"A voice in your head?" The blue-skinned god raised a brow. "And you don't know how it got there?"

"Nope." The Saiyan of Earth shook his head. "I was on my way here before Remiel spoke up suddenly."

"And you weren't able to hear him before?" King Kai asked.

"I wasn't. From what he said, he tried to talk to me for years, but it only worked today." Goku answered. "I don't really know why, but he thinks that it had to do with me dying."

Goku then leaned back, letting out a satisfied sigh as he gazed at the many empty bowls and plates. He wasn't quite sure where the food came from – there wasn't even a kitchen inside the house, but he's slightly impressed at the quality.

He never was picky about food, but he still had preferences and can differ between qualities. A meal prepared by a skilled chef is way better than what he can make over a campfire, and what he ate now is definitely up there in his personal ranking.

Still nothing to Chi-Chi's cooking though. That is on a whole other league.

King Kai suddenly leaned forward, his expression turning to one of focus. Goku realized that the Kai was trying to sense his energy- his friend's energy, so he lowered his own to make it easier.

It took a minute of pure concentration before King Kai's face contorted to one of shock and surprise. "You weren't kidding. There is another soul within you. Far weaker yours, but it is there."

"Huh…" Goku rubbed the back of his neck. "So I'm not imagining it."

"I'm very glad that I'm not a figment of your imagination." Remiel sighed. "I don't think I'm ready for an existential crisis at the moment."

"An ex-what crisis?"

"Two souls in a single body…" King Kai muttered. "I've never seen this happen before. The only thing close to this would be a fusion, but this clearly isn't one."

Goku blinked at the fusion thing but brushed it off as he got back to the matter at hand.

"Do you think you can help him?"

"Hmm, this is a complicated issue for sure." The Kai nodded. "Reincarnations are common occurrences, and I've heard of people somehow remembering their past lives before, but this is admittedly new."

"Reincarnation?" Remiel muttered. "But that would imply that I…"

"That you died?"

"Yes, which shouldn't be possible." He said, a little panicked from his tone. "I'm sure that I only took a nap after a day of work."

Goku nodded. "Remiel said that he didn't die." He revealed. "He's sure of it too."

"I'm afraid that this is the only possible conclusion, Goku." King Kai sighed. "Your friend most likely died and he doesn't remember it. The shock of dying usually blocks some of your memories."

"This can't be it…" His friend uttered.

"I'm sorry." Goku felt a bit sad for Remiel but then smiled. "Don't worry though! We can still bring you back with the Dragon Balls!"

"...Yes, yes that is true," Remiel said, relief fairly evident in his voice. "Goodness that was a scary thought just now."

"Regardless, I'll contact King Yemma on your behalf." King Kai nodded with a smile. "I'm sure he'll be delighted to find out about a case like this. The old fool has been complaining about how monotonous his work is."

"Wow, really?!" Goku's eyes sparkled. "Thanks a lot, King Kai! I'm sure Remiel is grateful too!"

"It feels as if you're very excited to get rid of me." His friend said, not amused.

"Wha- Nono! That's not what I'm thinking at all!"

"Heh. I'm merely joking. I can still read your thoughts, remember?"

"Oh…" Goku scratched his head with a relieved look. "Right."

"And may I mention how quickly you got used to the gravity?" He said. "I find it quite impressive. All you needed is for food to be put in front of you."

"Well, I was hungry."

"Through sheer will and the desire to eat, you forced your own body to familiarize itself with the intense gravity," Remiel noted with amazement. "This is beyond incredible."

"It is?"

"Goku!"

"Wha-?!" Goku yelped, blinking in surprise as he looked at his new mentor's frown. "Oh, right. You're still here."

"What do you mean by- This is my home!"

"Uh, wait, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be rude!" Goku quickly apologized, getting off the chair to bow. "Please forgive me!"

"Hmmm…" King Kai's frown deepened before relaxing, followed by a small sigh. "Well, now that you're up on your feet, I think it's time we start on your training."

The Saiyan of Earth's eyes widened as a grin stretched across his face. He's been waiting for this the whole time! He already knows what he'll learn – courtesy of his friend telling him beforehand – but that didn't spoil the surprise for him at all. The Kaioken and Spirit Bomb are incredibly useful abilities from what Remiel said.

After discussing for a few hours on their flight, Remiel advised Goku to strengthen his body and stamina by doing the most rigorous training he could think of before trying to fully master the Kaioken, and when the time comes, he should at least be able to use times five without too much trouble.

Remiel also advised him to not focus on the Spirit Bomb for now. Mastering Kaioken should be far more useful in the long run, as the Spirit Bomb has the weakness of making the user wide open as well as the long charging time it has.

That doesn't mean he won't learn it or that it's not useful. Remiel only thinks that he won't need it as he has knowledge of the Saiyans' strength, and Goku knows that knowledge is power. Master Roshi taught him that knowing the enemy is part of the battle.

Still, Goku can't wait to learn all he could from King Kai. Remiel made it clear that his techniques are incredibly powerful, and the Saiyan won't turn off the offer to become stronger.

"Alright!" Goku clenched his fists. "Let's do this!"

"Four hundred and ninety-eight…" The Saiyan grunted, lifting himself up with one arm as his other was behind his back.

Before coming here a month ago, Goku had troubles in training. He never truly managed to push his body to its limits after defeating Piccolo. He never even had a chance to train with Krillin and the others; he had a son to raise and a wife to stay with.

Said wife would always tell him to find a job, but he didn't know what to do. The only thing he could do his entire life was fighting. He learned the basics under Grandpa Gohan and Master Roshi, but he's fairly certain that his academic skills aren't qualified for an office job.

"Four hundred and ninety-nine…" Goku panted, his arm sore, a burning feeling coursing through it.

Maybe he should… be a farmer? Seems like a job that relies on his physical prowess. Besides, Mount Paozu has great soil, and Chi-Chi is plenty smart. She can take care of the other stuff he isn't very good at. Like counting money and all that.

"Hm, why not open a Dojo instead?" Remiel suggested. "Not only you'd gain money by training, but Earth will gain even more defenders. Two birds with one stone."

"That's.. genius!" Goku's eyes sparkled as he temporarily forgot his pain. "I've never really trained anyone before either. This is kinda exciting."

"Indeed. Seeing your students excel fills you with an indescribable feeling." He remarked. "I would know. I used to teach, after all."

"Five… hundred!"

His breathing getting heavy, Goku wiped the sweat from his brow and took off the ten-tonne blocks on his back, his numb limbs shaking as he sat upright, leaning against the tree behind him. Push-ups, set-ups, squats, and all that never was his favorite way of training as they never got his heart pumping, but having gravity working against you, weighted clothing, and regular weights to hold you down made it something else entirely.

Goku let out a content sigh as his burning muscles began to recover at a relatively fast pace. He might not have infinite stamina, but healing is boosted in this realm it seems, or is it because he's dead? He isn't sure, and neither is Remiel.

The afterlife is a very strange place.

"You used to teach?" Goku thought in surprise. "I thought you were a seer?"

"A-ah, well, seeing the future is merely a hobby. Nothing quite serious." He replied quickly. "But yes, I worked as a psychology professor in a university, and sometimes acted as a therapist."

"A psy-what professor?"

"One who studies the human mind." Remiel clarified. "It was a difficult subject to research and study admittedly, and since I've been here, I'm afraid I've forgotten many things. I'm not as knowledgeable as I was before."

"So that's why..." Goku held his chin in thought. "Even if you don't remember everything, you're still pretty smart. Is that why you talk like Kami?"

"Well, not necessarily? I only picked up on this speech pattern from my old professor." He revealed. "Do you want me to talk casually? 'Cuz I can do that no problem."

The sudden shift made Goku pause for a second before shrugging. "You can talk in any way you want. I'm not the speech police."

"Then I shall revert to my 'smart-sounding' way of speaking." His friend chuckled. "I'm still unsure how long I've been speaking that way. Decades for sure."

"Huh… how old are you anyway?"

"Before I… well, 'died'? Forty-two." He said. "Counting the years I've been within you, I am sixty-five years old."

"Woah, you're way older than me." Goku blinked in surprise. "I thought you were my age. I mean, you sound pretty young."

"I'm still not sure how you can hear my voice when I lack my vocal cords, but yes, I've been told that quite often." He noted. "But I think this is enough for a break. Have you regained your stamina?"

"Now that you mention it…" Goku muttered, leaping high and landing on his feet, a smile forming on his face. "Yeah, I feel pretty good right now. Alright, time for more training!"

The Saiyan grabbed the weights next to him, heading to the middle point of the tiny planet to begin the next part of this taxing exercise. No matter how difficult it is, he could feel the improvements in his body. A week ago, he could only reach 370 push-ups before collapsing.

Seeing progress always made him more motivated. Just a few more weeks and he can start the real training.

And Goku couldn't wait.

The two time patrollers looked at one another, emerald green meeting pinkish red as they remained quiet. Hail turned his glance to the short goddess inspecting the scroll in front of him, unable to see her face to gauge her feelings. He opened his mouth to ask something, his nerves starting to get the better of him, but he stopped himself and remained patient.

His human friend wasn't as patient, however. Chloe took a few steps forward, stopping next to the Supreme Kai of Time as she gazed at the scroll with a contemplative look. Not as shocked or worried as Chloe had guessed considering they already defeated all the Time Breakers.

Chronoa was slightly surprised at this, for while she lived a very, very long life, seeing Timelines diverging like this without endangering the space-time continuum is incredibly rare. She's only seen five similar cases, but nothing like this. This change is… bizarre.

However, no matter how much she looked, there's no clue why it happened. It was so sudden- an inexplicable event that left her reeling. What was behind this? What forced this to happen?

A Natural Diversion is already a rare case, but she never thought that it could be so strange.

"Is uh…" The Human mumbled. "Is everything alright?"

"Chloe, not now." Hail hissed. "Let Lady Chronoa analyze this in peace."

"I-I mean, it doesn't look… bad?" She questioned. "There's no purple-glowy-dark stuff like when it happens with the Time Breakers."

"Correct," Chronoa affirmed, making the two stiffen. "This isn't the work of any Time Breaker, or anyone else really."

"But… how?" Hail asked in astonishment. "I thought time never changes unless someone actively tries to do so?"

"Technically, no." Chronoa shook her head. "I have refrained from teaching this because I never really saw a need, but while extraordinarily rare, a timeline will change on its own. We call that phenomenon a 'Natural Diversion'."

"A Natural Diversion…" Chloe parroted. "A Timeline that changes on its own? Is it really possible?"

"If that's the case, then what could've caused this diversion?" The Frost Demon stepped forward, looking at the scroll. "How and why would the timeline change so suddenly?"

"I'm admittedly not quite sure yet." The Supreme Kai answered truthfully. "Cases like this are incredibly rare. In fact, the last time this happened the Time Patrol wasn't even formed yet!"

"Woah, really?" The Human looked in shock. "That's like… a few million years at least."

"Considering that time moves differently in this realm, it's not that long." Hail quipped. "But still, I can see why you never mentioned something like this."

"But what caused this change anyway?" Chloe glanced at the goddess, hands on her hips. "That's what we're trying to figure out, right?"

"Yes, and the past times, all the changes were very significant." Chronoa nodded. "Raditz surviving his battle against Piccolo and Goku, changing his ways and redeeming himself. Broly landing on Earth with Goku, then raised as brothers by Gohan. Goku falling off Snakeway and meeting his Saiyan Family in hell, then reviving them to have them help against Nappa and Vegeta."

"Wow, okay. Those are huge changes." Chloe chuckled in wonderment. "Compared to this at least. I mean, Goku arriving at King Kai's a bit earlier isn't that much of a diversion, right?"

"Not quite. Look here." The goddess rewound time of the scroll- back to the beginning of Snakeway. "Focus on what will happen."

The two patrollers leaned forward, keeping sharp as they looked for any possible changes. For the most part, everything was normal: Goku starting his flight at a moderate speed to not waste energy, a determined grin on his face.

A few minutes later, and nothing changes. Chloe and Hail glanced at each other for a second before refocusing again. Goku flying, but slowing down a bit. No diversions yet, but when Goku started to glide down… that's when it happened.

Just before his foot touched the ground, The Saiyan of Earth froze suddenly, He looked to his left and right, still in mid-air as he tried to search for… something. The two weren't quite sure yet, but they were intrigued all the same.

And then Goku spoke.

"Um, yeah, I can hear you."

Hail frowned in confusion. What was that? Who was he speaking to? He didn't hear anything, and neither did Chloe from the equally confused look on her face. Who was Goku hearing? King Kai maybe?

"This marks the start of the diversion." The Supreme Kai of Time noted.

"So I'm not imagining things?" Goku said to himself.

"He's talking to someone, that much is obvious." Hail said. "But who? Who's capable of contacting Goku here? And why?"

"It could be King Kai?" His coworker added. "That's the only conclusion I can come up to anyway."

Chronoa frowned at that but gave no verbal response.

Hail agreed with this assessment. Maybe King Kai merely anticipated Goku's arrival and decided to give him pointers early on. It's not a far-fetched theory, and fairly believable as well. It's not a huge change like the ones the Supreme Kai listed, but it's still a diversion.

Only for Goku to speak again, shutting this whole theory down.

"If you're not King Kai, then who are you? How did you get in my head?"

"Or it isn't." Chloe grimaced.

"W-what's the meaning of this?" The Frost Demon was shocked at this turn of events. "If it isn't King Kai, then who could contact Goku in Otherworld?"

"According to Goku when he revealed it to King Kai…" Chronoa said, closing the scroll. "There is another soul within him, belonging to someone named Remiel."

"Two souls in a body? I thought only fusions could do that." The Human said. "Hell, I think the souls merge when two people fuse, not remain separate. How did this happen?"

"I'm still not sure." The Supreme Kai shook her head, a frown resting on her face, "Even looking through the history of this scroll, there's no indication of Goku having two souls. This is the first time Remiel was able to contact him."

"Then… what should we do?" Hail looked serious. "We can stop this from getting any worse; Chloe and I are more than enough to handle this."

"Why would you do that?" Chronoa raised a brow and smiled, holding the scroll in her hand. "I told you before, didn't I? Natural Diversions aren't dangerous. Interfering with them is just like interfering with a regular timeline."

Chloe blinked a few times, scratching the back of her head. "Soooo… we just don't do anything?"

"Yup. There's no need, after all." The Goddess said. "I'll keep the scroll with me. I plan on studying it for a bit to see what caused this. You two can take this day off and have fun."

"Wait, for real- Hng!" The brown-haired girl grunted as her friend smacked her side with his tail, looking at her with a disappointed frown. "I-I mean, thank you, my lady. Sorry for making you worry."

"It's alright." She giggled sweetly. "Oh and be sure to inform Trunks about this."

"Of course." The Frost Demon nodded with a smile as she walked away. "Good luck with your research!"

Leaving the Time Nest, The Supreme Kai of Time glanced at the scroll in her hand for a second, a grin stretching across her face. She's been looking for something new she could do. With all their enemies defeated and all the timelines being at peace, there wasn't anything left to do anymore.

Even her visits to Conton City weren't that fun anymore. She's really been wanting to do something different for once, and researching was a hobby of hers.

She'll uncover this mysterious Timeline of all its secrets, and she'll enjoy every second she spends doing it.

"Hiya!" With a battle cry, The Saiyan of Earth deflected the large blue beam heading his way, sending it upwards. Goku grinned as it exploded in the distance, but without wasting any second, he powered up once more as he prepared another blast.

"Alright, I'll test it out for real now."

"Of course. You can do this."

Goku grinned in confidence, excited to put the modified technique to a real test. He already used it a couple of times to see if it actually works, but never like this.

"Kaioken times three!" Red-Hot aura engulfed the Saiyan as a blue orb formed between his cupped hands. "Kamehame…"

"But remember, if it gets too dangerous-"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"HA!"

The blue orb that was begging to be released turned into a large wave, traveling across the tiny planet. Goku quickly turned around, meeting the incoming Ki wave as his crimson aura dropped. He planted his feet, stopping the blast with his bare hands, but not without struggle.

He gritted his teeth, grunting as his own attack pushed him back. His hands began heating up, burning slightly as he tried his damnedest to throw the blast away. Goku let out a roar as parts of his white aura flickered red, the modified move's name echoing out through Otherworld.

"Kaioken: Limit Force!"

Unlike earlier, where his aura was an intense crimson, this was a far less vibrant color, but this was enough for him to stop the blast in its place. Goku slowly redirected the blast upwards, his muscles aching as he forced himself to go beyond his limits, but with enough grit and determination, the Saiyan managed to throw the blast away.

Goku's aura flickered and died down as he fell on the grass, panting from exhaustion, but a satisfied grin still prominent on his face. His Ki reserves were still full, being dead and all, but he can still run out of breath and get tired even if his stamina regenerate faster, and from what Remiel told him, he can die while being dead

But that would mean his soul and body would cease to exist completely. A scary thought admittedly.

They've been on King Kai's planet for a bit more than four months, and Goku took his friend's advice and spent two of them doing the most grueling and draining training he could, all to strengthen his body.

And it bore fruit, for he was able to handle the Kaioken without a lot of issues when he first activated. He was surprised by the surge of power he felt and did feel his body heating up to uncomfortable levels, but the Saiyan was able to maintain it for more than a minute.

King Kai was astonished when he saw this. According to him, most students are immediately forced out of the technique because of how intense it is on the user. Goku felt proud when he heard that, thanking his new friend for his advice.

However, Goku once got a bit too confident and upped the multiplier to times three when he didn't even master it first. He was reprimanded by his teacher and friend, but then Remiel had an idea.

Why not maximize the output and minimize the fatigue at the same time?

So after a few hours of coming up with a few ideas, Remiel suggested going beyond a normal Kaioken, but never above times three, and so they formed the new modified Kaioken.

Kaioken: Limit Force is that modified version. When using the Kaioken, Goku's power, speed, reflexes, and five senses double, so to go a bit further, he created the version that increases all of those attributes by 110% instead, then 120%, 150%, and so on.

It took a lot of time, patience, and focus to activate it for the first time. This modification required incredible skill in Ki Control, for he needed to be very precise. Any more could be dangerous, and any less won't really make that much of a difference.

And while he never managed to go below the first level of Kaioken, this was more beneficial than he expected, because not only did it make his control over his Ki more refined, but it also made it easier for him to use the technique. It made his body stronger and more durable- a steady increase instead of a fast one that could prove to be dangerous.

As he is now, Goku can access Kaioken x3.5 with far fewer issues than before, and according to Remiel, the future he saw showed him only being able to use Kaioken x4 as a last resort. What Goku would consider a last resort now is the Kaioken x5.

And they had plenty of time to increase that threshold.

"You're making amazing progress." The friend in his head praised. "And you have not even finished training. The Saiyans should not prove any trouble for you once you leave Otherworld."

"Hehe, and you were so cautious before." Goku chuckled. "Look at you now: Brimming with confidence!"

"Well, excuse me for not anticipating this immense growth you've shown." Remiel scoffed light-heartedly. "A bit of guidance in the right direction and you're already as strong as you were when you fought the Saiyans."

"Huh…" He was curious about this. How can he tell? "How do you figure?"

"Ah, have I not mentioned this?" Remiel asked, prompting Goku to shake his head. "Throughout my time within you, I was able to learn Ki sensing. It was one of the few things I was able to do, so I did everything in my power to fully master it, and then find a way to calculate the power of each individual you've met before."

"Woah…" Goku breathed in amazement. "So does that mean you can do the same thing that little device on Raditz can do?"

"More or less, but my calculations are not as accurate as a scouter's." He said. "However, I don't explode when I'm faced with an immense power level."

The Saiyan chuckled nervously. "Hehe, yeah, please don't explode in my head."

"Goku." His teacher walked up to him, looking down at him with a smile. "I see you that your experiment was a success."

Goku stood up, giving King Kai a respectful bow before responding. "Yup."

"And to think I'd see my technique be used in such a way..." The master shook his head with a sigh. "Even I didn't think this was possible. Not only you've mastered the move faster than any of my previous pupils, but you somehow modified it in a way I never imagined."

"Hehehe, well, I'm not the one who really came up with it." Goku chuckled bashfully, rubbing the back of his head. "Remiel is the one who brought it up. Without him, I'd still be struggling to use the first stage."

"Hm, yes, Remiel." The North Kai nodded, then smiled. "I have a good feeling about you two. You've only met a few months ago, yet the bond you have is strong. I can tell that the both of you will become a formidable duo in the future.

"But we've talked enough." King Kai lost his smile and looked at his student seriously. "Are you done with the Kaioken?"

"Yes, I believe so." His friend informed. "We can improve upon it later once you defeat the Saiyans. I think the level you are at now is more than enough."

"Um, yeah, we're good." Goku confirmed, then tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

"Because it's about time I taught you my ultimate technique." King Kai smirked. "The Spirit Bomb. I hope you're ready. It won't be as easy to learn as the Kaioken."

Goku grinned, bowing once more. "I won't let you down! I'll master it in half a month!"

"Hoho! I like your confidence!" King Kai chuckled. "But we'll see how far you can reach. I have high expectations for you, Goku."

"Fifteen days seem a little too short." Remiel warned him. "Are you sure this is wise?"

"Well, I think I can do it." Goku responded with a carefree smile. "I mean, I have you here! You're really smart and know a lot of stuff. I would've never gotten so much stronger like this without you."

"That…" His friend paused as if he was in shock, but then replied in a warm tone. "That is very kind of you, Goku. Thank you."

"I only say it as I see it." The Saiyan thought. "But this is gonna be a hard challenge, so let's give it our all!"

"Of course." Goku's confidence affected Remiel. "I'm with you, all the way."

Goku's smile turned confident as he prepared himself for the new training. When he asked Remiel how long it took him to learn the Spirit Bomb, his friend was unsure, but Goku isn't worried. Not one bit.

He doesn't know Remiel very well, but if there's one thing he learned, it's that he's smart. Coming up with something like that for the Kaioken speaks of volumes of his intelligence. He knows that the Spirit Bomb won't be an issue to learn.

A few more months and he could kick the Saiyans back to where they came from.

Goku's grin fell, replaced with a serious frown.

Then the real challenge will begin in the form of Freeza…

Sorry for the late update. Was focusing on my other fic for a while, then had to deal with writer's block. I'm not gonna make promises that updates will be faster though.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Still not very used to pure 3rd person PoV, so forgive me if it feels stiff and all that. Also not very used to writing Goku just yet- his primary personality is that of Z Goku, with my own twist sprinkled. Basically less dense than he really is.

dunno what I'm updating next, but prolly PtGA. Not satisfied with the bloodshed in that fic's last chapter.

Akane needs to murder someone brutally. Again.

Enough edge though. See in chapter 3~