I think it goes without saying that what I decided to do wasn't really the safest course of action for everyone involved.
But, truth be told, knowing about the power that I had, compared to the people out there, I couldn't just sit idly by and just let things sort themselves out.
I had seen firsthand the kind of cruelty people felt at the hands of someone like Frieza, and it was pretty clear that there was no way he was going to change.
Even if it's different now, I knew I couldn't rely on my dad or Vegeta to make the first move. After all, Frieza had already brought someone else that was incredibly powerful to Earth once, and it was barely enough for their combined powers to win.
That's the reason why I started all of this Videl, because I wanted to do what was right.
But with how this is turning out, was I right to do this in the first place?
6 Months After the Tournament of Power
1 Week After the Fight with Broly
"Thanks Dad."
These were the first words Gohan said upon Goku using Instant Transmission to bring them to the Sacred Planet of the Kais, Goku looking to Gohan and nodding.
"Why did you want to come here Gohan?" His father asked him, to which the half-breed looked off to where he felt the Supreme Kai and Elder Kai of Universe 7.
"I wanted to talk to Shin for a little while. Sorry that I had to bother you to bring me though. You're still training with Whis, right?" Gohan asked him.
"Yeah. Hopefully I can get a good fight like in the Tournament or with Broly soon." Goku said, a determined smirk on his cheerful face.
Gohan managed a smile, but it was forced in nature.
"I'll see you later Dad." He said, Goku nodding and honing in and Vegeta's energy, teleporting away as Gohan walked along to where Shin was.
Sitting at a tea table with the Elder Kai, the Supreme Kai looked up at Gohan with a curious expression.
"Gohan? What brings you here?"
"I'm sorry if this inconveniences you at all, but I have a question for you. And a favor, if you wouldn't mind helping me." Gohan said, bowing respectfully to him.
"What is it?" Shin stood up, walking to him.
Gohan's expression became pensive.
"I wanted to go about fighting Frieza." Gohan told him. "He's still out, going about gathering power, isn't he?"
The Elder Kai looked to him and shook his head in exasperation.
"I see someone finally decided to do something about that guy." He snarked, Shin looking back at him briefly before looking to Gohan.
"He is, at the moment. But why do you want to fighting him? He isn't making any plans or moves to destroy Earth."
Gohan held his head, then, with a wearied expression, explained himself.
"I don't think I can sit by while he's out there still." He told the Supreme Kai. "I've always respected and admired my father. His optimism, his drive to get stronger, and his wish for greater challenges to prove himself - I both respect that side of him... and find it frustrating, if I had to be completely honest. You weren't always there, when we had to fight people. But he had the strength to prevent problems from surfacing. While, in the end, it may have turned out for the best, many people ended up losing their lives before it can reach that point. I just accepted it when I was younger, that everyone else knew what they were doing."
He looked down, recalling the last several years.
"I know now that I was wrong - even when he gave me the mantle to protect the Earth, it was something I failed in doing. Even with the powerup that Elder Kai gave me, it still wasn't enough to change anything. Buu still destroyed Earth, still destroyed other planets when I could've killed him and prevented it outright, if only I had just trained consistently. And I'll always regret that fact, that because I was too complacent, everyone on the planet had to die."
Shin gauged him.
"And you wanted to change that, and start taking a more active role in these affairs?" Shin questioned.
"Yes."
Seeing the earnesty in his expression, Shin gave a melancholy smile.
"I can relate to that feeling." He lamented. "There have been multiple times where I may have wanted to do something of note to help, but couldn't, simply for a lack of power. And that fact becomes more blatant, the more situations I find myself in."
Shin looked up to the sky, frowning.
"As it stands, Frieza is very powerful. Before we can make an accurate assumption of whether or not you're powerful enough to stop him though, there's also the issue of his empire. He's already raised an entirely new army for himself, and as before, it still remained, despite his death. If you wish to go about killing him, it may not come too easily if we're unprepared."
"I had an idea for that. But I need your help to make sure it works out completely." Gohan told him, to which Shin nodded.
"Tell me - what DO you need help with?"
His father's optimism, as well as his perpetual journey for both power and challenges, was simultaneously inspiring, worrying and frustrating for Gohan at that point in his life.
Given all that had happened in the 23 or so years Gohan had lived, from fighting Frieza as a child, to Buu, all the way to the Tournament of Power, Gohan had had time to think and reevaluate his life.
He could tell, more than anything else, that fighting was simply not for him, something he hated more than anything else in the world, but something circumstance often forced him to do.
But, while he would gladly lay down his life, if it meant protecting innocent people, for the most part, Gohan's contributions were mostly lacking in genuine effectiveness, beyond holding the line when it came to what mattered.
In contrast, his father had always been able to live up to the occasion, time after time, no matter the threat.
Yet, just as Gohan felt great, curdling frustration with himself over his own ineffectuality, he also felt frustration with those who had the power to be the opposite, Goku being a prime example.
For as long as he could remember, for better or worse, his father lacked the intiative to actively prevent problems, even when lives were on the line.
Hauntingly enough, Gohan sometimes worried that greater stakes and danger, while motivating Goku, often seemed to create the wrong type of motivation, excitement as opposed to tension.
It was a reoccuring problem, and, while Gohan was fine to leave it as it was in the past, with the knowledge his father would pull through in the end, this faith had been shaken several months ago, and continued to be shaken further, with both the Tournament of Power, and the subsequent return of Frieza.
And, with these grievances in mind, Gohan had been driven to seek out Shin's help with his endeavor.
In the span of the first couple of hours, Gohan and Shin went to Namek with the express intent of using the Dragon Balls there; upon gathering them, and gaining the ability to grant wishes, Shin still felt liable concern.
"This has the potential to go either very well, or very badly." Shin said.
"If it does, we can only adapt to the circumstances. If not, then it's for the best." Gohan replied as they looked to the seven spherical glass orbs of the Namekian dragon balls. "Porunga, come forth!"
A soft, gentle glow emanated from the balls, and, seconds later, they were engulfed in a blinding light, Namek being engulfed in a blanket of night, the form of the dragon hovering above them massive.
"I am Porunga, Dragon of Dreams, and I have come to grant your wishes. State them."
Gohan looked up at him, steeling his nerves.
"I wish for the good half of Android 21 to be revived, with her hunger lessened to the point that it's more manageable." He said firmly. "I wish for all of the innocent or good-natured people that have been killed by Frieza, by his hand or by his soldiers, to be revived, along with any planets that were destroyed as well. And, finally, I wish for the planets that cannot defend themselves against Frieza to have a barrier that protects them from invasions, to the best of your powers Porunga."
The dragon gazed down at him for a few moments, assessing the nature of his wishes, before his eyes glowed.
In moments, the form of Android 21 in her human form appeared before them, her collapsed against the ground and unconscious for a few moments before suddenly shooting up into a sitting position, the bespectacled woman surprised, before looking up to find Porunga above her.
"Your wishes have been granted." Porunga stated, before dispersing in a similarly strong burst of light, #21 holding her head before looking to Gohan.
"Gohan...? What's happened?"
"Hey #21." Gohan approached her, smiling as he reached his hand out to help her up. "I'm sure this is surprising for you."
She took his hand and let him help her up to her feet, her looking around.
"We're on Namek again. But... Why? Did you just wish me back to life?" #21 asked.
"I did. I wished for your hunger to be reduced dramatically, so, even if it becomes problematic, hopefully we can give you some help to bate it this time."
She frowned.
"I don't think it can be just magically wished down like that. It's going to get unstable, eventually... When that happens..."
"We'll figure something out. Everyone has problems that might seem a bit hard at first, but we can't just call it hopeless and give up on it. Most of us wouldn't be alive now if we followed that logic." Gohan smiled, #21 reluctantly nodding.
"Gohan, the planets have been restored." Shin said as he walked up to them. "It's hard to fully comprehend it, seeing how many there are. So much destruction, right under my nose."
"It'll be difficult to watch over that many planets, but I'm sure it's for the best." Gohan said. "What about Planet Vegeta? Are the Saiyans reappearing there too?"
"Yes. I'd say we should be going about now." Shin nodded, and Gohan turned, looking to #21.
"I'm going to go about raising an army to fight against Frieza. He's been revived again, and his potential for power is still massive. I would really appreciate it if you could help me, #21, but if not, at least you have the chance to live a normal life now."
"Gohan..." She held her forehead, eyes narrowing. "I have to see what I can do first. The hunger from before, it hasn't surfaced yet. But to be clear, I'm not exactly very powerful right now. I would still need to train to fight before I can do anything to help you directly, in combat."
"That's fine. There's more to fighting than just power after all." Gohan lamented, before turning to Shin. "For now, I have to go to Planet Vegeta. Do you want go to Earth first, before you do anything else?"
"Maybe. I need some time to collect myself, after being... well, you know." #21 told him.
Shin grasped her hand, whispering, "Kai-Kai," #21 being engulfed in a bright light before getting teleported to Earth, Shin looking to Gohan, nodding before he teleported him to Planet Vegeta.