Goku and Mori sat side by side in their hospital beds, their bodies bandaged from head to toe. They had been through the ringer, barely surviving the intense battle with Vegeta. Despite the pain and exhaustion, the two warriors couldn't relax. Their minds were already on the next challenge—the looming threat of Frieza and the powerful enemies waiting on the distant planet Namek. The room was silent, save for the rhythmic beeping of the machines monitoring their vital signs. Mori glanced over at Goku, whose eyes were closed as he rested.
"How long do we have to wait?" Mori asked, his voice tinged with impatience. His body might have been beaten, but his spirit was far from broken.
Goku opened one eye and gave a tired smile. "Dr. Briefs said it'll be 34 days before the ship's ready to take us to Namek. Korin also needs time to grow more senzu beans. We'll need them for the trip."
Mori sighed, his fists clenched at his sides. He hated waiting, especially when their friends were out there, facing unimaginable danger. But he knew they had no choice. All they could do was wait—and prepare.
Days passed slowly in the hospital. Goku and Mori spent the time recovering, their bodies slowly healing with the help of the doctors. Every day felt like an eternity, but finally, on the 34th day, their wait was over. Korin arrived at the hospital, a bag of senzu beans in hand. The moment he walked in, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
"Korin!" Goku greeted excitedly, sitting up despite his still-healing injuries. "You made it!"
Korin nodded, tossing the bag of beans to Goku. "Here, you'll need these. You two are about to head into a war zone, after all."
At that moment, Dr. Briefs entered the room, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. "Gentlemen, your ship is ready. It's fully stocked with everything you'll need, including training equipment. You should be able to push yourselves to the limit on the journey to Namek."
Mori stood up, testing his limbs for any lingering pain. But the senzu beans had done their job; he felt as good as new. "About time," Mori said with a grin, his excitement bubbling over. "Let's get this show on the road."
Goku and Mori boarded the ship, their hearts set on reaching Namek. As they strapped in, Dr. Briefs gave them a final rundown. "It'll take six days to reach Namek, so I've set up the gravity training room to go up to 100 times Earth's gravity. Train hard, boys."
The ship's engines roared to life, and soon they were hurtling through space. The vast expanse of stars and planets zipped by, but Goku and Mori weren't interested in sightseeing. As soon as they were out of Earth's orbit, they headed straight to the gravity room.
"This is it, Mori," Goku said, adjusting the controls. "We're going to train like never before. We've got six days to push ourselves beyond our limits."
Mori grinned, cracking his knuckles. "I'm ready. Let's see if we can survive 100 times gravity."
The moment Goku hit the switch, the room became a living nightmare. The weight of the air itself pressed down on them, making even standing up a monumental effort. But neither Goku nor Mori backed down. They pushed through the crushing pressure, their bodies screaming in protest. Every movement, every punch and kick, felt like it took all their strength, but they knew this was the only way to be strong enough to face what awaited them on Namek.
For six days, they trained non-stop. Sweat poured from their bodies, their muscles burned with fatigue, but the results were undeniable. By the time they neared Namek, both Goku and Mori had far surpassed their past selves. They were stronger, faster, and more resilient than they'd ever been before. The intensity of their training had honed them into warriors ready for the battles ahead.
On the sixth day, the ship's computer chimed, signaling their arrival. Goku and Mori stood by the window, staring down at the green planet below. "We're here," Goku said, his eyes narrowing with determination. "Let's find our friends."
The moment they set foot on Namek, they felt it—the unmistakable surge of ki from a fierce battle. Without wasting a second, the two blasted off into the sky, racing toward the source of the energy. As they flew, their senses heightened, they could feel multiple familiar energies fading. Something was wrong.
Within five minutes of flying, Mori's face darkened.
Goku gritted his teeth, his eyes focused ahead. "What's happening?!"
As they approached the battlefield, the sight that awaited them was grim. Vegeta was heavily injured, lying on the ground barely able to move. Gohan was on the brink of death, and Krillin was severely wounded. Standing over them was a tall man with orange hair, his clothes tattered but his confidence unshaken.
Recoome.
Mori wasted no time. He touched down near Gohan and Krillin, quickly giving them senzu beans while Goku tossed one toward Vegeta. Mori looked at the battered Saiyan and couldn't help but laugh. "You lost to someone this weak, Vegeta? That's pathetic. Eat the bean. It'll heal you."
Vegeta cursed under his breath but begrudgingly ate the senzu bean. His body healed instantly, and the pain faded, but the sting of Mori's words lingered.
Recoome, growing impatient, growled as he looked at the newcomers. "Who are you two? Another round of weaklings?"
Before Recoome could finish his sentence, Goku and Mori moved in unison, speedblitzing the brute. Goku struck first, landing a powerful punch to Recoome's stomach, while Mori followed up with a crushing blow to the ribs. Recoome was sent flying, crashing into the ground with a thud.
Mori smirked, glancing back at Vegeta. "See? Like I told you, he's weak."
Vegeta grunted, but said nothing. He was still fuming from his earlier defeat, but even he had to admit that the power Goku and Mori displayed was beyond anything he had anticipated.
Goku, always the peacekeeper, turned to Mori. "Stop antagonizing him. Let's focus."
As Goku turned his attention back to Krillin and Gohan, he read Krillin's mind, leaving the short man in shock. After learning everything he needed to know, Goku looked toward the two remaining members of the Ginyu Force, Burter and Jeice.
"You two," Goku said calmly, his expression neutral. "Leave this planet now, and you'll be spared."
Burter and Jeice burst into laughter. "You think you can threaten us?" Burter said, stepping forward.
Goku didn't respond. Instead, he moved so fast that neither Burter nor Jeice saw him until it was too late. A single strike to Burter's neck sent him collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
Jeice, realizing he was no match, turned tail and fled. "I'm telling the Captain on you!" he shouted over his shoulder as he flew off.
Mori laughed out loud. "Coward!"
But before the laughter could continue, Vegeta, fully healed and now furious, stood up and fired a ki blast, vaporizing Recoome's unconscious body. He then stomped on Burter's neck, crushing it with ease.
"Stop, Vegeta!" Goku shouted, rushing over. "You didn't have to kill them!"
Vegeta scoffed, glaring at Goku. "You're a fool, Kakarot. Letting one of them get away is a mistake. No matter how strong you and that human are, neither of you can stand against Frieza. He's on a whole different level."
Goku's expression darkened at the mention of Frieza. Mori, too, felt the weight of those words. They were strong, but Frieza was something else entirely.
The group gathered together, discussing the situation. They quickly realized that Frieza couldn't summon the Dragon Balls because he didn't know the password.
Just as they were beginning to formulate a plan, Ginyu and Jeice reappeared. Vegeta, his face grim, turned to Goku. "This one… Ginyu… he's stronger than the ones you've fought."
Goku gave everyone their roles. He told Krillin and Gohan to retrieve the Dragon Balls from Frieza's ship while asking Mori to fly to Guru's place to save the elder. Vegeta was asked to stay and help Goku fight Ginyu.
As they flew off to their respective missions, Vegeta, unable to resist the lure of the Dragon Balls, abandoned Goku and sped off toward Frieza's ship. Goku barely had time to register the betrayal before Ginyu struck him, sending him reeling.
Meanwhile, Mori landed at Guru's home, greeted by the large Namekian elder. After a brief conversation, Guru offered to unlock Mori's hidden potential, sensing that the human would need all the power he could get to face Frieza.
As Mori's potential was unlocked, he felt a surge of power like never before. But as the sky turned dark, signaling the summoning of the dragon, Guru's life began to fade.
With Guru's passing, Mori knew the situation was more dire than ever. Frieza's ki had grown even stronger, but Mori felt a
new confidence. He had the power to stand up to the tyrant now. But first, he sensed Piccolo's energy—alive and growing rapidly. Mori flew toward Piccolo's location, ready to join forces.
Piccolo, now fused with Nail, acknowledged Mori's power. "You're strong, Mori, but let me handle this first."
The battle with Frieza began, playing out much like it had in the original timeline, with Piccolo holding his own against the tyrant. But when Frieza transformed into his third form, the tides turned. Mori stepped up, delivering a devastating kick to Frieza's stomach, sending him flying across the battlefield.
Frieza, recovering, chuckled as he floated back toward Mori, his eyes gleaming with malicious intent. "You're strong, human. But you haven't seen anything yet."
With that, Frieza began his final transformation, his power rising to an unimaginable level.
The chapter ends with Frieza's terrifying power looming over them.