Son Gohan and Trunks: Another Road - Android Saga Act I (Chapter 2)

Gohan, 23 y/o. Age 780 November 8th - Earth 5:56 A.M. Yahhoy

"Shame." Roshi commented as they crawled along the skyline.

The city was in ruins. A quaint little town reduced to nothing but embers and smoke.

Embers and smoke? How interesting.

"That looks recent." Roshi thought to himself as he lowered his shades.

There was little time, the old master's perception and experience sniped something Gohan simply wasn't aware of, an energy blast.

"Look out!" Roshi screamed as he blocked the blast with his body.

Blood splattered everywhere as Roshi was atomised right in front of them. The Nimbus kept on chugging, hastening its speed as the old man plummeted into the dusty streets below.

"Master Roshi!" Puar cried as they zoomed along the sky.

Roshi hit the pavement with a thud but only after suffering a terrible tumble from rooftop to rooftop. The whole crew could only watch in horror as Roshi laid limp on the ground below. Gohan surveyed the land feverishly for the perpetrators and of course:

Two young looking individuals. One man, one woman, each with identical piercing blue eyes that could stare a hole through a galaxy.

"Yo! Sorry! I missed that one! I was supposed to get all five of you! I'll try a little harder next time! Were you the guys that caused that huge energy surge a while back!?"

"Damn~" Gohan cursed.

"Gohan~" Trunks let out with bated breath.

"They fucking sniped the Lightning Surprise…"

Trunks, Puar, and Oolong all gave each other a look as Gohan stared back at the pair.

"Is this gonna be another stomp? Because I'm tired of just winning all these fights without even trying, Lapis."

"Don't worry, sis. I think this one might have something for us. Look."

The woman's eyes zoomed in. She didn't try harder or anything, they Actually zoomed in like a lens, capturing Son Gohan with her gaze.

"Oh my god…"

"Mmhmm." Lapis answered with a smile, putting his hands on his hips. He pointed with a pinch of dramatism. "He's wearing the same clothes as that first guy. He was a riot."

"He was the best one."

"No contest."

"Go." Gohan commanded as he hopped off The Nimbus, floating on the air behind the now trio.

"What!?" Trunks yelled back.

"Go! I'll distract them!"

"I'm~"

"Gohan!" Puar wailed.

"GO!"

Gohan's fierce eyes compelled them to listen to what he said. The Nimbus carried the group out of town with a diplomatic pace. The son of Son Goku exhaled a cathartic breath like he had been holding it his entire life.

"Tcheh. That was fuckin' stupid. Why did I even say that?" Gohan questioned as he shook his head. "It's fucked up but the best chance at Earth's survival was to feed them to the wolves. Now I don't have a way out." He made sure to keep that last bit to himself as the androids neared.

"Whoa~ He really looks like him too!"

"Do you think?"

"Nooo~ That'd be too perfect." Lapis fired back with a grin. "The son, coming back to avenge the father? It's like a movie." He made a dramatic gesture with his hands as if putting up a poster.

Trunks, Puar, and Oolong couldn't stop themselves from gazing back into the town as The Nimbus took them further and further away.

"We took this route so that we had a lower chance of running into those damn androids! Can't have nothin'!" The Pig yelled as he grabbed onto his head. "Damn it, Gohan! Why'd you have to go and do that!?"

"He's gonna be alright!" Puar shouted with fervor, eyes still full of tears. "Master Roshi…"

Trunks said nothing, only glaring back at Gohan from afar. The perspective seemed to warp almost as the land around got further and further stretched while Gohan remained consistent in his view. Oolong caught wind of it, grabbing him by the collar of his white and blue baseball tee.

"You better not be doin' what I think you're doin'."

"I…"

"He sacrificed himself for you! You know that! You! Not us! It's you he believes in! We're just a~uhh~uh a pig and a cat! He knows we can't do anything! But he knows You can!"

"..." Tears formed in Trunks' eyes as he watched the androids get closer to his best friend.

Fwoffle~

"Damn it, kid!"

"Piccolo said they love to talk, maybe I can lure them in by just letting them chat their shit, try and pull a fast one on them."

"What's your name? That other guy was intent on telling us his name."

"Son Gohan. Son of Son Goku." Son Gohan replied as he cracked his neck and knuckles.

"Oh my god~"

"Looks like we have a winner, sis."

"Your readings are pretty alright, Son Gohan, I have to say." She joked with a sly grin. "Highest out of all of those guys."

"..."

"Oooh, touched a nerve. Might not wanna go there." Lapis said as he nudged the girl's arm with his elbow.

"Arms." Gohan thought. "I'll go for the arms. They don't seem to fire energy blasts from their legs so if I take those then they'll have much more reduced options."

"We'll take it easy on you this time, a little mano-a-mano if you will." The dark haired youth laughed as he brushed back his slick black locks.

"Oh, you just want me to sit on the sidelines?"

"You know this guy is just gonna get faded if we gang up on him. Why don't we give him a chance to show us what he's made of?"

"I don't feel like it. This is my first chance at a real fight in forever and I have to sit on the sidelines?"

"Ugh~ Fine."

"Leave Gohan alone!"

"..."

"Shit…"

The brother and sister looked at each other with their spirits bolstered even more at Gohan's reaction.

"Your friend came back, Son Gohan!" Lapis shouted as he patted the Half-Saiyan's chest with a back hand.

"He doesn't look very happy about that at all." The Sister remarked with a cruel smile. Evil. Pure evil. The type of smile that delights in agony. That laughs at misfortune. The kind of smile that you couldn't take away even if you wanted. "Buh-Bye~" The woman cooed as she floated towards Trunks and waved him off.

"Nu-"

"Your fight's with me." Lapis assured as he pressured Gohan from the front, slamming in a left gut punch before hammering him with a spinning right leg.

DMM! WHOKK! FYUUUUUUUUU! PAFFFFFFfffffff~

Gohan caught the gravel as best he could with his fingertips, sliding along the rubble of the town and landing his butt on the bottom of a nearby lamppost, causing a full stop.

"Nice landing!"

Gohan didn't look at the man at all, shifting his focus to the woman in front of Trunks. She catwalked toward him like she was on the runway. Trunks held no fear, putting up his dukes but holding a shifty and clearly untrained stance.

"If you want to run, then run~" She sassed with a motherly gaze, only the type that would suffocate her child with a pillow.

"Trunks!" Gohan shouted as he leapt to action, bursting back all manner of debris as his flight attempted to tear into the sky.

"Hey!" Lapis shouted as he blocked Gohan's path with a full wingspan. "I'm not digging this whole ignore Lapis angle you're pushing right no… mother fucker." Lapis cursed as Son Gohan hit a fierce juke with his energy, faking right and spinning around the left side like a baller.

FYUUUUU!

"I'm warning you, man!" Lapis yelped from the street, pointing a demanding finger at the son of Son Goku.

Slapp!

"Come on~ why do I even waste my time?"

Trunks had only been slapped, and very lightly at that, but blood pooled to the surface of his cheek, dampening it with an immediate stain.

"Uh-uh!" Lapis taunted as he cut off the angle again.

"Out of my way!"

Fuush! Fushh! FwuFuFuFuFwuFuFuFwuScuSwuFuFuFu!

Gohan threw a barrage of punches to try and get the man out of the way, looking for any chance he could get to grab Trunks.

WHAMM!

A solid left cross from Lapis, scoring a big hit on Gohan's mouth, causing spit to spill and The Half-Saiyan to reel with wide eyes.

"I'm coming down! Might wanna block!" Lapis taunted as he clasped both hands together for a double axe handle smash.

THMMM!

Gohan kicked his left leg up high, countering Lapis mid-way and forcing a tumble backwards on the air.

"Okay, hot shot, I'll admit, I got a bit cocky… Now you're just pissing me off." Lapis commented as Gohan fled the scene again, trying desperately to get at his friend.

FYUUU!

"Stop ignoring me!"

Lapis tried for real this time. Gohan was left in the dust, totally unaware and incapable of blocking such a blow.

WHOKK!

"GuHaww!" Gohan let out dumbly as Lapis let an elbow rain down on target like a ballista shot, throwing the Half-Saiyan to the pavement.

Whump!

The landing was so epic the ground cracked further, lifted up dust, and bounced Son Gohan off the ground.

"Aghhh~"

"That wasn't very smart now, was it?" Lapis taunted as he landed and pushed his hair back. "Don't worry, I'll accept an apology."

Gohan only gazed back with the fury of a thousand suns as blood drained from his nose unhealthily, his skin already a ghoulish white.

"Gee, don't look too eager now."

"Kkkkuh~" Is all Gohan could get out as he struggled to even get to his knees.

"Gohan~" He sassed with a pointer finger. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little disappointed, but that's okay. You can make it up to me some other way that isn't fighting because uhh, it's clearly not your forte'."

The son of Son Goku stood on shaky feet as he glared back at the android.

"You can beg for your life and I really might just give it to you. I'll give you the chance for your runback. How epic would that be?" Lapis continued to prod and prod, only further increasing Gohan's rage.

This is it! His anger. Anger is volatile, can be used for anything, but it's something Gohan has in droves, more so than any one of the used to be Z Fighters, Grand Priest bless their soul. Whenever Gohan gets mad he gets furious, I mean like 'Whoa~ chill out man' mad. Anger is one of the Saiyan's most potent motivators.

Red sparks peeled off Gohan's frame as he stumbled forward.

"Oh the dukes are still up? You got some balls."

Fuushh!

"Sheesh!" Lapis yelled out with a laugh as he barely weaved a left straight to the outside. "You gotta do better than that man, come on!"

Thapp!

"There you go!" Lapis got into the groove with head bobs as Gohan blocked a left hook from the android.

ThappWhapp! FuFuFuFwuFuFuFwuScuSwuFwuScu~SOKK!

Another clean hit from Lapis, forcing Son Gohan on the backpedal.

"Come Onnn. I would kill for some real action here. In fact, I have been. Where's the competition at? Hahhh~ Sorry Gohan, but I think this is the end of the road."

You know… you would think Gohan would be the clear favourite here. He's big, I mean real big. 6 foot 2. The android is only like 5'7. Lapis has to pick Gohan up and really hold him high to make his feet not touch the ground.

"It's been real Gohan but uhh~"

As the android chatted on and on while holding him in the chokehold all Gohan could do was watch Trunks fight for his life as the other menace took his hits for free, not even humouring a block.

"Is that the best you can do, like honestly?" The woman asked with wide eyes as Trunks laid in desperate punch after desperate punch. "Ahh~ let's just get this over with." She relayed with another slap, forcing Trunks to the top of a building with haste.

"Hey! I'm talking here!" Lapis shouted with proper anger again. "You look someone in the eyes when they're talking to you!"

Gohan didn't care, immediately returning his gaze to his friend as the android kicked Trunks while he was down, flipping him over as he clutched his teenage stomach.

"Trunks…"

"They never listen~" Lapis called out as he charged a bolt of pure yellow in his off hand.

Zhyuu! Sklutt!

"AHHHHHH!" Gohan roared as the beam blasted open his left eye, leaving a deep burn mark and blood splurting.

"I warned you~"

Even now, blood still draining, red sparks still sparking, eye ruptured, Son Gohan could only glare as Trunks was lambasted, a similar bolt of ki gathering in the android's hand.

"Well… I'm not gonna say it was fun while it lasted, because it wasn't. Have a nice after life."

"TRUNKS!"

Lapis had no time, no recourse.

Gohan's frame bulged in vascularity as the blood rained down from his eye socket and Lapis' grip on his neck loosened. Gohan's blood boiled as his single minded focus strengthened even more. The-Half Saiyan's hair turned to a majestic gold, full stop, his now one eye a steely sky blue. Gohan roared with simultaneous anger and devotion as he broke free from the android's grasp with one swift and brutal move.

Snnnk! Tzzzztttztztzz!

Gohan jammed out both of Lapis' eye sockets with his left hand, piercing the left with his index and the right with his pinky. The circuitry haywired, shooting out electrical sparks that made contact with Son Gohan's golden and crimson aura, the arcs fought for dominance as the son of Son Goku fled the scene and blasted the android to the floor from the force.

"What the heck?" Lapis let out inquisitively as he fell onto his butt.

Android 17 didn't really care at all. He was more surprised than anything.

"Buh-Bye~ Huh..?"

"Get your hands off my brother, you bitch!" Gohan screamed with authority.

"Yeah ~ okay." She sassed back, raising her brows and a lazy guard to block the strike.

A gross miscalculation, the force Gohan produced bombed her right in the throat, sending her flying through over 10 buildings.

WHAMM! FOOOO~WHUMMUMMFUMMFUMMWUUMMMFuuuuuuuu~

Gohan landed from the affair on his hands and knees, blood still draining from his eye.

"Trunks!" He shouted at the unconscious boy. "Shit…"

Gohan picked the kid up in his arms, cradling him very carefully and palming the back of his head with his right hand as he held him close.

"You know what? I kind of deserved that." Lapis proclaimed as he put his hands on his hips, standing up from the previous attack inflicted on him. "Can't get mad at him for that one." Eyes still nonexistent and frayed wiring still firing. "Not bad, Gohan."

Gohan held his friend tight and absolutely rocketed into the sky with his flight, shooting back all manner of dust, debris, street litter, and concrete in his wake. He spared one final glance at Master Roshi's bleeding body on the pavement and he shook his head. The Sister shot up from her knocked down state, pushing back her platinum blonde locks and sharpened her vision.

"What are you doing!? Shoot him down!"

"I don't know if you know this sis, but uhh, I don't know where the fuck he's at."

"You're cappin'! Use your sensors!"

"Why I gotta do it? You have eyes."

"Rrrrr!" She growled fiercely. "Punk!" She shouted, conjuring an energy blast in her left hand and shooting it thusly.

Zyu! Zyu! Vyu!

Gohan weaved the first, the second, and the third in the string of attacks, the android more and more upset at each attack missed.

"You're gonna get it now!" She screamed, rearing back her arm for one last attack. "HUHH!"

ZYUUUUUuuuuuu~BA-BOMMM!

Gohan said nothing, gritting his teeth and baring it as the last blast hit bang on, right in the centre of his gi, burning the emblem on his back to cinders and blackening his muscles underneath with charry embers.

"Kkkkkuh~" Gohan barely let out.

FYUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuu~

"You let him get away!"

"I did not. I got fuckin' blasted."

"Yeah~ that's why you let him get away." She sassed back with hands on her hips as they walked towards each other.

"Nah, Gohan's just good. I didn't Let him get away."

She just scoffed in response.

"You know what, Lazuli, I'm beginning to think you're a hypocrite."

"Excuse me!?"

"That was a great fight! Gohan really showed his wherewithal and you're mad about it! I'm beginning to think you don't Actually want competition. I think you're scared."

"What did you say?" She scorned, grabbing his orange ascot with an iron grip.

"Hey~ I'm just calling it how I see it. Don't beat up the cripple."

"Ugh~ I'm done with you."

Lapis forced some giggles out of Lazuli as the pair walked the dirty streets.

"We goin' after em'?" Lapis asked with a raised brow.

"Nah, let's get your eyes fixed, rule number 1."

Lapis smiled.

"Thanks, sis."

Lazuli smiled and the pair put their arms around each other as they waltzed through the rubble.

FWUUUUUUUU~

Gohan flew as fast as he could, tearing through the skies at a breakneck pace, the winds harshly cutting into him and his eye in the process. Son Gohan just bared it regardless, Trunks stirred for only a moment, raising his brow at the curious sight. Gohan was there but his hair was different. Soon enough though, the illusion broke and the golden aura enveloping his friend disappeared.

"Gohahn..?"

After that, nothing, back to sleep for the boy.

Gohan, 23 y/o. Age 780 November 8th - Earth 6:31 A.M. The Sacred Land

"Gohan!" Puar yelled from across the treeline as the pair entered their view.

Gohan touched down not long after, placing Trunks on The Nimbus before grabbing hold of Puar.

"Thanks, Puar~ Didn't know you could pilot The Nimbus."

"Yeah, Oolong was gonna fall through if I didn't. But what happened to your eye?" He cringed, putting his paws on his face.

"We're not gonna worry about that."

"It's a pretty big fucking deal, Gohan, it looks like your goose is cooked!"

"Yup. Those androids are… something else."

Oolong and Puar gulped down harshly at the idea.

"Way stronger than I thought. The worst part is that they were clowning me the whole time, they were good enough to just make fun of me and not even try."

"We need to get that cleared up real soon Gohan, it could get infected!"

"Yeah…"

"Don't worry! Bulma, Oolong and I went to Korin together last time! Korin has magic beans that heal any injury, you'll get that eye back for sure!"

Gohan didn't answer, only looking out at the treeline as a thin tower came into view.

"Whew~" Son Gohan let out a deep breath as The Nimbus made a sharp 90 degree turn upwards and started riding the length of the tower.

"It's really far up!"

"Gotcha. I'll meet up with you guys in a bit." Gohan remarked as he jumped off The Nimbus and landed on the tower, running up it like no big deal.

"Unreal. And I thought Goku was cracked out of his mind. His kid is just as wild. He's just running up surfaces like it's no big deal."

Gohan hauled ass up the pole, running at fierce speeds and clearing it in seconds.

Foosh! Tp.

"Hmm~"

Gohan looked forward and the pain finally hit him for real, the adrenaline short changing him at the crucial moment.

"Phuuu~ Oooohh~" He winced as the sharp pain in his eye wired all the way to his brain and throbbed ruthlessly. "Gahhhahhh~"

"Here, kid."

The cat practically teleported right in front of him, feeding him a small green bean of some kind. Gohan struggled to gulp it down for a moment but after a particularly harsh swallow he let out a billowing breath and his skin returned to its natural, full colour.

"Oh dear, that's a nasty wound you got there." The cat called out as he maneuvered his staff around and pulled away at the rest of the blood.

Son Gohan opened his eyes and sure enough, there was a lack of full view on his left half, only a cloudy darkness.

"Looks like you got here a bit late, friend."

"Are you..?"

"Korin. That sucks, looks like you'll have to find a way to beat the androids with one less eye."

"Tcheh." He let out a scoff as he stood up.

"Wow. You're Goku's boy?"

"How did you-"

"You're huge. And uh, Telepathy. I can read minds."

Gohan stood at full attention.

"Me too."

"Whoa~ Hold on there." Korin raised a brow, whiskers twitching at the revelation happening in his conscience.

"I'm a little rusty since Piccolo passed, but I can do it too."

"Alright. You're an interesting one. You want to unlock some fancy trick to beat the androids?"

"No. I want to destroy them, take everything from them the same way they took everything from us. If a fancy trick is how I get there then so be it, but a fancy trick isn't my goal. Wiping those cruel inhuman monsters off the face of the Earth is."

"Whoa~" Korin made sure to keep to himself as he skated along the edge of Gohan's mind. "He's not like Goku at all. I'm sensing a lot of negative energy coming from him."

"So how do I do it?"

Korin stomped his staff once on the ground and turned away from him, looking out into the horizon of clouds, rainbows cast every which way.

"There's only one way."

Gohan stood next to the small green cat, crossing his arms with defiance and gazing out as the breeze of dawn brought in cold winds.

"Training."

"Yeah, figured that. Can't reall-"

"We're going to The Room of Spirit and Time."

Son Gohan raised a brow.

"What's that?"

"It's a favour I owe to someone from a long time ago. The room was designed in such a way where time passes slower inside it, meaning that someone could get a year's worth of training in there for only a day out here."

"..."

"We're going in there and we're not coming out until we can defeat the androids without breaking a sweat."

"We?"

"That favour. The room is just one of them, but this second one is for me. I've waited too long for fear of my own ineptitude. I think he felt the same way. We let these young ones pass us without even really trying."

"You're going to train us?"

"Heh~ partially, but I have a feeling you are going to be the one training me."

"..."

"I have hundreds of years of experience but your sheer power dwarfs mine many times over. I'm going to be a student again."

Fwuuuuuu~

"It's been a long time." The green cat stated with solemnity.

Son Gohan and Korin looked out into the clouds before the son of Son Goku realised:

"I have some others coming with me-"

"I know. Oolong, Puar, and Trunks. An interesting lot, they're all more than welcome to accompany us to the room. There is plenty of space."

Gohan nodded back with a sharp gaze.

"When are we going?"

"As soon as they get here."

"... What is The Room of Spirit and Time? The androids can sense energy from far away, they'll just hunt us down if we try and train in a location that's not secure."

The green cat just smiled and licked his paws.

"Worry not, kid, the room is blocked off from this realm. The androids won't be able to sense us in there."

"... Right."

Gohan leaned over the edge and still didn't see his allies.

"I'm gonna go grab em' where's the room located?"

Korin just pointed at the ceiling with his staff.

"The sky?"

"Kami's Lookout. The one who created it."

Trunks, 14 y/o. Age 780 November 8th - Earth 7:16 A.M. Kami's Lookout

Trunks had never seen anything like it, his wide childish eyes soaked in the scenery as his breath was taken away. It was a bit dusty and looked to be weathered a bit by the elements but the palace in the sky was still wondrous nonetheless. Two rows of palm trees welcomed the visitors but they were old and withered, barely hanging on by a thread as the two cats, pig, Earthling, and Half-Saiyan walked across the tile.

"Oh wow!" Puar mused. "So this is where The Guardian of Earth lived?"

"Mmhmm." Korin answered with a gruff hum.

"A fella could get used to livin' like this." The Pig said as he sat on a lavish throne in the middle of a dusty blue room.

"Knock it off, Oolong!" Puar yelled as Oolong cheesed it up.

Korin snickered at the idea of it.

"What, you don't think I could rule the world? You're full of it! I can do betta' than those androids at the very least!"

"Follow me." Korin stated as he descended the hall on the right.

Oolong and Puar bickered back and forth as they strided through the empty halls. There was lots of dust, these dark corridors seemed to get it worse than up top, seemingly because the wind had a harder time reaching it.

Vwuu~

Gohan conjured an orb in his hand, lighting the way just behind Korin as they continued their trek. Trunks carved through the dust on the walls with his small hands, grinding out the last little bit of it through his fingertips. The five men finally reached the end of the line, one innocuous brown door at the end of the hallway separated them from their destiny.

"This is it." Korin stated with conviction. "Once we enter here, there's no going back."

"What do you mean?" Gohan questioned immediately.

"Kami was unable to finish his grand design, and unfortunately, I was unable to keep my promise to him. He passed before he gave me the mantle as Guardian of Earth."

"You were supposed to be The Guardian!?" Puar blurted out.

"That's not important now, what's important is that when the green sands of time run out in the room, it's all over. Earth will no longer be tied to the room, and the room, no longer tied to the Earth."

"..."

"Since I was never granted the title of Kami, I can't alter the room in any way. We only have one shot at this. So if we happen to make a wrong move, and fall asleep in the chamber while the last strands of the glass fall, we'll be locked away in this pocket dimension…"

The hairs on the back of Trunks' neck stood up, enthralled at the story the green cat weaved.

"Forever."

"..."

"One thing I do know is that Kami never finished it, so it might not even be one day equals one year. It might just be one day equals two days."

"..."

"Are you all willing to make this sacrifice? Take this gamble?"

"..."

"Listen, buster! I ain't no hero, but one thing's for certain~ I woulda' never set foot off the island if I knew betta'! Open the damn door and let's get on with it!" Oolong shouted with conviction, hands on his hips like a superhero movie poster.

"Oolong~" Puar whimpered as he floated next to The Pig. "I'm ready!"

Gohan smiled, standing next in line to the two animals. Trunks filed in all the same, standing next to his friend while breathing in one last inhale of this plane's breath.

"I finally get to pay you back, old friend." Korin ruminated with his paw on the golden knob. "Sorry it took so long."

Creeeeeeee~