However, both Vegeta and Goku's tails were already gone. For reasons unknown, ever since they began living on Earth, it seemed difficult for a Saiyan's tail to regrow.
"Great Ape transformation! An evolutionary transformation?"
"Correct. Have you two forgotten the very core of Saiyan power? The tail and the Great Ape... that transformation is the true source of your strength," Axis stated.
Sun Goku listened with a bewildered expression. was the Great Ape transformation truly that powerful?
He had never genuinely experienced it, for his only memory of the form involved trampling his grandfather to death when he was a child.
That was hardly a fond memory. Later, after Kami saw the tail, he had removed it permanently. In the decades that followed, it had never grown back.l̥
"I know that a Saiyan's power originates from the tail, and that the Great Ape is a transformation our race masters from birth. But this specific transformation you speak of…can you teach us exactly how to achieve it?" Vegeta asked.
"The method is simple, though there is a prerequisite: the Super Saiyan form must have already reached its absolute limit. If the Super Saiyan state has not been pushed to its peak, it is impossible to achieve to Super Saiyan 4."
Axis stepped in front of the two warriors and detailed the process. "First, you must gaze upon a full moon to enter the Great Ape state. From there, you will transform into a Golden Great Ape.
"Your fur will no longer be black, but gold, this is the Great Ape form of a Super Saiyan. Then, while in this form, you must regain your reasoning. You must awaken completely, control the Great Ape's power, and merge it with the power of the Super Saiyan. Only then can you transform into Super Saiyan 4."
"It sounds simple enough, but can one really recover their reason while in the Great Ape state?" Goku asked, scratching his head.
"Hmph! A low-class warrior like you certainly couldn't, but I am an elite warrior of royal blood. I can maintain my sanity while in the Great Ape form. Surely you haven't forgotten how I thrashed you on Earth after I transformed?" Vegeta turned to glance at Goku.
If this Super Saiyan 4 was truly as simple as Axis claimed, then theoretically, Vegeta should have been able to achieve the transformation with ease.
"Oh, right, I remember now. You did turn into a Great Ape back then, Vegeta. It was incredibly strong." Goku finally recalled the event. When Vegeta had first come to Earth, he had pushed Goku to his limits before finally transforming.
At that time, Goku had been no match for him. If Yajirobe hadn't launched a surprise attack and cut off Vegeta's tail, the situation would have been disastrous.
"But Vegeta, after that battle, your tail never grew back either," Goku observed, looking at Vegeta's lower back.
Transforming into a Great Ape required two preconditions: visual contact with the projections of a satellite, and a tail.
The first condition was manageable; Earth had a moon, and even without a full moon, Vegeta could create a Power Ball to simulate one.
"It is strange. I have always been curious about it myself. Since settling on Earth, my tail has ceased to grow. This is highly irregular. Reason dictates that a Saiyan's tail should regenerate on its own, even if severed for a time," Vegeta said, his brow furrowed.
Although he had mastered the power of the Super Saiyan, Vegeta had never considered battling as a Golden Great Ape. Theoretically, however, that form would indeed possess greater combat power.
"So what do we do now? Is there no way to become a Super Saiyan 4?" Goku asked.
Goku could feel the aura radiating from Axis. It was a power on a completely different level from their own.
It was filled with primitive wildness and fury, a force they could not hope to match. Even transforming into Super Saiyan Blue combined with the Kaioken times twenty would not be enough to defeat Axis.
"Kakarot and I probably cannot become Super Saiyan 4. A full moon is easy enough to handle, I can create an artificial moon, but the tail is truly a problem," Vegeta admitted.
Damn it! To have forced out the opponent's full strength only to realize they still could not rival Axis filled Vegeta with grief.
This was the greatest blow to the Prince of all Saiyans.
"Don't lose heart. I can help you bring out your tails," Axis said.
"You have a way to make our tails grow back?" Vegeta asked, his eyes lighting up.
As long as he had a tail, he had absolute confidence in his ability to achieve Super Saiyan 4. As for Kakarot, Vegeta decided he couldn't care less about him.
"Of course. Now, take off your trousers," Axis commanded.
"Wait, take... take off our trousers? Why do we have to take off our trousers?" Vegeta and Goku widened their eyes, asking in sheer disbelief. Was there some mistake?
"It is quite simple. If I am to pull your tails out, naturally you must remove your trousers. Then we just need to find a large pair of pliers," Axis said, a mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Goku fell silent.
Vegeta fell silent.
They both felt a strong sense of malice radiating from Axis.
"You... are you sure this technique will work?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Just trust me. My method is very reliable. Go find a pair of large pliers. I will use them to clamp onto the root of your tail and pull it out for you," Axis insisted.
He knew this method was sound. In the lore of Dragon Ball GT, Goku had achieved Super Saiyan 4 precisely because his tail had been pulled out. The method Axis intended to use was the exact same one employed by the Old Kai, making it a strictly scientific and canonical approach.
"I... I understand. Wait a moment, I will go find a sturdy pair of pliers." Goku nodded, choosing to trust Axis.
With an Instant Transmission, he vanished.
He returned directly to his home, rushed into the tool shed under Chichi's startled gaze, grabbed a pair of massive industrial pliers, and left.
"I brought the pliers! Let's get started quickly. I'm really looking forward to this Super Saiyan 4," Goku said upon his return.
"Rest assured! Now take off your pants and stick your rear end out," Axis said, taking the giant pliers.
Vegeta and Goku both hesitated, looking constrained.
"Ka... Kakarot, you go first! I will yield this opportunity to you."
"Eh? You're so cunning, Vegeta. You're better at this transformation than I am, aren't you? You can control the Great Ape state, but I can't. You should go first!" Goku immediately shook his head.
"Damn it, fine, I'll do it." Vegeta took a deep breath. He walked up to Axis, lowered his trousers, and turned around, exposing the base of his tailbone.
Axis smiled wickedly and clamped the pliers onto the root of Vegeta's tail.
"This might hurt a little! Bear with it, it will be over soon." Axis grabbed Vegeta by the neck with one hand and gripped the pliers with the other, then yanked with sudden violence.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
A mournful scream echoed through the heavens.
The sound shook the world, scattering the clouds in the sky.
Vegeta clutched his backside, letting out a shriek that would make listeners weep and observers mourn.
"What are you screaming for? You're a grown man. I'm just pulling a tail out, not cutting the whole thing off," Axis said with evident dissatisfaction.
"Damn you! You try it and see how much it hurts if you've got the guts!" Vegeta retorted, still clutching his rear.
"As the saying goes, only by enduring the hardest of hardships can one rise above the ordinary. To transform into a Super Saiyan 4, a little suffering is acceptable. Look, hasn't the tail come out?" Axis pointed to the black tail behind Vegeta, which had now been pulled out to a length of over a meter.
Heaven only knew how a meter-long tail had been retracted inside his body all this time; it was truly bizarre.
"Hmph! Kakarot, my tail is out. Now it is your turn. Once your tail is extracted, I will create the artificial moon," Vegeta said.
"Um, maybe you should teach me how to control the transformation first! I'm afraid that once I turn into a Great Ape, I will completely lose my reason," Goku said.
"Tch! What a troublesome fellow. Listen well. The key to the Great Ape form is sufficient strength and a clear mind. In the transformed state, a Saiyan's wild nature is fully unleashed. You must learn to suppress that wildness. If you do that, you can control the Great Ape transformation. Although you are a low-class warrior, you should be able to learn it. After all, even Raditz and Nappa could control it. The specific trick is... like this... and then... like this."
Vegeta gave a simple explanation of how to control the Great Ape form. Axis listened intently from the side as well.
There had been speculation that this control was limited to elite warriors, and if one lost their reason, the transformation could act as a detrimental ability.
After learning the method to control the Great Ape form, Kakarot was eager to try.
"Come on! Axis, pull my tail out too."
Axis nodded. Just as he had done with Vegeta, he clamped the pliers onto the root of Goku's tail and yanked the entire appendage out.
Once again, a mournful scream resounded through the sky.
"I will create the artificial moon."
Just as Vegeta was about to generate the Power Ball, the three of them suddenly noticed that an artificial moon had unknowingly appeared in the sky above. From the distance came the thunderous roar of a Great Ape.
This signature! It was Kratos. The lad had transformed!
Who was his opponent?
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ps?