Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.
The Long Road
Chapter 36: Crisis
Gohan:
Air rushed past him as his body was propelled through the skies by the energy inside his body. It was hardly the most energy he'd spent, but he was hardly concerned about that. The glowing golden aura of energy emerging from Vegeta, however, was violent and reeked of desperation. The fact that Trunks' power had dwindled so radically had told Gohan the same things that it told Vegeta. Someone had struck his home, and assaulted at the very least his son. The powers spiked back and forth for several minutes, but it was clear that Trunks was the stronger of the two powers. Why his strength declined didn't make sense, especially when the weaker fighter's power dipped so deeply several times, before rising back to its full potential.
Trunks was much weaker then Vegeta, Piccolo, or himself. Out of everyone he'd met on this planet, Trunks had been one of the few people outside of his family to grow on him. The kid seemed to try so hard to keep up with his dad, even if it was something Gohan knew full well he wouldn't be able to do. Even then there was the understanding the two had reached during the final battle against the monster at Satan City. The idea that Vegeta's kid was mortally wounded didn't sit well with him, especially because he could be dying at that very moment, alone.
But whatever he was feeling, had to pale in comparison to what Vegeta was feeling. His eyes shifted over again, looking to Vegeta as he saw clenched fists ready for action, lightning rippling from them around his entire body.
"Vegeta," Gohan finally said, his sight not turning away, expecting the Saiyan Prince to turn his head to look towards him at least.
Well, that was a quick way to be disappointed.
The turn didn't happen, not even after several moments.
"Hey, Vegeta, are you operational, or have you gone native on me here?" Gohan asked, using terms from his old days in the Trade.
When the response was cold again, Gohan shifted his flight, pulling ahead and matching Vegeta's speed.
"I'm asking you a question, Vege-"
"One more word from that mouth, and I'll shut it for you," Vegeta seethed. "Every time that low class family of yours has been in trouble, you've shattered mountains and destroyed cities. When I get to my home, I am going to kill whatever is there. If you get my way, I'll kill you first."
Well, that answers that.
With his teeth violently clenched, Vegeta's aura intensified before his form blasted further ahead, passing through a large cloud in front of them, sending vapour in all directions around him as his power pushed it away.
It'd be hypocritical in the extreme for him to refute the Prince's point, given how true it was. Even knowing it was Trunks had put him on edge, angry at the very least, but he was able to keep a cool head. People died, whether they were your friends or not. But every time his own family had been in danger, Gohan had lost it. What if it was Pan over there, or even Goten?
Closing his own fists, Gohan felt his own power shove itself forward as his aura burst around him. Within seconds, he'd recklessly burst ahead, following Vegeta's path through the sky, closing ranks with him again.
Whoever the Hell was doing this, was going to get put down. It was slowly dawning that whoever did this, probably attacked his home as well.
Attacking the people around us, instead of us.
Looking into the sky in the distance, Gohan's eyes blinked once, before looking at near disbelief at a new moon in the Earth's sky. The red and black, almost demonic planet in orbit reminded him of few worlds. His tail felt no connection with it, there were no blutz waves coming from it, otherwise the transformation would already be on him.
What the Hell is going on?
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Piccolo:
It was plainly obvious that Vegeta was on a warpath, and Gohan was in tow with him. Their powers were massive beacons travelling across the planet, which meant they'd never catch the game they were after. It'd been over twenty years since he'd sensed the power which flared into existence, a power now immensely stronger, but still desperately weak in the context of the powers which resided on the Earth.
But still, to sense Garlic jr.'s power once again was unsettling to say the least. For the part of him that was Kami, this was the third time he'd felt Garlic's power. First during the banishment of his father, and then during the events of his wish for Immortality, and his damnation to the Dead Zone. The Dead Zone was a prison which could hold anything, not even light could escape its pull. But here Garlic was, clearly having escaped, and enacting some kind of twisted plot. There was no doubt it was him, his power was so foul it almost reeked.
Despite that though, what did he hope to achieve? World domination? Garlic would be lucky if he was as strong as Frieza, and even that was a stunning amount of power to have come into his hands. Years of training in secret? It didn't matter, he was pitiful in power. His father's legions of demons, and his own strength, were sealed away by the Namek even at the fullest power of the Makyo Star, and not only had his own power grown, but now there were far greatest powers in the world.
He was still stupid and crazy if he thought attacking Vegeta's home and son were a good plan, especially after his minions were clearly the ones responsible for attacking Gohan in East City.
Still, looking ahead, Piccolo felt something uneasy about all of this coiling inside of him as he flew through the air. In the sky, he could see a familiar sight. After years of dormancy, that red blotch in the sky had presented itself again. That was something that was obviously feeding Garlic's already relatively weak power. Well, if he was going to be attacking anyone else? The little demon could attack them with his own power, not with energy that manifested itself because he was getting light from a cursed moon.
His form stopped in the air, white cape flowing behind him. Closing his hands together in front of him, Piccolo concentrated his energy into a single point. Destroying celestial bodies was hardly the most challenging effort, even for him. The real challenge was destroying it without its debris threatening the Earth. Even now, other demons across the planet were being nourished by the light from the monstrous body in the sky.
Without a second thought, Piccolo launched the golden orb of energy from his palms, sending it ascending through the clouds and sky above, into the darkness of space and towards its target, a world thousands of kilometres away, a lifeless rock of barren wastes and darkness. When the golden bolt impacted it, light burned around the globe in the sky, before the darkness that was the star, imploded in on itself, and send a shockwave out across the solar system.
One problem down.
Aim to destroy your enemies means of defending himself first, before moving in for the kill. Garlic was an idiot to play his hand this early, and once he was confronted, they could see about sealing him away permanently this time.
With a white aura emerging from Piccolo a moment later, the Namekian took off at high speeds himself, aiming for reaching Capsule Corporation.
I want to see the look on Garlic's face when he realizes he's even more powerless then before.
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Gohan:
The orb in the sky disappeared in a brilliant burst of light, a light which clearly emerged from Piccolo's hands. Watching a planetary body die reminded him almost instantly of the last one he'd see. Banra II. A planet which had created advanced anti-grav technology that prevented Lord Cooler from taking a single step on it, or even letting the cruiser land. It took Cooler all of two minutes to decide the fate of the entire planet for its resistance. The way Piccolo killed the moon was almost identical. The blast entered the crust of the planet, before annihilating the core, leading to gravity doing the rest, causing the implosion. In the blink of an eye, a world could be gone.
And in a blink of an eye, the red and black moon disappeared from the sky as well.
It only caught his attention for seconds before Gohan turned his head hurriedly, and dived down, following Vegeta as he descended towards their destination. The Capsule Corporation Building looked heavily damaged. Half of the dome was shattered, and holes were plunged into the top level of it. The kid put up a fight, that was certain. But in truth, even if the powers were close, Trunks was a child, likely fighting a seasoned warrior. Planting his feet on the ground behind Vegeta, he let the royal take the lead and he ran into the building, ignoring the low level flames. Walking after him, Gohan observed the damage around him, examining the battlefield. One thing Turles had taught him, was that if you saw the after effects of a big battle, you could learn about your prey.
Some of the damage showed big attacks, ki powered punches and kicks aimed at sending the attacker flying. There wasn't an over abundance of energy blasts either. Looking past the rubble all around him, Gohan's eyes looked for any sign of the attacker. There was no energy here any longer, save Trunks however. Stepping down the stairs, and shoving a broken metal support beam out of his way, Son Gohan made his way into the basement level, following Vegeta's path, even if slowly.
What he stumbled across was something he shouldn't have seen. There was Vegeta, hunched over his woman and son, his face not able to be viewed, but it was hard not to imagine the stress the other Saiyan was experiencing. Still, walking after him, scanning from left to right for any sign of a threat, Gohan stopped behind the family.
"H-he broke my arm," Bulma breathed heavily, still trying to keep herself under control. "Tr-Trunks. You have to get him to a doctor. Get a Senzu Bean-"
She was rambling now and Gohan didn't feel comfortable at all. When Vegeta reached down, pulling his half dead, bloodied son into his arms, it reminded him how their roles had been reversed not even six months earlier. Trunks had clutched his father's body and just cried out at the injustice and pain of it. Now, his father in contrast held him in a cold silence. Beneath the surface, Gohan could most certainly feel the rage.
"Who did this?" Vegeta asked, his voice on the edge of dangerous.
Still, Gohan kept his silence, knowing full well how appreciated any comment he may have would be.
"It came for Gohan," it was Bulma's voice which roused him, causing him to look towards her. "I-I know who it was."
"Stop babbling," Gohan ordered finally, ignoring how tense Vegeta became at his remark, ignoring the chances for a fight.
It came for him? What the Hell did that even mean?
"His name is Garlc jr."
Garlic jr.? Firstly, what the Hell kind of a name was that? Who'd just "come for him"? Was it an alien? It had to be. The only thing that could put that kind of output would be another alien. Perhaps it was a species looking for revenge against him after he slaughtered their planet. If there ever was a justification for revenge, that'd be it. His stomach churned as he felt the edge of his fingers go numb at the idea. His past would always come back to haunt him, wouldn't it?
First with Turles, then with Broly, now this alien creature he'd wronged years ago.
"He also said he'd already... already... killed Goku."
That was enough to make him tense immediately, even Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise.
"He... killed Kakarot? How is that even possible?" Vegeta half whispered and spat, standing up from his family, his son hanging almost lifelessly in his arms.
The claim was unbelievable, it didn't strike any kind of cord with reality. Goku, his father, was one of the strongest beings alive. This "Garlic jr." was weaker then Trunks, someone who Gohan could have fought potentially to a stand still when he first arrived on Earth. Which meant that he was an insect compared to his father. He was an insect compared to Piccolo, or Dabura, or a half dozen other warriors they'd confronted since he arrived here.
Vegeta's right, that's not even possible.
"I-I don't know-" Bulma started before her eyes widened. "Oh god, what does it look like upstairs? That's... that's where my parents and... Bulla..."
Upstairs was a war zone. Something clicked behind both he and Vegeta's eyes, the two of them all too familiar with war zones. Bodies parts were often a part of the wreckage, and pained cries. From above, there were no cries. Before Gohan could even look towards the stairs to begin moving up, Vegeta had already surpassed him, blurring up the stairwell.
When he climbed the stairs himself a moment later, helping Bulma up as well if only because of the shaky elements of the structure around them.
"He said he was going to destroy you like you had so many others," Bulma breathed. "He told me he'd destroy everything you ever loved or cared about."
"You've got to..." before Bulma could finish, her words trailed off to see her husband tearing through the rubble, looking for any signs of her-... their family.
Just seeing the wreckage, Gohan felt uncomfortable. They were going to find bodies, not people. A child especially would typically be crying in distress at the moment. Turning to the rubble himself, Gohan started to clear out what he could quietly, not wanting to distract the feverish work the Prince was putting into this. It was the reality of life, and the reality of where the kind of fighting they engaged in, lead to. Things died in battle, either the participants, or those around it.
Lifting a large collapsed reinforced concrete support column and casting it aside, Vegeta's body shifted down immediately.
Turning his head after having cleared out a piece of rubble himself, hearing an older man groan, he found what appeared to be a man with Bulma's hair, but supporting a thick moustache. Well, this was likely her father.
When the building suddenly rumbled violently again as a golden glow emerged from Vegeta, Gohan immediately guessed what he'd found. Turning his head to Bulma, who was holding onto her still unconscious and bleeding son. Waves of force rolled out from the centre of where the Prince stood, sending wind blasting past him. Raising his hand to guard his face, he slowly started to approach.
"Vegeta! What the Hell are you doing?" Gohan shouted. "That's not going to solve anyt-"
Another wave of force rolled off him as the remnants of the building started to collapse. Rising, holding what appeared to be a lifeless infant in his arms, Gohan cringed at how furious Vegeta looked. Veins protruded from his neck, his eyes were looking intensely and towards him, daring him to say another word.
Look, the kid's dead, we've got to sort out-
"I am going to be the one who kills this fool!" Vegeta seethed, his arms tightening around the little blue haired Saiyan. "I'll find him and kill him right now! How dare he?!"
Another wave of energy exploded out from him, casting much of the building's ruins further into disrepair. Half standing walls collapsed into dust and shattered concrete and drywall. Bulma and his son were sent skidding back across the concrete, their own wounds. Words weren't going to calm him down, and he was creating a storm of energy which would destroy the city at the rate he was going.
Fuck. Am I really going to have to stop him from destroy the city?
"Vegeta! Don't take it out on-!"
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
The scream of pure rage exploded from him as light started to break through the ground beneath him. They didn't even know where the Hell this Garlic was, and he was going to kill him? How? And if he stopped Goku, how did they even know-
It doesn't matter. I've got to shut him down now.
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Vegeta:
He claims to kill Kakarot! He attacks my son! He attacks my wife! He kills my daughter! He destroys my home! I will not allow this! They weren't his to harm! They weren't his to take! I am the PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS!
It was impossible for him to hold onto anything other then what was happening around him. An attack on his house, both his home and his family, and without the intruder in sight. There was no power source for him to grab on to, the only thing here was this empty building fills with the dead and injured. His woman's mother had been laying next to the child, dead herself. His daughter's body was still warm, the rigour hadn't set in.
Now here was this loathsome scum, coming to order him to calm down!?
If this coward didn't show himself, he'd start by destroying everything in his path until he found him somewhere on this miserable world!
As his scream died down and his lungs gaped for air, the only thing he saw, in almost a red tinted vision, was Gohan standing there in front of him with a cold stare levelled at him. It was so alien from Kakarot's stare. It was without compassion, save for perhaps a hint of it, but that wasn't why Vegeta's heart raced with fury. This brat thought he could order him to stand down? To stand down when it was his family which was attacked. It was said just as much earlier, had it been his family, he'd already have been on a warpath. Instead, he thought to look down at him, Vegeta, and order him about to do the exact opposite of what he would do, under the same circumstances?!
"Vegeta, your wife and son are over there, do you really want to start destroying this city by unleashing this much energy! Use your head! Now stop -"
Pointing his hand out, releasing it from his daughter's cooling body, Vegeta gathered energy into his palm.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you Vegeta," Gohan warned, his eyes steeling. "We need to work out what's going on. I'm not in the mood to beat you."
It didn't matter to the last pureblooded Saiyan Prince however. If anything, the fact that this Garlic jr. had left a message for Gohan, and not even him, was even more blood boiling. The monster assaulted his family, to get at Gohan? He didn't even do it to get back at him, it was all about Kakarot's pitiful excuse for a son. A failed Saiyan, and even a failed human.
Slowly, energy gathered, before rapidly expanding into a blue ball. The only response was for Gohan's own aura to flicker.
"Vegeta, I told you, your wife and-"
"You don't get to tell me anything, boy!" Vegeta shouted finally. "Now you will get out of my way before I-"
"Vegeta!" the woman shouted, he could feel her eyes on him. "Please! Please stop!"
Her voice was cracking and breaking, and he knew why. The girl in his arms was gone, and she would sooner give into her grief, then he would into his rage. Her pleads were enough to stall him, even as the energy gathered into his palm. Instead of launching the Big Bang Attack, he could only stare at Gohan, feeling his anger boiling but being unable to release it. What was he expected to do? Coddle the dead body and weep? A Saiyan avenged their fallen, tears were the sign of failure and weakness. He'd failed his family, but he wasn't weak.
"Vegeta," another voice cut in, causing Gohan to look up towards its source.
It was one that was all too familiar.
"Namek," he breathed. "Unless you want to-"
"I'm not here to fight. I know exactly who did this. I have Senzu Beans Vegeta, let me see the girl and we may be able to reverse this. It may not be too late."
Cursed Namek, and cursed woman. They were diffusing him before he could administer any kind of retribution. His pride demanded revenge, but when he looked down to the unmoving little body in his arm, even the chance of her being saved from the fate he'd already assumed her condemned to was enough to get him to finally stop. With his breathing still laboured from gathering so much energy, Vegeta let his aura rapidly decline, his energy disappearing rapidly.
Behind him, the Namekian's feet touched the Earth as he approached, a bean in his hand.
"Give it to me," Vegeta ordered, reaching his hand out.
As soon as it was placed in his hand, Vegeta felt himself motion his arm almost immediately to his daughter's mouth, forcing the bean inside and down her throat.
For the first time in his life, Vegeta felt his heart stop as he waited, staring down at the dead eyes of his child, waiting for any reaction. With every second that passed, he felt himself tense more, the fear of having hope making his body almost shut down.
Slowly, his eyes faded into a state nearly matching Bulla's. Her eyes remained stale and dead. Just as he felt his own eyes close as he felt himself losing grip.
just as his rage regenerated and expanded as he felt it never could have... Bulla's eyes flashed and looked back at him.
Alive.
Even returning from death on Planet Namek couldn't compare to the relief that swept over him. Dropping to his knees as his body felt itself almost lose its grip, Vegeta smiled down at his daughter as his hair turned back to black.
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Gohan:
Even if he'd understood where Vegeta's problem came from, and just was concerned with what he deemed was more important affairs, Gohan felt his own heart stop when the Senzu bean was placed in the girl's mouth. It was shocking to see Vegeta's reaction, almost falling to his knees when his daughter recovered. It was a relief on a half dozen fronts, but principally because he wasn't looking over a father grieving over his daughter. There was something distressing about that, like he'd never expected, even if he only saw the need to destroy the enemy that did it first.
Within a few more seconds, Trunks, then Bulma, then her father all received beans of their own.
"Namek," Vegeta breathed, handing his daughter over to the relieved, and nearly fainting Bulma. "I want to know who this Garlic jr. is, immediately. Then you will tell me where to find him, and then I will kill him."
One track mind, but not so bad right now given-
"Garlic jr. is a demon who once tried to take over the world twenty years ago. He used the Dragon Balls to wish for immortality, and was confronted by Goku, Krillin, Kami, and Piccolo," Piccolo explained, thought differentiating himself as his two former personalities as he did. "He and his lieutenants gathered the seven Dragon Balls, and Garlic wished to immortality."
That caused Gohan's thoughts to screech to a halt. Taking in that his father and Piccolo had defeated some monster in the past wasn't a surprise, but hearing that he was immortal added something strange to this. He still didn't fully understand the power of the Dragon Balls, but he knew they raised the dead, and now he knew something else, that they were used to grant Garlic junior eternal life. What was it to even be immortal? Were there limits to immortality? How did that effect his power? Just who-
"Immortal?" Vegeta half gawked. "So despite the fact-"
"That Trunks was stronger then Garlic, it didn't matter, because Garlic can't lose in direct confrontation with a comparable opponent, because he will persist through any injury."
The purple haired child looked at them with a set of big eyes.
"I kept thinking when I hit him and he got up, that I'd done something wrong," Trunks explained. "I thought I won like, twice, but he just-"
"Recovered, exactly," Piccolo explained. "He was also using power from the Makyo Star, the realm of the demons. I destroyed it when I saw it hanging in the sky. Any demon on Planet Earth's power would always increase in the light of the Star. Now Garlic has been denied that as well, it means his power will be significantly weaker. He'd be lucky to be as strong as one of Frieza's henchmen now."
"Then we will find him, and kill him," Vegeta quickly cut in. "There is no more room for discussion, we must move while-"
"Stop cutting me off, there is more to this then his immortality and power," Piccolo remarked.
"Yea, he mentioned he wanted to extract revenge on me," Gohan said, crossing his arms and leaning against the remnants of a wall. "I take it, it's because Goku beat him?"
"No, you did," Piccolo said seriously. "Over a month before Raditz arrived on the Earth, you defeated Garlic jr., condemning him to the Deadzone, a void which Garlic opens to an empty universe of cold darkness. So he's clearly looking to harm you, and anyone around you Gohan."
I... but I would have been what? Three? Four?
It seemed insane, but his reason for doing all this, was because he beat him? How? He was a child! Even younger and more helpless then Goten! Even by the standard of Saiyan children, he would have been considered pitiful, if only for mental competence.
"Your power was unleashed for the first time then, and I saw only a glimpse of it, but it was there. As to where Garlic is, he's keeping his power suppressed, and given he's even weaker now then he was before, it'll be almost impossible to track him. We couldn't track Cell when he was evolving, this will be even harder. Especially since other demons are working for him, they could falsely put up different energy fields around the planet and we'd not know. But at least with the Makyo Star gone, he's not a big a threat to the people of this planet."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Gohan pointed out, almost scowling. "Just let him attack whenever he wants, when we're away from everything?"
"No, what we need to do is get the Namekians to use their Dragon Balls to reverse the damage he's done, and remove his immortality. It'll take a few weeks, but I can arrange it," Piccolo assured. "Until then, everyone should keep a close watch on the people around them."
It was a reasonable plan, and Gohan just sighed. The only problem was, it wasn't satisfying.
"Well, I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing," Vegeta scoffed. "I intend to find this pitiful weakling and show him the mistake for daring to insult the Prince of all Saiyans."
The blowhard of all Saiyans. But he has a point.
"If I sense anything, I'm going to find it and destroy it," Gohan assured Piccolo. "But thanks for the advice, I'll take it under advisement. You do your thing Piccolo, like you always seem to be, and we'll do ours."
"Speak for yourself, boy," Vegeta quickly added, before his own aura returned.
In a blinding flash, the Super Saiyan took off, flying straight into the air and launching himself into the distance.
"Has he always been such a dickhead?" Gohan asked honestly.
"He's better now then he used to be," Piccolo admitted.
Space Christ.
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Videl: The Next Morning
Slowly the morning light crept through the window, revealing her room, as the near complete disaster of what it was. Last night had hardly been one with sleep, even after she managed to get Pan to bed, she was haunted by how easily Gohan had just taken what he wanted. Only moments before, she'd told him how she'd wanted him gone, and within minutes he'd invited himself to live on her couch. Every fibre of her being told her to attack, gnash her teeth, or do anything, and instead she was silent. Silence was the worst kind of surrender, she knew it far too well.
It was the same thing he'd done the night he'd... forced her. He just put himself into a position, and imposed himself. In truth, he'd forced her again, and just like before she'd been shoved aside, her will completely disregarded.
Slowly emerging from her bed, Videl just hugged herself for a moment, feeling almost violated, just as she had all the previous night. She'd felt so sick she thought she was going to vomit. But there was one thing behind all of it that she did remember, power. It still evaded her at every turn, but she could see power in action, and not just ki. She could see how Gohan could still just take what he wanted, and it terrified her. At any moment he could dominate and domineer seemingly anything around him, including her. She didn't feel safe even, but there was a part of her that wished she had all of that for herself. She wanted control of her life, and the lives of the people around her. Maybe then she could finally keep everyone safe from themselves even.
Standing up and walking into her shower only seconds later, she felt the hot liquid bead against her skin after raining down from above. It made her almost think she was freed from the prison that her own home had become. She didn't even know if he was here, but it didn't matter. This was his home now, and it became his in only a moment. Worse, she knew something even more terrifying. Even if she ran, she'd take Pan with her... and anywhere Pan was, he'd follow. It was a prison which followed her.
Suddenly it became hard to breath in the shower. Her hands pressed against the tiles around her and she tried to catch herself. She could imagine a cage around herself, and being lowered into a river and just being left to drown. But worst of all, he'd force her to drown herself, wouldn't he?
Stepping out of her shower, Videl still felt weak, her stomach still felt so anxious that it could vomit at a second's notice. Struggling, she dressed in a set of clean training clothes, and using the wall for support, stepped out of the room. She heard another door close, and looked up, seeing Pan's hadn't moved. Footsteps echoed through her home before she turned her head to them, seeing a tired figure walk towards the couch.
It was 5:00 am, and Gohan didn't look as though he'd slept at all. When he sat down on the couch, it was almost like a corpse was sitting down. He looked just tired, stressed, and worn. It was miserable that she was so afraid of him. Taking a few steps out of the hall and into his living room, she saw him only lay back, resting his head to one side and trying to sleep.
"Pan is usually up in two hours," she explained to him, hearing his groan as she spoke.
"Yea, I've dealt with less sleep before," he responded after a few moments.
"Tell her I'm training," Videl told him after a few moments, before walking out the door.
It was some kind of strange attempt to do anything to feel like she had some control over the nightmare she found herself in. Fastening her gloves over her knuckles before strapping them over her wrists, she poised herself to begin training again, ignoring the pain of pulled muscles and battered bones. Gohan had disposed of her pain medication, but she wasn't going to just stop because things hurt.
She'd stop when she couldn't move.
The typical routine started as she moved out towards the wood, finding 'targets' for her attacks, different trees making different sparring partners. Her older ones either lay in ruins, or stand with wounds, exposing their insides. In truth she didn't try to destroy the trees, it just ended up being that way. The sound of flesh meeting bark however, echoed throughout the forest as she began her exercises. Every motion seemed to hurt, but it was still good to continue what she'd started. She wouldn't get any weaker and-
"You're doing it wrong."
She stopped and twisted her head to see the oppressor himself standing there, just looking at her. He still looked tired, exhausted even, but she knew full well it was just what he wanted to show. If he wanted to, he could kill her and anyone within a thousand kilometres in an instant. But even then, her nerves were grated. For someone with so much power to walk in and again just tell her she was weak, and doing everything wrong, made her tense.
"Look, you need someone to move humanly with, and you've obviously not tapped into a lot of power," he pointed out, walking in front of her. "You shouldn't be beating up the trees today, you should be meditating."
Finally, it was too much for her to listen to.
"As if you'd know-!"
Despite his exhausted appearance, he raised his hand coolly to her outburst, clearly in a warning fashion. It was enough to remind her very quickly how different their powers were, and in his favour. It was enough to humiliate her again as she silenced herself, feeling utterly isolated.
"You're irritating. You constantly want to get stronger, and you keep doing it all wrong. You're focused too much on the body, when most power comes from the spirit. The body is important, but these things need to work in tandem. So if you want to get stronger, you're going to listen to me. I know a thing or two about strength."
Every word felt smug, but there was hardly anything she could do about it.
"I've had a long night, so the last thing I need from you right now, is your bullshit, Videl. If I'm going to be around and you're going to train, you're going to train right."
I don't even want you around!
It was almost impossible to contain her anger at him. With every word he buried himself deeper. Focusing her energy, Videl took two steps forward, before throwing her right arm out, aiming high and hoping to connect with his nose. In an instant his eyes awakened . What happened next was impossible for her to follow. Her arm drifted into open air, exposing her. She felt suddenly two rough hands grab her arm, twisting it up, making over exerted muscles cry out in protest. What followed was a kick to the back of her leg, shifting all her momentum back. It took only a second for her to be on her back, staring up at the morning sky and two unimpressed black eyes.
"What did I just tell you about bullshit?" he responded coolly. "Now are you going to get up?"
Furiously, Videl pulled herself to her feet, scowling hatefully.
"Stop telling me what to do! You think just because you're stronger, you can tell people what to do!"
"Am I wrong?" Gohan answered bluntly.
So he knew what he was doing. It made it even worse. It was bad enough he'd just invited himself into her house.
When he knelt down on the ground, crossing his legs a second later, he looked up at her implying she should follow his example.
"I've meditated before."
"Of course you have, and you've done it wrong."
A quick reminder of how quickly he'd shut down her previous attack was what kept her in line, especially since she knew his patience wouldn't be infinite. It was a quick mental step from just shutting down an attack of hers, or killing her or worse. Still shaking from adrenaline and anger, Videl managed to lower herself to Gohan's level, who was kneeling across from her.
"You should already know the basics. Relax and control your breathing."
What was this going to be? Peace and oneness with the universe? It was a perverse idea that Gohan was going to try to tell her these things. She already knew exactly what to do, but meditation-
"Stop being difficult," he furthered ordered. "I can already sense you resisting. Stop it. I don't like meditating either, but I liked gaining strength when I was training. So cooperate and you may actually learn a thing or two about power."
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Pan:
Two small hands pulled back her covers as the little girl pulled herself into the first moments of being awake. Despite all the misery that had followed her yesterday, and all the fear, there was an element of excitement this morning. Mister Gohan promised he was going to be there today, which meant they could go on an adventure, or he could make them breakfast and teach her something, or he could perform cool tricks. The fact her mom was going to be training already, didn't bother her, because at least she'd have Gohan there.
With that in mind, she walked out of her room, looking ahead with a big grin, only to find the couch empty. It immediately made her heart sink. The rather large smile she'd worn quickly devolved into a long frown. Of course he wasn't there, and she felt almost stupid for thinking he would be. He just told her what she wanted to hear because he had other things to do. It made her stomach twist and turn at the realization and she found herself quietly walking over to the couch before sitting down on it. It was obvious where her mom was at the same time, just training out in the woods like she always was.
Pan never liked to think of herself as lonely before. She was just... not with people a lot of the time. But after everything that'd happened recently, for the first time she knew what the meaning of that word meant. She was alone, and it felt wrong. There was little hiding the emotions she was wearing on her sleeve. A sniffle escaped her nose as her eyes felt hot and wet. Slowly the wetness rolled down her cheek as she felt sorry for herself.
Rolling onto her side on the couch, she just wrapped her arms around herself and curled up as best she could into a ball, feeling sick and lonely. How long she laid there she didn't keep track of, but finally her stomach started to grumble, even if it was anxiety-sickened. Pulling herself off the couch, and moving her arm up to wipe her tears from her redden eyes, she tried to change faces before she went outside looking for her mother.
If Gohan wasn't here, then she needed her mom, if only for a few minutes.
The air was always fresh out here, and the wet grass was as familiar as usual. It rained a lot near where they lived, feeding the forest all around them. To Pan however, it was best summarized as "wet". What made her pause though was when she noticed the sound of her mommy training wasn't the same as usual. There were no trees making banging or cracking sounds, or the sounds of her mother exerting herself. Instead there was only the wind passing through the branches.
Even to her young mind, it was both terrifying and peaceful. It was peaceful because of the motion of the wood and the open nature all around her, and it was terrifying because her mother was just gone as well. With every trembling step forward, Pan looked in all directions, panic slowly settling in, before she finally caught the glimpse of a familiar figure in the woods. It was her mother, and she looked like she was... sitting?
Across from her, Pan's eyes spotted something which made her almost leap with joy at that very moment.
Gohan!
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Videl:
It'd been hours of just sitting there, and Videl felt herself increasingly becoming frustrated.
"Find yourself, and you'll find power."
That was all he told her, before he started meditating in front of her. Well what the Hell did that even mean? She'd been sitting there trying to 'discover' herself, with even breathing and a relaxed frame, and all she found was her, Videl, becoming increasingly frustrated. It sounded like a bunch of trash to her, especially after her ki teachings before. Worse of course, was the fact it was coming from Gohan of all people, someone who just took over her house, and now opted to take over her training. Even when she fought back, it just proved how hopeless resistance was.
What she discovered during this meditation, was the festering jealousy she had of Gohan's power, and the drive she had to be important, and strong, and able to determine her own path. Only a few years ago she'd been so confident, and now here she was, taking orders from the monster who ruined her. A monster with more power then she could grasp. He'd proven to her before she started this ridiculous meditation that he knew what he was doing still. He was still bullying her and still intimidating her.
Opening her eyes and looking at Gohan directly, she felt herself seething and scowling almost immediately, before she blinked, noticing something immediately. His head was slanted to one side and his shoulders were slumped. Looking down to his hands, she saw them limply laying in his own lap. He'd fallen asleep during the supposed training?!
Son of a bitch!
Standing up abruptly, she felt her jaw tighten. He didn't take the very thing he prescribed seriously enough to stay awake for it! Her leg pulled back as she prepared to 'wake up him' with a swift kick to the head, but heard something all too familiar to her side.
"Mister Gohan!"
Immediately the Saiyan's eyes flashed open, he looked disoriented for a moment, before coming back to life and standing up, brushing down his very worn clothes as her daughter ran towards him.
"Hey kid," he said, immediately putting on a smile despite how clearly tired he was.
Examining him as he did this, made Videl's blood turn cold. Now she saw for herself how he'd not only taken her home from her, but her daughter as well. Her heart beat thumped aggressively as soon as Pan hugged him around the waist protectively. The thing she saw which made it all the worse, was she saw the real affection he placed on the girl. Even monsters could feel, it seemed.
"Come on, I'll get you some breakfast."
All she did was watch, she couldn't even find a way to say something as she watched the two move back towards the house, Pan almost frolicking around Gohan as they walked.
There was more then power to be jealous of.
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Goten: One Week Later
He still wasn't back.
His dad, that was. It was starting to get more and more worrying, considering how close things were getting for his mom. Concern had evolved into fear over the last week, especially with the explosions in East and West City. They'd not heard anything from anyone else either, and he'd sensed what happened at Capsule Corporation, but Trunks' power seemed fine now. It was all confusing and it didn't make any sense.
There was something uneasy about everything that also told him almost that he couldn't leave home right now. Without his father there, he was almost worried something would happen.
Still, it didn't stop Goten from lazing outside on a tree branch, trying to contemplate what to do within the proximity of the house. There was no training, because Piccolo hadn't been there, and neither had his father. In a little bit, he was tempted to head down to the stream and grab a large fish from the river for his mother to cook for dinner. He had a Sayain's appetite, but without Goku there, it was likely there would be left-overs. It was so strange having food in the fridge for more then two days, but it'd been happening for weeks, and he knew it made his mom upset as well.
Dad, where are you?
The trees blew in the wind all around him, and the sound of the leaves and their branches. There was a distinct sound hidden almost in the middle of it all, and years of living out in the remote regions of Mount Pazou told Goten what it was. It was another person, on foot, moving fast. The sense of their energy followed, even if it was diminished.
Hopping down from the tree, Goten straightened out his new long sleeved shirt and stared ahead, watching as Gohan materialized in front of him, wearing some kind of red-t shirt and jeans. For under a second he'd hoped it'd been his father, until he recognized the very disappointing energy signature.
"Hey," his older brother remarked, stopping any further motion and just putting his hands in his pockets while staring at Goten. "So... hows it going?"
"..."
The silence that followed was left for almost a minute, before his older sibling continued.
"Right, so, uhm, I've gotta talk to you about some important stuff, alright?"
"I'm not five. Don't talk to me like I am."
"Right, right, you're not five. You're-" Gohan put his hand to his forehead, trying to remember clearly. "Twelve?"
"Eleven," Goten remarked, irritation moving into his voice.
"Right, you're eleven," he corrected quickly. "And I know dad's not around, and mom's got a kid coming, any day now right?"
"The doctors said it'll be in a few weeks," Goten responded, crossing his own arms now as he defiantly stood in front of his older brother, almost acting as a wall to his entry into the family home.
"Good, good... so... well... dad's probably not going to be able to make it," Gohan explained. "Apparently, according to someone who- look it's a long story, but dad is either dead or something right now-"
Immediately Goten's eyes widened in shock as he stared at his sibling in horror. Dead? How could their dad been dead?
"-And you appear distressed. Piccolo's working on it with the Nameks apparently, no sweat. But yea, I just wanted to come down and-"
"How did this happen!?" Goten shouted, feeling his lungs labouring for air as his heart raced. "That can't just- He's not- How do you-?"
Chaos exploded behind Goten's features as he tried to even make sense of what was going on. His father was stronger then anyone except Gohan, and was certainly a more talented fighter then Gohan even. He had the willpower to survive almost anything, and even if their relationship wasn't perfect, he was his father and he loved him. How did Gohan even know? Who told him?
"Kid, the less you know the better. You're friend Trunks got hurt by this Garlic guy, he's trying to kill people who know dad and me, and he's trying to do it without facing us directly. He nearly killed Trunks' little sister too. I think he got Bulma's mom. That's the older blonde woman right? Yea, he got her definitely- I probably shouldn't go into too much detail, but anyway-"
"Mrs. Briefs died?" Goten mouthed almost in horror.
"Yea, but they'll probably wish her back with the Dragon Balls. Look, anyway, I'm here to see you. I've got other. Stuff. I need to take care of, I can't be around to protect the house. As you know, Piccolo's a bit occupied, which means I need you on your guard. If you feel anything suspicious, raise your power and I'll head over-"
"I don't need your help," Goten said defiantly.
"Well, he only nearly killed Trunks, and may have killed dad, but sure, if you don't need my help, whatever right? Go fuck yourself Goten, if I feel your power spike, I'm coming down here to protect mom and my new little brother or sister. Don't worry, if I'm nice enough I'll bail you out again too."
He was always so smug about it. Acting like saving him or them was some kind of favour. Now that he knew what was going on, he didn't need any of Gohan's help at all. He could take care of the house, and their mother just fine.
Sighing, Gohan just placed his hands on his hips for a moment and looked away.
"Look, I only came to give you a heads up," he admitted. "I'm just trying to help. I've been out too long, and I've got other stuff to take care of like I told you, but just keep in mind that you've got to be around. Protect the house until dad gets back... and don't tell mom why dad's gone, or what we suspect. She'll lose it."
More orders, more commands, but for once Goten felt compelled to listen. Reluctantly he looked away, and nodded.
"Thanks," Gohan remarked, sounding relieved. "And Goten? You're getting to be less of a dickhead. Good job with that."
Immediately Goten levelled a deadly gaze on his brother, who just gave a half smirk, before disappearing in a blur of motion.
With Gohan and Goku both gone, that mean... well, that meant he had to take care of things now.
Suddenly, all the bravado he'd shown Gohan disappeared and he felt his knees almost get weak. Maybe he shouldn't have told Gohan to piss off.
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Garlic jr.:
Of course Piccolo was the thorn in his side. It was painfully obvious that it was going to be him of all the wretched warriors on this planet, given their intimate history with one another. It was yet more obvious because of his fusion with Kami. Destroying the Makyo Star certainly made his job significantly more difficult. His power and that of his followers had declined rapidly since its destruction, though it was hardly the end of his plans. After all, he now possessed two of the Dragon Balls, and the radar of which to find more.
"Spice," Garlic said aloud, turning his head to his most powerful and loyal follower, smirking as he did. "I believe I have a job for you."
"It can wait," another voice cut into the fold. "You will not act rashly, if anyone has time, it's you."
Turning to the other figure with almost a scowl, Garlic narrowed his eyes. So, the other schemer had arrived again at long last, months after their first contact.
"I promised you I would help you deal with Son Goku, and I carried through with our arrangement. I then promised you that I would deal with the Namekian Dragon Balls."
Standing there, the figure revealed the giant Namekian Six Star Dragon Ball, floating above his hand.
"Which means you are hardly going to be dealt with by these foolish Earthlings. But do you remember our agreement?"
"Of course, how could I forget?" Garlic responded, slowly letting a smile cross his face and his voice rife with amusement. "It's not every day that a being such a Kai comes to my doorstep and agrees to help me. Though I am sure you have many of your own motivations."
Dropping the Dragon Ball in front of him, the figure almost seemed to chuckle.
"Of course, I shudder with disgust at the idea of giving a revolting little midget like yourself any assistance at all. You are simply the lesser of two evils."
Standing there with a scowl on his face, Garlic almost spat he was so mad. Being called "lesser" was hardly the worst thing this Kai could do, but all the same, he was certainly not interested in playing fairly with him for long.
"Well then, I'm no longer worthy of your grand presence. Though I will keep in mind all the help you've provided me, when I stand above you as the true ruler of the universe. Then we shall see who is the lesser."
As the Kai vanished, Garlic slowly began to chuckle to himself, before it burst into a full laugh.
Fool! Underestimating me shall be the last mistake he makes!
"Spice!" Garlic laughed. "Do as our Kai friend suggested, stay here and have my slaves overlook what they're doing. We can gather the remaining Dragon Balls at our leisure. Also... I want to have a record of the reaction on that idiot Piccolo's face, when he realizes his precious Namekians can't just save their miserable friends from my wrath."
"Of course, master Garlic. Is there anything else I should tell the men?"
"No. Oh and Spice?... Have Vinegar bring me a drink. I would like to celebrate."
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Author's Notes:
Expect snippets of different events going on over the next few chapters inbetween perspectives, but it will mainly focus on Gohan, Pan, and Videl. There are a good 2-3 chapters coming up like this. I'm pretty excited for them myself. Also, expect to see Goku and Chi-Chi's newest addition over the next few chapters as well.
If you're wondering who the Kai is, I'll spoil a little bit, it's not Shin, or Kibito. Expect his reveal before the end of the Saga.
I'm going to try and update The Catalyst as well, but that may be a bit longer, as my primary focus is trying to finish this Saga at the moment, but we're a fair way off. I did the math on how many chapters we may be looking at, and this Saga definitely still has legs. Perhaps as many as 7-10 remaining chapters! Expect at least one or perhaps even two chapters focusing mainly on Vegeta as well!
If anyone likes Inuyasha, I've also started another ill fated story I'm sure. It's called Being Alive and I recommend checking it out if you like the series. I've modelled the method which I write it after the Long Road (though obviously the story, characters, ect, are totally different). It's not my top priority, The Long Road is, but just giving everyone the head's up if they're interested. It'll never get more updates then TLR does.
It's about a Sesshoumaru from the future, arriving before the series starts in the past, and proceeds to totally fuck things up.
Potential Names for Goku and Chi-Chi's daughter so far:
Reku
Ren
Tenshi
Kari
Keiko
Gosei
Emiko
Chiyo
Reviewers:
ShadowLDrago: Yea, Garlic's not much of a challenge for a Super Saiyan II... at the moment.
Anonymous: It's also very hard to KO Garlic jr. As well, we've seen how badly he's been beaten by superior opponents. But all the same, Garlic didn't kill Goku anyway.
The Void Fox: Thanks for the name. I've still got them under consideration.
Tomorrow4eva: It's not so much that he's powerful, it's that he's immortal and ruthless at the moment. Just ask Vegeta.
Bigblukrew: Goku's got a big role to play in this saga, but it's so important I don't want to spoil anything. :)
Pyromania101: Garlic's got his plans sorted out. No half measures friend. Easily my favourite saga that I've come up with, I assure you.
Xdevil-childx: Thanks for the name contribution. All are still on the table!
DBZ fan the first: Thanks! :D
Guest1: If you've enjoyed the story so far, there are reasons for all of this happening. As I've spoiled, Goku isn't dead at the moment. This isn't the final saga in the story by any means, so just trust me. You've enjoyed the story so far, it'll have a satisfying conclusion to this Saga, and then down the road, the story as well. Being strongest right now, doesn't mean being strongest forever. :)
Silverhawk88: Thanks! It's on the list.
Dark Knight Shiva: Cool story bro. Lol
RedHunter87: I think I answered this one via PM. I just wanna avoid too many spoilers for future sagas, which answering this would address. But on a side note, thanks a bunch for the review! :)
asweetlilpixie: Yea, life is going alright. I hope Vegeta's moments in this chapter were enough to satiate you and all the other Vegeta fans. Vegeta's role in this saga is pretty big, and he's going to have an entire chapter dedicated to his struggle in the four part ending!
Chemestry-Deaf: Garlic doesn't just have four other demons either. This story is going to have some great fun over the next 3-5 chapters as we build up events.
VuvuzelaHero: It was meant to be epic! Garlic jr. is awesome at beating up children -.-
slimshadygirl787: Thanks for contributing. It's on the list.
CottonCandy101: It really, really does. But don't worry, his problems don't get better, they only get worse! Lol
Morisako83: Yea, I've been tempted to nickname Gohan and Videl the "Mental Well Being Team.", but it just doesn't have the right ring to it. But yea, two people who don't like one another, that both have varying degrees of post-traumatic stress disorder, and hold tons of other psychological problems, are just a great pair to put into a room together :P
Masenko56: Goku is... somewhere! Lol
G: Sorry for the wait. I'm trying to produce quality chapters that people really wanna read. Which means the production value goes up. Lol
XXXpossessedforlifeXXX: All was revealed. But don't worry, he's a lot weaker now... dun dun dunnnnnnn
MaxPain32: This saga has a huge amount to do with Videl/Gohan/Pan. If you like watching trainwrecks, its the family for you! Lol
Brelic: Thanks. But just because this is Garlic jr. now, doesn't mean there won't be Cooler later. Cooler is planned, I promise.
Daughter of Vegeta: Answered via PM.
Son Akito: Keiko was the main one from that I put on the list, as it sounds the most Goku-esque out of the list. On a side note. Thanks a bunch for the help, always appreciate it.
Ki Ai Sky: Yea, Pan is definitely the best and worst thing in Gohan's life at the moment. He'll never admit it, but he absolutely adores his daughter. I think a lot of the reason he tries to be around her and help, is he wants her to have a happier life then he had, and he realizes how badly he fucked up. Getting him to admit all of that however, well, yea. It also helps that Pan is super outgoing and kind, despite her background. He still is uncomfortable with telling her he's her actual dad, however, and for good reason.
KaosMoshPit: Have trust in Drakthul! I've not steered the story wrong so far. This saga is going to be, if I don't fuck it up and implement my vision for it, the best in the entire story.
Htimsnelak: It's on the list.
Aqua Roxas: AH! You caught it! Absolutely. Garlic jr. was first introduced to the story in Chapter 26! Very observant! :D
See you guys when Chapter 37 is done!