Seven Years of Peace

Seven years passed in the blink of an eye. West City was rebuilt upon its ruins, becoming more prosperous than ever before. The Capsule Corporation skyscraper stood tall in the city center once more, surrounded by tree-lined parks and wide streets. Bulma expanded the company's operations across the entire galaxy, establishing trade relations with multiple alien civilizations, and Earth officially entered the interstellar era. Kashu's Earth Guardians base was relocated from the northern mountains to deep beneath West City. The base was expanded dozens of times over, housing training rooms, a medical center, a technology research department, and living quarters. At the heart of the base lay a miniature planetary core, providing a constant, inexhaustible supply of energy for the entire facility. Over those seven years, the members of the Earth Guardians underwent tremendous changes. Under Kashu's guidance, Son Goku and Vegeta fully mastered the Super Saiyan 3 form. Compression technology allowed them to maintain the power of the third stage while in their base state, reducing physical strain to a minimum. The two often sparred in the gravity room, fighting until the world seemed turned upside down, neither willing to concede to the other. Son Gohan graduated from high school and was admitted to West City University, where he majored in ancient history. He maintained his Mystic form, with his combat power stabilizing at the upper echelon of Super Saiyan 3. Videl—Mr. Satan's daughter—became his girlfriend, and their relationship developed steadily. Krillin and Yamcha had fully adapted to their android bodies. Krillin's combat power reached the level of a Super Saiyan 2; while he couldn't compare to Goku and the others, he was already a top-tier existence on Earth. He returned to being a police officer, and he and his wife Marron had a daughter named Marleen. With Kashu's help, Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu gained a deeper understanding of their Three-Eyed Clan heritage. Tien Shinhan's third eye awakened a new ability—he could see the trajectories of energy flow and predict his opponent's next move. Chiaotzu's brain augmentation made him the base's technical consultant, responsible for maintaining various alien devices. Android 16 became the guardian of Earth. His programming was deeply connected to the Earth's core, allowing him to perceive any anomaly on the planet. He established dozens of monitoring stations across the globe, keeping watch over Earth's safety 24 hours a day.

Lapis—Android 17—became a ranger for a wildlife preserve. Utilizing his Super Android abilities, he protected the endangered species of Earth. He married an ordinary human woman, had twins, and lived the life that ordinary people only dreamed of. Lazuli—Android 18—remained at the base. Her relationship with Kashu evolved from mutual understanding to love over those seven years, and they finally held their wedding in the third year. The ceremony was simple, with only the team members in attendance. Bulma designed a white wedding dress for Lazuli, and Goku personally served as the officiant. It was the happiest day of Lazuli's life. Cell changed the most over the seven years. He transformed from a cold, ruthless perfect being into the team's most reliable pillar of support. He took on the majority of the training for new members, passing on his combat experience to the younger generation without reservation. He and Android 16 became best friends, often discussing philosophical questions regarding life and existence. Kashu, meanwhile, became more profound. For seven years, he had been researching ancient technology in alien ruins, attempting to find a way for the Earth Guardians to break through their current limits. He discovered some clues—in the depths of the universe, there existed a power that transcended the Super Saiyan, a power known as "Godly Ki." However, he had yet to find a way to obtain it. The 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament was about to begin. One morning, Bulma's video call appeared on the base's central screen. "Kashu! Goku! Everyone!" Bulma shouted excitedly, "Next week is the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament! You all have to come and participate!" "Tournament?" Goku was eating breakfast, his mouth stuffed with food.

"It's a fighting competition!" Bulma said, "Gohan has signed up, and Goten and Trunks are entering the junior division too. You haven't all been together in a long time; this is the perfect chance to meet up."

Goku put down his bowl, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes. "Alright! I'm signing up too!" Vegeta let out a cold snort. "Boring. Why would I want to participate in a competition of that level?" "Vegeta, you're just afraid to come, aren't you?" Bulma used reverse psychology. "Who's afraid?!" Vegeta fell for it, as expected. "Sign me up! I'm entering too!" Kashu smiled. "Fine, we'll all participate. It's a good chance to test the results of our seven years of training." Lazuli walked over to Kashu and took his arm. "I'll join too. It's been a long time since I've stretched my limbs." Cell shook his head. "I won't participate. My power is too great; it wouldn't be fair to the ordinary contestants." "You can suppress your power," Kashu said, "Enter with one percent of your combat power." Cell thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well. I'll treat it as playing along with everyone." Krillin walked out of the training room, wiping away sweat. "A tournament... how nostalgic. The last time I participated was seven years ago." "Back then, we were almost wiped out by Cell," Yamcha said, "Thinking about it now, it feels like a lifetime ago." Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu also agreed to compete. Android 16 chose to stay behind at the base, responsible for monitoring Earth's safety. A week later, everyone gathered at the West City Stadium. The venue for the World Martial Arts Tournament had been expanded multiple times and could now accommodate one hundred thousand spectators. The arena utilized Capsule Corporation's holographic projection technology, allowing the audience to view the contestants' data in real-time on giant screens—combat power, speed, strength, reaction time, and so on. A long line formed at the registration desk. Martial artists from all over the world gathered, all dreaming of becoming the best in the world. Goku wore his orange gi, excited like a child. When he filled out the form at the registration desk, the staff member paused.

"Son Goku? The champion from seven years ago?" "That's me," Goku said with a smile, "though I might not win this time, as many strong fighters have come." Vegeta signed up behind Goku. He wore a skin-tight combat suit, the Capsule Corporation logo on his chest shining brightly. The staff member glanced at him, entered his name, and froze. "Vegeta? Combat power value... unable to measure? The device is off the charts?" "Normal," Vegeta said coldly, "Change to one with a higher range." The staff member hurriedly swapped in a new detector. This time, it finally displayed a value—but the number made the staff member nearly fall off his chair. "Ninety... ninety-eight million?" Vegeta let out a cold snort. "That's the suppressed value. My true combat power is far beyond that." A commotion broke out behind the line. A blonde girl pushed through the crowd and ran to the registration desk. "I'm Videl! Mr. Satan's daughter! I want to sign up!" She turned and saw Gohan, waving excitedly, "Gohan! You're here too!" Gohan walked over with a smile. "Videl, you're competing too?" "Of course!" Videl waved her fist, "I'm going to prove that girls can be the best in the world too!" Kashu and Lazuli stood behind them. Kashu wore a simple black training outfit, and Lazuli wore a white combat suit, her silver-white hair shimmering in the sunlight. Standing together, they looked like figures stepping out of a painting.

When the staff member saw Kashu's name, he frowned. "Kashu? No surname?" "None," Kashu said calmly. The combat power detector went off the charts again. The staff member had to swap three machines before he could barely measure an approximate value. "Two... two hundred million?" Kashu smiled slightly. "Something like that." Lazuli's value was equally astonishing—one hundred and eighty million. The staff member was already numb, mechanically filling out the forms. The last to appear was Cell. He wore a large cloak that covered his entire body, revealing only his dark golden eyes. The staff member couldn't identify his species and assumed he was a martial artist from some remote region. "Name? Cell." The combat power detector flickered wildly and then went black. "The machine... the machine is broken?" The staff member tapped the device. "It's not broken," Cell said, "It's just that my combat power exceeds its measurement range." The staff member's mouth hung open, unable to speak for a long time.