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 26 – Final Preparations

As Gohan arrived in Dreamscape, one thought permeated his mind. It's happening tomorrow. He couldn't believe the day was finally here. All the planning, the seven years of preparation by Sensei all were going to be put to the test tomorrow. Gohan was torn between a desire to have this all be over and a fear of what was to come. Never before was the weight of what was to happen so heavy. Tomorrow, the fate of the world rested on his shoulders. No one else; it all came down to him.

Thoughts of the others brought a smile to Gohan's face. Everyone had been training like crazy for this tournament, and it showed. Lime, Travis, Trunks, Goten, Tien…even Krillin and Yamcha had gotten back into semi-respectable shape. As for Vegeta, well, Gohan wasn't sure that he'd ever turned the Gravity Room off. Gohan was tempted to complain about him hogging it, but really it made no difference. It felt like Vegeta's hard work had paid off though; Gohan had the feeling Vegeta might have actually surpassed his strength with the Amulet. Too bad the reason behind it was so annoying.

Gohan's smile faded as he remembered the other important event tomorrow. His parents were coming back to compete in the tournament. Despite the months that had passed since he'd heard the news, Gohan was still incredibly conflicted. Part of him wanted to pound his parents into the dirt, but that part was going to be suppressed. For Goten, he would wear the mask of a loving child in front of his parents. Only for Goten.

I hope Goten remembers about the Amulet Gohan worried. Despite Sensei's assurances, the Amulet had begun to restrain Goten's powers. Not too much; Goten's cap appeared to be at a much lower level than Gohan's. But it was still hiding a part of Goten's powers, and that annoyed Goten a great deal. Gohan had done a lot of talking with Goten, and he was pretty sure Goten wouldn't remove it. But he couldn't be completely sure; Goten was just a child. If it did happen, Gohan was sure a lot of awkward questions would be asked, questions Gohan couldn't answer until after this was all over.

Please just last through the tournament Goten.

"Deep thoughts?"

Startled out of his musings, Gohan looked up to find Sensei staring at him. "It's not important…so what's the plan for tonight Sensei?" Gohan questioned.

"We're going to go fairly light tonight," Sensei advised, "You've reached the level of power and skill I feel you need to. After all, you're now stronger than me."

Gohan nodded. It had been the shock of a lifetime two weeks ago when he'd discovered that his maximum was higher than Sensei's. It marked a point that Gohan had been half-convinced would never reach. But now it had happened; he had master Super Saiyan 3 and could consistently beat Sensei in spars. "Fair enough…what are we going to do then?"

Sensei's face took on a pained expression as he said, "I'm going to tell you everything I can about tomorrow, in the hopes that you'll be as prepared as you can."

Gohan was stunned; this would be the first time that Sensei had EVER talked about something like this. Then again, it made sense to tell Gohan everything he knew about what happened. So, Gohan merely nodded and said respectfully, "Whenever you are ready." Gohan could tell this subject was difficult for Sensei to discuss; he'd be as patient as necessary.

Sensei was silent for several moments before beginning in a quiet voice, "First of all, I want you to make realize that this is by no means a roadmap. I can't predict exactly how much has changed due to these sessions with you Gohan. I tried to limit the effect, but there will probably be changes. After all, you've done several things that you didn't do in my timeline. Therefore, I want you to understand this merely one version of events. Don't count on them completely, and be on your guard."

"I understand," Gohan replied.

"I also don't remember a great deal from the tournament…everything was so chaotic and confused. There were other reasons why my memory is faulty, but they aren't relevant. What does matter is what I can tell you. The sorcerer Babidi sent fighters to the tournament, men who were corrupted by him and made stronger than they ever had been. These fighters attacked you and then fled. You and the others followed them to Babidi's spaceship, where you attempted to prevent the rising of Majin Buu. Unfortunately, you all fought the Destroyer of Worlds and lost, and your ki was used to awaken Majin Buu."

Gohan was shocked; he had no idea it had been that bad. Then again, he should have realized it. "So, what do these people look like?"

Sensei's face contorted into a look of hatred, "The Destroyer you should recognize without a problem. Simply be on the lookout. As for Babidi's men at the tournament, they aren't important. You'll recognize them easily enough. Babidi though, he is one to worry about. He didn't look like much; short, with little noticeable ki or fighting ability. However, something about him will seem off, and his magic is not to be trifled with. Besides the Destroyer, Babidi has only one other henchman of importance. His name is Dabura, the Demon King. Tall with pink skin, utterly loyal to Babidi; he will definitely stand out. Be careful of both of them; don't let them realize how powerful you truly are. Save that power for the Destroyer, no matter what. Speaking of which, did you do as I asked?"

"Yes," Gohan answered, "It took some teleporting around, but I found it. There should be no problem with it when the time comes."

"Excellent…" Sensei commented, "I won't wish you good luck, since you shouldn't need it. But there is one more thing for me to teach you; a final technique that may wind up proving useful."

"What is that?" Gohan asked. He was a little surprised; he'd assumed that Sensei had taught him everything he knew in preparation for tomorrow. What had he held back?

As Gohan watched, Sensei raised his right knee. At the same time, he brought his arms up and pointed them in the opposite direction with them running along his upper body, shooting out to his left in a strange configuration. Gohan suppressed a chuckle; that looked almost like a Ginyu pose. The weirdness continued; Sensei began a series of peculiar maneuvers as he said, "FU…SION…HAA!" ending in a weird leaning position with some of his fingers jutting out.

Gohan couldn't help it; he burst out laughing. That had to be the stupidest thing he'd ever seen. It took almost five minutes for Gohan to get his laughter under control; just the thought of what he'd just seen set him off again. Finally, gasping a little, Gohan said, "Oh God, I needed that. Thanks for showing me that Sensei, I haven't laughed like that in a long time."

Gohan looked at Sensei, expecting him to have a smile on his face. But his face was expressionless, "Get it out of your system," Sensei advised, "because you'll be doing those moves over and over again until you get it exactly right."

"Come on stop joking," Gohan commented. Sensei said nothing, so Gohan finally added, "You're not kidding? What in the world is such a screwy looking technique supposed to do?"

"If done correctly, it will merge two beings into one even more powerful warrior for 30 minutes," Sensei explained.

"Really?" Gohan asked, slightly impressed. Even though it looked stupid, if it did what Sensei said it might make up for it. Then a thought came to Gohan, "Wait, why haven't you shown this to me before?"

"Though I'll teach you the motions, you can't practice it with me for…reasons that aren't important. And if you'd tried to practice it with anyone else, it would have been very suspicious. This isn't the kind of move you could pass up as something you 'made up'. Certain people would have asked uncomfortable questions that I thought it better to avoid."

"Then why teach it to me now…especially since you've repeatedly said I'll be fighting the Destroyer alone."

Sensei simply smiled as he said, "Always have a back-up plan. Now, we've wasted enough time with me explaining. Get into the first position."

Gohan suppressed a groan as he began to get his hands and legs in the right position. It seems that Sensei has a few more secrets left. Gohan mused. Still, he'd trusted Sensei this far, and Gohan supposed a few 'hours' of embarrassment could be taken on trust. Then again… Gohan thought as Sensei began to instruct him in the motions. As Gohan did the movement over and over, one thought circled in his mind.

It's going to be a long night

Chi-chi took a deep breath, trying to calm her mind and enter a meditative state. The Tournament was tomorrow, and everything that could be done by her to prepare physically was finished. Now it was time to meditate, to synchronize her mind and body before the big day. But no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to clear her mind. It always came back to one thought, one point that stubbornly hogged her attention. She was seeing her son tomorrow.

Sighing, Chi-chi gave up. There was no point in even trying right now; instead, she began to walk towards where she knew Goku was preparing. They had split off to meditate separately; Goku mentioned he couldn't really concentrate on meditation with her nearby. Chi-chi wasn't insulted; after all, she often found her thoughts wandering when she was near Goku. So, they had split off yesterday. At least, it seemed like yesterday.

Chi-chi felt a surge of anger go through her, and briefly considered once again beating the Grand Kai up. To think, he had been sitting on the fact that time was moving differently here and never thought to mention it. He assumed that she was told by someone else, an assumption that cost her dearly. Because of him, she had lost six years of her life. Six years with her son.

I wonder what he looks like now Chi-chi mused. She had wondered this several times since she'd been told. She tried to picture Gohan as a teenager; she saw him with his father's height and trademark grin, but with her studious nature. He would have kept up with his studies, of that Chi-chi had no doubt. After all, Gohan was such a good natured boy, and Chi-chi had drilled the importance of studying into him nearly from birth. She could see him preparing to become a doctor, or maybe a lawyer. Perhaps even a teacher.

Chi-chi's thoughts ended when she entered the clearing where she felt her husband. Sure enough, Goku was in this clearing. However, there was someone else here, and it was a person Chi-chi had never seen before. That in itself was strange; Chi-chi was sure she knew everyone here, and new arrivals were exceedingly rare and always announced. So who was he?

As she got closer both of them turned towards Chi-chi, giving her a good look at the newcomer. He was short; Chi-chi wouldn't be surprised to find that Krillin was taller. He had purple skin and white hair done up in a Mohawk of all styles, giving him the appearance of a thug. But there was something about him, perhaps in the way he stood or the look of his clothing. Something that seemed to scream be careful, he isn't what he seems.

"Hello Chi-chi, I was waiting for you to arrive. I have something to discuss with you and your husband." The man said. His voice was pleasant; words seemed to flow from his mouth as if he were singing a beautiful song.

"I'm not sure what we have to discuss, but I like to know who I'm talking to before I agree to talk to them," Chi-chi commented warily. Though she was here in what was essentially warrior's heaven, Chi-chi had always been suspicious of new people.

"That is acceptable," the man replied. He raised his head slightly, and his eyes lost focus. After a few moments, he added, "There is no being within hearing range, nor are there any magical eavesdropping devices present."

Chi-chi raised an eyebrow; though she could feel that no ki was nearby, she could never be completely sure. After all, if someone suppressed their ki well enough, they would be undetectable. Still, this man seemed very sure, and what was that part about magical eavesdropping? "I believe I asked you a question?"

"Chi, this man hasn't done anything remotely suspicious. There's no need to be like that." Goku admonished. He was innately friendly, and seemed to find her distrust wrong.

The man held up a hand to silence any further talk. "It's quite alright. I can understand and even respect such caution. To answer your question Chi-chi, my name is Shin. I am the Supreme Ki."

Chi-chi gasped as her eyes widened. Dimly, she was aware of Goku looking at Shin with an expression of extreme shock, but most of her consciousness was stunned by this announcement. "The Supreme Ki? Does that mean…"

Shin nodded, "Yes, the Grand Kai is one of my agents. I am his boss, and I believe as far as I know there is no one above me."

"Wow…" Chi-chi murmured. Who ever knew the Supreme Being would be so short?

Shin smirked, "I think Supreme Being is a little inaccurate. As to my height…well, we can't all be the same size."

"You can read minds?" Chi-chi gasped. Her cheeks went red as embarrassment flooded through her. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

Shin nodded, "It's quite alright Mrs. Son. Believe me, I've heard worse thoughts over the years."

"What can we do for you, Supreme Kai," Goku asked. Looking over, Chi-chi saw he had lost his normal facial expression. Chi-chi had always been slightly amazed with her husband; he seemed to have a switch in his mind that turned him from 'slightly goofy' to 'powerful warrior'. Right now, the warrior was shining though and gazing at the Supreme Kai.

"Please, call me Shin. It was after all my name before I assumed this position," Shin commented.

"What do you mean 'assumed this position'? Weren't you always the Supreme Kai?" Chi-chi interjected.

"That…is a long story, and not what I want to talk about. We have a limited time, and there are more pressing matters to discuss." Shin replied.

"Which brings us back to the question of why you wanted to talk to us," Goku supplied.

"You're both going to back to Earth to compete in the tournament there tomorrow." Shin commented. "I know this because I arranged it to be so."

"What? Why?" Chi-chi demanded. The idea of her being some pawn on a cosmic chess board did not appeal to her.

"Millennia ago, before the people of Earth were any form of society, an immense evil plagued the universe," Shin explained, "This evil was created by a sorcerer called Bibidi. Though not a fighter himself, Bibidi was able to enhance the powers of any fighter by summoning the darkness within them. Through this process, he would gain complete and total control of them. They would be his virtual slaves, forced to do his bidding till they died. However, Bibidi was not content to merely enhance a current warrior. Instead, he sought to create the ultimate destructive force, a warrior so terrible nothing could hope to stand against it. It took him many years, but finally he succeeded and Majin Buu was born."

"What happened?" Goku asked. He appeared engrossed in the story, as was Chi-chi.

"Majin Buu and Bibidi began a destructive campaign the likes of which are unrivaled to this day. They went from world to world, destroying and killing without mercy. They nearly destroyed the South and East Quadrants in their mad campaign until they were finally stopped." Shin continued.

"Who stopped them?" Chi-chi questioned.

"I did, along with the other Kais. We summoned every good warrior of any strength, and met him head on. The battle was immense, and in the end, only I survived among the Kais. Much good was lost that day." Shin commented, and for a moment a look of immense sadness and pain came over him.

"While I'm glad to hear you won, I'm still not sure what this has to do with us?" Goku admitted.

Shin seemed to visibly collect himself; he took a deep breath and continued, "I was getting there. Though we were able to kill Bibidi, not even our combined might could stop his creation. In the end, we were only able to put him to sleep and seal him. However, I knew that there were ways to break the containment, so I took steps. I banished Majin Buu to the corner of the Universe, where I hoped he'd remain for all time."

"But now someone's trying to revive him," Chi-chi guessed.

Shin nodded, "What not even I knew was that Bibidi had a son, called Babidi. Though not as strong as his father, Babidi is still a formidable sorcerer and has managed to collect quite a few strong warriors over the millennia. However, he has now decided to follow in his father's footsteps and revive Majin Buu. Babidi studied for years, and he now possesses the knowledge of how to revive Majin BuuI cannot begin to describe the horrors that will befall the universe should that come to pass. Though there are new Kais, I am not certain that good could stop Majin Buu again."

"So why not move Majin Buu somewhere else, somewhere that Babidi can't get to?" Goku offered.

"I was going to do that, but Babidi was one step ahead of me," Shin admitted, "Before I could move, Babidi had stolen Majin Buu from where he had landed. Though the seal cannot be moved beyond the planet at this point, I no longer know where Majin Buu is located."

"So what do you need Chi-chi and I to do?" Goku asked.

"As I said, I don't know exactly where Majin Buu is, but I know what planet he's on. And that planet is Earth," Shin mentioned.

"WHAT!" Chi-chi gasped. The thought of such a powerful evil being on Earth was frightening. Why do all these evil beings keep coming to Earth? Chi-chi wondered.

Goku's gaze intensified, "So Babidi and Majin Buu are somewhere on Earth. What's next?"

Shin looked uncomfortable as he said, "Unfortunately, Babidi's magic is strong; so strong that I am unable to penetrate his cloaking magic. I KNOW Majin Buu is on his ship, but I don't know where that ship is located on Earth. We have to find the ship, and then board it. We then fight our way through Babidi's warriors and recover Majin Buu's capsule before he can be awoken."

"But if you don't know where the ship is, and it's cloaked in order to remain undetected, how are we going to find it?" Chi-chi questioned.

"Although Babidi has undoubtedly done the required spells and rituals to revive Buu, he still needs a key component. He needs life energy, enough to kick-start Majin Buu." Shin explained. "That much energy will be difficult to find, and Babidi knows that he cannot do much without me detecting him."

"So?" Goku wondered.

"So there is now a world tournament which will bring out the most powerful warriors on the planet. So much life energy, or 'ki', gathered in one place will be too much temptation, and Babidi is sure to have agents there to collect the energy for him."

"Which means we simply have to force the agents to tell us where the ship is located," Chi-chi mused.

Shin's face darkened, "Not exactly. Babidi's warriors are magically prevented from betraying him. No, I fear the only way to find the ship is to let them get what they want and then follow them back."

"You can't be serious," Chi-chi demanded. "It would be fatal for a person to be drained in such a way."

"I can promise that anyone drained will be healed and will suffer no ill effects," Shin promised. "And if we make the proper preparations, only one person will be drained…though I'm afraid it will be one of the Z-Fighters."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Goku protested. "I won't let one of my friends be drained. There must be another way,"

"Just listen," Shin interrupted with his hands up, "I will rig the contest so my most trusted servant will be fighting the person to be drained. All of the Z-Fighters suppress their ki by habit, so we'll need the person to summon his full power. The agents will drain him, and then leave. Once they're on their way, my servant will heal the victim and we'll all give chase. Please understand, this might be our only chance to prevent Majin Buu from rising."

"Who will it be?" Goku demanded.

"Well, it needs to be someone strong enough to be noticed by the agents. That means one of you Saiyans most likely."

"Who?" Goku insisted.

Shin sighed, and then said simply, "Gohan."

In a second, Chi-chi summoned a ball of energy, "If you EVER so much as try something like that I'll tear you limb from limb," Chi-chi hissed. She was furious; the very thought of someone draining her son filled her with so much fury she was almost shaking.

"Chi-chi, calm down," Goku said. He moved so that he was interposed between Chi-chi and Shin. "I don't like it either, but this is still the Supreme Kai."

Slowly, reluctantly, Chi-chi retracted her energy. "I suppose…" she muttered. "Pick someone else."

Shin shook his head, "No, Gohan is the best choice. The humans are too weak. That means a Saiyan. In addition, Gohan killed Cell. That battle was felt throughout the cosmos, including by Babidi. That means that Babidi knows about Gohan, and about his strength. I have no doubt his agents would be instructed to seek out that power for him to use. It has to be Gohan."

"If Gohan is so strong, then what if his energy is enough to awaken Buu?" Chi-chi countered.

Shin sighed, "I've been monitoring his ki for a while, and Gohan's hasn't grown. In fact, I'd say that both your husband and Vegeta now surpass him. Also, there is no way that Gohan has enough energy to awaken Buu, not alone. He'll be a large portion, but he's not enough alone."

"But Gohan…" Chi-chi said softly.

Shin's face took on a look of understanding, "Believe me, I understand. I wish it wasn't like this, but it is. For the sake of the universe, it has to happen like this. I again assure you Gohan will not be permanently harmed."

"I guess if Gohan isn't permanently harmed," Goku wondered, but his face was conflicted.

"What if talked to Gohan, got his agreement to participate in the plan," Chi-chi suggested.

Shin shook his head, "That can't happen. In fact, that's the other point. I'm afraid until after it happens, neither one of you can talk about it with anyone on Earth. I want your word that you will in no way warn or discuss this plan."

"What, but why?" Chi-chi demanded harshly.

"We are secure up here," Shin explained, "But if we try and communicate with Earth from here, Babidi will sense it and most likely listen in on it. In addition, Babidi will have the tournament monitored, so any conversation would be heard by Babidi. I cannot prevent this, and if Babidi knows it's a trap he won't take it. The plan will only work with secrecy and surprise on our side; no one on Earth can know."

"Won't he know it's a trap with your presence?" Goku countered.

"I'll use magic to conceal my identity. Babidi's magic won't detect me, hopefully until it is too late. I don't mean to rush the issue, but I'm afraid I cannot stay much longer. If I'm gone too long it could lead to problems. Therefore, I need to know if you're with me or not. Understand though, if you're not, you will not be attending the tournament."

"That not fair," Chi-chi protested.

Shin looked sad, but he said, "I know. I wish there were another way, but if you're not with me, then I can't allow you to be there. Too much depends on this plan working. Though I deeply need the help of you and Goku tomorrow, I'd rather you not be there than take a chance of the plan failing."

Chi-chi turned to look at Goku. She and he stared at each other for several moments, communicating silently. Could they really do this, allow their son to be drained in such a manner. Could they force him to make a sacrifice for the good of the universe? Looking into Goku's eyes, Chi-chi realized he wouldn't go along with it unless she agreed. Slowly, Chi-chi made one of the hardest decisions of her life. Softly, each word painfully drawn from her, she said, "Alright, I agree. You have my word I won't say anything."

Goku's face was pained as he added, "I also give you my word."

Shin's face cleared up slightly, "Good, I'm glad. It will all work out in the end, I hope. Now, I have to go. I'll see you both tomorrow. One more thing; tomorrow, until after it happens, I'm going to pretend you are all strangers, and I want you to do the same. I don't want to give Babidi's agents the slightest clue that it is a trap. Until tomorrow…" Without another word, Shin turned and walked out.

As soon as he was gone, Chi-chi turned and hugged Goku fiercely. Though she knew it was necessary, it still hurt to allow it to happen. The mere thought of their son being drained in such a manner made Chi-chi want to weep, but for the sake of the universe it to happen. Time passed as Chi-chi sought comfort from Goku. It could have been seconds, minutes, even hours. And through it all, Chi-chi kept repeating one phrase.

"My poor baby…"

TO BE CONTINUED…

Hello to all my fans, if any of you are still reading this. I want to apologize profusely for not writing for such a long time. My last semester of my undergraduate degree was a pain to complete, and it took more of my time than I thought. I will be entering Law School in the fall, and my goal is to have Development of a Hero done before that happens. Anyway, please read and review again. I noticed I got over 600 reviews, which is a lot higher than I've been before. Thank you for your continued support, and sorry again for doing this to you.