Ch.7
"Okay Gohan, I've locked onto Frieza's ki signature. Grab onto my arm." Gohan nodded and reached out as Goku prepared to take them to earth. As he was about to depart, Goku gasped.
"What! Wait a minute. Where did it go? I can't sense it anymore." Gohan looked up in surprise.
"I can't feel it either dad. But the other two are still there." As father and son tried figure out what was going on, they both noticed another big power level disappear.
"Now the other one's gone too! The one that was with Frieza. How bizarre." Goku stated.
"What should we do dad?" Gohan asked.
"Well, it seems as though someone has defeated Frieza and whoever he was with." Goku answered.
"Do you think whoever it is is on our side dad?"
"I'm not sure Gohan." Goku replied honestly. Gohan frowned as he looked out the window. 'Who could have beaten Frieza so quickly?' He wondered.
"Dad, maybe we should head over now. If this person is much stronger than Frieza, who knows what kind of danger the others could be in." Gohan said concerned.
"Alright son. Grab hold of my arm." Gohan did as he was told. In an instant, they'd both vanished from space.
…
The saiyan looked up at the Z fighters who were hovering nearby.
'Darn, I hadn't meant for them to see me. Oh well.' He thought to himself. He offered the group a smile as he put his sword away.
"I'm going to meet with Goku. Would you like to join me?" He asked the others. Not waiting for a response, he took off for where he expected Goku's ship to land.
"Do we follow him?" Krillin asked. Vegeta didn't wait for an answer as he took off after the other saiyan. Piccolo followed suit, followed by Tien and Chiaotzu. Krillin and Yamcha gave each other nervous looks.
"Come on you guys! He's going to meet Goku and Gohan. We have to go!" Bulma shouted from Yamcha's arms." Resigned, the rest followed the mysterious saiyan.
As they approached an open clearing, they saw the saiyan hovering above two figures who stood looking up at him.
'No! What is going on here? He's not supposed to arrive for another two hours! And what's Gohan doing with him?' The stranger thought as he stared at the two saiyans in shock. The rest of the gang landed quickly as they recognized just who was standing down below.
"Goku!" Krillin shouted as he excitedly landed close by. Goku didn't smile as he looked up at the stranger in curiosity. Everyone followed his gaze, as the strange saiyan slowly dropped down to the ground.
"Alright, who are you?" Vegeta asked. The stranger looked uncomfortable as he rubbed his head.
"I'm sorry. I… can't say. Vegeta glared in response as Piccolo approached.
"You said you we're here to meet Goku and Gohan." He stated. Goku's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Gohan? No just Goku. Goku was supposed to arrive in two hours." The saiyan answered.
"You're right. We were due to land in two hours. How did you know that?" Goku asked.
"Look Goku, if I could just speak to you alone for a moment, then I'll be out of your hair." the stranger replied. Everyone began to worry as Goku nodded. He gave Gohan's shoulder a quick squeeze before following the other saiyan a little ways away. As the two began to talk, Bulma ran over to Gohan and gave him a hug.
"Oh Gohan you're okay! Leaving you was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do! I'm so glad you're alright!"
"I'm fine Bulma." Gohan answered smiling shyly. Bulma put the young boy down and looked over at Goku.
"Those are some neat looking outfits you guys are wearing. Where have you been all this time?" She asked curiously.
"We were on a planet called Yardrat." Gohan replied. Before Bulma could ask any more questions, Gohan walked over to where Piccolo stood, seemingly in deep concentration.
"Hi there Piccolo." Gohan said smiling.
"Hey kid. Good to see you." Piccolo answered gruffly before turning towards Goku and the other saiyan once more.
"Did that guy really defeat Frieza?" Gohan asked.
"Yes. After turning into a super saiyan." Gohan looked up in surprise.
"A super saiyan?"
"That's right." Just then, the group watched as Goku transformed, followed by the stranger.
"They look so much alike." Gohan muttered.
"There's no way that guy can be a saiyan. Myself, Kakarot and the kid are the only saiyans left ." Vegeta barked. No one spoke as Goku powered up his finger and the saiyan drew his sword, attempting to hit Goku as he'd done with Frieza.
"Look at them Vegeta. There's no way he's not a saiyan." Krillin answered. Just then, both Goku and the stranger dropped their transformations.
"He is a saiyan, isn't he Piccolo?" Gohan asked quietly. He knew Piccolo had exceptional hearing.
"Yes." Piccolo whispered.
"Is he a threat?" Gohan asked.
"Doesn't sound like it." Piccolo muttered.
"Good." Gohan said relieved, as he rubbed his head. He wasn't ready to engage in battle just yet. Piccolo spared him a surprised look before returning his attention to Goku and the mysterious stranger.
"Hey guys! It looks like they're coming back." Krillin said as the two saiyans shook hands. Goku headed back towards the group while the stranger threw a capsule at the ground. A ship immediately materialized, and the stranger got into it.
"He's leaving!" Yamcha remarked. Piccolo frowned as the stranger flew off.
"What's going on dad?" Gohan asked as Goku approached.
"Um, sorry guys, I'm afraid I can't say." Goku answered awkwardly.
"Well if you won't, I will." Piccolo answered. Goku looked at him in surprise.
"You heard all that? Then you heard what he said Piccolo!" Goku exclaimed.
"Don't worry Goku. I won't say anything to endanger your friend. But I think we all have the right to prepare for what's to come." Goku nodded as Piccolo shared the news with the group.
"So in three years time, there will be androids coming to destroy the earth?" Yamcha asked.
"Yes. And I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to train." Piccolo answered.
"How do we even know that we can trust this guy?" Yamcha asked as he looked at Goku.
"I trust him. Although I'm not sure things will play out exactly as he said. In his timeline, things happened a little differently. I landed here with my ship, and Gohan wasn't with me. So I think we should be prepared for anything." Goku answered as he walked over to Gohan and Piccolo.
"Hey Goku, what took you guys so long to come back anyway?" Bulma asked.
"Well, our ships were damaged after crash landing on planet Yardrat. It took a while for them to repair our ship, and for Gohan to fully heal." Goku answered. Everyone turned towards Gohan.
"You okay kid?" Krillin asked.
"I'm fine." Gohan answered shyly.
"Did you learn any new techniques while you were gone Goku?" Yamcha asked.
"Well, maybe one." Goku smiled as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Aw come on Goku! Show us what you learned!" Bulma said excitedly. Goku smiled and looked over towards his son.
"Gohan, why don't you show them?" Gohan smiled gleefully.
"Okay!" Gohan thought about where he should go. Goku walked over and whispered into his ear.
"Go over to Master Roshi's. Grab his glasses." Gohan laughed as he nodded.
"Here I go!" Gohan put two fingers to his forehead and began to concentrate. Goku smiled proudly as he crossed his arms.
"This technique is called instant transmission." He told the group. Just then, Gohan disappeared.
"What's so cool about that?" Vegeta asked. "It's just super speed." Gohan quickly returned, sporting familiar sunglasses.
"Recognize his shades?" Goku asked the group. A moment later, Krillin gasped.
"Those are Master Roshi's glasses!" Krillin exclaimed.
"Yep! He was taking a nap. Didn't even notice!" Gohan replied. Goku chuckled.
"But that's miles from here!" Yamcha said in surprise.
"It's a pretty nifty technique. Instant transmission allows you to travel by locking onto someone's ki signature."
"Wow. That's awesome." Krillin said in awe.
"Want me to bring them back dad?" Gohan asked.
"Nah, hand them to Krillin. I can trust you to get those back to Master Roshi right Krillin?" Krillin nodded and grabbed the glasses from Gohan with a smirk.
"Oh great. Now he's going to have an attitude." Bulma said as she rolled her eyes. Laughter rang out as Krillin put on the shades and smiled slyly.
"Well you guys, I'm going to train. We don't have much time to waste. See you in three years." Tien waved as he and Chiaotzu flew off.
"Piccolo, I could use a sparring partner, if you're interested." Goku stated. Piccolo nodded.
"Sure." Goku turned towards Krillin.
"How about you Krillin?" Krillin shook his head.
"No, I think I'm going to train with Master Roshi." Yamcha agreed, and, grabbing Bulma, the two of them flew off to begin their training.
"Well Gohan, I think we've let your mother wait long enough." Goku said to his son.
"I'll join you for training first thing tomorrow." Piccolo said. He'd seen Chichi's reaction when the young saiyan didn't return with the dragon. He wasn't interested in joining in on their family reunion.
"Alright. See you then." Goku nodded as both father and son put their fingers to their temples. In an instant, they'd disappeared.
…
"Mom! We're home!" Gohan called as he entered the house. He was so excited to be home again, though the news about the androids had definitely put a damper on his mood.
"GOHAN!" Gohan smiled as his mother came barreling down the stairs. She quickly pulled him into a tight hug, leaving him gasping for air.
"Oh my baby! I've missed you so much!" Chichi began to cry as she put Gohan down.
"Don't cry mom." Gohan answered with a smile. Chichi gave him another hug, then looked over by the door where Goku stood nervously.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do Goku." Chichi muttered angrily.
"I know. Why don't we sit down and I'll tell you everything. Okay?" Goku held his breath as Chichi mentally debated.
"Alright." She finally conceded. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Goku followed his wife to the table and got started.
…
"…So we couldn't come back until Gohan was healed and our ship was repaired." Goku finished. Chichi turned towards her son, who was inching further and further away.
"Let me see you!" Chichi cried. Lifting up his bangs, Chichi could clearly see a scar where her son's injury had been.
"A head injury! My goodness how awful. I seriously hope this doesn't affect his studies!" Chichi panicked.
"The doctor gave him a clean bill of health before we left." Goku assured her.
"And you?" Chichi asked. Goku laughed.
"Me? I'm just fine." Goku answered nonchalantly.
"Well now young man, you will have a few days to rest and then it's back to the books." Chichi told her son as she got up to start dinner. Gohan looked at his father, who gulped.
"Well Chichi, that's not the whole story. You might want to sit back down…" Goku flinched as Chichi turned towards him in exasperation.
…
"You've been home five minutes and there's already another threat that you have to take care of?" Chichi asked discouraged. Gohan felt bad for his mom, who truly seemed disappointed.
"Look Chichi, we have three years to prepare for the androids. Gohan and I aren't going anywhere. I will ask that Gohan join myself and Piccolo for our training during the day. But we'll be home everyday for supper, and after supper we'll do something as a family. Is that okay?" Chichi thought about it.
"Do you intend for Gohan to fight these androids Goku? He's just had a serious head injury." Goku frowned. He hadn't decided yet if he was going to let Gohan participate in this fight. But he did want to make sure that Gohan was prepared in case. Gohan looked up at his father, surprised that he looked so torn.
"Of course I'm going to fight." He answered when no one spoke up. Both his parents looked up in surprise.
"Gohan that's not your call to make." Chichi scolded.
"I'm not going to sit around while androids terrorize the earth." Gohan answered stubbornly.
"You'll do as your told." Goku told him sternly.
"So what, because I hit my head, I'm no longer allowed to fight?" Gohan asked angrily. Goku was surprised to see his son so upset.
"I didn't say that." Goku answered evenly.
"You didn't have to." Gohan replied. One minute everyone is treating him like an adult, and the next, he's being treated like a baby. It wasn't fair!
"Gohan, apologize to your father!" Chichi demanded. Gohan gave his father a disappointed look before muttering an apology. Before anyone could say another word, the child walked to his room in silence.
"Has he been that obstinate the whole time you were gone?" Chichi asked perplexed.
"No, I think he's just tired. We've had a long day and we'd been looking forward to some peace. I think the news of the androids has gotten him a bit rattled." Goku replied seriously.
"Well, I'm going to start dinner. Maybe you should go and talk to him." Chichi answered as she put a hand on her husband's shoulder. Goku nodded.
…
Gohan couldn't believe his dad was going to train him, and then make him stay home when the threat arrived. When Vegeta was coming to earth everyone kept going on about how much they needed him. When the Ginyu Force was attacking, he was the last after Vegeta and Krillin to fight until he could fight no longer. Heck, he'd even taken a few shots at Frieza! And now he was too fragile to help fight the androids?
Staring out of his window, Gohan tried to control his anger. He knew his dad just wanted to protect him. But he wasn't a baby! Shelt had told him he was in the clear to train as he saw fit, so long as he took care to protect his head. Balling his hands into fists, Gohan tried to suppress the helpless feeling that was starting to take over.
"I want to help." He muttered under his breath. The door opened and closed behind him, but he didn't turn around.
"Gohan, I know you're upset. But I'd like to talk about this." Goku started from the doorway. When Gohan didn't answer, he continued.
"Son, it's not that I don't want you to fight anymore, or that we don't need you. That's simply not true. But I want to make sure you're ready before you jump into battle again. I've had a lot of time to think about things while we were on Yardrat. And I think that with everything that happened here on earth, and then on Namek, plus your injury, that you just need some time to be a kid." Goku stated.
"How can I just 'be a kid' when there are androids coming to destroy the earth?" Gohan asked seriously. Goku wasn't sure what to say.
"Dad we're not like other people. We have abilities that the other people on this planet don't have. We have a responsibility to them, to our friends, to our family. I know you're just trying to protect me, but I want to fight. I want to protect the people I care about. I can't just stand around and wait." At this Gohan turned around to see his dad looking contrite.
"I know Gohan. Listen, we're going to train for the next three years to prepare for these androids. And when the time comes, I'm not going to leave you at home to wait. But, you need to understand that I am your father, and I will do what I have to do to keep you safe. And if I bring you with me, I expect you to listen when I tell you to do something without argument. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Gohan nodded.
"Good. Still mad at me?" Goku asked. Gohan smiled as he shook his head.
"No. I'm sorry I got so angry." Goku walked over and patted his son's head.
"I'm sorry too. I never meant to hurt your feelings or make you think I didn't want you there with us." Gohan gave his dad a hug.
"Dad…what about the virus?" Gohan asked concerned.
"What about it? I have the antidote." Goku smiled.
"That doesn't mean you won't get sick. And if Trunk's timeline is different than ours…"
"Hey don't sweat it Gohan. We can't worry about things that might happen. There are already differences between the two timelines. Let's just wait and see what happens. In the meantime, I think we should devour as much of your mother's cooking as possible."
…
Chichi looked over at her husband as he crawled into bed with her.
"Do you think he's still upset?" She asked. Gohan had been quiet during dinner. Goku shook his head.
"No, he's alright now." Chichi could tell that Goku was distracted.
"I don't know if he should be training Goku. A head injury is not like a broken bone." Chichi frowned, feeling concerned. This could impact her son's whole life…it could ruin his studies, cause him all kinds of mental and physical challenges…was it really worth the risk?
"Chichi I think this is even more of a reason for Gohan to train. He needs to be able to protect himself. You're a martial artist, you know that having a weakness like that will make you vulnerable. You don't want him to be vulnerable do you?" Chichi shook her head. She hadn't thought of it that way.
"Well, no I don't. I guess as long as you and Piccolo are taking care not to hit his head, it should be alright." Chichi sighed as Goku looked up.
"About that…I haven't told Piccolo or the others about Gohan's injury." Goku stated. Chichi looked at him in surprise.
"Why not? What if they accidentally hit him during training? They have to know." Goku frowned and shook his head.
"I think it's best if less people know about it Chichi. I don't want anyone accidentally informing the androids of Gohan's weakness." Goku paused for a moment.
"I also think it's best that Gohan train with the others at full power. I don't want any of them holding back because they think they'll hurt him. He'll never learn to protect himself that way." Chichi nodded. She didn't like it, but Goku did have a point.
"Just be careful Goku." She told him before turning over to go to sleep. Goku nodded, deep in thought.
