Chapter 2: The Reunion

Chi-Chi dropped to her hands and knees, trying to catch her breath. She looked up at her husband turned sparring partner, Goku, who was also breathing heavily, and smiled. She was starting to catch up to him. Goku returned the smile, knowing that she was getting stronger. Gohan was watching from the front porch—having finished his studies for the day—and was amazed at the fight he just saw.

Four years had passed since Chi-Chi got her new tail. Since then, she had discovered and learned to live with all the changes that came with it. While inconvenient at first, she had quickly learned to control her new appendage. This eventually turned into a blessing in disguise, as she now had an extra limb to use in the kitchen. This was especially helpful when Gohan was old enough to eat normal food like everyone else, and Chi-Chi also had to cook more for herself, thanks to her newfound appetite. It was also useful in her sparring matches with Goku. The tail changed her center of gravity depending on where it was. It took a lot of practice, but once Chi-Chi got the hang of it, she was even more agile than before—she practically danced around Goku's punches now. Of course, having an extra appendage covered in fur wasn't perfect, and one day, she was cooking fried rice on the stove with her tail holding the wok, and she accidentally got too close to the flames and set her tail on fire. She ran around the house, jumping all over the place and slapping at the flames to put them out while Goku, Gohan, and the Ox King fell back in their chair with laughter.

Another change was more to her demeanor. Her previous aversion to fighting was gone, and she had developed a taste for it. She couldn't explain why, but she had started to enjoy sparring with her husband, and did so much more often as a result. While she wasn't as obsessed with fighting as Goku, she did desire to train and fight more, and treated it less like a chore and more like a sport.

With that newfound fighting spirit came a competitive streak. Chi-Chi found herself putting a lot more effort into becoming stronger and faster than before, trying to beat Goku in their sparring matches. She would often feel frustrated with herself at first, when she kept losing to Goku, but he would always be there to comfort and encourage her, making sure she didn't give up.

Goku, meanwhile, was having the time of his life. He always knew that Chi-Chi had the potential to be much stronger than she was at the time, and while she still wasn't quite at his level yet, she was definitely learning to keep up with him. Her kick-based fighting style was a hard counter to his Kame Style. While Goku was fast and agile in his own way, the Kame Style martial art predominantly focused on punches and palm strikes, with a wide stance for stable footing. Chi-Chi's fighting style was very different; she focused on using her long, muscular legs to deliver powerful kicks, while using her agility to avoid incoming attacks. Her relatively small frame also helped her—Goku was trained from a young age by Roshi to fight opponents who were bigger and slower than him, but Chi-Chi was smaller than he was, and her martial arts skills allowed her to use her nimble body to it's fullest potential. Ultimately, Goku ended up marrying the perfect sparring partner, and he was loving every minute of it.

It didn't take long for them to realize that Shenron had given them exactly what they wished for. Chi-Chi had become more like Goku, and as a result, she was able to understand him better than she ever thought she could. Goku was able to understand Chi-Chi more as well. He was able to emphasize with her, and helped her through her frustrations.

They weren't exactly alike, though. Chi-Chi still had her temper, and was even scarier than before when she lost it. Goku learned this the hard way during one of their sparring sessions. Chi-Chi had managed to catch him in a chokehold, and was beginning to think she was finally going to win for once, but Goku managed to pull her forearm just far enough away from his throat, and bit down on it, making her flinch and loosening her grip long enough to break out. Chi-Chi immediately lost her temper, and started attacking Goku even harder than ever. She still lost the match, but Goku was definitely more bruised than usual. Her technique often suffered when she was too angry, but her kicks definitely landed harder. It was almost as if she gained a strength boost from getting angry.

Another difference between them is the reason why they wanted to get stronger. Goku wanted to get stronger just for the sake of getting stronger. It's all he wanted to do. Chi-Chi on the other hand, wanted to get stronger for more personal reasons. During the tournament, when the two met for the first time in years, Goku had beaten her effortlessly. Then, when Piccolo appeared and began massacring people, she was left as nothing but another spectator, watching helplessly while Goku and Piccolo fought, clearly out of her league. She didn't mind as much back then, but now she didn't ever want to feel that helpless again. When she told her husband this, he seemed to understand immediately, and agreed to push her hard in their training.

Thanks to Goku's instructions, Chi-Chi was able to learn how to manipulate ki, much like him. With the addition of ki, she was able to better sense Goku's attacks, and by channeling ki into her legs and feet, she could deliver even more powerful kicks. Goku wanted to teach her the Kamehameha, but she opted to develop her own techniques that complemented her fighting style.

Which brings us back to their current situation.

Chi-Chi got back to her feet, having got her breath back. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she studied her husband carefully, wondering if she had enough in her for one last match. The two had been sparring for the last three hours, with Chi-Chi coming closer and closer to actually winning for once. She still wasn't as strong as him, but she was noticeably faster now, and was able to put him on the defensive more often than not.

Goku had started to notice this, too. With the way Chi-Chi practically danced around him, he had to move constantly to keep her in his sights. He could still sense her attacks without seeing them, but her speed was making it harder for him to react in time. She was also surprisingly gifted at using her ki, with her enhanced kicks almost coming naturally to her. At the rate she's going, she could be equal to him in a month or so.

"Wow, way to go, Chi-Chi," Goku said, impressed. "You've really gotten strong!"

Chi-Chi smiled at the complement. "Thanks, Goku. Do you think you can handle one more round?" She was so close, and she wanted to beat him just once.

"Sure!" Goku replied immediately, and the two got back into their opening stances.

"You can do it, Mommy!" Gohan called out from the porch. He had seen his mom get really close to winning at least three of the matches they had this session. He was always excited to watch, and really wanted to see her win.

Chi-Chi smiled at her son's encouragement, then launched herself at Goku, immediately opening up with a high side kick that he immediately blocked with his left forearm. Undeterred, she instantly followed with a series of rapid-fire kicks, not giving him the chance to counterattack.

Like with most of their sparring matches, Goku started off on the defensive—Chi-Chi's legs gave her more reach than Goku's arms, and she could keep her body and head far away from his punches while keeping his head and body in range of her kicks. At the same time, however, Goku was still stronger and more experienced, and had begun to figure out how to counter her fighting style.

Quickly parrying her kicks with his arms, Goku waited out the barrage, found his opening, and moved in to throw a right palm at Chi-Chi's head. Noticing it as quickly as it was thrown, Chi-Chi immediately spun out of the way, using her tail to shift her weight just to the left. Unfortunately for her, Goku instantly took advantage of the situation, and moved on the offensive. Fists and palms began flying towards Chi-Chi, forcing her to duck and weave while waiting for him to slip up. Eventually, Goku's fatigue from all the previous matches caught up to him, and he started to slow down. Chi-Chi immediately took advantage of that by catching his left arm and twisting it behind his back, locking him in an arm hold.

"Come on, Goku. Tap out," Chi-Chi said to herself as Goku struggled to break out.

This is it, she thought. I'm finally going to win one!

Unfortunately, in Chi-Chi's excitement, her tail began wagging involuntarily. Goku quickly sensed that, and after choosing his moment, he caught his wife's tail in his free hand and pulled.

"GAH!" Chi-Chi yelped in surprise and pain, and her grip on Goku's arm loosened long enough for him to break free and follow with grabbing her arm and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Booooooo!" Gohan called out. It was a dirty move, and Goku knew it, but he did it on impulse. When he looked over at Chi-Chi, however, he wished he hadn't done it at all.

Chi-Chi's face was contorted into an expression of pure rage, with her lips curled over her gritted teeth in a vicious snarl, and her eyes practically ablaze. A split second later, she was on Goku, launching one kick after another. Like the last time she got angry, her kicks were more powerful, but more predictable. It was still enough to have Goku backing away quickly, though.

Eventually, Chi-Chi's shin connected with the side of Goku's ribs, knocking the air out of him and making him double over. Immediately seizing on the opportunity, Chi-Chi instinctively decided to use a technique she had been developing when her husband wasn't looking.

Placing her right foot on Goku's back, Chi-Chi pushed down hard, rocketing high into the air while forcing him to his knees. She reached the apex of her jump around thirty feet up, facing the ground head-first. As Goku began to look up at her, she tensed the muscles in her left leg and channeled her ki into her foot, kicking up at the sky. The blast of compressed air and energy shot her towards the ground, and she tucked into a ball and focused all of her ki into her right foot as she performed a series of rapid somersaults, speeding straight at Goku. Right before she hit the ground, she stuck out her limbs, and brought down her ki-infused heel in a brutal axe kick, aiming straight at the top of Goku's head.

If Chi-Chi had hit home, the impact would have split Goku's head wide open like a watermelon. Thankfully, she hadn't perfected the technique yet, and her heel landed a few inches to the left of Goku's shoulder, just barely missing him. Goku cried out in surprise and leapt to the side as Chi-Chi's foot dug a crater into the ground, about a foot and a half deep. Acting on instinct, he immediately followed up with a right palm strike, which hit Chi-Chi on the side of the head and knocked her to the ground.

"Whoa!" Goku exclaimed, amazed by the attack. "That was awesome! When did you come up with that technique?"

Chi-Chi didn't answer. She just laid there, on the ground, and didn't move for several seconds.

Uh oh, Goku thought, worried. Did I hit her too hard? He quickly ran over to his wife to check on her, only to find that she was still conscious, but moved away when he tried to touch her. He winced—she only used the quiet treatment twice since they got married. This meant that she was even angrier than usual.

"Mommy!" Gohan quickly ran up to the two of them, clearly worried. That got Chi-Chi's attention, because she picked herself up from the ground and hugged her son to show that she was alright.

Chi-Chi stayed quiet through dinner, eating slower than usual. There was a lot of tension in the air, and both Gohan and the Ox King kept their distance, and hurried through their meals. Soon it was just Chi-Chi and Goku at the table.

Goku finished his meal first, then looked up and stared at Chi-Chi, wondering if he should say something. He felt like he should, but didn't know if she wanted to yell at him or just stay quiet. In the end, he figured it would be better if she let whatever it was out.

"Look, Chi-Chi-" Goku began, but Chi-Chi immediately cut him off by slamming her chopsticks down hard on the table.

"YOU CHEATED, GOKU!" Chi-Chi screamed. "I HAD you! You had no way out of that arm hold, so you just HAD to pull my tail! That was DIRTY, Goku! First it was biting, and now this!? Why can't you just lose fair and square for once!?"

Goku was shocked by her reaction. He knew that Chi-Chi was fond of her tail, but he didn't think it would have made her that mad. But he stayed quiet—he could tell that she wasn't done yet.

"Every time I get close to winning, you do something like that! I don't! I want to beat you the right way! I figured you would feel the same way, but NO! You just can't help yourself, can you!? You just have to use every dirty trick you know, even when you're fighting your own WIFE! THIS is why I don't want Gohan to learn martial arts from you! Martial arts training is about teaching discipline and self control, and what part of biting your opponent is disciplined!?"

Goku waited until Chi-Chi cooled down, then spoke quietly. "Remember what you told me? About why you wanted to get stronger?"

"Huh?" Chi-Chi was taken aback by her husband's tone. He sounded unusually serious.

"You said that you wanted to be able to take on fighters like Piccolo if you had to," Goku continued. "Do you think that he would fight fair if he thought he was going to lose?"

"Wha...Tha...I..."

Chi-Chi had no idea what to say, so Goku continued.

"When the Ox King had you learn how to fight, he probably wanted to win all your fights fair and square. But Master Roshi taught me that nobody fights fair when their lives are on the line. Learning how to fight and getting strong are just two parts to winning. You still have to be willing to do anything to win. Maybe you have to bite your opponent's hand, or pull their tail, or poke them in the eye to beat them, and that might feel dirty, but there's no such thing as dirty when it's life or death."

Chi-Chi was stunned. Goku had a good point—expecting an enemy to fight fair was going to put her in trouble—but she always preferred to fight properly. Chi-Chi wanted to take the high road, and win without underhanded tactics.

"Alright," she said eventually. "I get it. I'll be at a disadvantage if I fight fair." She then smiled. "I guess that means I have to be even stronger, then.

Goku returned the smile. "Well, you're on the right track, especially with that new move. What do you call that technique, anyway?"

"I don't really have a name for it yet," Chi-Chi admitted. "I just developed it, and I still haven't gotten it down. I was thinking along the lines of 'Buzzsaw Kick'"

"Nah, that doesn't sound right." Goku said. "Buzzsaws cut things."

"It's my technique, and I get to call it whatever I want!" Chi-Chi snapped, annoyed.

"How about 'Anvil Kick?'" Gohan asked, coming out from behind a wall. "'Cause it looked like a giant anvil hit the ground!"

Chi-Chi looked at Gohan for a moment, then decided. "Alright, Anvil Kick it is."

"Alright!" Goku said, excited. "Man, once you master that kick, you'll be unstoppable! I bet it'll make even Master Roshi jealous!"

"Speaking of Roshi," the Ox King said, coming out from behind the same wall as Gohan. "This letter just came in from Kame House. It's addressed to you, Goku."

"Really? Let me see." Taking the letter from the Ox King and opening it, Goku read it aloud.

Dear Goku,

Hey! How's my favorite pupil, you little brat? I've been fairly lonely lately, and started wondering how my students and friends have been doing for themselves since we parted ways. So, since I have nothing better to do, I'm organizing a little reunion at Kame House for the old Dragon Team tomorrow. Obviously, that means you're invited. I'm sure you won't have any problems getting here, thanks to that magic cloud of yours. I've already invited Yamcha, Krillin, Tien and Bulma, and I'm pretty sure they're all coming, so get your tailless butt over here! Oh yeah, and Chi-Chi's invited too. I'm not sure if the little crybaby wants to come or not, though.

Sincerely, Master Roshi.

P.S. Make sure you bring enough food, I'm not gonna waste all my money feeding a bottomless pit like you!

"Crybaby!?" Chi-Chi yelled. "Who does he think I am!?"

"This is awesome!" Goku said, jumping up. "I haven't seen those guys in years! What do you say, Chi-Chi?"

Chi-Chi thought for a moment. "Why not? I wouldn't mind catching up with Yamcha and the others. Let's go."

"Alright! Hey, how about we bring Gohan? I bet he'd love to hear about all the adventures we went on when we were kids, right Gohan?"

"Yeah!" Gohan said excitedly. "Can I go with you, Mommy? Please?"

Chi-Chi sighed. "Okay, Gohan. But bring your textbook with you—I don't know how long we'll be there."

"Yay!" Gohan exclaimed, and he rushed out of the dining room to pack his things.

"Sorry, Dad," Chi-Chi said to the Ox King. "I don't think you'll fit on the Nimbus."

"That's fine, Chi-Chi," the Ox King replied. "Just be sure to tell Master Roshi I said hello."

And with that, Chi-Chi started packing for the reunion. She figured it wouldn't be more than a day or two, but she wanted to make sure.

While she decided what to wear for the next day (does she wear her cheongsam to avoid Roshi's pervy stares, or does she wear something that would show off her new tail better?), her mind kept replaying what Goku told her. She knew it was going to be harder for her, but she wanted to win her fights without resorting to cheap tricks. And with her new Anvil Kick technique, and a few others that she had in mind, she just might be able to pull it off.

Kame House wasn't much more than a simple two-story, A-frame house on a tiny, remote island in the middle of the ocean. Getting there wasn't easy, even when you knew where it was. But if you wanted to learn the legendary Kame Style martial art, then getting there was the easy part. The difficulty laid with the ancient but spry hermit who lived there. The vast majority of potential students turned their backs and ran within the first hour of meeting Master Roshi, and many more give up a few days later when subjected to his unorthodox teaching techniques. Those who last long enough are then taught the secrets to the legendary martial art, and with any luck, the students become masters themselves. However, only two people alive were able to earn the tutelage of the old hermit, and only one was able to master the Kame style. Those two became genuine friends with Master Roshi, with Goku being his absolute favorite student.

Goku, Chi-Chi and Gohan saw many familiar faces as the island house came into view from atop the Nimbus Cloud. Among the people with Roshi was Bulma, the smartest and richest woman in the world; Tien, the three-eyed monk and former enemy-turned rival of Goku; Krillin, Goku's best friend and fellow student of Roshi; and Yamcha, the original strongest fighter and very close friend of Goku. Goku was smiling widely as he waved to his old friends, who waved back when they saw him. Swooping down, the Nimbus came to a halt a few dozen yards from the house. Goku hopped off first, followed by Chi-Chi, and finally Gohan, and the three walked over to where the group was waiting

"There he is: the monkey-man of the hour!" Yamcha said loudly, a huge grin on his face.

"We were expecting you to get here before us, Goku," Tien admitted in his stoic voice.

"Yeah," Krillin agreed, looking up at his best friend. "What took you so long?"

"Did it have to do with what you're carrying?" Bulma asked, nodding her head at the large sacks of food and cooking utensils that the couple were carrying over their shoulders.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Goku replied sheepishly. "Chi-Chi wanted to cook a hot pot for the reunion, and we had to make sure we had enough for everyone."

"You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a pot big enough to fit all this into," Chi-Chi grumbled. "Not to mention Goku wanting Udon instead of rice porridge."

"Well, at least you brought plenty," Roshi chimed in. "But did you really have to get that much? Good grief, Goku—don't tell me your appetite tripled in the past few years!"

"Oh, no," Goku replied. "This isn't just for me. Chi-Chi and Gohan need to eat, too."

"Gohan? Is your grandpa back from the dead again?" Krillin asked.

"Oh, right. You guys don't know yet. Say hi to everyone, Gohan." Goku said, and from behind Chi-Chi's legs, Gohan carefully peeked out. He was acting shyer than usual, but he didn't really meet other people that much.

"H-Hello, everyone." Gohan said quietly.

Everyone was stunned to see that Goku had a child, but they recovered fairly quickly.

"Well, if you don't mind," Chi-Chi said, hefting the large sack of ingredients over her shoulder. "I'd like to get the hot pot going before anyone gets too hungry."

"Goku, shame on you!" Yamcha said, being the first to recover. "Having your wife do so much heavy lifting? That's not very manly of you."

"Why?" Goku asked. "What's wrong with that? She can handle it—she's really strong."

"That doesn't make it right, Goku." Yamcha insisted, walking over to Chi-Chi. "Here, Chi-Chi. Let me get that for you."

"Oh, thank you Yamcha," Chi-Chi said, handing the heavy sack over to him.

"Don't mention it. I'm sure you had a long trip here and aaaahh..." Yamcha trailed off as he hefted the bag over his shoulder. With it now out of the way, he had a clear view of Chi-Chi's back. She was wearing a blue cheongsam with silvery-white patterns, and a small slit was cut into it so she could let her tail out.

"Huh? What's wrong, Yamcha?" Chi-Chi asked, turning towards him. This showed her tail to the rest of the Dragon Team, who also went quiet. Yamcha's eyes slowly widened, and his friendly smile turned into an expression of shock, disbelief, and a tiny bit of fear. Looking at the others, Chi-Chi noticed similar expressions on their faces as well. Glancing down at where they were staring, she saw the long, furry tail that she had learned to love.

"Oh, that." She said nervously, giving her tail a quick wag.

"HUUUUUUHHHHH!?!?!?"

It took a couple hours at least to explain what happened to Chi-Chi, and by the time they finished, all three of the monkey-people's stomachs started growling. So Chi-Chi started on the hot pot, and Yamcha decided to help with the preparation, cutting up the meat, vegetables and Udon noodles while Chi-Chi seared the beef before throwing it into the enormous pot of broth. Chi-Chi had expected to be lectured by Roshi about her reckless wish, but surprisingly, it was Yamcha who did the scolding.

"Honestly, Chi-Chi, did you learn nothing during our adventures searching for those damn things? You have to word your wishes carefully, or things will go awry. Seriously, what if Shenron made you exactly like Goku? Then you'd be spending an entire year in his body, and that doesn't exactly sound like fun!"

"Okay, Yamcha, I get it!" Chi-Chi grumbled. "I should have thought it through more. But it turned out alright in the end, and I actually do understand Goku more than I ever could." She was feeling grumpy, like she normally did when she got hungry. The smell from the searing beef and bubbling broth was starting to drive her nuts.

While the hot pot was boiling, everyone started talking about what they had been up to during the past few years. They made Chi-Chi and Goku go first, since they wanted to know more details about what happened. So, with Goku doing most of the talking, they explained the other noticeable changes to Chi-Chi's body and demeanor, her newfound fighting spirit and competitive streak, and the technique she had developed.

"Anvil Kick, huh?" Roshi said, leaning forward. "How exactly does that technique work?"

"Oh, well Chi-Chi jumps really high up, does a bunch of somersaults and then axe kicks her opponent! It's really cool!" Goku explained in his simple manner.

"Well, it's more complicated than that," Chi-Chi chimed in, not exactly happy with Goku's oversimplification. "I have to channel my ki into my legs, alternating between each one. First, I channel it into my right leg to jump off my opponent. Then I switch to my left and kick straight up into the air to propel myself back down. Then I have to focus on my right leg again, and concentrate all my ki into my heel."

"Wow," Krillin said, clearly trying to wrap his head around what she just said. "That's a really complex technique. I've been developing something of my own, but it doesn't even have half the steps that your move does."

"I have to agree with Krillin, Chi-Chi." Roshi said, sounding more like a tutor now. "This Anvil Kick sounds like it has similar strengths and weaknesses to the Kamehameha. If your attack lands, then you've basically won the fight—there's no way even Piccolo would be able to get up from having his head caved in. But if you miss, you'll be left vulnerable for a few seconds, and that's all the time a seasoned fighter needs to take you down. I'm not saying you shouldn't use that technique, but I am saying that you should use it sparingly, like finishing move. Only use it when you're absolutely certain you're going to hit home, or when you have nothing to lose."

Chi-Chi nodded in understanding. She had developed the Anvil Kick with Piccolo in mind, remembering how he could regenerate entire limbs. If Roshi thinks that it would work against someone like him, then she definitely needed to perfect it.

"Also, moving your ki around your body like that is very risky," Roshi continued. "There's a chance that you'll build up too much energy by accident, and never ends well. You'd be lucky to just end up with a broken leg if that happens."

"Wait, containing your ki is dangerous?" Goku asked, surprised.

"Of course it is!" Roshi shouted, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If you build up your energy and don't release it, you go from being a cannon to a bomb! I should know—a long time ago, this one brat tracked me down in some town and tried to kill me! He couldn't beat me normally, so he just decided blow himself up and take me with him! I had to use my Kamehameha just to get out of the blast zone in time!"

"Really?" Chi-Chi asked. "Where's the town now?"

"Gone! Weren't you listening to me!?" Roshi shouted. "The blast completely destroyed the town, and vaporized everyone in it!"

Chi-Chi and Goku were both shocked. There was a technique that turned people into living bombs? Both quickly decided that they didn't want to learn how to do that, and Chi-Chi made a note to be more careful when manipulating her ki.

By the time the hot pot was ready, everyone was starving, and started grabbing for the best pieces of meat and vegetables and fish cakes the moment Chi-Chi lifted the lid. Talk soon turned to the others, and Chi-Chi was enthralled in the stories that the others were telling.

Yamcha went first, regaling the group with tale after tale of the many adventures he went on. The carefree fighter was as loud and boastful as ever, and his stories likely had some hefty embellishments, but he never told a straight-up lie. Chi-Chi and Gohan were so absorbed in his tales, they almost forgot to eat.

Tien was next. Apparently, he had started his own dojo, and was training many students to fend for themselves as part of his redemption.

Then it was Bulma's turn. Most of what she said went right over the heads of everyone there, but basically, she had put many new inventions into production, and Capsule Corp. was doing better than ever.

Krillin was up next. Like Yamcha, he had been traveling the world and helping others, but his stories weren't as big and grandiose as Yamcha's.

"So, how about Gohan?" Roshi asked the couple. "Has he started training yet?"

"No, not yet," Goku said, sounding disappointed. "Chi-Chi says he's too young to start."

"We'll begin his training next year," Chi-Chi added, Glaring at her husband. "I was five when I started training in martial arts, so Gohan should be just fine."

"Pathetic," a hoarse voice said from behind her. "When I was his age, I had already been sent on my first mission!"

Chi-Chi felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Whoever that was held genuine malice in his voice.

Standing up immediately, Goku and Chi-Chi turned to see a large, muscular man with long spikey hair standing in front of them, a dangerous grin on his face. He was wearing some kind of armor, and a strange device was worn over his left eye.

"Look at you," the man addressed Goku. "You seem to have been busy in your own way, haven't you, brother."