Episode 12

A Lesson Learned

Everything had fallen apart right before his eyes. Bardock punched the ground heavily, almost crumbling the surface. If only he was here earlier, he would have saved his son. The devastated father stared at his child again. He came to Earth because he wanted to see him. Now, he cannot see him anymore.

"Kakarot…," Bardock said his name one more time, his voice trembling, fading at the end. He closed his eyes in anger and despair. He was truly despondent. He was about to reach his breaking point until unexpectedly, he noticed something peculiar happening to Goku.

Bardock opened his eyes and then, to his surprise, Goku started to disappear.

"What?" Bardock wondered what was going on.

Goku's image continued fade as if he was only an illusion to one's eyes. Before long, he suddenly vanished into thin-air and he was no longer in Bardock's arms.

Bardock immediately began to panic. "He's gone? Kakarot!" he stood up and searched everywhere for him. This occurrence was so eccentric. It was supposed to be that Goku's spirit, not his body, would enter the afterlife, but instead, Goku took everything with him.

As Bardock frantically searched for him, feeling confused and more desperate than ever, a voice suddenly interrupted him. "Stop looking for him. Both Goku and his body are taken to the afterlife."

He stopped and followed the sound of that familiar voice. He turned to his right side and he realized it was Piccolo, the one who teamed up with Goku to stop the relentless Raditz from taking over this world.

Bardock faced him. He was able maintain his composure although it was very difficult for him to do so at this time. Something about what this creature said though regarding his son being taken to the afterlife got him curious. "Hey, I know you," he mentioned first.

"'Piccolo', in case you don't know," Piccolo introduced himself, folding his arms, "or 'slug face' as you had referred to me before," he brought up and he seemed much irritated about it.

Bardock looked away, giving a quiet look, not making any statements on that. As for Piccolo, he found his demeanor to be strange because it appeared to be he was not crying at all even though his son was gone or at least, he was holding back all of his tears. Piccolo assumed these so-called Saiyans like Bardock were raised and trained to be this tough. Emotions seemed to be held back or tried to be hidden for various reasons.

"I'm sorry, but what did you say earlier before?" asked Bardock, going back to his son. "I just don't understand why Kakarot would disappear like that," he hoped to hear an answer from him.

"I already told you. Both Goku and his body are taken in the afterlife," reminded Piccolo.

The grief-stricken father did not get him. "I don't understand. How's that possible?"

"Cases like those are very rare," he explained. "A person is sometimes allowed to depart to the afterlife with his body. It shows he has been true and good at heart."

Bardock was quiet again, but he agreed with what he said. He knew that his son's heart was very pure and free from any evil or temptations.

Piccolo continued, "By now, Goku has been escorted by Kami to the Otherworld, I believe."

"…wait, who's Kami?" Bardock asked.

"Kami is the current guardian of Earth whose job is to watch all living things. He's also the creator of these so-called DragonBalls. Those DragonBalls, when all seven are gathered, an eternal dragon will appear and it can grant you any wish. There are some wishes though that the dragon cannot grant though if they exceed the power of his creator," explained Piccolo who had also answered Bardock's question indirectly.

"DragonBalls? Eternal dragon? Wishes…?" Bardock quickly remembered what Goku was trying to tell him before, but he could not finish since it was time for him to go. This might be what his son was trying to say. "Wait a minute. Kakarot, before he died, told me that he can be brought back to life again by the…but he wasn't able to finish."

"That's exactly what he's trying to say," Piccolo said. "He was trying to tell you that if you just gather all seven DragonBalls, ask the dragon to bring him back to life and he will grant it."

Already, the melancholy in Bardock had disappeared and his heart was filled with relief and joy. At first, even he did not believe in Piccolo, but he was just as serious as Goku was and so, he was finally convinced that this kind of wish was very possible. Again, he never would have thought such a phenomenon could exist, but he was proven wrong. Now with hope in him, he was motivated in collecting these DragonBalls to wish his son back to life.

Beyond the skies and invisible to the entire universe, entering into a spirit realm where only souls linger was the Otherworld. Golden clouds and pink skies surrounded these tiny, white souls that were lining up for the check-in station to be judged. The check-in station looked like a courthouse almost and it was being managed by King Yemma, a judge who decides who will go to Heaven and who will go to the Underworld.

"All right, please, fall in line! No cutting! Single file, please. Keep it down," said a blue-skinned man with two horns on his head. He was dressed in office uniform. He was holding a megaphone in his hand, and he looked peculiar. In fact, the people who were working and managing the check-in station and its day-to-day operations all looked peculiar. They were like ogres and aliens only with much kinder faces.

Inside the check-in station, there sat King Yemma on his gigantic chair. In front of him was a huge desk filled with books, papers, and a gavel. Like his other employees, he also looked alien-like. He was wearing a purple cap with two white horns on each side and a symbol at front. His skin was deep red, he had a black mustache and a beard, and he was dressed in purple office uniform. The souls that were lining up and were ready to be judged only looked like a small pebble to King Yemma's eyes since he was almost as tall as the station was.

King Yemma tapped the table with his gavel and said, "All right, you passed."

The little white soul in front of him cheered. "Yay! I pass! I pass!"

"Next! Can I get the next soul please?" King Yemma called.

Two people then proceeded forward. Like Piccolo had said, it was Kami and Goku.

Kami had already been to the check-in station many times, but it was Goku's first time here, of course. He was in complete awe, amazed by how the afterlife looked like. It was magical and quite breathtaking.

"He's huge!" Goku exclaimed. He then asked Kami who King Yemma was. Kami explained to him that he was in charge of who will go to Heaven or Hell. His name also meant "the judge of the dead."

"Hmm? Kami, who have you brought here today?" King Yemma asked, leaning forward on his desk so that he could see the two.

"This is Goku, King Yemma," replied Kami in the utmost decorum.

Goku smiled. "Yep, that's me, Mister."

"Goku, huh? Let me see," King Yemma picked up a book titled "Who's Who" and he flipped through the pages. It was a book keeping records about a person's life and background and what he or she had done during his or her days on Earth (or on another planet). After flipping through the pages, King Yemma then came across Goku's biography. "Oh yes, there you are. Goku…my you have many good achievements here. The best part of all, you remained good at heart. That's great news. So what brings you here, Kami?"

"I humbly ask you, King Yemma, that Goku may seek training from the one called 'King Kai' with your permission, of course," Kami respectfully said.

King Yemma placed his book back on his desk. "King Kai? Oh yes, him, the King of the Worlds of the North. I was his very first student. He taught me all kinds of martial arts. Though he's a bad joker, he is very wise."

Goku was already intrigued by King Kai's background.

"So you want to learn martial arts from him, huh? Why?" King Yemma faced Goku, directing the question to him.

Goku answered, "Y'know me, I love to fight! Ever since I came to this world, I figured it'll be more exciting if I go on an adventure. That's why Kami here mentioned about King Kai. I have to train in order to beat other strong opponents along the way. I need to be always prepared. After I train with King Kai, then I can go back to Earth."

"Go back? What do you mean?" King Yemma asked, wondering how that could be possible.

"Oh, you see, on Earth, we have these things called DragonBalls," Goku explained about them. "They're magical orbs and there're seven in total. If you collect all of them, a dragon will appear and will grant you any wish. I plan to have my friends down on Earth collect the DragonBalls so they can wish me back to life."

"Wish you back to life? Now that's a first," this was all new to King Yemma to have heard such a phenomenon. To him, it was almost unnatural and improbable.

"Yeah, even I was surprised, too, when I first heard of it," Goku was not the only one who reacted the same way, "but it's actually possible, you know."

"Oh wait, now that I remember, there were several people who came to me in the check-in station before like years ago and then suddenly, they were alive again after a day or so!" King Yemma exclaimed. "Now that explains why. These DragonBalls in your planet are quite powerful, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are, King Yemma," Goku nodded.

Kami remained standing in one place, while keeping in mind that he was the one who made these DragonBalls.

King Yemma rubbed his hairy chin. "That's very interesting. So, going back to our previous topic, how long do you plan to train with King Kai then?"

"Just a year," replied Goku eagerly.

"Hmm…," King Yemma started to think. "In order to get to King Kai's planet, you must embark on a journey to Snake Way and overcome any obstacles along the way. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"You bet I am! I can kick their butts!" Goku tightened his two fists, already excited to go on this adventure and possibly face new challengers.

"Goku, show some respect!" Kami scolded him, not wanting him to speak that casually to King Yemma.

Goku scratched his head and apologized immediately. "Sorry! Um…Kami, does everybody go here when they die?"

"Yes, they come here to this station and King Yemma will decide who will stay here or who will go to the Underworld," Kami answered.

"Is that right?" Goku then faced King Yemma. "Sir, I have a question. When bad guys come to the check-in station, do they try to fight you?"

"Oh yes, all the time! They never seem to learn anything even they're dead, but I always surpass them. I always put them in my 'Yemma Headlock' and overpower them!" King Yemma said proudly.

Goku was glad to hear that King Yemma was quite strong and considering he knew how to fight actually, Goku suddenly decided that instead of traveling long distances just to get to King Kai's place, why not he trains with King Yemma instead?

Kami, however, instantly rejected his idea. He cleared his throat and whispered to Goku, "Don't be ridiculous. King Kai is much stronger than King Yemma!"

King Yemma heard him though because of his great hearing ability. He laughed and warned him, "I heard that, Kami! I'll remember that when I'm passing sentence on you!"

Kami chuckled nervously and scratched his wrinkled head. "Oh, King Yemma, I didn't know your ears were so big-I mean, so good! Heh, heh…"

King Yemma cleared his throat afterwards, moving on to the next subject quickly since there were other souls waiting for him to judge them. "Anyways, well then, Goku. I give you permission to seek training from King Kai."

"Really? Thank you very much, King Yemma!" Goku was grateful.

Kami showed his respects. "Thank you very much, King Yemma."

"Now, Goku. Go wait outside by the door to your left. Somebody will escort you to Snake Way," King Yemma instructed.

"Thanks," Goku was about to leave, but King Yemma called him again.

"And remember, Goku. Snake Way is a place where you should take extra caution. You better make sure that you don't fall off from it," he strongly advised him. "If you do, there is no coming back. Again, be careful."

Kami nodded. "That's right. It's a long road ahead so just stick to your goal. Don't meander or do anything that will cause you any danger."

Goku heeded to their words and understood them. "I'm not really sure what to expect, but I'll try my very best. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Thanks a lot! So long!" he waved at Kami and King Yemma, giving them a farewell. He then moved on and left.

Kami watched him leave, having a lot of confidence in him. He was one strong fighter and a determined one as well who will never let anything stand in his way. Despite acknowledging his positive traits as a true warrior, he was anxious about Earth's fate. Now with Goku gone, who was left to battle the evil forces that might decide to ravage the planet? After Goku passed away, Kami remembered Raditz and his reaction to what he did to his own brother. He almost sensed the unexpected shock and dread he suddenly had in his evil heart when he left after his father, Bardock, demanded him to stay away and never come back again. Kami wondered if this meant something.

Kami just hoped that after Goku's training with King Kai, he will be strong enough to face any new challenges in the future.

SLAM!

"Kami! Stop halting the line, will you?!" King Yemma suddenly yelled at him, intruding his deep thoughts.

Kami was indeed stalling the line; the white souls behind him were actually getting impatient. He quickly apologized and shuffled away, letting King Yemma continue with his work. "Oh! I'm so sorry, King Yemma! Eh, heh! Have a nice day!" he quickly vanished.

On Earth, Bardock and Piccolo continued to talk.

"Do you happen to know where the DragonBalls are?" Bardock asked.

"Go ask Goku's friends," Piccolo suggested. "They have this device that can detect them. They're scattered around the world, so it's best to use some kind of an apparatus to search for them easily."

Bardock understood him. He then began to think about how his hunt for the DragonBalls will turn out. Soon, he remembered something. "Wait. Speaking of friends, we have to tell them what happened to Kakarot, but it'll be hard to tell…"

A short breeze came while the atmosphere now felt quite tensed. They already knew that Goku's friends and family would definitely react in great shock and sadness to Goku's tragic end. As Bardock and Piccolo stood in silence for a while, the green-skinned creature needed to ask him a question.

"…you call Goku 'Kakarot' instead. What is that name anyway?"

Bardock raised his head and gazed at the clear skies above him. "That's his real name. It's the name I've given to him when he was born."

In return, the Saiyan himself had a question for him. "You…you're not from around here, aren't you?"

For some reason, Piccolo was vexed to hear that, but sometimes, he did feel he did not belong here. Obviously, he was very different from the humans who lived on this planet, but he was born here and raised on Earth. Piccolo turned his back from him, his white cape flapping with the winds.

"Hmph, maybe," Piccolo scoffed. He took flight and left the Saiyan behind.

Bardock watched him leave, his bandanna flowing with the winds as well.

At Kame House, Bulma, Krillin, Turtle, Master Roshi were in the living room, waiting patiently for Bardock and Raditz's return from whatever business they had to do. They were watching television to pass time.

Bulma stretched her arms and yawned. "I'm so tired!"

"Me, too," Krillin agreed. "Bardock and Raditz are taking way too long to get back."

After a few minutes, Bulma then heard the sounds of waves splashing outside of their house and they were getting louder and louder by the second. "What's that?" she asked.

They went outside and up ahead, they saw a hovering, yellow car coming towards them. Inside the car, Chi-Chi was driving and she was with her father and Gohan. Ox-King was waving happily, but Chi-Chi looked very infuriated.

"Hey, it's Chi-Chi, Ox-King, and Gohan!" Master Roshi mentioned.

When Krillin saw the look on Chi-Chi's face though, he became quite nervous. Whenever she had that kind of look, something was always up. "Oh boy, what now?"

They parked their car on the island. Chi-Chi got off by herself while Ox-King helped Gohan get out of the vehicle.

"Hello, Master Roshi," Ox-King greeted him with respect. "It's nice to see you again. I remember the times I spent training with you."

Master Roshi smiled. "Yes, you were a good student back then."

"Hi, Gohan," Bulma approached the young boy. "How are you doing?"

Gohan waved at her. "I'm doing fine."

Krillin leveled with Gohan and asked where his father was. Gohan told him that his father had to leave after claiming he felt the presence of a strong energy somewhere and from there, he left without another word. He was gone for a long time now, it made his mother frustrated about his late return. She decided to visit Kame House like now to see if Goku was actually here. She suspected that he was trying to get away from household chores to do martial arts instead.

Krillin laughed under his breath. "Hah, hah, that's typical Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi stomped angrily and almost hollered, "All right, where's Goku? It's been two hours now and he hasn't come back yet! Where is he? I bet he's trying to sneak out from his chores just to train!"

Master Roshi tried to calm her down. "I'm not sure where he is. Goku's not here though."

Chi-Chi scoffed. "Are you sure you're telling the truth? 'Cause I don't have time for jokes right now!"

"No, I mean it!" Roshi tried to tell her. "He's really not here. Did he tell you where he went? Because coincidentally, Bardock went someplace as well and Raditz is not with us, too."

Just then, a familiar voice interrupted their conversation. They turned to the direction where they heard that voice and they realized it was Bardock.

"Bardock's here!" Turtle told them.

"Bardock!" Bulma exclaimed.

"Hey, Bardock, where you've been?" Krillin asked him.

Gohan was glad to see his grandfather again. "Grandpa Bardock, you're here!"

However, when Bardock landed on the rough sands of the island, he appeared nervous, but clearly more forlorn and sorrowful. This sadness in his heart was so strong, Krillin and the others could almost feel what he was feeling.

Krillin was concerned. "What's the matter, Bardock?"

"Yeah, you look worried," Bulma mentioned.

The rest asked where Goku and Raditz were as well.

At first, it was hard for Bardock to tell the truth. He felt he almost could not speak as if his voice had left him. Even though he was informed about the DragonBalls and its magical powers, including the possibility of bringing a person back to life with them, it was still difficult for him to reveal what just happened to Goku. He knew Goku's friends and family were very fond of him, they will all be devastated to hear this. When Bardock finally looked at them, his eyes were glistening and with a straightforward voice, he told them what happened. When he spoke of the dreadful news, their stomachs tied in knots, they felt unwell and their hearts were heavy with grief and distress. Tears began to form and they burst from their eyes. Bardock tried to be mentally composed, but he still felt sorry for all of them.

"Daddy…oh, Daddy," Gohan broke down and cried heavily. His mother was especially shocked including his grandfather. Chi-Chi was stricken with so much grief in her delicate heart, she quickly fainted in her father's arms. Krillin was also devastated to hear about his best friend while Master Roshi fell silent and became distressed. He assumed that Raditz was able to get his memories back and had decided to let the darkness take over his heart still. Bulma also cried and when she saw Gohan crying to himself, she embraced the young child to comfort him.

"It's okay, Gohan," Bulma said, but she could not stop crying, too.

Gohan let out all of his tears, shouting to the entire world of his father who he loved so much, "Daddy!"

Krillin cannot help but shed some tears as well, but they were more of tears of anger. Picturing Raditz's face made his rage inside his chest explode. He punched the ground hard, leaving a huge mark on the sands. Goku had always been his best friend since they were kids, but to hear that he was gone, he immediately hated Raditz for what he did. "That Raditz, I can't believe him!" he yelled.

Bardock gave them some time for their moments. Afterwards, he spoke again to assure them, telling them they should not cry because they still have the DragonBalls. When he said this, they quickly realized that Bardock was right and their hearts were relieved to some degree.

"Wait…right! The DragonBalls!" Krillin suddenly said as if he sprung back to life again.

"That's right, Bardock. The DragonBalls, we can always use them to wish Goku back to life!" Bulma said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"In fact, Kakarot, err, Goku, I mean," Bardock said, correcting himself since they were not familiar with that name yet, "also told me about this before he went away."

Gohan was, at first, very confused why everyone was being happy all of a sudden. His father was gone so why they were all celebrating? He turned his head towards Bulma, tears still coming out from his eyes. "Bulma, what are DragonBalls?"

"DragonBalls, Gohan, are magical orbs and there're seven of them. If you collect all seven, a dragon appears and it can grant you any wish you like. It's like a genie that comes out from a lamp! We can ask the dragon to bring your dad back to life!" Bulma exclaimed. She then tapped the four-star DragonBall attached to Gohan's hat. "This is a DragonBall, remember?"

The young boy's eyes lit up and slowly, a smile began to appear on his face. It sounded impossible, but he knew Earth was a place where a lot of magic and mysteries lie.

"Really? Daddy! He'll come back!" Gohan joyfully said. "I have to tell Mommy when she wakes up. She'll be very happy!"

"I know!" Bulma agreed.

Bardock noticed how the atmosphere around them quickly changed. "Wow, that's a sudden change of mood."

Krillin then approached the quiet, yet smiling Saiyan. He slipped his hands inside his pockets. "Hey, Bardock, what happened to Raditz?"

Bardock became even more serious than ever. He was still angry with his eldest son and his cruel nature and violent acts. He wondered if he had realized the consequences of what he did.

Bardock ignored his question and instead, talked to Bulma. "Miss Bulma, I know it sounds hasty, but will it be fine if we start getting all seven DragonBalls? We need to revive Goku as soon as possible."

Bulma stood up and took out the Dragon Radar from her shorts. "Okay, you can count on us. We can start tomorrow, early in the morning."

"Yes, the earlier we start, the earlier we can bring Goku back to life," Master Roshi said.

"Thank you," Bardock whispered this time. He looked away and without another word, he slowly ascended into the skies, flying away until he was nowhere to be seen.

Master Roshi tried to ask him where he was going, but it was already too late.

Bulma told him, "Let's leave him alone."

Krillin agreed with her. "Yeah. He's been through a lot especially dealing with that awful beast, Raditz," he said his name with great resentment.

Ox-King continued to hold onto his daughter. "What will happen to him now? And Raditz?" he asked.

Roshi shook his head. "Unfortunately, I don't know what the answer is…or what it should be."

Bardock continued to take flight. While being high up in the skies, he thought about his two sons especially Goku. Even though he knew his youngest can be brought back to life, it just felt weird and awkward that he had to be isolated from him again. He didn't have a chance to sit down and get to know more about him since he was too busy and already had a family to look out for. Bardock wished that he could talk with him at least for one day and share their histories, plans, thoughts, and stories with each other.

That is…if his son had started to see him and accept him as his true father, which he found to be highly unlikely. Goku needed more time to think about it still.

The winds were howling from every direction and there were rain clouds coming by, partially covering the sun. At an unknown location of the planet, Raditz was walking in an empty place filled with rocky grounds, canyons, and deep ravines. Either winds were blowing heavily or they were not there at all. The sun's rays were on him, but Raditz did not want any light. He only wanted darkness to hide himself from the world; however, he felt he had no choice but to stand in the unbearable spotlight and expose his cruelty. "Fa-Father, what have I done?" he asked himself.

Raditz continued to wander. He then reached into the chest plate of his Saiyan armor (the past few weeks, Bulma was kind enough to repair his armor for him) and pulled out a newer model of the device he always wore on his left eye. "I still have a back-up."

He placed it on his ear and activated it on standby mode. He then continued to walk.

He was tightening his fists, trying to forget about what he had done because Saiyans were supposed to be merciless warriors from the beginning. They were supposed to be savage beasts who only cared about their passion for fighting and becoming the best, and who will not hesitate to punish those who had decided to abandon their own people. Raditz should feel satisfied now that Goku was gone.

Nevertheless though, no matter how hard he tried to erase these feelings, to think of this as just his duty as a Saiyan soldier, he felt like he just wanted to explode as his head was filled with too many…

"Bardock…," he said his father's name. He then thought about his younger brother for a while. Soon, an expression was beginning to show and there was a hint of sadness, which slowly became more noticeable to one's eyes. "Kakarot…"

Raditz clenched his two fists. He then stared at the skies, his eyes becoming red all of a sudden. That menacing grin, which he always had on his face instantly changed into a deep frown.

In the past, he learned that one of the codes of the Saiyans was to never show any soft emotions such as compassion and sympathy, which they truly despised because they believed they were born to be heartless, distant warriors; however, Raditz had always confined a deep secret in him. Contrary to what most of the Saiyans believed, his parents had taught him before that a true Saiyan warrior was not someone who desired to kill and showed no mercy to anyone, but was someone who can respect, understand, who was perceptive and tactful, and who will only fight when needed.

At first, Raditz could not understand the meaning of this notion, which opposed his beliefs of always needing to keep his Saiyan pride and show no forgiveness to anyone since he had always learned that Saiyans were supposed to be like this in the first place. He was only afraid though to "break" the code of his people, believing he will just suffer as he had mentioned to his father before, before he had his memory loss.

However, he finally understood what real suffering meant and where having too much pride could really get him. This was the end of the line. He could not take it anymore. He began to shout to the entire world. "Kakarot, I'm-I'm sorry!"

He knelt on the ground, his eyes finally giving way to tears and they all came out at once. His tears touched the surface of the Earth and stayed there. Raditz struggled to speak, but he wanted to express his deepest regrets and remorse. "I'm so sorry for what I've done! I was out of my mind. I killed you as if you were nothing at all! But-but…I still cared! I was…I was just doing my part as an older brother. I just couldn't…I'm so sorry."

Raditz now wished he could reverse time and undo the immoral acts he had done, but whatever happened in the past will always stay in the past. He realized now what his father and brother meant: that having too much pride can lead one to lose everything. Indeed, it did happen. He was too foolish, prideful, and selfish to not notice it until now.

He once believed that giving up his Saiyan pride will make him suffer more, but losing his ties with his family and their respect, forgiveness, and trust was far worse than losing anything else.

The grieving, raged Saiyan punched the ground, causing a tremble to it. "I lost them: my own brother and father, my own family! I am a disgrace to the Saiyan race family! I regret for what I've done, Kakarot. Pl-please for-forgive m-me…!" his voice broke down every word. He cried and trembled violently.

All this time, he cared about his own younger brother, but he believed he was far too late to ever be forgiven.

"Kakarot!" Raditz cried out to the entire world.