The sun was just beginning to peek over Mount Paozu when Goku got out of bed. He rubbed his eyes, fighting off the urge to go back to sleep. The few days he'd taken off since returning to his family were over; it was time to return to work.

The house was utterly silent. Normally Goku would go to his son's bedroom and wake him to begin training. But today Gohan would spend the morning studying and the afternoon outside. It was an arrangement Goku had made with Chi-Chi, at least since he discovered his small daughter had some measure of talent.

He had to admit, he hadn't thought much about what would happen to Chiyo. He'd died when she wasn't yet born and he'd only spent a week with her before he left for Namek. He'd assumed Chi-Chi would take over her education and she'd grow up under her mother's tutelage, but it would be stupid to let talent like hers go to waste.

Goku went into Chiyo's room. It was always colourful and cluttered with a variety of odds and ends; autumn leaves on the walls, drawings pinned to a small corkboard on the door, a snake skin on her toy shelf, and even a few blue feathers. Chiyo lay tangled in the bedclothes on her stomach, face buried in the pillows. Goku shook her gently. "Chiyo, time to get up."

She lifted her head, blinking sleepily through a curtain of black hair. "Papa?"

"Yeah, it's me. Ready to start your first day of training?"

"Y-yeah," she said through a yawn, and stretched.

"Aw, you can do better than that," he teased. "Where's your enthusiasm?"

"Yeah!"

"That's the spirit."

Their destination was a simple clearing not too far from home. It had been cleared by Goku a few years back for meditation, but it was also a great place for a few simple lessons.

Goku sat down and placed Chiyo across from him. She dropped onto the ground and watched him. "What I do now, Papa?"

"Well, today I'm gonna teach you how to control your chi."

Chiyo cocked her head to one side. "What's chi? Like Chi-yo?"

Goku stared at the ground thoughtfully for a moment, then smiled. "Chi is like….a power inside you." Briefly, he searched for ways to explain it in simple terms. "Like a magic power that everyone has."

Chiyo's eyes widened. "You mean…I'm a wizard?"

Goku laughed. "Not exactly. It's like…" he lifted his hand with his palm facing upwards, and a small pinpoint of light appeared between his fingers.

"OH!"

Chiyo leaned forward until her nose almost touched the glowing chi, staring in wide-eyed fascination. "You mean I can do that?"

"Everyone can," Goku replied cheerfully, lowering his hand. "I'm gonna show you how to do it!"

"Okay! What I do?"

"Sit back and cross your legs. Put your hands in your lap."

Chiyo did as she was instructed and waited, fidgeting occasionally.

"Close your eyes," Goku said. "Breathe in and out. In and out. Don't think about anything, okay?"

The little girl sat still. Though she was quiet, Goku knew it wouldn't last, so he kept talking.

"Concentrate. Imagine your chi as a…a glow inside you. Imagine it moving from your chest, down your arms and out your fingers."

Goku didn't expect Chiyo to understand, so he was surprised when he felt a stirring of chi. He leaned forward and turned her small hands upwards. "Through your fingers."

They sat there for several long minutes while the small girl struggled to draw out her chi. After ten minutes her shoulders began to droop.

"Are you tired?" Goku asked. "We can take a break."

Chiyo opened her eyes and looked at him with a determined expression.

"No!" she said. "I wanna keep tryin', Papa. I can do it!"

Goku sat back and watched her glare at her hands.

Well, he thought, maybe she'll be a fighter after all.