Dende, the New Kami

Son Gohan had two great regrets in life.

The first was not having enough firepower.

The second was death.

He had actually died once before.

So he wasn't afraid of death. Instead, he felt that every extra day he lived was a bonus, and he cherished each one all the more.

But after wishing for incredible healing and regeneration abilities, his mindset had changed dramatically.

This world needed him alive too much. Strictly speaking, his life no longer belonged to him alone.

And powerful survivability meant more ways to protect the people he wanted to protect.

It also meant more ways and means of wiping out his enemies.

Although, perhaps, this ability couldn't withstand Grand Zeno's erasure or a God of Destruction's Power of Destruction.

Nor could it withstand an Angel's power.

But regardless, there was no doubt that his ability to survive had improved tremendously.

Son Gohan felt lighthearted, his thoughts clear.

He was close to a breakthrough.

Son Gohan had a feeling that, as he was now, all he needed to break through to Super Saiyan 2 was the right opportunity.

In his wonderful mood, even the ugly dragon looked cute to him.

Just then, the dragon in the sky spoke again.

"The second wish has been granted. Do you have any other wishes? I can grant one more."

As it spoke, the dragon looked at Son Gohan with eyes full of reverence.

Although it was enormous, Son Gohan on the ground looked as tiny as an ant beside it.

But there was one thing it knew for certain.

Son Gohan possessed a terrifying amount of power.

His power was so immense that destroying the entire solar system would be effortless.

In the world of the strong, size wasn't the only measure of power.

Son Gohan looked around at all the Namekians present, then fixed his gaze on the Grand Elder. "Grand Elder, do you have any wishes?"

Grand Elder Moori shook his head. "No. We rarely need Porunga's help."

Son Gohan asked with a trace of hope, "Oh, then I'd like to ask: is there any way to revive someone who was killed more than ten years ago?"

Grand Elder Moori shook his head. "Porunga can't revive people who died of natural causes or have been dead for too long. They have no bodies, and their souls have already been reincarnated."

"What if their bodies are still there and their souls remain attached to them, but they've died and are now in Other World or training under King Kai? Is there still no way?" Son Gohan pressed.

"T-there's a situation like that?" Grand Elder Moori looked shocked.

It completely upended his understanding of the world.

So Son Gohan explained the situation with Son Goku, Vegeta, and the others to the Grand Elder.

Grand Elder Moori listened in amazement.

But he still shook his head. "Porunga can't revive people who died of illness, because that counts as a natural death too. As for the other situation you mentioned, it might be possible if Porunga's power were upgraded..."

"I'm truly sorry, Mr. Gohan. I had no idea so much had happened on Earth. Even Mr. Son Goku has passed away. It's truly a shame."

Upgrading Porunga might make it possible? Was this version of the dragon just too outdated?

Then he'd try upgrading him later. Dragon Ball had a habit of eating its own established rules, after all. It was nothing unusual.

Son Gohan had already guessed that would be the answer, so he hadn't expected much when he asked.

As a result, he wasn't particularly disappointed.

There would be plenty of chances in the future.

But then again, his companions who had been dead for so many years might not even want to come back.

It seemed like they were free of worries in Other World and with King Kai.

Sigh.

Now, for the third wish...

Son Gohan thought it over, then said to Dende, "In that case, Dende, use the third wish to ask for the location of Planet Yardrat."

With its location, he could go there whenever he wanted.

But first, he had to find a new Kami for Earth and bring him back to activate a new Shenron. That was the most pressing matter.

After all, he couldn't take the new Kami to Planet Yardrat and have him train there for several years.

He could afford to wait, but Earth clearly couldn't.

As for why he didn't simply wish for Instant Transmission, Son Gohan had his reasons.

Putting aside whether Shenron could grant that wish, even if he learned the technique, he couldn't teleport to Planet Yardrat without sensing a Yardratian's ki. Besides, learning Instant Transmission wasn't the only reason he wanted to go there.

There were other things to learn there, too.

"The location of Planet Yardrat?"

"Sure." Dende nodded and made the wish to the dragon.

The dragon's eyes flashed red, and a stream of information entered Son Gohan's mind.

It was the location of Planet Yardrat.

Dragons were all about speed.

Their efficiency was top-notch.

Wish granted!

The dragon's voice boomed across the sky. "All your wishes have been granted. Now, farewell!"

A golden light burst from its body, and the dragon disintegrated.

The seven petrified Dragon Balls fell with a series of thuds, making several deep craters in the ground.

Besides their different sizes, Namek's Dragon Balls differed from Earth's in another way.

After a wish was made, Earth's Dragon Balls flew off in all directions.

Old Kami had done that because he feared that the people of Earth, with their endless desires, would exploit a loophole and keep making wishes. So he had made the Dragon Balls harder to collect.

But he had never imagined that Bulma would later invent something like the Dragon Radar.

Namekians loved peace and were kind by nature. They rarely used the Dragon Balls, so the Grand Elder had arranged for the petrified Dragon Balls to stay put after a wish was made.

The petrified Dragon Balls would be returned to the seven villages and kept under guard.

After Shenron vanished, the dark clouds rapidly dispersed. Within a few breaths, the sky over Planet Namek had cleared, and sunlight shone over the land once more.

Son Gohan walked up to the Grand Elder. "Grand Elder, I have one more favor to ask."

Grand Elder Moori replied, "There's no need to be so formal, Mr. Gohan. Just say what you need. It would be our honor to help our benefactor."

Son Gohan said, "Well, Earth needs a guardian now. So I'd like to ask you to let someone go to Earth and become its new Kami."

Grand Elder Moori said, "Oh, of course. But we'll need to ask for their consent first. Do you have someone in mind, Mr. Gohan?"

Son Gohan pointed to Dende beside him. "Yes, Grand Elder. I'd like Dende to go."

Dende looked startled when his name was mentioned.

The Grand Elder smiled at him. "Dende, would you be willing to go to Earth and become its Kami?"

Dende looked stunned. "M-me? Can I?"

"Dende, you may not be much of a fighter, but you're an exceptionally talented Dragon Clan Namekian with a wide range of abilities. Of course you can be Earth's Kami," Grand Elder Moori said.

Son Gohan chimed in, "Dende, is there something holding you back? Do you not want to go?"

Dende let out a startled "Ah," then hurriedly shook his head. "No, no. I'm just afraid I won't be able to handle it."

"It's all right. Have confidence in yourself. You heard what the Grand Elder just said, didn't you? He said you're an exceptionally talented Dragon Clan Namekian. Why would he lie? I'm sure you'll become an excellent Kami," Son Gohan said.

"Then I'll give it a try," Dende said.

A good friend needed help, so of course he'd do whatever he could.

It felt wonderful to be needed.

Dende liked it.

He felt a little nervous, but he was also very happy.

"Hahaha, great!" Son Gohan laughed.

After exchanging a few pleasantries,

Dende said goodbye to the Grand Elder and the others.

For a race like the Namekians, who didn't need to eat, saying goodbye really was just saying goodbye.

There was no need to spend several hours eating and drinking.

Son Gohan took out a Capsule Corp Capsule and tossed it onto an empty patch of ground, where it transformed into a spaceship.

Everyone was astonished by what he'd done.

Son Gohan didn't explain. He simply urged Dende to hurry aboard.

The two climbed into the spaceship. Son Gohan quickly entered Earth's coordinates and pressed the start button. The ship shot into the sky and disappeared into the vastness of space.

Just like that, another half a month passed.

One day, a spaceship arrived above Earth and landed safely.

It was Son Gohan and Dende.

The two jumped out, and Son Gohan put the ship away again.

After putting away the ship, Son Gohan sensed the ki across Earth to make sure everything was safe. Then he said to Dende, "Come on, Dende. Let's go to Kami's Lookout first."

"Okay." Dende nodded.

They rose into the air and flew toward Kami's Lookout.

A short while later, they arrived.

Trunks and Bulma arrived at almost the same time.

After sensing Son Gohan's ki, Trunks had rushed over with Bulma.

The moment Trunks saw Son Gohan, he ran over excitedly and looked him up and down.

"Gohan, you're finally back! That's great! Wow, your arm grew back! Oh my gosh, you even have a tail! So cool, so cool, that's so cool!"

Son Gohan raised a hand and ruffled his hair with a laugh. "You little rascal, it's only been a month. How'd you become such a chatterbox?"

"I'm not! I'm just so happy," Trunks said with a grin.

"Mr. Gohan," Mr. Popo greeted him from the side.

Son Gohan smiled and nodded to him.

"Gohan, you look so much more handsome now. The scars on your face are gone, your left arm has grown back, and you look taller too. Hahaha, I hereby declare you the most handsome man I've ever seen!"

Bulma laughed heartily with her hands on her hips, as if she'd returned to the way she had been more than ten years ago.

Then she curiously looked at Dende beside Son Gohan. "Is he the new Kami you found?"

Son Gohan smiled. "That's right, Aunt Bulma. You've actually met him before."

"Really? Are you sure?" Bulma looked at Dende in surprise.

"..."

Unfortunately, almost all Namekians looked alike, so she couldn't remember who Dende was.

The only one she could remember was Piccolo.

Dende looked a little embarrassed. He still remembered Bulma.

Though more than ten years had passed, Bulma had taken very good care of herself. She hadn't changed much; she'd just become more mature.

Son Gohan smiled and introduced him. "Let me introduce him. This is Dende. I went to Namek especially to find him as Earth's new Kami."

"Aunt Bulma, back on Namek, that Namekian child who went through all those hardships with us was him. He was the one with the healing powers."

"Oh, now I remember." Bulma looked enlightened.

"Hello, Ms. Bulma. It's been a long time," Dende greeted her.

"Hello, hello," Bulma replied.

She was very happy to see someone she knew again.

"Dende, this is Trunks, Aunt Bulma's son and my student. And this is Mr. Popo, the guardian of Kami's Lookout. He'll assist you with your duties from now on," Son Gohan said, introducing them one by one.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Dende nodded, very polite.

Trunks politely nodded back. "Hello, Dende."

Mr. Popo bowed to Dende. "Hello, Kami. You can just call me Popo from now on."