Toji was floating in a pleasant dreamless darkness when something jabbed his shoulder repeatedly.
"Wake up," came a gruff, irritated voice. "Now."
He groaned, burying his face deeper into the pillow. The jabbing continued, more insistent.
"I said wake up!" the voice snapped.
Toji cracked one eye open to see Vegeta standing over him, arms crossed, hair perfectly styled despite the early hour.
The Saiyan prince was dressed in a bright pink button-up shirt and yellow pants that looked comically out of place on his battle-hardened frame.
"I'm not your servant, so wake up already." Vegeta growled. "Know that the blonde woman says food is nearly ready, so do make haste in waking otherwise I won't leave even the crumbs for you as payback for this humiliation..."
Toji slowly pushed himself up on his elbows, blinking away sleep. When his vision cleared and he fully registered Vegeta's outfit, a snort of laughter escaped him.
"What's so funny?" Vegeta demanded, his scowl deepening.
"Nothing," Toji replied, struggling to keep a straight face. "Pink really brings out your eyes."
Vegeta's face flushed with anger. "These ridiculous garments were provided by a robot servant. Would you prefer I wear nothing?"
"Definitely not," Toji chuckled, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Though I'm surprised you didn't blow up the robot for suggesting that outfit."
"Don't think I wasn't tempted," Vegeta muttered, remembering the restrictive threats, turning toward the door. "Hurry up. I refuse to be late for a meal because of your laziness."
With that, the Saiyan prince stormed out, leaving Toji alone in the big room.
Toji stretched, feeling better rested than he had since arriving in this world. The original Toji's body had been severely sleep-deprived, and a full night in a comfortable bed had done wonders.
He made his way to the adjoining bathroom, marveling at its opulence. Marble countertops, a rainfall shower head, and plush towels that probably cost more than the original Toji's monthly rent.
After a quick but thorough shower, Toji returned - towel wrapped around his waist -to the bedroom to find clothes laid out for him – black shorts, a sleek black button-up shirt and matching dress pants. They fit perfectly, as if tailored specifically for him.
"Fancy," he commented to himself, examining his reflection. The black attire complemented his muscular frame and gave him a sophisticated appearance that contrasted with his usual casual style from his first life.
Following the delicious aromas wafting through the corridors, he made his way to the dining area.
Panchy was just setting the final dishes on the massive table – stacks of pancakes, eggs prepared three different ways, fresh fruit, and various breakfast meats.
Vegeta was already seated, eyeing the food with barely contained hunger. Dr. Brief sat at the head of the table, newspaper in hand, his cat perched on his shoulder as usual.
"Good morning!" Panchy greeted cheerfully. "I hope you slept well, dear!"
"Like a rock," Toji confirmed with a grateful smile. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" she replied, waving a hand dismissively. "It's nice having handsome young men around the house!"
As Toji took his seat opposite Vegeta, Bulma entered the dining room. She paused momentarily when she saw him, her eyes widening slightly.
"Well, don't you clean up nice," she commented, sliding into the chair beside him. "Black suits you."
"Thanks," Toji replied with an easy smile. "Your mom has excellent taste."
"That she does," Bulma agreed, serving herself some scrambled eggs. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"
Dr. Brief lowered his newspaper. "I've started examining those space pods your large friend delivered. Fascinating technology – primitive in some ways, surprisingly advanced in others."
"Nappa brought them, huh." Toji stated, loading his plate with pancakes and fruit, deliberately avoiding the bacon and other pork products.
'Well it wasn't really unexpected. I'd have killed him if he disobeyed. It seems he's smart enough to realise that.' Toji thought to himself.
"Yes, dropped them off and flew away immediately," Dr. Brief confirmed. "Seemed in quite a hurry to leave."
Toji extended his ki sense, quickly locating Nappa's energy signature far from West City, deep in some wilderness area.
The big Saiyan was clearly avoiding coming back, likely fearing being confined in an energy bubble again.
"Speaking of the ship," Toji said between bites of perfectly fluffy pancake, "how long do you think it will take to build?"
"At current projections, about five days," Dr. Brief replied, scratching his cat absentmindedly. "Bulma and I have been working around the clock."
"I was wondering," Toji said, setting down his fork, "would it be possible to include a gravity chamber in the design? Something that could increase gravity?"
Dr. Brief's eyebrows rose with interest. "A gravity chamber? Fascinating concept. It would certainly be possible, though it would add complexity to the design."
"How much longer would it take?" Toji asked.
"With the gravity chamber?" Dr. Brief considered, stroking his mustache. "I'd say it would push our timeline to about ten days total."
Vegeta, who had been silently devouring his food, suddenly looked up. "A chamber that increases gravity?" he asked, genuine interest breaking through his usual scowl. "Are you intending it to be for training?"
"Yeah," Toji confirmed. "It would help us prepare while flying to Namek. Last-minute training."
"We Saiyans had our own when it came to our ships during our travels in space, for our bodies not to weaken by experiencing no gravity for too long. The ones we had could only manage up to ten times standard gravity," Vegeta noted. "How much are you thinking?"
"As high as possible," Toji replied. "Maybe up to a hundred times Earth's gravity?"
Bulma nearly choked on her coffee. "A hundred times? That would crush you!"
'Not really,' Toji thought to himself.
"Maybe," Toji shrugged. "But it's good to have options."
Dr. Brief nodded enthusiastically. "I'll design it with variable settings. A fascinating engineering challenge!"
"So you're okay with the ten-day timeline?" Bulma asked Toji.
"Absolutely," he confirmed. "The extra training capability is worth the delay."
As they finished breakfast, Toji thanked Panchy profusely for the meal. "Everything was delicious. You're an amazing cook."
"Oh my!" Panchy giggled, blushing slightly. "Aren't you sweet!"
Toji turned to Dr. Brief and Bulma. "And thank you both for your work on the ship. I know it's a lot to ask."
"Nonsense," Dr. Brief waved dismissively. "This is the most exciting project I've had in years!"
Toji stood, gesturing for Vegeta to follow. "We're heading to Mount Paozu today. Goku promised to teach me some techniques."
Vegeta scowled but rose from his seat without complaint.
-------------------------
Within minutes, they were airborne, streaking across the clear blue sky toward the distant mountains.
Mount Paozu's pristine wilderness spread below them as Toji and Vegeta approached. The sound of combat drew their attention to a clearing near Goku's modest home.
Toji signaled for Vegeta to stop, hovering high above the scene. Below them, an intense three-way battle was unfolding. Goku faced off against Piccolo and Gohan, the two working in a coordinated tandem against the Saiyan warrior.
"Let's wait," Toji said, crossing his arms as he observed the fight. "I don't want to interrupt."
Vegeta grunted in acknowledgment, his eyes also fixed on the combat below. After a moment, he glanced sideways at Toji, noting the intense concentration on the human's face.
Toji's eyes tracked every movement, every technique, every subtle shift in stance and weight distribution. He was cataloging it all, analyzing the flow of combat, the way Piccolo's more rigid style complemented Gohan's natural agility.
'He's studying them,' Vegeta realized. 'Not just watching – learning.'
Below, Goku sidestepped a punch from Piccolo, only to find Gohan waiting with a perfectly timed kick.
The Saiyan caught his son's leg, using the momentum to swing the boy into Piccolo. Before the Namekian could recover, Goku delivered a series of lightning-fast punches that sent him skidding backward.
"Dad, behind you!" Gohan called out, having recovered faster than expected.
Goku spun just in time to block Gohan's renewed assault, "It isn't good to announce your attacks son, it takes away the element of suprise,"
"It wasn't meant to be a surprise," Gohan stated with a smile, as the distraction allowed Piccolo to rejoin the fray.
For several minutes, the three exchanged blows at a pace that would have been invisible to normal human eyes.
Finally, with a burst of speed, Goku appeared behind both his opponents simultaneously, delivering light chops to the backs of their necks – just enough to demonstrate that in a real fight, he could have ended it there.
"That's enough for now," Goku called out, his usual cheerful demeanor returning as he powered down. "Great teamwork, you two!"
Gohan, panting heavily, beamed at the praise. Even Piccolo seemed pleased, though he quickly masked it with his customary scowl.
Toji and Vegeta descended from their aerial vantage point, touching down at the edge of the clearing.
"Hey guys!" Goku called out, waving enthusiastically. "Great timing! We just finished our morning warm-up."
"Warm-up?" Toji chuckled, approaching the group. "Looked pretty intense to me."
"Mr. Toji!" Gohan greeted, his face lighting up. Despite being exhausted from training, the boy's natural politeness shone through.
Piccolo and Vegeta exchanged glances, mutual distrust evident in their expressions. Neither spoke, content to glower at each other from a distance.
"What brings you out here?" Goku asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
"You promised to teach me the Kaio-ken," Toji reminded him. "I figured we could start today."
"Oh yeah!" Goku's face lit up. "Good idea to start early!"
Toji nodded toward Vegeta. "He'll need something to do while we train. I was thinking he could work with Piccolo and Gohan."
Vegeta's scowl deepened. "I am not a babysitter."
"No," Toji agreed, "but you are under my supervision. And I say you're training with them today."
He leaned closer to the Saiyan prince, his voice dropping to a whisper only Vegeta could hear. "Remember our arrangement. If you even think about trying to kill them, your heart stops beating. Believe me I'll know."
"I'm not stupid," Vegeta hissed back. "I know the situation perfectly well."
"Good," Toji straightened, addressing the whole group again. "Then it's settled. Goku and I will train over there," he pointed to a distant clearing, "while you three work together here."
Piccolo looked like he wanted to object but thought better of it. "Fine. The boy needs to work on his defense anyway."
"Great!" Goku said cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the tension. "Let's get started!"
The group split as planned, with Toji following Goku to the separate clearing while Vegeta reluctantly joined Piccolo and Gohan.
Once they were alone, Goku's expression grew more serious. "The Kaio-ken isn't like other techniques," he began. "It's not just about channeling ki in a specific way. It's about pushing your entire body beyond its limits while maintaining perfect control."
"Sounds dangerous," Toji commented.
"It is," Goku confirmed. "Push too far, and you'll tear your body apart from the inside. That's why King Kai was so hesitant to teach it to me at first."
Goku took a deep breath, centering himself. "Watch carefully."
With a sharp cry of "KAIO-KEN!" Goku's body erupted in crimson energy. The air around him seemed to vibrate as his power doubled instantly.
"The key," Goku explained, his voice strained, "is balanced distribution. The power has to flow evenly through every cell in your body simultaneously."
Toji watched intently, his ki sense fully engaged. He could feel how Goku's power wasn't just increasing – but his Ki was also being refined, compressed, made more efficient.
"Your turn," Goku said, powering down. "Start by gathering your ki at your core, then imagine pushing it outward through every part of your body at once in a burst with perfect control, crashing against each other, and becoming more dense."
Toji nodded, closing his eyes in concentration. He gathered his energy, carefully regulating it to match Goku's normal power level – no sense destroying the planet on his first attempt.
"KAIO-KEN!" he shouted, pushing the energy as instructed.
For a split second, a red aura flickered around him before dissipating. The brief surge left him gasping, his muscles burning.
"Not bad for a first try!" Goku encouraged. "You got the concept right, but your distribution was uneven. Try again, but focus more on maintaining balance."
Toji nodded, taking a moment to recover before attempting the technique again. "KAIO-KEN!"
This time, the crimson aura enveloped him completely, holding for several seconds before he deliberately released it, wincing at the strain.
"Whoa!" Goku exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise. "That was perfect! It took me almost a week to get it that stable!"
Toji rotated his shoulder, feeling the lingering burn in his muscles. "I can see why it's dangerous. Even at this level, it feels like my body is fighting against itself."
"Exactly," Goku nodded. "That's why you have to build up slowly. Start with the basic Kaio-ken, then work your way up to higher multipliers as your body adapts."
"How high have you gone?" Toji asked.
"Times three," Goku replied. "I tried times four once, but it nearly tore me apart."
Toji absorbed this information, mentally calculating how the technique might work with his true power level.
Even a basic Kaio-ken would put him at 240 million – far beyond anything this universe had seen outside of Majin Buu, and the so called gods and angels.
"Let's put it into practice," he suggested. "Another spar? I'll keep my power equal to yours again."
Goku's face lit up with excitement. "Yeah! Nothing beats learning through action!"
They took fighting stances across from each other, Toji adopting the posture he'd observed from Goku during their previous match. Already, his stance was more natural, his weight distribution more balanced.
"Ready?" Goku called.
"Ready," Toji confirmed, maintaining his awareness of Vegeta's ki signature even as he focused on the spar.
Goku moved first, closing the distance with blinding speed. His opening punch was a feint, immediately transitioning into a sweeping kick aimed at Toji's legs.
Toji jumped over the kick, countering with a downward strike that Goku blocked with his forearm. The impact sent both fighters skidding backward.
"KAIO-KEN!" Goku shouted, his body enveloping in crimson energy as he launched forward again.
Toji centered himself, recalling the sensation. "KAIO-KEN!" he responded, his own aura flaring red.
Their enhanced fists collided with a thunderous crack, the shockwave flattening the grass around them.
Toji felt the strain immediately – his muscles burning, heart racing as the technique pushed his body beyond its natural limits.
Goku grinned through the strain. "Now you're getting it! Keep the flow even!"
They exchanged a flurry of blows, each impact sending tremors through the air. Toji found himself adapting quickly, incorporating moves he'd observed from the earlier three-way spar.
When Goku attempted a spinning kick, Toji recognized it from Piccolo's earlier attack pattern and countered perfectly. The surprise on Goku's face was evident.
"You learn fast!" Goku commented, breaking away to create distance as he began to position himself in the familiar Kamehameha stance.
"KA... ME... " Goku began, but as he did, Toji immediately decided to do the same- learning in the very moment.
Toji cupped his hands at his side. "Let's see if I can copy mid battle. KA... ME..."
Goku's eyes widened as blue energy began swirling between Toji's palms.
"No way," Goku muttered, as he continued "HA... ME..."
"HA... ME..." Toji repeated, concentrating the Ki has like Goku did, in the same instant.
"HA!" they shouted simultaneously- Toji a bit later, twin beams of blue energy collided at the center of the clearing.
The resulting explosion sent both fighters tumbling backward. Toji recovered first, genuinely laughing with the pure joy of the moment.
"That was incredible!" he called out, flying towards the fallen Goku, extending his hand to help him to his feet.
"I've never felt anything like it! The power I sent out was more than double my power level! Even beyond the Kaio-Ken." Toji said as Goku took his hand and was pulled up.
Which it is- the Kamehameha wave is a technique whose power is 2.2x the power level of the user's own.
Something that was confirmed to Toji now as he rememberd how Raditz saw Goku's power level rise by that much when he used it against him.
Goku dusted himself off, looking equally exhilarated. "You copied my Kamehameha as I was literally doing it! That's amazing!"
"I decided to try to see if I could, and just did," Toji explained. "It felt easy."
They after a bit of rest continued sparring as the sun arced across the sky, Toji absorbing techniques and strategies with each exchange.
By mid-afternoon, his movements had become significantly more refined, his attacks more precise.
As dusk approached, both fighters were drenched in sweat, breathing heavily from hours of intense combat.
"I think that's enough for today," Goku suggested, dropping to sit cross-legged on the grass. "You've made incredible progress!"
Toji nodded, joining him on the ground. "Thanks for teaching me. This will definitely help against that Frieza person."
"We should train together every day until the ship is ready," Goku proposed. "The more prepared we are, the better chance we have of beating him and saving Namek."
"Agreed," Toji said, rising to his feet as he sensed Vegeta, Piccolo, and Gohan approaching. "Same time tomorrow?"
"You bet!" Goku confirmed with his characteristic enthusiasm.
The other three fighters entered the clearing, looking equally exhausted from their day of training. Gohan's gi was torn in several places, and even Vegeta showed signs of exertion.
"How'd it go?" Toji asked, his question directed at no one in particular.
Vegeta merely grunted, but Toji noted that the prince refrained from his usual insults – a sign that the session had perhaps been more productive than expected.
"It went fine," Vegeta finally stated.
Toji nodded.
"We should head back," He told Vegeta. "It's getting late, and we have more training tomorrow."
After bidding goodbye to Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo, the unlikely pair took to the skies, flying toward West City in the gathering twilight.
"So," Toji asked as they soared above the darkening landscape, "how was training with Piccolo and Gohan really?" asking for more detail.
Vegeta was silent for so long that Toji thought he might not answer. Finally, the prince spoke, his voice carefully neutral.
"The brat has potential," he stated, offering nothing more.
Toji smiled to himself, reading between the lines.
From Vegeta, the absence of insults was as good as high praise. The prince had clearly seen something in Gohan that had earned a measure of respect – rare praise from the Super Elite.
They continued their journey in silence, the stars beginning to appear in the deepening blue above them, each lost in their own thoughts about everything that was coming.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Do tell me how you found the chapter.
Toji decided to copy the Kamehameha, since besides the Galick Gun- nothing right now really rivals it in destructive power- well maybe the Destructio Disk, but besides those its the best attack.
Goku kept using it even as UI after all.
Also, there's a reason why he doesn't wish to use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to prepare for Frieza. I'll explain it in the future.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)