AU - Just a little one-shot I wanted to do of the day-to-day lives of the Son family.

Note: This is a spin-off OAV from the Golden Age storyline I'm currently writing, where Gohan is in a relationship with Videl and Zangya.

Dragonball Z

Golden Age

The Trouble with Teleporting

It was a bright, sunny day over the East District region of Mount Paozu; perfect weather for all manner of outdoor activities. Camping, soccer, swimming, hunting, mountain climbing, running, paddle boarding, you name it. Considering it was a Saturday morning too, you could bet there were already going to be a lot of people out and about.

For the family living in the small, dome-shaped country home formally known as the Son Residence however, the people there had a few different ideas of what could be done on a gorgeous day like this. For the den mother Chi-Chi, she was enjoying a nice hot cup of tea out on her favorite lawn chair, sharing a pleasant conversation over the phone with her close friend Bulma.

As for her sons Gohan, Goten, and their resident family friends, well…

Out in the middle of an open field just over the nearest hill, Piccolo, Zangya, Videl and Goten could be seen standing shoulder to shoulder in no particular order, watching the most bizarre sight they'd ever seen: Gohan in a squatting position with his hands pointed towards an apple sitting on the ground a couple of feet in front of him. From the serious look of concentration on the demi-Saiyan's face, you could tell that what he was doing was requiring a lot of effort.

Unfortunately the people who were observing him didn't buy it, as indicated by the strange looks the four martial artists on the sidelines were giving their teammate.

"Hey, horse-riding-Harry," Zangya spoke up, hands resting on her hips and a shit-eating grin in play as she attempted to get his attention. "I think I saw it move."

"Really?" the young male in the orange and blue gi asked, keeping his eyes firmly locked on the fruit. "Funny. It doesn't look like it's moved."

Videl shook her head when she heard Zangya snicker and exhaled heavily, "That's because it hasn't, fist-for-brains."

"You've been standing out here in the middle of an open field squatting for over half-an-hour," Piccolo stated, arms crossed with a serious look on his gruff face. "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Gritting his teeth as he continued focusing his energy, the older Saiyan inhaled deeply in meditation. "I'm trying to reverse-engineer dad's Instant Transmission technique and turn it into a throwing move. Figured if I could use the same energy to teleport attacks, objects or people to other places without needing to make physical contact with them, it would be able to help us out of some really tough spots." The teen then grunted as his hands shimmered with energy, indicating he was now attempting to fire off a blast of some kind. "I think I'm getting close."

"Yeah," Videl laughed, pushing one of her pigtails over her shoulder and placing a hand on her waist as she leaned to one side, "Keep telling yourself that, handsome."

Gohan chuckled at her remark, "As many times as I have to, babe."

A smirk of amusement appeared on Zangya's lips, "There's some positive optimism for you."

"You look funny, niichan," Goten remarked, sitting cross-legged on the floor with an innocent smile stretched across his face.

The tomboy standing in between them grinned slyly, "Hey, maybe if you start thinking more happy thoughts you might be able to get that apple to move somewhere faster." As Zangya was trying not to fall over from fits of laughter, the raven haired girl in the black spandex shorts, pink shirt and white singlet, both of which were cut to show off her taut midriff, struck an alluring pose for her Saiyan boyfriend. "Why not try thinking about me?"

"You're just trying to distract me," Gohan said through a forced grin.

"Maybe," Videl murmured, looking away momentarily before throwing the boy a sly smile, "Is it working?"

"Don't know yet. Give me a moment," the half-Saiyan replied, his smirk disappearing as his overall visage intensified.

For the next couple of minutes the group stood or sat there watching Gohan, feeling his energy toss and turn in a bunch of different directions that would've had their heads spinning if they weren't already used to it. After seeing the teen's palms shimmer and the apple he was aiming for glow, Zangya then glanced over her shoulder towards the valley behind them. "What are you aiming for anyway?"

"The log," Gohan answered, a bead of sweat appearing on his temple as he took another deep breath, "A hundred yards to your right." His directions allowed the group to see exactly where he planned on sending his mark, which wasn't that far at all by any stretch of the imagination. But from the amount of time he'd already spent out here, it was almost like he was trying to bench-press a planet in base form.

"Clear your mind, kid," Piccolo instructed, a sagely look on display as he continued to watch Gohan go through all the steps of dimensional break-down and teleportation in his head. "Focus only on the objective and nothing else."

"Then project it," Gohan finished, earning an affirmative nod from his teacher before his hands started wafting with transparent energy once again.

A couple seconds later, as the group continued to look on quietly, the apple in front of Gohan suddenly vanished. A light thump a little ways behind them then drew their attention over to the stationary log, where they saw the red fruit sitting perfectly on top of it. As soon as the object had landed, the half-Saiyan stood up out of his stance and raised his arms in the air victoriously.

"Yes! It worked! Gah!" The Saiyan stumbled sideways with a limp, his hand reaching down to vigorously rub his right thigh, "Pins and needles…" Zangya, Goten and Videl snickered when they saw the half-Saiyan walk a couple of laps around his patch to work out the cramps he'd gotten from staying in the mabu stance for the last thirty minutes.

After managing to stretch out the numbness in his limbs and lower back, the demi-Saiyan then spent the next hour practicing his newfound technique so that he wouldn't forget the process. While Goten and Zangya detached themselves from the spectator block to have a light spar out in the open valley, Videl remained present a she watched Gohan successfully teleport a number of different objects lying about the place, including leaves, branches, cloth, his gi top, a pair of boots Piccolo conjured up using his materialization technique, and a couple of birds that happened to be flying overhead. When the tiny finches reappeared in another area of the sky from where they were initially chasing each other, Gohan knew he was getting the new move down pat.

With the success of being able to hit live, moving targets spurring the demi-Saiyan on, the young hero then started experimenting with other, more volatile materials; particularly the energy attacks Piccolo started pitching his way at his request.

When the Namekian fired an orange sphere of energy towards the Saiyan from fifty feet away, Gohan thrust his hand towards the approaching blast and gave a loud yell. In a flash, the attack vanished into thin air, before a distant sound of an explosion impacting a mountain echoed across the countryside.

Glancing over his shoulder towards the edifice standing over a kilometer away and seeing a plume rising out of its side, Piccolo smirked, "Was that intentional?"

"You bet it was," Gohan chuckled, clenching his fist and looking down at his knuckles excitedly. "Man, this is awesome. The next guy I fight is going to be in for one hell of a shock when I start hitting him with this move."

In the midst of his celebrations, the demi-Saiyan was interrupted by Videl floating over from her spot and landing next to him with her hands set behind her back. "Hey. Can you teach me how to use the Instant Transmission technique, Gohan-kun?"

"Oh. You want to learn how to use it too?"

"You said it's a really useful move to have in a tight spot, right? Well I figure if I'm going to be fighting with you guys for the next few years, I may as well learn how to teleport as well," the tomboy chirped, before giving her boyfriend a shrug. "Plus I think it'll be really cool to be able to jump from place to place at a moment's notice."

A grin formed on Gohan's lips as he walked up to his girl, hands resting on his hips as he gave the raven haired beauty a mischievous look. "It's a really tricky move to learn. Plus it takes a lot out of you if you don't have the energy."

Videl grinned, placing her hands on the Saiyan's chest teasingly, "Try me."

Rolling his eyes, Piccolo looked away while the two youngsters flirted. When he did, the Namekian completely missed Zangya floating down from the sky to drape her arms around Gohan's neck from behind. The orange haired woman literally hung off of the teen's shoulders as she peeked at him from behind.

"Hey. What's this about you teaching your teleportation technique to Videl?" The Hera's eyes twinkled with mischief and excitement. "What about me? Can I get in on this action?"

The half-Saiyan looked over his shoulder at his other girlfriend with a chuckle, "The first lesson's free if you're interested in joining us."

"Well… seeing as how we're all out here and I've got nothing better to do, I might as well," Zangya whispered, giving the half-Saiyan a teasing nibble on his ear.

"Oh-oh! Me too! Me too!" the chirpy voice of Goten suddenly interrupted as the hybrid child suspended himself in front of his older brother, upside-down and a beaming look directed towards the teenagers. He then pressed his hands together while the girls hanging off of his beloved sibling separated. "Can you teach me how to teleport as well, niichan? Please, please, please."

Laughing as he saw the amount of requests he was now receiving from all those present, the demi-Saiyan nodded in consent, "Alright, alright. Sure. I can teach all of you the technique. But first we're going to have to start from the basics…

XXX

For the next hour Gohan spent running Videl, Zangya and Goten through the steps of his teleportation technique. There was a lot of information that needed to be covered and a lot of explanations to be given, as there were obviously dozens of risks associated with not just using the move, but learning it. Such guidelines he needed to cover included third and fourth dimensional travel, the amount of energy required to successfully pull off the teleportation, using ki signatures as an anchor point, the difference between linear and multi-linear travel, and spatial awareness.

Due to the material he had to explain the demi-Saiyan almost lost Goten on it, but the kid was so excited right now that even the most boring lectures wouldn't be able to set him off from this path. They were all determined to learn this technique for various reasons.

Videl and Zangya wanted to spend time with their half-Saiyan prince and Goten just wanted to learn a cool move to use against Trunks.

Anyway, after all the minor verbal details of the method were explained and the warning labels had been processed, Gohan then went about teaching them the physical aspects of the technique. This consistent of the Saiyan setting up a marker across the valley and seeing if his three students could successfully teleport over to it from their starting point by the oak tree. It was simple enough and there weren't any obstacles in the way to disrupt them.

Even Piccolo had decided to get involved, having been listening intently to the Saiyan's lesson and learning everything he needed to know to test it out.

"Alright!" Gohan shouted, cupping a hand over his mouth to project his voice across the hills, where he could see his friends and family warming up. "You guys can start whenever you want! Remember to focus and use my energy as a guideline. It'll help you to get from point A to point B."

Stopping his bouncing long enough to hear his brother, Goten then went about trying to use the technique. Tensing up and assuming a position of firm attention, the child kept his arms locked at his sides as he began going through the steps one after the other.

The two women did the same thing, placing their fingers to their foreheads and focusing. However, before any of them could gain any traction in the procedure, they were suddenly interrupted when they heard a zap right next to them. Blinking in surprise, the youngsters then watched Piccolo materialize next to Gohan on the other side of the prairie, his fingers pressed to his forehead and his expression remaining completely unchanged.

"Wow. That was fast," Gohan chuckled, looking up at his mentor and seeing him cross his arms again.

"It was easy enough," the Namekian replied sternly while looking down at his student. "Since Kami already knew how to use the Instantaneous Movement technique, all I had to do was repurpose it for your variation of the move."

"Cool," the demi-Saiyan exclaimed before turning back to look across the valley. "Okay girls! It's your turn! There's no need to rush!"

With Goten grunting as he struggled to get his head around the mechanics, Zangya and Videl stared at one another for a moment. Expressions becoming serious and competitive, the pair then turned their attention back to the finishing line across the way and started focusing.

"Alright, Videl. Relax, clear your mind, center your energy, and focus on your objective," Videl whispered to herself encouragingly as she narrowed her eyes on the spot directly next to Gohan. "There's a barrier in front of you. Open up that barrier… and…" All of a sudden, her entire body seemed to shimmer before, in a blink of particles, vanished in a flash. A split second later the teenager materialized right next to her boyfriend and stumbled across the grass, gasping in shock. "Throw yourself to your target! Yes!" Punching a fist up in victory, the girl's legs suddenly buckled beneath her and she collapsed to the ground, panting for air as sweat dribbled down her face. "Oh, man… that was…*gasp* intense…"

Gohan grinned down at his girlfriend, "Told you. It takes a lot of energy." It was then he suddenly saw Videl's face pale, moments before the girl leaned over and threw up on the grass. The Saiyan cringed when he saw her retch up what was left of her breakfast and, leaning over, patted her on the back. "Yeah… that'll happen the first few times."

"Th-Thanks for the warning…" Videl groaned, spitting on the ground one last time.

After making sure his girlfriend was okay and that she'd gotten the necessary amount of oxygen back into her lungs, the Saiyan then straightened up, turned his attention to the remaining two, and called out to them. "Okay Zangya! Goten! It's your go!"

Zangya furrowed her brow as she tried to concentrate, but then turned her attention to Goten when she heard the kid growling and grunting under his breath. Seeing the angry expression that'd twisted across his face and sensing his energy going a little too high, the woman knelt down beside him and, placing a hand on the little tike's head, smiled.

"Relax, squirt. You won't be able to get anywhere if you're all tensed up like that." When she saw the youngster look at her curiously, Zangya then poked him playfully in the nose. "You have to focus and throw yourself."

Nodding in understanding, Goten took a few deep breaths and set himself back into position. Bringing his fingers to his head, the youngster gave a low murmuring sound as he went back through the steps one by one.

When a couple minutes went by and nothing happened, Zangya shared a small smile and patted the kid on the head. "Next time, kiddo." Straightening up after seeing the kid deflate and give a quiet 'ah, man', the Hera then set about the task of pulling it off herself. Inhaling and exhaling one last time, Zangya then placed her index and middle finger to her forehead and focused. "Okay. Here I go." Seconds later, her body flickered before vanishing in a flash.

Gohan, Piccolo and Videl, all three of whom were watching from a distance, then waited to see where the Hera would pop up. At first it surprised them when Zangya didn't rematerialize out of thin air right away, but they gave her a moment as she'd probably overshot her mark.

After several seconds passed them however, they started to get a little bit concerned.

"Uhh… Gohan," Videl said.

"Any minute now," the Saiyan said. A smile remained on his face as he drummed his fingers against his bicep, confident that his best friend and sparring partner of many years would reappear. However, after a minute passed and nothing, his look of half-confidence transformed into one of concern. "Uh-oh."

Sweat began to run down the normally stoic Piccolo's face, "She should've reappeared by now."

"Unless she already has. Only she's, you know… here… and there…" Videl continued, her eyes looking around their area cautiously, "and there… and kinda everywhere."

"Zangya!" Gohan rushed out onto the field, a look of fear and dread on his face as he began running around trying to find out where his girlfriend had gotten to.

Piccolo, Videl and Goten joined him and soon the entire group was walking and running about the valleys, attempting to figure out what'd happened to their teammate and training companion. They went jogging up and down hills, searching the skies and scanning the forests, expecting to see the Hera pop out at any second. But after about ten minutes passed, there was absolutely no sign of the woman.

While Piccolo continued searching the air from his spot on the ground and Goten was hilariously looking underneath a rock, an equally worried Videl was pacing around the open field impatiently.

"This has… happened before, right?" the tomboy asked, looking across at her boyfriend who she could see was anxiously walking around in circles with his hands on his hips. "I mean… when you dematerialize you sort of… don't get back together until much later?"

"No. The body always rematerializes immediately afterwards," Gohan informed, looking around the place in panic. "My variation of teleportation doesn't have the body break apart. It transports you to another dimension and deposits you wherever you're aiming. The matter of the object always retains constitution during flight."

"Okay, so… where is Zangya?" Videl asked, gritting her teeth as she looked across the countryside. "Could it be that she ended up stuck in the other dimension?"

Dropping the stone he was lifting, Goten stood up, "I can still sense her."

"So can I," Gohan said, tapping his foot and looking down at the ground, "Right here. That means she has to be close by?"

"Yeah. But where?" Videl spoke up again, walking over to where her boyfriend was standing as they began narrowing down their search. Goten and Piccolo walked over too, and soon the four of them were standing in a small circle, searching the wind for someone who they just couldn't see.

It was then after a moment of looking around Piccolo raised a hand. "Hang on." When the trio turned to the Namekian, the Z-fighter then pointed downwards. "Does anyone else hear that?"

Remaining quiet, the youngsters opened their ears as wide as they could and began listening for what Piccolo had somehow managed to pick up. Several seconds of standing there and listening to their surroundings, the group then heard the distinct, muffled sound of screaming. Initially perplexed by the odd rumbling noise, when they then heard the sound of grass and earth sifting beneath them, every single person's eyes widened and they looked at their feet.

"She's in the ground!" Videl shouted.

"Oh my God, Zangya!" Gohan also yelled, dropping to his knees and beginning to dig alongside Goten and his girlfriend.

The three kids began hauling dirt by the bucketful and tossing it to the side, whereas Piccolo simply stood off to the side and looked on warily as a large hole, big enough to fit a coffin inside, was dug up.

Several minutes of pushing away rocks, ground and chunks of dirt and clay, Gohan, Goten and Videl then leapt back when the earth beneath them suddenly burst upwards and Zangya's grungy, dirt-covered form sat bolt upright directly in front of them. The woman gave a loud shriek the moment she emerged, eyes wide in terror as she heaved in deep gasps of air.

"WHAT HAPPENED?! WHERE AM I?!" the woman shouted, panting heavily as her eyes then settled on Gohan and the others next to her, all of whom were looking at her in shock. The terrified girl gulped when she finally realized where she was. "Did I… did I die?"

Several moments later, after getting a good look at the Hera, covered in dirt, grass and worms, with her beautiful orange hair all frizzled up, Videl and Goten's cheeks puffed out. Three seconds of snickering later, and the two of them collapsed on the ground and started laughing their asses off, tears appearing in the corners of their eyes as they rolled around in hysterics.

Zangya's hair bristled even more as she glared down at the two cackling hyenas, "DON'T LAUGH AT ME, YOU JACKASSES! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" It was then she heard the sounds of more stifled laughter and turned to see Gohan with his hand clamped over his mouth, whereas Piccolo had turned his back to them completely.

Judging from the way the Namekian's cape was jerking around his shoulders, the man was obviously attempting to suppress laughs of his own.

Blushing to the roots of her now brown hair, Zangya turned her attention to her half-Saiyan boyfriend, who was right now trying to calm himself down. "Gohan-kun…" she whimpered.

The spiky haired male then patted the Hera on the shoulder comfortingly, "It's okay, Zan-chan. I'm sure you'll have *snicker* better luck on your next try. Just make sure to aim for the top of the hill next time, okay?" He then received a punch to the arm from his girlfriend, who then returned to pouting as the others continued laughing.

If nothing else, the group had learned some very important lessons about teleportation today.

First: it took a lot of energy and concentration. Two: it made you throw up on your first try. And three…

Watch where you're going or you'll end up where Zangya had… literally.

END