Disclaimer: I Do Not Own DragonBall Z.
Authors Note: Watching DragonBall Super which is great, my biggest problem is what they did to Gohan. From defeating Cell and fighting Buu without going Super they turn him into a weakling. I mean really with the Cell and Buu saga and his Mystical form he could have rivaled Goku and Vegeta. I like Goku and how the show is going but Gohan was nearly killed by Frieza. FRIEZA! The one a regular Super Saiyan could beat. Anyway enough rambling, this is my take on a DBZ universe where Gohan never stopped training.
P.S. If you like Goten and Trunks being Super Saiyan then this story is not for you. Becoming a Super Saiyan is a response to a need not a desire like Goku said, so no chibi supers in this story.
"Gohan Get Up! Gohan! Gohan!"
Smacking away the bouncing object on his chest Gohan sat up on his bed. "Alright, Goten I'm up."
"Mom says I can't start breakfast until everyone is at the table so let's go or I'll eat yours too," Goten shouted running from the room.
Sighing the sixteen-year-old half Saiyan showered and dressed at super speed terrified of missing some of his mom's cooking. "Did Goten eat everything!"
"Son Gohan lower your voice." Son Chi-Chi scolded placing a mountain of plates on the table, giving her son the patented mad mother glare. "I raised you better than that."
"Sorry mother, I didn't want Goten to eat all the food." Gohan bowed hoping his mom wouldn't bring out her frying pan. He had learned over the years even his Saiyan instincts couldn't protect him from his mother's wrath. No one was safe when the frying pan was brought out.
"Don't do it again Gohan; I'm not going to have my babies grow up to be delinquents," Chi-Chi exclaimed weeping. How could her sweet little Gohan turn into a thug? It was all Goku's friend's fault. Filling her bowl of rice she looked at her two sons. Goten as usual was stuffing food in his mouth flinging crumbs everywhere. Just like her Goku. Gohan was eating just as fast to get his fair share, but he was more well mannered. Oh, Goku I wish you could see what a fine young man are Gohan is becoming.
"Mom has Bulma called about my trip?" Gohan had asked Bulma the head of Capsule Corporation and a good friend of the Son family to build him a Spaceship so he could go out into space and train. He rubbed his head at the memory of how his mother reacted when she told him he was planning on going to space to explore. Or that was what he told her. He didn't want to lie but if he told her he was leaving to train she would have never agreed.
"She called early this morning sweetie she wants you to head over right after breakfast. I still don't understand why you would want to go back into space after what happened on Namek Gohan."
Sighing Gohan wiped his mouth. "Mom I've already told you Dad traveled as a child and I want to do that to before going to school like you want me to. It will only be for a year at most and then I'll be back."
Heading for the door, Gohan hugged his mother and little brother tightly in front of their little dome home."Goten make sure you behave for mom and do what she says Ok."
"Ok, Gohan I will. Have fun." Goten sniffled a little; he didn't want Gohan to leave, but mommy had told him it was something his older brother had to do for himself, and he should want Gohan to be happy.
"Be careful Gohan and don't forget to study while you're gone."
"I will mom, See you guys in a year; I'll miss you both!" Gohan yelled shooting into the air.
Racing through the sky towards West City, long spiky hair blown back by the wind Gohan smiled doing a few loops. He had worried his mother would change her mind at the last second, or Goten would cry and then he would stay out of guilt, but nothing had happened. Now it was time to start his journey just like his father did. Flying over Satan city even the face of the 'World's Savior' Hercules Satan couldn't pull down his spirits. He had never cared that after the Cell Games took credit for the Androids defeat. However when he heard the supposed Savior insult and belittled his father and friends only Sparring with Vegeta stopped him from doing something rash. Every one of his friends had fought for the earth and some even die and never had they asked for fame or money, yet a fraud like had brainwashed the world into thinking Ki attacks were tricks of light and that he was the strongest under the heavens. It wasn't brainwashing, Krillin or anyone who knew how to use Ki could have stood up when the Cell Games were finished and told the truth, but no one had wanted to be in the limelight so he couldn't stay too mad at the man. After all, it was partially their fault for letting him get away with his lies in the first Place.
"Gohan! Gohan!"
Landing in front of the Capsule Corporation building Gohan stumbled back as a small purple blur crashed into him. "Trunks you knew I was coming didn't you. Why are you so excited?" Gohan asked setting the seven-year-old Saiyan down.
"Yeah but you never come around anymore." Trunks complained pouting up at the older half Saiyan.
"When I get back I will come around more," Gohan promised patting Trunks on the head. "Can you take me to Bulma she said my ship was ready."
"She told me to tell you to head to the back when you got here."
"Alright thanks, Trunks!" Gohan called back waving to the young boy as he headed for the backyard. If Bulma was in the back that meant the ship was ready for take-off, and he wouldn't have to wait for the C.C. robots to pack everything he would need. Landing Gohan whistled at the size of his ship. He had expected something like the one his Dad had when he traveled to Namek. This one took up most of the backyard and looked to be nearly half the size of Frieza's ship and that tyrant had an army traveling with him.
"You going to stand there all day and gawk or are you going to come in?" Bulma Briefs asked mouth bent up in a smug smirk at her Godsons surprised face.
"You didn't have to do all of this Bulma. A ship like my dads would have been fine." Gohan said rubbing the back of his head blushing lightly. He didn't need all this room.
"Oh please Gohan, I wasn't going to send my godson into space without stocking the ship with everything you would need." Bulma glared at the first-born son of Goku. Really why were all the sons so modest. "Follow me inside and I'll show you how to operate the ship."
Walking behind his Godmother Gohan listened as she listed off the features of the ship her dad had put in, Espresso machine, stereo system and the like.
"Now the training room his on the next level and then that's it. The controls are just like your father's ship we used to escape Namek, and I assume you remember how to operate it."
"That's it?" Gohan asked before slamming both hands over his mouth. "Not that I don't like it I just assumed."
"That a ship this big would have more in it." Bulma finished smiling at Gohan's behavior. "Most of it is the training room on the floor below. You've used Vegeta's gravity room enough to know how to use this one. I raised the maximum level of Gravity you can have so have fun with that."
"Thanks, Bulma." Gohan hugged the Capsule Corp president gently as not to hurt her with his super strength.
"You have two seconds to get off my mate Kakabrat." Vegeta growled entering the ship glaring at the two. "One."
Gohan jumped away from Buma not wanting to fight Vegeta and damage his new ship so soon.
"Really Vegeta. It's just Gohan," Bulma smirked at her husband aware he was extremely possessive.
"Whatever Onna. I need to talk to Kakabrat so get lost." Vegeta ordered cockily knowing full well it would anger his wife, It was one of his favorite past times.
"God can't you ever ask nicely," Bulma complained walking past her husband to leave the ship.
"Why should the Prince of all Saiyans ask nicely." Vegeta mocked ignoring the final glare Bulma sent him promising pain and suffering before she disappeared out of the ship.
"What did you want to talk about Vegeta?"
"Shut it halfling because I'm only going to say this once." Vegeta snapped glaring at the younger Saiyan. "Space isn't a game. Frieza and the Namekians aren't the only other species out there as I'm sure you have figured out, and some won't be as kind as the green beans. You need to stay on constant alert and when faced with opposition abandoned Kakarots naive teachings that everyone has some good in them. It's going to come down to live or die, and if you're not willing to kill then, you should just stay on earth."
Stunned by the speech he had received from someone he thought would just as well kill him Gohan gaped for a few seconds before straightening up and glaring back at the Prince. "I know not everyone is going to be sociable Vegeta."
"Don't treat this likely boy!"
"I got it Vegeta calm down. Dad always believed people could change, but I know better. I've had to kill before on Namek, and I knew eventually I might have to again. Dying isn't something that was on my list to do you know."
"Whatever brat," Vegeta muttered leaving the ship. "I will see you in a year maybe then you might pose an actual challenge."
"Vegeta hasn't changed much over the years. Still looking to be the strongest." Gohan thought closing the door of his ship. Punching in the coordinates for old Namek he braced himself as the spaceship lurched upwards shooting into the sky. "This is it, my one year of training begins now. I hope you're watching me Dad because I won't stop getting stronger just like you."
Struggling to move, beads of sweat falling from his hair Gohan moved through his katas at a snail's pace. Muscles straining stretching the Saiyan armor Bulma had left him he forced his body to move as 500 times earth's normal gravity pressed down on him. "If I transformed this wouldn't be a problem." Gohan thought pushing his body to move faster against the gravity. He had been traveling through space for almost a month now and was closing in on where the old planet Namek used to be. Training every day for hours on end only stopping to rest, shower and eat were the routine he followed, just like when he trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, the only thing that mattered was getting stronger than he was. His father Goku may have thought that the earth was safe with him dead, but Vegeta was sure to have old enemies from his time in Frieza's army that were still out there and no telling what other evils lurked in the depths of space or back on earth.
"No, I need to keep getting stronger in this form. The Super Saiyan transformation is great, and all but I can't always rely on that to be enough." Gritting his teeth Gohan threw another slow punch, Vegeta, and his father spent time training as Super Saiyan and had mostly transformed when they fought since the androids attacked. The transformations were hard to control, his fight with Cell had proved that but the Super Saiyan transformation multiplied their power so the stronger he was at his base state, the more powerful he would be as a Super Saiyan. Kicking at his invisible adversary, Gohan wondered if Vegeta and his father were training like he was or were they looking for the next transformation.
He could feel it when he powered up to his Super Saiyan 2 form and fought against Vegeta who had also ascended. A power that was inches out of reach, ready to be unleashed. He had hinted at another level multiple times when sparring with Vegeta, and the Prince had only smirked which Gohan took as a compliment for finding the next level. He would never tell Vegeta that he wasn't trying to reach that level, though, the last full-blooded Saiyan would definitely rupture a vein, and he didn't want to have to deal with an angry Super Saiyan 2. No, he would train his way and if Vegeta unlocked the third level the Prince would be in for a surprise when Gohan could still keep up. Dropping to the floor, Gohan began his set of five hundred pushups. "I have got to keep pushing myself if I want to protect the earth."
Little did he know on a small planet thousands of miles ahead of him, sensors picked up his ship's signal. "Master our sensors just picked up an incoming ship, estimated time of arrival 4 hours from now."
Sitting on a lavish throne hidden by the shadows a menacing smile erupted from the hidden figure. "Get magnetic beams ready; I want to meet the person who thinks it is ok to travel through my territory."
Terrified for its life, a short purple humanoid alien bowed lowly before scurrying away. "Of course Darbon Sir, Right away Sir."
Back on his ship unaware of the dark plots aspiring against him Gohan crawled into the regeneration tank Bulma recreated from Saiyan and Frieza technology and installed on his ship. Wincing a little, he started the healing process. As the water began to rise, he began drifting off to sleep. "Guess I pushed myself a little too far. Heh..heh."