A figure darted rapidly along the mountain path, a blur of motion in an orange martial arts gi cinched with a blue belt. The character for "Turtle" was proudly embroidered on his chest.
It was the now-grown Goku. Eyes fixed on the slowly mending sky and the group standing before Chi-Chi and Gohan, his heart hammered against his ribs in a panic.
"Stop right there!!"
Finally reaching them, Goku leapt into the air, putting the full weight of his momentum into a heavy, crushing kick aimed straight at Gran's back.
THUD!
Before anyone could blink, Gran had turned around. He stood casually, stopping the powerful blow with nothing more than a single outstretched finger.
The shockwave of the collision sent a gale screaming through the area, making the trees within a hundred-meter radius rustle violently.
"What?!"
Goku's pupils shrank to pinpricks. Using the force of the rebound, he flipped backward a few steps and immediately blurred to Chi-Chi's side.
"Chi-Chi, are you and Gohan okay?"
"I'm fine, but these people are terrifying! They just blew a hole right through the sky!" Chi-Chi clutched little Gohan tightly, hiding behind Goku, her voice trembling with worry.
"Dammit... where did such monsters come from?" Goku kept a protective arm in front of his family, his eyes locked on Gran with intense caution.
He had put nearly everything he had into that strike, yet he hadn't moved the man an inch. Not only that, but this stranger was eerie. Generally, every living being has a detectable ki signature.
Even a master martial artist skilled at suppressing their energy would leak a little. But Goku couldn't sense a single shred of energy from Gran.
It was the same for the man standing next to him, Whis. They felt like complete voids in the fabric of reality.
As Goku scrutinized Gran, Gran and Whis were busy sizing him up in return. Currently, Goku's power wasn't particularly high—measured by combat standards, it was roughly around 400. Compared to Vegeta's 3 million, the gap was astronomical.
However, in Whis's eyes, Goku didn't seem inferior to Vegeta at all. In fact, he looked significantly more promising. Vegeta's martial arts foundation was crude and unrefined, whereas Goku's foundation was rock-solid and meticulously built.
Even though he was weak now, he lacked the right spark to trigger an explosion of growth. Surpassing Vegeta was merely a matter of time.
"Who are you people, exactly?"
Goku suddenly realized that Gran looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place the face.
"Goku, I'm standing right here! Did you seriously not notice me?" Bulma couldn't take it anymore, seeing that Goku hadn't looked at her once since he arrived.
"Huh?" Goku blinked, finding the voice familiar. He turned his head quickly. "Wait—Bulma? What are you doing here? And who are they?" He pointed toward Gran and the others.
"Kakarot, your memory seems to be failing you." Gran took a step forward with a smirk.
"We've met plenty of times. The last time was at the Lookout above the clouds. Don't tell me you've forgotten already?"
Goku fell into deep thought. The tension in the air began to evaporate as Chi-Chi realized these people might not be enemies—after all, Bulma was standing right there with them.
After a long silence, Goku's face lit up. "I remember now! You're Big Brother Gran, right?!"
The last time they had met was indeed at the Lookout five years ago. Mr. Popo had been taking Goku for the trial of the "Divine Crown" just as Gran had emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
"Yeah, it's me."
"Big Brother Gran, it really is you!" All of Goku's wariness vanished instantly. He became as excited as a little kid, hopping over to Gran.
Gran let out a bright laugh. Compared to that rebellious brat Vegeta, Kakarot was definitely much easier on the eyes.
"Goku, who is this?" Chi-Chi asked, cautiously stepping forward while still holding Gohan.
"He's my Big Brother Gran. He told me a long time ago that we're from the same race." When Goku said this, he still didn't fully grasp what "the same race" actually meant.
"The same race?" Chi-Chi blinked, looked at the tail poking out from Gohan's backside, and then had a moment of realization.
She had known for a while that Goku wasn't a normal Earthling—Earthlings didn't have tails, after all.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Big Brother Gran." Chi-Chi felt a wave of relief.
As long as they weren't enemies, she was happy. She started to bow toward Gran while holding Gohan.
"No need for formalities," Gran said with a gentle wave of his hand.
Suddenly, Chi-Chi found her body locked in an upright position. No matter how much she tried to lean forward, she couldn't bow.
"This...!!" The display of power left Chi-Chi stunned once again. This man was on an entirely different level.
"Big Brother Gran, was that your doing? Did you really shatter the sky?" Goku asked, pointing toward the firmament. The heavens had completely repaired themselves, leaving no trace of the earlier destruction.
"That was me. You weren't home, so I figured that would be the fastest way to call you back," Gran chuckled, not sounding the least bit apologetic.
Bulma giggled nearby, imagining how much that must have freaked Goku out.
"So Mr. Popo wasn't lying. You really are that strong!"
"Oh? Mr. Popo talked about me?"
"Yeah. After you left the Lookout, he told me a little bit about you."
"I see..."
Goku was buzzing with excitement. Knowing that Gran possessed the strength to literally break the sky only made him more eager. "Big Brother Gran, what level of power is that?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with admiration.
"Well..." Gran frowned slightly. "It's a bit hard to explain. Once your strength reaches the Divine State, you'll understand."
"The Divine State?" Goku mused. He had never heard of such a rank.
"Did Mr. Popo never explain the hierarchy of power to you?"
"No, he just taught me some strange martial arts. He didn't mention anything else," Goku said, shaking his head.
"I figured as much," Gran replied. It lined up with what he knew of the original timeline.
Goku continued to ponder, but since he couldn't wrap his head around what "the Divine State" meant, he immediately asked for a sparring match.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Bulma cut in, exasperated. "You just went a round with him and couldn't even move him with a kick. Do you really think you have a chance?"
Chi-Chi joined in, rolling her eyes. "You couldn't even make him budge. Give it a rest."
"Alright, fine," Goku conceded with an embarrassed grin. Seeing that goofy look, Gran smiled. Hanging out with Goku was always effortless.
"Goku, you catch up with your brother. I'm going to get dinner started for everyone," Chi-Chi said. Noticing the sun setting, she handed Gohan over to Goku and headed inside.
"I'll help out too," Bulma added, following her.
Outside, only Goku, Gran, Whis, and Broly remained.
"So, Gran, is this the 'unique delicacy' you were talking about? The cooking of this Lady Chi-Chi?" Whis asked curiously.
"That's the one. Just wait until you taste it."
"I must say, I'm quite looking forward to it," Whis said, licking his lips.
After answering Whis, Gran looked at the toddler in Goku's arms, feigning ignorance. "Kakarot, is this your son?"
"Yeah! His name is Gohan. He's two years old now." Goku found it a bit odd that Gran insisted on calling him Kakarot, but since that's what he'd been called since they were kids, he didn't question it. He handed Gohan over to Gran.
Gran took the little boy. Surprisingly, Gohan didn't cry. He was a soft, chubby little thing, even looking up at Gran and chirping, "Uncle Gran!" It was dangerously adorable.
"Two years old, huh?" Gran gently tapped Gohan's nose. It was currently Age 759. In the original timeline, Raditz would invade in Age 761, when Gohan was four. So, Gohan's age was perfectly on track. "Whis, what do you think of him?" Gran asked, passing the boy to the Angel.
Whis looked startled. "What are you giving him to me for—" Before he could finish, his expression shifted into one of deep focus. Gran noticed the change and let a small smirk play on his lips. As the first hybrid Saiyan, Gohan's potential was blinding; there was no way Whis would miss it.
"Gran, this child..." Whis studied Gohan, his eyes wide with genuine surprise.
"What is it?"
"His latent potential is staggering. I assume this was your real reason for bringing me here?"
"You tell me," Gran replied playfully.
Whis's lip twitched at Gran's evasiveness. "Years ago, I said that as long as Goku was here, Earth would be a sanctuary for martial arts. I thought the planet's accumulated history would only produce one true master. I was wrong." Whis handed Gohan back to Gran. "It looks like there's a good chance we'll see a second one."
Whis's tone was intrigued. Gohan's potential was visible to the naked eye; with the right training, he could easily match or surpass his father. Whis was impressed that a tiny planet like Earth could produce such a fascinating father-son duo.
"Are Saiyans really this extraordinary?" Whis mused, shifting his gaze from Gohan to Goku, then to Broly, and finally back to Gran.
"What are you guys talking about?" Goku asked, completely lost.
"Nothing much. We're just saying your son has incredible talent. If he's trained properly, his future as a martial artist will be limitless." Gran teased the boy in his arms.
"Potential?" Goku's expression turned serious. He reached out to pat Gohan's head. "Yeah, I've felt it too. There's a scary amount of power tucked away inside him." He recalled a moment not long ago when he and Chi-Chi were on a hillside with Gohan. Gohan's stroller had accidentally rolled down the slope, but instead of being hurt, the boy had plowed his head right through a massive tree.
"Since you've seen it, are you going to train him?" Gran asked, moving toward the core of his plan as he handed Gohan back to Goku.
"Of course I want him to be a great martial artist, but Chi-Chi wants him to be a scholar," Goku said, looking a bit helpless. Gran nodded. It was exactly like the anime.
Just then, Bulma stepped out of the house. "Lord Gran, Mr. Whis! Dinner is served!"
Whis's eyes lit up instantly. He practically dragged Gran toward the house.
Goku stood there for a moment, confused. Was Big Brother Gran here to catch up, or just for the food?
"Goku, get in here! You're the same race as Lord Gran—if you don't hurry, he's going to eat your share, too!" Bulma laughed from the doorway.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Goku shouted. He remembered Gran's appetite from when Bulma took them to the food stalls years ago.
It was identical to his own. If he stayed out here, there wouldn't be a scrap left. He bolted into the house with Gohan in his arms.
Bulma chuckled as she watched him run. Even as a father, Goku was still a big kid.
Inside, Whis stared at the spread on the table. "Dinosaur meat?" He frowned. "I once took Lord Beerus to eat a dinosaur, and the experience was... underwhelming, to say the least."
Gran put a large piece of meat onto Whis's plate. "Earth's cooking is different. Don't knock it 'til you try it."
"Very well. Let's see if this dinosaur is any different." Whis took a bite and chewed slowly.
BOOM!
The combination of freshness, aroma, and a hint of spice hit his taste buds like a supernova. It was as if a new world had opened before him. Whis felt like he was glowing.
"Lord Gran, I think Mr. Whis is having another 'food-gasm,'" Bulma whispered with a giggle.
Gran's lip twitched. That's a bit too accurate, Bulma. Still, seeing Whis's reaction, he knew Chi-Chi's cooking was the real deal.
"Alright, I'm digging in," Gran muttered, starting on his own meal. Bulma and Broly shared a look of realization. Gran hadn't even known if the food was good—he had used Whis as a guinea pig!
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