"This is the Underworld."
After completing his Senzu Bean replication technique, Aomori left behind a dozen clones to handle Piccolo, then went to the Lookout to find the Guardian.
Kami did not refuse and immediately brought Aomori to the afterlife. Before them lay a cluster of ancient buildings sitting atop yellow clouds. Numerous floating spirits were being guided into the structures in an orderly fashion under the direction of blue-faced men with horns.
"Good. You can head back now," Aomori said with a nod.
"Don't you need me to introduce you to King Yemma?" Kami asked, puzzled.
"No need. I never planned on seeing him anyway. Also, you'd best collect the Dragon Balls and revive Son Goku now. You don't honestly think no one is going to die a year from now, do you?" With that, Aomori vanished.
"Well, he has a point. At least it won't waste any time." Looking at the empty space beside him, Kami sighed. "I wonder if letting him meet King Kai is a blessing or a curse."
However, the Saiyan threat was simply too great. Son Goku alone might not be enough; having another top-tier combatant was a rare stroke of luck.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's solve the Saiyan problem." With a heart full of worry, the Guardian returned to his Lookout.
…
After several flashes, Aomori stood before a massive statue of a snake with its jaws agape. Behind it lay a winding, twisting road.
"This must be the Snake Way."
It was said to be one million kilometers long, leading all the way to the place where King Kai resided, King Kai's Planet.
"One million kilometers... even for me, that would take over ten days. What a waste of time."
Aomori decided to let Pidgeot take the lead. He sat on Pidgeot's back and closed his eyes to enter a meditative state, while Pidgeot dutifully acted as his transport, streaking across the sky like a golden bolt of light.
In less than half a day, Pidgeot spotted a figure running slowly along the Snake Way. Remembering Aomori's instructions, the bird let out a sharp cry.
Aomori opened his eyes and smiled. "Found him already. Let's go down and say hello."
Pidgeot dove toward the figure, slowing down just enough for Aomori to land perfectly in front of the traveler.
The youthful yet handsome face, the signature spiky hair, and the orange training gi with the "Turtle" kanji… everything confirmed the man's identity.
"Hello there, Son Goku," Aomori greeted him in a friendly tone.
"Eh? You know me? But I don't think we've met before?" Goku tilted his head, a look of confusion on his face.
"I've heard of your great name for a long time. Piccolo and the others think very highly of you."
"I see! So you're Piccolo's friend... wait, Piccolo has friends?" Goku looked even more surprised.
Aomori didn't want to waste time on explanations. "Not friends. Let's just say he's a potential combat opponent of mine. Same for you. One day, I'll have an all-out duel with you."
"I see, I get it!" Goku broke into a wide grin. "From the moment I saw you, I knew you were a powerful opponent, but I won't lose. So, do you want to go a round right now?"
"Forget it. You're no match for me yet," Aomori waved him off with little interest. "Wait until you've finished your training with King Kai."
"Fair enough. It's a promise then!" Goku smiled, then asked, "By the way, why are you here?"
"To see King Kai, of course. Sorry, but I'm going to head on ahead. Bye!"
With that, Aomori hopped back onto Pidgeot's back and vanished into a golden streak before Goku's eyes.
Goku stood dazed for a moment before shouting, "Hey, that's cheating! Take me with you!"
Unfortunately, Aomori was long gone.
…
Several days later, Aomori finally reached the end of the Snake Way. Looking up, he saw a tiny planet hanging in mid-air. It was covered in grass, featuring a house, some trees, and a red vintage car. He recalled Pidgeot and flew toward the planet, landing smoothly on the surface.
Scanning the area, he spotted a brown-furred monkey and a stout "cricket-man" wearing a long black robe.
"Are you the North Kai who governs the North Galaxy?"
The gravity on King Kai's Planet was ten times that of Earth, but Aomori walked toward the peculiar Kai as if unaffected, strolling casually.
"That is correct! I am the Kai... of the North! Hee hee hee..." The North Kai, possessed of an incredibly low threshold for humor, couldn't help but giggle at his own words, his shoulders shaking.
"Sigh." Aomori didn't hide his disappointment. "Is this all a King Kai is capable of? How underwhelming. Still, you're quite a bit stronger than the people I've met so far. Let's see what you're made of."
"Hmm?" King Kai stopped giggling, realizing this man's goal was different from what he expected. "What did you come here for?"
"Isn't it obvious? To knock you into next week."
The moment the words left his mouth, Aomori slammed his foot into the ground. Amidst flying debris, he blurred in front of King Kai, launching a fierce punch that carried the sound of rolling thunder.
What?!! King Kai was startled and ducked, only to find a sweeping kick waiting for him below.
Caught off guard, he flew through the air like a ball, crashing into the only house on the planet. Nearby, Bubbles the monkey covered his eyes, unable to watch.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" King Kai rubbed a growing lump on his head as he stood up from the rubble, glaring at Aomori. "You brat! No sportsmanship! How dare you sneak attack the King Kai?!"
"I told you my intent. It's your own fault for being slow," Aomori said coldly, walking toward him step by step.
Sensing the overbearing, vast aura radiating from Aomori, King Kai immediately treated him as a major threat and took a defensive stance.
The Ki he's emitting isn't that great, but his physical strength is staggering. When did such a monster appear in the universe? Sigh, the universe is too big; how can I know everything?
Seeing Aomori close in, he couldn't afford to get distracted. If a King Kai got beaten up by a commoner, it would be too embarrassing, the other Kais would laugh him into his grave.
Wait, no. If he can beat me, that means he isn't a commoner, right?
"You still have the nerve to get distracted in a fight?" Aomori raised an eyebrow. He quickly caught a flaw in King Kai's defense and closed the gap, unleashing a flurry of punches.
Atatatatata...
King Kai was dazed by this -Light Speed Punch. His body was sent flying again, and even his sunglasses were knocked off.
"Whew... you really show no mercy, do you?" King Kai wiped blood from his nose with his sleeve, veins bulging on his forehead. "I haven't been hit in a long time. You bastard, I'm really angry now! I won't let you off!"
"Brat, witness my original secret technique!" He roared as red flames enveloped his body, and the intensity of his Ki surged at a visible rate.
"Kaioken times two!"
"It's out already?" Aomori was slightly surprised. He widened his eyes to focus on and sense the changes in the Ki within King Kai's body.
The so-called Kaioken is a technique that involves adjusting the Ki throughout the whole body, causing it to surge instantly to multiply strength, speed, destructive power, and defense. This unreasonable power-up was Aomori's primary goal for this trip; even the Spirit Bomb took a backseat to this.
Because he was now so powerful, his old divine techniques like Ittou Shura and Breathing Styles could no longer keep up with the current "meta." Their scaling was too low, and the effects were negligible. Therefore, the Kaioken was his top choice for a higher-tier replacement for those two skills.
However, Aomori didn't pin his hopes on the possibility of King Kai "admiring his talent and teaching it to him." Instead, he used the method of comprehending it through combat. This was Aomori's confidence in his own perception.
Thanks to the Guardian's memories, Aomori's mastery of Ki had moved beyond the beginner level. He could now vaguely sense the flow of Ki inside King Kai's body.
Concentrating entirely on this, Aomori ended up following in King Kai's footsteps. He took a series of punches and was sent flying, buried into the soil.
"Heh heh! See that? That is the power of me, the King Kai! Don't let my appearance fool you; my martial arts talent is top-tier!" After downing Aomori, King Kai coughed twice and spoke boastfully.
"Is that so? Why do I find it mediocre?" With a rustle, Aomori stood up from the dirt pile, brushed off his clothes, and spoke with disdain.
"What an irritating fellow!" Even the normally good-tempered King Kai was starting to get genuinely angry at Aomori's punchable face.
"Come on. Let's go again for a few hundred rounds." Aomori's lips curled up into an excited smile.
…
An unknown amount of time passed.
On the tiny planet, King Kai's voice drifted out, mingled with heavy panting. "Stop... stop for a moment... I really can't go on..."
The bruised and battered King Kai lay on the ground, waving his arm in resignation. In contrast, Aomori only had a bit of dust on him with no visible wounds. As for panting, that was even less likely.
When Aomori used only physical strength, King Kai had to use the Kaioken just to stand a chance of winning. However, using the Kaioken puts a heavy burden on the body. Even as its creator, King Kai couldn't use it many times before being drained.
Aomori didn't force him. He found an empty spot to sit down, closed his eyes, and began reviewing everything he had sensed.
Seeing Aomori stop, King Kai let out a sigh of relief and sat up with the help of his pet monkey, Bubbles.
Damn it, who did I offend? Why did this monster with the body of a beast suddenly show up at my door? Hmm? Could he be a hitman sent by the other Kais? King Kai fell into deep thought.
After a while, Aomori finished digesting his insights and stood up again.
"Don't come over here! I haven't recovered yet!" King Kai waved his hands frantically.
Aomori took a piece of chocolate from his pocket and tossed it to King Kai. "Eat this. You'll feel better."
"Hmm? Isn't this just a normal snack?" King Kai caught it and sniffed it. Confirming it wasn't poisonous, he skeptically tore open the wrapper and popped it into his mouth. After a few chews, his expression turned to one of surprise. "It's actually quite tasty!"
Even more surprising was that after he swallowed it, his injuries and Ki were mostly recovered. King Kai shouted in amazement.
"Is there more? Give me another one!" He had tasted the benefit.
"Wait until you don't have the strength to stand." Aomori flashed a smile that made King Kai panic as he stepped closer.
"!"
On the once-peaceful King Kai's Planet, the continuous sound of booming impacts rang out once again.
…
"Tonight is another full moon."
It had been a month since Aomori arrived on Earth. Under his drilling, Gohan and Piccolo had both made significant progress.
Looking at the bright moon in the sky, Piccolo couldn't help but frown. He hadn't forgotten the scene from last month when Gohan transformed into a Great Ape and was brutally thrashed by Aomori.
"Why won't you let me destroy the moon? It's a huge hassle when Gohan turns into a Great Ape. Besides, those two Saiyans can probably use the moon to transform as well. We'll have an even harder time winning then," Piccolo asked Aomori, confused.
"We can just destroy the moon before the Saiyans arrive. Until then, transforming is a great way for Gohan to train," Aomori replied with a smile.
"Hmph. What can a mindless Great Ape train?"
"But you can't deny that Gohan in his Great Ape form is over ten times stronger than usual. If he could tap into that ancestral power hidden deep within his body while in his normal state, his strength would be extraordinary. Perhaps even you wouldn't be his match."
Indeed, Aomori was referring to the Dragon Fist, or rather, the Penetrate! move. Goku had used that power when defeating King Piccolo, though it only appeared once more in a movie later on. As energy beam struggles became the mainstream, these types of physical-burst moves were forgotten. However, this proved that other Saiyans could potentially tap into that power.
"..." Piccolo recalled young Goku's punch and had to admit the truth in Aomori's words. He was silent for a moment before saying, "That kind of thing would be very hard to pull off."
"It doesn't cost anything to try, does it?" Aomori gave him a look. "Go on. Wake Gohan up."
"Hmph!" With a sour face, Piccolo reluctantly tossed an energy ball toward Gohan's dwelling.
This "hardcore" wake-up call was immediately effective. Gohan rolled out of the cave, looked up, and saw the round moon. As expected, his clothes tore apart as he transformed into a rampaging Great Ape.
"Go on, Piccolo. Go feel his power."
"Why don't you go?"
"Are you sure you want me to go?"
Recalling Gohan's miserable state last time, Piccolo shook his head. "Fine, I'll go."
He gritted his teeth and used his own transformation skill, becoming a giant as tall as the Great Ape. The two behemoths fought under the moonlight, rolling into a ball and demolishing the surrounding rock formations.
Soon, Piccolo fell into a disadvantage.
"How embarrassing. How are you supposed to be a nanny like this?" Aomori shook his head and flashed onto the Great Ape's head, sending psychokinesis into its mind. He wanted to wake Gohan's consciousness.
As a half-breed, Gohan had a bit more sanity than Goku and was easier to wake. Unfortunately, the clone's psychokinesis was a bit too weak; before he could wake him, Gohan had already reverted to human form.
"That's it?" Piccolo said, panting.
Aomori shrugged. "Didn't work this time. We'll try again next time."