"Oh man, it looks like I'm a bit too late," a familiar voice said.
Alex turned around to see a man in an orange gi with spiky hair landing nearby. Of course, he recognized him instantly. "Hmm, Goku? What are you doing here?"
Goku blinked. "Huh? How do you know my name? Have we met before?"
Alex quickly came up with an excuse. "We met a long time ago. You visited my village while you were traveling."
Goku scratched his head. "Hmmm... I don't remember. Sorry about that!" He then looked at Alex's clothes and grinned. "Hey! You're wearing the same uniform as me!"
Alex glanced down. "Yeah, I got it after training with Master Roshi."
"Whoa, you trained with Master Roshi? That means you're strong! C'mon, let's fight!" Goku said, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Alex smirked. "Just what I wanted." He got into his stance.
"Awesome! Come at me with everything you've got!"
Alex didn't waste a second. He charged forward, throwing a powerful punch. Goku blocked with his arms crossed, skidding back slightly.
"Amazing!" Goku grinned, then countered with a punch to Alex's stomach, sending him flying.
Alex twisted midair, planted his hands on the ground, and flipped back onto his feet. As Goku rushed at him again, Alex raised his hands to his forehead.
"Solar Flare!"
"Ahh! My eyes! My eyes!" Goku yelled, stopping midair and covering his face.
Alex took the chance to cup his hands at his waist. "Kame... Hame..."
As Goku's vision started returning, Alex fired. "HAAA!"
The blue energy wave roared forward, slamming into Goku. He crossed his arms, struggling against the blast as it pushed him back.
"HAAAA!" Goku let out a shout and forced his way through the wave before it exploded in a cloud of smoke.
Alex was panting. But before he could react—
"PAH!"
Goku's fist buried itself into Alex's gut. Alex's eyes widened as he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.
"Oh no! Are you okay?" Goku asked, rubbing the back of his head. "I got a little too excited and might've hit harder than I meant to... Hehehe."
Alex coughed but managed a smirk. "Nah, it's fine. Though I doubt you were even using your full strength."
As he got to his feet, he asked, "Anyway, why are you here?"
"Oh, I was looking for the Dragon Balls!"
Alex raised an eyebrow. "You mean these?" He pulled out the box from a capsule, revealing the now-inert Dragon Balls.
Goku's face lit up. "That's them! Can I have them, please? I'm begging you!"
Alex hesitated. "Why do you want them? You know they won't work for another year."
"I only need the Four-Star Ball," Goku said seriously. "It belonged to my grandpa. When I have it, I feel like he's still watching over me."
Alex sighed and held out the box. "Alright, you can have them."
"Really?! Thanks!" Goku reached for the box—only for Alex to pull it back at the last second.
"Hey! You said you'd give them to me!" Goku protested.
Alex smirked. "Yeah, but I never said for free."
Goku frowned. "If you're looking for money, I don't have any."
"Nah, I want those," Alex said, pointing.
Goku looked down at himself. "Wait... you want me?"
Alex facepalmed. "No, idiot. Your weighted clothes."
"Oh, these? Sure! I can just get a new set from Kami." Goku quickly removed his weighted armbands, boots, and undershirt, handing them to Alex in exchange for the Dragon Balls.
"See you next time!" Goku waved before flying off.
As soon as he left, Alex tried putting on the weighted gear—only to nearly collapse. His body felt like it was being crushed.
"Damn… how heavy is this?!"
For the next few minutes, he struggled just to move. Eventually, he took a slow step, then another.
"This… is gonna take a while."
---
Timeskip - Three Years Later
Alex spent the next three years traveling the world, training with martial artists, and challenging fighters. He knew that after the Saiyan Saga, battles would shift from skill to raw power. If he ever wanted to master Ultra Instinct or even Roshi's version of it, martial arts would be key.
And so, his journey continued…
Power level
Alex : 170
Goku :(Suppressed) 190
Goku :(weighted) 316
Goku :396
Alex : (weighted)90