Chapter 4: Otherworld

After a heroic death at the hands of the evil Saiyan, Raditz, Goku has passed on. Meanwhile, a bigger threat looms in the distance- two far stronger Saiyan warriors on a hunt for our hero. What will happen now? Find out... right now!

King Yemma boomed. "NOT A CHANCE!"

Piccolo shoved Goku aside and stood face- to- face with King Yemma. "Listen, you coot- I'm the only hope you have of defeating those other Saiyans!"

"SILENCE! I said- not a chance! Your father is responsible for massacring the Earth's population twice now- and you gave me a literal skyscraper's worth of paperwork! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT TAKES TO JUDGE A SOUL?"

Kami stepped forward. "Around 10 seconds, I assume?"

"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH, OLD MAN! I JUDGE SOULS FASTER THAN YOU CAN WALK AROUND THAT TINY- ASS LOOKOUT OF YOURS!"

Kami stepped back. "More of the same then. Good to see you too, King Yemma."

Goku turned to Kami. "So, where exactly am I going?" Kami turned to face him. "Not just you- I believe Tien Shinhan is coming along as well." Tien, who was slouching next to a wall, faced Kami. "So, looks like Goku and I will be going down the Snake Way together." King Yemma snickered, receiving a death glare from Kami.

The old Namekian turned to Piccolo, barely concealing his disdain. "Honestly now, if one of us had decided not to be rash, the two of you could have been resurrected by now!"

The younger Namekian stepped up. "I'm sorry, old man, but one of us had a damn job to do! You were busy barfing your guts out all the way up there while I was doing your job!"

"And may I say, I am so thankful." In a flash, Kami was against the wall. Piccolo was clutching him by the throat, his cape flapping in the wind. "Now, listen close... when you get revived, and I know you will- I'll hunt you down for what you did to my father, even if it means we have to do this crap over again."

Kami was at an impasse. "And no matter how many times I am revived, either one of us will try to kill the other. And there's our stalemate." Piccolo smiled. "Stalemate indeed."

It was at that moment that Goku's gargantuan stomach grumbled. "Hehe, sorry! I didn't eat lunch at Kame House like I planned to! Master Roshi doesn't let me near his fridge nowadays..."

Tien smiled. "I wonder why." Goku innocently turned around. "Yeah, me neither!" Everyone present in the room instantly facepalmed.

King Yemma sighed. "Now, listen up- go down Snake Way and at the end, you'll find King Kai- governor of the Northern Galaxy." Goku nodded at that and said, "Thanks, King Yemma!"

With that, he and Tien left for the winding path behind them. King Yemma then turned to Kami and Piccolo. "Now... this is a mess."

He pointed to Piccolo. "You- Hell. Go. Final word. No changes."

Piccolo raised an eyebrow (that is, the Namekian equivalent) and said, "I figured that one out. Care to join me, old man?"

"No." Kami and Piccolo glared at each other one last time as Piccolo left the room. King Yemma turned to Kami and said, "Yeesh... that guy's an asshole."

"I'll say."

"So, he's you with a bigger attitude and a different wardrobe. Big whoop." Kami groaned and said, "I assume I'll be staying here, then."

"Nope- you're gonna go meet King Kai too! Besides, that Goku fellow seems like a trouble magnet- he needs more than three eyes on his side, if I'm not wrong."

Kami smiled and said, "Alright- it's been a while since they left, anyway. I'll have to walk fast if I can catch them."

King Yemma snorted. "Walk? With what? Nah, you can fly- 's not like you're gonna catch up just by walking, ya know."

Kami nodded and left the room.

The Lookout, a week later...

"I take it everyone is here?"

Krillin nodded and turned. "So, Ox- King, are you sure about training? No offense, but you look a little... out of shape."

He smiled good- naturedly. "Er, well- I slacked off most o' the time." He suddenly turned serious. "And look where we are now."

Krillin chuckled nervously. "Heh... well, you're not wrong. Say, is Gohan at Kame House already?"

The burly man nodded and turned. "So, Mr. Popo, who else are we waitin' for?"

"Yamcha, I believe." Krillin arched an eyebrow. "Yamcha? What about him?"

Mr. Popo smiled genially. "Now, now- we'll need all the help we can get." He turned to a large door behind him. "That is the Hyperbolic Time Chamber." Krillin nodded and said, "Isn't that where Goku trained?" He said out loud, "It's where all of you will be training as well." Mr. Popo turned to face him. "Normally, you can only send in two people at a time, but desperate times call for desperate measures- so you'll all be going in at once."

"Wait, is that possible? Did you modify it or somethin'?"

"That is exactly what I did, yes."

In the farther reaches of the Solar System...

"You're all refueled, and... um... about your destination."

Nappa turned to face the tiny man reenergizing their engines for the travel ahead. He asked, "You got something to ask?"

"N- nothing! It's... well, just that we received word from the Emperor himself that he's set course for some third- rate planet called... Namek."

"Is that a fact?"

The man seemed to have found his nerve. "You tell me, big guy." In a flash, he drew his weapon and lunged at Nappa, but fell flat on his face, a clean hole in his chest as well as his forehead.

"Shit, that was close. Is he one of-"

"Doesn't matter- he's dead. Besides, we have enough spies on our tail as it is."

"You think they know we can see them?"

"Quiet, Nappa- we'll see what they're up to. For now, we'll leave."

At that, both men got into their pods as the vehicles flew away toward their destination.

A few light hours later...

"They've landed. Should we scout it out or drop in?"

"Drop in first- it'll make them think we're amateurs- and hide your power level, Nappa- they mustn't suspect a thing."

Both pods landed on a special landing pad created specifically for their model- as was custom and stepped outside.

"Ah- Saiyans, I presume."

Nappa glared at the man, who was clad in purple with shoulder pads, and a stylized C on his torso. "Choose your next words carefully." Behind him stood a man with orange skin and fangs and on his side and a man with green skin.

"Same goes- monkey."

Nappa turned to the man behind him. "How about now?" He merely smiled. "Understood." He charged a ball of white ki and hurled it into the sky. As it hovered above, Nappa growled and began growing larger- far larger than anything else on the planet's surface. He spoke in a guttural voice, though he seemed to be in control. He looked at the man who had mocked him and said, "Boo."

The man shuddered from the mere intensity of the voice and said, "Y- you wouldn't dare! We are the elite squadron of Lord Cooler himself!"

The man behind Nappa smiled as he started growing. "Are you now? Well, that's real convenient." When he was done, he let out a bloodcurdling roar and said, "TELL YOUR PRECIOUS LORD COOLER..."

He leapt into the air and charged a purple beam from his mouth. With a roar, he fired it at the hapless squadron, who were obliterated by the blast.

"...PRINCE VEGETA SENDS HIS REGARDS!" As if on cue, Nappa raised his foot and stomped the two soldiers behind him, leaving only the one who had insulted him. Vegeta picked him up as if he were but an ant (which he probably was right then) and said, "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, NOW?"

"You... fool... Lord Cooler will eradicate you in a-" Vegeta dropped him and said, "NEXT TIME, IF YOUR LORD COOLER WANTS TO SCREW WITH HIS BROTHER, YOU TELL HIM TO GO DO IT WITH THE GINYU FORCE!" He spoke a little calmer this time. "AM... I... CLEAR?"

The soldier nodded and crawled back into his ship. Vegeta and Nappa saw the ship fly away into the horizon as it left their view. Nappa turned to Vegeta. "Hey, why not just kill him?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right- I'm not even half as strong as him as I am now- which is why we need that wish, in order for me to become the strongest man in the universe. Then..." He smiled grimly. "...I'll avenge our proud race."

Mr. Popo turned to face the group one last time.

"You'll be in there for a day out here, but it'll be a year in there. Understood?" The trio of Yamcha, Krillin and the Ox- King nodded. "What will you do till then?"

"Not much."

Mr. Popo closed the door behind him as he sat down on his carpet.

"Well then... to Yunzabit Heights it is."