Chapter Text
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“Someone talking”
Someone: “Talking” with descriptions.
Gohan’s inner thoughts.
Sound effects.
Author Notes.
Gohan’s POV
The rain comes down in torrents, each drop icy and sharp as broken glass, stinging my skin and mixing with the blood trickling down my face. I’m barely standing—my left arm is gone, and I don’t know how much longer I can hold out. Thunder cracks, illuminating the two figures in front of me. Androids 17 and 18, faces impassive, watch me like I’m already defeated.
In a way, maybe I am.
“This thunderstorm is a perfect backdrop for your demise,” Android 17 says, his voice calm and unfeeling as he tucks a stray strand of hair behind his ear.
I grit my teeth.
Even though every cell in my body is screaming at me to keep fighting, it’s so tempting to just let go, to stop the pain and collapse right here. But I can’t. They’re all gone—the real heroes and defenders of the planet. I’m all that’s left. And I have to believe… I have to believe that I can do something here!
“There’s… no end for me!” I growl, forcing the words through the pain, summoning the last dregs of my ki as my Super Saiyan aura flares back to life. "NO END!”
In a flash, they’re on me, merging seamlessly into a whirlwind of attacks. I throw up my arm, deflecting their first blows, but every hit lands with ruthless precision—the pain and exhaustion starting to make my movements sluggish.
I can feel my strength waning. If I can just hang on… if I can just find an opening, mayb—
A sharp, searing pain suddenly rips through my side as one of the androids drives a brutal blow into my ribs, sending me hurtling toward the ground. I crash down, the impact slamming the air from my lungs.
FUCK! I can't feel my legs anymore!! It's like my body is just refusing to move!! Damn it… GET UP!!!
But my limbs don't respond. Every inch of me is paralyzed, locked in agony.
This is it. I'm going to die here, aren't I?
“All right, I’m bored,” Android 17’s voice cuts through my haze, calm and indifferent. He crouches down, his face close enough that I can see the twisted smirk playing on his lips. “Time for us to kill you already.”
I glare up at him, helpless anger burning in my chest. Android 18 sighs beside him, flipping her hair with a bored expression. “Just finish it already. This guy’s not worth our time anymore.”
That’s all this is to them—a game. My life, all of humanity—it’s nothing more than a way to pass the time, a distraction for them.
Is that really all we are to them? Just worthless?
My vision swims as I force myself to focus on Androids 17 and 18, hovering above me like vultures waiting to pick me clean. I see their arms rise, bright flashes of energy gathering in their palms, and I know what’s coming.
Before I can even brace myself, searing pain erupts through me as their blasts rain down, each one shredding through muscle and bone, tearing me apart piece by piece. My mouth opens in a silent scream, the agony stealing my voice as every inch of my body is engulfed in flames.
Please… someone… make it stop.
But it doesn’t stop. Every nerve in my body screams in torment, the searing pain ripping through me like a relentless inferno. I can't think, I can't breathe, and the agony is all-consuming from the plasmic heat in the surrounding cackling air. It’s an almost fitting end—to burn away in hellfire for my pathetic attempt to save the planet.
Mom, Trunks, Bulma, Dad, Piccolo, everyone. I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough to stop them.
A single tear somehow manages to escape my eye, immediately evaporating into nothingness against the searing heat of my skin. As I think of all I’ve lost, all I couldn’t save, the weight of my failure crushes me more than any physical pain ever could.
Trunks, it’s up to you now. I’m sorry. I tried my best, but it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough.
A creeping darkness starts to take over, but with it comes a strange calm, like the peace I’ve been chasing my whole life. The relentless agony fades, replaced by a numb, hollow ache that feels almost… accepting. As each heartbeat slows, the cold finality of my failure presses in, weighing heavier than my injuries.
I can only think of how much I’ve let everyone down.
Mom. Dad. Piccolo. Bulma. Trunks. I was supposed to be the one to protect you. I was supposed to be the one to keep the Earth safe in Dad’s place. I thought if I could just be more like him, if I could fight the way he did, then maybe… maybe I could save us all. But I couldn’t do it. I thought I’d trained hard enough, fought strong enough, but my best wasn’t enough to be the hero everyone needed. The kind of hero Dad was. A true warrior who never gave up, who found a way through every fight, no matter how hopeless.
My consciousness begins to flicker, but I find one last thread of hope in the thought that maybe, just maybe, my death will be enough to give Trunks what he needs to break through—to become a Super Saiyan strong enough to beat the androids.
Be the hero I couldn't be.
I wish I could turn back the clock, just to go back in time and become stronger to stop these monsters.
But as wonderful as such a wish would be, I solemnly accept my fate at the hand of the androids. Son Gohan, the last Z fighter, destroyed by the very same killing machines that obliterated his friends, the true protectors of planet Earth.
What a bittersweet end.
Just as my world finally starts to darken, I hear a voice. Out of nowhere, cutting through a sudden blinding white light.
“Your Wish Has Been Granted!”
BAM!
I come to with a gasp, coughing as sand fills my lungs. I’m lying on my back, dust and dirt clinging to my face. My cheek burns, throbbing as if I’ve been slapped.
“Come on, what are you waiting for?” a voice snaps. It’s familiar, too familiar. I lift my head, my eyes clearing, and my heart skips a beat.
No, it can’t be.
“Piccolo?” I manage, my voice raw, tears already blurring my vision. But he doesn’t give me time to react. He’s coming at me, fast, his fist swinging toward me. I barely dodge, staggering to my feet.
How… how is he here?
SMACK!
l stumble backwards as Piccolo’s back handed slap leaves a harsh sting on my left cheek.
“Dodging my hits once or twice gives you no right to be cocky, especially not enough to be spacing out in the middle of battle!” He growls, eyes narrowing.
What the hell is going on!?
I look down at my hands, my heart pounding. My hands—they’re smaller. My body feels lighter, weaker. I look to my left, expecting to see the empty space where my arm should be, but… it’s there. Both of my arms. I feel my heart racing as it hits me.
I’m somehow...a kid again!?? How is that possible!!??
I think back to my last moments, my final wish, that strange voice.
Did I… travel back in time!???
“You’re still too soft!” Piccolo’s warning is the only heads-up I get before he blasts a raw burst of energy straight at my face.
I try to block, but this five-year-old body doesn’t even have a fraction of the strength I had facing the androids. I’m sent skidding backward, heels digging into the dirt just in time to stop me from going over the edge of the cliff.
Piccolo chuckles, watching me catch my breath. “Not bad. Thought you’d go flying right off, but looks like you’ve got a little grit in you.”
I glare at him, forcing myself to hold his gaze despite the flashes of memory hitting me—his death, everything we lost. I shake it off, trying to ground myself in the present.
I have no idea if this is real, or some twisted illusion in my final moments, a small mercy from the afterlife.
I widen my stance and assume the taekwondo fighting form I’m used to when facing off against those metal assholes. Piccolo raises an eye at that.
But if this is real… and I actually went back in time somehow, there’s no way I can waste this chance!
I clench my fists, summoning what little ki I can.
I have to get strong enough to protect everyone this time. Mom, Dad, Trunks, Bulma, everyone!
“I won’t lose this time!” The words come out more for myself than anyone else, but they settle something deep inside me.
Piccolo smirks, crossing his arms. “Now that’s more like it. You’re sounding like a real warrior. But let’s see if you’ve got the power to back it up.” He doesn’t give me any more time to think—another hand blast is already hurtling toward me.
Instinctively, I brace with my right arm, but my smaller body can’t take the impact. I’m blasted off the cliff edge, free-falling, air rushing past me at an incredible speed. With every bit of strength remaining in my upper body, I claw at the cliff face, wincing at the feeling of my nails being shredded and torn off as I do so to slow my descent.
Damn it, I’m so weak.
My back hits the sandy ground below, and I force out a breath, relieved to have survived my second near-death experience in less than fifteen minutes.
Above me, Piccolo’s voice echoes from the top of the cliff, “If you can’t get back up here on your own, you might as well give up!” He turns and disappears from view, leaving me all by myself.
I take a breath, feeling every ache and quiver in my limbs
I don’t know what miracle or mirage this is. I don’t know if this is real or some cruel joke of a second chance. But if I somehow, somehow, traveled back… I won’t fail. Not this time. I won’t let anyone down. I won’t lose. NOT AGAIN!
I look up, catching my breath, and a small smirk breaks through the tears.
This body may be weaker, but if I’m really back here… I have more of a chance to grow than I did before. If it’s true—if I’m back with all the knowledge of what’s to come—then maybe I can rewrite our future.
“Hey, Piccolo!” I shout, the words echoing over the cliffside, my voice steady. “You hear me!? I’m not quitting!”
Somewhere deep down, it feels like a test—a challenge from fate. And I don’t care if I have to claw my way to victory; I’m not about to waste this.
I glance down at my feet, feeling the weight of it all, a second chance hanging by a thread. But I can’t be reckless.
Of course, if I change too much there’s no telling what will happen, and then I won’t have any time advantage on my side. I could even make things worse!
Taking a steady breath, I feel the determination surge within me, raw and fierce.
Alright. It's settled. I won’t change anything until I have to. But I’ll be ready when the time comes. I’ll make sure I’m strong enough to defeat the androids, no matter what.
With a final nod, I push myself to my feet, muscles aching but spirit unbreakable. And I take off, running at full speed, back up the cliff—toward the future I won’t let slip away.
END!
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