"Gohan-kun!" Trunks pumped his fists, bouncing in place as if wearing spring boots.
Gohan descended into the massive Capsule Corps yard, which occupied a significant portion of the West City central area, accompanied by a pair of Artificial Humans. Even Vegeta stepped out of the building and observed the meeting from afar, greeting Gohan with a nod and then walking back into the building. After the temporary distraction left the yard, Gohan turned his attention back to Bulma and Trunks.
"Wow, someone's excited!" Gohan smiled, shaking Trunks' hand and nudging him playfully.
"I can't say I'd mind if you took him off my hands. Ever since he returned from space, he's been a handful. Maybe having someone to exhaust him would do him well?" Bulma sighed, crossing her arms and shaking her head in disapproval of young Trunks' behavior.
"You trained Videl-san, didn't you?" Trunks wouldn't stop bouncing and throwing jabs into the air. "Mom said Videl's training on the God Temple, would you show me a few moves to surprise her when we next meet?"
"Why not?" Gohan shrugged with a polite smile. "I've come here to train, so I wouldn't mind a partner."
"Sick!" Trunks jumped up, throwing an enthusiastic fist into the air.
"In any case, these are the Artificial Humans, I take it?" Bulma approached Ultimate No. 16 and Super One-Nine, examining them like she was buying a horse for her ranch.
"Ultimate Artificial Human No. 16, pleased to meet you, Bulma-san. Your family has helped Artificial Human No. 8 out a great deal," Ultimate No. 16 bowed politely, surprising the inventor and entrepreneur to the point of stepping back to give the giant some space to bow properly.
"Enough games. On with your tests. The sooner you realize you cannot improve upon Dr. Puri's work, the sooner this charade will be over with," Super No. One-Nine rolled her eyes.
"My, my… Makes me glad I won't have to deal with raising a teenage daughter myself," Bulma puffed a smoke after pulling the cigarette out, letting out some steam instead of letting it boil inside her and risking letting it flip the lip. "Okay, you two, let's head to my lab. Gohan-kun, how can we accommodate you?"
"I'd like to use your extreme conditions chamber. The same one Vegeta-san used to train in all the time," Gohan said. "Would that be okay?"
"Why not?" Trunks rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "It's not like dad's using it these days."
"Alright, I'll drop the two of you off at my lab and then take you two to the extreme conditions room," Bulma nodded. "Since Vegeta and Trunks left to look for the Ultimate Dragon Balls, I've upgraded it a ton. It's now able to simulate the pressure of a black hole. I've been trying to come up with ways to almost kill Vegeta, so that he will be less inclined to run off by himself, you see… Given his recent change in attitude, that won't be a problem, but… It would be a pity for all that hard work and scientific breakthrough to go to waste."
"I'm sure it will be just great," Gohan bowed in gratitude.
Gohan and Trunks were blitzing about, radiant with Super Saiyan auras and expelling a splash of sweat with each collision or brief stop to allow for their presence to be seen by a casual observer. Despite the tyrannical pressure of a room that seemed to paralyze the very photons into a state of jerking up and down downpour of solid light drops, Gohan and Trunks were pushing each other to their limits. After one last collision, Gohan vaulted back and pressed the button on the control panel, de-activating the room's extreme conditions.
Staggering, Trunks dropped on his butt with the right strap of his sleeveless shirt slipping off and dangling loosely over the child's shoulder while the world's most powerful pre-schooler panted rapidly from visible exhaustion. From the looks of it, his eyelids were heavy, and the boy worked up just as much sweat as Gohan did.
"W-Why did you… Why did you stop?" Trunks huffed out, closing his eyes and shriveling his face from tension while hyperventilating at the ceiling, looking up. "I was… Just starting to feel… The burn…"
A rumbling belly betrayed Trunks' lies. Gohan flipped a towel over his shoulder and approached young Trunks, offering him a hand to help him up. Despite the gravitational pressure of a collapsing star being turned off, it seemed like Trunks struggled to stand up from just the ordinary pressure of 1G in his current state of weary.
"There's no use in overdoing it, Trunks-kun," Gohan smiled. "We're here to train, not break our necks. Even if you're training to defeat a specific enemy, you need to remember that any amount of training will be useless if you tear yourself up before making it onto the battlefield."
"Y-You're just… Gonna get rid of me… Cause I'm holding you back… Just like… Just like… Dad did," Trunks looked down, leaning forward over his buckling knees that wobbled in a struggle to keep the boy standing upward.
"That's nonsense. I'm tired myself and I could use something to eat," Gohan shook his head. "Besides, that's not what your father did when he sent you back home. Vegeta-san had no reason to think that Cell would be in the mood to take prisoners that day, so he did everything he could to save that which was the most important to him–you."
"So you won't be cranking the gravity up a hundred times and hitting the extreme conditions room again when I'm out of your sight and off your hands?" Trunks placed his hands over his hips, squinting with one eye as if interrogating Gohan and activating his inner lie detector. Gohan was a poor liar, so he'd have been in trouble if he had any inclination to not tell the boy the truth.
"The only thing I'm hitting is the shower," Gohan laughed out. "I might train some more in the evening, but your body needs rest just as much as it needs stress to make you stronger. It's a lesson my dad made sure to teach me early. He learned it from Muten Roshi-sama, so it has to be true."
"That's not how my dad trains at all," Trunks' lower lip bloated, as if it somehow hosted the influx of tears that were creeping up.
"That's fine," Gohan gently patted Trunks on the back while guiding him toward the door. "This universe has a wide range of all kinds of different folks, and it needs all kinds of them. That's what keeps life interesting and the universe worth studying."
"Hmph, don't even get me started," Trunks turned his chin up and turned his head away while crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll be starting grade school next year. Even though I've been studying off my mother's books and hanging around her while she's working, they'll probably stick to the boring stuff of teaching me how to write and read for the entirety of the first few years! Can you imagine all that wasted time!?"
"Don't look at it that way then," Gohan smiled with polite encouragement. "Make sure to enjoy your childhood with your classmates, make lots of new friends, and burn through your youth in a way you'll always remember. I never got to go to grade school, my mom homeschooled me, so I didn't really get to experience any of that. To be frank, I'm a bit jealous of you, Trunks-kun."
"Huh… Really?" Trunks turned to Gohan with a meek, round gap in his lips. He'd have never imagined this sort of difference in perspective or the effect it could have had on how he perceived school. "I never thought of it like that, I guess…"
Trunks and Gohan stopped in the hallway when Ultimate No. 16 walked out. The colossal Ultimate Android stuffed any hallway with his bulk. Even then, he had to keep his head down to fit inside and tuck his shoulders forward to squeeze through. Bulma and No. 16's little sister paced behind the physically daunting goliath.
"Hmph, that was some impressive work in there," Super One-Nine admitted hesitantly. "I didn't expect to receive any updates, and yet you've actually managed to contribute, even if it's mostly based on my mother's work."
"Well, I was just glad that all those One Model designs based on the Rainbow Brigade officer model blueprints were of any use. I was considering burning them at some point to make some space. I wasn't going to build my own Artificial Humans anyway, so… At least now they've served some use before being deleted forever," Bulma shrugged, looking happy about the compliment. After all, praise that came from the most critical and biased of observers always tasted the sweetest. It wasn't an everyday occurrence that Bulma avoided the temptation to start a verbal altercation with someone bad-mouthing her and her work, but it was that sweetness that allowed her to look past it. "Oh, you two done already too?" Bulma said after seeing Gohan and Trunks moving aside to let Ultimate No. 16 squeeze through.
"I hung around with Gohan!" Trunks barked out, cheering for himself with a fist pump. "I can hang with the best fighters already!"
"Oh? That's great, Trunks-kun. You look tired, how about you go get something to eat and then take a little nap? I've heard mom baked a new batch of cookies!" Bulma winked.
"Yeah! Cookies!" Trunks dashed off, lacking the strength to fly indoors, he bolted off on his own two feet.
"Jeez, I don't know how you did it, but you actually wore that kid out," Bulma shook her head with her hands on her hips, shocked at the sight of how manageable Trunks was. "He looked excited about stuffing his face full and napping. I need to invite you to babysit more often."
"Trunks-kun was helpful," Gohan nodded. "It's always more efficient to train with a partner than to train alone, and Trunks-kun is unbelievable for someone his age."
"Just like you blew your own old man out of the water when he was a kid," Bulma sighed, closing her eyes to reminisce about old days before shaking her head and waking back up in the here and now. "In any case, feel free to make yourself at home. You deserve those cookies just as much as Trunks did, Gohan-kun."
"Heh, heh… I wouldn't mind taking a shower and getting something to eat," Gohan nodded with an emotional high that accompanied getting winded and tapping out for a while.
"Well then, let's see if I can arrange for some staff to feed that extra Saiyan mouth of yours. Right after I lead those two on their way," Bulma turned back to her companions. Gohan accompanied them to see Ultimate No. 16 and Super One-Nine off, waving goodbye as they hovered above the ground in the courtyard, ready to take off.
"Once again, your family helps us out, Bulma-san," Ultimate Artificial Human No. 16 said in a reserved and polite tone. "Even though we have our own reasons to destroy Cell for invading our family lives and taking away our mother from us, after today, we'll also be doing this a little as a favor to your family, so that you can resume your peaceful lives as well."
"Take care, Bulma," Super One-Nine raised her hand to say her farewells. "Your lab is cute. I'm sure you tried your best."
"That brat…" Bulma clenched her fist and pressed it to her chest, maulding about what Super One-Nine said. "She may be an incredible scientist and she's lucked out to get her hands on the Four-Star, but… She truly did ruin that child."
Bulma's remark made Gohan chuckle. The two turned back and re-entered the Capsule Corps facilities, heading for that promised shower and lunch after Gohan's training. Even though the task of feeding another Saiyan around the house was monumental, Bulma's house staff pulled through. Staring at the empty plates and bowls and picking his teeth, Vegeta looked rather grumpy that afternoon, grumpier than usual. If anything, it was the Capsule Corps' cooks who had the most reason to be grumpy, for they still had Trunks' mouth to feed once he woke up from his nap.
"So, you're staying over?" Vegeta wondered after he and Gohan stuffed themselves full.
"Yes," Gohan nodded. "Even though it isn't easy to admit it, but I could greatly use Capsule Corps training facilities if I'm to build up a lot of strength fast. Even then, I feel like I'm going to lag behind everyone else, no matter how hard I work."
"Hmph, from how cocky you acted in front of Cell, I thought you had it in the bag?" Vegeta sneered, recalling Gohan's warning to Cell before the transcendental creature left Earth for whatever it was doing at the moment, having promised to issue its challenge to the warriors of Earth and give them the chance to save their planet soon enough.
"The secret new King Kai-sama's technique is indeed formidable, but something Muten Roshi-sama said to Chayote-san troubled me. He said that nobody is invincible and that every fighter and every technique has inherent weaknesses. After reflecting upon my own, I realized that I shouldn't rely on just King Kai's new secret technique, instead, I should bolster myself as a martial artist too," Gohan explained.
"Ludicrous!" Vegeta scoffed at the notion that Gohan still believed he could defeat Cell, whether it be using his new technique, or given enough time and if he trained hard enough.
"You know, even though Chayote-san can be a brash knucklehead sometimes, I agree with some parts of what she said. I agree that you are an amazing martial artist and a peerless warrior and that your mental fortitude is something that many can learn a lot from. Always, no matter the odds, whether you fight the strongest emperor of the universe, his brother, a berserk clone of a Legendary Super Saiyan, Artificial Humans, or whomever… You always believe in yourself and you always fight your hardest, not just to protect your own pride, but to protect your people and your family. That's amazing," Gohan said.
"If you're buttering me up to get me to serve as cannon fodder as you fools throw yourselves to the grinder against Cell, you can forget it," Vegeta looked away, growling like a cornered hound.
"I'm not trying to get you to do anything, Vegeta-san," Gohan shook his head. "Although, now that you mention it, I suppose that I never got the chance to thank you in person."
"Thank me?" Vegeta raised his eyebrow, humoring Gohan's attempt at expressing gratitude purely led by his curiosity.
"Ever since I was a little child, everything I've known of Saiyans was that they were trouble. First, Grandpa and his squad invaded, then, you and Nappa did, then we had to deal with the whole Planet Vegeta thing and then the whole Saiyan race moved to Earth. Things got really tense for a while," Gohan said, recollecting his childhood memories and translating them to illustrate his point and feelings to Vegeta. "But then I fought alongside you, a true King of Saiyans. No matter how much some may mock that, I think you're the greatest king in Saiyan history. You embody everything great and inspiring about being a Saiyan. You may be proud, but you use that pride to fuel your desire to grow stronger and you use your strength to protect your people and your family."
"Hmph…" Vegeta grumbled, crossing his arms and turning away with pouted lips.
"Truth be told, I've never really thought about what it meant to be a Saiyan. Never as a child did I even consider myself a Saiyan. If someone pressed, I'd have denied even feeling like a Saiyan and declared that I'm my father's and mother's child, born and raised on Earth, by Earthling customs. However, meeting you and seeing you in action made me respect and nurture my Saiyan side too, it made me a bit proud of being at least part Saiyan myself. It helped me respect my own self and my heritage, and stand up for myself and Saiyans in school. And it's all because of you, Vegeta-san. Because I got to meet a great Saiyan king like you and see you make peace with the Tsufurian people, purely because you realized you were in the wrong," Gohan explained.
"You don't need to thank me for you being a Saiyan or for me being who I am," Vegeta stood up, dismissing Gohan's thanks. "Though I'm glad this planet hasn't suppressed your Saiyan side. You've already grown into a fine Saiyan warrior, far better than an idiot like Kakarot had any right to raise. Now, I've been told you were using the extreme conditions room to train."
"Yes, Vegeta-san, Trunks-kun has been tremendously helpful…" Gohan nodded before a loud slam of Vegeta's hand over the table made him shoot his eyes wide open and stiffen up in tension.
"You're telling me you expect to defeat Cell training with some pipsqueak toddler? That won't do! You need to squeeze every ounce of strength out of you so that new strength can fill up that void! Follow me, brat. I'll whip you into shape!" Vegeta sneered, almost insulted by the notion that Gohan considered his training for that day completed.
"W-Well…" Gohan mumbled to himself. "I'm glad that Vegeta-san is finally training again, but… Just… What on Earth am I signing myself up for here?" he thought as his right eye twitched just from a mere whiff of images of his perceived grueling training sessions with the King of Saiyans himself.
Late at midnight, Bulma finally stretched out in her lab chair and breathed a final whiff of smoke into the air, putting out the cigarette and leaving the crumpled thing in the ashtray before saving her progress and closing up all the programs and background processes still running on her work computer for the day. After standing up, picking up her blazer and lab coat off the chair, and bending them over her arm, Bulma checked on the status of power usage in the facility.
Seeing a sky-high reading of roaring electricity drainage in the extreme conditions room on the panel, Bulma smiled and sighed to herself. Part of her felt hesitantly hopeful that her husband's newfound, welcome cowardice and refusal to train or fight would last a bit longer and provide her with a welcome reprieve from constant worry about his life and wellbeing, but, truthfully, Bulma loved seeing him in his element, pushing himself to the fullest and filling himself to the brim with the happiness and pride of being alive and being a super-elite Saiyan.
Bulma turned off the lights and headed to the bedroom. Like on usual work days, she was too tired to sleep, but at least she'd be awake by the time Vegeta would creep into the bedroom in the middle of the night and peck her on the cheek, thinking she was sleeping.