At Kame House, peace had finally returned to Earth.
King Piccolo was dead. Goku had taken care of it.
Now, Chi-Chi and Snow were busy in the kitchen preparing a meal.
Everyone had gathered together to celebrate two things: Krillin's engagement—and Earth's survival.
The mood was cheerful. Around the table, they chatted away, laughing, relaxed for the first time in weeks.
Moments ago, they'd been discussing how terrifying King Piccolo had been, but now the conversation had already shifted to what training at the Lookout might be like.
They talked about the basics—physical training, strength building—but it was clear to all of them that something deeper was needed.
Spiritual cultivation, they heard, was the next step. But none of them really understood what that meant. Not even Master Roshi, who only knew fragments.
Still, everyone was eager to begin the next phase of their training.
Bored, Master Roshi flipped on the TV—hoping for some yoga or exercise programs, maybe even a few pretty girls.
Instead? A serious broadcast. Experts giving lectures. News updates.
The day of the World Martial Arts Tournament—the day of Piccolo's attack—had been a disaster. Dozens had died. The cursed "魔" (demon) character burned into their flesh had been shown repeatedly on national TV.
Panic was beginning to spread.
Even though Piccolo had been destroyed before he could plunge the world into chaos again, just his presence—just the idea that he'd returned—was enough to shake people.
Memories of the hellish era three hundred years ago resurfaced.
On every channel, the so-called experts offered comfort. "Today's Earth is different," they said. "We have tanks, jets—nuclear weapons."
"Ten King Piccolos couldn't survive one atomic bomb!"
"Under nuclear fire," one expert declared smugly, "all beings are equal."
Roshi snorted and turned off the TV.
"Tch. No more pretty girls doing yoga. What a bore."
Tenshinhan shook his head. "I didn't think it'd affect the world this much. I thought once Piccolo was defeated, everything would calm down."
Yamcha nodded. "Why don't we just call the station and tell them the truth?"
Bulma's eyes lit up. "Great idea."
She picked up the phone, dialed the TV station.
"Hello, yes—great news. King Piccolo is dead. Earth is safe again."
"…Who defeated him?"
She looked over at Goku.
He shook his head wildly. Don't say it was me!
Bulma smirked. "Of course… it was someone fighting for justice."
She hung up and smiled.
Just then, Snow called out, "Dinner's ready!"
"Time to eat!" Bulma added. "Go wash your hands!"
"Goku, sprinkle those peanuts and sunflower seeds."
"Krillin, help carry the dishes—they're hot!"
Kame House was small, barely big enough to fit everyone, and after so long training at Korin Tower, they'd nearly forgotten what normal life felt like.
After the meal, Bulma invited Goku and Chi-Chi back to West City for a few relaxing days.
Shopping trips, giant meals, time off.
Chi-Chi and Bulma hit the boutiques. Goku? Three meals a day—each enough to feed fifty people.
Krillin, meanwhile, used the treasure they'd found together to buy a house and a car for him and Snow.
They picked out a cozy villa, hundreds of square meters wide, and outfitted it with top-of-the-line furniture and appliances. It was finally starting to feel like home.
But after just a few days without training, the itch returned.
Luckily—it was almost time.
The Lookout awaited.
Everyone packed their bags.
Heavy Gravity, New Horizons
Bulma had a theory: gravity training boosted strength and speed—fundamentals of combat power.
So, she made a few gravity bracelets, one each for Tenshinhan, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha.
When Mr. Popo arrived with his flying carpet, it was stuffed full of warriors—including Goku, Krillin, and Chi-Chi.
Once on the Lookout, Mr. Popo became their official instructor.
But his methods… weren't what they expected.
Sure, they understood resistance training, gravity training, sparring… but Popo dismissed all that as shallow repetition.
He warned them: "Unchanging training leads to stagnation. The world is vast. You must move through it."
Instead of daily drills, he threw them into virtual dimensions—worlds from different eras.
They fought the legendary Mutaito, a younger Crane Hermit, Master Roshi in his prime… and countless mysterious martial masters.
Their minds were blown.
This wasn't just physical.
Popo's philosophy was simple—yet endlessly profound:
Let your heart be still, like the sky.Let your body move, like lightning.Sense with your Ki.Read the air like a breeze.React without thinking.
Goku thought to himself: Gods may not be the strongest, but their servants sure are…
Three Years Later…
Goku had grown—taller, stronger, sharper.
So had the others.
Kami looked over them with a wrinkled smile.
"I have good news. After some effort, I've secured an agreement from the North Kai to take you as students."
Everyone was stunned.
Tenshinhan: "Whoa… Kami-sama really has connections."
Krillin: "Wait, what do we do? I didn't even memorize any jokes!"
Chiaotzu: "You're fine, Krillin. You look funny enough that the Kai will laugh no matter what."
Goku scratched his head. "Kami, how'd this happen?"
Kami chuckled. "Bulma, actually. She reached out. Said gravity bracelets max out at about ten times gravity, and heavier versions don't suit you kids."
"She heard that King Kai's Planet has natural gravity ten times Earth's. Combine that with your bracelets… and you can train under one hundred times gravity."
Krillin turned pale. "A hundred?! I weigh a hundred pounds… that's ten thousand pounds! I'd turn to paste!"
Tenshinhan broke a sweat. "I'm still adapting to ten times gravity…"
Yamcha sighed. "I only managed five times. Thought that was my limit."
Krillin puffed out his chest. "Hah! I mastered ten times gravity three years ago!"
Chi-Chi smirked. "Krillin, your ten times gravity isn't the same as ours."
"Huh?" he blinked.
"You weigh sixty pounds. Tien weighs 180. I weigh 105. Of course ten times means different things."
Krillin blinked. "Wait—was that a… jab?!"
Chi-Chi laughed and ducked behind Goku.
Krillin huffed. "I'm gonna borrow Bulma's radar and wish for five more centimeters!"
Goku: "Why's everyone obsessed with five centimeters?"
Yamcha: "Anything more and people might notice…"
Suddenly, Kami cleared his throat. Everyone turned.
"The Kai won't just teach you about gravity. He has two special techniques: Kaio-ken and Spirit Bomb. The latter is hard—but I want you all to learn the first."
"If you do… your strength will multiply by several times—or dozens."