On the finals stage of the World Martial Arts Tournament, the two combatants soared into the sky, soon leaving the arena below as a distant blur. The host's passionate commentary was swallowed by the howling wind.
Little Goku deeply admired his big brother and, with his last remaining strength, gathered energy for a Kamehameha.
Unfortunately… he had fallen right into his opponent's trap!
From the very start of the match, the opponent had carefully constructed a mental trap, conditioning Goku's instincts. Now, as Goku reversed his Kamehameha, attempting to use the recoil to blast his opponent downward, the opponent simply laughed. With his last bit of strength, he expelled a burst of air beneath himself, slowing his descent just enough to dodge Goku's desperate counterattack.
Goku's eyes widened in panic—'Oh no!'
The opponent, now above him, lightly stepped on his back, like the final move in a kung fu movie—a gentle push… and the match was decided.
He had won.
Champion of the World Martial Arts Tournament!
---
After claiming victory, the champion happily left and headed to West City, spending some sweet time with his girlfriend.
Meanwhile, the young scientist Bulma was in her lab, analyzing Goku's body structure and unique cells.
'Three types of cells… special cells in the tail… and the S-Cells in the back…' The champion nodded thoughtfully beside her. *Hmm, hmm.*
'Saiyans really are something else,' he mused.
---
The champion and his little brother, Goku, returned to their hometown in Mount Paozu, living with their master, Gohan, for nearly a year before deciding to set out on another journey.
Before leaving, the champion left Goku a note, instructing him: "If you ever leave the mountain to search for the Dragon Balls, show this note to Shenron."
With the Power Pole slung over his shoulder, the champion departed Mount Paozu.
His destination? Korin Tower!
---
Korin watched as the young man climbed the tower, his consciousness fading, his energy flickering like a candle in the wind—clinging on through sheer stubbornness.
'This kid… he's nowhere near the level of Mutaito from back in the day, or even Roshi from three hundred years ago!' Korin stroked his whiskers, convinced the boy had no chance.
By the time the champion finally dragged himself into the tower's chamber, he was practically a corpse—frostbitten, muscles torn, internal organs hemorrhaging and failing, his heartbeat fading… If Korin hadn't focused, he might have missed the faint trickle of energy still clinging to life.
'Ah, what a fool! Why push yourself to this point?' Korin sighed and fetched a Senzu Bean.
At Mount Five Elements, Annin silently observed the scene through her crystal ball. She had watched all night, witnessing how many times the champion had nearly let go, how close he had come to giving up on the tower he himself had built.
As she watched the near-death man now recovering, she thought back to her distant memories—of Yamiru, the man she had met over forty thousand years ago. In every way, the two seemed like completely different people.
'How did he go from the reckless boy in the crystal ball… to the man he is today?'
'He must have suffered a lot…'
Beside her, the Supreme Elderly Lord scowled before finally muttering, "Out of all the people who've climbed Korin Tower, he's the one Korin taught most earnestly. That old cat definitely did it on purpose…"
---
Under Korin's harsh tutelage, the champion began his grueling training.
He endured the most beatings. He trimmed away all unnecessary movements.
Nearly a year passed in the blink of an eye…
While the champion's progress on Korin Tower remained to be seen, elsewhere, Goku had also left Mount Paozu to train, swinging by West City to ask Bulma for a Dragon Radar. Bulma, excited for adventure, ditched school and joined Goku in gathering all seven Dragon Balls once again.
Goku cheerfully summoned Shenron.
Dorag, seeing that the summoner wasn't that guy, felt a flicker of relief—until Goku suddenly presented him with a note.
'A note? What kind of trick is this?!' Dorag was stunned.
On the ground, Bulma blinked and asked her companion, "What's that?"
Goku covered the note and explained, "Yamiru wrote it. He told me not to read it—just show it to Shenron."
Bulma tilted her head. "Ohhh…"
"What the hell does 'ohhh' mean?!"
The moment Dorag heard that the note was written by that guy, his entire dragon being felt uneasy.
He took a closer look at the note's contents:
>"To the esteemed Shenron (you don't respect me at all! If you did, you wouldn't pull these flashy stunts every time!), the following is the content of my wish (if the rules allowed it, I would've disconnected by now):
>
>Please allow the souls of Bardock and Gine, the birth parents of Son Goku, who perished with the destruction of Planet Saiyan (what's this? Let me check…), to remain by Yamiru's side until the next Dragon Ball wish is made (you can even do this?! Well… I guess it's possible…).
>
>If this wish cannot be granted, then please inform me of the reason (I have to explain myself now?! Since when do I answer to you?!) and ask Son Goku if he has an alternative wish. That is all."
"..."
After a long silence, under the innocent gazes of the two children, Shenron slowly spoke:
"This wish… is very simple."
Once the wish was granted, Goku naturally kept the Four-Star Ball.
Only then did Bulma snatch the note and quickly read through it, gasping in amazement.
"Shenron actually accepts wishes like this?! What a nice dragon!"
She glanced at Goku and grinned. "Your brother really cares about you, huh? He even thought about bringing your real parents back!"
Goku, who had never known his birth parents, didn't feel much about them yet—but he was happy to hear his friend praise Yamiru.
As the dark clouds dispersed, revealing blue skies, far away atop Korin Tower, two spectral flames silently flickered into existence near the champion. They startled themselves—and Korin along with them.
---
"Wow~ This is so fun~ Bardock, you try it too~!"
On the Flying Nimbus layer of Korin Tower, Gine's soul bounced around excitedly, leaving Korin utterly baffled.
'This is allowed?!'
The champion watched enviously—he couldn't ride the Flying Nimbus, and he still couldn't fly!
Luckily, Bardock offered to teach him flight techniques.
After sitting in on a few lessons—while the champion was busy getting whacked by Korin's staff—Bardock had already grasped the concept of Earth's ki and was more than happy to refine his own flight techniques while teaching them.
Meanwhile, at Mount Five Elements, the Supreme Elderly Lord pointed at the scene in the crystal ball and laughed to Kami, who had come to visit.
"You know, if that female soul were ever revived, she'd make a fine successor as the Third Guardian of Earth after you!"
Despite his lingering resentment toward Goku—whom his master had praised endlessly—Kami had to admit that Gine, whose soul was pure enough to be acknowledged by the Flying Nimbus, would indeed be a perfect candidate for the role.
As for himself?
He couldn't help but want to prove himself against that brat, Goku!
That burning competitive spirit made him realize—once Goku grew strong enough to challenge him, it might be time for him to step down as Guardian.
---
The champion had mastered flight techniques, but he hesitated on whether to leave just yet.
Korin, however, saw right through him—he wanted to go even higher, to the Sacred Land of Korin. And with a nod, the cat granted his approval… 'on the condition that he took the two Saiyan souls with him.'
"A strong heart, formidable power," Korin tapped his wooden staff at the champion and Bardock's soul, then finally at Gine's, "and a pure spirit~ Isn't that everything you need?"
Through telepathy, the champion understood Korin's real concern—'what if these Saiyans were revived one day and turned against Earth?' Sending them to the Sacred Land was a way to let the Guardian judge their true nature.
As the champion extended the Power Pole skyward, carrying Gine and Bardock's souls toward the heavens, Korin murmured to himself:
"Maybe I'm overthinking it… Even if this Bardock were revived and turned evil, he probably wouldn't stand a chance against the Guardian up there…"
——————
Kami: 2,000,000