She wasn't wrong, this really wasn't the time to vent his frustrations. But a part of him couldn't help it, the sight of his angry younger self just... rubbing Gohan the wrong way. He was pretty confident that he'd worked through most of his issues, that he'd found a way to balance his power and responsibilities. But the sight of himself right now, his 'darkness' made manifest...
The fact that his mirror self existed told him he wasn't over it.
"... You're right. Sorry." He said, his tone of voice softer. The tense edge in his voice gone, as his combat stance dropped. "I just... don't like knowing that I'm not over this yet. That somewhere in the back of my mind, I still keep feeling guilty about the fact that I'm not the strongest." He stepped closer, walking over to his younger self. The kid gritting his teeth in anger, but otherwise not moving. "My entire childhood, everyone told me that I needed to help. That if I didn't, we would die. I trained all the time, I got stronger than most of my dad's friends, I used my potential because if I didn't, we would die. And by the time I was ten, I was stronger than my own dad. The strongest man I've ever known."
He knelt down beside his younger self, on one knee. His other leg propped up, his forearm resting on that knee. "But that's not us. That's not what life's about. We spent our whole childhood fighting intergalactic threats and watching our friends die, but in exchange, we never actually got to live our life."
His younger self's expression softened, no longer gritting his teeth. There was still some intensity to his expression, but it was nowhere near as angry as it was before.
"So yeah, I'm not the strongest. In fact, I might never be the strongest." Gohan said, then added with a smile. "But I'll always be able to rely on dad to fight the big fights... and I'll still be powerful enough to save the people closest to me. Because that's what matters. Keeping our loved ones safe."
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The fact that his mirror self existed told him he wasn't over it.
"... You're right. Sorry." He said, his tone of voice softer. The tense edge in his voice gone, as his combat stance dropped. "I just... don't like knowing that I'm not over this yet. That somewhere in the back of my mind, I still keep feeling guilty about the fact that I'm not the strongest." He stepped closer, walking over to his younger self. The kid gritting his teeth in anger, but otherwise not moving. "My entire childhood, everyone told me that I needed to help. That if I didn't, we would die. I trained all the time, I got stronger than most of my dad's friends, I used my potential because if I didn't, we would die. And by the time I was ten, I was stronger than my own dad. The strongest man I've ever known."
He knelt down beside his younger self, on one knee. His other leg propped up, his forearm resting on that knee. "But that's not us. That's not what life's about. We spent our whole childhood fighting intergalactic threats and watching our friends die, but in exchange, we never actually got to live our life."
His younger self's expression softened, no longer gritting his teeth. There was still some intensity to his expression, but it was nowhere near as angry as it was before.
"So yeah, I'm not the strongest. In fact, I might never be the strongest." Gohan said, then added with a smile. "But I'll always be able to rely on dad to fight the big fights... and I'll still be powerful enough to save the people closest to me. Because that's what matters. Keeping our loved ones safe."