Integrating into the Camp

Gore, Lanno, and Luo Ling settled into the camp at Mount Paozu. Gore quickly became Bardock's right-hand man. Every day, he assisted Bardock in managing the camp's daily affairs—distributing supplies, arranging patrols, and coordinating training. His composure and reliability earned everyone's trust. "Gore, why do you follow Bardock?" Reg asked him one day. "Because he saved my life," Gore said. "During a battle, I was surrounded by soldiers of the Frieza Force, and it was Bardock who charged in to save me. From that day on, I swore that whatever he needed, I would help him." "And now? What are you helping him with?" "Helping him rebuild the Saiyans." Gore looked at the busy people in the camp. "This is what he wants, and it is what I want to do as well." Lanno, meanwhile, became the camp's "handyman." If a spaceship broke, they went to him; if equipment failed, they went to him; even when pots and pans were damaged, they went to him. He had a cheerful personality and loved to joke, quickly becoming close with the young people in the camp. "Lanno, why isn't this gravity room working?" a warrior asked.

"Don't rush, let me take a look." Lanno crawled under the gravity room and tinkered for a while. "Alright! It was just a loose wire. You Saiyans, you train too hard and shook the equipment loose." "Can you fix it?" "Piece of cake. But next time you train, take it easy. This thing isn't meant to be smashed." "Hahaha!" Luo Ling, however, was having a harder time. She was used to being a lone wolf and used to letting her strength do the talking, but here, strength wasn't everything. She tried to establish her status through force, only to be easily suppressed by Kashu; she tried to command others with an authoritative tone, but no one listened to her. "Luo Ling, your method is wrong." One day, Gine found her. "What method?" Luo Ling asked, her face cold. "The method of getting along with people." Gine handed a cup of hot tea to Luo Ling. "Here, no one is your subordinate, and no one is your enemy. Everyone is equal, and you need to treat them with an equal mindset." "I just want to make them stronger," Luo Ling said. "Saiyans need the strong." "The strong aren't cultivated through commands," Gine said. "Look at Kashu; he never orders others around. He simply sets an example and lets others choose whether to follow." Luo Ling fell silent. She recalled how Kashu looked on the training field—he always patiently taught every child, never hurting anyone, never losing his temper. Yet everyone respected him, and everyone was willing to listen to him. "Perhaps you're right," Luo Ling said softly. From that day on, Luo Ling began to change. She stopped using an authoritative tone, started communicating with others, began participating in group activities, and even started teaching the children combat techniques. "Big Sister Luo Ling, how are you so strong?" a four-year-old girl asked, looking up at her. "Because Big Sister trains every day." Luo Ling crouched down and patted the girl's head. "You must train hard too, and one day you'll be even stronger than me." "Okay!" the girl nodded vigorously.

Luo Ling looked at the girl's innocent smile, and a warmth welled up in her heart. This was the meaning of her fighting—to let these children grow up in peace, without having to endure the suffering she had experienced.

Gore had always been curious about Kashu. How could this seven-year-old child command the respect of over a hundred Saiyans? He decided to test him personally. "Kashu, I want to spar with you." One evening, Gore found Kashu. "Why?" Kashu was sitting on the edge of the training field, watching the sunset. "I want to see your strength." Kashu glanced at Gore and nodded. "Alright." The two walked onto the training field. Gore took off his weighted clothing and released his full energy—a combat power of 12,000. His fist whistled through the air as he threw a straight punch toward Kashu's face. Kashu didn't move. Gore's fist stopped an inch from the tip of Kashu's nose—not because he had stopped voluntarily, but because it had been blocked by an invisible force. "What?" Gore's pupils contracted. "Your attack is too direct," Kashu said. "Mr. Gore, your strength is good, but your moves lack variation. In actual combat, an opponent won't just stand there waiting for you to hit them." Kashu extended his right index finger and tapped lightly on Gore's fist. Gore felt a gentle yet irresistible force push him back; he had to retreat a dozen steps to steady himself. "I lost." Gore lowered his hand, genuinely impressed. "Your strength truly far exceeds mine." "You're not bad," Kashu said. "You just need more practice. Mr. Gore, your control over your ki is not yet refined. Starting tomorrow, you will practice ki sensing with the others." "Alright." From that day on, Gore joined Kashu's training sessions. His progress was rapid—a month later, his ki sensing range had expanded to ten kilometers; three months later, his combat power had risen from 12,000 to 20,000; half a year later, he had mastered the Flight technique and energy blasts. "Gore, your progress is so fast," Lanno said enviously. "Because I have a good teacher." Gore looked toward the distance where Kashu was instructing the children. "That child is truly special."

Luo Ling was the fastest to progress among the three. Her foundation was already high—a combat power of 18,000. Under Kashu's guidance, her ability to sense and control ki improved significantly. Three months later, her combat power rose from 18,000 to 30,000; half a year later, it reached 50,000; a year later, she broke through the 100,000 mark. "Luo Ling, you are the most talented female Saiyan I have ever seen," Kashu remarked. "Stop buttering me up." Luo Ling rolled her eyes. "I just don't want to lose to you." "Lose to me?" Kashu smiled. "You are still far behind me." "I know! But one day, I will catch up to you!" Kashu looked at Luo Ling's determined eyes, a hint of approval rising in his heart. This female Saiyan possessed a fighting spirit and perseverance that could rival anyone. "I'll be waiting." One day, during training, Luo Ling suddenly felt a new power surging within her. Her ki began to fluctuate violently, her hair flickered between gold and black, and the air around her began to distort. "This is..." Kashu stopped training and walked to Luo Ling's side. "The threshold of a Super Saiyan. Luo Ling, don't resist; let it erupt naturally." Luo Ling gritted her teeth as the ki within her grew increasingly wild. Finally, with a roar, her hair turned from black to gold, her pupils from brown to light green, the air around her exploded, and a golden aura soared into the sky. "I did it!" Luo Ling looked at her golden hands, her voice filled with disbelief. "Super Saiyan." Kashu nodded. "Luo Ling, you are the first female among the Saiyans to reach this realm." Luo Ling's combat power surged from 100,000 to 5,000,000—a fifty-fold increase. She felt her power like a bursting river, surging out endlessly. "This is a Super Saiyan..." Luo Ling clenched her fists. "Kashu, can I beat you now?" "You can try." Luo Ling rushed toward Kashu and threw a punch at his chest. Kashu extended his right hand and gently caught her fist.

"The power is good, but it's not enough," Kashu said. "Super Saiyan is just the beginning, not the end." Luo Ling withdrew her fist and deactivated her transformation, her golden hair returning to its short red state. "Then what is the end?" "There is no end." Kashu looked at the sky. "The path to becoming stronger is endless." A year later, Gore, Lanno, and Luo Ling had fully integrated into the Mount Paozu camp. Gore had become Bardock's most trusted deputy. He was responsible for the camp's defense and training, leading the warriors on patrols in the surrounding area every day to ensure the camp's safety. His combat power had broken through 30,000; although he hadn't reached the Super Saiyan realm, his control over ki had reached a state of perfection. Lanno had become the camp's "handyman" and "joker." He was responsible for maintaining all equipment and spaceships, while also moonlighting as the camp's "storyteller"—every night, he would tell stories by the campfire, tales of Saiyan history and strange wonders of the universe, making the children laugh out loud. "Uncle Lanno, tell us another one!" the children crowded around him. "Alright, alright, one more." Lanno smiled. "Once upon a time, there was a Saiyan named Bardock..." Luo Ling had become the camp's "Valkyrie." She was responsible for teaching the children combat techniques and also for protecting the camp in times of danger. Her Super Saiyan transformation had stabilized, and with a combat power of 5,000,000, she had become the second strongest in the camp, right after Kashu. One night, the three of them sat on a hillside outside the camp, looking at the stars filling the sky. "Gore, what do you think will happen to us in the future?" Lanno asked.

"I don't know," Gore said. "But at least we have a home now." "Home..." Luo Ling repeated the word softly. "I haven't had a home in a long time. Now I do." Gore looked toward the camp in the distance, where the lights were bright and the laughter of children could be heard. "That is our home. The home of the Saiyans." Lanno smiled. "That kid Kashu really did it. He brought over a hundred Saiyans and built a new home on Earth." "More than a hundred," Gore said. "Newborns are arriving constantly, and the population is growing. Perhaps in a few decades, the Saiyans will regain their vitality. When that time comes, we will take revenge on Frieza." Luo Ling clenched her fists. "Revenge is a matter for the future," Gore said. "For now, what we must do is become stronger and protect this home." The three fell silent for a moment, then stood up together and walked toward the camp. Under the moonlight, their shadows were stretched long and thin. And on the roof of the highest wooden cabin in the camp, Kashu sat cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation. He sensed their ki and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "Gore, Lanno, Luo Ling." Kashu opened his eyes. "Welcome home."