Gohan was drenched in sweat as he ran through the sand, the sun beating down on him, he had decided that this desert climate would be a good place to train, but he hadn’t count on how hard it would be for him to run especially with the weighted clothing. Gohan had gotten used to the weighted clothing and Piccolo true to his word was keeping an eye on him and came and increased the weight before leaving.

“… hopefully I find a village or somewhere to get water soon, I’m running low.” Gohan said as he looked at his canteen as he continued running. Gohan ran for a few more miles until he saw what looked like a village in the distance.

“Is that a village… hopefully they have some water.” Gohan said to himself as he sped up to reach the village.

Gohan soon reached the village as he slowed down to a walk and he saw that it was a small village split in two by a large river and he saw houses on both sides. There were dark skinned people who were farming some carrots.

One of the men working the fields saw Gohan walking towards the village and he stopped his work as he walked towards Gohan, the man was tall, had a small red dot on his forehead, he was wearing a white turban as well and was dressed in an orange and maroon robe.

“Hello, what brings you to our remote village?” the man asked after observing Gohan for a few seconds.

Gohan noticed how the man walked towards him and watched him, Gohan could tell that the man had some fighting experience, “Hello, sir my name is Gohan and I’m travelling the world to see and experience new things, as training. My travels led me here and I was running low on water when I saw this village in the distance and was hoping that I could find some here.” Gohan said smiling at the man, as he held up his canteen.

“Hello Gohan, my name is Nam, we do have a place for you to fill up your canteen, please follow me.” Nam said after staring at Gohan for a while before he turned around and started walking towards a well, in the middle of the village.

“Oh, thank you very much.” Gohan said as he followed Nam, who would glance at him occasionally, “Excuse me but why do you keep looking at me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry but you and your outfit reminds me of an old friend.” Nam said with a smile

“Oh, really what’s their name?”  Gohan asked as they reached the well.

“His name is Goku.” Nam said smiling.

“… what really!? Gohan said in surprise

“What you know him?” Nam asked looking at Gohan.

“Yeah, he’s, my dad.” Gohan said looking at Nam,

“Wow, that is such a coincidence, I can’t believe that I would run into Goku’s son. How is he doing?” Nam asked smiling.

“… he died a year ago, in the fight against Cell.” Gohan said as he looked down at the canteen in his hand.

“Oh… I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” Nam said sadly,

“It’s alright… how did you know my dad?” Gohan asked as he looked back up and handed his canteen to Nam.

“Oh, we fought in the world tournament years ago, and then he helped me later when our river dried up.” Nam said as he filled up Gohan’s canteen.

“Wow, really how did he help with the river?” Gohan asked looking at the river where some little kids were splashing around in it.

“Oh, there’s another village up ahead where an acquaintance named Giran lives he had made a dam that stopped the flow of the river, and your father helped convince him to take down the dam which allowed the river to flow again.” Nam said with a smile, as he handed Gohan his canteen.

“Wow, that’s amazing I never knew my dad did that.” Gohan said smiling

“Yes, your dad was an amazing person, I’ll miss him.” Nam said looking up to the sky before holding a palm in front of him as he closed his eyes for a few seconds, in prayer.

“NAM… NAM… LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!” a little boy came running up to Nam holding up an orange ball.

“Calm down, can’t you see I’m talking to someone.” Nam said as he tried to calm the boy down, “I apologize for his behavior.”

“It’s alright I have a little cousin and a baby brother so I know how kids can be.” Gohan said with a smile.

“Thank you… let me see what you found.” Nam said as he kneeled and took the ball from the boy, Gohan noticed that the ball had 4 stars on it. The boy then ran off after being called to contiune playing with the other kids.

“Wow, it’s the four-star ball.” Gohan said looking at the dragon ball.

“You know what this is?” Nam asked handing the dragon ball to Gohan.

“Yeah, it’s called a dragon ball, there are 7 of them and if you collect all of them then a dragon will come out and grant you a wish.” Gohan said as he looked at the dragon ball, with a smile. “This ball is special to me, when I was a kid, my dad made me a hat and placed this ball on top of it. It used to belong to my grandpa.” Gohan said holding the ball.

“Really… that sounds incredible… wait any wish… can it bring back people from the dead?” Nam asked looking at Gohan.

“Yes… but not if they died a natural death or if they have died more than once. It won’t work on my dad though he has already died twice.” Gohan said guessing what Nam was thinking.

“Oh… that’s a shame then.” Nam said as he looked at Gohan, holding the dragon ball.

“… you should take the ball with you.” Nam said with a smile.

“Really!?” Gohan asked surprised

“Yes, it can’t be a coincidence that the same day you appear in this village, someone find this ball that used to belong to your family. I think it’s the universes way of letting you know that your father will always be with you.” Nam said with a smile. “Also, if what you say is true keeping this ball here could lead to trouble for my village.”

“Thank you very much.” Gohan said as he held the ball to his chest with a smile, before putting it away. “Would it be alright if I stay for a while?” Gohan asked

“Sure, you can stay as long as you want, and while you are at it you can tell me stories about your father.” Nam said

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.” Gohan said smiling

Gohan helped Nam with his farming, Gohan then told him and the village stories about Goku, over dinner, which they enjoyed, this went on until after the kids went to bed. Gohan couldn’t go to bed so he went outside to get some fresh air and found Nam meditating outside under the sea of stars, “Hello, Gohan come sit with me.”

“… how did you know it was me?” Gohan asked as he walked over to him.

“I could feel your life force.” Nam replied,

“You can sense ki?” Gohan asked surprised as he sat down in front of Nam

“Yes, I can, although I didn’t; know it had another name.” Nam said opening his eyes and looking at Gohan.

“Yes, I learned when I was four years old.” Gohan said

“…that is incredible… but considering, that your life force or ki appears like a raging fire… that it’s almost blinding, it’s not that hard to believe.” Nam said smiling at Gohan

“Wow… really?” Gohan asked looking at Nam.

“Yes, why… do you doubt my words?” Nam asked

“No… no it’s not that it’s just that I’ve been able to sense ki at such a young age that I’ve never considered what it could look like to others.” Gohan said.

“Can I ask you something?” Nam said.

“Yes, go ahead.” Gohan said nodding at Nam.

“What is it that you seek?” Nam asked

“What do you mean?” Gohan asked

“I can feel conflict within you… you told me earlier that you are traveling the world, for training. I can tell that you are very strong, so why do you still train, how strong do you want to get?” Nam asked looking into the night sky.

Gohan looked up into the sky and saw the countless stars in the sky, “… I’m looking for the answer to that very question. Most of my life I’ve been going from deadly battle to deadly battle, following other people’s decisions and expectations for what they want from me. I’ve never had the chance to take the time to decide for myself what I want to do… who I want to be. That’s why I’m travelling the world, I’m hoping that by seeing the wide world I will be able to come up with an answer.” Gohan said turning to look at Nam.

“… finding oneself is always difficult, sometimes it can take years before one can find the answer that they seek… may I offer you some advice.” Nam asked looking at Gohan.

“Yes, I would appreciate any advice you can give.” Gohan said nodding his head at Nam.

“Enjoy travelling the world and seeing all that it has to offer, you will find the answer you are looking for or it will find you. There’s no rush you are still young and have plenty of time… so don’t go push yourself looking for an answer, just enjoy your travelling.” Nam said with smile.

“… thank you very much Nam, you have given me a lot to think about… will it be ok if I stay out here with you and meditate as well?” Gohan asked,

“Yes, you may.” Nam said with a smile as he closed his eyes and started mediating again.

Gohan sat down and closed his eyes and meditated on what Nam had said to him, Gohan and Nam stayed motionless under the night sky for hours until the sun started to slowly rise again. Gohan left the next day after saying goodbye to Nam and the village.

---

Gohan had taken Nam’s advice to heart and was travelling just for the joy of seeing and meeting new people instead of looking to find himself. Gohan has seen breathtaking views from the tops of mountains, raging lighting storms, lush rain forests, gone to cities, towns, villages, he had seen so many amazing things.

Today Gohan was in a snow-covered forest meditating, when he heard people walking towards him causing him to open his eyes to see who it was. Gohan stood up and saw a woman with red hair and brown eyes, she was wearing a yellow jacket, pants, gloves, and beanie, with a pink scarf. She was carrying basket, in her hands when Gohan finally saw her. There was also a large man with dark blue hair, two scars, wearing a green and yellow jacket over a blue sweater who was with her.

“Suno, there’s someone else here.” The man said pointing at Gohan

“Oh, Hello… what are you doing here all alone?” Suno asked looking at Gohan.

“I was meditating… what are you guys doing here?” Gohan asked looking at them

“We’re looking for some fruits that grow around here and Eighter is helping me” Suno said looking up at the trees.

“Eighter? That’s an interesting name.” Gohan said looking at the man

“Yes, I know, my friend gave it to me, because I didn’t like my original name.” Eighter said smiling

“That sounds like a good friend.” Gohan said looking at Eighter,

“Yes, he is… I wonder how he’s been?” Eighter said looking up into the sky with a big smile.

“Yeah… I wonder what Goku is up to now?” Suno said as she looked up into the sky as well.

“Wait did you say Goku!?” Gohan asked surprised

“Yes, do you know him?” Eighter and Suno asked looking at Gohan in surprise

“I’m his son.” Gohan said looking at the two of them.

“His son… now that you mention it, I can see a little bit of him in you. That’s amazing!” Eighter said looking at Gohan again before smiling widely

“Tell us about him, how’s he been doing?” Suno asked looking at Gohan excitedly

“Wait before we start talking about Goku, maybe we should go back to the village instead of standing out here in the cold all day.” Eighter said looking at them.

“Your right we should go back to my house, and I can make something to warm us up, let’s go.” Suno said turning around and heading out of the forest. They soon reached a village which was called Jingle Village according to the sign near it, Suno led Gohan to a house where she opened the door and told Gohan to make himself at home while she made some hot chocolate for them.

Gohan and Eighter sat down and waited for Suno to finish making the hot chocolate, once she was done, she sat down with them and asked Gohan to tell them about how Goku had been. Gohan asked if they knew about Cell which they said they found out about him after the fact, so Gohan told them about how Goku died fighting Cell.

Gohan then asked them about how they met his dad, and they told him about how Goku came to the village looking for the dragon balls, this caused them to ask if Goku could be brought back, but Gohan had to tell them that the dragon balls don’t work on someone who’s died twice. Suno and Eighter cried for awhile after Gohan told them that, but they cheered up a little after Gohan told them Goku was able to say his finally goodbye.

Gohan found out that Eighter is an Android as well and that he was labeled as defective because he didn’t like to fight, Gohan then told him that Dr. Gero was dead, and he didn’t have to worry about him anymore.

“I don’t know how to feel knowing that the man who created me is no longer alive.” Eighter said looking down at the ground.

“You shouldn’t worry to much about it you are your own person, Dr. Gero may have created you, but you decided to be a good person just like Android 16.” Gohan said looking at Eighter

“It’s incredible that there’s another android out there who’s like me and doesn’t like fighting… do you he would like to meet me.” Eighter said looking at Gohan.

“I don’t see why not considering you two have some things in common. Let me ask if he would like to meet you.” Gohan said as he pulled out his phone to call Bulma.

“Thank you very much.” Eighter said smiling

Gohan called Bulma who answered after a while, “Hey Gohan, how’s the travelling?”

“It’s going amazing, I’m enjoying myself a lot, I’ve seen so many amazing things, I’m really glad I took the time to do this.” Gohan said

“That sound’s amazing Gohan, but I’m guessing that’s not the reason you called.” Bulma said

“Yeah, you’re right, is 16 there?” Gohan asked

“Yeah, he just entered the lab, let me put you on speaker…There you go he can hear you now.” Bulma said

“Hello Gohan, is there something you need?” 16 asked once Gohan could hear him.

“Hey 16, I’m currently in a place called Jingle Village where I ran into some old friends of my dad, and one of them happens to be called Android 8, but he prefers to be called Eighter he says my dad gave him the name.” Gohan explained

“What how is that possible… Dr. Gero told us that he had gotten rid of all the older model Androids.” 16 said

“Well maybe he missed one, since you are calling, he must be different than 17 and 18.” Bulma said

“Yeah, he’s a kind Android like you 16 he doesn’t like fighting either… although he seems a little shy.” Gohan said

“A shy android… that’s incredible just like two Androids that don’t like fighting what are the odds of that?” Bulma asked

“Yeah, I found it incredible too, I told him about Dr. Gero being dead and about you, 17 and 18 and when he found out there was other androids out there. Eighter said that he would like to meet you guys, especially you 16.” Gohan explained

“So, you called to see if I would like to meet him too.” 16 said

“Yes, he asked if I could ask you, he said there’s no rush he just wanted to let you know about his existence.” Gohan said

“Hmmm… I wouldn’t mind meeting him… you said you are at Jingle Village.” 16 said 

“Yes, that’s correct, I just wanted to let you know before I leave.” Gohan said

“You are leaving already?” Bulma asked

“Yeah, I was invited to stay the night, since my dad saved the village back when he was a kid but I’m heading back out tomorrow morning. That’s why I called to let you know just in case I forget.” Gohan said

“… Thank you for telling me about Eighter, Gohan. I have vacation days saved up so I will head out to Jingle Village tomorrow can you let him know.” 16 said

“You got it 16.” Gohan said

“Thank you very much, goodbye Gohan.” 16 said

“Yeah, Goodbye Gohan take care of yourself ok.” Bulma said

“Bye.” Gohan said before hanging up, “16 said that he would like to meet you and will head out tomorrow.” Gohan said turning to look at Eighter and Suno.

“Really that’s amazing Gohan, thank you.” Eighter said with big smile.

“No problem you seem like a good person, and I just wanted to help you as thanks for telling me about my dad.” Gohan said smiling.

“It was no problem it was the least we could do for you. Now it’s late you can sleep in the guest bedroom.” Suno said smiling. Gohan nodded his head and went to the guest bedroom and passed out.

“Thank you for your hospitality. 16 should show up soon.” Gohan said, giving them a small bow before flying off to continue his journey.

___

(AN: This chapter was meant to be a little call back chapter where Gohan meets some of Goku’s old friends, as he learns about how his dad was when he was a kid. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the OG Dragonball so I might not have written the characters like they were so if there are any mistakes sorry for that.)