Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: THE START OF TRAINING

​The five stood as a monument to the multiverse's absolute peak, casting long shadows before the Dragon God.

​Yamoshi. Goku. Vegeta. Gohan. Jiren.

​Gathered by invisible threads of fate, they bore the mandate of Elder God Posaiden, bound for a tournament where cosmic hierarchies would bleed. But before the threshold could even be crossed, Zalama intervened.

​The colossal golden serpent-god looked down upon them, his gaze entirely unreadable.

​"Before any of you even think about entering that tournament," Zalama's voice resonated, shaking the ethereal floor beneath them, "you need to understand something. Every one of you has reached a level of power that would make ordinary warriors tremble. You have surpassed gods, broken through limits, and reached transformations that most beings across the multiverse could never even comprehend."

​He paused, his eyes narrowing to razor-sharp slits.

​"But none of that matters. The power you possess right now… isn't enough."

​Silence dropped like a physical weight.

​Vegeta stepped forward, his boots ringing sharply against the stone. "Not enough? You bring us all the way here, gather five of the strongest warriors from across different worlds and timelines, and then tell us that our power isn't enough? Then stop speaking in riddles, Dragon God. Tell us exactly what you're expecting from us."

​Zalama met the Saiyan Prince's fiery glare without a flicker of intimidation. "I'm expecting you to become stronger than the warriors you are today. Before I can decide whether you're worthy of representing Posaiden, I need to see everything you currently possess. Your strongest transformations. Your highest levels of power. Your absolute limits."

​A grin split Goku’s face. "So basically, you want to see what we're really capable of?"

​"Exactly."

​"Then I guess there's no reason to hold back."

​Goku stepped out of the formation. His expression vanished beneath a mask of absolute serenity. His breathing slowed until it ceased to exist, and the atmosphere around him warped, bleeding into an impossible calm. Silver-white energy violently ignited across his frame, casting a celestial glow over his features. His eyes flashed pure silver.

​Mastered Ultra Instinct.

​"This is my Mastered Ultra Instinct," Goku said, his voice entirely detached from emotion yet piercingly clear. "I've spent years pushing myself to reach this state, and I've learned that power alone isn't enough. My body has to move without hesitation, without unnecessary thought, and without letting fear control my actions. This is the strongest level of Ultra Instinct I can currently use."

​Vegeta crossed his arms, watching the silver glow with a critical eye before letting out a sharp smirk. "Kakarot… you really love showing off that form whenever you get the chance, don't you?"

​Goku glanced sideways. "What can I say? It works."

​"Then move aside."

​Vegeta strode forward. A suffocating, ink-black aura violently ruptured around him, tearing jagged fissures into the ground beneath his feet as the raw, unadulterated energy of destruction surged upward.

​Ultra Ego.

​"Kakarot, listen carefully," Vegeta growled, locking his gaze onto his rival. "You may have your precious Ultra Instinct, but don't think for a second that you're the only one who has reached another level. I've spent too long chasing after your power, and I've learned that I don't need to fight the way you do. Your technique depends on avoiding attacks and allowing your body to react naturally."

​His aura flared, turning the surrounding space a violent shade of violet.

​"Mine is completely different. Ultra Ego allows me to embrace destruction itself. I don't need to run from my opponent's strength. I stand against it, overcome it, and use the battle to push myself even further. So, Kakarot, your old-fashioned form isn't the only answer anymore. If Zalama wants to see the power capable of representing Posaiden, then I'll show him exactly what the Saiyan Prince has become!"

​Goku chuckled, unfazed by the crushing gravity of Vegeta's aura. "Heh. You really know how to make an entrance, Vegeta."

​"And don't forget it."

​Jiren stepped forward, cutting through the rising tension with the terrifying stillness of a dormant volcano.

​"Enough."

​All eyes turned to the Pride Trooper. Jiren slowly raised his head, his dark eyes burning with unyielding resolve. "You two have achieved incredible transformations, but transformations are not the only measure of strength. My power comes from the limits I have continuously broken through. I have spent countless battles pushing my body and mind beyond what I once believed possible."

​A heavy, scarlet-tinged pressure erupted from Jiren's core, rippling outward in visible shockwaves.

​"I don't rely on a special technique to define my strength. I rely on myself. My will. My discipline. My ability to continue moving forward when everyone else believes I've reached my limit. This is the highest level of power I can currently release. If you wish to know what I'm capable of, then look carefully. Because I will not hold anything back."

​The sheer density of Jiren's ki made the air feel thick, heavy as lead. Goku stared, feeling the familiar, formidable weight of the Universe 11 warrior. "Jiren… you've gotten even stronger."

​"Strength has no meaning if you stop pursuing it."

​Gohan stepped past them, his face tight with quiet focus. "Then I suppose it's my turn."

​He closed his eyes. His ki didn't just rise; it detonated. The earth trembled beneath them as a wild, electric-purple aura swallowed his silhouette. When his hair spiked upward into its fierce, crimson-highlighted Beast state, Gohan opened his eyes—burning with a fierce, crimson light.

​"I've spent a long time learning that I can't depend on anger alone," Gohan said, his voice echoing with dual resonance. "I've had to discover my own strength and learn how to control it. This form represents the power I've reached by bringing out everything that's inside me. I know there are warriors stronger than the enemies I've fought before. I know this tournament is going to be different from anything we've experienced. That's exactly why I'm going to push myself further."

​Goku smiled proudly. "That's the Gohan I know."

​"I'm not finished yet, Dad."

​Finally, the remaining space fell deathly quiet. All eyes shifted to Yamoshi.

​The ancient warrior stepped forward. For a second, nothing happened. The air simply grew heavy, the light bending unnaturally around him.

​Then—BOOM.

​An epoch-shaking wave of energy tore from his body. It wasn't the searing heat of mortal ki, nor was it the sterile brilliance of divine godhood. It was primordial. Ancient. It tasted like the dawn of creation, carrying an absolute weight that stretched far beyond the ordinary boundaries of the multiverse.

​Yamoshi's hair shifted into a crystalline, divine brilliance, wrapped in a shroud of swirling, primordial light.

​Primordial Super Saiyan God.

​Goku's breath caught in his throat. Vegeta’s jaw tightened. Even Jiren's stoic expression fractured into disbelief.

​"You have all shown the greatest powers you currently possess," Yamoshi said, his voice carrying the resonance of a forgotten age. "But what I carry within me is something different. I am a Saiyan born from the Primordial Realm, and the energy flowing through my body isn't ordinary Saiyan power. This is Primordial Ki. An ancient energy that exists beyond the ordinary boundaries of the multiverse. It is the reason I was able to reach this level as a Saiyan God."

​Goku stared, a look of profound reverence crossing his features. "So this is the power you've been talking about..."

​"Yes," Yamoshi confirmed. "At this level, my strength has reached a level comparable to the Grand Priest."

​Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "The Grand Priest." He spat out the title slowly, tasting the terrifying weight of the words. "You're telling me an ancient Saiyan—standing right next to me—holds power on that level."

​Yamoshi turned his gaze to the prince. "Is that a problem?"

​Vegeta didn't answer. His violet aura merely flickered, betraying the sudden, fierce surge of his competitive drive. Goku, meanwhile, stared with a look closer to a starving predator staring down a feast.

​Surely, this was enough. Surely, Zalama would bow before this display of unmitigated might.

​Zalama looked at Yamoshi. His expression remained completely flat.

​Yamoshi's brow furrowed. "You aren't impressed?"

​"No," Zalama replied smoothly.

​"Even with Primordial Ki?"

​"Even with Primordial Ki."

​Zalama swept his gaze across all five warriors, taking in the glowing silver of Ultra Instinct, the dark destruction of Ultra Ego, the burning discipline of Jiren, the ferocious fury of Beast, and the ancient, terrifying majesty of the Primordial God.

​"Every one of you has shown me power that is extraordinary. Goku has mastered Ultra Instinct. Vegeta has reached Ultra Ego. Jiren has broken through his limits. Gohan has awakened Beast. And Yamoshi possesses Primordial power capable of reaching the level of the Grand Priest."

​He paused, letting the silence settle like a tombstone.

​"And yet I still say the same thing. You aren't strong enough."

​Vegeta slammed his fist against his palm, a low growl tearing from his throat. "Then what exactly do you expect from us?"

​Zalama raised a single hand.

​Behind the Dragon God, reality tore open. Ancient, indecipherable symbols bled into the air, spinning violently until a massive, impossibly ancient doorway materialized out of the void.

​"I expect you to reach a level that you haven't even imagined yet."

​The heavy stone doors groaned open. Beyond them lay a blinding, infinite expanse of pure white. There were no walls, no horizons, no sky—only an absolute, suffocating silence that pressed against the eardrums like physical gravity. The air itself felt thick, ancient, smelling faintly of compressed centuries.

​Gohan stepped closer to the threshold, his boots halting just before the void. "It feels alive," he whispered.

​No one contradicted him.

​"This chamber was created long ago," Zalama explained, his voice echoing in the vast emptiness. "Time moves differently inside it. One hour within the chamber is equivalent to one year outside."

​Goku’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. "One hour equals a year?"

​"Correct. You will enter that chamber and train until you have pushed your current abilities beyond their limits."

​Jiren stepped forward, folding his arms. "And if we still aren't strong enough after training?"

​Zalama met his unwavering stare. "Then you train again."

​The simplicity of the answer was chilling. Absolute. Unforgiving.

​A sharp, wild grin broke across Vegeta’s face. "Now that's what I wanted to hear."

​Goku clenched his fists, a bright, eager spark igniting in his eyes. "Alright! If this tournament is really as dangerous as you say, then I'm ready to find out just how far I can go."

​Gohan nodded, falling in line beside his father. "Then we'll all push ourselves together."

​Jiren walked past them, stepping toward the glowing threshold without a moment's hesitation. "Whatever awaits us in that tournament, I will be prepared."

​Yamoshi lingered at the back, his primordial aura casting a soft, multi-colored hue against the stark white of the doorway. He had already climbed heights that legends wrote epics about. And yet, the Dragon God had dismissed it all with a glance.

​"Then I haven't found my limit yet," Yamoshi murmured to no one in particular.

​He stepped inside.

​With a low, grinding rumble, the heavy doors began to slide shut, cutting off the blinding light from the outside world.

​Zalama stood alone before the closing barrier, his final words echoing into the gathering shadows.

​"Break your limits. Because the warriors waiting for you in the Elder God Tournament will not give you another chance."

​The doors locked shut.

​And within the silent, timeless white, the true training began.