"Disciple dares not…" Gohan replied instinctively. Then he gave a helpless chuckle and added, "Master, even though you're right, the two of you like this… it's kind of…" He glanced at Taro and Hathaway's faces—compared to his own, they looked decades younger.
"Hm—?" Taro let out a long hum as he sat there, narrowing his eyes.
Gohan looked down at the baby boy in his arms.
"Your master, you see, left Earth more than half a year ago… with this kid in mind. But he wouldn't raise him himself, so, Gohan, after thinking it through, we figured you must get awfully lonely all alone out there in the deep mountains. So… we're entrusting this child to you," Hathaway explained, stifling a laugh.
"Madam, you know I never found a partner… I don't know the first thing about raising a child…" Gohan was old in years, but still young at heart—especially when facing these two extraordinary elders. They had watched him grow up, yet now looked far younger than him. So every time he stood before them, Gohan couldn't help but feel like a child again.
"That's no issue—Jarvis can provide you with all the parenting material you'll need. Full video tutorials too," Taro said, as if everything had already been planned out thoroughly.
"Well then…"
Gohan looked down at the child in his arms. The boy was still sleeping—awfully soundly too. He suddenly smiled, looked up, and said to Taro and Hathaway, "Alright then. I'll take the child back with me to Mount Paozu. You know, Master, Madam, now that you mention it, it has been lonely out there… Having a little one around might just be the company I needed… Master?"
He noticed Taro wasn't paying attention to what he was saying—he was just staring at the baby in his arms. Hathaway was looking too. Gohan lowered his head to check and saw the infant boy had woken up at some point. His round, black eyes were wide open… but there was a fierce, menacing glint in them. Gohan felt puzzled—how could a child this young have such a hostile look in his eyes?
"What a fierce look… Does the child have a name?" Hathaway asked after gazing at him for a moment.
As they say: you don't notice until you see it. And now, it was definitely strange. Hathaway had always been gifted with the ability to sense good and evil in people. Taro often guessed it came from her pure soul—it allowed her to instinctively perceive the nature hidden in others' energy, much like a martial arts master.
She hadn't sensed anything while the child was asleep, but the moment he opened his eyes in Gohan's arms, Hathaway immediately noticed something unusual.
This child had a violent disposition—it left her quietly startled just to look at him.
Even the Phoenix on the sofa had puffed up. It was staring the baby down, clearly uneasy. Its instincts as a divine bird made it dislike the gaze of this human infant immensely. If Taro weren't present, it might have already pecked him. The Phoenix paced back and forth on the back of the sofa, occasionally glancing at the baby. But the boy's shiny black eyes had already turned away.
"Let's name him… Son Goku," Taro said softly.
Hathaway nodded, understanding that he was giving the boy Gohan's surname.
Gohan thought the name was absolutely perfect. He couldn't help but cradle the child and laugh joyfully: "Goku, Son Goku… Hahaha, little Son Goku!"
"Waaah!"
Kakarrot didn't like being lifted up by the armpits like that. He flailed irritably, reached out, and yanked on Gohan's white beard. Gohan just chuckled and didn't mind.
Kakarrot was still a young baby, with little emotional awareness. After waking up, he blinked at the unfamiliar environment, and after being hoisted about by Gohan for a bit, he noticed there wasn't any mist wafting over to fill his stomach like before. Immediately, he burst into loud cries.
With Jarvis and Hathaway's help, Gohan prepared his first-ever bottle of baby formula. He carefully offered it to his little "grandson", Son Goku.
The force with which "Goku" bit down on the bottle nipple startled Gohan. Milk dribbled on him, and he sighed with a doting smile. "Master… you've really given your disciple a handful."
Hathaway found the scene both funny and endearing. It reminded her of when Tam was just a baby—it had been a warm and tender time… though tender as it was, she certainly wasn't going to be the one handling Kakarrot's diapers or feedings. Let Gohan take care of that—he was a perfect fit. Heh.
Taro shook his head, furrowing his brow as he watched Kakarrot angrily suck on the bottle in Gohan's arms. He stood and walked over. Gohan looked up at him. Taro reached out his palm and gently placed it on the still-feeding Kakarrot's forehead. Gohan asked, "What is it, Master?"
Kakarrot didn't like being touched like that. He glared fiercely at Taro, clearly annoyed.
"…" Taro remained silent for a moment before withdrawing his hand. He muttered softly, "No rush… no rush…" He stared into Kakarrot's bright eyes—pure, yet with hints of latent violence. It was as if he could glimpse the other side of this child's soul. Slowly, Taro whispered to himself, "Let's hope I won't come to regret this decision someday…"
"Hey, Taro… what is it?" Hathaway noticed his odd expression.
Taro shook his head and sat back down. "This child comes from a race of aliens who call themselves a warrior people. Their kind…" He sighed, "Are incredibly prideful, born with too much aggression. Their potential is great, but they're always combative… rarely do they meet a peaceful end."
"There's such a race out in the universe…" Gohan looked at the child in his arms. The fierce and savage aura etched in his brow couldn't be hidden, not even from Gohan. For a baby this young to carry such aggression… it had to be a genetic trait of the species.
Hathaway looked thoughtful.
Kakarrot soon finished the bottle, tossed it aside—but Gohan caught it mid-air with quick reflexes. "Heh," Gohan chuckled, "Master wasn't kidding—this kid's got a temper."
He had expected the baby to sleep again after feeding. But instead, Kakarrot blinked a few times, noticed no new bottle was coming, and immediately burst into fresh tears.
"What now?" Gohan was baffled.
"This species… all have massive appetites," Taro reminded him.
Gohan was stunned. He looked down at the crying, hungry baby in his arms. Hathaway couldn't help but laugh.