Kami's Backup

by Phail2024

As the Guardian of Earth, it could be said Kami's greatest achievement was training Son Goku and the other Z-Fighters, ensuring that Earth would have defenders in place to deal with the various beings that would threaten it. But he didn't become the Guardian of Earth without understanding the necessity of having a backup in place.

1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT/Super, I just enjoy playing around in the wonderful sandbox they provide.

Chapter 1: Well, isn't this a right kick in the…

Kami and Mr. Popo stood atop the Lookout, thinking about the events that had just unfolded at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. They were both proud of their student, Son Goku, and how far he'd come in his training. They were also both disappointed in his naivete.

"It worked out for the best, Lord Kami," the black-skinned genie known as Mr. Popo said to Earth's Guardian. "Son Goku proved that he had the capability to win, and Piccolo Jr. proved to be more reasonable than his sire."

Kami took a deep breath before letting it out in a drawn-out sigh. "I know, Mr. Popo. I just worry about what may happen in the future. Who's to say that someday Goku's optimism and faith in people, especially those he fights, won't come back to haunt us all?"

The guardian's attendant remained silent, not sure how to respond to that. And he wouldn't. At least, not for several years.

It was after Kami had returned from Otherworld, having pleaded with King Yemma, on Goku's behalf, to let the recently deceased Saiyan attempt Snake Way and train with King Kai, that Mr. Popo presented his idea. It was simple enough in concept, and neither of them could see a real downside, as they still had a full year to wish Son Goku back to life.

"Eternal Dragon, come forth!", Mr. Popo cried out, causing the seven orange crystal balls to pulse with power, the skies above the Lookout to darken, and a mighty green dragon to spawn forth, coiling around the floating temple where they stood.

"Attendant of my creator, why have you summoned me?", the dragon, Shenron, demanded once he'd formed. Mr. Popo stood there, his hands held up to the sky.

"Mighty Shenron, as Lord Kami himself cannot summon you, I do so on his behalf to make a wish," the genie replied, his eyes unwavering as he stared up at the awe-inspiring creature.

"...This is unusual, but acceptable. What is your wish?", the dragon boomed.

Sharing one final look with his master, Mr. Popo uncovered what had been hidden by a white sheet on the ground. It looked like a child, with gravity-defying black hair, black eyes, a brown tail, and wearing a familiar orange-colored gi. Looking back up at Shenron, Mr. Popo cried out once more.

"I wish for this doll, made with hairs from Son Goku, to be given life based on that DNA, along with all of the memories of the one known as Son Goku up until today," the genie said clearly. There was silence for a moment until Shenron bowed its large head, its red eyes flashing brightly. And then, lightning seemed to strike the doll multiple times before they saw it start to breathe, the eyes closed as if it slept.

"Your wish…has been granted," the Eternal Dragon declared. "Farewell."

In a mighty flash of light, the darkness dissipated, the seven orange crystal balls turned to stone and shot out across the globe, and the almost suffocating presence of Shenron vanished, leaving only the new life they'd wished for. After taking several moments to examine the results, Mr. Popo reached down and lifted the new life into his arms before following Kami into the main building that was their home and temple above the Earth.

They had their work cut out for them.

-=Break=-

Jasper Mills was puzzled. All he remembered was walking home after classes and then nothing.

Son Goku was confused. He was pretty sure he'd been running on Snake Way to go meet an amazing trainer.

Kakarot was frustrated. He'd been sent to some backwater planet in the hopes that he'd be safe from an intergalactic tyrant, according to the recordings his parents had included in his outdated Attack Ball.

Goku was the first to sense the others nearby. He looked over and saw two faint figures, one smaller than him, and one the same size. He waved and called out to them both, getting their attention quickly.

Kakarot grew cautious at seeing people larger than him, worried that things wouldn't work out for him at this point.

Jasper was the one to first realize what he was seeing, though he mentally argued that it was impossible.

They started talking, asking each other questions. Jasper grew contemplative, Kakarot stayed wary, and Goku smiled at making new friends. Then he reached out to shake their hands.

-=Break=-

The doll given life sat up, gasping for air in the dark room it was resting in. Looking around quickly, it noticed Mr. Popo right away. Multiple emotions arose, from confusion, to excitement, to absolute fear of the strong being in front of it.

"Ah, good. You've awakened. Tell me, do you know who you are?", the black-skinned genie asked pleasantly. The doll frowned at the question, as the answer was much more complex than Kami's attendant would be expecting. Before it could respond, however, it felt a massive headache building up and winced in pain until it got used to it. "Hmm, perhaps the conversation can wait a while. Are you hungry?"

The doll nodded after it thought about it, but stayed silent for now.

"Very well. I shall return shortly. Please think about my previous question until I return." Then, the genie vanished. The doll grasped its temple with its left hand, massaging it in the hopes to reduce the pressure it felt building. A minute later, it let out a gasp as the pressure seemed to relieve itself, and it was flooded with memories. Memories of a young Saiyan being sent away from a doomed planet, memories of a martial artist who only yearned to test his limits, and memories of a college freshman who enjoyed watching and reading all about the martial artist whose memories he now shared.

"I'm Son Goku? Wait, what?", the doll asked, somewhat shaken. He looked up when he heard someone chuckling and saw Kami standing in the doorway of his room. His emotions were all over the place as looked at the ancient Namekian in confusion.

"Indeed, you are Son Goku. And yet, you are not," the Guardian stated in his usual cryptic fashion. The emotions he was shuffling through immediately zeroed in on frustration and anger.

With an angry scowl on his face, the doll made flesh glared at Kami. "What did you do to me, you old fossil?", he demanded to know. Kami's nonexistent eyebrows both went up as he looked at the boy in surprise. Goku had never been so angry before.

Mr. Popo had returned at that point, a tray of food in his hands. "Oh dear, is something wrong?", the genie asked when he sensed the tense mood in the room.

"Damn straight there's something wrong! What the hell did you do to me? What do you mean I am, yet I'm not Goku?", the young man cried out. The anger and frustration were growing, yet other emotions were building up as well, only adding to the problem.

Mr. Popo placed the tray he carried on a small table. "You are Son Goku, in that you have his DNA and memories within you," the genie attendant said simply. "You are not Son Goku, because you were wished into existence just recently after Goku was killed while protecting the planet from his own brother."

The doll latched onto that tidbit. "Raditz was here?", he asked quickly. Kami's eyes went wide once more before narrowing sharply.

"How did you…oh, Goku's memories," he murmured, getting a head shake from the boy.

"Kakarot's, more like. You said I was given all of the mindless fighter's memories?" A surprised nod from both men was the only response he got. "Kakarot…his mission was forgotten after that fall…" He took a few deep breaths to try and get everything under control. "If I'm not Son Goku, then I'll be Kakarot. He doesn't remember his heritage anyway, so it's not like he'll miss it."

Kami and his attendant shared a glance but nodded in response. "Then that is what we shall call you," Kami stated. The young man glared at him again.

"I still haven't heard the reason you wished me into existence. From what I'm starting to remember, the Saiyans are on their way here, and you'll still need to wish the original back to life…"

Mr. Popo smiled at him. "We decided to hedge our bets, so to speak. Son Goku will no doubt return much stronger than he left, but aside from Piccolo Jr. and the other martial artists trained by Master Roshi, there will be no others able, or ready, to help."

If anything, Kakarot's expression worsened. "Are you trying to tell me…I'm some sort of backup plan?"

"Ah…" Mr. Popo wasn't sure how to reply to that question. Thankfully, for his sake, Kami answered for him. Unfortunately for them both, his answer sucked.

"In a way, you could look at it like that. I prefer to think of it as doing everything in my power to ensure the safety and protection of planet Earth."

Kakarot stood up, stumbling for a minute as he got used to his childlike body. Once he was stable, he sent both men a glare and strode out of the room, and made his way to the main platform of the Lookout. He concentrated for a moment as he stood at the edge, feeling his Ki with the skill and experience that Goku's memories provided. He turned around to send out one last glare before he shouted out. "I'm pretty sure I'll be there when I'm needed…but right now I need to not be here. I don't think I can handle looking at either of you right now." And with that said, he jumped off the edge of the Lookout.

Kami and Mr. Popo looked at where he'd been standing for a moment before turning to each other. "Have we made a mistake, Mr. Popo?"

His attendant shook his head. "I'm not sure, Kami…"

Their conversation was interrupted by Kakarot flying back up to the Lookout. He didn't look at them and merely went back to the room he'd woken up in. Just a couple of minutes later, he was seen leaving the main building again, though this time he had food stuffed in his mouth and his hands filled with more. Again, he didn't look at them as he walked passed them and jumped off the Lookout.

Kami let out a sigh a few minutes later. "At least we know he's got the same priorities that Goku had." Mr. Popo just nodded, also somewhat relieved.

-=Break=-

Kakarot had never been more embarrassed in his life…lives…memories of various lives. He didn't understand anything that was going on, and it was only worsening his mood. Flying down to Korin's tower was the only thing on his mind currently, as the ancient cat, though certainly a subordinate of Kami's, had always had good advice for him.

When he saw the furry biped, he had to smile. Goku's memories of his time spent here, and Jasper's thoughts about everything had been tempering little Kakarot's raging emotional state. He could already tell that it was going to be a while before he was in any real state to be around people.

"Hoho! So, Kami actually went through with it?", Korin said as Kakarot landed in his tower. "I must say, this brings back memories."

Before Kakarot could say anything, he noticed someone else sitting in the tower, and his vision almost went red when he saw what he was doing. "You! What the hell do you think you're doing with all those, you fat bastard?!", he cried out while pointing an accusatory finger at Yajirobe. "Those things are worth more than your life, you lazy ass!"

Korin looked over at Yajirobe, who'd moved over to where he kept his stock of Senzu Beans and was currently helping himself to the things. Before he could say anything, an orange blur streaked past him and decked the glutton, knocking him unconscious.

"Life-saving miracle beans, and this sack of shit keeps popping them like candy…", Kakarot muttered under his breath before looking back at Korin. "And you've been letting him!"

The cat scratched its chin before shrugging it off. "They keep him quiet, most of the time," he tried to justify, only to get a glare from the boy. "Alright, alright, I'll cut him off from now on."

Kakarot let out a growl. "Korin…you don't seem to understand…with everything coming our way, we'll need these things available to heal, not just to keep a lazy ass from complaining about a lack of food."

He could almost see the sweat appearing on the old cat's head but was afraid to ask how many of the things had been thrown away to Yajirobe over the years. Instead, he looked down at the jar that currently held the available stock and nodded. As long as they didn't get used frivolously, they should have more than enough.

"If you're alright with it, I'm going to take a few with me. I've got some things to do, and these will speed up the process on at least one of them," he said. Considering what had just happened, Korin just nodded 'yes' so he took out five of the things and placed them in a small bag that was laying around. "Thanks, Korin." He gave the cat a formal bow before looking over at the knocked-out form on the floor. "Sorry about the abruptness of my actions…I'm still dealing with a wide range of things right now."

Korin let out a sigh as he waved it off. "Not a problem, kiddo. When I first heard about Kami's and Popo's plan, I wasn't sure how good an idea it was, to be honest. I won't be sure until you get your mental and emotional issues resolved." At Kakarot's raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "Your Ki is all over the place right now, and considering you were born today, I can only imagine what's going on in that head of yours." The cat's eyes narrowed. "You'll need to relearn a lot of Goku's meditation practices soon, or it'll just get worse."

Frowning a bit, Kakarot turned to look away. "Yeah…I'm gonna go deal with that next before anything else." He turned back to one of Goku's former teachers and bowed again. "Thanks again for the help, Korin. Take care," he said before he ran and jumped off the tower.

After a minute had passed, Yajirobe sat up. "Is he gone?", he asked. Korin nodded. "Oh, thank god, I'm starving." He went to reach for a Senzu Bean before getting smacked upside the head by Korin's staff. "Hey! What gives?!"

Korin glared at him, making him shrink back a bit. "I told him I was cutting you off, Yajirobe. You don't get any more of the beans unless it's a life-threatening injury. He's right that we'll need them in the future, so I can't afford to let you eat them just because you're hungry."

The scruffy swordsman scowled as he sat there, rubbing the back of his head. "Damn…what else is there to eat up here?"

-=Break=-

Not sure where else to go, Kakarot seemed to fly aimlessly. He knew he needed a place, away from anyone and everyone, to work out his issues. His frustration and anger were already starting to resurface, Yajirobe being a dumbass hadn't helped, and he could feel his control beginning to slip which was making his flying erratic.

Seeing a familiar mountain range, he decided to descend. He wondered how long it had been since anyone had come out here.

Mount Paozu, where Son Gohan had found, and raised, Son Goku as his adopted grandson. He found the old cabin home was still there, though it was in a bit of disrepair. He stepped inside and nodded to himself. This was as good a place as any to work things out.

It took him a day, from dawn to dusk, to finish cleaning and doing the most needed repairs on the place, only taking long enough to stop so he could hunt and fish for food around noon. Deciding it would be better to have things in stock to cook as needed, he made sure to get more food than he remembered Goku ever eating in one sitting before. About a dozen fish more than twice his size, and a couple of the more aggressive dinosaurs that had forgotten they weren't the apex predators in the region.

With that done, he pulled out enough food to fill him up and began to cook it as quickly as possible. The fish first, as it cooked faster than anything else, and he ate it while the rest of the meal was still on the fire.

For the next week, his routine remained the same. Wake up, eat a 'light' meal, go through a basic workout after stretching, go hunt or gather more food as needed, and then meditate until evening, where he'd eat a large meal. He only deviated from that routine once, to gather some of the rarer herbs and ingredients from the surrounding area that he could trade for other staples, like rice and vegetables. By the time the week was up, he felt much more grounded and optimistic about his situation. Even if he was, as Jasper's memories indicated, in a universe where numerous beings could end all life on a planet with barely more than a thought.

He ended his meditations early and got up. Seeing he had a couple of hours, he decided to start working on the next thing on his list. He tried not to groan at the idea of searching for a needle in a haystack, but it was necessary. He needed to see what his original Attack Ball had inside of it and if any of it was still useful.

He lucked out on his fourth day of searching. He found the trail, he thought, that Son Gohan would have used to find the original Goku and followed it down into a small valley. A small glint of reflected sunlight caught his attention, and after digging through plenty of underbrush and massive vines, he found it.

It took a few minutes to get the thing to open, but once he did he was happy to see it was hermetically sealed. Aside from being old, nothing was inherently wrong with the thing. He dug around in some of the small compartments and found some spare clothes, though not armor. After giving it some thought, he grabbed the stuff, thinking he could hand them off to Bulma to experiment with. He also found what he assumed to be Saibamon seeds and the water to grow them, but they'd rotted to the point that he was positive they wouldn't work. Oh well, not the greatest loss.

With his inspection of the spacecraft done, he closed it back up and lifted it onto his back. It was heavier than he expected it to be, but he gritted his teeth and channeled extra Ki into his limbs as he lifted off the ground and took off for West City at the fastest speed he could handle. It ended up taking him almost two hours to reach his destination.

Goku had been to Capsule Corp before, but it had changed over the years. The main building, and headquarters, of the company had grown in size quite a bit. For Kakarot's sake, that only made it easier to find. Rather than going to the front door, he saw a large yard in the back with a few people relaxing by a pool. A blond that he recognized as Panchy, Bulma's mom, Bulma herself, and Yamcha were all there. Even with his newfound mental fortitude, seeing Yamcha sitting around like that pissed him off. None of them noticed his arrival until he dropped the space pod on the ground with a resounding *THUD*.

"What the?!", Yamcha cried out as he sat up quickly and struck a martial arts pose. Then he almost fell on his face when he saw a young Goku standing there with a scowl. "Goku? Is that you? How did you become young again…wait a minute, who are you?!" His questions and demands, as 'serious' as they were, seemed ridiculous coming from a man wearing a mankini

Bulma had also sat up, her beautiful figure shown to great effect in her tiny white bikini. Her eyes strayed from the impossible form of a childhood version of her best friend and zeroed in on the large object he'd brought with him. "I don't care who you are, what is that?", she demanded, pointing at the Attack Ball with stars in her eyes.

Panchy looked up from her book, smiled at Kakarot, and asked, "Can I get you something to eat, young man?" Good ol' Panchy!

He smiled at the woman. "That would be wonderful, Mrs. Brief, thank you! Carrying this thing around, I really worked up an appetite," he said as he scratched the back of his neck. He did everything he could to not perv on the woman who was wearing a smaller bikini than her daughter, though she'd added a skirt wrap as she stood up so he was spared from staring at her almost bare ass as she walked inside. He turned to look back at Goku's friends. "You, Yamcha, are a miserable excuse of a friend if you're spending your time here instead of preparing for the arrival of two individuals that put Son Goku's brother to shame in terms of power. Did your friend's sacrifice mean nothing to you?"

Yamcha looked like he'd been sucker-punched in the gonads. "Wha…"

Kakarot ignored him from that point on and focused on who he'd actually come here to see. "Hey Bulma, my name is Kakarot. Kami and Mr. Popo, the individuals who trained Son Goku above Korin's Tower, decided to use the Dragon Balls to bring me to life. I was formerly a training tool, a doll, created to help Goku in the past, and by using his DNA, they wished me to life with all his memories," he explained. She seemed to understand easily enough, which was why he wanted to speak with her in the first place. She really was a genius. "What they didn't realize was when they wished for all of Son Goku's memories to be given to me, they also managed to give me his memories as Kakarot, before he fell into a ravine as a child and developed amnesia."

Again, she was a genius. "So you have all his lost memories of being a Saiyan?", she asked quickly. He nodded. "Alright, what can I do for you then, Kakarot? I assume it has to do with the space pod you brought?" Again, she had stars in her eyes just looking at it.

"Indeed. I was hoping to get your help with a few things. You and your father, if he's free," he said as he saw Panchy coming back with a large tray of food and drinks. "I'm sure you'd love to get your hands on advanced space tech, and while this pod is a few decades old, the fundamentals in its design haven't changed much in comparison to the one Raditz used. I'd like you to study it as best as you can and then improve on it."

Bulma had already moved over to start her inspection of the thing, moving at speeds that matched the original Goku's when he first started training with Master Roshi. He decided to leave her to it and enjoy the refreshments that Panchy had brought out, doing his best, again, to not perv on the woman who had no issues at all flaunting her looks with a bright smile.

Yamcha had finally recovered enough from the emotional attack and approached the young Saiyan. "So…you're not Goku?", he asked warily. Kakarot nodded. "But you have all of his memories," the former bandit clarified. Again, Kakarot nodded. "And the guys coming here are stronger than the one that took Goku out?"

"By a wide margin. Raditz, Goku, and their parents were classified as low-class Saiyans. While their father gained respect for the strength he developed, he was an exception. High-class Saiyans are, at their base, massively stronger when they're born. And that strength only grows as they fight over time," Kakarot explained. "Everyone will need to work hard to be ready. If Bulma can help in the way I'm hoping, it won't be insurmountable."

Yamcha stared at the 'young' man and nodded. "I guess I need to get started, then," he said as he went over to where his clothes had been tossed on the ground. Kakarot had to admit, he was impressed by the decisiveness of the man. His previous expectation was that Yamcha would flake out until summoned by Kami to the lookout in a few months. He was happy to be wrong.

"Start by grabbing Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu, and heading over to Korin's tower," he suggested. "He can get you all started on how best to prepare for training up on the Lookout." Yamcha finished pulling on his clothes and nodded before calling out to Bulma that he was heading out. Then he leaped into the air and sped off.

It wasn't until nearly an hour later that Bulma noticed her boyfriend had left but didn't mind it too much when she had so much to learn from the tech she had access to. "So, what do you need once we've learned what we can from this thing?", she asked.

He took a deep breath. "Two things, and the first one is the most important at the moment." She nodded her understanding. "Saiyans were born on a planet that had a much greater gravitational pull on it compared to Earth. About ten times greater," he said, getting a wide-eyed reaction from the blue-haired woman. "I need you to develop a machine, a chamber, that can increase the gravity of the room it's in by at least that much, though hopefully more. And I'll need at least six of them."

Bulma stared at him, but a voice from behind gave him the answer he was hoping for. "That sounds like a fun project," Dr. Brief said as he walked up to the Attack Ball. "It shouldn't be too difficult to achieve, maybe a couple of weeks." Bulma glanced at her father but didn't correct him. "What's the other thing, young man?"

Kakarot gestured at the Attack Ball. "A spaceship. At least as fast, but again I'm hoping faster, than this one, and large enough to house its own gravity training area, along with at least four or five passengers."

Dr. Brief nodded easily, still looking at the spacecraft in front of him. "That shouldn't be too difficult either, though it will take more time."

Kakarot waved it off. "That's fine. As I said, the training chambers are the priority right now." Then he went over and opened the door and pulled out the clothes he'd found. "Also, if you have time, look into this material. It stretches to any size while retaining its shape and fit. It might be an interesting thing to market."

Bulma grabbed it from his hands and looked at it in excitement. "It's soft! A true one-size-fits-all!" Her parents laughed, but she ignored them and gave the boy a look. "I'm not making anything orange," she flat-out stated.

With a snort, Kakarot replied, "That's fine with me. I like loose pants and traditional cloth shoes, but I wouldn't mind something other than a gi to wear." Then he felt a chill go down his spine and realized he'd made a mistake. Looking at Bulma, he saw that she had literal flames in her eyes and a manic grin on her face.

"Oh?! Then we'll have to go shopping to see what looks best on you…"

He did the only sensible thing. He jumped into the sky to escape. "Thanks for the help! Bye!"

"Go…KAKAROT!", Bulma screamed up at him. "COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT! I'VE DREAMT ABOUT GETTING EACH OF YOU MORONS INTO ACTUAL CLOTHES FOR YEARS, SO DON'T YOU DARE TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!"

Panchy chuckled behind her hand as she came up behind her daughter. "Bulma, I think he's gone already. I'm sure he'll be happy to go shopping with you when he comes back."

The bluenette's eyes regained the burning flames and she grinned again. "Right! He won't escape from me again. I'll beet some style into those muscleheads, one way or another."

-=Break=-

Again, Kakarot felt a chill go up his spine. "I feel like I've made a terrible mistake," he whispered as he flew back to Grandpa Gohan's cabin. He had some meditation to get back to.

-=Break=-

End Chapter 1.

AN: This is my own attempt at an idea that I read by 0 Jordinio 0, called To Go Even Further Beyond! It's a great read, and I recommend it to anyone who likes the DBZ franchises.

I don't want to fall into the trap that a lot of people do with Dragonball fanfics with regard to power scaling. It's hard not to, especially with self-insert, reincarnation, and time travel being popular tropes. I know that there will be unavoidable changes already, just from the first chapter. I'm just hoping that it won't get ridiculous too quickly.

My goal for this fanfic is to end before the Android Saga. I think dealing with Saiyans, Namek, and Frieza will be a good stopping point here, and then a sequel could be written later that would pick it up. We'll see if I can follow through with that goal.

To that end, I'm using perfect-power-level-list dot fandom dot com to get the base power levels and multipliers for each and any transformations. If there's a better site or 'calculator', please let me know.

Kakarot: 260 (The strength Goku reached before fighting King Piccolo)

Goku: 416 (No weights while fighting Raditz)

Piccolo: 408 (No weights while fighting Raditz)

Yamcha: 177 (The slacker!)

Krillin: 206 (Baldy can lift!)

Tien: 250 (The strongest Earthling! Until he becomes obsolete…)

Chiaotzu: 150 (Forever the weakest link!)

Yajirobe: 250 (I call BS on this one, but since he, like many others, becomes obsolete…meh)

Gohan: 3-1307 (The powerhouse! With no control or desire to fight…and yet we love the adorable little guy!)

As always, comments and reviews are welcome.

-Phail