Mount Paozu
Father and son stood side-by-side, each deploying their own gravity chambers.
Chi-Chi had gone to visit the Ox-King and hadn't returned yet, so for once, no one was nagging them. It was a rare chance to train in peace.
Goku's chamber worked on a basic body-weight multiplier.At 180 pounds, 2× gravity meant 360 pounds, 3× was 540, and so on.
Gohan's setup, though, was on a whole different level.At about 80 pounds, 2× gave him 160, 3× jumped straight to 320, and 4× shot up to 640. From there, it quickly outpaced Goku's chamber entirely.
Goku had actually tried Gohan's chamber once. In his own, he could already handle 200× gravity, 36,000 pounds, roughly 18 tons about the weight of a small truck fully loaded. And that was pressure from the outside in, crushing even his internal organs.
But the moment he stepped into Gohan's chamber a couple of days ago, he was flattened instantly. His capillaries burst, he coughed blood, and his organs felt like they were being crushed to paste.
The gravity display?
Ten times.
And not "ten times normal." It was Gohan's version, calculated differently.180 → 360 → 720 → 1,440 → 2,880… By 10×, the weight was 184,320 pounds.
Even Goku's 300× in the standard chamber only hit 54,000 pounds. Gohan's was on another scale entirely.
Panicked, Gohan had quickly shut the system down, fed Goku a Senzu Bean, and helped him up.
"You okay, Dad?" Gohan asked.
"Cough, cough… nearly died. One more second and I would've been done for," Goku admitted.
"I told you, my multipliers work differently… eh, forget it, you wouldn't bother with the math anyway," Gohan muttered.
"Got it, Gohan. You don't have to tell me twice. I'm not coming back in here until I hit Super Saiyan."
That brush with death, though, had triggered another leap in Goku's power.
Before, at Bulma's place, his power level had just broken 100,000. A month of training back on Mount Paozu had only added around 10,000 slow, steady gains building his foundation. But the instant he crossed the death line and came back, his power shot up to 500,000.
Gohan wasn't surprised.
In the original timeline, when Goku reached Namek, Ginyu's scouter measured him at over 180,000 with Kaio-ken. But after Ginyu took over his body and was beaten by Krillin and Gohan, a stint in the healing tank brought him to a Saiyan's natural cap of 3 million. Then Krillin's death triggered his transformation into Super Saiyan.
Now, though, Goku's growth seemed slower. Gohan figured it was because there were no real enemies pushing him. No matter how strong Gohan was, Goku didn't see him as a foe, so there was no life-or-death urgency.
"By my count… big bro should be here any time now," Gohan murmured.
"Big bro?" Goku tilted his head.
"Nothing, Dad! Anyway, we've been training forever. Why don't we take a little trip? You said you still have friends I haven't met, right?" Gohan suggested.
"Sure! Chi-Chi's not here, so I'll take you to Kame House. Master Roshi might not match our battle power, but in martial arts… he's still a master."
They cleaned up and headed out toward the sea. On the way, Gohan called Bulma, who in turn contacted Tien, Yamcha, and the rest. Oolong and Krillin were already at Kame House with Master Roshi.
One Month Earlier
After conquering that nameless planet with Vegeta and Nappa, Raditz had taken a mission close to Earth.
Now, after a month in space, he was in the solar system just three hours away from Earth.
Kame House
"Haha, Goku! Long time no see! What's it been, five years? You get married and just disappear on us!" Krillin grinned.
From the east, two figures approached through the air, Tien and Chiaotzu.From the west, a jet streaked in Yamcha and Bulma.
"Good to see you all!" Yamcha said.
"I brought plenty of food, drinks. Today, we feast!" Bulma popped a capsule, revealing tables full of supplies.
Amid the laughter, Krillin noticed the boy behind Goku.
"Hey… who's this?"
"Heh, I'm invisible," Gohan said with mock despair.
"Oops, forgot introductions! This is my son, Gohan stronger than me, even!" Goku beamed.
"Gohan…?" Behind his sunglasses, Master Roshi's eyes glinted.
"Yeah. Named after Grandpa Gohan had to honor him," Goku said, his tone softening with nostalgia.
"Good name," Roshi nodded.
"How old are you, Gohan?" Launch in her blue-haired, gentle form asked, patting his head.
"Careful, Launch. Don't treat him like a kid. He's nothing like a normal child," Bulma warned.
"I'm four, big sis Launch," Gohan said sweetly, taking her hand.
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Shameless brat."
"What, you've met him before?" Krillin asked.
"Hmph, that little" Bulma began telling everyone about Gohan's earlier visit to her place.
"Achoo!" Launch sneezed and in a blink, her hair turned blonde. She whipped out an SMG and unloaded a full burst at Gohan.
Gohan blurred into afterimages, catching every bullet between his fingers.
"Not bad, kid! Try this my rocket launcher!" Blonde Launch hefted a bazooka.
"Launch, stop! That's too much!" Tien cut in.
"Hmph. Fine. Only 'cause you asked, Tien," she said, putting the weapon away and sitting beside him, still pouting.
"So the rumors about blonde Launch liking Tien aren't just rumors…" Gohan thought.
"Wow, Gohan you're amazing!" Krillin and Yamcha were stunned.
"Ahem. Have a seat, Gohan. Tell me, ever seen a giant ape?" Master Roshi suddenly asked.
The table went silent.
"Don't worry, Master Roshi. I go to bed early never look at the moon," Gohan said knowingly.
"Good, good," Roshi, Oolong, Krillin, and Yamcha all breathed easier.
3,000 Kilometers Away
BOOM!
The ground erupted in a massive crater, the shockwave fading quickly.
"Whoa, meteorite? Jackpot!" A nearby farmer tossed his tools in the truck and drove toward the crash site Raditz's space pod. He had no idea his minutes were numbered.
Kame House
"Heh… here he comes," Gohan thought, glancing toward the impact site.
"Gohan?" Goku had sensed it too.
"Relax, Dad."
Gohan deliberately flared his ki, just enough to be noticed. In the original story, Raditz went for Piccolo first. This way, he'd make himself the obvious target.
"What's up, Gohan?" Krillin asked, sensing the spike. Roshi, Tien, and Yamcha all turned to look.
"Nothing, nothing. Eat up, everyone. I'll give you a little show soon," Gohan said with a smile.
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