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 34 – Fighting Styles

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer began, "please be patient. Obviously the forfeiture of several of our fighters is forcing us to rethink how the tournament is structured. We will continue the tournament soon. Until then, we once again ask for your patience."

"This feels wrong," Travis stated firmly.

"What do you mean?" Krillen questioned.

"It just doesn't feel right to be sitting here," Travis explained, "Our friends are probably battling for this planet right now, and what are we doing; getting ready to fight in a tournament. We should be with them, helping them as best we can."

"They didn't want us to come, remember," Tien pointed out.

"Just because they didn't want us to come doesn't mean we should be here. Master, I can't believe it sits well with you to be here competing for fun and sport while our friends are battling not only for their lives but for ours."

Tien was silent for several moments before finally saying, "No it doesn't."

"Does it sit well with any of you," Travis continued. He glanced around the z-fighters and was met with uneasy looks. "Then what are we still doing here?"

"What do you suggest?" Krillen asked.

"…I'm not sure," Travis admitted. "But there has to be SOMETHING we can do!"

"Kami's place," Chaotzu suggested. As the turned to him, Chaotzu explained, "It would be where they would go after the battle to rest up and recover. Also, Dende could probably monitor the situation and let us know if we're needed. Plus, if the worst happens, it is probably the most defensible place on the planet."

"Sounds like a plan. Don't you think so Lime?" Travis asked. He'd noticed that Gohan's student had refrained from saying anything. In fact, as Travis looked closer, it seemed like she wasn't paying attention at all. She appeared to be lost in her own world, and wherever that world was, it wasn't pleasant judging by the look of her face. Walking forward, Travis said, "Lime?"

"Huh?" Lime's attention shifted to Travis from wherever it had been before.

"We were just saying how we shouldn't be in this tournament, and whether we should go to Kami's tower to wait out the results?"

"Right, Kami's tower," Lime replied. "I actually need to go there anyway. Excuse me." Without another word, Lime blasted off into the sky.

"What the…" Travis was stunned as he watched her leave. While he really didn't know much about her, Travis couldn't believe that behavior was normal. What is up with her? Deciding to table that question for now, Travis turned back to the others, "So, are we agreed?"

"You're right," Krillen declared, "it doesn't feel right to be here right now. Let's go. Don't you think so honey?"

Eighteen raised an eyebrow at he husband, "I was looking forward to winning some prize money and using it to move away from those perverts, but I suppose if you're leaving then I will also."

"Why don't you just sell some of Krillen's shares of Capsule Corps?" Yamcha suggested.

"What shares?" Eighteen demanded.

"Well, I remember when Bulma and I were…together she mentioned setting up accounts for all of us," Yamcha explained, "She felt bad that she couldn't fight with us to keep the Earth safe, and thought providing us with financial security was the least she could do. I know I haven't touched my shares in a while, but my shares are worth at least half a million dollars. And I've sold a few of mine off over the years. I can't believe yours would be worth less than what I've got Krillen."

"And the reason you never told ME about these shares," Eighteen asked quietly of Krillen.

Krillen paled, "Well, I remember Bulma mentioned something about that awhile ago, back when I was dating Mar…er, not with you. To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to it at the time and forgot about it until now."

Eighteen glared at her fidgeting husband for several seconds before stating, "We'll discuss this later."

Krillen winced, "yes dear."

Travis suppressed a grin; that conversation probably would not go well. Looking around, Travis say that most everyone agreed with him. There was just one more person to ask, someone else who'd been rather silent through the discussion.

"Mrs. Son?"

Chichi thoughts were going warp speed. I hope they are alright. Chichi prayed. However, a part of her felt such prayer was unnecessary. After all, her husband Goku was probably the greatest fighter in the universe, and Chichi couldn't believe that he could be beaten by this old evil. No matter what the Supreme Kai said. And if for some reason this monster was that tough, well, her husband could get help from either Vegeta or…her son.

Oh Gohan Chichi thought sadly. Her mind seemed unable to get past what she had seen right before he had left. She had known he would be hurt by what she had done; the draining would obvious hurt him physically, but Chichi also knew it would hurt him mentally and emotionally. What she hadn't been prepared for was the outcome. Chichi could still picture the look he sent her way right before he'd left. It had been filled with such…disinterest that Chichi could barely keep from crying. How can I make it up to him?

Do I even have time to make it up to him? Chichi realized suddenly. After all, right now she was only back for 24 hours. Given this new threat that was looming on the horizon, there was a very good chance that Gohan and the others would not be back before her time was up. The battle could take that long conceivably, and then what would Chichi do? Could she really go back to the afterlife with this still between her and Gohan? And what about Goten? Could she really leave him behind, after finding out he was alive and spending such little time with him?

"Mrs. Son?"

Chichi looked up from her musings to see Tien's student Travis standing before her. "Yes?" she replied.

"We were thinking about leaving the tournament. It doesn't feel right to be just sitting here. What do you think?"

That's a good point. What am I even doing sitting here? Chichi wondered suddenly. After all, that bit…girl Lime had knocked her out of the tournament, and Goten was beaten by Trunks. Neither her husband nor her other son were still competing. Why was she wasting what little time she had left sitting around here?

Enough is enough Chichi declared firmly. She was done hiding; that was all she had been doing in the afterlife, hiding with her husband to avoid facing the pain that life offered. And her cowardice had caused her to miss almost 5 years of her children's lives. But she was done hiding; she was the daughter of the Ox King and wife of the greatest warrior in the universe. It was time to stop hiding and start fixing the mess she had made. And one thing was clear; she needed more time to do that.

"I agree completely," Chichi told Travis. "There is no point in my sitting around here when there are other things I could be doing. Excuse me."

Chichi could feel Travis's puzzled gaze on her for several seconds, but she ignored it. She had someone else she had to talk to. It wasn't hard to find her; Goten and Trunks were easy enough to spot. Walking over there quickly, Chichi took a deep breath and said, "Hey Bulma."

Bulma glanced up from her attempts to keep Trunks and Goten behaved and smiled at Chichi, "Hey. I thought you'd be down there with the other fighters?"

Chichi shrugged, "I lost, and I wanted to ask you for a favor. I know it's been a while since we've seen each other, but I could really…"

"Chichi you can stop. You and I are old friends. What do you need?" Bulma interjected.

Chichi took a deep breath. She was a proud woman, and she hated to ask for favors. But this was Bulma; they had been friends for too long to let pride stand in her way.

"Do you still have the Dragonball radar?"

"What are they waiting for?"

Vegeta suppressed a snarl with effort. He had almost forgotten in all these years just how annoying it was to be in Kakkarot's presence for long periods of time when they weren't fighting each other. Though, as much as he hated to admit it, Kakkarot had a point. They had entered the space ship, prepared and expecting a trap of some sort. And when they had entered the room, it had sealed them in. But so far, nothing was happened. And all this waiting was draining precious time away from his bout with Kakkarot.

"I'm not sure what they are waiting for," Shin admitted, "But I am sure whatever they are going to do will not be pleasant."

Vegeta was about to respond fiercely when a wall in front of them slid open and a figure stepped out. Vegeta gave him a glance, and then lost interest. He was not impressed; the figure was nowhere near their level.

"Welcome to my Master's ship. My name is Pui-Pui. I suggest you remember it, for it will be the last name you ever hear," Pui-Pui declared fiercely.

Vegeta suppressed a laugh. Barely. "You're going to defeat US?" He questioned.

Pui-Pui smile turned sinister, "What you are looking for can be found at the very bottom level of this ship. But each level is guarded by one of my Master's men. To get past the level, you have to defeat them. But it doesn't matter, because you are not going to defeat me. I'm going to enjoy beating all of you to death."

Vegeta ignored Pui-Pui's threats as he turned to his rival, "This is a waste of time, one I refuse to let go on any longer than necessary. Are you going to deal with cretin, or will I?"

Goku frowned, "I don't know. I want to fight, but I don't want to use up my turn this early on this guy."

"Well, neither do I," Vegeta retorted. If he had to be here, he at least wanted his fight to be with someone who could give him a decent challenge.

"We could do rock, paper, scissors to decide who will go?" Goku offered.

"I will take care of him" Shin declared. "You need to save your strength for tougher battles. Leave this one to me."

"Now, it would seem like to be fair, we should pl…" Goku began.

"Shut up Kakkarot," Vegeta interjected fiercely. "Let them battle it out. Just don't take up too much time Kai. There are other more important matters today, like my crushing of Kakkarot."

"You may have gotten stronger Vegeta, but so have I," Goku stated.

Vegeta's grin turned wolfish, "Good. That will make your defeat even more pleasurable."

"EXCUSE ME!"

Vegeta turned to see Babidi's minion glaring at them. Pui-Pui's glare changed into a sadistic grin as he said, "My Master has read your powers, and you are no threat. Even if all of you combine, you cannot defeat me. But I shall enjoy tearing the Kai apart limb from limb."

Vegeta ignored Pui-Pui's ramblings as he turned to glare at the Supreme Kai, who was simply standing behind them. "Well, get in there and finish him quickly. Stop wasting our time."

Shin spent one moment simply looking at Vegeta and Goku in puzzlement, and then strode forward and settled into a fighting stance. Pui-Pui smirked and said, "Any last words Supreme Kai?"

"You're the only one who will need last words," Shin promised as he shot forward and began his attack.

As Pui-Pui and Shin battled back and forth, Vegeta found himself beginning to feel uneasy. Not about the fight; neither of them were anywhere close to fighting at the level Vegeta could. No, there was something about Shin's fighting style that reverberated in Vegeta. Vegeta watched as they dueled, trying to figure out what was bothering him so much. There was just something…

It hit Vegeta suddenly, and shock spread through him. Shin fights like Gohan! Though utterly stunned by his discovery, Vegeta did not doubt it. He had sparred with Gohan close to every day for years and watched Gohan's fighting style develop. And there was no doubt in Vegeta's mind; if you removed some of the other styles Gohan had mixed in, Shin and Gohan fought using the same martial arts style. But how was that possible?

Vegeta had been looking for the mysterious teacher Gohan had been seeing for several years, and it looked like he had just gotten a very big clue. It was possible that Gohan and Shin simply had the same instructor, but Vegeta doubted it. The Supreme Kai had been around for a very long time; it was highly unlikely that any instructor of his would still be around to train Gohan. That left only one possibility in Vegeta's mind; either Gohan was trained by Shin, or vice versa. But that still left unanswered questions.

Have Gohan and the Supreme Kai met before today? Vegeta wondered, his attention momentarily drawn away from the fight taking place in front of him. But if that were true, then why did the Gohan attack the Supreme Kai's servant? Vegeta couldn't believe Gohan had known about the energy drain before hand; his actions before and afterwards were too genuine to have been acting. Did that mean Shin had hidden his plan from Gohan until afterwards?

Vegeta turned his attention to Gohan. He was not paying any attention to the fight taking place in front of them; he appeared to be dozing, which bothered Vegeta since Gohan never paid this little attention to fights going on around him. In fact, Vegeta realized that Gohan had been acting strange ever since they'd entered the ship. He'd barely spoken, and appeared to be off in his on world. What was going on?

Vegeta's thoughts were interrupted when he felt his surroundings change and gravity increase. Looking around in surprise, he found they no longer seemed to be abroad Babidi's ship. In fact, they didn't appear to be on Earth anymore. The only thing remaining from their previous surroundings was a sealed door in the floor. Focusing his attention back on Pui-Pui, Vegeta was able to catch the tail end of his monologue.

"…higher than on Earth. By transporting us to my home planet, Master Babidi has assured my victory. You may have been my equal before, but you cannot stand against me and ten times Earth's gravity.

Only ten? I can barely feel it Vegeta mused in amusement. Looking at the Supreme Kai, Vegeta realized that was not the case with Shin. He appeared slightly pale and was sweating profusely. He looked tired; apparently, Pui-Pui was more of a challenge for Shin than he was for Vegeta.

This is ridiculous Vegeta snarled mentally. The more time he sat here letting these two weaklings duke it out, the less time he would have later. He had given the Kai the chance to fight and noticed something important by doing so, but enough was enough. Glancing at his rival, Vegeta realized that Kakkarot seemed perfectly content to just let them battle without interfering. Well, Vegeta was done sitting around; it was time to end this.

Moving quickly, Vegeta phased in front of Pui-Pui, extended his hand, and fired a strong ki blast at point blank range. Pui-Pui did not even have time to register Vegeta's presence before the blast tore through him and vaporized him. Turning around, Vegeta met Shin's stunned gaze and said, "You have wasted enough of our time. From now on, let the real fighters handle them."

"Vegeta, that really wasn't very nice. You should have let the Supreme Kai finish his bout." Goku pointed out.

As the door in the floor slid open, Vegeta pointed and said, "I got us through, didn't I? And if I didn't interfere, we'd probably have been stuck here for weeks waiting for those two to finish."

As Gohan leapt through the opening, Goku remarked, "I thought he was doing alright. He had some good moves, and it was an entertaining fight to watch."

Vegeta snorted as he leapt through the opening, "Children, so easily amused."

"HEY!" Goku shouted as he followed the others. After a few seconds, he stuck his head back up and asked, "Aren't you coming Supreme Kai?"

Shin blinked several times, and then said, "…right, let's go."

Babidi blinked several times before saying, "That was unexpected."

"I expected Pui-Pui to have done much better," Dabura admitted.

"It's just as well he's dead, or I'd kill him for that embarrassing performance," Babidi snarled, "The bastard didn't even get any energy out of them before he was killed. I never should have listened to you when you told me to send Pui-Pui."

Dabura knew his Master was the one who'd suggested Pui-Pui, but he also knew that to contradict Babidi was a bad idea, "I apologize Master; I underestimated their strength. It will not happen again. Let me go against them, and I shall make quick work of the lot of them."

Babidi thought about it for a few seconds, and then said, "No. These fighters are obviously much stronger than our gauges indicate. I'd prefer to hold you back until we know better just how strong they are. No, we need to send in someone much stronger than Pui-Pui, but not you."

Dabura considered his options, and then offered, "Yakkon would…"

"No," Babidi interrupted, "I need all of their energy to go to feeding Majin Buu, not that gluttonous idiot. No, I know exactly who to have them face at this level."

Dabura thought about it for a moment, trying to guess who it would be. Not that it was difficult; there was only one other fighter near Dabura's caliber besides Yakkon. Dabura shrugged, "She'll do a decent job I suppose."

"I'm glad you approve," Babidi commented.

Dabura quickly backpedaled, "Forgive me Master. I meant to say your choice was excellent and that she'll handle these fighters without a problem."

"That's better." Babidi remarked, "Now then, contact her and have her get in there quickly. I don't want to waste more time than is necessary."

"It's time these fools met the Destroyer of Worlds."

It took effort, but Gohan was able to keep from laughing at the look on Shin's face. His look of utter shock was absolutely hilarious, and Gohan found he was hard-pressed not to laugh. It had been pretty amusing to watch as Vegeta effortlessly defeated the opponent that Shin had been struggling with, and to realize Vegeta had only done it because he had gotten annoyed and bored…Gohan shook his head in amusement. I'll definitely have to tell Bulma about that fight…assuming anyone survives today.

That thought instantly sobered Gohan. For a brief second, he'd allowed himself to forget just what he had to do today. Gohan knew that sooner or later, one of the opponents that walked out that door would be her; the Destroyer of Worlds. The villain Gohan had been preparing close to 6 years for would finally be in front of him.

"I wish they were speedier in providing opponents." Goku whined.

Vegeta laughed once as he coldly replied, "If all their fighters are as weak as that last one, they could just save time and kill themselves."

"Vegeta, Babidi has some of the most dangerous warriors in the universe under his thrall. And don't forget Dabura. Don't let the last opponent cause you to underestimate the next one," Shin pointed out.

"I don't need a lecture Kai," Vegeta snapped, "I've been battling my entire life. And I've yet to meet an opponent I couldn't crush beneath my boot heel today. And that includes the demon lord that has you quaking in your boots Shin."

"You must be joking," Shin gasped in shock.

"Dabura isn't that tough," Goku supplied, "Sure, he might be a bit of a challenge, but as long as we avoid his spit, I have no doubt any of us could take him. Even Gohan…"

"Your faith in me is astonishing Goku," Gohan commented, "But rest assured, I am more than capable of beating anyone you can."

Goku was about to comment when the door to the chamber began to slide open. Gohan turned his gaze to the door, and felt his breath freeze. There was no doubt in his mind; his entire being was screaming the truth into his mind. The Destroyer of Worlds had appeared.

As she walked into the room, Gohan took stock of her. She was around his age, if not a little younger. She stood around five foot seven with black hair cut very short. Gohan tried to get a read of her ki, but he felt very little. Which either meant she wasn't very strong or she was incredibly adept at suppressing her strength; given Sensei's warnings, Gohan doubted it was the latter. But it was something else that filled Gohan with dread. In every one of Babidi's minions, from the two at the tournament to Dabura, Gohan was able to see Babidi's influence. Babidi's magic seemed like a stain on their souls, its intensity varying depending on the figure. In the case of the Destroyer, Gohan could only see the stain. Gohan couldn't see her soul; all he could detect was Babidi's stain.

The Destroyer fluidly walked to the center of the room and surveyed her opponents. Curling her lip in disdain, she commented, "So you're the fighters my Master wants me to crush. This shouldn't be a problem."

Shin pointed out, "The last fighter made the same remarks, and he didn't defeat us."

She considered that for a moment and then replied, "But I'm not the last fighter. I am the Destroyer of Worlds, and none of you can stand against me."

Vegeta snorted, "Destroyer of Worlds is your name? Girl, I've destroyed more worlds than you can even dream of."

The Destroyer looked gazes with Vegeta for several moments and then smirked, "I think I'll save you for last. So, shall we get started?"

Vegeta sighed. This was pathetic. He was wasting his one chance to battle Kakkarot again by participating in this mission. The first fighter was nothing, and this one looked about the same. Vegeta had a healthy respect for females (he lived with Bulma's temper after all), but with the exception of Android 18, he had never run across a female of any true power. Oh, Chichi and Lime were decently strong, but they were the most powerful females he had ever seen. And they were nothing against him. "Who's going to fight her?"

"Well, the Supreme Kai has already fought, so his turn is over," Goku supplied, "I still say we do rock, paper…"

"She's mine," Gohan interrupted fiercely.

Goku turned to Gohan and replied, "Now Gohan, we need to be fair about this. We can't just go claiming…"

"I…Said…She's…Mine." Gohan interjected softly as he locked gazes with Goku.

Goku stared at Gohan for several moments, before nodding and saying softly, "She's all yours Gohan."

Gohan didn't acknowledge Goku's words; instead, he took a deep breath. This was it; it was finally time to fight the Destroyer. There was just one more thing he needed to do before he could start.

As Gohan walked past Vegeta, he paused right next to him and whispered,"My Prince, I would ask something of you."

Not sure what was going on, Vegeta replied, "What is it?"

Gohan met Vegeta's eyes as he explained softly, "I want your word that you will defeat Majin Buu if he rises. I need to know walking into this fight that you will let nothing distract you from that. Please my Prince, promise me you will stop Majin Buu."

Vegeta wanted to ask why Gohan would request something like that from him. He wanted to know why Gohan thought he wouldn't be here to do that himself. He wanted to ask a dozen questions that came to mind, but he didn't. He saw something in Gohan's eyes that stopped him cold. Vegeta didn't even need to think about it much. He considered Gohan a close ally, and though he would kill anyone who said it, cared for him deeply. Gohan rarely asked him for anything, and Vegeta would not disappoint him when he did. "I give you my word. On my honor, I will not let anything distract me from stopping Majin Buu." Vegeta promised solemnly.

"Thank you" Gohan replied. Vegeta watched as he pulled some sort of device from his pocket. He pressed a button on it and Vegeta watched as a light on the device began to blink. Not saying another word, Gohan walked over until he was standing in front of the Destroyer.

The Destroyer looked at him for several seconds and then smirked, "You don't look like much. It shouldn't take long to beat you."

"I'm stronger than I seem," Gohan replied mildly. As he waited, he felt a calm flow through him. He was ready.

"Let's find out," the Destroyer commented. Without another word, she shot towards Gohan. Gohan waited; he had to time this just right. As the Destroyer fired a punch at him, Gohan reached out and locked his hand on her wrist. As soon as his hand made contact, Gohan acted.

He teleported them both.

The Destroyer leapt back when they reappeared, "What did you do?" She demanded.

Gohan smiled. It had worked, "Welcome to a planet very far from where we were. If you have any ability to sense life, you'll notice there isn't any. We are the only living things on this planet, which means I don't have to hold back against you. Don't worry; I'm sure your Master will find you again sooner or later. In the mean time however…" Gohan trailed off. He then reached to his wrist and pressed the button on his watch that summoned his armor. As his clothes changed, Gohan settled into a fighting stance and waited.

After a few seconds, the Destroyer replied, "I underestimated you. That won't happen again."

As she went into her fighting stance, Gohan cleared his mind. He had to focus and couldn't let any other thoughts flow through him. Worries about Earth, Majin Buu, Babidi, everything flew out of his mind as he focused on the here and now. All that mattered was the fighter in front of him and the battle he'd spend a majority of his life preparing for.

Let the battle begin.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Another part is finished, and 1100 reviews have been reached. I never liked how some of the z-fighters stayed behind to keep fighting in the tournament. It just seemed strange to be fighting in a tournament while others are battling for the planet. I know in the series only Android 18 and the kids remained behind, but now that more fighters competed in the tournament, it seemed wrong to have them stay. The fact that Hercule no longer has to face a z-fighter is an unfortunate side effect.

Please, as always, read and review.