Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL

The Aftermath, The Truth is Revealed

Last time on Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL, Gohan transformed into the second level of the Super Saiyan upon witnessing Sharpner's death at the Cooler. This led to a fierce confrontation against the Arcosian. Cooler soon learned how much Gohan's raw power outclassed him in every way. To test the limits of the hybrid's power, Cooler dropped a powerful Supernova on Gohan which threatened not only him but the entire Earth. The stakes rose higher as Gohan's Ascended form lowered through overexertion. Thankfully, a mysterious presence spoke to Gohan at the last minute, giving him a hidden message and encouragement. With these tools in hand, Gohan absorbed the Supernova, revitalizing his strength, and used Cooler's own power with his own to put an end to him once and for all. What of the aftermath of this epic event? Find out, now!

Outside of West City, Miles Away

Kibito and Shin watched as the triumphant Son Gohan finished off Cooler for good.

While Shin remained his reserved self, Kibito being impressed was an understatement. To him, this was his realization, his wake-up to the power of mortals.

"H-He did it! I cannot believe it!" Kibito gasped. "To think of a mere mortal, a child no less has the power and means to defeat a being far stronger than the likes of that Arcosian, Frieza."

"It is a feat worthy of praise," Shin stated. "This goes to show what kind of surprises lie within the vast universe."

Kibito turned to Shin, asking, "Lord Shin, may I ask why you've chosen to intervene at the last moment?"

Shin stated, "As powerful as Son Gohan may be, he is a mortal child at the end of the day. A child with an internal struggle that is just as apparent as the latent pool of power that I sense within him. That struggle could have caused his death had I remained indifferent."

"Wait, are you saying that you already have decided to choose this boy?" Kibito questioned.

"I had a hunch that he was more than capable of handling the Arcosian. Undoubtedly so. Despite that fact, one must always be open to any possibility. Even the possibility of error. Son Gohan's flaws lie within his lack of discipline; the inner control of one's self. That, in turn, comes back full circle with his internal struggle." Shin explained.

"Internal struggle? As in who he is?" Kibito asked, seeking clarification.

Shin, however, shook his head, answering, "It is not a matter of who he is but what he is."

"I see...What do you intend to do with this mortal, exactly?" Kibito questioned.

Shin looked up to the sky while responding, "Today, this young warrior has proven to me that not only is he powerful and benevolent, but he's able to listen to instruction when necessary. I am convinced now that our search is finally coming to an end. Now, we will move on to the next phase of our plan."

Kibito assumed in the form of an inquiry, "You wish to take on this Son Gohan as your disciple?"

"Precisely," Shin nodded with a knowing smile. "Of course, we'd have to work on his level of self control given his mixed heritage. But I'm sure you can handle that. And who knows, he may be the one worthy to finally release...it."

"L-Let's not give him too much credit, Lord Shin. After all, he has a lot to learn if you are dead set on teaching this child. Such a high privilege like learning about that must be earned, let alone releasing it." Kibito said, clearing his throat after quickly losing his composure out of shock.

Shin chuckled at this and himself, stating, "Ah, forgive me. Perhaps I am getting a little ahead of myself out of elation. Dare I say that I am excited?"

Kibito cracked a smile understanding his superior's state of enthusiasm.

"Shall we proceed to announce ourselves, Lord Shin?" Kibito questioned.

Shin merely shook his head, answering, "No, not now. The mortals need time to sort out their affairs. Once things settle down a bit, we shall reveal ourselves to Son Gohan. For now, let us be off."

Kibito nodded, saying, "Of course, Lord Shin."

Standing next to Shin, Kibito and his superior were enveloped by a sparkling light as they vanished from the cliff that the mysterious figures once stood on.

North Kai's Planet, Other World, Age 774

Goku and King Kai sat on the grass of the Kai's lawn, watching all of the events of West City with Bubbles, King Kai's pet monkey. Goku, seeing his son's victory, smiled the whole time with no sign of stopping.

"...Wow! He pulled it off after all! All by himself, no less!" King Kai smiled. "It seems that your boy took a lot after you, Goku."

Folding his arms, Goku said, "Ya know what? I guess he does, doesn't he? I knew Gohan had it in him. Freezer's brother never stood a chance!"

"Apparently, not." King Kai said with a chuckle. "You could say that your son put Cooler...on ice! Bwahahahaha! Get it!? Because his name is Cooler? Hahahahaha! Ahhh, I crack myself up sometimes."

Goku wearily laughed at his mentor's awful jokes while placing his finger on his chin thoughtfully.

"Huh, I wonder where he learned to absorb all of that destructive energy from. I know I haven't taught him that, nor do I think Piccolo could pull that off."

"I'm not sure myself." King Kai said as he calmed down from his hysterical uproar. "That was a very strange way to manipulate ki."

Turning to Goku, King Kai stated, "Speaking of which, I forgot to mention that I was recently contacted by Dai Kaiō. He wanted to offer a reward for your great services to your planet which includes the sacrifice you've made seven years ago."

Goku childishly perked up in shock and excitement, saying, "Woah, the Grand Kai? Rewarding me? That's sure is somethin'! Well, what does he want to give me?"

"An offer," King Kai said while holding up an index finger from his right hand. "Not many mortals have this divine privilege, but Dai Kaiō has taken a liking to you. Therefore, he gave me permission to allow you access to this information."

"...I'm not following ya, King Kai." Goku said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Goku, what if I told you that everything that you know about ki is only scratching the surface of it?" King Kai questioned with a smile.

"Huh," Goku blinked as he looked completely stumped. "What do ya mean by scratchin' the surface? My ki is plenty strong. I'm sure training with it like I always do can make me even stronger. You've seen what I've achieved during my time here when I went Beyond Super Saiyan."

King Kai nodded, saying, "That's true as well, especially given how strong Super Saiyan Level Three is. However, that is a result of training using your genetics and regular ki. Although my status is of importance in the hierarchy, I am mortal. That allows me to use my natural ki and refine its practice. That is also the reason you can sense my presence. But now watch this..."

Suddenly, an oddly teal colored aura surrounded King Kai, which shook the one tree and the ground as Goku and the monkey covered their faces to block the gust of wind.

Goku, trying to sense King Kai's energy, found himself dumbfounded at the revelation he discovered.

"K-King Kai! Your energy, I can't-" Goku tried explaining, only for the Kai to finish his sentence.

"Sense my ki? Of course you can't!" Snorted the Kai. "That's because mortals are unable to detect a deity's energy. All that you can feel is the sheer pressure of them. I can switch between using one or the other."

"Wait! Deity?" Goku echoed. "You mean to tell me that what I was seeing was the power of a god?"

King Kai nodded while his antennae began to sway up and down before sending waves of telepathy. "Bingo! Deities may possess the ability to use both kinds of ki, but it is rare for mortals with ordinary ki to obtain the power of godly ki. Not impossible, but extremely rare. Aside from methods too ancient and or that are lost to time, the pantheon only selects those whom they deem worthy enough to be gifted the knowledge to wield and master energy on a divine scale."

"Oh wow! This is like a whole new path for me! I can reach new heights with this godly ki stuff! Just thinking about it is getting all pumped up!" Goku said, clenching his fists with a determined smile as he nodded to King Kai. "Okay, sign me up! When do we start this god-power training?"

Holding up his hand, King Kai said, "Not so fast, hot shot. I never said that I was going to train you on how to use Godly ki."

"What?" Goku said, having his shoulders sag in a child-like disappointment. "But I thought you just said-"

"I know what I said, sport. Don't worry, though. This is where Dai Kaiō's surprise comes in." King Kai smiled with a glare from his glasses shining.

Just then, a bright blue pillar of light appeared before the two. When the light died down, a figure emerged.

A figure all too familiar to Son Goku.

Standing in front of the pair of martial artists was an old human man. He appeared to be a short, stubby, and bald elder with small dark eyes and a bushy white mustache and eyebrows. He wore a traditional Eastern uniform, consisting of a sleeveless orange jacket over a long sleeved black shirt with matching pants, black shoes, and wore a green hat.

Goku's heart nearly stopped at the sight of the old man that was before him, shaken at his sudden arrival.

The old man was also taken aback by Goku's presence, but immediately was beaming with joy.

"Oh my! Isn't this a lovely surprise?" The old man said in a happy tone. " I'd never have imagined that the champion of Earth and pupil of King Kai that Annin and the Grand Kai spoke highly about happened to be sweet little Goku all grown up. And it has only been twenty five years..."

"G-Grandpa Gohan?" Goku stuttered, snapping out of his shock. "I-Is that you? But how are you here?"

"Well, where else could I be, son? I'm dead. Other World happens to be the final resting place for deceased souls." The old man, now known as Grandpa Gohan, explained with a playful tone as he patted his grandson's arm.

"Right. I got that part. While I'm more than happy that you're here, I just don't understand why." Goku clarified.

King Kai then said, "While I was explaining to you what Godly ki was, I was communicating with the goddess that your grandfather was assisting to prepare for his arrival here. After all, he will be responsible for your Godly ki training."

Gasping for a second, Goku turned to his grandfather, asking, "Is this true, Grandpa? Do you have Divine Energy?"

"It is, Goku." Grandpa Gohan confirmed. "I have humbly accepted the task of teaching the champion of Earth how to obtain a Godly ki and master it. I was hesitant at first, but seeing that it's my own grandson, I'd be more than happy to oblige."

"Wow! That's incredible, Grandpa! You must have gotten crazy strong since our last meeting!" Goku praised the old man. "Say, how will our training work? Will I be coming here in sessions or do I have to go and stay with you?"

Grandpa Gohan then said, "It'll be better if you come with me. Annin has plenty of room back at her estate in Gogyōzan Mountain. The mountain acts as a doorway between the Earth and Other World."

"That's great! It'll be like old times! Thanks, Grandpa!" Goku said as he turned to King Kai.

Goku bowed to King Kai in respect, saying, "I cannot never thank you and the Grand Kai enough for this. Thanks for everything that you've done for me."

At first, the catfish looking Kai didn't know how to respond to Goku, seeing that his formal level of respect was a rare sight to behold. However, King Kai smiled as he bowed back to Goku.

"Hey, it was an honor to have taught you. Besides, it's nice to have someone else around that isn't just Bubbles. Be sure to visit sometimes. And if you need anything, give me a call in your thoughts." King Kai said.

Goku gave him a thumbs up with his right hand before walking up to his grandfather.

"I'm ready to go, Grandpa."

Nodding, the two Son men waved goodbye to King Kai as Grandpa Gohan transported himself and Goku out of King Kai's planet in a brilliant pillar of blue light,

Capsule Corporation, West City, Age 774

Bulma, Erasa, and Yamcha let out thunderous cheers upon watching Gohan emerge from the smoke that resulted in the Burning Masenko. Though watching the fight was an emotional rollercoaster, the payoff was worth it.

The Earth was safe thanks to them and Gohan's combined efforts.

Erasa jumped up and down in joy while holding Bulma.

"YES! WE DID IT! IT'S ALL OVER! WE'RE ALIVE! HOORAY!!!" The blonde rejoiced, with the blue-haired woman laughing at the girl's enthusiasm.

"Alright, score one more for Gohan!" Yamcha cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

Videl sighed in relief, staring at the computer screen's close-up on Gohan, who floated triumphantly.

The girl smiled, saying, "Well, what do you know? He really did win, just like I thought he would. Wait to go, Saiyadork."

With Gohan in the Middle of the Desert

The smoke cleared from the Burning Masenko thirty feet in the air, revealing the half-Saiyan known as Son Gohan.

After nearly three hours of conflict, the teenager managed to successfully rid the planet of a major threat while holding his own.

He had won.

In his Super Saiyan Level Two form, he descended to the ground, landing on his feet as he finally managed to sit down on the floor to breathe.

'...I-I did it! I actually did it! I beat an enemy by myself! I avenged my friend! ...Dad, I hope you were watching me up there.' Gohan thought as he caught his breath.

"GOHAN!"

The Ascended Super Saiyan gazed up in the sky to see the rest of the Dragon Team; Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, and Lazuli fly in his direction.

When they landed and approached the boy, Piccolo and Tien helped the boy up as Krillin spoke to him.

"That was a pretty intense fight. How are you holding up, buddy?" Krillin asked.

"...You know what? ...Outside of battle fatigue, I'm quite energized." Gohan smiled. "I'm better than I was when I killed Cell."

"You gave us quite a scare, kid. We thought you were a goner out there, but you managed to pull a win. Good job." Lazuli said, punching his arm lightly.

"O-ouch! Thanks..." Gohan cringed before laughing a little.

"Who was that guy, Gohan? He had major Frieza vibes...it was horrifying." The former monk admitted.

"His name was Cooler, Frieza's estranged older brother. He wanted to rule over us as one of the many planets he had under his control."

"Woah, hold the phone! Frieza had a brother!?" Krillin blurted out in astonishment.

"Yeah, it's a long story. I'll tell you another time," The boy sighed, not wanting to think about the alien he had just murdered.

Tien then asked Gohan, "We were watching the battle nearby after cleaning up the house with those machines. How were you able to absorb that attack back there?"

"Huh? Oh, that. Well, there was a voice that spoke to me. It told me to do something. I interpreted what he said as him directing me to empty out my energy reserve, and so I did. And then well, that happened." Explained the half-Saiyan.

Everybody looked at him in shock.

Piccolo said, "Gohan, while I'm glad that you're alive, that kind of concentrated evil ki should've killed you by all means. Were you able to identify the person who spoke to you telepathically?"

The hybrid shook his head negatively.

"No. It wasn't anyone that we know. What he told me was that he was no threat to us." Gohan clarified.

"I don't know the sound of this, guys," Krillin said in a worrisome tone.

Tien stated, "Yeah, this could mean trouble."

Piccolo and Lazuli nodded, agreeing with the triclops. Gohan, however, stood up on his own with a serious gaze.

"Look, you all don't have to worry about that right now. We can deal with whatever enemy that decides to reel its head our way if necessary." Gohan reasoned with them. "As of right now, there are other things to focus on. I need you guys along with Goten and Trunks to gather the Dragon Balls for me and meet me up at the Lookout in about thirty minutes."

Krillin nodded, saying, "I still have the Dragon Radar that Bulma lended me and Lazuli got the six-star and five-star Dragon Balls at home."

"The three-star and seven-star Dragon Balls are in the care of Dende, as where I left them." Piccolo informed.

"Right, and I got my Dad's four-star ball at home." Gohan said with a nod.

"So that leaves us with three Dragon Balls left." Lazuli assumed by process of elimination.

Piccolo said, "Exactly."

Tien then asked the Ascended Super Saiyan, "What are you going to be up to, Gohan?"

"I have to check in on Bulma and the others. Make sure they're okay. I also have some damage control to take care of." Gohan explained.

Most of the Dragon Team glanced at him oddly, wondering what he meant by "damage control".

Upon finishing his sentence, Gohan placed his index and middle fingers from his right hand on his forehead, then warped out of existence, leaving the older warriors speechless except for Piccolo.

"...Since when could he do that!?"

Capsule Corporation, West City, Age 774

Everybody continued cheering in the laboratory, standing around each other. Even Dr. Briefs and Mrs. Briefs joined in, with the older blonde woman bringing refreshments and snacks for the occasion.

As Yamcha and Bulma were talking to Erasa and Videl regarding the Dragon Team's victory, a familiar teleportation sound caught their attention.

Turning their heads adjacent to the corridors, they found Gohan in his Ascended Super Saiyan form, with two of his right hand's fingers on his forehead.

With a small smile, the teen half-Saiyan said, "Hey, everyone. Are you all okay?"

Before he could get a response out of the adults, Erasa tackled him into a hug while rambling about how much she was worried about him.

"Son-kun! Thank Kami, you've made it out okay! After what happened to Sharpie, I thought you'd be killed too!" Sobbed Erasa, holding on to his chest.

Pitying the girl for remembering what Cooler did to Sharpner, Gohan patted the girl on her back, saying, "I'm sorry... I couldn't save him. But you don't need to worry about that, Erasa-san. That monster's never going to harm another man, woman, or child again. I made sure of that."

Bulma and Yamcha looked at the moment, then towards Videl, who despite empathizing with the loss of their friend, subconsciously furrowed her eyebrows at Erasa's bold actions while her puffed up cheeks burned red.

The two adults then smirked at each other, coming to a mental understanding.

Videl was jealous.

"That was some fight," Bulma said with her hands on her hips. "Not bad for your second win."

Gohan waved the compliment off, saying, "Our win. I couldn't have done it without everyone involved here. My contribution was nothing special."

Dr. Briefs walked up to Gohan stating, "If I must say, you've done an extraordinary service to this city and the planet in defeating that ruffian. Your father would be proud if he was with us."

"Yeah, bro! If he saw the way you took on that Frieza wannabe's attack, Goku would have been no doubt amazed!" Yamcha compliment.

"They're right, ya know, dear~" Mrs. Brief said as she finished collecting plates from the lab. "You've grown up to be a handsome, strong, and remarkably brave young man. That's how heroes are made. Learn to give yourself a bit more credit sometimes."

A full-blown smile formed on the boy's face, taking in the appreciation. However, his mind went back to Sharpner's cries for help which were followed by his death. He couldn't relax right now, he had work to do.

He let go of Erasa and turned to Bulma, saying, "Bulma, the others are on the hunt for the remaining Dragon Balls. Can you handle things in the city from here?"

"No need to worry, you know I got this," Bulma said with a peace sign on her left hand.

"Great,"

Gohan turned his sights to Videl, who locked eyes with him. Her body turned stiff from the moment he approached her, but she reminded herself of who was walking up to her. So, she relaxed.

Gohan said, "Videl-san."

Despite being in the second level of Super Saiyan, the girl could recognize the gentleness on the teen's face.

This was still the same Gohan.

Looking at him from his feet to his hair, Videl said while cracking a grin, "I knew you were strong, but I never thought you were holding back that much. It's almost scary. You're something else, Son Gohan-kun."

Gohan blinked as his cheeks turned pink for a few seconds, prompting snickers from the surrounding adults at his expression.

Erasa's eyes widened as she muttered to herself, "Wait a minute, did she just call him Gohan-kun?"

Videl never used that suffix unless it's for younger boys.

Gohan grinned back before turning serious once more.

"Videl-san, I'm going to need you and Erasa-san to come with me. We have important business elsewhere." Gohan stated.

"Huh?" Videl blurted, raising an eyebrow. "What's so important that you need Erasa and me specifically-"

"-You said that you wanted answers, right?" Gohan questioned in an even tone.

All of the adults in the room froze, detecting and understanding the meaning behind Gohan's words. Bulma stepped into Gohan's conversation.

"Gohan-kun, are you sure you want to do this? She's already figured some of the most important details about all of this on her own." The scientist said. "Going to him now may complicate matters more."

Erasa then asked, "Complicate what matters? Son-kun, what are you two talking about?"

Gohan turned to the two girls and said, "I can tell that both of you are smart. Smarter than any of us has given you credit for. You guys witnessed firsthand what kind of world we live in. Granted, it's hard for that to sink in. That's not all that there is to us and our lives, mind you. I believe that for you to truly fathom and embrace the truth, both of you need to hear it from the horse's mouth himself."

That last sentence instantly clicked in Videl's mind, seeing where Gohan was going with this.

"You're going to face my father, aren't you?" Videl questioned softly, prompting Erasa to gasp lightly.

Gohan nodded once slowly, stating, "It has to be done. When I share details about my actual life eventually, I don't want anything to be undermined by the hold Hercule's claim has over you."

Yamcha then asked, "Look, man. I get it, we're all tired of Mr. Satan's nonsense towards us and other ki users. But think about what you're doing and what could that lead to. This may change everything. Are you willing to–?"

"My mind is made up, Yamcha-san. Besides, I know what I'm doing, trust me." Gohan said, leaving no room for a debate. "This needs to happen."

Bulma, Yamcha, and Dr. Briefs all stared at each other with worrisome expressions, hoping to Dende that Gohan wasn't about to say or do anything to the buffoon that he may one day regret.

Gohan then set his sights back on his remaining high school classmates.

"We're about to head to Hercule's location right now. Make sure you have everything you need. And if there's any personal business you need to handle such as bathroom breaks, please do so now." Gohan instructed almost like a teacher.

Videl snorted cheekily, answering, "I think I'll be fine as I am, Mr. Son. Erasa on the other hand..."

Erasa was too busy rushing to the bathroom to fix herself up, given her need to keep up with her appearance. The group chuckled at this.

"That's Erasa-san for you," The Ascended Super Saiyan smirked with his arms folded.

Looking at Gohan's costume in sudden realization, Bulma said, "Aw, darn it! Your costume's ruined! I've spent hours customizing that armor and everything!"

Blinking, Gohan scratched his head apologizing to Bulma sheepishly.

"Hehehehe! Sorry, Bulma. I didn't mean to, but couldn't risk going Super Saiyan while the city's cameras were on me. I'd rather have the folks see Saiyaman coming from Hercule City to fight the aliens than the Golden Warrior showing up out of nowhere making a comeback."

Upon hearing this, Videl mentally gaped.

'Wait, she was the one who designed his disguise? What was that woman thinking putting a bucket on this boy's head?'

Bulma groaned at this, shaking her head.

"Ugh! Now, I'm going to have to start from scratch. I swear, you Saiyans can be such a handful..."

Hearing the word again, Videl asked Gohan, "Hey, Gohan-kun, I never got to ask you this. But I keep hearing this term. What does she mean by Super Saiyan? And what even is a Saiyan?"

The adults awkwardly stayed silent, finding other parts of the lab interesting while listening to Gohan's response.

Immediately, Gohan answered, "As soon as we get the major priorities out of the way, I'll tell you. But for a short answer, it's my race and I'll leave it at that for now."

"Fair enough. But you do realize that Hercule City is three hours away from here, right? Even if we fly while one of us carries Erasa, it will take a while to get to my house." Videl explained.

"Actually, that does raise a question. How did you get here so fast, kid?" Yamcha inquired. "I swear you were miles away from us a few seconds before you got here."

Gohan smirked, saying, "That's a good question. Well, let's just say that I just so happened to have picked up a certain technique that the enemy shared with my dad while fighting said, enemy."

Gohan then did the gesture, tapping his forehead with his index and middle fingers from his right hand, allowing for the answer to register with Bulma and Yamcha.

"N-No way, you mean to tell me that monster knew Instant Transmission!?" Bulma shouted.

"And you learned that from him!?" Yamcha followed.

"Yup! That's about right! Gohan grinned wholeheartedly. "Don't worry, he didn't see it coming either. Nor did he see my right hook."

Videl turned to Dr. Briefs for a possible translation, but the scientist just said "Teleportation", which Videl formed an "o" with her mouth in understanding.

Erasa eventually returned, excusing herself for the wait.

Gohan, now more determined than ever, walked up to the girls and said, "Both of you grab onto my shoulders. We're going to Hercule's location right now."

Videl did so, but Erasa looked confused.

"Can't you just carry me while Videl and you fly? Better yet, couldn't you call that golden cloud to carry me?"

Videl's eyebrow was raised upon hearing Kinto'un's description, prompting her to slightly glare at Gohan.

Gohan said firmly, "There's no time to explain! Just grab a hold of me and I'll do the rest."

Not wanting to frustrate the Super Saiyan, Erasa scrambled to Gohan's opposite shoulder as she grabbed onto it with one hand.

Looking over to Bulma, Yamcha, and the elder Briefs, the half-Saiyan said, "It's nice seeing you again, Mrs. Briefs, Dr. Briefs. Bulma-san, Yamcha-san, I'll meet you guys on the Lookout. And please be sure to tell my mother about what happened."

"We will, hun! Stay safe and please, be careful with what you say. Don't scare him too badly, okay?" Bulma said like an aunt would.

Yamcha added, "I second that. Try to keep it calm, buddy."

"Be sure to visit us anytime, son." Dr. Briefs waved.

"Have a nice day, dear!~" Said Mrs. Briefs.

Gohan smiled as he saluted the adults. Focusing, Gohan placed his index and middle fingers from his right hand back on his forehead, searching for Videl's father's ki.

"And...found him! Here we go guys, Instant Transmission!"

And just like that, the three teenagers have whisked away instantaneously.

Satan Mansion, Hercule City, Age 774

The supposed 'Savior of the World' had finally left his room upon the last hour's end. Currently, he was in his personal bar in the kitchen, pouring a glass of whiskey into a cup while the kitchen TV was on.

Reports of the robot alien invasion had been blaring nonstop, with footage of its terror in West City being broadcasted on all networks. The supposed superpowered alien invaders called for their strongest warriors, meaning that the media expected him, a normal human, to save them.

To him, it was the Cell Games all over again.

No scratched that, it was worse than the Cell Games.

To make matters even more frightening, Orange Star High School's Class of 774 happened to be there on a field trip to the Capsule Corporation.

...And one of those students was his pride and joy, Videl Satan.

Hercule could only wallow in his safe haven like a coward. The afro-haired man knew that the world counted on him, his daughter counted on him, and he had let everybody down. The conflicted sensation and the gut ate at his soul, at his psyche.

But what could he have done? He was a martial artist, the champion of the 24th Tenkaichi Būdokai, a renowned hero of the Earth, and a business giant, sure. But he was not like those tricksters from seven years ago! He couldn't flicker in and out of existence, fly, or shoot laser beams from his hands! He was normal like any other person on Earth.

Hercule was just one simple man.

While he always wanted to be the hero that he claimed to be for his people and his little girl, Mr. Satan knew that the moment he'd stepped into West City, he would have been killed faster than you could say "Megaton Punch".

At the end of the day, despite directly tricking the whole world about his grand "achievement" with a fantasy, Hercule was surprisingly grounded in reality.

And now, there was a large chance that everything that he had acquired over the last seven years could be stripped away from him.

But he couldn't be worried about that right now, his daughter was mostly on his mind. He had tried calling her, but by the time he tried contacting her, it went straight to voice-mail. In a panic, the supposed World Savior sent hired agents to brave the dangerous streets of West City in search of his little princess. He hadn't heard back from them since. After exhausting every last resource that failed, all he could do was break down and pray to Kami his darling little angel was safe and sound.

After filling up his cup, he sat down on his stool, glancing at the television with a solemn expression. He then decided to pray again, being more sincere and desperate in his words.

"Kami? God? Whoever is on the other side, I don't care, please! Just...listen to me. This isn't the illustrious champ, Mr. Hercule Satan. This is Mark, plain old Mark. Look, I know I have done my fair share of dirt and I am aware of my misdeeds towards other people. I repent for those sins, okay! I swear on my life that I'll do better, I'll be better! Hell, you can take all of this away! None of the fame or fortune crap matters to me right now! All I care about at this moment is the safety of my sweet Videl! Please, I beg of you! If you're real and if you can hear me, please bring my little girl home to me! She's all I've got left!"

Little did he know, on Kami's Lookout, the young Guardian of the Earth smiled upon Hercule's desperate pleas. He answered the selfish man's prayers, grinning with anticipation of what will come next.

A few seconds later, Gohan, Erasa, and Videl appeared four feet behind Hercule's stool.

Erasa and Videl stepped away from Gohan, both disoriented at what they just experienced.

"Huh, what the-!?" Erasa stammered, not comprehending how she arrived.

Videl looked around, also perplexed at the sensation. "I-Insane...!"

The pig-tailed girl turned to Gohan, asking, "H-How did you do that!?"

"Simple, I locked on to your dad's ki signature, then warped us to his location in an instant," Gohan explained with a small cheeky grin.

"Hence the name, Instant Transmission."

Videl could only glare at him as she poked his surprisingly hard and well-toned pectoral.

"Don't you get all cheeky on me because you stopped a batshit crazy alien invasion, Wonderboy!" Videl sassed with her trademark fiery personally.

Mr. Satan could only groan as he muttered to himself, "Great, now I'm starting to hear things again. I should have gone to that AA meeting like my life coach told me."

Erasa, now calm, saw Mr. Satan in his saddened state and turned back to her friends.

"Huh, Videl?" She said, grabbing her friend's attention as the blonde pointed to her father.

Videl, realizing what Erasa's gesturing to, turned around to see her father in a pitiful drunken state.

"...Dad?" Videl called, walking close to the man, who had his head down on him the counter.

"Why? Why did this have to happen to me?" Mourned the afro-haired man. "I already lost the love of life, now my beautiful baby girl's out there in Kami-know's-what condition... She's could be lost, scared, cold."

"Dad...!" Videl tried again, now blushing from embarrasment while a vain appeared on her forehead.

Gohan smiled at this at how much Videl's father cared for her despite his antics. Erasa resisted the urge to squeal very loudly

"Oh, I'd give anything to hear my darling flower's sweet voice again!" Hercule slurred truthfully, clasping his hands together as if he was a part of a melodramatic soap opera.

"DAD, I'M RIGHT HERE!" Videl screeched, having enough of his drunkenness. "WILL YOU STOP EMBARRASSING ME IN FRONT OF MY FRIENDS AND TURN AROUND ALREADY!?"

Snapping out of his drunken self-pity, Hercule sat up and turned behind him from his chair to see his beloved daughter who had a few bandages on her person, but was relatively alive and well.

While his eyes waved with emotion, he asked, "Videl...? I-Is that really you?"

Videl placed her fists on her hips, scoffing at her bumbling father.

"Well, duh! Who else would I be?!" Videl said sarcastically. "What are you doing getting wasted!? You're supposed to be stepping away from the bottle, not obliging it!"

Videl would have continued to reprimand her father but was stopped by the grown man pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. ...Well, it was formerly bone-crushing until Videl's recent training paid off. Now, it was simply an annoyingly clingy hug.

"Oh, thank Kami! He answered my prayers! I have my baby girl back! I knew you would pull through! You have the survival instincts and the toughness of a Satan! Bwahahaha!" The man cheered while nuzzling his face onto Videl's like a dotting parent.

"Gah! Daaaad, you're doing it again! You're embarrassing me! Cut it out, will ya? I'm fine!" Videl said, almost sounding like she was whining child-like. "Besides, your breath reeks of whiskey!"

Blinking, Hercule let go of his teenage daughter, and boastfully laughed, "Uh... I knew that! I was working on training my body to tolerate booze as a means of developing my new Drunken Satan Fist! Bwahahaha!"

Videl couldn't help but facepalm at her father's behavior.

"Oh, Dad."

When he finished laughing, Hercule noticed Erasa standing beside Videl, who waved at him.

"U-Uh, hi again, Mr. Satan!" Erasa nervously greeted.

"Uh, hello to you too, Erasa!" Mr. Satan greeted back before turning to his daughter. "Sweetpea, where are Mr. Bruce and Mr. Palmer? I thought they'd be with you when you entered through the gates. And while I'm not against her being here, why is Erasa with you?"

"Mr. Bruce? Mr. Palmer? Dad, I don't even recognize those names. What are you talking about?" Videl questioned much to the bewilderment of her father.

"What do you mean what do I mean!? I've specifically sent those two agents to travel to West City and bring you home!" Hercule retorted, getting frustrated."

Videl's eyes widened in horror, processing what could have happened silently.

Erasa got vocal about it, saying, "Mr. Satan! How could those agents at a time like this!? Robots were gunning anything that moved on sight! You probably didn't hear from those agents because they were more than likely killed!"

Hercule's face turned pale at the sudden truth of the matter. He looked at his hands, imagining the blood that he figuratively had on his hands, sobering up fully.

'Oh my God...! What have I done? I just sent two men to their deaths.' Hercule thought to himself as he then turned to his daughter.

"...If that's true, then how did you and your friend get here?"

Before Erasa and Videl could utter a word, a voice spoke to Mr. Satan.

"That would be my doing, sir."

Mr. Satan turned to see a sight that he thought he'd never behold again.

The Golden Warrior. One of the fighters from the Cell Games.

'...No! I'm seeing this! It can't be, it can' be! ...Can it!?' Hercule mentally flipped out while he stood on the ground out of fear.

"...It's you! You're that Golden W-Warrior, like those guys from the C-Cell Games!" Hercule said as he swallowed hard.

Gohan, with a firm and indifferent expression, began to approach the current Tenkaichi Būdokai champion slowly. With each step, Hercule's fear and anxiety sank deeper and deeper. He could feel his legs begin to quake. Sweat poured from his forehead as well as the rest of his body. He swore that had his daughter and her friend wasn't here that his heart would have jumped out of his mouth.

This did not go unnoticed by Videl and Erasa, who removed themselves from Gohan's way.

Never in their lives have they ever seen Hercule be so intimidated like this. It was like he was a completely different man.

Was this supposed to be the Champ? Their world savior? This man was nearly shitting himself!

When Gohan stepped close enough to the man at a safe distance, he said evenly, "It's been a while, Mr. Satan. Almost a decade."

Hercule was a stuttering mess for a moment, but then decided to simply nod, saying, "Y-Yeah, it has been."

"...Tell me, are you eating well?" Gohan questioned, taking Hercule by surprise.

"W-What?"

"Your diet. Have you been eating well?" Gohan elaborated.

"U-Uh, yeah? I've been eating mighty fine." The Champ stated while finding the question strange. "Why did you-?"

"-Ask? Because the last time that I saw you was when I was with my father, you claimed to have trouble with bowel movements. Or was "I have a stomach ache!" not your exact words?"

Hercule began to panic internally as he felt the tension between him and the Golden Warrior.

'This is bad, this is really bad! I must have pissed this guy off somehow!' The man mentally groaned in a woeful tone. 'How did I, though? What did I do to him? Maybe I said something nasty about his folks... Does he even have a family? He seems young enough. ...Wait, a sec? Did he say his father was there?'

His mind went back to the heart-wrenching scream of a child calling out to his father.

"...W-Which one?" Hercule said almost quietly but loud enough for Gohan to hear as he trembled. "Which one of those golden-haired folk are you?"

Without missing a beat, Gohan smoothly replied, "...I was the child."

...That's when everything clicked with him.

The next thing that Hercule did completely stunned Videl, Erasa, and even Gohan himself.

The proud Mr. Satan got on his knees as he pleaded for his life while crying his eyes out. His head was firmly bowing on the floor as humbly and as respectful as possible.

"I'M SO SORRY!" The man wept feverishly. "I didn't mean for all of this to go this far, I swear! You guys went and left after Cell vanished and everybody was asking questions that I couldn't answer! The whole thing was crazy, and I had to tell the public something they could believe in! They needed somebody to believe in, and everything happened so fast that I ended up telling the world at the spur of the moment! I never meant for this to get out of hand! Honest! I won't do it again! P-Please! Just spare me, Mr. Delivery Boy!"

Videl and Erasa glanced at each other, not knowing how to respond to what Mr. Satan had just admitted.

While Videl did not find the fact that her father had flat out lied to both her and the entire world for seven years straight, a piece of her felt empathy for him. She realized that just like Gohan and his awkwardness, her father had faults of his own. Hercule wasn't perfect. He is a flawed man who made mistakes.

'Daddy, you can be such a blockhead.' Videl mentally groaned as she let out an exasperated sigh.

Hercule awaited his fate, only for the man to look up and see Gohan's hand extended out to help him up.

"I'm not going to harm you, Mr. Satan. I only came here to talk." He explained. "Take my hand, sir."

Hercule, hearing this, took his hand as he felt himself being picked up with ease while also being as gentle as possible. This kind of strength and control amazed the afro-haired man.

"W-Who are you?" Hercule couldn't help but ask.

Breathing out, Gohan finally reverted back to his normal state as he answered.

"My name is Son Gohan." The boy said with a friendly grin, shaking the man's hand in a light fashion.

"E-er, Son?" The man muttered, not remembering where he heard that name. "Hm... That name doesn't ring a bell to me."

Videl, re-entering the conversation, explained, "Seriously, Dad? He's my new classmate from high school that I was talking about!"

Hercule snapped his fingers as he recalled, "Right, the skinny kid! That's who you were talking about."

"That's not all, Mr. Satan. Son-kun is the eldest son of your predecessor, the former late champion Son Goku." Erasa added.

"Goku? Wait, you mean that kid that used those flashy light tricks in the tournament before I came along!?" Hercule said out of instinct as he turned to Gohan and squinted at him.

"Ah, yeah. You look just like him." The man said while Gohan nodded. "Well, then. What are you doing bringing yourself here if you're not out for my blood, kid? You said we got to talk or something?"

Videl stated while giving her father a nasty glare, "We're here, Dad because I've learned the truth. I found out that Gohan-kun is not only the Golden Warrior but the Delivery Boy from the Cell Games and the Great Saiyaman. He also taught me about those so-called tricks that you kept ranting on and on about being silly illusions with smokes and mirrors!"

Out of frustration, Videl lifts her left hand and forms a ball of ki, shocking her father.

"Hm! So, is this a trick to you?! What's you got to say about this, Dad?!" Videl questioned, daring him to argue.

"I-I... Y-You...!" Hercule stuttered, wondering how she could perform such a feat.

"For your information, I wasn't frolicking around with some boy! I was busy training!" Videl huffed as she dispelled the energy ball and folded her arms. "I used to think that you were the pinnacle of strength, but given these past few months, I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm being lied to. And I hate being lied to!"

"Videl, I-I..."

The girl held up her hand as she continued without stopping.

"Now, I heard you talk about this before but I need to hear this from you. And I want to hear this clearly and without your stupid excuses. Dad, did you beat Cell or not?"

At this point, Hercule didn't even try to hide. The jig was up. He couldn't lie to his daughter anymore.

"...I'm sorry, Videl. I'm a failure." The man said with his head down and shoulders sagging. "Ever since you were a little girl, you always looked up to me as the strongest man in the world. It filled my heart with fatherly pride and joy for you to view me as such. I wanted to keep that image for you. But I knew that was far from the case. While the 24th tournament helped out, I knew that the Cell Games was a greater opportunity. Not just for me, but for you too. I couldn't go back home as the man who was sent back fifty feet to a mountainside. There were people who were watching at home, you were watching! People needed a person to look up to in times of insanity and chaos. So... I did what I did. Everything that I did after up to this point, I did for you. I just wanted you to be proud of me."

Erasa stood there as Mr. Satan's words touched her heart. Much like Videl, she still believed that what he did was wrong, but she had a better understanding of his actions.

Videl stayed silent for a moment. Her blood began to boil as she cognitively processed her father's logic, then broke down everything wrong with his reasoning. As she turned red in skin tone at the fierce rage that was pumping through her veins, she responded in a heated tone.

"Proud? Proud!? How do you expect me to be proud of you after this!? You're right, I was proud to be your daughter!" Videl snapped in anger. "I took pride in being the child of the Champ, the World Savior! And I would have killed anybody whoever brought shame upon your name because it's my name too! For Kami's sake, I fought in the Junior Division of the Tenkaichi Būdokai to prove myself and to represent you! And now...it means jack shit! Seven years of my life was a phony sham!"

Tears were threatening to fall down her face, which caught everybody's attention. But she pressed forward to vent.

"You lied to me! To everyone! For seven years straight! And for what? Money, fame, power? To hell with all of that! The last seven years were unbearable! I barely made any real friends because creepy lowlives kept trying to either get in my pants or fake their way to your bank accounts and I have next to no private life thanks to the media constantly bugging me! The only escape that I have from it all is working with the police force! Now I can't even enjoy that anymore! I could have died without even realizing that I wasn't as strong as I was led to believe, nor as what everybody else thinks right now! And all because you stole the credit from a child! What's there to be proud of, Mr. Satan!?" Videl screamed.

Videl turned away, not daring to look at everyone as she silently began to cry. Erasa was quick to pull her into a hug as the dark-haired girl sobbed her heart out.

"Sssh... It's alright, Vi. Just let it all out." Erasa said softly, comforting Videl.

Hercule tried to speak to his distraught child, but Erase shot him a nasty glare which cautioned him not to approach the two girls. While this happened, a small fly-like machine flew into the room, landing on a wall while it examined the kitchen bar.

Hercule recoiled from this before Gohan patted his shoulder as he advised, "It's best if you give Videl-san space. After a day she had, she deserves it."

After a dejected Mr. Satan averted his eyes downward, Gohan told Erasa to take Videl to a nearby bathroom to clean herself up. And the girl did that.

Hercule sank to his seat in his kitchen, berating himself mentally as he said, "...Damn it. I fucked up big time. I knew I shouldn't have done this. Now Videl's never going to forgive me. She's gonna end up hating me forever and leave me all alone like Michelle did before she died."

Gohan, being the voice of reason, said, "Hey, don't say that! She's just upset. Reasonably so. A lot has happened in nearly three hours since Cooler's invasion. But that doesn't mean she'll stop caring about you. You're her father at the end of the day. "

"T-The aliens, that right. She must be shaken up about that." Hercule nodded in understanding.

"I wouldn't blame her. One of our classmates was killed right in front of her." Gohan said in a regretful tone.

Hercule cried, "Wait, what!? Those monsters got one of you?"

Gohan sadly nodded, saying "Yes. Cooler himself did the deed. And Sharpner was the casualty."

The older man ran his hand through his afro as he cursed under his breath at what he was told.

"Damn it all... Not Sharpner! He was like the son that I never had!" Mr. Satan lamented. "My little girl saw him as a brother. Kami, she must be in pain. No wonder she's mad at me."

'If there's anybody at fault for that, it's mine.' Gohan correctly, but only for himself to ponder.

Erasa came back with a less distraught but still upset Videl. While she was much calmer and reserved, she refused to even glance in her father's direction.

Videl then said, no, stated, "When this is over, I'm staying at Erasa's place for the next three weeks. It's not up for discussion."

Hercule, under normal circumstances, would have put his foot down. But hearing the painful undertone in her voice could only comply.

Gohan, looking at everyone's eyes, prepared himself as he spoke to them.

"What I'm going to tell you is a short version of my life. And I'll only answer a few questions, so try not to interrupt me." Gohan said, putting on a serious face.

The three humans nodded as Gohan began his tale.

"Thirty-four years ago, in Age 740, there was a world far away from our solar system called Planet Vegeta. This planet was home to the warrior race called Saiyans." Gohan said, surprising the humans in the room. "Saiyans are combative beings that lived for the heated battle, but a lot of them were ruthless warmongering conquerors that desired power beyond anything else. While Saiyans phenotype is remarkably similar to humans, they differ from them by being physically stronger, faster, capable of surviving nuclear level attacks and possessing a tail similar to Earth's simians. They could sustain themselves on anything edible in a large quantity but preferred cooked meat. Saiyans were ruled by King Vegeta and his bloodline. However, they were enslaved by a Planet Trade Organization, controlled by the galactic tyrant named Frieza. And if you're wondering, Cooler is Frieza's estranged older brother."

While Erasa looked absolutely stunned that she learned of Saiyans being aliens, Hercule and Videl weren't so shocked.

Hercule figured that the Golden Warriors and their group were some kind of otherworldly band.

'Ha! I knew those guys weren't human!' Hercule said as he slammed his fist on his palm.

Videl thought to herself, 'Saiyans are aliens, huh? That explains a lot. The old newspapers did describe Goku having a tail when he was a kid back in the day. Gohan having a tail must have been inherited from his dad.'

"One day, Frieza caught wind of a myth that was passed down to every generation of Saiyans. A legend surrounding a Saiyan warrior with a power that hadn't been seen in a millennium. That gave Saiyans hope for the future that the Legendary Super Saiyan would be born among them to rise up so that it could destroy Frieza and free the Saiyan people. Paranoid over the tale, Frieza gathered almost every Saiyan on Planet Vegeta and sent out a Death Ball, destroying the planet and wiping out almost all of the Saiyan race."

Erasa, Hercule, Videl were mixed in this piece of information. While the idea that Gohan's ancestors were slaughtered, they were glad that there weren't any other Saiyans that could potentially do the same thing that happened today or worse.

"Little did Frieza know, one lone Saiyan space pod was sent to Earth before Planet Vegeta's destruction, landing in the deep area of Mt. Paozu. In it was a baby boy named Kakarot. Kakarot's pod was eventually discovered by a local elderly man who lived in the mountains. He eventually decided to take Kakarot in and looked after him as his grandson. That man was named Son Gohan. When taking the boy back to his home, Grandpa Gohan renamed the full-blooded Saiyan baby Kakarot, Son Goku."

"Oh, so that explains why I couldn't find any information about you in the database. According to the file I pulled, it said that Son Gohan passed away in Age 745. I didn't understand it at first but now it makes sense. You were named after that guy." Videl said in realization.

Meanwhile, Mr. Satan was busy asking himself, "What in the heck is a Ka-Ko-Root supposed to be? Is that supposed to be a snack or something?"

"It sounded like he was talking about a vegetable shake," Erasa said, shrugging about Goku's actual name.

Gohan shook his head as he continued, "Anyway, Kakarot, now named Goku, was an ill-tempered child due to him being programed by his space pod to wipe out the planet's inhabitants and his naturally aggressive behavior from birth. One day, that led to him falling into a ravine and hitting his head. Fortunately, he survived the tumble. This, however, caused my father to lose his troubled streak and memory of his home planet, allowing Grandpa Gohan to raise my father into being his happy carefree, and loveable self that we knew and loved."

"Huh, I never that I'd say this but I'm glad your dad suffered a head injury as an infant. Who knows what could have happened if he stayed nasty." Videl said in retrospect the others agreed.

Gohan smiled as he nodded in agreement as well.

The half-Saiyan then said, "Yeah, I am grateful for that. The story takes a sad turn, however. Grandpa Gohan passed away when my father was eight years old, leaving him alone to live in solitude for four years."

"Aw, that poor baby!" Erasa said, with Videl and Hercule also taking pity on the late Goku's past.

"But Grandpa Gohan left Dad with an artifact that he believed to be a memento that contained his soul. It was a bright orange orb with four red stars in them."

"...A Dragon Ball!" Both Videl and Erasa said simultaneously.

Hercule glazed at them, then at Gohan with confusion.

'What the hay is a Dragon Ball?' He questioned in his mind.

"Exactly," Gohan confirmed. "He guarded this artifact with his life until a certain blue-haired teenage girl came to his neck of the woods. When my dad met Bulma and when she explained to him what his memento actually was, his entire life changed from that moment on."

From there, Gohan quickly caught up Erasa, Sharpner, and Hercule on his father's classic adventures with Bulma searching for the Dragon Balls while hitting the main details. This included Goku's run-ins with Emperor Pilaf, finding Mūten Roshi, and meeting Krillin in order to train for the 21st Tenkaichi Būdokai. Gohan then shifted the story had to get his four-star Dragon Ball back from the villainous Red Ribbon army including

his siege at Muscle Tower at Jingle Village (much to Erasa's excitement). After that, he spoke about Goku's appearance at the 22nd Tenkaichi Būdokai which led to his fight with Tenshinhan. Finally, Gohan recapped the terror of King Piccolo and eventually wrapped up Goku's journey to adulthood with the tale of the 23rd Tenkaichi Būdokai between him and Piccolo Jr.

Needless to say, all three were ecstatic at the major growth of the late Son Goku as a person and a martial artist. Or at least, Erasa, and most importantly, Videl was.

While Mr. Satan was definitely intrigued by Goku's life story, he still had a stigma about ki techniques. None of the adolescents noticed the way Hercule cringed wherever Tao's name was mentioned while Gohan spoke about the Red Ribbon Army.

Hercule remained silent, processing his predecessor's life. From what he got, Goku was an alien who grew up believing to be human. He lived on his own for four years, then got caught up in some rich girl's treasure hunt, and that lead him to become a martial artist prodigy and inadvertently saved the planet a few times.

But none of the fame or fortune mattered to Goku, because he lived to better himself as a fighter. To Hercule, Goku was a strange man, and yet, he both admired and envied the dead man and his outlook on life. At least Goku's son still loved him enough to speak highly of him.

Hercule, on the other hand, earned his daughter's scorn and resentment.

"Wow! Your dad sounded like a really cool guy, Son-kun! It's a shame that we can't meet him." Erasa said with gleaming interest in her eyes.

Videl also added, "Yeah, it would have been awesome seeing another legend in the martial arts community. I would have killed for some advice in ki-based techniques."

Gohan smiled at his friend's reactions toward his father's life.

"It's fine. I think my dad would have liked you guys." Gohan responded positively. "I think that he'd take you on as his student if he was alive, Videl."

"You really think so?" Videl said with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, Dad would have been thrilled to teach you. In a way, your passion for fighting reminds me a lot of him." Gohan confessed before looking ahead of Videl with a sad smile.

Videl blushed at that, which didn't go unnoticed by Erasa and Hercule.

"Son, where do you fit into this story?" Hercule asked, not only wanting him to move on to Gohan's story but to step in due to his paternal instincts kicking in from Gohan and Videl's friendly exchange.

"O-Oh, right," Gohan said, snapping out of his funk. "Well, it all started when I was four..."

Gohan began his own journey from a little boy fighting in a grown man's world to the Golden Warrior. He first explained how he got kidnapped by his long-lost uncle to be used as a bargaining chip. This was a ploy to make Goku swear allegiance to him by forcing Goku to kill one hundred humans and bring their corpses to him. Of course, this led Piccolo Junior and him to team up, they jumped Raditz and Goku eventually had to hold his older brother down to have Piccolo take out Raditz, sacrificing himself in the process.

Erasa and Hercule were so shocked at Gohan's traumatic experience that they were flat-out speechless. Hercule especially, given that he could only imagine Videl in Gohan's place while enduring that endeavor.

Videl, on the other hand, said, "Hold on a sec, this is what you meant back in Dragon Rock? The warrior tribe you were talking about, you meant Saiyans! And by them conquering and wiping out nations, you were actually alluding to planets!"

"Uh-huh." Gohan nodded in confirmation. "The allegory some held the truth to it, but I couldn't give you the entire context at that time. You weren't ready for the entire truth then."

"...Fair enough." Videl relented. "So, this is where you started with that Piccolo guy, right?"

Gohan, mentally wondering how much she knew, continued with his story that quickly went over his six-month survival training and his six months of combat training with Piccolo Jr. Why because two more Saiyans were approaching the planet in search of the Dragon Balls.

"I knew it!" Videl exclaimed. "The alien attack in East City was real! It wasn't some conspiracy!"

"I'm still trying to get over the fact that Son-kun was kidnapped twice! I mean, where was your mom during all of this?" Erasa asked.

"Erasa-san..." Gohan said, warning her with his tone.

"S-Sorry, continue."

One of them being their for-later-turned-friend, Prince Vegeta. While he and his friends put up a good fight against Vegeta's lackey, Nappa, Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, and even Piccolo were no match for the brute. It took Goku, who had undergone special training in the afterlife, to be revived and stand a chance. Vegeta, after realizing Piccolo's tie to Kami and the Dragon Balls, killed Nappa and fought Goku. At a certain point, Prince Vegeta began to overwhelm Goku. It took a few members, Gohan included, to coordinate a strategy to eventually wear the prince down and defeat him. Vegeta fled the planet after Goku told Krillin to spare him, and the battle was won.

"Oh my god...!" Erasa gasped. "This was your life at five years old? I was at daycare doodling in my color book!"

Gohan could only nod, awkwardly silent about his early life.

Videl, thinking back on what she witnessed, could only shudder as she mentally placed herself in his position. She had taken interest in martial artists out of passion, but Gohan had been forced into war out of necessity.

'No wonder why he is so quiet, Gohan-kun is probably dealing with trauma from the near-death experiences and he doesn't even realize it.' Videl thought to herself.

Hercule simply continued listening, waiting for the Cell Games to be brought up.

After that battle, Gohan moved on to the events that led to Namek and eventually, Frieza. The boy recalled him going with Krillin and Bulma to Piccolo's (and the former Kami) home planet, Namek, home to the Namekians. They went there to use their Dragon Balls to revive their fallen allies that died at the hands of the Saiyans.

"You got to travel to space as a kid!?" All three humans screamed at the same time.

Gohan could only sweatdrop as he grinned sheepishly.

"Y-Yeah..?" Gohan said, feeling a bit uneasy.

Heading back into the story, he got back to the looming threat of Namek. While Vegeta came to the planet in search of the Namekian Dragon Balls, Frieza and his army were already there in search of the Dragon Balls in order for the tyrant to wish for immortality. Due to this, Krillin, himself, and a reluctant Vegeta were forced to fight their way through Frieza's lackeys in order to claim the Namekian Dragon Balls. But, then Frieza sent his special squadron of elite warriors that caused major trouble. These warriors were called the Ginyu Force.

"Gohan-kun, I know we're not supposed to ask questions regarding the story until the end, but where was Goku while you were battling these aliens?" Videl inquired.

"Dad was recovering from his battle injuries from Vegeta. Thankfully, a friend of ours bought a Senzu Bean for him." Gohan answered. "Dr. Briefs had built him a spaceship and made his way to Namek within a few days. He ended up training in between that time to withstand 100x Earth's gravity. He ended up saving us by the time he arrived to take on the Ginyu Force."

Erasa, Hercule, and Videl leaned forward, dumbfounded at Goku's strength as they thought, '...100x Earth's gravity!?'

Things took a turn when Ginyu traded bodies with Goku, forcing the group to fight Ginyu (in Goku's body). Working together, however, the team managed to get Ginyu to trick him into giving Goku his injured body back. Vegeta then took the initiative to place Goku in a healing containment unit called a Medical Machine or Healing Chamber while they gathered the rest of the Dragon Balls. However, upon gathering the Dragon Balls and summoning their dragon and wished Piccolo back to life. Nearing the last wish, the dragon died upon the Namekian Elder's passing. To make matters worse, Frieza had found Gohan, Vegeta, and Krillin. That's when a fierce battle commenced.

"So...fighting a crazy space tyrant, huh? Okay. So what happened next?" Hercule questioned nervously.

"We...fought back... But Frieza was too strong for us to handle. With each transformation he took, Frieza's growing power overwhelmed us. It was so bad that Frieza impaled Krillin and tortured Prince Vegeta to death in his Final Form. If my father hadn't stepped in, things would have gotten much worse." Gohan said with a soured expression.

"I'm beginning to see a pattern," Videl noticed.

Gohan groaned, "Yeah, I know. Dad swooped in to save us at the last minute to stop the bad guy of the day. It's a cliché."

"Did he?" Erasa questioned.

"See, about that..." Gohan said, putting his hands together with apprehension while continuing.

While Goku stood up to oppose Frieza, the Acrosian clearly was toying with him. Even with his Kaiōken Technique amplifier, Frieza's durability was too great for him to be brought down for good. He resorted to using the Genki Dama or Spirit Bomb. And at first, Frieza was believed to be dead. However, Frieza emerged, nearly killing Piccolo, causing Krillin to implode, and targeted Gohan for his next murder.

"Kami, that's horrible! Freezer sounded like a creep! He's just as bad as that brute of an older brother he had!" Said Erasa.

"I bet that entire family is vile." Spat Videl, recalling what happened recently. "It's like they all love to blow people, planets, and other things up just to solve their own problems and for amusement."

Turning to Gohan, Mr. Satan said, "Since you're still here, you obviously survived this whole Frieza fiasco. How did Goku deal with him?"

"He got angry," Gohan said, causing the others to blink in confusion. "When Dad saw Piccolo fall to a near-death state, Frieza killing his best friend, and threatening my life, all of these things weighed down on his conscience. That pain paved a way for rage to fill his heart. Out of fury, my father unlocked a power that had not been seen in over a thousand years."

Breathing in and out, Gohan growled for a moment while allowing his power to surge. And just like that, his hair turned blond and his eyes turned teal while a burning golden aura surrounded him.

"To Earthlings, you see this state as the Golden Warrior. But to the rest of the known universe, what stands before you is–"

"—the Super Saiyan." Videl finished, having an understanding of Gohan's life and the important details about it. "Yeah, that actually makes sense since it all comes full circle. That Frieza clown didn't bother checking to see if he did his dirty work properly and it came back to bite him in the ass. That inadvertently perpetuated the legend with Goku fulfilling it. And my guess is that Goku told you to leave while he thoroughly whooped Freezer's ass, right?"

Gohan glanced at Videl, absolutely stunned at her astute assumption, slowly growing to find her more and more interesting and appealing. He powered down to his normal state after.

"Uh, yeah. That's actually the case. Well, I had to go back to get Bulma. Fortunately, we were able to escape via Earth's Dragon Balls since Piccolo was resurrected. My dad did beat Frieza, but he wasn't killed by him, but by another person. Planet Namek did, unfortunately, blow up, we managed to bring that back and send them home with Namek's Dragon Balls." Gohan said, concluding the story of Namek.

"...That was intense. I didn't expect things to get that crazy." Videl commented. "If that Cooler guy never showed up today, I'd say you were insane."

"I second that," Hercule admitted.

"Wow, I never thought that I'd be friends with a sexy strong alien hero!~" Erasa cooed, causing Videl to glare at her.

"U-uh, thanks for the compliment?" Gohan smiled wearily as he blushed a bit before correcting Erasa. "I'm not an alien. My Dad is, technically. I was born on Earth. My mom is human. I'm half-Saiyan and half-human; the first Saiyan hybrid of the entire new breed."

"Oh. OOOH! Saiyaman! That's where the name comes from. Clever~" Erasa understood before winking at Gohan.

"Ahem," Hercule cleared his throat. "We're getting a bit off-topic. Son, maybe you can tell us a little about that Cell creature? Where did he come from? What is he supposed to be?"

Gohan's face shifted into a serious gaze, making Mr. Satan, Erasa, and Videl nervous. Obviously, the young man was still hurting from the events of the Cell Games. They could see that as clear as day. But his face softened in order to tell the tale.

"To answer that, I need to explain a few things," Gohan said as he turned to Erasa and Videl. "Remember Trunks?"

"Yeah, that's Bulma's kid. What about him?" Videl questioned.

"What if I told you that the father of Trunks was Prince Vegeta?"

Erasa and Videl's (along with Mr. Satan) jaws dropped.

"You can't be serious! Wasn't that guy, one of the Saiyans that tried to kill us all!?" Videl screeched. "How can she marry somebody like that and give him a kid!?"

Gohan smiled, saying, "According to Bulma, they clicked because they are both short, stubborn, powerful people, desperate for recognition."

"...That makes complete sense," Erasa said, being the one to read people.

"Right. So, Trunks. He's Bulma and Vegeta's child." Gohan repeated. "But what if I told you that it was Trunks that killed Frieza as a Super Saiyan?"

"That makes no sense, though!" Erasa stated. "He looks no older than eight years old and you were five years old at the time!"

"True. But what if I told you that time travel was possible?" Gohan smirked.

"What, are you saying that a future version of Trunks just so happened to show up out of nowhere?" Videl questioned in a sassy manner.

"Yes, that's exactly like what I'm saying," Gohan confirmed. "In fact, Cell is from the future too."

"That can't be! We haven't even begun testing ships for space travel, yet! How can there be time travel?" Hercule questioned Gohan.

It was here where Gohan began the tale of the Androids and the events that led to the Cell Games.

Future Trunks arrived from a timeline where his world was devastated by mechanical terrors called the Artificial Humans. In this timeline, Goku died from heart failure due to a virus that he had in his body. Due to the nature of his death, Goku couldn't be revived by the Dragon Balls. Around that time, there were only two that had been unleashed on the world in the form of a pair of cyborgs; C-17, a black-haired young man, and C-18, a blonde-haired young woman. Both may seem like normal humans, but the twins were enhanced by cybernetics, programmed with combat data and information regarding the strongest warriors in the world. Armed with an Infinite Energy Engine, both cyborgs proved to have been a deadly force upon the planet.

"What happened to your friends? They're strong! Couldn't they stop these cyborgs in Future Boy's timeline?" Hercule questioned.

"They tried...and they failed," Gohan said solemnly as his eyes closed. "Everybody, Tien, Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillin, even a Super Saiyan Vegeta fell to the cyborgs."

"What about you, Son-kun?" Erasa asked, with Videl looking at him. "Future-You, is what I mean."

"My future self fought every day to try and preserve the life that was left intact. During that time, Future-Me took Future Trunks in as his student in a similar way Master Piccolo did for me. Unfortunately, he lost his arm after one encounter with the cyborgs to save Future Trunks...and then made his final stand against them alone. Future-Me lost his life as a result. By the time Trunks found my future self, he was nothing but a cold wet body in a bloody puddle. That pain was what pushed him into transforming into a Super Saiyan for the first time."

Hercule and Erasa gasped at this.

"Oh no!" Erasa said, holding her mouth with her hands. "That's horrible. Poor Trunks!"

Videl's mind drifted to darker thoughts, 'Gohan-kun...died in the future?'

She couldn't see it, no, she refused to see that as the case. There was no way that what she was hearing was the same Gohan that she watched saving the world triumphantly.

"That's not possible!" Videl blurted out. "How can any of this, the present, happen now if what you're describing to us in the future?"

Gohan shook his head, saying, "That's not how time travel works, Videl-san. As it turns out that

when a person goes back in time, that person is entering a parallel universe; a universe that coexists with another sharing similarities but have differences."

"English, Gohan-kun." Videl commanded with irritation in her tone.

"S-Sorry!" Gohan blushed as he simplified his explanation. "For each decision that is made, a new branch in the timeline is created. You can say that my Dad dying from a heart virus is the original timeline. But when Future Trunks stepped into our timeline to give my dad the medicine for that virus, it prevented his death. Due to this, events in this timeline played out differently than they did in Future Trunks' timeline. His timeline is a future, not our future."

"But what does that have to do with you and your future self? If you're strong enough to beat Cell, how come your future self wasn't?" Videl questioned. "Both of you are the same person!"

"No," Gohan said, hardening his face. "You're missing the point, Videl-san. Future Gohan was a battle-hardened warrior who tried so hard to be like Son Goku. He had not seen peace since he was five years old, therefore, his power reached a plateau. That Gohan may carry the same name, blood, and experience up to a certain point. But that's where the similarities end. He is him, and I am me. We are different people."

"...Oh." Was all that Videl said, finding the ground interesting.

"But what about Cell, Son?" Mr. Satan asked. "Did he come from Future Boy's timeline?"

"Yes, and no," Gohan answered. "Here's what happened..."

Gohan then explained Cell's origins. From what Future Trunks learned from Perfect Cell, Cell came from a timeline where Trunks was successful in defeating the cyborgs and went back into the past to celebrate with his friends and family. However, on his way to return to his time period, Trunks was attacked and killed by Cell, the last of the Artificial Humans, who then used his time machine to go to their own present time in his larva state and burrow underground to sleep for approximately four years.

"So Cell's coming was Future Boy's doing?" Hercule said, scratching his head in confusion. "Shoot, no wonder people say not to mess with time and junk."

"Damn, Gohan-kun. You've got one crazy-ass life! No wonder you're so quiet about it." Videl muttered.

"No kidding! This sounds like a fantasy sci-fi manga series or something! You should totally think about adapting it into one!" Erasa commented.

"...I'll think about it," Gohan said as he returned to his story.

After defeating Frieza and Goku's return to Earth, Trunks gave Goku the medicine and warned him about two Artificial Humans that would attack South City. But because of Trunks' interference in the timeline, the models that were present were models No. 19 and No. 20. One of them happened to be Dr. Gero, lead scientist of the Red Ribbon Army.

"Wait, the Red Ribbon Army? Weren't they the folks that got taken down by your father?"

"...Yup," Gohan answered.

"And you just said the Cell was a part of the line of Artificial Humans." Erasa went along with a similar train of thought.

"Yup,"

"...So Cell was created by the Red Ribbon Army to get revenge on Goku," Videl answered with certainty rather than inquiring.

"Exactly," Gohan responded.

Moving on, Goku and his friends trained for three years to prepare for the date and coordinates Future Trunks gave them. When they arrived and confronted the Artificial Humans, Goku fought one of them and did well until the heart virus started to surface. The situation turned bad until Vegeta arrived and transformed into a Super Saiyan, ending Gero's mechanical companion. Dr. Gero saw how bad the threat to his plans was, so he fled to his secret lab and activated models C-17 and C-18. However, their rebellious nature and against the idea of being deactivated caused them to activate the mechanical android No. 16, and kill Dr. Gero.

"Okay, so you guys we're dealing with Artificial...er, can we call them something else? The term you're using doesn't roll off the tongue." Mr. Satan asked.

"Um, sure. Back in the day, we just called them androids." Gohan said.

"Yeah, that's much better! Androids! So your group was dealing with those killer androids while Cell was drinking people alive, right?" Hercule asked for clarification.

"That's right. We weren't aware of Cell until he started draining people's bodies and energy physically." Gohan nodded as he explained. "The cyborgs and No. 16 do not have ki signatures to follow, so finding them was taking up much of our time. We only learned of them when Piccolo encountered him and took some of his DNA."

"Yeah, I'll bite. Why the hell did he do that?" Videl asked while nearly wrenching at the thought of the monster doing that.

"Well, that goes into his cellular makeup," Gohan said. "Cell was a Bio-Android created to be the Ultimate Lifeform, Gero's greatest work. He is coded with the DNA of the strongest warriors on Dr. Gero's record. That included my Dad, Vegeta, Piccolo, me, Trunks, Frieza, Tenshinhan, and other fighters. For him, absorption makes Cell stronger. But at that time, Cell was not complete. He needed two important components to achieve his full potential. His perfection."

"Two components?" Erasa echoed, not understanding. "What does that mean?"

"Have had no idea," Hercule confessed.

Thinking for a minute, Videl guessed, "The only important pair I'd think the components could be are those cyborgs."

"And you'd be right, Videl-san." Gohan smiled, much to the girl's inner joy. "Cell went back in time to absorb C-17 and C-18. And due to... shenanigans, he managed to do so successfully. And to show off his newly found perfection, he decided to share it with the whole world."

"So, that's how the Cell Games happened," Hercule stated.

"Yes," Gohan nodded stiffly.

"Okay, so what really happened there?" Erasa questioned.

Gohan and Hercule turned to face each other, with Gohan said, "Why don't you tell them your side? Then I'll fill the rest on mine."

"R-Right." Mr. Satan nodded. "See, I came in with my camera crew. I wasn't buying his power shtick and declared his defeat at my hands. I rushed in with my flying Dynamite Kick, throw a few Megaton Punches and more kicks at him. Nothing seemed to do the job. That forced me to resort to my Dynamic Megaton Punch."

Hearing all of the speels before, Videl rolled her eyes while asking, "Right... And how did that pan out?"

"I-I...uh, well, Cell backhanded me to the side of a mountain," Hercule said dejectedly.

Erasa turned around, trying her best not to laugh. Videl could only sigh in disappointment. Not for the fact that her dad lost to Cell, but the fact that he lied about her for years.

Gohan patted Mr. Satan on the back, saying, "Hey, for what it's worth, it was brave of you to step up to fight Cell for the sake of mankind when no other ordinary man did. Ane to survive an encounter with Cell is a feat on its own. Don't sell yourself short, sir."

Mr. Satan gave Gohan a sincere smile as he said, "Thank you, Son. That really means a lot coming from you."

Erasa settled down as she and Videl stared to hear Gohan's side of the story. Gohan and the others came to the arena after the week Cell gave them until the showdown. It was here with Son Goku stepping into the ring and powered up into his mastered state of Super Saiyan Level One. The battle was so forced that almost everybody in the Dragon Team had a hard time keeping up with Goku and Cell, everybody except Gohan himself. The reason for that was that Goku and Gohan neared each other in the strength given his training brought him not only to the state of Super Saiyan, but he mastered the form as well.

At the climax of the fight, Goku charged a Kamehameha Wave at Cell while warping to his locating at point-blank range, destroying his upper half. But thanks to Piccolo's cells, he regenerated from his injuries. That's when Goku's stamina ran out, forcing him to throw the match.

"You know, that always confused me as a kid. Why would your papa give up if he was doing so well?" Erasa inquired, stumped at that memory.

"That's simple. Even with my father going all out, Cell wasn't even at his full power. He was dragging out the battle to enjoy it due to him carrying Saiyan genetics. Dad knew he was beaten. Besides, that was his intent the entire time."

"His intent? Do you mean to say that Goku forfeited on purpose!? What could have he possibly have planned for-" Erasa said before it hit her.

At the same time, the gears in Videl's memories recalled watching the Cell Games live.

"Wait...! Is this when you-?"

Gohan nodded, giving the girls confirmation.

"Ever since I was young, I became aware of hidden power, a potential that I had inside of me. It's buried deep, only brought out whenever I experience intense emotions. Namely, rage." Gohan explained. "The Super Saiyan form is achieved through a need, not a desire. I was able to do this with my father through a life or death experience. But, what sets me apart from other Saiyans is not only do I not possess their passion for senseless violence, but I do not have the intent of harming anything. In fact, I would drop martial arts altogether if given the chance."

"Then why do you fight if you hate it so much? I get it, you're powerful, but there are other people that can save the world. You don't have to do things that you don't want to." Erasa questioned.

"To be frank, I don't have a choice. I never did. Besides, if there is one thing that I cannot stand other than senseless violence, it's violence with malicious intent. Evil that threatens all life. I was raised to cherish my home and all living things on it, and I be damned if anything were to harm what we fought so hard to protect." Gohan said with a passionate yet calm tone. "From my perspective, I fight so no child has to endure what I have faced in my lifetime."

"That's a noble cause for someone so young." Admitted Hercule.

"Yeah. Back to the hidden power thing. My dad must have seen that I was close to reaching a breakthrough in power. A transformation that was higher than the Super Saiyan. The best guess I can come up with was that Dad fought Cell so I can have a preview of his movements, strategy, and mannerisms so I know what to expect when I fight him. And he counted on me getting angry to unleash that power." Gohan explained.

"Okay, so you snapped," Videl concluded, remembering what Bulma said and Gohan transforming upon Sharpner's death. "What triggered you?"

"Well, I'll say this. Mr. Satan may have not defeated Cell, but without him there, we wouldn't be standing here today." Gohan said, smiling in Hercule's direction.

Erasa and Videl turned to Hercule, then back to Gohan with a surprised and suspicious glare each from the girls.

"What do you mean by that, Son-kun/Gohan-kun?" Both of them asked.

Gohan described the next part of the story, recounting his fight against Cell in his Super Saiyan state. Gohan remembered his father giving Cell a Senzu Bean before engaging in combat, making the foe much more difficult.

Up at a certain point, he told Cell that he had no intent on fighting due to the pointlessness of it all, nor did he want to kill him. Gohan warned Cell that if he pushed him, he'd get so powerful that he kill Cell. Cell thought of this as a challenge, so he first thought that brutalizing Gohan would drive him over the edge. This proved to be fruitless, so then he thought hurting his friends and family would be the way to go. That's when Cell spawned his children, the Cell Juniors, to torture the Dragon Team.

"That's where I come in," Mr. Satan said, taking the floor. "That tall android with the red mohawk came out nowhere! He jumped and gave Cell a mean bear hug! I couldn't really hear much, but I think he said something about blowing Cell up. That bald guy shouted that he couldn't do it for one reason or another. I don't know. Anyway, Cell saw this and laughed at his face. Then, the next thing that I knew, Cell had based him to smithereens! He was all over the place."

"Bulma had removed No. 16's bomb when she was fixing him from a previous fight," Gohan added. "That's what Krillin was talking about."

"Right, what he said. Anyway, my crew and I were having second thoughts about our inclusion in the Cell Games. I was debating in my mind whether to stay or leave. I wanted to stay, but my body was telling me to high tail it outta there. That's when the head of that android spoke to me. He asked me, as the Champ, to throw him to Son, here, so he could speak to him. I-I'll be honest, it was the most terrifying thing that I have ever done. But I would have been less of a man knowing that I fled rather than help my fellow man. Especially if a child was out there fighting while I have a kid of my own at home watching." Mr. Satan explained, hoping for his words to reach Videl.

Videl was mixed at her father's explanation. While she was furious at her father, she could at least say that he wasn't a total hack. It gave her some comfort that when it really came down to it, Hercule was a decent guy deep down. But that still doesn't justify what came after Cell's defeat.

She still needed time to herself, time away from her father.

"What did Android 16 say to you, Son-kun?" Erasa questioned.

"16 told me that there are foes who cannot be reasoned with, that it was not a sin to fight for the right cause. He asked me to use my anger as a weapon and that holding it in was pointless. 16 then told me that he, an Artificial Human, had come to love nature and the animals, so he pleaded with me to protect them. Because they needed me." Gohan said, reliving the event in his memory. "...And then Cell crushed his head with his foot in front of me."

"Goodness...!" Erasa gasped.

"...Shit," Videl swore. "That must have hit differently for you. "

"Considering that C-17 is a Ranger for Monster Island and C-18 is a wife and mother thanks to 16's influence, it did and it still does," Gohan said with his eyes closed. "His death...it was like there was a release inside of me. The anger just exploded, much like I did today. I had reached the second level, I had become an Ascended Super Saiyan."

"Wait, that's why the cameras were down. You got so powerful that it destroyed them!" Erasa pointed out.

"Yeah, that would have done it. So, Wonderboy, what did you do first when you 'ascended' the first time?" Videl said with a smirk.

Gohan then spoke about when he took back the Senzu Beans that Cell confiscated from Krillin. Then, he killed every last one of the Cell Juniors without a second thought while saving his friends. After that, he fought and blitzed Cell. Even after using his full power, Cell could not top Gohan in power. He was so strong that when Cell fired his Kamehameha Wave at Gohan, Gohan's Kamehameha Wave countered it and broke through, nearly killing Cell. And Gohan was merely toying with the Bio-Android.

The hype began to shift into an unsettling tone as Gohan's face shifted into an expression of self-loathing as he went silent.

"...Son-kun?" Erasa called out. "What's wrong? You were telling us how you were beating Cell to a pulp and was about to finish him off...right?"

Gohan remained silent.

Videl, looking at Hercule's empathetic expression and Gohan's hardened face, noticed that something was definitely off.

Then she remembered what Gohan said about his mistake and his father's death. There was a correlation.

"Gohan-kun... you didn't kill Cell right away, did you?" Videl questioned in a soft manner.

Gohan could only shake his head slowly as the old skeleton that was his mistake was dug up.

"No... I didn't." Gohan confessed, trying so hard to keep his composure. "When I ascend to Super Saiyan Level Two, my personality is altered by the aggression that's deep inside. My inner Saiyan instincts manifest and I become more...ruthless. When Cell brought that out of me, he became my target. I didn't want him to die at the time, yet. I wanted him to make him suffer like he did my friends and family."

Gohan bowed his head down while continuing in a bitter manner, "Dad kept telling me to finish him off, to kill him while I had the chance

But did I listen? No! In my head, I thought, why should I listen to a man who spends half his life away from his family to train or be dead or both? Why should I care? This guy spared conquerors so that they could be a better fight later, let tyrants power up to one percent to teach them humility, and gave a GOD DAMN Senzu Bean to an artifact Superweapon to let his own kid fight! This was my fight, right!? I should do what I want with my opponent!"

Gohan's noticed that the three humans were stunned and began to fear him from the subconscious aura that he was giving off. Calming down, he continued.

"...So, I humiliated Cell. I kicked him so hard in the gut that he spat out C-18 and reverted back to his Semi-Perfect form. At this time, Dad convinced me to put an end to it. And then...That's when the day became the worst day of my life." Gohan said, closing his eyes as tightened his fist. "...I...I can't...I can't say it!"

"...Please, tell us what happened." Videl implored.

"I...I...let my dad die!" Gohan choked, let out a few tears from his face. "I let him die and it's all my fault! Cell bloated himself up with his energy to blow up the Earth. Had I done anything, he'd explode and take the planet with him! I had one job and I failed! Dad had to clean up my mess and take Cell away by using Instant Transmission! If only I killed Cell when I had the chance, he would have still been here for his friends, Mom would have still had her husband, and Goten would have got a chance to know what it's like to have a father! I took that away from them!"

The sight of Gohan's breakdown shook Erasa and Hercule, seeing a powerful yet happy young man held in so much turmoil. For Videl, it bothered her to her very core.

To her, she was seeing the real Gohan, a young man suffering from trauma, self-hatred, and survivor's guilt. This had brought the girl to a conclusion about who he was.

Gohan wasn't perfect, he was human.

Gohan was brought into a hug by Erasa, much to his shock. Like what she did to Videl, the blonde comforts him by rubbing his back.

"Son-kun, it's okay. You did the best you could during the time." Erasa said softly. "I'm sure your father was proud of you for what you've done for everybody here."

"She's right." Hercule agreed with a nod. "Any father would be proud of what you did. I know I would if you were my boy."

"Mr. Satan..."

"From what I'm hearing, Goku wouldn't have blamed you for his sacrifice. He stepped in when he realized that you were just a kid. After all, you shouldn't have gone through any of the crazy shit your family friends put you through." Videl said logically. "After all, Cell was a result of him. So he died protecting you."

"But–Mmmph!"

Videl threw a face towel at Gohan to shut him up and to clean his face.

"But nothing. Goku's death was not your fault, Gohan-kun. That's the survivor's guilt talking. You have held in for so long to the point where you believe it to be true. You need to let that go."

Gohan looked at the towel, then wiped his face with it. He breathed slowly, and said, "I don't know if I can but I'll try. It is hard to believe that Cell came back."

"What!?" Erasa and Videl shouted at the same time.

"How did he survive killing himself!?" Videl screamed.

"If he at least has a living nucleus intact, he can regenerate from any injury. And thanks to his Saiyan cells, whenever he recovers from the brink of death, his power increases greatly. This was why he came back in his Perfect form without the need to absorb C-18." Gohan explained.

"If that's so, then did you beat Cell once and for all?" Erasa asked.

"Cell and I had a beam struggle, both using the Kamehameha Wave. While I was having trouble at first because I was down an arm, it was thanks to Vegeta's assistance that I managed to destroy Cell with my full-powered attack." Gohan concluded.

"Wow..." Said Erasa. "It must have been very stressful for you to do that. And at ten years old. How did you feel afterward?"

"...Bittersweet," Gohan answered truthfully. "Upon that, we left to go heal. We were able to bring everybody to life with the Dragon Balls. Dad, however, felt like he was attracting too much negative attention so decided that staying dead was the best option... So, that's my life. What do you guys think?"

"...I think I need to lie down. It's a lot to process at the moment." Hercule said, rubbing his head.

"I hate to admit it, but I agree with the old man." Videl second Hercule.

Erasa, holding her hands on her hips, said, "Will you two be serious!? That's not what Son-kun is asking!"

The blonde turned to Gohan and said, "I think that regardless of your background and history, you're still the same shy cutie that I met in class two months ago. But now I know you're a brave hero."

Gohan smiled, saying, "Thank you, Erasa-san. It's nice to know that you're not afraid of me."

"What's there to be scared of?" Videl said, folding her arms as Gohan turned in her direction. "It's like you said, you don't like senseless violence. Even when you're literally shaking the planet with your power, you're still gentle in that Ascended form like back in that desert. You may have started me or surprised me, but I was never afraid of you once."

Gohan, although silent, felt his heart race in joy. His friends were not afraid of him. They accepted him for who he was, and they were there to stay right beside the hybrid. He was at a loss for words.

"I mean, they have a point now that I think about it." Said Mr. Satan. "You and your friends could have killed me at any given time after I ...you know. But none of you did, even after all that I said and done."

Gohan turned to Mr. Satan, saying, "Sir, you taking the credit never bothered me at all. In fact, I'm glad that you did so."

All three humans looked at him, screaming, "What!? You're okay with it!?"

Gohan nodded, explaining, "It's like I said to Videl-san a while ago, my family is peaceful and simple folk who value their privacy. All that we care about is living our lives the best we can without interference. If we took the credit, we would have gotten fortunate and wealth like the Briefs, sure. But we would have never been left alone again. By Mr. Satan taking the credit, my family and I were able to live a calm and quiet life for seven years straight. That I am grateful for."

Hercule rubbed his head, saying, "Aw, shucks! It's not a problem-"

"-However," Gohan's tone shifted as he gave Hercule a glare. "It was a double-edged sword. By discrediting my family friends' efforts and utterly slandering my father's sacrifice, you not only single-handedly disregarded the existence of ki manipulation as a factual and ethical practice, you blatantly disrespected every single martial artist that came before you including my late father. By doing this, you brought shame and dishonor to the world, your family, and martial arts itself. And now, the planet almost got destroyed due to their ignorance you enabled and perpetuated!"

Videl and Erasa were blown away at the cold words that absolutely demolished Mr. Satan's bravado. The man himself felt the words hit him harder than the slap that Cell had struck him years ago. But he knew that the boy was right. By lying to the world, he had done a disservice to his fellow martial artist, all because he was so ignorant of the fact that wondrous things that people could achieve like flying and projecting light from one's hands through ki. And now look at what happened.

People now know that energy manipulation exists the hard way.

Hercule looked to the ground as he said, "Y-You're right, Son. I did those things. Now the world is catching on to my lies. I might lose everything because of it. W-What am I going to do? I can pick myself up and carry on, but V-Videl–"

Hearing this, Videl's mind drifted off to what her father was insinuating. He's right. She always lived a comfortable and luxurious life. She never had to live in poverty or anything lower. But if word of her father's lies got out, the special privileges, the money, the large parties, the car rides, her job aiding the police force, everything that came with her name and prestige would all be cut from her. Her life would be over.

Videl's eyes shot a look of utter horror, causing Videl to console her.

Gohan, seeing Videl's expression, said, "It will not come to that, sir! ...At least, not for the time being."

Hercule and Videl turned to the hybrid with a reasonably curious gaze.

"W-What? R-Really?" Mr. Satan asked.

"It's like I said, sir, I don't mind that you took the credit. It's not about acquiring power, it's how it's being used and what it's being used for." Explained the son of Goku. "While I don't appreciate the things you said about my family friends and my dad being tricksters, I don't think you and Videl-san should rot in the slums of an alleyway. I can tell good people from bad and both of you are decent. Besides, Videl-san is my friend, if her dad is important to her, then you're important to me."

"Gohan-kun," Videl muttered, feeling her stomach flutter unusually as her cheeks turn pink.

Erasa inwardly squealed, '...Oh my gosh! I knew it! She likes him! Videl's got a crush on Son-kun!'

"Then what do you think we should do?" Asked the father of Videl. "The press may want me to make a statement. No doubt at a press conference. I wasn't there when you beat that Cooler monster, so I don't have the details to convince them of anything."

"Tell them the truth," Gohan answered, shocking the three humans. "Tell them that the Great Saiyaman Ziam defeated the space conqueror."

"Are you crazy!? Everybody's already looking at me weirdly for not going out there to fight that Cooler freak! Saying that would put me in the wringer!" Mr. Satan screamed.

"Oh? Isn't spinning a narrative your strong suit, Mr. Satan? You're a charismatic guy, surely you can come up with a reason as to what took you out of the picture." Gohan said, crossing his arms. "You've been doing ut for a while now."

"He does have a point there," Erasa admitted. "Changing the story behind this wouldn't really hurt it that much."

Rubbing his chin, Hercule said, "W-Well, I guess a semi cover-up story wouldn't be too hard to pull off."

Videl, not enjoying this, decided to say, "For the record, I hate that we have to resort to lying to the public. I think people have the right to know what's actually going on in the world. But, I get it. We don't want mass hysteria to break out. I'll play along with this shit show, but on one condition."

Turning to her father, Videl said, "You need to tell the public the truth about ki and apologize to all of the great fighters in the martial arts community. Including your fellow champions and Son Goku!"

Hercule reeled back, taken aback at her daughter's demands. Erasa was absolutely stunned with joy at the lengths she was willing to go to not only right her wrongs but to give the other fighters in the world the respect that they should have gotten long ago.

Gohan, hearing this, smiled at Videl's stipulation as he backed them up.

"I agree with Videl-san. If you are going to stretch the truth, you also have to tell some of the truth. If not, I will not help you with this endeavor." Gohan firmly stated with finality.

Bowing his head, Mr. Satan reluctantly complied with Gohan and Videl's demands.

"A-Alright, I'll do it. I'll do it for you, Videl, and to make amends with Son. But what if I have trouble with this? I don't know all of the details of what happened?" Hercule questioned.

"Videl here can give you Bulma's contact information. She could definitely help you out with the cover-up story if you get stuck. Advise you to talk to her about your narrative and run it by her before you finish." Gohan said.

"...Understood." Hercule nodded. "What happens if people begin to question the Cell Games? Will you—?"

"Will I expose you?" Gohan finished his question. "No. I will not, for it's not in me to destroy your life. But remember this, things hidden in darkness will be brought to life. I won't be the one to expose you, but it won't long before the world will come to realize the truth. And when that happens, I will not be the one to save you."

Turning to Erasa and Videl, Gohan asked, "Erasa-san, Videl-san. We're about to leave soon. Do you guys need anything before you go?"

"Actually, let me grab some of my things and put them in capsules," Videl said. "Erasa, could you come to help me? I think there was a spare jetcoper in my room, I could use the extra pair of eyes to look for it."

With a nod, Erasa was led by Videl to the dark-haired girl's large room, leaving Hercule and Gohan by themselves for a moment.

"Son? I know I don't deserve to ask you of anything, but can you do me a favor?" Hercule asked with seriousness in his tone, making Gohan look at the afro-haired man.

"What is it?"

"Videl, she's a special girl. Not a lot of people are as passionate and as virtuous as her. She gets that from her mother, Michelle." Hercule stated. "As a kid, she was interested in the unknown and has come to take a liking to you and your way of fighting. And now that I heard about your life, I understand why she does. That's why I want you to promise me something."

"Promise you? Promise you what exactly?"

Hercule placed his hands on his shoulders as he said, "Promise me that you'll take care and look after Videl, no matter what happens to me."

Gohan blinked in astonishment before saying, "W-What? What are you trying to say?"

"Look, I wouldn't be asking this to any boy. Not even Sharpner. I never consider it. Videl will always be my sweet baby girl. But if I'm through with this, the enemies that I already have will grow. I cannot bear the thought of them targeting my daughter to get to me. I need somebody that I can trust to guarantee her safety. And who else can I rely on other than the strongest person I know?"

"...I see." Gohan understood.

"Please, watch Videl for me. Promise me that you'll keep her safe." Mr. Satan implored.

Gohan nodded and promised the man.

"You have my word, sir," Gohan said with a smile on his face.

Mr. Satan took his hands off Gohan, but patted his back, saying, "Good man."

The girls returned from Videl's room, ready to head out with Gohan, via his Instant Transmission technique. But before he warped them out, Hercule spoke to Gohan.

"Son, I'll make things right. But remember your promise, you hear?" He said.

The girls looked at Gohan with a curious gaze, but Gohan ignored this while saluting the afro-haired man.

"I will, sir. And I'm looking forward to seeing your progress in the future." Gohan said politely.

Mr. Satan nodded in acknowledgment before turning to Videl.

"Sweetpea... Do you hate me?" Mr. Satan asked with apprehension.

Videl's heated glare turned into a face of disappointment.

"...I don't hate you, Daddy. I...I just can't look at you right now. I need time to myself, away from the house." Videl worded carefully.

But the man knew she meant that she needed time away from him.

"...I-I understand. Just...don't be away from home too long, okay?" He asked with vulnerability.

"...I won't," Videl whispered before looking to Gohan to leave. "Can we go now, Gohan-kun?"

"Yeah," Gohan said, putting his index and middle fingers from his right hand on his forehead.

"Until next time, Mr. Satan. Farewell."

And like that, Gohan whisked himself and the two girls away instantaneously, leaving Mr. Satan to grieve by himself in his kitchen.

To Be Continued...

After defeating Cooler, Gohan has finally made peace with not only his friends but has started to put to rest a part of his past that had been haunting him for seven years. Now that they know the truth about the Cell Games and Gohan himself, Erasa and Videl now are officially members of Gohan's Dragon Team family. Now, they will get to see the Dragon Balls in action. But what will come of these new developments? Where did Grandpa Gohan take Goku? What will Hercule say to the world after ki is now considered real? And who are Shin and Kibito? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL!