Kiwi stood in the backyard of the Capsule Corporation compound, garbed in his new preference: Olive body armor, a black jumpsuit, a flowing blue cape, and a blue headband. He had faced another day of ruthless insults from humans today. It was time he did something about it.

"You don't have to leave," Raditsu growled from the back door, where he stood with Bulma and Bardock. "You can stay here."

"I'd rather not," Kiwi said dryly. "But if you need me, I'm headed to the End of the Earth. Yunzabitto Heights, to be exact."

"Well, I'm not going to stop you." Stepping out of the doorframe, Raditsu stepped up and roughly embraced his squidlike friend in a bearhug. "Good luck, pal."

"You too," Kiwi nodded as he stepped back, calling up a purple flame around his body and blasting into the air, screaming away before anyone could get emotional. Kiwi hated drawn-out farewells; he wasn't very good at them, and they usually degenerated into cloying mushy displays.

The alien blazed over the horizon...

-----

Krillin stood on a cliff overlooking a grassy plain. As usual, he was clad in his orange gi over a black weighted shirt - his training and battle garb. However, over his right eye was Blueberry's scouter, modified by his friend Bulma to register power levels in human numbers.

"The scouter said that my power level was four thousand this morning," Krillin mused before speaking in a more determined tone. "But I can become stronger that that! I know I can!"

His encounter with Jeice had made Krillin a bit braver and more confident that he could indeed become a great warrior if he tried. And he was DEFINITELY going to try.

Thus began Krillin's training. He shadow-boxed and ki-blasted, darted and flew, blew up rocks and chopped down hills, until he collapsed in a heap as the sun was setting. Wearily, he aimed the scouter at himself and turned it on, then placed it over his eyes again.

5091.

Krillin smiled. Earth's strongest human warrior had just become even stronger.

-----

"Surely you do not expect me to undertake such a foolish task," King Vegeta said incredulously as he looked down at Kaiousama.

"Of course I do," Kaiousama declared. "Either you make me laugh, or I won't train you."

King Vegeta grumbled to himself. Did this puffed-up blue baka really expect HIM, the king of an entire race, to become a common jester? But then again... "Fine," the king muttered. "Why did the chicken cross the road."

"I dunno."

"To get away from Kentucky Fried Chicken."

Kaiousama groaned. "That was bad, Kingy. Try it again."

This time, King Vegeta tried to put a bit of enthusiasm in it. "You can tune a piano but you can't tuna fish!" he boomed.

Kaiousama was actually thrown backward by the sheer volume of the King's voice, but he recovered and shook his head, tsking.

[Blast it, I've got to make this fool laugh.] Then it came to him. Vegeta leaned forward and said in a hushed voice, "I'm going to find the Kaiouballs to get my five wishes."

"Kaious don't have balls!" Kaiousama said without thinking.

Vegeta smirked at him.

Kaiousama suddenly burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Vegeta grinned a little. [Thank God,] he thought. [That was terrible.]

And so commenced the training of King Vegeta.