The sea breeze was no longer gentle.
It whipped sharply across Kame House as the party stepped outside, the air carrying a silent weight that put everyone on edge. The stranger stood on the sand like a dark omen, long wild hair shifting as the wind pulled at it.
Krillin was the first to break the quiet. "Uh… who exactly are you?"
A faint beep sounded from a device on his head as he looked at Krillin before he sneered in disgust.
"Such a weakling has the audacity to address the mighty Raditz?"
Eyes narrowed across the group — every fighter present, and even Bulma — noticed the furry tail wrapped around his torso like a belt.
Another Saiyan.
He looked nothing like Goku.
Tall.
Lean.
Cruel.
A predator wearing humanoid skin.
But Goku stared at him like he was looking at a warped reflection of himself.
Raditz's scouter chirped again and again as he scanned the group.
"…hmm."
"…pathetic levels."
"…what a disappointment."
Yamcha exhaled slowly.
"Good," he thought. "The gravity seals are suppressing our power, he'll underestimate us."
Goku stepped forward, tense but not hostile. "You said your name was Raditz, right? What do you want with us?"
Raditz folded his arms. "Us?" He scoffed. "Do not embarrass yourself, Kakarot. I came for you."
Goku stiffened. "My name's Goku."
"Oh, please." Raditz rolled his eyes. "Is that some ridiculous Earth name the humans gave you? Pathetic. Your true name is Kakarot. You and I are Saiyans. Proud members of an elite race of warriors. And I," he smirked, tapping his chest, "am your brother."
Krillin tripped over his own feet. Roshi coughed so hard he wheezed. Chi-Chi shrieked from behind Bulma, "GOKU HAS A BROTHER?!"
Goku stood frozen in confusion.
Yamcha didn't look at Goku.
He watched Raditz.
Every breath.
Every micro-shift in muscle tension.
Every flare in ki flow.
The Byakugan wasn't active yet, but training had sharpened Yamcha's instincts far beyond human limits.
Raditz continued his speech, his tone dripping with arrogance, his confidence bolstered by the seemingly low power levels.
"You were sent to purge this planet. Yet here you are. Soft, domesticated… raising a child." His scouter blinked again. "A weak child."
Toshi and Gohan huddled behind Bulma and Chi-Chi, peeking out with wide eyes.
Goku's expression darkened. "Don't you talk about my son like that."
Raditz didn't stop, seemingly oblivious to the danger he was provoking.
"You were meant to join the mission long ago. But since you've clearly forgotten your purpose, let me simplify." He raised one finger. "I'll give you a choice."
Goku tensed.
Yamcha's jaw clenched.
"You will rejoin the Saiyans," Raditz said, "and aid us in claiming worlds. Refuse…"
His eyes drifted toward the children.
"…and I take corrective measures."
The air snapped.
Bulma held Toshi tighter. "Over my dead body!"
Raditz chuckled. "That can be arranged."
Yamcha's eyes narrowed, colder than anyone had ever seen. "Do not threaten my daughter, or my wife!"
Raditz sneered, stepping forward with a casual confidence that made Yamcha's blood boil.
"Threaten? No. Not a threat. Fact. I will take the children as leverage if you—"
The muscles in Raditz's right calf tightened.
His weight shifted forward by a fraction of an inch.
His pupils narrowed with predatory intent.
He was about to leap.
Straight at the kids.
Yamcha's eyes snapped open.
The Byakugan surged, veins bulging instantly, vision sharpening into crystal perfection.
Intent registered.
Trajectory calculated.
Threat confirmed.
Yamcha didn't think.
He didn't shout.
He simply disabled the gravity seal.
Ki exploded around him like a shockwave, blasting sand outward in a spiraling burst, his icy fury momentarily pushing his power to its limit.
Raditz's scouter shrieked as its readings increased rapidly. 780… 910… 995… 1008… 1200?!?!
Raditz, already in mid leap, barely had time to register his shock
"W-what?! From a human—?!"
Yamcha blurred forward, expression cold as winter steel.
"You don't get to speak about our children."
His hand drew back, ki condensing into an incredibly dense, razor-thin layer on his palm.
"Hazan…"
He appeared in front of Raditz, just in front of the children and his wife.
"…Strike."
The palm strike connected with Raditz's ribcage with the force of a collapsing mountain.
There was a heartbeat of silence, then the world detonated.
Sand exploded outward, armor shattered like glass, and even Kame House groaned under the shockwave.
Raditz pinwheeled across the ocean, skipping along the waves before vanishing into a distant plume of water.
Everyone stood frozen.
Krillin's jaw dropped.
Chi-Chi nearly fainted.
Bulma stared stunned at the scene. Horror at what almost happened warred with awe at the fierce protective aura that emanated from her husband.
Toshi whispered, "Papa… was so fast!"
Goku blinked rapidly. "Holy cow, Yamcha! That was amazing!"
Yamcha didn't celebrate.
His Byakugan stayed active, staring at the distant splash.
"He's not dead," Yamcha murmured. "Just hurt."
Goku nodded, serious now. "Then we need to finish this."
A new voice spoke from behind Kame House:
"Tch. About time someone knocked that pompous bastard down a peg."
Piccolo stepped out, cape rustling, antennas twitching.
"LANGUAGE!" Bulma and Chi-Chi shrieked, covering the kids' ears.
Piccolo, surprisingly, looked embarrassed before clearing his throat.
"You trying to fight him alone?" Yamcha asked.
Piccolo smirked, halfway between a sneer and a smile, "Please. I'm not Goku. None of us are strong enough to take him on solo."
Goku hopped onto Nimbus, Piccolo rose into the air, and Yamcha crouched, ki surging in a calm, controlled blaze.
Bulma met his gaze, full of fierce confidence.
"Make sure you bring him back," She nodded to Goku, "We didn't spend all that time fixing his heart just for him to die now."
Yamcha's smile softened. "He'll be back. We all will."
He looked at Toshi, her brave little eyes staring up with the same confidence her mother had in him, and his resolve solidified harder than iron.
Turning back to Goku and Piccolo, he called out:
"Let's finish what fate started."
The three launched skyward, streaks of light cutting across the ocean as they pursued Raditz.
Behind them, the peaceful world of family, laughter, and childhood innocence faded into the distance.
Ahead waited a desperate fight for their future, and Yamcha wasn't the same man destiny expected.
He was stronger. Calmer. Deadlier.
And now?
He had a family to protect
The ocean stretched endlessly beneath them as Yamcha, Goku, and Piccolo streaked across the sky, three streaks of light cutting through the late afternoon sun.
Wind roared past them as the air trembled with gathering tension.
Below, Yamcha's eyes tracked the spiraling trail Raditz had carved across the surface. Every ripple, every dispersing signature of ki traced a clear path to their quarry.
"He's on that island," Yamcha said, pointing ahead. "Three hundred meters out. His ki is spiking, he's pissed."
Piccolo huffed. "Good. Maybe now he'll take us seriously."
Goku frowned, sensing the growing ki "I think he definitely is…"
As they flew, Yamcha couldn't help but notice the somber mood that had settled over Goku.
He could guess that being told he was meant to conquer the planet was weighing heavily on him.
Nimbus drifted just ahead, Goku's body tense, shoulders tight in a way Yamcha had never seen. Even the air around him felt heavy, and he could sense his ki folded inward, uncertain.
Yamcha flew closer, matching Goku's speed until they were side by side.
"You okay?" Yamcha asked softly.
Goku forced a smile, but it didn't match his usual exuberance. "Yeah… just thinking."
"About Raditz?"
"About… what he said." Goku stared at the horizon. "About who I was supposed to be. What I was supposed to do. I keep trying to imagine myself as a baby… sent here to hurt people. I don't like the feeling."
Yamcha hesitated.
He hadn't planned to bring this up. But maybe… maybe this was the moment.
"Goku," Yamcha said carefully, "can I tell you something? Something about your parents?"
Goku blinked, startled. "My… parents?"
Yamcha nodded. "I can't tell you everything. And some of it might sound strange. But… when I fused with Neji, I saw glimpses, fragments of the past and a lot of souls, a lot of histories. Including Saiyans."
Goku slowed Nimbus. "You mean… you saw mine?"
"Not yours directly," Yamcha clarified. "But I saw a lot of events, and felt echoes of their energy. I know why I could see events, but I think it was these eyes that let me sense things."
Goku watched him intently now.
"Your father's name was Bardock," Yamcha said gently. "Your mother was Gine."
Goku's breath caught, a hazy memory of two people staring up at him as he flew away surfacing.
"They weren't like Raditz," Yamcha continued. "Not even close."
"What… what were they like?" Goku asked, voice small and vulnerable, almost childlike.
Yamcha smiled softly. "Your mom was kind. More than a Saiyan usually ever allowed themselves to be. Her ki felt… warm. Protective. It felt like Chi-Chi when Gohan was a baby."
Goku's eyes widened slightly.
"And your dad…" Yamcha paused, searching for the right words. "Bardock was tough. Stronger than you or me right now, but not cruel. There was this… heaviness in him. Someone who saw too much, fought too much, and got tired of being what the rest of the Saiyans expected him to be."
Goku stared forward, listening without blinking.
"He didn't send you here to kill anyone," Yamcha said firmly. "He sent you away because something was coming. Something bigger than his, or any saiyan's, pride. He knew their planet was in danger, so he got you out"
Goku swallowed hard. "So… he saved me."
"He did," Yamcha said. "He gave you a chance. A real one. Not a mission, a life. I could feel it when they sent you away. They wanted to give you a chance to live, free and happy."
Nimbus trembled slightly beneath Goku's feet as emotion welled in him.
"I always wondered…" Goku whispered. "Even before today. Why Grandpa Gohan found me in the woods. Why I was alone. Why I survived. It never made sense."
He wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist.
"But hearing this… I think… I think he loved me. Even if I can't remember."
"He did," Yamcha said. "I'm sure of it."
Goku breathed in slowly, letting the wind dry the tears from his cheeks.
"…Thank you," he murmured. "For telling me."
"Always," Yamcha replied.
Nimbus surged forward again, not out of distress this time, but purpose.
The turbulence in Goku's ki eased.
The confusion didn't vanish entirely, but something new filled the space it left behind.
Resolve.
A quiet, trembling resolve to honor the parents he could barely remember.
After a long silence, Yamcha added quietly:
"You don't have to live by what Raditz, or anyone expects of you. You never did."
Goku nodded.
"I'm glad I grew up here," he said. "With Grandpa. With you guys. With Chi-Chi. And now, with Gohan."
His aura calmed. Softened.
Then hardened with a new edge.
"And now I'm gonna fight as who I choose to be. Not what anyone says I should be."
Yamcha smirked. "That's the Goku I know."
They flew faster, no longer weighed down, not by doubts, destiny, or forgotten blood.
Just two friends heading into battle.
Together.
Piccolo followed several dozen yards behind, arms folded, cape flapping in the wind. He hadn't meant to listen in, but with his hearing this sharp, how could he not pick up on their little heart-to-heart?
"Tch… sentimental idiots," he muttered.
Still… the resolve radiating from Goku now was unmistakable. Solid. Focused. Stronger than before.
Piccolo scowled.
This planet really is softening me, he thought bitterly. Next thing you know, I'll be helping old ladies cross the street.
He surged forward—
Then stopped mid-flight when he noticed Goku and Yamcha were already tiny specks in the distance.
Neither had looked back for a second as they sped away from him.
Neither had even checked to make sure he was still following. Not even a grunt of acknowledgement.
His eye twitched.
"Those idiots forgot I exist."
He flared his ki a dark purple, rocketing forward in an irritated blaze.
"UNBELIEVABLE. Two minutes of emotional bonding and suddenly I'm invisible."
He shot forward at maximum speed to catch up, grumbling the entire way.
The trio touched down on jagged stone moments later, Raditz already waiting. He had an arm clutching his sternum where Yamcha had struck him. Armor cracked, ribs bruised, eyes burning with anger and humiliation.
As the trio landed, Raditz spat blood to the side. "A human… broke my armor."
Yamcha's fists tightened. Goku's expression sobered. Piccolo smirked, pleased that the fool that had dismissed him as a threat was suffering.
Raditz's scouter beeped weakly, still trying to comprehend Yamcha's suppressed, unstable power level.
"You insects…" Raditz snarled. "You dare lay a hand on me?! My disgrace of a brother, a Namekian reject, and a HUMAN?!"
Piccolo blinked.
"…Namekian?"
He glanced at Goku and Yamcha, noticing only Goku looking as confused as he was.
"Did… did he just call me a slug?"
Yamcha couldn't help the amused exhale that escaped him. "Focus Piccolo, I'll tell you about it later."
Piccolo grunted in dissatisfaction. "I'm starting to hate this guy."
Putting that aside for now, he cracked his neck loudly. "Talk all you want. Doesn't change the fact you got sent flying like the trash you are."
Raditz's hair bristled. "Silence, Namekian trash!"
Piccolo's eye twitched. "I'm going to enjoy killing you."
Raditz lifted his hands, gathering ki. "Don't get cocky—"
Before he could move, Yamcha's Byakugan flared.
"Double blast, spread out!" Yamcha shouted.
Piccolo shot left. Goku shot right. Yamcha leapt straight up.
Raditz fired, pinkish energy splitting into twin beams, only to miss all three.
"Tch!" Raditz snarled. "Why didn't the scouter—?"
Before he could finish his thought, a battle cry came from Goku diving towards his side with a flying kick.
Raditz blocked, but Goku used the momentum to slide behind him, hammering a punch into his spine.
Piccolo capitalized, firing a sharp blast into Raditz's flank, sending him tumbling.
Yamcha descended like a meteor, driving a heel into Raditz's shoulder. The island cracked beneath them.
Raditz rolled away, panting, armor sparking.
His scouter blinked madly.
"Impossible… your power levels, they're fluctuating! That human, he shot past a thousand! That shouldn't be possible!"
Yamcha landed beside Goku and Piccolo. The three formed a loose triangle around Raditz.
Goku grinned, excited despite the seriousness. "Heh, guess Earth's not as weak as you thought!"
Piccolo's eyes darted to Yamcha. "I'll be honest… I didn't expect you to be this strong."
Yamcha shrugged, calm despite the pressure. He even gave a small smile as he reminisced on something an old friend once told him. "A wise man once told me, when a person has something precious they want to protect, that's when they become truly strong."
Piccolo scoffed at the sentiment, but there was grudging respect there.
Raditz wiped blood from his lip, trembling with rage.
"You… worthless weaklings. Do you understand who you're defying?! I'm not even the strongest saiyan remaining, You don't stand a chance!"
"Maybe, maybe not," Yamcha said quietly. "But that doesn't mean you get to take our kids. Or our lives."
Raditz lunged, faster than before, his rage and wounded pride pushing his speed to the extreme.
But Yamcha saw it all.
His byakugan flared, and his perception expanded. Raditz's trajectory traced itself in Yamcha's vision. It was predictable, almost clumsy in execution.
"Right side," Yamcha warned.
Goku pivoted, redirecting a punch. Raditz redirected toward Piccolo, but Yamcha called that too.
"Low sweep!"
Piccolo jumped, firing a blast downward.
"You damn freak, what the hell is with your eyes?" Raditz snarled, turning on Yamcha.
With a small smirk he called Raditz's strike again. "Left elbow!"
Yamcha ducked beneath the strike and drove a palm into his ribs, the same damaged ribs as before. He was satisfied with the slight crunch he felt. Raditz gasped, air exploding from his lungs.
As if on cue, Yamcha lept upward as Goku followed up with a blow to the jaw.
Not one to be left out, Piccolo flanked with a kick to the spine. Before he could even catch his breath Yamcha descended with an axe-kick that sent Raditz face down in the dirt.
Raditz rose slowly, shaking, panting.
Then… he laughed.
A shaking, unhinged thing, eyes gleaming with a feral edge.
"I see it now… You're strong. Stronger than I expected. Even that human, stronger than most low-class Saiyans."
Yamcha's eyes narrowed. "And?"
"And," Raditz breathed, gathering a strange ki in his palm, "I am DONE playing around! You may have forgotten you legacy, Kakarot, but a saiyan without his tail will always be at a disadvantage!"
Goku's expression tensed.
Piccolo's eyes widened a fraction. With Goku as his prey, he had of course done his research. He had observed his training with Kami at a distance, and his transformation under the full moon had been staggering.
Yamcha sensed it too, the shift in the atmosphere, a primal ki already starting to stir in Raditz. He cursed internally. He had memories of key figures and battles, but the specifics of their techniques still eluded him.
Raditz aimed his palm upward.
"I didn't want to waste this technique on trash," Raditz growled. "But if this is what it takes to crush you—"
He hurled it into the sky with a shout. "BURST OPEN AND MIX!"
It soared upward, expanding, glowing like a false moon.
In Yamcha's eyes, Raditz's power shrank violently before it started to skyrocket once again.
The ground trembled.
The tide receded.
Raditz's heartbeat began to thunder like a war drum.
Goku shouted, voice cracking, "Yamcha, Piccolo, get ready!"
Raditz grinned, canines sharp.
"You should have just cooperated," He growled, voice beginning to deepen, "Now you'll face the true might of a Saiyan, the mighty Oozaru!"
The light above grew brighter, almost blinding.
Raditz's transformation…
had begun.