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Chapter Text

Five years have passed since the defeat of Piccolo Junior...not to mention the single year that passed following the seeming demise of Garlic Junior—and since then, life for Goku, Chi-Chi, and their son, little Gohan, has been uneventful. But a new specter was creeping its way forth, onto the horizon…

Episode #1:

The Arrival of Raditz

Featured Voice Talent:

Son Goku: Ian James Corlett

Son Gohan: Christopher Gray

Chi-Chi: Grey DeLisle-Griffin

Raditz: James Arnold Taylor

Piccolo Jr/Ma Junior: Scott McNeil

The Farmer: Andre Stojka

Garlic Jr: Michael Bell (flashback)

Krillin: Terry Klassen (flashback)

Yamcha: Terrence "Terry" Scammell

Puar: Pauline Little

Narrated by Peter Cullen

In the forests of Mt. Paozu, the deer grazed, and the birds chirped as they flew across the skies. Next to a tiny, one-room house stood one that was significantly larger.

"Go-haaaaaan!" called a female voice. "Lunch is ready; time to come inside!"

Deeper into the woods, a 25-year-old man was leaping from tree-to-tree, in search of the right one. This was Son Goku, and he was searching as hard as he could. Finally, his quest came to an end as he laid eyes upon a mighty oak tree.

"Ah...yup, this is the right one!" he smiled. Then, he squatted down, drew back, and with a kiai shout he launched a furious punch that brought the oak to the ground in seconds.

Standing outside the house was Goku's wife Chi-Chi, who'd been calling for their son to come inside for at least seven minutes now. Though she gained a reprieve when Goku arrived, carrying the enormous tree towards the front doorstep.

"Welcome back," she smiled. "Have you seen Gohan around?"

Goku dropped the tree to the ground with a thump. "I'm famished already! Especially now that I got us some firewood!" he exclaimed.

"What're you going on about?" asked Chi-Chi. "I was wondering if you'd seen Gohan!"

"Can't say I have, really..." replied Goku with a sheepish expression. "Where could he be?"

Chi-Chi looked nervous. "I'm not certain...but if you don't find him and get moving soon, Master Roshi and the others will grow old (in Roshi's case, even OLDER) while waiting for you!" she exclaimed.

"He couldn't have gone too far off," Goku smiled. "And I'll be sure to take the Flying Nimbus, so I can search from the air!" Even though he had already learned how to use the Bukūjutsu technique during his battle with Piccolo at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, he preferred riding on the Nimbus, as it reminded him of his youth. "Bye, Chi-Chi!" And with that, Goku took off down the hill.

"I'm counting on you; be careful!" Chi-Chi yelled to her husband as she watched him leave. "Really, what am ah goin' to do with that man? Ah'm gonna end up worryin' mahself to death ovah him..." she sighed, slipping into her country dialect.

MEANWHILE...

Out in a field somewhere, a farmer was pitchforking hay chunks into the back of his blue Chevy pickup truck. He gave a great sigh, and fanned himself with his straw hat.

"Phew...this job's bigger'n I thought..." he remarked. "But just a little bit more...then ah'll be done fer today..." Just then, the farmer blinked, as he suddenly heard a humming, whirring sound, which seemed to actually be getting louder as its source got closer to Earth. Said source began to manifest in the sky, in the form of a tiny red dot with a white center.

"What IS that...?" asked the farmer, gaping in shock. But his shock wasn't without justification, as the red dot came even closer...though by now it looked more like a big, red fireball, streaking through the sky. The farmer and his truck were briefly engulfed in a red glow as the large object shot over their heads and crash-landed several miles away. The resulting impact sent the farmer's birds scrambling and squawking, leaving the farmer shaking at the knees.

"Wh-what WAS that just now?!" he stammered. "A m-m-meteor? Sum sorta UFO?! G-guess I'd b-b-better ch-ch-check it out...; oh, why me...?"

But he had little time to pontificate on his miserable state of events, while he went cruising over the hills in his truck, moving towards the crash site at full speed.

"Okay, now..." said the farmer as he brought his vehicle to a halt, and climbed out...only to turn back. "Better bring muh peashooter..." And so, shotgun in hand, he curiously approached the massive crater that had been left by the impact of the fallen object.

It was shaped like a kickball, and was colored white with a bluish tint; its front door had a round, translucent red window, and the whole thing was still smoking.

"Ah don't like this..." the farmer gulped, but he kept on approaching anyway.

Soon, he got a good look at the alien craft. "It ain't no meteor...it's made o' steel 'r sumthin'!" he exclaimed. "What 'n th' world is it?!"

As if indirectly providing him an answer, the craft's door opened itself. And out of that spacecraft emerged a rather tall young man with long, spiky black hair with a very noticeable widow's peak, wearing some strange-looking armor. The farmer could only vocalize in terror as the man floated out of the crater before his very eyes, and then landed on the ground in front of it. The man's face bore a stern, focused expression, greatly contrasting the farmer's look of abject terror.

"So, the creatures inhabiting this world are still alive..." he observed. "Damn that miserable Kakarrot...he's failed us!"

"W-who are you...?" asked the farmer, gripping his rifle like a dangling spelunker would a rope. "Y-you're on muh property..."

"...is that so?" The man asked, pressing a button on a strange eyepiece over his left eye. The eyepiece began to beep for a few seconds, and then stopped. "A power level of 5? Talk about puny!"

The farmer yelped as the man began to approach him. "D-don't come any closer!" he stammered as he fumbled his shotgun. "I'm warning ya, ah'll use this thang!"

The man took one step. With a cry, the farmer opened fire; however, quicker than the human eye could see, the man caught the bullet in his hand with blinding speed.

The farmer screamed in terror; he'd met a lot of people over the course of his career...but none of them could ever catch bullets!

"Here...catch," smirked the man, as he flicked the bullet like he was flipping a coin. Akin to some sort of pint-sized heat-seeking missile, the bullet shot right back at the farmer, knocking him out, and shooting right through the grille of his truck. The farmer let off a dazed mumble before he collapsed.

The man scoffed. "What a fragile breed..." he remarked before his eyepiece started to beep again. "There's someone with a high power level...distance: 4,880..." he muttered. And so, he took to the skies once more. "If that's you...PREPARE YOURSELF, KAKARROT!"

Meanwhile, Goku was flying over the forest, looking for Gohan and calling his name. Suddenly, he spotted his toddler son, hanging on for dear life aboard a log that was being swept down a raging river.

"GOHAN!" he exclaimed as he realized his son was in peril. Down below in the river, the boy's fear gave way to joy when he saw who was flying overhead.

"It's my daddy!" he exclaimed before he was briefly submerged, only to pop up on the other side of the log.

"Just hang on; dad's coming to save you, son!" Goku called as he swooped down and extended a hand. "Just a...little further..." he grunted, before he saw that the river's path was leading into a swiftly-approaching cave tunnel with a very low ceiling. With Gohan and the log being swept into the cave, Goku had no choice but to fly upward on the Nimbus, hoping that it'd be fast enough to get to Gohan before he went over the waterfall at the other end.

Finally, the log flew out the other side of the cavern, over the waterfall, with Gohan screaming for help. Faster than a rocket, Goku sped to the bottom of the falls, but only found the empty log. Right when it seemed he'd be forced to throw in the towel, he heard some very familiar cries for help.

Up on a branch, was little Gohan, screaming for help as he clung tightly to the wooden piece. His eyelids were shut so tightly that he didn't see that his dad was now floating directly in front of him.

"DADDY, GET ME DOWN!" he wailed. "I'M SCARED OF HEIGHTS!" Fortunately, he opened his eyes soon and saw his father floating on the Flying Nimbus before him, and quickly jumped into his arms.

Goku took a quick glance down. "But...how'd you get all the way up here?" he asked, but something seemed to click inside his mind. It was just like last year, when Gohan had managed to save them from Garlic Jr's Dead Zone vortex...

FLASHBACK:

ONE YEAR AGO...

As Goku and Piccolo clung to the rubble of the Lookout for dear life, Garlic Junior let out a fiendish cackle while his body glowed with yellow energy.

"You arrogant toad...I'm gonna kill you!" Piccolo growled as he threw an energy blast, then clung to another chunk of rubble as he was dragged back. The energy blast just bounced off Garlic Jr, as if it were a rubber chew toy.

"You can't stop ME; let everything be sucked into this Dead Zone I've created!" Garlic Jr exclaimed. "...Including YOU! You'll all be sealed into a hellish darkness that will freeze your bodies & souls for the rest of eternity, just like you did to my father!"

Piccolo strained to keep his grip, but the vortex seemed to grow bigger and bigger. Goku cried out as he was pulled towards the swirling vortex of death...and smashed head-first through several stone pillars on the way. Fortunately, he managed to grab onto the last one to keep from being dragged in completely.

A piece of debris conked Krillin on the head, and when he put his hands to cover himself, he lost his grip, but luckily managed to grab on to another part. Kami and Mr. Popo were hanging on with all their might, but they couldn't hold on for long.

Somewhere within the rubble, a young boy cried out, his sobbing somehow making itself heard over the howling winds and roaring vortex.

Goku's eyes drifted towards the pile. "...GOHAN!" he exclaimed. Garlic Jr raised an eye-ridge in curiosity. Suddenly, the mound of rubble burst like a balloon, and in the midst of it all, was Gohan...but something was clearly different about him. Gone was his childlike expression of fear; in its place was an angry, seething grimace. His fists were clenched like vise-grips, and his eyes had an almost primal, animalistic quality to them. If looks could kill, then Garlic Jr would have been dead a thousand times over.

"NO! GOHAN!" Goku called to his 3-year-old son, but his words didn't seem to be getting through to him. He merely stood firm, resisting the pull of the Dead Zone.

"How can this be happening?!" asked Garlic Junior. "That little brat isn't even affected by my power! I knew he was special...but how can he be so powerful? What on Earth would make him so strong?! One thing's for sure: he's no ordinary little kid!"

With a grunt, the brawny little man boosted his strength and tried to push Gohan back, but he only moved a little bit.

"I've got to use all my power! I'll hit him with everything that I have...!" he proclaimed as he glowed ever-brighter, increasing the pull of the vortex and dragging Gohan even further towards it.

By this time, Gohan's eyes were completely blank, no irises or pupils to be seen. And finally, he began to let out a mighty scream of furious rage as his body glowed with a blue light.

By that point, Goku, Piccolo, Krillin, Mr. Popo and Kami were overpowered by the suction force of the Dead Zone, and were dragged towards it.

"DAAAAAADDDDDDYYYYY...!" Gohan roared, as he sent out a blast of blue energy, which hit Garlic Jr, head-on in the stomach, and sent him tumbling towards the swirling vortex which he himself had created.

Goku had gotten a first-hand glimpse of Gohan's true hidden power that day, and it had not only saved them, but the Earth itself. After that, everything was a bit quiet afterwards, but the fact that Gohan had somehow made it from the log to a dangling branch several feet above his head was yet another piece of evidence that there was much more to Gohan than meets the eye.

"Daddy...I lost my hat!" Gohan sobbed, before Goku plopped the headwear back onto his son's head.

"Don't be silly, it's on your head!" he replied warmly. "Now let's head on home and get you cleaned up, so that way you can come see all my pals at Master Roshi's!"

Gohan gave a little smile at that, wiping away some tears.

ELSEWHERE...

The strange man was still in pursuit of the mysterious power level, as he flew above a bustling busy city where its citizens were going about their daily lives. It put him in a contemplative mood. It made him wonder...if things played out differently in his life, would he be living a similar existence to these beings?

But such thoughts were better saved for when he was off duty. "...miserable vermin," he spat, his curiosity masked by contempt.

Out in an empty wasteland, the man who once called himself Ma Junior stood firmly perched on a flat mountaintop, gazing out at his surroundings. This was none other than Piccolo Jr, but we all know who he is.

Suddenly, he spun around, a shocked expression on his face. "W-what kind of power is that?!" he asked himself. "It couldn't possibly be...Goku? No...while this power feels similar to his...there's something different about it!"

In a flash of energy, the man landed several feet in front of Piccolo. "Excuse me for dropping in...I'm looking for a fellow named Kakarrot. Thought you might be him." he explained.

"Well, you were mistaken," replied Piccolo. "So who are you? You have some kind of business with me?"

"I have no business with you," said the man.

"Then what've you come here for?" asked Piccolo. "You got some sort of death wish?"

"My, aren't we high-spirited today?" the man chuckled before pressing his eyepiece to scan Piccolo. "Ah...a battle power of 322. Definitely impressive, but you're still no match for me."

Piccolo clenched his fists. "What'd you say?!" he asked. "Do you know just who you're talking to?!"

"Not really..." replied the man with a flippant look on his face. From how he responded, one would think he was at the check-out line of his local supermarket.

The green-skinned demon gritted his teeth as sweat began to bead upon his forehead. W-what's the deal with this guy's power? His arms briefly swelled with energy before he put his hands out in front of him and let off a fearsome blast of energy which seemed to engulf the man entirely.

Piccolo's stress soon melted away into a self-assured smile...which soon gave way to a glance of curiosity. As the dust cloud began to clear up, he caught a glimpse of the man's boots. But when the cloud was gone, the man was still standing, barely even scuffed.

"That was a worthless technique, eh?" he asked. "I guess it's only good for kicking up dust."

The expression now adorning Piccolo's face could be described as one of pure terror.

"Now it's my turn," said the man. "Allow me to demonstrate one of my favorite techniques." But before he could commence, his eyepiece began to beep once more.

"Well...guess it's your lucky day, green man," he said to Piccolo. "Looks like there's another great power here..." And he lifted into the air to get a better vantage point. His eyepiece beeped a little longer, until it finally came to a stop. "That way...range of 12,209. It's large...the largest power on the planet, even...this time for sure, it has to be Kakarrot!"

And like a jet plane, he took off in the direction of the mysterious power, leaving Piccolo. The green demon fell to his knees, mortified by what had just transpired.

"T-this is ridiculous...!" he exclaimed, panting. "I hit him with my full power and it didn't even stun him! Not to mention I was shaking so much after that, I couldn't move!"

In the clouds above, the mysterious man was flying at top speed towards the battle power he was tracking.

"Have you lost sight of your pride as a Saiyan, one of the mightiest warriors in the universe?" he muttered. "I still remember the day that you were sent to this world during your infancy...I was off-world with my commanding officer by then, but I know that my father made a brutal sacrifice against our leader..."

In his mind's eye, he saw images of a tiny baby boy who was the splitting image of...Goku himself!

"...so why haven't you carried out your mission...KAKARROT?!" the man roared as he kept on flying.

Who are the Saiyans, the mightiest warriors in the universe? And who is Kakarrot? It appears that this mysterious alien has some sort of connection to Goku. Next time, the secrets of Goku's mysterious past will finally be revealed!

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

Goku:  Hey, Master Roshi, guys; you remember Gohan, right?

Roshi: Sure as shootin', Goku! How ya been, little guy?

Raditz: So, looks like baby brother is all grown up.

Goku: Just who are you, anyway?

Raditz: Be serious, Kakarrot; don't tell me you've neglected your Saiyan pride!

Goku: W-what?!

Yamcha: Next time on Dragon Ball Z Retold: Between Brothers!

Gohan: Daddy, do you really think I can become a great scholar?

Puar: Try not to miss it!

Chapter Text

As lightning flashed and thunder rumbled through the skies above, the man was determined to continue his quest and find his fellow Saiyan, Kakarrot.

"Have you truly lost sight of your pride? Of what it means to be a member of the mightiest warriors in the universe?!" he bellowed. "Well, when I find you, I'll be more than happy to remind you...KAKARROT...!"

His words seemed to echo upon the wind as he vanished into the distance.

Meanwhile, on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean, a Capsule Corp. hovercraft touched down outside on the sandy surface. Out of it emerged a teal-haired young woman, accompanied by a dark-haired young man with a scar across his left eye. And along with them were a small, floating, blue cat-like creature and a short pig wearing a throwback cap and a pair of red overalls.

"Alright, who th' hell is there?!" snapped Blonde Launch, kicking open the front door. As per usual, she was armed with a tommy gun, locked and loaded.

The pig immediately went pale. "...don't tell me she forgot about us already...!" he gulped.

"Lunch, don't you remember what Master Roshi said?" asked Sea Turtle, crawling up to his roommate. "Today is the official reunion of the Turtle School of Martial Arts! Ah, Miss Bulma! Mister Yamcha! Lady Puar, and Sir Oolong! Do come in, won't you?" he asked, as a warm smile graced his face. "Roshi and Krillin will just be delighted!"

"Oh...it's you guys," Lunch replied. "...my bad; I got a little jumpy, is all."

"Well, thank you, Turtle," said Bulma as she went to the doorstep. "At least someone on this island hasn't forgotten their manners."

Turtle waved a flipper as Bulma stepped inside, ignoring Launch's indignant expression...although he had sensed her annoyance. Luckily, he'd known to prepare for this, so he blew a small leaf filled with pepper at her, making her sneeze...

PIN-N-N-G!

And in a blink, Lunch was gone, with Launch in her place instead. Upon seeing this, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong relaxed a bit more.

"Heya guys, what's up?" Bulma waved. Inside Kame House were Master Roshi and Krillin, both of whom looked up and saw one of their long-time friends standing before them.

"He-hey, Bulma!" Krillin exclaimed, holding a TV tray with a bowl full of chips. Master Roshi gave a dry laugh as he put down his mug of beer.

"It sure has been a long time, hasn't it?" asked the young heiress. "You said to come visit, so I did! This house still hasn't changed a bit after all this time, eh?"

"Maybe not, but you're still as pretty as ever!" wheezed Roshi, much to Bulma's modest joy. "Though you're a cold 'un, fer sure; unless someone tells ya to visit, we barely see you around here! Not to mention ya probably forgot my manju buns...but I forgive ya!" he shrugged as he took a swig of his beer.

"Surprise!" Bulma beamed as she held out a gift-wrapped package to the old man. "I didn't forget 'em!"

Roshi rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, you didn't need to go to all this trouble. You're gonna spoil this old man!" he chuckled as he leaned in. "In fact, I'm so happy right now, I could just squeeze ya!"

However, Bulma already knew where Roshi was trying to go as he came towards her, and she slammed the package on his head, leaving a decently-sized lump behind. "Well, excuse me for tryin' to say thanks!" he snapped.

"You dirty old geezer...why did I think you could ever change?!" Bulma groused.

"...is this a bad time?" asked Yamcha, as he, Puar and Oolong poked their heads inside.

"Yamcha! Puar! Oolong!" Krillin beamed. "Get on in here, you guys!"

Meanwhile, Goku and Gohan were speeding towards Kame House, spotting flocks of seagulls and school after school of flying fish as they went by.

"So, how are things between you and Yamcha these days?" asked Krillin, balancing the parcel on a finger. Puar and Oolong wisely kept drinking the beverages that they'd been given by Sea Turtle, because they knew that this wasn't something they wanted to get involved in.

Bulma scoffed angrily. "Why don't you ask Mister Baseball Superstar yourself?" she replied. "We only came here together for everyone else's sake! Besides, I can have fun without him, and so can the rest of you!"

"Well, so sorry I can't always kow-tow to her Royal Highness' every demand!" Yamcha retorted. "So there are some female baseball fans who like me, I can't help that!"

"Breakin' up is hard to do..." murmured Roshi.

"I wouldn't know," replied Krillin.

"So...are Tien and Chiaotzu coming?" asked Puar, trying to liven up the mood. "After all, you did send them invitations."

"Maybe, maybe not," said Yamcha, his bad mood dissipating. "Just never know with those two...but what about Goku?"

"Well, he should be on his way, with a surprise." replied Krillin as he opened the box and drooled over the manju buns. Gleefully, he took out two of the nine and got ready to start stuffing his face.

"Hey, at least save some for the rest of us!" squeaked Puar as she and Oolong ran over.

Meanwhile, somewhere, the man continued his solo flight in search of Kakarrot. The position of this power is moving at an incredible speed...but not fast enough, he smirked to himself.

Outside Roshi's house, the Nimbus Cloud flew down to the beach. "Here we are: Master Roshi's place!" Goku pointed out for his son as they approached.

"You're a crafty one, Kakarrot...but you won't escape!" the man remarked, getting ever closer to his location.

Once the father-son duo had arrived, Goku leapt off the cloud with Gohan in his arms. "Yoo-hoo! Anyone home?" he called, though he was a bit surprised to see Launch coming over and giving him a bear-hug.

"Oh, hello, Goku!" she beamed. "It's been quite a while since I last saw you...and who's this little darling?"

"This is my boy, Gohan," replied Goku, putting him down. "Say hi to Launch, little guy."

Gohan took a very formal bow. "G-good afternoon, miss." he said. Launch giggled at this. "My, he's such a little gentleman," she told Goku. "Once he gets older, the girls will be swarming him!"

Goku nodded. "Yeah, I betcha they will," he replied as he went up to the front door. "Hey, Turtle Hermit! Anybody home?" he called.

"Fine, fine; I'm comin'..." muttered Roshi's voice as some footsteps could be heard approaching the doorway. Then, after a few minutes, it creaked open, revealing the bearded face of Master Roshi. "Ho-nelly, if'n it ain't Goku himself, an' his little youngster, too! How ya doin' today, kiddo?"

"I'm fine, Grampa Roshi," said Gohan, reaching out to shake the old man's hand as Krillin and Bulma came out to join him.

"This is the first time I've seen Gohan in person and not just in photos," Bulma told the bald monk. "You were right, he's too adorable for words!"

"Well, we can at least get inside for further introductions," suggested Turtle. Everyone agreed, and came indoors.

"So Goku, Krillin said you were bringing a surprise," said Oolong. "What IS it, anyway?"

"Who's the little boy?" asked Puar. "Are you babysitting for extra money?"

Goku gave a shy chuckle. "Actually...he's my son," he replied. Upon hearing that, Oolong, Puar, and Yamcha all did a double-take in surprise. Out of everyone on Earth, Goku was the last person they expected to see with a son of his own.

"Told'ja," Bulma chuckled at Yamcha's expression of disbelief.

"His name is Gohan," explained Blue Launch casually to the bewildered threesome.

Oolong gave a chuckle. "So ya named him after your grandpa?" he remarked. "Pretty sweet of ya, I'll admit."

Puar floated over to the tiny child. "Hi there, Gohan; how old are you?" she asked, a bright smile on her face.

Gohan held up 4 of his fingers. "...this many!" he replied.

Puar looked up at Goku. "Even for four years old, he seems rather polite. Are you sure he's your child?" she asked.

"Well, Chi-Chi has been teaching him all that manners stuff," Goku explained.

"Say, short-stack, what'cha gonna be when ya grow up, eh?" Oolong asked the youngster.

"I want to be a great scholar when I get older." replied Gohan, leaving Oolong baffled.

"Scholar, huh...?" he asked. "Kinda figured your old man would be teachin' ya how to kick butt like he did back in the day, but I guess startin' early isn't for everybody."

Yamcha glanced down to see a fuzzy brown appendage hanging off of Gohan's coat. "Am I seein' things, or is that a tail?" he asked.

"Yeah, like the one I used to have!" Goku nodded. Upon hearing this, Bulma and the others realized that they might just have a serious problem on their hands.

"Um, Goku...has anything unusual ever happened to Gohan?" asked the seafoam-haired woman.

"Whaddya mean?" asked Goku, before Roshi zipped over.

"W-well, for one, does he undergo any changes at night when the moon is full?" he explained.

"...nah, we go to bed pretty early around my place," Goku replied. "...why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing! Just curious, is all!" Roshi laughed sheepishly, while Bulma and the others simply turned away and whistled in a nonchalant manner, save for Launch, who merely looked on, feeling a bit guilty about keeping such an important secret from a longtime friend.

"So, Goku...is your kid strong like you?" asked Puar.

Goku looked on, sadly. "He's pretty tough, yeah...even tougher than me, maybe," he replied. "But Chi-Chi gets mad whenever I try to train him. She says martial arts are a waste of energy."

"Oh, then what's that make us, huh?" asked Krillin.

"Now, now; settle down, lads," Roshi told them. "You can't expect everyone to agree with ya-it'd be all too easy, then. Not to mention, th' world's been pretty quiet since that Garlic Jr. fella was taken care of."

"That thing on Gohan's hat...that's a Dragon Ball, right?" asked Bulma.

Goku's mood brightened, and he gave a brisk nod. "You betcha; it's the Four-Star Ball!" he replied. "Took me awhile to search it out, but I wanted Gohan to have it since it used to belong to his namesake. I've been collecting 'em for fun: I even got 3-star and 6-star!"

Bulma couldn't help but chuckle. "Really takes me back...all the crazy escapades we got into, trying to find those things..."

Suddenly, something caught Goku's focus, and he glanced around.

"What's wrong?" asked Oolong. "You get a brain cramp or sumthin'?"

"I dunno...something's coming this way..." Goku replied as a chill ran down his spine.

"Maybe it's Tien and Chiaotzu?" asked Yamcha. "I did tell them we'd be here today."

"No..." replied Goku. "It's a terrible...evil power...somehow, stronger than Piccolo...!"

As Goku looked on, a tiny dot began to manifest in the distance. "There he is!"

"What the...who IS that?!" exclaimed Krillin as the fiendish invader touched down on the shores of Kame House.

This isn't good...I smell death in the air, Roshi thought to himself. What sort of ferocious bloodlust IS this...?

As the man landed, Goku, Krillin and Yamcha struck defensive poses; Gohan cowered in Bulma's grasp, and Puar and Oolong hid behind Sea Turtle with Launch.

The device on his face scanned Goku, granting a positive match. "So...we finally meet." the quill-haired man smiled. "You're all grown up..."

Goku let off a gasp of shock.

"...but I'd recognize you anywhere, Kakarrot." The man finished.

Now Goku was utterly puzzled. "...Kakarrot?" he asked, the word sounding foreign on his tongue.

"You look just like our Father," The man smiled. "Not to mention our cousin, Turles."

"What's that mean?" asked Yamcha, his voice a whisper. "This guy know your family or something?"

"No way, he must be nuts." Krillin replied, keeping his own voice equally low.

"Kakarrot! What've you been doing all these years?!" snapped the man. "You were supposed to complete your mission: wiping out all native life on this planet! So what've you been slacking off for?"

Goku looked back to Master Roshi, who could only give a shrug of confusion; whatever this stranger was talking about, he sure as heck didn't know.

"Now just a second, Mister!" Krillin spoke up. "I dunno who you are, but you've obviously got the wrong guy! The last thing we need around here is drunks like you, hanging around; allow me to escort you off this island."

The man smirked as his 'belt' glowed with energy, but only Goku was quick enough to notice. "KRILLIN, WATCH OUT!" he shouted.

Krillin didn't get a chance to move out of the way; rather, he was smacked by the fuzzy brown appendage around the stranger's waist, and was sent flying right into the wall of Kame House, demolishing the paneling.

"KRILLIN...!" Goku yelped, seeing his friend injured. Seething with rage, he turned around...only for his rage to turn to shock when he saw something that looked all-too familiar.

Bulma, Roshi, Oolong, Puar, and Yamcha were also surprised.

"Is...is that...a TAIL...?!"

Sit back and gather your energy! "Dragon Ball Z: Retold" will return in a moment!

Grab some Senzu Beans; now we're back with more "Dragon Ball Z: Retold"!

The man chuckled at their expressions. "Looks like you've finally put two and two together." he shot.

"What are you talking about?" asked Goku, as Bulma pulled Gohan away from the fracas and out of harm's way.

The man did a double-take, mildly surprised. "...you mean you don't even know who I am?!" he asked, bewildered.

"I dunno who this Kaka-whatever is, but I'm not him!" Goku remarked. "I'm Son Goku!"

The man blanched, mortified. This...this couldn't possibly be happening! How could my brother have utterly forgotten his mission? His own FAMILY, even?! It's impossible! ...unless...

"Kakarrot...tell me...have you ever taken any strong shocks to the head in the past?" he asked.

At that, Master Roshi's eyes lit up with a gleam of recognition.

"What?" Goku replied.

"During your childhood, did you ever hit your head?!" shouted the man.

"...yeah...back when I was really young," explained Goku. "I don't remember it too well, though; and I still have the scar to prove it."

The man gritted his teeth in aggravation. "So that's what happened..." he fumed.

"But what's that got to do with anything?" asked Goku.

"Goku..." said Master Roshi in a serious tone. "There's something that your grandfather told me long ago that I think you ought to know..."

~FLASHBACK~

[We see old Grandpa Gohan approaching a large crater, astonishment on his face.]

One day, deep in a valley, he stumbled across something quite unusual...almost like it'd fallen from the sky. When he approached it, there was a round capsule, and next to it was a baby with a long, furry tail, lying inside a little round pod.

[A shot of the infant Goku, luckily having his lower body covered by a blanket, staring up at the old man.]

He took him home, and tried to raise and care for him, but the child was hateful and violent; downright uncontrollable, even...not to mention, bizarrely strong. He wanted nothing to do with Gohan's kindness.

[As Roshi speaks, we see several shots: baby Goku bites Gohan's hand; then kicks him in the face; he is next shown biting and tearing apart his hammock; then he kicks apart the wooden washtub as Gohan tries to give him a bath; he angrily throws his baby bottle and a blue toy dump truck at Gohan, while surrounded by 3 or 4 other toys.]

The old man was at his wits' end, but one fateful day...

[Shot: Gohan on a hike, while baby Goku reaches out of his backpack to try and grab at a bird. The next shots show Goku stumbling out of the backpack, and plummeting into the ravine. The last of these shots shows Goku landing at the bottom, right on his head. The camera shakes for impact.]

...the baby fell into a ravine and hit his head. Gohan feared the worst, but somehow, some way, the child managed to recover.

[Shot: Gohan keeps a quiet vigil over the bed-ridden youngster, who lies unconscious with an ice pack taped to his head with bandages.]

And after his recovery, the child's violent, foul-tempered attitude vanished, and he became a good little boy. Yes, any other child would've died...but this boy wasn't exactly like any other child, that's for sure.

[Final shot: Gohan with an 8-year-old Goku, dressed in blue overalls and a red shirt, who now looks much happier...a lot like the Goku we've come to know and love.]

~END OF FLASHBACK~

By the time the Turtle Hermit had concluded his story, everyone, save for the mysterious man, was in shock...but Goku was the most shocked of all.

"T-that was me...?" he asked, bewildered that he was once possessed such anger and hatred...and at such an early age, too.

"Was...is." Master Roshi concluded.

"Hey, I was right!" Oolong exclaimed. "I hadda feeling Goku wasn't normal all those years ago, and looks like I was spot-on!"

"So...do this guy and Son-kun have some sort of connection?" asked Bulma.

The man chuckled. "Brains and beauty; I can understand why you were so hesitant to carry out your mission...she IS rather fetching." he remarked. Bulma blushed lightly at that remark.

Goku turned back to face the man. "Alright, you got my attention; now tell us who you are!" he told him.

The man's smile tapered a bit. "Well, I wasn't expecting to give a history lesson when I came here today," he spoke, as his tail wrapped itself back around his waist. "But I'm willing to make time. After all, we're going to be working together as of today, and I do like my co-workers to be well-informed."

At this point, Lunch [Blonde Launch] had helped Krillin out of the side of Kame House that he'd been smacked into. Sure, she could be a bad-tempered criminal, but she still had a heart! Besides, she saw the little cue-ball as kind of adorable.

"You alright, Krillin?" asked Goku.

"Sure," came his friend's response. "Watch yourself, Goku; that guy's not normal!"

Goku gave a brisk nod, as he began sweating. "I know what'cha mean; to be honest, just us standing here, looking at each other like this has got me spooked." he replied.

"I'll spell it out for you then: you're not a human," the man spoke. "You were born on the Planet Vegeta. You are a proud Saiyan, the mightiest warrior race in the universe."

Goku and the others gasped in abject shock.

"And I...am your big brother, Raditz!" concluded the man. A dark cloud seemed to loom over the Kame House from above.

"G-Goku's big brother...?!" exclaimed Yamcha in shock.

"B-brothers?!" Bulma gasped. "You're kidding!"

"Quit talkin' nonsense! Why should I believe you?" asked Goku.

"R-right!" Krillin added. "If Goku is from space, then what's he doing on Earth?"

Raditz began to chuckle. "That's an easy question; Kakarrot was sent here to exterminate the bothersome life-forms that populate this rock!" he replied.

"I was...what?!" exclaimed Goku.

"You see, we Saiyans are assigned to travel through space in search of planets with good environments; those are the ones that fetch a high price on the galactic market," Raditz explained. "Once we find them, we send out our warriors to purge them of any life and make them, how do I phrase this?...ready for sale. Afterwards, we sell them for a high price to any aliens in search of a suitable planet. The adult warriors are sent to planets whose population possesses a high battle power. But to planets such as this, with a lower level, we send our infants to infiltrate the populace until they're old enough to battle. Either that, or they wait until they see a full moon, and let the rest work itself out from there. With any luck, they'll handle the job in 2 or 3 nights' time, give or take a month."

"I-if that's true, then you Saiyans are a bunch of space pirates!" Krillin spat. "You guys make even Piccolo seem lovable!"

Bulma hugged Gohan to her bosom. "How can you even think of sending helpless babies into space on their own?!" she glared.

"Kakarrot, given several years' time, you should have had plenty of time to purge these pests by yourself! At least, other than the woman," Raditz told his brother. "Luckily, this planet has a moon of its own."

"Why is that so lucky?" asked Goku.

"Don't be daft!" Raditz snapped. "It's when the moon is full that we Saiyans are at our best; when we transform into gigantic apes!"

At that, everyone except for Goku put it together...

Through Bulma, Oolong, Yamcha, Puar, Roshi, and Krillin's minds, they saw the memory of Goku transforming into the massive ape-monster: the first time being when they were at Pilaf's Castle, the second time being during their journey to find the Sleeping Princess; and the 3rd time being during the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, during the climactic showdown with the 'legendary' Jackie Chun.

So that was why it happened...and how it could be explained!

"I dunno what you're talking about!" Goku yelled.

Raditz suddenly drew back, shocked. "I-it can't be...where's your tail?!" he exclaimed, mortified.

Goku glanced at his rear end. "It was removed permanently, when I was a teenager." was his reply.

"YOU FOOL!" Raditz spat. "Your true potential is gone now!"

Goku raised an eyebrow. What did Raditz mean by "true potential"?

"It's no wonder you've bonded with this world's people..." Raditz fumed. "You think I wouldn't want to experience that sometime? To actually get the chance to know someone from another world instead of having to blow them to bits? ...alas, such is my lot in life."

"So WHAT if I'm from another planet? Or if I have some alien name? Or if you ARE my brother?" Goku scoffed. "Anyone who'd go out and slaughter people like cattle is just...just sickening! Besides, my name is Son Goku, and I was raised on Earth! NOW HIT THE ROAD!"

Yamcha stepped up to his left. "Yeah! If you were his brother, you wouldn't force him to do something he didn't wanna do!" he added.

Master Roshi nodded. "No matter what his past, Goku's the most human fella I've ever known!" he agreed. "Nurture over nature!:

"He even saved this planet a few times! So why don'cha just climb back into whatever spaceship you crawled out of, and go home?" concluded Krillin.

Raditz gave a dry chuckle. "Oh, I gladly would...but then again, that's impossible." he replied, getting a faraway look in his eyes. "25 years ago, our home world was obliterated by a massive asteroid...at least, that's what most say. Others say it was some sort of comet. All I know is that on that day, both of our parents were slaughtered, and only a handful of us managed to survive. Naturally, I was devastated, but I wasn't allowed to show it. Of course...that was the day you were born, baby brother."

Goku was taken aback by this; he'd always wondered if he had parents...but to think he'd never get the chance to know them now...unless...

"Raditz, wait!" he exclaimed.

The hedgehog-haired Saiyan glanced over at his brother. "What is it?" he asked.

"...what if I told you there was a way to bring back the other Saiyans who'd died?" Goku asked.

Raditz squinted, then removed his scouter, placing it on his holster. "Very well then, little brother; you have my attention."

And so, Goku (with help from Bulma on telling the extra-complicated parts) explained the story behind the Dragon Balls, all while Raditz listened intently. Finally, the tale had been told.

Raditz was astounded that such things could actually exist in the universe. And to think, he'd never known of them until this moment! His eyes were alight with a sudden,

"Kakarot!" he exclaimed. "With these things at our disposal, we could not only revive the Saiyan race, but we could gain infinite power!"

Goku was silent, but a disembodied voice seemed to speak up at the moment. "Infinite power, eh? I like the sound of that!" And though the voice was only heard over the scouter, it was very distinctly male.

The group all turned to see the source as another voice spoke up.

"You sure about that, Vegeta? I mean, we could use them to revive the Saiyans' empire. Think about it, we'd have all our old pals back! Maybe we could even cross-breed some kind of a Super Saiyan! That'd show Frieza what-for, eh?"

The first voice, Vegeta, spoke again. "Don't joke around, Nappa! That's exactly why father had my pathetic brother Tarble exiled, because he thought too small. Just imagine: eternal life, eternal youth: no age...no death...just being able to fight as long as we like! Heheheheheh...and to think we owe it all to the weak link, Raditz! Son of Bardock, the low-level FILTH! We'll be coming to the planet so we can find these 'Dragon Balls' for ourselves, so don't hesitate to roll out the welcome mat for us!"

With a final smug cackle, the line went dead, leaving Raditz looking very disconcerted.

"Damn it! Now they know..." he scowled. "How could I have been so foolish?!"

"...should we do something to help?" asked Yamcha. "He looks pretty deflated."

"He was literally borderline threatening us five-odd minutes ago," Krillin replied. "And last I checked, he smacked me into the house...so excuse me if I'm not in what you'd call a sympathizing mood."

Raditz turned back to face Goku and his friends. "While I can understand that you aren't exactly willing to lend me a hand, take this into consideration: those other two Saiyans who are coming here just so happen to be much more powerful than I am. So you can't beat these two alone. We need some way to get stronger."

Goku looked as though he were lost in thought...until his eyes brightened. "Maybe we can get Kami and Mr. Popo to help us out!" he suggested.

Raditz looked surprised by this, as well as the other inhabitants of Roshi's island...even those who weren't in plain sight. Just what did Goku have in mind?

With two more alien invaders having their sights set on Earth, the peaceful period for Goku and his friends is about to come to an end. Stay tuned for scenes from the next "DragonBall Z"...

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

Next Dragon Ball Z, Goku and his friends begin their search for the Dragon Balls, and Kami tells Goku of the mysterious King Kai. But who is this man, and where could he be? Join us next time...

Chapter Text

In our last episode, Goku took his son, Gohan, to Kame House for a reunion with his old friends; but a mysterious stranger came to crash the party. Turns out, his name was Raditz, and he was Goku's big brother! As he explained his tale, Goku divulged the secret of the Dragon Balls; however, Raditz's partners, Vegeta and Nappa, were listening in, and have now decided to make a trip to Earth!

Episode 3:

"Raditz's Resolution"

(Completed with help from my new co-writer, B.E.A.T.N!)

VOICE CAST

IAN J. CORLETT: Son Goku

CHRISTOPHER GRAY: Son Gohan

JAMES ARNOLD TAYLOR: Raditz

PAULINE LITTLE: Puar

TERRY KLASSEN: Krillin

MICHAEL DONOVAN: Master Roshi

MICHAEL O'REILLY: Oolong

ALYSON COURT: Bulma Brief

JANYSE JAUD: Launch (as in Blue-Haired Launch)

KATHLEEN BARR: Lunch (as in, Blonde Launch)

SCOTT MCNEIL: Piccolo Jr.

GREY GRIFFIN: Chi-Chi

PETER CULLEN: Kami

BLU MANKUMA: Mr. Popo

A.J. HENDERSON: King Yemma

Narrated by PETER CULLEN

NOTE: This is the last episode featured on volume 1: Brotherhood (originally titled Brothers in Arms). The next volume is Snake Way.

All eyes were on Goku, shortly after his announcement. Clearly, he had something up his sleeve...but what?

"Goku…" Yamcha said, warily. "what exactly do you mean by that? How can Kami and Mr. Popo help?"

"Well, back when I was training for the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, up on the Lookout..." Goku explained. "Mr. Popo showed me this place there called 'the Room of Spirit and Time'; he said that with the right adjustments, anybody who went inside could get in a whole year's worth of training in just a single day!"

Raditz blinked in surprise. "...are you serious, Kakarot?" he gasped in a bewildered tone. "Can such a place truly exist?"

Goku nodded. "I didn't believe it at first, but when I first saw it, it was a sight to behold."

Yamcha's face became one of excitement. "Awesome! This could give us way more time to train!" he exclaimed.

"My thoughts exactly," replied Goku. "If we trained normally for a whole year, we wouldn't have much of a chance."

"I'm impressed with your idea Kakarot, and that's a first." said Raditz.

"Heh, thanks!" Goku gave a toothy grin. "I tried going in myself once or twice, but I almost went stir-crazy there," he exclaimed, "besides, training isn't much fun if you don't have anybody to train with you."

"Well then, I suppose you're going to need as much time in there as you can get," replied Master Roshi. "Clearly your current levels of strength just won't be enough."

"Maybe we should go tell Tien and Chiaotzu," suggested Puar. "That way, they'll know what to do, and where to go."

"Launch and I will go get Yajirobe," Krillin replied. "Last I heard from Master Korin, he went off somewhere. Knowing him? Probably someplace with food."

"And Raditz, Bulma and I are gonna head to Kami's place," declared Goku. "At least, after we drop Gohan off at home. Chi-Chi probably wants me to bring him back."

Raditz looked confused. "What is a 'Chi-Chi'?" Some members of the group snickered at the question.

"That's my wife," replied Goku. "She'll be worried sick if Gohan isn't home; and when she gets worried, she gets mad."

"She sounds like how most Saiyan women act..." Raditz commented.

Bulma couldn't hold it in, and started laughing like a madwoman, with Krillin and the others quickly joining in.

Roshi was able to catch his breath. "Lucky for you, she didn't hear you say that," he spoke up. "When that woman gets angry, boy, does she get ANGRY!"

Goku and Gohan seemed to shudder at that. They knew he wasn't exaggerating.

After regaining his composure, Goku cupped his hands and tilted his head upwards. "FLYING NIMBUS…!" he bellowed.

The long-haired Saiyan shot a befuddled look at his brother, confused at what he'd just shouted, as well as why he shouted, when suddenly, a puffy, golden-yellow cloud shot out of the sky, coming to a stop at Goku's feet.

"OK, buddy, we're gonna take a trip home, and then over to Kami's Lookout." Goku told the cloud, as he hopped onboard.

Raditz was having a very difficult time processing this, to say the least. The flying cloud was the least bizarre thing he'd seen today. And that's saying a lot, considering his past.

"I'll be more than capable of getting there myself," Raditz told his brother. "I'll fly next to you."

"Hold on a second, guys," said Bulma, coming over to the duo. "What about Piccolo? He probably doesn't know about these invaders, and sure, he's terrifying, but having him around could probably even our odds."

"I know plenty about them, but I appreciate your concern," said a familiar gruff voice from nearby. The others turned in the direction of the response, and saw, standing in the shade next to Kame House, was Piccolo Jr. himself.

Bulma, Puar, Oolong and Turtle all shrieked in fear; Yamcha, Krillin, Goku, Roshi, and Raditz all took defensive stances, while Gohan clutched his father's leg.

"You got about 10 seconds to tell me why you're here," snapped Lunch as she pulled out a machinegun. "Before I scratch my itchy trigger finger, an' pump ya full of lead!"

"And how do you know about the Saiyans?" asked Yamcha.

"My people possess incredibly sensitive hearing," replied the self-proclaimed Demon King. "Enabling me to listen in on your conversation."

"So why did you come here, then?" asked Roshi. "Haven't we got enough trouble on our hands with those Saiyans coming for us?"

"Believe me, I haven't suddenly turned over a new leaf," Piccolo explained. "But if these Saiyans came here to wipe out everyone on Earth, that would hamper my plans. Besides, I still intend to conquer this world, and a planet without any subjects to rule over wouldn't exactly be much fun. So, for the time being, we shall be allies...but once the Saiyans have been dealt with, I will resume my plans for global conquest, beginning with the murder of Son Goku."

"You can try," Goku responded, nodding firmly. "But we'll all be keeping an eye on you so that you don't pull anything funny."

"It seems like most of the people you know have wanted to kill you and your friends at some point," commented Raditz.

"Yep, that's Goku in a nutshell." replied Bulma. "Hell, most of his friends used to really not like him for awhile..."

"I'm guessing you've had a lot of experience with this?" asked Raditz, turning to Bulma.

Bulma's face went red with mild embarrassment; she was one of those aforementioned friends. "You could say that..." she replied, the fact that she'd basically manipulated Goku into helping her 12 years ago still fresh in her mind.

"Enough with the babbling," Piccolo snapped. "You said we need to drop the runt off at your house?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Goku replied.

"Then there's no time to waste!" Yamcha declared. "So let's get a move on!"

"Right then!" Goku nodded. "First stop, back home!"

The Flying Nimbus rose into the air, and flew off, leaving behind its unforgettable golden-yellow streak. With a nod, Raditz lifted into the air, and soared after his brother, with Bulma following behind in her capsule vehicle. Piccolo exhaled sharply through his nostrils, and took off in a different direction, as the other members of the group headed off on their own paths.

Master Roshi watched his former students head off on their mission with a grim look in his eye, gone was the twinkle of perversion that frequently pervaded his mind.

"Good luck, lads," he declared. "I wish you success in your quests."

And on that note, he turned and went back into his house.

As Goku flew along with Gohan, Raditz flew alongside Bulma's hovercraft, although he couldn't help but notice that she was humming an odd little tune to herself. He flew a little closer and gave a knock on the side.

Bulma glanced over. "What's up?" she asked.

"...I was wondering what that tune you were humming was." Raditz replied.

The blue-violet haired genius looked a bit sheepish in response. "Oh, just a song from my favorite story," she replied.

"Story?" asked Raditz. "What about?"

"Well...it's about this peasant boy who falls for this beautiful princess," explained Bulma. "But he thinks she wouldn't like him because he's not a prince. So he finds a magic lamp and asks a genie for help. The genie makes him a prince, sure, but it turns out that the princess loved the peasant boy for who he was on the inside."

Raditz blushed a bit. "Well...I have to say, that's quite a story." he commented.

"Yeah, I'll show it to you sometime," replied Bulma with a small blush on her face.

Raditz himself felt something at that moment, but couldn't quite place what it was. Maybe he'd ask someone about it later.

"Hey, guys!" Goku called, jolting the both of them out of their little talk. "We're almost home!"

Raditz gulped, feeling slightly nervous. "Oh. That's good." He responded, then followed Goku, to where there was a clearing in the woods, and a small, cozy looking home.

Down below, Chi-Chi was exiting the house with a basket of laundry when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. "Hey, Chi-Chi!"

Chi-Chi looked around confused for a moment, but then looked up, and a smile appeared on her face in moments; she saw Goku and Gohan waving at her on the Flying Nimbus...but then her smile became a confused look when she saw Bulma in her vehicle, and this long-haired stranger. This would definitely require asking some questions...which she would ask as soon as they landed.

"GO-KU! GO-HAN!" she called, running over to them as the cloud landed. "How are you? Did you have fun with your daddy today, sweetie?" she asked her son, who had disembarked from the Nimbus.

Gohan gave her a firm nod, as Goku plucked the dragon ball off of his son's hat. "We're gonna need the Dragon Balls, Chi-Chi," he explained. "Also, the guy over there's my big brother Raditz, so be nice, OK?"

"Wait, what?!" Chi-Chi exclaimed. "Goku? GOKU...!" she shouted as her husband ran inside the house.

Raditz visibly cringed at Chi-Chi's yelling. The woman in question turned to face him, so he tried to make small talk.

"*ahem* You, uh, have a very nice home," he stated. "And...it's a pleasure to meet you. My brother's a very lucky man."

"Thank you," replied Chi-Chi. "So you're, um...Goku's brother?"

"Yes, I am." Raditz replied.

"If that's so, then how come we've never met you before?" Chi-Chi asked.

Raditz rubbed his head in mild discomfort. "That...is a very long story..." he replied.

"Aha!" Goku exclaimed from inside, breaking up the awkwardness as he flew out the door, his prizes in hand. Raditz looked on curiously as his brother landed, rubbing his chin. Goku showed the golden orbs to them proudly, cradling the precious objects in his palms for Raditz to see.

"So, those are dragon balls...? They're much smaller than I imagined." the long-haired Saiyan remarked.

Bulma snorted, and Chi-Chi reddened brightly at the statement.

"Well, they may be small but they're powerful!" Goku said, and Raditz nodded his assent, and seemed impressed.

"Now, let's go!" Goku declared, calling for his Nimbus cloud. Raditz turned his back to Bulma and smirked, looking over his shoulder, and motioning with his chin. Bulma nodded and put her hovercraft back into its capsule.

Goku hopped aboard the Nimbus, and Bulma smirked, putting 2 and 2 together, the blue-violet-haired genius climbed onto Raditz's back as he lifted them into the air, patiently waiting until she was holding on tight, before taking off into the distance.

Chi-Chi was left speechless for a few moments afterwards, before she looked to Gohan. "Sweetie, do you think you could explain some of this to me?" she asked.

Gohan shrugged. "I can try..." he replied.

As the trio flew through the air, Bulma was a little frightened, being so high up, but tried to swallow her fear as best as she could while clinging tightly to Raditz for dear life. The Saiyan in question could only chuckle as he felt Bulma holding onto him so tightly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to drop you!" he called to her.

"T-that's good to hear!" Bulma shivered. "...Promise?"

"Promise!" Raditz replied.

MEANWHILE, WITH LAUNCH AND KRILLIN...

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" bellowed a certain rotund ronin. "WHADDYA MEAN THERE ARE SPACE ALIENS COMIN' TO EARTH?!"

"Exactly what I just said," Krillin replied. "We're rounding up every one of our friends to help us out. So Launch and I decided to go find you."

"For-get it, man!" Yajirobe exclaimed, putting his hands up. "I'm not fightin' some astro-jerks!"

Krillin and Launch glanced at one another for a moment before Launch spoke up. "What about if we got you a coupon for unlimited buffalo wings at that one place you love so much?" she suggested.

Yajirobe's eyebrows perked up. "Where is this place again?" he asked.

"West City," Krillin replied.

"Keep going..." Yajirobe insisted.

Launch glared at the cowardly man. Even if she wasn't in her blonde form, she still had a threshold. "Yajirobe, you should be ashamed of yourself! A grown man cowering like a toddler!" she told him. "Besides, if those Saiyans make it, they'll destroy the Earth, and then there won't be anywhere for you to stuff your face!" she added.

"Aw...okay, okay, ya twisted my arm." Yajirobe replied, giving up. "Geez, man; your girlfriend knows how to be brutal." he remarked to Krillin.

Both Launch and Krillin blushed for a moment. "Just be glad she didn't sneeze," muttered the monk.

"What was that?" asked Yajirobe.

"Nothing!" Krillin replied.

Yajirobe just shrugged. "Eh, whatever. I'll see you all at the Lookout, then?" he asked.

Krillin nodded his head. "Yep."

Launch beamed proudly. "Glad you saw it our way~" she smiled, before she cheerfully trotted back to the hovercar, with Krillin following behind her.

Yajirobe watched the vehicle take off into the distance, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Geez...to think he'd end up with someone so scary..." he muttered.

ELSEWHERE...

"Goku has a brother?!" exclaimed Tien.

"Goku's an alien?!" Chiaotzu added.

"I totally called it!" Oolong laughed. "YEARS AGO!"

"That's a yes on both accounts," Puar replied.

"And we're gonna regroup at Kami's Lookout for training!" Oolong nodded.

"Kami's Lookout?" asked Tien. "I knew about Korin Tower, but...you mean there's a place to train that's even further up there?"

"That's what Goku said, and he's never tried to steer us wrong before!" Puar replied.

Oolong gave a snort. "Yeah, but he's gotten us into trouble kami knows how many times." he remarked.

"Oolong!" Puar scolded.

"Don't 'Oolong' me!" the pig retorted. "You know I'm right!"

"Enough!" Tien boomed. "We'd make a lot more progress if we weren't bickering like children!"

Chiaotzu gave a firm nod. "Tien's right!"

Oolong and Puar nodded their heads in agreement, although Oolong seemed to do it begrudgingly.

"Now, what do we say?" asked Puar to her boyfriend.

"...I'm sorry." Oolong replied, his face red.

"Good." Puar nodded. "Stay on your best behavior, and when this is over with, you'll get something out of it."

"Wait...you two are together?" asked Chiaotzu, surprised.

"Chiaotzu, we need to focus on the important things," Tien replied. "...even if that IS pretty shocking."

"You're not the first person to think that, Tien." Oolong stated.

"So, this special training is all the way at the top of that tower?" asked Chiaotzu.

Puar nodded. "Yeah. And we better get there as soon as we can if we wanna get stronger fast!"

Tien smiled. "Now that I can agree with. Alright, let's go!" he declared.

And so, the cat and pig led Tien and Chiaotzu back to the hovercar.

"Puar...about how I got mad earlier..." Oolong spoke up. "...you know I didn't mean it, right?"

"I know, you silly head." Puar replied as she hugged Oolong, who chuckled like a lovestruck idiot for a moment.

Tien and Chiaotzu watched the exchange silently, both of them finding a smile on their faces.

As Goku, Bulma and Raditz headed to the Lookout, they saw a wrinkled-green man in a robe waiting for them, alongside a dark-skinned, pointy-eared man in a turban, vest, pants and pointy-toed shoes.

"Hey! It's Kami and Mr. Popo!" Goku laughed as he waved to the duo, before hopping off of the Flying Nimbus and landing on the floor of the Lookout. "Boy, are you two a sight for sore eyes!"

A warm smile crossed Kami's weathered face. "Goku...I see you're still as spirited as always," he remarked. "I take it your son is doing alright?"

"Yeah; Gohan's coming along nicely!" Goku replied. "And how have you been, Mr. Popo?"

Mr. Popo smiled. "I've been quite well; thank you for asking, Goku." he replied.

Bulma didn't know why, but she felt a little off when she looked at Mr. Popo. She figured it was just her imagination.

Mr. Popo's gaze went to Raditz and Bulma. "Goku, who are these people with you?" he asked.

"Well, the guy is Raditz; he's my brother," said Goku. "And the lady is Bulma! We've been friends for a long while."

Kami and Mr. Popo were stunned by this. "...a brother?!" they exclaimed, surprised.

"He keeps bringing up that he has a long-lost brother like it's not that big of a deal." Bulma whispered to Raditz.

"I don't know whether to facepalm or laugh." Raditz replied.

"Goku, since when did you have a brother?!" asked Kami.

"I only found out a little while ago, actually," replied Goku. "And Raditz has some information you may wanna hear."

Raditz nodded and stepped forward, before he began explaining the situation.

ONE EXPLANATION LATER...

"So, these Saiyans will be coming to Earth?" asked Kami as he finished hearing Raditz explain.

"In two Earth years' time," Raditz replied. "So we're going to need to train."

"That goes for me, too!" Bulma added, stepping forward, much to Goku's shock.

"Uh, Bulma?" he asked. "You're normally not the martial-artist type..."

Bulma looked down, clearly wanting to get this off her chest. "Honestly, Goku; I'm sick of being a damsel in distress," she explained. "Every time the world's been in danger, or you're fighting a new threat, I'm always on the sidelines, screaming my head off...I wanna be there to help save the Earth; it's my home too, so I wanna help save it. I don't want to just be a scared helpless girl anymore."

Raditz felt something as he heard Bulma's speech. It was a powerful one, and it moved him. Seeing someone like her willing to go through the training needed to save the Earth...it made Raditz feel something he couldn't describe!

"If this is what you want, I won't stop you," Kami told Bulma, before turning to Goku. "But I feel that training here will not be enough for you. Rather, you must seek training in Otherworld from the legendary King Kai."

"King?" started Raditz.

"Kai?" Bulma followed up.

"Who's King Kai?" asked Goku.

"King Kai is a very powerful fighter; that's why he also goes by 'The Lord of Worlds'," explained Kami. "Very skilled, smart...but a bit eccentric at times. He may be able to give you the training you'll need in order to face the Saiyans."

"Sounds like Master Roshi, kinda," Goku commented.

Bulma winced at the thought. "I hope he's not some kinda pervert..." she muttered.

"Hardly," Mr. Popo replied. "I've met him once before; he's only scary if you don't like cheesy jokes. Otherwise, he's quite friendly. But to get to him, you'll need to travel the path known as Snake Way. And to get THERE, you'll need permission from the lord of the Afterlife, King Yemma."

"if you take Snake Way, you'll need to be on guard the entire time, Goku," Kami warned. "It's a treacherous path full of distractions and illusions, and if you fall off, you'd end up stuck in the Home For Infinite Losers!"

"You mean Hell?" asked Raditz.

"Yes, we do." Mr. Popo replied.

"So, while I travel on Snake Way, Bulma and the others will be training here?" asked Goku.

Kami gave a firm nod. "That's the long and short of it."

"And I'll be here to supervise them," added Mr. Popo.

Goku turned to face Bulma and Raditz. "Well, good luck, guys," he said before turning to the blue-purple-haired woman. "Bulma, we've known each other since that day in the woods where you almost ran me over and shot me with those little pellet things," said the scruffy-haired Saiyan. "Who'd have thought that moment would be what brought us together?"

Raditz glanced at Bulma, who gave a sheepish laugh.

"I can't wait to see how strong you get!" Goku finished, before turning to his brother. "And Raditz? When I get back, I wanna spend time together, like how brothers do! We can spar, tell stories, and other brother stuff!"

The long-haired Saiyan blinked, feeling a wetness in his eyes. It was one he hadn't felt since he was a child. "...you know what, Kakarot? I'd enjoy that immensely." he replied.

Goku smiled as he held his hand out. Raditz took it cautiously, and was unprepared for when Goku pulled the large man into a bear hug.

Raditz felt a few tears escape his eyes as the hug lasted for a few moments. Eventually, the two seperated.

Goku looked to the both of them. "Tell Chi-Chi I'll be gone for awhile." he said.

Both Bulma and Raditz shuddered at the task; neither of them wanted to endure that responsibility.

"Come along, Goku," Kami told his former pupil. "We've got much to do."

"Right!" Goku nodded, before giving his brother and lifelong best friend a thumbs-up and a wink. "Good luck, guys! See ya in a year!"

And with that, Goku headed to Kami's side. A second later, the both of them were engulfed in a brief flash, and they were gone.

Raditz and Bulma looked at one another.

"So, um, what'll we do in the meantime?" asked the turquoise-lavender-haired scientist.

"Don't ask me." the long-haired Saiyan shrugged, a bit of redness appearing on his face.

"I suggest we wait for your friends to arrive." suggested Mr. Popo.

"That's a solid move." Bulma nodded.

And so the two of them began waiting for their friends to arrive. Eventually, they saw a hovercar getting closer and landing on the floor. Out stepped Krillin, Lunch (blonde Launch) and Yajirobe.

"We're here!" Krillin called.

"Alright, where the hell are ya?" Lunch asked, her eyes glancing around. "And when's the trainin' supposed ta start?"

Mr. Popo blinked. "...we might be in for a very interesting 2 years..." he commented.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Yajirobe remarked. "There anything to eat in this joint?"

"I'm impressed you actually got him here!" called a voice.

Everyone turned to see another hovercar arrive at the Lookout. The one who spoke was Tien, who had just stepped out with Chiaotzu, Puar and Oolong.

Bulma beamed in surprise. "Tien, Chiaotzu! It's great to see you guys!" she exclaimed.

Tien and Chiaotzu both smiled at Bulma, but then their gaze switched over to Raditz.

Bulma said, "Oh...uh, guys, this is Raditz. Goku's brother."

Raditz gave a wave to them in response. "I look forward to seeing you all at your best." he replied.

"Likewise," Tien nodded.

Meanwhile, Goku and Kami stood before a rather large desk. Behind it was a mountain of a man with red skin, large black hair and a beard, a purple cap with horns, and a nice purple suit and hat.

This was King Yemma, the lord of the afterlife himself! Goku was amazed by the size of the horned man.

"Next!" the man boomed as Kami and Goku stepped forth.

"Kami? What are you doing here?" he asked. "You haven't got a halo over your head."

"I'm not dead yet," Kami replied. "Forgive the intrusion, oh great King Yemma, but I have an urgent request. I would like for my former pupil, Son Goku to be given permission to try and cross Snake Way in order to receive special training from the Lord of Worlds. There are two Saiyan warriors heading towards Earth, and if Goku doesn't get this training, I fear that the Earth may be doomed!"

"Wait a minute...did you say 'Goku'?" asked King Yemma. "As in...'Son Goku'?!"

"He sure did!" Goku's voice replied from the bottom.

King Yemma poked his head over the brim of his desk and his eyes nearly bugged out at the sight before him. Goku was at the bottom of the desk and waved to him. "Hiya!"

"That's the very same Goku who defeated the evil King Piccolo!" Yemma gasped. "Not to mention, the one who defeated Garlic Jr. the year prior! If you want to go see King Kai, then you've got my official permission!"

"Whoa! Really?!" exclaimed Goku.

King Yemma nodded firmly. "You've done a lot of good for this planet, m'boy. If anyone deserves training with the Lord of Worlds himself, it's you!" he replied.

"Thank you so very much, King Yemma!" Kami bowed before the lord of the afterlife.

Goku gave a thumbs-up. "Yeah, thanks, man!" he exclaimed.

"Goku! Do not talk so flippantly to someone like King Yemma!" Kami hissed through his teeth.

"Oh! Sorry, big dude!" Goku quickly apologized.

"And do not refer to them as, 'big dude'!" Kami added.

"Right, sorry, Mr. Great King Yemma!" Goku said.

"Well, it's just out that doorway," King Yemma pointed to the back door of his office. "There should be an attendant there who'll explain everything about it you need to know."

"Alright!" Goku nodded. "Kami, take care; same goes for Mr. Popo!" he told the elderly deity.

"I'll try, as you must as well." Kami replied.

And on that, Goku jogged out the back door, leaving Kami alone with his thoughts for a moment.

Two years...only two years' time before our planet is put in jeopardy. I pray that Goku will be able to get the training he needs with King Kai. And I can only hope my training for his friends will help them become strong enough as well. Only time will tell...but what of his child, Gohan? And his brother, Raditz--

His thoughts were interupted by King Yemma. "Kami, please do your monologing elsewhere! I need to continue my work!" he shouted.

Kami quickly began to backpedal out of the room. "Oh, yes, of course, King Yemma! Your amazingness! Your excellence! Your..." he stammered.

"JUST GO ALREADY! " King Yemma boomed, throwing a paperweight at the wrinkled green deity, causing him to scamper out of the office.

And so, the places are set, and the training is about to begin. With Goku on Snake Way, Raditz and the others in basic training, and Piccolo off by himself, Earth's Special Forces are preparing to meet the hostile invaders head on. But will their training be enough to fend off these cosmic creeps? Find out in the next exciting episode of "Dragon Ball Z"!

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW (Japanese Version)

PICCOLO: Listen up! This is Piccolo. In order to toughen up Goku's wimpy little son and his nails-on-a-chalkboard-voiced wife, I've given them a little challenge:  survive in the wild for 6 months!

GOHAN: Are you gonna leave me by myself too, Mama?

CHI-CHI: Gohan, I would never do that...but Mr. Piccolo is right; I've been too overbearing for a long time.

RADITZ: Not to mention, Bulma is going through some changes of her own...

GOKU: Next time on "Dragon Ball Z": 

'Potential Reawakened?! Gohan and Chi-Chi, the Students of Piccolo'

PICCOLO:  This training is no joke!

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW (American Version)

Next "DragonBall Z", Piccolo puts Gohan and Chi-Chi through the wringer as part of their wilderness survival training...

As the narration starts, we FADE IN on Gohan running from the Ferocisaurus, while Chi-Chi is on its back, trying to fend it off.

...and Bulma goes through some truly bizarre changes while trying to tap into the secret of Saiyan durability!

CUT TO: Bulma on the floor, clutching her stomach in pain as sweat forms on her brow and on the wall, a shadow of a tail bursts out of her back end.

Don't miss a minute of the action, next time...

FADE TO BLACK.

ROLL CREDITS.

Chapter Text

Previously on "DragonBall Z", Goku and his friends, with Raditz in tow, learned of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, which would allow the Earth's Special Forces to receive a year's worth of training in only the span of a single day. Of course, knowing that it would be of more use to Goku after he'd learned some new moves, Kami and Mr. Popo told Goku of the legendary martial-arts master, King Kai, the Lord of Worlds, who awaited at the end of the long, winding Snake Way in Other World.

Meanwhile, Piccolo is more than aware of Gohan's hidden potential, and he's decided to make sure he brings it to the surface. Of course, he'll have to face an obstacle that might be more fearsome than any Saiyan warrior...Gohan's mother.

Episode 4:

The Trials of Training

Japanese Title:

"Reawakened Potential!

Gohan and Chi-Chi, The Students of Piccolo?!"

Ian Corlett as Goku

Christopher Gray as Gohan

Grey DeLisle as Chi-Chi

Scott McNeil as Piccolo

French Tickner as Oni Guide

Lalania Lindbjerg as Bulma

James Arnold Taylor as Raditz

Goku was having a small snooze in the back of a small car that was driving along. But he was quickly jolted awake by the driver's voice. "Excuse me, mister; we're here!" he called.

With a yelp, Goku jolted awake, and did a double-take when he spotted a massive stone snake head in front of the car, with a body that went too far for him to see the end!

The spiky-haired Saiyan got out of the car with the oni that drove him there. "So, this is Snake Way, hm?" he asked.

"Indeed it is," the oni replied. "It's 625,000 miles, or 1 million kilometers long! The only other person to make it all the way and back was King Yemma, but that was eons ago."

"Whoa! I've got a long way to go then..." Goku exclaimed, bewildered. "But what about food? Won't I starve while I'm on there?"

The oni snapped his fingers, and in a puff of smoke, he had a backpack. "This bag is enchanted. It's filled with food, and whenever it reaches empty, it'll refill itself!" he explained.

Goku took the bag and put it on his back. "That's useful," he replied. "Anything I should know about before I head off? Like any dangers along the path and such?"

"Well, make sure not to fall off," the oni replied. "Below those clouds is Hell, the Land of Damned Souls. If you fall off, you can't come back."

"Well, I sure don't want that," Goku nodded. "Anything else?"

"There's a rather strange mansion along the path," the oni replied. "Avoid it if you can, for it's owned by a rather dangerous person."

Goku nodded. "Thanks for the information," he said. "Welp, see ya later!"

And he suddenly rose into the air, before he flew forward at great speed, surprising the oni as he watched him fly along the path!

"Way to go, man!" the oni cheered. "Fight the machine!"

And so, on that note, Goku's grand journey across Snake Way had officially begun!

MEANWHILE, BACK ON EARTH...

Gohan was once again hard at work on the schoolwork his mother had assigned to him. He wasn't sure if other kids his age had to do this sort of thing, but sometimes he wondered if it was worth all this trouble.

Chi-Chi, meanwhile, was in the other room, sweeping the floor and cleaning up any dust that coated it. But that's when she heard someone knocking on the door.

"Who could that be?" she wondered. Then, the knocking got a little louder.

"One second!" yelled Chi-Chi. As she dumped the dust in the trash and put the broom away, the knocking only got louder.

"I hear you, I hear you!" Chi-Chi shouted, as she went and opened the door with a glare, but it instantly disappeared, replaced with a look of absolute horror when she saw who was in the doorway.

Piccolo was standing there, his arms crossed and an annoyed expression on his face! "Did I come at a bad time?" he asked dryly.

"P-P-Piccolo...!" stammered Chi-Chi, turning pale. "Wha...what are YOU doin' here? Goku's not home!"

"I didn't come for him," Piccolo retorted. "I came for the kid."

A few quiet minutes passed before Chi-Chi grabbed a nearby frying pan and whacked Piccolo over the head!

...it shattered on impact.

"What the hell d'ya want with mah baby boy?!" yelled Chi-Chi, her southern accent leaking through.

"Depends on whether or not you'll let me explain." Piccolo stated. "So...will you?"

Chi-Chi took a breath before replying. "...proceed."

So Piccolo did. "That kid of yours is strong...very strong. He has the potential to become one of the strongest people on the planet! Given his heritage, and the oncoming threat to Earth, he needs proper training."

"Heritage? Threat to Earth? What the heck are ya talkin' about?!" asked Chi-Chi.

And thus, Piccolo went on to explain everything. About Raditz, Goku being an alien, which meant that Gohan was half-alien, the threat of the Saiyans arriving in about two years time, how all of Goku's friends were going to be training to combat this threat, and how Goku would be gone for a large chunk of time in order to receive special training in Other World.

Chi-Chi was stunned, to say the least!

"Last year, I witnessed that child tap into an unfathomable power," Piccolo continued. "If it was enough to hurl a powerful demon into his own vortex, then if he were taught to control his power, it would be the ace in the hole against the Saiyan invasion."

"You must be crazy!" Chi-Chi exclaimed. "He's only four years old! There is no way I'm letting you turn my baby into some meathead!"

Piccolo growled, flashing his teeth. "I'm not asking, I'm TELLING!" he bellowed. "And if you won't give him up willingly, I'll take him from you by force, even if it means I have to kill you to do it!"

Chi-Chi took a defensive stance. "I'd like to see you try; I'm not as weak as I seem!" she declared. "And Kami knows what Goku would do if you killed me, buster! I am not leaving my boy alone with you to become some muscle-headed fignter!"

"You'd rather your son grow up to be a weak bookworm, rather than become strong enough to defend himself and the people he cares about?!" Piccolo retorted.

That shut Chi-Chi up. It's as if Piccolo's words snapped some sense into her. It seemed that as soon as Gohan was old enough to read and write (apparently 2 years after he was born), she had become nothing more than an angry, overprotective mother, trying to decide her son's path every second. (In other words, the canon interpretation!)

And before Chi-Chi even knew what she was saying, she blurted, "I'm coming with you."

Piccolo had NOT expected this. "...W-what?"

"You heard me," Chi-Chi said firmly. "If Gohan really needs this training, I'm going with you!" she told him.

Piccolo contemplated this. "I'll admit, I did see you in combat during the last World Martial Arts Tournament, and while you were beaten, your skill was impressive. So fine, you may come along," he relented. "Just don't get in the way."

"As long as you don't treat Gohan too harshly." Chi-Chi replied.

Piccolo snickered. "You must not be familiar with my teaching style." he smirked.

Chi-Chi groaned for a moment as she went over to the door of Gohan's room, with Piccolo staying in the kitchen.

"Gohan?" Chi-Chi called as she opened the door to her son's room. "Mommy needs you to pack a bag."

"A bag?" Gohan asked. "How come?"

"Well, we're going on a training trip," Chi-Chi told her son.

Gohan grew excited as he started running around his room, grabbing a small bag and various pieces of clothes. As he was about to grab some books, Chi-Chi stopped him. "Oh, no books, Gohan. This is a different kind of trip." she said.

Gohan looked confused by that. "What kind of trip, mom?" he asked.

Chi-Chi had to think. "Well, um..." she began. "You know how your father is really strong, right?"

Gohan nodded.

"Well, we're going on a trip to train, so we can become strong like him!" Chi-Chi replied.

Gohan's eyes grew wide and starry upon hearing that! "Really?! I'm gonna get to train like daddy!?" he asked.

Chi-Chi nodded. "Yep! But, the person we're going to be training with is... unique." she continued.

"Unique...how?" Gohan asked.

Before Chi-Chi could respond, Piccolo beat her to the punch. "Would you hurry up?" he boomed. "Those Saiyans aren't gonna wait around for you to get started!"

As Gohan stared at his mother, she said, "I guess that's an ice-breaker."

Soon, Chi-Chi and Piccolo stood before Gohan in front of the house. Chi-Chi was dressed in an adult-sized version of that battle armor she wore when she was little.

"Once we get to our training site, I don't wanna hear any whining, or crying, or complaining, you got it?" Piccolo asked.

Gohan gave a shaky nod.

"I suppose we should get a move on," said Chi-Chi, carrying a few capsules on her person. "We should have enough food and clothes for all of this."

"Whatever," Piccolo scoffed. "And do TRY to keep up." That being said, he lifted into the air and took off.

Chi-Chi grunted in annoyance. "Flying Nimbus!" she called.

In a matter of moments, the yellow cloud stopped in front of Chi-Chi and Gohan. Chi-Chi picked up her son and jumped onto the cloud.

"Nimbus, follow Piccolo." she told it.

And with that, the cloud sped off after Piccolo, following him to the Break Wasteland. Soon after, they landed.

"For the next six months, you're gonna learn how to survive in the wilderness," Piccolo explained. "If you survive? Then I'll teach you both to fight."

"Are you insane?! He's not even seven!" yelled Chi-Chi.

"Your husband lived in the woods on his own for far longer than that at roughly the same age!" retorted Piccolo. "I'm sure the little twerp can handle it! Besides, I was only a baby when I was left by myself. It's the only way you can bring out your power."

"Wh...what power?" Gohan whimpered. "I'm... I'm just a little kid!"

Piccolo grabbed Gohan by the skull. "Lemme show you, then..." he declared as he lifted him into the air and pitched him straight towards a mountain, Gohan screaming in terror the whole way.

"What the HELL are you DOING?!" Chi-Chi screamed, her eyes bloodshot.

"Proving a point." Piccolo retorted simply.

While soaring through the air at unimaginable speeds, Gohan's fear suddenly turned to anger, and a ball of energy engulfed him. He stuck his fists forward, and a blast of energy fired out, completely obliterating the mountain.

Chi-Chi couldn't even speak! Her eyes were as wide as they could get as she processed what her son just did!

"I told you, the kid has amazing potential," explained Piccolo. "The problem is; he can't control that power yet."

"So that's why you want him to survive in the wild..." Chi-Chi realized. "It may allow him to learn to control his powers in order to survive."

Piccolo nodded. "Exactly."

Gohan rubbed his head as he came out of his haze of rage. "Did I do that...?" he asked.

"Indeed you did," Piccolo explained. "But your power only bursts loose when your emotions are at your peak. Not very useful...but in 6 months' time, I will teach you to use that power ALL the time!"

"B-but I don't wanna be a fighter..." Gohan whimpered. "I wanna be a great scholar...or an orthopedist."

Piccolo snorted. "Your mother's influence, no doubt," he remarked dryly. "Be whatever you want AFTER the Saiyans have been defeated. Otherwise, if they wipe out the planet, you won't get that chance."

"B-but... I'm scared...!" Gohan sniffled.

"STOP YOUR WHINING! OR ELSE I'LL SNAP YOUR NECK RIGHT NOW!" Piccolo declared, booming.

"That's enough!" Chi-Chi remarked, getting in front of her son to defend him.

Piccolo glared at her. "You better get your kid to stop whining, or I'll teach him a lesson for being such a crybaby!" he ordered.

Chi-Chi grunted before she knelt before Gohan. "Gohan, listen to me." she said in a calm but firm tone.

Gohan managed to stop sniffling and listen up.

"I've been wrong to treat you like this..." Chi-Chi continued. "To constantly coddle you...making you study for 8 hours a day at such an early age. I know how much you admire your father, and how much you'd like to be like him. But we need yo prepare you for things like this. When you grow uo; you can be whatever you want to be. But for now, training you is very important. Okay sweetie?"

Gohan nodded shakily. "...okay, mommy." he replied, feeling a bit more sure of himself.

Chi-Chi smiled before kissing Gohan on the forehead and getting back to her feet.

Piccolo rolled his eyes at the gesture. "Good grief..."

"See, it worked, didn't it?" Chi-Chi told him with a hint of self-satisfaction in her tone.

"So...what do I do?" asked Gohan.

"All you two need to do is live," said Piccolo firmly. "Try surviving, staying alive for the next half-year. In this way, you'll learn to toughen up, in mind AND body. While your father's peers are training, you hold the key to Earth's fate in your hands."

And he walked off, before stopping. "And by the way, don't bother trying to escape. This place is surrounded by an expansive, agonizing desert. It makes THIS place look like a paradise in comparison."

"But what about baths?" asked Gohan. "Or beds, or notebooks or pencils, or..."

"You think there's any of that arranged for you out here, pipsqueak?" Piccolo smirked. "Time to grow up and handle things yourself."

"But you can't leave...that's cruel!" exclaimed Gohan.

"Sometimes life is cruel, kid," Piccolo retorted. "If you wanna blame something, then blame your own fate...just like I do."

With that, he flew away, leaving Gohan to stare at his mother in fear. "Are you gonna leave me alone, too?" he asked.

"No, Gohan," replied Chi-Chi as she bent down to his level. "No matter what...I'd never leave you alone. But, as awful as he is, Mr. Piccolo is right; we both need to get stronger so that way we'll have a chance to survive against those aliens."

She took her hair out of its bun, causing it to fall out, flowing behind her. "But we're going to get stronger together." she added.

Gohan smiled at his mother. At least she was going to be there to help him to survive.

"I think it's best if you take off your coat, since that'll only get in the way," Chi-Chi advised. "Then, we'll find a place to camp out for the night."

Gohan smiled. "Good idea, mommy."

Chi-Chi smiled back at her son. She was confident that they would make it out on their own.

ELSEWHERE...

In West City, at Capsule Corp, Bulma was in her lab conducting some experiments while Raditz was waiting outside, having nodded off about a half hour ago.

"Let's see here..." Bulma muttered to herself. "If what Raditz says is true, Saiyan DNA could give anyone a boost if put into their systems. But I would need something to test it on..."

As she thought to herself, she caught a glimpse of a mirror. "What if... I tested it on myself?" she suggested.

Bulma felt a little apprehensive about that idea, but she didn't wanna risk anyone's health. If she tested it on herself, she would only be putting herself at risk.

So, with a resolved look, Bulma decided to use herself to test the Saiyan DNA. Taking a syringe and filling it with some of the bright purple substance, Bulma braced herself before she injected it into her left arm. There was a slight buzz in her skull as the injection took effect. She felt something about her physiology changing! She couldn't help but let out a surprised gasp!

This was enough to wake up Raditz, who ran into the room to see Bulma doubled over!

"Bulma, what's going on?!" the long-haired Saiyan exclaimed.

Bulma could only let out a groan of agony, as Raditz saw a small, fuzzy blue nub forming just above her rear end. Before the Saiyan's eyes, the blue nub gained a tint of purple before it grew out, until it was as long as his own tail!

Finally, Bulma's groaning slowed down to huffing and panting as Raditz helped her to her feet. "...are you okay?" he asked, curious.

"Y-yeah. I think so." huffed Bulma.

Raditz found himself staring at the tail that twitched.

"Uh, what're you looking at?"

Raditz saw a nearby mirror, and turned the woman's head towards her reflection.

Bulma's eyes went wide as she saw the purple tail, twitching and swinging around behind her.

"I...I have a tail..." she muttered.

"You have a tail," Raditz nodded.

"I/YOU HAVE A TAIL!" they both shouted at the same time.

"What happened? Why do you have a tail?!" asked Raditz.

"I borrowed some of your hair," replied Bulma. "So I could study its DNA and figure out how Saiyans got more powerful every time they recovered from a brutal fight; I decided we could use that as an advantage against those two Saiyans coming to Earth. And when I reached a breakthrough...I injected myself to test it."

"Did you even think about what would happen once you injected yourself?!" Raditz demanded.

"I predicted many different outcomes, but not this!" Bulma shot back. "I injected myself because I didn't wanna risk anyone else getting hurt!"

"And yet, you're perfectly fine with risking your own skin!" Raditz thundered. "Of all the scatterbrained-"

"Well, I'm fine, aren't I?!" interjected Bulma.

"Mm-hmm, yes; except for one tiny, itty, bitty, teensy, weensy, little side effect... YOU HAVE A TAIL!" Raditz shouted.

"Why do you even care?!"

"BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"

That was the last sentence uttered, before everyone went silent, Raditz's words hanging in the otherwise empty air.

Both people found blushes creeping onto their faces; Bulma noticed her tail started wagging, and she quickly grabbed it, but cringed when she felt pain upon doing so.

Raditz tried to will his own tail to stop wagging, but it wouldn't!

"W-well... I should probably leave you to resume your studies," he suggested, getting up and backing towards the door.

"Wait!" called Bulma, making Raditz stop and turn to her.

She looked down as she spoke. "...thank you for worrying."

Raditz gulped. "...you're welcome." he managed to say before he left the room, leaving Bulma alone to look at her tail.

Her new appendage wriggled and flopped, as if it were a separate entity all its own.

Bulma gave a sigh. "Well, I've gotta try and get used to this thing. But Kami knows how well that's gonna go?" she pondered. "Goku used to get all weak and drowsy whenever someone squeezed his tail...so I guess my first course of action is to overcome this weakness..."

But that left Bulma with one question...how did one train a tail? The best way she could think of would be to keep squeezing it until she could withstand its overpowering effect. But in the meantime, she had some questions about Saiyan technology which needed to be asked.

Out in the wild, Gohan had just finished taking a whiz on a nearby rock, when he overheard some growling.

He looked down and felt his stomach to see if it was coming from him. "I'm not THAT hungry..." he muttered to himself, but as he turned around, he saw a massive dinosaur snarling at him.

Gohan felt himself unable to move as his wide eyes beheld the gigantic creature before him! "M-mom? Mommy?!" he managed to barely whimper.

The dinosaur roared loudly, and Gohan was off like a shot, running like crazy as he yelled, "Mommy!"

"Hang on, Gohan!" Chi-Chi shouted as she landed on the beast's back, trying to distract it by biting its hide. "Git th' hell away from mah baby boy, y' no-good beast!" she yelled.

However, this didn't do much to deter the dinosaur from trying to eat Gohan, as he continued the pursuit.

"Y-you don't wanna eat me!" Gohan yelled. "I'll give you indigestion!"

The Ferocisaurus was relentless as it chased Gohan, taking no notice of the woman on his head; hitting it over and over again!

As Gohan kept running, he tripped over a rock and fell, while the dinosaur closed in, its jaws ready to bite down.

Gohan looked back and saw the massive teeth about to eat him, and at that moment something surged through his body, engulfing it in a glowing aura and causing him to vanish as the dinosaur ate the ground...and got a mouthful of rocks!

Chi-Chi was as wide-eyed as the dinosaur as she looked around, trying to spot just where her child had gone. "Gohan...? Where'd you go?!" she shouted.

That's when she heard a voice from further up. "Helloooo?!"

Chi-Chi looked up, and did a double-take as she saw Gohan looking down at her from atop a rather large rock formation.

"M-mommy?!" he shouted.

Chi-Chi quickly used her agility to jump up to the top in a single bound, much like her husband, and landed in front of a relieved-looking Gohan.

A while later, Gohan and Chi-Chi tucked into some of the food they brought with them, although it was a bit chilly outside, being stuck up on a mountain.

Gohan shivered. "It's cold out here...!"

"And that's why we packed some blankets," Chi-Chi told him as she took them from their capsule. "We ain't goin' into this unprepared, Gohan."

"Did you and Dad ever do this kind of thing?" asked Gohan.

"Well, your father grew up on his own in the wild," his mother explained. "I lived in a castle with my father. But when your father and I got married, we spent a lot more time together in the woods; camping under the stars. I... I don't know why I stopped going on those trips."

"Well, when was the last time you did?" asked Gohan.

Chi-Chi thought, and realized...

... it was before Gohan was born.

When her son was born, she pretty much gave up stuff like camping.

She couldn't tell her son that!

So she simply said, "I'd say, four, maybe five years ago... maybe when we see your father again, all three of us could go camping together?"

Gohan smiled as he said, "that sounds amazing!"

As they ate, Piccolo glanced down at them from the air.

The next morning, Raditz came into the lab to check on Bulma and see how she was doing with her scientific progress. He found her there, using a microscope for looking over several DNA samples she had laid out. Her tail was drooped down.

"Uh, Bulma? You okay?" queried Raditz.

The turquoise-violet-haired woman turned to him. There were prominent bags under her eyes, and some crust in her eyes. "G'morning, Raditz." she yawned.

Raditz said, "jeez, how long have you been up?"

Bulma yawned, "I got up early so I could work on this stuff."

Raditz stated, "Bulma, you need a good amount of sleep. Otherwise, you're gonna fall asleep while working with dangerous chemicals."

"It's nice to know you're concerned," said Bulma with a yawn. "But I've pulled all-nighters like this back when I was in high school. Although...if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions first."

"Sure," Raditz replied, as his stomach gurgled. "...but you'll have to ask them over breakfast. I dunno about you, but I slept like a rock, and I didn't eat anything yesterday."

Bulma said, "I know how much you Saiyans love to eat. Come on, mom must have breakfast ready by now."

Bulma got up, and walked out of the lab, accidentally swishing her tail, making Raditz stare for a moment before following after her.

"Oh! Also, we'll need to strengthen that tail of yours; maybe we could strengthen them together?" Raditz suggested as he followed behind.

Bulma sweated a little. "Uh, s-sure." she replied.

Soon, the two of them entered the kitchen, and Raditz had a strange look as he saw Bulma's mother cooking.

She was a very attractive woman with blonde hair, an hourglass figure, and a happy expression on her face.

"Morning, mom." said Bulma.

Bulma's mom, Panchy, replied, "oh, good morning sweety! Who's your handsome friend there?"

"This is Raditz," Bulma blushed as her tail wagged. "He's...well, he's Goku's brother."

"Oh! I didn't know Goku had a brother!" Panchy beamed.

"Good morning, miss," Raditz waved. "Pleased to meet you."

Panchy said, "you too sweetie. Now, I bet you have an appetite just like Goku's, hmm?"

Raditz said, "well, uh, I am hungry."

"that's great! I'm almost finished!" Panchy said. "You and Bulma just make yourselves comfy!"

And with that, Raditz and Bulma both sat down at the table, both of them starting to get hungry.

MEANWHILE, UP ON KAMI'S LOOKOUT...

Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yajirobe, Puar, Oolong, and Launch were busy sparring with one another, while Kami and Mr. Popo looked on, observing.

"They're coming along rather nicely, wouldn't you agree?" asked Mr. Popo.

"Indeed I would, old friend," Kami nodded. "Although once their practice here is done, we'll need to get them into the Time Chamber."

"Are you sure they'll be able to handle it?" asked Popo.

Kami replied, "even if they are not, it may be our only chance of helping them get strong enough to fight the Saiyans when they arrive."

Mr. Popo nodded as he and Kami watched the sparring continue.

Up on Snake Way, Goku was still running down the path as fast as he could, but he stopped to take a break and eat some lunch...or dinner. He couldn't exactly tell what time it was or how long he'd been running for.

"woof, this is one long trail. I have no idea if I'm gonna be able to get across. But I've gotta. Everyone counting on me to get stronger!"

After he finished his snack break, he got back up, put the pack on his back once more, and he was on the run once more!

Back at Capsule Corp, Raditz was finishing his explanation. "...so you see, every time Saiyans are beaten to the brink of death, and subsequently healed, they become even stronger than they were before." he concluded.

Bulma was scribbling down details so quickly, that her pen began to smoke. "This is incredible!" she exclaimed, before blowing on her pen to keep it from catching on fire. "If these medical machines are as good as you say, then by making ones of our own and combining them with some of the Saiyan genetics, we might just have a chance to make our fighters even stronger!"

Raditz agreed, "it could work, but we need to make sure there's no drastic side effects. Like, uh, y'know..."

Bulma looked down at her appendage. "...noted."

Raditz and Bulma were both excited by the idea. A way to make all of them stronger, combining the tech and DNA of the Saiyans with Capsule Corp technology in order to do so. It was a stroke of genius!

Out in the Break Wastelands, Gohan and Chi-Chi were sound asleep while Piccolo was in deep meditation. Suddenly, Gohan woke up and walked to the edge of the rock formation, rustling Piccolo out of his trance.

What could he be up to? wondered Piccolo, curious.

"I really hate it here..." Gohan muttered to himself as he pulled down his pants and let his stream fly over the side.

Piccolo rolled his eyes. The needs of the body, I suppose... he thought to himself.

As Gohan finished taking another whiz, he looked down and saw his own shadow. "I have a nighttime shadow?" he asked. "That's funny...but how could that be here? The sun's not out..."

Turning around, the boy noticed that right behind him was a full, round moon in the sky.

"Whoa...is that the full moon?" he exclaimed, waking his mother up. "It's so bright...this is the first time I've ever seen a full moo-"

Then, he stopped. A low, thumping beat started to pound in his chest, and something seemed to surge through his mind.

Chi-Chi whispered, "Gohan? Sweetie? Are you alright?"

The thumping steadily grew louder, and began to get faster. Gohan's expression of awe turned to one of furious rage.

From up high, Piccolo saw the trance Gohan seemed to be in, as the boy slowly started to growl!

Piccolo blitzed over to Chi-Chi, picked her up and flew them away!

"What the Hell are you doing?!" the housewife/mother demanded.

"Getting you out of blast range!" remarked Piccolo. "Something's about to happen, and I doubt it'll be good!"

As they both watched, Gohan's eyes became blood-red, his teeth became sharp fangs, he began to grow bigger, and let out a massive roar!

His body was soon covered with fur, his fingernails became sharp and pointed, and his mouth elongated into a fearsome snout.

In no time, Gohan had now grown into a massive monkey monster, and he let out a roar as he stood atop the rock formation, which broke underneath his weight, making him fall. But luckily he landed on his feet...only to smash the rest of the rock formation to rubble.

Chi-Chi was wide eyed, and found tears stinging her eyes as she saw all of this happening! Her baby boy had just turned into a giant monkey! "What the Hell is going on?!" she screamed. "What happened to my son!?"

"Your kid somehow transformed into a giant monkey! It happened as soon as he saw the moon!" Piccolo exclaimed.

"The moon?!" Chi-Chi exclaimed incredulously.

"It's just like Raditz said..." Piccolo explained. "Whenever a Saiyan with a tail sees the full moon, they turn into giant rampaging apes."

"What?! Why didn't anyone tell me this?!" Chi-Chi blinked. "And if Gohan can do this, so can Goku, Raditz-"

Piccolo finished, "-and the other two Saiyans!"

They both grew horrified expressions as they watched Gohan smashing everything in front of him, and even shooting bolts of energy from his mouth!

Piccolo exclaimed, "if this doesn't end soon, there won't even be an Earth for the Saiyans to destroy!"

"...get me down there," Chi-Chi told him.

"WHAT?!" Piccolo thundered.

"Maybe I can get through to him," Chi-Chi replied. "Even if he's a rampaging monster, he's still my little Gohan."

"You've got to be kidding!" Piccolo remarked.

"You have any better ideas?!" Chi-Chi yelled.

Piccolo had to admit, she had a point. "Fine, but if he kills us, don't say I didn't warn you!" he snapped.

And so Piccolo got Chi-Chi down to a safe point on the ground, while Gohan continued to rampage throughout the wasteland.

"And how exactly are you gonna get through to him?" the Mazoku clan member questioned.

Before he could blink, Chi-Chi cupped her hands and yelled, "GOHAN!"

The giant monkey stopped, and seemed to shake as he heard his mother's voice!

"GOHAN! CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Chi-Chi called out.

The giant monkey looked around until he spotted Chi-Chi on the ground nearby, and while his primal instincts told him to crush her underfoot, his human side was making him hesitate.

Piccolo whispered, "I sure hope you know what you're doing!"

Chi-Chi yelled, "GOHAN! THIS ISN'T YOU! YOU'RE NOT A MONSTER! YOU'RE A SWEET, WONDERFUL BOY! YOU AREN'T SOME BLOOD THIRSTY CREATURE! PLEASE! REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!"

Gohan was about to slam down his fist, when he caught himself. He seemed to strain, clutching his head in pain as he tried to fight against his instincts.

Chi-Chi was stunned by the act. "I-I'm getting through to him!" she exclaimed.

"Keep going!" Piccolo shouted. There might actually BE something to this mother-and-child-bond thing...

Chi-Chi nodded. "FIGHT IT GOHAN! FIGHT IT! YOU CAN'T LET THIS BEAT YOU! EHAT WOULD YOUR FATHER SAY!?"

Gohan was roaring as he pulled his hand close to his face, trying to fight his instincts as best as he could!

Finally, the inner conflict ceased, and the giant ape was left exhausted.

"...did it work?" asked Piccolo.

"...MUH...MU...MOMMY?" asked the large primate in a booming voice. "WHAT HAPPENED? WHY IS EVERYTHING SO LITTLE?"

Chi-Chi and Piccolo looked at one another.

Chi-Chi said, "I wasn't expecting that."

Piccolo replied, "neither was I."

Gohan repeated, "MOMMY? WHAT'S GOING ON?"

Chi-Chi did her best to calm her son, "everything's alright Gohan. You just went through something very... strange. This may take awhile to explain."

The ground shook as Gohan sat down to listen.

And thus, Chi-Chi began to explain the situation involving Gohan's tail, how the full moon causes him, and other Saiyans to transform and what not.

"S-SO...AM I GONNA STAY LIKE THIS?" asked Gohan after the explanation was done.

"Well, it should only last until sunrise," said Chi-Chi. "Or if your tail was removed."

"Well, I might be able to fix that," Piccolo declared as he turned towards the moon, and concentrated his power.

"Wait!" Chi-Chi protested. "We might need the moon for an advantage!"

"We can't take that risk," said Piccolo. "If he could use the moon, so could those other 2 Saiyans."

He then immediately fired an energy blast at the moon, obliterating it completely in a shower of space dust!

At that very moment, Gohan gradually shrank back to his normal size, groaning all the while as he did so, until he was back to normal. And then, he faceplanted on the ground, unconscious.

Chi-Chi quickly picked up her son, cradling his head as she let out a breath of relief.

"We'd better get rid of that tail." said Piccolo.

Chi-Chi looked at the Namekian. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"It's a liability; if someone were to grab and squeeze it, he'd be as weak as a kitten," Piccolo replied, before he reached down and pulled the tail right off. "Although, now he might need some new clothes. And a sword to protect himself."

He put out his hands, and fired a beam over Gohan's exposed form. In a matter of minutes, the boy now had a set of clothing that looked almost like Goku's, with a sword laying near him.

"The design is your father's, but the symbol on the back shows you're from my camp," Piccolo smirked. "And unless you want one of your own, then this is my cue to leave. I have my own training to take care of...but in half a year, I'll be back. And when you both train under me, you'll wish that you were dead."

"Actually...I may need clothes like that, too," Chi-Chi spoke up. "I can't really fight that well in a dress."

"OK, give me a second," replied Piccolo.

Soon, Chi-Chi was engulfed in a bright light. Once it fades, she saw the clothes she wore. She was wearing an outfit similar to what Gohan and Goku wore: the orange and blue gi. She looked to her back and saw a sword hanging from it, and the "DEMON" symbol Piccolo wore.

"Thank you." Chi-Chi told him.

The last son of the Mazoku clan nodded, and took off into the night, leaving the mother and son alone.

Back in West City, Bulma was getting better at resisting the urge to pass out from getting her tail grabbed.

"I see you're making good progress," noted Raditz. "Now, you just need to learn how to use ki energy...as well as how to fight."

"Easier said then done," Bulma replied with a dry chuckle. "Goku, Yamcha, Krillin and the others were always our fighting the bad guys. All I ever did was complain and whine. I'm useless."

Raditz put a gentle hand on Bulma's shoulder. "Not to me, you aren't." he countered.

Bulma and Raditz once again found themselves blushing at one another.

"I mean, you've managed to do so much in such a short amount of time," said Raditz. "Surely there's got to be some way to teach you fighting skills."

Bulma pondered, until she got an embarrassed look on her face. "Well, there IS someone..."

"Yeah?" asked Raditz.

"Master Roshi," Bulma replied. "The old man from that island."

"That was him?" asked Raditz in disbelief.

Bulma nodded. "Yeah. He was the one who trained Goku, Krillin and Yamcha in martial arts many years ago." she replied.

"OK, so what's the problem?" Raditz pondered.

"He's a dirty old man." Bulma stated.

"That explains why you're so hesitant to train with him." realized Raditz.

"Among other things..." Bulma nodded.

"Well, then I'll go and join you," Raditz told Bulma. "It couldn't hurt to give it a shot. Plus, I'll make sure nobody tries any funny stuff with you."

Once again, the preparation continues. With Bulma and Raditz about to undertake some serious training, Chi-Chi, Gohan, and the other Z-Fighters are doing training of their own. And Goku's catching Z's while he takes a break. Speaking of which, you'd better do some catching too--and I mean catching the next episode of "Dragon Ball Z"!

Chapter Text

In our last episode, Chi-Chi learned a few things about Gohan's Saiyan heritage...like what happens when he looks at the full moon, for starters! Thanks to Piccolo and Chi-Chi's combined efforts, however, this didn't last for long!

And meanwhile, Bulma made a scientific breakthrough when she combined her own genes with Raditz's in order to tap into the power of the Saiyans' battle resilience; now she just needs to learn how to use energy attacks and fighting, and only one person knows about that: Master Roshi!

Episode Title:  Pendulum Room Peril

Featuring the VOICE TALENTS of:

Terry Klassen as Krillin

Keenan Christiansen as Chiaotzu

David Sobolov as Tien Shinhan

Terrence "Terry" Scammell as Yamcha

Kathleen Barr as Lunch [Blonde Launch]

Janyse Jaud as Launch [Bluenette Launch]

Brian Drummond as Yajirobe

Michael O'Reilly as Oolong

Pauline Little as Puar

Blu Mankuma as Mr. Popo

Peter Cullen as Kami

Will Ryan as Sea Turtle

Michael Donovan as Master Roshi

James Arnold Taylor as Raditz

Alison Court as Bulma

Frank Welker as Scarface

Jason Marsden as Shorty

Narrated by Peter Cullen

It was early in the day when Bulma and Raditz arrived on Turtle Island, and with it, the Kame House.

Bulma glowered, wearing an expression that clearly meant let's get this over with.

Raditz could read the look she bore. "Are you sure you wanna train with this man?" he asked.

"If I wanna learn how to become a fighter, then I don't have much choice," the turquoise-haired genius replied. "But if he tries anything, a kick downstairs will teach him a lesson!"

Raditz stifled a snicker at Bulma's threat.

Shortly afterwards, Bulma approached the door and gave a few knocks.

"Just a second, just a second!" called a gloomy-sounding voice.

Bulma and Raditz waited a few minutes, before the door opened, and Sea Turtle stepped outside onto the porch.

"Oh! Miss Briefs, and Mister Raditz!" he exclaimed. "So nice to see you both. Might I ask what brings you here this afternoon?"

"We, uh, came to see Roshi..." said Bulma.

"Come again?" asked Turtle.

Raditz rolled his eyes. "We've come to see the old pervert you call Master Roshi so Bulma can start her training to fight and use ki attacks."

"Ah, right. He's currently indisposed," explained Turtle. "But he should be ready shortly. In the meantime, feel free to come on inside."

He moved aside, and Raditz & Bulma entered the small house, then sat on a nearby couch.

Raditz took note of the aerobics playing on the TV, until Turtle turned it off. "Dirty old man can't keep this garbage off the screen for five minutes."

Bulma and Raditz shared a grossed out look before they heard someone entering the room.

"Alright, alright, I'm here!" Roshi called out as he headed inside. "Dammit, Turtle! Ya couldn't lemme record my aerobics programs? Now how am I supposed to stay limber?"

"Oh, yes; I'm soooo sure that's what you use 'em for," Turtle remarked sarcastically. "Besides, you have company."

"Company? What 'n the sam hill do ya mean..." Roshi started before he saw Bulma and Raditz sitting on the couch. "Oh! Bulma! Goku's brother! What're you two doing here?" he asked.

"Bulma has decided that she wants to learn how to fight and harness ki energy," explained Raditz. "So that she can help us fend off the other two Saiyans."

Roshi was surprised for a moment, before he started to grin.

But Bulma beat him to the punch. "You better not try to put me in that damned outfit you put Launch in all those years ago!" she snapped. "That's right, Krillin told me ALL about that!"

Roshi's grin faded. "Fine, I'll try to find you something else to wear during training. But I warn you, Bulma, this training will not be easy. It'll be harsh and vigorous!" he exclaimed.

Raditz and Bulma nodded.

"Good, then!" Roshi declared. "Now, just gimme a few minutes to get you two ready!"

Roshi rushed off to grab what his students would need, leaving Bulma and Raditz alone together, with Turtle making his way outside during all of this.

Eventually, the old man returned with a pair of purple turtle shells; each of them having straps like backpacks.

"I'm going to be putting the both of you through the same training Goku and Krillin went through when they were just youngsters," he explained. "So I had to make these old shells a bit heavier to suit you. And since this island is too small, we'll be moving it to that bigger island for a more proper training place."

"Why the hell are we going to wear turtle shells?" asked Raditz.

"If you can learn how to move as fast as lighting while wearing these things, just think how fast you'll be without them!" Roshi answered.

Bulma considered this for a few seconds. "That actually makes sense. So, how long is this training gonna be?" she asked.

Roshi answered with, "Hard to say. Training is different for everyone."

"From what I was told, it lasted for eight months with Goku and Krillin," Turtle replied.

"Which should be ample time for you to gain speed and sparring skills," continued Roshi. "Not to mention, you'll be able to learn about the use of ki attacks. Every living being has ki inside of them, they simply need to learn how to draw it out."

Raditz gave a nod. "Seems simple enough. When do we leave for this other island?"

"Patience, Raditz, patience," chided Roshi. "We'll need to pack food, water, clothes and such for all of this. We must be prepared."

Raditz and Bulma nodded their heads in understanding.

Eventually, Roshi had finished packing up and putting his house into capsule form, then got his hovercar ready to go. "All aboard who's coming aboard!" he called to the other three people who were there.

Bulma and Raditz looked at one another before getting on.

Turtle called, "I'll swim to the island! I'll meet you there!"

And so, the hovercar sped off towards the bigger island, with Turtle quickly following by swimming quite fast through the ocean.

Meanwhile, out in Break Wasteland...

Gohan and Chi-Chi had just woken up from a quick nap in a tree. Both of their uniforms were a bit torn up, their hair was slightly mussed and dirty, and they each had a few cuts and bruises on their knees and such.

Both looked at one another with smiles. "Food!" they exclaimed.

So the both of them decided to go out and hunt. Fortunately, the dinosaur who'd tried to eat Gohan a while back was prowling around...but apparently he was missing a few chunks of his tail.

Chi-Chi and Gohan both grinned at one another as they got ready to attack; It looked like all of that time in the wild had changed the two of them for the better. Gohan was now brave enough to chase after a carnivorous dinosaur, and seemed to have better control over his emotions, speed and strength.

Chi-Chi was no longer so uptight and angry about so many things. She still responsible, but she had managed to regain the fun loving spirit she seemed to have when she first met Goku.

They both leapt into action, sending the dinosaur running for its life; clearly it recognized them, and knew that they were responsible for lopping off its tail, slice by slice, and cooking them for food.

"C'mon, get back here!" Gohan whooped, readying his sword.

"You know you can't get away!" Chi-Chi yelled.

Both mother and son laughed as they chased the dinosaur down, eager to get their next meal, and proud of themselves for chasing down such a ferocious beast!

Eventually, the beast had gotten another slice of his tail hacked off, and mother and son both enjoyed a helping of dinosaur tail-steak for lunch.

From afar, Piccolo was high in the air, watching the two of them eat.

Well...I'll be. The housewife and spoiled brat have managed to survive out here. Heh, just wait until they go through my training. They won't know what hit 'em...

MEANWHILE, UP ON KAMI'S LOOKOUT...

The other Z-Fighters continued to spar with one another...even Launch was beginning to get the hang of using Ki attacks!

Kami and Mr. Popo watched all of the fighters with awe at their natural talent for fighting, and using ki attacks. They knew that, with the right training, they would come a long way in their quest to defeat the Saiyans.

"Kami, Mr. Popo?" asked Krillin. "Not that we don't appreciate what you've been doing for us...but we wanna get stronger. As in, get the same training Goku got when he came here!"

Kami replied, "we want to make sure you're ready for that. The training we put Goku through was some of the harshest training anyone could. This training will test every single one of you in terms of strength, speed and skill. Do any of you believe you can make it through this training?"

All of the fighters all stood together and looked at one another before nodding their heads. They were sure they were ready!

"Very well, then," Mr. Popo nodded. "Follow me."

SHORTLY AFTERWARDS...

The group was now inside a room with a massive swinging clock and pendulum.

"In this room, the past, present, and the future intersect," explained Popo. "This is where your time trip will begin. When Goku was with us, he did most of his training in here."

"What can we expect to see in this thing?" asked Krillin.

"If we told you, you may be too afraid to continue." explained Mr. Popo.

Yamcha chuckled sheepishly. "It can't be that bad, right?" he asked.

"...no, it's far worse." Kami replied.

All of the fighters shared uneasy looks at the description of the whole thing.

"All who wish to go, step inside the circle," Mr. Popo instructed.

The group entered the circle on the floor while Yajirobe was eating a bag of cookies.

"I recommend that you see with your hearts," Mr. Popo continued. "Now close your eyes, please. When you next open them, you shall be in a far-off place, a thousand years in the past. Good luck to you all."

All of our heroes closed their eyes together, and felt the entire world around them change!

When they opened their eyes, they were in the desolate and terrifying ruins of a civilization long gone...

A skeleton in armor and sporting a monkey tail tumbled down a nearby hill until it stopped by the group's feet.

"Look! A Saiyan!" Yamcha whispered.

"Not anymore..." Krillin replied.

"Hang on, I hear sumthin'..." Lunch said, raising her hand.

"That could've been anything!" Yamcha retorted.

"I don't like this…" muttered Tien. "Everyone stay close together."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Chiaotzu said, while clinging nervously to Tien's leg.

Everyone began making their way through the area; spotting various skeletons all over the place.

"I can't even tell who won the battle." said Yamcha.

"I don't think anyone won this." replied Lunch.

"That's either a good sign, or a bad sign.…" Krillin put in.

"No kidding," Yajirobe remarked, before he noticed that his bag of cookies was gone. "Hey, what the hell? Where'd my cookies go?!"

"Forget the damn cookies!" Lunch snapped at him.

"No worries here, guys," Yamcha told the others. "We just gotta look around and see if we can ferret out a few Saiyans."

"Yeah!"

"I'm in!"

"Me too!"

"Ditto!"

"Uh, sure!... I guess..."

And so, off the six went, unaware of what was watching them.

Chiaotzu felt the most afraid, like he could tell something was watching them.

Tien patted his friend's back, trying to assure him everything was alright.

Yajirobe kept subconsciously grabbing at a bag of cookies that wasn't there, trying to stress eat.

Lunch and Krillin found themselves sticking close together, nearly holding hands as they anticipated an attack to happen at every moment!

"The whole lot of 'em have a combined fighting power of 1,716," said one voice.

"So, they wanna find some Saiyans, do they?" asked another voice.

"Time to have some fun..." the first one chuckled, as they both took off.

Yamcha managed to hear the noise, but when he turned towards it, nothing was there!

"Gee, there's nobody in sight, is there?" asked Lunch as she looked around.

"If that's the case, we may as well go," replied Yajirobe.

"But how do we get back?" asked Krillin.

"Mr. Popo didn't mention THAT part..." noted Tien.

"Who knows? Maybe they're scared of us," Yamcha chuckled, brimming with bravado.

"I wouldn't count on it," Krillin replied, nervous.

"Well, they must've sent us here for a reason…" said Chiaotzu. "They sent Goku here when he was training!"

"Chiaotzu makes a good point," Tien agreed. "If this is supposed to train us, why aren't there any people attacking us?"

Be careful what you wish for!

Everyone turned and saw a huge energy attack headed their way!

They all scattered, dodging the blast and stood to see their attackers. Standing atop the mound of dead bodies, were a pair of Saiyans! They had the same tails Raditz, Goku, Gohan and Bulma had!

"Looks like you got your wish, Tien!" Yamcha said as he took on a defensive stance.

"I didn't even wanna do this stupid training!" Yajirobe blubbered. "I'd rather be back at Korin's Tower eating lunch!"

Launch hit Yajirobe over the head. "Get a hold a'yourself!" she snapped.

"Oh, don't worry, lady," laughed the balding Saiyan, Scarface. "When we're done with ya, your pal won't have much to get ahold OF!"

"You should know, it was a mistake to come to Planet Vegeta!" laughed the taller Saiyan as he reappeared behind Chiaotzu and grabbed him by the skull.

"CHIAOTZU!" Tien screamed.

"TIEN! HELP!" Chiaotzu shrieked as he struggled in the Saiyan's grasp, which seemed to grow hotter and hotter as it squeezed his skull.

"LET GO OF HIM!" Krillin shouted, getting ready to launch an attack.

"Just a few more minutes!" Scarface replied as he launched a triangular ray blast which knocked Krillin off his feet.

Chiaotzu could only scream and flail for his life as his skull was being burned by Shorty's grip...and then he moved no more.

"Time to take out the trash!" Scarface cackled as he threw Chiaotzu's body over the edge. The Z-Fighters could only watch as the tiny corpse plummeted into the chasm.

All that Tien heard was Shorty's cruel laughter, and the sound of his heart pounding with rage.

With a furious howl, Tien launched himself into the fray, out for blood.

Time to eat! We'll be right back with more "DragonBall Z"!

...

On second thought, just bring the bowl!  "DragonBall Z" is back!

As Tien flung himself into the battle, Krillin and Yamcha were right behind him as Lunch and Yajirobe stayed back. Yajirobe was scared stiff, while Lunch was trying to figure out which opponent to attack first!

Shorty and Scarface just dodged and knocked Tien around, kicking him in the back, and then elbowing him in the stomach.

"See, this is what we do to tourists!" laughed Shorty as he threw Tien right into Krillin's stomach, knocking them both away.

Yamcha went on the defense as both Saiyans kept trying to land a blow on him.

Right at that moment, Lunch joined in, trying to help Yamcha keep their enemies at bay as Krillin and Tien got up!

"Oh, so ya wanna dance, little lady?" asked Shorty with a chuckle. "Then bring it on!"

"Oh, I WILL!" Lunch declared as she began to launch a flurry of kicks to try and land a hit on Shorty, but he grabbed her by the leg and slammed his elbow down on it, causing the blonde to scream in agony.

"LAUNCH!" Krillin exclaimed. "That's it, you're dead!" he held up his hands and began to channel the energy into them. "KA...ME...HA...ME.…"

Shorty tossed Launch away and made towards Krillin, right as he yelled, "HAAAAAA!"

A large blue ki attack hit the shorter Saiyan, managing to send them back a good number of feet as Krillin ran to Launch, who groaned in pain.

"Launch! Launch!" Krillin exclaimed as he picked her up. "Are you alright?"

"What's it look like, cueball...?" Lunch groaned. "I got a broken leg!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop him," Krillin replied, feeling especially guilty.

"It ain't your fault…" grunted Lunch. "I shoulda been more careful with that runt...!"

Krillin quickly pulled Lunch over to a wall, setting her down as carefully as he could.

"Stay down, I don't want you getting any more hurt." he told her.

Lunch nodded her head as Krillin ran back to the others.

Shorty, meanwhile, turned his gaze towards Yajirobe, who as soon as he saw the dangerous look the Saiyan gave off, ran as fast as his feet could carry him towards Tien and Yamcha, who were dueling the larger Saiyan!

"GANGWAY...!" Yajirobe screamed as Shorty peeled after him.

"C'mon, fatso! Where ya goin'?" the long-haired Saiyan cackled. "I was just about to have some fun with ya!"

He then teleported in front of the fat ronin, and delivering a kick to his chin, sending him flying backwards 5 feet.

When Yajirobe landed, he grunted out, "I can't believe you talked me into this!"

"You better start fighting back, or we're all screwed!" shouted Yamcha.

Yajirobe realized that Yamcha had a point, so he took out his katana and jumped to his feet. "Back off, bozo!" he shouted.

"Ooh, I'm quaking in my boots!" Scarface cackled. "Whatcha gonna do, gimme a haircut?"

"Sure! How about I start from the neck-up?" Yajirobe growled, as he got ready to attack.

And thus, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Yajirobe were all working in unison, trying to fight back the Saiyans all together!

They started to work like a well oiled machine, fighting together in perfect sync!

"What in the...they're actually beating us!" exclaimed Scarface as he had to dodge Yajirobe's katana strikes. "How is this possible?!"

"Who cares?!" retorted Shorty. "If we took out one, we can take out another! Wasn't there a woman with them?"

Upon hearing that, Krillin whipped around with a look of murder in his eyes. "Don't you dare touch her, you monsters!" he roared.

Shorty just cackled. "Ooh, did we strike a nerve? Does the midget care about the crazy blonde?!" he sneered.

Krillin only growled as he managed to punch Shorty clear across the area, where he smashed right into the wall!

Shorty tried to pull himself up, only to see Krillin's foot coming right at his face. He barely had a second to defend himself before he got his teeth knocked flying.

"What IS that little runt, some kinda freak?" asked Scarface, now terrified. As he backed off, he bumped into Tien, who was glaring down at him with all three eyes.

"I don't take kindly to people who talk about my friends that way," Tien said gruffly, before he grabbed Scarface by his shoulders.

The triclops then headbutted Scarface, knocking him back a good five feet as Tien let go of his shoulders, and before the Saiyan knew what hit him, Yamcha suddenly kicked him in the stomach, making him double over in pain before Yajirobe ran forward and punched him square in the jaw, sending him crashing into the wall next to Shorty!

The two Saiyans struggled to get up...but collapsed.

"I think they're down for the count," noted Krillin.

"So that means we won!" Yajirobe exclaimed.

"I don't think so," shuddered Tien.

Krillin turned towards the tri-clops. "Wh-what do you mean...?" he asked.

"Didn't Kami and Mr. Popo say that this training would be very intense?" explained Tien. "And yet we took down two Saiyans in a matter of minutes..."

Yamcha suddenly caught on. "Now that you mention it...something doesn't seem right…" he added.

"Y-you mean it ain't even over?!" Yajirobe paled as his bravado disappeared.

"If it were, wouldn't we be back in that room?" asked Tien. "Wouldn't Launch and Chiaotzu both be fine?"

At Tien's words, an ill wind settled over the group.

They doubted that two men they took down with relative ease could destroy an entire planet and its people.

Something was amiss...

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and quake beneath the group's feet...and in an instant, it burst open and a hand shot out and grabbed Yajirobe by the leg before pulling him downward, screaming all the way.

The next thing the Z-Fighters heard were the sounds of punches and kicks landing, as well as Yajirobe's grunts of agony as he was being beaten roundly.

As the beating went on, Tien suddenly found himself being peppered with bolt after bolt of ki; he could feel every blast tearing apart his body!

Krillin heard Launch scream in terror, but when he turned towards where he heard her, he found himself knocked to the ground and beaten by many strong and terrible Saiyans!

"Launch...!" Krillin screamed in agony as his body was torn asunder.

Yamcha tried to rush in and save his friends, but he suddenly felt his legs being ripped apart by a massive ki blast.

Yajirobe could only yell in anguish as he felt his flesh being torn apart like paper by countless fists!

As the room spun around them, each fighter was filled with regret as they heard the other Saiyans' laughter, echoing in their ears...and then everything went dark.

Soon, they all opened their eyes, breathing heavily as they took in their surroundings.

They were back in the room from before, with Kami and Mr. Popo staring at them in worry.

Puar and Oolong were there as well, also looking concerned.

"...even if that wasn't real...it sure felt like it..." Yamcha spoke, looking down at his trembling hands.

"Launch? Lunch? You okay?" asked Krillin, glancing over at the girl. "Your leg's not hurting, is it?"

"N-no...but it felt so real…" Launch stuttered. "Like my leg was gonna be broken even when it was over..."

Krillin rubbed her back as Tien asked, "And these Saiyans weren't even as strong as the ones arriving?"

Kami and Mr. Popo both nodded their heads. "Barely even half their strength." said Kami.

This sent a chill down everyone's spines.

"Regardless, you all fought well," Kami told the group. "Even if you were killed, there's no denying that you lasted for quite a long time against your foes. We'll be using the Hyperbolic Time Chamber next, and after you've all gone in, then we'll be coming back in here. If you want to leave now, there's no shame in doing so. None of us shall think less of you if you wish to back out."

Yajirobe almost walked away, but thought better of it when Launch grabbed his shoulder rather roughly.

Tien stood firm. "We're not giving up. We don't want Earth to end up the same as the planet we saw." he said.

"Tien's right," Yamcha added. "We're gonna do our part to save the world."

"All of us." nodded Krillin.

Chiaotzu and Launch both gave thumbs up.

Yajirobe shrugged. "Ah, what the hell. I got nothing better to do." he chimed.

Kami and Mr. Popo smiled at their students. Their bravery may help them just yet.

"Excellent," Kami declared. "Now rest if you must, and then come along. The Time Chamber is waiting."

All of the fighters looked at one another, for they knew that their training had just begun!

After a truly harrowing experience, the Z-Fighters have gained a nasty sample that showed them just what Saiyans are capable of. But once they enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, things will definitely be different. And what of Son Goku? Lucky for him, he's almost reached the end of Snake Way!

But what's waiting for him there is a mystery, the answer to which will only be revealed on the next exciting episode of "Dragon Ball Z"!

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

In our next episode, Goku reaches the end of Snake Way, and crashlands on King Kai's planet! But is this Lord of Worlds all that he appears to be? Join us next time...

Chapter Text

When we last left our heroes, Kami and Mr. Popo brought them to the Pendulum Room for a trip back in time to give them a glimpse of what they could expect to deal with when squaring off with the sinister Saiyans! But now that the nightmare is over, they're each going to be pairing up for a trip into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. With Piccolo ready to train Gohan and Chi-Chi to fight, that just leaves Goku in the running. But his path is about to come to an end...

Episode 6:
"LAST STOP ON THE SERPENT'S ROAD"

VOICE CAST

IAN JAMES CORLETT [credited as JERRY J. TODD]: Son Goku
DON BROWN: King Kai/The Lord-of-Worlds, Shugesh
DOUG PARKER: Bubbles
BRIAN DOBSON: Toma
VENUS TERZO: Fasha
MAURICE LaMARCHE: Borgos
JENNIFER HALE: Gine
JEFF GLENN BENNETT: Burdock
TED COLE: Yamcha
MICHAEL O'REILLY: Oolong
PAULINE LITTLE: Puar
KEENAN CHRISTIANSON: Chiaotzu
JANYSE JAUD: Launch
PETER CULLEN: Kami
GREY GRIFFIN: Chi-Chi
CHRISTOPHER GRAY: Son Gohan
SCOTT MCNEIL: Piccolo

Narrated by PETER CULLEN

Featured Insert Song:
Battle-Colored Warriors [Shura-Iro no Senshi]
performed by William Anderson

NOTE: This is the last episode featured on volume 2: Snake Way.

The next volume is the movie special, BARDOCK: The Father of Goku: Special Extended Edition.

After that is Volume 3: Homecoming!

Also, for creative reasons, the idea behind Bulma's armor is owed to MasakoX's "What if...Bulma Trained Like Goku?" series.

Goku was absolutely exhausted. He had been traversing Snake Way for Kami-only-knows-how-long, with that infinitely-refilling sack of food, trying to get to King Kai's. And during that time, he'd had to contend with all sorts of bizarre escapades and obstacles. But today, his luck was about to change for the better.

As he looked up ahead, to his surprise, in the distance, there was...the end of the snake's tail!

"No way...I don't believe it!" Goku exclaimed. "I've actually almost made it!"

That put the pep back into his step, and he slid the rest of the way towards the end. "Wheeeee~!" Goku laughed as he slipped and slid over the winding, twisting pathway which led him to the end of the road. As he reached the tail, Goku almost fell off, but was able to grab back on and pull himself up.

But as Goku looked around, he didn't find anything. No house, no palace, bupkus! Zilch! Squadoo! Nada! So where in the Other World could King Kai be?!

"Shouldn't there be something here?" queried Goku. "Where's..."

But that's when he looked up, and saw a small green sphere in the sky!

"That must be it!" beamed Goku. "That must be where King Kai lives!"

So, he headed straight upward...but once he was right over King Kai's planet, it was like some kind of super-magnet was dragging him straight down towards the ground! "WHOAAAAA!" he shouted as he slammed face-first into the grass. "...OOF!"

Goku slowly tried to get back up, but he couldn't! It was as though he was magnetized.

"What the heck...?" grunted Goku. "It feels like...my whole body's...made out of lead...!"

Through sheer perserverance, he somehow managed to pull himself up a little, although he could barely stand on his wobbling legs. As Goku struggled to get to his feet, he spotted a confused-looking monkey who was glancing back at him.

This must be King Kai...right? Goku asked himself. He's the only other person here...who else COULD it be?

"Uh...hello there!" he did his best to take a bow. "My name is Son Goku...and I have come to seek training from you!"

'King Kai' simply started hopping around, waving his arms and hooting.

"Oh...uh, is this part of the training?" Goku inquired.

'King Kai' started to do a bizarre dance as he continued hooting. Goku resigned himself mentally, and tried to follow his movements, despite the fact he felt like he was a bug getting squashed by a giant boot!

"A man acting like a monkey?" asked a voice. "Either I'm crazy, or evolution took a U-turn."

Goku turned and saw a squat, rotund, blue-skinned man with antennae and a coat standing nearby. He wore a pair of pince-nez sunglasses, and he had a pair of catfish-like barbels on the sides of his face.

Looks like I've got a weird one on my hands, thought the strange-looking man.

Goku tilted his head in utter confusion at the man who just spoke. "Uh, wait, who are you...?" he asked.

"What? My devilish good looks don't give you any ideas as to who I am?" the man replied.

Goku just blinked a few times.

"Okay...ring-a-ding-ding, here comes the King! Pie, fry, sky, guy...all of these words, they rhyme with KAI!" the man exclaimed, as he hopped around a few times, spun in a circle, and then pointed to himself. "Which happens to be me, King Kai!"

Goku's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull! "Wait...you're King Kai?!" he exclaimed.

King Kai nodded. "In the blue flesh," he responded. "Now, who the devil are you?"

"Oh! Well, sir, my name is Son Goku," explained the young man. "I've come a long way to ask you for help."

Now it was King Kai's turn to be surprised. "Wait, Son Goku? As in the Son Goku that battled against King Piccolo, Garlic Junior, and many other dangerous threats?!" he blurted.

"Wait, you know who I am?" asked Goku.

"Are you kidding?!" King Kai exclaimed. "Kami talks about you all the time! So, what do you need help with?"

"Well, I was hoping you could train me?" said Goku. "Kami and King Yemma said you're a legendary martial-arts master!"

"Hmm...for a friend of Kami's, I reckon I could," King Kai replied as he scratched his chin. "I've been told of your little Saiyan problem."

Goku said, "Then you know that I need to get stronger if I wanna defeat these guys?"

King Kai nodded. "Indeed. And the training I have in mind will be perfect for you!"

"Okay, I'm ready!" Goku declared. But just as quickly, he remembered the monkey. "Wait, uh, who's he?"

"Oh, that's my pet monkey, Bubbles," explained King Kai.

Goku chuckled at the name, and tried to get into a fighting stance. But he could still feel the planet's gravitational pull, weighing him down!

"I see you've noticed something," replied King Kai. "My planet may be small, but it has powerful gravity...at least 10 times as strong as Earth's gravity. How about you jump as high as you can?"

Goku was a bit befuddled by this request, but he decided to oblige. He jumped at least a good 20, maybe 30 feet into the air...and then, he was brought back down hard, landing painfully on his butt!

"Gah, that smarts! I'm never gonna get used to this...!" he grunted.

King Kai was in awe. Incredible. 10x his planet's normal gravity, and he can STILL jump that high?! This kid is really something! he thought.
"I'll give you the lessons, but how much time do you have?" he asked.

"Well, I only have 2 years before two Saiyans arrive," explained Goku.

King Kai nodded. "Ah, yes...the Saiyans. A very dangerous people. It was a smart idea for you to come here to train. But if you wanna get stronger, you'll need to get used the gravity on this planet." he replied.

"So how do I do that?" asked Goku.

"Well, your first test will be to catch Bubbles," responded King Kai, gesturing to his hooting companion. "He's a speedy little dickens!"

"I have to catch your monkey...?" Goku asked in disbelief.

King Kai nodded. "If you can manage to catch Bubbles, you'll get used to the gravity of this planet. I suggest you get started!" he advised.

And with that, Bubbles started to walk off, with Goku struggling to pursue.

"Yep, this oughta be fun," King Kai smirked as he sat in a nearby lawn chair.

MEANWHILE, BACK ON EARTH...

That night, Gohan and Chi-Chi were sitting around a campfire with Piccolo; Gohan, of course, had a faceful of bruises.

"You did well for your first day, kid," Piccolo commented. "And your mother was impressive, too."

"I'd never thought I'd see the day that the Great Demon Piccolo would compliment me." Chi-Chi remarked.

"Well, you've gone from an angry housewife to a more laid-back but responsible fighter," Piccolo noted. "And the kid is no longer a crying brat. Both of you are massive improvements."

Chi-Chi and Gohan both took what Piccolo said as insults wrapped over a compliment. But hey, that's just Piccolo for you.

Gohan then spoke up. "Y'know...my dad would tell me stories about you and him fighting."

"They are true," Piccolo replied. "And once the Saiyan menace has been fended off, your father will be the next to fall at my hand."

"If you're so confident you can beat Goku, how come you haven't done it already?" Chi-Chi inquired.

That made Piccolo stay silent before Gohan spoke up. "Dad said that after you were reborn, you were more grumpy than evil." The green-skinned man grunted in annoyance as his young charge continued. "I dunno. I think he's a little right. But, I'd like to think you changed for the better, since you're helping us and all."

Chi-Chi smiled at her son's words before Piccolo rounded on him. "KEEP TALKING TO ME LIKE THAT, AND I'LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT!" he roared.

Gohan was quiet as Chi-Chi glared at Piccolo.

"Just shut up and go to sleep!" Piccolo hissed. "Because if you thought today was hard, then tomorrow will be tougher! Little brat..."

Gohan simply laid down, focusing his thoughts elsewhere as Chi-Chi and Piccolo sat in silence for a few minutes.

Chi-Chi soon broke the silence. "Y'know, I think he's the first person to NOT treat you horribly. You may wanna think on that the next time you're about to yell at him." she said.

Piccolo rolled his eyes as Chi-Chi laid down next to her son. However, he couldn't help but think about the woman's words.

AT KAME HOUSE, ON TRAINING ISLAND...

Raditz and Bulma were resting after a particularly difficult day of training.

"His methods are crude, but impressive," said Raditz as he settled into bed.

"No kidding..." Bulma groaned. "I'm covered in bee stings and blisters!"

"That's nothing!" Raditz retorted. "I was attacked by a wolf out there! I swear it bit me before I could get it off!"

Bulma and Raditz both groaned. Their bodies ached from how intense their training had been this far...but if they would get stronger from it, so be it!

AND UP ON KAMI'S LOOKOUT...

Oolong and Puar were the last two out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, while everyone was waiting for them to emerge. Both the cat and the pig were covered with bruises, but otherwise no worse for the wear.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this...!" groaned Oolong.

"All of us need to get stronger, Oolong," replied Puar. "Even if we don't fight, we should make sure we're strong enough to defend ourselves."

"Puar is right. By using the chamber, all of you have gotten much stronger," agreed Kami, as he had just arrived. "If you keep up this training, you may very well be enough to take on the Saiyans!"

"He's right; every little bit helps," Yamcha chimed in. "With these guys coming, we've only got another year before they show up. So we'd better be ready to give 'em a real fight!"

"I just hope Goku and the others can provide enough help for us," said Krillin, feeling a bit nervous.

"C'mon, it's Goku! That kid's been saving our butts for years now!" replied Launch.

"But we might as well do whatever we can to help," Yajirobe added, now looking much more trim than he had before the training began. "Besides, Goku ain't gonna be around ALL the time, so we can at least do some of the work."

Everyone looked at one another. They were ready to get even stronger with whatever time they had left, so they could defend their planet from the oncoming storm!

BACK ON KING KAI'S PLANET...

Goku was still trying to catch Bubbles, but he wasn't having much luck. Once or twice, he had attempted to lighten the load by ditching his heavy training gear, but King Kai wanted him to keep it on.

"Why?" asked Goku.

"This is meant to help you adjust to the planet's gravity," explained King Kai. "And the Saiyan homeworld had gravity that was at least as strong as this planet."

Goku snapped his fingers in frustration. "Dang. Well, if that's what it takes for me to get stronger, so be it!" he proclaimed.

King Kai looked over at him. "You can take a break in 10 minutes for a meal," he told Goku. "But for now, continue the chase!"

Goku once again started chasing Bubbles; but every time he managed to get closer to the simian, he would manage to slip away!

And so, this continued on for 40 days and 40 nights, but at last, on the 41st day...he finally caught the little simian!

King Kai grew wide-eyed as he saw Goku manage to corner Bubbles...and he caught him! Whooping with triumph, Goku laughed and danced as he jumped into the air holding Bubbles.

"YEAH! Ha-ha! I caught 'im, I caught 'im!" he cheered. "Lord-of-Worlds! Check it out, I caught Bubbles!"

Incredible...in only 40 days, he succeeded in catching Bubbles! thought King Kai, impressed. Goku may actually be strong enough to learn my most powerful attacks! The Fist of the Kaio, heck, even the Spirit Bomb! But first, he'll need to handle the next step in his training...

"Alright, you're doing great, Goku," King Kai applauded. "And you've improved greatly since you first arrived. Although, a wise man once said that in order to know your enemies, you must know yourself. So, I had a talk with King Yemma and we made an arrangement to bring some of the deceased Saiyans here so you could learn about what happened during their final days."

Goku raised an eyebrow, cautious. "Uh, are you sure that's a good idea?" he inquired.

"Don't worry, these ones won't be as powerful as the ones coming to Earth, so we'll be fine." replied King Kai.

"Alright, I guess..." shrugged Goku.

"Atta boy," King Kai told him. "Now let's get to work. Time is running out."

And so, Goku and King Kai got comfortable as they waited for these Saiyans to arrive. The minutes seemed to drag on for what felt like hours.

"How do you keep from getting bored up here?" asked Goku, looking over to King Kai.

"To the enlightened mind, the smallest world holds fascinations without end," explained King Kai. "I like counting the blades of grass on my yard...charting the patterns of the heavens...seeing how far I can urinate...and coming up with new jokes! But of course, my favorite is going for a drive."

Goku and Bubbles watched as King Kai climbed into his roadster, drove around the planet in less than a minute, and got out of the car smiling like a dope.

"Sometimes I like to take this baby off-planet and cruise Snake Way," King Kai explained. "Although the last time that happened was when I was training Prince Yemma; by the way, you ever meet Princess Snake?"

"Sure did," replied Goku. "She was nice for a little bit, and she gave me food an' a hot bath...but then she tried to eat me!"

"Heh...well, I've been wanting to propose to her for a few hundred years now," King Kai explained. "I know that she's not really malevolent, just bored. I'd be kinda stir-crazy if I didn't have anyone else to talk to, either!"

"...you've got strange taste in women, King Kai," Goku stated without missing a beat.

King Kai turned toward his student. "What about you, Goku? Do you have anyone special to come home to?" he queried.

Goku looked into the distance as he spoke with a smile on his face.

"Yeah...my wife Chi-Chi," he replied. "She can be real stubborn, & sometimes she gets really angry, but she's got a spirit and kindness that over time, I fell in love with. I proposed as a kid without even knowing what it meant. But when I met her again when I was older, she was really beautiful; just took me a little time to recognize that. I couldn't imagine my life without her, or our son, Gohan. I hope I'll get to see them again soon."

King Kai and Bubbles both smiled at the young man's words; even if he was a bit blunt, there was no doubt that this guy really DID love his family.

"Well, we'll try to make sure you learn plenty while you're here," declared the blue-skinned man. "But, until those Saiyans get here, I can at least tell you about some of the Saiyan race's earlier years. But first, I better go put on some tea...might even make something to eat, as well; this is gonna be a really long story."

As King Kai walked inside, Goku found himself wondering just what his wife and son were up to, not to mention, just what were his friends doing to prepare for the Saiyans' arrival?

Back at the Lookout...

Yamcha and Tien had entered the Time Chamber, leaving the others to wait outside and occupy themselves however they saw fit.

Krillin and Launch sat side by side, while Yajirobe, Oolong, Puar and Chaotzu were playing cards.

"Got any threes?" Yajirobe asked.

Chiaotzu shook his head. "Nope, go fish!" he chirped.

"How has Chiaotzu been the luckiest since this game started?!" inquired Puar.

"I stopped asking strange questions after Goku first turned into a giant monkey." Oolong responded.

Meanwhile, on Training Island...

Raditz and Bulma continued their training under Master Roshi, while Bulma continued her ki energy practice in her spare time, along with crafting a form of armor to try and harness the energy.

For someone who never did any of the fighting when she and Goku travelled together, she was coming along very nicely, slowly getting more and more powerful like Goku, Krillin and Raditz.

She found herself getting less and less tired after training sessions with each passing day; in fact, she'd even managed to gain some muscle tone in the meantime! Not to mention that turtle shell was feeling much less heavy than it used to...

As for Raditz, he was able to adapt to the turtle shell faster than Bulma, but was right beside her throughout her training. The two students were growing closer and closer together throughout it all.

Back on King Kai's planet, the man himself had gotten the tea ready, while Bubbles and Goku were sitting nearby.

"So, you wanted to know about the Saiyans, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Goku nodded. "All I know is that they sent me to Earth when I was just a baby."

"Right, right," King Kai replied before he began his tale. "Now, once upon a time, before you were born..."

[begin music: Shura-Iro no Senshi]

"...on the planet called Vegeta, there were 2 tribes who lived there. The Saiyans, your forebears, and the Tuffles. Like my world, Planet Vegeta had some VERY powerful gravity. As a result, the Tuffles, who controlled the larger half of the planet, had bodies which were only 1/2 the size of a Saiyan's. However, what they lacked in size, they made up for in technological advancements; they had cities much like the ones on Earth, and enjoyed lots of modern conveniences like air-travel and mini-malls. They had long ago outgrown energy sources which polluted their planet, and were enjoying health and prosperity. On the other hand, the Saiyans were a race that was very few in numbers, and while they lived in a primitive fashion, their bodies were much bigger and stronger, and they were themselves an aggressive, primitive race. One aspect all Saiyans had in common were their long, brown tails; another aspect would be their brutal, violent nature. But since they were so few in number, the Tuffles never quite worried much about the Saiyans...until the night they finally attacked. The Tuffles fought back with advanced technology to keep the Saiyans from overrunning them, but their technology wasn't enough to match up to Saiyan power, and gradually, they brought the Tuffles under their control. The decisive factor was the full moon, something that only occurred on the planet every 8 years. With the power to change into apelike monsters beneath a full moon, the Saiyans were more than able to seize control and conquer the planet. But their desire to fight grew stronger, so they sought to venture into space in order to find other planets with other fearsome opponents. So, they met with a species of aliens called the Arcosians. Now, the Arcosians had money and power, but their planet was a dump. So, a deal was struck: in exchange for furnishing these planets for these aliens for use in developing vacation estates, they were able to obtain technology and money, which marked the beginning of the Planet Trade Organization. As the years passed, the Saiyans grew stronger, until they themselves were forced to work under a tyrannical emperor and his family. And on the day you were born, Planet Vegeta was obliterated by some sort of cataclysmic event. And now there are only a few Saiyans left. This includes, but is not limited to: yourself, your brother, a cousin of yours, and the two that are headed to Earth. Now, do you have any questions?"

"So what exactly happened to...well, my family?" asked Goku, curious.

"Why don't you ask us yourself?" asked a gruff male voice from outside, getting Goku's attention.

As Goku rushed to the window, he saw a group of Saiyans standing on King Kai's lawn. At the front, there were two females (Fasha and Gine), behind them were two males, one rotund, another tall, and the leader of the group was a dead ringer for Goku himself, save for a scar on his cheek and the red band wrapped around his forehead.

"...King Kai, who are those guys?" asked Goku.

"Well, those are some of the lower-class Saiyan warriors," King Kai explained. "The one with the thigh hoop is Gine, and the one who looks like you is Bardock..but I suppose under different circumstances, you'd call them 'Mom and Dad'."

And now, Goku was in complete disbelief. "Y-you mean...they're my parents?!" he exclaimed, astonished.

King Kai gave a firm nod. "Go ahead. Say hi," he encouraged.

Goku went out into the yard, and took a look over at the group standing outside.

"So...you guys are my parents?" he asked, surprised.

Bardock nodded. "Yup. It's amazing to meet you after so long. And that King Yemma guy was right; you look exactly like me."

Goku chuckled as he turned to his mother. "Hi there!" he beamed.

"K...kakarot?" asked Gine, amazed. "You've grown up so much...and to think I missed out!" she clutched her son in a bear hug, sobbing into his chest.

Goku was frozen in shock at first, but soon melted into the hug with his mother, starting to tear up as he held her in joy. He had finally met his parents!

"Well...we can get to the next step of your training once you're finished there," explained King Kai. "And then your parents and their colleagues can inform you of what happened during their final days."

On that note, the rotund man went inside, so as to let Goku better connect with his parents.

A LITTLE WHILE LATER...

"Speaking of Raditz, how is your brother?" asked Toma.

"I met Raditz before I came here," explained Goku. "We didn't trust him at first, but now he's gonna help us protect the Earth."

"Well, that's good to know," Bardock replied. "About time somebody decided to bring the spoiled prince Vegeta down a peg or two. Personally, I always thought he was too arrogant for his own good."

Gine nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I don't think he could get any worse," she chimed in.

"Don't jinx it." Fasha remarked.

"I just hope my friends and I can all get stronger during these two years." Goku spoke up.

"I'm sure you can, son," Gine smiled. "We believe in you!"

"I've just called over sometime to help with your next step in your training," said King Kai as he approached the group.

"So who is it?" asked Goku.

That's when they all heard a high-pitched voice. "Hey!" it called. Everyone turned to see a small ball of light floating in front of Goku. When the light faded, they all saw a Chiaotzu-sized grasshopper looking at Goku.

"Um...are you a grasshopper?" inquired Goku.

The grasshopper cleared his throat. "Not just ANY grasshopper. I am Gregory the Grasshopper!" he declared.

Goku blinked a couple of times. "Ooookay...what are you gonna help with?" he asked.

King Kai conjured up a mallet, and handed it to Goku. As the spiky-haired Saiyan clutched it in his hands, the second King Kai let go, Goku felt himself being pulled down by its weight!

"The next step is for you to hit Gregory," instructed the Lord-of-Worlds. "And that'll be tricky! He's a fast little fella!"

And so, Bardock, Gine, Fasha, Tora, Borgos and Shugesh all watched as Goku went chasing Gregory all over the planet. However, thanks to his training with Bubbles, Goku was able to catch up with Gregory and popped him one with the mallet.

All of the Saiyans watching were impressed with how it took Goku much less time than they thought it would for him to accomplish this task. Bardock and Gine, of course, were the most impressed.

It's incredible that Goku has come so far, and in such a short time too... King Kai thought to himself. But I only hope that he'll be able to master the fist of the Kai...not to mention, the Spirit Bomb...

As Goku makes great progress, his parents are plenty proud of their little boy. But while King Kai's training is tough, will it be enough to prepare him for his intergalactic opponents? Can all of Goku's friends become strong enough to deal with the oncoming threat to Earth?  And can Goku handle the shocking secrets his parents will tell him? You'd best not miss the next exciting episode of " DragonBall Z "!

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

GOKU:  Hey, it's me, Goku! I can't believe this —not only am I meetin' my parents, but now I get to learn the truth about my home planet.

BARDOCK:  It's a good thing I remember what happened...so I'll at least give you the important stuff. Don't get distracted, okay, Son?

GOKU:  I'll try...Dad.

NEXT TIME ON DRAGONBALL Z: i t's an hour-long special event!

A Solitary Final Gamble;
Bardock, the Father of Son Goku!

Believe us when we tell you that you DON'T want to miss even a minute of it.

Chapter Text

"Okay, so, Dad, you said you'd tell me about what happened during the last few days of Planet Vegeta, right?" Goku asked.

Bardock nodded. "Yup. You were only a few days old; Raditz had turned 6, same as your cousin Turles. Gine was back at home, recovering from childbirth; while I was out in the field with my pack."

And now…

24 years ago, on Planet Vegeta, an infant cried out for its parents, but went unheeded for the time being.

"So, this is Bardock's son, then?" asked Planthor, observing the infant from inside the containment unit. "He's an impressive sort of youngster."

"Really? That Kakarot kid isn't anything special," replied Malaka. "Zero potential; we might as well shuffle him off to one of the frontier planets."

"That's what you think," Planthor replied as he raised the glass top, revealing the infant in full. "You hear that cry, Malaka? That's the cry of a great warrior. Kakarot...remember that name!"

"We can at least let the mother see the kid," shrugged Malaka. "God knows his brother won't be seeing much of 'im."

"Indeed," nodded Planthor. "Let Gine know she can see her son right now."

Malaka nodded as he left the room.

Planthor looked down at Kakarot. "You are destined for great things," he said. "I'm sure of it!"

BARDOCK:
THE FATHER OF GOKU

In the emergency room, Gine was lying in a hospital bed, where a young Raditz was asleep in a chair nearby.

Malaka came into the room, holding a bundle in one arm, and shook Gine by her shoulder. "Gine? Gine...wake up!" he whispered. "I think we have something you'd like to see."

As Gine woke up and saw her baby boy, she couldn't stop the tears of joy that made their way out of her eyes. She picked up her second-born son, smiling at the little infant as he calmed down enough to look up at his mom.

"Hello...Kakarot," Gine cooed.

Kakarot looked up at his mother, a curious expression on his face, and Malaka decided to leave the mother with her children for the time being.

Gine looks cover to her oldest son. "Raditz? Raditz!" she whispered.

Raditz woke up a a bit startled, and looked to his mom. "What? What is it?" he grunted.

"Come here. Your little brother is here."

Raditz rose to his feet and walked over to the bed. He found himself staring at Kakarot, who looked at his brother in visible confusion.

"That's my little brother?" asked Raditz. "He kinda looks like cousin Turles..."

"Indeed," Gine nodded. "Not to mention, your father. That's how I know he's going to be strong...even if others don't see it."

Raditz checked his scouter. "His power level seems so low right now," he mused.

Gine nodded. "So was your father's at one point, and look at him now!" she replied. "Leading his own team!"

MEANWHILE, AT THAT VERY MOMENT...

On Planet Kanassa, the inhabitants were in a state of pure panic. Why, you ask, were they panicking? Because they were being invaded—not to mention, it was the night of a full moon. With the Saiyans being the invaders, you know the Kanassans were in for a very rough time.

The ground shook like mad as the planet succumbed to the attacks from it's incredibly powerful attackers, using their transformations to bring the planet to its knees.

The Kanassans tried to fight off their invaders, but the Saiyan Apes' size and strength gave them a great advantage, allowing them to take out most of the population.

By the time the sun had risen, there was almost no life left on the planet, aside from the Saiyans who had wrought so much carnage.

"Boy, that was a helluva party," sighed Toma.

"If you say so," Fasha replied. "I barely remember any of it..."

"You're a typical ape, Fasha," Toma joked.

"Ah, shaddup; I don't see how you guys remember all that anyways," Fasha snipped.

Bardock snorted. "Jeez, even my son Raditz bickers less than all of you," he remarked.

Fasha raised a brow. "Oh, yeahhhh...that reminds me; didn't Gine just give birth to your second kid?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah!" commented Toma. "What's the little pipsqueak's name again?"

Bardock smiled. "Kakarot."

"So then why ain't you back home celebrating?" asked Fasha. "We got plenty of time for a break before we get our next mission."

Bardock shrugged. "Gine insisted I get this mission done. Might as well, so I can see all of them."

"You know, something just occurred to me," said Shugesh as he rubbed the welt on his cheek. "What the hell does Frieza even WANT this planet for?"

"Apparently, the inhabitants have psychic abilities," replied Toma. "Like mind-reading and precognition."

"Okay, Frieza reading minds?" asked Fasha. "Now THAT'S a scary thought."

Bardock scoffed. "Yeah, well, if they were psychic, wouldn't they have seen this attack coming?" he asked.

The group erupted into a round of hearty laughter. "Yeah, you're right! Good one, Bardock!" Toma snickered.

Just then, there was a rumble from behind the group as someone burst out of the rubble. It was the last of the Kanassans—one called Toolo.

"Looks like we missed one!" remarked Fasha.

"You fools...are all in danger!" wheezed Toolo.

"I'm pretty sure that's you," Fasha remarked.

"None of you deserve this, but you need to listen to me—!" began Toolo.

Bardock cut him off. "Alright, that's it!" he shouted as he ran at Toolo, who dodged the attack and quickly jabbed Bardock in the back of the neck! Bardock felt something happen within his mind, but couldn't describe just what the Hell it was.

"I got 'im!" called Shugesh, as he leapt down and kicked Toolo into the other side of the crater. Toma extended a hand, and fired an energy attack that engulfed Toolo in an ethereal flame.

"Okay, what is going on?!" Bardock asked.

"You have come, seeking psychic powers, have you not?" Toolo asked. "Then I have given them to you...so that you may be cursed. You will see the end of your kind, just as we did...and be helpless to prevent it!"

"What are you jabbering about?" asked Bardock, a throbbing sensation forming in the back of his neck.

"Beware the tyrant, for he will betray your kind," Toolo warned. "And only when a Saiyan cleans his hands of your violent ways, will he be defeated!"

And that was when Toolo suddenly exploded from the flames that engulfed him, causing all of the Saiyans to shield their eyes from the blast.

"Geez...what was THAT all about?" asked Toma, confused.

Suddenly, Bardock collapsed, face-first on the ground, much to the shock of his teammates.

As he lay unconscious, he saw strange images...a green and blue planet...two figures standing across from one another.

Before Bardock could make at their features, only seeing that one had a tail and horns, while the other had spiky hair and a furry tail.

And right at that moment, Bardock awoke out of breath. As he looked around, he found himself in a hospital room.

Seconds later, the Medical Machine chamber opened itself and drained the liquid substance inside.

"Thank goodness you're alright; you gave us quite the scare," Planthor informed Bardock. "What exactly happened to you, anyways? Your team brought you back here saying you passed out for some reason."

Bardock groaned. "I honestly don't know...one moment we're finishing up the job; the next, I get thwacked in the head, and seeing weird crap in my dreams," he remarked.

"Well, at least you're alive and healthy, considering..." replied Planthor.

Bardock looked up, confused. "Considering, what?" he asked.

"Well, considering the strange amount of mental activity going on within your head," responded Planthor. "There's something strange going on with your mind, but other than that, you seem to be perfectly fine."

"So...it was true..." Bardock muttered.

"What?" asked Planthor.

"We need to warn King Vegeta!" Bardock exclaimed out loud.

"Hey, hey, slow down! Warn him about what?" asked Planthor.

"That last planet I went to—its people could predict the future!" replied Bardock as he jumped to his feet. "Something terrible is going to happen! I've gotta warn the King!"

"What about your family?!" called Planthor, as Bardock ran off down the hallway.

On his way out, he bumped right into someone...or rather, six someones.

"Whoa, slow down, big shot!" Recoome laughed, stopping Bardock with a single hand. "What's your rush?"

Bardock grimaced. "Recoome...then that means the rest of the Ginyus are here," he glared, staring up at the people behind the redheaded colossus.

Indeed, behind him were Burter, Jeice, Bonyu, Guldo, and Captain Ginyu. The Ginyu Force...fan-tastic.

"I don't have time for Frieza's cheerleading squad," Bardock snapped. "I have important news for the king!"

Burter smirked. "Aw, what's the rush?" he rasped. "Too busy to chat with your old pals?"

Bardock glowered. "I've got important business, and it involves a lot of people I know," he remarked.

"Oh, do you need to see the king?" Guldo sneered.

Bardock slapped his hand over his face in exasperation. "YES," he scowled.

Jeice clapped his hands to his cheeks in feigned shock. "Oh, this must be serious! Do you need our help?" he asked.

Bonyu rolled her eyes. "Alright, guys, let him through," she insisted. "His wife just had a baby after all; maybe cut him some slack?"

Bardock gave a subtle nod to Bonyu as thanks.

"Bonyu is right, he's not worth the effort," Ginyu responded. "Besides, we have work to do. C'mon, men!"

And so, the Ginyu Force passed him, and Bardock continued his run.

"King Vegeta! King Vegeta!" he called as he ran towards the palace. "I have grave news!"

As he ran, more visions flashed before his eyes: the sight of Kakarot as a young man; seeing Raditz training with a purple-haired...Saiyan? Not to mention...seeing Kakarot turning into the Great Ape, about to crush an old man with a mustache and jacket.

He let out a scream of agony as he clutched his head, assaulted by these visions. Soon, he was at the palace doors, where two Saiyans were guarding the place.

"Eh? What's going on?" one of them asked.

"Important news...for the king...!" Bardock gasped. "Very urgent! We're...all in danger!"

"Alright, just take it easy," insisted the other Saiyan. "What kind of news could you have for the king?"

"I have reason to believe that Frieza plans to destroy Vegeta!" Bardock replied.

"His son, the planet, or him?" asked the first guard.

"Yes, yes, and yes," Bardock responded promptly.

The guards looked at one another before opening the door up, so Bardock could run in.

"King Vegeta! King Vegeta!" Bardock exclaimed as he ran into the throne room.

The king in question was on his throne when Bardock burst in. "What's the meaning of this?" he questioned.

"Your Majesty, it's come to my attention that Frieza intends to wipe out our people!" Bardock exclaimed after shutting his scouter off. "He's scared of us getting stronger!"

"How can you verify this?" asked King Vegeta.

"The last planet I was dispatched to was Kanassa...the people there had the power to see the future!" Bardock wheezed. "One that we killed said that Frieza would destroy our planet right before he died!"

King Vegeta contemplated Bardock's words. "If what you say is true, do what you can," he informed him.

As Bardock headed out the door, King Vegeta decided to go and confront Frieza on this himself...but of course, he would need to round up some back-up.

Meanwhile, Bardock had business of his own: to regroup with his friends, wherever they'd taken off to. But before he would, he went back to the hospital to see his family.

As he looked looked around, he found Bonyu in the hall. "Bonyu? What're you doing here?" he asked.

"The others went off to grab lunch, so I stayed here," replied Bonyu. "You get things settled with the King?"

"Almost..." replied Bardock. "I just wanna see my family before I run off to find my team."

Bonyu gave him a final look. "Good luck," she told him. Bardock nodded before he ran off.

Gine was back at home, getting Kakarot settled in with Raditz when Bardock showed up, exhausted. "Gine... Raditz...we're in danger!" he wheezed.

"Bardock?! What's going on?" asked Gine, as Raditz looked around confusedly.

"The planet's...in danger!" Bardock gasped out. "Frieza...going to...eradicate everything! Get...the kids...to safety!"

"Then what's the plan for that?" Gine asked.

"I'm sending Raditz with Prince Vegeta's team," Bardock said once he regained his breath. "Nappa may be a brute, but he'll protect them."

"What about Kakarot?" asked Gine.

"Send him to a planet so far, it isn't even on Frieza's radar," Bardock responded.

Gine felt tears stinging the edges of her eyes, especially since she knew she'd have to say goodbye to her boys. "I'll get Raditz...you take Kakarot to a pod," she instructed.

Bardock nodded as he gave his wife a hug and quick kiss before he quickly ran to his son's room. As Bardock entered, he saw Kakarot sitting in his crib. As he picked the baby up, the little one smiled at his father.

Picking Kakarot up, Bardock left the room and quickly made his way to the dispatch bay.

I guess I should've been there for you more, he thought. Sure, I'm not exactly the nurturing type...but I could've made the most of what little time we had together...

Bardock sighed as he placed his son in one of the nearby pods, and shut it before he set the coordinates and left. He had to at least find the others first; maybe then, he would have a fighting chance...but where did they head to?

"HEY! Where did Toma and Fasha go?" he shouted at a technician.

"...they headed out to Planet Meat," the technician replied.

The second he finished, Bardock was off to the nearest spacepod, which soon rocketed off towards Planet Meat.

As he headed there, he received another mental flash: a planet burning to cinders, as a maniacal laugh filled the air.

"Dammit! I'm running out of time!" he grunted as he sped on, soaring through the stars.

As soon as Bardock landed, he activated his scouter so he could find his friends. Once he picked up a signal, he began flying as quickly as he could towards it. As he continued flying, he realized that the signal was slowly getting weaker, and when he came to the site of the signal, he found a nasty surprise waiting: his friends had been brutally beaten, with most of them dead.

"Fasha! Shugesh! Toma!" exclaimed Bardock. "What the hell happened?!"

"B...Bardock..." a voice wheezed, getting his attention.

Bardock turned to see Fasha, barely alive, reaching out towards him.

"Fasha!" Bardock exclaimed as he ran to his friend and held her head up. "Fasha, what happened?!"

"It was...D-Dodoria..." Fasha coughed. "F-Frieza sent him to kill us...wanted us out of the way...he's going to k-kill the king...destroy...Planet V-Vegeta..."

"So that alien was right...and I've been seeing what's gonna happen!" muttered Bardock.

"Bardock..." coughed Fasha with a smile. "...I always liked ya...but I guess Gine...beat me to it..."

"No, no! Just hang on, Fasha," begged Bardock. "I'll get you help!"

Fasha gripped a bandana tightly in her hand, staining it red with her blood. "Make those...monsters pay for...what they did...promise me...!" she wheezed.

Bardock felt tears stream down his face. "I promise...!" he whispered. Sure, he might've been a bloodthirsty warrior, but he appreciated his comrades as much as anyone would!

Fasha smiled. "Thank...you..." she gasped. And with that, her body went limp, and Bardock let out a howl of agony. He then grabbed the bandanna Fasha held, and tied it around his head—a symbol for his fallen comrades.

Frieza's taken our loyalty...and paid us back in our own blood... he scowled. So they thought we were getting too strong, eh? In that case, I'll give 'em a REASON to be afraid...

Just then, he heard sinister chuckling. Turning around, he saw it was Dodoria and his crew, approaching.

Let's see...with the artificial moon ball I've been working on, I could go ape and take these bastards on one-by-one... Bardock thought to himself as he cracked his knuckles. But I wanna do this personally.

K-KRIK!
K-KRAK!

"What's the matter, Bardock? You miss your friends?" Dodoria laughed as he approached. "Don't worry; we'll send you to join them, along with any other Saiyan trash we find!"

Bardock snarled angrily. "Monsters!" he bellowed. "You'll pay!"

With that, he soared into the air, and began sending blast after blast at his attackers. Some met their mark, others didn't, but even with that, it was clear that Bardock was out for blood!

Dodoria's group was being taken down one by one...pretty shameful for these supposed elites. But in the midst of the fight, he briefly saw a vision of Kakarot, as an adult, shouting something that sounded like "Kaio-Ken", while delivering a fierce punch to Vegeta's face, sending him flying.

"What was that he said?" muttered Bardock. "Er...um...Kaio-Ken!"

Before anyone knew what was happening, Bardock was engulfed in a fiery red aura that allowed him to move as fast as lightning, taking down the rest of his attackers, minus Dodoria, who watched in confusion!

"What the hell?! How did he do that?!" Dodoria exclaimed. "Frieza was right...these Saiyans are like a virus! Always evolving!"

Soon, he was the only one left, as Bardock stood before him, exhausted but angry. "You killed...my team..." he grunted.

Dodoria shrugged. "Can I help it if I love following orders?" he asked.

"You're...going...to pay!" snapped Bardock.

"The check's in the mail, bub," Dodoria sneered, before he inhaled and spat out an energy blast from his throat, which hit Bardock head-on, and sent him spinning out of control.

As the singular Saiyan went spinning back to the ground, Dodoria bombarded him with a volley of ki blasts that knocked him the rest of the way there. Once he was certain Bardock was dead, Dodoria was called back to base by Frieza, and left Bardock with the knowledge that his teammates were dead.

"So long, monkey boy," he chuckled as he left.

Emerging from the rubble, Bardock felt the tears stinging his eyes, watching Dodoria fly off. Once the spiky brawler had left, the low-class Saiyan roared in pure hatred and anguish, angrily pounding the floor.

But he quickly slapped himself. "I haven't got time to mourn," he snapped. "I need to get back to Planet Vegeta. I need to warn everyone!"

As Bardock ran back to his pod, he saw another flash of the future...

A green-and-blue planet, a huge thunderstorm churning around it, as a mysterious man was standing there, glowing a brilliant shade of gold!

Bardock didn't know what to make of this vision, but continued to his pod.

That one's more vague than usual...

MEANWHILE...SOME TIME LATER...

Dodoria returned to Frieza's ship and took a knee. "Lord Frieza, I have returned, with my mission accomplished." he declared.

"Is that so...?" Frieza questioned.

"As usual, you've bungled things greatly," said Zarbon, disdain evident in his tone.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!" Dodoria snapped.

"It means, you've left one of those Saiyans on Planet Meat alive." retorted Zarbon.

"As if! He was bleeding out, last I saw!" Dodoria sputtered.

"Then I suppose that's just a mirage?" asked Zarbon, pointing to the viewer screen, on which was shown a space pod shooting through the sky.

Dodoria did a double-take. "W-what?!" he sputtered. "How did he—"

Frieza raised a hand to quiet him. "It seems the Saiyans are going to spoil our little surprise," he mused. "I'd say it's time for us to pay the king a visit..."

And so, as Frieza's spaceship headed back to Planet Vegeta, Bardock made it earlier, touching down on the surface before he climbed out of his pod.

"If I can let others know...then I might be able to change my fate!" Bardock grunted. "Too bad that energy trick did a number on my body..."

Still, he continued limping his way towards a bar where most of the Saiyans tended to hang out.

BACK AT THE CITADEL...

Having gotten himself ready, King Vegeta had assembled an army of the toughest Saiyans he could find; and with them at his call, he marched forth to meet with Frieza and his subordinates.

"Looks like we've got a little tribe of monkeys here!" Jeice laughed as he stepped out.

"Guess we should've replaced the locks on their cages!" Burter nodded in agreement.

Ginyu waved a hand playfully. "Come now, men—they're just monkeys!" he remarked. "And it appears we've rattled the King's cage!"

Bonyu stood nearby, an irritated look on her face.

"Cease your incessant chatter," demanded King Vegeta. "Where's Frieza?"

Guldo scoffed. "Lord Frieza doesn't have time to sully his hands dealing with you dung-tossing monkeys," he croaked. "That's what we're here for."

"If any of you idiots value what's between your legs, you'd better let us see Frieza immediately!" snapped King Vegeta.

"...my ears were burning."

Immediately, everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice. Entering the hallway were Frieza, Zarbon, and Dodoria, and everyone was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread.

"I assume you wanted to talk with me?" asked Frieza, stepping forward.

"You're damned right I did!" King Vegeta spat. "I know what you're planning...and I won't let you have your way!"

Frieza raised a brow. "And just what, pray tell, could I be planning?" he inquired.

"Don't play innocent," snapped one Saiyan. "You wanna destroy our planet and every Saiyan on it!"

"And just where did you get all this from?" mused Frieza.

"A warrior named Bardock," replied the king. "His little trip to Kanassa gave him that future sight."

Frieza's eyes widened. "And so he's ruined the surprise...a pity, really," he remarked. "But I suppose there's no point in pretending anymore...especially since you're about to perish."

The Ginyus all cheered in excitement. "YEAH, LORD FRIEZA!" they exclaimed, throwing their fists skyward.

Dodoria and Zarbon watched in silence; they knew Frieza could get a bit too rambunctious when he was killing, and they figured he'd want to get the first few punches.

Immediately, all the Saiyans snapped into combat stances, glaring daggers at the Frieza Force members. Frieza, meanwhile, snapped his fingers, and the Ginyus each took a combat stance.

However nobody noticed Bonyu quietly making her way out.

King Vegeta let out a roar of fury, and he and his Saiyans attacked, with Ginyu and the others lunging at the Saiyans.

"Take out his bootlickers!" King Vegeta declared. "FRIEZA IS MINE!" With a furious shout, he launched a barrage of energy blasts at Frieza. The Arcosian heir smacked aside the blasts, as he moved forward.

The Saiyan king was relentless as he started throwing punch after punch at Frieza, who was having a rather easy time avoiding the flurry of attacks, but he had a few surprises of his own ready.

Deciding that now was a good time to leave, Bonyu removed her scouter, her Ginyu Force emblem, and discreetly left the room. If she was going to at least atone for her sins, she couldn't have picked a better time to start.

The other Ginyu Force members made short work of their opponents, as had Zarbon and Dodoria; by that point, the last fighter standing was King Vegeta III.

"I won't let you have your way..." he groaned, his body dripping with blood.

Frieza chuckled. "Personally, I don't believe you have much of a choice," he replied. "You see, you and all those other pitiful simians have been a thorn in my side. If any are left alive, they will either serve me or perish. And that includes your son."

King Vegeta balled his fist in anger. "You will not succeed, Frieza..." he glowered.

P-CHOOM! Suddenly, there was a golf-ball-sized hole in his chest, and he fell to the ground, dead.

Frieza raised his finger and blew off some of the smoke. "Long live the king..." he sneered, as he left the room. "And now, to put on the finishing touches..."

Meanwhile, Bardock was on his way, and drew closer to his destination.

As he kept moving, he ran into Bonyu. "Bardock! Where are you going?" she asked.

"I need to warn everyone!" replied the Saiyan warrior. "Bonyu, you've been one of the few pleasant people I've worked with, so listen to me! Leave this planet as fast as you can—get somewhere where Frieza and his droogs won't find you!"

Bonyu nodded, and gave Bardock a firm handshake, before both ran off in opposite directions!

She's one of a kind, thought Bardock as he ran. I hope she finds whatever she's looking for out there...

The spiky-haired Saiyan burst into a tavern, where other Saiyans sat around tables and booths, laughing and drinking. "EVERYONE, YOU HAVE TO LISTEN! WE'RE ALL IN DANGER!" Bardock shouted. "FRIEZA IS COMING TO WIPE US ALL OUT!"

All that came as a response was uproarious laughter.

"Ah, yer drunk!" yelled one Saiyan.

"Yeah! We're Frieza's elite!" another replied. "Why would he wanna get rid of US?"

"He's telling the truth!" called a familiar voice. Everyone looked to see Gine appear, with a tired expression.

"Gine? Where's Raditz?" asked Bardock.

"Sent off-planet with Prince Vegeta and his bodyguard Nappa," explained Gine. "I think Prince Tarble and our nephew Turles may be with them. You all need to listen! King Vegeta has been killed by Frieza!"

Everyone gained uneasy looks, unsure of whether to believe them or not.

"Frieza sent Dodoria and his crew to murder my teammates, and now they intend to do the same to our planet!" called Bardock. "You have to escape while there's still time!"

This sent the crowd into a total panic as Bardock turned to face Gine.

"I ran into Bonyu," she explained. "She made a stopover to get something off the planet."

"Well, whatever it is..." replied Bardock. "I hope she can make it."

"What are you going to do now?" asked Gine.

Bardock cracked his knuckles, facing a window. "Frieza needs to be stopped," he said. "No matter the cost."

"Bardock!" Gine called out to her husband. "...good luck. I love you."

Bardock wrapped his arms around his wife for what would most likely be the final time. Then, he stepped outside...and took off into the sky, a righteous fury blazing in his heart.

ELSEWHERE...

Frieza was onboard his spaceship, with Zarbon and Dodoria standing right next to him. Nearby, in the same room, were the Ginyus.

Recoome looked around. "Hey, anyone seen Bonyu?" he asked.

Guldo shrugged. "Not since the fight with his royal heinous," he replied.

"She must be getting a bite to eat," suggested Burter.

"Shush, men!" yelled Captain Ginyu. "The show is just about to begin, and I don't want to miss a minute of the action.

Meanwhile, in a nearby ship, Frieza's brother Cooler and his men were watching what was going on.

"This ought to be interesting..." the elder brother mused.

Bardock was now flying through the air, with pure hatred in his eyes. Suddenly, he saw swarm after swarm of Frieza's grunts pouring out of the ship, firing energy blast after energy blast at him. But Bardock just barreled through each and every one of them with ease.

"COME ON, YOU COWARDS...!" he roared. "KAIO-KEN!"

Once more, his body lit up with the fiery red aura, and he was blasting through wave after wave of grunts; no matter how many tried to pile on top of him, or blast him to bits, none of them would be successful in this endeavor. He burst free from the pile, sending them all flying!

On the viewing screen, Zarbon observed this event. "Lord Frieza, I do believe we have a problem," he informed his superior.

Frieza nodded. "So I see," he replied.

"FRIEZA! YOU COWARDLY MONSTER!" roared Bardock as he flew further into space, breaching the atmosphere of Planet Vegeta, and using his own attacks to blast apart each of the grunts as they flew towards him in an attempt to overwhelm him.

Suddenly, the main door on the ship roof slid open, and Frieza emerged in his hoverchair, a look of disdain on his face.

"It's him...it's Lord Frieza!" exclaimed a grunt.

"We salute you, sire!" another grunt spoke.

"Yeah...long live Lord Frieza!" said a third.

"No way...you've lived too damn long for MY tastes!" Bardock declared. "So hear this—as of now, the Saiyans no longer work for you! Now, everything changes! The fate of Planet Vegeta...of Kakarot...of myself...as well as your OWN!"

Frieza said nothing, as he simply held up his finger, and began to concentrate a small ball of energy.

Bardock charged as much energy as he could muster, hoping against all hope that his family would be safe.

Kakarot...Gine...Raditz...goodbye.

The low-level Saiyan wound up his arm as a blue ball of energy formed in his hand, and pitched it right at Frieza. However, this would not do a thing for him, as Frieza let out a maniacal cackle, now that his energy sphere was much larger. With a mere gesture, he sent it flying at Bardock. The ball Bardock threw was absorbed in, dissipating as though nothing had become of it.

As the Frieza Force soldiers panicked and screamed, begging Frieza to not kill them, Bardock was the only one who didn't move, and in his mind, he had one more vision:

• his sons, reuniting on some far-off planet
• Kakarot facing off against Frieza
• and finally...his entire family, reunited.

A smile crossed Bardock's lips as the Supernova began to tear his body apart. Thank you...you helped me realize it wasn't too late to make a change. I just wish I could've held you in my arms one last time. Goodbye, my son...

"KAKAROT...!" he roared one last time, as he fell to his death, knowing that Frieza would pay for his crimes.

Planet Vegeta began to quake as massive cracks formed in the surface, etching their way across the planet. As if it were a massive volcanic eruption, the entire planet exploded in a massive fireball.

Frieza let out a villainous cackle of glee. "HOW WONDERFUL! ABSOLUTELY STUPENDOUS!" he laughed. "I ALWAYS DID LOVE A GOOD FIREWORKS CEREMONY! WOULDN'T YOU AGREE, GINYU?!"

"Indeed, Lord Frieza!" Captain Ginyu declared. "You always DID have a knack for sending things off with a bang!"

From afar, Cooler watched in disdain.

"A Saiyan pod has been spotted!" exclaimed Salza. "Should we intercept?"

"Let it go. If that idiot's going to slack off and miss something so minor, then he'd better be ready to face the consequences," he muttered. "I'm not going to be the one who has to cover HIS ass. After all, it's just a Saiyan child. He's no threat to us."

The ship turned and left, as the explosion radiated even further.

As she drifted through space, Bonyu glanced over at three chambers; within were three Saiyan infants. Where they'd end up, only I can say. But I won't tell until next season.

And in his lone pod, Kakarot slept peacefully, unaware of what was in store for him...

Far off on another planet, Raditz was seated with Prince Vegeta, his cousin Turles, and Tarble. Around them were dozens of alien corpses, while the Saiyan youngsters were seated around a fire, like they were on a camping trip.

Nappa stood before them. "I've got some tough news for you kids," he informed. "Our home, Planet Vegeta has been destroyed."

All four kids were in shock!

"And...my father?" asked Vegeta.

"He didn't make it, young prince," sighed Nappa. "The same goes for Raditz' family. His brother was dispatched off-world beforehand. Word is that a meteor storm destroyed everything. I'm so sorry to you all."

And thus, the four Saiyan kids glanced at each other, wondering what would become of their remnants.

"After that, we don't know exactly what happened," said Gine. "We met up in the afterlife sometime after that."

"Well, I might be able to fill in the blanks on that part!" King Kai stated. "After all, I watch over this galaxy, so I keep tabs on a lot of stuff."

ON THE PLANET EARTH...

In the wilds of Mt. Paozu, an old man was taking a hike when he heard the wailing of an infant nearby. Taking a peek over the bush, he saw the spiky-haired alien baby sitting inside an open spacepod, located inside a crater.

"Good grief! It's a baby boy!" the old man exclaimed as he went down to the pod. He picked up the youngster with a bit of curiosity. "Now, what are you doing all the way out here by your lonesome?"

To his surprise, he saw a long, furry monkey tail unravel from behind the baby's back.

"A baby with a tail? Strange fellow, aren't ya?" the old geezer chuckled. "No worries; I'm a bit strange myself! But we can't just leave you out here all alone...how wouldja like to come stay with me?"

The infant gave him a firm kick to the face as he giggled. THWAK!

"Ow!" winced the old man. "You're a spirited little guy, aren't ya? But take it easy; I'm old enough to be your grandpa! Hey...that's it! From now on, you'll be my grandson! The grandson of little ol' me, Son Gohan! Now, what to name you...hmm..."

Just then, inspiration struck! "I know; I'll call you 'Son Goku'!" he declared. "How's that grab ya?"

The newly-named Goku let out a giggle of delight; he LOVED it!

"OK then! 'Son Goku' it is!" Son Gohan replied as he tossed his new grandson up and down. "You're gonna grow up strong!"

And while Bardock's story had come to an end—the story of Son Goku had just begun...

To say that Goku was awestruck would be an understatement; he'd learnt so much about the origins of his family, his people, and himself.

"I hope that what you've learned didn't rattle you too much," said King Kai. "Because in these coming weeks, you'll learn a couple more special techniques, and I need you fully focused."

Goku blinked. "Oh! Uh...right," he nodded. It seemed he'd have to process the information he'd just taken in at a later time.

"These two are some of my biggest whoppers," said King Kai. "The Spirit Bomb, and the Kaio-Ken."

Bardock rubbed his chin. "The name DEFINITELY rings a bell," he replied, before it clicked. "That technique I saw in my vision!"

King Kai nodded. "I have to admit, that does give me a BIT of confidence that Goku's got what it takes to learn these skills," he replied.

"I guess I owe ya one, Dad!" Goku grinned. "Alright, King Kai; I'm ready to get started!"

His stomach growled loudly. BEEEEYOOOOOOWLLLL...!

"...as soon as we get something to eat." Goku replied sheepishly.

King Kai plotzed at that, falling over in a heap. WHAM!

Attaboy, Goku! It's not easy learning on an empty stomach, especially now that you're nearing the final part of your training! Let's hope that he's a quick learner, because only 18 months remain until the Saiyans arrive on Earth!

That old clock's a-tickin', so don't miss a minute of the next "Dragonball Z"!

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW:

In our next episode, Goku's putting his nose to the grindstone to learn King Kai's special techniques...and meanwhile, back on Earth, Krillin's making an unexpected connection, while Yamcha decides to take a chance on a new romance.

See it all play out with your own eyes on the next Dragonball Z!

"Krillin's First Date"/"The 1-2 Sneeze Combo of Love! Lunch and Kuririn"

Sorry it took so long to get this one updated. I've been swamped with a lot of other projects, you know? And would you believe my cowriter and I did this in 2021? There is a LOT on the backlog, and we've got a ways to go before we polish up the Cell Saga, as well as maybe doing the Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans OVA, or as I call it:
Dragonball Z: Destroy All Saiyans!

Up next in the production order here are some original breather chapters not based on stuff from the anime or manga, which will bring in characters from later down the line in at a much earlier point! As for which ones? Well, you're gonna have to wait and see.

We expect to upload Dead Zone here with at least one other chapter this or next week.

Until then, catch ya later. And stay tuned, another DBZ project is coming as one big tribute to Mr. Toriyama.

[Journey of Light]

Featuring the voice of

JEFF BENNETT as BARDOCK

with
JENNIFER HALE
MICHAEL DOBSON
VENUS TERZO
MAURICE LAMARCHE
DON BROWN
PAULINE NEWSTONE
TERRY SCAMMELL
PAUL DOBSON
J.K. SIMMONS
KATHLEEN BARR
DEE BRADLEY BAKER
CHARLIE ADLER
ROB PAULSEN
PATRICK FRALEY
AIDAN DRUMMOND
PHIL PARSONS
THOMAS DEKKER
SAFFRON HENDERSON
IAN JAMES CORLETT
JOHN STEPHENSON
MICHAEL DONOVAN
SCOTT MCNEIL
DAVID KAYE
TERRY KLASSEN
KENT WILLIAMS
CLE BENNETT
BART MYER
CEYLI DELGADILLO
CHUCK HUBER
CARTER HAYDEN
SCOTT McCORD
CHRIS RAGER

as told by DALE D. KELLY