CHAPTER NINETEEN: ARRIVAL

"Is it ready for me yet?" Gokou asked, seeming really excited, "It is ready? Huh? Huh?"

"One moment!' an irritated Kami said, "Just let me check!" Kami poked his head inside the Room of Spirit and Time.

"Yes, it's ready for you. You are about to train with the god of your entire galaxy, Kami-Sama. Show him respect, and make him laugh."

"Yipee!" Gokou shouted as he turned toward the door to the Room. "GOhan," he said, "I'll be gone for a day now, but I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

"That's all right, Dad," Gohan said, smiling, "I have Mr. Piccolo and Mom to take care of me until then!" Piccolo smiled down at Gokou. Something happened in the Room the other day, Gokou didn't know what, but the Demon was gone. Piccolo had changed. "Okay, then! Goodbye!" Gokou said, waving, as he entered the Room of Spirit and Time. A day for us, a year for him. How time flies.

"Well, Kuririn said, turning toward everyone else who was there, "Let's get ready! They're coming tomorrow, and the last thing we need is to be unprepared!"

Tenshinhan nodded. Although he was the strongest human in the world earlier, Kuririn had surpassed him in The Room. He deserved more respect now.

***

"Okay, Zangya, tell me why you've volunteered yourself to lead the training here even though your the weakest of us all."

"Technique is far more important than power," she replied, "It's how I defeated Zarbon when he was more powerful."

"Okay," Zarbon said, a sarcastic smile appearing on his face," How Did you defeat me, then?"

"It's simple, really," Zangya said, "In your transformed state you may be more powerful, but you're slower. Because of that it was extremely easy to take you out. My technique, after all, relies on speed and agility more than it does on power."

"But I only hit you a few times and I nearly defeated you."

"Exactly. We have a few more hours left before we reach Earth, and I want us to know where we are exactly."

"Fine, then."

***

A new day dawned on Earth. The ship was now close enough for Kami to pick it up telepathically. He didn't want to comment much on the inhabitants' power levels, but he desperately hoped that Kaiou was unlocking enough of the legendary Saiya-jin power that (hopefully) resided in Gokou. If not... then they were all doomed.

In the meantime, he had told Earth's warriors where the ship was most likely going to land, and they were currently assembled there. Gohan, Piccolo, Kuririn, Tenshinhan, Chaozu, and Yamucha all.

Hopefully they would be enough to stall the invaders until Gokou got out of the Room.

Hopefully...

***

"Well, this is it!" Kuririn said, a hard look of determination on his face (which was difficult for him to do), "If we can conquer this challenge, then anything is ours!"

"Hey, I'm really excited about this!" Yamucha said, "It'll really be my chance to show off for Bulma, and maybe she'll forgive me for chea- er, I mean, for whatever it is that she thinks I'm doing!"

Everybody laughed. Everybody, that is, except for Piccolo. He was watching the sky, and using all of his senses to try to detect the ship, but so far, it was to no avail. No one was here yet. They had a few more moments of peace. a few more moments of...

A small tingle in the back of his mind informed Piccolo of the presence of the ship and its inhabitants. "THEY'RE HERE!" he shouted, "THE SAIYA-JIN ARE HERE!"

Everyone looked up as the saucerer ship came into view.

"They- they're powerful! More powerful than anything I've ever seen before!" Kuririn shouted, fear gripping him as the ship started to land.

It had happened. They were finally here.

***

"Come on, come ON! What's happening?" Bulma shouted as she hit the TV set, which had fizzled out at the worst possible time.

"Let a pro handle it, Bulma," Roshi said as he advanced toward the television.

Bulma, who normally would have shoved Roshi aside and kept at it, gave him the reins. He fiddled a bit with the antenna until they could see again. On-screen, the saucerer ship had just landed, and two of its passengers were departing via a hatch on the roof. They looked quite impressive, flying in like that.

Or at least Bulma and Roshi thought so.

They were both goggling at the screen like two idiots. Bulma's attention seemed focused on the blue-skinned man who had just exited.

"Wow!" she shouted, "Just look at him! He's... He's amazing! I'm sure they come in peace! I know it! Where's Chichi?"

A thump came from upstairs.

"She's probably just getting some guns. DOn't worry about it," Ox King said calmly.

"I am sorry, everyone, but I must help save the world!" Master Roshi said as he bolted for the door, leaving several puzzled people inside Kame house.

***

They stood in a standoff. Zarbon and Zangya were the ones who had exited the ship first. bardock was still inside, mentally preparing himself for the fight. He had told them not to begin fighting until he came out.

"So, this is a strange planet," Zarbon said to Zangya, "We have all kinds here. Regular people, Nameks, Triclops', midgets, children who fight- the works. None of these power levels seem extroardinarily high, now, do they?"

"What does your scouter say?" Zangya said, smiling. She couldn't sense ki, but she refused to wear a scouter.

"the highest one is 1,700. It's the Namek."

"Then I guess he's the first to die, then."

"You idiots!" Kuririn shouted, finding his courage again, "When Gokou comes, you'll be sorry! He'll beat you ALL up!"

Zarbon folded his arms and laughed softly to himself. "Who's this Gokou?" he asked, "Is he powerful?"

"More than you'll ever believe," Piccolo said, hoping that they wouldn't call their bluff, "Your late friend said that there would be Saiya-jin coming. Neither of you seem to fit the description."

Zarbon smiled again. "Oh, he should be here any second now. Bardock! A Namek out here wants to speak with you!"

"Namek?" Piccolo said to himself.

The top hatch of the ship opened again, and out came the Saiya-jin in question. The Earth warriors gasped when they saw his face. He looked exactly like Gokou! Well, almost. He was older, he had his tail, there was a scar on his left cheek, and his face simply wasn't... Gokou's face. The sweet innocence just wasn't there.

"Hello, boys and girls," Bardock said, "It's time to party."

"Daddy?" Gohan said, quizically.

"What did you call me?" Bardock looked directly at him.

"Oh," Gohan said, his face dropping, "I thought you were someone else. You're not. Your face is all mean and stuff."

Bardock laughed. "Kid, I like you," he said, "Perhaps when we're done here I'll take you along with me. You have a good power level for a kid, anyway."

"YOU'RE NOT TAKING GOHAN WITH YOU!" Piccolo shouted, preparing a ki blast.

"Oh, so the green guy wants to fight?" Bardock said, smiling and charging up some of his ki. He knew how powerful everyone was. This was going to be easy.

"I wouldn't show my strength if I were you," Zarbon whispered to Bardock, "they have someone else coming. A trump card of some sort. His name's Gokou. Apparently he could win in an out-and-out fight."

Bardock cocked an eyebrow and powered down. "Gokou, is it? Well, then, we'll just have to wait and see."

At that moment, Master Roshi drove in on a hovercar, parking it and leaping out of it with several backflips, making a perfect landing.

"Here I am!" Roshi shouted, "I'm here to look at the pretty gir- er, I mean, I'm here to help you fight!"

The Earth warriors stared at Roshi. Zarbon put his hand over his face to stop the laughs from coming. Bardock did not seem so amused.

"Is This your Trump Card? Is THIS piece of trash your Gokou? You idiots! He's weaker than all of you, and you expect him to defeat all three of us? Whjat is wrong with you people?"

"I'm not Gokou," Roshi said, "I'm just another fighter, here to ogl- er, I mean, here to save the day!" Roshi bulked up.

"Nice trick, old man, but I can do that too," Zarbon said as he transformed. Unbeknownst to all of them, in Kame House, Bulma screamed extremely loudly and was forever broken of her crush on Zarbon.

"So, where's this GOkou?" Bardock said, impatiently.

Piccolo smiled. "He's flying in right now."

***