Not a Spectator, But a Warrior

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

A bit of quick thinking on Chiaotzu's part results in Tien surviving the battle with the Saiyans, leading to a chain of events that shows everyone the truth: that Tien Shinhan is not a spectator. He is a warrior.

5. Preparing for Namek II

(Preparing for Namek II)

Nalagory: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. Not every chapter has to be action heavy, and some of the best parts of Dragon Ball are the slice of life moments. And yeah, Chichi being made unlikable gets pretty old after awhile, so I figured I'd do what very few writers would: Write her like an actual person. And that idea about fusion and the Multi Form is interesting. We'll see what I come up with for that come the Majin Buu arc.

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Another day came, and with it, the end of the recovery period… for most of them at least.

"Alright, you should be good to go by this point." the doctor finished unwrapping the bandages that covered Tien's arms and torso, but paused to look him in the eye "But I would suggest you take it easy for the next couple of days, just to give yourself a chance to acclimate. Also keep in mind that you did experience significant muscle strain, so don't do anything too strenuous for the time being."

"...I'll remember that, thank you." Tien gave a simple nod as he watched the doctor walk out of the room, then picked up the few belongings he had placed on the night stand next to his bed, which included Chiaotzu's hat, then prepared to take his leave.

"Hey Tien." the voice of Goku stopped him in his tracks as he held up a hand to him "Show me what you've got. Hit me as hard as you can, no holding back."

"Trust me Goku, when it comes to you I never hold back." Tien got into a stance and let a single fist fly, with Goku blocking it, albeit earning a yelp of pain, and then a smirk.

"Now that's what I'm talking about. You definitely made a quick recovery from all of that, not that I really expected anything less from you. You've gotten pretty strong too."

"Nowhere near as strong as you have… and nowhere near strong enough."

"Hey think of it this way, you figured out how to tap into the Kaioken a hell of a lot faster than I did, so that's gotta count for something." Goku let out a chuckle, but then his gaze turned serious for a moment "But listen, as awesome as that is, you don't wanna take it lightly."

"Believe me, I learned that the hard way from the battle." Tien winced as he clutched at one of his biceps "I could feel it as I went, having to control every ounce of Ki in my body as I went after him, and keeping it up as long as I did wasn't easy."

"And if you don't stay in complete control while you're doing it, you might end up ripping your body apart from the inside. Even when I was training with King Kai, not to mention being dead for all of it, he warned me not to use the Kaioken too much at any one point. If you lose control for even a second you could end up really messing yourself up. I did that a few times before I got the hang of it and it hurt really bad, and if you do that while you're alive…"

"I might end up killing myself in the process. I'll remember that." Tien gave Goku a simple nod of respect, then grabbed his belongings and made his way out of the room and down the halls toward the exit without another word.

"So you're finally out then huh? At least you got freaking admitted."

Tien looked over to see Yajirobe leaning against one of the walls in the lobby "What are you still doing here? I thought you would've left by now."

"Korin sent me to check in on you guys, make sure you don't croak before the Senzu Beans get up and running. So yeah, basically I'm his errand boy now or some shit." Yajirobe rolled his eyes as he slumped into a chair "I never wanted any of that shit. I was totally cool with hanging out in the jungle on my own, but nope. Now I'm basically Korin's lackey."

"Well whether you enjoy doing these things or not, I think it's safe to say that if you hadn't played the part that you did, the rest of us might not be here right now, so frankly I feel like we should be grateful."

"Damn right you should. Not that I ever actually get any of that." Yajirobe scowled and looked away "You try to do your own thing, then you get roped into all kinds of crap, like running Goku all over the place, getting him those magic beans and helping him get that magic water stuff that made him super strong."

"Hold on, what?" Tien cut him off mid-rant as his gaze snapped towards him "What was that last part?"

"What, you mean the magic water? Yeah, Goku drank that stuff during the whole King Piccolo thing. I don't remember a ton of the details, if you wanna figure it out just ask Korin. But don't expect me to help you with it, I ain't going through that shit again." Yajirobe's scowl lightened as he pulled himself to his feet "Anyway I'm heading off to see where I can find the nearest buffet, you do you triclops. Later." and so he gave a simple wave and headed out the door without so much as another word.

'Magic water that makes you stronger… Goku drank that before he fought King Piccolo? That would explain a few things, but still…' Tien frowned in thought for a moment, before his gaze snapped up 'Assuming this isn't just like the Sacred Water we had to take from Korin as part of his training… Maybe I should go speak to Korin in person and see where this leads…' and so the second he was out the doors of the hospital, he took off into the skies toward the direction of his new destination: Korin' Tower.

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Meanwhile, with the start of the B plot…

'It really was tough being away from home training with Piccolo for so long. I really did miss this place…' Gohan let out a sigh as he finished eating the full course meal in front of him, with only a series of empty bowls being left behind 'And I especially missed mom's cooking.'

"Looks like someone has his appetite back at least." Chichi gave a smile as she grabbed a pile of bowls and brought them over to the sink "You feeling better now?"

"Much better mom, thanks a bunch for that."

"Glad to hear it. You know now that you're doing better, you may want to go check in on Master Roshi and the others at Kame House. I'm sure he's worried sick about you."

"That's a good idea, I'll go pay him a visit then. Maybe I can see Tien before he gets let out of the hospital."

"You've had it really rough for a long time now, so feel free to take it easy, okay? And once you finish up over there, you come back home straight away, you hear me? Don't forget that you did promise to study."

"Don't worry mom, I will." Gohan let out a nervous chuckle as he moved to male his way out the door of the Son household, only to stop at the sound of the phone ringing.

"Gohan, I'm glad I caught you.

"Is that you Tien? What's going on?"

"I know you want relax after the fight and all, and your mom is probably gonna be insistent about studying, but there's no telling when Vegeta is gonna be back. I just wanted to remind you to keep up your training. Krillin is doing the same over at Kame House."

"Right, I'll be sure to do that."

"I saw how you held your own in that fight, keep it up and you'll be able to handle anything that comes your way."

"Thanks for that Tien, I'll definitely find the time to get some training in. So are you still over at the hospital? I was hoping to stop by and see you before you left."

"I appreciate that, but I was actually discharged earlier this morning. Go ahead and make any preparations you need to for the trip… I'll be doing the same."

"Everything okay?"

"Yes, it's just… there's something I have to try. All goes well, I'll see you there." and then the line cut off.

"Okay then…" despite being a bit off put by this, Gohan quickly shook it off and made his way out the door, then took off into the skies in the direction of Kame House.

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Meanwhile, with the C plot…

"Okay, let me see if I've got this right." Krillin glanced down at Oolong from where they stood in front of the Capsule Corp building "You're telling me you saw Yamcha's ghost running all over the city?"

"Yes!" Oolong seemed particularly freaked out by the chain of events "You think I'd lie about something like that? The ghost didn't just look like Yamcha, he was hanging around with all kinds of babes too!"

"Uh huh."

"It sucks, even as a ghost he's more popular than me! Anyway I've never seen a ghost before, so I'm really freaking out here! What the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Try calming down for starters, flipping out isn't gonna solve anything." Krillin paused, then let out a sigh "How about I go take a look and see what this is reall about?"

"Serioulsy? Thanks man, he's over by the park with that giant fountain. Just make sure to watch out, okay?"

"I know, I know." with that in mind, Krillin took to the skies and flew his way over West City until his gaze fell onto the fountain in question 'Looks like that's the place, now where's this so-called ghost- Okay yeah, that definitely looks a lot like Yamcha.'

"Hi there." as it turns out, there was a figure that really did look exactly like Yamcha, in the company of a young woman "Thanks for taking the time to meet me out here today."

"I was pretty surprised to get an invite from you out of the blue like this." the woman looked up at Yamcha "I don't know what it is, but there's something kind of different about you now."

"I'm just doing what I think is right, and that means treating a lady with respect… and being upfront and honest with her, even if it's not easy."

'Yeah, something definitely isn't right here.' Krillin frowned as he watched the scene unfold from above 'He looks like Yamcha but his Ki is different, and he doesn't have any ghostly presence about him. So what's he doing?'

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Meanwhile, with the A plot…

"So you came." Korin didn't have to turn his gaze away from the ledge of his tower to know who was behind him "I had a feeling that one of you was going to show up here sooner or later."

Sure enough, Tien was the one descending onto the ground of the tower, his gaze hardened and deadly serious "I'm not surprised that you knew it was me, and by that logic I take it you know exactly why it is that I'm here."

"I have a pretty good idea." Korin turned around to face Tien "You know that the Saiyans may very well be just the tip of the iceberg. You may not have been as ready to face them in battle as you would've liked, but you want to change that so you're better prepared next time. If Goku is still out of action by the time the next crisis arises, you feel as though it'll be up to you to make sure everyone stays safe, so that no more blood has to be shed by their hands, like Yamcha or Piccolo… and especially not Chiaotzu."

"So you do know everything then."

"Just a lot of stuff that happens down on Earth. I can't really recommend this, but I understand how you feel, so if you're as determined as I think you are then I'll at least let you head down there and try to take a sip."

"Which means what Yajirobe mentioned to me is true then?"

"Yep. I'm willing to let you take a crack at it… the Ultra Divine Water. It's what Goku drank at one point when he was a kid, back during the whole thing with King Piccolo. Unlike the Sacred Water I had you and the others chase around, this one is the real deal. It's water packed with all kinds of mystical properties and magical zing that will greatly enhance the abilities of a person who drinks it, but first you're going to have to track it down in order to drink it and enjoy those benefits. The journey you have to take is pretty perilous, there's a maze made entirely of ice far to the North. Befor anything else, you'll have to navigate through the icy labyrinth in order to get your hands on the Ultra Divie Water, which is hidden somewhere in a cave at the end of that ice maze. I should warn you though, many brave explorers have tried to navigate their way through so they can get the stuff for themselves, but they've never been seen again. And as far as I know, only one person has managed to reach the Ultra Divine Water and come back alive."

"And that person was Goku."

"Yes. And Yajirobe, but he doesn't really count. Anyway, they can both tell you for a fact that as much as the water increases your power, it also has the chance to kill you if you're not worthy of its effects. And we have no Dragon Balls now, so there won't be any wishing you back. So now that you know the peril involved, what do you plan to do? Do you still want to seek it out and undergo the trail?"

"I… I am prepared." Tien got down one knee "I can't just stand by and do nothing when Goku is out there fighting to protect all of us. I can't be useless when others are dying in front of me. Not again. Never again."

"I see." Korin studied Tien for a moment, and then he gave a simple nod "You have guts, I'll give you that much. Now come with me, I'll show you how to get to the start of the maze." and so he led Tien into another room in the tower.

"So you said that the start of the ice labyrinth was somewhere to the North, right?"

"Yep, but for you to get there it's only gonna take as long as it takes for you to jump into that pot over there." Korin pointed to a single pot sitting in the corner of the room "That acts as a sort of portal that will take you there in a matter of seconds."

"Amazing."

"It's got its uses. Now before you go, I have one last piece of advice."

"What would that be?"

"If you're dead set on going through with this, then there's one thing you have to be sure to avoid no matter the cost. Darkness."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm referring to a Darkness blacker than the night itself. It shields the Ultra Divine Water with an illusion so cunning and mind breaking, you may never be able to escape its empty void once you let yourself get ensnared in it."

"I will remember this. Thank you Master Korin, and wish me luck." and on that note, Tien took a breath and leapt into the pot, transporting him to the far North.

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Meanwhile, with the B plot…

"Hi Master Roshi."

"Hm?" Roshi looked up from the magazine he was reading on his lounge chair to see Gohan drop down onto the shores in front of Kame House "Well if it isn't little Gohan, you're looking fit as a fiddle."

"Yep, out of the hospital and good as new. Just waiting to head to Namek." Gohan paused and took a look around "So where is everybody?"

"Oh everyone is off doing their own thing, but I had the others go out looking for someone. Did your father ever tell you about Launch?"

"No, I don't think so."

"She's the young woman that used to live here, but she left a few years ago and no one had heard from her since. She left here and went after Tien, but I was starting to worry that she'd end up getting herself mixed up in the fight against the Saiyans. I asked the others to go and look for her in the area where the fight took place, but…"

"Did something happen?"

"It's possible at least. I saw a young woman that looks a lot like Launch on a news report not too far from West City. I'm waiting for the others to get back so I can tell them where they should head to next."

"What about Krillin?"

"He went over to help Bulma prepare for the trip to Namek, last I heard he went off to gather a few things for her and got roped up into something else."

"Oh, well I can go there if you like."

"Really? That would be great, and you can't miss her. She's got full-bodied curly blue hair, quite the beauty I have to say. Her outfit leaves little to the imagination… I can still picture her tank top and shorts, those curves…" Roshi let out his typical perverted laugh as some blood trickled from his nose "Just thinking about her is getting me all worked up!"

"Um… Master Roshi?"

"Oh right, where was I? Yes, in terms of personality she's a very calm and sweet person."

"Calm and sweet with blue hair, I got it. Okay, I'll go and track her down." Gohan gave a simple nod, and then blasted off into the skies toward West City.

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Meanwhile, with the C plot…

'I don't get what the deal is here.' Krillin continued watching the Yamcha look alike run around the city from his place in mid-air, now following him to the outskirts of the city This guy is still posing as Yamcha, and he's been chatting it up with every girl he comes across for like an hour. Plus he looks and sounds like Yamcha, but he doesn't talk like him. He's too polite and meek to be him. What, is he trying to cash in on Yamcha's repuation or something? And now he's talking with some other girl, okay he's definitely trying to go for the whole playboy thing.'

"Thanks for meeting me out here." Yamcha made his way over to the young woman that caught his attention "I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."

"Well listen to you." the woman gave a smirk "You really know how to flatter a girl, now don't you?"

"Yeah, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. You see-"

"There you are you little punk!" it was at this moment that another figure appeared on the scene, a rather large punk that levelled a hateful glare towards Yamcha "So you're the piece of crap that was trying to make a move on my woman!"

"Uh, sorry who are you exactly?"

"Oh god, he's my ex." the woman muttered "He's turning into a real stalker now."

"Wait, he's your ex?"

"Looks like someone has to teach you not to mess with my woman! I'm gonna wipe the floor with you asshole!" the thug charged at Yamcha and immediately threw him to the ground.

"Wait wait wait, you got the wrong idea! Can't we just talk this out like gentlemen?"

"What the hell are you going on about? Just shut up and fight!" the thug clocked back a fist and moved to let it fly… only to find that it wouldn't budge "What the hell?"

"Hey there." as it turns out, this was when Krillin had chosen to jump into the fray, grabbing the guy by the arm and throwing him to the ground in an instant "Next time try picking on someone who can actually defend themselves."

"Yeah well… shut up! You're gonna pay for this one you little runt, you and him!" and then the thug took off running away from the scene.

"Sure we will." Krillin rolled his eyes as he turned his gaze to the Yamcha look alike "Okay, you might look like him but the Yamcha I know can mop the floor with a guy like that without even batting an eye. You wanna tell me what your game is?"

"Okay… thanks for helping me out of that Krillin." there was a puff of smoke, and a little blue cat was floating in the spot where Yamcha used to be.

"Wait, Puar?!"

"What the hell, it's a flying cat!" and then the woman took off running.

"Oh yeah, people can't fly. I keep forgetting how normal people react to the stuff we deal with all the time. So seriously Puar, what the hell is the deal? Why were you going around as Yamcha all day?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to deceive you." Puar looked down sadly "I just wanted to make sure that Yamcha's reputation was intact when you managed to wish him back, and let his admirers down easy so he could patch things up with Bulma when he finally got home."

"Wait, that's what this is about? You know you wouldn't have been able to keep that up for too long right?"

"I know, I just… I wanted to do something to help him." Puar's face fell further, only to be met with a pat on the back from Krillin.

"Hey it's alright, I get it. But you know, that kinda reminds me of something Yamcha asked me to help him with after we finished training with Kami."

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Back to the event in question…

"Okay hold on, let me make sure I got this right." Krillin followed after Yamcha as the two of them made their way into a secluded cave, the former holding a notepad in one hand "You want me to do what exactly?"

"Basically just read off the notepad when I'm ready for it." Yamcha told him without looking up from what he was doing, what being using a Spirit Ball to blow away large amounts of rock in front of him until he found what he was looking for "There we go."

"Is this another one of your "get rich quick" schemes? Because I'm not doing anymore stuff with cryptocurrency."

"That was one time, and no. This one is important." Yamcha glanced back at Krillin "You see what I've got here right?"

"A giant lump of coal. So what's it for?"

"You'll see in a second. Start reading off that notepad, I prepped for this."

"If you say so." Krillin looked down at the notepad in his hand "Okay, step 1: Mine for sizable chunk of coal."

"Check."

"Step 2: take the piece of coal and apply intense heat to it."

"That I think I've got covered." Yamcha dissipated his Spirit Ball, then picked up the lump of coal in one hand and levitated it, forming a makeshift Spirit Ball around the coal "You might not know it just from looking, but these things can get pretty hot. Combine that with all the pressure that comes with being stuck in a Spirit Ball like that and… there we go." he dissipated the Spirit Ball, and into the palm of his hand fell a small diamond "And there you go. How's that for a way to get rich quick?"

"Well damn." Krillin let out a low whistle "Where did you learn all of that?"

"Hang around people big on science like Bulma and her dad, and you tend to pick up a couple of things here and there. But I'm not using it to get rich. It's kind of a Bulma thing."

"Oh here we go."

"Yeah I know, we both figured this was coming." Yamcha breathed a sigh as he pocketed the diamond in his gi and turned back towards Krillin "Okay so, I mostly threw myself into training to try and forget about the whole thing with her, try to focus on something else."

"And because of the whole alien invasion thing."

"Yeah, that too. Then at one point it kinda boiled over and I got to thinking, relationships are supposed to be a two-way street right? Maybe I got too wrapped up in my baseball career, maybe she's too busy with her science stuff, maybe she just wants a real sign of commitment. So maybe it's time for one of those big romantic gestures like they do in movies. Come home from the big fight alive and give her something she'll never forget."

"And you plan on doing it once the Saiyans are done. Okay I'll bite, what are you gonna give her?"

"I was thinking the rest of my life."

"...One more time?"

"I'm gonna ask her to marry me." Yamcha watched as Krillin's gaze snapped towards him.

"Hold up, are you serious?"

"One of those times I really am."

"Holy crap, that uh… that's a big step man. Congrats."

"Thanks. I mean I love her man, I really do. My life has never been the same since I met her, and I know what I want. I guess it just took me awhile to realize it. Anyway I don't wanna get too far ahead of myself, but… I'm still trying to decide between you and Tien."

"Decide between us for what?"

"Honestly, which one of you would be willing to be my best man."

"For real? Well whatever you want man, I'd be honored to be part of it at all."

"Hey you're my buddy, it only makes sense." Yamcha gave a grin as he caught Krillin in a guy hug "But going back to the Saiyans… Give it to me straight, do we really have a chance of coming out of this alive?"

"I… I don't really know."

"Figures. Well whatever happens, I'm not going down without a fight." Yamcha gave a smirk full of bravado, but then it softened slightly "And whatever happens on that front, you think you could do me another favor? Pass on a little message to Puar."

"Okay…?"

"If something happens in the fight and I, well you know…"

"Yamcha come on, don't get all gloomy on me."

"Work with me Krillin, I'm serious. If I end up dying in the fight, I know Puar is probably gonna end up taking it really hard and go wild trying to fill my shoes. You know, stuff like make sure my rep stays as it is until I get wished back, try to patch things up with Bulma or something like that… But he shouldn't have to. If I'm gone, then I want Puar to keep on living the best life he can, whether I'm around or not. You mind passing that on for me?"

"Yamcha…" there was a pause, and then Krillin gave a small smile "If it comes to that then I'll pass on the message to Puar. But you don't have to worry about that, because one way or another we're gonna win this fight."

"I know, but I still wanna be sure. And thanks Krillin, you're a good friend.

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Now back to reality…

"Wait, really?" Puar looked up at Krillin with tears brimming in his eyes "So Yamcha… he said all of that to me?"

"Yeah, and I could tell he meant it." Krillin patted Puar on the back "Don't worry about it, just leave that to Yamcha when we wish him back."

"Right! And I know Bulma is gonna be more than happy to see Yamcha when he gets back, and when he gives her that ring."

"Just don't go spreading that around, he wanted that to be a surprise." Krillin blinked at the sound of beep coming from his pocket, which led him to pull out his cell phone and visibly cringe "God dammit, I freaking hate pocket dials. And it got sent to Bulma, because of course it did. Yamcha is gonna kill me when he gets back."

"And you can't be brought back more than once."

"Well I guess it won't be all bad, last time I was over there they mentioned die three times and you get a free sundae." Krillin paused as he looked down at the sound of ringing and held up his phone "Bulma, hey… I might be getting that sunade sooner than I thought."

"What?"

"Nothing important, what's up?"

"I'm working on the ship, but I need you to do something for me, okay?"

"Okay… what do you need me to do?"

"You remember that thug that called himself Raditz right?"

"You mean the dude who called himself Goku's brother, beat the crap out of Goku and Piccolo and bitch-slapped me through Kame House before they finally took him out? Pretty sure we're not gonna forget that anytime soon.

"Tell me about it. You think there's a chance that there's still parts of his space pod left around where he landed? I need to see what's left of it, that hunk of junk has to be sporting alien tech way more advanced than what we've got on our hands. I've asked a few people from Capsule Corp to bring me what they could find from out there, but it's not enough."

"So basically, you want me to head out there, find anything they might have missed and then bring it back to you?"

"You're already better at understanding others than the slaves we've got around here."

"Calling them slaves is wrong for a lot of reasons."

"Fine, interns. So are you up for it or not?"

"Yeah I'm on it, I'll see what's around there and bring it back to you." Krillin paused and shared a look with Puar "And listen, about the other thing…"

"Just… Just drop it for now, okay?" and then the line cut off.

"Okay… I'm definitely screwed now." Krillin let out a sigh as he pocketed his phone "I'd better go deal with that. And listen Puar, you mind telling Oolong it was you that was running around looking like Yamcha? He saw you earlier and thought you were a ghost."

"Oh…" Puar blushed and let out a nervous chuckle "Yeah sure, no problem."

"Thanks. Well I'm off, wish me luck." and so Krillin blasted off into the skies in the direction of where Raditz's pod had landed.

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Meanwhile, with the A plot…

'Is that it?' Tien opened his eyes and looked around at the icy labyrinth he found himself in "So this is the place?"

"Hey big guy, up here!" Korin drew his attention to the giant hole in the sky "Listen to me Tien, if you manage to find the Ultra Divine Water then be sure to return here to this exact spot, and I'll be sure to pull you back out again. Good luck."

"I understand Korin, and thank you." with that in mind, Tien made his way off into the ice maze, still looking around as a series of chills spread across his body 'It's definitely a lot colder than I was expecting it to be. I'll have to be careful so I don't end up freezing to death. In hindsight, going into this without having a shirt on wasn't my best idea.' and so he carried on his way, only to stop in his tracks when something caught his eye.

In this case, that something was a frozen corpse that laid on the side of the path.

'The poor soul… he must have gotten lost in the maze like the others Korin mentioned. I had best make sure to hurry before I end up like him.' so Tien began to walk forward once again, only to stop when he heard a crash, and then he looked back to see the path behind him disappear 'Okay, that defintely isn't good. I think it's safe to say that something is coming.'

And that was when something came, in the form of a large snow cyclone that emerged from the cracks in th ground and then took on the form of a massiv ice monster, which then unleashed a monstrous blizzard.

'Well I knew this wasn't going to be easy. I also know that I don't have time to waste on this, so I'll have to deal with it fast. Ki Blast Cannon!" Tien fired a quick Ki Blast Cannon at the ice monster, only for it to quickly regenerate 'You've gotta be kidding me… It's like I didn't hit the thing at all…'

The ice monster moved to lunge at Tien again, only to suddenly stop in its track as the head of the monster evaporated into nothing.

'Okay… Was that just a delayed effect? No, that doesn't seem right… Well it doesn't matter, I had better get moving before it comes back for nother round.' with that in mind, Tien slid down an ice slide he found on the side of the path, until he reached the end of it and found himself at the bottom of a deep ravine 'Okay, that was… interesting. Now I had better get moving, and who knows how much time I have here before I end up freezing to death.' and so he continued on his way.

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Meanwhile, with the B plot…

'Okay, let's see here…' Gohan flew his way across the skies a short distance away from West City, searching around the area per Roshi's instructions 'Okay, Master Roshi said she's got curly blue hair, short clothes and is really calm and sweet. Now where is she?'

"Quick jerking me the hell around already!" a sharp voice drew Gohan's attention towards the ground, where a curly-haired blonde woman in a tank top and shorts to where was ripping into a man and a blue-haired young woman by the side of the road "I'm not fucking joking!"

'Wait, what's going on?'

"Please, you don't have to do this!" the blue-haired woman backed away in fear.

'Wait a second…' Gohan's gaze fell onto one of the women 'Blue hair, same outfit Master Roshi described… Yeah, that must be Launch, just like he said.'

"Please, just… just let me go!"

"Like hell that's gonna happen." the blonde took a few steps closer to the two of them "You little punks are messing with the wrong girl here! I said fork it over so fork it the hell over, if you know what's good for you."

"Well I mean, it's just…"

"So you wanna play it like that then do ya? Fine, in that case I'm just gonna have to pump you little rats full of lead then!" the blonde pulled out a gun and pointed it at the two of them, which immediately earned a scream of terror.

'Oh that's not good, looks like Launch is in trouble. Wait, stop!" Gohan blitzed down onto the scene and grabbed hold of the gun before the blonde could fire, crushing it in his hand and then throwing it away, then turned his gaze over to the others "Are you two okay?"

"Y-Yes, I think so…" the blue-haired woman snapped out of her stupor "Thank you…"

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"Hey, who the hell are you supposed to be?" the blonde quickly drew Gohan's attention "You're pretty tough for being such a pint-sized punk, you actually kinda remind me of Goku."

"Wait a second, how do you know my dad?"

"Hold up, you're Goku's kid? What the hell are you doing out here?"

"I heard a commotion and tried to stop anyone from getting hurt. Did you really have to try and shoot them?"

"These dipshits are the ones who stole my map, I'm just trying to get it back."

"Wait, what?" Gohan turned back to the blue-haired woman and the man "Did you really steal from her?"

"Well um…" the blue-haired woman looked away nervously "It's kind of a long story."

"Alright that's it, I've had enough of your crap!" the blonde stormed her way over to the two of them "Keep up the nice guy act and bam, I'm slamming your face into the ground!"

"I-I'm sorry, I swear I just wasn't thinking!"

"Hold on a second." Gohan cut back into the conversation "So does that mean that you're not really Launch?"

"Who?"

"Should I take that as a no?"

"For crying out loud kid, I'm Launch over here!" the blonde turned her glare onto him "Right over here."

"Wait, what? But I was told that she had blue hair."

"I only got blue hair about half the time, it's complicated kid." the now identified Launch turned her glare back to the couple "Now shut the hell up and give me that stupid map before I really get pissed off!"

"O-Okay." the woman was quick to hand the item in question back to Launch "So um… is there any way you could find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"Screw you ya little skank, now get out of here before I send you packing myself!" and that was more than enough to send the two of them running away in terror "Good ridden to those no good little shits… Ah whatever, at least I got back my map.

"Okay, good for you I guess." Gohan looked fairly uncomfortable at all of this "Sorry I just butted in in like that."

"Forget about it kid, I'm over it. As long as I got this here map, I can finally figure out where he lives."

"He?"

"He keeps jumping all over the place for his training, I've been chasing nothing but rumors all over the place for like a year and a half. No way in hell Tien is gonna get away from me that easily."

"Wait, you're after Tien?"

"You bet your ass I am runt, as soon as I find out where he is. He's not gonna hide from me this time." she started walking off, at least until Gohan's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Tien isn't hiding, he's been recovering in the hospital since the fight with the Saiyans."

"Wait, he's where?" Launch stormed her way over to Gohan "What hospital, where?"

"Wukong Hospital, the one in West City. But he called me and said he got let out earlier today, apparently he had something he needed to take care of." he was met with a scowl.

"Figures, now it's gonna take me ages to track him down again. Don't suppose you know where he took off to?"

"No, but if it helps I know where he's going to be. We're all meeting up at Kame House in three days." Gohan was met with a pause, and then a smirk.

"I like ya better than Goku already." Launch's smirk widened as she clenched a fist "Tien ain't gonna get away from me that easily, and this time I'm gonna make sure that he falls in love with me. Hang on tight buddy, I'm coming for ya!" and then she took off running.

'...Okay then.' Gohan watched as Launch took off from the scene, and then he took to the skies himself 'I guess I'd better head back to Kame House and let Master Roshi know how this turned out.'

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Meanwhile, with the C plot…

'Okay, here we go.' it took a little while for Krillin to get all the way to the East Ravine Area and find the crater where Raditz's pod used to be, searching around through the wreckage until one thing in particular caught his eye, in the form of a small object poking out of the ground, which he promptly dug up and pulled out 'Huh, some kind of computer chip or something? This whole thing is getting pretty weird… and that's saying a lot considering how this started out. Either way though, I'd better bring this back to Bulma to see what's up.' and so he took off into the skies back towards Capsule Corp.

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Meanwhile, with the A plot…

'I have to keep going.' Tien continued running through the ice maze as fast as his legs would carry him, his mind drifting to the various people he was fighting for 'Goku, Gohan, Krillin, all of my friends… even the dead ones, like Yamcha and Piccolo… and especially Chiaotzu… for all of you, I have to keep moving.' he prepared to keep going, only to skid to a stop at something that appeared before him, leaving his eyes wide with shock "No way… it can't be… Chiaotzu?"

Sure enough, the figure of Chiaotzu was floating in front of Tien, albeit with a faint white glow surrounding his body "Yes Tien, I am here in the flesh."

"But you can't… I saw you die…" Tien moved to reach out to Chiaotzu despite himself… only to stop in his tracks as he studied Chiaotzu for a moment "Your Ki signature is off… you're not really Chiaotzu, are you? Is this just one of the traps set by Darkness, in order to protect the Ultra Divine Water from those who would come to look for it?"

"What are you talking about Tien?"

"As much as it hurts for me to remember it, the Chiaotzu I know, the real one, died in the battle against the Saiyans because he sacrificed himself… because I was too weak to protect him. The only reason I'm even here now is because he did everything he could to try and protect me in the way I wanted to protect him. I want to make sure that never happens again, and I know that I have to become so much stronger than I am now… So nice try, but I'm not going to let myself be fooled as easily as that."

"...Hm. So you noticed." the fake Chiaotzu's expressions darkened considerably as the white glow around his body turned black "The Ultra Diviene Water is sacred. It is not meant for the likes of humans. It is defiled by your very presence. You must leave this place at once, or else your life will be forfeit."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. My friends and I are working hard to bring back those who fell in the recent battle, and I've come too far to turn back now. I'm fully aware that even if I drink the Ultra Divine Water, it may not be enough to put me on the likes of Goku's level… but I would never be able to live with myself, if I didn't at least try."

"...I see. Your resolve is true." the fake Chiaotzu then disappeared in a white light, which was followed by the entire cavern shaking, and then the figure of a large black creature appeared in front of Tien "You have proven your determination."

"Am I correct to assume that this is your true self? Tell me, who are you?"

"I am Darkness, the guardian of the Ultra Divine Water. You have proven yourself to be worthy, and now you must look ahead." a light shone in front of Tien, revealing a pot and a cup sitting on a small table.

"So this is it then? This is the Ultra Divine Water?"

"Yes. The sacred liquid is very dangerous. One must have the strength needed, both on a physical and mental level, in order to survive its effects. For those who are unsuited, it will result in certain death."

"And if it doesn't kill me, will it make me stronger just like Korin told me?"

"Such a fate cannot be guaranteed. The Ultra Divine Water takes advantage of the special powers hidden deep within those who drink it. If you have no special powers within you, no resolve, then nothing will change, and only those who carry a special power will awaken new strength. The others, if too weak, will almost certainly die."

"Just like what Korin told me. So then tell me, how many people have tried to drink the Ultra Divine Water before me?"

"There have been 14 in total."

"Which also includes Goku. And how many of those 14 have survived the effects?"

"Of those 14, there has only been one survivor. The one known as Son Goku."

"I see…"

"Now that you are aware of the risks. What do you intend to do?"

"...I'll do it. Goku was more than willing to take the risk. He would never give up, and so I can't give up either. He fought with everything he had to protect what he held dear, so now the time has come for me to do the same." Tien braced hismelf as he poured the contents of the pot into a small cup, and then downed the contents of it in a few gulps… which immediately led to him grabbing his throat and writing on the ground in agony, images flashing through his mind of his life up until now, yet he never cried out despite the pain he was feeling from the process.

"Remember Tien Shinhan, you have to be strong. If your resolve is true, your spirit can never waver. Not even for a moment."

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Meanwhile, with the B plot…

"Oh Gohan, you're back." Roshi looked up to see Gohan drop down onto the shores in front of Kame House "So how did it go? Everything turn out okay on your end?"

"Well, I mean sort of…" Gohan rubbed the back of his head "I did find Launch yeah, but she went and took off somewhere after that."

"Actually I know about that part, Launch went and showed up here not too long ago."

"Wait, she did? But…"

"Oh, did someone call for me?" this was when a woman with curly blue hair in Launch's clothes came out of Kame House, leaving Gohan taken by surprise.

"What the-?"

"Oh, you must be the boy that Master Roshi talked about. You're Goku's son aren't you?" she gave him a bright smile "It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Launch."

"Hold on, you're Launch? But the woman I met before had blonde hair."

"I see, that's actually the other me. People tell me that whenever I sneeze, it causes my whole personality to change. And my hair also turns blonde I guess."

"Your entire personality changes? And your hair color?" the more Gohan listened to this, the more taken aback he was.

"I know, it's hard to believe isn't it? I think it might be some sort of condition I have."

'That's probably the only way I could think of to describe it.'

"Oh wait, now I remember!" Roshi's gaze snapped up "That's what I forgot to tell you about before. Sorry about that, my bad.

"Y-Yeah… This whole thing is really weird.'

"I just hope the other me didn't cause you too much trouble." Launch looked rather bashful at the thought "She can be a little bit harsh here and there."

"No, it uh… it wasn't that big of a deal. I'm just surprised to see you here, since she had said something about going to look for Tien."

"Right… I was near West City when I came to, and I had no clue what was going on, and so I just decided to come here."

"I-I see…"

"Yeah… Oh, I know!" Launch's expression quickly perked up "Why don't I cook you something nice as a way of thanking you for dealing with the other me? Given what you must have been through, it's the least I can do. Plus I've been wanting to try out a few new recipes for a little while now."

"Really? You don't have to go to the trouble."

"Don't think too much of it my boy, I think it's a great idea." Roshi gave a grin "The three of us can eat together, maybe tell you a little bit about the days from when your dad was as young as you are."

"Oh, well okay…" and so Gohan followed Roshi and Launch back into Kame House 'Well at least this version isn't so… forward… She actually seems really nice…'

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Meanwhile, with the C plot…

'Okay, let's see here…' Bulma stood in the center of the Namekian ship working at the control console 'Got the language away from Namekian, now if only I could get it to english instead of whatever the hell this is.'

"Hey Bulma." this was when Krillin made his way into the lab with a small metallic chip in his hand "I looked around that crater Goku's brother left and I found this thing."

"Hm? Oh good, thanks." Bulma snatched it up and looked it over, then let out a sigh "Looks like some of the circuits got fried to a crips out there…"

"So it's useless?"

"I didn't say that. Anyway as far as I can tell, this chip is used to record transmissions."

"You think that means there's gonna be something on there you can work with, some kind of juicy info to use against them?"

"Give me a half hour and I'll see if I can recover anything."

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A half hour later…

"Okay wow, that was fast." Krillin followed Bulma back over to her work station "So you got that done already?"

"More or less." Bulma gave a light shrug as she typed away on her computer "I restored what I could on this thing, but I wasn't able to recover all of the data on that chip you found."

"So it is useless?"

"I never said that. I couldn't figure out all of it, but I was able to restore bits and pieces of this audio recording from some kind of conversation between them."

"What kind of conversation are we talking about?"

"Listen and see for yourself." Bulma typed away on the computer and pulled up the audio in question.

"I hear Lord's- got- eye on this planet…"

"Typical- lose interest right away- sure of it…"

"Which means we're gonna have to fly around- for another planet…"

"I'm tired of us- his servants…"

"This could be- chance- show what Saiyans- really do…"

"Then- Frieza- bow to us…" then the audio cut out.

"Frieza huh? That doesn't sound good." Krillin glanced over at Bulma "I don't suppose you have any idea what they were talking about?"

"The hell if I know." Bulma gave a shrug "Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good."

"No doubt about that."

"But uh, you know it doesn't really matter." Bulma gave an unconvincing grin "I mean that was all alien stuff, it has nothing to do with us here on Earth!"

"Yeah, no doubt about that." Krillin let out a nervous chuckle, though his quickly face fell almost immediately after 'Call it a hunch, but I don't think that's as far from us as I'd like to believe it to be. And based on our history, I get the feeling we're gonna be finding out what the deal is with all of this soon enough.'

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Meanwhile, with the A plot…

"Remember Tien Shinhan, you have to be strong. If your resolve is true, your spirit can never waver. Not even for a moment."

"I… I know…" Tien eventually stopped writing on the ground as the pain died down, and after a few moments passed he slowly pulled himself back to his feet "Is… Is it over…? I'm still alive though, so does that mean…?"

"The trial is completed, and you have passed."

"I see…" Tien slowly looked down at himself as he clenched both of his fists "It's a bit strange, I don't actually feel any stronger… I do feel a bit different sure, but I don't know how to describe this feeling. So this is it?"

"The sensation is not an immediate effect. Only when you fight again will you come to see the difference."

"I understand." Tien moved to take his leave, but paused and looked back at Darkness "Thank you for your guide."

"The gift this water grants is now yours. Use it wisely." and on that note, Darkness took its leave as it disappeared back into the shadows.

'In that case, I had best hurry back myself. It's strange but, now I feel as if I can see all of it so clearly.' and so Tien blasted back off into the skies back towards where he started.

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Meanwhile, with the B plot…

'Well that took a lot longer than I thought it would.' Gohan let out a sigh as he flew his way back to his home at the base of Mount Paozu 'At least now I can finally put some focus on-'

"Enough stalling, hurry up and get out here!"

'What the-' Gohan's gaze quickly fell onto two people standing outside his house, prompting him to drop to the ground and make his way over "Um, excuse me?"

"Gohan!" this was when Chichi made her way out of the house and fixed a pissed off glare at the two figures "Just stand back and let your mommy handle these two gangsters."

"Don't be foolish, we're far from gangsters." the first of the two figures (Master Shen) stepped ahead of the other one (Mercenary Tao) and approached Chichi "What we're offering you is our protection. I am the master of the greatest school of martial arts this world has ever known, and my brother here is the greatest assassin of this world. Together we can protect you from any threats this world may offer."

"Forget it, I'm not stupid enough to fall for any of that. All you're doing is trying to get your hands on our money. We work hard to earn our livings and it's not earmarked for a pack of thugs like you two. Besides, we can protect ourselves just fine."

"That's what you believe." Tao gave a smirk as he stepped forward "I happened across a few small monsters in the area, and it would be quite the shame if they were to go after innocents such as yourselves… or if they were pointed in your direction."

"I'm not falling for any of your tricks. Come on Gohan, these guys are full of it!" and so Chichi stormed her way back inside.

"Wait, they're full of what?" Gohan paused and looked over in a different direction 'Mom says they're trying to trick us and they do seem really untrustworthy, but I do sense something evil not too far away.'

"Seems like you're smarter than your mother is boy." Tao cast a smirk toward Gohan "I take it you're scared?"

"I'm not scared of creeps like you guys, and I can handle whatever monsters you're talking about no problem."

"You? Please, you're nothing but a child." Tao paused and looked him over, then let out a small chuckle "But so be it, if you have something you want to prove then go ahead and show me what you've got."

"Fine. Now where were these monsters you talked about?"

"They were attacking a farm at the base of the mountain if you're so eager, though you will be just rushing to your death."

"We'll see about that soon enough." Gohan took off running and blasted off into the skies as he searched for the Ki in question 'If these guys want to talk to my mom like that, then I'll just have to show them what I can really do. Piccolo didn't train me for nothing!'

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Meanwhile, with the A plot…

'Alright, this should be the spot.' it didn't take long for Tien to make his way back to where he had started in the icy maze, and he looked up at the gaping hole in the sky "Master Korin it's me, you are still there aren't you?"

"Hold your horses buddy, I'm right here!" there was a pause, and then Korin poked his hole out of, or I should say into, the hole in the sky "That is you right Tien?"

"It's me, and I accomplished what I came here to do."

"And you're still alive after drinking it? Gotta give credit where it's due big guy, that is pretty impressive. You need me to let you back out now?"

"I would appreciate that, yes."

"Got it, just hold on for one quick second." Korin waved his staff, unleashing a small whirlwind that engulfed Tien and whisked him up into the air and out through the jug, allowing him to land safely on the ground in front of Korin "Welcome back. Should I take all of this as a sign that you were successful out there?"

"I think we're about to find out." Tien took a few steps back and dropped into a stance, and then he spiked his Ki with enough force to generate a milky white aura around him.

"Feels to me like that was a yes."

"I will say that if nothing else, I do feel a bit different. My entire body feels different at the very least." Tien paused as his white aura subsided "I'm not the same person that I used to be, and I don't just mean because of this new strength either. I feel more powerful yes, but… I also feel at peace somehow. With myself. With everything."

"So I can see." Korin studied Tien from a short distance away "I had suspected that you would come out of this alive, but I wasn't sure of just what it would mean. Either way, it looks to me like your little mission was a success, so congratulations."

"Thank you. And thank you for allowing me to undertake this trial. You have my word that I'll put it to good use." Tien fell silent for a moment as he made his way over to the edge of the tower, and his gaze hardened as a sensation washed over him "And if this sinister Ki I'm sensing is anything to go by, I think now is the time to do just that."

"Then my advice, get out there and do it."

"Right. Wish me luck." and so on that note, Tien spiked his milky white aura and blasted off into the skies.

'He really is a surprising one.' Korin watched as Tien disappeared from view 'I had a feeling he would be able to survive, but to see it with my own eyes really is a sight to behold. He said that he wants to surpass Goku one day, and to pull this off in even less time than it took Goku to do it before? I have to wonder, can he really pull it off? Well I guess we'll find out eventually.'

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Meanwhile, where the plots intersecting…

'Okay, I think this is the spot.' it didn't take long for Gohan to reach the spot where Tao and Shen had directed him, but he was quickly taken aback by the appearance of the creatures that lurked around the area 'Wait a second, are those… Saibamen?!'

Sure enough, standing before Gohan was a group of three Saibamen, which then turned their gaze over to him, snarling and bearing their claws in his direction.

'From what I can sense, they're just as strong as the ones the Saiyans brought. But I don't get it, I never saw them plant any other ones. Where did these come from?' Gohan's mind was racing, but this was quickly cut short as the Saibamen burst towards him, prompting him to drop into a stance as they rushed him, with him meeting them mid-charge as he traded even blows with the three of them, blocking one blow after another but failing to land a solid hit himself, though this came to a head when one of them got behind him and tried to elbow him in the back, only for him to whip around and deal it a roundhouse kick to the face, sending it crashing into another one and both of them hurtling into the ground 'Just like last time… No, remember what Piccolo said, I can't lose my nerve. Now I have to go on the offensive!' he was about to do that just as one of the Saibamen opened up its head to spew a wave of acid at him, until…

"Dodon RAY!" a quick Ki beam shot forward and ended up blowing the Saibamen's head clean off its body, leaving it to fall to the ground and subsequently be dissolved by the wave of acid it had released.

'Wait a second, a Dodon Ray? And that Ki…' Gohan quickly looked up at the skies above him, and then his face lit up "Hey, you made it Tien!"

Sure enough, that was when Tien dropped to the ground in front of Gohan, his white aura still flaring around his body "Sorry to keep you waiting, I sensed a malicious Ki and rushed to find the source as fast as I could. But I'm glad to see you took the initiative and came to find them yourself, even if it was a bit risky."

"Yeah, truth be told I didn't really know about them until those two old guys showed up at my house and mentioned them. Something about offering protection in exchange for money."

"Uh huh." Tien cast a look back at Gohan "Any chance one of them had a metal dome covering his head and a pink longcoat, and the other had a green and yellow one with a crane hat over his head?"

"That's them. My mom didn't fall for it though."

"Good to hear. Remind me to head over there and have a little talk when this is over." Tien then turned his gaze back over to the Saibamen "Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I was under the impression that the Saiyans only brought six of those little green things."

"So was I, but apparently there's more of them. Like I said, those old guys told me about them and I came over here to deal with them until you showed up."

"Fair enough. In that case, you mind letting me take over from here? I'm sure you could handle them once you got serious, but I have something I want to try out on them."

"You sure you're okay to take them on your own?"

"I think we're about to find that out for ourselves." Tien took another step forward just as the two remaining Saibamen pounced on them, to which he quickly dealt it a palm strike to the chest hard enough to send it hurtling to the ground, and then he closed in to finish it off.

The other Saibamen let out a snarl as it jumped in front of the downed one and released a wave of acid from its head, with Tien and Gohan both leaping out of the way, leaving it to melt into the ground where they once stood.

"Ki Blast CANNON!" Tien blitzed behind both Saimaben in a flash and subsequently fired a quick Ki Blast Cannon, annihilating both of them in an instant, leaving nothing behind. With the battle now over, Tien breathed a sigh as he powered down his aura and turned to Gohan "Looks like that's the end of that."

"Yeah, and it was amazing!" Gohan looked at him in awe "How did you- You're so much more powerful, it's like you're another person!"

"I chose to take a big risk, but it looks like it paid off. But I have other concerns to address at the moment." Tien frowned as he looked at where the Saibamen once stood "I thought we took out all of those things the Saiyans had with them. How did more of them pop up?"

"I don't know, I just…" Gohan trailed off as he looked at the headless remains of the remaining Saibaman corpse, and watched as it sunk into the ground, at least before he picked it up and pulled it out "I think I know actually."

"You do?"

"You hadn't shown up yet, but when the Saiyans grew those things did it by planing them in the ground and pouring some weird green ooze onto it. Maybe just the remains of one of them is enough to grow new ones out of the old?"

"But we killed all of those creatures the Saiyans brought. One of them self destructed and ended up killing Yamcha, three of them got blown away by Krillin's Scatter Bullet, and the last one was blown up by Piccolo to save you. The only other one was the one Vegeta killed after I defeated it early on."

"Yeah, but did you see what happened to it?" Gohan was met with a confused look, and so he chose to elaborate as he placed the Saibaman corpse back on the ground "The remains kind of just splattered all over the ground, but we never paid any mind to it. Maybe they just sunk into the ground and made new ones, and they sort of took off when no one was looking. At least that's my theory."

"Huh… that actually does sound plausible." Tien frowned as he looked down at the Saibamen corpse and subsequently fired a Ki blast, disintegrating it on the spot "That should stop this from spreading further around this area, but there's no guarantee that they won't show up in any other areas. We'd better warn the others when we get the chance."

"Right. Speaking of which, I'd better hurry and get back home before those guys try anything else on my mom."

"Agreed. Now hold on, I'll get us back there the express way." Tien grabbed hold of Gohan and subsequently blasted off at full speed.

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A few moments later…

"Okay, so hear me out on this." Tao glanced over at Shen as the two of them sat against a rock near the Son household "So I fire the Dodon Wave from one hand, right?"

"Yes, what's your point?" Shen gave a raised eyebrow.

"What if I used two hands?"

"Isn't that just copying the Kamehameha from the Turtle School?"

"No it's not just copying the Kamehameha, the Kamehameha doesn't pierce the hearts of your enemies!"

"Last time I checked, your Super Dodon Wave didn't do that either!"

"I tested it out against the wrong opponent, nothing more! I just need the right moment and then I'll blow them away, striking fear into the hearts of all who see it! Just like that little brat will, assuming he manages to get away from those creatures with his life."

"I think I can do more than that."

"Wait, what?!" Tao and Shen both looked up in awe to see Gohan drop down to the ground in front of them, leaving both of them in disbelief "Wait, you actually took on those creatures and came out alive?! There's no way, it couldn't be!"

"Wel I mean, you're only half right." Gohan let out a chuckle "It wasn't me that beat those things you mentioned, but I could've."

"What in the world are you two going on about now?" this was when Chichi came storming back out of the house, now thoroughly pissed off.

"They think that I'm trying to lie and say that I beat those monsters they're talking about."

"It's utter nonsense, that's all there is to it!" Shen was quick to protest "Honestly, I'm not even sure the two of us would be able to take those things down."

"Actually I could, because I had a good teacher." Gohan stepped in between the two Crane school brothers and Chichi "But I'm not the one who beat them?"

"Wait, what? Then who did?"

"That would be me." it was at this moment that Tien dropped down onto the scene, leaving the two of them pretty much scared shitless.

"Tien?! What are you-"

"I should've known the two of you would try something like this. From what Gohan told me, you were offering your protection to these people in exchange for money?" Tien's gaze turned hard as he took a step forward, prompting Shen and Tao to stagger back "Yet based on your own admission just now, it sounds to me like you were going to just take their money and leave them to their own fates. Does that sound right?"

"Well I mean… It doesn't matter, that little brat is bluffing!" Shen was quick to pluck up any courage he could muster "There's no way a little brat like him beat those things! He couldn't if he wanted to!"

"You're only half right. On the one hand, he's not the one who defeated them, because I was here to do it myself. But on the other hand, he could've handled it just as easily as I did once he got serious."

"Oh please, there's no way he could- Wait." Tao paused as he looked over Gohan "Okay, is it just me or does something about this kid seem really familiar? Young and freakishly strong… Oh sweet mother of Kami, don't tell me…"

"So have you figured it out yet?" Tien gave a smirk as he gestured to Gohan and Chichi "That boy is Goku's son, and the lady over there is his wife."

"Wha… Oh to hell with this! You're going to suffer for your transgressions against the Crane School, that much I can be sure of! The same with that wretched monkey man and his family of freaks! I swear I'll make you suffer if it's the last thing I do!" and so Tao promptly took off running from the scene, with Shen rushing off after him.

"I'll believe that when it happens."

"I'll just settle for those creeps leaving my family alone." Chichi let out a sigh as she watched the two of them disappear from sight "I won't act like I'm a fan of Goku's obsession with fighting, but I guess it has its upsides. Plus academics will always come first when it comes to giving Gohan a good future, but teaching him to fight may have a few small uses."

"Good choice." Tien cast a look over at her "If you want him to excel in life, he needs to have a healthy balance of both mind and body."

"Agreed. But with that being said, don't think it means I'm going to let him slack off on his homework either. He needs to do well in school so he doesn't end up like his father." there was a pause, and then Chichi gave Tien a small smile "Though I will sa it's good to know not all of his friends are slackers, thugs or outright perverts."

"I'm pretty sure I know who you're referring to with each of those terms… Though I'm not exactly exempt from it myself." Tien paused as he watched Tao and Shen disappear beyond the horizon, and then he turned back to Chichi and Gohan and bowed his head "I owe the two of you an apology. For their actions I mean."

"What for? It's not like you're the one who put them up to it."

"No, but the truth is… I don't know if Goku ever told you, but those two… At one time, they were my masters. My teachers."

"He… did not tell me that." Chichi's gaze hardened for a moment "So you learned a lot of things from the two of them?"

"Yes, as ashamed as I am of it. I already told you about my past, so forgive me if I won't repeat myself. I was doing my best to follow the teachings of my school, and doing what I thought was right… but by staying on that path for so long, I ended up hurting a lot of people. A lot of those wrongs, I'll never be able to make right… But I had to try at least. So after Goku's battle with Piccolo at the tournament five years ago, I chose to travel to various other lands, find those that I hurt and try to make amends in any way that I could… Though I suppose there are some sins that can't be erased that easily."

"...I see." Chichi turned on her heel and began walking back into the house, but paused as she entered the doorway and turned back to him as she gave him a small smile "You know I was about to put on a fresh pot of tea while Gohan caught up on his studies. Why don't you come inside and join me?"

"I… I wouldn't want to impose."

"It's not an imposition, it's an offer." and on that note, Chichi promptly grabbed Tien by the wrist and dragged him inside.

'...So does that she's okay with me training?' Gohan chose not to ask this question and promptly just followed the two of them inside, though stopped at the stern look Chichi gave him.

"And remember mister, that's no excuse for you to slack off on your studies."

"Right, I know. I think I've had enough fighting and stuff for one day. Especially after everything that happened with that crazy blonde lady."

"Wait, what was that part?" Tien's gaze snapped towards Gohan "Did I hear something about a crazy blonde lady? Was her name Launch?

"Yeah, that was it. She changes hair color and personality when she sneezes, and I think she likes you, like REALLY likes you."

"Yep, that's her." Tien cringed visibly at the confirmation "So… I don't suppose she said what she would be up to right now?"

"Well Master Roshi sent me to go track her down and make sure she was okay after everything that happened with the Saiyans. It turned out a couple of people had stolen some map that she was using, I think she was trying to… find out where you live, now that I say it out loud."

"I kind of figured as much… So did you tell her where I was?"

"I told her you just got out of the hospital and went to go do… well whatever it was that led to you being like this." he gestured to Tien's overall body "But I did tell her that we'd be launching from Kame House in a few days. She'll probably be there by then."

"Great, that… that's just great." Tien let out a long sigh 'I suppose I should be grateful that she doesn't know how to sense Ki. And I should probably make sure we launch as soon as we can when the day comes.'

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Three more days passed with preparations continuing, and the day of the launch came.

"Not gonna lie, it's still crazy to look at even now." Krillin let out a low whistle as he glanced up at the Namekian ship parked in front of Kame House "I don't know Bulma, are you really sure that thing is gonna be able to get us all the way to Planet Namek?"

"What I know is I'm glad you're not going Krillin, at least not if you're gonna be dressed up in something like that. You look like you went and robbed the kids' department." Bulma gave a scowl as she made her way out of Kame House, clad in an authentic astronaut suit, complete with a shorter haircut "You do realize that it's freezing in space. Here's hoping Tien and Gohan took their packing choices as seriously as I did. I even cut my hair for this trip!"

"Yeah, it uh… it's a cut at least. Oh thank god, a distraction." Krillin looked over to see a certain hovercar park on the shores of Kame House "Hey Gohan how's it- Oh my sweet Gamikai!"

"H-Hi everyone." this was when Gohan stepped out of the car… clad in a little suit and bow tie, complete with a bowl cut, which immediately caused the others to burst out laughing, though that only made his face turn even more red.

"Man I barely recognized you, and what happened to your head? You look like a Moe Howard cosplay!"

"Look who's talking Curly." Gohan muttered under his breath too quiet for anyone to hear, and was met with a quick nudge from Chichi "Dad laughed at me the first time he saw me like this too. Along with just about everyone else."

"Go ahead and say what you will." Chichi stepped out of the car along with Ox-King "But I think that he looks like a perfect little gentleman, and he's going to make quite the impression out there."

"Pretty sure that's not a good thing." Krillin pointed out dryly, but then his demeanor quickly hardened as his gaze snapped toward another direction "Holy sweet black on a Popo, what the hell is that?!"

"What's wrong?" asked Bulma

"Something is coming this way, whatever it is its power is insane!"

"Wait, I recognize that Ki!" Gohan immediately perked up "That's just Tien."

"Hold on, what?!"

Sure enough, it was at this moment that Tien appeared from the distance, clad in a long-sleeved blue with a red obi and white undershirt, a white cape that draped down his back, a set of black and red wristbands, white pants with brown leggings at the bottom, a set of black and yellow boots (basically his outfit from the Buu saga), and with a burlap sack slung over his shoulder. He landed on the shores in front of Kame House and made his way over to the group "Sorry to keep you waiting. Are we ready to go?"

"Um… just about." Bulma answered him after a moment.

"Okay good, I'm ready to go when you are." he paused when he noticed the looks he was getting from Krillin and Roshi "I didn't mean to alarm either of you, but after I got out of the hospital I went to Korin for guidance. He showed me a way to get strong enough to make a distance in case anything happens on Planet Namek."

"Ah. In that case, I trust your judgement." Master Roshi took a few steps forward and shook hands with Tien, with Krillin doing the same "We're counting on the three of you, if there are Dragon Balls on this Planet Namek then I have no doubt that you'll find them."

"Right."

"Alright enough small talk, we've got work to do. Piccolo." Bulma opened up the hatch to the ship and got on board, with Gohan doing the same "You ready to do this?"

"As ready as I can be."

"Hold it." it was at this moment that Launch (in her blond form) made her way out of Kame House and came to a stop in front of Tien "You. Come with me. We need to talk."

"Oh for… Can you guys give me a minute?" Tien let out a sigh of resignation as he followed her to the back of Kame House "With all due respect Launch, this is literally the worst possible time to do this. We have to-" he was cut off by a hand being slapped over his mouth.

"I already know, the old perv filled me in on what happened. Goku being an alien and being dead for about a year. You guys going off to train with God or whatever you call him for some kind of freaky alien invasion. You drove them off, but a lotta folks died. Yamcha kicking the bucket, and the new Piccolo dying so you can't use the Dragon Balls… and Chiaotzu dying again."

"Yeah…" Tien gritted his teeth and looked away as he removed her hand from his mouth.

"You training with god for a year… feels like me chasing after you as long and hard as I did was just a waste of time." Launch let out a bitter chuckle, but then her gaze softened on him, if only slightly "But he told me you got a shot at bringing everybody back. I know you made up your mind on this, so I ain't gonna try and stand in your way." then she pounded a single fist against his chest "But you better come back in one piece, you got that? You go dying on me out there, I'm dragging your ass back from the dead with my own two hands."

"Right… I have no doubt about that." Tien gave a small smile and turned to go back to the rest of the group, only to be stunned briefly by Launch spinning him back around, grabbing him by the face and planting a heated kiss on him, before he end up getting shoved back over to where the others were, albeit in a slight stupor.

"Are you okay?" Gohan quickly helped Tien back onto the platform.

"I uh… I'm not really sure actually. Anyway you had better say your goodbyes, we both know this trip isn't going to be a short one."

"Right." Gohan turned to the others and bowed his head "Bye everybody, you don't have to worry about us. We're gonna be back home as soon as we can, I promise."

"I know you will sweetie. You had better anyway." Chichi gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, but then turned towards Tien as her gaze hardened "Because I know someone who's going to make sure of it."

"Right." Tien gave her a simple nod "I understand."

"Good. Also Gohan, don't go making friends with any questionable strangers. For the record, that includes Bulma!"

"She's a worthy addition."

"Enough chatter. Piccolo." Bulma made the wall, causing the ship door to close and taking the three of them inside, allowing them to get a look at the interior for themselves.

"I have to admit, the entire prospect of this is pretty exhilarating. So Bulma, where would you want us to put our things?"

"I don't know and frankly I don't care, just do it somewhere out of the way. Now both of you sit down, strap in and shut up."

"If you say so." Tien shared a look with Gohan as they both deposited their stuff on the ground of the ship.

"Now both of you get ready, we leave in five seconds. Our destination: Planet Namek." and then the ship started up, causing it to rumble and shake hard enough to bring Gohan to his knees, almost forcing Tien to do the same.

"Bulma hold on, couldn't you at least wait until we got our seatbelts on?!"

"4… 3… 2… 1." and then the ship blasted off into the skies, then off the planet entirely.

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Meanwhile, with the home team…

"Well I'll be damned." Roshi let out a low whistle as he watched the ship slowly disappear from view "Bulma definitely wasn't lying about that spaceship being fast, I can barely even see them anymore."

"Yep… no turning back now." Krillin breathed a sigh as the ship faded into the distance, then turned his gaze over to Roshi as he bowed his head "Which brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Alright, I'm all ears."

"The thing is, I know it's been some time since we did this properly, but I wanted to know if you would be willing to train me again, like the old days."

"Oh, are you now?"

"Yes, and I know it's not much but… I brought you a little something." Krillin pulled a certain something out of his gi: a certain magazine that left Roshi with blood trickling out of his nose like a faucet.

"Now we're talking, those are some prime cuts of babe! Looks like you haven't lost any of your stuff from when you were a kid!"

"Trust me, some things you just don't let go of. But in all seriousness, I would be honored if you would be willing to train me again."

"Ah, so you really are serious." Roshi paused as he stowed away the magazine in his pocket, and then his gaze hardened "Though are you sure this is what you want? I'm not sure what else I can give you if you've already gone through training with the likes of Kami. You're already on a whole other level from me now.

"Maybe, but if Tien's appearance today is anything to go by, it proves that power levels don't change the fact that the old masters always have something to teach us. Besides, I think there is a way for me to get what I want from you. Plus, if what Bulma and I heard is anything to go by, I may need all the help I can get."

"Hm…" Roshi paused and looked Krillin over, then gave a simple nod "Very well, we might as well get started."

"Now we're talking!" Krillin pumped a fist in triumph 'Just you wait everybody, I'm going to be a lot stronger by the time you get back from Namek. The same goes for you Goku.'

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Meanwhile, with the spacebound trio…

"Okay we're good, the launch part is over." still thoroughly pissed off, Bulma pulled herself to her feet as she turned her scowl onto Tien and Gohan "You guys are free to move around now if you want, things oughta be running a lot more smoothly now that we've made it out of Earth's atmosphere."

"Wow, I didn't think we'd reach that point so soon." the only response Tien received came in the form of Bulma walking towards the back of the ship "Wait, where are you going?"

"If you must know then I'm going to change my clothes." and so she made her way into the back room, the door slamming behind her.

"Hm… well okay then."

"What, like into pajamas or something?" asked Gohan.

"I don't know. Personally I'm okay with the outfit I brought. I only packed an extra and a few essentials for the sake of hygiene, and somet things I'll use for meditation training, given how long this trip is going to be." Tien looked over at Gohan "What about you?"

"Pajamas were actually the first thing that I packed." Gohan gave a grin as he pulled off his bag and began removing his clothes.

"Not that it's any of my business, but I was honestly beginning to wonder how long you would be willing to stay in those clothes."

"I only wanted to stay in it until we took off to make my mom happy. I actually made something that I could change into after we took off, but I didn't want her to see it before I left, since I know how she feels about him."

"Him?" Tien gave a raised eyebrow, but received a non-verbal answer when he saw Gohan's new attire, that being a familiar purple gi "Oh, the outfit Piccolo gave you before. You have a lot of respect for him don't you?"

"Yeah, almost as much as I do for dad."

"Fair enough. I think he'd be honored to see you take up his colors."

"It just… seemed right, you know?"

"Alright you two, move out of the way." this was when Bulma made her way back into the main area of the ship, now clad in a perfectly fitting black jumpsuit that covered her entire body, with a yellow tunic covering her torso, as well as a pair of orange boots and a red hairband.

"Oh, um… wow." Gohan looked up at her "Those are some really funny looking pajamas. They look kind of uncomfortable."

"These aren't my pajamas you little runt, I was just tired of being the only person on this ship who gave enough of a damn to dress appropriately for the mission at hand!" and then she let out a very menacing chuckle.

"...Did we do something to upset her?"

"Try not to think too much about it." Tien just idly patted Gohan on the shoulder as he stared out into the void of space ahead of them 'Here we go, no turning back now… Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and even you Piccolo… We'll bring all of you back soon enough, whatever it takes. Whatever we may find out there. I promise that on my life.

Power levels:

Tien: 1,830

Tien (post Ultra Divine Water): 6,400

Krillin: 1,770

Gohan: 2,000

Saibamen: 1,200 each

Saibamen (combined assault): 3,600

Korin: 150

Cyborg Tao: 180

Master Shen: 130

Blonde Launch: 15

Blue Launch: 5

A/N:

Well here we are guys, we finally see the main trio (Gohan, Tien and Bulma this time around) blast off to Planet Namek, but not before a lot has to be done in advance, mainly three different plots taking place (one with Tien's journey in the days before, one with Gohan's tasks and then even some with Krillin).

The A plot focuses on Tien choosing gain further strength for the journey ahead in the only way he can: Following Goku's footsteps in drinking the Ultra Divine Water, with guidance from Korin. Say what you will about this plot device (as the guys at TFS have), but I think it's a really interesting way of unlocking one's potential that really should've been used more than once. As far as the power increase goes, I will admit I had some difficulty working that out, but eventually settled on a multiplier of 3.5, just to make sure his power increase his signifiant, but doesn't mess up the entire plot. Anyway, now thanks to Tien, the Water's powers are being put to good use, just in time for the trip to Namek, and you all know how things go when they get there. Also I gave him his outfit from the Buu saga, mainly because that's my favorite look for him.

The B plot focuses on Gohan's adventures during the days leading up to Namek, making use of elements from the Kakarot game. Say what you will about the gameplay and the like, but I think it's got a lot of cool story elements both in the main and sub stories, like including stuff with Launch, Shen and Tao, which I chose to make use of here. Also including my own theory for how more Saibamen had popped up on Earth in the Kakarot game and applying it here.

The C plot focuses on Krillin and also includes elements from Kakarot, sub stories to be more specific. These show him just helping out the group in preparation for the trip to Namek and dealing with other stuff, like the aftermath of Yamcha's death and helping Bulma with stuff… and even some foreshadowing about a certain space emperor the group is going to face.