Chi-Chi's Compromise

West City, hospital.

"Bulma, you're the only one here who knows how to fly a spaceship. Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Krillin said calmly.

By now, Yamcha and the others had all been killed. Only he, Son Goku and his son, Master Roshi, and Yajirobe were still able to fight.

But Son Goku was lying in bed, Master Roshi was old and had to stay behind to protect Earth, and there was no need to even mention Yajirobe, the coward.

That left only him and Son Gohan. But with Chi-Chi's personality, she definitely wouldn't let her son go.

"Gohan."

Son Goku looked at his son, Son Gohan, and hesitated.

His meaning was clear: he wanted his son to go and protect Bulma and Krillin.

He knew Gohan was strong enough now to take on that responsibility.

Everyone looked at Son Goku, who was lying in the hospital bed, then at Son Gohan.

"Goku, don't even think about it. I will never let my Gohan go risk his life on Planet Namek again."

"Someone like Piccolo is terrifying enough on his own. Now you want to go to his home planet? No way! That's too scary."

Chi-Chi flared up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

She knew what her husband Son Goku meant. He wanted Gohan to go with them to Planet Namek to find the Dragon Balls and revive the people of Earth.

But she didn't care whether the people of Earth were revived or not.

If it weren't for King Piccolo, she wouldn't have gone a whole year without seeing her son.

For a mother, all she wanted was for her son, Son Gohan, to be safe and sound, without facing any danger.

"Mom, I know you're doing this for my sake, and that you hope I'll grow up to become a scholar."

"But have you ever thought about what good being a scholar would do if aliens destroyed the Earth?"

"The Saiyans' invasion of Earth was only the beginning. If everyone thought like you and refused to let their children take risks, who would protect the Earth?"

Son Gohan said earnestly. He didn't want Chi-Chi to be upset, either.

Chi-Chi was actually a very pitiful woman. Ever since she got married, she had devoted herself wholeheartedly to her family.

Son Goku was always out fighting, so she could no longer rely on him.

Now, she had devoted all her energy to her son, Son Gohan.

There was nothing wrong with how she felt as a mother.

She only hoped that her son would grow up to be a scholar, so his life wouldn't be so difficult.

The reason she had never let Son Gohan train was that she didn't want him to end up like his father, Son Goku.

Fighting all the time led nowhere.

Everyone stared at Son Gohan in disbelief. Could those really be the words of a five-year-old child?

Son Gohan had been right to train with Piccolo this past year. Everyone had already begun to see him in a new light.

They hadn't seen him for a year, and he seemed like a completely different person. Not only was he much stronger, he had also grown far more mature in his thinking.

He truly was Son Goku's son, able to understand such profound truths at such a young age.

This only further proved that King Piccolo really had been a good teacher.

"I don't care about anything else. You just can't go."

Chi-Chi said firmly. She didn't care what happened to anyone else.

All she wanted was for her son to live in peace and safety.

"Gohan, it won't be dangerous. Bulma and I can go together."

After seeing how strong Son Gohan was, Krillin had really wanted him to come along. At least then, he would feel a little more at ease.

But after seeing how fiercely Chi-Chi protected her son, he could only give up.

"Mom, don't you always teach me that people should be responsible?"

"Uncle Piccolo was killed by the Saiyans because he was trying to save me."

"I have to go to Planet Namek and find the Dragon Balls to revive him. Otherwise, I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life."

Son Gohan said with determination.

He knew this trip to Planet Namek would be fraught with danger.

If he didn't go, Krillin and Bulma would be walking straight into danger.

"That's right, Chi-Chi. Gohan has grown up, and he has a sense of responsibility. You should be happy about that."

After hearing Son Gohan's words, Bulma also tried to persuade Chi-Chi.

She hadn't expected Son Gohan to be so responsible at such a young age.

She couldn't help remembering the first time Son Goku had brought Son Gohan to Kame House.

Was this really the same child who had been hiding behind Son Goku just a year ago?

"That's right, Chi-Chi. You've heard about Gohan's strength. He can even defeat Saiyans, so there won't be any danger."

Master Roshi also spoke up to persuade her. Son Gohan was so strong that bringing him along would greatly increase their chances of success.

Lying in bed, Son Goku nodded in satisfaction. That's my son. A person should always repay kindness.

Piccolo had spent a year teaching him to train and had even sacrificed himself to protect him. Now that Gohan was strong enough, he had to take responsibility and find the Dragon Balls to bring Piccolo and the others back to life.

"..."

Chi-Chi started to speak, then stopped. Their reasoning made sense, but she still couldn't feel at ease. After all, her child was only five.

Piccolo really had spent a year living with her son, and he had been killed by the Saiyans while saving Gohan.

"Mom, I promise I'll come back safe and sound."

Seeing that Chi-Chi was wavering, Son Gohan ran over, hugged her leg, and promised her.

"Fine. Mom will let you go, but you must come back safe and sound. And you absolutely cannot neglect your studies."

Chi-Chi wasn't unreasonable, and she understood the importance of repaying kindness.

She knew Piccolo had been killed while saving her son.

Everyone said that going to Planet Namek to find the Dragon Balls wasn't dangerous.

So she agreed to let her son go to Planet Namek to find the Dragon Balls and bring Piccolo back to life.

"This spherical, unidentified object is suspected to have been left behind by aliens."

"When it was discovered yesterday, there were two of them. One flew away, and the other is now being studied in the laboratory."

The television in the hospital room was broadcasting live. A host was holding a microphone and introducing the Saiyans' spaceship.

"Hehe, I've finally figured out the Saiyans' remote control."

"I'll call the spaceship over right now. The people in the lab are sure to be shocked."

Bulma took out the Saiyans' remote control and entered a string of code.

Everyone stared at the television. This was their hope of getting to Planet Namek.

Watching what Bulma was doing, Son Gohan seemed to realize something. He tried to stop her, but it was too late.

The anime had shown that the Saiyans' spaceship exploded because Bulma accidentally pressed the self-destruct button.

Boom!

With a loud explosion, the Saiyans' spaceship blew up in an instant.