He hadn't moved from behind the rock in what felt like half an hour.
The crater that used to be Raditz's spine still sizzled. Smoke rose in lazy trails from the burnt ground where the Special Beam Cannon had carved a hole through two bodies. Goku's lifeless form lay crumpled in the dirt.
The dust was starting to settle.
And so was the panic.
"I should go," he whispered to himself, still crouched low. "Just… sneak away before someone realizes I've been here the whole time like a freak."
But then he heard voices. Multiple. Familiar.
Two power signatures — weak, civilian-level — and two more that were stronger. Recognizable.
Krillin.
Bulma.
Master Roshi.
And... oh. Chi-Chi.
She was yelling.
"GOHAN?! Where's my baby?! I swear if something happened to him—!"
Her voice cracked. The tension hit harder than any ki blast. Even from a distance, he could feel the grief setting in as they all reached the battlefield. Krillin ran to Goku's body. Roshi followed more solemnly. Bulma gasped — probably at the sight of Goku lying motionless on the ground.
Chi-Chi nearly collapsed.
The silence that followed was heavy. No one spoke. Even Piccolo stood off to the side, watching the sky with that scowl he probably practiced in the mirror.
Then the Namekian's head turned sharply.
"Come out," he said.
The words hit like a sniper shot to the soul.
He flinched behind his rock.
"Shit," he muttered. "Of course he sensed me. I'm hiding in a literal open wasteland like a clown with a sniper scope pointed at me."
Slowly, hesitantly, he stood up and stepped out from behind the boulder.
Immediately, everyone turned to look at him. Krillin blinked. Bulma tilted her head. Roshi raised one brow.
Chi-Chi, already emotionally overloaded, just stared in confusion.
And our protagonist?
He froze.
This was his worst nightmare — not the planet exploding, not getting vaporized, not fighting aliens. No.
It was talking to strangers in a group.
"I, uh… Hi." He gave a little wave that felt more like a spasm. "I'm… uh… I was in the area."
No one said anything.
He cleared his throat.
"I saw... some explosions, and I came to check things out. Which was dumb. So I'll just be going now."
He turned slightly — preparing to bail in the most awkward, turtle-speed retreat in history.
But Piccolo's voice stopped him cold.
"Your energy," the Namekian said. "It's far beyond any regular human's. Even now, you're suppressing it."
He froze again. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.
All eyes were on him.
He felt like a cat caught stealing food off the table.
"Oh. Uh. That? Right. Yeah, I… I train a lot."
Nailed it.
Krillin tilted his head. "You're a martial artist?"
"Yep," he nodded quickly. "Super normal one. Human. No lasers or tail or weird bloodlines. Just punching trees and stuff."
Bulma narrowed her eyes slightly, curious. "Weird. You don't look like a fighter."
That stung more than expected.
He straightened up. "I'm, uh… more of a distance runner-slash-screamer."
They stared at him.
"I mean martial artist. Normal martial artist."
Chi-Chi didn't seem interested in him at all — she was pacing in frantic circles, muttering about her baby and Goku and school scholarships.
But Bulma kept eyeing him, trying to place him.
And of course, because his brain hated him, now was the moment it decided to remind him of something deeply unhelpful.
'Wow. Bulma's even prettier in person. Why do all the fanfics back home make the MC fall in love with her like it's a Dragon Ball law? Is it the blue hair? The scientist thing? The fact she has a spaceship? Focus, idiot. This is not the time to simp.'
He cleared his throat. Again. "Anyway, I'll just—"
"No," Piccolo cut in, stepping forward. "You're strong. And if you're lying about how strong you are, it means you've got something to hide. But I don't care."
The Namekian paused.
"Two more Saiyans are coming. Stronger than Raditz. We'll need everyone we can get."
The group tensed. Chi-Chi gasped. Even Bulma looked shaken.
Piccolo turned, glancing toward the sky where Goku's body still lay.
"I'm taking the kid," he said bluntly.
Chi-Chi's maternal instincts immediately flared like a kaiju emerging from the ocean.
"WHAT?! You're what?!"
Piccolo didn't flinch. "Gohan has power. More than anyone here. I'm going to train him. Otherwise, we're all dead when the others arrive."
Chi-Chi ran forward, tears forming. "He's just a little boy! He's four years old and still pees when he laughs too hard!"
"I don't care." Piccolo turned, already levitating with his arms folded. "You can yell at me when we've survived the invasion."
With a sharp whoosh of wind and indignation, he vanished into the sky, carrying a sobbing, confused Gohan.
Chi-Chi fell to her knees.
Krillin tried to console her. Roshi placed a hand on her shoulder. Bulma just stared after them, lips pressed tight.
He stood awkwardly off to the side, unsure of what to say or do.
'Okay. Real talk. Goku just died. His son's been kidnapped by a green alien. And I'm standing here like I wandered into the wrong movie set. How am I gonna survive two Saiyans who casually moon people and blow up cities?'
Bulma looked over at him again.
"You got a name?" she asked.
He blinked. "Uh. Yeah. Right. Name. It's… uh…"
He paused.
'Crap. What was his name?'
He had memories now — his own, and someone else's. A guy who'd lived in this body before he showed up. A martial artist. A drifter. Someone with no family, no attachments. Just training.
"…Call me Kai," he said finally. "Kai Ren."
Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Sounds made up."
"Everything about today is made up."
She didn't argue.
Krillin walked over and extended a hand. "Well, 'Kai,' if you're serious about helping... we're gonna need it. Two Saiyans, huh? Just my luck. I just paid rent."
Kai shook it awkwardly. "I'll help how I can. I'm not exactly Goku-level."
Roshi chuckled. "None of us are, son. But if you've got heart — and power — we'll find a way."
As the group gathered around Goku's body, preparing to move it, Kai took one last look at the battlefield. The crater. The silence.
Then at the sky.
Two stars would arrive in one year.
And one very tired, very confused, rapidly evolving human had a lot to prepare for.