Chi-Chi opened her eyes. The sky above the ruined temple was entirely clear.
A dull throb pulsed deep in her shoulder but her mind was completely sharp.
She turned her head against the dirt. Tien sat on a cracked stone pillar nearby. He rested his heavy arms on his knees and stared blankly at the rubble.
"Is he dead?"
"He blew himself to dust. It is completely over."
A fast crunch of boots against the gravel broke the quiet.
Goku stepped into view. His orange gi was in literal shreds and dirt covered his face. A massive grin stretched from ear to ear. He dropped to his knees right beside her.
"That was incredible. I lost track of your sword at the very end. You are way too strong now. We have to fight the second you heal up."
Chi-Chi let out a quiet laugh. A sharp pain flared in her ribs but she kept her face perfectly calm. She looked right at his eager expression.
"I cannot even lift my hands right now Goku. And you need to eat a lot more before you try challenging me again."
Goku laughed hard at that. Tien cracked a very rare smile. The heavy tension finally lifted from the broken courtyard.
A loud mechanical roar suddenly tore through the air.
The harsh noise of a engine bounced across the quiet ruins.
The three fighters turned their heads. A stolen hover car drove violently over the debris. The rusty machine skidded to a stop right near the blast crater.
The metal door popped open. A stocky guy with wild black hair stepped out onto the dirt.
He wore dirty tribal clothes and had a katana strapped to his hip. He chewed loudly on a thick piece of dried meat and stared right at them.
"Who is that?" Tien asked
Chi-Chi stared at the stranger. She kept her face perfectly neutral but her mind was on high alert.
Goku blinked through the dirt covering his face. A massive smile broke out.
"Hey. That is Yajirobe."
"You actually know this guy?"
"Yeah, we met not too long ago... I was out in the woods looking for Chi-Chi when I smelled this huge fish cooking over a fire… so I just took a bite. He got really mad—it was his breakfast.
"Please tell me you did not fight a stranger over a fish."
"Just a little bit. He is actually super tough. He threw a boulder right at my head. We got tired and hungry again right after so we just split the food. He is a really good guy."
Yajirobe spit a bone out onto the rocks. He crossed his arms and glared at the giant crater.
"I heard a massive blast from miles away. Did you guys finally kill that green freak?"
Goku and Tien took turns filling the swordsman in on the brutal nightmare they just survived. They laid out the entire story right there in the dirt.
"I see… jeez, you guys sure know how to get yourselves into trouble. That fight sounds like a real mess."
He pointed a thick finger right at Chi-Chi.
"Throw her in the back. She needs a place to rest."
Chi-Chi opened her eyes and glared straight at him.
"I do not know you. Why are you offering me a ride out of nowhere?"
Yajirobe scratched his stomach and rolled his eyes.
"Drop the attitude. I know Korin."
"Master Korin? The cat at the top of the tower?"
"The one and only. I watched you climb that giant pillar a while back."
Chi-Chi went completely still. A cold shiver ran down her back. Her dark eyes narrowed into a hard and disgusted glare.
She did not call him a stalker out loud but the silent accusation hung heavy in the air. She quietly pulled the torn collar of her gi tighter around her neck.
Yajirobe took a defensive step backward. He looked genuinely insulted.
"What is your problem? I am just telling you what happened. Stop looking at me like I am hiding in the bushes."
Goku hopped to his feet. He completely missed the awful mood settling over the broken stones.
"I am coming too."
Yajirobe let out a loud groan. He jerked his thumb toward the rusted open door.
"Fine. Throw her in the back before I change my mind and leave you both out here."
/////////////////////////////////////
The air up here was sharp and thin.
Master Korin stood near the center of the platform, leaning lightly on his wooden cane. A quiet, knowing smile tugged at his whiskers as the two fighters each ate a senzu bean, their strength returning in an instant.
"You actually pulled it off. You beat the Demon King. The world owes you both a massive debt."
Goku shook his head right away. He pointed a thumb at the girl beside him.
"Do not look at me. I got beat up pretty bad. She is the one who actually killed him."
Chi-Chi ignored the compliment completely. She walked straight toward the old cat.
"Master Korin. Piccolo talked right before he died. He claimed he destroyed the eternal dragon."
Korin looked down at his paws. The proud smile dropped from his face instantly.
"If the dragon is dead, then no magic can bring your friends back."
Those simple words hurt far worse than a physical punch.
A brutal weight slammed directly into her lungs. The cold reality of the situation trapped her. Her father was gone. Master Roshi was gone. She won the war and still lost everything.
Chi-Chi lowered her chin. The magic bean healed every single injury she took during the war but it did absolutely nothing for the cold knot in her stomach.
Her body was at perfect peak condition. Her mind felt like a complete graveyard.
Goku stared blankly at the smooth tiles. He squeezed his hands into tight fists and stayed completely quiet. The massive victory felt exactly like a total failure.
Yajirobe picked his teeth with a small wooden splinter. He leaned against a carved wooden pillar and watched them sulk.
"Look. People die. That is just how the world works. You beat the monster and you are still breathing. You should stop acting so miserable about winning."
Chi-Chi snapped her head up. Her face was completely dry but her dark eyes locked onto the swordsman with lethal focus.
"It is very easy to stand on the sidelines and offer cheap advice. You did not just lose your father."
Yajirobe shut his mouth. He held both of his hands up and took a slow step back. He looked down at the floor and muttered a quiet apology. He knew he pushed a very bad button.
A sharp wooden crack echoed across the quiet platform. Korin struck the stone tiles with the bottom of his walking cane.
"Calm your minds. I never said the situation was entirely hopeless."
Chi-Chi shifted her attention back to the old master. She stood up a little straighter.
"The dragon is just a magical tool. A tool always has a maker. If the creator of the Dragon Balls is still alive he might be able to fix Shenron."
The crushing weight on her chest loosened. A clear path forward finally opened up in her head. Goku stepped right next to the old cat.
"Who built them?" Goku asked eagerly.
Korin lifted his wooden staff. He pointed the blunt tip straight up toward the empty clouds.
"Kami. The Guardian of Earth. He lives in a divine sanctuary directly above this very room."
Chi-Chi tilted her head back and studied the empty blue sky above the curved roof of the tower. There was absolutely nothing up there. No floating islands. No hidden clouds.
"How do we actually reach it?"
Korin tapped his wooden cane against the stone tiles.
"Flying will not." Korin shook his head.
"There is a strict barrier. You cannot enter the heavenly realm by normal means. You need the exact key to bridge the gap between the mortal world and the sanctuary. You need the Power Pole."
Goku blinked in surprise. He reached behind his back and unhooked the red staff from his belt.
"Wait you mean this?" Goku held the smooth red wood out in his hands.
Korin smiled and nodded at the boy.
"Exactly. Place it in the socket at the very top of the roof. It will extend all the way up to Kami."
Chi-Chi looked at the bright red staff. Her mind clicked. She remembered the frustrating training they went through on this exact platform not long ago.
"You are going to have to leave it here Goku. It is your extension. You have to give it up to build the bridge."
Korin let out a low chuckle.
"You have a very sharp memory girl. Yes, the staff anchors the path."
"I have to leave it behind completely?"
"Just to keep the door open. Once you enter the divine realm properly you can travel back and forth however you like. You can reclaim your weapon the second you return."
The tension left Goku instantly. His signature grin returned to his face.
"Oh that is no problem then. Ready to climb?"
Chi-Chi gave Goku a single firm nod.
"Let us go see God."
They walked onto the open roof of the tower.
The wind whipped at their torn clothes.
Korin followed close behind them. The old master reached into his robes and pulled out a small golden bell tied to a red string. The metal chimed quietly in the rushing air.
Korin held the bell out.
"Take this with you. Show it to the guardian the second you arrive. It is proof you have my approval. You cannot meet God without it."
Goku took the string and tied it tight around his belt. The little bell clinked against his side.
Chi-Chi crossed her arms.
"A tiny golden bell. This God has some very funny rules."
Goku walked to the dead center of the roof.
He found the round socket carved deep into the stone. He slotted the base of the red staff perfectly into the hole. He looked back at her.
"Are you ready?"
"I have always been ready."
Goku looked straight up into the endless blue. He grabbed the smooth wood with both hands.
"Power Pole extend!"
The red staff shot upward like a bullet.
The sudden force pulled them right off the roof. They launched straight into the heavy clouds. The wind roared in their ears as the tower vanished entirely below them.
Korin watched them disappear into the bright sky. He leaned his weight against his wooden cane.
"Good luck." Korin said softly.
The red staff finally stopped moving.
The rounded tip locked firmly into a smooth white tile.
Goku stepped off the wood and Chi-Chi landed lightly right beside him.
They stood at the bottom of a wide set of clean stone stairs. The air up here was incredibly thin and perfectly quiet.
They started climbing the steps side by side.
Goku looked over at her.
"What did you actually do to get so strong?" Goku asked.
Chi-Chi kept her eyes fixed on the top of the stairs.
She remembered the brutal trial.
"Let us just say I had to fight my own insecurities."
"You mean like mental training?"
"Something like that."
"I had no idea simple mental training could give you that much raw power. I definitely need to try sitting around and thinking."
"If you actually tried using your brain for once it might just give you a much bigger boost than mine."
She smirked at him. She thought he was a total idiot most of the time. The idea of Goku sitting quietly and thinking about anything was completely absurd.
They reached the final step and walked onto a massive white plaza. The smooth stone stretched out in every direction. There were tall green trees and strange plants growing right out of the tiles.
Chi-Chi stopped walking. She spotted a figure standing perfectly still near a large clay pot.
"Hold on. There is someone right over there."
Goku stopped and squinted against the bright sun. He saw the strange being. The man had pitch black skin and wore a white turban. He was watering the alien plants with a small wooden bucket.
"Oh wow you are right."
He dropped her arm and took off running straight across the white tiles.
"Goku wait. You do not even know who that is..."