There was something about Piccolo that always sent a shiver down Krillin's spine, even when the Namek was doing nothing at all. Perhaps it was the fact he looked identifical to his father who murdered him as a child. Maybe it was the fangs that appeared each time he talked. Nah. That's not it. What got Krillin the most was that instead of eating like all the others, Piccolo was staring at him like he crapped in his uneaten rice.

Krillin clenched his fists the best he could while still holding chopsticks. "You got a problem, Piccolo!?" The monk gulped right after he spoke up. He knew Piccolo could easily blast a hole in his chest right where he was sitting.

That is exactly why he was avoiding eye contact while sweating profusely.

Sitting directly across from Krillin, Piccolo shoved his bowl to the side towards Yamcha. The long haired human took it slowly and scooted down even closer to Tien to give the green one more space.

"Yeah, I do," Piccolo's fangs were extra sharp today. Krillin momentarily looked up but the sight of them made him stare at Piccolo's turban instead. "I noticed none of these so-called fighters have made improvements and its been weeks. Why are we continuing to make fools out of ourselves?"

Tien, who was normally quiet, cleared his throat. "You know something? I've been feeling the same way. Don't you think we should be using the time we have left to focus on our own strength and training?"

"Here, here!" Yamcha raised his glass for Tien to tap it, but was left hanging. "This whole thing is pointless! That's why Kami took Goku in the first place. He knows better than the rest of us. If we're going to beat those Saiyans, I need to toughen up my Wolf Fang Fist!"

As murmurs surrounded the trainers' table, Piccolo raised a brow bone towards Krillin who was still silent. "You know it's the truth."

Krillin took a deep breath and finally brought his eyes to Piccolo's then to his friends as he spoke. "I can't believe you guys. There was a time when we were just like them, remember? We didn't know about ki or flight or anything but good ol' martial arts. Let's just give them a chance, okay? We might have that one person in our group who could make a difference."

While the others politely nodded in agreement with Krillin, Piccolo scoffed and stood up. "As much as I enjoyed today's after school special, I think it's time for me to head out."

Unsure of whether that meant for now or for good, Krillin called out after him. "You can be a difference maker, Piccolo! If you just believe!" The Namek released one loud, cruel 'ha' before shutting the dining hall door behind him. Both that short man and his dead best friend had to be the most annoyingly positive people he had ever met.

At least Goku knew what was best for him.

"If you just believe," Piccolo mocked and then rolled his eyes. "Give me a break. These poor fools are going to be dead seconds after the Saiyans arrive and they don't even know it."

"SATAN NEW AND IMRPOVED PUUUNCH!"

You've got to be kidding me...

Piccolo snatched Hercule by his afro and threw him into the wall of the dining hall. Grooved into the bricks, the fighter's entire body was twitching. The Namek dug his claws into Hercule's robe and pulled him out. "Even though I could sense you coming before you opened that loud mouth, I'm going to offer you a piece of advice. Next time you try sneaking up on someone, don't announce your attack before it hits."

Trying his best to conceal his wincing since he couldn't control his bruising eyes, Hercule adjusted his collar when Piccolo placed him back on his feet. "Oh... uh.. but I hear you saying yours-"

"I say it during the attack, there's a big difference."

Hercule hung his head and rubbed the back of his aching neck. "Ah jeez Mr. Piccolo... I was just tryin' to show you something is all... Aw, forget it." The young fighter sighed heavily and began to trudge his feet on the pavement. As confident as he considered himself to be, Hercule was still a human with feelings and Piccolo sure knew how to crush them. He looked over his shoulder at the Namek and gave him the saddest eyes he could muster. "Guess it's back to the drawing board..."

His ears perked up at the sound of Piccolo groaning. "Alright, alright. Just show me and back off the rest of the day."

Hercule whipped around with a wide grin and marched his back to his trainer. He held up his fist. "See this?"

"Yes."

"It looks like a normal fist, right?"

"Extremely hairy, but yes."

"Okay but...watch...this!" Hercule made a face that was a mixture of constipation and concentration. He had one eye closed harshly while the other was nearly popping out of its socket. His teeth grinded together as his lips quivered and sweat poured down his face. Piccolo didn't know what was more awful, the expression or the sound effects coming out of his mouth. "Argargargargahahahargggg..."

Piccolo was about to open his mouth when the glowing light started to come through Hercule's fist. The human's expression switched to one of happiness in an instant. He showed all his large teeth and raised his fist in the air. "Ah..Hahahaha! See!? Just like you taught me!"

"That's..." Piccolo blinked. There were very few moments in his life when he had been caught off guard. "I-" The ki-fueled fist of Hercule collided under his chin before he could finish what he was saying. The impact actually made the Namek take a few steps back.

"Oh, damn it all!" Hercule snapped his fingers, the ki completely faded. "That's when I shoulda called out the attack, huh?"

Piccolo was stuck in silence, and it wasn't from the punch. Had he...actually taught such a useless person something...useful?

See what happens when you just belieeeeve?

"Ergh shut up Krillin!" Piccolo snapped and looked over his shoulder at the bald former monk who was just barely stepping his foot out the door. Krillin raised his hands in front of himself in defense.

"I, uh, didn't say anything Piccolo. I promsie."

But that Namek had already stomped away, with Hercule following closely behind.

"It's okay, Chi-Chi. We'll try again first thing in the morning," Goku yawned and placed his arms behind his messy head. It was hard at first to tell the difference between day and night in this place since the light never disappeared, but he was getting use to it after a month. "You got pretty far up the tree today. You know, before you fell down."

Laying in the grass in the same position, Chi-Chi blew her bangs out of her forehead. During the month they had been on King Kai's planet, Goku's body had rapidly adjusted the gravity. He caught Bubbles, smacked Gregory, and was now being trained by King Kai himself. Chi-Chi could stand up and walk (very slowly), but still couldn't make it to the top of the tree. "It's easy for you to relax, Goku. You're already doing amazing things."

Truth be told, she hadn't slept well in weeks. Through the 'night', she would wake up constantly and try again and again to reach the top. What killed her the most was Goku being able to go up the tree daily, sometimes right over her, and munch on the sweet fruit.

King Kai had filled them in on Goku's ancestors, the Saiyans, and the awful things they have done. He comes from strong unearthly beings, while she was...only human.

What if she could never do it?

"Aw, don't be so hard on yourself!" Goku was smiling at her, and she wondered if he had just read her thoughts. "You'll get there before you know it. Just gotta stay positive."

Not wanting to talk about her failures anymore, Chi-Chi turned her body to the side so she was now looking at him. "What has it been like training with King Kai? It sounds like and feels like you guys are doing some crazy things, but I can never see you."

Goku eyed her lazily. "Oh, it's been great. He's teaching me the Kaio-ken technique. It's uh.."

Chi-Chi blinked, noticing a change in his expression. "You okay?"

"Oh yeah," Goku cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the sky. "After all the physical stuff he put me through, I know my body is a lot stronger now. I can feel it all over. Now King Kai is having me work on manipulating my ki-"

"Your...ki?" Chi-Chi blinked yet again, and Goku brought his attention to her. He sat up to sit cross legged and she did the same. "I've heard that so many times but I don't think I understand..."

Goku rubbed his chin as if he were thinking deeply, and then raised a finger up in an 'aha' moment. "Have you ever meditated before?"

The girl sweatdropped. "Not long enough to say I'm a pro, no. But I get the basics."

"Well you're already in the perfect position!" Goku winked, and his excitement was contagious. Chi-Chi was smiling back at him. "Okay. So place your palms upward on your knees like this. Good. Now have your pointer finger and thumb touch so it makes an 'o' shape."

The two were in identical positions now. The silence between them was comforting despite the sound of King Kai snoring in the comfort on his own home. Oolong had snuck in there disguised as a flea. He'd been resting in Bubbles' fur for safer travels since Chi-Chi had been unreliable.

"You're doing great Chi-Chi," Goku continued in a soothing calm voice. "Close your eyes. Focus on this feeling inside of you. It's a feeling that's hard for me to explain, but it's like...something greater than yourself. Something deep within. Let me know when you feel it."

Goku opened his eyes to watch her. Her eye brows were too scrunched together as if she were in pain.

"No, not like that. Relax. It shouldn't hurt. Listen to your breathing and search deep within."

Relaxing was a word that was hardly part of Chi-Chi's diction, but she was going to do her best to find what made Goku so strong. Her face untensed as did the rest of her body.

Breath...

Goku could feel the warm of her air as she released it. He leaned back on his arms and observed her get lost in herself. It was nice seeing her at peace for the first time since they reacquainted. After a few moments, he heard a faint sound that was different from King Kai's snoring.

"Chi-Chi," he whispered. "Look at your hands."

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked down. There was a trace amount of light glowing in both hands. "What..." she held them up in front of her face. "...Is this?"

"That," Goku copied her, his larger hands illuminating a stronger light. "Is ki. It's your energy."

"My...energy?" Chi-Chi tilted her head. The light had disappeared but she was still staring at her hands. "Where did it come from?"

Goku laughed. "From you, silly!"

"...What does it do?"

"Lots of things," he chuckled again. He shot a blast straight up into the sky. "You can use it to blast bad guys or things you need to chop down. You can use it to warm up your soup. You can use it to fly-"

"Fly?" Chi-Chi pointed at her chest. "Me?"

Goku nodded. "Yup! But...don't get too excited, okay? With this planet's gravity, it might take awhile to learn and get use to it here. Once we get back to Earth, I could always show you."

The girl blushed. He had not broken eye contact this entire time he taught her, and he still wanted to teach her back at home. How wonderful! How absolutely-wait a minute... "Hey," she glared at him with crossed arms. "You don't think I could learn how to fly here?"

"Um..." Goku scratched the back of his head. Sometimes he was too honest for his own good. "It might be time to head back by the time you finally eat a fruit."

Chi-Chi lurched forward to give him a shove. "So the truth comes out, huh!? You encouraged me this entire time when in reality you've been doubting me! How typical of you! Liar!"

Goku crawled backward as Chi-Chi continued to approach him. He noticed that she was able to move a little faster than before. "I don't doubt you! I know you're going to climb that tree I just don't know when! But it's not your fault!"

"You just love to lie!" Chi-Chi continued as she ignored him. She was too caught up in her anger to notice how easily she was moving. "The worst one of all is your lie about marrying me!"

"Marrying you!?" Goku's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What're you talking about!?"

Chi-Chi released a scream before her boot connected with the side of his head. She brought herself nose to nose with the bewildered Saiyan. "You're unbelievable! When we were young you promised me I would be your bride when we met again and you broke that promise!"

Goku touched the part of his head that Chi-Chi hit. He could feel her long eyelashes touching his own. He could barely remember the conversation they had all those years ago. "Chi-Chi, I swear I didn't know that's what a bride meant! I thought bride was a type of food... Honest." He watched as her face went through a wide range of emotions.

"A...food?" she slowly inched away from him until she was standing straight up again. She knew Goku was naive, but food? Really? "Food?"

Goku nodded. "Food."

Chi-Chi was silently thinking. She had no choice to believe him. He truly was as honest as a man could be. Which meant this debacle had to be settled, since there was a bigger issue at hand. He didn't believe she could make it up that tree. She balled her hands up into tight fists and wordlessly left Goku on the ground.

The Saiyan got up on his feet as well, but remained where he stood. She was standing in front of the tree, looking it up and down and rubbing her hands together to prepare herself. As she began climbing, Goku frowned and thought about what she had said. If he really did promise to marry her, he shouldn't break that promise. He never broke promises. What exactly marriage was, he didn't know. But he did know it would make Chi-Chi happy.

I sure wish Krillin were here...

His friend always had a good way to explain everything he didn't know.

Snapping back to the present, Goku's eyes widened at what he was seeing. He had been so occupied trying to learn Kaio-ken that he never paid much attention to Chi-Chi's speed increasing. She was almost to the branches.

"KING KAI!" he shouted excitedly. "KING KAI! COME QUICK!"

There was a sound of pans crashing coming from inside the tiny house, and King Kai soon appeared wearing a striped night gown and cap. "Darn it, Goku! This better be important!" The teal skinned being followed the direction of Goku's finger, and his jaw slightly dropped. "Well, I'll be a monkey's owner."

Although she was breathing heavily, Chi-Chi was resting on the highest branch of the tree enjoying a hand-picked fruit. She waved at the two on the ground, hoping that this was going to stop their doubts about her. Even her doubts about herself. "What's next, King Kai!?"

"You know why scientists say you shouldn't eat cookies in bed?"

"...Huh?"

"You'll have a crummy sleep!" King Kai slapped his knee and chuckled loudly to himself. "Get some rest, kid! You'll go after Bubbles tomorrow!"

Chi-Chi sighed as King Kai disappeared back inside the house. She thought the tree climbing thing was her Bubbles chasing. What made Goku so special that he was learning that special technique? Didn't she have that ki thing as well? Those lights on her hands? She was about to crawl down the tree so she could ask the Saiyan more questions, but she caught sight of him making his way towards her.

At a much quicker rate, he arrived on the branch beside her and grinned. "That was incredible, Chi-Chi! I didn't know you were that fast!"

"Thanks," she found it so hard to stay completely mad at him. Especially when he looked at her like that. Like he was proud. "Goku I had a question for you since you're being soo honest tonight. Do you think I could ever learn that technique you were talking about?"

Goku breathed out slowly. She made him remember what was bothering him earlier. "See, that's the tricky part. You have to be a master of your ki before you can control it. I've been using mine for awhile and even now trying to manipulate it is a little difficult. King Kai said nobody has been able to master Kaio-ken in all his years of teaching it. And that moment I do master it, well..."

Chi-Chi sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. It was nice that he didn't move out of the way. It sounded like she had to practice finding and using her energy before she could do anything groundbreaking with it. "What?"

"It's hard on the body. It could even kill me."

Chi-Chi looked up and him. "Why are you trying to learn it, then?"

Goku shrugged his shoulders only slightly so Chi-Chi wouldn't fall off him. "At the moment, it's the only way to defeat the Saiyans and save Earth. But I also love learning a technique so strong. I like a good challenge. Know what I mean?"

She did. She couldn't say she was killing to kill herself for a challenge, though.

Her eyes automatically went up to her halo.

Oh, wait...

"Well anyway," Goku stood up on the branch and stretched his arms. "You inspired me to continue working on it and I'm too tired to sleep! Catch ya on the other side!"

Chi-Chi watched in disbelief as the messy haired hero disappeared from her in the blink of an eye. It wasn't until she was all by herself that she noticed how high up she was. "GOKUUUU!" she shouted out desperately. "YOU COULD'VE TAKEN ME WITH YOU!"

"YOU GOT THIS!" a familiar voice from far off called back.

She grumbled under her breath and thought about what she could do. She had never been this high up before when she would come crashing down. Would falling out of the tree kill her? Did it matter if she was technically already dead?

The ki..

A lightbulb went off in her head. Goku mentioned that she could use her ki for flying. All she needed to do was find it again...

She put her body and mind into the same state it was earlier when that light appeared in her hands. Once it was there, Chi-Chi spread her arms out like they were wings and jumped off the branch.

Then, she made a crater in the planet.

"Ow..."