It was the weekend.
With a rare school holiday, Gohan had originally planned to find a more convenient place to train, but he'd made plans with Videl.
The girl had come to his house first thing in the morning.
She'd dragged him straight out the door, even more eager than he was.
"Gohan, you promised me! You said you'd spend the day with me!"
Videl gave him a playful look, the corners of her mouth curling into a sly smile. She'd already made up her mind.
Since he wasn't willing to admit the truth, she'd just follow him around. Maybe she'd discover something that way.
That was why she'd taken the initiative and come to find Gohan, so they could wander around the big city together!
Gohan had no choice but to accompany her on a shopping trip. After training for several days, a rare bit of leisure was welcome.
It put him in a particularly relaxed mood, which also helped him cultivate his state of mind.
And as he strolled around with Videl, his Ultra Instinct, which had already reached 0.9%, suddenly rose a little just from wandering around.
It actually climbed to 0.95%!
How strange. Was cultivating something like Ultra Instinct about more than just training? Did improving one's state of mind matter too?
It was like when Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan God. Later improvements in strength weren't just about battle power.
Cultivating one's state of mind mattered too. He had to improve his mental strength!
Gohan hadn't expected this result. He really ought to thank Videl. He noticed her watching him with a suspicious look.
She'd been observing him the whole way, eager to find out how strong he really was.
Amused, he decided to thank her for helping him improve his Ultra Instinct. When he spotted a stall, he took her hand and led her over.
"By the way, you've been keeping me company for a while. Let me get you a gift, as a memento of our first date!"
Then he went into a shop and carefully picked out a pretty gemstone for Videl.
It wasn't expensive—less than 200, just a cheap trinket—but when he helped Videl put it on, he clearly saw her blush.
Videl hadn't expected Gohan to give her a gift. It was obvious that he cared about their date.
Thinking of how suspicious she'd been the whole way, never enjoying their date and instead doubting Gohan, Videl felt a little guilty.
Looking at the fake gemstone necklace, she raised her head and said, "I'm sorry. I—I don't deserve this gift."
"From the beginning, I've been suspicious of you. I shouldn't have doubted you. I never treated this as a real date. That was wrong of me!"
She truly regretted it. Faced with Gohan's "sincerity," she felt as though she'd deceived him.
As she apologized, she clenched her fist, intending to treasure the gift.
Suddenly, an explosion sounded nearby!
Boom!
"Ah! Robbers!"
"Robbers! They're robbing the shop and taking hostages!"
"Move! If you don't want to die, get out of the way!"
A gang of robbers was holding up a shop in broad daylight. When Videl saw them, her expression changed, and in an instant she turned serious.
"Gohan, wait here. I'll go over!"
Videl had a strong sense of justice. The moment she saw the robbers, she charged over without a second thought.
Watching her, Gohan knitted his brows.
She was only an ordinary human, after all. Videl's battle power was nowhere near 100, and she couldn't possibly defend herself against ordinary firearms.
But she didn't hesitate for even a moment. Before the police arrived, she confronted the robbers and fought several of them.
The robbers were holding hostages and carrying submachine guns. When a girl suddenly charged at them, they almost didn't know how to react.
One of the robbers hit the ground after Videl knocked him down.
Only then did the leader's expression change. Furious, he raised his submachine gun and fired straight at Videl.
"Damn it! Where did you come from, you brat? Die!"
Bang, bang!
A burst of bullets tore toward Videl. She dodged again and again with her speed, but unfortunately, she slipped up.
A bullet grazed her leg. She stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
Though she managed to stay upright, clutching her bleeding leg, she couldn't stand straight. With a pained expression, she looked up at the leader in front of her.
He aimed his submachine gun at her, wearing a vicious grin.
"You want to be a City Superhero? Looks like you're asking to die!"
At such close range, Videl had no way to dodge.
Gohan watched it all. When he saw Videl get hurt, something stirred inside him. He hadn't expected that he cared about her a little.
She was his future wife, after all. No one else was allowed to hurt her!
Especially when he saw blood running down her delicate leg, a flame suddenly flared in his heart.
At the same time, Ultra Instinct sensed that flame and rose once more.
Cultivating one's state of mind wasn't only about calmness. It also involved anger, and the fighting spirit sparked by protecting someone!
All of these things combined, and Ultra Instinct broke through!
He now understood the essence of Ultra Instinct. And the Ultra Instinct that had remained below 1% for so long, in that very instant—
It broke straight through to 1.1%!
He'd undergone a genuine transformation, reaching entry-level Ultra Instinct.
"Ultra Instinct reached 1%. Entry-level ability acquired. Battle power increased by 100%. Able to dodge all close-quarters attacks and become a master of hand-to-hand combat!"
As expected, Ultra Instinct was at its most powerful in close-quarters combat!
With battle power increased by 100%, his strength had suddenly risen by an amount measured in hundreds of millions.
It truly was the strongest divine technique.
Gohan smirked. Feeling the change within his body, he released Ultra Instinct without hesitation.
In that instant, energy swirled around him, and his hair almost turned white.
The moment he moved, the ground shattered beneath him.
Ordinary people couldn't possibly track his movements!
The people around them had no idea how fast he was running. To an ordinary person, it all happened in 0.01 seconds.
Even Videl was still staring anxiously at the submachine gun, wondering how to dodge.
The next second!
Blood sprayed as several robbers in front of her, including the leader—
All ten of them were instantly split in two, their bodies severed.
Gohan stood before her. With a casual flick of his hand, he'd appeared right in front of her, looking utterly at ease.
Videl was stunned that he'd taken out ten robbers. Especially when she noticed the energy swirling around Gohan. She still didn't understand what ki was.
But she knew very well that Gohan was powerful—far more powerful than she'd imagined!
He wasn't just a City Superhero. He was so strong that he might even be a match for her father.
No, he was probably far stronger than her father. Her father had never given off such a terrifying aura.
Just standing in front of him made it hard for her to breathe.
His presence was overwhelming, filling her with a deep sense of apprehension. W-was this really the harmless Gohan she knew?
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