Vegeta's Thoughts
(Trunk's Goes Super in Front of Vegeta)
I can hear him breathing heavily as he strains under the gravity for each step he takes. He hasn't been in here but a few minutes. Maybe I shouldn't have let him come at all. I'm training far above his level right now. I'm training as a super saiyan. He's too weak to be here right now, but I kind of like that's he's trying anyway. I don't like to hear how much he's straining (I'm not facing him). Maybe I should taunt him a bit to test his reaction. It will either make him try harder or he'll see that he shouldn't be in here. He's continuing to heave as he steps and it's distracting me. I don't like this feeling of concern.
"Perhaps you should rest, son. One-hundred-fifty times gravity is a man's training level. You're clearly still a child."
"Goten called me last night," Trunks has completely ignored my taunt, but he's so strained to move, even his words are filled with effort. "He said he's going to be in the tournament. Now I want to."
My son wants to be in the tournament! My heart is filling with pride. He'll have to train more if he's serious about it. I can't help smirking. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"Guess I'll go," Trunks hesitates for a moment as he contemplates, "super."
"Huh?" I can't keep the reaction from slipping out. Super? Did he just say super? He can't actually mean super saiyan, can he?
I can hear him as I turn around to stare in disbelief. He DOES mean super sayain! My mouth is wide and I am speechless as I gawk! It's utterly shocking! He's turned super saiyan! But he's only eight! How can this be?! He's jumping up and down in glee of the ease in this form as I stand as if paralyzed in my amazed confusion. Obviously this isn't even the first time he's gone super saiyan.
And as my mind clears just the slightest bit in trying to figure out this phenomenon, Trunks begins running around the room in large circles! He's…playing! My son is a super saiyan, as if with ease, and he's playing with the power! It's as if it's nothing to him! It took me years of intense training and soul tormenting to become what he's playing with!
I can't contain my speech any longer, and my thoughts begin coming out in words, "Did… I miss something?" I continue watching as Trunks begins doing flips off the walls in addition to his running.
"When was it that the transformation to the legendary warrior of the saiyan race was reduced to a child's play thing?" I can't quite hold the annoyance I am feeling as I speak. He has no idea what it is he has accomplished! No sense of pride over it! It's merely a toy to him! What I worked so hard for, my child is treating as a toy! That makes me feel angry, but I don't blame him for it. He doesn't know any better.
My face hardens and I clench my fists. I can't stand him playing with this. I can't tolerate this childish running anymore. "Come here son!"
If Trunks can do this, there's a possibility that Goten can too. Trunks will know if he can. I wait a moment while Trunks' energized brain registers that he's received instructions from me and he quits running. "Can the youngest child of Kakarot also become a super saiyan?"
"Yes," Trunks nods.
Not even a flinch! It's almost a look of confusion over why I would even need to ask such a thing! And the thought that Goten can do this too! I hate that! "Yes, naturally, it's a super saiyan bargain sale!" I speak with sarcastic disgust.
Trunks just stares up at me blankly with a stupid confused smile. He has absolutely no idea what I'm saying, but something seems to tell him he must answer me and so he makes up what he thinks I want to hear. "Uh… uh-huh."
Despite all the time I've spent training with Trunks, I've somehow missed how strong he's become. We've never sparred. It never crossed my mind he would be strong enough for that at such a young age. In fact, I haven't even really watched him at all. We train in the same room, that's it.
"Try to hit me," I demand. It's time to see what he's really capable of. I need him to fight me so I can feel his strength when pitted against mine. I know he's much weaker, but I must know how much. Obviously he's not nearly as weak as I thought he was.
"Uh…," Trunks blinks and stands straight. He has that stance I know. He wants something. "Why would I do that, dad? You know I'm not strong enough."
He's been subtle, but I can tell it's not just a simple statement. He's using what I've said to him in the past as leverage. I've always said he's not strong enough to spar with me and he can clearly see now that I'm second guessing that statement.
If I didn't know him so well, I may have mistaken his hesitation and that statement as fear of fighting me, but no. He wants to deal. We'd played that game many times. In my lack of good parenting, I'd developed a streak of bribery. It isn't a good habit and maybe someday I'd break it, but in the meantime, it's a bit of a bond we have and I rather like it.
"You want to play like that? Fine, let's deal," I smirk. I can't hide my pleasure with this game. It shows he's intelligent enough to get what he wants when he sees an opportunity, and I know what he wants. He's a smart child. "If you can land a punch in my face, then I'll take you to the park for an hour."
That will do it for sure! It's much more than I usually give. He often wants to hang around me and he loves to get out of the house. Those two wishes very rarely come together. I hate outings, but this will guarantee me that he'll try his hardest. Besides that, I don't really think he can hit me anyway and I won't have to take him if he can't do it. He knows that as well as I do. That is the gamble of the deal.
"Wow, you mean it?!" Trunks is clearly ecstatic about this offer. "Ok!" he jumps back, clenching his fists and getting into stance as he powers up to his full strength.
I am satisfied. He'll certainly try his best and that's exactly what I want. "Now let's just see what you can do." I can't help feeling prideful over him, though I still don't think he has a chance of landing a punch.
"Here comes," Trunks warns before he charges.
He's completely determined and much faster than I anticipated. His eyes are concentrated and determined and his mind is constantly calculating. He's throwing several punches, and though I'm blocking them, it's not as simple as I expected. I'm surprised he's so strong at only eight!
And then I feel something graze my face. In an instant reaction, without any thought at all, my anger bursts and my fist flies. It's only after I hear the little yowl, "Oh!" that I realize I've just punched my own child in the face!
I gasp in horror as I realize he's now flying across the room at my hand and I'm frozen in place! I can't believe I've punched my own son! How could I do such a thing?! Is he hurt? Have I hurt him?!
He yelps again in that tiny child voice of his as he lands on his back several feet across the room and I let out a breath of my own as if it's me that has just landed. It tugs at me to see it. My son! He has to be ok; I couldn't have hurt my own son in a blind rage! I could never forgive myself if he's not ok…
Then he pushes himself up with effort. My heart can beat again! But I can't let him see that I'd had any concern. I can't let him know it was an accident. I'm proud he's so strong he can even handle a punch from me. He is still a super saiyan too!
His eyes are dazed as he sits up and now he has his hand over his face and his eyes closed. I can plainly see that it hurts. I can see the red mark between his eyes. It hurts me to think I created that.
"You didn't say you would hit back, dad," Trunks voice is strained as he tries not to cry.
He may not have fought if he'd thought I'd hit back, I can hear it in his voice, but he shouldn't have had need to think that in the first place. I never should have hit him. I didn't mean to hit him. I can't tell him that though! It would be weak to tell him.
Quickly I think of a reply. "Well, I didn't say I wouldn't hit you, now did I Trunks?" It was true. I had never said I wouldn't hit him back. I knew deep down it was a very poor excuse, but it was all I could say.
Trunks opened his eyes. There are tears in one of them. The other is surely to come shortly. He can't cry! I don't want him to cry! It will be my fault if he cries; not my fault like a spanking either, or any other disciplinary action. There weren't feelings of guilt when he cried over discipline. This is undeserved and I can't watch him cry over something I've wrongfully done to him!
"No, but…," Trunks can't finish. His voice is too strained as he tries not to go into a full onslaught. He is loosing and draws in a big sniffle. I couldn't take this! Whatever pain he was in, he was sending it into me! I needed to distract him!
"Dry your tears; we're going to the park now!" I demand
I'm abundantly relieved as that seems to completely take his mind off the pain in his face. His eyes widen and lighted, he smiles largely and begins laughing with triumph and excitement. Now that I can shake the horrible feeling of guilt and pain out of myself, I must find out one thing before I take him. "But before you go you must tell me who is stronger. You or Kakarot's boy?"
Trunks begins to get up, a smile still plastered to his face. "I'm a little bit stronger than him because Goten's a year younger than I am and he hasn't learned to fly yet."
Only a bit, eh? Well, we'll have to do something about that! He'll have to spend more time training and perhaps I'll have to pay more attention to teaching him some techniques. He must stay far ahead of Kakarot's son!
Trunks is up now and he's excited. "Which park are we going to dad, can I pick it?"
"Whatever, just towel off and change." I'm irritated.
I don't want to leave the house and now that I know how strong Kakarot's son is, I feel compelled to give Trunks more advantage over him. How could Goten have gotten so strong? That just eats me! Chichi never wanted Gohan to do anything but study! Perhaps Gohan had been training him secretly. Even so there is no way he could possibly be spending more time training than Trunks! Trunks is in the gravity chamber with me at least four hours per day!
"Dad, are you coming?" Trunks calls.
I furrow my eye brows and clench my fists before moving toward the door. I'm glad he isn't crying, and I'm extremely impressed by his strength, but I still hate that I have to take him to the stupid park now. I hate the park! There are noisy, sniveling children with parents whose brains could only rival a slug, and obnoxious animals wreaking havoc there. The only good thing that could ever come of the park was Trunks expending some pent-up energy. Ok, perhaps I enjoy making Trunks happy too, but not enough to go through this torture!