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CRACK... FIZZ... POP...
The pieces of the detector were still sparking on the ground like dying electronic fireflies. Radika stared at the mess at her feet as if it were the mortal remains of her pride.
"This... this can't be happening" – she murmured, her voice coming out somewhat hoarse. "You're low class. LOW CLASS!"
SILENCE...
The silence that followed was so heavy you could cut it with a knife. Even the birds stopped singing, as if nature itself had decided it was better to stay quiet and watch the show.
Then, Bardock Jr. stepped forward.
"Miss" – the boy said, his voice carrying an innocence that contrasted with the tension in the air. "Why are you mad at mama?"
Radika looked at the boy and felt something strange happen in her chest. It was like someone had punched her in the stomach, but from the inside out.
Those eyes. She knew those eyes.
"Bardock..." – she whispered, and for the first time since arriving on Earth, her voice had not a trace of anger. Just... pain.
"He's got his father's heart, doesn't he?" – Fasha said softly, placing her hand on her son's shoulder, glancing meaningfully at Ethan. "The same brave spirit. The same desire to protect others."
GULP!
Radika swallowed hard, feeling tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. No. She wasn't going to cry. Saiyan warriors don't cry.
"You don't have the right to give that name to this child" – she growled, but her voice came out weaker than intended. "Bardock was a hero. This boy..."
"Is my son" – Ethan interrupted calmly. "And we named him in honor of a warrior who deserved to be remembered. Is there a problem with that?"
"Why not?" – Ethan asked, taking another step forward. But this time, his movement wasn't threatening. It was... curious. "Bardock was her friend. More than a friend, actually."
Radika's eyes widened. "How... how do you know that?"
"Let's say I have access to information you can't imagine" – Ethan smiled, but now it was a different smile. Less predatory, more... understanding? "And I also know you didn't come here just to find Gina."
CRACK!
Something inside Radika broke. Not physically – emotionally. As if a dam she had built over years had finally given way.
"I..." – she began, but the words got stuck in her throat.
"You came looking for answers" – Ethan completed. "About what happened to Vegeta. About why you were left behind. About why you're still alive when you should have died along with the rest of the planet."
Each word was like a stab. Precise. Painful. True.
"SHUT UP!" – Radika screamed, her aura exploding around her in a golden burst of fury and despair. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"
WHOOOM!
Her energy made the trees sway and the ground crack. But when the light dimmed, no one had moved. No one seemed impressed. No one seemed... scared.
It was like screaming into the void.
"You know what, Radika?" – Fasha said, her voice soft as a summer breeze. "You're right. We really were low class. Third-rate warriors. Disposable trash to the nobles."
Radika blinked, confused by the change in tone.
"But you know what the nobles' problem was?" – Fasha continued, a small smile forming at the corner of her mouth. "They underestimated the power of trash when it decides to come together."
RUSTLE... STEP...
The rest of the group, who had been quietly observing from the edge of the clearing, moved closer. Gina stepped forward slightly, still holding the sleeping Goku Jr., her expression calm but alert. Chi-Chi positioned herself protectively near Gohan, while the other parents instinctively moved to shield their children.
"Mint!" – Radika turned, all the anger returning at once. "FINALLY!"
But when she looked at her sister, something made her stop.
Gina didn't look like the weak girl she remembered. There was something different there. Something in her eyes that spoke of battles won, of strength conquered, of a confidence that hadn't existed before.
"Hi, Radika" – Gina said simply. "How are you?"
"HOW AM I?" – Radika yelled. "HOW AM I?! I SPENT TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LOOKING FOR YOU!"
"And why?" – Gina asked, genuinely curious. "To kill me? To take me back to the Saiyans? Or because you were... alone?"
The last word hit Radika like a hammer.
SILENCE...
For a long moment, no one said anything. The wind passed through the leaves, carrying with it the aroma of flowers and moist earth. It was a strange smell to Radika – the smell of life, of growth, of peace.
Things she had forgotten existed.
"I..." – she began, but stopped. How to explain? How to tell about the nights in empty ships, floating through infinite space, with nothing but memories and hatred for company?
"You were left alone when Vegeta exploded" – Ethan said gently. "And instead of accepting that maybe the Saiyans weren't what you thought, you decided it was Gina's fault for 'abandoning' you all."
Radika looked at him, then at Gina, then at the others around. They all had the same expression on their faces. It wasn't pity. It wasn't contempt. It was... understanding.
"But the truth" – Ethan continued, "is that Gina didn't abandon anyone. She simply found something better."
"Better?" – Radika repeated, incredulous. "What could be better than being Saiyan?"
"Being family" – Bardock Jr. answered, his little voice cutting through the air like a blade of pure honesty.
Radika looked at the boy, then at Ethan, then at all the others who had been there the entire time, watching this confrontation unfold. And suddenly understood.
They weren't just warriors. They weren't just Saiyans. They were a family. A chosen family, built not by blood or planet of origin, but by choice. By love. By... belonging.
"You're all crazy" – she murmured, but there was no anger in her voice. Just... confusion.
"Maybe" – Gina smiled. "But it's a good kind of crazy."
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Suddenly, an alarm started ringing from Bulma's equipment back at the edge of the clearing.
"What now?" – Ethan muttered, glancing toward the sound.
"Unknown energy signature detected!" – Bulma called out, checking her readings. "But it's not from space... it's dimensional!"
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The sky began to crack like glass, and through the fissures, a sinister energy began to leak.
"Fu" – Gina growled, recognizing the energy signature. "That bastard is making his move."
Radika looked around, seeing for the first time the true magnitude of what was happening. This wasn't just a family reunion. There were forces at play that could determine the fate of entire worlds.
And she was right in the middle of it all.
"What... what are you going to do?" – she asked, her voice coming out small.
Ethan turned to her, and for the first time since she arrived, Radika saw something in his eyes that wasn't threat or amusement.
It was an offer.
"The question isn't what WE'RE going to do" – he said, extending his hand. "It's what YOU'RE going to do."
Radika looked at the extended hand, then at the faces around her. Fasha with her understanding smile. Gina with that determination she had always envied. Bardock Jr. with the eyes of the father she had lost.
All of them waiting.
All of them offering something she had searched for twenty-five years without knowing.
A chance to belong somewhere.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The sky began to crack like glass, and through the fissures, a sinister energy began to leak - not from approaching ships, but from dimensional rifts that shouldn't exist.
All of them waiting.
All of them offering something she had searched for twenty-five years without knowing.
A chance to belong somewhere.
And Radika, for the first time in her life, had to choose between the past that defined her and the future she could build.
She looked at Ethan's hand one last time.