A year had passed since the end of the World Martial Arts Tournament.
At Goku's home on Mount Paozu, Chi-Chi had given birth to a child. The Bull Demon King named his grandson Son Gohan.
Bulma had lived with Goku for most of the year, and now that Chi-Chi had a child, Bulma helped take care of him.
During this time, Goku spent most of his days with his two wives, which meant less time training and more time with them.
But Goku was in no rush. Having traveled through time and space, he knew he couldn't become obsessed with martial arts and neglect Chi-Chi and Bulma.
Still, he planned to seize every opportunity to practice and not waste any more time.
Over the past year, Goku's combat power had only increased slightly to 452 points, 22 points higher than the 430 he had a year ago.
At night, Goku said solemnly, "Chi-Chi, Bulma, I'm going to leave."
"Alright! Goku, be careful," Bulma said, concern in her voice.
Chi-Chi, lying on the bed, added worriedly, "Goku, go practice without worry! We'll take good care of Gohan."
Goku hugged both of them, feeling reassured.
The next morning, Goku went to the back of Mount Paozu, pulled out the seven Dragon Balls from his backpack, and arranged them neatly.
These were the Dragon Balls he had collected over the past year.
He shouted loudly, "Come out! Shenlong!"
The Dragon Balls began to sparkle, the sky darkened, and a massive dragon emerged from the seven orbs.
The dragon looked at Goku and said, "State your wish! As long as it is within my power, I can grant it."
"Shenlong, I want to learn the Instant Transmission technique from the planet Yardrat," Goku said.
"I understand," the dragon replied instantly this time, without hesitation. "Your wish has been granted. Farewell."
After disappearing, the Dragon Balls scattered across the world once again.
Goku closed his eyes and felt the change in his body.
"So, this is the trick of Instant Transmission! Amazing… but with my current strength, I can't fully unleash it. My range is still limited."
"Then it's time to go to King Kai's planet to train and learn the Kaio-ken and Spirit Bomb. Bulma's father is modifying the spaceship I used as a child, so I can train under increasing gravity and improve steadily."
Goku floated into the air and called, "Flying Nimbus!"
He jumped onto the cloud and flew toward the Temple of Heaven. To reach King Kai's planet, he first had to visit the Kamis at the temple.
Popo was watering the flowers as usual when he suddenly saw Goku land in front of her.
"Goku?" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Hi, Mr. Popo! I'm here to see the Kamis," Goku said politely, explaining his purpose.
Popo and Goku were old acquaintances, so he didn't refuse and went to find the Kami.
After hearing Goku's request, the Kami asked in disbelief, "Goku, how do you even know about King Kai?"
"Kami, don't ask so many questions. Just take me there!" Goku responded.
The Kami shook his head helplessly. "Alright! I'll take you there, but I can't guarantee that King Kai will let you train."
The Kamis agreed because Goku had defeated Piccolo and saved Earth. They had no reason to refuse his request.
Using their connections, they brought Goku to the Underworld, where he smoothed things over with the King of Hell Yema.
Standing at the start of the Snake Way, the Underworld staff warned him, "Sir, be careful! If you fall, we won't be able to save you."
"Don't worry, I know," Goku said with a smile.
Once the staff left, Goku stood at the head of Snake Way. In the original story, it took half a year to traverse, but Goku wasn't planning to take that long.
He took out a Universal Capsule from his pocket, opened it, and threw it on the ground. With a bang, it transformed into a storage box.
Goku removed his weighted clothing and placed it inside. Pressing the button, the storage box returned to capsule form.
"Yohoo! My body feels lighter now. Let's get started!"
With his body freed from the heavy armor, Goku used the Flying Dance Technique to move along Snake Way.
He combined running and flying, and after just three months, he reached the end.
Looking up at a small planet hanging in the sky, he smiled. "That's King Kai's planet!"
Taking a deep breath, he jumped as high as he could. The planet's gravitational pull drew him in, and he fell heavily onto King Kai's planet.
"Who's there?" King Kai emerged, surprised. "What? Are you alive?"
"Hello, Lord King Kai!" Goku greeted with a smile.
King Kai pretended to cough twice and asked, "Who are you, and why are you on my planet?"
"My name is Son Goku, King Kai, and I've come to train under you," Goku said plainly.
"As expected!" King Kai replied, unsurprised. After all, Goku was alive—there was no other explanation except that he intended to become his disciple.
King Kai continued, keeping a secretive tone. "So, Son Goku, if you want to be my disciple, it won't be that easy. First, you must tell me a joke that satisfies me."