Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Hope ❯ Possibilities ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Possibilities

"No! No! No! Absolutely not!"

"I'm not asking for your permission, mom," Gohan said as he calmly packed his extra fighting clothes into a small bag.

Chi Chi took an involuntary step backwards, shocked by her son's attitude. Gohan had never talked to her like that before. But, then again, he had never seemed so grown up before, either. If it weren't for his newly cut short hair, she would have sworn it was her husband, Goku, standing before her. He even had Goku's aura of self-assurance. She wondered what had happened during the night to bring about such a sudden change in her little boy.

"But why can't you just train here?" she asked.

"You should know the answer to that," he said patiently. "I have to train in the desert where I won't hurt anyone or anything."

"How long are you going to be gone?" Chi Chi persisted, following him through the house.

"I don't know," Gohan sighed. "I'm still not entirely sure I can do what Dad told me, but I have to at least try. The Androids are going to keep killing innocent people until everyone on Earth is dead--or--someone finally stops them. Dad, Piccolo, Krillen. . .everyone. . .is counting on me!"

Gohan flung his bag over his shoulder and stood facing his mother. He hated the worry and sorrow in her eyes, but knew he had no choice. It was only a matter of time before the two monsters found their way here to his home. Or to Bulma and Baby Trunks at the Capsule Corp. Or to Master Roshi's island. He had to do everything in his power to keep that from happening.

"Bye, mom," he said and kissed Chi Chi on the cheek, something he hadn't done in a very long time. Then, before he lost his nerve, he turned and walked out the door toward Goku's shrine.

He knelt and bowed low, offering up a silent prayer that his father would be with him every step of his training. He also asked that Piccolo's spirit be present in order to drive him harder and further than he would be able to do himself. The time away from this sanctuary would be tough. It had been a source of strength for the past year. With a last look at his father's picture, he stood and left the shrine.

"Gohan! Wait!" Chi Chi called.

Gohan had already floated a few feet off the ground, but paused and turned toward his mother's voice. She came running across the yard, juggling a large box. Gohan quickly landed and ran to catch the box before it could crash to the ground.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Just some things you may need," she answered, brushing the hair from her face. "Some food, utensils. . .things like that. I just couldn't see you going into the desert without at least some supplies!"

"Thanks, mom." Gohan smiled, relieved that he didn't have to leave without his mother's blessing. Impulsively, he flung himself at her and hugged her tight. "I love you!"

"I love you, too, Gohan," she sniffed, struggling to keep her tears in check. "Be careful out there."

"I will," he promised. Easily lifting the heavy box with one arm, Gohan flew off toward his new home.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Nnnoooo!"

Rocks shattered and floated in midair. The ground shook and cracked. Birds and animals sought shelter away from the extremely intense energy coming from the young warrior whose hair stood on end and flashed from black to yellow and back again.

Gohan focused on the memory of finding his friends dead at the hands of the Androids. The terrible injustice of it all. The pain he felt when he carried their lifeless bodies back from that island. The horrible rage built up inside, threatening to tear him apart. When he could stand it no longer, he gave a final shout and let the rage take over his body.

An energy, more powerful than he had ever felt before, flowed through him like an electric current. He felt his muscles bulge with increased strength and strain against his uniform. His senses heightened considerably and he was able to see and hear things more clearly than ever.

The energy kept soaring higher and higher until Gohan feared that it would never stop, destroying his body in its attempt to escape. For just an instant, Gohan considered trying to hold back the power. But he had promised himself that he would not do that this time.

All his earlier attempts to ascend to Super Saiyan had failed because he had hesitated to release the tremendous energy, fearing what might happen. He knew his power level was high enough to destroy an entire planet, just as Vegeta’s and his father's had been. Gohan hadn't wanted to risk the Earth's safety in his quest for the ultimate Saiyan form, and had backed down each time.

This time, he did not hesitate.

The tremendous surge of power exploded into pure energy as the air around Gohan sizzled. His eyes changed from black to bright green and his hair stood on end and glowed bright yellow. He felt his power peak and held it until he was sure he had total control of it. Relief flooded through him that he had reached the plateau with his body still intact.

Curious, he took flight and headed toward the small lake he used to catch fish. The speed he achieved amazed him. He was able to reach the lake in just seconds instead of minutes! He hovered over the water and studied his new appearance. He looked exactly like his father had when he reached Super Saiyan on Namek. The level that was finally able to defeat Frieza.

Gohan stared down at his hands in wonderment. They still looked the same, yet he knew they were capable of so much more than before. But would it be enough? Was he strong enough now to destroy the Androids? Could they be that much harder to kill than Frieza?

It was time to test his new strength. He already knew how much faster he was. Now, Gohan wanted to know if his energy attacks had become more powerful. He chose a large mountain in the distance and prepared his attack.

"Masenko!!" he yelled and released an enormous blast of energy from his hands.

The size of the beam both surprised and pleased Gohan. It was bigger than any energy attack he had seen any of the other warriors use. The ball of energy at the head of the beam flew straight at the mountain and there was a large flash of light on impact. Seconds later, the sound of the explosion reached Gohan's ears. The cloud of dust was too thick for him to see the extent of the damage.

Gohan quickly flew over to see what his blast had done. When he could finally see through the dust and smoke, he nearly fell out of the sky. Normally, his blast at that distance would have taken off the tip or at least caused a section of the mountain to break apart.

The large mountain -- bigger than the one he had grown up on -- had been completely disintegrated! The only thing that remained was a blasted out crater! Gohan gave a triumphant yell.

"Yes! I did it! I'm a Super Saiyan! Now I can beat the Androids!"

Suddenly, Gohan felt himself losing power. His hair and eyes turned back to black as his energy was snuffed out like a candle. He fell from the sky and crashed on the rocky ground below, too weak to even move.

"Maybe I need more practice at this," he thought just before he sank into unconsciousness.