Chapter 6 — The Monster Called Son Goku
Years passed quietly on Mount Paozu.
Peacefully.
Dangerously peacefully.
The forests around Grandpa Gohan's home had long since adapted to the insanity of the children living there. Animals learned which mountains to avoid whenever training began, rivers permanently changed course from stray blasts, and entire cliffs mysteriously disappeared every few weeks.
To ordinary humans, the area had become cursed.
To Mints?
It finally felt comfortable.
Morning sunlight poured over the mountains while smoke rose gently from Grandpa Gohan's small home.
Inside, chaos reigned as usual.
"THAT'S MY FOOD!"
"Too slow!"
"GOKU!"
CRASH!
The table exploded.
Grandpa Gohan stared blankly at the remains of breakfast while two small figures fought across the room at impossible speeds.
Goku, now six years old, tackled Azer through the wall laughing wildly.
Azer, physically appearing around the same age due to Mints constantly regulating his growth, blasted Goku into a nearby river angrily.
"I SAW THAT MEAT FIRST!"
Goku resurfaced instantly.
"But I hungry!"
"You're ALWAYS hungry!"
Mints calmly drank tea beside the destroyed table.
Paula sighed while cleaning up automatically.
Neither even reacted anymore.
Grandpa Gohan twitched violently.
"How are you all so calm?!"
Mints looked confused.
"…They're children."
"CHILDREN DON'T DESTROY HOUSES!"
Goku crashed back through the ceiling.
Azer followed immediately.
BOOOOOM!
Half the mountain shook.
Paula continued washing dishes peacefully.
"They're energetic."
Grandpa Gohan looked like his soul was leaving his body.
Years.
Years of this madness.
And somehow he still hadn't adapted.
Mints finally stood up lazily.
"Alright."
Both boys instantly froze.
Training mode.
The atmosphere immediately shifted.
Even Grandpa Gohan felt the pressure change.
Goku grinned excitedly.
"Today hard training?!"
Azer groaned.
"That sentence should be illegal."
Mints smirked slightly.
"Today we start combat adaptation."
Azer blinked.
"…What have we been doing until now?"
"Surviving."
Silence.
Then both boys realized something horrifying.
"…Oh no."
—
### **The Forest of Beasts**
Deep within Earth's most dangerous wilderness existed a hidden valley untouched by humanity.
Gigantic monsters roamed freely there.
Ancient creatures mutated by strange energies.
Even demons occasionally wandered too close and died horribly.
It was perfect.
Mints floated above the valley while the boys stared downward nervously.
Goku's eyes sparkled.
"Cool!"
Azer looked horrified.
"There's a dragon eating another dragon!"
"Yep."
Mints pointed downward.
"Your training starts here."
Grandpa Gohan immediately protested.
"WAIT!"
Mints blinked.
"Hm?"
"They're six!"
"Yes."
"And you're dropping them into MONSTER HELL?!"
Mints looked toward the valley thoughtfully.
"…That's actually a pretty accurate name."
Grandpa Gohan nearly fainted.
Paula gently patted the old man's shoulder.
"They'll be fine."
Azer pointed accusingly.
"You people keep saying that!"
Mints ignored him.
"Objective is simple."
He crossed his arms.
"Survive for one week."
Both boys screamed simultaneously.
"ONE WEEK?!"
"No outside help."
"THAT'S WORSE!"
Mints casually dropped them into the valley.
"Good luck."
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!
The boys vanished into the forest below.
Grandpa Gohan stared in horror.
"You just threw them away!"
"They'll come back stronger."
"What if they die?!"
Mints looked genuinely offended.
"My son dying to dinosaurs would embarrass me."
"…THAT'S YOUR CONCERN?!"
—
### **Inside the Valley**
CRASH!
Goku smashed through tree branches before landing perfectly on the ground.
Azer crashed beside him face-first.
"…I hate everything."
Goku laughed.
"This fun already!"
Azer stood up angrily.
"You're insane."
Suddenly—
RRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAR!!!
The forest shook violently.
A gigantic beast emerged from the darkness.
Thirty meters tall.
Black scales.
Rows of glowing red eyes.
And enough killing intent to make ordinary humans die instantly.
Goku stared upward excitedly.
"BIG LIZARD!"
Azer immediately grabbed him.
"NO!"
Too late.
Goku punched it.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The monster stumbled backward in confusion.
Silence filled the forest.
Then the beast became furious.
Azer screamed internally.
"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"
Goku grinned proudly.
"It moved."
"That's not a reason!"
The beast attacked.
Its massive claw descended toward them violently.
Then—
WHOOSH!
Goku moved instinctively.
The claw missed completely.
Mints' silver eyes narrowed from far above.
"…Again."
That movement.
Perfect.
Natural.
Unthinking.
Goku's body had started developing instinctive dodging far earlier than it should have.
Ultra Instinct.
Or at least its earliest embryonic form.
At six years old.
Even Azer noticed.
"…You moved weird."
Goku tilted his head.
"Hm?"
Then the monster attacked again.
This time both boys fought together.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Shockwaves exploded throughout the valley.
Goku attacked wildly through pure instinct while Azer fought with calculated precision learned directly from Mints.
Different styles.
Perfect synchronization.
The monster didn't stand a chance.
Finally—
KA-BOOOOM!!!
The beast collapsed.
Goku raised his fists excitedly.
"We win!"
Azer dropped onto the ground exhausted.
"…This family is ruining my standards for normal life."
—
### **The Child Beyond Fate**
That night, while the boys slept beside a fire, Mints quietly descended into the valley.
He stood silently beside sleeping Goku.
The child's breathing was calm.
Peaceful.
Yet inside that tiny body existed limitless potential.
Mints crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"…Interesting."
He could already see it.
The future changing.
Originally, Goku would grow slowly through hardships.
Now?
The boy was evolving monstrously fast.
His instincts sharpened daily.
His Saiyan blood adapted absurdly quickly under Mints' training.
And perhaps most dangerous of all—
Goku trusted Mints completely.
That alone altered destiny beyond repair.
Paula appeared beside him quietly.
"You're worried."
Mints frowned.
"I'm thinking."
"Same thing for you."
He glanced toward sleeping Goku again.
"He may surpass expectations too early."
Paula smiled softly.
"You sound proud."
"…Maybe."
Azer suddenly spoke sleepily nearby.
"You're definitely proud."
Mints blinked.
"You were awake?"
"I learned to sleep with one eye open around you."
Paula giggled.
Azer sat up while rubbing his eyes.
"You're scared he'll become stronger than planned."
Mints remained silent.
Azer smirked slightly.
"Good."
Mints looked toward him curiously.
"Why?"
"Because for the first time…"
Azer glanced toward sleeping Goku.
"…you actually care about the outcome."
Silence followed.
Then Mints sighed dramatically.
"You children are becoming too observant."
Paula laughed softly.
"That's your fault."
—
### **The Arrival of Roshi**
Several days later, an old man wearing sunglasses climbed Mount Paozu while panting heavily.
Master Roshi.
The legendary Turtle Hermit.
"G-Gohan!"
He wiped sweat from his forehead.
"You old bastard, where are you?!"
Suddenly—
BOOOOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted nearby.
Roshi screamed.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
A mountain in the distance split apart.
Two tiny figures blasted through the sky while fighting.
One child chased the other while laughing maniacally.
"…Children?"
Then Roshi sensed their energy.
His face immediately paled.
"…What kind of children are those?!"
Grandpa Gohan emerged from the house calmly carrying tea.
"Oh, Roshi."
Roshi pointed violently at the sky.
"GOHAN!"
"Hm?"
"WHY ARE THERE TWO DEMON CHILDREN DESTROYING MOUNTAINS?!"
Grandpa Gohan sighed deeply.
"…It's a long story."
Then Mints casually walked out behind him.
Roshi froze instantly.
Every instinct in his body screamed.
Not danger.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Absolute inferiority.
The silver-haired man before him felt immeasurably vast.
Like staring at existence itself.
Mints looked toward Roshi lazily.
"…Turtle student?"
Roshi nearly choked.
"How do you know about Master Mutaito?!"
Mints blinked.
"I met him once."
Roshi stared blankly.
"…Master Mutaito died decades ago."
"Yep."
Silence.
Then Roshi slowly realized something horrifying.
"…How old are you?"
Mints thought seriously for several seconds.
"…I forgot."
Roshi immediately decided he didn't want the answer anymore.
At that moment, Goku crashed into Roshi accidentally.
"Oof!"
The child bounced backward before grinning brightly.
"Old man!"
Roshi stared at him.
The boy's tail.
His absurd strength.
The strange pressure surrounding him.
Then Azer landed nearby while groaning.
"You used me as a projectile again!"
Goku laughed proudly.
"Worked though!"
Roshi looked between the children and Mints slowly.
"…What exactly are you raising here?"
Mints smirked slightly.
"The future."
Far above Earth, Whis observed everything quietly through his staff.
Beside him, Beerus looked deeply disturbed.
"That child…"
Whis nodded.
"Yes."
Beerus narrowed his eyes.
"He's becoming absurdly strong too quickly."
Goku's growth already surpassed normal Saiyan logic.
With Mints personally training him—
The future Son Goku might become something even gods could not predict.
Whis smiled softly.
"Cousin Mints has always enjoyed creating monsters."
Below, Goku laughed loudly while dragging Azer into another fight.
And for the first time in a very long while—
The universe itself seemed nervous about the future.