Chapter 5: Making amends


A young girl stared at the screen in confusion. "I thought this was the news channel. Why are they showing a movie?" she wondered. What started out as normal news broadcast had turned into some kind of superhero movie. A young boy that could fly and shoot balls of light fighting a really fat guy. Then the fat guy shot a huge beam of light and the boy deflected it up into the sky. It was really cool, but she was still confused.

She looked over at her dad. He snored in his recliner, the same way he did at this time every day. He was a burly man with tan skin and a floofy afro. His face was clean-shaven, except for his sideburns and handle-bar mustache. The remote hung loosely in his hand. "He's not awake, so he didn't change the channel…"

She climbed on the couch, leaning over the side to tap on his shoulder. "Daddy! Daddy, wake up!"

He groaned, waving her hand away lazily. She growled in frustration then cupped her hands around her mouth. "DAAA-DDDYYY!" she yelled. He started; eyes shooting open.

"What? What's wrong?" He looked around blearily, then spotted his daughter. She wore a t-shirt and shorts. Her hair was up in two little pig-tails, cute as a button. "Oh, Videl! Is it time for dinner? Where's your mother?"

Videl frowned peevishly, then pointed at the TV. "Something weird is happening!" she declared.

Hercule looked at the TV curiously. A boy in orange lay amongst the rubble of what used to be a road. He picked up a sword and stuck it in the ground, leaning against it as he stood. "Huh, must've changed the channel by accident while I was asleep," he thought. Absently, he clicked the remote, changing to a different news station. However, this one seemed to be showing the same thing. "Weird." He tried a third. It was the same.

He scratched his chin in confusion, continuing to watch. Videl sat down and watched with him. Now, the camera was focused on the boy and a policewoman, recording their conversation.

"Alright! Now, I have to know; what was that light?" the policewoman asked.

Gohan tilted his head to the side. "That's a type of energy called ki. You can use it for all sorts of things!" He went on to explain how to control it, the kind of training needed to increase the ki your body generates, how to make yourself tougher, and the mechanics of flying. Macey had pulled a notepad from somewhere and was jotting everything down as he spoke.

Hercule stared at the TV, nonplussed. Videl had her hands cupped in front of her, trying to make a ball of light and failing. She huffed loudly in disappointment. "Daddy, it didn't work! What did I do wrong?" she asked.

"You didn't do anything wrong, sweetpea. It's all just a scam! There's no way people could fly or throw light like that. This is all just a big hoax," he declared, waving a hand dismissively.

Videl gaped at him, then frowned. "Oh. But it looks so real!"

Hercule shook his head in exasperation, "It's just special effects. They got these computers that make things look like real life!"

"That's too bad. I wanna learn to fly."

Hercule pat her back consolingly.


Bulma groaned, laying her head on the table. "I can't believe he just told the entire world about super-powers. Did nobody think to warn him about that? He's just a kid! Of course he doesn't know any better. Ahh, who knows what will happen now?!"

Panchi rubbed her back soothingly, humming a cheerful tune. "You worry too much, sweetie. I'm sure everything will turn out just fine!"

"How can you say that, mom!" Bulma retorted. "We'll probably have trouble-makers coming out of the woodworks, now!"

Dr. Brief grunted. "Considering what we just watched, I'd say they're already here!" He folded up his paper, setting it on the table, "Who knows? This might be for the best. It'll give the people a chance at protecting themselves once those Saiyan fellows get here."

Bulma seemed mollified. "I suppose it could… Well, 'what if' doesn't really matter anymore, does it? What's done is done." She stood abruptly, "I need to go call Chichi. She'll want to know about this."

"Oh, alright, sweetie. Tell her 'Hello' for me! And maybe she'd like to come visit? We could swap recipes!" Panchi said.

"Alright, mom. I'll ask," Bulma said as she left the room.


Gohan dropped in on the Lookout. Yamcha was relaxing on the side of a planter, tossing an apple up and down. He sat up, noticing how roughed up Gohan looked.

"Hey, kid. What happened to you?"

Gohan chuckled, rubbing his neck, "It's kind of a long story… More importantly, do you know where I can get a senzu bean?"

Yamcha's eyes widened in alarm, "Are you that hurt?! Hold on, let's go find Kami!"

"Wait! It's… it's not for me," Gohan admitted. He explained about going to the city and fighting Paunch and about the policeman that was injured. "I need the senzu bean to heal that man's legs."

"I don't know, kid. We don't have so many of those beans that we can use them whenever we want…" Yamcha said apprehensively. He felt bad for the guy but it couldn't be helped. Senzu beans were just too valuable.

"He's right," Kami said, approaching from the building.

Gohan's eyes flicked to the green man in surprise. "Now that I think of it, I can't sense Kami, either. Why is that?"

"Our supply of senzu beans is very limited. We will need all of them in the fight against the Saiyans," Kami said.

Gohan lowered his head sadly, "But… it's my fault he was hurt."

Kami sighed, "Be that as it may, we simply can't afford to do anything about it. You must accept that some things are beyond your control."

Gohan sniffed, "But… I just feel so bad. Maybe I shouldn't have gone." He rubbed at his eyes. "Maybe that way no one would have got hurt."

Yamcha kneeled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Listen, kid. Sometimes bad things happen and there's just nothing we can do about it. Beating yourself up about it isn't going to help. Just, uh…" He tapped a knuckle against Gohan's chin. "Put your chin up and keep going, alright?"

Kami smiled approvingly. Gohan's lip wobbled and he sniffed again. "I- I guess you're right…"

Yamcha grinned suddenly, "Hey, how about we play a game? Maybe hide and seek?"

Gohan's face brightened a bit, "Yeah! That sounds like fun."

"We can ask Krillin and Chiaotzu to play, too," Yamcha added.

Gohan tilted his head, "Not Tien?"

"Ehehe… I don't think Tien would be up for it…"

Gohan pictured Tien's stern face and giggled, "Yeah, maybe not!"


Once their game was over, the Z-fighters began training. Gohan would only stay for one more day before going back to Piccolo so he made sure to observe the others' fighting styles closely. It would help him when fighting with them in the future and might provide insight into improving his own fighting style.

It was during a spar with Krillin that an appalling tidbit came to light. "W- what do you mean you don't know the Kamehameha?!" Krillin shouted.

Yamcha was distracted from his fight with Tien and took a heavy punch to the face. He was knocked onto his back but quickly flipped himself upright. "Yeah, kid! That's, like, your dad's signature move!" He said, ignoring his throbbing cheek.

Gohan scratched his head, "Well… dad said he would teach me once I got a better handle on my energy… then he, well…"

Krillin and Yamcha went pale. "Oh… yeah. I guess that would explain it," Krillin conceded, head lowered. He raised it suddenly, smiling wide, "I know! How about I teach you?"

Yamcha put a hand on Krillin's shoulder, pushing him gently aside. "Nah, this kind of thing should be left to the pros. I'll teach him!" he declared.

"Oh, so you're a pro, but I'm not, huh?" Krillin asked irritably.

Yamcha nodded sagely, "It's good that you understand your own shortcomings. Hah! Shortcomings! Get it?" He looked around at his companions, waiting for laughs that would never come.

Tien crossed his arms haughtily, "Not as though he even needs a teacher. That technique is easy to learn after seeing it performed once."

"Wha- Master Roshi spent fifty years perfecting that technique. It's not so simple that you can learn it first try!" Krillin said.

Tien arched a brow, "Really? I learned it first try. I believe Goku did as well." Krillin and Yamcha were rendered speechless.

Chiaotzu, watching from the sidelines, approached Gohan and pulled on his sleeve. "Why don't you give it a try?" he suggested.

"Uh…" Gohan scratched his cheek. "Alright, I guess." He closed his eyes and pictured his father performing the technique. He had only seen it a few times, but the form and the chant were rather distinctive. Eyes still closed, he lowered his stance, cupping his hands next to his waist. His brow furrowed, "I guess I just need to focus my energy at a point between my hands, right? ...Then the chant." He nodded decisively, feeling confident in his deductions.

"Kaaa…" He pushed energy into his arms, gathering it into his hands.

"Meee…" Energy radiated from his hands, accumulating into a blue pinprick of light.

"Haaa…" The point of light grew larger as he poured in more ki. Slowly, it took the shape of a sphere.

"Meee…" It filled the space between his hands, shining brightly; illuminating the area with a blue glow.

His eyes snapped open and he thrust his arms forward. "HAAA!" he yelled. A thin beam of blue energy sped past the edge of the lookout, careening into the distance. The light faded, Gohan maintaining the stance. He blinked a few times, then grinned. "That was fun!" he exclaimed.

Yamcha gaped. Tien smirked triumphantly. Chiaotzu clapped enthusiastically. Krillin chuckled, "You really are Goku's son!"

Gohan rubbed the back of his head, much the same way Goku always did. "You think so?" he asked bashfully.

Krillin pulled him into a one-armed hug, "Definitely!" Gohan giggled happily.


Gohan lay in his comfy bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. Tomorrow, he would be going back to training with Piccolo. He was going to miss Krillin and the others. He had the feeling that Piccolo would start intensive training as soon as he returned, and that would leave him with little to no free time. Gohan understood the necessity, time was ticking by inexorably, but he wasn't looking forward to it as much as he thought he ought to.

Once again, his thoughts turned to the day's earlier events. Fighting Paunch, meeting the Police Officers, the man that had been injured due to his mistake. He grimaced and clutched his stomach at the thought of the poor man. "I wish I could do something! I'm not sure he'll ever be able to walk again. At least, not with current medical technology…" He sighed heavily. "If only I had a senzu bean. Dad said they can heal anything!"

Kami had explained where the senzu beans came from and the difficulty in growing them. Gohan was shocked to learn that there was a talking cat living below the lookout. Apparently, a man named Yajirobe lived there too. He was originally supposed to be training with them, but he refused.

Gohan tossed and turned, too upset to get any sleep. He got up, pushing the blanket off him and went over to the window. It was a cloudless night, the full moon shining brightly. He leaned against the window sill, staring up at it pensively. Sometimes, when the moon was full, he felt restless; as if it were calling to him. Not that that made any sense. Nothing ever happened when he looked at it anyway.

He leaned out the window suddenly, wondering if he could see Korin's tower from here. "Hmm… nope. I guess it's too far." He was struck by the sudden desire to see it. He shrugged and hopped out the window, floating downward slowly.

Slowly, it came into view; a single white line rising to support a circular room, much smaller than the Lookout. He stopped, taking a moment to appreciate exactly how tall it was. "How does that thin pole support its own weight. Some kind of magic?" He looked up at the floating Lookout. "Yeah, probably."

He turned to leave but paused, looking back at the tower. "That's where the senzu beans are…" he thought. He shook his head, making to leave once more... but he didn't move. "Come on! Just go back up and get some sleep," he told himself. Even so, he stayed, looking at the tower speculatively. Against his better judgement, he entered the building, landing on light feet.

He searched around, looking through pots and jars, cupboards and drawers; searching for some of the mystical beans.

"Heh-hem!" A gravelly voice sounded behind him. Gohan jumped and turned around, instinctively taking a fighting stance. He squinted, unable to see in the darkness. A white form stepped into a shaft of moonlight.

Gohan's eyes widened and he lowered his arms. "You're… Korin, right?" he asked the bipedal cat.

Korin nodded, "And you're Gohan. Now, what brings you to my humble abode at this hour?"

Gohan stiffened, eyes flitting around for an excuse. "Uh… I, uh… I was curious. I… couldn't sleep, so…" He chewed on his nails nervously.

"Hmmm… I see. Well, now that your curiosity has been sated, why don't you go on back to bed?"

"Because I need a senzu bean!" he thought. He frowned thoughtfully, "Maybe I should ask… It couldn't hurt, right? And Korin's the one that actually grows them; maybe he doesn't have to listen to Kami?"

"A- actually, that was a lie. I wanted to ask you something."

Korin scratched his chin curiously, "Go ahead."

"M- may I please have a senzu bean?"

"Hmm. And... what would you use it for?"

Gohan gulped. "I… because of my actions, a man was hurt really badly. Without a senzu bean, I don't think he'll ever fully recover. I- I have to help him! Please! I'll do anything in exchange for one!" he shouted, hands clasped in supplication.

Korin contemplated silently a while. Finally, "I don't mind giving you one." Gohan nearly shouted in joy. "However." Gohan's smile faded. "It's tradition that whenever someone seeks something of me, they must first pass a test. Though, I'm sure you won't find it to be very difficult."

Gohan nodded resolutely, "I understand. I'll take your test."

Korin smiled benignly, "All you have to do… is catch me."

Gohan blinked. "Oh, okay." "That doesn't seem too hard." He crouched, ready to pounce. Korin smirked. Gohan jumped, wrapping his arms around white… air? He fell to the ground, "Oof!" He lifted his head, frowning at the cat. Korin simply stood there, serene; as if he were mocking the boy.

Gohan hopped up and leapt at Korin again and again. Korin seemed to have this uncanny ability to not be where Gohan thought he was. Gohan face-planted once more. He stood and growled under his breath. "Guess I'll just have to kick it up a notch!" He stood on the balls of his feet, winding himself up like a spring. He vanished and they both began flashing around the room, Korin always one step ahead of Gohan.

Gohan made one last leap and Korin vanished again, causing him to smack his head against a pillar. "Ow owowow!" he writhed in pain on the floor, clutching his head. He lay on his back as the pain cleared, "I don't get it. What am I doing wrong?"

Korin watched approvingly, "That's it, boy. Think about it. This test is just as much mental, as physical."

Gohan stood, a calculative glint in his eyes. "It's like he can predict my movements. Can he see into the future?" he wondered. He pondered it for a while then smirked, an idea forming. He rushed forward, arms held ready to catch the cat. Looking closely, he saw Korin lean slightly to the left. "Got ya!" Stopping on a dime, he lunged to the left just as Korin vanished. His arms stretched out and he could swear he felt his fingers brush fur. Unfortunately, he missed, tumbling out of the room and into the air.

He yelped fearfully, then remembered he could fly. Returning to the room, he took another moment to think. "I was pretty close that time. He moved left, just like I thought. So, he's not reading the future or he'd have known I would change direction! Maybe he's just observing my movements the same way I just did?" He nodded decisively. "That has to be it. Then, in order to catch him, I just have to mask my intentions while reading his. But how?"

Gohan tried changing the way his feet pointed and looking in a different direction than he was moving to mislead Korin. Each attempt came closer and closer. However, something still seemed to be missing. "I think he can see through my misdirection!" Gohan thought. "I have to be more unpredictable. Move in a way he won't expect." He rubbed a hand over his mouth pensively. "I've got it!" he shouted.

Korin quirked a brow, "Have you now? I certainly hope so, it's almost sunrise."

Gohan gasped, looking to the horizon. A faint tinge of silvery light was just making its way over. "If I don't hurry, the others will notice I'm gone!" He calmed himself with deep breaths, eyes hardened in determination. He pointed at Korin suddenly, "This'll be my last attempt. You won't get away from me this time!"

Korin chuckled. "We'll see."

Gohan charged once more, and Korin easily hopped out of the way. "Increasing your speed? Is that all you could think of?" Korin thought. He watched Gohan continue running… and vanish! "Afterimage? Then where is-" Arms wrapped around him, pinning him in place.

"Hihihi, got ya!" Gohan chuckled happily. He let Korin go. "Man, that was really tough!"

Korin stood and cleared his throat, "Ehemm. Well done. I suppose you've earned yourself a senzu bean. But… I have to ask… how did you catch me?"

Gohan scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. "I sent that afterimage to distract you, then jumped up to the ceiling. Once I determined where you would go, I pounced." He spread his arms out, hands mimicking claws.

Korin laughed, "Very clever. Wait just a moment, I'll go get the senzu." He went to a lower level, retrieving the bag containing all the fully grown senzu beans. "I suppose I'll just have to grow a new one faster. We've still got over half a year before the Saiyans get here. As long as I use some of the Divine Water, it should be fine."

He returned and handed Gohan the bean. Gohan cradled it gently in his palm, then slowly closed his fingers around it. He looked at Korin gratefully, "Thank you so much. I don't know how I can ever repay you." He sniffed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Just wait, mister. We'll have you back on your feet by the end of the day!" he thought.


Gohan said his goodbyes to all his new friends and left the Lookout. Luckily, no one had noticed his absence during the night or the fact that he was a bit tired. He jetted off to Orange Star City, senzu bean safely tucked away in a hidden pocket.

He came to a stop over the city, brow furrowed in thought. "Where is the hospital, anyway?" After a while of flying around and having no luck, he decided to simply ask someone. He dropped to the ground, causing people on the sidewalk to jump back from him.

"H-hey! You're the kid from the news, right?"

"You can really fly?!"

"What the-?!"

"Is that a real sword?"

Chatter abounded from the surrounding pedestrians. Gohan rubbed the back of his head, feeling lost. "Um, excuse me?" he said, though everyone seemed much more interested in talking than listening.

"Hey, hey! Do the flying thing!" Someone demanded.

"No, show us that light thing you can do!" Someone else said. A third person waved his arms in the air around Gohan, searching for hidden wires or something. Gohan was starting to feel claustrophobic.

"Please, could someone just tell me where the hospital is?" he asked helplessly. The crowd grew closer, their curiosity overwhelming. "There're so many people! What do they want? I just want to get to the hospital!" he thought. Suddenly, a hand slapped down on his shoulder and he panicked. A blast of ki wind knocked the crowd away.

"Whoa!"

"That was amazing!"

"What the hell was that?"

Rather than scared, they seemed even more excited. Gohan sighed, then fixed his gaze on one of them; a balding man in a suit. "You!" He pointed at the man. "Which way is the hospital?"

The man gaped like a fish, then pointed to the left, "That way."

Gohan smiled and bowed. "Thank you!" He turned to address the others. "I'm sorry for knocking you all over." Then he took off.


The hospital was a thoroughly strange place. Multiple floors, with hallway after hallway, room after room, full of sick people. Every room he passed made him queasy with the thought that someone sick or injured might be beyond the door. The senzu in his pocket felt like an anvil; so many people might need it desperately. It felt awful knowing he had only one to give.

He noticed people lining up at a desk and decided to follow suit, not noticing the strange looks he was getting. Eventually he made it to the front.

"How can I help you, young man?" the lady behind the desk said. Gohan rubbed his hands together. "Uh… yesterday there was a police officer that got injured. I'm looking for him."

"Relation?"

"Huh? What relation?" Gohan asked, perplexed.

The lady sighed. "What's your relation to him? We don't let random people in to see injured officers."

"Uh… well…"

"Gohan!" a gruff voice called.

Gohan turned towards it. "Oh, Mr. Officer!" he exclaimed happily. He ran up to him, "How've you been? Did you have any luck finding Paunch?"

Bale adjusted his hat. "I've been fine and no; we haven't found him. More importantly, what are you doing here?"

Gohan smiled sadly. "I came to visit…" He frowned. "I don't actually know his name. The officer that was injured."

"That's very kind of you. Holster is his name, Officer Luther Holster. Unfortunately, you can't see him right now. He's about to go in for an operation, so it's family only."

"Oh, I see. Well, I- I don't really need to see him." Gohan began rummaging through his pocket. "I have something that could help. If you could just make sure he eats it." He pulled out a little green bean, handing it to Bale proudly. "Then he'll get better."

Bale stared at the bean. He looked at Gohan, then back at the bean. "A bean?"

Gohan grinned, "Yep!"

Bale looked at it closely, scrutinizing. It looked like a regular bean. "Anndd… What exactly will it do?"

Gohan tilted his head. "It'll make him better! Like… healing his legs and giving him lots of energy," he explained.

"That's impo-" Bale stopped. He was talking to a kid that could fly, shoot beams of energy, and shatter solid concrete. "Does the word 'impossible' even mean anything, anymore?"

"W- will this really work?"

Gohan nodded decisively. "I promise it will. Just make sure he eats it!"

Bale grasped the bean tightly. "Alright," he said.

Gohan smiled, satisfied. He knew he could trust Bale. Pretty soon, Mr. Holster would be back up as if nothing had happened. He felt so light now, he couldn't stop beaming. He waved bye to a bemused Bale and skipped away.


A/N: We finally get to see Videl! Gohan manages to wheedle a senzu and a lesson from Korin; how did you guys enjoy that scene? Gohan shows off his talent by getting the Kamehameha first try. Do you think he's in the same league (talent-wise) as Goku?

I probably should have asked this earlier, but what do you think of my Police OC's? Did you like their names? (I need to stop giving them names. It's getting harder and harder to think of good police-themed names.)

Thanks for reading! :)