King Kai's Planet
"So you're saying Piccolo's body structure is the reason he can't use high-level Kaiō-ken?" Gohan asked.
Out on the grassy field, the group sat cross-legged in a circle.
"That's right," King Kai explained. "Namekians have bodies built for flexibility they can regenerate limbs, stretch their arms at will but that comes with a trade-off. Their physical durability can never match yours, even at the same battle power. For Piccolo, even the first level of Kaiō-ken is taxing, and he can't sustain it for long."
"So… does that mean I'll never be able to catch up to them?" Piccolo asked, clearly unwilling to accept it.
"You might still be able to keep up with Goku. But with Gohan…" King Kai paused, shaking his head. "I can't even see through him."
"Piccolo, I believe you won't fall too far behind," Goku said encouragingly.
"Save it. I don't need your pity." Piccolo's tone was sharp, though there was a hint of frustration beneath it.
"Don't be discouraged," Gohan said. "Every race has its strengths and weaknesses. Saiyans don't have psychic powers, but Namekians can create miraculous beings like the Dragon. Maybe you should seek out a higher god, someone who might know how to raise your battle power."
"A higher god? Gohan, how do you know all this?" King Kai asked, startled.
"Heh, I also know your planet used to be much larger until you angered a certain god…" Gohan began.
"That's enough! Don't say his name! Someone like you saying it could draw his attention!" King Kai cut him off in a panic.
His reaction left Goku and Piccolo both wide-eyed. In all their days here, they had never seen King Kai lose his composure.
"A god is just a being on a higher dimension, with a higher life level," Gohan said calmly. "One day, I'll stand there too… maybe even above it." His gaze lifted to the yellow-tinged sky of the Other World, eyes burning with fighting spirit.
"Anyway… about Goku," King Kai continued. "He's mastered Kaiō-ken. More than that, he can use the Spirit Bomb with ease. The moment he raises his hand, the energy of all living things gathers to him voluntarily." King Kai's face lit up with pride.
"Told you so," Gohan smirked.
"Thank you, Gohan. Now I know the Spirit Bomb really can be used in battle."
"Wait, what?! Was I just your guinea pig?!" Goku yelped.
"Ahem… when I created it, I didn't expect the Spirit Bomb to have such a strict requirement. Only someone with an extremely pure heart could master it," King Kai admitted sheepishly.
"Gohan, you knew this from the start?" Goku asked, giving him a reproachful look.
"Mm-hmm. And I also knew you'd be able to learn it, Dad. Gaining a powerful new technique isn't a bad thing, is it?" Gohan replied lightly.
"…It still feels a little off somehow," Goku muttered, unsettled.
"They've both reached their limit here," King Kai said at last. "You should take them to a new training ground."
"That was my plan anyway. And if you ever need anything, just call me," Gohan said with respect, despite the unassuming old man's appearance.
"Good, good. Now go. Maybe I can finally get some sleep; your constant sparring has been driving me crazy," King Kai grumbled, waving them off.
"All right, we'll be going then."
With a thought, Gohan teleported them away.
Earth
"Gohan, got any new training methods?" Goku asked eagerly. After tasting the rush of rapid improvement, he wasn't about to slow down.
Piccolo's eyes also gleamed with anticipation.
"Bulma's built a gravity chamber from the spaceship you used as a kid, Dad. It can go up to three hundred times Earth's gravity. You can use it to train for now. As for Piccolo…" Gohan frowned. He still hadn't found a good way to raise Piccolo's power.
Their training on King Kai's planet had boosted them significantly. Goku's base battle power was now around 35,000, while Piccolo's was just over 30,000.
But with Kaiō-ken, Goku could reach five times his power about 175,000. Piccolo could barely push to 150,000 before his body began to break down. The gap was widening, and Piccolo didn't like it one bit.
"I think Piccolo should go to the Lookout and ask Kami. An elder's wisdom is priceless, especially when you're two halves of the same being," Gohan suggested. In truth, he meant to consult Mr. Popo, but wasn't ready to say so outright.
"Okay. I'll head to Bulma's, Piccolo goes to the Lookout. What about you, Gohan?" Goku asked.
"I'll go with Piccolo. In two days, I'll meet you at Bulma's," Gohan replied.
"Yosh! Nimbus, let's go!" Goku called, leaping onto his beloved Flying Nimbus. No matter how strong he got, he still loved the soft, fluffy cloud; unless it was urgent, he preferred traveling that way.
"Let's go too," Gohan said, grabbing Piccolo's arm and teleporting to the Lookout.
The Lookout
"To greatly increase your strength, you'll have to fuse with me," Kami told Piccolo.
"Old man, I'm not ready for that," Piccolo said irritably.
"Mr. Popo, do you have another method?" Gohan asked, turning to the dark-skinned attendant behind Kami.
"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Or… awaken his latent potential by increasing his bloodline density," Popo said without hesitation.
"I know the Time Chamber, but… bloodline density?" Gohan asked, puzzled.
"Namekians' ability to create Dragon Balls is a miracle. The Dragon itself… that's something only the Dragon God, Zarama, can truly create. If I'm not mistaken, the Namekians are a race born from a chance inheritance of the Dragon God's bloodline. Strengthening that bloodline could let him catch up to you quickly," Popo explained.
"And how do I strengthen it?" Piccolo asked.
"By repeatedly treading the line between life and death, forcing the dormant inheritance deep in your blood to awaken," Popo replied.
"There's great danger in that," Gohan warned. "With Senzu Beans, it's doable, but spend too long dancing on the edge of death and your mind could get lost in it."
It was much like the Saiyans' Zenkai boosts. Saiyans drew power from their bloodline too it was just that for them, the process came naturally.
"Gohan… help me," Piccolo said at last, choosing to pursue the bloodline method for now and put off fusing with Kami.
"Fine. Let's start in the next two days."
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