(Dende's Lookout, a few months later)
Gohan landed on the white tiles of the lookout floor, wearing a new green jumpsuit that fitted his heavier bulk and carrying a black sports bag over his shoulder. "Hello, Mr. Popo", he greeted Dende's assistant with a smile.
"Good day, Gohan", Mr. Popo answered in his soft, friendly voice. "What brings you here? I'm sure Dende will arrive to greet you himself any moment now."
"It's fine, Mr. Popo." He lowered the bag to the floor and opened it. Inside were the seven dragon balls, gleaming as they reflect the sun's rays. "I really just wanted a place to call Shenron, it feels right to do it here. I hope you don't mind, " Gohan said while taking the spheres out of the bag, one by one.
Mr. Popo nodded. "Not at all, you are always welcome here." He watched curiously as Gohan arranged the balls on the floor and stood up.
Gohan looked at Popo. "Are you ready?"
Popo nodded, and Gohan called out. "Rise, Shenron, and grant my wishes!"
The sky darkened as the wind picked up. The dragon balls were surrounded by a golden aura, and Shenron rose up with a thunderous roar. The gigantic dragon's body coiled above the lookout, moving rhythmically. After a few moments the dragon settled down into a fixed pose, looking down at the half-Saiyan who summoned him.
"Speak your wishes, and I shall grant any two requests that are within my power", spoke Shenron. As always, the dragon's deep and powerful voice could be felt in the bones.
"Mighty dragon," said Gohan without hesitation, "for my first wish, I'd like to be able to survive in all environments, regardless of heat, radiation, pressure, the presence of air or any other environmental conditions."
The dragon seemed to be considering the request. "An unusual wish, but one that is within my power," he said after a few moments. Shenron's eyes shone, and a strange glow surrounded Gohan for a few moments before vanishing. "I have granted you the power to survive in all environments. But know this, should an environmental hazard be directed against you as an attack, the power will not block it if it is more powerful than my creator." Gohan nodded, and Shenron continued. "Your wish has been granted. Speak your second wish now, so that I may return to my slumber."
"Err.." Gohan hesitated. "Mighty Shenron, I'm not sure if you can grant my next wish, but here goes." As he was speaking, Dende hurried outside the main building to join Gohan and Mr. Popo. The young Namekian smiled and looked at the scene curiously. Gohan waved at Dende and continued.
"I wish to be able to fly between the stars at immense speeds, as fast as Whis himself," he said.
The dragon shifted, coiling his body for a few moments. "This wish is far beyond my power. Whis' power dwarfs that of my creator, I cannot hope to match his speed of travel."
Gohan expected this. "Alright, how about as fast as the fastest spaceship, then?".
Before Shenron could answer, Dende said "Wait! I have a better idea." Dende didn't know why his friend wanted to fly between the stars, but he knew the dragon better than anyone and simply felt like helping. "Gohan, what if you could fly as fast as the fastest spaceship built by humans, but could also expend your own energy to fly faster? Will that be alright?"
Gohan's eyes opened in surprise. He didn't even consider that. "Of course! That's genius, Dende! It will be similar to normal flight, then?"
Dende nodded. "Yes, exactly. The more power you put into it, the faster you will fly. That way you could fly much faster than usual, but it will tire you out eventually."
Gohan smiled at his friend. "That's perfect." Looking back at immense dragon hovering above them, he continued. "Mighty Shenron, grant me the power to fly between the stars as fast the fastest spaceship built by humans, and make it so that I could expend more of my own energy to be able to fly even faster."
The dragon didn't respond for a few moments, but then spoke. "An interesting request, but one that is within my power." Shenron's eyes started glowing again, and Gohan felt light-headed for a moment.
"Your wish has been granted," thundered Shenron. "Know this, however. To access this miraculous speed you need to leave the planet. You will slow down to your normal flight speed the moment you approach the border of a celestial body, or come in contact with any physical object out in space."
"I understand, Shenron. Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it." Gohan bowed in respect.
The dragon nodded once, and started speaking again, shaking the lookout slightly with each word. "Your wishes have been granted. Farewell!"
Shenron vanished with a flash, and the dragon balls rose into the air while the light returned to the sky. Before the orbs could fly away, Gohan leaped with blinding speed and caught the four-star ball. He landed as the shining orange sphere turned into dull, gray stone. "Dad will be happy to see this little guy again," Gohan said to himself.
Dende and Mr. Popo approached Gohan, who put the stone orb into his bag. "Everything alright, Gohan?" asked Dende. "Are you planning to go visit someone in space?".
Gohan's face grew darker. "Yeah, I'm going see someone about some unfinished business." Dende wasn't used to seeing his friend in such a serious mood, but after a few moments Gohan seemed to lighten up and smile again.
"Before I forget," Gohan told Dende and Popo, "I also wanted to tell you something. Three days from now we're all going to meet outside my father's house at noon, and I wanted to invite you two to come along. You can make it, right?"
Dende nodded. "Of course," and looked at Popo. "I'm sorry Gohan," the helper said, "thank you for the invitation, but I must remain here to watch over the lookout."
"No problems, Mr. Popo, I'll bring you something up here myself," said Gohan, and turned to look at Dende. "You should know, I asked dad and Vegeta to conduct the Super Saiyan God ritual, this time for me. Bulma heard about it and decided to come with Vegeta, and from there it turned into a massive barbecue. Took a few weeks to arrange, but everyone will be there."
Dende was happy to hear the news. "Great! It will be good to see everyone again."
Gohan looked at the sky. The sun was starting to set, and the clouds to the west were turning red. "Well, see you then. Goodbye, guys!" Gohan's aura flared and he flew away, vanishing in an instant. Dende and Popo had to shield themselves from the wind caused by Gohan's departure, and Popo looked at Dende as the sudden breeze calmed down. "Something is wrong, Dende. Gohan has changed."
Dende nodded, looking worried. "I felt it too. For a moment there he looked almost... scary."
Holding the Guardian's staff, Dende walked up to the lookout's edge and closed his eyes. "I don't understand, everything seems to be alright, the world is at peace. What could be bothering Gohan?"
After a few moments, Popo shook his head. "Perhaps you should ask him to confide in you when you meet him." He didn't like seeing Dende so worried. "Come, Dende, maybe I was mistaken. It's Gohan, after all."
Dende opened his eyes and looked at his assistant. His unease refused to fade, but it didn't feel right to bother Gohan with questions right now. "You're right, Popo. Thank you." The two started walking away from the edge, enjoying the evening breeze.
