So I've been reading a lot of fanfiction lately and started to look into writing my own so this is probably the third fanfic I've ever attempted to write and the only real long term one that I actually planned out. I hope you all enjoy it.
On the eve of his sixteenth birthday, Gohan decided to spend the day at the Lookout, enjoying the rare chance to visit his friends there and also spar with his old mentor, Piccolo. The other reason he was there was also to receive a present from said mentor, saying it was a family heirloom and that he should have it. Now Gohan couldn't think of anything immediately off the top of his head, and trying to figure it whilst dodging lightning fast attacks coming his way definitely wasn't going to happen either.
"Focus on the fight!" Piccolo yelled as his green fist landed a hit directly into Gohans stomach, making the young warrior double over, coughing and struggling to regain his breath.
"S-sorry Piccolo…" His breath came out in rasps as he took deep breaths to try and recover his breathing.
"Heh, these times of peace haven't been too kind to you. Your reflexes and overall power have dropped significantly from where you were a few years ago." Gohan nodded his head and righted himself, dusting his dark blue gi off before he contemplated more on what his former teacher had said.
It was true, Gohan would admit. Ever since the end of the Cell Games, most if not all of his time was dedicated to studying or helping his mother during her pregnancy, then after that helping her raise his little brother Goten.
"I guess you'll just need to come visit and train more often then, huh Gohan?" Dende called out from off to the side, a smile on his face as he watched his friend and fellow namekian spar.
"Yeah, guess so… I probably shouldn't stick around much longer today though. Mom's not gonna be happy if I miss my own birthday dinner." The demi-Saiyan let out a nervous laugh as a small flash of his mother's angry face and dreaded frying pan flashed through his mind.
"Okay kid, don't forget your gift though." Piccolo stretched his neck before pulling his weighted cape off the ground and placing it back on his shoulders, before turning back to Gohan holding a small gray box. He held it out to the warrior with a small grin, "Here."
"Thanks," Gohan eagerly pulled the lid off of the box and peered inside, a grin spreading across his face as he reached inside and pulled out a dragon ball, the four-star dragon ball to be exact. "Thank you, I'm glad to have this back."
"Figured it should be with you, since it did belong to your great grandfather, then your father. Now you."
"I'll be sure to take good care of it, thank you so much." Gohan couldn't hold back his joy as the orange ball gleamed in his hand, it had been quite a long time since he'd last seen any of the dragon balls. A small part of him felt bad for not seeking out the Son family keepsake himself. He slid the ball into his pocket before bowing to Piccolo. "I'll be sure to hang on to this no matter what."
"Good, now get out of here. I don't need your mother yelling at me for keeping you too long." With that, the Namekian stepped back and gave the teen a small wave. "Take care."
Gohan floated himself into the air, "I will, and I'll visit you guys real soon. Bye!" Gohan called out as he waved goodbye to both Namekians and shot off like a rocket toward Mt. Paozu. His eyes taking in the sight of the sun just starting to set, he felt as if nothing could ruin this day. While he was flying, Gohan pulled the orb out of his pocket to examine it once more. He could still remember when he used to wear it on top of his hat when he was about four years old, and remember all the trouble the dragon balls had caused because of evil and selfish people seeking them out for their own means.
A soft orange glow emanated from the ball, and Gohan stopped in his tracks. "What?" It began to glow again, and again. Almost like it was pulsating, but the dragon balls only did that when… Gohan looked down to the ground, trying to spot any other glowing orbs below him but it seemed he was too high up. Letting himself fall back to the Earth, he landed easily and began to scope around the area.
It was after a few seconds of walking around that he heard a voice, a shrill voice that sounded to be a man. He couldn't make out what he was saying, though he could make out the word emperor somewhere in the mix. "Hello...?" Gohan called out as he stepped through some trees and into a clearing.
His eyes immediately settled on a small blue man, who was staring back at him in shock. Behind the guy was something that made the young warrior freeze. All of the other dragon balls, laid out on the ground and glowing in unison along with the one Gohan was holding in his hand. "Y-You have the last one!" the man pointed at his hand which still held the dragon ball in plain view. "I, Emperor Pilaf, command to hand over that ball this instant!"
"Emperor Pilaf?" An eyebrow raised on the hybrids face as he pondered over the name, he'd heard it before, he was sure of it. He just couldn't recall where he had heard it from. Gohan held up the orange ball before glancing back at Pilaf. "Sorry, but this is a family treasure. Plus, I doubt your wish will be anything good." The little emperor may have been weak but his Ki was definitely sinister and full of malice and ill intent.
"I wasn't asking you! You will hand that ball over to me at once, or suffer the consequences." Pilafs eyes slid from Gohan to somewhere behind him, a cruel smirk growing on his face. "Now Mai, Shu!"
A gun shot rang out and Gohan was too taken off guard to react as the bullet collided with his hand, knocking the dragon ball out of his grip. Before he could move to recover it, he was caught up as a rope shot out of nowhere and coiled itself around him, tightening its hold on him. Gohan snapped his head over to the side where he could now sense the presence of two other people coming from the trees. One an older woman with long black hair, wielding a gun in one hand and aiming it directly at him. The other was some kind of dog-man wearing a ninja uniform with a sword strapped on his back and in his hands was the rest of the rope that was currently wrapped around Gohan.
"Good work, now let's get this show on the road." Pilaf called out as he picked up the fallen orb before tossing it into the others.
"I won't let you!" Gohan yelled out as he snapped the ropes constricting him easily, a whitish aura enveloping his body as his power rose.
"Arise, Shenron!" The emperor called out in a panic at seeing the teen break out of his bindings so easily. Gohan lunged forward in an attempt to grab one of the balls and stop the summoning but it was too late. A blast of golden light blinded him and forced him to halt his movement forwards as the sky turned black and lightning struck all around the area.
"You who have summoned me, speak your wishes now." A booming voice called out that Gohan could never forget, he opened his eyes to look at the eternal dragon, who's glowing red eyes were fixated on Pilaf.
"Oh, Eternal Dragon! I wish for-", Pilafs wish was cut short as an explosion at his feet threw him back and into his two henchmen. Both of them making an effort to catch him and keep him from getting hurt. "What the hell is your problem kid!?"
"I don't know what you're planning to wish for but I can tell it won't be anything good." Gohan moved, in an instant he vanished from where he was stood and reappeared right in front of Pilaf and his minions. "So, I just won't let you make a wish."
"Why? Why is it that brats like you always get in my way?" Frustrated tears started to leak from Pilafs eyes, his body shaking with pent up anger. His two partners started to try their best to comfort the fuming emperor but that seemed to do nothing to calm him down.
I can tell he isn't a good person but I'm starting to feel like the bad guy here. Gohan sighed as he just stared at the scene, unsure of just what to do about the trio.
"I know you're frustrated sire, I hate people like this kid too." The dog-man spoke as he rubbed the wailing emperors back in a futile attempt to calm him down.
The raven-haired woman nodded, "I wish this kid would just get lost."
Gohan rubbed the back of his head, completely lost on his place in this situation anymore. That was until his eyes widened at the way the woman had phrased that sentence. His head snapped to Shenron just in time to see the dragons blood red eyes shine.
"Oh crap." It was the only thing the young warrior could say in that moment.
"Very well, I shall grant your wish." The eternal dragons voice boomed through the clearing they were in, his eyes staring into Gohans own. The trio behind him were watching in stunned disbelief as a golden light washed over his form and his body started to fade.
"Wait Shenron! Don't-!" Gohan yelled desperately in an attempt to cancel the wish or wish for him to be brought right back here but before he could even get the words out, his body faded and vanished from the Earth.
Gohan eyes were forced shut as bright light invaded them, a difference compared to the clouded sky that always came along with the summoning of Shenron. Slowly, the Saiyan felt his eyes adjust to the light and he was able to get a good scope of his surroundings. He was in an open field now, every so often there was a rare tree in the distance. Even further down the field Gohan could see a mountain standing out, the feel of the place felt very similar to Mt. Paozu. Any comfort Gohan initially felt of being in such a similar place to his home was wiped out when he noticed one crucial fact, he couldn't sense anyone.
Expanding out his senses in every direction, Gohan even leapt into the sky and hovered in the clouds in hopes of someone suddenly popping up but he still felt nothing from them. He could sense large groups of life, like cities or villages still but as far as any of the other Z fighters went or his family, they weren't there. The words that woman had spoken for her wish ran through his head again.
"It didn't just send me away from them, it sent me to a different planet." Gohan spoke calmly, trying to keep his cool, knowing panic would only make things worse. It was the best possible conclusion he could think of. There was no other reason for why he wouldn't be able to at the very least feel his friends Ki.
If that is the case then I need to think of a plan, I can't just spend my time waiting here for them to wish me back with the dragon balls. The thought made his stomach clench. He had no way of getting home as far as he knew, and without knowing the planet he had been sent to, no one would be able to use one of Bulma's ships to come pick him up. Taking a deep breath to calm himself and level his thoughts, Gohan opened his eyes and looked to the right, staring into the open sky.
The closest group of Ki I can sense is from that direction, at the very least I can get an idea of just where I am and what kind of world I'm in.
A white aura enveloped his body as he sped off through the sky, his onyx eyes taking in the sight of the ground turning into nothing but a blur under him. After a few minutes of flying Gohan came to a grinding halt as the mass of energy was now directly under him. Releasing his control over his Ki and slowly falling back down to the ground, only stopping himself just before he'd become visible to anyone in the village down below. He took in what he could about the village, most homes or buildings were built out of logs while there was the occasional tent littered throughout the small village too. His eyes landed on a large wooden wall that fully surrounded the entire place, it was easily twenty feet high, and each log that went into the wall had been sharpened to a point.
"I guess it would be best to go through the gate instead of just dropping in from the sky." The boy muttered before he found the entrance to the village and floated over it before going just a bit farther and finally letting his feet touch the ground again. Walking up to the imposing wooden wall and the gate in front of him, Gohan called out to anybody there and even knocked against the gate a few times. Eventually, someone called back out to him and slowly the gate was pushed open and greeted him. A part of Gohan cheered with joy when the guard spoke and he was able to understand him perfectly.
"Hello sir, and welcome to Grapha. Before I let you inside I would like to hear your reason for being here?" The man spoke calmly with a slight cheer to his voice, the small amount of armor he had on and the metal spear he held in his left hand made it clear that he was prepared to fight and defend this village if he didn't approve of Gohans answer.
"I was traveling around and got a little lost, I was hoping I could rest a bit here and get my bearings." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth either, not that this man would believe him even if Gohan had tried.
"I see, and you have no weapons on your person?"
"No, you can check if you must."
"That's alright, you don't seem like the kind of person to cause trouble. You can come inside, just don't try and give us a reason to throw you out to the Grimm."
Gohan gave a polite nod and forced down the immediate question that rose in his mind at the mention of "Grimm". He'd definitely never heard of anything like that back home, as he contemplated that his eyes fell onto the wall, where he noticed claw marks and some markings that appeared to have been made by a sword of some kind. I guess that's the reason for the guards. Waving a goodbye to the guard, Gohan entered the settlement with a small smile on his face as he looked at the people going about their day and seeming to enjoy themselves. At least whatever those Grimm were, they weren't able to harm or ruin the people's lives inside the walls.
The warriors eyes fell on a man who was standing off just few feet of the path from the gate into the heart of the village, the man gave off a rather authoritative figure with him standing a few inches taller than Gohan himself and his long graying hair pulled back into a short ponytail. A sword was strapped to his hip and he was resting one hand on the pommel of the blade while his green eyes were scanning the area before falling on and staring into Gohans own onyx orbs. "Sorry for staring, I was waiting on someone who was supposed to be arriving here soon." The man reached out a hand to Gohan and spoke with a grin, "My name is Sylver Lorill, I'm the acting leader and head guard of Grapha."
"Son Gohan, it's nice to meet you." Gohan responded and grabbed the mans extended hand and gave it a firm shake. "If it's alright for me to ask, who were you waiting for?"
"Well I'm sure if you were paying any attention to the walls on your way in that you would have noticed some of the markings on them." Gohan gave a small nod and the older man took it as a signal to continue, "Lately we've been having a problem with a pack of Grimm coming and trying to break through our defenses. We can handle and push them off easily enough but it's gotten to a point where they need to be dealt with for good."
"I see, but there weren't just markings of some animal on the walls, it looked like someone tried to hack their way through it with a sword."
The man gave a tired smile as he shook his head, "I guess they aren't that hard to pick out, but yes we've also been having a small group of bandits coming and trying to steal supplies from us."
"I can help you against those if you want." The young Saiyan spoke before thinking, his urge to help people in need taking over before he could think to stop himself.
"I don't know, I've already contracted a professional huntsman to come and take care of our problem. There wouldn't be a point in having you risk yourself."
"Well yeah," Gohan looked at the ground and tightened the grip in his right hand. It wasn't just because he wanted to help these people, but it was also a way to gain some kind of favor with them. Even if he had any Zeni on him before he was sent here, he highly doubted they would've accepted it in place of whatever they used as currency. "But I kinda don't have any money to stay here or for food, so I was offering so I might be able to get a room to stay in as payment."
"Hmm," Sylver looked at the young man in thought, a hand coming up and cupping his chin. "Fighting the bandits we've been dealing with is definitely out of the question but if you had a weapon and proved your abilities then I wouldn't mind allowing you to try eliminating the pack of Beowolves. Tell me, is your Aura unlocked?"
Gohan had no clue what Aura was but it could just be what they called Ki on this planet, "Yeah, I have my Aura unlocked."
Sylver nodded before he looked Gohan up and down then nodded his head and stood with his hands on his hips, "Very well, you seem rather confident so I don't mind giving you a chance to earn your keep for a few days. I'll even lend you one of the swords we have, it won't be anything special but it should definitely get the job done against Grimm."
Perfect! Gohan cheered inside his head, not only would he be able to earn a place to stay instead of sleeping out in the wilderness for a night or more but he'd be able to see what exactly these Grimm were and why they were such a threat to this town. "Thank you, I'm glad you'll at least give me a chance."
Sylver gave a polite nod before he turned and started walking towards a shed off in the distance, giving a small wave for Gohan to follow him. "The pack is outside the walls to the north side, through a small group of trees. You should be able to use those to get a good look at how many Beowolves you'll have to face before actually fighting."
"Gotcha, so what will you tell the person you hired before to take care of them before I showed up?"
"I'll just explain that someone else was able to handle the job for him, but he'll still be aiding us in getting rid of the bandits." Finally coming up on the shed, Sylver pulled open the door and stepped inside. Gohan decided it was best to wait for him outside but even from where he was standing outside he could see the rows of weapons on shelves and racks lined all along the inside. Almost as soon as the man stepped inside, he moved back out with a broadsword in its casing in his right hand. "This should be good for you, what do you think?" Sylver tossed the sword towards the warrior who easily caught it out of the air. Unclipping and then relocking the strap of the sheath so now that the sword rested on his back, Gohan gripped the handle before pulling the sword free and holding it in front of him to inspect it.
The blade looked clean and the surface of the metal was still very reflective and it was about the length of one of his arms, from what Gohan could tell the blade had never been used. "It looks like a good sword, it should do just fine." Even if he really had no need for it, he definitely appreciated the offer to use one.
"Good, will you need a map or anything to find your way back to the town?"
"No, I'm pretty good at directions. It was a bit of a fluke that I got lost in the first place." Gohan sheathed the sword and turned towards the gate before looking up towards the sky to judge which way was north before realizing he had no way of knowing on this planet. "So out the gate, I turn…?" Gohan asked while rubbing the back of his head.
A chuckle sounded out of Sylvers lips before he gestured left of the gate with his arm. "That way for about a mile and a half to two, then you should spot the pack or at least signs of it."
"Okay well I'll be on my way." Gohan called out as he jogged to the gate, waving behind him as he ran out of the village, and luckily, they hadn't closed the gate since he had entered and the guards manning it had heard the conversation he had with their leader so he was able to run straight out. Once he got a good distance from the town and knew there was no risk of anyone seeing him, Gohan sped up to inhuman speeds and shot through the fields with the wind whipping around him.
"So now I have a plan and a place to stay for a night or two, guess all that's left is to get some food." Gohan muttered as he reached the grouping of trees Sylver had told him about, and already Gohan knew the Grimm were there. He could sense something watching him and the almost vile feeling that was oozing out from behind the trees put him on edge. Falling into a basic stance with his arms at his side, the Saiyan stared ahead and waited patiently. He couldn't sense the Ki coming from the Grimm but the unpleasant feeling of being watched told him they would pounce soon.
Sure enough, a few seconds passed before a large black figure broke through the shadows of the forest, its claws ready to tear into the young man. As the large paw came close enough to strike him, Gohan easily caught and halted the beasts' movement, which allowed him a few seconds to analyze the Beowolf.
All of its fur was pitch black, but its claws and the bone-like protrusions coming out of its arms and down the length of its spine were white and so was the mask thing on its face, a few red markings along the mask that matched its glowing red eyes.
The monster brought its other paw up in an attempt to slash Gohan and free itself but the warrior easily tossed the beast away and let it soar into the trunk of a tree a few feet away.
So these are Grimm huh… Not that intimidating to me but for normal people I can see why they'd fear them. Jumping into the air, Gohan easily evaded a tackle and let himself hover above the beast to stare down at it, committing as much of the Beowolfs features to his memories as possible. It was in that moment that Gohan finally noticed something extremely off about the monster that was trying to attack him. It gave off a purely dark Ki, radiating nothing but pure hatred, anger, and pain. Not even the slightest shred of good anywhere inside of it. The last time Gohan could remember feeling a Ki like this was during his fight against Cell.
"Sylver said there should be at least ten of you, where's the rest of your friends?" Gohan spoke jokingly to the animal beneath him, not expecting any response other than the roar that erupted from the Grimms throat. Figuring there wasn't much point to wasting much time teasing the beast, Gohan charged a Ki blast in his hand and launched it directly into the Beowolf. The second the glowing ball of energy made contact it exploded in a blinding light, leaving nothing but a smoking patch of dirt on the ground where the Grimm used to be.
Gohan frowned as he let himself drop to the ground, his onyx eyes staring at the burnt patch of dirt, he felt bad for killing the beast in such a swift way but if it was causing problems for the lives of the people in that village then he knew it was for the best the Grimm were taken care of. A light hum caught the warrior's attention as he shifted his gaze to the sky as he caught sight of some flying vehicle soaring overhead, going straight toward Grapha.
"Guess the hired help is coming in now…" Gohan muttered as he sidestepped out of instinct and avoided a lunge from another Grimm that chose to attack while his back was turned to the forest. Sending a swift chop to the monsters' neck, he easily decapitated it. The Beowolfs body fell limp on the ground, black smoke floating off of its body as all traces of it started to fade to nothing. "Huh, that's different." Gohan said as his eyes studied the way the Grimms body slowly disappeared.
A loud howl cut off his studying of the Grimms form as three more of them shot out from the forest in front of the boy and began running around him in circles, glowing red eyes staring into his soul as Gohan watched them. A small grin came onto the Saiyans face as he slid into his stance, his eyes hardening as he prepared for the battle as all the Beowolves charged at him.
Bartholomew Oobleck sighed as he stepped out of his bullhead, adjusting his brown hat with one hand as he waved to the guard awaiting him that shouted a greeting. Before Oobleck could speak he watched as the guard tugged open the large gate, and a man walked out, the same man who he talked to on a video call to set up this mission. "Hello Sylver, it's good to see that the Grimm and bandits haven't run down your walls."
Sylver let out a breath as he glanced back to the walls behind him, "Yes, luckily they haven't come around earlier than expected but from what my scouts have told me they should be coming this way before the end of the day."
"Well, I hope they do, I'd like to finish the business with them first before hunting down the pack of Grimm."
"Actually, the Grimm are being taken care of now."
Oobleck's eyes widened in surprise behind his glasses, "Someone is handling them? Did another huntsman come through?"
"Not exactly a huntsman, but a young man came through and was looking for a place to rest and stay for a few nights. He asked if he could do something to earn his keep since he didn't have any lien and he looked like the type that could handle himself just fine."
"I hope you are right, but if he is dealing with them then that takes a weight off of my shoulders." Oobleck said as he walked into the village, only to stop short as he heard a faint sound in the distance like gunfire. "Do you hear that as well?"
"I sure do," Sylver muttered as a hand fell to the sword strapped to his hip and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "That's the bandits, looks like you got here just in time."
Oobleck followed Sylver's example and readied his own weapon, extending his thermos into its staff form and keeping his gaze firmly locked on the horizon. The hunter pondered what type of enemies he was about to face, prepared to charge in the second he saw them break through the small brush around the village if need be. As they were waiting, Oobleck noticed a very troubling thing as all the noise the group had been making died out, leaving himself and Sylver to stand in the eerie silence with baited breath.
Slowly, a lone man walked from the tree line, a vicious smirk on his face as he slowly walked towards the two and his large metal staff resting on one shoulder. Upon closer inspection, the man was wearing a loose-fitting grey robe to cover his torso, and his black pants were baggy and ripped in multiple place, topping all of that off with the multiple scars on the man's arms and face showing just how much the man loved combat. He was very confident in his own strength as well, as he casually walked up to the two armed men without a care, his cruel smile never leaving his face. He stopped his advance just a few feet apart from them and Oobleck sucked in a breath feeling his muscles tighten as he braced himself. The man ran a hand through his wild dark hair before giving the pair a small nod, "Well, it's nice to see you again chief. Looks like you have a new friend with you this time." His wild eyes locked on Oobleck as he examined the teacher.
Sylver bit back on the anger threatening to boil over as he glared at the man, "I asked for a favor to help deal with you and your thugs, Axel." Sylver spoke evenly but it was obvious that there was a hatred for the man in front of him.
"Aw don't be so dramatic, me and my boys are just having some fun ya know?" Axel swung his staff around so that it planted one end into the ground and he leaned against it, crossing his arms as he glanced over at the guard.
"Your fun hurts the lives of all of the people in this town." Oobleck stated as the man turned to look at him again, his smirk growing wider at him choosing to speak up. "You should find ways to enjoy yourselves that doesn't put others at risk."
"That's true…" The man spoke as the grin left his face for a moment before a mad smile replaced it. "But I like seeing how scared all these cowards get when we come around." At the end of his sentence, the man raised his right hand into the air high and snapped his fingers. The instant he did that, people began to emerge one after the other from the surrounding brush and trees, each carrying a weapon and looking just as insane as the man standing as their leader. Slowly, they all came to stand behind him and raised their own weapons and from what Oobleck could tell, none of their weapons used dust so that eased his fears a bit. The sheer number of them was still daunting.
Reaching up to push back his glasses, Oobleck decided to give one final warning, "No matter how many of you there are, I will not allow you to harm these villagers. If you choose to advance, then I will stop you."
Sylver smiled at Ooblecks words as he nodded his head and raised his sword up, "Well said, and I will do everything in my power to protect my people as well."
"Heh, alright then." The leader spoke as he pulled his staff free from the ground and raised it above his head. "Hope you're ready to die. Go and kill em." Axel said calmly but the weight of his words definitely hit Oobleck and Sylver as the thugs all let out battle cries and charged forward. Oobleck took the last chance he could to look at Sylver and the warrior met his gaze with a confident nod. Taking a deep breath to level himself, Oobleck moved forward to meet the enemies charge head on, pulling out his thermos and extending it into its staff form as the battle began.
Gohan let out a breath as he took out the last of the creatures trying to attack him, his eyes scanning the slowly dissolving remains of the beasts as he looked off into the sky. "This world is definitely gonna be interesting." He muttered to himself as he took one more glance around the area for anymore enemies before he began to make his way back to Grapha.
While making his way back and enjoying the scenery, his senses went wild as he picked up the sounds of combat coming from the direction of the village. His dark eyes narrowed as the young warrior shot off like a bullet to get to Grapha as fast as he could. Once he got within range of the village, he could see the battle that was currently taking place just outside of the village's walls. Gohan saw Sylver struggling to hold off a few of the many thugs that were swarming that spot. Another man with green hair, who Gohan had to assume was an ally, was fighting a larger portion of the bandits and many were lying unconscious on the ground. Or… at least he hoped they were just unconscious. As he got closer and closer to the fight, Gohan noticed one outlier, a wild looking man who stared on at the brawl with a sadistic gleam in his eyes.
A loud yell of pain caused the hybrid to freeze as his eyes locked onto Sylver who had fallen to the ground in pain, a strange gray light shimmering around his body before seeming to shatter. His sword no longer in his hands as he held a hand over his now bloody shoulder, the arm that hung off that shoulder staying limp at his side. The huntsman, as Sylver had called the man, froze as he knocked away a few more goons before staring down the two men who stood over him, their weapons aiming at the downed man.
Before Gohan could charge in to help, the man who had stayed out of the fight up till then began to laugh loudly as he clapped his hands together and began to approach Sylver. All of the fighting and action immediately died as the man walked towards the downed guard, everyone in the area had their eyes locked onto him as he moved. The black haired man stopped short as he kicked up the village leader's sword off the ground and caught it easily, even giving the weapon a few test swings. "You know, I'd feel bad about this if you put on a better show for me." The psychotic man stated as he waved his two men off and aimed the sword down at Sylver's throat.
"Don't do it! You can stop this here and now." The green haired man yelled angrily, desperately as he looked for a way to charge in and save his comrades life.
"Meh, I could I suppose." The gang's leader said, as he moved the sword so that the blade rested on his shoulder before his eyes took on a manic edge and he cast a glance towards the huntsman. "But where's the fun in that?" Turning and swinging the blade with tremendous force with the full intent of cleaving Sylvers head from his shoulders, Axel was left in shock as the sword ended up cutting into nothing but dirt as his ended target suddenly vanished from in front of him. "What the hell?"
"You okay Sylver?" Gohan asked as he set the man down up against the walls of his village, doing his best to not touch or irritate Sylvers wounded arm.
"G-Gohan? When did… How did yo-ugh…" Sylver tried to form a question, fighting through the pain and fatigue from his fighting.
"Don't worry about the details, just be glad I got here when I did." Gohan stated as the small grin on his face fell and his eyes narrowed into a glare as he stood and turned to stand off against the gang.
The manic man who had just attempted to kill Sylver gave Gohan a smile as he seemed to catch on to what happened. "Well isn't that nice? He had another little friend waiting in the wings." Hefting the sword up on to one shoulder, the man nodded his head toward the Saiyan. "Names Axel, what's yours kid?"
"It's Son Gohan." That was all the warrior said as he turned to study the green haired man who had been asking for the fighting to stop. "You're the hunter Sylver told me about right?"
Nodding his head, the man spoke quickly but his eyes did not leave the men who still hovered around him, "Yes, my name is Oobleck." As Oobleck made to say more, the leader of the gang let out a loud whistle.
"Now that we are all acquainted, whaddya say you get lost? I have no interest killing a kid." The most disturbing thing to Gohan in that moment wasn't the man's words but rather the utter air of calm that hid nothing but insanity and malice behind it as he spoke.
Oobleck took his chance to cut in before the warrior could respond. "I hate to agree but it would be best if you took Sylver into the village and leave this matter to me."
Gohan met the hunters gaze for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I'm going to finish this right here." The claim was a bold one and left everyone in the field in shock as they stared at the young fighter with no idea on how to respond. The only one who could respond was Axel as he started laughing once more.
"Oh really Gohan?" As he said his name, Axel added a mocking tone to the name. "You're going to beat my boys and me?"
"No, just you." Gohan spoke calmly as he began to move forward and walked up to the gang leader, giving no mind to the other armed men he passed as he made his way forward. Oobleck was left staring at Gohans back with wide eyes hidden behind his glasses as he wondered just what the boy was planning. The teacher made to call for the boy to flee but something told him not to, something about how confident and calm Gohan was as he made his claim told the green haired man that the young warrior would be fully able to take care of himself.
Taking advantage of all the gangsters keeping their attention on the boy, Oobleck moved quickly and came up to Sylver, standing guard over his fallen comrade. Sylver himself had fallen completely silent, his eyes closed as his chest slowly rose and fell.
Axel caught the movement of the green haired man but gave it no mind as he narrowed his eyes onto the boy and devoted his full attention to the fighter standing in front of him. "Whaddya have in mind then?" He asked as he dropped the blade he was holding on the ground and reached over to pull his staff free from the ground he had stuck it into.
"A fair one on one fight between you and me." The warrior said as he glanced around to the small circle that the gang had moved to form around himself and Axel. "I win, and you and your friends surrender peacefully."
"Hmm, well then, someone is certainly optimistic. What do I get when I win?"
"If you win then I won't stop you from taking what you want from this village, neither will any of the guards or Oobleck."
Axel couldn't stop the wild smile from growing on his face, "Alright then, deal. Don't worry though kid, once I win, I'll kill you, so you won't have to live with the guilt of killing everyone here."
Oobleck ground his teeth at the agreement but chose not to speak up as he waited to see just what plan Gohan had brewing in his mind. He had caught the boys speed and knew he was incredibly fast, so he could only hope that the boy was as strong as he was quick.
Sliding into his fighting stance, Gohan kept his eyes on his foe as he measured the man's movements as Axel went into his own stance. I have no idea if I'll be able to trust his words if I beat him, but once I do hopefully the rest will give up once their leader is beaten. "Ready?"
Instead of nodding, Axel just grinned as he shouted, "Go!" and charged forward while spinning his staff and starting their fight off with an attempt to strike Gohan in the head with his weapon. Gohan easily evaded the attack as he weaved his way under it and delivered a solid punch to the man's chest and sent him back away from him, regaining some distance as Axel just kept his grin and started to move in once again. The hybrid's eyes easily followed the gang leaders' movements as the gap between them was closed and Axel began to thrust his staff in swift repeated jabs at Gohan.
Onyx eyes followed each attack, occasionally glancing back to the wild man who had yet to lose his vicious smile as he continued to bombard his enemy with an endless rain of attacks. After a short breath to steady himself, Gohan narrowed his eyes as he prepared himself to fight back. He had no interest in killing the man in front of him. He was sure he'd be able to stop things before they got that far out of hand, but with all the wicked and horrible enemies Gohan had fought over the course of his young life, he knew it was possible the man would refuse to just stop peacefully once he was beaten. As the mans staff came in to swing at the warrior's sternum, the young fighter met the attack with his forearms, easily blocking and tossing the force of the attack aside.
The small flicker of surprise that flashed through Axel's eyes was all Gohan noticed as he took advantage of that moment and delivered another punch to his opponents chest, only this time he allowed some of his real power to slip into his strike and Axel let out a loud yell of pain as he was thrown back off of his feet and skidding on the ground.
Letting out hacks and coughs as he rolled onto his hands and knees, the smile was wiped from the leader's face as his eyes stared hard at the ground with his form almost visibly shaking at what had just happened. While Axel was recovering, Gohan couldn't hold back his own surprise as well, not just at how well the bandit handled the attack but also the weird light that had flashed over his body when his fist made contact, nor the feeling that it was something not all too different from Ki but also the strange way it seemed to shroud over Axel's entire body. I have no idea how he's doing that but if I had to guess, he's manipulating his Ki to work as a barrier from any kinds of attacks. Guess the best option is to just widdle him down until that barrier breaks.
A grunt left the downed man's mouth as he pulled himself to his feet. The change in him was immediately obvious to Gohan, and the men surrounding the two if the way the crowd fearfully backed up was any indication. His wild dark hair covered his eyes, while his fists squeezed down tightly on his staff, an ominous air coming from Axel's form. "Pfft, well kid. I'll give you that one. But now." The leader looked up, his wild eyes completely clear and focused, and full of rage now. "Now I'm really going to kill you!"
A wild charge, that's what it looked like to Gohan at first as the man came at him. Only when the end of the man's staff started to glow a dark purple did he see just how dangerous this coming attack was. As the attack sailed through the air, the young warrior dove out of the way, the end of the staff making a loud bang as it struck the ground. The noise was not the most notable part of it, but the suddenly dead grass that looked as if all of the life had been sucked out of it was.
"What the…?" Black eyes glanced between the dead vegetation and the end of the weapon, struggling to figure out what just happened.
"Consider yourself lucky. If you let that hit you, you'd be dead now." The crazed smile was back, but the burning anger was still lingering in Axel's eyes.
"Just what was that?"
"My semblance. I can empower my weapon with deadly form of energy, almost like a cloud of poison. Anything it hits, usually dies."
Well that's not good. Gohan thought as his eyes stayed on the head of the bandit leader's weapon. With his 'semblance', as he called it, fighting hand to hand was a dangerous idea. An idea sparked in the boy's mind as he grinned, his confidence to win this fight coming back completely. "Guess I'll just have to end this before you can hit me."
"And you think you can, you brat?!"
No words left the hybrids lips. Instead, all he did was smile as he raised one hand, beckoning for Axel to come at him. A loud yell left the man as he charged, his wild, dark eyes filled with hatred as he planned to end this with one quick strike to Gohan's body. The strike looked to everyone that it was going to hit, until the boy disappeared from the spot. "What?!" A shocked scream left Axel's mouth as he reared back from the suddenly empty air in front of him.
Before he could look around for Gohan, something hit his hand from behind, sending his weapon sailing through the air and far away from him. All his men started to yell for him to move or turn around, but he didn't. He was forcibly made to turn around as a hand forced him to spin in place, before a powerful punch buried itself in his stomach. His lungs screamed for air as bile rose in his throat just as he was sent careening through the air. Only stopping when his back slammed against the large, wooden walls of Grapha.
Back in the center of their make-shift ring, Gohan stood. Posed with his fist out from the attack he had just delivered. The crowd all falling completely silent, some dropping their weapons in shock or fear, while others remained deathly still. Righting himself, the powerful warrior moved forward, ignoring the men around him and the shocked eyes of Oobleck locked onto him. He came to a stop in front of Axel's fallen form.
"This is the only warning I'll give you. Surrender and turn yourself in."
"I'd rather die!" Axel screamed, his mouth dripping with spit and blood as he struggled to get up. His legs still trembling as the pain in his stomach refused to stop surging through his body. How could a child have done this to him? In just one hit, his entire aura had been depleted and it looked as if that level of power meant nothing to the boy in front of him.
Gohan didn't say anything to Axel as he stared down into his eyes. Only giving a sad sigh as he turned around towards his men, "Your leader is done. Your days of hurting the people here are over. Give yourselves up, or end up like him."
The threat rang through the crowded area, all of the men glancing at one another as they waited for someone to make the first move. Surprisingly, none of them did. Instead, they all let out surprised and shocked noises as Axel, in his rage-fueled mind, managed to raise himself to his feet and swing a fist at the back of Gohan's head. Before it could make contact, a blast of fire slammed into his chest and sent him flying back across the ground. His consciousness fading to nothing as the exhaustion and pain became too much for his body to bare.
"Thanks for the save." Gohan nodded to the huntsman, Oobleck returning it with a nod of his own as he moved from Sylver's side to stand by the boy.
"I believe I owed you one for rescuing Sylver earlier. Now, what will you gentlemen do?" The green haired man spoke quickly, surveying the group in front of the pair. Slowly, one by one, the small gang began to throw down their weapons before holding their hands up. The sound of heavy footsteps and clanking armor started to ring out in the air as the gates to Grapha opened wide, the guards of the village coming out with their weapons free from their holders as they rounded the men up. A few of the men split off to restrain and carry off their leader as well.
Two other men came out, that clearly were not soldiers, and carefully picked up the downed and unconscious form of Syler, bringing him into the village to get help for his injuries. Gohan let out a relieved sigh as everything came to an easy and quick end.
"Good job young man. Your display of skill and confidence was certainly an astounding one for someone as young as yourself." Oobleck spoke, his words coming out quickly, almost too quickly for Gohan to understand as the two started to head into the village.
"Uh… Thanks, I'm just glad it's all over now."
"I must say, your skills at hand-to-hand combat is impressive as well as your speed. Does your semblance boost those attributes or is it all natural from extensive training?"
Once more, the man spoke so fast that the hybrid had to take a second to make sure he understood what he said. "More on the extensive training side. I had a very good, and really brutal teacher."
"I see. And might I ask, how old are you? You don't look like you could be any older than eighteen."
"I'm sixteen. Actually, I just turned sixteen today."
"Hmm." Oobleck let out a hum, not saying anything for a few moments as the two stopped as the now restrained gang members were led into the airship that Gohan assumed the huntsman flew in on. The men being loaded into the large ship by the guards of Grapha and a few other armed soldiers that clearly were from wherever Oobleck came from. The two of them standing together in silence before it was broken by the older man.
"Tell me, have you ever considered becoming a huntsman a huntsman?"
And that's a good end to chapter one for me since there was so much that happened hehe.
Honestly, I feel like it's already a bit overloaded with stuff but meh. Expect the next chapter soonish, since I have nothing better to do but write for a good while.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it and look forward to more from me! And if you have any feedback or anything, please feel free to tell me! I'm always open to criticism and ways to improve my writing.
See you soon, Audrey.