A/N: With this chapter I will be breaking 100,000 words! Only two more chapters after this. Enjoy!

Chapter 36: Choice

As Goku and Gohan stood there, snowflakes began to dance through the air, making their way delicately to the ground. The cold air and grey, overcast sky provided an adequate backdrop for the battle that was about to commence. It was a battle that had been a long time coming. Years of angst, frustration, and sorrow had culminated into this moment and Gohan felt as if he was finally going to get some type of closure with his father by showing him just how competent he was as a warrior – all while maintaining a family life. There was just one small problem…

"Gohan… I don't want to fight you." Goku finally replied to his son's request. It was not the answer the demi-saiyan wanted to hear, but it wasn't unexpected.

Gohan shut his eyes and grimaced. "Consider it a training session. Besides, after everything that has happened you owe me this. You owe me a chance to show you where you have been wrong all of these years." He was determined to best his father in battle to prove his point. He didn't want this charade to continue any longer. Today, things were going to finally come to an end!

"Then let us talk this out son." Goku pleaded.

"No!" Gohan quickly barked back. He wasn't falling for his father's tricks any more. He felt that, despite his simple nature, Goku had a way with words that attributed to his charm, which lead those around him into that false sense of security. "You never truly listen to anything anyone has to say. This is the only way I can show you once and for all that you are wrong. That your choices affect others and have consequences." He let out another burst of energy.

While Goku remained stoic in his stance, inside he was anxious. This wasn't like any of their previous encounters. Gohan was in full control of his emotions and his power. He was serious, perhaps more serious than he had ever been with him. And deep within his eyes, Goku could see sheer determination. He knew this wasn't something his son was willing to negotiate about. His mind raced as he continued to take in everything that had said, including the declaration of combat. Had his actions really lead to this? Had he really been so careless in his decisions that he pushed his son to this point?

Sensing further hesitation in his father, Gohan decided to take a slightly different approach. His golden aura dissipated as he relaxed his body. "Do you remember the first night you came back from training Uub? When you crashed my birthday party?"

"I never meant to-"

"DO YOU remember?" Gohan interrupted.

"Yes… Yes I remember."

"Then I'm sure you remember what happened after you barged in."

Goku remained silent. How could either of them forget?

"After announcing yourself nonchalantly, you had me so upset that I lost control of myself and knocked you unconscious. Then I fled. I wanted to be as far away from you as possible. My anger towards you at that moment was unlike anything I had experienced in a long time… and the result almost became catastrophic. Because in that moment of complete frustration, I defied something that Elder Kai told me before I left to fight Buu."

Goku's interest peaked.

"Do you remember how he said that I would no longer need to become a Super Saiyan? That it would simply be a waste of energy."

Again, remaining silent, Goku nodded.

"Well, he was wrong. That night, I transformed and the power that enveloped me made it feel like it was my first time reaching Super Saiyan. My ki was unstable, but more surprisingly, it increased. Transforming wasn't a waste of energy… it was a catalyst.

This revelation shocked Goku. He remembered feeling Gohan's intense ki after he fled, but he had no idea it was because he had transformed for the first time in over 10 years. Based on what Elder Kai had said, he questioned if it was even possible.

Sensing his father's bewilderment, Gohan continued. "I don't know if he told me those things to keep me from unleashing a power that could have disastrous consequences, or if he simply didn't know that my genetics would play such a large part in the outcome. As you know, being part Saiyan has lead me to achieve a physical strength that I could have never accomplished if I was 100% Human. However, it is my Human side that has consistently driven this strength beyond my limits. It took me awhile to realize it, but this hybrid mixture is what allowed me to tap into exceptional power during brief moments when I was a child. It wasn't until I was older to that I began to have some control."

Goku's memories flashed back to the several instances of his son's sudden burst of power; from the time Gohan was in a run-away stroller, to the battle with Raditz, and so on. Like he just said, it wasn't until years later that he was able to control it, in which he become the one of the most powerful fighters among them. And even then, there was still evidence of higher levels that could be achieved.

"Your blood runs through my veins. As half Saiyan, I deal with those feelings of wanting to fight. I understand the mind-set that you have described about constantly yearning for adventure, because I have some of those same desires. But I have made a conscious decision to find those adventures within my everyday life, with my family. I have found alternative outlets for all of my Saiyan 'urges' to bring myself to a nice medium between my Human side and my Saiyan side, without emotionally damaging those around me."

Immediately, Goku thought back to that night he visited Vegeta at Capsule Corp. The Saiyan Prince had mentioned the unbalanced lifestyle his Saiyan counterpart was living. He also discussed the differences between Saiyans and Humans and how that played a role in both of their lives as they continued to live on, what was technically, an alien planet to them. What Gohan was saying, mirrored what Vegeta had told him.

"Everything revolves around choice, and that's what has helped me obtain my stability. That is why I have been training not only my body, but my mind as well. Vegeta chose to incorporate a Human life into his Saiyan life when he had a family with a Bulma. Your genes may contribute a great deal to your nature, but in the end, you always have choice. And this is why I am asking you to fight me right now. I need to show you that you have made the wrong choices when it comes to training and family. I need closure for everything you have put me through. Without this, I cannot move on."

The snowfall began to steadily pick up as Goku took a moment to absorb everything his son had just said. "But what happens if you experience something like you did before, when you lost control that evening?" He was still trying to find a way out.

"I had that reaction because I hadn't been training my mind. For the past several months I have made a conscious effort to correct this. As it stands right now, I have much more control over my emotions, and thus my transformation. All of this is what I want to show you. All of this is what I need to show you; that I can manage training and having a family life."

Staring intently into his son's eyes, Goku took a few deep breaths. The person before him was no longer his little boy, but rather a strong and confident man. Gohan had spoken without fear or uncertainty in his voice and he had made his points strong. This gave the Saiyan little room to argue against the proposed match. It was clear that his son wasn't going to take no for an answer. He closed his eyes as he took another moment to reflect on the conversations he previously had with Vegeta, Goten, Chi-Chi, and Videl over the past year. So much had been said to him and yet he never truly seemed to heed the advice of others. If he had, he didn't think he would be in this situation right now. As those discussions flooded through his mind, he began to finally see his mistakes. Like Vegeta said, he had created instability in his life. He had constantly been running away from family problems, either literally or figuratively. And now was the time to change that. Despite that fact that he didn't want to do it, he saw where going along with Gohan's proposal could be the end to his running away. And even if this fight didn't help him reach some stability right away, it could perhaps help Gohan reach some of his own. He opened his eyes back up. His son deserved that much.

"OK" He muttered. "I'll do it… I will fight you… on one condition. If I beat you, you will give me another chance."

Gohan anticipated this request. He thought it was an appropriate wager given the situation. After all, if his father won, he would be proven wrong about his abilities to properly juggle training and family life. While he could never say that what his father did in the past was OK, being beaten by him would open the door to admitting he was wrong. This could potentially allow them to meet each other half-way. That being said, everything that he had said before still stood. He was confident in his abilities, and confident he would win.

"…Agreed." He finally replied.

With pride on the line, both father and son had one thought on their mind.

"I will not lose!"

The silent winter air began to tremble ferociously.

"Here we go." Piccolo muttered to himself as he flew back several hundred feet to give the two space.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Father and son screamed as they began to charge up their ki. Despite their distance on the old battlegrounds, their auras met with a thunderous clash. The power from the impact created sparks that broke into the ground, shredding parts of the land around them. As Goku powered up to Super Saiyan 3 he released a shockwave of energy from his body that further exacerbated the electrical discharge between their auras. This was repeated when Gohan powered up to Super Saiyan 2 while still in his Ultimate (Mystic) form. Shortly thereafter, the ground underneath both of them began to buckle under the enormity of the power they were releasing. By now both of their powers had reached the level of Kid Buu.

As the two continued to call forth energy deep within them, they realized that they were starting to plateau, reaching their highest level they could at the moment. Without notice, they jumped back a few meters from their original position, their auras no longer violent bursts, but rather concentrated within their bodies. Taking a few deep breathes, they stood there for a moment, watching each other.

Finally, it was Gohan who decided to make the first move. After instantly disappearing, he came around to his father's side, striking at him towards the face. Goku blocked it, but in doing so left his stomach open. Gohan quickly took the opportunity and swung his knee around, making contact. The force was strong enough that it sent Goku flying towards the base of a nearby cliff with Gohan in hot pursuit. However, just before crashing into the rock, the Saiyan managed to regain his control and used a two-handed ki blast to propel himself up into the sky. Gohan adjusted his course and followed.

From there, the two engaged in mid-air battle, trading punches and kicks. Any impact, whether it was a block or a successful hit, created a tremendous shockwave, disrupting the increasing snowfall for several meters around their bodies. It was a fight between two of the most powerful people on the planet (and quite possibly the universe) and thus every move held unimaginable force behind it.

Several minutes of close combat followed until Goku was able to grab hold of Gohan and toss him back towards the ground. The demi-saiyan caught himself, landing upright on one knee. He charged up his fists, flung his hands into the air and unleased a barrage of ki blasts. With expert precision, Goku was able to dodge each one. He looked down at his son who was wearing a smirk on his face with his arms still outstretched. Before he had time to react, one of the ki blasts that he had dodged came back from behind him, skidding across his ribs, before exploding in front of him. The other ki blasts were close behind. While he managed to cancel out most of them with his own blasts, the last few made contact.

By the time the smoke cleared Goku was hovering mid-air in a defensive stance with his legs curled up and his arms crossed in front. He opened his eyes to find an empty landscape. "Where did he go?" He asked himself aloud. He was desperately looking around through the screen of white snow that was now coming down quite heavily, skewing his vision.

"Behind you."

As soon as he turned around, Gohan had hit him with two fists clenched together, sending him hurtling diagonally towards the ground. He skidded across the frozen land, only coming to a stop when he crashed into a boulder. As the dust settled, he struggled to his feet while he saw his son slowly land several meters in front of him.

"You… You really have been training." He winced through his words with a slight smile. While he was certainly taking a beating, he couldn't help but feel somewhat proud of his son for the strength he was showing. Gohan glared at him, wondering if his father was taking this fight as seriously as he was. "But…" Goku continued as he wiped blood from his chin. "… you've left an opening…" He quickly leapt into the air towards Gohan, who in turn shot another ki blast directly at him with his left hand. The blast seemed to hit Goku, but then went right through him as the after-image the Saiyan created dissolved in the air. "…here!" Goku suddenly came up from Gohan's left side with his knee aiming for his ribs. But with incredibly speed Gohan brought his right hand around, blocking the attack.

"Do I?" He asked a very surprised Goku. The speed at which Gohan blocked his kick was unlike anything he had ever seen. His son proceeded to elbow him in the face, once again sending him skidding across the snow. This knock down took him significantly more time to recover from as he struggled to get to his feet quickly. The surprise counterattack had left a nasty welt on his face that he held in pain. He glared angrily back at him.

"This isn't good enough." Gohan said as he took a few steps toward him. "You're not trying your best."

"Huh?" Goku responded, a bit taken aback.

Gohan's eyes narrowed. "At the level you are fighting right now I'd say you are only showing me half of what you have."

Goku's eyes widened in shock. "How did he…?" He thought to himself.

Gohan did not break his gaze with him.

The snowfall increased in intensity… a blizzard was coming.