Kai stood shirted for once — not that the fabric was doing much. The weighted gear still hugged every joint and limb like he'd strapped engine blocks to himself, and the 20x gravity pressing down on the Capsule Corp chamber was now nothing more than background pressure. His body had long since adapted.
What hadn't adapted? His coordination when firing ki blasts.
"Ka…me…ha…me—"
He held the energy tight, focused, until it swirled into a bright blue ball between his hands.
"HA!"
The wave fired forward with a snap-crackle-boom, slamming into the reinforced wall and rattling the chamber.
"YES!" he grinned, punching the air. "Finally got it to stop going pfft halfway through!"
Outside the chamber…
Bulma stood watching through the reinforced glass, arms folded, expression unreadable. She'd come to check in on his training and caught the tail end of that very iconic technique.
When Kai stepped out for water, wiping sweat from his forehead, she was waiting.
"That looked familiar."
Kai froze mid-sip. "…Huh?"
She raised a brow. "Kamehameha?"
He blinked. "Oh. That. Yeah. Cool, right?"
"Where'd you learn it?"
Quick. Lie. Believable lie. Keep it canon.
"I…saw it. During the Raditz fight. Goku did it. I was watching from far off. Picked it up from observation."
She squinted. "You learned a legendary energy wave just by watching it once?"
He smiled sheepishly. "I'm very gifted. And humble. Very humble."
She stared for a second longer… then turned away with a sigh. "You're exhausting."
As if summoned by shared chaos energy, the gate alarm pinged — and within minutes, Krillin, Master Roshi, and Piccolo walked into the Capsule yard.
Krillin waved enthusiastically. "Hey, Kai! Bulma said you've been training like crazy."
Roshi adjusted his shades. "Looks like someone's got the old spark. Back in my day, gravity training meant you went uphill both ways."
Kai offered a casual smile. "Nice to meet you guys again. Sorry for not, y'know, dying to a space alien recently."
Piccolo grunted, arms crossed. "I left the kid in the forest. He needs to toughen up on his own."
Kai blinked. "...You left a four-year-old in the woods?"
"He cried less than you are."
'Yup. That's definitely canon Piccolo.'
The conversation turned to training, power levels, and upcoming threats.
Piccolo's gaze eventually landed on Kai. His eyes narrowed. "You've grown stronger."
Kai shrugged. "I guess so."
The truth was laughably worse. His true power level hovered quietly behind a cloak of system-assisted suppression:
True Power Level: 1,400,000
Visible Output: 7,800
Piccolo stepped forward. "Let's test it."
"Test what?"
"A spar."
Krillin's eyebrows raised. "You sure? Last time someone said that, a city block exploded."
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Just don't ruin my garden."
Kai cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Alright. Let's dance, Green Bean."
They squared off.
Kai intentionally stumbled on his first few steps. Threw a punch just a little wide. Let Piccolo block easily.
Piccolo moved fast — deliberate, clean. His attacks were sharp, aimed for efficiency, not flair. Kai matched them just enough to seem like he was trying, but not dominating.
A few minutes in, he started pulling his punches even more — letting Piccolo land blows.
Finally, Piccolo landed a solid strike to his side and sent him sliding back across the grass.
Kai let out a very convincing "oof."
Piccolo straightened, expression neutral. "You've got potential. But you're not there yet."
Krillin nodded. "Don't worry, man. You're still way stronger than I was starting out."
Roshi chuckled. "Yeah. Give it time."
Kai sat up, brushing grass off his shoulder. "Right. Totally. Back to push-ups and anxiety."
When the others left, Bulma stood beside him, arms folded again, a smirk just threatening the edge of her lips.
"You're a terrible actor."
He blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You stumble when you fake getting hit. And you flinched before Piccolo even moved. And the Kamehameha? Yeah, that wasn't a one-time observation move."
Kai held up his hands. "Look, I never said I was a good liar. Just an attractive one."
She rolled her eyes and turned away. "Whatever. You're coming with me tomorrow."
He stood. "To where?"
"Shopping."
"Shopping?" He stared. "There are two alien monkeys coming to destroy the Earth and you want to shop?"
She tossed her hair. "A girl needs clothes. And if we're going to be vaporized, I want to look good doing it."
Kai exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"…Fine. But I'm not carrying any bags heavier than a small car."
"You're literally wearing a thousand tons right now."
"That's training. Retail bags don't count."