Sorry for the long wait, folks! Here's chapter 4! Thanks to Ryo-chan wolfgirl, Ali, z-gang tormentor, Kallu, Laania and icewolf for the reviews on chapter 3.
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its' characters. Akira Toriyama does!
...
Gohan closed the book he had been reading. Once again he'd devoured another thick volume in very little time. Other than a few menial tasks Turles had given him, the young half-Saiyan had nothing more to do but read.
Daiz noticed immediately"You finished that book too, Kid?"
"Yes, Sir," Gohan replied.
Turles turned in his seat as he overheard the conversation. He surveyed the book he had allowed Kakarot's son to borrow, entitled "Legends Of The Saiyan Race." The Saiyan pirate fired off a series of questions whose answers would have only been found in the heavy tome.
Daiz didn't miss the look of amazement in the onyx eyes of the Saiyan commander as the six-year-old answered each question. When Turles wordlessly turned back to the screen he was observing, Gohan knew he was dismissed.
The former prince of Kabocha shook his head as the boy disappeared momentarily and returned with another book tucked under his arm.
...
Gohan looked up from his seat on the floor and saw Daiz now occupying the pilot's seat. Turles was elsewhere on the ship. Curiosity got the better of the half-Saiyan. He wandered through the ship, careful not to go where Daiz had advised him against.
The son of Goku discovered the dark-skinned Saiyan in a small training room. Turles was aiming kicks and punches at an imaginary opponent. Gohan gaped at the sheer speed that the pirate commander utilized. At times, the black and silver armored figure was just a blur of motion.
"Hmm, Does someone care to spar?" Turles called out.
Gohan gasped as the Saiyan slammed into him. The impact caused the youngster to be sent flying into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Gohan painfully picked himself up off the floor.
"Are we going to cry now?" Turles taunted.
"NO! I mean no, Commander," the six-year-old spoke up quickly.
"NEVER let your guard down," the elder Saiyan warned.
"Understood, Master Turles," Gohan affirmed.
"Let's see what the son of Kakarot can do!" Turles mocked.
'I'm the son of Goku!' the half-Saiyan child wanted to scream but he didn't dare to.
The dark-skinned Saiyan landed a punch to Gohan's jaw and a successive one to his stomach.
"Not even worth the bother..." Turles began.
The space pirate fell silent as he suddenly found himself actually blocking a flurry of blows from the now furious half-blood. To the Saiyan warrior's surprise the child managed to land a blow to his jaw. Not hard enough to do any real damage but certainly enough to be felt.
Gohan immediately stopped his actions and he stared up at Turles in absolute terror. He'd struck the pirate and in his face at that. Surely he'd receive a severe punishment now.
"What ARE you doing, Brat?" Turles demanded as the boy suddenly appeared to be paralyzed with fear.
"I-I HIT YOU!" Gohan stammered.
Turles stared at young half-Saiyan in utter disbelief.
"Were you not taught that one should EXPECT to be hit at times during a spar? Did you not train with your father?" the full-blood Saiyan growled.
"I-I didn't get to spar or train much with my dad. Mom didn't want me fighting, Commander," Gohan explained.
"But you're a Saiyan. What did your mother expect you to do?" Turles asked incredulously. A Saiyan who didn't fight was unheard of.
"She made me read A LOT and study. She wanted me to be a great scholar, Master Turles," the youngster spoke up.
"No wonder you went through the books so quickly," the pirate affirmed.
"Learning has its place. We don't want you to be ignorant, I can't abide stupidity. But your training is of great importance. You will train here for three hours a day unless I instruct you otherwise and that training begins now, Brat," Turles informed him.
With that, Turles lifted up Gohan's hand and showed him how to use the power from his shoulder rather than just striking out with his fist. His strike would carry much more force by doing so...
...
"Master Turles, We are nearing planet Jalsed," Daiz reported.
"Excellent. Get cleaned up, Brat. We're stopping for a meal before we take you to your assignment," Turles ordered.
"Yes,Commander!" Gohan responded as he quickly made his way to the cleansing facility.
The hot water of the shower helped ease the soreness of his muscles. He wasn't used to training so extensively and Turles was no easy instructor. Gohan wondered what his assignment was going to be and why he had a sense of dread about it. But anyway he was starving and Turles always chose the most incredible places to dine. He was going to enjoy his meal before he concerned himself with anything else. In no time at all he was clean, dry, dressed and ready to go.
...
Gohan crawled up onto his little bunk. Once again he'd enjoyed a sumptuous meal and he planned on a nice nap before he had to face whatever the dreaded assignment would turn out to be. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow.
Daiz looked in on the boy. The kid had an air of innocence about him as he slept. A long sigh came from the Kabochan pirate. That innocence wasn't going to last long under Turles's command.
...
Turles's ship landed on planet Arshath. Gohan stared up at the deep blue sky that happened to have two suns. A lush jungle lay just ahead, strange cries echoed from the animal life. The six-year-old wondered what Turles expected him to do on this beautiful world that achingly reminded him of Earth.
Daiz stepped up next to him and handed him something small and hard. It looked like almost like a large hard Sensu bean,"You have to plant the seed here, Kid. Just blast a small hole and toss it in. Nature will take care of the rest."
"Seed for what?" Gohan asked.
He wasn't sure if he really wanted an answer. The small hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up. It was almost as if something was very wrong about the object he held. The cruel smile on the face of Turles who suddenly appeared unnerved Gohan even more. He couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen.
"It's the seed for the Tree of Might of course. This world is a perfect place to plant the tree and harvest its fruit," the dark-skinned Saiyan declared.
Gohan gasped and looked the seed in his hand. This thing was what caused the destruction of his home planet, the loss of his family and friends. He would never forget the evil tree that sprang from a seed just like this one. That horrid tree had left the once beautiful planet Earth as nothing but a dried husk. The abundant life it once held silenced forever. Never again would the Earth be capable of supporting life. Now he was expected to strip this planet of all life...
"NO! I WON'T DO IT!" Gohan snarled.
Daiz swallowed hard wondering how Turles was going to react. Grown men had been killed instantly for refusing an order from the Saiyan pirate.
"I am giving you a direct order, Brat. Plant the seed NOW!" Turles barked.
Gohan shivered under the intensity of the Saiyan's angry glare but he stood his ground.
"I'M NOT GOING TO DESTROY THIS WORLD!" the half-Saiyan screamed.
'That's it. The kid's DEAD!' Daiz thought to himself.
The six-year-old balled his fists up in absolute fury. A red aura began to glow around him as he raged inside over everything that had happened to him.
Daiz stole a look at Turles. He was actually smiling!
"Seems as if I'll have a light workout before we're done here," Turles chuckled.
He took a bite out of the piece of fruit he'd brought along just in case. The pirate commander wanted the boy to know just what kind of power he was dealing with.
Gohan flew directly to Turles and did his best to rain blow after blow on the evil Saiyan. Turles effortlessly dodged or batted away his attacks as simply as if he were just an annoying fly to be swatted away. Several damaging blows struck the Earth-raised youth and he had yet to strike the Saiyan.
Suddenly Turles phased in behind Gohan and seized his tail in a crushing grip. The son of Goku sank to his knees in horrible pain. With a savage kick, the dark-skinned Saiyan took the boy's legs out from under him. Turles held Gohan's tail in his right hand and his right foot was on the back of the child's neck exerting just enough pressure to cause pain but not enough to crush his windpipe. Gohan shrieked in absolute agony.
"What's it going to be, Brat? Obey my order or suffer! I can do this for some time you know. And if you make me angry enough to kill you, your end will be the most agonizing thing I can devise. Be forewarned I have quite the imagination!" Turles hissed.
"Sorry, Dad!" Gohan sobbed under his breath.
"I'LL DO IT! JUST LET ME GO! PLEASE, MASTER TURLES!" the six-year-old cried out.
Turles smirked as he released his hold on the young boy," There you see, Daiz? Just a little of the right persuasion and we have complete cooperation."
Gohan felt the bile rise in his throat as he blasted a hole in the planet's surface and tossed in the seed...
...
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