"Nice hit!"
"I don't know how to feel about this. Piccolo's gotten so strong! I beat him easily at the last World Martial Arts Tournament."
Seeing Piccolo trade blows evenly with Raditz, Krillin and the others couldn't help feeling happy for him.
Unfortunately, their happiness didn't last long. After a few exchanges, Piccolo gradually began to lose ground.
Krillin was puzzled. "Why is Piccolo still using fourfold Kaioken? With his strength, he should be able to use fivefold Kaioken, right? His opponent's too strong. Fourfold isn't enough!"
"No, Piccolo can't use fivefold Kaioken," Son Goku suddenly said.
"What?"
Krillin and the others looked shocked, and they found it hard to believe.
They had all started learning Kaioken at almost the same time. Although their strength had progressed at different rates afterward, even Chiaotzu, the weakest among them, could now withstand fourfold Kaioken. If he pushed himself to the limit, he could even use fivefold. Why couldn't Piccolo?
"I don't know either. Apparently, it has something to do with his physiology. That's what King Kai told me..."
Meanwhile, the situation on the battlefield was getting worse. Piccolo, who had briefly been able to trade blows evenly with Raditz, was gradually falling behind.
Veins bulged across Piccolo's body, and he gasped for breath after every movement. Despite not having taken any heavy hits, he looked as though he was nearing his limit.
"Damn it!"
Helpless frustration filled Piccolo's eyes as he cursed inwardly.
His thoughts drifted back to a scene on King Kai's Planet over a year ago.
"Piccolo, although you've learned Kaioken, there's something I need to warn you about. Namekian bodies are very different from ours, and from Goku's. Your bodies can regenerate, but that very ability actually makes you Namekians ill-suited to practicing my Kaioken."
"Why? Shouldn't regeneration