Earth, Kami's Lookout
Krillin sat on the floor, cross-legged, in deep thought. The monk had been rather reserved over the past few months, working on something in silence. He had come to a realisation over the past few months – he would never be able to catch up to the likes of Goku, Piccolo and Tien with just training, it was simply out of the question. For as long as he had known Goku and Tien, they were prodigies in their own right; their potential for growth far surpassed his own. Even Piccolo was a monster – the reincarnation of Earth's greatest threat. Well, he was until Raditz showed up.
To Krillin this was an issue. He had been utterly sidelined in the last battle to defend the Earth – of course, it wasn't by choice, but the fact that he couldn't do anything made him feel rather useless – just what had he been training for all these years? To catch up to his comrades, Krillin needed to improve, and he needed to improve fast. The monk was a sneaky fighter and rather fast on his feet, so he knew raw power was not his forte… no, in fact, Krillin had been developing a thought for a while now, ever since Kami had taught him how to better control and even morph his ki into various shapes, Krillin had been working on creating a rather powerful move.
He got up, breathed in deeply and set off towards a nearby mountain range. Upon arrival, Krillin scoped his surroundings – he was completely alone.
"Alright… let's see if this works out…" the monk mumbled to himself, before raising his left arm above him. He could feel his ki moving throughout his body, coming together at a point in his palm before dispersing into the air as electrical, yellow energy. Krillin kept his thoughts together, envisioning one, specific image: a razor-sharp rotating edge.
Above his palm, Krillin, with his ki, began to form a flat, circular object with dangerously sharp edges. The wind whistled upon encountering the sharp edge of the attack.
"Alright… here goes nothing...!" Krillin announced, his previously nervous expression changing slowly into one of more confidence. Krillin stared at the mountain top ahead of him – that was his target. Krillin thought for a second as he channelled his ki a bit more, before grinning.
"DESTRUCTO DISK!" The monk exclaimed, launching his attack. It whizzed through the air at a high, sharp speed before coming into contact with the mountain top. Krillin moved his fingers to manipulate the trajectory of the disk before watching in awe as it sliced right through the rock structure. For a second, he wavered – did nothing happen? Did his attack fail?
Then, the mountain top came right off - in fact, the cut was so clean Krillin even watched it slide right down the mountain. Krillin's eyes widened before his mouth contorted into a huge grin as he then began laughing in joy.
"No way… it worked even better than I thought it would. Haha! That's amazing!" Krillin beamed, before collapsing onto the ground, arms and legs splayed out as he stared at the practically perfect blue sky above him.
Though the monk was still scared and unsure on what was going to happen in a few month's time, he promised himself he wasn't going to go down without a fight. Krillin would defend the Earth just as heroically as his best friends.
"Goku… Tien… I wonder what you guys are up to right now…"
Other World, King Kai's Planet
A month had passed since Tien's arrival on King Kai's planet. King Kai had been enjoying a morning tea, listening in on all the events ongoing in his little quadrant of the universe, when, suddenly, he had heard a familiar shriek.
The Kai turned his head, his eyes having widened at the sight. Underneath Tien's arms was a captured Bubbles, shrieking in what seemed to be both joy and confusion – how the hell had Tien grown so quick?
The Triclops himself, however, had nothing but a look of joy on his face as he approached his master. "I've done it, King Kai. I finally caught Bubbles."
King Kai smiled in excitement. He's even more impressive than I thought… the Kaio thought to himself. Maybe, he'll be the first of my students to master the Kaio-Ken!
"You have, Tien, well done! It took you only a month to master the gravity of this planet. I applaud you, truly!" The Kaio announced, nodding in approval before donning a serious expression. "Now… my training is more difficult than you can ever imagine. Are you ready?! Do you think you have what it takes?!"
Tien steeled himself, his eyes widening in excitement as he let Bubbles down, staring at King Kai in awe as he felt the Kai's aura of excitement.
"Yes, King Kai! I'm ready."
King Kai nodded in approval once again. "I will train you to be the best! The greatest! The strongest fighter in the universe! Physically, mentally, spiritually, in every way!" He then took a deep breath and turned. "But first, let's have some breakfast."
Tien dropped to the ground in exhaustion.
A few hours later, King Kai and a now replenished Tien stood outside, staring at each other. King Kai broke the silence first.
"Now, to master this technique, you must have incredible ki control. From what I've observed over the past month, you seem to be better than average… but still… it is not enough!" The Kai announced. "Watch me."
The blue bug-man roared as he powered up, a white aura bursting out from his entire body, before he corrected it until it was a mere white outline. Tien observed – in both states, King Kai had been exerting the exact same amount of power, however, by correcting it, he ensured that no ki was wasted in powering up. Now, in this state where the ki was outlined around his body, Tien could tell that King Kai had near complete control over how much energy he wanted to use.
"I see…" the Triclops uttered, before immediately flaring his aura in return. King Kai inwardly scoffed – was he really going to embarrass himself? There was no way he would pick up such a technique so soon. But then again, the Kai wasn't so sure – Tien had exhibited so much talent already that it would be wrong to assume he wasn't able to do it.
Tien breathed in deeply before letting out a loud cry, flaring his yellow aura. It was so bright that the Kai had to blink a few times to adjust to it, though by the time he had, Tien was already compressing it to the same degree – no, even finer than King Kai had done himself! The Kai watched in what could only be described as awe as a perfect yellow outline enveloped Tien.
"Good job Tien!" King Kai applauded. "I underestimated you… your ki control is far more advanced than it should be, perhaps the best I've ever seen! Other than myself, of course…" the Kai chuckled awkwardly, not wanting to reveal he had been outdone by his student in that regard.
"Tien! It's time for you to learn one of my greatest techniques… the Kaio Ken…!"
Kami's Lookout, Earth
"Go easy Mr. Popo! I just ate!" Yamcha exclaimed as he held his arms up to block a kick from the genie, who had his hands behind his back as he sparred with the human warrior.
Mr. Popo smirked as he felt Yamcha direct his ki to defend from the attack – the warrior was now learning, but of course, he still had a way to go. Mr. Popo brought his leg back and struck Yamcha in the gut which he had left completely unguarded. Even though Yamcha was far stronger than the genie in principle, he lacked technique, focus and finesse. Mr. Popo made sure to let him know that.
The desert bandit guffawed as he fell on his ass, staring up at the genie with hurt and betrayal plastered on his face. "Man, I've gotta be faster at that, huh…" the warrior sighed, scratching the back of his head as he stood up.
"But then again… what if I just…" Yamcha paused, his eyes widening. He had an idea – it was a rather risky, a kind of stupid idea, but he figured it was best to try it. "Mr. Popo! Let's go again!"
The genie raised an eyebrow, before getting into a battle stance once again. "Have you figured something out, Yamcha?" he questioned as he delivered a blow to Yamcha's face, which the warrior narrowly dodged.
"Yeah… let me try something," the bandit spoke as he powered up – a vicious, blue aura surrounded him as he did so. Then, Yamcha breathed in deeply – he kept the aura as it was, pulsing outwards, then, in a flash, he appeared behind Mr. Popo, delivering a swift kick to the genie's back. Mr. Popo managed to block it at the last second by turning around, but he could not deliver a counter-attack – Yamcha's aura was far too aggressive and reactive; the second Mr. Popo came within an inch of it, Yamcha was ready to defend himself and deliver a returning attack – this showed true when he was forced back with a powerful kick to his stomach, sending the genie flying a few feet away.
Mr. Popo was impressed. Yamcha had developed a technique of his own, a fighting style that worked for him – but of course, it was still in it's budding state. This form had many flaws, which Mr. Popo witnessed first-hand as Yamcha collapsed to the ground, exhausted, panting heavily.
"That was quite the spectacle… I see you're figuring something out, Yamcha!"
Both Mr. Popo and Yamcha turned their heads to the voice – it was Kami, a rather excited grin present on his face as he approached them.
"Haha… yeah… I'm not all too good at focusing and directing my ki so, if I figured, if I let it all out in short bursts, maybe I can do more damage," Yamcha explained, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as he slowly got up. "But it's way too risky to use in actual battle… I don't think I'd be able to pull it off without some major repercussions."
Mr. Popo nodded. "You left yourself far too open the second your aura dispersed. But playing aggressive in the short time you were enveloped by your aura was quite the move!"
"Aw yeah? Then I'll get to perfecting it soon!" Yamcha grinned, shooting Mr. Popo a thumbs up before turning around. "I better hit the toilet… I feel dinner coming back up…"
Kami smiled as he watched his pupil walk away. "They're growing fast, aren't they Mr. Popo?" The elder Namekian spoke.
"They have improved magnificently, Kami. They grew in power far greater and even faster than Goku had during his time with us..." Mr. Popo observed.
Kami closed his eyes as he sensed all their energies. Krillin and Yamcha had far surpassed the power Raditz had been upon his arrival on Earth – Yajirobe was growing at a slower rate, but he could keep up with Krillin and Yamcha. Chiaotzu still had a ways to go, though he had still grown significantly – Goku before his death would have struggled a lot against the psychic. This perplexed Kami to an extent – he had noted something very interesting about humanity and it's rate of growth.
When faced with times of stress or danger, humanity grows to an extent that is practically incomparable to that of other races – this was true in many fields, technology, intelligence, spiritual growth and now in particular, physical growth… perhaps their accelerated rate of growth in times of trouble was humanity's greatest asset?
Kami shook his head, clearing those thoughts. This was something he would continue to observe another time – for now, he had far more pressing matters to discuss with his closest friend.
"I fear for Chiaotzu however, Mr. Popo… recently, his thoughts have been far too clouded. Tien's loss has been weighing on him, I fear," Kami began, looking to his friend. "I believe he blames himself for it."
Mr. Popo mused for a bit before nodding. "You're right, Kami. I think he has understood the gravity of losing someone for the first time, and it isn't ideal that he knows Tien is being brought back to life to face another deadly situation head on…" the genie commented as he turned away from Kami, looking instead towards the other end of the lookout where Chiaotzu seemed to be meditating. "A psychic with a clouded mind is a very concerning matter."
Kami nodded. "I will do what I can for him, but this is a matter only Chiaotzu can face head on."
Mr. Popo returned the nod before a sudden realisation came to mind. "Ooh! That reminds me. How are the rest of our warriors getting on?"
Kami couldn't help himself as a smile crept its way onto his face. "Very well, Mr. Popo, very well. Even Chichi has begun her training with Fortune Teller Baba – which I must commend her for. It takes a lot of mental strength to keep going in the face of such misfortune, losing both her husband and her son on the same day… I truly respect her."
Kami then closed his eyes once again, sensing the many energies on his planet. He homed in on Piccolo's energy signature and was rather surprised – the Namekian had not stopped growing in power at all, whilst Gohan was also showing impressive growth to a smaller extent.
"Piccolo has been growing very steadily, and from what I can sense, Raditz and Roshi have grown as well – especially Raditz. His mental turmoil seems to have calmed down… I can now firmly believe that he is to be on our side in this coming battle."
Kami smiled. Perhaps the Earth was more prepared than he had originally thought.
Otherworld, Hell
Son Goku flared his energy as he shot upwards towards the yellow clouds that lined the skies of Hell. With an almost primal roar, the Saiyan managed to blast through the clouds – but just before he could see Snake Way, just before he could return, Hell dragged him back down in the form of a terrible weight, an almost elastic force that shot him down at double the speed he was sent up.
This was around the twenty-seventh time that Goku was brought down. Each time Bardock had scowled in frustration, whilst Gine smiled softly and told him that they'd get it next time. This time was no different.
"Come on, Kakarot! What's holding you back, huh?!" The elder Saiyan roared, destroying the rock structure next to him in frustration with a single punch. "We've spent the past month training for what?! You're almost as strong as me now, and you still can't get out of this dump?"
"I dunno…" Goku responded, staring up at the clouds he had just fallen from.
Gine frowned. "It's not his fault, Bardock. Even if he doesn't belong here, it would never be that easy to get out of Hell." She put a hand on her son's shoulder, smiling softly at him. "You got much closer this time though!"
Goku gave a weak smile in response. Though Gine was right, he agreed with Bardock more. What was holding him back? Why wasn't he strong enough to leave? The past month had been nothing but sparring and beat-downs from his father which had resulted in him getting far stronger at an incredible rate. But all of that was for nought if he couldn't get to King Kai's in time – from what Bardock had told him, Vegeta and Nappa would be very, very powerful if they had been serving as soldiers for the past two decades, and though he didn't want to admit it, Bardock told Goku even he would have tough time with a Nappa that had twenty years of combat experience.
"Kakarot, come sit down," Bardock ordered sitting cross-legged on the floor, snapping his son out of the trance he was in. "Talk to me, what exactly is on your mind?"
The Saiyan from Earth frowned as he sat in front of his father. "All I wanna do is get on Snake Way and make my way to King Kai so I can train…"
"But…?" Bardock interjected Kakarot, snapping his son out of his thoughts once again. "Be honest with me, Kakarot! Get to the point!"
Goku couldn't put his thoughts into words – they were new to him, alien, even. He enjoyed the time he had spent with his parents, and he didn't want to cut it short. They had taught him a lot about Saiyans, their planet, their past… and even Raditz. Knowing what his elder brother had likely been through, Goku felt a little sympathy for how he treated him – but he did not regret his actions. He was defending his family from Raditz, after all.
Bardock was beginning to get frustrated, but before he could speak again, his wife stepped up instead.
"He doesn't want to leave us, Bardock," Gine spoke, realisation dawning on her face. She watched her son look at her and slowly begin to smile, nodding.
"Yeah…! Something like that, I guess… y'know, since I've been raising Gohan with Chichi and all recently, I started thinking about how my parents would have raised me. Of course, I had Grandpa Gohan – like I told you guys – and I really appreciate everything he's done for me, but there's something different about spending time with you guys, if that makes sense…" the younger Saiyan explained, looking between his parents, gaging their reactions.
Bardock groaned and facepalmed. "That sappy shit is holding you back? Kakarot, come on! Grow a pair and get the fuck outta here, you've got a family to protect." he grumbled. Though he couldn't deny that he understood his son – Bardock had also enjoyed the time he had spent with his boy, it was rather refreshing, to say the least.
Surprisingly, Goku grinned in response to Bardock. "Haha! I guess you're kinda right, Dad, but still, I can't exactly help it, y'know?"
Gine whipped Bardock on the back of his head with her tail, earning a groan of pain from the gruff man. "Bardock."
"Yeah yeah, I get it, emotions matter and all that," he responded, folding his arms and looking away.
"Now, Kakarot… whilst I understand you completely, your father's also correct, in a way that's a little less harsh. We've enjoyed this time with you too, but you have more important matters to take care of… the way this place is designed, it feeds on your emotions, regrets, wants, needs, it holds you back. Even the kindest soul would fall victim to Hell's torture… but you don't belong here at all, Kakarot. I'm glad I got to spend this time with you, but I knew it was fleeting from the start."
Gine paused, looking at her son, who was listening intently – entirely focused on his mother's words. This was a first; despite the very little time they had spent together, Kakarot had made his short attention span very apparent. Knowing she had her son's full focus earned him a warm smile.
"You go back up there, get your training, and show Vegeta and Nappa hell when you get revived. Then, when it's really your time, by then, perhaps Bardock and I will have been granted entry into Heaven and we'll get to see each other."
Bardock scoffed at the notion of him getting into Heaven.
Goku nodded firmly, sucking in his snotty nose and wiping his teary eyes, newfound confidence and determination present in his face and form as he stood up.
"Yeah! Alright… I should suck it up and just go, huh?" He chuckled, scratching the back of his head as he stared upwards. Gine nodded, tears in her eyes as she hugged her son suddenly, with Goku almost falling over before hugging his mother back.
Bardock observed the scene with a small smile, before getting up, preparing to say goodbye to his son too.
"Alright Kakarot, bring it in," Bardock stated, a mischievous look on his face as he held his arms out. Goku's eyes widened as he raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Hugs don't really seem like your style, Dad…" the younger Saiyan spoke, lowering his guard. That was a mistake. Bardock smirked as he grabbed Kakarot by the arm and swung him in a circle, launching him into the sky at a rather impressive speed.
"Just kidding!" He shouted after his now rocketing son. "Hugs aren't my style."
Gine rolled her eyes, knowing Bardock would pull a stunt like that – hugs were most definitely not his style. She turned upwards to her son and smiled as she waved.
"Take care, Kakarot! Keep my grandson safe! Talk to your brother! Do it for us! We love you!" Gine shouted as Bardock put an arm around his wife. Gine almost flinched – physical affection from her husband was rare.
"Heh. Our son turned out pretty good, didn't he?"
Gine smirked. "What're you trying to say, Bardock?"
Bardock flushed, looking away from his wife as he mumbled.
"I mean… I guess, it wouldn't be wrong to say that I'm uh… proud of him, I suppose…" the gruff Saiyan let out, before turning his gaze back towards his son. "I can feel it. He's gonna do it this time, Gine."
Goku was taken aback by Bardock's sudden attack, but it wasn't enough to shake him. He smirked as he steeled himself – he couldn't let them down, nor did he have any more time to waste. Bardock's training should have made him far stronger… he knew he had to get onto Snake Way this time, and he hoped his newfound power would help him complete the gruelling path faster.
As he shot through the clouds, Goku came across the all-to familiar invisible barrier. The point at which he would be sent back down. But this time, he roared in defiance, letting go of any and all thoughts as his aura flared. He felt himself dwindle, he felt something pull him back, but he fought back. Not this time!
"Ka… me… ha… me…" Goku uttered, a blue ball of powerful energy forming beneath his feet as he pushed forward. "HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A brilliant blue light erupted from the ball at the Saiyan's feet, launching him upwards at an incredible speed. Goku grit his teeth as the Kamehameha propelled him upwards with tremendous force. The invisible barrier seemed to warp and ripple as he approached, but still it held firm. Goku let out a primal roar, pushing every ounce of power into maintaining the energy beam.
Cracks began to form in the barrier as Goku neared. With a final defiant scream, he pierced through, shattering the wall.
As he pierced through the sky, Goku let go of his beam and his ki, dropping back onto familiar ground. He had done it – Goku was back on Snake Way!
He grinned. He had overcome the first difficulty, but now, he had to get back on track. For a second, he looked down, trying to sense the energies of his parents. When he couldn't, he sighed, letting go of his thoughts and looking forward.
"Tien… King Kai… just you wait, I'm on my way!"
Author's Note
Hey guys. Sorry for the longer wait between this chapter and the last. This is among the last few chapters before the arrival of the Saiyans, just developing relationships, characters, and techniques. Let me know what you guys think of the chapter and whether it's getting drawn out. Thank you for all the kind reviews. I really appreciate and read all of them.
Q: Will you pair Yamcha with someone? He's always left out in romantic relationship.
A: Yes, I plan to.
Q: Maybe next time, let someone beta-read for you and get better. You're amazing writer and improvement is important.
A: Thank you so much! I'll try to look for a beta-reader whilst I keep your critique in mind.
Q: If Piccolo is stronger with about a year's training, will he still die in the fight with Nappa?
A: Since I don't have to stick to canon, perhaps Vegeta and Nappa might be stronger, too?
Q: Will Piccolo and Raditz be stronger in this story?
A: Yes, they will. Piccolo and Raditz are two of my favourite characters, and I would love to give them more attention.
Q: Will Nappa still be alive in this story?
A: Haha! I get this question every chapter, but the answer seems to change. I've now made my decision – we will see!
Q: What are your plans for Bardock and Gine?
A: DBZ: Dynasty fans will be pleased with what I have decided for them.
Q: Will Chi-Chi have a bigger role?
A: Bigger than she had in canon, yeah. Not to the extent of our main cast, however.
Q: What will Kami do with the dragon balls?
A: Upgrade them so both Goku and Tien can come back – but the repercussions of this may be deadly!
Q: Do you have plans with original Dragon Ball series characters?
A: Hmm… not in the grand scheme of things, but for filler and relaxed arcs, yes.
Q: Do you have plans with Dragonball's wider universe like Frieza's/Cold family Empire and Galactic Patrol?
A: Yes! Please leave in the reviews all of the wider universe characters that could make an interesting character/arc/story.
Q: Would you introduce Android 17 and 18 or at least their human self early or as cameos until their debut in Android/Cell saga?
A: This is something to think about!
Q:
Is Goku going to help Bardock and Gine get out of hell?
A: Didn't I say I was a huge fan of Dynasty?
Q: Is King Kai going to teach the Kaioken to Tien?
A: Now you know!
Q: Does Tien learn the spirit bomb? Or is he not purely spiritual enough? Because King Kai's techniques requires the user to be a clean/good soul or something like that?
A: Nah. I'll say it straight out – I feel like the Spirit Bomb is the perfect technique for Goku. Save for Gohan, it wouldn't feel right for any other character (in my eyes) to use it.
Q: Tien being referred as Triclops, is Tien a alien? Will his origins be explored?
A: Yes! Canonically, Tien descends from the Triclops – an alien race. Correct me if I'm wrong. Yes, they will!
Q: Will Chi-Chi learn more magic/be a sorceress?
A: To be honest – I don't think I'll explore that route too much. But it does seem like something I should consider.
Q: Will you do the Dead Zone Movie/Will the Z-fighters fight Garlic Jr. prior to the Saiyans?
A: Yeah, just trying to figure out where in the timeline…
Q: Will you do the World's Strongest movie before the Saiyans?
A: Hmm.. still trying to figure out the timeline, to be honest, but I might not do that one.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR READING! PLEASE LEAVE MORE REVIEWS!