Elsewhere, on another, even smaller planet, shouting could be heard from high in the air, as a tailless Saiyan warrior in an orange gi fought an imaginary opponent, his feet and hands encumbered by sheaths of an impossibly heavy red stone. Nearby, a round being with black robes and blue skin watched his pupil proudly. North Kai really enjoyed martial arts, perhaps more than any of the other Kai, and Goku had more potential in that area than any being he'd ever seen. Well… at least, any being he'd ever seen in the North Galaxy…

"Hey, Goku, take a break for a second, I have something to tell you," he said, snickering. He couldn't wait to see what Goku's reaction would be.

Goku glanced down at King Kai, and frowned. "But… I just got started…" he said, then grinned. "Is it time for food?" he asked excitedly, quickly coming down to the planet's surface.

King Kai's planet had taken him some time to get used to, at first. The gravity had pulled on him so hard when he first arrived there, he had left a dent in the ground when he fell. Since then, he had come to learn that King Kai could change the gravity on his little world, and had set it originally to what the gravity was like on the planet his species, the Saiyans, had come from. Needless to say, it was a bit stronger than what he had been used to on Earth.

Goku hadn't known what to expect when he died of the heart virus, but Otherworld was a lot more interesting than he could have imagined. King Yamma, the red giant who judged his soul, had granted him his body so that he could continue to train, as a reward for defending the Earth and what victims of Frieza he had been able to protect while he had been searching for his son. He was also kind enough to let him know Gohan wasn't dead after all, which filled Goku with hope. And to top it all off, he allowed Goku to travel to King Kai's planet for training via Snake Way, though he warned him that if he fell into Hell, he would have to spend eternity down there. Goku had made certain not to make that mistake.

So, death seemed a lot like life had been, in Goku's opinion. Narrowly avoiding danger and training his body to be stronger. Anything else just would've driven Goku crazy, he thought, and he was glad King Yamma seemed to know him so well. He supposed he would have to know all about the souls who came before him, after all, he had to decide if they went up or down.

And King Kai's planet, wow, what it lacked in natural scenery it sure made up for in other ways. King Kai could make food appear out of thin air, and somehow he knew how to make it taste like Chi-chi's cooking. And the weights he used for training, King Kai could make them as heavy or as light as he wanted. And of course, there was the gravity.

Goku was careful to touch down on the planet lightly, King Kai didn't like it when he left craters in the ground. The gravity was much heavier than it had been when Goku had first come. He didn't know how much heavier it was now, all King Kai would tell him was that he increased the gravity whenever he thought Goku was getting too carried away with all his flying around. Since part of Goku's training was keeping up with Gregory, the strange cricket-looking creature who seemed impervious to the planet's gravity for some reason, that meant that King Kai increased the gravity pretty regularly.

"What's up, King Kai?" he asked, slowly walking towards the blue man in the sunglasses, mindful of the weights on his ankles.

King Kai smiled, Goku was adapting so quickly, soon he would be used to this level of gravity and ready for more. "Well, Goku, I've got good news," the Kai said, chuckling to himself.

Goku blinked. "So… it is time to eat?" he asked hopefully.

King Kai grunted at that. "Do you only ever think with your stomach, Goku?!" he demanded.

Goku chuckled, the weights on his wrists keeping him from scratching the back of his head. "Well, most of the time, I guess," he joked.

King Kai shook his head at that. "Well, I think you'll like this news even more than food," he said.

That made Goku's eyes widen. "Something I'll like… more than food?" he asked, wracking his brains as to what that might be. He liked food a LOT. "Well, what is it?" he asked.

King Kai grinned. "There's going to be an Otherworld Tournament!" he said excitedly.

It took a long moment for Goku to process, but once he did, he jumped up excitedly. "Yeah! A Tournament!" he exclaimed, grinning. In his excitement, he accidentally left a crater when he came back down, causing King Kai to scowl at him. "Where? When? How many fighters? Are they strong? When can we go?" he asked, looking a lot like a small child being told he was going to an amusement park.

"Easy, Goku! You'll break my planet if you keep that up!" King Kai chided, causing Goku to stop jumping, but not dampening his spirits in the slightest. "It'll be in one week. I suggest stay here and work on your Kaioken technique. I need to go gather the rest of our fighters. You're not my only student, you know…" he said, stretching and popping his back.

"Will I get to meet them? The other fighters, I mean? Do I know any of them already?" Goku asked, curiously.

King Kai was surprised at that last question, and turned back to glance at Goku quizzically. "You know, Goku, if you're getting lonely," he began, but Goku merely laughed.

"Of course not, King Kai! You're great company!" Goku said, managing to scratch the back of his head without giving himself a concussion with the weights. Then he sobered a little. "But… yeah… it'll be nice to be around other fighters again. I can't wait to fight in the tournament!" he said, his look determined.

King Kai nodded at that. "Okay. And, Goku… when I get back, my planet better not be demolished!" he said, then he immediately disappeared.

Goku looked down at the crater at his feet, then grinned. "Right!" he said to himself, and flew up into the air, determined to get stronger. Who knew how strong the other fighters at the tournament would be? They might be leagues above him! Just the thought of it filled him with excitement.