2/25/24 Update - Chapter 15, 16, and 17 have now been written in full.


Co-written by SuperSaiyan2Link.


Sweat dripped from her forehead down her face. A few drops from her shoulder landed on her sweatpants. She wiped her face with her wrist to keep the sweat from her eyes. This sparring session was going as planned so far.

"Keep your guard up, Pan!"

After hearing these words, Pan saw her grandmother's knee approaching her fast. She blocked it with her wrists, then ducked quickly to avoid a downward chop from Chi-Chi's hand. She had to move her wrists quickly from there to stop the ensuing onslaught of pointed jabs.

Even at 60, her grandmother fought with the same ferocity as she had in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament in her younger days. Pan flipped backward out of her range, then leapt high into the air. Chi-Chi was quick to catch up and the two traded kicks in midair, the two almost seeming to stand in place while doing so.

"You've got to get back on the offensive!"

In mid-sentence, a powerful kick struck Pan's guarding arms, the sheer force knocking her back down to the ground on her feet. Her shoes dragged across the grass, causing clumps of it to tear from the ground into the air around her. Pan almost began to wonder why her grandmother wasn't entering tomorrow's tournament herself with the strength she was packing.

She then barely jumped out of the way of Chi-Chi's downward kick, which sent soil flying and left an indent in the ground.

"You can't just hope to tire out your opponent. You need to defend yourself."

Pan threw a punch only to see Chi-Chi catch it and throw her behind her.

"But you need to strike smart."

Upon landing on her feet, Pan was met by a barrage of kicks, each vying to slip past her guard. Her grandmother's kicks were swift and struck hard, just as she knew they would. Chi-Chi began to wonder why her granddaughter wasn't making any efforts to move away from or counter her current combo.

"That does it!"

She stopped the attack and jumped backward, awaiting Pan's next move.

"Either hit me or I'll ring you out!"

Pan noted the painted white square around the grass that was meant to mimic the size of the World Martial Art Tournament's ring. She could tell from her grandmother's tone that she would carry out that promise if need be.

"Okay..."

She flew in at Chi-Chi, her punch knocking the guarding Chi-Chi back several feet. She then landed and intercepted her grandmother's fists, which were inches from striking her face and chest. Pan went for a sweep, but Chi-Chi leapt off the ground, then span in midair, loosening herself from Pan's grip. She landed a kick to Pan's cheek, then a jab to her stomach that forced her backward towards the painted line.

Pan could barely stand as she saw Chi-Chi charging with all haste towards her: her grandmother was ready to end it then and there. She alternated between punches and kicks with the intent of forcing Pan to slip up and end up struck out of bounds. Pan knew the spot she was in and didn't want that happening. She moved her wrists as quickly as she could, catching or redirecting the punches and kicks, as well as lifting her legs to avoid being swept.

After blocking her grandmother's knee with her own, she then ducked to avoid a swinging chop, then realized Chi-Chi was going for a two-handed palm strike. With her anticipation serving her well, Pan caught Chi-Chi's wrists, then kneed her before she could jump out of the way. She then turned her in the other direction and with a single palm knocked Chi-Chi past the line on her back.

"...Grandma!"

With the spar concluded, she rushed over to help Chi-Chi.

"Are you okay?" She offered a hand to help her up, but saw that her grandmother had already started to get back onto her feet.

"Why were you holding back, Pan?"

"I didn't want to hurt you..."

"That's not the only reason why," Chi-Chi said sternly, her posture clearly indicating her intent. "You deliberately let me attack you when you could have very well stopped or avoided it. Why is that?"

"I... I have to test my limits. Deal with pressure..."

"Please don't tell me you're trying to become a Super Saiyan again."

Pan was silent for the longest time: she couldn't half-truth her way out of this one.

"I'm sorry, Grandma. I've trained so hard for so long to reach it. Even now at 18, I can't do it."

"And you think all your training and skill is all for naught without it, is that it?"

Her expression and body language slowly began to morph from strict to nurturing as she placed her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder.

"You've worked so hard becoming the fighter you are. You should be proud of how far you've come as a child. You don't need it to be a great martial artist."

"But I could be so much better with it. Why can't I do it? Why could Grandpa Goku do it and not me too?"

She then realized she had brought up a touchy subject: her grandfather Son Goku, who was no longer with them. She was expecting her grandmother to either lose her temper or tear up from the mention of his name, but instead Chi-Chi kept the same temperament.

"Your grandfather Goku... he was one-of-a-kind in so many ways... but it wasn't just because of going Super Saiyan. He had it all long before he ever used it. But that wasn't what made him great: it was his character."

Chi-Chi looked over at her granddaughter, a smile on her face.

"And I know that somewhere, he's out there watching over you, so very proud of the young woman you've become. No matter what happens tomorrow, he'll always be proud of what you are."

She used her other hand to nudge Pan's chin upward so they could look each other in the eye.

"Do you understand, Pan?"

"Yeah... I do. Thanks for everything, Grandma."

Chi-Chi was about to repay the thanks, but before a word could leave her mouth, she noticed a small cut on Pan's right cheek, no doubt from earlier. Pan placed her fingers over it, then saw a tiny smear of blood on her fingertips.

"Now come on. Let's get that cleaned up."


After Chi-Chi had applied the proper ointments to the cut, Pan placed a band-aid over her cheek.

"That takes care of that. Now you'd better get changed before..."

They could hear a knock from across the hall: company had arrived. Pan could only grin and raise both her hands to her sides.

"Well, guess it's a little late for that."

"Your mother's not going to be thrilled, but just put on your jacket and dry off that hair."

Chi-Chi headed for the front door as Pan zipped up her fitness jacket to cover her sweated shirt, then proceeded to dry off her hair quickly with a towel. Even then, her hair had looked better, so she decided to put on her orange bandanna.

By the time she had entered the living room, the gang was all there, chatting about the days of old, as well as their latest misadventures.

"I've just been asked to become the new chief of police..."

Krillin's grey mustache partially hid his grin. Despite having hair for most of Pan's life, it had begun to bald once again. His wife Lazuli was next to him along with their 26 year old daughter Marron.

"That's great, Krillin. Me? Just been helping Tien with his classes."

Yamcha was even older than Chi-Chi, his long hair having gone a grey hue. He hadn't been shaving as much, smirking with a five-o-clock shadow. He had the look of a man who hadn't accomplished much in life, but being around old friends again was more than worth it.

"Ah, seems like yesterday I was babysitting Kani for him and Launch."

In the kitchen, Launch, whose blue hair had streaks of white, as well as her daughter Kani, who had the blonde hair of her other personality, were helping Gohan, Videl, and Chi-Chi prepare the upcoming meal. Tien walked over to Yamcha and lightly smacked him on the shoulder.

"She definitely picked up a few habits from you, that's for sure."

Tien had grown a grey goatee, as well as a small head of hair for the first time in years.

"It's too bad Chiaotzu couldn't make it today," Krillin said upon realizing Chaiotzu wasn't with Tien.

"He offered to take over my classes for the day while I'm here. The dojo can't pay for itself, you know."

Krillin then couldn't help but notice Tien wasn't balding nearly as much as he was. Pan finally approached the group, who turned and greeted her.

"Pan, long time no see. How's my old pupil doing?" Yamcha inquired.

"Doing alright. Almost done with school and... well..."

"Training for the World Martial Arts Tournament, right?" Krillin asked.

"Yeah, what gave it away?"

The group chuckled as Pan felt a cane tap her on her shoulder. She turned and saw...

"Master Roshi!"

His face and beard looked about the same as it always had, though he was dressed in a beige suit and had swapped out his sunglasses for reading glasses.

"Great to see four of my pupils again."

From the earliest days of her youth, Pan had been told the sprawling tales of her grandfather Goku, whom always served as an idol for her. From the moment she began to practice martial arts, she not only trained with her parents, but also everyone who had known Goku, including Roshi.

"That's right. You did train with Master Roshi as well. So Pan, you didn't have to swim from sharks, did you?"

"Oh heavens no. I couldn't do that to the Champ's granddaughter."

"Speaking of the Champ..."

Pan suddenly felt herself being lifted off the ground with a hug.

"Grandpa Hercule!"

"How's my little champion doing?"

"Little? But I'm not that little..."

"Whoops. Don't wanna crush ya before the big tournament."

He finally let Pan go, who then turned around and hugged him back.

"I've just gotta say that I'll be rooting for you all the way."

Just then, another knock on the door.

"Uh, don't you all worry. I'll get it."

He lightly broke off his hug with Pan, then went over to the door, where his eyes shot up at who he saw.

"Hey, there, uh... how goes... um, please, please come on in, Vegeta."

The room almost went silent as Vegeta walked into the room, donned in a white buttoned shirt and jeans, his hair partially slicked back, and with a mustache to everyone's surprise.

"Hey Vegeta. It's been a while. Uh... nice mustache," Krillin stated, attempting to strike up a conversation with him.

Vegeta let off a small grin at the remark, then continued on until he sat on a couch. Everyone looked over at him, watching to see what he'd do next when more footsteps walked through the doorway.

"Long time no see, everyone," Bulma shouted with glee, waving her hand at all her old friends. As she stepped forward, her son Trunks was right behind her, wearing a dark blue business suit and with a light purple stubble on his face.

"Hey everyone. Finally got to take a sick day so I could see you all."

Trunks had been the president of Capsule Corp since around the time Pan was just becoming a teenager. As a result of his work, Pan often didn't see him for long stretches of time, sometimes even years. But Pan's eyes lit up at the sound of a familiar set of heels.

"Hello," waved Bulla, who donned a semi-formal red dress for the occasion.

"Bulla!"

Pan ran up to Bulla, who was also excited to see her.

"Pan!"

The two best friends hugged, then stood in place hopping for joy.

"Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"The tournament! Oh, I can't wait to see you in action!"

"Got you a front row seat."

"To Beatdown City... for everyone else!"

The two laughed at Bulla's remark when a green arm tried squeezing past them. The two then realized they were blocking the doorway and moved to the side.

"Thank you," stated Piccolo, who donned a purple long sleeve shirt and blue slacks instead of his usual gi.

"Mr. Piccolo!"

Gohan knew his voice from anywhere. The two walked over to each other as Piccolo put a hand over Gohan's shoulder.

"It's good to see you, Gohan."

"You as well, Mr. Piccolo."

Piccolo looked over at Gohan's mother and wife in the kitchen, as well as over at his daughter Pan, whom Piccolo had fond memories of babysitting. He then felt something massive behind him.

"What's wrong?"

"That power..."

He turned around and everyone looked and saw a shadow silhouetted against the wall: it was in the shape of Goku.

When the man finally entered, they saw that he was wearing a tan suit, though the tie wasn't on perfectly. He had almost the exact same hairstyle as Goku. Chi-Chi left the kitchen to see who it was.

"Goten!"

Chi-Chi went to hug Goten and lift him off the ground, but Goten's feet were still firmly on the ground. He smiled at his mother and hugged her back with his left while waving to everyone with his right.

"Hey there."

He turned to Gohan.

"Hey, bro."

He then turned to Pan, who briefly turned her attention away from Bulla to greet him.

"Hi, Uncle Goten."

With everyone finally there, Piccolo stretched his arm to close the front door.

"Now that everyone's here..."

Everyone looked over at Videl, who was pointing at the dining room table.

"Let's all get ready to eat."

Slowly, but surely, the 19 of them picked their spots around the table, with Pan between Bulla and Kani, and her parents on the other side of the table. All of the seats were filled... except one.

"If you don't mind me starting off," Krillin began, "Today's the 23rd anniversary of, well..."

"It was the last time we ever saw Kakarot", Vegeta bluntly stated. His expression changed from nearly emotionless to somewhat saddened after he had stated it.

"Oh, and it's also the 30th of another historic occasion," Yamcha replied, trying to bring up the mood.

"You mean when Hercule saved mankind from Cell, right?" Bulla blurted out.

She then looked over at Gohan and Chi-Chi and realized then that it was the same day Goku had died. She also saw her father trying to hide his facial expressions even more so. Bulla was almost tempted to tear up.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright, Bulla," Gohan said comfortingly to her. "We all miss my father. But we will always have the memories we had with him to cherish. And I know for sure that he'll always be there with us in spirit."

"And we all know that if he were here," Chi-Chi began with a smile, "That he would have eaten half the food on the table by now."

This warranted several chuckles from Goku's oldest friends, who remembered the copious amounts of food he could down in a single sitting.

"Let's have a toast to my dad," Goten stated as he raised a glass.

Everyone raised a glass, one of wine for the grown-ups and one of water for those under 21, as they prepared.

"To Goku."

Everyone clanged their glass with the person next to them, then finally began eating. Yamcha couldn't help but notice Piccolo wasn't eating anything in front of him.

"You not gonna eat? Stomach problems?"

"No thanks. I'm fine."

He simply drank a glass of water, then filled it up with a pitcher before drinking it once again.


With dinner concluded, some had to take off right away while others stuck around to socialize further. Pan stood looking out at the moonlight on a balcony as she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"What's up?"

"Oh, not much, Bulla."

The two stood looking over at the moon, which was partially covered by four small clouds in almost perfect rows of two.

"Have you been training much, Bulla?"

"Not as much. My dad hasn't really been making me. Plus, there's no tournaments near my school."

"Speaking of your dad..."

Pan pointed out that Vegeta was standing in the yard by himself, a glass of wine in hand. They couldn't hear him, but it looked like he was talking to the memorial of Goku. Finished with whatever conversation he had with it, he poured the wine onto the ground nearby it before turning away.

"Is he okay?"

"He always gets torn up around this time of year. My mom, too."

"What for?"

"Well don't you remember? My dad and Goku were the biggest rivals. I think he still misses him even after all this time."

"Makes you wonder all the stuff they did before we were born, huh?"

"Yeah, Trunks was just a baby during the Cell games. Though weird thing, I found a picture my mom kept in her desk."

"Oh, of what?"

"It's weird..."

Bulla took out a photograph and showed it to Pan, who looked over it carefully.

"It's of Trunks as a teenager... but my mom looks about the same age as when she had Trunks."

"Yeah, that is weird."

The two stopped for just a moment, taking in the calm night breeze, when Bulla noticed Pan looking somewhat down.

"What's the matter, Pan?"

"It's nothing."

"Come on, you can tell me anything. Promise I won't make fun of you."

Pan gave off a sigh, then looked over at Bulla.

"I keep training and training, working my butt off and everything, but even now..."

"You can't go Super Saiyan?"

Pan turned away.

"Yeah. I guess I'm just not good enough to pull it off."

Bulla could tell Pan wasn't in the best state of mind, so she leaned over towards her direction.

"Pan, you're my best friend and you're the most awesome person I know. You will go Super Saiyan someday."

"You really think so?"

"Think so? Why I know it."

"Bulla..." Vegeta called from across the room.

"Oh shoot, it's late. We've gotta get back home."

Bulla gave Pan a hug from behind.

"I'll see you at the tournament, Pan."

She walked past Vegeta to head downstairs as Pan continued looking forward, her mind swimming in thought.

"Pan."

She turned and saw that Vegeta was still standing there looking over at her.

"Good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks, uh, Mr. Vegeta."

She watched him head out, then watched Vegeta, Bulma, Trunks, and Bulla heading back home in a Capsule Corp car. Not wanting to stay up and risk sleep deprivation the next day, Pan got into her pajamas and got under the covers.

"I really hope you're right, Bulla," Pan mused to herself as she closed her eyes.