"Goku, let me go kill that Saiyan!" Krillin said firmly as he walked toward the battered Vegeta.
"Hateful!" Vegeta growled, blood dripping from his mouth. Was he really going to be finished off by a lowly Earthling?
Krillin raised his right hand, forming the familiar energy disc above his palm. The Destructo Disc buzzed with deadly intensity, ready to avenge the deaths of Piccolo, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu.
"Saiyan, go to hell!"
"Wait, Krillin!" Son Goku suddenly called out.
Krillin stopped, confused. He turned to Goku with a questioning look. "What is it, Goku?"
Goku scratched his head. "Let him go. He's not in any condition to fight anymore."
Krillin blinked, stunned. "Goku, are you serious? He murdered our friends! Piccolo, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu... And he almost destroyed the Earth!"
He clenched his fist. "If we let him go now, what if he returns stronger? Next time, we might not win."
Goku walked up to Krillin and gently patted his shiny bald head. "Maybe you're right… But I really enjoyed fighting him. Even with King Kai's Kaio-ken technique, I barely held on. If it weren't for the two Senzu Beans, I might have lost."
Krillin frowned, uncertain, then turned to Rayden. "Rayden, what do you think?"
Rayden smiled calmly. "Let him go. We might meet again someday."
Krillin looked back and forth between them, then sighed heavily. "Even you too, huh…? Fine. But only because you both saved the Earth."
Gah… Gah…
Vegeta slowly crawled toward his pod, panting heavily. He looked back, rage burning in his eyes. "Kakarot... I swear, I'll make you regret this. Next time, you won't be so lucky."
"We'll see..." Goku replied calmly.
Bang! Whoosh!
The door of the spaceship slammed shut, and Vegeta's pod blasted off into space, leaving the battered battlefield behind.
---
Buzz! Buzz!
Puff!
Not long after, another aircraft descended from the sky and landed nearby.
"Gohan!"
Chichi burst out of the aircraft, running straight to her son. She scooped him into her arms, her face a mix of relief and anger.
"My poor Gohan! Are you hurt? Are you okay? Mommy's here!"
Gohan blinked, embarrassed. "Mom, I'm really fine."
Chichi tightened her grip. "You're still so young! Why are you fighting monsters?! Never leave me again!"
Goku chuckled, patting her shoulder. "Chichi, calm down. He's fine."
Gohan nodded, bouncing on his feet to prove it. "Really, Mom! Look!"
At that moment, Master Roshi (Korin) appeared, leaning on his cane. "Goku, Yamcha—thank goodness you're alive."
Bulma arrived as well, scanning the area. "So? Did you defeat that Saiyan?"
Goku scratched his head. "Well… not exactly. We let him go."
Korin nodded. "That's still a win. Driving him away is enough."
"They were unbelievably strong," Krillin added, rubbing the back of his head. "Only five of us made it out alive… Chiaotzu, Tien, and Piccolo all died."
Bulma waved her hand dismissively. "We already know that."
Everyone looked at her in shock.
"But it's fine!" Bulma smiled. "We'll just use the Dragon Balls to bring them back in a year!"
"Eh?" Goku and the others stared at her, stunned.
"What's wrong? Isn't that how it works?" Bulma looked puzzled.
Goku explained solemnly, "Bulma… Piccolo's dead. And since he's linked to the Kami, the Dragon Balls no longer exist."
"What?! Are you serious?!"
Bulma looked devastated. "Then… there's no way to bring them back?"
Rayden stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. There are Dragon Balls on Kami's home planet too. If we go there, we can use those to revive them."
"Really?" Goku's eyes widened.
Krillin chimed in, "Yeah. The Saiyans mentioned Piccolo was an alien. So it makes sense."
Goku's face lit up. "That's awesome! We can still bring them back!"
Rayden nodded and began outlining a plan. "Goku, first go to King Kai and get the coordinates for Namek. Then, go to the Lookout and ask Mr. Popo where Kami lived as a child. There should be a spaceship there."
Yamcha blinked. "Rayden, how do you know all this?"
Krillin added, "Yeah, he even told Goku to ask Bulma about building a gravity room earlier!"
Rayden chuckled. "If the Kami's an alien, he must have arrived on a spaceship. Not that hard to figure out."
Goku gave a thumbs up. "Alright! I'm heading to the Lookout!"
He jumped onto the Flying Nimbus and soared into the sky.
"Goku!" Chichi called out, but he was already gone. She turned to Gohan, exasperated. "Gohan, you are not becoming like your father. You're going to be a great scholar. Come on, we're going home to review your lessons!"
Everyone around them sweat-dropped.
Rayden turned to Krillin and Yamcha. "Are you two coming with us to Namek?"
"Of course!" they said in unison.
Rayden nodded. "Great. Krillin, go to the Lookout and bring the gravity chamber over to Bulma's place. We're going to need to train hard before we go."
"Got it!"
Krillin blasted off toward the sky.
Rayden turned to Bulma. "Sorry for the trouble."
Bulma smiled. "It's no trouble at all!"
---
Later… at Bulma's house in West City.
The place was massive—more like a wildlife park than a home, with dinosaurs and wild animals roaming the yard.
An hour passed.
Krillin and Goku both returned. Goku had successfully obtained Namek's coordinates from King Kai.
All that was left was for Bulma to finish modifying the ancient Namekian spaceship.
Inside the gravity room, Goku, Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, and Rayden stood ready.
Despite Chichi's protests, Gohan had insisted on joining the training.
"I want to help bring Piccolo back!" he said with determination.
Chichi could only sigh and warn him to be careful.
Rayden asked, "Krillin, Yamcha—how much gravity can you two handle now?"
Krillin replied, "We've adjusted to 23 times gravity."
"Whoa!" Goku exclaimed. "That's amazing! I only trained with 10 times gravity on King Kai's planet!"
Rayden nodded. "That means it's just me and Gohan who haven't experienced gravity training yet."
He thought for a moment. "Here's the plan: Goku, you spar with Krillin and Yamcha outside. I'll help Gohan get used to 10 times gravity. Once we've adjusted, we'll join you."
Goku smiled and patted Gohan's head. "Alright! Give it your all, Gohan!"
"I will!" Gohan grinned.
With that, the others went outside, and Rayden activated the gravity chamber.
The pressure intensified quickly.
Rayden, with his higher combat power, adjusted easily. Gohan, while struggling at first, gritted his teeth and pushed forward.
He wanted to bring Piccolo back more than anything.
Within half an hour, both had adapted to 10 times gravity.
Rayden stepped outside and called in the others.
Krillin's jaw dropped. "Already?! Gohan, you're amazing!"
Yamcha shook his head in disbelief. "It took us over ten days just to manage that much…"
Goku beamed. "That's my son!"
Rayden placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Gohan has great talent. If he keeps training, he'll be a warrior unlike any other."
Goku nodded. "I've always known. But Chichi never wanted him to fight… I'll talk to her again. He deserves to unlock his potential."
Rayden, however, knew the truth—Chichi had long given up on martial arts, believing peace had returned. She wanted Gohan to become a scholar to ensure a better future.
Goku smiled and said, "Thanks, Rayden. I hope you can convince her too. Maybe Gohan will even surpass me someday!"
Rayden smirked. "That's the spirit."
Training officially began. Day after day, they pushed themselves inside the gravity room. Other than eating and sleeping, they did nothing but train, fight, and grow stronger.
Eventually, the gravity increased too much for Gohan, Krillin, and Yamcha, who went outside to spar while Rayden and Goku pushed on.
65… 70… 75…
At 80 times gravity, Goku collapsed, grunting as his body hit the floor with a thud.
Rayden quickly shut down the gravity chamber and rushed to his side.
"Goku, don't push yourself too far!"
He took a Senzu Bean from his pocket and gave it to him.
After munching on the bean, Goku sat up, laughing sheepishly. "Hehe… I just wanted to test my limits. Guess I went overboard."
Rayden shook his head. "You could've seriously hurt yourself. Don't forget—if I wasn't here, it could've ended badly."
"Right, right…" Goku scratched his head, then grinned. "Wanna spar? I've never gone all out against you before."
Rayden smiled. "Sure. Let's see how strong you've gotten."
With that, they both stepped outside, fists clenched and smiles wide, ready for their long-awaited duel.
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31)