18Holy moly, I'm still alive?! Given my non-existent upload schedule I wouldn't fault you for thinking this fic is dead. But joyous days as I've finally found the energy to write something semi-decent! I made multiple revisions for this chapter alone because I just wasn't satisfied.
Originally I wanted Gohan to land near where Jaune lived as a child, thus explaining why the two would become the primary protagonists together, however, as I dwelled on this idea I couldn't think of a realistic way in which Gohan would want to pursue being a Huntsman. I may be wrong, but I assume Jaune grew up in a relatively peaceful corner of Remnant thus explaining his lack of skill in the initial volumes. If this is the case it could be argued that Gohan wouldn't desire being a huntsman or fighter because of one major problem: Gohan doesn't need to.
He does not care for honor like Jaune does. He hates fighting unlike his father. As a Guest best put it, Gohan is a protector, however, he only got there after receiving training and being forced to become strong. The one consistent thing about him is his goal to become a scholar or desire to live a relatively normal life. If you consider this, him lacking conflict will prevent Gohan from developing the mindset to be a fighter. He must undergo similar trials to his original self to become the protector we all love Gohan for being. Fortunately, thanks to quarantine, I think I've managed to come up with the foundations that may achieve this goal.
So...thank you, Rona?
Anyways, I know this'll be a topic of concern so I may as well address it now. Will Gohan be nerfed? Relatively speaking, yes he will. I say that because despite not having the same advantages as his original counterpart, chiefly the training and mentorship(I'll explain in the future assuming I continue writing this fic. I'mma keep a buck fifty with you, it's looking like it's 50/50), this Gohan will still be a force to be reckoned with. I mean how could he not? At the tender age of four he is already stronger than a vast majority of RWBY's characters by virtue of being able to hurt Raditz, a being that made Piccolo look like an absolute chump in comparison. The same Piccolo who obliterated the moon in a few seconds with little to no effort.
Yeah… Unless you're a god or downright immortal I don't think anyone from RWBY can face that level of strength. Granted he can't use this strength on command, but the sheer fact that he possesses such potential puts him in a league entirely on his own. Just know that if I continue there will be reasons as to why he won't achieve unearthly power.
Hopefully you guys don't get too mad at that. I know a stomp fic is fun to read but to me I fear this story will quickly lose its momentum once the initial chapters are released and the novelty of an overpowered good guy beating bad guys wears off. He'd be an overwhelming force that realistically would be nigh impossible to stop. An instant win button in most cases. There are things strength alone can not overcome, I know this, but RWBY is a combat centric show so inevitably there will be fighting that is critical to the plot. Most notably, fighting that is sanctioned by the authorities since it'll benefit Ozpin, his illuminati group, and the Kingdoms of Remnant. Just imagine what Ozpin or Ironwood, hell even Lionheart before switching sides would do if they had their hands on Gohan with all of his power. I'd pity Salem if that was the case. No amount of planning will stop the dude who could give even the Brother Gods a run for their money.
Hopefully these explanations have satisfied you guys. Now on with the chapter!
As always quick disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, and/or RWBY.
Welcome to Remnant, Gohan
"Ughhhh…" Gohan lets out as consciousness finally seizes him.
When Gohan's eyes flutter open he expects to see the familiar visage of his room, its spartan design only broken by a shelf filled to the brim with books and a stuffed panda that stood nearly as tall as himself. Instead of the peach colored walls and ceiling he had thought would greet him his eyes open to a world of darkness. Though some light was present, a dim ray of red breaking the shadow that encompassed him, he found himself struggling to see even his surroundings.
Confused, the child opts to stand up from his proned position but a wave of nausea stops him in his tracks. His legs buckle as the weight of a strange, foreign feeling unlike anything he's ever experienced overtakes him. He stumbles but catches himself by gripping onto something. An armrest of some sorts.
"What the?"
Gohan blinks lazily at the sight. For some reason he felt a pang of anxiety rise up within him from merely seeing it. With his mind muddied by the alien sensation that was affecting him he lets out another groan. He dared to focus on the weird feeling that penetrated throughout his skull, hoping that by doing so he'd be able to understand exactly what was wrong with him. Continued prodding only caused his head to swell with even more discomfort, although as he persisted small flickers of his memories snapped at him.
"Damn it kid! Open this damn door or I swear I'll fucking kill you!"
The sudden ring of a familiar but haunting voice causes him to recoil. Yet despite not knowing the owner he could distinctly feel an unspeakable dread grow within him for merely recalling it. Try as he might he couldn't pinpoint who the voice belonged to as it held far too much malice to either be his father or grandfather's and certainly too masculine to be his mother's.
As he tries to focus on the mysterious voice a new bout of pain erupts. This wave of discomfort was unlike the previous one, sharper, seemingly lancing around his skull in comparison to the dulling effect of the first's. He cradles his head to cure himself of this affliction, but when his hands found wetness the boy's confusion only grew.
"Huh?" The confused child let out. Slowly he withdrew his hands from his head and into view. On them was the markings of blood. "AH!"
The hybrid's body becomes tense at sight of the crimson liquid, his eyes widening in utter shock. His heart begins to race at the sudden perceived danger he was in causing the lad to shamble backwards. When he felt something press against his back the boy's paranoia soars. He whirls around quickly, but instead of some threatening monster he is instead faced with a red stained window, on it a fleck of deep crimson breaking its otherwise uniform color. Off the glass he could his disheveled form sans red cap.
"Why am I–"
Suddenly, the weight on his mind vanishes, the unknown force that marred his thoughts giving way to a heightened sense of awareness. Then, without warning scattered memories of the past few hours returns to him in brief flashes overwhelming the unprepared boy. Unable to cope from the assault, he falls on his rear but is caught softly by the ship's cushions. His breathing becomes ragged as the flood of memories continue to pour in before finally settling.
He remembers now. Though he was barely cognizant when it occurred, fear and panic having wracked his heart during the moment, he could recall the news Raditz brought just prior to his abduction. The truth of his heritage...
Then of his father's demise.
Gohan shook his head in denial. No, no! This had to be a dream. A terrible nightmare which had consumed him! Endangered races from beyond the stars? His father, and himself by proxy, being aliens?! The grim realization that there would never be a reunion between father and son?
It all seemed so unreal, like a fantasy and yet…
Where was his father?
Onyx eyes swiftly dart from left to right, absorbing in the sight of the attack pod as if he was a man who'd gone mad. The cushioned padding that served to comfort the user, the blinking lights that occasionally lit up, even the glass was scrutinized over once more. All of it stood as a reminder of what had transpired.
The floor that he stood on morphed in his eyes. This was no mere spaceship, Gohan remembers. This was his prison. Locked away because he was too much of a nuisance to his uncle. The same man that ended the life of his…
Gohan felt sick. Merely being here was a detriment to his health and his mind. Without thinking he bolts towards the door and smashes his fist against the glass with all his strength but to no avail. The window stands firm despite his efforts, but Gohan doesn't care. He couldn't stand to remain here, not when it validated what he feared to be true. Tears begin to run down his cheeks as he continues to futilely bash the barrier with what little strength he has. Seconds pass turning into minutes and yet not a single sign of progress. His efforts were completely futile. Exactly as before.
Almost.
"H-Hey now. Don't be reckless with that kid...Now, why don't you press that third button there?"
Yet again the whisper of Raditz's voice rings in his head, bringing about another prickling feeling to his skull. However, he ignores the sensation for the useful tip it provided.
Gohan whirls around so quickly he was certain that he would've snapped his neck had he gone any faster. Onyx eyes scan the dark interior of the alien spacecraft, searching for his key to freedom. Though it was barely lit it didn't take him long to spot a certain rectangular device.
"There it is!" The boy shouts joyously.
Despite his circumstance, Gohan couldn't help but feel a deep sense of jubilation. With a smile crossing his cheeks he tenderly reaches for the item and brings it closer for inspection. In his grip was a wireless remote, the very same one that controlled the spaceship. He thumbs the third button from the top, the same one Raditz had instructed him to press to open the door.
"Okay! Here we go!"
Without an ounce of hesitation Gohan presses the button causing it to release an audible click. Briefly the object in his hand lights up, its small flashes illuminating the walls of the attack pod, shining so brightly and so suddenly that Gohan had to avert his gaze. When the lightshow subsides he turns to look towards the barrier with an expectant look on his face, however, a pang of disappointment rises when he sees that nothing has happened. That was until he heard the faint sound of mechanical whirs. A sharp hiss escapes from the pod, a sign of the vacuum within finally being broken, and Gohan's spirit soars at the sight of the lowering bridge.
Cold rushes to meet him, the air biting into his skin although not to the same degree as a winter breeze would've. It was still cold by Gohan's standard though, enough for a chill to run down his spine and make him quiver. His clothes offered him what little protection they could, though them being as thin as they were, they did little to provide any actual warmth. Better than nothing he supposed. As Gohan entertained these thoughts the ramp finally touches ground revealing to him a dimly lit world. Gohan was all but ready to embark but suddenly pauses.
He turns to face the pod again, but dismisses the sight for something else entirely. The target of his focus? A small red hat.
"There you are! I can't leave you here behind now, can I?"
The hat itself wasn't anything special but it held significant meaning to the four year old and to the man who made it. On it was the four star Dragon Ball, arguably his father's most prized possession after the mystical Power Pole. It was said that the orb, when collected with six others of its kind, could summon a dragon capable of granting any one wish. As fantastical as that seemed, this was not why Gohan cared for it.
The orb once belonged to his great grandfather, Son Gohan, the same man he was named after. Son Goku regarded the elder Gohan greatly, almost revering the man, and the ball was one of the few items he left behind the young Goku after his passing. It was for this reason the Dragon Ball was one of his family's greatest treasures and it'd be a disservice to the Son name to leave it here all abandoned.
Gohan happily picks up the hat, briefly giving it a once over to make sure no dust or debris had dirtied it. Once satisfied he wonders for a split moment whether the tales of wish granting orbs were true before putting it back where it rightfully belonged. With the Son family treasure resting on his head, Gohan wasted no time in clambering out of the Attack Pod.
When Gohan's hands catch the side of the opening he yelps in surprise. The metal hull was cool to the touch, almost ice cold even, as if it had been left in freezing temperatures. He rubs his hands tenderly to soothe them from the sudden shock.
"It's so cold!" He stutters out through chattering teeth.
Displeased, the boy was all but ready to complain about the weather when a peculiar sight managed to catch his eye. His dark colored orbs roam upwards to the skies above, to the only source of light in a dark world: the shattered moon. At first this perplexes the boy as his studious mind questions how such a thing was possible, but as he continues to stare into the broken celestial, something in his...shifts.
BA-DUM
Curiosity morphs into numbness.
BA-DUM
Numbness turns to rage.
BA-DUM
Then he was thrust into the void.
He felt angry. He felt sad. He felt numerous other things, but one stood above them all: he felt trapped. In front of him was a wall. He turns and finds another. He is encompassed. This fact unnerves him greatly. As if taunting him, it stands there blocking his way forward.
Anger.
Before he realizes it his legs carry him forward with blinding speed. On instinct he raises his hands, ready to pound away at it. He strikes the barrier with all of his strength, but it remains standing. In his frustration his rips into it with even more fervor, hands actually digging into the wall. If he can't destroy them then…
Climb.
He tears into the wall, effortlessly scaling it. It's easy, too easy. It shouldn't be. He's not strong. No. He's wea–
He feels his hand grab onto an edge. It was the peak! He wastes no time to clamber over it.
The wall now stands behind him. Prisoner he was no more. Freedom!
Happiness.
His eyes scan the world around him. Yellow, orange, and patches of green laid out flatly. Colors he recognizes but they mean nothing. He doesn't want this. He wants white and brown! ALL of the green! He wants a sphere! He wants a tree! He wants a–
A head splitting headache causes him to stagger. His mind suddenly becomes haunted by a vision. A house. It felt familiar.
Longing.
The feeling urges him to take his first steps forward into the flat, empty yellows and oranges. His body shivers from the cold, but this does not stop him. The discomfort does not even compare to longing for the vision. He walks and he walks and he walks. His feet carry him forwards and yet it doesn't draw closer. His temper flares.
Sudden shaking disrupts the image and a genuine roar of fury escapes him. Before he could recapture it black tendrils grip his feet.
Confusion.
Suddenly vertigo.
His sense of gravity shifts and he could feel air whipping his face. Looking around him he realises he's been launched into the air. A deafening explosion quickly follows suit after his sudden ascent, the yellow he once stood on transforming into a swirl of black, white, and red.
Yellow and orange fly in every direction as he feels himself be forcibly slammed against it. His breathing hitches when some return from the heavens to smack him in the chest. His rage rises. He glares at the offending thing and shatters it with a punch. As he climbs to his feet he sees the black and white blur rush at him.
A snarl leaves his lips as he backhands the assailant. He barely feels anything tangible, whatever attacking him being easily torn apart by his counter attack. His attacker falls to the floor, hissing and releasing a black vapor as it does. He goes to eye it curiously, but again another stygian streak bursts from the orange and flies at him. Before he could react something strikes at his cheeks.
He doesn't fall to his feet like he expects, somehow withstanding the attack. However, he wasn't afforded the luxury to think about it when another strike dances across his chest ripping his clothes asunder. His clothes...
Mother made those.
Resentment.
A savage, almost inhuman howl leaves him. With surprise no longer on the dark one's side, he easily sees the next attack coming and catches it. The offending limb was a clawed paw: like an animal's. He couldn't study it any further when another one lashed out towards his head. Suddenly he is blinded by darkness. A pressure begins to build in his skull, but all it did was annoy him. Growling, he launches an uppercut towards the hand that encased his head.
Much like prior he hardly feels any resistance. A shriek that pierces his ear is then released by his attacker, the loss of its limb no doubt a source of excruciating pain. The noise irritates him. He moves to silence it, driving his other fist through it. The cry stops as its life is ended by him.
Satisfaction.
The feeling doesn't last as he feels an impact on his back. It doesn't hurt, if fact it barely even stung, but the suddenness of it drew his breath away. Once again he could feel his feet leaving the orange and yellow, the sensation of soaring through the air provoking yet another bout of dizziness. Fortunately, instinct takes hold as he plummets downwards. With surprising agility he reorientates himself mid fall and skids along the orange. His head rises to meet those who dares strike him.
Black accentuated by white with the occasional red streak breaking the duality; it was the same, but different. Big. Massive. Towering. The shape was different too. Long, but not thin. It evoked memories of an insect he's once seen but could not name. However, he pays no heed to that as he spots something falling from the sky. An orb of some sort cloaked by tattered red.
Recognition.
Outrage.
As if sensing his fury the black mass opens its maw to shriek at him. With this cry came a host of other explosions from the yellow. More creatures of blackness drag themselves from it. One. Eight. Twenty. Fifty. A hundred. It goes on and on until he finds himself completely surrounded by a sea of black.
By all rights he should be cowering. Fearful of the creatures...But he was none of these things.
This only made his blood boil harder.
It was a sharp sting to his cheeks that finally roused Gohan to be awake. When he does he immediately takes note of three things: his body was incredibly sore, the sun was finally out, and there was a strange man pointing a sword at him. And...was that a gun attached to it? Despite just having awoken, Gohan was quick to realize the threat a sword wielding stranger posed. So he did the only thing he could do.
"P-please! Don't hurt me!" Gohan begged with tears in his eyes. He brought both his hands up as a sign of surrender for good measure.
The strange man eyes him even more harshly, drawing the blade closer to Gohan's neck. The boy was barely cognizant enough to lean back from the weapon, the sheer and utter fear he felt paralyzing him at that moment. He manages a small 'eep' when the surprisingly cool metal touches his chin. At this point he was shaking like mad. Just who is this person?
Without pulling the weapon away the stranger's mouth opens, "Who are you?"
"Pardon?"
"I said. Who. Are. You?" The man repeated more slowly.
With every word said Gohan could sense the blade dig slightly deeper into him. Not enough to draw blood, but Gohan was certainly not willing to test his luck against the seemingly dangerous person.
"I-it's G-Gohan! M-my name is Gohan!" The child relents.
The man's features remain stern and unchanged as he absorbs this information. Slowly his eyes drift towards the furry, brown appendage attached to Gohan's back. The hybrid could see the gears turning in his brain, though Gohan wasn't quite sure what thoughts were going through the swordsman's mind.
The man posed another question to him, "Where are you from?"
"Mount P-Paozu, sir…"
"Mount Paozu...Mount Paozu..." The man tested the words in his mouth as if trying to recall it, "...That in Menagerie?"
"I'm sorry, what? Menagerie?
"Damn...You must've hit your head harder than I thought last night. Wouldn't have thought of it given what you did."
That caused Gohan's head to perk although the boy remained wary of the sharp, pointy tip aimed at his throat. However, he couldn't stand to stay clueless and thus he suppressed his fear in favor of asking his own query.
"Last night? Why? What happened to me last night?"
The man kept the blade balanced near his neck for a few seconds before letting out a tired sigh. Slowly he withdrew his weapon away from Gohan, though it was obvious based on his posture that he was still ready to strike. This confused the hybrid somewhat. Why was the man so guarded against him? He was just a kid. There was no reason to be so overly cautious.
"So, you...You really don't know, huh?"
"Know what?"
The man stayed silent after this. He pursed his lips as though trying his best to find the words he was looking for, though for some reason the man seemed like he couldn't quite find them. Throughout this process the sword slowly strayed further from the child. A sigh of relief left the cowardly boy afterwards.
"Kid…" He started. The man kept his eyes trained on Gohan like a hawk as he did, "What was the last thing you remember?"
The last thing he remembered? He recalled looking up at the moon before losing his sense of self. After that he could only call to mind vague emotions and images; like a dream he couldn't quite hark back to but knew existed. Should he start from there or before that, Gohan questions himself. What of the whole truth?
No. It was outlandish, he realised. The child was naive, but he doubted anyone would believe his story. The whole story that is. Though it pained him to recollect those memories, Gohan tried to steel himself to tell his story, albeit lacking certain details.
"I...I remember my father being killed…" The man's features immediately soften at this revelation, the harsh eyes of his losing their edge soon afterwards. Seeing this Gohan continues to press forward, "He...he was protecting me from a bad man. That...monster wanted my dad to join him in some evil venture but my dad refused. The two fought and….and…"
Gohan stifles back the tears that threatened to break loose, but it was all for naught. The sting of tears burns his eyes as he continues, "...And I ran a-away! I ran as far as I could! I was so scared! My daddy...MY DADDY DIED PROTECTING ME! WHAAAAAA!"
The sudden outburst catches the man off guard. Whatever warriness he had for Gohan vanished in an instant at the sight of the weeping child. He hesitantly reaches out towards the boy but stops himself, a grimm look overtaking his pained expression. Instead he kneels and lets the boy finish his crying. Once done the four year old was turned into a sniveling mess, but knowing the heartbreak of losing a loved one the elder showed no sign of judgement.
Gohan sniffs as his eyes finally run dry with tears, "Then...when it became dark...I...I lost consciousness."
"...Is that all you remember?" When Gohan answered with a nod another sigh left the man. "Listen, I'm sorry for your loss. I really am. And I'm sorry for...pointing my weapon at you. It's just last night..."
The man pauses as he collects his thoughts, "Last night I was on a scouting mission to find a congregation of Grimm. Last night I was expecting to find some signs, a couple of tracks here and there, and then when I found sufficient evidence I'd report my findings so Huntsmen could exterminate them. Instead what I found was you."
Upon hearing this Gohan's sniffling becomes less prominent. He looks up at the man with eyes red from crying. As confusing as it was to be brought up, Gohan is more stunned to hear so much fear in the man's voice.
"Kid...You destroyed the Grimm. No, no, that'd be putting it mildly. I've seen many things in my life, Gohan, but what I saw you did shouldn't have been possible. Hordes of Grimm came at you for hours. The entire desert became a sea of black trying to devour a lone speck of light. That light, however, flourished and annihilated all that it touched.
I'm no slouch when it comes to fighting so I knew it'd take a small army or team of Huntsmen to stand even a small chance to survive what you went through. You were surrounded from every side and yet there you were, last night, obliterating entire swathes of Grimm as if it were nothing. That power...it was insanity. But that wasn't what...bothered me.
You would roar, scream out so loudly that I could hear you despite being so far away. It must've been your anger or something, because they just. Kept. Coming. But you didn't relent. You fought them until none remained. Your fury, your bloodlust...I could feel it.
After hours of fighting I saw you just stand there, huddling that orange ball of yours. I'll be honest, kid, I was almost too scared to approach you. When I finally gathered the courage to the moon had finally set then you just...collapsed. As if all your energy just left you. I was worried you'd wake up and wreck my proverbial shit. It's why I drew my weapon at you."
When the man finished Gohan was overwhelmed with thoughts and questions. Firstly, the man had to be mistaken. Gohan knew next to nothing about fighting so for him to take on these 'Grimm' that required an army to suppress seemed impossible. Secondly, even if he knew how to fight he was painfully weak. He couldn't protect himself even if his life depended on it, although the man's claim said otherwise. Thirdly, assuming his statements were true, then what did that mean for Gohan? Was that dream not a dream? Calling back to its vague memory of it, the scenes seemed too vivid to be just that. Though if that was reality then why did it feel so...distorted?
As these thoughts rummaged around in Gohan's head he noticed the man finally stand. The hybrid becomes tense when he reaches for his waist, but relaxes again when Gohan sees the man procure a flask. The man then gently waves the container in front of the boy.
"Take only a small swig. I have enough water to last me, but I wasn't expecting to come across someone else. If we're careful we shouldn't run out before we make it back."
"Make it back?" The four year asks in between tiny sips. He savors the feeling of water in his mouth, now noticing just how thirsty he was.
"Yeah. There's a village called Sahara a couple of days out from here. It's also where I live. Now, as sturdy and as tough as I am, even I don't think I can survive out here in the desert without the support of a village. It's mostly barren rock and sand out here, though occasionally you'll come across some critters to chow on after a good roast."
Gohan nods his head though shows his disgust at the notion of eating wild animals. He'd much rather dine on his mother's excellent cooking, thank you very much. He takes one last sip of the water before tightening its lid. He still needed more to quench his thirst, but the man before him was generous enough to provide Gohan with what little he had. He couldn't just abuse that and drink it all for himself. Besides, from what the man was saying there were a few days of travel ahead of them.
As the man reached towards Gohan to receive the container, Gohan thought it was prudent to introduce himself. Properly this time.
"Thank you for the water, mister! I was really thirsty! I know you know my name, but I just want to say it again. I'm Son Gohan. Pleasure to meet you."
The man hums at his reintroduction, "Respectful one, ain'tcha? I guess it's only fair I tell you my name. Besides, calling me 'mister' would make me feel old. Name's Grey Wards. Nice to meet you too, Gohan."
ANNNNNNND CUT! Not too long, not too short I hope. So what do you guys think? I know I said Gohan's getting nerfed, but remember that is relative to his original self who is arguably busted even by DB standards. I'm looking at you Chadhan!
Anyways, hopefully this lays down enough of a foundation for future me to work off of. Sorry/Not sorry for errors with the writing. Like my boy Gohan, I've gotten quite rusty since I haven't written anything of substance in years.
Speaking of years, I'll see you guys in another five...123GOHANZ OUT!