Gohan: Development of a Hero
This is a Dragonballz fanfiction. To my eternal sadness, I do not own or in anyway profit from Dragonballz or any of the characters in this story. This fic, as you can guess from the title, centers on Gohan, and begins right after the cell games. It is an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.
Part 3 – Lessons
"Kamehameha!!!"
As the beam approached, Gohan tensed and thrust out his hands. "HA!!!!" Gohan screamed as he fired a countering ki blast. The two blasts met in a concussion of force that made Gohan's feet start to slide. Gohan used his ki to stop the movement as he tried to overpower the blast. Despite his best efforts, the beam slowly consumed Gohan's shot, drawing closer and closer. At the last second, Gohan stopped his beam, crossed his arms, and tensed. The beam slammed into him hard enough to drive the breath out of his chest. Gohan felt pain wash over him, and struggled to hold on. Finally, the beam passed, and Gohan sank to his knees, utterly exhausted.
"Not bad," Sensei commented as he approached. Gohan looked up at him, and wondered yet again how strong Sensei really was. Despite firing a blast that left Gohan utterly drained, Sensei wasn't even winded. Sensei formed a ball of energy in his hand, and fired it at Gohan. The energy washed over Gohan, healing his cuts, bruises, and shattered hands.
As Gohan slowly stood up, Sensei added, "That's good enough for tonight. You're getting better Gohan. A month ago, you wouldn't have been able to take that hit."
"I actually wanted to ask you about that," Gohan ventured. As Sensei looked at him questioningly, he continued, "It's been two months, and I know I'm much stronger. But I only feel stronger here. Outside of the Dreamscape, I feel as strong as when I fought Cell."
Sensei smiled, and offered, "I wondered when you noticed. Surprise may be the greatest advantage you can have. The amulet I gave you not only links you to this place, but it seals away your increased strength. As long as you are wearing it, you will be unable to access any power beyond what you had when it was put on. However, if you ever take it off and use your full strength, the amulet will no longer do that. That's another reason why you should not take it off until the battle with the Destroyer."
Gohan sighed, "There are some days I could use the extra power."
A sympathetic look came over Sensei's face, "What did she ask you to do this time?"
"She wanted a fruit from a specific place. The only problem was the place was the Napa Valley of California," Gohan supplied. "She's running me ragged, and she's only two months pregnant. It's going to be a long pregnancy."
A slight look of sadness and dread crossed Sensei's face for a second, so fast Gohan barely caught. It had happened a few times in the last few months, and always when Gohan mentioned the pregnancy. It worried Gohan, but whenever he pressed, Sensei would deny it. So, Gohan dropped the subject, but it still nagged at him.
Sensei sat down and went into a meditative stance as Gohan followed suit. They always ended each training session with meditation, which Sensei said was critical to Gohan's improvement. Gohan wasn't sure why, as Sensei had him use a slightly different meditation method than Gohan had ever tried. But, Gohan cut him some slack. Overall, Sensei was the most impressive fighter Gohan had ever seen. He was incredibly strong, cunning, and knew hundreds of techniques, most moves Gohan had never seen.
They had settled into an almost routine every night. Only about half the time would Sensei have Gohan spar with everything he had. Given that a Saiyan grows stronger with every fight, this was a critical part of the training. However, there were also nights where Sensei would teach Gohan some of his techniques, and force Gohan to master them. Still, Gohan's favorite sessions were the information sessions. Sensei had vast knowledge of alien cultures, weaknesses, and lives. He gave this knowledge to Gohan, who soaked it up willingly. Gohan had always loved to learn, and these subjects were areas that sparked his interest.
Time was almost meaningless in this place, but Gohan had noticed that the training sessions were getting longer. Apparently, Sensei had been right when he's said they'd have more time each night. Finally, Sensei looked up and said, "It's time for you to go. See you tomorrow."
"GOHAN!!!"
Gohan sat up in bed, and sighed. While he could not tell time in the Dreamscape, Sensei unerringly knew when Gohan had to go, and Gohan always immediately woke up after Sensei sent him away. This gave Gohan no memory of the night, nor if he had any dreams, which saddened him somewhat. While Gohan understood the importance of his training, he still missed his dreams.
"SON GOHAN! GET DOWN HERE!!!"
Gohan jumped out of bed and started running. Pregnancy had made his mother even sharper and more emotional than normal. Gohan had read in a book that hormones during pregnancy caused a female to lose a lot of control over their emotions, but he'd never imagined it would be like this, nor that it would happen so soon.
Gohan slid to a stop in the kitchen to find his mother waiting for him. "Grab breakfast Gohan. I need you to take me to Capsule Corps for a checkup with Bulma. You can bring some of your schoolwork to do while I'm there," Chi-chi said.
Gohan nodded quickly. He'd learned right away that arguing with his mother during this time was akin to suicide. Despite his strength, Gohan was no match for Chi-chi. He sat down at the table and started to shovel in food. Chi-chi followed suit, eating food almost as fast as Gohan. Gohan assumed that the child already had the Saiyan appetite, but he gained a new understanding of just how it looked when a Saiyan eats. Seeing his mother eat that way almost made Gohan lose his appetite. Almost.
Gohan dressed quickly after breakfast, and led his mother outside. Once there, Gohan called out, "FLYING NIMBUS!" and waited. Within a few seconds, the yellow cloud he rode when he was younger came to a halt in front of him. Gohan offered a hand to his mother, who snapped, "I can get up on my own young man!"
Gohan said nothing, merely levitated up . It was always better to offer to help his mother, a fact Gohan had learned when he'd forgotten a week ago. His mother's voice could probably be heard on New Namek as she lectured him for two hours on manners and how 'she wasn't raising a thug.' In the end, Chi-chi had collapsed into a weeping fit about how 'her boy was getting so old', a fit that took Gohan an hour to calm.
The flight to Capsule Corps was fairly quick, despite the slower pace Gohan made in deference to his mother. He made sure Nimbus didn't go too fast, and flew right alongside to keep an eye on his mother. Ever since learning about his future sibling, Gohan's family protective drive seemed to hit overdrive. He couldn't understand why, but he was protective to an extreme that left Gohan a little shaken up. He still couldn't believe when he'd almost destroyed a woman who'd dared to touch his mother's stomach and ask, "How far along are you?" Gohan needed answers, and he needed them soon.
Gohan landed softly, and rang the bell. A few seconds later, Bulma answered the door with a smile, "You're right on time," she chimed in.
"Good morning Miss Bulma," Gohan said politely as his mother got off of Nimbus.
"No need to be so formal," Bulma chided, "Just call me Bulma. How's your mom feeling?"
"Why don't you ask me yourself?" Chi-chi demanded.
Bulma looked at her for a few seconds, and then nodded, "So, the hormones have started. It's a little earlier than I thought, but we'll work around. Gohan, Trunks is down for a nap, and Vegeta's in the GR. Why don't you find someplace to study for a while?"
Gohan wanted to protest, but he caught Bulma's wink and understood. She didn't actually expect him to study; she just said that to appease Chi-chi. "Thank you. See you later mom."
As Gohan walked off, Bulma turned to Chi-chi, her dearest friend in the world, "You ready to get started?"
Gohan paused outside the door. He could feel the vibrations emanating from the room, and could hear the faint hum of the power cores working to meet the desires of the occupant. Gohan took a deep breath. This was going to be a tough confrontation, but it would be necessary. This was the only place Gohan could get the answers he needed. Slowly, Gohan opened the door and entered the room.
Immediately, Gohan was assaulted with a crushing amount of gravity. Gohan tensed, and waited a few seconds for his body to adjust. Glancing over, Gohan read the room was currently set at 45G. He must just be warming up Gohan mused. As if summoned by Gohan's thoughts, Vegeta landed in front of Gohan, "Brat, how dare you enter here without permission. Leave!" Vegeta snapped.
Gohan met Vegeta's gaze steadily as he said, "Not until you answer a question for me."
Vegeta snorted, "Bah. I have better things to do than answer your foolish questions."
Gohan wasn't fooled. While nowhere near as skilled as Bulma, Gohan could read almost read Vegeta. He'd sent the brief flicker of interest in Vegeta's eyes, so Gohan knew he could get an answer if he pressed. "I find now that my mother is pregnant," Gohan continued as if Vegeta had never spoken, "that I am becoming incredibly protective, to the point of being almost homicidal around people. I'm guessing it has something to do with my Saiyan blood, but I didn't know for sure. And you are the only one who can tell me if I'm right."
Vegeta smirked, "Well, maybe your bloodlines aren't quite as pathetic as I thought if your instincts are acting up."
"Instincts?" Gohan pressed.
"Boy, Saiyans are incredibly instinctive," Vegeta explained acidly, "and one of our deepest instincts is protection of family. With your idiot father dead, you are the head male in your household. This rouses some intense protective instincts towards your mother, especially when you perceive her to be in a diminished capacity, such as her pregnancy."
"How can I control it?" Gohan questioned.
Vegeta laughed, "Control? Brat, you don't control such instincts; it is not in our nature. Simply accept and embrace them, and learn to adapt. Now then, I've answered your question, so leave my presence. You're wasting valuable training time."
Vegeta turned and restarted his workout. Gohan didn't move, but merely waited patiently. Vegeta had answered some of the questions Gohan had, and helped to firm a decision Gohan had been wrestling with for the past few days. He knew what he had to do, and he wasn't leaving until he did it. But how to broach the subject?
Finally noticing that Gohan hadn't left, Vegeta turned, "Damn it, brat, why are you still here? You're wasting my time, time I will be using to get stronger than you and Kakkarot."
Gohan recognized his chance. "You'll never reach the second level of Super Saiyan this way," Gohan stated.
"How dare you question my training techniques!" Vegeta snarled.
Gohan ignored him, as he responded, "I'm merely saying, it'll take much longer if you train this way." Gohan waited a few seconds, and then added, "I could help you reach the second level."
"I need help from no one, especially the brat of a third-class Saiyan clown," Vegeta yelled.
"If I spar with you, you know you'll get stronger quicker. Saiyans get stronger after every fight," Gohan pointed out.
"You have a death wish boy? Your harpy mother would be furious if you do that. Not that I care, but she would complain to my woman, and she'd yell at me." Vegeta pointed out.
"I'll convince her. It's worth it," Gohan countered.
"I don't need your charity, brat. I will attain the second level all on my own," Vegeta snapped.
"I wasn't suggesting charity, I was offering a trade," Gohan said.
Gohan could see the curiosity burning in Vegeta's eyes as he asked, "A trade? And what you do you want from me?"
Gohan took a deep breath, and pushed on, "I want you to teach me everything you know about Saiyans."
Vegeta's eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise as he responded, "Why do you want to learn about the Saiyans?"
"Because it's part of who I am," Gohan explained, "I am half-Saiyan, and I have instincts I need to understand. But more importantly, I want to know more about my people, their culture and knowledge." When Vegeta remained silent, Gohan added, "Vegeta, like it or not, your son and I are the only young people with Saiyan blood. We're it; the next generation of Saiyans only exists with us.. Do you honestly want your culture to die with you? I couldn't allow that, and I'm betting you can't either."
Vegeta met Gohan's gaze for several moments, not saying anything. Gohan could almost feel him weighing Gohan's offer in his mind. Finally, Vegeta turned and said, "I suppose it would be useful to have a Saiyan sparing partner. But only every other day. I will not sacrifice all my personal training time."
Gohan smiled and said, "Thanks Vegeta."
Vegeta turned back around and met Gohan's eyes, "Don't thank me brat. As you pointed out to me, you are the next generation of my people. As the Prince, it is my duty to ensure that the next generation understands their people and knows about Saiyan life. While it is true normally royally would never teach a third-class, I suppose I can make an exception in this class."
Recognizing this as a way for Vegeta to justify this decision in his mind, Gohan didn't make a comment about the condensation. Instead, he bowed low and said sincerely, "In that case, you honor me my prince."
For a second, a hint of a smile crossed Vegeta's face before the normal cool demeanor returned, "Get out of here brat. We'll start your education tomorrow during our spar. In the meantime, I've wasted enough training time on this conversation."
Gohan nodded, and turned to walk out. He paused for a moment at the door however, to turn and watch Vegeta train for a few seconds. This deal had one further benefit, one Gohan didn't tell Vegeta. By training with him, Gohan was going to make sure Vegeta was as strong as he could be for whenever the Destroyer of Worlds came. Despite Sensei's warning, Gohan was going to make sure there other fighters would be ready just in case. After all, he'd only promised he wouldn't tell the others, not that he wouldn't make sure they trained.
Gohan smiled as he left the gravity room. Gohan felt some of the tension leaving his shoulders as he thought of the results. The knowledge that another strong fighter would be available eased Gohan's mind a little bit. Not much, but it was some comfort.
All in all, things were just looking up. Unfortunately for Gohan, that's usually when they all come crashing down.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Sorry I didn't have this out sooner, had to celebrate a birthday with someone. I also know the end wasn't as much of a cliffhanger as I wanted, but I promise to get the next part out soon. In the meantime, reviews and suggestions are definitely appreciated.