Kakarot in Hell

Android 18 had not expected her strikes to fail so completely; she hadn't even managed to lay a finger on Gohan, which left her feeling rather indignant.

Regardless, her android energy reserves were immense, and there were few on Earth who could stand against her.

Android 18's base strength actually surpassed that of a Super Saiyan 1!

She sat somewhere between Super Saiyan 1 and Super Saiyan 2, which was exactly why she was so stunned that she couldn't even touch Gohan's body.

Most importantly, Gohan hadn't even transformed into a Super Saiyan 1; he had dodged her attacks while in his normal state.

This piqued Android 18's interest. Without stopping the fight, she pulled back, her energy surging as she prepared to fire a blast.

Gohan, however, was growing impatient as he watched Android 18 gather energy in her hand.

He curled his lip and said, "I have other things to do; I don't have time to play with you here!"

"Also, next time, don't go acting so reckless in front of me!"

As he spoke, before Android 18 could release her energy sphere, Gohan gathered his ki and charged straight at her.

Before Android 18 could react, Gohan was on her in an instant. Her expression shifted, but she was too slow to dodge.

He threw a punch directly at her face, and she could feel the sheer power behind it!

The wind howled across the surface of the sea!

Holding her breath, Android 18 froze, rooted to the spot, not daring to move a muscle.

She couldn't dodge this punch at all; if it had landed, it would have surely left her severely injured.

She began to regret choosing Gohan. She hadn't expected him to have progressed so much that he could tower over her without even transforming.

In front of him, she felt like a child!

Their combat power wasn't even in the same league!

Android 18 couldn't help but squeeze her eyes shut, but to her surprise, Gohan's fist stopped just centimeters from her face.

The sudden halt sent waves crashing across the sea beneath them!

Boom!

Huge sprays of water erupted, and the pressure from his punch caused the entire sea to churn.

Gohan pulled his fist back, a playful smirk on his face that made Android 18 realize she was being teased.

This guy was just messing with her on purpose!

That infuriating man!

"Alright, Big Sister 18, I don't want to ruin your pretty face. I still need to go find Master Roshi!"

"Let's call it a day for this fight!"

Gohan relaxed his fist and waved a greeting, not giving the matter another thought.

This left Android 18 feeling discouraged, like a child throwing a tantrum who had been pinned to the ground by someone with no effort at all.

She realized the gap between them, and she became curious about how Gohan had suddenly attained such strength!

How exactly did Gohan train?

She was genuinely curious about how one could reach such a level!

Gohan set off again and soon arrived in front of Master Roshi's small hut.

Seeing Krillin still entangled with his ex-girlfriend, he shook his head with a sigh and landed on the ground.

He greeted the Sea Turtle at the door.

"Yo, I have a favor to ask. I need Master Roshi to help me find Fortuneteller Baba. Is he home?"

The Sea Turtle immediately went inside the hut to announce his arrival.

Master Roshi walked out, his eyes lighting up when he saw Gohan, and he greeted him with a beaming smile.

"I didn't expect to see you, Gohan. It's been several years! How is Chi-Chi?"

"By the way, that guy Goku seems to be in the afterlife right now. Are you looking for my sister because you want to contact him?"

Since the old man had clearly guessed his intent, Gohan didn't hide it and nodded.

"Yes, the new Martial Arts Tournament is about to start, and I think my father would be interested!"

"If I tell him, maybe he'll have time to come back from the afterlife and participate!"

Hearing that the tournament was starting, Master Roshi wore a nostalgic expression and laughed heartily.

"A tournament, eh? It's been a long time since I participated. If Goku enters this one, it's bound to be intense."

"I'll help you contact Fortuneteller Baba and let Goku know!"

Master Roshi didn't hesitate and immediately reached out to Fortuneteller Baba.

Less than half an hour later, having received the message, Fortuneteller Baba arrived at the hut, carrying her large crystal ball.

Upon landing, he turned to Gohan.

"Son Goku has been training in King Yemma's Hell lately. He happened to enter a Hell Martial Arts Tournament and is still there training."

Gohan's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, "Is that so? Is there any way to contact him?"

Fortuneteller Baba brought over her crystal ball and, while manipulating it, said, "I'll give it a try. I have some connections in Hell."

"If I can reach him, it's been a long time since I've seen him anyway!"

With that, she used the crystal ball to begin searching for Son Goku.

Before long, in the deepest part of Hell, she found Son Goku training with a group of deceased martial artists!

Kakarot's aura was impressive; even though he was currently a spirit, his training in Hell had made his energy significantly stronger.

Sensing the other's energy through the crystal ball, Gohan realized that his cheap father, Kakarot, had already mastered Super Saiyan 3!

In truth, when Majin Buu was born, Kakarot had the strength to finish him off.

But he hadn't done so, purely because he wanted to train the younger generation!

It was just a pity that he hadn't managed to eliminate him early on, which led to complications with Majin Buu, forcing him to intervene later.

Having killed Majin Buu with his own hands, the current Son Goku had definitely reached the same level as Majin Buu.

He had certainly mastered Super Saiyan 3 as well!

As Son Goku's figure appeared in the crystal ball, he immediately sensed someone watching him and stopped his training.

Frowning as he sensed the energy from afar, Son Goku soon broke into a smile.

"This energy... is it Fortuneteller Baba? And Master Roshi? Oh, I didn't expect Gohan to be there too. But Gohan!"

"Your energy has become so powerful! I really didn't expect this. Haha, you haven't forgotten to train these past few years!"

Even from such a great distance, Kakarot could sense his energy and his strength.

He truly was the strongest Saiyan!

He was completely incomparable to Vegeta; Vegeta would always be the eternal second-best, while only Kakarot could be called the strongest in the universe!

The gap between him and Son Goku was indeed vast; after all, he hadn't even surpassed Vegeta yet.

How could he possibly catch up to the strongest Saiyan in the universe?

Hearing Son Goku's words, Gohan spoke calmly, stating the purpose of his visit.

"Long time no see, Father. I'm looking for you this time to tell you that the Martial Arts Tournament, which hasn't been held in years, is going to be held again!"

"My girlfriend told me about this!"

Hearing Gohan's words, Son Goku's eyes lit up. As expected, he was interested in the Martial Arts Tournament and immediately shouted happily.

"Is that so? The Martial Arts Tournament... it's really been a long time since I participated. Haha, perfect, I should be able to get a day off from Hell."

"Fortuneteller Baba, can you bring me back from Hell on the day the Martial Arts Tournament starts?"

Fortuneteller Baba nodded, agreeing with Goku's request.

"I can. I'll go to Hell to pick you up when the time comes. Goku, are you really planning to participate?"

Son Goku clenched his fists. He was full of Saiyan bloodlust, especially after sensing how much Gohan's energy had grown.

His face was full of excitement and anticipation: "Of course! I didn't expect that after a few years, Gohan would have trained to this extent."

"I'm already getting fired up. Gohan, this time at the Martial Arts Tournament, I want to spar with you and see the results of your training over these years!"

Gohan naturally wanted to spar with him as well; after all, Kakarot wasn't like Vegeta—he knew how to hold back, making him the absolute best training partner.

With a smirk, Gohan agreed.

"Alright, if there's a chance at the Martial Arts Tournament, I'll definitely spar with you, Father!"

Sensing the seriousness in Gohan's eyes, a smile appeared on Son Goku's face. Even if he couldn't see him, he understood something.

Laughing, he left one final remark: "Gohan, I'm really looking forward to it. I never thought you'd have the potential to surpass Vegeta!"

"This caught me by surprise. I'll be looking forward to our bout at the Martial Arts Tournament!"

The conversation ended.

Gohan had a new perspective on Kakarot. This Kakarot's strength was terrifying; just by checking his energy, he knew he had the power to surpass Vegeta.

Yet, he couldn't see through Kakarot. How strong was his Super Saiyan 3?

What was his combat power? He didn't understand any of it!

But the other man had understood him completely in an instant; that was the gap between them!

The gap was obvious, and to bridge it, the first step he had to take was to surpass Vegeta.

If he couldn't even surpass Vegeta, how could he surpass Kakarot?

After this conversation, he was full of fighting spirit. Before the Martial Arts Tournament began, he had to continue honing himself.

At the very least, he had to raise his Ultra Instinct to over 2%!

Then, he needed to bring the power of the Goro Goro no Mi to 100% and get that 20% power boost in his hands.

Only then would he be able to properly contend with Kakarot.

Having settled on this, he offered a brief greeting and left Master Roshi's small hut.

On his way back, he didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to the fact that someone had been tailing him the entire time.

He couldn't fathom why Android 18 would be interested in him instead of going to find Krillin.

She had followed him all the way to Master Roshi's hut, and now, she was actually tagging along with him as he headed back!

He had no idea what Android 18 was thinking, but considering how much effort she had put into tailing him, he didn't mind.

Gohan didn't mind using her as a sparring partner.

He would bring in Gotenks and Piccolo, and the four of them could serve as his training partners together.

That way, with the four of them joining forces against him, he would be able to get a decent workout!

With this decided, he stopped minding Android 18's presence and instead led her along toward his training grounds.