"I see, you want to borrow the Dragon Radar to find the Dragon Balls."
"Actually, you don't need to bother. I've already gathered them a few days ago," Bulma said with a smile, revealing that she had collected the Dragon Balls.
Goku widened his eyes in surprise. He hadn't expected Bulma to have already assembled them.
He now understood why the Shadow Dragons would eventually emerge from the Dragon Balls over a decade from now.
Bulma was using them every few years, causing negative energy to accumulate within them. It was no wonder the Shadow Dragons were born.
Bulma bore a significant responsibility for their creation.
However, that was a story for another time. In this world, the Shadow Dragons hadn't been born yet.
"Then I'll need to ask you for a favor, Bulma. I need Shenron's help with a couple of things, so I'll be using two wishes," Goku requested politely.
After all, Bulma had gathered the Dragon Balls, and he was immediately using two of her wishes.
Bulma was pleasantly surprised by Goku's polite request. He seemed different today.
Usually, he was simple and blunt, not as courteous as he was now.
"Don't worry about it. The Dragon Balls can grant three wishes now. I only need one. Wait here; I'll go get them." With that, Bulma turned and left.
...
In Vegeta's gravity training room, an intense red light permeated the room, and the display on the central control panel read a terrifying 1500G.
This meant the gravity in the training room was 1,500 times that of Earth's!
Despite the immense gravity, Vegeta moved with remarkable agility, seemingly unaffected by the crushing pressure.
Clearly, he was accustomed to the 1,500G environment, and his body had been honed to an extraordinary degree.
"1,500 times gravity is no longer effective enough for me in my base form. It's time to try higher levels." Vegeta paused, his gaze shifting to the gravity control panel.
He was about to increase the gravity even further when he sensed Goku's ki, causing him to halt.
"Kakarot's ki? What's he doing here?" Vegeta wondered, intrigued by Goku's sudden arrival.
They hadn't seen each other in a long time since their battle against Majin Buu. They had been focusing on their individual training.
Vegeta became curious about the reason for Goku's visit.
Approaching the control panel, Vegeta pressed the gravity shutoff button.
As the gravity deactivated, the oppressive pressure vanished, and Vegeta felt a wave of relief.
Opening the door to the training room, Vegeta stepped outside.
...
After seeing Bulma leave, Goku waited patiently for her return.
Once I've made these wishes, I'll try to avoid using the Dragon Balls unless it's absolutely necessary.
The Shadow Dragons were ultimately born because of us.
Goku thought to himself, recalling the appearance and power of Omega Shenron.
Even Super Saiyan 4 had been defeated, and he had lost his life in the process.
Of course, if he had been given more time to master Super Saiyan 4, he was confident he wouldn't have lost to Omega Shenron.
Those were merely futile regrets. That Goku was dead. He had been reborn into a past that he was determined to change.
As Goku's thoughts wandered, he sensed Vegeta's ki approaching.
Following the direction of the ki, Goku instinctively turned around, only to see Vegeta standing about ten meters away.
"Vegeta," Goku greeted his friend and rival with a smile.
Vegeta had stood by him until the very end of that final battle.
He regretted that after merging with Vegeta to become Gogeta, he had toyed with Omega Shenron
instead of simply finishing him off.
"It's been a while, Kakarot," Vegeta responded, his expression as stern as ever.
His eyes scanned Goku, and his keen perception immediately detected something different.
Both the dimensions of his muscles and the way he controlled his ki had improved significantly, creating an intangible sense of depth.
"Looks like you've been training hard, Kakarot," Vegeta said, his expression unchanged, but his mind grew increasingly serious.
If Goku kept improving at this rate, he would need to intensify his own training to catch up.
At the very least, he needed to take the next step and master Super Saiyan 3.
He had been stuck at Super Saiyan 2 for many years.
"You're not so bad yourself, Vegeta. Seems like you've been training harder than me," Goku replied, returning Vegeta's gaze.
If he was correct, Vegeta was on the verge of reaching Super Saiyan 3, but something was preventing him from breaking through.
Although he had mastered Super Saiyan 3, he wouldn't tell Vegeta how to achieve it.
They were both friends and rivals, and telling Vegeta how to reach Super Saiyan 3 would be an insult.
"Hmph!" Vegeta scoffed, locking eyes with Goku.
Goku returned the stare without backing down, their auras clashing.
Vegeta unleashed a wave of ki, attempting to overwhelm Goku, but Goku effortlessly dissipated it.
The clash of their auras created a tense atmosphere, as if they were about to engage in battle.
"Goku, Vegeta, what are you two up to now?" Bulma said, walking over with the seven Dragon Balls.
Seeing the tension between the two Saiyans, Bulma couldn't help but feel apprehensive. If they started fighting here, not only would her estate be destroyed, but West City could be reduced to ashes.
Seeing Bulma approach, Goku and Vegeta promptly withdrew their auras.
Vegeta's attention shifted to the Dragon Balls.
He understood Goku's purpose for coming here—the Dragon Balls.
However, Vegeta wasn't particularly concerned. He sought power through training and had no interest in Shenron's wish-granting abilities.
He was simply curious as to why Goku had suddenly decided to use the Dragon Balls.
With the auras dispelled, Bulma placed the seven Dragon Balls on the ground and began the ritual to summon Shenron.
As she recited the incantation, the seven Dragon Balls resonated with one another, and an invisible, mysterious power spread outwards.