The wasteland was silent for a heartbeat. Dust hung in the air, stirred only by the faint whimpers from within the pod. Goku and Piccolo steadied themselves, both bruised and breathing heavily from Raditz's overwhelming power.
But Saitama…
He strolled forward casually, his blank eyes locked on the tall Saiyan warrior. Each step he took echoed faintly against the cracked earth, not from force but from the sheer quiet of his presence.
Raditz narrowed his eyes. "What do you think you're doing, worm?"
Saitama tilted his head. "Well, you looked bored. Thought I'd give it a shot."
The scouter on Raditz's face beeped erratically, struggling to measure Saitama's power. Numbers flickered across the lens—1, 5, 0, then back to 1. Useless noise.
"What is this?" Raditz muttered, smacking the side of the device. "It can't get a read on you…"
Saitama scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, maybe it's broken. Happens sometimes."
Raditz sneered, masking the unease curling in his stomach. "Tch. Don't play games with me! You're nothing compared to a Saiyan elite!"
With a roar, Raditz lunged. His speed split the air, ground shattering beneath his stride as he blurred straight toward Saitama, fist cocked back.
Goku shouted, "Saitama, watch out!"
But Saitama didn't flinch.
Raditz's punch came down like a hammer—yet when it struck, there was no explosion, no shockwave. His fist simply stopped.
Saitama had raised one hand lazily, catching the blow with two fingers.
Raditz froze, his arm trembling. His eyes widened. "Wh… what?!"
Saitama yawned. "That's it? You made such a big deal about fighting, and this is all you've got?"
With a flick of his wrist, he shoved Raditz's arm aside. The Saiyan staggered back, boots carving furrows into the dirt. For the first time, his grin faltered completely.
Piccolo's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected much from this bald stranger, but what he'd just seen… it was unlike anything he knew. "Impossible…" he muttered under his breath.
Goku blinked, stunned but filled with hope. "Saitama… you—"
But Raditz's fury boiled over. "You dare mock me?!" His aura erupted around him, a blazing storm of golden fire that shook the wasteland. He lunged again, faster this time, unleashing a barrage of strikes aimed to overwhelm.
Saitama stood perfectly still. Each punch, each kick, each blow… missed by a hair, glancing off an arm raised halfheartedly, or stopped dead against his chest as if Raditz were striking a wall of steel.
Sweat beaded on Raditz's forehead. He pushed harder, faster, snarling through clenched teeth. His tail lashed wildly as his strikes blurred into a storm.
Saitama's blank stare never wavered. "You done yet?"
And then—
Saitama's fist moved.
Not even a full punch. Just a gentle jab to Raditz's chest.
The impact sent the Saiyan flying back dozens of meters, crashing through a jagged ridge and collapsing in a spray of rubble.
The wasteland trembled. Dust rolled across the battlefield like smoke from an explosion.
For a long moment, silence reigned.
Inside the pod, Gohan's wide eyes blinked through tears. Even at his young age, he sensed something strange about the bald man who had just tossed Raditz aside so effortlessly.
Goku stared in awe. He knew his brother's strength—had felt it firsthand in every brutal strike. For Saitama to brush it aside as if it were nothing… it was beyond comprehension.
Piccolo clenched his fists, his pride stinging. "That power… it's not ki. It doesn't make sense."
Raditz burst from the rubble, armor cracked, face twisted with rage. "Y-You… how did you—?! No Earthling could possibly—!"
Saitama tilted his head. "Earthling, Saiyan, whatever. Doesn't matter. You kidnapped a kid. That's scummy. So I'll smack you around for it."
Raditz's scouter beeped wildly, flashing red with warning signals. He ripped it off in frustration, crushing it in his fist. "Enough! You think you can humiliate me?!"
He roared, energy erupting once more. The ground beneath him split apart as he charged, but instead of aiming for Saitama this time, his eyes flicked sideways.
In a blur, Raditz vanished—reappearing right beside the pod.
"Then I'll just kill the brat!"
Goku's eyes widened in horror. "No!"
Raditz's hand raised, energy sparking at his fingertips. Gohan screamed inside the pod, tiny body pressed against the glass.
But before the blast could fire, a shadow appeared between them.
Saitama.
His hand rested casually against the pod's surface, blocking Raditz's strike with his forearm. The attack fizzled against his skin, dissipating into harmless sparks.
Raditz staggered back in shock. "W-What are you?!"
Saitama turned his head, expression unreadable. "Didn't I say? Just a guy. But if you keep messing with this kid…" His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, a rare flash of seriousness glinting in them. "…I won't be gentle."
For the first time since arriving on Earth, Raditz felt it. Fear.
The raw, suffocating weight of someone he couldn't measure. Someone he couldn't understand.
Goku seized the moment, rushing forward to stand at Saitama's side. His fists clenched, his aura flaring. "Raditz! It doesn't matter if we're weak compared to you. We'll fight together—and we'll win!"
Piccolo stepped forward as well, cape snapping in the wind. His eyes burned with quiet determination. "Don't underestimate us, Saiyan. You may be stronger now… but I've prepared a technique you won't escape."
Raditz's gaze darted between the three of them, his arrogance faltering. His tail lashed nervously at his side.
"This… This isn't over," he growled. "You think a freak like him can save you? You're still insects compared to the Saiyan race!"
But his voice lacked the confidence it once held.
Saitama didn't move, his presence alone anchoring the battlefield. His casual stance, his blank face—it was almost insulting. Yet beneath it, even Goku and Piccolo could sense it now. Something about him was different.
The fight had only just begun, but already the balance of power had shifted.
And Raditz knew it.