Four months had passed since the Earth warriors had begun their training. On the lookout, Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin were still practicing and mastering their techniques. They had reconvienced, after their individual training, and were once again learning under Kami's guidance. Meanwhile, Goku and Piccolo continued their training - both with each other and with their students. They were still training Gohan in secret, and Chi-Chi was still none the wiser. While their strength had increased in the four months of training, it would take all of their collective might to defeat the androids.

Piccolo threw his arm out towards Chi-Chi. She ducked and jumped into the air, kicking at his head. He blocked her attacks, and spun around, scating away from her. She turned and charged at him. He responded by jabbing her in the stomach with his elbow. The breath was knocked out of her, but she retaliated by kneeing him in the chin, forcing away from her. As he regained his balance, she started striking towards him, with her hands flat. He dodged her attacks, until she tried to kick him again. He grabbed her leg, and threw her away from him.

Chi-Chi landed back on the ground in a crouched stance. She quickly got back up again and ran back towards him. He jumped over her, as she tried to strike, and landed behind. She spun on her heels to face him, and the combination started all over again.

Piccolo noticed her fighting techniques were similar to Goku's. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Presumably, she learned to fight from Ox King, who had learned from Master Roshi, who also taught Goku. Small world.

Chi-Chi landed a punch, as his mind had wandered. He was hit right in the cheek, and the force of the hit pushed him backwards. He wiped his mouth and saw a bit of his own blood on it. That had to count for something - she managed to put a scratch on him, this time.

"That's enough," he said. "We've practiced enough for the day."

Chi-Chi rolled her shoulders back and put her hands on her hip, She breathed out of her mouth. "I don't know how you boys do it for as long as you do. I'm exhausted."

"With more practice, it will come more naturally." He walked up next to her. "Now, we should probably start heading for our camp. We're losing daylight."

She nodded. "Alright."

The two walked in silence to the small camp they had set up earlier. All they had was their modest capsule home. Piccolo couldn't help but recall when they all looked for the Dragon Balls together, and rested in this same home. That felt like an eternity ago. No androids, no Frieza: just a little adventure to look for some orbs. Everytime he thought of those fleeting moments, he realized how lucky he was to be where he was.

"I'll fix something up," Chi-Chi said, as she got in. "If you can help me out, that would be wonderful."

He nodded. Like normal, the two worked on cleaning the vegetables and getting the food chopped and ready to be cooked. It had become such a routine for them. They didn't even need to say a word to each other, they just enjoyed each others' presence. It was… nice. Piccolo couldn't help but miss it, when he was off doing something else.

As Chi-Chi got the final dishes ready, she said, "Oh, Piccolo, do you mind turning on the TV? I think Sauer and Putine has a new episode tonight!"

He hated those cheesy soap operas, but Chi-Chi liked them enough. He'd just tune it out through meditation. He found the remote sitting on the couch and pressed the on button. The television was turned to ZTV. However, instead of some over-the-top romantic drama, it was the news. He shrugged and went back to the kitchen, as the anchor spoke.

"If you're just joining us, we are discussing the alliance break between the Earth and Planet Vegeta."

His motion stopped. He turned around to look at the screen.

"Earlier today, King Furry announced that Planet Vegeta had chosen to pause their alliance with the Earth, due to a crisis on the Saiyans' home planet. This is unprecedented - not once in the history of our planet has anyone ever paused an alliance. We have no further news on the crisis or what this will entail for the Earth, but we will update you whenever we learn new information."

"Oh, what a shame," Chi-Chi said, as she stirred a pot, "You know, those Saiyans never seemed bad, to me. A little brutish, but noble and proud. I hope they can work things out."

He hadn't even heard her. What kind of thing could happen to cause a rift between the Earth and the Saiyans? Bulma had told him that they were under a crisis, but how bad had it gotten? As he thought back to their conversation, he remembered that she asked about Gero. Did she think he was involved?

Could this be connected with the androids?

"Alright Gohan," said Goku, "I want you to come at me with everything you've got. Don't hold back - I wanna see everything you've learned so far."

Gohan nodded. "Right!"

He crouched down into a fighting stance. Goku matched him with his own. Soon, Gohan charged at him, throwing everything he had. His punches and kicks came in rapid speed, aiming at his head, his torso, and his arms. Goku dodged and ducked to get away from them, but he didn't relent in his attacks.

Gohan's skills had improved dramatically over the past months of training. He still had much to learn, but the difference was almost night and day. Working with both Goku and Piccolo helped a lot. Just like they had with Chi-Chi, their teaching differences struck a balance, allowing Gohan to truly flourish. Most of all, Gohan was finally gaining confidence. Sometimes, that was all that made the difference.

Goku grabbed his arm mid-punch. "Come on, you can do better than that! Really come at me!" He let go of him and kicked him lightly in the chest.

Gohan pushed his hair out of his face, and raised his hands over his head. If his dad wanted him to give him everything, he would. "MASENKO, HA!" He pushed his hands forward, and a bright yellow beam flew out from his hands. Piccolo had taught him this technique during their last training session, and he had been eager to show his dad.

Goku grinned, as he pulled his hands back. "KAMEHAMEHA!" He threw his hands forward, and a bright blue beam flew from his hands. The two beams of energy met in the middle, crashing up against each other. Father and son pushed everything they had into it, forcing it back and forth. The pressure from the clash created an explosion, leveling the ground around them and pushing them off of their feet.

As the dust cleared, Goku jumped over to him. "Gohan, that was great! I didn't know you were able to use your ki, like that."

Gohan sat up. "Mr. Piccolo taught it to me. He said he thought I was ready for it."

Goku just grinned at him. "Well, I'm glad he was. I'm proud of you, Gohan. You've really learned a lot, since we started training!" Gohan looked down and laughed, scratching the back of his head. Goku laughed, too. "We should probably start heading back home. I'm sure your mom and Piccolo will be there soon."

"Okay," Gohan said, with a big smile on his face.

Goku called for his Flyng Nimbus, and he and Gohan climbed on. Soon, they took off into the sky back for Mt. Paozu. Goku had agreed to get back home before the sun set. Once the sun was out of the sky, Piccolo would bring Chi-Chi back. That would give both Goku and Gohan time to clean up and make it look like nothing had happened. However, the sky was quickly growing dark.

Hopefully, they would make it back in time.

After another day of training, Piccolo and Chi-Chi packed up the house and headed for home. He knew how this would go - they'd get home, and Goku and Gohan would beat them there. They'd say something about how hard he had been studying, Gohan would impress her with some random factoid, and she still wouldn't be any the wiser.

Piccolo flew like normal, while Chi-Chi drove a small hover car. She had learned how to drive to make grocery runs easier, and insisted on taking it with her anytime they trained together. Plus, she knew that Goku would want to use Nimbus to go on trips with Gohan, so she wanted to leave it free for him. Piccolo didn't care either way - he preferred it over having to carry her everywhere. Eventually, he'd have to finally teach them how to fly - he had only just started doing so with Goku. It was another task on his long to-do list.

The flight home didn't take long, and the next thing he knew, they touched down in front of their house. Chi-Chi walked through the door. "Hello, Goku! Gohan! We're home!"

There wasn't an answer. Piccolo's eyes widened and his heart started racing. Had Goku forgotten about their plan? He had remembered so far, against all odds.

She stepped inside, looking around. "Goku? Gohan? Where are you?"

He quickly went in after her. "They might be out exploring," he hastily explained. "You know how much Gohan likes seeing all of those animals."

She looked over her shoulder, giving him an odd look. He hoped he didn't look too worried. However, she eventually rolled her eyes and smiled. "You're right. I worry too much. Well, I guess we can just wait for them to get home!" She walked with her stuff to the back of the house.

He exhaled. That was too close. He better find them, before she gets suspicious. He turned on his heel and practically ran out of the house. He powered up, ready to take off into the evening sky.

"Piccolo, where are you going?"

He stopped running, and turned around. Chi-Chi was standing in the doorway. How had she gotten there, so quickly?

"Aren't you going to help unpack?" She held up her bag of things.

Dammit. He sighed and walked back towards their house. He should have figured that Chi-Chi wouldn't let him get away easily. Wherever Goku was, he hoped he had the sense to not come home with Gohan looking a mess.

As Piccolo helped Chi-Chi unpack, his mind kept racing. With every passing minute, dread built up in his stomach. Even when he was hapless, Goku was never one to be tardy. What if they hadn't forgotten? What if something happened to them, on their way back? Did the androids get to them early? So many bad scenarios ran through his head, as he organized the laundry.

His train of thought was interrupted when Chi-Chi pressed a hand on his forehead. He looked down at her with a confused look on his face. Her brows were furrowed together. "Are you okay? You look a little pale."

He pushed her hands off of him, as he huffed a sigh. "I'm fine. Just… tired, is all." Now, he was the one who was worrying too much. Some of Chi-Chi must have rubbed off on him, after these past couple of weeks. If anything had gone wrong, it wouldn't be bad. Goku was strong - he could take care of himself.

Right as he had that thought, he felt a familiar presence. Finally, those two were coming back. Chi-Chi smiled and giggled, as she finished folding up one of her dresses. "I think they're back," she said, in a sing-songy voice. "I'll go get them. Could you finish up the folding, for me?" He nodded. "Great! Thank you, Piccolo." Then, she left the room to greet them on their front lawn.

As he kept working on the folding, his heart stopped and he nearly tore something in half. If they had just gotten done with training, she'd surely figure that out. He dropped the clothes, opened the window, and jumped out.

And just as he did so, he heard Chi-Chi scream.

He looked to his left. Goku and Gohan were sitting on Nimbus, disheveled and dirty. Their clothes were tattered and torn, and small cuts and bruises were on both of their skins. It didn't take a detective to figure out what they had been up to. Chi-Chi was standing on the grass, pointing at them with a horrified expression on her face.

Goku sheepishly laughed, as he waved at her. "Hey, Chi-Chi. How's it going? I didn't think you'd be back so soon!"

She practically pushed him off of Nimbus to pick Gohan up. "Oh, Gohan! What happened to you?! Are you hurt? Is anything broken? Are you bleeding?" She lifted his arms, looking for any serious injuries. She hugged him, looking like she was close to crying. "Oh, my precious baby boy was hurt!"

"N-no, mom," said Gohan in an unsure tone. "I'm okay. I was just out with dad today."

She stopped checking him. With a suspicious look in her eyes, she set him down on the ground. "Oh, you were? What were you doing with him?"

Gohan looked down at his feet, digging them into the dirt. "Well, we… went down to the river… tried to fish… had a picnic… and then came home."

Goku stood back up, rubbing the back of his head. "He's telling you the truth, Chi-Chi! We-we did fall a couple of times, but we're okay! Honest!" He laughed, and Gohan laughed with him.

She clearly wasn't buying it. "Gohan, go inside and clean up. Now."

They stopped laughing. Gohan lowered his head and went inside of the house, closing the door behind him.

Chi-Chi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, putting a big smile on her face. She clasped her hands together as she walked up to Goku. "Now, Goku," she said in a strained voice, "what did you and Gohan really do, today?"

He was still grinning, as sweat was coming down his face. "Well, you see, we've been going out every day, and, you know, well, we might have been… training?"

Piccolo put his hand on his forehead and dragged it down his face. "Dammit, Goku," he muttered under his breath.

She was practically shaking. "Can you say that again? Because I don't think I heard it right." Her knuckles were turning white, as she clasped her hands together tightly. "It sounded like you said you were training with Gohan." Her last sentence came out tight, as if she was clenching her jaw together.

All of the humor drained off of Goku's face. As if he suddenly realized how deep into trouble he had gotten himself in. "Well… I said that… you know…" Suddenly, he pointed at Piccolo. "It was Piccolo's idea! He started it!"

Piccolo's jaw dropped. "I started it?! You were the one who suggested it!"

Goku got in his face. "Yeah, but you were the one who said we should keep it from Chi-Chi!"

He poked him in his chest. "You were the one who said that, you moron! Don't try and pin it all on me!"

"Ha! You admit that you said it, too! And you were the first one that taught him stuff!"

"BOTH OF YOU STOP IT!"

Goku and Piccolo stopped their arguing and looked at Chi-Chi. Her hands were on her hips and she was glaring daggers in their direction. She didn't even need to say a word - the look on her face was enough.

She walked up towards them. "I thought we had a promise. You said that if I trained, then Gohan wouldn't have to. Not only did you deliberately break a promise, but you went behind my back to do it?!"

"We didn't mean to," Goku tried to explain. "We just thought that Gohan needed to learn how to defend himself."

"That's no excuse," she snapped. "I can't believe you would do something like this! All those times you took me off to train on my own: did you only do it so you wouldn't get caught? I trusted you! I trusted that you were taking care of Gohan! Have you been keeping anything else from me?!"

"No, no, we havent! Honest!"

She narrowed her eyes. "And how do you expect me to believe that, after you've just lied to me?" She closed her eyes and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I want both of you out of this house."

Goku did a double take. Piccolo's jaw dropped. "What," they said in unison.

"I don't think I can be around either of you, right now. I don't care where you go as long as you don't stay here. When you've had time to think about what you've done, maybe you can come back."

Goku got onto his knees, practically groveling at her feet. "Come on, Chi-Chi, don't do this! We're sorry! We won't do it again!"

"After you broke your first promise, how do I know that you won't do it again? I made my decision, and you'll have to deal with it. Have a good night." She spun on her heel and walked back into the house.

Goku and Piccolo stared as the door shut behind her. They stood there in silence, as what had just been told to them started to sink in. They had thought they were doing the right thing by training Gohan, but seeing Chi-Chi so upset over it…. it made them question everything.

"Let's go," Piccolo finally said. "Maybe we can get a bit more training done." He began walking away from their home. Eventually, Goku stood up and followed him, keeping his eyes on the ground below him.

"Hey, Piccolo," he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we did the right thing?"

He sighed. "I don't know, Goku. And I don't really want to think about it, right now."