c2: Explosive! Luya VS Gohan
It had to be said, both Gohan and Piccolo were truly stunned. Up to this point, their known ceiling of power was already at the level of Gods of Destruction, like Beerus, whose might eclipsed even the fused warrior Vegito. Beerus stood as the apex of their universe's hierarchy, and mortals approaching that tier were considered outright anomalies.
[Ding! System Task Triggered!
Mission Objective: Spar with Son Gohan!]
Hearing the system's announcement in his mind, Luya paused in surprise before a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. This was perfect he'd been itching to gauge the true limits of his strength ever since arriving in this world.
With a determined look, Luya turned to Son Gohan and asked, "You're a Saiyan too. Want to spar with me?"
Gohan blinked, slightly thrown off by the sudden request. He pointed to himself in mild confusion. "You mean… you want to spar with me?"
Piccolo observed Luya closely, his expression unreadable. The stranger radiated an unusual kind of ki—not evil, but far from ordinary.
Luya nodded earnestly. "Yes. Is that alright?"
Gohan glanced at Luya, then looked toward Piccolo, silently asking for his thoughts.
Piccolo didn't answer immediately. After a brief moment of thought, he gave a slow nod. "Alright. In that case… Gohan, go ahead. It might be worth testing his power."
Gohan nodded respectfully. "Okay, Uncle Piccolo."
Moments later, Luya and Gohan faced off on an open plain, standing twenty meters apart. Dust kicked up around them as energy faintly pulsed from their bodies.
Luya smirked slightly. "Let's begin."
Gohan removed his glasses with a calm air, folded them, and slid them into his gi's sash. His face turned serious, and his body shifted into a traditional Z-fighter combat stance feet firm, one fist forward, the other near his side.
Both locked eyes, unmoving. Neither made the first move.
"Ha!"
Gohan suddenly burst forward with a shockwave, and Luya responded instantly, dashing to meet him in mid-air.
BOOM!
As they collided, the force of their initial clash rippled out in a shockwave that cracked the ground beneath them. Their blows came fast and hard fists, elbows, knees a brutal exchange of raw speed and power. For several moments, they were evenly matched, their movements a blur even to trained eyes.
Floating high above, Piccolo watched with narrowed eyes, arms folded across his chest.
After dozens of lightning-quick exchanges, Gohan feinted with his left, grabbed Luya's forearm, and spun with a powerful roundhouse kick to the side!
Luya barely managed to block, arms crossed in defense, but the sheer force of the blow sent him flying.
BOOM!
He crashed into a hillside, obliterating it in a burst of dirt and smoke. Rocks tumbled down, burying his body beneath the rubble.
Gohan landed on the grass below, frowning. "Did I go too far…?"
Piccolo floated down beside him, watching the dust settle. "His ki isn't lower than yours but something's off. He can't seem to control it properly. Be careful."
Gohan's expression grew serious again as he turned his gaze back toward the smoldering crater.
After a moment of silence, the rubble shifted.
Luya stood up, dusting off his armor. His face was calm, though a slight smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Gohan narrowed his eyes. He could tell this wasn't over.
Luya took a slow breath. Despite having a base combat power of 100 million, he still hadn't fully adapted to the flow of such overwhelming energy. According to the system, Gohan's current battle power had climbed to approximately 130 million even while not transformed. Luya had underestimated the son of Goku.
In fact, with proper training, Gohan's true potential far surpassed that. But due to years spent focusing on his studies encouraged strongly by his mother Chi-Chi—his combat ability had plateaued.
At certain points, even Piccolo's ki had exceeded Gohan's, particularly during the early stages of the Buu Saga.
Still smiling, Luya raised his eyes. "Let's go again!"
Without another word, he vanished from view in a burst of ki.
Gohan didn't hesitate. His own figure blinked out of sight the same instant.
A second later, the sky trembled.
Flashes of light streaked across the clouds shockwaves pulsed in all directions. Their speed had increased so much that even Piccolo could barely follow their movements with his eyes. The battle had shifted to another level entirely.
All around them, the sky roared.
Only the explosive impact trails remained visible.
After the battle with Gohan, Luya's control over his ki had begun to improve steadily each exchange sharpening his instincts and efficiency.
But even as his mastery grew, he remained on the defensive. Gohan's precision and raw experience kept Luya suppressed!
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Suddenly, Gohan launched himself high into the sky, then unleashed a flurry of rapid-fire ki blasts blue-white orbs of condensed energy spiraling downward at Luya with unrelenting speed.
Not to be outdone, Luya crossed his arms, powered up, and countered with a barrage of energy blasts of his own!
The sky lit up like a battlefield. Between them, the shockwaves collided, splitting the air with explosive bursts. The pressure distorted the surrounding space as the two warriors clashed from a distance!
Whoosh!
Without warning, Gohan disappeared from sight his movement enhanced by ki control honed since childhood. In the next instant, he materialized behind Luya, his elbow striking cleanly against Luya's back!
BAM!
Luya was sent crashing into the ground, tearing through rock and soil as another cloud of debris billowed into the air.
Hovering above, Gohan gathered his energy, bringing both hands to his side as he assumed a familiar stance his aura flaring.
"Turtle... Hermit... Wave...!!!"
"HA!!!"
With a mighty shout, Gohan unleashed a massive Kamehameha, the blue energy beam roaring downward with incredible speed.
BOOM!!!
The entire valley erupted. The land cracked apart beneath the energy wave. Trees were vaporized, mountains flattened, and shockwaves spread for miles.
In the sky, Piccolo frowned in concern. "Tch... I told him to hold back. This is what happens when he gets serious. Even in a spar, using the Kamehameha at full strength could kill an opponent."
He narrowed his eyes. "Even if that guy survives, he won't be standing…"
Gohan hovered in the smoky air, staring down at the crater with a grave expression. His instincts told him the fight wasn't over.
As the smoke began to thin… a golden glint flickered from the center of the destruction.
Step by step, a figure emerged hair now golden and upright, eyes teal, body radiating an intense golden aura that pushed the dust outward.
"…No way," Gohan whispered. "He… transformed?"
Piccolo's expression finally cracked. Shock and awe replaced his composure.
"Super… Super Saiyan!!"
[Ding! The host has activated the Super Saiyan bloodline. Transformation complete. Current combat power: 5,000,000,000!]
Luya had tapped into the legendary Super Saiyan state. His previous combat power of 100 million had skyrocketed fifty-fold. Golden lightning crackled through his aura as the surrounding terrain shook under the force of his presence.
"Ha!" Luya roared, his power erupting outward like a typhoon. Wind howled. Pebbles and boulders lifted into the air. His aura glowed like a miniature sun.
In mid-air, Gohan's eyes lit up not with fear, but excitement.
"I never imagined it… Saiyans from another universe can transform too!" he said, a grin spreading across his face. The thrill of battle surged in his veins.
"HA!!!"
Gohan's own golden aura ignited. His hair turned golden. His irises faded into turquoise. The air vibrated with the rise of another Super Saiyan.
"Let's see what Saiyans from beyond our universe are made of!" Gohan shouted, golden ki bursting around him. Lightning danced in the air.
Luya's expression grew serious.
Despite his new transformation, the system immediately alerted him to the combat difference: Gohan's current battle power had reached 6.5 billion—1.5 billion higher than his.
Even without fully unlocking his potential—held back for years due to Chi-Chi's pressure to prioritize his studies Gohan was still one of the strongest hybrid Saiyans alive. Luya could feel it clearly.
He clenched his fists. "So strong… Even stronger than me...!"
Realizing the gap, Luya slowly let go of his power. The golden aura receded. His hair shifted back to black. The ground steadied.
In midair, both Piccolo and Gohan froze. Confused, they watched as Luya returned to base form.
"…I can't win," Luya admitted, his voice calm but respectful.
Gohan slowly powered down, his golden light fading as his black hair returned. "You're strong already," he said, smiling. "To be able to match me for that long? That's no small feat."
Luya returned the smile and nodded.
[Ding! Mission Complete!]
[Reward: +100 million combat power points!]
[Skill unlocked: Turtle Hermit Qigong!]
[Skill unlocked: Instant Transmission!]
The mechanical voice echoed in Luya's mind. He beamed with joy. Combat power aside, the Kamehameha and Instant Transmission were among the most iconic techniques in the Dragon Ball universe one for overwhelming power, the other for instantaneous movement.
For a moment, Luya felt like he could even replace Son Goku as the main character of this world…
But reality soon set in. As powerful as he had become, there was still a vast gap between himself and Goku, especially in his Ultra Instinct form or Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-Ken.
Returning to the moment, Luya looked at Piccolo and Gohan and asked, "You two came to investigate the summoning of the Dragon Balls, right?"
Piccolo's face darkened slightly. "How do you know about that?"
Luya smiled mysteriously. "Because I know who did it."
Gohan and Piccolo exchanged a glance.
"…Who?" Gohan asked.
—