"Okay, Gohan-nii," Kale said with a nod.
The two of them left the research institute and flew into the sky.
"But how are we supposed to tell Goku? We can't contact him, can we?" Kale asked, turning to Gohan. "I don't know where he's been all these years. We've barely heard anything from him."
"If we really can't find him, we'll have to ask Ken for help," Gohan said after a moment's thought.
"Okay. If it's Ken, he'll definitely be able to find Goku," Kale said.
"Let's go find Krillin first and ask if he wants to enter the tournament," Gohan suggested.
A moment later, the two of them became bright streaks of light, racing toward the small island where Master Roshi lived.
Before long, Gohan and Kale descended from the sky and landed on the island.
"Huh? You two are entering the World Martial Arts Tournament?" Krillin asked in surprise.
Krillin had grown his hair out by now, though he still had not gotten much taller.
Besides Krillin, Android 21 also lived on Master Roshi's island, along with the child she and Krillin had together.
Krillin had named their daughter Marron. She was an adorable little girl with golden braids, and she looked a lot like Android 21.
Android 16 also lived there with Krillin's family.
Master Roshi naturally still lived there too. It was his house, after all.
That said, Master Roshi sometimes felt speechless about the whole thing.
For a while, whenever he came home, he would find Krillin, Android 21, Marron, and Android 16 all squeezed together on the sofa watching TV like one big happy family.
It left Master Roshi with a strange feeling, almost as if he had become the outsider.
This is my house!
Krillin really has some nerve!
He even moved in with his whole family!
At least let me have some fun with your wife once!
Of course, Master Roshi only dared to think that. He would never actually try anything with Android 21.
Still, since they all lived under the same roof, Master Roshi did occasionally get to feast his eyes.
For example, by "accidentally" walking into the bathroom while Android 21 was bathing.
Naturally, Master Roshi always pretended it had not been on purpose.
Android 21 could only get angry without being able to do much about it.
Master Roshi had to admit that Android 21 had a stunning figure.
As expected of an android. She really had been modified to perfection.
Android 21 should have been fairly old by now, but she had kept herself so well that... well...
Sometimes Master Roshi even drooled in his sleep.
Since he often got to enjoy such beautiful scenery, Master Roshi decided he could tolerate Krillin living there after all.
"Is Goku entering too?" Master Roshi asked, wiping the drool from his mouth.
"I haven't told Dad yet, but I think he'll enter," Gohan replied.
"I haven't seen Goku in ages. That brat doesn't even come visit me anymore," Master Roshi said with a sigh. "Once disciples grow up, they forget all about their teacher."
"You still have me, Master Roshi. I'm your disciple too, and I'm with you every day," Krillin said with a grin.
"At least Krillin knows how to be considerate," Master Roshi said meaningfully, patting Krillin on the shoulder. Then he smacked his lips and glanced at Android 21.
Android 21's expression darkened.
What kind of look is that?
Why do your eyes seem so wrong?
"I do want to enter the World Martial Arts Tournament, but with Goku, Gohan, Kale, and Vegeta all entering, I have no chance of winning," Krillin said seriously.
"You should enter, Krillin," Kale urged.
"Yeah. The top five all get prize money," Gohan said with a nod.
"How much prize money?" Android 21 asked.
"The champion gets ten million. Second place gets five million, third place gets three million, fourth place gets two million, and fifth place gets one million," Gohan explained.
"Krillin, enter it. I'm entering too!" Android 21 said, suddenly fired up.
"Okay," Krillin said with a nod.
"I'll enter as well. It's about time I earned some money for the household," Android 16 said.
"I kind of want to enter too..." Master Roshi said, tempted.
Gohan: "..."
Kale: "..."
The two of them exchanged a silent look.
"Gohan, don't tell Piccolo about this. If he enters, my chances of making the top five get even smaller," Krillin suggested.
"I can't do that," Gohan said, shaking his head. "Piccolo is one of the closest people to me."
"Closer than your dad?" Krillin asked with a smile.
"In some ways, yes," Gohan said with a serious nod.
Krillin had no answer to that.
A brief silence followed.
"By the way, why are you two dressed so weirdly?" Krillin asked, looking from Gohan to Kale in confusion.
"Doesn't it look cool? Your taste is getting worse, Krillin," Gohan said with one hand on his hip, smiling at him.
"It does look cool," Kale said, fully agreeing with Gohan.
"Still..." Krillin said, pulling Gohan aside. He lowered his voice and whispered into Gohan's ear, "How's it going, Gohan? You and Kale..."
"Me and Kale? How's what going?" Gohan did not understand.
"You two have done this yet?" Krillin said, sticking one finger into his other hand with a strange grin.
Gohan: "????"
Gohan still did not understand.
"You two are adults already, right?" Krillin asked, scratching his head.
"We're only sixteen. We still have two years before we're adults," Gohan replied.
"Then forget I said anything," Krillin said, visibly disappointed. "Though with Chi-Chi's personality, I doubt anything major will happen before you two graduate anyway."
"I still don't understand what you're talking about, Krillin," Gohan said, shaking his head.
"You'll understand one day. Do your best," Krillin said with a chuckle.
"It's getting late. Kale and I still need to visit Piccolo," Gohan said, taking his leave.
"Go on, go on," Krillin said, waving them off.
Gohan and Kale said goodbye to Krillin, Master Roshi, and the others, then flew high into the sky and sped toward the Lookout.
Once they arrived at the Lookout, Gohan met Piccolo, Dende, and Mr. Popo, then told them about the World Martial Arts Tournament.
"Is that so? Sounds interesting," Piccolo said with a smile and a nod. "All right. I'll enter."
"Dende, what about you? Do you want to join too?" Gohan asked politely.
"I can't. I'm not a combat-type Namekian," Dende said with a gentle smile, declining.
"Gohan, Kale, why are the two of you dressed so strangely?" Piccolo asked, studying their outfits with an odd look.
"Don't you think this outfit is cool, Piccolo?" Gohan asked with a grin.
"Where has Goku been all these years? There's been no news from him at all," Piccolo asked.
"I don't know where Dad went either, but last time, Dad said something about getting a ring that lets him travel through time. He might have gone to Trunks's timeline," Gohan said, scratching his head.
"A ring that lets him travel through time?" Piccolo paused.
"Ken gave it to Dad. He said it was standard equipment for a Supreme Kai," Gohan added.
Piccolo: "..."
Didn't Ken say he was going to train me into a Supreme Kai?
Then why don't I have standard Supreme Kai equipment?
Ken, you really do play favorites.
"Don't worry. I am sure you'll get something like that eventually," Gohan comforted him.
Piccolo nodded faintly. Although he grumbled inwardly, he did not care too much.
After all, his own strength was still far from enough. Once he raised his power, he could figure out a way to get that standard Supreme Kai equipment later.
"You said your father went to Trunks's timeline? Why would he specifically go there?" Piccolo asked, puzzled.
"Dad trained with the Supreme Kai of Universe 6 last time, so he might have gone back to keep training," Gohan guessed. "But that's all just my guess. I don't actually know which timeline Dad went to. When we see Ken later, we can ask him. Ken should know where Dad is, right?"
Piccolo nodded lightly and said nothing more.
After that, Gohan and Kale left the Lookout and flew toward Mount Paozu.
"I wonder where Tien and Chiaotzu are," Gohan murmured.
"I don't know. Tien said back then that we probably wouldn't see each other much in the future," Kale replied.
"He did say that," Gohan said with a slight nod.
"What about Yamcha? Should we let him know too?" Kale asked.
"It's getting late. A phone call should be enough," Gohan suggested.
"Mm," Kale said with a nod.
"But if we're really entering the World Martial Arts Tournament, we have to find a way to win the championship," Gohan said thoughtfully. "So we should stop going to school for now and focus on training. Otherwise, we won't have any chance of winning."
"I'll definitely beat Vegeta. Then I'll fight Gohan-nii in the finals, and I'll just lose to Gohan-nii," Kale said with a giggle.
"Kale, you absolutely cannot underestimate Vegeta," Gohan said with a serious expression. "Vegeta has been training hard these past few years. He might even have a new transformation by now."
"No matter how he transforms, I'm the Legendary Super Saiyan. I won't lose to him," Kale said confidently.
"Don't let your guard down," Gohan warned again.
"I know. Then I'll train with Gohan-nii," Kale replied obediently, secretly delighted.
I didn't want to go to that school anyway.
After these two days of classes, I've realized my biggest love rival might have changed from Erasa to Videl.
Not going to school is fine. That way, Gohan-nii will be all mine.
Videl can't possibly come all the way here to fight me over Gohan-nii, right?
That evening, Gohan told his mother, Chi-Chi, about entering the World Martial Arts Tournament.
"What World Martial Arts Tournament? Instead of studying properly, you spend all day doing useless things!" Chi-Chi snapped, scolding Gohan with a stern face.
Gohan lowered his head.
"The champion of the World Martial Arts Tournament gets ten million in prize money. Second place gets five million, and third place gets three million!" Kale quickly added from the side.
"Ten million?" Chi-Chi cried out, her eyes suddenly shining.
Kale nodded hard.
"Gohan, Kale, both of you enter!" Chi-Chi said excitedly. "With you two and Goku, that's eighteen million total! Wonderful!"
"Don't say it like that, Mom... The winners haven't been decided yet," Gohan said with a helpless smile.
So she's already decided our family is taking all three top spots?
"No. The three of you can definitely do it!" Chi-Chi said, very confident about that.
"But in that case... Kale and I will need to take a break from school for special training," Gohan said hesitantly.
"That's fine. Train properly and catch up on your schoolwork later," Chi-Chi said without a care, even looking a little excited.
This is perfect!
Ever since Kale came to live with us, our household expenses have gone up a lot.
Saiyans really eat too much.
Luckily, Goku hasn't eaten many meals at home these past few years.
Still, that man doesn't bring money home either. All he does is train outside.
Isn't he about to become a Supreme Kai now?
He should bring some money back!
When Goku returns, I'll talk to him about this.
"Mom, has Goten still not come back?" Gohan asked Chi-Chi.
"No. He called earlier and said he wanted to stay with your grandpa for a few more days," Chi-Chi replied.
"Really? He and Zarek must be getting along well," Gohan said with a nod.
"Probably," Chi-Chi said with a kind smile.
Gohan felt a little unbalanced.
When I was little, Mom made me study hard and pushed me to become a great scholar when I grew up.
But when Goten is the same age, she basically raises him like a free-range child.
I feel like Goten's childhood is much happier than mine.
...
In a certain mountain region, two children were playing in the forest.
Both of them were seven years old. One was Goten, and the other was Zarek.
"Zarek, Zarek, look! What's that?" Goten asked, pointing at a small bird in a tree.
The bird had colorful wings and looked extremely beautiful.
"A bird," Zarek replied.
"What kind of bird?" Goten asked, scratching his head.
"No idea," Zarek said. He did not know what species it was either.
"What a pretty little bird," Goten said with a giggle.
"Bet it tastes good," Zarek said thoughtfully, smacking his lips.
"Roasted?" Goten's eyes lit up.
"Then it's decided," Zarek said with a nod.
The two little brats instantly agreed and flew into the sky, heading straight for the bird.
The bird was so frightened its soul nearly left its body.
Kids can fly now?
What happened to the one advantage birds are supposed to have?
The little bird flapped its wings in terror and quickly took off, shedding several feathers as it fled.
But how could one little bird possibly escape from Goten and Zarek?
In less than a minute, Zarek grabbed the bird in his hand.
"Heh-heh. It'll definitely taste good roasted," Zarek said with a wide grin, showing a mouthful of white teeth.
"Mm-hm, mm-hm," Goten said, nodding hard.
The little bird burst into terrified tears.
But just as the two little troublemakers were about to start a fire and roast it, a beautiful figure appeared behind them.
"Mom?" Zarek froze.
"Grandma..." Goten said, scratching his head.
"This is a very rare and precious bird on this planet. You are not allowed to eat it. You need to learn to care for small animals," Gine ordered coldly.
"But it probably tastes really good," Zarek said reluctantly.
Thud!
Gine punched Zarek on the head.
A large bump immediately swelled up on Zarek's head.
Goten trembled in fear beside him.
"Hand it over!" Gine said, stretching out her hand.
"It hurts, it hurts..." Zarek cried, yelping in pain, but he still obediently handed the little bird to Gine.
Gine gently stroked the little bird's head and said softly, "Go on. Fly as far away as you can, and don't let anyone catch you again."
With that, Gine opened her slender hand.
The little bird flapped its wings and immediately fled the area. After it flew far away, it even looked back at Gine with gratitude.
"You two, it's time to go back and eat," Gine ordered.
"Mom, that little bird probably would've tasted really good, right? What a waste of food," Zarek said, swallowing his saliva.
"You're still saying that?" Gine snapped, glaring at Zarek.
Zarek gave her a mischievous grin, clearly not bothered at all.
Goten, however, listened very seriously and scratched his head as he asked, "Grandma Gine, we really can't eat that kind of bird?"
"Wouldn't it be a shame to eat such a precious little bird?" Gine said, rubbing Goten's head. "Right?"
"You're right, Grandma Gine. I won't eat one next time," Goten said with a nod.
"Goten, the rarer the animal, the better it tastes," Zarek said with an evil grin.
Goten decisively shook his head, showing that he did not want to eat such a precious little animal.
"Zarek, learn from Goten. Where did you get that personality from?" Gine said with a frown.
Why do I feel like our third child's personality is as wicked as Raditz's?
This is not good.
"Mom, Goten is my nephew. Why should I learn from my nephew?" Zarek said, clearly unhappy.
"It doesn't matter whether he's your nephew or not. You should still learn from him!" Gine huffed, glaring at Zarek.
Zarek did not dare talk back.
...
Early the next morning, Gohan and Kale got up early and went into the mountain forest.
"Kale, let's start training," Gohan suggested.
"Okay, Gohan-nii," Kale said with a nod. Then she asked, "But how should we train? Should we spar?"
"I don't dare spar with you right now. We haven't fought in a long time..." Gohan said, shaking his head. "When I fought Caulifla before, I felt like my body had gone rusty. So first, I need to train my agility and reflexes."
As he spoke, Gohan gathered a pile of stones.
"Speaking of Caulifla-nee and Cabba, should we let those two enter the World Martial Arts Tournament too?" Kale suddenly thought of it.
"That's fine. After we finish training, we can go see them," Gohan said, not objecting.
"But if that happens, Krillin's chances of making the top five will get even smaller," Kale said with a giggle.
Gohan felt that Kale made an excellent point.
Maybe we should tell Krillin not to enter after all?
"But... Android 21 should be able to make the top five, right?" Gohan said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Android 16 is entering too, isn't he? One of them should be able to make the top five," Kale said with a nod.
"Kale, help me train my movement first," Gohan said, pointing at the pile of stones on the ground.
"Okay, Gohan-nii," Kale agreed immediately.
Gohan drew a line on the ground.
"Kale, stand here and throw stones at me... Don't throw them too hard, or I won't be able to dodge," Gohan warned her repeatedly.
"Got it," Kale said with a serious nod, preparing to throw.
"Come on!" Gohan raised his guard.
"I'm throwing now, Gohan-nii," Kale said.
Gohan nodded.
"Ha!"
Kale shouted and threw a stone, but it flew out weakly.
Tap.
Just as the stone was about to reach Gohan's face, it dropped out of the air and landed beside his foot.
Gohan: "..."
"Kale, I told you not to throw too hard. I didn't tell you to use no strength at all," Gohan said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"I was afraid I'd hurt Gohan-nii," Kale said with an embarrassed smile.
"Come on!" Gohan prepared himself again.
Kale no longer hesitated. She used a little more strength and threw stones at Gohan.
Gohan dodged continuously, avoiding every stone Kale threw at him.
After a full hour of training, Gohan's body gradually adjusted.
"All right. We can try sparring now," Gohan suggested.
"Yes, Gohan-nii," Kale said, lowering her head slightly. Yellow-green light burst from her body, and she immediately transformed into a Legendary Super Saiyan.
Gohan: "..."
"Let's start with basic forms for sparring... I'm no match for you as a Legendary Super Saiyan," Gohan said with a troubled smile.
"Uh... okay," Kale replied.
Bang, bang, bang!
The two of them began an intense exchange in the forest.
For a while, their figures constantly shifted between the air and the ground.
After several rounds, Kale's body flickered, and she suddenly appeared behind Gohan.
Just as Kale was about to attack Gohan, she glanced aside and saw a jet plane roaring toward them from the distance.
Bang!
Gohan seized the chance and punched Kale in the nose.
"Ngh..."
Kale let out a small whimper. Her nose stung, and tears almost fell from her eyes.
"Kale, are you okay?" Gohan hurriedly asked in concern.
"I-I'm fine..." Kale said, shaking her head, though her eyes remained fixed on the plane.
Through the plane's window, Kale saw the girl sitting inside.
Isn't that Videl?
Videl, you really are something.
Gohan-nii and I already hid at home to train, so why did you still come all the way here?
Kale could tell with her eyes closed that Videl had come to find Gohan.
"Huh? Is that..." Gohan followed Kale's gaze and looked into the distance.
"Don't look!" Kale quickly stepped forward to block Gohan's view.
However, Gohan recognized Videl at a glance.
"Isn't that Videl? Why is she here?" Gohan said, scratching his head in confusion.
Kale: "..."
I thought Gohan-nii didn't see her.
"Gohan-nii... do you know why she came here?" Kale asked, staring at Gohan in confusion.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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