章 16: Journey

BAM! BAM!

Raditz and his brother clashed in training room NO.001 on the Menagerie. It was a one of six gyms on the flagship. This particular room was specially crafted by Bulma's design and was only accessible by the royal family and their guests. Sometimes Raditz would reward his soldiers' performance by gifting access for specified amounts of time.

His brother's friends were watching from behind a glass window in the main entrance to the training area. They were shocked by the jump in strength Kakarot gained after the fight with Vegeta. When they asked about this, Raditz explained to them it was part of a Saiyan's biology to increase in strength after healing from a fight.

After the little warm-up spar with Kakarot, Raditz invited everyone into the sectioned off sparring area. He explained to them that the reason the sparring area was sealed behind the glass separating it from the main area, was because it was also a gravity chamber. They were stunned by this revelation having never experienced a gravity chamber before.

"Menagerie! Increase the gravity to ten times Earth gravity." Raditz commanded looking towards the ceiling.

"Command accepted, Emperor Raditz!" a disembodied feminine voice responded.

It was the ship's computer system, which was a simple intelligence spawned by Big Gete. Unlike the other ships in the fleet, the Menagerie's system was a custom creation. The intelligence system installed in the rest of the fleet were just identical copies all designated PRISM.

Kakarot's group immediately felt the strain on their bodies. They were plenty strong enough to remain standing, but they clearly were uncomfortable.

"This is how heavy it was on King Kai's Planet." Kakarot informed his friends.

"It's also the same gravity as our home world." Raditz mentioned.

"Is this how much gravity you train in?" Tien asked. Reiss giggled from his father's side. Gohan looked over that the older boy wondering why the question was funny.

"No." Raditz answered flatly before continuing, "I brought you here to explain how the gyms function. The other gyms on the ship have fail safes in place to avoid any accidents. Just ask Menagerie and the gravity will adjust, as I demonstrated. We only have four days until we reach Namek, so Kakarot, Gohan, Reiss, and I will use this gym. The rest of you are free to use any of the other training rooms. If you have any other questions or concerns Menagerie or the crew will be of assistance."

"Why can't we just train together?" Krillin asked feeling disregarded. He and Kakarot had trained together for years, since they met on Kame Island as children. Piccolo was already leaving, preferring to train alone.

"Menagerie increase gravity, twenty times." the Emperor ordered. The Namekian turned around as the sliding door out of the sparring area closed behind him. He saw Tien and Krillin pressed to the floor struggling to stand. Kakarot and Gohan were on their knees, struggling to fight against the force bearing down on them.

"Here." Raditz handed each of them a Panacea bean.

After eating the beans, the Saiyans were capable of standing. Krillin and Tien were still on the ground. They did, at least, manage to get up on their hands and knees.

"Menagerie, reduce the gravity to normal." Raditz told the ship. The command was given and the Menagerie brought the gravity back down. The humans were soaked in sweat from their struggle against being crushed.

"What was that for!?" Krillin asked, angered by the Raditz's action.

"A demonstration as to why it would not be wise to train with us." Raditz explained, "As you saw, because of their biology, Kakarot and Gohan adapted after eating a Panacea bean. We will be training in much higher gravity. It would be fatal for you two."

"Are you saying we're weak?" Tien questioned. "That we'd hold you back."

"In this instance, yes. Because we have a limited time, speed is a factor." Raditz explained, "You guys can get much stronger, but rushing into this will be counterproductive."

They thought about his words for a moment before agreeing with them. Even though they still felt somewhat slighted, they were excited to try out the other gyms. The crew of the Menagerie was quite large with 15,000 members. Tien and Krillin met a few of them while training in room NO.003.

Kakarot and his son were smashed into the floor of the gym. They were struggling with all they had to try and get the Panacea bean into their mouths.

"Welcome to fifty times Earth gravity." Raditz said.

"That looks painful, father. They look like worms." Reiss joked at his uncle and cousins expense, "But they will catch up in no time at this rate!"

Eating the bean allowed the crushed pair to get back on their feet. They were still wobbly, but on their feet none the less.

"Try putting the bean in your mouth first." the Emperor gave his brother and nephew another bean.

They put the bean in their mouths and held it there, waiting for the gravity to increase again. Reiss was looking on in anticipation. The boy never witnessed anyone being trained like this.

"Menagerie increase to one hundred times Earth gravity." Raditz said.

"One Hundred times gravity, aye, your Majesty" came the ship's reply.

Kakarot and Gohan crashed into the ground harder than before. The impact caused them to bite down on the held beans instantly healing them. Even though they healed, the pair could barely move in the gravity.

"How does it feel?" Raditz questioned, "It only took four hours to get you to this level. We should train at this level for the rest of the time."

Kakarot nodded at his brother's suggestion. Reiss immediately tagged Gohan "it," and ran off to the far wall. Gohan tried to run after the older boy, but unlike Reiss his steps were extremely weighty. It was as though he were trying to run in water.

"We aren't going to play tag are we, Raditz?" Kakarot asked his brother.

Raditz smiled at his brother.

"Sure we are," Raditz said punching his brother hard in face sending him flying across the room, "You're it!"

Kakarot took a moment to get up. When he did manage to get on his feet, he tried to chase his brother down, but he was much too slow in the unfamiliar gravity. It was like being on King Kai's planet all over again. Only this time he was adjusting to the gravity much faster thanks to the Panacea beans.

A couple of hours later, Gohan and his father were moving much better in the gravity. They were almost up to their normal performance levels. Which was when Raditz announced to the group that play time was over.

"Reiss, beat your cousin within an inch of his life!" Raditz ordered

"What!?" Kakarot looked shocked by the command.

"Like I said we don't have much time. Getting beat up and healed in this gravity will be great for you both." Raditz said as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world. "Don't worry Kakarot, I'll make sure to properly break you down."

BAM! BAM!

The walls and floor of the training room was covered in blood. Kakarot and Gohan were on the floor in broken masses. The fight was a complete, one-sided, domination. They were literally beaten within an inch of their lives.

When they were healed, Kakarot and his son charged at Raditz and Reiss in anger. Their speed was notably higher than before. Raditz tried to stop Kakarot's fist with his palm, but he was being pushed back. He would have to use some effort if he wanted to stop Kakarot now. Reiss wasn't in the same boat because, even though Gohan was stronger than before, his training was his still behind the older boy's.

"Look at how much stronger you got Kakarot," Raditz cheered, "Not only are you in one hundred times Earth gravity, you can fight now."

"What're you talking about?" Kakarot asked, still visibly angered.

"I'm saying look how much strong you and Gohan became from being beaten up and healed. This gravity seems normal to you now, right?" Raditz followed up.

Kakarot seemed unsure of what was going on, but he could feel he was full of power now that he calmed down some.

"No need to thank me." Raditz shrugged, "I thought I'd do my little brother a favor."

"I should thank you with a punch in the face." Kakarot replied taking another swing at his brother.

Raditz dodged the punch and the two clashed once more.

Tien and Krillin took a break from training to head to the mess hall for breakfast. They trained in fifteen times Earth gravity with two soldiers they met until morning, or what passed as morning on a spaceship. Time on the ship was localized for Gren'dir time because it was the main hub of Raditz's empire. They didn't know where Piccolo went after choosing to train by himself.

The Earthlings discovered that most of the crew was nervous about encountering Frieza. Even though they had faith their leader could win, they had always avoided the Frieza Force... until this point. If Emperor Raditz won, they would be galactic legends... even if they were just crew members.

Tien and Krillin were shocked Kakarot and his family never showed up for breakfast. They knew their friend never missed a meal. After looking into it they learned the Saiyans were still training. This renewed their spirits, driving them to train even harder than before.

Piccolo sat hovering in a meditative position in the middle of training room NO.002. He was under the effects of twenty times Earth gravity, which was the limits of safety for the normal gyms. He focused his energy and engaged in mental battles against shadowy foes. No matter what, he wanted to keep pace with the Saiyans... especially his one time rival Kakarot.

Over the years, he watched as Kakarot's power continued to rise to new heights. If he wasn't careful, soon Kakarot would be too far ahead to catch up. He also couldn't shake the feeling that going to Namek would be like coming home from a long journey.

The Saiyans' training was interrupted by a call from the bridge. The voice that came through was the visored pilot at the helm.

"My Emperor, Reporting that we have just entered the Namek System." the pilot informed.

"Thank you Lieutenant Gel. We'll be right up." Raditz said.

The group hit the shower room located in the gym before proceeding up to the bridge. The other Earthlings were already there. On the view screen was a green planet with three suns, Planet Namek.

"Gel, hold the Menagerie at the edge of the System. We'll use the shuttle from here, so it will be less of a chance of the Frieza Force spotting the Menagerie." Raditz ordered.

"Aye, your Majesty!" Lieutenant Gel responded.

The group traveled to the ship's hangar bay and loaded into a smaller saucer ship. Reiss was disappointed because he wanted to use an Attack Ball again. He enjoyed the Attack Ball because he could pretend to be a Saiyan conquering planets.

When Bulma keyed in the sequence, the saucer shuttle launched from the hangar bay. She decided to personally pilot the mission because she liked see new alien worlds. It took two hours for the saucer to reach its destination. Its occupants were blown away by the new planet. Raditz was amazed at how empty and rural the planet was.

"Find a suitable place to land the shuttle. Preferably somewhere hard to spot." Raditz said.

"Got it. Now stop being a back seat pilot." Bulma responded.

The ship touched down between twin mesas. Concealed by the rocks, it was a decent hiding spot. The travelers exited the ship to get a good look at the planet.

The air smelled fresh and lacking of pollution. Piccolo felt a deep connection to the planet as soon as his feet touched the ground. He was deeply affected by the experience. Every breath of air he took, nourished his soul. This was were he was from.

Raditz closed his eyes and tried to find his target. The leader of the planet, the Grand Elder Guru. When the elder was located, then the negotiations could begin.