Raditz took a step out of his pod and took in a mouthful of the disgusting gaseous fumes that made up the planet's atmosphere. He tasted many different things in the air but sulfur was the most familiar to him. The humans, according to the records his pod had scanned from the Earth databases, called the planet 'Venus', after a forgotten goddess of love and beauty. It was hot, coated in poisonous air, and threatened to kill all that stepped foot there.
'They named it well,' he thought to himself. 'This planet is a proper saiyan bride made into stone and gas.'
He began to walk around his pod, letting his lungs get used to the atmosphere. He could already feel the burning deep in them, the fires growing, but he knew after a day or so at most they would adjust and he'd truly be able to begin training. No, first he would take his time, learn the lay of the land and prepare his camp.
Earth had been far too… clean. The air fresh and crisp. The sky too bright and cheerful. And it had been so quiet; unpolluted and unspoiled. He didn't know how Kakarot could stand it. The air should have been filled with the stink of blood and half cooked flesh, bloating in the sun. The sky should have been filled with dark clouds, acid raining down all around the ruined cities thanks to all the smoke that was rising into the air. And the quiet should not have brought anyone a sense of peace… no… it should have brought foreboding and terror that a place once full of life was empty of it save for the Saiyans.
'No wonder you couldn't stand against me, Kakarot,' He thought in disgust as he looked around the sickly yellow surface of the planet. 'Earth made you soft. Weak. It will be up to me to ensure that the damage is undone and you are ready for what comes next.'
Because he knew that if he didn't prepare his little brother… Vegeta would kill him where he stood. And most likely Raditz as well for wasting his time. The Prince of All Saiyans wasn't known for his patience when it came to others, always demanding more and sooner from those he saw as below him. For himself? Oh yes, he could be patient. Raditz had seen Vegeta prolong the suffering of rebels and so-called freedom fighters, delighting in how he gave them glimmers of hope only to tear them away. A beast playing with his food, that was the Saiyan Prince. And if he couldn't get Kakarot to a level that would impress Vegeta then he would be seen as nothing more than something for the Prince to test his knuckles against.
'No… as much as I might not want a hard fight… I need to hope Kakarot at least has enough pride to train. To grow stronger. That will make my job all the easier.' He looked up at the sky, a breeze blowing a cloud of noxious fumes into his face. For a lesser being it would have left them gagging and choking, clutching at their throat as they struggled to breathe only for those desperate breaths to bring their death. Raditz though merely snorted before he set about removing bits of his armor. 'But no matter how hard you train… you'll never be better than me, brother. I will defeat you again and when I do you will submit. And then… we will begin the work needed to be done. The universe will learn the fear the Sons of Bardock!'
"Remember that the only limit is yourself."
The words of Kami echoed in Yamcha's head as he continued along the winding path of Snake Way, though not as quickly as when he had started. He hadn't truly understood how long it was when he'd been told of the opportunity to train. Kami and King Yemma had warned him that it would be a long and difficult journey but he had laughed and said that he could handle it. He'd told them that he'd get bored hanging around Heaven or helping out King Yemma by fetching him coffee. No… better to run on Snake Way and have a chance to grow stronger!
Yamcha slowly slid down onto the road and took in several deep pulls of air.
When he'd reached the beginning of Snake Way and seen it stretched out before him, zigzagging about so that it would take 10 times as long to reach the end than if it were simply a straight line he'd still believed that it would be fine and he'd be able to get through it. Kami had warned him of the dangers. While there would be no wind and the road level, it had no guard rail so if he slipped and fell he would plunge straight to hell, trapped there until his friends wished him back. Assuming he survived the wait. He'd assured Kami that it would be fine, that he could handle it.
"Just… a minute to… catch my breath…" Yamcha muttered to himself as he laid down on the road, staring up at the sky.
Kami had warned him that he wouldn't be able to cheat his way across. "Snake Way… well, it isn't alive in the sense that you and I are but there is something there. Something that understands the task ahead and does not look kindly on those that attempt to bypass it. Attempt to fly and you will find your ki drained at a rate far beyond what you are used too. Attempt to leap and the distance will grow as the coils shift, leaving you plummeting towards Hell. Try and find someone to carry you and Snake Way will shift and you will find yourself throwing from their arms. It knows what you want and it makes you to earn it. "
They had taken nearly a day going over every possibility and Yamcha had found there simply were no outs. He had to run Snake Way. The whole thing.
He felt his chest rise and fall as he sucked in mouthfuls of air, waiting for his heart to stop pounding.
But it was the last warning that Yamcha knew he should have listened to the most. Not dismissed and laughed at. The others? About how hard it would be and the inability to cheat? Both were still true but he knew that he could fight through those and make it through. He'd done it before. All his life had been people telling him he couldn't do anything and him proving them wrong.