"Wake up!"
The words invade Gohan's dream as a sharp pain stabs his side. He opens his eyes to find a green skinned man in a turban and cape standing over him. He springs to his feet before another pointed shoe tip can kick him again.
"You don't have to be so violent about it," says Gohan.
"When you are strong enough not to get so worn out you oversleep, then I won't have to wake you up like that," says Piccolo. "Now come on. We have work to do."
Gohan follows his harsh mentor out of the cave that has become their campsite. Icarus yawns and stretches before trotting after them. They step into the dimness of the morning. Piccolo faces away from his pupil while giving instructions.
"Alright, let's try this again. It's been nearly four weeks and you still haven't gotten it right. You can't learn to harness your ki until you can sense it for yourself."
Before Gohan can react, Piccolo spins around and slaps him across the face. He lies on the ground rubbing his cheek. Piccolo stands over him with a furious stare.
"Ow, what was that for you jerk," says Gohan.
"That'll teach you to mouth off about my teachings you little smart ass," says Piccolo.
"You heard me just now? But how, I barely whispered?"
"My hearing happens to be exceptional so watch what you say."
"Yeah I'll remember that," says Gohan pressing the palm of his hand into his cheek.
"Now what's the first thing you need to do to sense ki."
"Clear my mind of unnecessary thoughts."
"But what does that mean?"
"It means letting go of my thoughts and becoming only an observer of the world around me. Don't think about the stimulations from my five senses, only experience them. Otherwise I will be distracted from the ki that flows within me and all living beings."
"Right. You can't sense anything if your mind is distracted by its own thoughts. Now begin your meditations until you can feel the life force within your body."
Gohan sits down, crosses his legs, and puts his hands together in his lap with his back to Piccolo and Icarus. He tries to sense the world around him without letting his mind judge or place any value in what his five senses report back.
The ground is tightly packed with tiny rocks poking out. Their sharp points prick through his clothes and into his skin.
Why does it have to be so uncomfortable to sit on? he thinks. Oops. I mean the ground is neither good nor bad. It's just how the soil is in this place.
The blowing wind cools his face in the hot environment.
I'm glad there's a nice breeze today. Oh, right. The air isn't too hot. This is just the normal temperature here.
Dust gets in his eyes and nose which irritates them. His eyes water and his nose aches with a burning sneeze.
This place can be so annoying. No, wait. Loose dirt is a natural part of this land. To live here means accepting it just like living at my mountain home means dealing with the annual pollen.
In the far off distance, a sabertooth tiger stalks something he cannot see.
Those are scary. I've run into one before out here, and I don't want to again. Hold on. It's just doing what it's supposed to do. Carnivores have teeth and claws so they can eat. They only use them when they need to, not to be evil.
As he comes to terms with his surroundings, other thoughts begin to intrude.
I don't care what Piccolo says. He doesn't have to be so mean about my training. I don't even want to do it anyway. I'd rather be home studying than doing this.
Hmm. I'm supposed to stay in the moment and not worry about a future that doesn't exist. I guess I can't do anything about it right now, so I shouldn't think about it.
A loud shriek and a yelp rings out.
The sabertooth caught its prey, he observes.
A small cyclone of dirt whirls before him. It pelts his face with debris.
I can feel each pebble hit my skin.
He notices a rock fall from a nearby mountain and roll along the slope.
Gravity at work.
The next thing he notices comes from within, deep from his core. He cannot assign a body part to the strange warmth he feels. It blows out like a match when his fear of the unknown sensation howls through his thoughts.
He takes a deep breath to still his mind and push back against the fear. The warmth returns.
Then he notices two other fires nearby. One rages with the ferocity of an inferno burning down a house. The other is gentle candlelight chasing away the darkness.
The waves of heat wash over him from their sources. He twists at the waist to look behind him. The terrible fire pulses from Piccolo while the benevolent one radiates from Icarus.
Other little fires pop up within his perceptive range just as stars fill a night sky in the evening. Each one emits a different intensity.
Another big force seems to be directly below him. He can feel it moving like water through the pipes of his house. But instead of a single liquid current, each drop of water contains its own source of energy.
Ants! Thousands upon thousands of ants! How small they are and yet together how mighty they feel. The world opens before him revealing itself bigger than he ever imagined and making him smaller than he initially believed. Everything that once seemed disconnected by blood and thoughts is actually connected by the same vitality. The power beating in him beats within them all.
He brings his focus back to himself. He realizes his body is like the tunnels of the ants. He is not compromised of a single life force. There are countless particles swirling about forming his being.
Gohan stands up flexing his fingers as tiny fragments that are not cells filter through his body in passages that are not veins and arteries.
"I can feel it. I can feel everything," Gohan says.
Piccolo lifts his head from his own meditations. An increased mass from the child presses against the field of his spiritual awareness like gravity between a planet and its moon.
"I think I can even sense my dad," Gohan says.
He stiffens as the sound of his father's voice fills his mind.
"Da-Daddy?"
Piccolo squints his eyes at his pupil wondering why he is talking to himself. He marches over to the child and clamps a hand to the boy's scalp.
"You're supposed to be…" he says. "Go-Goku."
After a brief conversation with his archnemesis, he struts off muttering to himself.
"Uh, sorry Mister Piccolo," says Gohan. "I didn't know my father was able to speak to me."
"Next time tell him you're busy and to only talk to you when we're done for the day. I don't need him wasting our time."
The wind blows for a moment.
"Uh, Mister Piccolo, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Make it quick."
"Why don't you and my dad get along?"
"Hasn't your father already told you our history?"
"He's told me his side, but I don't know yours."
"You-you want to hear my side?" says Piccolo. His gruff voice softens at the request.
"Yeah. Everyone has a side. And maybe we could fix the problem you two have by looking at both."
"You're way too optimistic kid. Our feud is deeply rooted in an ugly past. No amount of talking is going to resolve our differences. Bad luck has made us mortal enemies. That's it."
"Are you sure? My dad also said you want to take over the world, but you're preparing to save it," says Gohan. "I don't think you really want that or to fight my dad anymore."
"You think you know what I want now do you? I'm only fighting the Saiyans because I laid claim to this planet and won't let anyone else take it from me."
Gohan thinks for a moment.
"Hmm. I don't know. Now that I can sense your ki, it doesn't feel as scary as you look. It's angry, but it comes from a sadness underneath. Why do you think that is?"
Piccolo growls and grinds his teeth.
"Enough talking," he says. "We have training to do."
He walks off with Gohan tagging along.
"I monitored your ki during your survival training," says Piccolo moving ahead of the child.
"So you were watching me the whole time?" says Gohan. "See you are a good person. You were always there just in case."
"Don't read anything into it. I never intended to help despite what dangers you may have been in.
"But I did notice every time you were, your ki rose enough to meet the challenge. Then when the stress was removed, and your ki settled back down, it was a little higher than where it began. Basically you get more powerful the more danger you're in."
"Yeah, I've always felt a little different after each scary incident," says Gohan.
"So I'm going to put you through hell to bring it up to a respectable level," says Piccolo.
He spins around flashing a devilish smile. Gohan flinches back a step.
"You mean you're going to attack me?"
"Like I said, I'm not your friend. I'm going to come at you with intent to kill. You better do the same if you want to survive."
Piccolo slashes an arm across his body. A concussive force slams into Gohan knocking him off his feet. The child crashes onto his back. With some effort, he lifts his chin to his chest.
"Hey, ki attacks are no fair when I can't use them yet," says Gohan.
Piccolo stampedes toward him while shouting.
"Then you better learn to use them quick."
He stabs at Gohan with extended fingers and sharp nails. His target barely rolls out of the way. On his stomach, the boy pushes up to his feet. A flurry of punches and chops from Piccolo greet him.
The intentions behind each strike are clear as Piccolo's spirit bleeds into the air Gohan breathes. He chokes on the thick, humid aura of animosity blanketing him. He leaps from spot to spot trying to stay ahead of his assailant.
"Don't just run. Attack me," says Piccolo.
"I can't find an opening. You're too fast and scary."
"Don't let fear stop you. You'll die if you do."
Piccolo kicks his pupil's legs out from under him leaving him prone on the ground once more. An open palm with vicious knives of ki around each finger slices towards Gohan.
Terror cripples the boy's muscles as murderous purpose descends. With only one option left, Gohan lashes out. His mind and body join in a singular focus of self-preservation. The union catalyzes his ki causing an explosion of power.
He shoots straight up barely slipping by the ripping hand. His foot catches Piccolo's jaw knocking him backward. After flowing into a backflip, Gohan lands in a martial arts pose.
Piccolo regains his balance and rubs a knuckle under his chin. An old image from the Demon King crackles through the static of his memory. It is one of a young Goku standing in opposition of his world domination in the same stance as the child before him now.
He's more advanced than I expected, he thinks. Do all Saiyans develop this quickly?
"There it was again," says Gohan.
He lowers his ready hands to examine them.
"That power I can't control," he says.
Piccolo's eyes twinkle with ki and white lasers shoot out of them. They strike the distracted child punching him to the dirt.
"Hey you sore loser. That was a cheap shot," says Gohan. He grabs at his two injuries with each hand.
"Never let your guard down in a fight even when you think you have the upper hand. A fight is always to the death, and people will do whatever it takes to win. Now let's go again."
By the end of the night, Gohan is bruised and bloodied from head to toe. He and Piccolo sit by a fire outside the cave. A cool salve drips from his fingers. He applies it to his discolored and cut up skin.
"Thank you for the ointment Mister Piccolo. Can you show me how to make it sometime?"
"Hmph. Sure."
A moment passes.
"So Mister Piccolo, did I do good today?" says Gohan.
"What?"
"Are you proud of me? My parents always say they are proud of me when I complete my studies or material arts sessions. So did I make you proud of me?"
"Uh yeah, sure kid. You did."
Gohan smiles and continues tending to his wounds.