The androids had been completely destroyed, and the whole Earth was celebrating.
Amid the joy, another two days quietly slipped by.
Over those two days, Bulma finally finished repairing the spaceship.
The repaired ship was as good as new.
The only drawback was that its energy reserves weren't full. Only 90% remained.
In this day and age, equipment and resources were scarce, and recharging was a very time-consuming process.
Bringing the energy reserves from 90% to 100% would take about a month.
That was far too long.
Son Gohan had no desire to wait.
He was only going to New Namek. Ninety percent was more than enough for several round trips.
So Son Gohan didn't have Bulma continue charging it,
and chose to leave for Planet Namek that very day.
Dressed in loose casual clothes, Son Gohan packed a pile of food and drinking water into Hoi-Poi Capsules one by one.
Beside him, Trunks begged to come along.
His eyes sparkled, full of longing for the unknown.
"Gohan, can't you really take me with you? I want to see aliens too! I want to see the vast universe and other worlds!"
This was probably how a boy his age ought to be.
Son Gohan gave him a helpless look, then firmly refused. "No."
"Trunks, you can't come, because I have something more important for you to do."
"Huh? What is it?" Trunks straightened up.
"Here's the situation, Trunks. Dr. Gero, who created Android 17 and Android 18, is dead, but the intelligent machine he built still exists."
"That machine is still carrying out Dr. Gero's orders, creating an android even more terrifying than Android 17 and Android 18."
"So while I'm on Planet Namek, your task is to find Dr. Gero's research base and destroy it."
"The safety of the entire Earth, and even the entire universe, is at stake. Wouldn't you say that's incredibly important?"
"What? Something like that is happening? Then it really is important. Don't worry, Gohan. I'll do my best to find it." Trunks grew completely serious.
Gohan actually entrusted me with such an important mission. Does that mean he thinks I can handle things on my own now, like an adult?
Trunks's young heart pounded, swelling with the pride of earning an elder's approval.
Bulma, who was adjusting the Time Machine nearby, also stopped working and said gravely:
"Gohan, if what you're saying is true, this is far too important to ignore. I'll go with Trunks to look for this research facility of Dr. Gero's. Everything else can wait."
"All right." Son Gohan nodded.
Then he continued, "Android 17 and Android 18 may be dead, but there's still a potential threat. We have to find their base as soon as possible and root it out completely, so it can never threaten us again."
Son Gohan also knew that from the moment he had been reborn, this world's course had inevitably changed.
The future of this timeline was full of uncertainties.
He could only keep track of its general direction.
And Cell was naturally one of the terrifying threats in the future timeline closest to the present.
That meant he had to be eliminated as soon as possible.
Even so, eliminating Cell still came second to visiting Planet Namek.
After all, Cell was currently nothing more than an egg or a larva.
So Son Gohan chose to visit Planet Namek first.
He left the task of finding Dr. Gero's research base to Trunks and Bulma.
With everything arranged, Son Gohan climbed into the spaceship, closed the hatch, entered Planet Namek's coordinates, and pressed the launch button.
The next instant, roaring flames burst from beneath the ship. Under the gazes of Bulma and her son, it lifted off and soared into the sky.
The ship broke through the atmosphere, plunged into the glittering universe, and soon vanished from sight.
Lowering her gaze, Bulma looked at her son. "Trunks, time is short. We need to get moving too."
"Yes, Mom." Trunks nodded firmly.
Aboard the spaceship.
Son Gohan switched on the gravity system, set it to 200 times normal gravity, and began training.
The flight from Earth to New Namek was expected to take two weeks.
Son Gohan didn't want to waste any time and planned to spend all of it training.
When he was hungry, he ate. After eating, he trained. When he was tired, he rested.
Two weeks soon passed amid the monotonous training.
That day, Son Gohan finished training, enjoyed a refreshing cold shower in the bathroom, and then went to the cockpit.
A huge display at the front of the cockpit showed the glittering sea of stars ahead.
Countless galaxies flashed past, and the starry expanse stretched endlessly.
Soon, a massive green planet came into view.
The ship's intelligent system promptly made an announcement.
[Dear master, the ship has reached its destination: Planet Namek. Would you like to land?]
"Land," Son Gohan replied.
[Confirmed. Searching for an available descent trajectory. A suitable trajectory has been found. Beginning descent!]
As the announcement ended, the ship flashed forward and pierced Planet Namek's atmosphere.
Ten minutes later, the ship touched down smoothly.
Son Gohan opened the hatch and leaped down, finally setting foot on Planet Namek.
After a long half month, feeling solid ground beneath his feet again brought Son Gohan a sense of peace and ease.
He spread his arms and closed his eyes, greedily breathing in the fresh air and embracing the spring breeze.
A few seconds later, an energy signature rapidly approached him.
Someone was coming.
Son Gohan opened his eyes.
He put the spaceship away, then looked up into the sky.
A green figure descended from above and studied Son Gohan warily.
Looking at the Namekian, who looked exactly like Piccolo, Son Gohan knew he was a warrior-type Namekian.
These warrior-type Namekians excelled at combat and generally served as the Grand Elder's protectors.
When disaster struck their planet, they were also the ones who stepped forward to save its people.
They were Planet Namek's backbone.
Son Gohan was about to speak when the Namekian spoke first.
He looked at Son Gohan in surprise. "Huh? Are you Mr. Son Goku?"
At that moment, Son Gohan had golden hair and emerald-green eyes.
His facial features really did bear a strong resemblance to Son Goku's.
Looking at the puzzled Namekian, Son Gohan said, "Son Goku is my father. I'm Son Gohan."
Understanding dawned on the warrior-type Namekian's face. "Oh, I see."
"You know my father?" Son Gohan asked.
"Yes. I saw Mr. Goku once when he fought Frieza on Planet Namek. It's been a long time, and you look so much like Mr. Goku did back then that I mistook you for him. I'm very sorry," the warrior-type Namekian said, looking a little embarrassed.
"Haha, it's fine. I didn't expect to meet someone who knew him. That makes things easier. May I ask your name?" Son Gohan asked with a smile.
The Namekian said, "Hello, Mr. Gohan. Just call me Nippor."
"Mr. Goku is a benefactor of us Namekians, and of course, his companions are our benefactors too. May I ask what brings you to Planet Namek this time, Mr. Gohan?"
The Namekian named Nippor was extremely respectful.
Son Gohan said, "I'd like to borrow the Dragon Balls. Brother Nippor, could you take me to see the Grand Elder? Sorry for the trouble."
Nippor glanced at Son Gohan's missing arm, understood, and nodded.
"Of course. Please follow me, Mr. Gohan."
"All right. Sorry for the trouble."
Nippor rose into the air.
Son Gohan flew after him.
Before long, Son Gohan met the somewhat familiar-looking Grand Elder.
Son Gohan remembered that this Grand Elder seemed to be named Moori.
More than ten years ago, Moori had been one of Planet Namek's seven ordinary elders.
Later, Frieza had attacked Planet Namek, and the previous Grand Elder had reached the end of his natural lifespan.
Before his final breath, the previous Grand Elder had named Elder Moori as his successor, making Moori Planet Namek's new Grand Elder.
He had inherited some of the previous Grand Elder's abilities.
Grand Elder Moori was very kindly, and his bright eyes made him look exceptionally wise.
"Hello, Grand Elder," Son Gohan greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, Mr. Gohan," the Grand Elder replied warmly, then continued:
"I already know why you've come. Just a moment ago, I notified the other elders and asked them to bring the Dragon Balls here."
"Haha, Dende is on his way too. He was delighted to hear that you'd come to Planet Namek."
"..."
Son Gohan took another look at Grand Elder Moori.
This Grand Elder Moori really knows his stuff.
Before you continue