"No!"

Yamcha jumped forward. "What's wrong, King Kai?"

"God," Tenshinhan muttered, "just put your hand on his shoulder."

The Kai turned around after a moment, facing the three humans on his planet. "It's really confusing when you use the word 'god' in vain. Yamcha, I've lost track of Goku."

"Does that mean he's..."

"He's almost certainly still alive. But that won't be true for long, if he doesn't get off the planet soon."

King Kai turned away from the trio. "Namek's going to blow any minute...and there goes its elder. Hopefully their new elder can guide their race into an era of peace and prosperity."

Tenshinhan nodded. "On a new planet, I'd imagine."

"Obviously. Their old one is about to blow up...and there it goes." King Kai sighed. "I can't sense Goku."

"And that's what the Namekian dragon balls are for," Tenshinhan said.

"God damn it, Tien," Yamcha exclaimed, "can't you pretend to show a little respect for Goku's passing?"

"I respect Goku, but as someone literally just killing time until he comes back, I can't bring myself to respect anyone's death."

"It's going to be a little more complicated than that," King Kai said. "The Namekian dragon balls can only bring someone back to life on the planet where they died."

"...Oh."

Chiaotzu hovered closer to Tenshinhan. "What's wrong, Tien?"

"It's just...death has consequence for once. It's weird."

"Can we just have a moment of silence for Goku?" Yamcha asked.

Everyone present stayed silent for the requested moment, and several more besides.

"What do you mean, you can't bring Goku back?" Chi-Chi grabbed Moori, the new Namekian elder, by the shoulders and shook him.

They were still in the forest where the Namekian race, some Namekian wildlife, and the handful of non-Namekians who had still been alive on Namek were sent. A Capsule Corporation aircraft came to bring the Namekians to a temporary home on Earth, and brought friends and family of the Earthlings to reunite them for the first time in weeks. All present had the news of Goku's death and the difficulties involved bringing back Goku told by way of Moori, who was King Kai's first choice if one disregarded those unwilling to tell Chi-Chi that Goku couldn't be revived.

"Please, I-I mean no offense. It is simply a limitation of the dragon balls."

"Why?" Gohan asked. "Why can't the dragon balls bring back my dad?"

"Do you mean what's stopping them," Dr. Briefs asked, "or are you asking why these magic balls have so many arbitrary restrictions in the first place?"

Moori ignored him. "As I have said, the Namekian dragon balls are not designed to bring people back to life. They are capable of doing so, but they lack the capacity to simultaneously transport the individuals across vast distances, let alone bring back many at once."

Vegeta stood from the tree he had been leaning against. "But they can transport people?"

"Are you still on Namek?"

"Can they transport dead people in one afterlife, to another?"

"...Perhaps."

"Well there you go! Wish Kakarot and the worthless baldie to Earth's afterlife, then wish them back to life. Then you can wish those people Nappa killed to life next time the Namek-balls can work again, and maybe send the Namekians to some new place where they can make a home without bothering us."

Everyone stared at Vegeta.

"What?"

"That's a very clever plan," Bulma said.

"Of course it is! What, did you think the Prince of All Saiyans was an idiot?"

Bulma laughed. "Of course not." No one else rushed to agree.

"...I see. Well, the first thing I'm going to do when Kakarot gets back is kick his ass. Which reminds me, I need to start training. I'm a bit out of practice, I should probably start with some sparring against vastly inferior opponents. It's a shame those idiots who fought me and Nappa earlier are dead."

"I'm sure we can figure something out," Bulma said. "Until then, why not stay at the Capsule Corporation compound? It's where we're taking the Namekians."

"Oh? And why should that matter to me? Because I'm an alien, and need to stay at the alien ghetto? The Prince of all Saiyans does not live in ghettoes, he rules them! And sometimes destroys them!"

"People are going to recognize you from the TV footage and stuff broadcast before you blew the reporters up," Gohan said.

Vegeta laughed. "And why should I care about their opinions?"

"You'd probably get mobbed by fans who wanted your autograph," Bulma said. "Besides, I'm sure my dad and I could whip up a gravity chamber like the one Goku trained in."

Vegeta stared at Bulma for a moment, then nodded. "Those terms seem reasonable. Let's get to this compound; you should get to work on the training rooms as soon as possible." He strode to the aircraft and began looking for the best seat.

Chi-Chi glared at Bulma, who shrugged. "Whatever works, right?"

Months passed. The Namekians grew more comfortable living on Earth, though they never felt as if the planet could become their home. Vegeta began intensive training, Gohan caught up on his studies, and the frogs at the Briefs compound became strangely organized. Not a day too soon, the Namekian dragon balls were active once more, and almost to the final, fateful day, the Z-Warriors—both those on Earth and those in the Otherworld—argued over who would be brought back to life first. In the end, it was decided that those who had only recently died should come back first. A few months later, they could wish back Tenshinhan, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha, and when Earth's dragon balls were ready, they could wish the Namekians to an uninhabited planet King Kai had found.

The dragon Porunga was summoned, and after a brief commotion, the Z-Warriors were ready to make their wishes.

"First," Bulma said, "we need to wish Krillin and Goku to Earth's afterlife."

Dende nodded, and repeated the wish to Porunga in the Namekian tongue. Porunga responded, but its eyes did not glow.

"Something's wrong," Bulma said.

"How would you know?" Vegeta asked.

"I've been dealing with these things since I was sixteen, I'd like to think my intuition counts for something."

"She's right," Dende said. "Sort of. Porunga can't bring Goku to the Otherworld—"

Chi-Chi ran forward and grabbed Dende by the front of his robe. "What do you mean, can't bring him back?"

"—because he's alive please let me go!"

Chi-Chi dropped Dende. "Alive? Then...can you just wish him to come back to Earth?"

Dende nodded and quickly began speaking in Namekian. Again, Porunga replied, and again, its eyes did not glow.

"Now what?" Bulma asked.

"Porunga can't bring Goku here," Dende said. "He doesn't want to."

"What do you mean, you don't want to?" Chi-Chi shouted at Porunga. It looked down at her in bemusement.

Vegeta chuckled. "She should thank your pathetic green god the dragon's more patient than me. If I were it, I'd crush her like an egg."

Dende tugged on Chi-Chi's dress. "No, wait—Porunga's willing, it's that Goku doesn't want to come back!"

Chi-Chi looked down at Dende. "He doesn't? Why—Never mind, just have Porunga bring Goku back against his will!"

"It's...I...Elder Moori?

The old Namekian stepped forward. "The great dragon Porunga draws his power from me; anything beyond my power is beyond his. In particular, he cannot directly affect any being stronger than I without their consent. Goku is—"

Chi-Chi screamed. "He was always off training when Gohan was a baby, then he died, and now that he might have a chance to do something with our son's—"

"Kakarot's not coming back?" Vegeta sighed. "I'll be hitting the gym…or something." He hovered for a moment before flying into the compound.

Gohan ran up to Dende. "Did Porunga say why Dad isn't coming back?"

Bulma sighed. "Just...have Porunga bring Krillin to Earth's afterlife, and then back to life. And then...bring Yamcha back, I guess? We can try again in four months or so. Maybe Goku will have his head out of his—butt by then."

Unfortunately, Goku's rectal-cranial inversion persisted through the months, and he remained in space, searching anyone capable of challenging him and occasionally stopping to learn new techniques. Chi-Chi kept hoping he would return, but Gohan accepted that he might never see his father again. Vegeta, on the other hand, was unable to accept never facing Kakarot, and went off in a spaceship built by the Briefs as soon as possible (to the relief of Krillin and Yamcha). Once Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu were wished back to life, the Namekians (aside from Piccolo and Kami, and one frog) were sent to a planet King Kai had identified as being similar to Namek as it had been before Frieza came, only without life aside from small plants and insects.

Life went on. While life was never boring for the Z-Warriors, little out of the ordinary occurred until the day Frieza and his father came to Earth.