Leaving Earth

A week later, Bulma excitedly announced that the spaceship was finally complete. She pulled Goku into the backyard, pointed at the gleaming silver spaceship, and said proudly, "Goku, what do you think? This is your training ride!"

Goku looked at the high-tech spaceship, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. Bulma pressed a button, and the hatch slowly opened as a ladder automatically extended. She led Goku inside and introduced it: "This ship has a fully intelligent system and supports fully automated flight! You just need to tell it the destination, and it'll take you there. It can also automatically adjust its course and avoid obstacles along the way."

Goku nodded. He did not really understand all this complicated technology, but hearing that he would not have to worry about flying himself made him smile in relief. Bulma continued, "I also added an emergency storage compartment with food, medicine, and training equipment! You can adjust the simulated gravity environment here too. Even with the Gravity Bracelets, it's good to have an extra safeguard."

Goku happily walked around the spaceship, his face full of excitement. "Bulma, you're amazing!"

Bulma smiled. "You be careful out there. Train hard, and don't break the spaceship. When you come back, remember to tell me about all the interesting things in space!"

At Bulma's words, Goku's eyes lit up. Smiling, he said, "Sure! Bulma, if you came into space with me, it'd definitely be a lot of fun!" He imagined Bulma traveling through the universe with him and excitedly pumped his fist.

Bulma smiled and nodded. "But not yet. There's still a lot of work to finish at home. When I have some free time, I'll explore the mysteries of the universe with you! When that happens, you'll have to be my bodyguard!"

Goku confidently patted his chest. "Leave it to me! I'll protect you. I won't let anyone bully you!"

Before leaving, Goku went to Kami's Lookout and respectfully said to Kami, "Kami, thank you for helping me train."

Kami smiled gently and nodded. "Goku, there's no need to thank me. It is my duty as Earth's guardian. You are the key to resolving the crisis of King Piccolo. I should be the one thanking you."

Yet Goku understood that King Piccolo and Kami were one and the same. Kami had never taken the initiative to destroy Piccolo, so he clearly had his own reasons. Though Goku had doubts, he did not want to question Kami's actions.

Kami seemed to sense Goku's thoughts and asked, "Did you come to the Lookout today because you need something?"

Goku said, "Kami, I want to see the spaceship you rode here in back then. I heard it's very old, and there might be a lot of useful information inside."

Upon hearing this, Kami nodded and had Popo lead Goku toward a secret chamber in Kami's Lookout. In one corner of the chamber sat a spaceship that looked somewhat aged but was still sturdy. Its surface bore the marks of time, yet one could still sense the power it had once possessed.

Popo walked over to the spaceship, patted its metal surface, and said, "Kami came here in this spaceship from some star system in the universe long ago. Although it looks old on the outside, its systems can still function normally."

Goku became intensely interested in the spaceship. He asked, "Does it have star map data inside? I need some detailed star maps now, especially information about different parts of the universe."

Popo smiled faintly. "Of course. It contains a great deal of cosmic information collected during Kami's travels. However, reading this data requires a certain amount of skill."

With that, Popo began operating the spaceship's control panel, transferring the star map data from the ship into a portable device. Goku stared intently at the data on the screen, thinking that this information would be a tremendous help on his upcoming journey.

"All right, the data has been copied," Popo said with a smile as he handed the device to Goku. "You can check it whenever you want."

Goku accepted the device and thanked him excitedly. "Thanks, Popo. This really helps a lot!"

"You're welcome, Goku. I hope this data will be helpful to you," Popo replied with a smile.

Goku nodded gratefully and flew back to Bulma's house.

After successfully loading the star map data into the spaceship's system, Bulma clapped her hands in satisfaction and smiled. "Done! Now the ship can navigate accurately to Namek."

Goku watched in amazement and could not help giving her a thumbs-up. "Bulma, you're incredible! No matter what the problem is, you can solve it!"

Bulma laughed smugly at the praise and teased, "Of course! Who do you think I am? When you come back from space, you'll still need my help!"

Goku gave a simple, honest grin and nodded heavily. "Definitely! With Bulma helping me, I can rest easy!"

Goku slung his prepared pack over his back, stood before the spaceship, and said to Bulma, "It's time to go. See you at the World Martial Arts Tournament in three years."

Although Bulma had known for a long time that he was leaving, she still could not help feeling reluctant at this moment, a trace of concern showing in her eyes. "Goku, remember to be careful! There are no fewer dangers in space than there are on Earth."

Goku smiled faintly and nodded. "Don't worry, Bulma."

Bulma gently waved, doing her best to keep smiling. "Then... have a safe trip. Come back soon."

The spaceship sped through space, and the screen showed that there were still twenty days until arrival at Namek. Goku leaned back comfortably in his seat and remarked, "This spaceship is pretty fast. The universe in the Dragon Ball world really is completely different from the universe of my previous life."

He quickly adjusted his mindset and threw himself into his daily gravity training. Goku started at sixty times gravity and increased the intensity by five times each day, his body gradually adapting to the pressure. However, as the intensity rose, so did the burden. Several times, Goku became utterly exhausted and relied on Senzu Beans to recover quickly before continuing his training.

Twenty days later, Goku had completed his training at one hundred and fifty-five times gravity, breaking through his own limits! The spaceship's navigator chimed, and the screen indicated that they were about to reach their destination. Through the porthole, Goku saw Namek's outline in the distance—a cyan planet hanging in the dark universe, much larger than Earth. Farther away, three stars stood in different directions around Namek, maintaining their distance from one another in space and forming a unique triple-star system.

Goku stared at the sight before him and exclaimed, "No wonder they say Namek's climate is so changeable. It's because of the influence of those three stars."

Thinking of this, Goku could not help wondering, "Do Namekians need to dehydrate to survive too? But... it'll be interesting to go see for myself!"

Goku's hard training during this time had not merely been for increasing his physical strength, but for building up his potential. He knew that the more potential he accumulated, the greater the rewards would be when he developed that potential in the future. The spaceship slowly entered Namek's atmosphere, and the exotic scenery ahead filled Goku with excitement.

After entering the atmosphere, Goku activated the spaceship's life-scanning system and began searching for the distribution of lifeforms across Namek. Biological information from all over the planet gradually appeared on the screen. Before long, the coordinates of a village were marked in the spaceship's system. Goku lightly pressed a button, and the ship slowly descended into an open area near the village, landing steadily.

Goku stood before the hatch and took a deep breath, feeling the unfamiliar yet fresh air. He pressed a button on the ship's hull, and the entire spaceship immediately shrank down to the size of a capsule. Goku put the capsule away in his pocket and murmured expectantly, "My journey on Namek starts here!"