BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
White-hot energy surged from Piccolo's body, seemingly endless and unstoppable.
CRACK!—The arena split apart with a deafening rupture.
RATTA-TAT-TAT! Debris scattered wildly as the blond-mustached announcer scrambled for cover beneath the stage. Rocks slammed into the protective barrier, disintegrating into dust. Inside, Bulma and Tights remained oblivious, but Gine's mouth fell open in shock—'The former Guardian… has this much power?!'
If she was merely surprised, Raditz and Vegeta were outright stunned.
"Impossible!" Raditz's voice trembled. "Who the hell is this green freak?! How can he—"
Vegeta, on the other hand, was too shocked to speak. Rocks pelted his body, but he didn't even flinch, his eyes locked onto Piccolo's towering, demonic figure. Describing his energy as "overwhelming" would have been an insult—it was like a force of nature itself.
And then, Goku finally grinned.
His fists clenched.
His energy began to rise.
"Now we're talking!"
In the next instant—
A cold glint flashed in Goku's eyes.
His spiky black hair stood on end like a furious crab's claws.
Seeing this, Raditz immediately shut his mouth, crossing his arms with a displeased hmph.
Golden hair.
Emerald eyes.
Super Saiyan.
---
[Flashback: One Year Ago (Or More Precisely, "Two" Years Ago)]
['How… do I become a Super Saiyan like Father?']
[Inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, on the endless white plains of the Sacred Temple's mental training grounds, Raditz pushed himself to exhaustion, frustration burning in his chest.]
[Beside him, an earth-shattering aura erupted!]
[Panting heavily, Raditz glanced over—only to see Goku, now transformed into a Super Saiyan, his body radiating a brilliant golden light, majestic and awe-inspiring.]
['Damn it…']
[He had been the first to use the gravity chamber for training. He had been the one to make massive leaps in combat power! When Raditz's strength had already soared past tens of thousands, Kakarot was still a weakling, barely scraping by with his pathetic Earthling friends!]
[But then, once Goku hit his growth spurt and entered the gravity chamber, Raditz could only watch helplessly as his younger brother's power skyrocketed at an insane pace!]
[Thousands. Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands. Millions. It was like there was no limit—no end to his growth!]
[Inside the Time Chamber, Raditz scowled as he observed Super Saiyan Goku training.]
[In this form, Kakarot's energy felt completely different—charged with exhilaration, yet laced with a faint, simmering aggression.]
['Hmph. I thought this guy had turned into some soft, weak Earthling through and through. Turns out he's still got some Saiyan blood in him after all.']
[After a long session, Goku finally paused, studying his hands thoughtfully before allowing the golden aura to fade, reverting to his usual black-haired state.]
[His energy dropped. Goku exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow.]
[Unable to hold back any longer, Raditz swallowed his pride and approached his brother, forcing out the question burning in his mind.]
["I think… maybe your heart isn't calm enough?" Goku answered bluntly.]
[Raditz nearly exploded. "What kind of bullshit answer is that?!"]
[Goku paused, then raised a finger, explaining, "According to Bulma's research, there are three key factors to becoming a Super Saiyan. First—a solid foundation of power. That's the prerequisite." Raditz nodded grudgingly. Even this basic requirement felt impossibly far out of reach for him.]
["Second—your body needs enough special cells. Bulma calls them 'S-Cells.'" Goku lifted a second finger. "And the best way to increase S-Cells? Keeping your heart calm." He smiled. "She said they first gather near the base of our spines before spreading through the body. Maybe that's why your mental state matters so much…"]
[Raditz frowned, frustration bubbling. "You've gotta be kidding me…"]
["I think you might be too impatient," Goku offered sympathetically. "That's probably why your S-Cells aren't multiplying much. It might even be why your power growth has slowed down…"]
[It made sense. Even without aiming for Super Saiyan, more S-Cells meant greater potential—better for training and power growth.]
[Raditz thought of his parents. Both of them, just like Kakarot, had always been so damn calm…]
['But how the hell was I supposed to be like that?! I was born on Planet Vegeta, where the whole culture was about killing, destroying, unleashing your instincts! Then the planet blew up, and I followed Vegeta and Nappa, fighting across the galaxy under Freeza's rule! And now you're telling me I need to be some peaceful, well-behaved goody-two-shoes?! BULLSHIT!']
[His scowl deepened. "And the third factor?"]
["Third—the trigger is extreme rage." Goku raised a third finger.]
*"ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!" Raditz roared. "Someone like YOU—what the hell could YOU possibly have to be enraged about?!"]
[He seriously doubted—did someone as soft as Kakarot even have that function?]
[Goku let out an awkward "uh," scratching his head as if recalling some unpleasant memories. "Well... now that you mention it... But because of that, Bulma made this weird device for me to wear on my head..." Those had been unforgettable—and painful—times. Just thinking about it made him shudder. "Once I put it on, it was like entering another world, forcing me to experience simulated scenarios... and they were all really bad ones!"*
["Bulma said rage can be learned. Once you get used to it, you can simulate it when needed." Goku sighed. "Thankfully, I managed to remember those emotions..."
["This is ridiculous..." Raditz muttered under his breath.]
[For some inexplicable reason, he felt even angrier. Why did it seem like the whole world was conspiring to help Kakarot?]
[After explaining, Goku left Raditz to stew in his frustration and resumed his training.]
[With a roar, he transformed back into a Super Saiyan.]
["Maybe... I should try it like this..."]
---
Whoosh…
A light breeze swept across the stage as Goku silently, effortlessly, became a Super Saiyan.
Raditz watched from the sidelines, his expression unreadable.
Compared to Piccolo's explosive transformation, Goku's shift was almost anticlimactic—no grand spectacle, just a simple, seamless transition. His energy remained perfectly contained, his emotions barely fluctuating.
Piccolo, still radiating overwhelming power, smirked. "So, you've finally gone Super Saiyan."
Golden-haired, emerald-eyed Goku simply smiled.
Below the stage, Bulma cheerfully pulled out her phone and started snapping pictures. "No matter how many times I see it, it's just so cool..."
"Well then..." Super Saiyan Goku slowly settled into a Kamehameha stance. "Shall we begin the real fight?"
"Hmph." Piccolo grinned.
SWOOSH!
Goku vanished. The air trembled with a sonic boom—and when the audience turned to where Piccolo had been standing, he too was already gone.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Gold and white blurs clashed in a battle beyond the comprehension of most spectators.
BOOM!
Their fists collided, shaking the entire Martial Arts Temple.
Energy spilled outward, threatening to sink Papaya Island itself.
A terrifying pressure blanketed the area, even distorting the sky above… Sensing this, Gine frowned, tapping into her divine power to stabilize the weather and prevent panic among the ordinary humans.
The audience had collectively entered "Mr. Satan Mode"—their minds completely short-circuiting.
They'd already thought this tournament was pushing the limits of believability, but now? It was like a high-budget action movie had come to life!
Inside the barrier, Tights bit her lip, worried about Yamiru. 'With those two monsters going all out… can he really handle this?'
Gine, however, smiled warmly, straining to sense the Super Saiyan's energy with pride.
"..."
Vegeta stood frozen, his body numb as he helplessly absorbed the indescribable power radiating from the fighters. For the first time in his life, his clenched fists slowly, weakly, fell slack.
On the stage, gold and white figures clashed like meteors—colliding, breaking apart, and colliding again in a dazzling storm of power.
This was battle at its most intense.
This was battle at its most exhilarating.
This was battle so far beyond his reach that the once-proud Saiyan Prince could only stand there—powerless, insignificant—and watch.
The battle between the Super Namekian and the Super Saiyan had reached its climax!