Vegeta saw Son Goku voluntarily give up his claim to the top spot. He was a little surprised, but immediately lifted his head smugly.
It was as if he were saying, This time, I won!
Looking at the two of them, their eyes full of anticipation and fighting spirit, Tarble felt a little helpless.
To be honest, he didn't want to.
Still, he knew all too well that if he refused, those two would cling to him like burrs and never let go.
They weren't called battle maniacs for nothing.
"Fine, I'll spar with you, but not right now."
As soon as he agreed, Son Goku and Vegeta beamed with delight.
They answered in unison, each saying, "Great!" twice.
Just then, Son Gohan and the others arrived.
Sensing their energy, Tarble and the others all turned to look toward the horizon.
"Ah, Krillin and the others are here!" Son Goku cried happily. "Hey—"
"Krillin—"
He waved as he shouted.
Among the newcomers, Krillin held an irreplaceable place in his heart.
As his shouts died away, Krillin and the others reached them.
They hadn't even landed yet when they called out happily.
"Goku!!!" x4
"Dad!" x3
"Old Son!"
The whole group swarmed over.
"Haha!"
"Everyone, long time no see!" Son Goku called with a hearty laugh.
Krillin grumbled, "You go off to train, and then you're gone for ages!"
"Sorry, sorry. I got so caught up in training that I lost track of time." Son Goku chuckled sheepishly.
It was his usual trick.
Simply put, he couldn't be bothered to come up with an excuse.
He'd been training on North Kai Planet for three or four months.
Come to think of it, he was also saving his family money in his own way.
He could focus on training, too—a win-win.
Hearing that, Krillin gave him a scornful look. He couldn't even be bothered to call out the lie.
There was no doubt he'd been drawn here by that incredibly powerful energy.
Based on his earlier suspicions, Krillin discreetly sized up Tarble.
He wasn't the only one. Piccolo and the others were secretly watching Tarble, too.
Unfortunately, Tarble had already suppressed his energy, so they couldn't tell anything from him.
"Dad, you won't be leaving again anytime soon, will you?" Son Gohan asked with a smile. "Mom's home alone."
Son Goku nodded. "Yeah, I won't be going anywhere for a while."
"By the way, Gohan, what brought you all here?"
"Did you come to see Tarble, too?"
At that, Krillin and the others were certain that Tarble had been the source of the incredibly powerful, unfamiliar energy they'd sensed earlier.
What surprised them, though, was that Tarble didn't seem nearly as powerful now as he had before.
While they wondered about it, Trunks and Son Goten had already taken action.
They ran over to Tarble, each asking him a question.
"Uncle Tarble, was that incredibly powerful energy just now yours?"
"Yeah, Uncle Tarble, that energy felt a little like yours, but it was also really different."
Looking at the two boys' curious faces, then glancing at everyone else, who was just as eager to know, Tarble smiled and nodded.
"That's right. That energy came from me."
"That energy is unique to the Super Saiyan 4 transformation."
Before he'd even finished speaking, Trunks and Son Goten's eyes lit up, and they exclaimed together.
"That's so cool!" x2
"Super Saiyan 4~"
"Just the name sounds amazing~" (✧◡✧)
Children's praise was the purest kind; there was no hint of flattery in it.
Their words made Tarble so happy that the corners of his mouth lifted into a handsome smile.
Before he could answer, Trunks asked eagerly, "Uncle Tarble, can you transform and show us?"
Tarble was happy to grant such a simple request.
The next second—
With a rumble, a brilliant flash of light enveloped him.
When the light faded, he had transformed into the handsome form of Super Saiyan 4.
A faint, mischievous smile played on his lips as he looked at Trunks and Son Goten with a gentle yet imposing gaze.
"Trunks, Goten, this transformation I'm using now... is Super Saiyan 4!"
"How does it... look?"
He'd meant to ask if they thought he looked cool, but he changed his mind at the last moment.
This time, transforming had come even more easily.
In Super Saiyan 4 form, his energy was far more restrained than in his first three transformed forms.
Unless he deliberately let it burst out, he seemed no different from when he was in his normal state.
"That's so cool!"
"Goten, you're wrong. It's both cool and powerful!"
The two boys marveled at him, their eyes shining as they took in his appearance.
They even reached out to touch his bright red fur.
Tarble wasn't ticklish, and he didn't scold them. He let them stroke it.
Fortunately, they weren't too mischievous and didn't try to pull any fur out.
Otherwise, they'd definitely have gotten a beating.
At the same time, he noticed that Son Gohan and the others' expressions had changed, too.
Along with their astonishment, their eyes held admiration and envy.
Just then, Vegeta's voice rang out beside him, tinged with displeasure and suspicion.
"Tarble, did you deliberately release your energy the last time you transformed?"
Meeting his gaze, which seemed to see right through him, Tarble merely smiled without answering.
There was something sly about that smile.
That's right!
He'd done it on purpose.
At that moment, his silence spoke louder than words.
Seeing this, Vegeta looked indignant. He pointed at the two furrows in the ground and shouted, "I knew it!"
"You brat..."
Before he could start cursing, Tarble cut him off.
"Big brother, if I'd transformed into this form back then, would you have been able to truly feel how powerful Super Saiyan 4 is?"
Hearing that, Vegeta was left speechless, unable to refute him.
After all, he couldn't sense much energy from Tarble now.
"Hmph!"
In the end, he could only snort and turn away.
At the same time, he was full of doubts.
What was going on?
Could Super Saiyan 4 suppress its energy, too?
If Tarble knew what he was thinking, he'd definitely have to admit Vegeta was pretty sharp!
Just then, Son Gohan came over to Tarble and exclaimed sincerely, "Uncle Tarble, you're amazing!"
"You must be stronger than my dad now!"
As he spoke, he looked to Son Goku for confirmation.
"Dad, can you transform into Super Saiyan 4 now?"
At that, everyone turned their eyes to Son Goku, looking expectant.
Before Tarble arrived, Son Goku had been the Saiyan they all considered the strongest.
In terms of both strength and talent, he was ahead of Vegeta.
If they had to guess which of the two, Son Goku or Vegeta, was most likely to break through to Super Saiyan 4, they would have believed without hesitation that it would be Son Goku.
That was how much confidence they had in him!
Before you continue