Three thousand kilometers west of West City, a vast primeval jungle was being swallowed by a torrential downpour.
Rain lashed the ancient forest like countless silver whips.
Towering trees groaned in the gale, and muddy floodwaters churned with broken logs as they roared through the river channels.
Boom—
A streak of purple lightning tore across the sky, illuminating a colossal banyan tree on the riverbank.
Beneath its canopy, a figure hung upside down.
The young man was bare-chested, wearing only black trousers.
His thick, wild black hair spiked in all directions like a sea urchin. He hung by one foot from a branch, swaying like a pendulum in the violent wind.
In one hand, he gripped a thick vine that plunged into the raging river below.
Gurgle.
His stomach growled louder than the thunder.
"So hungry… why isn't this fish biting yet?" Son Goku muttered as he blinked his large, clear eyes and wiped rain from his face.
He did not look like a drenched stray at all. Instead, he stared at the river with eager anticipation.
Suddenly, the water exploded.
A monstrous prehistoric fish, over fifteen meters long, burst from the river. Its jaws resembled a crocodile's, lined with serrated teeth capable of shredding steel.
Its crimson eyes locked onto the dangling human.
"Wow! So big!"
Goku's eyes lit up, and drool slipped from the corner of his mouth.
Instead of dodging, he flexed his core and performed an impossible mid-air curl.
"Dinner is served!"
With a flick of his wrist, the vine snapped taut with a sharp crack.
A surge of raw force traveled through the vine and into the monster's jaws.
The beast did not even have time to close its mouth before the overwhelming power swung it in a violent half-circle.
"Away you go!"
Releasing his foot, Goku shot downward like a cannonball, catching up to the airborne fish.
He threw a simple punch.
Thud.
The impact was swallowed by the rain.
The monster's eyes bulged as it lost consciousness instantly.
It crashed onto the riverbank, shaking the ground.
Goku landed lightly and circled it with satisfaction.
"Perfect. This kind of fish has firm meat. Best grilled."
Dragging the multi-ton prey with one hand, he entered a nearby cave.
With a snap of his fingers, a small Ki Blast ignited damp firewood.
Firelight flickered across his now more mature face. In the past three years, he had traveled across the world.
Without divine guidance or gravity chambers, he relied purely on instinct and survival.
Taking a massive bite of half-cooked fish, he suddenly paused.
He lifted his head, gaze piercing eastward through rain and stone.
"This feeling…" He swallowed.
"Is that Krillin's Qi?"
He frowned slightly.
"No… I can't sense Krillin's Qi anymore. Did he learn to hide it too?"
A smile spread across his face.
"I wonder if everyone's gotten stronger. If Krillin sees how tall I am now, he'll definitely be shocked. Heh, I bet I'm way taller than him now."
He finished the entire fish in minutes, bones included.
"Full! Time to go!"
"Flying Nimbus…!"
The golden cloud appeared instantly.
But Goku hesitated.
"There are still three days. Running should be enough… and I want to test my leg strength."
He bent his knees.
The cave floor exploded into a crater.
In the next instant, he vanished, leaving only a vacuum trail through the rain.
Destination: Papaya Island.
High above the stratosphere, where rain could not reach, sunlight blazed over a sea of clouds.
A green figure floated cross-legged in the sky.
Piccolo.
He wore a heavy white weighted cape and a massive turban that obscured most of his face, revealing only sharp, sinister eyes.
He did not propel himself with obvious bursts of Ki. Instead, he glided silently, merging with the wind like a vulture.
"A boring world."
He looked down at human cities below, tiny as ants.
For three years, he had endured hellish training.
For one purpose.
"Son Goku."
The name alone caused his energy to surge violently.
Clouds for kilometers were blasted apart.
"This time, at the World Martial Arts Tournament, I will tear you apart in front of the entire world. I will remind humanity of the fear of the Demon Clan."
He pointed a finger casually at a distant passenger plane.
A thin beam flashed.
The aircraft disintegrated into dust.
Piccolo's expression did not change.
"Killing now is meaningless. The grandest despair belongs in the finals."
He withdrew his hand.
In the east, several powerful energies were gathering.
"Wait for it. The gap between god and demon cannot be bridged by effort alone."
Meanwhile, on a rain-soaked highway below, a cargo truck struggled forward.
The bearded driver bobbed his head to music on the radio.
Then he saw it in his rearview mirror.
Two figures running along the highway.
The one in front was a tall, muscular, three-eyed bald man running bare-chested through the rain.
Each step covered dozens of meters, effortlessly outpacing the truck.
Behind him floated a small figure with red circles on his cheeks.
"H… holy Hell!"
The driver nearly swerved off the road.
Tien Shinhan paid no attention.
Rain streamed down his forehead, flowing past his closed third eye.
"Tien, aren't we using Bukūjutsu?" Chiaotzu asked softly. "That would be faster, and we wouldn't get wet."
"No," Tien replied calmly. "Flying consumes Qi and fosters dependency. Feeling the earth beneath your feet is also training."
For three years, he had traveled the world.
He climbed mountains and dived into ocean trenches.
To purge the violent aura of his past as an assassin.
And to chase that unreachable figure.
Son Goku.
And Krillin.
And Yamcha.
"I heard the Kame School disciples are training hard," Tien said evenly. "This time, I will win honorably."
"Tien will definitely win!" Chiaotzu cheered.
Ahead, a landslide blocked the highway.
The truck screeched as it braked.
Tien did not slow down.
Just before impact, his third eye snapped open.
An invisible surge of energy burst outward.
"Hah!"
The massive boulder was cleanly pierced through its center, leaving a perfectly smooth tunnel.
Tien and Chiaotzu passed through without a speck of dust touching them.
The driver stared in disbelief at the smoking hole.
His cigarette dropped onto his lap, burning him.
"Let's go, Chiaotzu. The show is about to begin."
...
Author's Note:
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