Chapter 42: Trouble Strikes, Attacking Goku
Piccolo, Son Gohan, and Pan remained silent, waiting for Goku to give his response.
Trunks stayed close to Bulma the whole time, afraid that Kakarot might suddenly lose control.
"Hehehe... Nice to meet you for the first time!" Goku grinned, extending his hand to Kakarot for a handshake.
"What are you doing...?" Kakarot, ever wary of his enemies, was startled by Goku's sudden gesture.
"Let's spar!"
"...Huh?" Pan's eyes widened. She never expected her grandfather to respond like this.
"I think we shouldn't kill him!" Goku scratched the back of his head, smiling as he explained to everyone.
"Look at Piccolo and Vegeta... weren't they our enemies in the past?"
"And now, I... am him!" Goku pointed at Kakarot. "He'll definitely turn out fine in the future!"
"Hmph!"
Vegeta snorted coldly, while Piccolo chose to remain silent.
"But..." Trunks hesitated. He had witnessed Kakarot's evil nature before and had originally planned to kill him.
"It doesn't matter," Lin Qi shrugged nonchalantly. "Who knows? Maybe Goku and Kakarot will even fuse in the future!"
"Hmph, as long as I'm here, he won't be able to cause any trouble!" Vegeta sneered at Kakarot with a menacing grin.
"Better hope you can handle yourself... so I'll have a legitimate reason to kill you!"
Following Goku's decision, Kakarot "obediently" joined Goku's group. However, in his mind, he was already planning for the day he would surpass everyone and destroy them all.
Of course, he first had several mountains to climb—like Vegeta, Lin Qi, and Gohan.
For now, things settled down. Goku didn't bother Lin Qi or Vegeta anymore, spending his days sparring with Kakarot in an effort to regain his former strength.
As for Vegeta, he didn't stay confined to the gravity chamber. Instead, he often wandered to Mount Paozu to either spar with Goku or beat up Kakarot. Recently, he was in an exceptionally good mood—these were truly his glory days, the pinnacle of his life!
Lin Qi, on the other hand, grew increasingly bored. He lounged lazily outside Bulma's research lab, waiting aimlessly.
Suddenly, Lin Qi turned his head towards Mount Paozu's direction, his expression sharpening. "Was that Goku's energy just now?"
"What are you talking about?" Bulma, busy inspecting the time machine, turned to look out the window.
But Lin Qi was already gone, having teleported to Mount Paozu.
"What happened?" Lin Qi asked as he arrived, only to see Goku collapsing to the ground. Neither Vegeta nor Kakarot was in sight.
"Kakarot..." From the distant sky, a streak of light appeared—it was Vegeta.
Moments later, Goten arrived, rushing to Goku's side. "Dad... what happened?"
"Kakarot... ran..." Goku, supported by Goten, managed to mutter these words before fainting again.
Lin Qi coldly glanced at Vegeta. "Where were you?"
"Hmph. Training was over for the day. When I was leaving, I noticed Kakarot fighting those two brats..."
Vegeta leaned against a tree trunk with his arms crossed. "By the time I returned, this guy was already lying here, and you showed up."
Shortly after, three more streaks of light appeared in the sky—it was Piccolo, Gohan, and Pan.
"What's going on? I just felt Dad's energy explode!!"
Gohan landed first, rushing to Goten's side in a panic. "What happened? What's wrong with Dad?"
"Dad said..." Goten quickly recounted Goku's last words before he passed out.
"Ran? Where did he run to?" Gohan looked at the unconscious Goku in disbelief. "Pan, do you have any Senzu Beans?"
"No..." Pan, equally worried, looked at Goku. "Grandpa..."
"Kakarot... likely suppressed his energy," Piccolo said, opening his eyes. "I can't sense his location."
"...This is why we should've killed that guy earlier!" Vegeta said, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"I'll go find the Supreme Kai!" Lin Qi said.
Without waiting for anyone's opinion, Lin Qi teleported to the Supreme Kai's world.
At that moment, the Elder Supreme Kai was reading a swimsuit magazine, while Kibito Kai was nowhere to be seen. Lin Qi snatched the magazine from the Elder's hands and tossed it aside.
"Where's Kibito Kai? Tell him to go heal Goku!" Lin Qi said coldly as he approached the crystal ball on the grass.
Placing his hand on the crystal ball, he channeled divine energy into it and soon narrowed his eyes.
"I see..."
"Um... Lord Lin Qi, were you looking for me?" Kibito Kai appeared, wiping his wet hands on his apron. "I was just cooking... Would you like to stay for dinner?"
Ignoring Kibito Kai's naive expression, Lin Qi placed a hand on his shoulder.
Swish!
When Lin Qi returned with Kibito Kai, Goku was still unconscious on the ground, surrounded by the anxious Pan and Gohan.
Kibito Kai immediately began healing Goku. Before long, Goku slowly opened his eyes.
"Lin Qi... where's Kakarot?" Goku sat up, his expression tense. "Is he going to cause trouble?"
"You don't need to hover around me; I'm fine!" Goku said, smiling reassuringly at everyone's concerned faces.
"Goku, what exactly happened?" Piccolo asked coldly.
"I don't know..." Goku shook his head, still a bit dazed. "He just suddenly attacked me!"
"Hm..." Lin Qi responded, quickly gathering energy in his palm and launching it towards Goku.
The terrifying energy blast formed in Lin Qi's hand startled everyone.
"What are you doing?!" Gohan hurriedly shielded Pan, retreating to a safe distance.
"Lin Qi... what are you doing?" Goten shouted in shock.
Goku, instantly transforming into Super Saiyan 5, leaped up from the ground, dodging Lin Qi's attack with one hand on the ground.
Though anger flashed across Goku's face, he quickly suppressed it.
"Lord Lin Qi, why are you attacking Goku?!" Kibito Kai asked, utterly confused.