Without another word, Goku swiftly propelled himself towards Raditz, committed to restarting the battle and buying time.
Meanwhile, Piccolo adopted the stance of the Special Beam Cannon, his body tensing as he initiated the process of charging his formidable attack. The very earth beneath him trembled as Piccolo's power surged, his facial features contorted with strain as a network of veins pulsed across his forehead.
Piccolo's fingers crackled with an ominous energy, sparking at the intensity. As the energy surged and condensed, a compact sphere of energy coalesced, releasing sporadic bolts of electricity.
Across the battlefield, the battle resumed as Raditz immediately leaped into action. His movements were a blur as he executed a roundhouse kick aimed directly at Goku's head with lightning-fast precision. With remarkable agility and perfect timing, Goku raised his forearm defensively to intercept the incoming strike, rolling with the attack and skillfully absorbing the formidable impact of Raditz's kick.
As Goku defended against Raditz's kick, he could see Raditz's scouter flashing repeatedly with urgency. It was a split second, but Goku also managed to catch a glimpse of Raditz's eyes darting towards Piccolo. Goku's eyes narrowed. If this machine is consistently issuing reminders about Piccolo, then it is a problem. He needs Raditz to focus on him and him alone.
Goku pulled Raditz's still outstretched leg, forcing him off balance before taking the opportunity to retaliate by unleashing a barrage of rapid punches, each of his strikes finding their mark with pinpoint accuracy onto Raditz's chest and abdomen.
Normally, such an onslaught might have been easy for Raditz to evade or counter, but his current injuries, coupled with being off balance from his awkwardly positioned leg, left him virtually defenseless against Goku's lightning-fast assault.
Raditz staggered backward in disorientation by the force of Goku's assault. This momentary vulnerability provided Goku with a rare opportunity to use a technique he hadn't utilized in quite some time.
"ROCK!" Goku infused his fist with an explosive surge of ki, delivering a punishing blow to Raditz's abdomen. The force of the impact caused Raditz to double over in pain.
"PAPER!" Goku executed an upward palm strike, aiming squarely at Raditz's face. The impact of this strike forced Raditz's head to snap backward, causing him to straighten up from his previously bent-over position. Simultaneously, the strike shattered the screen on Raditz's face, achieving Goku's true objective.
"SCISSOR!" Goku leaned backward, channeling every ounce of ki he could muster into both his fists. With a yell of exertion, he thrust both fists forward, crashing them with great force into Raditz's chest, fracturing the scorched armor and leaving an intricate pattern of cracks on the once-pristine chest plate.
As Raditz stumbled backward from the brutal combination, a small stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, a clear sign of the significant damage he just sustained. However, to Goku's dismay, Raditz recovered nearly instantly from the assault and retaliated by lunging forward, his head colliding forcefully with Goku's in a brutal headbutt.
With a surge of adrenaline, Raditz let out a furious roar as he channeled his frustration and pain, raining down fury in the form of a relentless torrent of punches. The strikes landed on Goku ruthlessly, each sending a spray of blood droplets from Goku's mouth.
With an explosive burst of speed, Raditz surged forward to the left, moving slightly beyond Goku's right, before twisting his core with a ferocious intent and driving a devastating punch with his right hand into Goku's midsection. The sheer force of the blow lifted Goku's feet off the ground, leaving Goku both gasping for breath and choking on his own blood.
As the finishing blow, Raditz struck out with a powerful roundhouse kick, his foot striking Goku's head with crushing force very apex of the kick's arc. Raditz continued the motion of his kick downwards, his foot maintaining contact with Goku's head throughout the entire descent. With great force, he drove Goku's head into the ground, the power of the impact sending a plume of dust flying upwards.
As the dust settled, Goku lay sprawled unconscious on the ground, defeated once more as his head bled profusely. Over his defeated enemy, Raditz stood victorious, panting from the exertion needed to secure his victory.
This was the scene that Ajax was greeted with upon his arrival. From the very edges of the battleground, he saw Raditz standing as the undisputed victor over the fallen Goku. Ajax's eyes quickly scanned the battlefield, assessing where the conflict stood at its current state relative to canon.
Ajax had spent his journey here contemplating how best to intervene in this conflict with minimal risk. He realized that he had one surefire opportunity to perform the one move that could nearly guarantee that Goku's fate matched that of the canon. If he missed this opening, his ability to influence the outcome would come with great risks, at which point, he was better off sitting out the fight and observing from the sidelines.
Fortunately, Ajax arrived on time because it was clear that the opportune moment had not yet presented itself. Ajax's eyes drifted toward Piccolo, who was charging the Makankosappo. Actually, it seemed like Piccolo was ready to go and was contemplating whether to unleash it immediately or wait in the hope of a more advantageous opportunity.
Miraculously, it appeared that Piccolo had either sensed the intensity of Ajax's gaze on him or detected his ki signature because their eyes locked across the battlefield. Seizing this unexpected chance, Ajax vigorously shook his head, proceeded to mime firing the Special Beam Cannon, and swiftly formed an "x" by crossing his forearms in front of his chest.
Piccolo raised an eyebrow at the unspoken exchange. This brat again. He had been debating whether to risk it and unleash the Special Beam Cannon now, but with his experience, he knew that the attack was more likely to miss. The kid was probably right; patience and precision would indeed serve him better at this critical juncture. Acknowledging this, Piccolo decided that withholding the Special Beam Cannon for the time being and biding his time for a more opportune moment was the wiser choice.
As Piccolo acknowledged Ajax's plan with a subtle nod, Ajax felt a reassuring calm settle within him. Beside him, he sensed Krillin touching down on the battlefield. The gasp that escaped Krillin's lips upon seeing Goku's dire state was a reminder to Ajax that his next immediate objective was to ensure that Krillin did not act impulsively and potentially disrupt his carefully laid-out plan.
As Ajax stood his ground, preventing Krillin from rushing into the fray, on the opposite side of the battlefield, Raditz's scowl deepened as he examined the remnants of his scouter's shattered display, which was irrevocably damaged and beyond any hope of repair.
Despite the broken screen, the earpiece remained functional, providing him with auditory feedback. However, the absence of a screen left Raditz in the dark as to what information was being conveyed or what that information was referring to. Thus, he remained completely unaware of Krillin and Ajax's arrival.
Furrowing his brow in true anger, Raditz brushed aside the extra glass shards hanging from his damaged scouter and decided to take his fury out on Goku, who lay defenseless before him. He ruthlessly placed his foot on Goku's leg and, with some effort, crushed it. The agonizing pain ripped through Goku's body, shocking him awake and eliciting an excruciating scream that reverberated across the battlefield.
"Don't worry, Kakarot, you've got three more left for me to break!"
Just as Raditz was about to crush Goku's other leg, a sudden, enraged roar erupted from nearby. Raditz's attention snapped away from Kakarot to his pod as it disintegrated into a cascade of shattered debris.
Simultaneously, his scouter emitted an urgent beep, signaling a surge in power levels. Without the screen, the device couldn't convey the source of this newfound energy, but Raditz found he had little need for its guidance. Before his very eyes, Raditz witnessed Gohan erupt from the wreckage, propelling into the air and gunning straight toward him in a determined flight.
"Get Gohan!" Ajax instructed Krillin urgently before seizing this precise moment to burst forth from his concealed position and sprint toward Raditz at his maximum speed. This was the moment he had been waiting for, his one guaranteed opportunity! Raditz's eyes flicked over to Ajax, an instinctive response to sudden movement.
However, that split-second distraction proved costly, robbing Raditz of any precious remaining time needed to evade Gohan. Moments later, Gohan made direct contact with the already damaged armor, shattering it upon impact, and ultimately landed on Raditz's sternum. The collision was so intense that even from a distance of tens of meters, the sound of Raditz's sternum breaking was distinctly audible.
As Raditz found himself momentarily stunned, unable to recover from that sudden, devastating collision, Ajax arrived at Raditz's position and lunged for his tail. The moment Ajax's hands closed around the Saiyan's tail, Raditz became immobilized, his face twisting in torment, reflecting the agony he felt even as his body became paralyzed.
And since Ajax took the safe position–
"Full nelson him, Goku hurry!" Ajax called out urgently.
–then Goku would have to take the sacrificing one!
Thanks to Raditz's paralysis, Goku encountered no difficulties as he repositioned himself, utilizing flight to compensate for his broken leg. Due to the heat of the moment and the pain he was enduring, Goku didn't perceive his current situation as at all precarious.
At this moment, Goku's senses detected a swift movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and witnessed Krillin cradling Gohan protectively in his arms, booking it at full speed away from the battlefield. Continuing to hold down Raditz, Goku watched them go, his heart filling with gratitude and relief. Gohan was bawling from the pain of the wound on his forehead, but he was heading to safety. Krillin glanced back and a silent but sincere look passed between two friends' eyes as they briefly locked gazes.
Meanwhile, still gripping onto Raditz's tail, Ajax felt a sense of satisfaction. Goku has placed Raditz in a full nelson hold and Gohan has left the battlefield. Everything is going exactly according to plan– and canon.
Keeping his right hand's vice-like grip on Raditz's tail, Ajax strategically placed his left hand firmly against the center of Goku's back, right where he knew the Special Beam Cannon would eventually exit. To an outside observer, it seemed as though Ajax was providing support to Goku from behind to brace for some catastrophic impact.
However, beneath the surface, his true intention was far from altruistic. In reality, Ajax was pinning Goku in place against the paralyzed Raditz. By applying pressure on Goku's back, he ensured that there was no escape, locking Goku into the path of the Special Beam Cannon and leaving him with no chance to evade or back out.
"NOOOO!!" Raditz's howl pierced the air, realizing how dire a predicament he found himself in.
Piccolo did not let Raditz speak another word.
"MASENKA—shit—SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"