Ling An's desire to fight Son Gohan wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing.
Ever since she'd obtained the twenty-times power-up card, she'd been wanting to test her current strength. However, she hadn't been able to bring it up before, as Chi-Chi was always watching them at Paozu Mountain. After all, Chi-Chi, while not opposed to Son Gohan training, wasn't exactly supportive of it either.
So, to avoid making Chi-Chi uncomfortable, she had suppressed her urge to test her abilities. It was only now, after leaving Paozu Mountain, that she finally made the suggestion.
The battle with Son Gohan allowed Ling An to understand just how powerful she was at this moment.
After receiving the power-up card, she had boosted her combat power for several more days. She now had over two billion combat power, far surpassing Son Gohan.
Therefore, she only used a little over a fifth of her power to fight Son Gohan to a standstill.
It was a thrilling battle, enjoyable even for Ling An, who wasn't particularly fond of fighting. Not to mention the half-Saiyan, Son Gohan. After the battle ended, the two of them went to the ground to rest. Son Gohan lay in the grass, panting heavily.
"It's truly incredible, Ling An. You've gained such immense power in such a short time. I can't afford to slack off either. I don't want to be surpassed! I'll have to train hard from now on, and strive to become even stronger."
Son Gohan sat up, looking at Ling An beside him. He clenched his fists and spoke with unwavering determination.
Hearing this, Ling An smiled slightly and said, "Gohan, your talent is exceptional. I believe that as long as you're willing to train diligently, you'll undoubtedly become incredibly powerful in the future!"
Son Gohan's potential was undeniable. The Son Gohan from the main timeline became Gohan (Future) due to slacking off in his training. However, when he truly desired power, he could still achieve strength comparable to his father.
And the Son Gohan of this world possessed a relentless pursuit of power. So, as long as he was willing, his future prospects would definitely not be inferior to Gohan (Future), and might even far surpass him!
Ling An was very much looking forward to Son Gohan becoming even stronger, perhaps even surpassing Son Goku from the main timeline one day.
After a battle and a short rest, the two set off again, flying towards Bulma's house.
Upon arriving at Bulma's, she was still engrossed in researching the Time Machine. This point in time was three or four years before Trunks' arrival in the original story, so Bulma's research on the Time Machine wasn't yet complete, but with Bulma's intellect, it wouldn't be long before she could build it.
After all, the three or four years in the original story were built upon the rampant actions of the Androids after Son Gohan's death. Back then, obtaining the materials and energy to build the Time Machine was incredibly difficult.
But now, Bulma had ample time, a good mindset, and plenty of materials to research the Time Machine. Plus, she wasn't starting from scratch, so it shouldn't take too long for her to successfully develop it.
After greeting Bulma, Ling An asked where Trunks was. They hadn't seen him since they arrived. When they learned he was training in the Gravity Training Room, Ling An and Son Gohan exchanged a look.
"I didn't expect Trunks to be even more diligent than me. Even after eliminating the Androids, he's still working so hard," Son Gohan said with a bit of emotion, even feeling a little ashamed.
After the Androids were defeated, he had indeed become somewhat lax. Since returning to Paozu Mountain, he'd been helping Chi-Chi with all sorts of chores and hadn't had time to train.
"Sigh… I also wish Trunks could rest properly and not push himself so hard. At his age, if human society were normal, he'd probably still be in school. I originally wanted him to study on his own and then go to school once the Earth had recovered. But he said that just because the Androids are gone doesn't mean the Earth is safe; he needs to keep getting stronger."
Bulma put down her wrench, hands on her hips, and said with a helpless tone.
"Haha, Aunt Bulma, Trunks is right. It would be best if the Earth could always be peaceful. But if an invasion like Frieza or the Androids ever happened again, having even greater power would ultimately allow him to protect humanity," Ling An said with a smile, trying to comfort Bulma.
Bulma didn't want Trunks to face powerful opponents, which was a mother's care and love for her son. Chi-Chi was the same, just not as extreme.
Son Goku and Vegeta didn't think that way. They even thought their children should receive better training and education. But their actions were also a form of love, just with different thoughts and methods.
No one was absolutely right or absolutely wrong.
But as someone who had read the original story, Ling An knew that after Frieza, Earth and even the universe wouldn't be peaceful. Not to mention, there was still a Buu hidden in this world. Once he appeared, it would be a disaster far more terrifying than the Androids, not to mention the Black Goku that might appear later. It was all incredibly dangerous.
Therefore, to protect herself and those she loved, having more powerful strength was necessary.
Strength was the guarantee of everything.
Bulma didn't completely agree with what Ling An said, but she didn't object either. She let Trunks choose. The two of them said goodbye to Bulma and then headed towards the Gravity Training Room.
Ling An also wanted to try the feeling of the Gravity Training Room. She didn't need to train, but she could still experience it. Also, Son Gohan and the others would be training in the Gravity Training Room next, so she could be their sparring partner.
The Gravity Training Room was still the version Vegeta had once used. Bulma hadn't updated it in all these years. Although the Androids had been eliminated, Bulma was working day and night on the Time Machine to quickly go back in time to find the Dragon Balls, so she didn't have time to upgrade the Gravity Room.
However, the Gravity Room was still useful for Son Gohan and Trunks, as long as they didn't transform into a Super Saiyan. Ling An, on the other hand, didn't feel much, since her base battle power was already over a hundred million, only slightly less than Trunks as a Super Saiyan.
Seeing them arrive, Trunks was incredibly happy.
Son Gohan patted Trunks on the shoulder, smiling. "Trunks, I didn't expect you to be so diligent in your training. That's really great!"
"Gohan-gege, I also want to become stronger, so I won't be knocked out of Super Saiyan form by the Androids with just one punch like before."
Faced with Gohan's praise, Trunks scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed. Ling An and Son Gohan finally understood why Trunks was working so hard. It turned out he was traumatized by the Androids.
They didn't intend to help Trunks erase this shadow; in fact, it would be difficult to do so. After all, it was Trunks' own thoughts, and to be honest, this kind of blow might not be a bad thing. As the saying goes, pressure creates motivation. As long as Trunks could use this to keep training, the so-called blow would naturally dissipate.
After all, nothing could inflate one's ego more than powerful strength, not to mention that the Super Saiyan state itself would affect the transformed person's emotions and psychology.
Ling An said from the side, "Trunks, it's good to train hard, but you also need to use the right methods. If you'd like, I can guide your training in the coming time."
"Really? That's great, thank you, Sister Ling An." Trunks revealed an incredibly happy smile upon hearing this.
He trusted Ling An a lot, a trust that was even starting to rival the place Son Gohan held in his heart. He didn't think Ling An was insignificant just because she was an Earthling and her power seemed lower than his.
On the contrary, in his eyes, Ling An, as an Earthling, reaching a level comparable to a Super Saiyan, showed that her understanding of martial arts was extremely high. Having such a martial artist guide his training, he would definitely improve even more!
Ling An, of course, didn't know that in Trunks's mind, she was already a profound martial artist. Although she wasn't a true martial artist, with her strength coming from the results of a lucky critical hit, she did have the inheritance of a martial artist from Earth with dozens of battle power. While her understanding of martial arts wasn't as good as Master Roshi's, she was more than capable of guiding a little kid like Trunks.
Son Gohan had been busy fighting the Androids, so he couldn't fully focus on teaching Trunks. Besides, Son Gohan's own understanding of martial arts wasn't that profound. In this situation, Trunks was only half-trained and often had problems with his moves.
For example, insufficient power, inadequate control, inability to concentrate, and other fundamental issues. In response, Ling An didn't demand Trunks engage in advanced training, but instead started from the basics, making him go through them step by step again.
Truthfully, this was quite painful, even harder than teaching a newbie. A newbie was like a blank piece of paper, able to be freely covered, but Trunks already had a constant battle power of several million, and he'd already formed certain habits.
So, to correct this dependence, he needed to work hard. Luckily, Trunks was willing to cooperate, persevering no matter how difficult it was. As a result, his progress was also very obvious, improving almost daily.
Meanwhile, Son Gohan was also training during this time, basically in the Gravity Training Room. Sometimes he would release his Super Saiyan state to undergo pressure training, but most of the time he maintained his Super Saiyan state in daily life, gradually getting used to it.
At first, Trunks didn't understand why Son Gohan always maintained his Super Saiyan form. Later, he learned the reason and started to learn alongside him...
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