"Just a precaution," Bardock remarked with a sigh. "Even after being reincarnated, Gine still has this illness. It's clear that the hereditary factor of this disease is very strong."
"Alright then. It won't hurt to take two pills anyway." Son Gohan nodded, took the tablets Bardock handed him, and swallowed them with the water from the cup nearby.
Bardock walked outside the room again, his gaze shifting toward the direction where Son Goku was training.
By now, the sky had gradually darkened, and the afterglow of the setting sun had plated the earth in a layer of golden red.
Son Goku was still sitting cross-legged with his eyes tightly closed. A faint aura of energy swirled around him, as if he had merged with the surrounding night. There was no sign that he was about to finish his meditation.
"It looks like Dad will still be training for a long time. We'd better not disturb him," Son Gohan suggested softly, following Bardock's gaze.
Bardock nodded. After a moment of silent thought, he said, "Tomorrow morning, I'll go find the Dragon Balls."
"Goten happens to be over at Trunks' place playing," Son Gohan's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "I'll have him bring the Dragon Radar back while he's at it."
With that, Son Gohan turned and hurried into the house to make a phone call.
Around 8:00 PM, Son Goten returned with the Dragon Radar. He held it in both hands and handed it to Bardock, his face still flushed from playing.
And there was someone else who returned with Son Goten.
When Bardock saw that person, his expression shifted slightly, and he hurriedly bowed in greeting. "Prince Vegeta!"
The one who had come along with Son Goten was indeed Vegeta.
Vegeta had come specifically after hearing from Son Goten that his grandfather, Bardock, had arrived in this era.
Back on Planet Cereal, Vegeta had heard about Bardock from Monaito and was quite curious about the subsequent developments. Since he was free at the moment, he wanted to come over and ask for the full story.
"There's no need to call me that. Just call me Vegeta," Vegeta's mouth twitched as he said with some discomfort.
What the hell is 'Prince Vegeta'?
There were fewer than ten of their Saiyan race left now. What "Prince" was there left to speak of?
Bardock nodded slightly, then straightened up and asked, "Is there something you need from me?"
"I heard from Goten that you were also on Planet Cereal back then?" Vegeta went straight to the point and asked directly.
Bardock nodded, not denying it.
"How come I didn't see you?" Vegeta was taken aback, looking a bit confused.
"You and I might not have been in the same era," Bardock replied truthfully. "The one I was in was Planet Cereal from 1,000 years ago."
"1,000 years ago?" Vegeta was stunned, but then he immediately reacted. "So, when Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta back then, you didn't die, but instead traveled 1,000 years into the past? Is that what you mean?"
"Correct, that's exactly it." Bardock gave a slight nod, confirming his guess.
"Tell me about what happened on Planet Cereal back then," Vegeta continued. "Not 1,000 years ago—your battle with Gas."
"Gas?" Bardock raised an eyebrow and asked back, "Did you see Gas when you went to Planet Cereal earlier?"
"Yes," Vegeta nodded.
"That guy is nothing to be feared compared to you now," Bardock shook his head, clearly not thinking much of Gas. "His power level probably didn't even exceed 100,000, right?"
"No, he became the strongest in the universe through the Dragon Balls of Planet Cereal." Vegeta clenched his fists tightly, his tone carrying a hint of gravity.
"Strongest in the universe?" Hearing this, Bardock couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
"Is he very strong?" Son Gohan also leaned in, his face full of curiosity.
"At least in that era, I was no match for him at all," Vegeta mused. "Before I left, Granolah was fighting him."
"Granolah?" Bardock was a little surprised. "Is that the surviving Cerealian child? He's become strong too?"
"He also became the strongest in the universe through the Dragon Balls," Vegeta replied.
"The Dragon Balls..." Bardock's voice lowered, carrying a hint of warning. "The dragon on Planet Cereal seems to have side effects. If you can avoid making a wish, try not to."
"What... what did you say? Side effects?" Vegeta's pupils shrank slightly, and the expression on his face instantly changed.
Immediately after, Vegeta suddenly remembered that Bardock's words were not without merit.
Although that dragon had granted Granolah the strength of the strongest in the universe, Granolah only had three years of life left.
As for that "strongest in the universe" named Gas, he had likely obtained it at the cost of his own lifespan as well.
"Yes, side effects," Bardock nodded and explained. "Back then, I also made a wish to the dragon, hoping that Kakarot and Raditz would grow up healthy."
"So the reason those two were able to survive... was because of that?" Vegeta realized, a flash of understanding in his eyes.
Son Gohan's eyes also twitched.
So the reason Dad and Uncle Raditz were able to survive the destruction of the planet was because of Grandpa's wish?
"Then the side effect you mentioned is..." Vegeta reached this point and suddenly realized, his voice even trembling a bit. "They... they died just as they grew up... is that what you mean?"
"Yes," Bardock nodded, his tone carrying a hint of undeniable sorrow.
Son Gohan gave a bitter smile.
The side effect of that dragon was truly powerful enough.
"So... the side effect after making a wish with that dragon might only appear several years later..." Vegeta felt his scalp go numb, and he felt completely out of sorts, speechless.
It was like having a time bomb placed inside his own body that could explode at any moment.
Vegeta had returned to his own era through that very dragon.
Could it be that in a few years, I will also die because of this?
However, Vegeta soon came to terms with it.
That was something for several years later. Thinking so much about it now wouldn't help; it would just be scaring himself.
"Hmph, whatever." Vegeta gave a light snort, a disdainful smile appearing on his face as he tossed those worries to the back of his mind.
Seeing him like this, Bardock said no more.
"Speaking of which, with your power level back then, you shouldn't have been able to beat that guy named Gas," Vegeta mused, looking Bardock up and down.
"That's true," Bardock admitted frankly. "But later, I broke through to a new realm, and that's how I defeated Gas."
"A new realm?" Vegeta was taken aback and pressed, "Could it be a Super Saiyan transformation?"
"It wasn't Super Saiyan. It should be considered a Pseudo Super Saiyan, I suppose." As Bardock spoke, a dazzling golden light instantly erupted from his body.
However, Bardock's hair did not turn golden; only a golden light radiated from around his body.
Even so, Bardock's strength instantly increased several times over.
"This is it," Bardock explained.
"Hmph, it doesn't look like anything special," Vegeta commented, his tone carrying a hint of his characteristic pride. "But it should be enough to deal with a guy like Gas."
"Yes." After Bardock finished speaking, the golden light faded, and he returned to his base form.
Vegeta no longer had much interest in Bardock. His gaze shifted toward Son Goku, who was still training.
Seeing Kakarot training so seriously, Vegeta felt a bit uneasy.
No, I have to hurry up and train too.
I must achieve excellent results in the tournament against Universe 6.
This time, I will never lose easily to that guy named Hit.
Even if I haven't mastered Ultra Ego yet, with my current strength, it's enough to easily defeat Hit.
"Kakarot, in four days, I'll show you my true strength." The corners of Vegeta's mouth curled up slightly into a confident arc.
Vegeta firmly believed that within these four days, he would definitely be able to master Ultra Ego.
With the Power of Destruction injected into me by my future self...
Mastering Ultra Ego shouldn't be a problem.
Whoosh!
With that, Vegeta took to the sky, turning into a streak of light that quickly vanished into the night.
...
The next day.
Son Gohan accompanied Bardock to search for the Dragon Balls.
The two of them took only a little over two hours to successfully collect all seven Dragon Balls.
With a shout from Bardock, Shenron emerged. His massive body blotted out the sun, looking incredibly majestic.
Afterward, Bardock made a wish to Shenron to resurrect Raditz.
Pop!
With a flash of light, Raditz's figure appeared out of thin air beside Bardock.
"Your wish has been granted. Farewell." Shenron's voice fell, and his massive body turned into a pillar of light that shot into the sky, subsequently splitting into seven Dragon Balls.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The seven Dragon Balls turned into stones and flew off in all directions across the world.
The sky also returned to its bright state.
Raditz looked around in a daze, his heart full of confusion.
I'm resurrected?
Who was so kind as to resurrect me?
However, when Raditz's gaze fell on Bardock, his pupils couldn't help but shrink slightly, and a look of anger appeared on his face.
"Kakarot, you bastard! Was it you who resurrected your big brother?" Raditz glared at Bardock, shaking with rage. "You actually dared to take your brother down with you!"
As he spoke, Raditz walked up to Bardock, craning his neck and glaring at him, looking like he wanted an explanation.
Whack!
Bardock didn't hesitate and slapped him across the face, sending Raditz tumbling to the ground.
"Ow!"
Raditz cried out in pain, clutching his cheek and rolling on the ground a few times.
Son Gohan, standing to the side, scratched his head and gave a bitter smile.
Grandpa is quite fierce.
"You... you dare hit me! Kakarot, I'll show you!" Raditz scrambled up from the ground in a fit of rage. His energy exploded wildly, the aura around him making the ground tremble slightly.
Immediately after, Raditz roared and rushed forward, launching a flurry of punches and kicks at Bardock.
However, Raditz only had a power level of 1,500. This level of attack power couldn't cause any damage to Bardock at all; it couldn't even break his defense.
Raditz fought for a long time until he was huffing and puffing, his face pale from exhaustion. Yet Bardock remained motionless, not even furrowing his brow.
A moment later, Raditz hurriedly pulled back from Bardock, his pupils shrinking as his mouth twitched incessantly.
"You... Kakarot, you bastard, have you become this strong already?" Raditz's heart was filled with mixed emotions, and he felt quite bitter.
"Raditz, who told you to come and kill Kakarot?" Bardock asked with a cold face, his tone carrying a hint of unquestionable authority.
Raditz: "????"
Raditz was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened, and a look of bewilderment appeared on his face.
"Huh? You... you're Dad?" Raditz stared at Bardock in shock, slowly speaking with a voice full of disbelief.
"Tell me, why did you come to Earth to kill Kakarot?" Bardock's face was stern, his sharp gaze locked onto Raditz, his body radiating an undeniable pressure.
Raditz: "..."
Wait a minute...
Clearly, the one who was killed just now was me.
"Dad... let me catch my breath first. I just got resurrected... I haven't reacted yet." Raditz's mouth twitched, his face full of speechlessness as he raised a hand to rub his throbbing temples.
I just got resurrected, okay?
Can you not ask such brain-burning questions right off the bat?
And besides, how many years ago was that?
It feels like a long time has passed.
Dad, why are you raking up the past as soon as you arrive?
"How long do you need?" Bardock remained stern, his tone not softening in the slightest.
"Just a moment..." Raditz forced a strained smile, his gaze somewhat evasive.
As he spoke, Raditz's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Son Gohan, who was standing beside Bardock.
Who is this kid?
Could he be my dad's sidekick?
"Hello, Uncle Raditz." Son Gohan had a sunny smile on his face as he proactively waved in greeting.
As for being kidnapped by Raditz when he was a child, Son Gohan had long since let it go.
The Son family never held grudges.
Besides, when he was kidnapped by Raditz back then, the other party hadn't specifically tortured him.
"Who are you? You look a bit familiar." Raditz stared at Son Gohan for a long time, muttering thoughtfully. He felt like he had seen this face somewhere before.
"I'm Son Gohan," Son Gohan stated his name frankly.
"Son Gohan? That name sounds familiar." Raditz furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought, trying to search for relevant information in his chaotic memories.
"I'm the kid you kidnapped that year," Son Gohan reminded him softly.
Raditz was momentarily dazed.
The kid I kidnapped that year?
But after a brief moment of blankness, Raditz slapped his forehead and immediately realized.
"I remember now! You... you're Kakarot's son!" Raditz's eyes were wide and round, his gaze full of shock, as if he had heard something incredible.
Son Gohan nodded slightly, confirming his words.
"You've grown so big. It seems I've been dead for a long time..." Raditz let out a long sigh, his tone carrying a bit of sentimentality. Then he looked at Bardock with some confusion. "Dad, did you specifically bring Kakarot's son here to let him get revenge?"
Whack!
Bardock didn't hesitate and slapped him again, sending Raditz spinning in place before he slammed into the ground with a splat.
Raditz cried out in pain, clutching his slapped cheek with a look of grievance.
"Do you remember now? Tell me, why did you want to kill Kakarot back then?" Bardock asked again with a dark face, his tone carrying a heavy sense of anger.
"That... that was Prince Vegeta's order. It had nothing to do with me." Raditz hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, and quickly shifted the blame entirely, fearing he would get into trouble.
"Is that so?" The corners of Bardock's mouth curled up slightly into a meaningful smile. "I'll ask Vegeta to find out for sure. I hope you're not lying to me."
"Eh? Prince Vegeta is still alive?" Raditz was stunned, his eyes full of surprise.
Bardock didn't bother with Raditz anymore and turned to look at Son Gohan.
"Uncle Raditz, even Uncle Vegeta's child is old enough to buy soy sauce now..." Seeing this, Son Gohan couldn't help but laugh, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
Raditz: "..."
"Who did Vegeta have a child with?" Raditz pressed with a gossipy look, his eyes full of curiosity.
"It's Aunt Bulma—the woman who appeared on Master Roshi's island back then. You should have seen her," Son Gohan answered casually.
A layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on Raditz's forehead, and his mouth wouldn't stop twitching.
Prince Vegeta, you're really too much.
You actually found an Earth woman to have a child with.
"From now on, you'd better behave yourself. Don't go causing trouble on Earth, do you understand?" Bardock said with a cold face, giving Raditz another order in a tone that brooked no argument.
"I understand..." Raditz didn't dare to offer the slightest rebuttal. He nodded obediently, looking like a child who had done something wrong.
"Let's go, Gohan," Bardock called out to Son Gohan.
"Okay, Grandpa," Son Gohan replied and immediately followed in Bardock's footsteps.
The two of them leaped into the air and soared into the sky, quickly reaching a high altitude.
"Dad, wait for me!" Seeing this, Raditz hurriedly chased after them, fearing he would be left behind.
Don't leave me behind!
I still have so many things I don't understand.
Let's chat a bit more!
Raditz quickly caught up and cautiously appeared on Bardock's other side, not daring to get too close.
"Did Dad use the Dragon Balls to resurrect me?" Raditz asked curiously, his eyes full of expectation.
Bardock gave a noncommittal nod.
"Kakarot's son, did Vegeta and Nappa really come to Earth back then?" Raditz turned to ask Son Gohan.
"They did, but they were given a thorough thrashing by my dad," Son Gohan grinned and said in a relaxed tone.
Raditz: "..."
Raditz's heart tightened, and his face was filled with disbelief.
Kakarot gave Vegeta and Nappa a thorough thrashing?
Is this some kind of joke?
Setting aside a genius warrior like Prince Vegeta...
Even Nappa had a power level of several thousand.
And Kakarot's power level was less than 1,000.
"During the year after you died, my companions and I trained seriously. By the time Uncle Vegeta and Nappa arrived on Earth, our power levels had reached at least 1,500 or more," Son Gohan explained patiently, seeing his confusion.
"You... what did you say?" Raditz felt completely out of sorts, his voice even trembling a bit.
They raised their power levels to over 1,500 in just one year?
How is that possible!
"Uncle Raditz, have you been training well in Hell all these years?" Son Gohan asked with a smile, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Of course! I've been tempered through a thousand fires in Hell!" Raditz puffed out his chest and gave a proud snort, saying with a laugh, "My power level now is at least in the tens of thousands."
Son Gohan: "..."
Bardock: "..."
The grandfather and grandson glanced at each other, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
With such a measly power level, he actually has the nerve to show it off. How embarrassing.
"Kid, are you scared? But don't worry, your grandpa said not to let me kill people randomly. I won't kill you," Raditz said, seeing that the two of them were silent. He thought they were intimidated by his power level and became even more smug, laughing with an arrogant expression.
Son Gohan didn't say a word, just silently watched him with a calm, rippleless gaze.
With Son Gohan's current physical strength, even if he stood there and let Raditz hit him all day, the other party might not be able to harm him in the slightest.
"Dad, where are we going now?" Raditz looked around and asked curiously, trying to change the subject.
"To Kakarot's house," Bardock answered short and to the point.
"Is Kakarot there too?" Raditz immediately became interested, his eyes sparkling with expectation.
Bardock nodded slightly and said no more.
"Can I spar with Kakarot?" Raditz rubbed his hands together excitedly, eager to try.
Bardock couldn't help but cover his face, looking completely helpless.
With your measly power level, you want to spar with Kakarot?
Isn't that just asking for trouble?
Son Gohan was even more speechless, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
Uncle Raditz, are you serious?
"You can, but Kakarot is currently training. I hope you don't disturb him," Bardock said, his face turning stern again, his tone serious.
"I'll spar with him after he finishes his training. That should be fine, right?" Raditz chuckled and hurriedly promised, fearing Bardock would change his mind.
Bardock said no more and increased his speed to continue their journey.
Soon, the three of them returned to Goku's home on Mount Paozu.
The moment Bardock landed, his gaze immediately shifted to Son Goku, who was training in the yard.
Still training?
It's already been two days. He really can persevere.
Better let him train in peace...
"What kind of strange thing is Kakarot doing over there? Is that a way of training?" Raditz looked at Son Goku's peculiar posture and couldn't help but mutter, his face full of confusion.
"Don't say useless things," Bardock snorted, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure. "Follow me and meet your mother."
"Eh? Mom?" Raditz was taken aback, his eyes full of surprise and expectation.
Bardock led Raditz to Gine's room.
At this time, Gine was still unconscious, her face pale.
Raditz's eyes widened instantly as he stared at the woman on the bed. He hurriedly called out in excitement, "Mom! Mom is still alive?"
However, after Raditz spoke, he took a few more careful looks at Gine and felt that something wasn't quite right.
Although this woman looked very similar to his mother, the feeling she gave off wasn't quite like his mother...
"Dad, is she really my mother?" Raditz couldn't help but ask again, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty.
Bardock glared fiercely at Raditz, his gaze carrying a warning.
"Yes... if Dad says she is, then she is," Raditz's mouth twitched slightly as he hurriedly and sensibly replied.
Anyway, she's your wife. If you say she is, then she is.
It doesn't have much to do with me.
"What's wrong with her?" Raditz asked with concern, seeing that his mother was still in a deep sleep.
To be continued…
Advance 100 Chapters are up on my Patreon!
pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus