An hour before the Vegeta Tournament. Raditz's house...
"What is happening? Why is everything dark? I feel so strange... Where am I?... I... Valentino!"
The strange boy who had been resting peacefully in the medical pod just moments ago suddenly seemed panicked. Alarm beeps began to blare from the pod, and a bright red light started flashing. A few seconds later, the noises stopped and the greenish liquid inside began to drain. The moment the pod emptied completely, the boy finally woke up and gasped for air, but his first breath triggered a violent fit of coughing.
After several desperate attempts to breathe and a few dry coughs, he finally calmed down. As he settled, he spat up a bit of dark blood and was finally able to breathe properly, taking large, greedy gulps of air.
When the pod opened, still dazed, he wiped the remaining blood from the corner of his mouth and stood up. He caught sight of a woman cooking. He was baffled; the only things he could remember were fighting, pain—so much pain—and then absolute nothingness.
When the woman turned her head in his direction, the boy panicked and tried to slip out of her sight, scrambling up the stairs of the house. He looked around frantically for a hiding place and, luckily, spotted a room with an open door. He slipped inside.
Inside, he saw a bed, a desk, and a chair. Resting on top of the chair was a battle armor with a tag attached that read: 'Spare Suit #2'. Without a second thought, the boy threw the suit on and tossed the tag aside. Hearing footsteps approaching, he bolted out the bedroom window and took off running.
... Scene Change. . . . . .
Gine was cooking while humming a tune. Hearing the door open, she glanced over and spotted a familiar silhouette.
It's Bardock, she thought to herself. She greeted her husband with a tender smile. He returned the greeting with a nod and a smirk.
Gine smiled back and hurried to help him, as he had arrived carrying a bag of diapers under one arm and a bag of groceries in the other.
She greeted him and took the grocery bag, while Bardock set the diapers on the table and headed upstairs to change.
Just as he reached the second floor, he heard noises coming from Raditz's room. He shook his head, assuming it was just little Raditz. He walked over and knocked on the door. When no one answered, he brushed it off as his imagination. Without another thought, he went to his room, changed, and went back downstairs. But as he passed the pod, he noticed a trace of blood on it and froze, confused.
"Gine, where's Raditz?" he asked.
Gine looked at him and gave a playful wink. "Where do you think he is?" she teased. She then walked over to her bewildered husband and answered properly.
"Well, you know how Raditz always wants to be the strongest. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, he's going to jump at it," Gine said simply.
"Of course he would. He's my son, he learned well," Bardock said, a swell of pride washing over him for the warrior he was raising. "He's going to be one of the strongest Saiyans."
As he pictured how powerful his boy would become, a subtle blush touched his cheeks, but he quickly snapped back to his usual expression and asked, slightly puzzled:
"Gine, I heard some noises upstairs. Is there something you're not telling me? Did Raditz drag another animal home and hide it in the house?"
Gine stared at him, bewildered. Raditz hadn't brought any animals home in two years. Besides, it was completely out of character for her husband to worry about such a thing—usually, he didn't care as long as the creatures didn't mess with his stuff.
Three years ago...
"Gine!" shouted a four-year-old Raditz, running up to his mother.
"What is it, sweetie?" Gine asked curiously. "Did you find something you like?"
"Yeah, Mom! I found a friend!" Raditz beamed, holding up a strange, hairless rat. "Isn't she pretty? I'm gonna call her Miss Fluffy, 'cause she has such a beautiful coat!"
At the sight of the creature, Gine let out a high-pitched shriek and leaped onto the table, her face turning pale green. She stared at her son in disbelief, then looked back at the rodent, turning an even deeper shade of green. Raditz was utterly confused by his mother's reaction, but he didn't dwell on it. He beamed up at her with a wide grin, as if he had just unearthed a legendary treasure. Gine was on the verge of scolding him for bringing such a grotesque pest inside, but seeing the pure joy on her only son's face, her heart melted. A wave of warm happiness flooded her soul, and something inside her shifted; she resolved that maybe keeping the unlovely rat wouldn't be so bad after all.
However, taking another glance at the bizarre creature made her shudder all over again. In her mind, she prayed that someone would come along and dispose of the rodent. As if the universe had heard her pleas, the front door swung open, revealing an imposing figure—a man worthy of absolute respect.
Relief washed over her. My husband, she thought, releasing a sigh she hadn't realized she was holding. Bardock is one of the strongest warriors. His pride knows no bounds, his sternness makes him a natural leader, and most importantly... he has never liked pets. She was thrilled that she wouldn't have to be the bad guy kicking the creature out.
Bardock stared at the rodent, his right eye twitching slightly. But seeing the bright smile on his young warrior's face, his expression softened. He walked past his son and simply grunted that the pet had better not touch his gear. Gine went pale. She knew her husband despised animals, yet here he was, letting their son keep one.
End of Flashback...
Returning to the present, Gine still didn't understand what animal Bardock was referring to. But then, a sudden realization hit her. She remembered their little guest. Panic flared up inside her, and she nervously began to explain what had happened...
... Scene Change.
Young Boiton was sprinting frantically, searching for anyone who could help. His eyes darted back and forth in desperation. After several minutes of running at full speed, he skidded to a sudden halt and locked his gaze in one direction: the Royal Palace.
He clenched his fists, a mixture of anxiety and fury twisting his face. As he drew closer to the palace, his entire body tensed, his knuckles turning white from the sheer force of his grip.
A few meters away, he slowed his pace. Spotting the guards stationed at the entrance, he ducked into a patch of withered bushes right beside the nearest house. Silently, he began creeping toward the guards, bracing himself to strike.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out that made his blood run cold.
It was the very person who had hurt Valentino. As the figure passed through the main gates, a surge of vengeful rage flared within Boiton. His blood boiled, and he was ready to hurl himself at the guards—until reality stopped him in his tracks. Memories rushed back, stirring a forgotten terror. That woman was on an entirely different level. If he challenged her now, it would be nothing short of a suicide mission.
Forcing himself to think, he decided to gather intelligence instead. He crept closer to the palace guards, listening in on their conversation. To get a clear earful, he cleared his mind and focused intensely on every word.
The guards, oblivious and relaxed, chatted casually while their gleaming mid-elite armor shone with elegance. Boiton briefly recalled his days doing reconnaissance—how insane it had all been, how narrowly he had escaped, and how terrifyingly strong his enemies still were.
I have to save him. I need information. Can I really take it by force, or should I go find Sisly? Boiton racked his brain for an answer.
Meanwhile, the guards kept talking.
No, no, focus, Boiton, he scolded himself. Now is not the time for doubts. Be patient... wait, then strike.
Just as he was preparing to force the information out of them by any means necessary, a detail in their conversation froze him.
"Did you hear what the boss said about the new prisoner?" the guard on the left asked nonchalantly.
"Yeah, of course. That's what he gets for being a traitor," the guard on the right replied. "I heard he had the nerve to adopt an orphan, and now he's locked up. Though honestly, the King should've just executed him already. Word is our prisoner is the planet's Master Blacksmith or something like that. My contact says he's locked in the deepest level of the palace dungeon."
The guard pointed toward the castle with a slight shudder. Boiton scowled, disgusted by the King's cruelty.
"Ha! Yeah, well, I heard they dragged him to the research labs to build something," the left guard countered, nudging his partner with an elbow. "Don't know what it is, but it's one-of-a-kind, and he's the only one who can make it. At least according to my source."
"I don't buy it, Nuru," the right guard scoffed. "How would you even know that?"
"The Royal Scientist told me himself," the left guard declared, puffing out his chest with pride. "If you don't believe me, go ask him. He's over at the Planet Vegeta Tournament right now."
Hearing this, Boiton's expression softened slightly. He listened closely for a moment longer.
"Wanna head over with me? The tournament starts in a few minutes, and it's held right in the city center."
Having heard everything he needed, Boiton began backing away silently, setting his sights on the tournament to find more answers.
He was just meters away from entering the stadium where the Planet Vegeta Tournament was taking place when a hostile voice cut him short.
"So this is where you were hiding... you filthy half-breed. Who would've thought trash like you would end up in the middle of the city?"
The voice belonged to a boy wearing high-class armor, with messy hair, pitch-black eyes, and a prominent unibrow.
Boiton froze, his hands balling into tight fists. Without wasting another second, he launched himself straight at the unibrowed boy.
The unibrow boy sidestepped the charge effortlessly and threw a sharp kick, sending Boiton flying straight through the stadium entrance. The force of the impact crashed Boiton into a wall, causing him to bounce off and collide with a passerby.
Shaking off the hit, Boiton scrambled to his feet and charged back outside, consumed by rage. The moment his target came into view, he unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of energy blasts, sweeping like a machine gun. Caught completely off guard, the unibrowed boy took the full brunt of the assault.
Boiton didn't pause. Pushing off the ground with insane speed and force, he intercepted his enemy in mid-air. The blow hit with catastrophic force, blasting the opponent backward once again. Boiton followed up immediately, raining down another volley of Ki blasts.
The relentless explosions kicked up a dense cloud of dust, blinding the area. Boiton eased his posture slightly, staying on guard.
From deep within the smoke, a scream of sheer pain and fury echoed, followed by a powerful gust of wind that blew the dust away.
As the air cleared, the unibrowed boy stood exposed—bloody, with half of his armor shattered to pieces. His face twisted in pure hatred, his eyes screaming murder.
"YOU... HOW DARE YOU?! LOW-CLASS SCUM! PARIAH... How... how did you... GET THIS STRONG?!" he spat, trembling with rage.
Boiton offered only a cold, ruthless smirk and shrugged.
Enraged, the unibrowed boy charged blindly forward. Though his speed wasn't terrible, it was far from impressive; his frantic, panic-stricken state made his movements sloppy, predictable, and foolish.
Boiton effortlessly brushed aside every strike thrown his way. The force behind the unibrowed boy's blows was nowhere near enough to break through his guard. Driven to absolute madness, the boy pulled back his arm and poured every ounce of strength he had left into one final, desperate punch...