What kind of ending could possibly do justice to all the hardships along the way!
Son Gohan wiped at the sweat that wasn't actually on his head and stood before the gleaming Dragon Balls.
At his current size, ordinary people looked as tiny as ants to him, and the Dragon Balls were so small they were almost invisible, like ant eggs.
The seven Dragon Balls were piled together. They seemed to resonate with one another, each flashing its own light.
"Come forth, Shenron!"
As soon as he finished chanting the summoning spell, the seven Dragon Balls burst into light that shot straight from earth to sky!
"Rumble!"
A muffled thunderclap rang out across the open ground, and everyone felt as though a heavy weight had been placed on their hearts.
As the light faded, endless darkness covered the sky, even obscuring the full moon that had just been hanging on the horizon.
Then bolts of lightning streaked down around the seven Dragon Balls, connecting heaven and earth. A dragon's shadow emerged from between the Balls, tiny at first, then spanning the entire sky in the blink of an eye!
His eyes were crimson, his scales dark green. He looked sacred, yet carried a hint of wickedness.
"O one who summoned me, state your wish! Whatever it may be, I will grant it!"
His thunderous voice rang out as Shenron lowered his head to look at the tiny being who had summoned him.
But when he saw who the summoner was, a red glint flashed in his eyes. For some reason, his tone changed.
"My lord has summoned—!"
His thoughts descended into chaos. The Giant Ape before him had the same aura as that great lord, and even looked remarkably similar. But the soul he sensed seemed much younger, without a trace of ancientness.
"Young summoner, what is your wish?"
The dragon who had just seemed so imposing now acted as though he had encountered a deity of far higher standing. He grew somewhat humble, then hurriedly composed himself, trying to look as dignified as possible.
He lowered his head, his long whiskers drifting in the air as he waited quietly for the summoner to answer.
"Shenron, could you bring our grandpa, Son Gohan, back to life?"
"That wish is very—"
"Sorry, but the deceased's body has already vanished, so I can't bring him back to life directly!"
"..."
Son Gohan fell silent. He'd known that the earliest Shenron wasn't very capable, but he hadn't expected him to be this useless.
"Then, Shenron, could you recreate Son Gohan's body so we can bring him back to life the next time we make a wish?"
"I can recreate his body, but he'll only be able to live again for a short time. If you wait until your next wish, the life within his body will have faded, and he won't be able to return to life!"
Shenron explained everything in great detail, not daring to show even the slightest impatience.
Son Goku had watched his hopes vanish, and his expression grew dejected. Sitting there in a daze, he muttered to himself, "I was such a fool. I really thought that if I gathered the Dragon Balls and summoned Shenron, I could save Grandpa..."
Son Gohan turned and patted his head.
"Then my new wish is for Shenron to bring Grandpa Son Gohan here from Mount Five Elements, so we can see each other again!"
If he couldn't bring Grandpa back to life right away, then at least they could meet once more. That would let them share a final moment as grandfather and grandson, and leave Goku with no regrets.
"That wish is simple. I'll grant it right away!"
A bead of cold sweat trickled down from Shenron's temple. Thankfully, this wish was within his power. Otherwise, he really wouldn't have known how to handle things.
"Vmm!"
A brilliant red light erupted as Shenron unleashed his miraculous power.
"Huh? Where am I? Where's Anning?"
An old man with a white beard appeared out of thin air. He wore a felt hat and an orange jacket patterned with copper coins, and stared around in bewilderment.
He'd just been having hot pot and chatting about innocent little things with Anning beside the Eight Trigrams Furnace. How had he ended up in this godforsaken place?
"Your wish has been granted. This old man can remain in the living world for the time it takes an incense stick to burn."
"If there's anything you need to discuss, please do so quickly!"
"Do you... have anything else you'd like to ask?"
After granting the wish, Shenron didn't hurry off as usual. Instead, he unexpectedly asked them a question.
"Thanks, Shenron. We have nothing else to ask!"
Son Gohan gave a polite Martial Arts salute to express his thanks.
Shenron shuddered and quickly dodged it. Then he turned back into the seven Dragon Balls, which became stones and scattered across the sky.
"Huh? Why did Shenron seem so flustered at the end?"
Son Gohan scratched his head, baffled.
"Never mind. Seeing Grandpa again is what matters!"
He was in a hurry, but someone else was even more so.
The moment Grandpa Son Gohan had appeared and begun looking around, Son Goku had already sprinted toward him.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!"
With the Ruyi Staff on his back, Son Goku threw himself into Grandpa Son Gohan's arms like a baby bird returning to its nest, colliding with him in a tight embrace.
"Oh, it's Goku!"
Recognizing the familiar face, Grandpa Son Gohan smiled warmly and lifted him up.
"I never thought I'd get to see you again, my boy. I have no regrets now."
"Grandpa, Grandpa, I missed you so much! I have so much to tell you."
"Hey, Grandpa Gohan, I can vouch for that. Goku often talks to himself while holding the Four-Star Ball."
After seeing Shenron off, Son Gohan joined their conversation.
But the moment Grandpa Son Gohan heard his voice, he looked up. When he saw that Great Ape-like physique, he flew into a rage.
"I'll beat you to death, you little brat!"
"You disrespectful little punk! You nearly broke your grandpa's back when you stepped on me!"
Clearly, Son Gohan's current appearance had brought back the last memory of his life.
He sprang into the air and brought his fist down hard on Son Gohan's head.
"Grandpa!"
Son Gohan didn't dare fight back. He could only crouch on the ground, clutching his enormous head and looking at Grandpa Son Gohan with a miserable expression.
"Hmph. Looks like you can control this transformation now. That's something, at least. Just remember not to cause trouble again. Your grandpa won't be able to protect you anymore!"
Grandpa Son Gohan's face was full of emotion.
He didn't know what had happened, but the bright halo above his head told him he hadn't come back to life. Some means had merely let him return to the living world for a little while.
"What?!"
"Grandpa, are you saying... I was the one who stepped on you and killed you?"
Son Gohan was horrified. This, this couldn't be right! It didn't match what they'd always believed!
"You've got some nerve asking that! You were already frighteningly strong, much stronger than Goku. I never imagined that after transforming, you'd be faster and stronger than your grandpa by a wide margin."
"I could still have held Goku back, at least."
"But who knew you young people had no sense of honor? You took advantage of the moment I was holding Goku back and stepped on me!"
Before you continue