Goku and the West Kai

Other World Quests wrote:
Kaio-Ken

Medium Quest

Requirement: Must be a student of King Kai. Must be on King Kai's Planet.

Reward: 2,000 zeni and you are able to learn Kaio-Ken

Kaio-Ken is a powerful ability, allowing one to raise their power rapidly. But, it can be dangerous. King Kai decides you need special fortitude training to adapt your body to the stress. He sends you into the Frozen Depths, a section of hell that is a brutal frozen wasteland. You must survive for three days, but the Frost Wyrms are hungry... be wary.

”Remember Goku,” Kami said.”You must run down Snake Way to find King Kai. Run, not fly. If you can do that he will be the one to train you."

Goku had searched for a long while for the entrance to Snake Way. The Check-In station was a confusing network of platforms, buildings and hallways. However, he was satisfied to have finally found his destination. Before him was the broad opening into a tunnel. A strange green fog poured forth from it bringing the putrid stench of rotting vegetation. As it filled his nostrils, he scrunched his nose in disgust.

He was sure the sign posted above the entrance was an error.

“Frog Tunnel,” he said aloud to himself as he read the engraved text. “Well, Kami could forgotten what it was called. I guess it wouldn't hurt me to take a look. This has to be it...”

Entering the tunnel, he soon found himself wading through black water up to his waist. A few yards in, the fog parted to reveal a dimly illuminated bog. Lilly pads covered the top of the water and chorus of croaking amphibians sang a depressing tune. There were gnarled trees with bare branches that hung like wicked skeletal fingers. The trees had mangroves of tightly entwined roots covered with spiny thorns. Looking up, he could just barely see the ceiling through the fog, which was covered in spear-like moss covered stalactites. To his left and right, he tried to find the outer walls, but the fog was just far too thick. There was no way for him to know just how wide it was, or if forward was even the right direction

“Well, it looks like a snake would live in here,” Goku said and scratched his chin. "I'll just have to find the other end of this."


Pain, it was the only thing Goku felt. His head was fuzzy and his vision blurred. Not to mention, he looked like some sort of feral swamp monster. His orange gi was now stained an earthy tone from the muck and had been torn apart from the many thorny protrusions all around him. After being submerged for hours upon hours, his flesh had become puffy and swollen.

It was after that point that he took it upon himself to start jumping from branch to branch of gnarled trees. Kami’s instructions had been specific, he couldn’t fly, but at least with this method of transportation he was safe from being within the water so much.

However, even with all the intense training he had done, he was beginning to tire to the point of collapse. The fog inside of Frog Tunnel was thick and it made breathing difficult. Also, he had not slept either, which had been the worst detriment of the journey. There was nowhere for him to sleep. The trees themselves were too thin and wiry to support his weight. In some areas, the water was up to his knees, and in others it was hundreds of feet deep. There was no way for him to know what lurked in waiting.

Feeling the pulsing pain in his thighs and calves, he leaped, both feet touching down on a broad branch. He heard a cracking sound from the base of the tree and started to fall. Unable to produce a pulse of ki to stop his fall, he slammed into the dark waters, disappearing beneath the surface. Floating listlessly in the dark felt oh-so-nice. He was no longer moving. Nothing hurt; it was just pure bliss to finally relax. Sinking down for a long while, he finally felt his back touch the bottom.

Minutes passed without him being aware of it. The short breath he had taken before falling into the water began to run out. Despite his exhaustion, his mind alerted him of the danger with a sharp spike of panic.

Come on Goku, you need to swim, he thought, trying to motivate himself.

It brought him great sorrow to know he had to start moving his legs again. It had felt so nice to just let them stretch out. Searing pain ripped through his muscles as he kicked and thrust his arms down, pulling himself towards the surface. He broke free, taking a deep gasp of the humid air, choking on the vile tasting water that had entered his mouth. The branch was afloat beside him and he swam over, grabbing hold of it.

With one last ditch effort, he dragged himself onto the branch and out of the murky depths. Floating along, he felt his eye lids go heavy and then he drifted into a deep slumber.

When they opened again, he wasn’t sure how much time had passed. ‘Snake Way’ didn’t seem to have a night or day, just a constant dim illumination. It was just barely enough to see by, depending on how thick the fog was.

Even though he wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep on the drifting log, he had at least received some rest, because a portion of his strength had returned. He sat up, and stretched his arms and back. Having fallen asleep in such an awkward slumped fashion, his back was sore.

At least I've recovered a little, he thought.

Concentrating some of the spiritual energy within his body, he sent out soothing waves that coursed over him. The damage that wasn't restored from sleep soon faded as he healed himself.

He launched himself off of the log with a burst of spiritual energy, landing among the jagged branches of a nearby tree. Glancing around, he wasn’t sure how far he had drifted during his rest.

None of the trees around him looked familiar. Then again, he wasn’t sure if he remembered the ones he had seen before falling into the water. Everything within ‘Snake Way’ looked the same.

Not wanting to dally any further, he sprang into the air again, renewing his journey through the marshy cave.


Dry land was a sight for sore eyes. Well, it wasn’t quite ‘land,’ more so a strange platform made out of a thick planty material akin to peat moss. There was no actual dirt, and with each step he made, the whole of it seemed to shift beneath his feet. However, because it was something to stand on, he was able to rest, allowing him to trudge on with great vigor.

Ever since a small boy, Goku had always consumed vast amounts of food. The truth was, he was never not hungry from it. The strange dull ache for food had been something easily repressed with three square meals a day.

But, after what had seemed like a week without food, it was starting to take its toll on him. Despite hearing frogs croaking, the creatures had eluded him the entire journey. As he moved through, he kept an eye out for them along the edges and pools of water.

Goku wished he had saved his Yemma Fruit. It had been so filling that it had nearly burst open his stomach. If he even had half of the fruit, he would have been fine.

The only other thing he noticed that he could eat were mushrooms. The strange caps seemed to sprout from the base trees and grew on larger heaps of the thick moss. Each one pulsated with a dim purple light. Their spores floated around him as little golden specks. As he passed large patches of them, he couldn't help but notice thye smelled delicious, like a combination of flowers and roasted pork.

He knew that mushrooms were a hit or miss food at best. Either they were perfectly fine for ingestion, or they were poisonous, and in rare cases even deadly. The delightful smell was what made him afraid, despite his ravenous hunger. Often times, the most alluring of foliage was that way for a reason. It was asking for living beings to eat it, quite often with terrible effects.

Stopping before a large cluster on a hump of the peat, he decided he would eat one them and take the risk. He could only cross his fingers and hope they weren’t in fact poisonous.

If he made a mistake, he might lose the life he had just regained. What happens when you die, again, when you’re already dead? Goku pondered.

Plucking one of the mushrooms from the ground he put it into his mouth. It was tasty, unlike any fungi he had ever eaten. After he swallowed it, he waited a long time, expecting pains to emerge from his belly. After about ten minutes, when he didn’t cripple over in pain, he let out an excited cheer and began plucking as many of the little fungi that he could.

With an arm full of mushrooms he sat beneath one of the wicked trees and began to feast. One after another, he shoved them down his throat.

WC: 1,490

Goku burped. A cloud of golden spores exited his mouth and drifted through the humid air of 'Snake Way.' He couldn't help but grin at the sight. The mushrooms had filled his stomach and he had rested for a long while, satisfied. He patted his stomach, which was tight from being so full of them.

It was time to get a move on again. Picking himself up off of the mossy ground, he started through the bog again, moving from a brisk walk to a full out sprint. Something inside told him that he was close to the end of the terrible tunnel.

The fog parted as he passed, chunks of moss flung into the air which each leaping step. Goku had an appointment to train with one of the gods, and he wasn't going to miss it. No, he wasn't going to perish in some swampy waste. He was going to triumph, gain the power he needed, and return to Earth—to stop evil creatures like Cell from hurting the ones he loved.

For seemed like hours he ran. When the mossy ground began to separate, he jumped from clump to clump. When the moss ended, he dove into the muddy brown waters and swam with all of his might. The water behind him sprayed high towards the spiky ceiling as he kicked with unmatched ferocity

Chi Chi, Gohan, Goten, and Uub—don't worry. I'm not giving up yet. I will be home soon.

Far off in the distance he saw the dim glow of orange light. That must be it!

Something stirred below. Goku felt it and stopped swimming, treading water in place. He could feel a spiritual energy both large and volatile below. It felt angry, it felt hungry, and was moving towards him. Dunking his head below, he tried to see whatever was closing in on him, but couldn't—the water was just too clouded.

He braced for impact, tucking his knees in towards his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

The mother of all frogs burst forth from the depths. The great amphibian was hundreds of times larger than its Earth counterparts. The force of impact threw Goku into the air, where he fought against the urge to use his energy to fly. Doing so would have made it easy for him to escape the monster, but that would have defied Kami's orders.

Its mighty maw opened, threatening to swallow Goku whole. It hurled its tongue like a sticky javelin. Goku managed to roll out of the way at the last second. The tongue continued to unravel as it traveled upwards, taking out several large stalagmites as it collided with the ceiling.

Goku's legs snapped forward and his arms stretched out above his head. He was upside down but he managed to grab hold of the brim of its mouth and thrust both feet into the top of its jaw, preventing it from closing on him.

The gargantuan beast landed in the water with a sky rattling splash. Goku held his breath as they submerged and he was able to slip away from its jaws. He felt the water around him shift as it swam away, disappearing once again into the dark. After a long swim back to the surface, Goku broke free, gasping for air.

The frog had a giant energy signature. Goku knew it was coming around for a second pass. Being in the water he was at a great disadvantage. His head swiveled back and forth, as he tried to find more of the mossy ground. There was nothing.

The sticky tongue wrapped leg and he felt himself pulled below once again. Water whipped past him, filling his nostrils and tearing across his body. Fighting against the pressure, Goku managed to sit forward and grab the tongue, ripping upward with all of his strength.

The tongue severed and he broke himself free of the grip. The frog let out an audible groan of pain.

Surfacing once more, Goku coughed up the swampy water. His chest burned as the air filled his lungs. Fighting a giant beast in the water was not the easiest task. He could swim fast, but he wasn't able to move at nearly the same speed as the frog, so there was no outrunning it.

He would have to stand his ground and think of a clever way to win.

It was quiet for a long while. Goku managed to catch a little break as he waited. Once again, he felt it approaching, this time with a speed and aggression unmatched by its previous assaults. It's mad, really mad.

Concentrating, Goku kicked with his legs to keep his head above the surface, taking the deepest breath he could muster. Below the water, he channeled his spiritual energy between both of his palms. A small bead of white light appeared and swelled until it was the size of a volleyball. The water around him began to bubble violently from the heat, but he held on, waiting for the frog to swallow him whole.

The maw surrounded him and Goku fell into the back of its throat. It was slimy and he felt his back thud against the ridges in its throat. As he fell into its esophagus, he waited, holding onto the energy in his grip as he slid deeper and deeper inside. Thrusting his hands forward, the energy rushed forward in torrential wave. Goku pushed off, following his energy as it tore its way up and out of the monster.

It was the among the most disgusting things he had ever felt; sliding through burnt organs, bone, and muscle tissue. Irony blood covered him from head to toe and slowed his progress. As he neared the top of the monster, water rushed into the wound and he had to fight against the current as well.

Once he was in the open water again, he glanced down to see the frog's immense shadow disappearing into the depths below.


The roaring sound of a waterfall filled Goku's ears. Being stuck in complete silence for what had at least been weeks on end, made the sound disorienting. The air was cool, the humidity rushed out of the mouth of the cave with the water. Goku could see a pale rose colored sky, with thick clouds.

He grabbed hold of the rocky mouth and pulled himself up onto a ledge to get a better look. Fear filled him as he saw nothing but an endless sky. Looking down, sheer cliffs dropped into what seemed like oblivion. Looking up, they rose into a jagged spire. As he turned his head to look from side to side, he managed to see a small circle floating in the sky. It looked like some sort of planet.

This must be the end of 'Snake Way,' Goku thought as he summoned his energy and flew away from the tunnel.

The cold air bit at him as he flew towards the little planet. He couldn't help but feel a desperate relief at being far away from the tunnel. As he neared, he could see the planet had a bunch of wispy looking willow trees on it. There was also a small house. It was the oddest thing he had ever seen. There was even what looked like a paved driveway wrapping around the entire thing, with an old pick-up truck parked next to the house.

Goku floated down and landed next to the truck. “Hello?”

The door of the house opened up. A diminutive being stepped out. He had sharp ears, a what looked like a pointy black helmet on his head, and a monocle over his left eye.

“You smell terrible,” the creature said and reeled back in disgust. He kept his distance.

“Are you King Kai?” Goku asked.

“I don't stylize myself as King Kai. I am West Kai,” the creature said. “My stupid rival, North Kai, enjoys that name.”

“Oh, I was told that I was would be able to train with King Kai if I made it through Snake Way,” Goku said.

West Kai chuckled. “Snake Way? You're far off from there. How did you even get here anyway? Wait a second, did you just make it through the Frog Tunnel?”

Goku felt an overwhelming sense of dread. “That... wasn't Snake Way?”

“No, but I haven't had a warrior make it through Frog Tunnel in nearly five hundred years. You must be exceptionally strong.”

The kai folded his arms behind his back and began to pace in front of his house. “Plus, you're from the North Quadrant. You're one of North Kai's souls. Yes, this will be great. If I train you I will have taken away a potential champion from my rival. He wouldn't even see it coming.”

Goku had no idea what he was rambling about. Frustrated and upset about his mistake, he plopped down on the grass and closed his eyes.

After a moment of taking deep breaths, he managed to calm down.

There was no use getting all bent out of shape about it. If the West Kai let him rest for awhile, he could probably make it through the Frog Tunnel a bit faster this time, stock up on some mushrooms along the way, so that he didn't nearly starve again. That would give him enough strength to keep up his pace. After that, he could go ask King Yemma where the real Snake Way was and start his journey over again.

“You're better off as my pupil anyway. North Kai is fat and incompetent in battle. What is your name son?” West Kai said.

“Goku.”

“Good, Goku; stay here. I will be right back.”

After a minute or so, West Kai came trudging from behind his house, carrying with him what looked like a garden hose.

“Stand up.”

Goku stood. West Kai proceeded to spray Goku down with the garden hose. Muddy water pooled at his feet and within a few moments, he stood shivering, but relatively clean. With a snap of his fingers, new clothing materialized on his frame.

It was a dark blue karate gi with the symbol of the West Quadrant on the left breast.

“That looks a lot better than those muddy rags you had on before,” West Kai said studying him over. “Yes-yes, it looks absolutely perfect, my new champion.”

Goku smiled. It didn't matter to him who he trained with. He just needed the power to defeat his enemies. “What am I going to learn first?”

“Well, to make it through Frog Tunnel, you must have remarkable resilience. I think we'll start with the Kaio-Ken,” West Kai said.

“Kaio-Ken?” Goku asked, puzzled.

WC: 1,790
TWC: 3,280