Test 674-3(Extended)

Subject Matter: Dragon Ball(Original Anime)

Target: Pilaf(A.K.A. The Great King Pilaf or Emperor Pilaf)

Results:

Note 1: 0-5 Council, in a 7 to 6 decision, authorized the test, pursuant to the limitations of the SCP being tested, versus SCP 3922, which had previously had this franchise denied, due to the sheer scale of power of fictional characters contained within. This vote came only after extensive tests with other projections using 674's abilities, finding that no 'counter attacks' ever ranged more than a dozen feet from the transmission device, and could be blocked via conventional and esoteric means.

Note 2: To avoid any complications of a possible K-Class extent, this test is conducted with the viewing source aimed upwards at such an angle that no counters fired from within could strike the surface of the Earth, and at such times to avoid angles wherein celestial bodies easily visible from Earth(Any other object within the Sol System) would be impacted, should the attack extend outward from the source in a longer form than anticipated.

Note 3: The D-Class has been exempted from all Terminations for the duration of this test, due to the extensive amount of media that will be covered.

The D-Class(Female, Caucasian, of approximately middle age) is familiar with the franchise she is being tested with, and thus, only needs to be informed of a few names. After some discussion, it is decided to start at the beginning, and execute Pilaf, due to his nature as a 'first arc' antagonist, to see how the narrative is affected by his absence. As such, when he and his subordinates appear in the first episode of the Dragon Ball series, he is shot, the projectile taking the form of a normal in universe bullet.

It should be noted that, like characters of certain western animation, Dragon Ball characters are sometimes immune to bullets, and had he proven so, the D-Class would have been terminated at this point, to prevent counter attacks if possible. The D-Class was not told of this, but seemed shocked when the character was instantly killed by the shot while holding the titular jeweled orb, causing his two subordinates to panic, claiming he'd been shot by some kind of curse attached to the ball, and rushed to replace it in the ruins they'd found it in.

Mai and Shu, the aforementioned subordinates, then exit the narrative. While these two would have originally made several appearances in later arcs of Dragon Ball and even a later iteration, Super, in this instance, their exit causes them to cease to exist as far as the narrative is concerned, and they are never mentioned again past this point.

Unexpectedly, given their minor role in following episodes, several things are changed. Without Bulma(A female character within the series) noticing someone else collecting the Dragon Balls, something she'd been aware of in the original series, she insists Goku(The series lead character) and she, take their time, even plan out days.

This has multiple knock on effects. Whereas the original series first arc took place over merely a few days, this instance causes the arc to take several in universe weeks. In particular, when the pair assist a turtle and meet his companion Master Roshi afterwards, Bulma allows Goku to stay with Master Roshi for some preliminary training and testing for a week, which pushes back several events, and alters others.

Oolong, a metamorph, is arrested, instead of joining with the group, after Goku defeats him in combat, and Yamcha, another warrior, who originally matched Goku in prowess as a fighter, in part at least, is defeated soundly, and demands to know how he is so strong, being told of Master Roshi's training, and then going off to see if he can get in on that action for himself, rather than following Bulma and Goku.

The pair deal with minor antagonist, Boss Rabbit, and then proceed into the nearby dungeon where Pilaf's gang had been in the original episode, followed by going for the final Dragon Ball, which is, as noted by Bulma, and thus why they saved it for last, in the possession of the Ox-King, a man of considerable power.

This altered order of events and companions results in Chi-Chi, Goku's wife in the original narrative, meeting the two together, and taking a dislike to Bulma immediately, and finding Goku to be an 'uncouth plebeian' which annuls any chances of future matrimony, though the pair still agree to gain the assistance of Master Roshi, who possess an item necessary to access the Ox-King's Castle, which he himself has not been able to enter for some time due to a cursed fire.

Upon returning to Master Roshi, the pair are shocked to find that he has two students. One is Yamcha, the other is Krillin, another fighter from the original series. While Goku, Krillan, and Yamcha have a spar, Bulma convinces Roshi to help with the Ox-King's castle(The D-Class notes that Bulma does indeed surrender a pair of her panties in exchange, something Roshi was not able to actually obtain in the original narrative).

The group sets out for Ox-King's castle, and Roshi reveals he lacks the item necessary to extinguish the flames that engulf it, and thus prevent access. After some discussion, he asks Ox-King, a former student of his, for permission to deal with the fire, in a way that will likely damage the castle, and the Ox-King gives his blessing, before grabbing his daughter and running from the scene.

The students, Goku, and Bulma then watch Roshi assume a larger, more muscular state, before he fires the Kamehameha Wave, a signature attack of the series. A blast of energy, expelled from the hands after a moment of focus, the attack, as it had in the original series, devastates the landscape, and utterly destroys the Ox-King's castle, scattering debris far and wide, though it does extinguish the flames.

Goku, again as in the original narrative, attempts the Kamehameha himself, and, along with the other students, and much to the shock of Roshi, all three are able to, if slightly, perform the technique. This caused the old master some distress, given it took him decades to perfect the same skill. In the meantime, Bulma discovers the Dragon Ball in the rubble of the castle, and then asks Goku to accompany her to a desert area nearby, to make use of them.

The two part from the others, and Bulma along with Goku wind up in an area near Pilaf's Castle, which is identified as such via a caption note, though it has also been abandoned, with several holes in one wall, indicating a massive battle recently. Neither character comments, save Bulma saying the world just isn't as safe as it used to be.

Goku, tired after the day's events, decides to allow Bulma to make her wish alone, as she'd said it was private anyway. Setting up the Dragon Balls, Bulma summons the Eternal Dragon, Shenron, using them. This results in the sky turning dark, and a huge Easter Style 'Serpentine' dragon appears in the sky, declaring its name for all to hear, before telling her to speak her wish, and it shall be granted.

What follows is a comedy sequence, as Bulma's wish had not changed from the series start, this one being 'for a boyfriend'. Shenron, interestingly, actually seems amused by this, and asks for her definition of one, which she lists off, and in the span of a few sentence, Shenron points out how each item on the list applies to Goku already, making Bulma blush, and insist she only just met him, to which Shenron reminds her, she'd only just meet whoever he summoned anyhow.

This leads into her discussing aloud what to wish for, and Shenron helpfully supplies the idea that she could ask him what she could do to woo the boy of her dreams(remarking at this point they are only 2 years difference in age). She does just that, and at first, Shenron seems to consider, before saying all she needs is to find a way to help him get stronger. She questions if that's right, and he begins to say it would work on any Saiyan.

At this point, Shenron freezes, and a figure the D-Class did not recognize steps out from behind the tent Goku is sleeping in. While the D-Class lacked the artistic skill to draw the character, the description was enough for someone familiar with Akira Toriyama(Dragon Ball's creator)'s other works to be identified as his in-universe persona, Tori-Bot.

Shenron sweats nervously at this point, as Tori-Bot makes a 'shush' gesture. Bulma, noting this, follows Shenron's eyes, but Tori-Bot had already vanished, and Shenron merely states that getting stronger would work on just about any warrior like Goku, before quickly saying the wish had been granted, and vanishing as the Dragon Balls scatter, becoming inert stones for one year.

Bulma, still a bit flustered, decides to sleep on the advice, and in the morning, asks Goku what he plans on doing. Of course, his plan is to retrieve the Four Star Dragon Ball(A memento of his Grandfather), but, since that will take a year, he'll probably head back to Master Roshi and see if he'll take him as a third student, though he admits he might have to find another master, given Roshi might be busy.

Bulma, seeing her chance, declares she can get Goku stronger than any master like him, using her smarts, her dad's money, and all the technology at their disposal, she can make him stronger than anyone else in the world. Much to her delight, Goku seems excited at the prospect, and the two set off towards West City, home of Capsule Corp. a large in-universe company owned by Bulma's father.

What follows is a three episode 'filler arc' with the pair exploring the city, which excites Goku, who had lived in the woods with his Grandfather, Gohan, all his life. Then, as they wind down the fun, Bulma begins to ask him questions about his strength, and even testing him, noting that, per mass, he's a lot stronger than he should be, allowing her to eventually observe 'ki', and learn how it works from Goku.

With that information in mind, she sets about not only designing a training regimen, using holograms and robots to teach Goku all publicly listed techniques of the great masters(Including some of Roshi's own), but also begins to work on a way to increase his ki. Learning it rises, like muscles, she at first believes some way to increase gravity would be best, hinting at the gravity training that came later.

However, she dismisses this, as that training would have limits. She is up late at night, and leans over an older project, the Microband(Not introduced in the series for an arc beyond this one normally), and then realizes she can adjust it, to create a compression field, similar to Capsules from which Capsule Corp. takes its name, that would constantly press inward, from all angles on Goku's body.

Goku, who was already quite thankful for the other training, placed the 'Limiters' as they would come to be known on his shoulders and hips, at the points where his limbs and body met. The result was an instant decrease in his power, which he wondered why that would be useful, but Bulma, after turning them off and testing his strength without them, told him to leave them on for a week.

At the end of the week, Goku is shocked to find his strength increased, quite significantly. Bulma, looking at him, claims that, without training, the Limiters should provide a 1% daily increase in power, multiplicatively. She has to then explain that, every seventy days, without any other training, he would double in strength, with training during that time only increasing the growth rate.

He seems elated at this, and the series then montages several months, as Bulma returns to her high school, while Goku trains in her home, the pair getting together in the mornings and afternoons, learning about each other, and growing closer. Bulma also begins to educate Goku as well, helping him to learn things about the world his upbringing did not, which eventually culminates in learning what a girlfriend is.

This causes the pair to briefly separate, including Goku returning to his old home, to ask what he should do, as well as clean it up, in honor of his grandfather. It seems he has an answer, however, when a picture of Gohan falls from the small shrine he'd made to him, the hand pointing in the direction of West City. He takes it as the sign, and by the end, he and Bulma have a kiss, one that leaves both of them blushing.

They still sleep in separate rooms for the remainder of their time in Capsule Corp. HQ, but, as Bulma's time in school winds down, she and Goku hang out more, resulting in a small, but profitable education in engineering for Goku, as well as Bulma gaining at least a small interest in his techniques, not only gaining some ki training herself, but fashioning a set of Limiters as well, which she begins to wear regularly.

After some episodes of filler, Goku notes that the Budokai Tenkaichi(World Martial Arts Tournament, a gathering of fighters held once every three years in universe), is coming up, and he wonders if Master Roshi, Krillin, and Yamcha will compete, with Bulma accelerating her schooling so she is done a week before the tournament, and the two then go to the island for Goku to participate, as well as to meet their friends.

They have an entire episode dedicated to meeting up, showing Yamcha and Krillin in the orange gis of the Turtle Hermit School(Master Roshi's style of combat), while Goku himself has been wearing a jumpsuit provided by Bulma that has the Capsule corp. Logo on the back. The three trade stories of their training, which, for the pair under Roshi, was actually slightly accelerated compared to canon(Likely a result of not needing to educate Goku, who was quite smart, but lacked education, in the original timeline).

This eventually leads into the tournament, where Master Roshi dons a disguise as 'Jackie Chun', so as to show his students there was always another hill to climb, given their current skills would likely be enough to defeat any opponent in the competition. And that does prove prophetic, as the four of them, in different seeds, quickly take down every opponent put in their path.

When the final public matches come up, 8 fighters in one and one battles, the four are paired up against random opponents for the first round, and then with Goku vs Krillin, and Jackie Chun vs Yamcha. The first match is probably the most altered, as at first, it seems Goku is the weaker opponent, and Krillin appears to dominate the match, as Goku, while knowing individual moves, seems less able to strike back.

Then he reveals that he'd been fighting at Limit Release Level One, and explains that the Limiters on his body keep him from hurting others, with each Level increasing his power to ten times the last. So Krillin, being quite strong himself, is indeed able to fight ten Gokus at once. But then Goku activated Release Level Two, and goes up ten times in power again, revealing that their power gap is not only wider, but goes in the other direction.

Goku, using several techniques he had not been able to before, defeats Krillin soundly, the bald young monk quite put out...until Goku offers him a hand up, and the pair smile at each other, a friendship forming quickly, as they walk off the arena floor, to allow Yamcha and the disguised Master Roshi to have their match up, the young man actually showing the older more than a little more respect than he had in their match in the original timeline.

It is also a much closer match in general, as Yamcha at this time is not so underpowered, and even has several skills to call upon, culminating in a unique form of the Kamehameha, the Wolf Fang Kamehameha, which takes the form of a wolf made of blue ki, that bounces around, and eventually strikes Jackie Chun in the back, exploding with enough force to scatter dust over the whole arena crowd.

When it clears, the older fighter, his hair singed slightly, compliments his student, without revealing his identity, before he proceeds to counter with a pressure point attack that leaves the drained Yamcha, who had put most of his energy into his attack, still on the floor. It does, however, leave Master Roshi breathing hard, actually admitting that, if Yamcha had waited a few more minutes, he would not have had the energy to block the attack.

He still goes up against Goku after only a short rest, and seems rather perturbed to find the young man is able to keep up with him after he let loose his full power, and then Goku turned the Limiters to Level Three, his strength going up by an order of magnitude, and suddenly more than a match for anything the old master could bring to bear against him, which kept him on the defensive for several of their encounters.

However, while Goku seems to be confident of his impending victory, it becomes obvious that Jackie Chun is in full control of the battle, even critiquing Goku in mid block, as the impact is literally divided around the older man, waves of force kicking up dust that push the crowd back, before the clash ends with Goku on the back foot, almost knocked out of the ring by the master's counter.

Goku then deactivates the Limiters entirely. The boost he gets from this is not quite as massive as going up a level, being only about three times stronger, but still, going up against three thousand Goku's of force is no laughing matter, as the disguised Roshi now contends with the boy literally able to generate waves of force just by focusing, nearly blowing the old man out of the ring with one.

He recovers, however, and then turns it into a pure battle of martial skill, his strength nowhere near equal to Goku's, but the gap in skill being the far more important, as he turns aside blows, and literally has the boy smash into his own gut once with a punch, before finally, after faking with a high kick, he sweeps Goku off his feet, and then dives into him, the pair landing outside the ring, Roshi atop him.

Though both landed out of bounds, Jackie Chun is the victor, for landing second, and the pair are then escorted back into the arena, along with the other six finalists, who take a moment to bow to the crowd, even as friends and family of a few rush the stage, and dispense hugs, and in Bulma's case, a kiss to Goku's cheek, making the boy blush and nearly fall over with delight.

Later, during a chat, Goku is questioned by Bulma if he's mad at her, after all, her training failed him, but he notes that, he beat the students of Master Roshi, and came in second to another old Master(Not having seen the through Jackie Chun disguise), all on his first try. That is nothing to be ashamed of, and shows off just how well Bulma had kept her promise. Besides, he had three years to improve, and with her help and belief in him, he knew he'd take the win next time.

Bulma, later that night, confronted Roshi about being Jackie Chun, as she had seen through it, but instead of being angry with him, asks if he can train Goku now, as he'd proven himself to her as the superior direct teacher. Roshi, somewhat perturbed at his ruse being seen through, does agree, but asks a boon, not in return, but simply a request between them, and a selfish one at that.

He wants, when they become active, for his students, and if she wishes, herself, to gather the Dragon Balls once more. He has a wish he would like. He also returns the panties she'd given him earlier, pointing out that while he is a pervert, he is not one to stand in the way of a relationship like what he sees between her and Goku. Bulma, after a few moments, agrees to his request.

The next day, all five set off to West City, Roshi desiring a pair of those Limiters for himself, and for his students as well, seeing how strong they allowed Goku to become in only a short amount of time. This leads into a small arc of training, as Roshi, Krillin, and Yamcha settle into a set of guest rooms in Capsule Corp. as well as going over Goku's training methods, which Roshi says work...to a point.

As he laid out during the tournament, Goku's form is top notch. He can perfectly move his body into some flawless punches, kicks, blocks, and all sorts of other things. He even has both the Kamehameha as well as the Dodon Ray, the signature technique of the Turtle School's main rival, the Crane School. He proves adept at their use too, including, while waiting, helping Bulma spot weld a seam with the latter.

However, his style is lacking. He knows the moves, to be sure, but he has to chamber each one, preparing and picking from them, rather than allowing them to flow from one to the other, something he begins to train Goku, as well as his own students in, while all of them are wearing the bands. Bulma even joins in, going all the way to Level Two Release, and proving that 100 Bulmas is enough to handle even all of them together...so long as they're at Level Zero, thus only at their base power.

Bulma even asks a question about Ki after a while. It asserts pressure around the wearer, that's how the Limiters work at all. So with that in mind, why not simply focus the pressure downwards, and then at angles in the air, thus achieving flight? She takes several days to perfect this technique on her own, resulting in what was described as an earlier cut of the Iron Man repulsor test sequence from his first live action film.

Regardless, Bulma eventually achieves flight on her own, and once revealed to the others, including Roshi, they take to it easily, soon zipping around in the air over the city, resulting in some spectacular sparring sessions that do force Bulma to take them outside the city after Yamcha accidentally gets smashed through a skyscraper, causing millions of zenny(a currency within the universe) in damages.

The training is eventually moved out into a more secluded area, purchased from a farmer the D-Class recognized as a younger version of the same one Raditz would later encounter at the beginning of Dragon Ball Z(Sequel series). This is interesting, as it seems the alterations are actually folding in later plot elements into the new narrative in ways to link them back to the old, without being direct.

Regardless, the training continues until all five individuals, Roshi, Goku, Yamcha, Krillin, and Bulma are able to fly, including the 'aura flight' wherein the individual is surrounded by a ki aura, which is faster than normal flight, explained in universe as being them exerting more of their ki out to increase speed, causing them to become visible, even to those without the sense for such things.

When the year is almost up, and the Dragon Balls are set to become active again, Bulma brings them all to West City, and the plan is made where they will all fan out to get the closest five Dragon Balls, before joining into two groups to get the final two, and then at last coming together, so Roshi can make his wish. The next year, they'll actually try to beat the time they spend gathering them, though the plan is to give Roshi his Ball, and allow Goku to keep the Four Star as a memento from his Grandfather, rather than using them.

That planned out, the five set off the moment the balls are active, with Bulma holding the Dragon Radar(A device she invented to track them down), and guiding the others, while she goes after her own. The five, however, find varying degrees of resistance, as soldiers, marked with an RR in two triangles, continually attempt to claim the balls of themselves, forcing the five into conflict.

Luckily, Bulma's target, being the closest, is still out in the open, and she grabs it well before the men, which she identifies as Red Ribbon Army grunts, can even get close enough. However, Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha all encounter larger forces of resistance, necessitating their fights, that show just how far they have come, as Krillin is able to rip a tank apart, Yamcha learns small arms fire doesn't hurt him, and he knocks out an entire company in a single pass, and Goku literally blows away half a mountain the Red Ribbon were drilling into, to retrieve a ball that had fallen inside.

Roshi, who had taken a ball within 'The Sacred Land of Korin' home to one of his own trainers, takes the time to drive the Red Ribbon off completely, destroying a forward base, while also checking in with Korin, who is kept in shadows, so one cannot see him, even though he has a tail, shot to resemble Goku's otherwise unremarked upon tail, before Roshi sets off to talk to the others.

When they meet back up, Bulma reveals the last two balls have vanished from her Radar, but she quickly surmises the Red Ribbon Army must have claimed them, and with a few calls, she finds they're marshalling their forces in their HQ, likely for a major push to find the five that have already claimed their prizes, which has her first think they should call in the Royal Forces to deal with them, as the gang has no idea what a mercenary army would do with a Wish, but the others propose simply assaulting it head on themselves, especially with Yamcha revealing they're bullet proof.

Bulma is not so enthused with the idea, but after a reconnoiter of the HQ, performed via a few high fly overs, she agrees, having Goku and Krillin fire ki blasts into the air to announce their presence as they land, and then asking to speak with Commander Red, the Red Ribbon's leader. What follows is a small arc wherein Bulma lays out to them that they have five, the RR has two, that means stalemate.

However, she's willing to bet her people are stronger than anyone the Ribbon is able to produce, and proposes a tournament, right then and there, in front of the Ribbon's HQ. They pick one hundred of their strongest people, and the guys will fight them. If they can win against all four of them(She, not considering herself a fighter, despite her skills with ki), she'll give them all five of their Balls, and they can do this again in a year. If they win, they get both of theirs.

Red, after some pointed discussion with his second in command, Staff Officer Black, agrees, and sends several familiar faces from the Dragon Ball anime against first Krillin, then Yamcha, the two actually tearing through most of their opponents, though losing at fifteen, and twenty-two matches respectively. Goku is on his thirty-fourth opponent, Major Metalitron, when Red, yelling at the robot, lets slip his wish.

The others Red Ribbon officers present all face plant, when they hear that he had wasted so much time and effort, merely to wish to be taller, and when he protests that as commander, he can do whatever he wants, Officer Black basically asks for a vote of no-confidence, and after an almost unanimous cry of it, he pulls his pistol, and shoots Red in a way that mimics how Pilaf died earlier, before bowing to the protagonists.

Interestingly, it is noted that the death of Red is 'censored' by using a black side bar over part of the screen, to keep his head out of frame, save for a few images. This does show how the alterations still also take into account how such things would be done. Regardless, now Commander Black offers their balls to Bulma, and simply requests that she not tell anyone, as the Red Ribbon army has their reputation to consider.

At this point, the D-Class also notes, in a wide shot, four interesting figures. One is a younger version of Dr. Gero, looking quite a bit younger in fact, an antagonist from much later in the series. The others, however, are identified as Androids, 16, 17, and 18, three of his creations. It would appear the D-Class was unaware 16 was modeled after Gero's son, a fact retconned into the canon later, which also speaks of interesting things with this particular object.

Still, the three, she notes 17 and 18, Lapis and Lazuli respectively, identified by their name badges as members of the 'Robotic's Corps Division' both look only a few years younger, like late teens instead of early twenties, though both are also wearing Red Ribbon uniforms. The four walk off without anything beyond a close up to show they're special, however, and the group is then allowed to leave without further conflict.

The group makes their way back to the desert, with Pilaf's castle in the background, now half buried in the sand. Roshi then requests a moment alone, desiring to make his wish without others watching, even though he tells them what it is without issue. Bulma, quite respectfully, allows him his privacy, leading the boys a bit away, and setting up a Capsule House(Easily setup temporary building), and everyone going inside.

Roshi then summons Shenron, and requests the Eternal Dragon restore his lost youth to him, that he might be a better master for the three young men for whom he has taken that role. The dragon, without issue, does so, light glowing from him, and then covering Roshi, who gives several painful cries, before standing up again, straighter than before, so he appears almost half again as tall, with a full head of black hair.

The others are...quite impressed, as his power has increased quite substantially from what it had been, as he spars with the three youths, while Bulma watches, the four figures flitting about in ways that they hadn't before, though Roshi doesn't quite win, instead calling the match as he reaches near exhaustion levels, and the five proceed to spend the night in the Capsule House.

The next day, Roshi then has everyone follow him, returning to the Sacred Land of Korin, where he'd found his Dragon Ball, and proceeds to the base of the tower. This is the only time in the series where we meet two Native American coded people, Upa and his father Bora, who make no further appearances after this point, as Roshi requests the four join him in climbing the tower their tribe protects, physically.

Bulma, naturally, refuses, as she's no warrior herself, and instead opts to fly as the others climb, slowly rising as they make their way to the top, which takes several hours, though Roshi comments the first time he'd done it, it took him several days, but finally, all of them make it to the top, where a large platform is situated, everyone going inside, and meeting the figure Korin.

Once again, his tail is emphasised when he appears in shadow, but instead of being something like Goku, he stands revealed as a white cat with a walking stick, who greets Roshi, and the former old man informs the group that Master Korin was one of his instructors when he looked like this in the past. He then requests Korin help the group train up, as he wants to get even stronger, and also show these young guys how it's done.

The group, minus Bulma, spend a few days with Korin playing keep away with a jug of what he claims to be Sacred Water, which will increase the power of those who drink it. Roshi, already knowing the trick is actually being able to catch the cat, as the water isn't all that special, still participates, and it takes, even as a group, almost an entire twenty-four hours to finally hem in the cat, and claim the jug.

The four then partake, and Korin gives them another prize, Senzu Beans, a sort of legume that both heals the body, and serves to keep one feeling full for ten days afterwards. This seems to give Goku an immediate power boost, and he declares he feels like he'd be able to take on anyone, which results in a series of one on one spars, presided over by Korin, who finds himself quite impressed with everyone.

The eventual winner, surprisingly, is Yamcha, who, as he notes, is more used to fight in enclosed spaces, from his days as a bandit, and thus, is able to make better use of the walls and ceiling, bouncing around and forcing his opponents to attack only from angles he can counter. Still, the others don't do badly, and everyone is pumped for more training, after thanking Korin, and then returning to West City.

Over the next year, done in only a few montages, the group grows quite strong, such the point that even Bulma is able to go up to Level Three Release, and that when the others, to test themselves, go to a secluded wasteland to deactivate the limiters, they shake the ground for kilometers around, Roshi powering up actually lifting a small mesa at one point, startling the group.

After that, the four young men, with Bulma acting as mission control this time, set out to gather the Dragon Balls again, doing so without any interference at all, leaving them at a loss as to what to wish for, only for Roshi to propose simply storing the things away, for now. Let Shenron rest a bit, after all, it used to be centuries between people finding them the things, now they've done it twice in two years.

Bulma agrees, storing them in a shielded chest in a place she doesn't tell the others about, before training resumes, right up until six months before the World Martial Arts tournament is set to convene again. Roshi, having witnessed his students' growth, desires that, for the remaining time, until the day before the tournament, they go off to train on their own, to hone special skills, and, most importantly, develop their own special techniques.

This leaves Goku in West City with Bulma, while Yamcha returns to his old home in the desert, where Bulma and Goku had first met him, and Krillin goes to the monastery he'd been training at before becoming Master Roshi's student. As for Roshi himself, he goes to Korin's tower, borrowing an item from Goku called a Power Pole, a magic staff that can get infinitely longer, saying Korin had a way to use it he was keen to try.

Separated, we get a single episode following each of them, showing them training. Krillin meditating, Goku and Bulma working out in general, and even going on a date, ending with Goku confused...but happy. Roshi, however, is in a mysterious place(Kami's Lookout), and trains with a man in a genie outfit(Mr. Popo), who only appears briefly, and seems to smile at the D-Class once, before winking, and moving on, which she says made her think of the Abridged version of the character(Abridged being a version of parody of certain films and animations).

Yamcha, however, is the one to get a two episode arc, where he does training in the desert with Puar, his companion, a shape shifting floating cat creature(And Bulma's inspiration for her flight technique), though after a few days, he decides to go instead to the strongest man in the world, and learn from him, which leads to a discussion with several others, before arriving at the ruins of the Ox-King's castle.

After a brief exchange, including a small spar, the Ox-King allows Yamcha to train with him, so long as he agrees to marry the Ox-King's daughter, Chi-Chi. This...disturbs Yamcha at first, given she is several years his junior, but he agrees when she says she's fine with it...and shows how strong she herself is, nearly beating him despite their age and size difference.

When the five meet back up the day before the tournament, while everyone is slightly different, Krillin and Goku being taller, Roshi a bit more fit, and Bulma having some definition to her muscles, it is Yamcha who shows the most change. He looks, in the D-Class' words, 'ripped and shredded'. His muscles are now as defined as they would be later, and he stands almost a head taller than previous.

The others are, to put it mildly, quite curious about it, but then are understanding when they meet his new betrothed and her father, whom Roshi greets as one of his students, before they proceed into the tournament grounds, attempting to register, only for the Crane Hermit, Master Shen, his two students, and his brother to appear before the Turtle School students and their master.

He had already signed up, and demands satisfaction from Roshi, whom he feels dishonored him by using some method of restoring his youth without sharing, as Roshi immortality(He was 300 years old by this point), had only been possible thanks to Shen knowing where to find the Elixir of Life. Roshi, who disliked him, tries to blow him off, but then, seeing as there are four from each school, proposes a challenge.

All eight, in different seeds, and thus, very likely to take the 8 slots, fighting in the tournament. If one of his students wins, the Crane Hermit has to leave him alone, if one of Crane's students wins, he'll give him the same youth he gained. This is quickly debated with the tournament officials, but they agree, seeing as the eight are indeed shown to be quite strong, and the tournament does get more of an audience if the fights are more exciting.

It takes only one episode to get all eight into the tournament, and for the officials to agree that the first round should be divided by the schools. This is to prevent cheating where one school has it's students throw the match...something that both Roshi and Shen vehemently deny...until Bulma and Tao, Shen's brother, stare at them, and they admit they would totally do that if they could.

The first round is Tien Shinhan vs. Yamcha, a match that turns out to be interesting, as Tien, who was a match for Goku in the original, is still fairly strong compared to the much improved Yamcha. The two spar lightly at first, Tien, with his three eyes, firing various blasts to keep Yamcha off balance, but finds the larger man to be his equal in that department after a while.

It finally comes out that Yamcha is holding back, as Tien notices him pulling punches, and demands he fight him at his best, something that Yamcha admits he wasn't doing, revealing that the Limiters don't work anymore for him, due to his increased size. That said, he doesn't shed any clothing, and simply starts fighting all out at once, his speed suddenly seeming to increase to insane levels, as he vanishes from view.

Tien, caught off guard, still fights back handily, though is eventually forced to take to the sky, the Crane School's Flight Technique, similar though subtly different from Bulma's own, allowing him to float above the arena, and prepare an attack he calls the Tri-Beam. Yamcha tells him to give it his best shot, only to suddenly appear above Tien even as he charges the attack, with Yamcha pointing out the flaw of a technique with a charge time in a fight.

The student of Crane is caught off guard by the Turtle-Ox hybrid student, who gives him a single smashing kick, sending him plummeting to the ground, outside the ring. Yamcha lands rolling his shoulders, and then hopping out of the ring himself to assist Tien, who, after dusting himself off, thanks him for the match, the two shaking hands, an odd gesture from two students of rival schools.

The next match starts right after, Master Shen vs. Master Roshi, and it actually is nowhere near as fast, the two trading blows, martial only, for what seems like half the episode, before it's revealed they're speaking through each motion. They are having a long discussion, with Shen complaining about Roshi being young, while Roshi chides Shen for his brutality, as Tien even knowing, let alone using, the Tri-Beam is a dangerous thing, given the technique takes a heavy toll on the user.

However, as the match goes on, Shen and Roshi seem to soften, the blows coming slower, and slower, until, with one final cross kick, the two men, with a shadow of a third behind them(Identified as their master, Mutaito), embracing them, as they do much the same, tears in their eyes, as visions of past battles the two had obviously fought play around them, and they turn to the judge, and both forfeit.

The tournament officials are left flummoxed by this, but allow the next match, Krillin vs Tao, to begin, with Tao explaining, as he enters the ring, that he had heard of the Turtle School's gains, as he'd almost been hired by Commander Red, before the Red Ribbon Army's sudden change in leadership. That had inspired him to push his brother and his students to make them stronger, sharper, to test themselves against these so-called 'heroes'.

Krillin assumes, at this point, that Tao was after revenge for costing him money, and Tao admits, had he taken the contract, he would have done his best to kill them all. This, however, had nothing to do with something so petty as revenge. He, like his brother, Roshi, and Roshi's sister Baba, was three hundred and some years old, and had seen far, far too many heroes rise, and fall, either because they were too weak physically, or their convictions simply not strong enough.

Krillin is taken aback by this pronouncement, and admits, after they pause the fight, that they weren't playing heroes, and instead had simply been after...he doesn't admit what, but he says the same objects as the Red Ribbon. This stuns Tao, who had assumed they'd been fighting the Red Ribbon specifically because of their reputation, and the actions they'd already taken, which were becoming harsher.

This causes the mercenary to throw his head back and laugh, pointing out that those fools at the Turtle school had probably saved hundreds, maybe thousands, of lives, and they didn't even realize it. He finishes his laugh, and Krillin asks if he wants to continue, and Tao admits, he wants to see what his rival school is made of now, if they could just so casually throw themselves at something like the Red Ribbon Army.

The fight resumes, and the pair, despite Krillin being far shorter, seem equally matched. Krillin, however, turns off his Limiters halfway through the match, and begins throwing more powerful blows out, causing ripples in the air, and at one point, an uppercut actually causes an air push that goes up and blows away some clouds hanging above the arena, Tao complimenting him for his strength.

He then removes the kimono he'd been wearing, tossing the garment off the stage, and revealing, as it landed with enough force to shake the ground, that he too had been holding back. Shirtless now, Tao redoubles his attacks, showing that, while Krillin still had a power advantage, the Mercenary's freedom of movement and greater skill, allowed him to control the match, much like Goku vs Jackie Chun.

The fight ends with a sweeping kick, knocking Krillin's feet out from under him, and a sharp blow to the chest sends a shock through his whole body. Tao explains it was a pressure point attack, one of his favorites for a quick kill, though in this case, he chose a non-lethal target, instead leaving the young man on the ground, twitching. He then stood back, and allowed the count down, resulting in him winning.

Tao walks off, and Roshi is forced to walk out to get Krillin, before Chiaotzu and Goku take their places for the final match of the first round. Chiaotzu, a small young man in white makeup with red cheeks, looking more like an old porcelain doll than a fighter, nods silently as the match begins. The small movement sees Goku being flung backwards, as what seems to be an invisible fist hits him on the chin.

Luckily, Goku catches himself with his tail before he can fall out of the ring, and then launches himself at Chiaotzu, who raises his hand, and motions with it, literally flinging Goku to the side with his now revealed telekinesis. This time, however, Goku catches himself, and rebounds to the smaller opponent, his leg extended in a kick that probably would have ended the match easily, but the other young man vanished before it connected.

Goku is then told to look up, as Chiaotzu holds out his fingers, and now looking angry, begins to fire a sheer rain of blasts towards the arena, identified as his own technique, Dodon Scattering Storm. Goku dodges, even as the arena around him explodes, before a lucky shot finally hits him, and the hail of shots narrow to focus on him, each impact driving him into the ground.

This, at first, seems to be the end, as Goku goes still, but then, with a roar, he fires a Kamehameha blast, straight down into the Earth, using the force of it to launch himself against the hail of shots, slamming into Chiaotzu in the air, the collision knocking them both out of the sky, and landing back down in the arena, where they slowly rise to their feet, the other young man looking angry.

He proclaims that, until Goku and his friends appeared, Tien and he had been happy to train under the Crane Hermit, learning all about fighting from him. But since Tao had come, their training, for almost three years now, had been so tough he'd almost quit more than once. He blames Goku for this most of all, as Tao had singled him out as a powerful warrior, but now, Chiaotzu would end this threat to his happiness, and holds out one hand.

Instantly, Goku is standing on his feet, his arms spread, and his body twitching, as he fights against the telekinetic force holding him. With his other hand, however, Chiaotzu begins firing shot after shot of normal Dodon Rays, each impact nearly enough to pierce Goku's body, but he doesn't even move from his spot, as the force holding him keeps him rooted to the ground.

Finally, after more than a minute of being pummeled, Goku is able to break free of the hold, and with another roar, charges forward, Chiaotzu trying to hold him in place again, even bringing up his other hand, but Goku literally breaks through his telekinesis, with a sound like shattering glass, and then begins to lay into him with a volley of kicks and punches, finally letting up only when his opponent falls to the arena floor.

Batter, bruised, and even a little blood coming from his mouth, Goku collapses from his injuries as well, after being declared the winner, however, it is obvious he is in no shape to continue fighting, and with a bit of help from Roshi and Bulma, they rouse him enough to allow Yamcha and Tao to be in the finals, rather than forcing some kind of three way match of the like.

We don't get to see the final match, following Goku instead in a clipshow episode, as he heals in his bed, listening to the match's commentary. He realizes all the ways he could have been hurt in his life, and what could drive someone else to do this to him in, what was supposed to be, a friendly match, but then realizes that, without thinking, he'd probably done far worse to a few of his own opponents.

Chiaotzu, with Shen and Tien in tow, does eventually meet with Goku, and even kowtows to him, his forehead on the floor, apologizing for what he'd done, as Roshi had insisted, and he does, after looking into the other young man's eyes, forgive him, just in time for a roar to erupt from the arena outside, where Yamcha has defeated Tao in an upset, as the two had gone for flying kicks, but Yamcha's leg was just a bit longer, allowing him to get a deeper kick in.

The Crane and Turtle Schools are then taken out to the arena, mostly to give the crowd one last look at them, before retiring to an after tournament dinner, hosted by the temple that hosts the tournament, as this one had been one of their most successful in years, and they wanted to thank both schools for putting on such an interesting show, and invite both back in three years time.

The Crane Hermit actually mentioned that, while his students were free to compete, this was his final showing. He was old, after all, and it had taken a lot out of him. Tien and Chiaotzu both say they'll do it, since as much as they might have been exhausted by their training, this had been a good look into how far they had to come. Tao, like his brother, however, bowed out, saying simply that there wasn't enough money in it to interest him.

This is where we learn Yamcha is also retiring. Not because he's on top or anything, he even says that, had Goku been able to compete, he probably would have lost, as Tao took everything out of him. Still, he was going to be a husband, and Ox-King was already talking about grandkids. Plus, he was going to be taking over the Ox-King's territory as well, meaning he'd soon have so much responsibility he'd be unable to train all day for weeks at a time like the others, and they'd leave him behind.

The announcement does bring down the mood for a bit, but then they start reminiscing about the adventures they did have, and it turns into a party once more. Outside, as they celebrate, and wish Yamcha good luck, a figure with leathery wings is watching, who takes to the skies, his dark laughter echoing into the starry night, and promising something evil is lurking in the world.

Over the next few days, the gang returns to Capsule Corp., including Roshi and Krillin, so Bulma can adjust their Limiters. As noted by Yamcha, the things require your limbs to stay the same size, otherwise they push in too hard against the skin. Krillin even briefly asks if they're stunting his growth, but Bulma assures him that is not the case, as she takes a few minutes to work on his extra, even saying to herself, it might add an inch or two to him over the coming years.

It is when the three are sparring against Bulma at level zero(Meanwhile she's up to four at this point, showing that, even without training, she's growing stronger just wearing the things), that a news report comes in, and several of the World Tournament participants from their first one years ago, have been murdered, with the only clue as to who was doing it being a piece of paper with the word demon in a circle on it(Japanese Kanji for demon).

Roshi identifies it immediately, but tries not to tell anyone else, until Bulma's father, who, though not as old, is still an old man, and thus, remembers the symbol of Demon King Piccolo, who, three hundred years before, had attempted to lead an army of scaly creatures to conquer the world, some of their descendents still living in peaceful villages, after their ancestors had settled down after Piccolo's death.

Roshi, however, thanks to prodding from Bulma, reveals that Piccolo was not killed, but instead, he and Shen's Master, Mutaito, defeated him with one of his forbidden techniques. Like the Tri-Beam, it takes something out of the user. Unlike the aforementioned attack, this one, known as the Evil Containment Wave, is so draining that most users perish after from the strain of it on their bodies.

Still, to have the Children of Piccolo on the move like this, says they might have found their 'father's' prison, and freed him, after all this time. That is a thought that causes everyone in the room to shake in fear, even Goku when he realizes Bulma is in danger, before declaring that they have to stop him. This is interrupted by a banging on the nearby door, which causes everyone to jump, Krillin, Goku, and Roshi assuming fighting stances.

Then Tien opens the door to their training area, and falls to the ground, his body covered in scrapes and bruises, looking like he'd lost a heck of a fight. The others rush to him, and with one of their stock of Senzu Beans(Gifted from Korin), he is healed up. He reveals, as he stretches and tests his now repaired body, that the Demon King himself had attacked the Crane Dojo, killing both Tao and Shen, and capturing Chiaotzu.

Piccolo had then demanded that Tien go to the Turtle School, and trick them into giving him something known as 'Dragon Balls' items he had learned were in their possession from the Red Ribbon Army, which had also been attacked according to Tien, though they obviously had chosen not to advertise that fact, especially since the attack was an internal coup, as some of the descendents of Piccolo's children had been members of their group.

Bulma, after all of this, is suspicious, and points out that he just admitted he was supposed to be tricking them. Why would he admit that? Tien just shakes his head, and points out that he had no real way to explain how he knew about the Dragon Balls, and no real reason to trust that King Piccolo was going to keep his word and return Chiaotzu. Besides, while he and his masters are strong, the Turtle School's power during the Tournament was overwhelming, and he figures they'd have the best shot at defeating that monster.

The group quickly decides together to go to the Dragon Balls. Bulma's idea, to wish away King Piccolo, is immediately nixed by Roshi, who mentions, though he won't explain how, that if Piccolo were to die, the Dragon Balls would leave as well, and they were simply too useful as tools. Still, he believes Shenron might be able to lock away the Demon King again, and if they keep getting stronger, they could probably beat him directly in a few decades.

Unfortunately, they don't get the chance. West City comes under attack by Piccolo's Children(A variety of lizard/reptile like humanoids), with the Demon King himself emerging. He didn't trust Tien at all, to trick the heroes, and was not a man of his word either, presenting the body of Chiaotzu, dead, but without a mark on it, to the three eyed warrior. Tien, enraged, smashes Piccolo with the Tri-Beam attack, the same one Yamcha had stopped him from using in the Tournament.

Unfortunately, while the attack created a deep pit, and destroys almost a hundred of Piccolo's Children, it does little to the Demon King himself, who fires a set of eye beams up into Tien's chest, killing him instantly, as his forces begin to tear apart the city, his demand for Bulma Briefs, who knows the location of an item he wants. Much to his consternation, however, what few humans do approach him, do so intending on killing him, more than one revealing explosives and rushing him when they get close.

Not that any of these suicide attacks even damage King Piccolo's clothing, but they do allow the heroes to slip away, something he notices, thanks to his acute hearing, which only makes him smirk, as he rises into the sky, and then with a gesture, fires a blast into the center of the city, destroying it in a fireball that forms into a mushroom cloud, leaving Bulma to cry for her parents, as they rush to where she hid the Balls.

This brings the group back to Mt. Pauzu, the place where Bulma and Goku first met, revealing that Bulma had hidden the Dragon Balls in a chest, right outside the house Goku and his Grandfather had lived in. There, beneath a tree that turned out to be fake, was their prize. But as she brought them out, intending on using them to wish back those killed by King Piccolo, the Demon King himself emerged from the brush.

Goku orders Bulma to run, and leaps into Piccolo's face, but the larger green man bats him aside with a single arm...only to be smashed from the other side by Krillin, who's strength surprises him. Still, Bulma takes advantage of the distraction to grab the chest containing the Balls and rush off, only to be stopped as three of Piccolo's children, looking like anthro T-rexes, block her path.

Before she can even scream, Roshi fires a Kamehameha and vaporizes the three, telling her not to stop for anything, as he rushes in to assist his pupils with the Demon King, only to find that even more of Children of Piccolo are around them, dozens in fact, the sheer mass of bodies against them enough to drive the three human fighters back, even as Bulma reveals to her foes her own flight ability, and literally rockets away.

The hunt for Bulma, and the fight with Piccolo's forces actually take a four episode arc structure, as Bulma keeps just ahead of the squads hunting her, even pausing a few times to set traps for them, which results, as she notes mentally, in the first kill of her life, as a rolling log crushes one of the lizard men, but she simply shrugs it off. Bad people don't deserve her pity or sympathy.

Meanwhile, Roshi, Goku, and Krillin spend most of the fight learning Piccolo's history from the Demon himself, how he was split from his 'better' half some time ago, and in a year, almost conquered the world. After being stopped by some 'martial artist' with some stupid technique, he had decided to start his conquest this time with wiping them out, and in so doing take away the worlds strongest defenders.

He reveals that his sealed rice cooker(A fact that actually pauses the fight, as the two young men just kind of tilt their heads at the choice of prisons) was discovered by the Red Ribbon Army, and his minions within their ranks recognized it, and freed him. From them, he learned of the Turtle School, and their efforts to gain the Dragon Balls, orbs that he could use to conquer the world at a stroke, or to regain his lost youth, which left him while he'd been sealed away.

Still, he'd taken his time, after learning of their strength, and he even compliments them, as the three, all together, were his equal, if not better, in raw power, even with his preparations and training. His children were the weight in his favor, however, and when he receives a message from one on Bulma's location, he orders the remainder of his forces to delay the fighters, as he flies off after her.

He comes upon her, just as she is climbing to the top of a cliff, and even though she's able to fire a blast from her hand, the first time she's done it to hurt someone else, it does nothing to Piccolo, who rips the chest with the Balls out of her hand, and then opens it...to reveal a large explosive, that goes off in his face, as Bulma flies off, grabbing the Dragon Balls she'd stashed in a crevice in the clifface, before trying to go into the forest.

Piccolo, injured enough by the blast to be missing an arm, screams in rage, and with a single shot of his eye beams, literally cuts down a mile of trees, interestingly not setting a single one alight, but still, forcing Bulma to now clamber over the logs, lamenting how tired she is that she can't even fly, and then screaming as Piccolo himself appears above her, and grabs her by her front, his stump of a limb regenerating in front of her, and then snatching the satchel with the Balls from her grasp.

Piccolo then flies back to the mesa she'd been climbing, and summons Shenron, just as the three others come into view, Piccolo's children, all of them now, gone. The Demon King himself is actually worried, looking at his injured body, and as Shenron asks him for a wish, he shouts out that he demands Immortality from the dragon, who grants it without hesitation, Piccolo's body healing itself, much to the horror of those watching.

Before Sheron can leave, Piccolo asks him for a moment, and the dragon, curiously, does obey, before the Demon King fires a blast from his mouth, which destroys the dragon utterly, the sound of Shenron's cry not panicked or pained, but more surprised, as he is consumed by the light of the assault. When it fades, the dragon balls, rendered into smooth grey stones, fall from the sky, inert.

Bulma, staring at them, falls to her knees, tears streaming down her face, muttering the names of her mother and father, meanwhile, the three warriors faces are twisted into fury, and with a cry, Goku is the first to surge forward, his fist glowing with power, as he literally smashes through Piccolo's chest, ripping a hole straight through the cavity, and then landing on the other side.

He immediately begins regenerating, but before its even halfway done, Krillin fires a blast himself, something akin to a dagger of sculpted Ki, that drives itself into Piccolo's chest, and then explodes, literally causing him to fly into two halves, before Roshi, gathering his power in his hands, fires a Kamehameha blast vaporizing the Demon King in one shot, as he lets the anger fade, and suddenly has a look of horror on his face.

Why is left unsaid at the moment, as the Demon King reforms, black smoke coming together to remake his body, now in tattered rags of his former clothing, breathing heavily. Apparently, while unkillable, he is not, in fact, possessing of infinite stamina, and before he can catch his breath, Bulma again fires a blast from her hand, nearly fainting, but this one vaporizes his head, though it grows back.

The two young men then surge forward, punching and kicking, and otherwise keeping Piccolo from doing anything but taking their rage, even as he tries to pushed them back, frustrated to the point of demanding they allow him to spawn children, only for his attempt to spit out an egg leading to Goku firing a blast into his mouth, and blowing out his chest again, leaving him falling back, and trying to retreat, to gain some breathing room.

At the same time, Roshi pauses, hearing a voice in his head, one he identifies as Kami. He is instructed by Kami to bring the Demon King to the Lookout, the place where he'd been training for the last six months before the Tournament, and without a moment's hesitation, he goes forward, knocking Piccolo back, and quickly telling the boys they have to drive the Demon King to the Sacred Land of Korin, and then up the Tower there, someone has a plan.

They just nod at him, and the three then begin a two episode running fight, literally forcing Piccolo to retreat from them, in the direction of the Tower. Obviously, he knows what they're doing, as he heard the plan, but he finds himself incapable of matching them, despite his preparations for this fight. Had it been just one of them, he could have ended it quickly, even two would have only taken time, but all three were proving more than a match for him.

Getting to the Tower, the three were at an impasse as to how to get Piccolo up to the top, as Roshi instructed, at least until Krillin asked them to keep him in place, as he had a new move he thought might help. A disk of ki, he'd hoped to get it to flatten to become a cutting tool, but for the moment, he figured the thicker version would work, and so as Roshi and Goku began to distract the Demon King, Krillin charged his attack.

The Desctructo Disk(Kiezan), is launched, and seems to lack the 'buzzsaw' edge it would later gain, instead being just a solid chunk of yellow light, that slammed into King Piccolo's middle, and then, with a gesture from Krillin, launched him up the side of the tower, the three fighters following right after, and even having Korin toss them some Senzu Beans as the pass him, saying Bulma is already at the top, having gone ahead during the fight.

The group do start fighting in the air again, as Piccolo is able to smash the blunted disk, however, by that point, he can't get back down, as the trio force him to continue the ascent. Finally, they reach the top, the Demon King making one last break for it, only for a black man in a genie outfit on a flying carpet to appear, and almost casually flick him with a single finger the rest of the way up.

Piccolo lands on the Lookout, a seemingly floating half ovoid platform, with a garden and 'palace' area atop it. The Demon King looks around, and quickly rushes to the edge of the platform, only for Bulma, looking very angry, to tell him to stop. This, somehow, freezes Piccolo, who turns, shakingly, towards her, and sees...an older version of himself standing beside her, wearing white robes and a cowl, almost the exact opposite of Piccolo's original, with the word 'God' in Kanji on his chest.

Bulma explains to them what's going on, in brief. That man is Kami, the other half of Piccolo, who split from him centuries ago, in order to assume the mantle of 'Guardian' of the Earth. He had needed a pure heart, or so he thought at the time. He was also the creator of the Dragon Balls, something he had already agreed to repair, if they aid him against Piccolo now, and the Demon King, crossing his arms, scoffs.

He mocks Kami, pointing out that he is now immortal, no matter what the 'God' does to him, he will simply break free now. Sealing him up isn't even an option, as sees no containers nearby, and points out he could easily recognize one, and destroy it before they have a chance. True, they had overpowered him to bring him here, but at this point, no one has the power to end him, and he will eventually win, through sheer attrition if nothing else.

Kami agrees with his assessment, for the most part, but says there is one way to get rid of him, forever, and asks the others to hold him. Piccolo, realizing what is about to happen, immediately tries to fly away, but is stopped not just by the three fighters, but by Mister Popo somehow creating weighted chains to help hold him, as Kami walks casually towards his evil half, and then places his hand on his chest.

Piccolo loudly declared that if he did this, Kami would be gone too, forever, but the other green man didn't hesitate, and as he held his hand on the Demon King's chest, a light began to engulf them both, a bright white flash finally filling the screen, that slowly faded, revealing the three warriors holding nothing but air, while before them stood a third green humanoid, this one slightly younger looking than either of the two who had vanished.

It should be noted, he was wearing similar robes to Kami, but with a slightly 'dirtier' color scheme to them. The other thing was his symbol had changed, and after some attempts, the D-Class was able to recreate it for the researchers well enough to attempt a translation. It seems to be 'Saint/Divine Beast' instead of Demon or God as the other two had been wearing, a symbol that did not appear in the original Dragon Ball franchise at all.

The combined being identifies himself as the one who separated into Piccolo and Kami some centuries ago. He was foolish then, to think that dividing himself into 'good' and 'evil' would be such an easy thing. But he thanks them, for allowing him to come back together, and insists that, given his name is lost, even to him, they call him Kami, for now, as he motions for Mr. Popo to bring something.

The genie soon retrieves a small glass case, inside of which is a model of Shenron, broken and shattered. Mr. Popo comments on how the old guy's been through a lot, but he quickly opens the case, and with some glue, and a small application of his 'magic' he restores the statue to its former state, and presents it to Kami, who smiles at Bulma, and suggests she ready herself, as she will want to retrieve the Balls quickly.

She nods, patting a small pouch on her hip, and then rushes to the edge of the Lookout, shooting off towards the distance. The others watch her go, and Krillin comments on her speed, as she's out of sight in moments, as Kami's power focuses into the dragon statue, which growls for a moment, and then 'pulses' in the same way as the Dragon Balls when Shenron is summoned.

On the ground, back by the mesa, the stones that are also the Dragon Balls shine for an instant, and then are returned to their orange hue, with stars inside them. A few minutes later, a couple of birds are trying to haul off one of the baubles, when Bulma suddenly appears, and without a word, snatches all of them, stuffing them into a satchel, before eating a Senzu Bean, and shooting off again, before the birds can do more than caw at her.

By the time she returns to the Lookout, looking elated, she's rather shocked to see Goku, Krillin, and Roshi fighting with Mr. Popo. At her questioning look, Kami reveals that, of all the things the three could have asked for in thanks for their help, they had asked to train...well, in Roshi's case to resume his training, but still. He was actually amused by it, and was allowing them to spar with Mr. Popo while they waited.

Bulma calls a halt to the practice, and gathers everyone around as she summons Shenron, who seems...annoyed slightly, with what happened, but perks up when he sees Kami and Mr. Popo, whom he calls Father and Master respectively. He then offers the wish, and Bulma makes it, wishing for 'All the damage King Piccolo and his children had done since his release be undone, including bringing those good people who died back to life.'

It does take the dragon a moment to fulfill this one, as he notes, it is a complex wish, but then lights shoot out of his body, each one going to the places where damage was done, some lights dropping onto objects and repairing them, others onto bodies, bringings them back to life. This includes the creation of a golden lake in the crater where West City had once stood, that then grows into a new version of the town, with the residents restored.

That done, the dragon does his typical thing, and leaves, Bulma promising to gather the Balls so he gets a bit of rest, and to keep them out of the hands of people like Piccolo. What follows is a few episodes where the three train on the Lookout, Bulma flitting back and forth between the location and West City, before finally building a small outdoor lab on the Lookout to help.

Several episodes are dedicated to each, and when one year is past, the four set out, only, after gathering six Dragon Balls, the seventh eludes them, eventually forcing Roshi to say he knows who might help them, his sister, Fortune Teller Baba. He was reluctant to ask for her aid, as she usually charges quite a lot, but with Bulma in tow, and her very willing to pay, it wouldn't be too hard.

Arriving at his sister's home in the desert, however, reveals that she refuses the money, saying a client already paid for something special today, and instead offers them her aid, only if the two young men, and her brother, compete against her fighters in a small series of one on one matches. Not seeing anything wrong with that, the three agree, with Krillin going first and taking out not only an Invisible Man, but also a wolfman.

Exhausted, he leaves Roshi to fight a mummy, who proves able to at least take everything the old man dishes out, losing only because Roshi tricks him. That leaves the last two opponents to Goku, who easily bests the Devilman, but is then flummoxed by a man in a rabbit mask, who seems to match him move for move, until finally, Goku is able to knock the mask off with a flying kick, revealing his grandfather, with a halo beneath it.

As it turns out, Grandpa Gohan was the one to arrange all this, even giving his adopted grandson(Something he admits when Bulma questions the lack of a tail), the four star Dragon Ball, his keepsake, promising the boy that, even if he ever loses that, that his grandfather will always be with him in spirit. The halo above his head, according to Roshi, marks him as someone who exists in the 'Other World', I.E. the world of the dead.

Still, he was given twenty-four hours on Earth, thanks to Baba's magic/dealings, and so spends them with Goku, who quickly introduces Bulma as the woman he's going to marry someday, a fact that has the old man blush, but after a discussion, gives his approval, while also chiding Roshi to not do anything untoward to her, with the Turtle Hermit saying he hasn't had time to even try with any woman, since Goku and Krillin have kept him so busy these last few years.

The day is whiled away until nightfall, with none of them sleeping, and instead chatting around a bonfire, Krillin with the monster squad about their techniques, Roshi and Baba, mostly the latter complaining about the former's youth/not having gotten any for her, and the final three simply enjoying the night, until the sunrise sees Baba carry Gohan back to other world, and the group returns to the Lookout.

Upon arrival, they discuss what to do with the Dragon Balls, only for Bulma to give them to Mr. Popo for 'safe keeping' while the three fighters are instructed by Kami to seek out their own paths, having gained as much as he could give them. He does hold Roshi back, with an offer for the centuries old man, but allows the two young men to go their own way, until the time of the next World Martial Arts Tournament.

The episodes after show Bulma and Goku on more than one date, including one on screen kiss that leaves both almost completely red in the face, while Roshi trains with Kami still, doing things that are mostly meditating and sensing. Krillin, meanwhile, is seen walking the Earth, seeing every fighter in the series, and several not shown, talking with them about what they know about fighting.

Two years later, Goku, now much taller, arrives at the tournament grounds with Bulma, who sports a ring on her finger, an engagement ring, and a promise to wed her after the tournament, as they reveal. Krillin then arrives, not much taller himself, but sporting a new, purple colored Gi, with a new symbol on the back that is helpfully translated into Omni/All Encompassing, as he has learned from every Master on Earth.

Roshi and Kami then appear. Not arriving, instead they literally teleport to the location, courtesy of Roshi's newest technique, Instantaneous Movement, which allows him to be anywhere in his domain in an instant. He, now wearing robes exactly like the ones Kami wore at first, save for the kanji for Kami to have a word in cursive English written above it, 'Apprentice/Trainee', with the word changing depending on the shot.

He reveals to his students, and Bulma, that he's going to be taking over Kami's old job, as being Immortal apparently makes Kami unable to continue with it. The large green man reveals that 'Guardians' are not meant to be forever, instead changing out when the time comes, so his immortality, thanks to Piccolo's wish, means he'd actually have been disqualified from the position, had he not already been in it. Roshi's, being from the Fountain of Life's water, is exempted because it's not 'true' immortality, merely being an extension on his life, though a significant one.

They also reveal that neither will be competing this time, instead merely here to spectate. It will only be Goku and Krillin, whom they hope both make the finals, as otherwise this will be a rather dull tournament, though, as it turns out, they need not have worried, as the moment the two young men approach the sign in, the tournament organizers recognize them, and quickly place them in opposite seeds, for the same reason.

What follows is Goku showing off his strength, literally blowing many of his opponents out of the ring by just creating air burst without moving, while Krillin demonstrates a huge variety of techniques, from the ability to generating electricity, fire, and even water, to pressure point, to the ability to create a variety of versions of himself, both larger and smaller, all able to assist him in fighting.

The tournament includes few old faces, as most had kept their distance, knowing the two would compete, so it doesn't take long for them to arrive in the finals, the pair squaring off, and then complimenting each other on their gains, before fighting all out from the get go, as Goku deactivates the Limiters on his body, and Krillin starts off with a variety of cloning techniques, that allow him to use an utterly frightening number of attacks.

Goku powers through most of them, even turning one or two back against Krillin through sheer endurance, but it quickly devolves into him mostly dodging attacks, adapting on the fly, as Krillin tries to pin him in, the arena slowly but surely being utterly devastated, until, with a sudden golden light on Krillin's hand, he points a finger, draws a triangle in front of himself and blow the arena away, revealing the technique to be a 'quickened Tri Beam'.

When the smoke clears, the announcer and crowd are stunned to see a seemingly bottomless pit where the arena had been, and at first think Krillin and Goku are gone somewhere, but then Bulma points up, and they are treated to an aerial display, as the two combatants throw themselves at each other, Krillin using morphing techniques that turn his body into dragon claws and rock, while Goku just punches and kicks.

Finally, both exhausted, Krillin and Goku charge one final attack apiece, a Kamehameha Wave, and they fire at each other, the beams colliding in a blinding light, that forces everyone to look away, and then be blown off their feet as the concussion of the blasts reach them. By the time the announcer is on his feet, he spots the fighters, both of them, tumbling from the sky, smoke trailing from their bodies like comets.

Luckily, they catch themselves, falling into the crowd, slowing their descent, and for a moment, it seems Krillin will win, as Goku's about to touch down, only for him to spin his tail like a helicopter blade, and drive himself up just one more inch, meaning Krillin's foot touches the ground, a mere heartbeat before both young men collapse into heaps, breathing hard, and then smiling at each other as they both give a thumbs up to their opponent.

The next episode sees the Tournament having to clean up, and Bulma promising Capsule Corps. resources will help them to rebuild an even better arena for the next Tournament, though the announcer, who had been to all the others Goku has fought tells her it's not necessary, and that just seeing someone like her boyfriend, soon to be husband, fight, is enough to merit this sort of project.

This leads into the marriage episode, as Goku and Bulma both have to gather their friends and colleagues from around the world, Goku mostly inviting those he'd fought, while Bulma invites some side characters from her time in school, as well as her never even mentioned sister and her 'alien' friend, whom the D-Class recognizes as Jaco, a member of the Space Patrol not introduced until much later.

Others in the crowd include Commander Black, as well as Dr. Gero, his son, and an oddly still young looking Lapis and Lazuli. Yamcha, who had to be identified in dialogue given he is now an almost literal mountain of a man, comes, along with Chi-Chi, and their young son, barely a year old himself, named Gohan, at Ox-King's urges(As he knew the old man). The Crane School was also present, though they said nothing.

Regardless, the episode is mostly done with all the pageantry and fuss one would expect, including Roshi, with a bit of 'Godly' power, making a rainbow above the two as they embrace, and Goku(Who looks damn good in a tux according to the D-Class), kisses his bride. The final scene being with Fortune Teller Baba and her crystal ball, while the narrator promises even more adventures await them, in Dragon Ball Z(The sequel series).