Looking at North Kai's Planet, there was nothing but a small house, a few lonely trees, a driveway, and an antique car sitting in the middle of the planet.
Come to think of it, the places where gods lived were incredibly boring. Their temples were always empty, including the realm of King Kai, which was just as desolate. No wonder gods wanted servants or pets, and why they all enjoyed spying on the mortal world. It made perfect sense why someone like Beerus would sleep for years at a time—eternity could get really boring!
While they were taking in the scenery of King Kai's realm, a monkey appeared.
"The King has appeared!" Tien shouted, being the first to spot it with his keen eyes.
"Is that the Kai?"
"Why does he look like a monkey?"
"No, that's... not him..." Piccolo made a quick assessment and shook his head.
Meanwhile, Goku had already started mimicking the monkey, letting out a series of loud "ooohs" and circling around.
Krillin pulled at Goku, wondering if he should join in.
"Ahem... what exactly are you doing?" A blue-skinned man with antenna-like tentacles on his head emerged from the house. He wore a strange outfit and a pair of sunglasses.
This was the North Kai.
Raditz was the first to approach him, bowing respectfully. "Master Kai, hello. We've come all the way from Earth to ask you to guide us in our training!"
Seeing Raditz's sincere attitude, King Kai nodded.
"Earth... it's not easy for you to reach this place. I haven't had visitors in a long time—what a rare treat." King Kai was visibly excited seeing so many people. "However, if you want to train with me, you must pass my test first!"
"A test?!"
"I'm a comedic genius. If you can tell a joke that makes me laugh, I'll guide you in your training! Come on, give it a try—it's not as easy as it sounds." King Kai said proudly, then pointed at Goku. "And stop playinh around with my pet. His name is Bubbles, and he can't teach you how to train."
"Oh? So that's just a pet." Goku walked back, looking dejected.
Seeing Goku's expression, Piccolo's lips curled slightly in amusement, but he was also caught in a dilemma. Being asked to tell a joke... that was probably the biggest joke of all.
Most of the group looked surprised, never expecting such a weird form of assessment.
Gohan was still young, so he was exempt from the test. Yamcha and Krillin easily passed King Kai's laugh test, earning his high praise: "Are you professional comedians or something?"
The rest of them—Tien, Chiaotzu, Piccolo, and Goku—had to think hard, but couldn't come up with any decent jokes. In the end, with everyone's help, they barely managed to pass.
King Kai wiped tears from the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief and said with satisfaction: "It seems you all came prepared. Well, I guess I have no choice but to teach you how to train. Come on, let me see how strong you are first."
King Kai wasn't impressive in appearance, but there was something in his demeanor that commanded respect, making everyone take him seriously. Under ten times Earth's gravity, it was difficult for them to move, let alone fight. They struggled to assume fighting stances, but none had the ability to launch an attack.
"It seems you haven't adapted to the gravity here. Compared to Earth, the gravity here is about ten times stronger." King Kai relaxed his posture and pointed to Bubbles nearby. "Well, first you'll race against Bubbles. Whoever can catch him will be considered qualified, and then I'll teach them."
Catching this monkey sounded fun!
"Yes, sir!" Goku and the others immediately perked up hearing this.
Goku entrusted Gohan to King Kai, letting the boy slowly adapt to the environment. After all, he had Saiyan blood, and Goku believed Gohan had potential. This was also why Goku hadn't objected when Raditz suggested bringing Gohan along.
"Goku, I won't lose to you this time!" Piccolo was the first to step forward. Even wearing his weighted clothing, he moved faster than the others, managing a quick walk while everyone else struggled.
Except for Goku, the others had a tough time, and the distance between them grew.
Meanwhile, Bubbles watched the "silly Earthlings" approaching with complete calm, not worried at all. As soon as they got close, he jumped away and disappeared, wasting all their previous efforts.
King Kai watched them proudly and was leading Gohan back inside when he suddenly noticed Raditz standing still.
"Why aren't you joining them?"
"This level of gravity doesn't affect me. I want to start training directly," Raditz said straightforwardly.
King Kai frowned, looking at Raditz's battle armor and tail. His expression changed slightly. "You're a Saiyan? No wonder—your home planet's gravity is similar to this place. But why are you with these Earthlings?"
"It's like this: within a year, two Saiyans will attack Earth. We came here to prepare for them. We need to become strong enough to fight them."
"Saiyans... that's going to be difficult. Wait, aren't you also a Saiyan?" King Kai looked confused.
"I'm not like them. I want to stop them."
"Well... you really don't have any evil in your spirit."
Of course not, I'm one of the top ten outstanding youths in my community, officially certified, Raditz thought to himself.
In reality, the soul in this body had been replaced. Although he had killed some aliens during his time, they weren't good creatures—their deaths could be considered punishment for their evil. Even the records in King Yemma's book had changed, and now Raditz was considered completely good.
King Kai's antennae began to vibrate, as if receiving a signal.
"Let me see... Yes indeed, they are heading for Earth. You have about ten months left. Don't worry, you'll make rapid progress training here. However, one of them is incredibly powerful—I'm afraid even after training, you might not be a match for him!"
"No problem, I'm a Saiyan too!" Raditz said confidently. "Please train me directly."
He was confident they should be able to handle the incoming Saiyans, but Raditz wasn't satisfied with just that. There wasn't much time left for training, and what about Frieza, who controlled the Saiyans from the shadows? And all the other ambitious beings in the universe? They weren't even close to ready!
That's why he placed so much importance on training with King Kai. At this stage, King Kai was the best mentor available. Though King Kai's strength might be somewhat limited, his two unique techniques and training methods were worth learning. If it weren't for learning the Kaio-ken technique, Raditz wouldn't have made this special journey.
King Kai observed Raditz's determined expression and couldn't help thinking: This guy has potential. Maybe he can push the Kaio-ken to its limits!
"Alright, your first exercise begins now. Try to hold this child while avoiding my attacks." King Kai tossed Gohan, who was too exhausted to speak, to Raditz. "You can't let him or yourself get injured at all. If you can manage that, then we'll move on to the second exercise."
Protect Gohan? Raditz caught the boy with excitement. "Don't worry, Gohan. I've got you." After saying that, he assumed a defensive stance, and King Kai immediately launched his attack.
In the next second, a barrage of energy blasts shot toward Raditz!
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