Hyperbolic Time Chamber

"Aaaaaah--!"

In the quiet ruins, Gohan suddenly threw his head back and let out a roar that pierced through the curtain of rain, wanting to test the limits of his current strength.

Even though he had fully inherited the original owner's memories and combat instincts, memories were one thing, but experiencing them firsthand was entirely another.

In the original Namek saga, Son Goku had hovered near death and recovered several times, his combat power skyrocketing like a rocket. His base power was only ninety thousand when he reached Namek, but after recovering from near-death following the Ginyu Force battle, it had surged straight to three million!

Furthermore, what Dragon Ball fan hadn't privately fantasized about transforming into a Super Saiyan? Now that the opportunity was right in front of him, not unleashing his ki would be an insult to his status as a transmigrator.

The current Gohan had not only just experienced a total near-death injury and recovered to full health after eating a Senzu Bean, but more importantly, he had just fused with the legendary Super Saiyan bloodline!

These three buffs combined had triggered an unprecedented explosion in his base combat power.

His golden hair stood on end, and a cold, sharp light flickered within his emerald-green pupils.

Gohan clenched his right fist, feeling the surging ki within his body. It was definitely more than just a little stronger than when the original owner had fought the android siblings to the death; it was likely around three hundred million.

The violent power coursing through his body left him incredibly excited, but it still wasn't enough!

Gohan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to rush out immediately and settle the score with the androids.

He knew very well that his current strength was, at best, barely on par with either No. 17 or No. 18 alone.

But those devilish siblings were like one entity and would never act separately.

Facing two monsters with infinite stamina and combat power hovering around three or four hundred million, his chances of winning were still slim.

He had to become stronger!

"The Legendary Super Saiyan bloodline... since I've fused with it, why can't I transform directly into the Legendary Super Saiyan?"

Gohan gritted his teeth and squeezed his ki once more.

He wanted to trigger the Pseudo-Legendary Super Saiyan form, but it didn't seem that simple.

"Haa!"

Within the golden aura, a trace of eerie, dark green faintly peeled away.

Gohan's body suddenly shot up in height, and his already toned muscles expanded like a balloon, stretching his martial arts uniform until it was taut.

But he quickly realized something was wrong.

His power hadn't undergone a qualitative leap; instead, a wild, uncontrollable savagery was rampaging through his body. It felt like an ancient beast trapped in a cage, desperately trying to tear through this body and break free.

Pseudo-Legendary Super Saiyan.

Or rather, this was a forced excitation of the Great Ape's power while in human form.

The combat power boost in this state was a mere ten times! It was far lower than the fifty-fold increase of a standard Super Saiyan!

"Damn it..."

Gohan panted heavily, dispelling the awkward state and switching back to a regular Super Saiyan 1.

He stood where he was, brow furrowed as he pondered the reason.

Soon, he figured it out.

The Super Saiyan transformation didn't just require enough S-cells accumulated in the body; it required an extremely intense emotional trigger. The original owner had broken through to Super Saiyan only after witnessing the tragic deaths of Piccolo and the others, fueled by extreme grief and rage.

As for the Legendary Super Saiyan form, it was an entirely unfamiliar territory for him. He had never transformed into it, his body had no muscle memory, and he hadn't found the emotional switch to trigger that berserk state.

The Legendary Super Saiyan bloodline was like a massive gold mine; he owned the rights to it, but he only had a small shovel in his hand and hadn't yet found the most efficient way to mine it.

It would take time; it would take trial and error.

He didn't know that while he was repeatedly attempting to transform, a pair of eyes was quietly watching him from the darkness.

In a gloomy corner a few kilometers away from the ruins, a monster covered in green spots with insect-like exoskeletons had suppressed all its ki, lying dormant like a corpse.

Cell.

This ultimate android had been lurking nearby ever since the battle between No. 17, No. 18, and Gohan had ended.

He had two goals.

First, to find the flaws in No. 17 and No. 18 and wait for the opportunity to absorb them, evolving into his dream Perfect Form.

Second, to confirm whether or not Son Gohan was dead.

Just as Cell had hoped.

Not only was Son Gohan not dead, but his ki was even more formidable than before.

Upon confirming this, an extreme coldness crept across Cell's face.

He was a very patient hunter.

Since Son Gohan wasn't dead and had become even stronger, it meant his chances of absorbing the siblings were even greater. The stronger Gohan was, the greater his opportunity to play the fisherman reaping the benefits.

He continued to lie in the shadows of the broken walls, waiting patiently like a viper for his chance.

In the center of the ruins.

Gohan had tried for a long time, but still couldn't grasp the trick to the Legendary transformation, so he could only helplessly maintain his regular Super Saiyan 1 state.

Just then, a sharp, rushing sound of something breaking the air suddenly came from the sky.

"Gohan!"

Accompanied by a heart-wrenching cry, a purple-clad figure descended like a meteor, slamming heavily into the muddy water.

Trunks.

The fourteen-year-old boy was soaked to the bone, his face smeared with mud and tears. Having just regained consciousness, he had rushed toward the battlefield like a madman, his mind filled with the image of his master dying in the rain.

He had expected to arrive only to collect a corpse.

But as he stumbled to his feet and caught sight of the figure standing by the puddle, the heavy stone in his heart finally fell away.

A golden aura burned fiercely in the rain, dispelling the surrounding darkness and cold.

The man who should have died in battle was not only standing there completely unharmed, but his energy was even more powerful than before.

"Go... Gohan?" Trunks's voice trembled. He couldn't believe his eyes, terrified that this was merely a hallucination born from extreme grief.

"Thank goodness... you're alright!"

Trunks lunged forward, gripping Gohan's remaining right arm tightly. Tears mixed with the rain as he broke down completely, the overwhelming joy shattering all his defenses.

Watching the purple-haired boy before him, who was laughing and crying at the same time, a flicker of complex emotion crossed Gohan's eyes.

In the original owner's memories, Trunks was already regarded as a younger brother; he and Bulma were the only two people left in this desperate world whom he considered family.

"Trunks, it's okay. I'm here."

Gohan reached out his right hand and ruffled Trunks's wet purple hair firmly.

He deactivated his Super Saiyan transformation, the golden aura receding as he returned to his base state with black hair and black eyes.

"Don't worry. Soon, we will be able to finish off those two androids for good."

Son Gohan spoke with a tone of absolute certainty.

Trunks froze, keenly sensing that the Gohan before him seemed different. It wasn't just that his strength had increased; the absolute confidence and sharpness radiating from his very bones were something he had never seen before.

"But... we can't beat them at all," Trunks gritted his teeth, his voice filled with deep helplessness.

"We may not be able to beat them now, but we will be able to soon."

Gohan turned his head to look toward the west, the direction of West City.

"Trunks, even though Kami and Uncle Piccolo are dead and the Dragon Balls are gone, there is still one place on Earth where we can become stronger in the shortest amount of time."

Trunks looked up abruptly. "What place?"

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

A cold, sharp arc tugged at the corner of Gohan's mouth.

"Let's go. We'll head back to West City first to let Aunt Bulma know we're safe so she doesn't worry. And then..."

He paused, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

"We're going to the Lookout."