I do not own DBZ. I do have a very cool smirk that almost looks like Vegeta's, but that don't count.

Chichi X: Just you wait; no, Goku is not killing his fellow Saiya-jin. Remember, Goku doesn't know about Furiza yet, so he doesn't understand the Saiya-jin yet…but he will….

Diversion

Chapter III: My Fellow Warriors

Goku was awoken when he felt an incredible jolt. His pod had landed on the surface of a planet. The hatchback door opened, and Goku staggered out. Radditzu stood up after him. The planet was quite different from Earth. There were trees with stalks like a palm, but many smooth branches spread out, and each was tipped with something like a pom-pom. The sky was a pale olive green, and it sported a moon that looked like Jupiter. Radditzu scanned with his Scouter.

"There they are!"

"There who are?"

Goku and Radditzu began to fly. Goku carried his pack with all his things.

"The last two other Saiya-jin. Follow me…oh, and here." Radditzu tossed Goku a Scouter with a green screen on it.

"What is this?" asked Goku

"It's called a Scouter." said Radditzu "It reads power levels; it tells where a person is and how strong he or she is by detecting ki."

"Oh, I don't need it then!" said Goku

"wh-what?"

"I can sense ki without some machine!"

"Hmm…I underestimated you. Not power-wise, of course."

Goku looked at his reflection in a lake

"But it does look cool, so thanks brother!"

"I'm gonna have to get used to his stupid Earthling sentiments…" thought Radditzu "We're almost there!"

Goku saw two men, one very large and one of average size, sitting by a fire and roasting some kind of alien animal. They landed and the two campers stood up. The shorter one greeted Radditzu.

"Well done! You managed to get your brother to join us" he said; he turned to Goku "I am Vegeta, Prince of All Saiya-jin. And this is my bodyguard, Nappa"

Goku shook Vegeta's hand vigorously "Call me Goku!"

Vegeta snapped back "How dare you touch the hand of a Saiya-jin prince before he has a chance to offer it?"

Radditzu stayed the prince's anger "Your highness, he has suffered a great deal of brain damage during his stay on Earth. He doesn't even remember what a Saiya-jin is, except the things I told him."

Nappa shook Goku's hand "I'm Nappa. With two P's. My, my, Kakkarot! You sure do look a lot like Bardock. Rest his soul."

"So you guys are Saiya-jin like me?"

"yes. Well, not exactly like you. We are higher class than you," said Vegeta

"Huh? Class?"

"Well you see-"

Vegeta was cut off when a large group of the same creatures Vegeta was cooking attacked. This time there were over thirty of them.

"Damn! They're back!" growled Nappa

"Who are they?" asked Goku

"remember the potent inhabitants I mentioned, Kakkarot?" asked Radditzu; Goku nodded "That's them"

Goku Son Scratched "These don't look like people to me…"

"They're not" said Vegeta "They're wild animals. These are the only things we've found here."

"hey, Radditzu! You coulda told me that these weren't people you were fighting! I would have gladly accepted without threats!"

"I assumed you wouldn't come unless you thought we were fighting intelligent warriors. I didn't think you'd come if you thought we were hunting animals"

Goku took a stance "You assumed wrong! I aint got a problem with killing seedy beasts!"

"Well, remember, there's gonna be plenty of non-beasts that we expect you to kill." said Nappa

Goku's heart sank "Well...for now let's worry about finishing this mission and getting off this planet!"

"I like your style, Kakkarot!" said Vegeta, taking a stance "straight to the point, no dilly-dally…and you take a challenge head on!"

Radditzu took a stance "Let's do this!"

Nappa did the same "all right!"

The three older Saiya-jin attacked and began to physically grapple with five or so beasts each. Occasionally they would use small ki blasts. Goku noticed that they fought using only brute strength and they didn't know how to control their ki well. A beast attacked Goku, and he struggled against it. Vegeta ordered Radditzu to assist Goku. Radditzu grabbed the beast and Goku broke free.

"I think I can finish him…er…her…" said Goku

"How?" Asked Radditzu "Your power level is only 330. Us three have power levels far greater, and even we can't beat one alone."

"Well, I can take my weights off." Goku took off his weights.

"416? Still won't do you any good."

"I can always do this…Mister Nappa! Your Highness! stand back!"

Vegeta and Nappa, still struggling with their quarries, jumped out of the way. They didn't know why, though. Goku charged his Ki.

"KA…"

Radditzu's Scouter beeped "What the…! Power level 940! All on one point!"

"ME…"

Nappa turned his on "yikes! 1,200!"

"HA…ME…"

Vegeta paled "How…is it possible! He can raise his power level! It's at 1,600!"

"HA!"

"Ah! 3,000!"

The mighty KameHameHa was released from Goku's hands. The bluish-white ki wave enveloped most of the beasts. When the smoke cleared, the beasts were all severely damaged. The other three wasted no time in finishing them off, despite the extreme shock at their new companion's ability. The ones that Goku had not hit scampered away. Bruised and sore, Nappa, Vegeta and Radditzu collapsed onto their knees.

"hey, Nappa, you all right?" asked Goku

"I…don't…matter…help…the…Prince"

"Take this" said Goku; he gave Nappa a Senzu

Goku administered a Senzu to Radditzu, and then to Vegeta. They were, of course, shocked when their strength returned. A fire was soon started, and the meat of the day's kill was roasted. A black beer was brought out of Nappa's ship.

Radditzu slugged Goku playfully "How is that for a first day on the job?"

"It was fun, I guess…" said Goku "Man, when you said that three Saiya-jin would have trouble against them, you weren't kidding!"

"Yes…their strength is surprising" said Vegeta "My power level is about 8,000 and Nappa's is 4,000. Their power level is difficult to determine, since Scouters only sense humanoid ki. Plus they attack in groups. Of course we can estimate it is close to 3,000 since that number was enough to actually hurt them."

"Speaking of ki," said Goku "How is it you guys can't control yours? I mean. it's just not normal!"

"What do you mean?" inquired Vegeta "You mean like the way that you raised your power level? That's what's not normal!"

"No, no" said Goku "On Earth, I learned how to control my ki. I can even sense it without one of your Scouter thingies, and mm! This beer is good!"

"Why do you wear the Scouter then?" asked Nappa

"I just like the way it looks" said Goku; he drank another mug full "What is this stuff called?"

"P'tock" said Radditzu "It is made from sassafras from Rigel Prime."

"sassafras? Ah! So it's kinda like root beer, but it's got happy-juice in it like the regular stuff! Yummy! I guess I'd better go hit the sack!"

"Did you bring a sleeping bag?" asked Vegeta

"Sleep on the floor? Me? No!" said Goku; he pulled out his Hoi-Poi case "Let's see…it was…gray number one." he picked out a large capsule "Guys, stand back!"

Goku threw the capsule. There was a puff of smoke. A two level house appeared before them.

"I--impossible!" exclaimed Nappa

"He pulled a house out of a…thing-a-ma-jig!" said Vegeta

"What sort of sorcery is this!" exclaimed Radditzu

"Y'mean you guys don't know about Hoi-Poi Capsules? Almost everyone on earth has them! The daughter of the inventor is my oldest friend!"

"The natives of earth would have made better tributaries than piles of dust after all it seems" said Vegeta in new awe and respect of a planet he'd barely heard of

Goku smiled as he put his capsule back into his case. "Buruma told me that you guys might want a nice place to sleep in. Since she knew there was four of us, there's four bedrooms." Goku opened the door "Come on! Guests first!"

Vegeta stepped in. Nappa's eyes widened "P-P-Prince Vegeta! you're not thinking of accepting an offer from this low class baka are you?"

"It has been long since I have slept in a real bed. The cots on the Battle Cruiser are rock hard, so this is a welcome change. I choose to be grateful, Nappa."

"B-But!"

Radditzu stepped in "My brother offers me shelter even though I threatened his life and that of his son. I humbly accept."

"But I…oh…all right…" Nappa stepped into the Hoi-Poi house.

The living room was a very large size, with a television and four easy chairs. A hall went off to the right, leading to two of the bedrooms. To the left was the kitchen. The floor was hardwood and the countertop was granite and in a U shape. An island rested in the middle, where there as a range and a grill. It was complete with a microwave, rice cooker, crock pot, pots and pans, plenty of silverware, and a large refrigerator. The stairs led up to two more bedroom, and four full bathrooms.

Nappa, Radditzu and Vegeta brought their few belongings into the house. Each chose a room of their choice. All the rooms were the same; with a TV, a stereo system, and a king size bed. The beds were very soft, and the walls were well insulated. Needless to say, they had quite a good nights sleep that night. Unless you count Nappa, who was up almost all night, fascinated by the little box that produced moving pictures in his room.

"And here I thought Planet Vegas was the only planet to have this…"

****

…Months later, Back on Planet Earth….

Gohan sheathed the sword that had mysteriously appeared one morning, along with a Gi with a bizarre symbol. He couldn't confirm it, but he felt that Piccolo was responsible, and he was grateful for it. However, with pleasant surprises came an unpleasant one; his tail was gone. Gohan never lost track of time; he began training on October 13th, and it was now the tenth of March. Piccolo had told him that all he needed to do was survive. At first he felt he couldn't, but now he felt he could. Maybe it was his encounter with the robot, or maybe it was his dinosaur friend, but either way, the young Demi-Saiya-jin was becoming more mature.

He looked down on the little house at the roots of Mount Paozu. A few days ago, he felt fear; the fear of his own power. After all that time of surviving, he became a homesick little boy again. But as he looked at the home he sought after, he realized something. If he didn't return to complete his training, his home, the entire Mount Paozu, and even the entire Earth would be completely destroyed. That is when he decided it would be best not to call out to his mother. His mind was clear.

"And mom always said that studying was the only way to become smarter!" he mused to himself "I like finding things out on my own! And this isn't so bad…it's like a camping trip!" When he thought of his mother, and the home he stood before him, and the world, a strange feeling welled up inside "Is this…courage…? Is this…what father has? I know now…I must return to Piccolo and complete my training. For my family…for my friends…for the world…"

A voice interrupted him "Congratulations." it said

Gohan spun around to see…."Mister Piccolo!"

"You have done it."

"What did I do?"

"The survival training was more than training…and you didn't escape your grounds by chance…"

"you helped me, Mister Piccolo?"

"yes…but not in the way you think…it was a test. A test to see if you were ready…I wasn't going to come back until you showed me that you knew why you were training…That is why I enabled you to get here. when you saw your home, and you decided not to return to it, that is when you passed."

"Then, Mister piccolo, let's get started!"

"Now, I must warn you…I am a harsh master, so I must ask…are you absolutely sure you wish to take the next step?"

Gohan didn't say a word, but the look on his eyes spoke for itself

"Good." said Piccolo "Now, let's go back to that place again. You must learn to fight. I don't know how long your father can stall the Saiya-jin"

"r-Right…"

*********

Basic Budou training came first…but even that was intense for Gohan. More difficult than Kame Sennin training, and with a great deal less breaks, the Piccolo way proved harsh, but effective. Piccolo pulled no punches, and Gohan was often injured from the training. His master was stoic at all times, and he didn't show any normal sign that he cared about Gohan, but he could tell. Piccolo was like his mother in many ways; showing he cared by being tough on him; that is why Gohan never once again considered escaping. Both were changing for the better; Gohan became stronger, and Piccolo's heart slowly turned to the good side. The day finally came when Piccolo would teach Gohan to use Ki. The principle was simple enough, and he became able to use his ki as well as Goku could. Then came flying…

"Now, Listen up. I am giving you one flying lesson here. Then, after you have absorbed enough, you will be tested."

"T-tested? how?"

Piccolo gave him an evil grin and his stomach turned "Oh…I can guess…"

"If you fail…you can retake…if you can"

"Great…an if…" thought Gohan

After a half an hour session, Piccolo threw Gohan over a cliff. Of course, he couldn't fly completely, but his power saved him every time. After several tries, each time with Piccolo throwing him differently, Gohan finally flew like his father could. After that, Piccolo forced him to catch him, while he flew at full speed. It took him three days to catch his master.

"All right…" said Piccolo "I think it's time I taught you some techniques. Let me show you one."

Piccolo focused his energy onto his fingertips. Gohan felt his ki rise incredibly. The green man shouted out the name of his attack "Makkankosappo!" and the mighty spiraling beam of doom bored through a mountain, leaving a perfect hole. Gohan was amazed.

"Wow! That was cool!"

"Hmph…you wouldn't say that if you knew what I devised it for."

"Well…since you are the second strongest guy on the planet, my guess is you wanted to take out number one! My dad!"

"And, you aren't scared of it, why?"

"Well, you made up with my dad and you guys don't want to fight each other anymore, right?"

Piccolo thought a moment. It occurred to him that Gohan was right. The respect for Goku he obtained when he risked his life by deceiving Radditzu and then going into space with him only to create a diversion for the Saiya-jin while they trained on earth. From what he knew of people like Saiya-jin, he knew that Goku was putting his life in extreme danger for others…including him…Piccolo, his arch rival.

"Yes. I hate to admit it, but your father is a great warrior like myself. This technique that was meant to kill him, will go alongside his KameHameHa on the field of battle; not against each other"

"Can I learn it?"

"Your body cannot handle this attack at your current stage. However, there is one technique."

Piccolo raised one hand to his forehead. A tremendous Masenkou attack destroyed the same mountain that had been impaled by the Makkankosappo.

"That one you can use. It was a technique I created while attempting to perfect the Makkankosappo. It's not as strong, but it is powerful."

"um…how do I learn it?"

"If I were a human like your Muten Roshi clown, it would take years of practice. But since I am not, I can do this." Piccolo put his hand on Gohan's head and fed Ki into it "That is how I teach techniques. I use some of my own ki, and I give it to you so that you can use it temporarily. Once you've practiced it enough, the technique will infuse into your won ki, and you should permanently be able to do it without any booster shots."

"But shots are good! They prevent terrible--"

Piccolo became annoyed "IT'S A METAPHOR!" he calmed down "all right, shall we begin?"

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Please review. No flames. No insults. Constructive criticism is always welcomed with open arms. Brownie points to people who pint out grammar errors.

Next Time: backtrack to the day after Goku arrived on Suet, months earlier. What happened to the people here? Find out next time!

USELESS FACT: Jackie Chan, martial artist and movie star, is a Dragonball fan. Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragonball, is a Jackie Chan movie fan. Wow! What a co-inky-dink!

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