Nappa gritted his teeth and forced himself upright.
"A-Again, Vegeta! I can keep up with your pace—!"
Vegeta snorted.
In the next instant, he flashed in front of Nappa and drove a brutal punch into his stomach.
Nappa went flying again, slamming to the floor with a heavy crash.
Bulma couldn't watch anymore. She shouted through the gravity room window:
"Hey! Vegeta, are you trying to kill him?!"
Vegeta glanced at her, clearly annoyed.
"What's it to you? The weak deserve to be eliminated!"
Nappa lay sprawled on the ground, barely lifting his head.
"B-Bulma… I'm fine… This is Saiyan training…"
Bulma rolled her eyes.
"Oh please. I've never seen Goku train like this. You're just getting beat up."
Vegeta's gaze sharpened.
"This is our training method. Don't interfere."
Then—without hesitation—he punched Nappa down again.
Bulma frowned and pointed a finger at him.
"Fine! But don't you dare smash the ship. If you break it, we all die in space!"
With that, Bulma grabbed Goku's wrist and dragged him away.
But the moment they turned—
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The dull impacts continued, and the floor trembled from the force.
Bulma's eyebrow twitched.
"Goku, what's wrong with him? Who ticked him off now?"
Goku scratched his head awkwardly.
"Maybe… me."
Bulma blinked. "You?"
Goku sighed.
"When Vegeta fought Cooler, he got overwhelmed. I stepped in at the critical moment because I thought he was going to die… and I ended up defeating Cooler."
Bulma stared at him like he'd just said something ridiculous.
"And he's mad because of that?"
Goku nodded. "Yeah. He says I ruined his fight."
Bulma crossed her arms, unimpressed.
"Tch. That's not anger—he's embarrassed. He got stronger, but the second real combat happens, he still falls behind you."
Goku looked conflicted.
"I didn't have a choice. If I held back… he really would've died."
Bulma huffed.
"Whatever. Don't mind him. He's just a petty brat in a prince's body."
Goku nodded, glancing toward the gravity room with sympathy.
"…Nappa's the one who's suffering, though."
Bulma's eyes turned cold.
"Don't feel sorry for him. Nappa's killed people. Conquered planets. He could die eight hundred times and I still wouldn't pity him."
Goku paused, then nodded as if that settled it.
"…Fair point."
Bulma added firmly, "Just remember—now that he's on Earth, he can't be allowed to kill again."
"I know." Goku's expression hardened. "I warned him. If he kills on Earth, I'll make him pay."
Goku had a little faith that Raditz could change.
But Nappa?
He didn't have much hope.
Bulma finally relaxed.
"Good. Then I'm not worried."
Just then, the gravity room door slid open.
Nappa crawled out—his body a mess of bruises, swelling, and blood.
Bulma jolted and immediately ducked behind Goku.
"Goku… tell Vegeta to stop. Don't let him train like that anymore!"
But Nappa shook his head stubbornly.
"No… I have to train…"
Bulma stared. "You're practically dying!"
Nappa lifted his head, looking at Goku with desperate eyes.
"Kakarot… please… please give me a few more senzu beans…"
Goku blinked.
"Wait here."
He went back to the room, returned with a full pouch, and handed it over.
Nappa took it with trembling hands.
"Thank you…"
He swallowed one senzu bean—
and in an instant, all injuries vanished as if they'd never existed.
Then he turned around and walked right back into the gravity room.
A heartbeat later, Nappa's screams started again.
Goku sighed and looked at Bulma.
"Bulma… this senzu-bean method will run out sooner or later. Can you build one of those Frieza Force healing tanks?"
Bulma rubbed her chin, thinking seriously.
"The tank is just the shell. The real key is the healing fluid inside it."
She shook her head.
"I've never studied that formula. If I could get a sample and analyze it, maybe…"
Goku sighed again, genuinely regretful.
"If only we'd thought of it earlier… Frieza, Cooler, and King Cold are all dead now. That stuff won't be easy to find."
Bulma waved it off.
"It's fine. You don't really need it anyway."
"…True."
Goku had briefly imagined how valuable that technology would be in hospitals—how much money it could make.
But then he remembered who he was.
Why bother?
Bulma tugged on his hand, cheeks faintly pink.
"Come on. Let's go back."
"…Okay."
Earth — Mount Paozu
Three small figures flickered across the rocky terrain like streaks of light.
Afterimages crossed and crashed—each clash releasing shockwaves strong enough to rattle the mountains.
Piccolo stood on high ground with arms folded, his cape snapping in the wind.
"HAH!"
Bula suddenly blinked into midair. Her aura surged as she formed a bright energy sphere and hurled it straight at Piccolo.
Piccolo reacted instantly, gathering ki into a guard.
The blast detonated—dust and smoke rolling outward.
Bula—blue eyes like Bulma's, but with Goku's fearless battle spirit—grinned wildly.
"Uncle Piccolo! How was that? Pretty strong, right?!"
When the smoke cleared, Piccolo was unharmed—
but he was sweating.
"…Not bad."
"Uncle Piccolo! My turn!"
Meiqi's voice rang out from below.
In the next moment, she stamped the ground and shot forward. Her long legs snapped out in a lightning-fast chain of kicks, tearing the air apart.
Piccolo's pre-set defensive barrier shattered under the impact.
Even with her ferocity, she was still just a child.
Piccolo only pushed her back—never striking too hard.
But the most unsettling one wasn't Bula or Meiqi.
It was Gohan.
The gentle, polite boy.
He didn't show off like his sisters.
His movements were quiet—
precise—
almost frighteningly perfect.
When Piccolo fired a Special Beam Cannon at him…
Gohan didn't dodge.
He caught it bare-handed.
Compressed it—
then flung it back as an even hotter, sharper shockwave.
Piccolo deflected it in a panic.
The energy blast slammed into the mountain behind them—
BOOM!
Another peak vanished from Mount Paozu.
Piccolo wiped sweat off his brow, inner thoughts crashing like thunder.
Are you kidding me…?
These three brats are monsters.
I shouldn't have taught them real combat so early…
Right then—
Bula appeared behind him and patted his shoulder playfully.
"Uncle Piccolo~ Spacing out means you lose!"
At the same time, Meiqi rushed in from the front—
and Gohan's ki blast sealed Piccolo's escape route.
Piccolo grit his teeth and exploded with power, a green aura bursting upward.
But the very next second—
three different auras flared at once.
His defense shattered again.
When the dust cleared, Piccolo's cape was shredded, his turban long gone.
He looked… significantly less intimidating than he wanted to.
He stared at the three kids, all of them brimming with battle intent.
"…Kakarot," he muttered bitterly, "you really went and made three little monsters."
Then—
the sky lit up.
A strange machine appeared overhead.
The three children looked up, curious.
"What's that?"
Piccolo's eyes narrowed.
A powerful ki signature—
dangerous—
descended along with it.
He flashed in front of the kids instinctively, shielding them.
The machine's lower ring spun rapidly.
Then it stopped.
Slowly, it landed.
The hatch opened.
A tall, battle-worn figure stepped out—
wearing a torn orange gi, his right arm wrapped in bandages, his face marked by wounds that hadn't healed.
He was older.
Hardened.
And the pain in his eyes didn't belong to this era.
Future Gohan.
He looked at Piccolo, voice hoarse but trembling with emotion.
"Uncle Piccolo…"
Piccolo's pupils shrank.
The power inside this man was terrifying—perhaps even beyond Goku's.
"Who are you?" Piccolo demanded, body tense, ready to fight.
Future Gohan's eyes drifted past him—
and landed on the five-year-old Gohan.
He froze.
Then noticed two girls beside the child—confusion flashing over his face.
Meiqi suddenly sneezed.
Her hair flashed gold, her aura shifting—her entire vibe changing in an instant.
She stared at Future Gohan with open curiosity.
"Hey, mister. Who are you? What're you doing on our mountain?"
Future Gohan's eyes widened.
"A sneeze… and your personality flips…"
"…Are you Launch's daughter?"
Meiqi blinked. "Huh? You know my mom?"
Future Gohan's face turned pale.
"…So it's true."
Bula tilted her head, studying him—then glanced at young Gohan.
"You look familiar. Like my dad… and kinda like my brother."
She squinted.
"Are we related? Don't tell me Dad has some long-lost little brother."
Future Gohan stared at her.
"You said… he's your brother?"
His voice caught.
"…Then you're… Goku's daughter?"
Meiqi answered bluntly, arms folded.
"Yep. Goku's our dad. So who are you, old man?"
Future Gohan stumbled back half a step, staring at the time machine.
"That's impossible…"
"Aunt Bulma's settings should be correct…"
"Why is the past… different from mine?"
Time machine.
Aunt Bulma.
The past.
Piccolo's mind snapped pieces together.
He stared at Future Gohan, disbelief turning into shock.
Then he looked at young Gohan—
compared their faces—
and felt his breath catch.
"…Don't tell me…"
"…You're Gohan."
"…From the future."
Future Gohan nodded slowly, eyes softening as he looked at his younger self.
Young Gohan stared back, trembling.
"…Are you… me?" he asked quietly.
Future Gohan forced a small smile—thin and fragile.
"Yes. I'm you… from the future."
"But I hope…"
"…you never become me."
At that moment, Chi-Chi's voice called from the distance:
"Gohan! Meiqi! Bula! Time to eat!"
"Piccolo! I prepared the clearest spring water for you too!"
Future Gohan's body stiffened.
His eyes widened.
"…Mom."
Chi-Chi walked closer—
and the moment she saw Future Gohan, she froze.
"…W-Who are you? You scared me—I thought Goku was back…"
Future Gohan lowered his head. His shoulders shook.
"Mom…"
Chi-Chi stared—then glanced at young Gohan—then back again.
Confusion swamped her face.
"…What is going on?"
Piccolo spoke quickly, voice low but urgent.
"He says he came here in a time machine… from the future."
Chi-Chi's entire body jolted.
She looked at the machine, then at Future Gohan again.
"You're… future Gohan?"
Future Gohan nodded, a tear sliding down his cheek.
"Mom… I'm glad you're alive."
It hit Chi-Chi like lightning.
Her eyes trembled as she reached up—touching the scars on his face.
"…Gohan?"
"…Is it really you?"
She rushed forward and hugged him so tightly her arms shook.
"What happened?"
"Why are you hurt like this?"
Future Gohan closed his eyes, allowing himself—just for a second—to be held like a son again.
His voice was rough.
"I'm sorry, Mom…"
"In the future… I couldn't protect everyone."
Chi-Chi pulled back, face turning pale.
"…Was it a powerful enemy?"
Future Gohan nodded.
"Yes."
"Androids."
"Everyone died fighting them. Everyone."
"Only Aunt Bulma and I survived."
His throat tightened.
"At first, I tried to throw my life away fighting them… but Aunt Bulma wouldn't let me."
"We struggled through twenty years of ruin."
"She finally built a time machine… gathered enough power…"
"That's how I made it here."
Chi-Chi's hands trembled.
Then her mind caught something else—something unbearable.
"…Wait."
"…What about Goku?"
Future Gohan's voice cracked.
"Dad… died."
Chi-Chi's eyes widened.
"How…?"
Future Gohan swallowed.
"Not in battle."
"After Namek… he got a viral heart disease."
"And he… died from it."
Chi-Chi's brain went blank.
She inhaled—
and fainted on the spot.
"Mom!"
Future Gohan caught her immediately.
"I brought the medicine," he said quickly, voice urgent. "I brought it!"
But Chi-Chi couldn't hear him.
She was already unconscious.
Right then, Launch, Snow, and Violet came rushing out.
"Hey! What's taking so long—come eat al—"
They stopped dead when they saw Future Gohan holding Chi-Chi.
"What happened?! Why did Chi-Chi faint?"
Launch pointed at Future Gohan, eyes sharp.
"Piccolo—who is this guy?"
Piccolo's face was grim.
"…Launch. It's complicated."
"He already explained once."
"We need to sit down… and talk."
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