Turles' Space-Time

Earth in this timeline was enjoying a brief interval of peace.

Several long tables had been pushed together in the yard, piled high with food.

Krillin was happily slurping down a bowl of ramen, Tien was eating grilled meat, and four-year-old Gohan sat beside Son Goku with his cheeks stuffed full.

Son Goku was about to bite into a dinosaur leg when his hand suddenly froze in midair.

"A ki is coming."

Everyone set down their chopsticks at once.

That ki was absurdly powerful and unbelievably fast, yet strangely, it carried no trace of evil. Instead, it felt familiar.

Krillin frowned and tried hard to identify it. He had the nagging feeling that he had sensed something similar before.

A figure descended from the sky and landed in the middle of the yard.

Everyone froze.

His black hair stood straight up, with a single lock rising from his forehead. He was short, looking no older than seven or eight.

But that face—was identical to little Gohan, who was sitting at the table chewing meat.

Krillin's eyes nearly fell into his ramen bowl. Yamcha stood with his mouth agape as the slice of meat held in his chopsticks dropped onto his pants. All three of Tien's eyes were wide open.

Four-year-old Gohan tilted his head, curiously studying this "himself" who had descended from the sky.

"H-How is that possible—" Krillin's voice cracked. "Two Gohans?!"

"I came from another timeline." Son Gohan got straight to the point, saving them from continuing their wild guesses.

Everyone stared blankly for half a second, then erupted.

"Another timeline?!"

"Seriously? There are other universes too?"

"Is there a Son Goku over there too? Are we there too?"

"Is Krillin over there bald too?"

Krillin turned around. "Who asked that? Who asked that?"

Son Gohan waved a hand. "I'll explain it in detail later."

From everyone talking over one another, he roughly pieced together this timeline's situation—Son Goku had never gone to Planet Namek. Before that could happen, he had already defeated Vegeta along with Raditz and Nappa.

The Saiyan invasion crisis had been resolved, and Earth had remained peaceful ever since. As a result, Son Goku in this timeline had yet to learn how to transform into a Super Saiyan, though he had trained himself to withstand roughly ten times the King Kai Fist.

"If you're Gohan from another timeline, then you're family!" Son Goku laughed heartily and pulled over a chair. "You haven't eaten yet, right? Come on, come on!"

Chi-Chi had already turned and headed into the kitchen, muttering, "Another Gohan—he's so small, he definitely hasn't been eating properly out there." Before long, she brought out a freshly cooked dish.

Son Gohan did not stand on ceremony. He sat down and began eating.

Honestly, he had been run ragged lately—flying to Planet Namek, gathering the Dragon Balls to make wishes, unlocking his potential in the Sacred World of the Kai, traveling through time and space—every task had pushed him relentlessly forward. He had not had many chances to sit down for a proper meal.

What was Turtle Hermit's training philosophy again—eat well, sleep well, train well.

For now, he would make up for the first two.

He picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth, then lifted his bowl and shoveled in a huge mouthful of rice.

Beside him, Son Goku was also devouring meat. The two Gohans sat side by side, and their eating manners looked like they had come from the exact same mold.

After eating and drinking his fill, Son Gohan leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes in comfort.

Suddenly—

BOOM!!!!!

A deafening explosion came from the distance, making the ground tremble.

"What's going on?!" Krillin was the first to leap up.

Everyone powered up at once and flew toward the source of the explosion.

In the valley, a massive fissure stretched from the foot of the mountain all the way to its peak, as though the earth itself had been forcibly torn apart.

At the center of the fissure, a giant tree was rapidly growing upward. Its roots burrowed deep underground, countless rootlets spreading through the soil as they greedily drained Earth's nutrients.

Its canopy blocked out half the sky, and several unripe fruits could vaguely be seen among the branches and leaves.

Son Gohan landed at the edge of the valley. Looking at the colossal tree that continued expanding, he already knew what it was.

The Tree of Might...

The Earth Super Decisive Battle, the Turles movie.

The life energy of half the planet was being sucked away by this tree. The surrounding vegetation had already begun to wither, and the once lush green slopes had turned yellow and dry.

The Tree of Might continued to grow, while the bluish-green fruits atop its canopy swelled at a visible rate.

Several alien spacecraft came roaring through the sky.

The hatches opened, and a group of miscellaneous soldiers jumped out, all sorts of strange-looking creatures among them. Leading them was a hulking brute, his body covered in bulging muscles and his face wearing an obnoxious grin.

Turles's subordinates.

Son Goku of this timeline had never met these people before, but that did not stop him from stepping forward.

"Who are you people? State your names!"

The grunts glanced at one another, then burst into mocking laughter. The big guy cracked his knuckles, making them pop. "Here to help, or here to die? Your choice."

"Then they're here to die," Krillin added.

The battle erupted in an instant.

Son Goku charged in first, red aura exploding around him—King Kai Fist.

The power of the King Kai Fist surged into his fist, and one punch sent two grunts flying.

Krillin and Tien followed close behind, clashing with the remaining lackeys.

Yamcha rushed in as well, striking a very cool pose.

But unsurprisingly, he was the first one to get knocked flat.

He spun twice through the air before landing in that classic pose, face-down on the ground, his fingers twitching twice.

Son Gohan stood to the side. After watching for a moment, he looked away. A fight at this level was something Son Goku of this timeline could handle. There was nothing worth watching.

He suddenly unleashed his energy, shot into the sky, and flew toward Korin Tower.

Before long, the familiar tower top emerged from the clouds.

Son Gohan landed on the platform at the top. Seeing someone arrive, Korin looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"You are... Son Gohan? No, your energy feels a little different."

"Korin," Son Gohan said bluntly, "I'm Son Gohan from another timeline."

"I'd like to borrow some Senzu Beans for the battle ahead."

Korin ran a paw through his whiskers and stared at Son Gohan in silence for a moment before nodding.

"So that's how it is."

He turned around, took out a small cloth pouch, and handed it over.

"This is all there is. The rest must be kept as seeds, or there won't be any more to grow later."

Son Gohan accepted the pouch and weighed it in his hand. There were around a dozen inside—enough.

"Thanks, Korin."

He turned to leave, then paused and added over his shoulder, "I'll remind Son Goku of this timeline to bring you some dried fish."

Korin's eyes instantly lit up, and he straightened to his full height.

"You'd better keep your word!"

"I will."

Son Gohan nodded, leaped from the top of the tower, and flew back toward the battlefield.

By the time he arrived, the grunts had already been dealt with.

But the scene was not a pretty one—the Z Fighters lay sprawled all over the ground. Krillin was facedown beside a rock, Tien was kneeling on one knee and gasping for breath, while Yamcha was still in that classic face-down pose.

A figure floated in midair.

He looked exactly like Son Goku, with the same features and the same build.

The only difference was his darker skin, the Saiyan battle armor he wore, and the arrogant, overbearing look on his face.

"Kakarot." Turles folded his arms, his voice filled with arrogance.

"Frieza has been sitting over our heads for far too long. So, how about it? Join forces with me and overthrow him. Then the Saiyans will become the rulers of the universe."

"Your friends—I can spare their lives too."

Son Goku stood on the ground, looking up at that identical face, his brows tightly furrowed.

Turles was in no hurry. He casually raised a hand and formed an energy blast, then flung it toward the fallen fighters below. The purple sphere of light came crashing down with destructive heat.

The next moment, Son Gohan moved.

He stepped forward and casually waved his hand.

The energy sphere was swatted away and exploded in midair, while Son Gohan remained standing where he was, completely unmoved.

Turles's smile faltered.

He turned his gaze to Son Gohan, looked him over from head to toe, then smiled.

"Oh? Kakarot, you have two sons? This brat looks much more interesting than you."

"Kid, how about joining us with your father? Then we can conquer the universe together."

Son Gohan glanced at him.

He did not even bother to acknowledge him.

Son Goku took his stance and said in a low voice, "Gohan, step back. Leave this guy to me."

Just then, an unusual disturbance came from the direction of the Tree of Might.

The fruits in the canopy began to change color, turning from green to red. A faint sheen spread across their surfaces, and a strange energy fluctuation filled the air as they neared maturity.

Son Gohan glanced toward the Tree of Might.

The next moment, he used Instant Transmission.

Whoosh—his figure vanished into thin air.

Son Goku and Turles both froze.

"Where did he go?"

Turles frowned, but quickly turned his attention back to Son Goku. "Forget it. I'll deal with you first."

Son Gohan appeared on the trunk of the Tree of Might. He found a sturdy branch and sat down, his legs dangling in midair as he stared at the fruits above him, which were ripening faster and faster.

Once he picked them, he might as well take care of this timeline's trouble while he was at it.

Meanwhile—

In another timeline.

Earth, above a wasteland.

Vegeta and Son Goku stood to the left and right, golden auras blazing around both of them.

They powered up at the same time, transforming into two streaks of golden light as they charged toward the green figure opposite them.

Piccolo stood in place with his arms folded.

Vegeta's fist arrived first, a heavy punch wrapped in golden flames aimed straight at Piccolo's face. Piccolo tilted his head slightly, and the punch missed.

At nearly the same instant, Son Goku's sweeping kick struck toward Piccolo's waist. Without changing expression, Piccolo raised a hand to block it. A muffled boom exploded, and the shockwave kicked up a cloud of dust.

Vegeta gritted his teeth and quickened his punches. A hail of attacks crashed in from every direction, but Piccolo remained where he was, blocking with one hand. Every so often, he tilted his head to evade a vital strike, his feet never shifting an inch.

Some punches slammed into his chest, and he could not even be bothered to dodge them. He took the blows head-on, then backhanded Vegeta away with a single slap.

Son Goku attacked from behind, bringing both clenched fists down like a hammer. Piccolo did not even look at him and simply kicked backward, striking Son Goku squarely in the abdomen.

Son Goku let out a muffled grunt, his body folding like a shrimp as he flew backward and carved a trench dozens of meters long across the ground.

The golden flames around Vegeta and Son Goku went out at the same time. They reverted to normal and lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

"How is this possible..." Vegeta pushed himself up from the ground, humiliation and rage written across his face.

Son Goku sat up from the crater, rubbing his stomach as he stared at Piccolo with shining eyes.

"Piccolo, how did you become so strong? That's amazing!"

Piccolo snorted.

"Gohan used Bogalun, Planet Namek's Shenron, to make a wish that unlocked and developed the potential of both Kami and me." He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him.

"After that, I fused with Earth's Kami. The two of you together are no match for me now."

Son Goku's mouth fell open. Then he chuckled. "So that's how it is! Gohan's really capable!"

Vegeta could not laugh. His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his flesh.

Kakarot's son had wished for Piccolo to become stronger, and now this Namekian was riding roughshod over him. The anger bottled up inside him made his chest feel tight.

Piccolo glanced at Vegeta but said nothing.

After fusing with Kami, his battle power had reached the early level of Super Saiyan 3.

Calling him Super Piccolo would not be an exaggeration.

In the days that followed, the wasteland was not peaceful for a single day.

Son Goku and Vegeta trained like madmen, with only one goal—surpass Piccolo.

They started fighting before dawn every day and continued until neither of them could get back up. Piccolo remained expressionless, standing across from them with his arms folded, waiting until they had rested enough before continuing to beat them up.

But that was how Saiyan blood worked—the more punishment they took, the stronger they became.

Finally, one day, Son Goku stood in the wasteland as golden flames exploded around him and arcs of electricity leaped wildly through the air.

He threw back his head and roared. His golden aura shot into the sky, and the ground beneath his feet cracked from the force.

A breakthrough—Super Saiyan 2!

Vegeta followed three days later, completing his transformation during another battle at his limit.

Two golden figures wrapped in lightning darted back and forth across the wasteland, moving so fast that ordinary eyes could not keep up.

Their battle power grew by leaps and bounds, and so did their confidence. With two Super Saiyan 2s working together, they should be able to defeat Piccolo now, right?

Piccolo stood opposite them with his arms folded, his expression unchanged.

He extended one hand and crooked a finger at them.

Vegeta's face darkened, and he charged first.

The battle began anew. The two golden figures frantically attacked Piccolo from all sides, and the shockwaves from their colliding fists and kicks blasted one deep crater after another into the wasteland.

Piccolo moved effortlessly through their pincer attack, blocking, dodging, and counterattacking. His movements were clean and efficient, without a trace of waste, as the three of them became locked in battle.

Yet Piccolo's expression remained as calm and unruffled as ever.