Five Million in Battle Power

Three years later.

"Boom—!!!"

The metal door to the training room opened, and a violent gust of energy blasted out.

Son Goku stepped out.

His frame was even more upright than it had been three years ago.

"Five hundred times..." he murmured, slowly curling his five fingers into a fist. His knuckles cracked sharply. "At last... I can walk without gasping for breath."

[Battle power: 5,000,000.]

He closed his eyes, feeling the energy surging within him. The potential awakened by the Grand Elder on Namek had become a golden ocean, flowing quietly through his meridians.

[If I use Kaio-ken now... No, I don't need to use a technique that burns through my life anymore.]

He lowered his gaze to his hands, palms turned upward. A pale golden aura slowly rose from them, like a gentle flame.

"But..." His brow furrowed slightly. The aura flickered wildly for an instant. "I'm still a little short."

[With a base battle power of five million... that number is already far beyond where Goku was when he faced Raditz in the original story. But why... haven't I reached the threshold of Super Saiyan yet?]

He slowly closed his eyes and turned his awareness inward, sinking into the ocean of potential the Grand Elder had awakened within him.

[I understand now. Becoming a Super Saiyan isn't simply a matter of piling up more power. Before I can become one, I need to open one door after another—seals that can only be broken once certain conditions are met.]

[The first door is the foundation. In the original story, Goku had a base battle power of only ninety thousand when he went to Namek. After recovering from near death, it rose to three million, and he eventually broke through in the desperate battle on Namek. I have five million now... I've long since passed through the first door.]

[But the foundation door is the "three-million barrier." It's not a battle power number, but the "minimum foundation" a mortal body needs to withstand a Super Saiyan's arrival. Perhaps my transmigration means I need to forge a much stronger foundation.]

Son Goku looked down at his hands and slowly curled his fingers into fists.

[Super Saiyan is a fifty-fold burst of power. If the body isn't strong enough, the moment of transformation will see that raging energy tear it apart from within. Frieza's transformations changed his form in the original story. Why should Saiyans be any different? I have five million now, and my foundation is far sturdier than it was at this point in the original story... but that only means "I won't die." It doesn't mean "I can control it."]

[The second door is extreme anger.]

Images flashed through his mind: Bulma holding Wuhao, Chi-Chi taking Wuqi by the hand, the sunset over Mount Paozu, the beach at Kame House.

[Not anger for the sake of destruction, but for the sake of protection. When someone precious to you falls before your eyes, when your dignity is trampled, when your frustration burns to the depths of your soul... that is the kind of anger that lights the fuse for golden flames.]

[Right now... I'm not angry enough. Or rather, I haven't been pushed to that desperate point.]

[No... I don't want my family to get hurt just to give me a reason to be angry. But if anyone dares lay a finger on them—]

At the thought, his aura surged out of control. He clenched his fist and forcibly pressed the restless power back inside him.

[The third door, and the hardest one—control.]

[Broly, that uncontrollable beast, isn't a true Super Saiyan. He's a slave to his power, his reason swallowed by his raging energy. I have to learn to wield thunder while remaining calm, to become the master of my power, not its slave.]

[So I can't rush this. Five million is the foundation, but becoming a Super Saiyan requires "mind" and "body" to be complete. I have to find that critical point, the one balance between my determination to protect and my calm control.]

[Then... I'll open that door.]

[Then... becoming a Super Saiyan will happen naturally, without the slightest risk!!!]

[If my Godly Qi breaks through, my mental strength will increase substantially, and I'll be able to control even more energy.]

[That means the day my Godly Qi breaks through to the entry level will be the day I become a Super Saiyan!!!]

[Five million in battle power is enough to handle the trouble coming my way.]

Hurried footsteps sounded in the distance.

"Dad!"

Two little figures came running over. It was Wuhao and Wuqi, with Chi-Chi following behind them, wearing a helpless yet affectionate smile. "Goku! You finally decided to come out! Wuhao and Wuqi haven't seen you for a whole month!"

"Dad! Dad! Play with us!" Wuhao and Wuqi each lunged at him from one side, wrapping their arms around his legs, their little faces brimming with excitement.

Goku's stern expression melted at once. He bent down, picked up one child in each arm, and kissed them both on the forehead.

Wuhao suddenly squirmed, slipping from Goku's arms to the ground. Imitating Goku's usual pose, he struck an awkward, wobbly stance, fists clenched tight.

"Dad! I want to train too!"

"Me too!" Wuqi jumped down and stood beside his brother. The two little ones stood side by side. "I want to be as strong as Dad! I'll chase away all the bad guys!"

Goku froze for a moment, then a complicated look flashed in his eyes.

[Four years old...]

Chi-Chi rushed over and grabbed both children by the backs of their collars, dragging them away like a mother cat carrying her kittens.

"No! Absolutely not! You're only four! What are four-year-olds doing training?"

"Mom! Let go!" Wuqi kicked his little legs in the air. "I want to train and beat up bad guys!"

"Me too! Me too!" Wuhao chimed in.

Chi-Chi's face reddened with anger. She turned and glared at Goku. "Goku! Say something! They're just children! Training like that... they should at least wait until elementary school, right? No, middle school!"

"Chi-Chi."

Goku crouched down to look the two squirming little ones in the eye, then looked up at Chi-Chi.

"Come with me for a moment."

He stood and gently took Chi-Chi's hand, leading her to a corner of the courtyard. Wuhao and Wuqi tried to follow, but Goku stopped them with a look that clearly said, "Stand there and behave." The two little ones immediately put their feet together and stood straight as arrows.

"Goku, what are you thinking? You don't really want them to train, do you?" Chi-Chi lowered her voice, her brows knitted tightly.

Goku looked at Chi-Chi earnestly. "Chi-Chi, I have a feeling that Earth won't stay peaceful for much longer. Letting them learn to train now will give them more ways to protect themselves!!!"

Chi-Chi still seemed reluctant. "But Earth is peaceful right now..."

[No. It won't be peaceful for much longer.]

Goku thought silently.

"Chi-Chi, I won't let them into the Gravity Chamber, and I won't let them get hurt. We'll start with the basics: running, meditation, and sensing the presence of 'ki.' Just like I did when I was a child, training with my grandpa, Son Gohan. It took me six years to build my foundation."

He paused, his voice dropping even lower, almost as if he were talking to himself.

"And... I need them to learn how to protect themselves. What if one day I'm not here?"

Chi-Chi's body stiffened slightly.

The courtyard fell silent for a few seconds.

At last, Chi-Chi let out a long sigh. "...You always do this. Fine, but we have rules—no going into the Gravity Chamber! No getting hurt! No more than an hour a day! And you'll have to convince Bulma, too!"

"Yeah—!!"

The two little ones cheered. They both knew Chi-Chi had given her approval, and Bulma usually wouldn't object.

That meant their training was settled. Wuhao was so happy that he did a somersault on the spot. He nearly landed on his bottom, but Goku caught him in one swift motion.

Goku set Wuhao back on the ground.

"You two can go convince your mom Bulma yourselves!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wuhao and Wuqi dashed out of sight.

[Four years old... In the original story, Goten could turn Super Saiyan at seven. Trunks was eight. The earlier they're guided, the better it is for their talent.]

[And Raditz is coming. How far behind can Nappa and Vegeta be? What about Frieza? The Androids, Cell, Majin Buu... I don't have time to wait for them to grow up slowly.]

Goku watched the two little ones disappear, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Just then—

Goku looked up at the sky outside the window. In a dimension invisible to the naked eye, his "ki" had already sensed it—

A cold, savage, familiar evil presence was tearing through the atmosphere, like a poisoned black spear pointed straight at Earth.

He murmured to himself.

"It's here..."

"Raditz."

[The Saiyan Saga... has finally begun.]