Shenron's Wish

In the blink of an eye, Son Gohan had arrived at Capsule Corporation's front gate.

He raised a hand and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Bulma stood there in pajamas, yawning. She had clearly just crawled out of bed.

She looked blearily toward the entrance, then froze.

"Huh—Gohan?"

She looked Son Gohan up and down, taking in his tattered battle suit, ripped in countless places.

"Have you already finished a whole year of training? That was really fast." Bulma rubbed her eyes. "Didn't this day just end? I was planning to get some more sleep, then work on a research project."

"Yes, Aunt Bulma." Son Gohan stood at the door and answered carefully. "A year passed in there, and the training results were excellent. My strength increased quite a bit, thanks to the Gravity Chamber you developed."

Bulma waved a hand, a slightly smug smile on her lips.

"Alright, stop flattering me. What do you need?"

"I need to use the Dragon Balls to make a wish."

"The Dragon Balls, huh?" Bulma thought for a moment, then stepped aside.

"Alright, Gohan. Sit down and rest for a while."

"There are drinks in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever you want. I'll go look for the Dragon Radar in my room."

"It's fine. Take your time, there's no rush."

Bulma turned and went into the inner room, rummaging through a pile of miscellaneous items.

Son Gohan sat down on the sofa, casually opened the fridge, took out a bottle of Pepsi, popped the tab, and took a sip.

The bubbles burst across his tongue, and the refreshing sensation flowed down his throat and into his heart, making his whole body feel much better.

He suddenly recalled an old joke about Pepsi from his previous life and chuckled.

"Ever had Pepsi? Damn it..."

He muttered to himself, then shook his head.

Before long, Bulma came out of the room holding the Dragon Radar, along with a Dragon Ball.

"Here, the radar." She handed the items to Son Gohan, then shook the ball in her hand. "This six-star ball was something I picked up before. It saves us some trouble."

Son Gohan accepted them, his eyes lighting up as he immediately thanked her.

"That's even better. Thank you, Aunt Bulma."

He put away the six-star ball, then asked, "Aunt Bulma, can you prepare a spaceship to Planet Namek for me? I plan to continue training over there."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. Her clever mind considered it for a moment. She clearly had no idea what he was planning, but she did not ask further.

"Sure, leave it to me. When do you need it?"

"As soon as possible."

"Got it." Bulma waved her hand. "Go do what you need to do. I'll get it ready right away."

Son Gohan nodded in thanks and turned to walk outside.

Standing at the gate, his body suddenly surged with power. A white aura erupted around him, and he shot into the sky like a streak of light.

An orange dot blinked on the Dragon Radar's screen.

Directly below him was a lake.

Son Gohan made a sharp turn in midair and dived down.

The lake's surface was calm, reflecting Son Gohan's figure. He raised a hand and fired a ki blast. Water exploded outward, the lake churned to both sides, and fish, shrimp, and other aquatic creatures were blasted aside, exposing the lakebed.

He plunged into the water and felt around the murky bottom for a while before his fingers touched something round.

The orange orb stood out beneath the water. Its distinctive crystalline texture was like translucent crystal. It was the one-star ball.

Son Gohan surfaced with the ball in hand, evaporated the droplets on his body with his aura, and continued flying toward his next target.

He then found the four-star ball and five-star ball in the desert and a valley.

He laid the Dragon Balls he had collected before him and examined them closely. The orange spheres were crystal-clear, giving off a gentle luster.

Even in daylight, they looked like works of art.

"They really are amazing."

Son Gohan muttered, then repeated the process until he had gathered all seven.

He placed the seven Dragon Balls on the ground in a circle.

He took a deep breath.

"Come forth, Shenron! Grant my wish!"

As soon as the words fell—

The seven Dragon Balls erupted with dazzling golden light at once.

The sky abruptly darkened, shifting from daylight to the dead of night in an instant.

A pillar of golden light shot up from the Dragon Balls, piercing the heavens. It spiraled and expanded in midair before finally transforming into an enormous Shenron.

His body was covered in teal-green scales, and his red eyes stared fixedly ahead. His massive form coiled through the sky, blotting out the sun, while his whiskers drifted in the wind. He looked utterly majestic.

Son Gohan looked up at Shenron and could not help but marvel inwardly.

He had seen this scene on TV before, but standing before it in person now, the sense of oppression and shock were on a completely different level.

Shenron lowered his head, his red eyes gazing down at the tiny figure on the ground as his imposing voice rang out.

"State your wish. Any wish, and I can grant it."

But Son Gohan could not help mocking him inwardly.

—What a load of bullshit.

He did not let it show on his face, though, and directly stated the wish he had long prepared.

"I want the ability to survive in the vacuum of space."

Shenron's red eyes flickered.

"Very well. Your wish has been granted."

Son Gohan lowered his head and looked at his hands.

His body seemed somewhat different, but he could not tell exactly how. Standing on the ground, he could not sense any difference for the time being.

Shenron's figure began to fade, turning back into seven white stones that scattered off toward different parts of the world.

The pitch-black sky instantly regained its brightness, as though everything that had just happened had only been an illusion.

Son Gohan stood where he was, watching the Dragon Balls fly away.

"Done."

He dusted off his hands.

It would probably still take Aunt Bulma some time to prepare the spaceship.

He would use this gap to head home first.

He suddenly flared his energy and flew toward Mount Paozu.

Before long, the familiar house appeared amid the mountains and forest.

A small domed house stood there, with several trees planted by the entrance and smoke curling from the chimney.

Son Gohan landed at the door and pushed it open.

"I'm home."

Chi-Chi was cooking in the kitchen. The instant she poked her head out and saw Son Gohan, her eyes immediately reddened.

"Gohan!"

She hurried over, grabbed Son Gohan's arm, and looked him over from head to toe. His battle suit was practically in tatters, covered in scorch marks, making him look like some pitiful, ragged child.

"How did you end up like this? Don't train so hard!" Chi-Chi's voice was filled with heartache.

"You're still just a child. Can't you leave fighting to Goku?"

Son Gohan opened his mouth.

He wanted to say something, but faced with the pained look in Chi-Chi's eyes, the words rose to his lips and were swallowed back down.

He gave an awkward laugh.

"Uh—Mom, I'll go take a bath first."

Chi-Chi sniffed and released his arm. "All right, all right. Go take a bath first. I'll make something delicious right away and help you build your strength back up."

Son Gohan nodded and turned toward the bathroom.

Behind him came the sounds of Chi-Chi bustling about in the kitchen, still muttering endlessly to herself.

As the hot water poured down over him, Son Gohan closed his eyes and relaxed.

This year of training had finally come to an end.