The beach was quiet again, save for the waves brushing against the sand. The revelation of the approaching Saiyans had shaken everyone.
Goku (serious): "We have a year. That's enough—if we train hard."
Krillin: "You're saying we should train together?"
Goku (nodding): "All of us. We're stronger together."
Yamcha (arms crossed): "Alright. But you're hiding something, Goku. How did you get so strong?"
Goku (smiling calmly): "Training. Me, Chi-Chi, and Gohan… we worked real hard. But we've got something that'll help us catch up."
He didn't elaborate. Not yet. Instead, he looked toward Piccolo, who hovered nearby with arms folded and a scowl etched on his face.
Goku: "Piccolo, I want you to train with us too."
Piccolo (gruff): "Why would I work with you?"
Goku (smiling faintly): "Because you care about Earth. Even if you won't admit it."
The Namekian's eyes narrowed, but after a long pause, he gave a slow nod.
Piccolo: "Fine"
Everyone chuckled.
One Week Later – Goku's Home, 439 Mountain Area
Raditz groaned as he sat on the porch of Goku's house, arms crossed, a faint bruise on his cheek.
Raditz: "I can't believe I'm stuck here."
Chi-Chi (hands on hips): "You should be grateful. Most people wouldn't house an alien invader."
Raditz rolled his eyes. "I'm not exactly impressed by your—"
A frying pan, glowing faintly with Ki, smacked him across the head before he could finish.
Raditz: "Uuugh—!"
Gohan (laughing): "Mom wins again!"
Raditz collapsed into a daze, and Goku scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
Goku: "Told you not to provoke her. She's strong."
Chi-Chi (grumbling): "If he tries anything, he's sleeping outside."
Z Fighters Assemble
A week passed quickly.
In front of Goku's house stood an unusual group: Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Piccolo, Master Roshi, and Raditz, who had begrudgingly stayed out of trouble after his… frying pan incident.
Tien (surprised): "You actually got that Saiyan to behave?"
Goku: "Let's just say… Chi-Chi has a unique way of taming wild Saiyans."
Krillin: "So what's this mysterious training method you were talking about?"
Goku turned to face them all, serious.
Goku: "What I'm about to show you changed my life."
He tapped his wrist band and opened a portal.
Goku: "This is my own Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Time moves differently inside—one day out here equals one year inside, unlimited use, changing weather, shifting gravity depending on how far you are from the portal and the most important part unlimited food. I plan to train everyone in here.
Everyone stared in stunned silence.
Yamcha: "Wait, what?! You're saying we can get a full year of training in just one day?!"
Goku: "That's right. It's where I've been training with Chi-Chi and Gohan. It's soul-bound to me now, so only I can open or modify it. No aging inside, either."
Raditz (blinking): "Saiyan gods… you weren't kidding."
To demonstrate, Goku calmly raised his Ki. The ground trembled. Wind whipped around the clearing as rocks lifted. His aura flared white—and his power spiked to 30,000.
Raditz Scouter exploded.
Krillin: "W-WHAT?!"
Raditz: "Thirty... thousand?!"
Piccolo (gritting his teeth): "That's beyond elite class Saiyans…"
Tien: Unbelievable... This much power, how?!
Master Roshi (genuinely stunned): "I never thought I'd see the day I'd be trained by my student."
Goku powered down, chuckling modestly.
Goku: "Let's get started."
One Year of Training (Inside the HBTC)
The training was brutal, but precise. Goku led with discipline he'd gained from divine training in the far future—but adapted it to fit his friends' current levels.
They rotated through Gravity Training at increasing levels, mental focus drills, Ki control, and Roshi's classic Turtle Hermit Katas.
Chi-Chi and Gohan occasionally supervised or sparred, reinforcing fundamentals. Even Raditz, after sulking the first month, began absorbing the lessons with a grim sense of purpose. Saiyans never really trained since he thought power levels only grew through Combat and Zenkais.
Piccolo trained hardest, often with Gohan in tow.
Goku: "Everyone here has potential. The difference between life and death against the Saiyans… is how far we push ourselves now."
By month six, everyone could fly with full control, sense Ki instinctively, and fire energy blasts without exhausting themselves.
Master Roshi, though older, trained in secret at night—wanting to at least keep up enough to protect his students.
As the last of the warriors stepped out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, the fresh mountain air hit their faces. The sun was bright, the sky a calm blue, and birds chirped somewhere in the trees. It was hard to believe an entire year had passed—inside, anyway.
Outside, only a single day had ticked by.
Goku turned to face the group, his expression proud but grounded.
Goku: "You all did amazing. I mean it. One year's worth of hard work… in one day. But the Saiyans won't arrive for another eleven months and some change."
Yamcha (wiping his brow): "We've got time to rest, huh?"
Goku: "Rest a little," he chuckled, then his tone turned serious. "But keep training. The Saiyans won't hold back."
Krillin: "Wait… can't we just go back into the HBTC again? One more year in there and we'll be unstoppable!"
The group nodded in agreement.
Goku shook his head.
Goku: "The Hyperbolic Time Chamber's incredible… but dangerous. Spending too much time inside starts messing with your senses. The space in there—how quiet it is—can wear you down. You start to lose your edge. Mentally, emotionally."
Piccolo (arms crossed): "Tch. So it's not a shortcut after all."
Goku (nodding): "No real shortcut ever is. That's why it's better to build up your strength out here now. Keep your instincts sharp. Train your body and your mind."
Master Roshi: "Heh. That's the old martial way. I'm proud of you, Goku."
Tien: "So what's the plan?"
Goku: "Train on your own. Keep pushing, but don't burn out. We'll gather again in ten months. Final tune-ups before the Saiyans land."
Everyone gave nods of understanding, though there was a renewed fire in their eyes.
Chiaotzu (floating): "We'll be ready."
Yamcha: "And we're gonna make them wish they never set foot on Earth!"
Chi-Chi: "Goku and I are going to continue too. We've got a son to protect."
Gohan (grinning): "I'm not scared anymore."
The group said their goodbyes, vanishing into the horizon one by one—some flying, some hopping on capsules.
Just as the sun started dipping behind the mountains, a shadow approached from the cliffs above.
Raditz descended quietly, landing near Goku with a soft thud. He looked different. Calmer. His wild hair still flared like a mane, but his eyes weren't filled with arrogance anymore.
Raditz: "They've all gone?"
Goku: "Yeah. Back to their homes. But we've still got work to do."
There was a pause. Then Raditz nodded.
Raditz: "I want to thank you… for everything."
Goku (smiling): "Heh. You got hit with a frying pan and stuck in a training camp. Not exactly a luxury vacation."
Raditz chuckled, then looked out over the forest.
Raditz: "I could've run. Gone off-world. But… I didn't. I think that means something. You didn't just beat me—you gave me something to fight for."
He pulled something from his belt—a capsule, and pressed it. A puff of smoke appeared on a nearby ridge, revealing a modest but solid mountainside home, nestled between trees and overlooking a valley filled with dinosaurs.
Raditz: "Bulma gave me the capsule. Or… you begged her to, didn't you?"
Goku (rubbing the back of his head): "You're my brother. Doesn't mean I'll go easy on you if you mess up, but… you deserve a second shot."
Raditz: "This world. This place. I think I could get used to it. And when those two arrive… I'll fight to protect it."
Goku extended a hand. Raditz looked at it for a moment, then grasped it firmly.
Goku: "Welcome home, Raditz."
They stood in silence, watching the fading sun. Somewhere in the forest, a dinosaur bellowed. The wind rustled through the trees.
The next battle was still far off… but their resolve had never been stronger.