[SYSTEM STATUS UPDATE]
[HOST: MARCUS CHEN]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,078]
[TIME IN NEW WORLD: 11 DAYS]
[LOCATION: SON FAMILY RESIDENCE]
[PANCAKES CONSUMED: 847]
[CHI-CHI'S PATIENCE: STRAINED]
[MR. WHISKERS' THERAPY NEEDS: DECREASING (HE'S ADJUSTING)]
[PICCOLO SIGHTINGS: 7 (HE KEEPS WATCHING FROM NEARBY CLIFFS)]
The past week at the Son household had been... an experience.
Marcus had settled into a routine of sorts. He would wake up, eat breakfast (pancakes, always pancakes), attempt to train with Goku (keyword: attempt), accidentally destroy something, apologize profusely, and then spend the evening playing with Gohan while Chi-Chi repaired whatever he'd broken.
It was, by all accounts, the happiest he'd ever been.
"Okay, Marcus!" Goku said on the morning of Day 11, bouncing on his heels with excitement. "Today we're going to work on ki control! You've got tons of energy, but you don't know how to use it properly!"
Marcus nodded seriously. "Ki control. Got it. What's ki?"
[DING!]
[HOST HAS ASKED WHAT KI IS AFTER 11 DAYS OF TRAINING!]
[+12 STAT POINTS!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,078 → 2,090]
Goku's smile didn't waver. He'd gotten used to this.
"Ki is your life energy! Everyone has it! You use it to fly, shoot blasts, power up—all the cool stuff!"
"Oh. Is that what you were doing when your hand got glowy?"
"Yeah! Exactly!"
"I thought that was a glow stick thing."
"It's... kind of like a glow stick, I guess? If glow sticks could destroy mountains?"
Marcus's eyes went wide. "GLOW STICKS CAN DESTROY MOUNTAINS?!"
[DING!]
[HOST HAS MISUNDERSTOOD AN ANALOGY!]
[+8 STAT POINTS!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,090 → 2,098]
"No, no—the ki blasts can. Not actual glow sticks."
"Oh." Marcus looked relieved. "That makes more sense. Glow sticks are for parties, not destruction."
"Right! So, what you want to do is focus your energy into your palms, like this—"
Goku cupped his hands together, and a brilliant blue sphere of energy formed between them.
"KAMEHAME... HA!"
He fired the beam into the sky, where it dissipated harmlessly.
"Now you try!"
Marcus looked at his hands. He cupped them together like Goku had.
"Kamehame... huh?"
Nothing happened.
"No, no—it's HAAAAA! You really gotta commit to the 'HA' part!"
"Oh, okay. Ahem." Marcus cleared his throat. "Kamehame... ACHOO!"
He sneezed violently, and a massive, uncontrolled burst of energy exploded from his palms, obliterating a nearby boulder and continuing into the forest where it felled approximately thirty trees.
[DING!]
[HOST HAS SNEEZED OUT A KAMEHAMEHA!]
[TECHNIQUE LEARNED: KAMEHAME-ACHOO (VARIANT)]
[+45 STAT POINTS!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,098 → 2,143]
Goku stared at the path of destruction.
Marcus stared at his hands.
"Was that right?"
"That was... something."
From a cliff about a mile away, Piccolo watched through gritted teeth.
"He sneezed. He SNEEZED and performed a beam attack. It took me MONTHS to develop the Special Beam Cannon, and this moron is SNEEZING techniques into existence."
He resumed his one-armed handstand pushups with renewed fury.
"One million seven hundred thousand and forty-two... one million seven hundred thousand and forty-three..."
By midday, Marcus had accidentally learned three more techniques:
The "Stumble Step" - A movement technique he discovered by tripping over a rock and somehow appearing fifty feet away.
The "Confusion Barrier" - An energy shield that activated whenever he got startled, which was often.
The "Apologetic Punch" - A devastating strike delivered while saying "I'm so sorry!" that somehow hit twice as hard due to the emotional sincerity behind it.
[DING!]
[HOST HAS INVENTED MULTIPLE TECHNIQUES THROUGH INCOMPETENCE!]
[THE SYSTEM IS GENUINELY IMPRESSED AND ALSO CONCERNED!]
[+60 STAT POINTS!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,143 → 2,203]
"You're a natural!" Goku said, though his eye was twitching slightly—a habit he'd picked up from Piccolo and Chi-Chi. "Sort of! In a weird way!"
"Thanks, Pineapple Man!" Marcus beamed. "I still don't really understand what I'm doing, but it's fun!"
"That's the spirit!"
Gohan, who had been watching from the sidelines, tugged on Marcus's gi.
"Mr. Marcus? Can you teach me the sneeze thing?"
"I don't know how I did it, little buddy. It just happened. Do you sneeze a lot?"
"Not really..."
"Then it might not work for you. Sorry."
[DING!]
[HOST HAS GIVEN GENUINELY TERRIBLE ADVICE!]
[+15 STAT POINTS!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,203 → 2,218]
Gohan nodded solemnly, as if this made perfect sense.
Chi-Chi emerged from the house with a tray of snacks. "Alright, break time! I swear, you three would train until you collapsed if I didn't—"
She stopped.
Everyone stopped.
Something was wrong.
The air had changed. A pressure descended on the area—heavy, oppressive, WRONG. It felt like the sky itself was pushing down on them.
Goku's expression shifted instantly from cheerful to deadly serious. "Everyone get inside. Now."
"Daddy?" Gohan whimpered. "What's—"
"NOW, Gohan."
Marcus looked around, confused. "What's happening? Is this a game? Are we playing hide and seek? I love hide and seek, but I'm not very good at—"
[DING!]
[HOST HAS MISTAKEN APPROACHING DANGER FOR A GAME!]
[+25 STAT POINTS!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,218 → 2,243]
A shadow fell over the clearing.
A figure descended from the sky—tall, muscular, with impossibly long spiky hair that fell past his waist. He wore strange armor and had a device over one eye that beeped as he looked at them.
"Kakarot," the figure said, his voice dripping with contempt. "I've finally found you."
Goku stepped forward, placing himself between the stranger and his family. "Who are you? How do you know that name?"
"You don't remember me? I suppose the head injury would explain that. Allow me to introduce myself." The figure smirked. "I am Raditz, your brother. And I've come to bring you home."
The world seemed to freeze.
Marcus watched the scene with wide eyes. Goku had a brother? That was nice! Family reunions were—
Wait.
Why did Goku look scared?
Goku never looked scared. Goku laughed at everything. Goku had smiled when Marcus accidentally punched him through six trees.
But right now, Goku looked scared.
Something cold settled in Marcus's stomach.
[SYSTEM NOTICE:]
[HOST'S EMOTIONAL STATE: SHIFTING]
[OBLIVIOUSNESS TEMPORARILY COMPROMISED BY CONCERN FOR FRIENDS]
[THIS IS... NEW.]
"Brother?" Goku said. "I don't have a brother. My grandfather found me in the woods when I was a baby—"
"Your grandfather?" Raditz laughed cruelly. "You mean the old man you KILLED?"
The color drained from Goku's face.
"Oh, don't look so surprised. Our people—the Saiyans—are born with tails. When the full moon rises, we transform into giant apes. Unstoppable. Destructive." Raditz's smile widened. "You crushed that old fool without even knowing what you were doing."
"No... that's not..."
"GOKU!" Chi-Chi screamed from the doorway, clutching Gohan. "Don't listen to him!"
Raditz's eyes flicked to the woman and child.
"Ah. You've mated with the locals. How disgusting." His scouter beeped. "And the brat has a power level of... 710? Interesting. Saiyan hybrids might have potential after all."
He began walking toward the house.
"Perhaps I'll take the boy. He could be useful."
"STAY AWAY FROM MY SON!"
Goku launched himself at Raditz with everything he had.
Raditz caught his fist without looking.
"Pathetic. A power level of 416? You've let yourself go soft, Kakarot." He drove his knee into Goku's stomach. "This planet has made you WEAK."
Goku crumpled.
Raditz kicked him aside like garbage.
"Now then. The child."
He continued walking toward the house.
Chi-Chi grabbed a frying pan—her weapon of choice—and stood in front of Gohan. "You'll have to go through me!"
"That won't be a problem."
He raised his hand, energy crackling at his fingertips—
"Hey."
Raditz paused.
He turned.
Marcus was standing there. But something was different.
His usual vacant smile was gone. His eyes, normally wandering and unfocused, were locked directly onto Raditz with an intensity that made the Saiyan's scouter beep erratically.
"What?" Raditz scoffed. "Another weakling? My scouter says you're only—"
The scouter beeped again.
And again.
And again.
The numbers kept climbing.
2,243... 2,500... 2,800... 3,200...
"What is this?!" Raditz tapped his scouter. "It must be malfunctioning—"
"You hurt Pineapple Man."
Marcus's voice was flat. Calm. Wrong.
3,500... 3,800... 4,000...
"You threatened Chi-Chi."
Mr. Whiskers, who had been dozing in the sun, suddenly bolted for the forest. The tiger's instincts screamed at him to RUN.
4,200... 4,500... 4,800...
"You want to take Gohan."
Piccolo, a mile away, stopped his training. His entire body went rigid. "What... what is that power?!"
5,000... 5,500... 6,000...
"I don't think I like you very much."
[SYSTEM ALERT!]
[HOST'S EMOTIONAL STATE: PROTECTIVE ANGER]
[OBLIVIOUSNESS: OFFLINE]
[RATIONAL THOUGHT: OFFLINE]
[PURE INSTINCT: ONLINE]
[SOMETHING IS HAPPENING THAT THE SYSTEM DID NOT ANTICIPATE]
[WARNING: WHEN THE STUPID IS REMOVED, ONLY POWER REMAINS]
[POWER LEVEL: CALCULATING...]
[POWER LEVEL: STILL CALCULATING...]
[POWER LEVEL: ERROR - RISING TOO FAST TO MEASURE]
Raditz's scouter exploded.
The Saiyan stumbled back, clutching his face. "WHAT?! IMPOSSIBLE!"
Marcus took a step forward.
The ground cracked beneath his foot.
"I'm going to ask you once," Marcus said, and his voice carried a weight it had never had before. "Please leave. I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't like fighting. But if you touch my friends..."
He looked up.
His eyes were GLOWING.
"I'll make an exception."
Goku, struggling to his knees, stared at Marcus with his mouth hanging open.
This wasn't the same person.
The Marcus he knew couldn't walk in a straight line without tripping. The Marcus he knew apologized to furniture when he bumped into it. The Marcus he knew thought Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon was a frisbee.
This Marcus was terrifying.
"Chi-Chi," Goku rasped. "Get Gohan inside. NOW."
Chi-Chi didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed Gohan and ran.
Raditz snarled, pulling the shattered scouter from his face. "You think you can threaten ME? I am a Saiyan ELITE! I have conquered PLANETS! You are NOTHING!"
He charged at Marcus.
Marcus didn't move.
Raditz threw a punch that could shatter mountains.
Marcus caught it.
His hand didn't even tremble.
"I asked you to leave," Marcus said quietly. "That was your chance."
He squeezed.
Raditz SCREAMED as every bone in his hand shattered.
"AAAARGH! YOU—HOW—THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!"
Marcus released his hand and Raditz stumbled back, cradling his mangled fist.
"What ARE you?!" the Saiyan demanded. "My scouter said you were barely over 2,000! This power—you can't have hidden it! It's like it came from NOWHERE!"
[SYSTEM COMMENTARY:]
[IT DID COME FROM NOWHERE.]
[OR RATHER, IT CAME FROM EVERYWHERE.]
[THE HOST HAS BEEN ACCUMULATING POWER FOR 11 DAYS STRAIGHT.]
[BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY: THE OBLIVIOUS SYSTEM REWARDS STUPIDITY BECAUSE STUPIDITY BYPASSES FEAR, BYPASSES DOUBT, BYPASSES LIMITATIONS.]
[WHEN MARCUS IS BEING STUPID, HIS POWER IS SCATTERED, UNFOCUSED, CONSTANTLY LEAKING IN RANDOM DIRECTIONS.]
[BUT NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME, HE IS NOT BEING STUPID.]
[NOW HE IS FOCUSED.]
[AND ALL THAT SCATTERED POWER...]
[IS POINTING AT YOU, RADITZ.]
[THE SYSTEM WOULD LIKE TO OFFER ITS CONDOLENCES.]
Marcus walked toward Raditz. Slowly. Deliberately.
Each step left a crater.
"I don't know what a Saiyan is," Marcus said. "I don't know what planets you've conquered. I don't care."
Raditz fired a ki blast with his good hand.
Marcus walked through it.
The energy parted around him like water around a stone.
"All I know is that Goku is my friend. Chi-Chi gave me pancakes. Gohan is just a kid who likes to read."
Another step. Another crater.
"And you came here to hurt them."
Raditz tried to fly away.
Marcus appeared above him.
[TECHNIQUE: STUMBLE STEP - ACTIVATED]
[CURRENT USAGE: NOT STUMBLING]
[THE SYSTEM NOTES THAT THIS IS MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN USED INTENTIONALLY]
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"
Marcus's fist connected with Raditz's face.
The Saiyan rocketed toward the ground like a meteor, creating a crater fifty feet wide on impact.
Piccolo arrived just in time to see it happen.
The Namekian landed next to Goku, who was still on his knees.
"Goku. What is happening."
It wasn't a question. It was a demand for reality to make sense.
"I don't know," Goku whispered. "I've never seen him like this. I've never felt power like this. He's not even powering up—he's just... LIKE THIS."
In the crater, Raditz coughed blood.
His armor was shattered. His arm was broken. Three ribs were definitely cracked.
And the human—the HUMAN—was floating down toward him with an expression of cold disappointment.
"I'm giving you one more chance," Marcus said. "Leave this planet. Don't come back. Don't send anyone else. If you do..."
He landed at the edge of the crater.
"I won't ask nicely next time."
Raditz stared up at him.
For the first time in his life, the Saiyan warrior felt genuine fear.
This wasn't possible. He had conquered worlds. He had slaughtered entire civilizations. He was Raditz, brother of Kakarot, proud member of the Saiyan race.
And he was being humiliated by someone who radiated an aura of absolute, terrifying power.
"Who... what are you?"
Marcus tilted his head, and for just a moment, a flicker of his old self appeared.
"I'm Marcus. I like pancakes and my tiger and my friends. I don't like when people try to hurt them."
The cold returned.
"Do you understand?"
Raditz, pride and all, nodded frantically.
"Y-yes. I understand. I'll leave. I'll—"
"Good."
Marcus turned and began walking back toward Goku and Piccolo.
Raditz watched him go.
The rage built.
The humiliation burned.
He was a SAIYAN. He would not be defeated by some no-name human on a backwater planet. He would NOT.
Raditz's good hand charged with energy—every ounce of power he had left.
"DIE, YOU WORTHLESS—"
Marcus didn't even turn around.
He raised one hand behind him and made a flicking motion.
A wave of pressure—not even a proper attack, just pure focused WILL—slammed into Raditz.
The Saiyan was pressed into the ground like a bug under a boot.
"I said leave," Marcus called over his shoulder. "Not attack me while my back is turned. That's rude."
[DING!]
[HOST HAS CRITICIZED A SAIYAN'S MANNERS!]
[...WHILE BEING COMPLETELY SERIOUS ABOUT IT!]
[THE SYSTEM IS UNSURE WHETHER THIS COUNTS AS STUPID OR NOT!]
[AWARDING POINTS ANYWAY: +50!]
[POWER LEVEL: STABILIZING...]
[CURRENT ESTIMATE: 8,000+]
Raditz couldn't move. The pressure was too much. He could barely breathe.
"FINE!" he choked out. "I'll leave! I'LL LEAVE! JUST LET ME GO!"
The pressure lifted.
Raditz scrambled to his feet, clutching his broken arm. He looked at Marcus one last time—memorizing the face of the being who had humiliated him—then shot into the sky and vanished.
Silence fell over the clearing.
Marcus stood still for a long moment.
Then, slowly, the tension drained from his shoulders. His eyes stopped glowing. His expression softened.
And then he blinked, looked around in confusion, and said:
"Wait, what just happened? Where did the angry hair guy go? Did I miss something?"
[DING!]
[HOST HAS NO MEMORY OF THE LAST FIVE MINUTES!]
[OBLIVIOUSNESS: BACK ONLINE]
[STUPIDITY: RESTORED]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,500 (BASELINE INCREASED FROM STRESS)]
[THE SYSTEM IS BOTH RELIEVED AND TERRIFIED]
Goku and Piccolo stared at him.
"You..." Piccolo started. "You don't remember?"
"Remember what? I was standing here, and then Goku got punched, and then..." Marcus frowned. "Actually, I'm not sure. My head feels fuzzy. Did I take a nap? Sometimes I take naps and forget."
[DING!]
[HOST THINKS HE TOOK A NAP DURING A LIFE-OR-DEATH BATTLE!]
[+30 STAT POINTS!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,500 → 2,530]
Goku exchanged a look with Piccolo.
"Marcus," Goku said carefully, "you just beat up Raditz. My brother. A Saiyan warrior who was way stronger than both of us."
"I did?"
"You crushed his hand."
"That seems mean. I don't usually do mean things."
"You told him to leave the planet."
"Did he? Leave, I mean?"
"Yes. He flew away very fast."
"Oh good. He seemed unpleasant." Marcus rubbed his temples. "I really need some pancakes. Does anyone else want pancakes? I feel like I need pancakes."
[DING!]
[HOST'S RESPONSE TO DEFEATING A PLANET-CONQUERING WARRIOR: PANCAKES!]
[+35 STAT POINTS!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,530 → 2,565]
Chi-Chi emerged from the house, Gohan clinging to her leg.
"Is it... is it safe?"
"Yeah," Goku said, still staring at Marcus with a mix of awe and confusion. "He's gone. Marcus... dealt with it."
"The pancake man saved us?" Gohan asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah, buddy. The pancake man saved us."
Marcus wandered over to them, looking slightly dazed. "Hi Chi-Chi! Hi little Gohan! Why does everyone look so worried? Did something happen?"
Chi-Chi's eye twitched. "You just... you don't..."
She took a deep breath.
"I'll make pancakes."
"YAY!"
[DING!]
[HOST HAS CELEBRATED PANCAKES IMMEDIATELY AFTER A TRAUMATIC EVENT!]
[+20 STAT POINTS!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,565 → 2,585]
Later that evening, the adults gathered around the kitchen table while Gohan slept in the other room. Marcus was on his fifteenth pancake. Mr. Whiskers had cautiously returned and was curled up in the corner, occasionally glancing at his owner with newfound respect (and fear).
Piccolo had stayed. This was significant—he never stayed for social gatherings.
"We need to talk about what happened," Piccolo said, his voice low.
"Mmm?" Marcus looked up, syrup on his chin. "What happened?"
"Stop playing dumb."
"I'm not playing. I genuinely don't know what you're talking about. Goku said I beat up someone, but I don't remember it. The last thing I remember clearly is seeing Goku get hurt, and then feeling really... really..."
He paused.
"Angry?"
His face scrunched up in confusion.
"That's weird. I don't usually get angry. Angry is hard. My therapist said I had 'emotional avoidance issues' and 'suppressed my negative feelings to a concerning degree.' I didn't really understand what that meant, but—"
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS:]
[HOST APPEARS TO HAVE A PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENSE MECHANISM.]
[WHEN FACED WITH EXTREME STRESS OR THREATS TO LOVED ONES, THE HOST SUPPRESSES HIS CONSCIOUS MIND AND OPERATES ON PURE INSTINCT.]
[THE OBLIVIOUSNESS IS NOT JUST STUPIDITY—IT'S A SHIELD.]
[A SHIELD THAT, WHEN LOWERED, REVEALS SOMETHING VERY, VERY DANGEROUS.]
[THE SYSTEM IS REVISING ITS ASSESSMENT OF THE HOST.]
[PREVIOUS ASSESSMENT: IDIOT SAVANT (EMPHASIS ON IDIOT)]
[NEW ASSESSMENT: IDIOT SAVANT (EMPHASIS ON SAVANT) (TERRIFYING)]
Goku leaned forward. "Marcus, when you were fighting Raditz—and you WERE fighting him, I saw it—your power was incredible. It was like nothing I've ever felt. But now, sitting here, your energy is back to normal. Well, normal for you."
"Maybe I have a secret power?" Marcus suggested helpfully. "Like in those shows where the hero doesn't know he's special until the dramatic moment?"
Everyone stared at him.
"What? Was that a dumb thing to say?"
[DING!]
[HOST HAS ACCURATELY DESCRIBED HIS SITUATION WHILE THINKING IT'S A JOKE!]
[+40 STAT POINTS FOR ACCIDENTAL INSIGHT!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,585 → 2,625]
Piccolo stood abruptly. "I need to train. HARDER. If that idiot can reach that level of power..."
He looked at Marcus with an expression that was equal parts rivalry and genuine fear.
"I refuse to be surpassed by someone who doesn't even remember his own victories."
He stormed out.
[DING!]
[PICCOLO'S RIVALRY HAS INTENSIFIED!]
[HE NOW FEARS YOU AS MUCH AS HE RESPECTS YOU!]
[RELATIONSHIP: RIVAL (OBSESSIVE, SLIGHTLY TRAUMATIZED)]
Goku watched Piccolo go, then turned back to Marcus.
"Listen, Marcus. I don't know what's going on with you. I don't think YOU know what's going on with you. But whatever it is, I'm glad you're on our side."
"Thanks, Pineapple Man!" Marcus beamed. "You're a good friend. I'm sorry I don't remember saving everyone. That seems like it would have been cool to see."
"It was terrifying, actually."
"Oh." Marcus's face fell. "Was I scary? I don't want to be scary. Scary people don't get hugs."
Chi-Chi, despite everything, let out a small laugh. "You're not scary right now, Marcus. You're just... you."
"Is that good?"
"It's something."
[DING!]
[HOST HAS RECEIVED AMBIGUOUS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT!]
[+10 STAT POINTS!]
[POWER LEVEL: 2,625 → 2,635]
In orbit above Earth, a battered Saiyan space pod hurtled toward the void.
Raditz sat inside, his broken arm hastily splinted, his pride in ruins.
He was going to die. He knew that. His injuries were severe, and the pod's medical systems were limited. He might make it to the nearest Frieza Force outpost. He might not.
But before he did, he had one task.
He activated his scouter—the backup one he kept in his pod—and opened a channel.
"Vegeta. Nappa. This is Raditz."
Static. Then a voice—cold, imperious.
"Raditz. I trust you have good news about your brother?"
"Kakarot is... still on the planet. But there's a problem."
"A problem?" A second voice—deeper, dumber. "What kind of problem? Did the locals give you trouble?"
Raditz laughed bitterly. "A local gave me trouble, Nappa. A HUMAN."
Silence.
Then Vegeta's voice, sharp with disbelief: "A human? You were defeated by a HUMAN?"
"Not just any human." Raditz coughed blood. "His power level... it was nothing. Barely over 2,000. And then it EXPLODED. My scouter couldn't even measure it before it broke. He crushed my hand like it was paper. He swatted my attacks like they were insects."
More silence.
"He told me to leave. To never come back. To never send anyone else." Raditz's voice cracked. "Vegeta, I'm not exaggerating. That human... he's a monster."
Vegeta was quiet for a long moment.
Then he laughed.
"A monster? On that backwater rock? Raditz, you've always been the weakest of us, but this is pathetic even for you."
"I'm telling the TRUTH—"
"I don't care. If there's a strong opponent on that planet, that's all the more reason to go. I've been bored lately."
"Vegeta, you don't understand—"
"I understand perfectly. You failed. Again. But don't worry, little brother of Kakarot. Nappa and I will clean up your mess. And we'll see this 'monster' of yours for ourselves."
The channel clicked off.
Raditz sat in the darkness of his pod, listening to the hum of failing systems.
"You fools," he whispered. "You have no idea what's waiting for you."
[CHAPTER 3 COMPLETE]
[FINAL POWER LEVEL: 2,635 (DORMANT)]
[PEAK POWER LEVEL DURING SERIOUS MODE: 8,000+ (ESTIMATED)]
[RADITZ: DEFEATED, HUMILIATED, PROBABLY DYING]
[VEGETA AND NAPPA: INCOMING]
[ETA: ONE YEAR]
[STATUS: MARCUS DOES NOT KNOW THIS AND WOULD PROBABLY ASK IF THEY WANT PANCAKES]
[NEW INFORMATION UNLOCKED:]
[THE HOST POSSESSES A "SERIOUS MODE" TRIGGERED BY THREATS TO LOVED ONES]
[IN THIS MODE:]
[- OBLIVIOUSNESS: DISABLED]
[- FEAR: DISABLED]
[- POWER LIMITERS: DISABLED]
[- MERCY: MOSTLY DISABLED (BUT STILL OFFERS CHANCES TO SURRENDER)]
[- MEMORY OF EVENTS: DISABLED (POST-MODE)]
[THE SYSTEM HAS DECIDED TO CALL THIS "GUARDIAN STATE"]
[IT IS VERY EFFECTIVE]
[IT IS ALSO VERY SCARY]
[PICCOLO IS CURRENTLY DOING 50,000 PUSH-UPS IN THE MOUNTAINS WHILE CRYING INTERNALLY]
[GOKU IS QUESTIONING EVERYTHING HE KNOWS ABOUT POWER]
[CHI-CHI IS JUST GLAD HER FAMILY IS SAFE]
[MR. WHISKERS IS WRITING A WILL (TIGERS CAN'T WRITE, BUT HE'S TRYING)]
[NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:]
["Training Is Supposed To Be Hard? I Thought We Were Playing!"]
[FEATURING:]
[- THE Z-FIGHTERS GATHER]
[- KRILLIN ASKS ABOUT MARCUS'S TRAINING REGIMEN]
[- MARCUS RESPONDS: "WHAT'S A REGIMEN?"]
[- PICCOLO ATTEMPTS TO TRAIN GOHAN (AND MARCUS KEEPS INTERRUPTING TO BRING SNACKS)]
[- PREPARATIONS FOR THE SAIYAN INVASION BEGIN]
[- MARCUS STILL DOESN'T KNOW WHAT A SAIYAN IS]
END OF CHAPTER 3