I Am Raditz

With all seven Dragon Balls finally collected, it was time to make a wish.

It had been over a year since Raditz had last summoned the dragon, and he felt a slight excitement at the prospect of calling forth Shenron once again. He carefully arranged the seven Dragon Balls together. They began to pulse with a warm, bright light, accompanied by a soft "humming" sound.

"Lord Raditz, there are seven Dragon Balls?" Angila exclaimed, clearly confused.

"Of course. If just one could grant a wish, that would be far too easy. Dragon Balls aren't ordinary crystal balls."

Angila backed away silently, no longer speaking. The intelligence they had received had always mentioned "the Dragon Ball" in singular form, so they had naturally assumed there was only one sphere. But now he realized that possessing just one would be useless—all seven were required to grant a wish.

How ironic that both Frieza and Lord Slug had been thoroughly deceived, committing significant resources and losing valuable soldiers and commanders in pursuit of what was essentially a useless single ball.

Angila stood nearby, eagerly awaiting the moment when the dragon would appear. Having never witnessed Shenron before, his curiosity was palpable. Raditz, however, intentionally or not, kept a watchful eye on him.

He still didn't completely trust his new subordinate. If Angila were to intercept him before he could state his wish, the consequences would be disastrous. This was precisely why Raditz hadn't called for the others after collecting the Dragon Balls—he remained wary of Vegeta, fearing the prince might seize the opportunity to steal his wish.

"Alright—I'm about to summon the dragon. Stand back." Raditz took a deep breath, gazed upon the brilliant light he hadn't seen in so long, and shouted, "Come forth, Shenron!"

The incantation spoken, the sky suddenly darkened as clouds gathered overhead. Lightning flashed, illuminating heaven and earth. From within the Dragon Balls, a wave of golden light surged upward, shooting straight into the sky like an enormous golden blade slicing through the scene before them. Gradually, Shenron's massive form materialized within the golden light. The eternal dragon coiled its serpentine body in the air, faced Raditz, and spoke in a deep, resonant voice.

"Speak your wish. Any desire can be granted, but only one."

Raditz glanced at Angila from the corner of his eye, ensuring he hadn't moved, then declared, "Shenron, please restore Earth's and its inhabitant to the state it was in before the Tree of Might was planted....No even further before the Saiyan Vegeta and Nappa came!"

Shenron hovered silently in the air for what seemed like an eternity, making Raditz tense as his breathing quickened involuntarily. Could the dragon be ineffective from this distance? Or was the wish beyond its power?

"This wish is easily granted," Shenron finally responded, his eyes flashing crimson as the wish was fulfilled.

Don't make me worry unnecessarily, Raditz silently complained. But the wish had been granted—Earth should now be restored to its original state.

"Angila, when the Dragon Balls scatter, try to catch two or three of them, understood? This is your first mission!" Raditz commanded in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Yes, Lord Raditz!"

Just then, Shenron's powerful voice thundered: "Your wish has been fulfilled. Farewell." In the next moment, his enormous form shrank rapidly as the Dragon Balls transformed into a sphere of golden light that shot skyward before separating into seven arcs of light, streaking across the heavens in different directions.

"Now!" Raditz shouted, launching himself into the air. Moving at incredible speed, he quickly grabbed two stone Dragon Balls, then continued racing in different directions to claim three more.

When he landed, he saw that Angila had successfully caught two, as instructed.

"Well done. Beautifully executed. Now we won't need to worry about them."

Raditz didn't quite understand why, after each wish, Goku and the others didn't simply use their considerable strength to immediately collect all the Dragon Balls, rather than waiting another year. What if the stone Dragon Balls were accidentally broken or lost?

But upon reflection, he realized that Dragon Balls were treasures belonging to the entire world, not to be monopolized by a single family. Others with dreams and hopes deserved the chance to fulfill their wishes as well. Perhaps it might even lead to adventures of youth and discovery similar to Goku's own experiences.

"My lord, why did the Dragon Balls turn to stone?" Angila asked.

"It's a limitation. Otherwise, if wishes could be made repeatedly, wouldn't they become endless?" Raditz placed the Dragon Balls in a container and transported them to the spaceship.

The dark clouds parted, revealing the sky once more. People who had been drawn by Shenron's enormous form began arriving one after another. Some cosmic beings had followed the light as well, but they were swiftly dispatched by Piccolo and the others. Eventually, only Goku and his companions reached Raditz.

Vegeta was the first to confront him. "Hey, Raditz, that was the dragon just now, wasn't it? What wish did you make?"

"Something straightforward—I restored Earth to its original state. Isn't that what everyone wanted?" Raditz gestured toward Goku and the others, who all nodded in agreement, except for Nappa.

Their purpose had indeed been the same: to find the Dragon Balls and restore Earth.

Originally, Vegeta hadn't particularly cared about Earth, but after encountering Dodoria and Zarbon, his mind had shifted. His situation had changed dramatically—Frieza now knew they had killed his confidants and would never let such an offense go unpunished. Using the Dragon Balls to eliminate Frieza could have settled all their grievances at once!

He was furious that the Dragon Balls had been "wasted" on restoring Earth rather than defeating Frieza.

"Why didn't you inform me first?! You know Frieza is in this galaxy. If we'd eliminated him, the threat would be gone forever. Then you could have restored Earth later! You've squandered our opportunity!" Vegeta clenched his fist, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Calm down, Vegeta," Raditz said evenly. "Although Earth's dragon can grant many wishes, it has limitations. I think you understand perfectly well what level of power Frieza possesses. Shenron cannot eliminate someone of his caliber."

Vegeta's eye twitched twice, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Raditz proceeded to tell everyone about Angila's identity and the complex situation, revealing the existence of Lord Slug, which shocked the group. The intricate web of forces—as well as Turles lurking in the shadows with his own agenda—had created significant instability, but Frieza remained the most terrifying threat.

Frieza's two elite guards had died violently on planet Filo, and he would never overlook such an offense. Without question, Frieza had already set his sights on them.

He might even deploy the Ginyu Force!

At the mention of the Ginyu Force, Vegeta and Nappa's expressions turned to disgust, their familiarity with that elite squad all too evident.

"Our current abilities aren't sufficient to challenge Frieza directly. Don't act rashly unless absolutely necessary!" Raditz concluded, looking pointedly at Vegeta—the most impulsive among them was undoubtedly the proud Saiyan prince.

"Hmph, Frieza isn't invincible. He has always feared our legendary warrior—the Super Saiyan..." Vegeta suddenly trailed off, a new thought taking hold.

Super Saiyan?! Everyone was stunned.

The legendary transformation, existing only in myth, was something even Frieza feared.

If one could become a Super Saiyan, challenging Frieza might actually be possible! Vegeta hadn't dared to consider it before, but now he felt genuine hope. He looked at Raditz, his eyes burning like flames.

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