At Goku's cue, Krillin soared into the sky.
"Kaio-Ken!" he shouted.
In an instant, his muscles bulged and his entire body was engulfed in a blazing red aura—the unmistakable surge of Kaio-Ken.
The winds around him howled viciously, sharp as blades. Even the clouds in the sky were scattered like smoke under the explosive surge of his power.
Bulma raised the scouter to her eye and activated it.
The digits spun wildly.
"Units… tens… hundreds… thousands… tens of thousands… hundreds of thousands… millions…"
Everyone below froze.
"Wait… what?"
"Did she say millions?!"
"Krillin reached over a million?!"
Raditz's knees buckled. He reached for a nearby drink and took a long, tactical sip.
"This can't be real… I thought he only had a power level of two thousand…"
"Then suddenly he's over two hundred thousand… and now with this 'Kaio-Ken' thing… he's in the millions?"
"Are Earthlings really this terrifying?"
Bulma read off the final number.
"Krillin's power level is 4,860,000. I'll skip the decimals…"
"WHAT?!"
"Four million eight hundred sixty thousand?!"
No one understood what that number meant better than Raditz.
Even the "decimals" Bulma didn't read likely dwarfed his own 1500.
Everyone erupted in cheers for Krillin.
Krillin grinned.
"Pretty impressive, huh?"
"You're amazing!"
"A real hero of Earth!"
"Unbelievable!"
He released the Kaio-Ken, letting his aura fade, and returned to his normal state.
Goku stepped forward.
"Hey, Krillin—how long can you maintain that form?"
Krillin blinked.
"Huh? It's already over."
"Wait, that was less than a minute!" Goku said, surprised.
"It's my peak form, Goku!" Krillin defended.
"Of course I can't hold it for long."
Goku scratched his head.
"Still, less than a minute… How are you supposed to fight someone like that?"
Krillin shrugged.
"I just wanted to see my upper limit. If I'm not going full throttle, I can hold 20x Kaio-Ken for around three minutes."
"10x Kaio-Ken? I can hold that for at least ten."
While Goku and Krillin talked, Tien and Chiaotzu took turns testing their power.
Each of them broke the million mark easily.
Even Chiaotzu—small, goofy, and the weakest of them all—had over 100,000 power. If he used Kaio-Ken, he could probably reach 2 million.
Raditz's confidence shattered again.
'Even he's stronger than me?!'
When everyone had finished testing, Bulma turned to Goku.
"Alright, Goku, your turn. Push your power to the limit. I need your numbers to plan the next year's training."
"Should I use Kaio-Ken?" he asked.
Bulma shook her head.
"No need. It's just a 20x multiplier—I can calculate that."
"Got it," Goku said, and launched into the air.
Everyone turned their attention to the sky.
"Let's see what Goku's base power is."
Chi-Chi muttered,
"Krillin's base was over 200,000. Goku usually beats the two of us without breaking a sweat… he's probably at 300,000 or so?"
"Let's find out," Krillin grinned.
Goku's Ki flared, wind whipping across the garden.
Unlike some transformations, his body didn't balloon with muscle. Goku focused on a perfect balance—raw power without sacrificing speed.
Bulma checked the scouter.
"Goku's base power level is 298,500."
"What? Not even 300,000?" Chi-Chi frowned.
Krillin folded his arms.
"That's still a third more than me. Goku's crazy strong."
Bulma added,
"Off by just 1,500. With 20x Kaio-Ken, that's almost 6 million."
Raditz choked on his drink.
'Six MILLION is considered acceptable?!'
When he first arrived on Earth, Raditz felt superior—like a noble from a higher race surrounded by weaklings.
But now?
He was seeing the truth.
That "weakling" with 2000 battle power hadn't even been serious.
At full power, Krillin was nearly five million.
And the rest weren't far behind.
As for Kakarot—six million.
It was incomprehensible.
In the Frieza Force, he'd be lucky to qualify as their janitor.
After everyone finished, Bulma gathered the data.
"Alright. I'll need some time to develop detailed training plans."
"Boosting your power is tricky at this level. You've all hit a plateau."
"But I can improve your teamwork."
"Starting tomorrow, your training will change."
"Strength alone won't beat Frieza. You need strategy. Cooperation. Timing."
"You're each strong on your own—but if you learn to fight together, you can take down someone even stronger."
"Here's the plan: one person will act as the 'Boss.' They'll be allowed to use higher-level Kaio-Ken and be given a few Senzu Beans."
"The rest of you? Lower multipliers, or none at all."
"Your job is to take the Boss down—without anyone getting seriously hurt."
"But be careful. You can get injured if you're careless."
"To prepare for that, I gave Raditz's ship to my dad."
"He's turning its medical systems into a proper healing chamber. That'll help us recover if things go sideways."
Chi-Chi nodded.
"This is to simulate a fight against Frieza, right?"
"Exactly," Bulma confirmed.
Krillin laughed.
"Guess Goku will be our Boss then! He's the strongest, after all."
Bulma shook her head.
"Nope. You two are the main firepower for fighting Frieza. You need to work together, not act as targets."
Krillin blinked, then grinned.
"Me and Goku, huh? No problem! We're the perfect team."
"Any questions?" Bulma asked.
Everyone shook their heads.
"Alright then."
"I've thought it over—you've all been stuck at your limits for a while."
"Pushing further with just the gravity chamber won't do much anymore."
"So, from now on, cut your training time in half."
"Use mornings for team combat drills."
"Afternoons and evenings? Rest."
"Go fishing. Hang out. Do team-building stuff."
Krillin's eyes widened.
"Wait—we're only training half a day?!"
"Can we really beat Frieza in a year like that?"
Bulma smiled confidently.
"Follow the plan, and you will."
Cheers erupted from the group.
"If Bulma says it, it's true!"
"She's been right for years!"
"Bulma's the best!"
Bulma laughed.
"Alright, dismissed!"
As the group dispersed, Raditz raised his hand sheepishly.
"Uh… Kakarot? Bulma? What about me?"
Bulma blinked.
Oops. Forgot about him.
She quickly recovered.
"Of course I have a plan for you!"
"The others aren't using the gravity room anymore."
"You'll have it all to yourself."
"You can set the gravity level however you like. You can even sleep in there."
Raditz's eyes lit up.
"Really?! Thank you, Bulma!"
"You're Goku's brother. No need to thank me."
But Goku added thoughtfully,
"Still, solo training can get boring. It's easy to give up."
"You'll need long-term discipline. It's not something that changes overnight."
"How about I invite someone to train with you?"
Raditz tilted his head.
"Who?"
"A green-skinned guy. You remember him, right?"
Raditz's eyes widened.
'Piccolo?'
'The first guy I met on Earth… who was weaker than me.'
He finally felt a flicker of hope.
Maybe he wasn't at the very bottom anymore.
"Sure… that sounds good!"