"From Vegeta's current state of mind, it is indeed not suitable for him to learn Ultra Instinct," Whis added, providing further clarification. "Ultra Instinct is a discipline of the heart and soul; it requires a tranquil mind. However, from what I can see, Vegeta's heart is anything but peaceful."
Vegeta felt that one right in the ego.
What do you mean?
Are you saying I, Vegeta, am not cut out for Ultra Instinct?
"But training with you has certainly increased my power significantly," Vegeta muttered, clenching his fists in frustration.
"That may be true, but taking the next step will be incredibly difficult," Whis mused. "In fact, I believe Vegeta-san might be better suited to training under Lord Beerus to learn the techniques of a God of Destruction."
"Destruction techniques?" Vegeta blinked, momentarily stunned.
"We're off," Whis said, wasting no more time. He tapped his scepter lightly on the ground.
Clack!
A brilliant, star-like aura erupted around Whis, quickly enveloping Merus as well.
Whoosh!
The two transformed into a streak of radiant light and vanished in an instant.
Vegeta looked up at the spot where Whis and Merus had been, lost in thought for a long time.
According to Whis... I'm better suited for Lord Beerus's Destruction techniques?
If that's the case, it's not out of the question!
If I can truly reach Lord Beerus's level of power, I'll finally be able to defeat Kakarot with ease.
Only...
Vegeta felt a headache coming on.
That fellow Beerus is still asleep.
Heaven only knows when he'll wake up.
Based on the natural course of history, he shouldn't wake up for another nine years.
What should I do during these nine years?
No, I have to keep training in my own way!
I will find a way to push even further beyond the limits of Super Saiyan Blue.
When Majin Buu finally awakens, I'll have my rematch with Kakarot!
Vegeta's expression gradually hardened with resolve.
Time flowed by like water, and seven years passed in the blink of an eye.
After the battle with Cell, the world believed that Mr. Satan was the one who saved the Earth. Consequently, the city where he lived was renamed Satan City.
Videl had protested the name change repeatedly.
However, her objections fell on deaf ears. She was just a child, after all, and no one took her seriously.
At that moment, a bank in Satan City was in the middle of a robbery.
Rat-tat-tat!
Gunshots and screams echoed through the bank.
"Hey! Hand over the money, fast!"
"You looking for a death wish?!"
"Move it!"
"It hurts!"
The bank was in a state of total chaos.
"Boss, we got the cash!" one of the lackeys shouted to the leader.
"Good, let's move!" The leader grinned triumphantly, chambering another round. "I'll be back for more once I've spent this! Gahaha!"
Rat-tat-tat!
As he spoke, the leader sprayed the bank staff with a volley of bullets.
Blood splattered, and the air was filled with a chorus of screams.
High in the sky.
Son Gohan was flying toward Satan City on the Flying Nimbus.
Gohan was sixteen now.
Over the past seven years, his power had increased, but not by a significant margin.
It seemed as though the Beast Form was his absolute limit.
Son Goku had given it some serious thought and decided that Gohan should clear his mind and do the things he actually wanted to do.
For Gohan, getting stronger was often just a matter of getting angry enough.
The goal now was for Gohan to maintain his current strength and keep his skills sharp.
Gohan felt his father was absolutely right. After thinking it over for three days, he realized he had plenty of time to both train and pursue his academic studies.
Goku, of course, didn't object.
Chi-Chi was so thrilled she could barely sleep for days, giving her full, enthusiastic approval.
Gohan is finally coming back to be a scholar!
Gohan truly did pour a significant amount of his energy into his studies.
Once he started, Chi-Chi was pleasantly surprised to find that her son was a natural-born genius.
At nine years old, he was already in the third grade, but he could easily solve problems meant for sixth graders.
Later, all through middle school, he was consistently at the top of his class.
There were no high schools near Mount Paozu.
When it came time for the entrance exams, Chi-Chi spent the night researching schools and finally settled on Orange Star High School in Satan City.
"Satan City?" Goku blinked, a bit surprised.
Is destiny really this strange?
Gohan and Videl have been apart for nearly seven years, but they're still destined to cross paths.
Goku felt a small wave of nostalgia.
"Is there a problem, Goku?" Chi-Chi asked, looking at him curiously, not understanding his reaction.
"No... it's nothing," Goku laughed it off.
"Goku, Orange Star High School in Satan City is a top-tier school. Their teaching standards are excellent, and their graduates always get into the best universities," Chi-Chi explained with a serious face.
Goku wiped a bit of sweat from his brow.
Is Gohan really going to university?
How did we end up back on this path again?
The only difference was that the current Gohan was already stronger than Goku had been at the end of his previous life.
In fact, Gohan's strength had already far surpassed that of the Shadow Dragons.
So, in Goku's eyes, going to school was a good thing.
Through academic study, Gohan could broaden his knowledge and build a foundation for future bursts of power.
Besides, going to Orange Star High meant he would run into Videl.
"Goku, what do you think?" Chi-Chi asked for his opinion.
"I agree," Goku nodded.
And so, it was decided: Son Gohan would attend Orange Star High School in Satan City.
Whoosh!
The Flying Nimbus carried Gohan through the sky, leaving a golden trail in its wake.
"I've reached the edge of the city. I'll land here!" Gohan looked down, then leaped from the Nimbus, landing in a small town below.
Checking the time, Gohan realized that at his current pace, he was going to be late.
He immediately picked up speed, moving in a series of blurs until he appeared in the center of Satan City.
As soon as he arrived, he heard the sound of gunshots coming from a nearby bank.
"Again? This city is hopeless..." Gohan frowned slightly. He hid his schoolbag and immediately transformed into a Super Saiyan.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Gohan descended from the sky, launching an assault on the robbers.
The thugs were no match for him and were beaten to a pulp in no time.
"It's a monster! Run!"
The two remaining robbers were terrified and scrambled into their car to flee.
"Hah!"
Gohan waved his hand through the air. The sheer pressure of the wind hit the car, flipping it high into the air. It tumbled once before crashing heavily back to the ground.
Gohan took the opportunity to slip away.
Since he wanted to focus on his studies, he didn't want his identity exposed just yet.
Gohan returned to his normal state, put his bag back on, and took a deep breath.
"Hey!"
Just then, a girl's voice called out from behind him.
Startled, Gohan turned around to see who it was.
It was Videl.
She had her hair in pigtails and was wearing a white T-shirt. She was panting slightly, clearly having rushed to the scene.
"Who did this? Was it the police?" Videl asked.
"I didn't see anything, so..." Gohan, feeling guilty, quickly tried to make his escape.
A girl truly blossoms as she grows.
Even though Videl was only sixteen, her appearance had changed significantly.
Gohan didn't even recognize her at first.
Videl's attention was entirely on the fallen robbers, so she didn't look closely at Gohan.
Truthfully, even if she had, she might not have recognized the Gohan of today.
"I rushed all the way here... who could have done it?" Videl muttered to herself, punching her palm. "Was it you? Gohan!"
After walking a good distance away, Gohan looked back at Videl.
He felt a strange sense of familiarity from her.
Who was that?
"Ah, Miss Videl!" an old man with glasses called out as he spotted her. "I saw it! It was the Golden Warrior again!"
"What... what did you say? The Golden Warrior!" Videl was suddenly overcome with excitement.
Finally, a lead!
It was Gohan and the others!
Over the past few years, Videl had been secretly searching for Son Gohan.
But no matter how hard she tried, she could never find him.
The world was a big place, and finding one specific person was incredibly difficult.
"Such incredible speed and power! He released some kind of energy—like Ki—from a distance and easily flipped that getaway car!" The old man was still in shock.
Videl grew even more excited.
It definitely was Gohan's group!
Only they knew how to release energy like Ki.
Could it be Gohan?
Gohan, did you come looking for me?
Videl's cheeks flushed a deep red, her face filled with girlish shyness.
"Oh, and he looked like a student from Orange Star High, just like you," the old man added, pointing to the school emblem on Videl's clothes. "He had the same badge."
"Huh? Really?" Videl's excitement reached a fever pitch.
He's at our school?
Videl immediately hurried back to the school and checked every classroom, one by one, trying to find Gohan or someone connected to him.
However, after a full circuit, she came up empty-handed.
Disappointed, Videl returned to her own classroom and slumped into her seat.
The bell rang.
The homeroom teacher cleared his throat.
The classroom fell silent.
"Starting today, we have a new student joining our class," the teacher said, gesturing toward Gohan at the door. "Come on in."
Gohan entered the room shyly and introduced himself to the class: "Hello, everyone. My name is Son Gohan. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Videl's eyes widened, her gaze locking onto Gohan instantly.
Is it really Gohan?
Judging by his age, it had to be him.
She hadn't expected him to grow up to be so handsome after all these years.
The moment she saw him, Videl's heart melted.
"Ooh, he's actually quite cute. Just my type!" Erasa giggled, resting her chin in her hands with an appreciative look.
Videl shot Erasa a deep, meaningful look.
Don't you dare let him be 'your type'!
Gohan is mine, and no one is taking him.
"He looks like a typical bookworm," Sharpner chuckled.
"Find an empty seat and sit down," the teacher told Gohan.
"Ah, okay," Gohan nodded, scanning the room for a spot.
"Over here!" Erasa waved from across the room.
Videl was about to raise her hand, but seeing Erasa wave, she slowly lowered it.
It's fine if he sits next to Erasa.
That way, he'll still be close to me.
"Thank you," Gohan said as he walked over, nodding to Erasa.
"I'm Erasa, nice to meet you," she introduced herself, then pointed to the girl beside her. "And that's Videl!"
"Videl?" Gohan froze, staring in shock at the girl sitting next to Erasa.
A long-buried memory suddenly flooded back to him.
Isn't this my future wife?
She's grown up so much!
This is bad!
I've been so focused on training and studying these past few years that I completely forgot to go look for her.
This is awkward...
Videl was also staring at Gohan, her eyes unblinking.
At this point, she was certain. This was the same Gohan from back then.
There was no mistake!
"You'll probably be surprised, but her father is the world champion, Mr. Satan," Erasa giggled, looking back at Videl.
But when she saw Videl's face, Erasa was stunned.
Videl, can you please stop making that 'lovestruck' face?
It was the first time she had ever seen Videl look so shy and girlish.
"H-hello... long time no see..." Gohan stammered out a greeting.
"Is... is it really you?" Videl was now 100% sure of Gohan's identity.
"It's... it's me," Gohan nodded.
"Eh? You two know each other?" Erasa was baffled.
"We were classmates in elementary school."
Gohan and Videl answered in perfect unison.
Erasa went blank.
Elementary school classmates?
For real?
Gohan and Videl immediately looked at each other and shared a smile.
"Videl, do you want to swap seats with me?" Erasa asked casually.
"Sure," Videl nodded without hesitation.
Erasa: "..."
I was just kidding, you actually want to swap?
But since she had already said it, Erasa had no choice but to switch seats with Videl.
As a result, Gohan ended up sitting right next to Videl.
After sitting down, Gohan rubbed his head sheepishly. He felt so guilty he didn't even dare to look at her.
He had promised to go find her.
And then he had completely forgotten.
Mostly because he had spent all his time training and studying, and being so young, other things just hadn't crossed his mind.
How did this happen...
What a coincidence.
To run into Videl right as he started high school.
Ah... I remember now!
I recall Dad saying that Videl was my high school classmate.
"Gohan, did you come to this school specifically to find me?" Videl asked in a low voice, her face flushing.
"Huh? Ah..." Gohan didn't know how to answer that. His lip twitched slightly.
"Where on earth do you live? I looked for you guys for so long and could never find you," Videl said, looking a bit miffed.
"I... I live near Mount Paozu... it's not easy to find," Gohan replied with a strained smile.
"That's not right. Your house might be hard to find, but mine isn't!" Videl felt something was off. "Thanks to your father, my dad became the hero who defeated Cell... you only had to ask around a little bit to find our place."
"Well..." Gohan felt even more guilty, at a loss for words.
"You said you'd come back for me. Why did so many years pass without you showing up?" Videl huffed, turning to look him straight in the eye.
"Well... I've been training all these years..." Gohan answered sheepishly.
"Eh? You're already that strong, and you're still training?" Videl was a little surprised.
"Y-yeah... who knows what kind of monsters might show up in the future!" Gohan scratched his head. "So I need to keep getting stronger!"
"Fine, I forgive you!" Videl nodded slightly. "After all, our Gohan is the man who's going to save the world, tee-hee."
Gohan: "..."
Did I really just talk my way out of that?
But everything I said was true.
"Videl, what are you two whispering about?" Erasa leaned in, full of gossip.
"Nothing," Videl shook her head.
Erasa: "..."
I can see your face turning into a literal heart emoji, and you're telling me it's 'nothing'!
Do you think I'm stupid?
"You over there! Quiet down!" The homeroom teacher adjusted his glasses and looked toward the trio.
Videl immediately shut her mouth and pretended to flip through her book.
Gohan also pretended to be diligently taking notes.
Erasa: "..."
We're really laying it on thick, aren't we?
Gohan and Videl spent the rest of the period chatting off and on.
Second period: Physical Education.
"Today's P.E. class will be the same as last time. We'll split into teams for a basketball game," the gym teacher told the students.
"Hey, do you even know how to play basketball?" Sharpner turned to Gohan.
"I've never played, but I know the rules," Gohan nodded.
"A country bumpkin who's never even played basketball..." Sharpner chuckled. He looked at Videl and grinned. "What do you say, Videl? Since you two were elementary school classmates, want to be on his team?"
"Of course I'm on Gohan's team," Videl agreed without a second thought.
"Then I won't hold back. I hope you don't regret it," Sharpner laughed boastfully. "I might love boxing, but before I picked up the gloves, I was the most famous basketball player in middle school!"
Ten minutes later.
The score was 32 to 1.
Every single shot Sharpner's team took was easily blocked by Gohan, who also repeatedly stripped them of the ball.
For Gohan, sports like this were child's play.
Even though he had never played basketball, all he had to do was control the ball.
The only reason Sharpner's team had a single point was that Gohan hadn't been fully clear on the rules at the start and had accidentally committed a reaching foul while blocking a shot.
The opponent had scored one point from a free throw.
The game ended.
The final score: 98 to 1.
The members of Sharpner's team looked like deflated balloons.
With a score like that, could we at least try not to be so pathetic?
Many of the girls on the sidelines were cheering and shooting admiring glances at Gohan.
Videl, meanwhile, was staring at him dreamily.
That's Gohan for you!
He's even good at basketball.
Later that day, after school.
Gohan finished tidying his locker and prepared to head home.
"Gohan-kun, have you decided which extracurricular activities you're going to join?" Sharpner came over to ask.
"Oh, I haven't decided yet," Gohan shook his head.
"Ah... I'm really sorry, but I don't think I want to join any clubs for now," Gohan declined politely.
"Oh, right. I heard Gohan lives really far away, so he doesn't have time for after-school activities," Erasa stepped in to help him out.
Gohan nodded, thinking Erasa was spot on.
"Gohan-kun, let's go home together. Would you walk me part of the way?" Erasa was very proactive.
With someone who played basketball that well and was that handsome, there wasn't a girl who wouldn't be interested.
"Ah... sorry... I already have plans with Videl," Gohan scratched his head awkwardly.
"Videl?" Erasa blinked.
Videl is so unfair.
She beat me to it already?
Do elementary school classmates really have that much of an advantage?
"Gohan, I'm ready." Videl finished packing her bag and walked over.
"Let's go," Gohan nodded.
The two of them left the school together.
"Gohan, you said you'd teach me how to fly," Videl said, turning to him.
"No problem. I'll definitely teach you when we get the chance!" Gohan promised.
"I want to learn now!" Videl said stubbornly.
"Huh? Right now?" Gohan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Isn't it a bit late?"
"It's fine. I'll go to your house and learn," Videl decided on the spot.
Gohan: "..."
"Are you going to fly straight home?" Videl asked.
"No... I'm taking the Flying Nimbus," Gohan replied.
"Flying Nimbus? What's that?" Videl was puzzled.
"I'll show you." Gohan led Videl to a secluded spot and called out toward the sky, "Flying Nimbus!"
Whoosh!
A golden cloud streaked in from the distance, coming to a halt beside Gohan and Videl.
"What an amazing cloud!" Videl's eyes sparkled, her lashes fluttering as she walked around the Nimbus to inspect it.
"Pretty cool, right?" Gohan laughed.
"Is this what you used to fly here?" Videl asked.
"Yep," Gohan said, lightly hopping onto the cloud.
Seeing Gohan standing on the cloud, Videl was even more astonished.
She stood frozen for a moment.
"Um... can I get on too?" Videl asked, her voice tinged with excitement.
"Only those with a pure and kind heart can ride it," Gohan replied.
"What happens if your heart isn't pure?" Videl asked.
"You'll fall right through," Gohan explained, reaching out his hand. "Come on, I'll pull you up."
Videl gritted her teeth, took Gohan's hand, and stepped onto the Nimbus.
Feeling the solid texture of the cloud beneath her feet, Videl was both shocked and delighted.
I can ride the Flying Nimbus too!
That means I have a pure and kind heart.
"Videl, you really are my future wife! Hahaha... you can ride the Nimbus too." Gohan spoke without thinking, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
"Eh? Future wife?" Videl's face turned beet red instantly.
Did Gohan-kun just confess to me already?
To be continued…
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