The sea breeze rolled gently over Kame House, warm and familiar, carrying the same scent it had the day Master Roshi had first trained them all. Bright sunlight shimmered on the water, gulls calling overhead, waves lapping softly at the shore. From a distance, the island looked frozen in time.
But everything else had changed.
Yamcha stepped off the boat with Bulma at his side, Toshi tucked against her hip, bright blue eyes peeking out from beneath wisps of lavender-tinted hair. The little girl stared out at the massive turtle sunbathing nearby with wide, excited eyes.
"Momma, look! That turtle's huge!"
Bulma laughed, shifting her daughter higher. "That's right, sweetheart. That's Master Roshi's friend."
Yamcha smiled warmly at them, shouldering a small pack. He looked older than he had during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. More grounded, calmer, confident in a way only years of peace and fatherhood could bring. His aura felt stable too, settled. He no longer radiated the restless sense potential he had before the fusion, but a deeper, steadier strength.
A strength shaped by his new responsibilities.
He sensed them inside the house, Krillin's familiar laughter, Roshi's wheezing cackle, Oolong bickering with someone. And beneath all of it, Goku's serene presence, still shining like sunlight wrapped in mortal body..
Yamcha exhaled.
It had been a long time coming.
This was the first full gathering since before the kids were born. He had seen everyone a few times over the 3 years since Toshi's birth. But never all together, and never just to visit as friends.
He smiled as he even sensed Chi-Chi and the young Gohan's presence, reminiscing on a heated conversation with the stronger willed mother.
Flashback – Two Years Ago
Chi-Chi had been adamant.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT! Gohan is going to be a scholar!"
She had stood there on the Son family porch, baby Gohan in her arms, glaring at Yamcha with the same fiery gaze that once made Ox-King's soldiers tremble.
Yamcha had kept his posture respectful, hands behind his back, voice calm.
"I agree, his education should come first." he said gently. "And trust me, I don't want either of our children to ever need to fight. Not like we have." At this some of the tension in Chi-Chi's shoulders eased a bit.
"But some light training, basic ki flow exercises, breath work, balance drills, those will help him. Not for fighting. For mental development."
Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes. "Oh really?"
"Think about what I said before," Yamcha continued. "Ki isn't just power. It's life energy. You've noticed it haven't you? Gohan's mind is unsettled sometimes."
And he was right, she had noticed. Tantrums that pushed passed the norm and into a seemingly deeper anger, and how he could lash out during these episodes. By now she had been filled in on Goku's origins, so it was something they had chalked up to Gohan's saiyan heritage.
Yamcha gave a small smile, trying to ease Chi-Chi's apprehension.
"He has his fathers wild streak. These exercises will help stabilize the mind, repressing something that represents half of his genetics will only harm him in the long run."
She hesitated.
Then baby Gohan spit up on her shoulder.
Yamcha chuckled. "See? He's powerful already. Let's teach him how to not accidentally knock over a tree."
That got her.
"…Fine. Light training," Chi-Chi finally conceded. "But if he comes home talking about martial arts tournaments—"
"He won't," Yamcha promised, "Like I said, I want him and Toshi both to grow up happy, free to choose any path they want."
He kept his word.
Gohan's early training was gentle. Ki and breath control, balance on drifting logs, playing tag with Toshi while controlling their strength. Games, not battles. Exercises to hone the mind and body, not sparring.
And yet, even still, the children grew strong, together. They were far stronger than even their parents were at their age. This was surprising to Yamcha, he knew Gohan would have insane potential, but Toshi's growth was unexpected. Piecing together the sparse comments from Popo about the Otsutsuki, his best guess was that the remnants of their genetics responded strongly to once again being naturally integrated with Ki.
With each training "play date" the two kids formed a tight familial bond, something that drew both of their parents into tighter friendship with them.
---
Back to Present
"Kaaaame hooooouse!"
Goku's voice boomed from inside before the door even opened. It swung open a moment later and he bounded out with Gohan riding on his shoulders, waving excitedly.
"Toshi! Yamcha! Bulma!" Goku beamed as he jogged over. "Long time no see!"
Gohan scrambled down and ran toward Toshi, both four years old now, both full of boundless energy.
"Hi Toshi!"
"Gohan!" Toshi squealed back.
The two immediately began running circles around a very startled Krillin, who stumbled out behind Goku carrying a tray of drinks.
"Hey—HEY! Kids! No Ki sprinting in the house! Roshi's too old!"
"HEY!" Roshi yelled from somewhere inside.
Bulma smirked. "Still a magnet for chaos, huh Krillin?"
"It's not my fault they both have Saiyan-level cardio," Krillin groaned.
At this point, Goku had made his origins known to his friends. He didn't feel the need to hide it, and after the initial shock, it kind of made sense to them. Even with all the strange species on Earth, Goku seemed to be one of a kind l.
"Yamcha, what have you been feeding your kid?"
Yamcha laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Mostly whatever she steals from the fridge. She's fast."
Goku grinned in agreement. "Chi-Chi says the same thing about Gohan! Kids are amazing, right?"
Bulma and Yamcha exchanged a knowing smile.
Amazing.
And terrifying.
It seemed fatherhood could make even prodigies nervous.
Especially when Toshi had inherited Yamcha's Ki awareness and Gohan had inherited… well, everything Saiyan.
Yamcha had even noticed the ki pathways in Toshi's eyes developing at an increased rate. It was clear that at some point, she would awaken something unique all to herself. He'd already discussed with Bulma, and Toshi's training would soon begin in earnest. He hadn't lied to Chi-Chi, he never wanted Toshi to be forced to fight for her life. But he knew a bit of what was coming in the future, and he wouldn't let his daughter be left defenseless
All things considered, the two sets of parents had worked together well to gently prepare their children for the incredible powers they would one day wield.
With Yamcha there to explain again but about the nature of the Yin and Yang balance of ki, and its role in forming the mind and body, Chi-Chi had been more open than expected about Gohan training.
It was still basic, mostly rudimentary ki control and light katas. But, to everyone's surprise Chi- his had even taken up training again part time, going through exercises with Gohan and even having the occasional spar with Goku. This development, of course, left Goku positively glowing with excitement. Having his whole family together for training time was like a dream for him.
Fatherhood had slowed Yamcha's training a lot. It hadn't stopped it, but shifted it. He no longer trained ten hours a day. Now it was contained to an hour early in the morning, another after Toshi, and occasionally Gohan. went to bed, and a little whenever Bulma shooed him out of the lab.
His power had grown steadily, but at a calmer pace. His gravity seals made sure his progress never fully stopped, allowing him a small form of growth even when not actively training.
He was actually stronger than Goku now due to his more frequent and more intense training. He was stronger than he had ever been at this point in canon, but not obsessively chasing numbers. The Eternal Gate Theory had advanced little by little. The first gate was almost complete, which would lead to another leap in power. The process was one of finesse, he had learned, and trying to force the process would be counter productive.
It was slow progress.
But real.
And thanks to Senzu beans, he had survived all the mistakes along the way.
Inside Kame House
Everyone was laughing and chatting, catching up on years of life. Even Roshi seemed more lively, ogling Bulma less than usual and asking more about Capsule Corp's gravity chamber progress.
But, through the comfort of friends, something began to nag at Yamcha.
A ripple in the air, subtle at first, but growing stronger by the second.
His eyes tingled at the sensation, his right slowly bleeding into it bright blue as he looked into the distance. Like a distant storm rapidly approaching, even the flow of ki seemed to shift around the small island.
Goku paused mid-bite of a cookie, blinking, sensing the disturbance too.
Then a shadow fell over the island, and a humanoid figure with long, spiky hair descended from the sky.
Goku stood up.
Krillin froze.
Bulma shielded Toshi.
Chi-Chi (from the kitchen window) began screaming about aliens landing near her baby boy.
Yamcha rose slowly, eyes narrowing.
He'd felt this coming for months. His memories of events yet to happen lent warning, and his ki pulsing restlessly was the sign that events were beginning to unfurl.
And now it was here.
He placed a steadying hand on Goku's shoulder.
"You feel it too, right?"
Goku nodded, eyes serious. "Yeah. He's strong."
Yamcha's ki hummed, calm but ready for the inevitable conflict.
"He is," Yamcha murmured. "And he's not coming for us by accident."
The man in question touched down on the sandy shores with a soft crunch, smug smile firmly in place.
And with that, the three peaceful years of peace came to a close. Destiny, once paused, had resumed its flow once again.
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A/N: So we finally arrive to the start of Z. Uploads will increase going forward. I am several chapters ahead already, and I have several chapters of my new fic stockpiled. Which means, shortly after this chapter goes live, I will be uploading the first chapter of my new story! Check it out and let me know what you think.