After Son Goku tipped his head back and drank the Ultra Divine Water, nothing happened at first.
He even smacked his lips. "The taste... is a little sweet? And kind of fishy?"
Master Korin watched him nervously. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine, just a little—"
Before he could finish,
Son Goku's body suddenly convulsed, as if an invisible bolt of lightning had struck his spine. He doubled over like a shrimp, both hands clutching his stomach, his knuckles digging into the grooves of his abs. His mouth hung wide open, but no sound came out—not because he was silent, but because the pain had made his throat spasm, trapping even his scream.
Here it comes. This is it. I knew it would hurt, really hurt—I knew—but knowing and enduring it are two completely different things!!!
It was as if a tiny sun had ignited inside his stomach. A searing agony erupted in his abdomen and spread through his blood vessels to every part of his body. Thousands upon thousands of red-hot knives twisted through every muscle fiber, while billions of burning needles pierced every cell at once.
Amid the agony, Son Goku desperately clung to a single thought, like a drowning man grasping a piece of driftwood: I won't die. I won't die. I won't die.
But the pain was real. It hurt so much. It was the kind of pain that truly reached down to the bone.
"Gaaah—!!!!"
At last, he managed to scream.
The cry burst from the chamber at the top of Korin Tower, thundered through the entire tower, and shook stone dust loose from its walls. Flocks of birds roosting in the forest below took to the air in alarm, while the scream ricocheted between the clouds.
Son Goku's knees slammed into the floor, cracking the stone in two radiating patterns. His pupils shrank to pinpoints, and the veins on his forehead and neck bulged.
"Goku!!!"
Krillin rushed over and dropped to his knees beside Son Goku. He reached out to help, but an invisible force suddenly sent him flying back. It was the most primal, uncontrollable ki, surging wildly from Goku's body and bursting in every direction without any pattern.
Krillin was knocked to the ground, his back thudding against the chamber wall. He scrambled back up and charged in again, only to be flung away once more. Then he got back up again.
"Krillin! Get back!" Master Korin couldn't bear to watch anymore. He blocked Krillin with his staff, his white fur blown straight back by the raging ki. An expression unlike any he'd ever shown in his hundreds of years of life appeared on his feline face—reverence.
"His body is being transformed by the Ultra Divine Water. If he endures, he'll emerge reborn. If he doesn't..." He left the rest unsaid.
"Endure—you have to endure!!!" Krillin couldn't tell whether he was shouting or crying. His voice was drowned out by the roar of the raging wind, so loud that even he couldn't hear himself.
Atop Korin Tower, the weather changed.
Boom—!!!
The morning sky had been clear, but the instant the raging ki burst out above the tower, it darkened. Dark clouds rolled in from every direction and twisted into a massive vortex directly above Korin Tower. Thunder rumbled within it, and lightning bolts shot from its center, striking the tower and exploding into rings of blue electricity. The torrential rain was forced to hang in midair by the rising surge of ki, forming a suspended curtain of water that refused to fall.
Meanwhile—
In the Heavenly Realm, at the Lookout,
Kami stood before the palace, gazing down at the world below. Suddenly, his body stiffened, and the staff in his hand clattered to the ground.
"This ki..." Disbelief spread across his aged face. "How could such powerful ki exist in the world below?! And... it's still growing?!"
He closed his eyes, sending his senses surging downward like a tide. When his awareness touched the top of Korin Tower, the violent, scorching ki made him shudder and stagger back three steps.
"That child... no, that ki is no longer something a 'child' should possess..."
Atop Korin Tower,
the agony came in wave after wave, but Son Goku's mind remained strangely clear.
Hang on... Hold on!!!
"AAAAAAAAAH—!!!"
He suddenly threw his head back and roared, the sound shaking stone dust loose! His white aura flared, changing from pale white to pure white, like a tiny sun rising atop Korin Tower!
Krillin tried to approach, but the surging ki knocked him to the ground. He braced himself against the floor and stared wide-eyed at the figure. "G... Goku..."
Master Korin could no longer speak. In all his eight hundred years, he had never seen anyone survive the Ultra Divine Water's deadly poison, let alone unleash such terrifying energy!
"Boom—!!!"
A deafening crash rang out, and the aura abruptly contracted.
The dark clouds retreated, and sunlight returned. The storm around Korin Tower died down, as if everything that had just happened had been nothing but an illusion.
On the platform, Son Goku slowly got to his feet. He raised his hand and looked at the pure white aura in his palm.
So... this is what it feels like to have my potential unlocked?
He closed his eyes and felt the power surging through him. His ki was much denser than before, flowing through his body like a great river.
My battle power... it went from around 600 to about 1,100? So raising my battle power was only a side effect. The Ultra Divine Water unlocked my "limit"—it completely remade my foundation.
"Phew..."
He let out a long breath and suppressed his ki. The pure white aura gradually faded, returning him to normal.
"Master," he said, turning to Master Korin and bowing deeply. "Thank you."
Master Korin stared at him blankly. It took a moment for him to find his voice. "You... you're really all right?"
"I'm fine!" Son Goku rolled his wrists, hopped twice, and grinned brightly. "I feel fantastic! I'm bursting with energy!"
Master Korin: "..."
He opened his mouth, but in the end could only smile wryly. His voice was tinged with exhaustion. "Monster... You really are a monster... In eight hundred years, you're the first person to drink the Ultra Divine Water and still have enough energy to bounce around afterward..."
"Hehe!" Son Goku scratched his head bashfully.
Krillin scrambled to his feet, rushed over, and punched Son Goku on the shoulder before throwing his arms around him.
"You... you idiot..." Krillin's voice was muffled, thick with tears. "You scared me half to death... You really scared me..."
Son Goku was taken aback, then laughed and patted Krillin's bald head. "All right, all right. I'm fine, aren't I? I promised to treat you to barbecue, and I never break a promise!"
"Who wants your barbecue?!" Krillin pushed him away, wiped his eyes, and stubbornly turned his head. "...I want ten servings."
"Haha! Sure! You can have twenty!"
Master Korin watched the two boys, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. But soon his expression turned serious, and the bell swayed gently.
"Son Goku, wait."
"Master?"
Master Korin looked toward the clouds above. His voice was low. "The Heavenly Realm... Kami wants to see you."
"Kami?" Son Goku's heart stirred.
Here it comes... In the original story, Kami officially met Goku only after the King Piccolo arc ended. But now my ki has caught his attention early... The timeline's changed again.
"That's right." Master Korin nodded, his expression complicated. "When you released your ki just now, Kami sensed it. He asked me to pass along a message... Go to the Lookout."
Son Goku's eyes lit up.
The Lookout... Kami... and Mr. Popo.
"Got it!" He puffed out his chest and grinned brightly. "Thank you, Master! Next time I come, I'll bring you even more fish! And Senzu Beans too—I'll make sure to save some!"
Master Korin was taken aback, then burst out laughing, his bell jingling. "Good! I'll be waiting! But don't bring too many next time. They'll go bad if I can't eat them all!"
Son Goku waved goodbye to Master Korin and Krillin, then leaped into the air, shooting skyward like an arrow. His white aura left a long trail behind him as he flew toward the faintly visible Lookout above the clouds.
Krillin ran to the edge of the platform and shouted after him. "Goku—! Come back soon—!"
A hearty reply came from the sky:
"Got—i—t—!!!"
Before you continue