Cosmic Departure

After eating and drinking his fill and enjoying a splendid feast, Son Gohan leaned back in his chair and contentedly rubbed his stomach.

The table had been piled high with generous portions of fragrant, delicious food. Having gone a whole year without a home-cooked meal, Son Gohan ate with immense satisfaction, wolfing everything down and praising it nonstop.

He looked around the living room. He had spent an entire year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, while only a single day had passed outside. At that moment, the warm home remained exactly as it had been, unchanged in every way, giving him a strange, disorienting sense of time.

Son Goku sprang up from his chair and stretched his arms.

"Gohan, want to go outside and spar a little? Work off the food."

He spoke with great enthusiasm, his eyes gleaming brightly.

Son Gohan did not refuse.

"Sure."

The two exchanged a glance and powered up at the same time. Their figures shot out through the doorway and raced toward the back mountain.

Chi-Chi poked her head out from inside and saw only two figures vanish into the sky. She helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Those two are always making me worry..."

Forget it. Let them do as they pleased.

On the back mountain of Mount Paozu, several enormous craters lay beneath their feet, left behind by their last training session. Grass had not even had time to grow over them before the place was about to be renovated all over again.

If the mountain could talk, it would probably be cursing right now—"Stay away from me!"

Son Goku and Son Gohan landed in an open clearing among the mountains and looked at each other.

They both assumed their opening stances, remaining in their normal states.

"Here I come."

Son Gohan moved first.

There was no probing at the start. He went all out from the very first move.

With a stomp, the ground cracked apart. He shot forward like a cannonball, his fist carrying tremendous force as it blasted toward Son Goku's chest.

The air tore apart with a shrill sonic boom.

Son Goku's pupils contracted, but he did not dodge.

He threw out a punch of his own and met it head-on.

Boom—!

The two fists collided.

A shockwave exploded from the point of impact, and, as expected, another massive crater blew open beneath them.

Shattered rocks flew everywhere, earth churned up, and the surrounding trees were blown over and snapped by the blast.

Son Goku felt a terrifying force travel through his fist, numbing his entire arm. Grimacing, he staggered back several steps, shook out his arm, and said, "Hehehe—Gohan, you're really strong!"

Son Gohan withdrew his fist, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Of course. Watch out, Dad."

The instant he finished speaking, his figure vanished.

Son Goku's eyes lit up, and he immediately twisted aside. A gust from a fist swept past his ear, and he countered with a backhand punch.

Fortunately, Son Gohan dodged in time and drove his knee toward Son Goku's lower abdomen.

Son Goku hurriedly blocked with his elbow. Amid a dull thud, the two tangled together again.

They fought from the ground into the sky.

Two afterimages flickered wildly through the air. Every collision burst out visible shockwaves, while the dull impacts of fists and kicks blending together into a continuous roar.

But in his normal state, Son Goku could no longer keep up with Son Gohan's pace.

After several exchanges, Son Gohan seized an opening, turned sideways, and unleashed a flying kick.

It struck Son Goku squarely in the chest.

Son Goku crashed into the ground like a meteor. With a thunderous boom, another human-shaped crater appeared in the earth.

Dust and smoke filled the air.

Hovering in midair, Son Gohan looked down into the crater.

A burst of laughter came from within.

"Hahahaha! That felt amazing!"

Son Goku sat up from the crater, his face and hair covered in dirt as he laughed carelessly.

Seeing this, Son Gohan frowned.

Did I knock something loose in his head? Dad hit his head when he was little. What if I damaged his brain again this time? How am I supposed to explain that to Mom when we get back?

"Mom, Dad and I went out to spar, and then I broke his brain."

As his thoughts ran wild, Son Goku's voice suddenly reached him.

"Gohan, you're getting more and more impressive, kid!"

Son Gohan let out a sigh of relief.

It was fine. Everything was fine...

"Let's head back, Gohan!"

Son Goku jumped out of the crater, dusted himself off, and waved at him.

Son Gohan nodded. The two flew side by side toward home as the wind swept over Mount Paozu, carrying the fresh scent of nature.

When they got home, Chi-Chi saw them covered in dust and grime. She rolled her eyes but ultimately said nothing.

"Gohan, Bulma called earlier."

"Hm?"

"I told her you went out to fight with Goku." Chi-Chi spoke seriously. "She said she needed you for something."

Son Gohan nodded and walked into the living room to pick up the phone and call back.

Bulma's crisp voice soon came through the receiver.

"Hello? Gohan?"

"Aunt Bulma, it's me."

"The spaceship is ready." There was a hint of pride in Bulma's tone. "I've stocked it with food and drinks, and it has an entertainment room and a lounge area—everything you could need."

"Okay, I'll head over now."

After hanging up, Son Gohan turned to Chi-Chi.

"Mom, I'm going out to train for a while."

Chi-Chi had been wiping the table, but the cloth in her hand came to a stop.

"You're leaving again?"

There was undisguised worry in her voice.

"Yeah." Son Gohan walked over to Chi-Chi and looked up at her. "I'll bring Mom a gift when I come back."

Chi-Chi crouched down and helped straighten Son Gohan's collar. Her movements were gentle, but her heart was full of fear and worry.

"Gohan, take good care of yourself. If it gets too dangerous, run. Your safety comes first."

Son Gohan nodded, warmth filling his heart.

A mother's concern was always like this—unconditional love, with only the reminder to take better care of himself.

"I know, Mom."

He walked out of the house, suddenly flared his ki, and shot toward West City in a streak of light.

In the open grounds of Capsule Corporation, a massive spaceship stood parked there.

Its silver-white hull was exquisitely made, and its streamlined body was brimming with futuristic technology. It looked far more advanced as well.

Bulma stood beside the spaceship with a data tablet in hand. When she saw Son Gohan land, she waved him over.

"Come on, I'll explain how to operate it."

She pointed at the control panel and explained the buttons one by one.

"This is the start button. This switches on autopilot. This is the control panel for the Gravity Chamber."

"Oh, and I installed the latest gravity system inside, so you can train to your heart's content."

"This is the communicator. Contact me anytime if you run into any problems."

Bulma explained everything in great detail. Son Gohan listened quietly without interrupting.

Once she had gone over all the precautions, Son Gohan nodded.

"Got it. Thank you, Aunt Bulma."

"Oh, it's nothing."

Bulma smiled and reached out to rub Son Gohan's little head. Gohan was not very tall, only reaching her waist. His hair was fluffy, and it actually felt pretty nice to rub.

"The destination has already been set—Planet Namek. It'll travel on full autopilot, so you don't have to worry about anything. It'll land automatically when it arrives."

Son Gohan was delighted.

"That's great."

He had originally been worried that he would have to pilot the spaceship across the stars himself. Now, it looked like that had saved him a great deal of trouble.

He waved to Bulma, then turned and walked toward the spaceship. The hatch opened, revealing a brightly lit corridor, with soft light glowing from the metal walls.

He entered the spaceship and sat in the pilot's seat. Even though he did not need to operate it himself, sitting here and looking outside still felt different.

He pressed the start button.

The spaceship gave a slight shudder, and the engines let out a deep roar.

The ground began to recede, and Bulma's figure grew smaller and smaller.

Son Gohan waved to her through the window, and Bulma raised a hand in return.

The spaceship rose into the air, passed through the clouds, and then broke through the atmosphere.

The blue sky outside gradually darkened, eventually turning into the depths of space.

Earth became a blue planet behind them, surrounded by a sky full of stars.

Son Gohan turned his gaze toward the window.

The starry universe was dreamlike and surreal.

Some of those distant points of light had existed for billions of years.

He watched for a long time.

An unreal feeling welled up inside him.

It felt like a dream.

Outside the window, countless stars glittered like dazzling lights.

Son Gohan withdrew his gaze and stood up from the pilot's seat.

He had seen enough of the scenery.

He turned and walked into the Gravity Chamber, pressing a button on the control panel.

The indicator light came on, and the gravity system began operating.

The display showed that thirty days remained in the journey.

There was plenty of time to train at his leisure.