At the edge of the training grounds near the farmland of Mount Paozu—
To help his children achieve good results in the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament, Son Goku was personally training Goten and Hongrui.
Well…
More specifically, he wanted Goten to beat Trunks.
Three figures flashed across the battlefield like streaks of light, colliding again and again. With every exchange, violent shockwaves exploded across the earth, blasting crater after crater into the rocky terrain.
"Left side!"
Hongrui shouted sharply, her crimson braid dancing wildly within her golden aura.
She and Goten spun simultaneously like mirror images, their sweeping kicks carving brilliant golden arcs through the air.
Goku crossed his arms to block—
BOOM!
The impact shoved him backward dozens of meters, his boots grinding two scorched trenches across the stone.
The moment he looked up—
The two children had already appeared directly above him.
Mischievous smiles spread across their faces as energy gathered in their palms.
"Kamehameha!"
"Masenko!"
"W-Wait! That's way too strong—!"
Too late.
The twin blasts descended like a storm, completely swallowing Goku in a deafening explosion.
The earth trembled violently.
Smoke billowed into the sky.
When the dust finally cleared, Goku stood in the center of a shattered crater, covered in soot, his orange gi reduced to tattered scraps.
"Did Dad lose?"
Floating in midair, Goten's golden Super Saiyan aura flickered brightly around him.
At only seven years old, the childish softness that should've remained on his face had already begun to sharpen beneath the fierce pressure of a Super Saiyan.
Suddenly—
Hongrui vanished.
She reappeared behind Goku instantly, her tiny hand slicing toward the back of his neck like a blade.
"Getting distracted in battle is dangerous~"
"Got him!"
At the same time, Goten's fist shot toward Goku's stomach.
But just before the attacks landed—
Goku's body flickered strangely.
Not high-speed movement.
Not Instant Transmission.
His figure distorted like static on a broken television screen, causing both attacks to pass straight through him.
"Afterimage Technique?! Since when—?!"
Hongrui's eyes widened in shock.
The real Goku now stood atop a massive boulder twenty meters away, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Whew… that was close. I almost got taken down by my own kids…"
Then he looked at the two children hovering in the sky—
And suddenly laughed.
"Seriously… your generation is terrifying."
"When I was your age, I had to struggle like crazy just to get stronger. I went through all kinds of training and hardships."
But before he could finish speaking—
The two little Saiyans charged again.
Several energy spheres shot forward in a triangular formation.
Mid-flight—
They split into nine separate blasts, curving from impossible angles toward Goku simultaneously.
At the same time, Goten descended like a golden meteor, his punch tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.
Goku's pupils shrank.
This wasn't the fighting style of children.
The energy blasts restricted movement while close-range combat applied pressure—
It was almost identical to Piccolo's battle tactics during the Cell Games.
"Damn…!"
BOOM!
Caught off guard, Goku barely managed to block before the punch launched him into the air.
As he adjusted his balance mid-flight—
He suddenly froze.
Hongrui was already waiting directly along his landing trajectory.
Her hands cupped together in the unmistakable stance.
"Kaaa… meee… haaa… meee…"
Goku's eyes widened.
That starting pose—
It was definitely the Kamehameha.
"H-Hold on a second—!"
Too late again.
The beam erupted forward instantly.
To avoid destroying Mount Paozu, Goku couldn't dodge.
He had no choice but to tank it head-on.
A blinding blue light swallowed him completely.
BOOOOOOM!!
Moments later, the smoke slowly dispersed.
Goku stood there breathing heavily, both arms crossed defensively.
His battle suit was now practically destroyed.
Hongrui blinked nervously.
"Uh oh… maybe I went too far…"
Goten scratched his cheek.
"Mom says Dad's super strong. He should be okay… right?"
Just as the two children started wondering whether they had made a mistake—
Goku suddenly appeared beside them.
Then—
He wrapped both children tightly in his arms.
"You two are amazing."
"Way stronger than I was at your age."
Smiling warmly, Goku rubbed Hongrui's hair.
"That multi-energy blast technique earlier… who taught you that?"
"Uncle Piccolo!"
Goku nodded immediately.
"Knew it. That definitely felt like Piccolo's style."
Hongrui puffed out her chest proudly.
"Uncle Piccolo said my ki control is more precise than Goten's, so I'm better suited for techniques like that!"
Goku grinned and gently flicked her nose.
"Hongrui's incredible."
Hearing their father praise her, Goten instantly puffed up his cheeks in protest.
"But Uncle Piccolo said I'm stronger!"
Goku laughed and turned toward him.
"Yeah, yeah, Goten's amazing too."
"Especially beating Trunks."
"That really made your dad proud."
Goten instantly flashed a huge grin.
"I'm awesome, right?!"
Seeing Goku in such a good mood, Hongrui's eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Dad… I wanna go to the supermarket…"
The moment Goten heard the word supermarket, his eyes lit up.
"Me too!"
Goku set both children down and grabbed one hand each.
"Alright, let's go."
"So, what do you guys wanna eat?"
"Oreo cookies!"
"I want potato chips! And ice cream!"
Goku burst into laughter.
"So it's all the snacks your mom normally doesn't let you eat, huh?"
"But those things are full of additives. Kids shouldn't eat too much of them, okay?"
"Okay…"
"Don't worry, Dad! We won't ruin dinner!"
The three walked off together beneath the setting sun, their laughter echoing across the mountain.
…
Night fell.
Yet inside Capsule Corporation's gravity chamber, the lights still burned brightly.
Vegeta stood with his arms crossed, watching Trunks struggle through his one-thousandth push-up under 200x gravity.
"F-Father… I… really can't keep going…"
Trunks' arms trembled violently like branches in a storm.
Without expression, Vegeta pressed a button on the control panel.
"Five minutes of rest."
"Then continue rapid-fire energy cannon training."
(The legendary Vegeta Technique.)
Trunks collapsed flat onto the floor.
After a long silence, he quietly asked—
"Father… if… if I lose to Goten…"
"There is no 'if.'"
Vegeta cut him off immediately.
"In the dictionary of a Saiyan Prince…"
"There is no such word as defeat."
At that moment—
The training room door suddenly opened.
Molly walked inside carrying a tray of food.
After noticing the gravity chamber had been temporarily deactivated, she stepped in calmly.
"You two must be exhausted. I made a late-night snack."
Vegeta instantly frowned.
"Who told you to come in here?! When men are training—"
Truthfully—
He was worried something might happen to her inside the gravity room.
But Molly completely ignored his yelling.
Rolling her eyes at him, she walked directly over to Trunks and crouched beside him, gently wiping the sweat from his face.
"Working hard is important…"
"But resting is important too."
"You're still growing. You can't push your body too far."
As she spoke, she handed Trunks a Senzu Bean.
Trunks accepted it before quietly asking—
"Mom… why does Dad care so much about beating Goten?"
Molly glanced toward Vegeta, who was pretending not to listen.
Then she smiled softly.
"Because some people…"
"Spend their entire lives trying to prove they're stronger than their best friend."
Vegeta's ears instantly turned red.
"Nonsense!"
"Who's friends with that idiot?!"
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