The morning air buzzed with excitement.
Crowds gathered outside the World Martial Arts Tournament arena, banners fluttering in the breeze, food stands bustling with customers, and the distant sound of cheers echoing from the preliminary matches. Fighters from across the globe had arrived, each one hoping to claim glory on the grandest stage.
In the back courtyard, a group of familiar warriors stood together, each one hiding power that far outclassed the rest of the planet.
Gohan adjusted the green gi of his Great Saiyaman Tournament outfit, complete with black bodysuit underneath and a white cape that fluttered behind him. He had ditched the helmet and sunglasses this time, opting to show his face barely as he also wore a white cloth around his head.
Videl stood beside him, hair now cropped short and held back with a white band. She glanced at Gohan with a mix of nerves and stubborn resolve.
"Don't expect me to go easy," she muttered.
"I wasn't planning on it," Gohan replied with a smirk.
The fighters were ushered inside to take the written test first, a way to weed out the reckless and brainless. Gohan breezed through it, pencil flying across the paper. Videl grumbled, chewing on the eraser end before finally catching up. Hercule was somehow already done, though suspiciously smug.
Afterward, they were led to the punch machine.
Vegeta stepped forward first, cracking his neck. With a casual jab, the machine's dial spun violently before exploding in sparks.
"Oops," he muttered without remorse.
Gohan stepped up next. He tapped it gently, far too gently. Only a low score appeared.
"Come on," Vegeta scoffed. "Don't insult it."
With a sigh, Gohan tried again, this time letting a fraction of his power slip into the blow. The dial screamed in agony, spinning wildly before crashing into the back of the wall.
Even Videl stared, blinking in shock. "Okay, what the hell are you guys made of?"
Before Gohan could answer, a warm voice echoed behind them.
"Hey! Gohan!"
He froze.
That voice.
It couldn't be...
He turned.
There he was.
Goku.
Alive. Whole. Smiling as if he hadn't been gone for seven years.
Gohan's breath caught in his chest.
"Dad…"
Goku waved cheerfully. "Man, you've gotten big! And strong too, I can feel it. That's amazing!"
Gohan smiled, but then...
"GOKU!"
Chi-Chi.
She crashed into him like a hurricane, tears running down her cheeks as she threw her arms around her husband's neck. The crowd around them melted away in that moment.
"I missed you so much!" she sobbed.
Goku smiled, gently patting her back. "I missed you too."
But then Goku's eyes trailed behind Chi-Chi, narrowing slightly.
He saw someone small, peeking out from behind her skirt. A child, dark spiky hair, deep eyes. A miniature version of himself.
Goku blinked. "Huh?"
Gohan shifted awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Dad… this is Goten."
Goten stepped forward slowly, staring up at the man he had never met but always heard about.
Goku crouched down. "You're… my son?"
Goten nodded, eyes wide.
Goku's smile widened. "Wow. You look just like me when I was your age."
Then he opened his arms and gently pulled Goten into a hug.
But Goten's embrace was stiff. He held on but his eyes flicked toward Gohan behind Goku, hardening.
When Goku let go, Goten took a step back, avoiding Gohan's gaze.
Goku turned to Gohan. "I didn't even know you had a little brother! You didn't tell me in Other World!"
"I didn't think it'd come up," Gohan said, forcing a smile.
Chi-Chi stood beside them, brushing a hand across Goten's bangs. "He's just like you, Goku. Strong. Wild. Kind of reckless."
But Goten didn't respond. He only muttered, "I'll be stronger than both of you."
Gohan flinched.
Goku blinked, laughing nervously. "He's got that fire, huh?"
Behind them, Vegeta watched with arms crossed. Goku's eyes flicked toward him.
"…And you, Vegeta… You've gotten stronger too. Way stronger."
Vegeta smirked. "Of course I have."
Goku turned back to Gohan, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You've really grown into your power. I'm proud of you."
Gohan nodded, though the moment soured behind his eyes.
Chi-Chi turned to Gohan next, her hands trembling slightly. "You've changed so much…"
She reached up to touch his cheek but paused, seeing the faint bags under his eyes, the cold calmness in his expression. Her hand shook.
"You're taller than your father now…" she whispered. "And thinner too. Have you… have you been eating properly?"
Gohan swallowed. "I'm fine, Mom."
She nodded, hugging him tightly. But even in her embrace, there was tension.
Over her shoulder, Gohan caught sight of Goten again. The younger boy looked away the moment their eyes met.
Not a word.
Not even a smile.
Just a quiet resentment, simmering just beneath the surface.
And then the sound of a gong rang out in the distance.
The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai was about to begin.
The arena roared with excitement.
The Junior Division was underway, and the crowd's attention had shifted from the adults to the pint-sized prodigies now taking center stage. Dozens of children lined up in the waiting area, all under the age limit, each hoping to walk away with glory and the prize money.
Among them, two stood out like wolves among sheep.
Trunks and Goten.
The difference in power was obvious even before the matches began. Trunks wore a confident grin, bouncing on his heels as if barely containing his energy. Goten, on the other hand, stood still, eyes dark beneath his messy bangs, a quiet storm brewing behind his usual innocence.
"Alright, kids!" the announcer shouted. "Let's see what the next generation of warriors can do!"
One by one, the children fought.
And one by one, they were eliminated.
When it came to Goten's first match, the announcer didn't even finish the introduction before the bell rang.
BAM.
A single punch. Clean. Direct. Devastating.
His opponent, a bulky boy twice Goten's size, slammed into the wall and didn't get back up.
The crowd gasped.
Chi-Chi stood in the stands, fidgeting. "He's strong… maybe too strong."
In the waiting area, Trunks raised an eyebrow. "Dude… you didn't have to hit him that hard."
Goten didn't answer.
Round after round, it continued.
Goten didn't hold back, not even a little. The others were fighting to win, to impress. Goten was fighting like he was proving something. Destroying his opponents with fists that struck harder than they should. More aggressive than necessary. Relentless. Cold.
Even the crowd started to murmur uneasily.
By the semi-finals, one boy was carted off with medics scrambling.
Goten turned away without looking back.
As he stepped out of the ring, he was suddenly face-to-face with two figures blocking his path.
Piccolo.
And Gohan.
The former stood tall and stoic, arms folded across his chest. Gohan's expression, however, was unreadable, part concern, part frustration.
"Goten," Piccolo said firmly, "you need to pull back. You're hurting these kids. This isn't a battlefield."
Goten's jaw tightened.
Gohan stepped forward. "They're not your enemies. You don't need to go that far."
Goten's head snapped toward him, eyes burning. "Oh, now you care?"
The words cut deep.
Gohan didn't flinch but the silence between them thickened.
Goten kept going. "Why are you acting like a big brother now? You haven't been around in years. You didn't train me. You didn't raise me. You weren't there."
Piccolo's eyes narrowed but Gohan raised a hand, signaling him to stay back.
"I didn't come here for your approval," Goten snapped. "I came to win. So if you're not here to stop me, then move."
The arena was still echoing with the crowd's cheers but for Gohan, the world had gone quiet.
He stepped aside slowly, eyes never leaving Goten.
As the boy walked past, Piccolo muttered, "He's angry. And he has a right to be."
Gohan nodded slightly. "I just didn't realize how deep it ran."
Back in the waiting area, Trunks met Goten at the bench and leaned closer.
"You okay, man?"
"I'm fine," Goten muttered.
Trunks looked at him for a long beat, then spoke low. "You've gotta chill out. You're not just trying to win, you're trying to prove something. But whatever it is, don't take it out on kids who don't stand a chance."
Goten didn't answer.
And then, the announcer's voice boomed again.
"Alright, folks! It's the Junior Division Final, Trunks versus Goten!"
The stadium shook with excitement.
The two friends rose to their feet, walking toward the ring.
One with a confident grin.
The other with fists clenched tighter than ever.
And up in the stands, Gohan watched his little brother walk away from him again, this time, not with tears or sadness but with fury.
Chi-Chi didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were locked on Goten in pride.
But Gohan… he saw the pain behind the power.
And he knew the storm had only just begun.