Wow, another chapter already! You have Sarah to thank. She's been on my case about it :D Love ya, chica!
At the very formal exchange, Tsuki gave the two an odd look. Realization dawned across her face and she shook her head.
Ridiculous. They can sort this one out on their own...
"I have matters to attend to. Gohan, please continue training what we worked on," she said, and then she was gone.
Gohan and Piccolo looked at each other awkwardly. Piccolo finally cleared his throat.
"How was your training?" he asked.
"Good. How was training with Vegeta?" Gohan asked, evading elaboration, setting Jade down.
"Fine. Did you learn anything new?"
"You could say that..." Gohan replied, again evading the question.
"And how was living with Tsuki and Shin?" Piccolo asked, almost hesitantly.
Gohan gave a small smile. "It was pretty good, actually."
Piccolo's heart sank.
Gohan hesitated before asking his next question. "How was it here without...without me?"
"Quiet," Piccolo replied stiffly.
An uncomfortable silence fell upon them. Gohan's eyes began welling up with tears that he struggled to keep in. However, the dam broke, and they began to roll down his cheeks. Then, he threw himself at Piccolo, latching his arms around his middle, crying into his gi.
"Please, Mr. Piccolo, don't send me away!" he sobbed. "I don't want to live alone!"
Piccolo's arms automatically wrapped around Gohan. "Send you away? Why would I send you away?" he asked, confused. "I...I thought you'd want to stay with Tsuki and Shin..."
Gohan pulled away. "Why would I want that?" he asked, confused, as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Are they not the parents you've always wanted?" Piccolo asked.
Gohan gave a bark of laughter. "Shin's afraid of me. He wouldn't want me to live there... Mr. Piccolo, you're the only parent I want."
Piccolo felt warmth in his chest and he smiled a little.
Please don't send me away!
Confusion crossed his face. "Gohan, why would you think I would send you away?" he asked again.
Gohan looked down at his feet. "I... Mr. Piccolo, while I was there... they unleashed something in me. I can barely control it. I thought you wouldn't want me around. I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Gohan, I would never send you away for something you can't control. I would've sent you away long ago if that were the case. And you're still here, are you not?"
"Well, yeah..."
"Then you have nothing to worry about," Piccolo said simply.
Gohan smiled up at him. "I guess. Did you and Vegeta train together? Did he ascend to a Super Saiyan II yet?"
"No, he didn't. I don't know if he'll be able to, not with all that hatred and resentment in his heart."
"Well, we said the same thing about him reaching Super Saiyan, and he did that right after I did!"
"I suppose. It would be to our advantage that he does that sooner rather than later. Did you learn anything about Amat's army? Or our army, for that matter?"
Gohan shook his head. "No, I didn't. I think... I think we're running out of time, Mr. Piccolo. Amat has help now, and Tsuki is doing this alone. I think I need to show you my new form."
Piccolo looked at him appraisingly. "Alright, put your cat in the house. Let's go get Vegeta and then we'll head to the desert. He needs to see this as well."
"He's gonna get mad..."
"He'll get over it."
Piccolo and Gohan landed outside Capsule Corp.
"Dad! Gohan's here! I sense him this time!" Trunks' excited voice came from within the house. Then, the door burst open, and the boy was before them, practically vibrating with excitement. Vegeta was out shortly after, Bulma behind him.
"Oh Gohan! Welcome back, kiddo!" Bulma said enthusiastically. "Been awfully odd seeing Piccolo here without you glued to his side, that's for sure."
"Gohan! Gohan! Guess what I can do!" Trunks exclaimed.
"Boy, don't you dare-" Vegeta began, but too late.
Trunks already had his hands in formation of a Big Bang and unleashed an almost perfect, albeit very small and weak, blast. It flew towards the garden, Gohan's hand whipping out and extinguishing it before it could do damage.
"I told you a million times, you can't just do that!" Vegeta snapped. "I am not fixing another hole anywhere on this compound!"
"Sorry, Dad," Trunks said sheepishly. "Hey Dad, how come Gohan can move faster than you? He caught that a lot faster than you do..."
Vegeta gave a little growl and Bulma grabbed Trunks' shoulder, ushering him into the house.
"Alright Trunks! That's enough talking; come help me with dinner..." she rambled, quickly getting him away from Vegeta before the prince could retaliate.
Vegeta grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. "What do you two want?"
"Gohan has reached a new form-"
"Of course he did," Vegeta ground out.
"-and I think you need to come see it," Piccolo finished, ignoring the Saiyan.
"Have you seen it yet?" Vegeta asked.
"Of course not. You would've felt it for sure, unless you've become that lazy with your training..."
"Glad to see your assholery is back," Vegeta grunted. "Alright, where are we going?"
"Desert would be best bet," Gohan said. "I uh... I destroyed a lot of stuff in the Kai Realm..."
"Of course you did," Vegeta muttered. "Fine, let's get this over with," he said, more loudly this time.
Gohan stood in the middle of the desert, alone. He had sent Piccolo and Vegeta what he deemed was a safe distance away. He looked nervously in their direction. He may have gotten slightly more control over this form in the time he allowed Tsuki and Shin to train him in it, but he was still wild and unpredictable at times.
Please, don't let me hurt them, he thought to himself.
"WOULD YOU JUST DO IT ALREADY?" Vegeta's angry voice shouted. From where he stood, Gohan could see Piccolo smack the Saiyan upside the head.
Well, I better just do it.
I can do this. I can keep it under control.
He let go.
Piccolo watched as Gohan hesitated.
Come on, kid. You can do this.
"WOULD YOU JUST DO IT ALREADY?" Vegeta shouted next to him. Piccolo quickly slapped him upside the head. "The fuck was that for?" Vegeta snapped at him.
"Not helping, genius. Shut up and let him concentrate."
"Yeah, well I need to get back to training, so-"
He was cut off as a very sudden, powerful influx of ki appeared. Gohan had jumped straight from base to Super Saiyan II, a feat he hadn't been able to achieve before he had left. Beside him, he heard Vegeta give a low growl of annoyance. And then, unbelievably, his ki continued to rise. They watched in shock as Gohan's hair turned black once more, and then, an unbearable shockwave of ki came barreling at them, nearly knocking them off their feet.
And Gohan still hadn't finished powering up.
Vegeta and Piccolo crossed their arms in front of them and lowered their stances, fighting to stay on their feet. Piccolo was dimly aware of Gohan crying out, almost as if he were in pain. He wanted nothing more than to go to him and tell him it would be alright, that he could do this, but he couldn't move.
Another oppressive wave came at them, knocking them both to the ground and keeping them there.
It seemed to go on forever. Gohan's scream got louder, nearly panicked. And then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Piccolo and Vegeta quickly got to their feet, looking in awe at Gohan.
The boy stood in a shallow crater, lightning crackling around him.
And Gohan looked positively terrified.
"No, no! Stay back!" he cried as the two warriors began making their way to him.
The stopped immediately and glanced at one another.
Piccolo sighed. "Stay here," he said to Vegeta, who surprisingly nodded and stayed where he was as Piccolo continued walking towards Gohan.
"Mr. Piccolo, stop!" Gohan shouted, trying to sound authoritative, though his voice wavered. Lightning continued to flash around him.
Piccolo did not stop his approach. "It's okay, Gohan. Talk to me. What's wrong?" he asked, his voice low and soothing.
"It's... it's never been this strong. Not even when I first ascended to this form. Or even when I trained. I don't know what's wrong!" Gohan explained, his voice shaking. "Please, Mr. Piccolo. Don't come any closer!" he pleaded. "You have to stop!" When Piccolo still continued walking, he thrust his hand out, sending a wave of ki pressure towards his mentor, immediately halting him. This time, his voice was angry. "You have to listen to me! I'm dangerous!"
Piccolo ignored him, advancing as soon as the pressure stopped.
"Piccolo, you need to stop," a quiet voice said from just behind him. He whipped around, seeing Tsuki behind him. "Listen to him. He's told you to stop. You need to stop."
"He's scared," Piccolo protested.
"I know he is. I know you want to help him, comfort him. But he thinks he's going to hurt you, and you're only going to make him hysterical if you keep moving towards him. Just this once, please, let me help. He can't hurt me, and he knows that. I will calm him, and then you can comfort him however you see fit. Fair enough?" she asked, but Piccolo knew it wasn't really a question. He nodded once curtly, and she walked towards Gohan.
She approached him carefully, stopping just before him. "Hello, my little Saiyan," she said softly. "You are alright. Calm down."
"It's never been this strong," he said again.
"You have been training in the Kai Realm. Everything is a little different there. I did not think the change would be so drastic from there to Earth, so I apologize for not warning you. You're alright," she said again. "Piccolo very much wants to help you. Will you let him come near now?"
Gohan hesitated. "What if I hurt him?"
"You won't," she soothed. She then beckoned to Piccolo, and he moved towards them instantly. He stopped just before them, and Gohan looked up at him with big blue eyes.
"Help," he whimpered.
Piccolo's arms enfolded him immediately. Gohan clutched onto him fervently, tightly. Piccolo grunted a little at how tight his hold was.
"Gohan... you're about to break me in half. Ease up a little, would you?" he said, his voice light, almost joking.
It was what Gohan needed. He gave a weak chuckle and relinquished his tight hold. "Sorry."
Piccolo glanced up and noticed that Tsuki was already gone. Typical. He glanced back at Vegeta, who surprisingly had not moved from his spot.
"Will you allow Vegeta to come over now?" he asked, running a hand through Gohan's hair. The boy nodded against his chest. Piccolo turned his head and waved Vegeta over. "Be prepared, he's probably going to swear at you." Gohan chuckled.
"Alright, what in the actual fuck was that?" Vegeta exclaimed as soon as he was in front of them.
Gohan pulled away from Piccolo then. "Old Kai called it my Ultimate Form."
"And you have no control over that?" Vegeta pressed.
Gohan hesitated. "Not...not here, no. I had more in the Kai Realm..."
"And how long is it going to take you to get control here?"
"I uh... I don't know..."
"Uh huh... Namekian, I need to speak with you. Now," said the last part so quietly, Gohan hasn't heard it. But Piccolo could easily.
Piccolo gave him a look. "Gohan, how much control do you have now?"
"Pretty good control, I think..."
"Good. Go through your blast forms...please don't actually do any... and Vegeta and I have something important to talk about."
Gohan cocked his head. "What about?"
"Army stuff. Nothing you have to worry about since you won't be leading it. You focus on your part in this, and we'll focus on this. Deal?" Piccolo deflected.
"Sure, Mr. Piccolo. Deal," Gohan agreed readily. By the look in his eye, however, Piccolo knew that no, it was not a deal, and there would likely be an argument over it later.
After Gohan had walked a reasonable distance away, Piccolo turned to Vegeta. "What is it?"
"He is not allowed at my home until he has that under control. Understood?" Vegeta said sternly. "I don't trust him."
"He isn't going to hurt your family," Piccolo said defensively.
"The last time he didn't have control, he killed his friend," Vegeta said stonily.
Piccolo growled. "That was completely different! Amat was controlling him. This is nothing like that. We've been over this many times. I'm sorry it happened. I'm sorry I couldn't prevent it. But no one is more sorry than Gohan, and you can't keep bringing this up! I get it. Krillin was your friend, and probably your only friend, maybe the only one you've ever had. But he was our friend too. And you know Krillin wouldn't want you to keep blaming Gohan. So let it go. You hold these grudges and you're tearing us apart. There are three of us! We got through Cell. But this is a whole different game, and if you're not going to trust us, to trust Gohan, we're going to lose. And then you won't have a family to protect anymore. I know they're why you've gotten so much more bitter over Krillin's death in recent times, rather than moving past it. Because you're finding however much you pretended in the beginning to dislike them, you love them. Gohan isn't going to hurt them. You have to trust him, or he's never going to trust himself! And if he doesn't trust himself, we're doomed. Do you not understand that?" He finally took a deep breath, calming himself. "Thank you, though, for not making me have this conversation in front of him," he said reluctantly. He hated thanking the prince, but when the situation called for it...
Vegeta didn't say anything for a long time. He glanced over at Gohan, who was going through the motions of a Kamehameha. He grunted and looked back at Piccolo. "Fine. Let's see what the brat can do."
"Fine."
The two made their way back to Gohan, who stopped what he was doing to look at them. "Are you done?" he asked.
"Yeah, kid. We're done. We'd like to see what your blasts are looking like. Did you practice your blasts at all in this form?" Piccolo asked.
"Er... no. I didn't. There wasn't a whole lot of space; I could've really damaged something," he said sheepishly.
"Well, now's your chance. Let's just jump into it. I have an idea of how powerful a Masenko will be, but we're more interested in the Kamehameha. That's your strongest blast."
"You want me to just jump into it? I haven't even done a warm up or anything... Can I try a Masenko first?"
"Sure, go ahead," Piccolo said.
"Hurry up," Vegeta said impatiently.
Without a word, Gohan sent a massive Masenko into the nothingness of the desert. Gohan looked shocked, and Piccolo cleared his throat.
"Okay, maybe for the Kamehameha we should set up a target, so the blast doesn't just keep going on forever... There, see that mountain over there? Aim at that."
"Alright... you guys may want to step back a bit..."
Piccolo obediently took several steps back, but Vegeta stubbornly stayed where he stood. Gohan gave him a look, but said nothing. Instead, he got into the proper form, and began to form the blast. A bright light formed between his hands, brighter than Piccolo had ever seen it. Vegeta caught a glance of it and quickly backed up to where Piccolo stood.
"HA!" Gohan shouted, unleashing the blast.
The blast was massive, larger than even Piccolo had been expecting. The mountain was obliterated in a matter of moments, and the blast still continued on, burning through everything in its path. Gohan quickly cut the connection of the blast from his hands and phased out of sight. Piccolo reached out with his senses and felt his student's ki racing the blast, trying to get in front of it.
There was a resounding BANG, and suddenly, the blast was extinguished. Gohan phased back into sight, shaking his hands out, the skin slightly singed. Vegeta made a noise of complete disbelief, opening and closing his mouth, unable to form any coherent words.
Piccolo wasn't much better. He fumbled for a few moments, before finally saying, "You... are never allowed to practice that during a spar in this form."
Amat was carefully pulling and piecing threads together, weaving himself his army. Babidi was nearby, hands in front of him, trying to reach into the void, to find the Darkness.
Both their heads snapped up from their work as a strong, sudden influx of ki made itself known, even this far into the hidden realms.
"You had better hurry, Wizard. That had to have been the boy. We cannot allow him to gain any more control of himself."