A Brief Rest

"Ah!"

Goku no longer had the strength to unleash an even more powerful Kamehameha. He could only be swallowed by the immense energy...

"Boom!"

It was like the mountains were crumbling and the earth was splitting apart. The immense energy easily devastated the terrain.

When the dust settled, Goku lay on the ground, battered and breathing faintly.

"Goku!"

"Dad!"

Krillin, Gohan, and the others hurried over to Goku.

Goku had lost their sparring match after all.

"Cough... cough... cough. I'm fine."

Goku's weak voice drifted over.

"Ah, Goku. This is what happens when you push past your limits without taking care of your body. You can't handle the 5x Kaio-ken yet."

Watching Goku from far away on King Kai's Planet, North Kai couldn't help sighing.

Goku was barely breathing, and nearly every bone in his body was broken. His injuries were even worse than after his fierce battle with Vegeta in the original story.

"Phew..."

Li Feng flew over to Goku and gave him a Senzu Bean.

With Gohan's help, Goku struggled to swallow it, and his breathing returned to normal.

"Ah! I'm alive again!"

Goku felt all his injuries disappear, completely healed. His blood surged with even more vigor, and he felt as though he had endless energy.

Huh?

Li Feng also sensed that Goku's battle power had clearly risen after the Senzu Bean healed him.

He checked with the Scouter:

Son Goku: 20000

As expected of a Saiyan. Like an indestructible cockroach, his battle power kept soaring after he nearly died.

"Hahaha! Li Feng, thanks! I'll definitely get stronger, then come spar with you again."

Goku spoke excitedly.

"Of course."

Li Feng was more than happy to.

With such an excellent punching bag—no, an excellent sparring partner—his own battle power would surely keep increasing too!

Just then, a large jet flew toward them.

"Gohan! My Gohan!"

Chi-Chi's anxious cry came from inside before the doors had even opened.

As soon as the plane landed, Chi-Chi leaped out and hurriedly embraced Gohan.

"Mom, I'm fine. Uncle Li Feng and Dad drove the enemy away."

Gohan said.

"Thank goodness you're all right... Thank goodness..."

Chi-Chi didn't hear what Gohan said after that. She just held him close and comforted him.

"Li Feng! Are you all right? Master Roshi said the fighting was intense over here..."

Bulma got off the plane next. She looked anxiously at Li Feng and checked him all over.

"Oh my, you're so badly hurt. It must have been painful."

Bulma looked at the wounds on Li Feng's body, her concern tinged with heartache.

"I'm fine. These are just from sparring with Goku. It's nothing."

"Huh? Weren't you fighting that evil Saiyan? Why were you fighting Goku?"

Li Feng explained what had happened.

Though it seemed like they had fought for a long time, less than two hours had actually passed between Vegeta and the others arriving on Earth and Goku's defeat.

The Namek arc in the original story only lasted a little over a day, yet it still had dozens of episodes...

"Hmph, Goku, you finally decided to come back? You're such a jerk..."

Seeing Goku grinning, Chi-Chi was so angry she could barely speak. In the end, she threw herself into his arms and complained.

The two strongest warriors were both being scolded by women. They exchanged a smile.

Everyone returned to Bulma's house for a meal and to discuss what to do after the battle.

"First, there are the people killed by the invading Saiyans and the cities they destroyed. We originally planned to use the Dragon Balls to wish everything back to normal, but we used them a year ago, so we'll have to wait another month before we can use them again."

"Second, Earth's Dragon Balls can grant only one wish, so we'll have to go to Namek and use the Dragon Balls there," Li Feng said.

"Namek has Dragon Balls too?" Krillin asked in surprise.

"Of course. Earth's Dragon Balls were made by the Namekians, and the Guardian of Earth is a Namekian too. You should know that, Piccolo."

Li Feng turned to Piccolo.

"That's right. That Saiyan named Vegeta said as much last time. I'm curious about Namek too. I'm definitely going there this time!" Piccolo said firmly.

"But the most powerful enemy is there—Frieza. He's looking for the Dragon Balls to make a wish too, so going there will definitely be dangerous."

"Then it's perfect! Fighting a powerful opponent is so exciting," Goku said eagerly.

Gohan timidly asked, "Um, I want to go too."

Everyone was surprised.

Chi-Chi was especially shocked and hurried to stop him.

"Gohan, have you gone crazy? It's incredibly dangerous there! I can understand that lunatic Goku going, but why are you acting recklessly too?"

"Mom, I'm an Earthling and a warrior too! If Dad or Uncle Li Feng hadn't arrived today, Earth would have been in danger!"

"What if they're not on Earth next time something happens?"

The more Gohan spoke, the firmer his resolve became.

Chi-Chi had never seen Gohan defy her so determinedly, but she still tried to stop him.

"Chi-Chi, Gohan's actually really strong. At first, Raditz nearly killed Piccolo and me. Gohan's sudden outburst was what saved us," Goku explained from the side.

"That's true. Gohan's gotten much stronger after training with Piccolo for a year. And if anything dangerous happens, I can use Instant Transmission to bring them back," Li Feng assured her.

"Instant Transmission? What's that?"

Goku asked curiously.

"Heh, just a moment."

Li Feng immediately sensed the ki of the other fighters on Earth.

"Found him!"

Li Feng said excitedly, then vanished in an instant.

"Whoosh!"

"Huh? Where's Li Feng? Why did he suddenly disappear? What happened to his ki?"

Krillin noticed that Li Feng had vanished completely from their sight, and his ki had disappeared too.

Just as everyone was wondering what had happened...

"Whoosh!"

Two figures suddenly appeared.

Li Feng had appeared with Yajirobe in tow.

"Hey, hey! Wait, what's going on?"

Yajirobe had been resting on the tower when a huge hand suddenly grabbed him.

"This is Instant Transmission," Li Feng explained to everyone.

As long as he could sense someone's ki, he could instantly travel to wherever they were.

So, after Gohan begged Chi-Chi and Li Feng and Goku repeatedly assured her he'd be safe, she finally gave a reluctant nod.

Gohan would only go to see what it was like. If he was in any danger, Li Feng had to use Instant Transmission to bring him back to Earth.

Aside from that, Goku also told Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and the others about going to train on North Kai's Planet.

The story unfolded much as it had in the original.

Piccolo set off for Namek first by spaceship, serving as a destination marker for Li Feng. Goku, Gohan, and Li Feng stayed on Earth to train...

That night, everyone left, leaving only Bulma and Li Feng in the wasteland.

"Li Feng, are you really leaving again so soon?"

Bulma knew he'd be going away again before long, and couldn't help feeling downcast.

"I still have plenty of time to spend with you."

Li Feng spoke gently.

Even a blockhead would have understood Bulma's feelings by now.

"Then... you'll have to prove it to me."

That night, the two of them took their relationship to a new level...