"Y-You… you already knew?" King Kai swallowed hard, staring at Goku in shock. "So you've already figured out a way to get back as soon as possible?"
"Yeah, I have," Goku nodded with a smile. "Once I'm revived, I can go back right away."
"Go back immediately? Don't get ahead of yourself!" King Kai's face darkened. "Let me make this clear first—I don't have the ability to send you straight back to Earth!"
"Haha, I know that." Goku waved his hand casually.
After 158 days of training, he still hadn't even reached one-tenth of his strength from the GT timeline—he was barely at one ten-thousandth.
With more time to train, he was confident he could return to his peak.
"Oh right, I was originally planning to teach you my ultimate technique—the Spirit Bomb!" King Kai said proudly. "But you insisted on training on your own, so I decided not to teach you! Hehehe! Regretting it now?"
"The Spirit Bomb? I can use it," Goku replied.
He raised one hand, and a small Spirit Bomb instantly formed in his palm.
King Kai: "..."
He was completely speechless.
This brat even knows the Spirit Bomb?!
You've got to be kidding me.
Did the Supreme Kai teach you everything?
Wait… didn't I invent the Spirit Bomb?
When did the Supreme Kai steal it?
…Better not think about it.
After all, Lord Supreme Kai is the greatest god in this universe.
"The Spirit Bomb is a great technique. It'll be very useful in the future," Goku said with a smile, casually dispersing it.
King Kai had nothing left to say.
Is there anything this kid doesn't know?
…
Earth.
Master Roshi's island.
A massive azure dragon hovered in the dark night sky.
Below stood Master Roshi, Bulma, Oolong, and Puar.
"State your wish. I shall grant any one wish within my power," Shenron's voice echoed through the night.
"Can I wish for us to defeat the Saiyans and save Earth?" Oolong blurted out.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Bulma snapped angrily. "Don't you want Goku revived?"
"It's fine! We can just revive him next time!" Oolong argued. "We'll just collect the Dragon Balls again!"
"That wish cannot be granted," Shenron replied. "I was created by God. Any wish that exceeds his power is beyond my ability."
"Then… revive Son Goku!" Master Roshi declared.
"That wish is within my power," Shenron answered, his crimson eyes glowing.
At that moment, the golden halo above Goku's head slowly faded away.
"Your halo is gone! You're alive again!" King Kai cried, tears streaming down his face.
Finally, he can leave!
Please don't ever come back and disturb my peaceful life again.
"Alright, I got it." Goku nodded. "Then… goodbye, King Kai. I'll come visit you sometime."
As he spoke, he pressed his index and middle fingers to his forehead.
Whoosh!
With a flash, Goku vanished.
King Kai's eyes bulged, his eyeballs practically piercing through his glasses.
He disappeared?!
Where did he go?
How did he do that?!
This is unbelievable!
…
Earth.
A desolate wasteland.
Gohan and Piccolo both looked up at the sky.
"It's broad daylight… why did it suddenly get dark?" Gohan muttered in confusion.
Piccolo's heart skipped a beat.
That was Shenron.
Which means… Goku has been revived.
Does this mean the Saiyans are arriving earlier than expected?
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
Whoosh!
Goku appeared beside them in an instant.
Piccolo froze, staring at him in shock, unable to process what he was seeing.
Gohan rubbed his eyes. His nose tingled, and tears almost spilled out.
"Dad… Dad…" Gohan rushed forward and threw himself into Goku's arms.
"Gohan… hahaha, this feels strange," Goku laughed. "But I really missed this."
Gohan: "????"
Piccolo: "..."
"Son Goku! How did you get here?" Piccolo demanded in disbelief.
"Well… how should I put it?" Goku scratched his head. "It's called Instant Transmission. That's all I can say for now."
"Instant Transmission?!" Piccolo was stunned. He looked Goku up and down. "So… about the Saiyans this time. Are you confident you can win?"
"Leave it to me." Goku nodded seriously.
Then he looked down at Gohan, his expression filled with guilt.
"Gohan, I'm really sorry. Dad came back too late. You don't need to fight this time."
"Aren't you dreaming of becoming a great scholar? Go chase your dream. From now on, I don't want you involved in battles anymore."
Gohan: "????"
He was completely dumbfounded.
Piccolo: "..."
Piccolo's face darkened even further.
Wait—are you kidding me?
I trained your kid for almost a year.
And now you're saying he's not fighting anymore?
"Piccolo, thank you for taking care of Gohan these past few months," Goku said sincerely.
He waved at Piccolo, then placed his other hand on Gohan's shoulder and whispered,
"Gohan, don't move."
Gohan blinked in confusion.
Whoosh!
Goku used Instant Transmission again and vanished.
Piccolo stood there, stunned, completely disoriented.
Where did they go?
What just happened?
This is ridiculous!
A breeze passed by, and Piccolo felt his heart turn ice-cold.
My disciple… gone, just like that.
After nearly a year of training.
And now he's not even allowed to fight.
Son Goku… you've gone too far.
But Goku had already made up his mind.
Since Gohan didn't like fighting, in this life, he would let him do what he truly loved.
In his previous life, from this moment on, Gohan had been dragged into endless battles.
Because Piccolo died, Gohan had to go to Namek to revive him.
Later, because of the Androids, Goku had taken Gohan into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train.
This time—
Whether it was Frieza, Cell, or even Majin Buu, none of them were worth fearing.
So it didn't matter whether Gohan trained or not.
Whoosh!
With another Instant Transmission, Goku brought Gohan straight back to their home.
Gohan looked around in shock, his young face filled with confusion.
Where is this?
This feels like… my house?
Did I… come home?
"I… I'm not seeing things, am I?" Chi-Chi rubbed her eyes, murmuring to herself. "Is that Goku and Gohan?"