All was silent!
Clouds drifted lazily across the sky, a gentle breeze stirred, and warm sunlight spilled down.
Everything had become as beautiful as it could be.
Son Gohan turned to Trunks, Dende, and Mr. Popo with a great big smile.
Trunks and the others recovered from their shock, too.
Son Gohan flickered, and in the next instant, he was standing in the plaza of Kami's Lookout.
None of the three could tell how he had gotten there.
His speed had reached an utterly outrageous level.
Trunks jogged over and circled Son Gohan excitedly, exclaiming in delight, "Gohan, your ki is so powerful! That's amazing! What is this transformation?"
Son Gohan said, "This is a transformation that surpasses the limits of a Super Saiyan. Let's call it Super Saiyan 2."
"That's amazing." Trunks's eyes sparkled. He wished so badly that he could become that strong, too.
Gohan had always been his idol, the figure he had always chased after.
"Phew..." Son Gohan let out a deep breath, and the golden aura and lightning around him vanished together.
He was still in his Super Saiyan 2 form.
But keeping it this way minimized the drain on his stamina and ki.
And this was Son Gohan's first time transforming into Super Saiyan 2.
So he wanted to maintain it a little longer and carefully explore the changes, so he could guide Trunks through the transformation later.
Just then, North Kai's voice rang out above Kami's Lookout.
"Amazing! Truly amazing, Son Gohan!"
"To think even Bojack was no match for you. You're an incredible warrior."
"You might have already surpassed Goku."
"Son Gohan, on behalf of the other Kais, thank you. You've really helped us out. You've done an immeasurable good..."
"All Four Galaxies will thank you."
Son Gohan smiled. "King Kai, rather than saying all that, how about giving us an actual reward?"
"I don't really approve of what you're doing right now."
"Uh, fair enough. What would you like, then?" North Kai asked.
Son Gohan looked at Trunks. "Trunks, is there anything you want?"
"Me? I want a sword," Trunks said.
He thought Gokua had looked incredibly cool with that longsword on his back.
Even though it had been smashed to pieces later, that still couldn't quell his admiration for swordsmen.
"All right," Son Gohan said. "King Kai, you heard him, right? Trunks wants a sword."
North Kai said, "A sword? No problem. I don't have one here, but I know where to get one. I can find you a good sword at the Grand Kai's place."
"Sure. Thank you, then," Son Gohan said.
"As for me, I'd like to ask what good stuff you have to offer first, King Kai. I'll need to pick something..."
"Pick?"
"Hello? What? Ah, sorry, sorry, Son Gohan. Let's leave it there for now. I've got something to take care of. Goodbye!" North Kai sounded terribly rushed, then cut off the connection.
Elsewhere, North Kai took out a towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then drove a red car leisurely around King Kai's Planet, lap after lap.
Busy? Like hell he was.
Son Gohan didn't really mind. There would be plenty of opportunities later.
But there was another question: once North Kai found the sword, how was he supposed to get it into his hands?
Regardless, the threat of Bojack had finally been eliminated.
Bojack's invasion had ended with Earth almost entirely unscathed.
At Kami's Lookout, Son Gohan maintained his Super Saiyan 2 form for half an hour before returning to normal.
Then he shared some of his feelings and insights about transforming into Super Saiyan 2 with Trunks.
Trunks benefited greatly from this.
Through his battle with Bojack, Son Gohan had also gained a preliminary understanding of some of the benefits of his immortal, indestructible body.
Namely, the incredible perks that came with it: super self-healing and super recovery.
The only one Son Gohan could think of whose abilities were that absurd was Majin Buu.
Namekians could heal themselves, too, but their abilities fell far short in comparison.
Remembering that he still had half a year of unused time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he made his decision.
Son Gohan simply went straight into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to make full use of the time he had left.
Half a year was enough for him to stabilize and strengthen his Super Saiyan 2 form.
Not only that, he had also thought of several ways to push his immortal, indestructible body to its limits.
For instance, combining that body with a Saiyan's ability to grow stronger after recovering from near death would be utterly ridiculous-a cheat piled on top of a cheat.
Naturally, Trunks didn't fall behind. He entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber along with Son Gohan.
Inside, they learned from each other and trained tirelessly.
And so another half year passed in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
When their time was up, Son Gohan and Trunks emerged at the very last moment.
It was worth mentioning that Trunks's tail had grown back during those six months.
Waving his brand-new tail, Trunks was overjoyed and declared that he would bring Dende lots of delicious food.
Son Gohan told him that Namekians didn't need to eat. They could live on water and photosynthesis alone.
Trunks remained stunned for a long, long time after hearing that.
He couldn't imagine how anyone could dislike eating.
Eating was clearly the happiest thing in the world.
He just couldn't understand it. Not at all. It was completely beyond him.
After coming out, the two discovered that it was already the middle of the night.
Their clothes were in tatters, and their hair had grown much longer. They had each tied it into a simple ponytail.
After greeting Dende and Mr. Popo, they leaped off Kami's Lookout and flew straight toward West City.
When they got home, they found Bulma asleep on the living room sofa.
Trunks fetched a blanket and covered her with it.
Afterward, the two took hot showers, then returned to their bedrooms and fell into a deep sleep the moment their heads hit the pillows.
The next day,
The two boys were awakened by the aroma of food.
They woke up sniffing eagerly, then discovered that Bulma had prepared an entire table of delicious food in the living room and was waiting for them.
"Wow!"
"Food! Meat!"
Stars shone in their eyes as they swallowed repeatedly, hurried off to wash up, and then sat down at the table.
They had spent over half a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, eating flatbread every day. It had been ages since they'd had a proper meal.
So now, at the sight of all that food, their appetites stirred, ready for battle.
"Thanks, Mom," Trunks said, swallowing hard.
"Hehe, you're the best, Aunt Bulma," Son Gohan said with a grin.
"Enough sweet talk, you two. Hurry up and eat," Bulma said with a smile.
Looking at Son Gohan and Trunks, and recalling the strange events on Earth yesterday, Bulma began to piece a few things together.
Also, how had Trunks grown a furry tail when she hadn't seen him for only a few days?
Bulma kept turning over possibilities in her mind, and more questions arose.
"Time to dig in," Son Gohan said, pressing his palms together.
"Let's eat, let's eat." Trunks followed his example, pressing his palms together in thanks for nature's bounty.
The two dug in, sweeping through the food on the table like a whirlwind.
Bulma ate only a little. All the rest went into Son Gohan's and Trunks's stomachs.
They truly were Saiyans. Each had a black hole in his stomach.
After the meal, Son Gohan volunteered to tell her about Bojack.
Bulma listened as though she had been there herself, her heart pounding as she worried for Son Gohan and Trunks.
Before you continue