life, my Saiyan body seems to love training and growing stronger! How lazy was the other Raditz, since he was able to skip out on training even with his Saiyan biology...? I suppose it doesn't matter now, it isn't his body anymore.'
...
'Oh, right! System, I choose An Intermediate's Guide to Ki Control!'
User has gained access to: An Intermediate's Guide to Ki Control: Written by &*@!)6t#$
'Still can't see the name... ah, whatever, let's see what this bad boy has to offer!'
Before he can look over his new reward, the door to the hospital room flies open, revealing a blue haired woman wearing yellow clothing. She immediately storms over to Krillin's bed with a smug grin on her face.
"Ha! And you said we'd have to wait for Dad to finish his ship! Well guess what?! I just translated the controls on Kami's ship from Namekian to English!"
"I never said that we'd have to wait for your Dad!" Krillin argues. "I just said that we may have to!"
"Bullshit!" Bulma exclaims. "I distinctly remember that you said..."
Raditz sighs to himself as Bulma begins to bicker with Krillin. Doing his best to tune out the two Earthlings, he tries to fall back into unconsciousness.
'...Later. I'll see what the guide has to offer later...'