Goku's Return

As soon as Goku's ship crash-landed, everyone scrambled to get over there. The excitement was electric, with dust and debris still settling from the impact.

Bulma, ever the opportunist, turned to Cado with a sweet, almost saccharine tone. "Hey, Cado, carry me, please?"

Cado didn't even look at her. "No."

And with that, he lifted off the ground, flying towards the crash site, leaving Bulma behind.

Bulma face-faulted. "Oh yeah? Well, cook your own food the next time you're hungry!"

Cado immediately halted mid-air, his body stiffening. He sighed, rolling his eyes in defeat before turning back. "Tch… fine. Get on."

Grinning victoriously, Bulma hopped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he took off again. As they flew, she giggled. "See? Why can't you be this sweet all the time?"

Before Cado could reply, she leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

His entire body tensed. "Hey! Don't sneak attack me, woman!" he barked, his face turning red as he flinched mid-flight.

Bulma just laughed. "Oh, relax, you big baby."

By the time they landed with the others, Goku had already stepped out of his pod, now wearing his Yardrat clothing.

Goku smiled, tilting his head at the purple-haired stranger. "So… he's a Super Saiyan, huh? That's surprising. I thought Vegeta said there weren't any more Saiyans left."

Vegeta scoffed, arms crossed. "There aren't, you fool!"

Goku, ever the carefree one, simply shrugged. "Eh, doesn't really matter anyway."

Bulma, now off Cado's back, shot Goku a sharp look. "Yes, it does matter, Goku! It brings up the question—who is this guy? And where did he come from?" She pointed at the mysterious fighter, her expression demanding answers.

The purple-haired stranger, ignoring the others, turned to Goku. "Can I have a word with you in private?"

Goku blinked but nodded. "Sure."

Without another word, the two warriors flew off, landing a good distance away from the group, out of earshot. Whatever the stranger had to say, it was something meant for Goku alone.

Back with the others, Yamcha and Bulma weren't shy about voicing their frustrations.

"I don't like this guy," Yamcha grumbled, arms crossed. "He just shows up outta nowhere, chops up Frieza and his old man, and now he's only giving Goku answers? What about the rest of us?"

Bulma huffed in agreement. "Seriously! The nerve of this guy. What's his deal?"

As they continued their complaints, a sudden surge of energy pulsed through the air. Everyone turned just in time to see Goku's power explode. His aura flared wildly, and in an instant, his hair turned golden, his eyes now a sharp teal.

Cado's eyes widened. "Wow… Kakarot is way stronger than when he was on Namek."

Before anyone could fully process Goku's transformation, the mysterious warrior smirked and let his own energy erupt. His hair and eyes changed to match Goku's, golden and teal. The two Super Saiyans stood opposite each other, their auras crackling like lightning in the sky.

Gohan, still processing it all, pointed at the stranger. "Their energy… their hair… it's the same!"

Without warning, the mystery Saiyan drew his sword and dashed toward Goku. He raised the blade high, but just before making contact, he paused mid-swing, as if second-guessing himself. Then, he jumped back, resetting his stance.

The air tensed for a moment before he dashed in again, this time unleashing a flurry of rapid, precise strikes. His sword blurred as it cut through the air, each strike aiming to test Goku's defense.

But Goku? He didn't even break a sweat. Using only his index finger, he blocked every single attack effortlessly, barely moving from his spot. The clashing sounds of metal against energy-filled flesh echoed, but it was clear—Goku had the upper hand.

The mystery Saiyan finally backed off, lowering his sword. Goku grinned. "That was pretty cool."

Both warriors powered down, their golden hair fading back to black as their auras calmed. Now standing in their base forms, they began to talk, finally ready to have the conversation the stranger had been waiting for.

Cado narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "He's testing Kakarot, clearly… but why?"

Goku, meanwhile, kept glancing between Cado, Vegeta, and the mystery fighter, his expression shifting between curiosity and concern. Cado's confusion deepened. "What the hell is going on?"

Then, out of nowhere, Goku face-planted into the ground.

Cado sweat-dropped. "What is Kakarot doing now…?"

As Goku picked himself up, the mystery warrior approached him and handed him what looked like a small capsule. Goku took it, still looking puzzled, and before anyone could react, the stranger floated up into the sky. He gave them all one last look, then shot off into the distance.

That was when the others rushed in.

"Goku! What was that all about?" Gohan and Krillin asked at the same time, their voices full of urgency.

Goku let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, uh… it's nothing, really!"

Piccolo's expression darkened. His voice cut through the air like a blade. "Talk, dammit. This affects all of our futures."

Goku blinked. "Wait… you heard all that?"

Piccolo crossed his arms. "Of course I did."

With that, Piccolo took charge and relayed everything—how in three years, deadly androids would appear, and if they didn't dedicate themselves to training, they would all die. He managed to keep the warrior's identity a secret, but the message was clear: the future was grim.

Yamcha scoffed, crossing his arms. "Oh, come on. Time machines? Really? You guys expect me to believe that nonsense?"

Piccolo shot him a glare. "Believe whatever you want. But I plan on training like never before."

Just as the weight of the conversation settled in, someone pointed upward.

Trunks, now inside of what could only be his time machine, hovered above them. He gave everyone a final wave before, in a flash of light, vanishing completely.

Everyone stood in stunned silence, awestruck by what they had just witnessed.

As they stood there processing everything, Vegeta folded his arms and fixed Goku with a sharp glare. "Alright, Kakarot, how the hell did you make it off Namek?"

Goku grinned sheepishly. "Well, I tried using Frieza's ship, but it was trashed pretty bad. But then I remembered Cado saying something about a space pod. I saw one, jumped in, and started pressing every button until it finally booted up and took off."

Cado smirked. "So, you basically button-mashed your way to survival?"

Goku scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, pretty much. Ended up crash-landing on a planet called Yardrat."

Vegeta nodded. "Makes sense. The Ginyu Force must've been planning to attack that planet, which is why the pod was set to go there."

Then, Vegeta's expression shifted to something almost amused as he gave Goku's attire a once-over. "That still doesn't explain that absurd outfit, Kakarot."

Goku laughed. "Oh yeah, the Yardrat people gave me these. They're actually really friendly!"

Before anyone could respond, Goku smirked and pointed at Vegeta's shirt. "But hey, at least mine's not pink."

There was a brief silence before Cado and the others burst out laughing. Even Piccolo smirked.

Vegeta growled, his face twitching. "Tch. Whatever. Just stop wasting time and tell us what kind of techniques you picked up."

Goku, still chuckling, nodded. "Alright, alright! Check this out!"

He suddenly vanished.

A moment later, he reappeared—wearing a pair of sunglasses.

Vegeta scoffed. "Hah! A cheap parlor trick."

Krillin's eyes widened. "Wait… those are Master Roshi's sunglasses!"

Yamcha nearly choked. "That's impossible! He has to be at least 7,000 miles away!"

Cado, rubbing his chin, made a mental note. "Alright, yeah… that's a must-learn technique."

Tien, ever the pragmatist, cleared his throat. "Okay, enough fooling around. We've got three years to train. Goku, when exactly are these androids showing up?"

Goku blinked. "Uhh… I kinda forgot."

Everyone face-planted.

Piccolo, pinching the bridge of his nose, sighed. "It's May 12th. 10:00 AM. Nine miles off South City. Try not to forget it this time."

As the tension settled, Piccolo took a step forward, his tone firm. "If you're faint of heart, don't bother showing up in three years. You'll just get in the way."

Vegeta scoffed, crossing his arms. "Tch. Then maybe you should stay behind, Namekian. Wouldn't want a weakling like you slowing us down."

Piccolo's eyes narrowed, his ki flaring slightly. "Say that again, Vegeta. I dare you."

The air grew thick as both warriors tensed, but before things could escalate, Bulma stepped between them, hands on her hips. "Oh, for Kami's sake! How about instead of trying to rip each other apart now, we actually use some common sense?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Hah! Common sense? From you? This should be good."

Ignoring him, Bulma turned to the group. "We have the Dragon Balls. Why don't we just find this Dr. Gero guy and put a stop to him before he makes these androids?"

Krillin nodded. "Yeah, that way, we won't even have to fight!"

Vegeta's ki spiked, his glare like daggers. "Absolutely not. Anyone who tries that will answer to me."

Bulma clenched her fists. "Damn it, Vegeta! This isn't some game! People could die!" She turned to Goku. "Come on, Goku, you have to agree with me!"

But Goku, to her frustration, shook his head. "Nah. I wanna fight them."

Bulma gawked. "WHAT?!"

Goku scratched the back of his head. "I mean, Gero hasn't even made them yet, right? No reason to go after him now."

Bulma fumed. "Unbelievable!"

Before she could argue more, Cado chimed in, his arms crossed. "Besides, your plan's got holes, Bulma. What if Gero already has androids stronger than us? If we go after him now, we might just force his hand, and he could let them loose before we're ready."

Bulma groaned, throwing her hands up. "Ugh! You guys are such pains!"

Vegeta smirked. "If you're done whining, woman…" He turned his gaze to Goku, his expression hardening. "Enjoy being on top while you can, Kakarot. I'll be back to reclaim my rightful place as the strongest Saiyan."

With that, Vegeta shot into the sky, flying off.

Tien nodded to the group. "Chiaotzu and I will be training hard, too. See you all in three years." The two of them lifted off and disappeared into the distance.

Cado turned to Goku. "Oi, Kakarot. Don't think I forgot about that promise on Namek."

Goku grinned. "Of course not! You're training with me and Gohan." He then glanced at Piccolo. "You wanna join us, Piccolo?"

The Namekian crossed his arms. "Hmph. If I didn't, Gohan would have no one to keep him in check."

Gohan beamed. "Yes! I get to train with Cado and Mr. Piccolo!"

Goku turned to Krillin and Yamcha. "What about you guys?"

Krillin shook his head. "I think I'll stick with Master Roshi. But I'll stop by sometimes."

Yamcha laughed awkwardly. "Yeah… I'd rather not get my ass kicked trying to keep up with you guys."

Cado looked at Bulma. "I'll meet you at your place later."

Bulma placed her hands on her hips. "You better! And don't forget—" Her eyes scanned Cado, and she frowned. "Wait a second, you're still banged up from fighting Frieza!"

Krillin blinked. "Oh, right! About that—" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a senzu bean, tossing it to Cado.

Before Cado could eat it, Bulma smacked Krillin over the head. "You had one this whole time and didn't give it to him earlier?!"

Krillin groaned, rubbing his head. "Ow! Okay, okay, my bad!"

The group burst into laughter.

As things calmed down, Goku turned to Bulma with a knowing grin. "Take care of your baby, Bulma."

Bulma blinked. "Huh? What are you talking about? What baby?"

Krillin and Yamcha also looked confused.

But before anyone could ask further, Goku, Cado, Gohan, and Piccolo took off, heading toward their training.

Bulma stood there, processing what Goku had just said. Then her eyes widened. "Wait a minute"

The scene cut to Chi-Chi standing in the living room with her arms crossed, her face red with anger as she scolded Goku. "Absolutely not, Goku! Gohan and Cado are too young! They need to focus on their studies, not this ridiculous fighting nonsense!"

Goku stood there, his hands behind his head, grinning. "But Chi-Chi, in three years, the Earth will be in real danger! Gohan needs to be ready to protect it!"

Chi-Chi scowled, her voice rising. "The Earth doesn't matter right now! What matters is that those boys have a future! All you care about is fighting! You don't give a damn about their education!"

Cado and Gohan stood off to the side, both nervously shifting on their feet. Gohan scratched his head, trying to figure out how to make his mom see sense, while Cado awkwardly shuffled, unsure of how he got dragged into this whole mess.

Cado muttered under his breath, "I never asked for this… I'm just here for the training…"

Goku laughed, not fully registering the tension in the air. "Come on, Chi-Chi, don't be like that. Gohan's a fighter now, right?" He patted her on the shoulder, but Chi-Chi's and sent her flying through the wall of the house, smashing into a rock outside.

Goku blinked, his grin fading as he rushed over, his voice full of alarm. "Chi-Chi!" He comically dashed after her, apologizing the whole way, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! Chi-Chi, come on, get up!"

Chi-Chi, now covered in dust and dirt from her crash, groaned as Goku helped her up, brushing the debris off her clothes.

"I'm so sorry, Chi-Chi. I didn't mean to. I promise I'll be more careful." Goku chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

Chi-Chi sighed, her temper cooling as she looked at Goku with a steely glare. "Fine, Goku. I'll let Gohan train, but only on the condition that Cado stays with him and makes sure he focuses on his studies. This will be Gohan's last fight, understand?"

Cado shot a side-eye at Gohan, who was now nervously looking at him. Both of them blushed, not quite knowing how to react to Chi-Chi's demands.

"But—" Cado muttered under his breath, feeling a little betrayed. "I didn't sign up to be the study buddy…"

Chi-Chi's eyes narrowed, giving Cado a look that was too serious to ignore. Cado sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine, fine... I'll make sure Gohan doesn't slack off. But this better be worth it."

Goku let out a nervous laugh and awkwardly scratched his head. "Thanks, Chi-Chi! You're the best! Don't worry, Gohan, we'll make sure you're ready for anything!"

Chi-Chi, now somewhat pacified but still serious, folded her arms. "You better, Gohan... And Cado, no slacking. your studies comes first."

Cado let out a dramatic sigh, but smiled slightly as he walked over to Gohan. "Guess we better start, huh?"

Goku grinned widely, relieved the situation had calmed down. "All right, let's get to it!"