A/N: One more chapter after this! Also, thank you SailorSnowflack for catching an error I had on the previous chapter. That has been fixed.

Enjoy!

Chapter 37: Fin Filial Part 1

Goku stared at his son through the white haze of snow. It was just as Gohan suggested; he had been holding back. However, the strange thing was that he wasn't too sure as to why he was doing so. Perhaps a part of his subconscious was telling him not to unleash his full power since he was fighting with his son. Or maybe he didn't want to fight at a power he had little experience training with. Regardless of the reason, the truth was out now and it was clear that Gohan wouldn't accept a victory or defeat unless both parties were at their best. He let out a heavy sigh. "How did you know? How did you know I was holding back?"

"When it comes to sensing ki, you and Piccolo trained me exceptionally well. That is how I could also tell that Uub had already surpassed Kid Buu, and that you had surpassed Uub. I'd ask why you are still training him if you had already exceeded him in, but to be honest – I don't really care to hear the answer. The only thing I want right now is for you to battle me at your full power; no reservations. The fact that all this has come to light makes me want to prove to you now, more than ever, that it is unnecessary for you to live this kind of life." He spoke with the same determination that he had when he proposed the fight earlier.

Knowing further discussion would be pointless, Goku breathed deeply before slowly widening his stance. Drawing his fists to his side, he began to tap into the energy deep within him. A yellow aura surrounded him like a fire before it developed to a glow that fully encompassed him. This was followed by strong winds emanating from him.

Gohan watched, arms crossed. "Know that I would never ask this of a true enemy." He shouted over the sound of his father's grunts. "I would not make the same mistakes that both of us have made in the past. If an enemy were to come to Earth I would take them down quickly, with no hesitation. The only reason I'm asking you to power up is to show you that I can beat you, even at your best."

Focusing on his ki, Goku continued to unleash the power within him. The winds around him picked up, causing Gohan to move out of the way and jump to higher ground. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Piccolo do the same. Both watched as he continued to power up for the next 30 seconds before he unleashed one final yell. With this yell, a blinding light filled the area causing Gohan to shield his eyes. When he lowered his arm, he saw his father standing on the ground below, surrounded by a golden aura. His muscles had increased in size and he looked more menacing than before.

Gohan was in awe at the power being displayed. Since Goku had been suppressing his ki, he could only estimate as to just how powerful his father really was. As it turned out, that estimation was lower than expected. His father's powers exceeded his expectations.

With the wind generated by Goku now ceased the snow began to fall on the land as normal, obscuring Gohan's vision. Suddenly, his father vanished.

"Huh?" He looked around, expecting it to be the Instant Transmission. He held a strong defensive stance for a few seconds before he realized that he wasn't being attacked. "What?" He asked himself aloud. He then started to scan the surrounding area. "Where did he go?" The blizzard was limiting his vision, but he couldn't even sense his father. The raw power released by Goku during his charge up created a cloud of energy that made it impossible to pinpoint his location. "A new technique?" He thought to himself as he continued to desperately scan the landscape for signs of movement or sound. But the only thing around him was the cold winter silence. For several seconds he hovered there… waiting.

Suddenly, Goku appeared out of the thick snowfall like a fish emerging from dark water. It caught Gohan by complete surprise, leaving him no time to block the elbow aimed for his face.

It was the first good hit Goku had gotten in during their fight and the Saiyan quickly took advantage of it. As his son was sent flying upwards from the strike, he swiftly came around at his side, kicking him in the ribs, changing the younger man's projection. With great speed, he once again caught up to him. Using all of his force, he proceeded to knee Gohan in the back, sending him rocketing skyward. The momentum was enough to send the demi-saiyan through the cloud line into the clear sky above. Goku followed suit, planning an additional attack, but before he could land another hit, Gohan dodged out of the way and flew backwards to create some distance between them.

As Goku regained his balance from his missed attack, Gohan took the opportunity to catch his breath. As he did so, he held his ribs and wiped fresh blood from his mouth. Goku hovered in the air, his new aura radiating pure energy.

"Better… than I thought." Gohan commented as he gasped for air. He then straightened his body, taking in a deep breath. His father's attack had knocked the wind out of him but they both knew it was going to take a lot more than that to beat him. After relaxing his body and catching his breath, he looked back at his opponent. "I guess we can finally get started then." He said as he cracked his neck.

Goku let out a slight smirk. "Warm up's over then?"

Gohan nodded. "Yes. And for what it's worth thank you."

"Huh?" This sudden proclamation caught Goku by surprise.

"Thank you for finally fighting at your true potential. I wouldn't want anything less."

"… I know." Goku finally replied.

The two stared at each other, taking in the moment, but also strategizing their next move. After several seconds, they simultaneously vanished from their spots. Immediately afterwards, the atmosphere was filled with the sounds of the two battling at incredible speed. Punches and kicks sent powerful shockwaves rupturing the otherwise calm sky.

The warm up was certainly over!

"HAA!" Gohan shouted as he shot a large and powerful, one handed ki beam. Goku, who had been charging upwards towards him, suddenly braced himself for the incoming attack. Holding out both hands he managed to catch the beam but not without being pushed back several meters. He finally managed to maintain his ground but he was struggling to deflect the beam.

Seizing the opportunity, Gohan powered up another ki attack using his spare hand and flung it outwards, curving towards his father. The blast made a direct hit, causing Goku to also lose control of the beam that he was trying to deflect. Both ki attacks made contact, resulting in a huge explosion.

As the smoke cleared Goku was revealed to be in a crouching, defensive stance. His shirt was shredded in the side from where the second ki attack had stuck him and the rest of his clothes were singed from the heat of the explosion. Blood dripped down his forearms from where he attempted to shield himself last minute. "Damn." He grunted under his breath. He then winced slightly as the pain set in. Before he had much time to recover Gohan came at him from the side, landing a kick on the same spot where his second ki blast had hit.

This incredibly painful attack sent him soaring through air with Gohan quickly behind. Goku knew he had to plan a counter attack quick if he didn't want to be significantly more weakened from his son's assault. He decided to rely on a technique he had not used for some time; knowing Gohan would not expect it. "KAI-O-KEN!" He shouted, turning his golden aura red, and greatly increasing his speed and strength. He knew the limitations of his body would only provide him to use it for a brief moment, but that was all he needed.

Widening his eyes, Gohan quickly realized his father was about to turn the tables on him. Before he could act defensively, Goku, who had moved at incredible speed to attack from under him, kneed him in the gut. The force sent him skyrocketing but his path was interrupted when Goku used his Instant Transmission to appear above him, landing a kick that sent him downwards, back to the ground. Gohan flew with such force that he created a half kilometer clearing among the clouds when he broke the cloud-line. By the time he reached the ground he managed to regain enough control to land on his hands and knees. He made contact with the earth, creating a large crater with the force of impact. Immediately, he looked up at his father. As the clouds began to converge to fill up the hole he had created, he could see his father's silhouette against the afternoon sun. The red aura surrounding him was gone meaning that he had just used up a lot of energy on that attack and he was now weakened.

Jolting himself upwards, he flew directly at his father, trying to get to him before the clouds finished converging. If he lost visual, then Goku could use that to his advantaged and create another surprise attack.

Realizing he was in a weakened state for the temporary moment, Goku quickly thought of his options. As Gohan charged upwards towards him, he noticed the light behind him casting a large shadow on the ground below. He looked and realized he was directly under the sun. That was it! With the young warrior almost upon him, and the clouds close to converging, he put his hands to the side of his face to use yet another technique that he hadn't utilized in a long time. "Solar Flare!" And with that, a blinding flash of light was sent towards Gohan.

"AHHH!" The demi-saiyan yelled as he stopped in his tracks, just below the cloud-line, to cover his face. "Damnit!"

While his son was incapacitated, Goku took the opportunity to attack. Using his Instant Transmission technique again, he teleported right behind Gohan and delivered a devastating sidekick that sent the younger warrior hurtling towards a mountainside.

As he crashed into the ice-covered rocks, Gohan knew that he was in trouble. He could sense Goku charging at him again. His father planned to take full advantage of his temporary blindness. "Curse him!" He thought to himself, as the pain from the Solar Flare still radiated through his eyes.

"Wait…" He was coming to a quick realization. He could sense his father… he knew exactly where he was. "Relax your mind Gohan." He told himself. "If you relax your mind and focus solely on his energy, then you can defend yourself against his attacks without your eyes."

The charging Saiyan struck out his fist, aimed for his son's face when, at the last second, Gohan threw up his hand to catch it.

"Huh!?" Goku was amazed at Gohan's recovery from the Solar Flare, but upon a closer look he saw that his son's eyes were shut and still twitching from the assault they were just given. Swinging his other fist around he attempted a second shot, but it as was quickly blocked as well. Freeing his fists from Gohan's grasp, he attempted to deal one punch and kick after another… all without success.

The onslaught caused Gohan to back up, deeper into the mountain. The rough rock was constantly shattering upon contact with his back, but the entire time he managed to block all of the attacks aimed at him despite being blinded. The fight continued to until the two fought their way out from the other side of the mountain.

Once back in the air, Gohan lost his footing and just barely dodged out of the way from a heavy punch aimed towards his chest. He decided to go on the offensive and released a surge of ki, which created a shockwave, ejecting Goku away. The Saiyan was projected at an angle perpendicular from the mountain they had just fought through, into another mountain 300 meters away. It crumbled on top of him giving Gohan the time for his vision to be restored.

Several seconds went by before the effects of the Solar Flare wore off. By that time, all the rocks from where Goku had crashed, settled. Gohan caught his breath while he waited for his father to emerge. The back of his shirt had been torn exposing his back, which was raw from being grinded against the rock. Every flake of snow that hit it caused a stinging sensation, but he couldn't lose his concentration.

Suddenly, golden light began to emerge from underneath the boulders from where Goku was. The light increased in intensity until, finally, the residue of the mountain scattered in all directions revealing the Saiyan in the center.

Gohan managed to protect himself from the boulders he was in the way of by using a simple ki shield. It wasn't until all the rocks had cleared his path that he made a direct beeline for his father. The two engaged in hand-to-hand combat once again, causing massive destruction to the land underneath them. There was no let-up in their battle.

After another 30 minutes of non-stop combat, the strain was starting to get to both of the warriors as their attacks became slower and sloppier. However, the stress of battle appeared to be affecting Goku more than his son, …and both parties knew this. Defeat seemed imminent, but Goku knew he had one more card up his sleeve.

It was his signature attack… the Kamehameha!