Goku hovered in the highest reaches of Earth's atmosphere, as close as he could get to outer space while still having air to breathe. His first two fingers were pressed to his head, ready to leave. All that was left now was to locate his destination. His mind was straining as he willed himself to find a single planet among thousands, that one place in the universe that he desperately needed to get to. He could only hope that it was relatively close to Earth—he wasn't sure if he could ever zero in on a world hundreds of light-years away.
"Come on, Dende, where are you?" he called under his breath. His eyes slid shut as he forced himself to be calm, focused. And, like a light blazing suddenly to life in a darkened room, he detected the place he was looking for. "Here I come!" he cried gleefully, and vanished.
The underwater battle was evenly matched. Although Gohan fought with unrelenting ferociousness, and Piccolo summoned all his remarkable fighting prowess, the beast slithered easily around each of their blows. Teeth gritted in frustration, Piccolo wished that they could head for the surface. He knew that he and Gohan were clumsy here, while the creature was right at home. But Gohan was like a magnet: wherever his enemy was, he was determined to also be. And Piccolo, in the same way, was intent on remaining near Gohan and fulfilling his promise to Goku to take care of the little warrior.
The aura of yellow power around Gohan, which for the last few minutes had been lighting up the ugly expression on his face, flickered wildly. Piccolo understood the sudden lapse in chi: Gohan needed to breathe. For a crucial second, he took his eyes off his opponent to glance solicitously at his charge. Gohan seemed to be deflating like a balloon, his energy spent, his eyelids drooping. Then his energy aura vanished, and the lake was plunged into darkness.
Piccolo felt a powerful rope of flesh close around his neck. The next thing he knew, he was being slammed repeatedly into sand, mud, rock, and every other available surface. His breath rushed out in soundless cries of pain, and his need for air began to weaken him. He jerked with all his flagging strength to free himself. To his surprise, the stranglehold loosened, and he pulled free. A tiny pinprick of light appeared, revealing to Piccolo that it was the beast's tail that had been restraining him. Squinting, he made out Vegeta, who was holding a tiny sparkle of energy in one hand and engaging the creature in battle with the other. Nearby, Gohan was sinking to the bottom in a state of unconsciousness. Piccolo made a dive for the boy and, grabbing him by the collar, kicked for the surface.
They burst out into the sunlight as Piccolo gasped for breath. He hooked one arm over the bank and heaved himself out, dragging Gohan's limp form after him. Quickly he laid the boy flat on his back and pinched his nose shut. Pressing his mouth to Gohan's, he exhaled life-giving air into the half-Saiyan's lungs, once, twice.
"Come on, kid," he muttered. "Don't quit on me now."