Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“So, what’s your name?” Bulma glanced at the old man sitting in the passenger seat of her car. She wasn’t planning on having any company. “Mine’s Bulma.”

The old man smiled at her. “Son Gohan. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Bulma.”

“What were you doing out walking so late at night?” When Bulma had found Gohan, he was out walking in the middle of nowhere. It would take ages for him to get to a town by foot only. She thought about leaving him, even driving past him at first, but one look back at the old man and she immediately reversed and asked if he needed a ride.

What was she supposed to do? She couldn’t just leave him out there! Gohan might have been a confused old man who wandered away from home. If Bulma had left him there, then she would only continue to think about him.

Gohan grimaced at the question. It was apparently a tough subject for him. Bulma thought about taking back the question, but decided against it. She was the one giving him a ride after all! She was taking time out of her adventure to help him, she deserved some answers. That wasn’t wrong.

It was only fair.

“My grandson, Goku, seems to have run off so I went after him.” There was concern in the man's voice, and Bulma was sure it wasn’t just out of worry for his grandson. She couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but something about the boy being missing made her skin bristle. As if her body was telling her this wasn’t right and that something really really bad was about to happen.

But that was ridiculous. It was most likely a rebellious child running away from home. Nothing else.

“What for?” She was fully prepared to hear the normal types of answers. He wasn’t happy at home. There’s a new baby and he’s jealous. He ran off with a girl. But nothing was said. All she could hear was his sigh as he shook his head. “Sorry, forget I asked.”

“Ah, I should be the one apologizing. I’m sure you have better plans than taking an old man for a ride.” Gohan placed his hand on the door handle, ready to open it at any moment. His seatbelt already unbuckled. “If you can drop me off here I can walk to the closest village myself.”

Walk to the closest village? Was the man insane? It was nearly 1200 km to the nearest town! No sane person would even attempt walking..

Bulma kept on driving, shaking her head at the thought. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind!” After all, a dragon ball was in that town. Oh, how she couldn’t wait to gather them all! She’ll finally get her wish: The perfect boyfriend!... Or a never ending lifetime supply of strawberries!

She’ll decide once she collects them all.

“My grandson is quite rebellious,” Gohan started to describe the boy. He went on to say how the boy does whatever he wants, but that he’s a good kid at heart.

“--No matter what I do, the boy refuses to listen. I worry about him. I try my best to teach him right and wrong but Goku doesn’t seem to care. But I suppose that’s normal for little boys. Perhaps if he had friends his age…”

It was saddening listening to the old man agonize over his grandson. She was sure he was trying his best, but that child seemed rotten! Jeez, how could the boy run off knowing he was leaving his grandfather to worry about him? At least Bulma left a voicemail letting her parents know what she was doing. Goku didn’t leave anything.

“Not even a note was left?”

“No. He took my power pole and dragon ball and left.”

!!!

“Dragon ball!” She almost crashed the car at that, forcing a worried grunt from the man as the car was quickly stopped. “He was the one who took the dragon ball?” That must be why it disappeared while was on her way to the mountains. It was running across the radar’s screen so fast that she had decided it was better she go gather the other dragon balls first. Following the person didn’t seem to be all that great of an idea at the time. What if they were violent?

But now that she knows his grandfather… Well, maybe she could have him deal with him for her.

Gohan looked at her with raised eyebrows, shaken by her sudden shouting. “Well, yes, he did… Why? Is that why you were in the mountains?”

“Yep! I was…was…” She slowed to a stop. What if the man didn’t take too nicely about her going after his dragon ball? He knew what it was called, so it was very likely he knew what it was for. What if he was already suspicious? Or he knew that her plan was to steal the dragon ball? He could have planned her finding him on the side of the road and knew she would stop and offer him a ride!

He could have been plotting to kill her this whole time!!

Calm down, Bulma. Think rationally… Or at least think of a way out of this.

She hoped he couldn’t see the sweat beating down her face. Or the way her breathing sped up and shuttered. She forced herself to concentrate on figuring out an excuse of why exactly she wanted his dragon ball.

“I was collecting them!” Yeah, yeah! That was it. Her mother collected things, so she had picked up that hobby as well. “They’re quite worthless, but pretty. I have a few already.” Maybe she shouldn’t have told him that, but it’s not like she said they’re there with them.

The man gave her a slight look, not quite buying her story but he never pushed for more. He simply nodded and accepted it. “You’re from the city aren’t you?”

“Yeah, West City.” They spent most of the car ride chatting away about many things. Bulma complained about modern problems such as school –she was too smart for her classes– and how she wanted the perfect boyfriend. Where Gohan, who found Bulmas “problems” amusing, listened and provided her with advice. Much of it being too old fashioned for her tastes, but she accepted it nonetheless.

“He’s not so bad.“ Bulma thought to herself. “Just an old man who has some trouble with his grandson.”

And she’s sure his grandson couldn’t be all bad either. After all, he was raised by Gohan who didn’t seem to have a bad bone in his body.

How bad could they really be?

—

Kakarot laughed to himself, satisfied by the devastation he’s caused. Parents ran to grab their children, putting themselves between him and their precious offspring. They begged and pleaded, even offering him all the riches they had, but he didn’t care.

He was a saiyan! A saiyan capable of greatness! This was his ultimate mission! One that would show his people he had a place in their world. They wouldn’t dare shut him out, he’ll make sure of it.

An old man falls, sick from his age and the dust polluted air around them. Unless someone ran to help, he wouldn’t get up on his own. Kakarot felt giddy at the thought of taking his first kill. Many watched as he made his way towards the senile not daring to stop him.

They were frightened of him. No matter what he did they knew they couldn’t do a thing. Good. They knew their place already.

Kakarot looked at the man, wickedness flashing over his face. “You should be pleased knowing you’re the first I’ve killed.” Not many people got that honor.

The man stared at him, fear on their face until a look of acceptance flooded over them. It startled Kakarot, seeing the sudden change in the man. He wasn’t counting on that. He was prepared for them to beg for their life.

“Do it if you must.” Their voice rattled with years of use and their eyes stared deep into him. They burned him. It made Kakarot want to kill him even more. He raised his hand, preparing to strike. “I won’t beg for mercy.”

“How honorable.” He gritted his teeth as his grandfather's voice suddenly rang out through his head.

“There will come a time where you’re faced with someone stronger than you, Goku.” His grandfather always called him by that disgusting earth name. “When that time comes, do not beg. Face them with dignity. There is no honor in a fighter begging for their life.”

“Would you call him a fighter, grandpa?” He held his arm up, faltering as he tried to conjure up the strength to kill. “He doesn’t beg.”

Kakarot gave one last look at the man and struck. His fist landed on the pavement below, right beside the old man. They looked at him with shock and Kakarot felt a twinge in his heart.

He couldn’t do it! He couldn’t…

“Tch, dammit” He yelled to the sky, inciting many shrieks from the people around him.

Kakarot ran off, pushing many of the scared people around him. They fell with thuds and many ran farther away from him. They cried with relief and fear. He saw someone run to the man's aid.

He felt humiliated, causing even more anger to unleash inside of him. Why couldn’t he do it? No one would have been able to stop him! No one! He was unstoppable to these earthlings. His saiyan biology made it easy for him to kill them.

So what was the problem? What’s wrong with him?

—

Bulma shrieked as she checked the dragon radar. She raced the car down the path, cursing as it bumped and jolted. Gohan told her to slow down, but how could she? The dragon ball was leaving as they spoke!

She had already lost one, she couldn’t lose another!

“It couldn’t possibly be your grandson who took it again, could it?”

“Well, possibly, but he doesn’t know anything about them.”

Then why would he… “Oh, this is horrible!”

“Now now, it isn’t the end of the world. If my grandson has them, I’ll simply give them to you once we find him.”

“If we find him…” She moped, her dreams crashing around her.

Gohan tried his best at comforting her, but he didn’t know much about teenage girls and their mood swings. He could barely control his grandsons as it was. “You’re able to track them aren’t you? I see you using that small machine of yours.”

“My dragon radar?” She handed it over to him, who looked at it without a clue as to how to use it. Bulma chuckled, happy to show off her genius. “It’s an invention I created that picks up on the subtle energy waves emitting from the dragon balls.”

“You’re going through quite the trouble for something so worthless, Miss Bulma.” Gohan chuckled and Bulma cringed. No use in acting as though they’re simply trinkets she’s collecting.

She sighed. “Okay, I’ll tell you what they’re really for.”

Gohan looked at her expectantly, giving her back the radar. Bulma sighs one last time before telling him the truth of the dragon balls.

“When you collect all seven of the balls, the god of dragons Shenron appears and will answer one wish. Any wish you want! It’s said the last person who collected them became king!”

“Is that your wish? To become a ruler of sorts?” There was some judgment in that question of his. But she assumed that’s fair. You’d have to be quite conceited to want a kingdom to worship you.

“No, I want… a boyfriend.” She had already told him earlier about her wanting one, but to tell him she was so desperate she’d use a dragon god to help her… Ugh, it’s so embarrassing!

His eyebrows raised at her answer, before he simply chuckled. “Harmless enough, I suppose. Well, I stay true to my promise of giving you the ones my grandson took. Though gathering the others might be a little more troublesome. Many ill intentioned people might try and take them from you. Are you sure you’re prepared for that?”

Bulma paled at the thought. She didn’t really think much about the dangers of collecting the dragon balls. Only about a few thugs here and there. But true bad guys? “I have a gun for my protection.”

“A gun might not be enough. Many people know how to evade a bullet or two. You might want to rethink this little adventure of yours.” He paused. “Or at least gather a fellow who could protect you.”

Her eye twitched at that. “Hey, just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t protect myself!!! I know self defense, I’ve taken classes.”

“And I’m happy to hear that, but know that there are people out there stronger than you. Those who have spent years training and aren’t afraid to kill. It wouldn’t be in my good nature to allow you to run and get yourself killed.”

The sudden seriousness had taken her aback. Gohan seemed like such a sweet old man. She had thought he was just a country bumpkin who preferred to isolate himself from the world, but here she could see a guy who knows a thing or two about a dangerous world. Yes, this man has seen things. Indescribable things that he was trying to protect her –and possibly his grandson– from.

But Bulma wasn’t one to back down. She wanted these dragon balls and she was going to get them. She wasn’t going to allow herself to give up at the thought of danger.

“I appreciate your concern, Gohan, but I’m not giving up.”

For a moment, she thought he would try discouraging her once more but instead he nodded in approval. He stared for a while in thought, their car ride completely silent as he contemplated.

It was quite a while until he came to a conclusion. He shouted in agreement with himself as if it was a brilliant plan. “I’ll simply join your little adventure!”

“Huh?!” He wasn’t talking to her? Surely he wasn’t!

“I’ll have you know I’m a martial artist. Quite a skilled one I might add.” And quite proud of it too.

Bulma stopped the car, turning to face the old man. Her arms waved around as she tried to convince him she’ll alright by herself. Now, if it was a hunk of a man telling her he was joining to protect her, she’d be quite alright with it.

But Gohan wasn’t that hunk. He was an elderly man she had picked up from the side of the road. She wasn’t going to let him join her on an adventure that might take weeks for her to complete! If she wanted a chaperon she would have had her dads security join her!

Gohan wasn’t having none of it. Content with his idea. “I’ll simply be there to watch over you and make sure you don’t get hurt. Besides once my grandson joins you could have a friend your age to talk with! Won’t that be fun?”

Great, now he’s probably going to try and set her up with that grandson of his!

“Though he’s not all that great at conversation, I admit. And I’ve mentioned his temper–” Bulma began the car again, silently crying to herself as he continued speaking about Goku. As soon as she meets that little punk she’s going to give him a piece of her mind!

As she drove, her eyes felt heavy. She could feel herself falling asleep. The bumps on the road doing nothing to keep her awake. Bulma swerved a bit as she fell deeper into exhaustion.

Deciding she couldn’t fight it anymore, she parked her car in an opening and got out. Gohan following her.

“Tired, eh? I am a tad myself.” He stretched from the car ride, complaining about modern contraptions and how lazy young people were these days to be relying on vehicles to get around. Though Bulma hadn’t heard him complaining when she offered him a ride. “Are we going to camp here?” He surveyed the surrounding area, finding it to his standards. But really anything is to his standards. He was used to roughing it.

Bulma cringed at the thought. “No way, here!” She threw out a capsule smirking at the satisfying hiss as her family's product did its job. A nice big house appeared, surprising and shocking Gohan. Before he could even ask, she explained. “Dynocaps! They could hold anything no matter the size. My father invented them.”

“Amazing what can be done these days.” Bulma shook her head as she imagined how else he’s going to react once he gets out into the real world. She knew he was a country bumpkin, but she’d at least thought he’d know about dynocaps like everyone else in the world.

She opened the door, inviting him in. “Well, come on. It’s getting late and I want to get up early tomorrow.”

They spent the rest of the night getting ready. As Gohan washed in the bathroom, Bulma couldn’t help but think about what was to come.

“Hopefully Goku won’t be too terrible to be around.” Despite Gohan warning her of his terrible behavior, he had told her that he was really a sweetheart once you got to know him. And with a grandfather like Gohan she’s sure he is. “I’ll need someone sensible to talk to.”

With that, Bulma laid down in her bed finally letting exhaustion take over.

—-

In the middle of the night, screams from a pig broke out. There were oinks and squeals as they tried to get away from their captor, but it was of no use. The boy simply took them by the arm, dragging them back.

“Don’t make me kill you!” Their hands made their way to the pig's throat who yelped in fear. They batted their hands at him and Kakarot tightened his grip in annoyance. “Will you stop running?”

They nodded and Kakarot let go. The pig dropped to the ground, shaking. “Please,” Their voice wavered and rasped. “Don’t kill me, I’ll give you anything you want.”

Kakarot bent down, looking them right in the eyes. “Name?”

“Oolong!”

“Well, Oolong, how’d you like to help me on my mission?”

“Mission?” They squeaked.

“Yes,” A sinister grin spread across his face. “My mission.”

Chapter Text

Bulma begrudgingly followed Son Gohan who insisted they take a turtle they found back to its home. She didn’t see the point in it. It was the turtle's own fault! Why should they care? But nooooo, Gohan being the good samaritan just had to help the turtle.

“I’ll never get my wish before school break ends!” Now she was going to have to face yet another year of not having a boyfriend. Life was so cruel.

She watched as Gohan talked to the turtle as if they were an old friend of his. That man was friendly to everyone.

As they continued on their way, Bulma looked in fear when a scary bear figure jumped right in front of them. She and the Turtle shouted, but Gohan stared in annoyance.

—

Gohan reminded himself that teenagers were usually selfish. He himself had met plenty of self-centered people in his lifetime and he’s sure Bulma wouldn’t be the last. That being said, he still found himself slightly annoyed by her behavior.

But he wasn’t going to let that get to him. He had better things to do such as getting Turtle back home. He just had to get rid of this pesky thug before he could do so.

“Hand that sea turtle over!” The bear man drooled as he looked at the turtle Gohan carried. The bear was large in size and held a sword larger than both Gohan and Bulma. They had quite large defined muscles, but the cocky way they act told Gohan that this wouldn't be a hard battle. “It’s my favorite food, you know!!”

Those who are too cocky in their fighting skills typically haven’t been taught the lesson that there is always someone stronger than you. Gohan supposed he might have to be the master in today's lesson.

“C-come on, Gohan!” Bulma shouted from behind him. “Give it to him!” The turtle yelped and shook in fear of being eaten.

“How foolish to think I’ll simply hand the fellow over.” This time Bulma yelped as she yelled at him to reconsider.

“You can’t really think an old man like you can take on a monster like him, do you?”

“I actually think I can, Miss Bulma.” The fighter's sword slashed at him, trying its best to get him. But it’s all too slow to get Gohan, who simply jumped out of the way. Gently placing the turtle down, he got in position to fight. “I implore you to change your ways, sir.”

The bear smirked, still not taking him seriously. “Not a chance, old man!” They charged at him once more trying to use their size and natural strength to get the better of him. Once again, it is of no use. Before Bulma can even attempt to run away leaving him with the beast, they’re already taken out with a swift chop to the back of the neck.

Gohan shook his head in disappointment as the bear dropped to the ground unconscious and unmoving. So many fighters have turned to thuggery and senseless violence. What happened to the days when individuals learned in an attempt to better themselves and have self discipline?

Nonetheless, he’s satisfied with getting rid of their path's obstacle and goes back to the turtle. Hoisting them back onto his back and motioning for Bulma to continue following him.

“To the sea!” He sang as he cheerfully made his way. Bulma followed, shocked by strength.

Honestly, did she really think he was lying about being a martial artist?

—

“I wonder what that turtle’s going to bring back for us…” Bulma poked the sand by her feet. It’s taken quite some time for them to come back. She thought they were supposed to be faster in water?

“I say he doesn’t have to bring anything. You should never expect awards for helping others.” Gohan lectured… Something Bulma was getting used to. “It should come from the kindness of your heart.”

How noble of him.

Before she could say another thing, a figure in the distance became clearer. From what she can see that turtle didn’t bring something back for them, but someone! What the hell can they do with a person? This was a waste of time.

But Gohan didn’t think so. Instead, the biggest biggest grin she’s ever seen in her life was spread right across his face as he waved fanatically!! It was as if he was a fan girl at a boy bands concert. Never had she seen –or wanted- to see an old man excitedly cheer and shout for someone riding a turtle.

“Gohan!” The turtle man shouted. “Is that you?”

Oh, they knew each other. Great.

“Yes, Master! It’s Son Gohan!!”

Master?

Bulma saw in the man a look of nostalgia and as he watched his master make his way over to them his eyes lit up with hundreds of emotions. Her mind was naturally inquisitive and she wanted to pluck each and every part of his brain to see what he saw. She could ask, and she’s sure he would answer, but a wave of hesitation overtook her. Bulma never was scared to dig into someone’s personal life, but something stopped her.

The old man jumped from off of the turtle, with what looked like some difficulty. It must have been his age or even that turtle shell on his back that kept him from having balance as he wobbled a bit to keep his.

“Master Roshi,” Son Gohan's politeness was always apparent, even when meeting with old friends. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

Roshi nodded nostalgically. “Sure has, last I saw you still had hair! How you been, Gohan?” For someone who was supposedly Gohan's master, his manners sure were crappy! Bulma has expected someone with a composure similarly to Son Gohans. Maybe even more noble.

A master should be someone who held their heads up high and imparted wisdom. This man had more hair than any of those traits. And he was bald!

Gohan hadn’t taken any offense to the comment on his aging appearance. “I suppose I have gotten a little old. Not yet senile… I see you haven’t changed.”

The master chuckled. “Oh, you know me, just living the immortal life!” Immortal?! Bulma, who had been impatiently watching their reunion, immediately perked up. He wasn’t being serious, was he?

Gohan, catching her new found attentiveness, seemed to realize she was still there and immediately began to introduce her. “Master, this is Miss Bulma. She and I are on a little adventure to collect the dragon balls.”

“Dragon balls?”

“Yes, they’re–”

“Ahem! Gohan, we don’t have time for chatting!” She didn’t care if they hadn't seen each other in who knows how many years! They had plenty of time to catch up after they got all of the dragon balls.

Roshi nudged Gohan. “Go yourself a feisty one, huh Gohan?” With that, Bulma's face became completely red.

“Master!”

“Pshh! I’m only joking.” Roshi rolled his eyes at her reaction, only angering her even more. “Now, I heard you helped Turtle over here? I would commend you for your hard work, but I’m sure it was nothing for you, Son.”

“Not at all!”

“Even so, Turtle promised I’d give you a reward–”

“ – You don’t ha—” Gohan interrupted, only to be interrupted himself.

“ – Now, now, don’t be too proud to allow your old master to give you a gift of appreciation. Especially after not seeing each other for a long time.” Gohan was scolded. Roshi stroked his beard in thought, mumbling to himself about getting him the perfect gift.

Bulma rolled her eyes and looked the old guy over. With his Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts it didn’t look like he had much to give. Maybe his shell could be sold for a couple bucks, but there wasn’t— Was that a dragon ball around his neck?!!

She quickly elbowed Gohan, pointing to the ball. “Gohan, look! It’s the three star!” Bulma would have run and grabbed it if he hadn’t held up his hand to stop her.

“If I might ask, Master Roshi, may I have that ball hanging around your neck?” Roshi glanced at the dragon ball, examining it.

“This old thing? I’ve had it for one-hundred years. I’d be sad to part with it…”

Gohan gave a look of confusion. “I’ve never seen you wear it before.”

“Well,” Roshi sweat dropped and rubbed the back of his head. A goofy smile nervously spread across his face. “I found it again after spring cleaning.”

“So how can you say you’d be sad!!!” Bulma shrieked. “Just give us the damn thing!”

“Miss Bulma, please don’t talk to the master like that!”

The eyebrows on Roshi’s face furrowed and his face flushed. “Hey, don’t shout at me! Haven’t you been taught to be polite to your elders?!”

Bulma shouted back. “Not to greedy old men like you who won’t give a ball they have no use for!”

Before Roshi could shout back, Gohan raced between them. An extremely apologetic look on his face. “Please, the child’s a little temperamental, but she means no harm–”

“Hell yes I do—”

“If it really means a lot to you, I’ll be sure to bring it back after we’re done with it.” Roshi’s face softened with a gentle look being given to his old friend.

“Well, alright. Only if you also join me for some tea as well.”

Gohan widely smiled, gratefully accepting the 3 star ball given to him. “I’ll be sure to. Though next time I’ll be bringing my grandson along as well.”

Roshi’s eyes widened. “Grandson?” For someone so close to Gohan, shouldn’t he know about the boy? Even Bulma knew about him and she just met Gohan! Then Roshi’s shock quickly dissipated. “Oh, right. The boy who came from…”

A look was given, and Roshi trailed off his sentence. Understanding that some things weren’t to be said in front of her. Bulma wrote down a mental note to figure out what Roshi meant by that last sentence.

“...The boy you’ve found and raised. How is he? Still giving you trouble?”

Gohan sighed. “He actually ran off recently.”

“He ran away?” The old master's eyebrows turned down with empathy along with a small frown replacing his friendly smile. He seemed to really feel for his friend. “I suppose you’re going after him?”

“Bulma’s helping me track him down with the dragon radar she made. As he took some of the dragon balls with him.”

Roshi’s eyebrows raised as he looked her over. It was as if he didn’t quite believe that she would ever help somebody. Was that really unbelievable?

Bulma thought of herself as a nice girl. She could be helpful. It couldn’t be all that surprising. Could it?

“”Well, we best be going, Master.” Finally. “It was wonderful seeing you again. I hope to see you in the near future.”

“I better see you soon, Gohan! Or I’ll go find you myself!”

Gohan laughed. “Goodbye!”

“Bye!” And with that, they continued their adventure.

—

“How horrible!” The surroundings around them were in ruins. Every house was completely demolished, with debris clouds swarming around. Gohan held in a cough, the dust kicking its way into his system. The poor people must have been dealing with the polluted air for quite some time.

Each home was now dilapidated shells, their roofs and walls completely collapsed by an unknown force. Remnants of personal belonging were scattered across the dirt paths, with many villagers sifting through them for valuables. This wasn’t a robbery as nothing of monetary value was stolen.

No, this was out of malice. The people – or person– responsible got a sick satisfaction from the torment they enacted onto the innocent citizens.

Gohan had seen plenty destruction in his life, but this particular kind seemed familiar. Those who hurt others had a certain style in doing it. As much style as someone’s way of fighting.

The one responsible for this left their mark and as he surveyed the town he could sense the slight desperateness in the destruction.

As if they had to destroy. That there was no other choice.

And then there was a chilling realization as he walked over to children drawing in the dust. Many were senseless scribbles, but when he glanced at the older kids he saw more legible illustrations of the event.

Drawings of people running, screaming, crying. Of the cracked and broken houses filled with those trapped under the rubble. The children drew themselves clinging onto their parents and others. The wrongdoer was in the middle of the first handed source, standing with a menacing face over an old man. The man, though, had calm features.

The depiction of the attack revealed many things. It showed their fear, sorrow and the hopelessness the town had all felt. But worse of all, was the illustration of the monster responsible;

His grandson.

Goku.

There was no mistaking that it was him. Who else had spiked hair like his? Who else had a tail? What other child would cause such despair?

It was him. It was his little Goku.

The boy who he found abandoned as a baby. Who he tried so hard to raise into a good kid. Someone who would be able to protect those weaker than him, not hurt them. But the harder he tried, the more unruly and violent they became.

Goku hated him. He refused to accept the love given to him, pushing him away. As he got older, the more independent he became. Rarely ever wanting to rely on Gohan for anything.

But underneath Goku’s tough exterior, Gohan had truly thought that there was some good. And perhaps there was, but unless he found him soon it might be buried away even deeper. Making it much more harder for him to get to him.

“What happened here?” Gohan walked over to where Bulma was. She was talking to a man, almost middle aged who was bald on top but had two sprouts of hair on the side with a thick moustache gracing his face. A little girl with a feather in her hair clung onto him. She must have been his daughter.

Her dirty face peaked up at him, he eyes quickly scanning over him as if trying to gauge if Bulma and him were a threat. His heart went out to the poor soul and guilt and anguish racked through him. If only he had tried harder to reign Goku in none of this would have happened.

The exhausted and mourning man motioned for his daughter to play with the other children. He didn’t want her to relieve the horror of the tale. “A boy had entered our village not long ago. He looked normal enough, except for having a tail, and seeing as he wasn’t from this town we tried to warn him of Oolong!”

“Oolong?”

The man gulped. “We thought he was the worse of our problems. He’s a shape shifting monster who had been terrorizing us! Oolong kidnapped multiple of our girls to be his bride, even going after my daughter!”

Bulma gasped. “That’s terrible.” Gohan agreed.

“But then that boy showed up and started wrecking everything. Out of nowhere he attacked us, laughing when we tried to reason with him. He took Oolong with him, thankfully. And we’re lucky he decided not to kill any of us, but he got real close to killing one of our towns elders!”

Gohans breath hitched. Almost killed someone? “Are they alright?”

“Yes. We don’t know why he stopped before killing him, but we’re grateful he did.”

Grateful. They’re grateful they hadn’t been killed. How heartbreaking of a realilty this was. Their lives, already made difficult by that Oolong crook, made even worse by his own grandson.

Guilt wasn’t a strong enough word.

“I’m so sorry,” He bowed down to them, showing deep remorse.

“It’s alright,” They assured him. “You didn’t do this.”

“Yeah, Gohan. We didn’t do this.” Bulma tried to say, but Gohan stopped her.

“No,” He shook his head. “I did. It was my grandson who was responsible!”

Gasps erupted and apologizing as well as taking responsibility would never be enough. These peoples lives had been uplifted and changed forever. Gaining trauma that would haunt and shape them for generations. Molding their future generations to forever hold some fear of this happening again.

But as he mourned their ruined community, he couldn’t help but worry for his grandson. Were they hurt? The village must have tried to defend themselves. No one would have stayed passively by while their fellow neighbors were being attacked. Someone must have tried to stop him.

Try as he might, Gohan couldn’t push those worries down. It was selfish of him to worry about his grandson at this time, but the grandfather part of him shone through brightly and wanted so badly to hold them in their arms again. To look down at them and see the innocence of when he was a baby, hoping that somewhere inside that troubled soul that child still existed.

With a heavy sigh, Gohan promised to come back and help them rebuild. Many villagers began to insist he really didn’t have to, but Gohan was determined to help anyway he could. If not to only help them get back on their feet, but to atone for Goku’s action.

Chapter Text

Hot, heavy beams of light shone brightly over Diablo desert; home to the bandit Yamcha. Yamcha, who savagely robbed those who found themselves stranded in the sandy hell and killed those who tried to resist, was known for his strength and skills in martial arts.

He was especially known for his Wolf Fang Fist.

It would take one hell of a fighter to be able to take down the thief.

And yet, today, it seems as though that fighter has shown their face and beaten the fearful Yamcha.

“Shit…” The bandit cursed.

“Yamcha!” Their cat friend cried, floating right by their side. “Don’t die! You can’t!” They mourned Yamcha, someone who they were extremely close to. They were partners, with Puar abetting his crimes. They had spent years together and to lose him like this!

Puar wept, refusing their friend's fate.

Looking at Puar, for what he thought was his last time, Yamcha inwardly cried. This wasn’t the way he had pictured himself going! He was supposed to get married, maybe have a few kids, die surrounded by his family in old age.

But instead, he was bleeding out in a nowhere desert and traumatizing his best friend. How shameful!

“Puar,” He croaked. “Help me get to the shade-” The sun burned him, only a little less than his wounds did. If only he could get somewhere comfortable, then he could die with a little more dignity. “Heh, who knew that little kid was going to be the death of me.”

“That kid was really weird, Yamcha. He had a tail!”

“Yeah, that should have tipped me off…” And with that said, Yamcha lost whatever little strength he had and plunged into darkness.

—-

Heading southwest, in search of another dragon ball, Bulma and Gohan speed across a river in a small boat. The old man silently took in the surrounding area, admiring the mountainous landscape along with the many unique fish swimming throughout the river.

It was similar to the scenery of Mount Paozu: Goku and his home. The peaceful nature and chirping of birds relaxed his mind. Helping him think of his plan of action more clearly.

“I can reason with him.” As his grandfather, he was sure of it. “This must be a product of his restlessness.”

If he had to, he could always grab them by the tail. That’d be quick to take them out and knowing Goku, they hadn’t worked on training that weakness of his.

“How long until Frypan Mountain, Bulma?” With that tracker of hers, they could find him. Goku seems to be following the same path they are, only a lot faster.

Bulma rummaged through her bag, trying to find a map. Pulling it out, she glanced over it, swerving just a bit as she tried to read. Gohan offered to read it himself, but she ignored him. “We’re still pretty far away… Should be about 3 days until we get there.”

Gohan sighed. It would be too long until they get there. If he were in his prime, he would have run his way there. Something he used to do quite often to see his old friend Ox King. Last he heard, they had a daughter just about Goku’s age. Chi Chi, he thinks.

Perhaps she could serve as a friend close to Goku’s age? Having a girl around might mellow them out. He’s seen plenty of bad boys change their ways for a lady. And if Chi Chi was anything like her father, then she must be strong enough to deal with Goku’s attitude. She could help whip him into shape!

Their trip went on for a while longer, with not much conversation. Bulma asked a bit about country life, and he asked about the city. She didn’t seem much impressed about his way of life, preferring the technology and excitement of West City. But he couldn’t find much enjoyment in her life either.

Gohan preferred the quiet life in the mountains, but he understood it wasn’t for everyone. Hell, sometimes he found himself missing that life. Especially when it came to the ladies. Brunettes, specifically.

“You know, Gohan, you could be a hit in the city. If you show off your martial arts a whole crowd of people would show up! I promise you, you could be famous!” She seemed like she really meant every word she said.

He chuckled. “Thank you, but I really do like my life.” Thoughts of fame were long past him.

“Even though Goku doesn’t?”

…

“Well—”

Suddenly, their boat stopped. Only making a sputtering sound before slowly dying out. Bulma cursed and the boat rocked with her quick movements. She raced to the back, yelling even more profanity as she realized the problem.

With her constant motions, Gohan had to try and adjust himself so they wouldn’t topple over. “I must have hit a rock or something! The stupid propellers broke!”

“Let me see.” He may not be that well versed in boats, but he was a little capable in fixing things. You had to be when you had no one to rely on.

He was fully prepared to see a little dent or maybe one had become loose, but he was shocked when he looked and saw that they were almost completely gone! Snapped right in the middle. Without any materials on hand, they couldn’t do anything to fix them.

“Well,” Gohan started to undress down to his boxers. “Guess I have no other choice.”

Bulma starred in bewilderment and disgust. No teenage girl wanted to see an old man stripped down to their boxers. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to push us to shore.” He said as if it were obvious.

“What? You can’t just–” Water sprayed her in the face as he dove and soon the boat raced towards the coast. She had almost tipped over by how fast they were going and quickly raced to sit down, holding on for her life.

“You are one strange man, Gohan!”

He chuckled. “Don’t I know it!”

—-

It didn’t take long to get to land with the help of Gohan's freakish skills. Bulma had to admit she was impressed, even if she had to deal with the image of an old man in nothing but underwear. He apologized for his indecency, but it would never escape her photogenic memory.

Seeing as her boat was nothing but trash, they would have to find another way to Frypan Mountain that wasn’t through the river. She didn’t worry so much about it though, seeing as she had a lot of capsules to choose from. If she wanted to, she could even fly there! She just preferred to stay lower to the ground.

(After last summer's little accident with her flying motorcycle prototype she didn’t really like being in the air all that much.)

“Let’s see…” Her car was almost out of gas, she didn’t want to share a bike with Gohan, she could use her jeep— “What! They’re gone!” Bulma searched her bag again, and continued to search until she decided to pour all of its contents onto the ground.

“I must have dropped them in the river! I lost them! I really lost them!”

“Lost what?”

“My capsules! The case with my capsules is gone! Now we’ll never get there.”

Gohan raised his eyebrows. “We can just walk.”

She looked at him like the very thought was ridiculous. “Yeah, right. You may be strong, but I’m sure even you aren’t stupid enough to think you can walk all the way to Frypan Mountain without dying.”

He scoffed. “I’ve done it before. I’ve even walked twice as far in a day!”

“Well, maybe you can, but I can’t!”

“Not with that attitude.”

“I can’t! I’m not like you… I’m just a girl.”

“Girls are plenty capable.” Bulma didn’t budge, silently picking up her purse's contents. “Well… I can always carry you.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “Not a chance, old man.”

“I’ll do it piggyback style.”

…

“Or you can watch as I leave. I have better things to do, you know!”'

“...Okay.”

Gohan smiled, happy she agreed. “Alright, jump on!”

She did as he said with slight embarrassment. Good thing they were in the middle of nowhere. Bulma wouldn’t be able to ever show her face to anyone ever again if this got out!

Gohan took them deep into the desert, with many mushroom-like stone structures. She was awed once again by how fast he was going. For an old man, he sure had good stamina.

(He must have been plenty popular with the girls back in the day.)

“It’s really hot,” The sun burned her and she could see Gohan start to sweat. “Let’s rest under the shade.”

“I,” Gohan breathed out. “Can agree with that.” He gently let her down and Bulma thanked him.

They both plopped down, breathing a sigh of relief. Even just a few minutes here were deadly. She didn’t know how he could stand it with that black shirt underneath those martial arts clothes.

“Do you think there’s an inn or hotel here?” She asked.

“...Probably not.”

Bulma would have thrown a fit, but she was already embarrassed enough by having him give her a piggyback.

They both rested for a bit. Gohan napped against the stone's structure, and Bulma laid down. Drained from what little energy she had. It was boiling!

Not even the animals were out right now! They were probably under the shade just like her and Gohan. Heck, she could spot one right now. They were sleeping with what looked like a blue cat nuzzled on top of their chest. Quite comfortably too and– Hey that was a person!

Not just that! A guy!

“Gohan!” She shook him, and he peeked one eye open. “Look! Another person!”

His eyes snapped open and he turned to look at him with her. They watched him, unsure if they should try and get their attention.

“Hmm, they might be in trouble.”

“You think so?”

“We should call out to them.” She agreed.

Standing up, she shouted for them. She jumped and yelled as much as she could to get their attention. “Hey!!! You! Guy! Are you okay?”

Nothing. Not even a little movement from him. It made them even more concerned. Gohan motioned for her to hide as he went to investigate.

“This could be a trap.”

She could see him approach the man and couldn’t help but wonder what was happening. The cat lifted their head, and looked to be shielding them from Gohan. Not wanting the old man to even get close to who he was protecting. Which made her even more curious.

Gohan bent down to look at them, after the cat seemed to relax and let him get closer. Bulma watched in silence as he looked back and yelled for her to come quickly.

“What is it!” She breathed, exhausted from the small amount of exercise. But he didn’t need to answer.

There, on the ground, was a man close to death. Completely pale from loss of blood, with purple lips and a pain stricken face. The cat looked completely terrified, with bloodshot eyes and tears dripping down their face. It was a horrific sight.

The smell of it was putrid with sweat and blood mixed with the heavy heat. She tried to cover her nose but even that wasn’t enough.

“This is terrible!”

“Yes,” Gohan nodded, bending over to grab the man. “Now grab the other side. The little cat fellow says their house is close to here. We’re going to take him there and help him.”

There was no arguing and Bulma helped lift him. They carefully transported him to a hideout carved into one of the structures. It was big and had the words “Severe Training and Extreme Sharpening” artfully painted. He must have been a fighter training out here for reasons similar to why Gohan lived in Mt. Paozu.

“Eekk!” Bulma swooned. “How cool!” He was like the cool and mysterious type of guy! She’s sure underneath that ugly death look he was really cute!

The man groaned and made a disgusting liquidy noise as he coughed. It was enough to make Bulma shake as she thought of how horrible of a way to go. Alone in a desert underneath the hot sun.

Good thing they had found him!

“Maybe it’s fate my boat broke…”

They gently placed them onto a bed in the corner of the room. Gohan ordered the cat to gather all of their medical supplies so he could treat them. The cat did as he said, informing them that his name was Puar and the guy was Yamcha.

“This wound, it’s quite horrid. What happened?” He gently pressed onto the wound with a wet cloth, telling Yamcha to quiet their cries and rest.

Puar looked at them in fear as he remembered the events. “There was this evil boy! Yamcha and him got into a fight and he– he… Oh how terrible it was! I thought he was dead!” They wailed and both of them decided not to push for details.

A distraught witness wouldn’t be of any help.

“An evil boy…” Bulma heard Gohan whisper and she knew exactly who he was thinking about.

“It must’ve been his grandson.” Wherever that boy went he left a line of terror. A destroyed town, a half dead man, what else would he do?

She thought Gohan said he was a real sweetheart? From everything that’s happened so far, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“It’s a good thing I've got Gohan to protect me! I could easily be another one of his victims!” Bulma kind of hoped she never has to meet them.

Finishing the stitches, Gohan patted his legs before getting up and turning to Puar. “If we hadn’t found him, he would have died. Now, I know you just went through something terrible, so how about I make you something to eat? It’ll at least give you your strength back.”

“...Okay. Kitchens right there, feel free to use anything you’d like to.”

“Thank you. Now sit down and rest. You do so as well, Miss Bulma.”

—

Gohan looked over his shoulder and watched the children rest. The boy was so young and yet he had already almost lost their life.

And at the hands of his grandson!

“Goku, how could you?” Was there really no helping them? Were they really that bent on killing? “I have to stop him.”

The world was depending on it.

Chapter Text

The pig wouldn’t stop giving him those terrified looks. Every couple of seconds Kakarot could see Oolong take his eyes off the road to look at him as if he was going to kill him at any second.

Not that that wasn’t exactly untrue. Kakarot was planning on turning him into bacon sooner or later, but having Oolong constantly peering at him was getting annoying.

“So…What got you into the whole ‘eradicate earthlings’ business?” Oolong attempted small talk and Kakarot glared at him. He should have killed them right there, but he liked having someone to scare. As soon as Oolong saw the look Kakarot gave him, he quickly gulped in fear and apologized for the stupid question.

This was enough to satisfy Kakarot who continued to watch the scenery. The sun beat down on them and it was enough to make Kakarot tired. He hadn’t eaten much, only what he could find back at the village before he destroyed it. “Hey, pig, you got any food?”

“No," Kakarot groaned at that and Oolong immediately panicked. “Ma-maybe there’s some animals around to hunt!”

But that didn’t make Kakarot feel any better. The only thing will probably be some little critters and maybe a few wolves when it gets darker. Nothing much to satisfy him, but he supposed it’ll be enough for now.

Hey, if he was really starving he could always cook up some bacon. Though he’s sure Oolong would protest. Oh well, he needed them alive anyway.

“Stop the car.” It was immediately stopped without question. Oolong quickly looked to Kakarot for another order. He rolled his eyes at that. “I’m going to get some food. Wait here. If you try to turn into a bird or something I won’t hesitate to kill and eat you.”

The pig wiped some sweat off their face as they gulped. “Of course! Wouldn’t want that…”

Kakarot took one last look at Oolong and made his way to hunt. He explored the area a bit, gathering lizards, snakes, beetles, and small unknown bugs. It annoyed him greatly that there weren’t any bigger animals out here to eat as back home he was used to the many tigers, monkeys and fish he usually would consume. There was no point in being picky though as he’ll have to get used to eating like this. He no longer had anyone to rely on food now that he decided to begin his mission.

As he hunted, he saw Oolong staying incredibly still in the car as if scared any movement could get him killed. He snickered at that.

“What a wimp.” How Oolong had scared a whole village into being subservient is beyond him. Really, who would be scared of someone so puny? What weaklings!

Once satisfied, Kakarot jumped right back into the car, rubbing his eyes as the sky darkened. Yawning, Kakarot motioned for the pig to start the car again, to which Oolong wasted no time.

“You know, I have another capsule with a place we can sleep in.” Oolong mentioned, noticing the boy's tired state. He too seemed exhausted, it had been a long day for the both of them, after all. “I don’t mind using it.”

“I mind it.” Kakarot replied, though he admits that it did seem nice. “I can’t have you running off on me.” His eyes got heavy, and he sat back in his seat, leaning his head to the side.

Oolong didn't argue, but asked “Why do you want me? I mean, I can’t be all that useful to you.”

“...” He stayed silent and for a second it seemed as though he had fallen asleep before he quickly pushed himself from his seat. “The same reason why that bandit probably keeps that blue cat around.”

Oolong made a strange noise at the mention of those two, though it was quickly cut short as soon as he realized he had made it. “My, um, shape shifting is useful to you?”

Kakarot didn’t say anything to agree or disagree with that, letting Oolong make his own assumptions.

—--

Despite not meaning to, Kakarot had fallen asleep leaving Oolong to drive in silence. The pig thought about running, but knew he probably wouldn’t get far in his state. He still was a bit beaten up from their fight just a few days before and knowing that he hasn’t slept since then told him he’d probably immediately pass out from exhaustion.

Glancing back at the sleeping boy, Oolong pulled the car to a stop, taking the keys out of the ignition. Hoping that Kakarot wouldn’t be too mad at him, Oolong leaned back and closed his eyes, welcoming the peaceful dreams that entered his mind.

—-

While the pair slept, a mysterious figure watched them from afar, their booted feet silently making its way towards them. When they got close enough to where they can see the pig and the boy's faces in the dark, they leaned against a tree and took out a walkie talkie.

“Sire, check my coordinates,” They said, their feminine voice not being loud enough to wake the two. “If I’m correct, these two have a couple of dragon balls?”

A voice excitedly shouted an answer back and the woman quickly muffled the noise with her hand, “Yes! They should have two with them!”

“Good!” Another voice over the walkie talkies said, their voice being deeper than the other two. “I’m close by, Mai, I’ll be there in a bit.”

Shutting off her device, Mai sneakingly walked towards the car. She glanced at the two boys and a smirk grew across her face. “Perfect. Now where could they be hiding them?”

Searching the car, she pulled out the few things they had, huffing in annoyance when she only found a few articles of clothes and embarrassingly enough some magazines that were enough to make even the most perverted old man blush.

“Pervs.” She spat as she tossed the magazines aside. Looking at the discarded belongings, Mai knew that the dragon balls had to be on one of the boy's person, possibly both. This will make things harder. She’ll have to be extra careful moving forward.

First, she gently checked the pig. She looked underneath his hat and flipped his pockets inside out only finding a few candy wrappers inside and capsules. Pocketing the capsules, she moved onto the other passenger.

Differently from the pig, this one didn’t stay silent. As soon as she reached to touch him, he grabbed her wrist and snapped.

“AAARGH!!” Mai forced herself away from his grasp, cradling her wrist to her chest as she reached for her gun.

Not only did her screaming wake the pig up, but so did the bullets as they shouted and ducked under the car. The tailed boy rushed towards her, the shots knocking him back as they hit him.

He collapsed to the ground, the bullets only working as a temporary solution as they didn’t even draw blood, only leaving him with a few small bruises.

“What the hell are you?!” Her eyes widened as he quickly jumped to his feet, wobbling a bit as he did so. He didn’t answer her, though the rage evident in his face was enough to tell her he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.

Planting her ground, Mai knew the only way to get out of this was to fight him head on. At least until Shun got here in his robot suit, which would give her a ride far away from this monster. She would have looked at the capsules she had stolen from the pig, but this boy wasn’t about to give her even a second to do so.

More shots rang out, with the tailed boy looking angrier with every shot.

“Come on, lady! That is obviously not going to work!” The pig peaked out from the car, fear clear on his face as he shouted at her to try something else. Flashing a confused look, Mai ran to the side to block one of the boy's punches. She reloaded her gun, pelting them with more bullets, even though knowing it will do nothing to stop him.

Mai wished she had brought something stronger, but she didn’t think a kid would cause her so much trouble! She should have stayed by Shu like he had offered, at least then she’d have her machine gun with her.

What would Pilaf tell her? Always be prepared. No… He said to always prepare a lunch in case she gets hungry. And she didn’t even do that… Hmm, what was it?

She reloaded the gun once more, trying to jog her memory before the boy could get even closer. This wasn’t going to hold them for much longer, after all. Not only that, but shooting a gun with one hand was hurting her more than helping.

“In case shooting them doesn’t work… in case…” Mai bit her lip in concentration, the advice from sire on the tip of her tongue.

“Mai, Shu, in case shooting someone doesn’t work…” The memory of her boss rang out, his serious face plastered in her mind. “Run.”

Run. Run. She could do that.

Emptying the rest of her gun out on him, Mai chucked it as hard as she could. It smacked him right in his head as she booked it, him clutching his head as he was caught unaware. Grabbing her walkie talkie, Mai connected to her and Shu’s channel.

“Shu, are you near? I need your help!”

He immediately answered. “I’m almost there, Mai! I see you!”

Mai looked up and saw Shu in his robotic suit flying down to her. She shouted for him, looking back to see the tailed boy right behind her. Seconds before he could catch her, Shu swept down and grabbed her. There’s a thud and she looked down to see the boy hit a tree instead of her as he had jumped in an attempt to tackle her.

“Thank you!” She hugged him, him chuckling as she did so.

“Did you get them?”

Get them? Oh, the dragon balls. She sighed, ashamed. “No, I tried to but…” She showed him her wrist and he yelped.

“Oh geez! You’re gonna have to get a cast and everything!”

“I know.” Looking at the radar, Mai could see that the boy was right under them, running after them. She shuddered. “He’s not giving up.”

Shu peeked downward before scanning the buttons across his console. “Well this should stop him!” He stopped the robot, hovering in the air as he lined up the machine's arm with the monstrous boy  before pressing down on a button.

The robot’s hand opened, a blast shooting out. They saw the boy try to dodge, but it hit him head on, a quick yelp being the only noise he made. As the dust dissipated, his body laid there, completely silent.

Though still warry, Shu landed the robot and both him and Mai stepped out. Shu leans down at the boy, poking him a bit to make sure he was truly passed out.

“He’s still breathing, but I don’t think he’ll wake up for a long time.” They both breathed a sigh of relief.

“What a monster.” Mai shook her head in disbelief at the thought of anyone surviving that kind of blast. They had seen even the most experienced fighters perish to it, so how had this kid survived?

Shu agreed with her, shuddering at even being close to the kid, despite their unconscious state. “Here, the dragon balls. I’ll grab them and we’ll leave, okay?”

Mai nodded, rubbing her wrist as pain continued to shoot through it. Leaving was such a nice thought. She couldn’t wait to see the happy look on Pilaf’s face when he saw that they had gotten the two dragon balls. He’ll surely award them for this!

Stepping back into the machine, Mai took one last look at the boy and hoped she’ll never have to see him in her life ever again.

—--

Disgruntled, Bulma set her dragon radar down. The stupid dots were once again flying across the screen in a direction much farther from where she was! God! At this rate summer break will be over before she finds them all!

It doesn’t help that she’s stuck here nursing this guy to health while Gohan’s grandson continues to collect more dragon balls.

“Only two more are out there,” Not counting the ones Goku had, of course. Bulma rested her head on her hand, sadly sighing at the thought of not getting the dragon balls. “There goes my strawberries… and my boyfriend.”

Her eyes scanned the room, noting that there was nothing of interest. It was cool when she first came here, but a strangers hideout quickly becomes boring. Especially when said stranger is unconscious and close to death.

“How is he doing, Gohan?” She leaned back in her chair, looking to where the old man was checking in on the teen.

Gohan smiled at her. “Looks like he’ll make a full recovery.” Puar shouted in glee at that, profusely thanking the two once again.

“Oh, no need for thanks. I couldn’t just leave the fella there.”

“But still, we should give you something as thanks! I’m sure we have enough money–”

“ –Oh, no. No money, please.”

“ –Then some capsules. You two said you’re on an adventure, right? We have planes, and cars and–”

Bulma jumped at the offer. “A plane would be nice! Or a car. Either one would help us!”

And although Puar was happy to give them the capsules, Gohan gave her a scolding look. “Now, Bulma. Remember what I said? You should—”

“ –Never expect awards for helping others, I know.” She rolled her eyes at him. “But he’s offering and we really do need at least one. You can’t carry me forever!”

Though looking uncomfortable at the idea, Gohan finally agreed as she continued to yell that they couldn’t walk forever and how she wanted to get a boyfriend before summer ended.

“I suppose it would be a good idea to have one just in case.”

Puar, happy to give them some, quickly flew to a drawer, pulling out multiple cases of capsules. “Pick your favorites!”

Bulma quickly raced to them, happily choosing what would help them the most. “You’ve got some nice ones!” Some of these were expensive even for her! She was so happy to look through all of them that it didn’t even occur to her how they could have gotten them, nonetheless why two people in the middle of nowhere had them.

All she knew was that a cute boy was passed out on a bed a few feet away from them and his cat was giving them very nice dino capsules. So she wasn’t going to complain.

“Are you sure your friend will be okay with this?” Bulma heard Gohan ask, making her roll her eyes once again. That man and his manners… Doesn’t he know it’s okay to accept gifts every once and a while? She just doesn’t understand the man’s aversion. Who doesn’t like gifts?

“It’s fine…” Instead of Puar answering, like she was expecting, it was the boy. Turning around, she sees the guy push himself up in his bed. Both Puar and Gohan rushed to him, the cat crying in happiness and Gohan helping him get comfortable. “Think of it as a thanks.”

Bulma made her way to the three, standing behind Gohan. “No need to thank us, we couldn’t leave you there.” Gohan gave her a look and she gave him a quick smile before turning towards the other teen. Now that he didn’t have that look of death, he really was cute!

Yamcha sunk back into his bed, his face completely red and she chuckled at that. “No… um, really. Take them.”

“Well, if you insist!” She squealed. “Now, tell us, what’s a cute boy like you doing out in the desert?”

“Really, now?” Gohan gave her a look of disbelief, which she promptly ignored.

Yamcha, still red, stuttered out a response. “Oh, you know, training stuff.”

“So you’re a fighter?” Jackpot! Cute and can fight! She would love to see him all sweaty and in battle.

“Uh, yes.” She inwardly squealed. He was so shy about it!

“Martial arts?” Gohan questioned and Yamcha confirmed it.

“Yamcha’s been practicing for years!” Puar said. “He’s one of the best martial artists out there!”

Yamcha seemed to get even more embarrassed at his friend's comment. “Now, Puar–”

Gohan chuckled and Bulma could see a twinkle in his eye. Of course Gohan would be interested in hearing about his training, he was a martial artist himself after all.

“You know, Gohan is a martial artist himself!”

“Oh, now, Bulma–”

“You’re Son Gohan?” Yamcha asked and Gohan nodded. “I’ve heard of you. You’re supposedly a martial arts master superior to all others.”

Yamcha said this in all seriousness and Bulma looked at the old man in surprise. Yes, he was strong, but was he really that powerful and well known? She had never even heard of him before.

A goofy look spread across Gohan’s face as he scratched the back of his head. “Well, I wouldn’t say superior! My Master Roshi is much stronger than me as well as many others–”

“ –The boy,” Yamcha interrupted and Bulma couldn’t get over how serious he looked at that moment. “He has your power pole.”

Gohan’s bashfulness is completely gone in an instant, a serious look spreading across his face as well. “Yes, I understand that boy did this to you?”

Yamcha and Puar both nodded.

“That boy… He is my grandson.”

Bulma expected Yamcha to shout at them. For him to yelp in surprise and maybe even look at Gohan in fear the same way he probably did to Goku. Instead, Yamcha stays in contemplating silence.

“...”

“I would like to apologize on his behalf.”

“No need. From what I’ve heard, and have now seen, you’re extremely kind and have always helped others weaker than you. I can’t see why you should apologize, it’s clear your grandson hasn’t gotten his bad nature from you.” Bulma absolutely fawned over Yamcha’s understanding. It seemed he came to the same conclusion as she had; Goku was just a bad seed. It wasn’t Gohan’s fault, some people are just born bad.

“Even so, I’d like to make it up to you.”

“You already have.” Yamcha said, referring to Gohan healing him. Gohan shook his head.

“I like to think any kind natured person would have done the same. Now, you said you’re a martial artist?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re passionate about it?”

“I’ve been training for years.”

A wide smile spread across Gohan’s face.

“Then how would you like for me to train you?”

Chapter Text

There was a throbbing in his head and Kakarot groaned as he opened his eyes to see two round eyes staring right down at him.

It was a girl, around his age wearing armor similar to what he had pictured saiyan armor to look like. Though, from what he could see in his concussed state, it wouldn’t do much to protect her as the bottom half was… well, not covering much.

Too weak to do anything, Kakarot could only stare as the girl did her best to fan him awake. She hadn't seemed to notice his sudden awareness until a cough broke out from him, causing her to jump a bit before returning to a concerned expression.

“Are you okay?” She asked with an ugly amount of worry in her voice. Her voice was annoyingly high-pitched and all Kakarot wanted to do in this moment was to rip her throat out for even daring to ask him a question, but knowing he was in no shape to do so he stayed silent. “Ah, I’m sorry! You probably can’t speak!”

“Yeah,” Kakarot thought. “No shit.” He tried to get up, but hissed in pain at the movement. The girl, thinking she was helping, grabbed him and roughly tried to pull him to his feet but it only caused him more agony. Smacking her away with the little strength he had, Kakarot ended up pushing the both of them to the ground.

It seemed even when he was weak, he was still strong to regular humans. Not like he was surprised.

“Ow,” It was her turn to hiss in pain. “What bad manners! You should treat a lady better when she’s helping you!”

Kakarot turned to her and then promptly flipped her off. She gasped.

“I’m gonna tell my daddy!” She warned and he rolled his eyes. She was going to tell her dad on him? What was she? Five years old? “I don’t need no monkey-tailed boy treating me horribly!”

“Bitch.”

He would have spat that comment right in her face, but it seemed as though he wasn’t going to be able to do anything for a while in his state. So it was best he tried to get onto her good side, or get her to pity him enough to where she would help him. Enough to feed him something, at least.

Then he would kill her. Kill her and then get Oolong to take him to the closest village to pillage.

Where was Oolong anyway? From what he could see, Oolong was nowhere to be seen.

…

Hey! That coward ran away!

This only soured Kakarot’s mood even more, his face contorting as he realized that Oolong had left him here to die. He probably took the car too, that bastard.

As he seethed in silent anger, the girl once again gasped and it seemed she must have thought his anger was due to her comment.

“I’m sorry,” She apologized, her face now having a soft expression. “I shouldn’t have called you a monkey boy… It wasn’t really nice of me.”

Kakarot stared at her, bewildered by her sudden mood swings. He hadn’t really had much experience with girls before, were they all like this?

“I’m Chi Chi.” She offered him her hand and he grabbed it. Instead of like last time, Chi Chi was more gentle in pulling him up and he had gathered enough strength in the last few minutes to stand, though a bit wobbly. “Wow, you sure are beat up! What happened?”

He groaned an answer, the pounding in his head even stronger now that he was on his feet. Chi Chi seemed to understand as she scolded herself for asking.

“I’m sorry, I’m talking too much! Here, I’m gonna take you home to my daddy and he’ll help you!”

Kakarot bit his tongue once more, though he wanted nothing more than to spit insults towards her. Chi Chi, despite apologizing for her obnoxious chatter, continued to ask him questions.

What was his name? How old was he? Had he come here alone? Did he have a girlfriend?

Kakarot responded to the last question by spitting on her. Her response was to drop him in disgust.

“Gross!” She moved two fingers on each hand to her helmet, seemingly prepared to hit the button in the center of its forehead. “How dare you treat a girl like that! I’m just trying to help you!”

“I don’t need any friends!” Kakarot barked, a little less weak than before. Though his hunger was seriously impeding his strength. “Especially not from one of you so-called girls!”

“So-called?” Chichi growled. “You’re the rudest boy I’ve ever met!” And with that, Kakarot barely dodged the laser that shot out of her helmet.

Kakarot landed a few feet away from her as he dodged yet another one of them. Each blast being closer than the last.

Geez! He didn’t know girls had this much of a temper! This must be what Gohan meant when he told him girls were feisty.

“Don't you know you're supposed to treat a lady with respect?” Another blast. “All I asked was if you had a girlfriend. Now I know no girl could ever like a boy like you!”

“I don't even know what a girlfriend is!” Kakarot was about to run up with a finishing blow, ready to get rid of this girl for good. His plan on manipulating her be damned, but then with his last comment she stopped her blows.

“You don't?”

“No.” He was sure Gohan had mentioned something about girls and being friends with them, but he cared much more about learning how to fight than about females. “You’re the first girl I’ve met.” He thought about the village he destroyed –they had some girls– then corrected himself. “First I’ve talked to.”

A strange look replaced Chichi’s anger. Her hands lowered to clasp themselves together, and her face became red. “R-really?”

Rolling his eyes, Kakarot nodded. “Yes. Now can we go?” He didn’t have time for this nonsense. “I would really like something to eat.”

“Oh, okay.” Chichi reached to support him like she had before, but he denied the help. She huffed a bit, but continued on her way to wherever her father and her lived. “So, where have you been living if you’ve never met a girl before?”

“Mountains.”

“By yourself?”

He wished he did. “Yes.”

Chichi gasped. “No wonder you have no manners! No one’s ever taught you.”

Manners. Bleh! Why does everyone care about manners? Saiyans never did. They had no need for manners. Being polite would get them nowhere in battle, so why bother to learn?

Kakarot grunted in response, groaning as she continued to mourn the life he never had and never cared to have.

“Well, you should know that you’re not going to get far in life if you continue to act like a thug!”

His hand contorted into a fist, preparing himself to strike. One blow should be enough to kill her. One hard blow to the back of the head and she would be out in seconds. Much faster than the death he left that bandit. Chichi walked ahead of him, babbling about all the things he should learn if he wanted to be a part of society. He raised his fist, focusing on where her head was connected to her neck.

One hit. Just one.

Kakarot took a deep breath, then lowered his fist.

“I’ll do it after I get something to eat.”

—

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Bulma hovered over Yamcha, who was bright red head to toe and was clearly avoiding eye contact with her. The girl, of course, was oblivious to the boy's shyness.

Gohan, himself, was also worried about bringing the boy and the flying cat along. More people meant more to protect and Yamcha wasn’t in much condition to fight. Though, he did admire the boy's persistence. Not many people who were so brutally defeated decided to keep fighting.

“I plan on holding you to your promise, Son Gohan.” Yamcha had said.

Smiling, Gohan thought about how nice it would be to have a pupil who wasn’t as aggressive as Goku. Although he loved his grandson, he thought perhaps it wasn’t in the world's best interest to have taught a boy as aggressive as him martial arts. He had thought it’d mellow him out, give him something to put that energy into, but instead he had… Well, used it for evil.

“So, Yamcha,” Yamcha, although still flustered by Bulmas hovering, pushed himself further to better look at Gohan. Gohan kept his eyes on the road ahead, only glancing back to give Yamcha a reassuring smile. “Would you be able to go into more detail over what happened between my grandson and you?”

Bulma sat back in her seat, her arms crossing as she looked at Yamcha with an emotion other than infatuation. “I’m interested in hearing about the fight myself. I want to know who we’re up against seeing as we’ll have to fight him for the dragon balls.”

“Oh, don’t worry Miss Bulma. I can assure you the fight will stay between my grandson and I. Now, Yamcha?”

Yamcha nodded solemnly. “I’m not much more innocent than your grandson was in this fight. I’m a bandit and I was planning on robbing him and that pig friend of his...”

—

Dust kicked into Yamcha’s face as he sped his way towards two figures clear in the distance. Puar held onto him as they rode, having been the one to spot the two boys in the first place. The two boys stared at them with two very different expressions: the pig with fear but oddly with a hint of relief, the tailed boy with a deep scowl.

He jumps off his desert bike, simply greeting them. “Yo, I’m Yamcha,” The boy’s scowl deepens, likely knowing Yamcha’s game. Yamcha inwardly shrugged, no use in hiding it. They’ll learn soon enough. “You know, I’d hate to hurt a kid like you, but simply hand over all your money and capsules and I’ll let you on your way.”

The boy simply stared at him. “No.”

Yamcha raised a brow. Didn’t the kid understand that he had no choice in the matter? Before he could say anything though, the ugly pig next to him gasped and pointed to Puar who stayed by Yamcha’s side.

“Puar? Crybaby Puar?” Yamcha glared at the pig before turning to his friend.

“Oolong?!” Puar cried out, his expression turning into one of anger.

“An acquaintance?” Yamcha questioned, and Puar confirmed. The pig, Oolong, was a bully of Puars from transformation school. A pervert as well as Oolong went around stealing the panties of teachers before being thrown out for his disgusting behavior. Yamcha shook his head in disgust. How ironic that the pig was an actual pig. Even the boy standing next to Oolong gave him a look. “None of that matters now. So hurry up and hand over everything you’ve got!”

Oolong squealed, grabbing onto the boy who pushed him off in response. “Come on, Kakarot! You’re strong! Fight him!”

“Oh, a fighter? Well, I guess I have no problem letting you die with dignity.” The bandit teased, unsheathing his sword. Puar shouted for him to finish them off, especially Oolong. The pig ran, hiding behind one of the rock structures.

Although looking annoyed, Kakarot seemed to welcome the fight as he prepared his stance. Yamcha swiped at him, his blade going to the middle of the boy's stomach. Kakarot evaded it, jumping high into the air and taking out the pole tied onto his back for a quick swipe at Yamcha’s head.

The hard wood smashed itself down, only being stopped by the sword. Kakarot carried a deranged look on his face, one that reflected onto Yamcha’s sword as it blocked another one of the kid’s blows.

“Extend!” The pole collided with the caught off guard Yamcha, knocking him to the ground, his sword knocked out of his hand. Yamcha looked up to see the boy about to deliver a finishing blow.

“Did you kill Son Gohan for that bo?!” The pole stopped inches away from his face, Yamcha holding his breath as Kakarot looked down on him. A slight grimace on Kakarot’s face as he held still, his shoulders slumping slightly. Yamcha took this as his chance to pry more. “Only one man possesses that power pole, which can extend at will and it was one Son Gohan; The superior martial artist.”

Yamcha watched as the boy's eye twitched. Twitching once more as Oolong shouted in recognition of the name. “I’ve heard of that guy… He’s really famous! Geez, to think Kakarot’s that strong!” Kakarot didn’t answer Yamcha’s question, simply staring at him with his arms raised and power pole held more loosely.

Yamcha made a sound of irritation. “Tch, fine don’t talk. I prefer my foe to die silently!” They made yet another attempt at striking him and Kakarot barely blocked their blows. It appeared that the mention of Gohan was sort of a touchy subject. “Seems like I’ll need to use my Wolf Fang Fist!”

Yamcha ran for a kick, their speed increased from what they previously showed catching Kakarot off guard. Yamcha knocked the boy to the side, then bombarded him with hit after hit. Kakarot grunting with each blow.

There are cheers and shouts praising Yamcha by both Puar and Oolong. The latter taking both Puar and Yamcha off guard. Yamchas mild confusion is enough of an opening for Kakarot to break out and slam their power pole into the teens jugular.

They cried out in pain and Kakarot greeted them with a foot to the face. The shattering of Yamcha's tooth alerting everyone to the amount of force Kakarot used.

“Oh geez!” Yamcha heard Oolong yell. “I’m never making it out alive! Transform!” As Yamcha groaned in pain, Oolong poofed into a fly and tried to flee. Kakarot's cheeks had puffed out in anger, his aggression redirected towards the flying pig.

“Oh no you don’t!” Puar comically transformed into a fly swatter, smacking Oolong right out of the air and next to Kakarot. Oolong tried to play it off by saying the wind was playing tricks on his hearing and he really was cheering for Kakarot! But of course no one bought it.

Taking this as his opportunity, Yamcha charged right towards them, absolutely enraged by the dental work done by Kakarot. Kakarot evaded the assault, arm reaching over to grab Oolong; his reach mere centimeters away before they’re kicked away.

Yamcha lifted Oolong off the ground, unamused by the constant kicks from the pig. Did the pig seriously not have any ounce of dignity?

“Hey! Put him down!” Oolong had a look of shock and then relief. Yamcha couldn’t quite place the two boy’s relationship. Were they allies or what? “I’m the only one who gets to claim his death!” The pigs demeanor quickly changed at his statement.

Well, that answers his question. Seemed Oolong was Kakarot's hostage and Yamcha just took them hostage. A hostage being held… hostage.

“Puar, get me my sword.”

“Right away!” Before the cat could fetch it though, Kakarot leapt into the air. Claiming Puar as his own hostage. Yamcha’s jaw clenched, his grip tightening on Oolong.

Kakarot’s grip tightened as well. “You kill the pig, I kill the cat!”

Puar looked at Yamcha with fear on his face. Yamcha threw Oolong to the ground who groaned in response. Yamcha motioned for Kakarot to do the same. He didn't and the deranged look made its way back onto Kakarot’s face.

Yamcha’s heart quickened as he prepared to charge at the boy again, but as quickly as it came, the expression was gone and frustration replaced it. Kakarot released Puar and the bandit and cat breathed a sigh of relief.

The pole slipped onto the ground, abandoned by the boy whose fierceness is replaced with silence. Yamcha frowned at this. Kakarot looked so… empty? His posture slack and he stared into the ground as if trying to burn a hole into it. Yamcha couldn’t feel so bad, seeing as they had just tried to kill both Puar and him, but even so he can’t help but feel a little regret for attacking the kid.

Not the pig though. They deserved it for all the torment he has caused Puar and women.

Yamcha stepped right in front of them, hand outreached. “Looks like it’s a tie.” He’d allow this just once. It didn’t look like the two had much valuables on them anyway.

Kakarot reached out as well, his hand trembling slightly before it flew at him with a punch. It knocked Yamcha right in the face, conjuring up even more pain from the broken tooth. There was a kick and then another one as Yamcha struggled to defend himself.

“Rock!” A punch that Yamcha blocked with his own.

“Scissors!” He was blinded as two fingers poked his eyes, the pain excruciating as Yamcha howled in pain.

“Paper!” Yamcha flew back, debris flying as he tumbled onto the ground.

Grunting, Yamcha struggled to his feet. “Y-you little–” He looked around, the boy nowhere to been seen until—

“Look out!!!” Both Puar and Oolong screamed as Yamcha looked up too late; Kakarot swung the sword down and across Yamcha’s chest. The teen screeched in pain as blood splattered out from him. Another swipe and then a kick to push him down.

Yamcha’s eyes flickered as he looked up to see the boy ahead of him, waiting and preparing himself for a final blow.

But it never came.

Kakarot instead flung the sword to the side. Their own eyes were heavy with exhaustion as he ordered Puar to give him a car capsule. Puar cried for Yamcha, though obeyed Kakarot’s demands. Oolong blubbered in the back, swearing he wasn’t trying to betray Kakarot. The tailed boy grunted in response, pushing Oolong into the driver's seat.

“Drive pig.” Kakarot ordered. All Yamcha heard from them after that was the sound of the engine and Oolong’s panicked breathing.

—

“He went by Kakarot though, not Goku, but I’m sure they’re one in the same.”

“They had a tail and spiky hair?”

“Yes.”

“That’s my Goku.” Gohan sighed as his knuckles turned white from gripping the wheel so tightly. “Even if you’re a bandit, my grandson still shouldn’t have attacked you like that.”

“I attacked first, he was only trying to defend himself.”

He shook his head. “Perhaps at first, but you asked for a tie. He denied the offer and attempted to kill you.”

“For all he knows you are dead, Yamcha.” Bulma pointed out. “He may not have killed those villagers, but this might be what pushes him into– Well, killing a lot of people!” Bulma gulped as she shook in fear. “Are you really sure you want to get your grandson back, Gohan? Maybe it’s better if we leave him alone!”

“No!” Gohan couldn’t abandon Goku. This showed that Goku needed help more than ever. And if not, well at least needed someone to stop him. “I can’t allow him to continue this behavior.”

“Gohan’s right. Goku has to be stopped before he grows up into an even worse threat.” Gohan wasn’t in the position to argue with that. Yamcha was right. Goku had to be dealt with soon. Before he caused any more harm in the world.

“But Yamcha!” Puar cried. “He’s scary!”

Yamcha comforted his friend, patting him on the back. “Don’t worry, my furry little friend, I’ll make sure you can get away from him this time before the fight even starts.”

“Make sure I’m far away as well,” Bulma chimed in. “I don’t think I’m even comfortable being in the same country as the kid.”

Gohan quickly looked back at the three. He wanted to say something on Goku’s behalf, but it seems that his faith in the boy had been relinquishing fast in just the few days that have gone by. Still, Gohan refused to give up on him. At least, for now.

—-

It was hot. Sweating hot. Kakarot could barely stand it with his exhaustion and hunger. Chichi, on the other hand, seemed completely fine. Her armour's skimpy appearance perhaps having more of a reason than he’d previously thought.

“I thought you said this was it! There’s only rubble and fire!”

Chichi looked very upset at his observation. Not that it mattered to him. Kakarot was more upset that the shelter he planned to have was on fire. And that anything that was alive here was dead. He eyed the skeletons around them, not all of them being animals.

“This is my home. My father had asked a wizard to surround it with fire so no one could steal from us.”

Kakarot looked at the castle. The fire expanded way past just the castle and roared high into the sky. “He didn’t think it’d stop people from getting in and out?”

Chichi grew red. “No…”

“He’s stupid.” Really stupid. He couldn’t wish for a wall or even have someone keep watch for any thieves or bandits? “Who’s dumb enough to–”

Kakarot jumped out of the way as an axe landed right where he stood. A giant shadow hovering over him. He flung himself into a defensive stance, though exhaustion warned him from fighting.

The giant stood tall, decorated with armour, a cape that tied neatly around his neck and a hornet helmet with a pair of goggles attached. The giant then picked the gigantic axe as if it weighed nothing. “Who’re you? What do you want with my daughter?!”

"Oh, great." Kakarot thought as he tumbled to the ground, the giant staring right at him menacingly. "I'm too hungry." 

Chapter Text

“Oolong?” Bulma leaned against the inside of the car. “So you’re the pig Goku took with him.”

“He told me his name was Kakarot.”

“His real name is Goku.” Gohan said.

Oolong stood back from the group, poorly hidden behind one of the many rock structures. Gohan looked the pig over. From what the townspeople had told him, he would have expected him to be more menacing. Though, he supposed, the shapeshifting could have helped him appear so.

“Terrorizing an entire town at his age,” Gohan shook his head in disappointment. “Seems just the type of person Goku would want to be surrounded by.”

Even so, Gohan was sure it wasn’t easy being by Goku for so many days on end. Especially if they were not used to his temper. After all, even Gohan found himself frustrated with the boy. Though he was sure Oolong’s feelings about the boy were more in fear and not frustration. With all the scratches and cuts Oolong had on him, it was apparent that Goku had created quite the hostile environment.

Wiping the sweat from off his brow, Gohan walked closer to where Oolong was hiding and offered him a friendly smile. “Now, come on, I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“N-no thanks!” Oolong cowered, his eyes burned into the spot where Yamcha was sitting. Yamcha gave Oolong a weak smile, trying not to move too much from his spot as he motioned for Oolong to stop hiding.

“Come on, Oolong!” Yamcha nervously laughed. “No hard feelings! I’m sure you’re hungry, we’ve got plenty of food to share.”

Since the desert wasn’t much of a hunting ground, they had made sure to pack plenty of food and water. Gohan couldn’t allow himself to leave the kid, even if Oolong had done a lot of harm to that town. Leaving Oolong here alone in the desert was surely a death sentence and he was sure Oolong knew that.

“Why are you trying to help me?” Oolong shouted at Yamcha and Puar. “I almost had you killed!”

Puar rolled their eyes. “You were scared of Goku as much as we were, Oolong.” Seeing as he had heard Oolong cheered for Yamcha to win in the fight between him and Goku, Gohan was sure that was true.

Oolong sweat dropped. “O-okay, but I still didn’t help! How do I know this isn’t your way of getting back at me?”

“It’s fine,” Yamcha raised his hands in his attempt at showing no harm, wincing as he took them away from his wound. “I hold no anger towards you. It’s Goku I’m after.”

Gohan frowned at that. “I hope you’ll first try to reason with him.”

“Master Gohan, I mean–”

“I think he’s past being reasoned with, Gohan.” Bulma interjected, saving Yamcha from having to apologize to his new mentor.

Oolong nodded in agreement. “She’s right! I mean, you haven’t really met him. He’s a monster with plans to kill everyone!”

“We know.”

“He’s strong!”

Yamcha snorted. “We figured.”

Oolong bit his lip hard, quivering. “If you’re going after him, I want no part in it!” As he continued to list reasons as to why he wouldn’t go, Bulma had walked up behind him. Oolong shouted as she lifted him by the back of his shirt and threw him into the car.

“Too late,” She handed him a sandwich. “You were a part of it from the moment you started terrorizing that village.”

Oolong sank into his seat next to Yamcha and Puar as Bulma sat in the driver's seat. Gohan, appreciating the break from driving, took the passengers. “All I wanted was a girlfriend…”

“Not the way to do it,” Gohan lectured. “You have to treat a lady with respect and listen to her when she says no.” A lesson that Gohan was sure he’d have to teach Master Roshi. He groaned as he remembered how his master practically creeped on every woman he laid his eyes on. He was surprised Roshi stayed as respectful towards Bulma as he had.

Bulma added to his comment. “Don’t go kidnapping girls.”

“Fine, you got it.” Oolong mumbled. “They drained me of every cent I had anyway.”

“Serves you right.” She spat as the car sped off. Gohan was glad they were finally leaving this place. He hoped they would make it to Frypan Mountain already. He had missed his good friend the Ox King and hoped to see him soon. Perhaps he would have advice on how he should take care of Goku’s behavior? Though he was sure his daughter Chichi wasn’t as much of a pain as Goku.

Huffing about them practically kidnapping him, Oolong began asking them questions. “So, I know why Yamcha and Puar are after Kakarot, but why are you two?”

Bulma groaned as she looked at her dragon radar. “He took my dragon balls!”

“Dragon balls?”

“I collect them.” Gohan could see that Bulma wasn’t going to tell Oolong the real reason, but he didn’t find it right for them to keep everyone in the dark about them. After all, they all were going on this trip. They might as well know what for.

“And once all seven are collected you can make a wish.”

Bulma gasped in shock as she almost stopped the car completely. “Gohan!”

“They deserve to know.” She shouldn’t have mentioned the dragon balls in the first place if she didn’t want people to know about them. “But know that I already promised Bulma mine. It’s her wish to make.”

Bulma pointed to the pig, her face stern. “That’s right, piggy, it’s my wish!” Gohan chuckled as Oolong scoffed.

“What about you, Gohan? Are you trying to get your power pole back?”

“No, well, yes,” He very much would like his power pole back. “But that monster, as you called him, is my grandson.”

Oolong squealed, “Grandson?!”

—

“You passed out again!” Kakarot woke up to the familiar sight of Chichi fanning him awake. If he had any energy, he would have punched the worried expression right off of her face. He looked at the giant, who stood tall above him but held a similar expression as his daughter.

“I didn’t mean to scare the kid this much.” The giant sounded less tougher than before, his voice now being a lot softer and goofier. Angered by his comment, Kakarot shot up, grabbed his power pole and attempted to hit the giant across that stupid big head of his. Instead of hitting him, the giant simply stepped aside and Kakarot fell face first onto the ground. The power pole being ripped out of his hands by the man.

His face red, Kakarot jumped to his feet in another attempt at an attack. Chichi shrieked at him to stop, but Kakarot refused to allow the man to embarrass him. “Give it back!”

The giant simply took a step back as Kakarot charged at him. The man’s temper seemed short as he gritted his teeth and yelled at Chichi to stand back.

“This ruffian needs to be dealt with!” And with that, the giant took the power pole and swung it towards Kakarot. With a hit to the stomach, Kakarot tumbled to the ground as the air was knocked out of him. He landed on his back and saw the sky filled with smoke swirl above him.

Despite attacking her father, Chichi ran right to Kakarot and knelt down to help him. “You shouldn’t have done that, Kakarot. My father’s really strong!” He looked at her in disbelief, bewildered by what had happened. With only a few hits, he was beaten!

“You!” Kakarot pointed to the man. “Who the hell are you?”

The man scolded him. “Is that any way to speak to your elders? I hope you treated Son Gohan better than this!”

The mention of his grandfather only worked to enrage him more. Seething, Kakarot shouted at the man. “Shut up, I’m sick of hearing about him!”

“How’d you get his power pole?”

Kakarot gritted his teeth, refusing to answer the man. Chichi urged him to, telling him his silence would only upset her father further, but Kakarot wouldn’t budge.

Her father stood stern above him, a scowl not unlike Kakarot’s on his face. The power pole was gripped tightly, looking like nothing but a small stick in the giant's hand. Kakarot knew he wouldn’t be able to get it back in his condition. Hell, he was not sure he’d even make it out alive.

Damn it. Damn it all! He should have eaten that pig when he had the chance, now he was too hungry to do anything! Either he was going to die from hunger or by this girl’s father.

Not liking his odds at all, Kakarot relented. “He taught me martial arts.” He would at least admit that. In response, the giant's expression relaxed into a goofy smile.

“Really?! Gohan took on a student?” The man was bouncing where he stood, the ground shaking with each excited jump. Kakarot watched in confusion as he did so. “That takes me back to when Gohan and I used to be students of Master Roshi! Gohan was his #1 disciple and I was #2. Master Roshi used to work us to the bone, I’m sure Gohan’s the same, huh?”

Kakarot blinked as the man waited for him to answer. “Yeah, I guess.” Gohan, Kakarot had to admit, did have him train to the point of exhaustion. He was a strict man when it came to martial arts and he could remember numerous nights where he had gotten into arguments with the man over it.

“You must learn how to fight even in exhaustion! I might allow you to rest, but your opponents won’t.”

The giant head flew back in a laugh. “I bet he did! That’s why he was #1, after all. Well, I suppose you can’t be all bad if Gohan chose you as his student. Though you have to work on your manners, kid. I’m surprised Gohan hasn’t stomped that attitude out of you yet.”

“He’s tried.” Kakarot stood back on his feet, not fighting Chichi’s support this time. He’d allow it, for now. “Who’s this Roshi person, old man?”

“The name’s Ox King and Master Roshi is the greatest martial artist in the world! Everything Gohan knows came from him.”

“Everything?” If that’s true, then that might cause even more problems in the future. He wasn’t strong enough to beat Gohan yet, nor this man either, and now there was this Master Roshi he had to worry about? And who knows how many more students he’d taken over the years. “Are you stronger than Roshi?”

The Ox King coughed, his face turning red. “Well, I’ve been sort of lacking in my training lately!! I’m sure the Master has been spending the time getting stronger.”

Shit. So this Master Roshi really was a threat. And if he trained Gohan and the Ox King and if the Ox King was only second to Gohan, then Gohan must be stronger than he ever thought! Kakarot bit the inside of his cheek. He knew there would be people on Earth stronger than him, but not this strong! And if Earth was a planet of weaklings, where did that leave him?

“Oh! That’s right!” The Ox King pumped his fist into his hand. “This isn’t the time to be messing around. I have a request for you as Gohan’s student!” A request? He was asking him for a favor after he had attacked him? What was up with these people and their crazy mood swings? “Thanks to some information I received lately, there is an item called the Bansho fan in Master Roshi’s possession that is capable of wiping out all the flames on the mountain. If you can find Master Roshi and ask to borrow the fan I’ll give you Gohan’s power pole back.”

“Just leave the damn pole,” Kakarot told himself. “You don’t need it.” All he needed was his pure saiyan strength, not stupid human weapons. But one look at the power pole and Kakarot found himself unable to let it go.

“Fine. Tell me where this Master Roshi is and I’ll go get the stupid fan.”

The Ox King clapped in excitement, his daughter joining him. “This is great!! Thank you so much!! He lives east.”

“East?” What the hell was east? Where the hell was east?

The Ox King looked a little embarrassed. “Well, in all honesty, I don’t know exactly where he lives. Only that it’s east of this mountain, oh and it’s an island.”

If heads could explode with just a thought, the Ox King would be headless right now. Kakarot had no idea what to do with this information. If he goes to this ‘east’ island, who knows how long it’d take. But if he didn’t accept the mission… He wouldn’t get his power pole back.

Shrugging, Kakarot decided to hell with it. “Fine. I will go east, but before I do can you get me something to eat? I’m starving!”

And so, after a hefty meal consisting of animals Kakarot had never even seen before, he had asked the Ox King to point which way was east and went off on his mission to find Master Roshi.
—

Oolong wasn’t as excited about seeing the Ox King as Gohan was. “You guys are crazy to want to go to Frypan Mountain! Don’t you know about the Demon Ox?”

“Of course I do, I’m friends with him.” Gohan reminisced about his youth and how the Ox King and him used to train together. How Master Roshi had them deliver milk to hundreds of island people on foot. They used to farm using their bare hands. “Though back when I knew and visited him it was called Pleasant mountain and it wasn’t so hot!” He swiped yet another bead of sweat as he took his hat off.

“It’s because of the fires,” Yamcha told them. “Puar and I rarely travel this way due to them.” Gohan’s brow furrowed. Fires?

“They happened about 10 years ago,” Oolong said, sweat beading down him as he muttered about practically being turned into bacon. “Flames came down from the heavens and started burning the mountain and haven’t stopped since.”

Bulma pointed to the mountain in front of them, and Gohan’s eye widened as he saw the familiar mountain being completely covered in large flames. “That one right there?”

Oolong squealed in fear as he attempted to jump out of the car, Yamcha having caught him by his shirt. “EEKK!”

Turning to Bulma, Gohan politely asked to see the dragon radar, to which she gladly handed over as they drove closer to the mountain. The heat became sweltering and Gohan wondered if this heat was what made his good friend so frightening to others. Ox never could stand the heat for long without becoming agitated. And an agitated Ox was rarely nice.

The radar beeped to life as he pressed the button on its side. The many dots showing him just where the rest of the dragon balls were. “There’s one in the castle, all right. Though the flames will surely make it harder for us to get it.”

“The Demon Ox will kill you before you can even try!” Gohan chuckled.

“I’m sure we’ll be quite alright.”

As the group stepped outside the car, Oolong having to be pulled out by Puar as Bulma helped Yamcha, Gohan took in the amount of rubble and disarray. If it weren’t for Oolong’s stories, he might have thought Goku had caused all of this. Though he hoped Oolong wasn’t completely right about his friend the Ox King either.

Why couldn't everyone be happy living in peace? Why are there always people causing chaos? Gohan simply couldn’t understand the need for such mayhem. It was upsetting to see such a pleasant mountain be turned into a hellscape wasteland with nothing living in sight.

As Bulma fretted over Yamcha and Puar made sure Oolong stayed put, Gohan took in the mountain and its castle. It seemed to be completely intact amidst the flames, though he was sure it was a bit too hot to sustain any sort of life living in it. He pictured it as sort of being like a pressure cooker; trapping steam in it and constantly causing pressure to build up before boiling everyone alive in it.

“The Ox King is up in that castle?” Bulma asked, perhaps thinking the same as Gohan.

Oolong replied, “No, He’s protecting it from the bottom. The Demon Ox–” How Gohan wished Oolong would stop calling his friend that. “ – Was out on a picnic with his daughter at the time. Those flames are so incredible, not even he can return to his castle!”

“I’m afraid that’s true, Gohan!” He heard a wail from a familiar voice. “I made a wish to a wizard to help protect my treasure from thieves but it stopped me from entering my castle!” Gohan turned to the Ox King, still dressed in the silly armour from his youth. Why he insisted on it was beyond him. Gohan thought a simple fighting gi would have been enough.

Gohan simply crossed his arms as his friend cried, not at all feeling sorry for him. “This wouldn't have happened if you weren't so obsessed with protecting your treasure.”

The Ox King blubbered in response. “I’m so embarrassed! I was possessed by greed!!!” The Ox King got onto his knees, apologizing for his behavior. “I don't know what I’d do if Master Roshi found out!”

“Now, now…” Gohan sweatdropped as his big friend continued to cry. He put his hand on his shoulders, gently ushering him to his feet. “Let's not lose our composure in front of others.”

“But what am I to do, Gohan? Without the bansho fan I can’t put out this fire!” The fire behind them blazed uncontrollably, with fierce bursts of flames occasionally sparking. Although the Ox’s greed had gotten him here, Gohan couldn’t leave his friend's home like this. He seemed to have learned his lesson anyhow. “I sent your student on a mission to find it and he still hasn’t returned!”

“My student?” Gohan blinked.

“The one with the tail, oh, what was his name? Carrot?”

“Kakarot.” Oolong croaked as though it were a curse.

“Kakarot, yeah that was it! I thought it was an odd name.” The Ox King grinned toward Gohan, looking a little giddy. “He was a little rough around the edges, Gohan, so I took back your power pole and told him I’d only give it back if he got me the bansho fan.”

The Ox King held the power pole proudly, a teasing expression not unlike the one he wore when he used to steal it for jokes. Gohan held out his hand, an eyebrow curt as if daring him to try anything. The Ox King, although still looking mischievous, handed it over without a fight. Gohan gently traced the many new scratches welded into it. Goku had not been taking very good care of it, it seemed. A magical object such as the power pole usually healed itself quite quickly, but under intense stress from it can become severely damaged. These scratches shouldn’t have stayed for even a minute under normal circumstances.. Brushing it silently, the scratches began to fade, but the blood on it would stay until Gohan had time to clean it.

“How long ago did he leave?” Perhaps they still had time to catch up with him.

The Ox King thought about it. “Almost an entire day now. If I had known you were coming I wouldn’t have sent him away.”

“That’s quite alright, I’m sure I’ll find him soon.” He did seem to be getting closer to him after all. Less than 24 hours away, he must be slowing down. “Which way did you send him?”

“East.” The Ox King pointed.

The group stared at him in disbelief.

“Um, sir?” Bulma said. “That’s west.”

The Ox King gasped, his demeanor quickly changing back to a sniveling mess. “Now I’m never going to get my castle back or Chichi!” The fires crackled behind them, as if upset themselves.

Yamcha tapped Gohan on his shoulder, whispering to him. “Uh, master? What’s up with this guy? I know he’s your friend but–”

“ –We mustn’t judge a man’s emotions, Yamcha.” Gohan instructed, despite judging his friend's behavior himself. It seemed to him that the Ox King’s years of being a thief had taken more of a toll than he had thought. But he simply couldn’t allow the Ox King to wallow in self pity forever. “Alright, perhaps a little judgement is in order… Ox! Get a hold of yourself! I can’t believe a guy your size can’t put out a fire of this size!”

The Ox King he knew wouldn’t have allowed this fire to have lasted more than a day. Now here he is not even being able to put it out? He should be glad that Gohan didn’t call up Master Roshi to give him a scolding! Now that would really take Gohan back to when they were his students!

Telling the group to stand back, Gohan hopped onto a stone wall, making sure to take his overshirt off and give it to Bulma to hold. He quite liked it, after all, and wouldn’t want to ruin it. Crouching, he cupped both of his hand with their palms out and drew them in close. Closing his eyes, Gohan focused on drawing all his energy into them, before uttering:

“Ka-me-”

“Here it comes!” The Ox king exclaimed. “He’s gonna do our master's signature move!”

“ –ha-me–” Gohan took a deep breath, concentrating before opening his eyes. “HA!!!” Thrusting his arms forward, a gigantic beam of blue light shot out towards the fire, enveloping it in a bright light.

And out from the light came the castle, still standing and fireless. Well, mostly standing. Gohan grew slightly red as parts of the castle crumbled.

Gohan turned back towards the group, gently prying his shirt from Bulma’s frozen hands. “There, no more fire.” Easy, peasy. “Now, what’s this about your daughter?”

Looking at him in disbelief, the Ox King gawked for a minute before regaining his composure. “My Chichi ran after your student. She said since I originally asked her to find Master Roshi that she had to go with him. I tried to talk her out of it, but she’s as stubborn as a mule. Once she makes up her mind it’s almost impossible to stop her!”

The group became quiet, with everyone exchanging expressions. Yamcha had almost fallen when Bulma’s grip on him loosened, eliciting him to hiss in pain as his waist bent. Puar and Oolong’s eyes grew large, with the pig shaking his head in horror. Gohan hoped this wasn’t true.

“Are you sure she went after him?”

“Yes!” A sense of dread crept up on him, and he’s sure it was the same with his friends.

“Oh, Goku, please don’t hurt the girl.” Gohan wouldn’t know how he’d live if he found out Goku had caused his dear friend's only child to die. Now, he didn’t want his friend to worry, but it was only right to tell him the truth.

“That student of mine is actually my grandson,” Gohan’s heart hurt. Squeezing itself tight as he thought about him. “His name is Goku and he is a very dangerous boy…”