The days passed quietly after the battle with Android 15. The Earth seemed peaceful once again, but beneath that stillness, shadows were moving.
One afternoon, Krillin stopped by Mount Paozu to check on Goku's family. Chi-Chi welcomed him inside with her usual stern but caring demeanor.
"Krillin, it's good to see you. Goku still hasn't returned, and Gohan has been buried in his studies all day. I wish he'd focus more… but you know how stubborn he is."
Krillin chuckled nervously. "He's just like Goku in some ways… and totally different in others."
Inside the house, little Gohan sat at a desk, books scattered around. His pencil moved across the paper, but his eyes looked distant. He wasn't really studying—his heart was troubled.
Krillin crouched beside him. "Hey, kid. Something wrong?"
Gohan hesitated. "I… don't know. It feels like something dangerous is coming. I can't explain it, but my chest feels heavy whenever I think about Dad."
Krillin's smile faded. Even a child could sense the storm on the horizon. "You might be right, Gohan. The world… it might need your strength soon."
Before Krillin could say more, Chi-Chi snapped from the kitchen, "Don't you dare! Gohan is going to be a scholar, not a fighter! He's not getting dragged into your battles, Krillin!"
Krillin raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! I was just talking…"
But deep down, he knew Chi-Chi was wrong. Earth couldn't afford to hide away Gohan's potential.
---
That night, the shadows finally moved.
From deep within the forest, two mechanical figures stepped out, their bodies cold and metallic but cloaked in human-like clothing. Android 9 and Android 10—Dr. Gero's hidden creations—approached Mount Paozu.
Chi-Chi heard the knock on the door and opened it, only to find herself staring into the lifeless eyes of strangers.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
The androids said nothing. In an instant, they lunged forward. Chi-Chi screamed and tried to fight back, but their inhuman strength easily overpowered her.
"Gohan!" she cried.
The boy barely had time to stand before the androids seized him. His small hands struggled, his voice breaking. "Mom! Let me go!"
Chi-Chi clawed, kicked, and struck with all her might, but the androids pushed her aside. She collapsed to the ground, watching helplessly as they carried her son away into the night.
Her trembling fingers reached for the phone. "Krillin… help…! They've taken Gohan!"
---
Within minutes, the Z Fighters gathered at Kame House, their expressions grim.
"Another metal body?" Krillin panted. His fists were trembling. "It took Gohan!"
"Metal body?" Yamcha frowned. "What's going on? Are you saying it's like that thing Piccolo fought?"
Tien's eyes narrowed. "It seems connected. But why take Gohan?"
"They must be targeting him because he's Goku's son," Krillin said at last, his voice low. "Whoever's behind this… they know Goku's power. And now they're after his family."
Piccolo crossed his arms. His sharp eyes glowed with thought. "…If that's true, then this is no ordinary kidnapping. Whoever's pulling the strings wants to draw Goku out—or test us before he arrives."
The group exchanged uneasy glances. None of them knew the truth—that Rudra was watching from the shadows, smirking as his plan unfolded.
---
The next day, a sudden surge of colossal ki ripped through the air. It shook the ground, a pressure so heavy even normal humans fainted from the shockwave.
Krillin and the others felt it instantly. "What is that?! It's coming from the forest!"
Piccolo's eyes widened. "That's… Gohan?!"
The Z Fighters raced to the source, crashing through the trees—only to freeze at the sight before them.
Standing in the clearing was not the gentle boy they knew, but a towering giant ape with burning red eyes and golden fur glistening under the moonlight.
"W-What the hell is that?!" Yamcha gasped, his voice cracking.
Chiaotzu clung to Tien's shoulder. "Is… is that really Gohan!?"
The monstrous ape roared, the sound splitting the sky. The earth beneath their feet cracked as his massive fists slammed down.
Krillin paled. "No way… that's Gohan?! He transformed into this… thing?!"
Before anyone could react, the Oozaru's tail swung like a whip, shattering boulders and sending shockwaves through the trees.
"Stop him before he destroys everything!" Tien shouted.
The fighters launched into action. Yamcha fired a Kamehameha, but the giant ape brushed it aside as if it were a candle flame. Tien unleashed his Tri-Beam, forcing Gohan back a step—but the monster roared and charged again, unscathed.
Chiaotzu tried to paralyze him with psychic power, but the sheer size and energy of the beast broke his focus. "I—I can't hold him!"
Krillin darted forward, aiming a Destructo Disc at the ape's legs. "Sorry, Gohan! I'll try not to hurt you too badly!"
But even his razor-sharp disc missed, the giant leaping with shocking agility for its size. The attack tore through the forest instead.
Piccolo hovered above, watching with clenched fists. The boy's energy had multiplied tenfold, maybe more. None of their attacks would restrain him—not without killing him.
"This isn't working," Piccolo muttered. "He's out of control. He's pure destruction now…"
The Oozaru roared again, his eyes glowing with primal fury as he swung at Krillin, nearly crushing him under a tree.
Krillin rolled away, gasping. "Piccolo! What do we do?! We can't fight Gohan like this!"
Piccolo's mind raced. There had to be a way. Something about this transformation…
Then his sharp eyes caught it—the way Gohan's gaze never shifted from the moon, the way the power surged whenever that silver light touched him.
"It's the moon," Piccolo whispered. His teeth clenched. "That light… it's fueling this form. If I destroy it, the transformation will end."
The others looked at him in disbelief.
"Destroy the moon?!" Yamcha yelled. "You can't be serious!"
"There's no other choice!" Piccolo roared. His aura flared around him as he gathered his energy.
The Oozaru lunged toward him, shaking the earth with every step. The Z Fighters threw everything they had to hold the monster back, giving Piccolo the moment he needed.
"Special Beam Cannon!!"
The spiraling beam shot past the beast, piercing through the sky—and struck the glowing moon above.
For an instant, the world went silent. Then—
BOOOOM!
The moon shattered into dust, light exploding across the heavens.
The Oozaru staggered, its power collapsing. With a final roar, the giant shrank, fur vanishing, until only a battered and unconscious Gohan lay on the ground.
The Z Fighters gathered around him, their breaths heavy.
Krillin trembled. "So that's… Goku's son's hidden power… It's terrifying."
Yamcha wiped his brow. "If Piccolo hadn't figured it out… we'd all be dead right now."
Piccolo, standing apart, stared at the boy in silence. His usual harsh glare softened for a brief moment.
This child had monstrous potential. More than Goku. More than anyone. And in the battles to come, that power might be the only thing standing between Earth and annihilation.
---
Later, at Kame House, the group argued about what to do next. Chi-Chi was told a lie—that Gohan had been captured by a mysterious enemy and would be released only when their "bosses" arrived. It was the only way to keep her calm.
Piccolo at first refused the suggestion that he should train the boy. "I'm not a babysitter. I don't need dead weight slowing me down."
But deep inside, he knew the truth. He had seen the boy's potential—and he had seen Raditz's strength. If the next enemies were even stronger, then Earth's survival depended on awakening Gohan's hidden power.
Piccolo finally closed his eyes and growled, "Fine. I'll train the brat. But don't expect me to go easy on him."
And so, unwillingly, the bond between the Demon King and the son of Goku began—one that would shape the fate of the Earth.