At this very moment, in West City, the citizens all looked up at the sky.
"Wh-what is that...?"
"Is it... really real!?"
"It seems to be in the direction of Dr. Brief's house..."
Even the residents of West City, surrounded by high-tech products, couldn't help but break into a cold sweat in surprise.
Especially those near the residence of the CEO of Capsule Corporation, they were wide-eyed, staring at the sky, where a long dragon appeared out of nowhere.
Dr. Brief is truly incredible, thought the people of West City, including the mayor.
In the yard of Dr. Brief's mansion, the summoned Shenron lowered its dragon head.
"Speak..." The crimson dragon eyes reflected the figure of the wishmaker standing tall on the ground.
With spiked blonde hair and cold green eyes, Bardock exuded an aura of calmness, almost indifference. His tremendous energy was contained within his body, and there wasn't a single ripple of power around him.
Aside from the golden hair standing upright, there was nothing unusual about him at first glance.
Such superb control! At this moment, the dragon-like creature controlling Shenron's body from the Dragon Realm's star ring, Dorag, marveled inwardly.
He recognized this person, this Saiyan.
Over two years ago, a human named Yamiru had used the Dragon Balls to resurrect this Saiyan named Bardock.
To his surprise, within just two years, this Saiyan, who had returned from death, had already become a Super Saiyan. Although this happened after receiving the "how-to" from the Dragon God, it still showed that Bardock was truly gifted and a true warrior!
With a hint of curiosity, Dorag used Shenron's divine power to quietly "review" Bardock's path to becoming a Super Saiyan:
...With the gravity chamber created by Dr. Brief, capable of up to 500 times Earth's gravity, Bardock settled at Mount Paozu with Gine.
...Bardock slept for barely 4 hours each day, spending over 18 hours in the gravity chamber. Sometimes he practiced without sleep for several days straight. Due to the Saiyan's power-boosting revival trait, Bardock could only use this "extreme training" method to push himself to the brink of death. He couldn't just try to harm himself with the goal of eating a Senzu Bean, as that wouldn't work!
...After half a year, Bardock left the gravity chamber. He hadn't even reached the maximum 500x gravity. When he set the gravity to 400 times, Bardock felt that his power had reached its limit! Pushing the gravity any further would be nothing more than self-torture, not just physically, but mentally.
...To transform into a Super Saiyan, one needed a peaceful, stable mind.
...So, Bardock bid farewell to Gine and Goku, and flew off alone into the distance.
...No one knew where Bardock went. But through the power of the Dragon, Dorag easily "flipped through" Bardock's past whereabouts.
...Bardock had gone to the Earth's Sacred Land.
"I see! When Yamiru resurrected him and the Saiyan Gine, he took them to the Sacred Land," Dorag thought to himself. "Bardock also met the Earth's god, the dragon-like being! That's why he remembered that dragon from the Sacred Land. What a smart Saiyan, he seems to have an instinct for training. No wonder he was able to develop basic Ki sensing techniques all on his own while in the hostile environment of Planet Vegeta and under the Freeza Force."
...Next, Dorag used Shenron's abilities to "see" that Bardock, with the help of the dragon-like Earth god, had calmed his mind and cultivated the S-cells within his body.
...With the foundation of his strength already over the standard, the S-cell count naturally followed.
...As for the anger?
...Through Shenron's eyes, Dorag could clearly "see" that on a day while meditating in the Sacred Land, Bardock suddenly opened his eyes, his pitch-black pupils burning with a fierce fire. If it was anger, then recalling Freeza's arrogant deeds towards the Saiyans was enough to set Bardock ablaze with rage!
...After transforming in anger in the Sacred Land, Bardock never reverted to his normal black-haired state.
...The dragon-like god asked why, and Bardock's answer was: "I want to remember this feeling."
Bardock looked at his fist, enveloped in golden flames after his transformation, and muttered softly to himself, "This fist can only crush that bastard Freeza's head into pieces... I must hold onto it tightly."
Not long ago, at the temple, the divine dragon race exited the palace. He looked at Bardock, standing at the edge of the temple. Although Bardock still had the golden-haired Super Saiyan appearance, there was no trace of the usual aura or pressure. He seemed like an ordinary person, even less imposing than when he first came to the temple with black hair.
"You've refused to exit the Super Saiyan state, but it seems this unexpected choice has allowed you to fully master the power of a Super Saiyan!" the divine dragon race remarked, impressed.
"After adapting to the exhilaration of the transformation and the heavy pressure on both my body and mind, yes, the power of the Super Saiyan form has indeed become stronger!" Bardock muttered to himself. "I think, it's probably because the S-cells have become more like S-cells now! According to Yamiru and Bulma's analysis, and what the Dragon said earlier, S-cells themselves represent a calm mind. The initial exhilaration and loss of control when first transforming into a Super Saiyan is against the nature of the S-cells! Only when you calm down in the Super Saiyan state can you truly possess the power of a Super Saiyan."
"You truly are a genius in combat—no, in training," the Earth god remarked. "No wonder Yamiru went to such lengths to revive you."
"Genius? No," Bardock glanced at the Earth god. "If I hadn't been exposed to Earth's martial arts, I wouldn't have made such progress. In fact, I would've killed myself under the 500x gravity torture. The Saiyan world, or rather, the environment the warriors of the universe live in, is cruel... The thought of 'just keep training, and it's nothing but self-torture' is something I wouldn't have had in the past."
The Earth god chuckled and asked, "So, what's your plan next?"
Bardock was silent for a moment, looking down at the edge of the temple. His gaze seemed to fall on Mount Paozu, and he said, "There's something I don't really care about, but I think Gine would want me to do it. She's a gentle person, unlike most Saiyans..."
With that, Bardock soared into the air, his golden hair fluttering. He turned back and nodded slightly to the Earth god at the edge of the temple. "Farewell!" With a crack, golden flames erupted from his body, and in an instant, he flew toward the vast ground below. By the time the air explosion reached the Earth god's ears, Bardock's energy had already curved toward the ground, heading straight for Mount Paozu.
On Mount Paozu, Gine was gathering herbs when suddenly a shadow blocked the sunlight in the valley. She looked up to see Bardock's blurry figure above.
"Gine," Bardock extended his hand toward her, smiling gently. "It's time for our other child to return."
"Bardock, you..." Gine gazed up at him, tears welling in her eyes, and nodded lightly.
Using the divine power within the Dragon, reviewing the past was a mere thought for Dorag, who was controlling the Earth Dragon.
And when he had finished "remembering," the Earth Dragon's mouth finally finished speaking the second half of its line: "Your wish..."
Looking at the golden-haired figure standing below the dragon, Dr. Brief, Mrs. Brief, Bulma, and Gine stood together, each with different thoughts.
"So this is the Super Saiyan!" Dr. Brief, holding a cigarette, clicked his tongue in amazement.
"So handsome! So cool! So stylish!" said a certain Mrs. Brief.
"So this is what it looks like... pretty cool," said 13-year-old Bulma. "Wait, should I contact my sister and Yamiru?"
Super Saiyan! Gine was simply excited.
Bulma quietly walked away to find the phone.
Dr. Brief, curious, asked, "What exactly is Bardock's wish for collecting the Dragon Balls? Is it to defeat that... that king who destroyed your homeland?"
"No," Gine shook her head. "Actually, Bardock and I have another child."
"Ah?" Both Dr. Brief and his wife were surprised. Mrs. Brief asked, "So, you want to bring the other child to Earth using the Dragon?"
"Why not before..." Dr. Brief began to ask but stopped halfway.
"Because it was hard to bring it up!" Gine said. "That child, Raditz, has always been by the prince's side. After Planet Vegeta was destroyed, he must have survived in Freeza's army." She said with some concern, "Growing up in a place where there are barely any Saiyan kin, I don't know what Raditz will be like... I heard that the Saiyan prince is very proud, so what will happen to him after his homeland is gone? Raditz, who has always been by the prince's side, might have been killed by the angry prince..."
Seeing her becoming increasingly negative, Dr. Brief reassured her, "It probably won't be that bad. Don't worry, don't worry."
At the same time, Dr. Brief thought to himself: "The reason Goku's brother, Raditz, wasn't brought here a few years earlier is probably because of the risk of exposing Earth to enemies! But now…" Dr. Brief looked at Bardock's golden figure standing tall. "Now, Bardock clearly has confidence. Even if Earth were exposed to Freeza's army by mistake, with his Super Saiyan power, he could handle everything!"
Meanwhile, Bardock, looking up and facing the Dragon, remained silent for a moment.
Wait, could it be—!?
Far in another, unrelated universe, within the Dragon Realm, Dorag, controlling the Dragon, suddenly had a bad premonition.
Then, Bardock slowly spoke.
"Before making my wish..."
As expected!
Dorag, on the Star Ring of the Dragon Realm, slapped his forehead in frustration, his face showing a pained expression...
"...I have a few questions I'd like to clarify first. Is that alright?"
As expected, Bardock's second sentence confirmed Dorag's bad premonition.
"..." Dorag silently nodded the Dragon's head.
Seeing the Dragon agree, Bardock narrowed his eyes and asked without hesitation, "I want to know, is it within your power to instantly transport a 12-year-old child from the far end of the universe to here? This is not a wish, just an inquiry about feasibility."
Damn that Earthling Yamiru! He's the one who got this started! The Earth Dragon continued nodding.
"Then there's another question," Bardock shifted gears. "Dragon, who do you think is stronger now, me or that Freeza guy? Or rather..." he asked seriously, "Does Freeza have any chance of killing me?"
...
"That's right, Uncle Bardock, who doesn't know when he became a Super Saiyan, came to West City with Aunt Gine yesterday and borrowed the Dragon Radar."
In the room, Bulma was speaking on the phone.
Through the window, she could see the Dragon and Bardock in the yard.
"That's impressive! It only took a day, and they've gathered all seven Dragon Balls," Bulma marveled. "Didn't we spend so much time and effort to gather them all before?"
On the other end of the phone, it seemed like Yamiru's voice could be heard: "...I see."
"What?" Tights, who was on the phone with her sister, turned around.