Earth-chan's suffering went without saying. It always ended up getting hurt, so an upgrade to a brand-new version was sorely needed.
After the enhancement, the mountains were greener, the waters clearer, and every kind of resource more abundant. Even the humans it nurtured became more handsome and beautiful.
With all three wishes successfully granted, the seven petrified Dragon Balls became seven streaks of light that flew across the world.
Some flew into deserts, some fell into the ocean, and others landed in cities.
Only after a year had passed would these petrified Dragon Balls regain their luster, waiting to be gathered again for a new story to begin.
Shenron disappeared, and the sky cleared with him.
Afterward, Son Gohan asked Bulma to help recharge the spaceship.
After the round trip to Namek, the ship had only 50% of its propulsion energy left.
Son Gohan wanted to visit Planet Yardrat, so he urgently needed it recharged.
Dr. Gero's notes and other research materials had given Bulma fresh inspiration.
She confidently declared that she could recharge the ship's propulsion energy to 100% within a month, earning a quiet thumbs-up from Son Gohan.
Over the following days, Son Gohan flew to Kami's Lookout every day to chat with Dende, spending most of the rest of his time training hard with Trunks.
Half a month passed like this.
One day, after Son Gohan and Trunks finished their daily training,
they both returned to their base forms.
After all that time, Son Gohan and Trunks's full-power states were approaching perfection, and they no longer needed to remain Super Saiyans around the clock.
Their focus now was on working hard to improve their base-form battle power.
Training hard in their base forms and improving their base battle power would never be a mistake.
It was the steadiest, most solid path forward.
After training, the two headed to the swimming pool for a swim.
Both wore swimming trunks as they soaked in the water, enjoying the peace and sense of safety they had gone so long without.
At that moment, they leaned back against the edge of the pool, their hands resting on the deck and their lower bodies submerged.
Son Gohan's tail swayed in the water, sometimes forming an S, sometimes a B. He worked his way through all the numbers from one to nine, leaving Trunks staring in amazement, his face full of envy.
Beside him, Trunks asked enviously, "Gohan, how can I get my tail to grow back? I used to have one too, right?"
Son Gohan said, "Your mom told me your tail was cut off when you were six months old, and it never grew back."
"To grow it back now, you'd probably need some outside help. Do you really want a tail that badly?"
Trunks nodded firmly. "Of course. It looks so cool."
Son Gohan said, "For Saiyans, a tail is a double-edged sword. It has advantages, but it's also a weakness."
"You probably don't know this, but when a Saiyan with a tail sees a full moon, their eyes absorb the Blutz Waves it emits, and they turn into a Great Ape."
"Huh??? A Great Ape?" Trunks looked incredulous. This was the first he had ever heard of it.
Saiyans could turn into Great Apes too?
Son Gohan continued, "And most Saiyans lose their reason after becoming Great Apes, leaving only their instinct to destroy.
"Although becoming a Great Ape increases their battle power tenfold, the price is losing their reason. The drawback is pretty obvious."
"Not only that, but the tail is also the most vulnerable part of a Saiyan's body. If a Saiyan hasn't specifically trained their tail, grabbing it will leave them weakened and completely unable to fight."
Son Gohan explained everything carefully, and Trunks frowned as he listened.
That really gave Trunks a scare.
Before, he had only thought Son Gohan's furry tail looked cool. He had never imagined it came with such serious weaknesses.
What Son Gohan did not tell Trunks was that Vegeta's blood flowed through his veins, and he was also half human, so even if he became a Great Ape, he had over a 90% chance of retaining his reason.
There was also the fact that Son Gohan's wish to Porunga had been to restore his body to its most perfect state.
Then his tail, which had been cut off long ago, had grown back.
That showed that the dragon considered Son Gohan's body most perfect with a tail.
Son Gohan could clearly feel that his training had become noticeably more efficient since his tail grew back.
Not only that, but Son Gohan also knew there was a future transformation that required a tail.
In a sense, a Saiyan's tail was the source of their power.
After thinking for a while, Trunks asked again, "Gohan, you've only told me the drawbacks. What about the advantages? What are they?"
He actually wasn't scared off?
Son Gohan gave Trunks an appreciative look and replied, "Of course there are advantages."
"As for getting weak and losing your ability to fight when someone grabs your tail, you can actually overcome that through training. Once trained, your tail won't leave you helpless when it's grabbed. Instead, it gives a Saiyan another way to attack."
"Also, Saiyans with tails should be able to improve faster through training."
"You have the blood of the Saiyan Royal Family, so you should be able to stay clearheaded after becoming a Great Ape. At least, from what I remember, Uncle Vegeta retained his reason when he became one. It should be the same for you."
After hearing Son Gohan's words, Trunks brightened again.
He said, "Then for me, the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks. And I'll train my tail too, so I can get rid of that weakness."
"Gohan, to answer your earlier question, I want my tail to grow back."
Son Gohan nodded. "All right, then wait a year. After that, we can have Shenron restore your tail."
As soon as he said that, something occurred to Son Gohan, and his eyes lit up. "Oh, right. Maybe Dende can grow your tail back sooner."
Since Old Kami could remove Son Goku's tail permanently, didn't that mean there might also be a way to grow one back?
Healing Spells, Restoration Spells, regenerating severed limbs, drawing on the Dragon God's power to create Dragon Balls.
Namekians knew all kinds of incredible magic.
Dende might have a way.
Old Kai knew a simpler, more forceful method, but they could not count on him right now. For the moment, they could only rely on Dende.
"Then let's hurry and find Dende." Trunks jumped out of the water, hurriedly got dressed, and kept urging Son Gohan along.
"Gohan, come on, hurry!"
Son Gohan could only sigh.
He had no choice but to jump onto the deck too. His tail spun a few times like a fan, shaking off the water, and then he got dressed and took Trunks to Kami's Lookout.
After hearing Trunks's request, Dende nodded. "I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee it'll work."
"Okay! Thank you, Dende," Trunks said happily.
"It might take a little while," Dende said. "You'd better stay here for the next few days. I'll need to look into it."
Trunks immediately agreed. "Sure, no problem."
Hearing that Trunks would be staying for a few days to work on this, Son Gohan said goodbye and left.
Before he left, Trunks asked Son Gohan to pass along the message that he would not be home for the next few days.
Son Gohan readily agreed, then leaped off Kami's Lookout and plummeted toward the world below like a meteor.
He thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of free fall. It felt completely different from flying.
The wind roaring in his ears and the sensation of weightlessness made his heart race. Only at times like these did memories of his previous life come to mind.
They reminded him that he had been reborn.
Once he was close to the ground, Son Gohan used the Flight Technique and flew toward Fortuneteller Baba's palace.
When he reached the palace, he found that Fortuneteller Baba was still away. He had no idea where she had gone.
Son Gohan even suspected that Android 17 or Android 18 might have killed her too.
But then he remembered that Fortuneteller Baba was an emissary of the afterlife. Surely she had some special means of protecting herself.
Still, failing to find Fortuneteller Baba on both visits made Son Gohan even more curious.
He wondered where she had gone and what could have happened to keep her away from her palace for so long.
He would probably only learn the answers once he saw Fortuneteller Baba.
Afterward, with nothing else to do, Son Gohan flew toward East City, which was relatively close to Fortuneteller Baba's palace.
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