The second I stepped out of the Lookout residence and onto the large outdoor area, all activity ceased. The five engaged in training froze mid-motion and turned toward me. Krillin was the first to react, breaking away from Tien and racing over.
"Goku!" the bald monk cried. "You're alive!? And you're so young again!"
There were actually tears beginning to form in his eyes.
Too bad I'd have to crush the joy forming within him. I may have Goku's memories up until he was thirteen years old, but I'm not Goku.
"Goku!?" Yamcha gasped, and Yajirobe outright tumbled backwards out of the cross-legged pose he'd been sitting in to meditate.
Ah, Yajirobe. Always good for a laugh.
Thankfully, I didn't need to explain anything. Kami, who was standing a few feet from the entrance, spoke up.
"I'm afraid he is not the Goku you know, my friends," the guardian of Earth said. "He is a perfect clone created by Mr. Popo some years ago, used to help Goku during his training with me leading up to the battle with Piccolo."
"What!?" Krillin shouted, jerking back. "He's a clone?"
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I'm a clone, idiot," I snapped. "But I'm not Goku. Just call me Kakarot, alright?"
"That name!" Krillin hissed.
I rolled my eyes again. "Yeah, I heard you had a run-in with my older brother," I said drolly. "Don't worry so much, Krillin. I'm a perfect replica of the original, meaning I even have the memories he lost as a toddler—memories about being a Saiyan."
"You certainly talk a lot differently from Goku, that's for sure," Tien finally spoke, having been silent up until now. "A bit arrogantly, too."
My eyes lit up. "Tien! Perfect—just the guy I need," I replied. The others would be too hesitant to do what I was planning, but a former assassin like Tien might be able to help. "I'm gonna need you to come with me. Oh—and you too." I pointed at Kami.
That said, I pushed ki out from the bottom of my feet and floated slightly into the air, hovering for a moment.
"What? Why?" Tien asked, confused.
"I must confess that I too am rather perplexed," Kami added.
"Just come with me to Korin's," I ordered. "This will help a lot when the other Saiyans come—trust me."
It would help me, at least. A plan had already started forming in my mind the moment I woke up. With my knowledge of the future, I knew exactly how strong I needed to become. I had to be at least strong enough to deal with Frieza—so he couldn't get immortality. A daunting task, but one that just made me all the more excited.
You gotta love those Saiyan instincts.
I took off without a second thought, dipping over the Lookout in a moment and descending toward Korin's. They might be Goku's friends, but they weren't mine. I wasn't interested in getting chummy with them. Still, I kept my speed slow enough for the other two to catch up quickly.
"So, what's this plan of yours?" Tien asked, drawing level with me, with Kami following close behind.
"Saiyans are a warrior race, and we have a special ability," I said. "It's something Goku's forgotten."
"What kind of ability?" Kami asked.
"It's called the Zenkai Boost," I replied. "When a Saiyan is injured and then recovers fully, they get a boost in power—our biology adapts to what hurt us."
"That explains so much!" Tien gasped.
It really did. Tien had trained just as much—if not more—than Goku. Yet he was only slightly stronger than Goku had been when he fought King Piccolo. Once Goku healed from that fight, he gained a huge power boost. The Zenkai effect explained it.
Still, I wasn't sure how well this would work out. From Jordan's memories, I knew there were two main theories behind Zenkai. One suggested an average Saiyan only gets a 33% increase per Zenkai. Only in rare cases—so-called "super Zenkais"—did they get a multiplier boost, like Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan did on Namek.
Based on my strength compared to Goku's during the King Piccolo fight—and the minor gains I made training with him under Kami—that theory seemed valid.
The other theory was that the Zenkai gets stronger the greater the gap in power the Saiyan experiences. The wider the gulf, the stronger the Zenkai. An instinctive adaptation to fight future threats.
That could be tricky. Popo was the strongest being on Earth right now. I sensed his power the moment I woke up: numerically, it was at 1,080. I could potentially reach that level quickly, but after that, the growth might taper off.
"I see," Kami said softly, realization settling on his wrinkled features. "Are you sure about this? It's such a barbaric thing to do to yourself just to increase your strength."
The upcoming pain didn't bother me. What bothered me was wasting time on endless training. I wasn't going to live like Goku did in the original timeline. If there were ways to shorten training, I'd take full advantage. I wondered if King Yemma's fruit actually existed. I remembered them appearing in some games, besides the one filler episode. A couple of those could save me a lot of time and energy.
"There's no time to waste, Kami," I replied. "If a little pain helps us save the world, I'm fine with it."
A moment later, we touched down at Korin's Tower. The tubby white cat was already waiting at the ledge to meet us.
"Well, well, well," Korin hummed, thumping his staff on the floor. "Seems you're pulling out all the stops, huh, Kami?" he said, looking straight at me.
"It cannot be helped, old friend," Kami replied. "I'm glad I did, though—our young friend here has retained even the Saiyan childhood memories that Goku lost."
"Hoh, now that's interesting," Korin hummed again. "So, what can I do for ya?"
I stepped forward. "Korin, how many Senzu Beans do you have left?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
"Ah, only got two left from the last batch," Korin grumbled. "That fatso Yajirobe keeps munching on them when I'm not looking. I started a new batch the moment I sensed what happened to Goku, but they'll take about a year to be ready."
As if by magic, he held up a paw and revealed a small brown pouch, nearly empty, and handed it to me.
Only two? I clicked my tongue. That fat blob! If not for him, I could've made stupid gains rapidly. I sighed. It'd have to do. One for now, and I'd save the other for just before Nappa and Vegeta arrived—to maximize my gains. I took one bean and tossed the other to Tien.
The bald man caught it deftly and stared at me, serious. "Are you really sure about this?" he asked, brow furrowed.
I hesitated for only a second before replying. "Yes." I needed to test the Zenkai quickly, and I needed to get stronger as fast as possible. Pain was just a hurdle I had to overcome. "I chose you, Tien, because you're the only one with the resolve to do this. The others would wimp out."
Tien snorted. "Glad to be of service, I suppose," he said dryly.
I always liked Tien after he mellowed out. He wasn't nearly the hassle the others were. Goku might've been fine with their antics, but I was pretty sure their shenanigans would get on my nerves quickly.
I stepped up, stopping a few feet from the tall, three-eyed warrior.
"Hit me with your best shot, Tien," I told him—no trace of a joke in my voice. "Don't hold back. To get the most out of this, you need to bring me as close to death as possible."
A bright golden light erupted through the tower—
And all I felt was pain exploding from my abdomen.