Internal Space

Far out in the vast expanse of space, a spaceship drifted onward.

Inside the ship, in the Gravity Chamber.

Son Gohan was sweating buckets.

The gravity was set to 1,400 times normal, another notch higher than it had been in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

He maintained his Full-Power Super Saiyan form, his golden hair standing on end and his ki calm and steady, like still water.

Sweat rolled down his forehead, but before it could hit the ground, the crushing gravity yanked it down, and it smacked against the floor.

He did some basic training: a few squats, followed by a set of push-ups. His muscles strained to improve under the extreme weight.

But his mind was on something else.

By rights, with over a thousand times normal gravity inside the ship, its structure should have been crushed long ago.

Even if it held together, the engines would have to burn fuel like crazy to counteract the load, and the ship's speed would surely slow.

But after all these days, the ship was perfectly fine, flying as smoothly as ever.

He quickly decided it must be an independent space structure.

Hoi-Poi Capsules used spatial folding technology, so the Gravity Chamber probably worked on a similar principle. The gravity only took effect inside the chamber and didn't affect the ship as a whole.

Otherwise, a genius scientist like Bulma wouldn't have overlooked something so obvious.

Once he'd figured that out, Son Gohan stopped worrying and got back to training.

The days passed in a steady routine.

Eat, train, sleep, then train some more...

It was a little monotonous, but he was already getting used to it.

Then, one day, in the middle of training—

Son Gohan was doing pull-ups, his fingers hooked around a metal bar as his body rose and fell rhythmically under the pull of gravity.

Just then, he sensed a stirring from the Dimensional Seed deep in his consciousness.

The seven-colored crystal trembled slightly.

Then the area around his dantian began to heat up.

Son Gohan jumped down from the bar, landed on the floor, closed his eyes, and focused his consciousness inward.

Then he sensed something deep in his dantian, as though it were quietly sprouting and growing.

Gradually, a small Internal Space took shape.

It was only about two or three square meters, and inside was nothing but darkness and chaos.

Son Gohan opened his eyes and couldn't help smiling.

Having an Internal Space was great.

He untied the cloth pouch at his waist. There were still a few Senzu Beans left inside. He took one out, placed it in his palm, and focused his mind.

Whoosh—

The Senzu Bean vanished from his palm.

The next moment, it lay quietly in the small space deep within his dantian, its emerald-green surface still in the darkness.

Son Gohan's eyes lit up.

"Interesting."

He took the bean out, then put it back. Out again, back in again. He repeated the process several times.

Then he put a plate of roast meat inside. An hour later, he took it out. It was still hot, and the oil was still sizzling.

Did this thing preserve food? No, it stopped time.

He stroked his chin and pondered for a while before the implications sank in. The Internal Space was small for now, but since it had opened up as his power grew—

Wouldn't it keep getting bigger as he grew stronger? It was a storage space now, but perhaps one day it could become a small world of its own.

And beyond that?

Could it eventually develop into a completely independent universe?

Son Gohan felt even more excited at the thought. He stored all the Senzu Beans in his Internal Space, dusted off his hands, and walked back into the Gravity Chamber.

Time to train hard.

There was plenty of time.

He hoisted a pair of dumbbells weighing several hundred kilograms onto his shoulders.

Under normal circumstances, that weight would have been nothing. But under 1,400 times normal gravity, those few hundred kilograms felt like a towering mountain, pressing down until his bones creaked.

With every squat, his knees trembled and his thighs ached unbearably. He kept telling himself, "If it hurts, that means it's working."

After a while, sweat poured off him. He reached over and pressed the gravity switch.

Click. The gravity dropped to zero in an instant.

He felt so much lighter at once. The relief was addictive, like a rush of dopamine.

He dragged his aching body into the bathroom. Hot water washed away the sweat and fatigue, leaving him refreshed from head to toe.

Then he went to get some food.

Son Gohan walked into the kitchen and opened the pantry.

Aunt Bulma had really gone all out. Knowing how much Saiyans ate, she'd packed the pantry to the brim.

There were steaks, pork chops, chicken, ham, and all kinds of meat. Ingredients for ramen, sushi, fried chicken, and tempura were neatly sorted, and every cupboard was full.

Most of it was already partly prepared and only needed to be heated up.

He rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Oil crackled in the frying pan, and the roast meat on the griddle filled the air with its mouthwatering aroma. Just listening to it made his mouth water.

The broth bubbled away in the ramen pot, the sushi was already laid out on a platter, and the tempura was fried golden and crispy, with flakes of batter dropping off.

Before long, the table was piled high with food.

Son Gohan picked up a piece of roast meat and shoved it into his mouth. The fat melted on his tongue, and the juices burst forth. He grabbed another piece as he chewed, his cheeks bulging.

Then came the ramen. He slurped down seven or eight bowls of the rich, savory broth. The sushi went down one piece after another, and the wasabi hit his nose so hard he squinted. His chopsticks darted back and forth between the plates.

Last came the fire chicken noodles.

He prepared more than ten packets at once and stirred in the bright red chili sauce. The noodles were coated in crushed seaweed. The spicier they were, the more he wanted to eat; the more he ate, the more hooked he got.

By the time he finished the last bowl, his stomach felt warm and his whole body was content from head to toe.

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his round belly.

He'd eaten at least thirty or forty thousand calories.

Saiyans really had it good. No matter how much they ate, their bodies digested food quickly and their metabolism was even faster. Everything they ate turned into energy in no time, so there was no need to worry about getting fat.

No need to count calories or worry about protein, carbs, dietary fiber, or any of that nonsense. He could just enjoy the delicious food.

What a life...

Son Gohan burped and sauntered toward the bedroom, then flopped onto the bed.

For some reason, he always got a little sleepy after eating. Whatever. He didn't feel like thinking about it. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a good, long sleep.

The days passed like this, one after another.

Train, eat, sleep, then train some more.

The stars outside the window still shone brightly. Sometimes he would sit by the window and watch them for a while, marveling at the dazzling colors and the endless vastness of the universe and its galaxies.

But those thoughts never lasted long. Before long, he'd be back in the Gravity Chamber, pushing himself until he was completely exhausted.

He counted them. There were only eight Senzu Beans left.

One day—

Beep. Beep-beep.

A notification sounded inside the ship, followed by a cold, mechanical voice.

"Approaching the preset destination: Planet Namek. Estimated landing time: thirty minutes. Please stop all activities, fasten your seat belts, and prepare for landing."

Son Gohan was doing push-ups. When he heard that, he jerked his head up.

"We're here! We finally made it after all these days."

Son Gohan sprang to his feet and switched off the gravity system. His Super Saiyan form returned to normal, and his ki settled.

He gazed out the window at the green planet drawing closer, excitement rising within him.

They had finally arrived.

They were almost out of food, and he had only eight Senzu Beans left. If they'd been in space a few more days, he would have run out of food—and he was still growing.

Son Gohan headed to the cockpit to prepare for landing.

Beyond the window, Planet Namek slowly grew larger before his eyes.