The instant Vittli transformed, a terrifying aura burst from Kami's Lookout and swept across the whole Earth like an invisible tsunami.
It was powerful, violent, and packed with annihilating pressure.
On a small island in the sea, at Kame House, Master Roshi was crouched in the most shameless pose imaginable, nose practically pressed to the TV as he watched a "Global Aerobics Beauty Contest" replay.
Suddenly, the oppressive ki slammed into him. His old body jerked backward against his will—thump—he fell flat on his butt, sunglasses askew.
"Ow ow ow!"
He scrambled up, the lecherous excitement on his face replaced by stark terror. He rushed to the window, staring hard toward Korin Tower, sweat soaking through his floral shirt.
"T-this ki… that brat Vittli's?! How… how is it this terrifying?!"
Before, the power Vittli had shown at the tournament was like a firefly to the moon compared to this.
At that moment, Krillin barged in with a fat wallet, beaming. "Master! I finished my part-time training! The boss said I carried bricks fast and well, so he paid me triple!"
He froze when he saw Roshi's pale face. "Master, what's wrong? Did you throw your back out again?"
Roshi forced himself to breathe, face complicated. "N-no. It's… nothing. I'm old. Legs aren't what they used to be."
He took the wallet, managed a stiff smile. "Good work, Krillin. Launch left food for you in the fridge. Heat it up."
After Krillin left, Roshi stared back at the calm sky, shaken to the core.
"So that punch… still wasn't your limit, huh… Vittli… what are you really?"
Elsewhere, in a villa at the Crane School.
The Crane Hermit swirled red wine, maintaining a lofty air before his disciples Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu.
Then his wrist shook. Expensive wine splashed over a priceless carpet.
His face went corpse-white. The glass slipped and shattered.
"M-Master?" Tien asked, alarmed. He too felt the terrifying pressure, his face grim.
The Crane Hermit's lips trembled. "T-Tien… that ki… it's too horrifying. Next tournament… maybe we… maybe we shouldn't enter…"
For the first time, his ambition wavered. Whoever owned that aura was beyond human resistance.
Tien clenched his fists. Even as the pressure squeezed his breath thin, the pride of Crane School and his obsession to surpass Turtle School burned harder.
"Sorry, Master. I still want to enter!" he said with iron resolve. "I'll prove Crane School is stronger than Turtle School! No matter who the opponent is!"
The Crane Hermit stared at the fire in Tien's eyes, hesitated, then sighed and nodded. "Fine… if you've decided… then you must win. At any cost."
"Yes, Master."
Chiaotzu stared up at Tien, eyes sparkling in admiration. "Tien… so cool…"
Near Korin Tower, deep in a forest.
Goku was locked in a fierce battle with a man who called himself the world's greatest assassin—Mercenary Tao.
Tao's attacks were vicious and lethal; Goku relied on agility and rising skill to survive.
Just as Goku found an opening to counter, that violent ki smashed into his senses like a hammer.
Goku froze.
"Good!" Tao's eyes flashed. "Dododon Ray!"
The killing shot screamed toward Goku.
In the instant before impact, Goku snapped back on instinct, swinging his Power Pole to block. Bam! He was knocked back several steps, arm numb.
He steadied himself, blinking at Tao's smug grin, puzzled.
"That feeling just now… was Vittli? Weird… why did I feel Vittli?"
Goku still couldn't sense ki properly yet—but his opportunity was coming.
Back on the Lookout, Vittli's golden light slowly withdrew.
Hovering there, he marveled at his hands, at the roaring sea of power in his body.
But after joy came a darker tide—a violent, savage impulse rising from the depths, like a bloodthirsty beast awakened inside him, urging destruction and battle.
His golden aura flickered out of control, waves of pressure pounding the Lookout's barrier until it hummed.
"No…" Vittli frowned. "I still can't fully control this power. My ki is leaking way too much."
He knew that returning to the surface like this could cause catastrophe from pressure alone.
He dropped to the scarred plaza and sat cross-legged.
His golden hair stayed upright, but his green eyes steadied coldly as he closed them, focusing on controlling the wild strength and calming the violence within.
Kami, supported by Popo, staggered closer. His old face was full of shock and alarm.
"This power… how can it be so overwhelming? What… what is he?"
Then Popo spoke at Vittli's side, voice calm and flat:
"Your heart is too chaotic."
Vittli opened his green eyes, startled to find Popo standing before him.
Popo ignored his surprise.
"You've already tried to feel nature on your own, but it's not enough. Your mind isn't truly clear—too many杂念. Your ki looks vast, but it's like a wild horse. It hasn't become part of you. When you hit a bottleneck, you didn't settle down to temper your foundation. You chased a new form impatiently. Your foundation is like a house built on sand. Unstable."
Vittli could only stare, speechless.
This Popo—who barely existed in the original story—could see through the hidden weakness of his power system at a glance?
Is this for real?
"You… who are you, exactly?"
"I am Popo," Popo answered simply. "Kami's servant."
Vittli's mind shouted: Yeah right. No 'servant' has that level of insight.
But he didn't dig deeper. Popo's words hit him like a bell, waking him up. He had obsessed over raw numeric growth and neglected control and inner stability.
He immediately let go of resistance and cleared his mind per Popo's guidance.
Instead of forcing the power down, he sought resonance with it.
He imagined his heart as a tranquil lake, reflecting sky and all things. Golden power moved through him like wind across water, leaving no ripples.
Slowly, something profound stirred. He felt himself blending with the high sky, the drifting clouds, the blue planet below…
He was no longer a vessel for violence. He was part of nature.
Within that state, his raging golden aura softened, then receded like a tide until it vanished completely.
His hair faded back from gold to black.
His ki settled into perfect stillness—more refined and hidden than before.
He sat there for three days.
He didn't notice time. The Lookout's sun and moon turned, clouds rolling endlessly, while three full days passed.
Down in West City's Brief estate, the mood was the opposite of the Lookout's calm—heavy with anxiety.
Bulma paced the living room, frantic. Her blue eyes were bloodshot; dark circles shadowed her face.
Three days. Vittli had been missing for three days.
"Vittli, you bastard! Where the hell did you go? What… what happened?!"
She grabbed an empty cup, ready to smash it, then remembered they'd bought it together. She could only slam it back down with a clang.
She'd mobilized all of Capsule Corp's resources. Drones swarmed out, covering thousands of kilometers around Korin Tower. Every TV and radio station aired missing-person alerts. The internet was flooded with posters and rewards.
The results were all the same:
No target found.
Bulma opened the latest drone report again, hands shaking. That cruel line—"No matching target found"—made her dizzy. Her eyes reddened, tears threatening.
"Vittli…" she whispered, voice breaking. "Where are you… don't scare me…"
Beside her, Mrs. Brief poured tea calmly, elegant as always. She watched her daughter's panic with a gentle sigh.
"Alright, my Bulma. Don't worry so much. Vittli's so strong—he won the tournament without even trying. What could happen to him? He must've run into something special. Maybe…"
She sipped tea, smiling with motherly certainty. "Maybe he'll just whoosh back any minute. You've got to have faith."
Bulma lifted her tear-blurred eyes. "How can I, Mom?! It's been three days! There's no news anywhere! How could he suddenly just come ba—"
"I'm back, Bulma!"
A familiar voice dropped from above her head.
A figure flashed down in a whoosh and landed squarely on the living room carpet.
Vittli.
Bulma froze, eyes wide, like she'd stumbled into a dream.
"VITTLI!!"
A scream of grievance, worry, and joy all at once. She launched herself like a rocket into his arms, hitting him so hard he rocked back—then he caught her firmly.
She clung to him like an octopus, face buried in his chest, shoulders shaking as three days of fear detonated.
"You jerk! Idiot! Where were you for three days?! I thought… I thought you didn't want me anymore… w-waaah…"
She pounded his back weakly, tears soaking his shirt.
Vittli's heart clenched hard. He hugged her tighter, voice full of guilt and tenderness.
"I'm sorry… Bulma… I'm sorry. I went to the Lookout to train, trying to master a new power… I entered a special state. It felt like a moment to me, but when I opened my eyes, three days had passed… I really didn't mean to scare you…"
He stroked her back gently, letting her cry it all out.
Mrs. Brief sipped her now-cooled tea, smiling like she'd just watched the perfect drama.
"Honestly," she murmured with delight, "this is even better than prime-time television."