The group flew toward West City.
Since Krillin, Chi-Chi, and the others were part of the group, their speed was neither too fast nor too slow—just perfect for chatting along the way.
Raditz and Vegeta flew together, exchanging cold, biting remarks—though, of course, it was mostly Raditz who took great pleasure in mocking the Saiyan prince. Vegeta absorbed every word, storing them in his heart as humiliation, fueling his burning desire to grow stronger and become a Super Saiyan.
Piccolo, ever the loner, flew at the group's edge. Gine, Goku, and Bulma—who was nestled in Goku's arms—chatted among themselves, with Bulma occasionally laughing and casting amused glances at Vegeta, who was being mercilessly bullied by Raditz. Yamiru, meanwhile, had her arms wrapped around Yamiru's neck, casually chatting with him while her gaze wandered, lingering on Gine and Piccolo.
Just then, Krillin flew closer.
"Since we're having a gathering, should I go get Master Roshi?"
And Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha too…
"It'd be great if Uncle Bardock were here too," Chi-Chi said, flying closer, unable to help feeling a little regretful.
Krillin was about to split off from the group and head toward Kame House when Yamiru stopped him.
Yamiru flew forward against the wind and grinned. "If we're calling everyone over, I've got a faster way."
Yamiru, riding on his back, snapped out of her thoughts at his words. Tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear, she smiled. "The Spiritual Realm? I almost forgot…"
Ever since Yamiru had vanished from the mortal world, the Spiritual Realm had seemed like a place without its master. Even if others still remembered the method, they could no longer enter.
---
Spiritual Realm • Mortal Court • Seventh universe • Earth Island
At the foot of a mountain, Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu—wearing straw hats and rain cloaks—suddenly appeared. By a stream, Master Roshi and Yamcha materialized, looking around in awe.
"It's been so long since we've been here," Master Roshi mused, smacking his lips.
The moment he entered the Spiritual Realm, he could easily sense the familiar ki signatures scattered across the not-too-large Earth Island.
Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Master Roshi, and Yamcha followed the gathered energies to the only man-made structure left by Yamiru and Yamiru in the Spiritual Realm—a Capsule house.
Gine, Bulma, and Raditz surrounded a stiff-faced Vegeta, giving him a crash course on the mechanics of becoming a Super Saiyan.
Vegeta listened silently, committing every word to memory.
'Base power level… at least two million or higher?! And that's just the bare minimum requirement to even have a chance at transforming into a Super Saiyan?' As he listened, Vegeta mentally assessed his current battle power. 'The gap… is enormous.'
'S-Cells… Hmph. Doesn't sound too difficult. Just maintain a calm heart, and the body will naturally produce these special cells.' He studied the diagram Bulma had drawn—a Saiyan's anatomy chart, with golden S-Cells marked near the base of the spine.
'And extreme rage… Heh.'
"Long time no see," Master Roshi said, his wooden staff resting behind his back. The reflection of Krillin and the others flashed across his sunglasses as he chuckled. "I take it Yamiru's finally back?"
"That's my guess!" Yamcha said. "Otherwise, none of us would've been able to come here."
Tien Shinhan, however, eyed the unfamiliar faces of Piccolo and Vegeta with suspicion. "And they are…?"
Piccolo glanced at him dismissively, radiating an air of aloof disinterest.
Vegeta, meanwhile, was still deep in thought, processing the new information… Bulma walked over and gave them a quick introduction. "One's an ex-Kami, and the other's a neurotic prince."
Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Master Roshi were stunned, but before they could react, an overwhelming burst of energy erupted above them.
BOOM!
Goku's body erupted with golden flames, lightning crackling around him as his aura surged to suffocating levels.
Just by hovering in the air, he gave off the impression of dominating the very sky and earth beneath him.
With a triumphant roar, Goku unleashed his full power, golden light illuminating a corner of the Spiritual Realm. The reflection danced across Master Roshi's sunglasses as the old man adjusted his glasses, sweating.
"So this is the energy I sensed earlier… Goku, huh? To think he's grown this strong…"
Vegeta was startled by the sudden eruption of power, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. Even though he had experienced this terrifying aura up close before, the sheer weight of it still pressed heavily on his heart... Kakarot's golden, lightning-wreathed form was becoming an inescapable shadow in his mind.
Tien Shinhan stared upward with an almost dumbfounded expression. Next to him, Chiaotzu... well, Chiaotzu already had a permanent zombie face.
Yamcha barely managed to keep his legs from buckling, muttering in a mix of awe and defeat, "Wasn't there a World Martial Arts Tournament recently? Goku must've won, right...?"
Gine chuckled beside him. "Nope. The champion was Yamiru."
"Yamiru!?" Master Roshi, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha all blurted out in unison, their faces varying degrees of shocked.
For the latter three, the shock was mostly about how Yamiru could have possibly fought—and defeated—a Super Saiyan like Goku. But Master Roshi's disbelief ran deeper. He remembered Yamiru from the early days—could that same kid really have reached such heights now? The old turtle silently wondered if his initial assessment of Yamiru had been too hasty.
'To defeat Goku, who's clearly far beyond a normal Super Saiyan... just how the hell did that brat pull it off?'
'Is he even human anymore?'
'Did he wish for a Saiyan body or something?'
This wasn't just baseless speculation. Yamiru had actually discussed the idea with both Master Roshi and Son Gohan back in the day. Their responses had been nearly identical: 'If it's to fight enemies, then Goku and his family are already the pinnacle of Saiyans—talent, luck, and instincts all in one. Swapping bodies wouldn't make us better than them. And if it's just to get stronger... well, we've got our pride.' Both had been too honorable to cheapen their own growth like that.
Yamiru had seemed to share their sentiment back then, but... who knew what six years of vanishing from the world might have changed?
"..." Master Roshi gazed up at Goku's electrifying golden form, a thought crystallizing in his mind. 'If Yamiru didn't swap bodies, if he forged his own path with nothing but his own fists and still defeated a monster like this... then I'll say it outright: that kid's something else.'
The old man suddenly chuckled to himself, murmuring, "Now that I think about it... during the tournament, I could only sense Goku's energy. His opponent was completely undetectable..."
---
High above, Goku reveled in his unleashed power, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon. Then—there. A familiar energy flickered into existence at the edge of this world, rapidly taking flight and speeding toward them.
"He's coming!" Goku grinned.
"So, where is Yamiru?" Yamcha asked, shaking off his shock and glancing around.
Bulma smirked but stayed silent.
---
West City – Capsule Corporation
Somewhere inside the massive, domed Briefs family mansion...
On an unspecified floor, in an unspecified room...
A trail of discarded clothes littered the floor—shirts, jackets, vests, belts, cropped pants, underwear—leading to the frosted glass door of the bathroom. The doorknob rattled incessantly, a pair of boxers swinging wildly from it...