Goku sprints through the back entrance of the Check-In Station from Snake Way. King Yemma chuckles.
"I'll be a monkey's uncle," he says. "You actually did it."
"I'm sorry I don't have time for talking," says Goku. He bows quickly. "How do I get back to Earth?"
Someone else answers his question.
"Kami will be here for you soon."
Goku spins around at the sound of a voice he never thought he would hear again.
"Grandpa Gohan?"
Their smiles grow as if trying to outdo one another. Tears form in the corners of Gohan's eyes.
"My son. It's so good to see you."
"How did you get here?"
"King Kai arranged a short meeting for us. I've missed you so much. You've grown into a fine young man. I'm so proud of you."
Gohan embraces Goku, but he does not reciprocate.
Goku's head drops. His eyes fight back a burning sting. A flood springs within his nose.
"What's the matter my son?" says Gohan.
"It was me. It was my fault."
"What was?"
"I was the monster from your story. I'm the one who killed you."
"Oh no. You're not responsible for that."
Gohan places his hands around Goku's heaving shoulders and pulls him close. Goku clings to his robes. Their cheeks touch and tears trace the creases around them.
"I'm so ashamed," says Goku.
"Nonsense. You don't have any control over something like that. Now listen to me. I don't regret anything. The years I spent raising you were some of the happiest of my life. I would do them all over again even if it had to end the same way. I love you my son."
Goku sniffs back some mucus and dries his eyes.
"I've missed you so much Grandpa Gohan. I wish we could have had more time together. I've tried my best to live by the values you taught me. They have given me so much happiness."
"I'm glad to hear it. Though your life seems to get complicated here and there. King Kai told me about the enemy you've been preparing to face, these Saiyans. They sound quite formidable. But just remember all that you have learned from your masters and you will succeed. I'm so proud of the man you have grown into."
Kami appears.
"Hurry Goku," Kami says. "Grab my arm."
Goku moves away from Gohan without their eyes dropping contact. Kami's hand grabs his aimlessly reaching fingers. A tear from each eye falls from his cheeks as the Check-In Station vanishes in a haze. Gohan watches them hit the floor.
Goku finds himself in his old training grounds where he prepared to face Piccolo for the fate of the world. Mr. Popo stands beside Kami in front of their temple.
"The fighting has already begun," says Kami. "Good luck."
Goku nods and senses out the happenings.
I can feel everyone is struggling. Krillin, Yamcha. Even Piccolo is completely outmatched. And Gohan's with him.
A white aura bursts around his frame. He shoots off in an arc over the rim of the floating structure, barreling down towards the Earth.
"Sorry guys. I need to save my son first. Just hang on until I can get to you! Gohan, I'm on my way."
###
"How's my baby boy doing Bulma?"
Bulma clicks through a couple windows on her monitor. Three numbers are in it.
"It looks like his power level is steady, but the strongest of the Saiyans went straight for them."
"I can't believe I have to ask this, but is Piccolo doing well against him?"
Bulma's clicks a button and a line graph appears.
"His power has dipped a few times, but so far it has always bounced back."
"That's good."
Chichi sighs and clenches a hand to her chest.
"Krillin seems to be doing okay. Despite the mismatch in power levels, his opponent is hemorrhaging life force much faster than him."
The graph goes blank and refreshes.
"Oh shit! Krillin just lost an incredible amount of stamina. I don't see how he can survive a setback like that."
They watch the numbers adjust.
"Wait," says Bulma, "it looks like he's trying something. His readings are going back up."
"What about Yamcha?" says Puar.
Bulma rapid fires a few more mouse clicks.
"Oh no."
A pit sinks in her stomach.
"Yamcha is struggling too. His power level keeps spiking only to dip lower than where it started."
I'm glad that's not me out there, thinks Yajirobe. Then aloud, "I hope they can all find a way to win."
"Why?" says Bulma. "So you don't have to risk your worthless life? You should be there helping them."
"Me? What about Chichi? She's as strong as me and we both agreed the Saiyans are way too powerful for us. We'd only get in the way and be used against our friends."
Bulma sighs.
"I know. I'm just scared."
She feels Chichi's hand clasp her shoulder. Bulma raises her own to hang onto it. The four of them watch the screen continue to shift with the battles.
A window pops up with a beep.
Bulma shoots forward to read it.
"A huge power level just appeared on Earth somewhere. Could it be? Is he finally here?"
She looks over her shoulder at Chichi who stares upward with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Yes. It's Goku. He's finally back."
###
Gohan backs up one shaky leg at a time as Vegeta advances upon him.
"I guess your father didn't raise you right," says Vegeta. "A Saiyan's power level should bolster a little in the presence of a threat not cower away like yours."
Gohan, I'm on my way.
The phrase seems to whisper into Gohan's mind. His knees stop trembling. He calms his terrified ki. He allows his senses to expand on the wind. They bounce outward like sonar returning different life force signatures. An unexpectedly large one scares him a moment before the familiar scent sets in. It is his father's.
Daddy? You're really back.
Joy and sadness battle one another for space within his body. Gohan balls his fists and readies a stance.
I'll be brave, Daddy.
Vegeta frowns as his scouter starts to tick the opposite direction.
"I guess you have a little fighting spirit after all. Good. I need this long trip to be worth my while."
Gohan throws his hands up above his head, one palm behind the other. The number on the scouter flourishes.
"Masenko!"
A yellow flash builds up above the boy before shooting forth. Vegeta merely swings a foot behind him to turn sideways. The streaming blast passes harmlessly by his stomach. Vegeta smirks at the cute attack. Movement catches his hunter's eye.
Gohan strafes away from him making sure to keep squared up. Vegeta lunges after the last of the beam has passed. He gives chase while Gohan bounds in a zigzag.
"I hope this isn't your fastest speed," says Vegeta. "Because if it is…"
He smiles.
Gohan suddenly plants a foot and races straight at Vegeta. He flows into a flying kick. Vegeta again effortlessly sidesteps the attack.
Gohan sees a chopping strike aimed at the back of his head in his peripherals. He ducks just before landing and dashes off again for some distance.
"Ah," says Vegeta. "Hit and run tactics. But what happens when I force you into close quarters combat?"
Vegeta rushes down Gohan and starts throwing out melee strikes. The first one is dodged, the second blocked, but the third finds its mark. The ball of his foot gets Gohan in the stomach.
Gohan arcs through the air. His hands grab at his abdomen. He collapses on his back and rolls his legs up with the momentum. After tumbling onto his belly and pushing up into a sprinter's pose, he streaks from the spot in an ever widening curved path around the foe.
Vegeta attempts to move in but is warded off by another blast of energy.
This brat is starting to piss me off, thinks Vegeta. He doesn't want to fight. He just wants to … runaway. He's stalling! But why? Is he waiting for the Namekian to wake up? He must know that won't work.
Vegeta presses the button on his scouter. It reads back the power levels of his comrades and their opponents.
"What the! A power level of 5,000 is coming this way. And it's moving incredibly fast. But how could we have missed someone stronger than Nappa?
"The Namekian should be the most powerful one on this planet. The only other person it could be is Kakarot. But he's dead. What am I saying? No low class like him could ever achieve such heights."
"It's my dad alright."
Vegeta turns to Gohan.
"It's him. I know it. And he's going to defeat you when he gets here."
Vegeta grits his teeth. His lips quiver before settling down as a chuckle overcomes him.
"Even if that is your father. He is still nothing compared to me. But if it is, I guess that would make you a good hostage, wouldn't it?"
Just as the words leave Vegeta's lips, he moves with lightning speed straight for Gohan.
###
A savage fist slams into Yamcha's gut. Blood spouts alongside the breath knocked out of his lungs. He shambles backwards, both arms wrapped around his abdomen.
"My scouter tells me your power level has dwindled to almost nothing," says Raditz. "You were pretending to be a howling wolf, but you're really just a chirping cricket."
Yamcha hacks up more blood which runs down his chin. His head droops to his chest as red droplets drip to the ground. His shoulders bob ceaselessly. A quiet laugh escapes him.
"What's so funny?" says Raditz.
"You put a lot of faith in that little scouter of yours," says Yamcha.
His head tilts back.
"Let me guess, it's probably showing something in the low three hundreds."
Raditz lets his eyes flick to the screen and then immediately back to his opponent. 338!
"Lucky guess. I can estimate my own power level too."
"Hehe, you're missing the point. It's not just mine. I can do yours too. I'm going to say you're around 1,200."
Raditz growls as he checks the scouter. Next to Yamcha's number is a 1,250 with an arrow pointing back at himself.
How can he be within fifty points of guessing my power level? thinks Raditz. Judging his own, sure. Some people are just good at that shit. But being able to get a reading on someone else without a scouter? I've never heard of something like that.
"The look on your face says it all," Yamcha says.
"How are you doing that? Tell me!"
"Isn't it obvious. I can sense your energy."
"Lies. This is some kind of trick!"
"Believe what you want. My girlfriend mastered that technology, and we used it extensively in our training. I became quite accustomed to gauging quantities of ki in terms of your measurements. And one thing I learned for sure in all that time is that people are far more than just a number. So judging me based on one is going to cost you."
Yamcha clenches his fists. Wind begins to ruffle his clothes. Raditz's eyes widen as his scouter starts to tick up. Yamcha looks up to the sky as a shrieking howl escapes his throat. Raditz steps back as the aura around his opponent takes the form of a wolf crying to the moon.
Yamcha's animalistic life force rips through Raditz's psyche like a predator through flesh. He keeps backpedaling as his enemy's power level rises. He gawks at the number on his screen when it finally stops.
"Im…impossible! How could you be hiding enough power to replenish your stamina by almost eighty percent?"
"Funny story. Amongst my friends, I was the worst one at drawing out my hidden ki. I was so bad in fact, it was almost like I didn't have any more besides what I walked around with. So I created this little technique, Otakebi. It brings out my passive ki in a single huge burst instead of just a little at a time."
Raditz mouths a few words but nothing comes out.
"Your scouter probably says we're about even now, doesn't it?"
Raditz reads 1,175 coming from his adversary. His teeth gnash together.
"So just because you started this fight stronger than me, doesn't mean you'll win."
Raditz settles his anxiety with two deep breaths.
"Heh, my father used to say something like that … but he was wrong!"
Raditz charges forth.
Yamcha holds out both hands with their palms upward. They glow with golden energy as two yellow spheres pop out of each.
"Double Sokidan!"
Yamcha twirls his arms and spins his body to direct his ranged attacks as if wielding nunchucks The two orbs move with lightning speed and pattern.
Raditz flips and slides between their dance as they zip in for random jabs before retreating and searching for a new angle to strike from.
The long hair of both warriors whip about in a furious attempt to keep up with them. Yamcha's soft curls bounce after him while the sharp locks of Raditz's hair sprint from behind.
The Sokidans keep Raditz confined to a limited space by constantly cutting off any exits within their area of control. Their erratic movements slip through his guard, prodding at his vitals. They leave swollen welts wherever they hit.
"Enough of this!" says Raditz. "You want to see who the better shot is? My pleasure."
He backflips over another attack and holds out a hand as he does. He pulls his index finger against an invisible trigger sparking a small green marble in his palm. His fingers flare out sideways to make room for the bullet to fire.
Zizzoop!
Yamcha sees a twinkle in Raditz's hand right before the blunt musket ball cracks a rib below his right pectoral. He stumbles back from the blow. His Sokidans fly off in the last direction they were traveling.
He wheezes for air as a sharp pain stabs his lung. Another twinkle catches his eye. He steps aside, but a heavy shot smashes his left hip. He grits his teeth through the agony and grabs hold of his Sokidans with his mind.
Another jade pellet cruises towards him. He twists sideways. A bruising blow smashes his left shoulder. It would have struck him dead in the heart if he had not moved.
No time is given to dwell on the worry as another precision shot bashes his right thigh.
"I'm going to be swiss cheese at this rate," he says.
"You're not so tough when kept at bay!" says Raditz. "What are you going to do from way over there?"
Yamcha winces as Raditz laughs and chambers the next bullet. He flicks his wrist as the shot fires. One of his Sokidans intercepts the slug midair. The resulting explosion screens the combatants from view of one another.
Raditz readies his trigger fingers and strafes around the cloud keeping plenty of distance from it. But there is no one on the other side. He checks his scouter which assures him Yamcha has not left the area. He shifts back and forth trying to catch his foe who must be circling the smoke as well, yet he finds nothing.
"Don't toy with me!"
He targets the cloud itself.
A shape takes form in the black haze as Yamcha bursts out of it straight for him.
Raditz shakes off a startle and adjusts his aim. Yamcha's arm swerves from the side in a motion that cannot possibly be a punch given the distance still between them. Just as Raditz is about to fire, realization strikes him.
The second Sokidan sends him tumbling by crashing into his side and rebounding off. Yamcha howls into melee range with a heavy kick. Raditz blocks with a forearm and attempts to counter in the opening. Yamcha waves his arm, and the Sokidan clips his shoulder, staggering him again.
Yamcha dribbles the sphere against Raditz while striking with his other arm and legs. It punches again and again, bouncing off each time before springing right back for another hit from a different position. The free floating projectile punctures Raditz's defenses to trip up an ankle or slam against his head. All the while, fists and feet pummel him.
Yamcha ends the overwhelming deluge with a stomp to Raditz's stomach. As the foe launches backward, Yamcha slings the Sokidan right after him. Raditz scrunches his body and raises his arms around his head. The sphere explodes across him, pushing him further back.
Raditz's arms shake, and his ears ring. His eyes squint open into the thinning smoke. He sees a glow between the hands cupped at Yamcha's side.
"Kamehameha!"
Raditz raises his arms again to take on the incoming energy wave.
The muscles in Yamcha's arms and shoulders wring themselves dry as they squeeze out as much ki as possible. He feels the resistance of his attack landing. His energy mounts against the dam of his opponent trying to hold back the flood.
Yamcha relents the beam and chokes on the kicked up dust as he sucks in air over and over. The smog clears, and Yamcha humbles at the sight of Raditz's smoking palm held firmly before him. The extended arm shakes while reinforced by the other hand gripping it at the wrist.
"No way," says Yamcha. "He stopped it."
Raditz glances at his scouter to find his power level higher than his now exhausted enemy.
"Nice try Earthling. Now say goodbye."
Raditz lets his stabilizing hand sling back behind his head and amass a molten glob of squirming energy. The arm windmills downward, bends at the elbow, and shoots forward. A bolt of pink lightning streaks from his hand.
"Satadē Kurasshu!"
Yamcha braces knowing he can neither dodge nor block the attack.
###
A revolving hum oscillates between loud and quiet above Krillin's head. Hovering over his right palm is a white hot disk wider than his shoulders with a razor thin edge. The saucer expands and contracts as it spins. He looks up at Nappa who frantically shifts his head searching the area below.
Krillin swallows but there is no saliva to sooth his sore throat. He jumps out from his hiding place with his hand taut behind his shoulder. His joints and tendons strain in the awkward throwing motion. The tension releases, and his arm whips forward. Just as the disk leaves his hand, Nappa's eyes fall upon him.
"Kienzan!"
The attack cuts through the air without any resistance. It races at the target who squares up to it.
Come on, thinks Krillin. Please hit.
Nappa only has time to brace his right arm staunchly before himself. The saucer rams his palm just below the pads at the base of his fingers. Lacerations rip apart the muscles and fat of his hand. He pumps energy into his forearm and leans forward against the spinning ki. The discus wobbles and slows. Cracks splinter along the surface until it shatters under the opposing force. Hot shavings flick across his exposed skin as the energy breaks around him.
Krillin's confidence fractures alongside his last hope. His courage shrinks away leaving him cold and unprotected.
Nappa cringes as he flips his hand over. A gash down to the bones from one side of his palm to the other refuses to bleed. The friction from the attack scorched the blood vessels shut. His fingers are numb. He tries to flex them, but they do not respond.
Unreal, he thinks. His power level should be too low to hurt me this severely.
"You're dead! Do you hear me? DEAD!"
Nappa divebombs while encased in a flaming aura. He flips his feet forward to squash his foe.
If not for Krillin's teeth biting his tongue, his fear from the enraged life force would have stopped him from moving. He hops back as the earth below where he stood craters and is replaced by Nappa's feet.
A tree trunk of a leg swings from the side. Krillin gets an elbow on it before it can make contact and rolls over top of it. A flurry of karate chops and kicks assaults him. He barely manages to stay a couple inches ahead of each one as he weaves in and out of the muscular limbs. He tires with every dodge, but each successive attack of the onslaught strikes slower than the last.
A lethal fist hovers over his head to flatten him into a grave. Krillin thrusts his palms releasing a pulse of energy. An invisible force pushes Nappa off balance and himself backward. The blow skims the ends of his fingers as he escapes on the current of his Kiai.
Nappa steps forward for another charge, but a sharp headache knifes his brain. He checks his arm to find the sick crimson line has crawled past his elbow. He closes his eyes and inflates his chest with air while remembering Vegeta's words. The anger passes before it can burn through another chunk of his stamina.
Krillin recoils when Nappa's eyes open and target him with sharp precision.
They slide into fighting poses to prepare their next moves. For a moment they stand as statues on the battlefield. A sheen of light runs along their bald heads as Nappa breaks the stalemate with a wild charge and Krillin retreats.
Krillin slips between the massive limbs of Nappa like a monkey swings through the branches of a tree. He rolls up the arm of a barely dodged punch and ends up back to back with his opponent. He leaps high into the air from the ravine between the shoulder blades as Nappa spins out a roundhouse kick.
A flat circle of energy forms over one of Krillin's palms, within the circumference of his fingers. He throws it as Nappa follows. The huge man swerves around the tiny disk but the cutting edge carves a line along one of his left ribs. As he speeds after his target, Krillin has already formed another razor with the other hand. He gives an underhand flick.
The sharp projectile flies with elusive speed and trajectory as it curves out wide before coming back. It rips a gash in Nappa's meaty right shoulder. A stifled scream streams through his clenched teeth.
Krillin drifts low and skims the surface of the ground kicking up a dust trail. He forms his hands into a ball at his waist and begins chanting for a Kamehameha.
He builds the energy as Nappa closes in with an evasive pattern. He instantly shoots up at a sharp angle. Nappa coasts through where he just was with a missed kick.
Krillin watches him glide along a wide curve as he slowly pulls upward. As soon as his opponent comes straight at him again, Krillin sends a white hot beam streaking down upon him.
Nappa rolls to the side to avoid it. The fluid beam drives into the ground. Nappa flies up alongside it toward the source.
"Gotcha this time pipsqueak!"
Krillin pulls his hands up over his head while still firing the beam before straightening them out again. His Kamehameha erupts from the ground and follows its target. He watches as it chases the unaware Nappa who prepares a knockout kick by cocking his foot back. He wills the beam to travel faster.
Nappa's hulking mass obscures the encroaching attack from Krillin's vision as the distance between them closes fast. The leg swings to remove Krillin's head from his shoulders, but the foot never makes it past his waist.
The Kamehameha crashes through Nappa's back, sending him ricocheting off of it. He spins once towards Krillin who capitalizes on the opening. Krillin flips forward and extends a leg. His heel drops on the back of Nappa's head as the axe kick connects. Nappa spirals face first towards the ground.
Krillin's lungs gasp for air while droplets of sweat pour from his skin. As he watches Nappa's descent, he already feels a mounting power from him once again.
Nappa somersaults to land on the ground. He tilts his head back and relaxes his jaw. Tremendous energy wells up in his stomach as his mouth slides open.
Krillin sinks towards the maw of death like a balloon low on helium. Light from down Nappa's throat rises like lava.
"That was it," he says. "My active ki is spent and there's no time to draw out anymore. I'm really going to die again."
Krillin's eyes droop shut as Nappa's mouth opens wider. The jaw practically unhinges as he sets his aim. He lowers into a crouch to prepare for the immense recoil.
"Bureiku Kyanon!"
###
Gohan takes lump after lump as Vegeta knocks him around. A black eye, a bloody nose, and a fat lip decorate his face. Bruises mark up the rest of his body. He carries on despite the pummeling.
A kick to the cheek launches him away. He crashes in a heap. Only his fingers and toes twitch when he attempts to pick himself up.
"Uh oh," says Vegeta. "Looks like I broke it."
Gohan grunts as he turns over on his side. He takes two deep breaths and pushes himself to a sitting position. A couple more inhales gets him to a crouch. A third round of panting allows him to reach his feet.
"I'm impressed kid. I didn't think a halfblood would have enough Saiyan spirit to keep going against an overwhelming opponent. Hopefully that's some consolation before I send you to Hell."
Vegeta's hands glow with yellow light. He fires a series of blasts rising and falling on an arced path. Gohan dashes about to avoid the bombardment. Vegeta laughs each time he blocks off Gohan's escape route with a bolt of energy.
A mortar shell finally explodes close enough to Gohan to sprawl him on the ground. Vegeta jumps overhead with his arms held high. An energy sphere forms between his hands.
"Game over kid. Thanks for playing!"
As the pulsing ki crescendos, Vegeta halts and allows the energy to subside. An arrow on his scouter points upward signalling the arrival of the high power level. He sees a smile form on Gohan's face before following the indication on his screen. Above him, a man in orange clothes floats far aloft. The features of his face are unmistakably Saiyan. The man he knows as Kakarot glares from on high.
###
Every hair on Yamcha's body rises on a static electric charge. The flashing light blinds him as heat burns his skin.
When his pupils dilate after the intense brightness, a black scar tracing the path of the attack remains etched in his retinas. It floats off to his side, barely clear of his body. The scar follows his sight as his eyes search the battlefield.
Raditz snarls at a finger width burn just above his gauntlet where a beam struck hard enough to nudge his aim off course. He finds a bald man with three eyes and pointing a finger in the direction the attack came from.
"Whew, looks like I was just in time," says Tien.
"Wow, thanks for the save man," says Yamcha. He smiles. "Careful though, this guy is way beyond anything we prepared for."
"I'm ready."
Raditz scowls as he checks his scouter.
###
Ki rises from Nappa's lips as a plasmatic sac. The radiant white boil expands over his chin and nose.
The power of the attack assaults Krillin's ki sense like tremors before a volcanic eruption. He pinches his eyelids tighter and clenches his teeth.
A moment passes, and then the density of the ki trickles away. He looks at Nappa who seizes with a couple spasms. With a wincing face and hands clenching his stomach, Nappa bends at the waist.
"What are you doing to me you runt!"
Nappa's knees buckle and hit the ground.
"Argh! It feels like I'm going to puke and shit at the same time. Knock it off!"
Krillin gawks at the sight.
What's going on? he thinks. Wait, I know that technique. It was used on me once.
He checks his surroundings and the presence of another ki on the battlefield comes to him. Behind a giant boulder is Chiaotzu with a hand pointing at Nappa. He waves the other quick and then puts a finger to his lips.
Alright yeah. Good idea. Man I'm glad you showed up when you did to save my butt! Maybe we can do this together!
Krillin starts gathering all of his remaining latent ki for another round of combat. Little by little a rejuvenating power flows into his body.
###
Vegeta sneers.
What's going on here? he thinks. A year ago. Kakarot couldn't even handle Cui and now he's stronger than Nappa! That's unheard of!
He drops to the ground and grabs Gohan by the collar. The boy gags as knuckles dig into his throat. Vegeta spins him around so his elbow locks under Gohan's chin. He rises to meet the new challenger. A smile crawls on his face once he ascends high enough to get his feet above Goku's head.
"Well, well, Kakarot. You decided to show up after all."
"Let go of my son."
Vegeta raises an eyebrow at Goku's stern tone and eyes.
"Oh I forgot. You know nothing of your Saiyan heritage so you don't realize you're speaking to your superior."
"I know who you are. Now give me back my son."
Vegeta scrapes his teeth together.
"Sure, I'll return your son. He's more of a Saiyan than you are since he still has his tail."
Vegeta's arm slithers from around Gohan's throat so the hand can slam against his back. Gohan hurtles downward. Goku catches him with raised arms that slow the descent instantly and pull him to his chest.
Goku shifts his eyes to their corners.
Vegeta appears behind him. His knee rises to meet Goku's spine. Goku's left hand slips behind his back and intercepts the blow with the palm. He pushes off the knee and spins as he descends to the ground.
Vegeta watches Goku set his son down and give him a kneeling hug. He purses his lips.
"It's good to see you again Gohan, but I need you to stay out of the way while I handle Vegeta."
Their hug ends.
"Okay Daddy. He's strong so be careful. Oh, and don't try to grab his tail. It doesn't work."
"Haha, yeah I didn't think it would. Hey, go see how Piccolo is doing for me, would you?"
"Mmm."
Gohan nods his head and scampers off. He scratches at his butt where a twinge of pain throbs. Something is missing.
"That jerk ripped off my tail."
Gohan reaches Piccolo and shakes his back with both hands.
"Are you okay Mr. Piccolo?"
"Ermmm…"
"You're awake!"
"Yeah, I was just about to make my ambush attack, before Goku showed up."
His legs coil into a crossed position as he sits up. He rubs his stomach and the side of his head.
"Is that really your dad though? His power is incredible."
"I don't know. He doesn't feel that much stronger than you."
"Heh, I wish. But he's hiding a tremendous amount of ki."
"Really? Do you think he can win?"
"Hard to say. But stay on guard. You and I definitely aren't done with this fight yet."
They watch as Goku and Vegeta square off.
Vegeta lowers just enough to hang his feet over Goku's head once again. He tosses aside Gohan's furry tail and crosses his arms.
Goku does not relent his stare.
Author's Note 02/28/21: Sorry it's been a while. Life got busy for me and this chapter really gave me some trouble during the editing. But I'm happy with how it turned out. I'm also happy to see the views were still coming in somewhat regularly despite me not updating for the past couple weeks. It's super encouraging to see that, so thank you all so much. There's plenty more to come. The Dragon Team has bolstered their numbers against the Saiyan invasion, and Goku is ready to show off all he has learned. Will it be enough to overcome the enemy? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Ki, The Results of Training!