BAM!
Goku swatted the air, deflecting the energy blast Broly had fired from his mouth.
BOOM!
Broly's blast struck the distant earth.
In an instant, the entire Sacred World of the Kai trembled violently, as if struck by a cataclysmic disaster.
A massive mushroom cloud erupted from the ground, looking like the gaping maw of a demon, radiating a chilling aura.
The energy aftershocks from the mushroom cloud surged outward like a raging tide.
Each wave of energy was like a hungry beast, whipping up layers of storm winds that howled through the world.
Piccolo was stunned, his expression growing increasingly grim.
Seeing his blast deflected, Broly flew into a rage and charged directly at Goku.
"Who... who are you?" Piccolo froze for a moment, staring blankly at the Goku standing before him, feeling a bit lost.
After all, Goku had transformed into a Super Saiyan 4, looking completely different from his usual self.
"Piccolo, back up a bit more!" Goku said without looking back.
"You... you're Goku?" Piccolo's eyes widened in shock.
What kind of transformation is this?
How can he even transform like that?
FLASH!
Goku unleashed his energy again, entering Super Saiyan 4 Full Power.
In the blink of an eye, Goku's hair turned a dark red.
"Super Saiyan God?" Piccolo was taken aback.
"No, this isn't Super Saiyan God," Goku corrected him as he turned back, lightly raising a hand to block Broly's attack.
Piccolo: "..."
"Broly, wake up! Stop this nonsense and regain your senses," Goku said as he delivered a thorough thrashing to Broly.
Ten seconds later.
Broly lay on the ground, unconscious.
Piccolo's jaw hit the floor, his shock beyond words.
Is this Goku's true strength?
I feel like a clown!
I thought that by having Shenron draw out my potential, I had surpassed Goku.
But... the gap between us is this huge?
I couldn't even beat Broly...
Yet Goku ended the fight in ten seconds.
FLASH!
The golden light on Broly's body faded as he reverted to his base form, completely unconscious.
"Still not quite there... but at least he regained some reason while using the Great Ape power. The Super Saiyan transformation is still the same, though," Goku grinned, immediately reverting to his base form and letting out a long sigh. "Luckily he didn't turn into a Legendary Super Saiyan; that would have been a real handful."
Piccolo was too stunned to speak.
Wait a minute, what's this "Legendary Super Saiyan" you're talking about?
"Piccolo, I have some Senzu Beans here. Take one, and let's have our match," Goku said, pulling out a Senzu Bean and tossing it to Piccolo.
Piccolo instinctively caught the bean, staring at it blankly in his palm, speechless.
You want to have another match with me?
Match, my foot!
You beat Broly in a few moves; I can't do that!
Piccolo's mouth twitched, and he forced a brave smile, waving his hands frantically. "Uh... how about we call it off?"
Goku: "..."
"Alright then, we'll fight another day," Goku nodded with a smile.
"What... what did you just say?" Piccolo suddenly snapped back to reality and asked Goku.
"What?" Goku was slightly taken aback.
"What's a Legendary Super Saiyan?" Piccolo asked curiously.
How have I never heard of a Legendary Super Saiyan?
Does adding the word "Legendary" make it high-class?
Don't think I didn't hear you say that!
My ears work just fine.
"Uncle Piccolo, Broly is a Legendary Super Saiyan," Gohan explained from the side.
"What? Are there ordinary Super Saiyans too?" Piccolo asked, stunned.
"Yes, Uncle Piccolo," Gohan nodded. "Father, myself, Uncle Vegeta, and Trunks—we're all just ordinary Super Saiyans."
Piccolo: "..."
Piccolo was utterly speechless.
There really is a difference between "Legendary" and "Ordinary."
"Actually, what Frieza feared back then was a Legendary Super Saiyan like Broly," Gohan added with a smile.
"Exactly, that's it," Goku nodded.
Piccolo stared deeply at the unconscious Broly on the ground, his eyes twitching.
Goku, you're overdoing it.
A man this powerful, and you beat him in just a few moves?
"Also... it's mainly because I unleashed my full power from the start and caught Broly off guard," Goku added, scratching his head with a laugh. "Luckily Broly hadn't turned into a Legendary Super Saiyan yet. If he had, it would have taken quite a while!"
Piccolo was stunned once again.
Taken quite a while?
Is this guy Broly's strength comparable to Goku's?
Does he have another transformation?
At this moment, Piccolo finally realized just how powerful Broly was.
At the same time, he gained a new understanding of Goku.
"Goku, what kind of transformation is that of yours?" Piccolo asked.
"It's called Super Saiyan 4," Goku told the truth.
"So it's an upgrade based on Super Saiyan 3, right?" Piccolo understood and said with a smile, "Just based on the name, Super Saiyan 4 doesn't sound as high-class as Vegeta's Super Saiyan God."
"Haha, yeah, you're right," Goku laughed, not disagreeing.
To Goku, it was just a name; it didn't matter what it was called.
"Which is stronger, your Super Saiyan 4 or Vegeta's Super Saiyan God?" Piccolo's interest was piqued.
"We haven't fought, so it's hard to say," Goku shook his head slightly. "Besides, Super Saiyan God has no energy fluctuations, so I can't judge his true strength."
"I'll find a chance to have Vegeta test it for you; that should help determine who's stronger," Piccolo said with a smile, eager to try.
"Eh? That... won't be necessary, right? I'll just spar with Vegeta myself when the time comes," Goku was taken aback; he didn't need Piccolo to handle it for him.
Besides, for Goku, this wasn't the top priority right now.
"Gohan, did you tell your father about that mysterious vision?" Piccolo thought for a moment and asked Gohan.
"Ah, yes," Gohan nodded. "Father doesn't know either."
"The vision Gohan saw might be a future world," Goku analyzed. "But I've never seen a future world like that."
"Gohan, step away for a moment. I have something to discuss with your father," Piccolo said, his expression shifting as he instructed Gohan.
Gohan: "????"
Gohan was clearly taken aback.
What are you two going to talk about?
Do you really have to send me away?
Gohan didn't refuse; he nodded and obediently walked away.
"Goku, there's one thing in the future vision Gohan saw that's worth considering," Piccolo said with a smile.
"Are you talking about the silver-haired Gohan?" Goku was quick to catch on.
"Exactly," Piccolo smiled slightly. "If our Gohan can become like that, his strength will far surpass mine."
"Our Gohan?" Goku was a bit confused for a moment, scratching his head.
"I mean, the Gohan of our world!" Piccolo quickly corrected himself, his green face turning a shade of red.
Don't get hung up on the details, okay?
You're making this awkward.
"You're right. If Gohan can really become like the one in the vision... he would indeed become incredibly strong, maybe even surpassing my Super Saiyan 4," Goku nodded seriously, then mused with his chin in his hand. "But... how can we get our Gohan to become like that?"
"Gohan told you, right?" Piccolo said with a smile. "It was because I was beaten nearly to death that he transformed in a state of extreme rage."
"Yes, I know that!" Goku nodded in agreement. "As long as Gohan is extremely angry, his strength increases tremendously."
"So, let's set the stage. For example, have you or me be killed by Cell to trigger the rage in Gohan's heart," Piccolo proposed.
"That's a great idea! As expected of Piccolo!" Goku gave Piccolo a thumbs-up. "Alright, let's do that!"
"There's one more thing you should know," Piccolo added.
"What?" Goku was taken aback.
"Vegeta has already taken Trunks to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train," Piccolo took a deep breath and looked at Goku. "From what Vegeta said, he plans to have Trunks master Super Saiyan God."
"Is that so? That's quite impressive!" Goku was surprised; it was a bit of an unexpected development.
This Vegeta's changes seem even greater than the Vegeta from my world.
Afterward, Goku and Piccolo discussed the plan to trigger Gohan's rage in more detail.
Earth.
On a highway in a certain town.
A van was slowly moving along the road.
"I need to buy some clothes," Android 18 suddenly spoke. "These clothes are a bit dirty."
"I know, I know, what a pain," Android 17 agreed and pulled the van over in front of a clothing store.
18 got out and picked through the store, choosing an outfit that looked decent enough.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
18 was speechless.
"This outfit fits perfectly. Are you satisfied?" the shop owner smiled politely.
"This style is so tacky!" 18 was displeased. "But in a backwater place like this, I'll just have to bear with it."
The shop owner: "..."
"Goodbye," 18 said, dressed in her new clothes, and turned to leave.
"Hey, you haven't paid yet!" the shop owner panicked.
18 ignored him, left the store, and got straight into the van.
"Hey, stop!" the shop owner chased after them, pounding on the van door.
The three Androids ignored the shop owner.
The shop owner saw Android 16 through the window and was startled by his cold expression.
This guy doesn't look like a good person.
I'd better call the police!
The van started up and drove away.
The shop owner hurriedly called the police.
"Look at these tacky clothes," 18 complained to 17.
"They fit you well, 18," 17 smiled.
"Honestly... I'll look again when we get to a big city!" 18 sighed helplessly.
Just then.
The sound of a siren suddenly erupted from behind the van.
"The police?" 17 was slightly taken aback.
"How annoying," 18 said, pulling open the door and flying backward, delivering a punch to the police car's engine.
The two officers in the car were stunned, their jaws hitting the floor.
BOOM!
The police car flipped several times and landed in a pile of rocks.
The two officers felt dizzy, as if they were in a dream.
The van continued on, finally arriving in a relatively large city.
"Finally, a bigger city. There should be better clothes here, right?" 18 looked expectant.
"Look, there are plenty of clothes on the ground over there," 17 pointed to the nearby ground.
18 was taken aback and quickly looked in the direction 17 was pointing, and sure enough, she saw piles and piles of clothes on the ground.
And those clothes seemed to be twitching, as if something had happened.
Some clothes even had firearms piled next to them.
"Don't you think it's strange?" 17 rolled down the window and looked around. "In a city this big... why isn't there a single person?"
"Now that you mention it, it is quite strange," 18 nodded. "All that's left are empty clothes."
16: "..."
16's expression grew more solemn.
A brief silence followed.
"Watch out! I sense a very powerful and evil presence nearby!" 16's face shifted repeatedly.
"Is it that guy Vegeta?" 17 asked quickly.
"No," 16 shook his head. "But one thing is certain: this person fought Vegeta before! The powerful Ki that appeared in that direction earlier was this person!"
"17, 16 is right, let's get out of here!" 18's face turned pale.
If it really was the person who had fought Vegeta, they seemed quite terrifying.
It was better to leave immediately!
"Hmph, leave? Don't be ridiculous!" 17 felt increasingly bitter. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I am Android 17, the most powerful Android ever created. I won't be scared off by some monster!"
18: "..."
16: "..."
Why are you still calling yourself the most powerful Android ever created?
Do you still have no self-awareness?
"I want to see what this monster can do to me," 17 snorted, showing no intention of leaving. He accelerated and continued forward.
16 and 18 looked at each other but didn't try to persuade him further.
In truth, the two of them had also realized something.
Constantly hiding wasn't a good solution.
As Androids, it was one thing to be wary of Goku and Vegeta.
But to be afraid of a monster?
And they hadn't even seen the monster's face yet.
The van continued forward.
However, the further they went, the more 17 and the others felt their hearts racing as they saw the piles of clothes.
It was a chilling sight.
A cold wind blew, bringing a strong chill that made 18 shiver.
"17... stop driving forward, let's get out of here!" 18's voice trembled as she proposed, "If we have to, let's just fly away."
17 also felt that something was wrong and slowly brought the van to a halt.
He thought for a moment.
"Fine, let's fly away," 17 nodded, finally agreeing.
However, just as 17 was about to pull open the door to leave.
"Wait!" 16 spoke up, his expression more solemn than ever. "That evil and powerful Ki is nearby. Don't fly away!"
17 pulled his hand back and looked at 16, feeling increasingly bitter.
As Androids, do we really have to avoid a monster now?
17 truly didn't want to live such a pathetic life.
BAM!
Suddenly, in a nearby skyscraper, a middle-aged man crashed through the glass and fell from above.
17 and 18 looked up.
It looked as if the man had jumped to commit suicide.
That height was at least ten stories.
The man really couldn't see a way out.
Why would he choose to jump?
17 and 18 weren't bad people, but they weren't saints either. Naturally, they weren't going to save the man; they just watched silently.
Then, in the next moment.
FLASH!
A green figure flew out of the building and caught the falling man.
Immediately, Cell slowly descended from the skyscraper with the man and appeared near the van.
"AAAAHHH! AAAAAHHHH!"
The man let out a series of screams, his voice filled with endless despair.
"Hmph," Cell snorted.
17 and 18's eyes widened as they stared blankly at the scene unfolding outside.
16's pupils shrank, his face shifting repeatedly.
"16, is this the evil Ki you were talking about?" 17 asked quickly.
"Yes, that's him!" 16 nodded. "He fought Vegeta before! Both his and Vegeta's energy vanished for a while!"
"What does he want to do to that man?" 18 asked, bewildered.
STAB!
Cell's tail slammed into the man's back and began to wildly absorb his life essence.
In an instant, the man looked like a deflated ball.
A moment later, the man vanished completely, leaving only a set of clothes twitching on the ground.
The three Androids were completely stunned.
This monster is actually absorbing human life essence!
No wonder this city is full of twitching clothes!
Did the man jump to commit suicide because he saw his companions being absorbed by this monster and chose to end it himself?
Unfortunately, the man didn't even have the right to take his own life.
He had just jumped when Cell caught him in mid-air.
"Hmph, I've absorbed enough. My strength has increased significantly..." Cell's mouth curled up in a radiant smile as he mused in a low voice. "But with my current strength, I still can't deal with Vegeta! I must find 17 and 18 as soon as possible. As long as I absorb one of them, I can pin Vegeta to the ground and grind him into the dirt."
Talking to himself, Cell glanced in the direction of the van.
"Damn it! Let's take him on!" 17 gritted his teeth, making a difficult decision.
16 quickly stopped 17's impulsive move.
Don't you know how strong this monster is?
18 also grabbed 17's arm.
"He's already found us!" 17 snorted. "Are we going to keep hiding in this van?"
"No, he hasn't found us," 16 shook his head slightly and said in a low voice.
Cell had only glanced at the van before quickly looking away, focusing his attention on another corner.
After all, none of the three Androids had any energy fluctuations.
Cell couldn't find them through energy sensing.
However, Cell could find a person hiding in the corner through a faint Ki fluctuation.
"Hmph, no one's getting away!" Cell walked toward that corner.
In a hidden corner, a young girl was crouching, trembling with fear.
Hearing the footsteps approaching, the girl was terrified, nearly bursting into tears.
She had witnessed the horrific scene of the monster absorbing a human.
"So you're here!" Cell appeared before the girl.
The girl's face turned pale, her pupils shrinking sharply.
"No one's getting away; I won't let a single one go," Cell gave a disdainful smile, grabbed the girl's hair, and dragged her out of the corner.
The girl's throat was hoarse; she wanted to scream but couldn't, her eyes full of despair.
BAM!
Cell threw the girl to the ground, his tail raised high, the tip aimed at her body.
The girl's face grew even paler. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of 18 in the van.
At that moment, the girl seemed to grab onto a lifeline, screaming desperately, "Save me! Please, save me!"
Although the girl didn't think the woman could save her.
But in such a critical moment, her strong will to live made her cry out instinctively.
18: "..."
"Oh no! We've been spotted! That stupid woman!" 18's face turned pale.
"Hmph, are we going to keep hiding now? Let's take him on!" 17 gritted his teeth.
"Wait... maybe the monster hasn't noticed us yet!" 16 shook his head.
SQUELCH!
The tip of Cell's tail stabbed straight into the girl's back, beginning to absorb her life essence.
The girl reached out, looking desperately at the people in the van.
Soon, the girl vanished like a deflated balloon, leaving only a set of women's clothes twitching on the ground.
After absorbing the girl, Cell glanced at the van again.
Why do I feel like that woman was asking for help from that van?
Is there someone in the van?
The problem is, I don't sense any human Ki in there.
WHOOSH!
Cell didn't even walk over; he simply waved his hand from a distance, and an invisible wave of energy instantly struck the van.
BAM!
The van was sent flying high into the air, flipping twice.
"I've had enough!" 17 shouted in a rage.
To be continued…
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