Cloning Technique

"What's wrong, Gohan?"

Chi-Chi asked when she saw Son Gohan staring into space.

"N-nothing... It's just been a long time since I came home!"

"Really? Then I'll make you something delicious right now!"

"Okay!"

Son Gohan nodded.

Seeing this, Chi-Chi happily hurried into the kitchen.

"Hey, Goku, I heard Fortuneteller Baba say that Gohan has already surpassed you. Is that true?"

Ox-King asked quietly.

"Yeah!"

Son Goku nodded.

"Are you going to let him keep training, or have him study?"

"I'm not sure. It's up to Gohan!"

"I see! But it looks to me like Chi-Chi is determined to make Gohan study!"

"Yeah!"

Son Goku scratched his head helplessly.

He had tried to persuade Chi-Chi before, hoping she would let Gohan train, but she always said that the world was at peace now, and that the most important thing was for Gohan to study hard, grow up, and make a success of himself.

Ox-King sighed helplessly.

Actually, just like Goku, he hoped Gohan would train.

A long while later, Chi-Chi finished cooking. The entire dining table in the hall was covered with food.

"All right, Goku, Gohan, Dad, dinner's ready!"

"Okay!"

Ox-King nodded and sat down with Gohan and the others.

Son Goku: "Chi-Chi, shall we dig in?"

"Mm!"

Chi-Chi nodded.

Seeing this, Son Gohan and Ox-King immediately picked up their bowls and chopsticks and started eating.

"Clatter, clatter..."

"Clang, clang..."

Son Goku and the others ate so quickly that they emptied many of the plates piled with food on the table and set them aside.

Seeing this, Chi-Chi smiled and said,

"Gohan, now that you're back, it's about time you went back to studying!"

"Cough, cough!"

Hearing that, Son Gohan immediately choked on the food he had just swallowed.

"Gohan, are you all right?"

Chi-Chi hurriedly handed him a glass of water.

After taking a sip, Son Gohan managed to swallow the food that had gone down the wrong way.

"Are you okay, Gohan?"

Chi-Chi asked worriedly.

"I-I'm fine! Mom, I still have to fight the Saiyans with Dad tomorrow. I think we should put off studying until the day after!"

Chi-Chi stared intently at Son Gohan and spoke gravely.

"Gohan, has Piccolo influenced you? Do you not want to study anymore?"

"No, I just want to fight alongside Dad tomorrow!"

"Be good, Gohan. Fighting is for grown-ups. Your dad can handle tomorrow's battle by himself!

Besides, fighting is dangerous. What if you get hurt?"

"But... Dad could get hurt too!"

"That's different. Your dad is strong, so a few minor injuries won't hurt him. Isn't that right, Goku?"

"...Yeah! But Chi-Chi, tomorrow's battle concerns the fate of Earth. Gohan is stronger than I am, so I think we should put off studying for now!"

"No!"

Chi-Chi shouted at Son Goku.

"Ever since you died, Piccolo took Gohan away, and he went a whole year without studying. He's already fallen far behind the other kids his age. If you don't make him study now, he'll fall even further behind!"

"But Chi-Chi, tomorrow's battle really is important!"

"That's right, Chi-Chi!"

Seeing this, Ox-King joined in to persuade her.

After hearing them out, Chi-Chi thought for a moment and said,

"Fine, but you have to guarantee Gohan's safety. Otherwise, I absolutely won't agree!"

"Okay!"

Son Goku nodded.

After dinner, Chi-Chi sent Son Gohan back to his room to study.

Son Gohan sat at his desk, looking rather glum as he twirled a pencil in his hand.

His combat power was clearly over a hundred million, yet he was stuck studying.

Sure enough, his mom, Chi-Chi, was the strongest person in the universe.

After sulking for a while, Son Gohan suddenly tried asking,

"System, your great master is trapped here studying. Shouldn't you help him out?"

"Great?"

"Ahem!"

Son Gohan cleared his throat and shamelessly said,

"Don't get hung up on the details. The most important thing is to help your master escape this misery!"

"Then praise me, and I'll help you!"

"...System, you're the strongest system I've ever seen!"

"Keep it down, keep it down!"

The system sounded pleased with itself.

"Then, Master, I'll give you the Cloning Technique!"

"The Cloning Technique?"

"That's right. You can use a strand of your hair to create a clone that will study in your place!"

"That's a pretty good idea, but then I won't know what my clone has been doing, will I?"

"Don't worry, Master. You'll get the clone's memories when you take your hair back!"

"I see!"

"Then, Master, should I teach you the Cloning Technique now?"

"Yeah!"

Son Gohan nodded.

A moment later, a vast amount of information about the Cloning Technique appeared in Son Gohan's mind.

Son Gohan plucked a strand of hair from his head and blew on it in his hand. The hair immediately transformed into a copy of him.

Son Gohan looked at his clone and said,

"Then stay here and study for me, okay?"

The clone nodded.

Seeing this, Son Gohan used Instant Transmission and appeared on the mountain where Piccolo was training.

"Gohan!"

Piccolo rose to his feet on the mountain.

Son Gohan nodded.

"Gohan, didn't you go home with Son Goku? What are you doing here?"

"No, I sneaked out!"

"You sneaked out?"

"Yeah! My mom won't let me train!"

Piccolo snorted.

"What about Son Goku?"

"My dad... couldn't do anything either!"

"I see! Gohan, are you nervous about tomorrow's battle?"

"No. Dad told me those two Saiyans aren't Super Saiyans!"

"Mm!"

Piccolo nodded.

After that, Son Gohan trained with Piccolo for a while.

The next morning.

After breakfast, Son Gohan went early to meet up with Krillin and the others.

Krillin: "Goku, are you going to fight first today, or should we let Gohan go first?"

Son Goku smiled.

"Gohan is already stronger than me. If I let him go first, I might not get a chance to do anything! Besides, I want to see what it's like to fight those two Saiyans myself!"

"I figured as much!"

Son Goku was a battle fanatic, so naturally he wouldn't pass up this rare opportunity.

After speaking, Son Goku immediately turned to Son Gohan.

"Gohan, you don't have any objections, do you?"

Hearing this, Son Gohan nodded firmly.

Whether it was Nappa or Vegeta, he could take either of them out with just one finger.

Yamcha: "Then, Goku, we want to join the fight too!"

"You?"

"Yeah! Krillin and the others and I trained hard at the Lookout for a whole year. Even if we can't beat them, we've still got you guys, right?"

"Fine, then!"

Just then, two Saiyan spaceships appeared in Earth's outer atmosphere.

They were Nappa and Vegeta's spaceships.