Review Responses:
To anon9919: While I agree that the drama between Chi-Chi and Gohan was handled poorly. However, Vegeta in PRIMAL, is in-character. Vegeta was not offended by Chi-Chi calling him or the old Saiyan race monsters, but rather that Chi-Chi would dare call her own children and his son monsters because they are of Saiyan descent. Saiyans are not evil inherently, but were taught evil by one of their leaders and passed it down to the point where they are born to be bloodthirsty monsters. The Saiyan God ritual and the God tribe are evidence that Saiyans are not evil by nature. They are just very competitive creatures that enjoy battles. Unlike the canon, seven years of peace has changed Vegeta given that Gohan kept up with his training thanks to Vegeta's pep talk. He and Gohan spent more time together to the point where Gohan's search for his own path led to him confiding in Vegeta. Vegeta, in turn, discussed what it meant to be a Saiyan, passing on a form of Saiyan pride and a form of cultural identity to Gohan. Gohan cares about his Saiyan heritage, which made the prince care about Gohan. So, for Chi-Chi to disregard her son's Saiyan side for his human side to the point where her son was facing an identity crisis was what ticked Vegeta off. His way of redeeming himself outside of defending Earth was by focusing on passing on the legacy of his people's culture through teaching Gohan. Even if Gohan doesn't do everything that Saiyans used to do, being aware of what he represents and showing pride in it would complete the elder Saiyan.
To SuperSaiyanFever: No. Buu, as a living entity, is masculine. He only takes on aspects of the beings he absorbs through the mindset, personality, techniques, and clothing. However, Buu here remains in Pure/Kid Buu form but is now wiser, cunning, and more compassionate. It was never stated in any media that Buu changes sex based on who he absorbs. That's like saying Perfect Cell should have turned female because he absorbed Android 18.
To Ushindi:
1. Orange Piccolo is incredible. He looks like the mixture of Lord Slug and his father, Demon King Piccolo. Seeing him battle Cell Max while growing massive was insane and I loved every last minute of it.
2. El Blanco Gohan was out of left field. It's like all of our fanfiction brought to life on the big screen. It should have been dog water, but him transforming an no scoping Cell Max with the Mankakosappo through the head was clean!
To Terkoish: The leaks were unavoidable, but I watched the movie mostly blind. I loved almost every scene. The only two things that I didn't like from Super Hero was that Goku ended up being ruined by the writers for basically making him be a novice to the point where Vegeta, of all people, was lecturing this man about the importance of mediation. That was ass! The other thing was Beerus hitting on Cheelai. I was…uncomfortable seeing that.
That's all for now, on with the show.
Last time on Dragon Ball Z PRIMAL, Gohan flew over half away around the world to meditate and find inner peace after a heated argument with his mother had escalated and went horribly wrong. But thanks to a conversation with the Supreme Kai, Piccolo's sparring session, and Vegeta's intervention with Chi-Chi, the Son family reunited on Goten's birthday stronger than ever. What else should occur to Gohan and his friends? Find out, now!
Orange Star High, Hercule City, Age 774
It was History class in Mr. Gesch's class and the students were grouped together in teams made up of five to work on particular topics that each group chose.
Luckily, Gohan, the Orange Star Trio, and Barry Khan came together as a group. Since it was the first week of the project, they were currently deciding what kind of topic they should work on.
ll circled In a smaller, the group placed their desks together in a circle formation to discuss classwork.
"Okay, so let's rule out our options here," Videl said, opening up the conversation. "Our project is due at the end of October, which gives us plenty of time to gather research. Let's figure out what our project can be about and what format is it going to be in."
Gohan scratched his head, saying, "Well, I'm sort of used to doing research papers, annotated bibliographies, and plain old essays. Creative projects aren't exactly my strengths in education…"
"Brains, nobody likes to work on papers. The amount of pages that they expect from you is too long, teachers take off points if you make the smallest of errors, and prompts that they give are boring as hell half of the time. Papers suck." Sharpener said plainly.
"I have to agree with the bleach blond on that one, Son Boy. Writing papers about crap I don't care about ain't my style." Barry Khan said, taking off his black shades. "Ain't that right, belle?"
Erasa wearily nodded her head with a sweatdrop on the back of her head.
"To be honest, I feel the same way. One of the reasons why I settled for fashion design as my career choice is so my grandparents stop pestering me to push for journalism. Ew!" Erasa cringed.
"Fair enough," Gohan relented.
"Because of that, none of those formats will be an option for our project. I purpose that to keep things simple and effective, we should have one of us open a slideshow and e-mail it to the rest of our accounts so we can work on it together. After that, we can write a 1-to-2-page summary about our project." Videl suggested. "What do you guys think about that?"
"I like that idea," Gohan agreed.
"Ooo!~ That means I get to make it look good! I'm all for it, girl!" Said Erasa.
Barry Khan droned, "Whatever gets me a good grade in this snore-fest."
"...What he said." Sharpener replied, sounding just as dull.
"Good. Now, let's all take this time to brainstorm." Videl said, who took out the paper that had the group assignment given to her by the professor. "What's our topic going to be?"
"Hm…There's the Cell Games? Maybe we can cover that?" Erasa suggested, not entirely sure where to start.
Gohan remained silent, thinking back to the event somberly, which Videl and Barry took notice of. Before anybody else could say anything, Sharpener answered against Erasa's idea.
"'Rasa, everybody wants to cover the Cell Games. It's too predictable given that Vivi's in our group." Sharpener scoffed before a strong kick in the shin caused him to momentarily fall out of his chair, courtesy of Videl.
"Call me Vivi again, and that kick will go where the sun doesn't shine," Videl said calmly, scaring Erasa, making Gohan turn pale, and Barry wince.
'Oof! Sucks to be him right now.' Barry thought to himself as the long-haired blond eventually got back up in pain.
"R-Right, so that's a no to the Cell Games. W-What about the reign of the Demon King?" Gohan suggested this time.
"Um, I don't think people still believe that he even existed, if I'm honest," Videl said, dismissing the topic as she mentally cursed her father for that. "Besides, the threat of the Cell Games dwarfs it, so people will find it not worth listening to."
"There's always the Ox Kingdom," Sharpener pitched in.
"...Can we not pick that?" Gohan asked, no, begged.
"What's wrong with the choice, Son Boy? Do tales of the late Emperor of Demons scare you?" Barry snorted.
Rolling his eyes, Gohan shot back, "Not at all. I simply refused to be a part of a group project that requires me to research and type lies about my grandfather that's not even dead."
That revelation nearly caused Barry to fall out of his seat as he collected himself.
"Hold the phone! You mean to tell me that not only is the Ox-King alive after his castle burnt down, but you just so happened to be his grandson?" The teen questioned out of bewilderment. You've got to be pulling my leg. Come on, guys. This has got to be a prank."
Barry then turned to see that everybody remained just as serious as Gohan, causing his eyes to dilate.
"Well, I'll be damned…" Barry whispered, chuckling a little bit. "And if it isn't enough of a shock that I'd be going to school with a champion's daughter, now I'm chilling with a son of a former champ who's a prince."
Sharpner then said with a serious tone while flaring a bit of his ki, "Hey, tone down the brown-nosing, pretty boy. Brains is not the type to care about the popular crowd or the limelight. Mrs. Son was the Ox Princess but she didn't take her dad's place. They like their peace and quiet, and we're keeping it that way."
Barry and Sharpner stared at each other, with Sharpner wishing that the spokesmodel would dare to say to oppose him. Barry, while not intimidated by the former jock, knew that his father would be angry with him if he were to screw up his roll.
Nodding, Barry said, "I hear ya, Sharp. Don't get your boxers in a knot. Say, I don't suppose any of you outside of Son Boy heard much about the Red Ribbon Army, have you?"
"The Red Ribbon Army?" The Orange Star Trio repeated.
Gohan's eyes opened wide, recalling his times dealing with the Androids along with C-17 and C-18 before the threat of Cell was known.
"...You're considering the Red Ribbon Army as a topic?" Gohan asked, turning to the internet influencer.
Barry said, "Why not? Officially, they were simply terrorists hellbent on world domination. But unofficially, they were in search of ancient relics and would kill anybody who got their way. And the crazy part about it is that no one knows what happened to them. They all just…vanished. Wouldn't it be interesting to research something that is mysterious?"
The Orange Star Trio and Gohan looked at each other at the same time, then looked back at Barry.
"Well, uh, he does have a point…" Erasa admitted.
"Okay, okay. Let's say that we choose this topic. Outside of the history stuff, what would we include?" Sharpner inquired, crossing his arms.
"Landmarks, locations, important innovations within the faction, and notable figures involved in said faction." Said Gohan.
"I'm not the one to back down from a challenge." Videl said with a tad bit of pride. "Fine, let's go and divide up the work with this topic."
"I call the locations! I'll find a bunch of beautiful pictures in a pinch." Erasa quickly said.
"Then I guess I'll go with landmarks since it goes hand in hand with locations." Barry said before looking at Erasa with a sly face.
Resisting the urge to vomit, Sharpner said, "Barf! I'm picking the important whatchamacallits. I can find whatever they did for the market with a bit of digging and help from my folks. They are into that stuff."
Videl said, "Fine, fine. That just leaves the notable figure research to Gohan-kun and I. But it's nothing that we can't handle, right Gohan-kun?"
"Y-Yeah!" Gohan responded, blushing a bit at her faith in him. "If we're looking for important figures, I suppose I should look into some of the scientists behind the army..."
"And I'll look at the special operatives." Videl settled. "So, it's settled then. We're going for the Red Ribbon Army."
"Agreed." Everybody else concluded.
Barry then took out his phone and got the notification regarding a particular murder and smiled sinisterly before bringing up the situation
"Damn… Would you look at that? Apparently, that thing from the news got to the Letterman jock too." Barry said, almost satisfyingly as he put the smartphone back into his pocket.
"Wait, what?" Erasa cried as she took out her own phone and pulled up the local news. "...Oh my god!"
Narrowing his eyes in a solemn tone, Sharpner said, "Yeah, I folks got the call from his mom about what happened. Marker was an asshole, not gonna lie. But he wasn't always like that. I knew him before junior high and there was a time when Marker was a decent guy. For him to go out like that and so young…"
"Yeah…It's terrible." Gohan agreed.
"Even if Marker was a total prick, he didn't deserve to die at the hands of a monster. Somebody outta having to go after that thing and take it down." Said Videl, looking at Gohan while they both share a determined nod.
"Well, this tragedy reminds me of a famous saying. Karma's a bitch." Barry Khan casually stated, coming off as a bit uncaring.
"Barry-kun!/Khan-san!" Gohan and Erasa cried out, shocked at how easily Barry dismissed Marker's passing.
"That was uncalled for!" Videl barked.
"What? Am I wrong?" Barry questioned. "From what I heard, the guy was a total scumbag. And guys like that who act like shit and do dirt to others? It shouldn't be a surprise that a terrible fate would fall unto them. Take Marker, for example."
"He was still a human being!" Sharpener argued. "Speaking ill of a guy who's not even buried yet isn't cool! That's a freaking low."
"Hey, I'm just saying." Barry shrugged.
"You're just saying that because you had a run-in with him." Sharpener accused.
"I'm not denying that, Sharpy Boy. And can you blame me? He put his filthy hands on my belle in front of me and wanted smoke. Did you expect me to sit there and watch? Excuse me for standing up for myself and my girl."
Kissing Barry's cheek, Erasa said, "And I appreciate that wholeheartedly, sweetie.~"
Barry turned back to Sharpner with a smile on his face.
"See, Sharpy Boy? The belle has spoken. There's no point in going on about it anymore."
A tick mark formed on the long-haired blond's forehead as Sharpner's jealously and suspicion.
'...There's something off about this guy.'
-Time Skip, After School in the Hallways-
Everybody was heading home after collecting their belongings from their locker. Gohan, Videl, Sharpener, and Barry all had to head back home to take care of their own affairs. This left Erasa and Sharpner as the only people in their friend group to be on campus.
While closing her locker, a voice spoke to her.
"'Rasa."
Erasa squeaked while jumping a bit, only to see Sharpner standing next to her.
"God! Sharpie, you scared the living heck out of me!" Erasa said, exhaling in relief.
"Listen, do you got a minute? I need to talk to you." Sharpener said with a bit of urgency in his voice.
Erasa gave him her undivided attention, as she rarely heard her old friend being so serious when talking to her. She nodded to the former jock.
"Yeah, sure thing. What's wrong, Sharpner?"
"...It's about Khan. He's giving some vibes." Sharpener started. "Some really bad vibes."
Placing her hands on her hips with her eyes narrowing down a bit.
"Is this about what happened in the 1st period? Look, I'm not exactly happy with how he treated Marker's death. And I don't agree with a lot of the stuff he said. I'll be sure that he will be hearing from me about his behavior." The girl sassed.
"It's just about what he said that bothers me, E. There's something off about him." Sharpner tried to express. "The way that he acted about Marker's death rubbed me the wrong way. It was callous as fuck."
Tilting her head, Erasa questioned, "...Where are you going with this? What are you trying to say, hm?"
Letting out a sigh, Sharpner, "Trust me on this, Erasa. I don't think Khan's the type of guy that you should keep hanging around with. The guy's bad news."
This earned Sharpner a sharp glare from the teenage girl.
"Oh? He's bad news?" Erasa echoed. "Wasn't that what you said about Son-kun three months ago?"
The boy was taken aback by the girl's sudden audaciousness. Collecting himself quickly, Sharpner tried to press on with his reasoning.
"Come, on, E. That's unfair."
"Fair? Do you know what's unfair? The fact that I never said anything about your past escapades with other girls who were skanks or tell you who you should go after for years, yet when there's one guy I decided to give a shot to, you feel entitled to try and manage our relationship!"
"Manage?" Sharpner said in confusion. "I'm not trying to manage anything! All that I'm saying is that—"
"-That I should leave my boyfriend because you think he's bad news? Well, maybe you should look in the mirror. Because before Son-kun, you were not the best guy in the world either! You were a dick, Sharpner! You were not only a bully, but you were a part of the same crowd as Marker during our first year! It took Videl to put you in your place for you to come to your senses! So, let's cut the bullshit and be honest with ourselves."
"Be honest about what?" Sharpner inquired. "You're not making any sense!"
"You're just jealous that Son-kun has gotten Videl's attention and I'm not there to comfort you! That's why you're trying to break Barry-kun and I apart! But guess what? That's not happening! I'm not going to be used like I'm somebody's back up plan or rebound! So you can forget about that!"
Sharpner's shoulders sagged while a hurtful expression formed on his face.
'...She did not just say that.' Thought the student of Tien.
"...Is that how you think of me?" Asked Sharpner.
"Well, what else am I supposed to think? That's how you would normally act every time Videl turns you down!" Erasa exclaimed harshly. "And I'm sick and tired of it! So, for once in your life, take a hint and stay out of my damn business!"
It took a minute for her to register what she just told her oldest male friend. She gasped in shock while watching Sharpner bow his head as he emotionally retreated into a more stoic expression. Regretting what she said, the blonde tried speaking.
"Oh Kami! Sharpie, I-I didn't mean to say all of–"
Sharpner cut her off by saying, "...No, it's fine. I get it."
The tone of the former jock was that of a softer monotone voice rather than the usual laid-back bravado she was used to.
"You're entitled to who you want to like. If Khan's the one for you, then I won't stop you." Sharpner said as he went to grab his school bag and slung it on his back while turning around. "...See you around, I guess."
With that, the Sharpner left Erasa in the empty halls of the school, with both of them now full of emotional pain.
Heatap Headquarters, East City, Age 774
Dr. James Yanagi has sat in a private office in front of a man who seemed significantly older than him in comparison.
The man, for the lack of better terms, was best described as an overweight, balding man with glasses in front of his small eyes, and a mustache. For his attire, he wore a tuxedo and a bowtie.
This was Xavier Saint Cash, CEO of Haetap.
"James! Glad you could make it! How are you today, good sir?" Mr. Cash questioned.
"Oh, I'm exceptional, Xavier. I haven't felt this content in a long time." Dr. Yanagi answered with a calm, collected, and suave tone. "You?"
"Today, I'm feeling optimistic." Cash answered with a wholehearted smile.
"Optimism? There's nothing wrong with a healthy amount of optimism." The scientist nodded in agreement. "Now, what's this mysterious project that's gotten so excited that you have come all the way here to discuss it with me in person?" The scientist questioned.
"I'll be straight with you, James. My wife and I are going through a rough patch and work has piled on to the point where I nearly forgot my son's birthday." X.S. Cash explained. "He loves the Tenkaichi Būdokai and wanted to go see it with me in person. However…there's a problem with that."
"Right, the tournament has been delayed to the winter," James answered.
"Actually, the Chairman has recently announced its cancellation this year." Revealed the CEO of Heatap.
Dr. Yanagi's eyes widened in shock.
"What? When did this happen?" Questioned the new Saiyan hybrid.
"About a month ago, I'm afraid." X. S. sighed. "There was an accident during the renovation of the temple, leaving a few of the workers with many injuries."
"That's …unfortunate to hear." Yanagi sighed in disappointment, mentally cursing about how the situation looked to be unfavorable to his plans.
'Damn it! And here I was planning to ruin that fool in the 25th Tenkaichi Būdokai!'
"Don't fret, my friend. That is where I come in." Mr. Cash smiled. "Recently, my revenue during the Cell Games, which we had sponsored, had tripled, making us the third richest corporation in the world. So the lack of a tournament and lack of a present for my son has gotten me thinking. What if I hosted my very own tournament?"
"You? Hosting a tournament?" Dr. Yanagi questioned. "I don't mean this in any offensive way, sir, but isn't this out of your element?"
"From the way that I see, this is an opportunity to explore a new market, a new industry." Cash responded with absolute optimism. "By hosting a tournament, I can spark the excitement of the people that were looking forward to the canceled Tenkaichi Būdokai, bringing in more profit. This can also act as a gift to my son in the process."
"This sounds very ambitious, Xavier." Dr. Yanagi said, still hesitant at his ally's idea. "And extremely expensive."
Cocking a grin, X.S. Cash said, "I feel confident in this endeavor. However, a partner or two would be more than acceptable, which is why I called you, good sir."
Narrowing his eyes, Yanagi questioned, "And what could Willow Industries possibly do that could benefit this project and the company itself? You haven't even mentioned where this supposed tournament would be located."
"Oh, I already have that taken care of." Cash said, folding his hands on the desk. "There was an abandoned intergalactic amusement park project that I abandoned as a young lad. It's not too far from where the temple is. All it needs is a bit of repurposing and adjustments."
Dr. Yanagi tapped his chin, thinking about the multi-millionaire's situation.
'Hm… Repurposing, huh? Yes…maybe I can use this facility to my advantage.' The scientist thought to himself while forming a grin.
"You know what? This does seem rather promising. I may consider co-sponsoring with you." Dr. Yanagi said. "After all, this could be an opportunity to push my new line of GENKAI! sports drinks. But riddle me this, what would make your little martial arts gathering any different from the traditional Tenkaichi Būdokai?"
"That is the current dead-end that my staff and I are stumped on," X.S. admitted tiresomely. "That's why I called you for assistance."
"I see. You need a creative direction." Yanagi smirked. "Well, good sir, I just so happen to be in the middle of a project involving interactive holographic projections. Right now, my aim is to simulate an entire ecosystem in a small building."
"An ecosystem, you say?" Cash echoed. "You mean that it's possible to project a solid hologram of a garden and touch it?"
Yanagi then said, "Hold on, Xavier. This type of technology had been in development hell for decades. I've only started to make sense of small aspects of how it works. While I can project and render a limited amount of space with this kind of tech, it cannot mimic the effects of sophisticated aspects of nature. If the simulation were to be cloudy, for example, we'd have to produce precipitation artificial to create the illusion of rain."
"I can see it now!" X.S. Cash started with stars in his eyes, "When the tournament truly begins, the remaining fighters could duke it out in a normal ring until there are eight fighters left. Then, we can have four underground arenas with your hardware with simulated battlegrounds equipped with their own unique conditions! And the finalists can traverse to a live stage where everybody can spectate the final bout!"
A bead of sweat fell from the back of Dr. Yanagi's head as he thought to himself, 'He's not even listening at this point.'
Clearing his throat, James said, "Sir, while your enthusiasm and passion is inspiring, there's still a matter of perfecting the technology and incorporating it into the building. And even if we were to pull those off, we'd need another factor that would almost certainly bring in an audience."
"Well, I'm open for suggestions. What do you think we should bring to this tournament?" X.S. Cash questioned.
Staring behind the robust man, Dr. Yanagi took off his eye glasses that he only now wore for cosmetic purposes to see a picture of Mr. Cash shaking hands with the "World Champ" himself.
A malicious grin formed on the scientist's face.
"Oh, the question is not what we should be considering bringing. But who."
Gogyōzan Mountain, Frying Pan Plain, Age 774
Goku and his grandfather, Gohan, sat next to each other, sitting criss crossed in deep meditation while on a rock formation high in the mountains.
"Breathe, my son." Grandpa Gohan said sagely, breathing along with Goku. "Empty all thoughts… Relieve yourself of all tension."
"You are not merely a physical being, but a spirit that is one with the cosmos. Feel the divine energy, let it flow through you. Become one with you as you are one with creation." Grandpa Gohan continued as he and Goku began to slowly surge with divine energy, creating a white godly outer glow around them.
"…Be of harmony, be one with everything, and find your inner peace." Grandpa Gohan finished as he continued the mantra of his last two words.
"Inner…Peace…" Goku repeated while continuing to meditate. "Inner Peace…Inner Peace…"
While doing this, images of his family laughing and having a great time at home flashed in his mind. This included parts when he and Chi-Chi were just married and living merrily in their new home. This led to memories of young Gohan and himself spending time together with Chi-Chi either cooking for them or nagging at them. Finally, this led to the images of his youngest son, Goten, appearing in his mind while spending time with young Gohan and Chi-Chi at the party.
The memories were so great that the flow of divine energy was disturbed, breaking Goku's concentration.
Goku furrowed his brow while crossing his arms.
"Man! This is a lot tougher than I thought…" Goku pouted.
Without breaking his position or opening his eyes, Gohan spoke to his grandson.
"You are imbalanced, Goku." The older man stated. "Your mind is weighing your spirit down, and that is preventing you from focusing."
Scratching the back of his head in a sheepish fashion, Goku said, "Hehehe! Sorry, I got sidetracked just a bit."
"What is on your mind, son? You usually have next to no issue with meditation." Gohan asked.
Goku sighed as he looked toward the ground under him.
"I dunno, Grandpa. I'm thinking about stuff." Goku answered vaguely.
"...Is this about your family?" Gohan guessed.
"Kind of," Goku answered. "Do you remember when I told you how I died?"
"Ah, yes. You gave your life for the Earth and your son. A noble sacrifice."
"Well…I felt like every enemy that has ever come to the planet or appeared all had something to do with me. At the time, I thought staying dead would bring peace to the Earth. And it did for seven years, now." Goku explained as he reflected on his life. "Within those years, I didn't even realize I had another son. And my eldest grew to be a strong fighter."
"I see… You're questioning your decision about staying in Other World?" The old man asked.
Goku shook his head as he said, "Not really. I always believed it was the best choice that I have made at the time."
"Hm. That's odd. If you feel justified about your decision to stay in the realm of the dead, then what's this about?"
"Eh…I'm just thinking about my family back at home." Goku admitted, placing his arms on the back of his head. "I'm thinking about waking up to Chi-Chi's awesome cooking, taking my eldest son fishing, then sparring with him in secret, only for Chi-Chi to find out and chase us all over the yard. Then get all sweaty and prepare a group bath outside. All that kind of fun stuff is pouring into my head."
A solemn smile formed on his face as Goku concluded, "It's not fighting but it's a different kind of joy that I cherish. Ain't no other kind of feeling, you know?"
Grandpa Gohan chuckled at his grandson.
"Oh, now I understand. You're homesick." The old man answered.
Goku nodded with a goofy smile, saying, "That's about right. I feel like I should have spent more time with Chi-Chi while I was alive. And with a new addition to the family, it's getting me all curious. I mean, I don't know his favorite color, or if he likes games. I don't know what he likes to do for fun, heck, I'm wondering how strong he is! Just thinking about Goten's potential is making me get all excited."
The Saiyan sighed to himself, shaking his head.
"...But I'll find out for myself, can't I? He doesn't even know me."
"Self-reflection is important. It builds character," Gohan said. "But you're delving too far into the past. Meanwhile, looking too far ahead will blind you with the enticing grandeur of what could happen and what will happen."
"Well, I can't help but think about my family and friends. It's just not the same without them." Goku said, looking down.
Turning to Goku, Old Man Gohan opened his eyes and sagely stated, "My dear boy, you've yet to understand my words. Your mind lingers on, worrying about what was or what will be. That shouldn't matter, for your time amongst your living loved ones has passed and there is the rest of eternity ahead. What should be important to you is the here and now."
"Here and Now?" Echoed Goku, prompting Gohan to nod.
"Why, yes, Goku. Now. Right here, at this moment." Gohan confirmed. "You know, there's a saying. Yesterday is history, and tomorrow is a mystery. But today, it is a gift. That's why we call it the present."
"Oh. Ooh! That makes sense!" Goku said understanding the idiom. "But, I can't just forget about everybody that I left behind. They mean too much to me."
Shaking his head, Gohan said, "Nobody is telling you to detach yourself from your loved ones. But you shouldn't worry too much about them, either. Your deeds in the realm of the living have touched their souls, and your righteous actions as a noble warrior have impacted the next generation, setting another noble heart on his path."
"...Gohan." Goku realized as he smiled. "That's right. And he has done nothing but succeeded in keeping the Earth safe."
Old Man Gohan nodded, saying, "Yes, he has. The seed that you have planted in your eldest son will also be passed on to your youngest. Your heart and soul will endure through them, continuing your legacy. Through your sons, you will live on as if you never died."
Goku nodded as he said, "...You're right, Grandpa. They will be okay. I know it. …I just wish that I got the chance to see them all again. But as things are now, that's impossible. "
Old Man Gohan turned to face forward as he went back into his meditative position.
"...If all my years of existence have taught me anything, it's that nothing is impossible." Grandpa Gohan said, grabbing his grandson's attention. "While I am unsure as to when, I know that you will see your family again. Until then, you value the time that you're spending here. Because the most important time is now."
Understanding this, Goku nodded and settled back into his meditative position with a clear conscience. While resuming their mental and spiritual training, divine energy once again covered their bodies with its calming Godly ki.
"Inner peace… Inner peace…" Both men chanted.
Hanuman Café, Hercule City, Age 774
Gohan and Videl were walking along the streets during the midday. Before arriving at the city, the two had one hour to themselves for training, so they sparred to brush up on Videl's current regiment.
At a certain point last month, Gohan paid Bulma a visit and was granted access to a few capsules containing small brand new Gravity Chambers for him to use. To take Videl's training to the next level, Gohan decided to introduce her to the Gravity Chamber and monitor her training one setting at a time. By now, she could now handle up to 5x Earth's gravity.
Now, the two were in their city clothes as they were heading to Cocoa's work.
"This morning was a killer workout!" Videl stated, stretching her back. "You were right, Gohan-kun. That chamber's no joke. I can still feel the gravity weighing me down."
Smiling, Gohan said, "That's Bulma, for you. Her inventions never fail to get the job done. And overtime, you'll see that your strength will grow at an even greater rate. The jumps are going to get insane from here."
Videl's eyes burned with excitement as she said, "Ooh! I can't wait!"
"If you think the Gravity Room's impressive, just wait a little longer. Train long enough and I'll take you to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. That's going to be a challenge."
"Oh? Well, how about a wager?"
"A wager?"
"If I can reach level twenty in the Gravity Chamber by the end of the year, you take me to go train in that Time Chamber. " Videl bet with a smirk.
"Okay, and what if you don't meet that standard?" Gohan asked.
"I'll pay the tab for everything we eat out for the next three months," Videl said.
"Deal!"
The two entered the café, seeing only a few people dining in the store. While two people are manning the brewing stations. Cocoa stood as the cashier, wrapping up her shift.
"Welcome to the Hanuman ca–" Cocoa said before gasping.
"Hi, Cocoa-san!"
Standing in front of her was Gohan and Videl, which surprised and delighted her.
"Gohan-kun, Videl! W-What are you doing here? I thought you would be going to my dad's job by now?" The chestnut-haired girl asked with a genuine smile despite being caught off guard.
"I told you to expect a visit from me, did I?" Videl reminded while her hands were placed on her hips. "Besides, I figured that we should all go there together since we're hanging out."
"Yeah! Plus, I was curious about your doughnut. So…" Gohan said, scratching his head.
"Oh! R-Right!" Cocoa stammered before resuming the usual position of her job. "What would you like to order?"
"I'll take a medium-sized Guanyin Frappuccino, two boxes of old-fashioned chocolate doughnuts–" Videl ordered before turning to Gohan.
"–I'll have a small Lao Tzu Coffee with vanilla creamer, please."
Nodding, Cocoa gave them the total price. Gohan paid for the items and was given the receipt before heading to a table with two seats with Videl behind him.
The two fighters settled across from each other as they waited for their food. Gohan's fantasies of devouring doughnuts were interrupted by a memory of Videl hurting Sharpner after being called a nickname.
"Videl-san, have a question," Gohan said, trying to approach the conversation as delicately as possible.
"Okay, what's up?" Videl responded, wondering what Gohan wanted to talk about.
Gohan then asked, "So, how come you got upset at Sharp-san when he called you that name? You know, Vivi, was it?"
Videl's curious expression shifted into that of an irritated exterior, which he recognized considering how long he had spent time with his student and the fact that she shared the same characteristic as his mother.
"...Oh, that." Videl scoffed. "That was an old nickname from my middle school days. Sharp used to tease me by singing an annoying song using that name. He usually does it after I kick his ass when we are at my dad's dojo. But I would deck him in the nose to shut him up."
Gohan felt a bead of sweat drop from the back of his head as he mentally marveled at how much he was being reminded of his mother at the moment.
"...I-I see. Hehehe!" Gohan acknowledged, scratching his head nervously. "Why does it both you so much? Sharp-san aside."
Furrowing her eyebrows, Videl sighed, "Vivi came from an old staff member from my dad's dojo. Before his rise to global fame. We had a doctor. His name was Jin."
"Jin?"
"Well, everybody else called him Dr. W. but I knew him as Jin or, Uncle Jin as I referred to him," Videl explained.
"Uncle Jin? Why'd you call him that?" Gohan questioned, cocking an eyebrow.
"...When Dad was caught up with the business end of the dojo, Jin would look out for me. I'd tell him stuff about my home life and how I felt about things that I couldn't tell Dad or my mom before her death. While my dad never admitted it, he cared for him. Or at least, I thought he did." Videl recalled in a bittersweet tone.
"What happened to this Jin person, Videl-san?"
"Dad got rid of him, that's what!" Videl angrily answered. "He said that he was no good and fired him! Could you believe that, Gohan-kun?"
"Well, I wouldn't really know…I wasn't there." Gohan said, rubbing the back of his name.
Videl huffed, "Dad was spouting nonsense about how Uncle Jin was trying to stunt my growth and he was leeching off of him so that he could get his name out there. Gohan-kun, I knew Uncle Jin. He didn't worship my dad but he honored him. Gave him nothing but praise and admiration. And what does Dad do in return, he threw him to the dogs and slammed him publically! …That is one of the reasons why I cannot forgive him."
Looking at the hurt and contempt in Videl's sapphire-colored eyes, Gohan could tell that her feud with Mr. Satan ran deep. However, he could not have comprehended how deep it ran. He knew that Mr. Satan wasn't necessarily a bad guy, but this information has certainly opened his eyes to a different perspective on the man.
"...What happened to Dr. W, Videl-san? Have you heard from him?" Gohan asked softly.
"That's the thing, Gohan-kun. Ever since Cell's defeat, no, even before then, there's been no trace of him. It's like Uncle Jin disappeared off the face of the planet. I gave up after the second year of high school. And frankly, I don't blame him." Videl sighed.
"...I'm sorry that you had to go through that." Gohan apologized. "It must have been tough."
Videl shook her said, saying, "No, it's fine. It just hurts to remember, is all. I hope wherever Uncle Jin is, he's in a happy place in his life."
"#253, your order is ready!" One of the employees called out, prompting the two to go over the counter and grab their items.
After a good thirty minutes, Gohan and Videl finished their food and waited outside for Cocoa to finish her shift. Once she was done, the three got in the car and headed toward Willow Industries.
Virtual Reality Chamber, Willow Industries, Miles Away From Hercule City
After a forty-five-minute drive, Cocoa pulled up at the front of Willow Industries with Gohan and Videl sitting at the back.
The two got out of the car, they gasped at the size of the company. While it was broken up in multiple departments, the main tower dwarfed the length of the building over at the Capsule Corporation. It was at least thirty stories high with the name of the premise on the right side of the building.
"Oh, wow! This place is huge!" Videl said, with her eyes widened.
"You're telling me!" Gohan replied.
Cocoa then said with a smile, "If you think the outside is impressive, wait until you get inside."
Gohan and Videl along with Cocoa were met by an employee to be escorted to Dr. Yanagi directly.
While walking inside of the clean and sleek industry, Gohan enjoyed the sights of scientists with lab coats conversing with one another while others monitored their respective stations. Some were interns watching from senior staff members.
There were portions of the building where people were testing chemicals, DNA, vaccinations, and other aspects of research.
'Wow, Dr. Yanagi's company looks incredible. It's so sleek and clean. The place seems to be made out of chrome and stainless steel. I can see how it could nearly rival Capsule Corp. Speaking of which, I should talk to Bulma about the school project I'm working on.' Gohan thought to himself.
The group soon faced to face with Dr. Yanagi, who waited for them in front of the elevator. While wearing his usual lab coat, the man wore a silver metal wristband that kept his Battle Power to that of a normal average human.
"Videl, Gohan! I'm glad that you could make it!" Dr. Yanagi said with an excited expression. "Welcome to Willow Industries!"
"Good afternoon, doc." Videl waved to the scientist while Gohan raised his hand as a way of greeting James. "You said you have something to show us?"
Smiling at the pair of teenagers, the man directed them to the elevator, where he pressed the button to open for them to step inside of. Before Cocoa could walk inside with her new friends, Dr. Yanagi whispered to her.
"Your minor contribution to their arrival was unnecessary but useful. Do be sure to keep yourself scarce during my presentation and call when beckoned. Understood, Alpha?"
"...Yes, sir." The girl nodded timidly.
"Good, now fix your face and be a good girl."
Like that, Cocoa had to put on her fake happy expression as she and her creator walked inside of the elevator.
The group got out of the elevator after descending five floors from the lobby. They found themselves in a large hallway where they continued to walk. While passing doors, the kids could see glimpses of smaller labs where other experiments and inventions were built and tried as they were led by Dr. Yanagi.
"I hope your tour is to your liking." Dr. Yanagi said with a smirk of content. "This is my life's work."
"Oh, most definitely!" Gohan said happily. "These kinds of facilities with the number of resources needed to explore research are any scholar's dream. I can spend hours gazing at one of these labs!"
Videl playfully coughed "Nerd" at her friend's geeky fascination, prompting Cocoa to giggle and hybrid to blush.
Dr. Yanagi then said, "Now, now, children. The young man is only expressing his enthusiasm. And there's nothing to be ashamed of by doing so."
"What's gotten you into the science game anyway, Doc?" Videl questioned. "Why medicine?"
The group stopped as the doctor turned to them with a retrospective gaze in his eyes.
"That's a good question, Videl. The two of you may or may not be aware, but I had struggled with a condition that rendered my body weak and frail. I had inherited this from my mother, who then acquired cancer when I was a young boy."
Videl and Gohan gasped in shock. Meanwhile, Cocoa stared at her father to see if he was lying, only to find that there was nothing indicating such a thing. This was when a genuine state of bewilderment formed on the girl's face.
"My father spent the rest of his life finding a cure to her illness but was unsuccessful. My mother died, and my father eventually died from a broken heart. So, I took it upon myself to finish my father's research. That sparked a fire in me as I asked myself the bigger questions. Are there more types of cancer? Where does it come from? Have more people like me that suffer similar afflictions? And most importantly, what can I do to help the world?"
Gohan and Videl nodded as the group watched the man as he continued his story. They followed and listened closely.
"What inspired me to start this company was outside of the various professors that suggested I take up medicine was a saying my father parted with before his death. And this should be something that you could learn from, Gohan." Dr. Yanagi said. "He taught me that intelligence is not a privilege, it's a gift. And you use it for the good of mankind. So, with the right partnerships, investments, and the right education, I founded Willow Industries with a goal to cure humanity of its terminal illnesses and pursue the next step of human evolution." Yanagi answered as he stopped at a special door.
Dr. Yanagi scanned his hand on the door and his irises, gaining access to the room ahead.
Walking the children in, Dr. Yanagi said, "And this room is what I've been working on in my spare time."
Entering the room, the three teens found themselves in a hallway where there were two doors. One was toward the left-hand side that led to a control room, and the other was ahead that led to a chamber that was the size of three homes that the Capsule Corporation manufactured.
"What the heck is this place?" Videl questioned.
"It seems to be some kind of testing chamber…" Gohan stated.
"A great observation, Gohan." Dr. Yanagi said while he entered the room towards the left, taking Videl and Cocoa into the control room. "Why don't you step into the room further down the hall."
Trusting the scientist, Gohan entered the chamber with the door open at the press of a button from the control panel.
"Okay…now what?"
The next thing that anybody outside of Dr. Yanagi knew, the inner chamber lights within the walls and floors hummed as the surroundings began to change. After ten seconds, Gohan found himself in an exact replica of a tournament floor from the Tenkaichi Būdokai as it was clear as day. Fans were activated to simulate the cool breeze of the outdoors.
"Woah!" Both Gohan and Videl cried in awe.
Videl, turning to Dr. Yanagi, asked, "What did you do?"
"This, children, is my latest project. A system that supports virtual reality technology." Dr. Yanagi answered.
"V-VR tech!?" Videl stammered. "No way! That tournament ring looks legit to me!"
While in the ring, Gohan decided to test out the area in which the room was simulating. Getting off the area, he went to touch the ground, only to find that despite not having dirt in his hands that the grass felt natural.
'This isn't any mere projection or hologram… This is solid!' Gohan mentally realized.
"I see that you've acknowledged how solid the rendered constructs are. It took me a long time to figure those design details out." Dr. Yanagi stated on the intercom, taking Gohan by surprise. "With technology advancing further, Willow Industries is the lead corporation that tests out hard light projections with mass in tandem with virtual simulation. We like to refer to it as solid light."
Gohan, looking at the scenery with new context, said, "Incredible…"
"Would you like to fight a simulated opponent?" Dr. Yanagi questioned through the intercom.
"He/I can do that?" Videl, Gohan, and Cocoa all asked at the same time.
"Here, take a look for yourself."
In front of Gohan, a hard light construct opponent was materializing into a familiar figure. He seemed to bore a resemblance to Muten Rōshi, but he had a head full of hair and wore a black qipao with black martial arts shoes.
Videl couldn't believe what she saw. There stood a hard light construct of the champion of the 21st Tenkaichi Būdokai, Jackie Chun.
"I don't believe it!" Videl gawked. "T-That's Jackie Chun! How is this possible!?"
Cocoa repeated, "Jackie…Chun?"
"Jackie Chun was the winner of the 21st Number One Under The Heavens Martial Arts Gathering." Dr. Yanagi explained. "His fighting skills were some of the best that the world and martial arts has ever seen. The final match against the late and legendary Son Goku proved his worth as a veteran fighter and his philosophy as a practitioner should be what modern fighters should aspire to live up to."
Cocoa responded, "Oh wow…"
Videl stared at the scientist for a moment while she thought to herself, 'This guy has done his homework if he's able to make fancy holograms of fighters. But what's up with his face? …Have I seen this guy before? And why is Cocoa acting strange around him?'
Before anything or anyone knew, Solid Light Jackie Chun disappeared and reappeared military seconds in front of Gohan's face. Focusing, the teen weaved out of the way while only receiving a cut from the punch that was thrown.
Solid Light Jackie Chun stopped his momentum in order to turn around and face his opponent, going back into his stance. Gohan, getting serious, slid into his stance.
Rushing into a sprint both young man and solid light construct engaged with each other. Jackie Chun threw jabs and palms at the hybrid. Gohan blocked and weaved around the assault. Gohan then started to match each blow with the same strength and spend.
Both fighters then sprang ten feet from the ground and continued their exchange of melee attacks, neither one backing down from each other. Descending back down, Gohan used Rapid Movement to get behind the construct of Jackie Chun. The hybrid went for a leg sweep, but the construct backflipped away. Gohan turned to and trusted his palm that was aimed at Jackie Chun's chest, only for the construct to grab his left wrist. Gohan went for a punch using his right hand, but Jackie took a hold of that wrist. While Gohan was confident in his own strength to get out of the hold, he was simply awestruck at the strength of the technology.
'Jackie Chun is stuff, even for a construct! This Solid Light tech is nothing to mess with, that's for sure. I may have to power up to near max in my normal state to get out of here. But I don't want to wreck the doctor's chamber.'
Over contemplating what to do next, Gohan's distracted state served to be his mistake as the construct of Jackie Chun kneed Gohan's midsection hard which made him cough up blood. Then, the Jackie Chun front kicked him in the chin, sending Gohan out of the ring.
"Gohan-kun!" Cocoa cried out in fear.
Videl gasped, exclaimed, "He lost! But how?"
Dr. Yanagi stated, "I suppose AI construct settings were set to a higher difficulty level. I supposed that I overestimated his abilities as a fighter…"
Getting up, Gohan thought aloud, "...That construct sure packed a punch."
After Yanagi opened the door, Gohan went back inside the hallway where he was met by a worried Videl.
"Gohan, are you right? That kick looked like it hurt!"
"Yeah, it sure did. Hehehe!" Gohan laughed before groaning as he rubbed his jaw. "Ouch! …I was so caught up in how amazing and life-like the construct was that it did me over. I guess I shouldn't have gotten so distracted."
Cocoa had quickly left to grab a rag and came back with one that was damped. She then took the time to clean the cuts on Gohan's face from his little scuffle, much to Videl and Gohan's gratitude.
Before she could leave to ring out the bloodied cloth, Dr. Yanagi stopped her and whispered in her ear again. "Stop, you foolish girl! If you wring that rag out, there will be dire consequences. I advise that you leave that rag here and go take him to the care unit while I still have the patience."
Cocoa's body shook at the cruel and cold words of her father as she placed the rag in a tray on a counter nearby.
Dr. Yanagi said, "Cocoa, please escort Gohan to the care unit. Videl, you can follow them if you like. I'll stay back so I can record the trial on my computer."
With the teens nodding, the teens left the room, allowing Dr. Yanagi to take a step into the virtual reality chamber with an empty vial and a pipette in his hands. He found certain spots where Gohan had drawn blood and carefully extracted the blood from the ground.
With a vial nearly half-full, he said, "With the basis of the stabilization serum within my grasp, the second phase is finished. Now, to shift into phase three!"
To Be Continued…
With more Saiyan DNA at the hands of Dr. Wheelo and plans for a new tournament underway, a new stage has been set that our heroes may find themselves being in the middle of in the future. But will they be prepared to face whatever dastardly plans that the scientist has schemed? Will Sharpner and Erasa's friendship survive? And what of Gohan's training to surpass Super Saiyan Level Three and go beyond? Find out next time of Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL!
Author's Note: Hey, guys, DGS is back with another chapter.
Let me address some character moments and possibly, lore.
You guys are entitled to feel however you like about a character as long as it's justified and the justification makes sense. Now, before you get angry at Erasa, please understand that while she's good at reading people at first glance and tries to see the best in people, she's a teenage girl with a weakness for pretty faces. Sharpner acts as her opposite as he always tries to find the worst in people given his friend group's experiences with others trying to befriend Videl to get to either Hercule's wallet or Videl's pants. But Sharpner always had Erasa's shoulder to lean on each time Videl rejected him, and she got tired of being treated like option two. She's allowed to do wrong and experience the consequences of her actions. So, keep those things in mind before passing judgment. Erasa is not perfect.
The Inner Peace scene from Goku goes in tandem with the nature of Godly ki being a calming force. Such power needs to be obtained and maintained by a person who understands and has complete mastery over their body, mind, and spirit to a divine level. Goku is confronted with regret for what he had sacrificed as a result of staying dead in the long term. He misses his family. But, by letting go of the past and accepting what may come in the future, he has come to terms with himself, his actions, and his flaws, having complete awareness of one's self that could help him on the road to gaining true inner peace.
In terms of power scaling, Videl is about over 8,000 at her base power, and nearly 10,000 at her maximum power. Sharpner is over 6,500 at his base, and nearly 8,500 at his strongest as of now. And before you ask, he has been training, it was just off-page because he's not the main focus right now. As for Gohan, while I'm not quantifying his power, his average power is Solar System Level which can go into Multi Solar System Level if he were to bring out his hidden potential.
Anyway, feel free to ask me questions, leave your comments, and voice your opinions, ideas, and concerns by reviewing this story. I really appreciate the support you guys have been giving me. I'm enjoying how this story is coming along so far. And guys, I'm always open to suggestions. Feel free to PM me if you have an idea or concept that you think is cool.
Anyways, I'll catch you guys next time!
-DarkShadowGames451