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 23 - Decision
"You know what to do?"
The Grand Kai nodded, "Yes Supreme Kai. I will follow your instructions…but I still think you should…"
The Supreme Kai held up a hand, interrupting the Grand Kai's speech, "Not yet. There are a few more things I must put into place before I announce my presence and participation to them. But I will, before they go back. So that they understand what needs to be done. For now, just do as I've instructed."
"You're lucky she hasn't decided to leave before now," the Grand Kai pointed out.
The Supreme Kai nodded, acknowledging the point, "It was a calculated risk," the Supreme Kai admitted.
The Grand Kai winced, "She's going to be pissed…you know that, right?" The Supreme Kai didn't speak for several seconds, merely gazed at the Grand Kai steadily. Finally, the Grand Kai sighed and added, "I know, I know. Hazards of the job…are you sure we needed to do this?"
The Supreme Kai didn't say anything for quite some time, and the Grand Kai wondered if he'd ever get an answer. Finally, the Supreme Kai said softly, "Yes. If I don't do this exactly right, nothing will survive."
"KAMEHAMEHA!!!" Gohan shouted. He thrust his hands forward, pushing as much ki as he dared towards his target. As he predicted, his target simply grinned and responded.
"MASENKO-HA!!!"
The two blasts exploded instantly upon contact, bathing the area in blue light. Gohan ignored the light, and concentrated on his senses. Sure enough, he could detect something moving on the edge of his senses. Acting on instinct, Gohan brought his right hand up to block and elbow that was flying for his temple. He clamped his hand down and pulled, trying to throw his opponent off balance. But his opponent was too experienced to fall for that; instead of offering any resistance, she let Gohan throw her. Once just past him, she used her ki to stop her momentum and spun around just in time to catch Gohan's left fist.
Gohan grinned, "Very good…"
His opponent smiled back, "You haven't seen anything yet."
A smirk settled over Gohan as he finished, "Bring it on Lime,"
If there was a response, it was lost as Lime lifted her feet and slammed them into Gohan's chest. Gohan wasn't hurt, but the force did knock him slightly off balance. Lime took advantage of that, firing a blast of ki directly at Gohan's face. Gohan right hand flew up and deflected it, but his hand briefly covered his vision. When it cleared, Gohan saw Lime's left leg flying towards his face. He ducked, and shoved his hands forward. "TRI-BEAM, HA!!!"
To close to put up much of a defense, Lime wrenched her upper body sharply backwards. The blast missed her by inches, the heat close enough to give Lime a slight tan. Knowing she was in danger, Lime pushed as much ki as she could in front of her, sending her hurtling towards the ground and moving her just in time to miss Gohan's knee. She flipped as she fell and hit the ground in a fighting stance, ready to continue.
Gohan laughed as he softly landed in front of her, "Nice recovery. I thought I had you there…let's stop for today."
"Getting soft?" Lime gasped. Her muscles were shaking, but she wasn't going to let that stop her.
"No, I just figured you could use a few seconds before Piccolo goes at you," Gohan responded.
Lime grimaced and flicked her glance over at the green Namek. He didn't say anything, but Lime got the sense that Piccolo would show no mercy. She sighed and said, "Good idea."
Gohan grinned as he watched her take deep breaths and try and recover slightly before the next round. He was quite proud of her; her strength was almost unbelievable for a human. She was easily one of the strongest humans of the planet; Gohan wouldn't be surprised if Lime could give Tien a run for his money in a full out battle. The techniques Gohan had been using to subtly make her training more rewarding had paid off; she would have taken years longer to reach this level without those techniques.
Even Piccolo was impressed. Oh, he wouldn't show it openly, but Gohan could tell. Piccolo had been spending more and more time here, and complaining less and less. It was subtle, but Gohan had long ago mastered how to read emotion and meaning from stoic people. After all, he lived with Vegeta.
Gohan frowned. Vegeta was becoming problematic; Gohan could tell he was getting very suspicious about something. It wasn't hard to guess; Gohan had made a few mistakes that put Vegeta on his scent. He had been subtly probing Gohan, trying to figure out he had known about Saiyan instincts, a fact Gohan now knew Vegeta had never mentioned it.
Guess I should have thought it through a little more before I went to him Gohan thought. He hadn't really considered the repercussions of his decision to question Vegeta; though, to be fair, he had been rather distressed at the time. All he'd known was Vegeta had answers that he needed. Still, if it were that alone than Gohan was sure Vegeta would have let it go. But there was also the matter of strength.
Vegeta's strength was getting closer and closer to his with every spar. Gohan estimated that within 3-6 months, Vegeta would be as strong as Gohan was at his maximum while wearing the Amulet. Once that happened, Gohan knew Vegeta would surpass him, and then he would definitely start wondering. For now, Gohan merely had to deal with the suspicious looks and hard gazes. He didn't want to think about what Vegeta would do when he 'surpassed' Gohan.
Gohan absently fingered the Amulet. He was tempted more and more to remove it, but Sensei's warnings stopped him. Luckily, no one had commented on the Amulet's he and Goten wore; Goten wasn't sharing the secret, and the rest just seemed to assume it was something innocuous. Still, Gohan made sure to keep his Amulet hidden underneath his clothes as often as possible, and tried to make Goten do the same. He had to play it safe, until the Destroyer. It was frustrating; Gohan hated to lose, and the fact that it was getting harder and harder to battle Vegeta made his Saiyan side…antsy. In addition, Gohan wasn't entirely sure when the Destroyer was coming. He knew it would be happening soon; Sensei had said it would be in around this time.
"Gohan?"
Startled, Gohan looked up to see Lime looking at him worriedly. He had been so preoccupied that he hadn't noticed her approach. Again, Gohan felt a flash of pride go through him, for it took someone highly skilled at ki suppression to keep from drawing his attention, even when Gohan was distracted. It was yet another sign of Lime's development, and as both her friend and teacher Gohan was glad to see it. Realizing she wanted an answer, Gohan cleared his throat, "What?"
"I was wondering if you'd be entering the tournament?" Lime asked.
Gohan raised an eyebrow, "Um, what are you talking about?"
"The World Martial Arts Tournament…you really don't know?" Lime questioned in shock.
Gohan thought quickly, trying to figure out what he missed. He remembered Lime mentioning something about that subject a few years ago, and he had decided at the time to deal with it later. "I remember you mentioning something about that a while ago…but I don't really know any details."
"Gohan," Lime exclaimed in annoyance. "I can't believe you! It's been on all the networks,"
"I don't watch much television," Gohan reminded her, "So, fill me in. What's going on?"
Lime grinned, "They're going to hold it six months from now on June 18th. The current Champion Hercule is demanding that all strong martial artists come out to 'give my fans a decent show before I win'. I'm entering, and I was wondering if you were going to enter as well?"
Gohan frowned; he really didn't know much about this Hercule character. He seemed to be very popular for some reason or other; Gohan had never really invested much time and effort in finding out about him. He took a quick scan of his power level, noticed it was very unimpressive, and wrote him off as a nonentity.
Still, the idea of entering the World Martial Arts Tournament appealed to Gohan. He had never gotten the chance to compete in one before they had been stopped. In fact, the only real tournament he'd competed in was the Cell Games, if you could call that a tournament. From what he'd heard from his friends, the World Martial Arts Tournament was a lot of fun. His Saiyan side seemed to enjoy the prospect of the fights, although it balked at the fact that no real opponents would be there. Unless…
"I think I will enter," Gohan declared.
Lime grinned, "That's awesome,"
"Not only that, but I think I'll get the other z-fighters to join too," Gohan announced. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. Outside of Vegeta and Piccolo, Gohan hadn't really seen much of the Z-fighters. He saw them every now and then; he still went and sparred with Tien's student Travis sometimes, and he visited Krillin sometimes. But the last time they had really all been together was for his 16th birthday, almost two years ago.
"What do you say Piccolo, you interested?" Gohan questioned as he turned to his mentor.
Piccolo shrugged, "I have no desire to compete in another tournament, as I have nothing to prove. Not since…"
"That's just it," Gohan interjected. He really didn't want to hear about him. "I know I can get the rest of the Z-fighters to join in and compete. It'll be just like old times. Plus, I'm sure we'll have some great spars…do it for me, please?"
Piccolo was silent for several seconds as he considered Gohan's request. Gohan held his breath, awaiting the decision tensely. Finally, Piccolo nodded once, "Sure, I'll compete. It could be…interesting to spar some of the others again in a tournament."
"Great," Gohan responded.
"Enough of this," Piccolo barked, "We've let you rest long enough girl!" Without another word, Piccolo launched himself at Lime. However, Lime had long ago learned that Piccolo rarely gave a warning when he attacked as an attempt to teach her alertness. She dropped into a fighting stance, and the next round began.
Gohan idly watched them as they danced across the sky, battling and blasting each other mercilessly. Mentally, he was running a tally of which people he wanted to compete, and what he would say to get them to do it. It would be best to ask most of them together Gohan decided. That way, he could rely on a little peer pressure to draw the others in. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the way this tournament was shaping up.
Things are looking up
Chi-chi ducked as her husband threw a punch towards her. Bringing her hands up, she grabbed his arm with her right hand with holding her left towards his exposed side. "HAAA!!!" Chi-chi screamed as she fired her ki directed at Goku's side. However, her husband yanked hard, ripping his fist free and initiating a half-spin that caused the blast to miss.
Chi-chi grinned; she'd been close with that one. It always sent a flush of pride through her when that happened, for she knew how strong her husband was. In the time they had spent here, his strength had grown amazingly, and he was easily the strongest fighter here. Of course, he'd earned that title before Chi-chi had come, participating in some sort of Other-World Tournament and almost winning. Chi-chi was a little annoyed; she'd have loved to participate in the tournament, but it had happened before she'd gotten here, and the Grand Kai hadn't sponsored another one. She wished he would; Chi-chi remembered how much she had loved the one World Martial Arts Tournament she'd been in, and now she wanted to test her strength. She knew she was strong; Goku struggled to best her as a Super Saiyan. However, it was one thing to fight in spars and another to test her mettle against opponents in the ring. It was a feeling she missed, but Chi-chi was sure another tournament would happen and she would participate then. Assuming she was still here.
Suddenly, hands clamped down on her arms, and a body drove her the ground and pinned her. She struggled, but her husband's grip was firm. Chi-chi looked up, and knew he had ascended to Super Saiyan 2. She was unsure how he had attained it; the North Kai had simply taken Goku with him for a few days and when he returned, he'd been able to ascend. She'd tried asking him about it several times, but he didn't seem eager to share. All Goku would say was that the North Kai had used some sort of illusion to trick his mind into letting him ascend. He didn't say what illusion was used, and Chi-chi got the feeling it wasn't something he wanted to talk about.
"Give up," Goku asked, drawing Chi-chi back to her present situation.
Chi-chi struggled for several more seconds, before she relaxed, "Yes, you win," Chi-chi announced.
Goku immediately released her and dropped out of Super Saiyan. "Alright…where's my victory kiss?"
Chi-chi grinned as she saw the spark in Goku's eyes. She slowly reached up and pulled his head down to hers for a long, lingering kiss. After several seconds, they pulled apart and Goku said, "Wow…"
Chi-chi's grin widened; she wasn't sure how it had happened, but Goku had changed. When they were younger, Chi-chi had sometimes wondered if he loved her, or if she'd just tricked him into marrying her. No longer; his love for her was evident. He'd become more affectionate, even slightly romantic.
Goku's stomach rumbled, and he said sheepishly, "Guess the fight worked up my appetite…"
Chi-chi laughed; though he was different, some things never change. "Come on, let's get you some food."
Goku pulled her to her feet. However, he also pulled her close and whispered, "We'll finish this later." He then wrapped his arm around her waist, and the two started for the palace here.
Chi-chi gazed up at her husband, and her smile faded slightly. She really did love it here, and she could honestly say that these were some of the happiest moments of her…well, life. However, she had recently come to a decision, one that she hoped he would support her in. She was ready to go back to Earth.
It had taken a while, but Chi-chi finally felt like herself again. She still wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it was time. She wanted to see her friends, to see her son. She missed Gohan dearly; her son was a critical part of her life, one whose absence made Chi-chi feel incomplete. However, it was his importance that had held back Chi-chi till now. She felt unable to see him, after what had happened.
A sad look crossed her face. She still could barely handle what had happened. Her other son Goten had died, unable to even experience life. She'd never gotten to meet him, to show him everything important in life. She had sacrificed so much to bring him into the world, and it had been for nothing. But though she was still deeply haunted by what had happened, she felt it was time to see her other son again. Which unfortunately meant she had to leave Goku.
"Goku," Chi-chi whispered. It was time to tell him her decision.
"Yes Chi?" Goku asked softly.
Chi-chi took a deep breath; it was now or never, "I've decided I want to go back to Earth,"
"What?" Goku questioned in surprise.
"It's not that I'm not happy here…I am. I just…I miss him so much. I just want to see him again," Chi-chi explained.
"I know. I miss him too," Goku admitted.
"You do?" Chi-chi wondered in surprise. She had never seen Goku show any signs of it before, and the question escaped before she could stop it. She gasped, and added, "I'm sorry, I don't mean…"
"It's okay," Goku interjected, "Yes, I miss him. A lot. He's my son. There have been so many times I've wanted to ask the North Kai to just let me talk to him, so I can hear his voice again."
"Why didn't you?" Chi-chi asked.
Goku sighed, "Because it would have only caused him more pain. I made the choice to stay dead to protect the Earth…to protect him. But I knew that if I kept talking with him, interacting with him from beyond the grave, it would make the decision that much harder on him. So, I decided to cut all ties, and let him move on. I hated to do it, and it hurt, but it was the right thing to do."
"Oh Goku," Chi-chi stated. She'd never heard her husband say something like this; it answered quite a few questions in her mind about why he'd not come back. She'd wondered sometimes in darker moments if he could even think like that, if he had even cared when he'd left. Now, she chided herself for at times thinking him too simple to love her and their son. Though he was sometimes dense about how others felt, he definitely could love.
Goku turned and pulled her into a fierce hug, "I'll miss you, but I know why you have to go," Goku whispered with his head in her hair. "I almost wish I could go with you…please, tell him I love him. And know I'll be waiting for you both here, when the times comes."
They held that pose for several minutes, until Goku's stomach growled again, "I forgot about that. Let's go for that food," Chi-chi announced. She made to leave, but Goku's grip didn't slacken and she found herself immobile.
"Forget it. I'd rather stay like this," Goku responded softly.
"Excuse me,"
Goku and Chi-chi looked up to see the Grand Kai standing next to them. Slightly embarrassed, Chi-chi pulled away from Goku and said, "Grand Kai…"
"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Can we go somewhere and talk," The Grand Kai finally commented.
Chi-chi frowned; that didn't sound good. "Sure," she agreed ominously. She and Goku followed the Grand Kai into his palace, moving from room to room until he led them into a small chamber. There were three chairs placed within the room, and the Grand Kai gestured for them to be seated.
"I know you are probably eager to go back to Earth, but I thought it best to discuss a few things," the Grand Kai began.
"Like what?" Chi-chi demanded.
The Grand Kai looked uncomfortable for a few moments, before he said, "For starters, I was wondering if you knew how long you'd been here?"
Chi-chi frowned; that was actually one thing that had been bothering her for quite some time. "I'm not really sure; I've kind of lost track of time. With no need to sleep and no clocks, I can't say for sure. I'd guess maybe six months."
The Grand Kai grimaced, "I was worried you'd say that. I'm sorry; I thought King Yamma had explained it to you. No being could spend eternity here if time flowed normally; it would cause too many complications. So, beings that are here don't feel the movement of time as they used to back during life. I'm afraid you've been here for longer than six months."
"What do you mean?" Chi-chi demanded. Her mind was working overtime, trying to understand what he was saying. "How long have I been here?"
The Grand Kai was silent for several seconds, during which dread and fear rose up in Chi-chi soul. Finally, the Grand Kai said quietly, "Close to six years."
Chi-chi mind froze in absolute shock; six years. "No, you must be…" Chi-chi began, but she saw in the Grand Kai's face that he wasn't lying. It really had been years. She had been up here for years. "HOW DARE YOU NOT TELL ME!!!" Chi-chi shouted as rage erupted inside of her. She stood, ready to unleash her training and beat the Grand Kai to death. She made it two steps before hands clamped down and stopped her movement. She whirled and found herself staring into Goku's eyes.
"I know you're angry," Goku said, "I am too, believe me. But that won't solve anything."
Chi-chi gazed into Goku's eyes, and read the rage and sadness present. He also didn't know Chi-chi realized. And he's right. Chi-chi stopped struggling and muttered, "No, but it would make me feel better." Slowly, Chi-chi turned back to the Grand Kai and glared, waiting for him to continue.
The Grand Kai swallowed, "I was just wondering if you still wanted to go back, after finding this out?"
"Of course I want to go back, you son of a…" Chi-chi snapped, but stopped as a thought came to her. Six years. As that number really sunk in, Chi-chi began to understand slightly what the Grand Kai was saying.
Seeing her understanding, the Grand Kai explained, "A lot can change in six years. People grow up, die, experience life, and change. Do you want to come back to life and just jump into that, without understanding the changes?"
Chi-chi was silent for several seconds. As much as she hated to admit it, the Grand Kai did have a point. Who knows what has happened in six years time? So many things could have happened to Earth…to Gohan. At that thought, the mother in her screamed in anguish. Six years…she'd missed so much. Her son would now be almost an adult. He'd be finishing his education, planning for the future…dating. She looked at the Grand Kai and asked softly, "What are you recommending?"
The Grand Kai smiled slightly, "There's a World Martial Arts Tournament coming up on Earth in six months. Given what I know about your family and friends, that will draw them all out and together. I've worked it out so that you will be granted temporary life for 24 hours, the day of the Tournament. You can compete, interact with your family…and decide what you want to do. If you want to come back to life, simply tell your friends to collect the Dragonballs. If not…you can at least see them again."
Chi-chi thought about it. As much as she wanted to demand she be wished back immediately, a part of her was almost afraid of what she'd find. What if her son was missing, or injured…or dead? Chi-chi's mind reeled at the implications, and so a part of her thought the plan made sense.
"By the way, as a way to apologize for this mess, I've worked it out so Goku will be going down with you for that day," the Grand Kai added. "He's done enough good for the universe that he's earned a reward."
Shocked, Chi-chi turned to stare at Goku's excited face, "You hear that! I can go back with you and see everyone! And I'll get to fight in a tournament. That's great!" Goku was so excited he was almost quivering in anticipation. Chi-chi knew how much Goku loved to fight and how much he wanted to see everyone; this worked perfectly. Plus, hadn't Chi-chi thought about how much she missed fighting in tournaments?
Chi-chi sighed. She didn't want to wait any longer, but the Grand Kai's plan did seem worthwhile. Slowly, Chi-chi nodded and said, "Okay…as long as we can tell them immediately we're coming back."
The Grand Kai smiled, "Of course. Goku can use the North Kai right now if he wants. I'd say you could too, but you look like you could use some time."
Chi-chi winced. The Grand Kai was right; this was a lot to take in. Even now her mind was barely registering all that she had learned. Though she longed to hear Gohan's voice, it might be better if Goku told everyone. Therefore, she turned to Goku and said, "What are you waiting for? Go!"
Goku's grin widened as he jumped up and went running to find the North Kai. Chi-chi was slower in her movements, and a touch on her arm made her turn to gaze into the Grand Kai's compassionate visage. "I'm truly sorry about this," The Grand Kai offered.
Chi-chi forced a smile; it wasn't really his fault…well, not completely. "It's okay. Thanks for thinking this up. If you don't mind, I'll…"
"I understand," the Grand Kai interjected. He immediately let go of her, and Chi-chi left the room. As she walked, her thoughts kept returning to her son. She wondered what he looked like now. Would he have her eyes, his father's chin, what would her little boy's gaze have developed into? Those thoughts swirled around Chi-chi's mind, erasing any other thoughts. All she knew was one thing.
She couldn't wait to see her son.
As soon as they were gone, the Grand Kai collapsed into his chair with a weary sigh. For a moment, he'd thought Chi-chi would ignore his suggestion and demand she be given the chance to go back immediately. But that hadn't happened, and now Goku had a reason to be on Earth, as did Chi-chi. The Grand Kai had accomplished his instructions. He'd done it, but he took no satisfaction in it. If he didn't trust the Supreme Kai completely, he'd never have done this. He could see the anguish in Chi-chi's face when she learned the truth, and he knew it was only the beginning. He wished it didn't have to be this way, but…
In a way, the Grand Kai was glad it was over; though he hated what he had done, his part was complete. Oh, he would make sure Goku, and Chi-chi to some regard, trained hard for the Tournament. But the rest of it was out of his hands, and in the hands of the Supreme Kai. All the Grand Kai could do is watch and pray the Supreme Kai's plan worked.
Because if it didn't, the universe was doomed.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Well, that's another part done. I'm up to over 450 reviews, a fact I take great pleasure in. Please continue the great reviews.
A couple of things. First of all, I hope you all liked the Chi-chi/Goku stuff. I know they haven't been seen very much. I also hope you liked my explanation in part of the time difference. It just seems to me that time, or the perception of time, would be skewed up in Other World. I mean, the only way a soul could really be happy for eternity would be if he or she weren't really aware of time passing, in my opinion. I also hope you like the depth I'm adding to Goku. I never really liked his flaky attitude and the way he just seemed to be so callous to both his wife and sons. It was a real problem for me with the show, both due to the fact that he left and that his family just seemed to accept it. I'm trying to give some depth and realism to his motive's for leaving and to his family's response to it.
As for the Supreme Kai and Kai's in general, I hope you like how I'm portraying them. I just always felt that besides being under-informed, the Kai's real purpose wasn't truly explained. Supposedly they are like the bosses of the Kami's, or that's how I understand it. But in the show they seemed…well, not very competent. Kami was highly competent as the Guardian of Earth, but it seemed like all the management above him was not very well trained. That's what I'm trying to fix, by giving them more knowledge of Buu and also a more active role in his defeat.
Now, to reviewer comments:
I've received both good and bad reviews about the Lime/Gohan situation. For those who liked it, thanks. For those who didn't, I'm sorry you feel that way but I understand. I've hated how some writers have used the characters in some stories I've read. If you choose to stop reading, I understand and thank you for all the reviews you've given me to this point.
SSJ3MysticGohan: To answer your question about story length, I'm not completely sure. Though I have it outlined, my chapter breaks tend to be changing as I go along. My best guess, this story will be between 45-50 chapters long.
Tetsukon: I haven't decided if Gohan's going to high school, although I doubt it. I just feel like the only thing he gained from that on the show was a way to meet Videl and the cheesy Saiyaman work. Given 'my' Gohan is very different, and that Videl's introduction will be very different than on the show, I feel no real desire to send him there. But if you, or anyone, can come up with a convincing reason, I am willing to consider it.
Keebler-elmo: As to your request not to take out the conflict in the story, rest assured there will be conflict aplenty. However, the main point of this trilogy is character development, not conflict per se. The story deals with the events that shape Gohan and lead to his…development, I guess.
Chrey419: As to your Afterlife Tournament question, that event will not be shown in my story. It occurred while Chi-chi was still alive and with Gohan by my reckoning, and so I have only casually mentioned it in my story. Sorry if you were expecting it.
Celendil: I freely admit, I am also not a huge fan of GT. While I don't want to spoil any future stories, let me put your fears to rest. While my third story does have a GT villain, my series will be VERY different from GT. As to your question of SSJ4, I won't tell you what levels I have planned, but rest assured that though there is a level about 3 in my story, it doesn't involve red furred bodies and yellow eyes.
I'll get the next part out soon.