Goku let out a battle cry as he ripped through the vast white void of the Room of Spirit and Time, slamming his elbow into Piccolo's cheek, shocking the Ultimate Namekian warrior with his speed. Piccolo recovered just in time to hop over Goku's Dragon Tail sweep and caught Goku running right hook, but despite pushing his right arm in the way of Goku's flawless middle kick, the kick blasted through the block and sent Piccolo flying and dragging across the white void of the training realm.
"What's the matter?" Goku punched his open hand before entering his fighting stance again. From the serious look on his face, one would have assumed that he was facing a mortal enemy in battle right now. "This training won't be any good if we half-ass it. Get yourself together."
"You've got some nerve taunting me, the embodiment of all Namekian warriors!" Piccolo hissed out, clenching his arms together and exploding with a murky green aura that burned all around him and made the Room of Spirit and Time change its weather to a fiery draught that spat dancing arcs of infernal blazes across the horizon.
Piccolo took off, entering Goku's effective range with a slide kick. Goku rolled over his opponent and turned around to answer his horizontal knife-edge smack with an elbow to Piccolo's wrist, which perfectly halted Piccolo's attack. The two erupted with a heated exchange of blows, electrifying the atmosphere enough to cause calamitous thunderbolts to spill out from the mystical skies of the Room of Spirit and Time. After mirroring each other's movements with a knee strike, hooks that came from both sides, and double headbutts, the two skidded apart.
Pressing his arms to his sides, Goku bellowed out and burst with a violent golden aura, with sparkling electric crackles around it. His hair sharpened and became even wilder than the usual Super Saiyan transformation he had before. Piccolo didn't expect Goku to use the Super Saiyan 2 transformation, which was for the longest time assumed to have something to do with the Saiyan royal bloodline before Goku debunked that theory by achieving it himself. Then again, maybe he expected to master this form during his stay in the Room of Spirit and Time with Piccolo's help.
"Kamehameha!" Goku cried out, displaying forceful fury in his expression that pushed Piccolo into a corner mentally. He pressed his arms together, powered up to the max, and braced for impact. The washing typhoon of energy felt like trying to root oneself in the ground against the relentless tide of a tsunami. Somehow, Piccolo managed it, however, seeing his state after withstanding this attack made Piccolo wonder if he'd have been better off surrendering to the flow of the energy wave and getting blasted away rather than resisting it.
"You're really going all-out… If you're this serious about this training, you should have agreed with my offer to take in a third training partner!" Piccolo wheezed out while smoldering with black smoke from all across his swollen to peak tensity muscles. Goku's Kamehameha had utterly blown off most of his gi.
"There's no use in doing that. Chayote's already decided on entering the room with Navy, Chi-Chi might be able to keep up with us by straining herself with King Kai's Fist, but… That would be torturous training for her. She'll be much better off training Goten on her own. Meanwhile, Videl and Sharpner will get much more use out of training with Kami Upa and Mr. Popo than entering the Room of Spirit and Time at this point in their martial arts journey," Goku explained without dropping his wrathful glare for a second. Seeing Goku breaking it down like that almost made it look like the furious Super Saiyan was returning the favor for Piccolo's doubts about his devotion to the training through physical violence. "Gohan would have been a fine partner, but he's off to King Kai's. Learning King Kai's new techniques is an opportunity too sweet for us to pass up right now."
"Hmph…" Piccolo finally relaxed his strained muscles and reset his fighting stance from the hunkered-down ball of pain that Goku's destructive energy wave reduced him to. After rolling his knuckles, he adopted a fighting stance again. "You're seriously hindering the Earth's defensive potential by splitting us up into three waves of training partners instead of just two. Goten could have trained with Videl and Sharpner, Chi-Chi could have entered with us, and then, we'd have been switching between two pairs as opposed to three. You better not disappoint and flatten Cell in this fancy new form of yours, or else our poor performance will be on you!"
Piccolo became surrounded by a gleam of bright light, splitting himself into three copies of himself while a pair took off at Goku from different directions. Goku's teal-colored eyes effortlessly traced the pair's movements as they mingled with each other, trying to confuse him. When they thought they had positioned themselves in Goku's blind spots and rushed at him, Goku widened his feet and shot his arms to the sides, expelling a rowdy Kiai shockwave bubble around him and blasting both Piccolos aside. The doppelgangers turned to sparkling energy orbs and hurled back into the third Piccolo, surging back into his aura as the Ultimate Namekian plunged in from above, slamming a dive kick into Goku's block.
Goku winced in pain and grunted, answering Piccolo's attack after fending off the first pair was troubling enough. As expected from the Ultimate Namekian who embodied the hopes and wild power of all Warrior Clan Namekians, carrying within him the future and dreams of Planet Namek, he kept up with Goku, even in his Super Saiyan 2 state. Piccolo's feet showered with a flurry of stomps, covering Goku's arms with shallow red bruises before the Namekian slid in for a close-range engagement.
After slipping a few of Goku's jabs, Piccolo thrust a full-body flying knee into Goku's gut, shooting the Super Saiyan 2 into a staggering state. Piccolo charged in pursuit, but then his eyes flashed and the Namekian vanished instead. Just in time too, as Goku made a swift recovery from Piccolo's blow and blasted a burst of golden energy directly in front of him. Had Piccolo kept up with his ambitious offensive barrage, he'd have been caught up in the cone-shaped energy burst.
"Heh, heh…" Goku rolled his knuckles and hopped around to alleviate some tension in his body. "Saw through it, didn't you? Honestly, I didn't expect you to be able to keep up after slacking off with your training and spending so much time looking for this Cell guy."
"Slacking? That's a fancy way of saying "picking up after your flops"," Piccolo flashed his fangs with an aggressive snarl before entering a defensive and balanced fighting stance. "Had to take out your trash by dealing with Broly and the Machine Mutants, remember?"
"Yeah, that's exactly why we can't rely on a single guy to be around to pull everyone out of harm's way every time anymore. Neither me, nor Chayote, nor Vegeta, not even you are a miraculous savior that'll beat any foe. Everyone's got to pitch in. That means that we shouldn't hog all the fights and training too. Besides, our bodies need rest just as much as they need strain. Two days of rest after a year of intensive training here will do us a lot more good than just one," Goku surmised with a smirk of excitement.
"Alright, I'll stop arguing with you and see what you're up to," Piccolo relented. "After all, it ain't often that my hits don't register with as devastating of a wallop as they usually do against a guy. I'm a martial artist too, so I can't help but enjoy this brawl of ours a little."
"I'm glad you feel the same way!" Goku cried out, drawing out all the power that his Super Saiyan 2 could muster and resolving to use it against Piccolo. This one-year-long training session might help him master the form and see if the lingering thoughts in Goku's head about the limitless potential for evolution for the Super Saiyan technique that he had since evolving it to this new stage were valid. Piccolo was just a strong enough sparring partner to help him on this journey of discovery.
"Hello, jello…" King Kai exclaimed, waving a greeting with his hand at Gohan as the young teen arrived on the small planet where the divine martial arts master and his cohabitants lived. Immediately after this strange greeting, the blue-faced, short, and thick alien stuffed his arms over his round face and began shaking with tension in an attempt to prevent himself from cracking into a fit of laughter.
"Thank you, Paprika!" Gohan answered with a smile and a wave. King Kai froze still and turned his head up. The young Saiyan could almost see King Kai visualizing the response, as it would be written on a blackboard. It took the esteemed martial arts master little to no time at all before he cringed, leaned forward while holding his plump belly under wraps, and then burst out with manic laughter while spraying tears from under his ancient pair of shades.
"Th-Thank you… Paprika…!" King Kai howled out while rolling on the floor. "Oh… I'm dying… I'm dying here… I almost missed it too…"
While the exalted martial arts master was rolling on the floor and laughing it up, Gohan leaned down to hold Bubbles' hands and do a little dance with the monkey, who was equally excited to see Gohan coming back for some more training. The teen then mirrored Bubbles' movements and hopped while turning around while the two shook their tails like people would have shaken hands. The strange greeting dance made Gohan break into a goofy chuckle too.
"So, King Kai-sama, what were those new techniques you wanted me to learn?" Gohan got straight to the point after Bubbles finally became accustomed to the new guest on the little planet and danced off over the, admittedly, ridiculously close horizon and King Kai got over his laughing fit.
"Hmm… For such a funny guy, you sure seem to be focused on business…" King Kai scratched his soft and pudgy blue chin. "You should try just living a little, driving the car with me, dancing with Bubbles. With the gravity of this planet, it's significant training in its own right, even if you've become accustomed to it already."
"Sorry, King Kai-sama, but I'm in a bit of a rush to learn these techniques," Gohan bowed with a polite apology accompanying his refusal. "We are experiencing a bit of an emergency on Planet Earth. There's a terrifying Bio-Android on the loose that's hunting martial artists. They could be dangerous and even if my Dad or Chayote-san probably have it covered, I wish to do everything I can to help. I've already experienced a situation of being too weak to protect Videl-san and my friends, I don't want to go through that ever again."
"Heh," King Kai tipped his shades with a cocky stretch of his lips all across his sizeable head. "Then you're in luck, kiddo! These new techniques I've come up with are a real banger!"
"Excellent!" Gohan pumped his fists in excitement. "Can we please get to work?"
"Of course. Though… To be entirely honest, I've only got one technique to teach you," King Kai poked his index fingers together, looking a tad embarrassed about blowing his progress in developing new martial arts techniques out of proportion.
"Eh? Just one…?" Gohan gasped. "Is it, at the very least, a powerful one?"
"Of course!" King Kai insisted, shaking his fist up and looking offended that Gohan even had the guts to ask him that. "Don't you know who I am? I'm King Kai, a brilliant martial arts instructor, renowned even amongst the Gods! My intelligence stretches out and reaches across the borders of the galaxy I govern, which is reflected in my excellent wit and comedic timing!"
"I see, I see…" Gohan nodded, leaning closer to the martial arts instructor so that he didn't miss a single detail.
"However… I wouldn't necessarily describe this new technique as a… Well… Technique… Per se…" King Kai suddenly broke into a relaxed chuckle, stroking the back of his head.
"Ah! That's horrible!" Gohan cried out. "Do you have a technique for me to learn or not!?"
"Don't you rush me, urchin!" King Kai barked out in return, picking the strategy of redirection toward Gohan to deflect the blame for bringing him on his planet under false pretenses. "This doesn't mean that there's nothing to teach you, it's just that it's not some massive, super-powerful blast or a way to swing your punches! It's a lot… A lot more delicate and spiritual."
"Oh, you mean like a method of Ki control, similar to Tenshinhan-san's Spirit Cultivation Method?" Gohan pointed out, finally getting the gist of what King Kai was telling him.
"Technically, the root of that technique comes from Planet Yardrat. Though yes. Technically, by mastering this method of controlling your Ki, you will be able to make incredible attacks, more powerful than even the Spirit Bomb, that will blow any enemy away. Even whatever that thing you said you were struggling with. Insects are insects, after all…" King Kai stuffed his tiny hands into his mouth, cringing.
"That was incredibly witty, King Kai-sama," Gohan nodded his head, acknowledging the pun.
"Hmph, at least, unlike your father, you can recognize comedic brilliance at work!" King Kai spun on his boots before concluding his spin in a flashy, game-show-host-like pose. "I'd suggest that you wind back and drive around with me while I explain the technique to you. If you make me laugh, I might even let you drive…"
"Sorry, but I don't think I'm allowed to drive yet," Gohan pouted. "I could eat, though. The breakfast was so bad, I was shocked!"
"Bwahahahaha!" King Kai burst into laughter. "I don't think I've ever had a student as talented as you. Let's see what I have in the fridge. I don't need to eat much, and Bubbles only eats bananas."
The two head off to the small, round house that King Kai lived in on his little planet. Bubbles turned to the pair heading off inside with interest, and danced off after Gohan, with the trio forming a neat little line. King Kai began jerking with cringing before he even entered, approaching the fridge as he opened it and pulled out a plate with some berries, shriveled to the point of looking like seeds.
"Care for some grapes?" King Kai asked, raising his eyebrows as he extended the plate toward Gohan.
"Don't get me wrong, King Kai-sama, the joke was funny, but… For how long have you had these grapes in your fridge, hoping to use that pun with someone?" Gohan politely refused with a gesture.
"Yeah… I guess you're right. It has been a while. The only people visiting me are the other Kai and I'll be damned before using any of my best material or offering those old crones any food!" King Kai mentioned before clenching his tiny hands into fists and seething with clenched teeth.
"The other Kai?" Gohan wondered. "You mean there are other King Kai?"
"Oh, yes… Three more of them, in fact. One for each galaxy quadrant," King Kai waved his hand in dismissal. "None of them are as talented or as handsome as me, though. It's a bit strange to even be more handsome than the lady of the group, but, I suppose, awkwardness is the price of beauty."
"Hmm…" Gohan turned around, wondering if he could one day study from the other Kai too. It was obvious that King Kai was merely being difficult right now, and that they had their own brand of signature techniques to teach. Even if Gohan cared little about being able to use them in combat, he'd have liked to at the very least see them just to record them.
"What's with you? What's with the interest in the other Kai? You aren't thinking of jumping ship and learning from those other wrinkle bags, are you!?" King Kai placed his knuckles over his sides, glaring at Gohan with an accusatory stare, as if he wasn't to blame for building up unjust expectations for Gohan's visit here.
"No, just thinking of a joke. Say… I guess you could say that the snack was strange," Gohan made a save with an innocent shrug, realizing that this pun would have made his mother shrug and shake her head with a cold squint. King Kai burst into laughter, though. As Gohan learned way back, when he was just a child, King Kai didn't have much good company all the way out here, so he was quite easy to impress in terms of comedy.
"The snack… Was strange…" King Kai's face turned pink from trying to restrain himself from blowing the lid off of his house. "That's it, I'm teaching you to drive my precious car right now! To hell with your Earthling laws, if King Kai himself says that you're old enough to drive, that means you're good to go. If anyone objects, I'll have King Enma send them to Hell to boil for a little and think about their attitude problem!"
Gohan felt like he really didn't come here to drive cars, but he agreed just to appease his teacher and hurry with beginning his training. The next thing he knew, Gohan was cruising around on a one-way road around the planet on a red 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop. He'd have probably had a much tougher time entertaining his master on this slow and steady stroll, but given how there was only one road that stretched across the planet, he didn't have that much of a tough time just sticking to controlling the speed of the vintage car.
"As I thought, you're a natural," King Kai clapped his hands. "Can you hear how smoothly the engine hums? Can you feel the wind rustling your hair?"
"But, King Kai-sama, how do you feel all that? You have no hair," Gohan pointed out with a puzzled look on his face.
"Sh-Shut up and keep your eyes on the road!" King Kai crossed his arms, becoming all flustered. "Until you can learn to slow down and relax, to make this baby purr for you, you're nowhere near ready to learn my new incredible technique."
"Alright…" Gohan sighed and shriveled up in the driver's seat. He'd have had trouble seeing the road if he had any use for such a thing. All he needed was to keep the car straight.
Gohan expected to experience some difficulties in mastering King Kai's new techniques, though he would have never expected those difficulties to be more associated with the problematic personality of the exalted martial arts master rather than how tough these new ace techniques were to master.
Meanwhile, as Gohan couldn't help but imagine, everyone else must have been working extra hard to toughen themselves up for the inevitable confrontation with Cell. Also, Cell must have made its next move by now. All the while, Gohan was driving on a straight road around the planet in a vintage car at a turtle's pace alongside a cheerful, blue-skinned old-timer, hoping to entertain him enough to begin teaching Gohan whatever his genius mind cooked up in these few years Gohan's been away.