The Other World.
In front of the Palace of King Yemma.
The physical bodies of Tien and Chiaotzu had appeared here, each bearing a bright yellow halo above their heads. These were the bodies reconstructed for them by those in the underworld. This was why it helped to have someone with influence backing you—someone had promised to revive the two of them with the Dragon Balls in two years. Since they wouldn't be staying in the underworld for long, and with the backing of North Kai and others, King Yemma had no choice but to go along with it, albeit reluctantly.
"As Master Taro said, with my own power as the limit, my stamina is now endless…" Tien felt the changes within him and found it a bit novel. He murmured, "I wonder if I'll recover quickly after getting injured too…" He smiled. "In that case, developing a martial art that fuses the Muken and Tsuken won't require worrying about physical strain anymore."
"Tien," Chiaotzu looked up.
Tien patted the floating Chiaotzu on the head and smiled, "What's up, Chiaotzu?"
Chiaotzu shook his head. "I feel… the atmosphere here is very comfortable."
He glanced around the Other World Hall, which was filled with spirits of the dead and a haze of yellow mist—there wasn't a trace of living energy. Tien recalled how Chiaotzu had been saved by their master from the corpse water amidst a pile of dead bodies, and fell silent.
Just then, King Yemma's booming voice echoed like thunder: "Alright, you two brats that Earth's Muten sent—your guide is here, now hurry up and leave! Just looking at you gives me a headache…"
Tien and Chiaotzu turned to look and saw, through a side entrance of the grand hall, a young man and woman about the same height. Both had halos over their heads, just like Tien, so they clearly weren't underworld officials, but dead souls who had retained their physical forms in the Yellow Springs.
As Tien looked over, the young man was also smiling at the two of them.
Tien's heart skipped a beat—the man's gaze was deep and carried a certain authority… astonishingly similar to Master Taro!
"You two are Tien and Chiaotzu, right? I've already heard from my father why you've come to the underworld." The young man walked over with the girl beside him. His voice was gentle, like a spring breeze.
As he approached, the underworld officials nearby actually stepped aside in respect, causing Tien to silently marvel.
"Alright, Mu Tam hurry up and take them away," said King Yemma, that massive figure sitting behind his desk. "I've got work to do. Don't let those two brats block the way."
Tam chuckled. "Then I won't trouble Lord Yemma any longer." He winked at the stunned Tien. "My father is Taro. My name is Tam, and this is my daughter, Mu Ninn." He pointed to the young woman beside him, then added, "North Kai is already waiting for you. All preparations for your training are complete. Come with me."
Tien was shocked. No wonder this man felt so familiar—he was Master Taro's own son… and even in the underworld, he held some level of authority. It was truly astonishing. Tien nodded silently, and with Chiaotzu in tow, followed Tam and Ninn.
"You two are disciples of my Grandpa Tsuru, right?" Ninn asked curiously as she walked alongside them.
"Mm." Tien nodded. He knew that the woman beside him was Master Taro's direct granddaughter. By age, she was probably older than him by who knows how many generations—old enough to be his great-grandmother.
"Too bad I never got to meet Grandpa Tsuru," Ninn laughed, hands clasped behind her back. "But if you're Uncle Tsuru's disciples, how did you end up under my grandpa's tutelage? Even though I never met Grandpa Tsuru, my grandpa used to say he was very proud and aloof. So how come…"
"Oh come on, can you just zip it for a second?" Tam called from ahead, clearly exasperated.
Ninn pouted and fell silent.
Tien's expression stiffened… This granddaughter of Master Taro was a bit eccentric and mischievous—completely different from what he had expected. He didn't dare offend her, but also felt a bit helpless.
"Shouldn't have brought you here. I'll deal with you when we get back," Tam muttered with a shake of his head.
---
Somewhere in the galaxy, on a life-bearing planet.
This planet was home to intelligent life. From the perspective of Earthlings, the inhabitants were all beastmen. The population was split into two major factions—one being the White Rabbit Nation, and the other the White Eagle Nation. The White Rabbit Nation once held dominion over the entire planet, but after the rise of the White Eagle Nation, the balance of power shifted. Through various means, White Eagle gradually split and weakened the White Rabbit Nation. In just over a decade, the two now stood on equal footing.
Inside a restaurant within White Rabbit territory, Taro, Krillin, and Goku appeared. Taro's magic veiled their presence, so the passing White Rabbit citizens—each wearing green hats adorned with red stars—remained blissfully unaware that three "weirdos" had suddenly appeared among them.
"…What a strange place! A planet of white rabbits and white eagles!" Krillin exclaimed. The universe truly was full of wonders.
Goku focused his senses, surprised. "There are some really strong fighters here!" He had already noticed several formidable energy signatures within the White Rabbit Nation. He turned to ask Taro, "Master, are we going to train here?"
"It's Krillin, not you two," Taro replied, shaking his head. He pulled out a small pouch and tossed it to Krillin. "There are five senzu beans in here. For the next two years, you'll stay on this planet. It's about to face a war that could wipe out the entire species. I want you to resolve the crisis within two years. I'll return to get you then."
Krillin caught the pouch, a little anxious. "Master, that sounds... kinda hard."
"If it weren't difficult, why would I send you?" Taro said. He shook his head. "Do your best. These five senzu beans can save your life five times. If things really get out of hand, I'll come to rescue you... But I'd prefer not to show up on this planet again within those two years."
Krillin stiffened, then let out a breath and said solemnly, "I won't disappoint you, Master! I'll complete the trial!"
"Good. If you succeed, at least your future will be secured." Taro nodded and patted Krillin's shiny bald head. Then, without delay, he vanished with Goku.
As soon as Taro left, Krillin instantly became visible to the White Rabbit citizens coming and going in the restaurant. To them, a weird-looking bald alien had just appeared out of nowhere, causing quite a stir.
"Who's that?"
"Why does he look so strange?"
"Is it an alien?"
"Could he be a spy from the White Eagle Nation?!"
"No way—have you ever seen a spy that looks like that?"
Feeling the pressure, Krillin took a deep breath and forced a smile at the rabbit people. "Hello! I'm Krillin, and I'm here to save you!"
---
A massive disc-shaped spaceship soared through the dark expanse of space, trailing a bright white streak behind it.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The enormous craft exploded mid-flight, silently bursting into a brilliant firework in the vacuum of space. The ship was reduced to floating debris in an instant. Taro and Goku appeared beside the explosion, with Goku protected by a ki barrier cast by his master, allowing him to survive temporarily in the vacuum.
Goku looked around, confused, unsure of what his master was up to.
Taro extended a hand toward the flames of the explosion. In response, more than a dozen white auras shot toward them from the wreckage, each wrapped in a ki shield identical to Goku's. As Goku looked closer, he realized these were a dozen strange-looking aliens—all in special battle armor.
They were warriors from Frieza's army.