A New Beginning
by htmLord
Chapter 1
A 13 year old Gohan stood near the river, lost in concentration. He had been this way for nearly an hour, focusing his mind and his energy for the training session to come. Finally, his eyes snapped open and he began powering up. He brought his energy to its peak without transforming into a Super Saiyan, and then he began to train. A series of punches here, a flurry of kicks there, each one backed with enough force to level a mountain.. this was how Gohan practiced his form and trained his energy.
Breaking from the routine, Gohan shot into the air and came down, hard, on a boulder beside him. It shattered with almost no effort from Gohan, who immediately resumed his regimen of punchs and kicks, increasing the energy behind each strike as he went.
To anyone else, his practice regimen would be nearly impossible. Even Vegeta couldn't keep up for more than an hour or so. In only a year since the fight with Cell, Gohan had been somehow driven to train himself to his utmost. He had broken every boundary he had known, and yet he continued to train.
And train he did. 12 to 16 hours a day he trained, to the exclusion of all else. He skipped out on homework, much to Chi Chi's chagrin, and he even skipped out on the occasional meal, much to Chi Chi's horror. But the effects were impressive to say the least. Even in his normal form, Gohan knew he had as much power as he had had when he defeated Cell, and as a Super Saiyan.. he was undoubtedly the most powerful being in the universe.
However, all this training had a downside. Chi Chi's dream of her son becoming a scholar was rapidly vanishing, nearly as fast as the boulders near the river where Gohan trained. He hadn't studied in over a year, yet his mind was still as keen as ever. Occasionally, Gohan's mind wandered to his studies, but then he forced it back on to the task at hand : training. He had been driven by some inexplicable force to push himself as hard as possible, and then harder still. And he had.
At that moment, as Gohan was firing off his 98th Kamehameha into space, he sensed a familiar energy coming toward him. He broke from the Kamehameha stance and looked into the sky, trying to see the source of the energy on its way to him.
"Piccolo?" The energy was definitely his, but it was far away. "What are you doing out here?" Gohan's question was answered quite rapidly when his keen eyes made out Piccolo's form on the horizon, headed straight for him.
Within moments, the Namek landed before Gohan. "Gohan," Piccolo said, in his normal, brusque manner, "Its good to see you."
"Its good to see you, Piccolo.. as always."
"Gohan.. I have a question for you..." Piccolo said, a hint of curiousity creeping into his voice. "Why are you training so hard? Do you know something the rest of us don't? The Earth is safe, and yet you train.. why, Gohan? Why..?"
Gohan turned away from Piccolo momentarily, as if in thought. "I don't know, Piccolo," he finally said. "I've just been.. driven.. I think, it may be because of my Dad.."
"Gohan, if its because you believe its your fault he died-" Piccolo started, but Gohan cut him off.
"No, Piccolo.. I know that it had to happen that way.. if I would have destroyed him immediately, who's to say he wouldn't have returned, later, but much more powerful? For all any of us know.. it happened the best way it could have. My Father even told me so." Gohan looked nearly resolute as he said that final sentence, but Piccolo wasn't sure it all added up.
"Gohan.. I've known you for nearly 10 years.. and I can sense that you aren't being entirely truthful with me."
"Piccolo.. I.." Gohan looked nearly about to break when he spun around, away from Piccolo. "I don't know, all right? Just.. leave me be, Piccolo." With that, Gohan leapt off into the air and flew for home.
------------------------------------------
Meaningless Trivia
The answer to last chapter's Meaningless Trivia is : Hercule aka Mr Satan. Every other character (except East, West, South, Grand, and the Supreme Kai) dies at some point and time in DBZ.
More Meaningless Trivia
Did you know that if you or I could transform into even the first level of a Super Saiyan, without any other powers save those we have right now, we could lift more than 5 times our normal lifting capacity? That means most of us could lift roughly half a ton!
by htmLord
Chapter 1
A 13 year old Gohan stood near the river, lost in concentration. He had been this way for nearly an hour, focusing his mind and his energy for the training session to come. Finally, his eyes snapped open and he began powering up. He brought his energy to its peak without transforming into a Super Saiyan, and then he began to train. A series of punches here, a flurry of kicks there, each one backed with enough force to level a mountain.. this was how Gohan practiced his form and trained his energy.
Breaking from the routine, Gohan shot into the air and came down, hard, on a boulder beside him. It shattered with almost no effort from Gohan, who immediately resumed his regimen of punchs and kicks, increasing the energy behind each strike as he went.
To anyone else, his practice regimen would be nearly impossible. Even Vegeta couldn't keep up for more than an hour or so. In only a year since the fight with Cell, Gohan had been somehow driven to train himself to his utmost. He had broken every boundary he had known, and yet he continued to train.
And train he did. 12 to 16 hours a day he trained, to the exclusion of all else. He skipped out on homework, much to Chi Chi's chagrin, and he even skipped out on the occasional meal, much to Chi Chi's horror. But the effects were impressive to say the least. Even in his normal form, Gohan knew he had as much power as he had had when he defeated Cell, and as a Super Saiyan.. he was undoubtedly the most powerful being in the universe.
However, all this training had a downside. Chi Chi's dream of her son becoming a scholar was rapidly vanishing, nearly as fast as the boulders near the river where Gohan trained. He hadn't studied in over a year, yet his mind was still as keen as ever. Occasionally, Gohan's mind wandered to his studies, but then he forced it back on to the task at hand : training. He had been driven by some inexplicable force to push himself as hard as possible, and then harder still. And he had.
At that moment, as Gohan was firing off his 98th Kamehameha into space, he sensed a familiar energy coming toward him. He broke from the Kamehameha stance and looked into the sky, trying to see the source of the energy on its way to him.
"Piccolo?" The energy was definitely his, but it was far away. "What are you doing out here?" Gohan's question was answered quite rapidly when his keen eyes made out Piccolo's form on the horizon, headed straight for him.
Within moments, the Namek landed before Gohan. "Gohan," Piccolo said, in his normal, brusque manner, "Its good to see you."
"Its good to see you, Piccolo.. as always."
"Gohan.. I have a question for you..." Piccolo said, a hint of curiousity creeping into his voice. "Why are you training so hard? Do you know something the rest of us don't? The Earth is safe, and yet you train.. why, Gohan? Why..?"
Gohan turned away from Piccolo momentarily, as if in thought. "I don't know, Piccolo," he finally said. "I've just been.. driven.. I think, it may be because of my Dad.."
"Gohan, if its because you believe its your fault he died-" Piccolo started, but Gohan cut him off.
"No, Piccolo.. I know that it had to happen that way.. if I would have destroyed him immediately, who's to say he wouldn't have returned, later, but much more powerful? For all any of us know.. it happened the best way it could have. My Father even told me so." Gohan looked nearly resolute as he said that final sentence, but Piccolo wasn't sure it all added up.
"Gohan.. I've known you for nearly 10 years.. and I can sense that you aren't being entirely truthful with me."
"Piccolo.. I.." Gohan looked nearly about to break when he spun around, away from Piccolo. "I don't know, all right? Just.. leave me be, Piccolo." With that, Gohan leapt off into the air and flew for home.
------------------------------------------
Meaningless Trivia
The answer to last chapter's Meaningless Trivia is : Hercule aka Mr Satan. Every other character (except East, West, South, Grand, and the Supreme Kai) dies at some point and time in DBZ.
More Meaningless Trivia
Did you know that if you or I could transform into even the first level of a Super Saiyan, without any other powers save those we have right now, we could lift more than 5 times our normal lifting capacity? That means most of us could lift roughly half a ton!