Chi-Chi Returns to Youth

Mount Paozu, near evening.

Son Gohan pushed open the door, with Lazuli following behind him.

Chi-Chi was sitting on the sofa. Whatever program was playing on the TV, she had no mind for it; she was simply consumed with worry for her son.

Hearing the door open, she abruptly rose to her feet. The moment she saw Son Gohan standing in the doorway, she felt utterly relieved, as though a huge weight had been lifted from her heart.

"Gohan!"

She hurried over, crouched down, and felt him over from head to toe, checking him again and again.

When she saw several holes in his clothes and a large scorched patch, her eyes instantly reddened with distress.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Does it hurt? Let Mom take a look—"

"I'm fine, Mom."

Son Gohan only spoke after letting her finish examining him.

"It's just my clothes that got a little torn up. My body's completely fine—better than fine."

Chi-Chi examined him carefully once more. Only after confirming there were no wounds did she finally relax.

"I defeated Cell earlier."

Chi-Chi froze, then her face blossomed with pride. "Gohan, that's amazing! You're incredible! Mom will go make you something delicious—"

She turned to head for the kitchen.

Son Gohan reached out and took her hand, wrinkled and faintly callused from working tirelessly day and night.

"Wait, Mom. There's no rush. I brought you back a present, too."

Chi-Chi paused. Her heart brimmed with comfort and joy; she wore a wide smile, though her eyes stung slightly.

This child had gone out to fight a life-or-death battle, yet he had still remembered to bring his mother a gift. She reached out and rubbed Gohan's head.

"Gohan has grown up."

Son Gohan scratched his head and smiled shyly.

Outside, he was someone else—calm, decisive, and merciless.

But once he returned home, he could let down all his guard. This was the most comfortable feeling of all.

He took a Tree of Might fruit out of his inner storage space. The pale red fruit glowed with a gentle sheen.

Chi-Chi accepted it, assuming it was simply some fruit Gohan had brought back from somewhere. Without thinking much of it, she took a bite.

The flesh was crisp and melted in her mouth. A warm current of energy flowed down her throat and spread throughout her entire body.

The wrinkles left on her face by the passing years visibly faded away. Her skin turned fair, soft, and smooth, like a freshly peeled egg.

The dullness and exhaustion brought on by years of hard work dispersed, replaced by a healthy, full glow.

Her entire aura became like that of the young girl in a qipao she had once been, with an effect a hundred times greater than any top-tier skincare product.

Even her energy surged to over a hundred thousand in battle power, while her spiritual power rose by more than a single level.

Chi-Chi lowered her head and stared at her hands in disbelief. Naturally, she could clearly feel the changes in her body.

The roughness worn into her hands from washing vegetables, doing dishes, cooking, and housework every day had now returned to the softness of her youth. She looked up and touched her face, her eyes growing moist again with emotion.

Son Gohan nodded. The effect was pretty good.

His mother had always been beautiful. The fruit had merely restored the beauty that time had concealed.

"You really do care about your mother!" Chi-Chi threw her arms around Son Gohan, beaming with joy. "Thank you, Gohan! I'm very satisfied with this gift!"

She stood before the mirror, looking herself over from every angle. The longer she looked, the happier she became. Then, as if recalling something, she hurried into the bedroom and dug out clothes that had been buried at the bottom of the wardrobe for years.

They were clothes she had worn when she was young, untouched for a long time. She held them up before the mirror, then turned toward Lazuli.

"Lazuli, let's go shopping!"

Before Lazuli could respond, Chi-Chi had already linked arms with her. Standing together, the two women looked so alike in age that anyone unaware of the truth would have thought they were sisters.

After changing clothes, Chi-Chi emerged looking radiant and charming. Linking arms with Lazuli, she headed outside. Lazuli glanced back at Son Gohan, looking somewhat at a loss, but she did not pull away.

"Have fun shopping," Son Gohan said, waving them off.

The door closed, and the house fell quiet.

Son Gohan leaned back against the sofa and idly stared into space for a while.

Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings came from the window. Little Dragonite flew in through it, fluttered down in front of him, and affectionately rubbed its face against his.

"You really never grow up, do you?" Son Gohan stroked its head and scratched beneath its little chin.

Little Dragonite narrowed its eyes, a contented rumble coming from its throat.

Outside, the sky gradually darkened. The chirping of insects rose from the grass around Mount Paozu, and time passed at an unhurried pace.

Meanwhile, in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

Within the boundless white void, Future Trunks maintained his Super Saiyan form, golden energy blazing around him.

Son Goku stood before him with his arms crossed. Rarely, he had put away his joking manner, his expression completely serious.

"Maintain it. Don't let your energy leak out and go to waste." He reached out and poked Trunks's shoulder with a finger. "Draw every last bit of energy back into your body.

And—the battle urge brought on by the Super Saiyan transformation. You have to suppress it. Don't let it lead you around by the nose. That's the key."

Trunks nodded, sweat streaming down his cheeks. "I understand, Mr. Goku."

Golden aura blazed up around him again as he adjusted his breathing and tried to rein in the energy surging outward.

Behind him, Vegeta stood with his arms crossed, watching coldly.

"If you've rested enough, continue." Vegeta spat out the words arrogantly.

Trunks gritted his teeth and assumed his stance once more.

The two golden figures collided again, fists and kicks flying as bursts of compressed air exploded through the white space.

He was knocked down, got back up, was knocked down again, then got back up again.

Far away, on the wasteland.

The scent of smoke had yet to disperse from the countless craters and fissures covering the ground.

Mr. Satan stood amid the devastated battlefield, watching those people who could fly through the sky vanish one by one into the distance. At last, he straightened up, dusting off his champion's cape.

Then he turned to the still dumbfounded reporters and cameramen and burst into loud laughter.

"Did you see that?! That monster called Cell was defeated by me, Mr. Satan, the World Champion!"

The reporters exchanged looks. The cameraman's hands were still trembling as he held the machine, but professional instinct made him point the lens at Mr. Satan.

Mr. Satan planted one foot on a chunk of rubble and put his hands on his hips. His cape snapped in the wind, and his expression was righteously indignant.

"After a grueling battle, I, Mr. Satan, finally destroyed the evil Cell once and for all!"

"Although the process was extremely perilous—as you can see, the area for dozens of miles around has been reduced to this—but to protect Earth's peace, the World Champion will never back down!"

The more he spoke, the more worked up he became. Spittle flew everywhere, and even he was starting to believe it. The camera faithfully recorded it all.

"...This is the resolve of the World Champion!"

The camera zoomed in as Mr. Satan raised both hands in a victory pose.

Behind him lay the ravaged wasteland and the setting sun.