Fifteen-year-old Son Gohan flew about the dry plateaus of a desert region. The blinking light on the Dragon Radar was growing bolder, and the beeping sound was growing louder. "It's nearby… But where?"
Gohan stopped at a cliff and held the Dragon Radar north. The signal wasn't that strong. He faced east, west, and south, but the results were more or less similar. He scratched his head. "Dang… I wish this thing had a compass needle."
He sighed and was about to put it in his pocket, but the Dragon Radar was blinking and beeping wildly. "Huh?" Gohan took it out of his pocket and turned around. Yes, the Dragon Radar indicated a Dragonball was very near.
Gohan looked down at an ocean and sighed. "Okay…"
He put away the Dragon Radar and took a daring dive hundreds of feet into the ocean. He looked around underwater and used his senses to alert him of the Dragonball's whereabouts.
Gohan's mouth almost dropped open. Inside an octopus? Oh well…
Gohan placed his palms together and edged back, energy focusing in his hands. He didn't chant it, but a Kamehameha wave blasted through the seaweed and hit the octopus.
Gohan shielded himself from the flying parts and swam to the bottom, where the Dragonball lay on the sand.
He felt such pure joy once he had the Dragonball in his hands. After painful years of searching, he finally had all seven Dragonballs. Now it was time to fulfill his childhood dream…
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"Mommy, I'm okay! Really!"
Four-year-old Goten sighed and looked down at his mother, who was applying a band-aid to his knee. Chi-Chi looked up at him. "I may train you, but it's not pain-free, Goten. And you need to recover from your other boo-boos before you get new ones."
Goten sighed, exasperated. "Yes, Mommy…"
Chi-Chi stood up and threw away the garbage from the band-aid. Then she smirked at her youngest son. "If you don't make it to the backyard before me, you'll have to eat broccoli for dinner tonight!"
"Mommy, no! No head starts!!"
When mother and son retreated to the backyard, they prepared to continue their training. "Now, show me how to block and counter again," Chi-Chi said. She knelt to Goten's level and had her arms up in defense.
"I'm going to swing at you, and you block it. Then hit me back."
Goten blinked. "But I always practiced with a dummy. Are you sure you want me to hit you, Mommy?"
Chi-Chi smiled. "Just pretend I'm a bad guy. But don't hit too hard. Ready?" Her arm drew back, formed a fist, and drove forward towards Goten. The boy deflected the punch upward, and threw a jump spin heel kick to his mother's side.
He was careful just to tap her.
"Good," Chi-Chi praised. "Now what would you do if someone kicked you?"
Goten flipped backwards, and supported himself with his hands on the ground. "Flip and retaliate! But I'm working to perfect my flip."
"It's looking great, sweetheart. Now what if someone tried to give you a hook punch?"
"Duck or fly up in the air. Then you come slamming down with a twin hammer fist!" Goten's eyes shone with excitement. Then he looked up at his mother. "Hey, Mommy? When will I learn how to fly?"
Chi-Chi was startled by the sudden question, and she looked down at Goten. Immediately, a lump formed in her throat. He looked so much like Goku… And she had asked him to teach her how to fly too.
Tears were starting to build, and she wiped at her eyes.
"Mommy?"
She looked down at Goten. "It's nothing. I just thought of something." She looked away. "I don't know when you'll be able to fly, sweetie. I don't know how to fly, but maybe Gohan can show you some stuff."
"But you ride on the Nimbus too, Mommy!"
Chi-Chi smiled, remembering her scary and romantic rides on the Nimbus with Goku. "Yeah, but that's not the kind of flying you'd need in battle."
"Oh."
At the desert region…
Gohan spread out the Dragonballs in order and cast his hand upon them. "By my command, I summon Shenlong!" A bright light shone and a white silhouette appeared before Gohan. It faded into the mystic Shenlong, who asked who summoned him.
"It is I, Son Gohan. I want to make my wishes…"
"State what you will," replied Shenlong. Gohan clenched his fist, fighting tears. How he had waited painfully for this day to arrive! At last, he could carry out what was intended so long ago… But how to phrase it? He didn't want to whine to Shenlong, and he wanted to make this quick before the other Z fighters could notice.
"My father has hurt his family too much. He's left us with a hole in our souls, and hasn't done a thing to compensate or lighten things up. First, tell me, Shenlong. Where is my father and what is he doing?"
Shenlong put up a greenish-black ball and inside of it, Gohan could see Goku in the Other World, watching Goten train in solitude. He didn't see Chi-Chi, but he was impressed at how his young son was quickly developing his skills.
"It figures," muttered Gohan angrily. "He doesn't even care about how we're doing."
Far away, King Kai frantically called to Goku. He waved his hands, shouting, demanding Goku to come right away. "Wait," Goku said, mesmerized in Baba's crystal ball. "That's my son, King Kai… That boy is my son. Look at how strong he is, and he's only four."
Suddenly, he felt King Kai grab Goku's ear and run down the Great Snake Way. "When I say c'mere, I mean it, Goku!!"
"Ow, ow! The least you could do is let go!" Goku wailed. King Kai finally let go when he pointed down. "Look!"
Goku peered down at the earth. "Huh? What, that's Gohan! What's he doing summoning Shenlong?"
King Kai shrunk back, worried. "Take a peek at the look in his eyes, Goku! The boy's not happy! This is the first time you check on anyone in your family, and you've got a teenager who's angry at you!"
"Angry?" Goku repeated. "Why would Gohan be angry?"
Gohan looked up at Shenlong. "My first wish… I wish that I could talk to my father since he doesn't even have the initiative to do that."
"Your wish has been granted!" boomed Shenlong, and a portal opened in the sky. Gohan swallowed his current anger. He used to not want to talk to his father, but he did admit he needed a head start.
"Dad!"
Gohan could see his father's surprised face in the portal. Goku nearly jumped back in surprise. "Gohan! Hey!" He was excited, his smile radiant, but he noticed Gohan didn't appear the same way. "…Son? What's wrong?"
"Dad, what are you doing in Other World?"
Goku blinked. "I died, remember? How are you? Hey, I saw your little brother training at the house. What's his name?"
Gohan looked away. "Goten. His name is Goten."
Goku smiled. "Goten. Yeah. Say, what do you think your mother's doing?"
Gohan decided to drop the bomb. "Probably crying over you." Goku blinked, confused. "Crying? What?" Gohan glared at his father, his anger pressing forth. "Don't pretend, Dad. You know how terrible she's been since you died? Do you know how much I need you? How much Mom needs you? And you don't even talk to us!"
Goku shook his head. "Woah, Gohan, slow down. Look, this is getting way out of control."
Gohan clenched his teeth. "Yes, it is! And I'm sick of just sitting here letting things go as they are. So I'm going to put an end to all this! As much as it hurts me, I have to go and leave you behind."
"Gohan, wait!"
But Gohan signaled Shenlong to shut the portal. The dragon obeyed, and Goku was no longer visible or audible. Gohan looked down, partly relieved. He had wanted to talk to his father, but was this the right way to go about it?
He yelled at his father, and only told him a bit of the harsh life he and Chi-Chi lived. Was it enough to stir Goku to make a change?
"No! Gohan!"
Goku stared in disbelief at the black portal that was slowly disintegrating. He tried to go down and pry it open, but King Kai held him back. "Let go! I have to talk to my son!!" Kai grabbed Goku and exclaimed, "Listen to yourself! It's clear that he's angry with you, but now you can't see what's going on on earth! Not even here or in Baba's ball!"
Goku wiggled out of King Kai's grip and began to look around frantically. "You don't understand! I don't know what Gohan's going to wish! I don't want anything to happen! Why does this have to happen?!!"
His energy was flickering, and he slightly changed to a Super Sayian and back.
Baba had traveled to where all the commotion was. "Think of it like this, Goku. Do you think Chi-Chi and Gohan wanted anything to happen? Do you think they wanted you to die that day you fought Cell? No. And is it really so unclear why Gohan's angry with you? When have you talked or visited your family, Goku?"
Goku looked away, bathing in shame. "…Not once. I was so caught up in training all these years."
He then looked up. "But Gohan has to understand I can't be revived unless I'm wished back."
King Kai grimaced. "Have you forgotten what you said, Goku? You didn't want to be wished back."
Goku now blushed and his anger caused his ragged breathing. "That was before I didn't know Chi-Chi was pregnant. Now that Goten is here, I want to go back. I want to be wished back. Is there any other way to alert someone or Gohan to wish me back along with the people Cell has killed?"
"You can't see Earth anymore, remember?" King Kai said. "And only Porunga can revive you. Someone would have to summon him on Namek."
Goku raked his fingers angrily through his hair. "No… Damn, no."
Gohan looked up at Shenlong. This was to make the bitter wish he wanted to make long ago. "He has caused everyone too much pain. I don't know how to make it go away. I feel there's only one option left, since the talking goes in and out of both of his ears."
He became determined.
"I wish that my dad was out of our lives."
To be continued…
Chapter Five: Bitter Truths