The full moon hid behind dark clouds, leaving the desert shrouded in a grayish gloom. The dunes, lifeless, looked like frozen waves carved into the earth. The wind howled harshly, carrying dust and small pebbles with it. There wasn't a soul for hundreds of miles… except for a tiny figure beginning to stir.
Son Gohan.
A small four-year-old boy, dressed in worn-out clothes, his hat lying nearby, slowly opened his eyes as a yawn escaped his lips.
"Nnnh… Dad?" he murmured weakly, his voice hoarse and fragile.
He sat up with difficulty, blinking several times. He looked around, confused.
Where was he?
Why wasn't he in his bed?
Sand. Rocks. Cold.
A strange desert he didn't recognize.
And above all… no sign of his father.
"Dad…?" he repeated louder this time, his voice cracking. "Where are you?"
He looked up at the dark sky, expecting to see that familiar silhouette riding the Flying Nimbus, or hear his carefree laughter calling him home. But there was nothing.
Only silence. Only stars.
Fear slithered into his chest like an invisible serpent.
His little eyes filled with tears.
And then… he screamed.
"DAAAAD!"
His voice echoed through the cliffs, desperate and raw.
Tears began to fall, one after another, sliding down his flushed cheeks.
"Don't leave me alone! Dad! I don't want to be here! Dad!"
And then…
a shadow descended from the sky.
FWOOSH.
The wind shifted. The dunes trembled.
Gohan looked up and saw an imposing figure falling slowly through the clouds.
Tall, green, wearing a white cape that fluttered like dark wings, his sharp features and pointed ears carved into a stern mask.
Piccolo.
"Tsk… you're awake already." His deep, guttural voice carried authority.
"I thought you'd sleep at least until sunrise."
Gohan froze.
His eyes widened. His crying stopped instantly. And then, he began backing away, dragging his feet through the sand as his small body trembled.
"Uwaaah! N-no! You're the bad green man! Don't come near me! Dad said you want to kill him!"
Piccolo landed silently, his boots sinking slightly into the sand.
His amber eyes locked onto the child, piercing him like twin blades.
"I don't care what your father told you," he growled. "I'm not here to play games or hurt you…
I'm here to train you."
Gohan blinked, confused.
"T-train me?"
Piccolo crossed his arms, his cape billowing behind him.
"Yes. During that battle… I saw what you've got inside.
A hidden power that nearly killed that Saiyan.
That power needs control. And I'm going to help you master it."
Gohan shook his head violently, sobbing again.
"I don't want power! I don't want to fight! I just want my dad! I want to go home!"
Piccolo snorted, irritated.
"Your father is dead."
The boy froze.
"…What?"
"He died protecting you.
And if you don't get stronger… his sacrifice will mean nothing.
In one year, two Saiyans far worse than that one will arrive.
"If you don't train, you'll die. And so will everyone you care about."
Gohan fell to his knees. The world seemed to spin around him.
He couldn't understand it all—it was too much.
But what he did understand... was that his father was gone.
And that broke him.
"Dad..." he whispered through tears. "No..."
Piccolo watched him silently.
And for a brief instant, his frown softened.
"You're right to be afraid," he said quietly.
"But fear is useless if you do nothing with it.
So from now on... you'll survive."
The child looked up at him with tearful eyes.
"W-what?"
Piccolo extended an arm and pointed toward a massive rock formation in the distance.
"That will be your shelter.
You'll be alone.
For six months... you'll survive on your own.
After that... I'll begin your real training."
Gohan trembled again.
"A-alone!? No! I can't!"
Piccolo turned his back on him.
"You can... and you will.
Your blood is Goku's.
And your destiny… is not that of an ordinary child."
The wind howled louder. Gohan fell back, terrified, as Piccolo rose into the sky and flew away without looking back.
"WAIT! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!"
But Piccolo was already gone, lost among the clouds.
And so, in the middle of the desert, beneath the starlit sky, the son of Goku began his harsh trial.
Not by choice.
But by necessity.
The father's legacy…
had fallen upon the shoulders of the son.
—
24 hours later
The moon, barely visible behind drifting clouds, bathed the land in a pale glow. The dunes were sleeping shadows. The stones, silent sentinels. The cold wind carried fine sand that whispered across the cracks in the earth.
In the midst of that lonely vastness, a small campfire flickered weakly.
Beside it, hugging his knees, trembled a four-year-old boy.
Son Gohan.
His clothes were dirty. His legs scratched from the day's falls. His hat lay half-buried in the sand beside him. The fire crackled softly, but its warmth wasn't enough.
"I-it's so cold…" he murmured, his voice faint. His nose was red, his eyes wet.
"D-dad… where are you…?"
No answer. Only the crackle of the flames.
Gohan looked around. Beyond the circle of light from the fire, there was only darkness. Everything seemed so big… so far away.
A tear slid down his cheek.
Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. It was slightly wrinkled from the heat of the day, but he held it as if it were treasure.
A photo.
The only one he had.
It was old, in faded colors.
In it, a young Goku held a baby Gohan in his arms, smiling brightly as always.
Beside them, with her arms crossed, a woman with straight black hair and a firm but gentle gaze, resting in a bed: Chi-Chi.
Gohan stared at it silently.
He didn't remember her well. He'd only seen her in pictures, or in the bedtime stories his father used to tell him.
"This is your mom, Gohan," Goku had said with a wistful smile. "She was strong—but even more loving. She wanted you to become a great scholar… and she always cared for you with all her heart."
Gohan brushed the photo with his fingertips.
"Mom…
Dad said you loved me a lot… even though you're not here anymore."
His voice broke. Tears fell again.
"Dad… I don't want to be alone…"
And at that very moment, as if the heavens had heard his plea… something landed in front of him.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Two red apples rolled across the sand, stopping at his feet.
Gohan blinked.
He rubbed his eyes.
Looked up.
No one was there.
"Huh…? Apples…?"
He picked them up carefully. They were fresh, shining faintly in the firelight.
For a moment, his fear disappeared.
"Apples! I've got food!"
He smiled. A small, sincere smile. He wiped his tears with his sleeve and took a big bite of the first one.
"Mmmh! So good!" he mumbled between bites.
He didn't know where they came from, but he didn't care.
In that instant, on that lonely night… he felt just a little less alone.
⸻
High above, standing atop a rocky spire, Piccolo watched.
Arms crossed, his cape fluttering in the wind.
His eyes remained fixed on the boy.
No emotion showed on his face… but his silence spoke volumes.
"Hmph. He can't even light a proper fire…" he muttered.
"But… he didn't cry as much as I expected."
He looked down, and his right hand closed slightly.
"That kid…
He's got more strength than he realizes."
And silently, he vanished into the dark sky, leaving behind the boy who—without knowing it—was already taking his first steps toward the warrior he was meant to become.
—
The sky was an endless golden dome.
No sun. No moon. No stars. Only a soft, steady glow illuminating the long, winding road that floated in the void of the Other World.
The Snake Way stretched endlessly before the feet of a lone runner:
Son Goku.
Wearing his classic orange gi, now with a glowing halo above his head, Goku jogged at a steady pace. He wasn't sprinting as if in battle. No—his steps were calm and measured. He knew this journey wasn't a sprint, but a test of endurance… and patience.
"Haah… haah…!" he panted, stopping for a moment at one of the many curves of the road.
He looked back.
An infinite horizon—exactly like the one ahead.
"Wow!" he said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I've been running since yesterday… and I still can't see this snake's tail!"
He sat at the edge of the road, letting his legs dangle over the void. The breeze of the Other World blew softly, though he couldn't tell from where.
He took a deep breath and allowed himself a moment of rest.
That's when his thoughts began to wander.
Far from the battle. Far from training. Far even from the road itself.
He thought of Chi-Chi.
"Hm… I wonder if she's here somewhere…" he said softly.
He remembered her smiling. Scolding him. Hugging Gohan.
Their marriage had been… complicated—a promise he'd forgotten, and his constant focus on training—but he knew she had loved their son deeply.
And in her strict, fiery way… she had loved him too.
"Chi-Chi…" he whispered. "I hope you're resting in peace.
You're probably wondering how we're doing…"
The wind seemed to whisper back.
Then he thought of Gohan.
His expression changed.
"Gohan…"
The image of his little boy came instantly to mind. That frightened look at first… and then that powerful scream when he exploded against Raditz.
Goku shivered.
"That power…
I've never seen anything like that in a kid."
"I wonder how he's doing now…
Is Piccolo treating him okay?" he said, smiling nervously. "Hehe… he's not exactly the warmest guy around…"
But deep down, though Piccolo was his enemy, Goku trusted him.
Piccolo wouldn't have taken Gohan as his student if he hadn't felt something else.
Something like… respect.
Or responsibility.
Even in their fight at the tournament, Goku had sensed it—Piccolo wasn't like King Piccolo. He was different.
"Gohan… I hope you're okay.
And I hope someday… you'll surpass me too."
Then he stood up. Stretched his arms. Rolled his neck.
And then… his mind shifted.
The calm aura turned… a little more electric.
He remembered Raditz.
And more than that… what he'd said before dying.
"Maybe the princess will want to take a look at this."
Goku clenched his fists.
"The princess…"
That title rang in his blood like a bell.
A Saiyan.
Proud.
Feared even by Raditz.
"She must be incredibly strong…
If Raditz respected—or feared—her that much…" Goku narrowed his eyes.
And without meaning to, a smile crossed his face.
"Heh…
That sounds exciting!"
Yes, the thought scared him.
But more than that… it thrilled him.
A powerful Saiyan woman. A true rival.
"I hope she doesn't disappoint me!"
He took a deep breath, his thoughts calming again.
"Well… time to keep running.
King Kai's waiting for me… and I won't let him down!"
Goku started running once more.
The Snake Way stretched infinitely before him, winding and endless—but now…
It didn't seem quite so long.
He wasn't alone anymore.
He carried with him the memory of his wife.
The hope of his son.
And the fire of a warrior… waiting for his next great battle.