Dragon Ball: Age 1000

by Lewibaton

It is the year 1000 and the Earth finds itself under siege from an alien army of terrifying strength! The planet's only hope lies with Kale and Jean, two young Earthlings who have had their world and family torn apart by the ravaging Intergalactic Army! Read on as they join the Earth's Special Forces, and the famous Z Squad, as they fight to free the planet, and restore peace.

3. Part Two

PART TWO: THE TUTELAGE OF KING KAI

NAMEKIAN VILLAGE – AGE 1000

When Jean awoke, the first thing she noticed was the coppery taste of blood in her mouth. The second thing was just how sore her body was. She was curled up on her her bed in a tight ball and as she slowly stretched out her arms and legs, she gasped at the pain in her limbs.

Now lying straight on her bed, Jean clenched her eyes tightly shut and opened her mouth in a silent snarl, her lips curling as she pushed through the pain.

Letting out a groan, she slowly sat up and rubbed her forearms weakly. Stars swam before her eyes and she blinked trying to clear her head.

'Jean?' Corro stuck his head through the doorway to her bedroom.

She turned to look at him but only managed to say, 'Corro,' before a wave of nausea racked her body and almost drove her forward off the bed.

Corro quickly moved to her side, gently telling her take it slowly. He sat beside her on the bed and put his arm around her shoulders, holding her upright.

'What,' Jean began, wincing as her temples ached, 'what happened to me last night?'

The young Namek shook his head. 'I couldn't tell you. One minute the two of you were fine, and the next you and Peppe were thrashing around the floor.'

Jean squinted, trying to focus on what he was saying.

'Peppe, he, we,' she said slowly, 'we had the same fit?'

'It seemed that way. It was very strange. The both of you having the same fit at the exact same time. Seizures aren't unheard of, but the way the two of you collapsed was just strange.'

Jean paused before asking, 'Can you tell me what happened last night?'

'Come with me,' Corro said, getting off the bed, 'can you stand?'

Jean nodded slowly and he held out his arm to her.

The shuffled into the living area of the house, moving slowly with Jean leaning on Corro for support.

At the table sat Vert and Reed. Next to Reed was Peppe. The young boy looked about as bad as Jean felt. His face was pale except for dark purple circles around his eyes.

As they entered the room, Vert rose quickly and moved to help guide Jean to a seat at the table.

When everybody was seated Vert asked Jean gently, 'How are you feeling my dear?'

She gave him a weak smile and said, 'I feel like rubbish, but thanks for asking anyway.'

Jean looked at Peppe beside her who looked back, his eyes half closed. She turned back towards the elder.

'What happened last night?' she asked.

Vert looked grave. 'I couldn't tell you for sure. Neither myself, nor any of the other elders have ever experienced anything like it. We've seen seizures before but what happened to the two of you last night was unheard of. You both suffered a violent seizure at the same time, and after that you fell unconscious.'

Reed spoke up. 'You guys have been out of it all morning. Nothing we could do could wake you up.'

Corro leant forward. 'Jean, is there anything you can tell us about what happened last night?' he asked softly.

She shook her head. 'Sorry, I'm just as stumped as you guys. I wish I knew why we skitzed out cause my whole body is killing me. It feels-'

Jean broke off as what sounded unmistakeably like an engine could be heard from outside. There was a rush of wind and the side of the house was beaten by the gust. The Corro and Reed sat still, looking at each other with wide eyes while Vert rose from his seat slowly.

Through the pain in her head Jean's mind raced. The Namekian village was very secluded. It hadn't had a visitor in years. Not since Kale had left with the two Earth's Special Forces soldiers.

Before anyone could move towards the door, it flung open and one of the villagers rushed in.

'Elder, you must come quickly,' he said breathlessly. He spoke to Vert but his eyes were on Corro. 'A stranger has come, a man who says he wishes to speak to Corro.'

The Namek regained his composer and added, 'Demanded would be more accurate though.'

Vert and Corro exchanged a glance and then strode from the room with Reed following behind.

Easing herself up off her seat Jean said to Peppe, 'Come on, lets go see what's going on.'

The two helped each other outside of the house. The villagers had all gathered around a small hovercar that had landed in the centre of the village. Jean and Peppe pushed through the crowd until they could see what was going on.

Standing beside the car was a man who was short and very fat. He had a huge mass of grey hair that stuck up and fell past his waist. His eyes very small, black and beady and he had a large untidy moustache. His face was lined with age but his arms still looked strong.

The stranger wore an orange yakuta, that was in desperate need of a wash, simple straw sandals and sticking out of his belt was a short katana.

In front of him stood Vert and Corro, and the strange man had a scowl on his face as he spoke to them.

'What is it you want with Corro?' Jean heard Vert ask the man as she and Peppe drew closer.

The stranger crossed his arms.

'I'm assuming the dude next to you Corro,' he spoke in a bored drawl, 'I'm supposed to come and take him to see Korin, the God of Martial Arts.'

Vert and Corro stared openly and the Nameks around them began to whisper amongst each other.

Peppe tugged at Jean's dress and asked her, 'What's a Korin?'

'Shhh,' Jean told him, trying to sound like she knew what was going on, 'didn't you hear what he said? He's the God of Martial Arts'.

As she turned back to face the crowd, Corro asked the man, 'What does the God of Martial Arts want with me?'

The stranger shrugged. 'Beats me. He said something about your potential, and wanting to train you so you'd get stronger.'

Corro didn't reply. He only looked dumbfounded.

'Oh yeah I almost forgot,' the stranger added, 'Korin wanted me to pick some other guys up as well. He said they'd be here too.'

'Who are you looking for?' Vert asked him.

'Three people by the name of Reed, Jean and Peppe.'

The crowd turned to look at Jean and Peppe, and Jean felt her face flush red.

'What do you want with them?' she asked the man.

'Pfft I don't know. Korin probably wants to train them as well,' he replied, squinting at her, 'What's it to you anyway girly?'

Jean raised one eyebrow and the man did a double take.

'Oh man!' he said horrified, 'Don't tell me that this squirt is one of them!'

'I'm Jean,' she said with a scowl, 'This is Peppe, and that's Reed,' she said pointing at the young Namek.

The stranger frowned and clenched his fists. 'What! Nobody told me that I would be babysitting a bunch of kids! This stinks.'

Reed lept forward and flipped through the air, landing in front of Vert with an excited look on his face.

'Oh Vert, can we go? Pleeeeease?'

'I don't know about this guy,' Corro said quietly, 'how do we know he's telling the truth?'

The old Namek was silent for a minute, ignoring Reed hopping from one foot to the other in front of him.

At last he said, 'He knows of Korin, and to be honest that is enough for me to trust him.'

Corro's brow lifted. 'Really? You trust him based off of that? Look at him.'

'I didn't say that I liked him,' Vert replied, turning to face Corro, 'There's not many people who know of Korin's existence. Especially nowadays.'

'Yeah and I guess I'm one of them.'

'Don't be smart with me young man,' Vert said glaring at Corro, 'I've been meaning to speak to you about teaching martial arts to Jean and Peppe, though this is hardly the time for admonishments, given our visitor's arrival.'

'If you've quite finished talking about me as if I'm not here,' the stranger interrupted loudly, 'can we go already?'

'Why does Korin want to train myself and the others?' Corro asked him.

The man shrugged again. 'Something to do with saving the planet from all of these killer aliens. He reckons you guys could get really strong and help in the fight. Ask him yourself anyway.'

Jean strode forward through the crowd towards him. Her mind was already made up.

'I'm going,' she said, her hands on her hips.

She turned to face the others. 'You three should come too. This is our chance to become stronger.'

With all the eyes on her Jean felt much taller and older than she really was.

This is it. Now it's my turn. My turn to overtake Kale.

Jean hadn't given her brother a thought for some time, but now that she did, she felt sure of herself, rather than upset.

'Jean's right,' Corro said to Vert, 'Kale left to try and make a difference. We have the power to make a difference too.'

Reed moved to stand next to Jean. 'I'm going anyway, no matter what anyone says!'

'Me too!' Peppe said, stepping forward.

Vert shoulders fell slightly. His wrinkled face was set but there a sadness in his eyes. Two other elderly Nameks drew close and put their hands on his shoulders, and Vert seemed to draw strength from their touch.

'It seems more of our young folk are leaving to go off and fight in this war we didn't start, leaving the old behind in their pursuit of glory,' he said, 'If it were up to me I'd only allow Corro to go, but I know there'd be no keeping Reed behind.'

The old Namek strode forward and placed both hands on Corro's shoulders.

'You have a strong heart Corro,' he told the Namek, 'look after your brother.'

'And Reed,' he said, turning towards the younger Namek, 'Make sure you do everything Corro tells you. This isn't a game.'

…

Ten minutes later after some rushed goodbyes, Jean and the others were all crammed inside of the stranger's car. Jean was stuck in the back, sandwiched between Reed and Peppe. All four of them had packed a bag with a change of clothes, which, much to her annoyance, Jean had ended up being the one to hold them on her lap.

On either side of her Peppe and Reed talked unceasingly, as the stranger warned them for the third time about spilling anything on his seats. Through the noise Corro sat comfortably in the passenger seat, a polite smile on his face.

Calling out over the two boys Jean said, 'Can we just go now!'

'Alright already lets get moving,' he said, as he turned the car on and began to raise it into the sky.

'You know, we didn't catch your name earlier?' Corro asked the man.

'It's Yajirobe,' the man told them, as the the hovercar shot into the sky, 'and no, I won't spell it for you. Oh and don't bother asking, we're listening to my music, my car, so my rules. So if everybody's okay with that we can get out of here already, I'm hungry!'

…

THE PLANET OF THE NORTH KAI

Kale's eyes snapped open. His body jerked as he tried to sit bolt upright, but was held down by the strong gravity. All he could do was stare at the yellow, stone roof above him.

Taking some deep breaths to calm himself Kale slowly tried to remember where he was.

Recollections from the previous night flashed rapidly in his mind. He remembered the Intergalactic Army base, the Dragon Balls, the flight away, the dragon, the wishes and...

King Kai! Of course!

As his breathing regulated Kale began to take in what was around him. He was lying on a cot in a cosy, circular house, not unlike a Namekian house, but much more colourfully decorated.

To his left, Kale could hear someone humming lightly. Slowly he turned his head around and the house's small kitchen came into view.

King Kai was standing over the sink with his back to Kale. His sleeves were rolled up as he busied himself with washing the dishes.

In the centre of the house was a rough wooden table, and on that table sat the strange monkey Kale had met.

When it saw Kale was awake it began hooting animately and jumped up and down on the spot.

King Kai turned around to see what the noise was about, then, seeing that Kale was awake, said, 'Well now, it's good to see you awake.'

He turned away from the sink, shaking the soap suds off his hands and drying them on a cloth.

'I must say you gave us quite a fright Kale,' he told him, 'you nearly gave me a heart attack and Bubbles here ran up a tree half scared to death!'

King Kai took a seat at the table as Kale pushed himself up onto his elbow.

'So,' King Kai began, 'you were pretty beat up last night but that was something else. Have you suffered from a seizure like that before?'

Kale ran a hand over his face and said, 'Seizure? Is that what it was?'

'You mean that was the first time?' King Kai asked, raising his eyebrows.

'I guess. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before,' Kale replied as he pushed up against the gravity to sit on the edge of the cot.

His armour and boots had been removed, and his shirt had been cut away to allow access his wound. Wrapped around his chest were thick white bandages. Two plasters had been placed over the bruises on his face were the enemy soldiers had struck him.

Kale winced slightly as he twisted his waist, but the pain was minimal.

'I got you all fixed up soon after you arrived,' King Kai told him, 'you didn't make it easy, what with your arms and legs flailing about, but I managed it.'

'Thanks King Kai,' Kale said with a weak smile.

'Oh, don't mention it, my boy. At first I thought it was very strange, seeing someone so beat up. It didn't take me long to realise that you were actually not dead, but a live visitor.'

Kale blinked. 'You mean that only dead people come here?'

King Kai laughed. 'Well of course, who else would? I suppose I do play host to the occasional god, but for the most part it's the spirits of departed warriors that come here, looking to become stronger and learn from a master.'

Kale was beginning to wonder if that soldier had hit his head harder than he had originally thought.

'But obviously you're not dead, my boy,' King Kai went on, 'the distinct lack of a halo should have given it away from the start. You're the first live one to come here for a long time!

'If I may,' King Kai said, peering at Kale closely, 'I'd hazard a guess that you're from Earth, am I right? You must have come here using the Dragon Balls!'

'You know about the Dragon Balls?' Kale asked, his eyes widening.

King Kai laughed again. 'Well of course I do. You don't get to be a King by standing around looking pretty you know, I know all about Earth, it's my job! Earth is located in the Northern quadrant of the galaxy and I'm the king who presides of that part of the universe.'

'Then you must know everything about what has been happening on Earth lately,' Kale said.

'Yes indeed,' King Kai replied, becoming serious, 'dreadfully bad news. It's not just Earth you know, Rose's influence stretches all across the galaxy, whole systems have been conquered by his army. It's not just me, the other Kais who preside over the rest of the galaxy have been under pressure.'

'That's just it King Kai,' Kale said with a smile, 'that's why I came here. I'm part of the Earth's resistance against the invading army. I came here to learn to fight and to get stronger to help my planet, that is, if you're okay with that,' Kale finished, not wanting to sound presumptuous.

'Naturally I'll help you,' King Kai replied, getting to his feet, 'anything we can do to stand up to Rose, I am happy to be a part of.'

'Alright!' Kale cried, pulling himself up off the cot, 'Thanks King Kai!'

'Don't mention it,' King Kai said, waving his hand casually, 'if you train here as hard as you can for the next ten years, why then you'd be stronger than anyone back on Earth!'

'T-ten years?' Kale stammered.

'Well, yes,' King Kai said, looking up at him, 'you don't become an expert fighter over night, you know. Everybody has to start somewhere.'

Kale shifted uncomfortably. 'I know that, it's just that all the fighters I know seem so good at it. Plus the longer I stay here, the worse it could get back on Earth. Technically I've gone A.W.O.L' he said with a nervous laugh.

'Pish posh, don't worry about those other fighters, let's worry about what you can do,' King Kai told him, 'and as for things back home, we'll just see how we go for now. So to start with, follow me outside.'

'Alright!' Kale said, his earlier enthusiasm returning.

As he tried to take a step forward his leg wobbled beneath the weight of his body and he quickly sat back down on the cot.

'Umm, one thing first King Kai,' Kale called after him.

'Oh, what's that?' King Kai asked, looking back at Kale from the doorway.

'Can we have something to eat, I'm starving!' Kale told him, both hands pressed against his stomach.

King Kai stared at him for a moment, eyebrows raised behind his glasses.

'Well, uhh, yes we can,' he told Kale, coming back into the house, 'forgive my inhospitable manners, but when it's the dead who mainly come to visit, one doesn't bother to leave out snacks.'

…

An alarmingly short time later, Kale pushed the plate of his sixth meal away and called out, 'More please!'

'B-b-but you just finished your sixth dish!' King Kai stuttered, wiping away the sweat from his forehead.

Kale burped loudly. 'I know, and boy, were they good. Those pork buns really hit the spot!'

Kale covered his mouth, 'Oops, sorry King Kai. Didn't mean to be rude in front of royalty. Anyway what's next on the menu?'

King Kai looked at the fresh pile of dirty dishes on the table and said, 'Well there's nothing more right now, I only prepared those ones and I never thought we'd eat them all.'

'Oh man,' Kale said downcast, putting his hands on his belly, 'I suppose it will have to do for now. Although...'

He stood up and began bouncing on the spot on one foot at a time.

'I'm feeling much better now that I've got some food in me!'

'Oh my...' King Kai said staring at Kale. In just a short time he had completely changed from someone who could barely move on his planet, to a fired up youth moving almost freely.

King Kai stroked his chin and looked thoughtful, before walking around the table to a cupboard set against the wall.

'Alright Kale, lets begin with your training,' he said, as he opened the cupboard.

Over Kale's whoop of excitement he added, 'But before we do I want you to put these on.'

Turning from the cupboard, King Kai dropped a folded shirt and a pair of shorts onto the table, which landed with a loud THUD!

Kale bent over the table and stared at the clothes. Both pieces were black and looked to be form fitting, but other than that Kale didn't see anything special about them.

'Umm, you want me to get dressed King Kai?' Kale asked.

'That's right,' the King replied as he walked outside, 'you'll find a matching pair of gloves and shoes in the cupboard as well, but make sure it's the black ones you put on! Oh, and grab an over shirt and some pants as well, don't worry about the colour when you pick out those!'

Well, I suppose there's nothing strange about a uniform.

Kale thought it didn't seem strange, but as he picked up the shirt from the table he pitched forward, the weight of the shirt sending him crashing into the table.

'You alright in there Kale?' King Kai called from outside.

'King Kai,' Kale said, struggling to stand upright, 'these clothes weigh a ton. Am I supposed to wear them?'

'Of course,' King Kai replied with a chuckle, 'all the best fighters train with weighted training clothes. Some even keep them on all the time so when they get into a big fight they can take them off and fight unrestricted, catching their opponents off guard!'

After much struggling Kale managed to pull the shirt and shorts on. The earlier feeling of being barely able to move had returned as Kale slowly walked over to the cupboard.

When he pulled a pair of black boots in his size off the shelf, he immediately dropped them to the floor, unable to hold their weight. Shaking his head, Kale pulled on a pair of fingerless gloves which weighed down his arms and made them hang uselessly by his sides.

Forcing his right hand up onto one of the shelves, Kale grabbed a shirt and pants in matching sky blue and sat down on a chair with a thud that shook the house.

While he pulled on the shirt and pants, and fastened the boots, the chair he was sitting on began to creak threateningly.

Finally clothed, Kale began to walk outside, hands raised to shoulder height to keep his blood circulating, placing each foot down one after the other with a heavy thud.

Outside, King Kai was feeding the birds in the bird bath that sat in the centre of his garden. He looked around when he heard Kale approach.

'Oh so you finally made it huh?' he said to Kale, 'I was beginning to think you weren't coming.'

'I... didn't think... I... was going to make it,' Kale said through gritted teeth, 'I can...barely...move in these clothes.'

'Ho ho, well then, it's a good thing your first lesson will be to get used to the gravity here' King Kai replied with a chuckle.

He turned away from Kale and called out to one of the trees in his yard, 'Bubbles! Come here!'

The monkey quickly scaled down the trunk of the tree and came to his side, as King Kai turned back to face Kale.

'Now,' he began, 'your first lesson is very simple, but I think you'll find it much harder once you get started.'

He placed a hand on Bubbles head and told Kale, 'Your first lesson will be to catch Bubbles.'

'I just have to grab him?' Kale asked uncertainly.

'That's right!' King Kai said, raising a finger, 'Run after Bubbles until you catch him. Once you have done that we will move on to your second lesson!'

'Oh, okay,' Kale said, reaching for the monkey.

Bubbles gave a loud shriek and took off away from Kale leaving him next to the garden while King Kai laughed loudly.

'I did warn you,' he told Kale 'for Bubbles this is normal, but for you the gravity is ten times stronger than that of Earth's!'

'What! Ten times greater! Are you serious King Kai?' Kale asked him.

King Kai ignored him and walked back to his house. 'Go on get started,' then adding in a low grumbling voice, he said, 'meanwhile I have to go wash another load of dishes.'

Kale looked over at Bubbles who was sitting a short distance away, picking bugs out of his fur. Kale grinned and began to slowly walk over to him.

'That's it Bubbles,' he said in a low voice, creeping closer, 'nice monkey, I just wanna talk.'

Bubbles looked up at Kale, regarding him warily.

'No need to worry,' Kale said, arms outstretched, 'just stay right there.'

Taking one last step towards the monkey Kale said slowly, 'Stay... right... THERE!' and on "there" he jumped forward, arms flung wide, diving to grab hold of Bubbles.

Bubbles cried out in alarm and at the last moment he sprung away from Kale.

Unable to save himself from the fall, Kale crashed into the ground hard enough to make his teeth shake.

'That does it,' Kale said, getting to his feet, a red mark already forming on his forehead, and a scowl on his face, 'no more mister nice guy, come here monkey!'

Kale began to chase after Bubbles as fast as he could walk. His quarry strolled leisurely away just out of his reach.

…

KORIN TOWER

Yajirobe's hovercar covered the last strip of the column that held up the lofty tower where Korin, the God of Martial Arts, resided.

When they had reached the base of the tower jutting above the treeline Yajirobe had flown straight up.

As the hovercar slowed and Yajirobe carefully landed it inside the tower Corro was grateful that their flight was over. He didn't know much more his stomach could have taken. Or how much longer Jean's nerves could last sitting in between the two boys in the back.

As the car touched down Yajirobe said, 'Alright everybody out now. You've reached your destination, and all that.'

Corro stepped out of the car and the first thing he noticed was the expansive view. The sky was the clearest blue, and stretched on as far as the eye could see. It was wondrous to behold.

How high up must we be? I've never flown anywhere as close to this high.

Behind him the three children tumbled out of the car all at once.

'Hey wonder boy,' Yajirobe said to Corro, jolting him out of his daydreaming, 'get your stuff out of my car and get these kids out of here!'

Corro turned around to see Jean, Reed and Peppe lying on the floor. One of their bags had opened and various pieces of clothing had been flung out. Somehow Jean had ended up on the bottom of the pile, while the two other children climbed on her and each other, trying to get upright.

Stifling a laugh, Corro moved to help them. When everyone was on their feet again, and tempers had cooled, Yajirobe pressed a button on the side of the car and it vanished in a puff of smoke, appearing again as a small capsule, which Yajirobe caught and placed in one of his pockets.

Now was the first time Corro could properly take in their surroundings. The five of them were standing in a large circular space with a high domed roof. The sides of which were open to the sky, held up by white columns. It had been through one of these openings that the group had entered from.

Behind them, a narrow staircase led down to the levels below, but presently Corro's attention was fixed on the centre of the room where stood the strangest assortment of people he had ever laid eyes on.

First in the line was a Namek, only about an inch taller than he was, but much more powerfully built.

On the Namekian's right, a tall Human stood with her arms crossed. She wore a dark coat, and had a long sword slung over her back and a line of crossed tattoos down her right arm.

Next to the tall woman was another Human, who looked almost comical beside her companion. She would have only been a handful of inches taller than Jean was. Despite her size, her appearance and poise made her impressive.

Rolling around on the balls of his feet was an enormous Majin. Next to his companions he looked very out of place. Unlike the other three, who all looked serious, he had a big smile on his face, and waved as they approached.

Strangest of all was the one standing in front of the four strangers. He looked like a plump, white house cat, except he was much larger than a normal cat, and stood on his hind legs. One of his arms was wrapped around a carved wooden staff, and his eyes sat almost closed, giving him a permanently sleepy expression.

As the four of them drew closer, the strange cat called out, 'Hey, good ta see you guys made it. Sorry if Yajirobe gave you a hard time.'

Corro's eyes widened, not believing what he had just seen.

'Did... did that cat just talk?' Jean asked.

'Oh lovely,' the cat replied, stroking his whiskers, 'a fifth of the Earth's population are animal citizens, and yet everybody is still always surprised to see a talking cat.'

'If it makes you feel any better, I didn't see it coming either,' the woman with the sword said with a half smile.

Yajirobe stepped forward, a scowl on his face. 'Alright Korin, here's the guys you were after. Now if there's nothing else, your Lordship, I think I feel like having a snack and a long nap.'

The cat waved a paw dismissively and said, 'Go on then sourpuss, no pun intended, get out of here.'

As Yajirobe walked away the cat turned to the newly arrived group and said, 'Anyway, now that that's out of the way we can get to business, you see-'

'Are you Korin?' Peppe interrupted.

'Yes,' the cat replied slowly.

'But you're a cat?'

'That's right.'

Peppe looked puzzled. 'So you're the God of Martial Arts?'

Corro stepped forward. 'Enough Peppe,' he told the young boy, then turning to Korin he said, 'please forgive him Sir, he's only a child.

Korin sighed. 'No harm done, it's not the first time someone hasn't been able to believe their eyes. But anyway...'

He turned and walked back to the other group.

'I think some introductions are in order. You guys, this is Nett, Lanthal, Kinwa and Bobo,' Korin called out, indicating to each one of the strangers in turn.

The Namek, Nett, gave a small wave, and Kinwa flashed the group a smile.

'And this,' Korin said turning to face Corro and the others, 'is Corro, Jean, Reed and Peppe.'

Corro gave them a friendly smile and said, 'Hello'. Beside him Jean smiled but stayed quiet, seemingly shy.

Not feeling shy at all, Peppe and Reed ran up to the woman named Lanthal, wonder and admiration in their eyes.

'Cool sword,' Reed told her, 'you ever kill anyone with it?'

'Reed!' Corro cried in horror, but Lanthal smiled at him and said, 'It's alright.'

Looking back down at the two boys, she bent down and asked, 'Did I ever?'

She held out her arm to them and flexed the biceps on her right arm, making the lines tattooed down her arm ripple.

'Count the lines and you'll know just how many have fallen to my sword,' she told them confidently.

As the young boys looked on in admiration, the other woman, Kinwa, rolled her eyes at her friend's boasting.

'You'll have to get used to that,' Nett said, walking forward to shake Jean and Corro's hands, 'it's just how Lan is.

'Good to meet the two of you,' he added to Corro, then with a glance at Jean, he said, 'all of you.'

'You as well,' Corro said with a smile, 'but what is it the four of you are doing here?'

'That,' Nett replied, looking around at Korin, 'is a very good question.'

Korin tilted his head to one side and purred deep in his throat.

'Okay so here's the low down,' he told the group, walking amongst them, 'Nett, and his group, are members of the Earth's Special Forces, which means-'

'Which means we are technically going A.W.O.L. for being here,' Nett said.

'Which means,' Korin continued, ignoring the interruption, 'that they're fighting to free the Earth from the bad guys. Now at the moment we ain't doing so well. Which is where you guys come in.'

He turned to face Corro, Jean, Reed and Peppe.

'Us?' Reed asked.

'Yeah, you' Korin replied, stroking his chin, 'the good guys need all the help they can get. The four of you are strong, strong enough for me to take an interest.'

Korin broke off and walked up to Nett, looking up at the Namek's face.

'You want to know what you're doing here Nett? You're here to learn from me.'

Lan crossed her arms behind her head and smirked. 'Just what can we learn from a walking, talking cat?' she asked.

Koring moved so fast he appeared as a blur, leaving his staff wobbling on the spot in front of Nett. Faster than any of them could react, he moved to Lan's side and jabbed her hard in the stomach, before moving back to catch his staff before it fell over.

Lan fell to her knees, grabbing her gut and gasping for air. The rest of the group tensed but Korin only walked away chuckling to himself.

'Typical young people,' he said to them, 'no respect for what an old master has to teach them.'

Reed jumped forwards and cried, 'Wow! Can you teach me to do that?'

'Well sure I can,' Korin said, turning towards him, 'that bit at the start is what you call an After Image. You move so fast your opponent sees a fake image of you. And I'll be teaching it to all of you.

'So here's my proposition guys, you all stay here and train under me. Nett, these guys-' he pointed to Corro and the others, '-are the kind of people your army needs.'

Nett didn't say anything. He crossed his arms and looked thoughtful.

'You mean you think we should the Earth's Special Forces?' Jean asked Korin.

'That's right,' Korin replied.

Corro could tell that Jean was thinking about Kale. In light of what Korin had said, he was too.

'By the time you're finished with me, you'll be strong enough to join, if you ain't strong enough already,' Korin went on.

Beside him, Jean clenched her fists. 'That's enough for me,' she told them, 'I'll do it.'

Corro put a hand on her shoulder, and smiled at her. When she looked up at him, she returned it.

Kinwa stepped forward. 'Woah, woah, just hang on a sec. You don't get to just jump in and ride along with the professionals,' she said.

'Kinwa's right,' Nett admitted, 'what do the four of you bring to the table.'

Reed scoffed. 'Well that's easy enough,' the young Namek boasted, 'my brother's a really strong fighter. Plus he's got the power to heal any wound you guys might get.'

'Yeah!' Peppe said, speaking up, 'He trained all of us to be really strong too. Just let us show you!'

Nett smiled at the boys' enthusiasm and, snapping his fingers, Korin said, 'You know, that's an excellent idea. Alright, lets see...'

As he began counting the fighters gathered, Kinwa asked, 'Hang on, you want us to fight them?'

'Mm hmm,' Korin replied, counting the total on his fingers.

'But they're just a bunch of kids,' Kinwa went on.

Reed cracked his knuckles. 'Oh man, are you gonna be sorry for that,' the young Namek told her.

Kinwa opened her mouth to say something scathing, but Korin quickly spoke over her, 'Okay, okay that's enough out of everyone. So we got an even number here so let's say...

'How about the two older Nameks-' he pointed to Corro and Nett, '-and we'll put Reed up against Lan, Peppe against Kinwa, and I guess that makes the last one Jean going against Bobo. Sorry about that Jean , but I'm sure you can handle him.'

Nett flashed Corro a small smile, sizing him up, which Corro tentatively returned. They'd barely been here for five minutes, and already they were going to fight.

Korin clapped his paws together. 'Alright, make some space!' he called out to the fighters.

Nett sprung out to the edge of the room and Corro followed him. Around them the other fighters took up positions away from each other, all of them settling into their stances.

'Okay,' Nett said to Corro, cracking his neck with one hand, 'lets just see what you can do, brother.'

Corro smirked and pulled off his long coat. Underneath he wore a simple sleeveless white shirt, with a traditional Namek collar.

'You're about to,' he told Nett, letting his coat fall to the floor.

Nett grinned at his response, and settled into his stance.

From the centre of the room Korin called out, 'Okay everyone, we'll just keep this a friendly match, Corro's crew, remember you are up against professionals. As for the rest of you, don't get cocky, these guys might surprise you. Alright everybody ready? Okay, ding ding ding, and all that. Let's get started!'

Nett launched himself at Corro, his hand curled into a fist and raised above his head. Corro ran to meet him.

Corro side stepped Nett's punch and came in low with one of his own. Nett blocked the punch with his left hand, then brought his right hand around, aiming to strike a back-handed punch to the face.

Corro raised his left hand to block it, but saw too late that it was a feint. Nett let his arm swing wide, then used his momentum to twist and send him flying back with a kick to the jaw.

He landed hard, but was up in a flash. Nett crossed his arms and smiled. Cracking his neck and moving his jaw up and down, Corro returned it.

Nett took up his stance again and beckoned towards Corro.

Corro jumped forward, lunging at Nett and leaving himself open.

Nett smirked and moved to catch Corro in mid-air with a blow to the stomach. At the last second Corro disappeared and Nett's eyes widened as he struck only air. A fraction of a second later Corro caught him from behind, driving him to the floor with a blow to the back of the head.

Pulling himself onto one knee, Nett rubbed the back of his head. Corro was standing where he had been, and it was his turn to smirk at Nett.

'Alright, looks like it's one for one,' Nett told him, straightening up and wiping the spit away from his mouth.

'Hyah!' Corro cried, letting his energy loose, his aura swirling around him.

Nett had to give him credit. He was good.

'Let's see what else you got!' he yelled, and ran to meet the other Namek again.

…

THE PLANET OF THE NORTH KAI

As Corro, Jean, Reed and Peppe begin their training alongside the Z Squad under Master Korin, far away in another part of the universe, Kale continues his trial to catch a certain mischievous monkey...

…

King Kai yawned and stretched as he stepped out of his house to check on Kale's progress.

'Uhhh, sorry for disappearing like that Kale,' he said, one hand over his mouth, 'I only lay down for a second and before I knew it, I was asleep.'

The King rubbed his eyes as Kale and Bubbles ran past.

'You're making excellent progress my boy,' he told Kale sleepily.

Wait, progress? Ran? What's going on?

King Kai's eyes followed Kale as he chased after Bubbles, all grogginess lifted in wake of the shocking scene he was watching.

In the short time Kale had been trying to catch the monkey, Kale had moved from a painfully slow trek, to a moderate jog. Bubbles was no longer able to relax and casually walk a few steps ahead of Kale. He was matching his speed, and hooting in excitement.

Is this really the same kid?

'Hey, uhh, Kale!' King Kai called out to him.

'Hi King Kai!' Kale said with a friendly wave, 'I'm starting to get the hang of it now, aren't I?'

King Kai crossed his arms. 'I thought I told you that you needed that weighted clothing to train here properly,' he admonished in a scathing tone.

Kale jogged over to him. 'But what do you mean King Kai?' the boy asked him, 'I'm still wearing the clothes.'

The King's eyes widened when he saw that Kale was right.

'You see,' Kale told him, jogging on the spot, 'shirt, gloves, the works.'

'I...um... ' King Kai began, 'It's just very unusual to see someone your age making such... alarmingly fast progress.'

Kale stopped jogging, puffed out his chest and said, 'I guess they just make them better back on Earth, huh King Kai?'

'Hmm,' he mused, walking around Kale and studying him.

'Kale, I think you're muscle mass has grown slightly since when you first arrived,' he told him.

'You really think so?' Kale asked excitedly, 'I must be getting stronger then!'

'And your hair...' King Kai went on, 'Did it always stick up like that?'

'Huh? What do you mean?' Kale asked, frowning.

He patted his head and his eyes widened as he felt the front of his hair sticking out.

'Woah, that sure is weird,' Kale said, walking over to the bird bath to look at his reflection, 'huh, can't say I don't like it though.

'Maybe it's just a sign that's my hair's getting stronger against this gravity too!' Kale told King Kai, turning back to face him.

'Don't be daft boy,' he replied, walking over to him, 'Kale, you said you were from Earth, right?'

Kale blinked and looked puzzled. 'Well, sure I did,' he said, resting his chin on one hand, 'but I thought you knew that Humans were from Earth anyway.'

'That's right,' King Kai said slowly, 'Kale, did you know there used to be another species that lived on the Earth briefly, known as the Saiyans?'

To his surprise, Kale laughed.

'I certainly did King Kai,' he told him with a smile, 'a friend of mine, a fellow soldier, is actually descendant from them, she's has both Human and Saiyan ancestors.'

'Did you also know that their species was known to be incredibly strong, and that they all shared a love for fighting?' King Kai went on.

Kale nodded. 'That sounds like Lan.'

King Kai tilted his head, examing Kale.

'Well you see Kale,' he told him, 'it's just that you remind me so much of a Saiyan yourself.'

Kale looked shocked. 'Really? I thought I was just strong.'

'That may be so... ' King Kai mused, walking around Kale again, 'Do you have any Saiyan heritage yourself?'

'Not that I know of,' Kale replied, scratching his head.

'Well hold on for a minute then,' King Kai said, coming to a stop in front of Kale, 'if I remember correctly, the Dragon Balls on Earth grant you two wishes. You didn't use one of those to make yourself stronger, did you?'

'Hey, no way King Kai. I mean, I was in a bit of a jam, so I did use one of the wishes to come here,' Kale said, putting one hand behind his head and looking sheepish, 'which, I guess, whether it helped out the fight for the planet, or not, would be debatable...

'But I swear,' Kale went on, holding his hands open in front of him, 'that my other wish had the planet's best interest at heart.'

'Oh?' King Kai said, his eyes narrowed, 'And what was that?'

'Aha!' Kale exclaimed, raising a finger into the air, 'I was waiting for you to ask.'

The youth shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head to one side before continuing.

'It really was a stroke of genius on my part King Kai. You see, I got the idea from when my friend, Lan, you know, the one descended from the-'

'JUST GIVE ME THE SHORT VERSION!' King Kai snapped at him.

'Oh... uhh... right,' Kale said, taken aback, 'Okay, well, first I asked the dragon, Shenron, if he could bring any Saiyans in the galaxy to Earth, to help out in the fight.'

'Mm-hmm, I see,' King Kai said, nodding his head.

'But unfortunately he told me that they were all dead. Ahh! But then, and listen to this, I asked the dragon to make any humans on the Earth who were descended from the Saiyans, to be made Saiyans in full.'

King Kai stared, too stunned to speak.

Kale put his hands on his hips, and puffed out his chest again. 'What do you think King Kai?' he asked smugly, 'Some pretty fast on the spot thinking on my part, wouldn't you agree?

'But hey,' he went on, 'you seem to know more about these Saiyans, what's your opinion? Do you think the new Saiyans back on Earth will be able to help?'

'Don't you see Kale?' King Kai asked, finding his voice, 'That explains it. You must be part Saiyan!'

Kale stared at him for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and smirked. 'Come on King Kai, don't be silly,' he said, snorting derisively, 'I already told you that I didn't have any Saiyan ancestors.'

'No, what you said was that you weren't aware of any,' King Kai corrected him, 'this just proves my theory, your wish must have changed you! You are part Saiyan! Well, I suppose, a full blooded Saiyan now.'

Kale shrugged. 'I don't know King Kai,' he said doubtfully, 'I still reckon if I was descended from an alien warrior race, my parents would have told me.

'Not much chance of that now...' Kale added to himself.

'Well then, there's only one way to know for sure,' King Kai announced, folding his arms behind his back, 'drop you pants.'

Kale's brow shot up. 'Uhh, King Kai?' he asked, 'Are you trying to blow the rating out of the water?'

'NO, YOU IDIOT!' King Kai thundered.

He moved over to a small pile of tools lying next to the garden, and picked up a pair of secateurs.

'Okay, now turn around,' he told Kale.

'Umm, King Kai,' Kale said, backing away nervously, 'this just raises my earlier question again.'

'Just hold still...' King Kai said in an exasperated tone, moving behind Kale.

Kale could hear the sound of material being cut. 'Hey, what's going on back there?' he called over his shoulder.

'Just hang on... One minute...' King Kai replied, then in a triumphant tone he said, 'Bingo! I was right. Just take a look at that!'

King Kai stepped back and Kale ducked his head through his legs, trying to get at what King Kai had seen.

'Wait, what am I looking at?' he asked, not understanding.

King Kai sighed, and Kale felt something pulled out of the back of his pants, then twisted around, trying to see what it was.

Poking out of the hole King Kai had cut was a short, auburn-brown, furry monkey tail.

'GAAAH!' Kale exclaimed, 'What is that!'

'Well, what's it look like?' King Kai asked, 'It's a tail.'

'But why is it there?' Kale replied, turning on the spot, trying to get a better look at it.

'What, you mean you didn't know? All Saiyans have a tail.'

'Umm, no! No one ever told me that!' Kale said, standing still before he made himself sick.

King Kai clapped his hands together. 'Guess you do now,' he said happily, then he added, 'oh and that means I was right all along. You do have Saiyan ancestry.'

'Yeah, I guess,' Kale said uncertainly, 'so if my wish did change me, why am I growing a tail now?'

'Your wish must have changed you after Shenron granted it,' King Kai began, taking a closer look at the tail, 'so now your training here must be causing you tail to grow. If a Saiyan looses their tale it can grow back through rigorous physical training. Yours has only begun to grow, give it some time and when it's finished you'll feel stronger than ever!'

'This... This is a lot to take in...'

'Don't dwell on it too much, my boy,' King Kai with a smile, 'you might find that you feel differently about some things, but in a lot of ways this change will only serve to make you stronger! Saiyans make great fighters, so if you focus on your training in no time at all you'll be a valuable asset in the fight for the Earth.'

'Ahh, okay,' Kale said nervously, 'it's just I never imagined that the wish would affect me when I made it.'

Shrugging, King Kai said, 'Life's full of mystery boy, no one can say what will happen tomorrow. Even us Kais can't predict that. Now, if you're done chatting idly there's a monkey out there with your name on it!'

Kale looked thoughtful. As he walked away, King Kai heard him say, 'Who'd have thought that I, Kale, a kid from West City, would end up carrying the legacy of an extinct warrior race.'

Then, stopping suddenly on the spot, Kale exclaimed, 'Oh no!'

'What's wrong Kale?' King Kai called after him.

'I just realized,' Kale said frantically, pulling at his hair, 'if I'm a Saiyan, then that means my wish will have turned Jean into one as well!'

'Huh?' King Kai crossed his arms, 'Who's Jean?'

'Jean's my sister!'

'Oh, well in that case...' King Kai held up his hands and shrugged, 'I wouldn't worry about it too much. She wont be the only one that your wish has affected. Not a whole lot you can do here anyway.

'Well I guess,' Kale said slowly, 'I just wonder what her reaction will be when she finds out she's growing a tail!'

…

KORIN TOWER

'AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!'

Lan's head snapped up as a high pitched scream rang out from the next room over and echoed down the stone hallway.

She had been standing over the wash basin in her room, and water dripped off her face as she stood frozen.

Half a second later, Lan tore out of her room and sprinted barefoot down the hall to the source of the cry. Clad only in a singlet and her underwear, she felt very exposed without her sword.

Sliding to a stop outside the entrance to the room Kinwa and Jean were sharing, Lan tore the heavy curtain that served as the door aside to reveal the two occupants standing alone in the centre of the room.

Kinwa's eyes were wide with shock, and her hands were held pressed against her mouth. Across from her, Jean stood holding her shirt in one hand, and wearing a very confused look on her face. Neither of them were fully dressed yet.

Lan's eyes quickly jumped back and forward between the two several times before she asked, 'What's going on!'

'Jean, what is that?' Kinwa asked slowly, still covering her mouth.

Jean shot Lan an apprehensive look.

'What? What does she mean?' Lan asked her.

'I don't have a clue,' Jean said, holding up her hands, 'we were just getting dressed, and then, out of no where, she screamed!'

Lan shot Kinwa an expectant look, eyes brows raised.

'Jean, what is that thing!' Kinwa repeated, and when Jean rolled her eyes and turned around she yelled out, 'That! That thing! That thing hanging off of you!'

'What do you mean?' Jean asked trying to look around at what Kinwa meant.

Lan's eyes widened. Sticking up out of the back of Jean's briefs was the stub of a furry tail.

Pulling the curtain shut behind her, Lan moved to stand next to Jean. 'What on Earth?' she asked slowly.

Jean twisted around and reached down to touch her tail with a shaking hand. She shrieked loudly, making the other two girls jump.

'It moved!' she told them, 'I mean, I touched it and I could feel my hand wrapped around it. Like, it had sensation. And then I felt it twitch. Or, I guess, I made it twitch.'

The sound of running footsteps drew the attention of the three of them away from the tail briefly. Lan quickly ran to hold the curtain closed, just as Nett grabbed it to pull it aside.

'What's going on in there? Are we under attack?' he called from the other side.

'Nothing, it's fine, don't worry about it,' Lan said, poking her head around the other side.

The Namek was standing just outside the doorway. Beside him were Corro, Reed and Peppe.

'Go on, go!' she added, waving her hand at them, 'Not allowed in here, girls getting dressed.'

Nett snorted, and followed the other three back down the hall. Turning back around to face the other two, Lan breathed a sigh of relief and tied her hair up in a loose ponytail.

'This is so weird,' Kinwa was saying.

She gave the tail a tug and Jean yelped, smacking her hand away.

'This, is weird,' Kinwa repeated, 'people don't just start growing a tail. The only kind of people, who aren't animal people, that I've ever heard of having a tail are...'

She trailed off, looking towards Lan.

Lan returned her look. A wide smile was forming on her face, and she could feel her chest swelling.

'Are Saiyans!' Lan finished for her.

'JEAN!' she cried, clasping the girl's hands in her own, 'You didn't tell me that you had Saiyan ancestry!'

Jean looked at Lan like she had gone mad. 'That I... what?' she stammered.

'Why didn't you say anything earlier?' Lan demanded, 'It should have been the first thing out of your mouth!'

'Wha... what?' Jean said, shaking her head, 'That I had what? Saiyans? What's a Saiyan!'

'Oh no,' Kinwa whined, as Lan make an excited noise.

'You mean that... You didn't know...' Lan began tremulously, 'You didn't know that the blood of a proud and ancient warrior race runs through your veins?'

'Umm...' Jean shot a glance at Kinwa, eyebrows raised, 'No...'

Lan released Jean's hands and jumped on the spot.

'But don't you see!' she told her excitedly, 'How could you not know such a thing! This tail is clear proof of it! It must be your dormant Saiyan genes manifesting at last!'

Suddenly, Lan gasped deeply, standing still with her fists clenched. There was a loud smack as she twisted and landed on the stone floor, then began to contort her body in an attempt to look behind her.

'Umm, Lan?' Kinwa said.

'Are you okay?' Jean asked.

'That's it, I'm calling it now. She's finally cracked,' Kinwa announced, throwing her hands in the air.

Lan managed to manoeuvre herself into a position while, at one end, the side of her face was pressed against the floor, and, at the other extreme, she was wriggling her bottom in the air.

Straining her neck to hold up her body, Lan gained an upside down view between her legs. Jean and Kinwa came into her field of vision, both upside down and both looking at her hesitantly.

Lan shifted her underwear until suffering through the pain in her neck was rewarded, and a short tail fell out of her boxers and swung slowly, back and forward between her legs.

Screaming in delight, Lan swung her legs around and leapt into the air.

'Aahahahaha, yes, YES!' she cried, grabbing Kinwa's hands and swinging her around in a circle.

'My ancestors have recognised me as a worthy inheritor of their legacy!' Lan exclaimed excitedly.

She bent her knees and the room began to shake as Lan raised her power level.

'I am Lanthal!' she roared, 'Feel my power and despair!'

'Lan, cool it!' Kinwa yelled over the noise.

As the room became still she told Lan, 'Just because you're a weirdo with a tail now, it doesn't make you a Saiyan.'

'No Kinwa, this isn't just about having a tail,' Lan replied, grinning broadly, 'I've been feeling different the past couple of weeks, ever since we begun our training with Master Korin, and I think this is the cause of it!

'Jean, what do you think?' Lan said, rounding on the girl, 'How have you felt lately?'

'Well, I don't know anything about Saiyans, or whatever,' Jean said slowly, 'Not so long I had a bit of an episode, and since then I've been feeling... weird.'

'An episode, what do you mean?' Kinwa asked frowning.

Jean rubbed her neck. 'Look, it's not a big deal,' she said, shifting uncomfortably, 'the night before the others and I came here I had a seizure, but don't worry about it! It hasn't affected my ability to fight and I wont-'

'Woah, hold on,' Kinwa cut her off, 'you had a seizure the night before you came here?'

Kinwa looked at Lan, her eyebrows raised.

'So what?' Jean looked at the two of them, 'It's never happened before. It was just a once off.'

'That same night we were on a mission out in enemy territory to steal the Dragon Balls,' Kinwa told her, 'They were being held in an Intergalactic Army base, and it was our job to get in and get out safely with those balls.'

'Wait, Dragon Balls? What are they?' Jean asked, looking confused.

'Magic wish balls,' Kinwa said impatiently, 'you bring them together and a dragon appears and grants you any wish.

'Anyway,' she went on, ignoring Jean's sceptic expression, 'things didn't go as planned and we were jumped on the way out. One of our squad tried to escape with the Dragon Balls while we held the soldiers attention.'

'The thing is,' Lan said, picking up the thread of the story, 'we don't exactly know what happened next. We believe that he might have been forced to use the Dragon Balls because he couldn't escape in time.'

'Hang on,' Jean said, holding up a hand, 'what does this have to do with me?'

'Well,' Lan said, giving Kinwa an uncertain look, 'I had a seizure shortly after Kale, our other squad member's power level vanished. So now I'm thinking-'

'Did you just say Kale?' Jean asked, interrupting her.

'Yeah, that's right,' Lan replied, frowning.

Jean didn't answer. She was staring unfocused at a blank spot on the floor next to her feet, her mouth open slightly and her fingers twitching.

Kinwa shot Lan a glance before asking, 'Do you know Kale?'

'He's my brother,' Jean said in a small voice.

The other two woman exchanged surprised looks, then Lan said with a smile, 'Yeah, I see the resemblance. You two do seem to think alike, you both share the same determined mindset.'

'You said that Kale disappeared after he used these Dragon Balls?' Jean asked, looking up at them.

'Umm, well that's the thing,' Kinwa began awkwardly, 'one minute we could sense his power level fading, then the dragon appeared, and then suddenly we couldn't sense him at all.'

'We searched where we last sensed him,' Lan told her, trying to sound reassuring, 'but there was no sign of him at all.'

'I'm sure that, wherever he is, he's okay,' Kinwa said gently, 'Jean, do you have any idea of where he could be?'

Jean shook her head. 'No, I haven't seen him in about... three years,' she told them.

'I...' Jean trailed off, then suddenly her whole behaviour changed. She straightened up, her face set.

'Like I said, I have no idea where he is,' she said firmly, 'in fact, don't talk to me about him ever again.'

Lan opened her mouth but was too stunned to speak. Kinwa was silent beside her as well, a look of incredulity on her face.

Before they could say anything else, Jean grabbed the rest of her clothes and walked from the room.

'I need to to use the bathroom,' she said, not looking at them as she left.

'Wait, Jean,' Lan called after her, finding his voice.

She moved to go after her, but Kinwa grabbed her shoulder and held her back.

'How do you explain that?' she asked her friend, turning around to face her.

'I don't know,' Kinwa said, shaking her head, 'but you heard what she said; she hasn't seen Kale in three years. Maybe there's something between them. Maybe they had a falling out when they last saw each other.'

Lan folded her arms behind her head. 'Yeah, maybe,' she said slowly.

'In any case, hurry up and get dressed,' Kinwa told her, pushing Lan towards the door, 'Korin wont be happy we're taking this long.'

'Yeah, right,' Lan said with a smile, making her way back to her own room.

…

Kinwa met Lan on the steps on the steps leading up to the open area of Korin's Tower where he had been training them.

As they walked up the stairs together Lan said to her, 'We should ask Corro if he knows what happened between Kale and Jean. Not sure why she's been living with him in the first place. Kale said that he joined up after his family was killed. He never mentioned having a sister.'

'Jean told me that Corro and Reed saved her and Peppe during the attack on West City,' Kinwa replied, 'the Namekian village they came from offered to take them in, and they opted to stay, rather than go to a refugee camp.'

'I don't blame them.'

'In Jean's version of the story there was no mention of a sibling either.'

Lan pursed her lips and said, 'Definitely something going on.'

The her expression changed and she said happily, 'I've been thinking about what Jean and I having our tails could mean. I think that Kale did use the Dragon Balls to make me more like my Saiyan ancestors.'

Kinwa rolled her eyes. 'That's pretty narcissistic Lan,' she told her friend, 'Kale wouldn't use a whole wish just to make you grow a tail.'

Lan shook her head. 'No, not just me,' she replied, 'I think that he wished for everyone who carried Saiyan DNA to take on more aspects of that part of their make up. That would explain why Jean is changing too.'

'But if Jean was affected by the wish,' Kinwa said, frowning, 'wouldn't Kale have been changed as well? I thought he didn't know anything about Saiyans until he met you.'

'That's right, he didn't.'

'Whaaat? So you're telling me that Kale made a wish to change all the Humans who carry Saiyan DNA, to be more like Saiyans, without knowing the wish would change him too?'

'Hey, it's possible,' Lan said, shrugging her shoulders, 'Jean had never heard of them either.'

'Wait, so you think that the fit both you and Jean had, was Kale's wish taking effect.'

'Exactly!'

As the climbed the last step to the top of the tower Kinwa said, 'Right, well, we'll get Nett up to speed, then see if we can have a private word with Corro at some stage.'

The pair walked towards Korin, who was standing with his back to them, watching the others spar in front of him. As they approached him, Jean came up the stairs behind them.

'Well, it's about time,' Korin said, turning around to face them, 'look, I know that girls take longer than guys to get ready in the morning, but this is ridiculous. What's the deal with taking so long?'

In answer, Lan turned around and waved her tail at him.

Korin was silent for a moment, then he said quietly, 'I'll never understand today's fashion.'

He turned back to face the other five and called out, 'Alright enough everybody. Since the girls are so late they've missed out on today's warm up, so all of you go have some breakfast and meet me back up here in an hour.'

…

After breakfast Kinwa managed to briefly catch Corro alone in the pantry. She asked him about what had happened between Jean and Kale, while Lan filled Nett in on her theory of her recent change.

Corro had been surprised to learn that Kale had served in the same squad as them.

When asked about the bad blood between the two siblings he said, 'I honestly couldn't tell you why he left. He just sort of abandoned her.'

'Abandoned her?' Kinwa said in a hushed whisper, crossing her arms, 'That doesn't sound like him.'

Corro shrugged. 'I didn't really know the kid,' he told her, 'Reed and I saved Kale, Jean and Peppe when West City was destroyed, then we took the three of them back to our village. The next night two soldiers from the Earth's Special Forces came by looking for refugees, Kale told them he wanted to fight, so they took him with them.'

Kinwa looked away from him, trying to make sense of the situation.

'I still sounds off. He's not the type to just take off like that,' she told him.

'Maybe he thought he had something to prove,' Corro replied, 'besides, he did leave you guys behind.'

'That's true,' Kinwa said, resting her chin on the palm of her hand, 'do you have any idea where he could have gone?'

The Namek shook his head. 'I'm sorry, I really have no idea,' he said with a touch of sadness, 'I can tell you for certain that he didn't come back to my village. On the first night they were with us he told us that everyone he knew had come from West City.

'All of his friends, his family,' Corro said with a heavy sigh, 'his whole life had been there one day, and gone the next. Everything taken, except Jean.'

'Except Jean...' Kinwa repeated.

'She might know where Kale is now,' Corro said hesitantly, 'it's just that, she hasn't even mentioned him to us in years. It seems like that scar hasn't faded yet.'

Kinwa rubbed the back of her neck and said in an exasperated tone, 'I just hope he's not dead.'

After a short pause Corro said quietly, 'Me too.'

Then he added, 'There's something else you should know. Peppe showed it to Reed and myself this morning. He's... growing a tail too.'

'What?' Kinwa asked, her eyes narrowed, 'What relation does he have to Kale and Jean?'

Corro shrugged. 'None whatsoever, he was a lost kid they happened to pick up in the chaos of the attack.'

Shaking her head Kinwa said, 'This just gets stranger and stranger. I wish Kale was here to answer some questions.'

'Where ever he is, I'm sure it's safe,' Corro said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, 'right now it's our job to train hard and prepare for what's ahead. Soon the people of Earth will need us to lend them our strength.'

'You're right,' Kinwa agreed, giving Corro a wan smile, 'we need to focus on what Korin can teach us here. I just hope that where ever Kale is, he's training hard and taking his role seriously. Soon we'll need his help.'

…

THE PLANET OF THE NORTH KAI

'Okay, today's the day that I catch that monkey,' Kale said cheerfully, pulling on his weighted shirt.

He ducked his head as he stepped outside the doorway of King Kai's house and called to Bubbles to get ready.

The monkey ran down the trunk of a tree and took off across the grass. Kale grinned, and tensed to start running after him.

Just as he was about to start sprinting, King Kai called out from behind him, 'Wait! Just a minute Kale!'

Standing frozen in an awkward position with one foot off the ground, Kale looked around as King Kai followed him outside.

'What is it King Kai? He's getting away!' Kale said, motioning after Bubbles.

King Kai looked at him with a smirk, and stroked his chin.

'Oh, it's just one small thing,' he told Kale.

His antennae snapped forward. There was a loud pop and suddenly Kale's weighted clothes felt nearly as heavy as they originally had when he first put them on.

'Ouff, King Kai, what gives?' Kale asked, sagging under the renewed weight of his clothes.

'I think that you've been having too easy of a time lately, so I thought I'd make it a bit more challenging,' he replied, wagging his finger in Kale's face.

'What do you mean I've been taking it easy?' Kail replied through gritted teeth, 'I haven't even managed to catch the monkey yet!'

'Oh don't worry about it so much!' King Kai said, turning and walking over to a yellow banana lounge chair seated next to his garden.

As he lay back he added, 'With the rate you're improving those wont bother you at all in no time! Now get out there and chase my monkey around the planet some more.'

Kale blinked. 'The planet?' he asked.

King Kai looked over at him. 'Yes, the planet,' he said, 'you know, the place where you're standing.'

'Oh yeah,' Kale said, tapping his foot against the grass, 'I've been meaning to ask you about that. What's the deal with this place? It's like we're on a giant grassy ball.'

King Kai settled back in his chair again. 'Jump up and have a look,' he told Kale, waving his hand dismissively, 'it's my own little world.'

Kale crossed his arms and said, 'Huh.'

Bending at the knees, Kale jumped as hard as he could, pushing through the strain he felt from the weight of his clothes.

He shot up into the air, higher and higher, until King Kai appeared as small as his fingernail. From that height Kale could see that King Kai's home was it's very own little world. Around him as far as the eye could see there was only purple sky and yellow clouds.

Unreal. No one will ever believe me when I tell them about this place.

As Kale reached the peak of his jump, he immediately felt the gravity begin to pull him down again.

'Woah, WOAH!' he cried out, as he shot back towards the planet's surface.

He landed hard on the ground next to King Kai, his legs shaking.

Wincing, Kale slowly stood upright, rubbing the ache out of his throbbing limbs.

'So what'd think?' King Kai asked without looking at him.

'I don't know what to say,' Kale replied, scratching his head, 'except, just where the heck are we?'

'In Otherworld of course, you big dumb dumb.'

'What? The Otherworld?'

'That's what I said, didn't I? I already told you that the only people who visit me are almost always dead, or gods, so where else could we be but Otherworld?'

Kale crossed his arms and smiled. 'If you say so.'

King Kai grunted and said, 'Well I do. Now go on, there's a monkey out there with your name on it.'

'So there is...' Kale said slyly.

He spotted Bubbles peeking out from behind one of the bushes in King Kai's garden. When the monkey realised Kale had seen him, he shrieked, breaking out from hiding and running full pelt across the grass.

Kale laughed and began to jog slowly after him.

…

Kale's chest moved up and down. It's rhythm matched the movement his arms and legs made as he ran after Bubbles across the surface of King Kai's planet.

His tutor had been right. Kale's body had quickly adjusted to the new weight of his clothes and now he felt like he could move better than ever.

Behind him Kale could feel his tail moving from side to side as he took one long stride after another.

In the few days since King Kai had first revealed it's existence it had grown to well over a foot in length. King Kai had told him that it would grow longer still. Kale still wasn't used to having the extra appendage. He kept forgetting about it when he went to sit down, and would quickly jump up, wincing in pain as it was squished between the chair and his behind.

Still, getting used to having a tail was well worth the change Kale had been noticing in his growth rate.

'I'm coming for you Bubbles!' he called out to the monkey ahead of him.

Bubbles looked back over his shoulder and frowned at him, hooting defiantly.

King Kai had been right about Kale's physical development as well. His muscle mass had grown in the week or so he'd been on his planet, albeit only slightly, given his age.

As Kale raced after Bubbles, a new sensation began to form in his chest. He had been running for several hours, but instead of feeling tired, his body felt suddenly lighter, and it felt like moving while under the planet's gravity took no effort at all.

Kale grinned, pushing his body harder. He closed the gap between Bubbles and him and reached out, straining to grab hold of him.

Bubbles looked round at him again, and his eyes widened in alarm as he saw much Kale had gained.

To the young Saiyan's disbelief, the monkey turned to face ahead again, and took off even faster away from Kale.

Kale gaped after him, shocked that he could move even faster than he had before.

He's got turbo mode! Alright, if that's the case, I can go a little more!

Kale gritted his teeth, and dug into the new pool of energy he felt welled up inside of him.

Moving his arms and legs even faster, the gap between Bubbles and him narrowed. Kale's muscles were burning, but he felt stronger than ever. His tail felt like it was on fire as it whipped along behind him.

In front of him Kale could see that the strain was beginning to show on Bubbles. His forehead was wet with sweat as he ran on, changing direction to head towards King Kai's house.

King Kai was still lounging on his outdoor chair, hands resting on top of his stomach and a line of zinc cream down his nose.

Kale followed Bubbles' direction as he ran full pelt towards where King Kai was seated.

King Kai jolted awake as Bubbles jumped over him landing between him and his garden.

As Bubbles kept running in the direction of the garden King Kai called out, 'No wait, stop, stop, stop! Not that way!'

Bubbles ignored him and sprang forward, trying to get away from Kale by escaping over the garden.

King Kai gasped, holding the sides of his head as Bubbles tried to clear the garden in one leap. His fears were founded, as Bubbles began to pitch forward towards the bird bath, unable to have jumped far enough after so much running.

Just as the birds washing themselves in the bath looked up, as their imminent doom fell from the sky, Kale reached King Kai, and dived forward.

King Kai shrieked, and fell off his chair landing flat on his face, as Kale soared overhead. His arms enclosed around Bubbles middle, catching him and landing them both safely on the opposite of the garden.

Twisting as they hit the ground, the soft grass cushioned Kale's landing as he slid to a stop, a triumphant grin spreading across his face as he held Bubbles up above him.

The monkey cried out in alarm and wriggled in Kale's grip, trying to get away. But Kale laughed, and hugged him close as he lay on there on his back.

King Kai rubbed his nose where he had fallen, and gripped the banana lounge as he pulled himself up. He jumped as Kale leapt back over the garden, still holding Bubbles in his arms.

'I did it! King Kai, I did it! I caught the monkey!' Kale announced ecstatically.

'Yes I can see that,' King Kai grumbled, sitting down hard on his chair, 'congratulations. Lesson One; complete.'

'Sorry you got dragged into this King Kai,' Kale said, grinning from ear to ear, 'but hey, at least I saved your garden.'

He looked over at the bird bath where two traumatised looking birds were still sitting in the water.

'Humph,' King Kai said unsmiling, 'I suppose I should thank-you for that.'

'Aww lighten up King Kai,' Kale said, giving Bubbles a squeeze, 'so what's next on the agenda?'

King Kai stood up and brushed himself down. Wiping the zinc from his nose he said to Kale, 'Well the first the you have to is let Bubbles go before he suffocates.'

Kale looked down and saw that the monkey's face was turning blue in his arms. He quickly let go, and placed Bubbles on the ground. Bubbles slowly walked away on all fours, staggering slightly.

'He'll be okay,' King Kai reassured Kale, 'anyway, let's move on to Lesson Two.'

He walked away from the garden, arms crossed behind his back to stand in the middle of the open field. Kale eagerly followed behind.

'What we've spent the last week doing is conditioning your body to get used to the increased gravity,' he told Kale as they walked, 'the next step is to take that one level higher.

'Incidentally Kale,' King Kai, said, turning around to face him, 'how much has your tail grown?'

'My tail?' Kale asked.

He twisted around and was shocked to see that his tail had grown to be about two and a half feet long.

'Wow, that was fast,' he said, waving it back and forth.

King Kai nodded. 'Mm hmm, I thought as much,' he told Kale, 'try wrapping it around your waist.'

Kale curled his tail around his body and it wrapped in a perfect circle, stopping just short of where it started at the back.

'Oh man, this is going to make sitting down so much easier,' Kale said happily, 'I just hope it doesn't grow anymore.'

'Nope, it looks just about done,' King Kai said, taking a closer look at the tail, 'if it does grow it will be with the rest of your body as you get older. If you learn to use it, as you would your other limbs, I think you'll find it very useful in a fight.

'So,' he said, turning away from Kale, 'onto Lesson 2.'

King Kai inhaled deeply, then, cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled up into the sky, 'GREGORY!'

Taking his hands away from his ears, Kale asked, 'What? Gregory, was it? Who's Gregory?'

Before King Kai could answer, a small ball of light came speeding out of the clouds above, and made a bee line straight towards Kale.

Faster than he could react, the light rammed itself into Kale's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Kale bent over, gasping for air.

Zooming in a loop around him, the light came in low, then shot straight up, delivering Kale a devastating uppercut, knocking him off of his feet. Kale landed hard on his back, and as he lay there the small ball of light came and rested itself on his chest.

'W-what,' Kale stuttered, 'what is this?'

'Huh? What's the matter with you?' the light replied in a high pitched voice, 'You asked, didn't you?'

The light slowly faded and Kale could now see what had been the cause. A large, green cricket stood with it's hands on it's hips, and it's legs planted firmly apart on his chest.

'Kale, this is Gregory' King Kai told him.

'Hi,' Kale said with a smile, sitting up on his elbows, 'it's very nice to meet you.'

Gregory crossed his arms. 'You wont be laughing in a short while. King Kai's been taking it easy on you. The next part of your training is with me!'

Getting to his feet, Kale said, 'Oh, umm, sure then. So this time I have to catch you instead?'

Throwing back his head with a loud, 'Hah!', Gregory told him, 'You wish that was all it was, but training with me is much more difficult than a simple game of catch the monkey. With that ridiculous tail you like a monkey yourself!'

'I don't know,' Kale replied, curling his tail around his waist, 'I think it kinda suits me.'

'Oh, well I guess you would think that,' Gregory said crossly, 'you know, watching you run after Bubbles seemed like a severe case of "monkey see, monkey do", to me.'

Behind Gregory, King Kai snorted and bent over double, trying to muffle his laughing in his hands.

'Not b-bad Gregory!' he spluttered. Then, seeing they were both staring at him, he quickly wiped his eyes and straightened up, regaining his composure.

King Kai cleared his throat. 'Now, you're half right Kale,' he told the young Saiyan, 'for the next part of your training you will need to use this-'

King Kai held up his arm. There was a small pop, then in a puff of smoke a metal mallet with an enormously over-sized head appeared in his hand.

'-to hit Gregory over the head with.'

'But King Kai!' Kale said in disbelief, 'That's too dangerous!

'I could really- oww!' Kale broke off as Gregory collided with the side of his head.

'Humph! You seem pretty sure of yourself!' Gregory told Kale, flying up close to his face.

As Kale rubbed the side of his head, Gregory said, 'You just worry about yourself for a start.'

'Here Kale. Catch this!' King Kale called out with a chuckle.

Kale looked over at him, as he casually tossed the mallet over.

Catching it with one hand, Kale's eyes widened at it's weight. His arm was jerked downwards as the gravity held the mallet down.

'What the... King Kai! This thing feels like it weighs at least ten tons!'

'Well if it's too much trouble, maybe you should just go home,' Gregory said smugly.

Kale's eyes narrowed. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and wrapped both hands around the mallet's shaft. Straining against the mallet's weight Kale managed to lift it into the air.

'Oh no, not on your life!' He told Gregory through gritted teeth, hefting the mallet over one shoulder, 'I'm no where near ready to go ho-o- woah!'

Kale back peddled furiously, as the mallet's weight began to tip him over backwards. It slipped over his shoulder and landed with a crash that shook the ground.

As Gregory shook with laugher, King Kai called out, 'Use your tail Kale!'

'My tail?' Kale asked, looking down at it.

'Yes, my boy. Use it to balance yourself against the weight of the hammer!'

Bending his knees slightly, Kale uncurled his tail and held it out steady behind him. A feeling of absolute physical equilibrium settled over him, and he laughed aloud at his new-found sense of balance.

'Alright!' he roared at Gregory, 'Get ready!'

Grabbing the mallet again with both hands, Kale lifted it up off the ground, and swung it forward at Gregory.

He missed by a clear foot, and the force of his swing lifted him off his feet as the mallet flew through the air and landed in front of King Kai, just missing his toes and sinking several inches into the dirt.

'Oh, heh, sorry about that King Kai,' Kale said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

King Kai stood frozen. His mouth opened his mouth slightly and he made a noise that sounded like a mouse being stepped on.

'Hey!' Gregory called after Kale, 'You watch what you're doing!'

Pulling the mallet out of the ground, Kale said cheerfully, 'Okay, here I go. For real this time.'

'That's more like it!' Gregory cried, as a field of light surrounded him again.

Finding his voice, King Kai yelled out as he sprinted back to his house, 'Run for your life Bubbles! Take cover, quick!'

He ran inside and slammed the door behind him. Bubbles was only a second behind as he swung himself in through a window after his master.

…

KORIN TOWER

Nett stood at the edge of the open area at the top of Korin Tower. The sun was slowly rising above the horizon, casting the sky around him in a brilliant shade of orange. In the centre of the tower Corro was meditating. He sat cross legged hovering several feet in the air.

Peppe and Reed flew around the outside of the tower racing each other, coming together every minute or so in a flurry of blurred fists.

However, it wasn't the sight of the sky before him, or the two children sparring, that held Nett's attention.

His arms were crossed and his eyes were tightly closed as he focused on what he could feel below. Somewhere far away Nett could sense a battle was being fought. The power levels were faint, and he didn't recognise any of them, but he could feel them all quickly rising and falling as the battle raged on.

He was so focused on the distant skirmish that it wasn't until she was standing right beside him, that Nett noticed Kinwa's presence.

'You can sense it too, can't you?' he asked Kinwa, opening his eyes.

Kinwa's fists clenched. 'Yes, I can feel it,' she told him, 'somebody, somewhere, is fighting a battle.'

'And we should be there to help,' Nett said, gritting his teeth.

He turned around as he heard Korin and the others coming up the stairs. Nett's lip curled as the group came to the top and moved to the centre of the room.

Every day for the past two months since they had arrived at the tower, Korin had been putting them through their paces. He'd tested their knowledge of both martial arts and ki control.

He'd put them through trials to test their endurance, such as flying around the tower in the thin air, and standing balanced on their hands for extended periods of time.

Often he would match up the fighters without any consideration of their age or experience. Korin had said that you never have the luxury of choosing your opponents, so it was worth fighting as many different people as possible.

It was clear that Korin was a master at the martial arts, but recently Nett had become frustrated at how Korin hadn't actually taught them anything new.

As he and Kinwa approached the others, his anger boiled over.

Korin was speaking with Lan, Jean and Bobo. Corro slowly lowered himself, then uncrossed his legs and straightened up as Peppe and Reed landed beside him.

'Hey!' Nett yelled out as he walked over.

Kinwa glanced at him nervously. She knew him well enough to know when he was angry.

Korin broke off speaking, and looked around.

'Morning,' he said casually, 'what's up?'

Nett's eyes widened. 'What's up? What's up!' he said, moving to stand over Korin.

'I'll tell you what's up,' Nett continued, '"What's up?" is that I'm fed up with your, so called, training! You have us up here every day running circles like we're a bunch of school kids! I want to know when you plan to start taking this seriously, and start teaching us some new techniques!'

The others had stood silently while Nett had been shouting. The two youngest boys' eyes were as round as saucers.

Korin didn't reply at first, but his tail swished quickly from left to right along the stone floor. When he did answer his voice was calm and without emotion.

'I've been talking this seriously the whole time,' he said flatly, 'it's you guys who are the ones that lack discipline.'

'Wha-what!' Nett spluttered, 'Discipline! Are you kidding me? We were in the army for goodness sake!'

Korin waved a paw. 'No, no, that's not what I meant. I mean that you need to learn to control your strength, and focus your power. Right now you burn through your energy too quickly, and your power is unwieldy, like a heavy sword without a grip.

'You got talent, no doubt about that,' Korin said, pointing his finger at Nett, 'but raw talent only gets you so far. Like I said; discipline.'

Nett wasn't convinced. 'I don't believe you,' he told Korin, 'we make up the strongest unit in the Earth's Special Forces. How could we have come that far if we aren't good at what we do?'

'If you're so great,' Korin asked, cocking his head to one side, 'then how come the Earth hasn't won yet, and there are still Intergalactic Army soldiers on the planet?'

Before Nett could retort, Korin added, 'And if you think you're so strong, then let's see you hit me with your strongest attack.'

Nett's eyes widened in shock, and around him several of the other fighters gasped.

'You're not serious,' he told Korin.

'Of course I'm serious,' Korin replied, handing his staff to Jean, then moving back to stand in front of Nett.

'Go on and hit me with everything you got,' he told him.

Nett sneered, and said, 'Fine then. It's your funeral.'

He brought his hands in by his sides, and began charging two balls of purple energy in them.

'Yeah, well, we'll just see what happens first,' Korin called out over the hum as Nett charged his attack. The rest of the squad quickly moved to a safe distance.

'Last chance!' Nett roared.

When Korin didn't move he yelled, 'Have it your way!

'PURPLE DEATH FLASH!'

Bending his knees he thrust he arms forward firing an enormous energy wave at Korin. The blast hit him dead on and kept on pushing outward towards the other end of the room, spilling over the balcony into the sky.

Nett stood with one hand resting on his knee, breathing heavily. A huge cloud of smoke and dust swirled around where Korin had been standing.

When nothing moved in the cloud Nett stood straight, rubbing his wrist with one hand.

'Serves you right,' he said with a smirk.

From the edge of the room Reed stepped forward, pointed at Nett, and yelled 'Oh my god, he killed Korin!'

'You bastard!' Peppe cried.

'Calm down! I'm not dead,' Korin called out from within the smoke cloud.

As the dust began to clear, Nett gaped in disbelief. Korin stood in the centre of the area where his blast had blackened the floor, unharmed and untouched except for a small wisp of flame on the end of one of his whiskers.

'That's just about as much as I expected,' Korin said casually, brushing dirt off his fur, 'though what can you expect from an attack called the "Purple Death Flash", heh!'

Nett's knees gave out, and he fell forward onto his hands, too dumbfounded to speak.

He looked up as Korin moved to stand in front of him. 'I'm sorry master,' he said quietly, 'I was rash and a fool. I was wrong to question your teachings.'

'Don't worry about it,' Korin told him, 'I know being stuck up here is frustrating, and you'd rather be down there helping the people of this planet. But you do them no favours by leaving before you're ready.

'If you go and get yourself into trouble, or worse, you wont be any help to them anyway,' Korin continued, moving to rest one of his paws on Nett's shoulder, 'it's a crap situation, no doubt. However, if you stay you can work hard to become the soldier they truly need. As you've just seen, fighting isn't about throwing the heaviest boulder at the castle walls. It's about throwing that pebble hard enough to make them crack.'

'Of course master, you're right,' Nett said, getting to his feet, 'from now on I promise to follow your instructions to the letter.'

Korin nodded, satisfied. He took his staff back from Jean and called out to the rest of them, 'The same goes for the rest of you guys! Now enough standing around, let's get back to work!'

As Korin told them what he had planned for the day, Nett could still faintly sense the battle going on below. He clenched his jaw hard and focused on what Korin was saying.

Soon. Some day soon we will be strong enough. We'll return strong enough to take back our planet, and put an end to the fighting, once and for all!

…

THE PLANET OF THE NORTH KAI

Another crash shook the planet as Kale swung the massive mallet at Gregory.

Kale quickly heaved it up again as Gregory zoomed over his head.

'You're not getting away that easily!' he yelled after the cricket.

'Ha!' Gregory called back over his shoulder, 'Like you'll ever be able to catch me!'

The mallet balanced on his shoulder, Kale sprinted after him. It had taken him a while, but eventually Kale had become used to the tool's weight.

It still weighed him down, but now Kale could swing it quick enough to have a chance to hit Gregory. The problem was catching him.

Whenever Kale had caught up to Gregory, it became quickly apparent that the cricket was far too nimble for Kale to blindly swing at.

As Kale ran, an idea began to form in his mind.

If I want to catch Gregory, I can't just be fast. I need to be smart AND fast.

He slowed to a stop, and watched as Gregory sped away, disappearing over the curvature of the planet. Grinning, Kale turned around and began to run in the opposite direction.

Gregory flew fast and low over the grass. He stared ahead, focusing on flying straight.

Chancing a glance behind him, he called out to Kale, 'Hey, don't tell me you're giving up that easily kid!'

When Kale didn't reply, he flipped over and continued to fly along, going backwards instead. There was no sign of the young Saiyan behind him.

'Umm, Kale?' He called out.

The sound of heavy footsteps moving quickly came from behind him, and Gregory turned around to find Kale right in front of him, having ran the other way around the planet.

Kale leapt up, a fierce grin running across his face and triumph in his eyes.

I've got him!

Gregory's eyes widened in surprise as Kale swung the mallet behind him. Before he could swing it around to hit him, Gregory came to a screeching halt just inches from Kale's chest, and quickly moved around his body to take off at full speed past him.

As Gregory dodged around him, Kale released his grip on the mallet's handle and let it slip towards the ground. Gregory turned to watch it fall, and as he did, Kale's tail wrapped itself around the handle.

Moving his whole body into the swing, Kale twisted and swung the mallet with his tail. It collided mid-air with Gregory and sent him spinning out into the clouds.

The mallet landed with a heavy thud on the ground, and Kale sat down beside it, breathing heavily.

'Woah!' King Kai called to him, leaning out of a window, 'I saw that, that one had to be a six!'

As King Kai unlocked his door and came back outside, Kale strutted confidently over to him.

'So, what do you reckon, King Kai?' Kale asked, coming to a stop in front of him and putting his hands on his hips, 'Lesson Two; complete?'

'Not so fast!' came a voice from above their heads.

They looked up. Gregory was slowly zigzagging towards them.

'That kid... that kid never hit me,' he said thickly, 'when I saw the mallet coming I braced against it, then used the momentum to spring forward!'

Kale's eyes narrowed at him. 'Is that so?

'Because that lump on your head says otherwise,' he said, pointing to it.

Gregory opened his mouth to speak, but instead his eyes closed and he dropped to the ground. He landed on the soft grass, completely out cold.

Kale turned back to King Kai grinning. 'Well?' he asked.

'Lesson Two; complete,' King Kai echoed, 'now we move on to the next part of your training, and this is where it gets serious.'

As Kale jumped into the air, whooping joyfully, King Kai stroked his chin and looked thoughtful.

'So what's first?' Kale asked him excitedly.

'Well, I'm having a thought Kale,' he told him, 'I think what we need for you is a sparring partner.'

Kale looked puzzled. 'But I thought you were going to teach me, King Kai?'

'Oh don't worry, I will,' King Kai replied, crossing his arms behind his back, 'I believe that we could get the most out of your training if you had someone to compete against. Somebody who could share your competitive drive.'

'I guess so...' Kale said with a shrug.

'It's a shame you came here alone,' King Kai continued, 'we'll just have to find someone else...'

He snapped his fingers. 'And I know just who to ask,' he told Kale happily.

King Kai stood with his legs together, and his antennae snapped forward. He stood rigid, and stared hard at a spot on the ground.

Kale tried to follow what he was looking at, confused about what his instructor was doing. He moved to stand next to King Kai, but couldn't make what his eyes were following.

'Umm, King Kai? Whatcha doing?' he asked.

King Kai didn't respond, standing just as still as ever. Kale was not comprehending situation.

'King Kai, are you alright?' Kale said, peering closely at his face.

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of King Kai's face, and his mouth was set in a thin line.

'Hey King Kai-' Kale began again.

Rounding on him, King Kai roared, 'I'M ON A CALL, YOU IDIOT! SHUT UP!'

Kale recoiled in alarm, and King Kai turned away from him and said, 'Sorry about that, yeah I'm still here.'

After a minute of silence, King Kai straightened up and said to Kale, 'Alright, that's that sorted. He should be here momentarily.'

He turned back to face Kale and was alarmed to him standing a short distance away, an apprehensive look on his face.

'What are you doing over there, boy?' King Kai called out and waved him back over.

With a small smile, Kale walked over and asked, 'So who did you say is coming here?'

Before King Kai could answer, there was a small whoosh of air, and then out of no where a man appeared, standing beside them.

Kale stared at him. The stranger was a few inches taller than he was, with jet black hair that stuck up on odd angles. A white halo hovered above his head.

He was dressed in a pair loose fitting orange pants, and he wore a long, vest like shirt in a matching colour, with a blue sash tied around around his middle and fastened at the side to hold his shirt closed. On each wrist he wore a blue wristband, and on his feet he wore blue boots with yellow trim that ended in a blunt point.

Wrapped snugly around his waist was a brown tail, just like Kale's.

The lines of age on his face were few, and they lifted easily when he flashed them a friendly smile. Despite his age, his arms were still thick and corded with muscles. His eyes were wide and round with just a hint of innocence.

'Hi!' the stranger greeted them cheerfully with a wave.

'Kale,' King Kai said with a smile, 'this is Goku.'

'Hey Kale,' Goku said, a broad grin on his face, 'good to meet you!'

Kale felt a smile forming on his own face. Something about the strange man before him gave him a giddy feeling in his stomach, as if he was about to laugh. His smile was warm and welcoming, and there was something oddly familiar about him too.

'You too, Goku,' he said, shaking his hand.

'Goku has agreed to help train you during your stay here,' King Kai told him, 'I think you'll find him quite the interesting man to learn from. You see, Goku is in fact a Saiyan'

'And Goku,' King Kai said, turning towards him, 'You'll be interested to learn that Kale is like you; a Saiyan.'

'Wow, really?' Goku asked, his hands on his hips, 'Now that sure is something.'

Then, scratching his forehead, Goku asked, 'Say Kale, do you happen to have a tail by any chance?'

'Sure do,' Kale replied, turning side on to show him.

Goku smiled again, except this time Kale could tell it was a different kind. This one was somewhat playful, even daring.

'Alright, let's just see what you can do!' he told Kale as he settled into his fighting stance.

Surprised that they were starting so soon, Kale mimicked him and took up his own.

Goku blinked and cried, 'Here I come!'

He rushed at Kale, who saw through the obvious feint. Goku disappeared before he reached him, and Kale swung his fist around behind him at Goku's head as he reappeared. Instead of blocking the punch, Goku simply reached out and grabbed Kale's tail.

Kale gasped as his body seized up. He let out a strangled whine as he fell to his knees, and collapsed face down on the grass.

'I was afraid of this,' Goku said above him.

He released Kale's tail, and Kale began gasping for air, pushing himself up onto his hands.

'As you can see, we've got a lot of work to do,' King Kai said, walking over to stand beside Goku.

'Yep,' Goku replied, 'and that little problem will be the first place we start.

'Don't worry about it Kale,' Goku told him, as Kale unsteadily got to his feet, 'we'll have that tail conditioned in no time!'

'You know, I came here looking for the greatest martial arts teacher of all time,' Kale said weakly, 'it would be nice to learn some actual martial arts.'

Goku put one hand behind his head and laughed loudly.

'King Kai does have an unusual way of training fighters,' he told Kale, 'however learning the basics is just as important as learning to fight. You wouldn't believe the things my master had me do when I first starting to learn from him.'

King Kai clapped his hands together and said, 'It's settled then. If Goku's happy to stay, then we can both teach you as much as we know.'

Goku grinned, and began to stretch out his limbs.

'Kale, this is going to be great!' he told him as he limbered up, 'we'll cover everything from building up your strength and endurance, to refining your balance. I'll help you learn some different fighting styles to help mix it up, and maybe even some weapon training to make it a but more fun. Not to mention the powerful techniques we can teach you. Maybe King Kai can even teach you how to use the Kaio-Ken! Oh whoops, sorry King Kai! I didn't give anything away, did I? Anyway there may also be time for-'

As Kale stood on a strange planet listening to an even stranger man talk about whether or not to start from the ground up, or build on what Kale had already learned, for the first time in a long time, his mind thought back to the home he had once had in West City.

Kale had often thought back on the memories when his world had been ripped apart, and his family's lives had been snuffed out. He could remember these as clearly as if they had only happened the day before. But over the years since he and Jean had fled West City, he'd forgotten what if felt like to feel at home.

He'd forgotten what it felt like to be somewhere safe. A place where you knew you were wanted.

Standing before Goku now, Kale felt that sense coming back to him now. His fingers and toes tingled. It was if this man that he had only just met, gave off an aura that made people feel safe and happy. It was feeling that Kale remembered from what felt like a lifetime ago, when he had lived happily with his mother and father. When he and Jean attended school like normal children. And where any dangers that stalked the land seemed far away. For Kale, it was a happy feeling.

It felt like home.

…

KORIN TOWER – SEVEN MONTHS LATER

Corro sat with his legs crossed, resting his hands on his knees and slowly breathed in through his nose. His shirt lay folded on the the ground beside him. His chest moved up and down, in rhythm with his steady breathing.

Across from him sitting in a similar fashion, was Nett. For the past several months the two Nameks had began to meditate together. They got up each morning before everyone else, and would sit together in silence, as the sun slowly rose on another day.

Given his profession, Nett had explained that he had few opportunities to socialise with other Nameks. They made up only a small percentage of the Earth's Special Forces members, and most of the ones he spoke to when he had the chance would be too awed by his reputation to hold a decent conversation.

Eager to spend time with another two members of his species, Nett had wanted to get off on the right foot with Reed and his brother. Corro had only been too happy to oblige. Meditating together was only the most recent activity they spent together.

Despite the difference of several years in their ages, with Corro only just on the cusp of adulthood, the two found that their personalities melded well .

Corro was keen to learn about how the rest of their race had been faring on the planet, and Nett, pleased that he had found a rapt audience, regaled him with many stories of where his missions had taken him.

Although his skill with ki control had been apparent from an early age, Corro had harboured no more secret desire for adventure than the next boy his age might have. As he grew older this desire dwindled as more practical things in life became important. However as he, Reed, Jean and Peppe listened to the tales told by Nett and the others, it awoke the same lust for adventure he'd felt many years ago. Being here with them, and learning from Korin, had made him slowly begin to think that his life might end up being an adventure after all.

Presently, as the world lay stretched out below them, Corro began to let his mind drift and cast out his senses to what he could feel around him.

At the base of the tower he could sense the presence of the people who lived there, and somewhat of their emotions. For the moment, they flickered softly against his mind's eye, quiet in the early morning.

Broadening the scope of his mind, Corro looked out further. Distantly he could feel where others were at the time. Some he had to strain to even detect it's existence, let alone their location. Others shone brilliantly and stood out from the rest. Whenever he felt one of these, a shiver came over him, as Corro had no way of telling if the strong power he felt belonged to a friend or foe.

There was something unusual about this morning. As his mind began to wander, he became almost immediately aware of the location of several large power levels. It was not uncommon for one of the residents of Korin Tower to detect the location of a skirmish happening somewhere below them. However what drew Corro's attention, was the number of people he was sensing.

Most of the battles they felt were only ever fought between several dozen fighters at most. Nett had explained that the Earth's Special Forces could not afford to fight all out battles, and that they stuck to the guerilla skirmishes that they could feel below.

This fight on the other hand, was being fought between over one hundred members. Corro frowned and tried to focus his mental probe at the location where he could sense the fight happening.

It was definitely strange to be sensing so many soldiers in the one location. Unless one of the two different sides was hitting a fortified position held by the other, it was highly unlikely that it was a battle being fought between the Earth's Special Forces and the Intergalactic Army.

'Can you feel that?'

Nett had spoken up, and Corro jolted, his concentration wavering. He opened his eyes and saw that the other Namek still had his shut tight, his brow furrowed in focused determination.

'Yes,' Corro replied, closing his eyes once more and casting his mind back to the fight, 'I can feel it. I was just trying to work out who is fighting against who.'

The two Nameks focused their attention on where the energy was coming from, trying to discern it's source.

'I can tell you this much,' Nett said slowly, 'it's not a battle between the ESF and the IA.'

'That's what I was thinking,' Corro told him, 'it's strange, some of the people I can sense feel almost familiar...'

'It wouldn't be a human settlement, what with that many ki users. Almost all of the ki sensitive humans are in the army. It could be the New Turtle School, or maybe the New Crane School, but the IA would be mad to attack a location like one of those...'

'I was thinking it could be a fortified base being assaulted.'

'That's a possibility as well, but if it were true there would be a good chance that at least one of the commanding officers would be present. I don't recognise any of the powers as one of theirs'. In my mind, the only possible explanation is that the IA is attacking a Namekian Village.'

A cold feeling crept over Corro's limbs, and his stomach felt suddenly hollow. When he opened his eyes, Nett was watching him, a reserved expression on his face.

Breathing quickly, Corro tried to concentrate on the source of the energy, trying to focus enough to pinpoint the location. He couldn't tell for sure, but he could be certain that the battle was being fought west of Korin Tower.

The energy was coming from the same direction as his village.

He screwed his eyes tightly shut, trying to recognise any of the people he was sensing. As his probe sharpened, his breath caught in throat as he realised many of the power levels belonged to members of his village.

Corro opened his eyes, still breathing fast, and quickly grabbed his shirt and stood up.

Nett was only a second behind him, and as Corro pulled on his shirt he asked him, 'What is it? Was I right? Are our people under attack?'

'Yes,' Corro replied, 'It's my village. They're under attack and they need my help.'

He slipped his coat on over his shirt and quickly walked towards the edge of the tower. Before he could take flight, Nett moved to stand in front of him.

'Hold on, you can't just take off on your own!' he told Corro.

Corro shook his head. 'I'm sorry Nett, but I have to go.'

Nett didn't budge. 'You can't leave now, you'd be throwing away everything you've strived to achieve here.'

'You don't understand!' Corro said desperately, 'Most of my village is made up of old men, far too old to fight. The others have never been in a real battle. They'll need me to even stand a chance!'

'If you go now, on your own, you'll share their fate,' Nett said gravely.

Before Corro could reply, he added, 'So let me help you.'

Corro was shocked. 'I can't ask you to come with me,' he told Nett.

The older Namek put his hand on Corro's shoulder and said gently, 'And there's nothing you could say to convince me not to.'

'Nett, I... I don't know what to say,' Corro replied, overwhelmed by his friends resolve.

'You don't need to say anything,' Nett told him, 'in the last nine months since I've gotten to know all of you, I've learnt the strength of your character, and the strength of your steadfast personality.

'If we survive this day, I want you, Corro,' Nett said, taking his hand from Corro's shoulder and jabbing him in the chest, 'to fight beside me as a member of the Z Squad. You and the others are exactly the kind of people the Earth's Special Forces needs to help win this fight.'

Nett stood back, and crossed his arms. His face was set as he said, 'So it would be remiss of us to turn our backs on you and your family in your hour of need.'

Corro was speechless in the wake of Nett's decision. He didn't know which part to address first.

'What now?' he managed to choke out.

'Right now,' Nett replied, 'we need to ask the others for their help.'

He turned and quickly walked down the stairs that led to the interior of the tower. Corro hurried to keep up with his brisk strides.

They moved together towards the small mess hall where the rest of the group was sitting down to breakfast with each other. The loud talk that filled the room quickly died away when Nett and Corro entered. It was plain from the expression they shared on their faces that something had happened.

'What's going on guys?' Reed asked them.

'We're leaving,' Nett looked at Reed when he spoke, but he addressed the room, 'Corro and I have sensed that your village is under attack.'

Jean was already out of her seat and moving to stand beside them before Nett had finished speaking.

'I'm coming too,' she said, giving Corro a small smile.

Lan dropped the dropped the chicken bone she had been eating and began to slovenly suck the grease off her fingers.

'When, do we, leave?' she asked between fingers.

'Immediately,' Nett replied.

'Right,' Lan said getting up, 'just give me a minute to grab my sword.'

Corro looked anxiously over at Korin. Their master had remained silent through Nett's announcement. He sat still in his seat, slowly chewing on a kipper.

'Master,' Nett began, 'I know this is just what you warned me against, but I feel this is something we have to do. Corro's people need us.'

All eyes in the room were focused on Korin. Even Yajirobe had looked up from his bowl, his attention held on what Korin would say.

Korin finished chewing the kipper and swallowed loudly.

He tapped the fingers of one paw against the table before shrugging and saying, 'Well, I suppose you guys are ready. Just don't ruin all my hard work by dying out there.'

Nett breathed a sigh of relief as the rest of the group cheered.

Standing, Kinwa slapped a hand onto the shoulder of Bobo, who was sitting beside her.

'Come on Bobo, we've been idle for too long,' she told him.

As he looked at her with his round eyes, not understanding what she meant, Kinwa added, 'Let's go blow something up!'

The enormous Maijin stood up quickly, his belly sending the table sliding back. He clapped his hands together and said loudly, 'Aahahaha! Yes, yes! Bobo wants to blow a bad guy up!'

Reed jumped up, and as Peppe climbed onto his shoulders he said, 'Let's go home Peppe! We gotta go help the elders out!'

'Alright, onward!' Peppe declared, and Reed ran out of the doorway and up the stairs with the young Saiyan on his shoulders.

The rest of the group quickly followed them.

…

Up at the top of the tower they met Lan. The warrior was already wearing her coat and sword. Around the tower the two youngest boys flew in wide circles.

'Alright everyone gather round!' Nett shouted at them.

As Peppe and Reed landed, the group circled around into a huddle to what Nett had to say.

'Okay, listen up,' he told them, 'we don't have a clear idea of what's happening on the ground. We estimate there's at least a dozen Intergalactic Army soldiers attacking the village, but there could easily be more. We may be able to get a clearer idea as we get closer, we'll just have to see.

'When we get there this is what I want each of you to be doing,' he went on, pointing to each of them in turn, 'Reed and Peppe, I want you two to focus on the survivors. Get as many as you can together and get them away. Corro, I want you to go with them and deal with any that are too injured to walk. Don't worry about healing them if the injury isn't life-threatening, conserve your strength. Jean, I want you to be watching over them the whole time. Stop anyone who comes after them or the villagers dead in their tracks. The rest of us will deal with the soldiers.

'I don't want to hear it-' Nett cut Jean off as she opened her mouth to protest, '-we're the ones with combat experience. We've been in situations just like this before. We know what it's like to be on the ground with no intel or briefing, it's unpredictable. So leave the heavy lifting to us.'

Nett looked around the circle. There were no smiles now, and even Peppe and Reed looked pale.

'Everybody clear on their jobs?' he asked, and when they all nodded he yelled, 'Then let's move out!'

As the rest of the fighters jumped off the tower and began to head in the direction where the battle was being fought, Nett stopped for a moment and looked back.

Korin and Yajirobe stood in the centre of the circular room, silhouetted against the red sunrise behind them. As Nett watched, Korin lifted one paw and waved.

Nett ducked his head to hide his laughter, and quickly took flight after the rest of the group. For one gloriously insane and normal moment in his so very abnormal life, his imagination had compared Korin to a beckoning money cat.

…

THE PLANET OF THE NORTH KAI

Kale closed his eyes, and slowly breathed out. He bent his knees, and brought his arms out straight in front of him. His wrists were pressed together, and his finger spread wide, curling his fingers slightly.

At his side, Goku nodded in approval. 'That's it Kale, exactly like we practised,' he told the young Saiyan, 'now feel the energy from all over your body begin to slowly flow down through your arms, and into your hands.

'Now focus that energy!' Goku continued, walking around Kale, 'Focus it, compress it! When you release your energy in such a concentrated amount, your attack will be much deadlier.'

Letting his arms fall to his sides, Kale slowing breathed in and out, letting the energy he'd gathered in his hands spread back to the rest of his body.

Goku crossed his arms and raised a finger at him. 'Just remember,' he told Kale, 'that you have to be careful of just how much energy you put into that blast. Too much, and you could find yourself with nothing left over. Plus if you really amp it up you could run the risk of destroying the planet! Just make sure that you always focus, even in the heat of battle, because if you don't-'

'I know, I know, Goku,' Kale interrupted, opening his eyes, 'I know to watch it, I've heard it a thousand times.'

Goku chuckled. 'Well, one thousand and one never hurt anyone!' he told him.

'Okay, what next?' Goku asked himself, 'Maybe some swordplay? Although I am keen to see if you can break a piece katchin with your bare hand yet!'

Ignoring Goku, Kale called out, 'Hey King Kai, you alright?'

Goku turned around to see what Kale meant, and they both stared at King Kai who was standing unmoving a short distance away. His antennae faced forward and he either didn't hear Kale, or didn't care to answer.

Recently he had been focusing less and less on Kale's training, and had taken more to standing alone, his attention fixed on events happening far away in another part of the galaxy. Whenever they asked him if there was anything going on he would always laugh, and tell them not to worry about it.

Today however, when they approached him he turned around to face them, his expression grave.

'You look like something's eating you King Kai,' Goku told him, 'is something up?'

King Kai looked between the two of them and sighed.

At length, he didn't speak, but eventually he took a deep breath and said, 'I have something difficult to tell you. On one hand, it will mean the end of Kale's training. On the other, there is a battle being fought down on Earth that I believe Kale's presence will be essential for if victory is to be achieved.'

Kale's mind began to race. In the time he'd spent on King Kai's planet he knew that the war was still going on, and that by being here he would not be able to help the Earth's Special Forces if they needed it. He'd managed to push it to the back of his mind, and King Kai never brought up the subject of any battles he sensed happening back on Earth.

Until now.

Kale quietened his thoughts, and asked 'Is it serious?'

'Yes, I'm afraid it is,' King Kai said with a nod, 'it seems that the other members of your squad are on their way to defend the village where your sister and friends live.'

'WHAT?' Kale thundered, 'WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO EARLIER! THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO QUESTION OF ME GOING TO HELP THEM!'

He bent over panting heavily as King Kai held up a hand and said, 'Calm down. For a start your sister and the other two Nameks she's been living with aren't there right now. They're travelling with the Z Squad to assist in the defence.'

'Wait, what?' Kale said, confused with the situation, 'Why is Jean with them?'

'She's spent the better part of a year training alongside them under one of the Earth's greatest martial arts instructors,' King Kai replied, 'but if you are set on returning, then there's no time to go into that now.'

Kale nodded. 'That's okay,' he said, 'I can always ask them about that later. Right now I have to get back to Earth!'

He stood still for a moment, his fists clenched as hard as his jaw before asking, 'Umm, how do I get back to Earth?'

Goku and King Kai both recoiled and jumped back at his question, before falling backwards and landing with a crash that shook the planet.

Getting up and dusting himself off King Kai said, 'Hold on a minute and I'll see if I can arrange a lift for you.'

He stood still again, his antennae pointing forward and his attention focused on whoever he was speaking with.

Goku smiled, putting his hands on his waist.

'In the meantime, I've got an idea of how I could help you out,' he told Kale cheerfully.

Raising the first two fingers of his right hand to his forehead, Goku disappeared, leaving Kale to stare at the spot where he had been a moment before.

'Okay kid, your ride's set,' King Kai said, turning back to face Kale.

Then, when he didn't see Goku anywhere, he asked, 'Where did Goku get to?'

Kale shrugged, and said, 'He said he wanted to help, and then he vanished.'

'Huh,' King Kai said, 'that sounds like the complete opposite of helping.'

Peering at Kale with a sly look in his eye King Kai said, 'How about we give him a surprise when he gets back.'

Moving close to him, King Kai pointed his antennae at Kale's chest. With a small pop,his worn out training clothes disappeared, and in their place Kale was wearing a brand new outfit.

In place of his old clothes, he was now wearing a loose fitting pair of pants, and a loose shirt, both of which were coloured bright orange. Under the orange shirt was a blue under shirt, and a black and white symbol was printed on the left breast. Fastened around his middle was a blue sash.

Instead of a pair of gloves, Kale now wore two blue wristbands, and on his feet were a pair of boots similar to Goku's.

'Wow King Kai,' Kale said, examining himself all over, 'you didn't have to go all out like this.'

'Think nothing of it kid,' King Kai told him, blushing red.

A second later, Goku appeared beside him. In one hand he was carrying a short wooden poll painted red in a straw sheath.

'Sorry that took so long,' he told them, then catching sight of Kale he added, 'hey now, that outfit looks familiar.'

Smiling, King Kai said, 'I thought you might like it. It's a nice touch, don't you think?'

'It sure is,' Goku replied, 'and thanks for putting my name on it too.

'Kale, that symbol on the front is mine,' Goku told him, pointing to it.

'And mine's on the back,' King Kai added.

Stepping forward, Goku said, 'There's one more thing; I want you to have this.'

He held out the wooden pole, and when Kale took hold of it, he was surprised to find how light weight it was.

'If you're going to fight in a big battle, you need a weapon by your side,' Goku said with a smile, 'you remember those magic staves we trained with? Well, this one is a bit different. It's called the Power Pole. It's much stronger than those other ones, and it can extend much further!'

Kale stood there in his new clothes, holding the Power Pole with both hands. He ducked his head, humbled at their generosity.

'I can't begin to express in words just how thankful I am for everything you've done for me,' he told them in a quiet voice, 'for giving me a fighting chance, for helping me without question or thought for yourselves.'

Goku and King Kai exchanged a look, each wore an expression of absolute pride on their face.

'I am especially thankful to you King Kai,' Kale said, 'I feel kind of bad, running out like this.'

'Oh, don't mention it, my boy,' he told him, waving his hand dismissively, 'and anytime you're in the neighbourhood feel free to stop in for a cup of tea. Although, hopefully I wont be seeing you for many more years to come!'

His bad joke falling flat, King Kai went on, 'Either way, just be sure to give me plenty of notice so I have time to stock up my pantry in advance.'

Grinning, Kale told him, 'Will do.'

Turning to Goku, Kale found himself at a loss for words, so he simply said, 'Goku, thanks.'

Goku smiled, and held out his hand. 'If you're ready, I'll take you there now.'

Tying the Power Pole over his right shoulder and quickly wiping his eyes Kale took his hand and said, 'Yes, let's go.'

'Farewell Kale, until we meet again!' King Kai said, waving goodbye. Beside him Bubbles hooted excitedly, hopping up and down on the spot. Above their heads Gregory hovered and he called out to Kale, 'Keep up with your training slacker! Don't let all of our hard work go to waste!'

Kale flashed them another smile and said, 'I wont, and farewell to all of you!'

Then Kale blinked, and they were gone. He was standing beside Goku in an enormous room, bigger than any he had been in before, or deemed structurally possible, for that matter.

A giant sized wooden desk towered next to them and sitting at the desk only a giant could use, was a giant ogre. As Kale stared in wonder at his surroundings, he noticed that he could faintly hear the tinny sound of lobby music playing somewhere.

'Kale,' Goku said, bringing his attention back to him, 'this is Baba, she'll be escorting you from the check-in station, back to the world of the living.'

Sitting before them on a large crystal ball was a wizened old woman, bent with aged. She was dressed from neck to toe in black, and on her head she wore a pointed black hat.

'She's a little crabby, but she's nicer than she looks,' Goku added.

'Oh that's lovely Goku,' Baba said, narrowing her eyes at him, 'I haven't seen you in years and the first thing out of your mouth is an insult.'

She looked at Kale and asked 'Are you all ready to go?'

'Just a minute,' Goku told her, missing the dirty look she threw him.

Goku turned towards Kale, and put a hand on his shoulder. 'You don't have a lot of time to spare, so I'm going to be brief,' he told him, 'Just remember that whenever you're in a dark place; think of your friends. That's it's them you're fighting for. Let their strength flow into you, and you can't fail.'

'I will,' Kale promised, grinning broadly, 'anything else?'

'Yeah!' Goku said, returning his smile, 'Don't give up!'

Kale could have laughed. His stomach felt giddy, and he was anxious to be off.

'I won't,' he told Goku, 'ever. Not even if it's Rose himself who stands before me.'

Then, without really thinking about it, Kale hugged him. After a moment, Goku hugged him back.

Baba slowly counted down from five in her head before saying loudly, 'Alright, enough! I thought time was of the essence here.'

As they broke apart, Kale told Goku one last time, 'Thank-you again Goku!'

Raising his fingers to his forehead again, Goku replied, 'Don't mention it! Good luck Kale, and remember my words!'

And with that, he vanished.

Turning back to face Baba, Kale took a deep breath and said, 'Sorry about that. I'm ready now.'

Resting her wrinkled chin on her palm Baba harrumphed, before saying, 'There's one other thing actually. If I'd known that there would have been so much hugging I might have protested, but it's too late now. If you arrive to the battle late, it will be your fault.'

Frowning, Kale asked, 'What do you mean?'

Baba smiled. It took Kale a moment to realise what she was doing. For a moment, he thought she was grimacing in pain.

'There's someone here to see you Kale,' she told him quietly.

Confused, Kale asked, 'What do you mean by that? Who's here to see me?'

Baba raised her eyebrows, her eyes looking past his shoulder to someone behind him.

He followed her gaze and turned around, catching sight of the two people standing side by side. As he did, his heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat.

They hadn't changed since the day he had last seen them. They hadn't aged a day in the Otherworld. Their bodies were whole and healthy, and reflected none of the injuries that had been stricken against them the day they died. His old jumper was still stained black with grease, and she still wore the same homely clothes.

Struggling to take a proper breath, Kale managed to choke out, 'Mum? Dad?'

They both nodded, and the three of them moved towards each other, his parents holding him tightly as he sobbed into their embrace.

For a minute there was only silence, as the three of them stood still in lobby of the check-in station. Even the dreadful jingle being played over the speakers had been turned off.

Finally, Kale managed to pull himself together enough to call out, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!'

His mother and father relaxed their grip on him enough for Kale to raise his head to look at their faces.

'You have nothing to be sorry for son,' his father told him.

Smiling the warm smile that Kale had almost forgotten he added, 'You've come so far. We have nothing but pride in you.'

Turning towards his mother Kale said, 'I'm sorry for disobeying you mum. I know this isn't the life you wanted for me. I know you only wanted me to be safe, and happy. I just-'

'It doesn't matter,' his mother said, cutting him off, 'I know the reason behind why you made the choices you did. Your father speaks for both of us; we have nothing but pride in you.'

Kale clenched his jaw, trying not to fall apart again.

'Now,' his mother continued, wiping her own eyes, 'Your father is right about you. You've come so far Kale.'

'Your fight's not over yet, son,' his father told him, breaking out of their hug and putting a hand on his shoulder, 'you're close to where it really begins now. Keep pushing forward, and don't look back!'

'Go now Kale,' his mother said, 'go with our blessing.'

Kale took a shaky step backwards away from them, not sure if he really was trying to leave or not. His mother mouthed the word 'Go' at him, and he took a deep breath to still his shuddering limbs.

As he took another step back his father called after him, 'Now Kale, I don't want you staying out any later than ten. That's more than late enough for a boy your age.'

'And make sure you wash really well behind your ears!' his mother added, 'You know that you always forgot to wash behind your ears!'

Curling his lip and rolling his eyes, Kale turned and began to walk back to where Baba was waiting.

'Give our love to your sister!'

'And don't talk to strangers!'

As they both called, 'We love you!' after him, Kale said to Baba, 'Oh man, let's get the heck out of here.'

His parents words ringing in his ears, Kale walked forward, and didn't look back.

…

THE PLANET OF THE NORTH KAI

King Kai stood looking up at the purple sky above as Goku reappeared beside him.

Not shifting his gaze he asked Goku, 'So he got on okay?'

'Yep,' Goku said cheerfully.

He bent his legs and sat cross legged on the soft grass, following King Kai's eyes and looking up at the sky with him.

'Hmm, well that's good,' King Kai firmly, trying to stop his bottom lip from trembling.

Goku had noticed. 'King Kai, are you crying?' he asked with a smile.

'I just have something in my eye,' King Kai replied, 'both of them at once it seems, what rotten luck!'

He rubbed his eyes on his sleeve and with his free hand he patted his pockets.

'Now where did that blasted thing get to-'

King Kai broke off as Goku held up a white handkerchief. He accepted it gratefully and after wiping his eyes, he blew his nose loudly on it.

'You know, Goku,' King Kai told him, 'that boy is a lot like you.'

Goku didn't reply. He lay back and straightened out on the grass, his hands folded behind his head and a smile on his face.

'Seems like we've still got a lot of work ahead of us,' King Kai lamented, 'they'll be no quiet retirement in the afterlife, what with that group of kids standing up for the Earth.'

'But you gotta admit, King Kai,' Goku said cheerfully, 'it sure does make life exciting.'

'Yes, I suppose it does,' King Kai agreed, as he lay down on the grass beside Goku.

Turning to him, Goku asked, 'Want to watch the fight?'

'Meh. Give it ten more minutes. It wont get interesting until our champion steps into the ring.'

After a long pause King Kai added, 'At least with that boy leading the charge they stand a good chance.'

'That's the truth!' Goku stated, 'He's got everything they need; skill, determination, and a cool head.'

They lay there together for another minute, before Goku got up saying that he wanted to get a snack before settling in to watch the fight.

…

EARTH

'WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS IS THE CLOSEST YOU COULD GET ME!'

Kale and Baba hovered alone in the air high above the ground. A cold wind whipped through Kale's hair. From this height one could see for miles and miles as the landscape stretched out below them in all of Mother Nature's beauty.

The view was the farthest thing from Kale's mind right now.

'Now, now, there's no need to shout,' Baba told him, 'I never said I could bring you out exactly where you wanted to go.'

Kale screamed through his teeth in frustration.

'THIS IS INSANE!' he roared, 'I CAN BARELY SENSE THE OTHERS POWER LEVELS! WE MUST BE AGES AWAY FROM THEM!'

'I'm not a taxi service,' Baba said with a heavy scowl, 'and what's more you should learn some manners, I'm an old woman!'

Kale gave a frustrated growl before speeding away in the direction of Corro's village.

'Didn't your parents teach you how to respect your elders!' the old witch yelled after him, 'In fact, I'm of the mind to go and ask them myself!'

Grumbling to herself she turned and flew off.

Kale was going far too fast to hear what she had said after he had taken off. He was flying at full speed, making for where the battle was being fought.

Hang on guys, I'm on my way! I promise I'll get there in time to help out, just hold down the fort until I arrive!

As he sped towards the battlefield, his mind cast back over the last three years in which he'd met so many different people who'd all put their faith in him, and just how much they'd changed his life.

Everyone. Corro, Reed, Vert, Peppe, Dykon, Nett, Bobo, Kinwa, Lan, King Kai, Jean...

Mum

Dad

Goku.

I'll make you proud! I'll make you all proud!

…

After training for the last nine months under the legendary martial arts master, King Kai, and the tenacious Saiyan Goku, Kale stands ready to face the dangers ahead. But has his training in the Otherworld prepared him enough against an enemy as ferocious and resourceful as Rose's Intergalactic Army?

While Kale hurries to join the fight, the rest of the Z Squad, accompanied by Corro, Jean, Reed and Peppe, draw closer to the place many of them call home. With the horrors of the past still fresh in their memories, what unimaginable terrors will be waiting for them when they arrive?

And if there is indeed something waiting ready for them, are they ready for it?

Has the newly supplemented Z Squad's training under Master Korin been enough for them to match the forces that stand against them?

You wont want to miss anything yet to come, for in Part Three the Dragon Ball Saga will be concluded, so stand ready for the next non-stop, action packed chapter of Dragon Ball: Age 1000!