Sacred World of the Kai
After a long talk, Gohan took his leave. The Elder Kai had sketched out where Gohan's Mysterious Form might go from here.
Because that form had mutated under the influence of rules beyond the ordinary, the Elder Kai warned him not to measure it by common sense. Based on the potential-unlocking method he'd once used on Gohan if Gohan kept guiding it himself the Elder Kai boldly predicted the form's upper peak could reach a terrifying ×1000 amplification. Any further, he wouldn't hazard a guess; that would be up to Gohan to break through on his own.
Gohan, for his part, had a hunch: the "Beast Gohan" seen in Super Season 2 had to be the second stage of this Mysterious Form. Even without the current mutation from rule-power, that version could stand toe-to-toe with and perhaps surpass Goku and Vegeta in Super Saiyan Blue.
Still, that was only a theory. Reaching that height wouldn't be simple, and his soul wasn't the original Gohan's anymore. The Super Saiyan path could be advanced with foreknowledge of the "plot," and the Mysterious Form had the Elder Kai's guidance but Beast Gohan? That was pure, original-Gohan mutation, with no roadmap to copy.
One bite at a time. Even now he'd outstripped canon Gohan by who-knew-how-many orders of magnitude. In the Cell Arc, the original had peaked around 50 billion in combat power. He'd regressed through the Buu Arc until the Elder Kai drew out his latent potential and restored him. By contrast, this Gohan with nothing but his 800× dark-gold Super Saiyan Three could already overrun Majin Buu, and the 650× Mysterious Form could do the same.
Next task: use the Elder Kai's method to raise the Mysterious Form's multiplier to ×1000.
One more note the breakthrough to Super Three had kicked his base power upward. After his first Super Three transformation and return to normal, his base had jumped by 200 million, and he could still feel fresh potential welling up from within.
After saying goodbye to the Elder Kai, Gohan returned to Mount Paozu, unfolded the gravity chamber, and dove into a frenzy of training.
Push-ups, sit-ups, frog jumps all under crushing gravity.
Sweat streamed. He enjoyed the sensation of his base power climbing.
When his stamina was empty, he swallowed a Senzu Bean and went again.
The body recovers; the mind, less so. Even mentally exhausted, he refused to stop he sat cross-legged, following the Elder Kai's instructions to excavate the Mysterious Form's potential while meditating to rebuild his spirit.
He kept at it, day in, day out. Apart from eating, he didn't even sleep he meditated instead to restore mental energy and pry open deeper potential.
Gohan's mania shocked everyone. He was already far ahead of them, and he still trained like a demon that got into their heads.
The result? Goku's gravity chamber never rested.
Vegeta out, Goku in; Goku out, Raditz in; Raditz out, Nappa in; then back to Vegeta.
When they weren't in the chamber, the other three sparred like mad. With Senzu Beans on hand, they stopped holding back.
Grievous injuries, brushes with death, rebirths from the brink
It happened often. A hyper-competitive arms race. Everyone grinding themselves down to polish the edge.
Three months of this and then Launch broke the spell.
"Gohan! Get out here, now!"
Dakka-dakka-dakka!
Blonde Launch came stomping in, hefting a Gatling gun spitting blue-white fire, and raked Gohan's gravity chamber.
But Gohan's chamber had been forged from Universe 7's hardest Katchin alloy. Even as Launch's barrel glowed red, the hull didn't show a single scratch.
"Stop it where'd this crazy woman come from?! Courting death!" Raditz blew his top, raising a hand to kill her on the spot.
If anyone was most loyal to Gohan, it was Raditz. Gohan's early "one slap, one sweet date" approach had broken him in just the right way, and Gohan always calling him "uncle" had given him a warmth he'd never known. No wonder his temper flared like a fuse.
"Raditz, enough!" Goku flicked a ki blast to intercept Raditz's shot; the two orbs collided and boomed.
The blast tossed Launch back a hundred meters.
"Ugh ptoo! ptoo!" Launch spat out grit.
"Goku what's the big idea?" Raditz glared daggers.
"Heh… Raditz, she's a friend. I'm sure Gohan wouldn't want you to kill her," Goku said, rubbing the back of his head.
"A friend? Then fine." At that word, Raditz's killing intent vanished like fog.
"Launch, what brings you here?" Goku asked, walking over.
"Ask your brat where he hid Tien!" Launch's temper flared all over again the moment she named the cause.
"Tien? Right Gohan sent him to the Three-Eyed Clan's homeworld… that's been, what, over four years now. Don't worry, Launch I'll go get him." Goku jogged to Gohan's chamber and thumbed the comm.
Katchin alloy insulated so well that Gohan hadn't heard a thing, and firearms carried no ki signature for him to sense.
"What is it, Dad?" Gohan's voice came through.
"Launch is here for you. Step out a moment," Goku said.
"Launch? Oh right. I forgot about Tien. Dad, ask her to give me a minute. I need a shower I reek," Gohan replied.
"Got it."
Ten minutes later say what you will, men shower faster than most people wash their face
the door slid open and Gohan stepped out.
Even his gi couldn't hide those chiseled lines; eight abs pressed a faint pattern into the not-quite-loose fabric. After months of hard grind he'd grown a little ragged: no beard at his age, but his black hair now hung past his shoulders. His features were deep-cut, eyes cold and star-bright beneath twin sword-brows.
Truth be told, teen Gohan's looks put his adult self to shame handsome enough that top idols would politely make room.
Ahem. Back to the point.
Even hot-headed Blonde Launch froze for three beats at the sight. Then the danger-chill in Gohan's gaze kicked her instincts and she tensed.
"Sorry, Launch I forgot Tien. He should still be on his people's world. I'll bring him back now," Gohan said.
Launch answered unexpectedly soft: "Uh okay. No rush."
The look on Goku's face said it all; he'd never seen Blonde Launch that gentle.
She caught herself in the next breath. "Go. Go now, punk!" she barked then, in her head, whispered a flurry of apologies to Tien.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Tien. He's stupidly handsome, but I still like you!
Gohan smiled faintly and vanished in an Instant Transmission.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Your support keeps this story going leave a 5★ review, add it to your library, and feed it some Power Stones!
"Want to stay ahead of the game?Advanced chapters are up on my Patron. If you're enjoying the ride, swing by and check them out."
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"