Ten months later, during another intense sparring session, Turles noted that Trunks's battle power had reached a new peak. Most notably, Trunks had completely mastered Super Saiyan Full Power and was even beginning to touch the threshold of Super Saiyan 2.
After all, "walking the line of death" on a regular basis provided a level of growth that was simply staggering.
However, at this stage, Trunks's latent potential had been tapped to its current limit. From here on, he would need steady, long-term accumulation.
"Alright, Trunks. That's enough," Turles said, easily dodging a strike from the boy.
"For the final month, you need to let your body relax. Your nerves are wound too tight. Besides, your current power level is more than enough to handle those Androids easily."
"I understand, Master Turles."
Looking at the obedient Trunks before him, Turles nodded with satisfaction. Trunks's progress during this period had been explosive; his base power level had reached a staggering 166.66 million.
In his Super Saiyan form, he would be more than a match for even Perfect Cell, let alone the Androids.
As for why his power had jumped so significantly? The Saiyan passive trait—the Zenkai—provided the answer. Trunks had been beaten to the brink of death by Turles more times than he could count; such a massive increase was perfectly logical.
Time trickled by. A few days before they were set to leave the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Turles called Trunks over.
"Today, I'm going to show you every stage of power I've achieved so far. Listen closely, and watch carefully."
"First, I won't bother explaining Super Saiyan or Super Saiyan 2."
"This next one is Super Saiyan 3."
"HAA—! AAAAGGGHH!"
With a gutteral roar from Turles, a golden aura completely engulfed him.
A moment later, his appearance shifted dramatically. His hair lengthened, flowing all the way down to his waist, and his eyebrows completely disappeared. Dense sparks of electricity crackled around him. The sheer intensity of his pressure forced Trunks to retreat step after step.
"So... so strong..." Trunks stammered, his voice trembling as he felt the magnitude of Turles's Ki.
Sensing his own power in this form, Turles realized that the "energy leakage" typically associated with Super Saiyan 3 was indeed caused by the lack of a tail. Since his tail was intact, he didn't have to worry about that flaw at all.
Reverting to his base form, Turles looked at Trunks with a serious expression. "The next realm is one I haven't fully verified until recently. I'm going to test it now. Trunks, get back. Further."
Trunks nodded blankly. He hadn't expected there to be a level beyond Super Saiyan 3. The previous transformation had been terrifying enough—that mountain of Ki felt like it could snuff him out with a single breath.
Once Trunks was far enough away, Turles took a deep breath. A sphere of light appeared in his hand. If Vegeta had been there, he would have instantly recognized it as a Power Ball.
As the artificial moon ascended into the white void, Trunks watched as Turles transformed into a primal, wild Great Ape. Then, in a flash of gold, the beast became a Golden Great Ape.
The Golden Great Ape let out a thunderous roar, and a blinding golden light erupted from its body.
The light was so intense that Trunks was forced to shield his eyes.
When Turles reappeared before him, his physical form had changed entirely. His body was covered in thick red fur, leaving his exaggerated chest and abdominal muscles exposed. His golden hair had returned to a shoulder-length black, his pupils were golden with red outlines around the eyelids, and most notably, a long red tail flicked behind him.
An impossibly vast Ki caused Trunks to tremble uncontrollably.
As Turles opened his eyes, a bolt of static arced through the air, and the entire Hyperbolic Time Chamber shuddered. If Turles hadn't actively suppressed his power, the dimensional barrier would have shattered instantly.
After all, a 4,000x multiplier on top of a base power level of 2 billion was no joke.
"This is Super Saiyan 4—or you could call it the Primal Super Saiyan. This form has no weaknesses. If you wanted to, you could live your daily life in this state."
"However, this form requires a tail. You have to regain your reason while in the Great Ape form, become a Golden Great Ape, and then compress that massive energy into this state."
"As for the specifics of how to do it, you'll have to figure that out through training yourself. Explaining it can only do so much; you have to experience it."
Turles reverted to his base form and looked at Trunks curiously. "You should have had a tail when you were born, right?"
Trunks nodded. "Yes, Master Turles. But my mother had it removed when I was a baby."
"I see."
With a red flash in Turles's eyes, he utilized his Miracle Power. Suddenly, Trunks's tail involuntarily sprouted from his lower back.
"There, I've fixed the tail issue for you. I've taught you everything I can. The rest is up to you. Your world is yours to protect, after all."
"I understand, Master Turles. Thank you for everything you've taught me. I truly am grateful." Trunks gave Turles a deep, respectful bow.
"Forget it. I only trained you because I promised Bulma. Just remember—if you ever run into a problem you can't solve, come find me."
"And... make sure you protect your mother. She has already..." Turles sighed. Though the Bulma in Trunks's timeline wasn't his Bulma, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her.
"I know. Don't worry, Master Turles. I will protect my mother and my world!"
"Good. In that case, let's get some rest, change our clothes, and get out of here tomorrow. I've had more than enough of this empty void."
Trunks gave an awkward laugh. To be honest, he was sick of it too. Waking up to nothing but endless white every day was enough to drive anyone mad.
The next day, Turles and Trunks opened the door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with great anticipation.
Mr. Popo, sensing the door opening, hurried over to check on them.
As the two emerged, Popo felt two immense signatures. They were incomparably stronger than when they had entered. Even while suppressed, the two felt terrifyingly powerful to him.
"Phew! The outside air is so much better. Oh, hey, Mr. Popo... Since you're here, I don't need to go looking for you to say goodbye. Trunks and I are heading out."
Turles greeted the black-clad attendant with a nod. He always felt Mr. Popo was more than he seemed—after all, this was the being who had taught Goku the basics of Ultra Instinct. Who knew what kind of powerhouse he actually was?
Trunks also gave a respectful greeting.
Mr. Popo nodded back, and in an instant, Turles and Trunks vanished from the Lookout.