Chapter 1: Gohan Won't Study
One day in Age 761,
Four-year-old Son Gohan,
carrying a wrapped bundle of gold and jewels on his back,
followed closely behind his father, Son Goku,
speeding through the air toward their home on Mount Paozu.
“Gohan, are you sure Chi-Chi will be happy with us bringing back all these shiny things? I really don’t want to get scolded. She’s terrifying when she’s mad.”
Also carrying a bundle of his own, Son Goku
gulped on the flight home.
From his expression alone, one could tell he was scolded regularly;
otherwise, he would never be so frightened of his wife, Chi-Chi.
“Don’t worry, Dad.”
“When have I ever lied to you?”
“Once we bring back all this gold and treasure,”
“Mom is going to be overjoyed.”
“Then I can devote all my time to training martial arts with you.”
“And you won’t get chewed out by Mom either.”
“It’s a win-win.”
Gohan gave his assurance with absolute confidence.
“You said the same thing last time you asked me to train.”
“And I was the one who ended up getting chewed out by Chi-Chi.”
Having been thrown under the bus more times than he could count, Goku
harbored deep concerns
regarding his son Gohan’s promises.
There was no helping it;
having been burned too often,
even someone as pure and kindhearted as Goku
could not help pondering things that did not fit his usual easygoing nature.
“That was an honest mistake before! This time I swear there won’t be any problems! Besides, Dad, don’t you want me to get stronger faster so I can be a sparring partner to push your limits? At worst you’ll just take a couple of scoldings. It’s totally fine!”
Though he started out sounding sincere,
Gohan burst out laughing toward the end.
Already uneasy, Goku
saw his son suddenly chuckle and felt a chill creep across his scalp,
realizing he was probably being led into another trap.
Yet, craving a worthy rival as badly as he did,
he had no choice but to follow along with his son’s scheme.
He truly hungered for a formidable opponent,
someone who could give him a good, exhilarating battle.
I just hope Chi-Chi goes easy on me.
Thinking back to how he had only taught his son for a single month,
training him for less than two hours a day,
yet Gohan had effortlessly mastered every single one of his moves,
even reaching a level of strength comparable to when Goku himself drank the Ultra Divine Water,
Goku felt a thrill of excitement deep down.
He decided to walk right into Gohan’s trap.
Even if it meant facing his wife’s wrath,
he was willing to take the gamble.
Hovering nearby, Gohan nearly laughed out loud again, but held it in. Carrying a sack dozens of times heavier than his tiny body, he sped up to follow his father home.
From their conversation, it was obvious:
this Gohan was not the same as the one in the original story.
And indeed, he was not.
The current Gohan was a transmigrator.
He was not someone who had possessed a body,
but a naturally born child,
with the sole difference being that he retained the memories of his past life.
That was precisely why he refused to study
and spent his days obsessed with martial arts and growing stronger.
After all, in the Dragon Ball world he found himself in,
the power scaling was utterly absurd.
Especially with what came later: Gods of Destruction, Angels,
Golden Frieza, Black Frieza, and the like.
Every single one boasted battle power that shattered the charts.
If a transmigrator like him wasted time studying books,
he would truly be out of his mind.
Not to mention that within the Dragon Ball cosmology,
there existed countless parallel universes and alternate timelines.
Gohan could not even be certain
whether he was in the primary timeline,
which was why he was hellbent on raising his strength.
His sole purpose was to hold his destiny in his own hands, to protect the father who treated him so well, the mother who loved him even more, and the wife and child he would have in the future.
No matter what, I must stick to martial arts.
Even if Mom protests, it won’t change a thing.
At that thought, Gohan’s eyes hardened with resolve.
As for whether it felt awkward for a transmigrator to call them Mom and Dad,
the protagonist in Gohan’s body held the exact same view
as Liu Xing from Home with Kids:
Being someone’s son was being someone’s son regardless.
To have loving, doting parents like Goku and Chi-Chi made it an absolute blessing.
Putting aside such idle thoughts,
Gohan continued flying onward,
chatting with his father
while planning what to say once they landed.
“Goku! Where did you drag Gohan off to this time?!”
“And making him carry such a huge sack!”
“Are you even his father?!”
Chi-Chi, who had been waiting at the front door,
whooshed over and stood before them in a flash.
Before Goku could get a word in,
she unleashed a barrage of scolding,
without even checking what they had actually done.
“Mom, I’m totally fine! Look, Dad and I brought you gold and jewels! With all this, our family will never be short on money again! But from now on, I want to practice martial arts with Dad full time.”
“What do you say?”
Gohan opened his bundle as he spoke,
his heart filled with nervous anticipation.
“Yeah, Chi-Chi.”
“If Gohan doesn’t want to study, let’s just drop it.”
“Training martial arts with me is great too.”
Dropping his own massive bundle, Goku
opened it just like Gohan,
revealing the shimmering gold and gems inside.
“Sigh, I knew this day would come.”
“Go on, go on!”
Looking into her son’s unwavering eyes,
Chi-Chi knew his mind was made up
and did not try to stop him any further.
“Awesome!”
“Thank you, Mom!”
Having received her blessing, Gohan was overjoyed.
Beside him, Goku was just as thrilled,
itching to drag him out to train right that instant.
However, his stomach had already begun rumbling fiercely,
so he had to put it on hold for the moment.
“Gohan, where did you two find all this gold and jewelry? The bottom of the ocean or somewhere?” Chi-Chi finally remembered to ask about the elephant in the room.
“Mom, we fished it up from the sea.”
“It was my idea.”
“Dad did the heavy lifting.”
“My tummy is rumbling, Mom. Can we eat dinner first?”
Finishing his explanation, Gohan rubbed his belly.
“I knew it had to be your idea, Gohan.”
“You’ve been clever since you were little.”
“If it were up to Goku,”
“he wouldn’t have thought of that in twenty thousand years.”
After praising her son, Chi-Chi
glared at Goku, who dared not make a sound,
before turning and ushering Gohan into the living room.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Goku hurried after them,
remembering to haul the gold and jewels inside.
Before long,
the three of them had polished off a hearty dinner.
“Oh, right, Goku.”
“I almost forgot to tell you.”
“While you and Gohan were out salvaging gold,”
“Master Roshi called.”
“He asked if you wanted to get together tomorrow.”
Washing dishes at the sink, Chi-Chi
suddenly recalled the message
and shared it with her husband,
causing Gohan’s heart to sink as he realized the main plot had begun.
Still a step too slow, huh.
I wonder if my current power is enough?
The system is still loading.
And without a scouter, I can’t check my exact battle power.
Feeling helpless, Gohan
resigned himself to playing it by ear when the time came.
“Old Master Roshi and Krillin, huh?”
“It really has been a long time since I’ve seen everyone.”
“Gohan, want to come along?”
Reminded by his wife,
the battle-crazed Goku realized just how long it had been since he had caught up with his friends.
