Five years have passed since Son Goku narrowly defeated Piccolo at the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budokai. During those five years, the Earth has remained at a mostly peaceful state. But something may soon disrupt that peacefulness!
Tale 180: Five Years Later…
"Gohan! Are you ready, yet? Your father is waiting for you outside!" Chi-Chi called up the stairs to her four-year-old son, Son Gohan. The young boy popped his head around the corner.
"I'm almost done packing, mother. Tell 'im I'll be down shortly!"
Chi-Chi sighed but bore a loving smile, "Don't make 'im wait too long, dear!"
Gohan nodded and scurried back to his room. He was excited that he was going to be going on a special trip with his dad. Despite his young age, Gohan was amazingly mature. Not only that, but he was also training to be a martial artist like his parents!
"Here I come now!" Gohan chirped excitedly as he ran out of his room with his bag. He thundered down the steps and ran over to his mother to give her a big hug.
"Now, you behave yourself, Gohan. Set a good example to Muten Roshi and don't let him be a bad influence on you," she muttered the last part. Though Kame-Sen'nin was the Muten Roshi, his "fondness" for women deeply concerned Chi-Chi in regards to his influence on her young, impressionable boy.
"Huh?" Gohan asked, confused.
"…never mind, dear. Now, have fun! See you in a couple of days!" She kissed Gohan on his forehead before sending him off. Like his father, Gohan has a furry tail. Also like his father, Gohan is incredibly strong for his age and his height.
"Hey, squirt!" Goku greeted his young son as the boy excitedly ran to him, "You ready t' go?"
"You bet!" Gohan exclaimed, "Do y' think I will please the Muten Roshi with what you and mother have taught me?"
"Oh, I'm sure you will!" Goku replied with a chuckle, "Heck, if you keep up with both your studies and your training, your mother and I may let you participate in the 25th Tenka'ichi Budokai next year!"
Gohan's face lit up, "REALLY?"
"Yes but you need to keep up with both your studies and your trainin'," Goku emphasized. He and Chi-Chi had mutually decided that they not only wanted their son to be a martial artist like them, they also wanted him to have an education that Goku severely lacked in his youth. So, Chi-Chi and Goku worked together to homeschool their son (and Goku, too!).
"I promise that I will keep up with both!" Gohan replied with a grin. Goku smiled at his son.
"Good!" Goku then turned and clasped his hands together, "KINTO-UN!"
Within seconds, Goku's well-known cloud greeted them with amazing speed. Gohan stared at the cloud in awe. Goku took notice and grinned.
"Pretty neat, huh? Muten Roshi gave this to me, y'know!"
"He did?" Gohan asked, "Do y'think he'll give me one, too?"
"He doesn't have another one," Goku answered. When he saw that Gohan look disappointed, he added: "But don't worry! Kinto-un will someday be yours!"
Gohan's face lit up, "Really, father? Thank you!"
"C'm on, we better get goin'…" Goku muttered as he picked up his son and got on the cloud. Though Goku technically didn't need Kinto-un anymore, he still preferred riding on it than flying on his own. Besides, flying did use up energy. Goku wanted to make sure he was at 100% at all times to ensure that he will be prepared for Piccolo's inevitable return.
Meanwhile, at the Muten Roshi's "Kame House"…
"H-e-e-l-l-o-o?" Bulma called into the house as she entered with Yamcha, Pu'ar, and Oolong close behind. Kuririn came around the corner looking absolutely delighted.
"Hey, guys!" he greeted them, "Goku's not with you, huh?"
"No. He will be here, though! I am sure of it!" Bulma replied as she put down the fruit basket she had brought. Just then, Kame-Sen'nin had emerged from the bathroom.
"Ah! I thought I heard familiar voices!" He exclaimed as he greeted his guests, "I see you've gotten even more mature, Bulma!"
Bulma glowered at him, "Don't try anything, old man!"
The next person to come around the corner was Lunch, who was in her "dangerous" form.
"Hey, finally got here, eh?" She remarked with a grin, "Is that cutie, Tenshinhan, gonna be here?"
"I don't see why not," Yamcha replied, "We all haven't seen each other for five years. So, I doubt he'd pass up this reunion!"
"Well, that was on you guys," Bulma scoffed, "Because you all had to run off in secret to train…"
"We had to, Bulma. Who knows when Piccolo will return!" Yamcha reminded her.
"Or maybe the real reason you and Tenshinhan ran off was so you could train to get better than Son," Bulma retorted, "But you all know that he has probably gotten a lot better as well!"
"Oh, I know he has," Kuririn said knowingly, "…and he will be bringing someone special to visit us!"
Bulma and Yamcha stared at Kuririn with piqued interest.
"Oh? I wonder who…?"
"Speak of the devil, he is here!" Lunch announced as she stared out the window. She could see the tell-tale Kinto-un rapidly approaching Kame-Sen'nin's little island, "Let's greet him outside."
The others followed Lunch outside. Not even a minute later, Goku's cloud lowered itself so Goku and his son could safely jump off onto the beach. With the exception of Lunch, Kuririn, and Kame-Sen'nin, the group stared in shock at Gohan.
"Hey, guys! Long time, no see!" Goku greeted. Gohan, who was a bit intimidated by all of the eyes that were on him, hid behind his father.
"G-Goku…is that kid yours?" Yamcha stammered.
"Heh heh heh…did his tail give 'im away?" Goku asked with a smirk, "Gohan, that's Yamcha. The lady is Bulma, the cat is Pu'ar, and the pig is Oolong! You already know Kuririn, Muten Roshi, and Lunch!"
"Nice to meet you all!" Gohan greeted with a bow and a shy smile. He was no longer hiding behind his father.
"Nice to meet you too!" Bulma replied with a smile, though it appeared bittersweet.
He reminds me of Son when he was younger…
"Ho, ho, ho! You look stronger than the last time I saw you, whippersnapper!" Kame-Sen'nin remarked with a grin, "Have you been keeping up with your studies as well?"
"Yes, sir," Gohan replied with a grin.
"He's awfully polite to be yours," Yamcha muttered to Goku.
"Chi-Chi and I have been teachin' him proper," Goku replied, "I want him t' have the education that I lacked when I was a kid."
"Ah, I see," Yamcha then addressed Gohan, "So, are you planning on entering the Budokai next year?"
"As long as I keep up with my training and studies, yes," Gohan answered. Just then, two figures could be seen flying towards the island, "Huh? Who are they?"
"That's Tenshinhan and Chaozu," Goku answered, "Remember that I told you that they use the Buku-Jutsu a lot?"
"Oh, yeah…"
Tenshinhan and Chaozu landed soundly. They, too, stared at Gohan when they noticed the boy.
"Oh…! Son, I assume that's your boy?" Tenshinhan asked. Goku grinned and nodded.
"His name is Gohan. Chi-Chi and I decided t'gether to name 'im after my grampa!"
"Aw, that's sweet!" Chaozu replied. He floated towards Gohan, "Hello, Gohan! I am Chaozu!"
"Hello," Gohan greeted back shyly.
"Now that we are all here, let's head inside and have dinner!" Lunch announced. She was now in her docile form because she happened to sneeze prior to Tenshinhan and Chaozu's arrival, "I already prepared an extremely large feast. I am assuming that little Gohan has inherited your large appetite as well?"
"Oh, yeah" Goku chuckled, "I usually hunt for our meals back home so that we don't spend a fortune on groceries. I also cook it all, too!"
Kame-Sen'nin beamed at his former disciple, "You have turned out to be a fine young man, Goku. Your Grandpa Gohan would be proud!"
"Yeah…" Goku sighed, "It's too bad he can't return to Earth for another day so he could meet Gohan…"
Meanwhile, in the outer reaches of the solar system…
"My lord Vegeta, we are almost at our destination!" A man who appeared to be in his early thirties spoke excitedly into an intercom. He was in a very cramped-looking spaceship. His ship was spherical and had an identical companion ship accompanying it as they both zipped through the Kuiper Belt.
"We are still two days off, Raditz," another man, who appeared to be around the age of twenty-five or twenty-six, replied into his intercom. He appeared restless, "Are you sure that your brother will be at this planet known as Earth? We are running out of time. Nappa will soon catch up with us!"
"I am sure of it this time," Raditz replied with a smile, "Kakarrot is here in this solar system…!"
"If he is here, he better be alive," Vegeta scoffed, "…or we would've wasted the last five years searching for nothing!"
"He is my brother, Lord Vegeta. He shares the same blood as I do from our father, Bardock. There's no doubt in my mind that he is still alive!" Raditz replied. Vegeta narrowed his eyes.
"We shall see. If this Earth has hostile inhabitants, he may've been killed. He was only an infant when Bardock had sent us all away during the destruction of Saiya," Vegeta pointed out. Raditz shook his head, even though he knew Vegeta couldn't actually see him.
"I promise you, he is alive…!"
Vegeta scoffed, "He better be…."
Who are these mysterious men who have entered the solar system? And who the heck is Kakarrot? Will they be a threat to our heroes in the near future? Up Next: Family reunion?