💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch⏰ Resets Monday!
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Gohan took a deep breath. Yelled.
His hair shot upward—black to gold. Eyes shifted green. A golden aura erupted around him, crackling with power.
Perilla circled him, nodding. "So that's Super Saiyan. Not bad. But Gohan—check your fishing rod."
He looked down.
The rod was crushed. Splinters in his palm.
"I didn't even—"
"Exactly. You haven't mastered the form yet." Perilla pointed. The rod reassembled itself. "Try again."
Trunks raised his hand. "Perilla, can't you just make the rod stronger? This one's too fragile."
She wagged a finger. "No. The fragility is intentional. This is the training. Super Saiyan power is useless if you can't control it. A high-performance machine means nothing if you can't drive."
"High-performance machine?" Trunks blinked.
Gohan stared at the restored rod. "I get it. I'll use this one."
Perilla grinned. "Good. Now—notice anything else about your rods?"
Trunks examined his. Frowned. "Wait. There's no hook."
"Exactly."
"How are we supposed to fish without a hook?!"
"That's the point." Perilla walked to the riverbank. Channeled Ki into her rod. At the tip, energy coalesced—a glowing hook. She baited it. Cast the line. Seconds later, she reeled in a fish.
"You form the hook with Ki."
Trunks's jaw dropped. "You can do that?"
"Of course. Now you try."
Gohan and Trunks channeled Ki into their rods.
CRACK.
Trunks's rod shattered.
BOOM.
Gohan's exploded.
Perilla shook her head. "Too much Ki. The rod can't handle it. Control your output."
She restored their rods with a flick.
They tried again. And again. And again.
Trunks broke his rod six times before he managed to infuse it without shattering it.
Gohan—in Super Saiyan form—took ten tries.
Then came the hard part: shaping the hook.
Tiny. Precise. Delicate.
Like asking a lumberjack to thread a needle.
For Gohan, it was worse. In Super Saiyan form, he was used to big movements. Explosive power. Wide swings. Not... this.
More rods broke.
Trunks collapsed onto the grass. "Perilla, this is impossible! Can't we train a different way?!"
Perilla reeled in another fish. "It's not impossible. You're just too tense. Relax. Breathe. You'll get it."
Gohan closed his eyes. Took a slow breath. Let his mind settle.
Ki flowed into the rod. Gentle. Controlled. Shaped.
He opened his eyes.
A golden hook glimmered at the rod's tip.
"Yes!" Trunks jumped up. "You did it, Gohan!"
Perilla walked over. Inspected the hook. "Nice work. But—"
She conjured a mirror.
Gohan stared at his reflection.
Black hair. Brown eyes.
He'd reverted to base form.
"Oh." His face fell. "I didn't even notice."
Perilla patted his shoulder. "It's okay. This isn't easy. But remember—if you want to surpass Super Saiyan, you need to master it first. Make it second nature."
Gohan nodded. "I understand."
Trunks tilted his head. "Perilla, how are you so good at Ki control? You were sealed for eighteen years."
"Simple. Gero implanted a calculation chip in my brain. It helps me regulate my power output. Perfect control."
Trunks's eyes widened. "A chip? Do Seventeen and Eighteen have those too?"
"I don't know. I'm an older model. The chip keeps me stable. Without it, I'd lose control."
Perilla paused. She was closer to Cell than to 17 and 18, really. Human DNA base. Saiyan genes grafted on. A prototype.
Cell had a core chip too—his let him regenerate as long as it survived.
Hers just helped her control Ki.
"But Seventeen and Eighteen probably don't have chips," she continued. "If they did, Gero could've shut them down remotely. He wouldn't have died."
She'd tried to kill Gero once. He'd used her chip to freeze her mid-strike. Then sealed her away.
"A combat chip..." Gohan murmured.
"Yeah. But I'm not relying on it forever. It's not really my power."
Since becoming Kami, she'd been using divine energy to assimilate the chip. Fuse it with her brain. Make it part of her.
Once that was done, even if Gero came back from the dead, he couldn't control her anymore.
GRRRROWL.
Stomachs rumbled.
Perilla smiled. "Hungry?"
"Wait—Perilla, you're part Saiyan too, right? Aren't you hungry?"
"Gods don't get hungry."
She shrugged. Snapped her fingers.
A stove appeared. Pots. Pans. A massive refrigerator.
Gohan and Trunks barely blinked. After watching her create mountains and rivers, kitchen equipment was nothing.
Trunks frowned. "Why not just conjure the food? Why make us cook?"
"Because cooking is part of the training. And I'm only giving you one month of ingredients."
"One month? Then what?"
"You grow your own food. Farming is a core part of Turtle School training."
Trunks's eye twitched. "Farming? By hand?"
"Well, I'll give you tools. Shovels. Hoes. That sort of thing."
He relaxed. "Oh. Okay—"
"But they're as fragile as the fishing rods. You'll need to reinforce them with Ki. Too much, they break. Too little, they're useless."
Trunks groaned. "That's worse than farming by hand!"
"Yep."
Perilla opened the fridge. "Gohan, transform again. You're helping me prep."
Gohan's face went pale. But he nodded. Transformed.
Golden hair. Green eyes. Crackling aura.
He reached for a vegetable.
SQUISH.
It exploded in his hand.
Trunks bit back a laugh.
"Perilla," he said. "Is there a faster way to get stronger? I want to beat those two now."
"Trunks—" Gohan started.
Perilla raised a hand. "There is a shortcut. Watch."
She planted her feet. Channeled Ki.
"Haaah!"
Her muscles swelled. Veins bulged on her forehead. Power surged.
Trunks's eyes widened. "Whoa! Your Ki just—"
"Not done yet."
She pushed further. Muscles expanded. Her height shot up to two meters. Her frame became massive.
"That's... that's incredible!" Trunks grinned. "Teach me that!"
Perilla shook her head. "This form is a trap."
"What? Why?"
Gohan's eyes narrowed. "Speed. You're slower."
"Exactly." Perilla powered down. Sweat dripped from her forehead. "The first stage—the one I showed you earlier—would let Gohan beat Seventeen and Eighteen easily. But I don't recommend it. It drains stamina fast. And this second stage? Even worse. You're strong, sure. But you're slow. If you can't hit your opponent, all that power is worthless."
Trunks deflated. "So it's a dead end."
"Not entirely. Someone with enough experience could make it work. But for you? You need to master the basics first."
She wiped her forehead. "Plus, I'm not turning myself into a muscle-bound freak. I'm a cute girl. I refuse to look like that."
Trunks snorted despite himself.
Gohan placed a hand on his shoulder. "She's right, Trunks. We've got a year in here. One day outside. We can take our time. Build a solid foundation."
Trunks sighed. "Fine. I'll do it your way."
"Good." Perilla smiled. "Now let's eat. You've got a long year ahead."
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