Stay tuned to the end of this chapter for a question. Enjoy!

Goku leaned backwards, as Chi-Chi threw a punch at him. He blocked her oncoming kick with his forearm, and blocked her fist with his hand. Chi-Chi tried to get a hit to connect, but he dodged and blocked every single one of them. Piccolo stood across the field watching the spar going down.

"You can do it, mommy," Gohan cheered, sitting next to where Piccolo stood. He had a book in his lap, but he was more interested in the fight.

Two months had passed, since Trunks had warned them about the androids. Goku and Piccolo has spent every waking hour training. They were pushing past their limits, wanting to become stronger than before. Piccolo had begun sparring at his full power, no longer as afraid to keep it hidden. Not that Goku was not enjoying these spars – he found them exciting and challenging. Sometimes, he would beg him to fight at his full power. He wasn't discouraged by the power gap between them – it only made him more determined to match it.

When they weren't training with each other, they were training Chi-Chi. Goku and Piccolo took turns teaching her how to hone her strength. Though she was rusty, she picked up on the basics easily. Goku was the gentle and supportive mentor, while Piccolo was much more demanding with her results. A balance was struck with this. In order for a pupil to flourish, they needed a bit of both.

Piccolo still thought it was a shame that Gohan couldn't learn anything. Trunks had shown that half-Saiyans could be just as powerful as full-blooded ones. He knew that Gohan wasn't a fighter by nature, but even a little bit of training could have been useful to him. He was growing to worry that Chi-Chi, alone, might not be enough defense against villains, if he or Goku weren't there. Giving Gohan some training would help with that. Goku had tried to persuade Chi-Chi once more since then, but she refused to budge. He would hate for all that potential to go to waste.

Chi-Chi spun around and tried to kick him again, but Goku grabbed her calf. "You shouldn't spin around like that. You're wasting your energy."

She pulled her leg away, and stood back on her feet. She pushed her hair out of her face. "I told you this was pointless. I'm not going to get as strong as either of you two, so why bother?"

"Hey, don't think like that." Goku put his hands on her shoulders. "Just because you aren't stronger now doesn't mean you won't be, in the future. All you need is more practice. You won't get stronger, if you give up now."

As Goku and Chi-Chi went back and forth on the topic, Piccolo began to think about their training. He had felt the raw power that Vegeta had displayed, during his fight with Frieza. He had seen Trunks show off the exact same thing, just a month earlier. Saiyans seemed to have a lot of potential, when it came to fighting; more than any other race might have had.

If that truly was the case, then how much potential did Goku have?

"That's enough," he said, as he walked up to the sparring couple. Goku and Chi-Chi ceased their fight. "If you're this down on yourself now, we might as well stop, for the day. We can pick this up when you don't feel like whining." Chi-Chi glared at him, and he glared right back at her. She pushed past him, walking over to Gohan. He shook his head. "You ready to head out, Goku?"

"Can I talk to you about something, first?"

Piccolo sighed, but they went together, regardless.

"So, I was thinking and, you know… Chi-Chi's getting pretty strong and all, but… maybe we could still-"

"Train Gohan?"

"Yeah, that. I don't know how we could, but maybe we can find a way to do it without her finding out."

"You're really willing to go behind her back, like this?"

Goku shrugged. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her. I'm sure it'll be fine. What do you think?"

He thought that he would never ask. "What do you suggest?"

"Maybe we can take turns, or something? You spend a week with Gohan, while I'm with Chi-Chi. Then we trade, you're with Chi-Chi and I'm with Gohan."

"Make it two."

"Deal!"

"Do you really have to go, mommy and daddy?"

Chi-Chi hugged Gohan. "Oh, it'll only be for two weeks. We'll be back, before you know it."

"Besides," Goku said. "You get to hang out with Piccolo!" He tapped his finger on his nose, making him giggle. "I know you'll have a lot of fun, together." Goku looked up and winked at Piccolo, who just shook his head.

Chi-Chi kissed the top of his head. "Be good, Gohan. Don't forget to do all your homework. If you need anything, just ask Piccolo. I love you, sweetie."

"I love you too, mommy."

Goku called for Flying Nimbus, and it flew down. He and Chi-Chi climbed on board and it zoomed off into the sky. They waved, as they took off. Piccolo watched the flying cloud, until he couldn't see it anymore.

"Gohan."

He looked over his shoulder. "Yes, Mr. Piccolo?"

"Go inside and pack your things. We'll be going out, for a while."

He smiled. "Okay!" He skipped back into the house. Piccolo couldn't help but smile, as the tiny tot hopped through the front door. If someone had told him this would be his life, all those years ago, he would have called him or her insane. He never thought he would be content with this domestic life. And yet here he was.

Gohan struggled to drag the duffle bag out of the house. A few books stuck out from the top, and stuffed animals hung off the sides. Piccolo easily picked it up and hauled it over his shoulder. He scooped Gohan up with his other arm, and flew off in the opposite direction that Goku and Chi-Chi took.

"Mr. Piccolo, where are we going?"

"You know your mother and father are training together, right?"

"Yeah…"

"While that's going on, I'll be training you."

Gohan looked more confused than anything. "Mommy said I shouldn't be doing that."

"Well, your father and I say that you should: two against one."

"But… I don't wanna learn how to fight. I wanna study and be a scholar."

Piccolo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He certainly was his mother's son. "That's fine and good, but a day may come when you'll have to defend yourself without our help. You'll have a hard time being a scholar if you're dead."

He quickly realized that was the wrong thing to say to a small child. Gohan gasped, and looked around. He started shaking, and tears began to well in his eyes. Piccolo shook his head, and took a quick landing on a cliff. He set Gohan down in front of him.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat this for you, Gohan: there are a lot of bad men out there who want to do harm. I can't tell you how or why: it just is. That might be scary to think about, but the sooner you come to grips with it, the better. The best you can do is be prepared for it. That's all your father and I want. What happens afterwards is up to you. If you want to train seriously, you can. If not, then you don't have to. Understand?"

Gohan sniffled. "Okay…"

"Good." Piccolo wiped his tears away with his thumb, making Gohan giggle. "Now, if we get there before dark, we might be able to start today."

This time, Piccolo didn't even need to pick him up – he jumped up and hugged him. He froze, not expecting the affectionate gesture. Gohan just smiled up at Piccolo, tilting his head to the side. He smiled down at him, and wrapped an arm around him, before taking back off into the sky.

Kami chuckled, and shook his head. Piccolo certainly had come a long way, since he was reborn all those years ago. In some sense, it might have been good that he had put him in the Dragon Ball: if not, he might not have met Goku and his family.

On the other side of the Lookout, Krillin and Yamcha were sparring. Mr. Popo was standing to the side, observing their match, and Tien Shinhan meditated on his own. They were taking turns fighting against each other, testing and honing the new techniques that Kami had taught them. The Earth warriors had come far, but there was always room for growth. They had made much progress in a short span of time, but he feared that it might not have been enough. He feared that the premonition might have been false. That something far more sinister could be brewing beneath their feet. He only had his instinct and feelings to go off of, but he was certain that this was the case. It only made the need to get stronger more and more urgent than it was, before.

He still kept an eye on the warriors, down below. He agreed with his other half's sentiment: Son Goku had much potential. The only thing he feared was unlocking it. When feeling out the powers of the warrior from the future, he sensed much pain and anger from him. He knew little of the other Saiyan Piccolo spoke of, but he had to assume it was the same. If that was the key to unlocking that vast amount of power, then he pitied the poor soul who would do so for Goku.

Kami stepped up towards the others. "That's enough, you two." Krillin and Yamcha immediately ceased their spar, and stood at attention next to each other. "Tien, please come join us." Tien opened his closed eyes and walked over to join them. "I am very pleased with your progress, boys. Yet, there is much more that can be done. I do think I have a solution, and I think you're ready for it. Mr. Popo, if you may."

"Of course, Kami." Mr. Popo walked into the temple, and came back out carrying a chest. He unlocked the hatches and opened it. Inside were blue undershirts, sweatbands, and boots – similar in style to what Goku wore.

Yamcha tilted his head to get a better look. "Hey, what's with the new threads?"

"These are new additions to your training regimen." He lifted one of the shirts out of the box with his staff, setting it on the floor. "Try it on."

Yamcha shrugged, and worked his way out of the top of his gi. He tried to lift it off of the ground, but it wouldn't budge. His eyebrows furrowed. He tried again, getting the same results. One last time, he planted his feet on the ground and pulled it up off of the ground. "Man, what's this thing made of," he said, in a strained voice.

"Quite ordinary cloth. It's only been enchanted to weigh more than what it appears. The more you practice wearing these clothes, the stronger you'll be able to get."

Krillin snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that's like what Master Roshi had us do with the turtle shells."

"That's correct. You will start by wearing just the shirts. Put them on under your gis, as I'm sure you've seen Goku wear them. When you have grown accustom to the weight, we will add the shoes and gauntlets to your uniforms."

Yamcha struggled to lift the shirt over his head, but finally got his arms through the sleeves. When the shirt fell onto his shoulders, he grunted. He was breathing heavily. "And Goku made it look easy. This is really rough." He exhaled.

Krillin struggled to lift his shirt ouf of the box. "Oh, come on." He clenched his teeth, as he picked it up, let it sit in his arms. "I-it's not that bad." He tried to hold it one arm, as he removed the top of his gi. He was balancing on one leg to keep stead. "Just needs a little bit of work." He tripped and stumbled forwards, but caught himself before he could fall on his face.

Tien shook his head. "You guys are pathetic. It's just a shirt." He reached into the chest, grimacing as he got a grip on it. He grunted, as he managed to lift it over his head. He didn't complain, but his face was growing red and his arms and legs were shaking.

Kami chuckled, and exchanged a knowing glance with Mr. Popo. Goku had the exact same reaction when he first tried on the weighted clothes. Of course, he was only a child back then. "I'll give you the afternoon to get used to it. I want you wearing them from now on in all of your training. Report back here tomorrow morning, and we will discuss what we are going to do, next."

"Right," they all said in unison.

"You may rest."

Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien went into the temple. They were moving their arms around and stretching, trying to figure out how to move in the heavy and constricting material.

"Man this training has been tougher than I thought it would be." Krillin laughed. "Goku made it sound so easy."

"Yeah, but look at us," Yamcha said. "We're getting stronger and stronger! There's no limit! Those androids won't know what hit them!"

"And imagine how strong Goku's getting. If we're getting this strong, how much do you think he's grown?"

"You shouldn't." Krillin and Yamcha looked at Tien. "We shouldn't be thinking about Goku. We can't get complacent and assume we can rely on him. You remember what Piccolo said – none of us survived. If it comes down to us, then we have to be ready."

Tien was right. How many bad guys would have gone undefeated, if not for Goku? The world would have been a different place, if he weren't around. But what if Goku wasn't around, when the androids attacked? They needed to be ready, if it all came down to them. They might not have Goku's gifted strength, but that didn't give an excuse not to try. They weren't going to be left in the dust.

So, about the Earthlings - Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien. I have the idea of a chapter or two dedicated to their training. Is that something you'd be interested in seeing? I feel like I've been neglecting them a little bit, and want to give them a little bit of time in the spotlight. I do have plans for them, in this story, but it's been more than a minute since the last time we heard from them before this chapter. Just let me know if that's something you'd be interested in hearing. Thanks!