Gohan and Piccolo

A Rude Awakening

Piccolo carries the unconscious Gohan to a shallow lake and drops him into the water to wake him up. The boy has been out cold since Raditz knocked him unconscious during the earlier battle. Gohan panics immediately, crying out for his father. Piccolo silences him with a threat to break his neck, then delivers the grim truth: Goku is dead, having sacrificed himself to defeat Raditz. Gohan begins sobbing, and Piccolo repeats his threat before continuing.

He explains that Goku's friends plan to use the Dragon Balls to revive him, but that is not the real concern. Two warriors even more dangerous than Raditz will reach Earth in one year. Even with Goku alive again, the two of them alone will not be enough. Piccolo tells Gohan plainly that the Earth needs his power.

Hidden Strength Unleashed

Gohan insists he cannot fight, but Piccolo is certain the boy carries enormous latent strength. To prove it, he grabs Gohan by the head and hurls him straight at a nearby mountain. Gohan flies toward the rock face in terror, but something shifts. Fury overtakes fear, and ki surges through his body. He unleashes a blast that obliterates the entire mountain.

Gohan can barely believe what he just did. Piccolo explains that this hidden power surfaces when the boy reaches extreme emotional states, though relying on that alone will not win real battles. Gohan protests that he wants to be a scholar, not a martial artist. Piccolo counters that scholarly ambitions are fine, provided the boy first survives the Saiyans who plan to exterminate every human on the planet. Gohan says he is scared, and Piccolo tells him there is no time for fear. Training starts now. Gohan pleads to wait for his father's return, but Piccolo laughs and insults Goku. Far away on Serpent Road, Goku sneezes.