Chapter 7: The Journey

Chi-Chi sat down near the bonfire Krillin had built, warming herself up. The nights were getting colder the further west they traveled. They had just killed a large dinosaur, and were now preparing its meat to be cooked and preserved in one of the Food Storage Capsules that Bulma had leant them. The amount of meat on the dinosaur could feed a small village for days, so it should last Chi-Chi about a week or two—maybe a few days less with Krillin.

About a week had passed since Chi-Chi and Krillin had started their journey to Korin's tower. They had chosen to go on foot since Krillin couldn't ride the Flying Nimbus, and they figured that the journey was as much training as whatever Korin had in store. Chi-Chi heard stories from Goku about how he had to grab a bottle of "magic water" from Korin, only to find out that it was tap water.

"Seriously?" Krillin asked, amused. "Tap water? There wasn't any spell or anything?"

"No," Chi-Chi giggled. "Apparently, the lengths Goku had to go to grab the bottle from Korin was what made him stronger."

"Well if that's the kind of thing Korin put Goku through, then we should be prepared for anything." Krillin was surprised, but it also made sense. Goku got as strong as he was through hard work. He wasn't really one for shortcuts.

"You know," Chi-Chi thought aloud. "I think we might be too strong for any training Korin could give us. I mean, I'm almost as strong as Goku, and he was trained by Kami."

"Yeah, you're right," Krillin agreed. "Maybe he just summoned us to send us to Kami. That would be great! We'd finally be able to figure out how Goku got so strong!"

Chi-Chi smiled. She also wanted to find out what Kami had taught her husband, but only so she could go even further. She had already regained her competitiveness and wanted to surpass her husband, even if only once.

They often talked about Goku while resting. Krillin had been on many more adventures with him than Chi-Chi, and often enjoyed telling her about some of his best friend's battles and blunders. Chi-Chi felt sad talking about her dead husband, but it was a warm kind of sadness—especially since she knew that they were going to bring him back in a year's time.

Yajirobe had neglected to tell her about Goku's delayed resurrection, and the new form of training he was going to be put through. Chi-Chi nearly ripped her now-messy hair out at the thought of Goku pulling ahead of her, when she was so close to catching up to him. Four years ago, she wouldn't have even cared. She would have been more preoccupied with her husband being dead and her son missing. But that Chi-Chi was long gone. Now she thought about getting strong enough to beat the Saiyans on her own, so Gohan wouldn't have to fight them. She thought about getting strong enough to scare Goku into submission. She thought about getting strong enough to send Prince Vegeta back to wherever he came from in pieces.

Chi-Chi couldn't really explain why she hated this Prince Vegeta so much. She hadn't even met him, but the mere mention of his name made her blood boil. She had never felt this much hate towards anyone, not even Piccolo. Maybe her hate came from the Saiyan Woman. She spouted nothing but insults towards Vegeta, so it was likely that she shared some sort of history with him.

For some reason, Chi-Chi couldn't stop thinking about the Saiyan Woman. She had only seen her twice, but both times she was there at Chi-Chi's weakest moments to help her. Both times, Chi-Chi was able to get a very good look at her. She had spiky black hair and black eyes like Goku and Raditz, so Chi-Chi just assumed that those were common Saiyan traits. Her tail, on the other hand, was unnaturally long—the Woman was only half a head taller than Chi-Chi, but her tail was more than twice as long—and covered in fur that was jet black, instead of the normal brown. She also had very sharp teeth—her canines and outer incisors were unusually long, and they were so sharp that Chi-Chi swore that the Woman had filed them down.

Her mannerisms were also unique. Chi-Chi thought that Saiyans were all evil—except for herself and Goku—but this woman didn't seem evil. She had a royal air to herself—because of her regal and authoritative posture—but she had raw, untamed mannerisms with the way she spoke.

She just felt so confident. So strong. So powerful.

Chi-Chi had told Krillin about the mysterious Saiyan Woman not long after they set off on their journey. He reacted exactly like she thought he would.

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head when fighting Raditz?" He asked.

"Yes, Krillin, I'm sure," Chi-Chi grumbled. "I know it sounds weird, but she's real. She has to be—if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been able to control the Oozaru."

"Well," Krillin said thoughtfully. "Shenron has been able to do some amazing things in the past. Maybe he had to reincarnate a Saiyan within you to turn you into a Saiyan?"

Chi-Chi thought about that for a long time. It may have been what was necessary—Shenron was powerful, but even he had limits to what he could do.

Another thing they talked about was the Oozaru form. Krillin told Chi-Chi about how he saw Goku transform during the World Martial Arts Tournament, Chi-Chi told Krillin how it felt to be a gigantic ape.

"It was definitely different," Chi-Chi said. "Being fifty feet tall and covered in fur would be weird for anyone. But I had never felt stronger. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I was ten times stronger as an Oozaru than I normally am."

The more she thought about it, the more she wondered: could Chi-Chi harness that power without becoming an Oozaru? If she could achieve that, she would be stronger than ever while staying small and fast. It would be a game-changing advantage against the Saiyans when they show up.

"Wow," Krillin whistled. "That's a huge power up! I'm glad you blew up the moon when you did—if you hadn't, who knows what you and Gohan-"

Krillin immediately clapped his hands over his mouth—Chi-Chi already knew that Gohan had transformed around the same time she did, but it was still a sensitive issue for her. Thankfully, she was too busy in her own thoughts to hear him.

Chi-Chi had become restless during the journey, probably due to the sudden lack of a decent sparring partner. Krillin was an impressive martial artist, but he couldn't keep up with her. Instead, she would pass the time by using nearby boulders as lifting weights and punching bags. Her new outfit came with attachable training weights, but they weren't heavy enough for her anymore. Krillin was impressed by her energy, and decided to follow suit. He couldn't lift as much as her, but he definitely didn't slack off.

"So," Krillin said, trying to change the subject. "What kind of training do you think Goku's going through right now?"

"I don't know," Chi-Chi admitted. "But whatever it is, it's definitely going to be his idea of heaven."

One week later...

"Ugh, this is hell!"

Goku had been running on Snake Way nonstop since he started his journey about two weeks ago. Apparently, the path to King Kai's world is one million miles long. One million miles! Goku couldn't even count that high! He didn't realize just how long that was until he started running. Goku had thought that climbing Korin's Tower and reaching the Lookout were tough, but this was ridiculous! He was already dead, so he couldn't die of starvation or exhaustion, but he still felt both in spades.

Still, he kept running because the Saiyans were on their way and he wasn't strong enough to beat them. This King Kai is said to be one of the strongest and most skilled teachers in the universe. He had actually taught King Yemma, who was more than capable of handling Goku's evil brother Raditz. If this King Kai taught King Yemma how to do that, then he would definitely be a huge help for Goku.

If he could get there in time to train!

Still, the mere act of running across Snake Way felt like a form of training to Goku. The constant running, made more difficult by his weighted clothes, were certainly giving him a good workout. He wasn't entirely sure, but he'd probably triple his strength by the time he made it to the end. Judging by how King Yemma reacted to Goku's desire to train with King Kai, he might just need to be that strong. In the end, he'll probably make Chi-Chi very jealous when he comes back.

Goku often thought about Chi-Chi while running. He didn't really realize how much he was going to miss her until he was separated from her. He already missed everything about her—her cooking, her fighting, even her shouting. He hoped that she and Gohan were doing okay without him, but he wasn't entirely sure. He wasn't even sure how Gohan was doing.

Goku was understandably worried when Kami told him that Piccolo had taken his son to train him. He knew that Chi-Chi would never have allowed that, and the only reason he made off with Gohan was that she was too injured to stop him. Still, Goku knew that this Piccolo wasn't pure evil like his father. He was also more rational than the original King Piccolo, and understood the threat that the Saiyans pose. If Piccolo could unlock Gohan's full potential, then they would have an even better chance at winning.

Chi-Chi was another factor. During the fight with Raditz, Goku watched his wife seemingly grow stronger the more she fought. She must have some sort of potential that he doesn't. He told Kami about her and what he saw during the fight. Goku was worried about how the Guardian of Earth and creator of the Dragon Balls would react to the wish that Chi-Chi made, but surprisingly, he was alright with it.

Chi-Chi's wish was never about a selfish desire for strength or power, the elderly Guardian said. It was a selfless act of love. The strength she gained in the process was merely a side effect. I harbor no ill will towards her for making such a wish, especially since it will prove beneficial to Earth's defense.

Goku smiled as he thought about the potential training that Kami had in store for his wife. There were many things that he refused to put Goku through, as he didn't feel that they were necessary and could probably have harmed him more than helped him. But Goku felt that Chi-Chi was ready for those unique methods, and that they would possibly make Chi-Chi even stronger than him.

With that thought in his mind, Goku picked up the pace. He wasn't going to let Chi-Chi surpass him that easily.

One week later...

Chi-Chi and Krillin looked up at the impossibly tall stone tower in front of them, unable to see the top. Beside them were Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha, all with looks of awe on their faces.

"This is Korin's Tower?" Yamcha asked. "How does Yajirobe even get up there!?"

"I'm pretty sure he cheats," Tien replied. "He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that puts effort into anything."

"Yeah," Chi-Chi agreed. "But that means he has a head start on us. If we want to start training soon, then we might want to get moving."

The others agreed, and one by one, they started climbing the tower. Tien went first, followed by Chiaotzu, Krillin, Chi-Chi, and finally Yamcha. It wouldn't have been too hard to climb if it wasn't so tall—the carvings provided the group with many footholds and finger holds for the them to grab onto, and the tower was narrow enough for them to wrap their arms and legs around when they needed to rest. But the sheer height of the tower, combined with the strong winds, made it far more of a challenge. Chi-Chi often felt her cape trying to pull her off the tower, but it was another sensation that often distracted her.

"Quit looking at my ass, Yamcha!" Chi-Chi shouted, and the startled noise coming from below told her that her instincts were right.

"I'm sorry!" Yamcha yelled back. "Where am I supposed to look!?"

"Move to the side or something, I don't know!" Chi-Chi said loudly. She knew all too well about Yamcha's weakness towards pretty women. He used to be terrified of them, but Bulma had apparently helped him get rid of that fear. He and Bulma had an on-again off-again relationship, and they were currently off-again. He wasn't perverted like Roshi, but he definitely had a type. And Chi-Chi knew that she fit into his type. Of course, she wasn't exactly helping him with her new outfit. Her bikini left little to the imagination, and she was directly over Yamcha.

Halfway up, a low growl could be heard over the howling wind. Everyone turned to look at Chi-Chi, who was blushing with embarrassment.

"Didn't you eat before we started climbing!?" Tien shouted over the wind.

"That was six hours ago!" Chi-Chi snapped back. "I get hungry fast!"

Aside from that, the climb was relatively uneventful, but it took a whole day to reach the top.

The group looked around the room they were in. It was much bigger and roomier than they thought.

"Took yas long enough," a voice said. Turning around, the group saw a large, white cat carrying a cane that was bigger than it was. Right next to him was Yajirobe, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

"You must be Korin," Chi-Chi guessed, stepping forward. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm-"

Groowwllll...

"...so hungry!" Chi-Chi dropped to her knees, holding her empty stomach.

Korin laughed out loud. "Yep! You're Goku's wife, alright! I figured you'd all be hungry after that, so here." He tossed a Senzu bean to each of them. "That should keep most of yas goin for the next ten days, but you're only gonna last a day if you're appetite's anything like Goku's, sweetie."

Chi-Chi smiled her thanks, then popped the bean into her mouth and chewed. She definitely didn't like the taste of the bean, but it definitely filled her up.

With their energy restored, the group turned and faced Korin again.

"So, why'd you summon us, Korin?" Tien asked. Having worked for the evil mercenary Tao, he was surprised to have been called by someone who hated Tao more than most.

"Heh, it wasn't me who summoned yas," Korin replied. "All of yas are going up to the Lookout to be trained by Kami!"

Everyone looked excited. Kami was the reason Goku was strong enough to beat Piccolo during the World Martial Arts Tournament. If Kami really wanted to train them, then they had the chance to get as powerful as Goku was, maybe even more powerful!

"Wait, Korin," Chi-Chi said. "Before we go to the Lookout, there's something I need to tell you."

And with that, Chi-Chi explained to Korin about the Saiyan woman who showed up in her mind. Tien, Yamcha and Chiaotzu were surprised—this was the first time she mentioned this woman to them.

"Hmmm..." Korin looked thoughtful for a moment, stroking his whiskers.

"Well," Chi-Chi pressed. "What do you think-"

"Shush!" Korin snapped. Chi-Chi was surprised, but didn't say anything. After a few uncomfortably quiet seconds, Korin spoke again.

"Yep, there's definitely someone else in there with ya!"

"Wait," Yamcha interrupted. "How do you know that?"

"I can read minds!" Korin replied, as if it was obvious. "Thankfully, Chi-Chi's mind is an open book, but I'm having some trouble with the other woman in her head."

"What do you mean, 'open book?'" Chi-Chi snapped.

"I mean that you're a pure-minded person, like Goku." Korin explained. "He was easy to read, too. People who are pure of heart don't have a whole lot to hide."

"So you can't find out more about that mystery woman?" Krillin asked. He was also interested in the Saiyan Woman.

"Nope," Korin said. "Sorry Chi-Chi, but she's locked herself up tight. You'll have to figure out who she is on your own."

"I understand," Chi-Chi said. "Thank you, Korin."

"Right," Korin said. "If yer all goin to the Lookout, you'll need Goku's Nyoibo. I'm guessin' you brought it, right Chi-Chi?"

"Oh, right!" Chi-Chi said, and reached into the satchel Bulma had given her and pulled out a short red stick.

It was the Nyoibo, Goku's legendary magic staff that was given to him by his grandpa Gohan. It had the unique power to grow to whatever length its user needed it to be. Goku was planning on giving it to their son, but they never got the chance.

"Yep, that's the one," Korin said when he saw the Nyoibo. He then lead the group to the roof of the tower and pointed to a hole in the center about the same diameter as the Nyoibo.

"Just put the Nyoibo in that hole and tell it to keep growing," Korin explained. "Once you start, just hold on and don't stop or let go 'til you reach the Lookout."

"What does the Lookout look like?" Yamcha asked.

"You'll know when ya see it," Korin answered vaguely. "Now get goin'! Time's a'wastin'!"

Chi-Chi didn't know what he meant, so she just held the Nyoibo over the hole and willed it to grow. Almost instantly, the staff lengthened downward until it stuck itself in the hole, locking in place. Continuing to focus, the Nyoibo lifted Chi-Chi off her feet while the others waited for enough space to grab onto. Yamcha grabbed on first, followed by Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and finally Yajirobe.

"Is everyone ready?" Chi-Chi asked.

"All good here!" Yamcha said.

"Ready when you are." Tien called.

"Ready!" Chiaotzu said.

"Good to go!" Krillin shouted.

"Let's just get this over with!" Yajirobe grumbled.

And with that, Chi-Chi urged the Nyoibo skyward. Immediately, the group shot upwards.

Meanwhile...

Gohan sat down on a large, smooth boulder, eating a bowl of nuts that he had gathered from nearby trees. He was definitely getting used to living out in the wilderness. Piccolo had vanished a few weeks ago, but not before giving him new clothes and a sword. Gohan quite liked the look of the gi that Piccolo had given him—it looked almost exactly like his Dad's, but the symbol on the back was different from the Kame School symbol that Goku wore. He was still learning how to use the sword, but he wasn't terrible with it.

Gohan often wondered how his Mom was doing. The last time he saw her, she had broken an arm and a leg. He hoped that she was okay, but he wouldn't know for sure until he completed his training with Piccolo. For that reason, he decided that he would get much, much stronger—strong enough to hold his own against the other Saiyans that were coming. He didn't want to worry her, and he didn't want to just stand by and watch while everyone else fought.

On top of the wilderness training, Gohan had begun his own strength and endurance training. By strapping large, heavy rocks to his arms, legs and body like training weights, he would run and jump all over the rocky environment for as long as he could. It was very tough for the first few days, but he quickly got used to the feeling of having those big, bulky rocks on his body. He also had to relearn his sense of balance, due to his tail mysteriously vanishing. He wondered what happened to it, and why many of the rock formations had vanished with it.

A low growl distracted him from his thoughts. Looking up, he saw a large, angry looking dinosaur covered in scars staring at him, drooling hungrily. It was a Paozusaurus—the same one that ate Gohan's friend a couple days ago.

"Oh, hey," Gohan said, unfazed by the frightening creature. "Back for more already?"

The Paozusaurus roared angrily and tried to chomp down on Gohan, who jumped out of the way of its massive teeth. Gohan then took off running, with the massive dinosaur giving chase. Gohan playfully dodged every attempt it made to eat him, while luring it to a specific spot. Stopping in front of a massive rock formation, Gohan pretended to panic.

"Oh, no!" He shouted playfully. "I'm trapped! Whatever will I do!?"

The Paozusaurus took the bait and charged straight at him. Gohan jumped straight up, high in the air and out of the path of the dinosaur's jaws. The Paozusaurus plowed headlong into the rock, knocking itself out cold.

"I'm gonna take some of your tail, now!" Gohan said to the unconscious dinosaur. Pulling out his sword, he dropped down and sliced off a large piece of tail for him to eat. Skewering the slab of meat with his sword, he looked at the Paozusaurus's tail—or what was left of it.

"You're not gonna have any tail left if you keep this up," Gohan muttered. Looking over at a small log, he ignited it with a ki blast and held the piece of tail over the fire. Much like his mom, the use of ki had come to Gohan naturally. He didn't want to admit it, but he started thinking that he was already stronger than his own father was at his age.

He wished that Piccolo would return soon, because he wanted to hurry up and start training. The sooner he starts learning, the better he'll be once the Saiyans arrive.

Chi-Chi was not having fun anymore. The group had been ascending on the Nyoibo for about an hour, and their arms and hands were getting tired from holding onto the staff for so long. And to make matters worse, a massive thunderstorm appeared out of nowhere and began pelting the fighters with lightning bolt after lightning bolt. It soon became clear that Chi-Chi was bearing the brunt of the lightning—thanks to her metal armor—so the rest of them arranged themselves in a way so that she would get hit the most.

As soon as we make it to the Lookout, I'm going to kill them all! Chi-Chi thought as another lightning bolt struck her right pauldron, sending electricity coursing through her muscles and nerves. Her body hurt all over from her muscles locking up and her skin burning, but she refused to let go.

The others could sense Chi-Chi's anger, and made a mental note to stay as far away from her as possible in the near future.

Eventually, they made it above the storm, which suddenly vanished below them. Looking up, they saw a massive structure floating in the sky, unaided by any engines.

"That's gotta be the Lookout!" Yamcha said. There was little to no wind this high up, but the air was very thin.

As they continued to rise towards the Lookout, the Nyoibo started to slow down. It was clear that the staff was nearing the limit of its size. Eventually the Nyoibo connected to a hole at the base of the Lookout that was identical to the one on the roof of Korin's Tower. Looking around, Chi-Chi noticed a ladder running from the base to the top. Carefully swinging her body, she jumped off the Nyoibo and grabbed the nearest rung of the ladder, climbing all the way the top with the others following suit.

Chi-Chi rolled onto her back as she tried desperately to catch her breath. The journey had taken a toll on the young princess of Fire Mountain. Her armor was covered in scorch marks, and her cape was in tatters. Her body was singed and stiff from enduring all those lightning strikes.

"Welcome to the Lookout, Son Chi-Chi," a voice said. Opening her eyes, Chi-Chi saw a strange looking being with pitch black skin, round eyes, red lips, and pointy ears looking over her. She recognized him immediately from Goku's description: he was Mr. Popo, the assistant deity to Kami.

"It seems that your journey was quite difficult," Mr. Popo said. "Why don't you wait there and catch your breath while I tell Kami you arrived?"

"Thank you... Mr. Popo," Chi-Chi panted. She was so exhausted from the storm that she still had trouble moving.

"Ah, so Goku told you about me?" Mr. Popo asked, seemingly happy. "Excellent. I was worried that he forgot to tell you about what happened at the Lookout."

"Well, he didn't mention... the lightning storm!" Chi-Chi grumbled.

"Oh my," Mr. Popo said. "That was quite the detail to omit. No matter. Stay there and get your strength back. I will inform Kami." And with that, he took off, leaving Chi-Chi and the others to recuperate from their journey. They did it. They made it to the Lookout, just like they were summoned to.

Now the real training was about to begin.

Somewhere in the universe...

"So, Vegeta," Nappa said. "I've been doing a bit of thinking, lately..."

"Really?" Vegeta replied, feigning surprise. "That's not like you, Nappa.

"Very funny, Vegeta."

Vegeta and Nappa had stopped at an outpost run by the Frieza Force to rest and resupply after conquering several other planets on their way to Earth. Nappa would have preferred to head straight there, but Vegeta didn't want to get Frieza's attention. If they went straight to a weak planet like Earth, then Frieza would become suspicious and set his own sights on the planet. Vegeta couldn't take that kind of a chance.

"Anyway," Nappa continued. "It's about that Saiyan woman."

"Oh?" Vegeta looked straight at his underling, curious. "And what exactly have you thought of that warrants telling me?"

"Well, the thing is, she doesn't exist in any of our records..."

"That much is obvious, Nappa."

"Which would make her something of a ghost, right?"

"I suppose you could see it that way, yes." Vegeta was beginning to get frustrated. "What do ghosts have to do with this woman?"

"Well," Nappa said slowly, as if he was doubting his own thoughts. "Didn't your father tell stories about another ghost woman who hates your family in particular?"

Vegeta's eyes widened briefly, then he burst out laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHHAHH! Really Nappa? Do you seriously believe in that old story?!"

"The Super Saiyan is supposed to be an old story," Nappa pointed out. "But we believe in that. And your father wasn't a superstitious man. He didn't believe in anything that was impossible."

Vegeta considered that thought. "But what makes you think that she's the one?"

"The Dragon Balls," Nappa explained. "We heard that they can be used to bring the dead back to life. Maybe they can bring back the ancient dead, too."

"Nonsense, Nappa," Vegeta replied. "The Queen of the Ancients is nothing more than a ghost story, likely conjured up by my great grandfather to rationalize what happened during those dark times."

"If you say so, Vegeta," Nappa said. "But if you don't believe in her, then why don't you say her name?"

"It's not that I don't believe she existed," Vegeta snapped. "It's that I don't believe she exists anymore. I don't say her name because she was a monster, and her name deserves to be forgotten. Besides, even if this mysterious woman is the Queen of the Ancients, she was still too weak to defeat Raditz on her own. I don't think we should worry about her."

"Yeah, you're right," Nappa said.

With that conversation over, the two Saiyans finished gathering supplies and returned to their attack pods, setting course for Earth once more.