Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Retaliation; the Trouble Inside ❯ Goku's training ( Chapter 5 )

Trouble Inside

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z or GT. The anime/manga was created by Akira Toriyama, and is owned by Shonen Jump and Toei Animation Co. Ltd. This is a work of fan fiction and means no harm to the anime or manga it pays tribute to. I'm not making money for this.

 

Retaliation

 

By Trynia Merin

 

Beta'd by Sarah Slutz, whom I owe a bit thank you to!

Early the next morning, Pan awakened and doused herself in a cold shower. Then she dressed in a set of red gi that her grandfather Satan had given her for her last birthday. Padding downstairs wearing a pair of sneakers she heard the Son family rush for breakfast. Goku and Goten were fighting over who got the next round of steamed rice while Gohan tried to play mediator. Videl and Chichi already bustled back and forth trying to serve the three Saiyans, while Uub tried to eat his own share.

 

"Pan, there won't be anything left if you don't hurry now!" Videl called.

 

"Mom, sheesh, I'm coming," Pan laughed. She rushed into the kitchen and helped carry in another helping of breakfast, both steamed rice and porridge along with bacon and eggs. Soon she joined the chaos and cheer of her family, trying to banish last night's hunger pangs. For a moment she wondered why Goten was there, but the question was soon answered.

 

"I'm off to Capsule, everybody. I need to talk to Trunks and see what I can find out," Goten said.

 

"Wait and I'll go there with you. Videl, did you call my work?"

 

"I did, honey. The college said they've got a substitute for your classes, so you're in the clear," Videl informed him. They briefly kissed, before he moved on to embrace Pan, and Chichi.

 

"Goten, you be careful! We don't know what we're dealing with!" Chichi reminded him, shoving a huge paper sack filled with lunch into his hand.

 

"Right Mom! I'll call!" Goten said.

 

"Don't worry. It will be all right, I promise," Gohan informed his mother. With one last goodbye to his wife and daughter he followed Goten out the door. They heard the sound of Goten's car firing up, and that of its engine receding into the distance. Still Pan continued to eat her breakfast, focusing on a hard day of training ahead.

Once breakfast was consumed, she joined her grandfather and his pupil out in a sizable clearing a mile or so from the home. Near Grandpa Gohan's house they stretched out their muscles. Goku had changed into his usual red and blue gi, and Uub wore a modified version. Pan had tied her hair back with her bandanna and was watching them ready themselves.

 

Her eyes diverted to the morning sun glistening all over the contours of his muscular body. Admiring Uub's well sculpted form was a welcome diversion from thoughts of Trunks' maniacal grin that haunted her dreams. Ashamed of the nightmares, she refused to tell anyone about them. Rather she would hold them close so she could shove the images down into a dark cell at the back of her thoughts. At least till they would burst out and overwhelm her.

 

Three fighters could not necessarily spar one on one. Yet tales of Goku's training with Gohan and Piccolo during the Cell games resurfaced, which were used as the basis for today's exercises. Before that though, came the rapid-fire succession of punches and kata practices. Pan ploughed through these impatiently, while watching Goku and Uub's first 'round' together.

 

Goku's biggest success was a two versus one session where both Pan and Uub came at him with fists and kicks flying. All it took was a look between the two teenagers and they charged forwards. Goku easily blocked and returned their attacks, till Pan tried to divert his attention so Uub could come at him from above with a charged Kamehameha. Unfortunately it didn't work very well because Goku had perfected such a move years ago fighting against Nappa. Instead the energy narrowly avoided slamming into Pan. Had Uub not twisted its course like taffy to surge after his mentor, it would have hit her point blank.

 

"Great! You're really learning how to direct the wave!" Goku said admiringly.

 

"This is all beginners stuff! Are you two holding back on me just because you're afraid I can't hack it?" Pan accused, as they paused to catch their breath.

 

"These aren't nearly as intense as the workouts you put me through, sensei," Uub agreed, tossing a towel to Pan. She hurled water bottles at both her male companions with frustration.

 

"I just want to start you slow. Build up your strength," Goku admitted.

 

"Grandpa, something tells me you won't be able to go full force on me," she grumbled, cracking open her bottled water. She drained half of it in a single gulp, then wiped her moth with the back of her gloved hand.

 

"Pan, you can't just charge ahead without covering the basics. That's how I do things, remember?" Goku tried to defend himself.

 

"I've learned a few things from Uncle Goten. And believe it or not, Grandpa Satan's moves work GREAT at full Saiyan strength, Grandpa. If you don't take me seriously…"

 

"I do Pan. But you're pushing too hard too soon. That won't get you where you want to be. You need good old fashioned training."

 

"Do you want me around or not?" Pan suddenly shouted up at him. "I'd get better results myself!"

 

"Pan wait…" Goku started, but she shot him a frustrated glare.

 

"You two boys knock each other out. When you're ready for me, let me know," she huffed. Energy surging around her, Pan blasted off towards the hills.

 

"You are holding back, sensei. I knew it," Uub accused his teacher, with a stern look. "You told me years ago you couldn't hit her with your times ten kamehameha, and you can't do it now."

 

"Look, she only just got out of the hospital. What she wants is to push herself till she drops. I don't want that! I want her to see you can't just RUSH super Saiyan. It took Gohan a long time to reach it. I figure that's Pan's problem is just getting desperate enough to trigger the change. She's got a lot of anger, but she's the one who's not calming down. She can't get anywhere while she's still… angry like that."

 

"I'll go after her sensei," Uub offered. "I've got an idea I'd like to try. If she's angry, she needs to fight it off, not just 'train'."

 

"Good luck. I hope it works out. I'll be watching just in case," Goku nodded. Uub reached out with his ki perceptions, tracking Pan's head start. A second later, he launched himself after her, dwindling to a purplish star towards the far mountains.

It didn't take long to catch up to her. Piles of rock flew in every direction as if imploded from within. A column of dust curled heavenwards, lit from within by blue flashes. Small spikes of ki told the story; Pan was venting her frustration on the local landscape. Was this Goku's intention all along, to push Pan to face her demons alone? Goku normally would fight much more seriously with his granddaughter, so what made him hold back so much? Pan had faced far worse.

 

"She's not fighting seriously. She's letting herself get distracted by being mad at Trunks. She needs to channel it," Uub realized. "I think Goku knew it already. But wanted her to figure it out. I mean he could have let her come at him with everything, but something tells me it wouldn't be easy."

 

Pan's flattened hands glowed blue, generating dozens of kiko ha's that Swiss cheesed the mountainside. More dust flew everywhere, obscuring the sky overhead. Uub heard her angered cries, moving quickly around the falling debris to her side. Her next blast slammed right towards him and he easily diverted it with his own hand thrown forwards. Cupping his hands together he shouted, "Pan! I want to spar with you!"

 

Her dark brooding eyes focused on him, and she said, "Did Grandpa feel sorry for me… and is he sending you after me so I'll… come back? I'm not stupid, Uub. He's treating me like I'm four years old! Why won't he train me like he does you?"

 

"Is that what you want? Cause he doesn't think so. He's holding back because he senses you need something else than his 'training'," Uub called out to her.

 

"I'm SICK of mind games!" Pan screamed, generating a glowing sphere of ki. It roared towards him, and he easily dodged it. However he noticed that Pan was directing its progress with her fingers.

 

"I learned that from Yamcha," she shouted.

 

"But someone ELSE can take it over, Pan, don't forget!" Uub responded. Energy flowed around him, and the ball stopped just before impact. As Pan tried to wrestle control of her ki, Uub fixed the sphere in his own stare, his aura vibrating around him. Blue energy changed in polarity, transformed by his own abilities before he sent it hurtling towards her. Pan crossed her arms before her face, blocking her own attack that was thrown back. Somehow he had figured out the charge and turned it opposite to return like iron filings to a magnet. Then, arms extended on either side, he launched himself fully towards her. Pan's soaring strike propelled her and they met, kicks and punches meeting in midair. Punch for kick she blocked and he vice versa.

 

"Take me seriously!" she yelled.

 

"If you want it, you've got it Pan," he found himself saying. Still inside his mind he thought, "I have to be careful not to hurt her, but how do I do that and still come across as pushing her?"

 

A quick punch narrowly missed his face, which he angled aside. Another missed his gut, but the last kick slashed into his solar plexus. Flipping head over heels he righted himself, fists held close to his body. Pan blurred out, then appeared to his left, then his right. Each time he tagged her with a blow she then deflected. Immediately afterwards, he felt the full force of her shoulder ramming into him sloppily, hurling him with her momentum into the side of the hill. Uub twisted himself around and she hurled the rest of the way, crashing into the ground.

 

"I'm sorry Pan," he whispered. "But you didn't want me to go easy."

 

"Why you!" Angrily, Pan shook dust off herself and screamed, rocketing at him again. This time she flailed with wild punches and kicks, some of them landing by pure luck, others hardly even close. He noticed the enraged fire in her eyes, and the growing of her aura.

 

Another energy blast fired point blank in his face, and she seized his arm, flipping him over in a simple judo throw. Curious to see what she would do, he leaned into it, and then in turn flipped her. Pan yelped, using the forward momentum to hurl him into the ground. He felt her small knee pin him in the gut, and her fist fly into his face. Quickly he brought up his hand and caught it, pushing against her. It seemed like such child's play compared to what she would have done before.

 

"Pan, what are you really angry at?" he panted, looking up at her conflicted face. "Are you mad at Trunks, or at yourself?"

 

"What does it MATTER? Shut up and fight!" she screamed.

 

He twisted over his body and then Pan was pinned under him. Hips were braced with his knees, and he felt a blush realizing how close they were to one another, but pushed it aside. He hadn't thought about this, his body just instinctively adapted for the most logical move. Both his hands were on her wrists, and she gritted her teeth, like a trapped animal.

 

"Let me GO" she howled, twisting and bucking under him. "Dammit, let me go you son of a bitch!"

 

"Pan, you can throw me off! Just twist your body! You know how!" Uub found himself urging. Pan's eyes blurred with tears, and she suddenly fell still, whimpering as she turned her head to the side. This took Uub by surprise, and he opened his mouth wide, sorrow filling his young face to see her giving up so easily.

 

"Pan, that's enough," he gasped. "I'm not Trunks. I'm not going to hurt you! Not like he did!"

 

"I'm not strong enough. I can't… why couldn't I fight him?" she sobbed, small chest heaving violently in agitation. Uub moved to the side, sitting next to her hip and feeling the blood surging through his body. He wanted to kick himself for such a stupid stunt.

 

He stammered, "I… that's not… I didn't want to make you cry. I'm sorry… did I hurt you?"

 

"I was too scared. I couldn't throw him off. It makes no sense," she continued to whimper.

 

"You wanted me to fight you seriously and I just thought if you got angry enough you could take it out on me. But that isn't what you need is it, Pan?" Uub asked, looking down at her. Without a second thought he pulled her into his arms as if she was one of his younger siblings needing a comforting hug. Pan pressed her face into his neck, trembling with twitching muscles in his grasp.

 

"I'm mad at myself for not being strong enough, you dummy," she whispered into his ear. "For not keeping up my guard. For letting him almost…"

 

"Pan, when are you going to stop blaming yourself?" Uub wondered, rubbing her back. They sat together on the dusty ground, Uub sitting on his ankle with his other knee bent while Pan squatted against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and simply held on, letting herself cry on his shoulder.

 

"I'm angry at Trunks. I want to hate him. But there's too many things I'm feeling I just don't know WHAT I should feel, what I should do! I want to be stronger so badly but my mind just won't stop thinking of it… of him!"

 

"Maybe it's not that easy, huh?" he tried, not sure of what to say.

 

"Every time before I could just punch out my problems with fighting and training. This isn't something that will go away that way. Training doesn't help, it just makes it worse. And what's worse then that is that I can't focus enough to fight. Because when you pinned me like that, I panicked! Because he made me feel… feel… so dirty."

 

"I'm sorry. That was really stupid for me to do that, I forgot that after you told us yesterday," he apologized, now furious with himself.

 

"I can't stop thinking about his face, Uub. No matter what I play it over and over in my mind and I can't turn it off," she whispered.

 

"I don't know how to help you Pan. I don't know what to say. All I can do is just do what my mom would do, or what I would do with my younger siblings. I feel so helpless Pan, I want to help you, but I can't," Uub gritted his teeth. "I'm a fighter. But seeing you like this is just terrible."

 

"What was that?" she whispered.

 

"What was what?" he repeated, confused.

 

"What you just said. You wanted to help ME but you couldn't, Uub? What do you mean?"

 

"If I was Gohan I'd know what to say. I mean if I was your uncle Goten he'd make you laugh. If I was one of your dates from school I'd ask you out to a movie. I mean… I hate seeing you like… like this and not being able to help!" he half growled in disgust at himself.

 

"What you're doing now… is enough," Pan whispered softly, snuggling into him. "Nobody's hugged me like this… I mean… not like this. Not someone who wasn't my uncle, grandpa or dad."

 

"Um… well… I guess," he muttered, feeling extremely clumsy. "I'm glad I can do something to help. I would never want you hurt Pan. And seeing you hurt feels like I got punched by Omega Shenron."

 

"That's very messed up, but kinda sweet," Pan found herself murmuring. All the tension was fast fading because she felt how very warmly he was hugging her, how tightly. For the first time in days she felt safe. It was a welcome change. For the next half-hour or so, they simply remained as they were, Pan allowing herself to finally cry in front of someone who she had not realized was there all along. She realized for at least a little bit that the images of the past 48 hours were not as terrifying anymore.