"Kael, aren't you going to train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber first?" Lana asked, puzzled. In her mind, once Sun Yu learned how powerful she was, he would surely be jumping at the chance to train. But when Sun Yu had talked about the androids, he hadn't explained how strong either side had been, so Lana didn't know what had really happened.
On top of that, as Sun Yu's martial arts realm improved, he had grown better and better at suppressing his own ki. Unless he made a move, it was hard for others to sense his full strength. Lana naturally assumed that Sun Yu's power was still around eight thousand. If he didn't want her to leave him in the dust forever, he should have been rushing off to train.
What's more, Lana had told Sun Yu from the start that she didn't like men weaker than her. So if Sun Yu really liked her, he should be trying every way he could to surpass her. Why was he so indifferent? Could it be that he didn't like her at all? If he didn't, why had he done that to her back then...
At the thought, Lana felt both furious and humiliated. She glared at Sun Yu, wishing she could go over and beat him up.
"There's no need for that," Sun Yu said casually, completely oblivious to what was on Lana's mind. "The air in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber is so thin that just standing around is exhausting. If you try to train in there, it's easy to get frustrated!"
Sun Yu's training these days was mainly focused on his state of mind, so keeping himself calm was what mattered most. If he cared only about getting stronger, he could certainly raise his battle power quickly—but what would be the point? Training one's state of mind was like laying a foundation. The firmer the foundation, the greater the potential for growth later on. Son Goku and Vegeta were perfect examples.
In the Dragon Ball anime, setting aside their first encounter, Son Goku was always ahead of Vegeta in battle power. That was because his martial arts realm was higher. By the time he reached Namek, he had already entered the state of "Empty Clarity." When he fought Cell, both Son Goku and his son, Son Gohan, even touched upon the traces of the "Way." As the saying went, the Way followed nature. They had woven the Super Saiyan state into their everyday lives: eating, sleeping, and even fishing were all forms of training.
Compared with their level of mastery, Vegeta, who only knew how to bury himself in hard training, was a little behind. Of course, that didn't mean Vegeta's way of training was wrong. Everyone had their own martial path, and what suited them best was what mattered.
Besides, the most effective way to raise your battle power was to fight!
Sun Yu's battle with Android Number 17 was a perfect example. Under the pressure of a powerful enemy, with death closing in, Sun Yu had unleashed battle power unlike anything he had shown before. He had even awakened the second stage of his Sharingan, the Double Tomoe Sharingan. Saiyans were a warrior race; nothing raised their strength faster than battles to the death and the pressure of a powerful foe!
"Hmph, I think you're just... just being lazy and don't want to get stronger!" Lana turned her head away angrily. She felt dejected, though she couldn't tell whether it was because Sun Yu wasn't pushing himself or because she was worried he didn't care enough about her.
Sun Yu seemed confused about why Lana had suddenly gotten angry. He shrugged helplessly. "Of course I do. My battle power is already twenty-four thousand. I'm sure it won't be long before—"
"What?" Lana cried, cutting him off. "You're saying your battle power is already twenty-four thousand? It's only been a day! You... you..."
"Yeah. I told you before, when I fought Android Number 17, I nearly died. Then I ate a Senzu Bean and recovered from the brink of death, and my battle power tripled all at once!" Sun Yu explained.
So that was it. She knew that Saiyans could grow much stronger after recovering from near-death. And it was all thanks to a miraculous medicine like Senzu Beans. Without one, he wouldn't have survived injuries like that, let alone grown so much stronger.
The inability to recover from their injuries in time was one reason Saiyans often fought life-or-death battles but rarely produced Super Warriors.
What was that old slogan again? A near-death Saiyan and a Senzu Bean were the perfect match!
But Lana was still so annoyed. She thought of how she had spent an entire year training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. She had planned to come out and really make fun of Sun Yu, only to find that he had achieved in one day what had taken her half a year of training. Lana felt like she might as well have spent the whole year training a dog!
"Ugh, now you've completely ruined my mood!" Lana dropped onto the ground and pouted sulkily.
Sun Yu immediately gave her an apologetic smile. "At least you're still stronger than me! Besides, Dr. Briefs has already invented the Gravity Training Room. Training in there will make you stronger quickly, too."
"Really?" Lana perked up at the mention of the Gravity Training Room. "I don't care. I get to use it first!"
"Huh?" Sun Yu looked stunned. "Sis Lana, that's not fair. You're already so much stronger than me. You don't need to fight me over this!"
"Hmph, I don't care. If you won't let me use it first, I'll ignore you. Forever!" Lana insisted. Her feelings were complicated. She was glad Sun Yu was getting stronger, but at the same time she worried he might catch up with her so easily. If he really did surpass her, wouldn't that mean she'd have to... But she wasn't ready yet! At the thought, Lana's pretty face flushed.
"Fine, fine. I can't do anything with you!" Sun Yu hadn't noticed how flustered Lana was. He turned to Bulma, who stood obediently behind him, and said gently, "Let's go to Bulma's house first. I can't wait to eat a big meal."
"Okay! Bulma's hungry, too." The little girl threw herself into Sun Yu's arms with a playful pout.
Lana watched with narrowed eyes, pouting and speaking sourly. "You don't even spare little girls this young, you creepy old man. Pervert!"
And so, carrying Bulma and accompanied by Lana, Sun Yu said goodbye to the Guardian and Popo. Together, they flew to the Briefs family home in East City.
To Sun Yu's surprise, when Bulma's mother, Mrs. Briefs, saw her daughter, she didn't act as if they had been reunited after a long separation. She greeted Sun Yu and Lana with the same cheerful smile as ever, as though Bulma hadn't been kidnapped at all and had merely gone away on a trip.
If Sun Yu hadn't known Mrs. Briefs's personality, he would almost have wondered if Bulma had been adopted.
Briefs put on a lavish banquet in the family's courtyard. There were only Sun Yu, Lana, and the three members of the Briefs family in attendance, but they had called in dozens of five-star chefs and brought several truckloads of ingredients just for the occasion.
And that wasn't all. Briefs had also bought several luxurious restaurants in East City for Sun Yu and Lana. Whenever they wanted, he could summon staff at once to prepare the most delicious food for them.
"Kael, after we finish eating, go find me the last two Dragon Balls!"
Sun Yu was busily gnawing on a whole roast ox when Lana suddenly spoke.
"Huh? There's no need to rush, is there? I wanted to get a good night's sleep!" Sun Yu looked at Lana, utterly unwilling.
"Hmph, I'm already being generous by not making you find them before you come back to eat. Stop complaining. Go as soon as you're done!" Lana ordered sternly.
Before you continue