Some more important developments in this one! ;) Sorry if I'm taking awhile, in the process of moving so please be patient for the next few weeks.
Based on MasakoX's What If series "What if Gine went with Goku to Earth?", but a retcon with some changes of my own on how I think the story would have went down had Goku's mother escaped planet Vegeta with him.
DISCLAIMER: The following is a fan-based work of fiction. Dragonball Minus, Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball Super, and Dragonball GT are all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, and Akira Toriyama.
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CHAPTER 39: SOMETHING WORTH FIGHTING FOR
Raditz relaxed his stance upon seeing his nephew.
"Oh. Hey kiddo. Is something the matter?" He asked, wondering why the boy was out here by himself.
"No, I just... I'm just wandering around." Little Gohan answered somewhat apprehensively. He looked over his shoulder towards the woods from which he had come.
"Aren't you supposed to be at home studying or something?" Raditz inquired. He had never known his nephew to just "wander off" before, and Chi-Chi would never let her son be pried from those damned books he was always reading.
"Well, yeah, but... I wanted to get away for a while. I've been cooped up studying for so long." Little Gohan answered meekly.
"Ah." Said Raditz, sounding underwhelmed. "So your mother granted you mercy for once?" He asked half-jokingly.
"Uh..?" Little Gohan tilted his head and looked at his uncle as if he had spoken a different language. Raditz rolled his eyes at the boy's obliviousness.
"Forget it." He said. Then asked, "Does she know where you wandered off to?"
Little Gohan tapped his forefingers together and looked up at Raditz sheepishly as he spoke. "Um, well... no."
Raditz was puzzled as to how this always too diligent child let something like that slide past his overbearing mother. That wench never let the poor boy out of her sight for a moment lest she have a heart attack.
Little Gohan just stood there and fidgeted uncomfortably, his unease could easily be felt by his uncle. He looked over his shoulder again towards the woods as if afraid someone was looking for him, in the general direction of home...
"You snuck away?" Raditz asked incredulously.
The boy nodded nervously, expecting he was to be admonished. "Well, I uh... I told her I was going for a nature walk for my assignment. I-I mean, It's kinda true, since I saw some bluejays I was reading about, but... mainly I just wanted to get away." He explained.
Raditz raised an eyebrow, now truly surprised. He had always thought his nephew was obedient to a fault and he never disobeyed his mother even if his life depended on it. He could see why, for Chi-Chi was as terrifying as she was skilled in combat. No one in their right mind dared to earn her wrath for crossing her, least of all her sweet little boy.
But it seemed that Chi-Chi's grip on Little Gohan had gotten so tight that he was slipping through her fingers however he can. Even more impressive to Raditz was that the boy actually fibbed to his mother too. However small a lie it was, it must've taken courage.
"Nice." Raditz said more to himself than to Little Gohan.
"Huh?" Little Gohan asked.
"Heh. Nothing, squirt." Raditz chuckled. "I just never took you for being quite a rebel slipping away from your mother like that."
"But I'm not..." Little Gohan tried to argue that he was not rebellious at all, but couldn't deny that he had already gravely defied his mother by putting aside his studies on top of sneaking away. He was just too polite to admit it.
"I just wanted to get away, that's all!" He said defensively.
Raditz chuckled again. "Whatever you say, kiddo."
Little Gohan looked down at his feet uncertainly, but Raditz smirked. Even though his nephew can't see it, he knew that the boy had some spine afterall.
"So... what are you doing out here?" Little Gohan asked, trying to change the subject.
"Oh, nothing really, just... thinking about things." He said with a sigh, feeling it to be the long and short of the existential torment he was going through today.
"Oh." Said Gohan. Awkward silence. Then he asked, "Um... what kind of things?"
Now it was Raditz's turn to feel uncomfortable, and regretted being too honest with Little Gohan. He had just had this same conversion with the boy's great-grandfather just minutes earlier and wasn't in the mood to go through it again.
Raditz huffed out a heavy sigh. "Things you are too young to understand."
"Oh?" Little Gohan was now more interested, as if those words were an invite to an intellectual or philosophical challenge to the bright five year old. "How so?" He asked innocently.
Raditz shook his head. "It doesn't matter, I don't wanna talk about it anyway." He turned around to get back to his training, hoping his nephew would just drop the subject.
But Little Gohan persisted, "But I wanna know-"
Raditz spun around and snapped, "I said DROP IT, okay?!"
Little Gohan shrank back in fright and hurt. Raditz immediately felt bad for being short with his nephew like that.
"I'm sorry." He said pathetically. "I didn't mean to get angry."
Raditz sighed again. Despite himself already having had this talk with Grandpa Gohan, he realized that as long as he was not talking about what was truly bothering him he would never feel at ease, and ought to confess to anyone that would lend him an ear, even his nephew. It's not like I have anything better to do. He mused to himself, so he decided to humor the boy.
"I was ruminating about if I deserve to be called a good guy." Raditz said honestly.
"Huh?" Little Gohan looked back up at Raditz with a confused expression, having already forgotten about his uncle's outburst. "What do you mean? You are a good guy, right? I mean, you are helping us protect Earth against those evil Saiyans."
"It's a little more complicated than that, kid." He said plaintively. Raditz looked to Little Gohan and asked, "How much do you know about our heritage?"
"Huh? Our heritage?" Little Gohan thought for a moment. "Umm... you mean, that you, daddy, and grandma are from another planet?"
"More than that." Raditz said. "Do you know what Saiyans were? What we did as a warrior race?"
Little Gohan shook his head. "No. Grandma and dad didn't talk much about that kind of thing."
"Huh." Raditz said to himself. He figured that probably had something to do with his mother not wanting to revisit her grief over him. Him being alive all along not withstanding, he thought it was a disservice to their race for mother and Kakarot to not explain their history to the next generation. Good or bad, the boy deserved to know of their past.
"Well..." Said Raditz as he sat down in the grass to get more comfortable. "We Saiyans were a race of warriors that were known by every civilization across the galaxy."
"Really?!" Little Gohan gasped in amazement.
Raditz nodded with a reminiscent smile. "That's right. We were the strongest and most feared warriors there ever were. We conquered worlds that entire armies of lesser fighters would've fled from. But not us, we Saiyans were fearless beasts that revealed at any challenge thrown at us! And we grew stronger and more powerful with every world we conquered, no matter how much our foes outnumbered or outgunned us."
Little Gohan sat back on the grass without taking his eyes off of his uncle, listening intently to his every word as if it was a bedtime story.
"But...we were also so foolish." Raditz changed his tone from retelling the glory of the Saiyan race to a tone filled with somber remorse. "For there was a very powerful being that the Saiyans answered to, and his name was Frieza..."
Little Gohan perked up. "I know that name! Grandma mentioned him once, about how he was the guy that blew up our planet."
"I'm getting to that, now would you let me do the talking, please?" Raditz asked irritably.
Little Gohan realized his error and quieted again.
"Right. Well... anyway. Frieza was our lord and master. He was a ruthless tyrant... and a bastard." He said bitterly before continuing, ignoring that he just cursed in front of a five year-old. "He wanted everything for himself, and had other people conquer in his name, to expand his empire and rule the galaxy. We the Saiyans were his best warriors, for we loved battle, and our natural bloodlust served the emperor well to instill fear in every planet we conquered for him. We killed, we plundered, and terrorized everywhere Frieza set his eye upon and ordered us to take..."
Raditz's gaze looked past Little Gohan and beyond as he thought back to that life of carnage.
"I was a part of that, taking over worlds in the name of Frieza. I fought, I destroyed, I killed..." He said, his voice drifting off. Little Gohan's face had paled in horror.
Raditz shook his head to bring himself back to the present. "Well, anyway, I was a part of that reign of terror. As well as your grandmother, and grandfather..." Raditz thought of Bardock at that moment, of how in his mind he represented everything the Saiyan race was: fearless, ambitious, proud, and strong.
"Grandma killed and destroyed too?" Little Gohan said, his voice trembling as if he was going to cry.
Raditz never realized that his nephew had not known about that particular detail of mother's past, and he may have revealed too much already if she had not explained it Little Gohan. It shouldn't be his place to tell him that his grandmother was at one time a foot soldier like him. But it was too late now, so Raditz had to explain for her.
"She did." Raditz said carefully. Then added, "But you must understand something, kid. Living under Frieza was extremely harsh, in ways you cannot even fathom. He is the most powerful being in the universe. His rule was absolute, and the penalty for not doing his bidding was death." He involuntarily shivered at that thought. Even after getting used to the idea of rebelling against Frieza after learning the truth, the fear that the lizard tyrant instilled in him was still very strong.
Raditz continued. "No one dared to disobey him. We couldn't refuse to kill someone he wanted dead or conquer what he wanted to conquer, or else he would have killed us. It was either do as he said, or die. So, you see, your grandmother did not really have much choice in the matter, or else me and your father may not even be here, let alone spawn you."
Little Gohan was somberly silent. It was so much to take in that his grandmother had killed before, and it was even more terrifying that there existed an all powerful being that was also so very evil. His grandmother was the strongest person he knew aside from his father. How could someone be so much more powerful than them and be so bad? It shook the five year old to his core, and it went against everything his parents taught him, that bad people get what they deserved and good always wins. It hurt from just trying to make sense of this injustice. How could such pain and suffering exist on such a scale, and how could someone as loving and good as his grandmother be forced to commit murder? It was all just so wrong!
"But... why didn't the Saiyans rebel?" He asked, trying to find some amount of explanation as to how such evil could triumph. "Or anyone for that matter? If everybody hates Frieza, why didn't they all rise against him?!"
Raditz shook his head. "He's more powerful than you can possibly imagine, kid. Even if every star system in the galaxy turned against him, he could wipe them all out if he wished. No, it would have been suicide to resist him."
He shuddered when recalled glimpses of Frieza's power, how he vaporized entire legions of some of his most loyal henchmen with nothing more than a finger, all because the emperor wished it in order to set an example, and no one could (or would) stop him. To the Saiyan code of might makes right, Frieza was the superior being of all life. But it didn't mean they had to like him. Nor did Raditz realize through the instilled fear that it would be remotely possible to overthrow Frieza if enough people resisted him.
"Couldn't others have just run away, like you are here now?" Little Gohan asked.
Raditz shook his head. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. "No. Like I said: It's a lot more complicated than you think. Afterall it was sheer luck I came here at all. But I couldn't just run away, I would have been hunted down and executed for desertion. Hell, that's what the Prince and General Nappa are coming here for now: to kill me for abandoning my post."
"But... wouldn't they also know that Frieza betrayed them when he blew their home planet up?" Little Gohan pointed out.
Raditz didn't answer. He hadn't considered that before. That fateful day when he arrived six months ago, when his mother told him the truth, Vegeta overheard them talking. Then surely Vegeta must have also heard about their planet's destruction at Frieza's hands. Even if Vegeta may be coming to kill him, would they also try to desert as well? Or better yet, could they be bargained with? Perhaps that's why Vegeta was so intent on coming to kill him. Did... did that mean that Vegeta's call was a bluff? That this was their way to signal that they were coming to join in some mass desertion? Or plot together against Frieza?
"I really don't know, actually." Raditz said honestly. This opened up more things for him to think about. But he would deal with their ramifications later, he would have to talk with mother about this.
"But even if they did, it wouldn't stop them. I know Prince Vegeta, for he is a bloodthirsty egomaniac that will kill anyone that crosses his path." Raditz said gravely. "We must be ready for him, no matter what."
Little Gohan opened his mouth to protest, but said nothing and closed it.
"So..." Raditz cleared his throat. "Do you see my dilemma? I may not want to conquer anymore, but I had killed millions of people in Frieza's name in order to survive. Can I really be called a "good guy" after all that?"
Little Gohan didn't answer. He starred at the ground in silence for a long time trying to think of what to say.
"This Frieza guy..." Little Gohan said finally, "He had you conquer all these worlds like the way you described... or he'd threaten to kill you?"
"Pretty much." Raditz acknowledged, wondering why that bore repeating.
"And..." Little Gohan paused trying to get out his next words, past something he didn't want to believe. Then asked, "And grandma... had to kill too, or else she would've been killed?"
Raditz nodded sadly, his nephew was still trying to comprehend it all.
Little Gohan starred down at his feet, a hollow feeling in his chest. His uncle was right, this was indeed a subject of ethics that was beyond even his prodigious comprehension. No book Little Gohan had ever picked up ever dared to touch a moral grey area such as this, and made him wonder if there other things that there were no answers for.
He may have been too young to know how reproduction works, but was smart enough to realize that had his grandmother not did as she was ordered to do, his father and by extension he may never have been born. It was simply doing what she had to do in order to survive, as much as he hated to acknowledge the fact. Like, how could anyone sleep at night with something like that weighing on them? And he wondered how could his grandmother, the one person in his life that was the embodiment of everything good in the world aside from his father, ever look at him with a smile as she always did whenever she picked him up or played with him. Behind her loving eyes and comforting smile whenever she looked at him, how did she make peace with the fact that she had been working for a mass murderer even if she did so against her will? He didn't want to imagine that. He couldn't! And he realized he couldn't look at her the same way again.
As he just eyed his nephew trying to mentally wrestle with everything he just told him, Raditz wondered if he should've just kept everything he said to himself, but it was out of the bag now. He didn't mean to grind the kid's spirit into dust, but he felt he had to give the kid an honest dose of reality for him to understand the gravity of the situation, and the guilt on his own conscience.
The awkward silence between uncle and nephew stretched on for what felt like forever. But then Little Gohan looked to Raditz with... understanding?
"That doesn't change anything with grandma." Little Gohan said. "She is the nicest person in the whole universe. She would never hurt anyone, and if she was forced to... that doesn't change the fact that deep down she would never want to hurt at all. I mean, if I was forced to do something I didn't want to do, but if someone threatened to kill me if I don't, it doesn't mean I have to like it. And I'm sure you felt that way too, right?"
Raditz's eyes widened. Although Raditz neglected to mention that there were times he did enjoy killing, he hated even more being forced to do Frieza's bidding above all else, so he was more or less right.
"You were forced into a life you had no control over. I don't think anyone can judge you for doing what you had to do. It wouldn't be fair. So..." Little Gohan smiled. "I think you are a good guy, Uncle Raditz."
Raditz was amazed. This boy came to the same conclusion as his great-grandfather did that he wasn't a bad guy afterall? It was hard to believe, but that could have been Raditz's own pessimism about himself. But he had to admit that the boy was indeed quite brilliant. Perhaps there was some truth to the matter if this pure innocent child and wise old man could see past his bloody history.
Raditz gave his nephew a crooked, but genuine smile. "Thanks kiddo. That means a lot."
Little Gohan was taken aback that he had helped his uncle with such a grown up problem, and gave a simple "You're welcome, I guess."
It elicited a chuckle from Raditz, the boy was polite to the end.
"And we'll be ready for the Saiyans. I know we will, for I don't think grandma would ever want to go back to that life! Not with my daddy by her side, and he's the strongest there is! He's gonna beat that prince guy up!" His nephew declared.
Raditz laughed at the thought of Vegeta getting his ass handed to him by the likes of Kakarot.
"I'm pretty sure she'll do everything in her power to stop Vegeta and Nappa." Said Raditz after he collected himself. Then said, "Though she is going to need all the help she can get."
At that, Little Gohan looked to his feet as if guilty. Raditz saw this and asked, "What?"
"Well... It's just... I dunno, I just wish I could help... if I weren't so... weak and... scared." Little Gohan said sadly.
Raditz was confused, but then realized what his nephew meant. "You mean, you wish you could fight?"
Little Gohan nodded ruefully. "Yeah, but... you saw what happened when I trained with grandma. How... how terrible I was."
Raditz pondered for a moment, thinking back to that scuffle that landed Chi-Chi in the hospital.
"Are you kidding? You aren't weak at all!" Raditz said.
"Huh?" Said a confused Little Gohan.
"You have a power within you, Gohan." Said Raditz. "You were able to overpower your grandmother for a moment when you were pushed far enough. You do have the potential to get stronger if you wish."
"I do?" Little Gohan couldn't believe it.
"Yes!" Said Raditz. "I saw it myself that day when you and your grandmother fought. I believe that with a little training, you can get stronger too!"
Raditz realized he was giving the same advise to his nephew as his own mother had given him when they started training nearly six months ago. It finally occurred to him just how true her words of wisdom really were.
"But... it can't be. I wasn't strong enough to fight grandma." Little Gohan protested.
"Well, your basic combat skills are... okay, yeah, they are pretty abysmal. BUT..." Raditz held up a finger so as to not discourage Little Gohan. "I can teach you how to fight better if you want me too."
Little Gohan was wide-eyed. "You'd... you'd teach me?"
"Of course!" Said Raditz with a smile. "You're my nephew afterall. And like I said, we are going to need all the help we can get to fight Vegeta and Nappa."
Little Gohan looked back in the direction of home, then protested profusely. "B-but... Uncle Raditz, we can't! Mom forbid me from training!"
Raditz grinned wickedly when an idea came to mind. "Well... I suppose what she doesn't know won't hurt."
"What do you mean?" Little Gohan asked.
"I mean, we could train in secret." Raditz said with a wink. "You could sneak away whenever she isn't looking then you and I can go run off into the woods where I'll show you how to fight like a real warrior."
Little Gohan seemed to panic at the idea. "But I can't! I can't disobey her like that! What if I get caught?! I'll get in so much trouble!"
"Oh, but you are already in so much trouble. You snuck away just to be out here already, remember?" Raditz cheekily pointed out. "She'd punish you if she ever found out, so you may as well make the most of your opportunity, right?"
"But... but..." His nephew tried to think of a counterargument, but couldn't. He had indeed already crossed the line by disobeying his mother, so why not go all the way and do what he wanted to do? He'll be in just as much trouble if he snuck out once or a million times.
Raditz smirked. It seemed like his nephew's resolution to not rebel was breaking, but then he heard Little Gohan making choking sounds. He was crying softly.
"What now?" He asked.
"I..." Little Gohan choked out between hiccups of tears.
"What?" Raditz asked again impatiently. Little Gohan looked up with tears streaming down his eyes.
"I... I don't want to hurt people though." He said finally, almost sobbing. "I almost killed my mom when I last trained. What if... what if something else bad happens? And... what if... what if..." He couldn't get out the last part. When he did, he almost broke down entirely. "What if I kill someone? Or... I don't wanna kill anyone!" He wailed.
Despite the repulsive show of weakness, Raditz felt an unfamiliar ache in his heart at hearing his nephew's fears. After what they had talked about only minutes ago about how he hated having been forced into a life of killing, he understood what Little Gohan was feeling. He didn't want to be forced to take another life just as Raditz did, and Little Gohan's guilt for almost killing his mother was very real even if it wasn't his fault.
But he shouldn't have much to worry about though, Raditz thought. The boy was not going to be trained to kill innocent people as Raditz himself was. He supposed the thought of killing anyone, even someone as evil and deserving of death like Vegeta or Nappa, tore at the boy. He had a heart as kind and gentle as Launch or his mother did, and it pained Raditz to think of the anguish if visited upon either of them if they were ever had been faced with such a dire choice. They were like kindred spirits in a way. Truly gentle souls with more strength than they realized...
Raditz understood the threat though, and the reluctance to not harm those who deserved it was a naïve notion that would have to be put to rest. So Raditz took a deep breathe and knelt down to Little Gohan's level to look him in the eye.
"I know, squirt." Raditz said softly, he gently placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I don't want to kill anyone as much as you do. But sometimes we have to do what we have to do if we want to survive. Right? Isn't that just what we talked about?"
Little Gohan's crying softened to sniffles, but he didn't answer.
"Look at me." Raditz commanded. Little Gohan wiped away the tears and snot and looked up at his uncle.
"You need to understand what we are up against, kid." Raditz said as somberly and serious as he could, not taking his unblinking gaze off of his nephew's eyes. "I know Prince Vegeta and General Nappa. They are ruthless murderers without conscience. I have seen them slaughter millions upon millions of innocent people in cold blood. Men, women, children, you name it. They did so without hesitation, and even took pride in the pain and suffering they caused. They cannot be bargained or reasoned with, and they will not hesitate to kill you, your mother, your father, your grandmother, and everyone else you care about, then destroy this entire planet if they have their way."
Little Gohan's eyes grew wide in horror at Raditz words. The idea of losing everything and everyone he loved was too terrible for the five-year old to imagine. It filled him him with so much fear and despair that he wanted to cry out, but Raditz gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he continued.
"I understand you don't want to cause pain to others. I do. But sometimes the only to stop those who wish us harm is to respond accordingly. Like you and your great-grandfather told me: It's not a sin to do what you have to do if you want to live to see another day..." Said Raditz, the truth of such statements sinking in for him as well.
"I am not asking you to face the Saiyans yourself, kid. What I am saying is that we are going to need all the help we can get if we want any chance to beat them, and you could be of great help if you were alongside us when the time arises. So, I will teach you how to be a better fighter if you wish. We can go out into the woods together and we'll be far enough away to not hurt anyone if something happens. That way, we will all have the best chance at defeating them."
Little Gohan was silent, and looked blankly down at the ground as he considered his uncle's words. Raditz didn't feel the need to push his nephew for an answer. This was a very big decision for the boy to make, so he let him take his time. An earnest heart to heart was the best thing to do if get him to consider joining the fight. But that is a choice his nephew must make himself, and Raditz would respect whatever he decided on.
"My mom said I was gonna grow up to be a brilliant scientist one day." Little Gohan said remorsefully.
Raditz raised an eyebrow, not expecting this serious conversation to take such a turn. But went with it. "Umm... is that what you really want?"
"Yes!" Little Gohan answered. Then hesitantly added, "But... I wanna be able to... I don't know how I can if I become a fighter."
"Who says you can't do both?" Raditz asked, almost in relief if this was what the boy's last biggest hurdle was to do what he had to do. He added, "If you want to become something you want in times of peace, then you have to be ready to do battle to protect your future."
His nephew's small tail wavered behind him uncertainly. "But still... what if mom finds out?"
Raditz smiled sadly. "No disrespect to your mother kid, but there are bigger things happening here than for her to worry about whether you finish your homework or not. If she does, then she can take it up with me. Worse case scenario, you are grounded until after the world is saved or until we fail and we all die. I think she would understand..." At least I hope she would, Raditz thought warily. That woman can be blindingly stubborn. "And in the end, ask yourself what's more important: listening to her? Or saving the world?"
Little Gohan stood there for a long time as he chewed over his decision. He didn't like any of this one bit, a situation with no desirable means to get to what he wanted. He didn't want to hurt other people, it was wrong to do so, no matter how dangerous they were. But... he thought of his mother dying in pain and him helpless to stop it. Such an image in his mind was enough to make him shudder in grief, but what stuck most was that it was up to him to decide if he would help try to prevent that or not.
Would he simply stand aside and not do anything from now until the Saiyans arrived, obediently doing his homework until they took away everything he held dear because of his own cowardice? Or... would he face his fears, get stronger, and have the power to make a difference, no matter how small?
It was hard for him to make the choice not just because of facing fear, but coming to accept that sometimes his infallible mother that always set what was right and what was rule, could sometimes be wrong. And what Little Gohan knew and took to heart as any prospective scholar should, was that nothing was infallible. Things and people could be wrong, and we all must change things accordingly to build to a better world. And so, he would have to rebel if he wanted to there to be a world...
It's not a sin to do what you have to do if you want to live to see another day... The words echoed in Little Gohan's mind. In that moment, the five-year old half-Saiyan realized that if he wanted to live to see the day where he graduated college and become the professor he wanted to be, and finally make his mother proud of him, then he would do what he would have to do. It was something worth fighting for. Like any homework problem, he had to work through it to solve it. And if it required a little pain, be it mental, physical, or the wrath from his mother for subverting her authority, then so be it. In the end, she would proud of him...
With that rationalization that forever altered the young hybrid's view of the world, Little Gohan looked up at his uncle with determination in his eyes.
"Okay." Said Little Gohan.
Raditz beamed at his nephew with pride, feeling like a true uncle. "Attaboy!"
"But we have to make sure she doesn't find out!" Little Gohan demanded. "We can't tell anyone what we are doing. Not grandma, not Krillin, not Yamcha, not anyone! If she hears from anyone else, or even suspects that I'm disobeying her, she'll lock me in the house for good!"
"Don't worry, kiddo. It'll be our little secret." Raditz said with a wink.
"Right. Well..." Little Gohan pondered for a minute. "Now we just need to come up with a plan about how I will sneak away, then figure out a good place and time to start training."
Raditz looked around him, then up at the sun. It was mid-afternoon so it wasn't quite yet time to head back home. So he said, "How about here and now?"
"Huh?!" Little Gohan said with surprise.
"Why not? No time like the present. And we can figure out the rest later." Raditz explained.
"But-"
Raditz held up his hand. "Don't overthink it, kid. You're smart, so I'm sure you'll figure out how to sneak out again. In the meantime, I suggest we take the opportunity to make the most of our time out here."
Little Gohan was going to say something, then looked back to the direction of home then back to his uncle. Slowly, and against his reluctance, a smile formed on the boy's face.
"Alright." He said. "Why not?"
"That's the spirit!" Raditz said with a wide grin and fist pump.
"Well, how about we get started with the basics." The tall Saiyan said as he crouched into his normal defensive stance. "Go ahead and attack me and I'll see what you can do. If I find something wrong, I'll give you a few pointers."
"Okay!" Little Gohan said enthusiastically. Already he was warming up to the idea of sparing with his uncle if he was being this encouraging with him, not like the horrid last match he had against his impatient grandmother.
Little Gohan got down into a stance mimicking his uncle's, but Raditz spoke up.
"Don't leave yourself too open like that if you are going to attack me. Close up your arms so you can better keep your torso protected." He said, noting how his nephew was making the same mistakes as he himself did in his first match against his mother.
Little Gohan made the corrections, then Raditz nodded his approval. "Okay. Go ahead and come at me when you are ready."
Nephew and uncle eyed each other seriously for a few long moments as Little Gohan gathered his strength. Then in a yell, he charged after Raditz.
He met the boy with expert blocking, but not too fast for him to not see what he was doing. It wasn't long before he saw an opening and landed a punch into his nephew's side that sent the small statured hybrid flying away and crashing into the grass.
"OW! THAT HURT!" Little Gohan wailed. His face was red with pain and looked like he was about to cry.
"You left your ribs open for me to land a blow. You need to always be vigilant about your stance if you don't want to get caught off guard." Raditz explained.
The pain was very intense for the boy and was about to start wailing when Raditz suddenly said, "Don't cry."
Little Gohan looked up at his uncle with more hurt than before. How could he be so cruel?! "BUT WHY?! YOU HURT ME!"
As calmly as he could muster, Raditz stood where he was and crossed his arms as he spoke. "Pain is part of the training, it's weakness leaving the body. If you want to toughen up and get stronger, then you'll need to deal with the pain inflicted upon you. I know it isn't pleasant, but you need to suck it up and keep going. Because your enemies won't stop to wait for you to recover like I am now. So wipe your eyes and get up."
Little Gohan hated this. It was traumatic enough last time to be pushed beyond his limits by his grandmother, but having to be reminded that the fact that he is being allowed time to stand at all was as easy as it was going to get made him realize this was going to be a lot harder than he thought. But, unlike last time, he won't just break down and give up. His uncle is being more patient with him than his grandmother was. But most importantly, he knew the consequences if he should fail. He cannot, so he won't.
"O-okay..." Little Gohan said between hiccups, and forced himself to stop. He found it easier to do so when it was out of necessity to stay quiet and not be heard out of fear of being discovered by his mother across the valley than out of being chided.
He wiped away his tears and slowly got back to his feet, now more determined to soldier on.
"A true warrior always gets back up no matter how beaten down he is." Raditz said with a proud smile at seeing Gohan get back up.
Little Gohan brushed himself off and crouched back into the same attack stance as before, but in the corrected manner as Raditz had pointed out.
"Then I won't let you down, Uncle Raditz!" Said the boy, his eyes narrowed into determined frowns.
Raditz's smile grew even wider. "You are well on your way to becoming one."
He crouched back into stance again. "Whenever you're ready, kiddo."
Little Gohan charged again, this time he surprisingly lasted much longer before Raditz found an opening to repeal him. Again, the boy courageously fought back tears and got back up, dirtier but undeterred before charging. During the fight, Little Gohan thought of how fun it was to spar with his uncle, something he had never had the chance to do before...
"GOHAN!" The sound of Chi-Chi's voice echoing from the direction of home made them both freeze in terror. Had they been caught?!
Chi-Chi called out again. "GOHAN! COME HOME! IT'S TIME FOR YOUR PARTY!"
Little Gohan's eyes bulged. "Oh, that's right! It's my birthday!"
He turned to Uncle Raditz. "Quick! Let's get home!"
Before they could make their way back, Little Gohan skidded to a stop again and turned to Uncle Raditz. "Remember: Not a word to anyone! Right?!"
Raditz jokingly pulled an imaginary zipper over his lips and chuckled. "Lips are sealed, kid."
"Good!" Little Gohan sighed in relief, then sprinted off in the direction of home with Raditz following after him...
A/N: Sorry if this seemed shorter than usual, wanted to get something out before I started the moving process so I don't leave you all hanging for a too long of a time. Plus I thought this chapter was a nice emotional addition by itself. Anyway, see you all soon!