The days dragged on. The ship was quiet, save for the soft hum of the engines and the occasional shift in weight as the crew went about their routines. Time passed like an endless stretch of stars as the crew prepared themselves for the unknown challenges that awaited them on Namek. They had a month to train, and train they did.
The gravity room, which had been set to three times Earth's gravity when they first began, was quickly cranked up. At first, it was just Goku, Krillin, and Gohan, struggling through the intense force. Then, the gravity was bumped up to ten times. Then twenty. Thirty. By the end of the first week, they were all barely standing, their bodies sore and bruised from the relentless punishment. But they kept going. They were determined. They were pushing themselves harder than ever before, knowing that they had to if they were going to have any chance of surviving the dangers that lay ahead.
As the days wore on, their training intensified. Goku had been constantly activating the Kaioken, pushing his body past its limits despite the toll it took. But the results were undeniable. His power level had skyrocketed, from a modest 10,000 to a mind-blowing 348,000. Krillin and Gohan weren't far behind. Krillin had worked tirelessly, pushing himself to the edge and reaching an impressive 70,000. Gohan, the youngest but perhaps the most surprising, had skyrocketed to 105,000, his potential exploding under the pressure.
Zane, on the other hand, didn't really need the training. With a base power level of 500 billion, nothing these guys did could even make a dent. But, as usual, he wasn't going to miss out on a chance to show off. From time to time, he would join them in the gravity room, effortlessly throwing around his overwhelming power to remind them how far ahead he was. The difference was so vast it barely even registered for him. Still, when the Bullshit OP System rewarded him with a power boost, he couldn't help but test the limits. After a few more rounds of casual training, his power shot up to 1 trillion. He smirked to himself.
'This is ridiculous. I'm untouchable.'
But if Zane wasn't training, he was in his and Bulma's shared room, where things weren't as simple as they seemed. The others, especially Goku and Krillin, had been hearing strange noises coming from the room, and while none of them dared to ask, they couldn't help but notice.
Goku and Krillin would try to keep Gohan distracted whenever the sounds reached their ears, low, strange noises that sounded like moaning, followed by the unmistakable sound of footsteps moving away from the room. Each time it happened, Zane would emerge from the room, his shirt slightly untucked, and Bulma would follow behind, her hair wild and her face flushed. She would offer the others a tired smile, usually too tired to explain, and quickly make her way to the other side of the ship.
Krillin would quickly mutter, "Uh, don't worry about it, Gohan. Zane and Bulma are doing... special training. You know... for the mission and stuff."
Goku, never the best at keeping secrets, would awkwardly add, "Yeah! Special... training." Then, he'd scramble for something to distract Gohan, always turning the conversation back to Namek or the gravity room or something far, far away from the topic at hand.
But Gohan, ever the curious one, wasn't so easily fooled. His wide eyes would flicker from the door to the two of them, trying to make sense of the situation. "What kind of training are they doing?" he'd ask, but Krillin would cut him off every time.
"Gohan, buddy, don't worry about it. Zane and Bulma just have their own... methods. Let's just focus on getting stronger for Namek."
Gohan, still a little confused, would shrug and nod, though it was clear he was still pondering the mystery.
Days passed.
Goku, Krillin, and Gohan continued to train with unmatched focus. Zane spent his time floating between the gravity room and his room with Bulma, constantly pushing his limits when he felt like it, but mostly letting the others struggle to catch up. Eventually, the ship's autopilot kicked in for the long stretch of their journey, and Zane found himself staring out of the viewport, his mind drifting again.
The vast emptiness of space had always been a constant, but now it seemed to weigh heavily on him. The silence, the isolation it gnawed at him in ways he hadn't expected. The feeling of being so far removed from everything. He'd never thought about it before, but now... something about it made him uncomfortable.
The planet Namek finally came into view as a green orb floating in the distance. Zane's eyes narrowed slightly, still processing everything. It didn't excite him like it did the others. He could sense the energy of the planet already. Not that it mattered to him. Still, it was a bit of a distraction from the thoughts that had been swirling in his mind for days now.
"Alright, everyone!" Bulma called, taking control of the ship's descent. "Prepare for landing. Namek, here we come!"
The others gathered by the windows, their excitement palpable. Goku's grin was wide, Gohan's face practically glowing, and Krillin was rubbing his hands together with nervous energy. Zane stood apart from them, his expression calm and unreadable. He had the power to destroy everything around him with a thought, but even then, there was an odd tension building inside him.
The ship slowly began its descent, the world of Namek growing larger in the window. The surface was a bright green, dotted with bodies of water, and strange, alien flora that made the landscape feel eerily beautiful. The ship descended steadily, cutting through the atmosphere of Namek, and the crew braced themselves for landing.
The moment the ship touched down, Zane could feel the shift, the energy of the planet, faint but undeniable. It was peaceful, almost too peaceful. And for some reason, that unsettled him.
"Alright, here we are," Bulma said, her voice tinged with excitement as she powered down the engines. "Welcome to Namek."
Goku, Krillin, and Gohan jumped to their feet, eager to step outside and begin their mission. Zane, however, stood still, his gaze still locked on the window. 'Let's see what this place has to offer. But I'm not expecting much.'
He walked toward the exit with the others, pushing aside the growing unease that had settled in his chest. For now, the adventure awaited, and he had a part to play.