The afternoon sun brushed the sky with orange and yellow hues. The cool breeze blew Gohan's hair into his eyes and he swept it back with a quick motion of his left hand, steadying his body against the wall with his right arm. Slowly, he inched his way across the ledge until he reached the edge of the hospital building.

He climbed across the corner and out of sight just as the nurse poked her head out of the window of his room.

That was too close, Gohan thought. His mother had no idea where he was at this hour. As far as she knew, Gohan had gone straight to school. If she finds out I skipped school and got involved in the attack on the loan shark, she's going to finish me off! And if she finds out about my new quirk…

I have to make it home as quickly as possible. He stared at the grassy hills below and gulped. This was it. This was the only area secluded from the busy street. Beyond the parking lot, the hospital had maintained the woods to provide a shady, relaxing atmosphere where patients and employees could relax.

If he was going to make his escape, this would have to be the spot.

Another gust of wind brushed at Gohan's clothes and hair. He gulped down his nervousness, staring at the grass below, steadying his breath. Logic screamed at him to stop at once, to go back to his room and find a safer way down.

No, this is a chance to test my new power, Gohan thought. If I survived a jump from seven stories than three shouldn't be a problem… right?

Gohan inhaled and exhaled, wiping the nervous sweat forming on his brow.

"Well," he said to himself as he bent his knees and readied the balls of his feet. "Here goes nothing."

Gohan dropped to a squat and propelled himself as hard as he could, aiming for the grassy area where he had intended to land, several yards beyond the parking lot – and then watched as he flew up and over the woods with intense speed and force that shattered the ledge where he had jumped from.

Gohan's surprise instantly turned into panic as he flew uncontrollably through the afternoon sky, clearing the woods and the row of houses that lined the next street. Gohan screamed as his body arched into a descent, directly towards a used car sales lot.

Oh crap! Oh crap! Gohan flung his arms in futility as he fell straight down. No! No! No! No! Noooo!

The next moment, Gohan's body landed on top of one of the parked cars, crushing the entire roof of the car down. The force of the impact made the rest of the parked cars' alarms start to blare and the electricity from the sales building was knocked out.

Gohan laid there for a few moments, both amazed and perplexed at the power he had just witnessed. Unlike last time, this time Gohan felt all of the pain on his back.

"I have a quirk!" Gohan cried with tears in his eyes, tears of joy and pain. "I have a quirk!"

Chapter Two – The Journey That Lies Ahead

Gohan stood in the shower, refreshed by the cool water running down his body. He still felt bad about leaving the car absolutely destroyed back at the used car sales lot, but right now, he couldn't afford to get into any more trouble.

Luckily, he had managed to slip back home unnoticed; his mother had already gone to pick up Goten from the train station, so nobody had noticed the half naked boy ditching the hospital gown down the ally and slipping into his apartment.

Shutting the shower off, Gohan changed and finally threw himself into bed. Usually the stiff mattress gave him stiff neck problems but right now it was like resting on a cloud. He sighed, tired. His gaze landed on the framed photo on the wall of him and his parents.

"Dad…"

Gohan pulled out the photo from the Get Well Soon card. Goku had the same, childish grin that Gohan remembered. In reality, Gohan had very few memories of his father; after all, Goku had died in a horrible accident when Gohan was only eight years old.

Much of what he remembered about his father were just snapshots in time; Goku's puppy love way of looking at Chi-Chi, his voracious appetite, his uncanny ability to make friends out of everyone, and his ability to never get sick. For a quirkless guy, Goku had been an amazing father.

But now that Gohan had discovered that he did have a Quirk, then had Goku really been Quirkless, after all? If All Might had really known his father, maybe he could tell him more about him. Had Dad actually worked as a Pro Hero before? And if he did, did Mom know about this?

Gohan's breathing slowed and he allowed himself to finally fall asleep after the very long and peculiar day he'd just had.

The last thing on his mind before he drifted off to sleep were the words on the back of the photograph.

Who is the Blur?

Sobbing, uncontrollably.

Gohan blinked, suddenly aware of the lucidity of the dream.

The child in front of him curled up into a ball, his back against a stone wall, his head buried in his lap. His tiny shoulders leaped with each sob.

"Daddy," the little boy sobbed.

Gohan tried to comfort the crying child, but when he tried to speak, his voice rang hollow. He reached for the child's shoulder. At his touch, the child's head lifted and to Gohan's horror, his irises were missing. The whites of the child's eyes narrowed viciously at him, his sobs turning into enraged howls.

And suddenly Gohan was awake, breathing heavily and sweating bullets. What a crazy dream! He blinked a few times, catching his breath before he heard sobbing. He tucked the photo of his father under his pillow and turned in his bed to see his little brother burst in through the door, crying.

"Goten?" Gohan mumbled. "Hey, little guy, what's wrong?"

"…you stay in your room for the rest of the day and think about what you did!" Chi-Chi was barking angrily at Goten. The child quickly climbed up to his bunk and threw the covers over his head, crying.

"Mom? What happened to Goten?" Gohan asked.

"He and his little friend got into a fight with some boys at school. I knew that boy would be a bad influence on you."

"Goten," Gohan crossed his arms. "Why were you and Trunks picking fights at school?"

"We… weren't… picking fights," Goten said in between sobs. "It was… Tamashiro and Takuto… They stole my new lanyard… They're nothing but no-good… bullies!"

"Then why didn't you tell one of your teachers?"

"They never do anything," the kid sobbed. "Those two have been bullying us since the first day of school and I can't do anything because I don't have a Quirk. But Trunks has a powerful Quirk. He stands up to them. He said that's what heroes do; they stand up to bullies and fight back. And that's why Trunks is my Hero!"

"Ugh," Chi-Chi said. "That's it, I don't care how rich that little brat's family is, you're not allowed to go anywhere near him."

"But mom!"

"No buts, Goten and that's final!"

"Mom," Gohan placed an arm on her shoulder, trying to be the voice of reason. "Don't you think that's a little harsh? It isn't Goten's fault that they're getting bullied."

"I just want what's best for Goten," Chi-Chi responded. "I don't want him going around playing heroes versus villains and learning to beat other students up. I don't want him to be around that little delinquent so he can grow up to be a violence-loving strength-obsessed brawler like your father was!"

Chi-Chi bit back, but it was too late.

Gohan opened his mouth to respond, but gulped back a response and the comment had seemingly gone over Goten's head.

"Mom, it's late and you must be tired," Gohan said with a warm, calming voice. "Why don't we let Goten sit here and think about what he's done. Let me make you some tea and we can relax and talk about this later."

Chi-Chi closed her eyes with a sigh.

"Some tea would be great," she said with a tired smile. She turned and left, and Gohan followed, but before he closed the door, he winked at Goten and gave him a thumbs up. Still sobbing, Goten gave him a tearful smile and a thumbs up back.

"I'm concerned about Goten, Mom," Gohan said as he poured the fresh tea into a cup for his mother. "If he's really having issues with bullies at school, I think it would be a good idea to talk to his teachers and maybe even with the bullies' parents."

"He just needs to learn to shrug it off and focus on his studies," Chi-Chi said. "Why can't he be more like you?" She said.

"More like me?"

"Studious, obedient, calm. Goten has this… this storm inside of him that he can't seem to get under control. He's got too much of his father in him, that's for sure."

Gohan stirred the tea with the teaspoon in thought.

"Do you miss him?" He said finally.

"Hmm?"

"Dad. I just…" found out that he was a Pro.

No, I can't bring that up just yet, not so soon after that comment she made. Must be a sensitive topic for her.

"I just miss him so much," he said, instead.

"He had his flaws, for sure," Chi-Chi said. "But I loved him and he loved you, Gohan. That's what really mattered, in the end. It's hard to believe it's almost been seven years since…"

The phone rang and broke the moment.

Chi-Chi saw the number and excused herself, leaving the dining room to take the call. Gohan sat there drinking his tea and thinking about his newfound power. Had his father been just like him – Quirkless, until his powers manifested later. His thoughts came back to what Goten had said earlier.

"That's what Heroes do; They stand up to bullies."

Dad… Is that what happened to you?

"Whaaaat?" Chi-Chi's voice filled the room. "That's amazing! Yes! Thank you very much!"

She hung up the phone and threw her arms around Gohan.

"Oh Gohan it's so wonderful, a random stranger just paid off our loan from Sarakin-san. We're officially debt-free! Isn't that great?"

"Wow, that's great news, Mom!" Gohan feigned surprise, hugging his mother tightly. "Finally, some good news!" I wonder who that random stranger could have been…

Nail?

His mind wondered back to the coordinates in the back of the photograph.

The least I could do is go thank him.

The next morning, Gohan woke up and thankfully there had been no nightmare this time. He went about his regular morning routine of getting his brother ready for school and walking him across the busy road towards the walkway that led to the train station.

"And then Takuto jumped up at him with his giant snapping jaws quirk, but Trunks jumped around him and Tamashiro like a spiderweb, landing punches until they used up their Quirk stamina and collapsed and it was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Goten's arms shot around, imitating the move.

"Wow, sounds amazing," Gohan said as they entered the train station together. "So what's his Quirk? Super-speed? Super-strength?"

"Well, he got his super-intelligence Quirk from his mom, but he got an agility Quirk from his dad. So he's super smart and super strong!"

"That does make for an awesome combination. But what about you, Goten?"

"What about me?"

"Have you noticed anything about yourself? Anything… different?" Gohan had to be really careful here. He knew that if Goten had manifested a Quirk, he could trust Gohan enough to tell him. At the same time, there was no guarantee that Goten would have a Quirk at all, and giving him false hope would be cruel. But still…

"Well I grew three inches taller," Goten said. "And I can burp the loudest in the class."

"Well, those certainly are pretty cool talents," Gohan laughed, suppressing a sigh. "Goten, if you could have a Quirk – any Quirk, what would it be?"

Goten thought for a moment and then a childish smile formed on his face.

"Oh, that's easy, I would be Trunks!"

"Oh, okay, so super-smart and super-strong?"

"No, I mean I literally want to be Trunks! With our combined Quirks we'd be unstoppable!"

"Well, that's… unique," Gohan said. "Wait, what do you mean with your 'combined Quirks'?"

"Yoooo, Goten!"

The two turned to see a lavender-haired boy fly up to them and land in front of Goten.

"Trunks!" Goten said happily. "I hope you didn't get into too much trouble yesterday."

Trunks brushed his hair back, stuffing his other hand into the pocket of his yellow hoodie. The hoodie did a poor job of concealing his black eye.

"Yeah, Mom was pretty pissed and she grounded me or whatever, what about you?"

"My Mom says you're a delinquent and I'm not allowed to be friends with you anymore," Goten said, with a beaming smile.

"Laaaaame," Trunks made a face and clenched his small fist. "C'mon, let's go to class. Don't worry, those punks won't mess with you anymore."

Goten turned to Gohan, his face pleading for permission.

Gohan sighed. Obviously, Trunks was just looking out for Goten. It's not like the two were going around picking fights. And it was kind of nice that Goten had such a good friend like Trunks, a friend who looked out for him and was willing to get in trouble just to help him out.

"Okay, but don't be late. And no more fighting!"

"Yes!" The two boys started to leave and Gohan began to turn when suddenly, Trunk's azure eyes turned sharply to stare at him.

"Wait," he said. "Do you feel that?"

The stare was as cold as ice, and for a moment it unnerved Gohan.

"Hmmm?" Goten seemed completely oblivious to whatever had caught Trunks' attention.

A mischievous smile formed across Trunks' lips.

"Jeez, mister, I can tell you're really strong."

"What – uh, what do you mean by that?" Gohan laughed it off. Oh crap, Goten was right. This little brat really is super-smart.

"I can feel your power level."

"Well, I started doing Yoga," Gohan chuckled nervously. How in the world did this kid know?

"Nah, that's not it. Your power level's stupid strong, just like my old man's."

"I've been doing a lot of Yoga."

Trunks stared at him, then at Goten who was still clueless. Suddenly the train that took them to their school arrived and the doors opened.

"Oh, I see," Trunks said and shrugged. "Forget it. Go twist your foot over your neck or something. C'mon Goten."

"Bye, Gohan!"

The two entered the train and after a few minutes, the doors closed and the train sped off, and Gohan let out a sigh of relief. That was close. What an interesting character, that Trunks. And what did he mean by 'power level'?

A few moments later, the train that led to his high school came and went, but Gohan wasn't planning on going to school. With the coordinates in hand, he boarded the train to his true destination – a city he'd never been to before called Namek.

The rumble of the train woke him up and Gohan immediately saw that he was in a completely different place. Gone were the students, day laborers, and the night shift workers, replaced by drunks, Yakuza and men with scantily dressed women under their arms.

"Oh, what do we have here?" One of the women that boarded the train purred, sitting close to him. "Did someone miss their terminal on their way to school?"

Gohan instantly felt uncomfortable and got up to leave.

"If you're looking for a date, I can be a schoolgirl for you, hun."

"No thanks," Gohan called back as he left the train.

"Be like that then."

Namek was like nothing that Gohan had seen before. He'd heard of the famous "red light" pleasure districts like Shinjuku, Kamino and Kabukicho, but Namek was a completely different animal.

Around him, filthy rich people cruised around in flashy cars full of women, seedy deals were made in dark alleys and around every corner there seemed to be police officers arresting somebody.

This is definitely not a place I should be in, Gohan thought to himself, instinctively tightening his grip on his backpack. Oh, Gohan, what the heck are you doing?

He followed the coordinates in his radar and they led him down a winding path in between the buildings. The loud booming music from the hostess bars around them rumbled alongside the walls.

"It should be… here."

Gohan looked up to see three men in suits walking towards him.

Oh crap.

"Sorry, I got lost," Gohan said, stepping back. "I'm just looking for a friend."

"What's in the bag?" One of them motioned towards Gohan's backpack.

"Books and papers," Gohan said nervously.

"Open it up and let's see it." They roughly took Gohan's back pack and emptied its contents onto the street. The wind blew the papers away and Gohan groaned.

"Well, there goes my pre-algebra homework."

"Shaddup, kid," the man said. "Nobody gets into Papaya Island without going through the screening first."

"P-Papaya Island?" Gohan suppressed a laugh. The man was acting way too tough to be working at "Papaya Island."

"Relax Nitro, he's with me," came a familiar voice.

Out of the door was Nail. His white, sleeveless robes and antennae swayed with the breeze.

"Gohan, so nice of you to finally stop by." He motioned with his neck and Gohan followed him inside. "I half-expected you to die after jumping from a seven story building. How did you manage that by the way, being that you're just a 'Quirkless boy'?"

Gohan shrugged.

"Apparently, I'm not."

"You know, you saved a lot of people that day."

"Not all of them. Some of them died in the fire that your friends started."

"No they didn't," Nail said, shaking his head. "Those guys were tired of working for a low-level scumbag like Sarakin. Who do you think let us in? After that, my brother gave them and their families new identities and brought them here, to Papaya Island. Paradise."

They entered and Gohan saw the scope of what Papaya Island really was; an underground resort of some kind, filled with bars, restaurants, entertainment centers, and hotels, though Gohan refused to think about what they were being used for.

"What is this place?"

"Back in its day, Papaya Island was a run-of-the-mill martial arts hall, but my brother's really turned things around and made this into a place where people can have a great time and stay as long as they need to."

"So… why did you bring me here, Nail? What does this have to do with me or my father? And more importantly, how do you know my father?"

Nail smiled and shrugged.

"Valid questions. The short answer is, I don't. I never met your dad. By the time I moved here, your dad had already died, but I had come to admire him and the kind of hero he was. And by the way my brother talked about him, I became something of fanboy of the Blur."

"What do you mean, the kind of hero he was?"

"Well, let me introduce you to my brother and I'm sure he can answer all of your questions. That is what you want, right Gohan, Son of the Blur?"

Gohan breathed deeply. Here he was in a casino owned by two criminals, that catered to basic fleshly instincts where no soon-to-be High School student should be. Part of him screamed for him to turn back to the comfort of normality and the routine, to just focus on being a good older brother and son, and to focus on his studies.

But no, he could never go back. The door had been opened and he had to choose now whether to go through it or not.

"Okay," he said. "Take me to him."

Nail took him across the labyrinth of casinos, restaurants and bars. Slowly, a chorus of cheers and roars began to fill the air.

"Now, I know it's going to be a lot to take in," Nail said as they reached the door. "My brother's a… special kind of person and you're going to have to stand out to get his attention. But I'm sure once he knows who you are, he won't have a problem talking to you."

"Okay…?"

The doors opened and the roar of hundreds of people poured out. The people cheered, ate and drank from the stands that surrounded a large fighting ring in the middle of the room. In the ring, a mountain of a man towered over his opponent, his fists raining down on his enemy until he was beaten to a pulp.

"Woooow."

"I know," Nail said. "The World Martial Arts Tournament is Papaya Island's biggest event. Watch your step."

The crowd loved the show and the giant man roared at his defeated opponent. An announcer with sunglasses and a microphone stood up in the middle of the ring, hyping everyone up.

"The winner and still undefeated champion… RAPPA KENDOOOOO! Is there nobody in the crowd tonight brave enough to take on the Rappa? Or are we going to see another repeat of the last few years?"

"Gohan… Hey, Gohan, come on."

Gohan followed Nail as he waded through the drunken crowd, making his way up to a balcony that overlooked the ring. There, a tall man watched the fight silently. As they approached him, Gohan could see that the man looked exactly like Nail. Down to the green skin and antennae.

The man was accompanied by a beautiful woman with orange hair who clung onto his left arm.

"Ohh, look, darling," she squealed with delight. "It's Nail! Long time no see, hun."

"Miss Piiza, glad to see you again. Taking good care of my brother?"

"Ice cold like my drinks," the woman said. "Just the way I like 'em."

"Brother, how long has it been!" Nail called out, extending a right hand to the taller man. The other man glanced down at his hand, then back at Nail without a word.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot," Nail withdrew his right hand and put out his left.

"What do you want, Nail? You're wasting my time," the man said, coldly. There was a steely edge to his voice that made Gohan wince.

"You're not going to believe who I've found, brother. Does this kid look familiar to you?"

Gohan shivered under his icy glare.

"No."

"Hello, sir," Gohan said, introducing himself and bowing respectfully. "My name is Gohan Son. Please, may I ask you a few questions about my father Goku – the Blur? I heard you knew him."

The man's breathing became audible and his eyes narrowed.

"What is this?" He said, turning to Nail.

"This is Gohan, Son of the Blur."

His breathing became enraged seething and his eyes pierced through Gohan and Nail.

"Get. Out." He said through gritted teeth.

"But Piccolo-"

"Now!"

Gohan's cheeks burned. He had not expected this type of reaction from someone who supposedly had known his father.

"I skipped school and rode a train for three hours to get here, to get some answers," he told Nail. "And I'm not going home until I have them."

Without another word, Gohan turned and made his way down to the ring.

"Kid? Kid, what are you doing?"

"Making myself stand out." Gohan gave him a half smile, walking towards the announcer.

"My name is Gohan," he said loudly. "And I challenge Rappa Kendo to a cage match!"

The crowd broke into laughter at this.

"Gohan, what do you think you're doing?" Nail grabbed Gohan's arm forcefully. "You're just a kid, Rappa's been the king of this ring for years. He'll pulverize you."

"Well, you said I had to stand out, right? Look. That definitely caught his attention!" Gohan smiled. Nail shook his head.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing."

"Finally, someone with some backbone!" Rappa Kendo howled. "I accept your challenge, skinny punk! Come down here so I can tear you apart!"

The crowd cheered and chanted in drunken stupor as Gohan climbed onto the ring. Large metal cages dropped down, covering all sides so that nobody could escape from the ring. As the bouncers tied the cage with metal chains, Gohan dropped down to a stretch, looking up at Piccolo with a confident smile.

Piccolo's eye twitched for an instant.

"Foolish child," he said. "Are you really so reckless?"

"Well yeah, just watch me," Gohan said cheerfully. "But after I fight him, you have to promise me you'll answer my questions."

Piccolo stared at him, eyes narrowed.

"Fine."

"Fine?" Nail argued. "You're actually letting this schoolboy go through with this?"

"By the looks of it, this boy needs to be taught a lesson. And after Rappa tears this fraud apart, you're both leaving and never coming back."

Nail glared at his brother, then turned back to Gohan, who was warming up for the fight.

"Good luck, kid!" he yelled. Don't get killed just yet!

Alright, Gohan thought to himself. I've gotten myself into worse situations. Just gotta end this quickly.

Gohan's hands balled into fists and he brought them up in an awkward and untrained stance. Rappa stared for a moment, confused, before bursting into laughter.

"Don't tell me you've never been in a fight before, Skinny!" He laughed.

"A few, mostly with my seven year old brother," Gohan said, smirking. "And an old lady just outside that I had to fight the last Takoyaki for. But how hard can it be, right?"

"Heh," Rappa brought his enormous fists up. "I like you, Skinny. Just for that, I won't break every bone in your body."

"All I ask is that you leave my face alone," Gohan quipped. "For my mother."

Six large floodlights came on, illuminating the entire ring. It was blinding for a moment, and Gohan shielded his eyes with his arm.

The bell rang and suddenly Rappa was on top of him. Two large, meaty fists rained down and impacted against the empty floor where Gohan once stood.

"What the?" Rappa yelped, staggering forward.

"Missed me there, big fella," Gohan said. Rappa turned in time to see Gohan flip towards him. His right leg shot out in a powerful kick that sent Rappa against the bars. The giant man fell to one knee and Gohan landed clumsily on his toes in front of him.

A streak of red ran down Rappa's nose and he wiped at it. Seeing his own blood, a crazed smile formed on Rappa's lips.

"Now this is more like it!" He growled. Slamming his fists on the ground, he forced himself up. Gotta end this quick! Gohan thought to himself and swung forward with a punch, aiming for Rappa's chin. Rappa took the punches squarely in the jaw, the impact sending gusts of wind, fanning the roar of the crowd around them.

C'mon, big guy, Gohan gritted his teeth, punching away at Rappa's face with all of his strength. Go to sleep!

But instead, Rappa put his hands together and brought them up under Gohan's chin. Gohan's teeth sank into his tongue, a burst of iron filling his mouth as he staggered back from the sudden attack.

"My turn," Rappa squealed with delight.

Oh, great. So much for ending this quickly. Gohan was barely able to lift his arms up to block when Rappa's powerful fists landed against them. It was like trying to stop an incoming bus with your bare arms.

Gohan gritted his teeth and planted his feet down on the ring, but it was no use. Rappa's momentum-less punches incrementally became harder and faster. Gohan felt himself beginning to get pushed back.

Not good! Gohan thought. Okay, I have to change it up or I'm toast!

Rappa delivered a powerful blow that sent Gohan flying back.

Okay, big guy, let's try this, then. Goten, this one's for you!

Gohan used the force of the blow to flip himself, landing on the bars with his feet. The blow stung, but he pushed all of his strength down to his legs, gathering it on the balls of his feet, just like when he jumped out of the hospital building.

The next instant Gohan shot forward like a bullet towards the incoming Rappa. His fist connected against Rappa's forehead, who staggered back.

It worked! Now I just have to keep pushing until I can knock him out.

Gohan immediately leaped away, backflipped and repeated the move. Slowly, his attacks began to speed up until he was zipping around the ring, punching Rappa and then leaping safely out of his range. Just like a spiderweb, like Goten said.

Up on the balcony, Piccolo and Nail watched the fight intently.

Miss Piiza brought over two bottles to where Piccolo was standing.

"What do you think, hun?" she said. "The Menage a Trois or the Five Star?"

Piccolo didn't respond. He stood there, silently watching as the boy in the ring leaped and dodged around the mountain of a man that was chasing him, landing the occasional blow then leaping away.

"Sloppy," Piccolo muttered.

"Hmm?"

"His footwork is sloppy, his stance is inconsistent, his punches are wild and untrained."

Miss Piiza blinked several times before smiling widely.

"Well, well, well, looks like somebody other than Rappa or myself finally caught your eye," she said, settling with the Five Star and pouring herself a glass.

"This new move, it's speed and intensity, it's almost like he's just a-"

"A blur?" Nail smiled next to him, his arms crossed.

Piccolo glared up at him, then turned his attention back down to the ring.

Down in the ring, Rappa roared, annoyed.

"Stop running and fight me, you annoying little fly!"

I almost have him, I almost have him!

Gohan flipped again, and pushed himself from the bars, propelling himself with all of his might towards Rappa from behind.

And suddenly a jolt of pain and nausea rocked Gohan's body.

Oh no, what the heck is happening to me?

Rappa noticed this and leaped away as Gohan landed on the ring with a thud.

Piccolo's eyes widened for an instant, then narrowed.

"Gohan!" Nail called out. Gohan's world began to spin and he propped himself onto his elbows. His stomach threatened to empty itself.

No, please! Not now! The roar of the crowd only made the nausea worse. Gohan squeezed his head with his hands, in an effort to make the world stop spinning.

Rappa immediately seized on the opportunity and ran towards the fallen teen. Gohan felt the heavy footsteps stomping towards him and jumped back onto his feet, bringing his arms up in a block, but Rappa was already on him, his iron fists hammering away at Gohan's crossed arms, undeterred. The pit in Gohan's stomach by now had become a black hole and he could feel his lunch threatening to come rushing out.

His dizzying world was beginning to spin beyond his control. Rappa's fists rained down on him mercilessly. Can't lose. I have to keep going!Gohan swallowed his lunch back down and leaped forward. I can't give up! Not when I'm so close!

But his legs were practically noodles at this point and his fist flew wide of its target.

"You put up one hell of a fight, kid!" Rappa easily sidestepped Gohan's attack and slammed his huge elbow down on Gohan's spine. Gohan cried as the blow slammed his body against the ring floor with such force that he bounced back. Rappa grabbed foot and spun him around.

"But this match is over!" he threw Gohan's body against the cage. The crowd roared as the boy's body crumpled to the ring floor. Rappa raised his arms in a victorious howl, and the people roared again.

"Gohan… Gohan…."

"Dad?"

"The power within you; it's yours. Give me your hand, son."

"Dad" Gohan yelled audibly, his hand reaching out. Rappa heard this and laughed.

"Oh, look at him, I think he's seeing the light from the other side. Or maybe he's just gone insane?"

Gohan pushed himself up weakly, hand still outstretched.

"Dad!"

"You can do it, Gohan! Give him everything you've got!"

"Time to finish this!" Rappa ran towards Gohan. Hand outstretched, Gohan felt all of his power flow to the palm of his hand, forming into an orb of intense light. The ball grew and grew until Gohan couldn't hold onto it any more.

"The power within you is yours!" His father's voice yelled again. "Give him everything you've got! Scream it, Gohan! Scream it from the depths of your soul!"

"KAAAAAMEHAMEHAAAAAAA!"

The room was engulfed in a bright flash of power, and Piccolo shielded Miss Piiza with his white cape.

"That was a Kamehameha wave!" Piccolo shouted.

The blast hit Rappa and distorted his body. Rappa screamed as the blast of energy coursed through him and blasted him through the bars of the cage and sent him smashing against the concession stand. When it was over, Rappa fell over in a charred heap, completely unconscious.

"What was that?" the spectators whispered.

"What is he? A monster?"

"Guys! Look at Rappa! He's out cold!"

Gohan himself stared at the palm of his hand.

How did I do that?

The announcer quickly undid the locks and jumped into the ring.

"Winner by way of knockout and new World Martial Arts Champion, Gohannnnn Sonnnn!"

The crowd immediately broke into a cheer as the announcer held Gohan's arm up in victory.

Above the ring, Piccolo let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"He put up a good fight, that's for sure," Miss Piiza commented with a smile, leaning against Piccolo's crossed arms. She smirked up at him when he ignored her.

"Wow, so you really do like him, don't you?" She teased.

"He was the first one to beat Rappa. Didn't I tell you, brother? The boy is amazing." Nail smiled. "Couldn't he possibly be the Gohan, Son of the Blur, from all those years ago?"

Piccolo's eyes were glued onto the boy in thought.

"No," he said, almost to himself. "He can't be." I held the boy in my arms as he died. But that massive power… and the Kamehameha Wave! He couldn't possibly be… Could he?

"Have the girls clean him up," Piccolo told a smirking Miss Piiza. "Then afterwards, send him up to my office. I'll have a word with him."

"Right away, dear," Miss Piiza said.

As Piccolo walked away, he couldn't help but feel his heart stir with excitement ever so slightly. Could it really be you, kid?