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.

Btw, from now on, when characters speak in Saiyago (the Saiyan language), the dialogue will be shown in Bold.

Part 9 - Training

As Gohan approached their traditional training ground, he could sense that Lime was already waiting for him. It brought a smile to his face, for it meant her ki sensing had become more developed. It had become a tradition for Gohan to start fluctuating his ki as he left Capsule Corps in a specific pattern. Lime would detect the pattern and head for the clearing. It was a great way to improve her passive sensing, and also gave Gohan a good measure of her skill. The farther away Gohan was when she got there, the better her skills had become.

Sure enough, Gohan came into sight of the clearing and saw Lime already beginning her warm-up exercises. Gohan took a split second as he landed to double check her forms. He was her teacher; it had become second nature. But Lime had long out-grown any obvious flaws. Her technique was impressive; she flowed flawlessly from move to move as she warmed her muscles up in preparation for their duel.

He landed in front of her and said, "Hey Lime. How have you been?"

Lime grinned at Gohan without pausing in her movements, "Pretty good Gohan. The bracelets jumped two days ago, and I just finished adjusting."

Gohan's gaze immediately went to the metallic bracers on her wrist. He smiled inwardly; they were one of his greatest inventions. Gohan had long since accepted the idea of weights and extreme gravity as a valid training technique; he combined the two for his student. The bracelets around Lime's wrists and ankles were an adaptation of the technology pioneering in the Gravity Room. Linked together, they created a downward force field that worked as a personal gravity for Lime. In addition, they were designed to increase whenever Lime's body adapted to the new weight, ensuring a continual improvement. Lime only turned them off for their spars, and each time Gohan was amazed at the improvement she had. Their only downside was their power; they each had specially designed power cells, but the batteries simply couldn't output the energy a Gravity Room could. They could only attain a maximum gravity of 200G's; while that was more than enough for Lime it was useless to any of the Saiyans. Still, Gohan was tweaking with the design, trying to see if he could improve the levels.

Lime finished up her stretching, and smiled, "Bracers, disable,"

"Voice recognized," a voice spoke from the bracers, "Disengaging Gravity."

Lime grinned as she settled into a fighting stance, "I still can't believe you used your own voice for these things,"

An answering smile came onto Gohan's face as he said, "Hey, I didn't have many options."

Lime's smile vanished as she turned her attention to the spar. Gohan felt his blood burn as he entered his stance; his Saiyan side was heating up for this battle. Despite their difference in power levels, Gohan worked to keep it challenging for him as well as her. At first it was hard, but after four years Lime's power level was impressive. Gohan often found himself hard-pressed to defeat her without going super; so, he never went Super Saiyan.

Gohan's thoughts were interrupted as Lime shot a right jab towards his face. Gohan tilted his head and brought his left hand up. He deflected the punch easily, and then ducked as Lime followed through with a left kick. Gohan reached out and tried to grab Lime's leg as it shot over his head; however, she had long since learned how to prevent that tactic.

They battled back and forth for several minutes, as Gohan watched her movements and judged her power level. He was quite impressed; he guessed she was close to the same power level as Captain Ginyu had been on Namek. Such an improvement would normally be impossible for a human, but Gohan…well, cheated. He'd learned techniques from Sensei, techniques Gohan was able to apply subtly on Lime. These techniques helped her to reach her potential, bringing it to the surface much faster than normally possible.

"You're doing pretty good," Gohan commented as he fired a flurry of punches at Lime.

Lime countered each punch as she replied, "Thanks, but I'm just getting warmed up,"

"Good," Gohan remarked. Gohan shot forward, and threw a punch at Lime's face. Lime brought up her arms for a cross block, which Gohan anticipated. Gohan pulled his punch back instantly, and instead let his momentum carry his knee straight into her stomach.

Lime's air left her in a gasp as she doubled over his knee. Gohan quickly follow through; He linked his hands and brought them down towards her back. However, Lime instinctively rolled off his knee, turning in mid-air. She saw the punch coming, and leaped out of the way just before they would have hit.

A smirk crossed Gohan's features as he gazed at his student, "Not bad, didn't think you'd dodge that,"

Lime didn't answer as she struggled to get her breath back. Finally, she rasped, "My turn," Lime shot her hand forward, and screamed, "Solar Shot!"

As the blast of ki left her hand, Gohan frowned. He'd not taught her that move, which means she must have created it; a fact Gohan was inwardly proud of. However, the blast had almost no ki behind it, certainly not enough to do any damage. What was going on?

Gohan's question was answered very quickly. Just before the blast would have hit him, Lime shouted, "BURST!" The ki ball exploded in an intensely bright light, right in front of Gohan's eyes. Gohan stumbled back as he found his vision gone; he should have known better than to underestimate Lime. At times, she'd shown deviousness at a level close to Vegeta. Her move was a brilliant one, which would have ended the match against many opponents. But Gohan wasn't any opponent; he rapidly adjusted by enhancing his ki sensing. Just in time, for Gohan felt Lime's leg heading right for his nose. He brought his hands up, and stopped the leg with his forearm.

The next several seconds were purely defensive for Gohan, as Lime pushed with everything she had, trying to get an advantage. While Gohan was still blocking, he was hard pressed to keep up outside of Super Saiyan. With him blind, Lime had a distinct advantage.

Time to even the playing field Gohan thought. He jumped back, acting as he if were trying to get distance to recover. As he expected, Lime followed in front of him, trying to keep him pressed. Gohan waited until she was right in front of him before he made his move. Throwing his hands up into the proper position, Gohan shouted, "SOLAR FLARE!!!!"

Lime tried to turn away, but it was too late. The bright light hit her eyes, causing temporary blindness. In short, Lime was now on equal footing with Gohan. "DAMN IT!!" Lime cursed.

Gohan didn't say anything; instead he moved behind her. He'd taught her how to fight without her eyes, and he wanted to see how fast she adapted. Gohan fired a chop at her neck, but at a reduced speed. At the last second, Lime ducked, and shot her leg out behind her. However, he kick was wide, and Gohan easily moved away from it.

"Come on Lime, you've done this before. FOCUS!" Gohan instructed. Lime's brow furrowed in concentration, and she flew straight for Gohan. Gohan smiled as he sensed her coming; she was doing well.

They continued to spar as their vision returned slowly. Finally, after two hours, Gohan held up his hands and said, "Enough," He could tell Lime was getting tired; he saw the signs that she was nearing collapse.

Lime stopped, and gasped out between gulps, "How'd I do?"

Gohan grinned, "Not bad. That new move of yours was pretty good."

Lime beamed under his praise, "Thanks. I prepared it just for you. Though I didn't think you'd adapt so quickly."

Gohan didn't say anything, merely sat down on the grass. He began to replay the fight in his mind, looking for errors in her fighting style. Gohan did this after every spar; it was a skill his photographic memory allowed and which Gohan utilized often. As he reviewed the fight, one disturbing trend came to Gohan's attention. Lime was adapting her fighting style specifically to battle him. If she were a master warrior with a decade of experience, Gohan would applaud. However, at this stage, it worried Gohan. It was a common problem among some martial artists; as they fight the same opponent over and over they begin to alter their fighting style to be more effective against that opponent. While that gives them an edge against that opponent, it weakens them overall as martial artists. Gohan had tried to vary his fighting style as much as possible, but it seemed Lime still changed. This brought one fact clear to Gohan's mind; Lime needed a new opponent.

That thought brought a frown to Gohan's face. The only opponent who Gohan would consider as a good partner for Lime would have to be a Z-fighter, and Gohan wasn't sure he was ready to have them know Lime. Gohan had several reasons for this, but his primary one was selfish. All of the Z-fighters, even Vegeta and Piccolo, saw Gohan as the 'son of Goku' or as a kid. However, Lime didn't see him like that; to him, he was a master fighter, and her teacher. Gohan liked that, and he really didn't want to give it up. In addition, revealing Lime would definitely lead to uncomfortable questions, such as why he was training her or how she was progressing so fast. These questions could create suspicions in the Z-fighters, and lead them to facts Gohan wasn't allowed to reveal.

Maybe if I just introduce her to one or two of them, it'll be okay Gohan mused. If he kept the number of contacts low, he could reduce the risk of having to explain away Lime's training. Which left Gohan with a question; who would be the most benefit to Lime but also be the best for Gohan.

"Gohan?"

Gohan's reflection was cut short as he found Lime staring at him, "What's wrong?"

Lime hesitated, and then asked, "Do you think I'll be good enough to enter into the tournament?"

A puzzled look came over Gohan's face as he questioned, "What tournament?"

"The World Tournament of course," Lime replied in exasperation.

"Lime, what are you talking about?" Gohan pressed.

Lime stared at Gohan for several seconds, and then demanded, "You haven't heard?" When Gohan shook his head, Lime snorted in shock, "It's been on all the networks. They are restarting the World Martial Arts Tournament; they've even scheduled the next one to be in about two years. The current Champion, some guy named Hercule, is challenging everyone to train hard to 'give him a decent challenge before I mop the floor with you'. You honestly haven't heard?"

"I don't watch much TV," Gohan confessed. In truth, he hadn't watched anything outside of 'Sesame Street' and 'Barney' since Goten was born. He had too many things to do to waste time in front of a television.

"Are you going to enter?" Lime wondered aloud.

Gohan frowned. Should he enter? Gohan doubted there would be any challenges at the tournament, but it could be fun. Why think about it now, when it's too years away Gohan decided I'll worry about that fact when it gets closer.

"Lime, we have more important things to do. You did well in the spar, but you still need to improve."

Gohan turned all his focus into today's lesson, and let all thoughts of the tournament leave his mind. But not before one final thought entered his consciousness.

Dad would have loved a tournament.

"997…998…999…1000!"

Chi-chi gasped as she finished her last sit-up. She let the 100 pounds weights in each hand drop to the floor, as she slowly reached up and released the straps suspending her above the ground. As she fell, Chi-chi effortlessly flipped so she landed lightly on her feet. A laugh escaped Chi-chi as she felt the burning in her abs; she'd really given them a workout, but it was worth.

Chi-chi left the room quickly, as she started to search for her husband to start the next part in her training. Since arriving on this planet, they arranged a schedule. She and he would train separately for a while, but they always spent time training together. How much time, well…

Chi-chi frowned as that thought reached her. Since arriving on this planet, Chi-chi had lost all track of time. Night never fell here, and there were no clocks. The only real gauge she had that time even passed was Goku's stomach. It's rumbling was the only way to tell time had moved, and it was not accurate. In short, Chi-chi had no real idea how much time she had spent here, and that worried her. When she had first arrived, she had resolved to only spend a few months here, just enough time to…

Chi-chi held back a sob as she remembered what brought her here. Her son Goten had died in childbirth. Chi-chi had failed to give him enough strength to survive outside of her. She had failed, a fact that Chi-chi was only just getting past. It had taken a lot, and a great many talks with Goku, before Chi-chi could admit that there was nothing she could have done differently that would have kept Goten alive. Still, it haunted her, and it also was the main reason Chi-chi was afraid to go back. How could she face Gohan, knowing she had failed him, had sacrificed time with him for no reason? Chi-chi had come close to returning several times, and each time it was the image of Gohan's face that stopped her. She couldn't face him, not yet. And in the meantime…

Chi-chi grinned. She was getting stronger, and she loved it. When she had first arrived, Chi-chi had been one of the weakest fighters here, a fact that bothered greatly. But she had buckled down, and worked hard. Now, she was immensely more powerful than she'd been when she got here; there were only a handful of fighters that could hold their own against her. One of which was Goku.

As if her thoughts summoned the man, Goku landed in front of her. "Hey Chi," Goku said warmly as he pulled her into a kiss. Chi-chi felt herself melting into his embrace, and laughed inwardly. Goku had become a great deal more affectionate and caring in their time here; he had spent more time with her than he ever had before, and Chi-chi loved it. It was like they were just married again; Chi-chi could dwell in his arms forever.

"Hey Goku," Chi-chi finally responded as Goku pulled away, "Ready for your time with me?"

Goku grinned, "Absolutely!" He pulled her into a tight hug, and started to lead her towards a ring.

"How did your morning go?" Chi-chi asked as she leaned into his hug and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Great! I fought with Pikkon, and he'd learned a few new tricks since the last time we'd sparred," Goku explained. "I still won, but it made it interesting."

Chi-chi smiled with pride. Goku was the strongest fighter here, a fact that didn't surprise Chi-chi. Only the Grand Kai was supposed to be stronger, but Chi-chi had her doubts. After all, she'd never sent the man fight, and her Goku was the most powerful man in the universe. Wasn't he?

Chi-chi turned her gaze towards the Grand Kai's palace, and found the old man staring right at them. Chi-chi started in surprise, and the Grand Kai smiled. He waved at them, and walked away from the window. That was a little creepy Chi-chi decided. It had disturbed her to have him staring at them as she was thinking about him, it made her wonder if he'd known what she was thinking.

Finally, they arrived at an open ring. The two of them moved to their respective corners, and Goku grinned at her, "You ready?"

"Bring it on," Chi-chi responded. As they moved towards each other, Chi-chi let all thoughts of home, the Grand Kai, and her training leave her mind.

It was time to fight.

The Grand Kai sat down in his chair with a thud. He hadn't meant for Chi-chi to catch him staring; he'd covered it well, but she still looked suspicious. Still, it couldn't be helped, not given…

"What is his progress?"

The Grand Kai did not jump; he'd known about this meeting. He turned his gaze to the figure in front of him, "Quite remarkable. He'd improved a great deal in the past four years."

The figure smiled, "That's good news. Was the North Kai correct?"

"Yes he was," The Grand Kai answered, "In the past fours years, Goku's progress has been astonishing. His improvement rate is at least ten times as fast as before. Chi-chi's presence really does make him improve faster. Just as he predicted." The Grand Kai chuckled, "I still remember the look on King Yamma's face when got my message about her."

"I'm glad it's worked out," the figure remarked.

The Grand Kai said nothing for several moments, before he observed, "You've not moved this openly in millennia."

"A sign of the times I'm afraid," the figure responded.

"…is it that bad?" the Grand Kai asked.

"Worse," the figure explained, "I'm going to need him, and even then it's not looking great. But he's the best shot we've got, and so I have to do everything I can to make sure he's as strong as possible."

"You could train him yourself," the Grand Kai pointed out.

"It might come to that," the figure admitted, "but I doubt it. He's progressing well here, and I can see no way that I could improve that progress more if I took him under my wing. Plus, if my presence were known, it would…complicate things. No, I'll leave him here with you. Keep an eye on him; I'm going to need him soon, within the next few years probably."

The Grand Kai paled, "That soon?"

The figure sighed, "Yes. The forces are congregating quickly. I hope it is much later, but it isn't looking good…I have things to attend to. Keep an eye on Goku, and make sure he keeps training. I'm counting on you."

The figure vanished before the Grand Kai could respond. The news he had been told was ominous; the situation in the mortal realm was even worse than he'd feared. Still, he was doing all he could do, and so there was only one response that could be given. Though the figure had left, the Grand Kai still voiced his response.

"As you command Supreme Kai."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Well, that's another part. It always bothered me a little bit how little the Supreme Kai knew about Saiyans and the situation in general. He's supposed to be the God of Gods, sort of, but he was kind of…well, pathetic. So, I decided to get him involved more closely in the whole situation, and make him seem more…god-like. Please tell me if the last scene makes sense, and how it sounds. For any Shin haters out there (if there are any), I apologize. I also apologize for any spelling or grammatical mistakes; I try and get my parts out as fast as I can, which means almost no editing to save time.

I'd like to take a moment to advertise another story. For any Smallville fans out there, its entitled "Destiny". It's co-authored by nightcrawler8 and myself. We will alternate chapters, and chapter 1 is posted. It's under the author name demoncrawler218, and I encourage you to read it.

Oh, and as always, please review. I'll get the next part out as soon as I can.