Everything was silent!
Clouds drifted lazily across the sky, a gentle breeze stirred, and warm sunlight spilled down.
Everything had become as perfect as could be.
Son Gohan turned to look at Trunks, Dende, and Mr. Popo, a huge smile spreading across his face.
Trunks and the others had also recovered from their shock.
Son Gohan's figure flashed, and in the next instant, he was standing in the courtyard of Kami's Lookout.
The three of them couldn't tell how he had gotten there.
His speed had reached an almost unbelievable level.
Trunks jogged over and excitedly circled Son Gohan once, then exclaimed in delight, "Gohan, your ki is incredible! That's amazing! What's this transformation called?"
Son Gohan said, "This is a transformation that surpasses the limits of Super Saiyan. Let's call it Super Saiyan 2."
"That's so awesome." Trunks's eyes sparkled. He wished he could become that strong, too.
Gohan had always been his idol, the figure he had spent all this time trying to catch up to.
"Phew~" Son Gohan let out a long breath, and the golden aura and lightning around him vanished.
He was still in his Super Saiyan 2 form.
But this state kept the drain on his stamina and ki to a minimum.
And this was Son Gohan's first time transforming into Super Saiyan 2.
So he wanted to maintain the form a little longer and carefully experience its changes, so he could guide Trunks through his own transformation in the future.
Just then, North King Kai's voice rang out above Kami's Lookout.
"Incredible! Truly incredible, Son Gohan."
"I never thought Bojack wouldn't be a match for you. You're an extraordinary warrior."
"You might even have surpassed Goku by now."
"Son Gohan, on behalf of the other Kais, I want to thank you. You've been a tremendous help. You've done something truly meritorious..."
"The Four Galaxies will all be grateful to you."
Son Gohan smiled. "King Kai, after all that, couldn't you give me a more tangible reward?"
"I don't encourage that sort of behavior."
"Uh, fair enough. What would you like, then?" North King Kai asked.
Son Gohan looked at Trunks. "Trunks, is there anything you want?"
"Me? I want a sword," Trunks said.
He thought Gokua looked incredibly cool with a sword strapped to his back.
Even though it had later been smashed to pieces, Trunks's admiration for swordsmen remained undiminished.
"Sure," Son Gohan said. "King Kai, you heard him, right? Trunks wants a sword."
"A sword? No problem. I don't have one here, but I know where to find one. I can go to Grand Kai and get you a good sword."
"Sounds good. Thanks," Son Gohan said.
"As for me, I'd like to hear what good stuff you have to offer first, King Kai. Then I'll choose..."
"Choose?"
"Hey, what? Oh, sorry, sorry, Son Gohan. Let's leave it at that for now. I have something to take care of, so I'll say goodbye for now." North King Kai sounded like he was in a hurry, then cut off the connection.
Meanwhile, North King Kai took out a towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Then he drove a red car around King Kai's Planet, leisurely circling it again and again.
Busy? Busy with what, exactly?
Son Gohan didn't mind. He'd have plenty of chances later.
But there was still one problem: after North King Kai found a sword, how would he get it to him?
Regardless, the threat of Bojack had finally been dealt with.
The invasion led by Bojack had ended with Earth nearly unscathed.
At Kami's Lookout, Son Gohan maintained his Super Saiyan 2 form for half an hour, then returned to normal.
After that, he told Trunks about his impressions and experiences transforming into Super Saiyan 2.
Trunks learned a great deal from it.
Through his battle with Bojack, Son Gohan had also gained a preliminary understanding of some benefits of the Immortal Body.
That was the incredible bonus that came with the Immortal Body: extraordinary self-healing and recovery.
The only comparison Son Gohan could think of for such an outrageous ability was Majin Buu.
Namekians could heal themselves, too, but they couldn't compare at all.
Remembering that there were still six months left to use in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Son Gohan decided to head straight inside and make full use of the remaining time.
Six months would be enough for him to consolidate and strengthen his Super Saiyan 2 form.
What's more, he had thought of several ways to push the Immortal Body to its limits.
For example, combining the Immortal Body with the Saiyan ability to recover after nearly dying would be beyond absurd—defying the heavens on top of defying the heavens.
Trunks didn't fall behind, naturally, and entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber along with Son Gohan.
The two learned from each other and trained tirelessly.
And just like that, another six months passed inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
As soon as their time was up, Son Gohan and Trunks stepped out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber right on schedule.
One thing worth mentioning was that Trunks's tail had grown back during those six months.
Swinging his new tail, Trunks was thrilled. He said he would bring Dende lots of delicious food.
Son Gohan told him that Namekians didn't need to eat. They could live by drinking water and using photosynthesis.
Trunks was stunned for a long, long time.
He couldn't imagine how anyone could dislike eating.
Eating was clearly the happiest thing in the world.
Ugh, he couldn't understand it. He just couldn't wrap his head around it.
When the two emerged, it was already the middle of the night.
Their clothes were in tatters, and their hair had grown much longer. They had each tied it back in a simple ponytail.
After greeting Dende and Mr. Popo, the two leaped down from Kami's Lookout and flew straight to West City.
When they got home, they found Bulma asleep on the living room couch.
Trunks found a blanket and tucked Bulma in.
Then the two took hot showers, returned to their bedrooms, and collapsed into a deep sleep.
The next day,
The brothers woke to the smell of food.
They woke up sniffing eagerly, then discovered that Bulma had prepared a whole table full of delicious food in the living room for them.
"Wow!"
"Food! Meat!"
Their eyes sparkled as they swallowed hungrily, hurried to wash up, then sat down at the table.
They had spent more than half a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, living on flatbread every day. It had been ages since they'd had a proper meal.
Now, seeing all that food made their stomachs rumble, ready to devour everything in sight.
"Thank you, Mom," Trunks said, swallowing eagerly.
"Hehe, Aunt Bulma's the best," Son Gohan said with a grin.
"You two can stop flattering me and start eating," Bulma said with a smile.
Looking at Son Gohan and Trunks, and remembering how strange things had been on Earth the day before, Bulma began to piece some things together.
And how had Trunks grown a furry tail after she hadn't seen him for only a few days?
Bulma kept wondering to herself, coming up with question after question.
"Then I'll dig in," Son Gohan said, pressing his palms together.
"Dig in, dig in." Trunks pressed his palms together too, giving thanks for nature's bounty.
The two ate ravenously, sweeping the food off the table like a storm.
Bulma ate only a little. Son Gohan and Trunks devoured everything else.
That was Saiyans for you. They each seemed to have a black hole in their stomachs.
After the meal, Son Gohan took the initiative and told her about Bojack.
Bulma listened as if she had been there herself, her heart pounding with every detail as she worried for Son Gohan and Trunks.
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