Chapter Text
Gohan strolled down the streets of Papaya Island, so lost in his own mind that the outside world appeared to be little more than a blur to him, seemingly passing by at its own uninteresting pace.
How did I end up here? he wondered. But deep inside, he already knew the answer. I should have killed Cell immediately! If I had, Father wouldn't be dead and Cell... Gohan involuntarily clenched his fist, his brows furrowing. I shouldn't have underestimated Cell! Now, I've got to find him and stop him before he does any more damage to this time, too.
Gohan looked up and was surprised to find himself at the front gate of the World Martial Arts Tournament building, so lost in thought had he been that he hadn't noticed where he was going, his feet moving by of their own accord.
It had been only three days since he had arrived here, and beyond that, two weeks since the end of the Cell Games, at which time Cell had stolen Trunks's time machine from his dead body, and fled into the past. He could remember all too clearly the last words Cell had imparted to him before he left, as though they were burned into his psyche:
"It seems that I have underestimated you Saiyans one time too many, but I assure you, this is a mistake I will soon rectify. I'm afraid that I am going to have to take my leave of you now. But if you wish to follow me, then I expect to see you, Gohan, at the conclusion of the event known as the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament. If you cannot stop me, you can say goodbye to the Earth of that time too! Until then."
And with that, Cell placed two fingertips to his forehead and vanished, leaving a very stunned Gohan and the remaining Z Fighters behind.
Fortunately for them, they were able to locate Trunks's other time machine, the one Cell had hijacked and used to get to their time in search of Androids 17 and 18. It was wrecked beyond repair, but after a few weeks of research, Bulma was able to replicate another one. Its power was limited, she informed them, and could only be used for two trips, whereas the one Trunks had returned in was capable of four, but it would work well enough to follow Cell back in time and get the time traveler in question home to boot.
Gohan had volunteered, despite vehement protests from Chi-Chi. In the end, Gohan was able to convince her that if he didn't stop Cell before Goku and Chi-Chi got together, he would destroy the Earth and prevent him from ever being born. And Gohan felt that, as the one responsible for their current mess, it was his job to seek out Cell and destroy him.
"And now here I am, Gohan muttered to himself. "Well, I'll make sure you don't win this time, Cell. That's a promise."
Walking up to the registration desk, Gohan stood expectantly in front of the tournament worker working behind the desk, waiting patiently for the man to notice him. The man glanced up, noticing Gohan for the first time. "Hello," he said to Gohan. "Are you here to compete in the tournament or to watch?"
"Uh, compete," Gohan said.
After two weeks of contemplation back in his own time, Gohan had decided that the best way to find Cell might be to lure him out into the open. He hadn't exactly ordered Gohan to compete in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, after all, but Gohan had a feeling that competing in the tournament would draw out Cell more quickly. Of course, fighting in the tournament also meant seeing his dad again, as well as a lot of his other old friends too. This was going to be a very trying next couple of days.
"Okay. If I could just have your name, please, we'll be all set," the worker said.
"My name's Go..." Gohan caught himself just in time.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" the worker said in confusion.
I can't use my real name or the others will discover me! Gohan thought anxiously. If I do anything to interfere in this timeline, the other me might not be born. I've got to think of something else!
"Sir?" the tournament worker prompted.
Gohan blurted out the first name he could think of.
"Icarus. My name's Icarus," he said quickly.
The worker blinked his eyes, but after a moment said, "Okay, Icarus, you're signed up. To be sure, you do understand that the tournament is not responsible for any injuries you might receive, and that foreign objects are not allowed, excepting claws and other natural weapons?"
Gohan nodded.
"Then good luck. Off with you now," the tournament worker replied, shooing Gohan away.
Gohan chuckled softly. He was about to move away when he sensed a dozen familiar ki signals heading his way. Turning his head, he saw two taxis drive up. The doors opened, and out stepped the occupants.
Gohan almost seized up.
They were undoubtedly younger versions of his friends. There was Krillin, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Bulma, Puar and Oolong, Turtle, and a blonde-haired woman Gohan personally didn't know, but could only assume must be the infamous Launch he had heard so much about from his friends.
Gohan watched in numb shock as they approached the registration counter, his mind going a thousand miles an hour. I didn't expect to see them again so soon! But where's Daddy? Why isn't he with them? Reaching out with his ki senses, he detected his father's own familiar ki signature, a few hundred miles off, but still on the same island.
"He'd better hurry," Oolong was saying. "If he's not careful, he'll miss the entries."
"It's not like him to be late. I sure hope he didn't forget what day it is," Master Roshi said pensively.
"Hey, is that him?" Bulma suddenly shouted.
Gohan started, and to his surprise and horror his future friends were now staring at him. Unable to think of anything to say, too stunned to even move, Gohan could only stand there, the unintentional center of attention for his friends' penetrating eyes, blinking and sweating profusely.
Now what am I going to do? Gohan thought in terror. I've got to say something, but I can't move at all! It feels like my body is frozen! I didn't think seeing them in this time would be this hard!
But not a moment had passed when Master Roshi said, "Hm? No, it isn't, but he sure looks like him."
He moved closer to Gohan. Gohan managed to bite down the blind panic that had threatened to overwhelm him, mentally repeating a calming mantra that Piccolo had taught him before the arrival of the Saiyans. Master Roshi stared at Gohan perplexedly, tilting his head to the side, as if attempting to figure him out. "Hello. I'm the Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi. Sorry if we scared you. We thought you were someone we knew. Are you here to compete in the World Martial Arts Tournament?"
Taking in a deep breath and trying to ignore the sudden thundering of his frightened heart, Gohan nodded and said in as steady a voice as he could muster, "Um, yeah. My name's Goha..." Biting down what he had been about to say, Gohan said instead, "Uh, Icarus. My name is Icarus."
"Icarus, huh?" Yamcha said. "That's an unusual name. Say, where do you come from, kid?"
Gohan gulped. "Uh, I live in the 439 Mountain Area, near Mt. Paozu," he said.
It wasn't a lie, technically; back in his time, he did live there, along with his mother and father, so he hoped that they would accept his story without question.
To his immense relief, they seemed to buy this, but not without some surprise.
"Mt. Paozu?" Bulma repeated. "That's over two thousand miles away. You must really be dedicated to fighting in this tournament."
Gohan laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, a trait he had inherited from his father.
"You're not Goku, but you sure do act a lot like him," Krillin observed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the two of you were related."
Gohan removed his hand from his head, hoping to correct his error. "Uh, yeah, well, I don't even know this Goku. Is he a friend of yours?" he asked, cursing his own inborn honesty and the difficulties with lying that this entailed. He hoped that the change in subject would detract their attention from him, at least for the moment.
Thankfully, this seemed to have done the trick, for they all glanced down the road leading off into the distance.
"Yes, he is, but for some reason he's not here," Bulma said. "And he was really looking forward to the competition."
"He'll wait to show up at the last minute. Just watch," Oolong snorted.
"I don't see what all the fuss is about," the blonde-headed woman suddenly retorted. "Fighting with rules, how boring."
Gohan stared at the woman. Wow, is she really serious?
"If anyone else but you had said that, I would have thought they were bragging," Turtle said.
"Sweet sauerkraut," Gohan heard Master Roshi say from behind him, his hyper-sensitive hearing enabling him to pick up every word quite clearly, "I almost forgot to sign up."
Fighting down a jolt of sudden surprise, Gohan followed Master Roshi with his ki senses. He didn't know Master Roshi had competed in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament! He listened to him speaking with the tournament worker in hushed tones.
"Say, there's a name I'd like to enter in the tournament," he told the man. "Jackie Chun."
Gohan nearly jumped out of his skin. Master Roshi is Jackie Chun? He's the one who defeated my father in the first World Martial Arts Tournament?
The tournament worker appeared to be having a similar reaction.
"Jackie Chun?" he repeated. "You don't mean THE Jackie Chun who won the championship at the last competition? I don't believe it, you're him?"
"Shhh!" Master Roshi shushed, turning back to face the others. Gohan managed to avert his gaze in time, but inwardly he was confused. Why would Master Roshi enter under a different name? Was he trying to avoid the fame? Somehow, I don't think so. So then, why was he doing this? He made a mental note to ask Master Roshi about it later; obviously he wanted to keep it a secret, so that's what Gohan was going to do.
"Oh, there's only five minutes left!" Bulma exclaimed, looking at her watch.
"He's not gonna make it," Oolong said pessimistically.
Gohan was tempted to tell them that Goku was getting very close, but that would lead to awkward questions as to how he knew that, so he bit his tongue and kept quiet. Although it was weaker and significantly different than that of the Goku he knew, Gohan could sense his father's distinct ki, and knew that he would be here within minutes, with just enough time left to register at the front desk.
"Master, Goku is going to make it in time, isn't he?" Krillin said to Master Roshi, who had returned silently.
"Just keep your eye on that road, he'll be here," Master Roshi said confidently.
"Uh, hey, you were chatting with that clerk like you were best friends," Turtle observed, glancing upwards at Master Roshi.
"That's none of your business!" Master Roshi snapped.
"Hello," a voice behind them announced.
"Hm?" Master Roshi said, turning around.
Gohan followed suit, as did the rest of the future Z Fighters.
There were three people standing there behind them, two of them very familiar to Gohan. It was, without a doubt, the younger counterparts of Tien and Chiaotzu, but they looked very, very different from the ones in his time. Unlike the Tien and Chiaotzu back home, the fighters standing in front of him looked smug, and there was an inner darkness in them that Gohan had never sensed before around the two.
The last person finishing the trio was someone who Gohan had never seen before, in either of the timelines. Standing higher than Chiaotzu, but slightly shorter than Tien, he wore the same green tunic with yellow-and-black pants and a symbol of a crane on his outfit. Perched atop his head was a hat that strongly resembled a crane and a pair of dark sunglasses completed the look. Overall, he reminded Gohan of a darker version of Master Roshi.
"Nice to see you've come out of your shell, Master Roshi," he said haughtily.
"Hm, Hermit Crane, what a surprise," Master Roshi sniffed. "After all these years you're still alive?"
"The lines on your face are just as deep, old friend," the man retorted.
"Well, that was rude," Bulma said.
"Relax, I didn't come here to start trouble," the man said smoothly. "In fact, I heard a silly little whisper that your pupils did quite well during the last tournament. I guess the saying is true, 'Anything can happen.'"
Gohan felt a sudden swell of indignation at the man's comment. Who is this guy? And why is he talking about Father and Master Roshi like that?
"What's it to you, huh?!" Roshi snapped.
"You're out of your league, Roshi, admit it! You were privileged by my absence last time, but we both know fighting against my team is an exercise in futility. Not even Jackie Chun could handle my boys," the man said snidely. "Do yourself a favor and go home!"
There was a moment of tense silence, then the man burst out laughing.
"I sympathize with your crew, I really, really do. Inadequacy is always such a tough pill to swallow, but it sure beats public humiliation."
"Thanks for the concern, it's nice to see some things haven't changed, like you're still full of hot air," Master Roshi shot back.
Suddenly the two got in each other's faces, snarling angrily and glaring daggers at the other.
"You'd better stay out my way!" the man yelled.
"We're not turning tail for you or anyone!" Master Roshi shouted.
Gohan didn't know what to feel on this issue, but he knew he couldn't allow this to erupt into bloodshed. Stepping in between the two, he held out his arms to both sides and said, "Master Roshi, please, stop fighting! What's there to be upset over? Can't we talk about this?"
Master Roshi tried gently shoving Gohan away, but Gohan refused to budge. After a few terse minutes, the other man backed away, laughing. "You have this little boy to thank for my sparing you, Roshi, but make no mistake, I won't extend the same generosity twice!" Returning to Tien and Chiaotzu, the man turned to head into the gates, uttering a final insult, "You've been warned, now suffer the consequences! Let's go, I've wasted enough time on these fools!"
The three departed.
"Who was that?" Gohan wondered. And what are Tien and Chiaotzu doing with him? he added silently.
"Hmph, he's known as Master Shen, but I used to call him 'friend,'" Master Roshi said gravely. Looking down at Gohan, he added, "You shouldn't have gotten involved, Icarus. Shen and his pupils are ruthless men. They won't hesitate a second to take their vengeance out on you. Do not provoke their wrath."
Gohan was about to answer that he wasn't afraid of this Shen person when Oolong shouted, "Time's almost up! We have 1 minute left!"
"He's late!" Turtle exclaimed.
"Relax," Yamcha said, turning to his trusty feline familiar. "Puar, I want you to transform into Goku and register as him."
"Right!" Puar said.
"No!" Gohan snapped, shocking everyone. His father's ki was very near. "He'll be here."
Yamcha was just about to retort when suddenly a dust cloud appeared on the horizon. At closer glance it was revealed to be a person... it was Goku!
"Look, he's right!" Launch said. "Here he is!"
"Hello, everybody!" Goku called to them. "Wait up, I'm coming!"
It took all of Gohan's willpower not to launch himself at Goku in tears and apologize over and over again, seeking his pardon for his erroneous judgment in handling Cell. His father's death was like an open wound, made worse especially by the fact that it was his fault, he had been responsible. If he hadn't wanted to make Cell suffer... and now, seeing his father again, so young and innocent and carefree and unaware of what the future held... it was almost too much for Gohan to bear.
Goku came to a stop in front of them. "Long time no see!" His friends rushed over, completely ignoring Gohan.
Gohan watched through a numb haze as Goku and his friends conversed happily, reunited after a long period of being apart. Gohan suddenly didn't want to be there anymore. He was vaguely aware of them talking, standing off to the side, fighting against tears.
He had failed his father! If only he hadn't been so stupid! He had let his new powers go to his head, and his father had paid the ultimate price for his arrogance. I shouldn't be here! Gohan thought miserably. I don't even deserve to stand in their presence. I'm no hero. I let my Daddy die. It should have been me, not him! It should have been me!
Gohan stared miserably at the ground, unaware of the shadow that fell over him.
"Uh, excuse me, but who are you?"
Gohan froze.
He looked up.