Chapter 4

Gohan entered Capsule Corporation minutes after leaving Rini's home. He'd tried to hurry over so the hour wouldn't become unreasonable even though Bulma assured him he was welcome at any time. Her husband, Vegeta, was the one who would snipe about seeing "Kakarot's son" showing up at their doorstep at night without any warning. Gohan wasn't sure why this bugged the prince so much, but he knew that if he came too late, he could expect an intense glaring and possibly a fistfight.

Bulma's mother had answered the door and led Gohan to sit at a table while Bulma finished working on something. The young Saiyan sipped quietly at the hot tea she'd served him while he waited.

"Hey there, Gohan! Wow, two visits in one week! What's going on?" Bulma came into the room wearing some casual work clothes that also looked suitable for riding a motorcycle. Trunks walked in behind her, soda in hand, having heard that Gohan was over.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you…" Gohan started, scratching the back of his neck. "You see, I need to talk to you about a costume adjustment for the upcoming martial arts tournament. They don't allow head protection in the tournament so I can't wear my helmet."

"First, it's no bother at all. Second, I'm surprised you're entering the tournament! It's not like you have to prove yourself or anything." Bulma told him, leaning against the doorframe for moment before walking over to a desk in the room.

"I know, but Videl Satan figured out my identity and she's blackmailing me into it!"

"Good grief, Gohan! You keep getting blackmailed by these girls! First that Angela, now some girl named Videl… that name sounds familiar… Videl Satan…" Bulma trailed off for a moment as she thought. She also grabbed for a pack of cigarettes on the desk. "Wait! She isn't Hercule's daughter, is she?"

"That's her. She's a classmate of mine at Orange Star. She's a good girl, but she can be pretty pushy. And now that she knows who I am, she wants to prove she's stronger than me by beating me in the tournament."

At Gohan's words, Trunks looked up from his soda as if he had thought of a solution to that problem. The eight-year-old mind tends to make things much simpler. Bulma fished a cigarette out of her pack. Without looking up at Gohan she asked, "So this Videl is rude and pushy… to you or to everyone?"

"Just me… Ever since I showed up as Saiyaman she's been hounding me and saying she wouldn't rest until she unmasked me! And she's not the type of girl you can keep a secret from." Gohan thought about it. She only ever really showed that side to him. She seemed really nice to everyone else, except maybe Sharpner.

"I see. Sounds like she likes you. Some girls show it by being mean, as weird as it sounds. You might be able to get out of the tournament by asking her on a date…" Bulma put a thoughtful finger to her chin.

"Er, I don't think that's such a good idea…" Gohan blushed a bit as an image of Rini flashed in his mind.

"Oh?" By now, the blue-haired Capsule Corporation president was puffing smoke from her cig.

"Just that I don't think she's the kind of girl that would go for that and-"

"You also don't want to because you were thinking of someone else." Bulma grinned, "Who is she?"

"She? Who? I wasn't thinking of anybody!" Gohan's flailing arms only made him look guilty of Bulma's accusation.

"Calm down," Bulma excused the matter with a wave of her hand. "Back to the task at hand… something that isn't a helmet. Hm, it's a shame; the helmet is a nice touch on a superhero." Bulma sighed as she puffed another cloud of smoke. Trunks looked up, wondering what his mom would think of now.

"It looks kind of stupid if you ask me…" Trunks mumbled.

"Videl did call it a trashcan…" Gohan frowned at the memory.

"Ouch! That hurts! I guess I don't know what's in nowadays! I must be getting old! Let's see, we need something simple and sheik… I think I know exactly what to do." Bulma seemed on the verge of an idea.

Minutes later, Bulma had outfitted Gohan with a turban and sunglasses in place of the helmet. Gohan seemed excited about the new look as he checked it out in a mirror nearby. Trunks just stood off to the side with a look of disbelief on his face. Of course, when asked, he said it looked plenty cool.

"I think you look really cool, but make sure you like it because your face is going to be plastered everywhere once you win!" Bulma told Gohan with a smile.

"Who says he's going to win?" Vegeta interrupted as he walked into the room.

"Who could possibly beat him?" Bulma looked at her husband.

"Yours truly, that's who! If you'll enter, I'll enter!" Vegeta directed his attention toward Gohan. Gohan seemed a bit surprised; he lifted his sunglasses up to his forehead and blinked a few times as Vegeta carried on.

"You were a lot stronger than me when we fought Cell, but while you've been hanging in the libraries and going out on dates, I've been doing nothing but severe training the entire time!" He said this with a ring of pride in his voice.

"Yup, that's all you've been doing! I can vouch for that!" Bulma didn't seem too happy about Vegeta's priorities. She turned her attention to Gohan, "How is it that you Saiyans can train all day long but you can't mow the lawn or take out the trash?" Her arms were crossed as her brows furrowed. Gohan, for lack of an answer, put his shade back down as a small amount of redness could be seen in his cheeks.

"Cool! Dad and Gohan are going to fight, wow!" Trunks clearly liked the idea.

"I think I'll enter too!" a voice familiar to all in the room but Trunks rang through everyone's ears. The voice continued, "Gohan…"

"Is that you, Dad?" Gohan asked in the direction of the ceiling.

"Now way, wow." Bulma muttered.

Even Vegeta let out a "Kakarot?"

"It's you! It's really you!" Gohan was overjoyed to hear his father's voice for the first time since losing him in the fight with Cell.

"Hi son, it's great to hear your voice again." Goku may not have been in the room but anyone who heard him could see him with a smile on his face.

"Dad! Unbelievable! You're here!"

The wonder wore off of Trunks' face as confusion set in, "Where is he?"

"Trunks, you haven't been telling Gohan the truth about his costume, have you?" A chuckle, most likely belonging to King Kai followed Goku's question.

Gohan, ignoring the comment on his costume, was too thrilled for words. "This is great! Father, are really coming back to compete in the world championships?"

"Yeah! I'm allowed to come back for one day! Baba checked it out for me; it appears I have a little credit! I'm excited! I can't wait to see everyone! Tell your mom I'm coming back for a whole day!"

"Yeah, alright!" Gohan cheered with joy.

"He's flipped, Dad." Trunks said to his father.

"No, son, his dad's coming back. Even I'm excited, Kakarot, at having another chance to defeat you." Vegeta smirked with anticipation.

"Mhm, we'll see. I guess anything's possible. Miracles do happen." Goku's voice sounded only a little cocky, but he said this all with good humor.

"Miracles, huh? I can't wait!" The eagerness for a challenge always got to Saiyans and Vegeta was certainly no exception to this.

"This is great, Gohan! After you tell your mom, you should go to Master Roshi's. Krillin's going to flip when he hears!" Bulma suggested. Gohan looked to Bulma and nodded.

"Right, definitely!" the young hero's smile was overflowing with joy. "Oh, hey, Vegeta, if you're going to compete, you should wear a disguise. Maybe something like mine?"

"No way! I wouldn't be caught dead in that thing!" Vegeta growled indignantly as he rejected Gohan's idea.

(I know there is a bit in here where Gohan gets a shot at being in a movie, but I will make a special chapter for that… teehee! And Rini will be part of it too!)

Soon after the news and a little mishap with a movie director, Gohan went to Roshi's house to tell Krillin. Granted it was getting darker and later, he knew Krillin wouldn't mind a visit if it brought news of Goku's return. Krillin was just as overjoyed as Gohan about his best friend's return to the world of the living.

"What? No way! Goku's going to compete? This is amazing! Wow!" Krillin clenched his fists excitedly as he looked eagerly at Gohan. (Then Gohan breaks the forth wall…)

"Goku? Well, what do you know…" Roshi commented from his beach chair. He was looking at a magazine. The cover had a pretty blonde girl with wavy hair and cute lips. (That's all I can deduce from the screen in front of me.)

"Well, if you and Goku and Vegeta are gonna enter, then why should I enter?" Krillin asked. He knew he wasn't nearly as strong as the Saiyans even if he had always fought alongside them.

"Aw, come on, Krillin, it'll be great!" Gohan tried to persuade his friend.

"I know it would be fun and all. Fighting in another world martial arts tournament with Goku almost sounds too good to be true. But I would have to start training a lot and I don't know how my wife would feel about that." Krillin considered the possibility that he might have to take out the trash or mow the lawn, unlike the Saiyans. (Except that there's really no "lawn" at Roshi's place.)

As Krillin said this, a ball bounced out the front door of Roshi's place to where he and Gohan stood talking. Krillin and Gohan turned to see a small blonde girl in a pink dress. She couldn't have been more than 4 years old.

"Hey, Dad! Get the ball, get it, Dad!" She squeaked as she chased the ball to her dad's side. Her voice was high-pitched like many children when they are younger.

Krillin picked up the ball and handed it to his daughter with a smile. "There you go, Marron, you little firefly!"

"Wow, she's adorable, Krillin." Gohan complimented, then directed his words to Marron, "How would you like to see your dad fight in a martial arts tournament?"

"First she'd want to know if there's any prize money involved." Krillin's fiery wife appeared in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, hi! Nice to see you!" Gohan smiled at Eighteen. "They pay out to the top five places. The overall winner of the tournament gets paid ten million zeni. Then it goes on down. Second place gets five million and third place gets three million.

"Enter, Krillin! I will! Why not?"

Krillin looked down with his arms crossed. He didn't really seem like he wanted to enter the tournament with so many strong people entering. He groaned.

"Hey, Dad," Marron piped up, "if you fight, I'll watch you!"

"Thanks, sweetheart." Krillin told his daughter. Eighteen walked up and put a gentle hand on their daughter's head while keeping a stern voice with Krillin.

"Come on, Krillin!"

"Yeah, Dad! You'll win if you do!" Marron was making a bigger statement than she knew, but it was sweet nonetheless. (D'aawwwww, so cute!)

"Well… if you say so… I'll do it!" Krillin looked up at his wife as he declared this. He was smiling. Gohan smiled behind him too. This would be a great reunion.

"Maybe I should enter too, what do you think?" Master Roshi chirped in from his chair.

"No way! You're too old!" Marron's squeaky voice stabbed Roshi in the heart.

Krillin turned to Gohan. "Hey, let's not tell Piccolo about it! That way, I'll have a better chance of getting into the top five!" He seemed excited about this plan.

"Oh… I don't know, Krillin, I was going to tell him too." Gohan wrinkled his nose at the idea. He thought Piccolo had a right to know the news of Goku's return.

"Alright. But if you won't do me this favor, I'm going to have to be honest about your outfit." Krillin and his family stood, looking at Gohan's clothes in silence.

Gohan raised a brow. "What do you mean? I'm at the pinnacle of style! I think you've lost your fashion sense living out here so long!" While the young Saiyan made an excellent point about Krillin living at Master Roshi's house on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean, he wasn't exactly at the pinnacle of style. "Ciao!" Gohan waved and then took off again. His next destination was Piccolo's lookout.

After arriving and telling yet another person of Goku's plan to return for the upcoming tournament, Gohan was definitely going to be home late.

"Goku? If he's entering, it should be one to remember." The Namekian smiled upon hearing this news. His pointed ears and green skin were as green and pointy as ever. And he wore the same blue clothing, white cape and turban and let's not forget the pointy little booties.

"So what do you say?"

"Sure, kid. It actually sounds like fun." Piccolo agreed to enter the tournament with very little swaying needed.

"I'll bet Dende would enjoy the tournament as well." Mr. Popo offered the Earth's Namekian guardian a chance to compete as well.

"Thanks, but I'm not much of a fighter. I think I'd better stick to healing." Dende declined the offer straight away. (He probably has less of a chance than Krillin.)

Gohan smiled, still brimming with joy.

"I do have one question," Piccolo started. "You're not going to wear that at the tournament, are you?" The Namekian referred to Gohan's Saiyaman costume, of course.

"What? Man, not you too! You don't think my outfit looks good?" Gohan's voice sounded a bit defensive as he looked at Piccolo.

"Gohan, I can't lie to you. It looks ridiculous."

"Oh, my." Mr. Popo sounded as if Piccolo had just revealed a big secret. Dende just watched quietly. Gohan was offended, but he collected himself and said his farewells. Then he flew off to his home.

It was dark as Gohan reached his house out in the mountains. He quickly ran in and told Chichi all about Goku's plan to come back for the tournament over dinner.

"What? Oh my gosh, Goku's coming back after all this time? This is unbelievable!" Chichi stood up, surprised to say the least.

"Mhm." Gohan confirmed looking up at his mother from his bowl and chopsticks.

"I don't know what to think! Your father's really coming home!" Chichi exclaimed. She then put one arm around Goten, who is sitting next to her, and hugged him with both arms. This lifted him out of his seat and away from his food. "Great news, son! You get to meet your daddy! Isn't that wonderful! You get to meet your daddy!" By the time Chichi put Goten down again, she had tears welling up in her eyes. Gohan saw this and it made him feel a little bittersweet. "Good heavens, boys! This is too good to be true! But I'm in trouble aren't I? I look so old now and Goku probably hasn't aged a bit! People don't age in Other World, do they? Maybe I should have a facial and get my hair done and keep myself from crying so my face doesn't get all puffy! What do you think, boys?"

"Yeah, sure, Mom. And, by the way, since Dad's competing in the championships, do think I could as well?" Gohan muttered his question. He knew he'd have to ask since he was still under her roof. His question went unheard for two reasons: 1) He was muttering into his food and 2) Chichi was daydreaming.

"Wow, my stars!"

"Earth to Mom!" Gohan raised his voice just enough to get Chichi's attention.

"Gohan, what are you saying?" Chichi woke up from her daydreaming to ask her son.

"Well I'd like your permission to enter the championships and to miss some school so I can train…?" Gohan knew asking for time off from school wouldn't go over well. And Chichi didn't let him down on that. She suddenly exploded with rage. Goten ate his food as he watched his mother and brother.

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"Gohan! You've got to be kidding! You know your studies take priority over everything else! What's wrong with you?"

"Mom! Dad's only going to be here for a day! I'll never get this chance again!"

"You'll never get this chance to prepare for college again if you blow this one, Gohan!"

"But the winner gets paid ten million zeni, Mom! If I win, it'll be like getting a big scholarship!"

Chichi screamed. "You could get a P.H.D. with that kind of cash! Wow, my son, a P.H.D. Wonderful! Of course you can enter, Gohan! Of course you can!" Chichi ceased arguing.

Gohan, after nearly having a heart attack at his mother's excitement over the money, was heading to bed with his brother. The brothers were lying in bed next to each other and Gohan turned out the light.

"Goodnight, Goten."

"Goodnight, Gohan."

Gohan put his hands behind his head and looked over at his little brother. "Hey, you're going to help train aren't you? I'm going to need a real strong training partner!"

"Sure!" Goten nodded excitedly. After pausing Goten spoke up again. "Gohan, what's my dad like?"

Gohan looked up at the stars that could be seen in the window. "He's like an angel, Goten."

"What's an angel like?" Goten wasn't sure because he'd never met one as far as he knew.

"I don't know. I just know that when they're around, you feel happy inside." Gohan told his little brother.

The two slept soundly that night so that they could be ready to train the next day. Gohan and Goten would be going through some rigorous training for Gohan to even stand a chance of winning after years of not doing much training.

The next day at school, Rini noticed that Gohan wasn't present. She looked at his empty seat curiously. I wonder where he is. I certainly hope he isn't caught up in some sort of trouble. The worry on her face wasn't hidden well.

"Class, seeing as Gohan isn't here today, would anyone want to take him his homework after school?" The teacher asked. Rini's hand bolted up first. Followed by Erasa and Videl. But the teacher handed the folder with homework to Rini and thanked her for volunteering.

Rini smiled. Well, I'll ask him later. Good thing there's a student directory.