Hold Out Until Goku Arrives?

Above the Lookout.

Kami, who was keeping a close eye on the battle below, felt that power too.

His body trembled, and worry showed in his eyes. "I never thought Piccolo could improve this much. If he decides to conquer the world again, there's nothing I can do to stop him..."

Mr. Popo, standing beside him, could tell that Kami was unsettled.

So he stepped forward and offered a few words of comfort.

Fortunately, Kami had long since accepted that Piccolo had surpassed him. The fear he felt now was simply because that power was so terrifying that it made everything seem out of control.

But when he thought about Piccolo's behavior these past few days, he gently shook his head. "When I think about it, training with Gohan this past year really has changed him a lot. Maybe he isn't the same person he used to be..."

Mr. Popo nodded in agreement.

"He's different from the Great Demon King of old. He's no longer entirely evil. Maybe he really can transcend the boundary between good and evil..."

As Kami said this, his eyes filled with joy.

"Still, given his personality, I doubt he'll willingly give up on that wish. I hope Goku can keep him in check!"

He concluded with a final thought about Piccolo's intentions, feeling a pang of regret. These were all mistakes he had made, yet now he could only rely on that father and son to make things right. As the Guardian of Earth, he had failed in his duty...

"Goku should be arriving soon. I'm going to wait for him in Otherworld. Mr. Popo, I'll leave things here to you."

With that, Kami went straight to Otherworld.

In the city.

A layer of white light wrapped around Piccolo as his power erupted to its peak. This was the result of his training over the past year, and all the strength he possessed at that moment.

Across from him, Vegeta wore an incredulous expression.

"Damn it, how can a mere Namekian have this kind of power?"

He removed his Scouter, then crushed it in his hand, his expression grave.

Piccolo rolled his neck a little more and straightened up. "Well? Doesn't that thing of yours measure power levels? You've seen the results of my training, haven't you?"

Seeing Piccolo's smug look only made Vegeta angrier.

Perhaps he was so furious that he started laughing. "Hahaha! I'll admit you've got some ability, but thinking you can take me on with that? You must be dreaming!"

Piccolo's expression didn't change. He simply took up a fighting stance. "We'll see if I'm dreaming once we fight!"

Vegeta finally uncrossed his arms. He shifted his feet and assumed a stance of his own. "Then let me tell you. Saiyans are the most renowned warrior race in the universe, and I'm the greatest among them!"

"Hmph!"

At Piccolo's cold snort, the tension around them rose instantly.

As light and shadow blurred—

Piccolo had already charged to Vegeta's side. His full-strength punch landed with a crash like thunderclaps in the air.

Vegeta merely curled his lip. Just as the punch was about to hit him, he stepped back.

Then, using the momentum of his retreat, he swung a kick at Piccolo.

Piccolo changed his move with incredible speed. His punch missed, but he quickly adjusted his stance and blocked the kick with his arm.

His opponent was clearly powerful too. That single kick sent Piccolo flying far back.

As Piccolo retreated, Vegeta immediately chased after him. He unleashed a rapid barrage of punches with his right fist, each aimed at Piccolo's face.

Piccolo quickly raised his guard, hoping to find an opening to attack while defending himself.

But Vegeta's punches were impossibly fast.

Even at full strength, Piccolo couldn't block them all. In an instant, Vegeta landed several punches in succession.

Purple blood seeped from Piccolo's green skin.

"What's wrong? Is that all you've got? Where did all that swagger go?"

With the upper hand, Vegeta grew even more arrogant. He taunted Piccolo as he attacked with even greater ferocity.

"Hmph!"

At a disadvantage, Piccolo had little time to respond.

He searched for an opening while defending himself, all the while thinking about how to turn the fight around.

As their powers continued to clash, Piccolo's presence grew weaker and weaker, and he kept retreating.

Down in the city.

Tien Shinhan, Krillin, and the others marveled at Piccolo's strength.

But they could also see that even someone as powerful as Piccolo was completely overpowered by the Saiyan.

They could tell how the battle was going, but none of them could do anything to help.

After all, they couldn't even beat Nappa, and both fighters in the sky were far stronger than him. Even the energy coming off them left the others feeling crushed. What chance would they have if they joined the fight?

They could think of only one possible outcome if they intervened.

They'd be torn apart by the shock waves from the two fighters clashing!

"I never imagined they could be this strong!"

Tien Shinhan clenched his fists, relaxed them, then clenched them again. He repeated the motion several times, but the bitter frustration remained.

He had never given up on training, yet he kept feeling more and more powerless.

Like this fight in front of him—he could only deal with weaklings. He couldn't even handle a moderately strong opponent.

The sense of failure was almost too much to bear.

"Yeah, there's no way we can handle opponents like that. But Kami said Goku is training too. When he gets back, he should be able to turn things around!"

"Goku, huh..."

There was a gleam in Tien Shinhan's eyes, but also a trace of resentment.

He was just as devoted to martial arts.

He didn't know when it had happened, but the gap between him and Goku had grown wider and wider until they could no longer even be compared.

While the three of them watched in shock, Son Gohan was also observing the battle in the sky.

His strength was greater now, so he could see the fight more clearly. He could tell that Piccolo still fell short of Vegeta.

The battle was much like his father fighting Vegeta with a Kaioken multiplier of two.

There was no suspense about who would win.

And unlike Raditz, Vegeta was not only arrogant but also highly skilled in battle. Turning things around with experience and cleverness was almost impossible.

So when he saw Uncle Piccolo being driven back again and again, he slowly rose into the sky, ready to step in against Vegeta at any moment.

"Gohan..."

When Yamcha saw Son Gohan rise into the sky, he instinctively wanted to stop him.

But Krillin immediately shook his head. "Gohan's probably the only one among us who can join that fight. If he teams up with Piccolo, they might be able to hold out until Goku arrives!"

"I hate to admit it, but Krillin's right. He's the only one who can join that fight right now!"

"Damn it! I wasn't there when Goku died, and now I have to watch his son fight for us with my own eyes?"

"Trust Gohan. I see Goku in him!"