summary:
Achieving Super Saiyan two changed Gohan. Saiyan instincts slowly kick in and he's no longer the same, meek boy he once was. How will the world change with a Saiyan like hero? Gohan's certainly not afraid to be himself...
"Beep, beep beep!"
Gohan shot an energy blast at the alarm clock, silencing its loud cries and leaving it an indiscernible pile of ash. He groaned loudly.
The Ten year old sat up, clutching his head Fuck, my head's killing me! he thought. After several more minutes of groaning, he sat up.
"Darn that stupid device and its infernal audio torture." he said picking up a towel and heading to his bathroom. He gingerly turned the hot to full and threw off his pyjamas. Locking the door behind him, he stepped under the hot water. A strange thought occurred to him,
"When the hell did I start talking like Vegeta?"
Fifteen minutes later, Gohan showered and calmed, smelling of roses. "Damn I smell good."
Walking over to his wardrobe he took out a black box with the capsule corp emblem upon its lid.
Today's the day.
When he opened the box he sighed. A long sleeve white shirt with ironed black trousers. He laid them on the bed. A black tie and a matching blazer, dress shoes and an expensive looking leather belt soon joined.
Disdainfully, he looked at the sponsored clothing. It was really the day.
Today was Goku's funeral.
The eldest son of Goku ran down the wooden stairs, opting not to slide down the bannister as he normally would, lest he mess up his neat, constricting attire.
The new clothes were embarrassing.
I look like a rich dork. He thought. Aren't I getting too old for other people to be dressing me? First mom, then piccolo, even Vegeta! Now this… I've gotta do my own thing, man.
Bulma had been insistent her extended family wear the finest clothes available, which meant Gohan had to look like a stuck up brat.
One thing's for sure, I'm picking my own haircuts from now on. At least dad made me look cool…
He shuddered as he passed a framed picture of him, Bulma and Krillin. Gohan would sooner join his father in otherworld than welcome another bowl cut.
Once arriving in the kitchen, his mother caught sight of him and tears came to her eyes.
"Oh… My baby!" she enveloped him in a bear hug. He rolled his eyes.
"Gah m-mom!" Gohan barely managed to get out, his windpipe all but crushed.
"Here, Gohan. Take your brother. Breakfast is almost ready." She sniffled and watched him, beaming. "Look at you in your suit! My little boy's all grown up now!"
The infant version of Goku was thrust into Gohan's hands. His two month old brother Goten. In the months since the Cell games and Goku's passing, Chi Chi had taken her mind off of her husband's death by involving herself deeply with her youngest son. It wasn't easy, but she was at a point where she hadn't cried that week.
Having his cute, chubby clone to brighten her day's was certainly helping.
Her husband's decision to stay dead had taken a big toll on her, Goku probably didn't realize how much it meant to them, and it was a hard thing to get over.
Scratch that, he definitely doesn't know.
Now her little Goten wouldn't have a father. She would never get over that.
Gohan withheld his sigh in favour of his mother's psyche. The woman had been all but there since the cell games, despite the shaky smile she plastered on. Goten had kept her from being totally despondent, but it still fell to Gohan to pick up the pieces and keep the household running smoothly.
It seemed to be becoming a trend.
After a hearty breakfast, consisting of outrageous amounts of meat, milk and eggs (who knew babies loved steak?), they were on their way.
Chi Chi started the car, dressed in all black. She wore leather gloves and tied her hair up tight.
Goten giggled merrily as he was carried outside and clapped his hands. Chi Chi sadly smiled.
"Let's get going boy's..."
"One sec!"
Gohan quickly grabbed a toy for Goten and a bag with baby supplies in it, then he headed out the door. Today was not going to be easy.
Gohan took in the view as they drove. This was the place he knew, and loved most. The son house sat comfortably on a plateau halfway up a mountain, surrounded by green peaks and dense wooded Forest. Just a short way from the house was a particularly large lake. He loved the variety of it all. The flat plains a few miles away, the long grassy fields to the north. Lush rainforests, plentiful rivers, rocky outcrops. The 439 mount Paozou area was right up there amongst the prettiest landscapes on Earth.
He truly couldn't imagine living anywhere else. As alluring as West City was, it didn't hold a candle to the gorgeous mountain range.
Too bad he couldn't enjoy it.
The hover car made a sharp turn and set a course towards West City. It didn't take long before they were out of the forest and onto the highway, moving fast.
Or at least, fast as far as automobiles were concerned. He rolled his eyes. The whole thing was silly. Cars went a few hundred miles an hour, even the nimbus cloud dusted this thing! And it was practically a donkey ride in his book.
"Guuu!" Goten gurgled in excitement, the feeling of going fast being a fun one, Gohan turned to face his brother.
"He's gettin' big mom." He said tickling his little bro, who giggled uncontrollably.
"Yes, I suppose he is."
"Saiyan's just mature much quicker than humans, you know. I was reading up on it yesterday, Goten can sit up, clap and he's almost crawling. Most humans don't do that at his age. Isn't that cool?"
Chi Chi smiled. "That's… great, Gohan."
She wasn't much for conversation these days. Gohan could tell that the exchange had hurt her, even if he didn't quite understand.
He hated the tension that had been there since the death of Goku. There was no happy ending, just despair and shame. Goku was not coming back, and they were all hurt.
He couldn't let it get him down though. He simply kept up his own, more convincing facade and diligently tried to keep their spirits high, as any good son would. His mother could continue on in her reduced state, going through the motions like a husk. He would maintain high energy until he broke through, just like dad would.
Until she was back.
He wouldn't want us to be sad. That… that big idiot thinks all this makes us happy, doesn't he?
The rest of the drive was quiet, and gloomy.
Gohan hated it.
He was sure he was going to go crazy by time they arrived. Simmering at slow speeds for hours on end all for what? For nothing? It was a ten minute trip at most! Was time something to be thrown away for the sake of formality? How was this even a formality?
Why did they travel by foolish machinery when they could fly at supersonic speeds?
Stupid damn machine! You're completely useless and you pale in comparison to my extraordinary powers! Why should I have to suffer in this thing?
"Damn thing..!"
Gohan slammed the car door so hard it flew off of its handle. He grinned maniacally into the headlights of the car, relishing the feeling of superiority. He began charging an energy attack, ready to destroy it.
"Tell me… Does a machine such as yourself experience fear?"
"You have reached your destination." The car responded in a level voice.
He blinked.
The attack fizzled out, and he shook his head.
Weird. Nothing so trivial ever made me that mad...
Gohan's face contorted in disgust. "I did it again!" He cringed. "And when did damn become apart of my daily vocabulary!? Kami, I keep sounding like Vegeta!"
I've only gotten mad a handful of times in my life, he thought. Raditz, Vegeta, Freiza, Cell. Those were life or death matters, the world was at stake! The fate of my family!
Gohan walked into the lobby of the capsule corp building, it was nice and homey in here, yet subtly extravagant. Gohan was always impressed, no matter how often he visited. The brief's exuded class. They never flaunted their wealth, but Gohan was damned if they didn't have good taste.
Expensive taste. Maybe everyone would have good taste if they had a budget like these guys do.
He shrugged, and prepared himself for what he could feel metres away. The low bustle of chatter and the familiar energies. He smoothed his blazer one final time and took a deep breath.
He was acutely aware of the entire Z gang as he entered. Even without the sensing capabilities, it was just how he was. To make matters worse, all eyes were on him.
"Uhh… Hi guys."
Puar, the shape shifting cat was nearest, and embraced him.
"Oh Gohan!" She fawned. He patted her back.
Gohan was going to find this whole ordeal difficult. So many people who idolized Goku were here and that was hard for him.
He hated that Goku had stayed dead, deserting him at such a difficult time in life and depriving Goten of a father. Not to mention how ever since Kakarot's death Chi Chi had been despondent and Gohan never talked to her anymore. But Gohan just couldn't hate his stupid, naive father. The guy was just trying to make life easier for everyone else, and yeah, probably wanted to fight the best fighters of all time in otherworld.
To calm himself, Gohan mingled a little, (he had no other choice really). He greeted Krillin and his fiancée, 18. Seeing the monk always cheered him up. The man seemed brighter than normal. Somehow Krillin had seduced the android, and Gohan was happy for him.
I shouldn't have flipped out over that silly car ride earlier. Mom is doing her best for us, even though grief is probably eating her alive, I cant fault her for making illogical decisions. Dad was… a whirlwind. Untamable. Being along for that ride as long as she has, it's not your place to make rational decisions in those circumstances! And then she has an event like this to think about, she probably feels worse than I do about it! I should have taken charge over this, eased her burden.
The next thought was one he couldn't bring himself to face. It was embarrassing.
Dad would have.
He always knew what to do. Will I ever be able to fill his shoes?
"Hey there buddy! What's with the long face huh?"
Yamcha, and some airhead he was currently dating were the next to talk to Gohan. Yamcha was a lot less hot headed nowadays spending his time in meditation. He had never thought much of the man. They had never spent a whole lot of time together, and, he was kinda obnoxious.
"Nice to see you Yamcha. How are you?"
"I'm great little buddy, thanks for asking! I've just been taking it easy, y'know? I spend my time…"
Gohan didn't have anything bad to say about him. The guy had been nothing but nice, and been someone reliable through the android ordeal. Although he didn't train as hard as he used to, he had apparently become obsessed with finding new purposes for Ki. Listening to him, he had actually made some good progress in new attacks. He found himself surprisingly interested in what Yamcha was saying, actually paying attention. Gohan had an inkling that humans were a lot better than Saiyan's were with Ki. After a surprisingly pleasant conversation, he made a mental note to train with Yamcha sometime soon.
Hm, whaddaya know. He actually seemed… kinda cool. Maybe the meditation is doing him good? Krillin said he used to be a lot more childish.
Gohan simply nodded to Piccolo and Tien, there was no need for anything extra. In a brief talk however, Gohan and Tien arranged to train together. Chioutzou gave him a warm greeting along with him.
Oolong and Roshi gave a quick hello as they spied on the pretty capsule Corp receptionist.
Mr and Mrs Briefs gave condolences and hugs. They were practically family to Gohan, then again, the same could be said for the whole Z gang. Gohan greeted the lavender haired toddler, Trunks. A memory of Mirai, the timelines saviour struck him. He had left a week after the cell games, desperate to go save his world.
Gohan noticed that this version of Trunks was already more Vegeta-like, using his facial expressions, and even the patented Vegeta Glare.
Gohan greeted Bulma with a hug, and some polite talk, and did pretty much the same thing when he saw his Grandfather, The Ox King.
Gohan spotted Android 17 standing in the corner, with a candy bar and a soda can. He was curious, but said nothing.
Before he knew it, it was time for the ceremony.
The air was solemn as Yamcha's heartfelt speech came to an end. It was tough to say goodbye to such a close friend, everyone was hit hard, and yet, ready to move on as Goku would want. Despite the somber atmosphere, there was a palpable ray of hope; a brighter future would surely come.
At least until...
"Wassup bitches?" Vegeta swaggered out to the front.
"Oh gosh no," Bulma cringed as Vegeta staggered up the stairs to the stage. "He's drunk." She deadpanned.
"What's good in da' hood Boy'z? What's cracka' lackin my guys? It's ya' boy Vee to the gee, aka big 'Geets here."
Gohan gave Bulma a questioning glance.
"He's had access to cable! I was just trying to show him our culture!" She whispered sharply. "Don't give me that look, it was a smart idea! I didn't know he'd do this!"
Nobody did anything. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"So," he paused. "Kakarot's dead, meaning, I have no goal in life." Vegeta took a swig of beer. "You know Freiza tried to court me? You ever tried to bail out of an involuntary date with a guy a thousand times stronger than you?"
Silence.
"Anyway, back to Kakarot: He was a good guy. Fucking stupid, but a good guy… He avenged our r-r-race. Ol' 'Geets was six feet under and Goku killed the frost demon, below room temperature. Thanks for that Kakarot..."
Vegeta covered his face and began shaking.
"I-Is… is he crying?"
"Wha' ma' shuposhed do now?" The saiyan sobbed. "He wa onl' one worthy and now he's gone! The moment to perform came and I blew it! I couldn't do anything to Cell! And after the greatest thing to ever happen to me explodes itself, the second most important thing, the one saving grace of my failure to perform, dies! What do I do now, huh? I'm lost without Kakarot to chase after!" The prince whined.
"I can't look," Bulma said from behind her hands. "Do something Gohan!"
The boy sputtered. "What am I gonna do?"
Tears were falling to the floor from the stage. Vegeta's loud cries rang through the room. The humans shifted awkwardly.
"Kakarot's gone… Cell's gone… The boy's gone… who am I gonna fight now?! Is it you?" He pointed accusingly at a confused Gohan.
The whole room turned to him.
"I don't... uh, I'm... "
"I'm supposed to settle for this? The kids never even blown up a planet!" The prince yelled. "Or the green guy? It's bullshit! Frieza took me to space in-N-out, like some kind of easy slut! There's no one to fight, so… why live?" He whimpered.
"..."
"What, that's it? No ones gonna say anything? I'm sobbing my heart out and you're just staring at me? Don't any of you have something to say to the stoic, handsome rogue that has finally revealed his vulnerable side?"
"What did Freiza's mouth taste like?" Came android 17's voice.
"R'all kill you!" Vegeta barked and made to run, only to breakdown crying.
Dying from embarrassment, Bulma dragged a bawling Saiyan Prince out of the funeral area.
"Wait! Bulma, please wait! I have one last thing to say!" Vegeta begged.
She glared at him as he crawled back to the microphone.
…
Everyone tensed.
"Aged grapes. He was drinking wine all night."
A collective sweatdrop ensued. Bulma resumed relocating the prince. He resisted as best he could in his drunk state.
"KAKAROT! Come back!"
Tien and Yamcha intervened, and the prince was finally gone.
"Wait! I haven't even -ugh- sung my song!"
"Yeah, as much as I'd love to see that, we're good. C'mon Geets." Yamcha laughed.
That was probably the weirdest moment of Gohan's life. Ever.
With so many people milling around for hours, food was ordered. Although not something that you would regularly encounter at a memorial, but, hey: Saiyans.
After the food was finished. One by one people left. Soon it was just the Son's and the Brief's families respectively. Chi Chi hugged Bulma, "Thanks for this Bulma, I'll see ya' soon."
Chi Chi saw her eldest son going up the stairs, "...Gohan, we're leaving now." Gohan winced and braced himself for her oncoming wrath. He would normally just follow along, but things were different now.
He steadied himself. I'm not a kid anymore. "Actually, Mom, I was gonna stay a while and train with Vegeta. It's how Saiyans deal with emotion."
Chi Chi would usually shout at him about delinquency but she seemed to sense his mood. She nodded and left. Bulma turned to Gohan, "I had Piccolo drop off some training gear in your room, Gohan. Check it out!"
"Will do Bulma! Thanks!"
Gohan ran up to his room. It was home away from home. King size bed, en suite, it was three times the size of his actual room. He threw off his expensive suit, it looked sleek but it was uncomfortable for him. "Let's see what we got here..."
Gohan's large wardrobe was surprisingly full. Designer clothes, and half a dozen of training outfits. A weighted demon clan gi, two Kame school uniforms, Saiyan armour, a couple fancy tracksuits, everything he liked.
"And this will be your room!"
"... Bulma, what's with all the clothes?"
"I can't have my nephew dressing like that," she waved over his outfit. A blazer and awkwardly short shorts. "Besides, I see so many cute outfits in stores! I couldn't help myself, I feel like a fashion coordinator! try this jacket on, it'll look cool!"
In the end, Bulma was going to buy this stuff anyway, so Gohan could accept it. He dreaded to think how much Bulma had spent, but supposed it was okay since Trunks could one day get use out of it.
Bulma's the one person I don't mind telling me how to dress. Still though, I need to buy my own things. I'll never understand style if I leave it to other people.
Looking through the clothing he had, he solidified his standpoint. As much as he liked the turtle school attire, he couldn't keep wearing stuff like this everywhere.
Gohan went for some Saiyan armour but was shocked to see something new on the rack.
A blue, denim capsule corp jacket was hanging up in his closet, Gohan picked it up. It reminded him of someone he cared a great deal about. There was a note attached,
Gohan,
I cannot thank you enough. You've done more for me in two lifetimes than anyone else has. Life can be hard, believe me I know, but don't give up. Keep doing things your own way, and you'll be proud looking back when it's all said and done. It made my younger self very happy when you said I looked cool in this jacket, so here's a gift from me to you, since I'm the elder brother figure now. It's funny, even though I'm older than you now, I still see so much of big, grown up Gohan in you. Make him proud.
He gripped it tightly, struggling not to drop the note and jacket.
Trunks?
"Finally found It huh?" Laughed Bulma the doorway. Gohan could do nothing but nod in response.
"Mirai was so sweet. He can't read or write you know. He's never had any education. He stayed up for ages making that letter, he used a robot to type it all out." Bulma smiled, reminiscing.
"I hope he's alright…" he replied. "We might never see him again, how will we know he's okay?"
Bulma opened her mouth to speak.
Crash!
Gohan tensed up immediately, and instinctively pushed Bulma behind him.
Bulma pointed straight ahead, "That came from the north side of the compound!"
Gohan ran towards it, pulling Bulma along with him. If there really was any imminent danger he would want Bulma with him. Her curiosity would get the better of her and she would end up at the potential battlefield anyway.
The Z fighters had all left capsule corporation, so Gohan assumed none of them were the cause of the ground shaking crash.
What was the cause then? Terrorist attack? Earthquake? Gohan would soon know. Gohan left the building with Bulma in tow, but all he could see was... Nothing. Gohan and Bulma seemed to be In the middle of a dust cloud, but thanks to his Saiyan eyesight he could make out something lying on the ground, something... Human.
The smoke was clearing. Bulma was coughing. The humanoid stood up, clutching its arm.
"G-Gohan?"
The purple haired teen fell to the ground.
Gohan had been sitting next to Trunk's bed for hours now. It had been so long that the sun was beginning to set. A machine next to the single bed was monitoring the time traveling teen's vitals, letting out a steady beeping sound.
He was singed and covered in gashes, as though worked with a blade. Large welts adorned his arms, and his torso had been wrapped in bandages.
Gohan was certain that he had blacked out at some point; and he was as hungry as Saiyanly possible, but he wouldn't leave Trunks. Not even for a second.
Seeing that Trunks wouldn't be moving for a while, he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He had recently come to the startling realization that Saiyan senses were overpowered. So much so that even now, Gohan could hear Mrs Briefs breathing all the way downstairs on the other side of the Building. Of course however, this was made redundant because he could sense energy signatures, but it was still pretty extraordinary.
Thanks to both these factors, Gohan knew that a certain Ms Bulma Briefs was heading towards the room he was currently occupying. Gohan hadn't even considered how she was taking this, he just assumed that he cared the most. What am I thinking? He's her son, she must be worried sick.
That was uncharacteristically selfish of him. He made a mental note to ask how she was.
I've been too in my own head lately. I slack so much. My anger bursts, my mom, even socially I just feel so much brain fog. I guess a lot's been going on. I need to be sharp again.
The capsule corp heiress entered the room, with a 'Brief' wave to Gohan.
Guess I'll do some training later. That'll do the trick.
"Hey, how you holdin' up champ?"
"I'm good. Kinda hungry though."
She ruffled his hair. "That's an easy fix, I'll tell my Mom."
Gohan remembered his mental note, "Are you okay, Bulma?"
"I won't lie, I've been better but I know how resilient Saiyan's are. I'm sure Trunks has been through worse."
"Still though... It's a little scary how he just landed out the blue like that. He's strong too, so what could have happened to him? He looks as though he was in some kind of fight."
"Yes... You're right, It's weird. But right now I could care less about all that. I just want him to heal already."
As if on que, the bedridden teen began to stir slightly. A twitch in the hand, eyes fluttering under his eyelids; a soft groan.
Trunks opened his eyes very slowly, and silently Gohan and Bulma watched him.
"Mmmrhhm."
Bulma nudged the son of Goku, who in turn gently lifted Trunks up whilst she placed an extra pillow behind his back for support.
"Mom..?"
"I'm here sweety, don't worry."
"W-Where am I? Wait… your face, when am I?"
This time Gohan answered, "You're in the past Trunks, the one you saved."
"Gohan? Is that you?"
Gohan nodded. Trunks took a moment to absorb all this information. His brows furrowed and the fourteen year old had the most distant stare perceivable.
"I see... I survived," the teen whispered. He turned to address the two others in the room, maintaining his far off stare.
"I suppose you're both wondering why I am here, correct?"
They nodded.
"I'll tell you, but I need to process..."
"It's fine, Trunks, that's understandable. Take all the time you need honey."
Trunks eased up a little at this statement, he was glad to be around such understanding people.
"Thanks… I promise I'll talk soon."
Gohan shifted uncomfortably. It felt like someone had died, and it was technically still his dad's funeral. "Hey Trunks, you feel well enough to get up?"
"Strangely enough," said Trunks "I do. How did I heal so fast?"
"Oh! Right! We gave you a herbal medicine that had traces of senzu bean in it. You're actually one of the first it's ever been used on. I'm so excited, it worked wonders!"
"Although," she paced. "It seems your body is worse off than your mind. I wonder, is this due to the.."
Trunks and Gohan both cracked a smile as Bulma departed the room, rambling and focused.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that you stayed with me the whole time. So thank you. Thanks a lot." Trunks said with a weak smile.
Gohan didn't know how to react. Tears threatened to well up but he steeled himself.
With a polite bow Gohan made to leave.
"It's great to have you back Trunks. You look tired though, please, get some rest."
Gohan left. Both smiled to themselves.
Android 17 had tears in his eyes from laughter. "I love this show! It's so goddamn funny! Such dynamic, realistic writing! I can just relate to the main characters so well!"
It was at that moment, the show ended. 17 was incredibly disheartened by this. "Aw man! It finished! Without Drake and Josh, my life has no meaning!"
He sat and stared at his hands, trying to wrap his head around the complexity of the sanctity of life.
"I was at one point, a regular human. Now though, I exist as a halfway point of existence. A Frankenstein, a mockery of nature. The soulless symbiosis of the natural and the manmade, a perverse inhuman monster that in and of itself is a metaphor for humanity. Does man's moral prestige truly hold such little weight? Who are we to claim defiance to the perfect imperfections of nature, to attempt our own, unethical transcendence?"
He sat for hours, contemplating.
"Am I doomed to suffer for eternity? An inability to feel, an eternal engine, a hellish abomination, condemned to exist in a forever limbo, never to experience the arcs of life and the closure of death. There will be no eternal rest for my doomed soul, no ebbs and flows of a human life that leave us with fulfilling memories."
Somewhere in the distance, an eagle squawked. Majestic, free, a proud bastion of vitality. Even now, nature was mocking him.
"Imma go jump off of a bridge."
17 left his cabin in the woods, heading to West city. Before he could find a tall enough bridge, he noticed something round and yellow.
"Well, I got nuthin' better to anyway. Let's see if I can have some fun!"
Gohan wandered the halls of capsule corp, bored out of his mind. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't go to Trunks, he didn't want to seem clingy. The gardens were beautiful and he always managed to drift there. One particular spot, with peaceful streams and absolute quiet was always empty. It was the perfect place to meditate and practice some light kicks.
Gohan rounded another corner, almost to the garden, when he noticed an odd, human shaped shadow. He thought nothing of it, and continued to walk. "Wait, what?" Gohan wheeled around to face the shadow.
"Boo!"
"The fuck?" Gohan reflexively punched the thing, sending it back into the wall. He got into the demon school stance, ready for a fight. "Who's there!"
Android 17 was on the floor, flat on his ass and rubbing his head. He looked pissed. "What the hell was that for? It was just a prank, man."
"..." Gohan blinked twice, and dropped his stance a little.
Android 17 got to his feet. "I'm... I am gonna kill you for that!"
Gohan just barely managed to block a punch from the red ribbon robot. He was, however, hit hard in the throat. Gohan kicked his opponent in the chest, 17 was pushed back a little but he was quick to retaliate with a palm aimed for Gohan's neck. The smaller boy blocked the chop and headbutted the android. They glared at each other, eager to spill blood.
17 dropped to the floor, throwing Gohan behind him as he did. Gohan righted himself in midair, desperately pushing his Ki under him. He floated stomach down. Gohan was a sitting duck, and 17 capitalised by uppercutting him into the ceiling. The force of the blow embedded Gohan in the ceiling. Gohan groaned.
"Eat this!" 17 yelled as he slammed two hands into the midsection of the preteen Saiyan. Gohan screamed in pain as he was relentlessly hit in his torso, 17's only response was to strike faster and harder. He punched Gohan one last time before moving back and putting a great deal of strength Into a well aimed knee to Gohan's sternum. The ceiling around him crumbled, and Gohan fell to the floor.
17 laughed as he picked Gohan up by the throat. He strangled him, head-butting the Saiyan periodically. He punched the son of Goku and kneed him in the face. The android followed up by striking the back of Gohan's head several times, finally, the boy was kicked so hard he skidded almost to the end of the long hallway.
Gohan was slow to get up, "Ow... That really hurt!" He cried out in pain.
"Die!" 17 roared as he phased in front of Gohan, fist drawn back. He struck with great speed, aiming to kill the young man. Gohan's eyes widened.
"No." Gohan caught the punch. 17 trembled a little as Gohan's hair became gold, and his eyes teal.
"..?"
Gohan crushed 17's hand. "Not... Worthy." He punched 17, still gripping his arm.
"Not worthy?"
"Of touching a saiyan!" Gohan roared as he slammed his forearm into the face of the android. 17's neck contorted in a horrible way, one that a human shouldn't ever be capable of.
Gohan panted as his hair slowly returned to normal. He grabbed 17 by the ankle and dragged him towards the garden.
"Androids, they only understand violence."
"You mean to tell me you did all of that because you were bored?"
"Yep, that's pretty much it."
Gohan laughed despite his anger. After that stress of the week leading up to today, this was actually kinda interesting. "That's pretty funny!" He could relate to seeking violence in trying times.
They sat cross legged in the gardens of capsule corp, in Gohan's meditation spot. Water flowed through bamboo pipes and into a koi pond. A wooden bridge was to their left, and a blooming cherry blossom provided shade, and refuge from the sunlight.
"Well, Bulma or the others won't find you here at least. If Vegeta had found you, he'd kill you. You're lucky you ran into me." Gohan warned.
"Yeah, whatever. It hasn't been that long since the day we were restarted, there's no way he could beat me. I'm stronger than my sister, and she beat his ass! What's he gonna do to me?" 17 crossed his arms.
Gohan looked at him funny. "You mean you don't know what happened at the cell games?"
"Uhhh no? Am I missing something?"
Gohan nodded, with a far off look in his eyes. "Those games... So much damage, and all in one day."
17 leaned in, eyes gleaming. "Tell me what happened, Gohan."
The boy shook his head. "How could I ever relive the horror of those games? I still have nightmares about him..."
17's face flickered with understanding. His humanity briefly surfacing. "Stop being a bitch, tell me what happened!"
He sighed, but after some more prompting and nagging, Gohan agreed to tell 17 of the Cell games.
"I'll start from just after you were absorbed..."
Seventeen ripped pieces of grass absentmindedly. "You're the one that defeated Cell?"
"Yep," the black haired preteen said. He sat cross legged opposite his newest friend, relieved that he was done talking. It was tough to relive that awful day and he never wanted to in the first place, there was just something about Seventeen that made it a little easier. Gohan felt inclined to share with the weird android.
"And," the android questioned. "You're the strongest being alive?"
"Yep."
"And you're also telling me that both Vegeta and Piccolo outclass me by miles in terms of power?"
"Yep. That's exactly what I said, word for word."
"This just won't do!" Roared the long haired cyborg. "I can't just let pickle-boy and the midget be stronger than me!" He stood up decisively. "Come on rice, we need to train! Where are those gravity rooms!"
"Hold on, rice?" Gohan looked at Seventeen like he was crazy, which he was. "And can androids even train? Isn't your power like, set or something?"
"You mean you don't know what your name means? Gohan's cooked rice, nerd," 17 explained.
"Uhh, whatever."
"And don't be stupid, of course I can get stronger! I may be a cyborg but I'm still mainly human. I could have kids if I wanted to!"
Gohan shuddered at the thought of seventeen raising a child, he was probably just as clueless as Goku! The thought of his father made him cringe.
He's gone for good, Gohan.
Seventeen noticed Gohan's face fall, "Hey kid, Come on. I know you saiyans love to fight. Play your cards right and I might just show you a few moves straight out of the official android handbook!"
Goahn shrugged. He had already bested the ultimate android. But training sounded good.
"Fuck you!" Yelled 17 as he wiped the blood from his lip. He charged Gohan again, this time hoping to even the score. He threw a punch, knocking the super Saiyan off balance. He moved to hit Gohan again, surprised to see the boy recover and kick him. 17 barely managed to block the kick. "Take this!" He yelled again as he sent a volley of Ki blasts towards Gohan.
Damn it! Thought Gohan as he dodged every attack. He laughed victoriously. "How's it feel to lose, cyb-" Gohan was cut off by the foot in his face. The eleven year old landed hard on the floor, pulled down by the intense gravity. The two fighters had chosen to fight in thirty times Earth's gravity. This was a bad idea, as neither of them had any experience with this much gravity. Gohan had spent a year in the time chamber, but he was feeling the effects of the gravity. The boy quickly looked to the clock, noting that the fight had gone on for well over two hours.
Seventeen flew downwards towards Gohan, ready for action. Gohan lay on his back helpless, he was just going to have to take the attack. His Saiyan instincts didn't agree.
In the split second that 17 rushed towards him, Gohan kipped up, uppercutting the android as he did. With a roar of pain, 17 went down. Gohan stood in pain, watching as the teenaged android got to one knee. "You… Bastard…" The android groaned as he stood up, "I'm an android! I have unlimited stamina… I can't give up and let a kid show me up. Bring it on Gohan!" The android said through his pain.
As soon as the cyborg was done talking, Gohan phased in front of him. With a grunt of exertion, he slammed his heel on the androids head. The cyborg refused to give up, raising his left arm; catching the kick. Gohan growled as he tried, and failed, to pull back his leg. Simultaneously, both fighters exchanged right hands. "Take that!" Both cried out as they took each other's strikes.
Gohan stumbled back as 17 clutched his wrist to alleviate the pain. They met each other's eyes in this brief moment of rest. Both smirked.
17 disappeared from sight. Gohan turned around, greeted with the sight of 17's malicious grin. Gohan was too slow to react, and he sailed through the air as a result of an elbow from the cyborg. The boy wasn't even allowed to hit the ground, 17 flew after him and grabbed his hair.
"It's over!" 17 leaned back, and drove his knee ruthlessly into the face of the eleven year old. A crunch echoed through the gravity chamber as the knee connected with Gohan's nose. Seventeen wasn't done however. He smashed his elbow into the back of Gohan's skull, sending him into the floor, leaving a huge crater. Around him electricity crackled from where the hardware of the room had been damaged. 17 saw Gohan laying on the ground, and considered his next attack. The bottom of the robot's foot landed hard onto Gohan's face. The boy screamed in agony as 17 stomped down once more with his foot.
The android grabbed the super saiyan Gohan by the neck, lifting him up and looking him in the eyes. "Where's all that Saiyan pride now?"
"Fuck you…"
The android thrust his palm into the face of Gohan, further crushing the already mangled nose. Gohan rolled backwards. Very slowly, he clawed to his feet. "I am a member of the greatest race to ever live, I am a saiyan!"
Gohan stood, panting and clutching his arm. An arm's length from him, android seventeen nursed his wrist, which had snapped earlier in the fight. Gohan remembered the horrible sound it had made. Almost as bad as his nose, which was dripping onto the floor. There, in the hellish red light of the gravity chamber, Gohan and 17 stared into each other's eyes, both had gone far beyond their limits. the two fighters panted in exhaustion.
17 moved first. He decisively punched Gohan, knocking him out of his super Saiyan state.
Gohan was out cold. He would have won but had chosen to not use super saiyan two. 17 chuckled weakly, realising he had beat the strongest being on Earth. Before he could enjoy his victory, he fell face down to the ground. Both fighters lay unconscious in the gravity room, even as they slept their bodies could not escape the strain of the intensified gravity.
There they lay for hours, and it wasn't until Vegeta came in for his late night training session that they were released from the merciless gravity.
"What fools… They've gotten blood all over my floors! I should probably tell the woman about this but…" Vegeta proceeded to train for a few hours in two hundred times Earth's gravity. He finally took the battered, bleeding boys in. He dragged them by the ankles, grumbling about their meaningless lives.
"Vegeta you idiot, you shouldn't have kept them in the chamber while you trained! They were already battered! But on top of that they spent three hours in two hundred times earth's gravity!"
He rolled his eyes. "They'll be fine-"
"Look at them! Gohan's got a broken nose, and 17 has dents in his spine! None of these kids have moved in three days, what am I going to tell Chi Chi?" Bulma yelled at Vegeta.
"Hn."
"That's it huh, just a 'hnnn'?" Bulma mocked.
"Shut it, woman! I thought you were a scientist, why haven't you healed them yet? A Saiyan doctor would have fixed them up ages ago," Vegeta retorted as he left the medical ward.
Bulma marched after him, pissed. "Are you implying that your monkey scientists were better than me?" She screeched.
"I'm not implying woman, I'm outright saying it!"
"Why you! But I just find it funny how-"
Another couple days passed. Capsule corp laboratories started the manufacturing of the 'Senzu potion'.
Bulma and her father wheeled a metal cart into the room. Plain white walls with off white tiles. One of several medical rooms in the capsule corp compound. In identical beds, eleven year old Gohan and android 17 lay.
"Is it a good idea to let Trunks of the future train already? It's only been four days since he popped up, he should stay inside and rest," Dr Briefs said as he adjusted the iv drip.
Bulma sighed, "You know those Saiyans, driven as can be. It's just train, train, train all day long, with breaks for meals and sleep. It's been at least a week since Vegeta and I even had s-"
"AAAAAH!" Bulma was shocked to see android 17, sitting up and screaming. "How dare you, you bitch! How could you be so cruel as to give me the mental image of Vegeta and you in the bedroom?" He roared in agony.
Gohan sat up in a cold sweat, also screaming like mad. "AAAAAAAHHH!" He shrieked. "You bastard! How could you burden me with the horrific Image of Vegeta naked!?"
As Gohan continued to scream. Android 17 pulled on his own hair and began screaming louder than before. "I wasn't even thinking of Vegeta's junk until now! Now I can't get rid of the mental image; AHHH!"
"What's this about fathers junk?" Cried future Trunks as he barged into the room. "You bastards! How could you give me that mental picture!? AAAAAHHHH!"
"AHHHH!" Dr briefs screamed as the kitten on his shoulder dug its claws into his neck, frightened by all the hollering.
"AAAAHHHH. Wait Trunks? What the hell are you doing walki- AHH I JUST THOUGHT ABOUT IT AGAIN!"
"AHHH! Wait what? Who's Trunks? Is it that purple haired gu- AHHH! AGAIN!"
Future Trunks stopped dead in his tracks, pointing at 17. "Is that an Android?" He clenched his fists, "AHHHHHH!" He began tearing at his hair, unknowingly mimicking 17.
The collective scream rang out all over the massive building. "AHAAAAAAAAAHH!"
Gohan wrestled 17, desperate for the last chicken wing. "You can't just take food off of my plate!"
17 headbutted Gohan. "Finders keepers, monkey boy!"
"Robo… uh, douche?"
"Work on your insults, Ricemonkey!"
17 let go of the chicken wing, causing Gohan to stumble back. He then advanced on the boy, throwing a flurry of punches at him, hoping to overwhelm him with an all out ambush attack.
Gohan took every punch. He fell to the floor. Fight or flight kicked in. "Adios!" Gohan turned tail and sprinted in the opposite direction, 17 hot on his tail.
"I'm gonna get that wing, monkey boy, run all you like!"
Gohan searched frantically, looking for somewhere he could lose 17. Upstairs! I'll lose him in the living quarters!
Gohan and 17 ran up the stairs, both forgetting that they had mystical ability of flight. "You'll never take me alive, robot boy!"
17 roared in anger, "Give back my wing!"
"Never!"
"Gah! Even if I gave you a foot massage?"
Gohan stopped running. "A foot massage?"
"Hell yeah. I'm really good at them 'cos Gero programmed me with masseuse skills."
"..."
"That old geezer was always trying to get me to massage him! Freakin weirdo…"
"..."
"Yeah… Old man Gero was creepy as hell. You know he programmed one android to be a redneck truck driver?"
"No way! What happened to him?"
"Oh, old thirteen never got deployed. In his initial boot he gave off super rapey vibes so Gero shut him down. Wouldn't fly in the current social climate, y'know? Also, he was racist. Like, super racist. Gero tried to make up for it though, he made thirteen a minority android sidekick, all in an attempt to make thirteen less… Well, less racist."
"And?"
"It failed horrifically; Thirteen's minority sidekick was designed with stereotypical features that made him a negative representation of black people. Oh and he was racist too, even more than 13. Gero still wasn't done trying to salvage Thirteen's rep though. He built one more android, this time a racially ambiguous robot that fought with a sword. It was a misdirection tactic. 'Are those two guys racist? Nah, they've got that racially ambiguous guy with him.' It was the perfect plot, representation to the highest degree. But…"
"Go on."
"Now, this one wasn't racist, but he still had his flaws," 17's eyes began to project a poorly made PowerPoint presentation as he informed Gohan of his creators failures.
"Uh huh, then what?" Gohan sat down cross legged, looking intensely at the pictures being projected onto the wall.
"Well, the racially ambiguous robot was even worse than thirteen or his sidekick… what he was can only be described as the worst kind of person… He was…"
"What? What was he 17?"
"He was…"
Gohan was leaning forward, truly engaged in the story. "Out with it 17!"
"He was… he was a weeb!" Seventeen cried out, dramatically covering his face. "Gah, I'm so ashamed to even be slightly affiliated with that guy!"
Gohan's face contorted in horror. "Truly a monster! What kind of cringy shit did weeaboo android do?"
17 gagged. "Unspeakable things. He was constantly referring to his 'Waifus' and plugging his fanfiction. He would speak in weird ways and watch subbed anime! Now there's nothing wrong with liking anime, but this guy was just the worst! He was always saying japanese words and he wasn't great for android debauchery since he was always distracted by social media power scaling arguments!" Seventeen punched the wall in anger-cringe.
"Wow. He really was the worst kind of person."
"Is Gohan, is. That monster's still alive…" 17 shuddered.
"Oh my…"
"Gohan, for our sake… Let's hope that thirteen and his band of misfits never get turned on…"
In abject horror, 17 and Gohan made their way downstairs, still hungry. In a show of friendship, Gohan pulled the chicken wing, splitting it in two. He gave one half to 17 and ate the other himself.
17 smiled at him. "Thanks bro!"
Gohan nodded. "It's nothin'."
Did he just call me bro?
Gohan was anxious. He sat in one of the many capsule corp living rooms, watching a movie with Trunks and 17. Yesterday had been a great day, he had woken up from a mini coma and had a laugh with 17. He spied a glance to an armchair where the android sat, a few feet away. They were officially friends.
Gohan himself sat on a sofa, and next to him was his fourteen year old friend, Trunks. The time traveler had told everyone that he was here to stay for a short while, but he refused to tell what had become of his timeline.
He kept looking at the two of them. 17, He'd known the guy for a bit less than a week, and he'd been in a coma for most of that. Despite this, they were getting along well, and had spent the last two days with each other. Then there was Trunks, His friend from the future. They had been together at the Cell games. They hadn't had much time to talk, but there was certainly a powerful bond.
The two had been at each other's throats since yesterday. Trunks was obviously uncomfortable with an android being around, especially since Gohan knew the alternate 17 had been the source of Trunks's nightmares since he was a boy. 17 on the other hand, had noticed Trunks' disposition, and as a result decided it was his civic duty to annoy the hell out of the lavender haired boy. When Trunks showed the slightest bit of hostility, 17 would make it physical. They despised one another.
"..."
"Are you okay, Trunks?"
"Android."
"..."
"Gohan, why is there an android in the capsule corp compound?"
"He's actually really nice, Trunks. He swears a lot though, but maybe I can train it out of him. Please, just give him a chance? This world isn't like yours, they really haven't done anything wrong."
"..."
Needless to say, Trunks had tried to kill 17 a few times, and vice versa. Gohan had been breaking up fights every five minutes.
"Hey mophead, go take a shower. It's hard to enjoy this movie when all I can smell is your natural stench: bitch."
Trunks stood up. "What did you say, tin can? I'm gonna beat the crap outta you ya' washing machine!"
The two hotheads squared up. Gohan pushed them away from each other. Neither of them blinked. "Stop it you guys! Why can't you two get along?"
"Gohan, can't you see he's the problem?" Trunks and 17 said in unison. Both blinked in shock before going for each other's throats.
""Don't copy what I say, stupid robot!"
"Get lost, you purple haired goat!"
"How am I a goat? Step your insult game up, ya'toad!"
"Wha'd you say, you damn orphan?"
Gohan sighed. Both brought out the worst in each other. The normally polite Trunks became a red blooded hothead when 17 insulted him. 17 became slightly worse. Gohan hated how trunks became uncharacteristically aggresive around 17. And as for the android, he was already pretty bad so…
"Delusional time traveling geek!"
"Tin can, robot-looking loser!"
"Shut up!" Gohan lost control and burst into super Saiyan two. His voice became gruffer; his muscles bulged. "Here's what's going to happen," the boy spoke with the utmost authority, "You two. Gravity chamber. Now. I'm tired of this constant bickering. You two are gonna go all out, and then you're gonna shake hands and be friends."
"As if," the two scoffed in unison.
Gohan stormed off.
"Sheesh, what's his problem?" Said Trunks and seventeen in unison. "Hey, don't copy me, asshole!"
Gohan picked at his nails, bored.
When was the last time I had italian food? If I remember correctly, Mrs. Briefs makes really good pasta bake.
A dozen metres away, two adolescent boys were locked in a thrilling battle to the death.
Which mainly consisted of rolling around like idiots.
"Kcch, and..roid.."
"Shmurder you grr, brat."
West city is right next to the ocean, the seafood here is off the charts… What are the chances that capsule corp has a bunch of fresh seafood? How hard would it be to get if they don't?
The boys exchanged sloppy punches, long since tired from all the rolling.
Would we just have to like, go to the store? Is Bulma so rich that she can just order a bunch of fish? I'd fly around the world a hundred times for some good prawn spaghetti.
"Die!"
"Y..you first!"
Gohan sighed. "Are you guys finished yet?"
"No way!"
"I've got him right where I want him!"
He stood up. "Not doing this anymore. Call it even. Cmon, let's go eat."
The two fighters stood, grumbling. Both were worn out, although 17 looked a lot worse for wear.
Silently, trunks stuck out a hand, looking away. In turn, 17 did the same.
"It was unbecoming of me to be so aggressive. You haven't done anything to me, or anyone else really. I was projecting. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault you were born with a goat face. I forgive you."
Trunks glared. "What kind of thing is that to say? I'll-"
Gohan was relieved. They could finally eat! As the two's body language relaxed, he did too.
Good, if I had to break up one more fight, I swear, I was gonna go Vegeta again, which reminds me:
"Can you two stop swearing so much?"
Trunks and 17, who had been silent for a solid thirty seconds, blinked. "Huh?"
Gohan blinked in return at their strange looks. "What? It's just really unnecessary, and it's rubbing off on me. Please, ease up a little?"
"Quiet, prude. Jeez this guy, huh?" The tallest boy said. Trunks shrugged in return.
"Trust me, I get it, but that's just how he is. Let's just comply with the kid."
"I'm only eleven, guys." Gohan pouted.
"Prude."
The youngest sighed. "Whatever. You guys like italian food?"
Both boy's eyes lit up. "Do I?"
Thanks for reading. Still undecided on pairings, so feel free to leave suggestions.