Son Gohan thought for a moment. "But as your older brother, what should I call you?"
Son Mirai was already over a year old and could speak.
But his body hadn't fully developed yet, so his words weren't very clear.
He tried to say, "My name is Son Mirai!"
"Oh? You can already talk? What a clever boy! But Grandpa couldn't hear you clearly. Could you say it again?"
Son Gohan leaned closer, listening carefully.
"Son Mirai!" Son Mirai repeated.
Son Gohan's face lit up.
"Son Mirai?"
Son Mirai nodded, blinking his big eyes at him.
Gohan saw that Son Mirai was only a little older than Goku, yet so bright and lively. His face blossomed with a smile.
"That's wonderful. You have the same surname as me, so I don't even have to come up with a name for you."
Just then, Goku started crying again.
Son Gohan hurried to soothe him. "Oh dear, is Goku hungry again?
Don't cry, don't cry. Grandpa will take you both home to eat!"
With a child in each arm, he bounded back to the mountaintop.
Gohan was about to heat some water and prepare the formula, but as soon as he set Goku down, the baby began wailing.
"Just a moment, just a moment. It'll be ready soon..."
Goku seemed to sense that Son Mirai was coming to steal his food, and cried so hard he was nearly beside himself. He thrashed around like a fish, making Grandpa Gohan anxious.
Afraid he might fall off the bed, Grandpa Gohan didn't dare look away while preparing the formula.
Just then, Son Mirai smacked Goku on the bottom.
"Smack!"
The crying stopped abruptly.
With tears still in his eyes, Goku stared at Son Mirai in bewilderment. Grandpa Gohan looked at Son Mirai, too.
Son Mirai glared at Goku with his chubby little face and said sternly, "Stop making a fuss. It'll be ready soon!"
"Waaah..."
Goku started crying again.
Son Mirai immediately raised his hand as if he were about to hit him, but didn't bring it down.
Goku fell silent at once. He stopped crying and thrashing, and gazed up at Son Mirai's raised hand.
He seemed to understand. When he cried, Grandpa would comfort him, but this new guy really would hit him.
Seeing that Goku had settled down, Son Mirai lowered his hand and looked at Grandpa Gohan.
"Grandpa, I'll keep an eye on him. Go ahead and make the formula..."
A hint of amusement crossed Gohan's eyes.
"This little guy's only a bit older, yet he's already acting like a grown-up who can keep his little brother in line. Not bad at all."
In the days that followed, Son Mirai told Gohan the secret that he and Goku could transform into Great Apes, so Son Gohan was prepared.
And so Son Gohan raised the two children and lived as he always had on Mount Paozu.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, seven years had passed.
The morning mist had yet to clear when the roars of beasts echoed from deep within Mount Paozu.
A Hammerhead Boar, even more massive than an adult buffalo, glared with red eyes. It scraped the ground with its hind hooves, then charged at Goku.
Just as the boar was about to hit him, Goku leaped into the air and planted a foot on its head.
The boar's snout slammed into the dirt. Its powerful front legs buckled under its momentum, carving two deep furrows into the ground.
"Nice work!"
The next moment, Son Mirai raised the Power Pole and brought it down with all his strength on the still-sliding boar.
The wind howled as his tremendous strength smashed into the boar's skull.
"Crack!"
The boar's skull shattered, and blood gushed out. The ground beneath it was smashed apart as well.
Goku walked over, looking pleased with himself. "Hehe! I was the one who drove it over to you!"
Son Mirai dusted off his hands, smiling. "Sure, sure. You did the most work, so you get the head and the tail."
"Yay!" Goku happily flashed a peace sign.
"Let's go!"
The two of them carried the enormous boar home on the Power Pole, one in front of the other.
Soon, the sunlight drove away the morning mist, and smoke was already rising from the little house halfway up the mountain.
"Grandpa! Look what we caught!"
Before they reached the mountaintop, Goku was already calling out impatiently.
Son Gohan came out of the kitchen and immediately spotted the huge wild boar they'd hunted. He was delighted.
"Wow, you caught such a huge boar! You'll both be able to eat your fill this time."
Son Goku grinned, showing his white teeth.
Son Mirai put down the boar and rolled up his sleeves.
"Grandpa, let me help you prepare it..."
Son Gohan shook his head with a smile. "No need. Leave the cooking to Grandpa.
Save your strength, both of you. You've got a tough training task today—a new kind of training..."
At the mention of a new training task, Goku and Son Mirai both looked eager.
Soon, Son Gohan took a knife from the kitchen and skillfully removed the boar's bristles and hide, then cut it up...
Before long, the cold carcass had become delicious roasted meat.
Sunlight flooded the little courtyard, warming it.
Son Gohan watched the two children wolf down their food, a kindly smile on his face.
A moment later, Goku let out a loud, satisfied burp, his round little belly visibly bulging.
Son Mirai also set down the gnawed-clean bone and leaned lazily against a tree trunk.
Though he didn't say anything, he was clearly stuffed, too.
Son Gohan slowly wiped his hands and glanced at the two lazy little fellows.
"Are you both full?"
Goku and Son Mirai answered in unison, "We're full!"
Son Gohan smiled. "Good. Then we can begin today's training."
Goku's eyes immediately lit up. "What are we training today, Grandpa?"
Son Gohan pointed to the overgrown clearing behind the house. "Today's training is clearing the land and tilling the soil."
"Tilling the soil?" Goku and Son Mirai both stared at him.
Goku was puzzled. How could tilling the soil count as training?
But Son Mirai understood. Tilling the soil was a Turtle School training method, and it was very beneficial.
He had been looking forward to this day for a long time.
Earlier, Son Mirai had taken it upon himself to train with weights, but Gohan had said they were too young. Carrying weights too early and doing heavy labor might stunt their growth.
Son Mirai thought that made some sense.
Whether it really would affect their height or not, future battles would bring astronomical increases in their power. There was no need to worry about the small gains they might make today.
All they needed now was to build a solid foundation.
Son Goku asked doubtfully, "Grandpa, does tilling the soil really count as training?"
Son Gohan smiled. "Of course. My master and I used to till the soil as part of our training, only we did it with our hands."
"With our hands?" Son Goku looked at his hands, puzzled.
"That's right. Come with me!"
Soon, Gohan led them up the slope.
After teaching them the basics, Gohan lit his pipe and watched them from the side.
"All right, you can begin."
Goku tried punching the ground with brute force. A shallow pit appeared, and clods of dirt flew everywhere.
Son Gohan gently reminded him, "Goku, tilling the soil isn't about destroying it. You need to turn it over and loosen it so the seeds can breathe and grow."
Goku nodded. "Okay, I understand!"
Even as he said that, he was still wondering what exactly counted as tilling the soil.
Just then, Son Mirai held his fingers together like a knife and gently inserted them into the earth. Then he turned his wrist,
and a large, solid clod of earth came free in one piece. He crumbled it in his hand, revealing the moist, dark soil beneath.
Son Mirai looked at Son Gohan and asked, "Like this, Grandpa?"
Gohan nodded with a hearty laugh. "That's right. Son Mirai, you're clever even at such a young age."
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