Somewhere on Earth, amid a barren landscape of jagged rock...
The deafening roar of a gravity chamber shook the ground itself.
The gravity had been increased to an absurd 450 times Earth's normal gravity.
"RAAAAHHH!!"
Vegeta stood shirtless, every muscle in his body bulging.
Veins twisted beneath his skin like living serpents.
The instant sweat emerged from his pores, the crushing gravity evaporated it into white mist that swirled around him.
His mind replayed the same scenes over and over.
The purple-haired boy from the future transforming into a Super Saiyan.
Goku's infuriating smile on Planet Namek.
And...
Krillin's calm expression as he watched everything unfold, as though none of it surprised him.
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
Vegeta's pride felt as though it were being burned alive.
He was the Prince of all Saiyans.
The heir to the noblest bloodline in the universe.
How could he fall behind a low-class warrior...
A half-breed...
Or even a mere Earthling?
"I AM THE STRONGEST!"
BOOM!
A massive golden aura exploded outward.
The specially reinforced floor of the gravity chamber shattered beneath his feet.
His golden hair stood straight up.
His muscles swelled dramatically, becoming far larger than in his normal Super Saiyan state.
His entire body looked like it had been carved from solid steel.
Super Saiyan Grade 2.
"So..."
"This is the power that surpasses Super Saiyan?"
Vegeta stared at his hands.
Violent energy surged through every inch of his body.
It felt powerful enough to tear him apart.
Yet...
It was intoxicating.
He felt as though a single punch could destroy an entire planet.
But...
It still wasn't enough.
He could clearly sense its flaws.
His strength had increased enormously.
His speed had improved as well.
Yet the transformation devoured energy at an alarming rate.
And that bald fool...
Even Krillin's normal power remained completely unfathomable.
"Forget it!"
"If my power is overwhelming enough, techniques won't matter!"
A savage grin spread across Vegeta's face.
He casually flicked out a ki blast.
BOOM!!
A distant mountain instantly disintegrated into dust.
...
Meanwhile...
Inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber at Kami's Lookout...
The endless white world had no concept of time.
Only solitude...
And merciless conditions.
"Hah..."
"Hah..."
Gohan knelt on the ground, gasping for breath.
His battle suit had been torn to shreds.
His golden Super Saiyan hair had begun to lose its brilliance.
His stamina was nearly exhausted.
"Gohan."
"Get up."
Goku stood nearby.
He remained in his base form.
Yet...
His aura resembled an unfathomably deep lake.
Calm.
Stable.
Without the slightest ripple.
"Dad..."
"I can't..."
"It's too exhausting to stay transformed all the time..."
Gohan wiped the sweat from his face.
His complexion had turned pale.
"This..."
"This is exactly why we're training."
Goku walked over and sat cross-legged.
His voice remained gentle.
Yet there was no room for argument.
"Vegeta and the others are probably chasing explosive power."
"That muscle-enhanced transformation does increase strength instantly."
"But it also places tremendous strain on the body."
"And it sacrifices speed."
Goku raised one finger.
A small golden sphere of energy gathered at its tip.
"What we're trying to do..."
"...is make Super Saiyan our natural state."
"Eating."
"Sleeping."
"Resting."
"Everything."
"We stay transformed all the time."
"We eliminate the excitement."
"The anger."
"The instability."
"Until our bodies completely adapt to this power."
"When that happens..."
"We'll be able to devote every ounce of energy to attacking and defending."
"Instead of wasting it maintaining the transformation or suppressing our emotions."
This...
Was the path to Full-Power Super Saiyan.
Gohan nodded uncertainly.
He gritted his teeth and stood once more.
The restless golden aura surrounding him gradually calmed.
Instead of raging wildly...
It quietly settled over his body like a second skin.
"Good."
"That's exactly it."
Goku smiled with satisfaction.
Then...
His eyes sharpened.
"All right."
"I'm going to get a little more serious now."
BOOM!
His aura erupted.
There was no swelling muscle.
No bulging veins.
Not even violent shockwaves tearing through the air.
Yet...
The ground beneath his feet silently crumbled into powder.
It felt like a legendary sword resting peacefully inside its scabbard.
Though still sheathed...
Its edge alone was enough to make one's skin sting.
Gohan's eyes widened.
His father looked almost identical to before.
Yet...
The feeling he gave off was completely different.
"Come on, Gohan!"
"Attack me!"
...
Elsewhere on Earth...
Beneath a massive waterfall...
Piccolo floated cross-legged above the raging water.
Millions of tons of water crashed endlessly against his body.
Ever since merging with Kami...
Both his wisdom and his strength had reached an entirely new level.
But he understood something all too well.
A Namekian's potential had limits.
He didn't possess the Saiyans' miraculous ability to grow stronger after surviving death.
Nor did he have Krillin's absurd system.
"Power..."
Piccolo slowly opened his eyes.
Two brilliant flashes of light shot from them.
If raw strength could no longer keep up...
Then he would pursue another path.
He possessed Kami's vast knowledge.
And the strange, versatile techniques unique to the Namekians.
"If I can't surpass them with power..."
"I'll surpass them with technique."
"I'll surpass them with the rules themselves."
He slowly raised one hand.
No energy blast formed at his fingertips.
Instead...
Ripples spread outward through the surrounding space.
After inheriting Kami's memories...
He had begun to grasp a tiny fragment of spatial manipulation.
"Light Grenade..."
"No."
"That technique is already outdated."
A cold smile appeared on Piccolo's face.
"Just wait..."
"Androids."
"I'll show you..."
"...what true terror looks like."
...
Throughout that final year...
Every warrior on Earth pushed themselves beyond their limits for the same reason.
Krillin was no exception.
Although his strength had already reached the point where he could overwhelm nearly anyone...
He still faithfully completed his daily Saitama-style training.
From time to time...
He also practiced his "advanced dual cultivation" with Lazuli and the others.
Every single day...
The numbers on his system panel continued to rise.
The steady, undeniable growth filled him with confidence.
As the days slipped by...
His anticipation for May 12th only grew stronger.
At last...
The calendar turned to that long-awaited date.
--------------------------------
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