Episode 14

Preparing for the Future

Bardock and Raditz had finally arrived at Kame House, but Raditz was hesitant to go.

"What's wrong?" Bardock asked hastily.

Raditz knew everyone still saw him an enemy. He was keeping distances away from the house. "I can't come back here; not after the things I did."

"What's in the past is in the past. Now, we need to warn everyone about your comrades," Bardock said.

His eldest son continued to hide himself, however. He was awfully ashamed and worried.

Just then, the door opened and out came Krillin, Bulma, and Master Roshi, including Gohan who just woke up from his sleep. Since they saw Bardock standing outside, they decided to let him in.

"Hey, Bardock, how's it going?" Krillin smiled.

"Good morning, Grandpa Bardock," Gohan said to him although it was clear the young boy was still devastated from yesterday.

However, Bardock had to make haste. He explained everything what he discovered not too long ago, about dark forces approaching Earth. When he told the story, Krillin, Bulma, and Master Roshi were shocked.

"More enemies to come? After a year has gone by?!" exclaimed Krillin.

"I don't get understand," Bulma cried. "It's like Earth is every bad guy's target."

"I can't believe this," Master Roshi felt uneasy. "And you're telling me these enemies are stronger?!"

Gohan was trembling. Especially now that his father was not here, he felt vulnerable, that no one was here to protect or comfort him. "Oh no..."

"Well, have you started searching for the DragonBalls?" Bardock asked.

Bulma shook her head. "We're about to though."

"Yeah, we'll be starting after we eat breakfast," Krillin said.

"Yes, we need to revive Goku as soon as possible," Master Roshi added. "Whenever something like this comes up, you always need Goku."

Bardock wondered what he could have meant by that.

"By the way, who told you about this, Bardock?" Krillin asked. How could he have known this?

Bardock sighed quietly. He knew he and the rest were still enraged about Raditz, but he should tell them that his son had already changed. The only concern was if they would believe him or not.

"Raditz, come on," Bardock turned his head.

They immediately felt their stomachs twisting into knots.

"Did you just say 'Raditz'?!" Bulma yelled at the top of her lungs. "He's the one who told you?!"

Finally, Raditz emerged from the shadows. He was very mortified still. After noticing their stares, he felt like running away.

Krillin felt his anger burning up, that he could explode in any second and fight Raditz just to project all his rage at him. "Raditz! What are you doing here?!"

Gohan hid behind Bulma. "It's the bad guy!"

Raditz tried talking to them, wanting to make them believe he had already changed his ways. "Please, let me explain. I've already changed. I've realized my mistakes. I-"

However, Krillin interrupted him. He did not believe him one bit. "You killed your own brother! My best friend! Why should I believe you?"

When they were quiet again with high tensions on the rise, Master Roshi took time to observe Raditz. He used his senses to feel his life force. Surprisingly, he did not feel any evil aura from him. He only felt goodness in his heart, his repentance and sincerity.

"I sense, Raditz did change," Master Roshi spoke.

"What? How could you say that?" Krillin asked with frustration.

"Relax, Krillin. Can't you feel his energy?" the elderly man asked.

Krillin cooled down a little and looked back at Raditz. When he concentrated his mind to allow him to feel his energy only, to his shock, he only sensed the goodness in his heart.

"You're right," Krillin realized; however, despite his change of heart, he believed he will never get along with him. He was not convinced that he had truly changed. As of now, he needed more time for himself before he could put his whole trust on Raditz.

"I'll keep an eye on him if I have to," Krillin turned his back from him, refusing to look at him this time.

Raditz sighed, but he knew he deserved it.

Suddenly, in the air, a low and deep tone of voice spoke amongst the troubled warriors brooding on this island. "So, more threats are coming to Earth, huh?"

As they all least expected, it was Piccolo again.

Krillin backed away a bit. "Piccolo's here?!"

Bulma was horrified to see his face. "Aah! Why does he have to be here?! Gosh, these past few days have been too crazy! All I want is for things to get back to normal!"

Piccolo landed on the rough sands.

Bardock turned to him and asked, "What brings you here, Piccolo?"

Piccolo explicated that he had heard what was going to happen in the future after hearing the conversation that was transmitted and sent to Raditz's scouter.

Raditz was quite surprised. "You could hear all of that, even from a far distance?"

"My ears do more than you think," Piccolo spat a bit. "Anyway, Raditz, you said these comrades of yours are stronger than any of us combined, correct?"

"Most likely," replied Raditz seriously. "I've been with them since our home planet was destroyed. I can never think of a day when I never trained, but they always find ways to surpass me. My comrades are elites. You can't underestimate them."

Master Roshi felt confused what to do at this point. "What should we do now? I could help, but I'm too frail and old!"

"What's gonna happen to me this time? And to think I never even had a girlfriend yet," Krillin was afraid that he might never be able to accomplish that one goal in his life.

As for Bardock, he would've never imagined he would stay on Earth and help Goku's friends. His original goal was to venture out to find Frieza and have his revenge on him, but it seemed like his own fate was leading him to Earth instead. Was he meant to find Frieza and defeat him still? The events that were occurring now, were they more than just simple accidents and coincidences? Bardock thought he should just go with the flow and find out.

He thought there was only one solution to their current problem. "In order to surpass their strengths as Saiyan elites, we need to train a lot. Training is the only way that'll enhance our skills and discover our true powers. At least we can do that…until Kakarot arrives."

When he spoke of his son's name, it turned into a whisper. In reality, he had seen visions of Goku fighting Raditz's two comrades, but these visions were all a blur now. It had been long since he last saw them. He wondered if he would ever see them again.

Suddenly, Piccolo's focus switched to Gohan. Using his senses, he could feel the hidden power lying inside the boy. He could not help but constantly recall that day when this small child inflicted such overpowering damage to the once evil Raditz. Witnessing his unexpected strength first-hand, Piccolo knew he was safe to assume that he had a lot of potential in him. Perhaps if he trained enough, his potency will unlock as one.

In the Otherworld, inside of a miniature-sized restaurant, they were, obviously, souls eating there. In one corner, there sat the same employee who took Goku to Snake Way. He was having a brief conversation with a living, witch-like, old lady who seemed to have this capability of traveling to different dimensions, including the spiritual world. She had pink, bob-cut hair. She was very short in stature and she was wearing black witch clothes and hat. She was sitting on top of her fortuneteller crystal ball.

"And Sir Goku said to bring him to life with the DragonBalls after a year. He also said that he owes you one. You got the information, Fortuneteller Baba?" the employee asked.

"Yes, I got everything," Baba said. "Now, I shall report this news to one of my trustworthy servants."

Fortuneteller Baba is, shockingly, Master Roshi's sister. For 500 years, she had always used her crystal ball to tell someone's future. Anyone can ask her to foretell his or her future, but the pay is about ten million zeni. The alternative way to have anyone's future told was to fight Baba's five martial art experts at her palace.

Meanwhile in Snake Way, Goku ran and hurried like crazy. "Gosh! This road seems to take forever!" he breathed heavily, "but I got to get to King Kai as soon as possible!"

While Goku was still unaware of the danger ahead, his friends down on Earth will soon face the worse.

"I can't believe this is happening to us," Bulma dreaded. "Everyone's lives are at stake, having no clue what's going to happen in the future."

When Bardock heard the word "future", he felt like he was about to see visions again.

Out in the horizons, another car was moving towards them. The one driving the car was Yajirobe himself. "Yo," he said after parking his car on the island.

Krillin came up to him. It had been a long time since he last saw him. "Woah, I never thought I'd see you again."

Yajirobe folded his arms. "Well, I'm here 'cause I have an announcement to make."

"An announcement?" Krillin asked and the rest were as curious as he was.

"Kami said to get everybody to his tower. He heard that two evil warriors will come to Earth sooner or later. That sucks," Yajirobe complained, always hating to involve himself with any kind of skirmish out there, but he was practically being forced to prepare for this upcoming battle.

"So you heard me. Get everybody!" Yajirobe told him.

"Everybody to Kami's Lookout? But why?" Krillin asked.

"So we can get some training to prepare! So get your butts movin'. I'll meet ya'll there," Yajirobe demanded. He then turned to Bardock and said, "Bardock, Kami told me that he wants you and Raditz to come along as well. He thinks you two will be a great help for this coming battle."

Bardock and Raditz were quite surprised to hear that, yet they were also willing to help Goku's friends in this upcoming battle. On this day, they had both acknowledged that Planet Earth was their new home. Besides, it had been a long time since they trained, so this will be the perfect opportunity to sharpen and hone their fighting skills.

Yajirobe was about to leave Kame House until he remembered something again. "Oh yeah, Fortuneteller Baba also told me something."

"Baba?" Master Roshi stepped forward. "That's my sister. What did she say?"

"Nothin' much. She said that Goku wanted to be brought back to life by the DragonBalls after a year has gone by," Yajirobe delivered the message.

"Kakarot?" Bardock asked, wondering why his son would say such a thing.

Master Roshi was confused as well. "Did she tell you the reason why he made that decision?"

"Nope," the chubby fighter said, almost calmly. Yajirobe then looked at Raditz. Word had already spread that Raditz was the one who killed Goku, his own brother. Like Krillin, he felt some hatred towards him, but Kami had already informed him that Raditz had changed at heart. Nevertheless, Yajirobe needed more time to trust the Saiyan.

"But we need Goku here!" Bulma suddenly cried out. "You can't fight in a battle without Goku around. Goku is the strongest fighter ever! He always knows what to do in situations like these."

Bardock thought that statement of hers had evoked a very similar message with what Master Roshi said earlier ago, about needing Goku around whenever there were new opponents on the line. He wondered what kind of power his son had always held within him.

Yajirobe rubbed his nose. "Well, can't do anything about it. Besides, you should listen to Goku. He's your best friend, y'know. And most likely, he knows what he's doin'. Anyway, catch ya'll up later."

He went back inside his vehicle, started the engine, and zoomed off to get to Kami's Lookout.

Bardock folded his arms and stared at the sands while questioning in his mind, "Why? Why does Kakarot want to stay in the afterlife for a year? Is he doing something?"

He gazed at the skies. At least, after a year, Goku will return before the fight begins. Perhaps he, too, will also be doing some training during his time there, he strongly believed.

"All right, let's notify everyone," Krillin said, "and that includes Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha. We need to tell them what's been going on here. As for Goku…well, I hope he knows what's happening here on Earth."

Everyone was prepared to leave until Gohan was suddenly remembered. They had no idea what to do with this innocent child. He could just stay at home with his mother and not have to be involved in this fight; however, Raditz and Piccolo remembered about Gohan's glimpse of hidden power. Although he revealed it during the act of instincts, it astonished the both of them. Surely, he must have some fighting potential in him. He could be a great help for this upcoming fight.

"But he's too young," Raditz thought. "Then again, he's a half-Saiyan after all."

Piccolo made a straightforward decision. "I'll train the boy."

Everyone was surprised and Bardock became wary. He remembered what his youngest son had told him about Piccolo. He was one of his major enemies, his ultimate goal being able to beat Goku and rule over the world to realize his father's wishes.

"We can never trust you, you know," Krillin was honest with him.

"Shut up," Piccolo spat at him. "It's not like I have any choice as well. You know as well as I do."

Krillin was still worried. "But why train Gohan?"

Piccolo explained himself. "Believe it or not, I can tell that Goku's son is the one who holds the fate of Earth. I can sense his hidden powers inside that'll benefit him in the future, but he needs a lot of extra training in order to release that latent power. Do you hear that, boy?"

Gohan looked up at the mysterious alien. He could not say anything. He was not sure if he was ready at all. He was just a four-year-old kid. How could he possibly have the power to fight?

This was a very bold statement from Piccolo, everyone else thought. They, too, wondered if Gohan had this capability within him.

"Whether you like it or not, you must be trained," Piccolo growled and continued. "Without you, the Earth will be conquered by ominous foes. You want that to happen?"

The young boy backed away a bit. He was frightened by his short temper.

Bardock looked at Piccolo, then to Gohan. Piccolo may be right, but he must face the reality: Gohan was too young to be trained by him. Bardock could already tell, his grandson would not last a day being trained by Piccolo; not until he receives the first steps of training. Bardock believed that Gohan could train with Piccolo after he gets enough basic knowledge about fighting and after he would get rid of his crybaby attitude. Bardock could already tell that only those who were as tough as Piccolo himself can only endure his kind of training; therefore, his grandson must learn how to be mentally strong first. Besides, Bardock lacked trust in Piccolo considering he still carried intentions of wanting to take over the world. It may be unwise to let him train Gohan for the time being.

"Piccolo," Bardock finally said. "I know that Gohan has great power inside, but I'll train him…for now."

Piccolo's eyes twitched. "What are you saying? You don't trust me then?"

"No, it's not that. I just think Gohan needs to train with us first," he explained. "After he gets the basics down," he then chuckled a little, "and after he learns not to cry too much, then I'll let you train him."

Piccolo just grunted and said, "Don't be so modest. I know. You don't trust me because you think I'm still a bad guy, right? Feh, after knowing about the threats that'll come and threaten Earth? It looks like I need to team up with you guys, just like how I teamed up with Goku last time. I'll never allow these so-called elites to take over the world 'cause it's my duty to do that. Times like these, I feel there's…" Piccolo paused for a moment, realizing he was just talking to himself. "Huh, what am I saying?"

Bardock did not comment, nor did anyone.

"That's fine. I respect your decision," Piccolo said. "If you're ready, you can leave Gohan to me."

Without any delay, Piccolo took wing, vanished under the skies, and immediately started training.

Krillin was a bit baffled. "Man, for a second there, I began to think Piccolo was on our side, but at the same time, he still wants to conquer the world. He can be very confusing. Well, I guess I'm hearing things again."

Bardock finally approached Gohan. He knelt down and faced him. "Hey. So, do you agree to train with us then?"

Gohan gulped hard. If he were to agree to actually fight alongside his family and friends, will this training benefit him in the future or will it be all too much? All he wanted is to stay home, have a normal life, and study like his mother wanted him to, but after hearing about the enemies that will soon come to Earth, should he train after all in order to save his own world? Sometimes, Gohan could not almost believe he was thinking very maturely for his very young age.

"I'm not sure," Gohan was very uncertain. "I'm only four. I'm still a kid. I don't know how to fight."

Bardock paused and then, he turned his head to gaze at the shimmering waters surrounding Kame House. He then nodded. "Well, it's still your choice, Gohan. It's okay if you want to stay home, but the reason why we want you train with us is because we think you can become…a great fighter someday. We think you can save the world, as long as you get the proper training and, of course, if you believe in yourself."

Gohan's eyes suddenly glistened as if he was inspired. He thought about what he said.

"How can I explain this to Mommy?" the boy then asked.

"Don't worry, Gohan," smiled Bulma and patted his hair. "I'll explain everything to your mom about this. In the meantime, perhaps your grandfather's right. We also believe you have great potential, Gohan. You are the son of Goku after all. You know, I bet when Goku was your age, he already knew how to fight a lot of bad guys! I'm sure you're like him!" she encouraged.

Krillin, Master Roshi, and even Raditz soon came to an agreement with Bulma and Bardock. Gohan, after all, was a half-Saiyan and so, he may carry a whole lot of strength more than what anyone else thought. For once, Piccolo was right. Gohan may hold the key to Earth's fate after all.

Gohan had always thought there was something about his father, which always made him believe that he will always stay safe as long he was by his side. If he were to become a warrior like his father just for this one battle, he may succeed and be able to save everyone here on Earth.

Gohan gave a wide beam, his tail moving back and forth. "Okay, I'll train with Grandpa Bardock!"

"All right," Bardock was quite glad to hear this.

"What about studies though?" Gohan asked in return. "My mom will get mad if I slack off from my assignments."

Bardock folded his arms and said, "You could work on your homework and such in your free time."

"Yep, that's a good idea!" Gohan agreed.

Then again, Bardock thought it was also good to train your brain, not only your brawns.

"Okay," Krillin said. "I'll quickly go get your textbooks while you, Bardock, and Raditz head to Kami's Lookout. Bardock, you know where the tower is, right?"

"Yeah," Bardock nodded. "Not too far from here and I've been there before."

After making preparations, Krillin used quick speed to get to Mount Paozu as fast as he could to get Gohan's books and assignments. Krillin also needed to stay for a few hours in Kame House to talk to Chi-Chi, after she returns from grocery shopping, about the current situation and her son's decision. Bardock, Raditz, and Gohan went ahead to get to Kami's Lookout.

On the very top of Earth, there stood Kami's tower. Only the ones who were strong-willed and persistent can reach it.

Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yajirobe were already there. When they arrived, Kami immediately gave them the news about what happened to Goku, but reassured them he will come back after a year by wishing him back with the DragonBalls. Next, Kami talked to them about the future.

"I am grateful to have you here today," Kami announced. "For those who haven't known, two new enemies will be coming to Earth with the intention of destroying it. We are here now to stop them for the sake of our world. We are going to train persistently the body, mind, and soul in order to bring them to defeat."

"Heh, I could easily beat the heck out of them," Yamcha was a bit overconfident.

"Now, try not to be too cocky," Kami advised him. "You have to stay calm and focus on this training. You only have one year so use this time to practice wisely."

Yamcha nodded.

"Well, I'm sure this battle wouldn't be a problem. As long Goku will be here, we should be fine," Tien believed.

"That's true," Kami said, "but we can't always rely on someone else to finish the job. Sometimes, you are all alone in this world and may have to face something nasty. That is where you apply your training into real combat."

"Right," Tien understood.

It was then Bardock, Raditz, and Gohan had finally arrived. Soon afterwards, Krillin went to join them. He explained to Kami about Gohan's textbooks and assignments he was carrying in his arms. He also explained that Gohan had agreed to train with them. He will learn only the basic fighting skills and methods before he goes training with Piccolo. Gohan may need special training for his kind of potential; therefore, Piccolo could be the perfect instructor for him.

When the rest of the Z-fighters had their eyes set on Raditz, however, hatred grew in them.

"What? Raditz, what are you doing here?!" Yamcha asked angrily.

"That's right. I thought you're the one who killed Goku," Tien stepped in. "You're supposed to be out of this planet!"

"Wait!" Raditz tried to defend himself. "It's not what you think. I'm here to-"

Before the argument became worse, Kami instantly balked their meaningless fight.

"Silence! What's in the past, it's already in the past," Kami held his walking stick tightly. "I've already told you that Goku will come back after a year. For now, we must focus on training ourselves for the future. If we only focus on our hatred and our lack of trust for each other, then our training will be meaningless. Do you understand?"

Yamcha looked at Raditz. He and his friends had already been told that Raditz had changed; however, like Krillin and Yajirobe, they needed more time to trust the older brother of Goku.

Kami then commenced. "Our training session will begin now."

The first training session required every fighter to have his warm-ups first. Some went on to practice their moves, some decided to stretch and do a bit of a warm-up, while others were being monitored with their training.

Yamcha delivered rapid punches, giving out winds from his fists. Tien worked out his legs in which he performed several kicks in air devoid of stopping. Krillin did some push-ups using one arm only and switching to another arm after each set. Yajirobe was practicing his sword skills while at the same time, he was eating some chicken (he always loves to eat whenever he trains).

Chiaotzu was briefly training with Mr. Popo. The genie wanted to see how the young child fights. He was quite impressed with his moves.

"Hyah, hyah!" Chiaotzu gave rapid punches.

Mr. Popo evaded every move and said, "That's good. Keep them coming."

Bardock was also training by himself. His fighting skills were already beyond the roof. Sometimes, he would put on a spectacular show, which sometimes made everyone look at him for a second as they were astonished by his incredible speed and strength.

Kami was real impressed. "My, what a great warrior he is. He's like Goku."

While Kami occasionally observed how Bardock fought, he began his training tutorials for Gohan.

"All right, Gohan," Kami said. "Are you ready for your first lesson?"

Gohan nodded. "I am."

"Good. Our first lesson is basic punching and kicking. Now, show me a good punch."

"Like this…?" Gohan drew his arm back and punched straight, but he almost lost balance. "Woah!"

Kami laughed a little. "That's a nice start. When punching, remember, only your arm does the work while moving your shoulders slightly, but don't let your entire body be drawn with the movement of your fist. Understand?"

"Yes," Gohan tried one more time. This time, he gave a small yell and delivered another straight punch. He did better this time. Kami could almost feel the force of his fist. The young boy did not know, but the guardian of Earth could already feel the boy's hidden potential.

Raditz watched them including his own father practicing on their own. He then gazed at the skies and thought about his younger sibling for a moment. The older brother of Goku decided to prove to everyone that he had definitely changed in heart. He wanted to stay on Earth to save this planet from his comrades who will soon come to it.

"Rargh!" Raditz threw a rigorous punch. He had finally begun his training.

The Z-fighters and the two full-blooded Saiyans prepared themselves for the battle in the future.