The Daily Life of a Dad

A year later, Son Goku's two children were born, one to Chi-Chi and one to Bulma.

A week after the births, Son Goku took his two children and two wives to Mount Paozu to visit his grandfather, Son Gohan.

Mount Paozu, the small wooden cabin.

Son Gohan held his two great-grandsons, his white beard twitching as he laughed. "Good! Good! Both are fine lads! Goku, what names do you intend to give the children?"

Son Goku was suddenly struck by a mischievous whim. He squatted to the side, poking the cheek of the child Chi-Chi had borne, and feigned a troubled expression. "Grandpa, I was thinking of naming Chi-Chi's child Son Gohan..."

"Absolutely not!" Son Gohan and Chi-Chi shouted in unison.

Son Gohan puffed out his cheeks, his beard bristling. "I'm still alive and kicking! Are you trying to curse me?!"

"Exactly!" Chi-Chi held Son Gothao, chiding him. "Besides, Gohan is Grandpa's name; you can't just use it like that..."

"Well then..." Son Goku scratched his head, though he had actually decided on the names long ago.

"Let's call him Son Gochi," he said, suddenly looking at Chi-Chi with deep affection. "'Chi,' as in the same sound as 'Chi-Chi,' and also the 'chi' for miracle. He is the miracle you gave me, Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi froze.

Then, her eyes turned red, but the corners of her mouth curled into the most beautiful arc. "Son Gochi... Son Gochi. Good, let's call him that."

Bulma held the other child and raised an eyebrow. "And what about mine?"

Son Goku took the child from Bulma's arms. The little one grabbed his finger with surprising strength.

"Son Gothao," Son Goku smiled. "The 'hao' of righteous spirit. I hope he possesses a noble and upright spirit, and also..." He paused. "I want him to possess power more vast than the universe itself."

Bulma pursed her lips. "Sounds decent enough. But..."

She leaned in close to Son Goku and lowered her voice. "Gochi is a homophone for 'Chi,' and Gothao is 'Hao'? Son Goku, do you think Chi-Chi's son's name is more meaningful than mine? Do you like Chi-Chi more?"

"Eh?!" Son Goku's eyes widened. This caught him off guard; a scientist's train of thought was truly different. He waved his hands in a panic. "No, no! I like them both the same! And both names have great meanings!..."

"Then how about changing Gothao to Gomar?" Bulma asked, deliberately keeping a straight face.

"Ugh!" Son Goku imagined his son being called "Son Gomar" and shuddered. "Let's not change it! I'm afraid the kid will beat me up when he grows up!"

"Hahaha!"

Watching this scene, Son Gohan laughed heartily, his white beard trembling incessantly. "Good! Son Gochi! Son Gothao! Good, good, good!"

Two tiny lives had officially been given names in this world.

West City, Bulma's Manor.

The morning sun spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the living room, where two cribs stood side-by-side next to the sofa.

In the left crib, Son Gochi had messy black hair that stood straight up; in the right, Son Gothao had inherited a faint blue fuzz that lay softly against his scalp.

"Waa--waa--"

"Uwaa--uwaa--"

Cries echoed back and forth in the living room.

Son Goku sat cross-legged on the floor between the cribs, wearing his iconic orange martial arts gi with the "Turtle" kanji on the back. His eyes were closed and his hands rested on his knees as if meditating, but his brows furrowed with the rise and fall of the crying, and fine beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.

[Left is Gochi, right is Gothao...]

[Wait, who was crying just now? The left or the right?]

[No... the left stopped, the right started, then the left started again... are they both crying now?]

He peeked open one eye to glance at the two little ones, then quickly shut it again, pretending nothing had happened, muttering to himself, "Mind like still water... mind like still water..."

"Goku!"

Bulma's voice came from upstairs, accompanied by the "thump-thump-thump" of her descending the stairs. She was in her pajamas, her hair a bird's nest, dark circles under her eyes, clutching a baby bottle in her hand. "You're faking sleep again! Didn't you hear the kids crying?!"

"I heard them..." Son Goku opened his eyes, looking innocent, his tail curling behind him in grievance. "But I can't tell who is crying... their voices are getting more and more alike..."

"Idiot!" Bulma grabbed a pillow from the sofa and hurled it, hitting Goku squarely in the head. "The black hair is Gochi, the blue fuzz is Gothao! How can you not remember that!"

"But their hair colors are getting more and more similar..." Son Goku caught the pillow, muttering softly, "And Gothao only has a few strands of blue left..."

"That's your imagination!" Bulma put her hands on her hips, then couldn't help but let out a massive yawn, tears welling up. "Ah... so sleepy. Gothao was fussy all night long. That kid is a true Saiyan descendant; his energy is terrifying. He kicked the crib until it nearly fell apart..."

"Gochi was the same," Chi-Chi said, walking out of the kitchen with two glasses of warm milk, also sporting faint dark circles under her eyes. "He woke up three times in the middle of the night and wouldn't sleep unless I held him. He'd cry the moment I put him down. But..."

She looked at the cribs, her eyes filled with maternal light. "Both children are healthy, and their cries are loud. That's enough. It means they'll both be strong martial artists in the future."

Son Goku stood up, walked between Bulma and Chi-Chi, looked left and right, and suddenly reached out to pull them both into his arms.

"Hey! What are you doing! It's the morning..." Bulma's face flushed. Since they were married, her body had become more sensitive; caught by surprise, she nearly dropped the bottle.

"Thank you," Son Goku's voice was soft. He rested his chin gently on top of Bulma's head, his arms holding Chi-Chi tightly as well. "Thank you for giving me such lovely children. I... I will protect you, forever and ever. No matter who it is, even if it's a monster from the universe, they won't be able to touch a single hair on your heads."

Bulma and Chi-Chi exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously.

"Idiot," Bulma turned her face away, but the corners of her mouth were upturned, and the tips of her ears were red. "Why are you being so serious all of a sudden... it's so cheesy..."

"Exactly," Chi-Chi tapped him lightly, but she didn't pull away, instead leaning in closer. "Go change the diapers! That's the real business!"

"Yes!"

Son Goku trotted happily toward the cribs, then froze.

He looked at the two little ones waving their tiny hands in the cribs, then at the pile of diapers nearby, and fell into deep thought.

"Wait... how do you change a diaper again? Which one do you take off first? The front or the back?"

"Goku--!"

"I'm learning! I'm learning right now!"

When Son Gothao and Son Gochi reached their one-month milestone, Son Goku invited all the Z Fighters to gather together.

Feeling that everyone's combat power was improving a bit slowly, and that they had all reached a certain level, Son Goku decided to let everyone try gravity training.