Previously on "DragonBall Z", Goku and his friends, with Raditz in tow, learned of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, which would allow the Earth's Special Forces to receive a year's worth of training in only the span of a single day. Of course, knowing that it would be of more use to Goku after he'd learned some new moves, Kami and Mr. Popo told Goku of the legendary martial-arts master, King Kai, the Lord of Worlds, who awaited at the end of the long, winding Snake Way in Other World.

Meanwhile, Piccolo is more than aware of Gohan's hidden potential, and he's decided to make sure he brings it to the surface. Of course, he'll have to face an obstacle that might be more fearsome than any Saiyan warrior...Gohan's mother.

Episode 4:

The Trials of Training

Japanese Title:

"Reawakened Potential!

Gohan and Chi-Chi, The Students of Piccolo?!"

Ian Corlett as Goku

Christopher Gray as Gohan

Grey DeLisle as Chi-Chi

Scott McNeil as Piccolo

French Tickner as Oni Guide

Lalania Lindbjerg as Bulma

James Arnold Taylor as Raditz

NOTE: In this series, the species of Frieza, Cooler, and King Cold will be known as the Arcosians, since they never bothered giving Frieza's species an actual name apart from that which wasn't "Frost Demons" [even though they have no ice-related powers].

Goku was having a small snooze in the back of a small car that was driving along. But he was quickly jolted awake by the driver's voice. "Excuse me, mister; we're here!" he called.

With a yelp, Goku jolted awake, and did a double-take when he spotted a massive stone snake head in front of the car, with a body that went too far for him to see the end!

The spiky-haired Saiyan got out of the car with the oni that drove him there. "So, this is Snake Way, hm?" he asked.

"Indeed it is," the oni replied. "It's 625,000 miles, or 1 million kilometers long! The only other person to make it all the way and back was King Yemma, but that was eons ago."

"Whoa! I've got a long way to go then..." Goku exclaimed, bewildered. "But what about food? Won't I starve while I'm on there?"

The oni snapped his fingers, and in a puff of smoke, he had a backpack. "This bag is enchanted. It's filled with food, and whenever it reaches empty, it'll refill itself!" he explained.

Goku took the bag and put it on his back. "That's useful," he replied. "Anything I should know about before I head off? Like any dangers along the path and such?"

"Well, make sure not to fall off," the oni replied. "Below those clouds is Hell, the Land of Damned Souls. If you fall off, you can't come back."

"Well, I sure don't want that," Goku nodded. "Anything else?"

"There's a rather strange mansion along the path," the oni replied. "Avoid it if you can, for it's owned by a rather dangerous person."

Goku nodded. "Thanks for the information," he said. "Welp, see ya later!"

And he suddenly rose into the air, before he flew forward at great speed, surprising the oni as he watched him fly along the path!

"Way to go, man!" the oni cheered. "Fight the machine!"

And so, on that note, Goku's grand journey across Snake Way had officially begun!

MEANWHILE, BACK ON EARTH...

Gohan was once again hard at work on the schoolwork his mother had assigned to him. He wasn't sure if other kids his age had to do this sort of thing, but sometimes he wondered if it was worth all this trouble.

Chi-Chi, meanwhile, was in the other room, sweeping the floor and cleaning up any dust that coated it. But that's when she heard someone knocking on the door.

"Who could that be?" she wondered. Then, the knocking got a little louder.

"One second!" yelled Chi-Chi. As she dumped the dust in the trash and put the broom away, the knocking only got louder.

"I hear you, I hear you!" Chi-Chi shouted, as she went and opened the door with a glare, but it instantly disappeared, replaced with a look of absolute horror when she saw who was in the doorway.

Piccolo was standing there, his arms crossed and an annoyed expression on his face! "Did I come at a bad time?" he asked dryly.

"P-P-Piccolo...!" stammered Chi-Chi, turning pale. "Wha...what are YOU doin' here? Goku's not home!"

"I didn't come for him," Piccolo retorted. "I came for the kid."

A few quiet minutes passed before Chi-Chi grabbed a nearby frying pan and whacked Piccolo over the head!

...it shattered on impact.

"What the hell d'ya want with mah baby boy?!" yelled Chi-Chi, her southern accent leaking through.

"Depends on whether or not you'll let me explain." Piccolo stated. "So...will you?"

Chi-Chi took a breath before replying. "...proceed."

So Piccolo did. "That kid of yours is strong...very strong. He has the potential to become one of the strongest people on the planet! Given his heritage, and the oncoming threat to Earth, he needs proper training."

"Heritage? Threat to Earth? What the heck are ya talkin' about?!" asked Chi-Chi.

And thus, Piccolo went on to explain everything. About Raditz, Goku being an alien, which meant that Gohan was half-alien, the threat of the Saiyans arriving in about two years time, how all of Goku's friends were going to be training to combat this threat, and how Goku would be gone for a large chunk of time in order to receive special training in Other World.

Chi-Chi was stunned, to say the least!

"Last year, I witnessed that child tap into an unfathomable power," Piccolo continued. "If it was enough to hurl a powerful demon into his own vortex, then if he were taught to control his power, it would be the ace in the hole against the Saiyan invasion."

"You must be crazy!" Chi-Chi exclaimed. "He's only four years old! There is no way I'm letting you turn my baby into some meathead!"

Piccolo growled, flashing his teeth. "I'm not asking, I'm TELLING!" he bellowed. "And if you won't give him up willingly, I'll take him from you by force, even if it means I have to kill you to do it!"

Chi-Chi took a defensive stance. "I'd like to see you try; I'm not as weak as I seem!" she declared. "And Kami knows what Goku would do if you killed me, buster! I am not leaving my boy alone with you to become some muscle-headed fignter!"

"You'd rather your son grow up to be a weak bookworm, rather than become strong enough to defend himself and the people he cares about?!" Piccolo retorted.

That shut Chi-Chi up. It's as if Piccolo's words snapped some sense into her. It seemed that as soon as Gohan was old enough to read and write (apparently 2 years after he was born), she had become nothing more than an angry, overprotective mother, trying to decide her son's path every second. (In other words, the canon interpretation!)

And before Chi-Chi even knew what she was saying, she blurted, "I'm coming with you."

Piccolo had NOT expected this. "...W-what?"

"You heard me," Chi-Chi said firmly. "If Gohan really needs this training, I'm going with you!" she told him.

Piccolo contemplated this. "I'll admit, I did see you in combat during the last World Martial Arts Tournament, and while you were beaten, your skill was impressive. So fine, you may come along," he relented. "Just don't get in the way."

"As long as you don't treat Gohan too harshly." Chi-Chi replied.

Piccolo snickered. "You must not be familiar with my teaching style." he smirked.

Chi-Chi groaned for a moment as she went over to the door of Gohan's room, with Piccolo staying in the kitchen.

"Gohan?" Chi-Chi called as she opened the door to her son's room. "Mommy needs you to pack a bag."

"A bag?" Gohan asked. "How come?"

"Well, we're going on a training trip," Chi-Chi told her son.

Gohan grew excited as he started running around his room, grabbing a small bag and various pieces of clothes. As he was about to grab some books, Chi-Chi stopped him. "Oh, no books, Gohan. This is a different kind of trip." she said.

Gohan looked confused by that. "What kind of trip, mom?" he asked.

Chi-Chi had to think. "Well, um..." she began. "You know how your father is really strong, right?"

Gohan nodded.

"Well, we're going on a trip to train, so we can become strong like him!" Chi-Chi replied.

Gohan's eyes grew wide and starry upon hearing that! "Really?! I'm gonna get to train like daddy!?" he asked.

Chi-Chi nodded. "Yep! But, the person we're going to be training with is... unique." she continued.

"Unique...how?" Gohan asked.

Before Chi-Chi could respond, Piccolo beat her to the punch. "Would you hurry up?" he boomed. "Those Saiyans aren't gonna wait around for you to get started!"

As Gohan stared at his mother, she said, "I guess that's an ice-breaker."

Soon, Chi-Chi and Piccolo stood before Gohan in front of the house. Chi-Chi was dressed in an adult-sized version of that battle armor she wore when she was little.

"Once we get to our training site, I don't wanna hear any whining, or crying, or complaining, you got it?" Piccolo asked.

Gohan gave a shaky nod.

"I suppose we should get a move on," said Chi-Chi, carrying a few capsules on her person. "We should have enough food and clothes for all of this."

"Whatever," Piccolo scoffed. "And do TRY to keep up." That being said, he lifted into the air and took off.

Chi-Chi grunted in annoyance. "Flying Nimbus!" she called.

In a matter of moments, the yellow cloud stopped in front of Chi-Chi and Gohan. Chi-Chi picked up her son and jumped onto the cloud.

"Nimbus, follow Piccolo." she told it.

And with that, the cloud sped off after Piccolo, following him to the Break Wasteland. Soon after, they landed.

"For the next six months, you're gonna learn how to survive in the wilderness," Piccolo explained. "If you survive? Then I'll teach you both to fight."

"Are you insane?! He's not even seven!" yelled Chi-Chi.

"Your husband lived in the woods on his own for far longer than that at roughly the same age!" retorted Piccolo. "I'm sure the little twerp can handle it! Besides, I was only a baby when I was left by myself. It's the only way you can bring out your power."

"Wh...what power?" Gohan whimpered. "I'm... I'm just a little kid!"

Piccolo grabbed Gohan by the skull. "Lemme show you, then..." he declared as he lifted him into the air and pitched him straight towards a mountain, Gohan screaming in terror the whole way.

"What the HELL are you DOING?!" Chi-Chi screamed, her eyes bloodshot.

"Proving a point." Piccolo retorted simply.

While soaring through the air at unimaginable speeds, Gohan's fear suddenly turned to anger, and a ball of energy engulfed him. He stuck his fists forward, and a blast of energy fired out, completely obliterating the mountain.

Chi-Chi couldn't even speak! Her eyes were as wide as they could get as she processed what her son just did!

"I told you, the kid has amazing potential," explained Piccolo. "The problem is; he can't control that power yet."

"So that's why you want him to survive in the wild..." Chi-Chi realized. "It may allow him to learn to control his powers in order to survive."

Piccolo nodded. "Exactly."

Gohan rubbed his head as he came out of his haze of rage. "Did I do that...?" he asked.

"Indeed you did," Piccolo explained. "But your power only bursts loose when your emotions are at your peak. Not very useful...but in 6 months' time, I will teach you to use that power ALL the time!"

"B-but I don't wanna be a fighter..." Gohan whimpered. "I wanna be a great scholar...or an orthopedist."

Piccolo snorted. "Your mother's influence, no doubt," he remarked dryly. "Be whatever you want AFTER the Saiyans have been defeated. Otherwise, if they wipe out the planet, you won't get that chance."

"B-but... I'm scared...!" Gohan sniffled.

"STOP YOUR WHINING! OR ELSE I'LL SNAP YOUR NECK RIGHT NOW!" Piccolo declared, booming.

"That's enough!" Chi-Chi remarked, getting in front of her son to defend him.

Piccolo glared at her. "You better get your kid to stop whining, or I'll teach him a lesson for being such a crybaby!" he ordered.

Chi-Chi grunted before she knelt before Gohan. "Gohan, listen to me." she said in a calm but firm tone.

Gohan managed to stop sniffling and listen up.

"I've been wrong to treat you like this..." Chi-Chi continued. "To constantly coddle you...making you study for 8 hours a day at such an early age. I know how much you admire your father, and how much you'd like to be like him. But we need yo prepare you for things like this. When you grow uo; you can be whatever you want to be. But for now, training you is very important. Okay sweetie?"

Gohan nodded shakily. "...okay, mommy." he replied, feeling a bit more sure of himself.

Chi-Chi smiled before kissing Gohan on the forehead and getting back to her feet.

Piccolo rolled his eyes at the gesture. "Good grief..."

"See, it worked, didn't it?" Chi-Chi told him with a hint of self-satisfaction in her tone.

"So...what do I do?" asked Gohan.

"All you two need to do is live," said Piccolo firmly. "Try surviving, staying alive for the next half-year. In this way, you'll learn to toughen up, in mind AND body. While your father's peers are training, you hold the key to Earth's fate in your hands."

And he walked off, before stopping. "And by the way, don't bother trying to escape. This place is surrounded by an expansive, agonizing desert. It makes THIS place look like a paradise in comparison."

"But what about baths?" asked Gohan. "Or beds, or notebooks or pencils, or..."

"You think there's any of that arranged for you out here, pipsqueak?" Piccolo smirked. "Time to grow up and handle things yourself."

"But you can't leave...that's cruel!" exclaimed Gohan.

"Sometimes life is cruel, kid," Piccolo retorted. "If you wanna blame something, then blame your own fate...just like I do."

With that, he flew away, leaving Gohan to stare at his mother in fear. "Are you gonna leave me alone, too?" he asked.

"No, Gohan," replied Chi-Chi as she bent down to his level. "No matter what...I'd never leave you alone. But, as awful as he is, Mr. Piccolo is right; we both need to get stronger so that way we'll have a chance to survive against those aliens."

She took her hair out of its bun, causing it to fall out, flowing behind her. "But we're going to get stronger together." she added.

Gohan smiled at his mother. At least she was going to be there to help him to survive.

"I think it's best if you take off your coat, since that'll only get in the way," Chi-Chi advised. "Then, we'll find a place to camp out for the night."

Gohan smiled. "Good idea, mommy."

Chi-Chi smiled back at her son. She was confident that they would make it out on their own.

ELSEWHERE...

In West City, at Capsule Corp, Bulma was in her lab conducting some experiments while Raditz was waiting outside, having nodded off about a half hour ago.

"Let's see here..." Bulma muttered to herself. "If what Raditz says is true, Saiyan DNA could give anyone a boost if put into their systems. But I would need something to test it on..."

As she thought to herself, she caught a glimpse of a mirror. "What if... I tested it on myself?" she suggested.

Bulma felt a little apprehensive about that idea, but she didn't wanna risk anyone's health. If she tested it on herself, she would only be putting herself at risk.

So, with a resolved look, Bulma decided to use herself to test the Saiyan DNA. Taking a syringe and filling it with some of the bright purple substance, Bulma braced herself before she injected it into her left arm. There was a slight buzz in her skull as the injection took effect. She felt something about her physiology changing! She couldn't help but let out a surprised gasp!

This was enough to wake up Raditz, who ran into the room to see Bulma doubled over!

"Bulma, what's going on?!" the long-haired Saiyan exclaimed.

Bulma could only let out a groan of agony, as Raditz saw a small, fuzzy blue nub forming just above her rear end. Before the Saiyan's eyes, the blue nub gained a tint of purple before it grew out, until it was as long as his own tail!

Finally, Bulma's groaning slowed down to huffing and panting as Raditz helped her to her feet. "...are you okay?" he asked, curious.

"Y-yeah. I think so." huffed Bulma.

Raditz found himself staring at the tail that twitched.

"Uh, what're you looking at?"

Raditz saw a nearby mirror, and turned the woman's head towards her reflection.

Bulma's eyes went wide as she saw the purple tail, twitching and swinging around behind her.

"I...I have a tail..." she muttered.

"You have a tail," Raditz nodded.

"I/YOU HAVE A TAIL!" they both shouted at the same time.

"What happened? Why do you have a tail?!" asked Raditz.

"I borrowed some of your hair," replied Bulma. "So I could study its DNA and figure out how Saiyans got more powerful every time they recovered from a brutal fight; I decided we could use that as an advantage against those two Saiyans coming to Earth. And when I reached a breakthrough...I injected myself to test it."

"Did you even think about what would happen once you injected yourself?!" Raditz demanded.

"I predicted many different outcomes, but not this!" Bulma shot back. "I injected myself because I didn't wanna risk anyone else getting hurt!"

"And yet, you're perfectly fine with risking your own skin!" Raditz thundered. "Of all the scatterbrained-"

"Well, I'm fine, aren't I?!" interjected Bulma.

"Mm-hmm, yes; except for one tiny, itty, bitty, teensy, weensy, little side effect... YOU HAVE A TAIL!" Raditz shouted.

"Why do you even care?!"

"BECAUSE I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"

That was the last sentence uttered, before everyone went silent, Raditz's words hanging in the otherwise empty air.

Both people found blushes creeping onto their faces; Bulma noticed her tail started wagging, and she quickly grabbed it, but cringed when she felt pain upon doing so.

Raditz tried to will his own tail to stop wagging, but it wouldn't!

"W-well... I should probably leave you to resume your studies," he suggested, getting up and backing towards the door.

"Wait!" called Bulma, making Raditz stop and turn to her.

She looked down as she spoke. "...thank you for worrying."

Raditz gulped. "...you're welcome." he managed to say before he left the room, leaving Bulma alone to look at her tail.

Her new appendage wriggled and flopped, as if it were a separate entity all its own.

Bulma gave a sigh. "Well, I've gotta try and get used to this thing. But Kami knows how well that's gonna go?" she pondered. "Goku used to get all weak and drowsy whenever someone squeezed his tail...so I guess my first course of action is to overcome this weakness..."

But that left Bulma with one question...how did one train a tail? The best way she could think of would be to keep squeezing it until she could withstand its overpowering effect. But in the meantime, she had some questions about Saiyan technology which needed to be asked.

Out in the wild, Gohan had just finished taking a whiz on a nearby rock, when he overheard some growling.

He looked down and felt his stomach to see if it was coming from him. "I'm not THAT hungry..." he muttered to himself, but as he turned around, he saw a massive dinosaur snarling at him.

Gohan felt himself unable to move as his wide eyes beheld the gigantic creature before him! "M-mom? Mommy?!" he managed to barely whimper.

The dinosaur roared loudly, and Gohan was off like a shot, running like crazy as he yelled, "Mommy!"

"Hang on, Gohan!" Chi-Chi shouted as she landed on the beast's back, trying to distract it by biting its hide. "Git th' hell away from mah baby boy, y' no-good beast!" she yelled.

However, this didn't do much to deter the dinosaur from trying to eat Gohan, as he continued the pursuit.

"Y-you don't wanna eat me!" Gohan yelled. "I'll give you indigestion!"

The Ferocisaurus was relentless as it chased Gohan, taking no notice of the woman on his head; hitting it over and over again!

As Gohan kept running, he tripped over a rock and fell, while the dinosaur closed in, its jaws ready to bite down.

Gohan looked back and saw the massive teeth about to eat him, and at that moment something surged through his body, engulfing it in a glowing aura and causing him to vanish as the dinosaur ate the ground...and got a mouthful of rocks!

Chi-Chi was as wide-eyed as the dinosaur as she looked around, trying to spot just where her child had gone. "Gohan...? Where'd you go?!" she shouted.

That's when she heard a voice from further up. "Helloooo?!"

Chi-Chi looked up, and did a double-take as she saw Gohan looking down at her from atop a rather large rock formation.

"M-mommy?!" he shouted.

Chi-Chi quickly used her agility to jump up to the top in a single bound, much like her husband, and landed in front of a relieved-looking Gohan.

A while later, Gohan and Chi-Chi tucked into some of the food they brought with them, although it was a bit chilly outside, being stuck up on a mountain.

Gohan shivered. "It's cold out here...!"

"And that's why we packed some blankets," Chi-Chi told him as she took them from their capsule. "We ain't goin' into this unprepared, Gohan."

"Did you and Dad ever do this kind of thing?" asked Gohan.

"Well, your father grew up on his own in the wild," his mother explained. "I lived in a castle with my father. But when your father and I got married, we spent a lot more time together in the woods; camping under the stars. I... I don't know why I stopped going on those trips."

"Well, when was the last time you did?" asked Gohan.

Chi-Chi thought, and realized...

... it was before Gohan was born.

When her son was born, she pretty much gave up stuff like camping.

She couldn't tell her son that!

So she simply said, "I'd say, four, maybe five years ago... maybe when we see your father again, all three of us could go camping together?"

Gohan smiled as he said, "that sounds amazing!"

As they ate, Piccolo glanced down at them from the air.

The next morning, Raditz came into the lab to check on Bulma and see how she was doing with her scientific progress. He found her there, using a microscope for looking over several DNA samples she had laid out. Her tail was drooped down.

"Uh, Bulma? You okay?" queried Raditz.

The turquoise-violet-haired woman turned to him. There were prominent bags under her eyes, and some crust in her eyes. "G'morning, Raditz." she yawned.

Raditz said, "jeez, how long have you been up?"

Bulma yawned, "I got up early so I could work on this stuff."

Raditz stated, "Bulma, you need a good amount of sleep. Otherwise, you're gonna fall asleep while working with dangerous chemicals."

"It's nice to know you're concerned," said Bulma with a yawn. "But I've pulled all-nighters like this back when I was in high school. Although...if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions first."

"Sure," Raditz replied, as his stomach gurgled. "...but you'll have to ask them over breakfast. I dunno about you, but I slept like a rock, and I didn't eat anything yesterday."

Bulma said, "I know how much you Saiyans love to eat. Come on, mom must have breakfast ready by now."

Bulma got up, and walked out of the lab, accidentally swishing her tail, making Raditz stare for a moment before following after her.

"Oh! Also, we'll need to strengthen that tail of yours; maybe we could strengthen them together?" Raditz suggested as he followed behind.

Bulma sweated a little. "Uh, s-sure." she replied.

Soon, the two of them entered the kitchen, and Raditz had a strange look as he saw Bulma's mother cooking.

She was a very attractive woman with blonde hair, an hourglass figure, and a happy expression on her face.

"Morning, mom." said Bulma.

Bulma's mom, Panchy, replied, "oh, good morning sweety! Who's your handsome friend there?"

"This is Raditz," Bulma blushed as her tail wagged. "He's...well, he's Goku's brother."

"Oh! I didn't know Goku had a brother!" Panchy beamed.

"Good morning, miss," Raditz waved. "Pleased to meet you."

Panchy said, "you too sweetie. Now, I bet you have an appetite just like Goku's, hmm?"

Raditz said, "well, uh, I am hungry."

"that's great! I'm almost finished!" Panchy said. "You and Bulma just make yourselves comfy!"

And with that, Raditz and Bulma both sat down at the table, both of them starting to get hungry.

MEANWHILE, UP ON KAMI'S LOOKOUT...

Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yajirobe, Puar, Oolong, and Launch were busy sparring with one another, while Kami and Mr. Popo looked on, observing.

"They're coming along rather nicely, wouldn't you agree?" asked Mr. Popo.

"Indeed I would, old friend," Kami nodded. "Although once their practice here is done, we'll need to get them into the Time Chamber."

"Are you sure they'll be able to handle it?" asked Popo.

Kami replied, "even if they are not, it may be our only chance of helping them get strong enough to fight the Saiyans when they arrive."

Mr. Popo nodded as he and Kami watched the sparring continue.

Up on Snake Way, Goku was still running down the path as fast as he could, but he stopped to take a break and eat some lunch...or dinner. He couldn't exactly tell what time it was or how long he'd been running for.

"woof, this is one long trail. I have no idea if I'm gonna be able to get across. But I've gotta. Everyone counting on me to get stronger!"

After he finished his snack break, he got back up, put the pack on his back once more, and he was on the run once more!

Back at Capsule Corp, Raditz was finishing his explanation. "...so you see, every time Saiyans are beaten to the brink of death, and subsequently healed, they become even stronger than they were before." he concluded.

Bulma was scribbling down details so quickly, that her pen began to smoke. "This is incredible!" she exclaimed, before blowing on her pen to keep it from catching on fire. "If these medical machines are as good as you say, then by making ones of our own and combining them with some of the Saiyan genetics, we might just have a chance to make our fighters even stronger!"

Raditz agreed, "it could work, but we need to make sure there's no drastic side effects. Like, uh, y'know..."

Bulma looked down at her appendage. "...noted."

Raditz and Bulma were both excited by the idea. A way to make all of them stronger, combining the tech and DNA of the Saiyans with Capsule Corp technology in order to do so. It was a stroke of genius!

Out in the Break Wastelands, Gohan and Chi-Chi were sound asleep while Piccolo was in deep meditation. Suddenly, Gohan woke up and walked to the edge of the rock formation, rustling Piccolo out of his trance.

What could he be up to? wondered Piccolo, curious.

"I really hate it here..." Gohan muttered to himself as he pulled down his pants and let his stream fly over the side.

Piccolo rolled his eyes. The needs of the body, I suppose... he thought to himself.

As Gohan finished taking another whiz, he looked down and saw his own shadow. "I have a nighttime shadow?" he asked. "That's funny...but how could that be here? The sun's not out..."

Turning around, the boy noticed that right behind him was a full, round moon in the sky.

"Whoa...is that the full moon?" he exclaimed, waking his mother up. "It's so bright...this is the first time I've ever seen a full moo-"

Then, he stopped. A low, thumping beat started to pound in his chest, and something seemed to surge through his mind.

Chi-Chi whispered, "Gohan? Sweetie? Are you alright?"

The thumping steadily grew louder, and began to get faster. Gohan's expression of awe turned to one of furious rage.

From up high, Piccolo saw the trance Gohan seemed to be in, as the boy slowly started to growl!

Piccolo blitzed over to Chi-Chi, picked her up and flew them away!

"What the Hell are you doing?!" the housewife/mother demanded.

"Getting you out of blast range!" remarked Piccolo. "Something's about to happen, and I doubt it'll be good!"

As they both watched, Gohan's eyes became blood-red, his teeth became sharp fangs, he began to grow bigger, and let out a massive roar!

His body was soon covered with fur, his fingernails became sharp and pointed, and his mouth elongated into a fearsome snout.

In no time, Gohan had now grown into a massive monkey monster, and he let out a roar as he stood atop the rock formation, which broke underneath his weight, making him fall. But luckily he landed on his feet...only to smash the rest of the rock formation to rubble.

Chi-Chi was wide eyed, and found tears stinging her eyes as she saw all of this happening! Her baby boy had just turned into a giant monkey! "What the Hell is going on?!" she screamed. "What happened to my son!?"

"Your kid somehow transformed into a giant monkey! It happened as soon as he saw the moon!" Piccolo exclaimed.

"The moon?!" Chi-Chi exclaimed incredulously.

"It's just like Raditz said..." Piccolo explained. "Whenever a Saiyan with a tail sees the full moon, they turn into giant rampaging apes."

"What?! Why didn't anyone tell me this?!" Chi-Chi blinked. "And if Gohan can do this, so can Goku, Raditz-"

Piccolo finished, "-and the other two Saiyans!"

They both grew horrified expressions as they watched Gohan smashing everything in front of him, and even shooting bolts of energy from his mouth!

Piccolo exclaimed, "if this doesn't end soon, there won't even be an Earth for the Saiyans to destroy!"

"...get me down there," Chi-Chi told him.

"WHAT?!" Piccolo thundered.

"Maybe I can get through to him," Chi-Chi replied. "Even if he's a rampaging monster, he's still my little Gohan."

"You've got to be kidding!" Piccolo remarked.

"You have any better ideas?!" Chi-Chi yelled.

Piccolo had to admit, she had a point. "Fine, but if he kills us, don't say I didn't warn you!" he snapped.

And so Piccolo got Chi-Chi down to a safe point on the ground, while Gohan continued to rampage throughout the wasteland.

"And how exactly are you gonna get through to him?" the Mazoku clan member questioned.

Before he could blink, Chi-Chi cupped her hands and yelled, "GOHAN!"

The giant monkey stopped, and seemed to shake as he heard his mother's voice!

"GOHAN! CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Chi-Chi called out.

The giant monkey looked around until he spotted Chi-Chi on the ground nearby, and while his primal instincts told him to crush her underfoot, his human side was making him hesitate.

Piccolo whispered, "I sure hope you know what you're doing!"

Chi-Chi yelled, "GOHAN! THIS ISN'T YOU! YOU'RE NOT A MONSTER! YOU'RE A SWEET, WONDERFUL BOY! YOU AREN'T SOME BLOOD THIRSTY CREATURE! PLEASE! REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!"

Gohan was about to slam down his fist, when he caught himself. He seemed to strain, clutching his head in pain as he tried to fight against his instincts.

Chi-Chi was stunned by the act. "I-I'm getting through to him!" she exclaimed.

"Keep going!" Piccolo shouted. There might actually BE something to this mother-and-child-bond thing...

Chi-Chi nodded. "FIGHT IT GOHAN! FIGHT IT! YOU CAN'T LET THIS BEAT YOU! EHAT WOULD YOUR FATHER SAY!?"

Gohan was roaring as he pulled his hand close to his face, trying to fight his instincts as best as he could!

Finally, the inner conflict ceased, and the giant ape was left exhausted.

"...did it work?" asked Piccolo.

"...MUH...MU...MOMMY?" asked the large primate in a booming voice. "WHAT HAPPENED? WHY IS EVERYTHING SO LITTLE?"

Chi-Chi and Piccolo looked at one another.

Chi-Chi said, "I wasn't expecting that."

Piccolo replied, "neither was I."

Gohan repeated, "MOMMY? WHAT'S GOING ON?"

Chi-Chi did her best to calm her son, "everything's alright Gohan. You just went through something very... strange. This may take awhile to explain."

The ground shook as Gohan sat down to listen.

And thus, Chi-Chi began to explain the situation involving Gohan's tail, how the full moon causes him, and other Saiyans to transform and what not.

"S-SO...AM I GONNA STAY LIKE THIS?" asked Gohan after the explanation was done.

"Well, it should only last until sunrise," said Chi-Chi. "Or if your tail was removed."

"Well, I might be able to fix that," Piccolo declared as he turned towards the moon, and concentrated his power.

"Wait!" Chi-Chi protested. "We might need the moon for an advantage!"

"We can't take that risk," said Piccolo. "If he could use the moon, so could those other 2 Saiyans."

He then immediately fired an energy blast at the moon, obliterating it completely in a shower of space dust!

At that very moment, Gohan gradually shrank back to his normal size, groaning all the while as he did so, until he was back to normal. And then, he faceplanted on the ground, unconscious.

Chi-Chi quickly picked up her son, cradling his head as she let out a breath of relief.

"We'd better get rid of that tail." said Piccolo.

Chi-Chi looked at the Namekian. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"It's a liability; if someone were to grab and squeeze it, he'd be as weak as a kitten," Piccolo replied, before he reached down and pulled the tail right off. "Although, now he might need some new clothes. And a sword to protect himself."

He put out his hands, and fired a beam over Gohan's exposed form. In a matter of minutes, the boy now had a set of clothing that looked almost like Goku's, with a sword laying near him.

"The design is your father's, but the symbol on the back shows you're from my camp," Piccolo smirked. "And unless you want one of your own, then this is my cue to leave. I have my own training to take care of...but in half a year, I'll be back. And when you both train under me, you'll wish that you were dead."

"Actually...I may need clothes like that, too," Chi-Chi spoke up. "I can't really fight that well in a dress."

"OK, give me a second," replied Piccolo.

Soon, Chi-Chi was engulfed in a bright light. Once it fades, she saw the clothes she wore. She was wearing an outfit similar to what Gohan and Goku wore: the orange and blue gi. She looked to her back and saw a sword hanging from it, and the "DEMON" symbol Piccolo wore.

"Thank you." Chi-Chi told him.

The last son of the Mazoku clan nodded, and took off into the night, leaving the mother and son alone.

Back in West City, Bulma was getting better at resisting the urge to pass out from getting her tail grabbed.

"I see you're making good progress," noted Raditz. "Now, you just need to learn how to use ki energy...as well as how to fight."

"Easier said then done," Bulma replied with a dry chuckle. "Goku, Yamcha, Krillin and the others were always our fighting the bad guys. All I ever did was complain and whine. I'm useless."

Raditz put a gentle hand on Bulma's shoulder. "Not to me, you aren't." he countered.

Bulma and Raditz once again found themselves blushing at one another.

"I mean, you've managed to do so much in such a short amount of time," said Raditz. "Surely there's got to be some way to teach you fighting skills."

Bulma pondered, until she got an embarrassed look on her face. "Well, there IS someone..."

"Yeah?" asked Raditz.

"Master Roshi," Bulma replied. "The old man from that island."

"That was him?" asked Raditz in disbelief.

Bulma nodded. "Yeah. He was the one who trained Goku, Krillin and Yamcha in martial arts many years ago." she replied.

"OK, so what's the problem?" Raditz pondered.

"He's a dirty old man." Bulma stated.

"That explains why you're so hesitant to train with him." realized Raditz.

"Among other things..." Bulma nodded.

"Well, then I'll go and join you," Raditz told Bulma. "It couldn't hurt to give it a shot. Plus, I'll make sure nobody tries any funny stuff with you."

Once again, the preparation continues. With Bulma and Raditz about to undertake some serious training, Chi-Chi, Gohan, and the other Z-Fighters are doing training of their own. And Goku's catching Z's while he takes a break. Speaking of which, you'd better do some catching too-and I mean catching the next episode of "Dragon Ball Z"!