Chapter 3-Trial and Error:

Bulma, along with her parents and Launch, had drove nearly five hundred miles away from West City before stopping. They set up a Capsule house to stay in for time being. The Briefs family had been quite depressed about abandoning their home, and no matter how hard she tried, Launch couldn't cheer them up.

Bulma and Launch soon decided to go and recover Goku and Tien's bodies. They were unaware of Shenron's death and still thought they would be able to revive their friends. Bulma and Launch climbed into a capsule plane and flew to the site of what used to be the capital of the world.

The pair looked around the area to find their friends bodies. While Bulma looked for Goku's body, Launch kept looking for Tien's. She found him laying face down on the ground. "Hey Bulma, get over here! I found Tien, and guess what? He's still alive!" Launch shouted excitedly. Bulma rushed over and saw Tien standing. He was bruied, battered, and bloody, but he was still alive.

"H-hey, Bulma, I need you to take me to Korin's Tower. There is a special holy water that if I drank it, I would surely gain enough power to avenge everyone and defeat Piccolo once and for all," Tien said.

"No, you aren't going anywhere! You need to rest," Bulma said, authority in her voice.

"But, I need to-"

"No buts, mister!" Bulma interrupted. Tien hung his head, defeated. The three spent hours looking for Goku's body, but never found. Saddened,the group went back to the capsule house, but not before picking up Yamcha's body. When they got back, Tien was forced to rest. The next day, Bulma and Tien took Yamcha's body to Kame House, where Oolong, Puar, and Turtle were with Chiaotzu and Roshi's bodies.

Puar got upset at the sight of his best friend dead. Tien watched the others mourning and crying. Tien only stood quietly, looking at Chiaotzu's body. 'I promise I'll avenge you, Chiaotzu! You and all our friends!'

"Guys, I hate to be the bringer of more bad news, but Piccolo killed Shenron. That means no more wishes," Tien said.

"What do you mean he killed Shenron?!" Bulma shouted in disbelief. She began pounding Tien's chest.

"Bulma, please take me to Korin's Tower now. I'll get strong enough to avenge everyone," Tien said. He would have flown there, but he hadn't regained his energy enough to fly yet.

"Alright then, get in the plane," Bulma said solemnly. The two climbed into the plane, and took off. Bulma had checked a map of the tower's location the night before, so she already knew where to fly. The ride was quiet; neither had anything to say. Soon the tower entered their view. It stretched hundreds of feet upwards. Bulma flew the plane straight up. They could see the top of the tower. Bulma slowed the plane down as they reached the top.

"Thanks for the ride, Bulma," Tien thanked Bulma, leaping out the plane and into the tower's platform, which supported a large palace. He was in a big room with no walls, just railing and a ceiling supported by pillars. Tien saw that no one was there except a white cat. "That's weird, no one is here. I wonder where Master Korin is?" Tien wondered aloud. There was a giggle that Tien clearly hear. 'Did that cat just laugh?' Tien asked himself.

Tien shook his head. He was still exhausted. His mind was playing tricks on him. But just as he turned to leave, the cat turned and began to laugh. "Where you going? I got you good, didn't I? Hi, I'm Korin, what can I do for you?"

Tien was surprised, but it wasn't the most surprising thing he had ever seen. "Sir, I would like to drink the holy-"

"I know why you're here. You want to drink the holy water so that you can beat Piccolo," Korin interrupted.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Tien asked.

"I read your mind. I wouldn't be much of a hermit master if I couldn't, now would I? But while your intentions are pure, I'm afraid I can't let you drink the water," Korin said.

Tien was shocked. Didn't Korin understand he needed the water to save the Earth from Piccolo? "But why not?" Tien asked frantically.

"I only let those who climb the tower without help drink the water. And you, sir, definitely had outside help," Korin explained.

"But-"

"There are no excuses! Now scram," Korin said. With that, he smacked Tien off the tower with his staff. The triclops fell through the air, the ground quickly speeding towards him. Just before he hit the ground, he halted himself with his ki. 'That crazy cat, he nearly killed me! I guess the only way I'm getting that water is by climbing the tower.'

Tien began his long climb up the tower. He scrambled up the tower at blinding speeds. Tien climbed for an entire hour straight before he let himself rest. A cloud floated past his head; Tien had climbed hundreds of feet above the ground, yet the top still wasn't visible. Tien panted, hugging the tower so he wouldn't fall. 'How much longer will it take to reach the top?' Tien wondered. Tien felt he would never reach the top of the tower.

Tien kept climbing and climbing, and quite a few hours had passed since he started climbing. But Tien kept going, until eventually...

"I'll never reach the top...wait, I see something," Tien said excitedly. Upon closer inspection, Tien realized what it was. "I-it's the top! I've done it; I've finally reached the top!"

With renewed vigor, Tien dashed up the side of the tower. He wasted no time in pulling himself through one of the holes in the bottom of the palace. He had finally done it. He had made it to the top, in no more than 8 hours, too!

Tien walked upstairs onto the platform where Korin awaited him. "Congrats on making it up the tower so fast. As a matter of fact, I think you were the fastest of anyone who has climbed the tower," Korin complimented.

"Now may I drink the water, Master Korin?" Tien asked. Tien saw no reason that he couldn't now that he had climbed the tower.

"I'm happy to give you some, but are you sure you will be able to drink it?" Korin asked.

"What do you mean by that?" Tien asked.

"Well, it's just that I'm going to be preventing you from getting the water," Korin said with a grin. Korin swung his staff at Tien, knocking him away from the flask of water.

"Hey, what was that all about?!" Tien shouted angrily. Tien had climbed up the tower so he could drink the water, and now Korin was going back on his word?

"If you want to drink the holy water, try to take the flask," Korin dared.

Tien made a lunge for the flask of water. But the cat quicly jumped and slammed his foot into Tien's side. Tien bounced and rolled a few feet on the ground. "Hey, I thought you said I could drink the water!"

"You need to prove you're worthy of drinking the holy water-through combat," Korin said.

The hermit took the flask of water and placed it on the end of his staff, waving it around. Tien made a dash for the flask, but Korin simply sidestepped. Tien kept chasing after Korin, but each time he dodged out of the way.

"At this rate, you'll never get it. You aren't reading your opponents movements, simply reacting to them," Korin criticized.

"I would have gotten the water by now if I weren't so tired from climbing the tower," Tien complained.

"I have a solution for that," Korin announced. He tossed something small to Tien. Tien quickly caught it and opened his palm to see what it was.

"What the heck? It's just a bean! Wait...are these one of the mystical senzu beans?" Tien asked. He had heard about the legendary senzu beans. It was said that just one bean was enough to completely restore anyone to full health and provide ten days worth of food.

Korin simply nodded his head. Tien was quick to consume the bean, which was quite bland and hard. Instantly, Tien felt all his strength completely restored.

Tien rushed at Korin, arms out stretched. But even at full strength, Korin was able to dodge him. "What an incredible speed!" Tien marvelled. For the next couple hours, Tien chased after Korin, but he was unable to catch the cat. Tien sat, panting heavily.

"How long did it take the last person to come to get the water?" Tien asked. He knew Goku had been the last person to climb the tower and wanted to know how fast his rival had been in getting the water.

"It took him only three days," Korin said. Tien's eyes widened in surprise. Goku was so very talented that it amazed him. Tien would try even harder to get the water now.

Tien leapt to his feet, eager to get the water. Tien dashed at Korin, but he only hit an after image. Tien was already out of breath again. "How come I'm already out of breath?" Tien wondered aloud.

"We are up at a very high altitude. The air up here is very thin. You're lungs haven't been conditioned to the air," Korin explained. A smile grew on his face. "You want to drink the holy water, yes? Then go get it!" Korin said as he tossed the flask over the rail. Tien quickly dashed down the tower to the flask.

When Tien reached the bottom, he picked up the flask. But there was something different about it. It wasn't the same flask the water had been in. Only then did Tien realize he had been tricked. "Gah, that darn cat fooled me!" Tien raced up the tower.

Tien quickly reached the top, panting. "What was all that for?!" Tien shouted.

Korin chuckled and said, "Don't you appreciate the extra training? It took you eight hours to climb the tower the first time, and you just made the round trip in only two hours. That is some serious progress."

'Korin is right, I have made progress,' Tien thought, amazed at how much progress he had already.

"Now then, back to business. Steal the flask of holy water," Korin said as he waved the real flask around.

Tien nodded his head and resumed chasing Korin. "Your getting better at keeping up with me," Korin remarked. The two trained till nightfall before resting that night. The next day, they began their training again.

Tien stayed on the offensive, pummeling Korin. Korin blocked the blows, but each hit knocked him back a step. The cat leapt back to try and put distance between each other. Tien quickly followed him and spun around, lashing his foot out. Korin couldn't dodge in midair and the kick connected, knocking the flask out of his hand and over the railing.

Tien quickly jumped over the railing for the flask. "It isn't worth it, you'll fall!" Korin shouted. He rushed over and peered over the railing. He was surprised to see Tien floating in midair, holding the flask.

'This one is much more advanced than any previous person to come up here. He already knows bukujutsu!' Korin thought.

Tien floated back up and landed inside. "I can drink the water, right?" Tien asked for confirmation. Korin nodded in consent, so Tien pulled the cork out of the flask. He quickly gulped down the water. But something was wrong.

"I don't feel any stronger," Tien said confusedly.

Korin smiled and said, "Of course you don't feel stronger. The 'holy water' is just ordinary rain water."

"Just ordinary rain water? Then what was the point of trying to get it?" Tien asked. He felt he had wasted his time by going to Korin.

"By climbing up and down the tower, and by trying to steal the flask from me, they were exercises for increasing your strength," Korin explained.

It was true; Tien's strength had increased. But not nearly enough to beat Piccolo. "Master Korin, could I stay and train with you?" Tien asked hopefully.

"Sure, I see no reason not to," Korin said.

And so for the next three months, Tien trained with Korin. During that time, King Piccolo had conquered three more cities, and created a dozen more sons. Soon, Tien surpassed Korin, but it still wouldn't be enough.

"You have surpassed my strength, but I am afraid that it won't be enough to defeat Piccolo," Korin said. Korin was contemplating having Tien drink the Ultra Divine Water, but he knew Tien couldn't. His heart wasn't quite pure yet, as it was stained with anger and the desire for revenge against Piccolo. There was only one person who could help Tien now.

Korin went downstairs. After a few minutes, he returned upstairs with a shiny silver bell. He handed it to Tien and said, "I'm sending you to the one person stronger than I am, Kami. This little bell is to show that I sent you to him. Just fly straight up to reach his lookout."

Tien put the bell in his pocket and slowly levitated out the tower. "Thanks for everything, Master Korin!" Tien shouted before blasting off into the air. A white trail of light was left in his wake.

'I can only hope Kami can make him strong enough...' Korin thought as he watched Tien disappear from sight.

Tien soon saw something large floating in the air. As Tien reached it, he landed on the polished floor of the lookout. There were palm trees and flowers on the lookout's deck that swayed in the light breeze. In the center, a palace sat, containing many a mystical chambers and rooms.

There was no one in sight but a dark skinned, portly genie. Tien pulled the bell out of his pocket and said, "I came to train under Kami."

The genie glanced at the bell and said, "My name is Mr. Popo, and I am Kami's assistant. You are eligible to be tested. You must defeat me in a fight."

Tien scoffed, getting into stance. There was no way this genie could win. Tien disappeared and reappeared behind Popo, swinging a kick at the back of Popo's head. But the kick was quickly and casually blocked by Popo's forearm. Poo hadn't even turned to face Tien before throwing his foot back, striking Tien in the cheek.

Tien rubbed his cheek, a bruise already forming. 'That was just a lucky hit,' Tien thought as he dashed forward, raining kicks and punches down upon the genie. Popo easily blocked and dodged the attacks, putting no effort into his defense.

The triclops was suddenly struck by one of Popo's powerful fists and sent flying across the lookout, skidding to a halt at the edge of the lookout's deck. Tien extended his finger and shouted, "Dodonpa!" The Dodon Ray zoomed towards Mr. Popo, but the genie simply stood there.

The attack crashed into Popo, exploding upon impact. Dust was sent all over the lookout, and smoke rose into the air. When the smoke finally cleared, it revealed Popo, comletely unscathed.

Tien's eyes widened. No one had ever taken his Dodon Ray head on and remained unscathed. Tien lowered his head in defeat. He knew he couldn't win...yet. "Mr. Popo, may I stay and train myself so that I can try again?"

"Ah yes, I could give you lessons on controlling your movements, speed and sensing your opponents actions," Mr. Popo agreed.

"I promise to do whatever it takes to beat King Piccolo and free my friends from limbo," Tien vowed.

Just then, a rhythimic click-clack resonated from the palace. It grew louder and louder until a wrinkled green figure came out. He had a white robe with a blue cloak on. In the center of the robe was the Kami symbol. He looked strikingly similar to Piccolo, but Tien could feel his energy, and it was pure good.

"W-who are you, King Piccolo's father?" Tien said, taking a step back.

"It figures Korin wouldn't explain," the robed figure muttered. "I am Kami. Piccolo and I were once a single entity, but I split my essence in two in order to obtain the post of Earth's Guardian," Kami explained.

"Kami, is there anything you can do about Shenron's death? I was going to revive my friends Piccolo killed, but Piccolo killed Shenron," Tien said.

"I will restore Shenron so you can revive your friends, but only if you stay and train with me for a few years," Kami said.

"Thank you, sir, I'm very grateful," Tien said as he bowed.

Nearly eight months after Tien had started training on Kami's lookout, Kami had finally restored Shenron. Bulma and the others soon noticed that the Dragon Balls had become active. Kami gave Tien permission to join his friends for the event. They gathered them all and everyone met at Kame House.

"Dragon, come forth! Grant me this wish!" Bulma shouted. The Dragon Balls were encompassed in a glowing golden light. The sky turned black, the son completely blotted out. Shenron burst out of the Dragon Balls. Tien stepped back in surprise. This was Tien's first time witnessing the dragon's summoning.

"Speak, he who hath summoned me, and I shall grant any wish thou desires," Shenron's deep voice boomed.

"Please revive everyone who has been killed by King Piccolo and his sons," Bulma said.

"Your wish has been granted," Shenron said. He dispersed, the sky turned to normal, and the dragon balls were sent scattered across the world. Instantly, hundreds of thousands of people were revived worldwide. This included their friends, Krillin, Chiaotzu, and Master Roshi. Everyone danced around and celebrated.

"Oh Yamcha, I thought I would never see you again," Bulma cried as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's waist. Yamcha hugged her back and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Yamcha turned towards Puar and gave his friend a hug. Tien and Chiaotzu hugged one another and Krillin started talking to Master Roshi.

"Hey, where's Goku? Shouldn't the wish have revived him?" Bulma asked.

Meanwhile, on a small planet in Otherworld...

Two people stood outside a small house on the North Kai's planet. One the portly deity himself, the other his latest student. The student was a kid with black, spiky hair and a tail. He had a halo around his head that suddenly disappeared.

"Hey kid, looks like you were revived by your friends," the King Kai observed.

"Aw man, but I just got here a few weeks ago. I want to keep training with you," the spiky haired boy whined.

"The Otherworld is no place for a living being to be! Besides, you might get seriously hurt here," King Kai replied.

"But can't you just heal me if I get hurt?" The boy asked.

"Yes, but-"

"So can I please just stay here to train awhile longer? After all, I'll need all the strength I can get to beat that monster," the boy interupted.

"Fine, but as soon as your training is done, your heading back to the world of the living. Got that, Goku?"

"Sure thing! Now back to training!"the cheerful kid said with a smile.

"Wait, first we should contact your friends and tell them what's going on. I'm sure they'll be wondering where you are," the Kai said.

"Oh yeah, we should probably explain things to them. But how can we talk to them?" Goku asked.

"Put your hand on my back," King Kai instructed.

"Like this?" The child asked, placing his palm on the Kai's back.

"Yes, like that. Now you can communicate with them through me," King Kai said.

"Why didn't we use this much earlier to talk to them?" Goku asked.

"Oh shut up and talk to them," the blue kai said in agitation.

"Hey guys, it's me!" The monkey-esque child said.

"Goku?!" Everyone shouted in surprise at hearing Goku's voice in their heads.

"Yup, it's me, guys," Goku's cheerful voice said in their heads.

"Where are you, and how are you talking to us?" Tien asked.

"Well you see, when I died, a strange green man who looked like Piccolo named Kami gave me permission to train with a really strong guy named King Kai. First, I had to run on a path called Snake Way, which took me a whole eight months to run it was so long. After that I finally reached King Kai. His place has a gravity of ten times that of Earth's! I had to chase his monkey and catch him too, and that took me 64 days, just to catch the stupid monkey. Since then, King Kai has been teaching me to harness ki so I can learn his special techniques. As for how I'm talking to you, that's cuz' of King Kai," Goku explained.

"So Goku, when will you be returning?" Bulma asked.

"Once I'm done with my training, however long that'll be. I promise to make it back as soon as possible! I gotta get back to training, so g'bye everyone," Goku said before cutting off the mental link.

Everyone stood around on silence before Tien spoke up. "Hey guys, why don't you come train with me at the lookout? I'm sure Kami won't mind," Tien suggested.

Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Krillin all agreed to go with Tien to train on the lookout. As they were about to leave, Master Roshi asked, "All the fighters from the last two Tenka'chi Budokai tournaments who were killed by King Piccolo and his sons have been revived, so why don't you recruit some of them?"

"That's not a bad idea, old timer," Yamcha said.

"But first, let's head to the lookout. Follow me, guys," Tien said as he began floating up into the air. But Krillin and Yamcha didn't take to the air. Tien's face flushed slightly and he said, "Sorry guys, I forgot you two couldn't fly."

Tien carried Yamcha in his arms while Chiaotzu carried Krillin with his telekinesis. "Man, this is so embarrassing," Yamcha whined. Everyone laughed at the former bandit.

Meanwhile at King Piccolo's castle...

King Piccolo had been seated on his throne when suddenly, the sky turned pitch black. But just as quickly as the sky turned black, it returned to normal. But something was different from before. Hundreds of thousands of ki signatures had suddenly appeared on Earth. That was when he pieced things together. The sky turning dark, the ki signatures appearing: Kami had restored Shenron, and that someone had gone and made a wish to revive the people he killed.

'Curse that impudent Kami! I would kill him if our lives weren't linked!' King Piccolo thought angrily.

Beside him, a small demon child sat on a small throne that looked like King Piccolo's. The child wore the same outfit as King Piccolo and greatly resembled his father. "Father, what just happened?" He asked.

"Nothing very important, my son. Let's go out and kill people together, Junior," King Piccolo answered.

Piccolo Jr. smiled and stood up. "Finally, I will have my first kill," he said with a chuckle. The two exited the castle and flew towards the nearest city.

Boy, that was a boring chapter. Not much happened, but I promise things will get more interesting soon. I decided to upload this one a little early, so yay. So now we found out Goku is training with King Kai, but how will this differ from canon? And when will Goku return? Also, the Z-Fighters are training with Kami much earlier than in canon, but will it be enough to beat King Piccolo?

Also, Piccolo Junior was made, but he is different from his canon counterpart. He isn't a reincarnation bent on revenge. King Piccolo created him to continue his legacy if he ever died. After all, he isn't immortal, he just dosen't age anymore. He knows he might eventually die one day, so he had a prince.

Power Levels:

Tien-180

Tien[Post Korin's Training]-210

Tien[Dodonpa]-400

Korin-190

Mr. Popo-1,030

Kami-220

Piccolo Jr.-?

Q&A:

Q: will raditz save the day?

A: Perhaps he might do something that benefits Earth upon his arrival; then again, maybe not.

Q: It is very sad to see most of the Zi-Fighters killed by Piccolo however, I think that after the last chapter that this would be the most logical result. This chapter had a good pace and King Piccolo accomplished a lot. As for the Dead Sea fighters I know that it would take them a longer time to reach King Kai. All of the dead Warriors must be feeling at least some degree of self loathing and guilt because they failed to stop Piccolo and save their loved ones. I think that this would especially apply to Master Roshi. If you think about it he failed to beat King Piccolo twice and I think that he would try to make up for his mistakes knowing that he can become stronger in the afterlife. anyway I think that this story has the potential to go far and I like it. Keep up the good work and have a nice day.

A: Thank you for leaving such a nice and insightful review! Yes, you're right that the dead Z-Fighters would feel guilty and think about how they were too weak to save everyone. But Master Roshi saw Shenron be killed and thinks he will never be brought back.