- One day later-
.
.
.
-Gohan-
The desert, dry and vacant of all life forms except for the few creatures stubborn enough to defy its inhospitable environment, stretched on for miles and miles. There was little sand, in its place were massive stones and hard packed dirt with a layer of dust that could transform into a small dust vortex if enough wind hit it just right. No one lived here across this vast expanse, no one explored this area because there was no reason to. However, if you chose to ignore reason and venture forward through this area of nothingness, and happen to be doing so at the right time of day when the sun is highest in the sky, you may start to hear noises after a few miles. It would be subtle, tiny noises at first, maybe the sound of something hitting the ground hard somewhere far off or the distant sound of an explosion from time to time. If you continued towards these noises for a few miles longer, you may actually start to see something, bright flashes of light, and two figures floating in the air as if gravity has chosen to ignore them, all the while attacking each other with such ferocity that you would be certain they were trying to kill each other.
But rest assured, they are not.
Gohan pulled his head back as he narrowly escaped a fist meant for this nose. Next a roundhouse kick threatened to connect with his ribcage. Shifting his arm across his chest he just barely managed to stop the attack before grabbing the leg and with a grunt throwing his opponent, Trunks, to the ground. A mound of dust erupted from the impact, shrouding the boy in a small pocket of brown.
Gohan's eyes narrowed as he noticed the Saiyan child push himself to his feet before turning his head to look at the dust all around him. The one armed Saiyan watched as a mischievous grin spread from the teen's lips before he collected a small ball of energy in his hand and threw it at his feet.
The result was immediate, an enormous cloud of dust and debris shot into the air filling the sky with a thick wave of coffee-colored camouflage for the boy to escape into.
Gohan narrowed his eyes attempting to pierce the cloud but to no avail.
He smiled.
It had been a smart strategy, and one that he'd employed against the Androids many a time. Take away an opponent's vision in a risky attempt to gain the upper hand. The only flaw being that if the opponent stayed in the cloud like Gohan was doing instead of shooting out of it the moment it went up, then you were effectively blind as well.
Gohan frowned as he noticed something. He waited a few seconds as he slowly raised his hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose in an annoyed gesture.
He suddenly dropped a few inches lower as a fist shot out of the cloud just behind him. Gohan let the fist fly harmlessly over his shoulder before grabbing the arm attached with his own and flipping Trunks over his shoulder in an effective throw straight into the ground.
This time Gohan had put a little extra oomph into it, evident from the sharp gasp of air Trunks had needed after having the wind knocked out of him.
He watched as Trunks groaned, pushing himself into a sitting position as he rubbed the part of his back that had made the most impact with the ground. His face was a combination of annoyance and pain as Gohan slowly touched down next to him, a frown resting on his face. The elder Saiyan opened his mouth to speak but coughed for a moment as the cloud of dust collected on his tongue. He growled before centering his energy into the pit of his stomach and thrusting out with his hand, letting the energy explode from him. The dust immediately cleared as his energy forced it back. The force was not strong enough to harm Trunks however, as his hair merely blew back for a few seconds.
Gohan looked back to the boy now, a frown on his lips.
"Now, what did we forget Trunks?" He asked in the tone a teacher would use to address a student.
Trunks frowned, scratching the back of his head like he'd seen his mentor do so many times before. "Um...I wasn't quiet enough?"
The elder Saiyan rolled his eyes, "You didn't conceal your power when you were approaching me. I knew exactly where you were the entire time."
Trunks blinked once before his lips formed an O shape.
Despite wanting to appear displeased with the teen, he couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. It was funny to watch someone so young learn what was so obvious to himself.
Trunks picked himself up, brushing off a bit of dust that had collected on his pants. "So that's how you did that. I was super confused for a second there." The teen frowned, "And I was so sure I had you that time…"
Gohan patted the boys back. "Don't worry, I'm sure that one day you'll be out performing me left and right." a devious grin split his face, "But until that day I'm gonna have fun beating you up!" Gohan playfully chopped the boys head.
Trunks rolled his eyes as he pushed the hand away, then he frowned. "Wait a second,"
"Hm?"
"Why should I focus on concealing my energy when I go for an ambush like that? If we're training to beat the Androids...then wouldn't it be a useless skill?"
Gohan paused, it was a good question. What use would concealing your energy be good for if the enemy couldn't sense it in the first place?
Gohan stood still, his hand cupping his chin for a matter of moments before finding his response. "Before the Androids, there was Frieza, before Frieza, there was... the Saiyans."
Gohan had fumbled with his sentence, he'd been planning to say 'Vegeta' but the negative implications didn't feel right to say in front of his son. "What I'm trying to get at is there's always been another threat. What if-"
"Wait-" The younger Saiyan interjected, his expression filled with worry. "You think that...when we eventually beat the Androids, there's gonna be another threat to the world?"
Gohan wore an easy smile as he listened
He said when.
Not if.
When.
It felt good to know that Trunks still believed in him, no, them.
We're a little team aren't we?
Gohan placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "Relax. I'm not saying there will be for certain. But part of the reason everyone lost to the Androids when they initially appeared was because we weren't ready. After Frieza, we all sorta lived our separate lives for a while. We'd all risked our lives enough in those short few months, some of us were done with fighting entirely. Yamcha started to pursue a career with baseball, Krillin started looking for jobs that didn't revolve around combat since he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get any prize money from tournaments with my and your dad around."
The two shared a laugh.
Gohan scratched the back of his head as he continued to remember, before continuing. "What I'm trying to say is, we got lax, we got comfortable. Some of us still trained from time to time, I still went out with my dad on occasion to do some light sparring, but that was it, light sparring, and mom only allowed it because she thought it was good exercise. Aside from my dad and yours, no one was really pushing themselves to achieve more, we were just doing enough to keep our power levels from dropping is all."
Gohan sighed.
"Then dad died and...well, everyone's spirits were sorta low after that." Gohan reflected on the time he'd spent with his dad leading up to his ailment. He'd been young during the events with Frieza, definitely far too young to have been apart of such a life threatening, world ending situation. He'd only been five when they'd finally returned to Earth alive, much to their surprise. There'd been so many times he'd nearly died during that time of his life, so many instances where, at five years old, he'd had to contemplate his own mortality.
It'd only been after the fact that he realized those moments had taken their toll. He'd wake up in cold sweats, dreaming of Frieza and what could have happened had things gone only slightly different on Namek. He'd suddenly panic, convinced that he felt Frieza's energy again somewhere off in the distance, convinced that someone or something was coming for the planet again.
And, much to his surprise, Goku had stepped up, Goku had managed to put that fear to rest.
-Sixteen Years Earlier, Son Goku Residence-
Gohan was quietly sitting on the couch in some comfortable overalls and a T-shirt. His eyes were looking down at the book his mom had assigned him but was not reading the words. He'd wanted to read it, he wanted to listen like a good son should, but he was too busy trying to push the scary thoughts out of his mind. He'd wrapped himself up in a blanket at first, believing that the tremble plaguing his body had been a result of a cold breeze. Well, now he was sweating and still shivering.
Mom was in the kitchen cooking dinner in the kitchen. He'd thought about going to her for help, but she was busy and he didn't want to get in the way of dinner time. He was a Saiyan after all, or at least, half of one. Meal times were sacred in this household, and not something that you got in the way of.
So Gohan sat quietly on the couch, doing his best to be docile, trying his best to do the assignment his mom had given him. Gohan felt bad that he wasn't able to focus on it, he didn't want his mom to be mad at him for not completing his homework. He redoubled his efforts to read the book, to focus his mind on something other than the memories he was currently thinking about.
He failed.
Gohan's head suddenly jerked upward, his pupils black dots within seas of white. He could feel it, sense it again way up there, somewhere past the ceiling and sky, past the atmosphere and into the stars.
Frieza
He could sense his power again. He could sense it still out there, alive, waiting to come back and-
"Hiya son!"
Gohan jumped so high his head bumped the ceiling.
Rubbing the top of his head, Gohan turned and saw his father, Goku, suddenly standing there in the living room in his orange fighting Gi. Despite knowing that he could do it, it didn't make it any less startling that his dad could just pop into existence right next to him at any given moment.
"Hi dad. Dinner's almost done I think, how did training go?" Gohan smiled. He liked when his dad was around and not outside training like he so often did. He noticed his shaking had stopped too!
He watched as his father turned his head left and then right, looking at their surroundings as if confused. "Is everything alright?" He asked seemingly having not heard his son's question.
"Uh, yeah dad. Everything is alright I think…?"
"Huh," Goku frowned, looking down at Gohan with a puzzled expression.
"Is something wrong?" Now Gohan was looking around at their living room, was there something weird he should be noticing?
"Well, I thought so at first." Goku rubbed the back of his neck still wearing a puzzled frown. "I felt your energy getting all," He made a scrambled motion with his hands. "Weird-n-stuff, so I thought I should get back."
Gohan frowned.
Weird? My energy was weird? What does dad mean by-
The boy paused in his thoughts. He hadn't realized it, but his energy signature was spiking at that moment. He'd accidentally powered up to his absolute max without even realizing it.
"Oh, sorry." He finally said as he forced his power back to it's normal, comfortable level. "I was um, worried about something. I guess I must have powered up without noticing haha…"
He watched his father tilt his head in response. "Worried? Worried about what son?"
"Oh, um, well…" Gohan paused. Should he tell him that he'd felt Frieza again? The last time he'd felt him he'd rushed to tell everyone, only for everyone to tell him that they couldn't feel anything. He'd felt silly because of it. He was 'the boy who cried wolf'. He didn't want to be the boy who cried wolf.
But, he also didn't want to lie to his dad either. He was a good boy, he liked telling the truth.
"I...I was worrying about Frieza again." Gohan looked down ashamed. He didn't like that he had these scary thoughts. He couldn't help it. He wanted them to go away.
Goku laughed, a bright smile on his face. "But Frieza's gone silly, why would you be worrying about him?"
Gohan could only shrug unwilling to meet his dad's gaze. Of course Frieza was gone. Gohan knew that, he'd seen his dad beat him, twice, once on Namek, and again when Frieza had tried to come to Earth. He didn't know why he was still thinking about him even after all this time. Gohan frowned, he was being silly.
The young boy blinked in surprise as Goku lowered himself to a crouch so that he was eye level with his son. He wasn't smiling however in his typical fashion, he had a serious look on his face, one that told Gohan that he was listening.
"Gohan, what's wrong? What's got your mind on Frieza?"
"I-um." The six year old wasn't sure why he was still thinking about Frieza. He didn't want to be scared thinking about Frieza, imagining his power still alive somewhere out in the cozmos. "I don't know dad."
"Hmmm." Goku tightened his lips as he studied his son. "Oh! I've got an idea!" Without explanation Goku's hand reached out and laid flat on his son's head. Gohan didn't mind. It felt like when his dad ruffled his hair after he'd done a good job on something. It was a good feeling.
He watched his dad close his eyes and suddenly concentrate. Abruptly Gohan felt like his mind was a VHS tape being rewound and then played in fast forward, like his dad was somehow...looking through his memories?
Dad can do that?
He remembered his dad doing something similar with Krillin back on Namek but…how could he do that?
Before he could think more on the matter, Goku was pulling back his hand, his eyes opening again.
Gohan looked at him expectantly, what had he'd seen?
Why is dad looking at me like that?
It looked like Goku was...concerned? What about? About him? But why? "You're not worried Gohan...you're scared." he frowned.
The child paused, not sure how to respond, before slowly nodding. "I guess so."
"You feel like Frieza is still out there somewhere. You think you sense his energy sometimes."
Gohan's gaze trailed downward, he nodded.
"You know Frieza's gone for good right? He's not coming back."
"I know. I don't know why I get scared sometimes. It just happens and I can't help it."
"Hmmm…" Goku brought a hand to cup his chin in thought. "I wonder why you're still scared of Frieza even though he's gone…"
Gohan shrugged.
Suddenly a bright smile spread across Goku's cheeks again. "Oh! I know!" He looked over his shoulder towards the Kitchen where Chichi was still cooking. Cupping a hand over his mouth he called out. "I'm taking Gohan out for a little bit! We'll be back before dinner's done!"
"Did Gohan finish his homework?" hollered back Gohan's mother.
Goku looked back to his son expectantly.
The younger Saiyan slowly shook his head no.
Goku frowned, before a devious grin spread from his lips. "Yeah! He just finished! I'll bring it to you!" Goku motioned for his son to hand him the book.
Gohan frowned. He hadn't read it or done any of the notes, what was his dad doing?
Whispering, Goku leaned in overly dramatically, as if he was a spy trying to stay undercover. "C'mon Gohan give it to me, I can take care of this."
Gohan couldn't help but giggle at his dad being so silly. Goku smiled as his son gave him the book and small folder with the work papers in them. Making sure his son was watching, he goofily began to walk towards the kitchen when he abruptly stumbled, the book and folder bouncing around in his hands as he fell forward and accidentally threw it out of the open window on the other side of the room.
Gohan's eyes bulged as he ran over to the window. He couldn't even see it out there. His dad had thrown it far.
"Oops! I accidently threw it out the window!" Goku grinned at his son who was slowly starting to smile back. Gohan realized what his dad was doing now. Goku raised a single finger to his lips. Gohan understood.
"What!?"
Suddenly their smiles dropped.
Chichi's voice exploded from the kitchen, the two Saiyans could hear her feet pounding towards them as she roared. "Do you know how expensive that book was? Where did you throw it? Did you even stop to consider-"
Goku's face went pale with terror before he reached out and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. His voice tripped over itself as he said "MeandGohanaregonnagofinditBye!"
Just as Gohan saw his mom round the corner into the living room, he noticed his father put two fingers to his forehead and suddenly they were outside in the forest surrounding their home. Gohan could feel the cool night air caressing his face, gently drying the sweat he'd been accumulating back in the blanket.
"Phew, that was a close one." Goku wiped sweat from his forehead before looking around. "Yeah, this spot should work."
Gohan looked around. This spot didn't look particularly special.
"It should?" he asked.
Goku smiled as he sat down indian style, indicating for his son to do the same.
Now sitting across from his father, Gohan asked. "So...what are we doing here dad?"
With a serious gaze, Goku stared into his son's eyes. "I want you to think about Frieza right now. Think about his power, how strong he was, how scary he was. I want you to really picture him, pretend he's here now, standing a few feet away."
Gohan paused, his eyes wide at what his dad had just told him. "But...I don't think I want to dad."
Goku grinned, "Just trust me son...here," he stretched out a hand, "I can hold your hand while you do it."
Gohan hesitated a moment longer before slowly stretching out his own arm and accepting his father's hand in his. He didn't know what his dad was doing, but he trusted him.
The boy closed his eyes as he started to picture the tyrant in his mind, shaping how the monster had looked like, his stance, the way he spoke and the way he moved. Gohan pictured his evil, demented laughter, the way he treated all of his friends, the way he hurt his dad back on Namek.
And then, he pretended that he could feel his power.
Immediately, Gohan's body began to tremble. His grip tightened around his father's hand as he felt beads of sweat begin to build up on his brow and face. He felt like he was there again, on Namek, fighting for his life with Krillen and Vegeta against a force that seemed like it was just getting stronger and stronger with each clash of blows. He could picture them now, the first form, the first face Gohan remembered Frieza wearing. Even then his power had been overwhelming, so much so that it'd been a surprise that Vegeta had managed to resist him for as long as he did. Then, he transformed into his second form, a massive, dangerous creature with horns he'd seen impale Krillin. His power had become so much so that Gohan had been certain that he was going to die. He remembered wishing he'd never gone along to Namek in that moment, wishing that he was back home with his mom and dad doing boring homework.
Then Piccolo came, and Gohan had felt a glimmer of hope.
Which was dashed away the moment the monster had transformed for the third time. At that point, even Piccolo had proven no match for the tyrant. Gohan had felt foolish for getting his hopes up before.
And finally, Frieza's final form, the form that Gohan had learned to be Frieza's true face. It wasn't so much the form itself that terrified Gohan, in fact the previous forms had been far more terrifying in physical appearance, it was what he could do in that form that truly made Gohan tremble in fear. He had the power to slaughter an entire race, the power to beat Vegeta brutally, a man Gohan had previously feared before, and soon enough Gohan had found out that he possessed the power to destroy planets if he so chose.
He could picture him now, standing just next to him pointing a single, white finger down on him, knowing that was all it would take to wipe him and his planet from existence.
"You're thinking of him now? Frieza?"
Gohan nodded, his body trembling from fright, from knowing that he could do nothing against this massive amount of power. The boy's grip tightened around his father's hand.
"You can feel his power now right? You remember how strong he was?"
Another nod.
"Alright, I want you to really remember it, how big it was, how strong and terrifying it was."
Gohan didn't need to be told that. He was already on top of it.
"Now I want you to stand up."
Gohan's eyes opened as he noticed his dad rise to a standing position, still holding his hand as he helped the boy to his feet.
"Do you feel him like he's really here?"
Gohan frowned. He did, he didn't like it, but he did. It felt like he was right next to him.
He nodded.
"Good." was all his father said before pulling the boy to him and wrapping him up into a tight embrace. "Now, I want you to focus on my power."
Gohan blinked as suddenly, he was being bathed in golden flames. Goku's hair was standing on end, gold due to transforming into his Super Saiyan state. Gohan could feel the power radiating from his father, it was incredible, stronger than anything Gohan had felt before.
And it was climbing.
Gohan's eyes widened in amazement as his dad's power continued to skyrocket to the point that it was unfathomable how strong he was. It would have been terrifying had it been anyone else, but standing there wrapped in his father's arms, knowing that this power wasn't going to do any harm to him or the people he loved. It was comforting to be around it, to be overwhelmed by it. Gohan nuzzled deeper into the hug.
"Now, I want you to think back to Frieza's power. How does it seem to you now?"
Gohan's eyes snapped back open. He'd nearly completely forgotten about Frieza and his power. Compared to his dad it almost felt...weak? It was odd to think of Frieza, the previous ruler of the universe as weak, but feeling his dad's Ki...it was undeniable. The two were hardly comparable anymore, it was as if his dad was in an entirely different league than that of what Frieza had shown.
"It seems...small." The boy answered.
Goku smiled. "That's right. Frieza is waaaaay weaker than me. If Frieza were to ever come back ever, then your pops would beat him up again just like the first couple of times."
Gohan smiled, and then frowned.
"But what if you're not there dad? What if Frieza comes back again and you're not there to stop him this time?"
Goku let out a laugh. "Gohan, if you were to try to get away from me right now. Flying as fast as you can. Do you think you could do it?"
Gohan thought about it.
No way.
There wasn't a chance that he could hope to outfly his father.
"And don't forget about this nifty little skill!" Goku said as he raised two fingers to his forehead.
Suddenly, the two of them were across the world, standing on the small beach of Kami house. Then, a moment later they were in West City floating above all the people down below, then, they were back in the forest where they'd begun their journey.
"Whoa." Gohan's eyes were wide, realizing what his dad was saying.
"Son," Goku began, lowering himself so that he was at eye level with Gohan. "I'm here now. I plan to protect you, and your mom, and the Earth from whatever tries to hurt it with all the power I have to spend. There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep you and your mom safe. You don't need to worry about Frieza or anyone like Frieza who might be out there, because you're big bad pops will take them down no matter where you are."
Gohan smiled at that, Goku smiled back.
"No matter where you are, no matter what you might be afraid of, I'll deal with it. I can sense you from across the Earth and can be there a second later if I need to be. If you just flare your energy just like you did back at the house, I'll be there."
Gohan looked at the golden flames flickering off of his father, illuminating his confident and reassuring smile. They were warm, and they were comforting and they made him feel safe. Gohan tried to picture something, anything being stronger than his dad was.
He couldn't, he couldn't picture anything being as strong as his dad was in that moment.
Gohan was never scared of Frieza again.
-Sixteen Years Later, Gohan-
How times change.
He thought to himself as he let the memory fade to the back of his mind. He'd enjoyed the years he'd had with his father before his eventual death. He hadn't known his dad very well before the events regarding Frieza, a four year old rarely was able to form a complex opinion about the people in their , in those few years of peace he'd truly learned to respect the man Goku had been. He'd been an...unconventional dad, but he'd been a good dad all the same.
Gohan blinked, realizing he'd spaced out in the middle of his conversation with Trunks.
Weird, I don't usually do that when other people are around.
"Sorry," Gohan frowned shaking his head, "What did you say?"
"I said: everyone lost their drive to train after Goku had died?"
"Oh, right." Gohan pushed the palm of his hand to his forehead as he quickly began to remember their conversation. "Yeah, after my dad's death, everyone else just sorta stopped for awhile for one reason or another. We'd started to get together again for small sparring sessions after a little while...but then the Androids appeared and well." he frowned, "You know the rest."
Trunks nodded thoughtfully, "I see. You know, the way you talk about your dad, Mr. Piccolo, and the rest of the 'gang', well I wish I could have met them. I wish they could have...I dunno...prepared somehow before the Androids showed up."
Gohan smirked, "Like they were warned beforehand or something?"
Trunks smiled, "Yeah! I bet it would have gone a lot differently if someone or something had told them a little while ahead of time."
The elder Saiyan let out a slow chuckle. "No one can tell the future Trunks as much as I wish someone could."
"But do you think things would be different if they'd been warned? Like, given enough time to train and prepare and all that?"
Gohan paused considering the thought. If his friends had somehow been told beforehand about the Androids… "It's possible that they might have been able to better prepare. "At the very least you and I wouldn't be the last fighters around if they'd been warned. That much I feel like I can say for sure."
The teen's head turned away, his gaze studying the horizon. There was nothing to see for miles and miles, just dirt and rocks, perfect for training but not good for much else. Gohan gathered that the boy was looking past that, envisioning what lies beyond.
"Sometimes… sometimes I wish I could send a message back y'know? Tell them that… this is what is going to happen to the world if they don't get ready quickly." The boy's gaze lowered slightly. "Maybe things would be different now."
Gohan's lips tightened into a thin line. He could relate to Trunks in that moment, he could deeply relate to that feeling. When he'd been younger, all he could think of was how things could have gone differently then how they had. It'd been a way for the boy to escape, to close his eyes and think of how life would be without the Androids. He pictured his father there, somehow having beaten the virus that had plagued his heart before. He pictured Mr. Piccolo there, teaching him weird and new techniques like he'd used to. He pictured Krillen and Yamcha and everyone else, all the faces he now missed.
But they were gone now. No dragon balls, no coming back. He quickly realized that searching into the past to fix their problems wasn't going to get him anywhere. It helped him to look forward and accept what had come to pass so that he could try to change it for the future.
"There's no going back Trunks." He reached out and rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I want to have them back just as much as you do Trunks. But turning back the clock obviously isn't an option. That's why it's so important to protect what's left, to preserve what remains even after everything we've gone through." Gohan paused as he took a deep breath in. This next part was going to sting.
Before he could continue Trunks interrupted "Yeah, I know time travel isn't a thing haha, I mean, if it was, why would things still be like this?" The boy stretched out his arms. "So, wanna get back to it? I'm not tired yet, maybe I'll get you back for slamming me into the ground so hard." The boy raised his fists in a boxers pose with a cheeky smile.
Gohan tried to hide his frown. "Um, maybe in a little bit. I actually might want to take a break out of this hot sun. Didn't get too much sleep last night."
Gohan turned his back to the boy as he slowly lifted into the air. He caught Trunks raising a curious eyebrow his direction but eventually shrugged and took to the air as well.
The elder Saiyan chewed on his lip as he flew slightly ahead of the boy. Gohan had been struggling with how he should tackle this next part. Bulma had called him in the morning before he'd come to pick up Trunks for their usual training time. She'd told him about the fight Trunks had been in against the Androids, how the News had reported on an attack on a building the teen had been later recovered in. She described the condition he'd came back in, and the mental image he'd formed from her description had been enough to make the man wince.
The first thing he'd felt had been sympathy for the young man for having to go through such a dangerous experience, then it had been frustration at him for going alone in the first place, and then finally his emotions arrived at where they were now, confusion.
Why did he go in the first place? He couldn't have thought that he was even remotely strong enough to face them on his own if he can't even beat me yet. It's not like he would have been forced to fight, it wasn't even close to their home. He sought them out for one reason or another.
Gohan stole a brief glance over his shoulder at Trunks. The boy was looking down at the landscape they were flying over with a curious gaze, his eyes narrowed, searching for anything of interest.
Gohan knew Trunks was a gifted child when it came to his brains. He was mature for his age, only fourteen and with such a strong grasp on how the world worked. He asked questions that made sense to wonder about, clarifying questions, questions that showed he understood what Gohan was teaching him about Ki and manipulating energy. He didn't make stupid decisions, he made educated ones. He wouldn't have gone out to challenge the Androids unless he had a good reason.
He's Bulma's kid for pete's sake.
Gohan was curious what that reason could be.
Ofcourse, there was a second question bothering the older Saiyan, one that mattered much less to him, but still enough to merit asking.
How did he get away?
The Androids were not well known for their mercy nor for their survivors rate. What's more, it sounded like Trunks had been beaten unconscious, meaning that he hadn't narrowly escaped their sights after being defeated like he so often did.
Gohan was determined to get to the bottom of this.
Soon the two reached the rock formations they so often used as a resting grounds. The nearest city was twice as far away and home was roughly three miles further than that, so this became their cool down spot.
Once they'd each chosen their own respective shady rock to rest on, Gohan decided it was time to address the incident.
Man is this going to suck...
"Trunks… we need to talk about something serious."
Immediately, the boy's head turned towards his mentor's. Gohan could tell that he was trying to feign ignorance, uncertain if he knew what he did.
"Sure Gohan, what's up?" His tone was a forced calm hiding nervousness.
Gohan breathed a slow sigh.
Blunt and quick, just like a bandaid.
"I know about what happened when I was in bed recovering. I know that you challenged the Androids without me.
Silence filled the air around them.
And then words spilled out of Trunks like a dam finally breaking from too much pressure.
"Gohan I am so sorry I really am I promise that I will do better in the future and will never challenge the Androids again really Gohan I am serious I don't know what I was thinking it was foolish I know I never plan to do anything like that again just please don't stop training me I really mean it when I say I'm going to listen from now on-"
"Whoa there Trunks!" Gohan shot the boy who was now standing a reassuring smile. "I'm not going to stop training you over this. It'd be outright foolish to do something like that."
He watched the boy breathe a sigh of relief.
"However," He continued, watching the teen's shoulders tense up again. "That doesn't mean that you're off scott free. You still went behind my back and risked your life against my, and your mother's wishes. You're going to be punished with rigorous, tedious training that I promise you will not enjoy."
He watched as the boy's eyes lit up with determination. "Of course Gohan! Just name it and I'll get right to it!"
Gohan laughed, still resting on the rock. He motioned with his hand for the boy to sit. "Cool your jets kid, I haven't decided what I want you to do just yet. I'll tell you in the next couple of days, for now, I just want you to answer a few questions if you will."
Trunks blinked once before nodding and sitting back down.
"First things first, I know you're not a dumb kid, there's no way you'd challenge the Androids unless you were reasonably sure you'd win or at least gain something out of it. So tell me." Gohan's jovial demeanor shifted to a more serious tone. "Why in the world would you pick a fight with the Androids knowing how strong you are right now."
He watched the boy with a critical eye. He watched as Trunks started a sentence, stopped and started again only to stop once more.
"Trunks. I need an answer to this. I need to make sure that you're still reasonably sound of mind otherwise I won't be able to rest assured that you won't do something like this behind my back a second time."
He watched as a frown pulled at the boy's lips. His gaze pulled away from his mentors as he mumbled something.
"What? Speak up Trunks I can't hear you-"
"I thought it would force me to transform okay!?"
Gohan reared his head back at the sudden outburst. The teen looked angry, his fingers had curled into fists and his jaw clenched in a deep rooted frustration.
Immediately his expression softened. "Uh, I'm sorry...what I mean to say is that...well, I really have been listening to everything you've told me about how to become a Super Saiyan. The pain...the hurt...the need. I...I thought I'd finally figured it out when I challenged Android Eighteen. I figured...that the only piece I was missing was that need part, that sense of urgency, the life or death ultimatum you've always described to me." He sighed, a far off look in his eyes. "I was wrong."
"Trunks," Gohan said his name with a sympathetic tone. "I can understand the desire to become stronger. I strive to do that every single day. But doing something like what you did is way too risky. You just need to keep at it, keep training and one day I promise that it'll pay off. You'll make an incredible Super Saiyan one day, I know it."
"Easy for you to say!" The boy suddenly exploded, rising to his feet as he roared. "You've already become a Super Saiyan! You transformed when you were half my age! You've been saving the Earth since before I was even born, since before most kids lose their first tooth you've been punching bad guys in the face, you've spent more time than anyone else protecting the Earth, you've sacrificed and fought and hurt more than anyone I've ever known, and yet you still manage to be this incredible person!" Gohan's eyes were wide as he watched the boy sniffle, his eyes beginning to glimmer. "I look up to you Gohan. You're everything that I want to be when I grow up, literally, scars and all." He laughed a sad laugh, a laugh a person only releases when they don't want to cry. "Then there's me." His head lowered so that his long lavender hair was obscuring his eyes. "A fourteen year old who's never lost anything important, I still have my mom, I still have you, and all the other people I could have known, all the people that I could have loved were gone before I could even know them. Hell, I wouldn't even know what my father looked like had it not been for that one lone picture mom took while he'd been napping."
The boy sighed, his voice growing shaky. "You've done so much for this world. You've sacrificed so much for the people of Earth. Meanwhile, what have I done? What have I sacrificed in my efforts to save the planet? I can't fight alongside you without being a liability, I'm not growing strong enough fast enough to ever matter in a fight, and I can't seem to transform into a Super Saiyan even if my life is on the line!" The teen lowered himself until he was squatting, his hands holding the sides of his head as his shoulders trembled. He sniffed again. "I...I feel like every time I look at myself in the mirror, I only see everything that I'm not. I want to be able to be by your side, battling the Androids, supporting you finally after years of watching you fight a losing battle alone. I want to be the change that finally turns the tides, I want to be a hero like you are and become what I need to be so that I'm no longer just a bystander."
The teen raised his head to meet Gohan's gaze, revealing steady streams of tears each racing down the boy's cheeks. "I want to stop being a failure Gohan. That's why I fought Android Eighteen. I figured, that I was either going to succeed or die, at least one way or another I'd finally stop being a failure."
The elder Saiyan let the silence between them grow as Trunks lowered his head again, no longer able to conceal the fact that he was crying.
He'd known the boy was smart, he'd known that the kid could understand complex thoughts, but he never figured that he would work out all that. Gohan had never thought to question how all this weight would affect the younger Saiyan, being trained to one day face off against the Androids, being told that he would need to transform into a Super Saiyan if he ever wanted even a chance against them. It was a lot of weight to thrust on someone so young. He'd never realized it before because he'd been carrying the same weight for nearly all of his life. He'd known the responsibility of saving the Earth since he'd been five, and never thought to question what that weight might do on a person without the support system he'd had. For Gohan, he'd had his mom, his dad, Mr. Piccolo, Krillen, and even Vegeta when the time came for it. He had the entire gang to depend upon if he needed them.
But for Trunks, aside from Bulma, he was all the boy had.
God damn it Gohan, you're not ready to be a dad. You've been so blind!
Gohan determined that he needed to make this right. He needed to do what his dad did for him when he'd felt insecure, when he'd felt afraid. He paused in thought, wondering how he could do that. He couldn't tell the teen that he would be enough to stop the Androids, to save the world like his dad had for him because that would be a blatant lie. So if he couldn't tell him that his own power would be enough...then what could he say?
His eyes widened a moment later.
I've got it!
Gohan rose to his feet before slowly floating over towards where Trunks was. He knelt beside the boy, placing a gentle hand on his back. "Trunks, you are not a failure. You're more important than you could ever imagine."
He watched the young man wipe at his nose with his sleeve before croaking out. "How?"
Gohan took a moment to gather his words. He'd been holding off on saying this as it would reveal the true nature of what these training sessions really were, or at the very least, what they could be. He'd wanted the boy to have someone to look up to, someone who wasn't afraid of anything to build up his hope that they could finally succeed one day, to mask the doubt that had been plaguing him for years. He'd wanted to cover any insecurities he had about the nature of their world in an effort to protect the boy from the truth, but in doing so he only succeeded in placing the young man in an inner turmoil that had been eating away at him since day one.
He internally sighed. Deep down, he'd known he would have to tell him eventually, he'd just never figured it would be so soon.
He would have figured it out by himself eventually if you'd given him time anyway, better do it now before that time comes.
"Trunks, you are not a failure, far from it. You're concerned about 'contributing' as you put it. Well, let me tell you that by being here, by meeting me for each of these training sessions, you're contributing more than I could ever hope for."
Trunks raised his head, a questioning look on his face. "How?"
Gohan wore a grim expression now, his eyes no longer holding the light he forced himself to exude for the boy. He wasn't bearing an aura of confidence anymore, he wasn't pretending to be invincible anymore for the teen's sake.
He was just being himself now. No more pretending, just honesty.
"Trunks, I can count the number of times I've actually won a fight on one hand." He said raising his one hand with a sheepish grin that didn't make it to his eyes. "But the number of times I've lost a fight?" he sighed, "I lost count of that number a long...long time ago."
He saw the look on the boy's face change, shifting from sorrow, to surprise. He could see the child beginning to understand his statement, processing it and realizing that it must be true.
Gohan encountered the Androids when he'd been seven. He was twenty three now and the Androids still existed.
He'd lost.
"I'm not some big shot hero like you might think. Sure, I face off against the Androids regularly, I fight them for as long as I can hold out until I fall again. For a long time, I fought for my life, I was afraid of the Androids, but as time went on, that fear slowly faded away. I looked at the Androids as just another aspect of my life, something that I would have to face again and again until eventually I got it right, until eventually I won and they were gone forever." He paused, not wanting to say what he knew he had to. Finally, he let the words escape his lips. "Gradually, a new fear rose up that consumed the first one. A fear that paralleled what I thought was the only option for me. For the longest time I assumed that the only way was up, that I would grow strong enough to defeat them, that eventually I would be enough to save the world. Then, when enough time had passed and I'd matured a little bit… I began to consider what the world would look like if I failed for real just one time. I questioned what would happen if one time, I didn't get back up, if one time, I didn't make it out alive."
"..."
Gohan could see Trunks working it out himself. His brow was furrowed, his mind most likely figuring it out before he even had to say it.
"I feared for my life, not because it was mine, but because I thought that if I fell then the world was finally doomed for real. If I went down, then there was nothing to stop the Androids." He smiled finally, looking at Trunks with what could only be interpreted as pride. "Then you came along and changed everything. Suddenly there was someone new, someone with the same potential as myself if not more, wanting to learn, wanting to make a difference and finally put an end to the nightmare that this world is all too familiar with." He patted the boy's back reassuringly. "You gave me hope again Trunks. Hope that one day, even if I do fall, someone will rise and take my place and finally rid the world of the monsters it created."
Trunks was looking at him now in disbelief. His tears had all dried up, his mouth was agape in shock.
Maybe he hadn't been figuring it out ahead of me…
"Gohan…" The teen mumbled at a loss for words.
"Relax!" The elder Saiyan exclaimed slapping the boys back in a casual fashion. "I'm not saying that I've given up or that I don't believe that I can win anymore. I still plan to destroy the Androids the moment the opportunity arises...I'm just saying that it's nice to finally not be bearing all this weight by myself anymore. And while I hate that it's you that has to bear this responsibility with me...I dunno, I guess it's just nice to have someone there with me again, fighting the good fight and all that. I guess what I'm saying is that, even if you can't fight alongside me yet, even if you can't be by my side physically, I still feel like you're right there with me when I confront the Androids. Just knowing that you're still around gives me the strength to keep fighting no matter how hard it gets." He beamed as he watched Trunks return his smile, he could see the boy beginning to understand his message, what he was telling him and what it truly meant to him that he'd chosen to train by his side. "So thank you Trunks. Thank you for trying as hard as you do, for caring as much as you do, because now I know that the Earth will be safe. Knowing how much you care, I know that together you and I can find a way out of this mess, I've never been more confident in that fact."
Trunks grinned ear to ear his eyes bright with life again, the sorrow he'd displayed earlier completely gone.
Not bad Gohan, not bad.
The elder Saiyan commended himself as he watched his pupil's spirits lift.
Without warning Trunks leapt to his feet, his eyes alive with energy. "Well now I've never been more pumped to train! Let's get back to it Gohan! I'm not tired anymore! I'm ready to go!"
Gohan couldn't contain his laughter as he rose to his feet as well. Maybe he'd done too good a job at revitalizing his spirits. "Alright alright, we'll get back to it, I just need to ask you one more question if that's okay."
Trunks raised an eyebrow.
"When you faced the Androids, how did you make it out? I was told that you were found in the rubble of a destroyed building, so what happened?"
Trunks paused in thought before answering. "Well, actually, I only fought Eighteen by herself. For some reason Seventeen was nowhere to be seen."
Gohan raised an eyebrow at this. Eighteen was alone? As far as he'd seen in his years of facing the Androids, whenever they went out to destroy things they always traveled together. They were attached at the hip as far as Gohan was concerned, to hear that Trunks had come across Eighteen alone was...strange to say the least.
"So what happened?"
A sheepish grin ran through the boy's lips as he rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. "Well, I tried my best, I'll tell you that..but...well, it wasn't enough."
Gohan nodded.
"And...well...honestly I don't know why she didn't finish me." Trunks frowned, "The last thing I remember from the fight is Eighteen standing above me, preparing to finish me off or so I thought." he shrugged, "The next thing I know I wake up in a hospital."
Gohan's eyes were wide in surprise. His face locked in bewilderment.
"Uh, Gohan? You okay?"
Blinking rapidly, Gohan stammered. "Uh, y-yeah I'm good. Just surprised that she spared you is all."
Trunks snorted, "Doubt it, she probably got distracted or something. Picturing the Androids and 'mercy' in the same room is not something I can do." he shrugged, "I just chalked it up to dumb luck."
"Uh, yeah. You were very lucky." He jabbed a finger into the boy's chest, his face tightening into a serious expression. "And don't expect to get that lucky again got it? From now on you don't go off to face anything without getting an 'okay' from me understand?"
Trunks nodded eagerly as he started to float into the sky. "Alright alright can we get going? I'm really ready to fight now!"
Gohan couldn't maintain the serious look he'd shot the boy. He chuckled, "Yeah, alright, let's get back to it."
The teen turned his back to the elder Saiyan and blasted off in the direction they'd been sparring earlier. Gohan followed, but at a distance, his mind trying to process the information he'd just been given.
Eighteen had spared Trunks just like she'd spared himself. That meant that his experience couldn't have just been a fluke. It had been intentional that they'd been left alive. Gohan couldn't figure why that was the case, but it seemed for whatever reason Android Eighteen was unwilling to put him down for good. Was it for the challenge? That didn't make sense, they always hated when he would challenge them. So what could it be?
Gohan shook his head, deciding to address the thought later.
I don't know what's going on, but for some reason I can't help but think that it can't be good.
Author's Note:
So, fun fact, this is only half of what had been intended to be a full chapter which is the reason why it's slightly shorter than my standard chapter length of 10,000 words (my chapter length standard). The reason I decided to split the chapter into two is because the full thing became this 23,000 word monster that was waaaay over the length limit I set at roughly 15,000 if I can help it. I believe the main reason for this was the flashback scene that occurred in this chapter between Goku and Gohan. My original outline had 0 intention of making this its own thing, there was originally only supposed to be a passing comment about how Goku had helped Gohan feel safe again after Frieza's defeat, but when I got to that section of the story I realized that I needed to write out this scene between Goku and Gohan, whether it be for myself or for the sake of the story. It's inclusion tells an even more tragic story for the Gohan that has learned to live with one arm. It shows that unlike most versions of Gohan, this one had gotten to actually form a strong father-son connection with his dad. The time before the Androids in the original series was spent training up for their arrival, in this reality, there was no such training and as a result, Goku and Gohan would have had the proper time to bond as a father and son. Of course it's entirely possible and more likely that Goku would have just spent the entire time alone training anyway knowing his lack of personality, but at least in this story I'd like to imagine that for a time Gohan got to know what it was like to have a proper father figure that wasn't the man that kidnapped him.
This revelation for me was bittersweet as it tells us that Gohan got to truly learn to love his father before he was ripped from his life. It's a sad smile, a grin that doesn't make it to the eyes if you will.
Anyhow, back to the chapter as a whole. This was what became of Gohan following that night with Eighteen. He wasn't very much affected by their interaction, but why would he? It was a night out drinking, he met a lady that he accidentally offended and walked away from him, for someone who's used to being alone, that's not that big a deal for him. Besides, he's got bigger fish to fry with finding out that Eighteen had actively spared himself and Trunks. The Saiyan has started to sniff around for clues, and he's a sharp boy too.
Again, I apologize for the shorter than usual update, trust me, I didn't want to separate this chapter either, but I couldn't let it out being as large as it had been. I just wish I had realized this before I had written the entire thing as one massive chapter. What does this mean in regards to the next update you ask?
The amazing cover art of this story was designed and completed by the wonderful:Upstart Psycho! If you'd like to check out their instagram where you can see all their other amazing work, please look them up saintswakeart. They appreciated the story enough that they wanted to add their touch to the tale, and I absolutely love it! Their commissions are currently open, so hit them up using the previously mentioned tags if you want more incredible artwork!
Well I suppose I'll just answer that by saying see you all tomorrow :).
PS: Please still review! It took a lot to make these next couple of chapters, so it's nice to hear feedback!
Until next time!(AKA tomorrow)