What if Son Goku left with Raditz

Sagi closed a massive book with a ’bang’. “All right! Have you remembered all the strengths and the weaknesses of the 53 transformable species?”



“Yes. No problem at all. They are all here.” Goku pointed at his head with a big grin for his achievement.



“Ts. I would be a fool to believe you. Last time I told you Mancaus were one of the transforming species yet you still got yourself into trouble.”



“Come on Sagi. You only mentioned it briefly. There are, how many – two duodecillion species in the universe, how could I remember them all?”



“But there are only 53 I wanted you to remember!” the wise man said with exasperation.



“Don’t worry Sagi. This time is different. You have been speaking of them for two weeks now and I definitely have them all memorized.”



“I would not put money on it, but it seems I will have to gamble.” Sagi murmured.

“Thank you so much for your help Sagi. You are best teacher I could have. I am ready for tomorrow. ” Goku gave Sagi a big hug.

-----------------------------



The next day the ship arrived at the Death planet.



The planet had been wiped out by Frieza’s solider so many times it was completely void of life. The whole planet was red due to its barren and exposed red clay: no water, no plants – nothing higher than rolling hills remained where majestic mountains had once stood. A huge crater marred the planet’s peculiarly flat terrain, which mimicked a volcanic pit – only on a massive scale. So large was this pit it made the planet appear pear-shaped from their particular approach in space. It was obviously not caused by natural forces, but some near-catastrophic manmade power— perhaps a blast from a mind-bogglingly strong warrior. And this was the place where Frieza held his annual Death Beat in order to select elite warriors for his empire.



Frieza’s main ship had already docked and all the soldiers came out for a day of fun and violence. They all sat and scattered around the pit shouting, chanting and laughing as they waited for the fights to begin. Alcohol and snacks were sold at impromptu vendors placed in strategic places around the planet-threatening crater. Sometimes fights would break out among the overly enthusiastic audience due to the different parties they supported or just because they were full of beer. Sometimes the fighting in the center stadium encouraged the audience to fight along with it. The only reason those did not evolve into massive group fights was Frieza’s iron grip, but this did not stop beer cans from being thrown around.



Not all soldiers who wished to take part were able to fight. A preliminary test was carried out to select only the top soldiers for the fights. Those selected based on the scouter readings were already in the waiting area, stretching or meditating, preparing for the fight.



Both Vegeta and Goku had passed the preliminary selection, while Nappa and Raditz had not made it.



Vegeta scanned the competitors. He was pleasantly surprised that his lover had made into the fight. It is time to test Kakarotto’s true strength. I bet he is still not as good as me. Last year he had been given the number 7 spot. This year he aimed to get to number 3. It will be a very tough fight, but I will try my best.



Goku scanned around the waiting area, trying to estimate the strength of all the contestants. Most warriors waiting were the type that Sagi had taught him were transformers. Some were large and some were small. He tried to remember Sagi’s teaching. The large one with 3 horns on the head, he was one from the Rabi’s race, tough skin, but once the shield was penetrated, he should actually be quite easy to deal with. The smallest one, on the contrary, was more difficult as he condensed his power in his hits, similar to the idea of a bullet, small but powerful, he wasn’t to be taken lightly. Goku could not help being very excited—so many different yet great warriors of the universe in the same place, ready to fight, fair and square. Where else could he find such a lucky occurrence? Then he saw Vegeta. An affectionate smile raised his lips. He knew Vegeta valued strength and winning heavily. He would not mind losing to his lover as long as it made him happy. To Kakarotto, fighting itself was the biggest reward.

Then the fights began.



Several hours later, only four soldiers made to the semifinal—Vegeta, Jeice, Kakarotto and Dodoria.



The next draw was- Vegeta vs. Jeice and Kakarotto vs. Dodorira.



Vegeta was surprised his lover had made that far. He must have got easy opponents. Like now, Dodoria is much easier than Jeice. If I had drawn Dodoria, I would have achieved my goal this year already. Never mind, better concentrate on the fight at hand.



The first fight of the semifinal was between Vegeta and Jeice. Jeice was the same height as Vegeta, but tougher and stronger. He was said to be the star fighter on the Ginyu team, only below the Captain Ginyu himself. The reason captain Ginyu had not made it to the final was because his trick of changing bodies was not allowed in the fight, as this was a test to strength only. In that sense, Jeice was stronger than his captain.



Vegeta’s fight was over fairly quickly. Jeice proved to be much stronger than him. He was over powered in a ki fight and was sent out of the stadium immediately. He had lost, but had not taken any serious injuries.



While he was checked for the extent of his battle injuries and before he got back to the stadium, he learned Kakarotto’s fight was over too. And, to his surprise, Kakarotto had won! Hn, Dodoria is much weaker than Jeice. Let’s see how Kakarotto deals with Jeice. With that he joined the audience and started cheering for his lover.



The final battle was between Kakarotto and Jeice. An enormous gong was rung, the sound drowning out the cheering audience, and then the fight began.



Goku discerned the man in front of him was really powerful by reading his ki. However, he was not the Goku of one year ago anymore – when he first joined Frieza’s army. With Sagi’s mentoring he had combined techniques learnt from him with the strength he gained by using the gravity chamber. He could feel power surging inside his body. And with the meditation method he had learned early from Master Roshi, his power was not only strong but also renewable. Like batteries with a backup, or like sea waves with wind support-- after the first wave, the second would follow. The power was so warm in his body he would love to exert it full out to see the result. Let’s have some fun. With a big grin, he lunged forward at Jeice.



Jeice had never seen or heard of the warrior in front of him. He seemed to be the biggest black horse of the year. He must have got lucky. He thought. However, when it came to the fight, he would still treat him with utmost respect. In Jeice’s race, Redi, respect your enemy was the biggest decorum. Jeice concentrated on Kakarotto’s fighting stance and wanting to find out the flaws in order to land his first strike.



There was none.



This warrior was a genius. He would be able to move quickly to attack yet his whole body was guarded seamlessly—his right fist was held in an overhead striking pose Jeice was unfamiliar with while his left hand was in a form of palm – his opponent would be able to defend as well as strike with that hand alone. If Jeice managed to evade the fist he still would not avoid the following hand.



Kakarotto’s held his foot forward with toes slightly pointing up, incase Jeice changed his attack and move upwards, Kakarotto would be ready to follow with a kick. It seemed this warrior had calculated all of Jeice’s possible moves and prepared for them. Jeice’s prolonged assement of Kakarotto’s form caused him to suffer a strike to the chest without a return hit.



Wow, he is a true warrior. Jeice re-centered his concentration and treated this fight with renewed care. He used his biggest strength—speed— and raced around to Kakarotto’s back and hammered down at the Saiyan’s neck. Kakarotto was not slow either. He dropped down and narrowly avoided the full brunt of the punch, although Jeice still connected with his neck making him a bit sore. He grinned happily. This is amazing. It is so precious to have a worthy opponent for a fight. Sagi’s chamber got a bit boring after training there for so long by myself. He rubbed his sore neck and said brightly “Good strike!” Then he jumped back to return the favor.



Many blows were been exchanged. Jeice was in shock. He thought in this world nobody could escape his speed in a one on one fight, yet the warrior in front of him proved otherwise. Thinking of the possible result of losing, he bit his lips. I refuse to die in a contest! With that he rushed over with maximum power in hand, forming a huge ki blast, with the intention to kill. I don’t know you but I have to kill you, otherwise I will die. When the ki blast departed his hand he was so sure that Kakarotto was going to die since nobody, not even Captain Ginyu, could take a blast from him. It is a pity you made this far, but I have no choice.



Kakarotto saw the huge red blast coming his way. There was no way to defend against it except to form his own blast. He closed his hands in a half circle. “ Ka—me-hame-ha---!!”



Blue ki clashed with red ki in the middle of the pit, causing a great energy wind that blew dust everywhere. Vegeta gasped and stood, wanting to see what happened to his lover. His heart was pounding so fast like it would jump out of his throat. An anxious, tight a knot formed in his stomach. Kakarotto, please you cannot lose, please! He prayed. He simply could not take his lover’s death as the result.



Thunderous clashes were heard and lightning like flashes were seen as the two ki attacks continued for quiet some time as both warriors gave it their all. Then the dust settled. Jeice sat on the corner of the stadium, coughing blood and apparently unable to stand. His face was drained of blood, giving him a pink complexion instead of his normal red, his eyes were those of a condemned man. He had lost all the hope and was expecting the final and the fatal strike.



“YES! You made it Kakarotto! I love you so much!” Vegeta jumped in jubilation, his fist waving in the air. The whole crowd went quiet for five seconds then changed to a huge roar after the situation registered. It turned into a sea of cheering. Some were shouting “Kakarotto! Kakarotto!!” Others had blood rushing into their brains, and started chanting, “Kill! Kill! Kill!”



Kakarotto observed his opponent intensively, as if he were paying his respects. Then he walked over, one step after another, before he stopped in front of Jeice. The chanting was getting louder when he got closer and stopped when he stopped in front of Jeice. Everybody was watching with expectation, trying to see how Kakarotto was going to finish Jeice and claim his title.



Kakarotto raised a hand. Jeice closed his eyes. Seconds passed. Nothing happened. Jeice opened his eyes and found—Kakarotto was extending his hand as a gesture to help! He reluctantly gave his hand to Kakarotto. With a pull, he was on his feet again. The audience gasped in confusion, then heard Kakarotto talking, voice echoing in the pit. “Warriors should die in the battle, not in the contest! Remember who watches our backs, who saves our lives? It’s our co-fighters. I refuse to kill one for competitions sake.” With that he jumped out of the stadium and walked away.



The crowd was boiling, murmuring rose everywhere as warriors were talking about this unusual turn of events. One man had shouted out, “He’s right. We should not kill our fellow co-fighters for a competition. We are brothers!” More agreed with him “Hear, hear!” Some with too much liquor affecting their brains even went so far as to hug the warrior next to him and cry. “We are brothers! I love you. ” Laughing and cheering came back to the pit.



Moments later the result was announced—Kakarotto had renounced his title by not killing Jeice. So Jeice and he tied for first. Vegeta had beaten Dodoria in the earlier session hence got the third place. Since the fight was over the celebration was carried on as normal, even if the result was a bit different than usual. Warriors needed a moment to relax and the celebration continued with more drinking and general fun.



While Kakarotto celebrated with the crowd, many came over to pat him on the shoulder or shake his hand – some adding a, “Well done.” Most Warriors not only admired his fighting skills, but also his generosity and kindness. He became the most popular guy of the night.



Frieza watched the fight from the big window of his private spaceship, Zarbon standing next to him. As the Vice commander of the ship, Zarbon was exempt from the contest to ensure some continuity of leadership. The Vice commander was not only about strength but also experience and intelligence. After watching the havoc caused by Kakarotto, Frieza was in deep thought. He conversed with his second, “How interesting! This monkey has made remarkable progress since he joined. I knew he was talented, but I did not expect him to have made such improvement. Now this last stunt he pulled made him very popular as well. Do you think he will be a threat to us?”



Before Zarbon replied he continued, “However, he is still far less powerful than me. It is such a pity to destroy such a genius. Maybe I can make use of his skills to make a profit for myself. Meanwhile I need to find drastic way to enhance my power level so that there is no possibility that anybody can surpass me. What do you think Zarbon?”



Zarbon blinked his eyes and asked in utter confusion, “Who is he?”

Frieza looked back at him in disbelief.