The darkness gradually faded, restoring the blue skies and white clouds.
Bardock had been reborn—his soul now perfectly fused with his new body. His power erupted like a broken dam, involuntarily lifting him into the air as an invisible pressure enveloped all of Mount Paozu.
Master Roshi at Kame House and Korin atop Korin Tower immediately sensed this sudden surge of immense energy. Fortunately, though Bardock's ki carried a fierce edge, it wasn't evil. Even far north, in a hidden laboratory, Dr. Gero—tinkering with a secret experiment—noticed that his energy detector (a byproduct of his reactor research) had suddenly picked up an abnormal energy reading…
Meanwhile, the champion grabbed an electric rice cooker and stuffed the seven white Dragon Balls inside, preventing them from scattering.
Bardock, now revived, turned his gaze toward the distant Guardian's Temple.
'Was that guy flaunting his presence on purpose? Letting me, a Saiyan, feel his power?'
Now that he was alive again, he could sense it even more clearly—that Earth's Guardian was ridiculously strong! Maybe even on par with that bastard Freeza…
Back at the temple, Kami. stood at the edge, his emotions in turmoil as he watched Mount Paozu. He had heard everything Shenron revealed about S-Cells, Super Saiyans, and even Super Saiyan Gods…
'So this is why my master held Goku in such high regard?'
'Super Saiyan… just how strong is it? And that Super Saiyan God thing…'
His expression dark, Piccolo tightened his grip on his staff.
'I need to refine my power further. I'll hold off on using that move a little longer.'
His master had told him—the more he resisted using it, the stronger its effect would be. The best time would be when he felt his power could grow no further.
With that resolve, Piccolo turned and strode back into the temple…
---
Meanwhile, the newly revived Gine gazed tenderly at her youngest son.
Goku hesitated for a moment—until Bulma playfully shoved him forward. Finally, he stepped into his mother's embrace.
Deep in his memories, he faintly recalled the warmth of this hug. Even if it hadn't happened often…
"This outfit…"* Gohan suddenly appeared, holding the small battle armor Goku had worn when he first arrived on Earth. It was old and worn.
"We don't need it." Bardock took the armor and incinerated it with a ki blast. "Kakarot… is Son Goku now."
---
That night, the reunited family gathered together—Yamiru, Goku, Gine, Bardock, Bulma, Tights, and Gohan—sharing stories over tea and food.
They talked about life on Earth, about the Saiyans from Bardock and Gine's perspective.
Gohan, Yamiru, and Bardock compared their different views on training and power levels.
Unbeknownst to them, Tights (who had apparently picked up some sneaky habits) had secretly recorded Zalama's words through Shenron's mouth. Now, they carefully analyzed everything about the Saiyans—S-Cells, their history, S-Warriors, Yamoshi, Super Saiyans, and Super Saiyan Gods…
---
Nearly a year later, during a trip combining writing research, training, and quality time with his girlfriend, the Dragon Balls regained their power.
The champion pulled out a thick stack of "contracts"—detailed terms describing something he called the "Spiritual Realm", a custom-made pocket dimension.
His wish this time?
To create it.
A special sanctuary—one that might prove useful if, say, a certain Omni-King ever decided to erase a universe or two.
"Heh…" Zalama, watching through Shenron's eyes, couldn't help but chuckle at the sheer audacity of the man's "instruction manual."
"Interesting… No wonder I took a liking to this kid."
Then, in a flash, the champion was yanked straight into the Dragon Realm—face-to-face with the legendary Dragon God himself, who looked surprisingly like an old man.
Seemingly on a whim, Zalama tossed a mechanical dragon eye toward Earth.
Upon impact:
- The core became the power source for Dr. Norimaki's creation, Arale.
- A portion of its energy subtly reshaped Earth itself.
- The remaining ripple swept across the planet, inadvertently sparking ideas in certain minds—like an evil scientist suddenly having a breakthrough in his android research.
Dr. Gero excitedly unrolled blueprints—Android 17, Android 18, and… Android 0!
"It's possible! This time, I'll succeed!" he thought gleefully. "With just one of them—no, even just 17 or 18—the Red Ribbon Army will dominate the world!"
Sipping his coffee, he failed to notice the severed feet and hand floating in a corner tank…
---
When the champion, Tights, Bulma, and Master Roshi flew to Penguin Village to visit Dr. Norimaki…
High above, at the Guardian's Temple, Bardock—having trained for months in a hundreds-of-gravity chamber—finally unleashed his pent-up rage.
The memory of Freeza's smug grin ignited his fury.
Golden flames erupted around him.
Blond hair. Green eyes.
The newly ascended Super Saiyan Bardock radiated a ferocious, almost manic energy—so intense that even Roshi and the others in Penguin Village felt it.
Nearby, Kami. was speechless.
He had imagined what a Super Saiyan might look like…
But this?
Bardock's power had just multiplied by fifty in an instant.
As Piccolo steadied himself, he noticed something odd—
Bardock wasn't reverting.
Why wasn't he turning back?
Bardock clenched his fists, his voice low but resolute.
"I want to remember this feeling. This power—enough to smash Freeza's damned head into pulp... I'll hold onto it tight."
---
Age 745, May 7th. The 20th World Martial Arts Tournament begins.
The finals: King Chappa vs. Tien Shinhan.
The crowd roared—cheering, clapping, whistling. King Chappa trash-talked with arrogant provocation, while Tien found it all unbearably dull. The gap between them was just too vast.
Amid the spectators, the champion and his girlfriend waved cheerfully at Tien, who glanced their way.
This time, he hadn't entered the competition.
---
Not long after the tournament ended, the night sky suddenly darkened, every star snuffed out.
Rushing to West City via the Spiritual Realm (thanks to Bulma's quick coordination), the champion was unsurprised to find Bardock—now fully accustomed to his Super Saiyan form, having clearly advanced to Super Saiyan Full Power.
Bardock summoned Shenron and made his wish:
"Bring my eldest son, Raditz, here immediately. Right here, right now—clothes not included."
'Well then,' the champion mused. '*Looks like the "Saiyan Saga" is getting derailed too...'
---
After helping Goku and the ever-imposing Full Power Super Saiyan Bardock "educate" the arrogant Raditz and acclimatize him to Earth's simple life, the champion and his girlfriend resumed their travels. This time, they arrived at Fighting City, where he masked himself and entered the underground fighting circuit—planning to cultivate the most profound martial arts in the most unrefined place.
In the ring, he cared little for victory. Against any opponent, he methodically sealed his senses—first sight, then hearing, then smell, even touch...
Isolated in absolute silence, he listened to the pulse of ki...
A man as ordinary as him could only push his limits through such self-imposed trials. Until one day, a familiar visitor arrived.
"Master, you came?"
---
Gohan led the champion (and the insistent Tights) away.
Buying tickets for an airship, the trio traversed mountains and rivers, returning to where it all began—South City.
Gohan even pulled out the same map the champion had used on his journey to Mount Paozu years ago.
Retracing those steps, they set off once more.
Gohan had no profound intentions—just a quiet premonition that his time was nearing its end. He simply wanted to do one last thing for his disciple, to leave something behind.
This disciple, though clumsier than Goku, had struggled and persevered to reach where he was today.
Before being a teacher, Gohan was first and foremost a martial artist. He had no right to casually judge another who had already given his all.
So, he hoped his disciple might find something in their shared past. That was all. The last act of a master.
---
They passed the city where the champion had once met aliens.
They visited the cave where tragedy struck at the hands of the Red Ribbon Army—now long destroyed by unknown forces.
They stood silently before rows of graves, shadows of guilt the champion could never shake. Gohan and Tights stayed by his side, helping him lay flowers and finally let go.
---
Bathed in the golden light of sunset, the two exchanged rings and necklaces, their eyes reflecting the most beautiful hues of dusk.
"The road ahead..."
Gohan gently patted their clasped hands. There was still a way to Mount Paozu, and an even longer journey beyond—but this master would take his leave first.
The old man, white-bearded and kind-eyed, pressed their joined hands and smiled.
"From now on, you two must walk it together..."
Tears streamed down Tights' face. Swallowing his grief, the champion smiled.
"Thank you... for being my master."
Gohan nodded.
Then, under their gaze, his body dissolved into countless specks of light, rising with the wind into the golden sunset...
The glow drifted westward, carried by the breeze, past the horizon—into the depths of Mount Five Elements.
There, the Supreme Elderly Lord waved her fingers, weaving spells as the massive Furnace of Eight Divisions beside her shimmered.
From its depths, Gohan's form was remade by heavenly energy—now crowned with a radiant halo.
The old man blinked in bewilderment.
Before him stood a woman of striking majesty, grinning.
"Hello there. My name is Annin."