Chapter Six: Exploring Gohan's Secrets
Lying on her bed with Gohan's copy of Hogwarts, a History, Hermione's thoughts turned toward the books she had checked out from Malfoy. She had poured over the volumes several times, but still failed to find the commonality. Sighing, she picked up History of the World Martial Arts Tournament. She flipped through the pages distractedly. Three quarters of the way through the thick tome, she stopped. A black and white moving picture of a small child with spiked hair was throwing a kick at a tall bald man with three eyes. The child had a furry tail poking out of the seat of his pants. As she closely examined the child, she noted the resemblance of this boy to Gohan Son. She read the caption.
This picture of Goku Son and Shenhan Tien was taken during the final match of the twenty-second World Martial Arts Tournament. Goku is the adopted grandson of Gohan Son and the student of the turtle hermit Master Roshi. Tien is the son of Yoshi and Mei Tien and the student of the crane hermit Master Shen.
Hermione gasped. Goku Son? Gohan Son? Being an expert reader she flipped to the book's index. She grabbed a scrap of parchment and wrote down the page number containing the picture. Then she did a search for the names Son Goku and Son Gohan. She recorded the page numbers on her scrap and flipped to the first page for Gohan Son.
The SIXTEENTH World MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT:
Overview:
The contestants who qualified for the quarter finals are as follows:
Sasha Delancey, female, muggle, age 28
Man Wolf, male, muggle, hybrid werewolf syndrome, age 16
Ox King, male, magic suppressed, age 26
Son Gohan, male, muggle, age 71…
Hermione found the picture of Gohan. The Gohan Son from the picture was an older, pleasant-looking gentleman. His bald head was covered by a plain round cap, his grayish-white mustache flowing gently in the wind. He was an exuberant fellow, waving enthusiastically at someone off camera. His expression made Hermione smile; it wasn't a smug expression. The old man genuinely appeared pleased to see the people, giving him a slight Arthur Weasley-ish quality. Tapping the book with her wand, Hermione magically transferred a copy of the page to some muggle copy paper she had brought with her.
She flipped to the next page on her list.
EIGHTEENTH WORLD MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT:
Overview:
The contestants who qualified for the quarter finals are as follows:
Jackie Chun aka Master Roshi, male, magic suppressed, age not indicated
Ox King, male, magic suppressed, age 31
Anonymous, male, muggle, age 22
Son Gohan, male, muggle, age 81…
Hermione copied this and one other page featuring Gohan Son before turning her attention to Goku Son.
TWENTY-FIRST WORLD MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT:
Overview:
Quarter Final Qualifiers:
Nam, male, moderate Squibism, age 29
Jackie Chun aka Master Roshi, male, magic suppressed, age not indicated
Krillin, male, muggle, age 11
Son Goku, male, magic handicap confirmed, nonhuman, age 12…
Nonhuman? What is that supposed to mean? Hermione examined the picture of Goku Son. The boy was looking straight into the camera, wearing a completely puzzled look. Something furry, his tail Hermione surmised, was scratching in his long, black, spiky hair. He pointed at Hermione and mouthed, "What's that box thing?" Hermione giggled. He's kinda cute. She burst out into loud laughter as the boy in the picture reached behind the frame and grabbed the camera, trying to take a bite of it. The boy named Goku dropped the box quickly with a disgusted look and mouthed, "Ewww….that tastes yucky!" Grinning, she quickly copied the page and added it to the others.
Finding his picture in the next tournament, Hermione noted the minor height change. The boy wore the same attire but no longer appeared confused about a camera. Suddenly, he pointed at something off camera and laughed uncontrollably. A somewhat shorter, bald kid wearing a similar outfit appeared within the frame and smacked Goku on the head. The blow appeared to have no effect whatsoever as Goku Son continued to giggle. Hermione couldn't help but to grin at the goofy boy. She copied it and turned to the next page from her list.
In the next tournament picture, Goku had grown considerably; he was now a young man. He was wearing similar attire to his previous picture. He wasn't even looking at the camera; he was staring at something with a serious scowl, his arms folded. Hmm, I wonder what changed him. As he continued to stare, a slow, satisfied, calculating, and anticipating smile began to form on his lips. He appeared to be looking forward to something. Hermione realized she was blushing for some reason.
Suddenly, a beautiful young woman entered the picture from the opposite direction and latched onto Goku's arm as she smiled radiantly at him. Goku's expression gave way to one of complete befuddlement as she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. Hermione laughed. I guess he hadn't changed too much. The girl then buried the side of her face into his muscular arm and nuzzled it, closing her eyes. Goku looked at her in outright confusion as he attempted to gently extract his arm from the woman's embrace. As his arm slipped slowly from her grip, she looked up at him with adoring eyes. She allowed Goku to slide his arm out until his wrist reached her fingers. She clamped his wrist and held it, smiling. Goku looked down at her hand and reached over with his own, covering her hand and squeezing gently, which obviously delighted the girl.
Goku's eyes suddenly widened, and they snapped toward where he had been staring before, this time angrily. (It forcefully reminded Hermione of the incident at the staircases with Gohan.) The woman also looked in that direction, looking both worried and fearful. Goku raised a fist and yelled at the thing he was staring at, while the woman attempted to tug him away by his wrist. He then smirked and said something else. A moment later, Goku chuckled wryly in response to something and smirked; his eyes moved as they followed whoever it was. The woman threw her arms around Goku and sobbed. His expression once again bore signs of confusion. She raised her tear-stained face and spoke, her eyes filled with worry. Goku smiled gently and placed on of his hands on her shoulders. He spoke encouragingly, and the young woman nodded with a tearful smile.
After copying the page, Hermione read the entire sections that she had tracked. The sections had basic background of each fighter. She learned that the woman she had seen in the last photo had entered the tournament anonymously, but had been later identified as Chi-Chi, daughter of the Ox King. She also read that after a fight with Goku, which he had won, Goku had proposed to her. Hermione read that a fighter named Junior fought Goku in the finals. Junior later claimed to be King Piccolo and set out to actually kill Goku. Goku eventually won the tournament.
Hermione examined Junior's picture. He didn't look completely human. In the black-and-white picture Junior had tall, pointed ears and antennae sprouting from the end of each brow. When he opened his mouth, small canines were exposed. Hermione didn't like his demeanor at all. He wore a smug smirk reminiscent of Lucius Malfoy. He, too, followed something off camera with his eyes, but his scowl was more sinister.
Suddenly, he laughed maniacally. Then he spread his feet apart and bended at the knees, bared his teeth seethingly and bellowed something in anger, balling both of his fists and raising them defensively. But the anger melted away as quickly as it came: Junior relaxed, stood tall, and folded his arms over his chest with a smirk. Hermione frowned at the being. She found his presence confusing, a walking contradiction. She looked at him again; he was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, frowning in concentration. He's a madly conflicted being, she decided.
As she poured through the chapter, she discovered yet another picture. Goku and Junior were in the arena facing each other. Both were standing straight as they considered each other: Goku's arms were at his sides but formed into fists, and Junior had his arms folded over his chest, his cape flapping gently in the breeze. Once again, Goku had that calculating yet expectant smile on his face; Junior was grinning deviously. So, that's who Goku was looking at, Hermione concluded.
She picked up the Complete Indexed Chronicle of the Demon King Piccolo, flipping to the index. No Gohan Son, but Goku's name filled almost two whole chapters. She read that Goku Son defeated King Piccolo. Huh. Here I thought the story of the Demon King was just a legend used to frighten children. She turned to a picture of King Piccolo. She jumped and gasped at the look at him. His physical appearance greatly resembled Junior's. But something was different. King Piccolo looked completely insane…and evil. Hermione shuddered. He looked at her haughtily and hungrily. "Heh," he mouthed, "Worthless human." King Piccolo made Junior seem like a tame kitten, if such a thing was possible. Shivering, she quickly copied the pages and moved on to Notable Muggles and Other Non-Majicks.
The thick volume was older than the others. It contained information on Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Mutaito, and both Roshi and Crane. Hermione found the pages that contained Goku Son. It mentioned Goku's background, his placements at the World Martial Arts Tournaments, his defeats of both King Piccolo and the Red Ribbon Army single-handedly ("What?" Hermione exclaimed loudly).
After studying her copies for a few hours, Hermione made some basic conclusions. She decided that Gohan Son was the son of Goku Son, or otherwise related. She also decided that Gohan, like his father, was probably a gifted martial artist. She wrote some questions for herself:
Why do Goku and Gohan have tails?
What is Gohan's connection to the events surrounding the Chamber of Secrets?
What is Gohan's real purpose for attending Hogwarts?
She began arranging the things on her bed when something slid from Gohan's book. It was a color still picture. She immediately recognized Goku to the left. He was scratching his head with his right hand and grinning goofily. Beside him was a green man with pointed ears and antennae…Junior? It was, but he looked different. He looked more docile…and happier…in a stoic way. His hand was resting on a young boy's head. Hermione immediately recognized the child as a younger Gohan. Gohan was leaning, looking up at the two in awe-filled reverence. Goku was looking past the camera, but Junior was looking at Gohan in an almost proud, affectionate way! Hermione was confused. Junior was actually looking at Gohan like he was his father! She turned the picture over. In neat yet clearly childish writing, the back said:
Me, Daddy, and Mr. Piccolo.
Taken by Mommy during the last month of preparing for the arrival of the evil androids.
In another ink:
Last picture of Daddy before Cell.
Hermione blinked. What did he mean by that? Was Goku Son killed by Cell? Was he in one of the cities that Cell attacked? She added the question to her list. She stretched, deciding to end her research for the day and read something for entertainment.
Hermione wondered about the wizarding view of the Cell games. Somewhat curious, Hermione picked up History of the World Martial Arts Tournament and turned to the tournament titled Cell Games. Of course, she was somewhat already familiar with it; it was the one that people most often referred to as the Cell games or the Impromptu Tournament. It was the first tournament that was scheduled so suddenly, without a lot of warning. It was partially broadcasted live from Muggle television.
THE CELL GAMES:
Overview:
List of the potential Volunteer Fighters:
Mr. Hercule Satan: male, muggle, age 39
Caroni: male, muggle, age 28
Piroshki: male, muggle, age 41
Gold Fighter A: male, muggle, nonhuman, age approx. 35, later seen in another form with black hair
Gold fighter B: male, muggle, half human, age approx. 20, later seen in another form with pink hair
Gold Fighter C: male, magic handicap confirmed, nonhuman, age approx. 30
Gold Fighter D: male, magic confirmed, half human, age approx. 10 ((author's note: guess who?))
Green Man: nongender, limited magic confirmed, nonhuman, age unknown; additional… aliases recovered: King Piccolo, Junior
Volunteer A: male, positively identified as Krillin, muggle, human, age 30
Volunteer B: male, positively identified as Tien Shenhan, mild Squib status confirmed, human, age 34
Volunteer C: male, positively identified as Yamcha, muggle, human, age 34
Volunteer D: male, later identified as Android 16, nonhuman, mechanical, no age determined
As Hermione perused the chapter, she received a shock. This book contained images and information never seen by muggle eyes. In fact, the book clearly stated that the winner of the Cell Games was Gold Fighter D, not Hercule. Hermione was stunned. Suddenly, it made sense; Hercule was a strong fighter, but he couldn't have been that strong. She had even seen Cell knock Hercule from the stage with one simple wrist movement. Hermione shook her head angrily. She couldn't believe she had gone an entire year believing that Hercule beat Cell.
"How could I ever have been so stupid?" Scoffing at herself, she began flipping through the pictures. She stopped to study one of the golden fighters. She started in shock.
"That's Goku Son…with yellow hair!" The tall, muscular man with the same attire was standing in a defense pose, his face frowned in concentration. Hermione looked closer; the facial resemblance was unmistakable. The caption read that "Golden Fighter C" had died during the Cell Games. Hermione became emotional. She had never met the man, but seeing him so innocent and carefree in those pictures, even the fact that he risked his life trying to save the planet, had sparked within her a sense of injustice. Knowing that the man in the defending stance was preparing for an attack, not yet knowing that he was going to die soon, Hermione couldn't look at him anymore.
She quickly turned to another photograph, and gasped. A close-up image of a badly scratched up, young boy with blond hair and bulging muscles, electric pulses dancing across his skin, and a purposeful look in his eye. His eyes bulged in surprise as he spotted Hermione. He mouthed,"Hey, you! Do you want to die? Get out of here…it isn't safe!" He then turned his seething gaze at something in the distance, a strange energy flared violently around him, his rage almost unbearable to witness. The caption identified him as Gold Fighter D, but as Hermione studied his face and clothes, another name came to mind.
"Go…Gohan?" She whispered. "I…don't believe it. Gohan…defeated Cell?"
Hermione rushed the traffic in the corridor, clutching a stack of papers. Spotting Harry and Ron, she pulled them aside.
"Meet me in conference room 3A," she said quietly. "It's urgent." Minutes later, they were all sitting around the conference table. Ron examined the room. It was physically enclosed on all sides, one side completely made of glass. Completely soundproof, it was used mainly for group projects.
"Sweet," Ron said, nodding in approval.
Hermione pulled out the picture of the yellow-haired boy and sat it in front of the boys. "Who does that look like to you?"
Harry bent forward. "That's one of the Gold Fighters from the Cell Games. Uncle Vernon and Dudley watched the Cell Games on television, and for once, they didn't force me to leave the living room."
"Good. You know who he is, but who does he look like?"
Harry scoffed but looked again. The style of clothes, the face-
Harry's mouth fell open. "Gohan?" Harry snapped his eyes toward Hermione.
Hermione nodded. "Read the caption."
Harry complied. "This picture of Gold Fighter D, taken by Daily Prophet Photographer Juniper June, was taken shortly before Gold Fighter C perished by teleporting a detonating Cell to a remote place before it exploded, thereby saving the Earth from instant destruction. It is believed that Gold Fighter C was the father of Gold Fighter D. Juniper June died ten minutes after the taking of this photograph during an explosion created immediately upon Cell's return. Gold Fighter B, in a seemingly weaker pink-haired form, was also killed by a direct energy attack that caused the explosion. Strangely, Juniper June came back to life an hour later."
Ron was staring at the picture with his mouth open. Hermione pulled another sheet from her stack and passed it Harry. "You think that's something? Read the section I highlighted."
Harry shook his head. "More surprises? Oh, goody."
"Just read it."
"'After protecting Gold Fighter A from a deadly attack, the exhausted, barely-standing Gold Fighter D launched a Kamehameha attack at Cell who reciprocated with a Kamehameha of his own. Gold Fighter D, with some assistance from some of the other surviving fighters, managed to defeat Cell by completely incinerating him." Wait…Hermione…are you saying that Gohan defeated Cell?"
Hermione smiled grimly. "No. History of the World Martial Arts Tournament is saying that Gohan defeated Cell. I'm just showing you what it says."
Harry shook his head. "Wait a minute, Hermione. That's some pretty flimsy evidence-"
Hermione nodded, waving a stack of loose leaf papers. "Wanna see more?"
Ten minutes later, Harry and Ron sat at the table, somewhat in shock. It had become increasingly difficult to refute the evidence as Hermione produced source after source. Silence permeated the conference room. Suddenly, the door swung open and shut. It was Gohan.
"They told me you were in here. Hermione! Boy, do I feel stupid! I left a photo…graphhhh-"Gohan fell silent as he saw the papers and photograph lying on the table. He quietly walked to the table, picked up the picture, and slid it into his shirt, studying the other papers. The picture of his father fighting Cell did it. His face contorted with emotion.
"Gohan-" Hermione began gently.
"I'll talk to you guys later, okay?" he choked in a low voice before he grabbed the door knob, which broke off in his hand. Desperate to escape, he placed both hands on the door and pushed. The door made cracking sounds, immediately giving way, and fell to the floor with a resounding crash. Gohan raced down the hall, sobbing.