North Kai, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and even Bubbles and Gregory all thought that if Goku went to Planet Namek, he would never make it out alive.
They hoped Goku would understand that they were only trying to protect him, but they also knew him well.
It had already come to this. Planet Namek was only three days away, and backing out now simply wasn't something Son Goku would do.
"I know my strength is nowhere near Vegeta's, but I'm still going to Planet Namek this time," Son Goku replied, just as they had expected.
Everyone was helpless. Knowing there was no point trying to stop him, they could only let it go.
Piccolo, however, felt a trace of admiration for Son Goku at that moment.
He and Son Goku had harbored a deep grudge against each other for a long time.
Over the past year, they had fought to stop the Saiyans from invading Earth. Although they hadn't met or spoken, Piccolo had indirectly come to accept Son Goku as Son Gohan changed him.
Naturally, Son Goku had come to accept Piccolo as well.
In short, once people had a common enemy, former enemies could slowly become friends by standing on the same side.
Son Goku, you haven't made me look down on you, and you haven't disappointed me! Good. Don't let yourself be scared! No matter how strong that Vegeta is, remember, you've beaten him before! In my eyes, if someone like Vegeta can become a Super Saiyan, then you can too! Piccolo's words came through, as if he and Son Goku were of one mind.
Those words also greatly changed how North Kai, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu viewed Piccolo.
Who would have thought that the former King Piccolo could become like this?
Of course, it was a good change. They had fought side by side before, so they had already accepted Piccolo.
"Mm! Thanks for the encouragement, Piccolo. I know I'm no match for Vegeta, but I'm still going! As a martial artist and a warrior, I can't back down. Besides, just like you said, maybe I can become a Super Saiyan too." Son Goku looked perfectly calm, even optimistic.
Son Goku really was mature at this point. He wasn't like he was in the Super era, when he could become so obsessed with fighting that he acted recklessly.
Even now, he might do selfish things for the sake of fighting and growing stronger, but he would never drag other people into it, much less use them or anything else as a wager.
He had a clear goal and would never back down!
Son Goku knew that if he ran away out of fear now, he would have no future.
"That's just like you, Goku. I believe you can do it! Surpass Vegeta again! We won't slack off here on King Kai's Planet, either. I'll train as hard as I can from now on, and once we're revived, I'll challenge you again." Inspired by Son Goku's courage, Yamcha spoke with excitement.
Tien Shinhan was just as fired up. "You're always one step ahead of me. This time, I won't fall behind! When we meet again, I'll make sure you're in for a surprise."
"Me too." Chiaotzu nodded earnestly.
Everyone's spirits were high, and North Kai was moved as well. He decided he needed to teach them all how to train properly.
"Then hold on to that conviction and keep moving forward. At worst, you'll die once more—and after you die, you can come straight here to me." North Kai made a little joke to keep everyone from feeling too weighed down.
After ending the call, Son Goku took a deep breath aboard the spaceship. Once he had calmed himself, he resolutely walked over to the Gravity Machine.
"I'm pretty much used to 65 times gravity now. Next, I'll jump straight to 100 times!" Having made up his mind, Son Goku adjusted the Gravity Machine.
Going from 65 times gravity to 100 times was no small jump.
If he hadn't grown much stronger over the past three days and kept up with his gravity training, he would probably have been unable to bear it and ended up sprawled on the ground, unable to move.
"Just as I thought... 100 times Earth's gravity... This is... tough..." In the dark red gravity chamber, Son Goku gritted his teeth and began punching and kicking.
Every movement was severely restricted. It felt as if a mountain were pressing down on him, slowing him to a crawl. If he pushed himself any harder, his whole body seemed ready to fall apart.
Exhausting!
But Son Goku persevered. He had to get stronger. Before reaching Planet Namek, he needed not only to get completely used to 100 times gravity but also to make a major breakthrough.
Otherwise, how could he face Vegeta?
On the other side of the universe.
A spaceship much like Frieza's was heading toward Planet Namek.
Its owner was King Cold.
He had received news of the Dragon Balls as well. Though he had acted more slowly than his son Frieza, he wanted a share of the power to grant wishes.
All these years, because of a single remark from Beerus, the God of Destruction, he had stepped down as the former Universe Emperor and led a dull, uneventful life.
Now that he had finally heard of something as miraculous as the Dragon Balls, he was unwilling to let the opportunity pass him by.
"How much longer until we reach Planet Namek?" King Cold asked his trusted aide from his enormous throne.
The aide had an extremely high battle power of 300,000.
Clearly, although King Cold had stepped down, the forces under his control still had considerable strength.
After all, he had been the Universe Emperor for many years. Frieza's two or three decades in power couldn't compare.
Even Cooler's special forces fell short.
"Your Majesty, according to our latest calculations, at our current speed, it will take about five more days," Mozart reported.
"Five more days? Frieza might have gathered all the Dragon Balls and made his wish by then... Wait, I remember the report from two days ago. Since all the Scouters were destroyed, Frieza urgently summoned the Ginyu Force. How long until they arrive?" King Cold asked.
"About three days," Mozart replied without hesitation.
"Three days? That means even at our fastest, we'll arrive two days after the Ginyu Force..." King Cold sighed, his expression growing increasingly grave.
They were obviously moving too slowly, but there was nothing he could do about it.
His subordinates wouldn't lie to him, so getting angry wouldn't help.
"Actually, King Frieza may not be able to find the remaining Dragon Balls that quickly. According to the information we gathered earlier, the Namekians will probably hide once they learn what the Scouters can do. And the Earthlings have also arrived on Planet Namek. The intelligence report says they know how to control their power so the Scouters can't detect them..."
"I hope so. I wouldn't want my son to make the wish on his own and then destroy the Dragon Balls. Knowing his nature, he could easily do something like that."