Grand Elder

A meteor plummeted to the ground.

The earth trembled, and the shockwave kicked up a skyful of dust.

I narrowed my eyes at the center of the dust cloud—that familiar, arrogant aura that made me want to punch someone.

Vegeta.

The Saiyan prince, the future second male lead (probably), and currently... a third-party force.

"Uncle Krillin, Uncle Tien Shinhan, no matter what happens later, don't act rashly." I patted Krillin on the shoulder. "That guy's power level is probably around twenty-four thousand."

"Around?" Krillin swallowed. "T-Twenty-four thousand?!"

"That's right." I took a deep breath. "And his temper is even higher than his power level. So whatever you do, don't provoke him."

As soon as I finished speaking, the dust dispersed.

A figure walked out from within.

At that instant, his expression became extremely strange.

It was like he had eaten ten thousand flies, or like someone had publicly stripped off his pants.

"Son Gohan."

He enunciated the name word by word, his voice gritted with hatred.

I gave him an innocent smile.

"Uncle Vegeta, we meet again!"

The air froze.

Krillin's expression was more dramatic than a scouter's readings. "G-Gohan? You know him?"

"We've met once," I said casually.

Once.

The time four-year-old me had pinned Vegeta to the ground and rubbed his face in the dirt.

That incident had clearly left him with massive psychological trauma, to the point that he now looked at me as if I were a monster.

"Why are you here?" His tone carried wariness.

"Because we came to look for the Dragon Balls too."

I was still smiling sweetly, as well-behaved and harmless as a kindergarten child.

Vegeta's eyelid twitched.

"You know about the Dragon Balls?"

"Of course." I tilted my head. "I also know Frieza's advance team has already collected four, and the Grand Elder has one."

Vegeta fell silent.

The way he looked at me changed.

It was no longer simple wariness. There was now a hint of... apprehension?

It really was strange for a four-year-old to know all that.

But what he didn't know was that I knew far more than that.

I knew why he had come here.

I knew he and Frieza were mortal enemies.

I knew he urgently needed the Dragon Balls to fulfill some ambition—let me guess, wishing for immortality?

Of course, I wasn't going to say any of that aloud.

"Uncle Vegeta." I put away my smile, my expression turning serious. "Frieza's final power level is one hundred and twenty million."

Vegeta's pupils suddenly contracted.

"One hundred million?"

"Five hundred and thirty thousand in his first form, over one million in his second form, and one hundred and twenty million in his final form." I spoke each word distinctly. "Are you sure you want to fight him one-on-one?"

The air fell completely silent.

Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and Yajirobe all turned to stone at the same time.

They were probably thinking: When did this four-year-old become so terrifying?

Vegeta's expression shifted unpredictably.

After a long time, he finally spoke. "...Who exactly are you?"

"I'm Son Gohan." I spread my hands. "Four years old, power level five thousand, and I refuse to accept objections."

"Five thousand?" Vegeta snorted coldly. "Do you take me for an idiot?"

"Yes, you are an idiot." I nodded. "An idiot with a power level of twenty-four thousand, beaten so badly by a kid with a power level of five thousand that he was crawling around looking for his teeth. Who would believe that if you told them?"

Vegeta's face instantly turned tomato red.

"Son Gohan!!!"

His aura erupted, blasting the rubble on the ground into the air.

Krillin and Tien Shinhan both dropped into fighting stances.

But I merely stood where I was, without even blinking.

"Uncle Vegeta." My tone was as calm as that of a kindly old father. "If you wanted to kill me, you would've done it already. If you want to cooperate, I can give you some intel. If you want to hurt each other... then I don't mind making you lose face again."

Vegeta's aura faltered.

He glared at me, his fists clenched so tightly they crackled.

Three seconds later, he withdrew his aura.

"...What do you want?"

I smiled. This tsundere brat had caught on, just as expected.

Over the next half hour, I laid out the situation for Vegeta. Frieza's first Dragon Ball was with the Ginyu Force, the second was with Zarbon, the third was with Dodoria, the fourth was with one of Frieza's soldiers, and another was with the Grand Elder.

Frieza himself was probably still aboard the main ship, ready to make a move personally at any moment.

"So?" Vegeta cut me off impatiently. "What are you getting at?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." I held out my pinky finger. "Though this friend might stab me in the back at any time."

Vegeta snorted coldly. "You want to use me?"

"Yes." I didn't hide it. "I want to use you to draw Frieza's attention, then take the chance to meet the Grand Elder."

"Meet the Grand Elder?"

"I heard he can unlock potential." My eyes lit up. "You understand what that means, don't you?"

Of course Vegeta understood.

For a Saiyan, having one's potential unlocked meant doubling their power, going from being beaten down to beating others down, turning their fortunes around.

"...Fine." Vegeta nodded. "I'll deal with Zarbon and Dodoria. You go see that Grand Elder. But on one condition."

"The last Dragon Ball is mine." He stared at me. "You can collect the Dragon Balls, but I'll handle the wish."

I blinked.

This guy's ambition really wasn't hard to see.

"Fine." I nodded. "But if you die halfway through, then forget the whole Dragon Ball business."

"...Are you cursing me to die?"

"I'm stating a fact." I shrugged. "Frieza's Ginyu Force is no joke."

Vegeta's face darkened further.

But he didn't argue.

Because he knew I was right.

The plan was set.

Tien Shinhan and Krillin would remain on standby and protect the dying Namekian. Yajirobe... would continue eating snacks.

As for me, while Vegeta went to cause trouble for Frieza, I would quietly infiltrate the Grand Elder's residence.

Namek's Grand Elder lived inside a hollow giant tree on the other side of the planet. In the original story, Frieza's advance team had never found him because he was hidden too well. But I had the walkthrough.

Under the cover of night, I flew at full speed.

The wind howled past my ears.

I didn't feel cold at all. Instead, my blood boiled with excitement.

The Grand Elder. Namek's guardian, a mysterious being capable of unlocking potential. In the original story, he had unlocked Gohan's potential once, sending his battle power soaring from a few hundred to fourteen thousand. Now it was my turn.

Half an hour later, I stood before that giant tree.

It was even larger than I had imagined. Its canopy blotted out the sky, and its trunk was as thick as a small mountain.

The entrance to the tree hollow was concealed by vines. I pushed them aside and walked in.

Inside was a vast cavern, its ceiling embedded with glowing ores that cast a gentle light.

And at the center of the cavern stood an enormous chair.

A Namekian sat in it. His skin was green, his body covered in wrinkles, but his eyes were as deep as the starry sky.

"You've come." The Grand Elder spoke, his voice old yet calm. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

I froze for a moment. "You knew I would come?"

"I did." The Grand Elder smiled faintly. "Someone would come and change Namek's fate."

"Son Gohan, child of the Saiyans. You are no ordinary person."

I fell silent for a while.

Then I walked up to him and knelt.

"Grand Elder." I raised my head, my gaze firm. "I know you can unlock potential. I want to ask for your help."

The Grand Elder looked at me without saying a word.

After a long while, he extended his withered hand and gently placed it atop my head.

At that moment, a warm power flowed from his palm into my body. Like sunlight, like a spring breeze. My body began to glow, my blood boiled, and every pore cheered.

When the light faded, I stood up again. My body felt weightless, yet every cell was brimming with strength.

The Grand Elder looked at me and revealed a satisfied smile.

"Your potential... is even greater than I expected," he said. "Go, child of the Saiyans. Use your power to protect everything you wish to protect."

I gave a deep bow. "Thank you, Grand Elder." Then I turned and left.

My steps were firmer than when I had arrived.

As I emerged from the cave, I glanced at my scouter.

The numbers were rising. From 5,000 to 10,000, then 15,000, then 20,000.

A power level of 20,000 would already put me beyond the Z Fighters on Earth. But on Namek, it was still far from enough.

Frieza's final form had a power level of 120 million. The Ginyu Force averaged between 40,000 and 60,000, Vegeta was at 24,000, and I was at 20,000. The gap was still enormous, but it didn't matter. This was only the beginning.

Just then, the scouter sounded another alarm.

I looked down, and my expression changed drastically.

A new string of numbers flashed wildly across the screen.

40,000. 50,000. 55,000.

The Ginyu Force had arrived.

A cold smile curled at the corner of my lips.

The real show had only just begun.