"Well… it's hard to say right now." Goku scratched his head, looking a little sheepish.
"This is bad… If even Super Saiyan God can't beat him, then we're really in danger," Krillin said, sounding like he was about to cry.
"We still have time. We can use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber," Piccolo suggested. "While you were gone, we've been training in there."
"Yeah, Dad," Gohan added quickly. "Piccolo-san trained with me in the chamber for months. That's how I finally got to this level."
"Gohan, Piccolo—tell me exactly what you did in there," Goku said, thinking.
Piccolo didn't hold anything back. He explained how he'd guided Gohan and the training approach he'd designed for him.
"Piccolo-san even said… if you trained with me, you'd probably use the same method," Gohan said, rubbing the back of his head with a grin.
"He's right," Goku said, nodding seriously. "Piccolo, you did great. If I were training Gohan, I'd have him do it the same way."
Vegeta said nothing.
Does that method really work?
Nothing beats Great Ape power. In front of absolute strength, even Super Saiyan God has to get flattened.
If Vegeta thought about it, Broly's path was basically the same idea—tap into Great Ape power first, then stack Super Saiyan on top, and his strength skyrockets.
My transformation will surpass Kakarot's Super Saiyan God.
"Dad, let's go back in and train together!" Gohan asked excitedly.
"No," Goku said, shaking his head gently. "We're not going back in."
"What?" Piccolo blinked. "You're not taking Gohan into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?"
"That's right," Goku said with a nod.
"Why? You and Gohan could still spend a whole day in there," Piccolo pressed.
"Gohan just came out, didn't he?" Goku said with a small smile. "He's exhausted. Let him rest properly."
"Hmph. Kakarot, I don't know what you're up to, but I'll tell you this—when Cell goes down, it'll be me who beats him!" Vegeta snapped.
"Sure. Hopefully," Goku said, not taking the bait. He turned back to Piccolo. "Piccolo, thanks for looking after Gohan while I was gone."
"No need to thank me," Piccolo said, smiling. "I've always thought of Gohan as my own son."
"Piccolo-san…" Gohan said softly, moved.
"I'm taking Gohan with me for a bit. That okay?" Goku asked.
"Go," Piccolo said. "He's your responsibility now."
"Gohan, let's go." Goku looked back at him.
"Yes," Gohan said, nodding.
Father and son lifted off and dove down from the Lookout.
Before leaving, Goku waved at Trunks with a grin. "Trunks, keep training hard."
"Understood, Goku-san," Trunks replied.
Goku didn't say more. As they descended, Korin Tower appeared above the clouds.
"Let's stop by Korin Tower," Goku said.
Gohan agreed, and the two entered the tower together.
Korin was inside, as always.
"Hi, Korin," Goku greeted.
"Hello," Gohan added politely.
Korin nodded at Gohan. "Gohan… you've grown." Then he turned to Goku with a gentle smile. "Goku, you finally made it back from the future."
"Yeah… something unexpected happened," Goku admitted, scratching his head. "If everything went smoothly, I should've returned before the Androids even activated."
"Still," Korin said, "things haven't gone beyond control."
Goku laughed when he spotted someone. "Yajirobe! Didn't think you'd be here."
"Goku, what are you doing here?" Yajirobe blurted. "Let me make this clear—I'm not joining that 'Cell Games' tournament, no matter what!"
"Relax," Goku said with a smile. "I'm not asking you to."
"Good," Yajirobe huffed. "I've saved your life more than once, you know."
Goku turned to Korin, chuckling. "In the future, after the Androids killed you, Yajirobe grabbed his sword and fought them like he didn't care if he died."
"Oh?" Korin glanced back at Yajirobe, surprised. "That's rare… I always thought you were terrified of dying."
Yajirobe scowled. "Don't bring future stuff into this timeline."
Korin sighed, suddenly weary. "Goku… Cell is frightening, sure. But that isn't the scariest part."
"There's worse?" Goku asked.
"There is," Korin said quietly. "I can feel the gods gathering on Earth. If something goes wrong…"
As he spoke, Korin formed a small bubble of ki and poked it with a claw.
"Earth is like this soap bubble right now," Korin said, his expression heavy. "One careless touch, and it pops—gone, reduced to cosmic dust."
Gohan's eyes widened.
The gods are gathering on Earth?
Who does Korin mean?
Ken-san…?
But if Korin is saying gods, then Ken can't be the only one.
"You feel it too?" Goku scratched his head, then nodded firmly. "Yeah. I can sense a lot of gods showing up on Earth."
"Why would they all converge here…" Korin murmured.
"I just got back," Goku said, shaking his head. "I don't really know yet."
Right then, Goku's expression sharpened. He snapped his head toward the rear-left.
Something was coming—fast.
Whoosh!
A heartbeat later, Bardock streaked in at high speed with Gine in his arms. He landed inside Korin Tower and came face-to-face with Goku.
"Grandpa!" Gohan's eyes lit up as he hurried forward.
"Gohan," Bardock said, the sternness easing into a fond smile.
"Dad?" Goku froze for a beat, then stared at him.
"Kakarot… you're back from the future?" Bardock studied him closely. "Not bad. Four years without seeing you, and you've grown a lot stronger."
"Yeah," Goku said, nodding. "The Supreme Kai of Universe 6 taught me a lot."
"So he really looks exactly like you…" Gine murmured, glancing between Goku and Bardock in disbelief.
Goku looked at her, confused. "And you are…?"
"Kakarot," Bardock said, "this is Gine. She's the reincarnation of your mother."
"What? My mom's reincarnation?" Goku blinked, completely thrown.
"Grandma's reincarnation?" Gohan scratched his head, baffled.
"So… my mom's reincarnation is an Earthling?" Goku asked.
"Yes. An Earthling," Bardock confirmed.
"Huh. Honestly… that's not bad," Goku said with a small smile.
"Kakarot," Bardock said, voice turning serious again, "I can tell you improved a lot in the future. Want to spar?"
"Sure," Goku said, then frowned. "But not here. If we fight in the tower, it'll collapse."
Korin looked quietly relieved.
"Come with me," Bardock said. He lifted Gine and flew down toward the ground.
"Korin, we're heading out," Goku called, waving.
"Do your best," Korin replied.
"We're going too, Korin," Gohan said.
"You too, kid," Korin answered.
Goku and Gohan flew out and quickly caught up to Bardock. Under Bardock's lead, they landed in an empty mountain range with no one around.
"Gohan," Bardock said, "look after your grandma."
Yes!" Gohan replied immediately, moving to stand beside Gine.
Gine stared at him, completely at a loss.
I'm a young woman, not some grandma. I'm only twenty, okay?
And if she was really Kakarot's mother, then wouldn't that make her younger than her own son?
People talk about "surprise dadhood." She'd never heard of "surprise motherhood," especially not when your kid is older than you.
"Um… your name is…?" Gine asked.
"Grandma, I'm Son Gohan," Gohan answered.
"Don't call me Grandma," Gine blurted out. "Seriously—look at me. You can't be that much younger than I am. You're going to make me sound ancient."
"I'm nine," Gohan said.
Gine paused, then sighed and spread her hands. "Even so, I still don't want to be a grandma at twenty. You can treat me like a sister instead of a Grandma…"
Gohan went silent.
If Grandma is Big Sis, then what is Dad supposed to call me? This is going to turn the whole family tree upside down.
Gine seemed to realize it too. "Okay, no. Calling me sister is weird. Let's not destroy everyone's seniority. Just call me by my name. I'm Gine."
"Ah… alright," Gohan said, nodding.
Goku and Bardock faced each other.
"Alright, Kakarot," Bardock said, stern but warm. "Show me what you brought back from the future."
"Where do I start…" Goku scratched his head, then decided. "First, I want to check my raw output. I don't even know where my strength is right now."
Bardock nodded.
"Alright, I'm starting!" Goku said.
His ki surged outward in a sudden wave. Golden light burst around him, and his hair snapped upward—Super Saiyan.
High above, on the Lookout, that spike in ki instantly drew everyone's attention.
"What is that?" Piccolo said sharply.
"That ki…!" Tien stared.
"It's Goku!" Krillin blurted, shocked and thrilled.
Trunks stayed calmer than the others. He'd felt Goku's overwhelming ki in the future, so he wasn't as rattled.
Vegeta's jaw tightened, anger boiling.
Why is Kakarot's ki this strong?
What kind of training did he go through in the future to reach this level?
I refuse to accept it. His Super Saiyan has already left mine behind.
The thought made Vegeta even more restless.
Every time I finally catch up, he pulls ahead again.
Sure, I can turn into a Great Ape and crush him.
But on a Super Saiyan foundation, I've already lost.
And he can become Super Saiyan God too…
If you add it all up… it feels like I'm not even his match anymore.
Vegeta finally snapped at Piccolo. "Piccolo! Are you going in to train or not? If you're not going, I am!"
"I'm not going," Piccolo said, shaking his head. "If you want to, go."
"Damn it!" Vegeta grit his teeth, stomped into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and started another round of training.
Back in the mountains, Gine stared at Goku's gold hair, wide-eyed.
"Hold on… how did his hair turn gold?" she blurted. "Gohan, is your mom's hair gold too? Did you inherit it from her?"
"N-No," Gohan said quickly. "That's Super Saiyan. It's a transformation. Dad can do it, Grandpa can do it… and I can too."
"A transformation…?" Gine repeated, still trying to process it.
She stared a moment longer, then nodded slowly. "Okay… it's kind of cool. If I really had a son like that, it wouldn't be so bad."
Goku kept pushing his ki outward, voice rising with the strain.
Bardock raised a hand.
"Stop," he said.
Then he looked straight at Goku. "If you fight me with god ki, this normal Super Saiyan won't stand a chance."
"I only pushed out about half my power," Goku said, surprised. "Even then… I still wouldn't stand a chance?"
"That's how mortals fight," Bardock said. "You're training to become a proper Supreme Kai, aren't you? Gods have their own way of fighting. Didn't the Supreme Kai of Universe 6 tell you that?"
"Uh… he mostly taught me the job side of things," Goku admitted, rubbing his head. "He did teach me some training too, but a lot of it was me figuring things out on my own."
"Even at half strength, by mortal standards, you're already impressive," Bardock said thoughtfully. "But compared to that guy Cell, you're still just a little short."
"I figured," Goku said, nodding. He'd already gotten a good read on Cell's strength the moment they met.
"Now use your god ki," Bardock said firmly. "I know you learned Ultra Instinct from Ken. I want to see how well you've got it."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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