Heading to Kami's Lookout

Raditz landed his aircraft in front of Kame House.

Bulma, Yamcha, Launch, and the others were already waiting in anxious anticipation.

As the hatch opened, everyone rushed forward to surround them.

"Master Roshi! Raditz! Are you both alright?" Bulma asked urgently.

Master Roshi looked exhausted. "It's over... the matter with King Piccolo is finished."

"Did Shenron help defeat him?" Yamcha recalled the sky turning black for a while; he assumed Master Roshi and the others had gathered the seven Dragon Balls and successfully made their wish.

"No," Master Roshi said, turning to look at the quiet Raditz beside him. With a sense of relief, he added, "It was Raditz who defeated him..."

"Raditz?!" everyone exclaimed, their gazes locking onto him in unison.

"It was him." Tien Shinhan, who had mostly recovered, recalled the scene. "I saw it with my own eyes. King Piccolo... he had almost no power to fight back against him."

Master Roshi recounted the general events, omitting the awkward details of the Evil Containment Wave being blocked and his own unconsciousness, focusing instead on how Raditz had slain King Piccolo.

Even so, the group listened in stunned silence.

Bulma stared blankly at Raditz, suddenly remembering the vague prophecy Fortune Teller Baba had made earlier. She had dismissed it as a joke at the time, but to think... it had actually come true?

"Raditz, you really were hiding your true strength!" Yamcha slapped Raditz hard on the shoulder, his tone filled with amazement. The boy from the Gravity Chamber had now shown the fruits of his hard work.

Raditz felt a bit embarrassed by everyone's attention and scratched his head. "It was alright, though it's a pity we couldn't save Shenron."

"Save what?" Bulma asked suspiciously. "Wait, didn't you wish for Krillin to be revived? Or was it Goku?"

Master Roshi sighed. "There is a major problem now."

He then explained how Shenron had been killed.

The group's joy was instantly dampened; with the Dragon Balls rendered useless, it meant Krillin could not be revived.

"Kami... God?" Yamcha chewed on the unfamiliar term. "Even if such a person exists, where would we find him? In the heavens?"

"Legend says Kami resides in a lookout that is difficult for mortals to reach." Master Roshi was also at a loss, having only heard it mentioned in passing years ago.

Raditz knew the method, but meeting Kami seemed to require a certain qualification—a "qualification" that had to be assessed by the Cat Hermit. He wasn't one hundred percent sure if he possessed it, but he knew someone who certainly did.

He didn't say it immediately, choosing instead to comfort the group. "Don't worry, everyone. I checked with my scouter; Goku is still alive. He should be back soon."

"Perhaps he has a way."

Hearing that Goku was alive lifted everyone's spirits. Regardless of whether there was a solution, at least his survival was good news.

The next morning, the distinct sound of the Flying Nimbus cutting through the air approached from the distance.

"Everyone! I'm back!" Goku's loud voice rang out outside Kame House.

The group rushed out of the house to see Goku jumping off the Flying Nimbus, looking full of energy.

"Goku! You really are okay!" Bulma said happily.

"Yeah! Thanks to Yajirobe and Korin!" Goku nodded with a smile, then looked at Raditz, his eyes burning with intense fighting spirit and excitement. "Raditz! You're amazing! Korin told me you defeated that guy in just a few moves! When can we have a match?!"

Raditz smiled. "There will be a chance, Goku. You've returned just in time; we were just worrying about the Dragon Balls being unusable."

"Right! That's exactly why I came back!" Goku slapped his forehead, remembering the task at hand. "Korin said that to save Shenron, we need to see Kami. He also said the Power Pole is the 'key' that connects Korin Tower to Kami's Lookout. I didn't have my Power Pole on me before..."

"It's here." Raditz retrieved the familiar staff from his aircraft and handed it to Goku.

"Great!" Goku took the Power Pole and looked at Raditz eagerly, his eyes sparkling. "Raditz, come with me to Korin Tower! Korin said you also qualify. Let's go see Kami together and ask him to revive Krillin!"

Seeing the trust in Goku's eyes, Raditz nodded. "Alright, let's go together."

Training at Kami's Lookout was imperative; even if he couldn't go this time, he would have gone eventually once he mastered the Flight Technique.

Afterward, the two exchanged a few words with Master Roshi and the others, then set off toward Korin Tower.

One in his aircraft and the other on the Flying Nimbus, they traveled at high speed and reached the palace at the top of Korin Tower before long.

Stowing his aircraft, Raditz saw the Cat Hermit waiting and greeted him. "Korin, long time no see."

He then glanced at the stout man standing nearby. "Yajirobe, you're here too."

Yajirobe wore a smug expression, acting as if he didn't care. "Hmph! Why shouldn't I be here? If it weren't for me, your friend might not even be standing here talking to you right now."

"Haha, thank you. To think you were able to save Goku from King Piccolo," Raditz said, patting Yajirobe on the shoulder with a compliment.

"Hmph!" Yajirobe looked as if he were teaching a student, saying righteously, "I was actually planning to go and finish off King Piccolo myself, but since you've already done it, there's no need for me to step in."

Raditz: "..." Give you an inch and you take a mile?

Ignoring him further, Raditz looked at the silent Cat Hermit. "Korin, Goku has already told me the situation. How do we get to Kami's Lookout?"

Goku immediately pulled out the Power Pole he had retrieved and said excitedly, "Korin, I found my Power Pole too."

"Hmm." Seeing that both were prepared, the Cat Hermit didn't waste time and pulled two bells from his robes. "Take these. They are the proof of your qualification to meet Kami."

"Then, insert the Power Pole into the slot at the top of the tower and tell it to extend. That will be enough."

"Don't delay. You should set off now."

Following the Cat Hermit's instructions, the two climbed to the top of the tower and inserted the Power Pole into the slot. At Goku's command to "extend," the pole grew wildly, carrying them both straight up into the clouds.

Watching their figures disappear, the Cat Hermit murmured to himself, "I hope they don't do anything reckless when they finally see Kami's face."

"Heh, especially Raditz."

The Power Pole carried the two of them, piercing through the clouds and extending upward at an astonishing speed.

It wasn't long before the Power Pole reached its limit.

"We're here!" Goku shouted excitedly.

The two of them immediately grabbed the stairs to the side and climbed to the top in a few strides.

The view before them suddenly opened up.

This was a vast platform suspended in the extreme heights of the sky, where several ancient and mysterious buildings stood; the most magnificent of these was a temple with its great doors tightly shut.

In the center of the plaza before the temple, a figure stood in silence.

It was a man with dark skin, a short and stout build, and wearing peculiar attire.