A/N: Hey hey! I'm finally back with the final installment of Poof! I know that I'm off by a couple of months, but my life got incredibly hectic once I got into the bulk of the semester last semester. However, another reason this story took so long to get completed is because I lost inspiration for it, and instead had inspiration to write my Gohan's Legacy series. In the time that it's taken me to post this, I was able to re-write the prologue and three chapters of Courage, as well as a chapter of Actions. In case you're wondering about which one of those I'm going to continue to work on first from this point forward, my answer would be both. It really depends on which one I have the most inspiration for.

Also, one more reason why the progress of this story was on halt was because I had decided to re-write my entire profile. You will notice if you go to my profile page that it is completely redone, and much better organized. It also has a lot more information about me, as a person as well as both a reader and a writer. Near the end of the profile is also a list of my favorite characters, least favorite characters, and relationships (both platonic and romantic), all with detailed explanations behind my choices. I highly encourage you to check it out if you haven't already since I spent the better part of a month creating it.

One last announcement before we get started with this final chapter here. As many of you know, most of my stories are beta-read by my best friend, who is another author on this site under the profile name silverstardust17. She recently posted her first story on the fanfiction website. I would highly recommend it if you like original adventures. This story is called Tribute to Chao which is a storyline that both her and I have come up with while playing with the chao side quest on Sonic Adventure 2. The main characters are all chao of our creation that have complex personalities and relationships, and live in a very different world. What makes this story even better is the fact that it is a crossover with Star Wars, making it unique in that fashion as well. Even though it consists of many OC's please don't let that deter you from reading it. Give it a chance! You won't be sorry if you do!

Alright enough of these announcements! On with the story!

"dialogue"

thoughts/mindscape

"telepathic communication"

~change in setting~

*action*

flashback

Chapter 5: Poof!

~Mount Paoz, 439 East Mountain District, Age 795~

I quickly go to work attacking my father, my anger at him fueling me and pushing me to my limit. I immediately strike with a right jab to his hip, which connects with ease as my father still hasn't transformed to the third level yet. He yells out in pain as the blow sends him shooting through the air towards my left. Not wanting to stop my assault, I use my superior speed to dash right above where he's going and jackhammer him straight into the ground. I watch as my father makes a crater in the earth, a cloud of dust kicking up and an explosion sounding from the sudden impact.

I immediately start charging up a ki blast in my right hand, not wanting to give him time to even the playing grounds. I realize that while I may have improved significantly over the last ten years, that my father has been doing nothing but training over that time. I can't give him an inch. Even though the whole point of this fight is to make sure that he doesn't come back to live with us, a point that I hope I'm making clear with my actions right now, I still am finding that I personally want nothing to do with him anymore. I need to beat him in a fight in order to prove to him that we don't need him to come back, that we are more than capable of protecting ourselves. And if that really was his point in going off to train Uub, he will understand that he didn't actually need to do that at all. He needs to understand that that decision was a mistake, and that he can't just throw his family to the wayside.

Even though that's what I want him to do now.

But most importantly, by beating him in a fight, that is the most convincing way for me to get him to listen to my demands. Once I beat him, he will have no choice but to listen to me and leave.

With a grunt, I let go of my ki blast, having finally gathered enough power, throwing it at my father. It hits the crater dead center, and explodes with great force, lighting up the area of the crater and spitting more dust and rubble into the air. I know that it wasn't enough to hurt my father, but I was really just trying to make a point that this fight won't be as easy as our past battles. Keeping my senses open, I am able to sense my father rising into the air to meet me.

Sure enough, as soon as the wind blows away the dust from the explosion, I see my father, clothes ruffled and a few scratches on his body from his fall, but otherwise unharmed. I also groan internally when I realize that he too has powered up to the third level. Apparently he has enough control of it now that it doesn't appear to taking much of a toll on his body at all. Meanwhile, this is only the third time I've been able to fully control this form, and it is really draining me already.

There's no doubt about it. My father is still stronger than me.

However, unlike him, I have a vast drive to continue this fight. He probably doesn't want to do this right now, and is most likely caught completely off-guard by my actions. There is definitely more to a fight than just raw strength. My mom taught me that when she trained me when I was younger. Even though I was stronger than her every time we sparred, I still to this day have never beat her, although if I were to be honest with myself, I haven't fought her since I was six years old.

My attention is brought back to my father as he flies in front of me, now in his transformed glory. However, I can still see his hesitancy. He really doesn't want to fight me right now.

Heh, like I'm going to give him that option.

I immediately charge him again, trying to go on the offensive once more. However, this time I am met with a strong resistance from Goku. He blocks my right punch to his chest while moving out of the way of my follow up kick, then continues to parry all of my blows with the utmost expertise, despite the precision that I am aiming them with. Of course I only would expect this from the man that has trained almost non-stop for the past ten years.

This goes on for a while, me trying my hardest to hit my father, yet being unsuccessful due to his impenetrable defense. I must say that this seems to bring back some cases of déjà vu from the training sessions I had with Gohan. I almost could never hit him either. However, unlike Gohan in those sessions, Goku isn't fighting back at all, just waiting out my assault. I smirk at that thought. He thinks that he's going to just keep on defending until I tire out, then try and stop me while I'm down.

Nice try Goku, nice try.

I back off after my latest assault, admittedly a little winded. I'll admit, his strategy is a good one, what, with this only being the third time in this form while he's pretty much mastered it. However, if he thinks that my stamina is running out anytime soon, he's definitely mistaken. While I am getting drained from maintaining this form, I'm still fueled by the animosity that I feel towards my opponent.

*wince*

Okay, I take that back. This form is definitely taking its toll on me. And remembering my training, I know that I won't be able to keep it up very much longer if I keep thinking about this battle like that. No, hatred is not the way I should be fueling my power, but rather I should be fueling it with more positive emotions, like love. Yes, it is the love that I hold for my family that is the reason why I'm doing this. By fighting Goku and beating him, I will be able to convince him to stay away from here, and in turn, protecting the emotional stability of my loved ones.

Ah, yes. I can already feel the ki in my body reacting to my now more positive thought process. My mind has also become clearer and more focused. I look back to my father, and am surprised to see him just staring at me, and for the first time, I don't see the excitement of battle in his eyes. I quickly look away before I lose my resolve. I'm not going to fall for his innocent crap anymore! Yes, he does seem to be genuinely hurt from what has transpired, so he must care for us a little bit at least. However, I can't help but think that he's not sorry at all. When he had answered Gohan's question earlier about not visiting, he had not a care in the world. It was like he didn't think anything of breaking his promise to his granddaughter.

And the thing is, that response was genuine. He had absolutely no pressure from anyone to answer the way that he did when he was asked that question. So if that's how he looks at promises, then how am I to believe that he won't break any promises that he makes to stay around? After all, they could be just words to placate us, just like his promise to Pan at the tournament. If he cares that little about his promises, then there is absolutely no reason to think that his have any weight to them at all.

I raise my fists, getting ready to attack once more. I need to keep up my assault if I want to be able to finish this fight before I run out of energy. I charge my father once again, this time trying a different strategy. I circle around him, trying to confuse my father by making him think which direction I'm going to attack from until I stop on a dime and shoot right at him. I smirk as this strategy actually worked, getting a punch into the side of my father's chest. Goku grunts from the blow, turning to defend himself, but he is too slow while I start up again, getting a few more hits in the following exchange. Finally fed up with my success, Goku actually punches me, taking me off guard and making me stop.

I turn to face my father, getting ready to defend myself now, but he stopped after that one shot. He's not making any moves to continue, but instead, looking at me with a strange expression. It's kind of like a mix between longing and restraint. Ah, he must be battling his instinct to fight a strong opponent and test his limits. I can tell that he is trying to hold himself back from fighting me, but deep down he really wants to since now he finally sees how strong I really am.

"Goten! Stop!" he shouts, much to my surprise. "I don't want to fight you, Goten!"

I scoff at that. "I highly doubt that, Goku. I can tell that really want to test yourself against me, see how strong you've really gotten over the years."

He sighs, shaking his head, and I can see the gears in his head turning to try and come up with some lame excuse. "You've got it all wrong Goten," he relies, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. "You're right, I do want to spar with you, but not under these circumstances."

I growl at that. How dare he say something like that! What did he expect when he had left so suddenly and then never came back until now? "Well, it's too bad Goku!" I shout back, raising my ki a little while lighting starts to strike out from my form. "It's your choice that made it so we are fighting under these circumstances to begin with! Now prepare yourself!"

I immediately charge him again before he gets another word in. This time I take on the offensive and I give it my all at landing my blows. Surprisingly, Goku is now fighting back, although not very successfully. After realizing that he is now taking this fight at face value, I start mixing in my defensive techniques with my offensive ones. I dodge one of his roundhouse kicks by spinning to the left, planning on using my momentum from my spin to counter with a strong kick of m own right in his back. It connects, sending him flying from the power and I internally thank Gohan for that one. He said that spinning is one of the best ways to dodge an opponent since it gives you some great momentum for an extra powerful follow-up kick. The only weakness is the fact that the spin can disorient you, and if you miss, you are left more vulnerable. It was because of this though that both of us had practiced this particular dodging technique for hours at end, and now I know exactly how much I spin and how to stop myself on a dime if I do indeed miss.

Flying after my target, I try my best to get another few hits in before he can recover from that blow. However, it was not meant to be as he spins around and counters my fist with his own, the clash between us sending sparks through the air, followed by a sonic boom. The wind blows through the air for a few seconds as we hold that position, both trying to overpower the other. Eventually, Goku gives away, lowing his fist and ducking before mine can smash his face in, and in turn, giving me a jab to my gut. I feel the air leave my lungs at that blow before he sends another at the side of my sternum. Although I see the blow coming, my body is too slow to catch up to my brain, and his punch connects, sending me downwards towards the ground. Grunting, I desperately try to flip myself in the air so I can land on my feet, and I am able to do that just in time as I reach the ground, though I'm not able to halt my momentum and I still end up in a crater in the ground.

I make my way out of the crater, huffing and puffing, coughing up some dirt from the dust cloud that is still around from the creation of that crater. Alright, I admit that hurt, and this transformation is really starting to drain my ki. However, Goku is still here, and I will not give up until I prove to him that what he did was wrong. He should have never left his family to go off and train a complete stranger. Heck! I would have just accepted it if he had at least visited us! That would have proven that even though he was doing what he really wanted in training his whole life, that he still thought about us and that maybe he meant it when he told us that he loves us.

I growl once again, looking up at the man that I am thinking of. He is starting to get more and more comfortable with this fight. I am starting to see that excitement for battle back in his eyes, and I can tell that he is starting to get lost in the battle itself, forgetting the reason why we are fighting in the first place. That only causes my anger to spike even more. This is exactly why he can't come back. It's like every time he gets into an exciting fight he completely forgets what's going on around him. Everything else goes to the back of his mind. While that is a good trait to have in a warrior, it can be extremely bad when that warrior has a family and wants to do nothing but fight.

I can suddenly see how he could have forgotten about us for ten years.

I make my way back to him once more, the battle continuing where it left off. We battle it out for a few more exchanges, but the strain is really starting to get to me now. While at the start of these I was making the majority of the blows, now the situation is reversed. He is starting to penetrate my defenses more and more the longer these exchanges get, showing his superior stamina in the super saiyan 3 form. We break off from our latest exchange of blows, and the damage is now becoming apparent. I am breathing quite heavily, with bruises forming all over my body. While I don't think I have any broken bones, I'm sure my forearms and shins are cracked from the constant abuse from defending. I also can taste the blood around my mouth, most likely from the few good hits he got in on my face. Meanwhile, Goku is barely breathing hard at all, although he does sport numerous bruises all along his body.

No, I'm not going to give up… but it starting to get difficult to keep up.

I try and control my breathing, getting in my stance for the next exchange of hits. However, before I even sense it coming, I feel an extremely strong blow come on from my left side, catching me completely off guard, not only by the fact that I was hit unexpectedly, but by the strength of the blow. I can't keep in the scream of pain, as it felt as though I broke a few ribs with that blow, while I plummet towards the Earth. This time I can't even flip myself over before I hit the ground, creating another painful crater. I barely have enough time to regain my bearings when I feel a strong ki blast coming towards me. I have no clue who it is that is doing this all, as I don't recognize this ki at all, but I know that I can't take this ki blast right now without at least putting up some semblance of a defense. I quickly flip myself over and cross my arms in front of me, trying to put all of my ki into cushioning the blast.

The blast hits me full force, although thanks to my improv defense, I was able to absorb the vast majority of the damage. However, that took so much of my ki that I dropped out of my super saiyan form completely, and now am resting in the crater completely exhausted. I try to control my breathing so that I can limit the amount of dust i get in mu lungs. The only thing I can do right now is suppress my ki and stretch my senses towards that mysterious ki, trying to find out who it is and what the heck is going on. As I focus on the ki, I can definitely tell it's extremely powerful, stronger than a super saiyan 2, although not quite as strong as a super saiyan 3. I guess it makes sense that such a powerful force could put me in this position. As I read the ki further to determine if it is another threat, I find that I can't feel darkness from it, meaning that whoever this person or creature is would be a good person at heart. I sigh in relief at that, glad that we don't have to fight for the planet at this moment. As I start to regain my sense a little bit more, I can hear my father having a conversation with this person. I try my best to focus in on what they are saying so I can figure out what is going on.

"Uub, what are you doing?"

"Master Goku! I'm sorry! I felt you transform into a super saiyan against another really powerful ki that I didn't recognize so I thought I'd come and help you out!"

So that other person is the kid that Goku was training this whole time. That would explain why he is so powerful.

"Uub, that was my youngest son you attacked! We were sparring, so it wasn't a threat to the world at all. I am glad that you responded like it was one; that means that you will make a great defender of the Earth, but there's nothing to worry about here."

I frown. He thinks that this was only a spar!? Well, I know that I wasn't going to fight to the death, but this was more than a simple spar like he makes it out to be. This was supposed to be his eviction from Mount Paoz! Frustrated that it seems that absolutely nothing can penetrate that think skull of his, I pull myself up from the crater and fly out, floating up in front of the teacher student duo. I glare at my father, trying to ignore the incredulous stare of the other kid, Uub.

"I seriously can't believe you right now Goku!" I shout. I don't know how many times I have to say it in order for it to get through that incredibly dense head of his. "How can you still think that this is just a stupid spar! I'm trying to fight you and beat you so that you stay away from my family!" I try once again to power up, transforming into a super saiyan. As I try to gather ki to make the next jump, my father starts talking to me again. However, I don't really hear him other than the fact that he says that I'm not in any condition to fight right now, and that just fuels me further. I yell, transforming into a super saiyan 2 before my ki gives out on me completely, causing me to lose both transformations and collapse, and I start falling from the sky once more towards the ground.

Damn. That transformation took much more out of me than I thought…

However, I don't fall far before someone catches me, and gently floats towards the ground before sitting me down against one of the trees of the forest. I know who it is immediately, recognizing the ki right away. While shocked that he's here, I must say that I'm relieved.

"How about I take over for him then."

"Gohan!" I hear Goku shout. He sounds surprised, although I'm not sure whether it's from my big brother's appearance or what he had just said. "What are you doing here? What are you talking about?" It was both I guess.

I try and make my way to my feet, but only get on one leg before it gives out on me, not being able to support my weight. Gohan is quick to catch me though and sit me back against the tree. "Stay down Goten. I hate to say it, but Goku is right: you are in no condition to fight right now." I look up to him and see his serious face, and I know that I've lost this battle. There's no way that he's going to let me go back out there and fight.

His expression turns softer in appearance, and he gives me a slight smile. "You did amazing Goten! I was watching from about 20 minutes ago, and I was extremely impressed with how well you were able to hold the transformation. In fact, I think you would definitely have made the fight at least a stalemate had Uub not cheap shotted you."

I smile at Gohan's encouraging words. He is someone that is very critical of my fighting, but he tells it like it is. But even though he tears my fighting apart quite often, he also equally as often gives me praise for my improvements and things I do well. However, I'm actually shocked that he's here. I thought I told him to go take care of Pan, and he said he was here for over 20 minutes! With this in mind, I can't help but ask the question. "What are you doing here? I thought you were off taking care of your daughter."

His smile becomes warmer at the question for some reason. "Well I was taking care of Pan, but she was extremely distraught. We discussed a few things, including her feelings over the last 10 years. After that, she felt a lot better, and now she's up on the Lookout with everyone else." I nod at this, although I doubt Pan is back to 100%. I definitely will have a talk to her later as well. "I then felt that your ki was at the super saiyan 3 level and decided to watch your fight," he continues, bringing me back to what's happening at the moment. "I knew you had it in you to fight Dad, which is why I didn't interfere. The only reason I ended up coming out of hiding was because Uub suddenly showed up and blindsided you. Unfortunately, the transformation took so much out of you that the shot form Uub was enough to knock you out of it."

Gohan then puts his hands on my shoulders, giving them a little squeeze. "Don't worry though, I will take over from here. You did all of the hard work, so all I need to do is finish the job." My eyes widen at this. I know that Gohan is strong enough to take down our father, but I'm worried about the emotional attachment. I'm not sure that he will be able to completely oust Goku from his life. Apparently he senses my doubt because he gives me another reassuring squeeze. "I know what you're thinking Goten, but after talking with Pan, I've realized a few things about our father. Now I have no doubt that I can do what's necessary."

With that he lets go of me and gets back to his feet, shooting into the air. I can honestly say I'm shocked. What did Pan say to change his mind? Or perhaps it wasn't anything that she said, but just the fact that Goku was the reason that she was in that condition to begin with. I am shocked out of my thoughts by my brother powering up to his mystic form. His hair and eyes don't change color at all like the super saiyan transformation, but his body instantly bulks up, but not too much to hinder his movement and his blue aura starts sparking with electricity up the hizzy. More importantly though, his ki goes through the roof, unmatched by even a super saiyan 3. To this day, I still haven't seen anything that was more impressive than my big brother in his mystic form.

"Gohan, what's going on?" I hear Goku ask though all of the commotion. He also wisely powers up his transformation again, raising his ki back to battle strength. "Everything is happening so fast! First I get home and am talking to you and Goten. Then Pan suddenly comes home and slaps me, telling me that she hates me and flying off. The next thing I know I'm fighting Goten in an all out spar, him telling me he's trying to 'evict me…' whatever that means." I roll my eyes at that last comment. "I guess I just don't know what I did to cause this. I know I left to train Uub, but I told you guys I'd be back when I was done! So why is it when I come back everyone is mad at me?"

I can see Big Brother narrow his eyes at our father. "If you seriously don't understand what the big deal is, then Goten was right. You don't deserve to come home. After all, you obviously haven't realized your mistakes, and as many times as we tell you and welcome you back, you never will. I'm done trying! The last time you left is going to be the last time I allow you to hurt me and my family!" As soon as Gohan finishes, he disappears from my vision, only to reappear by punching Goku right in the jaw. Ouch! I knew Gohan was fast, but I didn't even see him move! Those training sessions were really helpful for him too I guess. As Gohan continues to push his assault, Goku has no choice but to defend and fight back.

The fight is somewhat one sided. Not only is Big Brother stronger than our father, but Goku is also somewhat drained from fighting me earlier. Still, I must say that I'm impressed that he's even holding his own at all, considering the circumstances. My attention turns away from the battle and to the other person here, after feeling his ki spike. I look at Uub and study him, taking in his features for the first time. He doesn't really look like a fighter to me. He has what appears to be kind, brown eyes with a black mohawk that isn't spiked, He wears white gi pants, but that's the only article of clothing he has on. His skin is a darker brown, indicative that he lives in a tropical climate, or at least a climate that gets a lot of sun. I will say though that he definitely is built like a fighter, with his body chiseled with a perfect tone of muscles that fit his figure nicely. He's looking up at the conflict between my brother and father rather apprehensively. It's like he wants to help out his teacher, yet still wants them to settle whatever is going on.

I suddenly realize that Uub is in a rather rough position at the moment. After all, it was him that Goku left us for to train. I would guess that he has a feeling of what is going on here, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he felt guilty for this. I frown at that thought. I know that I don't really know Uub, but I can tell that he is a good person, and I know I don't hold anything against him. He doesn't deserve to be feeling guilty about this situation.

Thankfully, I recovered enough energy to be able to support myself and walk over to him. I look back up at the fight, really impressed by what I'm seeing. It was always my impression that my brother and Goku were the two best overall fighters in the whole group, and so far they are living up to that expectation. Gohan is being relentless, yet I find myself even more impressed with Goku. He's able to hold his own, despite the fight I had earlier with him. I however can tell it will only be a matter of time until Gohan finishes him off, and then we will be rid of Goku for good… at least be rid of living with him.

"They sure are awesome fighters aren't they?"

I look over at Uub, surprised that he started the conversation. I guess he figured that I came over here for a reason, but I still didn't expect him to instigate the conversation. I turn to him, giving him a smirk. "You've got that right. Goku has always been incredible at martial arts, but Gohan has always had this incredible potential that developed into what he is today."

I see Uub turn and face me now. "You know, you were pretty impressive too," he adds. "It took all of my strength and a surprise attack to knock you to the ground. I guess I shouldn't expect any less from the sons of my master." He then extends his hand to me with a smile. "I'm Uub. You must be Goten, right?"

Giving him a smile of my own, I take his hand and give him a friendly handshake. "That's right. It's nice to finally meet you Uub. I can tell that you are incredibly strong, way stronger than I was at your age, that's for sure."

He blushes, rubbing the back of his head in a manner that is just like my family. I guess if you spend enough time around a Son you develop that habit too. "Thanks," he replies. "Of course I wouldn't be this strong if not for Master Goku."

"Yeah, how was training with my father?" I ask him, genuinely curious. I also secretly would like to find out if he treated him the same way that he treated Gohan and me.

He gives me a wide smile at the mention of his training. "It was fantastic!" he answers, clearly enthusiastic. "Although his spars were extremely demanding, they helped me get stronger really quickly! And I could learn so much from him by just watching him train. He has to be the most natural fighter I've ever seen! It was incredible to have someone like him to learn from…" his expression drops at that for some reason, and he turns away, now looking up at the battle above. "Although, that also is the main reason why this is all happening right now isn't it? Because he left you guys to live with me…"

Ah, I was right in the fact that he felt guilty. Quickly trying to rid him of that guilt, I put a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault Uub," I tell him, trying my best to sound as convincing as possible. "It's him that's the issue. You were just the person who was unfortunate enough, or fortunate enough depending on which way you look at it, to be caught in the middle of this all."

He turns back to me, looking a bit apprehensive. "…Do you two… hate your father for what he did?"

My eyes widen, surprised by that question. How did he figure it out before my father did? "What makes you say that Uub?"

He looks down, folding his hands in front of him. "Well I know that he left with me over ten years ago, and he never left me until today…" he starts. "And judging from what both you and your brother were saying earlier… you two don't want him to come home because he was gone for so long… So you guys are obviously mad at him…"

I look down as well, seriously contemplating his question. Do I hate my father? I really don't know. Looking back up at the battle, I can see Gohan starting to take a clear advantage now, giving Goku some significant hits while parrying his opponents with ease. "No," I answer Uub, who looks back at me. "I don't hate Goku. My father is very kind, pure-hearted, and very fun to be around. I know that he is a good person, but he can just be so careless sometimes. I think I more or less hate what he stands for in my mind."

I turn my attention back to Uub. "You see, when he left with you to train you, that wasn't the first time he's made a decision like that. I don't know what he has told you about his past battles, but that definitely wasn't the first time he chose training over his family." I pause and give Uub a very serious stare. "My brother can attest to this much better than I can, since a lot of this happened before I was even born, but this is now the fourth time that he had left us for a year or more in pursuit of training."

Goku's pupil's eyes widen upon hearing that. "He really did this three other times?"

I nod. "Yep. According to my brother, the first time wasn't his fault. Did my father tell you about the dragon balls?" At seeing him nod, I continue. "Well, the first time he had died, but we were going to wish him back to life with the dragon balls. But before we could, everyone got word from Kami, the Guardian of the Earth at that time, that Goku needed to stay in Other World to train for the invasion of the saiyans that was happening in one year's time. In that instance, everyone was completely fine with him staying to train, as we knew that we needed it for an impending threat, and we also know what he was doing, and when he was coming back."

"Yeah, I remember Master Goku telling me about that," Uub recalls. "If I remember correctly, it was during that training period where he learned the kaioken technique"

I nod again. "That's right. That technique was the whole reason the Earth survived the saiyan invasion. So how much of our adventures do you actually know about Uub?"

He puts his hand to his chin. "I think he told me about all of them, including fighting an evil, pink, bubble-gum monster of some sort… I still am kind of skeptical about that one since he sounds too ridiculous to be true."

I can't help but laugh at that. Especially since Uub apparently is the good reincarnation of that same monster. How ironic. "Believe it from me Uub, Buu definitely did exist. That was the one battle that I was actually alive for. But this will make this a lot easier for me to explain since you know which events I'm talking about then." I look back at the fight happening in the sky and that's all I need to become serious again. Looking back at Uub, I continue to tell the tale of Goku's absence over the years. "Since you know the events already, I'll skip ahead to the trip to Namek and the battle with Frieza.

"As you probably know, Goku decided to stay behind on an unstable Planet Namek and finish off Frieza when everyone else got wished back to Earth using the Namekian dragon balls. Father defeated Frieza, but the planet ended up exploding. Luckily, Goku got off of the planet in time, but the others on Earth didn't know that and thought he had died in the explosion. However, they were going to use the Namekian dragon balls to bring him back to life, but found out he was alive. That was great news! That meant that all they had to do is wish him back to Earth, but there was a problem… Goku refused to be wished to Earth, claiming he would come back on his own."

"Wasn't that when he learned his instant transmission technique?" Uub suddenly interjects. "I remember him telling me that he learned that on a planet named Yardrat right after his battle with Frieza."

"Yeah, you're right," I answer, impressed with how well Uub actually knows the events, a least the events in which Goku learned an important technique. "But the thing that made this time different was that, at least according to Gohan, Goku hadn't given them any sort of timeframe as to when to expect him back, and furthermore never gave them an explanation on why he didn't want to come home right away, so even though that's what ended up happening, nobody knew what was happening and when he would be home. I don't know about anyone else, but I know that Gohan was afraid that his dad was fighting off another threat on another planet, and since Goku didn't come back for another two years after that, my big brother had assumed the worst."

I pause for a moment to let Uub dwell on that before continuing. "The next time he did it was the worst of them all though. My brother had just killed the evil android Cell, but Goku had died in that battle. Once again, everyone was ready to go to Namek and gather the dragon balls to wish him back to life, as Namek's dragon balls will allow you to wish someone back as many times as you want as long as it's not from natural causes, but before they could, Goku once again refused to be wished back. Keep in mind that this was right around the time before I was about to be born, so he left my big brother and my mother to raise me on their own. Not only that, but the way in which my father died in that battle made my brother feel extremely guilty for what happened. In fact, it got so bad that Gohan actually thought that Goku stayed in Other World to punish him for not finishing off Cell sooner!"

I pause, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath to keep myself under control. I always get overly emotional when I need to recall what my brother went through during those seven years after the Cell Games. That is something that I still hold a grudge against Goku for, and one of the main reasons I don't want Goku coming back. I open my eyes and look at Uub, who looks as if he can't believe what he is hearing. I actually feel a little bad for telling him this since Goku was most likely his hero during the ten years that he knew him, and I'm basically destroying that image of him. However, I think it's important that Uub know our side of Goku's stories, and besides, it's too late to go back now. I take another moment to regain my composure before continuing. "What makes it even worse was his excuse for staying dead. This time, his excuse was that he was doing it to protect the Earth from future threats by not being a target, but I think that excuse was complete crap! Still to this day I have no clue how him staying dead prevented the Earth from any more threats."

"…That's because he didn't stay to prevent threats… right?" I hear Uub ask, and I look at him, stunned. That is exactly what I was about to explain next, but I'm extremely surprised that he said that, especially about the master that he respects greatly. "I think I'm starting to see a pattern here. He stayed in space to train… he left with me to train… and I remember him telling me stories about his training adventures in Other World. He stayed there to train didn't he. I… I knew that he liked to train, and that he's been on so many adventures… but I never heard your side of the stories before. To me, they seemed to just be great adventures, but now that I see them from your point of view… I don't know what to think of them anymore… thinking back on them, he just seemed so… careless, like you said before."

"Exactly," I confirm, genuinely surprised that he came to the same conclusion I did after hearing Gohan's side of the story. He must really know Goku's adventures pretty well. I sigh, looking back at Uub. "So you see now why Gohan and I don't want him to come back. It's not that we don't love him, but it's because we love him that we don't want the opportunity to get hurt by him promising to come back only to leave again. It seems like he doesn't think about it when it comes to training adventures, so at this point, it would be better if he never came back to begin with."

Uub nods to me, a seemingly sad smile on his face. "I think I understand. There's still so much I don't know about the situation, but it's not really my place to pry anyways. This obviously is something between you guys." I return Uub's smile, glad that he understands where I'm coming from now. "If he wants, Goku can continue to live in my village with my family, and then I can give you the coordinates in case you want to visit him at some point."

I think over Uub's suggestion. It actually isn't that bad of an idea. I know that at the very least, all of this friends, ranging from Bulma to Krillin would like to be able to visit my father, but that way, those who don't want to be a risk of getting hurt by his antics, like my brother and I, don't have to see him. Making my decision, I smile at Uub. "I think that's a great idea! That way, the people that want to see him can, but those that don't don't have to. But I don't want him coming back here and getting my mother's or niece's hopes up again."

*Boom!*

I am interrupted from my deal with Uub by something crashing into the ground, or rather someone. I don't need to go over there and look in the crater to know that it's my father that is inside. The last time I was watching the fight, he was really starting to struggle against Gohan. I'm actually shocked that he lasted that long. Speaking of Gohan, he suddenly lands right next to the crater, huffing and puffing from the effort that he put into the fight, but still not too worse for wear. He has a few bruises, mainly on his forearms from blocking so much, and he does have a bleeding nose and lip. He also probably has a few injuries that are hidden underneath his gi, but all in all, he looks to be in pretty decent shape… aside from the huffing. I feel him drop his mystic form, and feeling inside of the crater, I can feel that my father fell out of super saiyan as well.

Eventually, my father makes his way out of the crater that he was put in, and I'm shocked to see how battered he is. He has bruises littered all over his body, and his bleeding pretty heavily from a laceration on his right arm. I wouldn't doubt that he has a few broken bones and internal injuries as well, but he's doesn't seem to be in too much pain. In fact, he has a small smile on his face, although it is a sad smile. "Wow, Gohan" he finally says. "It's been so long since I've seen you fight that I forgot how strong you were in that form of yours." He then turns to me. "And you, Goten, were impressive as well. Reaching super saiyan 3 and controlling it for as long as you did. Between the two of you, I definitely lost. That's for certain…"

"So since you lost, you should honor our wishes." Gohan declares, finally having caught his breath from his fight. "You are to leave Mount Paoz and stay away from my family. That includes my wife, both of my children and Mom. I've had it enough of your empty promises."

Goku looks at me, as if looking for me to protest my brother's words. I just give him a nod in confirmation of Gohan's thoughts, walking over to stand next to my big brother. "I'm done with it too Goku. Gohan's right. Even though I was never that close to you, I still don't want the risk of you hurting everyone else. However," I add, causing both my brother and father to look at me, both wondering what condition I'm going to add to the deal. "I have actually been discussing this with Uub while you guys were fighting, and we think we have a plan that would for for all of us."

I turn to face my father directly. "Goku, Uub has agreed to let you come back with him to his village to live there with him and his family. You probably are already pretty comfortable there anyways. He also agreed to give me the coordinates to the village so that whoever wants to visit you can. However, you are NOT to come back to Mount Paoz. We will visit you if we want to, but I don't want you coming here on your own. Is this fair?"

I can see my father looking back and forth between my brother and me, probably trying to find any other way to get out of that last condition, but he eventually drops his head and nods meekly. "Yes… I understand." He sighs, looking completely defeated now. "You guys really don't want me to come back do you…"

"I'm not going to sugar coat it Goku, no we do not," I tell him as straight up as I can. "However, we'll make sure that we visit you at Uub's village. I don't think I want you out of my life completely, after all, you are my father, even if you aren't really my dad…"

I look at Gohan for a moment, and he nods at me, and then at Goku. "Yeah, we promise to visit you Goku."

I can't help but find Gohan's wording ironic. He is saying the same thing to Goku that Goku had said to Pan. I wonder if he will also wait ten years to make good on that promise as well. Nonetheless, those last few statements from Gohan and I seem to raise our father's mood a little bit. He gives us a little smile before he nods once again. "Alright, I suppose I can work with that then." He walks over to Uub and puts his hand on his student's shoulder, visibly wincing from the motion. "Alright Uub, I guess it's time for us to go." Before he leaves, he turns to Gohan and me and gives us one more sad smile. "I guess this is goodbye to you guys. I hope to see you guys soon. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that it had to come down to this."

Both Gohan and I nod to Goku. "We are as well," I hear Gohan say, and I nod once more in agreement. While it is sad to see my father leave on this note, this was what it came down to in the end. I just don't trust him enough to be a constant in my life, and Gohan agrees with me.

Goku gives us a wave with his free hand that is not holding onto Uub, and Gohan and I both give him a wave in return. He then puts his index and middle fingers to his forehead, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

He's gone.

Poof!