Chapter 2: The Training Begins
"Why do you need my help?" Goku asked the stranger. "Is something wrong?"
"Goku, who's at the door?" ChiChi asked as she came from the kitchen and got a look at the stranger. "Who is this?"
"ChiChi, this is Gochi, someone who needs my help." Goku replied. He then turned back to the boy. "Umm… why did you need my help again?"
"I will explain everything once we get to the desert." Gochi told him. "I'll need you to find the strongest Z fighters and tell them to meet there also."
"Wait a second, mister." ChiChi interrupted. "Goku's not going anywhere. First of all, he had obligations here. Second, I don't want to have anything to do with Gohan getting hurt."
"With all due respect, this is a matter of life and death." Gochi told her, matching her stern look with his own.
"ChiChi, I think he's telling the truth." Goku said to his wife. "There's something about this guy that says that whatever this is, it's going to involve all of us. I have to go and so does Gohan."
ChiChi just stood there in shock. This is one of the few times that Goku had actually made some degree of sense, especially when it came to something like this.
"…All right, Goku." ChiChi said finally as she turned back to the boy. "He'd better come home in one piece."
"I can't make any promises." Gochi said. Gohan, who'd been listening the whole time, went up to his father and the stranger.
"Dad, I'm ready." Gohan said.
"All right, then." With that, all three Saiyans left the Son household and charged their ki. As they took off, ChiChi looked up into the sky.
"You'd better come home this time, Goku." ChiChi thought to herself as she watched them leave.
-----------------
Later, after getting Krillin, Mirai Trunks, and Vegeta to come with them, the group finally gathered into the desert.
"All right, Kakarrot." Vegeta said cynically. "What was so important that my training must go interrupted?"
"To be honest… I don't know." Goku said as he turned to Gochi. "Why are we out here again?"
"All right." Gochi said as he stood up from where he was leaning casually against a rock. "What I'm about to say might be a little hard to believe. First of all, I'm from the future."
"Not again." Krillin said. "Don't tell me it's about the Androids again."
"Unfortunately, it's not that simple." Gochi explained. "About one month from now, someone named Zero will arrive. Before he created the Androids, Dr. Gero created him from a computer program. But he never finished it. He instead sent what was left of it into space. By my time, Zero finished himself and set out to fulfill his program; absorb the power of the strongest people and add their power to his own. He came back and went all over the world, absorbing the strongest people into his programming."
"What about us?" Gohan asked. "Did we try to stop him?"
"You did try but…" Gochi sighed heavily as he remembered. "Most of you were already dead or absorbed into Zero's program. Not even becoming a Super Saiyan could stop him. We eventually found out that the only way to stop him is if we went past the Super Saiyan level. But there wasn't time for that. Zero found out and tried to destroy those of us that were left. I figured that if I came here and warned you all before Zero arrived, then there might be a chance of stopping him. You'll have to train and push your power beyond Super Saiyan to Master Saiyan. It's a power never before attempted."
"So, all we have to do is just train?" Goku said. "That was easy."
"Hold on a minute, Goku." Gochi said. "In order to go past the Super Saiyan levels, you'll need both mental and spiritual training as well as physical."
"Have you ever done this before, Gochi?" Gohan asked. "I mean, go past the Super Saiyan levels."
"Actually, I've never gone beyond Level 3 myself." Gochi said as he scratched the back of his head nervously.
"So, you have no idea if it will work?" Krillin said to him.
"Not exactly, but the training that I used helped me get to Level 3 quickly."
"Well, it's worth a shot." Goku said as he extended his hand. "I'm in."
"I guess I'm in, too." Gohan added as he put his hand in.
"It wouldn't hurt, I guess." Krillin said as he put his hand in as well.
"I'll try, too." Trunks also added as he put his hand. Vegeta, on the other hand, was not so enthusiastic about it.
"Well, if you wish to participate in some archaic meditation, then that is up to you." Vegeta said as he charged his ki. "I shall train in my own way and achieve this new level on my own." With that, he took off like a golden comet into the skies.
"Is he always like this?" Gochi asked to no one in particular.
"You get used to him." Krillin said. "So, now what happens?"
"Well, first we need to meet back here in an hour." Gochi said to them. "Our training will begin then."
-----------------
"How dare that… that stranger consider simple meditation enough to surpass the Super Saiyan levels?" Vegeta thought to himself as he flew back to Capsule Corporation. "I will not throw away years of intense training to learn something as ridiculous as that. Still, that boy has an immense amount of power for someone his age, even more than Kakarrot. Perhaps his technique isn't as archaic as I thought. But I will not abandon my training. Not yet." With that, the Saiyan prince continued on his way.
-----------------
Gochi roared as he began pushing his power up, his ki already beginning to glow a bright saffron. His hair began changing to gold, his blue eyes changing to green and back again. But this wasn't it. He had much farther to go before he could stop. In a burst of power, his ki became supercharged with energy, lightning streaking across his form. Small rocks began lifting from the ground, drawn to the vacuum that was forming around the boy. With a roar loud enough to wake anyone in the next dimension, he pushed his power all the way up, his ki expanding until it resembled a saffron flame of immense power. His golden hair had reached all the way to his knees, his eyes becoming intense and focused. The small rocks exploded in all directions, sending clouds of dust wherever they landed.
As Gochi calmed his ki, he saw the astonished looks on the other Z Fighters faces. Never before has anyone pushed their power so far so quickly. The entire moment lasted only a few seconds. Yet, Gochi wasn't even tired from the rush of energy. In fact, he was smiling as he walked over to all of them.
"That was Level 3." Gochi explained calmly. "With normal training, it would take years to get that far. I got to this level in just a few weeks."
"That was amazing, Gochi." Goku commented.
"I'm… I'm speechless." Krillin said with his mouth hanging open.
"Can you show me how to do that?" Gohan asked eagerly.
"Sure thing, Gohan." Gochi said as he patted the demi-Saiyan on the shoulder. "In fact, I'll show all of you how it's done." He turned and saw that Trunks was deep in thought, oblivious to Gochi's transformation. If he wasn't, his face didn't show it. "Are you all right, Trunks?" Gochi asked.
"Uh… yeah. I'm okay." Trunks replied as he was broken from his thoughts. "I was just thinking, that's all."
"All right." Gochi said as he turned to the others, even though his tone said that he wasn't dropping the subject. "Look, you guys can start honing your attacks. I'll be back." He then went over to Trunks.
"What's your story, Gochi?" Trunks asked as he leaned next to him on the wall of a cliff side.
"What do you mean?" Gochi answered.
"I mean what you told everyone." Trunks said. "I'm also from the future and, except for myself and my mother, all of the others are dead. If there were any more fighters out there, either I would have known or they would've been killed by the Androids. This morning, I sensed a powerful ki. It wasn't like anything I felt before but it was familiar. So, I'm asking again." Trunks then faced Gochi. "What's your story, Gochi?"
"I guess I couldn't hide it forever." Gochi said as he moved past Trunks and sat down on a rock, watching the others train their attacks at various levels. "Sit down, Trunks. It's going to take a while to explain."
"Why do you need my help?" Goku asked the stranger. "Is something wrong?"
"Goku, who's at the door?" ChiChi asked as she came from the kitchen and got a look at the stranger. "Who is this?"
"ChiChi, this is Gochi, someone who needs my help." Goku replied. He then turned back to the boy. "Umm… why did you need my help again?"
"I will explain everything once we get to the desert." Gochi told him. "I'll need you to find the strongest Z fighters and tell them to meet there also."
"Wait a second, mister." ChiChi interrupted. "Goku's not going anywhere. First of all, he had obligations here. Second, I don't want to have anything to do with Gohan getting hurt."
"With all due respect, this is a matter of life and death." Gochi told her, matching her stern look with his own.
"ChiChi, I think he's telling the truth." Goku said to his wife. "There's something about this guy that says that whatever this is, it's going to involve all of us. I have to go and so does Gohan."
ChiChi just stood there in shock. This is one of the few times that Goku had actually made some degree of sense, especially when it came to something like this.
"…All right, Goku." ChiChi said finally as she turned back to the boy. "He'd better come home in one piece."
"I can't make any promises." Gochi said. Gohan, who'd been listening the whole time, went up to his father and the stranger.
"Dad, I'm ready." Gohan said.
"All right, then." With that, all three Saiyans left the Son household and charged their ki. As they took off, ChiChi looked up into the sky.
"You'd better come home this time, Goku." ChiChi thought to herself as she watched them leave.
-----------------
Later, after getting Krillin, Mirai Trunks, and Vegeta to come with them, the group finally gathered into the desert.
"All right, Kakarrot." Vegeta said cynically. "What was so important that my training must go interrupted?"
"To be honest… I don't know." Goku said as he turned to Gochi. "Why are we out here again?"
"All right." Gochi said as he stood up from where he was leaning casually against a rock. "What I'm about to say might be a little hard to believe. First of all, I'm from the future."
"Not again." Krillin said. "Don't tell me it's about the Androids again."
"Unfortunately, it's not that simple." Gochi explained. "About one month from now, someone named Zero will arrive. Before he created the Androids, Dr. Gero created him from a computer program. But he never finished it. He instead sent what was left of it into space. By my time, Zero finished himself and set out to fulfill his program; absorb the power of the strongest people and add their power to his own. He came back and went all over the world, absorbing the strongest people into his programming."
"What about us?" Gohan asked. "Did we try to stop him?"
"You did try but…" Gochi sighed heavily as he remembered. "Most of you were already dead or absorbed into Zero's program. Not even becoming a Super Saiyan could stop him. We eventually found out that the only way to stop him is if we went past the Super Saiyan level. But there wasn't time for that. Zero found out and tried to destroy those of us that were left. I figured that if I came here and warned you all before Zero arrived, then there might be a chance of stopping him. You'll have to train and push your power beyond Super Saiyan to Master Saiyan. It's a power never before attempted."
"So, all we have to do is just train?" Goku said. "That was easy."
"Hold on a minute, Goku." Gochi said. "In order to go past the Super Saiyan levels, you'll need both mental and spiritual training as well as physical."
"Have you ever done this before, Gochi?" Gohan asked. "I mean, go past the Super Saiyan levels."
"Actually, I've never gone beyond Level 3 myself." Gochi said as he scratched the back of his head nervously.
"So, you have no idea if it will work?" Krillin said to him.
"Not exactly, but the training that I used helped me get to Level 3 quickly."
"Well, it's worth a shot." Goku said as he extended his hand. "I'm in."
"I guess I'm in, too." Gohan added as he put his hand in.
"It wouldn't hurt, I guess." Krillin said as he put his hand in as well.
"I'll try, too." Trunks also added as he put his hand. Vegeta, on the other hand, was not so enthusiastic about it.
"Well, if you wish to participate in some archaic meditation, then that is up to you." Vegeta said as he charged his ki. "I shall train in my own way and achieve this new level on my own." With that, he took off like a golden comet into the skies.
"Is he always like this?" Gochi asked to no one in particular.
"You get used to him." Krillin said. "So, now what happens?"
"Well, first we need to meet back here in an hour." Gochi said to them. "Our training will begin then."
-----------------
"How dare that… that stranger consider simple meditation enough to surpass the Super Saiyan levels?" Vegeta thought to himself as he flew back to Capsule Corporation. "I will not throw away years of intense training to learn something as ridiculous as that. Still, that boy has an immense amount of power for someone his age, even more than Kakarrot. Perhaps his technique isn't as archaic as I thought. But I will not abandon my training. Not yet." With that, the Saiyan prince continued on his way.
-----------------
Gochi roared as he began pushing his power up, his ki already beginning to glow a bright saffron. His hair began changing to gold, his blue eyes changing to green and back again. But this wasn't it. He had much farther to go before he could stop. In a burst of power, his ki became supercharged with energy, lightning streaking across his form. Small rocks began lifting from the ground, drawn to the vacuum that was forming around the boy. With a roar loud enough to wake anyone in the next dimension, he pushed his power all the way up, his ki expanding until it resembled a saffron flame of immense power. His golden hair had reached all the way to his knees, his eyes becoming intense and focused. The small rocks exploded in all directions, sending clouds of dust wherever they landed.
As Gochi calmed his ki, he saw the astonished looks on the other Z Fighters faces. Never before has anyone pushed their power so far so quickly. The entire moment lasted only a few seconds. Yet, Gochi wasn't even tired from the rush of energy. In fact, he was smiling as he walked over to all of them.
"That was Level 3." Gochi explained calmly. "With normal training, it would take years to get that far. I got to this level in just a few weeks."
"That was amazing, Gochi." Goku commented.
"I'm… I'm speechless." Krillin said with his mouth hanging open.
"Can you show me how to do that?" Gohan asked eagerly.
"Sure thing, Gohan." Gochi said as he patted the demi-Saiyan on the shoulder. "In fact, I'll show all of you how it's done." He turned and saw that Trunks was deep in thought, oblivious to Gochi's transformation. If he wasn't, his face didn't show it. "Are you all right, Trunks?" Gochi asked.
"Uh… yeah. I'm okay." Trunks replied as he was broken from his thoughts. "I was just thinking, that's all."
"All right." Gochi said as he turned to the others, even though his tone said that he wasn't dropping the subject. "Look, you guys can start honing your attacks. I'll be back." He then went over to Trunks.
"What's your story, Gochi?" Trunks asked as he leaned next to him on the wall of a cliff side.
"What do you mean?" Gochi answered.
"I mean what you told everyone." Trunks said. "I'm also from the future and, except for myself and my mother, all of the others are dead. If there were any more fighters out there, either I would have known or they would've been killed by the Androids. This morning, I sensed a powerful ki. It wasn't like anything I felt before but it was familiar. So, I'm asking again." Trunks then faced Gochi. "What's your story, Gochi?"
"I guess I couldn't hide it forever." Gochi said as he moved past Trunks and sat down on a rock, watching the others train their attacks at various levels. "Sit down, Trunks. It's going to take a while to explain."