Chapter 9: Work Together

Goku and Tien were sitting on Snakeway taking a well-deserved rest. They had been running nonstop for a full day and were now too exhausted to keep running.

"Oh man Tien, how long has it been since we started?" Goku asked staring out towards the seemingly endless Snakeway.

"I don't know Goku. I'd say it's been at least a couple months." Tien said staring out with Goku. "I guess Kami wasn't joking when he said that this was going to be difficult."

"I'd say so. I wonder how long Snakeway actually is." Goku pondered out loud.

"I have a feeling that we don't even want to know." Tien said jokingly. Goku laughed.

"Yeah I'd say you're right." Goku agreed. They both sat there for a while just letting their legs recover from their last stretch. After a while Goku finally broke the silence.

"Say Tien I've got a question." Goku asked.

"Sure, what is it?" Tien responded

"Well you're not quite as powerful as me, we both know that." Goku stated.

"Well yeah Goku, you got a huge lead on me after you trained with Kami for those three years." Tien said kind of taken back by Goku's statement.

"When we were fighting Raditz and I launched my kamehameha wave I put just about all my energy into it but when you launched your tri beam, I could sense that it was more powerful than my wave. How is that possible?" This had been bugging Goku for a while now but he finally got around to asking Tien about it as they were taking their rest.

"Oh well Goku, it's just the nature of the attack. You see your wave that you use is just a focus of your energy so it is only as strong as the one who launches it. My tri beam works a little differently. It isn't powered solely on the user's energy but also their very life force. It is a very dangerous to use for this reason because if you put too much of your own life force into it, then you will die. However when we were fighting your brother I knew that it was all or nothing so I intentionally put my entire life force into the attack to make sure that he stayed down." Tien explained.

"Wow, I didn't even know that such an attack was possible." Goku said. "Do you think that you could teach it to me some day?"

"Sure Goku, I'd be happy to," Tien said chuckling a little. "but first we need to reach King Kia's planet."

"Right," Goku said hopping up. "Well I'm ready if you are."

"Let's do it." Tien said following Goku's lead. Then they both started running full speed as they continued down Snakeway.

On Kami's Lookout

Kami stood with Mr. Popo watching as Krillin spared with Yamcha and Chiaotzu. Yajirobe was taking part in the spare but after Krillin had nailed him with a round house kick to the head he decided that he was going to take a break. Kami was very impressed with all of their progress; they had all improved much faster than Goku but Krillin was improving on a whole other level. He was already close to reaching Raditz's power level and it had only been two months.

"Why don't you guys take a break and I'll have Mr. Popo cook you up some lunch." Kami said to his pupils. They all stopped with their spare and looked over at Kami.

"That sounds great." Yamcha said as he wiped sweat away from his forehead and started walking towards Kami and Mr. Popo. Chiaotzu and Yajirobe followed Yamcha but Krillin stayed where he was at.

"I think I'm going to keep training you guys. Just let me know when lunch is done." Krillin said as he started shadow boxing.

"Suit yourself Krillin." Yamcha said.

"Actually Krillin I was wondering if I could have a word with you." Kami said. Krillin dropped his arms and looked over.

"Sure." He said slightly taken back, wondering what Kami possibly had to say to him. Krillin grabbed a towel he had sitting next to him and wiped himself down. He walked towards Kami and followed him into his palace. They walked together down a long hallway.

"I've been watching your progress since you've gotten here and I must say that I am very surprised at how far you have come." Kami stated.

"Thank you, we've all been training hard to make sure we're ready for those Saiyans." Krillin said feeling good about Kami's compliment.

"Yes, you all have shown great enthusiasm at the prospect of beating the Saiyans." Kami paused for a moment and then continued. "Your friends however are not advancing fast enough." They both stopped walking at that point and Krillin just looked at Kami.

"What are you trying to say?" Krillin asked.

"What I'm trying to say Krillin, is that your friends will not stand a chance in this upcoming battle." Kami looked very serious now. Krillin let what Kami said sink in for a minute.

"Why are you telling me this? Why not tell them, I'm sure they will push themselves harder?" Krillin asked with a hint of anger in his voice. Kami face suddenly softened at Krillin's question.

"I'm afraid all that would do is deter them from their training. You are all working at the very edge of your limits and if I were to tell them that all of their hard work was in vein, they would slow down considerably." Kami explained and then he started walking again indicating for Krillin to follow him.

"I see what you mean." Krillin said as he followed Kami down the corridor. "If I was told that all my training was going to amount to nothing I don't think I'd be able to continue pushing myself so hard."

"Exactly, now you understand why I cannot say anything about this to them." Kami said relieved that Krillin was able to comprehend the first part of this little chat.

"Still, why are you telling me?" Krillin asked.

"I'm sorry but I cannot explain this part to you. It is crucial that you figure this out by yourself but you already know." Kami stated. Krillin thought about it for a moment. It was obvious. Kami was telling him that he had to push himself harder; that he was going to be one of the Earth's stronger defenders. Kami was saying that he had to find a way to get even stronger, no matter what the cost. Kami saw it on Krillin's face; he understood.

"Good, your training with me is now complete Krillin. I can offer you no more help." Kami told him as he finally stopped walking. Krillin nodded.

"I have however found someone that can." Kami said.

"You have?" Krillin asked. "Who?"

"That would be me." Came a voice behind Krillin. Krillin looked behind him and instantly was filled with rage.

"Piccolo." Krillin said coldly.

"The feelings mutual." Piccolo retorted just as coldly.

"Now Krillin I need you to put your emotions aside on this one. Piccolo has graciously agreed to train with you for the next 4 months. He is the only one who can help you progress fast enough to stand a chance against the Saiyans." Kami told Krillin sternly.

"Fine I'll train with him but why can't I continue training here?" Krillin asked.

"Because you have reached your peak training here. If you continue training here you will only find that your progress will slow considerably. Piccolo however is much more powerful and thus will further you along much quicker than I." Kami explained.

"Very well, I understand." Krillin said. He then turned to Piccolo. "So what's in it for you? I know you wouldn't agree to train with me for nothing so what has Kami offered you."

"Oh I was offered nothing. All I need is a punching bag that doesn't fall apart when I hit it." Piccolo said smugly. "Now take care of anything you need here and then follow me." Piccolo then started walking away from them.

"Don't let Piccolo's attitude get to you Krillin. The truth is that he's in your same position. He has reached the point where training alone is no longer a viable option and he respects you enough as a fighter to train alongside you to prepare for the upcoming battle. He was reluctant when I first approached him but after he witnessed how far you have come along since he last saw you, he promptly changed his mind. Don't let your feelings cloud your judgment; you know that Piccolo has much that he can offer." Kami said to Krillin.

"Okay Kami, I will try my hardest." Krillin said. He then ran and caught up with Piccolo. He followed him out of the Palace and they flew off the lookout. The other Z fighters saw them as they flew off.

"Ugh… was the Krillin following Piccolo?" Yamcha asked the others.

"I think it was." Chiaotzu said.

"I'm lost. Did we miss something?" Yamcha asked.

Krillin struggled as he tried to keep up with Piccolo's speed. They flew side by side and didn't say a word to each other. Eventually Krillin asked Piccolo a question.

"So where are we going?"

"I have a camp set up in the mountains but we need to make a quick pit stop before we get there." Piccolo responded.

"Where?" Krillin asked.

"Oh, you'll see." Piccolo said. They continued flying for a couple hours. Suddenly Piccolo stopped and Krillin noticed that he was staring at something. Krillin looked down to see what he was staring at and saw a dinosaur that was running.

"What are you looking at?" Krillin asked.

"Just watch." Piccolo said irritably. Krillin stared more closely and he noticed that the dinosaur wasn't just running but was chasing something, or someone. Then he realized.

"Is that Gohan?" He asked suddenly.

"Yeah it is." Piccolo said.

"What is he doing by himself all the way out here? We have to help him." Krillin tried to blast towards Gohan but Piccolo grabbed him.

"Don't you dare help him!" Piccolo said angrily. "Just watch." Krillin watched and he noticed that Gohan didn't look worried at all. In fact it looked like he was having fun. All of a sudden Gohan jumped above the dinosaur and it smashed its head against the side of a cliff. Gohan then shot down with his sword and cut a huge slice off the tail of the unconscious dinosaur and then walked off.

"Piccolo what's going on?" Krillin asked.

"You saw the power that he possessed against me the day that Raditz arrived, right?" Piccolo asked.

"Yeah it kind of shocked us all. I guess you most of all." Krillin joked. Piccolo just decided to let the jab slide.

"Well I'm training him to use it for when the Saiyans arrive." Piccolo explained.

"Do you really think that it's a good idea to have a kid come to battle with us?" Krillin asked.

"I know you weren't on the receiving end of that attack but I know that you could feel the power inside of him. He's most likely the strongest being on this planet and if he can learn to control his power I have a feeling that it will come in handy when they arrive. Besides what were you and Goku doing when you were kids?" Krillin just watched Gohan for a bit; he did look happy and a lot more confident. Maybe Piccolo was right. He looked back over at Piccolo and noticed something strange. He wasn't wearing the normal scowl that he had on his face, he had a small smile on his face. It looked like he was slightly happy and proud, it was strange. As soon as Piccolo noticed Krillin staring at him his scowl returned.

"Let's go I've seen what I need to see." Piccolo said grumpily. Krillin followed as Piccolo flew off. As they flew towards Piccolo's camp Krillin couldn't stop thinking about what he just saw.

"I've never seen Piccolo smile at anything besides fighting before; is he changing?" Krillin thought as they flew.

Off in space

Two pods flew through the empty vastness of space. Inside the two pods sat Nappa and Vegeta, both in a deep sleep as they made their way towards Earth. The moment that they had over heard about the dragonballs they, or more importantly Vegeta, decided that they would find them and wish for immortality. They had left immediately and their ships had kept them in a hibernated state for the long trip but Vegeta was starting to get restless and he awoke wanting to stretch his legs.

"Wake up Nappa." Vegeta demanded.

"What is it Vegeta? Are we there?" Nappa asked.

"No we're not even close but we're coming up on a planet and I feel like getting out of this damn pod." Vegeta said.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea." Nappa responded. The two pods changed course and flew directly towards the planet. They came crashing to the surface and the collision created a giant crater in the ground. Their pods opened up and they both floated out to above the crater they looked around but were surprised by what they saw. They were standing in what appeared to be a city except that it was in complete ruin. There was debris everywhere and a cloud of smoke that just seemed to float above the city staying stationary. What little buildings that were still standing had many holes blown through them and looked like they were about to fall over and there were bodies of soldiers lying everywhere around the streets.

"Man Vegeta it looks like someone already took this place out." Nappa said.

"Yes Nappa it appears that we missed one hell of a party." Vegeta said while laughing a little. All of a sudden five different soldiers surrounded them.

"Well what do we have here? It looks like some unfortunate tourist that picked the wrong day to come snooping around on this planet." One of the soldiers said. He was slightly taller than Vegeta and had red spiky skin. His build was a lot thicker than Vegeta but still palled in comparison to Nappa. He had two horns on his face that sprouted out where his cheek bones were at. From the sound of it he appeared to be the group's leader.

"Oh no, I'm shaking in my boots. Please find it in your hearts to spare us." Vegeta mocked.

"How dare you mock me!" The red skin alien yelled as he launched towards Vegeta but faster than the rest of the group could see Vegeta moved out of the way. They all just stared in disbelief as their leader just stood in place of where Vegeta had just been.

"You were saying?" Vegeta said laughing. All of a sudden the red skin alien's head rolled off of his shoulder. The rest of the group gasped in fear.

"Alright Nappa finish the job." Vegeta demanded.

"With pleasure." Nappa said. He pointed two fingers up and with that a huge explosion vaporized everything except Vegeta that was in a three mile radius.

"Well that wasn't very fun. They didn't even put up a fight." Nappa complained.

"Get over it Nappa we have more important things to worry about right now than having fun." Vegeta said. All of a sudden Vegeta's scouter beeped and warned them of an enormous power level that was close.

"Nappa prepare yourself there's someone with a power level of 16,000." Vegeta warned.

"What 16,000, that's impossible. What am I suppose to do?" Nappa asked worriedly.

"If you don't stop acting like a coward then I'll kill you myself." Vegeta snapped as he looked around sharply trying to find the source of power. All of a sudden they both heard a clapping sound.

"Very impressive." A voice said behind them. Vegeta turned around and was about to attack but stopped dead in his tracks and all of a sudden he smiled.

"Well you had me worried for a second. I don't think we've ever had the pleasure to meet. I am Prince Vegeta, this is Nappa and you are?"

"The name's Turles and I thought that I was the last Saiyan alive." The Saiyan said.

"We thought the same." Vegeta replied. "So Turles what's a fine warrior such as yourself doing on such a waste of space like this planet."

"I've been searching for the legendary tree of might. Have you ever heard of it?" Turles asked.

"No what is it?" Vegeta asked his curiosity spiked.

"It is supposedly this tree that will suck all the energy and life force out of the planet that it is growing on and produce a fruit that will greatly increase your power if you eat it. I've been searching for it for years but sadly I have yet to discover it." Turles explained.

"Hmm, that sounds interesting but do you have any idea of where it could be?" Vegeta asked.

"Obviously not otherwise I would have found it by now." Turles replied.

"Well the universe is such a huge place it would take an eternity to search. Do you have that much time to spare?" Vegeta asked.

"No, nobody has that. What kind of question is that?" Turles asked feeling his anger start to bubble at the insulting nature of Vegeta.

"Well today is your lucky day. Swear your allegiance to me and I can offer you immortality and we'll search the universe until we find this tree." Vegeta said. Turles just stared at him in disbelief. Could he really become immortal and how the hell could Vegeta give it to him.

"Can you really make me immortal?" Turles asked.

"I can't but me and Nappa are currently on our way to a place that has a way to do it." Vegeta said while smiling. Turles thought about it for a minute and then finally said.

"Okay" He dropped down to one knee, bowed his head and said. "Prince Vegeta, I Turles do by swear my loyalty and service to you for the rest of my life."

"Good" Vegeta said.

'At least the rest of my mortal life' Turles thought as he stood back up. Vegeta explained to him about Raditz going to Earth and what they had overheard through their scouters. He told him that they were on their way and once they arrived that they would use the dragonballs to wish for immortality. The more Vegeta explained, the more Turles' excitement grew.

"Well what are we waiting for let's go." Turles said. He reached into his armor and grabbed a remote and pressed a button. A pod came flying towards them and landed close by. The three of them got into their separate pods and took off, continuing their trip towards planet Earth.