The Androids had been completely wiped out, and the whole Earth was celebrating.
Amid the joy, another two days quietly slipped by.
Over those two days, Bulma finally finished repairing the spaceship.
The repaired ship was as good as new.
The only drawback was that its energy reserves were not full, with only 90% remaining.
In this day and age, equipment and resources were scarce, and recharging was a very time-consuming process.
Raising its energy reserves from 90% to 100% would take about a month.
That was far too long.
Son Gohan had no desire to wait.
He was only going to New Namek. Ninety percent was more than enough for several round trips.
So Son Gohan did not have Bulma keep charging it.
He decided to leave for Namek that very day.
Dressed in loose casual clothes, Son Gohan packed a pile of food and drinking water into Capsule Corp Capsules one by one.
Meanwhile, Trunks stood beside him, begging to come along.
His eyes sparkled, filled with longing for the unknown.
"Gohan, can't you really take me with you? I want to see aliens too, and the vast universe, and other worlds!"
Perhaps this was exactly how a boy his age should be.
Son Gohan gave him a helpless look and flatly refused. "No."
"Trunks, you can't come, because I have something even more important for you to do."
"Huh? What is it?" Trunks straightened up.
"Here's the thing, Trunks. Although Dr. Gero, who created Android 17 and Android 18, is dead, the intelligent machine he built still exists."
"That machine is still carrying out Dr. Gero's orders, creating an android even more terrifying than Android 17 and Android 18."
"So while I'm on Namek, your mission is to find Dr. Gero's research base and destroy it."
"This concerns the safety of the entire Earth, and even the whole universe. Wouldn't you say that's extremely important?"
"Huh? Something like that actually exists? Then it really is important. Don't worry, Gohan. I'll do everything I can to find it." Trunks became completely serious.
Gohan actually entrusted me with such an important mission. Does that mean he thinks I can handle things on my own now, that I'm already an adult?
Trunks's young heart pounded, swelling with the pride of earning an elder's approval.
Bulma, who had been adjusting the Time Machine nearby, also stopped working and said gravely:
"Gohan, if what you're saying is true, this is far too important. I'll go with Trunks to look for this Dr. Gero's laboratory. Everything else can wait."
"Right." Son Gohan nodded.
Then he continued, "Although Android 17 and Android 18 are dead, there's still a potential threat. We have to find their hideout as soon as possible and root it out completely, so it can never threaten us again."
Son Gohan also knew that from the moment he was reborn, this world's course had inevitably changed.
The future of this timeline was full of uncertainties.
He could only keep track of its general direction.
And Cell was naturally one of the terrifying threats looming in the relatively near future of this timeline.
He had to be eliminated as soon as possible.
Still, eliminating Cell took second place to traveling to Namek.
After all, Cell was currently nothing more than an egg or a larva.
So Son Gohan chose to go to Namek first.
He entrusted the search for Dr. Gero's research base to Trunks and Bulma.
With everything arranged, Son Gohan climbed into the spaceship, closed the hatch, entered Namek's coordinates, and pressed the launch button.
The next instant, fierce flames erupted beneath the ship. Under the eyes of Bulma and her son, it rose into the air and shot skyward.
The ship burst through the atmosphere and plunged into the glittering universe, soon disappearing from sight.
Looking away, Bulma turned to her son and said, "Trunks, time is short. We need to get moving too."
"Yes, Mom." Trunks nodded firmly.
Aboard the spaceship.
Son Gohan switched on the gravity system, set it to two hundred times normal gravity, and began training.
The journey from Earth to New Namek was expected to take two weeks.
Son Gohan did not want to waste any time and planned to spend it all training.
He ate when he was hungry, trained after eating, and rested when he was tired.
Amid the monotonous training, two weeks soon passed.
That day, after finishing his training, Son Gohan enjoyed a refreshing cold shower in the bathroom before heading to the cockpit.
A huge screen at the front of the cockpit displayed the glittering sea of stars ahead.
Countless galaxies flashed past through the boundless expanse of space.
Soon, an enormous green planet appeared in view.
The ship's intelligent system promptly announced its arrival.
[Honored master, the spaceship has reached its destination: Namek. Would you like to land?]
"Land," Son Gohan replied.
[Confirmed. Searching for a suitable descent trajectory. Suitable trajectory found. Beginning descent!]
As the announcement ended, the ship flashed forward and plunged into Namek's atmosphere.
Ten minutes later, the ship landed smoothly.
Son Gohan opened the hatch and leaped down, setting foot on Namek's soil at last.
After a long half month, having solid ground beneath his feet again left Son Gohan feeling calm and at peace.
He spread his arms, closed his eyes, and greedily breathed in the fresh air, embracing the spring breeze.
A few seconds later, an energy signature rapidly approached him.
Someone was coming.
Son Gohan opened his eyes.
He put the spaceship away, then looked up into the sky.
A green figure descended from above and studied Son Gohan warily.
Seeing a Namekian who looked exactly like Piccolo, Son Gohan knew he was a warrior-type Namekian.
These warrior-type Namekians excelled at combat and were generally responsible for protecting the Grand Elder.
When disaster threatened the planet, they were also the ones who stepped forward to save its people.
They were Namek's backbone.
Son Gohan was about to speak when the Namekian spoke first.
He looked at Son Gohan in considerable surprise. "Huh? Are you Mr. Son Goku?"
At that moment, Son Gohan had golden hair and emerald eyes.
His facial features really did bear a strong resemblance to Son Goku's.
Looking at the puzzled Namekian, Son Gohan said, "Son Goku is my father. I'm Son Gohan."
Understanding dawned on the warrior-type Namekian's face. "Oh, I see."
"You know my father?" Son Gohan asked.
"Yes. I saw Mr. Goku once when he fought Frieza on Namek. It's been a long time, and you look so much like he did back then, Mr. Gohan, that I mistook you for him. I'm terribly sorry," the warrior-type Namekian said, looking a little embarrassed.
"Heh, it's fine. I didn't expect to run into someone who knew him. That makes things easier. What should I call you?" Son Gohan asked with a smile.
The Namekian said, "Hello, Mr. Gohan. You can just call me Nail."
"Mr. Goku is a benefactor of our people, so his companions are our benefactors too. May I ask what brings you to Namek this time, Mr. Gohan?"
The Namekian named Nail was extremely respectful.
Son Gohan said, "I'd like to borrow the Dragon Balls. Nail, my friend, sorry for the trouble, but could you take me to see the Grand Elder?"
Nail glanced at Son Gohan's missing arm, understood, and nodded.
"No problem. Please follow me, Mr. Gohan."
"Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."
Nail rose into the air.
Son Gohan flew after him.
Before long, Son Gohan met the somewhat familiar-looking Grand Elder.
Son Gohan remembered that this Grand Elder seemed to be named Moori.
More than ten years ago, Moori had been one of Namek's seven ordinary elders.
Later, Frieza attacked Namek, and the previous Grand Elder reached the end of his natural lifespan.
Before drawing his last breath, the previous Grand Elder named Elder Moori as his successor, making Moori the new Grand Elder of Namek.
He had inherited some of the previous Grand Elder's abilities.
Grand Elder Moori was very kindly, and his bright eyes seemed to hold extraordinary wisdom.
"Hello, Grand Elder." Son Gohan smiled in greeting.
"Hello, Mr. Gohan," the Grand Elder replied warmly, then continued:
"I already know why you've come. Just now, I notified the other elders and asked them to bring the Dragon Balls here."
"Heh, Dende is on his way as well. He was delighted to hear that you'd come to Namek."
"..."
Son Gohan gave Grand Elder Moori another look.
This Grand Elder Moori really knew his stuff.
Before you continue