"I... won't... accept this..."
The giant ape's mountain-like body lay sprawled in the crater on the ground, staring up at the full moon, at the stars, and at Taro, bathed in moonlight. Its voice rumbled low and deep, shaking the ground and making Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha, and Puar—who looked tiny in comparison—feel their heads buzzing.
"Ugh... my head hurts..." Puar's eyes swirled as it floated unsteadily. Now that they were this close, it realized—the ape had only roared, and it was already unbearable, like a brain hemorrhage or something.
Yamcha caught Puar and let it rest on his shoulder, motioning for it to relax, then turned in astonishment to look at the giant ape. All he could see was a wall of brown fur—like a mountain of flesh.
The giant ape lay on its back, chest heaving violently, eyes glowing red.
"He... he doesn't accept... what?" Krillin muttered, a little confused—asking either Bulma or himself.
Bulma pressed her lips tight and furrowed her brow in silence. She stared at the brown giant ape in the night for a while, then looked up at Taro hovering above the ape. She wanted to know... what Grandpa Taro thought of this.
"Oh? And what... exactly are you refusing to accept?"
Against the backlight of the full moon, Taro's expression wasn't very clear. Bulma couldn't make it out—it seemed somehow unreadable.
But one thing was certain—Grandpa Taro wasn't surprised by the ape's refusal.
If Goku really had a second, more vicious personality, then Taro must have known for a long time. Ever since he arrived, he hadn't shown the slightest shock at this strange giant ape. Also, the ape's behavior and tone were nothing like Goku's. And Grandpa Taro's tone now... wasn't like he was talking to Goku either.
Ssshh...
Red light flickered in the giant ape's eyes. It seemed to be struggling with something, staring hard at the blurred figure in the moonlight. It blinked furiously—because the figure was becoming harder and harder to see, and so was its own consciousness. Interlocking fangs jutted from its muzzle, clenching together, as it forced out each word with the last of its strength:
"Why... should..."
But the final word never came. Silence fell.
"Why isn't he speaking anymore..." Yamcha said in surprise. The ape's massive body no longer twitched—had Taro done something mysterious to kill it?
Krillin said nothing. He looked at Bulma.
If anyone here knew Goku and the Muten Roshi best, it was her.
Bulma didn't speak either. She looked at the now-still giant ape, then up at the figure in the sky, thinking silently:
I won't accept this? Why? Was that what Goku truly felt? No... Goku's never been that complicated. Then... was it his other personality speaking? That would mean... Grandpa Taro and that other Goku had already spoken before? What did Grandpa Taro do? And what exactly was that other Goku refusing to accept?
There were too few clues. Bulma couldn't figure it out.
Grrr...
The giant ape suddenly trembled.
Puar yelped, "Ah!" and dove behind Yamcha. "Yamcha! H-he's moving again!"
"Relax, the Muten Roshi is here! We'll be fine..." Yamcha said, trying to calm Puar down while staring at the ape. Sure enough, the giant ape's body was twitching again. Its growling grew louder and deeper.
Boom!
Lying down, the ape slammed a fist into the ground, cracking it wide open.
Boom! Boom!
Its limbs thudded against the earth, tail lashing like a whip. Then it began struggling to rise...
"Uh, maybe... we should run first?" Krillin gulped, uneasily.
"He looks like he's gone completely feral again..." Bulma murmured. She glanced upward, then shook her head. "What's there to be afraid of? Didn't you see Grandpa Taro just made a move?"
The group looked over and, sure enough, at some point, the Muten Roshi had already begun to descend slowly.
Before long, the giant ape managed to struggle to its feet—only to spot a "little thing" standing in its way.
"ROAR!"
Without a second thought, the giant ape swung its house-sized fist down.
Floating calmly in front of the massive ape's head, Taro didn't so much as flinch. He paid no attention to the incoming blow. His eyes gleamed with an eerie light, locking with the ape's blood-red ones. In that instant, a mysterious psychic wave pierced straight into the giant ape's mind.
"It's already morning. Wake up… It's already morning…"
Taro whispered, forcibly inducing hypnosis.
The ape's body froze, its tail twitching uneasily, and the enormous palm that had been aimed at Taro halted mid-swing. A violent tremor ran through its body, and then, before everyone's eyes, it began to shrink at a visible pace.
Eight meters tall, six meters… The thick brown fur started to retract and vanish… Five meters, four… Soon the fur was nearly gone. Its muscular form looked like it was sculpted from granite, the bulging veins plainly visible. It continued to shrink. The head quickly morphed from its ape-like shape—its protruding muzzle pulling back, its jagged fangs blunting and retracting…
"Goku!"
Bulma cried out, tears brimming in her eyes as she bit her lip and was the first to rush forward.
When the transformation finally ended, all that remained at the center of the massive crater the ape had created was a black-haired boy, naked and unconscious. He looked exhausted, his gaze unfocused and dazed, eyelids drooping. In the blur of his vision, he saw a purple-haired girl running toward him.
"Bulma…"
Then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed forward.
"Ah! Watch out!" Yamcha shouted from behind, reaching out instinctively. He was worried—what if Goku hadn't truly regained control?
Krillin looked up at Taro and saw the Muten Roshi observing the scene below—Bulma running to the shrunken Goku, Yamcha calling out behind her. To Krillin, it seemed like a normal moment. But something in the master's gaze felt… amused. Though he couldn't say why.
"Master Taro… uh…"
Krillin suddenly tensed as the Muten Roshi looked directly at him—and then began to float down in his direction.
Tap. Taro landed beside the little bald boy and gave his head a pat without saying a word. Then he turned and walked toward Bulma.
Krillin trembled with emotion. What did that mean? Did the Muten Roshi notice him? Was it recognition?
Yamcha held his breath nervously, but unfortunately, Taro didn't so much as glance his way.
"Come here."
Taro spoke as he walked. When he reached Bulma, she was still holding the unconscious, naked Goku.
He raised his palm and chanted a short incantation. Instantly, a white martial arts uniform identical to the one Gohan wore back when he trained on Muten Island appeared on Goku's body.
Krillin, Yamcha, and Puar had just caught up and were stunned by the sight.
But Bulma wasn't surprised. To her, nothing was strange for an old master who could take her to the underworld and back.
"Grandpa Taro, Goku, he…"
She looked up while holding Goku, now clothed, in her arms.
"No need to worry about him. Come, hand him to me."
Taro reassured her and then grabbed Goku by the leg, lifting him upside down.
"Uh…" Krillin, watching from behind, winced. That was a bit… rough.
Taro raised Goku's leg higher and examined his unconscious face. He turned him around, then pinched the brown tail on Goku's back.
He said to Bulma, "There are two conditions required for Goku to transform into the giant ape. One, the tail must not have been removed. And two, he must look directly at the full moon—or believe he's seen a full moon."
Bulma was startled. Her mind raced for a moment before she found something odd.
"I used to think it was similar to those legends of werewolves and transformations, which made sense. But now that you've explained it like this, I'm actually more confused… Why would just 'believing he saw the full moon' cause him to transform?"