Chapter 5: Blast Off for Planet Namek!

(Training With Goku)

The earth was quiet now.

Ash danced in the air like snow. Victory, if it could be called that, left nothing but silence in its wake. Smoke curled from broken craters. Rubble sprawled across the battlefield like corpses of the past hour's chaos.

Goku's broken body lay against the dirt, his breaths shallow, barely audible. Over his shoulder, another body—bloodied, beaten, but alive—was slung like a fallen comrade of war.

You.

He's still breathing... barely... but alive. Goku's mind was at peace knowing that.

Beside him, Gohan finally collapsed, his young frame giving in to exhaustion. He landed against his father's arm like a fallen leaf seeking shelter.

"Take it easy, little man," Goku murmured, a tired smile pulling at the edge of his face.

Krillin stood nearby, arms crossed. His usual lighthearted energy was buried beneath a cloud of remorse.

"Letting Vegeta go... still doesn't sit right with me," he said flatly.

Goku shut his eyes, the decision gnawing at him from the inside. "It was the right thing. Maybe not today... but for the future."

A quiet moment passed.

"How's Rykon?" Goku asked.

Krillin glanced down. The man who had saved them—your body—was propped beside him like a fallen warrior resting between battles.

"Still breathing. He'll make it... barely," Krillin replied. "But if he hadn't shown up when he did, we'd be buried by now."

Goku gave a soft, pained chuckle. "Yeah... we owe him everything."

Krillin tilted his head. "So... he really is your brother?"

"Not like Raditz. Rykon's... different," Goku said quietly. "He doesn't fight to conquer. He fights to protect."

Krillin smiled. "Then maybe Saiyans aren't all bad."

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from above.

"Heeeyyy! Hahahaha!" Master Roshi's voice floated in as his capsule ship descended toward the scorched earth.

Goku blinked weakly. "Chi-Chi...?"

The hatch burst open—and Chi-Chi did exactly what mothers do best.

"GOHAN!!"

She wrapped her son in a tidal wave of sobs, hugs, and kisses, barely noticing the broken warriors behind him.

Krillin opened his mouth to protest. "Uh, Goku's kind of the one bleeding over here—!"

But she was too busy crying into Gohan's hair to notice.

Bulma arrived next. Her gaze drifted over the wreckage... and landed on you.

Her eyes widened.

"Krillin—what the hell? Is that another Saiyan?!"

"He's with us," Krillin said quickly, raising a hand. "His name's Rykon. He's... Goku's brother."

"Wait, what?! I thought his only brother was that freak—Raditz!"

"No. Rykon's not like him. He helped save Earth."

Goku nodded from his spot on the ground, struggling to sit up.

"Not all Saiyans are monsters... Rykon's proof of that."

From the ground, a soft pat-pat of white paws echoed.

Korin leaned on his staff, his eyes sharp. "If Goku trusts him, I trust him."

Krillin sighed. "I wish we could say the same about everyone else…"

Goku lowered his head, the weight of reality returning.

Piccolo… Kami… gone…

Bulma turned away. "And without Piccolo... Earth's Dragon Balls are gone."

Roshi's tone was unusually grave. "It's a loss the Earth may never recover from."

Yajirobe scratched his head and shrugged. "Well, sorry for surviving."

But it was Korin who cut through the tension. "Enough. Everyone needs healing. And I'm out of senzu beans."

Days Later...

The steady rhythm of medical machines was the first thing you heard.

Beep... beep... beep...

Then a laugh.

Then a voice.

"Finally awake, huh?"

Your eyes fluttered open.

Bandages wrapped your chest. Your arms felt heavy. Muscles stiff. But... alive.

"Kakarot...?" you murmured, blinking at the orange blur beside you.

"Rykon!" Gohan beamed, clapping his hands.

You tried to sit up. Mistake. Pain shot through your body like lightning. You collapsed back with a grunt.

"Where's Vegeta?" you growled.

"Gone," Goku replied softly. "We beat him."

Korin approached with a casual stride. "You're not dead. Just very Saiyan right now."

You blinked, scanning the sterile room.

"A hospital...?"

Krillin chuckled. "Earth Tech. Pretty primitive, huh?"

You sighed. "No healing pods. No regeneration tanks. Weak tech."

Yajirobe jumped back. "Geez! This guy's scary even when he's wrapped like a burrito!"

Korin raised a brow. "He won't hurt you."

You turned your eyes to Goku and chuckled.

"You've grown up, Kakarot."

Goku rubbed the back of his head. "Kind of weird hearing that from a brother I never knew."

You smirked. "After twenty years, I'm allowed to be a little sentimental."

"You promised you'd tell me everything," he said.

You looked to the sky through the window, watching clouds drift like distant galaxies.

"Planet Vegeta... wasn't destroyed by a meteor. It was annihilated. I was supposed to be sent with you, but my pod malfunctioned. I landed on a planet called Rumaki. Peaceful people. They taught me to control my ki. To protect."

You turned back to him.

"When I fixed my ship, I returned home. But you weren't there. Instead... I found Vegeta and Nappa."

Krillin muttered, "Rough day, huh?"

Goku lowered his head. "I attacked you without even asking who you were…"

"No hard feelings."

Just then, a voice crackled through a screen.

"Everyone, look!"

Bulma pointed. A round black face appeared on the monitor.

"Who... is that?" you asked.

"That's Mr. Popo," said Korin. "Kami's assistant."

Mr. Popo's voice was calm. "There is a spaceship—Namekian design. If you go to Planet Namek, you may find Dragon Balls there."

Gohan's eyes lit up. "Then we can wish everyone back!"

He turned to you.

"You'll come too, right? Uncle Rykon?"

You blinked. Uncle...?

He smiled with so much hope, you couldn't say no.

You ruffled his hair. "Count me in—if I can train during the trip."

Goku beamed. "YES! Training buddies!"

Days Later – Capsule Corp

A sleek, silver spaceship stood beneath the sky like something carved from the future.

Dr. Brief patted its hull. "Done! This beauty will get you to Namek in six days."

You paced around it, inspecting every inch.

"Impressive build. But... did you stock it with food?"

Goku laughed. "That's the first thing I asked!"

Dr. Brief winked. "Enough to feed a galaxy."

Inside the Ship—Rykon POV

The airlock hissed shut behind us. You rolled your shoulders, peeling off the last remains of your cracked armor.

Goku handed you a weighted orange gi.

"It's heavier than it looks," he said with a grin.

You slipped it on.

Fits surprisingly well…

"So... how do you want to train?" he asked.

You cracked your knuckles.

"Let's start with 15x gravity."

The gravity chamber powered on.

Your knees nearly buckled as the pressure slammed into you.

"Heh... intense."

Goku groaned, barely standing. "King Kai's planet was 10x... this is worse."

You smirked. "Saiyans thrive under pressure."

You both took your stances.

The sparring began—fists, kicks, and ki bursting against each other like thunderclaps. Each strike left craters in the training room floor.

After an hour, you both collapsed, panting.

"Nice job," you wheezed, tossing Goku a bottle of water.

"You don't pull punches," he chuckled.

"Wouldn't help you if I did."

He leaned back. "You've gotten way stronger."

You shrugged. "Zenkai boost."

"Zenkai?"

"When a Saiyan recovers from near-death, we grow stronger."

Goku blinked. "That explains... a lot!"

You grinned. "Perks of being Saiyan."

Day 2 – Kaio-Ken

Goku scooted his mattress next to yours.

"Time for something special. The Kaio-Ken."

"Power multiplier, right?"

"Yeah. Doubles your power... if you survive it."

He closed his eyes.

"KAIO-KEN!"

A red aura exploded around him like fire.

You tried.

Power surged.

Pain!

You dropped to one knee, your muscles screaming.

"Whoa—careful!" Goku said, Catching you.

You smirked. "Again."

Day 4 – Breakthrough

You stood, still as stone.

Then—BOOM.

"KAIO-KEN!!"

The aura burst around you. Controlled. Balanced.

Goku fist-pumped. "You did it!"

You grinned. "Now let's test it."

Day 5 – Final Push

20x gravity.

Endless sparring.

Kaio-Ken drills.

Energy control.

Meditation. Conditioning. Precision.

By the time Namek came into view on the monitors, sweat dripped from your brow—but your heart burned like a star.

When we land... we won't just be ready.

We'll be unstoppable.

To Be Continued…