I would like to start with an authors note, probably the only one I'll do, so you might want to read this. This story is not about a big fight; that will come later. This story is about the training that takes place before hand, but that we never get to see in the series. Most of it will take place in the hyperbolic time chamber, and it deals with the emotions, trials, pain, and labors that one must go through to get stronger.

It deals mainly with the Saiyans, and takes place one year after Buu. It won't fit anywhere on the timeline, and some thing will change. Of course I have a favorite Saiyan, but I'm going to keep this as neutral as possible.

I'm writing this because I think that the training is very important, but they leave too much of it out. I've always wanted to see how they train, but I am always disappointed by how little they show.

I break up scenes by writing '12345678910', because ff dot net won't let us do double breaks anymore. Also Italicized means thoughts.

If you have any questions, feel free to review and ask. However, I'm going to be bringing up some painful subjects as well, many from 'DBZ short stories 2', and if you'd like to talk about them in a more private setting, feel free to e-mail me at, reality at gwi dot net. (Write like a normal e-mail.) I'll try to help you out as much as possible.

One more thing: This is going to be a very serious story, but I'm going to throw in a few amusing scenes as well, because sometimes I just can't help myself. (See 'DBZ short stories' for more.)

"Life is not a destination, but a journey." This is the journey.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

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King Kai stood on the Grand Kai's planet, watching the fighters train to out do each other. Pikkon fired a large blast that incinerated a boulder someone had thrown and the Kai smiled.

Almost makes me wish Goku were still dead so we could show these guys up some more. His smile deepened, but at least he's no longer eating me out of house and home. Those seven years have got to be the longest… He stopped amusing himself with his own thoughts. What the hell?

The Kai moved his antenna around for a second, and then they stuck straight out and began to quiver. No! Goku killed him over a year ago! How could he be back! He's even stronger then before!

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Vegeta threw a punch and then blasted off several kicks as a follow up. He swerved around and swung a right hook behind him and then brought up his elbow into his imaginary opponents face. Not good enough, The Prince thought, Let's bring it up to eight hundred times gravity and see how it feels.

He walked over to the control panel where the number 640 glowed and was about to change it when he noticed he was no longer alone in the Gravity Chamber.

"What do you want, Kakarot?" he said, turning to stare down his rival.

"I just got a message from Dende, and I think we're in trouble." The taller Saiyan said, lowering his fingers from his forehead and stepping away from Piccolo and Gohan, who he had taken with him.

"So?" Vegeta said, "Whatever it is, it's not important enough to interrupt my training." He turned away.

"Buu is back."

Vegeta froze, and then slowly turned back to Goku, "What do you mean? We killed him over a year ago!"

"I know, but he was strong enough to escape from hell. He's still dead, but now he's going across the universe, destroying everything he can." Goku gestured to Piccolo and Gohan, "We're going to train to defeat him, and we would like your help too."

Vegeta knew he would never have agreed to this request in the old days, but something told him to do it. "Alright. Let's go." He walked up to Goku and turned to Piccolo, "What's the matter? Gravity a little much?"

Piccolo was struggling to remain standing, but turned and shot Vegeta a deadly glare. "I don't need any support from you!"

Vegeta grinned and remained that way as Kakarot took them away.

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Dende paced the length of the lookout and stopped to look at the sun. What's taking them so long? As if summoned by his thoughts, Vegeta, Goku, Gohan and Piccolo popped on the landing of the lookout.

"Excellent!" The young Namek cried, "You're all here!"

"Hi, Dende!" Gohan called to his childhood friend, "It's good to see you again!"

"Hey Gohan! I'm glad you made it! Things are looking like they could get ugly."

"If you are quite through," Vegeta interrupted, "I'd like to know what's going on. Kakarot was rather vague with me."

"Actually," Goku said, "Dende didn't explain the situation fully to me either. So what's going on?"

"It's a little complex, so I'll start at the beginning. Kid Buu was killed and sent to Hell, but when he arrived there, they didn't know what to do. After all, you can only contain someone if you have something or someone stronger then them. Nothing is stronger then Buu, and Pikkon is now their best fighter. He wasn't able to hold Buu for very long. For about a year Buu has been flying around the universe, absorbing people and adding their strength to his. He now is a hundred times stronger then he was before, and he's growing stronger every day. The only reason I was able to sense him from so far away is because of his preposterous strength. He's not coming towards Earth, but he will, because he probably remembers you two." He nodded to Goku and Vegeta.

"Holy shit," Goku muttered, "Not even the spirit bomb would take him out!"

"No," Dende said, "Even if we collected the energy of a hundred planets, it would still not be enough."

"It's too bad that you can't use the hyperbolic time chamber any more," Gohan said to his father and Vegeta, "That would really help us out."

"Yea," Goku said, "I've already used up my two times, once as a kid and once with Cell."

"Actually Goku," Dende said, "That's why I called you all up here. This last year I made some modifications to the room, and Mr. Popo is finishing up some last minute details right now."

"You mean we can use it again!" Goku yelled.

"Yes. I've been spending some time poking around the lookout this last year, and I saw some improvements that could be made in the Chamber. So I talked with Shenron and made it possible."

"Like what?" Vegeta asked, unable to hold his curiosity.

"Oh, nothing much," The Guardian said slyly, "Just a few things like, oh, you don't age."

"What!" Gohan yelled.

"That, plus I was able to remove the whole time limit thing. You can stay in there for two day's or two thousand, it doesn't matter. The conditions also get worse the further out you go from the entrance, because I know ten times gravity isn't very much. Right, Vegeta?"

The Prince grinned at the comment, "I don't even feel it."

"Pui-pui found that out the hard way. And, I am now proud to say the room has a washer and dryer!"

Dead silence met this remark.

"What! You guys stank so badly when you came out of there! You thought we were making faces because you had powered up, but the truth is we couldn't believe the smell!"

"Uh, that's great Dende." Goku said, "Can we use it?"

"Not yet. Mr. Popo hasn't finished it up yet, but it will be soon. He's inside right now, so it won't be long."

"Good," Vegeta said, "Now there is just one thing to take care of," He turned to Piccolo, "Excess luggage."

"What!" Piccolo yelled and made ready to jump at the Saiyan.

"Whoa! Piccolo!" Goku said, jumping between the two, "Don't do anything rash. Besides, although I was going to be a little more tact then Vegeta, I was going to bring up the same thing."

"What are you talking about!" Piccolo said, "I'm going to train too! You're not the only ones who want to take down Buu!"

"I'm sorry Piccolo," Vegeta said, truly sounding sorry, "But you've fallen too far behind the Saiyans to get mixed up in this. Any time you spend in there will be wasted, and we don't need to be holding back because you're slowing us down."

"Sorry Piccolo," Gohan said, placing a hand on his mentors shoulder, "But this time it's our turn."

"It's always your turn," he muttered, but sounded subdued.

"Besides, I like the idea of having you stay out here," Goku said, "I know from listening to Goten that you can talk to someone while they're in the room. That will be a very valuable thing to have if Majin Buu shows up and starts to blow up the Earth. You can call us out the moment he shows up!"

"Fine." Piccolo muttered, "But I'll be sure to finish him off when you three fail."

"Deal!" Goku turned and saw Mr. Popo walking past with a hammer and some boards, "Looks like Mr. Popo is done! Ready to go in?"

"Wait!" Dende said, "I'm going in too!"

This was met with as much surprise and silence as his announcement about the clothes washer.

"You're kidding right?" Vegeta snarled, "If we're not letting Piccolo in, then we sure aren't letting a weakling like you in either!"

"I know it sound absurd," the guardian said, cutting off the other protests, "But I know that a Saiyan when beaten within an inch of his life heals, he is multiple times stronger then before. If you guys are injured in there, then I can heal you, and you can get right back up and start training again! You won't have any down time!"

"He's got a point," Gohan said.

"I can also help out with things like cooking and stuff!" He hung his head, "I have no delusion's of getting stronger myself, or of learning a new technique that will win the day, but I won't just sit around, knowing I could have really helped!"

"In that case," Vegeta growled, "we might just as well take Piccolo! He can heal."

"Yea," Piccolo said, "But not if I'm too hurt. Plus, I admit I'm not very good at it."

"Well, Dende," Goku said, sticking out his hand, "Welcome aboard!"

"One more thing," Vegeta said, "Can you materialize things?"

"Well," the guardian said, "somewhat. I'm not very good at it."

"Kakarot, before we head in I want to make a quick stop to Heaven."

"Hmm? What for?"

"Because I have only been in Hell and didn't get to see it when I was dead!" The Prince snarled with sarcasm.

"Okay," Goku said, "It's really not that special, it's just like-"

"Just take me there."

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Goku lowered his hand from his forehead as Vegeta stepped away from him, looking around.

"Why are we here, Vegeta?" The tall Saiyan asked, "It's really not that special, and we really should start on the training."

"Kakarot, I want you to take me to King Kai."

"What? How do you know about King Kai? I don't remember telling you about him." Goku asked in surprise.

"I met the Kai while I was dead a year ago," Vegeta explained, "It happened while I was in hell."

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Vegeta was in hell, both figuratively and literally. His body was smeared with his own blood that ran down the wall he was chained to and pooled on the floor his feet hung over. He couldn't even lift his head he hurt so much, the demons of hell were very efficient and skilled in beatings, plus they enjoyed it.

He was alone in his cell, as were all the people as bad as he had been. And why shouldn't I have been judged bad? He thought to himself, I killed hundreds of people, and that was just the last day of my life!

He tried to find his rage, to raise his energy, but he just felt tired and only wanted to sleep. But that was one heck of a battle. Kakarot, I still hate you, but thanks for fighting me. He smiled at the thought.

"I'm amazed you can still smile in your position," a voice that sounded like it was traveling through a mouth full of almonds said.

Vegeta lost his smile and raised his head to scowl at the being who had appeared in his cell. He was short and had blue skin, plus a pair of black antennas. "Who the hell are you?" Vegeta asked, more out of curiosity then of any real desire to find out who he was.

"So this is the Saiyan who almost defeated my top student," the man said, ignoring the comment.

"Top student?" Vegeta asked, "You don't mean Kakarot?"

"That's right, you refer to him by that Saiyan name," The man said, smiling, "I am King Kai, and I must admit it excites me to see you. You are defiantly as good a fighter as they say you are."

Vegeta smiled, "It also excites me to meet the man that trained Kakarot. You must be as good a trainer as I am a fighter."

"That's true," King Kai said, "It's saddening to see the once Prince of a mighty race reduced to this."

Vegeta snarled, and was completely surprised when the Kai backhanded him across the face.

"Don't give me that!" The Kai said, "When are you going to wake up! The past is dead, and so are you! The Saiyan race is now extinct, only the half-breeds on Earth remain. If you are still going on about being a Prince, then you are only a Prince of a dead civilization! Don't' you understand that a King can be reduced to begging on the street, while a common vender can rise up to luxury? The past does not matter to who we are, and that is why you will never be as good as Goku. He doesn't let the past bother him, while you think that just because you were a Prince that you should be better then everyone else! That's not how it works! Why do you insist on living in the past when the Prince rules over nothing?"

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"That's why I fused with you, Kakarot," Vegeta said to the Saiyan next to him, "Your speech echoed of his, and I couldn't believe how much it bothered me."

"Oh, wow!" Goku said, his gaze in infinity as he thought it over, "So that explains it!"

"Explains what?"

"How, in this last year, you've still been mean and arrogant, but it all seemed like an act, like you didn't want to do it anymore, but felt compelled to do it!" Goku smiled, "And now we can all just be friends!" He reached out his arms to hug Vegeta but received a fist in the gut.

"I'll be civil to people now, but that doesn't mean I have to be friends with anyone." Vegeta stepped over the other Saiyan who was clutching his gut.

"So why do you want to find King Kai?" Goku asked as he held a protective hand over his stomach.

"For his ability to motivate," Vegeta said, "plus, he has a great knowledge of techniques and abilities that we cannot fathom. Also, he can materialize items that we might need to train."

"Wow!" Goku said, "You really thought this through! Okay! Let's go!"

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"You want me to what?" King Kai yelled more then asked.

"Come on, King Kai," Goku pleaded with the short man, "It'll only be for a week or so and then you can go back to whatever it is you do up here!"

At this Vegeta snorted and grumbled something that sounded rude.

"I do many important things!" The Kai yelled at the shorted Saiyan, "And as for you Goku, there is no way I'm leaving all of this so I can spend a few years catering to your every whim! I had enough of that when you were on my planet! Which you blew up! I don't think I really owe you any favors! So hit the road!"

"But King Kai-" Goku began, but was cut off by Vegeta walking past him.

"Let me make this simple." The prince said, "You are coming with us, whether you like it or not."

"No, I'm not!" The Kai yelled.

"Yes, you are."

"No!"

Vegeta reached out and grabbed the neck of the Kai's robe and held his other palm open an inch from the others face. "Yes. You are." His voice was just above a whisper.

"O-o-o-okay." The scared man said, "Just let me inform the Grand Kai."

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The three Saiyans and two Nameks stood in front of the entrance to the Lookout. Goku and Gohan were looking around, Piccolo was meditating, Dende looked very nervous, and Vegeta was wearing a hole in the landing by pacing back and forth.

"I wonder where he is?" Goku asked no one in particular as his eyes turned to the sky.

"He's chickened out, that's what!" Vegeta yelled, "We could have been in there a week already! If he doesn't show up in the next five minutes…"

King Kai suddenly appeared on the Lookout beside Piccolo, saving Vegeta from finishing his threat.

"Hey!" Gohan called, "you made it!"

"Oh, is this the type of greeting I was expecting for dropping everything and rushing down to do things you could have done yourself? Nooo. I was expecting a party, and a red carpet! But what do I get? Three Saiyans, a guardian, and a sleeping Namek!" The Kai said.

Piccolo opened his eyes and glared at the blue man, "It's nice to see you haven't changed," he said, and closed his eyes again.

"Alright!" Goku said, clapping his hands together, "Everyone's here. Piccolo, I want you to stay on the Lookout and let us know if Majin Buu shows up. Try to give as much warning as possible, because he won't hesitate to blow the Earth up. And if be sure to keep us posted on what he's doing. Gohan, Vegeta, Dende, King Kai: are you ready?"

They all nodded. "Let's go!"

The five entered the lookout and walked to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, some with eagerness in their step, others nervously. The wooden door mocked the five with its commonplace appearance, but they knew what lay beyond. Dende pulled on the brass handle and led the way in, with the others following. The bright light that poured out of the door soon obliterated any sight of the fighters, and then the door shut, sealing away the light and the only hope of the universe.