"Chi-Chi, I'm home," Goku said with a smile, waving his hand.
"Huh? Mom?" Gohan immediately turned to look at his mother, still a little dazed and slow to react.
"Goku? Gohan? It's really you!" Chi-Chi's eyes reddened, and tears welled up uncontrollably.
She rushed forward and hugged Gohan tightly in her arms.
"I'm really sorry, Chi-Chi," Goku scratched his head apologetically. "Because of me, you and Gohan were separated for so long."
"Goku… w-wuwuwu…" Chi-Chi threw herself into his arms and cried bitterly.
"Chi-Chi, I brought Gohan back. Didn't you always want him to become a great scholar?" Goku smiled gently. "Leave the fighting to me from now on."
"Huh? You've been revived, Goku?" Chi-Chi finally came back to her senses and wiped away her tears. "Are you really alive again?"
"Yeah. Grandpa Roshi and the others gathered the Dragon Balls and brought me back," Goku nodded.
"Then… does that mean the Saiyans are coming soon?" Chi-Chi asked nervously.
"They'll be here tomorrow," Goku replied calmly.
"Tomorrow?!" Chi-Chi was shocked. "So soon? Are you confident, Goku?"
"Don't worry. I've trained enough. There won't be any problems," Goku said confidently, patting his chest.
Then he rubbed his stomach.
Grrr…
His belly growled loudly.
"You must be hungry, Goku. I'll make you something to eat right away," Chi-Chi said softly.
"Thanks, Chi-Chi… I'm really sorry for everything these past years," Goku said guiltily.
"Huh? What are you saying?" Chi-Chi smiled brightly, blushing slightly. "You've never wronged me. Being with you, being your wife, makes me happy. And now we have Gohan, too."
"Yeah, hahaha!" Goku laughed. "We'll have more kids in the future…"
Chi-Chi's face turned even redder.
A brief silence followed.
"Goku… don't say things like that in front of the child," Chi-Chi scolded softly.
"Huh? Dad, Mom, am I getting a little brother or sister?" Gohan asked excitedly.
"Not yet…" Chi-Chi wiped sweat awkwardly.
How could that be possible now?
It'd take at least ten months.
"But anyway… Gohan, you've been training with Piccolo these past months. You must've suffered a lot," Chi-Chi said tenderly, cupping his face. "Oh? You've grown taller and stronger!"
"Mom, Uncle Piccolo treats me really well," Gohan hurriedly replied.
"Haha, Piccolo's actually a pretty good guy," Goku said, scratching his head.
"Dad, Mom…" Gohan gathered his courage, clenching his fists. "I want to fight too. I've trained for so long. I don't want to give up now."
"Gohan, what are you saying? You're only five! Fighting is for adults!" Chi-Chi exclaimed anxiously.
"Gohan, don't you still want to become a scholar?" Goku asked in mild surprise.
He asked this because, in the future, Gohan would indeed become a great scholar.
His dream would come true.
And in that future, Gohan rarely fought—every battle was forced upon him.
In this life, however, Goku had decided to train seriously and, knowing the future, didn't want his son to suffer anymore.
"I do want to be a great scholar," Gohan said firmly. "But I've trained with Uncle Piccolo for so long. I don't want to quit halfway."
His young face was filled with determination.
Goku gazed at his son with affection.
He had known Gohan would say this.
Though he sometimes seemed timid, he never chose to run away.
Chi-Chi looked at her son in surprise, as if she didn't recognize him anymore.
"Gohan… has that Demon King Piccolo influenced you?" Chi-Chi forced a stiff smile.
"If Gohan wants to fight, I'll take him to watch tomorrow," Goku said gently, patting his head. "He'll only step in if needed. How about that?"
"Goku!" Chi-Chi protested.
"Relax, Chi-Chi. Nothing will happen," Goku reassured her. "He probably won't even need to fight."
"…Fine. I'm going to cook," Chi-Chi sighed deeply and turned to the kitchen.
…
The next morning, 11:43 a.m.
Two space pods descended from the sky like blazing meteors, smashing into the streets of East City.
The entire city shook violently.
Sirens blared everywhere.
"What was that?! Something fell from the sky!"
"That scared me to death!"
"It's round! There's another one over there!"
Citizens crowded around the craters, craning their necks to look at the pods.
Creak!
The pod doors opened.
Vegeta and Nappa stepped out.
"People! Someone came out!" a citizen shouted in shock.
The overwhelming aura radiating from them instantly caught Piccolo's attention.
"Dad…" Gohan said nervously. "Their ki is so strong!"
"Gohan, let's go," Goku said with a smile.
"Y-Yes!" Gohan clenched his fists tightly, cold sweat sliding down his forehead. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure anymore.
"Be careful!" Chi-Chi said worriedly. "Maybe you shouldn't go, Gohan…"
"No, Mom! I'm going!" Gohan insisted.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Goku grabbed Gohan and used Instant Transmission.
They vanished in a flash.
Chi-Chi gasped and looked around frantically, but they were already gone.
…
East City.
Vegeta and Nappa surveyed their surroundings, examining the unfamiliar planet.
"Who are they?"
"Aliens?"
"They don't look like it…"
The citizens whispered nervously.
"So this is Earth… pretty ordinary," Vegeta scoffed.
"Prince Vegeta, there's no need to waste time with these weaklings. Let me wipe them out," Nappa said, preparing to destroy the city.
Whoosh!
At that critical moment, Goku and Gohan appeared directly in front of Vegeta and Nappa in a flash.