Baozi Mountain.
"Gohan, thank goodness you went to Bulma and made arrangements ahead of time. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to get away!" Goku wiped the sweat from his forehead in relief.
As it turned out, before telling Chi-Chi, Gohan had made a quick trip to Bulma's place.
Using the spaceship Goku had once piloted as a child, he negotiated with her for a hefty payment.
While the ship's primary purpose was to serve as a gravity chamber for his training, its advanced interstellar travel technology was also a lucrative prize for the Brief family.
Bulma, generous as always, handed over a bank card loaded with one hundred million zeni and told him to come back for more if needed.
Gohan had also guessed Chi-Chi might call Bulma to confirm, so the two women coordinated their stories in advance.
Even so, the situation turned out messier than he had expected. Chi-Chi blew up in anger, but thanks to Bulma's quick thinking and a convenient excuse, the storm eventually passed. Chi-Chi let the father and son go, shouldered her bag, and headed for the Ox-King's place.
"Dad, this is still your fault. If you hadn't blown up Grandpa's castle back then, we wouldn't be so broke. I'm only two years old, and I'm already out here trying to earn money to support the family!" Gohan complained with mock grievance.
"Uh… well… hehe…" Goku had no comeback for that.
"Are you two done yet? Honestly, such a long-winded pair. Two Saiyans with terrifying battle power, yet both completely at the mercy of one woman!" Piccolo finally couldn't take it anymore.
This kind of warm, domestic scene was utterly foreign to him. Every second of it was torture.
"What's the rush? You want to get scolded by a woman too, but no one would ever pick someone like you, a glowing green guy with a glowing green head!" Gohan shot back without missing a beat.
"Tch. I, the Great Demon King, have no need for useless women!"
"Oh, right… I forgot. You hatched from an egg, not exactly a mammal. Poor guy… you'll never get to experience the most beautiful emotion in the world." Gohan twisted the knife with a smirk.
"Emotion is a bond that only exists to make one stronger!" Piccolo said coldly.
"Cold-blooded and heartless," Gohan muttered.
…
King Kai's Planet.
"King Kai, I've brought them. This one's the all-around genius from Namek. This one's a low-class Saiyan warrior, and my father. As for your Spirit Bomb technique, I think only someone as pure-hearted as my dad could pull it off." Gohan gestured to the two men.
"Hmm. I hope so," King Kai replied.
"Alright then, I'm off. I'll leave them to you. Once they've learned it, contact me. I'll be in the North Galaxy, not too far away." With that, Gohan vanished via Instant Transmission.
Goku and Piccolo stayed behind to follow King Kai's training program. Adjusting to the planet's gravity, catching Bubbles, hitting Gregory, and telling bad jokes. None of it was skipped.
…
Meanwhile, Gohan…
He was on Earth's satellite, the moon.
"The vacuum of space really is unfathomable… Good thing I made that wish to Shenron, or I'd never survive here." Gohan carefully sensed every change in his body.
Since making his wish, he had gained a unique ability. Now, for the first time in a true vacuum, he could feel it clearly. His pores opened, absorbing the faintest traces of free-floating energy and converting it into the nutrients his body needed, replacing the need for oxygen.
Learning the Kaio-ken was just a small step in his plan.
Now, he wanted to test whether he could transform into a Great Ape while retaining his rational mind, unaffected by the wild, violent instincts of the form.
Whoosh!
After scanning his surroundings, Gohan picked a location with a perfect view of the moon, where the sunlight's reflection would maximize the Blutz Waves' effect.
He stared directly at the moon. His tail twitched and rose instinctively toward it.
Within three seconds, changes began.
His heartbeat surged, his eyes turned crimson.
Muscles swelled, dark brown fur sprouted across his growing frame, and his jaw extended into a muzzle.
From his tail, a torrent of energy poured into him, carrying a brutal, primal ferocity.
But Gohan, with two lifetimes of willpower and a soul strengthened by Shenron's blessing, crushed the beast's will with ease.
"ROAR!!!"
A colossal ape stood proudly in the starry void, letting out a thunderous roar.
"If I remember correctly, Super Saiyan 4 comes from transforming into a Great Ape and then ascending into Super Saiyan form. I wonder if I can skip Super Saiyan 2 and 3 entirely?"
Once curiosity took hold, he couldn't resist.
He began to channel the Super Saiyan transformation while in his ape form.
Bang! Crack!
The moment he powered up, his muscles ruptured, blood sprayed from his skin, and bones shattered all at once.
"Damn it! Clothes… senzu bean!" He clung to life just long enough to Instant Transmission back to his starting point on the moon.
Reverting to human form, he grabbed a senzu bean hidden in his belt and swallowed it.
"Phew… too close. One more second and I would've been done for. Guess the saying's true, play stupid games, win stupid prizes." He dressed while muttering to himself.
When he'd tried to ascend, an uncontrollable surge of power exploded from his tail, overwhelming his body. Only by abandoning the transformation instantly had he survived.
"It looks like my body isn't nearly ready for Super Saiyan 4. To control that kind of energy, I'd probably need a whole new level of life force… maybe even godhood."
After a long moment of thought, he let it go.
"No matter. My current strength should be more than enough for what's coming. There's still over a year before my dear uncle Raditz arrives on Earth. That's when Dragon Ball Z truly begins."
Gohan began to plan.
Raditz, Nappa, Vegeta, even Frieza, none of them were threats to him now.
But this was just the start.
Having confirmed he could control the Great Ape form, his next goal was clear. Find Katchin so Bulma could build him a gravity chamber.
He had considered using a wish on Namek to get it, but wasting such an all-powerful wish seemed foolish.
The alternative was to visit the Supreme Kai's world and ask Shin for some. But recalling how Shin boasted during the Buu saga that he could kill Frieza with a single finger, Gohan decided it wasn't time to meet them yet.
So, he resolved to spend the year before Raditz's arrival traveling the universe in search of Katchin.
With Instant Transmission, exploration would be easy, and he could return to Earth in an instant.
Closing his eyes, Gohan began scanning the cosmos for planets teeming with life.
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