03
Master Roshi's island was much smaller than Chi-Chi remembered. If she wasn't mistaken, she had gone there once when she was a child and another time a few years ago. On both occasions, however, it was likely that the moment's rush had not allowed her to pay much attention to the details. In addition to its size, it was a bit impressive to see that there were no other islands nearby, just miles and miles of sea to wherever she saw. It was impressive that Goku could locate that little dot on the map with his simple orientation.
Once they arrived, the Flying Nimbus stopped right over the house. Chi-Chi spotted a flying ship parked to the side that must have belonged to Bulma.
Goku took his wife in his arms, and she took her son, and the three of them jumped from the cloud towards the mainland accompanied by a small cry of fear, although clearly also of emotion. Goku, of course, easily achieved that they reached the ground safely.
"Guys, we're here!" the warrior pronounced loudly to be noticed. The house's occupants didn't take long to show up: Krillin, Bulma, Master Roshi, and the old turtle that was the teacher's pet (or something like that).
"Goku!" Krillin exclaimed, filled with joy and a broad smile on his face.
"Oh, and Chi-Chi came too," Master Roshi pointed out, coming out behind him.
"Hello everyone, long time no see you," Chi-Chi greeted with a respectful nod. She was still holding Gohan, which prevented her from bowing more deeply.
They approached Goku without hesitation, and the looks and words of admiration when contemplating their old friend were notorious, as was the overflowing joy that enveloped them. Chi-Chi couldn't help but smile when he saw that. It was remarkable how great an effect Goku had on those who appreciated him.
After a few seconds of greetings and laughter, the child's presence in his mother's arms did not go unnoticed any longer.
"Hey, what about that kid?" Bulma asked, pointing towards the little boy.
"Huh?" Chi-Chi exclaimed, somewhat confused. "Goku, haven't you told them about Gohan?" She questioned next, looking at her husband with an expression of clear reprimand. He looked back at her with a term of genuine confusion that clearly said: should I have?
"Well, that's why I was going to introduce him to them today," Goku stated, placing a hand behind his head. "Guys, this is our son, Gohan."
"Eh?!" They all exclaimed in unison, full of astonishment. Although, looking more closely at the little one, it was quite obvious; he was pretty much the spitting image of Goku when he was a kid.
Feeling all those gazes on him, Gohan seemed to feel self-conscious and instinctively averted his gaze to hide his face against his mother's neck.
"Come on, don't be shy," Chi-Chi mumbled sweetly, running a hand over the boy's back. "Say hello, come on."
At his mother's instruction, Gohan slowly turned to those unknown people, took a deep breath, and uttered in a high-pitched voice:
"Hi, nice to meet you…"
In truth, he was too adorable a child; in that, he definitely did not look like Goku.
"So now you're a father, Goku," Master Roshi commented with a laughing voice. "And you named him Gohan after your deceased grandfather. It gives me great pleasure."
Chi-Chi lowered the child to the ground, and he stood on his little feet as best he could. He was evidently still quite embarrassed, and he kept his head down, and his fingers played restlessly with each other.
Bulma then approached, squatting before him, and smiled sweetly at him. The boy looked up from her just enough to see the young lady looking at him so closely.
"Nice to meet you, Gohan," she said slowly, extending her hand toward him. "My name is Bulma."
Gohan eyed the hand shyly and reflexively snuggled a little against his mother's leg.
"Don't be so embarrassed," Bulma laughed. "I know I am a very pretty woman, but I don't bite."
Chi-Chi placed a hand on her son's back and pushed him forward a bit so that he took two steps toward Bulma. At last, he seemed to gather enough courage to extend one of her little hands, which Bulma held between her fingers for a delicate handshake.
"How old are you, Gohan?"
"I have four," answered the boy in a low voice, extending four fingers of his other hand.
"Ah, very good," Bulma agreed. "Even though he is Goku's son, he seems to know how to count very well."
"What are you talking about?" Goku pronounced, somewhat confused. The others chuckled quietly, none seeming quite willing to explain it to him.
"Gohan is a very smart kid," Chi-Chi stated, crouching beside her son and placing her hands on his shoulders. "Every day, we study hard so that he can be a great researcher when he grows up."
"A great researcher, huh?" Bulma pronounced, curious. "Do you like to discover and learn things, Gohan?"
"Yes," answered the little boy energetically, nodding.
"And what about the robots? Do you like robots?"
"Yes, I like them a lot," he answered now with more enthusiasm than before.
"Great. Well, it turns out that I am an expert in that kind of thing. Would you like me to show you some of the items I've created?"
The boy's eyes widened at that question, and a singular sparkle of emotion overflowed from them.
"Yeah!" He exclaimed aloud without thinking, though he immediately contracted again. "But…"
He glanced sideways at his mother, waiting for her to instruct him on whether or not to do it. Chi-Chi smiled, happy to see her son so excited to learn something new.
You'll really be a great researcher, she thought proudly.
"Go ahead," she instructed, touching his back. "But behave well."
Gohan gave a vigorous nod and then walked over to Bulma. She stood up again and took him carefully by his little hand to guide him towards her ship.
"Come, I have a tablet here with many diagrams and plans you will surely like."
Chi-Chi watched in silence as they both walked away, only a few meters towards the ship parked at the side of the house. Although she was smiling and, of course, the joy was real, the truth was that her chest was also a little oppressed by the mere image of seeing her little boy move away from her, even a few steps, and also with another person. It was a totally illogical feeling, and she knew it. And so she tried to contain it as much as possible.
"This is excellent," she commented suddenly, turning to Goku. He had started talking with Krillin and Master Roshi, but he turned to look at her as soon as he heard her speaking to him. "Bulma is a very, very intelligent woman. There's a lot Gohan can learn from her."
Goku looked over to where his son and his friend had gone. They were both sitting in the ship's seat. Bulma was teaching the little boy something on her tablet. And while she explained to him, he looked at the screen, amazed.
"Now that you mention it, Bulma is something like a… researcher, isn't she?" He commented thoughtfully, taking his chin with one hand.
"Something like that," Chi-Chi replied. "From what I understand, her area is more towards engineering, but I think she can still help Gohan develop skills that can be useful to him."
The reality was that Chi-Chi was not exactly very clear about what could and could not be valuable and interesting to her son. After all, she had never studied beyond the bare minimum, and sometimes she couldn't understand half of the things she went over with Gohan. But she tried to cover a little of everything. The more tools she could give him, it would be better.
"I don't quite understand, but if you think it's a good thing, then it must be so," Goku pointed out nonchalantly.
"Oh, Goku," Chi-Chi sighed, laughing a little at her husband's words.
If she didn't understand many of the things that Gohan studied, Goku much less. But she was fine; having his support and his confidence was enough.
"Hey, Goku," Krillin said, standing next to them to also look at where Bulma and Gohan were. "And your son is just as strong as you?"
That sudden question caused a fright in Chi-Chi. It certainly wasn't an unexpected question, considering who her father was, but it was a bit awkward. At least for her, but definitely not for Goku.
"Well, I think he does have some power, but…" the fighter began to explain, and Chi-Chi hastened to complement him.
"But we've decided to focus on strengthening other areas, like studying," Chi-Chi pointed out proudly. "After all, in a time of peace and without threats that endanger it, it is people with knowledge and studies who can bring well-being to people. Do you disagree?"
She turned at that moment with her gaze fixed on Krillin and Master Roshi, and clearly they tensed a little at this.
"I guess so," Krillin replied with a nervous smile. "Although there can always be some threat out there. After all, Piccolo Daimao is still alive somewhere."
"I know," agreed Chi-Chi, raising her thoughtful gaze to the bright blue sky above them. "But if Piccolo or anyone else comes looking for trouble, I know Goku will take it upon himself to defeat them and protect us all. Is it not like this?"
She turned to look at her husband at that moment, offering him a candid smile of joy. He returned it to her.
"Yeah, of course, I do," Goku stated quite confidently.
Chi-Chi nodded again and went back to Krillin and Master Roshi.
"And it's because of that faith that I have in Goku that I can rest assured that my Gohan can concentrate on being the best person he can be. I know that one day, just as his father saved the world with his techniques and his strength, Gohan will do the same, making the world a better place with his discoveries, inventions, or teaching others. That will be his fight, and his studies will be his training."
"That's a very nice thought, child," Master Roshi commented, running a hand through his long white beard. "Certainly, today's times are very different from when I was young. Now the children can live a quieter life and focus on other interests."
"If you say so, master," Krillin said slowly, clearly still unconvinced. "But it never hurts to train a little and be prepared for what might happen, right? Besides, if he is Goku's son, I'm sure he could be a great warrior..."
The boy's words had to be cut short when his attention turned back to Chi-Chi, and he could appreciate how she looked at him. Although on the surface she seemed calm, even stoic, Krillin could feel a trace of slight aggression piercing his forehead like daggers.
"I'm just saying…" he pronounced nervously, waving a pair of hands in front of him. Apparently, Goku's wife could be frightening if she put her mind to it.
Chi-Chi shifted her gaze to the side, and she tucked a lock behind her ear with her fingers.
"I suppose a little exercise makes the mind good, too," she said suddenly, her voice calmer. "I just don't want him to focus too much on that and give up his studies."
She raised her gaze forward. In addition to the tablet, Bulma now seemed to be showing Gohan one of her gadgets. And, of course, the boy watched him and listened with absolute attention.
"I have a lot of faith and hope in what he will be able to do in the future…"