A Mighty Warrior: The Misadventures of a Reborn Gohan

Raising a child is never easy—it never would be. It's a complex matter because all social and psychological development stems from how you interact with the child, from prenatal stages through the end of adolescence. Starting at age three, the way boundaries are set can impact how they perceive affection as well as their autonomy. Supervised interaction with individuals outside the family circle fosters better socioemotional development, communication, cognition, and preparation for school. Of course, he knew this. He had raised his son alone and had to learn these things to be a good father. The problem was, how did this apply to a Saiyan child who acted more like a wild animal than a minimally civilized kid?

Gohan thought hard—really hard. His brain throbbed with a headache from hours of trying to figure out how to raise an alien child without involving planetary conquest, widespread genocide of the human population, deadly fights, or anything of the sort.

One day after bringing Kakarotto to his home, they went fishing at the nearby lake. The boy loved catching fish. He also thoroughly enjoyed trying to eat the fish raw, unprepared, right there on the spot—no problem with that. Things got complicated as the days went by, though. Kakarotto proved incredibly dedicated to treating everything he did as either a threat or an attempt to start a fight.

Gohan obviously had a tough time. Between training in martial arts, practicing to fly better, looking after a monkey-tailed child, and still handling the usual household chores, the poor old man was left exhausted. It didn't help that the boy spied on his training sessions and quickly picked up his martial arts style. The upside was that he didn't grasp anything about flying—Kami-sama knew the kid would be even more troublesome with that ability.

The old martial arts master had to deal with a Kakarotto whose sloppy martial skills improved rapidly the more they sparred. It wasn't anything grandiose—Gohan noticed he was just getting better at positioning himself. There was no increase in strength or anything like that. The exercise helped a lot, though. He realized that trying to raise a Saiyan child like a human one simply wouldn't work. He ought to test Garp's method and see if the Fist of Love could instill some discipline in the wild Saiyan's head.

'Toughen your heart, Gohan. It's this or tossing the kid off a cliff to knock some sense into him,' the old Gohan pondered.

Whenever Kakarotto displayed hard-to-handle behavior, Gohan didn't go overboard like Garp, of course. He often used a tactic of redirecting him toward something more productive. But the few times he did receive the Fist of "Love" were specific: the first time was when he tried sticking his hand into a wasp nest. Gohan used Garp's "technique" to stop him from provoking the bees. He didn't cry loudly, but he whimpered, which made Gohan feel bad for resorting to such a tactic. He wasn't raising a soldier who needed harsh discipline forcibly drilled into him, but this was a safer option than letting the kid fall headfirst off a cliff. Other instances included when he fought dirty during sparring, attacking Gohan from behind—sometimes aiming for sensitive spots—or when he threw tantrums and became overly aggressive, nearly breaking Gohan's house. Gohan always made sure to clearly explain why he was receiving the Fist of "Love." Beyond becoming more restrained and slightly friendlier, Kakarotto began learning to speak. His first word was "Grandpa," which warmed old Gohan's heart. The boy saw him as his grandfather. In his other life, he'd never had grandchildren, and in this one, he didn't even have children. Having something to call family was truly rewarding for his old heart.

The days passed and turned into months, and the progress in the relationship between Gohan and Kakarotto was noticeable. He still had his typical Saiyan behavior—like eating tons of food, trying to steal Gohan's meal when he wasn't looking, or charging at him during training without much thought—but it wasn't as pronounced as before. He was calmer, so to speak. Sometimes he'd ask about learning martial arts, and Gohan made a point to instill in him the importance of meditation and clarity of mind. Once, he asked Gohan why his grandpa didn't have a tail. The old man didn't know how to respond and simply said he wasn't born with one—a simple answer, but no less true. Another thing that improved quickly over the months was Kakarotto's communication skills.

Currently, Gohan and Kakarotto were sitting by the edge of a lake, a full two-hour walk from the cabin where they lived. The child wore an irritated expression due to the lack of fish. His patience had reached its limit, and his tail swished erratically, reflecting his mood. Despite being calmer now, he hadn't developed patience.

"Grandpa, the fish are running away. Can't I just jump in the lake? I'll catch them fast!" Kakarotto whined.

"Do you want to jump in the lake because you lost patience waiting, or do you think it's faster and easier to catch fish in the water?" Gohan questioned his grandson.

"BOTH!!" the young Saiyan replied quickly and loudly. "I'm hungry, Grandpa! The fish keep hiding, but if I jump in the lake, I can grab them before the sun goes down," Kakarotto said.

"Heheheh," Gohan chuckled at Kakarotto's impatience, which made the young Saiyan's expression sink further.

"DON'T LAUGH!" the boy shouted in frustration.

Not only had he failed to catch a single fish, but now his grandpa was laughing at his misfortune.

"Alright, alright, I won't laugh anymore," Gohan said with a mischievous smile. "But if you yell like that, the fish will swim to another lake, haha." Gohan tried to calm the young Saiyan but couldn't resist the temptation to tease him.

Realizing that his voice might scare off even the few fish left in the lake, Kakarotto quickly fell silent. In an act that showed his irritation, he sat down with a sulky face. Seeing this, Gohan thought it'd be a good moment to share some wisdom and perhaps nudge his grandson toward something more.

"Patience, Kakarotto. Waiting isn't just about turning into a statue, you know? It's about listening to the birds, feeling the wind… and not jumping into the lake like a crazy monkey before the right moment." Gohan laughed at his grandson's confused expression. "Enjoy the moment—the scenery or the company of someone special. If you're too impatient, you'll never manage to fly either. After all, it takes patience to practice the flight technique." Gohan shared his wisdom with his grandson, hoping it might help correct his bad habits. "Got it, Kakarotto?"

"Yeah…" Kakarotto said weakly, a pout forming on his face as he stared at the lake.

Noticing that his grandson needed some encouragement to work on building patience, Gohan decided to toss out a bait he knew would spark the boy's interest.

"If no fish bite in the next half hour, you can jump in the lake and catch as many as you want…" Gohan said, piquing the boy's curiosity. "But if no fish show up, you'll help me make tea!"

From the corner of his eye, Gohan saw that this ignited the boy's enthusiasm. Challenging him was the easiest way to get him to practice things he didn't like or struggled with. Saiyans were competitive by nature, and this was a great method Gohan had found to work with the child.

"How many I want?" Kakarotto sought confirmation from his grandpa.

"Only if no fish show up in half an hour," Gohan replied.

"Got it!" Kakarotto said, sitting down to wait out the thirty minutes.

"You should spend the time meditating or just listening to nature," Gohan suggested to his grandson.

Kakarotto nodded, agreeing with his grandpa's suggestion. He crossed his legs and sat still, adjusting his breathing. Slight twitches of his tail and face revealed the child's struggle to stay put. Gohan kept watching his adopted grandson attempt to meditate.

"Focus on the sound of the leaves, the birds singing, the water flowing. Meditation isn't about emptying your mind—it's about focusing on the now and what's around you," Gohan offered his grandson a little guidance.

The old man saw progress in his grandson's meditation. He still struggled to stay present, and it went on like that until the thirty minutes were up. Gohan knew no fish would come—he hadn't sensed the life energy of any fish near the surface—but his grandson didn't know that. His goal was to get him to meditate, and that's what he achieved with his little "bet."

"Kakarotto, you can jump in the lake now," the old man said. But when he turned to look at his grandson, he found the boy fast asleep, lost in a deep slumber.

Gohan stood there staring at his grandson. He would've laughed, but the exhaustion from sitting still for so long was more mental than physical. The old man then picked up his grandson, placed him in the straw basket along with the fishing gear, and headed home. He walked slowly, enjoying the late afternoon with his grandson sleeping on his back in the basket. Along the way, he picked some fruit and caught two rabbits for dinner as a substitute for the fish.

The sun set, and night replaced the beautiful twilight that had settled over Mount Paozu. Gohan and Kakarotto were now back in their small house. The young Saiyan slept soundly while Gohan chopped vegetables and seasoned the rabbit meat he'd caught for dinner. Outside, the fire crackled, ready to roast the portions wrapped in banana leaves, which released a faint steam carrying the aroma of native herbs.

Minutes passed, and a gentle fragrance filled the air. The inviting smell told the old man he'd nailed the spice mix. As he tended the fire, the sound of the cabin door creaking open caught Gohan's attention. He spotted Kakarotto struggling to keep from drooling—clearly woken up by the scent of the meat.

"Well, well, looks like Sleeping Beauty's awake," Gohan teased. "You slept so much you missed all the fish!" Gohan couldn't resist poking fun at the boy about the afternoon's fish.

Kakarotto scowled again, reminded of the fish that slipped away just because he'd taken a "nap." The boy grumbled something about "stupid fish" until his stomach growled loudly, reminding him there was something more important than his lost catch right now. The young Saiyan approached the fire and sat beside old Gohan, waiting for the meat to finish cooking. This was one of the few moments when Kakarotto showed extreme patience. Gohan smiled at his grandson's company and let a pleasant silence settle in for a few minutes.

"Kakarotto, what do you think about traveling to see an old friend of Grandpa's?" Gohan said.

That short sentence broke the silence and grabbed the young Saiyan's attention.

"We're leaving the forest? For what?" Kakarotto asked, his eyes gleaming with the possibility of seeing something new.

Seeing his grandson's genuine interest, Gohan chuckled lightly before answering.

"Yes, we're going to see the ocean," Gohan said, already picturing the reunion with his old martial arts master. He considered visiting Gyumao at that moment but decided to see Master Roshi first.

"We'll leave tomorrow before dawn, so let's eat and get to bed early for a smooth trip," Gohan told his grandson. The boy perked up, especially at the mention of eating.

Unwrapping the rabbit meat, he handed one of the portions to the young Saiyan, who devoured it eagerly—a stark contrast to the old man, who ate calmly, savoring the moment.

And so, beneath a starry sky lit by a waning moon, grandson and grandfather shared a pleasant meal in each other's company.