Ch. 5 Training Begins!

"Close one Gochi!" Korin says as he sidesteps the child.

Gochi doesn't respond as he turns around and jumps at Korin again.

Korin jumps over him this time. "You may be stronger than me, but you lack any training to use that strength Gochi"

"I know! You already said that!" Gochi gets close to Korin but stops moving.

Korin raises a brow and continues the direction he was going.

Gochi anticipates where Korin is going and jumps towards it.

*BONK!*

"Owwwie!" Gochi lands on his butt.

"Your opponents won't just let you attack them. They will also fight back" Korin says as he walks around the now sitting Gochi.

"Ok…. Is this really going to help me?" Gochi asks.

Korin smiles. "We will see, but I will say this. It's only been a day and you have already forced me to defend myself. Now get up!"

Gochi gets to his feet and charges at the small cat.

Raditz is off to the side of the tower, near the railing. He is supposed to be meditating. But he is finding it hard to sit still for so long. He only sits still when he's in the space pod or sleeping. And when he's in the space pod he sleeps. So this is very difficult. Also, he is trying to 'feel' the energy within himself and that of other beings around him.

He has had Gochi charge at him on accident on many occasions.

This was Korin's doing.

And Raditz wasn't able to sense Gochi charging at him.

But he sticks with it. He was told by Korin that Goku had already learned a form of this, so him being the big brother should obviously be able to learn it as well.

Korin is surprised by Gochi's swift improvement. Even if he is reckless and fighting like an animal. It is getting results. Everyone has their own way of fighting, and Korin will happily sharpen Gochi's style.

Gochi chases Korin around and around the tower.

Raditz begins sweating as he tries to delve deep inside himself. Or whatever that means.

Gochi leaps at Korin and nearly catches his cane, but he still misses. He can't stop himself and is about to fall off the tower. His eyes go wide, but it's too late. He closes his eyes tightly and waits for the inevitable.

*FWIP!*

Gochi feels something wrap around his ankle and stops him from falling. He opens his right eye and looks at his ankle to see a brown tail holding it.

The little half Saiyan looks at his uncle and sees that his eyes are closed. "Uncle! That is so cool!"

Raditz moves Gochi back to the platform they are training on and holds him in front of his face. "You need to focus more! You may have been able to fly earlier but right now you can't control it! If I didn't catch you… you would have plummeted to the bottom of this tower and most likely have died!" Raditz scolds the child.

"Sorry uncle Raditz" Gochi says, he is still being held upside down by his ankle.

"Well done Raditz" Korin says as he walks up to the pair.

"And you Korin! Make sure he doesn't die! That wouldnt be training! Just torture!" Raditz shouts.

"That would actually be murder" Korin corrects, but he begins sweating when Raditz glares intensely at him like he will murder him. "But he didn't, you caught him. Without using your eyes"

"Yeah?! What of it?!" Raditz is pissed that Korin would play with Gochi's life and doesn't see the point. He understands beating to an inch of his life, but not outright killing.

"It means that you sensed him Raditz. He didn't make much noise, yet your tail accurately knew where he was and wrapped around his ankle" Korin points out.

Raditz's face turns to one of realization.

"Yes Raditz. You are getting close. Now you need to continue and make sure it wasn't just a fluke" Korin puts his staff against Gochi's forehead. "And you need to always be aware of your surroundings in a fight. Pay as much attention to your surroundings as you give to your opponent"

"Ok…." Gochi says in a saddened tone.

"Gochi! Pay attention to Korin. He is giving you wisdom that will one day save your life!" Raditz scolds his nephew. He puts him down on the floor next to him. "Be more careful. And focus on improving. You are getting close to catching him. Once you do we can go train at Kami's Lookout"

Gochi cheers up. He's gotten used to Raditz's rough way of speaking. Basically Raditz just told him: "Stay safe. Get stronger. You have improved greatly. And you can get one step closer to seeing your mom and brother once you do catch him"

Gochi didn't get the exact translation, but it's asking too much for a 4 year old at this point.

"Thanks uncle!" Gochi hurriedly gets up and gets on all fours as he gets ready to pounce at Korin. "Get ready Korin!"

"Already am young Gochi" Korin says with a slight smile. He plans to use his staff to hit Gochi into the ground since his stance is too low and his hands can't get up fast enough from his stance.

"Haaaa!" Gochi shouts as he gets ready to charge.

Korin's eyes widen as Gochi's green ki surrounds his body. Korin can feel the power of Gochi rising. Not enough to hurt himself, but more than Korin's own strength.

"Hah!" Gochi shoots forward at Korin.

The cat uses his Afterimage technique to dodge Gochi's charge. It was too fast for a 4 year old.

"Ok, I felt that one!" Raditz shouts as he turns around and stands up.

At the other end of the tower Gochi stands with a kettle in his hands. His green aura disperses and he plops down onto his behind and breathes heavily. "Hah…. hah…. I…. Hah…. got it…..hah"

"The hell was that, kid?" Raditz asks.

"Indeed, what was that Gochi?" Korin asks. He thought he evaded it, but it turns out Gochi's target was never him anyway. Contrary to Gochi's previous attempts.

Suddenly Korin realizes that Gochi wasn't trying to catch or tackle him. But nab the kettle on his staff. It's just that Korin was too fast so Gochi was adjusting and getting used to his speed. But it just looked like a child trying to play tag.

"I… hah…. I just did what felt…. natural" Gochi says breathlessly.

"What part of that was natural?" Raditz asks himself. The power he felt from Gochi just now… it wasn't something to laugh at. "Wait"

Raditz looks at Korin and can feel a small power from him. It's like one tenth of his own power. "I can sense your power!" Raditz shouts and points at Korin. "Hahahaha! I knew I could do it if my brother could! Hahahahaha!"

Korin looks between Raditz and Gochi.

"Hahahaha!" Gochi begins laughing like Raditz.

Korin looks at the monsters before him. He hadn't expected them both to be such great prodigies. Especially Gochi. He had improved immensely.

Gochi brings the kettle to Korin and bows as he holds it out. "Thank you Mr. Korin for the training"

Korin goes and grabs a cup for Gochi. "Thank you Gochi. Here…" He pours the liquid from the kettle. "..you earned this. Drink"

Gochi takes the cup and smells the liquid and drinks it. He was really thirsty. And hungry. Very hungry. He wonders if the Senzu bean truly was supposed to fill him for 10 days. It barely filled him for 1 day.

"How is the taste?" Korin asks.

"Like water! Thank you Mr. Korin" Gochi bows again.

Korin smirks. It was only tap water. He wanted to see if Gochi had the same reaction Goku had back in the day. Even if he skipped the most important part, but he didn't want to tell Gochi and Raditz about the Ultra Divine Water. It was a last resort anyway.

Gochi preferred to train through the night instead of taking a break. Raditz said it was his Saiyan spirit and other nonsense at the time.

Raditz grabs Gochi in one arm. "We will be going Korin"

The little cat nods. "It is sooner than I expected. But I suppose this is a happy surprise. I wish you both luck in your training. Here" He tosses a bag with a few Senzu beans to Raditz. "I suppose you may need a few of these with how recklessly you two will train"

"I guess this is where I'm supposed to say thanks. I hope I won't need to see you again, Korin" Raditz floats off the tower.

"Bye-bye Korin! I'll visit when I learn to fly!" Gochi waves at Korin who returns the wave goodbye.

And so Raditz ascends through the air towards Kami's Lookout.

——————

The previous day, after Krillin returns to Bulma and Roshi.

Krillin enters the airplane and sits next to Roshi with Bulma piloting.

"I suppose that one of us will have to tell Chi-Chi about Goku and her sons, huh?" Krillin looks down at Gohan's red hat that has the 4 Star Dragon Ball on it.

"Krillin, you and Goku have always been best friends. You should tell her" Roshi says.

"Me?! No! I'd rather die!" The bald monk states. He has already died once before so he knows what he's talking about.

"I agree Krillin! You're definitely the best man for the job" Bulma backs Roshi on this. It's kinda rare but it does happen.

Krillin leans back in his seat and tries to swallow his saliva.

Nothing else is really said on their way to the Son family home.

Bulma is thinking about the pieces of destroyed tech in the back of the plane. What kinds of things she could discover from them. She might even be able to recreate the scouter. There was a spare in Raditz's space pod but it was also destroyed. But that may have been a good thing since it could broadcast any talk they might have in its presence. But still, she can modify it and might be able to actually upgrade it in a years time.

Bulma was trying to keep her mind off of what happened and what is to come. She thought the adventures were already over, heck. Goku even had kids and she had…. hopefully not Yamcha….

They arrive at the Son family home some time later.

——————

On the highest point of the world, floating in the sky is Kami's Lookout.

An older looking green man like Piccolo is standing. He seemingly is lost in thought and focused on something.

Next to him is a short man with skin as dark as the night sky. His eyes and lips stand out due to how dark his skin is.

The wrinkly and old Piccolo look-alike is the being called Kami. And with him is Mr. Popo.

"Kami? What's wrong?" Popo asks. "You look upset"

Kami blinks and turns to Mr. Popo. "It's Piccolo. I can feel the evil in his heart. And yet, there seems to be a change coming over him Mr. Popo. He isn't acting like the villain I would expect"

"Quite surprising. Piccolo would never have been willing to train Goku's son before" Popo comments.

Kami nods. "Yes. I was surprised when he agreed to form an alliance with Goku in order to defeat Raditz. Of course he had his own selfish motives, but still. That does not change the fact he chose to defend the Earth instead of allowing it to be destroyed. Piccolo knows that Goku will revive, but he has still chosen to train his son, who one day may grow to be a powerful enemy to him"

"I know. It doesn't seem to make any sense" Popo states his position.

Kami closes his eyes and then looks up at the sky. "Perhaps it does Mr. Popo, perhaps it does. Yes, Piccolo may have realized, as I have, that in one year…" Kami looks up at the cloudless blue sky. "….he will die"

Mr. Popo grows worried. "What? No… It can't be"

Kami looks at his long time friend. "I'm sorry Mr. Popo, I have foreseen it. I do not know the exact cause. Piccolo may lose his life in battle with the Saiyans, or I simply pass away from old age. But either way the end result is the same"

"But Kami…." Mr. Popo looks at the old man with sadness.

"My life force is forever bound with Piccolo's. We're two halves of a single being. One cannot exist without the other" Kami explains before laughing slightly. "Mhmhmhm. Such is the curse of foresight. I'm able to see the day of my own demise... If Piccolo has sensed my mind he may wish to pass his knowledge on before he dies. Even, if it's to the son of his enemy"

"Wait! What about the Dragon Balls?" Popo asks.

Kami thinks for a second. "Hmmm. There's time for one more wish"

——————

"Is that the lookout WAY up there?!" Gochi shouts as he points at the shadow above them.

"Hold on tightly you brat! I will not catch you again!" Raditz shouts as he flies upwards with Gochi on his back, hanging onto his shoulder.

"You've got your tail around me Uncle Raditz, I have nothing to fear. Hehehehe!" Gochi giggles as he grabs onto his uncles bare shoulder and oarts of his hair. He wonders if he can make room in it to hide in…. Like an igloo or something similar.

"That is not an excuse! I will let you dangle and not listen to your complaints if you continue!" Raditz shouts. He wonders how this child beat him so badly before yet now he is acting all innocent now. "Only Kakarot's kid" He grumbles under his breath. He knows that there were carefree Saiyans, but Gochi is special even among them. Mainly because they were weak.

They arrive at Kami's Lookout and land on the flat and tiled surface of it. It looks much bigger than it did from below.

"The King's castle was more grand than this" Raditz remembers the huge castle and towers on planet Vegeta.

"What king?" Gochi asks. "And this is the coolest place I've been to! It's floating so high in the sky!" Gochi shouts. "Maybe…. that's why I'm feeling a bit….. light headed…" Gochi's head sways back and forward.

"Indeed. The air up here is much thinner than on the ground" A voice says to the newly arrived.

Gochi and Raditz turn to see Mr. Popo approaching them.

"And who are you supposed to be short man?" Raditz asks as he walks up to Popo and drags Gochi off his shoulder and drops him to the ground on his head.

Gochi is pried from his uncle by his uncle's tail and dropped to the tiled floor. He sits up and rubs his head. "Owwwieeee~. What if I get my memory wiped like my daddy? What will you do then?"

"If your mind gets wiped by falling a few feet then you aren't worthy to be a warrior. You would need a much more severe drop or a significantly powerful blow to the skull to forget everything you were before" Raditz informs the child harshly.

Gochi thinks for a second. "Then daddy must have been really, really hurt then to forget his past" He grows sad.

"Yes. But we can always change that in the future" Raditz says as he folds his arms across his chest.

Gochi looks up at his uncle. "Ho-"

"My name is Mr. Popo. I am the assistant deity who serves as the attendant to Earth's Guardian. I also tend the grounds of the Lookout" He proudly gestures to the trees and other plants as well as how clean and well kept the place is.

He turns to Gochi with a smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you again Son Gochi, how are your bracers?"

Gochi hides behind Raditz's leg. "Hello, I'm sorry but I don't remember you if I met you before Mr. Popo" He holds out the golden bracer on his left hand. "And these are as shiny as ever"

Mr. Popo nods. "You were very young when you were last here so I do not expect you to remember. And it's good that the bracers are as shiny as ever" He says to the young boy.

"Hey" Gochi points to the gold bands around Mr. Popo's upper arms. "We match! You also have something golden on your arms"

Mr. Popo nods. "Indeed we do". Mr. Popo is reminded of a young Goku when talking with Gochi, at least in the fact that they both make friends easier. Gochi is more shy, but more socially aware.

"You said you were the assistant to this Kami. Where is he? We shall start training immediately" Raditz states.

"I'm sorry to inform you that Kami is currently resting and is unable to begin your training. He would most certainly be here to greet you if he was available. But I can start you two's training on my own" Popo looks up at Raditz, not flinching at the glare he receives. In fact, he just returns the glare with a smile that he normally has on.

Raditz doesn't know why, but the tone of this being in front of him ticks him off.

"Then let's start!" Gochi jumps around Raditz's leg and runs up to Mr. Popo.

"Mr. Popo believes that you should run 50 laps around the lookout, then we can begin" Popo says to Gochi.

"50?" Gochi looks around the huge lookout. The circumference of the lookout.

"Get to it boy!" Raditz shouts.

Gochi jumps slightly but composes himself quickly. "Right!"

The young boy then begins his running. And he won't be done for a long time.

Raditz glares at the still smiling Popo.

"Hello Raditz" Popo greets.

"Popo" Raditz greets bitterly. That strange feeling still there.

"I do not need to train you physically" Mr. Popo begins and puts his hands behind his back. "So we shall continue your ki sense training. After that we can train your techniques"

"I do not need to train techniques! I need to get stronger! I see how sensing ki will help, but not techniques! Just have me and the boy spar when he gets around to controlling his true strength!" Raditz shouts and demands.

"Raditz" Popo calmly says. "There is no guarantee that young Gochi will be able to control his strength in time. And if something happens to the Dragon Balls before Goku comes back, you are our greatest defense against the incoming Saiyans. Goku will be revived just before the Saiyans arrive so he can train with a great master. I would not waste your time" He explains.

Raditz closes his eyes and then lowers his arms to his sides. "Then what shall I do in order to train?" He begrudgingly asks.

"That is simple" Popo says. He holds his right hand out. "Put this on"

Raditz looks at Popo's palm that has nothing in it. "Our wh-"

Suddenly a blindfold appears from nowhere on Popo's palm.

Raditz's eyes widen in shock. "How?!"

Mr. Popo's smile widens slightly. "I am a Deity after all"

Raditz sizes up Mr. Popo for a second time. "So you have magic?"

Popo nods. "And since you also want to train your body…." He holds his left hand out but facing the ground.

Suddenly, Raditz's armor appears on the ground. It looks brand new, just off of one of Frieza's ships and out of its packaging new….

Raditz's eyes get even wider. "That is…. convenient" Raditz takes the blindfold from Mr. Popo.

"Can you change it a bit?….. please" He barely can ask through gritted teeth.

"What would you like to change?" Mr. Popo asks.

Raditz sighs and slumps his shoulders. "It reminds me too much of things I would rather forget" He remembers Frieza specifically. "I would like to keep the chest piece but get rid of the shoulder and hip armor. And the pants that Kakarot was wearing" He wants to signify his change in allegiance and prove that he is committed to changing.

The clothes glow, and as the light dies down the new clothes are revealed.

Popo puts his hands behind his back. "You may change in there" He nods to a small building just off of where the main building on the lookout is. It's a fair distance away.

"Thanks" Raditz roughly says as he goes to pick up the armor.

"What the hell?" Raditz strains as he barely holds the armor. The chest piece, boots, and armored gloves weigh an insane amount. The only thing that isn't weighted is the pants and sash for it. Raditz can barely hold the clothes and armor, not to mention hardly walk. How was he supposed to get to the building.

"No flying Raditz. We can begin once you have changed" Mr. Popo says with his smile. But it was significantly more sadistic to Raditz than it had previously been.

Mr. Popo watches as Raditz struggles to the changing room and Gochi running around the Lookout. He mutters to himself, "And so begins the pecking order training"