After that, the night passed quietly.
Early the next morning, Zeru woke up. He and Bulma had been staying in a capsule house she brought out. The house had several rooms, so there was no situation of the two sharing the same bed.
Although there was a subtle, budding relationship between them, without officially confirming it, neither of them crossed any lines.
"Hah!"
After washing up, Zeru stepped out of the capsule house and saw Goku practicing punches in the open space. His expression was serious, completely focused on martial arts.
Seeing this, Zeru smiled, a hint of nostalgia appearing on his face.
He had once watched Goku's entire life journey as a spectator.
But now… he was no longer just an observer. He was truly standing here, witnessing Goku in person.
"Goku, your punches are strong, but not decisive enough."
After watching for a while, Zeru spoke up to guide him.
"Oh?"
Goku turned to face him. "How about we spar?"
"You really are something…"
Zeru shook his head with a smile. This kid couldn't go three sentences without wanting to fight.
"Alright, attack me."
Seeing Goku's eager expression, Zeru thought for a moment. He had nothing to do anyway, so giving him some pointers wasn't a bad idea.
"Okay!"
Goku's eyes lit up. He clasped his hands together and bowed, then his expression turned serious. He raised his leg into his familiar pre-attack stance.
"Hah!"
With a shout, Goku moved.
His speed was fast. In just a couple of seconds, he closed the distance of dozens of meters and reached Zeru.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Too weak."
Facing Goku's fierce assault, Zeru placed his left hand behind his back and used only his right index finger to block every strike.
"Hah!"
Goku shouted again, increasing his strength to his maximum.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Even against Goku's full power, Zeru remained completely at ease, still using just one finger. Then, with a slight shift of his body, he moved behind Goku and lightly tapped him on the neck, knocking him to the ground.
"Wow! Zeru, you're insanely strong!"
After lying there for a moment, Goku finally got up, rubbing the back of his neck, his face filled with excitement.
"I'm older than you. From now on, call me big brother."
Zeru laughed.
"Big brother?"
Goku blinked, then broke into a wide grin. "Alright! Big Brother Zeru!"
Laughter filled the air once more.
Time passed quickly. Bulma woke up around noon, and after the three of them ate together, they left Mount Paozu.
Originally, Bulma's purpose for collecting the Dragon Balls had been to ask the dragon about Zeru's whereabouts. Now that he had returned, she no longer felt the need to continue the journey.
However, when Zeru mentioned that the dragon could grant eternal youth, her interest was immediately reignited.
Their journey was cheerful. With the Dragon Radar, they managed to gather all seven Dragon Balls within just a month and successfully summoned the dragon.
During this time, just like in the original story, Goku met Oolong, Yamcha, and Master Roshi.
It was worth mentioning that when Master Roshi first met Zeru, he was completely shocked.
Although Zeru concealed his aura perfectly, as an experienced martial artist, Roshi's sensitivity to energy allowed him to sense that Zeru was far beyond him.
When he learned that Zeru was still so young, he was even more stunned.
…
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, four more years passed.
On a day in August, Age 753, three months after the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament.
That day, Zeru walked out from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in his backyard, where time flowed ten times faster.
"Host: Zeru
Age: 23 (Age 753)
Base Power Level: 520,000,000
Super Saiyan 1: 26,000,000,000
Super Saiyan 2: 52,000,000,000
Skills: Ultimate Kamehameha, Kaioken x5 (no side effects), Instant Transmission, Purification (Silver Level)
Items: 500x Gravity Chamber, 10x Time Flow Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Senzu Beans x50,000."
…
After checking his status panel, Zeru narrowed his eyes, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
His displayed power level was clear, but there was something hidden.
Kaioken x5 with no side effects.
That meant, in Super Saiyan 1 form combined with Kaioken x5, his power would reach 130 billion.
And in Super Saiyan 2 with Kaioken x5, it would skyrocket to 260 billion.
In just four years, his growth had been extraordinary.
One hundred million increase in base power per year—what kind of concept was that?
Of course, Zeru knew this was due to the Saiyan bloodline optimization. Without it, such rapid growth would have been impossible.
"I was already able to transform into Super Saiyan 2 two years ago. Now… it's time to try breaking into Super Saiyan 3."
A gleam of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
Unlike Goku and Vegeta in the original story, Zeru's optimized bloodline was far purer than theirs.
Stopping his wandering thoughts, Zeru focused himself.
With two fingers placed on his forehead, he used Instant Transmission and appeared on a lifeless planet somewhere in the galaxy.
"Hah!"
Floating in the sky, Zeru clenched his fists and shouted, transforming into Super Saiyan.
His aura swept across the entire planet.
"Hah!"
Another shout, and he ascended into Super Saiyan 2.
Without pause—
He pushed further.
In the next instant, he broke through into Super Saiyan 3.
It happened naturally.
Smooth. Perfect.
"Without even using Kaioken x5, I already have 208 billion power level… Honestly, it feels like I'm holding enough power to destroy an entire galaxy."
A proud smile spread across Zeru's face.
At this moment, he even felt like a casual strike from him could wipe out the universe.