"Hey, Goku? Can you actually maintain a Super Saiyan 4 transformation while you're asleep?" Krillin blinked in surprise. He'd learned something new today.
"Yeah. After all, Super Saiyan 4 is essentially an optimized version of the Great Ape transformation," Goku answered with a chuckle.
Vegeta said nothing.
Goten and Trunks's fight continued.
After a few more exchanges, Goten finally figured out what was going on. He immediately broke off and glared at Trunks.
"You're so sneaky, Trunks! You've been secretly going Super Saiyan Blue. I knew something felt off!" Goten said, rubbing his sore cheek.
"Heh heh. You finally noticed?" Trunks grinned.
"You had me going there for a minute. I actually thought your Super Saiyan God was stronger than my Super Saiyan 4," Goten said, scratching his head.
"Well, since you've figured it out, no more playing around. It's time to end this," Trunks said, gritting his teeth as he clenched his fists, his eyes suddenly sharp.
"You've got a new transformation too?" Goten asked, suddenly excited.
"No. But what I'm about to show you is still pretty strong, so watch yourself," Trunks said, inhaling deeply.
Goten immediately tensed.
"Smack!"
A brilliant blue aura burst forth from Trunks's body as he stopped holding back and transformed into Super Saiyan Blue.
Goten looked confused.
That's just regular Super Saiyan Blue, isn't it?
"Swish!"
Trunks concentrated intently and embedded that blue ki into his own body.
Perfected Super Saiyan Blue![^1]
"Oh, it's Perfected Super Saiyan Blue," Goten realized.
"Yeah. This keeps my Blue aura from leaking out and lets me use my full power," Trunks nodded, his tones serious. "Don't let your guard down, Goten. I can't keep this form for very long, but I'm a lot stronger now than before."
"Got it," Goten said with a grin, looking excited. "Alright, it's time I stopped holding back against Trunks, too."
"Oh yeah? Are you going to go Super Saiyan 4 Full Power, then?" Trunks asked with a smile. "That's good. Let's see which one's stronger—my Perfected Blue or your SS4 Full Power!"
"No, it's not Super Saiyan 4 Full Power. It's something else," Goten said with a grin, his body suddenly blazing with a roaring flame aura.
"Smack!"
Goten's hair instantly turned crimson red.
In the blink of an eye, even his eyebrows and body hair had changed to a flaming crimson.
"That's still Super Saiyan 4 Full Power!" Trunks protested. "It looks exactly the same! That trick won't work on me, Goten!"
"Take a really close look, Trunks, and see if it's Super Saiyan 4 Full Power or not," Goten said, smirking at Trunks.
Trunks held his breath and looked again.
The next moment, Trunks froze. His eyes were as big as dinner plates and his brain couldn't seem to catch up with what he was seeing.
Meanwhile, Vegeta's pupils also shrank as his mouth dropped open. His face was full of sheer disbelief.
What the hell?
Why was he sensing divine ki coming from the kid?
"This is... This is..." Vegeta stammered.
"What kind of weird transformation is that?" Trunks asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"They call this one the Super Saiyan God version of Super Saiyan 4," Goten grinned, flashing bright white teeth.
"Super Saiyan... God... of Super... Saiyan 4?" Trunks murmured to himself, repeating the words. He was lost.
The audience, meanwhile, was equally confused, just staring with wide eyes.
"You have got... to be shitting me," Vegeta said, his face shifting through several different expressions of pure shock.
Is he serious?
Someone actually combined immense ki with godly ki?!
How can that happen? They're two completely different things!
Vegeta looked over at Goku, who couldn't help but smile. So he already knew about this.
Vegeta knew damned well that Kakarot had taught Goten to do this.
Was that the secret? All I did was tell Kakarot how to become a Super Saiyan God in the first place. And he was able to internalize it just by drawing deep breaths?
Those memories were still fresh. All Kakarot had to do was take a deep breath and I could immediately feel his divine ki surging.
Suddenly, Vegeta realized that Kakarot was naturally suited to unlocking divine forms like Super Saiyan God or Ultra Instinct.[^2]
By contrast, someone like me was much better off just building on Super Saiyan 4.
Vegeta felt a sharp pang of heartache.
Maybe I was reborn in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Dad!" Gohan couldn't hide his shock, either.
After all, this was the first time Gohan had seen his younger brother use this transformation.
"So... this was what you were training Goten to do!" Gohan finally understood.
Goku had said he was taking Goten for special training. He'd taken him far away, all the way to King Kai's planet, for that.
So this was why.
Gohan was lost in thought.
Goten's new transformation looked pretty strong.
Was this the equivalent of Super Saiyan 5?
Gohan might have been thinking a little too much.
"Super Saiyan 4 and Super Saiyan God, combined?" Trunks was still deep in thought, his head full of questions.
"Yeah, combined into one," Goten said, nodding with a smile.
Trunks: "..."
Thirty seconds passed.
The audience had already snapped out of it.
Were these kids going to stand around all day or what?
"Hmph, Goten. Trying to combine normal ki and divine ki can't possibly work. It's going to make you weaker, if anything," Trunks eventually said, like he'd solved the riddle.
"And your point is...?" Goten asked with a smile.
"My point," Trunks said, immediately dropping into a fighting stance, "is that you're not going to beat me like that!"
"Guess we'll have to see about that, Trunks," Goten said, beckoning him forward. His aura was blazing and his tail was slowly swishing behind him.
Trunks stared at Goten and gritted his teeth. Goten looked so confident that Trunks almost didn't want to fight him anymore.
"If you won't come to me, I'll come to you," Goten said. Then he blinked and vanished.
Trunks's eyes widened to their limits. He spun, looking high and low, trying to track Goten's movements.
The audience's jaws collectively dropped.
Where did that kid go?
He just up and vanished, like, into thin air?
"Where is he?!"
"Did he just disappear?"
"This doesn't look like some kind of trick."
The onlookers were all abuzz, also looking for any sign of Goten.
Satan was terrified out of his wits.
They really were back!
You already gave me the championship. Why'd you have to come back?
Now things are complicated for me!
Satan felt like his world was ending.
As the special exhibition match, he was supposed to fight the Junior Division Champion.
But whichever kid won, Satan was going to get the ever-loving shit beaten out of him.
Satan was sobbing and sniffling in his head, completely panic-stricken.
What do I do? What do I do?
Oh, hell, I forfeit. I don't wanna die!
"Where did he go?" Trunks's face was ashen.
No matter which direction he looked—front, back, left, right, up, down—he couldn't find Goten anywhere.
It was like he'd completely vanished.
"Damn. That kid!" Vegeta's pupils shrank as he stared without blinking.
"Attaboy!" Piccolo flashed a bright smile.
Goku didn't say anything, but he was also smiling.
"Come on, Goten, stop fooling around and finish this!" Gohan muttered under his breath, clenching his fists.
"Where is he?" Videl was also turning her head back and forth, looking for Goten.
"Where'd he go? Even I can't keep track!" Krillin was sweating bullets.
He froze.
"Eighteen, can you see him?" Krillin asked.
Cold sweat trickled down Eighteen's pretty face.
Don't put me on the spot like this, Krillin...
Just pretend you saw him.
"Yes, I see him," Eighteen said calmly, shooting Krillin a glare.
So there. I said I saw him.
"Where is he?" Krillin asked after a moment.
"You're sleeping on the sofa tonight!" Eighteen's eyes flashed with anger.
Krillin: "..."
Krillin wiped the sweat from his brow.
So she didn't see him.
If she couldn't see him, why pretend that she did?
"Goten is using super-speed to close in on Trunks," Piccolo said with a small smile. "Most people can't perceive him moving at these speeds."
Vegeta felt bitter.
At that moment, Vegeta knew that Trunks had already lost.
Trunks couldn't even keep track of Goten's movements.
What chance did he have?
Goku grinned. He put his hand on Krillin's shoulder.
Krillin: "???!!!"
Krillin looked confused.
"What was that for?" Krillin asked Goku.
"Ah, nothing. Just thinking about the good old days," Goku replied with a smile.
"What brought that on?" Krillin still looked puzzled, looking back and forth between the arena and Goku. "Is Goten's fight against Trunks reminding you of something that happened between us?"
"I suppose you could say that," Goku said, nodding slightly.
Krillin: "..."
What Krillin didn't know was...
The way Goten was moving was very similar to how Goku had fought him at the second Tenka'ichi Budōkai, back in the old days.
At that time, Goku had simply walked up to Krillin while moving at super-speed.
And then he'd suddenly appeared in front of him, made a face, and hit him with a real haymaker.
Krillin flew out of the ring.
Right now, Goten was doing the same thing Goku had done to him all those years ago.
Goten was getting closer and closer to Trunks.
Trunks was still looking around for him.
But try as he might, Trunks couldn't locate Goten.
Because the gulf between them was just too big.
Goten had combined the raw power of Super Saiyan 4 with the divine ki of Super Saiyan God.
Trunks had only mastered an advanced version of Super Saiyan Blue.
"Smack!"
Suddenly, Goten appeared right in front of Trunks and made a face.
Startled, Trunks quickly fell into a fighting stance and tried to strike him.
But it was already too late.
"Bam!"
Goten's heavy punch landed flush on Trunks's chest.
Trunks went flying backward. He tumbled out of the arena and was eliminated.
The audience was slack-jawed and rubbing their eyes, not sure what they were seeing.
The referee, however, was wide-eyed.
Wasn't that the same trick Goku had used against Krillin?
Sure enough, a chip off the old block. Goku's kid had the same idea—using a scary face to freak his best friend out of the ring.
"Ring-out! Trunks has been knocked out of the ring. Son Goten wins!" the referee immediately declared. "That was a great fight for two such young boys. Too bad it ended with a whimper. Trunks was so startled by Goten appearing out of nowhere that he stumbled out of the ring."
"Boooo..."
The audience booed like they did at the相声[^3].
But after a moment, the audience broke into enthusiastic applause.
The ending might not have been satisfying, but the match itself had been fine.
And they were so young.
Fighting that hard at that age was impressive enough.
"What do those people know?" Piccolo said with a smirk. "Trunks wasn't 'startled' out of the ring. Goten knocked him onto his ass."
Vegeta was green. He glared at Piccolo.
No need for the play-by-play!
I can see for myself!
"Hey, Vegeta, why is your face as green as mine?" Piccolo's smirk got even bigger.
"Piccolo! You'd better hope they don't put us in the same bracket!" Vegeta was shaking with anger.
When had Piccolo been so annoying?
Trunks had already changed back to normal and stood up. He walked to the edge of the arena and stared up at Goten.
Goten grinned sheepishly, scratched his head, and changed back, too.
"Goten, you... I can't believe you can combine divine ki and normal ki. It's just crazy," Trunks said, looking up at him. He didn't seem angry about losing.
Trunks could tell how big the gap was between him and Goten.
And something inside him had just broken.
Maybe just focusing on the Super Saiyan God path was wrong?
Goten's transformation was just too powerful.
"Dad taught me," Goten said, scratching the back of his head and grinning.
"Will you show me how?" Trunks asked, gritting his teeth.
"Of course," Goten said, nodding.
Vegeta: "..."
Vegeta felt a sharp pang of heartache.
There was a moment's hesitation.
Then Vegeta turned to look at Goku.
"Kakarot," Vegeta asked, "are you taking the same path as the brat?"
"Which path is that?" Goku asked, confused.
"Combining Super Saiyan 4 with the power of Super Saiyan God," Vegeta replied.
"No, Vegeta. I'm not," Goku said, shaking his head.
"Hmph," Vegeta grunted, saying no more.
But in his head, Vegeta was curious.
If Kakarot wasn't going down that particular path, then what was he doing?
"Ladies and gentlemen! After that exciting action, we have a much more lighthearted exhibition match!" The referee stepped onto the ring, holding his microphone. "Please give a warm welcome to our Junior Division Champion, Son Goten, who will face the World Champion, Mr. Satan!"
Satan's face curdled.
Oh, shit. What do I do now?
There it was. What I was dreading.
"Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan!"
Enthusiastic applause and cheers rang out again.
Satan was shaking in his shoes and sweating buckets.
"He's just a little kid, no matter how strong he is," a staff member said, smiling. "Surely the one and only Mr. Satan can take him seriously. Isn't that right? Ha ha ha!"
Satan's face went blank. "Yes... I suppose I'll need to be careful," he said, not concentrating.
"Ha ha ha!" the staff member laughed loudly, thinking Mr. Satan was so funny.
"Ha ha... Ha ha... Ha ha..." Satan's laugh was more like a sob.
I'm gonna die!
This is really bad!
"Do you need a break?" the referee asked Goten.
"Oh, could I get something to eat?" Goten asked, rubbing his stomach.
The referee: "..."
I'm seeing Goku in him.
"Well..." The referee was stumped. He shouldn't have asked.
But Satan's eyes lit up. He tried to get the referee's attention and gestured frantically.
Yes, let him eat!
Better yet, just let this whole thing go away.
Unfortunately, Satan was far away and the referee didn't see him.
"How about this," the referee offered. "After the match, we'll set you up with a nice dinner."
"Okay!" Goten nodded enthusiastically.
Satan: "..."
Satan was pale. He could have killed the referee right then and there.
Why don't you let the kid have lunch?
Maybe if he's full, he won't hit me.
I am terrified!
"Now, please welcome Mr. Satan!" the referee announced into the microphone. "Mr. Satan, take the stage!"
"Oof!" Satan was terrified on the inside, but he looked confident on the outside. He took long, confident steps and raised his arms. "Which one of you would like to challenge the World Champion?"
After he said that, Satan felt like his legs were full of lead. He took the stairs up onto the ring.
"Ha ha ha... Ha... Is it you?" Satan pointed at Goten. "You'd better be ready!"
"Waaah!"
Enthusiastic applause and cheers for Mr. Satan broke out again.
"My dad is unbelievable...", Vidal said under her breath.
Dad, stop showing off. I know what you're capable of.
Satan was falling apart on the inside.
If this is a dream, please let me wake up.
I don't want to have this nightmare.
Goten smiled sheepishly, looking up at Mr. Satan.
My dad told me that this is Videl's dad. And Videl is going to be Gohan's wife.
And my mom says he gave us our money.
Without him, my mom would still be worried about bills.
So I should be nice to him.
Satan took a deep breath, tore off his white cape, and tossed it over his shoulder. He carefully placed his championship belt on the ground and tightened his regular belt.
"Whuff..."
Satan inhaled deeply, then threw some punches into the air.
This is like facing a striped tiger.
I can't run!
I'm going to look him in the eye!
That way, even if I die, I'll die with dignity.
"Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan!"
More enthusiastic applause and cheers.
Goten smiled broadly.
Satan grimaced inside.
I'm still going to be killed.
"Both competitors are ready. Let the exhibition match begin!" the referee announced.
Satan's heart was in his throat. He had an idea.
"Oh, no..." Satan clutched his knee and dropped to one knee in pain.
"Are you all right, Mr. Satan?" the referee asked, concerned.
"Ugh... The same knee I injured against Cell... It's acting up again..." Satan was in agony.
The audience gasped. They were worried about Mr. Satan.
"The one he injured in the fight with Cell?" The referee blinked. "I guess that's why he kept it a secret."
That's what the referee said, but he thought it was complete bullshit.
I saw that fight. You did absolutely nothing.
Goku and the others are the ones who beat Cell.
You just got caught in the crossfire, didn't you?
"It's a shame it started acting up now... I really wanted to fight," Satan said, nearly crying.
"It's okay. We have a doctor here. I'll get him to check you out," the referee said with a smile.
Satan: "..."
Satan went pale.
Why are you going along with it?
If you call the doctor, the jig is up.
"Ha ha ha. That's okay!" Satan immediately stood up, trying not to sweat. "I can still fight. I'm the World Champion, after all! A small injury like this is nothing."
The referee: "..."
"Mr. Satan is fine. The match can continue!" the referee declared.
Satan was sweating bullets. He felt like his world was collapsing.
The fight is about to start!
It's one thing for me to lose to a little kid, but I'm about to get beat to death.
Maybe I can work something out with him.
That's it!
He's just a little kid.
No one would blame me if he beat me.
As long as I look like I tried.
And maybe I can get this kid to take it easy on me...
To be continued…
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Also, guys, check out my friend's new fic titled "Uchiha in JJK" by Reid Astrea