After his victory over Freeza, Goku shot toward the Grand Elder's dwelling at his absolute top speed.
Planet Namek was in its death throes. The sky was a churning blanket of ash, split by veins of angry lightning. Below, the earth cracked open, vomiting rivers of incandescent magma—a true apocalypse unfolding.
The Grand Elder's house was now little more than a fragile sanctuary amidst the chaos. The surviving Namekians huddled in a cleared space, encircling their venerable leader. Before him lay the seven Dragon Balls, gathered earlier by Freeza's forces.
Goku touched down softly before the assembly.
The Grand Elder's voice was a frail whisper, yet it carried to all. "My children… our savior has returned. Offer him your thanks."
More than a dozen Namekians immediately knelt, their gratitude palpable.
Goku waved his hands urgently. "Please, there's no time for that! We need to summon the Eternal Dragon, now! This planet is coming apart!"
The Grand Elder gave a slow, weary nod, turning to his strongest guardian. "Nail… it is time. Call forth Porunga."
Nail stepped forward. Placing his hands upon the gathered orbs, he chanted the ancient words. The world plunged into an even deeper darkness as the majestic, sky-filling form of Porunga the Dragon materialized.
"Namekian… speak your wishes. I shall grant three."
Nail looked to Goku, who spoke without hesitation. "First! Restore Planet Namek to the way it was before all this destruction!"
Nail relayed the wish in their native tongue.
"To return this wounded world to its former wholeness… a simple task." Porunga's eyes flashed a brilliant red. Instantly, the cataclysmic tremors ceased. The fractured ground knitted itself back together, the fiery rivers cooled into stone, and a vibrant, healthy green hue returned to the landscape and sky. The planet was healed.
"State your second wish."
Goku opened his right hand, revealing the metallic dust that was all that remained. "My World Ring… and the lives inside it. My wives… they were lost when it shattered. Can you restore it? And…" he added, thinking ahead, "can it be bound to my very being? So it can't be broken in battle again?"
After Nail translated, Porunga nodded. "This, too, is within my power." His eyes glowed once more. The dust in Goku's palm shimmered, flowing and reforming into the intricate band of the World Ring. Simultaneously, he felt the warm, familiar presences of Bulma, Saeko, Rei, and Yuriko return within its space—safe, whole, and sleeping peacefully.
"Thank you," Goku breathed, immense relief washing over him. Concentrating, he willed the ring to merge with him. It dissolved into a stream of light that sank into his palm. A moment's thought brought it back, solidifying on his finger. "Perfect. Now it's safe."
"Your final wish."
Goku's eyes shone with fierce ambition. "I wish for immortality and eternal youth! I need endless time… time to seek out and battle the strongest warriors this universe and beyond have to offer!"
Nail faltered, looking to the Grand Elder for guidance.
The ancient Namekian studied Goku's determined face for a long moment. "Do it," he finally said. "His heart is not wicked, only driven… and it is a small price for saving our world and our people." And if darkness ever takes root in that heart, he thought privately, the Dragon can always revoke what it has given.
Nail conveyed the final wish. Porunga's eyes flashed a third and final time.
Goku gasped. A wave of boundless vitality surged through him, from the marrow of his bones to the tips of his hair. Every trace of fatigue from his battle with Freeza vanished, replaced by a peak condition that felt… permanent. An endless dawn of potential stretched out before him.
"This feeling… this is incredible!" he exclaimed, clenching a fist buzzing with undying energy.
"All wishes have been granted. Farewell." With that, Porunga vanished, and the seven Dragon Balls turned to stone, shooting off to the corners of the renewed world.
Goku turned his eager gaze to the Grand Elder. "Grand Elder… I've heard you can draw out a person's hidden power. Would you… could you do that for me?"
"Of course, child. Come here."
Goku rushed to the elder's side and knelt. The Grand Elder placed a large, gentle hand upon his head.
For a moment, there was silence. Then—
BOOM!
A cataclysmic wave of ki erupted from Goku, shaking the very bedrock of the planet. The Grand Elder's eyes flew wide with shock.
Such… such bottomless potential! It is like a hidden ocean! If fully unleashed… would anyone in all creation be his equal? The hand on Goku's head trembled with the strain.
"HAAAAAAAA!" Goku roared, his body erupting in a golden blaze. Super Saiyan. His hair flashed upward, his eyes burning emerald. The sheer force of the transformation blasted the surrounding Namekians back.
And his power kept climbing. The aura condensed, muscles bulged with the intensity of Ascended Super Saiyan, then refined further, stabilizing at a perfect, torrential peak—the full power of a mastered Super Saiyan.
The Grand Elder withdrew his hand, wiping cold sweat from his brow. "I… can unlock no more. The rest of the path… you must walk yourself."
Goku rose, slowly reigning in the devastating aura. He felt the new power coursing through him—a continent-shattering, ocean-parting strength. He felt, with utter certainty, that he could crack a planet in two with a single, focused blow.
"The power… it's amazing!" he whispered, a grin of pure, savage joy spreading across his face.
The Grand Elder watched him, a seed of profound unease taking root. This one… his potential is terrifying. Should he ever fall to malice… the universe itself would know no peace.
Later, Goku was welcomed into a Namekian village for a feast of gratitude. He summoned the women from the restored World Ring, leading to a flood of relieved but scolding questions, which he weathered with sheepish smiles and promises.
After only a day of respite, Goku bid the Namekians farewell. His next destination was fixed in his mind, a longing he had held for years. He launched into the starry void, setting a course for a distant, mystical world.
He was going to Planet Yardrat. It was time to learn the Instant Transmission.