During the quiet, peaceful years atop Mount Paozu, Son Goku and his adoptive grandfather Grandpa Gohan forged an inseparable bond. Their days were filled with rigorous training, but also radiant hope. Under Gohan's care, Goku—only seven—was a beacon of untapped strength and endless curiosity, like the morning sun rising over the mountains.
Driven by his innate desire for power, Goku often tried to replicate the explosive moves he imagined in his dreams—flashes of energy blasts, rapid movements, and crushing force. But Gohan, wise and patient, always tempered the boy's fire. "Goku," he would say with a firm but kind smile, "real strength is earned one step at a time. Like climbing a mountain—don't rush. You'll only fall faster."
With fierce determination in his young heart, Goku never argued. He simply nodded with those intense, unwavering eyes, silently promising to keep climbing, one solid step at a time.
Each morning, when sunlight spilled across the wild cliffs of Mount Paozu, Goku would begin his training anew. He followed Grandpa Gohan across narrow trails, climbed jagged slopes, crossed rushing rivers—even when he fell, soaking his clothes and skin or scraping his limbs on stone, he never cried. Instead, he'd grit his teeth, pull himself back up, and push forward. He scaled towering trees, branches whipping against his cheeks and arms, yet he never faltered. And Gohan, always nearby, would call out with pride, "Push on, Goku! Every fall proves you're growing stronger!"
While his body endured brutal physical trials, Goku also began to explore his ki—his life energy, the core of every fighter's strength in the Dragon Ball world. Controlling it was like taming a wild beast. At first, whenever he tried to summon energy, it surged chaotically through his body, uncontrolled and overwhelming. But Goku didn't give up. He meditated, trained, and tested his limits day after day.
At age eight, Goku's efforts finally began to show. His body grew more refined—stronger, faster, more coordinated. Under Gohan's guidance, he practiced basic martial arts—stances, punches, kicks, dodges. Gohan's movements were swift and thunderous, a blend of old Turtle School techniques and personal mastery. Goku studied him obsessively, mimicking his every gesture until each motion became instinctive. Though his clothes were often soaked with sweat and his body trembled with fatigue, he refused to stop until every strike was precise, every dodge seamless.
As his ki control improved, Goku began creating raw bursts of energy, slowly shaping them into controlled attacks. His Saiyan physiology was responding—evolving. His power level grew steadily, and his instincts sharpened. Though he was still far from accessing a full transformation, the latent potential of a mid-class Saiyan was beginning to stir.
At age nine, Goku faced his next great trial: mastering the Kamehameha. With his palms cupped, he focused, trying to compress his ki between his hands. But his blasts were weak at first—just flickers of blue light, softer than a breeze. Gohan would sit beside him, voice calm and steady. "Don't force it. Feel it. Ki is like a stream. Let it flow, gather it slowly… then release."
Gradually, Goku entered the flow state. His mind quieted, his body aligned with the surging force inside him. One evening, as dusk fell on the mountaintop, he released a perfect Kamehameha. The blast flared like a star, lighting up the mountain, sending a shockwave into the forest below. Gohan beamed with pride.
As he trained, Goku's Saiyan genes began to shift again. Though he had no memory of Planet Vegeta, his blood remembered. His power now resembled that of an elite warrior. His ki output spiked, his speed and strength surpassed any ordinary human child, and his potential soared.
At age ten, Goku took on one of the most grueling techniques taught in the afterlife—Kaio-Ken. While it was a move meant to be taught by King Kai, Goku's spiritual insight, born from his reincarnated memories and Saiyan instincts, allowed him to simulate its core concept: compressing and multiplying his ki for short bursts.
The cost was brutal.
Every muscle in his body screamed under the strain. His bones felt like they might crack. Gohan watched in worry, eyes filled with concern—but Goku's voice was defiant: "I can do this, Grandpa!" He pushed past his limits, and at last, a red aura burst around him. Kaio-Ken x1—his first successful multiplier. Though unstable, it amplified his combat strength drastically.
As his power climbed, his mastery of ki-based techniques expanded. He learned to sense energy signatures around him, to control his battle aura, and to use ki to reinforce his strikes. Around this time, Goku experienced his first true transformation—an emotional surge triggered by desperation during a high-intensity sparring match with Gohan.
His hair flared golden. His aura ignited like a sun. His eyes turned teal.
He had unlocked Super Saiyan—a feat no Saiyan had achieved in centuries.
Though the form was unstable and short-lived, its arrival marked a turning point. Goku had surpassed even adult warriors from the past, and he knew it was only the beginning.
At age eleven, Goku undertook the ultimate spiritual training: the Spirit Bomb. Drawing upon the energy of nature itself, he practiced connecting with the life force of all things. He listened to the birds, touched the trees, walked barefoot across the ground—he attuned his heart to the world. With every breath, he began to sense the subtle energies in plants, animals, and even the air.
After months of silent effort, he formed a glowing blue orb in his hands. The Genki Dama—small, but potent—shimmered like a miniature planet. He held the Spirit Bomb high, triumphant.
In tandem with this emotional and spiritual growth, Goku's combat instincts grew more primal. With training and battle simulations drawn from both Earth and flashes of Saiyan ancestry, he tapped into a deep, feral state. Though not a formal transformation, it allowed for brutal rush attacks, power bursts, and heightened awareness—precursors to future transformations like Super Saiyan 2.
By age twelve, Goku turned to an advanced technique—Instant Transmission. Though typically learned from the Yardrats, Goku's unique energy sensitivity and meditative training allowed him to grasp the basics. Still, progress was slow. He struggled to lock onto energy signatures with clarity.
Frustrated, he trained harder.
"Don't rush it," Gohan told him gently. "Let the world speak. Listen with your heart."
Goku breathed deeply, sensing the subtle rhythms of life. One day, while meditating beside a waterfall, he vanished—and reappeared behind it.
Instant Transmission—mastered.
Following that, he refined other skills:
Dragon Fist: A lunging golden strike shaped like a dragon.
Afterimage Technique: High-speed feints to confuse enemies.
Solar Flare: A blinding flash of light.
Destructo Disc (Kienzan): A razor-sharp energy disc that could cut through anything.
His combat arsenal became vast and versatile, covering long-range, defense, and crowd control. And though his martial spirit from another life was no longer directly referenced, its memory translated into unique combat instincts and spiritual synergy, distinguishing Goku from any other Saiyan.
Over these years, his battle power evolved exponentially. With intense training, meditation, and battles, he ascended through every canonical transformation:
Super Saiyan 2
Super Saiyan 3
Super Saiyan God
Super Saiyan Blue
Ultra Instinct (Sign) — and occasional flickers of Mastered Ultra Instinct during rare meditative peaks.
He didn't stop there. Drawing on the limits of fan speculation and the unstable chaos of his multiversal rebirth, Goku briefly touched transformations like:
Super Saiyan 4 (GT lineage; accessible through controlled primal energy)
Super Saiyan Rose (a byproduct of divine ki mutation)
Super Saiyan 5 and beyond (unstable fan-theory evolutions)
Each form, though mostly experimental, gave him glimpses into a deeper universal truth—Saiyans, with enough drive and heart, could transcend even gods.
Time passed. Six long years of training, hardship, and evolution shaped Goku into something new. No longer the naive, headstrong boy of old, he was now a towering warrior—focused, compassionate, and immensely powerful.
One evening, as the sun bathed Mount Paozu in golden light, Goku sat beside Grandpa Gohan, watching the sky.
"Grandpa," he said quietly, "thank you. For everything. I couldn't have done any of this without you."
Gohan smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "No, Goku. You earned this power. With sweat, tears, and willpower. The road ahead will only get harder—but I know you'll walk it with courage."
Goku nodded.
The legendary journey was just beginning. And the universe would soon learn the name of the warrior reborn from two worlds—
Son Goku: The Multiversal Saiyan.