"Gohan, show me your Super Saiyan form."
"Yes, Mr. Rhode!"
Gohan's aura surged, and in a flash of gold, he transformed. Rhode observed critically, then followed suit, his own golden aura flaring to life beside the younger Saiyan's. He concentrated, comparing the two states. Gohan's transformation, though self-taught and forged in the crucible of constant battle, was surprisingly stable. Rhode's own, new and raw, crackled with chaotic, barely-contained energy.
Interesting. He's had no teacher, yet his control has developed naturally.
"Good. Now, spar with me. I need to gauge your foundation."
"Please be careful, Mr. Rhode!"
Gohan launched himself forward with a burst of speed. Rhode met him with a simple, brutal backhand.
BANG!
Gohan flew, skidding and tumbling across the featureless white floor before crashing to a halt. Pain lanced through him. He looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Mr. Rhode doesn't hold back.
He was right. But it wasn't strictness driving Rhode's attacks. The Super Saiyan state itself amplified aggression, the thrill of battle. Every exchange was a lesson, but also a release. Gohan picked himself up and attacked again.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The white void echoed with the sounds of their clash. With each exchange, Rhode felt his control solidify. The wild, chaotic energy of his new transformation began to bend to his will, responding more smoothly, more precisely. Fighting Gohan was the perfect whetstone.
Finally, after what felt like hours, Rhode pulled back, his aura steady, his power perfectly contained. "That's enough."
He studied the slightly battered but determined Gohan. "Your foundation is decent. Your power control needs refinement, but that's what we're here for."
Gohan's path had been one of survival, not mastery. He had the raw materials; now they would forge them into a true weapon.
"Phase one," Rhode announced. "You will maintain your Super Saiyan state constantly. Walking, sitting, eating, sleeping—never drop it. Your goal is to make this form as natural as your base. Only then can you truly command its power." He gestured at the empty expanse. "This place is perfect for tempering the mind. And the gravity here is adjustable. We'll use both to accelerate your growth."
The training began. Days blurred into weeks, weeks into months within the timeless chamber. Gohan pushed himself, holding the golden form until it no longer felt like a strain. Rhode pushed alongside him, his own control evolving from chaotic to precise, inching ever closer to the perfected state of a Full-Power Super Saiyan. His years of foundational work paid dividends; once a transformation was achieved, mastering it became a matter of time, not struggle.
Six subjective months later, Rhode assessed his student.
"Gohan. You've reached Full-Power Super Saiyan. Excellent." He nodded approvingly. "Now, for the remaining time, we focus on base power. A stronger foundation means a stronger transformation. Remember," his voice grew serious, "the Androids are not the end. I have seen countless worlds, Gohan. Earth is a magnet for catastrophe. Enemies far more brutal than 17 and 18 will come."
Gohan's eyes widened, but he nodded, the weight of the future settling on his now-broader shoulders. His base power, once a paltry few million, now exceeded fifty million. A Super Saiyan boost made him a true powerhouse, more than a match for the androids who had haunted his world.
But Rhode had progressed even faster. Breaking the hundred-million barrier had unleashed his true growth potential. Now, after six months of intense training, his power had more than doubled, soaring past two hundred million. The path ahead was vast, but for the first time, he felt he was truly striding down it.
Rhode understood the numbers perfectly. At similar physical ages, both having recently achieved Super Saiyan, the gap in their growth rates shouldn't have been this stark. In six months, his own power had surged by over a hundred million, while Gohan's had increased by only forty to fifty million.
The reason wasn't biological—it was psychological.
Gohan had relaxed. Not consciously, not through laziness, but through a subtle, subconscious easing of tension. The desperate drive that had fueled him when survival was a daily question had faded now that he possessed power he believed sufficient to defeat the Androids. His heart wasn't in martial arts; it was in scholarship. Power was a means to an end, not the end itself.
He needs a new crisis, Rhode realized. A vision of the future that will reignite his drive.
He had painted a grim picture of worse enemies to come, hoping to instill a permanent sense of urgency. But Gohan's reaction was not renewed fire—it was doubt.
"Mr. Rhode," Gohan's voice was small, uncertain. "Can I really... defeat enemies like that?"
The Androids had already been an insurmountable wall for most of his life. The concept of beings beyond them, stronger and more numerous, seemed like a nightmare from which he couldn't wake. His voice trembled with a deep-seated lack of confidence, a scar carved by years of helplessness.
Rhode's frown deepened. This was the root of it. The Gohan of this timeline hadn't just been physically crushed by the Androids; his spirit had been broken. The immense potential, the same power that in another timeline would allow him to surpass even his father, lay dormant, suffocated by a subconscious belief that he couldn't win.
This won't do.
Even if this was a different world, Gohan's potential was a constant. But potential meant nothing if the vessel holding it was cracked by self-doubt.
Rhode's gaze hardened. He looked directly into Gohan's uncertain eyes, his voice dropping to a tone of absolute, unshakeable conviction.
"Gohan. Listen to me." He waited until he had the young man's full attention. "Your potential is immense. It is not an opinion, it is a fact. If you truly want it, if you reach deep inside yourself and decide to win, there is no enemy in any universe you cannot defeat."
He let the words hang in the still, white air of the Time Chamber. This was not gentle encouragement. It was a challenge, a gauntlet thrown at the feet of Gohan's crippling self-doubt. The question was not whether he could, but whether he would finally choose to believe he could.
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