Review Responses:
To Ushindi: Goku might not...I'm still working on that.
And Videl is gonna still be a fighter through and through. She's not gonna end up like what Toriyama does to female characters who fall in love and get married.
That's all for now. On with the show!
Last time on Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL, our hero took a mighty step towards the next part of his life. Thanks to a certain crime fighter, Gohan spent a day relaxing and enjoying his time with his classmates. But it wasn't until Videl, daughter of Mr. Hercule Satan, went to his house and met his family that their friendship had officially begun. What will happen next in the life of Son Gohan? Find out, now!
Son Household, Mount Paozu, Age 774
Gohan once again was in his room, in a deep slumber. Within his imagination came a dream, instead of the usual nightmare about the Cell Games.
There he stood floating while having a white outline as if he was from a place out of time.
Here, he watched an all-out war on a distant primitive planet between six individuals, and the rest of the population. For a while, he had no idea who they were…
...That was until the hybrid saw the familiar furry rope dancing from their backsides.
'Are these Saiyans? A revolt on Planet Vegeta? No...this can't be Planet Vegeta. What is this war?'
Within the war five pure-hearted Saiyans fought near a particularwarrior who burned in a bright crimson that was taking down hundreds of thousands of the savage Saiyans.
However, things turned south when the red-haired Saiyan changed back to his normal state. And from there, he was jumped and brutally murdered.
'No! These monsters are callous! Damn them!' Gohan thought to himself, gritting his teeth.
A flash came blinding Gohan while the sound of an animalistic roar shook the entire space.
Gohan covered his eyes, not being able to see until he was greeted with a pair of bright red eyes that belonged to a giant golden monkey.
Before he could speak, Gohan was consumed by the golden monkey causing him to jolt up, covered in sweat.
"Ah!" Gohan gasped. "Uh...what was that?"
Gohan sat in his bed, then turned to his clock to see that it was four in the morning.
"...I can't go back to sleep now. Maybe Master Piccolo can help me."
For the next few hours, Gohan did his chores, made breakfast early for his family, then did his daily stretches before flying off while searching for his teacher's ki.
Kami's Lookout, Heavenly Realm, Age 774
Two Namekians were standing on the lookout.
One was a young Namekian who donned a white robe with a blue-collar. On the robe, he had a red-colored kanji that translated as "Deity". He wore dark blue shoes as well.
This was Dende, the Guardian of the Earth.
The other one was more tall, mature, and the peak of his brethren. He wore a dark purplish-blue gi, pointy orange shoes, and sky blue obi. He also had on a white turban with a dark purplish-blue top and a white cape along with it.
This here was Piccolo, or Ma Junior, former-enemy-turned-ally of the Dragon Team and teacher of Son Gohan.
The older Namekian stood towards the edge of the Lookout, quiet as one could be.
Both Namekians then sensed a huge, yet familiar Battle Power approaching the Lookout as he revealed himself.
Landing on the floor of the Lookout was Gohan, wearing the same colored gi and shoes with a red-colored obi that his master had worn. Only lacking a cape and turban.
"Dende, it's great to see you!"
Dende, holding his staff, turned to see his old friend, saying, "Gohan! It's been a while, old friend."
Gohan walked up to the younger Namek and gave him a friendly hug.
"What are you doing here, Gohan? Are you here to train again?" The Guardian of the Earth questioned.
Gohan answered, "Yeah, I am. But first, I actually wanted to talk to you and Master Piccolo."
Piccolo, picking up on the conversation, levitated toward the two. He started at Gohan, looking from his feet up to the top.
"...Hmph. I see that you haven't been slacking off these past several years. Although you're suppressing it, your Battle Power seems to have grown since the last time we sparred. That's good. Training assessment aside, what can we do for you, kid?" Piccolo asked with his arms folded.
Gohan asked, "Well...I was hoping if we can actually training in the Time Chamber for about an hour."
Dende and Piccolo stared at each other, then turned back to Gohan.
"Sure thing, Gohan," Dende said, before noticing an odd look on Gohan's face.
Piccolo, knowing his student more than arguably Gohan's own father, asked, "You're troubled. What's wrong?"
"O-Oh, sorry guys," Gohan apologized, yawning. "I was up early all morning. I had a very odd dream. Now that I think about it, it felt more like a vision."
"So it's not that usual nightmare, right?" Piccolo asked rather carefully.
Gohan shook his head negatively, reassuring his teacher that it wasn't the case.
"What was the vision about, if you don't mind me asking?" Dende inquired.
Gohan then spoke about his dream about the war within a planet filled with Saiyans and the fall of the Saiyan surrounded by red power. He also gave out details on how he saw a giant golden monkey on the verge of devouring him before awakening.
'...A Saiyan with odd red energy and red hair?' Piccolo questioned mentally. 'Golden Oozaru form? This is bizarre. Why is Gohan receiving these visions? Where are they coming from? ...Perhaps there is something more to this. We'll just have to wait and see.'
"Hm...You said that there was a war on this planet with Saiyans involved, right?" Dende asked Gohan.
"Yeah, it was a planet filled with Saiyans against six individual Saiyans revolting against them," The hybrid responded. "One of them had this burning fiery aura with red hair. He was very powerful too. Unfortunately, he lost that state out of nowhere and was killed by the Saiyans as a result,"
Piccolo scowled, saying, "Typical,"
"I see…" The guardian of Earth stated grimly before asking a few more questions. "Why would something like this appear to you in a dream? What could have you been up to that would have triggered this?"
Gohan thought back to last month where Vegeta had been teaching him about his heritage and culture as a part of the Saiyan race. That took him back to the legend surrounding the Super Saiyan.
...The legend! That's it!
"Wait, I think it was back when I spoke to Vegeta about the early days of the Saiyans. I wanted to know more about myself, particularly about what it means to be a Saiyan. One of the topics that were discussed pertaining to the legend of the Super Saiyan."
Dende nodded silently with his face donned a moment of realization. Piccolo read the young Namekian's body language and face very well, being a judge of character.
"You know something, do you?" Piccolo asked, eyeing the young guardian.
Gohan turned to him, saying, "Dende?"
Dende then turned to Gohan, saying, "My people have been accumulating ancient texts of other races for many ages. The elders decided to keep these texts in a Book of Legends that the Namekian Elders can have access to. That's actually how we knew about Saiyans, for we have been in contact with them once before in the distant past. Additionally, when the Grand Elder was still alive, he told us stories about a similar war you depicted in your dream with a bit more context. My memory is still fuzzy, so I may not have the full details I'm afraid..."
"No, no! It's fine, Dende," Gohan reassured. "Tell me what you know, please."
Dende nodded, explaining, "From what I recall as a youngling, the Grand Elder spoke of a war on a distant planet where the Ancient Saiyans of Old had resided. From there, a civil war broke out between the entirety of the race who harbored malice and the innate desire for conquest and six other Saiyans that found a brighter and peaceful path in life. I cannot tell you the details of the war, unfortunately, as I do not remember them."
Piccolo, "Hmph. It sounds to me that the other six Saiyans decided to take matters into their own hands. Possibly seeking to destroy the evil Saiyans."
"That may be the case," Dende theorized. "Regardless, the war had raged on. Somehow, one of the individual Saiyans who fought against the evil ones obtained a level of power indescribable to anybody that laid upon it. This power was believed to be what the descendants would later be of the Legendary Super Saiyan. However, the Grand Elder did not describe the appearance of the transformation."
Gohan then said, "Ah… So I cannot know for sure what the red-haired Saiyan was because it definitely wasn't a Super Saiyan. Let's forget about that part now. What about the Golden Oozaru? Was that mentioned?"
"That's the thing though, Gohan," Dende spoke. "We can't forget about that transformation. Because the Grand Elder told us another story about the Saiyans right after this one."
"What!?" Piccolo and Gohan shouted.
"That's right. This story is similar to the last. I don't recall when it took place, I think the Elder said it happened a thousand years ago. Regardless, a war similar to what I spoke of prior had been waged. I also don't exactly know for sure where the war was but I do know that Saiyans were involved. Anyways, an Ancient Saiyan was thrown into a fit of rage. Upon looking at the full moon while reaching a remarkable level of power, he transformed into a ferocious beast with golden hair and blood-red eyes. Its power was respected and feared amongst its enemies and comrades alike."
"...Just like what Vegeta described. ...But at the same time, that doesn't make any sense. How can something like this exist where we only have one legend?" Gohan said, frustrated at the confusion.
Piccolo intervened, saying, "What Dende is trying to say, Gohan, is that the legend surrounding the Super Saiyan has been miscommunicated. It is possibly derived from two separate legends that have been retold for so long, it had been into a single narrative, sprinkled with misconceptions to enhance the story. Kind of like how ignorant Earthlings speak of the Dragon Balls without actually knowing how they work."
"Huh...I never thought about it that way before," Gohan admitted, scratching his head.
Dende reassured, "It's fine, Gohan. I may not know the whole tale, but perhaps Sheron can help you. I recommend you find the Dragon Balls and ask him about the Golden Oozaru whenever you have free time. He may have the answers that you seek."
"But until then, it's time that I see the full extent of your progression," Piccolo said with no room for arguing. "Let's see if you still have the spirit of a warrior."
Gohan firmly nodded, then turned to Dende.
"I'll see you in an hour. Thanks again for the information, Dende!"
"It's not a problem, Gohan! You two have fun!" The young guardian says, watching Piccolo and Gohan enter the Time Chamber.
-Time Skip, Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Forty-Five Minutes Later-
Dende, with the help of Mr. Popo, who had returned from an errand he had to run, set the Time Chamber to the setting of roughly having over fifteen days worth of training time occurring in an hour in real-time.
During the first six days, the older Namekian and Gohan started off with mental drills through Image Training by linking their minds together.
From there, the polarizing fluctuating temperatures surround their bodies. This would have been affecting them if it not had been for their Battle Power protecting them from freezing or burning.
Through their training, Gohan and Piccolo exchanged blows while moving at incredible speeds. The sensation of this spar causes dust and winds to kick around the sitting pair.
As mental Image Training came to a close, the two stood up and took their stances.
Gohan flew forward in base form towards his master, throwing hooks and cross punches which Piccolo dodged and blocked. Piccolo started throwing a few roundhouses, which Gohan then tilted his head around to move away from it.
Gohan spins for a kick to Piccolo's head, but Piccolo jumps three feet away while stretching his arm to grab Gohan's ankle. Getting a hold of him, Piccolo slammed Gohan from one side of the void to the other, making Gohan gasp in pain.
Seeing where this was going, the half-Saiyan chopped Piccolo's left arm with his right hand and sprung into the air while backflipping away from the Super Namekian's reach.
Piccolo regrew his left arm, smirking at his student with pride.
"Not too shabby, kid. It's safe to say that you've come far from being that whiny brat who didn't even know how to dodge." Piccolo compliment.
Gohan, also smiling, said, "Well, I had an excellent master to thank for that. But let's be honest. This is only a warm-up."
"Hmph. Glad to see you know me well," The former Demon King said as he took off his turban and cape, causing to impact the ground with a loud crash. "Now, let's get serious!"
Taking a horse stance, Piccolo flexed his muscles and charged his Battle Power with his white ki surging.
Gohan stared at his teacher and long-time friend in shock at the power Piccolo had acquired over the years.
'Woah! Piccolo's power is incredible! He's twice as powerful as Cell's Perfect form seven years ago!' Gohan took the same stance.
Taking a deep breath, Gohan screams powerfully, turning into a Super Saiyan at its peak mastered state.
When the two finished powering up, Gohan and Piccolo clashed with their fists, shaking the void. The fierceness in their eyes made it present as the fight continued.
Disappearing out of sight, the two blurred about in the space. Moving at seemingly unreadable speeds, the two made critical blows at they fought for dominance, causing the floor to crack while lightning crackled in the floor.
Following the fight in mid-air, Gohan and Piccolo started exchanging blows. Piccolo took a knee to a midsection, only for Gohan's ribs to be kicked by one of the Namekian's legs. Attack like that continued for thirty seconds until Gohan seemingly threw a punch that Piccolo was prepared to dodge only, for that to be a visual copy of himself while Gohan himself disappeared.
'Damn! Afterimage Technique!'
Piccolo sensed Gohan, but he was fast enough to evade the powerful dropkick to his back, sensing him into the ground in a large impact.
'Now's my chance!' Gohan shouted in his mind.
Raising his arms over his head, Gohan placed one hand over the other as it charged yellow lightning-like ki on it.
"MASENKOOO...!" Gohan spoke before shooting the ki attack at full blast. "HA!"
Piccolo got up and saw the charged attack heading his way. Fortunately, Piccolo extended his palms forward, then pushed the blast skywards. This forced Gohan to move out of the way, Gohan watched as the blast hit the invisible barrier in a bright explosion.
From there, Piccolo created four other clones that blitzed Gohan skyward. The clones forced Gohan to be on the defensive, blocking and dodging as the real Piccolo placed two fingers from his left hand on his forehead, charging lightning yellow-purple like ki from his white fingernails.
For about two minutes, Gohan dodged and weaved through the Piccolo clones as a way to train his reflexes until he had enough. Flexing his ki, Gohan expanded the golden aura to blow the clones back enough that they returned to the real Piccolo.
Gohan, turning towards the Namek who was rising in power, though, '...Not good!'
"MAKANKŌSAPPŌ!" Piccolo cried out, shooting a spiraling beam of yellow and purple malicious ki.
Bringing his palms together while crouching on his right side, Gohan quickly extended his arms and palms outwards and shot a Kamehameha Wave at the other beam, causing a colorful explosion that shook everything.
As the smoke was still in the air, both fighters reacted until the smoke settled. This revealed Gohan and Piccolo having their fists pointed at each other's faces.
Neither of them seemed to back out from each other with both of them not blinking once, for they knew that in a battle that could cost them their life.
Piccolo smirked, taking his fist away from Gohan's face, saying, "...Well done, kid. You've still got that warrior spirit inside."
"Thank you, Master Piccolo," Gohan said, taking his fist away from Piccolo's face, and bowing to him.
Gohan left the Time Chamber once the time was up. He spent a bit more time with Dende and Piccolo, talking and meditating until Gohan left to go back home.
Eastern District, Mount Paozu, Age 774
Son Goten was much like his father. Goku in more ways than one. Aside from the usual large appetite and hair, he had a curious streak and loved to explore the area that was around him
Much like his older brother, Goten took his time to wander about to see what the area had to offer.
His mother gave him permission to go outside at his leisure around the area of their family home.
The little boy, wearing his gi that was similar to his father's uniform, was sitting on top of a tree stump, thinking about his brother.
'Hm...Big brother has been really sad lately. Mommy says it will be okay, but I can't just do nothing. What can I do?'
For a seven-year-old. Goten was very observant when it comes to emotions and how people think. If the tension was filling the air, the half-Saiyan could tell and use his innate positively to cut through it like a seasoned swordsman.
Just then, Goten had a bright idea.
"Ooo! I know! Maybe I can find a lizard for him! Maybe that can work!"
Jumping off of the stump and running off, Goten ran through the trees and bushes. After five minutes of high-speed ki-enhanced running, Goten found himself close to the rocky area of the mountain where animals and plateaus are seen.
Recognizing where he was, Goten began his search for large species of small mountain lizards. He searched for about an hour until a growl escaped from his stomach.
"...My tummy's hungry." He pouted
Looking around, Goten searches for anything that could be used to feed his Saiyan hunger. Fortunately for Goten, he found an apple tree three feet away. Springing into the air and landed in the tree.
From there, Goten shook the tree hard enough for the red fruits to tumble down from the tree. About ten large apples landed on the ground for the half Saiyans' pick.
"Sorry, Mr. Tree. I'm really hungry. I promise to plant more trees for you." Goten apologized before hopping back down to the ground.
For fifteen minutes, Goten took his time to carefully devour the juice red fruit, Turning apples into cores that he discarded.
"Mmm~! Yummy, yummy, in my tummy!"
Finishing his snack, Goten took his time to take the seeds from the cores of the apples and bury them into the ground.
While Goten did this, a large dinosaur native to Mount Paozu stalked nearby, searching for easy prey. The scared green beast sniffed the air, locking on a certain little boy's scent.
The carnivorous reptile's eyes dilated, its mouth salivating from its hunger.
It knows what it craves.
And now Goten was on its menu for lunch.
Goten was just about finished planting apple seeds when he felt the ground shake.
'Wah! W-What's going on!? Is this one of those earthquakes Mommy's teaching me about?'
Goten got up and turned around to see a giant Paozusaurus roaring in his direction, opening its massive salivating maw and revealing its sharp teeth.
"AHHHH!" Screamed Goten, making him immediately run away for his life.
Run!
That's the only thing the half-Saiyan could think and do. His small legs may hold a disadvantage, but his ability to use ki increased his speed enough to stay a few feet ahead of the charging beast.
"HELP! SOMEBODY! PLEASE!" Goten shouted.
Goten would have kept running if he didn't trip on a stone. The mini-Goku fumbled and fell down, now being at the mercy of Paozusaurus that opened his mouth.
Shedding fearful tears, Goten screamed, "WAAAAH! GOHAAAAAN!"
Before the dinosaur could take a bite out of the little hybrid, the Paozusaurus' mouth stopped to a halt.
Goten, who had his face covered in a fetal position, turned to see the back of his older brother holding the mouth of the beast.
What interested the young boy was the long brown appendage that had punctured a hole in Gohan's pants, hanging out.
Gohan, who had come to Goten's rescue, felt a primal instinct, the need to protect Goten. The adrenaline, the fear, and the rage all mixed and churned inside the teen as he recognized who Gohan was attacking.
Gohan pushed the Paozusaurus back, then turned to Goten.
"Are you hurt?"
Goten shook his head quickly.
"Good, let me take it from here."
The Paozusaurus, getting up from his daze, roared in anger and attempted to charge at Gohan with its jaw open. Gohan simply flashed an innocent blank smile.
The giant dinosaur, upon having a flashback to its tail being cut off quickly made a breaking stop as it knew who Gohan was.
The beast started to sweat bullets with Gohan taking slow steps. Cocking his fist back, Gohan sent the dinosaur flying toward a small boulder, shattering the rock upon impact and knocking the scarred dinosaur unconscious.
Goten ran up to his brother, embracing him as he cried onto his chest.
"Big brother, I'm sorry! I-I-I-I was trying to find you a lizard, then I got hungry, so I ate some apple, a-aand–" Goten sobbed before being softly shushed by Gohan.
"Shhh… It's okay buddy," Gohan said with a comforting tone, holding his little brother. "I'm here now. I'm sorry, I should have been out here with you. Goten, I promise that I will do better to protect you as long as I'm still breathing."
The two shared a moment for a few minutes until Goten calmed down. Once that was done, Goten hopped down.
Looking elsewhere, he asked, "Hey, Big brother. What's that furry brown rope sticking out over there?"
A questioning experience formed on Gohan's appeared as he asked, "...Furry rope? I can't say that I follow. What do you mean, Goten?"
Goten then walked behind Gohan and grabbed the extra appendage gently.
"Then what's this?" Goten innocently questioned.
Gohan began to freak out, screaming "...Ah! M-M-My tail grew back!?"
The older half Saiyan didn't know what to make of it. His tail had suddenly come back, fully grown at that. It was there! Right where Goten held it! He didn't know what to say or what to do
But he knew this day going forward that things were about to get more complicated.
"Wow, that looks cool! I didn't know you had a tail!" Goten gushed before yanking it.
"GAAAH!" Gohan yelped comically, staggering to the floor.
Goten immediately retracted his hand from the tail while silently saying, "Oops. Sorry, Gohan. I didn't mean it."
Gohan eventually got up while lecturing to his younger brother the basics of a Saiyan's tail, including the weakness behind having a tail.
"Okay, I think I understand now," Goten nodded. "But how come Trunks and I weren't born with one but you were?"
"Maybe because it's very rare for half Saiyans. I'm not sure… That's something that I have to research." Gohan said, scratching his head.
"Are you going to get rid of it? I don't think Mommy would be very happy about you having one."
Gohan remained silent for a moment.
'Should I get rid of it? I mean, it could be a weakness given how it can be grabbed. I would need to sleep early once a month during the full moon. Not to mention Videl would definitely notice given that Saiyaman and I would happen to share another thing in common. Yet, Raditz did point out how important it is to keep your tail... especially considering what I learned about the Super Saiyan legend.'
Turning to Goten, he says, "You know what, I plan on keeping it."
Goten gasped, "Really? B-B-But what's Mommy gonna say? You might get in trouble!"
"I'll talk to Mom about it, but I think having a tail is the best thing to have for the moment. Besides, I can now take my time training with it and its power," Gohan explained, touching Goten's shoulder.
"Big brother?"
"Goten," Gohan said. "I know Mom isn't too keen on you learning how to fight, but today showed me that it's time for you to learn how to defend yourself. How would you like to be my sparring partner?"
"Me? Sparring with you? Awesome! When do we start?"
And from that point onwards, Goten had become Gohan's student and sparring partner. The brothers then decided to head home to be greeted by their loving mother.
Upon his intense training session with Piccolo, and the fear of losing Goten, Gohan's conviction made the impossible of regrowing his lost tail possible. What is going to happen now that he's choosing to keep his restored extra appendage? How will the others react? And how does this all tie into the deep rabbit hole that is the Super Saiyan legend? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL!
Author's Note: This was a shorter, but enjoyable chapter to write. I apologize if this seemed rushed. I'll try and take more time to make the next one shorter.
I thought of adding a Goten moment to show how much he means to Gohan as a character. There haven't been too many moments with just the two of them in canon proper.
Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I'll see you guys later. Have a blessed day!
-DarkShadowGames451