After some time I finally decided to write this story.

As you can see from the summary, there will be major changes to canon. I also plan to make the power levels on Earth much higher than they were because some of them made no sense, like how King Piccolo and Kami were pathetic when compared to the average Namekian. I also want to make the human characters relevant so they will get a boost.

That's that. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts. Should I continue this or is this a lost cause?

Dragon Ball Kai

Chapter 1

A Boy Named Goku

"The excitement is extreme in this year's World Martial Arts Tournament!"

At the words of the announcer, the crowd gathered around a ring roared and cheered eagerly. Battles at the tournament were legendary and this year's did not disappoint.

"Now for our final quarter final match! Goku vs. Giran!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd again as the two contestants stepped into the ring, instantly drawing mixed response. Some laughed at the very clear difference in size between the two fighters, while others expressed concerned for the boy about to face a hulking beast. Even the announcer appeared to think that the fight was one-sided, as his tone became more serious.

The announcer visibly swallowed a lump in his throat, clearly nervous about the fight that was about to start, but he had a job to do so he gathered himself and put on his excited face.

"Begin!"

Computer screens lined up in a dark room lit the area with flickering artificial light. Two men sporting lab coats and masks, sat before the screens while typing rapidly. So engrossed in their job, they didn't acknowledge a person loudly stepping into the room.

"This place is as depressing as always."

Typing seized as the two man turned to the owner of the voice, one very annoyed looking Saiyan.

"Ah, Bardock. What could someone like you be looking for here?"

Bardock frowned. Truth be told he never liked coming to the Research Center, not only was it the only place in Planet Vegeta that attracted all the odd kind of Saiyans, but the building itself was dark as hell on the inside. With all the bright pictures coming from the screens, it was no surprise that they had to wear those odd masks with dark glass covering the eyes.

"My son Raditz is returning today," he finally spoke in a gruff voice, "I'd like to know his power level."

At the request, one of the Saiyans went back to typing while the other stared blankly at him.

"I see no problem with the request but I couldn't help but notice that this has become a pattern. Saiyan parents are deeply concerned about the power level of their offspring, myself included, but you seem to be going further beyond that."

Bardock scoffed, "It's none of your business. Now tell me. Our space pods should check the power level with no problem right?"

"Of course," the masked Saiyan responded, almost offended. Keen on showing this barbarian of a Saiyan that his technology was top notch, he typed a few commands on his keyboard and the information came out with no trouble. "W-What?!" Unable to keep the surprise out of his voice, the masked Saiyan turned to Bardock, "His power level has elevated a lot. It is now at 5,000."

"Good," Bardock smirked, pleased with the progress of his eldest.

With Raditz showing promise, as well as his own power level raising higher every day, he knew that their family would become powerful. His wife, Gine, was not the warrior-type but she still managed to grow a bit stronger. All that was left was for his last son, Kakarot, to come home and get stronger.

Speaking of which, Kakarot should be done purging his first planet in a couple of years.

As it turned out, today the spectators at the martial arts tournament were in for a treat.

Not only did the kid up against a big scary beast put up a good fight, but just when it looked like he was about to fall out of the ring, a mysterious cloud swooped down at his call and safely took him to the ring.

"That cloud might have saved you before but now that you can't use it you're done for!" Giran said with a laugh before swinging his large fist at the boy.

A harsh wind picked up from the mere swing of the arm, but it didn't make contact, in fact there was no sign of the boy.

"What?" Giran let out dumbly before feeling a pull on his arm.

"Hahaha!" Goku laughed while hanging from the beast's arm by his newly grown tail.

"Contestant Goku has avoided doom by a tail?"

"Alright!" The boy exclaimed happily while gazing at his new tail fondly. "I've always felt stronger with my tail!" He dropped down from the arm and struggled against his restraints, "Now!"

"It's hopeless kid," Giran said arrogantly, "No one can break free from my – What the hell?!"

With a loud snap, the restraints came off.

"Wow! I really am stronger now!" Goku grinned. He began to jump in place with an excited smile, "Let's see what I can do now." Without even preparing himself, he threw a punch that instantly went through the wall leading out of the ring, and even knocked down a palm tree just by the shock wave of the attack.

Giran, the announcer, and the crowd; all at once dropped their jaws to the floor while the clueless boy smiled and dropped into his fighting stance with renewed vigor.

"Wait," Giran gulped. There was no mistaking that the boy was several leagues above him now. Pluse now that his most powerful technique was rendered useless, the match was pointless. "I give up."

"Huh?" Goku whined with a downcast expression.

"Giran has forfeited the match! The winner is Goku!"

With the announcer's words came the deafening roars of the crowd.

Ignoring their cheers, Goku crossed his arms with a pout, "Oh man, I really wanted to keep on fighting..."

The tournament was raging at full blast.

Incredible matches one after the other took place. Newcomers Goku, Krillin, Jackie Chun, and Nam ended up making it to the semifinals after rather exciting matches, though the last match of the victor Nam, was exciting for all the wrong reasons.

In any case, the first of the semifinal matches had ended. Young Krillin and the veteran Jackie Chun had had an interesting match but it the old timer seemed to have control the whole time. To the restless crowd, it looked like no one would be a match for the older man, surely there was no way anyone could beat his experience.

"Now to our second semifinal match. Nam vs. Goku, the kid who beat the mighty Giran!"

The two fighters entered the arena at the mention of their names. While the boy flashed a smile as usual, the other contestant looked as serious as always.

"Let's get down to it! Let the battle begin!"

At the call for action, both fighters chose to stay still and study the other. While Nam was looking for any openings, Goku was thinking of new ways in which to attack when a thought hit him.

"Oh I know! I'll use the move Jackie used!"

Nam didn't have time to wonder what he meant since the boy flickered out of view, leaving behind a fading copy of himself. Before he could wonder where the boy had gone, his instincts screamed at him to move and he did just that by jumping back just in time to dodge a punch.

"I was sure I'd get you with that one," Goku lamented in a confused manner.

'For him to learn a move so quickly just by watching... There's no way he's an ordinary kid. I can't waste any time, I have to beat him for the sake of my village!' Nam nodded to himself and charged in at the boy, letting loose a flurry of kicks that were invisible to the naked eye.

However, Goku could easily see the attack thanks to his training. He wasted no time in doing his best to dodge most of the blows and block those that managed to get through his defense. This went on for a few moments, both fighters moving through the ring, until they finally parted for a quick breather.

"Amazing, these are no ordinary fighters ladies and gentleman!"

Goku looked at Nam carefully before breaking into an all out sprint towards him. As expected, his opponent dropped into his own fighting style but, not giving him time to counter, Goku jumped in the air and twisted his body to deliver a strike to the man's face with his tail. Stunned by the odd but painful attack, Nam staggered backwards and was struck with a barrage of kicks and punches from his young opponent.

Nam could do nothing as his body took punishment until the boy ended his attack with one last kick that sent him flying across the ring.

"Incredible! Young Goku has sent Nam flying!"

The older opponent gritted his teeth as he landed at the edge of the ring with a thud. 'I must defeat the boy quickly. He's too dangerous, specially that tail of his... There's no choice but to use my ultimate attack.'

Goku chuckled to himself. He couldn't wait to see what Nam would do next. He'd been really fun to fight.

Nam got on his feet and shot up through the air at a high speed with one mighty jump that rendered everyone speechless.

"Look at him go! Contestant Nam looks like a torpedo from here!"

'Forgive me boy, I don't wish to hurt anyone but for the sake of my village, I must,' Nam's momentum came to a halt, his attack was ready. Forming an X with his arms, he dove down towards the boy with deathly accuracy as well as speed.

Goku watched as Nam grew closer and closer while leaving himself wide open. "In that case," the boy grinned and gathered energy at his hands, "Kame..."

"The two fighters look like they're going to end it all with their next move!"

"Hame..."

Nam let out a battle cry as he closed in on the boy.

"HAAAAA!"

From Goku's hands came a blue beam of energy that knocked the older man awa and sent him flying through the air with sizzled clothes. The boy put up a peace sign as Nam landed outside of the ring, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Amazing! Incredible! Contestant Goku has won the match!"

The crowd went wild and cheered for the smiling boy who stood victorious on the ring.

Contestant Jackie Chun – in reality none other than Master Roshi wearing a disguise – backed away from the giant beast that Goku had transformed into. So this was why his pupil's friends had been afraid when they saw him grow a tail.

With a frown, he noticed that a good amount of the initial crowd watching the tournament was still there. Those idiots probably didn't realize the danger they were in. Even so, he wasn't about to let them die, and if he didn't do something quick it looked like they might be killed by his roaring pupil.

"I have no other choice..."

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes in concentration, the Turtle Hermit tapped into his real power and slowly released it with a grunt. Wind began to blow harshly in the area as he focused on bringing out his real strength. His muscles trembled before they began to grow in size as the old man pushed himself further and further until, with a final grunt, he was finally at full power.

To the remaining crowd, watching the old skinny man transform into a large muscular one didn't have the impact it should. Then again, they just witnessed a small boy transform into a giant roaring ape.

Master Roshi let out a breath as he got in position and gathered ki on his hands.

Watching the battle with their friends, Yamcha was the first to realize what the old man was about to do.

"D-don't tell me he thinks he has to kill Goku!"

"What?!" Bulma let out in concern, "You have to stop him! Tell he just has to cut Goku's tail!"

Yamcha didn't need to be told twice and bolted towards the ring, "WAIT!"

"Kame..."

The Great Ape swung its fists to the side with a roar, causing large gusts of wind that knocked trees aside with ease.

"Hame..."

Filled with nothing but horror as he watched the blue energy appear on the man's hands, Yamcha pushed himself to go faster but realized it was to late, "NOOOOO!"

"HAAAA!"

Blinding light engulfed the area as a massive shock wave knocked everyone back.

"GOKU!" Yamcha screamed as he was knocked back by the force of the blast.

After a few moments, the aftereffects of the blast died down to reveal that only Jackie remained.

"This has been an amazing battle!" The announcer yelled into the microphone, "Jackie Chun has become the champion."

"He's no champion, he's a murderer," Krillin cried out with tears in his eyes.

The rest of Goku's friends; Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar all grieved their friend in tears, and were angry at Jackie over what he did.

"Calm down," Jackie waved them off before things escalated, "Look closer."

Everyone looked closely at the rubble on the ring.

"A tail!" Krillin, being the first to notice, exclaimed happily.

"No, a very naked boy," Oolong pointed out to the amusement of the whole crowd.

Sure enough Goku lay in the rubble without his clothes, sleeping peacefully as if nothing had happened.

"Will you count already!" Jackie scolded the announcer, bringing him back to his senses but before he could begin to count, Goku opened his eyes and stood up, looking disoriented. "Why did you wait so long before counting?!"

"Huh?" Goku rubbed his head. Did he fall asleep in the middle of his fight? Looked like it. But still, it didn't look like he'd been disqualified. Smiling, the boy dropped into his fighting stance, "Let's finih this Jackie."

The announcer smiled, "Looks like the battle for the championship is still going!"

Instead of cheering, the crowd began to laugh at the clueless naked boy on the ring.

"On second thought, would someone please give contestant Goku some clothes?"

"On it!" Krillin ran to his very confused friend and gave him his own outfit to wear, tail-hole included.

Goku wasted no time in getting dressed, eager to continue his match against Jackie.

"So what's it like being a giant monster?" Krillin suddenly asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Goku responded, looking confused.

"The big monster you turned into," Krillin repeated as he put on the spare clothes he brought with him, "What did it feel like turning into it?"

Goku cocked his head to the side, making Krillin sigh in defeat and drop the subject.

"Forget it. Now go win the championship."

"Yeah!" Goku grinned and returned to the ring much to the glee of the crowd.

"Now let's continue with the match!"

Both contestants stood still, neither wanting to make the first move. Some moments passed like this until Jackie relaxed his stance and smiled.

"Looks like we're pooped kid."

"Pooped? But I don't need to go to the bathroom."

"Not that pooped you idiot!" Jackie exclaimed in aggravation but quickly regained his composure, "I meant that the two of us are out of energy."

"Oh..." Goku finally got it and nodded his head in agreement. He really felt like sleeping – no – he would rather go eat something, he felt hungry.

"So let's skip the fancy attacks and go with good old martial arts."

The boy grinned, "Okay. No energy attacks."

With that decided, the two charged at each other and engaged in an exchange of punches and kicks that were hardly visible to the eager audience. Neither had the advantage, both landed several punches but received some in return. In all honesty, no one had any idea who would win.

Even Master Roshi himself was beginning to think that he might end up losing but he couldn't allow it. He needed to show Goku that no matter how much stronger he got, there would always be someone out there that would match or surpass him. This wasn't a fight to become champion, but to teach his students to be humble.

The two jumped away, deciding on a small break, which gave Jackie the time to make a suggestion, "Hey kid. There's no use in pushing ourselves any longer. What do you say we end this fight with one final attack?"

"Okay, but I won't lose," Goku grinned weakly before he ran at the man for the last time, with Jackie doing the same.

Both jumped at the other at the same time and clashed with powerful kicks that met their marks. However, while Jackie landed a solid hit, Goku's only grazed the older man on the chest, and sure enough once they both fell Jackie was the only one that got back up, young Goku falling unconscious as soon as his body hit the ground.

"Jackie Chun is the winner!"

On the day after the tournament Goku was all smiles, specially after having a great dinner and a nice sleep. After losing the final match, one would think that he'd be depressed, but it was the opposite. Goku couldn't wait to train and meet other strong people.

So, as he stood outside the hotel with his friends about to part ways, he couldn't help but smile in eagerness at the things that would be waiting for him.

"I have taught you both everything that I can," Master Roshi told his students, "Follow your own path from now on. The two of you should train yourselves."

"Yeah," his two students chorused.

"In that case I'll go look for Grandpa's Dragon Ball," Goku decided with a smile, earning looks from his friends.

"Does that mean you're leaving on your own?" Bulma asked, feeling a bit sad about parting with her friend again.

The boy nodded and glanced at a confused looking Krillin.

"Hey Goku. What's a Dragon Ball?"

"It's a gift my Grandpa left me before he died."

Oolong crossed his arms, "Well, be careful out there Goku. We'll see you around."

"Yeah," Puar agreed.

"No worries," Goku smiled and turned to Bulma and Yamcha, "What about you guys?"

"We're going to West City," Bulma answered with a smile.

Yamcha nodded while casting a glance at the old master, "We could give you a lift home if you want Master Roshi."

"No, it's okay. I still have to do some shopping," Master Roshi responded, though no one knew what shopping meant to someone so eccentric.

"Hey Master, did you put my things on this thing?" Goku pointed at a suitcase, earning a nod. "Well then, I'm leaving on the nimbus." Smiling, he looked up at the sky, "Nimbus!"

At the call, the yellow cloud arrived in mere moments.

"I'll see you guys later!" Goku waved with a smile and jumped on his cloud.

"Take care Goku," Yamcha said with a brief wave.

"Come visit sometime," Bulma smiled.

"Bye guys!" With one final wave, the nimbus was off, flying through the skies at a fast speed. As the wind ruffled the boy's hair, he pulled out the Dragon Radar and searched for the nearest ball, "Okay. Looks like the closest one is still a bit far away. Let's go Nimbus!"

Power Levels:

Goku – 1,500

Goku (Tail) – 1,700

Goku (Great Ape) – 17,000

Goku (Weakened) – 100

Goku (Zenkai) – 3,000

Krillin – 1,300

Yamcha – 1,500

Master Roshi – 2,500

Master Roshi (Full Power) – 9,000

Master Roshi (Weakened) – 100

Nam – 1,000

Giran – 900