Otherworld, Hell

Four months had passed since Goku began his journey down Snake Way. During that time he struggled immensely – not physically, the Saiyan was perfectly healthy in department… in fact, Son Goku had been struggling mentally. Though Goku loved many things, for instance, fighting, training, his friends and his family, there was one thing that came out on top. Food. Throughout the four month trek down Snake Way, Goku had struggled with food. And quite ironically, that had been eating away at him. There was nothing to eat – and that was what lead Goku to making perhaps his most fatal mistake.

See, at some point, our favourite Saiyan had begun eating the clouds that lined the edges of Snake Way. He had gotten so carried away that he ate himself to sleep, and in his sleep, he had rolled over the edge and ended up falling into clouds themselves.

By the time Goku woke up, it was far too late to redeem himself. The gravity in Hell was immense – as if it was pulling him down, constantly. He didn't struggle very much with movement, but even with all his energy he simply could not fly up towards the very yellow (and delicious) clouds that had doomed him.

"I guess King Yemma really wasn't lying, huh…" the Saiyan spoke out loud, his hands on his hip as he stared upwards, wondering how he would get back up there. Though Goku hadn't kept track of how long he had been on Snake Way – he couldn't, there was practically no way to determine how much time had passed accurately – he knew that every second he spent down in hell was a second wasted.

Then, from behind Goku, a rather strongly German voice called out.

As Goku turned around to confront the voice, he raised his eyebrows in confusion upon seeing a very big, very muscular red ogre with two distinct horns and rather unfitting glasses.

"Goz look! I've found him, it's zat Masked Saiyan or vhatever zhe veaklings are calling him nowadays!" spoke the ogre, pointing at Goku with an excited expression.

"Vwoah! No kidding, Mez! It's really him!" spoke a second ogre – this was Goz, apparently. Goz was very large and very muscular like his counterpart, Mez, the red ogre, except the fact that Goz was more on the blue side of the colour spectrum, whilst also possessing only one horn.

Goku furrowed his brows even further. "Masked… Saiyan? Well, I am a Saiyan… but I don't really wear a mask s-"

"Vwhere the hell is your mask gone?!" Goz questioned, coming up close to Goku's face, examining it.

"Ya! And zat signature gruff voice of yours, I don't hear it today!" Mez added as he too got all in Goku's face.

"Hey, I don't know what you guys are talking about, but whilst you're here, can you help me out?" Goku asked, raising his hands and pushing them both back, which didn't seem to bother them as they continued to stare at his face.

Goku didn't wait for a response as he pointed upwards, with a blank expression on his face. "I need to get back up to Snake Way."

Then, to his surprise and discouragement, Goz and Mez began laughing heartily, falling onto their backs and holding their stomachs as they rolled on the floor.

"Hahaha! Did you hear him, Goz?" Mez spoke, in between laughs. "Get back up, he says, as if it's zat easy to escape hell!"

Goz practically choked on his laugher as he slapped his knee repeatedly. After a few seconds of Goku staring at them in silence, the two ogres composed themselves.

"Vwow, yah, you definitely aren't ze Masked Saiyan," Goz spoke first, coughing to clear his throat before continuing. "But you do look just like him from a distance… hm… perhaps he iz… a relative of sorts?"

Mez nodded in agreement. "Ya. The hair is too similar for it to be a coincide-"

Goku got in between their conversation, now with clear concern on his face. "Hey guys, I really don't mean to be rude but I I don't know who this Masked Saiyan guy is and I really need to get back up to Snake Way… so if you could take me to King Yemma, maybe he could hear me out!"

Mez shrugged. "Sure. I'll put you on the waiting list to see him. Let me vwarn you, though, it'll probably be a few thousand years before you see him."

Goku smiled at Mez before his jaw dropped, practically to the ground. "A THOUSAND YEARS?!"

Both Goz and Mez nodded as if this was standard procedure for them.

Goku chuckled. "You're joking, right…? You guys love joking around! Haha!"

Goz and Mez stared blankly at each other before turning back to Goku.

"No, seriously man! Vwe aren't messing around zhis time. Zhere is a seriously long line of people who think they belong someplace other zhan Hell, and King Yemma's time is far too precious. A thousand years is pretty good – the Masked Saiyan has been purging most of ze evildoers that come here, so the line has been getting shorter. Though, vwe really should catch him… he's doing our job for us, and if King Yemma finds out, we're in serious trouble! We might even lose our gym membership!" Goz explained, his eyes widening as he finished his last sentence, turning to Mez who began breathing deeply, trying to compose himself – clearly uncomfortable at the thought of losing his gym membership.

Goku's eyes widened in disbelief. Was this really it? Had he fumbled his one chance to train with King Kai? He tried to look at the ogres for support, but they were far too busy consoling each other.

"It's time for us to get back to work. Vwe will come find you when it's your turn to see King Yemma. Until then, stay alive!" Goz advised as he waved goodbye to Goku with one hand, the other around Mez's shoulder, still consoling him – telling him that their gym membership was safe.

Goku stared up at the sky, frowning, his brows furrowed. There has to be a way… the Saiyan thought to himself, stretching his legs before jogging on the spot as he pumped himself up. There was no way Goku would let himself be stuck here for whatever amount of time he had left prior to the arrival of the Saiyans – Goku was going to get out of hell, and he was going to do it soon.

Far off into the distance, overlooking the plains Goku was in, two figures stood atop a cliff. One bore a mask, with hair practically identical to Goku, whilst the other had shaggy, spikey hair and a more feminine frame.

"I can't believe it… do you really think it's him, Bardock?!" asked the woman, teary-eyed and hopeful.

However, the man, Bardock, stood in silence. His mask hid his emotions as he stared into the distance.

Finally, the Saiyan stepped forward. He took his mask off to reveal a completely shocked, almost defeated expression, his mouth agape.

"Kakarot… this isn't how it's meant to be… what the HELL are you doing here?!"


Grassy Fields, Plains

Piccolo sat in the sky, the winds flowing behind him, his cape flowing in unison with them. Below him was a mountain where a young monkey-tailed boy was currently asleep. The Namekian had been meditating above his sleeping protégé. Over the past four months, Gohan had grown considerably, he was beginning to look more like a warrior – especially in his new outfit. A while back, after he had gotten his clothes all tattered and destroyed, Piccolo had created a training gi for him in the style of his own, with his own character imprinted on it (Piccolo was very bent on this whole Demon King's apprentice idea). Furthermore, the boy's confidence had skyrocketed; this was made clear when he began facing, practically playing with the local dinosaur. He had quite literally made mince meat out of the giant lizard's tail, enjoying a slice of it every night.

Though Piccolo sighed – he wasn't sure if this was enough. The boy's power had grown, but not once had he felt that same awe-inspiring, mind-boggling energy that Gohan seemed to emit when he was in a life-or-death situation. The Namekian stared up at the sky, looking at the full moon.

Piccolo himself had also grown considerably over the past four months. His power had seen a significant boost – the constant meditating and image training allowed him to be far more proficient in battle, allowing him to focus his ki far more expertly. Previously, the Special Beam Cannon was a move that had left him wide open – now, gathering and channelling the energy required for it was second nature to Piccolo. Though again, it still wasn't enough. He felt as if he was missing something, something obvious. A part of him that was inhibiting his growth.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard shuffling down below. Son Gohan had woken up and was currently rubbing his eyes as he pissed over the side of the mountain. Yawning as he looked up, Gohan suddenly froze. His eyes widened, and thanks to Piccolo's Namekian hearing, he heard the boy's heartrate increase to what felt like a million beats an hour. His hair grew spiked, an aura surrounding him as he grew larger and larger, until finally, the boy was unrecognizable. Most intriguing of all, Piccolo felt Gohan's ki… it was exactly as it had been in his enraged state.

The ape landed down onto the ground, his weight and sheer power practically trembling the entire area. Piccolo watched as the rage-filled creature destroyed the natural landscape, his fists felling mountains, his roars felling trees. Then, slowly, the monster turned his head to look at Piccolo who had been staring in shock and horror. Suddenly, a beam erupted from the ape's mouth and was coming at Piccolo with incredible speed – Piccolo however was far faster, easily outmanoeuvring the beam and leaving the ape defenceless for a few moments as the Namekian tried to look for a weak point.

Piccolo then stared up at the moon, making the connection. Gohan had never transformed at night before… but with one look at the full moon, he had become this beast. Piccolo got into a stance as he flared his purple aura, gathering his ki around him and focusing it into his palm, using his other arm to hold the outstretched one in place – stabilising it. Piccolo was about to destroy the moon, but before he could do that, a voice cried out from behind him.

"Don't do it!" Roshi called out, leaping onto a mountain close to wear Piccolo was floating. "There's an easier way, Piccolo!"

Piccolo's face contorted into one of shock and utter confusion. First and foremost, what the hell was that turtle hermit old man doing here? And secondly, why the hell was this turtle hermit old man so much stronger than before? Even Piccolo had not grown to the degree Roshi had – the Namekian was utterly bewildered at the aura Roshi was emitting. That was all beside the point, however – the bigger question was…

"What the hell is it then?!" Piccolo retorted, retracting his arms back to his side as he shouted at the old man in front of him.

"I'll grab his attention, you cut off his tail!" Roshi stated, simply, taking off his sunglasses and putting them in his pocket before the turtle hermit solidified himself, a huge, white ki surrounding him before it closely wrapped around Roshi's body – sticking to him as if it were glue. Then, without a second's delay, Roshi grew and grew, just like Gohan had, but this transformation was far more… humane. Roshi's muscles bulged, his Hawaiian shirt practically disintegrated into shreds.

Then, with a single leap, the hermit stood in front of the raging Gohan, drawing his attention. Gohan attempted to stomp Roshi into the ground with his gigantic foot but the hermit easily dodged before grabbing the beast's leg, holding him in place.

Piccolo didn't argue – Roshi most likely had experience in dealing with Saiyans, considering he had practically raised Goku. He was snapped out his thoughts at a cry from Roshi.

Now, it was Piccolo's turn. The Namekian aimed at the base of the beast's tail.

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

The attack drilled through and did it's job, removing the appendage from it's owner. The beast roared in pain before it grew smaller and smaller, turning back into the familiar form of Son Gohan.

Piccolo breathed a sigh of relief, glaring down at Roshi who shot him a thumbs up and a wide grin.

The Demon King grit his teeth as he lowered onto the ground, standing in front of the turtle hermit, his arms crossed. "Don't give me that! I have some questions, and you better answer!"

"Why, ask way Piccolo!" Roshi spoke, still in his muscular form, flexing his muscles.

"Just what in the hell did you do to get so much stronger?! You're stronger than Raditz was when he first arrived!" Piccolo shouted, unamused by Roshi's antics.

Roshi grinned as he turned to look at the Namekian. "I've been training too… with Raditz! Having such a powerful sparring partner increases your own power immensely, it seems… no wonder Goku and Krillin grew to surpass me so fast!"

Piccolo's eyes widened in shock. Just what had the turtle hermit done in order to keep that vengeful Saiyan at bay?!

Roshi's expression softened as he breathed out, expelling his energy, his muscles returning to their normal size. Previously, Roshi in his base form had been nought more than a skinny old man. Now, the old man was far leaner, far more fitting of the title martial artist.

"I can probably guess what you're thinking, Piccolo. To tell ya the truth, it took a lot of effort to get Raditz to listen to me… heck, it wasn't even me, Launch gave him that final push! But now, I suppose he's far… tamer. He's still hellbent on revenge, but he's not as rude and dastardly as he was before. He was the one that warned me about Gohan's tail, so the second I sensed the boy's energy shift, I made my way here."

Piccolo stared in shock. He had a lot to take in. Perhaps he had been far too dismissive of Raditz – maybe it was time to pay the Saiyan a visit. Having sensed Roshi's power, a lot of weight had been lifted from Piccolo's shoulders: he hadn't expected such an increase in such a short time. Maybe, just maybe, they had more of a chance against the Saiyans than he had originally predicted.

"I see… Where is he now?" Piccolo questioned, much calmer now. There was a lot going through his mind now but at the centre of it all was a singular thought: I have to get stronger.

Roshi's expression darkened. "At the moment… he's facing his inner demons. There is a lot of darkness in Raditz's heart, so I sent him to the only place that could help dispel that darkness. Currently, and for the past month, Raditz has been facing his memories. They have taken physical form and are most likely tormenting him. I've been keeping track of his energy as much as I can. It's not looking good for him. However, should he come out victorious, Raditz will be a far stronger man – physically, mentally and spiritually – than he was when he first set foot on this planet."

Piccolo raised his eyebrow. "What are you talking about, old man? Just where is this place… no, better yet, how can such a place exist on Earth?"

"Piccolo, this planet is far more… hmm… how shall I put this… secretive, I suppose, than it lets on. It's as if it has a fighting spirit of it's own – whenever there is a threat to the planet, something happens, a path to power shows itself, or maybe even a hero of incredible strength is born to take on the danger. Does it not make sense that over the years, the Earth would be home to many, many areas, objects perhaps even concepts that would push its inhabitants to their limits in order to allow for growth? In a way, it's natural selection, I suppose. If there was one thing we, the inhabitants of this planet, are good at, it's survival. And through that, we improvise, adapt and overcome any and all threats that face us."

"I see…" Piccolo mused at Roshi's rambling. In all honesty, he couldn't fault nor ignore it – even though that was what he wanted to do. What Roshi said made sense, in fact, it made far too much sense: in the past, the only connection Piccolo had to Earth was trying to conquer it, but ever since he had begun defending it, he had noticed his growth in power at a far faster rate than prior. However, Piccolo's thoughts returned to the same thing that had been on his mind earlier – something was still missing, and until he could figure that out, Piccolo knew he wouldn't be able to surpass his limits.

"Sorry about the rambling, but I really should be off. Raditz is at a critical point and we can't afford to lose him. I've gotta go stand by in case something happens. Take care of Gohan, else Chichi'll have our heads! I hear she's doing some sort of training, too…" Roshi explained, handing an unconscious Gohan to Piccolo before he could respond, and then making his exit, leaping from mountain top to mountain top.

Piccolo steeled himself, gritting his teeth. The Namekian looked down at Gohan. His thoughts could wait. He had an apprentice to train.


Otherworld, King Kai's Planet

Tien roared as he stood up against the crushing gravity of what he presumed to be King Kai's planet.

"The more I fight against it… the harder it pulls me down…" Tien noted, breathing in and out deeply, relaxing himself and his muscles in order to combat the nature of this planet.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, what seemed to be a monkey of some sort appeared in front of the warrior. Tien immediately bowed in respect.

"You must be King Kai! It is a pleasure to meet you. I am here with Kami and King Yemma's support in order to receive training from your… uh… kingship," Tien supposed.

The monkey nodded firmly before raising his arms. Tien paused, standing up straight and blinking in confusion. Then, the monkey began walking around, jumping from one foot to the other with his hands in the air.

Tien's eyes widened. "I see! This must be how I get used to this planet's gravity…wow, you really waste no time, King Kai," the warrior stated, before copying the monkey in his monkey business.

A few metres away, a blue bug-like creature stood with a straight face, staring ahead at the tomfoolery with some form of pain present in his gaze.

"I suppose humans truly are hairless apes…" the being said to himself, before clearing his throat, drawing Tien's attention. "What are you doing here?"

Tien paused, blinking in confusion, dumbfounded at the being's presence. He then internally facepalmed upon connecting the dots, realising who this was.

"Oh! My apologies… you must be King Kai…" Tien bowed in respect, before turning to the monkey. "Then who is that…?"

King Kai smirked, pointing his thumb towards himself rather flamboyantly. "Yes, it is I! King Kai!" he then turned to look at the monkey who was still loitering around the place. "That's Bubbles. He's my pet."

Tien once again internally facepalmed. How could he have already embarrassed himself in front of King Kai?!

"You're a strange one, that's for sure, intruding on my planet and monkeying around first thing!" King Kai spoke, seriously, before his expression changed to that of a coy smirk. "You can laugh, I wouldn't blame you, my puns are… otherworldly…"

Tien awkwardly chuckled, to which King Kai took as a form of validation.

"So, what are you doing here? It's been a while since I saw a Triclops, though I get the feeling you're a little more than just that…" King Kai spoke, examining Tien from head to toe.

"I don't know much about being a Triclops but… I'm here to train with you, King Kai!" Tien exclaimed, standing up straight and staring ahead, as if he were a soldier.

King Kai chuckled. "Ho ho! You're here to train, you say? Fine, I will train you!"

Tien's eyes widened as a grin grew on his face.

"Provided… you can make me laugh with a pun! If you're not up to it, then give up! Go home!" The Kai exclaimed.

Tien stood in silence, stroking his chin in contemplation as he stared into space. Then, he looked up at the Kai with a glint in his eyes and a devious smirk.

"The past, the present, and the future walked into a bar…" Tien paused, eyeing the Kai who was staring at him expectantly. "It was tense."

King Kai snorted, holding his mouth as he tried to hold back his laughter.

"Not enough, huh… how about this… Can February March? No… but April May!" Tien exclaimed, pointing at the Kai with a grin on his face.

King Kai's eyes widened as he chuckled, but still, he held back his laughter.

"Hmm…What do you call an alligator in a vest…?" Tien asked the Kai, who looked at him expectantly once again, beckoning him to go on. "An investigator!"

Finally, the Kai erupted into laughter, falling onto the floor and holding his stomach as his laughter echoed across the planet.

"You don't look it, Triclops, but you must be a pro comedian… fine then! You pass! I will teach you my greatest joke!" The Kai exclaimed, completely serious as he stood up slowly, still holding his stomach.

"Wait.. hold on a second, King Kai, I think there's been a mistake. I'm here to learn martial arts," Tien explained.

King Kai blinked a few times in confusion. "I see. Why didn't you just say so, then?! Come at me, let me assess your strength!"

The Kai got into a fighting stance, as did Tien. Tien however, struggled immensely as he charged at the Kai – his movements were sluggish and sloppy, and King Kai easily avoided all of Tien's strikes.

"You must not be accustomed to the gravity of this planet… tell me, where are you from, Triclops?" King Kai asked, in between dodges.

"My name is Tien Shinhan, and I'm from Earth. Kami and King Yemma sent me here, a few months ago, I believe… It's hard to keep track of time up here," the warrior explained.

King Kai's eyes widened. "Earth! I see… you must be here to get that training in before those dastardly Saiyans arrive!"

Tien nodded. "Yes. You know of them, King Kai?!"

King Kai returned the nod, his expression darkening. "Yeah… I keep an eye on everything on my side of the universe. Those Saiyans are no joke, especially for the Earth. That reminds me… didn't you have a Saiyan friend? Shouldn't he be here with you?"

Tien grimaced, remembering his defeat against Raditz and the shame he felt upon knowing both he and Goku died for no reason.

"He started a bit after me, so I figure he'll be here soon… unless he's fallen off Snake Way…" Tien said, thoughtfully.

King Kai proceeded to guffaw with laughter. "Oh, that's a good one… fall off Snake Way! Only an idiot could accomplish that!" however, King Kai's laughter drew to a close when he observed Tien, who was staring at him with a completely serious expression. "I see… he's an idiot, isn't he?"

Tien nodded firmly.

"We'll start with your training straight away, then deal with the other one when he comes. You get what I'm Saiyan'?" King Kai spoke, before chuckling at his own joke.

The Triclops once again awkwardly chuckled in response. "That sounds good! What am I going to be doing, King Kai?!" he asked, ready to finally begin his training.

"Something very, very simple. Catch Bubbles. Once you can do that, we'll begin properly."

Tien grinned confidently. Catching a monkey would be child's play for someone of his skills.

"You got it, King Kai. I'll have him in no time!" Tien declared, cracking his knuckles, not wanting to waste even a single second.

A few hours later, Tien was sprawled face-first on the ground, gasping for breath. Bubbles chittered nearby, grooming his fur without a care.

"Tien! Take a break, you'll wear yourself out at this rate," King Kai called.

With a groan, Tien pushed himself up. His green and yellow gi was soaked in sweat and dirt smudged his face.

"I...don't get it," he panted. "How can one monkey...be so fast?"

King Kai chuckled. "You underestimated Bubbles. He's used to this planet's gravity, and you're not!"

Tien grit his teeth in frustration. He had poured all his strength and skill into capturing Bubbles, but the monkey evaded his every attempt.

"This training...it isn't just about speed, is it?" Tien asked, realization dawning.

King Kai nodded. You must learn to sense energy and predict movements rather than rely on reaction time. But you'll get there, sooner than I thought initially…

Wiping the grime from his face, Tien stood up with renewed resolve. He had been going about this all wrong. It was time to change strategies.

"Alright Bubbles, round two!" Tien sank into a stance, calming his mind. This time, he would focus on sensing the monkey's energy. Failure was not an option with the Earth hanging in the balance.


Author's Note

If you read this, then please leave a review of this chapter! I'd like to hear your thoughts and opinions. This is where I start taking my own spin on things properly – a lot has changed. To some of you who were confused about the character tags, I hope they begin to make sense now.

Thank you for the support and reviews on the previous chapter. Like I've been saying, I really enjoy reading what you guys have to say. Now, I'll take the time to respond to the reviews.

Firstly, in regards to Nappa – at the moment, I'm still unsure on whether I should include him in this story or not. We've already got a ton of Saiyan focus, and I feel as if his presence would take away from some of the other characters – currently, if I am to include Nappa in this story, then he would be revived as opposed to surviving. Let me know what you guys think (we still have a while before I even begin writing about Vegeta and Nappa).

I'm also a huge Piccolo fan, so don't worry about him – he'll definitely get his moments.

In regards to including some lesser noticed characters such as Mercenary Tao, Master Shen, King Chappa, Nam and Ox-King, I feel as if I were to include them, it'd be in more of a minor role – for instance, if Tien needed training from his previous masters, or if one of the humans needed guidance. There will probably be arcs in which they are relevant, but I don't think I'll write them to be as relevant as the main cast. Though, I do like Mercenary Tao as a character quite a bit, so I guess we'll see where we take him.

As for the ones I didn't mention, Chi-Chi and Roshi, as you can see from this chapter, I already have a few things planned for them.

Dragonballreader, thank you for that paragraph and support. In regards to Upa, I might do a little something with him, but again, he probably won't be as relevant as the main cast.

Q: You said the story was heavily inspired by DBZ: Dynasty but was it influenced by DBZ: The Earthling Chronicles and other famous DBZ stories as well?

A: I haven't had the chance to read that fic yet, though I'll probably check it out. To be honest, most of my inspiration comes from Dynasty (which inspired me to write this in the first place) and Dragon Ball What If stories on YouTube, particularly MasakoX.

Q: I noticed the character tags, I understand Goku and Raditz but how are Bardock and Gine are involved?

A: I hope this chapter explained it!

Q: Will you do original stories and mini arcs for individual characters between sagas? Let's say for example Chi-Chi has her own story and has her own enemy? Or discovering more about Z-fighters's past and personal challenges? Like those kinds of stories?

A: Yes. I love taking the time to write about the characters and giving them their own stories and conflicts to grow and develop from.

Q: When Tien or Goku learns the Kaio-Ken and returns to Earth, will they teach the Kaio-Ken to the other Z-fighters, especially to Master Roshi and the other Z-fighters?

A: I think the Kaio-Ken is one of those techniques that shouldn't be learned through mimickry. Though, that isn't to say only Tien or Goku will know it. We'll see how the story plays out, I guess.

Thank you for reading! Please leave a review! Give me your thoughts on the chapter and how the story is developing!