Man, it's been forever since this was updated. I thought that in honor of the occasion, I'd share something a bit different than the normal Son Squad one-shots. No, it's not a multi-parter, but it is interesting, I promise. I know some of you have asked about what the family will be like when some of the newer kids are older. Will there be more grandkids and such? The answer is yes and you're about to meet one of them. This is his story.
Ryan's Realization
Age 783
On Saturday mornings, you'd expect to find kids sleeping in after a long week at school or up watching Saturday-morning cartoons. You know, normal kid stuff. You wouldn't expect them to be up at the crack of dawn watching a sparring match between two experienced fighters in the mountains. Then again, most kids aren't related to super-powerful warriors who've saved the world on more than one occasion.
Sitting crisscross on top of a hill not far from the Son household in Mt. Paozu, 5-year old Ryan and 4-year old Pan were watching as their grandpa and uncle were going back and forth with punches and kicks at inhumane speeds. They were going so fast that the two children sometimes lost track of who was where and doing what. The little brown-haired and hazel-eyed boy and the black-haired black-eyed girl had looks of amazement on their faces as they watched their grandpa knock their uncle to the ground with little to no effort. Both children were also spotting orange gis just like their grandpa used to wear.
"Okay, Dad, I think they get it," 16-year old Goten stated, sitting up from the little crater in the ground. He didn't want to be here, but his Dad promised him that if he was his sparring partner for his Saturday morning session, he wouldn't bug Goten to train for the rest of the day. "Can I go now?"
"Yeah, Goten, thanks for that," Goku said, lowering himself to the ground. He helped his son off the ground and patted his back for giving him a warm-up. "And hey, if you keep things up, you could be back in top shape in no time."
"I doubt I'd ever be able to reach a level that you're at, Dad," Goten remarked before heading inside to go shower.
After Goten left, Goku turned to the two young pupils sitting and waiting for instruction. Goku smiled at his two grandkids. He was glad that he was getting to teach others how to fight. Other than his 18-month-old twins, Michi and Gochi, most of his other kids were "too old" to want to train with their Dad anymore. Gohan, Chiyo, and Chinku were moved out of the house with jobs, Daichi was applying for colleges to get a degree in business, and Goten was more concerned with dates than training. The only one who really trained with him every now and again was Chibiko, but she was out of town with Bulma at some big unveiling for a rocket engine the two had been working on over Chibi's spring break. Regardless, having young and eager pupils who wanted to train with Goku made him feel younger somehow and like he was still needed by people.
"Okay, guys, now it's your turn," Goku told the two young kids. "You ready to go?"
"I'm ready, Grandpa!" Ryan declared, being the first to get up.
"Me too!" Pan also declared, jumping up mere seconds after her older cousin.
Goku chuckled a bit at their enthusiasm. "Well let's get started then!"
What followed were simple ki exercises, some flying tips, learning some punch and kick moves, and even learning how to form a small ki blast. Goku took note of how the kids were progressing. Ryan was ahead of Pan in terms of power, but she had him beat in speed. They both were pretty good for their ages though and Goku suspected that by the time they were ten, they'd be stronger than Gohan and Chiyo were at that age.
As Goku waited for the two to come back from a quick flight around the planet, he tried busting out super saiyan, something he hadn't done in a while, and pretended to fight an invisible opponent. He imagined fighting someone like Frieza and gave it a bit of effort as he kicked and punched at his invisible opponent. He didn't notice when the two grandkids arrived back a bit early from their buzz around the planet and watched in awe at Goku's little match with his unseen enemy. They even saw how he kicked down a set of trees with ease.
"So cool!" They both said in awe as they witnessed this.
When he was done with that, Goku finally noticed the two little kids watching him. "Oh, you guys are back early," He remarked, powering out of super saiyan form. "That's gotta be your quickest time yet."
"Grandpa, what was that?" Pan asked her grandpa.
"That? Oh, that was just super saiyan." It was weird for Goku to think about how this transformation wasn't really that much in comparison to back in the day when achieving this made you seem like a legend. With every other transformation, he had learned though, this one always had a sense of personal connection to him. (I mean, he did achieve it after losing his best friend for what he thought would be the final time). "It's nothing really."
"But that was so cool, Grandpa!" Ryan shouted with excitement. He had never seen anything like it before. He wanted to know everything he could about it. "You gotta tell us more about it!"
"Well, it's a transformation that I got back when Gohan and Chiyo were about you guys' age," Goku went on to explain, plopping down in a crisscross position so the two grandkids could be at a more even eye-level with him. His grandkids did the same thing. "I got it on planet Namek while fighting this powerful guy, Frieza. He wanted to get the dragon balls to wish to be immortal. We were all trying to get them before he did so we could wish back our friends."
"Grandpa," Pan interrupted, raising her hand up like she was in school. "What's immortal mean?"
"Well, it means you live forever," Goku answered. "And we definitely didn't want this guy to live forever."
"So what happened next?" Ryan pressed Goku for more information.
The saiyan protector then weaved the story of his battle with Frieza on Namek and all the ups and downs that came with it. He told them about the epic one-on-one confrontation, the spirit bomb, and the transformation into super saiyan for the first time. Each exciting detail made the small tots more and more eager to learn what happened next and how their grandfather managed to beat the tyrannical Frieza. Ryan seemed especially excited to hear what would come next in his grandfather's tale. "And then, the planet exploded and I landed on a planet on Yardrat. The Yardratians helped get me back to full health and even taught me instant transmission."
"Wow, grandpa; that's amazing!" Pan stated once her grandpa's story was done. "Do you think you could teach me how to go super saiyan?"
"I don't see why not," Goku shrugged. "With a bit of extra work, I'm sure I can get ya to be a super saiyan in no time."
"I wanna learn too!" Ryan chimed in, jumping to his feet in excitement. "I bet I can learn it before Pan does!"
"Nuh-uh!" Pan whined.
"Uh-huh!"
"I can learn it faster than you!"
"No, I can learn it faster! I'm older than you!"
"Only by a year!"
While the cousins had their little squabble, neither noticed the nervous look their grandpa had on his face. You see, there's a bit of snag with Ryan wanting to learn to go super saiyan; he doesn't have a drop of saiyan blood in him at all. Ryan is Chiyo's son, yes, but not her biological son. His birth mom, Lucie, was Chiyo's wife and that's how Ryan came to be a part of the large Son family, so the prospects of him becoming a super saiyan were physically impossible.
"….Uh, Ryan, I mean, I can teach you to be stronger," Goku tried to explain to Ryan.
"I know that, but I wanna be a super saiyan! I bet I'd be really good at it, too! And Pan can be my sidekick!"
"Or you can be my sidekick when I get it first," Pan proudly proclaimed.
Goku couldn't help but let out a bit of nervous laughter. He wasn't really sure how to handle the situation. He needed to think of something quick to stall for time so he could come up with something later. Think, Goku, think!
"Goku! Pan! Ryan! Lunchtime!" Chi-Chi called out from the house.
Perfect timing, Chi-Chi, Goku thought to himself. "Well, you heard your grandma, guys. It's lunchtime!"
"Lunch!" Pan and Ryan cheered before racing to the house to get some of their grandma's home-cooked food.
The saiyan raised on earth sighed in relief. At least this would buy him some time to think of what to say to Ryan. Plus, food always helped him think better.
Lunch was spectacular as always. Chi-Chi had a big lunch set out for everyone and they ate it all up. Goku's appetite hadn't waned that much in the years that passed and it showed with how he was still able to consume so much. His grandkids copied him in his habits and tried their best to consume as much food as possible just like their grandpa.
"Ryan, Pan, calm down now," Chi-Chi told her grandkids when she saw them try to stuff two rice balls into their mouths at once. "If you're not careful, you'll choke on your food."
"Sorry, grandma," The two cousins apologized.
"That's all right," Chi-Chi said, turning to look towards her husband. "As long as you don't do it ag- GOKU!"
Goku wasn't exactly helping Chi-Chi drive home her point about eating slower when he was still stuffing his mouth to the brim with food. He was currently in the middle of going for a third rice ball to stuff into his mouth when Chi-Chi shouted his name. He stopped what he was doing, put the rice-ball back on his plate, swallowed the food already in his mouth, and then nervously chuckled.
"Oh, Goku, what am I going to do with you?" Chi-Chi sighed, running her hand through her hair. "It's a wonder how I haven't gotten any grey hairs yet. Sometimes you stress me out so much."
"Sorry, Chi-Chi," Goku apologized. He had been better about spending more time with his wife as of late, but he knew that he had some habits that she didn't particularly care for. Food did help him to think things through, and he was still trying to figure out what to do about the whole situation with Ryan wanting to go super saiyan.
While everyone ate their food a bit more slowly now, Pan decided to stir up some conversation at the now awkwardly silent table; "Grandma, guess what? Grandpa said he'd teach us how to go super saiyan!"
Chi-Chi nearly spat out the tea she was sipping and choked a bit as she swallowed it. She looked over to her husband who let out another nervous bit of laughter. "He did, did he?" Chi-Chi asked, sending a slight glare Goku's way as she slightly tapped her left index finger against the table.
"Yep," Ryan confirmed, not really reading the attitude of his grandmother. "He said he'd teach me and Pan!"
"I see."
"Now Chi-Chi, I know what you're going to say," Goku tried to speak. "But I just-"
"Just don't do it inside; that's all," Chi-Chi interrupted, picking up her empty plate and bringing it to the sink to wash. "And be careful not to get hurt. Do you both understand?"
"Okay, grandma," Pan and Ryan replied before getting up to bring their own dishes to the kitchen to wash them.
Goku, meanwhile, was a bit dumbfounded by Chi-Chi's reaction. He thought for sure she'd yell at him for wanting to teach the kids something like that, but she was taking it really well. She had definitely mellowed out over the years, for the most part, when it came to her temper. He couldn't believe this was the same woman who cried when he brought home Gohan and Chiyo as super saiyans.
After getting over the shock, Goku went to the kitchen to give Chi-Chi his own plates to wash. He thought that the kids had gone outside to warm up since he heard the front door open and close. That meant he could talk to Chi-Chi about what to do in regards to Ryan. As he went to give his dishes to his wife, she turned and gave him a serious look. It wasn't one of anger, but he knew for sure that he was in trouble. "Goku, what are you going to do when Ryan realizes he can't go super saiyan?" Chi-Chi questioned him, putting her hands to her hips.
"I…I don't know," Goku admitted to Chi-Chi. "I'm….I'm trying to figure out how to tell him, but I know that telling him will crush him."
"Goku, you have to tell him though," Chi-Chi insisted to her husband, rolling up her sleeves so they wouldn't get wet from the sink water. "Say that you get Pan to go super saiyan, which might be hard for her at her age, but say she does transform. Sooner or later, Ryan's gonna push you on why he can't go super saiyan."
"What can I say to him though?" Goku genuinely questioned his wife. "You saw how excited he was, Chi-Chi. I have no idea how I'll even be able to tell him. He's so excited about going super saiyan that if I told him he can't ever become one, he'd be devastated."
"I can't go super saiyan?" A voice from behind spoke.
Chi-Chi and Goku quickly turned to see Ryan standing in the doorway of the kitchen with the most broken look that a child could muster on his face. His lip quivered a bit and he was trying his best to not start crying.
"Ryan, sweetie," Chi-Chi tried to comfort her grandchild, going up to him and cupping his chin. "Honey, how much did you hear?"
"Why can't I go super saiyan?" Ryan asked before looking directly at his grandpa. "You said you'd teach me, grandpa!"
"Ryan, I said I could teach you to be stronger; I didn't…..I didn't say I could teach you to be a super saiyan." This broke Goku's heart a bit. He didn't want to be the one to bring down Ryan's hope, but the facts were the facts; Ryan couldn't become a super saiyan.
"But….but you're teaching Pan," Ryan sniffled, on the verge of tears. "Why can't you teach me too? It's not fair!"
"Ryan, I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean I-"
"I HATE YOU, GRANDPA!" With that sudden outburst out of the way, Ryan ran out of the house with tears in his eyes. He took to the air just as Goku and Chi-Chi ran outside to try and stop him.
"Ryan, wait!" Chi-Chi shouted as her grandson took to the sky.
"Ryan!" Goku shouted as the young boy took off out of sight.
Pan, who had gone to the bathroom, was confused when she saw that Ryan had just left so suddenly. "Hey, where'd Ryan go?" She asked, wiping her recently cleaned hands onto her shorts.
Ryan sniffled as he buried his head in his mother's lap. He had come home in tears and it took both Lucie and Chiyo an hour to get the little boy to tell them all that happened. After that, he went broke down crying and was only now calming down.
Lucie softly stroked his head as he continued to choke out a few sobs here and there as he laid down. "It'll be okay, hon," the blonde-haired reporter assured her son.
"No it won't," Ryan hiccupped into his mother's lap. He did a 180 roll and ended up laying on his back and looking up at his mom. "I won't ever be able to go super saiyan at all, which means I'll always be weak. Why even bother training anymore?" He let out a long-winded sigh and wiped at the tears still lingering in his eyes. "And I told grandpa I hate him, so I doubt he'll ever want to train with me again."
Coming into the living room, Chiyo sighed when she saw her step-son on the couch. Her mother had called her and explained how Goku would be coming over soon to talk to the young boy. The dark-haired woman sat down next to Lucie and gave Ryan a soft smile. "Ryan, your grandpa Goku doesn't hate you," She told her step-son. "And what's this talk I hear about quitting training? You love martial arts."
"But what's the point if I can't ever go super saiyan?" Ryan questioned, now more grouchy than sad. He sat up and pouted, adding in an arm-cross for good measure.
"Look, Ryan, you didn't even know that super saiyan was a thing until today," Chiyo continued. "And now because you can't get it, you're just going to quit? That's not the Ryan I know. Besides, not everyone uses it. Even the ones who can do it usually don't anymore."
"Like who?"
"Well, for one, your Uncle Gohan doesn't use it anymore and he's one of the strongest people out there."
"But he's a big nerd!"
"Ryan!" Lucie scolded her son. "Don't talk about your uncle that way."
"Actually, he is a pretty big nerd," Chiyo agreed. "But that doesn't mean he still can't kick your butt. The point is, Ryan, it's not the end of the world."
"You just don't get it, though!" Ryan shouted, now trying to sink more into the couch. "I want to go super saiyan! It's not fair!"
Before any more of a discussion could be had, there was a knock at the door. Chiyo stood up to answer it and wasn't the least bit surprised to see her father standing at the door. "Thanks for knocking instead of teleporting in, Dad."
"No problem," Goku said, walking inside the little three-story home. He had learned from last time not to do it unless Chiyo gave him permission to do so. As soon as he walked into the living room, Ryan looked away. "Hey, bud….You left training pretty early. Pan was pretty bummed out. Your grandma's kind upset you didn't get to say goodbye to her."
"…I don't wanna train anymore," Ryan mumbled.
"Don't wanna train anymore? Why?"
"I just don't."
"I see…."
Noticing the tension in the air, Lucie whispered something to Chiyo and the two left Goku in the room with Ryan who continued to sulk and not look over at the spiky-haired man. Goku soon found himself sitting down next to Ryan and looking at the décor of the place. A few of Chiyo's paintings were hanging up around the living room and there were a few articles that Lucie had written for her network. One picture, in particular, stood out to Goku though; it was the one at the beach when Ryan and Pan were a little younger. He picked it up off the end table that was nearby and smiled a bit as he looked at it.
"I remember this day," Goku stated aloud. "That day, you and Pan were learning how to swim for the first time. You both were so excited to go in and swim. But then you guys both got caught in a wave. Do you remember that?"
"…I remember crying because of the saltwater getting in my mouth," Ryan spoke up.
"Yep," Goku confirmed. "You and Pan both were crying. But then you guys calmed down and got back in the water to try again. When you both got the hang of it, we couldn't pry you out even if we tried. I think we had to get Gohan and Daichi to get you two out." Setting the picture down, Goku then turned to look at Ryan. "You know, training is like learning to swim at the beach; you'll hit some waves, but you'll eventually overcome them to be a stronger person."
"But grandpa, I want to learn super saiyan," Ryan stated, turning to now look at his grandfather. "It's not fair that Pan gets to learn it but I don't. I don't have any saiyan blood, but I should be able to learn to be just like you and everyone else."
"You're right Ryan; it's not fair. But you know what this means, right?"
"No, what?"
"It's just another wave you gotta ride through. And let me tell you something else; everyone has their own sets of challenges. That doesn't mean they can't work to become better."
"But I'll never get to be like you, though," Ryan whined, sitting himself up. "I wanna be strong just like you, grandpa."
"Now who says you can't be strong like me?" Goku questioned the brunette boy. "Just because your human doesn't mean you can't be strong."
"…You really think I can be strong like you even if I can't be a super saiyan?"
"Of course I do!" Goku told the boy with his famous grin on his face. He then looked around to make sure no one else was nearby before he leaned in to whisper something to Ryan. "And you wanna know something else? I know someone who's completely human who could be stronger than me."
"What?! No way!" Ryan whisper-shouted. "You're lying, grandpa!"
"It's the truth," Goku continued to whisper. "He's completely human, just like you. And I have a feeling you'll meet him soon. You and he could be really good friends, too."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. He could be your sparring buddy and push you to be stronger. But if you don't push yourself to be the best you can be, you'll never know. My point is, you won't know what you can do until you try again. Who knows; you could unlock your own power if you work hard enough."
Sitting there pondering everything that was proposed to him by his grandfather, Ryan had to admit to himself that he was intrigued by the idea that there was another human out there that was just as strong as his legendary grandpa. If another human could be that strong, why couldn't he? Of course, going about pondering this also meant that Ryan realized he had been a real jerk to his grandpa. "I'm sorry for saying that to you earlier, grandpa. I shouldn't have said it."
"It's okay, Ryan. I'm not mad at you or anything."
"You mean it?"
"Yep. Now then, there's still a little bit of time left to train. You wanna go back to my house and go a few rounds with Pan before I gotta bring you home?"
"Yes please!"
So that's it so far for Ryan. What did you guys think of him? I wanted to do something different with the Son Squad and explore more of the extended family dynamics that are going to come later. For those of you wondering, I'll definitely be going more into the backstory of Lucie and Chiyo in a later chapter so stay tuned for that.
Before I go, I'm thinking about doing a multi-parter story in October in celebration of Halloween. It'll be a bit of another AU within an AU sort of thing that I hope you guys will like. Anyway, that's all for now guys. Thank you all so much for your continual support of the one-shots and the main series. I hope you all have a good day and remember to wash your hands!