Raditz's laughter echoed across the plains, loud and brittle. The dust of his shattered scouter crumbled between his fingers, but his eyes never left Saitama.
"You… you're no ordinary Earthling. But it doesn't matter. Three against one? You'll still fall."
He lowered into a stance, aura flaring once more, the ground beneath his boots splitting apart.
Goku slid into place beside Saitama, fists raised. "Don't underestimate us, Raditz. You'll have to go through all of us!"
Piccolo scowled, cape snapping in the wind. "This isn't about pride anymore. It's survival."
Saitama stood between them, arms hanging at his sides. His blank eyes followed Raditz without a flicker of concern. "…So are we fighting or just yelling speeches all day?"
Raditz snarled and shot forward, moving with blinding speed. His fist blurred toward Goku, who barely intercepted it with his own forearm. The impact sent shockwaves through the earth.
Piccolo capitalized, firing a beam of ki that scorched across Raditz's flank, exploding against his armor. Raditz staggered, teeth bared, but retaliated instantly, sweeping Goku aside with a brutal kick and hurling a blast at Piccolo.
Saitama stepped in.
The blast struck his chest and vanished, dissipating like smoke against a wall. Saitama blinked. "…That tickled."
Raditz's composure cracked further. "You—!"
Saitama leaned slightly forward. His fist shot out—not full force, not even close. Just a straight jab. Raditz crossed his arms at the last second, blocking, but the impact hurled him across the battlefield, gouging a trench into the earth.
Goku wiped blood from his lip, staring. "He… He just sent him flying with barely anything."
Piccolo growled. "Don't get distracted. We need to work together or we won't get a clean shot."
Raditz rose from the rubble, panting, armor cracked further. Fury radiated from him. "Enough! Kakarot, I'll kill you first, then your brat, then your pathetic allies!"
He lunged again, this time targeting Goku with a ruthless barrage. Fists slammed into Goku's guard, driving him back. Goku countered, blows echoing like thunder as the two brothers clashed.
Piccolo fired from the side, forcing Raditz to split his defense. One beam grazed his shoulder, tearing armor and skin. Raditz roared in pain, spinning with a vicious backhand that caught Piccolo in the ribs, hurling him aside.
Saitama sighed. "…You two keep getting smacked around. Want me to end it?"
"No!" Goku shouted between blows, straining against Raditz's assault. "We can't just rely on you! If he's as dangerous as Piccolo says, then we need to give everything we've got!"
Saitama blinked at him. "…That sounds exhausting."
Still, he didn't move forward. Instead, he hovered just behind, eyes following every motion. If Goku fell, he'd act. Until then, he simply observed.
Raditz seized the opening, slamming a knee into Goku's gut. The Saiyan warrior gasped, doubling over. In an instant, Raditz's arms wrapped around him, tail lashing to coil around his torso.
Raditz's grin returned. "Got you!"
Goku struggled, his strength waning as Raditz crushed him in a vice grip. Pain surged through his chest with every squeeze.
Piccolo forced himself up, spitting blood. His eyes sharpened. "This is it… If we can just hold him long enough…"
He began gathering ki in his hands, palms glowing with a hellish light. The air around him vibrated violently, his aura rising to levels even Goku hadn't felt before.
Goku's voice strained. "Piccolo… what are you doing?"
"The only thing that can kill him," Piccolo growled. "My new technique. But I need time."
Raditz's eyes darted toward him, sensing the build-up. "Hah! You think I'll let you finish that?!" He tightened his grip, crushing Goku further, bones creaking under the pressure.
Saitama stepped closer at last, head tilting. "You're hugging him kind of hard. Looks uncomfortable."
"Stay back!" Raditz roared. "One move and I'll snap his spine!"
Goku wheezed, forcing words out through the pain. "S-Saitama… don't. Just… buy Piccolo time!"
Saitama scratched his cheek. "…Guess I can do that."
Raditz snarled, aura flaring brighter. "You'll regret mocking me!"
But before he could react further, the pod behind him shook.
Gohan's scream pierced the battlefield. His tiny form erupted with a sudden, uncontrollable surge of energy. The scouter might have been destroyed, but every warrior on the field felt it.
The boy's power skyrocketed. His aura blazed around him, shattering the pod door.
Raditz's eyes widened. "What—?!"
Gohan launched forward in a burst of raw instinct, his headbutt slamming into Raditz's chest with enough force to crack his armor completely.
The Saiyan staggered back, stunned. Goku slipped free from his loosened grip, collapsing to one knee.
Piccolo's charge reached its peak, the energy in his hands condensed into a spiraling beam of deadly precision. His voice was low, almost reverent. "Makankōsappō…"
Raditz regained his footing just in time to see it. His eyes widened, fury and fear colliding. "No… NO!"
The beam fired, tearing through the battlefield like a lance of pure destruction.
Raditz jerked Goku back into his grasp at the last instant, twisting his brother's body into the path of the blast.
The Special Beam Cannon screamed across the plains—
—straight toward both Saiyans.
Saitama's eyes flicked, calm and unreadable. He made no move to interfere.
Not yet.