Chiaotzu scratched his head, looking confused. He had gone into the forest to look for food, but when he came back, something strange caught his eye.
There were four Tiens training together!
The first Tien was floating in the air with his legs crossed, calmly meditating.
The second Tien was on the ground doing pushups—with a huge boulder on his back.
The third Tien was throwing punches and kicks at nothing, fighting an invisible enemy.
And the fourth Tien? He was the loudest. He kept firing bright yellow energy blasts into the sky—Dodon Rays—again and again, like a living cannon.
"Tien! What are you doing?!" Chiaotzu shouted, waving his arms.
One of the energy blasts almost hit him, and he had to slap it away before it burned a hole in his shirt.
"Careful! I'm not here to train—I brought food!"
Chiaotzu pointed to the large animal he was dragging behind him. It looked like a dinosaur, but it had antlers like a deer.
"I caught us a dino deer! Let's eat first. We can train later."
Tien stopped firing blasts and looked at the sky. The sun was almost gone—night was falling. With a stretch and a crack of his neck, he floated down and sat beside Chiaotzu, while his clones kept training.
Chiaotzu started preparing the meat. Using his telekinesis, he cleaned the deer like a professional chef. It floated in midair as the skin peeled away and the meat was neatly cut and set over a fire.
While the food was cooking, Chiaotzu looked at all four Tiens still training.
"Aren't you going to absorb your clones?"
Tien shook his head.
"Nope. Not yet. I'm trying something new."
Chiaotzu blinked in surprise. "New? What do you mean?"
Tien smiled and started explaining, knowing Chiaotzu might need the simple version.
"You know how my power halves when I make clones, right?"
Chiaotzu nodded quickly. "Yeah! Each clone gets half of your strength."
"Exactly," Tien continued. "If my total power is 200 and I make one clone, then each of us gets 100."
"And if you make four clones…" He paused and counted on his fingers just to be sure.
"Each one gets 50," Chiaotzu said proudly.
He beamed, happy he got the math right.
Tien covered his face in mild embarrassment. Chiaotzu was still using his fingers to count, but at least he got there.
"Well done," Tien said politely. "Now, here's my idea."
He raised his hand, and his fingers split into four smaller fingers like flower petals blooming.
"Right now, I have four bodies. Each one has 50 power. But my body used to have 200. My cells remember that strength."
"So, if each clone trains hard—really hard—they can grow stronger again and reach 200 on their own."
Chiaotzu's eyes went wide. "Wait… so if all four Tiens reach 200 again, and then you absorb them..."
Tien nodded with a smirk. "I'll have a power level of 800."
Chiaotzu's jaw dropped.
"That's amazing!!" he shouted, jumping up.
"You'll be four times stronger! You could beat Goku for sure and become the strongest man on Earth!"
Tien laughed. Chiaotzu was more excited than he was. The two friends ate dinner together—grilled dino deer and fresh spring water.
After they were full, they lay on the ground looking up at the night sky.
The stars twinkled, and the moon looked close enough to touch.
Tien reached out toward the sky, stretching his hand toward the moon.
"I don't want to be the strongest man on Earth, Chiaotzu."
He spoke softly but firmly.
"I want to be the strongest man in the universe."
"Maybe even beyond that," he added, thinking about the 12 known universes—and the powerful fighters in each.
Chiaotzu turned his head and looked at his best friend. Tien had always been serious, but lately, something felt different. He was more focused, more driven.
"You've really changed, Tien," Chiaotzu said. "What's going on? You're training harder than ever. Did something happen?"
Tien smiled. He knew he couldn't hide it anymore—not from Chiaotzu.
Tien was quiet for a moment, looking at the moon.
"I found a goal, Chiaotzu. Something important to fight for."
Chiaotzu rolled on his side and watched Tien closely.
"What is it?"
Tien raised his arms. Two extra arms slowly came from his sides. He looked at his body with quiet pride.
"I want to bring back the Triclops race."
Chiaotzu blinked, trying to understand.
"But you're the only one left."
"Yes," Tien said firmly.
"If I don't do something, my race will die with me."
He sat up, folding his arms.
"So I'm going to have children. Real Triclops children. That's how I'll start. And to keep them safe, I'll build more than a home—I'll build a force to protect them."
Chiaotzu's eyes got big.
"So… like an army?"
Tien nodded slowly.
"Yes. An army to protect my race. I'll raise a family, then build a kingdom around them. Strong friends. Loyal fighters. People I can trust to guard what I make."
He looked at the sky again, speaking softly.
"Launch was the first step."
Chiaotzu looked like he understood something.
"So that's why you went after her! You mean… you want her to be the mother of your children?"
Tien nodded a little.
"She's strong. Smart. Tough. I trust her. If I want to bring back my people, I need someone to help raise the next generation."
"You seem very serious about this, Tien," Chiaotzu said quietly.
"I am." Tien stood and brushed the dirt off.
"I don't particularly care about a throne. It's not about being king. I want my children—and my people—to be safe. If that means building a kingdom for them, I'll do it."
Chiaotzu floated beside him as they flew toward their cave.
"What will you do now?"
Tien brought his clones back into his body one by one while flying. His extra arms folded back in.
"Next, I need to learn how a real country works. If I want to build something that lasts, I need to learn."
He rubbed his chin.
"Tomorrow, I'll go to Capsule Corp. Bulma has many books. I can borrow some on this subject."
Tien laughed, wiped some dew from his bald head, and stretched. Then he floated into the nearby cave to rest.
As they flew through the night, Chiaotzu quickly followed, still thinking about what Tien had said.
Advanced chapters ahead on patréon
www.patréon.com/ImagineMaker