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 32 – Escape

It took everything Chichi had within her to keep from crying. She could see the raw pain on her son's face, and she desperately wanted to end it. She wanted to fly over there and pound those two thugs into the ground, crush them beneath her feet for what they were doing right now. She could tell by the expressions on their faces that the majority of the z-fighters felt the same way. Only one thing stopped them, and that thing was standing near the front calmly watching as her son was drained of energy.

I can't believe the Supreme Kai is so cruel. Chichi thought quietly. She noticed the Supreme Kai flinch, and felt a slight amount of satisfaction in knowing he had heard her thoughts. The Supreme Kai turned and met her gaze, and Chichi saw it. Pain and anguish were behind the Supreme Kai's eyes, and Chichi realized that he hated this almost as much as she did. He hated that Gohan had to be hurt like this, and that realization filled Chichi with both hope and dread. Hope because it meant he wasn't truly a monster and dread because it also meant that whatever he came here to prevent was truly terrifying.

It looks like they're almost finished Chichi realized. She saw how they were slowly lowering Gohan to the ground, and determined that it would only be a few more seconds before it was over. According to the Supreme Kai, they would then leave, Kibito would heal Gohan, and then they could follow these two bastards back to their master. Chichi couldn't wait to meet up with them again, because she would make them pay for what they were doing right now.

And then the unexpected happened…

"Look at how much energy we are getting," Spokowitz pointed out as he grinned sadistically.

"Master Babidi will be very pleased with our work," Yamu replied. "He'll probably reward us greatly for providing him with all this life energy so quickly."

"I know. A pity this guy didn't put up more of a fight," Spokowitz commented wistfully, "it would have been kind of fun to…"

Whatever Spokowitz was going to say was abruptly interrupted when a foot slammed into his face. As Spokowitz went flying, Yamu had a half second to react before he felt pain erupt in his face. Yamu felt his feet leave the ground as the sheer force of the hit sent him airborne. He flew through the air for several feet until a wall ended his momentum and blackness overcame him.

"Nobody hurts our big brother," Trunks declared fiercely. He proceeded to glare at the two unconscious interlopers in a manner that was definitely inherited by his father. Not taking his eyes off of the two, Trunks added, "Goten, give Gohan a Sensu bean. I'll watch them."

Goten didn't respond as he was near tears. He didn't understand. When those two had jumped his big brother, Goten wasn't worried. After all, his big brother was the strongest fighter in universe and the two attacking him weren't even close. As more time passed, Goten had realized two things; his big brother wasn't able to stop them, and everyone else was just standing there. Why didn't they help him? Goten wondered in his mind as he knelt next to his brother's head.

"Come on, big brother. Take this and you'll feel better," Goten promised softly as he pulled out a Sensu bean. Goten tried simply putting the bean in his brother's mouth, but Gohan wasn't conscious and so was unable to swallow. Thinking hard, Goten tried to do what his brother had done for Lime. Goten crushed the Sensu bean in his hand and gently sprinkled it into Gohan's mouth. It took a few tries, but Goten was finally able to copy the movements he saw Gohan make on Lime's throat that made her swallow. As Gohan swallowed the bean, Goten whispered, "That's it. You need to get better big brother…please."

Several seconds later, Gohan was still unconscious and Goten felt panic rising within him, "Trunks, the bean isn't working."

Kibito made his choice; though he had been shocked by their interference, the damage had already been done. There was no point in waiting any longer to heal Gohan. "I believe I can…" Kibito began, but trailed off as twin glares turned upon him.

"You just stood there when Gohan was attacked," Goten growled.

"He was smiling," Trunks added, "He must have been in on it."

Kibito felt panic rise within him as he tried to explain, "Now, wait a second. I'm not…"

Trunks and Goten shared a glance and nodded. Together, they ascended to Super Saiyan and settled into fighting stances, "You're going down," Goten promised darkly. The two leapt at Kibito, preparing to beat him up.

"Stop…"

Instantly, Goten and Trunks skidded to a stop a mere foot from Kibito. Turning around, they saw Gohan unsteadily rising to his feet. "BIG BROTHER," They shouted in unison as they leapt onto him. Gohan stumbled back several steps but managed to keep on his feet as both Goten and Trunks hugged him.

"We were worried about you," Goten admitted softly.

"We got those mean guys for you good," Trunks added.

"I can tell," Gohan replied as he saw the two crumpled forms impacted into one of the walls of the arena. Gohan still felt a bit unsteady on his feet, but he could feel his strength and power quickly returning as the Sensu bean began to work. Taking a deep breath, Gohan said softly, "I need you guys to me a favor…"

"What us to beat up the big pink guy? Cause we will if you want…" Trunks offered.

Gohan smiled, "Leave him to me. No, I want you to keep an eye on Shin, the little purple guy."

"But why big brother," Goten wondered.

Gohan's smile dulled as a cold look came over his face, "Because he's the one who held me still with a technique so his buddies could attack me."

"We'll get him for you," Trunks promised with a scowl.

"Not yet," Gohan interjected, "What I need to do is watch him while I'm fighting Kibito. If you see him start to make a movement that looks like a fighting technique, or you see me suddenly stand frozen, I want you to attack Shin and beat him up. Can you do that for me?"

Trunks and Goten both nodded seriously. They flew from Gohan's arms and took up positions about halfway between the ring and the waiting area with their gaze unwavering from Shin.

Gohan slowly turned his full attention to Kibito, who backed up a step at the look of utter rage on his face. Coldly, Gohan said, "I apologize for the delay in our fight, but I was noticeably detained. I know I promised to show you Super Saiyan 2, and I always keep my promises." With a yell, Gohan immediately ascended to Super Saiyan 2 and fixed a glare on Kibito.

Kibito swallowed nervously as he explained, "This is ridiculous and pointless." Turning to the announcer, Kibito added, "I for…"

Before Kibito could continue speaking, Gohan slammed his elbow into his trachea. Kibito felt pain erupt in that area as he stumbled back a few steps. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Gohan said pleasantly, the cold look never leaving his face.

Kibito tried to speak, but found his throat was too injured to manage a sound. Gohan watched him for a few seconds before adding, "Now, I believe I was about to demonstrate the capabilities of my Super Saiyan 2 form."

Kibito turned and ran for the edge of the ring, trying to get outside. He'd only gotten a few steps when Gohan phased in front of him and drove his knee into Kibito's gut. Kibito sank to his knees as he gasped for air. Leaning down, Gohan whispered, "Now that wasn't very nice. As it is I only have around 45 minutes before the judges call the match on time, and I need every second to show you the capabilities of the Super Saiyan 2 form that you so desperately wanted to see Kibito. So I'm not going to let you leave the ring. However, unlike you I am willing to fight fair and not try and stab you in the back like a coward. So you have two choices; attack me and I might go easy on you, or do nothing while I beat you up. I'd obviously prefer the first choice, but given what you just tried to do to me, I'm not totally averse to the second."

Kibito forced his gaze to meet Gohan's as he fought to make air flow into his lungs. He saw nothing but deadly seriousness and rage, and Kibito realized Gohan would follow through on his threat. Therefore, given his options, Kibito did the only thing he could.

He attacked.

Shin was stunned; the events that were unfolding in front of his eyes were quite frankly astonishing. His original plan had failed spectacularly, and it looked like his servant was about to be pummeled. Shin needed to regain control of the situation quickly before it deteriorated any farther. However, given the power Gohan was displaying, Shin was unsure if he could stop it. And considering he had twin glares fixated solely on him, he unsure of what exactly he could do.

He was saved from acting when Goku stated, "We need to stop Gohan. He's making a mistake attacking Kibito, and if we don't stop him he'll kill him."

Vegeta snorted, "Don't be even more of an idiot than normal Kakkarot. Gohan will not kill that lumbering fool."

"How can you be so sure Vegeta?" Chichi asked softly. Given her pale face and shocked demeanor, she was obviously a little unsettled by Gohan's actions.

"He's simply venting," Vegeta explained in annoyance, "Gohan feels angry at what he perceives was done by Kibito no doubt, and needs to expel that anger with his fists. I have no doubt Kibito will be injured at the end of it, but it is nothing a simple Sensu bean won't cure."

"Goku, please stop him. Kibito is a trusted friend and will be a great ally in the fight we have in front of us. For that, we need him in top condition." Shin requested quietly.

Goku was unsure of what to do. On the one hand, he trusted both his son and to some extent Vegeta. He was pretty sure Vegeta was correct in his assessment. But, the Supreme Kai had requested he stop this, and what Gohan was doing didn't sit well in Goku's mind. Goku wavered as he watched the fight. However, when he saw another punch land on Kibito, he made his choice. "This isn't right, I'm stopping this."

As Goku took off towards the arena, he heard Vegeta say in disdain, "Your funeral."

Gohan easily dodged Kibito's weak effort to hit him, and retaliated with a kick to Kibito's midsection that dropped him to his knees. Gohan was incredibly angry; his Saiyan side wanted to rip off the Amulet, power up fully, and proceed to slowly rip Kibito limb from limb. But Gohan restrained that part of him with great effort; he had to save his full power for the Destroyer. And he didn't really want to kill Kibito; he was a just convenient target and not where his anger was really directed.

"Gohan, you need to stop this!"

Speak of the devil. Gohan turned his gaze away from the crumpled form before him and watched as Goku approached. Gohan sighed as he hissed, "Stay out of this. It's not your business Goku."

Goku froze; in his entire life Gohan had never once called him by his first name. He always called him 'father' or 'dad'. Pushing that aside for right now, Goku continued, "Gohan, I know you're furious. But you need to calm down and stop what you're doing." As Goku was speaking he was slowly approaching Gohan.

A sudden explosion at his feet caused Goku to stop moving. Glancing down, Goku saw a small crater right in front of him. As he looked back up, he was met with Gohan's cold gaze and outstretched hand. "That was your only warning Goku," Gohan explained quietly, "I'll say again, this doesn't concern you."

Goku found himself lost in Gohan's gaze. He was stunned by what he saw within; there was no love, caring, or any positive emotion directed towards him. In fact, the only emotion Goku could ascertain in regards to him in Gohan's eyes was disinterest. It was almost as if his son no longer cared about him.

What am I going to do now?

Consciousness slowly returned to Yamu; as he slowly regained his faculties, he sat up and tried to ignore the lancing pain in his head. "Uugggh, I feel like I was hit by a bus." Yamu mentioned. Looking to his right, he saw his partner in a similar condition.

"What hit me?" Spokowitz questioned aloud.

"I'm not sure, but…" Yamu began, but trailed off as he saw the scene in front of him. Standing in the ring was the fighter they had drained looking unhurt. But that was impossible…wasn't it?

Noticing where his partner's gaze was drawn, Spokowitz asked, "Think we should drain him again?"

Yamu glanced down at the container in his hands and shook his head, "No point, this is too full to get much more in it. No, we'd better report back to Master Babidi with what we've got."

They're getting away Gohan thought fiercely. Gohan turned his attention from Goku as he saw the two thugs that had attacked him were flying away. "No way in hell are they getting away," Gohan growled. Tensing, he prepared to fly after them. It should be no real trouble to catch them.

"Gohan, wait!"

Gohan turned his gaze and saw Piccolo approaching gingerly with the rest of the z-fighters. And Shin. Gohan glared, "I don't know how you froze me before, but rest assured you're going to regret it."

"Gohan, we need to let those two go so we can follow them," Piccolo stated again as he saw Gohan preparing to fly off again.

"Why would we do that?" Gohan demanded. He could feel the two getting farther and farther away; not that it really mattered, given how easily Gohan could catch them.

Piccolo turned to Shin, who said, "Because we need to follow them to find their master before he unleashes an incredible, unstoppable evil."

Gohan's glare increased, "Like I'm going to believe you after what you did to me. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow you away where you stand."

Shin felt a flicker of fear go through him as he saw the look in Gohan's eyes, but he suppressed it. Forcing his voice to be calm, Shin said softly, "Because I'm the Supreme Kai."

Gohan laughed sharply, "Yeah right. Tell me another one. Do you really expect me to believe that yo…"

"Gohan," Piccolo interrupted softly. When Gohan turned to look at him, Piccolo added, "He is the Supreme Kai."

Gohan stared hard at Piccolo. He'd never lied to Gohan before, and Gohan didn't really want to believe that he'd start now. But if Piccolo was true, then why did these two meet the descriptions Sensei gave him for Babidi and Dabura? Could there really be two sets of people that look so similar on the Earth at the same time. Gohan wasn't sure, but until he was, he decided it was better to rely on what he knew. And he knew Piccolo wouldn't lie to him.

Taking a deep breath, Gohan powered down and said quietly, "I don't trust you Shin. But I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt…for now. What's next?"

"We need to heal Kibito, and then we need to start following those two before they get away," Shin explained. "And we need to hurry because…"

"There's no need to hurry," Gohan interrupted. "I can feel where those two are; they won't escape. Goten!" As Goten landed next to Gohan, Gohan asked, "Could you hand me a Sensu bean please?"

"Sure big brother," Goten stated as he quickly complied.

Gohan was torn; on the one hand, he really didn't trust Shin. And it felt wrong to heal Kibito. But on the other hand if Shin was right, Kibito could be useful. In the end, Gohan realized that Kibito wasn't strong enough to be a threat, and if he turned out to be evil, Gohan would just get to beat him up again. Without another thought, Gohan threw the Sensu bean to Kibito.

As Kibito ate, Shin said, "Now we need to decide who is going."

"Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and I will accompany you," Gohan stated firmly.

"Hey, we want to go," Goten whined.

"Yeah, why can't we go," Trunks added.

"Gohan, there is no way in hell I'm…" Lime began hotly.

"ENOUGH," Gohan yelled to quiet them down.

Kneeling so he was eye to eye with them both, Gohan stated seriously, "Because I need someone I can trust to make sure Bulma and the others are safe while I'm gone. Can I count on you two?"

Goten and Trunks were torn; they wanted to go see the big evil and fight it badly, but Gohan trusted them with an important assignment. Finally, Trunks sighed as he said, "Fine, we'll stay behind."

Sighing, Gohan turned to see Lime glaring at him, "Don't even think about it Gohan. If you think for one second I'm going to just stay here while…"

"Lime, can I talk to you for a minute over there," Gohan asked quietly.

Lime was about to angrily demand why, but something in his face stopped her. Gohan looked utterly serious, and Lime found herself saying, "Of course Gohan," before she knew what hit her.

As Lime and Gohan moved off, Chichi stated, "I'm not going to sit here while…"

"Gohan's right in his choice of team," Vegeta stated firmly.

"WHAT! Are you out of your mind, why in the world wouldn't we all go," Travis demanded.

"Because every person we bring increases our chance of detection," Vegeta countered, "and because most of you are too weak to be of any use against a real opponent. I would have left the Namek out, but I guess Gohan's got a soft spot for him. This will be settled by us, have no doubt of that. The rest of you would be better off staying here and competing. With all the Saiyans gone, you weaklings now have a chance."

"There's no way I'm staying out of this fight." Travis stated firmly.

"Yes you are," Gohan stated firmly as he returned. The group turned and saw he and Lime were both back. However, Lime was very pale and looked like she was going to be sick. Gohan locked gazes with Travis, and stated quietly, "You're staying here."

Travis was going to argue, but something stopped him. Something in Gohan's eyes halted his arguments before they even formed. Travis realized that Gohan wasn't going to budge on this issue, and so he gave up. "Alright, I'll stay here." Travis said bitterly.

Gohan nodded. Before he could respond, Shin added, "We've spent enough time arguing about this. Let us go." He then lifted off and flew in the direction Yamu and Spokowitz took.

Without another word the others followed his lead, but not before Kibito sent a glare in Gohan's direction. Gohan ignored it; instead, he focused his attention on Lime. After looked at him for several seconds, Lime finally nodded once. Gohan smiled slightly, and then blasted off into the air.

The hunt was on.

TO BE CONTINUED…

I'VE CROSSED 1000 REVIEWS! YES! Anyway, another chapter is now complete. I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review.

Krypto: I made this promise earlier, but I will reiterate it. Though Gohan is in pain and having problems now, I promise at the end of the trilogy he will be happy. Until then, he will experience pain and anguish, because that is how heroes are made. Heroes aren't made in nice, safe, happy times. They are forged through battle and struggle. I hope I have reassured you.