Untapped Potential

The Z Warriors were astonished, although this astonishment was a little expected now, considering that Goku always cracked out a new form at the last moment many times before. Once again, he mastered a new power. Super Saiyan Blue. Once again, he made another leap in strength that mere humans could only dream of. As amazing as it was, it was, in a way, sad as well. There was a time when Krillin and Goku were equals. Rivals even, neck and neck in power, speed, and skill. Even though Goku was always one step ahead in every category. At least, this is what Krillin thought.

Once again, Goku saves the day. This time he manages to kill the resurrected Frieza once again before he destroys the earth with a simple palm. Before he came to the rescue, the Z-Warriors made their stand. Everyone except for Yamcha and Chiaotzu was there and with the help of an acquaintance of Bulma, Jaco the space ranger, they fought Frieza's forces. Many of them were child's play. Soldier after soldier was mowed down; one after the other. Everyone was taking them down right and left and after a great deal of effort, only one of the tyrant's men remained.

Before Goku came, Krillin was optimistic. Surely they could take down Frieza now, right? His training with 18 has done wonders for him. The Z Warriors had all gotten so much stronger compared to their earlier adventures. Krillin pulled his weight and taken out many soldiers by himself. He'd venture to say that he killed more than everyone else.

Although he couldn't take on the galactic emperor by himself, he knew he could do something and was hopeful that for once, with everyone's help, they wouldn't need Goku. But in one swift punch, Frieza downed Gohan, their strongest warrior present, and that was that. The confidence that Krillin had been steadily gaining vanished over the years since Majin Buu's invasion was blown out like a candle on a windy day.

How could he hope to accomplish anything. Although Krillin was once a rival of Goku, that was a long time ago. Even though he could now easily take on all their former villains before Frieza, it didn't matter. There was always some alien hiding around a nearby planet or galaxy that would be ten times stronger and make all their previous enemies look like insects.

Thus were the thoughts of the earth's 'strongest' man.

After Goku had finished the job, everyone ran up to him and congratulated him for saving the day. Everyone except for Krillin. He looked to everyone crowding around the saiyan, then turned and walked away to sulk behind some nearby rubble. He sat down against a boulder and then his mind went blank. All activity that was going on between his ears ceased. He couldn't think even if he wanted to. All Krillin could do was feel an overwhelming sense of worthlessness mixed with unadulterated rage. He just couldn't stand being so weak. He wasn't mad that Goku was stronger than him, he has long since accepted this reality, or at the least he thought he did. It was the saiyan race themselves he was starting to hate.

"Huh...saiyans," Krillin quietly said with his voice dripping with poison. "Why are they so strong? Why do they get to attain powers similar to the gods? And why are we… why am I left so far behind? Why is the gap so large?"

Although he was seething inside, his face was expressionless. Krillin looked up from the ground and saw a nearby rock. He raised his hand, pointing his index finger, and shot a small beam at it, turning it into ash.

The feeling was cathartic. So he started shooting little energy beams at the little pieces of rubble lying scattered on ground. Small plumes of smoke rose from each little rock he shot. A smile began to form across Krillin's face, and a surprisingly crooked one at that.

"Whatcha doin' back here, Krillin?" Goku called peeking around the corner. His appearance startled Krillin and as a result, he accidentally shot a boulder which quickly turned to a heaping pile of rocks.

Goku looked at the pile, then back at his small friend, and walked around and sat right next to him.

"Are you okay, buddy?" the saiyan inquired.

"Oh, I'm alright," Krillin replied. "Just relieving a little stress is all."

Even though Goku isn't that smart, he could tell that something was eating his old friend. "Hey man, what's wrong?" Goku asked again.

"Nothing, Goku. I'm just fine," Krillin responded with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"You know you can talk to me if you need to. I know I'm very good with talking or have been around that much, but we are still friends." Goku was trying to break down the wall that had suddenly appeared between him and his old friend.

"I know that," Krillin said, "but, to be completely honest, I don't want to talk to you. At least, not right now." He was trying very hard to keep his hidden anger from rising to the surface, but this proved futile since his words already exuded a mildly angry tone. And the saiyan saw it (surprisingly).

"Why?" Goku pressed.

For a few moments, Krillin didn't respond. Even though he didn't show it very much, he was pretty smart and already saw where this conversation was headed. He could see Goku wasn't going to stop until he opened up and starting giving some answers. Most of the time, the saiyan wasn't one to press a subject for details, unless it had something to do with stronger opponents or food, but this time he did. And Krillin didn't like it. So he came up with reason to excuse himself.

Jumping to his feet, Krillin "remembered" that he promised to grab 18 a few things at the supermarket after their ordeal with Frieza was over. And before Goku could reply, Krillin shot off into the sky at supersonic speed, praying that the saiyan didn't follow him.

Krillin's blood was beginning to boil and continued getting hotter and hotter the faster he flew. He actually wasn't aware how fast he was going, but it was already past mach 30 and a few windows were shattering as he flew by.

'Why, why, why why WHY!? Why can't we protect the earth on our own?! Why are we so powerless? Why do we have to rely on these saiyans? A dead race! Why?!'

"WHY!?" Krillin's inner rant finally manifested audibly. His yell was not only loud, but powerful, creating an air cannon of sorts.

The result was a white, spiraling tunnel of air pressure and sound, and it was fast. So fast that it actually pierced through the exosphere and a few hundred feet into outer space before disappearing into nothingness.

Krillin was now just standing in space with his head hanging down. Defeated. Regardless of what he did or would do in the future, it didn't matter. They would always need the saiyans help. This was the reality he needed to accept. And, although he was loathed to admit it again, he knew it was the truth. It always had been. Even when he and Goku were children.

Krillin finally shook himself after floating there for a few minutes. He knew everyone would be at Bulma's by now, celebrating Goku's latest victory once again. So he sensed for their energies and made his was to Capsule Corp, where he accurately predicted they would be.

Bulma had another feast prepared, as she usually did when Beerus and Whis were around, and the god of destruction along with Goku and Vegeta were absolutely gorging themselves on the most delicious foods in town. Master Roshi, Tien, and Chiaotzu were dining on a round table underneath an umbrella, Bulma was relaxing on one of her lounge chairs, Gohan and his family were eating together, and Goten and Trunks were running around the place "playing monkey in the middle" with Mai, who looked vaguely familiar.

Krillin looked at the young saiyans with disgust. He hated that he would always need to depend on them to protect his planet. A strange alien race, who wasn't even native to their solar-system was required to fend off galactic evils. And he still hated this reality. So to keep his mind off of his new-found resentment for saiyans, Krillin walked toward the buffet, grabbed a few morsels, and flew to the roof of Bulma's dome-like home. Goku tried calling out to him with food spilling from his mouth, but Krillin ignored him and took his seat facing away from the festivities.

He wanted to sulk some more. However, before he could enjoy his assortment of food, he heard a kind voice behind him.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Krillin quickly turned around, nearly dropping his plate in the process. It was Whis. He was floating there holding his orbital staff in his right hand with a plate of delicacies in his left. His face held the continual kind smile that he always held, and for some reason Krillin found his appearance calming to his raging spirit.

"Ah… Su- sure," Krillin stuttered as he pointed to a seat beside him.

The angel floated down to the designated spot and sat down, cross-legged. He took a bite from his platter and reeled his head with joy from taste.

Despite this divine creature's rank and authority, he was still a bit of an enigma to Krillin.

And thus the two sat and ate in relative silence, staring at the lights shining from West City in the distance.

After a few minutes, Whis wiped his mouth and said, "If you don't mind me asking, why are you mad with Goku?"

Krillin looked up at the angel with a little surprise, but then looked back at the lights and replied, "I don't hate Goku," attempting to mask his inner feelings

"Really? I didn't ask if you hated him," Whis said. "Do you you hate him though?"

Krillin just sat there and continued to stare blankly at the lights. "I prefer not to talk about it here."

"Very well then," the angel replied standing to his feet. The angel brushed his clothes and then, to Krillin's surprise, grabbed him, and took off to the stars.

The sudden kidnapping really startled the dwarf. Before he could do or say anything, the world was wiped away by a huge line of white. The actual trip lasted less than a second, but that was more than enough to scare the living daylights out of him.

Before he knew it, they stopped and the angel dropped him on some very dusty ground. Krillin bounced from the ground and realized that he was floating away from the ground with grey powder spreading everywhere. Whis grabbed his hand, and pulling him back to the ground said, "Be sure to hover just above the surface. Otherwise it will be very unpleasant."

Krillin did as the angel said, and then realized a large, blue, oblong shaped object, beaming brilliantly at them from the sky. The stars were also much bigger and brighter as well.

"Where the heck are we?" the short man exclaimed.

"On the moon," Whis simply responded. "You said that you didn't want to talk about Goku there, so I took us somewhere a little more private. We will not be interrupted here."

Krillin stared back at the angel in disbelief. He looked around his surrounding a second time and it was no doubt that they were, indeed, on the moon.

At this revelation, Krillin quickly held his breath.

"Don't worry Krillin," Whis smiled back, "We have a dome above our heads. You do not need to worry about air."

The dwarf released his breath, thankful that there was, indeed, air.

"You really want to know, don't you?" Krillin sadly said looking at the lunar surface.

"I just want to help you," Whis replied.

Krilin took a breath. "I don't know why, but for some reason, Goku's always the one saving the earth. I mean, him being stronger than me never really bothered me that much, but.. It's just."

He stopped for a moment, searching for the right words. "It's just not fair. The saiyans have always had combat advantage over us humans. Sure, when Goku and I were kids, we were more or less equals, but he was almost always holding back on me."

Krillin's aura started to form around him. "It just not fair! No matter how hard I train. No matter how hard I try. No matter how many bones I break or how close I come to dying. No matter how many times I even die and come back again, the gap keeps getting bigger and bigger!"

Tears were starting to stream down his face and lunar dust swarmed around him as his aura got bigger and bigger. "It's not because they train harder! It's because they're saiyans. Saiyans always get stronger more than twice as strong as we do for half the training we humans do! Even Goten and Trunks, who are just kids, are far stronger than I could ever hope to be! IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!"

Krillin's aura immediately disappeared. Tears were freely streaming down his face and he hung his head in defeat, just like he did earlier. "Is it too much to ask to be able to defend your own planet? Without always depending on an alien from another race to do it?"

Then he went quiet. He said everything he wanted to say. During the Krillin's entire monologue, Whis just stood there, patiently listening to every word.

After a minutes of silence, the angel placed his hand on Krillin's shoulder and asked a simple question. "Would you like to be able to defend your planet?"

Krillin immediately looked, wonderingly, into that kindly blue face. The angel was smiling a comforting smile down on him, and these words combined with that expression inspired hope in the broken warrior's heart. Hope that he too could be strong. But only for a moment.

He looked down again at the dusty ground and said, "Please don't mess with me. That joke wasn't funny."

"Oh, but I wasn't joking," the angel replied. "Do you really believe Goku could have gotten to where he did solely by himself?"

Krillin's ears started to perk up. The angel continued, "He didn't become a super saiyan god by himself, and he certainly didn't achieve his new super saiyan blue form by himself either."

Krillin looked back at Whis's face again, his hope starting to rekindle. "What are you saying?"

The Whis was now smirking at Krillin. "Isn't it obvious? I've been teaching him all this time. Granted, Goku and Vegeta DID discover the form on their own, but they never would have gotten as far as they did without my guidance.

Tears began to form in the short man's eyes again. But not from anger or sadness. Not this time. "A- are you say-"

"Krillin," Whis said, smiling all the way. "Would you like me to train you to defend your planet with a power similar to, if not, greater than the saiyans?"