The reflection took Gohan by surprise for a bit, if only because of what stared back at him. The older man taking a moment to experiment with the reflection, moving his hand up... and watching as the reflection clenched its fist, and punched the mirror, breaking through it.
It was enough that Gohan had to step back as his younger self stepped forward, clad in battle-torn clothing, multiple bruises, and plenty of blood. His younger self's attention completely on him, as the kid stood there, just... staring.
"... Why are you here?" Gohan asked, his voice tense. He knew this wasn't really him, but he didn't know what that meant for his younger self's power level, given he couldn't sense it anymore. He remembered when he turned Super Saiyan 2, and he remembered just how powerful he'd been.
He also remembered just how cold and vindictive he'd been, something that jumped to the forefront of his mind, as his younger self zipped forward at speeds he could no longer match, and gripped his throat, lifting him off the ground.
"You're a coward."
The first words his younger self said, and they were dripping with so much venom. It was enough that Gohan raised his feet, planted them firmly on his younger self's chest, and kicked him off, breaking the neck hold. For good measure, he threw an energy blast down, hoping to kick up enough rubble to maybe obscure him as he jumped back.
A prospect that quickly evaporated, the moment his younger self's golden aura flared to life, and dispelled all the rubble.
"You don't even care about being strong. This is why all our friends and family keep dying, because you won't become strong enough to protect them."
That made Gohan bristle, the older man gritting his teeth. He knew that wasn't true, that he had a lot more responsibilities now, but all the same, it still stung. "And what kind of life would that be, only worrying about being the strongest? What would be the point of protecting my family and friends, if I'm never around to be with them?"
Finally, Gohan settled into his familiar combat stance, taking a deep breath. "I'm fine with never being the strongest, even if I could be. We already have someone striving for that every day, and it's our dad."
That made the younger self growl, blasting forward to fight Gohan proper. The older man gritting his teeth, as he immediately got on the defensive, dodging and blocking blows.
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It was enough that Gohan had to step back as his younger self stepped forward, clad in battle-torn clothing, multiple bruises, and plenty of blood. His younger self's attention completely on him, as the kid stood there, just... staring.
"... Why are you here?" Gohan asked, his voice tense. He knew this wasn't really him, but he didn't know what that meant for his younger self's power level, given he couldn't sense it anymore. He remembered when he turned Super Saiyan 2, and he remembered just how powerful he'd been.
He also remembered just how cold and vindictive he'd been, something that jumped to the forefront of his mind, as his younger self zipped forward at speeds he could no longer match, and gripped his throat, lifting him off the ground.
"You're a coward."
The first words his younger self said, and they were dripping with so much venom. It was enough that Gohan raised his feet, planted them firmly on his younger self's chest, and kicked him off, breaking the neck hold. For good measure, he threw an energy blast down, hoping to kick up enough rubble to maybe obscure him as he jumped back.
A prospect that quickly evaporated, the moment his younger self's golden aura flared to life, and dispelled all the rubble.
"You don't even care about being strong. This is why all our friends and family keep dying, because you won't become strong enough to protect them."
That made Gohan bristle, the older man gritting his teeth. He knew that wasn't true, that he had a lot more responsibilities now, but all the same, it still stung. "And what kind of life would that be, only worrying about being the strongest? What would be the point of protecting my family and friends, if I'm never around to be with them?"
Finally, Gohan settled into his familiar combat stance, taking a deep breath. "I'm fine with never being the strongest, even if I could be. We already have someone striving for that every day, and it's our dad."
That made the younger self growl, blasting forward to fight Gohan proper. The older man gritting his teeth, as he immediately got on the defensive, dodging and blocking blows.
"YOU'RE A WASTE OF POTENTIAL!"
"And you're too young to understand!"