In the infinite expanse of a lightless void, a solitary, luminous consciousness drifted aimlessly. This consciousness was none other than Goku himself—GT Goku, to be precise.
In his timeline, an unimaginable cataclysm had unfolded: the Shadow Dragon saga. During his battle against the most formidable of these dragons,Omega Shenron, he was consumed by a Negative Energy Sphere and found himself transported to this desolate realm.
"This isn't the Otherworld... where am I?" Goku wondered, perplexed. Surely, upon death, he should have been guided to the afterlife.
Suddenly, a faint voice echoed through the darkness, barely audible.
"Goku... Goku..." The bizarre voice reverberated, calling out his name.
"Who's there?" Hearing his name, Goku followed the sound, venturing deeper into the abyss.
After an indeterminate amount of time, a pinprick of light pierced the darkness. Goku approached it and instinctively reached out.
As his hand drew near, the light intensified, engulfing him in its radiant glow.
...
Age 776.
The Otherworld.
King Kai's planet.
The Goku of this era had arrived on King Kai's planet as usual, seeking to further his training. But as soon as their session began, the young Saiyan abruptly blacked out and collapsed.
King Kai watched in astonishment as Goku fell unconscious. He initially dismissed it as a prank, but after scanning Goku's body and discovering that even his heart had stopped, King Kai's expression turned grim.
"Hey! Goku, don't scare me like that!" King Kai realized something was terribly amiss.
Just as he prepared to resuscitate Goku, his scan detected a faint heartbeat resuming, accompanied by minute tremors in the Saiyan's body.
Slowly, Goku's eyes fluttered open, his gaze sweeping the surroundings with a bewildered expression.
It was Goku, yet not Goku. To be precise, it was Goku from the GT timeline.
King Kai, King Kai's planet... Wait! King Kai's planet?!
Wasn't I obliterated by Yi Xing Long's Negative Energy Sphere and cast into a lightless dimension?
Then, he was suddenly enveloped in a white light... and now this.
"Whew! Goku, you scared me half to death! We were supposed to be training, but you just keeled over! I thought you were a goner!" King Kai exclaimed, wiping sweat from his brow.
Goku had genuinely frightened him.
While the difference between his pupil being alive or dead was merely the addition of a halo, he was ultimately relieved to see him breathing.
"King Kai? And... my body... it's restored?" GT Goku murmured, bewildered.
Suddenly, a torrent of memories flooded his mind, triggering a splitting headache that left him pale and drenched in sweat.
After a long moment, Goku's expression shifted from bewilderment to comprehension.
He had gleaned the memories of this world's Goku, understanding the situation.
He had traveled back in time to fourteen years in the past!
This was the world two years after the defeat of Majin Buu.
"Goku, are you alright?" King Kai asked, concern etched on his face.
"I'm fine, King Kai," Goku replied, rising to his feet and rubbing his aching temples, trying to process the fragmented memories.
"Good, because you really gave me a fright. I thought you were dead for a moment there."
"Perhaps we should call off training for today. You don't seem to be in the right state of mind."
King Kai advised Goku with genuine concern.
Little did he know that the Goku before him was no longer the one he knew.
"Alright," Goku agreed without hesitation.
King Kai was taken aback by his ready compliance. What was with Goku today?
Normally, no matter how much he tried to reason with him, Goku would stubbornly insist on training. But today, he was surprisingly agreeable, leaving King Kai feeling slightly unnerved.
He dismissed it as a lesson learned from the near-death experience, hoping that it had brought Goku to his senses.
...
Several minutes passed.
Goku accepted the reality of his time-travel to fourteen years in the past.
I don't know why I was given this opportunity, but I refuse to repeat the mistakes of the past! Goku vowed silently.
He would prevent the tragedy that befell his timeline, no matter what it took.
Even if Omega Shenron were to reappear, he would obliterate him with his own power.
Unbeknownst to Goku, the world he had been reborn into was not a direct continuation of his original past, but rather a parallel timeline—a world diverging significantly from the GT universe.
Even if the Shadow Dragons were to emerge, they would be insignificant in this reality.
Regaining his focus, Goku stepped onto an open patch of ground.
With a thought, he unleashed his latent power.
A torrent of golden energy erupted from his body, akin to a surging river.
Crackle!
Accompanied by bursts of golden lightning, Goku transformed in an instant, progressing from his base form to Super Saiyan Full Power.
Then, stimulated by the massive S-Cells, his form evolved again.
He ascended from Super Saiyan Full Power to Super Saiyan 2 at its peak, finally culminating in Super Saiyan 3 at its maximum potential.
Due to his mastery over transformations, even transforming directly into Super Saiyan 3 didn't cause excessive energy drain.
However, due to the absence of his tail, he wouldn't be able to maintain Super Saiyan 3 for long, as his energy would continually deplete.
"Is this all the power I have right now?" Feeling the surging energy within him, Goku frowned and murmured to himself.
Frankly, he was rather weak.
His current power level was less than a tenth of his previous base form.
King Kai noticed Goku's change in demeanor.
He couldn't help but feel that Goku had been acting strange ever since regaining consciousness.
"Say, Goku, you seem troubled. What's on your mind?" King Kai asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
Hearing this, Goku shook off his thoughts, turned towards King Kai, and asked with a smile, "Actually, King Kai, I think I've discovered a method for breaking through my limits. If I can pull it off, I might be able to surpass Super Saiyan 3."