The night was colder than Raditz expected. He leaned against the tree, shivering slightly as the warmth of the day gave way to a chill that bit at his exposed skin. The crude bandages he had fashioned earlier had stopped the bleeding for now, but his body still felt weak, drained from the battle and the experimentation with his ki.
As much as he hated to admit it, he was vulnerable. If Piccolo or the Z fighters came looking, he wouldn't survive another encounter. Not yet.
But vulnerability didn't mean helplessness. If there was one thing Raditz had that the original didn't, it was knowledge. His mind buzzed with fragmented memories of the series, episodes he had watched and rewatched countless times. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to focus.
"Think," he muttered. "When does Vegeta arrive? It's not long after this fight... maybe a year?"
He frowned, sifting through the information in his mind. His memory of exact dates and times wasn't perfect, but he remembered the key moments. Vegeta and Nappa arriving to wreak havoc, the desperate fight that pushed the Z Fighters to their limits, and Goku's return with the Kaioken technique. Then Namek…
Raditz's eyes snapped open. "Namek."
It was the first beacon of hope he had since waking up. He remembered the Namekian Dragon Balls, far more powerful than Earth's, capable of granting three wishes. If he could get there first before Frieza, before Vegeta he could use them to change everything.
But the timeline was fragile. He couldn't afford to disrupt the key events that shaped the universe. Goku had to fight Vegeta. Goku had to fight Frieza. Those battles were the foundation of everything that came after.
Raditz let out a shaky breath, the enormity of it all pressing down on him. "I need to get stronger. A lot stronger. And I need to do it without anyone noticing."
He spent the rest of the night outlining his plan in his mind.
1. Avoid Detection: If Kami noticed him, he'd be in trouble. He had to suppress his power to the point of being unnoticeable.
2. Prepare for Namek: Stealing a ship was risky, but it was his only option. He couldn't rely on the Saiyan pods; the Z Fighters would likely have taken them.
3. Control the Timeline: No matter how tempting it was to interfere, he couldn't afford to disrupt major events. He had to play his part in the shadows.
4. Master Ki Control: Suppressing his energy was just the beginning. He needed to learn how to fight efficiently without giving away his power.
As the first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon, Raditz stood, stretching his aching limbs. The world around him felt eerily quiet, as if holding its breath.
"Alright," he muttered, clenching his fists. "One step at a time. First, I need food. Then I need to get off this rock."
The wilderness was both a blessing and a curse. It provided cover, keeping him hidden from prying eyes, but it was also merciless. Raditz scoured the area for anything edible, cursing his lack of knowledge about Earth's flora.
After hours of searching, he finally came across a herd of deer grazing in a clearing. His Saiyan instincts flared. The hunt came naturally, and within moments, he had felled one of the creatures with a quick burst of energy. He dragged the carcass to a nearby stream, ignoring the guilt that pricked at the human part of his mind.
Survival was survival.
As the meat cooked over a crude fire, Raditz sat back, his mind returning to the timeline. He muttered to himself, laying out the key events like pieces on a chessboard.
"Vegeta and Nappa arrive. The Z Fighters fight them. Goku is wished back and fights them. Then... Namek. Frieza arrives. Goku becomes a Super Saiyan." He paused, frowning. "But where do I fit into all of this?"
He didn't have an answer. All he knew was that he couldn't stay on Earth. If the Z Fighters didn't kill him, Vegeta and Nappa would. And if by some miracle he survived them, Frieza was a death sentence waiting to happen.
The fire crackled softly, the smell of roasting meat filling the air. Raditz stared into the flames, a steely resolve hardening in his chest. He wouldn't be a pawn in someone else's game. Not anymore.
That night, as he lay under the stars, exhaustion finally claimed him. But sleep brought no comfort.
In his dreams, he was back in the crater, pinned to the ground by Goku's grip. Piccolo stood before him, the Special Beam Cannon charging in his hands. The blast tore through his chest, the pain so vivid it jolted him awake.
Raditz sat up, gasping for breath. Sweat dripped down his face as he clutched his chest, half-expecting to feel the hole there. But it was gone. He was alive.
For now.
He buried his face in his hands, frustration and fear bubbling to the surface. "Why me? Of all people, why did I have to end up as him?"
But deep down, he already knew the answer. It didn't matter why. What mattered was what he did with the second chance he'd been given.
Raditz looked up at the stars, his jaw tightening. He wasn't just going to survive. He was going to thrive.
As dawn broke, Raditz began his journey. His goal was clear: find a ship, get to Namek, and make his wishes. The path ahead was dangerous, but he welcomed it.
In the distance, a faint power signature flickered on the edge of his senses. It was faint but familiar. Piccolo.
Raditz smirked, his Saiyan pride flaring. "Don't worry, Namekian. You won't find me. Not yet."
He turned and disappeared into the forest, his energy suppressed to the faintest whisper. The hunt for survival had begun.