Situation

King Kai's Planet...

"9998... 9999... 10000!!"

Son Goku was training with relentless perseverance, completely ignoring Bubbles and some insect supervising nearby.

"Goku, you really are hardworking. Out here training this early."

King Kai suddenly walked out of his house, pushed up his tiny sunglasses, and looked at Goku with a comfortable expression.

"Of course, Lord Kai. Earth's already in danger. I have to work hard."

Goku sat down on the ground, catching his breath for a moment. He took the towel Bubbles handed him, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then spoke.

"Hmm, sticking to training is good, but you need to relax sometimes too. Training nonstop might backfire."

King Kai carefully studied Goku for a moment before speaking.

Thinking back over the past few months, King Kai found it all a bit unbelievable. When Goku had been on the verge of death on Earth, Krillin should have had a Senzu Bean to save him. But at the critical moment, someone stopped it—all so Goku could spend a year in the afterlife getting stronger.

The person who appeared before Piccolo and the others back then was Old Kami.

After some explanation, Goku went along with it. Every time he thought back to Betkas's overwhelming power from the year before, he felt eager to test himself. And because of Raditz, he mistakenly believed Betkas would attack again, so he agreed. Piccolo and the others had no objections either, only promising to revive Goku after a year.

When Goku first arrived in the afterlife, he didn't take it easy running Snake Way like in the original. He flew whenever he could, and when his ki ran low, he ran. He only stopped for short rests. That got him to King Kai's planet much earlier than before.

Now, he trained tirelessly, day after day. King Kai watched with satisfaction, though he occasionally reminded Goku not to overdo it and damage his body.

"Don't worry, Lord Kai. I know what I'm doing."

Goku smiled slightly, handed the towel back to Bubbles, then stood up and took a few deep breaths.

"What an incredible guy. In just a few months, his strength has shot up this much. But it might still be a stretch against those Saiyans."

King Kai thought about the remaining Saiyans causing trouble in the North Galaxy in recent years and compared them to Goku. He found there was still a gap in strength. One Saiyan in particular was far stronger than Goku by many times—a gap that even Kaioken might not close.

That worried him. Then he suddenly remembered something and muttered, "Let me first see which Saiyan is heading toward Earth from the North Galaxy."

King Kai walked to the other side of the planet, looked into the distance, and his two antenna-like appendages seemed to sense something.

"One... two. Both have strong ki, but that guy isn't among them. If that's the case, Goku has a good chance with Kaioken."

After standing for a few minutes, King Kai sensed two spaceships moving toward Earth. He let out a relieved mutter.

Then he turned around, beaming with confidence as he watched Goku still training hard.

...Earth...

"The year that guy mentioned is almost up."

Piccolo sat cross-legged with his eyes closed in midair over a desolate area. His cape fluttered in the wind. He opened his eyes with a serious expression, staring ahead, deep in thought.

Over these months, Piccolo's training had been absolutely strict. Without having to look after Son Gohan, he had made great progress. The only change was that Gohan was having a rough time. When Piccolo had grabbed him for training, the kid had kicked up a huge fuss. But as time passed, he finally started taking it seriously.

The reason Piccolo took Gohan was because Goku had suggested it. Goku knew Gohan's potential well—especially how he'd burst out with strange power as a child. If trained as a warrior, he'd be incredibly strong. So before dying, Goku told Piccolo to bring Gohan along. That piqued Piccolo's curiosity. Since even Goku said his son had potential, he might become a real asset. So Piccolo went and snatched him up like a cop.

Chi-Chi couldn't stop Piccolo back then. If Krillin and the others hadn't explained things, it would've been a much bigger mess.

"That brat's still alive."

Piccolo frowned slightly, sensing Gohan's faint ki, then closed his eyes again.

"Don't run!!! Let me cut off another piece of meat!"

Gohan was happily chasing a dinosaur across the flat ground—the same one he'd already cut a tail-meat chunk from earlier.

"ROOOAR!"

The dinosaur seemed to remember something unpleasant and ran even faster, leaving Gohan in the dust. That was the potential a creature unleashed in a crisis.

"What a pain... What am I gonna do for dinner tonight? Catch some fish again? Or eat forest fruit?"

Gohan watched the dinosaur disappear into the distance and scratched his head. He hadn't had pure meat in a while. Seeing that dinosaur—and a "familiar" one at that—he'd wanted to cut off another piece for dinner. But the thing had bolted away.