Mount Paozu
"Dad, I did it! Do you want to see my new form?" Even counting his previous life, Son Gohan was only around twenty years old. After successfully breaking through to Super Saiyan, he couldn't help showing off a little.
"New form? Let me see!" Sun Wukong was thrilled.
After telling Mr. Popo that there'd be plenty of time to talk later, Son Gohan used Instant Transmission to return to Mount Paozu.
"Let's go outside to transform. I still can't control it properly, and if I wreck the house, Mom will get mad!" Son Gohan cautiously glanced at Chi-Chi, who was washing the dishes.
"Okay, okay! Let's go to the lake!" Sun Wukong sped off.
Son Gohan followed close behind.
At the lake in the middle of Mount Paozu, Son Gohan steadied his breathing and closed his eyes.
"Ha!!!"
Golden aura, golden hair, green eyes!!!
His second transformation wasn't nearly as earth-shattering as the first.
The only things damaged were some of the nearby trees and plants.
And since Son Gohan was deliberately holding back, the transformation didn't cause much of a disturbance.
But Sun Wukong could still sense a terrifying energy coming from him.
The half-breed's transformation lacked the savage, violent edge of a pure-blooded Saiyan. Even after turning Super Saiyan, he seemed quite calm.
"Gohan, this energy is too powerful. I can't even sense its limits!" Sun Wukong's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"That's right, Dad! If we put it in numbers, your power level is around 12,000. After I transform into a Super Saiyan and unleash my full power, my battle power reaches a whopping 250 million!" Son Gohan illustrated the gap between their strengths with numbers.
"250 million?! Did I hear that right? Million? If I understand correctly, that's a difference of twenty thousand times?" The usually airheaded Sun Wukong had a rare moment of brilliance.
"Dad, on my last trip, I went to a planet called Namek. On that planet..."
Son Gohan began telling him about his journey, taking the opportunity to explain that he was an alien too—a Saiyan, a warrior from a race of fighters. He'd grown up on Earth after escaping the destruction of Planet Vegeta.
He credited everything he'd learned to his recent journey.
"Dad, according to the legends passed down among the Saiyans, this form of mine is the legendary Super Saiyan, who appears only once every thousand years!"
"Super Saiyan... It sounds amazing! Gohan, hurry up and teach me how to transform!" Sun Wukong was eager and couldn't wait to give it a try.
"Dad, you can't do it yet. Don't you remember what I said? Your base battle power has to reach at least three million before you can reach the threshold for becoming a Super Saiyan. And it'll be much harder for you to break through than it was for me. You'll need an extreme emotional outburst. The catalyst could be either overwhelming rage or an intense fighting spirit!" Son Gohan explained.
"Then I'm only at 12,000 now. How long will it take me to reach three million? I feel like I've hit a bottleneck. No matter how hard I train, I can't break through!" Sun Wukong grew frustrated at the news.
"Dad, to be honest, Piccolo's battle power is about the same as yours right now. Saiyans are a warrior race, with the ability to grow exponentially stronger after recovering from near-fatal injuries. You understand what I mean?" Son Gohan winked.
"Haha... Piccolo, here I come!!!" As a battle maniac, Sun Wukong could understand Son Gohan's meaning as soon as it had anything to do with fighting!
"Hey, Dad! Don't forget to get some Senzu Beans from Korin Tower!" Son Gohan shouted after him.
"Got it, Gohan..." As his voice faded, Sun Wukong had already disappeared.
"Heh, my dad really is impatient! I should get started on my own training plan, too. I wonder if King Kai will teach me the King Kai Fist!"
With a whoosh, Son Gohan also vanished using Instant Transmission, heading for North Kai Star in the Underworld.
The galaxy, the Underworld, even Kaioshin Star—they were all just different levels of dimensions. Every dimension belonged to the Seventh Universe.
Son Gohan's Instant Transmission could take him anywhere in the Seventh Universe.
Later on, Sun Wukong would be able to do the same with the Instant Transmission technique he learned on Planet Yardrat.
He'd just need to sense someone's ki first!
North Kai Star
"Mm, mm..."
As soon as Son Gohan appeared, Bubbles ran over, making questioning noises as though asking who he was.
"Hello! You're King Kai's pet, Bubbles, right?" Son Gohan greeted him warmly.
"Mm, mm-mm!" Bubbles clapped, as if to say he was right!
"Hey, hey! Who are you?" a voice called from behind Gohan.
Gohan turned around. The figure approaching was North Kai!
"Greetings, King Kai. I'm Son Gohan, from Earth. Kami sent me to train with you! He said you're the strongest being in the galaxy."
Flattery worked on everyone!
As soon as Son Gohan began speaking, North Kai's lips curled into a smile, and delight filled his heart.
"Youngster from Earth, you're very young, but you sure know how to talk! Though I wouldn't quite put it that way. I'm only the strongest in the North Galaxy!" Although King Kai liked being flattered, he didn't dare exaggerate too much.
After all, he hadn't forgotten why his planet had shrunk.
"Heh, you're too modest. Kami was amazed by your King Kai Fist and praised it highly! I came here to learn it from you!" Son Gohan continued buttering him up, while making sure to state his purpose.
Of course, Kami had never told him any of that. Kami probably didn't even know about the King Kai Fist!
But Son Gohan was just a child, so he had no choice but to make something up. Otherwise, explaining things would become a whole lot of trouble!
"Oh, I had no idea my King Kai Fist was so famous. Even Earth's Kami knows about it?" King Kai couldn't hide his delight.
"That's right. Kami told me I had to learn from you with humility!"
"Good, good! You're a nice kid, and you know just what to say. We can skip the joke-telling test! I'll teach you!" Son Gohan's flattery had already left North Kai completely disarmed.
"Thank you, King Kai!" Son Gohan bowed.
"To learn the King Kai Fist, you need a powerful body." As he spoke, North Kai suddenly went over to Son Gohan, squeezing his hands and legs and patting his back. Then he continued, "What a powerful body! I can't believe a child who looks two years old could be this strong. And judging by your bone age, you're still in early childhood, aren't you? Your bones haven't even fully grown yet!"
The universe was home to countless strange races. It was common enough to see beings with a build like Son Gohan's.
But after carefully examining Son Gohan's bone age, North Kai was astonished by his strength.
"Do you think I'm qualified to learn the King Kai Fist you created?" Son Gohan asked.
"Ahem... We'll have to test you first. Go catch Bubbles..."
Whoosh!!!
Before he could finish speaking, Son Gohan flashed over and scooped Bubbles up.
"My planet's gravity is ten times Earth's. I can't believe you're adapting so easily!" King Kai's little eyes widened.
"Are there any other requirements?" Son Gohan asked.
"Here, take this little mallet. Hit Gregory with it, and I'll teach you the King Kai Fist!" North Kai used his powers.
A small wooden mallet appeared in Son Gohan's hand.
"Gregory!" North Kai called.
A creature that looked like it might be a bee, a dragonfly, or a grasshopper flew over.
"What can I do for you, King Kai?" Gregory could speak.
"Fly as fast as you can. Don't let him hit you!" North Kai pointed at Son Gohan.
"No problem!" Gregory said, brimming with confidence.
"Heh, is that so?" Before Son Gohan had even finished speaking, he vanished and reappeared behind Gregory.
"You—you haven't even started yet!" Gregory was so startled he could barely speak.
"I haven't hit you. You can run now!" Son Gohan said calmly.
Gregory then flew away as fast as he could.
Whoosh, swish!!
Whoosh, swish!!
No matter how fast he flew, whenever he stopped, Son Gohan was always behind him!
"This is boring. Can't you go any faster?" Son Gohan yawned.
"You!" Gregory was getting angry.
But a glint flashed in King Kai's eyes down below.
"All right, Gregory, stop. You're no match for him. Son Gohan, come here too!" North Kai stopped them.
"Hmph!" Gregory darted away.
Son Gohan slowly landed.
"Is that good enough, King Kai?"