Chapter One

Waking up abruptly, Gohan shot out of his bed only to knock his head on something hard. Rubbing the painful spot rising on his forehead, Gohan blurrily looked around and found a bunk bed above him. Confused, he looked around the dimly lit room trying to remember how he had gotten there. The room was neat and tidy, though he could hardly make anything out, other than a computer that was still in sleep mode and a clock that displayed the time to be 5:23 am.

Scooting to the edge of the bed, Gohan placed his feet on the cool tiled floor. Rubbing small circles on the side of his head in an attempt to get his bearings, Gohan kept looking at the room around him. The memories of the previous day slowly trickled into his head along with the dream that still seemed crystal clear in his mind even now. He was finding it hard to believe that his entire universe was spirited away and as far as he knew he was the only one who actually remembered.

Gohan was completely alone now. The thought of such an idea welled up inside and threatened to force him to his knees, he had to remind himself that he had been in many hopeless situations before. Freeza and the Saiyan invasion were just a few that came to mind. Android 17 and 18 were monsters, but if there hadn't been two equally powerful existences flawlessly fighting together, he might have even come through that situation alive. No, Gohan decided, he would face this like he had all those other challenges and he would come out on top this time around.

Shaking his head, he stood up from his bed he didn't have time to dwell on such things. Guided by his memories, he walked into the restroom attached to the dorm to splash cold water on his face in an effort to wake up a little before he started his morning training. If he was going to be stuck in this world, then he needed to get himself into shape.

As he looked at the familiar face in the mirror, he had the same dark eyes and short-cropped black hair that he had in his previous life. But he realized one of the main differences between the Gohan he is and the previous soul that had once inhabited this body as he peered down at his new body.

Unable to hide the shock at his slim and wiry frame his thinner face had a look of pure astonishment. In his own world even at the age of eleven he was robust and had firm and trim muscles and at the same age he was now (sixteen), he could've put most grown men to shame. The contrast of who he was in his own world compared to this one was mind-blowing to consider.

For the last ten years, Gohan hadn't gone a day without rigorous training both mentally and physically. This type of training had become a daily habit of his since his teacher died by 17's hands. Each day he had fought and trained with one purpose in mind... to get stronger. Maybe the universe wanted to give him a chance or it was the pain that had caused it, but he had transformed into a Super-Saiyan for the first time when he lost Piccolo. Though that transformation seems so far away from where he was now.

Musing at the lack of muscle tone he found something that gave him a great surprise. Dancing up behind him like a long-lost friend was a brown flaccid monkey tail! It was attached to his backside once more. Though he wasn't sure if this world's moon had the same effect on his Saiyan body as earth's moon had, regardless he would stay inside on lunar calendar days just to be safe. If he was going to be stuck in this world, then he needed to get himself into shape.

Sitting aside regaining his favorite appendage he wound the brown tail around his waist like a belt, Gohan then began to plan his morning workout session. He would need to try this 'Cultivation method' and 'Chi' control he gained the night before, courteous of that voice in his dream. Then he would run a few miles and maybe training in a few katas to familiarize himself with his new body.

According to this new knowledge, Chi is a method of extracting the forces of nature and converting this force into internal energy. The Chi users of this realm would then use this energy to break through many internal barriers and with each level broken through, they would unlock new abilities and control each time.

Thereby increasing the body's functions, most Chi users will have access to one hundred percent of both mind and body including muscles all over the body and the more surprising effect Chi had on the brain. Apparently, Chi users (at certain levels) can have perfect memory recall and due to this, are more able to function in an advanced society.

KI control had similar effects when practicing, (except the one it had on the brain) but via a completely opposing concept. Instead of extracting the forces of nature and converting them into energy, KI was actually another term for life force. With willpower and determination, a KI user can tap into their life force and even send KI outside their bodies in waves or blasts.

The main difference between the two energies is; Chi force cannot be sent outside of the body, and Ki doesn't have the same effect on the user's mind, but with practice and willpower, it can be just as powerful as Chi.

Ki itself isn't used in this particular realm, due to not many having the knowledge of this particular type of energy the people are only able to use it in a limited capacity. Although some have knowledge of 'Life-force' KI is used here as a last-ditch lifesaving measure. Much how Chiaotzu sacrificed himself during the Saiyan's attack during the invasion from Nappa and Vegeta. By overloading his body with his life force, he managed to create an explosion that normally would have ended both of his and his opponent's life. In this realm, no one seems to understand Life forces' other uses for battle.

Using the Chi cultivation method and his own knowledge on KI, Gohan would be able to combine these energies and make a totally new type of energy called Chakra. This was a complete combination of the two energies, but according to his new knowledge Chakra is much denser and can produce more of an effect than if he used the energy separately.

To create the energy known as Chakra he would have to combine both Chi and KI energies in equal measures. The problem Gohan would be facing is the fact that his body hasn't ever processed Chi very well. Normal Chi practice methods haven't seemed to work on Gohan's body in the past, which was one of the reasons 'This world's Gohan' was kicked out of his home.

Although, Gohan didn't hold a grudge against the Son family for kicking him out of the clan. He did look down on them for needing so much face to the point they would kick a teenager out for something he couldn't control, but he wouldn't seek revenge against them… Unless someone crosses his bottom line that was. Although his younger brother and sister were not his by blood, if the Son family decided to treat them similarly, he would teach them a lesson they wouldn't soon forget.

But to Gohan, this was a brand-new start in life. He had spent the last ten years in is previous life mourning a family he had lost too early but, in this life, he would find them again even if it took him another twenty-five years.

To progress in Chi control, he was given something called a Chi circulatory method. With this method, the natural elements around him would start to suck into his body much like a vortex. Then he would use his KI to cleanse the unusable elements produced which would help him keep his Chi at the same level as his KI. If he didn't have in-depth knowledge about KI, he would be hard-pressed to get rid of such harmful energies entering his body.

As it was, Gohan had spent years blocking and expelling KI blasts forcefully shot at him, the energies at such a low level wouldn't have any harmful effects. Though it might seem like a lot more work than the average person would find reasonable in this realm for cultivation, his achievements were sure to progress in leaps and bounds after combining these energies.

Excited by the prospect of getting stronger, Gohan found a black training gi in his clothes and started out the door to find a place on the campus with a quiet environment.

Twenty minutes later, Gohan could be found near a large oak tree outside the school campus that which to have a relatively good feng shui. The shade made the temperature around him feel comfortable and perfect for going into a deep meditative state. Being able to reach such a state made it easy to cycle through the cultivation method and he found it peaceful to explore the benefits this new energy provided him.

Without realizing, Gohan had spent four hours using his new cultivation method and he already could feel the effect and speed of this new type of energy circulating through his system. Gohan could already feel the first 'Burst Gate' barrier inside his Chi circulatory system, but he could also feel the amount of harmful energy amassing inside his body as well. Soon he would have to quit cultivating to expel these negative energies, or he might have unnatural blockages, which could slow down his cultivation progress.

Suddenly, there was a roar that shook the surroundings that came from a distance away from the peaceful meditating Gohan. Opening his eyes with a frown he stood to his feet and started to stretch. Since his concentration was broken anyway, he decided to stop his meditation and planned to start his physical training to release the negative chi building in his body.

Beginning with a light jog, Gohan started towards the sound he heard earlier. He had grown up around dinosaurs, so the roars never really scared him. In fact, anytime he heard these sounds, it just reminded him of home. By the time he had reached his late teens in his previous life the Androids had already killed so many of the earth's animals, it had become rare to hear any even deep inside a forest.

When he realized that his old dragon friend Icarus and his family had been killed, he had wept like a baby. They had taken so much from the world already, why couldn't they have left anything truly good? He knew he was partly to blame for being so weak, but the only thing he could do was to move forward and try to get stronger.

Before he'd died, he sensed an ascended state of his SS transformation, but he couldn't find the trigger to go into this new level. He knew if he could ascend even the androids wouldn't be anything, but now he was nowhere near that power, he could only work his way to it once again. With this Chakra energy, he could be able to get to that level once more or maybe even go beyond.

---

Meanwhile approximately 1.6 Kilometers away

Beautiful raven hair framed an exquisite face with intelligent crystal blue eyes girl looked determinately at a massive structure damming a water source. Lute wasn't much of a fighter, she loved freedom and adventure but a girl such as her should never have been outside of the city walls by herself. Not that it had ever stopped her before, but today was different. Today she had a purpose.

Lute's mother owned part of a business called 'Stream Trade Organization' or STO as some tend to say for short. Currently, another manager in STO was attempting to push her mother out of the business.

The only method to keep her mother's position within STO was to bring in high-quality materials. Such as Beast orbs, rare herbs, and spirit quality stones. Lute's mother had many subordinates searching outside the city for materials but Lute insisted on helping. Although her mother wouldn't have approved of her going out on her own protection, she was much too busy to interfere at this point.

As luck would have it, Lute heard a cash of spirit stones guarded by a nesting Onikuma spirit beast. These beasts look and act similarly to beavers they even nest in water sources but unlike the average animal, Onikuma have a tendency to be extremely aggressive. Evidently, this particular beast had nested in a spirit stone riverbed. Fortunately, it was the Onikuma's hibernation time and if Lute was careful enough, she could get away with quite a few of these precious stones without its notice.

When she was born her mother had named her 'Lute' in the hope that she would one day become a master thief. Today, she decided she would live up to that namesake. Unfortunately for her, Lute had been discovered by the Onikuma as she was about to escape with her first load of spirit stones.

As the Onikuma stood on its hind legs, Lute feared that this was going to be her last day on this world. As the sound of the beast roar behind her, she had already begun to sprint toward the exit the fright pushing her faster than expected. Suddenly she had a thought, 'Maybe I just might be able to make it out alive today.' And in the next moment, she fell from the Onikuma's nest.

She might have made it further if her leg hadn't hit a stone and every time, she attempted to put pressure on that leg, pure pain shot through her viciously. Suddenly, a murderous intent filled the air pressing down on Lute's small body, making it hard to breathe and she wouldn't be able to run even if she had the chance. Glancing behind her she found the lumbering form of the Onikuma demon beast standing over her grinning in feral rage.

"HELP!" Lute cried out desperately. She guessed it was probably pointless to call for assistance. She was the only one that got the information about the Spirit Stone well and no one knew where she was. The Onikuma swiped down at her and she knew she was done for.

---

Running through the forest, Gohan was surprised at how quickly he was moving without using any of his KI. He could tell the difference between the energies, simply by this small bit of exercise. With KI it had become second nature to use it at a moment's notice. After years of practice, KI started to feel like an extra appendage to him. The best way to describe KI was like a piece of equipment he always had with him, but it wasn't really an extension to his body.

Chi made him feel like he just naturally had additional energy. If he wanted to run, Chi would fill his legs and he seemed to have an additional amount of energy to push himself forward.

Feeling the need to experiment on combining the two energies, he pulled out a small amount of KI and a sliver of his newly acquired Chi, and then he used a certain method to combine the two. The process seemed to be simpler than he expected, when the two energies got close to each other they automatically sucked the other towards themselves and without warning, they merged.

In surprise, Gohan slowed his sprint down to a complete stop.

Feeling a need to test this new energy he looked around attempting to decide on a target when he heard a scream. Forgetting about target practice, Gohan changed directions and sprinted to where he heard the noise had come from. He was still about .80 Kilometers away from where he heard the sound, but it felt like only seconds before he arrived at the valley where the Onikuma nested. When he saw the giant bear attacking a small raven-haired girl. Without thinking, Gohan jumped into the air and used the small amount of KI he had in his body to propel him towards the girl.

Quickly, the half Saiyan descended like a corkscrew, swinging his leg around into a diagonal spin before driving his knee straight into the monster's face.

"Get away from her!" Gohan shouted, as his spin started to mount again. When Gohan drove a knee directly into the creature's stomach, a deafening crunch sounded and the force of the blow split the ground below. The beast lurched backward from the blow.

Angrily the Onikuma swung back at him with a swiping claw that split the air and the force seemed to push everything around them away. The force behind the attack was so great that even Lute that still stood nearby lost her balance when Gohan blocked the powerful strike.

Stumbling forward in surprise Lute gaped at the boy, he was very powerful and though she was ashamed to say it was one of the first things, she noticed that he was very handsome. His sharp defined features. His dark black hair, serious eyes seemed to burn an impression in her heart. Lute decided then that she needed to get to know him if they managed to survive.

Dropping to the ground, Gohan clenched his fist, as he saw the monster turn to him with its nose crushed and a trickle of blood leaking from its mouth. Though the gleam in its eyes told him another story, this creature hadn't had enough. Widening his stance, Gohan then snarled. "Well, if that wasn't enough for you, then try this one!"

With a shout, he charged the Chakra he still had inside his body. Then jumping into the air and screaming, "KA... ME... HA... ME..." Allowing the Chakra to build and swirl within his palms and aimed his hands at the monster and with a final yell he cried out. "HA!" And the massive energy he built in his palms was then pushed towards the beast like a rushing comet and hit it on the base of its neck making a sound like a falling mountain.

The gigantic creature lurched suddenly to the side, while the sound of bones in its collar made a cracking sound from the force of Gohan's attack. The force slammed the hideous down with such force that it not only produced a crater but caused the monster's body to bounce upwards spitting spirts of green blood.

Finally, the creature was dead. Gohan dropped to the ground in a crouch for a few minutes gasping for breath, before deciding to approach it with caution. This was the first time Gohan had ever used this new energy 'Chakra' and he decided that the power with Chi and KI combined was indeed very powerful. But he was already at his limit, Gohan didn't have any experience with creatures such as this and didn't know if they like to play dead. It would be a shame if he was sneak attacked and killed, on his first day in this life. Although he guessed he could still escape if the creature did decide to do such a thing, he wanted to be cautious regardless.

Peering over the crater his enemy had made Gohan spotted the lifeless beast at the bottom completely unmoving. Its neck seemed to have broken and its massive claws were splintered from when it had attempted to strike him earlier.

Letting out a sigh of relief Gohan looked around for the girl that had been attacked earlier. Though he didn't have to look far, she had recovered from the frightening state earlier and was now approaching him waving her hand to catch his attention.

With a smile and a wave, he greeted her as well, asking, "Are you alright?" Gohan realized his voice had been completely unused all day he cleared his voice and then smiled embarrassingly.

"Hello My name is Lute Shinhan, may I know yours?" Her voice was pleasant to the ears he noticed.

"Son Gohan," he replied simply.

He didn't know this woman, but she didn't seem like a bad person. Years from now, Gohan would wonder why he didn't realize Lute's sir name was similar to another Z fighter he knew. But Gohan knew that even in his previous world the name 'Shinhan' was a common last name. Because not every family had a sir name in either world, to distinguish one person from other commoners would simply add the name Shinhan to the end of their first name. Due to this method of naming not being too much of an uncommon practice, Gohan simply didn't think too much.

"You're probably wondering why I approached you." Lute Shinhan said. Though it wasn't really a question he wouldn't have minded giving her an answer. However, Lute didn't wait for Gohan to answer and just said it herself, "It's because I approve of you. You might not have guessed by the looks of things, I'm not an ordinary person either. You show great promise for a beginner. If you like, I can introduce you to a master."

Waving his hand, Gohan replied, "No need for a master. I have my own way." Then he turned to leave.

Panicking at his abrupt departure, Lute Shinhan hurriedly said, "Don't be in such a hurry to leave, it looks like you don't know how strong the most powerful people in this world can get. In any case, we'll talk about finding a master for you later. I have some business to do right now. Are you interested in going with me? Of course, the remuneration is much more than you might believe."

She didn't really mind Gohan's rejection, her goodwill towards the young man only grew as they continued down the mountainside talking slowly to each other. The sad truth was she wasn't very skilled and if she remained by herself, she might become a mid-evening snack for another beast. And due to the circumstances of this venture outside of the city gates, her mother's business was at risk. She needed Gohan very much now.

Hearing remuneration Gohan was slightly intrigued, though he didn't need money to survive he was still interested in this new currency. He seemed not to be as hungry since he started cultivating Chi, per the memories of this body's past told him the food here was very delicious. Looking into the beautiful blue eyes of the girl in front of him he asked, "What kind of remuneration?"