Chapter 13 — The Years That Became Legends
Time did not move normally on Mount Paozu.
It stretched.
It folded.
It skipped forward like a river choosing where to flow next.
But eventually, even existence itself decided to settle.
And when it did—
Years had passed.
—
## **Timeskip — The World That Grew Around Them**
Earth had changed.
Not dramatically at first glance.
Cities still existed.
Humans still lived ordinary lives.
Martial arts still existed as sport, discipline, and tradition.
But something subtle had shifted beneath everything.
Fights that once took years to master were now understood in months.
Certain individuals across the world began awakening strange hidden potential.
And at the center of it all—
Mount Paozu remained untouched.
Because nothing could stay "ordinary" near Mints.
—
## **Grandpa Gohan — The Human Who Wasn't Left Behind**
Grandpa Gohan no longer looked like a man clinging to retirement.
He looked like a man who had survived being accidentally trained by gods.
He stood in the forest now, calmly striking a training post.
Each strike cracked the air.
Each breath carried controlled ki.
Mints stood nearby sipping tea.
"…Your potential unlocked better than expected."
Grandpa Gohan exhaled slowly.
"I didn't ask for this."
Paula smiled gently.
"You didn't refuse either."
From the house, laughter echoed.
Goku—now 12 years old—was wrestling Azer across the yard.
BOOM!
A tree exploded.
A mountain trembled slightly.
Grandpa Gohan didn't even look anymore.
He just continued training.
"…I raised monsters."
Mints corrected calmly.
"You helped raise strong individuals."
Gohan pointed at the sky where debris was still falling.
"That's a monster!"
—
## **Goku — Age 12: The Beginning of the Journey**
Goku stood proudly in front of the house holding a staff.
His tail flicked behind him.
His aura, though still unrefined, felt like something constantly reaching forward.
Azer sat on a rock nearby glaring at him.
"…You're leaving."
Goku smiled.
"Yes!"
Azer frowned.
"Finally."
Grandpa Gohan sighed deeply.
"You're really sending him out into the world?"
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Paula added softly.
"It's time."
Goku looked up.
"Bulma waiting!"
Mints tilted his head slightly.
"…Yes. That will be the beginning point."
Azer crossed his arms.
"Finally, someone else suffers from him."
Goku grinned.
"I come back stronger!"
Azer muttered.
"That's the problem."
—
## **The Dragon Ball Timeline — But Altered**
Mints watched quietly as Goku prepared to leave.
But this timeline was no longer identical to the original story.
It had already been rewritten gently over the years:
* Goku was stronger at age 12 than canon Goku ever was
* His instincts were closer to perfected movement already
* His control over ki was natural, not learned painfully
* His Great Ape transformation was fully understood and controlled early
And more importantly—
He was not alone in fate.
Azer existed.
And Mints existed.
Which meant destiny no longer flowed in a straight line.
It bent.
—
## **Bulma and the First Meeting**
Far away in West City…
A capsule landed.
Goku stepped out casually.
The Dragon Ball hunt began.
Bulma blinked.
"…You're a kid?"
Goku nodded proudly.
"Yes!"
Bulma narrowed her eyes.
"You're also weirdly strong for a kid…"
Goku smiled.
"Grandpa say I monster!"
Bulma sighed.
"…That's not reassuring."
From a distance, unseen by her, Mints observed.
Paula stood beside him.
"So this is how it begins again."
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Azer crossed his arms.
"He's going to break her equipment."
Mints replied calmly.
"…Multiple times."
—
## **Parallel Dragon Ball Worlds**
As Goku traveled, something strange began to emerge in Mints' perception.
Not System Observers.
Not yet.
Something else.
Parallel timelines.
Branches.
Alternate Dragon Ball realities forming faintly across the multiversal structure.
Paula noticed it too.
"…The story is splitting."
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Azer frowned.
"Why?"
Mints explained calmly.
"Because Goku is no longer a fixed-origin individual."
Goku's existence now had:
* multiple potential outcomes
* accelerated growth divergence
* external interference (Mints, Azer, Paula)
* altered fate anchors
Mints continued:
"This creates parallel Dragon Ball worlds that differ based on key decisions."
Azer smirked.
"So there are versions of him everywhere now?"
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Paula added softly.
"And not all of them will be peaceful."
Mints agreed.
"Correct."
—
## **Dragon Ball Z — Already Changed**
Mints looked forward in time briefly.
Not fully observing.
Just sensing.
He spoke quietly.
"The Saiyan saga will still come."
Azer asked.
"Raditz?"
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Goku frowned slightly.
"Big brother?"
Mints confirmed.
"And Vegeta."
Azer smirked.
"That one will be fun."
Mints continued.
"But outcomes will differ."
Paula looked concerned.
"Because of Goku?"
Mints shook his head.
"Because of *us*."
Silence.
—
## **What Has Already Changed Forever**
Mints summarized calmly:
* Saiyan arc: Raditz encounters a stronger Goku and a more stable Earth defense
* Vegeta arc: early detection of Saiyan threat likely
* Frieza arc: timeline pressure destabilized due to altered Saiyan survival
* Android arc: completely unpredictable due to altered human potential awakening
* Buu arc: existence probability fluctuating
Azer whistled softly.
"…We broke canon hard."
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Goku smiled.
"I like new story!"
Azer groaned.
"Of course you do."
—
## **The Family That Stayed Behind**
Despite Goku leaving, life on Mount Paozu did not become empty.
It became stronger.
Grandpa Gohan continued training his "high human potential," unknowingly tapping into dormant Earthling evolution paths.
Paula maintained balance and energy flow across the region.
Azer trained relentlessly, occasionally visiting Goku through instant movement techniques Mints didn't bother stopping anymore.
And Mints—
Mints simply observed.
Not as a watcher anymore.
But as a parent watching a world grow around his creation.
—
## **Mints' Quiet Thought**
One evening, Paula stood beside him.
"You're thinking again."
Mints nodded.
"…Yes."
"About System Observers?"
He shook his head.
"No."
A pause.
Then:
"I will deal with them later."
Paula smiled.
"Then what are you thinking about?"
Mints looked toward the horizon where Goku now traveled with Bulma.
"…That boy is starting his journey."
Azer appeared beside them suddenly.
"And?"
Mints smiled faintly.
"…I hope he finds something worth breaking everything for."
Silence.
Then Azer smirked.
"He will."
Goku's laughter echoed faintly in the distance as if destiny itself was already laughing along.
And somewhere far beyond time, space, and systems—
A future waited.
Not written.
Not observed.
But *earned*.