Kami was deep in his thoughts, drifting through an endless void. Popo stood beside him, not looking at anything in particular. Kami slowly turned towards him, meeting the gaze of his loyal attendant.

"I feel a change in Piccolo."

Popo blinked in surprise, recalling the havoc Piccolo wreaked at the martial arts tournament. He wasn't sure if Piccolo was capable of changing, but he wouldn't question Kami.

"He's not trying to further his own agenda. He's actually training alongside Gohan and Chi Chi. I feel like there is a change in his heart somewhere deep within. Even he may not be aware of it."

Popo remained silent, listening to Kami speak his wise words.

Kami drifted along his thoughts. His connection to Piccolo was undeniable. They were two halves to the same being. Though Piccolo would always keep to himself, Kami knew if and when the time came they'd fuse to become that one being again. But, that was neither here nor there at the moment. Piccolo was doggedly training and keeping to himself aside from training with Gohan and Chi Chi.

Maybe he finally understood.

Kami snapped to attention as he felt two flickers of power. It was unimaginable. Kami's eyes widened and he gripped his staff harder with both hands, slowly moving forward until he was at the back of the palace. Yes, it had to be them. They had grown much stronger. It was unreal how much more powerful they had become.

"Popo do you feel that?"

"Goku and Kukyo. It is them." Popo said, feeling the two flickers of energy.

Kami disappeared in a flash.


Goku and Kukyo flew over the snake head and sped forward towards the check in station, their steps filled with hast and urgency. Even if they had three more months until the Saiyans arrived, they couldn't afford to take their time. They skidded to a stop right in front of Yemma's desk.

"Goku and Kukyo..." Yemma trailed off.

Kami appeared in a flash at the front of the desk, both arms extended forward, his palms open.

"Kami!" Kukyo exclaimed.

"Hurry grab onto my arm!"

Kukyo lunged forward while Goku leapt forward, grabbing onto Kami, disappearing in a flash.

"Wow, they actually did it." Yemma said, eyes wide with disbelief. "Never thought I'd see them again."


Kami appeared just ahead of the Palace, Goku and Kukyo just a few feet behind him, landing on the tiles lightly.

"We're finally back." Goku said, stretching out his limbs, and turned to look at Kami. "Is Gohan okay?"

"Yes, he's been training with Chi Chi and Piccolo." Kami replied.

"He's gotten much stronger." Kukyo said with a smile.

"Every second counts." Popo said.

"Right. Thank you, guys." Goku said.

Kukyo sprinted ahead of Goku, lunging off of the lookout and going into a series of flips as she shot down. She brought her limbs together, enshrouding herself in a white aura. Goku was right behind her, soaring downward at great speed.

"Nimbus!" Goku shouted.

The cloud shot towards him, streaking through the air, leaving a trail behind. Goku went into a series of flips, landing on the cloud deftly, and it shot forward carrying him.


Bulma was halfway in a spaceship with her father working through the circuitry. It was a hard task and Capsule Corp workers were moving around them, working on other parts of the ship and engine. Bulma blinked, noting her scouter began to beep rapidly, relaying the powers it was detecting.

"Curious." Dr Briefs said, looking at the devices for a moment. "Aren't those the ones you're reverse engineering?"

"The very ones." Bulma said proudly, walking towards them. "Wonder what has them beeping?"

Bulma pressed the red button a few times, putting it over her eye. "Okay let's see. Ten thousand? No, it's two powers. They're both five thousand."

Bulma was dumbfounded at the two power levels. Five thousand respectively. Ten thousand combined. It was almost beyond imagination. Goku and Kukyo had truly surpassed their limitations. She didn't know where they were at respectively before going to King Kai's, as she didn't have a scouter then to read their power, but they had come leaps and bounds since then.

She pressed the red button again. "Looks like they're moving fast."

Dr Briefs looked up from his work, intrigued.

Bulma looked at her father, nodding her head, putting her focus back on the present. "That's definitely them. I almost don't believe it."

Dr Briefs nodded. "About those scouters. Have you thought of raising the limit?"

Bulma nodded in return, looking serious. "That is a good idea. I don't need these overloading."

Dr Briefs looked pleased, nodding his head again. "I'll work on those for you. I'll set the limit to one billion."

Bulma looked shocked. "One billion?"

Dr Briefs smiled. "The off chance you encounter someone with an extraordinary power level. It won't overload."

"I guess I see your point." Bulma nodded in understanding.


Gohan dodged as Piccolo slashed at his head. He flipped back, bringing his leg up in an ax kick. Piccolo blocked the blow deftly, gritting his teeth.

Gohan shot forward, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks, not giving Piccolo an inch to move. Piccolo could only raise his forearms to block the blows. For the last few hours they had been sparring. Chi Chi was watching them closely, arms crossed over his chest. Piccolo shot ahead, throwing his own flurry of punches, chops, and kicks. Gohan dodged left and right, narrowly avoiding the swiping attacks.

Piccolo could still beat Gohan, but he could feel the younger half Saiyan closing the gap. Piccolo moved forward, unleashing a barrage of chops and punches, forcing Gohan to backflip away into the air.

"MASENKO!" Gohan shouted, pouring all of his energy into the attack.

The ground shook and broke apart as the blast collided with Piccolo. When the smoke cleared, Piccolo stood unharmed. "You're getting more proficient, but you still need to focus your energy better"

Piccolo was deep in his thoughts when his eyes widened. He clenched his teeth, looking towards the sky. "What is that? There's two great powers heading this way."

Chi Chi arched her brow, looking in the same direction. "I can sense two huge powers."

"It's my dad and aunt." Gohan said with a wide smile, tears in his eyes. "I know it's them."

Chi Chi smiled. "So, they've made it back from training."

Piccolo smirked slightly. With power like that he knew they'd stand a chance against the Saiyans. As long as they worked together and strategized. They had a fighting chance. Part of him wanted to be seething with anger. Goku and Kukyo had become so powerful he could barely believe it. But, he pushed the anger away quickly.

He had the Saiyans to prioritize.


Goku's determination shined through his eyes, the nimbus carrying him. Kukyo flew beside him enshrouded in a white aura.

"I can sense three of them. Two powers are big." Goku said.

Kukyo nodded. "That must be Gohan and Piccolo."

They arrived to the wastelands in no time at all, immediately spotting Chi Chi, Gohan, and Piccolo on the ground. Goku flipped off the nimbus, landing on the ground quietly. Kukyo, landed on the ground a few feet from Goku.

Chi Chi ran up to Goku and gave him a tight hug, latching onto him.

"Goku and Kukyo." Piccolo said by way of greeting.

"Hey Piccolo. Kami told me you've been training Gohan." Goku said, smirking slightly.

"The boy has immense potential." Piccolo said.

Chi Chi nodded proudly. "Gohan's been training and studying really hard while you guys were training with King Kai."

"That's great news, Gohan." Kukyo said with a grin.

"Yep. It's been a lot of fun. Piccolo and mom have taught me so much."

Goku grinned slightly. "How was training with Piccolo?"

Gohan smiled. "It wasn't so bad."

Kukyo smiled, eyes shining with pride. "You've gotten a lot stronger. You've grown so much, nephew."

Gohan was overcome with emotion. It had been nine months since his dad and aunt went to train with King Kai. He ran to them both, diving into Goku's arms.

"I missed you, dad." Gohan said, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Hey." Goku said, rubbing Gohan's head.

Gohan smiled.

Chi Chi smiled. This is what she always wanted. A home. A family. Even if they were training to fight three aliens, they were doing it as a family.

"He never misses his study time either." Chi Chi said, nodding with a smile.

"Yeah, dad. I was thinking I could be strong and smart at the same time."

"Remember. Your mom doesn't want you to be a fighter."

Gohan smiled. "I can be strong and smart at the same time."

"That's harder than you might think." Goku rubbed Gohan on the head, walking over to Piccolo. "Gohan is sharp. Chi Chi doesn't want him fighting."

"It's a shame." Piccolo said, watching Gohan run through his kata. "He has the potential to be a great warrior. We need every advantage we can get against the Saiyans."

"He can train." Kukyo said.

"But there's no way he's getting into a life-or-death battle." Goku was quick to say.

"At least he gets some training." Piccolo said.

He turned his attention to his side, sensing a few more powers honing in on their location. It could only be Tien and the others. Yes, Piccolo was sure of it now that he could feel their energy. But, they had increased their power greatly, it was almost beyond reason. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber must have been intense beyond belief.

Piccolo had sensed right. Tien landed on the ground first, then Krillin followed. Sho, Yamcha and Chaozu came from the opposite direction, landing on the ground.

"I knew I was feeling that from Goku and Kukyo." Yamcha said.

"Hey, you guys." Goku waved at them.

Tien smirked slightly. "Tremendous. Your power has increased dramatically."

Kukyo looked at Sho, smiling slightly. "I'm glad to see you've all been training so hard."

"We can't let you two pass us up." Yamcha said, smirking.

"Speaking of which. How was your training with King Kai?" Sho asked.

"It was unlike anything I experienced before. He's really unconventional." Kukyo said with a smile.

"Some of his ways bother me, but his training is next level." Goku said, scratching the back of his head, recalling how many jokes the Kai would tell.

"That's good news." Piccolo said gruffly, arms crossed his chest.

"What do we do now, guys?" Krillin asked, looking between everyone gathered.

Goku smiled. "Well, if you're up for it, I figured we could all go to a restaurant."

"Shouldn't we train instead?" Chaozu asked.

"You have to eat to train harder." Goku reasoned with a grin.


Everyone went to the restaurant, except for Piccolo, who opted to train in the wilderness. Bulma met them at the restaurant, bringing good news. She had reverse engineered the scouters and was making enough for everyone to use when the battle came. She had also come leaps and bounds with the ship and even implemented a gravity training room.

They gathered as a huge group in the corner of the restaurant, sitting in booths and chairs chattering among themselves. They got a few looks from people, but nobody bothered them and just kept to themselves, enjoying their food.

Bulma smiled triumphantly. "I'm making gravity vests as well. You'll be able to wear them outside and train."

"That's really something else, Bulma." Goku said, grinning. "King Kai's planet was ten times Earth's gravity."

"Really?" Krillin asked.

"Yep. It didn't take me too long to adjust." Goku replied.

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber was ten times Earth's gravity as well." Sho said.

"You guys really went in there?" Kukyo asked, wide eyed.

"Yamcha and Tien went first." Chaozu said.

"Far out." Goku said.

Just then a slender young woman with a curvaceous body, long blue hair, blue eyes, and large breasts came to take their order. Her body was hugged tightly by the black t shirt and pants she wore as her uniform.

Krillin immediately started blushing when she was at the booth.

"I'm Maron. I'll be your waitress." She introduced herself.

"H-Hey." Krillin kicked himself for sputtering out the words.

Maron smiled. "I'll get you guys some drinks. What will you have?"

"I'll have an iced tea." Gohan said, smiling up at Maron.

"I'll have a soda." Chaozu said.

Everyone else got a soda, even Goku wanted to indulge in the sugary drink. Everyone gave their order. Maron was chipper the whole time she brought back plates of appetizers, getting the attention of Krillin. She came back with Krillin's root beer in one of their big mugs.

"So you, uh, work here long?" Krillin asked, trying not to fumble or blush harder.

"About a year." Maron replied, refilling Gohan's iced tea. She looked over the booths and tables, refilling a few more drinks.

Gohan thanked Maron, always remaining polite.

Yamcha smirked, watching Krillin laugh, too caught up in his own thoughts to notice to former bandit looking at him.

Krillin smiled a little more, struggling not to blush. "My name is Krillin. I competed in the Tenkaichi Budokai Martial Arts Tournament."

Maron smiled. "Martial arts? Do you guys lift weights?"

Krillin laughed softly, more than happy that he had the waitress attention. "I do here and there."

"That's really cute." Maron smiled.

Yamcha laughed when his friend began to blush harder from the compliment. Maron was curvaceous, and watching Krillin fumble with her was more than amusing.

"I competed in the tournament, too." Yamcha interjected, unable to help himself.

Krillin shot a glare at him.

Yamcha smiled, ignoring the glare from his friend. "I was a quarterfinalist."

"That's really cool. Did all of you compete in the tournament?" Maron asked, coming back with their food.

"Sure did." Kukyo said.

"Did any of you guys win it?"

"I was the winner of one." Tien said calmly, taking a sip of his soda.

"I won, too." Goku said, finishing up the nachos.

Maron began to set down their plates, speaking as she did so. "It was really nice to meet you guys."

Gohan waited for everyone to have their food before he began to eat.

Maron was away at another table, being chipper and vibrant.

Everyone dug into their food with vigor.

"Working on something?" Yamcha asked, eyeing Krillin with a smile.

"I think she likes me." Krillin said.

Everyone went through a series of reactions before shock and amusement became the common reaction.

"She's being polite, Krillin." Bulma said.

Chi Chi nodded, watching Maron skip as she took some dishes to the back. She was really something else.

"She's really nice." Kukyo said with a smile.

Chi Chi eyed Krillin with a sly smile. "I didn't think she was your type."

Krillin looked amused. "Who's not my type?"

"Someone so chipper."

Krillin was about to reply, but he caught Maron and the rest of the women working staring at him, giggling and talking among themselves. He knew Maron had a thing for him. The way she was staring at him and sending smiles his way was more than just being polite.

Goku followed his gaze to Maron and the group of women. He took another bite of his burger. "Why don't you ask her out on a date?"

Krillin blushed, laughing to himself. "You really think she'd say yes?"

Goku shrugged.

"You won't know unless you ask." Tien said.

"You have to commit to it." Bulma said.

Maron came back to the table, refilling their drinks. She asked about martial arts, and everyone happily told her about the tournaments and how they sparred all the time.

"So, you guys are crazy strong." Maron said.

"We were training before we came here." Chaozu said.

"Were you training too?" Maron asked, looking at Krillin with a smile.

"Yeah." Krillin said, scratching the back of his head.

"Maybe you could show me some martial arts." Maron said, smiling widely as she set down the bill.

Krillin blushed. "I-I-."

"That's cute." Maron said.

Everyone put some money towards the bill while Krillin was generous with the tip. They were getting ready to leave when Maron came skipping back up to Krillin, her bright blue eyes beaming.

"Hey Krillin. I'm going to give you my number."

Krillin could've fallen over from shock, but he kept himself standing. He knew Maron had a thing for him. There was just no way she could've taken that much of an interest in him unless she wanted to go on a date with him.

"Okay. I'll call you." Krillin said.

Maron wrote her number on his hand, smiling brightly. "You better!"


Vegeta didn't miss the stark contrast when the pod shot out of hyperspace and saw the gem planet of Earth looming before him. This world was a place of green grasses, verdant lands, and deep blue water that formed oceans.

How different it was from so many other worlds, and his own home world, which had long meant its end. His home world had been a place of deserts and mountains, with blood red and yellow cloud patterns swirling all across it. It really had been just a ball of brown and red hanging in space, as barren and remote as Earth was alive.

"We're almost there." Vable's voice cut into the pod's com-link.

"Indeed, I wonder if there will be any surprises in store for us." Vegeta said.

Nappa stretched his shoulders, pleasantly surprised to hear from his two kin. "We could use them both."

"That loser Raditz may have been defeated by them." Vable's voice cut in. "We don't need them slowing us down."

"How do you know they even completed their mission?"

"It's doubtful that they did." Vable simply said.

"Judging from their interaction with Raditz." Vegeta said in a crisp, no-nonsense tone.

Nappa shook his head doubtfully, but he wasn't bothered by the jabbing tone. In a strange way, he was glad that his two kin were communicating with him, glad that small details were being finalized.

"They haven't signaled us for a landing yet." Nappa noted.

"We're out in the back country now. Just find a place and land it."

"This place is just lovely."

Nappa nodded. How different things were now than a couple decades before when he and his comrades had been forced to land on a world in order to effect repairs on their ships. That same day, their home world had been destroyed. He tried to manage a smile, but the edge of his anticipation kept it from appearing genuine.

There was no way to control the singular pods on their descent. So the ships came down fast, breaking through the atmosphere and soaring across the sky.

"So...This is Earth?" Vable mused when the skyscrapers and towers of the cities came into sight against the horizon.

There were many cities that weren't destroyed. In fact, there wasn't a single mark of destruction or obliteration anywhere that she could see. Everything was like it had been. Even if their ships were streaking faster and faster, her perception of the places and people didn't falter.

The ship curved and went in hard towards a mountain region. They flew over the edge of a city, then the pod finally slammed down in a large forest.

Nappa stretched his neck until it cracked, then moved it to the other side until it cracked. He slammed his foot down out of the pod, growling as he rose to his full height. It had been a long and miserable travel, and the landing didn't do anything to lighten his mood.

Nappa clicked his scouter, focusing his eyes on the landscape.

"Everything is still in tact! Even Raditz couldn't get the job done." Nappa said.

"Hmph. He was pitiful." Vegeta smirked, lifting himself out of the crater and landing on his feet.

"It's unfortunate. I was expecting more from them." Vable said.

He clicked his scouter again, surveying the surroundings. The device ran through its paces, measuring, surveying, and relaying. Eventually it leveled off, making a strange, distorted sound as numbers flashed across the screen.

"Impossible. There's over half a dozen people on this planet with fighting power levels over two thousand." Nappa exclaimed.

"There's two big ones. They're both six thousand." Vable said.

"That must be Kakarot and Sarpa without a doubt." Vegeta said.

"They're far away from our location."

"Well, let us be on our way." Vegeta said with a smirk.

They lifted themselves high into the air, shooting towards the trajectory of their targets.