Zane stood there, watching as Vegeta's ship disappeared into the sky. He smirked, feeling the calm wash over him after the battle. He turned to the others, his hands casually folded behind his back.
"Well, that takes care of that," Zane said, voice dripping with satisfaction.
Krillin stepped forward, clearly confused and upset. "W-why did you let him go? He killed thousands of people."
Zane turned to him, his expression still cool. "There would be no point in killing him. Plus, I wanted to see him struggle for power to try and match me. The greatest embarrassment to a warrior is to be shown mercy. Makes them think they weren't even worthy of being killed."
Zane's gaze shifted upward, a small grin creeping onto his face. 'Good, he's here.'
The sound of something cutting through the air at blinding speed rang out. Zane felt it before anyone else, that unmistakable energy. 'Yup, that's definitely Goku.'
With a thunderous boom, Goku tore through the sky, landing in a cloud of dust. Gohan and Krillin grinned, their faces lighting up with relief and joy.
"Dad!" Gohan shouted, rushing to him, tears in his eyes. He threw himself into Goku's arms. "You're back!"
Goku grinned, lifting Gohan up. "Hey, Gohan. Good job, you've been really brave." He ruffled Gohan's hair and then turned to look at Zane. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Who are you?"
Before Zane could respond, Bulma stepped in. "This is Zane. He's the one who took care of the Saiyans."
Goku studied Zane closely, his demeanor serious. "I can sense you're very strong."
Zane, on the other hand, was a bundle of fanboy excitement on the inside. 'Holy shit, it's Goku. In person. The hope of the universe is talking to me.'
Despite the thoughts racing in his head, Zane managed to keep his cool and said, "You seem to be strong as well."
Goku nodded, his usual fire lighting up his eyes. "Let's spar, you and me. I wanna see just how strong you are, you beat the Saiyans, so you've got my attention."
Bulma jumped in before Zane could reply. "Goku, seriously? Is all you think about fighting? We need to figure out what to do. Our friends are dead, and Piccolo is gone too. That means the Dragon Balls are useless."
Krillin quickly added, "Didn't that Vegeta guy mention something about Piccolo being from an alien race? The Namekians? He said they have wish-granting orbs. Maybe their Dragon Balls can bring Piccolo back."
Bulma's eyes lit up. "You're right! Kami is like Piccolo. Maybe he knows how to get to the Namekian planet. Goku, stop thinking about fighting. We have more pressing matters."
Goku, reluctantly, let out a small sigh. "But I just wanna confirm his strength. Just a little."
Zane stepped forward, smirking. "That's fine. But as you are now, it wouldn't be much of a fight. When you get stronger, I'll fight you."
Goku's grin returned, a flash of excitement in his eyes. "Alright then. It's a promise."
With that, the group began to focus on the next steps.
"Alright," Goku said, "Let's fly to the Lookout and ask Kami what to do next."
Goku, Gohan, and Krillin blasted off into the sky, but Bulma quickly called out, "Wait! I can't fly!"
Zane turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Would you like me to escort you?"
Bulma blushed, clearly embarrassed, but nodded. "U-umm, y-yeah, if you wouldn't mind…"
Zane kneeled down, his voice smooth. "Hold on tight."
Bulma climbed onto his back, her arms wrapping around his neck, and Zane smirked to himself. 'This is going just as planned.'
He lifted off, blasting through the sky with Bulma clinging to his back. Zane could feel the heat of her breath against his skin, and his smirk deepened. 'Everything's going according to my very well-constructed plan.'
They arrived at the Lookout, and the group gathered near the entrance. Goku, Krillin, and Gohan were already talking to Mister Popo when Zane landed, setting Bulma gently on the ground.
"Where's Kami?" Goku asked, his tone serious.
Mister Popo appeared, his face somber. "Kami is dead."
The others stared in shock, but Zane didn't seem surprised at all. 'Guess it makes sense...'
Krillin blinked in disbelief. "How is that possible?"
Mister Popo's expression grew heavy. "Kami and Piccolo are connected. When Piccolo died, so did Kami."
Bulma, still flustered from her ride, asked, "Then how are we supposed to get to the Namekian planet?"
Mister Popo raised an eyebrow at her question. "You mean Namek?"
"Yes," Bulma said quickly.
"Kami came to Earth in a ship long ago. I still have the ship," Mister Popo nodded. "If I give it to you, what will you do?"
Bulma's eyes brightened. "We'll fix it and use it to get to Namek. We'll wish for Piccolo to come back to life."
Mister Popo gestured toward the ship. "Follow me."
He led them to a large, moss-covered ship, hidden away in the shadows. Bulma ran up to it, inspecting it carefully. "It'll take me a while, but I can fix this up."
Goku, noticing the issue, looked up at the sky. "Did you hear that?"
The others looked around, confused. "What?" Bulma asked.
Goku smiled. "It's King Kai."
Zane raised an eyebrow, but then he heard it too, a faint voice echoing in Goku's head. Goku stood still, a serious expression on his face.
"Listen closely, Goku. The coordinates to Namek are 9045XY."
Goku repeated the coordinates aloud, and Bulma quickly wrote them down. "Perfect. Now we know where Namek is. We just need to fix the ship."
She turned to Goku, Krillin, and Gohan. "Leave it to Capsule Corp. And be careful with it!"
The three of them immediately picked up the ship and took to the sky. Zane looked at Bulma, noticing the slight blush on her face from earlier. "You've gotten comfortable, haven't you?" he teased, smirking.
Bulma blushed harder but managed to say, "C-can you please follow us?"
Zane chuckled, lifting off into the sky to follow them. 'Time to get this show on the road.'