Time passed quickly, and before long, Raiga's spaceship had been traveling through the cosmos for over five months. Soon, he would reach his destination.
Inside the spacious ship, loud thudding sounds echoed through one of the rooms, as if a fierce impact was occurring. The ship's hanging fixtures swayed slightly from the vibrations.
After a while, the noise gradually subsided. If one were to step inside, they would see a child no taller than a meter standing on his hands, balancing his entire body weight on a single finger.
His black hair hung downward due to gravity, and glistening sweat trickled down his cheeks, dripping onto the floor. The room was in complete disarray—the supposedly durable walls had caved in unevenly, as if they had been struck by an immense force.
"Hmph."
Switching to another finger, Raiga maintained his balance for a long while before lightly pushing off the ground and landing on his feet. He grabbed a damp towel and wiped the sweat from his body.
The world of Dragon Ball was one of relentless competition. Falling behind even slightly meant becoming irrelevant. Even during interstellar travel, Raiga refused to waste a single moment.
Just imagine—while the original protagonist was pushing himself to new limits, would he really be content with standing still? Especially knowing that even more terrifying enemies lay ahead? That kind of powerlessness was something he could never accept.
Raiga absolutely refused to become just another Krillin.
"I should spend some time meditating."
He wasn't familiar with the training methods of Earth's martial artists, but he remembered how Goku had trained at the Lookout in the original story. Meditation was a way to calm the mind, enhance focus, and potentially deepen one's understanding of energy. Even if it didn't yield immediate results, he made sure to set aside time for it every day.
Sitting cross-legged, Raiga slowed his breathing, letting it become deep and steady. Before long, his mind felt completely blank.
He stared ahead in a daze, lost in thought.
As expected—without a solid foundation in martial arts, meditation was no different from daydreaming.
Understanding the technique without proper guidance was frustrating. Training alone was an exhausting process, with little to show for it.
Over time, Raiga's power had been steadily increasing, but that was simply due to the natural growth of his Saiyan body. He recalled how Krillin and Gohan had undergone "mental battles" on their way to Namek in the original story—that must have been a higher level of meditation. If he could master something like that, his strength would skyrocket.
But for now, all he could do was envy them.
With a sigh, Raiga grabbed a water bottle and made his way to the cockpit, taking a sip as he settled into the soft pilot's chair.
The ship's control panel displayed the distance to his destination. In about a month, he would finally arrive on Earth.
But he was facing an annoying problem—his food supply was running dangerously low.
"Guess I didn't plan this out well enough," he muttered, scratching his head. "I loaded the ship with food, but it still might not last until I get there."
If he rationed carefully, he might just make it.
But what really frustrated him was the ship's lack of a hibernation function. Who designed a cargo vessel for long-haul space travel without a sleep pod? Five months of being awake in this confined space was enough to drive him insane.
...
The ship continued along its preset route, maintaining a stable speed. Planets zipped past in streaks of light as the days dragged on. With food supplies dwindling, Raiga had no choice but to limit his physical exertion, putting his training on hold for the time being.
"How did I miscalculate this badly?" he groaned. "I should've been more careful with my rations."
Slumping back, he let out a long sigh. "I am never using this type of ship again. This is torture."
His stomach growled in protest as he glanced at the remaining supplies in the cargo hold. He smacked his lips, barely resisting the urge to devour everything in one sitting.
As the food supply dwindled further, Raiga was eventually forced to survive on small portions of meat broth. His once-healthy frame had visibly thinned. If this went on much longer, he'd be at risk of malnutrition.
Damn it.
Would he be the first Saiyan to starve to death?
Lying flat on the spaceship's deck, Raiga stared blankly into space.
Fortunately, just as he was reaching his limit, the ship's core computer finally spoke up in its cold, mechanical voice. But to Raiga, it was the sweetest sound in the universe.
"Beep. Destination approaching. Current location: Southern Quadrant of the North Galaxy, Solar System, Earth. Total travel time: six months and nine days. Preparing for descent."
The system automatically adjusted to Earth's standard measurements.
"Finally!"
Rejuvenated, Raiga scrambled to the ship's viewing window. Through the thick, transparent glass, he caught sight of a beautiful blue planet spinning slowly along its orbit, accompanied by a small, pale satellite—the Moon.
For a moment, Raiga felt a wave of emotion wash over him.
"Haha, I finally made it."
Without hesitation, he scarfed down the last of his remaining food, his starved body immediately revitalized. Energy surged through his limbs once more.
As the cargo ship entered Earth's atmosphere, a new force pressed down on him—Earth's gravity, far weaker than that of Planet Vegeta, and even slightly lower than Planet Mapa's. It almost felt like he was floating.
"Beep. Commencing landing sequence."
"Touchdown complete. Voyage concluded. Thank you for choosing our service."
Like hell there's going to be a next time. I nearly starved to death.
Raiga rolled his eyes at the automated message before straightening his clothes. He had ditched his Planet Vegeta battle armor in favor of the garments found on the cargo ship. The Mapaans were a short species, so their adult clothing fit his small frame rather well. The style was a bit unusual, but it looked decent enough.
With a hiss, the ship's hatch opened.
Wasting no time, Raiga leapt out, taking in a deep breath of Earth's fresh air. He closed his eyes in contentment.
"This… this is the smell of nature."
The cargo ship had landed on a highland area, a relatively barren landscape with jagged cliffs and deep canyons stretching into the distance. A few small mountains jutted upward, their slopes sparsely covered with scattered trees and patches of green vegetation.
Pulling out the Mapaan energy detector, Raiga scanned the surroundings. One by one, numbers appeared on the screen.
"1."
"5."
"4."
"2."
A series of pitifully low power levels flashed by. Most hovered around 5, with very few exceeding that threshold. Even the occasional stronger signal was drowned out by a sea of weaklings.
Tch.
"A bunch of weaklings with a power level of five."
Raiga smirked, repeating that classic line with a look of disdain.