Gohan dodged Vegeta's attack and then whirled around and elbowed his father in the nose. This felt better. He was now using his power with more brains then just all out brawns, and he was winning at the same time. I can do this, he thought as he used instantaneous movement to get behind his father, I can remember how to fight and become stronger than Buu! He placed his hands on his fathers back and fired a blast that shoved Goku across the field. He smiled. This will be easy.
Goku vanished and suddenly there was a blinding pain in his cheek, and he went down.
"Just because I'm hurt doesn't mean I'm down," Goku said above him with a grin.
"Maybe you should learn not to get up when you're facing me," Gohan said as he stood up.
He felt a deep pain in his stomach and saw Vegeta standing in front of him. "This is not the time to be cocky. This is us against him; personal wars and smugness can take no place in this room." Vegeta jumped back and landed beside Goku, "I still cannot forgive your father for a few things, but I'm going to lay most of it aside while we're in here."
"That's right," Goku said, "We'll get a lot further if we help each other rather then work against each other. So knock off the attitude."
Gohan sighed. Why are they picking on me?
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Dende sat up in bed and stretched. The nap hadn't been bad, but the thoughts that had almost consumed him before were still in the back of his mind. He glanced at some movement in the corner of his eye and saw King Kai working in the kitchen area. He stood up and slipped on his shoes.
"Good morning, sir," he said, "How are things going?"
King Kai turned to him and waved a finger, "None of this 'sir' business. We're going to be too close in here for any sense of hierarchy. You can simply call me King Kai. Or: hey, you. Just don't call me late for dinner!"
Dende grimaced. King Kai could talk all he wanted about being equal. But it wouldn't be good to make fun of his lame jokes when he'd just demote him once they got out of the chamber.
"Right!" He said with false enthusiasm, "Late for dinner! Good one! What are you making?
"I know it's going to be a little boring for the diet here," he said, turning to the oven, "but they need to eat healthy. Lot's of raw vegetables, tons of carrots, and fired rice."
Dende mulled that one over, then glared at the Kai, "Now you're just making fun of the Saiyans names."
The Kai snickered and waved him off, "Chicken, steak, fruits, vegetables, rice, and lots of milk."
Dende nodded and then looked out at the training field, "Shouldn't there be lots of noise and explosions? Saiyan fights tend to be messy."
"Goku and Vegeta are trying to get Gohan to fight like he used to be able to," the Kai said, lifting a lid and smelling it's contents, "Gohan lost a lot of talent in those seven years after Cell and then in this past year. Sure, he gained some of it back when he fought Buu the first time around, but that's all gone too."
Dende nodded and then looked out just in time to see a huge explosion and a cloud of dust.
"Ah!" King Kai said, "There's your explosion. Ready to put those healing talents to good use?"
Dende looked into the mist a little baffled. He hadn't been on the sight of many battles, kept mainly on the sidelines, and he had forgotten how powerful those blasts could get. He had felt the shock wave from here.
Goku walked through the mist, a Saiyan over each shoulder. Both Vegeta and Gohan were bloody and bruised; Vegeta's arm looked a little too limp, and Goku didn't look much better. "I'm coming, Goku!" He yelled and ran out onto the patio.
"Dende! Don't-"
Dende's left foot crossed the threshold and he collapsed. He could feel his bones starting to break and it felt like his flesh would fall to the floor. The gravity! He thought as he began to pass out. He was hauled boldly into the air and thrown onto the patio, were he lay gasping for air. He rolled over and looked at the sky. That was really stupid. I've never gone into enhanced gravity before, and I could have been killed!
Goku stepped into his field of vision, "Lesson learned?" he asked.
"Yes," Dende said and got unsteadily to his feet, "That was really stupid of me."
"Good. Don't try to do that again. Can you heal them?"
Dende, his face still red, walked over to the two unconscious Saiyans and healed Gohan, then Vegeta.
"What happened?" Vegeta asked, rubbing his neck and looking around the patio.
Goku got healed while he answered, "I think you tried that same technique you tried to finish off Fat Buu with, except you just released you energy, and didn't blow up."
"That's right," he said, suddenly remembering, "I've always wanted to try that, but didn't want to mess up the Earth. How'd it go?"
"Not bad. I only got out because I was near the edge. Gohan really took it, and it seems you still hurt yourself."
"Not for lack of trying," Vegeta grumbled, "Let's go back out there. I'm not satisfied."
"But I just finished cooking!" King Kai said indignantly.
"Keep it warm!" Goku yelled back as the Saiyans moved far into the field.
"Brats!" The Kai yelled after them He then turned to Dende, "Hungry?"
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Gohan dodged a blast and then moved out of the way of another. Both his father and Vegeta were firing continuously at him, not giving him any chance to breath. They both have already increased in power! And this is just on the first day!
A blast came towards his face and he leaned to the side to dodge, but was still grazed by the blast, and he felt warm blood fall down his temple. Acting on instinct, he raised a barrier and charged his father. Energy bombs continued to smash into his shield, and he realized that he would need to expend more energy to hold the barrier then he would waste dodging and dropped the shield.
A blast blew up at his feet and jumped into the smoke. Now they can't see me, and they will need a second to sense me out! He jumped left in the smoke and came out at a point they were not expecting. His father didn't have time to react and was body slammed away.
Vegeta turned and braced for Gohan's attack just in time. For a second the two grappled with each other, then Gohan threw the Prince to the ground. Gohan turned and blocked his fathers' kick, but then felt his feet slide out from under him, and realized Vegeta had attacked from the ground. Move!
He vanished in mid fall and came back to being behind his father. He grabbed the back of his gi and jumped into the air with him. He felt rather then saw Vegeta following them, and threw his father at him. Vegeta dodged the Saiyan projectile and fired a wide shot that was too spread out to do much damage. Gohan disappeared again and came back about Vegeta's head.
"Good night!" he yelled out, and kicked Vegeta under the chin. The Prince went down.
Goku, having just landed on all fours, propelled himself up after his son, and began to trade blows. It didn't take long for Gohan to press him back and suddenly Goku was out of the fight. Gohan's breath came heavily, and he picked up his two training partners, wincing at an unnamed pain in his shoulder. I wonder how many times Dende can heal in a day?
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Dende sat on a step that led out to the patio, and watched the field with sore eyes. They've been out there for fifteen hours! When are they going to come back?
King Kai stepped out as well, muttering to himself and looking past the mist with his god like eyes.
"What do you see?" Dende asked.
"Gohan's winning," he said, and then frowned, "No, Gohan's won."
Dende looked out and a few minutes later, the teenage Saiyan came back dragging the other fighters and limping himself. "Vegeta first," Gohan grunted, dropping his father and the Prince to the patio floor and sitting down, "He took the worst of it."
Dende obediently healed him and backed away quickly. He had never forgotten what Vegeta had done the first time he healed him. The guardian then knelt beside Goku and closed his wounds, and then got Gohan.
"How'd it go?" King Kai asked
"Not bad," Goku said, "But Gohan did a lot better."
"He's learning again," Vegeta said, standing and crossing his arms. He looked at Gohan, then narrowed his eyes and frowned.
"It's all coming back," Gohan said with a grin, "I can't wait to get back to the way I used to be."
"Good," The Kai said, "Now, wash up before dinner."
"Uh, King Kai?" Goku asked, "We're Saiyans. We'll be even more dirty after we eat then before."
"Oh, yea…"
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Goku lie awake in his bunk above Dende, to tired to get up and do something, to excited to sleep. Dende had tired, but he could only heal them, he could not erase the fatigue that only came from not sleeping.
This is so great! He thought, the three musketeers, back together again! He glanced over at his son on the top bunk next to his own, and grinned again. His son had moved in with Videl soon after the first Buu crisis had been resolved, and Goku hadn't been seeing much of his son since then. But now we're going to be side by side! Training, living, fighting! Just like old times!
Goku grinned at the ceiling, where the clock hung five feet above his head. I wonder how long it will take us? I've done this with Gohan before, so I have a pretty good idea how we'll advance, but I'm not sure about Vegeta.
He rolled onto his side and looked over at Vegeta's bed. The shorter Saiyan had taken the only single bed, sighting the reason that two beds were built short for the Kai and the Namek, and the Sons were tall, so they should take the upper bunks were they could get to them easier. (No one pointed out that they could all fly, so height didn't matter.) Vegeta's knowledge about how the Saiyans work could be very useful. I just hope old feuds don't pop up.
He leaned back and closed his eyes. I've got to sleep! Or else Gohan and Vegeta will kick my ass tomorrow!
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Gohan had made a vain attempt to sleep, but it wasn't much use. The bed was unfamiliar, Videls warmth next to him was sorely missed, and the Time Chamber was all together too quiet. Any noise made was heard by all and echoed in the vastness like a hurricane. It was really hard to sleep when you were concentrating on not making too much noise when you breathed. I'd better get used to this, He thought, opening his eyes and looking at the over-head clock, we could be in here for years. I hope we just settle into a routine so we don't even know what day it is, and the passage of time isn't even noticed.
His thoughts shifted gear. I wonder which one of us is going to fight Buu? Are we all just going to go after him in a mass attack? Will we take turns? We might be able to use the fusion technique, but we might need more then a half an hour. There's a good chance the task will fall on me again, because I'm the strongest in here, but Dad and Vegeta have so much more experience at this. Plus I may not end up being the strongest when we leave.
He looked at his father, who was laid back with his eyes closed and a small grin on his face. Look at him. This doesn't even phase him. I guess when you live for the fight and the training; this room is the greatest place on Earth.
He lifted his head and glanced down at Vegeta, who had a slight scowl on his face, even in his sleep. I wonder how he's going to do in here? I never got much of a chance to talk to Trunks before he went home, but I bet out of all of us, he's going to take this the most seriously. Well, I'll show him. I can do just as well as he can.
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Vegeta kept his eyes closed. He could feel first Goku's, and then Gohan's eyes on him, and knew that if he pretended to sleep, they wouldn't talk to him.
Goku's earlier statement flashed through his mind. This isn't going to be fun. He mentally waved away the words. The first time I was in here, I thought I'd lose my mind. I had Trunks with me, and I knew that I couldn't show weakness in front of my own son, so I gritted my teeth and bore it. It got easier, and then I didn't notice. The second time I had gone in, it was only two day's later, and I knew what to expect, so it wasn't as bad. But this time is different from both of those times. I have to deal with Kakarot.
Vegeta opened his eyes and glared at Goku's bunk. He never really had forgiven him, even though he said he had. A Saiyan is supposed to go out in a blaze of glory. If he is defeated in battle, he will not show up and expect to be a fighter again. He is supposed to die on the field, whether it is by his enemy or by himself. Goku hadn't let that happen. When he first came to Earth, he lost. But instead of taking it, instead of dieing like he was supposed to, he started to run away.
At first he thought Goku would understand, that Goku would try and kill him, but he didn't. He stopped Krillian from destroying him, and that was his first humiliation. I should have died, but I crawled back to Frieza, and I lived. I tried so hard after that to defeat him, to finally find peace of mind, but he still would not let me surpass him. Now I am stuck in a room with this clown for what could be a decade! Every time I turn around there is an insult to my honor staring me in the face! I will not live in shame! I will become the strongest one to leave here, and I will no longer face Kakarot with the knowledge that he is stronger. I will reclaim my spot as the Prince!
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King Kai held a pillow over his head, tossing and turning, and then he could take it no longer.
"Will all of you just shut up and try to sleep! You're making enough noise for a friggin circus! Just shut up!"
Three Saiyans and a Namek all stared in amazement at the Kai, and then lay back down, trying their best not to think.
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In the hyperbolic time chamber, there really isn't any day or night, morning or evening. Those times are just set by everyone agreeing to go to sleep at the same time and wake up later. So with no sun or alarm clocks, it was easy to see how someone, say Son Goku, could sleep in.
In the dream world, Goku floated among the clouds and skipped through the air. Cake fell from the heaven, and he opened his mouth to gobble then up. Then, the cake turned to rain, and he began to shake with the cold water. "No," he moaned, "I want cake!"
"To bad. You're getting oatmeal and eggs. Now get up."
Goku woke up to find he was in one of the showers of the time chamber, and Vegeta and King Kai were standing over him, watching the cold water pour down him.
"Now get up," King Kai said, "The food will get cold." He walked off.
Vegeta, who was smirking, turned off the water and stepped aside so Goku could get up.
"You could have just said it was time to eat," Goku mumbled, "I would have gotten up and you wouldn't have had to drag me to the shower."
"What, and miss this golden opportunity?"
Goku entered the main room and found the table laden with a giant pot of oatmeal and a large dish of scrambled eggs. Gohan sat with Dende while they talked about some fight or another, Gohan using a spoon to illustrate his point.
"Morning son," Goku said as he sat down and helped himself to breakfast.
"Morning Drippy."
Goku sighed and shoveled down his food. At least I know thing's will stay interesting in here.
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Gohan dodged an attack from Vegeta, only to get hit from behind by his father. He spun around and fired a blast of raw energy that moved more by him throwing it rather then it blasting out of his hand. It hit Goku head on and pushed him back to the ground where he bounced and tried to pick himself up.
An energy bomb whizzed by his ear and he turned and yelled at Vegeta, "You aim sucks! Where did you-" The air was filled with bombs as Vegeta fired again, all of these blasts hitting the teenage super hero dead on, forcing him to raise his defense.
"I just shot the first one just so you'd turn around!" Vegeta yelled, and then intensified his attack.
I've fought beings from around the galaxy, Gohan thought, I've fought people far stronger then Vegeta, but somehow, no one can do the rapid-fire technique as well as he can.
Gohan tried to raise a barrier, but a blast caught him in the face and he lost his concentration. Screw this. He used the instantaneous movement, and jumped behind Vegeta. Just as he was about to knock the Saiyan out, Vegeta did the same thing and chopped Gohan in the neck, bringing him out of the fight.
Goku walked up beside Vegeta and looked down at his son. "He should have known you would try that."
"I know, Kakarot." Vegeta said, changing back into his normal state, "He still has a long way to go."
"Right, let's go back. I think it's time to call it a day."
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Goku had no idea how long he had been asleep, but he knew it had been to short. Something had woken him, but his sleep-fogged brain was having trouble remembering what it was. He rolled over and saw Gohan and Dende sleeping soundly. Dende had taken it to heart to start training on his own. Not nearly as much as the Saiyans, just an hour each 'day', but he wanted to be able to go out into the training grounds before this was all over. For someone who has never trained before, that's going to be though. At least he's sleeping better. Dende was on the verge of collapsing mentally in this room. The workouts were helping him past the time, but Goku knew that spending a few years with King Kai would be though.
Goku looked under his bunk and saw King Kai sleeping soundly as well. Goku knew that even though he might complain all the time, this really was exciting for him. In other world, he had been bored without anyone to train. Now he could finally do what he enjoyed.
Goku rolled over again and saw Vegeta's bed was empty. So that's why I woke up. He floated off the bed and pulled on his shoes silently. Placing his fingers to his forehead, he felt for Vegeta and found him very far out.
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The ice was growing around the Prince, but it never was able to get close to him. The flame of an ascended Saiyan flared around him as he continued to push his energy further, trying to reach the level his archrival had called a Super Saiyan 3. He yelled as he tried harder. It was like trying to grip water; he could reach out and touch it, but never could seem to pick it up.
The ice continued to grow, trying to over take the upstart who was continuously breaking it down with his power. Vegeta pressed on last time and the stopped. He just couldn't do it. He powered down and breathed hard. Suddenly he whirled and stabbed a finger at a mountain of ice.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
Goku climbed over the ridge he had used as a hiding spot and climbed down to the Prince. "I came here to see if you needed help"
"I don't need your help! I came out here to get away from you! So leave me the hell alone!"
"I don't understand you Vegeta! I thought we had put this all in the past! Why are you still so angry!"
"Why am I angry! I'll tell you why! It is my right to be the strongest, the greatest warrior in the universe! Then you came along and stopped my reign of strength! It was my destiny to become the Saiyan of Legend, but then from nowhere, you showed up. You were the first to defeat me, the first to humiliate me by letting me live rather then finishing me off! I would have rather died then live in the shadow of your pity!"
Goku stood silently through Vegeta's anger. The Prince had sub-consciously brought himself up to an Ascended Saiyan, but that was all right, Goku had as well.
"Not good enough Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled, "I won't fall for that trick twice. Bring yourself to your full power, damn it! You will not shame me twice! We're going to fight, here and now, and I will not stop until I see you dead!"
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King Kai suddenly sat up in bed.
"Shit!" He threw off his covers and scrambled to the patio with Gohan and Dende in his wake.
"What is it?" Gohan asked, "What's going on?"
"It's Vegeta! He's furious, and he just challenged your father! They're going to have a mortal fight in this chamber!"