Goku arrived at the edge of the massive crater. Inside, lying beneath the gargantuan footprint, was the young man who had bravely fought. He was battered almost beyond recognition, yet a faint, stubborn pulse of life energy still clung to him.
"To be stomped on by that thing and still be breathing… you've got one heck of a will to live," Goku murmured with a note of respect.
As he spoke, a sudden, brilliant light erupted from the young man's body. The light split, shimmered, and resolved into two separate figures lying side-by-side.
"Whoa! Was that… a Fusion technique?" Goku's eyes widened in genuine surprise. After a moment's consideration, he produced two Senzu Beans from a small pouch. He knelt, carefully placing one in each of their mouths. "Eat this. Now. Unless you want to meet your ancestors."
The two figures stirred, hesitated, then weakly swallowed the beans. In seconds, the impossible happened. Their horrific wounds knitted together, color returned to their faces, and they sat up, bursting with renewed vitality. They stared at their own restored bodies in utter disbelief.
"This… this is incredible!" the first one exclaimed, flexing his hands. "My injuries were fatal… I was sure it was the end!"
"Yeah," the second agreed, patting his chest in wonder. "What was that thing you gave us?"
Seeing their amazement but noticing a distinct lack of gratitude, Goku crossed his arms, his expression turning unamused. "Hey. I just gave you two of my most precious Senzu Beans. A 'thank you' would be the polite thing to do, you know."
The two glanced at each other, then scrambled to their feet, bowing deeply in unison. "Ah! Forgive our rudeness!" said the first. "My name is Zamu. This is Rikusha. Thank you for saving our lives. May we know our benefactor's name?"
"I'm Son Goku," he replied, his stern look softening into a keen smile. "If you really want to thank me, teach me that teleportation skill you used. And I'm very interested in that technique where the two of you became one."
That was the whole point of using two Senzu Beans, he thought. A fair trade for Shunkan Idō and that Fusion.
He was also reassessing the Yardratians. When they first recovered, he'd sensed their individual battle powers were only around 10,000. Yet when fused, they'd soared past 100,000. The original Goku said Yardratians weren't fighters, but these guys are no pushovers. I guess to a Super Saiyan, even 10,000 seems weak. But if they weren't at least this strong, how could they have developed such overpowered techniques?
"You want to learn my Shunkan Idō?" Zamu hesitated, scratching his head. "I'd like to teach you… but it's a guarded secret of our warrior caste. Only those officially recognized as a 'Tribe Warrior' are permitted to learn…"
Rikusha pondered for a moment. "But you slew the King Kong and saved everyone. I'm certain the Chief would make an exception."
Just then, a crowd approached, led by an elderly Yardratian with an air of quiet authority. He stepped forward and bowed to Goku. "Honored warrior, we owe you a debt that can never be fully repaid. You have saved not only our tribe but countless others from that beast. I am Zāda, Chief of Gurando. On behalf of all the tribes, I thank you."
"Grandfather," Zamu interjected eagerly. "Goku wishes to learn our Shunkan Idō and Fusion technique. May I teach him?"
Zāda looked at Goku, then at the grateful faces of his people, and nodded without hesitation. "Of course! He who saved our home is worthy of any knowledge we hold. Teach him not only those, but any skill he wishes to master!" It was clear the Yardratians valued honor and gratitude above all.
"Brother Goku, you were incredible!" Anjēru suddenly darted from the crowd, her eyes sparkling with pure admiration. "Even that monster was nothing to you!"
"Anjēru, I was nearly squashed to death over here!" Zamu said, feigning injury with a dramatic sigh. "Aren't you going to ask if I'm alright?"
"You look perfectly fine to me," she retorted, playfully sticking out her tongue. "And you call yourself the village's strongest warrior?"
Goku chuckled. "You two seem close."
Zamu grinned sheepishly while Anjēru blushed a deep crimson. Chief Zāda laughed warmly. "These two have been betrothed since they were children. They bicker like an old married couple already. Please pay their squabbling no mind."
"Oh? Childhood sweethearts?" Goku said with a genuine smile. "Congratulations to you both!" His fondness for Anjēru was purely fraternal. His interests, he reminded himself, lay elsewhere—with the legendary beauties of the worlds he knew. Unless a woman was truly exceptional, she rarely held his attention for long.
Hearing his easy congratulations, a flicker of inexplicable disappointment passed through Anjēru's eyes. Zamu noticed it, and a pang of jealousy hit him, followed immediately by guilt as he looked at Goku—his rival for a moment, but also his savior. It was a confusing knot of emotions.
Goku, perceptive as ever, deftly changed the subject. "It's a shame the environment here is so different from my home world. My wife wouldn't be able to adapt, otherwise I'd love to introduce you all."
"Wife?!" Anjēru exclaimed, her surprise mingling with that faint disappointment. Zamu, however, brightened visibly, his previous conflict evaporating into relieved camaraderie.
With a thought from Goku, a stream of light flew from his chest, materializing into a intricate ring in his palm. "She's in here."
"This… tiny ring can hold a person?" Anjēru gasped, leaning in for a closer look.
"A spatial artifact?" Chief Zāda murmured, deeply impressed. "Your world's technology must be remarkably advanced." Yardratian ingenuity was channeled into mystic arts, not machinery.
Goku merely smiled, offering no further explanation. Under the warm insistence of Zāda and the villagers, he was escorted back to Gurando. True to their word, Zamu began instructing him in the principles of Shunkan Idō that very day.
In a single day, Goku mastered the technique that had taken Zamu years to learn.
Zamu could only stare, his pride as a teacher thoroughly bruised, yet filled with awe at the alien's prodigious talent.