After spending a week getting used to the gravity of Bulma's state-or-the-art Gravity Room, Son Goku and his fellow martial artists are ready to start the next step of their training, learning from the Saiyans!
Tale 185: The Warrior Race
"Now that you have gotten used to the gravity, I want to see what you are capable of," Vegeta gazed deeply into Goku's eyes as he spoke to him. If this had been done to Yamcha or the others, they would've been very intimidated. Goku, however, only appeared to be amused.
"So, we're goin' all out? Even though I am no match, eh?" Goku bore a grin as he spoke. Vegeta smirked and got into a fighting stance.
"Me beating you to a pulp will help you in the long run…but I think you already know that…" Veteta regarded the large scar that was upon Goku's right shoulder, "You have overcome many battles, I see."
Goku grinned, catching on to what Vegeta was implying, "Yup! And I always feel a lot stronger when I've survived an intense fight!"
Vegeta nodded, "Good. So, you do understand our race a little bit."
Kuririn, who was off to the sidelines with the others, turned to Raditz, "Huh? What is Vegeta talkin' about?"
"Us Saiyans not only grow stronger by training our bodies as you humans do, we also grow stronger after a very intense battle. We grow even stronger if we have survived a life-or-death battle. Kakarrot's last battle looked like a life-or-death situation judging by that intense scar he bears."
"You can thank me for that one."
Kuririn and Raditz turned to see Piccolo approaching them; he bore a smug grin. Raditz grinned back.
"So, you giving my brother that scar only made him stronger in the long run. I should thank you for that." Piccolo's eyes narrowed.
"I plan to give him another scar, one that will finally end him."
Raditz's tail twitched violently, but he said nothing more. Piccolo, though, seemed somewhat spooked and walked off. Kuririn was amazed.
"Wow, you are the only guy who Piccolo seems to be intimidated by!" Raditz smiled softly as he regarded Kuririn.
"He knows that I could end him swiftly."
"Come at me, Kakarrot, like I am your enemy. I will only hold back enough so I won't kill you." Goku's face grew serious and he got into a stance of his own. In an instant, Goku disappeared from sight. Vegeta's eyes narrowed.
"I know we got plenty of senzus but I don't like that Vegeta's beatin' up my husband…" Chi-Chi muttered; she cringed as she watched Goku violently fly through the air after Vegeta punched him. Raditz placed his hand on his sister-and-law's shoulder.
"It has to be done. Kakarrot needs to be at the same level as Lord Veteta as quickly as possible. This is the only way." Chi-Chi frowned but didn't reply. Instead, she turned to her young son.
"Why don't we spar while your father trains?"
"Okay." Gohan and Chi-Chi walked off to train while the others continued to watch the one-sided fight between Goku and Vegeta. Piccolo felt uncomfortable as he watched Goku being knocked around like a rag doll. He didn't seem to be enjoying it like he thought he would.
"Come on, you idiot. Put up a better fight!" He barked, earning shocked and confused looks from Tenshinhan and the others. He noticed and glared at them all, "What are you staring at?"
"N-nothing!" Chaozu squeaked while he and the others quickly looked back towards the fight currently at play.
"Impressive, Kakarrot!" Vegeta laughed, "You are lasting much longer than I expected!"
Goku grinned while he managed to dodge a punch, "Thanks! This is quite a work-out!" Vegeta dashed towards Goku and plowed his head into Goku's stomach, "OOF-!" Goku was sent flying. Vegeta disappeared and re-appeared behind Goku, catching Goku by the back of his neck to stop him. His other hand grabbed Goku's tail. He squeezed it so hard that he broke several of the bones, "ARGH-!"
"Sorry," Vegeta muttered in Goku's ear before flinging him to the ground. Goku laid motionlessly upon his stomach. Vegeta shot down rapidly and drove his knee into Goku's right shoulder, purposely making sure that Goku's old wound got hit. Goku jerked violently as a loud snap filled the air. Goku's friends cringed.
"That's enough!" Kuririn yelled angrily. He started to go after Vegeta but Raditz stopped him, "Hey!"
"Please calm down. Lord Vegeta won't kill him. This is essential for Kakarrot's training."
"Grr… I know," Kuririn deflated, "I just don't like how rough he's bein'!"
After applying a few more near-fatal blows over Goku's battered body, Vegeta knelt down to Goku's level. He frowned and looked uneasy when he noticed how still the younger man was before him. He then hastily felt for a pulse and was relieved to find that it was still there. He then got up and looked at the on-lookers.
"Get Kakarrot one of those beans that you had told me of. Quick!" He barked. Yamcha scrambled to his quarters to retrieve the senzu beans. Meanwhile, Raditz approached to assess the damage done to his baby brother. He frowned and glared at Vegeta in an uncharacteristic manner.
"He is a little too close to death for my liking, my lord," Raditz said in a strained voice. Vegeta gave him an apologetic look.
"He's tougher than I first thought. So, I wanted to intensify the training to match…but it seems that I did overdo it a little bit…"
"A little bit?" Raditz snarled. He had to mentally restrain himself from lunging at his prince. Vegeta felt very guilty; he didn't blame Raditz at all for being angry. He did overdo it.
"I am sorry, Raditz."
Raditz's face softened slightly but his anger was still present, "I know."
"Here's a senzu!" Yamcha yelled as he threw the bean towards Vegeta. Raditz intercepted the bean without taking his glaring eyes off of Vegeta. He then knelt down and carefully rolled Goku over onto his back. He was surprised to see that his little brother was now conscious. Vetega looked down at Goku in complete shock as the battered saiyan grinned weakly at him.
"Y'know…I could've done without…you breakin'…my tail. Jus' rip it off next time…!" Vegeta smirked, relieved that the young saiyan was more resilient than he first thought.
"Doing that would've defeated the purpose. Also, you would've just grown it back anyway." While Vegeta was saying this, Goku had just chewed and swallowed the senzu bean that Raditz fed him. His eyes lit up and he sprung up in an excited manner.
"Woo-hoo!" Goku exclaimed, "Man, I feel great!"
Raditz blinked and exchanged a stunned look with an equally stunned Veteta, "They weren't exaggerating! Those beans do instantly heal the body!"
"It's as if I hadn't even touched him…!" The two watched Goku as he bounced about like an excited child. Vegeta studied Goku, all the while wearing a peculiar look upon his face, "There is something I need to know…" Veteta then turned on his scouter and checked Goku's power level. His eyes widened dramatically, "It can't be…!"
"What is it?" Raditz questioned.
"His…his new power level far exceeds my expectations…! He's on par with you…!"
"WHAT?" Raditz hastily turned on his own scouter as Yamcha and others stared at them in shock, "That can't be possible!" But as soon as he got his readings on Goku, Raditz saw that it was true. He stared at his brother in awe as Goku continued to bounce about, "I-impossible…!"
Piccolo, though he was annoyed by this development, couldn't help but grin as he watched Goku.
"A worthy foe, indeed."
"Wow, Vegeta! Fighting you really did boost me up! Let's do it again!"
"Err…th-that's enough for today, Kakarrot. We will only have a match like this once a week. W-wouldn't want to overdo the training now, would we?" Vegeta stammered. Goku looked confused but shrugged.
"I guess that's fine."
After a few hours of light sparring amongst the group, everyone decided to call it a day and wrap up the training. Chi-Chi invited everyone to the Son quarters for a hearty feast, including Piccolo! (Even I was shocked by that!)
"Eat up, everyone! Y'all need to refuel after a day like this one!" She chuckled before taking a large drink of sake. Though she tried not to watch the fight between her husband and Vegeta while she was training with Gohan, she saw enough of it to shake her up. Raditz gave her a sympathetic look before he tentatively took a sip of his drink. He was still not used to alcohol.
"So, how did you all get as strong as you are now? With how this planet's gravity is, that is…" Vegeta asked after a while.
"We spent years of doin' various training! Most of it bein' weight training," Goku replied cheerfully before digging back in to his meal.
"Weight training?" Raditz questioned.
"Yeah, like wearing weighted objects or clothing," Yamcha clarified.
"For example," Kuririn jumped in, "Me and Goku wore heavy turtle shells when we first started training with the Muten Roshi, back when we were kids."
"And when Son Goku trained with my good half, he wore a weighted shirt, weighted shoes, and weighted wrist bands," Piccolo concluded, "I, obviously, do the same."
"I see…," Vegeta muttered, "Very clever. We should see if that genius woman can craft us armor that can be adjusted to be heavier at a whim!"
Yamcha choked on his drink, earning him odd looks from the others.
"Indeed…I should inquire from her if I can see a sample of human DNA. Humans seem to be very similar to us Saiyans," Raditz added in as he looked at Yamcha and the other humans present, "Aside from having odd-colored hair and lack of tails, you all look like you could be saiyans."
"Odd-colored hair?" Kuririn questioned.
"Yes. Saiyans only have black hair that stays the same from the day we are born. You humans have hair of odd colors that seems to grow."
"Really? Well, that explains why Goku's hair always looks the same!" Tenshinhan chuckled and he ruffled Goku's hair playfully. Goku grinned cheekily before resuming to eat.
"Kakarrot, did you have a parental figure growing up?" Vegeta asked softly. Goku nodded.
"Yeah, my grampa. I accidently killed him when I looked at th' moon when I was 'bout five years old." Vetega looked solemn at that reply.
"I am sorry that happened. We can train you to take control of your Oozaru form. It can be a great use when used properly."
"Ah, it's okay! I already know how t' control it! Kami taught me!" Raditz blinked.
"Kami? Who is Kami?"
"My good half," Piccolo replied stiffly, "He, like me, suspected that Son Goku was one of the mythical saiyains that we had heard about when we were once one."
"I see," Vegeta replied coolly to Piccolo. He turned to Goku, "Usually saiyan toddlers are taught how to control their Oozaru forms as soon as they can walk. Are you training your boy?"
"Y-yes, sir, my father is training me…" Gohan squeaked shyly from the other side of the table. When Vegeta looked at him, he shrunk slightly in his seat. Vegeta stared at him for a moment in silence before turning his attention back at Goku.
"Your son should be trained in the same way I am training you at some point."
Chi-Chi shot up from her seat and glared at Vegeta menacingly, "Over my dead body."
Vegeta was taken aback, "You saw how much stronger Kakarrot became after training with me. Your son has saiyan blood coursing through him!"
"He's right, Chi-Chi," Tenshinhan spoke up nervously. Chi-Chi shot him an intense look that caused him to shrink back slightly.
"It isn't up to us," Goku spoke up, which caused everyone to stare at him. Goku looked around the room before looking at his wife. She looked back at him and her face softened. She then smiled and looked at Gohan, who was beside her.
"It is up to you, sweetie. Do you want to eventually be trained by Mr. Vegeta?" Gohan looked between his mom and dad before hesitantly looking at Vegeta.
"I won't be as harsh on you, seeing you are but a child…," Vegeta said in an attempt to be reassuring. His face was very serious, "…but the training will still be harsh. This Nappa you were told of is a monster. You will need to be prepared if you wish to survive."
"…alright. When I feel ready, I will approach you," Gohan finally replied. Chi-Chi looked uneasy but she smiled nonetheless.
"If you would permit it, I can train your offspring to better prepare him for the saiyan prince's final training."
Everyone turned to look at Piccolo in shock.
"Hey! Great idea!" Goku beamed, which earned him a glare from Chi-Chi.
"Are you nuts?" She exclaimed. Goku looked at her in a confused fashion.
"What? Do you think I would kill him?" Piccolo questioned, sounding insulted, "Until the saiyan Nappa is destroyed, I am your ally. You have my word that I will not kill or betray any of you. Besides, the only one I wish to kill is Son Goku. I have no qualms with his whelp or any of you."
Chi-Chi glared at Piccolo but then sat back down, defeated, "Fine. But if you try anything, I swear I will end you."
Piccolo smirked, "Tall order for a little girl such as yourself."
"Ooookay!" Kuririn interrupted with a forcefully cheerful voice, "Let's continue to eat this wonderful meal that Chi-Chi made for us!"
And so the tense group continued to eat in silence. What will Piccolo have in store for young Son Gohan when he starts his training? What will Vegeta have in store for Goku when they have their next fight? And will any of their efforts be enough when Nappa finally arrives on Earth? Only time will tell! Up Next: The tail of Bardock!