The newly transformed Super Saiyan 4 Son Goten hovered in the sky.
He stretched out his arms, clenching them into fists, feeling the immense, primal power coursing through his body. In that instant, an unparalleled wave of confidence surged through his heart.
He could feel that this perfect body was overwhelmingly strong, almost too strong. Every single cell felt consumed by endless energy, brimming with pure might.
Trunks had been right: he, too, could reach this powerful state, Super Saiyan 4!
He distinctly sensed that the power of this form was vastly superior to Super Saiyan 3. Even though he had only just transformed, the increase in strength was qualitative, a complete leap to another level.
The sensation filled him with exhilarating excitement.
Yet, he couldn't help but think of Trunks, Vegeta, and the others; they had all achieved this form long before him. He could hardly imagine how vast the power gap between them might still be.
Instead of discouragement, however, his fighting spirit only burned brighter. A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind in that second. Super Saiyan 4, this was merely the beginning of his journey in this timeline.
"I will never stop here!" Son Goten vowed silently in his heart.
"Mm, not bad at all, Goten. I didn't expect you to regain your consciousness so quickly. You regained your consciousness even faster than Goku Oji San."
Trunks smiled, recalling how Son Goku had first struggled to achieve Super Saiyan 4. After transforming into a Golden Great Ape, Goku had completely lost his mind, overcome by pure madness. It had taken Vegeta's fierce blows and constant urging for him to finally succeed.
By contrast, Son Goten, after experiencing so many strange and turbulent events, had matured greatly. Though only seventeen, his mental fortitude far exceeded his age. Naturally, he was able to regain control much faster.
"Thank you, Trunks." Son Goten bowed deeply.
He had just heard Paragus addressing Trunks as "Your Highness." Out of respect, Goten chose to show deference. He hadn't been in this timeline long and didn't fully understand Trunks's background, but the respect was warranted.
Trunks simply offered a light smile.
"Just focus on becoming stronger. The road ahead is long, and I don't know what the future holds, either. The only thing we can do is to keep getting stronger."
"For ourselves, and for the people we want to protect."
As he spoke, Trunks lightly tapped Goten on the chest with his fist.
Those words struck deep within Son Goten. His chest tightened once more. From now on, his mission was clear: to protect those he wished to protect in this world and prevent tragedy from repeating itself.
"I will, Trunks," he replied, his voice heavy with resolve.
Trunks said no more. He flew down to the ground and immediately dispersed the artificial moon. Paragus, who had maintained his sanity, also reverted to his normal state.
Everyone gathered around Trunks, awaiting his next command.
"Well then, let's head back," Trunks ordered.
The others nodded, but their gazes inevitably drifted toward Z-Broly, who stood off to the side, silent and motionless. So far, the man looked completely dazed, as if still struggling to process what had just happened.
Paragus approached him once more, trying to communicate.
"My child…"
No response.
"My son… Z-Broly?"
Still nothing.
Paragus finally sighed, giving up.
"Forget it, let him process things for a while. That guy's brain isn't exactly his strong point. He's all brawn and no thought; it'll take him a while to figure things out," Trunks remarked calmly.
With that, Paragus had no choice but to follow Trunks's advice.
"Then, Elder Moori, we'll be taking our leave for now. If anything happens on Namek, you can contact Dende; he'll let us know right away. Until next time, farewell!" Trunks said respectfully.
Elder Moori offered a hearty smile and waved his hand. "I understand, Trunks. Then, goodbye for now."
After the brief farewell, Trunks instructed everyone to hold hands.
He glanced once more at Z-Broly, who was still staring blankly into space. There was no helping it; the guy still hadn't reacted at all. He sat there on the ground, completely spaced out.
Trunks had the others form a circle around Z-Broly and place their hands on his shoulders, while he himself pressed a hand against Broly's head.
Right now, Z-Broly was unnervingly quiet. Even when Trunks placed a hand on his head, he didn't respond in the slightest. This was entirely unexpected. Normally, if someone dared to touch his head, he'd explode in rage, as if they had violated a sacred taboo, and beat them senseless.
Whoosh,!
A flash of light appeared, and in the next instant, Trunks and the others were back on Earth.
As they arrived, people quickly gathered around to see what had happened.
Paragus's eyes immediately caught sight of Vegeta, a man who looked exactly like the King Vegeta he once knew. Understanding the situation, Paragus bowed politely. "Your Majesty Vegeta, I may have offended you earlier. Please forgive my rudeness."
But the Saiyan Kingdom had long since perished; it was a memory from a bygone era.
Vegeta merely snorted coldly and replied, "Planet Vegeta is gone. I have no desire to return to that old life. Earth is my home now."
"Still… never forget your Saiyan pride."
With that, Vegeta turned away, no longer paying Paragus any attention.
At that moment, Bulla walked up to Son Goten, who was still in his Super Saiyan 4 form. She placed both hands on his shoulders and said with a bright smile, "Mm, looks like my brother was right, you really did it, Goten. You've become a Super Saiyan 4 too."
Being so close to her made Son Goten a bit flustered. He simply gave a soft, embarrassed "Mm."
And this little exchange didn't escape Trunks's notice. As a fellow man, he immediately picked up on Goten's awkward reaction.
A knowing smile crept across Trunks's face as he thought to himself: (Oh? Don't tell me… Goten's got a thing for Bulla?)
But that thought was instantly transmitted to Vegeta's mind through their mental link.
Vegeta, who had just turned away, suddenly spun back around, his eyes wide, glaring straight at Son Goten.
And sure enough, just as Trunks had thought, the young Goten's face was tinged with a noticeable blush.
Vegeta's expression hardened immediately.
Instead of approaching Goten directly, he strode right past him and went straight up to Son Goku.
"Hey, Kakarot. You'd better make sure your new son gets some proper training, make him stronger. Otherwise, I won't let him off so easily." Vegeta's sudden declaration left Goku completely bewildered.
"Eh? Vegeta, of course I'll train Goten well. He's already reached Super Saiyan 4, after all."
"You don't need to worry about that."
…
The atmosphere lightened, laughter spreading among them.
But at that very moment, Z-Broly suddenly threw back his head and let out a thunderous roar.
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
What happened next stunned everyone. After that furious cry, Z-Broly launched himself into the sky, streaking upward at incredible speed.
His figure quickly grew smaller and smaller; his destination was clear.
He was heading straight into outer space.
(End Of This Chapter)
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