More than eight months had passed since Karnel's encounter with Goku, and less than half a month remained before Vegeta's arrival on Earth.
More than eight months had passed since Karnel's encounter with Goku, and less than half a month remained before Vegeta's arrival on Earth. Karnel lay in his bedroom, hands behind his head, deep in thought about the approaching confrontation.
"Brother Karnel, what's on your mind?" Bulma asked casually, seated near the window, sunlight catching the strands of her hair.
"Just remembering something trivial, nothing worth mentioning," Karnel replied with a faint smile. He rose from the bed and began dressing. "You should rest more. You've been working hard lately."
Bulma gave a mock huff. "Says the guy who trains twenty hours a day."
Karnel offered a light chuckle before stepping out into the garden.
Standing by the lake in the back garden, Karnel gazed across the still water, his expression growing serious. "It's almost time. I wonder how Krillin and the others are faring in their training with King Kai. Time to bring them back to Earth, even though they pose no real threat to Vegeta in their current state."
With that thought, he placed two fingers to his forehead and used Instant Transmission to teleport to King Kai's planet.
King Kai's usually quiet world had become considerably more lively with its new inhabitants. The diminutive deity seemed to relish having an audience for his peculiar sense of humor, much to everyone's suffering.
"Don't you think it's hilarious? A towel can actually get tangled up!" King Kai rolled on the ground, clutching his stomach as tears of laughter streamed down his face. "Get it? Tangled? Haha!"
The torture was unbearable. Every time Piccolo, Tien, and the others finished their grueling training sessions and sat down to rest, King Kai would inevitably appear with another barrage of jokes that could generously be described as painfully unfunny.
"Heh... hehe..." Yamcha managed to force out what could barely be called a smile, looking more like he was in physical pain.
Karnel materialized silently behind a large tree, watching the scene with obvious amusement. The warriors who had once struck fear into Earth's enemies were now being systematically broken down by the worst comedy routine in the universe.
Krillin leaned close to Piccolo, whispering conspiratorially, "Piccolo, our training here is almost finished. When do you think Karnel will come to pick us up? I honestly can't take much more of this."
"Tch!" Piccolo clenched his fists, his voice tight with frustration. "That guy has probably forgotten about us entirely. It's been almost a year. For all we know, that Saiyan might already be fighting Goku on Earth right now."
The Namekian's words carried a bitter edge. Despite his stoic exterior, he was desperate to return to Earth, but with no way to leave King Kai's planet, he felt trapped.
"Hey, Piccolo," a familiar voice cut through the air like a blade, "it's not very polite to badmouth someone when they're standing right behind you."
Karnel stepped out from behind the tree, his presence as silent and sudden as a ghost. His expression held that familiar mix of amusement and mild reproach that the warriors had come to know well.
Bubbles and Gregory, King Kai's animal companions, took one look at Karnel and immediately scrambled behind the largest tree they could find, trembling visibly as they peered out with terrified eyes.
"Oh my stars!" King Kai's reaction was even more dramatic. He stumbled backward several steps, his voice cracking with panic before he caught himself and clamped both hands over his mouth. His antennae vibrated at such a high frequency they became a blur, and his eyes were wide with unmistakable fear.
"Oh?" Karnel's smile widened, though it didn't reach his eyes. "It seems you really do recognize me, King Kai."
His gaze swept over the assembled warriors, taking in their improved physiques and power levels after eleven months of intensive training. "Impressive. Piccolo and the others have grown considerably stronger under your guidance. Especially you, Piccolo, you're nearly matching Kakarot's power level when he first left this place. As expected of a warrior-type Namekian."
King Kai wiped cold sweat from his brow with trembling hands, his antennae still vibrating like tuning forks. "No... I haven't seen anyone! You must have me confused with someone else! Hehe..."
Karnel's expression suddenly shifted, becoming cold and predatory. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees, and even the hardened warriors felt an involuntary shiver run down their spines.
"Never seen me?" His voice carried a dangerous edge that made everyone present tense up. "King Kai, you know far too much for your own good. Perhaps I should silence you permanently?"
"Ah! I don't know anything! Nothing at all!" King Kai's terror was palpable as he tried to make himself as small as possible, practically burying his head in the ground like a frightened ostrich.
The silence stretched for several heartbeats before Karnel's demeanor completely shifted, and he burst into laughter. "How was that? Pretty funny joke, don't you think, King Kai? What's wrong? Not laughing at my material?"
The whiplash of emotions left everyone stunned. Piccolo and the others exchanged bewildered glances, cold sweat beading on their foreheads as they realized they'd genuinely believed Karnel might kill King Kai just moments before.
King Kai didn't dare show anything but forced enthusiasm. "Ha... ha... very funny! Absolutely hilarious!"
His mind raced with terrifying certainty. This Saiyan was definitely the same one from the ancient legends, the warrior who had destroyed the primordial Majin Buu eons ago. But how could he still be alive after all these millennia, appearing exactly as he had in those distant times?
"Alright, that's enough forced laughter," Karnel waved dismissively. "Do I really seem like such a bloodthirsty monster to you?"
Very much so, King Kai thought desperately, but he would never dare voice such thoughts aloud. Not if he valued his continued existence.
Piccolo observed the interaction with growing unease. "King Kai clearly knows more about Karnel than he's letting on, and he's genuinely terrified. Just who is this man really?"
"Lord King Kai," Krillin spoke up with innocent curiosity, "what did you mean earlier? Isn't Karnel a Saiyan?"
"Don't... don't ask me about that!" King Kai's voice cracked as he glanced nervously at Karnel. "I won't say another word about it!"
Karnel watched King Kai's theatrical panic with mild exasperation. Am I really that intimidating? he wondered silently.
"King Kai," he said aloud, his tone returning to its normal, conversational level, "have they completed their training? I'm here to take them back to Earth."
King Kai practically melted with relief. "Yes, yes! Their training is essentially complete. You can take them back whenever you're ready."
"Perfect. Everyone, gather around like when we first arrived here."
The warriors couldn't hide their excitement at finally escaping King Kai's comedy torture chamber. They quickly assembled together, eager to return home.
"Well then, farewell, King Kai." Karnel gave the deity one last meaningful look that made him visibly flinch. "Until we meet again."
He placed his fingers to his forehead and activated Instant Transmission, taking the entire group back to Earth in the blink of an eye.
King Kai collapsed to the ground as if all his energy had been drained, muttering to himself with a haunted expression. "That terrifying Saiyan is finally gone... but how is it possible for him to have lived so long? How can he look exactly the same as he did all those ages ago?"
He stared at the spot where Karnel had vanished, his mind churning with questions that had no comfortable answers. Some secrets, he realized, were far more dangerous than even the approaching Saiyan prince who would soon arrive on Earth.
The calm before the storm was ending, and King Kai couldn't shake the feeling that the universe was about to witness something that would change everything forever.