Chapter Eighteen: No Pain, No Gain
"9,995…9,996…9,997…9,998…9,999…" John is trying his best to push himself one more time while in Kaioken. "Come on, I can do it. 10,000."
John turned off his Kaioken before flopping down on the floor in utter fatigue. Moving his head sideways in order to not kiss the cold floor. Sweat flowed all through his body as he pushed his limits with the technique that King Kai has taught him and he is willing to fully master all its stage levels, no matter how much pain he is putting himself through. He looked at the only pilot chair of the ship where he left the bag of Senzu Beans in before being mentally ready to move and embrace the muscle strain.
"It will all be worth it." John spoke when crawling by just using his arms. "Got to be on par before arriving at Namek."
He crawled and crawled until reaching the chair. Having issues in pushing himself up, John took a grab on the arm of the chair to help lift him up to see where on the chair the beans were before grabbing them. Next, he falls back to the ground before opening the bag and taking a bean. He chewed twice and swallowed before waiting in seconds for it to do its magic before instantly jumping back to his feet.
"Damn, I love these beans." John tied the bag back before tossing it up and down with his hand before putting it back on the chair.
With a sigh he went over to where the small racks of dumbbells are and picked himself the heaviest ones on the rack. He then went over to the machine and started it up the dense gravity while beginning lifting the dumbbells.
"Now, let's see how long I can last doing this while floating upside down to strengthen upper body strength." John levitated and flipped himself upside down.
During the time of self training, little did he know that his ship was floating right into an extreme massive magnetic storm while he had his ankles tied and currently being dangled down by the ceiling. John began to hear an alarm going off to his confusion as he stopped lifting his dumbbells.
"Huh?." John looked around before seeing a tv screen pulled down from the ceiling. "Father-in-law, what's going on?."
"John, we have a major problem. When I say we, I mean you." Dr. Briefs spoke while adjusting his glasses.
"Like?." John waited for the details.
"You're heading into a magnetic storm, and your ship's systems are about to go haywire. If you don't do something about it, you are going to be in serious trouble." Dr. Briefs said with a hint of urgency.
"Oh, boy." John comprehends what a magnetic storm is capable of doing to technology and ships itself.
The ship entered the area of the magnetic storm and things were not looking pretty. Lights went on and off, while the ship's computer voice started to talk randomly. To make matters worse the gravity machine started to completely malfunction and started dialing up the level of uncomfortable gravity.
"Ah, shit." John immediately drops the dumbbells as soon as the uncomfortable pressure starts to weigh on him. "I'm feeling the pain. Father-in-law, what do I need to do?."
"John, you need to get to the pilot seat and pull out. Fast!. The ship's autopilot system is down and you have to move the ship manually." Dr. Briefs' voice grew more anxious as the chaos grew around his son-in-law.
John tried his hardest to bend down to untie his ankles but the pain in both of his upper body and ankles wasn't going to let him before dropping back. "Fuck, it hurts!. What is the gravity level?."
"John, it's at 200Gs and rising. The limit was supposed to be to a hundred. You need to get to the pilot seat now!." Dr. Briefs' voice was getting more strained with every second.
"Easier said than done." John tried to make the second attempt but failed.
The gravity kept increasing, making every move a herculean effort. John gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain, his muscles straining against the intense force. Each breath came out in a grunt as his diaphragm struggled against the pressure. He finally reached the knots and fumbled with them, his fingers feeling thick and clumsy. His hands were starting to betray him when feeling fatigued and heavy when trying to be active.
With a roar of determination, John managed to loosen the first knot, and the second soon followed. The cords fell away, and he took a deep breath, feeling the immediate relief of having his legs free after falling down hard. The ship rocked violently, and the lights flickered, casting eerie shadows across the training room. He stumbled over to the pilot seat, his legs wobbly from the sudden change in weight. He had to act fast before the gravity became too much for his body to handle. The ship rocked back and sent him flying to the back of the wall hard.
John groaned in pain as he saw he was far away from the chair. Gravity is already keeping him put as he can't get up. "Ah, man, talk about no pain, no gain."
"John!. You need to get up now!." Dr. Briefs' voice was a mix of panic and urgency. "If you don't hurry, the magnetic storm will kill you."
John took a deep breath and pushed against the floor with every ounce of strength he had left. The gravity was now at 250Gs, making his body feel like it was made of lead. He slid across the floor, using his arms to propel himself towards the pilot seat. Sweat dripped from his forehead and his heart felt like it was going to burst from his chest. The ship's computer beeped and whirred, its voice now a series of distorted sounds that added to the chaos. Managing to get into the seat, he then grabs the both handles of the wheel and goes to work in steering.
The controls were unresponsive, the ship's systems screaming in protest under the magnetic assault. John's eyes widened as he saw the gravity dial spike to 300Gs. He knew that was the limit of his physical endurance. "Alright, time to get serious." He gritted his teeth and focused his energy, feeling the power of his Saiyan lineage surge within him. He steered hard until the ship followed his command and drifted out of the storm.
As the gravity slowly returned to normal, John felt his body lighten. His muscles screamed in relief, but he had to keep his concentration. The ship's computer crackled back to life, its voice now a sigh of relief. "Autopilot systems restored. Magnetic shields at fifty percent."
"Excellent work, my boy." Dr. Briefs spoke proudly.
John slowly got back to his feet before slowly moving. "I don't feel so awesome."
"You just survived a magnetic storm that would have crushed a lesser man. Take a moment to rest." Dr. Briefs said with a hint of pride in his voice.
"I feel the weight of my body catching up with me." John collapsed hard on the floor and went unconscious.
"John!. John, can you hear me?!." Dr. Briefs' voice grew frantic.
John's consciousness had pulled him into a deep sleep state and being drowned in his memories of his scarred and horrible childhood back on Planet Vegeta. For some odd reason his brain shows him the memory of his birthday which he despises, since his cold-hearted and cruel parents wouldn't dare for him to share his birthday with any who was born on that day despite the year difference. Remembering being at the long royal table inside their dining party room where all Saiyans ate, drank, and gave gifts to him by class level.
"Smile, Kiren." A beautiful lavish Saiyan woman spoke before grabbing her cup. "It's your day."
John's mother, who had a glass of wine in her hand, took a sip before looking at him with a smile. "You should be grateful for the gifts you receive."
"How can I be grateful if I can't share a birthday?." Kiren looks at her with a frown. "Tell me that, mother?."
"Watch your mouth when you talk to your mother, boy." King Vegeta scolded him.
John's father, the mighty King Vegeta, glared at him from the head of the table. His stern expression was as cold as the planet they inhabited. "You should be honored that we allow the low class to even come and acknowledge your existence. Don't understand why you want them to be in our castle with the real class Saiyans."
"Because they are our people too, father. No matter what class they are born in, they deserve to be treated fairly and equally by all of us." Kiren challenge before eating his meat.
King Vegeta's grip on his knife tightened, but he said nothing, his eyes narrowing at his son's rebellious tone. The room grew tense, the air thick with unspoken anger and disdain.
Victoria sees her childhood friend and along with her mate and their crew. "Ah, Gine, what gift do you, your mate, and your team have for your prince?."
Gine stepped forward with a small box in her hands, her eyes filled with nervousness and hope. "Kiren, we have something for you. We got this from our last assignment."
She hands him the box and steps back before kneeling beside Bardock and the others. Kiren slowly opens the box and sees a pretty fine gold necklace with a nice green emerald pulling it out. He examines it at its nice craftsmanship before flipping the gold part where the emerald was inside and sees its symbol.
"You say you got this from your last assignment?." Kiren looks at the woman.
Gine nodded. "Yes."
"Who did it originally belong to?." Kiren asked in distaste as he knows that this item isn't paid for or awarded.
Gine hesitates for a moment before speaking softly. "It... it belonged to a high-class family we encountered on our mission."
"And you killed them." Kiren looks at them with anger.
Bardock took a step forward, his hand on Gine's shoulder. "We had no choice, Kiren. We were following orders in conquering the planet for Lord Frieza. Gine saw it on that boy's neck and thought it would look good on you."
Kiren's eyes widened. "You killed him to get this?."
"Does it matter?." King Vegeta spoke bitterly before grabbing his cup. "We're Saiyans. We take what we want."
Kiren slammed his fist and stood up in utter anger. "And it is wrong!. Killing, hurting, and making innocent people suffer is wrong!."
The room went quiet and everyone looked at him in shock, especially his parents. His mother's eyes were filled with a mix of disappointment and fear. His father's eyes, however, burned with a rage that could melt metal. King Vegeta stood up from his seat and locked eyes with his only child.
"You will be quiet and not say such things that aren't the Saiyan way!." King Vegeta spoke loud for all to hear. "Why are you so damn different from the rest of us?!."
"Maybe because I have enough brains to know what is right and wrong, unlike you and all the thick skulled, no thinking, selfish, evil nincompoops!." Kiren yelled back. "You all sinned against the Super Saiyan God!."
The room remained silent, the tension so thick it could be cut with a knife. His mother looked down, ashamed of what she had raised. His father's eyes turned colder, if that was even possible. "You dare blaspheme against our God?!."
"No, father." Kiren shook his head and pointed at him. "You, mother, and everyone on this planet did just that!. Every single last one of you are all going straight and spending your afterlife in hell!."
King Vegeta's rage boiled over, and he slammed his hand on the table, causing it to split in half. "Guards, take him away. He is not fit to be in my presence any longer!."
"No, need, father!." Kiren walked away. "I'll take myself out. Gine!. Bardock!. Fasha!. Tora!. Borgos!. Shugesh!. With me." Kiren stopped on the third step before looking back at the low class warriors in anger. "Now!."
The low class Saiyans looked at each other before following him out of the room. His mother looked at him with a sadness in her eyes that she had never shown before. "Why, son?. Why do you have to be like this?. Why are you so different?."
Kiren stopped and didn't turn to see his mother. "Because the Super Saiyan God has been willing to bless me to break free from the impending downfall of our people and carve out what a Saiyan should be."
Kiren walked out with others following him. They settled in the low class district and stayed in Bardock and Gine's home having a small meal. They were willing to still celebrate their prince's birthday despite the fallout in the castle.
"Thanks for the necklace, guys." Kiren said as he had it in his hand. "It's the best gift I've ever had. But I'm not going to wear it. This gift is tainted with the blood of an innocent person."
Gine looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "What do you want to do with it then?."
"Bury it. That innocent individual deserves a proper grave." Kiren spoke.
"You're hopeless, kid." Tora looked at his future king with a head shake. "You do realize that you have upset the whole Saiyan race with your unfavorable thinking?."
Kiren took a deep breath and nodded, "I know, but it's the truth. And I won't change who I am for anyone, not even for the sake of our race's pride. I told all six of you my ways of what a real Saiyan should be, but you all reject it and mock me."
"We never mocked you, Kiren." Fasha spoke up. "We just don't agree with you sometimes."
"It is all the time." Kiren responded.
"Look, Kiren, we know you mean well, but you're going to get yourself killed if you don't learn to play the game." Borgos spoke with a sternness that was rare for him.
Kiren looked at Borgos. "Play the game?. The same game that Frieza and his family have set the rules for us to play?. Newsflash, were all pawns with zero gain."
Shugesh set his mug down before wiping his face with his arm. "Kiren, you have so much great potential. More potential than all of us that we can ever dream of. What's keeping you from reaching it is yourself. You're just one Saiyan. All the things you say are completely unnatural and not what our race stands for."
Kiren sucked his teeth in his way of protest but listened regardless. Bardock patted his future king on his back and spoke in such honesty.
"We all see great potential in you, Kiren. If you keep the words of lessons that we're giving you and you are willing to put in the work, then one day. One day, you will be a Super Saiyan. I can feel it in my bones that you will be the first Saiyan to achieve this great honor when the thousand year has finally been reached." said Bardock, before giving him a smile.
John came two after remembering that part of his childhood about Bardock claiming that he will be the next Super Saiyan in one thousand years. To make things even more shocking to John is that this year does mark the one thousand year of the long awaited prophecy of a new Super Saiyan.
"As much as I want to believe it..." John slowly got to his feet. "I'm way beyond unable to reach that power. Putting in work in training is only half of achieving it."
John stood up with a serious facial expression as he remembered the details of how the power of the Super Saiyan is unlocked. The key to unlocking it is indeed an emotional trigger. Not just any typical emotional trigger it has to be something that you're in a situation that involves either a friend, loved one, or anyone for that matter is caught in danger. In which you are unable to get yourself involved or be able to do anything at that moment, and thus the showering of true mental breakdown comes in that helps fuel the emotion. John has his fair share of tragedy but it didn't trigger the golden warrior within. No, it has to be something or someone that he is extremely sensitive towards and is unable to do anything or act fast enough to prevent the tragedy.
"John?. John, can you hear me?." Dr. Brief asked in worry.
John walked over to see the TV where his father was on. "Yes, I hear you."
Dr. Brief sighed along with placing his hand on his chest. "Oh, that is good news. How do you feel?."
John took that question to heart along with what Bardock and the others told him in his childhood to heart, before going back over to the gravity machine. "I feel that I need to double down on my training. Thanks, father-in-law, for your assistance. Now, please exit out of virtual communication with me, so I can resume back to training."
The doctor nodded his head with understanding before he disappeared from the screen. The room went silent except for the faint whirring of the machine that surrounded him. The gravity was turned back up to the maximum and John felt the crushing weight upon his body once more, his muscles straining under the intense pressure. He turned back to Kaioken and started training in the air before working his kicks and punches before Ki blasting until he got better in the form without letting the pain consume him in breaking the limits of what a Saiyan can do. Somewhere on Namek in the air flying, Bulma immediately clutched her chest with a look of alertness.
"Bulma, what's wrong?." ChiChi asked when noticing her holding her chest.
Bulma looks at her sister-in-law. "I felt something deep within me."
"What is it?" ChiChi asked, her eyes widening with concern.
Bulma looked down. "I felt that something had to do with John. Whatever it means, John is coming to Namek with all the stops."
"Wow, you sense all that from all the way here?." Krillin asked in shock.
"It's called wife instincts, Krillin." ChiChi rolled her eyes. "I got the same thing when I married Goku, along with having mother instincts after birthing Gohan."
Bulma looked at little Dende. "How far away is Elder Guru's house?."
"It's not too far." Dende replied. "I know that my planet's landscape looks all the same, but trust me we're going in the right direction."
Back with Goku and Gohan somewhere on the other side of Namek, the two were following where the radar is taking them to the Dragonball to help get ahead in hunting the balls. They flew on the west side until they saw something on the horizon.
"Hey, Dad, it looks like we're approaching a Namek village." Gohan said when seeing the village up ahead.
Goku nodded, "We should be careful, though. We don't want to scare the locals."
They dropped down on the village ground and were welcomed in the wrong positive way. Instead of being greeted in any kind of way, they were welcomed to a village filled with dead Namekian bodies from youth to elderly. It was a horrifying sight to see to be sure as this sent chills all over Gohan when seeing so much blood and decay, while Goku was super furious at what he was seeing in front of him. He couldn't believe that Frieza was here and ordered his men to slaughter these innocent Namekians.
"Those monsters." Gohan looks down at a dead Namekian kid that looked his age in utter disgust.
"This is Frieza's doing, no doubt." Goku's voice was cold as ice. His eyes scanned the area, searching for any signs of survivors. The village was silent with no sign of any life there.
Gohan walked around while looking down on the radar. He followed where it was taking him before seeing a dead Namekian elder stretched out and closer to the water. He stopped to see the ball on the radar beeping loudly. "Is it in the water?."
He looks how the dead Namekian was positioned which made him question why he was so close to the water itself. Using his thinking skills, Gohan figures out that this Namekian has thrown the Dragon Ball into the water in order to prevent Frieza from getting it and then suffering in tortured pain until death. Gohan looks at the radar and then back at the water.
"Hey, Dad, is the dragon radar waterproof?." Gohan called out.
Goku approached him, his gaze following the path of Gohan's finger to the beeping device. "It should be. It's made by your aunt after all."
Gohan nodded. "Right."
Gohan jumped right into the water right after placing the radar in his Gi. He swam deep into the ocean water with the idea of the Dragonball being on the ocean floor close to the bank. Goku waited for his son to come up with the ball while having the feeling that they aren't alone in the village. He wasn't wrong as he started to hear footsteps from behind him which made Goku turn to see a smug Zarbon standing there.
"Well, Well, I wasn't expecting to find you here, but you did give me the chance to eliminate half of my task." spoke Zarbon.
Goku's eyes narrowed and his body tensed up as he turned to face the smug alien. "You're one of Frieza's top goons, aren't you?. Did you do this to these people?."
Zarbon chuckled. "Wish that I can take credit for this slaughter but on the behalf of the deceased troopers that did it, then yes."
Goku's rage boiled over. He could feel the energy pulsating through his veins, his fists clenching tightly. He knew he had to keep his cool, especially with Gohan in the water. "You're going to regret working for scum like Frieza."
Zarbon smirked. "Let's see what you got. In fact, let's raise the stakes. Put the Dragonball on the line."
"Deal." Goku turns to see Gohan coming out of the water with the ball in hands. "Gohan, give me the ball and leave."
"W...What!?." Gohan can't believe what he was hearing.
"Now, Gohan." Goku ordered.
Reluctantly, Gohan tossed the dragonball to his father and took off into the sky. He didn't like leaving his father alone with this monster, but he knew better in knowing when to not question his father's motives. Goku presented the dragonball to Zarbon before setting it to the side. Zarbon smirked at how dumb Goku is in doing this act. Goku didn't hesitate in giving a fast fist to the face. This sent Zarbon back a few feet away until stopping himself before taking the moment to wipe the blood on his lip.
"You sneaky dirty monkey." Zarbon frowned and got in his stance. "That's going to be your only free hit."
Goku's eyes narrowed even more, his muscles bulging under his orange gi. He knew Zarbon was underestimating him, and he was about to prove him wrong. The two clashed, fists and feet flying in a blur as the gravity of the battle weighed down on the air.
Zarbon threw a punch, which Goku effortlessly dodged. He countered with a kick to the gut, but Zarbon was too quick and had already vanished, appearing behind Goku to deliver a sharp elbow to the back of his neck. Zarbon stumbled but quickly regained his footing, turning to face his opponent with a snarl.
"Your power...it's unbelievable." Zarbon exclaimed, his eyes widening with surprise. "Impressive for a low class son of a warrior."
"Don't underestimate me." Goku's voice was calm but deadly. "Kaioken!."
In a burst of red energy, Goku took Zarbon off guard and laid the smackdown on his ass. Beating him on all sides without any mercy before spinning him around by his foot and tossed him right into a Namekian home. Zarbon slowly got up but then got speared by Goku, who didn't want to wait for him to recover due to having so much anger towards him and his lord. Goku connected his knee to Zarbon's face right before thinking of adding a sidekick to his ribs. Zarbon couldn't believe how capable and powerful a child of a low class warrior is able to process such raw potential.
"Ha!." Goku elbow dropped down on Zarbon's back before flipping back to his side. He deformed his Kaioken while watching him slowly get back to his feet. "You should have stayed down and pretended to be dead. That's the only way you will get to leave this fight."
Expecting to hear the act of pleading that he once heard from Dodoria, Goku was instead hearing legit laughing as if a joke was being told without him knowing it. Zarbon chuckled as he savored the taste of his bruised lips and blood as it has been way too long since he had this experience of fight, let alone feeling his true self knocking on the door to come on out.
"What's so damn funny?." Goku demanded.
Zarbon managed to claim his laughter before looking at him. "Oh, little monkey, you just awoke the real me. The real me that I have personally been keeping dormant for such a long time. And you have just…Awakening It."
"Hmm?." Goku didn't understand what that meant but had a feeling he was going to find out.
With a blink of an eye, Zarbon powered up to channel his true inner self until his body began to transform right in front of Goku. His body began to come from normal to bulky while his pretty boy face turned into a horrific face. Goku gasped at how wilde this man's power had drastically changed in just seconds as it rivals against his own power. Without any doubt he knows that Goku has just met his own match. Zarbon's voice started changing from light to heavy when started to laugh before he finished up his transformation.
"Hahaha!." Zarbon's huge smile grew with his sharp teeth showing. "You are as good as dead, Saiyan. Prepare yourself!. For you are about to be reunited with your mother and father!. Hahaha!."