Tien stayed still on the ground, pretending to be knocked out for a little longer. But soon, the pain in his head reminded him that Goku's kick was not just for show.
"Ugh… cough, cough…"
He coughed into his hand and slowly pushed himself up. His head hurt badly, and his neck felt stiff. Sitting up, he rubbed his forehead with one hand and winced.
Even though he had been acting unconscious at first, the damage was real. Goku's hit had been way too strong.
"Oh, you're awake! Thank Kami!"
A loud voice made Tien blink. Right next to him, a woman with tied-back hair and a yellow robe was waving a paper fan in his face.
It was Chichi, being dramatic as usual. She quickly threw the fan aside and dropped to her knees in front of Tien, holding his hands tightly.
"Tien! You're okay! I was so worried! Goku is such a meathead—he never knows when to stop!"
Chichi's voice was full of fake sadness, but her grip was surprisingly strong.
Tien blinked at her slowly, trying to stay calm even though his head was still hurting.
"…I'm fine, Chichi," he said softly. "You can let go now."
But Chichi didn't let go. She leaned forward and looked into Tien's eyes like a movie actor.
"You must forgive Goku! He didn't mean to hit that hard! He's like a child with too much power and no brain! Please don't stop funding us just because of that!"
There it was. The real reason for Chichi's worry. Tien wasn't just a friend—he was also their only connection to possible royalty and money.
Goku stood a few feet away, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah… sorry about that, Tien," he said with a sheepish smile. "Guess I got a little too excited during our spar."
Chichi immediately stood up and pointed at Goku.
"A little too excited?! You kicked his head like it was a football!"
Goku frowned and crossed his arms. "You're the one who let us spar."
"I thought you'd spar, not fight a deadly battle!" Chichi shouted.
Tien raised a hand, trying to calm them both.
"It's fine. I'm not mad," he said. "Actually, it was a good fight. Goku showed me how much more I need to grow. I have decided, I'm going to train four times harder from now on."
Chichi gasped.
"Four times?! That's insane! Who trains four times harder after almost dying?!"
Tien smiled slightly. "I have a technique. I can split myself into four clones. Each one can train at the same time."
Chi paused.
"Oh. That's sounds okay. But still risky!" she said, wagging a finger. "If you break your body with too much training, don't say I didn't warn you!"
Goku chuckled. "That sounds cool, Tien. You're really serious about getting stronger, huh?"
Tien stood up slowly, still feeling sore, but steady on his feet.
"Yeah. Next time we fight, I won't lose."
Chichi clapped her hands like she believed him.
"Now that's the spirit! Strength! Growth! Respectable goals!"
Then, suddenly changing her tone, Chichi looked worried again.
"But... you're still going to support our family, right? I mean… just checking…"
Tien chuckled under his breath. Chichi always came back to that.
"I won't leave you hanging, don't worry."
Chichi beamed and gave Tien a polite bow.
"Thank you for your patience, Tien. Thank you for not being mad at my stupid husband."
"Hey!" Goku said. "Why do I always get blamed for everything?!"
"Because it's always your fault!" Chichi replied, raising her voice. "You're a brute who doesn't know how to behave!"
Goku rolled his eyes. "You're the one who's always yelling! At me, your dad, and even poor Gohan!"
Chichi's face turned red. "Well, maybe if you guys did things my way instead of screwing everything up, I wouldn't have to yell!"
Tien tried not to laugh as the couple argued. He had seen this before—many times, actually. Chichi always argued with people like this.
In her own head, she was the only one doing things the "right" way. Everyone else was wrong, even the gods don't know what they're talking about, as far as she was concerned.
Finally, Chichi stomped his foot, turned around, and marched toward the house.
"Nobody appreciates my efforts! I'm going inside before I lose my mind!"
She slammed the door behind him.
The wind blew gently as silence returned.
Goku sighed and turned to Tien.
"Don't worry about her. She gets like that sometimes. I think she means well."
Tien just nodded. Honestly, he wasn't sure what to think.
He cleared his throat.
"Anyway… thanks for offering help. Actually, there is something else I need too."
Goku looked curious. "Oh yeah?"
"Do you remember Pilaf? That small blue guy? Looks like a goblin, kind of annoying?"
Goku made a face. "That guy? Yeah, I remember him. He had a castle. Trapped us inside once."
"Do you remember where it was?"
Goku scratched his head.
"Hmm… somewhere around the grassy plains, not far from the mountains. I think it was in that direction."
He pointed toward the horizon.
Tien nodded. "Thanks. That helps."
"What do you want with him?" Goku asked.
Tien didn't hide anything.
"You know I'm building a kingdom. A real one—with walls, buildings, everything. I need someone who can design machines, defenses, and tools. Pilaf might be the one."
"Wow!" Goku said, smiling. "You're really going all in about this, huh?"
Tien nodded. "I have to. I need a safe place to train, grow, and raise the next generation of Triclops fighters."
He looked up into the sky, thoughts racing.
"Pilaf might be annoying, but he's a genius. If I can get him on my side, everything can finally begin."
He waved goodbye, took a deep breath, and flew into the sky.
Goku waved at him from below. "Good luck, Tien!"
Tien flew high above the trees, the wind rushing past his ears. He pulled out his phone and opened a document labeled Kingdom Plans. Under "Engineer," he typed:
Target: Pilaf – Smart but difficult. Needs careful handling.
"Pilaf builds robots from junk. If anyone can help build a kingdom, it's him," Tien said to himself.
But he also knew the problem—Pilaf didn't just build things. He wanted control and authority. He had tried to take over the world several times.
Tien frowned. "I'll have to be careful. Can't let him get too much power."
As he flew across the open fields, he felt a small but noticeable energy nearby. A power level just strong enough to be noticed.
He stopped mid-air, eyes scanning the land below.
"Someone's down there…"
He turned toward the source and began flying lower.
Soon, he spotted a young woman with long black hair, standing beside a dirt road. She was wearing simple traveling clothes and looked tired. But when she saw Tien flying toward her, her eyes widened in fear.
"Who's there?!" she shouted, pulling out a rifle and aiming it at him. The girl kept the gun pointed at him. Her hands were shaking. Tien's eyes narrowed slightly.
Advanced chapters ahead on patréon
www.patréon.com/ImagineMaker