Trunks wanted to grow a tail

Earth's hardships went without saying. It was always the one that got hurt in the end, so an upgrade to a brand-new version was sorely needed.

After the upgrade, the mountains were greener, the waters clearer, and all kinds of resources more abundant. Even the humans it nurtured were more handsome and beautiful.

With all three wishes successfully granted, the seven petrified Dragon Balls turned into seven streaks of light and flew off across the world.

Some flew into deserts, some fell into oceans, and others landed in cities.

Only after a year would these petrified Dragon Balls regain their luster, waiting to be collected again and begin a new story.

Shenron disappeared, and the sky cleared with him.

Afterward, Son Gohan asked Bulma to help recharge the spaceship.

After the round trip to Planet Namek, the ship had only 50% of its propulsion energy remaining.

Son Gohan wanted to visit Planet Yardrat, so he urgently needed to recharge it.

Dr. Gero's notes and assorted research materials had given Bulma some fresh inspiration.

She confidently declared that she could restore the ship's propulsion energy to 100% within a month. Son Gohan silently gave her a thumbs-up.

Over the following days, Son Gohan flew to Kami's Lookout every day to chat with Dende. He spent most of his remaining time training hard with Trunks.

Half a month passed like that.

One day, after Son Gohan and Trunks finished their daily training,

both of them returned to their base forms.

After all that time, Son Gohan and Trunks's full-power states had approached perfection. They no longer needed to remain Super Saiyans around the clock.

Their current focus was on training hard to increase their base power levels.

Training their base forms and raising their base power levels would never steer them wrong.

It was the safest, most solid path forward.

Once their training was over, the two agreed to go for a swim in the pool.

Both wore baggy swim shorts as they soaked in the water, enjoying the peace and sense of safety they had gone without for so long.

At that moment, they leaned back against the edge of the pool, their hands braced on the deck and their lower bodies submerged.

Son Gohan's tail swayed in the water, sometimes forming an S, sometimes a B. He even bent it into every number from one to nine, leaving Trunks staring in amazement, envy written all over his face.

Beside him, Trunks asked enviously, "Gohan, how can I get my tail to grow back? I used to have one too, right?"

Son Gohan said, "Your mom told me your tail was cut off when you were six months old, and it never grew back."

"If you want it to grow back now, you'll probably need some outside help. Do you really want a tail that badly?"

Trunks nodded emphatically. "Of course! It looks so cool."

Son Gohan said, "For Saiyans, a tail is a double-edged sword. It has advantages, but it's also one of our weaknesses."

"You probably don't know this yet, but when a Saiyan with a tail sees a full moon, their eyes absorb the Blutz Waves emitted by the moon, and they turn into a Great Ape."

"Huh??? A Great Ape?" Trunks looked incredulous. This was the first time he had ever heard anything like that.

Saiyans could turn into Great Apes too?

Son Gohan continued, "What's more, most Saiyans lose their reason after turning into Great Apes, leaving only the instinct to destroy.

"Although turning into a Great Ape increases your power level tenfold, the price is losing your reason. The drawback is pretty obvious."

"Not only that, but the tail is arguably the most vulnerable part of a Saiyan's body. If a Saiyan hasn't specifically trained their tail, having it grabbed will weaken them and leave them completely unable to fight."

Son Gohan explained everything carefully to Trunks, who frowned as he listened.

That really gave Trunks a scare.

He had simply thought Son Gohan's fluffy tail looked cool. He had never imagined it came with such serious drawbacks.

What Son Gohan didn't tell Trunks was that Vegeta's blood ran through his veins, and he was also half human. That meant he had over a 90% chance of retaining his reason even after transforming into a Great Ape.

There was also the fact that Son Gohan's wish to Porunga had been to restore his body to its most perfect state.

And then his tail, which had been cut off long ago, had grown back.

Clearly, Shenron had judged that Son Gohan's most perfect state included a tail.

Son Gohan could also distinctly feel that his training efficiency had improved since his tail grew back.

Not only that, but Son Gohan knew there was a transformation in the future that required a tail.

In a sense, a Saiyan's tail was the source of their power.

After thinking for a while, Trunks asked again, "Gohan, you've only told me the drawbacks. What about the benefits? What are they?"

He actually hadn't been scared off?

Son Gohan gave Trunks an approving look and answered, "Of course there are benefits."

"As for becoming weak and unable to fight when your tail is grabbed, you can actually overcome that through training. Once you've trained it, having your tail grabbed won't leave you helpless. Instead, it'll give you another way to attack."

"Also, Saiyans with tails should be able to train a little faster."

"You have the blood of Saiyan royalty, so you should be able to stay clearheaded after turning into a Great Ape. At least, as far as I remember, Uncle Vegeta retained his reason as a Great Ape. It should be the same for you."

After hearing Son Gohan's words, Trunks brightened up again.

He said, "Then for me, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Besides, I'll train my tail and eliminate that weakness."

"Gohan, to answer your earlier question, I want my tail to grow back."

Son Gohan nodded. "All right, then wait a year. Once a year has passed, we can have Shenron restore your tail."

After saying that, Son Gohan remembered something, and his eyes lit up. "Oh, right! Maybe Dende can make your tail grow back sooner."

Since the previous Kami had been able to remove Goku's tail permanently, didn't that mean there might also be a way to make it grow back?

Healing spells, restoration spells, regenerating severed limbs, drawing on the Dragon God's power to create Dragon Balls.

Namekians knew many incredible kinds of magic.

Dende might have a way.

They couldn't count on Old Kai, who knew a simpler, more forceful method, at the moment. For now, they could only rely on Dende.

"Then let's hurry and go see Dende!" Trunks jumped out of the water, hurriedly got dressed, and kept urging Son Gohan along.

"Gohan, hurry up! Come on!"

Son Gohan could only sigh.

He had no choice but to jump onto the deck too. His tail spun a few times like a fan, shaking off the water droplets. Then he got dressed and took Trunks to Kami's Lookout.

After hearing Trunks's request, Dende nodded. "I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee it'll work."

"Okay! Thanks, Dende!" Trunks said happily.

Dende said, "It might take a little while. You'd better stay here for the next few days. I'll need to look into it."

Trunks immediately agreed. "Sure, no problem."

When Son Gohan heard that Trunks would be staying for a few days while they worked on it, he said goodbye and left.

Before he departed, Trunks asked Son Gohan to pass along the message that he wouldn't be coming home for the next few days.

Son Gohan readily agreed, then leaped off Kami's Lookout and plummeted toward the world below like a meteor.

He really enjoyed the sensation of free fall. It felt completely different from flying.

The wind howling past his ears and the sense of weightlessness made his heart race. Only at moments like these did he think about things from his previous life.

They reminded him that he had been reborn.

When he was close to the ground, Son Gohan used the Flight Technique and flew toward Fortuneteller Baba's palace.

Upon reaching the palace, he discovered that Fortuneteller Baba was still away. He had no idea where she had gone.

Son Gohan even suspected that Fortuneteller Baba might have been killed by Android 17 or Android 18.

But then he remembered that Fortuneteller Baba was an agent of the afterlife. She ought to have some special means of keeping herself alive.

Still, failing to find Fortuneteller Baba on either visit only made Son Gohan more curious.

He wondered where Fortuneteller Baba had gone and what had happened to keep her away from her palace for so long.

He would probably only learn the answers once he saw Fortuneteller Baba herself.

Afterward, with nothing else to do, Son Gohan flew to East City, which was relatively close to Fortuneteller Baba's palace.