Hey guys, Liz here. Sorry for the delay on the chapter release. I've been busy trying to put this puzzle together, and classes are starting to ramp up as it's gotten warmer. Anyway, last we left off, the Son family exited the time chamber. How will they handle the news of Cell? Find out now!
The Son Squad Ch.54
The Sons soon got filled in on the issue from Trunks. He told them about Cell's ascension into his perfect form and his proclamation to the world about a tournament to decide the planet's fate. As they were told everything, the others, especially Vegeta, noted just how at ease the group was. With everything they all knew about super saiyan, this shouldn't have been possible. Goku, Gohan, Chiyo, Daichi, and Chibiko seemed too relaxed to maintain the super saiyan form like it was nothing. It was like they didn't even realize they were in this legendary state that once seemed to be just a myth.
"And that's about it," Trunks summed up for the group, still trying to understand the training they had done to achieve these states of relative calm. Of course, he'd probably say something to Daichi and Chibi later.
"I see," Goku said, crossing his arms over his chest. However, instead of being worried about it, he smiled. "It actually sounds kind of fun. I mean, it's not every day you get to compete in a big tournament."
"Of course, you'd see it as fun," Piccolo sighed, expecting nothing less from his former enemy. If he hadn't been excited about the tournament, Piccolo would've thought something was wrong with Goku.
"Well, if that's how it's got to be, we might as well compete," Daichi shrugged after taking in Trunks' story. "Seems like a good way to test ourselves and see our limits."
"Hey, do you still have our uniforms, Mr. Popo?" Goku questioned, turning to the caretaker of the Lookout.
"Of course," Mr. Popo stated. "I kept and washed them."
"Perfect. We can finally get out of this cracked armor," Chibiko stated, stretching her arms up over her head. No longer would she have to wear the same outfit as her family and Vegeta.
Daichi and Goku changed right there on the spot, and Daichi noted how his jacket was almost a bit too small to put on. He hadn't realized how big his muscles had gotten during the nine months of training. Chibi, meanwhile, took her stuff and walked around a corner to change as well. She noted how when she had slipped on her shirt, how she had grown a few inches. It almost felt tight to put on.
Meanwhile, Gohan and Chiyo went to Piccolo and asked him for new clothes. Piccolo was a bit flattered that the twins wanted to look like him and happily obliged to their request. One quick clothes change later (seriously, what is up with Piccolo knowing this move?), and Gohan and Chiyo's armor was replaced. Both twins now wore purple gis similar to the Namekian's, orange shoes, blue sashes around the waist, and two blue wristbands. However, while Gohan had on the white cape and shoulder pads that Piccolo wore, Chiyo was without the weighted shoulder pad-cape combo, which she secretly was glad about. It helped to distinguish her from her brother.
With the Son family all changed out of the armor, Vegeta decided to get down to business and ask his rival what was up; "So, what's the plan?" He demanded as he walked over to Goku. The prince had to know what Kakarot was thinking. "Do you feel strong enough to take on Cell?"
"Well, it's kinda hard to say. I haven't seen him in his perfect form yet. I mean, I think I can beat him, but let me check things out first," Goku admitted to Vegeta. He then put his fingers to his head and used instant transmission to head down to where Cell was.
As soon as he was gone, it was actually awkward for the ones left behind. No one was really sure what to say to one another. There was the obvious questions that could be asked, but no one dared to actually ask them. Finally, Chiyo spoke up: "So, I'm guessing the rest of the planet isn't taking the news of the tournament all that well, huh?"
"Not at all," Tien replied, shaking his head. "The whole planet is in a state of a frenzy right now."
"I'm not too surprised to hear that," Chibi noted, sticking her hands into her pants pockets. "From what it sounds like, they all think the end of the world is about to happen. I don't blame them for being scared."
"Well, you all don't seem so nervous," Piccolo points out from his spot on the stairs. "I expected as much from Goku, but none of you seem all that worried either."
Gohan scratched at the back of his head a bit after Piccolo pointed all that out. He was actually surprised to realize how calm he was about the whole thing, too. He still had questions about how they'd exactly handle the whole Cell situation, but he thought he'd be a little more nervous than this. "I guess it's just us having faith in Dad," Gohan replied, not sure how else to put it.
"Besides, we still have time to prepare and everything," Daichi adds in, putting his arms behind his head. "If we need to go back in, we'll go back in. Simple."
"You still have about 27 hours left to use the chamber for training," Mr. Popo chimes in to remind the Son kids.
"See? Nothing to worry about," Daichi reemphasizes, a relaxed smile on his face. To be honest, he had to admit he was slightly nervous about this whole idea of a tournament to determine everyone's fate on Earth. Still, at least it wouldn't be like back in the future. Here, there were warriors like Piccolo, Vegeta, and his Father they could turn to for help.
A few moments later, Goku came back from his inspection of Cell and gave everyone his prognosis; "He's a lot more intimidating than I thought he'd be. I won't know until I fight him, but as it stands now, I don't think I can beat him."
After hearing that, a sudden chill ran down everyone's spines. Goku being unsure if he could win or not? And saying it all with a smile on his face?!
Chibi glared at Daichi, thinking he had jinxed everything by saying what he did.
"Y-You're joking, right?" Trunks stuttered after hearing Goku say this. Not the type of news you want to tell a young time traveler.
"If that's true, then you should go back into the hyperbolic time chamber," Piccolo instructed, sweat visibly running down his face. You could tell he was trying to keep calm after hearing all this news. "You go back in with the kids. I'll go in, and Vegeta will go in after me."
"And once I go in there, there'll be no point in anyone else needing to try," Vegeta proclaimed, making his two cents were put into this conversation. He wanted them all to know just how much he intended to do in the chamber.
"After Vegeta, Trunks will go in, and then you can back in right before the tournament," Piccolo continued, ignoring Vegeta's little interlude. This was not the time to be letting egos get in the way.
"Chibi and I can actually go in with Trunks, if that'll help," Daichi volunteered following Piccolo's explanation. "It could be more efficient if it's just you and the twins training together, Pops. Plus, it'll save on food and other supplies for your trip."
"You can even stay longer this time around, Dad," Chibi points out to her Father. "Since we didn't use the whole time in there, you can stay over a year on this second time through. That'll be all taken care of with a few days to spare before the tournament."
All of this seemed reasonable. To any other person, it would probably be the best plan they all could come up with. However, Goku had something to say on the matter; "I think we'll pass." He said with a smile, walking over to his kids. "We can train out here. Nine days outside outta be enough."
"What?! Are you serious, Goku?!" Piccolo shouted after hearing such a ludicrous proclamation.
"Have you lost your mind?!" Vegeta screamed at the lower-class saiyan. Why on Earth would he pass up an opportunity to train in the hyperbolic time chamber? What could Kakarot possibly hope to accomplish outside the room? He could have a whole other year to train in one of the most intense environments possible, but he was choosing to pass it up?!
Vegeta and Piccolo weren't the only ones concerned about Goku's statement. Heck, his own kids were utterly baffled by what their Father was suggesting. "Uh, don't we get a say in the matter?" Chibi questioned her Dad. "What are you thinking, Dad?! You do remember that if we lose this tournament, Earth is doomed, right?"
"I heard, Chibi," Goku calmly replied. "But there is such a thing as too much training."
"Says the man who trained in space for a year and a half without coming home!" Chibi shouted back in rebuttal. She couldn't believe what her Dad was saying. The calm exterior from before was starting to give way to frustration. "Of all the times you could choose to relax, you choose now?! You can relax in the chamber, for gosh sake!"
Goku nodded. "True, but I think the chamber makes it too hard to relax. I mean, you all went through it when we had days off. You can only relax so much in there. It's better to have your body start readjusting back to Earth and everything, you know?"
Vegeta scoffed at Goku's remarks. This was where Kakarot had reached his limits. Either that, or he had lost his mind, but either option worked for Vegeta. It just meant he could finally push himself beyond what even Kakarot could do. "So you do have a limit," He chuckled aloud. "I guess we know the exact dimensions of your strength, Kakarot; nothing beyond the time chamber."
In response, Goku casually shrugged. "Maybe. I just don't see the point of pushing our bodies to the point of torture. I mean, if you want to go in, that's fine. I won't stop you. If you think you need to get stronger, then be my guest."
"Is that a fact?" Vegeta clenched his jaw slightly after hearing this. "I'd watch your mouth, Kakarot. I can tell your insinuating that your strong than me."
"Well, that actually wasn't a suggestion."
"What?!"
The tension was rising. Vegeta looked ready to throw down with Goku for insulting him like that while everyone else was still trying to figure out just what Goku's strategy was going to be going forward. It was too much. Then, it was interrupted by Daichi chuckling, catching everyone's attention.
"What's so funny, boy?!" Vegeta growled and glared at Daichi. The last thing he wanted was one of Kakarot's brats to think that he could just start laughing.
Daichi let out a few more chortles before he responded, "Oh, it's not you, Vegeta, honest," Daichi insisted, holding his side after laughing so much. "I'm just laughing at this whole situation. I mean, there's no changing Pops' mind about this, so why worry so much?"
"Daichi, are you serious?" Trunks asked his friend, genuinely surprised at how calm Daichi was being right now. For a second, he worried his friend had been hit on the head too much and finally gave him permanent brain damage. Trunks knew Daichi liked to joke around a lot, but he didn't think it was funny in the slightest if this was some sort of joke.
"Have you lost it, too?!" Chibi shouted at her brother, trying to keep her flaring frustration from entirely popping out. "This isn't the time for jokes, Daichi!"
"But I'm serious," Daichi said with a relaxed smile. "Why worry when it won't change anything? Chibi, you know as well as I do that Dad is set on this whole thing. No point in trying to fuss over it."
Taking a step back for a minute, Chibi did have to agree with her brother, for once. She had figured out her Dad's deal a long while ago and came to expect nothing less from her Father. She pinched the bridge of her nose and then shook her head, a small smile coming to her face. Pre-time chamber Chibi would've gone completely off on this whole situation for sure. "As much as it pains me to say it, you're right," She sighed. Chibi then turned to look at Trunks. "But I think Daichi and I will go back in, even if it's just for a little bit. You don't mind us joining you, right, Trunks?"
"Uh, no, not at all," Trunks replied, shocked at how chilled out Chibi had become. "I wouldn't mind you two training with me. It'd be good to have some sparring partners while inside."
"Sweet! It'll be like when we were kids all over again," Daichi slightly cheered. "This outta be fun."
Fun?! Trunks thought to himself. He was starting to really lean into the idea that his friends had lost their marbles. Maybe they had cracked under the strain of the chamber. What the heck is going on with these two?!
With that said, the Son family took their leave of the Lookout. Plans were set in motion, and now it was time to head out. Before altogether leaving, Goku asked the kids if it was all right if they stopped by Korin's real quick. None of them had any objections to the suggestion, and they stopped about halfway down the Lookout to talk to the wise cat.
Goku's intentions for going to see Korin were simple: he wanted the talking cat to gauge his and Cell's power to see if he stood a chance. The earth-raised saiyan already had a good idea about where he stood in terms of power against Cell, but he thought that having a second opinion wouldn't hurt much. "I just want to know what you think, Korin," Goku explained to his former teacher.
"Well, I can make an estimate, but tell me something: the whole world is in a panic, and here you are as calm as ever. Why is that? Did you learn something in the time chamber that'll save us all?" Korin questioned Goku.
The orange-clad warrior chuckled and scratched the back of his head, dodging the question at hand.
To the side, Gohan was starting to wonder that as well. Hey, Chiyo, Gohan spoke to his twin, who was right next to him. Did you see anything while we were in the chamber?
Not really, Chiyo replied, unsure of herself. We were with him the whole time, but I don't think we saw anything that could guarantee we could beat Cell.
Maybe he's hiding something from us? That's the only thing I can think of.
If that's the case, what could it be?
I wish I knew.
Suddenly, Goku powered up right then and there in front of Korin, Yajirobe, and the kids. None of the kids were particularly surprised by the power their Father was displaying. They all knew that what they were feeling right then, and there was only half of what they had seen while training. Their Dad could push himself way beyond this.
And Dad wanted us to be stronger than him?
I don't see how. He's just unbelievable.
As awe-shocking as that display of power was, Korin had to admit to all of them that Goku was still no match for Cell. That didn't damper Goku's mood, though, and he actually laughed at Korin's confirmation!
Hey, Gohan…maybe Dad's just lost his mind.
A little while later, Goku, Gohan, Chiyo, Daichi, and Chibiko arrived at the Kami house to pick up Chi-Chi, Chinku, little Daichi, and little Chibi. Now that the time chamber training was done, they could go home. Goku missed his small home in the mountains. It felt like forever since he had been back there. He was sure his wife and children felt the same. There was only so much looking out at the ocean could do. "Before I forget, Gohan, Chiyo, I have our training plan set out," Goku told his eldest kids. "We'll kick up our feet for three days at home. Then we'll spend three days pushing our bodies to the limit. And then, we'll spend the last three days relaxing before the tournament."
As he went to the little house entrance, Gohan stopped him: "Dad, wait a sec," He said, grabbing Goku's attention, causing him to look over his shoulder and back at Gohan and the other kids. "Are you sure we're up for this tournament? I mean, do we have any chance against Cell?"
"Be honest, Dad, why are you so calm?" Chiyo questioned her Father from Gohan's side. She had been wanting so badly to say something back up on the Lookout but instead kept her questions to herself. "Everyone else is freaking out, and you don't seem the least bit nervous."
"What is it that you're not saying, Pops?" Daichi also chimed in, thinking his Dad might say something to the four of them now that people like Vegeta weren't around.
"Do you even have a plan to beat Cell?" Chibi inquired of her Father, her frustration giving way to pure curiosity.
Goku replied with a smile to his kids. "Hey, don't worry so much," He told the four of them. "Let's just relax. Now let's get your mom and the others and go home." He didn't give them much of an option to rebuttal. Goku just walked up to the front door and opened it. "Hello?"
When he and the others walked in, they found Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, Krillin, Master Roshi, Chiaotzu, and Chinku sitting at the living room table playing cards. Meanwhile, little Daichi was taking a nap with a blanket draped over his sleeping form on the couch. The group had all returned from Capsule Corp a short while ago, but they weren't expecting Goku and the kids' return for a few more hours. All the table occupants sat there stunned as they took in, seeing Goku as a super saiyan while seeing the twins and future kids as super saiyans as well. A lot to take in for a group that was just playing a friendly game of Go-Fish.
"I-Is that really you, Goku?" Master Roshi stuttered out as he looked at his former pupil and his offspring.
"Of course, it is," Goku chuckled, not really getting why his teacher was so freaked out. "Who else would I be?"
Still stuck to her spot on the floor, Chinku was taking in what she was seeing. Never before had she seen her Dad like this. She had been there when he had gone super saiyan, sure, but this was different. To her, she associated super saiyan with intense feelings and a glowing aura all the time. Instead, her Dad and siblings all seemed calm. To make sure she wasn't going crazy or something, Chinku took a minute to sense out the five arrivals. While their powers were different, she could tell that it was, in fact, them.
As if that was keeping her glued to her spot, Chinku jumped up and ran over to her family. "Daddy!" She cried as she rushed over to her family.
Goku met her down on the floor and let the little girl jump up and wrap her arms around his neck. He chuckled as she squeezed him tightly, acting like she was the one who had seen him in almost a year instead of the other way around. "Hey, Chin," He greeted as the 6-year-old continued to hug him.
"Did your training go well?" She asked, looking over her Dad's shoulder at Gohan and Chiyo.
"It went good," Chiyo replied, giving Chinku a small smile. "Gohan and I learned how to go super saiyan."
"What? Without me?" Chinku whined after hearing this. She had already figured out just by the hair and eyes that her brother and sister had learned super saiyan, but now she felt like the odd one out. She puffed up her cheeks and pouted after hearing this. "That's not fair. I wanna go super saiyan, too."
"Maybe wait a bit on that, Chin," Gohan suggested to his younger sister. "You'll learn it when you're older."
All this commotion got the attention of Chi-Chi, who came down the stairs with baby Chibi in her arms. She had heard the sound of her husband and children's voices all the way from upstairs and just had to see for herself if it was them. She descended the stairs with Chibiko, who was rubbing sleep from her little eyes but paused at the foot of the stairs when she saw the five figures standing at the house entrance. Her jaw dropped as she looked at the new arrivals while little Chibi turned her head in confusion by trying to figure out who these people were. "W-Who are these five?" Chi-Chi stuttered as she looked at them. This couldn't be her husband and children, right? She was pretty sure they weren't all blonde. "You can't possibly be my husband and children, right?!"
"Um, but we are, Mom," Gohan replied, confused at his mother's statement.
This seemed to break Chi-Chi because as soon as this was confirmed to her, she let out a loud shriek of shock that shook the Kami house and everything inside, waking little Daichi from his nap. Rushing over to the twins, Chi-Chi quickly handed Chibi off to Krillin to hold while she got down on her knees in front of Gohan and Chiyo. "My sweet babies! What have you done to your beautiful hair?!" She shouted before proceeding to tug at Gohan and Chiyo's bangs. "Who said you could dye it blonde?! And Chiyo, who cut all your beautiful, long hair?!"
"Now, Chi-Chi, it's not what you think," Goku tried to calm his wife down. For the first time since leaving the hyperbolic time chamber, he looked worried. He didn't think his wife would react like this to the whole situation.
"My children have become punks!" Chi-Chi sobbed into her hands, thinking her children's futures were officially over.
"I told you she'd freak out," Chibiko whispered to Daichi.
"Yeah, you were right about that," Daichi whispered back.
Little Daichi slowly sat up from his spot on the couch, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and looked at the scene playing out before him: his mother was on the floor sobbing while five strangers with blonde hair that looked like his Father, brother, sister, and the two people from before were standing on the other side of the room. He blinked a few times before deciding to lay back down for more of his nap.
After everything was sorted out, the Son family flew back to Mt. Paozu. Coming back to the little house in the mountains, they found the house wasn't in shambles like Chi-Chi had secretly feared it would be. The androids had been there- the extra car sitting on the lawn proved that- but it looked like they had just done a simple walk-through of the house in their attempt to locate Goku. Chi-Chi thought they would've come home to find floorboards torn up, closets tossed, mattresses flipped, windows broken. Instead, the only thing missing was an outfit she had bought that she realized Android 18 had taken from her closet. No point getting upset about it too much since there was no way she'd ever get it back from the android in question.
A brief cleaning session later, and the house was back in pristine order. The best part of it all? The day was still young enough to where the family could go out for drive by the lake, just like Chi-Chi wanted. The point of this drive would be for her to get to spend time with her husband and children and get used to seeing them as super saiyans. Her initial reaction to the situation might have been over the top, but can you blame her for thinking the worst when she saw them all as blondes? Besides, she needed to get in as much time with them as she could before they decided to go back to training. Plus, Goku had his driver's license, and he barely used the car. Why not go for a drive?
So everyone got ready for this drive to the lake. F. Daichi and F. Chibi felt a bit awkward about going on this drive, though. They didn't expect their mother from the past to want to drag them along but were pleasantly surprised to find that she wanted them to come with. Still, it didn't mean things weren't awkward. I mean, how would you feel about going on a picnic with your family from the past and you were there with the younger version of yourself? Of course, Chi-Chi shut all the excuses down from the two.
"It'll be nice to spend some time together," Chi-Chi smiled as she gathered up a basket of food for a possible picnic by the lake. Nothing too special, just a few snacks to tide everyone over until dinner.
"We could just fly to the lake, Chi-Chi," Goku suggested as he held baby Chibi. He was tasked with holding the youngster while Chi-Chi got everything ready. It surprised him how quickly the little girl had come to see that he was her Father, while Daichi was still a bit wary around him. He wasn't outright terrified, but it was enough for Goku to take notice. "Besides, we won't fit all seven of us in the car. It'd be easier and quicker to fly."
"Goku, don't you remember the car my Father gave us can fit ten people in it?" Chi-Chi reminded her husband as she finished up putting everything together for the trip. "It can extend out to add an extra row." She then walked outside to the car in question and put the basket of food in the trunk while the rest of her family came out. "Besides, a trip by car has a little something called ambiance." She giggled and winked at her husband, who didn't really seem to get what she was implying by all this.
"Ambience?" Goku repeated. He had no idea what that was.
His older kids figured out pretty quickly what it meant. F. Chibi shook her head at her Dad's obliviousness, F. Daichi tried not to chuckle at his Dad, Chinku stuck out her tongue in slight disgust at thinking about what that meant, and Gohan and Chiyo just smiled at the idea of their mother wanting to spend some with their Dad. Thinking about it, they all realized how worried their mother had been while their father was sick in bed. She worried day and night about Goku and rarely left his side to care for him.
Hey, you thinking what I'm thinking? Chiyo asked Gohan, shooting him a knowing look.
Gohan nodded. We should let these two have some alone time together, Gohan replied. "Why don't you and Dad just go to the lake, Mom?" Gohan suggested to his mother. "The two of you haven't spent some time with each other in a while."
"Yeah, it'll be good for you two," Chiyo added with a sweet smile.
Catching on to what Gohan and Chiyo were doing, F. Daichi and F. Chibi jumped in, thinking this would be an excellent way to get out of the awkwardness of the picnic:
"We can stay here and give you two a break by watching the little ones," F. Daichi pointed out, picking up his younger self.
"You need a break for a little while, so we'll watch the others while you two go out," F. Chibi assured her two parents.
"Are you all sure?" Chi-Chi asked. She had hoped to make this a family trip, but then again, she wasn't against the idea of spending quality time alone with her husband. (When you have five kids, quality time with your spouse tends to dwindle). "It's supposed to be a family drive."
"We can do one later," Gohan tells his mother. "Dad wants us to go fishing soon, so we'll be back by the lake anyway. For now, why don't you two go together?"
"…Well, all right," Chi-Chi gave in. She did think some alone time with her husband would be good. She turned to Goku and smiled, feeling like a newlywed woman as she looked at her husband. His eyes and hair may have changed, but he was still her Goku. A slight blush dusted her cheeks as she thought about spending some one-on-one time with her husband. "Shall we, Goku?"
"All right," Goku replied with a smile. He didn't mind spending some alone time with his wife. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it had been a while since he and Chi-Chi were actually alone together. Maybe spending some time just with her would be nice. He handed little Chibi over to F. Chibi before heading to the car. He got in on the driver's side while Chi-Chi got in on the passenger's side. As soon as he got in, Chi-Chi laid her head on his shoulder, the smile never really leaving her face as she got right next to Goku. Rolling down his window, Goku spoke to his kids: "We'll be back in a little while."
"Take as long you want," F. Daichi told his Dad. "We got everything under control here. Go have fun, you two crazy kids."
"But they're not kids," Chinku pointed out. She was slightly upset about not getting to go on the picnic, but she was also okay with staying home if it meant she could go fishing with her Dad. For now, she'd stay quiet about being upset about not going for the drive.
"It's a figure of speech, Chin," F. Chibi briefly explained to her sister.
And with that, Goku and Chi-Chi were off to the lake, leaving the seven Son kids to their own devices.
While Goku and Chi-Chi go off for some alone time *wink wink*, what will the Son children do? The answer just might surprise you. Find out next time on the Son Squad.
Thank you all again for checking this story out. Your support over this past year- gosh has it almost been a year- has been tremendous. I can't thank you all enough for your continual support. I'm still trying to figure out what to do for the 1 year anniversary on the 19th. I'll figure something out. Anyway, have a good day, everyone, and remember to wash your hands!