Brothers—A Reunion Across Twelve Years

Year 749, south side of Mount Paozu.

As Talos slowly descended from the sky, the morning sunlight pierced through layers of treetops, scattering shards of gold across the woodland clearing. He dispelled his Flight Technique, his feet sinking into the soft humus as his brown tail swayed gently in the morning breeze.

The little boy in blue cloth clothes, with a tail wrapped around his waist, stopped punching the tree stump and turned around.

The instant their eyes met, Talos's system panel began flashing wildly—

"Ding—Key character 'Son Goku (Kakarot)' detected. Current base power level: 140. Special status: amnesia (caused by falling from a cliff), tail intact, Saiyan bloodline dormant."

"Ding—Emotional fluctuations detected in host. Conditions for the hidden achievement 'Brothers Reunited' have been fulfilled. Please make contact with Son Goku to unlock the achievement."

Talos did not look at the flashing text. He merely looked into those eyes—clean, bright, without a trace of gloom, exactly as he remembered them. No, not exactly. Those eyes were clearer than they had been twelve years ago, and lonelier too. Son Gohan had been dead for two years. This child had lived alone in these deep mountains for two years, practicing punches, hunting, and talking to tree stumps every day.

"Your ki is huge!" Goku tilted his head, his eyes sparkling. There was not the slightest wariness in them, only pure curiosity. "You have a tail too! I used to think I was the only one with a tail!"

Excited, he circled Talos once, stared at the brown tail that was much thicker than his own, then lifted his own tail and compared the two.

"Your tail is bigger than mine!"

"Because I'm a few years older than you."

"Oh! Right!" Goku scratched his head, but his expression suddenly dimmed for a moment. "My grandpa used to say that too. He said that when I grew up, my tail would get bigger."

"I heard about your grandpa." Talos crouched down so they were eye to eye. "How long have you lived here by yourself?"

"After Grandpa left... I don't know, lots and lots of sunsets, I guess." Goku counted on his fingers, failed to make sense of it, and simply gave up. "Anyway, it's just been me. Practicing, eating, sleeping, then practicing again. Grandpa said that once I got good at martial arts, I'd be able to protect myself."

"So, have you gotten good?"

"I don't know. There's no one to fight." Goku looked up, and light reignited in his eyes. "Talos, did you come into the mountains to train too? Want to train with me? Your ki is huge. Fighting you has to be more fun than punching tree stumps!"

Talos was silent for a second.

Twelve years. He had trained under Old Master Zhao on the eastern side of Mount Paozu for twelve years, rising before dawn every day to practice his punches, standing beneath waterfalls, and battling uncontrollable instincts in his Great Ape Form. He had thought he was merely growing stronger, merely preparing for the future. But now, looking into Goku's eyes, so clean that not a shred of gloom stained them, he suddenly realized—what he had truly wanted to do for all those twelve years was stand in this clearing and say one thing to this child.

"Goku, I didn't come here to fight you."

"Huh?"

"I came to take you away."

"Take me where?"

"To a place where you can become stronger. There are amazing teachers, opponents your own age, and all the food you could ever eat." Talos paused. "And me."

Goku tilted his head, his tail gently swaying behind him. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because—" Talos reached out and placed a hand atop Goku's head. The motion reminded him of the vision he had seen inside the spaceship twelve years ago—two golden figures floating side by side above a collapsing planet. That scene had not been a dream. It was the future he had struggled toward every day for twelve years. "Because you're my brother."

Goku froze for a moment. Then he broke into a wide grin, so clean and bright it was like a pebble freshly scooped from a mountain spring.

"What's a brother?"

"It's someone who'll stand by your side no matter what you become, no matter whether you win or lose."

"Then I'm your brother too!" Goku leaped up and grabbed Talos's arm. "So are we going to that place you talked about now? The place with the amazing teachers?"

"Before that—" Talos stood, untied the rough cloth belt around his waist, and took off the old training clothes Old Master Zhao had passed down to him, revealing his lean, powerful upper body. Twelve years of grueling training had carved smooth lines of muscle into him. Though only twelve years old, he already possessed the physique of an adult martial artist. "Didn't you want someone to fight? Come on, I'll fight you."

Goku's eyes instantly shone like two stars. "Really?!"

"Give it everything you've got. Let me see what you've achieved after training by yourself for two years."

Goku was so excited that his tail stood straight up. He assumed the opening stance his grandpa had taught him—feet shoulder-width apart, center of gravity lowered, fists held one in front of the other to guard his centerline. The opening stance of the Turtle Hermit School. It was not quite proper yet, but the foundation was there. Son Gohan had only learned the basics from Master Roshi, but what he taught Goku were the most orthodox fundamentals of the Turtle Hermit School.

"Here I come!"

Goku kicked off the ground and charged forward, his body leaving behind a blurred shadow in the morning light. For a child with a power level of only 140, his speed was already astonishing. He reached Talos in the blink of an eye, throwing a straight punch at Talos's chest with a whistle of tearing air.

Talos extended two fingers.

The instant fist met fingers, a ring of air burst from the point of contact, scattering fallen leaves in every direction. Goku's entire charge was abruptly stopped by those two fingers—like a charging calf slamming into a wall of cotton. He was not hurt, but he could not advance an inch.

"Whoa!" Goku pulled back his fist and shook his numb wrist. "Your fingers are so hard! Harder than a tree stump!"

"It's not hardness." Talos withdrew his fingers. "It's how you use ki. When you punch, you focus all your strength on the striking surface of your fist. That's right. But you didn't coat your fist in ki, so when your fist meets stronger ki, it gets knocked back."

"What's ki?"

"Did your grandpa ever teach you to sense the energy inside your body?"

"Grandpa said he'd teach me when I was older..."

"Then I'll teach you now." Talos sat cross-legged and gestured for Goku to sit opposite him. "Close your eyes. Don't look with your eyes—feel with your body. Feel your own breathing, feel your blood moving through your body, feel every heartbeat. Beneath all those sensations, there is another stream of energy—that is ki."

Goku closed his eyes, his brow furrowing into a tight knot. He tried for several seconds before opening them again. "I can't feel it."

"That's normal. Someone who can sense it on their first try is one in a million." Talos extended his right hand, pressed his palm against Goku's chest, and slowly fed a thread of his own ki into him—not as an attack, but as guidance. "Follow the flow of my ki and feel it. It gathers in your dantian, then flows through your meridians to your limbs."

Goku closed his eyes again. This time, his expression was no longer tense. It gradually relaxed. Talos could sense the dormant ki within Goku slowly awakening—not because Talos had awakened it, but because, after sensing the ki he had injected, it instinctively began to imitate and follow it. That was the Saiyan battle instinct. It needed no theory, no instruction—only a trigger.

Three minutes later, Goku abruptly opened his eyes. "I felt it! There's something warm in my belly!"

"That's ki." Talos withdrew his hand and stood. "Now, punch me again. This time, try to gather that warm feeling in your fist."

Goku assumed his opening stance again and took a deep breath. This time, his punching form was identical to before, but a faint white glow, almost invisible to the naked eye, covered the edge of his fist—the nascent form of ki. His fist struck Talos's two fingers again. This time, the rebound force was clearly stronger than before, and Talos's fingers trembled slightly.

"An improvement. That punch was at least thirty percent stronger than the last one."

"Really?!" Goku leaped up, his tail wagging happily. "Then let me throw another punch!"

"Wait." Talos flexed his fingers. "You've already gained a preliminary sense of ki. Next, I'm going to teach you something more important—how to use ki to sense your opponent."

"Sense them with ki? Without using my eyes?"

"Eyes can be fooled. Solar Flare, Afterimages, smoke—those can all deceive the eyes. But ki cannot." Talos turned around, presenting his back to Goku. "Close your eyes and sense which direction my ki is in."

Goku obediently closed his eyes. A moment later, he raised a finger and accurately pointed toward Talos. "Over there!"

"Very good. Now sense how large my ki is."

"Uh..." Goku frowned. "It's huge. Much bigger than that wild boar I punched away earlier. Bigger than all the animals in the mountains put together. No—bigger than the whole mountain."

"This is the total amount of my ki. You still can't sense anything more subtle, but that's fine—you just need to remember this feeling." Talos turned back to face Goku. "From now on, no matter where you are, if you sense ki larger than this mountain, that'll be me. Or—it'll be an enemy."

"An enemy?"

"That's something for the future. You don't need to know yet." Talos assumed his opening stance again. "Come on, keep fighting. Before today is over, I'll make sure you can catch one of my fingers."

"You said it! I just have to catch one finger!" Goku charged forward excitedly.

All morning, the sound of fists colliding with fingers rang through the forest clearing again and again. With every punch, Goku's ki became more condensed, and the faint pale glow around him changed from barely there to dimly visible. By the three-hundredth punch, Talos's finger had been knocked back an inch. By the five-hundredth, Goku could already steady himself after fist and finger collided instead of being sent flying.

"I caught it! I caught it!" Goku jumped up and down in place with his fist raised, his tail spinning like a windmill. "Talos, look! I knocked your finger back two inches!"

"It was an inch and a half." Talos withdrew his slightly numb finger. "But—fine, you pass."

"Ding—Side Quest 'First Instruction' completed. Son Goku's current base power level: 158 (+18). Host has obtained the hidden achievement 'Teacher of Enlightenment.' Reward: Power Level +200, passive skill 'Instructor'—when guiding companions in training, companions' training efficiency increases by 30%."

"Ding—Brotherly Bond System activated. Current bond level: Level 1. Effect: When fighting alongside Son Goku, both parties' power levels increase by 10%."

The bond system. Talos watched the prompt flash past, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth. The system had finally given him something that wasn't just a cold, hard number.

At dusk, the two sat beside a campfire in front of Goku's little house. Goku roasted a mountain pheasant while Talos took out several pieces of dried rations and a flask of spring water from his travel pack. The campfire crackled, sending sparks toward the star-studded night sky.

"Talos, that really powerful teacher you mentioned—is he stronger than you?"

"Master Mutaito specializes in different things than I do. I'm good at Ki Control and basic combat, while Master Mutaito excels in applying techniques and raising one's martial arts realm. As for who's stronger—in our normal states, I'm stronger than him. But if he gets serious, I might not win unless I use Kaioken."

"What's Kaioken?"

"A technique that can multiply your power level. It's very dangerous, so you can't learn it yet. Once your base power level breaks a thousand, I'll teach you."

"Over a thousand!" Goku's eyes lit up. "How long will that take?"

"With your talent, not long." Talos stood after saying that. "That's enough for tonight. Early tomorrow morning, I'll take you to Turtle Hermit House."

Goku handed half the roasted pheasant to Talos. The two sat beside the fire and finished their meal beneath the starlight and firelight. By the time the moon rose, Goku had already fallen asleep by the fire, curled into a ball with his tail draped over him like a blanket, his breathing steady and even. Talos did not sleep. He sat cross-legged beside the fire with his eyes closed, extending his senses in every direction. On the western horizon, that evil ki had grown a little stronger again.

"System, how long until King Piccolo revives?"

"Ding—Estimated time: 6 to 8 months. It is recommended that the host raise their power level above 8,000 before the World Martial Arts Tournament."

Eight thousand. He was currently at 5,800. The 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament would be held in three months, so there was enough time. But King Piccolo was only the beginning.

"System, countdown to the Saiyan arc."

"Ding—Raditz's estimated arrival time: October, Age 761. Current time: April, Age 749. Remaining time: approximately 12 and a half years."

Twelve and a half years. In the original story, Goku's power level had only been 416 when Raditz arrived, and he had barely managed to perish together with him using the Special Beam Cannon. His starting point was now forty times higher than Goku's had been in the original story, but it was still nowhere near enough. Raditz was only the beginning. After Raditz came Vegeta; after Vegeta came Frieza; after Frieza came Cell; after Cell came Majin Buu—and then Beerus, Hit, Zamasu, Jiren, and the monsters from every universe at the Tournament of Power.

With twelve years to prepare, he needed to build more than just himself. He needed to build Goku too.

"Ding—Side Quest issued: Before formally becoming Master Roshi's disciple, help Son Goku raise his base power level to 200. Time limit: Before arriving at Turtle Hermit House. Reward: Power Level +300, item 'Brotherly Bond: Initiation'—after use, the power of the two users' combined attacks increases by 20%."

Early the next morning, the two set off for Turtle Hermit House. Goku carried only a small bundle containing the old gloves his grandfather had left behind and a change of clothes. When he stepped out of the little house, he glanced back at the crooked wooden door, then turned and grinned at Talos. "Let's go! I'm going to get stronger!"

Talos nodded.

The two sprang into the air. Goku had not yet learned the Flight Technique, but he could wrap ki around the soles of his feet to enhance his jumping power, allowing him to leap dozens of meters at a time. Talos led the way through the air, using ki sensing to monitor Goku's position and condition as they traveled. This kid could jump this far the very first time he used ki for jumping. His sense of balance and bodily control were completely innate. It made Talos even more certain—Goku had not become the strongest in the universe in the original story because of some arrangement of fate, but because his body's instincts had been born for battle.

By the time they reached Turtle Hermit House, it was already noon. The little pink house stood quietly on the beach, and the sea breeze lifted the training clothes hanging by the door. An old man in a floral shirt and sunglasses lay on a lounge chair outside, an indescribable picture book spread across his knees.

"Master Mutaito." Talos descended from the air and bowed to Master Roshi. "This junior is Talos, a disciple of Zhao Tiexin. I have come by my master's order to become your disciple."

Master Roshi took off his sunglasses and looked at Talos, then at Goku—particularly the two furry tails around their waists. The corners of his mouth slowly curved into a meaningful smile.

"Interesting." Master Roshi stood and walked up to them. "No wonder I sensed two similar ki signatures a few days ago. You two are—Saiyans?"

Talos was slightly shaken. He had never expected Master Roshi to know about Saiyans. This had not been part of the original story—or perhaps the old man's three centuries of experience had always held far more than those few pages could encompass?

"How does Master Mutaito know about Saiyans?"

"I met one when I was young." Master Roshi adjusted his sunglasses. "That was three hundred years ago. That fellow had a tail just like yours and was a battle-crazed maniac too. He stayed on Earth for a few years before leaving. Before he went, he told me something—sooner or later, Saiyans would come to this planet again."

He looked down at Goku, then at Talos, and smiled.

"Now two have come at once. That blockhead Zhao Tiexin has sent me quite a gift."