Breaking Through to Super Saiyan One by One

There was no day or night in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

Son Gohan had lost track of how many days he'd been getting beaten up. His Battle Suit had long since fallen to pieces, and his body was covered in bruises.

He knelt on one knee, sweat dripping from his chin.

"This isn't over, Gohan."

Son Goku's voice came from up ahead, telling him they had to keep training.

Gohan gritted his teeth and reached for the pouch at his waist.

There were only ten Senzu Beans left. He laboriously took one out, stuffed it into his mouth, and forced himself to swallow.

The Senzu Bean took effect at once.

His wounds healed at a visible speed. Just seconds ago, Gohan had been battered all over; now, he was filled with strength again.

Before Gohan could even catch his breath—

A golden light erupted.

A dazzling golden aura burst around Son Goku. His hair stood on end and turned gold as he launched a punch with terrifying force.

Gohan's pupils shrank.

But the punch was too fast. It was over in an instant.

It slammed squarely into Gohan's face. A sharp crack came from his nose as the bone shifted, and blood sprayed everywhere.

His head snapped back, and the force of the punch sent him flying through the air.

The next moment, Son Goku flashed into view above him, clasped his hands together, and brought them crashing down.

"Hah!"

The heavy blow slammed into Gohan's back.

Gohan cried out in pain, his body plummeting toward the ground like a cannonball.

Boom!

The ground caved in beneath him, sending rocks flying and dust billowing everywhere.

Every part of him hurt.

Gohan lay face-down in the crater, fingers digging into the ground. His ribs throbbed with pain.

Then Gohan struggled to his feet, his face flushed. The more he fought, the angrier he got. Being beaten down over and over had pushed him to his limit. The veins on his forehead bulged, and he clenched his teeth.

He'd been taking a beating day after day, knocked to the ground again and again.

Enough already!

The Saiyan blood in his body boiled. With a furious roar, the energy inside him burst forth like a flood.

"AAAAAAAH—!"

His roar tore through the air.

His energy surged out in all directions, no longer held back.

A wave of force exploded outward from Gohan, sweeping up a layer of stones from the ground.

His hair began to change. His shaggy locks turned into streaks of golden light, his eyes turned emerald green, and energy waves rippled around him.

The moment his transformation was complete, the waves of energy around him surged again, bathing the entire space in golden light. His power level skyrocketed.

Gohan felt the endless strength welling up inside him.

Then he looked up at Son Goku, who was hovering above him, and grinned.

"Dad, the tables have turned!"

His golden aura erupted, and Gohan vanished from where he stood.

He reappeared in front of Son Goku and drove a golden-flamed fist into his chest.

The punch was too fast.

Son Goku couldn't dodge in time. The blow struck him square in the chest, sending him flying as a fierce pain shot through him.

He steadied himself in midair, rubbed the spot where he'd been hit, and sucked in a sharp breath through gritted teeth.

"Ah, ah, ah—ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Gohan didn't stop. He chased after him, and the two fought in midair, their fists colliding in a flurry. Every punch sent out a shock wave visible to the naked eye.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!"

Gohan's punches grew faster and faster. After transforming into a Super Saiyan, his blood was boiling, and his personality had grown arrogant, bloodthirsty, and eager for battle. The transformation was affecting his aggressive nature.

But right now, he didn't want to think about any of that. He just wanted to let it all out.

Their fists collided again.

A shock wave burst between them, sending them both flying dozens of meters apart.

Gohan steadied himself and drew his right hand back to his waist. Energy gathered in his palm, forming a blue energy wave.

At almost the same time, Son Goku did the same, gathering an identical glow in his palm.

"Ka—me—ha—me—ha!"

Their voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Two blue beams shot out at once, leaving dazzling trails as they collided midway between the two of them.

Boom!

The two torrents of terrifying energy surged toward the sky and clashed.

After a few seconds of deadlock, they erupted in a tremendous explosion.

KABOOM!

The explosion lit up the entire Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Both of them were tossed away by the shock wave and crashed heavily to the ground.

Their golden auras went out at the same time, and they returned to normal, breathing heavily.

Gohan lay on his back, his lungs burning and every muscle in his body trembling.

Nearby, Son Goku slumped to the ground and burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! That was awesome!"

"Gohan, you turned into a Super Saiyan!"

Gohan couldn't help laughing, too.

Then his smile faded. Remembering the arrogance and bloodlust that had washed over him when he transformed, he furrowed his brow.

Something about that state had been wrong.

Those bloodthirsty, battle-crazed feelings had made him waste a lot of movements. His punches had been stronger, but less accurate.

He fell silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Dad."

"Yeah?"

"We need to make the Super Saiyan state our normal state."

Son Goku considered this.

Gohan continued, explaining his idea.

"We should stay transformed and let our bodies get used to the strain of being Super Saiyans. We have to draw all that surging energy inward and keep even the slightest trace of our aura from leaking out."

He paused, then continued, "We can't let that arrogant, battle-crazed state affect us. Only when our minds are calm can we truly break through our limits."

"Super Saiyan Full Power."

Son Goku grinned when he heard that. "Oh! I get it! Gohan, you're a genius!"

So, for the next month, they both fought in their Super Saiyan forms.

They kept their Super Saiyan transformations up as their normal state, eating, sleeping, and fighting without a moment's rest.

It was painful at first. The surging urge to fight kept interfering with their minds.

But they gritted their teeth and endured. Gradually, the frantic energy began to settle, lying dormant within them.

Their auras no longer leaked out.

At last, they had achieved Super Saiyan Full Power.

Meanwhile, deep in Gohan's consciousness, the rainbow-colored Dimensional Seed kept absorbing the high-quality energy he generated during battle.

At this rate, by the end of their year of training, it would soon have enough energy for its first charge.

He wondered what would happen once it was fully charged.

Gohan didn't dwell on it. His golden aura erupted again, and he shot into the air. Son Goku followed right behind him. The two golden figures squared off in midair and began another round of combat.

The winds howled, and waves of energy surged.

Just then—

Vegeta stepped out of the training pod in the Gravity Chamber, drenched in sweat and about to head back to the rest area.

Then he saw something unbelievable. His heart shook, and he clenched his fists.

Two golden figures darted back and forth across the sky at incredible speed, every collision sending out a dazzling flash.

Golden hair, emerald eyes, and surging auras.

"Even Kakarot's son can become a Super Saiyan."

"Impossible..."

"Damn... it..."

His face twisted with rage and humiliation.

"And I, the prince of the Saiyans, can't even turn into a Super Saiyan. Damn it!"

Just then, the battle in the air ended.

Gohan landed, but didn't end his transformation. His golden aura still surged around him, and his golden hair fluttered slightly.

He turned to look at Vegeta.

He grinned teasingly.

"Vegeta, starting tomorrow, I'm going to train in the Gravity Chamber. You can spar with Dad. Try to break through soon."

With that, Gohan patted Vegeta on the shoulder and turned back toward the rest area.

Behind him, Vegeta stood frozen in place, his face livid.

That casual, condescending attitude filled him with humiliation—utter humiliation!

Then, a wave of fury surged through him. Pure, unrestrained fury.

Vegeta threw his head back and roared. Driven by his extreme emotions, the energy inside him erupted wildly, breaking through the bottleneck that had held him back for so long.

Golden light burst forth, and a golden aura shot into the sky.

Gohan felt the powerful aura suddenly explode behind him and paused.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. He'd done it on purpose.

He'd been running his mouth to provoke Vegeta and get under his skin. Only then would Vegeta unleash his true potential out of sheer frustration.

It seemed to have worked. Vegeta had broken through, too.

Gohan didn't look back. He continued toward the rest area.