"The eternal foodie..." Karnel laughed softly, shaking his head as he watched Goku demolish yet another plate of food at the celebration. The casual gathering in Capsule Corporation's gardens continued well into the evening, with everyone enjoying the peaceful respite.
"You know, for someone who's supposedly all-powerful, you sure seem to enjoy watching Goku eat," Bulma teased, appearing beside him with two glasses of sparkling water.
Karnel accepted the drink with a slight smile. "Some things are universal constants. Goku's appetite is apparently one of them."
As the celebration wound down and guests began to depart, Karnel found himself genuinely content for the first time in decades. The simple pleasure of good company and peaceful moments was something he'd almost forgotten existed.
"Thanks for tonight," Bulma said as they walked back toward the main building. "It's nice to have normal celebrations for once, instead of 'we barely survived another apocalypse' parties."
"Don't get too comfortable with normal," Karnel replied, though his tone was gentle. "In my experience, peaceful moments like these are usually just the calm before the storm."
Several days later, gentle morning sunlight filtered through the windows of Karnel's guest room at Capsule Corporation. He'd taken up residence there temporarily, officially to help Bulma with some advanced technological projects, though truthfully he was enjoying having a place to call home, even temporarily.
"This domestic routine could become dangerously addictive," Karnel murmured as he dressed, looking out at the peaceful gardens below. For someone who'd spent lifetimes wandering the universe, the simple pleasure of waking up in the same place twice was surprisingly appealing.
As he prepared for the day, his enhanced senses picked up something that made him pause. "Interesting... two significant energy signatures approaching Earth's atmosphere." His voice carried a note of anticipation rather than concern. "Time flies when you're enjoying yourself."
The approaching powers belonged to Raditz and Nappa, he was certain of it. After Planet Vegeta's destruction, the surviving Saiyans could be counted on one hand. Raditz, driven by desperation to rebuild their dying race, had likely convinced someone to help him retrieve his long-lost brother Kakarot from this "backwater" planet.
"Not particularly impressive power levels," Karnel mused, sensing their approach. "Though I suppose they don't know what they're walking into. Goku's training on King Kai's planet has paid dividends they can't possibly imagine."
From down the hall, he could hear Bulma already tinkering in her lab, the woman was perpetually driven, always working on some new breakthrough. The familiar sounds of her morning routine had become oddly comforting.
"She'll want to know about this," Karnel decided. "But first, let me see what the Saiyans are planning."
Settling into meditation by the lake in Capsule Corporation's back garden, Karnel felt the two Saiyan warriors breach Earth's atmosphere. His lips curved into an anticipatory smile.
The familiar whine of Saiyan space pods cut through the morning air as they crashed into a mountainous region several hundred kilometers away.
"Raditz, is this really the pathetic rock where they dumped your waste of a brother?" Nappa emerged from his pod, his scouter immediately beginning its scan of the planet's inhabitants. "The power levels here are laughably low. No wonder they sent Kakarot to this garbage dump, a warrior born with a power level of two belongs nowhere else."
Raditz, his power having increased to over 3,000 following his mysterious "training incident," surveyed their surroundings with disdain. "After all these years, you'd think even that failure would have managed to wipe out the local vermin. Let's find him quickly, Nappa. Every Saiyan bloodline matters now, even his."
"Right! Should we split up and search?" Nappa asked, cracking his massive knuckles.
"Vegeta was right, you really are an idiot sometimes," Raditz said with exasperation. "Why waste time hunting? Even if Kakarot hasn't improved much, he's still stronger than these Earth insects. We'll simply release our power and force him to come to us."
"Hah! Now you're talking my language!"
Twin auras erupted skyward like volcanic pillars, their combined energy sending shockwaves across the continent and immediately drawing the attention of every skilled martial artist on the planet.
"You magnificent fools," Karnel chuckled from his hiding spot in a massive oak tree, having instantly transported himself to observe the incoming confrontation. "If only you knew what you've just awakened."
In his mind's eye, he could sense multiple power signatures rising rapidly across the planet, Goku, Piccolo, and others responding to the obvious challenge. The Saiyan warriors had no idea that their target had spent months training under King Kai himself.
"This should be entertaining." Karnel paused, considering. "Though it would be criminal to watch such a spectacle alone."
He vanished in a flicker of movement, reappearing outside Bulma's lab where the sounds of frantic tinkering had intensified. The energy surge from the Saiyans had clearly caught her attention as well.
"Bulma," he called through the door. "You might want to see this. We have visitors, and they're not here for a friendly chat."
Minutes later, Karnel had returned to his observation post with a folding chair, a cooler full of refreshments, and a pair of binoculars, not that he needed them, but they completed the image. Settling into his makeshift theater seat, he prepared to enjoy what promised to be a very educational day for two overconfident Saiyan warriors.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he murmured to himself, "let the show begin."