"Mr. Piccolo? Can I ask for your help with something?" Brussa asked. Piccolo had taken some time to meditate alone in the wilderness, away from the noise of the city and the badgering of the humans and Saiyans. He'd found a waterfall in lucious, green plains, miles away from the nearest person. The nearest creatures were wildlife. It was a peaceful, secluded place, perfect for solitary meditation.
Unfortunately for him, Brussa found him anyway.
"What is it?" Piccolo grumbled.
"Well, Saiyans, when they look at the full moon, can turn into a giant ape form called the Oozaru. I've never done it before. It's super dangerous, and High-Class warriors, like my father, can control themselves while transformed. But when we fought you, Chi Chi grabbed my tail, and it paralyzed me. That's only supposed to happen to Low-Class warriors. I want to see if I can learn to resist my tail being grabbed, and see if I can control myself as an Oozaru, so my dad, when he gets here, doesn't think I'm Low-Class," Brussa explained, showing the projector that had been pulled from Kakarot's pod.
"No," Piccolo said. Brussa's tail bristled.
"But why?"
"I won't do this just so you can impress your dad. We're probably going to have to fight him, not make him tell you how proud he is. It's a waste of time."
"But the Oozaru is REALLY powerful! We might need it, and I don't want to hurt anyone that doesn't have it coming!" Brussa pleaded.
"You'd better serve us by cutting your tail off entirely and forgetting about it," Piccolo said.
Brussa let out a literal growl, "You're better off cutting off your antennae! Or your head! My tail is part of me, and I don't want it to be a weakness! The Oozaru is a power we can't afford to ignore, especially if we're going to fight Freeza, too! I've got to master it, Piccolo!"
Piccolo let out a single, satisfied chuckle, "That's what I wanted to hear."
"Huh?"
"I won't help you to impress your father. But overcoming your weaknesses, and mastering an ability, that is the thinking of a warrior. I'll help you with that, but not to appease someone's ego," Piccolo explained, switching from his floating meditation to standing next to her, "Are you ready to get started? We'll begin with your tail."
Brussa nodded, setting the projector down, "How do you want to do this?"
"Let's begin with preventing people from grabbing your tail to begin with. I want to see how good you are at dodging."
XXX
Yamcha threw one ball, spun on the pitcher's mound, and threw the second ball in his other hand. Meys struck the first ball with a hearty swing, causing it to explode on the bat, but the second impacted him in the sternum, sending him to the ground.
"Ooh, tough break!" Yamcha said, "You all right?"
Meys got back on his feet, picking up the ball that struck him. Its wrapping had come apart, and half exploded from the impact. He threw it on the ground, and patted the dirt with his bat.
"Hit me."
"All right, here goes!" Yamcha picked up a couple more baseballs, and threw them the same way. Meys watched them approach, and shifted his stance. Instead of going all in on the first ball, he timed it so the bat would strike both of them, one at a time, before his full swing was done. In the field, Gohan jumped up into the air and caught one, but let out a groan when he missed the second.
"There you go!" Yamcha cheered, "All right, I'm gonna throw a curveball at you this time. Trust me, this won't be so easy."
Yamcha was right; it struck Meys in the ribs after he misjudged where the ball would go; it had changed direction mid-flight. He lurched over, clutching his side, but stood straight without another word. Yamcha let out a chuckle, and threw another; Meys would get the hang of it soon enough.
XXX
"All right, Krillin, show me what you've got!" Roshi commanded. Krillin put his hands out, and took a deep breath. Concentrating his power and his breath, Krillin's height and overall size increased, his muscle mass bulking out, until he was almost the size of an ordinary human.
"Good! Good!" Master Roshi tapped at Krillin's muscles with his new staff, "When you're like this, your Ki is flowing at its maximum capacity. Any attacks you make like this will be as powerful as you can muster! You've finally got it, boy!"
Krillina allowed himself to float in the air, and he turned about in place.
"Now the challenge is to be able to move like normal," Krillin said.
"Yup! That's why I've asked for a little bit of help. Come on out," Roshi called out. Yamcha, Meys, Brussa, and Gohan stepped out of Kame House, each of them holding baseballs. They grinned at Krillin with malicious smiles. The sun reflected off of Roshi's sunglasses.
"Play ball."
XXX
Tien was sent back by the kick. His arms were smoking from the blow, and it was starting to go numb. He blew away the smoke, and reversed his stance as Chi Chi came at him, kicking high and forcing him to remain on the defensive. Each strike came with a sparkle of Ki, each potential blow being extra painful, but Chi Chi had shown an amazing aptitude at transferring her Ki around her body. Even blocking a strike could end up sending Tien reeling.
He jumped back as Chi Chi's foot came uncomfortably close to his face. To his surprise, she jumped back away from him. For a split second, he thought she was disengaging, but to his surprise, she fired a pair of blasts from her feet. Tien charged Ki into his hands to deflect them, only for Chi Chi to launch herself straight at him, landing both of her feet on his chest. Once she had the momentum, she began kicking at him again and again.
Tien reached out to grab her legs and try to swing her off, but she stopped him by kicking him in the face, the additional Ki strike dazing him. Tien snapped out of the daze, found an ounce of concentration, and used the Four Witches, a pair of arms coming out of his back. With the additional limbs, he was able to concentrate on both attack and defense.
As Tien and Chi Chi went back and forth, Kami watched them duel on the Lookout. He had been astounded by their progress; he didn't believe that such gains were possible without the training by King Kai. He had watched this world for so long, and never had Earth produced such capable warriors.
"Something is bothering you, Kami," Mr. Popo observed.
"Observant as always."
"What is on your mind?"
"It is my students. The arrival of the Saiyans have pushed them to new heights, capabilities this world has not seen since before my time. Mr. Popo, you have long been the attendant to the Lookout. Has this world ever had warriors like this before?" he asked.
"I'm afraid I don't know. Your predecessor was the only Guardian of Earth I had ever served, and if there were, he never told me about them. He kept many secrets to protect the Earth. Even from you and I, I'm afraid," Popo admitted.
"I see," Kami let out a sigh, watching as Tien finally managed to put Chi Chi on the defensive by combining all six of his limbs and matching her in ferocity and speed, trying to work around his bulk.
"We are reliant upon them, I fear, from this point on. Until King Piccolo returned, there was no power capable of truly endangering the world. The way my predecessor and I operated is no longer viable, I fear. Earth will be thrust into a future it may not fully understand. I have done what I can to help them repair from my mistakes. But they are moving faster than I can guide them," Kami lamented. Chi Chi had switched styles, trying to land hits with her fists, but Tien's size and speed were becoming too much for her; she'd put in too much power into the duel too soon, too quickly.
"What do you suggest?" Popo asked.
"I may have to consider a successor," Kami admitted, his gaze on Tien, "But there are tests for them ahead of us. And I have so much more about myself and Piccolo to learn before I am ready to move on. There were things my predecessor did not tell me. I thought he was protecting me, and protecting the Earth."
Tien's own power started to tank, giving Chi Chi the chance to turn the match back on him. With a series of small Ki blasts to his face, Tien was sent onto his back. Chi Chi walked over to him and offered her hand, helping him to his feet.
"But he was wrong to hold secrets to his grave. I will not make those same mistakes. Tienshinhan. I would like to speak with you in private," Kami called out. Tien and Chi Chi both bowed to him.
"Of course, Master Kami," Tien said, following him deeper into the lookout. When they had arrived at Kami's chambers, Kami gestured for Tien to begin preparing tea, which Tien did diligently. They sat in silence, sipping until they had both relaxed.
"As you know, I have been the guardian of Earth for several centuries. I have lived well beyond what I had every reason to expect. I had expected to pass on the position. I had once believed Goku may have been the candidate, but I am now certain he does not have the temperament for it, despite his power. I was prepared to die to fix my mistakes, and leave secrets untold to my successor, as my teacher had. You, however, Tienshinhan, I believe would be better suited to the role," Kami said. Tien bowed.
"Thank you, Master Kami. I am honored to be considered, but-"
"I am not leaving my post yet," Kami held up his hand, "You are far and above more powerful than I have ever achieved, or seen any but your companions reach. I will not simply hand my staff over to you, and expect you to fill in the role. I will give you the training I did, and beyond, until I know that you are ready. If I can, I will even teach you how to construct and maintain the Dragon Balls. And there are secrets I will reveal to you over time.
"You can, of course, refuse. It is not an easy future. But of all the people I have observed, I believe you are the best successor," Kami explained. Tien nodded.
"I would be honored to be your apprentice."
"I am pleased to hear that, Tien. First, I wish to tell you about my time in Yunzabit Heights, long before I became the Guardian of Earth…"
