Masters and Students

Gohan's Battle Training

Piccolo puts Gohan through relentless combat drills. Gohan launches a flying kick, but Piccolo blocks it with one hand. The boy follows up with a diving punch that misses completely, allowing Piccolo to circle behind and kick him hard. Gohan complains that he could not see the move coming. Piccolo tells him to stop tracking with his eyes and start sensing with his ki. When Gohan says that is easier said than done, Piccolo fires Eye Lasers at him and shouts that they have only six months left. Every waking moment not spent eating or sleeping belongs to training. He tells Gohan to get stronger than both Piccolo himself and the incoming Saiyans, or die trying.

The End of Serpent Road

Goku has been running for six months and finally spots the tail end of the road. There is nothing visible at first, but then he notices a small planet floating overhead with a tiny house on its surface. He leaps toward it and is immediately pulled down by the intense gravity. His body feels like lead. On the planet's surface he encounters a monkey and assumes it must be King Kai. He greets it respectfully and asks to begin training. The monkey dances around making noises, and Goku tries to mimic the movements, believing them to be some form of martial arts exercise.

The Real King Kai

A plump figure wearing sunglasses, antennae, and a formal outfit interrupts to ask what Goku is doing. The stranger introduces himself as King Kai, revealing that the monkey is just his pet, Bubbles. King Kai insists on telling a pun before anything else and grows offended when Goku does not laugh. He threatens to refuse training to anyone who cannot appreciate his humor. Goku forces out a laugh, satisfying King Kai, who then demands Goku tell a joke in return. Goku blurts out a pun about a futon flying away, and King Kai chuckles, granting him a pass.

King Kai explains that the gravity on his planet is roughly ten times Earth's, which is why Goku can barely move. He tells Goku to try jumping, and the result is pitiful. King Kai grins, sensing that the training ahead will be interesting.