The Key Wish
Chapter 5: The Journal
Across the skies, The Flying Nimbus was taking Xion and Goku back to Mount Paozu after saying their farewells to Master Korin. While others would find the trip boring, Xion however had her mind on other things.
Xion: "I hope Chi-Chi won't be too upset with us that we took longer than we thought." Xion said.
Goku: "I wouldn't worry about it. She's pretty understanding, especially when it comes to old friends." Goku replied. "Besides I bet by now The Ox King brought over your new bed and she cleaned out the hut for you to sleep in." Goku said.
Xion: "Wait…The Ox King? Who's that?" Xion asked, slightly confused.
Goku: "Chi-Chi's father. That's his title because he's the king of Fire Mountain. But despite his title, he's a really nice guy and will do anything for Chi-Chi. He and my grandpa were both students of Master Roshi just like I was." Goku explained. Xion chuckled shortly after.
Xion: "Sounds like this Master Roshi is quite the popular man." Xion said looking back at Goku, who chuckled at her remark.
Goku: "I guess so, though his training is really tough. But in the end it was all worth it, because he's one of the people who helped me get this strong in the first place." Goku said reminiscing about his childhood under Master Roshi between his training, his studies, and his…hobbies. But it was fair to say Goku wouldn't have gotten this far without Master Roshi's help.
Xion: "Will he be at that reunion you mentioned earlier?" Xion asked with Goku giving a nod in return. "I guess I'll see what he's like when I meet him. I hope he's as kind as Master Korin." She said.
Goku: "Well…he's a human like me, and his hobbies are a bit weird honestly, but overall he's a great teacher and dedicated too. So I'm sure you'll like him all the same." Goku said with a smile, with Xion looking at him with her own smile and giving a nod.
Eventually they returned to Mount Paozu and soon enough returned to Goku's house. They saw nobody outside, thus entering Goku's house.
Goku: "We're back!" Goku said aloud to anyone who listened. Chi-Chi then left her bedroom and saw the two in front of the door. She walked up to Goku and looked at him, a little annoyed.
Chi-Chi: "Now I know sightseeing doesn't take that long. So where were you two?" She asked angrily while looking at Goku.
Goku: "Sorry Chi-Chi, but after we went to West City, Xion wanted to meet Master Korin. So we stopped by and said hi since he wouldn't be coming to the reunion at Kame House." Goku explained.
Chi-Chi looked to Xion as if she was asking for a confirmation, to which Xion nodded her head yes. Chi-Chi stared at Goku a bit longer before sighing in defeat.
Chi-Chi: "Alright, I guess I can't be mad at you for introducing Xion to Korin. But next time let me know, I was planning to introduce Xion to my father but you two never showed up and I had to tell him to come back tomorrow." she said.
Xion: "I'm sorry. I didn't think about that, sorry for making you wait for nothing." Xion said sadly.
Chi-Chi: "*sigh* It's not your fault Xion, but tomorrow you better give a proper introduction to my father, understand?" She said sternly, to which Xion looks back and smiles.
Xion: "I understand, Chi-Chi." Xion replied happily.
Chi-Chi: "Now then, along with the mattress and box spring, I also asked my father to get some clothes for you since that coat and the clothes underneath them seemed to be your only set. Since you look to be about fourteen, I'm sure they'll be able to fit you just fine." Chi-Chi said, walking to the door. "Would you like to see where you'll be sleeping?" She asked.
Xion: "Yes, please!" She said with small excitement. They followed Chi-Chi out of the house and walked to the hut next door. They entered inside to see a fresh new bed, a dresser on the other side of the wall for clothes, a small table, a blue stand with a television on top, a single window, and an umbrella for rainy days.
Chi-Chi: "I know it's small, but I tried to make it as comfortable as I could so I hope it's not that bad." Chi-Chi said to Xion as the latter walked to the middle of the room and looked around the hut.
Xion: "I will admit, it's smaller than my last bedroom, but are you sure you're ok with me staying in here?" Xion asked.
Goku: "My grandpa lived here for many years alone as a hermit and as a martial arts master, then he raised me in this same hut. After he passed away when I was a boy, I continued to live here by myself until Bulma found me and we went on lots of adventures. Knowing there's a nice person staying here is ok by me, and if my grandpa were here, he'd be really happy with you staying here too." Goku said. Chi-Chi looked at Goku with admiration and nodded.
Xion: "Goku…I…I don't know what to say. Thank you." She said happily. Goku and Chi-Chi couldn't help but smile at her. "I look forward to training with you, Goku. I also look forward to staying here with you and your family, Chi-Chi." Xion said with a bow.
Chi-Chi: "You'd better, because not only will you be here to train, you will be expected to help out around here. So no slacking off!" Chi-Chi said.
Xion: "I'll do the best I can to help out, Chi-Chi." She said assuringly. The atmosphere came to a halt when the group heard a growling near the entrance and realized what was the source.
Goku: "Well now that Xion has seen the inside, let's get something to eat!" Goku said, chuckling while holding his stomach. Chi-Chi and Xion both looked at him in bewilderment before chuckling softly.
Chi-Chi: "Sure thing, Goku." She said before beginning to walk out of the hut. She turns around and sees Xion sitting down on the bed looking all around the hut again, seemingly deep in thought yet holding a small smile. "Are you coming, Xion?" She asked. Xion looked at Chi-Chi and nodded before standing up to walk outside of the hut as well.
Later that night, Xion once more entered into her new hut and stared once more at all it held within. She undressed into her new pajamas and climbed into bed, though she wasn't feeling tired enough to pass out right away because her mind was filled with what she had experienced in just a single day with the Son Family.
Xion: "This family sure is nice. Goku, he's a strong father and husband who seems like he can fight it out with the best of them, even if he is just a little dense at times. Then there's Chi-Chi, she's a proud woman who wants the best for her family and yet is willing to give kindness to a stranger in need, even when they seem like they don't want it." She said before chuckling. "Gohan…so shy and yet so considerate of others who looks to his parents for comfort."
She sat in silence after continuous thoughts and the moments she shared with them. "I envy them. I wish I had a family like that." She thought before looking at the night sky staring deep into the stars. She shifted her focus around the room and found something she never saw before, a journal. She got out of her bed and walked to the journal thinking how'd it got there without her even realizing it. She opened it and was surprised that it had already been written in.
"Well done in finding the Son Family. I apologize if it was rough for you but it was merely the first step to reaching your goal. By now I'm sure you realized how special this family is, because getting stronger was not the only reason I sent you to them. There was another reason, one I kept to myself because time was of the essence, but this journal can tell you what I meant to tell you.
You have suffered a lot in the year you were alive, suffered more than any living creature should. Having lost your home, your friends, and your powers, I'm sure it is heartbreaking, but this family will help you through it. They know what it is like to lose those close to them. For Goku, it was his grandfather, his parents, and at times even his close friends. For Chi-Chi, it was her mother so I believe that is why family is so important to her.
Never believe you are alone in this. While your pain is unique, it can still be healed like theirs has but only if you let them. Let them be a part of your heart and surely you will become a part of their hearts, after all that is your greatest power. The power of connections, as long as you have friends in your heart, there is nothing you can't do. Good luck, and may you find peace in your heart. Abby."
Xion shut the journal quickly before the pages could be soaked in her tears that soon began to fall off her face, onto the cover of the journal. Her body was shaking with the sudden surge of emotions that began to overwhelm her. More specifically, the feeling of happiness knowing she's still being watched over by the one who helped her.
Xion: "Thank you…Abby. I won't let all you've done for me go to waste!" She said, wearing a warm smile along with the tears streaming down her face. She wiped away the tears and grabbed the pencil that was beside the journal and began to write on the next page.
Day 3: "I never thought having a journal would be so comforting, it feels like forever since I wrote my last entry for the journal I had when I was with the organization. I intend to write down my time here to share these experiences with Roxas, Axel, and Abby when I return to The Realm Of Light.
I finally found the champion Goku that Abby had me searching for and he agreed to train me to help me get stronger to fight the darkness back home. I was also given a place to stay by Chi-Chi, his wife, as long as I help take care of their home. They have a son who is really nice but seems so shy, almost reminds me of me when I first joined the organization. I'm not sure how long I will be here, but I won't give up now! I will get stronger, and I will go back to The Realm Of Light and see my friends again. That's my promise, an oath to return!"
Xion sat the journal down on the table before climbing back into her bed and found it easier to fall asleep with the thought of being one step closer to her goal.
The next day, Xion had spent a good amount of time preparing to meet Chi-Chi's father and she was slowly getting excited to meet him. Chi-Chi told her stories of her father and his accomplishments and while she was a little intimidated at first, she was nonetheless prepared for meeting the man who raised Chi-Chi.
What she was not prepared for was what the man looked like, for what stood before her was a tall bearded man in a white shirt, brown pants, black boots and a horned cap at the top of his head. He adjusts his glasses and stares at the young replica, examining her and sees that she is greatly intimidated by the towering man.
Chi-Chi: "Xion, this is my father. Dad, this is Xion. She'll be staying with us as Goku's martial arts student." Chi-Chi said, introducing the two.
Xion: "I never thought I'd see the day when I find a normal person bigger than Lexaeus…" She said to herself. Chi-Chi and Ox-King both look to Xion after they heard her speak but couldn't make out the words. Chi-Chi walks up to Xion and waves in her face.
Chi-Chi: "Hello, Earth to Xion! Snap out of it, you're being rude!" Chi-Chi said sternly. This snapped Xion out of her intimidation and back to reality. She shook her head and looked at the man dead in the eyes.
Xion: "M-My name is Xion, sir! As your daughter said, I will be training under Goku and-" She said nervously before Ox-King raised his hand hoping to stop the girl. He kneeled down and wore a smile.
Ox-King: "I wish you wouldn't sound so nervous when talking to me, I may look big and scary but I assure you I'm not gonna bite you or anything. Chi-Chi here told me about your situation and how you helped my grandson. Any hero to my grandkids is a friend to me." Ox-King said, offering his hand for a handshake.
There it was AGAIN, people acting friendly after just one meeting. Xion didn't know if this is how they usually acted or if they were just being grateful that she saved Gohan, but either way she calmed down from her nervousness and shook her head again, but this time slowly. She then looked back at Ox-King with a genuine smile and took his hand.
Xion: "Thank you, and I'm sorry for being so nervous, so please let me try again! My name is Xion, I'm happy to finally meet you. I'm sorry for missing you yesterday, Goku was showing me around and he introduced me to Korin. As for your grandson, I was more than happy to help out." Xion greeted, ending with a grin. The Ox-King grinned in return and ended the handshake.
The rest of the day was uneventful for Xion, though she had learned more about Ox-King, specifically about where they lived at "Fire Mountain", to which she was surprised about the history about the Eternal Flames and the adventure Chi-Chi and Goku took five years ago to put them out. When night arrived, Xion sat down on her bed and began to write in her journal
Day 4: I finally met Chi-Chi's father, he's really friendly but you wouldn't tell from first glance, I know I didn't. He shared various stories about the past, even about his first encounter with Goku and how Goku learned this "Kamehameha" thing. They said it's some kind of energy attack, but I don't know much about those. I'll probably learn them during training with Goku tomorrow since it seems my injuries have healed over the past two days. I'll admit, I'm pretty nervous and a little excited about training tomorrow but I have to give it my all and do my best.
The sun was shining as the day kicked off as any other but for the Son Family, this marked the day Xion finally began to train under Goku. The family and Xion were outside, ready to see what Xion is capable of as she would begin to spar with Goku, with Chi-Chi and Gohan watching from the sidelines. Goku wore his usual Turtle Hermit fighting gi, while Xion once again wore her organization coat.
Goku: "Alright Xion, for this match I'll need to see what your level of strength is if I'm going to train you properly. So I want you to go all out against me and don't hold anything back!" he said excitedly.
Xion: "Ok, then. Ready whenever you are." Xion replied, staring back at Goku.
Goku smiled as he took his fighting stance, Xion held her hand out and summoned her keyblade bearing her own grin, ready to fight. Both Chi-Chi and Gohan's eyes were widened in surprise to see Xion summoning a weapon seemingly out of thin air. Xion took her battle stance and continued to stare down Goku waiting for him to make a move.
Goku: "That's an interesting stance, I've seen a few sword fighters like Yamcha, but it looks like her stance relies on swift movement." Goku thought, analyzing her stance. "Alright Xion, bring it!" Goku yelled as he dashed to Xion, with Xion charging at Goku. Goku's fist collides with Xion's keyblade, resulting in a small shockwave of air pressure to the surrounding area. The two continued to stare down each other and pushed hard as they didn't want to lose ground over the other.
Goku was impressed by how much strength Xion was giving despite seemingly having a weaker body. What was also amazing was how hard the keyblade metal was, thinking despite being called a blade, it was to be used for bludgeoning to weaken opponents with its density. He slowly began to overpower Xion by slowly increasing his strength, in retaliation Xion gives up the struggle as she twirls to her left swiftly and attempts to attack Goku from behind. Goku was caught off guard having lost his balance to his strength but quickly recovered by rolling out of the way of Xion's strike from her keyblade.
Xion: "He's quick when it comes to recovering and obviously those muscles of his aren't for show. Almost makes me want to see a match between him and Lexaeus." Xion thought while smiling. Goku quickly rushed and appeared behind Xion giving her a kick to the back, yelling in pain.
Goku: "Stay focused, Xion! Get distracted even a little and it could cost you." Goku said sternly. Xion rolls back up, taking her stance again. Xion rushed back in anger and jumped into the air hoping to land a slash on Goku. Using his speed, he quickly grabs the keyblade before making contact and holds her up in the air. "You won't be able to hit me with obvious attacks like that." He said. Xion then attempts to kick him in the face, to which he quickly grabs her ankle and smiles knowing that wouldn't reach him, to which Xion smirks.
Xion: "Gotcha!" Xion shouts before letting the keyblade go with one hand and aims it directly at Goku. "Fire!" Xion yelled. Goku's eyes widened before he was struck by Xion's fire spell and launched back a few feet. Goku released Xion due to the sudden attack, she used the opportunity to rush at Goku as before he got prepared to counterattack.
As he was getting up, he saw Xion charging at him and quickly prepared for her assault. Xion raised her keyblade in the air as she yelled "Thunder". Goku quickly realizes a lightning bolt was charging straight at him and attempts to roll out of its way, only to slip and crash to the ground below him. He looked down and saw he was on top of ice, seeing this reaction made Xion smirk as her planned worked. The lightning struck Goku in the back electrocuting him, though not on lethal levels. Before he could shake off the pain of the lightning, Xion struck him with her keyblade with three slashes before her final horizontal slash sent him flying.
Goku sat up slowly and saw Xion was ready for more. In response, Goku stood up and raised his hand.
Goku: "Ok Xion, that's enough for the sparring session. This match is yours." Goku said, wearing a wide grin. Xion just stood in surprise after hearing the session ending like that, though she wouldn't say it, she was beginning to enjoy fighting Goku. Chi-Chi and Gohan stood in awestruck knowing that Xion bested Goku in the sparring match, it just seemed so unreal. Xion ran up to Goku with Chi-Chi and Gohan not too far behind.
Chi-Chi: "Are you okay, Goku? Those seemed like really nasty attacks." Chi-Chi asked with concern. Goku merely wore his grin and chuckled.
Goku: "I'm fine Chi-Chi." Goku said reassuringly to his wife before looking at his student. "Xion, I gotta admit, you definitely put up one heck of a brawl against me. You really had me a few times and I wasn't expecting those magic attacks of yours. They certainly stung a few times, especially that ice!" Goku praised while chuckling to himself. Xion just stood there and stared at Goku seemingly angry. "Uhh…what's wrong Xion?" He asked.
Xion: "If I was so good, then how do you explain that?" She replied as she pointed behind Goku. Goku and the others looked behind Goku and saw there was nothing that stood out. Xion raised her keyblade and hit Goku over the head with it. He grabbed his head in pain and yelled.
Goku: "OWW! What did you do that for, Xion?! I told you the match was over!" Goku yelled in pain. Chi-Chi and Gohan were surprised by her action, to which she simply dismissed her keyblade, crossed her arms and looked at Goku with a cheeky smile.
Xion: "I told you that you were getting an extra bonk on the head during our training. It wouldn't be good if your student was a liar, now would it?" She asked, wearing a smug grin. Goku, still rubbing his head, widened his eyes as he remembered that she did say that when they visited Master Korin. He then ended up laughing with his eyes shut while still rubbing his head.
Goku: "That is true, you did say that. But taking advantage of my curiosity was just not fair." He said before continuing to laugh, shortly Xion joined in with a few chuckles of her own. Chi-Chi sighed in relief while wearing a smile too, glad to know Xion wasn't really angry about anything, while Gohan was also happy by just knowing his father is ok even after the spar.
Xion: "So, how did I do Goku?" She asked as the laughter began to die down. Goku put his finger and thumb on his chin and began to think of the fight.
Goku: "As I said before, you're definitely good in a fight and you used your magic specifically as decoys while you assault your opponents with your keyblade, that's a good strategy. However your attacks aren't as strong as you are swift, therefore you won't be able to stop your opponents all that well. You can hold them off, but you'll eventually run out of stamina and you'll wind up being a target, especially to enemies who specialize in long ranged attacks. It also seemed like you used every trick in your arsenal, so if you use them all at once, your opponent will see your attacks coming and know how to avoid them." He explained.
Xion, who was listening to his words, nodded her head to his advice and was seeing where she needed to improve. It was true she was swift and her spells were incredible as distractions, but what good are they if she can't beat her opponent? Even Chi-Chi and Gohan started to see that Goku was making sense with his deductions.
Goku: "What I also noticed is that you never used any ki at all, so either you didn't want to use it for this match or you don't know how to use it at all." He continued. This specifically caught Xion's attention as her eyes widened a bit.
Xion: "You're right, I didn't use it because I don't know what ki is." Xion said.
Goku: "Well, to put it simply…ki is the energy or latent power within all living creatures. With enough training and focus, you can even use ki to hit your opponents with some of the devastating attacks-
Xion: "Or the simple act of flying." Xion finished, interrupting Goku. "I remember, Abby told me about ki before I got here. She said "people use "ki", which is also known as their "latent energy" or "fighting power", some even call it their "life force" and can be used as attacks or for support." Xion said.
Goku: "That's right! But mastering ki is pretty difficult, you'll need to train hard in order to wield it properly or else it could really damage you. But if you master the use of ki, there is nothing you won't be able to do!" Goku said
Gohan: "Like X-ray vision?!" Gohan asked his father. Goku just stared at his son for a few seconds before looking back at Xion.
Goku: "...almost nothing you won't be able to do." He said before laughing knowing his son just proved him wrong. "But either way, once you overcome all these steps, you'll definitely be strong enough to take down Organization XIII!" Goku said to Xion.
Xion: "Thanks Goku." Xion said. She stared at him before coming to a realization. "Goku?" She asked as Goku looked back at her. "Be honest, you surrendered but I didn't truly win did I? You let me win, didn't you?" She asked curiously. Goku chuckled.
Goku: "Sorry, Xion. Yeah, I was holding back a lot of my strength during our match. But this spar wasn't about winning or losing, it was testing to see what you're made of and how far you're gonna go. So don't beat yourself up about it, remember you really caught me by surprise with your quick decisions and reaction speed during the middle of the fight. For example, you used your thunder as a form of attack, but it was also a decoy to set up the ice below me so I couldn't escape properly by running or dodging. Now that was awesome planning on your part. But once you master the basics and learned to control ki properly, we will have another sparring session, one I won't intend on surrendering." Goku said with a challenging grin.
Chi-Chi: "He's right Xion. You have a knack for fighting, and you're only going to get better from here." Chi-Chi said. Xion nodded at their words knowing full well how true they were. "Now then, after a good match like that, I think it's time to relax. Goku, why don't you take Xion fishing so I can prepare something."
Goku: "Sure thing! You don't mind, right?" Goku asked, placing a hand on Xion's shoulder. Xion looked back at Goku and nodded. "We'll be back soon. Gohan do you want to come with us?" Goku asked, looking at his son.
Gohan: "Ok!" The boy replied. The trio walked away as Chi-Chi went back inside the house.
Goku: "This is a good chance for the both of you. Gohan, since Xion will be staying with us, this will be your chance to get used to being around her and remove that shyness of yours. Xion, you can see this as a form of training to train your mind with both focus and patience. This will help sharpen your mind and your senses. If we're going to teach you how to use ki in different aspects, you must first make sure your body, mind, and spirit are in harmony. I've noticed that while you do have speed, your body lacks power so we'll start on your physical training tomorrow, and when you're done with that, we can work on your mental training." Goku explained.
Xion: "Ok, but what about my spirit? Won't I have to train that too?" She asked curiously.
Goku: "From what I saw, you already seem to have a lot of spirit so there may not be that much to train, but if you still want to work on your spiritual training too, I suppose we can." Goku replied.
Xion: "I do, I want to make absolutely sure my training goes right and I don't want to miss a thing!" She replied. Goku giggled in excitement at her reply.
Goku: "I like the way you think and your dedication is admirable. This'll be fun, I just know it, Xion!" Goku said. Gohan and Xion simply smiled back at the man.
Day 5: I sparred today with Goku to see my current level of strength, and judging by his explanation, it was pretty low to be honest, so I have a lot of work to do before I'm 100% again. After that we went fishing, which he saw as a form of mental training to master focus and patience. The focusing part was a bit easy but the patience was really hard, I'm honestly not sure what he sees in fishing. He also said if I learned and mastered ki, I'll get stronger. He said I need to train my body, mind, and spirit so they work in harmony, so first up will be my physical training where I'm most lacking, then my mental training, finally my spiritual training. I'm not sure what this ki training will be, but if it's really this incredible force, I can't wait to see what I'll be able to do!
End Of Chapter 5
A/N: Now I know a LOT of you are probably gonna be p*ssed about how short this chapter was and how long it took to release it, specifically the sparring match, but please hear me out. With the arrival of Halloween, I've been working pretty hard to help set up everything, especially setting up the inside of a haunted house where people can go in and get scared to get candy, so my attention has been majorly divided between making this and helping out.
Now about the sparring match, what Goku said was accurate. It was to learn the scope of her power and judge where she has to improve so it had to be short because training out in the wilderness for a few days ain't exactly quality training. Now while some might argue her strength should be the same as her stamina, I also took into consideration that while she looks human, she still has a replica body and adding the keyblade's mystical properties on top of it, it makes sense that her stamina is quite above the average human levels. I thought this by thinking of a replica's true appearance in Kingdom Hearts 3, adding with Jafar's first line in Kingdom Hearts 1 "Such is the power of the keyblade. The child's strength is not his own."
As for the tardiness of this chapter compared to the others, while also trying to research the ways of ki further through searching online and taking in notes on how other fanfics tell it, seeing all the similarities so I don't make too many errors on ki training, I got a little too hooked on reading other fanfics as well for entertainment. Especially the Fairy Tail ones so it's my fault really on that one. I also was thinking too far ahead on how future battles will go past this opening "arc" (which for stupid reasons I'm calling the "Key to Ki" arc) especially with Frieza and Cell fights, that I lost focus on completing this d*mn arc first xD
So once again I apologize for the short chapter full of nothing but interactions (which seems to be my most used quality in writing a fanfic) but I feel y'all deserve something for the patience and will try to focus like 70% of the next chapter on training Xion. Like I enjoy going at my own pace, but I need to entertain y'all so you can enjoy this story because I know a lot of you want to see Xion go on the official Dragon Ball Z adventure and not this original starting arc but that's why I want to properly take Xion's progress one step at a time because you know how strong Raditz is compared to Goku in that arc and I want her to at least get some more practice and basics down first before that starts.
Ok, that should be everything, and instead of waiting a week to start making the next chapter, I'll start tomorrow to make up for lost time. I feel like I owe that to you all. So you next time!
