Chapter 13* – This is My Son!

In an instant, everyone inside the house recognized Goku's voice and scrambled to leave the building. It was Goku, after all, and his arrival meant that the celebration could start for real. They hurried outside just in time to witness Goku jumping down from Nimbus with an enthusiastic wave.

"Hi, guys! I brought a surprise with me!"

Unlike all the other times Goku descended from the Nimbus, he wasn't alone. Sitting on his shoulders and firmly held in place by Goku was a young boy, his brown tail swishing back and forth in a repetitive manner. He had a wide-eyed, startled expression that contrasted starkly with the whirlwind of excitement around him.

"Goku, did you kidnap a kid for real?" Bulma blurted out, her voice tinged with a mix of concern.

"Oh, haha, very funny, Bulma. No, this is my son!"

Goku's unexpected revelation had just sent shockwaves through the gathering. The residents of the house lost their minds as they reacted with a collective uproar.

Amid the commotion, Ajax stood at the back, his entire body locking up at the revelation. He took a shuddering breath, his senses suddenly sharpened as adrenaline coursed through his veins. The déjà vu returned ten-fold as it slammed into his face like not unlike physical force, causing him to sway slightly on his feet. The feeling of finality yesterday. The arrival of Gohan today. It can only mean that the canon has begun in earnest, the realization sending a shiver down Ajax's spine. And this celebration– wasn't it perfectly reminiscent of the reunion the day Raditz arrived? Is that today?! The color drained from his face.

Coincidentally and unintentionally, Krillin mirrored Ajax's reaction. His hand shot to his chest, clutching it dramatically as if he were having a heart attack. With a groan that was both exaggerated and comical, he swayed on his feet.

"Even though I'm dating Maron right now, it still hurts to see you having a kid before I could even lose my virginity!" 

Goku pouted playfully at Krillin and Ajax. "Hey, cut it out, you guys! That's mean! The two of you don't have to act like the world is ending just because I prorated!"

"Procreated." Bulma and Ajax corrected simultaneously, the response an instinctive reaction by now.

Ajax had barely recovered from his shocking revelation of Gohan's arrival when another piece of information suddenly registered, catching him off guard. Krillin is dating someone? Right now? This didn't happen in the canon, did it? He didn't know Krillin had a relationship before 18! Did the butterflies grow this large already? Ajax whipped his head around at Krillin, feeling a little dizzy from the whiplash.

"You have a girlfriend?! This entire time? And you didn't TELL ME?! Ajax practically shrieked and seized Krillin's shoulders, shaking him back and forth vigorously. "How?! You were at the Kame House with Master Roshi and me the entire time!"

Master Roshi sniggered into his fist. "Not all the time."

Krillin opened his mouth, ready to defend himself from this unjust accusation, when a sudden movement from Goku's shoulders caught their collective attention. Ajax and Krillin's loud interaction had apparently frightened Goku's young son, Gohan, who was desperately trying to fit his entire body behind his father's head, with limited success.

Goku sensed the shift in his son's position. With a warm smile, Goku reassured his son, "Hey, Gohan, it's alright. We were just fooling around. Nothing to be scared of."

Gohan's wide, innocent eyes peered out from behind his father, and a small, tentative smile formed on his face.

Feeling Gohan relax, Goku carefully tilted his body, ensuring that Gohan faced the individual being introduced at eye level. Beaming with pride, Goku began to introduce his friends to his young son.

"Ok, Gohan. The nice lady here is one of daddy's earliest friends. She is a scientist and a genius! This person here is Krillin. He's my long-time friend and my earliest training buddy under Master Roshi. This here is Master Roshi, a great martial artist and daddy's mentor. The turtle beside him is Turtle, who can talk!"

As the introductions continued, Goku finally made his way over to Ajax who had, by now, managed to control his expression. "And this is Ajax. I got to know him two years ago when I helped him make a wish so he could be a martial artist like me!"

Slowly, Goku reached behind him and, with incredible ease, lifted Gohan by the armpits. He gently set Gohan down on the floor, allowing him to stand on his own before everyone else.

"Now son, say hi!"

Gohan waved shyly, his voice soft and nervous. "H–hi…"

"Oh, he's so adorable!" Bulma squealed in excitement and knelt before Gohan, extending her hand for a friendly handshake. She waved that hand at the shy boy and tried to coax him to respond to her gesture. Everyone in the group followed suit, eager to introduce themselves and make Gohan feel welcome.

However, the sudden swarm of well-wishers proved a bit overwhelming for the young boy. Gohan took a small step back, trying to hide behind Goku's legs, his wide eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and shyness.

Goku took this moment to scan Ajax properly, taking a moment to appreciate the new Gi Ajax was clad in.

"Darn! I must've missed the Gi ceremony. I personally liked orange, but I gotta say, you look good in that!"

"Thanks, Goku. I appreciate it." Ajax replied with a light smile, pushing down the apprehension that weighed him down like a large stone in his stomach. "Shall we move back into the Kame House? We have lots of food and snacks."

Goku's eyes lit up at the mention of food, and he let out a joyful whoop. "Oh boy, you know me best, Ajax!"

With that, the merry group, including Gohan, moved inside the Kame House. Laughter and conversation filled the air as the group of friends continued to celebrate their reunion, sharing stories and food.

~ At the Same Time ~

In the vast expanse of space, far removed from the lively party, a worn metal pod hurtled toward Earth. The windows of the pod, though scratched and worn, allowed a view of the cosmos, tinted in a dark crimson hue. Inside, a man sat in solitude, seemingly devoid of emotion, as he meticulously affixed a device to his face. The man's eyes, hidden behind the device's interface, were fixed on the rapidly approaching planet. He studied Earth with detached precision, his gaze sweeping across the varied terrain and features that sprawled beneath him.

The device he wore began to emit a series of beeps and whirs, and a stream of information, the scanned results of the planet's conditions, flashed on the small screen, painting a general picture of Earth's environment and its inhabitants. The man's face remained impassive, save for a subtle frown.

A shimmering streak of crimson sliced through the Earth's atmosphere as the metal pod hurtled downwards. The sheer velocity of its entry caused the pod to heat up and glow a fiery red, leaving a blazing trail in its wake. High above, it soared over mountains, and past cities, and drew the attention of people who were beneath it, prompting them to look up at the sky in wonder and apprehension.

The pod's descension eventually led it to a remote field. The pod hit the ground with a titanic crash, sending shockwaves rippling through the earth. The impact was so forceful that the sound reverberated for miles in every direction.

As the dust and debris from the crash began to settle, an enormous crater was revealed at the ground zero of the impact zone. The dirt within the crater was scorched, its color shifting to a molten red from the sheer intensity of the impact.

Amidst the aftermath of the tremendous impact, the metallic ball lay motionless. The hatch on its surface began to release air, and the hatch slowly parted with a hiss of displaced pressure, revealing the interior of the pod.

A man emerged from within the vessel, his movements deliberate and unhurried. He gripped the edge of the hatch and stepped outside, unfolding his body to its full height. As he emerged, an appendage followed behind him: a brown tail that snaked out, twisting and curling as if it were tasting the air, before wrapping around the man's waist.

With an air of calm confidence, the man flexed his muscles and performed a series of quick stretches. The sound of cracking joints rang through the air as he eased the tension in his body from being cooped up. He tilted his head slightly, releasing a satisfying crack from his neck, and pressed a button on the scouter strapped to his ear.

He waited, his foot tapping impatiently against the scorched earth, his eyes scanning his surroundings for any threats but finding none. His scouter beeped shortly after, and the signal managed to connect to somewhere within the cosmos.

The man crossed his arms and started to rise slowly from the ground, levitating effortlessly into the air. As he ascended, his long mane of hair flowed down his back, shifting with the wind's invisible currents.

"This is Raditz, checking in. I've landed on Earth with no complications."

"Good to hear. Proceed with your objective. We'll await the good news, Raditz." 

"Roger that, Nappa."

And just like that, the wheels of fate began to turn.

***

DBA Corner: Power Levels and Why Numbers Don't Matter

Okay, before we get into any combat scenes, I'll clarify how Power Level (PL) will work in the world of DBA. PL is a tricky subject in any Dragon Ball-related work because it always starts off well but inevitably goes down burning in flames. This is partly due to the canon series itself largely avoiding the use of numerical power levels after the Namek Arc, so any numbers after that are just estimates and speculations. In this regard, DBA will follow Canon's lead. Numerical power levels will be set aside post-Frieza, and power levels will be stated relatively. You can think of it as there not being any technology advanced enough to detect PL of that scale.

In DBA, power is represented by ki. Every living being possesses a certain set amount of ki within them, reflecting their maximum capacity. A small fraction of this ki constantly radiates outward at a certain rate, maintaining an equilibrium. Let's call this the base rate.

It's important to note that a fighter's ki reserve significantly exceeds their natural PL. A fighter may have a base rate of 'x' ki units per unit of time, but their total ki reserve can be as high as 100 'x' or even 1000 'x' units. As you might expect, the faster a fighter uses their ki, the shorter their reserves will last.

A scouter detects the current rate of ki released. Since most of the universe cannot control their ki, this passive base rate released from the body is what a scouter detects and what the greater universe in DBA recognizes as one's power level. In essence, in the DBA universe, power level refers to the RATE of ki being emitted from the body.

Once again, for most individuals outside of Earth, ki manipulation remains undeveloped. They lack the ability to regulate the rate at which they emit their energy, meaning their base rate equals their power level and combat power. This makes scouters highly accurate and useful tools for determining the combat strength of an opponent. Now enter the Z fighters and their ki control.

Ki control allows one to manipulate this rate of flow, and it's what we as readers are most familiar with. When you flare your ki or charge an attack, you're effectively channeling and releasing your energy at a rate higher than your base rate. Scouters can only detect the energy currently being released, so they would register the ki from the attack and mark that as your power level. Conversely, if you suppress your ki or impose restrictions on your energy output, such as using weighted clothing or undergoing suppression like Frieza's forms, you release less ki per unit of time, resulting in a lower PL.

Since the Z fighters can freely change their rate of ki expenditure, for the sake of everyone's sanity, "power level" will be used to refer to a fighter's current rate of ki expenditure. This is the energy they are actively releasing at the given moment. Their "base PL" will represent their default power level, the level at which their ki naturally radiates without any action on their part. "Maximum PL or "max combat power" will refer to the highest rate of energy they can exert when pushed to their limits.

During combat, a fighter's PL will constantly fluctuate, ranging from 1 all the way to their maximum rate of energy expenditure, depending on their immediate needs and the intensity of the battle. If that left you scratching your head, remember that Future Trunks was stated to have a PL of 5 during his introduction against Mecha Frieza, when his maximum combat power was for sure greater than 120 million.

This is another reason why numbers won't matter for anyone possessing the ability to manipulate ki (which is essentially every character after Frieza).