Upon arriving on Planet Vegeta, Zuke casually inquired among several Saiyans and promptly learned of Garou's current whereabouts.
Entering the healing pod chamber, Zuke immediately spotted Garou undergoing treatment inside the pod, the massive wound on his abdomen already scabbed over.
Only one person stood guard in the room—and Zuke recognized him: Raditz, eldest son of Bardock.
"Raditz, you're the only one on watch here?"
Zuke entered the room, observing Raditz seated on a chair playing a handheld console. Despite Dragon Ball being created in the 1980s, Toriyama's ingenious foresight meant futuristic elements like portable gaming devices already existed in this world.
The Zuke Force, having inherited Frieza's army and absorbed the Heeter Force, now stood as the universe's supreme power. Naturally, such "advanced" gaming consoles were accessible even to Saiyans.
"...Lord Zuke!"
Hearing the voice, Raditz looked up and hastily discarded his console, rising to his feet with reverence.
Though still young—even younger than Illya—Raditz's combat prowess already rivaled a Saibaman's. According to Dragon Ball Super lore, Raditz inherently possessed elite-class warrior potential, though his later negligence left him with a mere 1,500 battle power at death.
Had he trained seriously, his future strength wouldn't have been so lackluster—explaining why Bardock's family considered Raditz the sole underperformer.
"Uncle Riku said guarding this guy alone was enough—after all, he can't even beat a Saibaman."
Unaware of Zuke's internal musings about his future, Raditz earnestly explained his solo watch duty. The "Riku" he mentioned was the Saiyan who'd nearly killed Garou with a Saibaman earlier.
Zuke recalled Riku as one of Bardock's comrades—the same unlucky Saiyan who, in Dragon Ball Super's manga, sustained injuries during the invasion of Planet Cereal.
"Losing to a Saibaman... makes sense."
Zuke settled onto a chair beside the healing pod, observing Garou's recovery.
In One-Punch Man, Garou underwent multiple power-ups, but pre-monsterization, his strength barely ranked mid-to-lower tier among S-Class heroes.
This wasn't to disparage S-Class heroes, but their feats paled against Dragon Ball's scale—where destroying the moon required merely a few hundred battle power.
A Saibaman's 1,200 battle power was insurmountable for most S-Class heroes, let alone Garou, who barely scraped the upper echelons of S-Class.
"Why does Lord Zuke value this guy so much?"
Noting Zuke's approachable demeanor—unlike King Vegeta's temper—Raditz grew bolder with his question.
"He keeps challenging Saiyans weekly but loses every time. Sure, he improves, but the gains are microscopic."
In One-Punch Man, Garou seemingly breached his limiter briefly during extreme duress—unlike Saitama's permanent state.
Here, Garou repeatedly broke his limits against Saiyans, achieving rapid growth... yet Saiyans deemed it negligible. Any Saiyan surviving near-death experiences gained exponentially more.
Thus, young Raditz couldn't fathom Zuke's interest in Garou. Even his mother Gine, a non-combatant Saiyan, could obliterate Garou effortlessly.
"I value him for... alternative purposes."
Zuke chuckled, ruffling Raditz's spiky hair—more porcupine-like than Bardock's style.
"Your disdain proves you understand the consequences of weakness. Train hard, lest you end up like this pitiful uncle here."
Zuke held high hopes for Raditz, an elite-class warrior by birthright. With Bardock alive in this timeline, proper training would prevent his original mediocrity.
"Yes! I won't fail your expectations, Lord Zuke!"
Raditz's eyes sparkled at the encouragement. Zuke's legend—shattering the scouter's 3,000,000 ceiling—was gospel among Saiyans. Many whispered he was the legendary Super Saiyan, a belief Raditz fervently shared.
Such praise from a mythic figure ignited Raditz's motivation instantly.
Elated, Raditz departed after Zuke dismissed him from guard duty. As a child, he chafed at inactivity, and Zuke's permission freed him to roam.
Now alone with Garou, Zuke smirked at the healing pod.
"You heard everything I told Raditz, didn't you?"
Though Garou's eyes remained shut, Zuke's ki sense confirmed his wakefulness. Raditz, untrained in ki detection, assumed Garou still comatose.
Realizing the charade was futile, Garou's eyes snapped open.
He tore off the medical tubes and smashed the pod's glass with a punch, stepping out dripping with nutrient fluid.
"Those fluids are expensive."
Zuke eyed the spilled liquid amusedly.
"So—learned anything this past week?"
Garou's stable condition pleased Zuke; a week in King's Army territory without abnormalities meant Sitonai could safely be retrieved.
But beyond that, he genuinely wanted Garou's reflections.
To be continued…