The grass on King Kai's planet was a vibrant green, the air crisp and refreshing. Aside from the crushing gravity, it was a perfect place to retire.
Goku was still struggling against the heavy gravity, wobbling around like a newborn duck taking its first steps.
Krillin, on the other hand, had already started doing calisthenics stretching, chest-opening exercises moving with the precision of a professional instructor. You would never have guessed he was under ten times Earth's gravity.
"One, two, three, four… two, two, three, four…" Krillin counted out loud as he exercised, eyes scanning the tiny planet.
There were only a few trees, a circular road, and a bright red vintage convertible parked nearby.
"Krillin… I remember that joke."
Goku staggered over, drenched in sweat, his expression deadly serious, as if he were holding a live bomb instead of a joke.
"But… it's so cold! Why didn't the elephant bring paper?"
"Don't ask why. It's art," Krillin said, trying to sound serious.
"Remember, your expression must be solemn, your tone sincere. That's the essence of a dry joke."
At that moment, the door of the domed house swung open.
A short, chubby, blue figure stepped out.
He wore dark sunglasses, had two antennae sprouting from his head, donned a black robe, and carried a broom in one hand.
It was King Kai.
He first glanced at Baburus, the monkey bouncing on the grass, then noticed the two unexpected visitors.
"Well, well, look who we have here."
He pushed up his sunglasses with a mischievous grin in his voice.
"To make it all the way here through the Snake Way… seems like that old guy in the afterlife didn't misjudge this time."
"King Kai!"
Goku immediately snapped to attention, though his legs were still trembling.
"I'm Goku, and this is Krillin. We've come to learn martial arts from you so we can defeat the Saiyans who will invade Earth in a year!"
"Saiyans?"
King Kai walked around them, hands clasped behind his back, inspecting them carefully.
"Hm… that's certainly a big problem. But becoming my disciple isn't going to be easy."
He suddenly stopped, leaning close to Goku. A strange glint reflected off his sunglasses.
"Can you… tell jokes?"
"Uh?"
Goku froze, realizing Krillin had hit the mark perfectly.
"It's too lonely here. Besides Baburus, I don't even have anyone to talk to."
King Kai sighed, a look of lonely emptiness on his face.
"If you want me to teach you, you first have to make me laugh. If you can't even grasp this level of humor, how do you expect to save the world?"
The logic… was flawless.
"I'll go first!"
Krillin raised his hand confidently and stepped forward.
King Kai crossed his arms, looking skeptical.
"Bald kid, you look cheerful enough. I hope your joke isn't too dry."
Krillin cleared his throat and put on the expression of someone telling a ghost story.
"Once upon a time, a little white rabbit got lost in the forest. It came to a fork in the road and saw a little gray rabbit. It hurried over and asked, 'Big brother Gray Rabbit, I'm lost. Can you tell me the way home?'"
King Kai perked up, his antennae twitching.
"The gray rabbit sized up the little white rabbit and grinned wickedly. 'You want to know the way? First, you'll have to make me happy.'"
Krillin wiggled his eyebrows, his tone turning sly.
King Kai's mouth twitched, sensing something coming.
"The little white rabbit had no choice but to comply. After that, the gray rabbit pointed left. Not long after, it came to another fork, this time encountering a little black rabbit."
Krillin paused briefly before continuing.
"The little black rabbit made the same demand. 'You want to know the way? First, you'll have to make me happy.' To get home, the little white rabbit had no choice but to nod tearfully and go left again."
"And then?"
King Kai couldn't help but ask, already caught in the story.
"Eventually, the little white rabbit made it home. Not long after, it gave birth to a litter of baby rabbits."
Krillin looked at King Kai with a mysterious grin.
"Now, King Kai, can you guess the color of the babies?"
King Kai furrowed his brow in thought.
"Gray? Black? Or mixed?"
"Do you want to know?"
Krillin suddenly gave the same sly grin as the gray rabbit in his story, pointing at himself.
"First, you'll have to make me happy!"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Three seconds later…
"Pff hahahahaha!"
King Kai erupted into a thunderous fit of laughter.
He clutched his belly and rolled across the grass, his sunglasses crooked, legs flailing wildly.
"Ahhh! I can't take it! Make me happy! Hahaha! You little rascal! Too naughty!"
Tears streamed from his eyes as he laughed, pounding the ground and pointing at Krillin.
"This joke… has flavor! Perfect flavor! Approved! You're approved!"
Krillin shrugged and stepped aside, giving Goku a look that said, "Your turn."
Goku took a deep breath. Though he still didn't fully understand why the joke was funny, he knew it was his moment to perform.
He walked seriously up to King Kai, who was still wiping tears from his eyes.
"King Kai, I'm going to tell a rabbit story too."
"Oh?"
King Kai got up from the ground, rubbing his sore stomach.
"Go ahead. Don't disappoint me."
Goku's eyes widened as he spoke in the tone of a military report.
"One day, an elephant was in the forest, doing its business."
King Kai: "…"
What an explosive start.
"After finishing, the elephant realized it didn't bring any paper. Luckily, a little white rabbit was grazing nearby."
Goku gestured with his hands as he continued.
"The elephant asked, 'Little white rabbit, do you shed fur?' The rabbit shook its head. 'No, I don't.'"
"So the elephant grabbed the little white rabbit to wipe, then tossed it aside and walked away."
King Kai's mouth twitched. The mental image was too vivid.
"The next day!"
Goku suddenly raised his voice.
"The elephant was eating again, hands and mouth covered in oil, still without paper. It saw a little gray rabbit and asked, 'Little gray rabbit, do you shed fur?' The gray rabbit also said no."
"The elephant was delighted and used the little gray rabbit to wipe its mouth."
Goku paused, imitating a tone full of grievance and anger.
"At that moment, the little gray rabbit said, 'Big brother… I'm the same little white rabbit you used yesterday!'"
Pff…!!!
King Kai had just regained his footing when he immediately burst out laughing again.
This time, he laughed even harder, bouncing on the ground like a blue rubber ball, his face turning purple.
"Hahaha! It changed color! It actually changed color! Hahaha! Help! That elephant is despicable!"
He shook with laughter until he finally collapsed, all four limbs in the air, barely able to breathe.
"Too… too brilliant…"
Weakly, King Kai raised a hand and gave a thumbs-up.
"You two… are geniuses… I haven't laughed this hard in centuries…"
Goku scratched his head, looking at Krillin. "He's overreacting. Was it really that funny?"
"That's the power of humor," Krillin said, holding back his own laughter while speaking with complete seriousness.
"All right, all right, stand up."
King Kai finally recovered, straightening his messy robe and sunglasses. Though tears still lingered at the corners of his eyes, he looked a bit more composed.
"You've passed the test. From today, you are officially my disciples."
[Ding! Successfully apprenticed to King Kai. Achievement unlocked: 'Ticket to Laughter.']
[Reward: Eligibility to learn King Kai's techniques 'Kaioken' and 'Spirit Bomb.']
[Current Power Level: 6000 (naturally increased after adapting to gravity).]
Krillin glanced at the system panel and nodded in satisfaction.
The trip wasn't in vain. Not only had he paved the way for Goku, but he could also legitimately learn those two powerful techniques.
"However…"
King Kai pushed up his sunglasses, scanning the two of them.
"If you want to learn, you must be ready to endure hardship. Especially you, Krillin. I can sense an incredible power inside you, but your technique is too crude."
"And you, Goku, your physical foundation is solid, but under this gravity, it's still not enough."
"First, you need to catch Baburus!"
King Kai pointed to the monkey on a tree, making faces at them.
"Catch a monkey?" Goku rubbed his hands together, excited. "Sounds fun!"
Krillin smiled faintly, releasing the gravity limiter from his bracelet. The oppressive aura around him instantly eased.
"Then let's get started, King Kai. Time is precious."