Prejudice

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, nearly another half hour had passed.

They could have arrived sooner, but because Vegeta's energy eruption had caused a disturbance in the heavens and earth, the spaceship had sustained some damage to its internal circuitry after taking the initial shock, even though the protective shields had been activated.

Although these were only minor issues, they still affected Bulma's ability to pilot the craft, necessitating some simple repairs.

Naturally, under Bulma's guidance, the spaceship still arrived safely at the residence of the Grand Elder Guru of Planet Namek.

Before they had even landed, the group of four saw a considerable number of Namekians, each wearing an expression of urgency and anticipation.

After landing, Krillin, Son Gohan, and Bulma followed behind Dende, not daring to breathe a word out of sheer nervousness.

After all, they were surrounded by a crowd of Piccolo-like figures; even though they knew by now that the Namekians were good people, the intimidation factor for Krillin and Bulma was immense, even if it was the Grand Elder Guru who had personally invited them.

Under Dende's introduction, the three of them finally came face-to-face with these Namekians, gaining a slight understanding of them.

They arrived outside the Grand Elder Guru's dwelling.

Nail stood at the entrance as always, his expression solemn, without the slightest hint of relaxation.

Guarding the Grand Elder Guru was his duty; if any harm were to come to the Grand Elder Guru due to his own negligence, he would be unable to shirk the blame.

Feeling the pressure of Nail's energy, Krillin and Son Gohan wore grave expressions.

The strength of the Namekians had already opened their eyes, but they had not expected any Namekian to reach such a level of power.

I fear that even if Goku were to use the Kaioken, he would still be far inferior.

"Brother Nail, the Grand Elder Guru has asked me to bring Uncle Krillin and Gohan to see him," Dende said candidly.

With Dende's interruption, Nail finally withdrew his scrutinizing gaze.

He was deeply puzzled; according to what the Grand Elder Guru had said, he had seen a glimpse of the future where warriors from Earth saved the Namekians...

He had expected the Earthlings to possess immense power, at least not inferior to his own, but looking at these two strangely-featured and short Earthlings before him, they did not seem to have much strength at all.

Compared to believing that these two could eliminate the invading enemy, he would rather trust that Vegeta would keep his word.

"Follow me. The Grand Elder Guru has been waiting for a long time." Despite his inner confusion, Nail followed the Grand Elder Guru's guidance and was the first to walk inside.

Seeing this, Dende said a polite word to Krillin and Son Gohan before walking in as well.

Krillin and Son Gohan exchanged a glance and followed.

Bulma was the last to enter.

She had no desire to be left alone outside facing these Namekians.

What if they did something strange to her?

Bulma at this stage of her life still had quite a vivid imagination, and she was far from as composed as she would be years later when she had children with Vegeta.

Entering the inner room, Nail and Dende greeted the Grand Elder Guru respectfully.

Krillin, Son Gohan, and Bulma were taken aback by the massive size of the Grand Elder Guru.

Despite his advanced age, his presence was still imposing.

After introducing one another, the three of them finally steadied their emotions, as they had all learned about the past of the Namekians and the situation they were currently facing.

It was indeed as North Kai had said; they were simple, honest people.

Most importantly, they were not enemies, and the Namekians were willing to help the Earthlings by giving them the Dragon Ball.

It was just that five of the Dragon Balls had already fallen into Frieza's hands.

Having found common ground and expressed their goodwill, the Grand Elder Guru took the opportunity to make a request of the three, wishing to see the memories they held regarding the past of Piccolo and the Earth's Guardian.

To put it plainly, he wanted to see the situation on Earth.

This was only possible because it was Krillin; anyone with even a bit of strength or a shred of selfishness would never be willing to have their memories viewed by another.

But Krillin had nothing to hide, so he agreed.

This process was truly miraculous; at the very least, it was something Krillin and the others could not comprehend.

After a brief moment of browsing, the Grand Elder Guru was filled with emotion.

"So that is how it is. I never imagined that the child of Katatz who drifted to Earth would have accomplished so much. I am even more surprised that he actually arrived on Earth safely...

"Sigh! Come to think of it, if the two of them had not been separated, perhaps the outcome would not have been like this. It was hard on you all to travel such a long and arduous journey to Planet Namek."

The Grand Elder Guru's words were filled with helplessness.

He also knew about Vegeta's invasion of Earth and the series of events that had transpired, though he did not speak of them.

Having already helped Vegeta, in a sense, he had committed an irreversible mistake.

But for the sake of the Namekian race, he had no other choice.

Suddenly exerting force while holding Krillin's hand, the Grand Elder Guru directly utilized his ability to unlock potential.

Krillin, who had been feeling tense upon sensing the Grand Elder Guru's grip, suddenly felt his energy rapidly expanding, with power surging forth in an endless stream.

For a time, a sense of disbelief occupied his mind, and he remained in a daze even after the Grand Elder Guru let go of his hand.

It was only at Son Gohan's reminder that he realized this was not a dream.

"So, so strong. Is this really my power? This, this is just too..." Krillin was so excited he didn't know how to express himself.

His combat power, just like in the original story, rose to 13,000 in an instant, and it was still continuously climbing; it did not stop once it reached that magnitude.

The development Grand Elder gave him was akin to an awakening; it was not a one-time unlocking of potential, but rather a continuous improvement.

In the original story, after Grand Elder unlocked his potential, Krillin's strength kept increasing until, after being injured and healed during the battle with the Ginyu Force, his combat power rose to 75,000 when facing Frieza.

It was clear enough that Krillin's potential was also quite remarkable.

"All I can do now is help you unlock the potential within your bodies. This power is strength that should have been yours to begin with; it is just that without the proper methods, it is difficult to stimulate," Grand Elder said, then looked at Son Gohan and added, "Child, come here as well. I can sense that you are very kind, and you possess incredibly deep potential within you—even more terrifying than that of Vegeta. Unfortunately, even I can only open a crack for you now; I cannot guide it all out in one go."

As the words fell, Krillin, Son Gohan, and Bulma were all startled at once.

"Wait, Grand Elder, you're saying Gohan's potential is even more terrifying than Vegeta's? Could it be that that guy Vegeta also underwent your potential development?" Krillin asked.

"Yes. Not long ago, he came to find me and requested that I unlock his potential, and the reward he offered was to help us eliminate the invading enemies," Grand Elder nodded.

"No wonder, no wonder Vegeta had such immense power." A look of indignation filled Son Gohan's face.