But unlocking Frieza's three transformation data cards would still be something far off in the future.
Even in online game mode, where players could endlessly farm dungeons, level up, allocate skill points, unlock ability books, and get god-tier equipment to boost their power, it would still be a long and arduous journey to face Frieza's evolution from one million to two hundred million in power level.
What's more…
Taro hadn't completely copied the original Frieza Force characters.
For example, Saiyan warriors and the Ginyu Force—Taro didn't copy them wholesale because there was simply no need to. Releasing the fact that the Frieza Force truly existed was merely a long-term setup to enhance the overall strength of Earth's martial artists. Whether the Frieza Force members matched the in-game counterparts was completely irrelevant.
That said, the main members of the Ginyu Force were preserved and set up as mid-level bosses who would eventually arrive on Earth. After all, special abilities like Guldo's (the short alien with time-stop powers who was decapitated by Vegeta) and Ginyu's body switch technique were certainly threats Earthlings should prepare for.
During game development, many "original" Frieza Force warriors were also created, including some super soldiers who surpassed Ginyu's 120,000 battle power. These served as prelude bosses before players could challenge the million-level Frieza.
Additionally, the game didn't feature any "Saiyan boss" NPCs.
At this point in the story, there were only two Saiyans left: Vegeta and Goku. Nappa, of course, had been crushed to death by Taro back on Planet Vegeta. As for Raditz, he likely perished in the planet's explosion as well.
Whether Vegeta would later reform like in the original (which would depend on whether he even had the chance to turn from darkness to light), the history of the Saiyan race as a whole was already erased. Taro chose not to mention the Saiyan race in the game, which also saved Goku from unnecessary complications.
As for players in Martial Path Mode… their struggle would be even greater. Excluding Gohan and Goku, who trained directly under Taro, who knew how many years it would take for someone outside Taro's lineage to defeat the Ginyu Force in direct combat?
And martial artists capable of reaching Frieza's level? That was an even more distant prospect…
But it wasn't without hope.
Because just recently, promising news came from Fabeli's lab: the gene optimization serum developed from Taro's Divine Tree cells combined with Frieza Force healing pod nutrients had made a significant breakthrough!
It might soon hit the market as a finalized product!
When that time came, Earth's martial arts community would see a monumental leap in overall strength!
---
The events of that day continued to ripple across the world, deeply affecting people's hearts and minds, and the wave showed no signs of subsiding…
More and more young people, even passionate middle-aged individuals, began dedicating themselves to the path of martial arts.
The martial arts fever on Earth was stronger than ever! It triggered a new wave of martial arts fervor, surpassing the era that began over a hundred years ago when Taro used the World Martial Arts Tournament and Martial Arts Association to usher in a new age.
These were the martial seeds Earth had cultivated for over a century, now blooming explosively under the looming threat of the Frieza Force!
And the long-awaited game "Earth Defense Battle" finally launched a month later within the Virtual Earth Network!
Online Game Mode!
Martial Path Mode!
At first, after learning the truth behind the game, many scoffed at the online game mode. But once they experienced Martial Arts Mode firsthand and understood how difficult it really was, people were forced to turn their attention back to the online game mode.
Players in online mode were the ones responsible for unlocking boss data cards, which helped Martial Arts Mode practitioners improve their training!
Moreover…
Everyone was eager to see someone in the online game mode fully uncover the secrets of the "Emperor of the Universe," Frieza! Countless gaming studios poured their hearts and souls into it—dozens of players working in shifts around the clock, grinding dungeons, writing guides, forming parties to farm gear—just for the glory of being the first to unlock the Frieza boss!
However, none of this had much to do with Taro and the others anymore. After finishing all the tasks they needed to do, Taro brought Goku and the others out of the Virtual Earth Network and back to the real world. In reality, they had an important event to host—the wedding of Goku and Bulma…
---
The wedding was held on Muten Island in a very low-key manner, without alerting any media. Across the whole Earth—and even the universe—no one could get near this remote island without Taro's permission.
Taro, Hathaway, Gohan, Dr. and Mrs. Brief, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu… everyone close to Goku and Bulma attended without exception.
Tsuru also received an invitation from Taro, though he didn't show up in person. He simply sent a lukewarm congratulatory message through the Virtual Earth Network. Taro just smiled and didn't mind. Getting his aloof and rigid junior to respond at all was already rare.
Most likely, Goku's innate talent had even left Tsuru in awe. Back then, Tsuru had quietly envied Taro for receiving such a peerless disciple like Goku.
The wedding music, handpicked by Bulma herself, echoed through the air, creating an atmosphere of solemnity, purity, and joy.
A phoenix circled in the sky like a flame above everyone's heads.
"Congratulations, Goku!" Tien said with a smile. He and Chiaotzu were both dressed in formal suits.
"You sly guy—you actually got married before me!" Krillin nudged Goku in the stomach with his elbow, half-joking. As his best friend, he was genuinely happy for Goku. Bulma was a great girl, and Goku was a good man—they were simply perfect together.
"Why are you congratulating me?" Goku, dressed in a white tuxedo, scratched his head in confusion. He couldn't quite figure out what was going on today.
"Don't mind him—he's just an idiot!" Bulma, wearing a white wedding dress, giggled as she spoke to Krillin. She gave Goku a sidelong glance, the kind you'd give a lovable fool. But oh well, she was in a good mood today—no need to fuss over his cluelessness~
There were no groomsmen or bridesmaids. Though Bulma had invited Chi-Chi and her father, the Ox-King, to the wedding, she was well aware that Chi-Chi had feelings for Goku's alternate persona, Kakarot. So she didn't insist on having her best friend stand as a bridesmaid. And since there were no bridesmaids, there was naturally no need for groomsmen either—though Krillin or Tienshinhan would've been fine choices.
Amidst a shower of flowers and the applause of friends and family (Dr. and Mrs. Brief had invited a few guests), Goku and Bulma walked hand-in-hand with smiles on their faces. Ahead of them, along the flower-lined path, stood Gohan and Dr. and Mrs. Brief, waiting to greet the couple.
Yajirobe was hiding in the crowd off to the side, happily going from table to table, stuffing his face without a care in the world.
He'd been invited by Krillin, but had no interest in whether Goku was getting married or not. He was much more enthusiastic about the food... Though every now and then, between bites, he would pause and glance at the black-haired girl gazing longingly at the flower path.
She probably had tears in her eyes, Yajirobe thought.
And indeed, Chi-Chi was tearing up. Though she clapped along with the crowd, she felt a deep ache in her heart. She knew that the one walking toward marriage with her friend Bulma was Goku—not the Kakarot she had fallen in love with.
How she wished it could be her walking down the aisle with Kakarot, hand in hand toward a shared future.
But that… seemed impossible. Deep down, she knew it.
"Bulma, this outfit is really uncomfortable," Goku whispered beside her. He didn't dare voice his other complaint—that Bulma was standing way too close. His instincts told him that saying it out loud would not end well… He might be naïve, but he wasn't stupid.
"Deal with it! And don't say it again!" Bulma smiled brightly as she whispered back, giving his arm a sharp pinch. At the same time, she waved enthusiastically to friends and family on either side.
Taro and Hathaway stood in the crowd, watching the newlyweds from afar.
"In the blink of an eye, that little boy is getting married," Hathaway said softly with a smile.
"Time flies," Taro replied, taking his wife's hand—still soft and delicate as when she'd been a young girl. "But I can still remember our own wedding like it was yesterday."
"You old flirt… It's been 146 years, and it still feels like yesterday?" Hathaway laughed, squeezing his hand gently.
Sometimes it struck her as amazing—without even noticing, she and her husband had been together for nearly a century and a half.
Taro simply smiled.
At that moment, a man and woman dressed in formalwear approached. The man looked to be middle-aged, the woman in her early twenties, both wearing warm smiles. Above their heads hovered glowing yellow halos.
They were Tam and Ninn, the father and daughter who had returned from the afterlife just to attend Bulma's wedding.
Ninn smiled sentimentally. "That little girl who used to snuggle up in my bed and act cute has grown up so fast..."
Tam chatted casually with his own father, Taro. The other Muten disciples watching them quietly were puzzled—none of them knew who this man was.
Meanwhile, Hathaway and Ninn chatted and laughed as well.
Goku and Bulma finally arrived at the front, where Gohan and the Briefs stood. The officiant began the ceremony:
"Goku, Bulma, do you promise from this day forward to support one another, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, to remain together until your hair turns white with age?"
Bulma, in her white wedding gown, nodded earnestly. "I do!"
Goku muttered, "White hair… how long is that gonna take?" The last word came out as Bulma pinched him again. The officiant pretended not to notice.
"…Oh, I do," Goku added glumly.
Bulma beamed. Dealing with Goku meant acting decisively—never mind what he was thinking, just secure the victory first and worry about the rest later!
Krillin and the others burst out laughing!
Boom boom!
Fireworks exploded overhead.
"My child… Congratulations… I'm so happy for you," said Dr. Brief, his eyes misting over.
"Oh darling daughter, be a good wife, okay?" Mrs. Brief held her face in her hands, sighing dreamily.
Bulma's eyes began to sting.
Gohan looked up at his tall grandson and smiled. "Now that you've got a family of your own… good boy." He patted Goku's arm and added, "It's time to shoulder your responsibilities."
Goku didn't fully understand, but he knew better than to ignore his grandpa. He nodded. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I will!"
"Caaaw—caaaw—!"
The phoenix screeched from above at the worst possible moment, sounding as awful as ever—but no one minded it today.
The wedding, the banquet, the laughter, the joy.
---
But the days of happiness didn't last long.
Two months later, Goku was snatched away by Taro and thrown into a gravity chamber specially made for him.
Tien, Krillin, Yajirobe, and the others had resumed their training journey three months earlier, right after Goku's wedding. Goku had originally wanted to go with them, but Bulma had fiercely put her foot down. Trembling under her wrath, Goku didn't dare make a move, feeling utterly wronged.
As for the Kakarot in his mind—ever since the wedding, he barely got a chance to come out and stretch his legs...
Goku landed on his butt inside the gravity chamber, but instead of feeling frustrated, he actually felt relieved. He could tell—this place was meant for training. Ever since getting married, Bulma had been dragging him around to do all kinds of weird stuff—traveling, taking photos… leaving little time for training, which had been gnawing at him.
So now, being dragged away by Master Taro, Goku actually felt a bit lucky. Finally, Bulma wouldn't be able to nab him again, right?
Taro handed things over to Jarvis to instruct Goku on how to use the gravity chamber, and left him with one sentence: "The maximum setting is 300 times gravity. Don't come out too soon…"
He hadn't given Goku any Senzu Beans either. He didn't want Goku to cheat like in the original timeline—using the Saiyan trait of getting stronger after near-death experiences to leap in power again and again. What he wanted was for Goku to go step by step, steadily training under 300 times gravity.
That said… it wasn't an absolute rule. Taro was a bit curious about the Saiyans' masochistic tendency...
"Three hundred times gravity?!" Goku was shocked. The gravity on that savage beast planet he'd been to was higher than Earth's, sure, but it wasn't that extreme. And Tien had once mentioned that the gravity on King Kai's planet was only about ten times Earth's. Three hundred? What kind of concept was that?!
Still… it was hard to resist the challenge!
Soon, Goku beamed with excitement. "Got it, Master! I'll complete my training!"
Boom...
The heavy doors of the gravity chamber closed slowly as Taro walked out.
Outside, Hathaway was comforting a sulking Bulma like a young bride left behind. Amused, she said, "Come on now, don't be like that. You know Goku's true nature is all about martial arts…"
"I know," Bulma muttered glumly. "I just wanted more time…"
Hathaway gently patted the back of her hand and said, "When the Frieza Force comes, you won't want Goku to fall behind Krillin and the others, right? And Kakarot is still training daily in the virtual Earth network. You wouldn't want Goku to lose to him either, would you?"
"…No!" Bulma nodded firmly.
As Taro approached, he spoke to Jarvis along the way. "The energy shielding's been lifted, right?"
"Yes. However, when Frieza's side will actively detect the signal here is still uncertain," Jarvis replied.
Taro nodded. With his next step, his entire aura began to shift.
At the same time, across Earth—Tsuru, Gohan, Krillin, Tien, Piccolo, and even Goku inside the gravity chamber on the other side of a wall—all sensed it: Taro's presence, once nearly intangible and elusive, had now "returned" to a much more perceivable state. It was still vague, but no longer so unfathomable.
Roughly, it matched the kind of ki that Frieza's forces had once detected and recorded outside the doomed Planet Vegeta years ago.
Taro gave a faint smile and walked over to Hathaway and Bulma.
Suddenly—
"Hm?" Taro raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting slightly.
"What is it?" Hathaway, deeply familiar with her husband, immediately sensed that he'd noticed something unexpected. Following his gaze, she looked toward… Bulma's belly.
"Huh?" Bulma blinked and glanced down. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.
Taro's smile widened as he stepped forward and ruffled her hair. "Have you picked out a name for your and Goku's first child yet?"
Hathaway was stunned at first, but then her smile grew larger and warmer. She grasped Bulma's hand, looking at her with growing satisfaction and joy.
Bulma stared blankly. "Wait, a child…"
"Grandpa Taro's sense for ki never lies, you know~" Hathaway whispered into her ear with a gentle smile.
Bulma's face slowly turned red—more with excitement and joy than embarrassment.
Taro burst into hearty laughter and walked away with Hathaway in tow.
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains of Mount Paozu, Gohan, who had just been focusing to sense his master's aura, suddenly noticed it too—a faint, new, tender little ki overlapping with Bulma's… one that carried the signature of both Goku and Bulma.
A huge grin spread across the old man's face, and he just couldn't stop smiling.