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Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or make a profit from this fic.
Son Gohan the Warrior
(A/N: Short chapter here, just getting a good point out of the way. Enjoy.)
Chapter 49:
No Worries Here
"How much longer are Goku and Gohan going to be in there?" asked Trunks from where he sat on the steps, bored. He and Vegeta had been waiting for a while for the two to leave the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
"They should be coming out soon," answered Mr. Popo. "They've been in there nearly a full day."
"I'm sure they'll stay longer than that," said Vegeta from where he stood, facing away from the others, his arms crossed. "They'll do anything they can to surpass me."
"They are training so they can beat Cell, not you, Vegeta." said Piccolo. "And there are nine days left, so you can afford to be patient. Why don't you rest, Vegeta, while I go in?"
"What a waste of time. You don't actually expect to become as strong as a Saiyan, do you?" Vegeta sneered. "Fine. Have your day. But I plan to take the remaining eight days for myself."
Piccolo smirked. "I wouldn't count on that. Didn't you know you can only spend two days inside? Even the Hyperbolic Time Chamber has it's limits."
"What?" Vegeta turned to face Piccolo. "You lie. That's ridiculous. How gullible do you think I am?"
"But it's true," said Mr. Popo. "After 48 hours, the entrance will disappear, and you will be trapped inside for eternity."
"But father," said Trunks, "there's plenty of time. We still have 23 hours left."
Vegeta crossed his arms, disappointed. Suddenly, everybody whipped around, sensing something from inside the hall.
Moments later, Goku and Gohan emerged from the inside of the hall, both still Super Saiyans. Their Saiyan armor was rather cracked, their bodysuits torn, but both were uninjured.
"Do you sense that?" asked Gohan, staring off to the side.
"It feels like Cell's a lot stronger," said Goku. The two approached the group of others. "So, would someone fill us in on what's going on?"
The others looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, sure," said Tien.
Just then, Goku and Gohan both stopped, clenching their stomachs. "Can we get something to eat first?" asked Goku. "I need to get something in my stomach."
Mr. Popo bowed his head, sighing. It was bad enough he had had to feed Goku and Gohan once, but now again?
"At least he hasn't changed at all," said Tien, grinning.
Moments later, both Goku and Gohan were digging into a massive meal. Nobody was too surprised by Goku's appetite, but they all noticed that Gohan's had grown noticeably, now keeping pace with his black hole of a father.
"It's really hitting the spot," said Goku, chowing into a bowl of rice.
"You said it," said Gohan, grabbing a roast leg.
"Uh, Goku," said Tien, "just one question. Wasn't there enough food inside the time chamber?"
Goku mumbled something through a mouthful of noodles that nobody but Gohan managed to translate.
"Okay, Goku," said Piccolo, "why don't you try saying that without your mouth full?"
Goku sucked the noodles into his mouth. "What I said was, Gohan and I can't cook very well, so it's been a really long time since we had a good, home-cooked meal. Seriously, saying we can't cook well is a bit of an understatement. One time, Gohan fried us up some roast beef, and it completely disintegrated!"
What is going on? thought Vegeta. They appear to be Super Saiyans, but they act so natural. I must find out the true depths of their new powers.
Finally, both Saiyans put their last plates down. "Thanks a lot, Mr. Popo," said Gohan.
"That was excellent!" said Goku, leaning back. "So, Trunks, why don't you tell us what's been happening?"
"Yeah, sure," said Trunks.
-DBZ: SGTW-
"All right, let me see," said Dr. Briefs, mumbling to himself as he worked on Android 16. "Was it the green wire, or was it the red one? Maybe I'll try the white one!"
Over at a computer, Bulma was going over Android 16's programming. She found numerous records to "Son Goku".
"Look at this, dad," said Bulma. "I downloaded the memory of Android 16, and it's loaded with Goku's data. He's got everything. Fighting records, common techniques, even his home address."
"How strange," said Dr. Briefs, who had walked over and was examining the code over her shoulder.
"The only conclusion that makes sense is that Android 16 was designed for the sole purpose of destroying Goku." She turned to look at the gentle android. "But he doesn't seem like he's after Goku at all. Or maybe the right opportunity just hasn't presented itself yet."
"Well, his circuitry is too complex to really say," said Dr. Briefs. "However, he doesn't look too evil. And, as I understand, the only aggressive move he's made has been against Cell."
"That's true."
Dr. Briefs walked over and looked at 16. "It really raises profound questions about the nature of artificial intelligence. Despite all of Dr. Gero's programming, this android could still make a choice."
"I'm glad he decided to be on our side of the tournament, because once we get done fixing him up, he's going to be one of the strongest players we've got."
-DBZ: SGTW-
"So that's it," said Goku. "A tournament, huh? Well, I've got to admit, it sounds pretty interesting."
"What?" asked Piccolo as Trunks stared at Goku in awe. "Interesting?"
"Hey Mr. Popo." Goku turned to Kami's old assistant. "Do you still have the clothes I left here?"
"Sure," replied Mr. Popo. "I do. They're somewhere."
As Goku suited up in his old clothing, Gohan walked over to Piccolo. "Hey, Piccolo," he said. "Could you make a new outfit for me?"
"Sure, kid," said Piccolo. "The usual style?"
"Not quite," said Gohan. "I want my uniform to be just like my dad's, but can I have a cape just like yours?"
Piccolo smirked. "Yeah, kid. It'll make you look really sharp." He raised his hand over Gohan's head, and zapped a new uniform. Just as Gohan had requested, it was orange overshirt and pants, blue undershirt and wristbands, black boots, and white cape just like Piccolo's.
"Thank you," said Gohan, looking himself over. "It's awesome."
"Excellent choice," said Goku, smiling.
"Okay, Kakarot," said Vegeta, walking over. "You think you can beat Cell now?"
"Well, we won't see until the tournament," said Goku. "From what I can sense, I might be able to, but I doubt it."
"You can still take another day in the Time Chamber," said Piccolo.
"Gohan and I don't need another turn," said Goku. "We're as strong as we can get. Taking another day would be a waste of time." Gohan nodded his agreement.
"Well, I'm going to go in next," said Piccolo. "Then Vegeta, who wants to go alone. Then Trunks, and if you change your mind, you're last."
Goku looked at his son. "Your mother's probably pretty worried at us. She's probably at Master Roshi's, so let's go see her."
Gohan nodded. The two raised their fingers to their foreheads and vanished.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Krillin, Master Roshi, Chiaotzu, Oolong, and Puar looked up in surprise when Goku and Gohan appeared.
"Goku! Gohan!" shouted Krillin, jumping up with surprise. "You're back!"
"Yeah," said Goku. "Trunks has already told us what's going on. Hey, is Chi-Chi here? We were hoping to head home."
Just then, Chi-Chi walked in. She spotted her husband and son. "Goku! Gohan!" she screamed. "What happened to your hair?"
"You mean you've been Super Saiyans since Namek, and yet she's never seen you transformed?" asked Krillin, bewildered.
"Mom!" said Gohan. "You remember dad and me talking about being Super Saiyans? This is what it means. We can change, getting more powerful, but our hair and eyes change color."
Chi-Chi calmed down significantly. "Oh," she said. "I heard you say we were going home?"
"Yeah," said Goku. "Whenever you're ready, we can go."
Chi-Chi grabbed onto her husband's shoulder, and the three vanished.
-DBZ: SGTW-
With Goku and Gohan finally having emerged, Goku seems confident of victory. What is the deal? Did he discover some sort of secret in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber? Find out in the next chapter of DBZ: Son Gohan the Warrior!
