Crushing Turles

On the Tree of Might, fruits were ripening one by one.

Son Gohan reached out with lightning-fast movements, storing more than a dozen Tree of Might fruits in his internal storage space.

He would save them for now instead of eating them.

A white aura burst forth, and his figure vanished from the trunk as he flew toward the battlefield.

By the time he arrived, the situation had become completely one-sided.

Son Goku lay on the ground, covered in wounds, his martial arts uniform tattered. He was struggling to prop up his upper body.

Turles stood not far away, holding a furry little tail in his hand—Gohan of this timeline was only four or five years old, and Turles was currently dangling him in midair as he struggled desperately.

Turles raised his hand, gathering a ball of white light in his palm.

It was an "Artificial Moon."

The sphere rose into the sky, casting down a grayish-white glow. Little Gohan's eyelids were forced open, his pupils contracting violently beneath the moonlight as a low growl rumbled from his chest.

His fur began to grow wildly, his body swelled, and his clothes tore apart—he transformed into a Great Ape.

The Great Ape threw back its head and roared, pounding its chest. Nothing but savagery remained in its red eyes; it had completely lost its reason.

Son Goku climbed to his feet. Ignoring his injuries, he rushed forward, trying to stop the Great Ape.

The Great Ape swung a palm at him. Son Goku twisted aside with all his strength, and the palm slammed into the ground, blasting out a deep crater.

Son Goku panted heavily as he began circling the Great Ape, dodging while trying to find a way closer.

"Old Son!"

Demon King Piccolo's voice came from the sky as he landed at the edge of the battlefield.

"Cut off his tail!"

"Got it!"

Son Goku gritted his teeth as a red aura exploded around him.

King Kai Fist, tenfold!! His muscles bulged, veins stood out, and power roared through him. With a kick off the ground, he turned into a streak of red light and charged at the Great Ape's tail.

The Great Ape turned its head and slapped at him.

Faster than the King Kai Fist.

Son Goku had no time to dodge. The blow struck him squarely in the chest, bones cracking as he was sent flying backward. He crashed into a distant mountainside and was buried up to his waist.

The Great Ape beat its chest, its roar making even the ground tremble.

Then, a small figure flew over.

Rapid Dragon flapped its wings, fluttering in front of the Great Ape.

Its tiny wings beat desperately. The Great Ape's roar stopped, and it cocked its head at the little companion before it. A trace of confusion appeared in its red eyes.

It was working.

Then—

An energy blast flew in from the side, wrapped in a pitch-black evil aura, headed straight for the Great Ape and Rapid Dragon.

Son Gohan's gaze turned cold.

Instant Transmission activated.

He flashed in front of the energy blast and raised a hand.

The blast was slapped away and exploded in midair. The shockwave made the corner of his clothes flutter slightly, but he remained completely unharmed.

Turles hovered in midair, his aura black as ink, so dark it carried a purplish hue.

His entire body was wrapped in clusters of black aura, an evil smile hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"They're spending time with their little companion," Son Gohan said impatiently. "Why are you butting in? Interrupting others like that—have you got no manners at all?"

Turles's smile grew even more rampant, that wicked grin like he had found something interesting.

"Is that so? Then I'll deal with you first."

Son Gohan froze for a second.

Then he laughed. Not a cold laugh—he was genuinely amused, so much that his shoulders shook.

"Are you kidding me?"

He looked at Turles and shook his head.

"You'll deal with me? Seriously—you've been given too many smiles."

"I don't even need to transform to beat you. My base form alone is enough."

His black hair swayed slightly in the wind. The next second, he appeared before Turles.

He raised his hand and threw a punch straight into his abdomen!

Turles's smile froze on his face.

The force of that punch was crushing. It tore through his insides, and a shockwave burst out from his back, snapping a distant tree cleanly in half.

He opened his mouth to shout, but his whole body curled up like a shrimp as he was sent flying backward. He rolled across the ground several times, sprawled facedown, and vomited bitter fluid.

Son Gohan walked up to him, crouched down, and carefully examined the face that looked exactly like Son Goku's.

"Did Bardock mix you up with Raditz when he carried you as babies?"

Turles lay on the ground, veins bulging as his entire body trembled.

"Why do you look exactly like Son Goku? Even Raditz, his actual brother, doesn't resemble him this much."

"Stop joking around!" Turles roared furiously, slamming a fist into the ground and sending shards of rock flying.

He scrambled to his feet and suddenly powered up. Black energy erupted around him as he fled toward the Tree of Might.

There was an opening in the Tree of Might's trunk, and Turles vanished into it.

Son Gohan did not stop him.

Too weak. Fighting someone at that level was just a waste of time.

He flashed over to the Great Ape. The beast was still staring down the Quick Dragon, a trace of struggle visible in its red eyes, but its savage instincts were gaining the upper hand once more.

Son Gohan looked up and shouted.

"Gohan!"

The sound waves made the air hum.

"Regain your senses! Don't destroy Earth! Your little friend is right in front of you!"

The Great Ape lowered its head to look at the tiny figure before it and let out a roar.

Little Gohan's mind was still too immature. After transforming into a Great Ape, he could not control himself at all. He raised his palm and brought it down toward Son Gohan.

Piccolo flashed past, circling around toward the tail.

"Uncle Piccolo, don't cut it off."

Son Gohan raised a hand to stop Piccolo.

"The tail is part of a Saiyan's power too. It'd be a shame to cut it off."

Piccolo's face turned green. "Then what do we do?"

"Simple."

Son Gohan clenched his fist.

He was only in his normal state.

The moment his aura burst forth, the ground around him sank into a ring-shaped depression.

The next instant, he was already beside the Great Ape's head.

A whip kick slammed viciously into the Great Ape's skull.

The Great Ape's head jerked sideways, and its entire body was hurled away by the force of that kick.

Its enormous body smashed through one mountain, then a second. Rocks and trees flew through the air.

Before the Great Ape could hit the ground, Son Gohan had already appeared above it.

He raised his hand, his palm aimed at the Great Ape.

Prince's Battle Technique!!

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—

Golden ki blasts poured down from his palm, dense as rain.

Every single one struck the Great Ape's body with perfect accuracy. Layers upon layers of explosive firelight erupted, and the shockwaves flattened the surrounding vegetation.

The Great Ape howled and struggled amid the explosions, its voice growing weaker and weaker.

Son Gohan stopped.

The Great Ape's body began to shrink.

Its fur receded, its bones contracted, and the massive Great Ape reverted to the form of a four- or five-year-old boy.

He was covered in bruises, his condition close to death.

Piccolo flew over from the air and anxiously scooped little Gohan into his arms. After checking his injuries, he looked up at Son Gohan.

He wanted to say something—he'd hit too hard—but when he saw Son Gohan's calm face, he muttered only one sentence in the end.

"You hit too hard."

Then, carrying Gohan, he flew away without looking back.

Son Gohan landed.

Just then, an aura erupted from the direction of the Tree of Might.

It was much stronger than before, but in his eyes, it was merely a somewhat sturdier ant.

Turles flew out from the tree hollow. Having eaten the Tree of Might's fruit, his muscles had swollen by a full size, and the black, sinister energy around him had grown even denser.

He stopped in midair, looking down at Son Gohan with a smile that seemed certain of victory.

"I've changed my mind, kid."

"Oh."

"I won't kill you. I'll let you live—to watch me turn this planet into fertilizer for the Tree of Might."

Son Gohan slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Go ahead and try whatever you've got." His tone was dismissive. "Beating you won't even take any effort."

Turles's eyes hardened. Black aura exploded around him, and he shot forward in a streak of black light.

The air was torn apart as sinister energy rushed at them, black with a purplish hue.

Son Goku struggled out of the rubble and shouted at Son Gohan's back.

"Watch out—!"

Son Gohan stood where he was.

He didn't even dodge.

Turles's fist slammed into his face.

A dull thud rang out!

The smile on Turles's face froze, replaced by utter terror.

Son Gohan didn't budge. The punch had landed squarely on his face, yet not even his neck had tilted. He turned his eyes toward Turles, who stood inches away.

"That's it?"

"That's all you've got?"

Turles pulled back his fist and looked at Son Gohan's face. Fear overtook his expression, and he hurriedly backed away.

"How is this possible—?!"

Son Gohan raised his right hand, palm aimed at Turles's chest. Golden light gathered in his palm.

The surrounding air was heated by the energy, warping into rippling rings.

"Then you can go to hell."

His eyes snapped wide open, veins bulging along his arm.

"Demon Flash!!"

A golden beam erupted from his palm and blasted straight ahead.

Turles instinctively raised his hand, trying to fire a Ki wave to block it. His black sinister energy collided with the golden Demon Flash.

But it was like an egg hitting an alloy steel plate. The black energy evaporated instantly. Demon Flash pierced through his chest and swallowed his entire body.

A huge hole was blasted through the distant mountainside, sunlight shining through from the other side of the mountain and passing through the round opening.

Turles's body exploded in midair, leaving nothing behind.

Son Gohan lowered his hand.

Son Goku ran over from nearby, covered in injuries but wearing that familiar goofy grin.

"Gohan! That was incredible!"

Son Gohan nodded.

"He was just too weak."

He turned to look at the Tree of Might, which was still growing wildly.

Half of Earth's life energy had already been drained. The surrounding grass and trees had withered yellow, and the ground was cracked and dry.

The Tree of Might's roots dug deep underground, still greedily absorbing the last traces of nutrients.

"Let's deal with this tree first," Son Gohan said. "If it keeps growing, Earth's life energy will be completely drained."