24 Hours until the Tournament of Time
"Get off your ass, brat! I will not allow you to disrespect our race in front of the multiverse with a piss poor performance!"
In occasional moments of clarity, Gohan would reflect on just how insane his life had become over the years. At one point he had just been another human living in the woods, but then came the aliens, followed by time travel, magic, deities, other universes, and most challenging of all; parenthood.
Yet despite all the craziness and insanity and the ever amounting odds, there remained one constant; Vegeta, and his attitude.
Time was rapidly running out for them all now. Thirty-six hours had passed since his father's warning. And as dawn broke, they were just a day away from the start of the Tournament of Time.
Gohan jumped to his feet after failing to dodge yet another one of Vegeta's attacks. His jaw felt crooked and his right eye was twitching. He didn't get another moment to compose himself before Vegeta continued his assault. A bright flash and immense boom of sound soon followed, resulting in Gohan being involuntarily shot off into the sky and then into a downward spiral.
"Grandpa, they're going too fast, I can't see them!"
"Heh heh. What do you want me to do, Pan? Tell them to slow down?" Goku grinned, standing on a cliff edge and watching the fight intently. Pan was nearby, sitting atop a rock pillar, arms crossed and eyes darting left and right but always a second behind the action. It was as frustrating for her as it was exhilarating.
"To be honest I was kinda expecting him to be doing worse," Goku stated to the also present Piccolo at his side, who had sensed the commotion and decided to join and observe, flying in just as the fighting started. "You know how Gohan likes to slack in his training."
"That habit of his was beaten out of him a long time ago," Piccolo replied, smirking by Goku's side. "He's just not used to Vegeta being in a good mood, it's throwing him off."
Goku laughed, but didn't turn away. He was focused on every move his rival and son made; every punch and every kick. He was used to fighting the two individually one-on-one, so it was an unfamiliar experience to be the one spectating. Gohan and himself had traveled somewhere remote in the early morning to get some last minute practice in before the tournament began, with Pan deciding to tag along, and Vegeta, ever intent, sensed the trio immediately and joined them also. He all but demanded Gohan fight him the second he arrived.
Goku was slightly offended Vegeta hadn't acknowledged him.
"It's funny, in a way this is the best training for both of them," Piccolo began, drawing Pan's attention; whose eyes were still unable to keep up. "Gohan and Vegeta are so unfamiliar with fighting each other that they can't effectively anticipate each other's attacks or plan their next move, they're having to think on their feet to try to get ahead." Piccolo's words were followed by another boom of energy flashing out.
"Haven't they been watching each other fight since my dad was a kid though? Surely they should know each other's techniques by now," Pan said, somewhat dismissively.
"Knowing how someone fights and knowing how to fight them aren't the same thing, kid," Piccolo replied, turning his gaze to Pan. "Just because you know how someone punches doesn't mean you'll know what to do once their fist is heading for you."
After another boom, Goku let out a whistle. "And I think Gohan is learning that the hard way right about now!"
After a particularly powerful energy wave from Vegeta, Gohan fell to one knee to take a breath. His clothes were smoking and he was littered with burns. Vegeta landed in front of him, donning a stern frown, aside from a few scratches, he was otherwise no worse for wear.
"I will not waste my breath telling you to get up again."
Gohan appeared to ignore him, not leaving his kneeling position and hanging his head low. Vegeta growled and suddenly kicked off from the earth, wasting no time in lunging forward with a yell. His fist filled with power as he prepared for another, seemingly final blow.
Goku and Piccolo continued to stare intently. Pan suppressed a gasp, as Vegeta was moving slow enough for her to see him.
He was also moving slow enough for Gohan to suddenly lean backwards under the intended blow, his leg rising in the motion and being driven into Vegeta's abdomen. Vegeta's eyes bulged, and he froze mid strike.
Gohan spun to his left, swinging out his other leg, which connected with Vegeta's side, pushing him away, but with him staying close enough for Gohan to continue his assault. His kicks were now accompanied by punches, capitalising on the opportunity that had presented itself to go on the offensive.
"Well that was a dirty little trick," Goku murmured while Piccolo snorted. "I mean it was effective, but still dirty."
"When most of the experience you have is fighting against opponents who are actively trying to kill you, how you gain the advantage doesn't matter too much," Piccolo replied, arms crossed and eyes fixed. "Not that you would appreciate that, Goku."
Back on the battlefield, Gohan's attacks were steadily being countered by the now recovered and suitably enraged Vegeta. Each punch was blocked, each kick was deflected, and when it looked like a stalemate was to be reached, one of Vegeta's blows met its mark, and the subsequent combo knocked Gohan down once more, only this time he wasn't feigning.
Gohan laid on his back, once again with Vegeta stood before him, but whereas on the prior occasions his expression had appeared neutral, Gohan was well acquainted with the furious one it now held.
"You tricked me," Vegeta seethed.
"You fell for it," was Gohan's reply.
They both remained still, the wind itself seeming to halt. Vegeta breaking out in laughter was enough to make Gohan veer back in shock.
"Well played, brat," Vegeta began, utterly earnest. He crossed his arms and turned his back, his tone level and cool. "Your ploy wasn't enough though."
Taking a moment to appreciate the fact Vegeta hadn't decided to beat him senseless, Gohan slowly got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Perhaps, but sometimes the underhanded strategy tends to be the most effective." Gohan suddenly frowned. "Never liked it though."
"You're too soft to fight dirty," Vegeta replied, donning his usual smirk. "It's unbecoming." With a roll of his neck Vegeta sunk into a fighting stance again, arms held at the ready and braced at his front.
Gohan smirked himself. "That sounded like a compliment." Gohan joined Vegeta, sinking down into his own stance. "What's got you in such a good mood?"
Without a sound, Vegeta's hair ignited and he became a Super Saiyan; at this point, it was as easy as breathing to him. "Perhaps I'm just looking forward to my inevitable victory in the ring. After I beat you and your father into the ground that is."
Years ago Gohan would have considered that a threat, nowadays, he knew it was as close to a joke as Vegeta could manage.
No longer needing to transform himself to ignite his own power meant Gohan felt no further need to delay, so he shot off the ground with a yell, leapt towards Vegeta, and was ready for round two.
"Grandpa, tell them to slow down!"
- DB DBZ DBS DBGT -
"Never eaten this before, is it any good, brat?"
"I mean I like it, but I'm probably biased," replied Gohan to Vegeta's query, before turning the enormous slice of meat currently cooking across their fire onto its raw side.
"Well I've never been one to turn down good food!" Goku said, watching eagerly as the meat was seared. "I don't think that dinosaur appreciated you cutting through his tail though."
Piccolo snorted. "At this point I don't think what's left on it qualifies as a tail."
After an intense day of training, with every warrior present choosing to engage in battle at some point, the group decided to call it a day and have a rest just as the sun began its descent upon the horizon. Goku had built a fire and Gohan had gone for a quick round of hunting with his daughter, which resulted in them returning with a rather appetising slice of dinosaur tail, which Gohan was more than familiar with. Currently they were sitting around the fire, lounging atop of logs Goku had arranged to encircle it.
"We'll, it's not Mom's cooking, but I think it'll do the job." Gohan declared, slicing the now cooked tail into portions, prompting each Saiyan to grab their piece and consume at their usual, erratic pace.
Piccolo groaned.
"It has been 34 years, Goku, but you never cease to disgust me," Piccolo grimaced, watching as Goku chewed in an undignified way.
Finishing his last bite, Goku looked the Namekian's way. "Thought you'd be used to it by now, Piccolo," Goku grinned, but he suddenly found himself pausing upon considering Piccolo's words. "Man, have we really known each other for 34 years? Feels like it was just the other day we were facing off at the World's Martial Arts Tournament. It's weird." Placing his hands behind his head, Goku leaned against the downed tree he had propped himself against. "We've all been together for so long now it's hard to imagine that it used to be any other way."
"Don't get sentimental on us, Kakarot," stated Vegeta from his position on the opposite side of the fire. "You've got another 30 years of youth to burn through yet. Have your midlife crisis after the tournament."
The group shared a laugh, though Goku's was rather swift. "Don't remind me. I think 30 years is pushing it though, I mean I lost count of how many times we've gone in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."
"Why else do you think we stopped using the blasted thing?"
Goku could only grin in reply. It was a mutual decision really to cease using the chamber, neither could afford to burn any more years of their lives away training in a desolate void, losing the precious time they would prefer to spend on the outside while they were still able. "I just hope we go as far as we can before our bodies give out from age. There's still plenty of walls left to get over."
From his own seat next to Pan, Gohan gave a small chuckle. "I don't think we can go much further than this tournament, Dad," Gohan chimed in, having finished his own slice of tail. "But I guess until you surpass Lord Beerus or Jiren or any of the other incredible guys we've fought, you'll never be satisfied."
"You got that right, son," Goku stated with a smile, before quickly becoming giddy as his mind began racing. "I just can't stop thinking about all the tough guys we're going to meet tomorrow. It's been so long since we've all had a good old one-on-one matchup against another fighter. It's gonna be awesome!"
While the chatter continued, Piccolo seemed to be contemplating something from his own corner he'd situated himself in. He decided to voice himself after the others' conversation dulled and he'd collected his thoughts. "I remember you saying one of Grand Zeno's criteria for choosing the participating timelines was that they needed to have possessed a Goku like yourself. I must say that makes me curious as to just who exactly we'll be seeing at the tournament."
Piccolo's words seemed to have stirred the others into their own thoughts, as they collectively became silent.
"We won't know for certain until we're there," Gohan began. "It's like Whis said, there's literally an infinite amount of possibilities from an infinite number of timelines." As Gohan's thoughts dwelled on the matter, he began to theorise just what they might be up against based on what they knew and what they could infer.
Their opponents would have to be close to or equal to their own strength levels, otherwise the three of them would power through the Tournament without issue, which would hardly result in the Grand Zeno's being sufficiently entertained. Adding to that the Grand Zeno's decision to choose timelines where Goku was or had been present, led Gohan to consider a possibility that unnerved him ever so slightly.
"We might know them."
The four others present looked at him, with various expressions ranging from contemplative to shocked.
"What do you mean, papa?"
Gohan glanced at Pan, his face aglow from the light of the fire. "I'm just thinking, Grand Zeno isn't just picking five other timelines out of a hat, he's choosing timelines that had a version of dad in them, probably ones who are not too dissimilar to our own; meaning that they probably had similar lives, experienced the same events, fought the same battles." Gohan then frowned. "And we've fought a lot of battles that we've come very close to losing."
Vegeta snorted, catching onto the implication. "And I'm sure those lost battles resulted in some very different timelines, ones where we're not around anymore." He couldn't help but grimace. "I see the logic; what better opponents for us to face than ones who have killed us already?"
That suggestion caused a chill to run throughout the older members of the group, each seeing flashes of a former enemy, each more powerful than the last but no less terrifying to witness.
Pan was unable to relate.
"Oh you guys are such whiners!" The three saiyans looked at her quite befuddled, while she returned their looks with a challenging glare. "You all must be way stronger now than all the guys you fought before right? I mean Grandpa can go like five different kinds of Super Saiyan! On top of that, you've beat every bad guy you've ever fought, why should this time be so different?" She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, seemingly attempting to emulate her grandmother. "I look forward to saying 'I told you so' when we're making our wish."
The three Saiyan's looked at each other, not quite sure how to respond. Pan's tone had come across as encouraging yet condescending, and each was trying to figure out if they should be inspired or insulted.
"I guess Pan does have a point," Goku said, before raising a gripped fist and donning a firm look. "No matter who we fight, we always come out on top, and this time won't be any different!"
Pan cheered, Piccolo smirked, Vegeta huffed and Gohan pondered a silent, dreary thought.
Those we're going to be up against are the ones who always came out on top too.