"Prince!" Cabba cried excitedly, dropping to one knee in salute.
As for Vegeta and Trunks calling out Ken's name, Cabba and Caulifla had already ignored that part in their excitement.
"I'm not your prince. I'm Ken," Ken said calmly.
"Ken? Right, now I remember. That guy called Goku mentioned you before too… You really do look a lot like our prince," Caulifla said with a sigh.
"So you're Ken," Cabba said, finally putting it together.
"Are you done training?" Gohan stepped forward and asked curiously.
"I've put training aside for now. I came out to get some air. There's only so much you gain from training nonstop," Ken said with a wave and a smile. "Still feels too slow, though… In six years, I only went up four levels."
Vegeta's eyes widened on the spot, his face filling with pure shock.
Four levels?
Last time I checked, you were already in the seventies.
At your level, every step upward should be unbelievably hard.
And yet you still went up four levels!
This guy really is a genius.
Why didn't I just train with him back then?
The more Vegeta thought about it, the more bitterly he regretted it.
If I'd stayed with Ken the whole time, would there even have been any place left for Broly?
"Four levels…" Gohan laughed awkwardly, his smile dry.
Kale was stunned too.
After all, during the Cell fight, Ken had explained the whole level system to everyone.
"You all carry on." Ken had nothing in particular to talk about with Gohan's group, so he lightly tapped the ground with his staff.
Tap.
A brilliant aura instantly wrapped around him.
"Tell Bulma for me later," Ken said to Gohan. "I'm leaving Earth for a bit. I'll be back in less than two months."
"Ah… got it." Gohan nodded quickly.
Before leaving, Ken silently glanced at Vegeta.
The moment Vegeta felt that look, he could not help shivering.
Ken ignored him after that, turned into a streak of light, and shot off Earth into the distant stars.
It was about time he went and had some fun with the two Guards.
Back then, he had only sparred with the Right Guard.
Now, Ken felt like it was time to challenge their super fusion.
According to what he had heard, once the two Guards used that technique, their levels increase by six.
That meant the fused pair should be somewhere around level 79.
Ken found himself looking forward to it as he left a dazzling trail across the starry sky.
Watching him vanish, the fear in Vegeta's eyes gradually faded.
Wait a second! Why didn't Ken hit me this time?
Is it because I've gotten stronger?
Did I finally earn his approval?
A small thrill rose in Vegeta's chest, like a child finally being acknowledged by his parents.
"Let's go, Trunks," Vegeta called as he turned and started walking off.
"Dad, what about the amusement park and my allowance…" Trunks asked quickly, worried his father was about to back out.
"Hmph. You'll get both. Just not the amusement park today," Vegeta said with a snort, though in the end he still agreed.
After all, Trunks was only eight. At that age, managing a draw against a strong Saiyan like Caulifla from Planet Sadala was already impressive.
Give him a little more training, and he would definitely surpass her.
For a moment, Vegeta even found himself wondering if he should just take Caulifla back and make her Trunks's wife.
She was a bit older than Trunks, though.
Quite a bit older, actually.
Then again, Saiyans did tend to like older women.
Wasn't Ken himself into Angels who had lived for hundreds of millions of years?
"Trunks, what do you think of that girl?" Vegeta asked.
"Huh? What do I think?" Trunks blinked, not getting it.
"Her looks," Vegeta added.
"She's okay, I guess. But she's not as pretty as the cutest girl in our class," Trunks said with a grin.
"The cutest girl in your class?" Vegeta did not quite understand the phrase.
"I mean the prettiest girl in class," Trunks explained.
"You're only in elementary school, and you're already rating girls like that?" Vegeta asked, a little surprised.
Trunks scratched his head and looked too embarrassed to keep talking about it.
…
Vegeta left with Trunks.
Caulifla, meanwhile, felt a little stabbed in the heart.
She had actually wanted to stop Vegeta and ask for a spar.
But after giving it some thought, she dropped the idea.
I only managed a draw with his son.
That guy named Vegeta is probably insanely strong.
I'm not going out of my way to get crushed.
When I get back, I'm training properly.
Cabba felt just as bad in his own way.
I need to learn the Super Saiyan transformation as soon as possible.
If I don't, I'm going to end up at the bottom of all Saiyans.
"Hey, that guy just now really looked exactly like the prince from Planet Sadala," Caulifla said quietly as she moved closer to Gohan.
"Really?" Gohan scratched his head.
"So he really is Ken?" Caulifla asked.
"Yeah." Gohan nodded.
"He just flew off the planet?" Caulifla looked up at the sky in astonishment.
"That's right." Gohan nodded again.
"That speed…" Cold sweat slid down her cheek. "It looked even faster than a spaceship."
"You're right. He flies way, way faster than a spaceship," Gohan said.
"Then… what is he, exactly?" Caulifla asked, deeply shocked.
"An Angel," Gohan answered.
"An Angel? Is he the one who trained Kale?" Caulifla asked, still only half understanding.
"No. In the beginning, Kale trained under Merus," Gohan corrected her.
"So… Merus is an Angel too?" Caulifla finally managed to sort it out.
"Yep." Gohan nodded.
Caulifla stopped asking questions.
For the first time in a long while, she felt like a child who knew almost nothing.
Cabba, standing at her side, looked even more lost, as if he had just heard a heavenly scripture.
Still, the conversation had opened a new world for both of them.
Neither of them had imagined there were gods this powerful in the universe.
"Angels… how do they compare to Gods of Destruction?" Cabba suddenly asked.
"Generally speaking, Angels are the teachers of Gods of Destruction," Gohan explained.
Cabba froze.
Caulifla's eyes went wide with shock as well.
Angels were the teachers of Gods of Destruction?
"Oh, right, Kale. What did you go see Uncle Ken for?" Gohan turned and asked.
"N-Nothing. I just wanted to ask him a few things about training," Kale answered quickly, grabbing the first excuse she could think of.
If I told Gohan-nii I went to Ken-nii because I wanted to be prettier, what would he even think?
Would I stop counting as natural?
Guys usually like girls who are natural, right?
Would he still like someone who's been… adjusted?
No, wait, that doesn't sound right either. Didn't Krillin end up liking a modified woman?
And Android 21 even had a child with him.
That kid was already several years old by now.
…
The sun was setting.
Bulma had finally finished Gohan's transformation outfit.
"So I just press this red button, right?" Gohan asked, putting the watch on his wrist and pointing at the red button.
"Exactly," Bulma said with a nod.
Click.
Gohan pressed the red button.
A brand-new outfit instantly appeared over his body.
Along with the clothes, a helmet also formed over his head.
Seeing Gohan transform in the blink of an eye, Caulifla circled him curiously, looking him up and down.
"What kind of tech is this? It feels like the clothes just appeared instantly," she said, arms folded as she thought it over.
"Hah, I look pretty cool," Gohan said with a smile as he stepped up to a mirror. "Perfect. This is exactly the feeling I wanted."
"Not bad, right?" Bulma said with a grin.
"Thanks, Aunt Bulma," Gohan said quickly.
"No need." Bulma waved it off.
"Oh, right, Aunt Bulma. Uncle Ken came out earlier and said he was leaving Earth for a bit. He said he'd be back within two months," Gohan added, passing on Ken's message.
"What the heck… he couldn't come tell me himself?" Bulma pouted, clearly annoyed.
"Hey, what are you even wearing that for?" Caulifla asked curiously.
Gohan did not hide anything and explained everything to Cabba and Caulifla, from starting school to why he needed a separate identity.
"School? As in studying academic subjects?" Caulifla stared at him like he was some kind of monster.
You've got to be kidding me.
At first, she had assumed Gohan was going to some kind of battle academy.
Planet Sadala had battle academies too.
But Caulifla herself had never gone to one.
The stuff they taught there was all standard routine anyway, and she preferred getting stronger her own way.
"Yeah. My biggest dream is to become a great scholar," Gohan said with a nod and a smile. Then he added, "A God of Destruction scholar."
"A God of Destruction scholar?" Caulifla looked baffled.
Gohan only gave her a mysterious smile and said nothing more.
He already had his own idea of how he wanted to govern the universe one day.
He needed knowledge.
He also needed strength.
Once he became a powerful enough God of Destruction, he would shape the universe in a better direction according to his own ideals.
"A God of Destruction scholar…" Cabba silently turned the phrase over in his own mind.
"We should get going," Gohan said to Bulma.
"Go ahead. If you get back too late, your mother's going to think you and Kale were off doing something indecent," Bulma said with a knowing smile.
Gohan scratched his head awkwardly.
Kale's face turned even redder.
Aunt Bulma, when you say things like that, of course I'm going to get embarrassed.
"Caulifla, Cabba, we're heading out. What about you two?" Gohan asked.
"We haven't decided yet. We might head back to Planet Sadala after we finish eating," Caulifla said after a moment's thought.
"When I become a God of Destruction scholar someday, can I come visit you on Planet Sadala?" Gohan asked.
Caulifla had no immediate response.
If you really become a God of Destruction, then you coming to visit us should be our honor, not the other way around.
"What about you, Kale? Aren't you going back for a visit? Everyone misses you," Caulifla asked, turning to her.
Kale immediately shook her head and refused.
School had only just started, and everything still felt fresh to Gohan.
Including the girls in his class.
I absolutely cannot leave at a time like this.
Otherwise one of those girls might steal him away.
"Maybe later," Kale added.
Once things between Gohan and me are more stable, then I'll go back to Sadala.
"All right." Caulifla did not push it.
She had come here this time mainly to see Kale.
If Kale had been living badly, Caulifla would have avenged her and taken her home.
But from what she had seen, Kale was living extremely well on Earth—probably even better than Caulifla herself.
That filled her with quiet relief.
"It's getting late. Let's go home, Kale," Gohan called.
"Okay, Gohan-nii." Kale nodded at once.
The two of them said goodbye to Bulma, Caulifla, and Cabba, then quickly flew up into the sky.
Whoosh!
Two bright trails streaked across the air and vanished into the distance in moments.
"Make yourselves at home. I still have work to do, so I won't be staying with you," Bulma said to Caulifla and Cabba, pointing at the robot beside her. "If you need anything, tell the robot."
"Sorry for the trouble," Caulifla said politely.
Bulma said nothing more and returned to her room to continue her research.
That left only Cabba and Caulifla outside.
"Caulifla, should we head back now?" Cabba asked.
"What do you think?" Caulifla asked in return.
"I want to stay here a while and secretly see how they train. Why are they so much stronger than we are?" Cabba said thoughtfully.
"I was thinking the same thing." Caulifla nodded.
"But before that… could you teach me how to turn Super Saiyan?" Cabba looked at her hopefully.
"It's actually simple. Kale told me that if you create a huge emotional surge while keeping yourself calm, you can transform into a Super Saiyan," Caulifla explained without hiding anything. "But after I transformed, I found an even easier way."
"An easier way? What is it?" Cabba asked.
"Focus your energy in your back." Caulifla pointed at the spot on his back. "Right there."
"Really? I'll give it a try." Cabba nodded, his face turning serious.
He drew in a deep breath, then followed Caulifla's instructions and concentrated his energy into that point in his back.
Flash!
In the next instant, golden light burst all around him, and he transformed into a Super Saiyan.
"Huh? It really worked! So this is Super Saiyan? It feels incredible!" Cabba looked down at his hands in shock and delight, feeling explosive power surging through his body.
"So focusing it in the back really does work," Caulifla said with a nod.
"I heard the Saiyans here had to train for a very, very long time to become Super Saiyans," Cabba said quietly.
"Exactly. Which just proves that Saiyans from Planet Sadala are more talented," Caulifla said with a grin.
"We're not going to lose to them," Cabba said seriously, nodding.
In truth, it was not that Cabba and Caulifla were more talented than Goku and the others.
The reason they could transform so easily was that they had already met the conditions for becoming Super Saiyans.
Most Saiyans on Planet Sadala had peaceful hearts to begin with. All they lacked was the final trigger.
Once they learned the method, most Saiyans from Planet Sadala would be able to transform.
It was similar to Goten and Trunks, who had been born with peaceful hearts and therefore had almost no barrier to becoming Super Saiyans.
"Let's stay for a while and observe them. And while we're here, we'll train properly too," Caulifla suggested.
"Agreed." Cabba nodded.
"But before that, we need a place to stay." Caulifla tilted her head up and looked at the sky.
"Y-You mean the two of us are staying together?" Cabba's heart started pounding.
"We'll get a hotel," Caulifla said with a smile. "I heard gold works as currency on this planet."
She looked at Cabba.
"There's still plenty of gold in your spaceship, right?"
"Y-Yeah… I'll go get it." Cabba nodded, blushing.
So we're finally getting a room together?
…
High in the sky.
Gohan and Kale were flying quickly toward Mount Paozu.
Since Satan City sat roughly between West City and Mount Paozu, the two of them had to pass over Satan City on the way home.
After flying for a while, they reached the skies above Satan City.
"Gohan-nii, there's a car speeding down there," Kale said, pointing toward a vehicle racing along below.
"I see it. I'll transform now," Gohan said, immediately pressing the button on his watch.
Click.
A green outfit instantly formed over his body.
"I'm going!" Gohan dropped straight out of the sky and landed right in front of the speeding car.
Kale stayed floating high above and did not go down.
The speeding car slammed on the brakes and skidded to a halt less than ten centimeters from Gohan. The whole vehicle shuddered violently, and smoke rose from the hood.
"Are you an idiot? Jumping out in front of a moving car? You trying to die?" the driver shouted, leaning his head out the window.
"Where the hell did this guy even come from?" the fat man in the passenger seat growled, cracking his knuckles as if he planned to beat Gohan senseless.
"You can't drive this fast. It's too dangerous. You almost caused an accident," Gohan called out. "From now on, you need to drive carefully. No speeding!"
"What the hell are you talking about, you freak? What's with that ridiculous outfit?" the driver said, cigarette hanging from his mouth as he stepped out with a knife in hand.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" the fat man in sunglasses asked coldly.
"Oh? Who am I?" Gohan blinked and rubbed his chin as he thought about it.
"You're only coming up with it now?" the fat man said, face darkening.
"I am the warrior of justice—Great Saiyaman!" Gohan declared, striking what he thought was an extremely cool pose.
"Great Saiyaman?"
Both men stared blankly.
Then they looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha, what a loser!"
"That costume's lame, and the name's even worse!"
"This guy's insane!"
"Let's just kill him!"
The two of them mocked him without restraint.
Gohan started shaking with rage, stomped down on the asphalt, and shouted, "Don't make fun of people!"
Boom!
The road cracked apart beneath his foot, leaving a crater behind.
"It took me a lot of effort to come up with that name," Gohan said through gritted teeth.
"What a… powerful name…" the driver stammered, his lips trembling.
"Sorry!" the fat man blurted out.
The two of them quickly got back in the car and reduced their speed to thirty.
"Drive safely, drive safely," they said, waving to Gohan as they left.
Gohan felt a real sense of accomplishment.
They finally understood.
"Gohan-nii, that was amazing." Kale slowly descended from the sky and praised him excitedly.
By the time the sun was almost down, Gohan and Kale finally returned home to Mount Paozu.
"So? First day of school—how did it go, Gohan? Kale?" Chi-Chi asked.
"Yeah, it was great. It really is nothing like online classes," Gohan said with a nod.
"And you, Kale?" Chi-Chi asked.
"I think so too…" Kale did not dare say much more than that.
"Good. Then make sure you both study hard," Chi-Chi said with satisfaction as she prepared a rich dinner for them.
"Mom, where's Goten? He's not home?" Gohan asked, noticing his brother was missing.
"Goten went to play with Zarek," Chi-Chi answered. "He probably won't be back tonight."
…
Early the next morning, Gohan and Kale got up, washed up, ate breakfast, and headed off for school again.
The two of them flew into the sky and sped toward Satan City.
Very soon, they landed on the school rooftop, came downstairs, and headed to the locker area where students swapped out their books.
"Morning!"
Gohan and Kale spotted the boy with glasses and greeted him warmly.
"Oh… you two are here early," the boy said with a smile. Then he added, "Oh, right, did you hear? A new hero of justice showed up again yesterday."
"Oh?" Gohan felt a little pleased with himself.
Kale smiled expectantly too.
He must be talking about Gohan-nii.
"His outfit was pretty lame, but he was really strong. I think his name was something like Great Saiya-Mask," the boy said with a laugh.
"No, it was Great Saiyaman," Kale corrected seriously.
"Huh? How do you know that?" the boy asked, surprised.
"I… well…" Kale froze.
"Kale heard it from a witness," Gohan said, stepping in to help.
The boy did not suspect a thing.
…
The bell rang.
Gohan listened carefully in class and took notes seriously.
Kale, meanwhile, turned her head and watched Gohan's handsome profile, her heart full of happiness.
If I could just stay like this with Gohan forever, that would be enough.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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