West City, Capsule Mansion, front courtyard.
Tien and Chiaotzu had left the night before, accustomed to their solitary ways. Raditz had taken Vegeta somewhere unknown—perhaps reviewing the lessons his father had once drilled into him on the Saiyan prince. Vegeta, of course, was unwilling to have Raditz following him, but being outmatched, he had no choice in the matter.
Master Roshi, Krillin, and Yamcha had stayed the night but had already departed that morning. Whether they had taken Yamiru's words to heart—pondering whether they should stop lazing around at Kame House and seek out opportunities for heroism in the city—was anyone's guess.
After breakfast, Bulma and Dr. Brief found Yamiru, Goku, and Bardock and handed them three Dragon Radars.
---
Seeing that a night had passed, and Goku had returned to his normal black-haired state, Yamiru casually asked about it, only to hear that Goku could no longer transform into Super Saiyan God at will.
Or rather, Yamiru's attitude of "not needing the ritual anymore" made both Goku and Bardock curious.
"Could it be that Super Saiyan God can be mastered just like Super Saiyan?" Goku wondered.
Bardock glanced at Yamiru, then murmured in realization, "Since Yamiru was able to obtain divine power without any ritual, maybe it's possible to train Super Saiyan God to that level of mastery as well."
Meanwhile, Yamiru was also studying Goku.
Unlike in Battle of Gods, Goku had not absorbed the power of Super Saiyan God. At first, this surprised Yamiru, but upon deeper thought, it made sense.
If anyone could internalize the power of Super Saiyan God after undergoing the ritual, then surely Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and the other Saiyan relatives would have all been mass-produced as Super Saiyan Gods by now. It wasn't even that difficult—why not make a few extra divine warriors just in case?
The Goku who absorbed Super Saiyan God's power in Battle of Gods was vastly different from the Goku standing before Yamiru now.
The former had experienced it all—Tao Pai Pai, the Red Ribbon Army, Demon King Piccolo, the tragedy of Raditz, the Saiyan invasion, the rage-fueled transformation into Super Saiyan, the near-death from the heart virus, the battle against the Androids, self-sacrifice… In terms of both life experience and martial insight, he far surpassed the still-young Goku standing before Yamiru.
More importantly, Yamiru realized he had been careless.
He shouldn't have refused to fight Goku last night. Even in Battle of Gods, Goku had unknowingly absorbed Super Saiyan God's power during his battle with Beerus. And even if he ignored the "movie logic," there was a precedent he had personally witnessed:
Yamoshi had also gradually absorbed the power of Super Saiyan God while battling the S-Fighters.
If Goku, with less experience than his "original self" and without having engaged in an intense battle after transforming into Super Saiyan God, could still master the form… now that would be truly absurd. If that were possible, then Super Saiyan God really should just be mass-produced.
Coming to this conclusion, Yamiru looked up and saw that Goku had already moved on—laughing as Bulma grabbed and pinched his face, clearly not taking the matter seriously at all.
Yamiru couldn't help but chuckle.
"Didn't you also… master divine power… on your own?" Goku mumbled with a grin as Bulma ruffled his hair. "Super Saiyan God… doesn't really… matter when…"
Nearby, Tights watched them anxiously, worried that Bulma might be too rough and accidentally harm the little one inside her.
Gine, however, smiled reassuringly, explaining that Saiyan fetuses were strong—there was nothing to worry about.
Fetus…
Tights and Yamiru exchanged a glance.
Last night, as they lay in bed, they had been discussing this very matter.
And they had decided—they would have a child.
---
In the front courtyard, Yamiru, Bardock, and Goku each held a Dragon Radar, waving goodbye to Tights and the others on the ground.
Three auras enveloped them as they nodded to each other. In an instant—pop, pop, pop!—they transformed into three streaks of white light, scattering across the sky like Dragon Balls dispersing after a wish.
"They really make things look easy," Bulma remarked, gazing at the blue sky. "I bet they'll gather all of them in half an hour."
"Well, there are three of them," Gine said.
Standing quietly beside her, Chi-Chi smiled slightly before noticing Tights looking her way. She tugged on her teacher's sleeve.
"Hmm?" Gine turned to Tights, puzzled.
Tights pursed her lips, silently signaling with her gaze. Before long, she and Gine had moved to another part of the courtyard, speaking in hushed tones.
---
Twenty minutes later.
The entire sky over Earth turned black.
By the seaside, Yamiru, Goku, and Bardock had reunited after scouring the planet for the seven Dragon Balls.
Before them, a golden lightning bolt shot up into the sky like a soaring dragon.
Crack!
Night fell, and golden lightning flickered… As the light faded, a winding emerald dragon slowly emerged.
On the celestial ring of the Dragon Realm, Dorag observed the three expressionless faces on the ground through his magic and couldn't help but feel a wave of frustration.
Had Earth's Dragon Balls been monopolized by these people? Why was it always them?
Could they at least give someone else a chance? Did they even understand the meaning of the Seven Dragon Balls, the "eternal hope"? How about letting others experience some hope too?!
"You who have gathered the seven Dragon Balls…" Despite the countless grievances in his heart, Dorag still followed the ritual, speaking in the deep voice of the Eternal Dragon, "… No matter what wish you have, I can grant it for you…"
"A wish, huh…" Yamiru stroked his chin, muttering to himself, making Dorag's crimson dragon eyes twitch. Sure enough, Yamiru continued, "I haven't thought of anything yet. How about we chat for a bit? Maybe something will come to mind while we talk. What do you think, Dorag?" He flashed a bright smile at the imposing dragon head looming before him.
Like hell I do! Just make your wish already! Dorag's hands trembled slightly as he formed his mystical seals.
"Dorag?" Bardock and Goku exchanged puzzled glances.
Yamiru asked, "First off, I want to know—" He furrowed his brows slightly. "Freeza… is he dead?"
Bardock lifted his head, staring intently at the Eternal Dragon. As someone directly involved in the past, he had no memory of his battle with Freeza and was eager for an answer.
The dragon remained silent for a moment before finally answering, "Freeza is dead."
Really dead?
The three of them exchanged looks.
Though it was a little strange, as long as Freeza was dealt with, it didn't really matter. Both Goku and Bardock seemed to share this sentiment as they glanced at each other.
Yamiru, however, frowned. Something felt off. He rubbed his wrist and looked down, but the golden dragon-shaped mark on it remained unchanged.
"Another question," Yamiru asked. "Why did Vegeta come to Earth?"
The dragon fell into silence once more. Dorag couldn't help but ponder—was this really related to whatever ridiculous wish they planned to make? Could he just… not answer?
"To become a Super Saiyan…" the dragon finally said slowly.
Yamiru was surprised, and so were Bardock and Goku.
"Bardock, when you fought Freeza, could Vegeta have seen it?" Yamiru joked.
Bardock shook his head. He had no recollection of it. After a moment, he asked the dragon, "Does Freeza's army still exist?"
The dragon answered slowly, "Very few remain… for the most part, they have been eradicated…"
Damn, Bardock really went all out, huh? Yamiru thought. In the manga, Goku and the others never even considered wiping out Freeza's entire army… Even Freeza himself was only truly eliminated when he personally came knocking on their door again…
Finally, Yamiru turned to the father and son beside him. "Do you two have any wishes you'd like to make?"
"I don't have anything I really want," Goku said with a smile.
Bardock shared a similar sentiment. Other than eating a lot and fighting a lot, the two of them didn't have many hobbies.
Yamiru thought for a moment, then raised a finger with a grin. "Tights once wished for a superpower. Let's give Bulma the same thing."
---
High above the Earth, Tights piloted an aircraft toward the Lookout, with Gine and Chi-Chi as her passengers.