Disclaimer: Dragon Ball and all its characters belong to Akira Toriyama.

Author's Note: English is not my first language so I apologize in advance for any grammatical mistake I made. Thanks for reading.

The Last Saiyan: The Beginning

**Chapter 002 – Gohan gives a new start to his life**

Krillin's car was a light blue color and it was parked right near the shopping center of the Capital of the West, standing out clearly from the line of neighboring vehicles that was not exactly sparse. There was some traffic on the city streets. Passersby also gathered at the revolving doors of the largest shopping center in the city, trying to arrive in time for the most tempting offer of the day. With haste and casualness, their pace obeyed the laws and rhetoric of human consumption as had already been seen to occur in modern societies during times of peace.

"So your mom will let you train from now on, Gohan?"

Gohan had agreed to meet Krillin in the capital. They had lost contact a few weeks ago and after not seeing him for a while, Krillin now looked ready to leave everything that has to do with fights and the Cell era in the past. His pale skin glowed in the sun, he sported a rather expensive watch on his wrist and a modern business suit.

"And in a tournament? Is that a joke?"

"I think Dende had something to do with that," Gohan said, somewhat embarrassed. "He said he was going to help me convince her, but this was not what I had in mind."

"I imagine this will be a nuisance for you. And not only that but there will be no powerful opponents that you can fight comfortably, if they are humans and children." Krillin looked with pity at the young teenager on the opposite side of the table they shared. "She should let you train with Piccolo."

Gohan sighed.

The sound of a van was heard in the distance, interrupting the two friends who had fallen into a lengthy silence. Krillin kept his gaze on Gohan for a few seconds with a curious expression, then he closed his eyes and took a sip of his cup of coffee.

"I see that… you are training with Piccolo."

"Please, don't tell her anything," Gohan pleaded. "She will be very angry if she finds out. I try to do it at a time where I know she is not controlling me."

"Wow, you travel all the way from your house to the remote place where Piccolo is to train and then come back in the blink of an eye? There is no doubt that you are becoming very strong, Gohan."

Gohan lowered his gaze with a blush on his cheeks. Mr. Piccolo had told him the same thing during their sporadic meetings together with a voice filled with pride. Gohan didn't know if it was true or not, but he felt that all the fighting power he had gained during his fight with Cell was finally settling into him and that the fury that once reigned in his head no longer invaded him too much. Gohan imagined his Super Saiyan 2 state as a raging ocean, his mind could hardly have any control over it. At that decisive moment it had been his advantage but now, thanks to the meditation techniques that Mr. Piccolo had taught him, he could say that he had worked hard so that his instincts did not get the worst of him.

"Yeah, and you know? Mr. Piccolo taught me a new technique." he announced proudly.

Krillin looked at him, confused.

"Oh, really?" Gohan nodded eagerly.

"Do you want to see?" Gohan focused his gaze on the coffee cup that Krillin was holding halfway up. Closing his eyes, his energy surged immediately at his call and Gohan transferred it to his friend's hand with some ease. Krillin didn't know how, but he saw himself possessing an extraordinary power that was not inside of him before, and in the sudden awakening of that strange force, the cup vibrated and broke into a thousand pieces.

"Ahh–?!" Krillin flinched, not being able to understand what had happened.

Gohan smiled innocently.

"Gohan... Did you–?" Krillin began to say, still stunned. The coffee stains were going to be difficult to remove but his mind still couldn't fathom how on earth he had broken his cup if he hadn't made any kind of effort to do so.

"Do you remember that technique that Mr. Piccolo uses to train? He usually splits his body in halves and thus trains with an opponent with powers similar to his own. If he is in the mountains and there is no one around to train with him, it is a very useful technique that replaces the company a fighter needs to have in order to become stronger." Gohan explained, his tone cheerful and vigorous every time he spoke of his master. "I did not learn that technique as well as he does it, but I was able to master the method he uses to execute it."

"So, you're telling me that you gave up a little of your power to me?" Krillin blinked a few times, surprised.

Gohan nodded happily.

"Mr. Piccolo explained to me that I can only do it if the person receiving the power is conscious. It would not work if you do not have the strength to use it."

"Ah, in the case if I had been seriously injured, is this what you are referring to?"

"Yep."

"Wow, Gohan. Congratulations. I can see that you are putting a lot of enthusiasm into this. You know? I would pay a lot of money to see a fight between you and Goku right now."

"My dad must surely be training a lot in the Other World." Gohan said wistfully, watching the passing vehicles in the reflection of the glass of his drink.

"Don't be sad. Goku refused to go back now because he wants to train more with King Kaio. But that doesn't mean that in the future he won't accept being revived. Knowing Goku, he must always be waiting for a strong guy to appear so he can fight him."

"Krillin," Gohan moved his eyes from the glass to his friend but his demeanor changed suddenly and he looked more severe while his voice sounded more preoccupied. "Do you really think there is a level of power stronger than Super Saiyan 2?"

"What?" Krillin almost fell out of his chair when he heard the question. Rubbing his head, he placed his fingers under his chin thoughtfully and pondered his answer. Then, he sighed in defeat and glanced back at the youngest. "What makes you think that?"

"Nothing, it's just that... I've been wondering lately."

"Well, with you Saiyans you never know. Although now that you mention it, I remember that Vegeta was convinced that there was a power greater than the Super Saiyan after Cell first attacked Nicky Town. And it turned out to be true. But Gohan, don't stress yourself too much about it. Cell was defeated and there is no longer any danger. Even heroes have to take vacations at some point, don't you think?"

Gohan smiled slightly. He could understand the peace his friend was talking about. It was all they had wished for and yet they always ended up facing a threat stronger than the previous one over time that put at risk everything they had fought to defend up to that point.

"Look, I have an idea." Krillin snapped Gohan out of his thoughts with his voice. With great enthusiasm, Master Roshi's former disciple lifted a large number of bags that had been stacked at the foot of the seat since they'd arrived and he displayed them in front of the Saiyan's eyes with a broad smile. "Since we are at a shopping center, why don't you go buy something nice for your mother? I can lend you money."

Gohan blinked. Shopping?

"Come on, Gohan! Don't be shy."

"Krillin, but…" Gohan glanced at the bags in his friend's hand with an awkward look in his eyes. Then, he said again, "Ehm, I just don't understand."

"Ah, I see. You have trouble deciding what you want, don't you?"

"No, it's not that." Gohan continued, lowering his eyes, embarrassed. "The thing is…those bags you have right there are things for women, right?"

Krillin blinked, surprised. "What? Oh no, Gohan. Look, these are some sneakers I bought, then there's something for Master Roshi, and here…" Krillin's face turned an angry pink as he noticed a particular bag among the many ones in his hand. He had completely forgotten about that. The morning and the rush to find out about his friend had been more pressing at that time and now he was decidedly in trouble.

"Are you and Maron back together?" Gohan asked, innocently.

Krillin practically jumped out of his seat.

"What!? No, what do you think? Maron and I are friends! Well, I think so." Krillin hurriedly gathered the shopping bags in his hands, his face still red, and picked up the hat that was hanging from the back of his chair, placing it hastily on his shiny head. Letting out an awkward huff of breath, he turned his eyes to Gohan who was staring at Krillin as if he had grown two heads. "You know, Gohan. I remembered that I have something to do... Do you mind if I leave you alone now?"

"No… not at all."

"Don't be sad. I'll definitely go see you at the Martial Arts tournament when the day comes! I'll tell the guys too. Oh, I almost forgot." Krillin slipped his hand into his pocket and took out some zenis, leaving them hastily on the table. "Here, so you can buy something for your mother."

Before Gohan could answer him, Krillin had already made a long run to his car and could be seen struggling with the bags so that they fitted in the back seat. Then, he turned and waved his arm in Gohan's direction, placing himself in the front seat, and without wasting any time, he started the vehicle's engine. Has Gohan done something wrong to make his friend uncomfortable? Watching him speed away down the highway, Gohan dropped his weight onto his arms crossed on the table and let out a sigh.

"Shen-long, please, I ask you to remove the bombs that Androids 17 and 18 carry inside their bodies…"

"Could Krillin's girlfriend be 18?" Gohan thought, curiously. "Krillin looked so worried about her."

Gohan lifted his chin slightly and inhaled the city air. There was no doubt that the air in the mountains where he lived was purer than this. He felt regret knowing that he would have to spend more time here when the Martial Arts Tournament began and…

"Huh?"

From one moment to the other, the zenis that Krillin had left on the table disappeared and Gohan whipped his head instantly, watching as a thug ran down the sidewalk in the distance with a bandana on his head, a backpack clinging to his back, and in his hand, Gohan's money that he had just stolen...

Gohan jumped to his feet.

"Damn…" he said in a low voice.

He shoved the chair back, making it clatter behind him, and was ready to go after him when…

"Wait!"

A shadow sprang from Gohan's side and chased after the thief, being quite skilled at avoiding passers-by or objects that were in their way. The girl, Gohan saw, seeing her pigtails fluttering in the wind, drew her two knees close together and leapt forward, managing to grab the straps of the backpack and thus making the man topple over on the sidewalk.

"Blasted girl! Let me go now if you don't want to end up crying for your parents! Did you hear me?"

"The one who will end up very badly will be you, thief!" the girl yelled in response.

With extraordinary strength, she grabbed the man by the wrists and bound them together firmly behind his back. Those belongings he had stolen, including Gohan's money, fell down and pooled about in a heap around his massive body.

"Hey, you!"

Up until this point, Gohan had not noticed that the girl had turned towards him and was giving him a scathing glare. Gohan looked around and noticed that at some point he had come running after her but he couldn't quite remember when it had happened.

"Pick up your things off the ground!" She urged him and Gohan blinked. "Now!"

"Uhm… yes."

"You are very slow! Do it quickly!"

As he approached them, he cast a very wary look towards the man. His ki was very small, as all the other presences in this city were, but it was filled with hatred and madness. Were there crime issues in this city?

The man on the ground shook his head impatiently and growled.

"Don't even think about touching that, boy." Grinding his teeth, he twisted his neck and threw a look towards the girl who still had him in a martial lock. A cold sweat ran down Gohan's spine when he caught the evil twinkle behind his small eyes. "And you, little girl… Do you think I don't know who you are?"

"Shut up, thief! Stealing is not allowed on the streets of this city so you will have to pay dearly for what you have done."

The thief let out a loud bark of laughter that rippled through his massive body.

"What? Are you going to make me pay? Don't make me laugh. You think you're a big deal for being Mr. Satan's daughter."

Gohan gritted his teeth. This didn't look good.

"Very good. I'll give you some advice. Next time pick on someone your own size."

"What? Ahh!—"

Everything happened very quickly after that. The man stood up and broke the martial lock easily, taking the girl by surprise who could not get away in time, and given the height differences between both of them, she found herself staggering blindly behind him and with little to no control over her body. That's when he pushed her and dragged them both down to the ground, rolling with her across the sidewalk and in the direction of the highway. He halted then, digging his heels firmly down on the ground to do so but the force of the spin sent the girl helpless into the middle of the street, where a van was approaching at high speed—

Someone screamed.

The sound of a brake scraped the air, coupled with the squeal of tires against the asphalt, and…

"Huh?" The girl blinked, the sensation was similar to that of a dream, even cottony.

The last thing she remembered was a car approaching her, it was going to hit her, she raised her arms above her head at the last second, and then...

Her black hair flew over her eyes and whipped against her face. There was no chaos around her, no injured, no cries for help. She also wasn't on solid ground since it was about twelve feet away from her, because she was… flying. Was that right? Had she jumped so high? She looked down with panic creeping into her face and indeed the highway was many meters below her feet, infested by an endless number of cars that were traveling at high speed and had any of them hit her, she could rightly say she would not be alive to tell the tale.

But what had happened?

"Hey, are you okay?"

It was then when she let out a scream and noticed the arms surrounding her. She turned her head and saw the boy from a while ago, his black eyes were on her and showed concern while she had her arms around his neck. Had he saved her? No way!

"This…this–is impossible." she stammered, now feeling how fear and desperation made her heart beat fast against her chest. What kind of trick was this?

Unable to fully assimilate the situation, the girl gave another shriek when suddenly they both plummeted down back to earth and he landed very deftly in the middle of the highway. The sound of a horn alerted both that a car was approaching from behind and Gohan jumped high again, describing a very large arc above the stream of blurry vehicles on the highway, carrying her slack in his arms until finally landing this time atop the trailer of a truck. From there, he took to the skies again and then let himself gently hit the ground on the curb of the road, both arms falling at either side of his body as he did so.

Once on solid ground, her knees finally gave away and the girl fell backwards in shock.

"Who… who– are you?" she asked dazedly. Her blue eyes were wide and fixed on Gohan, while her chest heaved out long, painful pants. "How did you do that?"

"Videl!"

The commotion did not go unnoticed by the people of the city who quickly began to form a crowd around them and flood the streets, the whispers multiplied and one or two witnesses began to explain above the latent hubbub what had happened without their explanation having any success at all. Finally, a stocky man with a mustache pushed people aside to get to them. Wasting no time, he knelt before the girl and studied her face.

"Videl! Are you OK? What happened?"

The girl, Videl, blinked in confusion. Hadn't he seen it?

"It was this boy. He saved my life, don't you s–?" But when Videl turned around, she discovered that there was no one by her side. "Where did he go? He was right here!"

The man sighed. Paying little to no mind to the whispers and gossips that were madly beginning to spread behind his back, he held the girl by the shoulders stiffly and gazed into her fretful eyes.

"Well, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you are okay and that low scum has been arrested. Don't leave my side again, okay?"

Videl nodded hesitantly and accepted the man's offered hand to get up. Once on her feet, she turned her head to both sides of the road and defeatedly raised her chin up. Above her, the sky was clear blue and it was surrounded by a semicircle of very tall buildings disappearing in a row of white clouds of unequaled size. Sighing, she walked away with her father down the sidewalk and the last thing that was heard from the pair were the eloquent, heroic tales that gushed out of the man's mouth every time they met a fan on the streets of the capital.

High above on the heights and sitting on the ledge of one of said buildings, Gohan let out a heavy sigh and his hand flew to his hair in order to quell his worry.

"Man, that was close. And that big man was… I think it was Mr. Satan."

Gohan let his back hit the floor and stared at the shape of a strange cloud just above his eyes. But did Mr. Satan have a daughter? For such a weakling, his daughter did have determination and bravery but Gohan didn't have time to think about that. He only hoped he could hide his identity better during the Martial Arts Tournament but with his luck lately that was up for debate.

Standing up quickly, Gohan jumped into the void and flew north without thinking. He had to talk to Mr. Piccolo.

–

The sound of the blow was dry and echoed across the cliffs that nestled up in that inhospitable place at the heart of the mountains. The sunset was already on its way and the light crawled weakly down the large slopes until it faded into the stony base at the bottom of the forests. Gohan let the force of the blow drag him a few inches from his position but his raised arm instantly fell lax when he realized that his master did not wish to continue attacking him. His foot had stopped just inches from a big fall and he bit back the smile that crept into his face at Mr. Piccolo's precise calculation of strength.

"What's wrong, Gohan? You are very distracted." The Namekian warrior observed, bringing his ki to zero again and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Gohan mirrored him but still couldn't put his thoughts in place.

"The thing is… today in the shopping center a girl was in danger and I was able to save her in time, but thanks to that I almost gave my identity away and I don't think it was the smartest thing to do." the saiyan admitted, lowering his gaze in order to avoid the other's eyes on him.

"I see. So you finally realized it."

Gohan looked up at his mentor confusedly. "Hmm? What do you mean, Mr. Piccolo?"

"Gohan, your power is growing and it is not strange that these things happen. It is already a surprise that no one has noticed our identity during the fight with Cell but among of all of us, you will be the one who cohabits with the other human beings of this Earth in a more frequent way and let me tell you that you will not find evil alone in strong villains ready to blast it to oblivion. There will be mere mortals who will make you think twice if you really want to use your strength to put them in their place."

"I know that but…"

"It's not your job, no one is forcing you."

"But I couldn't let her die."

"Injustices will be everywhere. It's up to you to decide if you want to act on them, but if you do, your identity will be at a significant risk whether you want it or not."

"Geez." With a slight pout, Gohan fell dry onto his back, raising a thin layer of dust in his wake and staring deeply with his dark eyes at the purple-bluish sky above.

He vaguely remembered his mother's words about keeping his strength hidden from ordinary people and how it would be wiser to stay that way for now but what he had seen in the city was enough for Gohan to decide how he wanted to spend the rest of his life from now on. But, on the other hand, he didn't want to be the next Mr. Satan. In fact, it was the last thing he wanted right now. Wouldn't there be an easier path for him out there?

His gaze skidded across the sky and he found the first stars of the night faintly illuminating the barren peak where they were at. This place exuded a peace that Gohan sometimes envied, even when he was on Mount Paozu. He loved his house and the endless forests and lakes and mountains that made up half of it, but many times like this he longed to travel to a distant place to do his training and see other worlds besides this one. Aside from that, it went without saying that his mind often flirted with the possibility of achieving an even higher state of power than Super Saiyan 2, if there was one, and if that happened he would like it to be in a secret place no one but him knew of. He wanted to see how strong he could become in the very essence of his mind.

Something inside him told him that it was possible but he was not yet ready to give voice to that thought. There was too much missing. He needed to focus in a way he hadn't before and know every fiber of his body and how far he could go with his full potential.

It was then that he felt Piccolo's presence approach him.

"The human world is complicated, Gohan. And their emotions are even more." he said ominously as he sat by his side.

Gohan nodded silently and sighed. "My dad once told me that Yamcha decided to leave the world of martial arts to be a professional baseball player and since he told me that I can't get it out of my head. I don't want to stop fighting to have an ordinary life, Mr. Piccolo. But my mother wants me to study and go to a good university in the future. Is it possible for me to do so without people really knowing who I am?"

"Well, I'm sure you'll find a way to fix that problem soon. And if you're worried about that, no... I don't think you'll end up the same way as Yamcha, Gohan. You have a lot of potential hidden inside your body. A potential that your father saw and that I was too blind not to see it in due time." Piccolo trailed off and observed the boy next to him with a very fond look in his eyes. "I am very proud of the warrior you have become. Not for nothing I chose you to be my disciple."

Gohan whipped his head to look at him.

"Hmm? Choose me?"

Piccolo smiled. "Ha, that's right. Do you think I would have trained you if you'd been like your father or Vegeta?"

Gohan blinked at him and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"But, Mr. Piccolo…"

"They are both good warriors but they do not think properly before fighting and the instinct of their race often blinds them and causes them to snap. You are different."

Gohan raised his eyes and in the magenta hue of the night they softened and loosened up. So that was it. He was different.

"And speaking of Vegeta," Piccolo continued, standing up and searching with his eyes the faint point in the horizon where the western capital was located. "I've noticed that his ki has been restless these days."

Gohan also stood up and looked in the same direction as his master.

"I noticed it too. It must be because Trunks is about to come back."

Piccolo turned to Gohan, surprised. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Trunks told us that he would return to this timeline to let us know if he was able to defeat the androids on his own."

"I see." Piccolo scratched his chin thoughtfully. Then, a quizzical look crossed his eyes. "It wouldn't be such a bad idea to have one last spar with him before he goes back to the future. What do you think, Gohan?"

Gohan nodded, excitedly.

He couldn't wait.

–

It was already late when Gohan was flying back home after a very exhausting training day with Mr. Piccolo.

His body was still sore but releasing his energy had helped and his head already felt lighter after the events that arose today. Tomorrow he would also train and then he would dedicate himself to doing more basic martial arts exercises that did not require much preparation, even his grandfather Ox King could join him and then, they could spend an afternoon together. That often put his mother in a good mood...

Gohan halted at once.

A ki.

But it was so tiny, he could barely sense it, and it came from his own home on Mount Paozu. And it wasn't his mother's. So who...?

"He's... he's in danger," he murmured, still unable to identify who or what it was. Without thinking twice, Gohan powered up and flew in that direction in an urgent way.

He just hoped it wasn't too late.

To be continued...