Chapter 34

Training Intensity

On King Kai's planet, the Lord of Worlds had just woken up and was doing a few quick stretches as Yamcha prepared eggs on the stove. King Kai got to enjoy the privilege of not having to make his own meals. As it turned out his student used to be a desert bandit, as surprising as it was to hear given the fact he got to keep his body. According to Yamcha he would often rob traveling farmers on the road. He would take their eggs and given the desolate environment he wouldn't turn his nose up at good food. Suffice to say he has plenty of experience cooking for himself and King Kai would not hesitate to take advantage of that fact.

Anyway, Yamcha was carefully flipping a couple eggs when he suddenly heard a commotion outside. He heard King Kai's voice go from giving a pleasant hello to yelling out frantically. Yamcha lets out a yawn before speaking in a slightly raised voice with a hint of a lighthearted tone, "H-how's it going King Kai? Did Bubbles trip you up again?"

The next words that came out of King Kai's mouth made Yamcha jump. "Quick Yamcha, your girlfriend is calling for you!"

Yamcha's hand jerked up causing him to send the half-cooked eggs flying straight into the ceiling. Right then King Kai heard the clattering of metal as Yamcha hurriedly turns off the stove and discards the cooking equipment around him as he scrambles out of the house. King Kai immediately said, "Careful! Those aren't your pots and pans your handling."

Yamcha ran out of the house and upon reaching King Kai, he placed a hand on his back. Right then he hears a familiar voice saying, "H-hello, is this working? Did I just get put on hold?"

A second more aged voice says back, "Be patient! He's getting him."

While King Kai mentally wonders about the current state of his kitchen, Yamcha hesitantly says, "H-hey Bulma, y-you there?"

Suddenly Yamcha hears what is initially a joyous voice before she controls her tone in an attempt to contain herself, "Yamcha, there you are! I-i mean… ahem… Hello Yamcha, how's your morning?"

Bulma cleared her throat in the middle of her sentence, trying to regain composure. Yamcha stuttered, "O-oh, me I'm fine I almost cooked some eggs!"

King Kai blurted out, "Almost?!"

Yamcha is quick to shush King Kai after which Yamcha cleared his throat and jumped to what he thought was coming next. "I-i got my life back, I'm guessing you had something to do with that. Thanks, and uh… Sorry for not calling sooner, King Kai was feeling down…"

A voice of protest erupts for King Kai who blurts out a simple, "H-hey!"

Yamcha continues regardless of King Kai's protest, "Well, I'll be heading back in an hour or so-"

Right then Bulma suddenly frantically said, "No, stay dead!"

Out of surprise and panic Yamcha blurts out, "What!?"

All color leaves his face as he stammers to reply, his hands start to shake, "W-wait a sec Bulma! I already apologized, what else do you want me to do?!"

Suddenly a third feminine voice pops in with clear annoyance in her voice, "Bulma, don't start with that part! You're only going to confuse him."

The voice belonged to Chichi who took a moment to clear her throat before saying, "Yamcha, Miss Baba talked to King Yemma and got permission for you to stay for another year."

Yamcha began to listen intently, this news was strange but he was sure there was a reason for it, so he awaited what she had to say next. Chichi said, "Kakarot used the Dragon Balls to revive you and a lot more people, but his former friends were listening in, I'll spare you the details. His old squad is heading this way to use the Dragon Balls, but his brother warned him ahead of time. They should be here in a year, so you have until then to train to beat them."

Yamcha's blood ran cold upon hearing the news, he was glad he would be able to finish King Kai's training but the news that people as dangerous as Kakarot are coming shook him. King Kai suddenly said, "Stay quiet for a moment please."

For a moment King Kai's antennae raised into the air but after half a minute he let out an excited hum. He then says, "I can confirm that three Freeza Empire Space Pods are headed to earth aaand… from where they are right now, I do believe you do have a year before they arrive."

Suddenly King Kai speaks with a far more foreboding tone, "Your fears are justified, judging from their power they are even stronger than me. Yamcha, you'll need to surpass me if you hope to stand a chance against them."

Yamcha steels his nerves and says, "Sorry Bulma, I'm gonna have to stay a little longer but when I get back let's go on that date you were asking for."

Bulma with a small smile said, "Alright, see you then."

After that the connection was cut after which Yamcha removed his hand from King Kai's back which is when he began to stretch. King Kai then said, fitting himself back into his mentor role, "We'll hold off on technique training and work on strengthening your body first."

Yamcha frowned and said back, "I thought we were just now getting to the technique training?"

King Kai nodded and said, "We were but after peeping on those Saiyans, and learning how much time you have… You'll need the extra muscle, trust me. Besides, with a year left we have the time so don't worry about it too much."

Yamcha frowns but nods in acceptance before tightening his belt. As Yamcha began stretching, King Kai mentally said, "Besides, I may have overestimated him. As things stand, I don't think his body could withstand the Kaioken."

Right then King Kai enters his house, hoping to ease his nerves only to see pots and pans all over the place as well as some half-cooked eggs dripping from the ceiling. He then screams, "Yamcha!"

Yamcha's training is about to begin but first he will have to deal with what's left of breakfast.

A couple minutes before Bulma and Chichi finished their call with Yamcha, Kakarot had just arrived at Capsule Corp. Chichi and Bulma were in another room with Baba finishing that call. Kakarot has become a regular face at Capsule Corp. Because of this it has been a long while since the employees gave him long stares. That was until today; Kakarot entered a large circular room with a large object at the center. Several people in lab coats were examining it with specialized machinery. One among them smiled upon seeing him. It was an old man with gray hair, a bushy mustache and was wearing a lab coat.

Kakarot recognized this man as the father of Bulma, his name is Dr. Brief. Kakarot felt the urge to ask a question he had asked this man multiple times but this time he resisted it. The old man would always insist that "Dr. Brief" was his full name and never wavered from that answer. Kakarot took it as the old man's favorite joke but recently he had begun to think he was serious. Regardless Kakarot had something more important to do than figure out the mystery behind Bulma's fathers name, namely the round object Dr. Brief and his team were examining.

Kakarot recognized this object as his Saiyan Space Pod. The Capsule Corp employees have been examining it ever since Kakarot let Bulma have it once he returned to earth. That was until this very minute, Kakarot looked at the pod and scowled at it. Everyone but Dr. Brief looked at Kakarot with uncertain eyes. An engineer gave Dr. Brief a meaningful look, but the man ignored it and instead approached Kakarot. Dr. Brief said, "It's been a long time, young man, are you here to check on your craft?"

Kakarot nodded and said, "You could say that."

Dr. Brief smiled brightly, let out a short laugh and said after giving Kakarot a pat on the back, "You'll be happy to know we are more than halfway done with discerning all of its internal functions."

Dr. Brief continued to ramble on about the pod not even taking in the fact that Kakarot didn't much care for the discoveries of a machine he's used all his life. Dr. Brief continued anyway, "It's a marvelous machine, despite its unique size it's perfectly capable of handling flight through a weightless environment. As a matter of fact, It can withstand a wide range of gravity levels too! We've tested it from five times to over a hundred and it showed no sign of strain."

This part Kakarot knew about, the pods were made to withstand multiple levels of gravity since they were made to invade a large variety of worlds. A number of worlds like Prune and from what he was told Planet Vegeta for instance had stronger gravity than what Kakarot feels on earth. It was made to take high pressure environments like deep ocean worlds and even the searing heat of desert worlds. While Raditz wasn't a scientist or anything Kakarot recalled he found the mechanical end of these machines to be interesting.

Dr Brief then said, "We just need by the end of this year, and we'll be ready to reverse engineer the thing."

This is when Kakarot grimaced after which he raised an open palm to the pod. Everyone stared at the motion with confusion, but all Dr Brief could say before all hell broke loose was, "Hm?"

Kakarot let out a short yell and blasted the pod with a single Ki blast. The pod was engulfed in a blinding explosion and after the flash of the explosion dissipated all that remained was scrap metal. Kakarot then looked at Dr. Brief, handed him a blue set of blueprints from under his shirt and said, "Use what's left ta' make this instead. Yer daughter gave me the idea so ya' can thank her for me."

Kakarot then wordlessly walked away, leaving the shocked staff in disbelief even Dr. Brief was speechless at what had just happened. Bulma and Chichi ran into the room while yelling, "What happened?"

Bulma asked the question but only Dr. Brief answered with the raising of an index finger at Kakarot who was walking away. Bulma and Chichi were quick to advance on him but at this point Dr. Brief's eyes drifted to the page Kakarot just gave him after which his attention became fixated on it. Dr. Brief muttered, "Gravity Chamber, Spaceship hybrid…huh? What an interesting idea."

Chichi was in the middle of trying to ask him why he did that, but Bulma beat her to the punch. "Why the hell did you do that, moron!"

Kakarot only greeted her with a, "Hmm?"

Kakarot did not stop his march towards the exit, forcing Chichi and Bulma to walk alongside him. Bulma kept a fierce tone as she berated Kakarot for his seemingly random act of violence, "Why did you destroy it, we were almost done examining the thing! If you…"

They reached the front entrance/exit when Bulma jumped in front of him, finally stopping his advance. Bulma started to finish her sentence, "If you had just waited a little longer then…"

Right then Kakarot chose to interrupt her with a fierce bite to his voice, "Then Vegeta could land here, would ya' like this city to be their landing zone?"

Bulma took a step back out of surprise and fear which is when Chichi stepped forward and asked, "What do you mean? Why didn't you talk to us about this?"

Kakarot's expression softens upon looking at Chichi, but he still has a serious tone in his voice as he says, "I can't trust anything he gave me. That includes the pods, I needed to get rid of it as soon as I had the chance."

Both Chichi and Bulma's expressions relaxed somewhat but then Bulma asked, "I can understand that but why wouldn't you explain sooner?"

Kakarot let out a heave and said, "I'm in a hurry and I'm in the right mindset right now."

Chichi was the first to ask, "Mindset for what?"

Kakarot brushed past them and said, "To start his training."

Bulma and Chichi followed him until they exited the building. Right then they saw someone waiting on the other side of the street and stopped in their tracks upon seeing him. Chichi's breath got caught in her throat at the sight of Piccolo who was crossing his arms and impatiently waiting for Kakarot to return. He was suppressing his Ki for whatever reason; Chichi assumed it was at Kakarot's request. Kakarot joined him and after giving each other a nod they flew off, undoubtedly, to begin their training.

As soon as they disappeared from view Chichi began to breathe again. Bulma gave her a reassuring pat on the back after which Chichi gives her a smile before she looked forward and stared in the direction where Kakarot disappeared to with determination in her gaze. Chichi then said, "I'd better go too."

Bulma quickly asked, "Go where?"

Chichi gave her a serious look and said, "To the Lookout, after sparing Piccolo I spent most of my life standing still, feeling bad for myself. I was slacking off that whole time but seeing them get on with business is all the more motivation I need."

Determination gleamed in her eyes as he said, "I intend to close the distance… or at least try and catch up!"

Chichi then gave Bulma a pat on her back before saying, "I'll see you later Bulma, I gotta go."

She flew high into the sky heading straight for Kami's Lookout. Bulma watches as she disappears too, she smiles at first. However, the second Chichi disappears from view, and she frowns at herself. A sad longing overcomes her as she looks at the ground. Bulma wouldn't admit it, but she feels like she's being left behind. First Yamcha dies sacrificing himself and now Chichi, her only friend, won't be able to spend as much time with her as they used to. Her days of adventure with Gohan and Yamcha have long passed and now she is beginning to feel lonely. She just hoped that after these aliens are repelled things can go back to how they used to be.

A week later and about a million miles away, high in the sky, stood Kami's Lookout. There a number of exceptional warriors have begun their rigorous training to overcome a looming threat. Each warrior wore blue undershirts underneath their respective Gi's. They also wore blue wristbands and orange and blue boots. These extra clothing were weighted in order to assist in their training. Krillin leaped forward aiming a right hook at Tien's face who narrowly dodged the punch by taking a step to his right. Tien launched his counterattack, throwing his own right hook aiming for Krillin's ribs.

Krillin caught the fist mid-flight and then threw a barrage of one-handed fists with his free hand. Tien struggled to block each blow but after five consecutive blocks he swung his leg upward knocking Krillin into the air. After flying three meters above ground Krillin regained control of his body and stopped his accent. He looked down but then quickly changed his decision by using both of his forearms to block a dropkick from above his head. Tien appeared above him, but his surprise attack was easily thwarted.

Tien was happy to see Krillin's reflexes have improved since their rematch at the Tenkaichi Budokai so many years ago. Tien won the finals in the Tenkaichi before only to lose to Krillin in their rematch the following few years. That was after dealing with Piccolo, a fight Tien didn't think many of them would have made it out alive. How unfortunate it was that he was right. Tien and Krillin continued their spar by exchanging countless blows in midair, not taking a break for anything.

Down below Chiaotzu was getting "help" from Yajirobe to improve his aim with the Dodon Ray. If one was to ask Yajirobe if he had a say in this then the answer would be a flat "no". Korin had strong-armed Yajirobe into training with Krillin and the others by threatening to kick him out. All he did was loiter around the tower and Korin was getting tired of the freeloader. Chiaotzu fired continuous Dodon Ray's as Yajirobe did his best to avoid the blast. This would help Chiaotzu improve his aim and Ki control while at the same time it would help improve Yajirobe's reflexes. It was a win-win training method, though given the volume of screams and yells Yajirobe made during this activity, he was clearly not enjoying his training.

At the same time Chichi sat under a palm tree with her legs crossed and with her hands pressed against each other as if she was praying. Chichi was focusing on meditation, the same training Kakarot mastered recently. Kami wanted to improve her focus before anything else. Kami and Popo watched from about a foot away from her, keeping an eye out for any signs of her losing focus. Right then they spotted such a sign, Chichi's right leg began to fidget which is when Popo smacked the top of her head with a pebble. She immediately winced, blurting out, "Oomph."

Kami was the first to say, "You need to center your mind, drive away any unnecessary thoughts."

Chichi recovered fast, returning to her meditating pose before saying with vigor, "I will!"

Chichi returned to mediation, this time remaining completely still. A few minutes later Popo tossed a pebble at her head only for her to unconsciously dodge it by swaying her head to the right and then back to its previous position. The two masters smiled believing her real training would begin sooner than they had expected.

Kami gazed at his other students watching as Tien and Krillin's sparring session returned to the ground with them now pushing each other's bodies against each other in a contest of strength. Yajirobe was swiftly dodging the barrage of Dodon Rays while Chiaotzu's Rays were steadily becoming more accurate and precisely aimed. With his students making wonderful progress Kami tells Popo to keep an eye on Chichi.

Kami approached the edge of one side of the Lookout and gazed downward at his only missing student who had the most difficult task of all, training their mortal enemy. Several thousand yards below in a deep forest Kakarot only wearing a weighted blue undershirt and bottom half of his Gi. His Gi looked weathered, it wasn't in pieces but there were several tears in it and dirt covered it. Kakarot stood motionless with his eyes squeezed shut. Right then Kakarot's eyes shot open right when Piccolo appeared having split himself into three using his Multi Form technique.

They closed in on him at his front, his left flank and his right flank. All three of them threw a barrage of fists, kicks, elbows and so forth. Kakarot however, was unimpressed as he blocked and deflected the blows at such an incredible speed Piccolo could only see his movements as a brief blur. Before a minute passed Kakarot broke the barrage by landing three distinct blows at the same time. If Piccolo didn't know any better, he would have thought Kakarot stopped time to land these attacks.

Piccolo in fact did know better, he was aware of the distance between his abilities and Kakarot's. The fact Kakarot managed to land a punch to his gut, an elbow to his face and a knee to his stomach in the matter of two seconds was just a reminder of how far he needed to go before their real training could begin. Each blow was divided among the three clones causing each to collapse and then reform into one.

Piccolo gasped for air and groaned out of pain as Kakarot stood above him frowning. Kakarot immediately said in a displeased voice, "That won't work, technique like that ain't gonna work out when ya go up against the others."

Kakarot then said while folding his arms, "They are used 'ta fightin' multiple opponents at once, numbers will not be an advantage we can easily use against 'em."

Kakarot then pointed a single index finger up in the air and said, "Let me remind you that Raditz is the only one who is vulnerable to his tail gettin' grabbed'. What's more he's aware that you know so gettin' it aint' gonna be as easy as last time. Especially since you had Zarbon's help last time around."

Kakarot put his arms to his sides and said, "Ya' should probably be under the assumption gettin' his tail will be impossible. Come up with new tricks to surprise him, my old comrades are too reliant on their Scouters, use that against them."

Piccolo stands up while clutching his stomach, he then says after groaning, "I'm getting sick of hearing about these Saiyans, I can't wait to shut you up when I put their bodies in a pile."

Kakarot crossed his arms again and then chuckled, giving Piccolo a wry smile as he said, "Yer' gonna have to catch up to me first."

Piccolo returned his smile with his own confident smirk. Piccolo then said, "Then you're first."

Piccolo then slugged Kakarot in the face, Kakarot was pushed by half a centimeter. Kakarot wasn't scratched so he simply looked back at him with a smile and then said, "Good, ya got a goal now."

Kakarot then raised his voice, "But I ain't gonna make this easy for ya!"

Kakarot then punched Piccolo in his right cheek, sending him flying straight into a tree causing it to collapse. Piccolo sits up while rubbing his right cheek with the back of his left hand. He then says, "Good, you don't get anything from "easy"."

Piccolo charged at Kakarot and they soon began exchanging fists again. This is the first time in a long while Kakarot was able to connect with someone in this manner. None of his fellow students fight as aggressively as Piccolo. This familiarity is comforting to Kakarot though he doesn't like to admit it. Kakarot feels like he's finally fitting in on this large blue world.

Eleven months of rigorous training passes and everyone's power and skill have risen greatly.

Back on the Lookout a new sparring session is taking place, Krillin holds a strong stance against his opponent. However, his opponent was not Tien, this time. Tien was now focusing on meditation next to Chiaotzu, hoping to work on their spirits. Instead, it was Chichi who charged at Krillin wearing her own Turtle Hermit Gi, weighted clothes underneath. She throws three spear hand strikes at Krillin who blocks them only to get tripped by a leg sweep from Chichi. Krillin immediately recovers, catching himself with both of his hands and kicking Chichi with both of his legs.

Chichi blocks the attack but is launched into the air by the force of the attack. Chichi manages to regain control fast and charges back at Krillin who dodges a spear hand strike by side stepping her. Krillin throws in an elbow for Chichi's side, but she catches it, throws to quick spear hand strikes before doing a quick backflip and throws a skyward kick in the middle of the flip nailing Krillin under his chin. Krillin is launched into the air but gains control soon after. Krillin takes a defensive stance after giving his chin a quick rub. He smiles, admiring Chichi's progress, while she hadn't quite reached his level, her progress was amazing, nonetheless.

Chichi charged at him once again, starting a new exchange. As this continued Tien and Chiaotzu were meditating, focusing on strengthening their minds. Tien however, was distracted by something. His gaze was fixated on the temple to his right. Earlier that day Tien and Chiaotzu overheard Kakarot and Piccolo talking to Kami. Apparently Kakarot had finished training Piccolo up, but he wasn't certain why they had returned here. Tien assumed Kami had something up his sleeve to help with their training.

Tien, however, wasn't sure how much they could do seeing how they only had two months left to train. Even so, Tien was surprised by Piccolo's current level. He hadn't quite reached Kakarot yet, and even he and Krillin had managed to make more progress than him, even surpassing him at this point. Though given the fact their training was finished Tien was uncertain how much stronger he would get. Because of this he chose to listen further to what they were saying to each other.

Kami said to Kakarot, "Are you certain?"

Whatever Kakarot was considering, Kami wanted him to be completely certain of his decision. Kakarot said in response, "We only have two months left."

Kakarot looked down at his slightly raised fist and said, "I need to get much stronger. Defeating Vegeta right now is a pipedream."

Kakarot then looked at Kami and said, "Two months won't be enough, this is the only way."

Piccolo, clearly sick of waiting, says with irritation in his voice, "Enough stalling, we didn't come all the way here to get stopped at the "gate"."

Kami growled in irritation at that response, he then said with aggravation seeping into his voice, "This is not a frivolous matter, there is more to this decision than you are aware of."

Piccolo frowned deeper before saying, "I don't see why, this will make us stronger. Remember this you old fool, if we are not ready in two months then everyone will die, your students and all the people below us."

Kami bites back, "If you take this decision lightly then you and Kakarot will both die long before the Saiyans arrive!"

Piccolo looks taken aback, he lets out a quiet growl before crossing his arms and thinking to himself, "I knew this "room" would have some stipulations given the benefits but what about it has Kami this confrontational?"

Piccolo glanced at Kakarot who noticed the look and then looked at Kami saying, "Just give him the important bits. The sooner we catch him up to speed, the better."

Kami looked at Kakarot for a few moments before a sigh escaped his lips. He then looks at Piccolo with a serious expression and begins his explanation, "The Room of Spirit and Time (Hyperbolic Time Chamber) is a door to a separate dimension. No doubt you already know about the effect of time in the chamber. It's its most appealing effect of the chamber, one year in the chamber equals a 24-hour period in our dimension. In this room you could get a year's worth of training without losing much time here."

Piccolo nodded, understanding that much since this was about what Kakarot told him.

Kami continued, "However, there's more to the chamber worth accounting for. For one thing the gravity is ten times greater than it is here. The room itself is in a white void with violent and sudden changes in weather. I generally limit my students' access to it given how dangerous the dimension itself is."

Kami then looked at Kakarot and said, "If you had requested to go alone, I would not have allowed it. The room's psychological effects are severe, I'd only let anyone in just to test the waters and they would have to be my most trusted students."

Kakarot immediately Said, "I believe ya, when you first told me about it I couldn't get rid of the chill I felt staring into it."

Kami nodded and said, "That's exactly my point, it's a strange and dangerous world. I had planned to go in with you when you came to your decision, but it looks like that won't be possible."

Kami looked over at Piccolo who raised his eyebrow, this caused Piccolo to ask, "What do you mean by that?"

Kami nodded and said, "As the God of Earth I am capable of upgrading the chamber. It once could only house one person at a time but after seeing how dangerous it is to go alone and after I started to train students, I upgraded the chamber to allow two to enter. If any more than two enter then the door disappears and those inside will be stranded for the rest of their days."

This statement gave pause to Piccolo who suddenly recognized the real dangers of the chamber. All the training in the world would mean nothing if they were trapped inside. The grim look on Piccolo's face was enough to let Kami know that Piccolo now understood his caution. Still Kami was confused by something he had just now noticed during this conversation. Kami looked at Piccolo and said, "You are being strangely receptive, I would have thought you would reject the mere notion of receiving any assistance from me."

Piccolo lets out a breath and then a quiet groan before folding his arms and turning his head away from him, "It's all a means to an end, this is all for the purpose of having that match with Kakarot."

Kami raised an eyebrow and spoke in an inquisitive yet uncertain tone, "For your conquest?"

Piccolo looked at him and plainly said, "That will come after."

Kami wasn't sure why, but that answer didn't feel convincing to him. Thankfully he didn't press the issue, he had achieved his goal. He wanted them to be fully aware of the dangers of the chamber and now that they were, there wasn't a good reason to stall them further. However, there was something he needed to talk to Kakarot about.

While Piccolo approached the chamber Kami gave Kakarot a look after which Kakarot approached Kami. Kami asked, "What is your plan after you leave the Time Chamber?"

Kakarot crossed his arm while giving him a plain look, "I have Bulma's father settin' something up special for me… It's still under development but it should be done sometime soon."

Kami notices a hesitant look on Kakarot's face after he pauses that sentence. He frowns and asks, "What's on your mind?"

Kakarot looks at him with a troubled look and says, "If it can't give me the results, I'm looking for I have another idea but it's risky."

It's now Kami's turn to pause, he's certain he knows what Kakarot has in mind, but he hopes it doesn't come to that. He doesn't want his student taking any such risks but for now all he can do is hope for the best. Suddenly Piccolo speaks in a raised voice, "Come on you oaf, stop wasting time."

Kakarot let out a chuckle before saying one last thing to Kami, "Don't worry too much Master, I'm not dyin' yet."

Kakarot then turned around and slightly raised his voice, yelling back at Piccolo, "Don't get impatient ya bastard, we have a whole year and then some."

Surprising both Tien and Kami, Piccolo gave Kakarot a chuckle in return but didn't give Kakarot a response to that. Kakarot and Piccolo then opened the door to the Room of Spirit and time, they walked through it and closed the door behind them. After they entered the room Popo approached Kami from behind and asked him something, "Is something bothering you Kami?"

Kami closed his eyes as he gathered his thoughts and then opened them and turned around. He said to Mister Popo, "It was surprising enough that Piccolo chose to work with us, but this was just as shocking."

Popo looked confused by what Kami meant by that, so Kami continued, "Piccolo's behavior just now was strange as well as Kakarots. From what I observed of the first month of their training Kakarot was much more guarded around him, much more tense too."

Kami then frowned and said, "But lately I've noticed Kakarot has been more relaxed around him, I had feared that Kakarot was growing to trust him. This is something Piccolo could use against him but what's more surprising however, is that Piccolo mentioned Kakarot rather than conquering the earth. Previously he'd view them as one and the same, but I feel his priorities have begun to shift."

Popo looked worried as he asked, "What could this mean?"

Kami had an even more worried, almost solemn look on his face as he looked at the ground and said, "I fear I don't have much time left, Mister Popo."

Popo looked horrified at the statement after which Kami said, "It's not just about the impending threat, I've felt it for a while now and I believe Piccolo does too."

Kami let out a dejected sigh, "I feel my age catching up to me, I've been alive a long time. Even now I'm overcome with this impending sense of dread. Piccolo feels it too I don't doubt. With our lives connected, whether by the Saiyans hand or by age, his end will come sooner rather than later. I believe Piccolo has found someone to relate to in Kakarot. They are both members of a warrior class and are the rough sort. Perhaps he seeks to create a worthwhile bond with Kakarot. Perhaps he wants at least one person to remember him as something more than the Demon King reborn. Kakarot is the most disconnected from his past, he never suffered the wrath of THE Demon King Piccolo. This is probably the closest thing to a legacy he can create for himself."

That was yesterday, in the morning. From what Tien overheard they should have an hour left at this point. The words Kami used made sense to him, but he wasn't sure if he completely believed it. Piccolo had been deceitful before, so Tien found it difficult to take what Kami said at face value. Tien shook his head and thought about more important matters, his meditation.

However, just as Tien was closing his eyes, he felt a horrible dread overwhelm his senses. He bolted to his feet, and it seemed his companions felt the same. Chichi and Krillin had stopped their spar, freezing in place. Kami was looking wide eyed into the distance as if it was the most important location in the world. Tien recognized what this feeling was but before he could give the cause a voice, a bright light blinded everyone. A massive shockwave followed afterwards; Tien didn't need to say anything. Words were no longer necessary.

The Saiyans had just arrived ahead of schedule.

Author's Notes: And It's finished, this one came on a little slower because of the new Wukong game (that I've been playing) and a bad case of losing wifi for a day or two but here it is. I'm hoping I showed enough of the training especially for Kakarot and Piccolo. Since there is no Gohan to evoke a change in Piccolo, I need Kakarot to fill that role. I will be writing some Time Chamber scenes next chapter so don't worry about missing out on some of that, I also have a surprise set up for when they exit in an (in universe) hour. Anyway, what did everyone think? If you feel like it please leave a review talking about the chapter and feel free to ask any questions about what happened in this chapter. Onto the Power Levels:

Power Levels:

Kakarot: 5,500

Piccolo: 5,100

Chichi: 5,000

Krillin: 5,450

Tien: 5,400

Chiaotzu: 3,500

Yamcha: 5,400