Guiding Potential

Son Gohan stood before the three galactic pirates, and the aura around him changed in an instant.

He clenched both fists as golden energy erupted from within him. He transformed into Super Saiyan 2 at full power.

Lightning crackled wildly around his body, exploding in bursts of sharp snaps as the ruins beneath his feet were overturned layer by layer by the shockwaves.

But he was not done. He was still gathering energy.

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging around his eyes as a crimson phantom of a Great Ape surfaced deep within his pupils.

"Haaahhh—!!"

With a furious roar.

His hair suddenly lengthened, falling from his shoulders to his waist. His eyebrows vanished, his forehead protruded, and the contours of his entire face became sharp and cold.

Golden energy blazed into the sky, making the entire dueling area tremble.

Super Saiyan 3!

Bojack, Bujin, and Bido, the three galactic pirates, were all stunned speechless.

Bujin stood with his mouth hanging open, his opening stance half-formed and frozen in midair. Bido instinctively took a step back, his calves trembling.

The arrogance on Bojack's green face finally shattered completely. His expression was one of utter disbelief. "Th-this is impossible."

Son Gohan ignored them. He activated Instant Transmission and vanished from where he stood, appearing directly in front of the Son Gohan of this timeline the next moment.

He took a Senzu Bean from his internal storage space and handed it to the injured version of himself standing before him in an orange gi.

The other Gohan took the Senzu Bean and swallowed it. His wounds healed at a visible pace, and within seconds, he was fully restored.

The Son Gohan of this timeline had just been about to speak, but seeing the stern look on Son Gohan's face, he swallowed his words.

Son Gohan looked at him and spoke coldly.

"You have power, yet you refuse to use it. Look at all these people lying on the ground—can kindness and mercy save lives? Can they protect anyone?"

The Son Gohan of this timeline froze.

"If you really don't want to fight, then get back inside and play with your pens. Let Earth be destroyed like it's supposed to be."

Son Gohan did not speak quickly, but every word stabbed deep into Gohan's heart.

"If you don't know how to fight later, I'll teach you."

"You hold back at every turn in a fight while the other side is clearly trying to kill you—your father already has a death halo over his head, and you're still like this."

The Son Gohan of this timeline lowered his head and remained silent, lost in thought.

Son Gohan turned around to face Bojack.

Golden energy surged into the sky as his entire body became a streak of light, charging straight at Bojack.

Bujin hurriedly raised his hands and formed seals. Invisible energy ropes shot from his palms and wrapped toward Son Gohan, but before the Binding Technique could touch him, it was blocked by his powerful energy aura and dissolved into nothingness.

The aura of Super Saiyan 3 was too overwhelming. Son Gohan flashed before the two of them and drove his right fist straight forward.

His fist punched through Bujin's chest and emerged from his back. Bujin looked down at the hole in his chest, the disbelief in his eyes turning into lifeless despair.

An explosion erupted from inside him, scattering fragments in every direction.

Seeing this, Bido turned and fled in terror. He unleashed his full speed and desperately shot into the distance, the wind shrieking past his ears.

But after flying only several dozen meters, Son Gohan appeared in front of him.

A spinning kick struck him squarely in the abdomen. Bido's body folded like a shrimp, his eyes bulging, before his body exploded just like Bujin's, becoming another pile of wreckage.

Of the three galactic pirates, only Bojack remained.

Bojack let out a furious roar and fired repeatedly with both hands, unleashing countless ki blasts. Dense purple energy bullets bombarded Son Gohan.

Layer upon layer of fiery explosions erupted. The ground was blasted apart, and thick smoke billowed into the sky.

Bojack panted heavily, staring fixedly at the center of the smoke.

The smoke dispersed.

Son Gohan stood where he was, the golden flames around him blazing at their peak.

Smoke everywhere, not a scratch on him.

He flashed before Bojack and smashed a heavy punch into his chest.

Bojack was sent flying, crashing through the ruins of more than a dozen buildings before collapsing amid the city's rubble.

Before he could get back up, Son Gohan's golden figure had already charged into the ruins and unleashed a savage beating on him—every punch landed solidly, blow after blow.

Then Bojack was kicked into the air, spinning as he flew high into the sky.

Son Gohan planted his feet firmly and drew both hands back to his waist.

"Tenfold Kamehameha!!"

Terrifying energy compressed and gathered in his palms. The blue glow was blinding, and even the surrounding space distorted slightly beneath its pressure.

"Kame—hame—ha!!"

A blue beam as thick as a barrel blasted from his palms, trailing a long tail of flame as it shot toward the heavens.

Bojack had barely steadied himself in midair when he saw that terrifying energy wave blasting toward him.

In a panic, he fired countless energy blasts in an attempt to stop it. The purple energy blasts struck the blue beam of light without even raising a ripple.

The Tenfold Kamehameha tore through everything in its path, driving Bojack straight out of the atmosphere and off the planet.

The energy beam swallowed him in space, exploding into a brilliant display of fireworks.

A few seconds later, everything returned to silence.

The battle was over.

Son Gohan lowered his hand, but he felt somewhat dissatisfied. The battle had ended too quickly; the high-quality energy within him had not even fully built up yet, leaving him unsatisfied.

He fell silent for a moment, then an idea surfaced from the depths of his heart. He glanced sideways at the Son Gohan of this timeline. It was still far from enough—this guy's potential had not been forced out at all.

Son Gohan had an idea.

Right before the Son Gohan of this timeline, he flashed over to the unconscious Piccolo.

He raised his right hand, condensing a sharp golden ki blade in his palm.

"Stop—don't!!"

The Son Gohan of this timeline shouted and rushed toward him.

Son Gohan ignored him.

The ki blade slashed down. Piccolo's arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder, blood spraying across the shattered stones.

Son Gohan grabbed the severed arm and tossed it onto the ground before him. Then, right in front of the Son Gohan of this timeline, he raised his foot—and stomped it to pieces.

The sound of the arm breaking was sharp and piercing. Blood splattered from beneath his foot, and chunks of flesh mingled with the rubble.

The Son Gohan of this timeline froze in place, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints.

Son Gohan condensed a golden ki blast in his hand and casually threw it at the ground.

The explosion shook the heavens, and thick smoke instantly billowed out, blocking Gohan's vision.

During the two seconds the smoke covered the area, Son Gohan grabbed Piccolo and activated Instant Transmission, appearing on North King Kai's Planet. He set Piccolo down, tossed him a Senzu Bean, then swiftly teleported back.

From leaving to returning, it took less than two or three seconds.

The smoke dispersed.

The Son Gohan of this timeline saw it—Piccolo was gone.

That pile of mangled flesh and bone fragments was still there. The bloodstains remained on the ground.

A bolt of lightning flashed through his mind. From being beaten down until now, all his rage, unwillingness, guilt, and fear surged forth, completely smashing the dam that had always blocked his heart.

"Ahhh—!!"

A roar tore through the entire battlefield as terrifying golden energy erupted from his body and shot into the sky.

His hair stood on end, lightning crackling wildly around him. Its density was so high that it affected the weather; dark clouds began gathering in the sky, and distant thunder rumbled.

Super Saiyan 2, at full power. With the breakthrough brought by rage-fueled potential, his battle power surged severalfold.

He raised his head, his eyes burning with pure killing intent, his face twisted by fury.

He stared fixedly at the "himself" in the black jacket before him, forcing out each word through gritted teeth.

"You bastard—you actually killed Uncle Piccolo—!"

The golden aura surged again. Violent winds howled, sweeping shattered stones into the sky.

"I will never—let you get away with this!! I'll kill you!!"

Son Gohan watched him, the corners of his lips slowly curling into the wicked smile unique to Super Saiyan 3—cold and utterly undisguised in its provocation.

"If you've got the guts, come avenge your Uncle Piccolo."