NOVEL WEB Chapter 28: Why We Fight
Kai woke to the soft hum of the ship beneath him, a distant thrum in the bones, rhythmic and steady. But what pulled his attention wasn't the hum—it was the unexpected weight pressed gently against his chest.
He opened his eyes.
Bulma.
Her head rested just beneath his collarbone, her breath warm, slow, steady. One of her arms had slung lazily over his stomach at some point in the night, and her hair was slightly mussed from sleep. She didn't seem in any rush to move.
Kai blinked, then gave a soft smile. "Are you awake?"
For a moment, silence. Then her voice, quiet and sleepy. "…Yeah. Woke up a little while ago."
He looked down at her, amused. "And decided to use me as a pillow?"
She gave a small shrug, still not moving. "You're soft. And… I like hearing your heartbeat. It's strangely nice."
Kai didn't say anything at first. There was something warm in the way she said it—not flirtatious, not teasing, just… honest. She'd found comfort, and it was rare for her to let herself have that.
"You're really not gonna move, huh?" he asked after a beat.
"Nope."
He chuckled and leaned his head back against the pillow. "Alright. You win."
They lay like that for a while longer, comfortable silence stretching between them like the stars outside the ship.
"Are you gonna go train again?" she asked eventually, her voice muffled slightly against his chest.
"Yeah," he said. "Might as well. Everyone else is working hard. I don't want to slack off."
She was quiet for a moment.
"…Why do you want to get stronger?"
He blinked, surprised by the question. "To survive."
"Not to protect?"
He exhaled. "That too. I mean, I guess… there's one person I wouldn't mind protecting."
She lifted her head slightly. "Oh? Who?"
He smirked. "That's a secret."
She groaned and dropped her head back down. "Ugh. You're the worst."
"I try."
A beat passed.
"You know Namek's going to be dangerous, right?" he asked.
She nodded against him. "I know."
"You sure you're okay with that?"
She pulled back finally, propping herself up on one elbow so she could look him in the eyes. "Yeah. I'll be fine."
"And how exactly are you so sure?"
She gave him that patented Capsule Corp smirk. "Because I have you. And you're going to protect me, right?"
Kai stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "Of course."
She smiled and rolled onto her back. "Good."
He sat up and stretched. "Alright. I'm heading to the gravity chamber."
She yawned. "I'm gonna stay here and catch up on my shows."
"…How do you have shows in space?"
She grinned without opening her eyes. "I'm a genius."
"That doesn't explain anything."
He left her laughing on the bed.
The gravity chamber rumbled as Kai stepped inside, the lights flickering in rhythm with the machine's pulsing strain. Inside, Goku, Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan were already pushing themselves hard under the crushing weight of 100x gravity.
Goku was shirtless and grinning, sweat pouring from his brow as he powered through a flurry of punches. Piccolo stood with his arms extended, holding himself midair through raw force of will. Krillin had dropped into a deep stance, straining to keep himself steady. Gohan was struggling, but still standing, face red with determination.
The second Kai stepped in, the gravity hit him like a train.
But then—
[Adaptation Triggered: 100x Gravity Detected. Internal musculature and skeletal density recalibrating…]
And just like that, the weight vanished.
He stood tall, rolling his shoulders.
The others didn't notice him at first, too caught up in their efforts. Then Krillin looked over and nearly toppled.
"Hey! Isn't this gravity crushing you?!"
Kai blinked. "No? I mean… I feel it, sure. It's heavy. But not unbearable."
Piccolo raised an eyebrow, sweat dripping from his brow. "That's… impressive."
Gohan looked like he wanted to cry from how heavy the air felt around him, but still managed a small smile. "Wow, Kai…"
Goku stopped mid-combo and turned. "Hey! This thing's amazing, right? We've already gotten stronger and it's only been a few hours! I'll have to thank Bulma for this when we land!"
Kai walked to the center of the room. "Yeah. She built me one back at Capsule Corp. Only went up to 50x gravity, but I spent a lot of time in it. I guess I just got used to the pressure."
That seemed to satisfy them.
Piccolo nodded. "It's a useful tool. I'll give her that."
Krillin sat down with a grunt. "I feel like I'm being crushed by a truck made of bricks. But hey… I can already tell I'm improving."
"Keep pushing," Goku said, fists raised again. "By the time we get to Namek, we'll be unstoppable."
Kai smiled faintly, then dropped into a stance.
The training session continued, filled with laughter, shouting, heavy impacts and shared sweat. And for once, he didn't feel like he was leagues ahead of them. For a little while, they were just warriors chasing strength together.
It felt… good.
Even if his system pinged quietly every now and then.
[Micro-Adaptive Response: Joint stress reduced. Muscular reinforcement active.]
[Baseline Power Level: 480,000,000]
He didn't let the number bother him. Not right now.
Because for once, he wasn't just training to grow stronger.
He was training with them.
And that made all the difference.