Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: How We Met

"Mommy! Mommy! Tell me a story!" A young boy enthusiastically cried. His mother's reddish hair swayed with her turn. Her swirl patterned irises, her most defining features, stared down at the boy with a warm color.

"Shouldn't you be doing your homework, Goten?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I got bored." He answered with a big smile. To him it didn't seem like much of a big deal even though she'd disagree with that. It was hard getting her son to focus on things that didn't pertain to the woods that surrounded their home. He was much like his father in that aspect. Perhaps telling him a story will satiate him enough to get him to focus on his homework later.

"Fine, but you have to promise to finish all of your homework before school tomorrow, okay?" She offered a compromise. "Pinky promise?"

Goten frowned slightly but decided that it was the best he'd get. Unlike his siblings who always diligently did their schoolwork, Goten never found any sense of fulfillment of doing it unless he would get something out of it. The little hybrid raised his pinky to wrap around his mother's larger one. "Pink promise."

"Good." She moved to sit down on a dining room chair. Her son wasted no time in hopping onto her lap to get nice and comfy for the story. "This is a story that you and your siblings haven't heard before."

"Not even Gohan?!"

"Nope. I've never told him either." His mother smiled.

"Woah~! Cool! I'm the first one to hear it! What is it?!" Goten asked excitedly.

"A story about a void of darkness illuminated by a single speck of light."

As long as she could remember, she had always been alone. But that was fine, she never needed anyone. No matter who approached her, no matter how many people tried to hurt her, no matter who wanted to abuse her power, she had always triumphed.

A little girl who could control anything she wanted with very little difficulty, the world always just a mere inch from her fingertips. Nobody could understand the desire to control, to force even the highest of society to bow down to her like a mere dog.

Just a point of her finger and… BANG! Another pet to add to her growing herd of animals.

But there was always something, not someone, stopping her from taking that last step. The step that would separate her from the rest of the people who walk these streets. Any time she was given an assignment she would wonder why she never just turned their brains into a slobbering mess. It's simple…it's easy…it's…

"...Liberating…" She muttered, yellow eyes staring at the blue skies above.

But she can't, because even a devil whose purpose is designed for controlling others can be tied to a leash.

So, what happens to that devil when she meets someone who walks freely upon this Earth. Someone whose spirit cannot be controlled no matter how much she tries.

Could she finally be free?

"Your eyes look funny!"

Makima blinked at the monkey-tailed boy standing on the floating cloud. Out of everything she was expecting to deal with today, this strange creature wasn't one of them. Was he a devil perhaps? A monkey devil?

"Hm…most people fear my eyes." She replied calmly, holding the leashes of her pet dogs. Makima's yellow eyes contained multiple blood red rings. Everyone around her found them unnatural, the only piece of her appearance that reveals her devil nature.

"Really? I think they're funny!" He laughed happily.

"Or maybe he's just an idiot." Makima sighed to herself. She examined the boy's features, his weird spikey hair, the orange GI, red staff tied to his back, monkey tail, and floating cloud. If anything he looked less like a devil and more like the physical incarnation of Sun Wukong from Journey to the West.

Makima noticed the looks the two were getting from the rest of the people at the park and decided it was best to leave the boy before unnecessary trouble came her way. Not that she wouldn't be able to deal with it, but it would be a damper on this nice day with her pets.

"Hey, why do you have so many dogs?"

"They're my pets."

"All of them?!"

"Yes."

"How can you have so many pets?"

"It's simple when you know how to keep them under control." She stared him in the eyes, still confused by how unfazed he was by her stare.

"I never had any pets, but Master Roshi has a pet turtle! I think…I'm not sure if Turtle counts as a pet or not. I'll ask him next time I see them!" The monkey boy exclaims.

"I see." Makima says before walking away with her dogs. She felt a small bit of irritation by the way the boy followed behind her on his cloud.

"Do you have any food? I'm pretty hungry!" He asks her.

"No." She replies but considers giving him a dog treat in her bag.

"Do you know somewhere that I could get food?"

"There are several restaurants around the city."

"I don't have any money."

"I see." She yanked on the leases, ordering her dogs to move faster as she increased her speed. Makima was hoping that the mysterious boy would get the message that she didn't want to continue talking, but he seemed to keep following her like a lost puppy.

"Huh? Actually…" She stops and turns to look at the boy, who tilts his head at her. "Fine, I'll buy you something to eat."

"Really?!" His eyes lit up just like a puppy.

A creepy smile crept across her face at the implications filling her head. There was always a sense of satisfaction she got out of treating others like pets to control and this boy was proving to be pretty easy.

Just buy the dog some food and he'll take to you like his mother. Simple, enough.

"Nevermind." Makima watched the disgusting display of eating(?) happening in front of her. The young devil had found a nice little restaurant to take the boy after dropping her dogs back off at her apartment (government owned). What she assumed to be a simple one meal and done had turned into a nightmarish carnage. Within minutes he had cleared out most of what the restaurant was capable of even producing, several patrons left in disgust, and she was receiving heavy glares from the kitchen staff.

Makima had watched it all happen in silence wondering just how much it would take to pay for the amount of food he just consumed. Well, it wasn't like she couldn't pay for the food since she was using the government's money for her expenses. It was likely she'd get asked about it but the young devil didn't really care at the moment.

She was more fascinated by the potential pet that she'd have to take extreme time to properly train. Such terrible table manners wouldn't be good to have after all.

He finished his next plate, stacking it on top of one of the many piles of plates taking up the table. "Can I get another-"

"I think that's enough." Makima interrupted him.

"Huh? But I can still keep going." He argued, pouting.

"Cute." She thought. "You've emptied out this entire restaurant and I think the staff would like us to leave." Makima pointed at the staff, allowing the boy to notice how every single one of them looked ready to kill him.

"Huh? I wonder what's wrong with them. I thought restaurants like it when people eat their food." He said.

"They do."

"Then why are they mad?"

"You ate too much."

"Oh!" He exclaims, clearly not bothered by it. "I think Bulma said that same thing before, but I think it's fine!"

Makima stood from the table, putting her on her black coat with a Scooby-Doo design on the back. She reached into the pocket to pull out her checkbook-

BOOM!

"Hm?" She looked out the window after hearing the loud explosion. She already knew what it was, long used to the destruction caused around the city. "A devil." Makima muttered as she watched the creature make itself known.

Standing on top of a building was a huge devil in the form of a snake, it's venomous eyes peering down on its prey running in terror. The Snake Devil hissed loudly, shaking the buildings, including the restaurant they were in. Makima stood unfazed as the civilians around her were all running for safety.

"What's that?" She looked over to see that the monkey boy didn't look scared at all, in fact he looked a bit excited.

"It's a devil. The Snake Devil apparently." Makima answered, calmly walking towards the exit.

"What's a devil?"

…

…

…

"Excuse me?" For the first time since her creation, Makima looked genuinely confused. "Do you not know what a devil is?"

"Nope! Is it strong?" He asked.

If she wasn't already certain of the strangeness of this boy, then his behavior here cemented him as an anomaly amongst humans and possibly devils too. Anyone would be scared of devils, even Devil Hunters fear them a bit. But this boy looked anything but scared. "I don't know, a devil's strength can vary depending on what fear it represents."

"A lot of people fear snakes, so there's a chance that it's quite strong." Makima explained.

"Alright, then!" He jumped up from his seat and rushed out of the door. "I'll fight this Snake Devil to see how strong he is!"

"Okay." Makima shrugged, following after the monkey boy. She didn't care too much if he wanted to fight it, but losing a potential pet would suck. The young devil watched as the monkey boy pulled out his pole and slammed it on the ground.

"Power Pole, extend!" He shouted and the pole responded by increasing its length rapidly. Once in the air, he pushed himself off the tip of the pole before grabbing it again. With the flip, the monkey boy brought his pole down onto the snake's head incredibly hard. The devil cried in pain, but clearly wasn't out of the count just yet.

It reared back its head, building up an attack within its mouth. With a mighty hiss, the Snake Devil vomited a large mass of venom at the monkey boy. Luckily for the small monkey, a white chain wrapped itself around his waist and yanked him back down towards Makima. The venom had missed him, but it landed on a large group of civilians, melting them to death.

"Thanks, but I could've handled it!" He smiles at Makima.

"Sure, but it would be best to not risk ending up like them." She pointed at the bystanders who had just melted into a puddle of liquid. Much to her confusion she watched as the boy's expression turned from joy to anger. "Seems he's one of the types who values human lives. I don't really understand why."

"Those people…they had no part in this!" He growled.

Makima shrugged. "Perhaps, but all humans have a part in the creation of devils. Whatever they fear will manifest like that one there. Though, I suppose it is a shame that they couldn't evacuate quickly enough."

The monkey boy saw how the Snake Devil continued to attack people, swallowing them in its mouth or melting them with its venom. His anger continued to grow at the carnage in front of him. "Alright! I'll end this one in this next attack! NIMBUS!" He raced forward, jumping onto his cloud as it reached him.

"End it? How exactly do you plan to do that?" Makima wondered.

"Like this!" He declared, racing towards the snake. The devil saw the monkey boy coming towards him and prepared to unleash another blast of venom. With his pole extended once more, the monkey jabbed his staff at the Snake Devil's mouth, jamming it shut before it could fire.

"G-gurgle!" The Snake Devil cried, choking on its own venom.

"Now's my chance!" The monkey boy cupped his hands at his sides. "KA! ME! HA! ME! HAAAAAAA!"

Makima's eyes widened in surprise at the powerful blue beam that fired from the monkey's hands, obliterating the devil instantly. Such a phenomenon was new to her, none of the devils she was aware of could produce such an attack. Energy concentrated into his palms before being thrusted out into a devastating attack.

The young devil's body shivered in anticipation at controlling such a potential pet. Someone to answer at her every call, for her to play and treasure for as long as she wants.

For once, her anticipation got the better of her as the boy descended back down on his cloud. Pointing a finger at him, she shot a white chain right at his head. But something unexpected had happened.

The monkey boy grabbed the chain before it could pierce his skull, staring at it weirdly. "Huh? Is this the thing you used to save me? I'm not in danger anymore, so why did you shoot it at me?"

"Wh-what…?" Makima was once again stumped by this boy.

"Unless you want to fight?! I'm always up for a spar!" He declared happily as if he hadn't just engaged in battle with a dangerous creature or attacked.

"A-a spar? I just attacked you and you want to have a spar?" Makima questioned, disabling the chain.

The boy scratched the back of his head, smiling like a goof. "Well yeah! A lot of my friends attacked me when I first met them, so it's not a big deal! Hehe!"

"Friends? You think we're friends?"

"Yeah! You're pretty weird, but you fed me and I can feel that you're pretty strong! That means you're a pretty good person!" He laughed.

"Me? Good? I don't think a devil could classify as such. Nor do I have friends." Makima sighed, relaxing her body. As much as she wanted to try again to control the monkey boy, it seems like it wouldn't be easy unless she wanted to end up in a huge fight. Perhaps she should take him up on that spar just to see how strong this potential new pet of hers currently is. "Fine… I suppose we're…friends."

"Awesome! I'm Son Goku!" He jumped off his cloud, holding out his hand to her.

She slowly took his hand to return the handshake. "Makima. It's a pleasure to meet you, Son Goku."

"And soon, once you're under my full control, you'll realize that our relationship is truly much different from being friends."

"You were pretty weird, Mommy."

"Oh? You figured out the girl was me? I'm so proud of my smart little boy." Makima ruffled the boy's spiky hair that resembled his father's.

Goten giggled at her affectionate touch. "You're always talking about dogs, Mommy! It was easy to realize it was you! But who was the monkey-tailed boy?"

"Your Father."

"Woah?! I have one of those!"

"You…had one of those."

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Monkey Rampage

"So, what happens next, Mommy?" Goten asked.

"Hm…I believe I started showing your Father where I worked." Makima replied.

"The Division 4 building, right?!" He asked once more. When she nodded her head, the boy bounced in her lap. "I like visiting there! Old man Kishibe gives me candy sometimes and reminds me not to take candy from strangers."

Makima stared at her son, who stared back at her.

"How many times have you taken candy from strangers?"

"I've tried to, because I was hungry but then Nayuta would always hit me on the head for leaving her side after school."

While Makima wasn't too worried about her children's safety at times (The three of them are more than powerful enough to handle obstacles, human or Devil) she was still grateful that Nayuta had inherited her smarts and common sense. Goten was so much like his father that she was worried he'd forget his own birthday if he wasn't reminded. "Goten, please stick with your sister after school or I'll have to start sending someone to drop you both off at the division building until I'm done with work, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy!" He smiled brightly.

She was actually wondering if that stuck in his head. Well, she'll find out tomorrow if it did or not. Anyway, she had a story to continue. "Let's get on with the story."

"Yeah!"

Goku followed Makima through the buzzingly city after dealing with the Snake Devil. She had instructed him to leave the cloud to avoid attracting attention, but he didn't really understand why that was an issue. "Where are we going? Are we gonna eat more food?"

"No." She ignored the audible groan from her companion. The young devil didn't understand how he could still be hungry after all of that food he had just eaten. "We're heading to the Public Safety Devil Commission."

"Public bathroom commission?"

"No. The Public Safety Devil Commission." She calmly corrected him. "I have to report on the devil that was just killed by you since I was the only officer near the area." If she didn't report then she'd have to hear a boring lecture again, which was a pain in the ass.

"OH! So, your job is to kill those devil things?"

"Yes, or capture them to form contracts."

"Contracts?" Goku tilted his head, scrunching his face in thought. Makima turned around to stare at him, finding the sight of his brain trying to work amusing. Eventually Goku remembered the last time he heard that word. "Ah! Like getting a job!"

"Exactly."

"But you already have a job, right?"

"Yes, but Devil Hunters will form contracts with devils to enhance their strength in capturing or exterminating devils."

"Do you have a contract?"

"Hmmm…perhaps." She responded with a small smile. She turned and continued walking towards the HQ with a confused Goku tailing behind her. "Would you like to have a contract?"

"No way! I'm plenty strong without one! Besides, I like handling my fights by myself!" Goku flexed one of his arms, puffing air from his nostrils.

"Yes…your strength is quite extraordinary for a human." Makima still wasn't sure if the boy behind her was actually human. No human she's ever heard of possessed a monkey tail and she was certain that he wasn't a devil. Which left her to wonder if the tail was simply a genetic mutation or he was some kind of alien.

Not that she believed in aliens, those things belonged in sci-fi films.

"My friends all said the same thing, but I never understood what the deal was. There are plenty of guys stronger than me out there! That's why I need to keep getting stronger, so that I can keep having fun fights with them!" Goku declared with strong determination.

Makima raised a brow, mulling over the motivation of her potential pet. "So, you seek strength to continue having fun fights?"

"Yeah! Isn't it fun to find someone incredibly strong to fight?"

"You might be the only person who thinks that way. All of the people I know seek strength for glory, to protect their loved ones, revenge, or other petty reasons. But one thing they all share in common is the fear of facing an unbeatable challenge, one too great for their strength. But you don't see the problem with that?"

"Not really." Goku disagrees, putting his hands behind his head. "Master Roshi taught me and my friend Krillin this lesson after we lost the World Tournament. No matter how strong you get there'll always be someone stronger than you. Settling for the best is an easy way to be lazy, so it's best to keep growing stronger to reach even further heights!"

Makima paused to allow Goku's words to sink in. "I see. Seeking strength for you means never settling for just being the strongest. You push yourself for self-improvement, correct?"

"Yup! Hehe!"

"Understanding one's pet is the first step to gaining their absolute trust. Seems I've learned something new about Goku other than his miniscule intelligence and abnormal powers." Makima smiled at her thoughts.

"Woah! This building is huge!" Makima winced slightly from Goku's very loud proclamation. The two young pre-teens have arrived at the HQ for the Public Safety Devil Commission. The area wasn't very crowded due to hunters being on assignments, but busy enough to let people know that they were obviously open. She directed the monkey boy to follow her as she stepped through the doors.

A desk clerk, who had been on the phone, saw the familiar head of red hair through the crowd of hunters and quickly hung up the phone. Several other employees and hunters were quick on the uptake that Makima had arrived, quickly shuffling out of her way. Their eyes glanced at her companion, wondering who he could possibly be. "A new devil?" They all wondered.

"M-Miss Makima! I see that you're here on your day off!" The clerk exclaimed with some hesitation. She tried to wipe the sweat forming on her brow from the intimation leaking off of the young devil.

"I'm here to fill out the report on the devil attack that transpired earlier today. I'll be heading towards the director's office to turn it in." She explained as she took one of the sheets from the desk before the woman could say anything else.

"Y-yes!" She saw Goku following Makima towards the opposite hallway. "M-Miss Makima, if you don't mind me asking…who is that?"

Goku was about to respond, but his new friend clamped a hand over his mouth. Makima stared at the clerk with those dangerous eyes of hers, scaring the woman even more. "None of your business."

"R-right! My apologies, Miss Makima!" She cowered in fear as the two disappeared down the hallway, allowing everyone else to release a breath of relief.

Once the two arrived at the director's office, Makima turned to Goku. "While I'm in there I need you to sit in one of these chairs. Do not move and do not talk to anyone who comes by, okay?"

"I can't come in with you?"

"No, but I will be explaining the situation and would rather not risk them asking you any weird questions. Afterwards we will return to my apartment, understand?"

"Sure." Goku shrugged and plopped down on a chair.

"Good." She pats his head like a dog before entering the office. Goku stared at the door for a few minutes, already growing extremely bored of just sitting in place. He was hoping that Makima would finish quickly, so that he could ask her for a spar. He figured after seeing those chains of hers and learning of her job that it would mean she's strong. The little monkey wanted to test his strength against her in a fun spar.

SNIFF!

"Hm?" Goku's nose picked up a delicious aroma coming from somewhere in the building. Getting up from his seat, Goku followed the smell trail to see if it could lead him to some more food. He had completely forgotten about Makima's instructions to stay in his seat.

Goku wandered around the office building as he followed the trail before finally finding the source of the delicious aroma. He audibly gasped at the sight of the cafeteria, watching all of the officers and employees conversing with one another. Makima didn't tell him that there would be such nice smelling food in this place!

"Welp, time to fill my belly!" He raced towards the food line, grabbing a tray to put his food on. The hungry little fighter paid no mind to the weird stares he was receiving from the hunters and employees around him. It didn't take long for Goku to find what he wanted (Basically everything) and walk towards a table.

"HEY, KID!"

"Hm?" Goku turned around, peering past his large pile of food to see some guy marching over to him. "What's wrong?"

"Are you gonna pay for all of that food?" The cashier asked, crossing his arms with a glare.

"I have to pay?"

"Of course! Better yet, what kind of devil are you?! You're out of uniform and you're taking too much food with you!" He yelled. Several murmurs from the audience could be heard, all agreeing about devils being selfish monsters.

"My name's Goku and I'm not a devil!" Goku responded. The little monkey felt his stomach growl and groaned. "Ugh, sorry, Mister, but I'm getting hungry. So, I'm just gonna go eat my food now." He disregarded the man's anger and walked towards a table. His action brought a nasty snarl to the cashier's face.

"Why you stupid little devil…!" The cashier attacked the monkey with a kick. To his and everyone's shock, Goku blocked the attack with one arm as he easily held his tray with the other.

Goku glared at his assailant. "It's not nice to attack others with their backs turned!" He gripped the cashier's leg and yanked him forward. Unprepared for the little monkey's strength, the cashier could do nothing as the back of Goku's fist smashed into his nose, propelling the man across the cafeteria.

Unfortunately for Goku, it seems like the hunters in the cafeteria didn't exactly like his response. "Hey! Devils working with the Commission aren't allowed to attack humans!" One hunter shouted.

"Breaking that rule is punishable by death!" Another added.

"I already told you guys that I'm not a devil!" Goku refuted, but his words went unheard. All of the hunters climbed to their feet, pulling out their guns, swords, or other weapons to kill the young martial artist. "So, you guys want to fight, huh?"

"What does it look like, devil brat?!"

"Can you at least wait till I finish my food first?"

"LIKE HELL!" They shouted comically. "KILL THAT BRAT!"

Taking a few bites out of a freshly cooked burger, Goku ducked under several swipes of sharp blades. His left foot caught the tray while the other kicked the blades upwards, then Goku quickly flipped back onto his feet as he impressively re-held the food with his right hand. With a single jump Goku landed swift strikes at the sword wielders that sent them flying away from him.

Jumping on top of the tables, Goku took off as bullets rained down on him, but the boy was more concerned with eating what was still on his tray of food. One hunter tried to swipe at him with his brass knuckled fist, but Goku easily caught the attack with his palm. He then twisted the guy's arm, flipping him around and then kicking him face first into the ceiling. A female hunter slapped the spot in front of the little monkey with her whip.

"You've been a bad little monkey!" She cried as she wrapped the whip around his ankle. She yanked back in hopes of pulling him into the air, but the boy didn't move. "W-what?!"

"You're gonaha hafta trfy betters thanfts that!" He declared while munching on more food. Goku pulled his leg back, yanking the woman towards him to meet his fist with her face. The momentum from the pull caused her to keep going past him even after receiving that knockout hit.

Several more brawler-like hunters piled on Goku, forcing the monkey to toss his tray into the air. With expert movements, he avoided each punch or kick that came his way from his opposition. Whipping out his Power Pole, Goku twirled the staff around in a flurry of movements. "Power Pole, extend!" He swung the elongated pole into the group of hunters, smashing them across the cafeteria and into the food stations, which caused an even bigger mess. Goku caught the tray of food as it came back down. He sat down on the table and continued happily munching on his lunch.

"HEY, YOU DAMN DEVIL BRAT!" Several Devil Hunters clamored to their feet, glaring at the little monkey. Their cries went ignored as Goku kept focusing on his food. "DON'T JUST IGNORE US!"

"Huh? You guys want to eat some too?" Goku held up his half-eaten bowl of rice.

"HELL NO!"

"Okay then!" He grinned as he went back to finishing his meal.

Growling at the little menace, a female hunter made a hand sign, catching the attention of her allies. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

"What do you think?! This devil brat just mopped the floor with most of us! If we want to kill him, then we're gonna have to resort to our contracts!"

"Inside the division building?!"

"A risk we'll have to take! I'm sure the Head Director will understand!" She replied. "Now, are you gonna keep standing there like a pussy or are you lousy men gonna help me?!" All of the guys around her gulped before taking their own stances. "Hey, devil brat!"

"Yeah?" Goku turned back to them.

"Get ready, because this time you're really gonna die!"

"Heh!" Goku stood up, holding his Power Pole in preparation. He felt the energy pulsating around the Devil Hunters and figured they must be trying to use those contract things Makima had explained to him. "Since you guys are going full strength, then I will too!"

"And that is my report on the situation." Makima finished explaining everything that transpired earlier as she handed in the sheet.

The Head Director of Division 4, an older man with balding hair, tried to keep his composure in front of the young devil. Regardless of the apparent age gap between them, the man still found it hard to face or even talk to the young Control Devil. It was a miracle that she kept up pleasantries between them, but he feared upsetting her and causing her to take control of him. "R-right…and this Monkey Devil…are you sure he's harmless?"

Makima nodded her head, still giving that creepy smile. "Yes." She felt that he didn't need to know that Goku wasn't actually a devil mostly because she was still uncertain of his true identity herself.

"A-and you're certain that he won't go on a rampage and attack humans?"

"Of course, Director. I have him fully under my control." It was a lie, but she's been able to make Goku do as she wishes so far. "He will be a wonderful asset to the Public Safety Commission."

"I-I have full faith that you do-"

BOOM!

SMASH!

CRASH!

Their conversation was rudely interrupted by the violent shaking of the building. Explosions, screams, and such were heard all over the building. Makima steadied herself, completely unprepared for whatever attack was happening on the base. However, her thoughts quickly shifted towards one thing. Hurrying out of the office, ignoring the cries of the director, Makima stared in disbelief at the chairs in front of the door.

The chairs that worryingly had no Goku present in them.

SMASH!

The director stumbled out of his office, trying to hold onto the wall. "A-are we under attack by some devil?!"

Not even bothering on giving the pathetic man a reply, Makima took off towards the sounds of fighting, using her chains to shove away anyone in her way. Eventually she found the clerk from earlier huddled in a corner. Makima shoved a chain into the woman's brain without hesitation. "Explain."

"T-there's some small Monkey Devil rampaging through the building. All of the hunters present have all gathered to deal with him, but somehow the child was beating them easily, so they resorted to using their devil contracts…"

"Tch!" Makima ripped the chain out of her brain, not caring for whatever side effects happen to her. This was by far the WORST thing that could've happened, and she honestly didn't think anyone would be dumb enough to challenge an entire base of devil hunters to a fight!

Unfortunately, her new 'pet' was dumb enough.

Goku dodged several rapid fired shots from the female hunter that had a contract with the Thorn Devil. Her ammunition morphed into razor sharp thorns you'd see on roses and were being shot out much faster than regular bullets. He deflected some with his staff, then charged forward with his staff still spinning to deflect the oncoming attacks.

"Take this, devil brat!" A deep voice came from behind him. The little monkey slid to the left and avoided the heavy anvil that almost crushed him. The other devil hunter apparently had a contract with the Anvil Devil.

"Man…these are some weird devils." Goku muttered, scratching his head. Once the Devil Hunters had decided to up the difficulty of the fight, Goku's been forced to constantly adapt to each of these weird abilities. Honestly, he was having a blast fighting these guys! With each one he took out another would appear with an even weirder power! But the biggest issue were the hunters themselves, who weren't very strong without their contracts. "But you're not gonna beat me with them!"

"Oh yeah?! And what makes you say that?!" The female hunter growled.

"It's just that you guys are pretty weak. If you trained some more instead of relying on these devil contracts, then you guys would be a lot stronger!" Goku advised. He motioned towards the mountain of unconscious Devil Hunters that littered the grounds of the destroyed headquarters.

"Shut up, devil brat! I don't need to be getting lectured by some damn Sun Wukong wannabe Devil!" The woman hissed with hatred.

"Sun Wukong? My name's Son Goku!" He corrected her.

"I WASN'T TALKING ABOUT YOUR NAME!" She screamed.

"That's it! Let's finally kill this brat!" The male hunter cried.

"Yeah, let's-" Two separate chains entered their brains before they could finish, causing their devils to disappear. Their bodies dropped to the ground with a loud thud, confusing Goku. He looked over to see who had done that and smiled.

"Makima!" He was happy to see his friend.

"Goku." She was NOT happy, but the boy was too dense to realize the anger seeping from underneath her smile. She slowly walked towards him and was growing even more infuriated by the way he refused to fear her wrath. "What did I tell you?"

"Tell me?"

"Before I entered the office."

"Oh! To sit in the chair!"

"And what did you not do?"

He genuinely looked confused and scratched his head in thought. Whatever hamster was turning that tiny brain of his was trying to solve the issue that Makima had. "Uh… I talked to someone?"

…

…

…

Later that day, after Makima wiped all of the Devil Hunters' and employee's minds of their battle with Goku, she would be eternally grateful that nobody other than that idiotic monkey was around to see the look of pure befuddlement on her face.

It would be almost a week later that Makima would return to work with her stupid monkey assistant to tackle some mission in the bustling place called West City.

"West City?! Hey, my friend Bulma lives there!"

"Bulma…" She hadn't thought too much about it at the time, but now that they were heading towards the city on a train ride, Makima felt some familiarity with the name. "Bulma…as in Bulma Briefs?"

"Yup! She's my friend!"

For some weird reason that honestly didn't surprise her.

"Makima, can we stop for some food?"

"No."

"Mommy, can I have some food?" Goten once again interrupted her story, his stomach grumbling.

Makima sighed, but decided it was alright to pause here. "Go tell your sister and brother to get ready for dinner. They should be doing their homework as you should've been."

If that little jab had registered in his head at all, the boy didn't show it. "Yes, Mommy!" Goten raced towards the stairs leading to the second floor of their home. "GOHAN! NAYUTA! MOMMY SAYS GET READY FOR DINNER!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOUT, GOTEN! WE CAN HEAR YOU!" A female voice shouted, followed by a loud slam.

"Nayuta! What did Mom say about throwing Goten through a wall?" A softer, but stern masculine voice scolded the younger girl.

"But, Gohan, Goten was being annoying again!" She stomped her feet.

"No, I wasn't!"

"Yes, you were!"

Makima sighed, smiling at the sounds of her children. She didn't mind them having their arguments, but if they end up breaking into another fight that ends up almost wrecking the house again then she'll have to get involved.

Maybe telling them ALL the story during dinner will help keep them behaved.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission: Cell Games (Part 1)

Son Gohan, dressed in a tattered purple GI and orange shoes, watched helplessly as his father and friends were getting utterly decimated by seven miniature versions of the bio-android Cell. After his father had shockingly given up the battle against Cell, relinquishing the responsibility onto him, Gohan had been pushed physically by the monstrous android, all in an effort to make him lose his temper.

The Devil Saiyan hybrid tried to reach into his anger, thinking back to all of the times he had lost his temper against his enemies. But each one of those were spur of the moment, unpredictable and uncontrollable. He didn't know…he wasn't sure if forcing out this dormant power was even possible!

"You can do it, Gohan! Bring back peace to this world. You do want to become a scientist, right?"

"I-I can't do it, Dad…! I-I just can't…!" Gohan cried, trying to tune out the pained screams of the other Z-Fighters. He wants to help! He wants to make everyone proud! He wants…he wants…

He wants to go back home to his mom with his dad.

To have their peaceful lives back.

Tears fell down his face, Gohan falling to his knees in despair.

Cell looked down at the young Super Saiyan, disgusted and disappointed. "Tch…waste of my time." He looked back up at the one-sided battle. "Cell Jrs.! Enough playing around! Now kill them all if you want to!"

"NO!" Gohan gasped. His power steadily rose as his spirit continued to break and break with each step.

Cell silently smirked, all the brat needed was one more…oh. A strong and familiar powerlevel just appeared. "Yes, that would do."

Goku screamed painfully as the Cell Jr. bashed his skull through a boulder, then stomped down on his back. The Saiyan raised on Earth hadn't expected things to turn out the way they did. He thought that Gohan was apprehensive, but excited at the idea of fighting Cell and saving the Earth. But Piccolo opened his eyes to the truth that his son must've been too scared to ever tell him.

Gohan never liked fighting, not like he did.

As he desperately tried to hold out against the little Cell copy, Goku found himself thinking back to simpler times…times before Raditz had shown up and changed everything about his life.

"Daddy…!"

Turning around, Goku found his 3-year-old son following after him. While Makima was off at work he decided to take Gohan out for a walk through the woods of Mt. Paozu. Goku didn't know much about child development, but his wife told him that it was likely that Gohan would develop faster than most human children due to his half-devil nature.

She had been confident in her assumption due to her own childhood, but she knew that there would be some challenges. Gohan was the first ever half-devil created through sex, so whatever happened to him would be entirely new to her.

"What's up, little buddy?" Goku knelt down to be eye-level with his son.

"Where are we going?" Gohan asked. True to his wife's words, Gohan was pretty smart for a 3-year-old, much smarter than he likely was at that age. Normal toddlers weren't capable of forming sentences so fluently.

Goku chuckled at him. "Can't tell ya, because it's a surprise!"

"Really?!" The boy's black eyes shone brightly.

"Yup! It's somewhere I brought your Mom to a long time ago." Goku explained.

"Mommy's been there? Did she like it?" Gohan asked.

"Yup!"

The little half-devil wondered how his mother reacted. She never showed much emotion other than her playful smiles as she tickled and teased him. Gohan's curiosity about this place might help him discover more about his mother.

After a few more minutes of walking, Gohan got a bit tired, so Goku carried his son the rest of the way. The little boy's eyes widened at the sight in front of him, reaching out for it with his tiny hands.

In front of the father and son was the majestic sight of a massive waterfall, the sun reflecting off the water to create a beautiful rainbow. Sounds of water hitting the lake below, animals peacefully going through their routines, and the clear sky above added to the scenery.

"Woah…!" Gohan felt his little world expand so much more by this experience. "It's so pretty, Daddy!"

"I know, right?!" Goku grinned. He knew his son would love this, and the look on his face was icing on the cake. It reminded him of Makima's when he first brought her to check it out.

"We should bring Mommy here next time, so that we can all see it together!"

"Yeah, that'll be awesome!" Goku agreed.

"Hey, Daddy?"

"Hm?"

"Mommy is coming home soon, right?"

"Uh…I think so. She said something about some work taking some time or something. But you don't have to worry, little buddy. Your Mommy will always come back to us."

"Really?"

"Yup. We're her home."

"GAH!" The memory ended thanks to a punch to the jaw, knocking him back down. Goku struggled to get back up, chuckling to himself as the little monster danced joyously. "S-sorry, everyone! It wasn't supposed to go like this…!" Whether the rest of them heard him or not didn't matter, he owed them an apology for what was about to happen.

"Cell Jrs.! Enough playing around! Now kill them all if you want to!" Cell's voice boomed through the wasteland, shocking everyone.

"Kihihi!" The Cell Jr. laughed. "Time to die!" The little monster charged for him with the intent to put its fist through his skull. Goku tried to put up some defense, but he was way too weak for it to be effective. As the fist neared his face, Goku could only think of one thing…

"Sorry, Makima. Guess, Gohan and I aren't coming home."

"Bang."

An invisible force smashed into the Cell Jr.'s chest, blasting the creature away from the Saiyan of Earth and into a rock formation. All of the fighting stopped, the Z-Fighters, Cell, and the three regular humans stared at the newest addition to the deadly battle.

Standing behind Goku was a beautiful woman with blood red hair tied into a braid. Her yellow eyes stared with controlled fury at the opposition standing in her way. She's dressed in a fitting red dress with a cropped jacket over it.

Goku stared at his wife in awe. "M-Makima…?!"

"Makima!" Piccolo grunted.

"Mrs. Makima!" Trunks, the son of Vegeta and Bulma, exclaimed.

"S-she's here…?" Krillin choked out, barely conscious. Tien and Yamcha were already knocked out, but they would've also been shocked had they been awake.

"That irritating woman…!" Vegeta hissed with hatred.

"Mom…!" Gohan's shout got her attention instantly. The matriarch's cold eyes softened at the sight of him. Then she looked down at her beaten husband with cold indifference.

"You promised me he wouldn't fight."

"S-sorry, but there wasn't any other way." Goku laughed.

Before she could retort, Makima felt a sinister presence looming over her. The woman shot several chains at Cell, who hadn't moved from his spot at all. The bio-android dodged each one of her attacks. "Seems we finally meet, wife of Goku."

"Submit." The chilling tone sent shivers down the spines of anyone near. An invisible force smashed into Cell, but the bio-android was undeterred by her attack, smacking it away with his arm.

"This is a tournament and as you can see your son is still my opponent. However, my children would be more than happy to-" Makima vanished from his sight and appeared right above him. With a much stronger push, the invisible force crushed Cell like a pancake, flattening the bug monster further into the Earth.

"You tried to kill my son and husband. That alone meets the requirements necessary for your death." She couldn't care less about the tournament, because all that mattered was her family. Goku had promised her that everything would be fine, but as she watched the tournament it became apparent that things were not fine.

The moment that idiodic husband sent their son in to fight Cell was the moment she decided to intervene.

Her eyes widened as she felt someone appear behind her, the Control Devil turned and pointed her finger at Cell. The android grabbed her hand faster than she could react, crushing it like a grape. Makima didn't react, ignoring the pain, and jabbed another hand. "Ban-"

Cell was a moment faster, snapping her arm in half. He grabbed the woman by the throat and smashed her into the ground in front of the frozen Gohan. "M-MOM!" Gohan rushed for her, but Cell got in his way, kicking the boy across the jaw.

"RAGH!" Goku attempted to use whatever strength he had left to fly in, but the Cell Jr. he had been fighting prior smashed its foot into his gut, keeping him away. The rest of the Cell Jrs. also resumed their beatdowns on the Z-Fighters.

The Control Devil glared at the bug-like android, fixing her arm and hand. Cell, who wasn't in the mood to continue fighting her, stomped down on her back to keep Makima pinned.

Gohan saw this, glaring angrily at the android. "Get off of her!"

Cell took note of Gohan's reaction, realizing how different it was from the one from earlier. "Ah… I see. I've been going about this the wrong way."

"W-what?!" Gohan coughed out.

"As they say, a boy's first love is always his mother."

A chill went down Gohan's spine, the pieces registering in his head instantly. "DON'T YOU DARE!" Gohan shouted.

Makima realized what Cell was after and tried to push the android off of her, but his foot smashed her face into the ground. The Control Devil wasn't afraid of dying, that was never a fear of hers, but what she did fear was her son witnessing something this traumatic. He didn't know about her contract. "Goha-"

CRUSH!

Time stopped for the hybrid as he watched in stunned shock as Cell's foot smashed his mother's head open like a watermelon. He wasn't the only one, Goku was also staring at the sight of his 'dead' wife, cursing himself for not stopping this.

RUMBLE!

"W-what…?!" He, along with everyone else, felt the Earth shake.

Cell stared at the 9-year-old, confused as to why the boy had yet to react.

For Gohan, there wasn't a single thought going through his head. His mind focused entirely on his 'dead' mother and his inability to protect her. To protect anyone. The boy's hands clenched hard enough to draw blood, his breathing growing heavy. Gohan's teal eyes cracked, a blood red swirl carving to life as if to signify the other half of his lineage finally awakening.

The image of his mother's crushed skull would forever be drilled into his memory.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Gohan released a powerful blood curdling cry, his power exploding violently. The ground cracked beneath his feet, the wind twisting into tornados, and the sky glowing red from his immense power.

Cell, not noticing the way Makima's body was slowly fixing itself, actually backed away from the child. Everyone else was staring in disbelief, all except Goku, who knew that Gohan contained unbelievable power. However, this wasn't the way he hoped it would happen.

Once the dust had settled, Gohan's appearance changed drastically. His blonde hair had grown in length, pointing straight up to the sky except for the one long bang. Lightning cracked around his body, the yellow aura pulsating violently, and his eyes still contained that red swirl. "I'll never forgive you…!" The words laced with pure venom sent a chill down Cell's spine.

The android attempted to regain his composure, still disillusioned by his own power. "Finally, you showed your true form! This should be-" Before he could blink, Gohan had stolen the bag of senzu beans from him. "W-what?!"

Gohan vanished once again, appearing in the sky, his empty eyes bored into the Cell Jrs. without an ounce of mercy. Gohan raised a hand, seven red chains extended out of his limb, embedding themselves into the little monsters before they could even fathom what was going on.

"T-those chains…!" Trunks gasped. His version of Gohan had never done that before.

"They're like Makima's! Gohan's never done that before!" Piccolo exclaimed.

With the Cell Jrs. now under his control, Gohan ordered only one thing. "Kill yourselves."

Seven little hands immediately went up to their heads, and unleashed devastatingly powerful blasts that instantly eradicated them.

It would be an understatement to say that everyone was unsettled by the uncharacteristic way Gohan defeated Cell's children.

"I… I can't believe this is happening!" Vegeta felt himself sweating from the power rolling off the small child. Not only was it Kakarot, but his damn half-breed brat had also surpassed him effortlessly.

"Here. Give these to everyone." Gohan tossed the bag of senzus at Trunks, who caught them.

"R-right…" Trunks muttered.

Goku watched as his son touched back down in front of Cell. The power coming from Gohan was unbelievable, but that was the least shocking part to him. What had his attention the most was the way he had dealt with the Cell Jrs. Such a way…such brutal effectiveness only reminded him of one person.

A younger Goku stared horrified at his friend Makima, who took great pleasure at the mutilated bodies on the ground.

It reminded him of the old Makima.

Intermission End

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Bonding

Son Gohan, the eldest son of Son Makima and Son Goku, slowly made his way downstairs in contrast to the boisterous ways of his little brother and sister. He found himself drifting his thoughts to them as the news he was awaiting to tell them weighed heavily on his mind.

His little brother, Son Goten, is the physical spitting image of their father. He could still remember the way his mother would stare at Goten after the twins were born, the longing and pain in her eyes was forever etched into his memories. Heck, even the boy's attitude was much like their father's, always excited for the next thing that catches his interest and bouncing all over the place.

His little sister, Son Nayuta, looks much more like their mother except for the black hair. Her appearance earned her constant teasing from people, all of them saying how she acts and looks like a mini Makima. However, the biggest difference between the two was Nayuta's spoiled princess attitude and anger. The young girl is always quick for retribution whenever someone makes fun of her or pranks her.

He still remembers how pissed Trunks was when Nayuta shaved all of his hair off, because he called her a "cootie queen".

But the most distinct part about the two, which wasn't that distinct in regard to himself and their mother, were the blood red swirls in their eyes. Though, Gohan still wasn't sure how the two gained them considering it took something pretty traumatic for his devil half to awaken.

Gohan released a sigh, scratching the back of his head. "Would dinner really be the best time to spring this information on Mom and the twins?" He wondered to himself. Making his way past their pet dogs, all who were already enjoying their dinner, he saw his mother putting the finishing touches on the food. "Ah…! Do you need help with that, Mom?"

Makima, dressed in her husband's blue shirt and sweatpants, smiled at him. "My, what a gentleman." She appreciated his help. Not that she needed him to carry over the meal, but her oldest always wanted to help her whenever he could. Raising three half-Saiyans required a much larger quantity of food, thankfully she can 'negotiate' a higher pay with the government when she needs it.

"I can help too, Mommy!" Goten exclaimed, bouncing in his seat. His excitement was met with a shove from his sister that knocked him over.

"No way, Goten! You'd just end up eating it all before you even get to the table!" Nayuta accused him.

"Nuh uh!"

"Heck you mean 'nuh uh'?!"

"Now, now." Makima's tone shushed them in seconds. "What did I say about arguing at the table?"

"That we won't get ice cream if we do…" The twins muttered.

"Correct, so behave yourselves tonight." The Matriarch smiled, ruffling her youngest's' heads as she placed the last of the food down. "Besides, there's something much more important that I wish to tell you three about."

"Huh?" They stared at her.

"Goten is already aware as I was explaining it to him earlier-"

"Oh! Story time!"

"Yes, Goten, story time." Makima nodded her head.

"Tch! I'm too old for story time!" Nayuta argued.

"You're seven." Gohan reminded her.

"Yeah! Which means I'm too old for story time!"

"Why do you think you're too old for story time?" Makima asked.

"Power made fun of me when Goten let it slip that you still read to us before bed. But then Denji said that it wasn't bad that we still get read to, because we're kids! But that's not true! I'm way too mature for story time!" Nayuta explained. Her older brother gave her a tired sigh, because that little tantrum was definitely 'mature'.

Makima smiled at the information. "I see, I'll be sure to have a talk with Power tomorrow at work."

"I don't mind story time." Goten shrugged.

"Because you're a baby!" Nayuta mocked.

"No, I'm not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"It's 'am not', Goten! Not 'are not'!" Nayuta felt the need to correct.

"Children." Makima's warning once again stopped them from arguing. When the two gave her their attention, the 'single' mother continued. "As I was saying, I'll be telling the story of how I met your father." After saying that, she gauged the looks of two of her children.

Gohan looks a little suspicious as if he was surprised to hear her bring him up, while Nayuta looked indifferent as if she didn't care to hear about him. Makima had a feeling she knew why her daughter would react this way and hoped it wouldn't lead to anything bad.

"You never bring up Dad much, Mom. What brought this on?" Gohan asked.

"Your brother asked earlier." Makima answered.

"I doubt it's anything interesting." Nayuta grunted as she bit into a chicken leg. She didn't care much about their father, not that she wasn't completely interested, but the man wasn't in their lives. Why should she care so much about a man that never did all the things her mother and older brother have done for her and Goten? Well, maybe all the hype she's heard from different uncles and aunts will be worth it.

Seeing that she had their utmost attention, Makima explained some of the beginning stuff again before continuing with the next part of the tale.

Makima stared at her empty Scooby-Doo themed wallet, genuinely considering if she should manipulate her boss into getting an early payday. The devil sighed, shoving it back into her coat's pocket before turning to the bane of her existence.

Goku finished the last of the pizzas that Makima had spent on him, and he made sure to toss them away in a garbage can instead of just leaving them on the park bench. The Control Devil wondered who would win in an eating contest, Famine or Goku?

The more she thought about it the more she actually hurt her brain thinking about the idea of Goku literally out-eating the literal manifestation of famine.

Deciding it would be better to focus on something else completely, Makima turned back to their mission objective. She, and her unregistered tagalong, were tasked with hunting down the Mech Devil and capturing it. Said target had been spotted appearing through West City, disguising itself into vehicles to trick people into entering it, and anyone who did went missing.

"What's a Mech Devil?"

If anyone asks, Makima did NOT flinch from the monkey's sudden question.

"It's likely a devil born from people's fears of machines like cars, jets, planes, and etc." Makima explained.

"A machine, huh? I don't know much about machines."

"To nobody's shock."

"But Bulma knows a lot about machines! So, let's go see her!" Goku suggested, excited about seeing one of his closest friends.

Makima had to admit that for once he had a good idea. The Briefs family would be the best people to enlist the aid of if they wish to deal with their target. "I see, are you certain that you're friends with Bulma Briefs?"

"Yup!"

"Are you certain that we wouldn't need to schedule an appointment ahead of time?"

"I just walk through the front door."

"I see. Let us be on our way then." Makima stood up from the bench, then she took Goku's hand.

"Huh? Why did you grab my hand?" Goku asked.

"To ensure you don't get lost this time." Makima smiled. A master should always keep her 'pet' in her view.

"I didn't get lost last time."

"You destroyed the division HQ after I told you to sit still."

"Yeah, that was pretty fun! Maybe I should do it again?"

"Don't."

Capsule Corporation, the leading business in technology that helped push the world's advancement by several decades, was a magnificent building to behold. Not that it was Makima's first time seeing it, but actually taking the chance to go inside was interesting enough. The design, the architecture, and the bustling employees rushing off to complete their assignments.

Oddly enough it reminded her of the Public Safety Offices on a good day. Which usually meant that half of the hunters hadn't perished in a mission.

"BUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Makima winced slightly but stood mostly unfazed by his loud scream. However, she did hate the way everyone started staring at them as if they were some lost children. One stare from her had all of the employees retreating back to their own business.

"Did you have to shout?" She asked.

"How else would I get Bulma's attention?" Goku asked back.

Makima's eyes stared at the receptionist desk for a moment. "Yes… I wonder how."

"OH! I wonder who could've been shouting like that!" Both children turned to see a slender woman with fluffy blonde hair, dressed in a beautiful white sundress and heels, walking over to them. "It's just you, Goku!"

"Mrs. Briefs!" Goku exclaimed happily.

"Bulma's Mother, then." Makima concluded.

Panchy Briefs smiled at the small boy before gasping at the sight of Makima. "Oh hello, dear! I didn't think I'd see the day Goku would bring a little girlfriend with him!"

"You're mistaken." Makima was very quick to refute the hilariously incorrect assumption of their relationship. "We are… 'friends'." She lied. The young devil would never lower herself to take part in…romantic relationships with humans or otherwise.

All living beings were her 'pets' to control after all.

"What's a girlfriend? Is that food?" An annoying little monkey asked.

"No, it's not food." Makima corrected him.

"Then what is it?" Goku asked.

"Something that we will never be."

"But we're friends, right?"

"...Yes."

Panchy looked confused. "But if you're not his girlfriend, then why are you holding his hand?"

They were still holding hands?

Makima released her hand from Goku's quickly, ignoring how cold she felt after dislodging their touch. "I was ensuring that Goku wouldn't get lost."

"Ah, as any good girlfriend would do!"

A chain would've entered the woman's brain had Goku not changed the subject. "Mrs. Briefs, do you know where Bulma is? We need to find her to get some help about some macho devil."

"Mech Devil."

"Yeah, that's what I said!" He paid no mind to the flat stare Makima gave him.

"Normally I would advise to stay away from devils, but since it's you, Goku, I'm sure it'll be no issue for you. Bulma isn't here right now, unfortunately, she's out buying a gift for her upcoming anniversary with Yamcha." Panchy explained.

"Darn. Where would she be now?" Goku asked.

"Try checking the boutiques or malls around the city. Knowing her, she'll be shopping all afternoon." Panchy answered.

Makima nodded her head. "I see. Thank you for the information. C'mon, Goku." The Control Devil turned to leave.

"Thanks, Mrs. Briefs!" Goku exclaimed, following Makima.

Panchy waved the two goodbyes with her usual smile. "What a nice girl Goku's found. They'd make a cute couple, I think."

Goku and Makima spent the entire afternoon searching the city for Bulma, but the two failed to find the heiress at any of the stores. She had asked around if anyone had seen the esteemed teenager, and while some admitted having seen her, they had no idea where she could've gone.

Makima looked up at the evening sky, frowning at the time that was wasted. She had hoped that this mission would be completed before the day ended, but it seemed that things weren't in her favor today. "Come, I'll secure us a place to stay tonight."

Goku shook his head, grinning. "No need! We can just stay at Capsule Corp tonight!"

Makima saw the logic in his suggestion. "As long as it's okay with them, then I see no harm. Of course, this could be a great way to see if we can catch Bulma and gain her aid."

"They also have a lot of food at Capsule Corp! I'm starving!" Goku laughed.

"...Yes, that's where your brain goes." The devil sighed.

Goku just laughed at her complaints, having heard the same thing from his friends all the time. "Still…" He gazes up at the darkening sky. "I wonder where Bulma went. I hope she's okay." He frowned slightly.

Makima stared at Goku's worried face, surprised to see such an emotion on the usually peppy boy. Well it was only fair since Bulma's his friend and there's a devil on the loose within the city. She could remember times that her dogs were upset when they lost a toy or didn't get to go outside due to the weather. She always took pity on them, so she always came up with ways to comfort them.

Reaching towards his head, Makima softly pats his surprisingly soft spiky black hair. She gives him a soft smile that's usually reserved for her dogs. "There, there, I'm sure she's fine wherever she is. If Bulma is your friend, then she must be strong, right?"

Goku blinked at Makima, somewhat liking the way her hand felt on his head, he then smiled at her like usual. "You're right! Bulma's tough, so I'm sure she'll be fine till we find her!"

"Good, it seems you're feeling better now." Makima said, turning away.

"You're a good person, Makima!" His declaration stopped her, causing her to turn around to blink at him.

"What?"

"You're a good person. I mean, anyone doing the things you do has to be a good person, right? Hehe, so thanks!" Goku laughed innocently as if there wasn't a single worry in the world.

Makima didn't understand why, but his innocent way of looking at things felt…cute. A part of her wished she could share a similar view as him, someone who could live life in such a carefree way.

But, alas, her nature wouldn't give her that right. A world born with those who desire control and those who fear it with a passion. That's what she is, what she'll always be.

No matter who you look at it, Makima couldn't view herself as the good person Goku thinks she is.

"Papa sounds stupid."

"Nayuta!" Gohan exclaimed, glaring at his little sister.

"What?! He acts like a…dumber Goten!"

"Thanks!" Goten grinned at his sister.

"I'm not sure if you should see that as a complement." Nayuta sweat dropped.

Makima waved it off, somewhat agreeing with her daughter's assessment of a man she's never met. "It's fine, Gohan. You know that your Father wasn't the brightest, but that's not his fault, Nayuta." She addressed her daughter. "His upbringing wasn't like yours or your friends at school, so his behavior was abnormal in the eyes of everyone else. However, his heart was always in the right place, no matter what." Makima smiled softly, remembering the times she spent with her deceased husband.

Nayuta lowered her head, mulling over her mother's words.

Makima will always curse the fact that she'll never be able to reunite with him in the afterlife. Devils will never be granted that opportunity to crossover into the natural section of the dead, doomed to reincarnate after they're killed.

"If only…" She softly thinks.

"H-hey, Mother…since we're talking about Dad and all… I guess now is a good time to bring this up." Gohan sets his bowl down, gaining the attention of his family. "Some things happened at school earlier and a…uh…a friend convinced me to join the upcoming World Tournament. I was wondering if it would be okay for me to join?"

"Of course, you can enter." Makima agreed instantly. "Your grades are fine, and you haven't done anything to warrant discipline, so I don't mind. But what does this have to do with your Father?"

"W-well…" Gohan figured he might as well just rip the band aid off. "Dad's coming back for the tournament!"

…

"Eh?" Makima's brain stopped working, a rare sight for her youngest children. They've never seen their mother look so…off-guard before.

"Uh… Mommy?" Goten speaks up.

"You kids get ready for bed. I'll handle the dishes for the night." Makima ordered, the tone left no room for argument. Her three hybrids hurried away from the table, scurrying up the steps to get ready for bed. "We can continue the story later."

Makima, once she was certain her children were doing as told, walked outside of their quaint little home. She stared up at the stars in the sky, a sight she never got tired of seeing on Mt. Paozu.

A soft smile graced her lips, a feeling she had been missing for seven long years.

"Took you long enough."

Nayuta, dressed in a pair of pink pajamas with little stars on them, climbed into the same bed as her brothers. She had her own room, but sometimes she felt like having a sleepover with them. The female hybrid slept on the left side of Gohan while Goten was on the right, her yellow eyes gazing up at the ceiling. "Gohan."

"Yeah?" Gohan, dressed in a simple tank top and shorts as sleepwear, looked down at her.

"Is Mama okay?" She asked.

Gohan nodded his head. "Yeah, Mother's feeling just fine."

"She looked weird after you mentioned Daddy." Goten, dressed in a blue variant of Nayuta's pajamas, said.

"She's missed Dad a lot, more than anyone else. I had a feeling that telling her would affect her a lot, so I was struggling on how to break it to her." Gohan explained.

"...Is Papa really all that great of a person?" Nayuta asked. "I doubt he's as cool as you or Denji or even Mr. Piccolo."

"Dad's the coolest. I can't wait for you guys to meet him." Gohan reassured them with a smile. He then got an idea as he looked at them. "Considering that I'm going to be entering the tournament, I'm gonna need to get back into shape. You two mind helping me with that tomorrow?"

"Sure, Gohan!"

"I get to punch you in the face and not get in trouble?! Sure!"

Gohan sweat dropped at his little sister. "...Why is that the most exciting part for you?"

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission (2): Kobeni the Cowardly Babysitter

"Ow…" A soft voice muttered from the floor. Sift hands gently removed the bucket that had fallen from the top of the door, its liquid contents having spilled all over her, drenching her uniform. With the bucket removed her short brown hair that's tied into a ponytail is revealed, along with her matching brown eyes. She crawled onto her knees, staring miserably at the bucket in her hands, scrunching her face at the disgusting smell. "...Not again."

"WA HA HA HA HA HA!" A familiar, annoying voice echoed through the halls. "YOU FELL FOR IT AGAIN, WEALKING!" Turning around, the young woman found the perpetrator of her misfortune. It was a female devil dressed in a similar, but messily put together, Devil Hunters uniform, her two red horns protruding from the top of her head. "THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT POWER STRIKES AGAIN!"

"W-what even is this stuff…?" The young woman asked. Way too used to these antics to question why she was the target again.

"Toilet water, duh!"

The young woman promptly threw up into the bucket in her hands after hearing that, which just made Power laugh even harder. "HA HA HA HA HA! THIS DAY MARKS MY 20TH VICTORY! TOMORROW SHALL BE MY 21ST! HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Power declared, running off to likely cause more issues for others.

"Ugh…" The young woman muttered sickly. She really wanted to cry, because now she would have to wash her only uniform again in hopes of getting the nasty smell out. At least this time there weren't any hard to remove stains.

"Small miracles…" She thought to herself. Deciding it was best to get herself off the floor and clock out before anyone could see her in such a-

"Kobeni."

"KYAAA!" Kobeni jumped with a frightful scream, almost dropping the bucket of her fluids on the floor. She hastily turned around, her body instinctively reacting to the voice of the Head Director. The cowardly girl gave a shaky salute to her superior, Son Makima. "M-Mrs. Makima!"

"I see that you're doing well." Makima said. Not bothered by the girl's fearful gaze or smell.

"Y-yes!" She replied immediately.

"Are you free tomorrow?" The Control Devil asked.

"Y-y-yes, Mrs. Makima!" It wasn't like Kobeni had any friends or boyfriend. Her weekends were mostly spent trying to mentally recover from this hellish workplace. And it wasn't like she could say 'no' to her boss. Nobody said 'no' to Mrs. Makima.

"Perfect." Makima smiled, scaring the poor girl. "Something important has come up and I need someone to handle some important 'belongings' of mine. You seemed to be fit for the job, so come to this address tomorrow at 10:00 A.M." Makima handed her employee the slip of paper with the address on it.

Kobeni's eyes widened at the address, questioning why her boss would want her to travel all the way out into the mountains. "I-Is she firing me?! Is she going to kill me and dispose of my body somewhere where nobody would ever look?! …Not that anyone would come looking for me." Kobeni tried to ignore that depressing thought to the best of her ability. The cowardly hunter just slowly nodded her head, accepting her fate. "Y-yes, Mrs. Makima. I'll be there tomorrow."

"Good." Makima said before turning away. "Oh, and Kobeni?"

"Y-yes?!"

"Be sure to wash up nicely tonight. Smells like that are hard to get out when left to dry for too long." Makima advised, leaving the cowardly hunter to sputter with embarrassment.

Kobeni would forever be grateful that she had saved up several of her checks to buy herself a car last year, unfortunately that had meant she had to go several days without dinner, but it was worth it in the end. The drive-up Mt. Paozu was luckily uneventful for the most part besides the random mountain animals that crossed her path. At least the scenery was breathtaking to look at, such amounts of nature wasn't something you'd find in the busy cities. She wondered if her little siblings would like to come out here one day.

After passing by a small village with people who were more than happy to give her directions, Kobeni eventually found the small cozy house that sat peacefully next to a long stream. Getting out of her car and fixing up her hand-me-down dress, Kobeni made her way towards the house. She still couldn't shake off the sliver of fear that this house would end up being her final resting place. Raising a hand to knock on the door, Kobeni prepared herself for the inevitable-

"GOTEN! GIVE ME BACK MY DOLLS!" A loud high-pitched voice screeched, causing the clumsy hunter to fall on her rear.

"NO WAY! IT'S MY TURN TO PLAY WITH THEM, NAYUTA!" A little boy's voice followed after the girl's.

"YOU HAVE YOUR OWN TOYS! I WAS STILL MAKING MY DEATH ARMY!"

"D-death army?!" Kobeni mentally screeched.

"NEHHHH!" The boy, Goten, made a mocking noise.

"THAT'S IT! GUYS, GET HIM!" Nayuta's order was followed by several loud dog barks. Even though she couldn't see what was happening, she had a feeling that the little boy was currently getting mauled to death by the vicious animals.

Maybe if she escaped quietly, she could hide out in a bunker to avoid Makima's wrath!

The sounds of the front door opening crushed any of those hopes of hers, revealing a properly dressed Son Makima. Her boss smiled down at her as if finding the cowardly hunter in this position wasn't uncommon. "Hello, Kobeni, I'm pleased to see that you've arrived on time."

Kobeni hurried to her feet and brushed off the dirt on her dress. "H-hello, Mrs. Makima! I-It's a pleasure being here today!"

"That's nice to hear."

SHATTER!

Kobeni flinched from the sounds of glass shattering, but the aura coming from her boss scared her much more. Makima gave her a closed eye smile. "Excuse me for a moment." She stepped away from the door and towards the direction the sound came from. Immediately the children started spitting out excuses at Makima, clearly terrified of the woman.

"I-Is she gonna hit them?!" Kobeni panicked, still sort of unsure of Makima's affiliation with these unknown children.

"No desserts after dinner for a week." Makima's punishment was loud and clear.

"Oh…! T-that's much worse!" Kobeni screamed.

Makima returned, pulling both of the children with her this time, allowing Kobeni to finally put faces to names. Their appearances, especially the eyes, were making her shiver as if a bucket of ice had been poured all over her. "U-uh… Mrs. Makima?"

"Yes?"

"T-these children…?"

"Oh yes, these are my children. Meet Goten and Nayuta." Makima introduced her youngest children, who were still reeling from the punishment of not having any desserts for a week.

"I-I didn't know Mrs. Makima had children!"

"Hi, weird lady!"

"Who's the weird lady?"

"And they're already calling me weird!" Kobeni wanted to cry and run away again!

"Goten, Nayuta, this weird lady is Kobeni Higashiyama, your babysitter."

"BABYSITTER?!" Kobeni and the twins screamed.

"Yes, she'll be watching over you all while I handle an overseas conference this evening." She explained to her children, then turned to the newly appointed babysitter. "Their older brother usually watches over them, but he's busy tutoring some friends of his then handling mandatory club activities at his school. He should get back before I do to take over watching the twins." Makima explained for the fidgeting babysitter.

"W-wait, Mrs. Makima! I-I can't babysit!" Kobeni managed to exclaim.

Makima tilted her head. "But I'm certain you have experience with watching children considering your younger siblings."

"W-well…yes…but…!"

"I'll also increase your next two payments for watching these two."

"I'll do it!" For once Kobeni's voice was filled with strong conviction.

"Perfect." The Control Devil smiled as if she knew how this conversation would end. "I have their meals prepared in the fridge along with the dogs' mealtimes written down on a piece of paper attached to the fridge. Do not under any circumstances allow these two to eat their food before lunch. And on the chance that you're unable to handle them…call this number." Kobeni was handed another slim sheet of paper with only a phone number written on it.

"W-who?"

"Don't question it and do not call unless there's an issue."

"Y-yes, Ma'am!"

"If everything is clear, then I'll be off." Makima knelt down to her children, planting soft kisses on their heads, much to Kobeni's surprise. The way her boss looked at the twins with such love was such a foreign image to her. She had never seen Makima look at anyone in such a way, nor had her own mother ever given her such attention.

"Be on your best behavior." Makima instructed.

"Yes, Mommy!" Goten saluted her.

"Aren't I always?" Nayuta gave a cheeky smile.

"No." Makima popped the girl's bubble, before standing back up. "Good luck." She says to Kobeni before taking off into the skies, leaving the cowardly babysitter to blink owlishly at the action. "W-when could she fly?!"

"Ah hem."

Kobeni turned around to see Nayuta and Goten staring up at her, the former putting a hand to her hip. Seeing as she was now in-charge of them for the next couple of hours, it would be best to have a good first impression. "A-as your Mom said, I-I'm Kobeni-"

"I don't care." Nayuta interrupted rudely.

"E-eh…?!" Kobeni squeaked.

"Nayuta! Mom said we have to behave!" Goten frowned.

"I know, but we don't need a babysitter. If it was just Gohan then it'd be fine but not some weird lady!" Nayuta complained. "We're totally capable of being on our own, right, Goten?"

The weirdly spiky haired boy thought about it for a moment, then smiled at his sister. "You're right!"

"Exactly, I'm always right, Goten!" She boasted.

There were warning bells going off in Kobeni's head and whenever they did go off, she knew that something bad may happen. "U-uh…as much as I'm certain that you two can take care of yourselves your Mom left me in charge. S-so let's just get back inside, yeah?"

"We could…or we could go visit Trunks." Nayuta suggested.

"OH! I wanna go see Trunks! He told me that his Grandparents bought him a whole new racing video game!" Goten bounced on his feet.

Nayuta was just as excited to play the system as her brother. "Yup! And I can't wait to beat him and knock that arrogant brat down a peg!"

"Aren't you arrogant too?"

"Shut up, Goten!"

Kobeni once again tried to get the kids to listen to her. "Y-you're not supposed to run off! We can just play some games here-" That's as far as she got before a red chain shot into her head, knocking her out.

When Kobeni eventually came to, she found herself sleeping on a pretty nice couch…and several big dogs staring at her. "KYAAAAA!" She screamed, causing the dogs to bark loudly in response. It took a solid five minutes for her to calm down enough to get the dogs back under control, and once she did the babysitter came to a realization.

It was much too quiet for a house home to small children.

Kobeni ran around the house, checking the place for the twins but came up short. Not only that, but the fridge was apparently empty as well, meaning that the two somehow ate everything inside. "T-they're not here…! W-where could they be?!" Kobeni tried her best to remember, but no matter how hard she thought about it she just couldn't remember anything! It was like someone, or something had wiped the memories from her head.

The young woman's body began to shake in fear, knowing that her boss wouldn't be happy to come home and find that her children were missing. She'd get fired or worse…de-ducked pay! "There has to be something I can do…!" All of the poor girl's shaking caused a familiar slip of paper to fall from the sleeve of her dress. "E-eh?"

Grabbing the slip from the floor, Kobeni stared at the phone number written on it.

"And on the chance that you're unable to handle them…call this number."

"That's right! Mrs. Makima gave me this number! B-but I don't know who this person is…she didn't explain that part." Kobeni fretted over the chance that whoever this is could be someone dangerous. But she didn't really have any other options. "Oh…the things I do for money…"

Kobeni walked towards the house phone, dialing up the number on the slip. It only took a few moments before the call was picked up.

"Who is this?"

"Eep!" She squeaked, surprised by the very deep gruff voice that answered. "H-hello…? U-uh…" She continued to stutter, annoying the person on the other end.

"I don't have all day! Answer now!"

"I-I was told to call this number if something went wrong with the twins!" Kobeni answered in one whole breath, clutching her poor heart. The line went silent for a few moments before she heard the person release a tired breath into the phone.

"Stay there, I'll be right over."

The call ended before she could get another word in. Kobeni blinked at the phone, still utterly unnerved by what just happened. She wondered just how long it would take for this mystery person to get here until she heard something loud touch down on the ground, shaking the house a bit. "Wh-what was that?!"

The front door was opened the next second, allowing her to see a very tall man with green skin, dressed in a purple GI with a white turban and cape. He ignored the dogs who gathered around him with happy barks, turning his stare right at her.

Kobeni froze in fear before freaking out again. "D-DEVIL?!"

The green man scoffed. "As I'm anything like that. Now where are they?"

"W-who?!"

"The twins!"

"E-even if I knew, I wouldn't tell a D-Devil!" She screamed, mustering up at least some bravery.

He easily stepped over the dogs, marching over to her. "I'm not in the mood for games, so I'll just make this quick." He declared.

"N-no…! I don't want to die!" Kobeni grabbed a knife that was sitting on the counter and threw it at the green-skinned man. The projectile was easily caught between his fingers, and he gently placed it right back down on the counter.

"Can you calm down?!" He yelled, which didn't help in the slightest. When he saw that Kobeni was reaching for more sharp objects to throw at him, the green man vanished from her sight.

"W-wha-" She felt someone grab her hand, turning to see the green man glaring down at her.

"I said calm-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh…." A chop to her neck knocked the young woman out instantly. The green man held her with one arm and placed his other hand on top of her head. He began searching through her memories, only to realize that there was a big blank before she had woken up. Using some KI to unlock the memories that were hidden allowed him to get the answers he was looking for.

"Tch! I should've figured that's where they had gone." He looked back down at the unconscious woman and sighed again. "Couldn't have found someone with more of a backbone to babysit them. This is why I don't like interacting with humans much."

For the 2nd time that day, Kobeni found herself waking up on the soft couch again. Only difference was that there were no dogs looming over her, but instead a familiar pair of yellow eyes and red hair. "Hello, Kobeni."

"KYAAAAAAA-" She was silenced instantly by an invisible force, her body frozen in place. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared back at her smiling boss.

"I think you've done enough screaming for today." Makima said.

"Uh…Mother, I think she's fine to let go of now, right?" A softer but deep voice said. Kobeni looked over to who she could only assume to be the oldest child sitting next to the two trouble makers.

"You're right, Gohan. What a generous son I have." Makima's compliment made the teenager blush in embarrassment. The Matriarch released her power on Kobeni, allowing the cowardly woman to move her body again.

"W-what's going on?!" Kobeni shivered.

"We're just getting ready for dinner. You did a wonderful job babysitting them, Kobeni." Makima complimented.

"B-but I didn't-" She tried to say, but suddenly her mind was assaulted by several images of her time spent with the twins. The three were watching movies on the television, playing with their toys, feeding the dogs, and enjoying some quality lunch together. "W-what I…I did?" Those memories felt real, but there was something about it that unsettled her.

"Exactly, which means that I'm sure you'd be more than willing to babysit again, right?" The friendly smile her boss directed at her should've eased all of the nerves in her body.

But all it did was send a terrified shiver through her body, every single one of her instincts telling her to get the hell out of this house.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

She shouldn't.

"Y-yes."

She did.

Kobeni decided that she was going to quit her job tomorrow, but then Makima reminded her of her double bonus, so the cowardly hunter continued to work at the Fourth Division.

Gohan, after Kobeni had gone and the twins were asleep, turned to his mother. "Mother…why did you change her memories?"

Makima, who was too tired after dealing with annoying politicians, gave her son a smile. "Entertainment."

Intermission End

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Devilish Teaming

Following the news of Goku's one-day return to the world of the living, Makima had a very unusual pep in her step this morning. Of course, if you didn't know her then you'd likely be unable to tell just how happy she was. Her youngest children noticed the unusual energy in their mother as they sat at the table for breakfast.

"This feels weird." Nayuta whispered to her siblings.

"Mommy is never this happy." Goten added in a whispered tone too.

Unlike his siblings, Gohan enjoyed the sight of his mother's energy. As much as she tried to hide it, the last seven years had been rough on her. A light that he remembered her having in her eyes had died with his father after the Cell Games. But now it seemed like that light was coming back to life.

Gohan wondered if it would be possible to convince his father to fully come back to life when they see him again at the tournament. But for now, he decided to focus on his siblings before they said something insensitive to their mother. "That's just how mom used to be when Dad was still here."

"That bum?"

"Nayuta." Gohan warned her to watch how she addressed him. The only daughter just rolled her eyes at him, but backed down to his wishes.

"She's never smiled so much before." Goten notes before giving his own big smile. "I wanna see Mommy smile more! She looks pretty!"

"Do I not look pretty otherwise, Goten?"

"ACK?!" The three hybrids all flinched as their mother addressed them. She was fully aware of the conversation they were having behind her back. Makima, dressed in a nice casual red summer dress, placed the plates of food onto the table. She waited until her children took their portions to start eating her own.

"Y-you always look pretty, Mommy!" Goten exclaimed quickly. Makima just rubbed his face, smiling softly.

"Thank you, sweetie. Feels nice to have such considerate children." She spoke. The Matriarch of the household turned to her oldest. "I spoke with your school last night after dinner to let them know that you'll be taking some days off for the tournament. I was going to go up there to grab the schoolwork you'd miss, but it seems like a classmate of yours will be coming up here to deliver it instead." She very much enjoyed the way her son sputtered out some rice.

"C-classmate?!" He slightly panicked, hoping it wasn't who he thought it would be.

"Yes, a girl too it would seem. Apparently, she was very pushy about doing it herself when she had the chance."

Suddenly Gohan wasn't very interested in his food anymore.

Makima cupped her cheek with her hand. "My, I didn't know my son was such a ladies man already. Should your siblings and I head out once she gets here?"

"NO! M-MOTHER, THAT'S INAPPROPRIATE!" Gohan's face matched the color of his mother's hair with how embarrassed he was. His siblings, though not understanding the implications, laughed at his plight. "VIDEL AND I AREN'T LIKE THAT AT ALL!"

"Oh, Videl, huh? I didn't think you had gotten so close to the Champion's daughter. I'll be sure to tell this to Bulma and the rest of the ladies later." Makima enjoyed the way her son almost shut down from the teasing being thrown at him. All of this was simply punishment for deciding to make her the last one to know of her husband's return.

Her oldest knows better than to not immediately share any relevant information when it comes to her husband.

After breakfast the children all got dressed into their training gear to prepare themselves for the tournament. The Matriarch held her cup of coffee, enjoying its hot taste as she came out to watch her children train. She didn't have to be at the office till the afternoon, so she'll ensure that her kids didn't go overboard.

Gohan wore a dark purple GI with a red sash for the belt and black boots. He had two dark red wristbands on his arms.

Goten wore a GI similar to his father, but with a long-sleeved undershirt. His boots were a smaller version of his father's, which Makima had ensured they'd be modeled after her husband.

Nayuta wore a GI that resembled the one Gohan had when he was younger. A dark purple outfit but with a skirt and spandex shorts underneath. She had two long arm bands running up to her elbows.

The oldest took a deep breath. "Alright, let's start with Super Saiyan." With a small grunt his hair switched from black to blonde and his eyes went from black to teal. However, the red swirls were still ever present.

Next, he gathered a large pile of rocks, stacking them between his siblings. "First, we'll work on our reflexes."

"Soooo, you want us to chuck rocks at you?" Nayuta frowned. She really wanted to get her body moving in a spar or something. Throwing rocks wasn't exactly fun.

"Yup, but you'll be doing it one at a time. Goten, you'll go first." Gohan drew a line in the dirt. "Throw the rocks at me from here."

Goten picked up one of the rocks, looking a bit uncertain. He didn't want to get in trouble if his brother ended up getting hurt. "Are you sure?"

Feeling confident in his abilities, Gohan smirked at his brother. "I'll be fine, you can come even closer! You'll see."

Makima sipped on her coffee with a soft hum. She thought back to when Goten wanted to join a little league baseball team. The reactions from the rest of the parents who were mocking her baby boy for his size was a treat. Seems her oldest still has a bit of a cocky attitude problem. She could warn him but figured it would be more entertaining to let events play out. When she noticed Goten looking at her for permission, Makima nodded her head.

"Okay! Here I go!" Goten pulled back his arm. "TAKE THIS!"

Gohan had less than a second to react to the unbelievable speed of Goten's throw. He barely dodged the rock that took out half of the hill behind him. All the older brother could do was blinked owlishly at his little brother's prowess.

"Woah! You really did dodge it! You're really strong, Gohan!" Goten's smile was too frighteningly similar to their father's for Gohan's liking.

Nayuta scoffed, picking up her own rock. "You can throw harder than that, Goten! Here, let me show you how it's done-"

"WAIT!" Gohan stopped his sister. If Goten's throw was much stronger than he thought it would be, then Nayuta was likely to be just as bad. The oldest child quickly reassessed the distance, putting his siblings further back than before. "Here! This'll be good enough! This time you both can throw at the same time!"

The twins shrugged and did as he requested of them. The next few seconds turned into the most intense game of dodgeball the world will never see. Once Gohan felt more confident in his abilities, he asked the twins to move closer. After a few more rock throws the twins stopped much to Gohan's confusion. "Huh? Why did you guys stop?"

The twins looked at each other before turning back to Gohan. "Gohan…can we change like you?"

"Change like me?"

"He's asking if we can turn Super Saiyan." Nayuta clarified.

Gohan laughed at their request, clearly not taking them seriously. "You two aren't ready for this yet. To become a Super Saiyan you must train very hard! Also, you've got to learn how to manage your emoti-"

VWOOSH!

In an instant both young hybrids transformed into Super Saiyans. Goten, once again, looked exactly like his deceased father, while Nayuta's braid undid itself to allow some of her hair to spike upwards. Their swirls continuously present in their teal-colored eyes.

For the second time that day, Gohan was left flabbergasted by his siblings. "G-Goten… Nayuta… Since when could you…?"

"Uh…stuff happened." Nayuta responded.

"Yeah! Stuff happened!" Goten agreed.

Gohan looked at their mother, who wasn't bothered in the least by the twins' transformations. "Mother! Did you know about this?!"

"Yes." Makima responded.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Gohan asked.

"You never asked." She shrugged before continuing on with her coffee. How much coffee does she even have in that cup?!

"I can't believe this…" Gohan muttered. "It took days of training for Dad and I to even control Super Saiyan. But these two are handling it like no issue. Wait, can Trunks transform too?" Gohan asked.

"He did it before we did!" Goten answered.

"Unfortunately…" Nayuta groaned. She remembered how smug the young heir was when he showed the transformation off to them.

"In that case…do you two want to spar with me? You do know what I'm talking about, right?" Gohan asked them.

Nayuta started bouncing on her feet with excitement. "Finally! When you suggested training I was hoping for this!"

"Mommy plays with us sometimes whenever we ask her! So, we learned some stuff from her!" Goten explained.

"We also roughhouse with Trunks from time to time." Nayuta added.

"Really?" Gohan looked at Makima. He knew his mother could fight, but she hadn't done much fighting unless it involved her job. "I guess Mother figured sparring with them would help get rid of all the energy they have if they get too wild." Gohan turned back to his siblings. "Regardless, let's get right to it!"

"YEAH!" The twins jumped at their brother, engaging him in an intense sparring session.

Makima watched the three Super Saiyan hybrids duke it out all over the clearing. Seeing her youngest working as a team against their big brother had her feeling slightly nostalgic. It reminded her of the first time she and Goku worked together.

After reaffirming her own identity, Makima and Goku made their way back to Capsule Corp on their quest to find Bulma. The night's chill air wasn't a bother for her thanks to her coat, but she wasn't sure about her companion. "Goku, are you cold?"

"It's cold?"

"Never mind." She should've known where that was going to go. Now she simply wished to get somewhere she could privately recline for the night to avoid any further headaches. "Let's take a short cut."

"Okay!"

Cutting through a dark parking garage would've proved to be a challenge for any normal person. However, the two children were anything but normal as they peacefully walked through the rows of cars. Goku kept pace by locking onto Makima's smell and it surprised him how good her fragrance was. It wasn't like Bulma or Launch who used so many of those perfumes that it hurt his nose. Makima's smell was oddly relaxing and satisfying, which was a contrast to how she usually acts. In his head Goku figured that Makima must really be a nice person if she smells this good.

"Goku."

"Yeah?" He stopped when she turned to face him.

"It seems we stumbled into a trap."

"A trap?" Goku tilted his head.

Makima nodded her head. "A mistake on my part, but this should be adequate to find Bulma."

Goku had no idea what she meant until several lights shined on them, illuminating the dark parking garage. He looked around to see that every single car was staring them down as if they were prey.

"OH! That's what you meant! Hehehe!" Goku laughed, not worried at all.

The cars lunged at the duo to capture them.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?!" A young teenage girl with light blue hair screeched. This was Bulma Briefs, the heiress of Capsule Corp. The teenager, dressed in a dark red blouse and brown shorts, was tied up to a metal pole.

"OF COURSE I KNOW WHO YOU ARE! WHY ELSE WOULD I BOTHER CAPTURING YOU, YOU DAMN BANSHEE!" Her capture roared back. The kidnapper is a middle-aged man with dark hair, dressed in all black clothing. His eyes were pitched black with dark red pupils and his limbs were mechanical rather than flesh.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BANSHEE, JACKASS?!" Bulma shouted in rage. She struggled in her binds in attempts to break free. "Just you wait, jerk! Eventually my parents are gonna realize I'm gone and when they do, they'll let my boyfriend and best friend know about this!"

The kidnapper scoffed at her. "As if they'll be able to do anything to me! With my abilities it's been child's play to stay under the police and Devil Hunter's radar. If your parents want you back so badly then they'll just have to give in to my demands!"

Bulma stopped struggling, raising a brow. "Devil Hunters?! You're a devil?!"

"The Mech Devil to be exact!" He sauntered up to her, leaning down to be mere inches from Bulma's face. "I can control any mechanical vehicle to my heart's desire, but not only that…" He pointed his arm at one of the parked cars. The vehicle broke down to pieces and flew towards his limb, transforming it into a huge mechanical appendage. "They're capable of merging with my body to make myself more powerful. There isn't anyone in this city capable of stopping me-"

BEEP! BEEP!

The two turned to see a slightly banged up car slowly entering the empty warehouse. Mech smirked devilishly at his pet. "And here's my next little surprise."

"Surprise?" Bulma questioned.

"Just a little warning that I plan to show off to anyone who dares to go snooping where they don't belong." Mech warned as he approached the car. "Heard through the grapevine that some brats were looking for you throughout the city, so I ensured some of my 'pets' taught them a lesson. Ha! Man, I wish I could've seen the looks on their faces when they got-"

"POWER POLE, EXTEND!"

Before Mech could blink, a red pole crashed through the windshield of the car, smashing into his nose and sending him flying into the opposite ends of the warehouse. The rest of the windshield shattered to pieces as Goku plunged himself through. "BULMA!"

"GOKU?!" Bulma exclaimed happily. "I knew you'd come save me! Is Yamcha with you too?!"

"Yamcha? Why would Yamcha be with me?" Goku tilted his head.

This seemed to piss the heiress off immensely. "WHY THAT NO GOOD ROTTEN BANDIT! CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO SAVE HIS BEAUTIFUL GIRLFRIEND!"

Not fully understanding why Bulma was so upset, Goku shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have Yamcha with me, but I have a new friend!"

"Huh?" That snapped Bulma out of her rage. She saw a red-haired girl crawling out of the car to stand on the hood next to Goku, brushing bits of glass off of her jacket.

"I told you to wait for my signal to start attacking." Makima sighed with annoyance.

"Yeah, but he had Bulma so I had to save her." Goku explains.

"I can see that."

"Uh, Goku? Who is that girl?" Bulma asked.

"Oh! This is Makima and she's a Demon Slayer!"

"Devil Hunter." Makima corrected.

"That's what I said."

RUMBLE!

Mech pulled himself back together from the rubble he was buried under. He stared at the troublesome runts with anger and apprehension. "The hell?! How are you brats even alive?!"

Makima ignored the question and instead chose to get down to business. "Mech Devil, you are hereby under arrest mandated by the Public Safety Commission. You can choose to come quietly, or I'll have to do this the hard way."

"A Devil Hunter? A brat like you…? How the hell did you even find out about me?! I've been carefully hidden this entire time!"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, choosing the most populated and technologically advanced city on the planet as your base of operations was the smartest idea ever."

"Shut up!" He yelled at her, blushing red. Then turned back to the brats. "So, what if you're some Devil Hunters! I can easily take you both down!" He spread out his arms, commanding the vehicles inside of the warehouse to merge with his body. The kids and heiress watched as the once human sized devil was now a 20-foot-tall mecha. "With my full strength there's nothing you can possibly do to stop me!"

"Woah! He must be super strong now!" Goku smiled in anticipation.

"Hm… I doubt that." Makima disagreed.

Mecha brought down his huge fist on the warehouse to crush them, forcing the duo to jump out of the way. Crumbling pieces of debris began to fall, just barely missing Bulma. "EEK! CAN YOU GET ME OUT OF HERE FIRST, GOKU?!"

"Oops! Sorry, Bulma!" Goku apologized to her.

"I'll grab her, you focus on the devil for now." Makima ordered before calmly walking over to Bulma.

"Gotcha! NIMBUS!" Goku called for his cloud, jumping onto the mystical object and soaring into the skies.

Makima approached Bulma, using her abilities to keep the debris from crushing them. She then easily tore through the chains binding the heiress to the pole. "There, does that feel better?"

"Y-yeah…" Now that she had a closer look at Makima, Bulma found the devil's eyes very creepy. "U-uh, how do you know Goku exactly?" Bulma asked.

"Is now really the best time to ask this?" Makima fired back with her own question. An explosion and more falling debris proceeded to answer for Bulma.

"Nope! You're right! Just get me out of here!" Bulma pleaded.

"Hold on to me." Makima grabbed the heiress by her waist.

"What do you me-AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The heiress shrieked loud enough to shatter glass.

Goku, on the other hand, danced around Mecha like an annoying little fly. He continued to dodge the giant's attacks effortlessly, pissing off his opponent.

"Will you quit flying, you annoying little gnat?!" Mecha growled.

"Okay! Guess it's my turn!" Goku twirled his pole before swinging it with all of his might. The extended weapon smashed into the side of the giant's head, almost knocking him completely off his feet. Then repeated this with the other side of Mecha's head, making the devil's head spin in a silly manner.

Goku frowned at the state of his opponent. "Are you really this weak? I was hoping that you'd be a bit stronger than this."

"Y-you…!" The Mecha got his senses back together. "You want to see strong?!"

"Yeah!"

"THEN HERE! MY ROCKET PUNCH!" He disconnected his right fist, blasting it at the tiny monkey.

Only for Goku to swing his pole like a baseball bat and knock the massive fist back into mechanical face. "C'mon! Get serious already!" Goku whined.

Mecha stared at the monkey child with a bit of fear. "How the hell is this brat so freaking strong?! Is he some kind of devil too?! There has to be something I can…" He looked over and saw Makima and Bulma standing on one of the opposite buildings. "There! Let me fight her instead!"

"Huh?" Goku looked over at Makima. "You want to fight Makima?"

"Y-yeah! Isn't it fair that your friend gets a turn too?!" Mecha argued.

Goku saw the logic in his argument. "I guess, you're right. This is Makima's job and stuff."

"Yeah! Yeah! So, tag out, kid! Be a pal!"

"Okay! I'll go let her know!" Goku flew down towards his friends as Mecha smirked triumphantly at his victory. The little girl is likely more of the brains than the power, so taking her out would put a damper on the boy's abilities.

"Ha! I'm such a genius-" His self-congratulation was halted by the feeling of several large chains wrapping around his body. Mecha struggled in his binds, utterly baffled by the phenomena going on right now.

"Hmph, seems you believe yourself to be some sort of mastermind."

"W-what?!" He gasped as he caught Makima standing right on the tip of his nose. "W-when the hell did you get there?!"

"You don't have time to worry about that." Makima smiled maliciously. "You should've stuck with Goku. He would've been a lot more kind." The way her eyes glowed filled the mechanical devil with a sense of terror he had never felt before. But just as soon as that fear appeared, it vanished like a dying flame. Whatever sense of superiority that he had was replaced with a cold nothingness. His huge body fell apart just as quickly as his spirit had.

Makima had a chain wrapped around the Mech Devil's neck like a dog leash. She turned the chain invisible as Goku approached her with Bulma in his arms. "Woah! You beat that guy so quickly!"

"It was no trouble." Makima smirked.

Bulma shivered. "Guess that's another unbelievable kid I can add to the list. Still, thanks for coming to save me."

"Saving you just so happened to align with my target, so think nothing of it." Makima responded.

"O-oh…"

Goku, not picking up the cold air, jumped in front of Makima. "Makima!"

"Yes?"

"Fight me!"

"No." She instantly replied, hoping this would be the last time he'd ask her.

It was NOT the last time he'd ask her.

"Ah…what wonderful times." Makima smiled to herself as she continued to enjoy her coffee.

"NO FAIR!"

"YOU'RE FLYING!"

The mother of three turned her attention back to her children to see what the issue was now. Apparently the twins didn't know how to fly yet, which made it impossible for them to properly keep up with Gohan during the spar. She could've taught them that, but keeping a handle on those two would've been an even bigger pain if they knew how to fly.

Looking down at her watch, Makima saw that it was nearly time for her to head out to work. She didn't need to worry about the twins since Gohan will be watching them. Suddenly, she felt an unfamiliar presence coming near their home. Using her abilities she took notice of the aircraft and the teenage girl piloting it. It took no time at all for Makima to realize who this girl was and why she was flying all the way out here.

She knew her son wouldn't appreciate it, but it was every mother's job to meet her future daughter-in-law and ensure she's the right fit for her son. Makima vanished from the training spot, while Gohan was too busy explaining to his siblings why they should keep their powers hidden around their visitor.

In the higher regions of the otherworld, where the universe's greatest fighters spend their afterlife training with one another, one specific fighter was stuffing his face with his 20th bowl of food. Next to him was one of the many deities of the universe, along with his two companions, a monkey and a floating grasshopper.

"Even after all this time I still can't understand how you're able to eat so much while being dead…!" King Kai complained.

"Oh, come on, King Kai! I need to keep my belly full after a hard day's work of training! Wouldn't want me to die from starvation, right?!" Son Goku laughed.

"YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD!" King Kai roared. His star pupil just continued to laugh at his reaction like always. "Why do I continue putting up with you?"

"I don't know. Makima would always ask the same thing whenever I did something stupid." Goku responded. He held his bowl of rice closer to himself when Bubbles tried to sneak his finger in.

"Speaking of which, are you certain you're ready to go back to Earth? It's been seven years, Goku." King Kai said.

Goku nods his head, smiling as if everything was fine. "Yeah, I mean, sure it's been a long time but I'm sure nothing's changed too much. Besides, they have Gohan to keep them safe if anyone shows up to threaten Earth again. There isn't anything to be worried about."

"Such a carefree guy as always." King Kai sighed. He looked over at the table, seeing the strange envelope sitting next to the many empty bowls Goku had left. "Hey, what's with that letter?"

Putting down his food, Goku glances down at the envelope. "This? Oh yeah, Death left this for me."

"DEATH?!" King Kai, Bubbles, and Greggory screamed. This wasn't the North Kai's first time dealing with the oldest sibling of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, since the manifestation of Death had made it a routine to constantly get in contact with Goku over the last couple of years. Even though she wasn't exactly allowed to do so, that woman never gave a damn no matter how many times he shouted at her.

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Goku never saw the issue most people seemed to have with his older sister-in-law. Apparently she symbolized the coming of the end of the world, but she seemed pretty nice to him and Gohan when they met. He does remember Makima being pretty upset when she first came to their home.

"Even if I explained it to you it would probably just go over your head." King Kai responded.

"Yeah, probably."

"Just open the envelope, Goku."

"Okay!" He laughed before tearing open the envelope. He and his companions stared at what appears to be a photograph of Makima, an older Gohan, and two young children right between them.

…

…

…

"Hey! That one looks just like me!"

"THAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE?!" King Kai yelled.

"Well…the girl looks like Makima."

"And you are my star pupil…"

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission (3): The Future Doesn't Rule

For as long as Gohan could remember, his father has always been a pillar of strength. He was always training, always giving everything his all, and never gave up even when the situations seemed dire.

When his father arrived on the battlefield against the Saiyans it was like a sudden resurgence of hope had arrived. It felt like everything would be fine with him around, a warm blanket being wrapped around you in the middle of a cold night.

That's how his mother would describe him.

That's how all of his friends would describe him.

Son Goku would always be there to protect them, he was their sun. The burning bright star that he and his mother happily rotated around.

…

…

…

But what happens when that star goes out?

What do they do when his father loses a fight that he couldn't punch his way out of?

…

…

…

What does their future look like without Son Goku?

Son Gohan sprinted through the woods of Mt. Paozu as fast as he could, carrying buckets of water with him, careful not to spill the contents. He had been tasked by his mother to gather water to help with the situation.

But he wasn't stupid, Gohan knew that his mother simply didn't want him in the house with the condition his father was currently in. It's been almost two weeks since his father has contracted this new heart virus that's been popping up in countries all over the world.

At first none of them had suspected anything. His dad was a little winded, ending spars earlier than normal and going to bed much earlier than he normally does. But then his father started sleeping in much later, eating slower and fewer meals, and moving sluggish in spars.

His mother, who is usually level-headed in situations, started to worry excessively. She always said that his father has never been sick before as if his body was simply too strong to ever contract normal illnesses on Earth. So the sight of her powerful husband succumbing to this new virus scared her unlike anything Gohan has ever seen before.

Their friends and Vegeta had all come by, worried for their long-time friend/rival's health. They were in the same boat as his mother, having never seen Goku look so pale and weak. He's always been full of life, so to think that some virus was capable of bringing him shook them to their core.

His aunts, Fami and War, were different in their reactions. The former gave them looks of pity as if his father had already passed, saying that she would miss her long-time eating buddy. His mother almost ripped her conscience to shreds for insinuating Goku's death.

War openly mocked Goku's sickly body as if she's been waiting for the day he'd perish a pitiful death. Makima hadn't wasted a moment in turning War's brain into a puddle of mush, dooming the horseman of the apocalypse to an eternity of being brain dead.

As the sun started to set, the evening sky doing little to calm his fears, Gohan finally arrived back at his home. Standing outside were all of his father's long-time friends and rivals, all waiting patiently for the news of Goku's condition. The young hybrid didn't bother saying anything to them as a terrible feeling started to set in his stomach. He tore open the front door of his home, sprinting up the stairs to his parents' bedroom.

Gohan found his mother sitting at the bed, his father's body covered in blankets. She held her husband's hand tightly, refusing to say anything to her son. Gohan slowly stepped towards them, sweat dripping down his face. When he got a good look at his father…he felt his heart shatter to pieces.

Goku was smiling peacefully, having already taken his final breath.

"Dad…?"

He didn't respond.

"Dad…"

No response.

"Daddy…" Gohan's voice quivered, his hands touching his father's chest as if hoping to feel a heartbeat. But he knew it was futile. His father was gone, died to the heart virus, and no mystical objects in the universe would be able to bring him back.

"DADDY!" He allowed his emotions to spill loudly, crying on his father's chest.

Makima just watched her son's breakdown, not making any move to comfort him. She just stared at her husband.

On this day, half of Makima's heart shattered to pieces.

Goku's funeral was short, only filled with the people who truly knew him. Makima was surprised to see all of the people who had turned up and remembered just how many people her husband had truly helped when he was alive. But that didn't bring her any comfort.

Her husband was still dead. Once again he had died without her, leaving her a widow and her son fatherless. Her son…

Makima stared at Gohan and the brave face he was putting on in front of everyone. Perhaps he felt that he had to remain strong for the both of them now that Goku was no longer here. What a silly little boy. He was too young to be thinking like this, but she didn't have it in her to try and tell him otherwise. After all, she was broken.

Bulma, who was holding baby Trunks in her arms, and Krillin approached her with a mournful look on both of their faces. They were good friends, Goku's closest companions but she didn't want their words of pity.

She was the Control Devil. She didn't do pity.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Makima." Bulma began. "I never thought that this would be the way Goku's story would end."

Makima didn't think it would end this way either.

"He's always been strong, someone you could look to when times were tough. Goku wasn't the smartest of people, but he was one of the best." Bulma continued, ignorant to the emotions stirring inside of Makima.

Krillin nodded his head, agreeing with Bulma. "He was my best friend, and I owe the guy my life. I know that there'll never be enough ways to repay him for everything he's done, but if you ever need us, you or Gohan, we'll be here to help."

She didn't need them. She wanted her husband, but he was gone. Her son, her flesh and blood was all she had left in this world.

Makima will always love Goku, but she'll never forgive him for leaving her again.

And just when she thought this nightmare was over, it seems like the death of Goku was just the catalyst for something worse.

It had been six months since the death of Goku and the world could only continue to move on. Makima went off to work, while Gohan spent his time training with Piccolo. These past six months have seen Makima drowning herself in her work. Many had assumed that it was just her way of coping and that she would slow down eventually, but she just kept going. Makima's behavior had also taken a sharp turn. She was much harsher, more forceful, more controlling to the hunters and employees of the 4th Division building. Whenever she was home, she'd barely talk to her son other than asking him how his studies were progressing. What used to be a warm house of laughter and love had shifted into a cold uneasiness.

Makima sat at her desk as she went over the reports and missions for the day. More devils, more incidents, and more money that needed to be distributed. She had never noticed just how repetitive this all was until just recently. Perhaps she should just take control of humans and devils alike to get them to shut- "Huh…?" The Son matriarch blinked a few times as a weird feeling into her brain. All at once, several hundred noises were just silenced instantly.

Suddenly, the door to her office was blown open by a secretary. The middle aged woman looked frantic as hell as she rushed into the office. "M-Mrs. Makima! T-there's an emergency!"

"There's always an emergency." The redhead sighed. "What kind of devil is it this time?"

"I-I-I'm not even sure if this is a devil!"

Now that got Makima's attention. "What do you mean?"

"Yesterday, several of our hunters were sent out to investigate an attack on a small village near South City. We assumed it to be the work of a devil, so there was no harm in checking it out. However, none of those hunters ever reported back, so when we sent some others to check it out they reported that the entire village had been wiped out. Everyone, even the hunters sent, had been completely killed." The secretary explained.

Makima didn't see the problem, sometimes things like that happened when dealing with a powerful devil. But she knew there was more to the story.

"And just now a stampede of phone calls and requests just came flying in!" The woman started to look much more frantic. "Each one stemming from an island 9 km southwest of South City! They're under attack from something! And no hunters, either from a division or freelance, are able to do anything!"

Before Makima could respond to the frantic secretary, a disturbing sensation just tingled through her head. Three signatures, familiar ones, just faded out of existence and she knew who those belonged to. Turning to the direction of where she had just felt the energy fade, Makima realized the truth of what was happening.

Whoever was causing trouble now had just killed Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu. Three of her late-husband's close friends were snuffed out of existence and she knew that no devil could have managed to do that. What was making the situation worse was that the strong and familiar energy of her son was heading straight for the epicenter of this mess.

"M-Mrs. Makima! What are we going to-" The secretary never got to finish as the division leader vanished from her office.

When Makima arrived on the island, she wasn't surprised to see that the city was in ruins, mangled bodies of civilians thrown all over the place. She examined the city until she came across the ones she was looking for.

Tien had a massive hole blown through his torso.

Yamcha had both of his arms torn off with his head twisted in an impossible direction.

Chiaotzu's body didn't have a head anymore, the burnt neck gave her an answer to how that must've happened.

It wasn't the first time she's seen these three dead, but unlike last time, there wasn't going to be any coming back for them. Seems her husband wouldn't be alone in the afterlife anymore.

"MAKIMA/MOM!"

She turned around to see that Krillin, Piccolo, and Gohan had finally arrived on the island. Two of the three were horrified to see their friends' mutilated corpses and the rest of the destruction the city had been subjected to. Her son's hands balled into fists, his anger building up at the sight of all the carnage. "Who…who could've done this?!" Gohan growled.

"Yo! I think you're looking for us!" The four of them turned around to see the ones responsible for everything. It was a pair of young adults, a boy and a girl. The young man had short black hair and wore a black shirt with a red bandana around his neck, and a pair of ripped jeans.

The young woman looked a bit similar to him but with blonde hair. She wore a black top with black and white sleeves underneath a denim jacket, with a denim skirt to match. The girl brushed her hair back in a way that caused Krillin to blush a bit. But he quickly fought against it, reminding himself that these two were the ones responsible for the death of his friends.

"You two…?! You're the ones who did all of this?!" Krillin asked.

"That's what I said." The young man smirked.

Piccolo stepped forward. "Who are you?! And how come we couldn't sense your energy?!"

"Hm…should we introduce ourselves, sis?" The young man asked.

"Sure, not like it matters anyway. They're all gonna die here." She shrugged.

"Cool!" The young man exclaimed. "See, we're just a couple of cyborgs by the name 17 and 18! And all we want is to enjoy our newfound freedom after escaping the hands of our 'master'."

"Master…?" Makima questioned. She took a closer look at the two. Her eyes widening at the familiar insignia on 17's shirt. A very annoyed scowl found its way to her face. "Of course…!"

"Dr. Gero of the Red Ribbon Army." C17 revealed to the other's shock.

"The Red Ribbon Army?!" Krillin exclaimed. "But didn't Goku destroy the Red Ribbon Army years ago?!"

"Yeah, but the old doc lived. He kidnapped us, experimented on us, and turned us into killing machines all in the hopes of getting his revenge on Goku." C17 explained.

"Get revenge on my Dad…?" Gohan muttered.

"Then you're out of luck. Goku's been dead for six months now." Piccolo revealed. "Whatever hopes he had for his revenge are long gone."

"That's pretty much what your three pals over there had told us." C17 pointed at the dead Z-fighters. "To tell you the truth, we never cared too much about Gero's whole revenge. We just wanted our freedom to do whatever we want."

"And your idea of that is mass destruction?" Makima questioned.

"Well, yeah, why not? Humans are pretty annoying and don't treat the planet with the proper respect it deserves. So, I'll do it a favor and wipe out the troublesome insects." C17 smiled maliciously.

"And I hate how weak humans are. Such pathetic creatures that can't even protect themselves from each other. You lot don't deserve to live." C18 declared.

"Don't even get me started on devils! They're even worse, but they're no trouble for the two of us." C17 spoke with as much arrogance as Vegeta.

The last remaining Z-Fighters stanced up against the terror twins. "Well too bad! If you want to destroy any more of this world then you're gonna have to get through us!" Piccolo warned.

"That's exactly what your friends said before they got their butts kicked." C17 cracked his knuckles.

"Try not to die as quickly as they did." C18 demanded.

Makima didn't care too much for their reasons of wanting to kill the human race or devils, since she's had similar thoughts before. However, the two were created to kill her late-husband and potentially anything he considered family, thus she prepared to defend herself and her son.

Unfortunately, none of them were prepared for the overwhelming strength these cyborgs possessed. It had become very quickly apparent that the four of them were outmatched, especially with the way her son was knocked out of the fight extremely fast.

Makima caught her son in her arms, holding him close as Krillin and Piccolo struggled against their cybernetic opponents. The situation was not good and neither monk nor Namekian were going to hold out any longer against the twin menaces. None of her abilities seemed to do anything to the cyborgs as if they were programmed to resist her powers entirely.

A miracle was going to be needed if they wanted any hopes of surviving-

"BIG BANG ATTACK!"

C18 was struck from the back, blown into a building by the powerful blue ball of KI. Piccolo just barely managed to dodge the attack. He, along with everyone else, looked up to see the familiar widow's peak descending onto the battlefield. With his usual brand of smug arrogance, Vegeta examined the chaos.

"Vegeta…?!" Krillin gasped.

"Tch! And where have you been?" Piccolo asked.

"Training, what else?" Vegeta responded, then stared at C17. "I see there's some trash that thinks they can do whatever they please."

"If my data serves me right, you're Vegeta, right?" C17 didn't seem afraid of the prince's arrival. "Not much of a challenge."

His words landed right where you'd expect it to. Vegeta's face deepened into a scowl. "Not a challenge? If that's what you think then you're surely mistaken. Allow me to show you the power of the strongest race in the universe!" Vegeta declared. The ground around them started to shake violently, the air cracking from the KI surging around the prince. "RAAAHHH!"

Makima's eyes widened at the familiar golden aura that erupted from Vegeta. She didn't expect him to have figured it out so soon, but it seems like Vegeta had finally transformed into a Super Saiyan just like her late-husband.

"Vegeta's a Super Saiyan!" Krillin actually smiled. "Alright! Looks like we might just make it out of this!"

BOOM!

Emerging from the ruins of a building was C18, the woman's clothes were the only parts of her to have taken damage from Vegeta's surprise attack. And judging by the look on her face she was NOT happy. C17 looked down at his sister and laughed. "Yo, sis! You good?!"

"Shut up! That bastard ruined my jacket!" She tossed the ruined jacket onto the ground. "I'll be sure to pay him back for the damages!"

Vegeta smirked and got into a stance. "Hmph, trust me, I'm not afraid to hit a woman."

"Good. Neither am I." With a surprising burst of speed C18 flashed in front of Vegeta. Her fist clashed against his arm, pushing the Super Saiyan prince back. He countered with a left jab, but she grabbed his fist and pulled him in close for a nasty headbutt. Vegeta used this to ram his knee into her gut, forcing the female cyborg to take to the skies. The newly transformed Super Saiyan followed after her.

C17 clapped his hands, gaining their attention back. "Welp, while she's busy taking care of the prince I think we should continue this little dance, right?"

Makima didn't bother trying to engage C17 in a fight, knowing that there wasn't any point in her trying. Instead she checked on her son and prepared to retreat to get him out of here. She figured that with a Super Saiyan Vegeta (Something she wasn't particularly happy about) their chances of winning seemed better.

Krillin and Piccolo were both knocked back towards her direction, and she used her powers to stop them from crashing into her. She watched as they tried to regain their senses, but it was clear that they were running out of juice quickly. Their opponent, C17, didn't look any different than he had a few moments ago. "They've been fighting this entire time, but he doesn't seem exhausted. Just what exactly are these 'cyborgs'?"

Piccolo grunted, huffing loudly. "How…how are you not even exhausted?"

C17 smirked, flexing his arm. "Let's just say that I have unlimited energy. I haven't even used half of my strength to beat you guys. And just to let you know…my sister's the same."

Whatever question they could've asked was answered by the crashing body of Vegeta. The Super Saiyan was badly hurt, his armor damaged, and blood drenching his blue spandex. He climbed back onto his feet as the uninjured C18 floated down next to her brother. "D-damn it…!" Vegeta cursed.

Krillin couldn't believe what he was seeing, fear growing heavily in his heart. "Not even Vegeta, a Super Saiyan, is able to do anything to them…! If he can't do anything…"

"...Then nobody can." Piccolo grunted gravely.

"AS IF!" Vegeta roared, exploding with power. "I AM A VEGETA, PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS! A SUPER SAIYAN! THERE'S NO WAY I CAN POSSIBLY LOSE TO SOME ROBOTIC DOLLS!" With a mighty burst of power, he rocketed towards the twins in pure rage. With KI building in his palms, Vegeta unleashed an Earth-shattering barrage of blasts at his enemies.

"It's not gonna work…" Makima realized.

Piccolo sneered at Vegeta's attack before turning to Makima. "Get Gohan out of here! Now!"

"What?! Piccolo, what are you saying?!" Krillin exclaimed.

The Namekian ignored him, fully focusing on Makima. "Vegeta isn't strong enough to beat them and if he can't do it, then we're all dead. I know you and I don't see eye-to-eye, but I think you can agree that the only one with the strength to stop them is Gohan!"

Makima stared at him, but she increased her grip on her son.

"Right now, he doesn't have the strength to stop them, but one day…" He was interrupted by the sounds of Vegeta getting knocked into the ground. The Super Saiyan was getting double-teamed by the cyborg siblings, the legendary transformation that had Freeza on his knees treated as a child's plaything against their might.

Makima didn't care too much about Vegeta dying, but she guessed that it would be terrible for Bulma and Trunks. Guess, the heiress will finally know what it's like to lose the man you love. She looked at Piccolo, knowing what was going through his head. "You know that if you die, then those Dragon Balls you all love to use will be gone forever."

Piccolo grunted, turning away from her. "So be it. I'd rather die than live my life running in fear. Besides, it's not like any of us could be brought back to life again anyway. Maybe it'll do the human race some good to not rely on them anymore. C'mon, Krillin."

Krillin stood with Piccolo, giving the wife and son of his best friend a pained look. "I guess this'll be my way of repaying Goku. We'll buy you guys some time to get away."

BOOM!

Vegeta's energy completely vanished, meaning that they were now the targets of the twin menaces. Piccolo turned back to Makima, but the devil had already vanished along with her son. The Namekian wasn't surprised to see that she took the first chance she had to leave, and he hoped that she would actually follow what he said. "If that woman doesn't do anything stupid, then you're the last hope of this world, Gohan. Live, train, and avenge us!"

"You know… I didn't think I'd end up dying again like this. I still never got a girlfriend." Krillin mourned.

"Tch…! No point in dying with regrets."

"Yeah… I guess you're right. HAAAAAA!" Krillin and Piccolo charged up whatever power they had left and took off to face their deaths.

"HAH?!" Gohan sat up with a startled gasp, sweat pouring down his face. He examined his surroundings, realizing that he was in his bedroom. But that didn't make any sense…he was just facing off with those cyborgs with his mom and- "Mr. Piccolo…?!" Immediately Gohan stretched out his senses to feel out his master's KI, but no matter what he did he couldn't find him anywhere. Not just him…Krillin nor Vegeta could be felt either. Fear of the worst case scenario filled every corner of his heart. "No…no no!" He threw off his blankets and bolted for his room's window.

"Where are you going?"

Stopping on a dime, Gohan turned around to see his mother standing at his door with a tray of food in her hands. "Get back into bed, Gohan." She said as if nothing was wrong.

"W-what are you saying, Mom?! Where's Mr. Piccolo and Krillin?! What about those cyborgs-"

"They're dead."

"What…?" Gohan stared at her.

"Piccolo, Krillin, and Vegeta are all dead. Those cyborgs killed them just hours ago." She didn't censor any of the truth from her son. But why would she? There was no point in hiding the truth of matters now.

Gohan stared at her as he processed the newly acquired information. His master was dead, which meant Kami was dead, and that meant that their way of reversing everything that's been done was gone forever. A burning anger started building, his fists clenching tightly enough to draw blood. "I-If they're all dead…then why are we just sitting here?! We should be out there, fighting those cyborgs and avenging everyone!"

"There's no point." Makima's cold response shocked him. "Vegeta was a Super Saiyan when he fought them, and he still lost. Those two are dangerous, so we won't be dealing with them ever again."

"No, Mom! We can't just sit here, while everyone else is out there suffering by their hands! Mr. Piccolo would want me to fight them!" Gohan declared.

He wasn't wrong, she thought back to Piccolo's final words about Gohan being their last hope. She knew that Piccolo was likely right about that, but she was never going to fulfill his last request. Allowing her son to ever fight those cyborgs again and risk losing him too? No, that was never going to happen.

He was all she had left in this world.

"Piccolo is dead, whatever he would've wanted is irrelevant." Once again, her words cut through her son like a knife. Instead of calming him down, all it did was make Gohan even more angry.

"What about Bulma, Trunks, Master Roshi, Aunt Fami, and everyone else?! They're all going to be left helpless at the hands of those monsters!" Gohan was internally praying that his mother would see reason. The way she was talking made it sound like she couldn't give a damn about the rest of humanity or all of their friends. He knew she didn't have the highest opinion on most people, but surely she wasn't-

"If they die then that's simply what fate had instored for them." Gohan stared at her in horror, but she didn't care how he felt. "It is not either of our responsibility to fight on their behalf. As long as you are safe, then that's all that matters to me." She watched him lower his head, his bangs covering his eyes. Figuring that the conversation was over, Makima turned to leave until Gohan's next words froze her.

"Dad would…"

"What?" She faced him.

"Dad would want me to fight them! He'd want me to fight them and to protect the world-" That's as far as he got before his mother was mere inches from his face. For the first time in his life, Gohan found his mother's eyes distributing to stare at.

"He is dead. He died six months ago and abandoned us. Whatever he would've wanted doesn't matter and I will not allow you to talk like this to me. I am your mother, which means you listen to me, you are under MY control." Her eyes flashed and within seconds Gohan felt his consciousness fade into black. Whatever desires he had to fight against the cyborgs, to save the world, to avenge his fallen friends, and make his father proud all died within seconds.

Makima watched her son fall to the floor and sighed. She didn't like forcing her control over her son, but he left her no choice. He was simply too young and too emotional to understand the gravity of their situation and the state the world was in. She was never going to allow him to fight those cyborgs, she wasn't going to lose him, and they were going to remain their little happy family for the rest of eternity.

She would ensure it.

She would maintain control-

"...No…"

Makima whipped around instantly, staring at the twitching form of her son. This shouldn't be possible once he was under her control. Resisting it was fine, but her son wasn't just resisting her influence he was utterly decimating it.

"I…I…" Gohan pushed his fists against the floor to push himself back up. His head rose to reveal his glowing teal-colored eyes to his shocked mother. "I am not YOURS TO CONTROL!" Gohan roared, golden light igniting around his body like flames.

"G-Gohan…!" Makima muttered in disbelief at the phenomenon happening to her son. But she regained her focus, knowing she had to stop this. "Stop, Gohan! You WILL submit!" Her power pushed against his mind, causing him to scream from the mental attack.

"I…I…I WILL NOT!" He screamed, his energy skyrocketing from his anger. But his mother continued to try and subjugate his mind, which made everything else worse.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPP!" His anger reached its boiling point, the power of a Super Saiyan came to life within him. The power exploded like a fierce typhon, throwing Makima through the house. Gohan's power continued to rage on, destroying his room entirely and even more of the house.

Makima climbed to her feet and stared at the glowing visage of her son. His hair was now glowing golden, his eyes perfect teal, and his power was evaporating his leaking tears. All the Control Devil could do was stare at her son.

She took a step forward.

He took a step back.

"Gohan…" Makima muttered. She realized that he didn't trust her anymore, not after forcing her will over his. She took another step towards him, but her son was having none of it. He blasted her with a charged KI blast, knocking her through the last few walls of their home.

Makima laid on the grass, watching as the golden streak of her son took off from their home. The Control Devil didn't make a move. She just stared at the sky blankly until it started to rain as if the world was crying in pain.

She understood its pain. She was in pain too.

The world was in shambles.

Her husband was dead.

And her son hated her. He feared her.

For the first time in her life… Makima truly had truly lost control.

Makima cried her husband's name desperately. Wishing that he would show up at the last minute like he always did and fix the situation. That he would wrap her up like a blanket to protect her fragile heart.

She wished for his hope.

Intermission End

Chapter Text

Intermission (4): The Future Rules

"It's okay… It's okay…" Bulma whispered to her crying son. The single mother ignored the news channel of the horrific attack. She didn't fully understand what was going on, but she was aware enough to know that some new threat decided to make itself known again. But it should be fine, because Yamcha, Piccolo, and the others would take care of it.

Vegeta should be able to take care of it…if he wasn't being an ass.

"I mean, their fights can take a while, but should it really be this long?" Bulma stared back at the television. She'd be lying if she said that there wasn't a bit of fear bubbling up inside of her. The fear of the 'what if'. Goku wasn't around anymore, so there wasn't any guarantee that everything would turn out fine. But the others should be able to defeat whatever this threat is, like, Freeza was the biggest bad the universe has ever seen, even worse than devils or King Piccolo.

But, sure, Goku was a Super Saiyan when he defeated Freeza twice, however Vegeta had also achieved the transformation. At least, that's what he was bragging to her about before rushing off to face off this new threat. Everything would be fine…whatever was going on would be handled, Vegeta would probably barge back in here to brag about his victory (He needed someone who would at least listen to him), and they'd all be able to move on like nothing happened. And maybe she could try convincing him to at least stay in Trunks' life.

Maybe she should go visit Makima and Gohan, she was certain they could use some company. Gohan liked playing with Trunks, and Makima didn't mind her company…sometimes. Bulma nodded her head to herself and tried to relax herself in her seat. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea-"

CRASH!

Trunks immediately started screaming, forcing to try and calm him back down again. She scrambled to her feet, wondering just what could've crashed right into her house. Hurrying towards where the sound had been, Bulma kept Trunks close to her chest just in case. Could it have been Vegeta? She told that bastard about crashing through her walls just to…that's not Vegeta.

Bulma found herself staring down at a frantic young Super Saiyan, one that looked a lot like Gohan. Tears were streaming down the boy's face as he tried to get a handle on his emotions. Bulma's motherly instincts took over and she hurried over to the boy, concerned for her godchild. "Gohan?! Y-you're a Super Saiyan! T-this is…what's going on?"

Gohan peered up at her, his breathing ragged. "B-Bulma…!" His eyes trailed over to Trunks, who was staring at him with fascination. Just the sight of the boy reminded him of everything that's happened in the last few hours. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Gohan repeated frantically.

"Y-you're sorry? Gohan, what's wrong?! Where's your mother and everyone else?!" She knew the boy long enough to know that he wouldn't be apologizing for no good reason. As an adult and Godparent, she needed to know what was going on and why he was suddenly a Super Saiyan. Makima nor Piccolo, the two who would constantly be with him were nowhere to be found either. She needed answers…

…And the moment Gohan started explaining she wished she had never asked.

Makima knew she had to find her son. She couldn't leave him alone, not when those cyborgs were out there going on a rampage. Any calls or alerts that had come through her phone had been ignored, fully aware that they were coming from the government and the Public Safety Commission. Clearly concerned about the twin menaces that were quickly tearing through society like butter, trying to understand if they were devils or not.

They weren't, but she didn't care if the government knew or not. She had no intention of trying to mobilize them against an unstoppable force that she stood no chance against. If the Public Safety Commission were to get wiped out, then so be it. Such a thing would've happened eventually regardless.

Her son was far more important.

Makima knew exactly where he'd go in his state of distress and made way for Capsule Corporation with utmost haste. Nothing was going to stop her from taking Gohan back home even if it caused him to hate her even more. His transformation into a Super Saiyan simply caught her off guard, which allowed him to get the upper hand against her. This time she was fully prepared for his power and would use a stronger means of putting him under control. Even if it meant completely wiping out his consciousness entirely. As long as he was safe…

…As long as he was back home with her and with Go…no she wouldn't think about him.

The Control Devil stormed her way through Capsule Corp, paying no mind to the fleeing employees, who were likely trying to escape before the cyborgs eventually made their way here to West City. Makima felt Gohan's signature, both his energy and devil nature blinking out at her like a beacon. He was stationed in one of the residential buildings, probably asleep from the looks of it. The redhead arrived at the room he was staying at with no issue at all, her hand mere inches from the door handle.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

Makima stopped herself, turning around to see Bulma glaring at her. The Control Devil wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "Getting my son."

"No, what you're going to do is get the hell out of my home."

"Excuse you?" Makima raised a brow at the disrespectful tone. Strange…Bulma knew better than to speak to her like that.

"No…! Excuse you." Bulma hissed dangerously. The corporation owner boldly strolled up to Makima, glaring directly into her yellow orbs. Makima found this behavior uncharacteristic, because Bulma has never had the courage to get all uppity at her like this.

"Move, Bulma-"

"Shut up!" Bulma interrupted her. "You don't get to walk in here, and act like everything is okay! You don't get to waltz in here just to hurt him all over again!"

"I am simply trying to retrieve my son after he disobeyed me." Makima clarified. Her tone just pissed Bulma off even more.

"Disobeyed you? Is that how you see what you've done?!" Bulma yelled.

"How else am I supposed to view it?"

"How about you realize that he's still hurting from everything you said! From everything you did! And everything that's happened in the past few hours!" Bulma responded heatedly.

"You don't know-"

"I DON'T?!" Bulma interrupted her again. "You don't think he didn't explain to me how Piccolo, Vegeta, and everyone else were brutally killed by those cyborgs while you decided to abandon them all! How you decided it would be a good idea to leave the rest of us for dead?!" Tears were threatening to fall from Bulma's eyes, but the heiress didn't give a shit. The woman in front of her was pissing her off the more she looked at her.

"And what did you expect me to do?" Makima was growing annoyed by Bulma's behavior by the second. "Stay and fight a losing battle, leave my son all alone? Piccolo was even the one to suggest that I leave with Gohan. All I did was listen to his suggestion and take my son far away from there. Whatever happened afterwards was none of my concern."

Bulma stared at the devil woman in silence, disbelief written all over her face. For a moment, neither of them said anything to each other. When Makima felt that Bulma wasn't going to say anything else, she turned back towards the door-

"I wonder what Goku ever saw in you."

The speed in which Bulma was slammed into the wall was unheard of, even for their standards. A certain amount of fear appeared in the heiress as Makima kept her locked in place, the devil's disturbing eyes burning holes into her soul. " Never utter those words again." Makima warned.

Even with her fear, Bulma knew that she couldn't just stop here. She couldn't let Makima hurt Gohan again, she had a duty as his Godmother, a duty as Goku's 'big sister'. "Y-you heard me…Makima! I've accepted you, especially when the others were all hesitant to do so, but I'd be lying to say that I never wondered why Goku would marry you! You don't care about humanity, you're incredibly selfish, and you have no issue forcing your will onto other people, including your own son!"

"Stop…" Makima warned.

"Sometimes I can't help but think that maybe you did something to Goku."

"Stop…" The warning got a bit louder.

"That you used your powers to force his actions."

"Stop…!" The warning came once more.

"That you took control -"

"STOP!" Makima's anger reached its boiling point. Her powers made their way into Bulma's brain. She no longer cared about holding herself back with the heiress out of consideration for her late husband. The woman crossed a line and will pay with her life. "Don't you EVER assume that you know me! That you know HIM! Out of everyone in this godforsaken universe he's the one person I would never dream of hurting!"

But you're willing to hurt your son?

The words went unsaid, but they both heard them clear as day.

Makima would've utterly erased Bulma's will if the door behind her hadn't smashed open. A smaller fist burying itself into her back, throwing the Control Devil through the wall, allowing Bulma to be released from her hold. Makima recovered quickly from the hit and turned around to stare at the furious gaze of her son. "You dare…you dare strike your mother a second time?"

Gohan's eyes were burning a teal color, but his hair hadn't changed. Maybe he was trying to keep himself under control. As if he was afraid of what he could do to her if he allowed himself to truly lose it. "My mother…my mother is a kind person."

Bulma and Makima stared at him.

"My mother gives me warm hugs when I'm scared. My mother gives me little kisses on the head after solving a difficult problem. My mother cooks amazing food for me to enjoy. My mother always showed love and compassion to me and my father." Gohan continued as softly as he could. "But you…" He stared her in the eyes without fear. "You are not my mother."

Makima felt the only piece of her heart crack like glass. The words spoken from her son had stolen all of the energy from her body. And she couldn't help but feel like she's made a grievous mistake somewhere. But for some reason she couldn't tell why…she…she…

"Makima."

She slowly looked at Bulma, who was slowly getting back to her feet. "Gohan is your son, this is true. But he's also Goku's son."

Makima stared at her. Then vanished from Capsule Corp before either could've stopped her.

That was the last time either Gohan or Bulma would see Makima for years.

14 years…for 14 long years the Earth suffered under the tyrannical power of the Android duo. Within the first year of the rampage Earth's special forces, the Z-Fighters, were completely wiped out in a desperate struggle. A month later the governments of the world would unite their forces alongside the Devil Hunters to mount a massive attack against the cyborgs. Such efforts would prove futile as the cyborgs effortlessly dismantled their forces within minutes. Faced with such unstoppable opposition both humanity and devils alike learned quickly that the world that they knew would never be the same again.

Currently, a young boy with short purple hair, dressed in a white shirt and grey sweats, flew over the quiet forest of Mt. Paozu. This young man is Trunks Briefs the son of Bulma and Vegeta. His dark blue eyes scanned the lustful green with fascination. Due to the actions of the Androids, it was rare to see such beauty in the world, but it seemed like this mountain had rarely been touched by their ruthlessness. As if someone or something has been protecting it all this time.

"Where is it? It should be around here somewhere." Trunks muttered to himself. He knew his mother and mentor wouldn't be happy to learn of what he's doing, but the boy couldn't help his curiosity. He's heard very brief and few stories about his master's mom which was a huge contrast to how much he's heard stories about Son Goku. After managing to get Gohan to talk about his old home he had learned of where he could likely find her.

This is definitely a big risk he was taking, but Trunks was just too curious about the subject of Son Makima. He wondered why they didn't want to talk about her or why he's never seen her before or why she hasn't helped them in their fight against those cyborgs. Gohan was doing everything in his power to fight the cyborgs (And training him in the process), so it confused him why his own mother wasn't helping him. Trunks has seen his mom do everything she can to help them and other survivors in only the ways she can do. So, it doesn't make sense that a mother wouldn't want to help her own son.

Trunks eventually found a small house sitting in a clearing and smiled. "Wait, is that it?! It has to be!" He descended down towards the house as quickly as he could. Ignoring the bit of nervousness in his stomach, Trunks took careful steps towards the front door of the house. He really didn't know what to expect, so he kept his guard up just in case. Knocking on the door, Trunks waited with bated breath for someone to respond.

Much to his relief(?) the door slowly opened to reveal someone who didn't match the description of Makima. She appeared to be a young woman with short, pink colored hair with several moles on her face. She has multiple piercings and spiral pink eyes. She's dressed in a dark blue short sleeved dress with a pink vest over the top. This mystery woman stared down at him with mild curiosity, slightly creeping out the hybrid. "What do you want, Trunks?" She asked.

"U-uh…how do you know my name?" Trunks asked.

"That's not important." She replied calmly. "What's important is your reason for coming here knowing that your mother and mentor wouldn't approve of it."

Deciding it would be best to move on and hopefully get past this weird lady, Trunks stepped forward a bit. "I-I'm here to see Mrs. Makima! My mentor, Gohan's mom."

The woman just stared at him, making him squirm a bit. "Okay."

"Wait really?!" Trunks perks up. He was honestly expecting to get denied or be told that she wasn't here.

"Yup." She moved back to welcome him into the household. Trunks entered the old home, examining his new surroundings. The place felt…cold as if nobody bothered to live here for several years. He saw several stacks of plates sitting on the table, which reminded him of how the dinner table would usually look after he and Gohan finished eating. But that was really it, there wasn't anything else in the house that stood out.

So focused on the house that Trunks missed the redheaded woman that had appeared behind him. Her yellow eyes illuminating the darkness of the living room. "Why are you here?"

"GYAH?!" Trunks jumped in fright. Scrambling away from Makima and wondering just how she had managed to go completely undetected. Now that he had his target right in front of him, Trunks examined her appearance. He was honestly surprised by the disheveled devil standing in the middle of the living room.

Makima's hair was incredibly long, reaching down to her knees, the bangs almost completely covered her eyes. The Control Devil was dressed in a simple black dress that fell all the way down to her ankles.

If Trunks was being honest, the woman looked completely dead. As if she hasn't had a reason to live in the last 10 years. It confused him that someone like this could be related to his master, who even in this war-torn-world, was completely full of life.

"Why are you here?" Makima repeated in the same dead tone.

"I-I came to see you-"

"I know that." Makima interrupted him. "I'm asking you why."

Gulping a bit at the way she seemingly stared into his soul, Trunks fought to keep himself from shaking too much. "I-I came here to ask for your help! I know you're really strong, right?! Then that means you can help us fight the cyborgs-"

"No."

"W-what?!" Trunks gasped.

"Leave my home." Makima didn't repeat herself this time. She walked past Trunks to head for the staircase.

"W-wait!" Trunks called out to her. "What do you mean 'no'?! Don't you feel angry for what they're doing to the world?!"

Makima stopped but didn't turn to face him. "They took everything from me."

"Then you should fight-"

"That's why I won't fight. I don't want to lose anymore… I don't want to feel pain anymore." Makima responded, voice void of emotion.

Trunks clenched his fist, not understanding Makima's reasons. "But Gohan's still fighting!"

Makima didn't say anything else for a moment as if several thoughts were running through her head. "How is he?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"Gohan. How is he?"

With his master as the topic Trunks felt more confident. "He's strong! Really strong! A-and even if we're still not close enough to stopping the cyborgs! He's training me, so that I can help him fight too! Gohan hasn't given up yet! He still has hope!" The boy's eyes were filled with determination. A look that reminded Makima of her son and husband.

"I see." She muttered, but her feelings on the matter still hadn't changed. "In that case, Trunks. Promise me one thing."

"U-uh…yeah, sure!"

"Protect him for me."

Trunks blinked at her.

"Do not let his light go out. That light that shines as strongly as his father's did…don't let them take that light away. Promise me." Makima sounded desperate as if she was clinging onto something.

Trunks clenched his fists, straightened his back, and stared Makima in the eyes. "I promise, Mrs. Makima! I'll always fight by Gohan's side to protect him!" He declared with strong conviction.

"Thank you." That was all Makima said before retreating back upstairs into the darkness.

CRUNCH!

"Eh?" Trunks turned around to see the woman from before sitting at the table. She was biting into a crunchy piece of pizza. "Uh…"

"Want some?" She pointed at her box. Where she even got the box of pizza from Trunks wasn't certain.

"I… I think I should just go." Trunks hurried out of the door.

"Suit yourself." The woman shrugged before continuing with her food.

"YOU WENT WHERE?!" Trunks winced from the sheer volume of his mother's voice. Unfortunately, he hadn't been as sneaky as he thought when he came back home. Both his mother and Gohan were waiting for him neither looking pleased with his actions. It didn't take long for him to spill the beans when his mother gave him her usual strict glare.

"I-I'm sorry, mom, but I had to go! I needed to ask her to help us! To help Gohan!" Trunks defended his actions.

"Trunks…" Bulma stressed out, pinching the bridge of her nose. Sometimes this kid was too much like her…filled to the brim with nosy curiosity. "There's a reason we never told you where that house was and so little about Makima."

"I know…! B-but, because of me Gohan lost his arm, I still can't turn into a Super Saiyan, and we're still nowhere near close to stopping the cyborgs! Even if it wasn't me I just wanted someone to be able to help Gohan fight them!" The young boy's desperation caused the adults a certain amount of pain.

Gohan stepped forward. "Trunks, what happened to my arm wasn't your fault-"

"IT WAS! If I hadn't been so reckless and listened to you, then that never would've happened!" Trunks argued. "I can't keep being a burden to you, Gohan! I just want to see the world like you guys did! A world without the cyborgs, a world filled with hope!" Before either one could say anything else, Trunks ran out of the house.

"Trunks!" Bulma moved to follow him, but Gohan stopped her. "Gohan…?"

"Let's give him some space, Bulma. There's a lot going through his head right now and I can't exactly blame him." Gohan said.

She nodded her head, but still frowned. "But he still went to see her even after I warned him against doing so. Maybe I should've been more explicit in why we don't talk about Makima much."

Gohan stared out the window in the direction that his old home was located. "Honestly… I can't say I blame him."

"What?" Bulma turns to him.

"I-I hate to admit it, but even after all these years I can't seem to find any ground against those two. No weakness, no way to close the gap, and no end in sight. Sometimes it feels like I'm fighting a pointless war…that maybe…maybe she was right to try and keep me from them." Gohan said, subconsciously reaching for the arm that was no longer there.

"Don't say that, Gohan!" Bulma exclaimed. "Not now…not when I'm still trying to figure out this time travel business. Sure, the cyborgs are exceptionally powerful but you're still fighting! You're still helping people and giving them hope when the world needs it the most! You're the last hope this world has!"

Gohan listened to her words, understanding her point. But he felt that there was one part of that where she was wrong. "You're wrong, Bulma. I'm not this world's last hope…we still have Trunks." Both turned to the window to see the boy venting out his frustrations against some rocks.

Bulma frowned at this, gripping her arm. "You know… I really don't like the idea of him being anywhere near those things."

"You're starting to sound a lot like her." Gohan chuckled.

The scientist didn't find that comparison so funny. "I'm not as controlling as she is or as ruthless. And he's my son, so I just want to keep him safe."

Gohan felt a sense of deja vu coursing through the air. "True, Trunks is your son, but he's also Vegeta's son." He walked away to go check on Trunks, leaving Bulma to stew on those words. The scientist just stared at his back…an uncomfortable feeling of deja vu just smacked her in the face like a punch from Freeza.

Bulma decided to ignore it and get back to work.

A few days later, after an intense training session with Trunks once again failing to transform into a Super Saiyan, the two hybrids were relaxing in a wasteland. The younger hybrid turned to his teacher with a curious gaze. "Hey, Gohan?"

"Yeah, Trunks?"

"Do you ever think about your mom?" Trunks asked the question. He was a bit afraid that his teacher would be offended or triggered, but the older hybrid didn't physically react at all.

"Sometimes. Why do you ask?" Gohan looked down at him.

"I-it's just that when I went to see her…she looked lifeless. Like, she was barely hanging on by a thread." Trunks explained. He didn't see the way Gohan's fist tightened or the way his brows furrowed. "What was she like when you were younger?"

Gohan calmed himself down, staring off at the city in the far distance. "My mother was strange. She didn't like people much and tended to treat them all like they were below her. But there was a sense of compassion or trust she held for certain people, my father and I especially." Memories long forgotten surfaced through his mind. "When my father passed away…she changed. It was like a flip had switched in her mind."

"A change? Like…she started abusing you?" Trunks assumed.

"No! No!" Gohan shook his head to clear the confusion. "She didn't abuse me or anything like that…really. She just became distant and much more…controlling. The woman who I knew as my mother just wasn't there anymore."

Trunks couldn't imagine his mother ever acting like that towards him. Sure, his dad died when he was just a baby, but she never acted like that with him. She always gave him kisses, hugs, and so much more. Trunks felt like he'd never be able to repay his mother for all that she's done for him in his life. Which is why he couldn't help but feel pity for Gohan and Makima, their relationship essentially fell apart 14 years ago.

"Maybe you should go see her?" Trunks' suggestion caught his teacher off guard.

"H-huh?!" Gohan flinched.

"I kinda understand that things went terribly for the two of you, but she's still your mom, right? I couldn't imagine living in a world where I didn't have my mom with me, and I bet it's the same for you."

Gohan shook his head. "It's not that simple, Trunks-"

"She asked about you!" The boy interrupted him. "After she refused to fight the cyborgs, she asked me about you! I-I couldn't really see it well, but when I told her that you were still alive and fighting it looked like she was happy. That some part of her wants to reach out to you-"

"Protect him for me."

"-That she wants nothing more than to see you again. But…but maybe because of whatever happened 14 years ago she's afraid of hurting you again." Trunks exclaimed boldly.

Gohan stared at his apprentice, several thoughts swarming through his head. It was true that he hadn't seen his mother in 14 years, not after she tried to erase his will and not after she almost turned Bulma into a vegetable. His long war against the cyborgs and preparing Trunks had served as a distraction, an excuse to never go see her again. And it was likely the same for her.

Maybe Trunks was right. He doesn't know what might happen, but he should at least try and see his mother again-

BOOM!

The older hybrid was forced out of his thoughts by the loud explosions coming from the city in the distance. Both he and Trunks didn't need to guess who the ones were causing all of the trouble. They felt the horrific sensation of power levels vanishing, the cyborgs' endless massacre taking even more lives. Gohan transformed into a Super Saiyan in preparation to face off against his long-time adversaries. "Trunks, stay here!"

"No way, I'm going with you!" Trunks argued.

Gohan growled at the boy. " I may not be able to keep you safe this time. I can't let you die… " He didn't want to waste time arguing with Trunks. "You'll just get in the way!"

"No! I can't let you go by yourself, Gohan! You're missing one arm, and you haven't fully recovered yet! You'll die!" Trunks tried to talk sense into his teacher.

"Those two will continue taking more lives if I don't get down there and stop them!"

"Protect him for me." Trunks once again remembered Makima's words. He made a promise, and he wasn't going to break it. "Gohan, I promise that I won't drag you down this time! Even if I can't turn into a Super Saiyan, I'm still much stronger than last time! PLEASE!"

Gohan and Trunks stared each other down for a moment before the older hybrid sighed. He smiled at his student and nodded his head. "Alright, Trunks, let's go."

"Okay! Let's-guh!" Before he could finish, a sharp pain nailed the back of his neck. Trunks lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

Gohan stood over his body, frowning at the boy. "Trunks…you're the world's last hope. If both of us died, then there wouldn't be anyone left to defend the world. You have to become stronger…stronger than anyone who came before you."

Gohan took off towards the city, his anger fueling his determination to fight this upcoming battle.

C18 watched her brother destroy some buildings, killing whoever was left inside of them. "Give it a rest, 17. We've already killed almost everyone here. We should head somewhere where tons and tons of people are hiding. It would be way more fun."

C17 saw her point, but still waved her off. "Why are you in such a rush? Let's just try to enjoy ourselves. If we wipe out all of humanity now, then the fun ends and we've got nothing left to do, right-"

POW!

Gohan's foot smashed against C17's face, knocking him into the opposite building. The hybrid touched down on the street, waiting as C17 stepped out of the building unharmed. The male cyborg smirked at his favorite plaything. "So, Gohan, back for more, huh? Could've at least given me a warning before kicking me like that. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

The hybrid glared daggers at the enemy of humanity, refusing to banter back with him. C18 touched down from the building she was perched on, standing next to her brother. "Where's the kid? Decided to come by yourself today?" She taunted.

"Your target is me, nobody else! Your rampage ends today, do you hear me?!" Gohan declared.

The two cyborgs stopped smiling, having long since gotten sick and tired of Gohan's usual heroic spills. C18 rolled her eyes at the hybrid, crossing her arms. "It's been fun, but I'm sick of him, 17. Let's kill him this time."

C17 shrugged. "Sure, the first one to kill him doesn't have to grab dinner tonight."

"Deal."

Even after all these years they were still treating everything like a game! Every wound, every drop of blood, every tear, and ever lost life meant nothing to them! They treated him like a plaything, something they could get rid of any time they wanted! "It's no use! Even if my body breaks, another will rise in my place!"

His thoughts drifted to Trunks, silently apologizing for having to leave everything to him.

"Not one death will go unaccounted for…!"

Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, Chiaotzu, Vegeta, and every life taken by them in the last 14 years.

"NOT ONE!" Gohan's power surged violently with rage. Golden energy splitting the ground apart, but the cyborgs stood unbothered by his display of power. They charged at him simultaneously, clashing against his aura for a brief moment before plowing right through it.

Gohan could feel it as he blocked their strikes with his one arm. The twins weren't holding back anymore, they fully planned to kill him this night. His body shook, his blood spilled, and his bones creaked against their combined tandem.

But he wouldn't waver.

He wouldn't fall. Not without a fight.

Gohan exploded a ball of KI in their faces to blind them. Taking advantage of this to fly higher into the air to gain some distance. However, C18 appeared above him within a second and unleashed two blasts upon him. Gohan dodged the attacks only to get kicked through several buildings by C17. The twins chased after him, refusing to give Gohan the chance to recover his breath.

Not that he needed it as he used this small window to create a barrier to block their attacks. It only withstood the two for a moment, but that was more than enough for him to strike against the two. C17 crashed against one of the crumpled buildings while Gohan swung his sister around by her foot. He threw the female cyborg into the ruined pavement before pushing his hand against her back and unloaded a barrage of point-blank KI blasts.

Gohan knew better than to continue standing there as C17 was on him in an instant, forcing Gohan to block the on-coming kick. C18 recovered quickly, clearly pissed off by his attack, and backhanded Gohan in the nose. She and her brother unleashed a destructive combined melee upon Gohan before slamming him through another set of buildings.

Gohan forced his body to ignore the pain, regaining his balance to vanish from their sight. He reappeared behind them both and kicked them away, then took to the skies. With his hand to his head, Gohan charged up as much energy as he could for one ultimate attack. "MASENKO-HAAAA!" The golden beam barreled down at the downed cyborgs, exploding in a brilliant flash of colors.

Gohan heaved heavily, floating back down to the ground as rain started to fall. As if the world was crying out at him to stop, to run from this impossible fight. But wouldn't listen, he couldn't listen. As long as he still drew breath, he'd never stop fighting.

"Well, Gohan, I'd have to say that was a pretty impressive attack." C17 complimented as he and his sister emerged from the smoke. Both cyborgs were unharmed except for their damaged clothing. "But still, not enough."

Gohan grits his teeth, his eyes glaring hatefully at his tormentors. He had put almost everything he had into that blast, but it hadn't done a damn thing. Even after all these years his power still wasn't enough to hurt them-to kill them! His friends, his mentor, his student, and the world had put their faith into him to put an end to this nightmare, but his power just wasn't enough!

"Seems like he's got nothing left in the tank, 17." C18 scoffed, obviously bored.

"Heh, perfect then. At least this rain will be the perfect backdrop to the end of your story, Gohan." C17 mocked.

His body shook from rage, hating the sounds of their voices. "No end…! I HAVE NO END!" Gohan roared.

C17 and C18 moved in tandem, pounding his body with their unparalleled strength. Gohan continued to try and hold his own against them.

“ I’m sorry, Dad. I wasn’t strong enough to live up to your legacy. A better son would’ve been able to beat these monsters. ”

C17 bashed his head against Gohan’s in a nasty headbutt. Blood spurted from the wound, Gohan stumbled back and was left open for C18 to catch his jaw with a right hook. He spun through the air until he crashed into a building. He fell to his knees and tried to catch his breath, but he knew that was futile effort. Neither cyborg was willing to give him any space, so he jumped back to his feet to try and fend them off.

"Are you gonna give up or what?!" 

"C'mon, you gotta have more in you than that!"

“ I’m sorry, Piccolo. You trained me to be strong, to live up to the blood that flows through my veins and my title as your student. Yet I could never put a dent in these two. All that training, all the efforts, and your sacrifice were wasted. A better student would’ve honored you better. ”

Gohan spun through the air to avoid getting caught between the two. He struck out his leg to catch C18 in the ribs, but she avoided the attack and slugged him straight in the face. He smashed through several walls before getting caught by C17’s kick to his spine. Blood exploded from his mouth, his brain shaking from the pain erupting through his body. Gohan shifted his body around to strike the male cyborg, but he ended up hitting nothing but air. The hybrid gasped until the two converged on top of him with a brutal combo that sent him spiraling towards the lower floor of the building.

"It's cute you're trying so hard!"

"This is your last chance to stand up to us! Come on, Gohan!"

He did his best to climb back to his feet, coughing out blood with each movement. His Super Saiyan form flickered back and forth. Gohan looked over, glaring at the twin terrors that destroyed the world he’s loved so much. The monsters that robbed him of everything in such a short time, the ones who robbed so many people of their futures.

The ones who caused his fall out with his mother.

Anger, unforgiving searing anger burned within his soul. His eyes flickered from teal to black to red within milliseconds of each other. Gohan’s one fist clenched hard enough to draw blood as his teeth bared at the two like a beast’s fangs.

Instead of even feeling some form of fear, the two just mocked him. “Look, sis, it seems Gohan’s getting angry!” C17 laughed.

“You’re right, brother, looks like he’s upset that we’re beating him so much! I think we should fix that, shouldn’t we?” C18 smirked as she met her brother’s eyes.

“Yes, I think it’s time we finished this.” C17 agreed.

Gohan stepped towards them. “HYAH!” With whatever power he still had in him, he forced his Super Saiyan state to keep going. “Not yet! As long as this body still breathes, I won’t stop fighting!”

The twins dashed into him, their weight and force were too much for him to stop. Gohan cried out and pushed back with as much power as he could. But it wouldn’t be enough to deter the two, their fists crashing against his body like a barrage of bullets. He skids across the busted-up pavement like a pebble before screaming as C18’s foot buried itself into his stomach. She then raised her body to brutally heel-kick his chin, knocking him further back into a house. As he flew through the building, C17 bashed him upwards, then flashed above to knock him back down into the pavement. 

Gohan forced himself back up to block an attack from the female cyborg. He kicked her away, then ducked under C17’s attack. But that left him open for C18 to blast him in the chest, leaving him to spin like a ragdoll into another building.

His attacks weren’t doing anything to them anymore. No matter how much power he tried to push out, he couldn’t gather enough to do damage. It was as if he had reached a limit, a barrier that he just couldn’t cross. No matter how angry he got or how determined he grew, that limit just wouldn’t shatter. 

Soon enough, his body fell to the ground, his Super Saiyan form giving away to his black hair. The twins floated above him, sorta disappointed that he no longer had any fight left in him. Without even sharing a word with each other, they pointed their hands down to finish this long feud.

“ I’m sorry, Mom. I know all you wanted was a happy family, a world where we’re all together. Dad died for good, and I was never going to be able to fill that gap in your heart. We both tried our best to move on but we’ve both been stuck in the past. Maybe…if I had stayed, then we could’ve had a future…if I had just come back to see you… I’m sorry, Mom. Please, forgive me for being a terrible son. ”

Gohan slowly pushed himself onto his rear, his injuries burning with each movement. He looked up to see the hail of KI that would tear him to pieces. He knew it, this was the end of his road, the long fight finally reached its end…

…But he was still breathing, wasn’t he?

Like a surge of vengeance, his Super Saiyan form came back to life. “Ka! Me! Ha! Me!” A brilliant bright burst of KI formed in his broken hand. With one final war cry, Gohan unleashed his father’s signature attack. “HAAAAAAAAA!”

His attack surprised the twins, who didn’t think the son of Goku had any strength left in him. But, of course, it wouldn’t be enough to overpower them. The brief struggle was just that… brief . It only took one push from the twins to completely counter Gohan’s beam, closing the distance like a collapsing structure. 

As the hail of bullets swallowed him whole, Gohan could see his father’s hand reaching out for him. He reached forward, taking his father’s hand into his own. Gohan was pulled into a tight embrace, one that he’s missed for more than a decade. As he relaxed in his father’s arms, Gohan felt like he returned back to that of a child. Tears streamed down his face with choked sobs. “D-did I…did I do good?”

Goku gently rubbed his son’s back. “You did great, son. I couldn’t be prouder of that man you’ve become.”

Those words destroyed whatever mental fortitude Gohan had left. For the first time in years, he broke down like a small child seeking the comfort of his parents. 

His fight was over, his part was finished. All he could do was leave it all to Trunks to finish the fight, to create the future they all seeked.

SHATTER!

Fami looked up from her plate of chicken to see her big sister standing over a broken picture frame. Neither woman said a word, but they both had a similar feeling coursing through their being.

Makima slowly picked up the picture frame, staring at the shattered glass that used to protect the image inside. It was the photo that she and Goku took the day Gohan was born. A single tear crawled down Makima's cheek as if her body knew that something had happened.

But she wanted to confirm it. She needed to see it with her own eyes.

Bulma wiped the sweat from her brow as she finished the finishing touches on her last project. This little baby should make it easier for them to find supplies, since a time machine can't exactly build itself. She's gonna need all the parts she can find to put that thing together and even create the fuel necessary for it to travel. Feeling her stomach grumble, the scientist decided to take a break to get herself a snack.

As she walked towards the kitchen, she found her thoughts drifting off towards her son and Gohan. The two had gone out earlier in the day to train Trunks in becoming a Super Saiyan, since Gohan was gonna need all the help, he could get in facing the cyborgs.

Rain pelted against the window, making Bulma frown even more. She would hope that Gohan wouldn't leave Trunks out in the rain too long. Saiyan biology may be tough, but they weren't impervious to getting sick.

Goku certainly proved that 10 years ago.

Her heart still aches whenever she thinks about her dead 'little brother'. He was the best of them all, and always saved the day when they needed it the most. Gohan's been trying his best to live up to that mantle that Goku left behind. It's been hard…incredibly hard for him, but she knows that Gohan can do it. And even if he couldn't do it now, once she's gotten the time machine working, he could go into the past to save his father, then train with him. Maybe…maybe then he'll finally be able to win.

Maybe then this nightmare can end.

Bulma sighed, finishing her thoughts as she made herself a sandwich. There was no point in thinking so much about this stuff. They had more than enough time to properly think everything out. She took a bite of her sandwich then turned around…

…Coming face to face with a yellow spiral pair of eyes.

"BWAAGH!" Bulma threw up her sandwich in surprise, almost choking on some of it. She fell back onto the counter, coughing roughly until she managed to spit everything out. The scientist looked over to glare heatedly at Makima. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Makima ignored her shout completely. "Where is he?"

"W-what?"

"Where is Gohan?"

Bulma gathered herself back together, standing back up to her full height. She would be lying if she said she wasn't still slightly intimidated by the woman, but it's been 14 years since they've last seen each other. And it seemed like the Control Devil still hadn't changed at all. "What? No 'hello' or 'how has it been'?"

"I do not care. Where is my son?" Makima sounded desperate. And now that Bulma got a good look at the woman, Makima looked nothing like she did 14 years ago. She looked unkempt, unprofessional, and depressed. A far cry from the devil woman that seemed like she had everything always under control.

"Look, Makima, if this is just another desperate attempt to force him to come back to you after all these years, then forget it! He's an adult now! Someone fully capable of making his own decisions in life and doesn't need his mother trying to control him-" Bulma stumbled back as Makima took a step forward.

"I. DO. NOT. CARE." She declared. "WHERE. IS. MY. SON?" The building shook with each step, with each word, and now Makima was mere inches from Bulma's face. A sense of deja vu coursing through the blue-haired woman.

"H-he's out training with Trunks…" Bulma begrudgingly answered. "But look I don't care how strong you are, you have no right to try and intrude on his life anymore! He already has his plate full with the cyborgs and doesn't need you-" Whatever she was going to say next was stopped by the sounds of the door slamming open. Both women looked over to see Trunks enter the house with Gohan slung over his back.

Trunks…the boy was completely drenched and looked awful. But there wasn't a scratch on him. Gohan on the other hand…

"Oh my god… Trunks?! Gohan?!" Bulma reacted quickly. Makima stood still as a statue, her eyes never leaving the sight of her son. Bulma rushed over towards her son. "Trunks, quick! We need to get him to the infirmary-"

"It's too late…"

THAT made Bulma's blood run cold. Her body robotically turned to look back at her son, who was barely keeping his emotions in check. "What?"

"He's dead, mom…! They killed him! They brutalized him, killed him, and left him out to rot in the rain! They…they…!" Trunks' emotions were threatening to spill, his eyes flickering between blue and teal.

"No…" Bulma's body shook, her hand flying towards her mouth as she stared at Gohan's corpse. "Not him… not Gohan…"

"I'll never forgive them…! I'll never EVER forgive them…!" Trunks' hair began to ascend upwards, swaying as gold sparks started to dance in the air.

Without them realizing it, Gohan's body vanished from Trunks' back. The mother-son duo turned to see Makima holding the dead body of her son in her arms. The devil's face was completely emotionless as she stared down at his beaten form.

Bulma felt such a heavy wave of guilt slam into her stomach, almost making her want to throw up. Just moments ago, she was berating this woman for wanting to see her son, a son she hadn't seen in 14 years, and when she finally got to see him again… Bulma couldn't even finish the thought. Why…why did things have to go like this?

Trunks felt like a failure. He had promised Makima that he would protect Gohan, that he would stand by his side and fight. Guilt and anger swirled like a raging vortex inside of him, just waiting to explode outward. His hatred for the cyborgs exploded to new heights within milliseconds. "Mrs. Makima…"

Makima didn't make any sign to have heard him.

"I swear… I swear on my life… on my honor…! I'll kill them both! I'll make them pay! I'LL MAKE THEM PAY FOR THIS!" Trunks' energy exploded into a bright burst of gold. His hair turned blonde and his eyes now teal, he had become a Super Saiyan, but at a great cost. Bulma stared at her son in amazement and distress.

Makima just walked forward with her son in her arms. She walked past the Briefs but stopped at the exit. She stood there for a few short moments before finally opening her mouth. "Keep this one."

She vanished along with Gohan's corpse.

This would be the last time Bulma and Trunks would ever see Makima again.

A few days later, Bulma and Trunks would arrive at the Son household, hoping to pay their respects to Gohan. However, when they arrived there was nobody home, the place was even more barren than the last time Trunks had been there. The two searched all over the house for Makima, but she was nowhere to be seen. They were utterly confused until they heard a crunching noise coming from the kitchen. Sitting at the kitchen table, stuffing her face was Fami. Trunks and Bulma both recognized her instantly.

"You're the woman who was here before!" Trunks exclaimed.

"Fami?! Why are you here?!" Bulma asked.

"Wait, how do you know her, mom?" Trunks asked.

"She's Makima's sister." Bulma answered, shocking her son.

"Eh?! She has a sister?!"

"There are two others." Fami spoke up, gaining their attention. "One of them is kept in that small house that Goku's grandfather owned, and the other is somewhere far away. But I'm sure that's not why you two are here."

"Y-yeah, we're here to pay our respects to Gohan. For everything he's done for us, for this world." Trunks responded.

"And where's Makima?" Bulma asked, wishing to apologize to the Control Devil for everything.

Fami stared at them both, her eyes reminding them of Makima. "Are you sure you want to know?" She asked them.

"Yes!" Trunks answered for them both.

Fami stood up from the table, but still kept the bowl of ramen in her hands. "Okay. Follow me, then."

She led the two out of the house and towards the further ends of the forest behind the Son household. Bulma recognized this path, it led to where Goku's grave was kept. It made sense that Gohan would end up being buried next to his father, so what Bulma expected to see when they arrived in the clearing was two graves.

But there were three graves.

HERE LIES SON GOKU: A HUSBAND, A FATHER, A FRIEND, A WARRIOR

HERE LIES SON GOHAN: A SON, A FRIEND, A MENTOR, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

HERE LIES SON MAKIMA: A WIFE, A MOTHER, A DEVIL

Bulma fell to her knees in front of the graves, the tears wasted no time in pouring out of her eyes. The once high-class heiress released all of her anger, regrets, and pain in one strong cry. A sight that shocked Trunks, who had never seen his mother react in such a violent way. He dropped down to her and did his best to try and comfort his mother.

Fami, unbothered by Bulma's reaction, slurped some more of her noodles. "She asked me to do it." Bulma kept crying, but Fami knew that she was listening. "When she came back with Gohan's dead body, the first thing she did was ask me to kill her."

"What?! Why?!" Trunks asked.

Fami took another slurp of the ramen, frowning slightly at the lack of noodles in the bowl. "Makima always wanted to know what it was like to have a family, to know what it meant to love. Something that was always out of her control, but then she met Goku. They fell in love, got married, and had Gohan. She was happy, content with her life. Any ambitions of dominating the human race vanished. She had everything she could ever want…"

"...But then Goku died from that virus." Fami sighed. "Her heart broke that day, but she continued to live on for their son. As long as she still had him, then she could keep living in this world, her heart can last a bit longer…"

"...But then Gohan died too, along with the rest of her heart. A world without either of them is a world Makima didn't want to live in."

"So, you just killed her?! Isn't she your sister?! Weren't you two family?!" Trunks sneered at the devil.

The famine devil didn't flinch at his words. "The four of us never really cared about each other that way…at least that much. Besides, we Devils work differently, Trunks. Makima may have died physically, but she'll go through the process in hell to be reincarnated back here on Earth."

"So, she'll be back?!" Trunks gasped.

"The Control Devil will return one day, yes, but Makima is dead forever. When she returns, she'll be a completely different person with no memories of her previous incarnation. She'll never remember who these two were." Fami explained.

Trunks digested the information, while continuing to help his distraught mother. He hated it, everything about the situation was terrible. Gohan and his family didn't deserve the hand that fate dealt them, and he'd ensure that something like this won't happen again after his mother figures out time travel. And as for this future…

"I'll help her." Trunks said, gaining Fami's attention.

"One day, I'll find the Control Devil and I'll remind her of Son Goku and Son Gohan…and of Son Makima." Trunks declared.

"You'd want to put her through this pain again?"

"Pain or not, we all have to experience the things we never want to see come true. We all have to have our nightmares. Maybe the next Control Devil will be hurt by the information or maybe she won't, but regardless I'll stay by her side. I won't let her be alone…not in a world like this!" Trunks stood to his full height, which wasn't much since he was still a child, but Fami felt her eyes widen.

This kid felt different as if there were several powerful souls standing alongside him. Giving him their strength to finish the fight they couldn't. Fami gave a small smile and finished the ramen broth in her bowl. "Okay, Trunks, show me the future you can create."

Four years later, after the death of Gohan and Makima, Trunks would embark on a journey to the past with the use of Bulma's time machine. Here, Trunks would give Goku the medicine to ensure that he would survive the heart virus, meet and train with his father, battle against a threat even bigger than the cyborgs known as Cell. Thankfully, the young Gohan of that timeline would achieve great power thanks to his bond with his parents and defeat Cell in one final clash. With the past's future now secure, Trunks journeys back to his timeline to finally end his own nightmare.

Trunks arrived back home, greeted by his mother. The two would spend the next moments talking about Trunks' experience in the past, especially about his father. "And could you believe that? Dad got upset over Cell killing me! Flying at him in a blind rage, even if he knew that his attacks wouldn't do anything, dad still fought for me." Trunks couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face.

"See, didn't I tell you that your father can be a good guy?" Bulma laughed nervously as she drank her hot chocolate. " Woah… Vegeta did that? For our son…? Even I couldn't have expected that. " She sighed and wondered if her Vegeta could've reached that point. Well, no point in thinking about something that'll never happen. It was a shame about Goku still dying; it seems that his death was always supposed to happen no matter what. At least Gohan got to avenge his father instead of losing him in an irreversible situation.

"Mrs. Makima also seemed happier in that timeline too. Even after losing Goku, her eyes were much brighter." Trunks smiled.

"I guess different circumstances can have the biggest effects-"

"She's also pregnant in that one too."

"PFFT!" Bulma spat out her chocolate all over the floor. "HUH?! AND THAT IDIOT GOKU DECIDED TO STAY DEAD?!" Bulma hadn't screamed like this in years, but Goku also had a knack for bringing out this side of her. "OF COURSE, THAT IDIOT DID!"

Trunks laughed at his mother's anger, thinking back to how her alternate version was always yelling at Goku for doing or saying something nonsensical. Suddenly, the radio came on, alerting people of another attack by the cyborg duo.

Standing up from his seat, Trunks took off his jacket and turned into a Super Saiyan. "That's my cue."

"Trunks!" His mother snapped out of her comical rage. "Are you sure you'll be, okay? Those two are strong."

"I know, but I'm much stronger than ever before. We have to bring peace to this timeline too." Trunks declared and took off towards the cyborg's attack. He was surprised to see how different the alternate versions of the cyborgs were, but it made him weirdly satisfied that they were much more human in that timeline.

His versions, however, deserved the worst of deaths.

Unlike the last few times that Trunks battled the cyborgs, he truly was ready to face them. They mocked him, they mocked his teacher and mocked the lives they've taken since that fateful day 14 years ago. Usually, these two would be right about being unstoppable that Trunks' confidence was simply ignorant bravado.

But today would be different.

C18 pointed her hand at him, charging a blast. "Can I kill him now, 17? He's getting annoying!"

"It'll be one less toy to enjoy, but sure." C17 allowed.

"Heh!" C18 unleashed a KI blast at him to kill him. To their shock Trunks effortlessly deflected the beam, then appeared in front of C18 in the blink of an eye. She only had one moment to have her life flash before her eyes before Trunks eradicated her with his own blast. One down, one to go.

C17 shook from shock and fear from the sudden death of his twin sister. The male cyborg was on the defensive for the first time in his life. "Y-you! What did you just do?! You're going to pay for killing 18!"

Trunks frowned at C17's hypocritical attitude. "It's about time you finally learn what it's like to lose the ones you love. THAT was for the friends of mine you killed. And THIS IS FOR GOHAN!" Trunks charged at C17, landing a devastating kick against the cyborg's chin. With the cyborg still reeling from the hit, Trunks pointed his hand at the evil android. "BEGONE!" And in a brilliant final attack, C17 was no more.

As much as he wished that he could've made the two suffer for what they did, he didn't wish to risk them making a comeback. Hopefully, they'll burn in the darkest pits of hell.

Trunks relaxed his body, reverting back to his base form. "Finally…the nightmare ends…no." He shook his head; the nightmare isn't over just yet. "There's still one last thing."

Three years later when Trunks planned to go back to the past to inform everyone that he had defeated the cyborgs, a certain bug appeared in an attempt to kill him to steal his time machine. Unfortunately for the recently awoken Cell, Trunks was more than ready for him to appear. The warrior of hope blasted him out of the recovering West City, towards an empty wasteland.

Trunks transformed into a Super Saiyan. "I won't let you go back into the past!"

"Keep telling yourself that, boy!" Cell exclaimed. He believed himself strong enough to defeat Trunks, but his date was outdated. Trunks had fought not only a stronger version of the bug, but also trained alongside his father for a whole year. He possessed the strength necessary to protect his home once and for all.

Trunks spun Cell around by his tail and threw the bug into the air. Cell tried to use the Kamehameha to kill Trunks, but his attack would never leave his hands. Generating a powerful dome of KI, the future warrior was ready to finish this. "THE NIGHTMARE IS OVER, CELL! DIE!" His attack instantly eradicated Cell, every last bit of the bio-android was wiped from existence.

Trunks dropped back down to his base form. "Finally…Gohan, Goku, Makima…the world is finally free."

Once this had truly calmed down for the better, Trunks used his free time to visit the graves of the Son Family. He still wished that things for them in this timeline had ended better, but at least their alternate selves got to be happy. He was sure that the three of them would be fine with that at least. He placed three sets of flowers down by their graves. "I'm sorry that it took me so long, but it's finally over. The cyborgs and Cell are dead for good, which means that our world can finally heal. We can finally have hope again."

"What are you doing?"

Trunks turned around, surprised by the voice that suddenly appeared. There shouldn't be anyone else who knew about this grave site other than himself, his mother, Fami, and the rest of their friends. He scanned the area until he saw a smaller figure standing behind a tree, clearly a young girl. "Hey…who are you?"

"I should be asking you that." She said, "Why are you here? And what's with those graves?" The young girl stepped out of the shadows of the tree, giving Trunks a good look at her. She had long black hair tied into a braid that went down her back. She's dressed in a black dress with white flat shoes. But the part that stuck out the most to him were the spiral yellow eyes that he'd recognize anywhere.

" Makima…! Then this girl must be… " Trunks gasped silently, realizing the identity of this young girl. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Nayuta. Now tell me yours, purple-guy."

"P-purple guy?" Trunks faltered from the nickname. "Whatever…my name's Trunks. And to answer your question, these three were some important people to me."

Nayuta stared at the graves, a weird feeling creeping in her head. Images of people she's never known flashed through her mind. " W-what's going on…? "

"Why did you come here, Nayuta?" Trunks' question snapped her out of her thoughts.

She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "I don't know… I just feel drawn to this place I suppose. Almost like it's supposed to mean something."

"I could explain it all to you." Trunks offered, but all he got in return was a suspicious glare.

"And how am I supposed to trust you, Trunks? I'm a devil and you're a human, we don't exactly see eye-to-eye." Nayuta scoffed.

"A lot of things have happened to this world for a long time now. Both humans and devils suffered at the hands of some nightmarish monsters. I think it's time that we put our natures aside and join hands and create a better future." Trunks walked closer to Nayuta. Once he was right in front of her, he held out his hand.

Instead of taking his hand, she shot a chain at his head, but the Saiyan dodged it. He didn't look offended and instead laughed it off. "Yup, Makima did say that you'd probably do something like this."

"Makima…?"

"Don't worry, she's just someone who has suffered a little too much, but now has a future she can enjoy. She has hope, and I think you could use some of that too." Trunks still kept his hand held out for her to take.

Nayuta frowned at him, then looked down at his hand. "Whatever…! I want answers and you apparently got them, so I'll listen to you. But I'll let you know now that I don't need your hope. Devils don't hope."

"I think you're wrong. Everyone could use some…and you deserve it more than anyone else." Trunks' words left her confused, but she shrugged it off and took his hand. For some reason his hands felt familiar and warm.

Like a blanket wrapping around her.

In the darkest pits of Hell, home to the foulest of devils known to mankind. C17 and C18 were chained up to the highest of polls. All around them were devils, devils that the two had spent the last decade and half killing over and over again along with the human race. The cyborgs didn't fear them not until they realized their abilities weren't working. The devils were screaming and raging, wishing to tear the two apart for everything they've done.

"Quiet down! Quiet down!" A feminine voice ordered. All of the devils lowered their voices to allow their mistress to make herself known. A very mature and queenly woman descended into the pit of Hell. She wore a pitch-black dress that hugged her curves perfectly, a pair of black high-heels, and had her dark hair flowing all the way down her back. The woman's eyes were the most enchanting aspect of her appearance, their spiral gray color glowed in the darkness. "I think it's time that we got this show on the road.

C17 struggled in his binds. "Who the hell are you, bitch?! Where the hell are we?!"

"Let us go if you know what's good for you!" C18 raged.

The woman rolled her eyes at the two, not intimidated by them at all. "To answer your question, you're in Hell. Or more specifically the Hell designed to produce and hold devils."

"To hold devils?" C18 repeated. "But we're not devils!"

"Oh, you definitely are…maybe not by nature, but you're just as terrible as any devil in existence. Normally, you two wouldn't have been brought down here, your souls would've gone to the hell meant for mortals. However, I decided to intervene and change that." She explained. Her eyes staring through their very beings.

"Changed that…?" C17 felt very uncomfortable. He wasn't the only one as C18 felt the same shiver going through her body. Fear was very new for them. "Why would you-"

"You not only upset the natural balance of the world for more than a decade, because of your reckless rampage, but you also put my little sister and nephew through utter hell. Then you killed him in cold blood without mercy. Trust me, I'll be ensuring that you two will be suffering an eternal punishment where you'll never be able to dream of seeing the light again!" She declared with malicious intent. Her declaration caused the rest of the devils to get excited again, screaming loudly like a gladiator audience.

C18 stared at the woman in fear, the woman's powers were such an opposing presence that it genuinely felt like she couldn't breathe. "W-who are you…?"

The woman smirked. "The Death Devil. Welcome to Hell."

Intermission End

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: The Interview

If Videl Satan could describe Son Gohan with one word it would be…mysterious.

One year ago, he transferred into Orange Star High School after being homeschooled for most of his life. Now something like this wasn't strange, a lot of kids transfer into public or private schools after being homeschooled. However, Gohan transferred into their school with the highest test scores the country has ever seen. Not a single error on any test he's taken, and all of his prior credentials proved even more that the boy was a genius.

He was the textbook definition of a nerd. Scrawny-looking, dressed in baggy clothing, nervous to a fault, and mostly avoided talking to other people. Though, it didn't take long for him to get roped into her friend group when one of her best friends, Erasa, invited him to sit with them for lunch.

That's when things started getting weird.

Son Gohan, unlike everyone else in her life, did not care at all that she was the daughter of Hercule Satan, the champion who defeated the evil Cell. In fact, he hadn't even realized who she was until after Erasa mentioned it. The look of pure befuddlement on his face almost made her laugh. Almost.

There was also his weird appetite. Who brings ten lunch boxes to school?!

And his eyes…they were weird. He has to be wearing some weird contact lenses, because there was no way anyone could have eyes like his.

After that, for a while, things seemed pretty normal with their group. Regardless of how much of a nerd Gohan was, he was pretty nice. Not fake nice either, but genuinely kind towards everyone, especially her. His strange eyes were always filled with warmth, his childlike smile appearing whenever something caught his interest, his contagious laughter, and the way he'd focus intensely during class.

I̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶o̶t̶

However, things would change a few months after Gohan joined when another transfer student entered their class. A scruffy looking boy by the name of Denji Hayakawa. This kid was freaking weird! While Gohan was a nice kind of weird, Denji was the strange weird. He treated his male classmates like 2nd rate trash but would fawn over the girls like a fool. All it took was Erasa asking him to hold her purse and he basically became her donkey for the rest of the day. But the only male in the school who he didn't regard as trash was Gohan. Hell, the two seemed like really close friends.

And you wouldn't think something like this would be strange, but considering how Gohan acts like an awkward mess whenever he interacts with anyone his age, this was out of character. When she confronted Gohan about their relationship, he simply answered in that weird mysterious way that he always answers questions about his personal life:

"Uh…family friend!"

And then he'd speed walk away from her as if he had somewhere important to be. How the actual hell was a scrawny dork like him so fast?!

Anyways, things had once again settled into some form of normalcy in her life again. The student body, especially the female students, got 'used' to the eccentric actions of Denji and continued on as normal. As for herself, she continued to do her thing as in helping out the police when they called her in to take down some criminals. Only criminals, since she wasn't properly trained to handle Devil attacks, as ordered by her papa. Those were always left to the Public Safety Commission or free-lancing Devil Hunters. Unfortunately, things don't always go as they should…

One day, after stopping a bank robbery, a crazy weird devil appeared out of nowhere. The sight of the thing alone sent the surrounding civilians into a frenzy. Common sense would be to run away and find somewhere to hide until the properly equipped forces appear, but nope! Videl Satan's sense of justice was too strong to sit idly by and watch as people were getting killed. She rushed in to try and save as many people as she could or maybe even beat the devil herself. But this would prove to be the incorrect move as the devil's sights instantly turned to her. She froze in fear as the monster's attack came towards her at blinding speeds. Before it could land, someone had saved her at the last minute.

Videl opened her eyes to see that she wasn't dead and that she was being held bridal style in someone's arms. Getting a good look at her savior made the local crime fighter wish the attack had landed. He was dressed in a helmet, red cape, green gi with a black bodysuit worn underneath, as well as white gloves and boots. "Are you okay, Vi-I mean-miss?" He asked with a forced deep voice.

"W-what? Who the hell are you?!" Videl asked, trying to escape his arms. The strange man touched down on the ground and allowed Videl to stand back up onto her feet. Before he could answer a loud crazy laughter echoed above their heads. Looking up, Videl watched as a half-naked man with chainsaws protruding out of his body came falling out of the sky. He started ripping through the devil without a shred of mercy, his laughter getting louder with each tidal wave of blood that splashed on him.

Videl felt like she was going to throw up just watching the scene, not to mention the putrid smell.

The Chainsaw freak landed on the ground, whipping the blood off of his blades. "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! CHAINSAW MAN IS HERE TO KICK SOME ASS, YOU DUMBASS DEVIL! WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND CATS ARE UNDER MY PROTECTION! As for the men…eh."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'EH'?!" Several civilians, mostly men, screamed at him.

The strange man appeared next to Chainsaw Man. He posed dramatically like a superhero out of a comic book. "AND I-" He started going through a series of idiotic dance moves. "-AM THE GREAT SAIYAMAN!" He declared, bending his knees and forming a 'V' over his helmet with his hands.

It was the dumbest thing Videl had ever seen. But she couldn't deny the fact that the two of them effortlessly dispatched the devil and kept the civilians safe. Most Devil Hunters she's seen couldn't achieve the feat that these two had done. Which made her all the more curious about their identities, but before she could press them about it, the two took off from the scene. Videl's eyes narrowed at the direction they vanished.

Things with those two superhero wannabes only got worse when they started intruding on almost every single crime she was trying to solve! Those jackasses wouldn't let her do her job in protecting her city, and Videl swore she wouldn't let them get away with it! She'd bring their identities to light if it was the last thing she does!

…

"And you want my help with this, because…?" Asa Mitaka asked. Asa is a young teen of average height and build, nothing too impressive compared to Videl or other girls her age. She has brown eyes and black hair that reaches down to the middle of her back in the style of twin tails. She's dressed in a white button-up blouse tucked into a knee-length black skirt with a dark red jacket over the blouse. She carefully balanced the stack of newspapers in her hands as she conversed with her friend.

"You're the only person in our group that I can trust." Videl explained. "Sharpener and Erasa wouldn't take it seriously, so they're out. I could ask Gohan, but he acts elusive all the time that I need someone I can be certain will have my back." Videl didn't notice the way Asa cringed at Gohan's name, her eyes darting to the space next to her as if there was something else there. "There's also Denji."

"Ugh…" Asa made her feelings on him clear as day in this case. Videl wasn't surprised, since Asa was one of the few girls to try and keep clear of the latest transfer student. She voiced her opinion on the boy's interaction with girls more than enough times, especially to Gohan, but the good-hearted boy said that Denji's behavior wasn't too bad. Apparently, he's seen much worse as a child. Which…was a completely different discussion to be had.

Videl rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't be difficult to convince him."

"That's exactly why! He's a pervert who only wants women to sit on him! I don't get why Gohan is friends with him, he's such a nice guy. If guys were more like him then this world would be a much better place!" Asa declared. "Like seriously, men only want girls with model-like faces and big boobs! What's even the appeal with massive breasts anyway?! They just hurt your spine-"

Videl knew she needed to intervene before Asa continued on one of her many tangents. "Asa! I get it!" She stopped the dark-haired girl from continuing. "If you think it'll be a bad idea for me to get his help, then that means you should help me!"

"W-well… I mean…"

"C'mon! What's the harm?" She again didn't see the way Asa nervously glanced to her right, wincing ever so slightly.

"W-well…I can't refute a friend, can I?" Asa reluctantly agreed, much to Videl's relief. The local crime fighter slapped her friend on the back, almost causing her to drop her newspapers.

"Alright then! Starting tomorrow we'll start by following my first lead: Son Gohan and Denji Hayakawa!" Videl declared.

"EHHHH?!" Asa's jaw dropped. "B-but you said that you were thinking of having them as your partners!"

"I did, but that was a lie. The two of them are the most suspicious of the bunch with their secrets, after all. As I said before, you're the only one I could trust to help me with this." Videl gave a cheeky smile. "And you've already agreed, Asa! So see you tomorrow!" The local crime fighter booked it out of the hallway before Asa could say anything else.

The average teenager just stood there in silence before groaning at herself.

"You're a dumbass."

"Nobody asked you!" Asa hissed at her dark reflection, who's face had two scars running across it. "Just keep quiet as I take these to the Newspaper club-WAH!" She tripped over her own foot, causing the stack of papers to go flying out of an open window and into the busy street.

Videl let out a deep sigh as she thought back to all of the hectic mess. She and Asa had never managed to catch those boys in the act, and at one point she was close to just giving up. But one random encounter with the Great Saiyaman during a car chase had put an end to that case. Gohan just couldn't help but forget that he was in costume when talking to her, which made all of her previous interactions with the Great Saiyaman even more humiliating. The dork didn't even act differently in and out of costume, so it was a miracle he even managed to keep the secret as long as he did.

Their ride back to the school also led to Gohan accidently spilling the beans that Denji was Chainsaw Man, but she promised that she wouldn't say anything about either of them as long as Gohan joined the World Tournament. With the added bonus of teaching her how to fly.

When she explained things to Asa, the dark-haired girl faked looking surprised, as if she knew Gohan's identity at least the entire time. Videl decided to deal with Asa's secrets another time, because all of her focus now would be on the tournament.

As she flew over the mountains of Mt. Paozu, Videl eventually found the small house sitting in the forest clearing. Figuring that this must be Gohan's house, she directed her hover vehicle to land a bit away from the house. She grabbed the bag filled with Gohan's share of schoolwork and made her way towards the front door. Videl knocked on the door a couple times and was surprised by how quick the response was. Standing across from her was a woman with long dark red hair, dressed in a white colored shirt with fitting black pants that really complimented her hips, and a black trench coat.

But the most recognizable part about her were her eyes. They were scarily similar to Gohan's, and this made her realize two things: This was his mother, and he doesn't wear contacts.

"You must be Videl." Makima smiled. "I'm Son Makima, Gohan's mother."

"H-how do you-"

"You're the champion's daughter, right? Of course, I know you." Makima answered.

"Right…" Videl muttered, mentally slapping herself. She didn't really know how to navigate this conversation, because it felt like this woman was judging her. She's never been judged by people; she does the judging. Coughing into her fist, Videl stood a bit taller. "Well, I'm here to drop off Gohan's upcoming schoolwork."

Makima was handed the bag, and the mother of three just placed it on the counter. "Thank you. Would you like to come in?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude-"

"I insist. My children will be here shortly anyway." Makima moved out of the way to let Videl in. The crime fighter realized she really had no way of refusing, especially since Gohan was going to be arriving soon anyway. The two women made their way to the dining table, Videl carefully taking a seat as Makima took the one across from her.

Silence filled the space between them as Videl awkwardly stared at the smiling woman across from her. This was probably one of the most uncomfortable experiences of her life and as Hercule's daughter she's had plenty of those to last a lifetime. It confused her on how she could be so similar to Gohan, who was as bright as the morning sun. This woman just filled you with a very unnatural feeling as if she knows much more about you than you know about yourself.

"So, you want to enter the World Tournament?" Makima's question snapped Videl out of her thoughts.

"Y-yes! I will be entering the World Tournament next month!" Videl answered.

"Why?" Makima asked.

"Because of my papa, of course!" Videl exclaimed. "You've seen the news and interviews, right?! He acts like a pompous jerk just because he saved the world once! Ugh! Just once I wanna see him lose, learn some humility! That's why I'm gonna enter the tournament and kick his butt!" During her declaration she had gotten up from the table, slamming her hands against the wood to emphasize her point.

"Then why invite my son?"

"Eh?" Videl felt as if the energy got sucked right out of her with that question. She looked back at the matriarch, who was leaning her head on a palm. "Y-you know about that?"

"My son isn't the biggest fan of fighting. Let's say that his childhood wasn't the best…introduction to the idea." Makima responded.

Okay, now Videl felt bad after hearing that. "I-uh-didn't know that. Gohan doesn't really talk much about his personal life."

"Social interactions are new for him. He'll just hide away in his shell unless you force your way into it." Makima learned forward, creeping Videl out even more. "So again, why did you invite my son to the tournament?"

Videl felt an invisible pressure beating down against her chest as the question hung in front of her like a noose. As if saying if she answered this question wrong, then it was game over for her. Scanning her brain for her answer shouldn't have proven to be difficult, but she couldn't just say because she had some form of feelings for him. Something like that would sound selfish, forcing the guy you like to do something he clearly doesn't want to do.

But that's exactly what she did, wasn't it? She's been forcing herself on Gohan since she met him, trying to discover all of his secrets. Following him all around town, searching through records to find any piece of evidence about his personal life, and blackmailing him into this tournament. Videl realizes she's been incredibly selfish towards him from the very start. She goes on and on about the public refusing to respect her privacy, but as soon as a guy catches her interest, she can't even respect his boundaries.

Was it really as simple as a selfish desire?

Yes. Yes the hell it was.

"I'm selfish." Videl responded. She didn't care how this made her look in the eyes of Makima, but she was never one to run away from the truth. "I found out Gohan was the Great Saiyaman and blackmailed him into joining the tournament."

Makima continued to listen.

"I've been surrounded by strong men my entire life, my papa being the strongest of them all. I've always wanted to be like that growing up, to be strong. I-I wasn't strong enough to stop my mom from leaving us…and seeing someone like Gohan with all of the strength… I can't help but be jealous. If I was strong like him, would I be able to keep my mom from leaving, would I be able to stop someone like Cell, would I be able to be like my papa?" Videl stared at her hands, clenching them into fists. She looked back at Makima with determined eyes. "I've been training for years to get stronger, to protect people from criminals and the like. I want to fight Gohan, because it makes the fighter in me rage with excitement. I want him to join the tournament, because I'm a selfish girl who wants to challenge herself. And…" A twinge of pink littered her cheeks. "...maybe-maybe something-"

SLAM!

"WE'RE HOME!" Goten loudly declared as she slammed the door open. The action made Videl jump with a girlish shriek. Makima just rolled her eyes, knowing she should've expected Goten to interrupt at the worst time.

"GOTEN! WHAT DID MAMA SAY ABOUT SLAMMING THE DOOR OPEN?!" Nayuta bonked her younger twin on the head.

"OW! But I didn't slam it closed! That's what she got mad at me about before!" Goten whined.

"She meant it both ways, Goten." Gohan explained as he stepped into view. Videl blushed a bit from the sight of Gohan's muscles under his gi, realizing just how much those baggy clothes of his actually hid. The older brother looked at the dining table and flinched at seeing his mother and Videl were alone together in the house. "V-Videl! Nice to see that you made it!"

"Y-yeah!" She shook away the thoughts from earlier. Videl huffed, crossing her arms and gave her classmate one of her usual glares. "Of course I made it, Gohan! You owe me flying lessons, mister!"

"Oh! You're getting flying lessons too?! So are we!" Goten exclaimed.

Nayuta narrowed her eyes at Videl, a dangerous feeling creeping up in her chest. The young hybrid was a bit more aware of things than her twin and had noticed the way Videl was looking at her brother's body. "Not on my watch, brother stealer."

Makima stood up from the table, gaining everyone's attention. The matriarch smiled at Videl, but this time it didn't really creep the young girl out. "Thank you for the discussion, Videl. It was nice getting to know you. I have to get going to work, so Gohan will see you off once you're done training."

"R-right. T-thank you for allowing me to stay, Mrs. Makima!" Videl exclaimed.

"It was no bother." Makima walked away towards the door, stopping in front of her kids. She looked up at Gohan, who gulped a bit. "I approve." That was all she said before walking out of the house.

"A-approve…?" Gohan tilted his head.

"Mommy approves? What does she mean, Nayuta?" Goten turned to his sister for an answer. Instead all he saw was his twin's eye twitching, which usually meant that she was annoyed by something.

Videl strolled up to the siblings, hands on her hips. "So? Are we gonna get started?"

"O-oh, right!" Gohan nervously yelped from the close proximity between him and Videl. "There's a clearing a bit away from here that we can go use. Uh, by the way, my mother didn't do anything weird did she?"

Videl hummed softly before giving Gohan a sly smile. "Nope! Nothing that you need to be concerned with. She was just interested in the school workload."

"Well, that won't be too difficult." Gohan shrugged. Which was true, he never found any of the material at their high school challenging. "Welp, let's all head out." He and his siblings turned to leave the house.

"Gohan!" Videl got his attention.

"Yeah, Videl?"

"Uh…" She blushed a bit, twirling one of her pigtails. "I'm sorry about forcing you into the tournament. You don't have to join if you don't want to."

He tilted his head, confused on why she was apologizing all of a sudden. "It's fine, Videl. I wasn't really mad at you or anything. Besides, I want to join the tournament! It'll be fun and our dad is coming back for it too!" He laughed happily.

"Really?" Videl asked.

Goten jumped up, filled with energy. "Yeah! Daddy's coming back from the dead!"

"From the dead…?"

Nayuta punched her brother out of the house before he could say anything else. Goten crashed through several trees, horrifying Videl. The crime fighter was worried that the little boy was dead before cute boyish laughter was heard.

Goten jumped up, laughing like a little goof. "Again! Let's do it again!"

Gohan sighed in embarrassment as Nayuta walked towards Goten to send him flying again. Videl just stared at the kids with eyes as wide as dinner plates. Her conversation with Makima, experience with Gohan, and now the twins left one question burning in her mind.

"What the hell is this family?"

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Back from the Dead

A 9-year-old Son Gohan sat in front of a small grave that lay a bit away from his home. The young hybrid stared at the stone that reminded him of their most recent loss. His father, Son Goku, had given up his life in the final battle with Cell. It was something Gohan was still blaming himself for even after his father and several others had explicitly told him otherwise. He just couldn't help it, because he knew that his father's death was utterly avoidable.

Had he just not allowed the power to get to his head, fought against the wickedness his Devil half had brought him, then he would've dispatched Cell without a second thought.

Fists clenched as the negative thoughts returned with a vengeance. He hated this…hated himself more than anything. This part of him that he couldn't get rid of no matter how hard he tries, the Devil within him just wouldn't leave. Gohan didn't like Devils, they were the dark half of the world that terrorized people everyday. They were monsters just like Cell and Freeza.

But his mother wasn't a monster. She was a Devil, one of the Four horsemen of the Apocalypse. One of the most dangerous devils known in existence…but she wasn't a monster. She loved him, loved his father, took care of them, and protected him from his nightmares.

His aunts…they were different too. Aunt Fami would always bring him mountains of food whenever she visited, much to his mother's annoyance. Aunt War would try and educate him on different kinds of weapons that could kill those he hated the most (While also ranting about how much of a moron his father was). Aunt Death wouldn't visit as often as those two did, because his mother was the most vocal about not wanting her around. However, she would play with him for as long as she was able to.

They weren't bad Devils, they've never killed their own father…! They've never been unable to control their own emotions! They've never had the weight of the entire planet thrusted on their shoulders since the age of three! They didn't leave their future little siblings without a father! THEY-

"Calm down."

A soothing presence washed over him, culling the anger that had been slowly building inside of him. Gohan recognized this feeling, remembering all of the times he's snuggled between his parents in his younger years after having a nightmare or during thunderstorms. He didn't have to turn around to realize that his mother had found him.

Makima stared at her son as she approached him. The sight of her son sitting in front of that grave had been a regular occurrence the past few weeks. He's tried to hide his pain from Goku's decision to stay dead, doing his best to help her after the announcement of her pregnancy.

He's trying to replace the hole that Goku left and it's starting to get on her nerves.

The Devilish wife smoothened her dress as she took a seat next to her son on the grass. Makima crossed her legs, resting an elbow on her knee, and smiled softly at her precious little boy. "Hey."

"H-hey…" Gohan mumbled.

"Talking to him again?" Makima asked.

"I-I wasn't…!" Red tinted the boy's cheeks.

"It's fine, Gohan." She touched his hair, combing through his soft spiky hair. "I talk to him sometimes too."

Gohan stared at his knees, unable to meet his mother's eyes. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"Hm?"

"If it wasn't for me, then Dad would-"

"This is the fifth time we've had this conversation, Gohan." Makima interrupted him. "You are not to blame for-"

"BUT I AM!" He shouted, energy surging around him in an instant. The color of his eyes flickered between black and teal, but the blood swirl that represented her still existed within him. Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes, tears he's been holding back since the Cell Games had ended, "I KILLED HIM! CELL MAY HAVE PULLED THE TRIGGER, BUT I GAVE HIM THE GUN!"

"Gohan-"

"WHY?! WHY DID HE HAVE TO STAY DEAD! YOU NEED HIM! THE BABY NEEDS HIM! I NEED HIM!" Gohan's energy continued to rise with each word. His hair flashed to the golden shine of a Super Saiyan. "D-DOES HE BLAME ME?! IS HE AFRAID OF ME?! BECAUSE OF THIS STUPID DEVIL INSIDE ME-" His rant ended as Makima wrapped her arms around him, bringing Gohan close to her body, her abilities already working to sooth his anger.

Mother and son stood there for who knows how long, allowing themselves to feel the other's presence in the silence of the woods. Makima rubbed her son's back softly, circular rotations that have always brought him comfort. She took a short breath before she started talking. "Your father is a selfless man, but he is also incredibly selfish."

Gohan listened patiently, not a sound leaving his mouth.

"He is not a hero, but to many he'll always be one. He'll always put everyone else before himself, because he believes it's the right thing to do. His decision to stay dead was to try and prevent world ending threats from appearing again. This makes him selfless, but it's where he's also selfish. Your father makes these decisions and does whatever he wants, because he moves to the beat of his own drum. He's a selfish man who has all the good intentions, and doesn't take the time to look at the after effects of his decisions."

Gohan understood this, because his transformation into the ascended Super Saiyan form along with his Devil awakening were results of his father's incomplete judgment. Good intentions with good results, but what happens afterwards…? Where is everyone left when all is said and done?

"Your father keeps moving forward, and all we can do is try to keep up with him." Makima said, smiling softly.

"D-does…does he look back at us?" Gohan asked softly.

"He does." She didn't hesitate to answer. The two looked at each other as Makima continued. "During those three years of preparing for the cyborgs, all Goku could talk about was how proud of you he was."

"R-really?"

"Yup. You were growing so much in such little time that it surprised him. Such a strong boy at such a young age. It made him so happy whenever you accomplished something even if it was something he didn't fully understand." Makima explained. Gohan pictured his father trying to understand the advanced math equations that he studies and it made him chortle a bit.

Gohan turned to his father's grave. "During that final clash with Cell, Dad was encouraging me the entire time. When all hope was lost…he still believed in me."

"And does that sound like a man who fears his child?"

"N-no…" Gohan felt a bit embarrassed now for his outburst earlier. "...I guess I overreacted. I-I-just."

"I know, son. Neither of us expected what would happen when you awakened your Devil side, we honestly didn't think you could. I should've seen it coming, but after so many years passing with no signs of my blood influencing you, I figured that those Saiyan genes were much too strong. But it seems that your Saiyan blood and Devil blood had perfectly mixed together, creating a power that none of us comprehended." Makima explained.

"I hate it." Gohan admitted. "I didn't feel like myself at all."

Makima gave him a stern glare. "Do not fear it, Gohan. That blood, my blood, is another part of you. Do not fear it, control it."

Gohan knew his mother was right, but he couldn't find it in him to agree with her. He never wanted to think about that Devil inside of him ever again, and he could only hope that his sibling wouldn't have to deal with it either. The hybrid stared at his mother's stomach, feeling the small energy signature inside of her.

"I promise, I'll make sure you never have to use that kind of power. I'll protect you."

Gohan, dressed in a modified version of his Great Saiyaman outfit, frowned at the memory. It has been a long time since then and he's long come to terms with his father's decision. Regardless of the consequences of his actions, his dad only meant the best for all of them, and he could respect that. He wanted to see his dad again more than anything, but he was nervous to see how he would react to the way they were now. Everything has changed so much in seven years, and the twins were probably the biggest one.

"Can you move out of the way?!"

"YOU'RE IN MY WAY, PEASANT!"

"Well, not the only one." Gohan mentally chuckled. Their group had grown a bit as well over the past few years. He looked back at the make-shift Hayakawa family that joined them on Bulma's plane; his mother had invited them to join them at the tournament. Neither of them could join since weapons weren't allowed and they didn't want too much attention on Denji and Power's true natures. Not that they would do anything out of line with his mother nearby. While Denji wasn't associated with the Public Safety Commission like the other two, his mother still ensured that Denji was monitored consistently for reasons she still hasn't explained to him.

"Will you two shut it?! Can't you go anywhere without causing a scene?!" The pineapple-head, Aki Hayakawa, exclaimed. The oldest of the three, and borderline guardian, was usually seen dressed in his Devil Hunter's uniform. However, this time he was more casual with a neat dark blue button-up and jeans.

"This wouldn't be an issue if Power wasn't taking up most of the seat!" Denji hissed at the Blood Fiend. Denji is dressed in a blue unbutton shirt with a white T-shirt underneath and ripped blue jeans.

"I'm the queen! Thus, the seat is mine! Be thankful that I'm even allowing you to have some space, Denji!" Power cackled madly. She's dressed in a pink top that showed the black straps of her tank top underneath, and dark blue shorts. "If you want anyone to blame, then blame Aki for taking the last free spot!"

Denji blinked at her before the lightbulb above his head went off. "Ah…you're right! Aki did take the last free seat!" The Chainsaw Devil glared at the pineapple.

"How is this now my fault?!" Aki asked.

"If you didn't take the last free seat, then I wouldn't be in this situation! Stupid Aki!" Denji spat.

"Yeah, stupid Aki!" Power joined in mocking him.

"Stupid Aki! Stupid Aki!" Goten, Nayuta, and Trunks suddenly popped up as well. Joining the fiend and hybrid in mocking Aki.

"Grrr! Shut up, dammit!" Aki's anger reached its boiling point already. The five were clearly not bothered by his outburst, laughing up a storm at his expression.

Up at the front of the ship, in the co-pilot seat, Vegeta tapped his arm repeatedly in an attempt to tune the idiots in the back out. He didn't understand why Bulma put up with these idiodic fools and their loud noise, but if they got any louder, he'd lose it. He had far more important things to focus on today.

Speaking of which…

"So, Goku's really coming back today?" Bulma, who was flying the ship, turned her head back to Makima.

"That's what Gohan said. And my son is a terrible liar." Makima's response left her oldest to sputter in embarrassment.

"I-I'm not that bad!" Gohan tried to defend himself.

Denji, who was helping Goten spit loogies at a fussing Power, heard that comment. An irritated expression returned to his face. "Uh huh! And how exactly was it that Videl found out about our identities, huh?!" Gohan's face lit up with a crimson color at the reminder of his most humiliating blunder.

Krillin, who was sitting next to his wife and daughter, grinned at the thought of his best friend. "Man…it's been forever since we last saw him. I doubt he'll recognize me after all this time!" The monk pointed at his full head of hair.

"We all hardly recognize you." Oolong huffed.

"Yeah, you still look pretty weird with hair, buddy." Yamcha shook his head.

"I don't look weird!" Krillin refuted before turning to his wife. "Do I look weird, honey?"

Lazuli stared at her miniature husband for a few seconds. "Yeah."

"Y-you didn't have to be so honest…" Krillin sighed. His daughter, Marron, patted his arm with her small hand.

"It's okay, Daddy! You're a cool weirdo!" Marron tried to cheer him up.

"Thanks, sweetheart." Krillin smiled. Before he could give his daughter a hug, Nayuta quickly scooped up Marron.

"C'mon, Marron, we're gonna make fun of the boys!" Nayuta explained.

"Yeah!" Marron cheered as she was dragged along into the chaos in the back. Krillin just hung his head low as Lazuli gave him a small smirk.

Roshi leaned on his cane as he hummed in thought. "Seven years… I wonder just how much stronger Goku has gotten. Even if he's dead, that boy wouldn't stop training unless you forced him to."

"Which reminds me…" Gohan speaks up. "Trunks, Goten, Nayuta, and Vegeta! We should avoid going Super Saiyan at the tournament.

"Why should we?" Vegeta spoke for the first time since the trip started.

Bulma agreed with Gohan's suggestion. "Think about it, you all were on TV during the Cell Games. If you transformed then people would know instantly."

"Why should I care?"

"Because the media would start hounding us." Gohan replied.

"Just kill 'em." Vegeta shrugged.

Makima nodded her head. "Hm, a brilliant solution as one would expect from someone like you."

"What was that, Devil woman?" Vegeta hissed dangerously. Makima didn't fear the prince even a little bit, smiling at her ability to get under his skin easily. The prince turned away from her, grumbling. "Tch! Fine, I won't turn Super Saiyan. If none of us transform, then we'll be on equal footing, but I'll still have the upper hand."

"I'll agree to that!" Trunks exclaimed.

"Me too!" Goten raised his hand.

"Sure, that's fine." Nayuta shrugged.

"Phew…that's one issue handled." Gohan smiled. Hopefully everything else today ends up going smoothly.

Asa Mitaka, dressed in a dark red blouse tucked into an ankle-length black skirt, took a bite out of her recently bought sandwich. She cringed a bit but swallowed the food anyway. "Why can't events like these have actual healthy foods? I should've just brought my own." She had arrived at the tournament grounds half an hour ago due to her need to always be punctual. The entire island was buzzing with excitement as one would expect from big events like these.

After Videl had invited their entire friend group with free tickets to the tournament Asa had spent the entire night brushing up on the history of the World Martial Arts tournament. Normally, such barbaric sports like these would be beneath someone of her class but she didn't want to look like a complete fool in front of everyone by seeming ignorant.

Knowledge is power, after all.

"Nerd."

"Shut up…!" Asa hissed quietly, trying not to look like a weirdo in front of hundreds of people. Her dark reflection, the Apocalyptic Devil she had nicknamed 'Yoru', materialized in front of her. Only Asa could see and hear the War Devil, so if she wasn't careful then she would end up looking like some crazy weirdo. "Can you go back to being quiet? Like you had been till now?"

"I would, but my sister and her children just arrived on the island." Yoru's warning made Asa do a panic sweep of the area. Yoru rolled her eyes at the teenager's reaction. "Will you calm down? They're not exactly close to us at the moment but do remember what I said about avoiding my sister at all costs. The brats are one thing, but she'll sniff me out within the second of looking at you."

"But she's Gohan's Mom, right? I'm sure she can't be as bad as you're making her out to be. Gohan's an angel." Asa was fully aware of how ironic that last part was.

"Control has changed a lot, but she still has no issues turning someone into a meat puppet if it means getting whatever she needs from them. She'll want to know why I'm inhabiting the body of a weak pathetic teenage girl, and what my plans are. She'll get in the way like the annoying older sister she is and ruin everything!" Yoru complained childishly.

"Would that mean she'd get you out of my body?"

"Want me to expose your deepest darkest secrets to that Erasa girl?"

"N-NO!" Asa stammered loudly, drawing some weird looks from people passing by. The clumsy hybrid knew that someone as socially extreme as Erasa would have every one of her secrets posted all over social media within seconds.

"Then shut the hell up. But back to the important business, you shouldn't have to worry too much about my sister. She should be focused on something else today."

"Like, what?" Asa asked.

"My idiot brother-in-law is returning today."

The group navigated their way through the crowd, clearly bothered by just how loud and busy the tournament had become. Makima, Lazuli, Aki, and Bulma made it paramount that the children, Power, and Denji don't stray too far from the group to avoid getting lost. This caused Denji and Power to argue that they weren't children who would get so easily lost until Aki reminded them that they once got lost in a supermarket.

"I wonder if Goku's here yet." Yamcha wondered.

"I can't sense his energy, so I can't tell." Krillin said.

Suddenly, loud cheering erupted behind the group. They all turned around to see what had caused all of the commotion until they realized it was about the arrival of Hercule Satan and his daughter, moreso about the former. The loud champion loudly boasted that he'll once again win the tournament this year, embarrassing his daughter even further.

"Welp, that guy hasn't changed." Yamcha chuckled. He looked down to see Nayuta was glaring incredibly hard at the Satan family. "What's up, kid?"

Nayuta huffed, crossing her arms. "Nothing that concerns you. Just needed to scope out a little pest is all." She responded with her usual high and mighty attitude, then stormed back over towards her brothers.

Yamcha scratched the back of his head. "Hard to believe she's Goku's kid sometimes, but then I remember who her Mom is and it all starts making sense."

Goten spotted a taller figure leaning by a tree and gasped. He pulled on his brother's cape to get his attention. "Big bro! Look! It's Piccolo!" Gohan looked over to see his mentor standing in the shade. The oldest hybrid smiled at the Namekian and hurried over to greet him.

"Piccolo! I'm glad you made it on time!" Gohan exclaimed. "Have you seen Dad yet?"

"Not yet." Piccolo shook his head. His eyes trailed over his first student. "Gohan…are you sure you're going to enter dressed like that?"

"What do you mean? This is the pinnacle of fashion!" Gohan defended his costume.

"Yeah, the pinnacle of looking like a dork." Nayuta teased as she walked over with Trunks and Goten on her heels. Gohan just rolled his eyes at his little sister's comment.

"For real." Trunks smirked.

"Don't ever agree with me again." Nayuta's humor died as she stared at Trunks.

"The heck is your deal?!" Trunks glared at her.

"You."

"Tch! Just for that I'm gonna make sure to kick your butt first!" Trunks declared.

"We'll see about that, rich boy!" Nayuta and Trunks pushed their foreheads against one another. Sparks were clashing between their eyes, declaring fierce war against one another. Their stare down didn't last for long as Goten stopped their fight by shoving them into each other. Nayuta and Trunks tumbled into a tangled mess on the stone ground.

"We can't fight yet, guys! The tournament hasn't started yet!" Goten whined.

"Ouch! What the heck, Goten?!" Trunks cried.

"Dang it, Goten! I'm totally gonna eat your share of dinner tonight!" Nayuta hissed.

Piccolo groaned at the half-breed younglings. "I'm not sure what's worse, all the crying you used to do or these three." Gohan just rubbed the back of his head, laughing nervously. The rest of the group walked over to join them, they were ready to head for the registration area but they still didn't know where Goku was.

"Ugh! Where is he?! Don't tell me he already went backstage!" Bulma whined.

Makima was about to respond until a very familiar soothing pressure washed over her like a tsunami. The Control Devil's breath hitched as his energy flooded her senses once again after so many years of not being able to trace it. As if the black void that had appeared in her heart had been filled right back up as if it had never been there before. Makima turned around to see the goofy smile of Son Goku, the dead man greets the world of the living once again.

"Heh heh! HEY, GUYS!" Goku exclaimed.

"GOKU/DAD!"

Son Goku hadn't changed physically at all, but the only difference was his halo. The deceased Saiyan examined his friends and family, noticing the new and old faces. "Wow! You guys changed so much! How have you been?!" He was immediately swarmed by his friends, who were all crying pretty loudly.

The only ones who hadn't charged at him were his family, Vegeta, Trunks, and the Hayakawas. Goten and Nayuta stared at their father, the man they've never met before with confusion and a bit of fear. They didn't know what to expect even after hearing all of the stories about him, he was still a complete stranger. It didn't help either that he was an exact physical copy of Goten.

Denji stared at Goku with an unfamiliar feeling. "So, this is Mrs. Makima's husband. He looks exactly like Goten, which I guess makes sense. How could a guy like that manage to score someone as hot as Mrs. Makima? Even stranger is…" Denji put a hand to his heart, the heart that used to be his best friend. His heart felt weird, extremely so as he continued to stare at Goku. "Why does it feel like I know him from somewhere…?"

Goku finished greeting his friends and turned to the sight of his family. His eyes found Gohan, who had changed so much in these past seven years. "Man…! I couldn't even recognize you at first, Gohan! You've gotten so big!"

Gohan blushed, scratching the back of his head. "Y-yeah…a lot changed in the last seven years, Dad. I-I-" Goku had already pulled the boy into a hug, which caused Gohan's brain to pause for a moment. The oldest hybrid hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around his father to return the hug. It felt good, it felt like his heart was whole again.

Makima wanted nothing more than to reunite with her husband, but the two little hybrids hiding behind her took priority. She used her abilities to give the two the shove they needed towards their father, much to their shock.

Gohan broke the hug when he realized there were two very important people that Goku needed to meet. "Dad! I know this might be a shock, but…!" He hurried behind Goten and Nayuta. "This is Goten and Nayuta, my little siblings and you're-"

"My kids, yeah? I figured since one looks like me and the other looks like Makima." Goku grinned happily. He kneeled down to the kids' height to properly talk to them. "Yo! Nice to finally meet you two! I'm Goku, you're Dad."

Goten spoke first. "N-nice to meet you."

Nayuta didn't look at him, her eyes on the floor. "Y-yeah…what he said."

"You look just like me!" Goten exclaimed.

Goku laughed wholeheartedly. "I guess you could say we're twins, yeah?"

"Twins?! But I already have a twin! Wait… Nayuta and I don't really look alike." Goten scratched his head as he confused himself. He turned to Nayua. "Hey, Nayuta, are we twins?"

"Of course, we are numbskull! Why are you questioning that now?!"

"Because you're mean and he's not!"

"I'll show you mean!"

"Uh oh…!" Goku backed up as Nayuta tackled Goten, the twins descending into a cartoon dust cloud as they got into a fight. Piccolo rushed over to stop the twins with a very loud tired groan. Goku just laughed at the sight, happy to see that the kids had inherited his energy, their mother was never like that at all.

Speaking of…

Goku's eyes met hers and Makima felt as if the world around them had vanished. It had been so long since she could stare into those dark eyes of his, when she didn't have to imagine his presence being next to her. All the pain, the lonely nights, and the self-loathing vanished just from the sight of the man who changed her world forever. As the two closed the distance, their eyes doing all the talking necessary, Makima gave a loving smile and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Welcome back, darling." Makima said. She felt his strong arms pull her in close as that goofy smile of his never left that handsome face.

"Heh heh! Happy to be back!" Goku replied.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission (5): Nightmarish Warning

If there was anything Son Makima appreciated since the twins were born it was the silence of the nights on Mt. Paozu brought. She hadn't appreciated them much beforehand since Goku would snore throughout the night and Gohan was never a loud child even in infancy. But the twins were a completely different ballgame for her and Gohan. Their infancy was loud, boisterous, and messy; the complete opposite of Gohan in every way. The Devilish mother still didn't know if that was truly a good thing or not. But the nights that they'd be asleep (and not screaming their lungs out) were a blessing she wouldn't take for granted.

Even as they grew older, became less needy, there were still moments when a mother was still needed in the night.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

Yellow eyes snapped open, shifting to the side to gaze down at the small hybrid standing next to the queen sized bed. Makima, dressed in a pink tank top with bright red shorts, pushed the covers that covered her to welcome her youngest into the bed. She didn't need to ask him whatever was bothering him, long used to Goten coming into her room in the middle of the night. He didn't do it often, only when there was something keeping him from going to sleep.

Goten climbed into the bed, clamoring over his mother's body in the process. Like a kitten, he found his spot to get comfy and curled up next to her mother. Makima pulled the blankets over them and laid down on her sides to look at her son. Mother and son stared at one another as the howls of mountain wolves echoed in the distance.

"Another nightmare?" Makima asked.

Goten shook his head. "It's not that, Mommy! I'm not scared!"

She smiled at her little boy. "Uh huh." She brushed her fingers through his messy hair that looked too much like his father's. "You're my big strong boy, right?"

"Yuh! Like Gohan!" Goten scrunched his face into a 'serious' expression. "He looks like this whenever he's studying really hard!" His mother giggled softly.

"He gets that from me, I'm afraid." Makima explained.

"You make faces, Mommy?!" Goten gasped. His mother made a small expression, furrowing her brows with a small squint of her eyes. Goten blinked at his mother, a confused look etched across his adorable features. "Your face barely changed, Mommy."

"Hm… I'm not good with expressions."

"Then I can teach you! I know all kinds of expressions!" Goten exclaimed with a whisper.

"Really?"

"Yuh uh!" Goten nodded his head. "I'm the master!"

"Well, if the master wants to teach me all about facial expressions, then he's gonna have to go to bed and get some rest. He can't teach if he's too tired to get up in the morning." Makima advised. Her words caused the excited smile to slide off Goten's face, replaced with an apprehensive look.

"B-but…do I have to?"

"Yes, Goten."

"B-but, what if I see it again-UPH!" Goten quickly covered his mouth, but his mother was already aware of his problems.

"See what, Goten? What did you dream about?" Makima asked softly, gently rubbing his back. Her youngest was a sensitive child, even more so than Gohan was at his age. Nayuta inherited too much of her independent nature to confide in her much, but Goten? The little hybrid always ran to her for safety or guidance. It made Makima wonder if at one point in his life, when his grandfather was still alive, had Goku been this sensitive.

Goten clenched the blanket with his little fists as he recalled his nightmare. "I saw fire…lots of it. There were people on the ground and it seemed like they weren't breathing." He trembled as the images returned to him, but his mother's presence soothed his fears. "I-I saw Nayuta and Trunks, but they weren't breathing either."

Makima's hold on the boy grew a bit tighter, an uneasy feeling growing inside of her.

"T-then there was Piccolo, Uncle Auntie War, Auntie Fami, and everyone else too. All on the ground covered in blood, none of them breathing. T-then I saw you a-a-and…" Makima pulled her child into her arms as tears started building in his eyes. "I-I don't like that dream, Mommy."

"I know, son. I don't like it either." The terrible feeling in her gut wasn't going away either. She wanted to just erase the dream from his memory, like she's done with the previous ones, and help him go to sleep. But this nightmare felt off and she needed to confirm things. "Goten?"

"H-huh?" He made the noise through his sniffles.

"Can you be brave for Mommy and continue telling me the rest? I promise that you won't have to think about it anymore afterwards." Makima said softly. "Can you do that? Can you be my big brave boy?"

Goten used his mother's encouragement to push down some of his fears. He wiped away his tears, but stayed snuggled into her chest. "I-I saw Gohan, Mr. Vegeta, and some monster with chainsaws like Denji fighting something. I couldn't tell what it was, but it felt strong."

"Were they winning?"

"No. It killed them too."

"Continue."

"It came for me next, and all I could see was its face before it shot a big attack at me. Then, I woke up." Goten finished retelling his nightmare, pressing his face against his mother. "I'm sorry, Mommy."

"Shhh…you have nothing to apologize for. Thank you for telling me about it." Makima smiled warmly.

"A-are we gonna be okay, Mommy?! The dream wasn't real, right?!" Goten asked, clutching her top.

"No, it wasn't real. Remember what I've told you before, Goten. Our nightmares can't hurt us, because they're nothing but dreams. As long as you remember that, then you'll have nothing to fear." Makima explained.

"Really?"

"Yes, all it takes is control." Makima pressed a finger against her son's head. "Sweet dreams, my little star." She gently forced her son to get his much needed rest before he could realize what was happening. With Goten gently snoring in her arms, Makima got to work locking away the nightmare from her son's memories, but not before taking a look at it for herself.

Makima watched as flames engulfed the world, transforming the landscape into a third hell that threatened to swallow the universe itself. Bodies upon bodies of both humans and Devils painted the ground beneath her feet. She could smell the intoxicating scent of human blood that would send a lower Devil's instincts into overdrive. Makima stepped over the corpses without a second glance, they weren't her target afterall.

Makima found the bodies of their friends and family. Her daughter was torn in half, her eyes gouged out, and a massive hole torn through where her heart should be. Trunks, whose corpse was next to hers, had the entire right side of his body completely eviscerated. Makima scanned the rest of the brutally mutilated corpses. She couldn't even tell what she assumed to be the dead bodies of her sisters apart. Makima found the dream's version of herself. The dream Makima had been completely ripped apart, her body parts scattered all over the pile of bodies.

Makima heard the sounds of battle raging on in the skies above. Her eyes widened as the sight of her son, Vegeta, and the Chainsaw Devil battled against the mysterious assailant covered in dark shadows. Their maniac laughter was loud and clear as if it wasn't even taking them seriously.

Vegeta, in the ascended Super Saiyan state, pulled back his arms to unleash his strongest attack. "SEE YOU IN HELL! FINAL FLASH!" The destructive yellow beam roared with fury that shook the planet. Unfortunately, his attack meant nothing to the monster as it powered through his attack to headbutt the prince. It grabbed Vegeta by his hair and relentlessly smashed the prince's face in with its fist. It laughed as blood, flesh, teeth, and more spilled from Vegeta's body. Gohan and the Chainsaw Devil rushed in to rescue the prince, but they were too late to save him. Vegeta's head had been turned into a crushed watermelon, his body hanging like a pinata. It laughed at the two charging at it and vanished from their sight, allowing Vegeta's corpse to drop to the ground. The two were confused until a shadowed fist tore through the Chainsaw Devil's chest, tearing out his heart. Neither of them could do anything but stare horrified as the monster crushed the heart within its palm. The Chainsaw Devil's eyes instantly lost color, and his body dropped lifelessly to the ground.

Gohan roared with righteous anger, his power skyrocketing in reaction to the death of another person he treasured. The oldest hybrid attacked the shadow monster with ferocious attacks, but there was nothing Gohan could do against it. As if whatever power he could muster wasn't enough, like there was still something preventing Gohan from tapping into the hidden power he held. Makima could only watch as the monster struck down her oldest son by blasting his entire upper half to ashes, leaving nothing but the teenager's legs.

Makima, feeling as if she's seen enough, began to exit the nightmare to gather her own thoughts on what had transpired. However, the monster above wasn't finished even after killing all of Earth's forces. It released a beam of light just as Makima's consciousness was fading away from the nightmare.

"EVERYONE FEED ME NOW! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Makima carefully held her son in her arms, cradling him as he now dreamt of eating the biggest buffet the world had to offer. Even after having the dream explained to her, she hadn't expected to see anything like that. Part of her wanted to dismiss it as a nightmare, a product of Goten eating too many Scooby-Doo crackers before bed again. But that was too much and from her experience too much usually meant something was out of her control.

And she HATED when things were out of her control. Unfortunately that started to become a bigger trend the moment she met Son Goku. Not that she would trade her love for him for complete control anymore. But she simply never gave up on trying to control the events around her.

At the moment the biggest issue with this dream, this vision, was that she had no idea on when it could happen. This mysterious creature could show up tomorrow or it could appear next year, or it may never happen at all. Tampering with anything that could mean changing the future meant getting the worst possible outcome. That damn Future Devil explained that much to her when she first got her hands on it. Whatever that vision was, it had been forced into her son's head against his will. She swore she'd punish whoever it was that made such a decision in the most painful ways she could imagine.

Looking down at Goten, Makima released a small breath. At least she didn't have to worry about him not getting any sleep, but now she had another slew of things to worry about. And it didn't help that the tournament was in a few days…

…A few more days till she sees her husband again.

Makima relaxed back on her bed. She'll figure out what to do with this new information in the morning, but for now…it was time for her to get some sleep as well. The Control Devil closed her eyes, entering a dream where her little family was whole again.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission (6): Daddy Issues

"Guh…!" The young voice of Son Nayuta gurgled as her brother's foot kicked against her face. Two dark, yellow swirled eyes snapped open with experienced annoyance. Nayuta grabbed Goten's foot and shoved her twin out of the bed and onto the hard floor. Judging by his snoring, the fall hadn't woken him up at all. "Stupid, Goten… I told him to stop crawling into my bed."

She crawled out of the bed to stretch her limbs, the morning sun shining through their bedroom window. Nayuta patted down her pink pajama top and made way for the shared dresser that she and Goten owned. It was split in half to keep their clothes separate, her half of the dresser was neat, compared to Goten's messy spill. Their mama had warned them to keep their stuff clean, but Goten couldn't be bothered to remember sometimes.

"Not my problem." Nayuta shrugged as she grabbed her necessary clothing, a white T-shirt and a denim overall dress with a dragon design on the chest. Stepping out of the bedroom, Nayuta could smell the delicious scent of her mama's cooking. Thanks to her Saiyan biology, she and her brothers were capable of picking out the different scents even if they were muddled by different ones.

"Pancakes, eggs, bacon, rice, and ham? Not bad, Mama!" Nayuta grinned and hurried to the bathroom to bathe and get changed. She always made an effort to wake up as early as she could to reach the bathroom first before her brothers could get up. Their mama had her own personal bathroom just to avoid whatever mess they all end up making. She was about to reach the door handle just as a horde of footsteps could be heard approaching. The young hybrid blinked until she turned around to see seven big dogs rushing at her. "Wait-" It was too late.

Nayuta's clothes were sprawled all over the floor as all of their pets continued to happily lick her face. As much as she loved them they had the tendency to pop up when she didn't want them to. "Okay, okay! I love you guys too! Can you get off me now?!"

Heavier footsteps echoed in the hallway, alerting Nayuta that someone else was approaching. She managed to squeeze her head around the dogs to see her big brother, dressed in a white tank top and shorts, walking towards the bathroom with his own set of clothes. "Gohan! A little help!"

Gohan looked down at his little sis, who was quickly becoming their dogs' favorite toy.

He could help her but considering that helping her would mean losing the bathroom…Gohan came to a quick conclusion. "See ya at breakfast, sis!" And with a little wave, the oldest hybrid scurried into the bathroom, leaving his little sister to gawk at him.

"Son Gohan! I'm gonna kick your butt!" Nayuta howled angrily as the dogs started barking loudly with her.

"OH! Nayuta, you should've told me you were playing with them!" Goten's loud hyper voice intruded next.

"Great-OOF!" Nayuta's tired groan was interrupted by Goten jumping on her to join the literal dog pile.

With her morning already soured by her brothers and pets, Nayuta pouted heavily at her huge stacks of pancakes. Not even the savory syrup that her mother had provided on top of the hot cakes could improve her mood. It didn't stop her from eating her food with as much gusto as she usually does. There was an unspoken rule between herself and her brother, if you don't eat your share quickly then expect your plate to get swallowed by another.

Gohan looked over at Makima. "Is there anything you need us to do while you're at work?"

"Other than your usual chores and feeding the dogs, none at all." Makima replied as she ate her food in a more neat manner. She gave her son a teasing glance. "Any plans with Videl today, my darling son?" Nayuta's potential good mood was ruined by the reminder of their recent addition in the form of Gohan's classmate.

Gohan blushed, almost choking on his food. "M-Mom?! I already told you that all we're doing is training!"

"But two teenagers all alone in the middle of the woods? A mother can't help but worry what her healthy son could be getting up to." Makima enjoyed the way Gohan squirms with embarrassment. While Nayuta was too young to understand the full context of what their mother was implying, she at least understood that it was something "lovey dovey".

Goten looked up from his breakfast, crumbles of food littering his face. "But Mommy, Nayuta and I will be there too! So, Gohan isn't going to be alone with Videl!"

Makima took a napkin and started wiping off her son's face with a smile. "Yes, I'm sure you're right."

"Does she have to keep joining us?" Nayuta voiced her displeasure. Such complaints from her weren't new as she's been doing it since their training sessions with Videl had started.

"Nayuta, we talked about this already." Gohan sighed in exasperation. "Videl wants to learn how to fly, and I agreed to teach her in time for the tournament."

"Well, what about Goten and me?! You agreed to teach us!" Nayuta rebutted.

"You and Goten figured out how to fly within the first few minutes of training. Videl doesn't have the extensive training or genetics that we have, so it's going to take her longer to figure out." Gohan explained in hopes of calming her down.

Makima allowed the argument to play out with no intention of intervening. Instead, she focused on ensuring that Goten wasn't feeding the pleading dogs anything that would poison them.

"So?! How is that our problem?! We're supposed to be training for the tournament! We're lagging behind everyone else, because that idiot keeps taking up all of our time!" Nayuta exclaimed.

"Don't call Videl an idiot, Nayuta! That isn't nice!" Gohan scolded. Instead of silencing her as he hoped it would, all it served was making the little girl angrier. Nayuta would've slammed her fist on the table if it wasn't for the way her mother's presence warned her against it.

Makima may not be stopping what's happening, but she'll be damned to let them damage any more of the house.

"Fine! Then she's a super idiot! An idiot who can't figure out how to fly and keeps taking up all of your time! I can't get stronger if she keeps getting in my way!" Nayuta yelled.

Gohan was at the end of his rope as this wasn't the first time they've had this argument. He's tried his best to defend his time spent on training his friend for the tournament. He wished she could be more accepting about it like Goten, but Nayuta has always been more opinionated and selfish. As if the world should bend to her whims and control or else suffer the consequences. "Nayuta, I know that you want to get stronger quickly, but I need to do this for Videl. It'll mean a lot to her to be able to surprise her dad at the tournament."

"And it'll mean a lot to me if you would help me get stronger for the tournament! But that can't happen if you're too busy getting all kissy kissy with Videl all the time!" Nayuta shot back.

Goten blinked at them, then turned to his mother. "What does "kissy kissy" mean?"

"I'll explain it when you're older." Makima responded.

"Stop being selfish, Nayuta! You know that's wrong, and Dad won't approve-"

"WHO CARES ABOUT HIM?!" Nayuta's shout shook the house itself. "The conversation isn't even about him and yet you keep bringing him up! Both him and Videl! Everything's been about them since you've brought up this stupid tournament! I'm sick of it!" Nayuta stormed off from the table and hurried for the front door.

Gohan got over his momentary shock to address his sister. "Nayuta! Where are you going?!"

The girl didn't even bother looking back at him. "If you're not going to help me get stronger then I'll just go to someone who will!" She took off into the skies before Gohan could try stopping her.

"NAYUTA-" Gohan was prevented from chasing her by Makima. The Control Devil had grabbed her son by the back of his shirt. "Mom-"

"Let her run off. She'll be back by dinner time." Makima stood up from the table. "Hurry up and clean the dishes before Videl arrives. I'll see you boys after work, okay?" Makima grabbed her coat from the rack by the door.

"W-wait, Mom…!" Gohan quickly followed after her. "I-"

"Think about what you'll say to her when she gets back. Nayuta just needs to figure herself out. She's a lot like me when I was younger…but without all the bloodlusts."

"Wait, what-" Gohan couldn't even question that last part as his mother vanished from the confines of their home. "Great…"

SHATTER!

"Oops!" Goten cried from behind him. "...I think that was one of Mommy's favorite plates."

Gohan just fell to his knees at that point.

Life on the Lookout wasn't so bad as Piccolo believed years ago, when he and Kami were still separate beings. However, their reunion had given him a new outlook on the serene divine presence the palace radiated. Meditation had become several times easier to perform, and the company of Dende and Mr. Popo was strangely welcomed. For someone who enjoyed his solitude so much there was something refreshing about having some form of company.

Unfortunately, that peacefulness would be disrupted by one out of several little headaches he's become attached to in recent years.

"Train me!" Nayuta demanded.

Piccolo opened one of his eyes, still trying to keep his meditation going. "No."

"Train me!" She repeated.

"No."

"Why not?!" Nayuta stomped her foot with a pout. "You trained Gohan! So, why can't you train me?!"

Knowing that he won't be able to continue his meditation at this rate, Piccolo allowed his feet to connect with the silver tiles. He crossed his arms with a stern glare that made the little hybrid squirm slightly. "Why do you want to train so badly?"

"B-because, Gohan is too busy getting all "kissy kissy" with his stupid girlfriend to train me and Goten!" Nayuta explained.

Piccolo filed that information about Gohan slacking off to be dealt with later. He looked around the Lookout before looking back down at the little girl. "Then, where's Goten?"

"Ah…!"

Seems she just realized that she had shown up without her twin.

Nayuta got over that little blunder to focus on the situation. "Goten would just get in my way anyway! I need to get stronger for the tournament and you're one of the strongest guys I know! So, let's get to it!" Nayuta made a chopping motion with her hands.

"Why do you want to get stronger for the tournament?" Piccolo asked.

"Why does that even matter?!"

"I'm not going to train you unless I understand your reasons. Even Goku had reasons-"

"AAAAAHHHH! DON'T MENTION HIM!" Nayuta screamed loudly, almost knocking Piccolo over with her noise. Dende and Mr. Popo, who was watching from the entrance of the palace, had fallen over from surprise. "Everyone keeps bringing him up and I don't need to hear about him from you too, Piccolo!"

The Namekian straightened himself out, grumbling at the powerful lungs this girl possessed. He stared at the girl with a mixture of disgruntlement and confusion. Nayuta had always been an enigma to everyone due to how different she was in comparison to her brothers, who were much more like Goku. This girl was almost the epitome of a spoiled princess with the desire to keep everything under her control.

"Too much like her mother for her own good." Piccolo said mentally. He could see that she clearly had some issues about Goku and the old him would have agreed with her. Hell, the old evil Piccolo would've seen her as a more prosperous potential apprentice over Gohan. However, he was no longer that piccolo and had no desire to kill Goku (Who was already dead anyway).

This girl needed an attitude check before she did something incredibly stupid, which was something that ran like a forest fire with her family. "Fine, I'll take you under my wing."

"Really?! I don't need to tell you some dumb reason?!" Nayuta's eyes shined brightly.

"BUT!" That word shot down Nayuta like a punch to the gut. "You have to land at least one hit on me within the time limit." He magically created a sand hourglass in his hand. "You'll have one minute."

Nayuta was bummed until he had finished explaining. Her frown turned into a feral grin and she cracked her knuckles. "That's all I have to do? Sweet! I'm always up for a little challenge!"

"Just like her Father." Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Also, no Super Saiyan is allowed in this test."

"HUH?! But-"

"Complain even once and I'll forgo the entire test altogether!"

Nayuta bit back her outcry and crossed her arms. "Fine!"

"One minute. Start." Piccolo flipped over the hourglass and slapped it down on the floor. The moment the hourglass contacted the silver tiles, Nayuta exploded forth in a burst of speed with a left jab. Piccolo easily avoided the attack and countered with a punch into her gut that sent Nayuta crashing into the palace.

Nayuta would've complained about Piccolo striking back, but she remembered that any complaint means automatic failure. She didn't have the time to waste and charged back in to strike the Namekian. Any strike she tossed out was either dodged or countered by the experienced Z-Fighter. It felt like he was reading each one of her moves before she even made them. It was like fighting against her mama, who never seemed to get caught off guard by herself or Goten.

She launched a kick towards him that was evaded once again, but this time he grabbed her leg and slammed the hybrid into the floor. Nayuta growled in anger, a teal color flashing in her eyes. "Screw the rules!" She transformed into a Super Saiyan and launched a KI blast at Piccolo that exploded instantly. Smoke enveloped the Lookout and whatever damages caused were the least of Nayuta's concerns. "HA! I finally got you!"

"Really?"

Nayuta whipped around to see Piccolo standing unscathed with his arms crossed. He glared down at the hybrid with disappointment. "Tch! Even Goten would've followed the rules for a full minute." She wasn't even given the chance to respond before Piccolo slammed his foot into her gut with enough power to blast her across the Lookout. Her Super Saiyan form faded away as she rolled towards the edge. The only reason she didn't fall is because Mr. Popo caught her by the back of her dress. A groggy groan escaped her lips as Dende rushed over to heal whatever pain Piccolo had done to her.

"DON'T heal her, Dende!" Piccolo stopped the Guardian of Earth.

Dende whipped around to his friend. "But Piccolo, you didn't have to be that hard on her!" Even while in pain, Nayuta hated how weak that made her sound.

"She failed the test and disobeyed the rules, so she gets to deal with the punishment!" Piccolo responded as he stomped over. He looked down at Nayuta as she laid in Mr. Popo's arms. "You're lucky, kid. I was much harsher on Gohan when he was years younger than you. However, even he knew better than to go against my parameters when it came to training. You say that you want to train and get stronger, but you aren't willing to listen to others or respect their methods. Your brother is too busy to train with you? Then instead of throwing a temper tantrum like some little baby, learn to handle it with some self-respect!"

Nayuta squirmed out of Mr. Popo's arms to stand back on her feet. She glared angrily at Piccolo. "Why do you think I came to you?! I wanna get stronger!"

"You came here, because you wanted someone to be on your side! To agree with your complaints and listen to everything you have to say! Well it's a two-way street, brat! Not everything can be yours to control and not everything is gonna go your way!" Piccolo countered.

"Says you! What do you know about me, huh?!"

"I know that Goku would be ashamed to see that his own child-"

"WHO CARES WHAT HE THINKS?! HE'S DEAD!" Nayuta screamed before blasting off away from the Lookout as fast as she could.

This time Piccolo stood unfazed by her scream and stared at the direction she had gone. He knew that his words were harsh and that was the point. The only way to get through that girl's head was to be as brutally honest as possible. Hopefully, Makima wouldn't be too upset about how harsh he was, because he'd rather not deal with her moods. "Tch…these brats are gonna be the death of me."

"Will you pay attention?!"

"I am paying attention!"

"You're not! You've been staring at my face the entire time!"

"What?! I can't look at you while you're talking?!"

"I'm trying to tutor you! So, pay attention to what I'm writing instead!"

"I'm trying, but these stupid equations don't make sense!"

"Ugh…! It should've been Gohan doing this…"

Currently Asa Mitaka was spending her early evening at a nearby park trying to tutor Denji, but the boy was terrible. No matter what she did he just wouldn't pay attention to what she was trying to teach him and just rather stare at her face. Most girls would be flattered, but not her! Nope! Not at all!

"Stop lying to yourself."

"SHUT. UP." Asa hissed dangerously.

"I didn't even say anything!" Denji cried.

"I wasn't talking to you!"

"Then you were talking to yourself? That's kinda weird."

"You are the LAST person to be calling anyone weird."

"Eh, I know weirder people."

"Should I be concerned about that?" Asa couldn't help but ask.

"Not unless you meet them." Denji shrugged.

Asa would've said something else, but a certain Devil that lives inside of her started warning her of something. The clumsy teen quickly stood up, gathering her stuff. "Look, Denji, we can continue our lesson later, but I just realized I left my oven on at my apartment! Gotta go make sure my place doesn't burn down! Bye!"

"Wait! But w-when can we meet again?!"

"I'll text you!"

"You don't have my number!" He shouted back, but Asa was already too far away to hear him. The Chainsaw Devil just sighed, slouching down in his seat. "Would a left on oven really start a house fire?"

"Yes, numbskull."

"Huh?" Denji looked over to see Nayuta sitting in the seat next to him. "Nayuta? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training with Gohan or something?"

The girl just released a troubled sigh. "He's too busy getting all "kissy kissy" with Videl to be training."

"Huh?! You're tellin' me that they're makin' out and stuff, while I'm stuffing my face in these stupid textbooks?!" Denji whined.

Nayuta shrugged. "I guess…"

Denji stopped his lamenting when he realized the unusual mood the young hybrid was in. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"...Denji?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a Dad?"

Denji didn't answer immediately, having not expected the question, especially since his dad was a topic he never liked thinking about. "Why are you asking?"

"You know how my Papa is coming back for the tournament, right?"

The Chainsaw Devil nodded his head. "Yeah, Gohan explained that he gets one free day back from the dead or something like that."

"Yup! And ever since that news came out everyone can't stop talking about him! Gohan and Mama are acting like goofballs over it, talking about how strong he was or how much of a good person he was! The others keep bringing up how similar Gohan and Goten are to him, and how different I am! Like, I'm some kind of pariah!"

"What does that word mean?"

"Basically, I'm some kind of strange freak."

"You're not a freak, Nayuta." Denji said.

"Sure doesn't feel like it. I don't feel excited like everyone else does about him coming back. How am I supposed to care about a man who I've never met?"

"Uh…how does Goten feel about it?"

Nayuta just scoffed at the question. "He hasn't thought much about it and pretty much goes with the flow of Mama and Gohan's excitement. So, even my twin can't feel the same way that I do."

Denji frowned at Nayuta, somewhat able to understand how she felt. All his life he's felt different from others, and even after joining high school that hasn't changed. Even Aki and Power treated him like shit when they first met, of course things have changed since but the point still stands. People either treat him like shit, avoid him like the plague, attack him, or try to use him. The first person to ever make him feel like he truly belonged was Pochita, who was now his heart. Then he met the Sons and felt pretty welcomed during the short period of staying with them.

Nayuta was a good kid. A spoiled brat? Yes. But a good kid nonetheless. She shouldn't be feeling like she doesn't belong when it's clear that her family loves her.

He rubbed the back of his neck before speaking again. "You wanted to know if I have a Dad, right?" Nayuta nodded her head, prompting him to continue. "Well, I had one."

"He's dead?"

"Yup." Denji shrugged. "The bastard was a gambling piece of shit that stuck me with all of his debts when he died. I have no fond memories of him and honestly I don't care if he fades from my memories forever. I hate him."

Nayuta frowned, not knowing how to respond to all of that. Was her situation with her papa similar to Denji's?

"Don't go thinking about that stuff." Denji interrupted her thoughts. "My situation with my Dad ain't nothing like yours."

"But I-"

"From what I can understand about the guy is that he's a good person at least. Gohan looked so excited to see him again that it made me envious. I started to wonder how my life would be if my Dad wasn't a bastard. But there's no point in thinking about stuff like that, I guess." Denji sighed.

"Then how am I supposed to feel? I can understand that our situations are completely different, but he's…"

"Just a stranger?"

"Yeah!"

"Then give him a chance." Denji suggested.

Nayuta blinked at him. "Just like that?"

"Yup. If he's a good guy like everyone else said, then I think you should be fine. But if he turns out to be a complete jackass, then you and me can bond over shitty Fathers. How does that sound?" Denji raised his fist.

Nayuta thought about it for a moment before smiling and bumping her fist against his. "Sounds good. Thanks, Denji."

"No problem." He replied. Denji looked up at the sky, noticing that it was getting darker. "Crap! Better get home before Aki throws a fit!"

"Hey, Denji!"

"Huh?"

"I know your Dad was a jerk, but was there anyone there for you when you needed it? I don't think I could imagine being alone like that." Nayuta asked.

Denji held a soft smile, placing a hand to his heart. "Yeah, I had one friend who had my back no matter what. Hopefully…one day, I'll see him again."

Nayuta gave him a wide smile. "I hope you see him again too!"

"Thanks…!" He turned to leave, but stopped once more. "And, Nayuta!"

"Huh?"

"Give Videl a chance too."

Gohan paced back and forth outside of his home, waiting for Nayuta to return home. His mother had called to let them know she'd be getting home late and to eat the emergency dinner that she always keeps prepared. All that was left was Nayuta, who he was so desperately trying to fight the urge to chase after. His mother told him to give her space, so he was trying to respect that-

"Gohan!"

He looked up to see Nayuta crash into his chest, wrapping her arms around him for a hug. Gohan was surprised for the moment before returning the warm gesture. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Gohan started. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you like that. I should've tried to understand your feelings a bit more about Videl. I thought that you would come to accept her like Goten had, but I guessed incorrected."

Nayuta shook her head. "It's okay…Gohan. I should've listened to you more. Some things happened today that helped me see that listening to others really can help. And I'm sorry about yelling negatively about Papa. It's just…"

"You're scared, right?"

"S-scared?! I'm not scared!"

"It's okay to be scared, Nayuta. I'm sure Mom had noticed, but I should've tried to ease you and Goten into the idea of seeing him better. We'll understand if you don't want to meet him-"

"I want to meet him!" Nayuta interrupted him. Then blushed at her cringy outburst. "I-I'll give him a chance to live up to the hype…"

"That's all we can ask, little sister." Gohan chuckled softly. "So, about Videl-"

"Sorry, but I only have room for one chance-giving." Nayuta pushed herself out of his arms and started walking into the house. Gohan just sighed again with a face palm.

"Baby steps…" Gohan muttered before entering the house.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Youth Division Begins

Goku and Makima broke their hug, but their eyes still stayed on one another. That was until Fortune-Teller Baba, the one who brought Goku, interrupted their silent conversation. "Goku, remember that you have 24 hours."

"Thanks, Baba!" Goku grinned, waving at the old witch as she vanished.

Makima smiled to herself. "24 hours? I'll be sure to use that time wisely."

Piccolo walked back over with the bickering Nayuta and Goten in his arms. "If you two are done with the lovely reunion, we have a registration to get to." He alerted the reunited couple, then turned his attention to the twins. "Will you two stop already?!"

"HE/SHE STARTED IT!"

Makima walked over to her children, an action that already had the twins shaking in fear. Their mother didn't even need to say anything initially for them to understand her irritation. "Behave or you'll be sitting out of the tournament, okay?"

"Y-yes, Mommy/Mama!" Their compliance allowed Piccolo to release his hold on them. The twins scurried away back towards Trunks, their eyes briefly glancing at Goku as they did so. The deceased father of three scratched the back of his head.

"Man…you got them to calm down pretty quickly, huh? Gohan never really gave us much trouble at their age." Goku smiled.

"I blame your genes." Makima responded.

Goku tilted his head. "Eh?"

"C'mon, darling." Makima took his hand in her own, leading him towards the registration area. The rest of the group took that as their que to follow the married couple. As they walked towards the tables, Goku found his attention turning to Denji. He felt a familiar signature emanating from the boy, but it was too mixed into his own for Goku to figure out exactly who it reminded him of. Denji realized he was being watched and met Goku's gaze with his own, a brief sense of panic filled him until the Saiyan from Earth waved his hand. The Chainsaw Devil awkwardly returned the greeting with his own hand wave.

The receptionist at the desk stared at the weird looking group with a sense of uneasiness, especially as Gohan stepped up to the table first. The guy wiped away his sweat with a handkerchief. "Uh…is everyone here competing?"

"Nope, just a couple of us. You can put me down as the Great Saiyaman!" Gohan declared proudly.

Goku tilted his head. "Huh? Did you change your name?"

"Our boy is shy." Makima told him.

"Ah!" Goku nodded along.

"I-it's not being shy, Mom!" Gohan stuttered. "Don't you think I look cool, Dad?!"

"Sure!" Was Goku's reply, which was Goku-language for 'he had no idea what people were talking about'. Gohan just lowered his head in despair at his parents' inability to understand his idea of 'cool'.

After the rest of the competing adults registered their names into the tournament, the children were up next only to be met with a shocking discovery. "Youth Division?!" Trunks cried.

"Of course! We can't have children fighting adults, can we?" The receptionist responded.

"That's unfair! We're 10 times stronger than most of the adults here!" Nayuta pointed at the human members of the group.

"Y-you can be a bit nicer about it, kid…" Yamcha sighed.

Aki let out a puff of smoke. "Not even in the damn tournament yet I still get burned by that kid."

"That's because you're a weak human, Aki!" Power smugly declared.

"You know she's referring to you too, right?" Denji reminds the Blood Fiend.

"EH?!" Power cries.

"Let us fight with the adults!" Trunks protested.

"No! The rules are rules!" The receptionist refused to budge.

Nayuta and Goten quickly ran towards their mother with their patent 'puppy dog eyes'. "Mommy/Mama! Make that mean old guy change his mind!"

"Yeah! Turn his brain into a plate of spaghetti!" Trunks joined them.

"Trunks!" Bulma hissed, making the boy flinch.

"No." Makima's absolute response shut the kids down. "Participate in the Youth Division or don't participate at all. Your choice."

All three hybrids sighed in defeat. "We'll participate…"

"Good." The Control Devil smiled. She knew ahead of time that the Youth Division was a thing, but wanted to see the kids' reaction to the news of being unable to fight adults.

Krillin turned to Goku. "Pretty glad a rule like that didn't exist when we were kids, right?"

"Oh yeah. That would've been pretty bad." Goku laughed.

As soon as the kids were registered, the group split up for the fighters to head off towards the Fighter's Area. Goodbyes and good luck cries were shared by everyone, and Makima reluctantly split from her husband, already missing his warm touch. She'll just have to make up for it tonight when they're at home.

Goku, who hadn't noticed it earlier, took a much better look at Krillin. "Wait…weren't you naturally bald?"

"No! I just shaved my head back then." Krillin explained.

Goku nodded his head, then turned around to see Lazuli walking behind them. He blinked at the cyborg that was designed specifically to kill him. This was literally his first time meeting her. "Aren't you, 18?"

"You just realized I was here?" Lazuli was told about the Saiyan's lack of intelligence, but she was still surprised by it. "And the name's Lazuli, not that stupid name Gero gave me."

Krillin smirked at his opportunity to brag about his love life. "We live together at Kame House. We even have a daughter together now. That little girl you saw standing by us."

"WOW!" Goku exclaimed, blown away by the revelation. "That's a surprise!" Then he leaned down to whisper to Krillin. "But how does a robot have a kid?"

"She's not a robot! She's a cyborg, so parts of her are still human!" Krillin defended his wife. Lazuli, who could still hear them, just rolled her eyes at the two best friends.

Trunks, who was walking in the back with the twins, observed Goku a bit. "He really does behave like you, Goten. Not to mention looks like a bigger version of you."

"He acts like me?" Goten tilted his head.

"Unfortunately, doofus." Nayuta flicked her brother's arm.

"He's supposed to be this awesome guy, right? He doesn't look like much to me." Trunks smirked. "At least not compared to my Dad."

"But Gohan said that Daddy's the strongest in the universe." Goten decided to defend his father.

"That remains to be seen." Nayuta crossed her arms. She agreed with Trunks that Goku didn't look like much, sure she could feel some strong power coming from the guy, but it was no different from Gohan and Vegeta. "Nothing impressive."

After getting past some reporters, who were distracted by Piccolo blowing up their cameras, the group made their way towards the locker rooms to get changed. Nayuta split off with Lazuli towards the women's changing area, while the boys went into the men's. Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo didn't go in, since there was no reason for them to change.

"Hey, Gohan?" Goku addressed his oldest son.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Those other three who were with everyone else. Who were they?" Goku asked, referring to the Hayakawas.

"Oh! That was Aki, Denji, and Power! Denji's a friend from school, and Aki and Power work under Mom at the Public Safety Commission." Gohan explained.

"I see! But it's weird to see Makima let two Devils wander around like that." Goku thought out loud.

"EH?! You figured that out?!" Gohan gasped.

Goku blinked at his son with confusion. "Yeah, Denji and Power's KI felt unnatural, which is how all Devils come off. Why are you so surprised, Gohan? Don't you know this already?"

Gohan flinched unnecessarily, laughing nervously. He could feel Piccolo staring at the back of his skull with a judgmental gaze. "U-uh…yeah! I was just joking around…hehe!"

As Nayuta changed into her GI, she looked over at Lazuli who had just finished changing into a sweatsuit. She never talked much with the cyborg, because of how intimidating she could be sometimes. However, she was never mean to the twins or Trunks when they came over to play with Marron. "So…uh… Miss Lazuli?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think about my Papa?"

Lazuli gave the girl a quirked brow before answering. "He's a dumbass."

"Well, I could've-"

"But a strong dumbass. However, you feel about him is something you need to work out on your own, kid. C'mon, the others are waiting." Lazuli made her way towards the exit. Nayuta frowned at the cyborg's simple answer. That pretty much gave her nothing to work off of and she still wasn't sure where she sat when it came to Goku.

"Ugh! I'll think about it later!" Nayuta decided and shut her locker. She turned around and ended up bumping into someone else. She and the other person fell to their butts, with Nayuta giving them a glare. "Hey! Watch your step!"

"I should be saying that to you, brat!" Glaring back at Nayuta was a girl who was a few inches taller than her with brown hair tied into a ponytail with freckles across her cheeks. She's dressed in a white T-shirt with black sweatpants.

"Who are you calling a brat, you brat!" Nayuta was on her feet within seconds.

"I'm clearly talking to the ugly princess in front of me, brat!" The girl hissed back.

"UGLY?! THAT'S IT! I'M KICKING YOUR-"

"Nayuta."

The female hybrid and her opponent froze as Lazuli's ice-cold glare had them both shivering. "I told you that we need to leave. Now, let's get moving unless you want me to tell your Mother that you've been misbehaving."

"N-no! I'll be right over!" Nayuta quickly responded. She did turn back to her newfound enemy with a growing sense of hate. "What's your name, brat?"

"Name's Erina, brat. You?"

"Son Nayuta. I'll be sure to kick your ass first." Nayuta declared before exiting the locker room with Lazuli.

Erina scoffed as she left out of the other exit.

After arriving at the preliminary area, Goku and the others were greeted by the sight of the old tournament announcer. The guy recognized Goku, Krillin, and Piccolo from the old tournaments, and was surprised to see that Goku was apparently dead. He also figured that Goku and company were the ones who actually defeated Cell and not Hercule, but the group dodged that question. Once it was time for the preliminaries to begin, he bid the group farewell with hopes that they'll make this year's tournament a big one.

Apparently, unlike the old tournaments Goku, Krillin, and Piccolo remembered, the sixteen competitors would be decided via a punching machine. The sixteen fighters to score the highest would be moving onto the main tournament. Hercule came out as an example of how the punching machine will work. He declared loudly to the participants, "IS THERE ANYONE WHO CAN BEAT ME?!"

"Oh brother, there's a bunch of us." Krillin chuckled.

Piccolo once again acted and destroyed all of the cameras in the arena. Gohan turned to his teacher with slight confusion. "Piccolo?"

"Now you can fight without worry of your schoolmates finding out your identity, even if your costume fails."

"Woah! Thanks, Piccolo!" Gohan appreciated the act of kindness. He turned to his father with a new pep in his step. "Hey, Dad, I'm gonna go find my friend!"

"Oh, sure." Goku responded as his son ran off into the crowd of fighters.

Nayuta glared at her brother's back with irritation. "Yeah, his girlfriend!" She spat.

"Huh? Gohan has a girlfriend?" Goku asked his daughter.

Startled by her father's question, Nayuta took a slight step closer to her brother. "U-uh, yeah. He does…" She answered.

Goku gave her a soft smile that made her stomach feel all tingly. "Cool. I'm happy that he's having fun with his life. I hope you guys are too."

Goten gave him a smile when Nayuta was too hesitant to do so. "We are, Daddy!"

"Awesome!" Goku replied.

Hercule, while upset that his glory wouldn't be on camera, still stepped towards the punching machine. "HYAA!" He punched it with all of his might, earning a score of 137 points. Clearly exhausted just from that, the Champ took his leave after securing his spot in the final sixteen.

All of the children were directed off towards a different section since the preliminaries would be going on during the Youth Division of the tournament.

"Good luck, kids!" Krillin giggled at their pouts.

"Quiet, baldy!" Nayuta yelled back.

"I'm not bald anymore!" Krillin exclaimed.

"You'll always be bald to me, Krillin!" Goku patted his friend's head.

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?!"

Vegeta just grumbled to himself, already sick and tired of the useless games this farce of a tournament was putting on. All he wanted was to fight Kakarot and if he needed to punch some stupid machine to do so, then he'll give it everything he has.

"I'm glad we finally found you Asa!" Erasa happily hugged the girl as they took their seats. She, Sharpener, and Pencil had been searching for her for most of the time and were happy to see that their clumsy friend saved them their seats. "Thanks for getting these seats for us. They're not that far or too close from the ring. The perfect place to watch Videl kick some butt!"

"Too bad brains couldn't join us. I'm sure even a brainiac like him would have some fun here." Sharpener said.

"Hehe…yeah! Sucks that Gohan couldn't be here!" Asa laughed nervously. She could feel Gohan's presence down with the rest of the participants, along with several other large signatures. Yoru had taught her how to KI sense some time ago just to be sure to avoid running into the War Devil's sister and children.

Pencil crossed his arms. "Hopefully the Youth Division doesn't take too long. The real event is the adult's competition!"

Yoru, invisible to the three human teenagers, scoffed. "I agree with the skinny nerd. This is a waste of time since those three brats are the only ones worth watching from this Youth Division." Asa didn't acknowledge her to avoid looking like a weirdo in front of her friends.

"Well, the Youth Division is still new to the tournament as a whole. Considering that since the 24th one, where Hercule Satan became the champion, was the last tournament to still allow children 15 and younger to compete with adults." Asa explained.

"We know that, Asa." Sharpener stared at her weirdly.

"U-uh oh…uh, I see…!" Asa lowered her head at that. She thought that would be a good bit of information to share but it seems she's made the wrong choice.

"Lame!"

"I hate you…" Asa muttered under her breath. The clumsy hybrid decided to turn her attention back to the tournament floor as the announcer began the introductions for the Youth Division. With Hercule Satan coming up, incidentally making a fool of himself in the process and somehow managing to play it off. She probably would've bought it too if Yoru hadn't revealed the truth behind the fraudulent savior a while ago.

Trunks, Goten, and Nayuta stayed close together as they observed their 'competition'. As expected, it was nothing but a bunch of sniveling brats or overconfident pre-teens that figured their bigger bodies would give them the advantage over the smaller kids.

"What do you guys' plan to do with the prize money?" Trunks asked.

"Toys and snacks!" Goten answered.

"Figured. I'm guessing you'd have some more refined tastes, Nayuta-"

"Clothes and snacks!" Nayuta clapped hands with her brother as they both dreamed about the mountains of food they'd buy with the money.

"I should've expected better." Trunks scoffed.

"Okay, then Mr. Too Cool! What are you gonna buy?" Nayuta challenged.

Trunks actually had to think about that. "What would I do with the money…?"

"You're the richest kid in the world. You probably have everything." Goten said. It was true too, since Trunks always seemed to have some new toy or video game whenever the twins were able to visit him.

"Yeah, but I should still think of something." Trunks said.

On the other side of the Fighter's Box, the three hybrids were being watched by a threesome of siblings. The oldest looked down at his little sister. "That girl over there is your first opponent, Erina?" He was a few inches taller than her with an ugly brown mullet.

"That's right, Laem. That little brat is gonna regret making an enemy of me!" Erina bragged. Her twin brother, a boy with a shaved head, gaggled in agreement.

"The other two twerps with her are our opponents. This tournament is gonna be a piece of cake for us!" Ikose declared.

"FIRST UP TO FIGHT WILL BE SON NAYUTA (AGE 7) VS ERINA (AGE 14)!" The announcer declared through the microphone.

Yamcha made a loud noise from his seat. "Seems Nayuta is up first! You excited to see her fight, Makima?"

The Control Devil smiled as she readjusted her sun hat. "As long as she keeps her strength under control, then all should be fine."

"We're talking about the same Nayuta, right?" Oolong questioned.

"Yes." Makima nodded.

"This might turn into a bloodbath…" Bulma sighed.

"ERINA! GO MY BABY GIRL! MOMMY'S WATCHING!" An overweight woman screamed loudly in Bulma's ear. "I can't believe my little girl has to fight some tiny brat in her first round. This won't be exciting at all."

Bulma turned back to Makima. "Never mind, I hope Nayuta destroys her."

"I agree." Makima and Bulma shook hands. Both mothers wished for a bloodbath that made everyone else around them very nervous.

"YEAH! CARNAGE!" Power cheered.

Well, almost everyone.

Nayuta and Erina stepped into the ring, clearly at each other's throats before the match even started. Erina got into a fighting stance with a cocky smirk. "I hope you're ready to go crying to your Mommy after I'm done kicking your ass."

Nayuta gave a strained smile. "Don't worry, brat. When you've woken up in the infirmary, I'll be sure to sign your cast."

"Tch, little brat!"

"BEGIN!"

Erina took a single step and that was as far as she got before her left leg snapped loudly. The young girl fell to the ground in severe pain, gripping her broken appendage for dear life. With her broken leg, the match ended just as it started, Nayuta declared the winner. The nurses were called quickly, putting the girl on a stretcher to carry her to the infirmary.

Erina had no idea how that could've even happened as her leg was in perfect condition before the match. That was until she met eyes with Nayuta, the young hybrid's spiral eyes sent a nightmarish shiver down her spine in ways she didn't imagine possible. All the younger girl did was wave and Erina was screaming like a baby for her mommy.

"Guess, we know who the brat really is now, don't we?" Nayuta chuckled to herself as she rejoined her brother and friend.

"YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! THAT'S MY NIECE! TEACH THAT BRAT WHO'S BOSS!" Yoru cheered loudly. Asa covered her ears as the invisible Devil was somehow louder than every other person here. She swore that there was no way anyone else could be louder than Yoru.

"YYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! NAYUTA! THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Denji and Power were screaming at the top of their lungs.

"M-my little girl's poor leg! How could that happen!?" The overweight woman cried.

"Not the bloodbath I was looking for, but that'll do." Bulma smiled.

"Seems my daughter has learned some control even against someone she clearly doesn't like. I'll reward her later." Makima hummed to herself. She wondered if Goku was watching his daughter's first tournament match.

"So, what do you think, Goku?" Krillin asked.

"Well, she was fighting someone who clearly didn't stand a chance. But she could work on her strength a bit. She didn't have to break that girl's leg, but I can tell she's strong. Man…! I can't wait to see what she and Goten can really do!" Goku grinned with excitement.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Super Saiyan Brats

If there was anything that Videl Satan was certain of, it was that the Son family was freaking weird. This isn't saying she hasn't met some strange people in her life, being the daughter of the world savior was always going to bring weirdos and creeps to her doorstep. But the Son family felt like an unnatural phenomenon given physical form.

Son Gohan was an, admittedly cute and handsome, nerd with powers she couldn't comprehend. He runs around dressed like a goofy superhero with his hybrid Devil friend (Still need to figure THAT out) and has an appetite that would make the world record holder for eating jealous.

His little siblings were rambunctious, not that children normally weren't, but those two had energy in spades that she just couldn't fathom. They were also just as ridiculously talented as their older brother, picking up the ability of flight within minutes of learning it. Videl would never admit that she was jealous of two 7-year-old children, but she felt a bit inadequate that it took her almost more than a week to get flying down.

His little sister also kept pranking her every single time she came over for training. She still needed to get the little brat back for blasting a hole in her shorts.

The Son matriarch was just…creepy. Her few interactions with Makima always felt as if the woman was examining her every move with those strange eyes of hers. Not once during the training had Makima been rude to her, the red-headed woman was more than welcoming to her son's classmate, but that damn teasing smile infuriated the young martial artist.

She also worked for the Public Safety Commission and Videl scolded herself for not figuring that out quicker. Son Makima was a well known name within the Devil Hunting community, her record for captures, clean-ups, and extermination of Devils was stunningly perfect. Not once had that woman failed to deal with a situation and the hunters who worked in her division only ever had pleasant remarks to give. If she was more into Devil Hunting, then she probably would've figured it out sooner.

Then, finally, there was the patriarch of the family. The man, the myth, the legend: Son Goku. Among the martial arts world Son Goku was a legend that had made his name known through his actions at the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd World Tournaments. Coming close to victory in the first two before finally claiming championship in the 23rd tournament, which had apparently led to the destruction of the entire arena. He had never made a return to the 24th to protect his title, which led to her papa calling him and the previous competitors cowards and frauds.

Videl always had an admiration for all of the old competitors in those tournaments, and always cursed that there was no actual footage of them. Photos? Yes, as she's seen the photo of Son Goku and his friends after his victory in the 23rd tournament. It was unfortunate that they had disappeared off the face of the planet after that huge tournament, because she's always wanted to see them fight. Hell, to fight them herself! She loved her papa, but there was something extremely different about the way he approaches martial arts and the way Son Goku seemed to do so.

So, when she finally got to meet the man face-to-face, she froze up. She had no idea what to do as Gohan introduced her to his father and friends, as they joked about the two dating, and walked away to watch the rest of the Youth Division. When Videl finally got herself back together, she turned to Gohan with a question burning in her mind.

"What's with that halo above his head? Accessories aren't really allowed during the matches if they get in the way." Videl said.

Gohan shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about that, and besides, he's dead. He couldn't get rid of that halo anyway." The superhero said with a nonchalant tone.

Videl did a double take. "D-dead?"

"Yeah."

"I-I thought you guys were joking?!"

"Why would we do that?" If those dumbass glasses weren't in the way, Videl knew full well she'd see him blinking owlishly at her. Why was she in love with this idiot?

"...Your family is weird." Videl muttered.

"Wait till you meet my aunts, they're even weirder." Gohan smiled.

"I honestly dread that."

"ACHOO! Is someone talking about me?" Yoru wiped her nose.

"Why would anyone waste time doing that?" Asa said in reflex. Suddenly she lost control of her body. Yoru raised her left fist and slammed her fist into her own jaw, causing Asa to scream in pain. The War Devil switched back as Asa's friends turned to her with bewildered looks. "GAH!"

"Asa! Why would you do that?!" Erasa scooted closer to the girl to check her face.

"Are you okay? Do we need to take you to the infirmary?" Pencil asked.

"Probably to get your head checked out." Sharpener snarked unhelpfully. He received a slap on the arm from Erasa for the comment.

Asa recovered, waving her arms. "N-no! I'm just fine! I-I was just swatting away a fly!"

"So, you punched yourself in the face?"

"Yes!"

"...Okay."

As her friends turned back to the arena to watch the next round of kids fight, Asa sent a nasty glare at Yoru. The War Devil just smirked at her vessel with a shit-eating grin. "Watch your mouth, idiot. Or I'll do something more embarrassing next time-GOTEN!" Yoru's attention was immediately taken by her nephew walking on stage. "KICK THAT KID'S ASS!"

"What a loving aunt…" Asa muttered.

"IKOSE (AGE 14) VS SON GOTEN (AGE 7)!"

The obese woman growled at the stage. "My Erina and Laem may have lost to those little brats, but my Ikose will avenge them and win!"

Bulma crossed her arms with a proud glare. "Heh! I figured that kid looked similar to the other two! I guess going 3-0 is about to become a reality!"

"Shut up! There won't be any miracles this time! My son will win!" The fat lady roared at Bulma.

Makima tapped her chin as she observed her youngest son. "I was worried about Nayuta not holding back, but that's usually because she purposely avoids it at times. Goten forgets to do so whenever he's too caught up in things." The matriarch shrugged her shoulders. "Well, he should be fine."

Yamcha leaned over to Aki. "You think the kid will remember?"

Aki released a puff of smoke. "The kid once knocked down my wall by accident, because he won a game of Mario Kart against Denji and Power. We have a 50/50 chance."

Ikose, fueled by the desire to avenge his siblings, started throwing feints at Goten. "Brats like you shouldn't even bother coming here!" His left fist was grabbed by Goten, and the older boy found that he couldn't remove his arm. "H-hey?!"

"Come on, fight for real. Give me all you got." Goten said earnestly as he released Ikose's arm.

"All I got, huh…?" Ikose bounced on his feet. "THEN, HERE!" He unleashed a barrage of punches at the hybrid, and each one was effortlessly blocked.

"Alright, I'm bored." Goten lazily punched the young teen's chin. The hit was strong enough to rattle his brain, and knock the boy out.

The announcer checked Ikose before declaring the outcome. "KNOCK OUT! GOTEN WINS!"

Goten gave a respectful bow before walking off the stage.

"BLEH, BLEH!" Bulma childishly mocked the fat woman.

"Grrr…! I CAN'T HOLD IT ANYMORE!" The large woman attempted to attack Bulma. But suddenly stopped as her eyes shifted from raw anger to empty. She sat back down calmly and turned to face the stage.

The entire group slowly turned to Makima, who was enjoying her ice-tea. The Control Devil released she was being stared at and looked back with an innocent smile. "Hm?"

Oolong shivered, whispering to Roshi. "Even after all these years she still scares me!"

"But she still has some nice hips! Hehe…!" Roshi giggled. Until a chain inserted itself into his head, causing him to drool like an infant. Oolong knew that was his cue to keep himself behaved unless he ends up in the same condition.

Makima just continued to celebrate her son's victory.

Goku grinned at the outcome of Goten's match. "Man…! Goten has better control than Nayuta does! Alright, I can't wait to see the kids battle each other, then we'll see what they're really made of!"

The three hybrids continued to make easy work of the Youth Division, shocking the audience with their insane feats and swift victories. It wasn't long until it was finally time for the semi-final matches, where the real battles were about to begin.

"IT'S TIME FOR OUR FIRST SEMI-FINAL MATCH! THE TWO OUT OF THREE OF THESE YOUNG FIGHTERS HAVE BEEN MAKING LIGHT WORK OF THIS COMPETITION! NOW IT'S TIME FOR THESE YOUNG FRIENDS TO DUKE IT OUT TO SEE WHO WILL COMPETE IN THE FINALS! WE HAVE: SON GOTEN (AGE 7) VS TRUNKS BRIEFS (AGE 8)!"

"Finally! An interesting match!" Krillin exclaimed, voicing everyone's opinion.

"Hey!" The group looked over to see Gohan and Videl rushing over. "Sorry it took so long for us to get here. We passed the preliminaries!" Gohan explained.

Goku waved off the apology. "It's good you finally got here. Goten and Trunks are about to fight."

"It's about time we got to the exciting matches!" Yamcha exclaimed.

Denji munched on his popcorn, while glaring at Power as she kept trying to reach into his bucket. "I bet Goten will win this one."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Bulma countered. "My son has been training pretty hard with his Dad. I wouldn't underestimate him if I were you."

"Bulma." The CEO turned to her fellow mother; the Control Devil was extending a hand towards her. "May the superior genes win."

Bulma took the handshake, understanding the subtle challenge. "Yes, may the best child win." That uneasy feeling from before was felt by everyone around the two, fearing the sparks flying between both women.

"I can't wait to see the look on Vegeta's face when Goten kicks his son's ass in front of all these people!" Yoru grinned.

"What is wrong with you…?" Asa muttered.

"What? The guy's a huge arrogant jackass."

"So just like yo-"

"Finish that statement and everyone in the stadium will know you wear teddy bear under-"

"SHUT UP!" Asa's face was as red as a tomato. Her outburst gained the attention of her friends and the people around them. Asa stared back at them all for a few moments before hastily sitting back down and covering her face with her hands.

Erasa placed a hand on her back. "Are you sure you're okay, Asa?"

All the clumsy hybrid did was scream into her hands.

"GOTEN! YOU GOT THIS!" Nayuta cheered loudly. Behind her was her opponent for the next match. The boy was shivering like a leaf as his opponent kept cheering loudly for her twin brother.

From the upstairs of the fighter's waiting area, Hercule Satan decided to give this match his attention. He looked at Goten, finding the boy's hair weirdly familiar.

Goten waved back at his sister before giving his full attention to Trunks. His best friend had already adopted a stance, prepared for their fight. Goten did a short bow and got into a stance that his mother taught him. "Just so you know, I'm not gonna hold back." Trunks said.

"Okay. Me neither." Goten replied.

"BEGIN!"

In a flash, the hybrids clashed with a resounding shockwave, attempting to push the other back. Their stalemate broke, transforming into a blitzing melee of blows for a momentary second. Goten and Trunks took to the skies to continue their melee, smashing each other's faces with punches that would make a bodybuilder jealous. Trunks vanished behind Goten, but the youngest Son countered with a kick that forced Trunks to block. The heir backhanded his best friend, before palming him in the chest. The two flashed into another rush of blows that were almost too blindingly fast to observe.

Goten and Trunks touched back down on the stage, not even winded from their exchange. The two hybrids smirked at one another, impressed by how strong the other managed to get in such a short time.

The entire stadium was left speechless, absolutely blown away by the prowess showcased by the elementary school children. Never before had they seen such an amazing display of skills, but that shock soon turned into applause and cheer. Usually the Youth Division was treated as the warm up to the main event, something that people didn't put too much stock into. But these little hybrids just raised the bar 100 fold within seconds.

Goku stared at his son with pride and excitement. "Woah! They're pretty good!"

"Told ya!" Gohan exclaimed. He turned to his friend. "Aren't they good, Vi-Videl?" The daughter of the savior was staring at the children with comical distress. She slowly turned back to him, her expression not changing.

"What the hell is this family?!"

Hercule Satan had the exact same reaction as his daughter. Fear at the implication of fighting either of these brats almost gave him a heart attack. "W-what the hell are these kids?!"

Trunks marveled at one of his best friends. "You've improved a lot, Goten."

"Gohan taught us a lot!" Goten responded.

"I see. But can you do this?" Trunks pulled back his arms, generating a burst of KI within his palms.

"He's gonna shoot a KI blast from there?!" Gohan panicked.

"It'll hit the stands!" Krillin yelled.

"Nah, it'll be fine." Goku shrugged. "Don't underestimate them."

"HA!" Trunks fired his attack at Goten, who simply jumped over it. The beam raced towards the audience, but before it could hit, Trunks changed the direction for it to fly harmlessly into the air and dissipate. His attack left the audience in a sense of confusion; however his friends and family were relieved that nothing bad happened. "What do you think? Pretty good, eh?"

"I can do that too! Gohan taught us this one!" Goten yelled as he cupped his hands. "Ka…! Me…! Ka…! Me…!"

"IT'S KAMEHAMEHA, GOTEN!" The younger twin blocked out his sister's correction.

"HAAA!" Goten fired the Turtle School's technique, which Trunks lazily dodged. Unlike his friend, Goten didn't have as much control over his energy attacks. He ended up blowing parts of the waiting area's roof off.

Makima, Yoru, Nayuta, and Gohan all groaned simultaneously at the boy's blunder and were thankful that the boy wasn't facing the audience. Goku sweat dropped at his son, chuckling a bit. "Guess he hasn't figured out how to control it yet."

Trunks clicked his tongue. "I think it's best if we don't use KI attacks anymore, Goten."

"Okay!"

With that settled, they engaged each other once more in close combat. Trunks grabbed Goten's clothes, throwing the boy into the air, appearing behind him, and trapping Goten in a full nelson. The youngest Son fought to escape but Trunks' hold was too strong. "L-LET GO!"

"Give up and I will!"

"NO!"

Nayuta gripped the edges of the wall with her hands, cracking it as she wished she could fly up there and help her brother. She knew Trunks wouldn't hurt him too badly, but that was still her brother!

Vegeta smirked at his son's apparent victory. "Looks like Trunks is going to win."

That was until Goten transformed into a Super Saiyan, breaking the rules they had established beforehand, to escape Trunks' hold. Goten touched back down on the arena floor, Trunks following soon after.

Funnily enough, all three members of the Briefs family glared at their respective Son members. Goku didn't understand why Vegeta was yelling at him for what Goten did, Makima pinched the bridge of her nose as Bulma decided to hold this over her, and Trunks was scolding the laughing Goten.

Nayuta sighed. "Of course, Goten would be the first one to break the rule."

"That's what a Super Saiyan looks like?" Asa blinked at the transformation.

"Yup. Pretty much." Yoru answered.

Hercule was too busy having PTSD flashbacks, remembering the Z-Fighters at the Cell Games. The savior was believing that his time in the sun was finally coming to an end, one that would end disastrously for him.

Trunks, deciding to have some fun, proposed a challenge. "Hey, Goten! I bet I can beat you without my left arm."

"What?! You're lying! You can't win like that!" Goten argued.

"Sure, I can!"

"No way! I dare you to try! Don't forget! Without using your left arm, okay?!"

"Fine!" Trunks charged in with his right, clashing with Goten's raised knee. The Briefs child countered Goten's attacks with his right side only, but was left open for a kick to the mouth. Recovering as quickly as he could, Trunks blocked Goten's elbow, but the boy's right hook caught him next. Trunks fired a small KI blast that Goten dodged, and he watched as the boy continued higher into the air.

Goten decided this would be the winning attack. "HYAAAAAA!" He charged downwards like a rocket, forcing Trunks to dodge to the right. However, Goten expected this and swiped his hands across the tiles to change his direction. He was now flying directly into Trunks' back.

"OH YEAH! GET HIM, GOTEN!" Nayuta cheered.

Makima smirked at her son's display of intelligence that would win him the match. As expected her children were simply superior in the end due to the beautiful mixture of her genes and Goku's. The product of their love and strength wouldn't lose to that of a half-human child. Is what she thought until the last second unfolded.

Trunks, refusing to lose to Goten, transformed into a Super Saiyan at the very last second to dodge Goten's headbutt. As Goten uncontrollably flew towards the stands, Trunks fired a KI blast into his back to ensure Goten wouldn't stop his momentum. His attack worked as Goten smashed head first through the ring's wall.

A second later, Goten emerged from the wall with the angriest pout he could muster as he glared at his best friend.

After a few more seconds of silence, the announcer raised his hand to the air.

"AND THE WINNER IS TRUNKS! HE'LL BE MOVING ONTO THE FINALS!"

Bulma, feeling very confident, leaned in close to Makima. "Superior genetics, huh?" Her act of smugness had the rest of their group, besides Marron, shivering in fear of Makima's potential reaction. The Control Devil hadn't made a move since the winner was declared.

Makima took a deep breath and slowly turned to head to Bulma. "My daughter will avenge her brother."

"GODDAMMIT!" Yoru stomped her foot childishly, earning a sigh from Asa.

"Trunks can go Super Saiyan too?!" Goku exclaimed. He then felt someone patting him on the back and turned to see Vegeta smirking arrogantly.

"Too bad, Kakarot! Looks like my son has superior blood! Of course, the outcome against your daughter will be the same!" Vegeta gloated.

"Ok."

Vegeta's good mood died instantly.

Nayuta glared at the boys as they re-entered the waiting area, conversing like nothing happened. Of course, Trunks had promised her brother that he'd buy him some toys to make up for turning Super Saiyan against him. Nayuta wasn't a fool though, she wouldn't be bought so easily.

"You may have beaten Goten, but the results won't be the same in our match, rich boy." Nayuta challenged.

Trunks smirked. "Prove it, then." As he took a seat on one of the chairs. "Don't take too long now, wouldn't want to bore me."

Nayuta's eye twitched with irritation as she stomped out to get her semi-final match over with. Goten watched his sister leave with a worried look on his face. "Is she mad at me for losing?"

"Nah." Trunks waved off his concern. "She's just a sore loser, even when she's not the one who loses."

"NAYUTA WINS! SHE'LL BE MOVING ONTO THE FINAL ROUND!"

"Wow…that really didn't take long." Trunks muttered as he and Goten watched Nayuta's opponent run past with tears in his eyes. The female hybrid followed after with a frown on her face.

"He forfeited." She told them.

"Ah."

She jabbed her thumbs at the ring. "C'mon, rich boy. Time for me to kick your butt."

Trunks got up from his seat, marching up to Nayuta's face. He stood at least an inch taller than her, so she had to look up to glare at him. "At least try to make this entertaining."

Her face twisted into a smile that reminded him of Makima's whenever she was clearly annoyed. "Oh, I will. Trust me."

Okay…he had a slightly bad feeling about this now.

Goten watched as his sister and friend walked back out towards the ring for the final match. He hoped that nothing too bad would go wrong, but when his sister got mad things usually tended to blow up…sometimes.

"IT'S TIME FOR THE FINAL MATCH OF THE YOUTH DIVISION! WE HAVE SON NAYUTA (AGE 7) FACING OFF AGAINST TRUNKS BRIEFS (AGE 8)! JUST LIKE THE PREVIOUS FIGHT THESE TWO ARE CLOSE FRIENDS! WILL NAYUTA BEFALL THE SAME FATE AS HER BROTHER OR WILL SHE AVENGE HIM AND WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?!"

As the announcer riled up the audience, Nayuta and Trunks got into their stances. No words were shared between the two as they focused on their inevitable clash. Hell, even the audience was waiting in anticipation for this match that was sure to match the intensity of the previous one.

Well, except Hercule, who was praying that the kids just knocked each other out of the ring, so that he wouldn't have to fight either of them after this.

"WITH ALL OF THAT SAID! LET THE FINAL MATCH OF THE YOUTH DIVISION BEGIN-"

A Super Saiyan Nayuta flashed in front of Trunks the instant the match started. The heir was given a very small window to dodge her downward strike as she smashed the spot he was previously on to bits.

Trunks gaped at the growling Son with a bit of fear. "Oh man…! She really is pissed!" Nayuta hadn't even bothered trying to keep up with the rule of not transforming. "If I even want to survive this I'm gonna have to match her!" Trunks transformed into a Super Saiyan as Nayuta clashed against him, their arms caught in a battle of tug-of-war.

Goku gaped at his daughter, honestly surprised when he shouldn't be at this point. "Even Nayuta?! Man…they're even younger than Gohan was when he turned Super Saiyan!"

Gohan just face palmed, having expected that the kids just stopped caring about the self-imposed rules. "Great…"

Makima didn't even bother saying anything at this point and just continued cheering on her daughter.

Nayuta broke the stalemate first by dropping low and sweeping Trunks' feet from underneath him. Trunks grunted and pushed himself away from her, but Nayuta refused to let Trunks have too much free space to move. She kept on the pressure with a few kicks that kept the heir on the defensive. Trunks countered her next kick that sent Nayuta flying back which Trunks followed up on with a few KI blasts. She blocked them with her arms and gasped when Trunks appeared right above her with a roundhouse kick that knocked her back down into the arena floor.

She recovered quickly enough with a burst of speed that left Trunks stunned enough for her to jab him in the face with her left. Nayuta continued to nail him across the face with a repetition of punches until Trunks grabbed her arms. Instead of fighting back to free her upper appendages, she pulled him back and tilted their bodies. He was confused by her actions until Nayuta proceeded to spin around at blinding speeds, forcing them to descend back down into the stage. With the extra momentum, Nayuta slammed the heir into the ring harshly enough that forced him to release her arms.

Trunks climbed back to his feet as Nayuta stood across from him with a cocky smirk. "Still feeling bored?"

Funnily enough, Trunks returned her words with his own cocky grin. "Okay, I'll admit that you've improved a lot just like Goten. But that still doesn't mean you're going to win."

"Arrogance is a fool's game." Nayuta countered.

"Not arrogance, just confidence." Trunks replied before vanishing from sight. Nayuta focused her senses, knowing the boy was going to strike at any moment. Her left ear twitched, alerting her to put up her guard as Trunks flashed with a punch. However, he phased through her body like a phantom.

"What the-"

POW!

A brain-rocking strike nailed the right side of her face, skidding Nayuta across the stage floor. Trunks stood with a cocky laugh as he cracked his knuckles. "Got you!"

"The After-Image technique?!" Yamcha gasped.

"What's that, ugly-suit human?!" Power demanded.

As Yamcha tried to defend his choice of outfit, Makima decided to explain. "It's the ability to move so swiftly that an image of the user is left behind."

"Tch! Not that impressive! The Great Power can do that anyday!" Power bragged.

"No, you can't!" Denji yelled.

"Yes, I can!"

"Will you two shut up?!" Aki stopped them from continuing.

Nayuta picked herself back up, spitting out some saliva and blood into the grass. That punch had hurt a crap ton, surprising the girl at how much stronger Trunks had gotten. She and Goten were usually even with him the last time they fought, but all of that training really amped him up. Honestly, it just made her blood pump with excitement, especially since she'll finally get to bust out her new move. "Alright, Trunks! Since you and Goten decided to go big with new moves, it's about time that I showed something off!"

"Huh? You have a new move?" Trunks raised a brow. He saw that Goten looked confused, meaning that he didn't know about this either.

Nayuta allowed her chains to manifest to life, moving them to coil around her arms. The chains glowed a bright red color before dissipating into a red mist that formed the shape of bracers on her forearms and knuckles. She punched her fists together with a nasty grin. "Time for you to meet my Chained Knuckle Busters!"

"Chained Knuckle Busters? Pfft! Am I supposed to be worried-" Trunks stopped as Nayuta's fist smashed into the ring. Several of the tiles and pieces of rubble gravitated towards Nayuta, and with a warrior's cry she punched each one. The rubble sped towards Trunks, faster than any bullet on the planet. The boy yelped as he either blocked or dodged the on-coming projectiles with his increased speed. He looked back at Nayuta's spot to see that she was no longer standing there.

"HYAAA!"

That was his only warning to move out of the way as Nayuta's fist crashed against the ring's floor, splitting the entire damn thing into chunks in a single blow. EVERYONE gaped cartoonishly at the girl's reckless attack and utter decimation of the ring.

Piccolo just lowered his head.

Gohan and Videl thought they were gonna pass out.

Goku just laughed.

Denji didn't understand the issue.

Goten did the same as his father.

Asa's fear of these children grew even more.

Yoru just laughed with excitement.

The announcer almost passed out.

Hercule DID pass out.

Makima was not amused.

Trunks was… "YOU WERE GONNA HIT ME WITH THAT?!"

"WHAT?! CAN'T TAKE IT?!"

"THAT WAS INSANE!"

"NOT AS INSANE AS YOU LOSING THIS MATCH!" Nayuta flew after Trunks in the air. The heir doing his best to avoid getting hit by Nayuta's technique unless he wanted to end up exactly like the ring. He racked his brain to figure out some way of beating her until he realized the one thing he could do.

"Hey, Nayuta!"

"What?!"

"I think your Mom is pissed!"

"EH?!" Fear overtook the female hybrid. She turned to where she could sense her mother's presence and gulped at the glare aimed directly at her. Which was more than enough of a window for Trunks to dive kick Nayuta in the back. Blasting them both down towards the ground with a loud crash that kicked up a bunch of dust. Once the dust had settled the winner of the match was decided.

Nayuta, back in base form, fidgeted like a pinned animal under Trunks' foot as she whined about the boy cheating once again. Trunks, also back in base, just looked smug as a bug at his victory over both Son twins.

"I-IT'S A RING OUT! THE EXPLOSIVE FINAL MATCH OF THE YOUTH DIVISION HAS ENDED! TRUNKS IS THE WINNER!"

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers, having been blown away by two explosive final matches. However, the thought of how the tournament was going to continue with the stage in the state it was in was going through everyone's minds.

As Nayuta got back up, she felt a very unamused presence enter her mind. She nervously glanced back up at the stands and saw her mother giving a silent signal. "Fix the ring, now." Knowing a very long lecture was awaiting her in the future, Nayuta gulped and used her abilities to put the ring back together.

Seeing that the stage had been put back together, the announcer continued. "WELL, WITH THE RING BACK TO NORMAL IT'S TIME TO CONTINUE WITH THE YOUTH DIVISION WINNER TAKING ON HERCULE, THE WORLD CHAMPION!"

"DON'T JUST CONTINUE AS IF THAT WAS NORMAL!" Most of the audience screamed.

Goku whistled at the outcome, feeling proud of how strong his kids had become. "Goten and Nayuta gave it everything they had! I can't wait to see how much stronger those two can get!" He looked over to his oldest son, who was talking to his girlfriend(?). "I wonder just how much stronger Gohan has gotten." Suddenly, his stomach started growling. "Huh? Guess it's time to go eat."

Vegeta, who was mentally gloating at his son's victory over Kakarot's children, agreed. He, followed by Lazuli, started walking away from the ring. The rest of the group followed them to go grab something to eat.

Videl saw the group leaving and called for their attention. "Hey! Aren't you guys gonna stay and watch Trunks go against the world champion?!"

"Not really. I'm pretty hungry." Goku replied before continuing on his way. "Trunks will win pretty easily."

"W-what does that mean?!" Videl asked.

Gohan quickly interjected. "I-It means that they have faith! You know…it's nothing mean!" He turned to the group. "Videl and I will catch up to you guys after the match, okay?!"

"Sure thing, son!"

Asa stared with a deadpan expression at the pouting Yoru, who was clearly upset that both her nephew and niece had lost to Trunks. She didn't even bother trying to talk to the Devil, since she knew it was pointless to try.

After all of the craziness that the Youth Division caused, Asa hoped the Adult Division would be much more tamed.

"They're on the move." A large figure, dressed in divine garb with pink skin, alerted his companion.

"I see, thank you for alerting me, Kibito." A smaller figure, dressed in similar clothing with a large white mohawk and purple skin, floated ahead of his companion. "I believe it is finally time for us to meet Son Goku, face-to-face."

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission (7): My Light

Makima wasn't new to change, such a concept was common sense to her and her sisters. For centuries the four of them have gone through multiple reincarnations, personality shifts, and ability fluctuations. Change wasn't something to be afraid of, not for them. But humans were different, they did not handle change as well as Devils.

Humans grow too comfortable with their status quo, their sense of superiority and sensibility. They grow weak and frail as they live such short lives with almost nothing left to leave their marks on the world. Someone could die and would become forgotten within a few years, humans were not memorable. Unlike fear.

Fear is unforgettable.

Control is unforgettable.

Thus, the Devil born from the fear of control would be unforgettable.

Humans bring that fear onto one another, dictators who ruled with an iron fist have come and gone like the wind. Believing their pitiful positions of power would never end, asserting dominance onto those below them, only to fall victim to their own hubris in the end. Cowering in fear like those they inflicted pain to once the tables have turned. However, regardless of their reasons, those leaders in history always demanded one thing: Order.

A world without order is a world without control.

A world without control is a world she can't live in.

Her haunting spiraled eyes opened as the world ending news broadcasted across the entire planet. Everyone from across the globe tuned into the nightmarish declaration that would spell the end of society as they know it. The Public Safety Commission, along with every government all over the world, were in a never-before-seen frenzy. Their limited knowledge of the situation had their stress thrown into a world record high. Calls were being made, Devil records were being searched, and every hunter and military were trying to band together all in the hopes that it would be enough.

"It won't. They'll all die." Makima had no faith that a single human could combat this threat. Her eyes turned back to the television.

Sitting on top of a custom made throne within the Prime Minister's office was none other than the Demon King Piccolo. The being that had brought death and destruction across the globe a century ago had returned to continue his war path. "Listen well, I am the Demon King Piccolo, ruler of the world. I already wiped out every other world capital with the flick of my hand, so stay calm or suffer!"

Considering that her division building had turned into a hectic zoo of screaming animals, that last part wasn't happening any time soon.

"Here is my first televised announcement. Know that there are two words that I hate! They are justice and peace! Please understand that I'm not a dictator in the traditional sense. I won't impose any rules upon you. I'll even repeal the police. Crush! Kill! Destroy! Commit evil that's an order! Laws are hereby outlawed! Harm and terror shall rule the land! My policy is simple and radical. Commit the most atrocious acts and name a nation after yourself!"

The smile that creeped across Makima's face would send an infant into hestaria. She could feel the waves of evil pulsating around the planet, Devils alike rejoicing as if God had finally abandoned the world to Satan. Chaos and destruction would rule the world with nothing to stand in their way, a ruler who would allow their deepest desires to fester without limits.

"Show it to me! A world where humans and Devils tear each other to shreds in a land of anarchy! Paint the planet crimson, fill the streets with the blood of children and women, and create a land awaiting your dreams! Of course, I will be joining the fun as well!" A green humanoid pterodactyl walked up next to him with a small box in his hands. "As you can see, I've made an urn filled to the brim with little papers, all of which consist of the names of cities, regions, countries, and islands. Today is May 9th, the day of my coronation. Every May 9th, I'll pick a paper from this urn. That number will correspond to a region which I will destroy on the spot! In the blink of an eye, it'll all be over! Don't worry, you won't have time to suffer!"

A paradise for the worst criminals the world has ever seen, a heaven for Devils to rein free for all of eternity.

"If you have any problems, don't hesitate to come see me! You'll leave with your problems solved! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

All at once a surge of malice exploded from Makima's small form, encapsulating the city around her like a storm. Humans and animals alike all succumbed to her power instantly, their sense of thought locked away without a sound.

Quiet steps echoed as Makima stalked towards the television, engraving the hysterical face of King Piccolo into her memory. A sickening laugh came from the Control Devil as she traced her finger down the screen before crushing it with her power.

A world of anarchy was a world she couldn't accept. She would never allow such a foolish proclamation to exist in her world. This world was hers; these insignificant humans were hers to use to her whim, and Devil-kind were hers to keep locked in cages like the animals they are.

The only other person capable of stopping this threat, the one person she could never hope to cage, had already been killed by this Demon King. The one light that continued to shine in front of her had been snuffed out.

Makima stepped out of the front door of the division building and took off towards the Demon King's location with a deathly chill.

Tienshinhan buckled under the might of King Piccolo's newest child. The recent winner of the 22nd World Tournament had failed in his efforts to trap the Demon King with the Mafuba, thus leaving him with no other option but to fight. Unfortunately, the king wasn't interested in wasting time with him and left the triclops in the hands of his son, Drum. The fight was much quicker than Tien had hoped as Drum effortlessly struck him down.

"D-dammit…!" Tien grunted as Drum's large form kneeled down on his back to keep him pinned. "I-it can't end like this…!" He had failed to avenge Chiaotzu, Master Roshi, and Goku; And he had failed to save the world from King Piccolo's tyranny. "I'm sorry."

"DIE!" Drum declared as he shot his hand down to tear out the man's heart. He would've been successful had a chain not wrapped itself around his arm, holding him back. "What?" Before the monstrous spawn could do something an invisible force blew his head open like a watermelon.

"Huh?!" King Piccolo gasped.

Tien pushed Drum's corpse off to see what had happened. Standing next to him was none other than Makima, the Control Devil not even sparing him a glance. "M-Makima…?!"

"Stupidity."

"What?" Tien gasped.

Makima's yellow orbs bore into all three of his eyes. "Only a fool would stupidly challenge a force greater than them. I figured you would be smarter." Her disappointment was palpable, almost suffocating.

"I-I had a plan…but…" Tien's gaze turned to the broken rice cooker. "Regardless…you can't fight him! He's too strong-"

"For a human, yes." Makima responded as she began walking towards King Piccolo, leaving Tien baffled.

Piccolo stared down the Control Devil with an analyzing gaze. His bafflement at the swift defeat of his child quickly faded into a nasty grin. Piercing black met alluring yellow as all of the pieces fell together. "Girl…you're not human, are you?"

Makima allowed herself to smile. "Hm, figured it out quickly. That's a first. You are correct, of course. I am a Devil."

"A Devil?!" Tien exclaimed. He was ignored by the two powerful beings.

"I see, the first of your kind to challenge their king. I recall, before my imprisonment, every Devil on the planet submitting to my might as soon as they tasted my evil energy. Such pathetic dribble couldn't even fathom my might. As I see it, you must be relatively new, recently born perhaps to not understand the difference between us." Piccolo explained. His arrogant smile faltered as Makima chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"You seem to be confused."

"Am I?"

"I am the Control Devil, regardless of my body's age, I have existed far longer than you. The only reason your reign hadn't ended sooner was because my sisters and I were busy in Hell. Facing us would've been a death sentence." Makima declared.

Piccolo clearly didn't take her words seriously, walking a bit forward to impose his presence over her. He was quickly surprised when Makima's own presence started to approach his mind as if trying to influence his decisions. The Demon King snarled and pushed back against her, causing the small devil to click her tongue. "Attempting to invade my mind?! Such insolence will not be taken lightly! My rule shall not be taken from me!"

"Please… This world isn't yours to conquer." Makima proclaimed before vanishing from sight. Tien gasped loudly at her action, so did Piccolo's assistant, but the Demon King wasn't as shocked as them. He predicted her move, blocking her strike with his forearm and pushing her away with a yell.

Makima's feet bounced on air for a moment before she disappeared again. This time Piccolo didn't bother waiting, he copied her action, vanishing from sight all the same. Everything in the minister's courtyard was silent until small crater impacts popped all over the ground. Tien did his best to focus his eyes to try and keep up with their movements.

Makima and Piccolo reappeared above their heads, engaging in a melee clash above the palace. The Control Devil threw precise jabs at the demon's face, but they were all blocked just as quickly as they were thrown. She pushed herself back, using her force to glide across the air which prompted Piccolo to give chase. Makima used this opportunity to vanish once more as Piccolo's hand cleaved through her afterimage. His eyes widened briefly until the Control Devil appeared next to him with her finger pointed at his skull. With neck breaking speed, he fired his eye beams in her direction.

Only for them to pass through another afterimage.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes as several afterimages of Makima flashed around him, each one aiming their fingers at the Demon King. "This foolish trick won't work!" He exclaimed as his eye beams tore through every single one of them. He was shocked to see that not a single one was the real Makima. "What?!"

"Bang."

An invisible force slammed into the top of his head, slamming the Demon King into the courtyard. Makima raced down towards his direction with an open palm, blasting the evil dictator with another wave of force. However, her attack was met with opposition as the king forced his way through her attack. She barely dodged his rush, his hand swiping through her bangs. She flipped back but Piccolo grabbed her leg to keep her from widening the gap. His fist smashed into her face as he pulled the Devil closer. Piccolo then grabbed her by her head and threw her into the concrete with explosive force.

Piccolo touched back down with his arms crossed, smirking at his own prowess. "I'll admit that you have some power to you, but with my rejuvenated body there's no hope you have against me!"

The dust settled, revealing a scuffed up but mostly unharmed Makima. "I see. Looks like I'll have to take you a bit more seriously."

"What?! You dare assume that you've been holding back!" Piccolo snarled.

"Yes."

"Cocky brat!" Piccolo charged at the young Devil with blinding speeds. Until several chains burst from the ground, wrapping around his limbs. The Demon King was brought to the ground as the chains drained his control over his motor functions. His body illuminated with anger, exploding the chains to free himself. His quick reaction speed was the only thing that saved him from getting his head chopped off by Makima. The devilish redhead was wielding the severed spine of Drum as a sword.

"How did you…?"

"Controlling an object's properties is child's play." Makima answered as she engaged him with several swings that he either blocked or dodged. Piccolo raised his knee to strike her arm, but the devil anticipated his attack. She pushed herself above him to avoid his attack, which left him open to receive a diagonal slash against his chest. Makima touched back down as King Piccolo stared at the wound given to him.

Purple blood oozed from the cut across his chest and as the wound healed itself the king fumed at the sight of his blood. "To draw the blood of the Demon King Piccolo so easily is no easy task. Out of all the Devils I've ever faced, you by far are the strongest."

"Compliments will get you nowhere. I'll be sending you down to hell to recant the sins you've committed in my presence." Makima brushed her bangs out of her face. She held her bone sword threateningly at her enemy. "Your head will be next."

Piccolo chuckled at the young girl, causing her to quirk a brow. "Me? Be sent to hell? Don't be prosperous! You're not the only one who has been holding back till now! Allow me to give you a glimpse of my true power!" The ground beneath them began to shake as the air around Piccolo twisted maliciously. Makima found her eyes growing wide as the pressure coming from the king continued to rise with no end in sight.

Tien found himself shaking in fear at the insurmountable gap that existed between himself and King Piccolo. The human realized that he truly never stood a chance against this monster, and he wasn't even certain if Makima did either.

The Control Devil shifted her stance into a guard as King Piccolo appeared right in front of her without warning. His speed had increased expeditiously, the pressure of his larger fist against her weapon was heavy. She found her feet skidding across the dirt beneath them as King Piccolo continued his ferociously onslaught of attacks.

CRACK!

"Tch…!" Makima forced herself to push back against him. As soon as she found an opening in his attacks her blade clashed against his fists. Their stalemate was brief as King Piccolo happily smashed her sword to pieces and pounded her into the dirt. His leg crashed against her rips to propel her into the air before chasing after her. Makima recovered, flipping around to point her finger gun at the Demon King.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Rapid fire shots descended on the king with quick succession. However, his handling of her abilities seemed to have grown as well as he dodged each one of them. With an outstretched hand, Piccolo caught one of her invisible shots and flung it back at her. Makima felt her left arm crunch brutally as her own move was used against her.

Realizing the position, she's found herself in, Makima attempted to use the afterimage to gain some distance. Unluckily for her, Piccolo wouldn't give her the chance as he had finally caught up to her. "Useless! I've already seen you use this move already!" His large sharp finger wrapped around her throat, nails digging into her neck. Piccolo pulled back his other fist to cave her skull in at last, but he was unprepared for the sudden pressure against his chest. "What?!"

"Bang."

His ribs were almost crushed entirely by the sudden move, forcing him to release the Control Devil, who fell back down onto the ground. She took this chance to try and heal her damaged limb along with the rest of the beaten parts of her body. That was until Piccolo crashed back down with a thunderous landing. The Control Devil cursed under her breath at how quickly Piccolo managed to recover from her attacks.

"How is his body able to heal so fast?! Not even Death can heal her damaged body parts as effectively." Makima struggled to her feet.

Piccolo snarled with a sickening sound. "That was the last straw, girl! This time I'll blow you off the face of the Earth!" He held out his palm, generating a powerful wave of energy.

"M-MAKIMA! MOVE!" Tien yelled.

"Why do you care so much?!" She questioned Tien's shout. That was until she realized the reason why, and that it was because of Goku. Even in the short time they had known each other, he always managed to win over people's hearts with his simple way of thinking. Goku had even managed to sway her heart, even if it was just a bit. The old Control Devil never would have cared enough to save Tien or even humor his words. But Goku forced his way into her darkened heart with his light.

A light that was no longer in this world.

A light that wouldn't shine again even if she had won this fight.

"Why do I care so much…?" Even with the impending doom in front of her, she found herself thinking about that monkey-tailed idiot. He wasn't a Devil nor was she sure he was even human, but he was different. So different that she found herself wishing to keep his light close to her shadow.

"SAY GOODBYE!" Piccolo cheered as he fired his energy attack in her direction. As she stared at the approaching attack, Makima could no longer find it in herself to care. What was the point when the person who made her time in this life enjoyable was no longer here?

"Maybe…in the next one I won't have this heart anymore-" Her thoughts were interrupted as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, pushing her close against a masculine chest. Instead of oblivion, all Makima could feel was a healthy heartbeat as Piccolo's attack soared into the mountains behind them. The battlefield stood completely still as everyone took in the arrival of this newcomer.

Piccolo gasped loudly, recognizing the new arrival. "You… You're…!"

Tien felt a wave of happiness filling his chest. "I-I can't believe it…!"

Makima found herself utterly entranced by the face of her savior. An unfamiliar warmth filled her chest as he gazed down at her with that goofy smile of his that she always found annoying. The way the sun illuminated his features overpowered every wave of darkness that had enveloped her world. She could feel his tail safely wrapping itself around her wrist as if he was trying to comfort her, causing a tint of red to fill her cheeks.

Makima allowed herself to smile genuinely, something that only he has seen more than once. "You finally showed up, Goku."

"Hehe! Sorry, it took me so long! Korin's Tower isn't that close to here! I'm happy to see that you and Tien are still alive!" Goku's hearty smile filled her with reassurance. He gently set her down on the ground, and turned around to face his greatest enemy with a furious glare.

Piccolo smirked. "Isn't this a surprise? I thought you were dead!"

Goku tilted his head. "Your face changed."

"Yes! I've regained my youth and as I've continued to prove there is nothing on this planet that can hope to stop me! You insects are nothing compared to me!" Piccolo declared.

"Are you sure about that?" Goku challenged.

"Heh! You do realize that I'm infinitely more powerful than the last time, right?"

"So?! That makes two of us!"

"That Devil may have proved herself to be a small challenge, but even one as strong as her crumbled against my might. You, just like before, are still NOTHING!" Piccolo charged at the monkey boy with a right chop aimed at his head. Goku effortlessly blocked the attack with his arm, pulling back his fist and lodged it deep into King Piccolo's sternum. "ROCK!"

Makima, Tien, and the pterodactyl watched in stunned awe as Goku brought the king to his knees in one hit.

Goku's fingers stabbed Piccolo's eyes. "SCISSORS!" He smashed his palm into Piccolo's nose, blasting the green giant through his new palace. "PAPER!" Goku stood still as the building collapsed on top of Piccolo. When the Demon King emerged from the rubble, obviously injured from the attacks, Goku smirked. "So, am I still just an insect?"

Piccolo's anger, which was already near its limit, skyrocketed. "YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" He blasted himself towards the monkey, firing a blast to kill him. However, Goku dodged the attack but that left him open for another energy attack. The attack was blocked by Goku, surprising the king once again.

"Incredible…! He's humiliating Piccolo!" Tien muttered.

Makima smiled confidently. "As expected."

"You insolent whelp! You'll regret making a fool of King Piccolo!" The king declared.

Goku steeled his focus, tightening his fists. "You killed my friends…! Hurt Tien…! And almost killed Makima! I'll never forgive you!" Piccolo couldn't even react to the speed of Goku's punch as it rocked his entire world. The attack sent him flying into his attendant, killing the demonic dinosaur instantly.

"You just keep getting stronger every single time, don't you?" Makima chuckled. In just a few short seconds Goku had already accomplished more than she had in her fight with Piccolo. "Shining so brightly."

"DAMN YOU!" Piccolo engaged in a ferocious onslaught that put Goku on a short defense. The monkey boy countered with a leg sweep, but Piccolo retaliated with a kick to his chest that pushed Goku back. But Goku rebounded just as quickly and striked Piccolo's chest with a devastating kick. Then followed it up with a barrage of punches that forced Piccolo to stumble back.

Piccolo wiped the blood from his lips with a chuckle. "Congratulations, you've just earned yourself my utmost attention. I'm going to ensure every last piece of you is wiped out of existence."

"C'mon, get serious! Show me what you can really do!" Goku demanded.

"He still wasn't going all out!" Tien gaped.

Makima frowned, having seen just how deep Piccolo's power really goes. She knew Goku had grown unbelievably stronger, but what Piccolo held was insane. It was comparable to the strength she and her sisters once faced before. A Devil that could match the Demon King in raw power. She probably could've too if this body wasn't so limiting of her own abilities. She had simply overestimated what she was capable of doing at full strength now compared to back then.

"I only showed a glimpse before to avoid shortening my lifespan, but for you I'm making an exception. Be prepared to face oblivion! HAAAAAAAAAAH!" Piccolo's raw power shook the world around them. Tien fell to his rear utterly baffled by how terrifyingly powerful King Piccolo had become. Makima and Goku watched with steeled focus as Piccolo's true power finally made itself known.

"Ready?" Piccolo asked.

"So, we're going for real this time?" Goku asked.

"You were also holding back?" Piccolo scoffed.

"You'll see-" Goku's boast was lost as Piccolo simply swiped his hand, the air blasted at the boy shook his body more than he had anticipated. "Alright…that's tough…!"

"W-with just the swipe of his hand?!" Tien was sweating a lot.

"Get ready! Now I will show you my true power!" Piccolo declared.

"Then I'll show you mine as well!"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAA!" With a ferocious yell similar to that of a predator, Piccolo's massive hand made a reach for Goku. It was dodged only for Goku to find himself outspeed by the Demon King. "SO LONG!" A devastating punch smashed into the boy's back, spiraling him into the earth.

Piccolo stood triumphantly over the crater. "It's over! He's buried under the ground! NO ONE CAN KILL ME NOW!"

"I really am…" Piccolo turned to glare at Makima as she didn't look worried at all. "...going to enjoy seeing that face of yours twisted into despair."

"What are you-"

"KA!"

"ME!"

"T-that voice?!" Piccolo gasped.

"HA!"

"ME!"

"N-no…! Impossible!"

Goku flew out of the crater with his hands cupped to his side. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" His signature attack barreled towards the Demon King, the blue attack illuminating the courtyard.

"THAT TECHNIQUE WON'T WORK ON ME!" Piccolo stretched out his hands to block the beam. However, Goku proved that he does have a brain as he bent the beam to strike Piccolo's back.

"Alright! I got him!" Goku shouted as he landed back on the ground.

"He altered the Kamehameha?! Something like that is possible?!" Tien yelled.

"A genius when it comes to fighting, that's Goku for you. Manipulation was something he learned from me, after all." Makima smirked.

Goku glared at Piccolo, who was withering on the ground. "Get up! I know that attack didn't hurt you!"

"You're a monster!" Piccolo claimed.

"Takes one to know one!"

The two combatants returned to their fighting stances, neither one willing to back down in this fight for the fate of the world. "This won't end until one of us dies!" Goku yelled.

"That would be you!" Piccolo responded.

Goku acted first with a kick that Piccolo managed to block in time, allowing himself to be open for Piccolo's knee to strike the bottom of his chin. But Goku used that to land a kick into Piccolo's nose, then bounced away after Piccolo slugged him in the jaw. The king gave chase as Goku bounced around like a little monkey before suddenly stopping himself. Piccolo gasped until Goku's fist firmly placed itself into his lungs, knocking the air out of him.

Makima analyzed the fight as it continued, such a brutal melee that would have weaker fighters cowering in fear. She felt lucky to be able to witness a fight between such powerful entities that not even most Devils could hope to challenge. There was some frustration at not being able to do this herself, but that was fine. She was still growing stronger and she had the utmost confidence that Goku would emerge the victor. He wouldn't fail again.

Goku kicked Piccolo into one of the nearby buildings, allowing himself a moment to breathe. He had been going at full strength for the past few seconds against someone of Piccolo's calibur and it was starting to show. Luckily it seemed like Piccolo was also feeling the weight of their battle as well.

"Alright! Goku's winning-" Tien's shout stopped when Piccolo fired an eye beam into Goku's right knee, injuring the appendage. Makima clicked her tongue, scolding herself for getting too comfortable. Even against someone who could match him, Piccolo wasn't above using dirty tricks to get the upper hand.

"Good luck with only one leg!" Piccolo laughed.

"I only need one leg!"

"COCKY LITTLE-" Goku used the Power Pole to make up for his damaged appendage, and knee striked Piccolo in the chin.

Makima felt something in the air shift as she stared at Piccolo's shaking form. She knew from experience what anger could bring and it seemed like Piccolo had finally reached his limit of tolerance. "OOOOOOOOAAAAHHH!" Even more energy than before started to build up, similar to what Piccolo had done before against Makima.

She jumped to her feet the moment Piccolo shot Goku's staff out of his hands. She, and Tien, raced towards Goku in hopes of stopping what was about to happen. Piccolo had built up the sufficient energy needed for the full power blast. "GO TO HELL!"

BOOM!

Piccolo stood in the aftermath of his strongest attack. The entire city had been blown to smithereens, nothing left but rubble and dust. The king slowly chuckled until he exploded into a full string of laughter. "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! HE'S BEEN BLOWN INTO A MILLION PIECES! IT'S OVER! HE'S FINISHED!"

BANG!

His face planted into the dirt, gargling from the sudden pain in the back of his head. Shooting up, Piccolo glared at the sky to see Makima, Goku, and Tien floating in the air. The monkey boy was being held by Tien as Makima stood on an invisible platform. "Of course you're still alive!"

The three touched back down, Tien letting Goku down as he collapsed onto his knees. The monkey boy turned to his friend with concern. "Tien?! Are you okay?!"

"That fool used the last of his energy to save you and that Devil is no threat to me! There's no escaping this time! YOU'RE DEAD!" Piccolo shouted.

"You're low on energy too!" Goku countered.

"You think so? Though it won't be as strong as the previous one, I can still kill you with one more blast!" Piccolo started charging up his attack again.

"Foolish." Makima scoffed as she wrapped a chain around Goku's waist. She spun the boy around like a sledgehammer, throwing him at King Piccolo. Goku's fist smashed into the Demon King's gut to stop his attack.

"We were waiting for that!" Goku yelled.

"TOO BAD!" Piccolo once again recovered quickly, much to their dismay. He pointed his hand point blank at Goku. "DIE!" Makima acted quickly and created an invisible barrier between Goku and Piccolo, but in her weakened state it wouldn't be enough to fully stop the attack. All three of them were blown away by the explosion.

Piccolo stood over the large crater with an exhausted smile. He could see Tien and Makima were down and defeated with Goku's body nowhere in sight. "Finally…it's over-"

"N-Nimubs…"

"WHAT?!"

The yellow cloud responded to its master's call, carrying him out of the crater. Goku's GI was pretty torn up, his body was badly injured, but he was still ready to continue the fight. "I told you your power was pretty low."

Piccolo actually stepped back in fear. "It…it can't be! A human being capable of resisting King Piccolo shouldn't be possible!"

"I have a tail, so I guess I'm not human!" Goku laughed. "Now the end is in sight! I don't have a lot of strength left either! So, let's end this!"

Piccolo's eyes scanned the area as he tried to think of something he could do to stop Goku for good. Eventually he found his perfect target and moved before Goku could do anything to stop him. The little monkey gasped as Piccolo held the defeated Tien in his grasp. "Move a muscle and I'll crush his skull!"

"Bastard!" Goku hissed.

"If you move even a muscle, he'll die!"

"G-Goku…don't mind me! Kill him with one blow!" Tien grunted. He screamed as Piccolo started squeezing his head.

"Don't talk or I'll kill you now!" Piccolo threatened.

"STOP! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Goku shouted. "I-I'll do as you say."

"Good boy." Piccolo picked up a rock. He blew it with his breath, propelling the rock to smash the bones in Goku's left wrist to pieces. "HA! No more left arm! Your emotions are a weakness! If that Devil girl was in your position I know she wouldn't have given a damn about this fool's life! Lucky me, huh?"

Goku just growled angrily. "I know you're just going to kill us anyway. Sorry, Tien, but I gotta stop him!"

"DO YOU WANT TO SEE HIM DIE?!"

"GO AHEAD! WE'LL JUST BRING HIM BACK WITH THE DRAGON BALLS!" Goku retorted.

"HA HA HA HA! YOU FOOL! I KILLED SHENRON!"

"W-what?!" Goku cried.

"Sorry, but those Dragon Balls are gone for good!" Piccolo picked up another rock. "C'mon, move, Goku! Move and he dies!" He blew this rock into Goku's left knee, taking out his other leg. The boy fell to the ground, his last usable limb was his right arm. Seeing as Goku was down for good, Piccolo dropped Tien. "HA HA HA HA HA! I FINALLY WON! THE WORLD IS MINE!"

"You're right."

"Huh?" Piccolo looked down to see Makima flash in front of him. Her fist uppercutted him harshly, blasting the Demon King into the air.

"Emotions truly are a weakness. Humans all throughout history have fallen prey to them repeatedly, never learning their lessons. But you know what that also means? That they'll always fear the things they don't understand. Just like you, the one who wishes for anarchy." She followed him into the air with her finger gun aimed at him. "One who wishes for a world of chaos fears a world that is ruled by order, ruled by control." Several invisible bullets rain into Piccolo's body, pushing him even further into the air.

"You… YOU DAMN DEVIL!" Piccolo roared. He forced her bullets to away with his energy, heavy breathes exiting his body. Veins throbbed against his skull as he took in the sight of his most hated of foes. "I WILL NOT BE BEATEN! NOT BY HUMANS, NOT BE DEVILS! I AM THE DEMON KING PICCOLO! RULER OF THE WORLD! A WORLD RULED BY CHAOS!" He kicked against the air to descend back down at Makima. "YOU WILL BOW TO ME!"

"You're wrong."

BOOM!

Makima smiled as Goku blasted past her, rocketed by a single-handed Kamehameha. "This world is not one ruled by chaos."

"WHAT?!" Piccolo gasped. He tried to move out of the way, but an invisible force was keeping him locked in place.

"It's a world that shall be ruled by me and the light."

Goku pulled back his fist, empowering it with everything that he had left. "I'M GONNA HIT YOU WITH EVERYTHING I'VE GOT!"

"D-DAMN YOU! DAMN YOOOOOOOOU!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku's roar was savage-like the silhouette of a giant ape flashed behind him as he tore right through King Piccolo's body. Leaving a giant gaping hole in the Demon King's torso.

Tien gasped at the sight. "He-he did it! He got him!"

"I WON!" Goku declared loudly, tears leaking from his eyes. "MASTER ROSHI! KRILLIN! I AVENGED YOU GUYS!"

As she fell back towards the ground, having used much of her strength, Makima took in the sight of Goku. The one who had forced his way into her life and showed her a light that none have ever seen before. A world that was cruel and hopeless possessed a heart that was always full of hope. She wants to see more of it, she wants to see more of him.

Makima wants to be with Goku forever.

As King Piccolo exploded, after dumping out one last egg, she whipped out a chain to prevent Goku from falling to the ground. It wrapped around his waist and brought him chest-to-chest with her as they laid still on the ground. The last hour that had decided the fate of the world was still ever present, but at that moment all the two could do was focus on each other.

Goku raised his one arm and gave her that goofy smile. "I won."

"Yes, you did." She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. The exhausted boy blinked repeatedly at the action as Makima broke the kiss. He felt a weird sensation in his body, not understanding why that kiss made him feel weird. Tien balked at the two as he made his way over to them.

"What was that about?" Goku asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about right now, darling."

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: The Wizard Babidi

"Well, that was one heck of a fight, right?!" Gohan nervously laughs. He looked at Videl, who was giving him an exasperated look. The Youth Division had finally concluded after Trunks' and Hercule 'fought'. Actually, it was better to call that a 'show' more than anything, since Trunks beat the man in a single hit. Hercule managed to play it off as going easy on the kid, which the audience ate up.

"You don't have to patronize me, Gohan. My Papa embarrasses me enough as is." Videl waved her hand. After everything she's seen those kids do there was no way to believe that her father threw that match on purpose. Honestly, she was just happy to see that her father survived Trunks' punch.

"Sorry…" Gohan scolded himself for not being good at cheering people up. His dad always made it look so easy. "We should hurry up and meet with everyone else at the cafeteria. I want to make sure my Dad and Vegeta haven't eaten everything yet!"

"All I can hope is that the tournament's staff can keep you all fed." Videl sweat dropped.

The two arrived at the cafeteria to see Goku and the rest eating…or better yet, they saw Goku, Vegeta, and a woman with pink hair scarfing down food while everyone else watched. Gohan did a double-take, taking his attention to the woman wearing a pair of dark denim shorts and a pink blouse with a picture of Kirby printed on the breasts. "Aunt Fami?!"

The third Horseman of the Apocalypse lazily waved at her nephew as she scarfed down a bowl of ramen. "Yo, Gohan. Funny lookin' clothes."

"Wait! That's one of your aunts?! What is she even doing here?!" Videl questioned. "Only tournament participants are allowed back here!"

"I came to see my brother-in-law/eating buddy." Fami answered before looking back at Goku. The two shared a fist bump with Goku chuckling at her appearance.

"Tch! Trying to hog everything for yourself!" Vegeta grumbled at the Famine Devil.

"Eat faster, then." Fami shrugged. Her response just pissed Vegeta off further, forcing the prince to continue trying to catch up to her head start.

"She was already back here eating when we got here. Vegeta and I are trying to play catch up, come join us, son!" Goku waved over to Gohan. Realizing that with his aunt now involved in the picture, Gohan had to hurry and get his share before the entire tournament's pantry went dry.

Videl, who had settled for a cup of water, watched in utter horror as the four devoured everything in front of them. She had thought she grew accustomed to this after spending so much time at the Son household for lunch, still wondering how Makima kept her kids fed on a daily basis. But what she was currently witnessing surpassed that by a gargantuan margin. Videl was more than certain that there would be nothing left to eat at this tournament by the time they were done.

She turned to Lazuli, who was barely giving her attention to the group, and leaned a bit closer. "I-is it always like this?"

Lazuli just gave her a side glance. "It would be worse if the brats were here."

Videl thought about that for a moment before her face grew a bit pale. Goten, Nayuta, and Trunks joining this pit of hungry monsters would be way worse.

After the Saiyans and Devil had their fill, the group exited the cafeteria to head towards the waiting area for the match lottery. Fami waved her hand at the group. "I'm gonna go find Makima and make her pay for more food. I'll be watching you guys, so good luck." She started walking away from the group.

"Thanks for coming, Fami!" Goku waved back happily.

"See ya, Aunt Fami!" Gohan did the same.

"Just don't lose like the kids did." Was the last thing she said before turning the corner. Gohan just shook his head at his aunt. He could tell his mother wasn't in the best of moods after the ending of the Youth Division, so his aunt bothering her was just gonna make that worse. Hopefully, his dad can calm her down later on.

Piccolo stopped in his tracks, confusing the others. Looking ahead, they saw the reason behind the Namekian's actions. Standing across from them were two strange individuals, the shorter one was even floating in the air.

"Uh…he's floating?" Videl's mention was ignored.

"Hello. You must be Son Goku." The shorter one said.

"How do you know that?" Goku asked.

"Oh, I've heard many things about you. I've always wanted to spar with you. I hope the lottery will pit us together for a match." He smiled weirdly. "Not that I think I'd ever win, but I wish to see just how strong you are. May I shake your hand at least?" The short one held out his hand.

"Uh…good to meet ya!" Goku returned the handshake. His eyes widened as he grabbed the man's hand, feeling a strange energy around him.

"You have a good soul. I'm thankful that it wasn't tainted."

"What?"

"I'll be seeing you." He and his companion walked away from the group. All everyone could do was stare at the two mysterious strangers as they left.

"And who, Goku, was that?" Piccolo asked.

"I don't know. But I can see that it won't be easy to pull off a clean sweep." Goku smiled, growing excited.

"Really? He just looked weird to me." Krillin said.

Vegeta, though he didn't voice it, felt similar to Goku and Piccolo. There was something about those two that rubbed him the wrong way. But the prince wiped it from his mind as he only needed to focus on his main goal today.

As the adults were getting ready for the Adult Division, the hybrids were chilling around the tournament grounds eating ice cream. Goten looked down at his quadruple scoop of mint chocolate vanilla chip. "It's a good thing you memorized your Mom's credit card information, Trunks!"

The champion smirked. "Nothing too complicated. She has like twenty different ones, so it's easy to not get caught."

"Big deal." Nayuta rolled her eyes. "I long since memorized our Mom's information to use to our whims." The female hybrid bragged.

Trunks leaned in closer with his smug grin. "Still upset over losing to me? It's fine to be salty that you're still weaker than me."

"You cheated! Using our Mom as a distraction was unfair, otherwise I would've won!" Nayuta huffed.

"I think it was fun!" Goten joined the conversation.

"You think everything is fun, Goten." Nayuta huffed.

"No, I don't! I don't think school is fun!"

"You enjoy recess and recess is a part of school! Therefore, you enjoy school!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"I do not!"

"You do too!"

Ignoring the bickering siblings, Trunks observes the time on the clock. It reminded him that the next division would be starting, and was a reminder that they had gotten cheated out of fighting the adults. If only there was a way for them to join without getting caught by the adults… "Hm?" He looked down to see a strangely dressed man standing near the waiting area. An idea started forming in his head.

"Hey, guys!" Trunks nudged the twins.

"Huh?" They turned to him.

"I think I have an idea on how to get us into the adults' tournament." Trunks pointed at the funny looking man. "We beat him up, take his outfit, and pretend to be him!"

"Trunks, that's crazy! What if our parents catch us?!" Goten exclaimed.

"They won't, because we'll be disguised." Nayuta smiled evilly. "I think I like this idea, rich boy."

"But-"

"Do you want to fight with the adults, Goten?" Nayuta asked her brother.

"Yeah."

"Then there's no problem. Trust your big sis!"

Goten thought about it for a moment before nodding his head. "Okay!"

Standing near the waiting area, the weirdly dressed man waited for the lottery to start. That was until he felt a very strange chill. Looking up, he froze in shock as the last thing he saw were three little demons lunging at him with excited little giggles.

After knocking the guy out, dragging him into a corner, and stripping him down, Nayuta frowned as she realized there wasn't enough space in the costume for all three of them. Goten and Trunks were already putting the outfit on. "Well, that's great! What am I supposed to do?!"

"I don't know! Figure something out!" Trunks hissed back.

"Ugh…" Nayuta poked her head around the bushes to see what she could possibly do. That was when she noticed a feminine looking man with long blonde hair walking towards the waiting area. It would be a bit difficult, but Nayuta remembered her mother showing them a special skill about controlling and manipulating one's appearance. Goten hadn't paid attention and Gohan wasn't interested…which meant…

"Heh. Found mine." Nayuta lunged at the man before he could realize what was happening.

With all sixteen competitors now joined together, the announcer was now ready to begin the lottery for the Adult Division. "Alright, now that everyone's here, let's start the lottery! Please step up and draw a number when I call your name!"

Krillin started a prayer. "Please God, don't let me get matched up with these guys in the first round…"

"You do realize God is Dende, right?" Piccolo snorted.

Goku saw two guys standing away from everyone else, their grey skin and bulging muscles had taken his attention. The way they were clearly glaring at everyone made him feel a bit weird. "Those guys seem like the ones to watch out for, but what's with those faces? Maybe suffering from stress?" Then he saw a weirdly shaped guy standing next to a blonde-haired man(?). "Is that guy competing? He's got a weird shape."

"First up… Killa!"

"Coming." A dark-skinned boxer stepped up to draw his number. He pulled out a rubber ball with '14' drawn in black ink.

"Killa is number 14! Next is Kibito!" One of the strange guys from before, the taller one with pink skin, stepped up to draw his number. "You will be number 7!"

"Next up is Krillin!" The shortest guy in the tournament drew his number. "You'll be number 1!"

"First match, huh? This'll be something." Krillin said.

"Great Saiyaman!" Gohan strolled up to get his number. "You'll be number 8!"

"8? I'll be fighting that guy?" Gohan's attention turned to Kibito. He felt his father place a hand to his shoulder.

"Don't let your guard down with him." Goku warned.

"Yeah, I know." Gohan nodded.

"Lazuli!" The cyborg grabbed her number. "You'll be number 9!"

"Shin!" The short mysterious companion of Kibito with the white mohawk took his number. "You'll be number 3!"

"Shin? I've never heard of him." Goku watched Shin walk back over to Kibito.

Trunks and Goten, who were disguised as one of the fighters, realized something important. "Hey, Goten? What's this guy's name?"

"I don't know."

"What do you two mean you don't know?!" Nayuta, disguised as well, hissed.

"It's not like this guy had a nametag on him!" Trunks hissed back. "Do you know the name of the guy you're posing as?!"

"Nope."

"Then don't judge us!"

"Next is Spopovich!"

"Is that us?" Goten asked.

"I don't know, we should hurry up and-" Nayuta grabbed their cape to stop the two idiots from embarrassing themselves. Trunks whipped his head at her with a glare. "The hell was that for?!"

"Look, genius!" She pointed at the standalone duo; the bigger guy was slowly making his way towards the lottery box. "We don't know the names of these guys, so just look around and give it a minute to be safe. There's not that many people left, and we know most of the people here."

"Wow, Nayuta! That was pretty smart!" Goten giggled.

"Why do you sound so surprised?!"

After Spopovich was designated as number 6, the next name called up was someone named Jewel. After giving it a few seconds, Nayuta realized that was her, so she quickly made her way to the lottery box and drew her number. "Number 16."

"Son Goku!" The Saiyan of Earth casually walked forward to draw his number. "That's number 11!"

"Next is Videl!"

Videl walked up to the announcer with a question burning in her mind. "Do you know where my Papa is?"

"Hercule is taking a break in his personal quarters. I'll be drawing for him." With her question answered, she drew her number. "And you'll be number 5."

"P-Papa?! She's related to Hercule?!" Goku gawked.

"Yup!" Gohan giggled.

"She doesn't look anything like him either. I bet he'll let you marry her if you scare him a little." Krillin jokes.

"W-why would I want to marry her?!" Gohan shuttered with a blush.

"Aren't you guys in a relationship? That's what Nayuta said." Goku mentions.

"Nayuta doesn't know what she's talking about! We're not dating!" Gohan continued to deny.

Goku made an 'oh' expression, then smiled. "Ah! I see! It's pretty similar to your Mom and I, then! We didn't date at all and got married immediately!"

Gohan sweat dropped at his father. "I don't think I should ever take relationship advice from you or Mom, Dad."

"Probably for the best."

"Next up is Punta!" A large man in Arabic clothing stepped up. "You'll be number 2!"

Punta turned to Krillin, clearly not taking the little man as a threat. However, Krillin was more than happy to see that his opponent was just a regular human. "You're my first opponent?! Sweet!"

"You're Krillin, right?"

"Yup."

"Don't expect any pity just because you're tiny, I'm sending you out on a stretcher!" Punta threatened.

Krillin just shook his head. "Oh boy…those lines just scream 'one-shot character'."

"Vegeta!" The announcer called the prince to take his number. Vegeta reached into the box and smiled gleefully upon seeing the number on the ball. "Number 12!"

"WHAT?!" Goku and the others exclaimed upon hearing the announced number. They turned to the bracket to see that Goku and Vegeta would be fighting in the first round.

"No way…" Piccolo muttered.

"Goku and Vegeta right off the bat?! Is the tournament even going to survive this?!" Krillin gulped.

"Yes! YES! I drew Kakarot! I've been waiting for this day! The day I finally beat him!" Vegeta chuckled to himself as he walked back to his previous spot.

"So, it's Vegeta, huh?" Goku felt his own excitement bubbling up. He knew that out of every match in this tournament that theirs would be the most explosive and exciting one.

"Our Dads are fighting first. I wonder who's gonna win." Trunks wondered.

"Our Dad, of course! Right, Nayuta?" Goten looked at his sister. The disguised girl rubbed her arm nervously.

"U-uh, yeah! I think Papa will win!" Nayuta agreed.

"No way! My Dad is stronger, because he isn't dead!" Trunks argued.

"But Gohan and Mommy said that he's been training in the afterlife!" Goten argued back. Nayuta wondered just how much stronger a dead person could possibly get, since they weren't really alive.

"Mighty Mask!" The hybrids looked over to see the announcer staring in their direction. "I've been calling your name!"

"S-sorry!" Trunks deepened his voice as Goten moved them over to the box. The rich boy plunged his hand into the box and pulled out a ball. "Number 13." The announcer looked at them weirdly as they walked away.

"Ma Junior!" The announcer called up Piccolo next. The Namekian pulled out his number and gasped in shock. "You're number 4."

"He's my opponent?!" Piccolo stared at Shin. "Perfect. This'll be a great opportunity to learn more about him."

"Since Hercule isn't here at the moment, I'll be drawing for him." The announcer pulled out a ball. "He'll be number 10!"

"Hey, you're up against Hercule!" Krillin happily exclaimed to his wife.

"I'm sorry you had to face my Papa in the first round!" Videl genuinely felt bad for Lazuli.

The blonde cyborg just stared at them both with a bored expression. "Who is that again?"

"Finally, we have Yamu who will be taking the last spot, number 15!" The skinnier grey skinned man drew the last ball.

"AND HERE'S THE RESULTS!"

Match 1: Krillin vs Punta

Match 2: Shin vs Ma Junior

Match 3: Videl vs Spopovich

Match 4: Kibito vs Great Saiyaman

Match 5: Lazuli vs Hercule

Match 6: Son Goku vs Vegeta

Match 7: Mighty Mask vs Killa

Match 8: Yamu vs Jewel

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THANK YOU FOR WAITING! IT IS TIME TO CHOOSE THE STRONGEST UNDER THE HEAVENS!" The crowd cheered loudly, once it quieted down enough, he continued. "Here are the sixteen competitors who have survived the preliminaries!"

Due to their heightened senses the Devils and hybrids were able to see the bracket clearly, not needing to listen to the announcer read them out. Makima's eyes widened once she saw the sixth match of the first round.

"Goku vs Vegeta in the first round?! This is gonna get intense!" Yamcha exclaimed.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Denji asked.

"You remember how the kids' matches were, right?"

"Yeah."

"Imagine that but a hundred times bigger." Denji was not good at math, but he could make sense of that.

"Welp, it was nice knowing this arena. It had some pretty good food." Fami shrugged as she swallowed her fifteenth sandwich that Makima had bought her. She looked over at her older sister as the Control Devil's aura started to leak out a tiny bit. But even that much was enough to put the humans around them on edge.

Bulma, who had been pretty smug up to this point, nervously looked at Makima. "U-uh… Makima? Are you okay?"

The mother of three slowly turned her head towards Bulma, her face shadowed by her hair and sun hat. "Yes, I'm just looking forward to something."

"L-looking forward to what?"

Makima's face looked demonic as she smiled widely. "Revenge."

Yoru shivered as she felt Makima's leaked aura, knowing exactly what's getting her big sister so excited. She couldn't exactly blame the Control Devil, because even she was excited by the prospect of the sixth match. "That idiot better not lose to Vegeta." Asa looked at her weirdly. "What? My feelings about my brother-in-law may be…complicated, but the idiot is strong. Losing to that prince is unacceptable as a member of our family."

"PUNTA IS OUT OF BOUNDS! KRILLIN WINS!" The announcer declared as Krillin walked out of the ring with his fist raised. "NOW IS MATCH TWO! SHIN VS MA JUNIOR!" As Piccolo and Shin walked out onto the stage certain people recognized his attire and skin color as one of the people who were at the Cell Games seven years ago.

"Is this Shin guy really that interesting?" Krillin asked.

"We have no idea what he's capable of…but now we'll find out." Vegeta glared at the blue-skinned man.

Piccolo stared down his opponent with sweat dripping down his forehead. They hadn't even engaged one another in combat and yet something about him has already made him feel uneasy. "Who is this man?"

"You'll find out. Let's just enjoy the game for now." Shin responded to Piccolo's mental question, shocking the Namekian. Piccolo stepped away from Shin with a small gasp, shocked that his mind had been read by this individual.

"I give up." Piccolo announced, stepping away from the ring.

Shin was confused until he remembered a certain detail. "Ah, of course! He used this planet's God… He must have sensed who I am!" A small smile crept onto his face.

Goku and the others turned to Piccolo. "Was it that bad, Piccolo?"

"...Yes. He is a different order of being."

"Don't say that! I gotta fight him next!" Krillin whined.

Makima's eyes narrowed at Shin's retreating back as she sensed the divine energy surrounding him. For someone of that kind of power showing up at this tournament could only mean that there was something going on. And her bad feeling only increased when she took in the malicious evil aura surrounding Videl's opponent. It felt almost devilish by nature, but magical in the other.

She could tell Piccolo had realized who this individual was, which would be the only reason he'd forfeit a fight. Or at least Kami would forfeit the fight, since those two had fused back together. There were times she could see Kami's attitude and personality coming out of the usual battle hardened Namekian. Seems this was one of those times. She shifted her eyes to a bird flying overhead and took control of it. Makima commanded the bird to follow after Piccolo and Shin to keep an eye on them both.

With that disappointment of the match, the announcer could feel the crowd's energy had depleted some, so he hurriedly continued with the next match. "M-MOVING RIGHT ALONG! MATCH 3: VIDEL VS SPOPOVICH!"

Gohan took notice of the way the crowd exploded at Videl's name. "Wow! You're really popular! Good luck, Videl!"

"Thanks!" She nodded at him and walked out with Spopovich right next to her. As Shin walked past, he glared angrily at Spopovich's back.

"GO, VIDEL! KICK HIS BUTT!" Erasa cheered on her best friend.

"Ha! This'll be nothing for her." Sharpener smirked.

"Right! Videl is tougher than some musclehead!" Asa agreed.

"I wonder…" Asa turned to Yoru with a confused look. "That guy feels nasty and not in the way that I like."

Makima watched through the bird's eyes as Shin was confronted by Piccolo. "Even I may be mistaken, but I must ask you this…" Piccolo began.

"Ask me what?"

"Are you the Grand Kai?" Piccolo asked.

"No, I'm not." Shin denied.

Kibito walked up behind Piccolo, surprising the Namekian. "He's the Supreme Kai."

"T-THE SUPREME KAI?!" Piccolo cried. Makima had never seen the once feared Demon King look so utterly terrified.

"Please keep it quiet for now. I don't want anyone to know." Shin requested as he left to join Kibito.

"I've heard rumors of a Kai…one who stands above even the four King Kais and the Grand Kai, their leader…but I never wished to believe the rumors were true." Piccolo said. Goku walked over to check on his friend, clearly concerned by his scared demeanor.

"What's wrong, Piccolo? Was he bad mouthing you? Want me to talk with him?" Goku asked.

"N-NO! DON'T DO ANYTHING!" Piccolo warned the Saiyan from Earth. His eyes then shifted to the bird watching them. "The same goes for you too." Piccolo wasn't distracted enough to not sense Makima's energy coming from the bird. The bird's eyes turned back to normal after an annoyed 'tch' left its mouth.

"Why are you talking to a bird?"

"Just shut up, Goku."

Videl landed a devastating kick that sent Spopovich flying across the stage, but the brute recovered pretty quickly. He charged at the female fighter, clashing against her in a brawl that still sent him skidding back. As he got back up, Goku realized something about Spopovich that unnerved him. Videl continued wailing on Spopovich, but no matter how much she hit him the guy kept getting back up.

"W-what's going on?! Spopovich isn't even tired yet!" Gohan exclaimed.

"There's something weird about him. She better forfeit." Goku said to his son's surprise. He wasn't the only one with this thought as his wife and sisters-in-law were thinking the exact same thing as they watched the fight happening.

Spopovich kicked Videl in the chin, which knocked her off of the stage. Luckily for her, she activated her flying ability to keep herself airborne. She landed back on the stage with a beaten and bloodied face.

"Oh yeah! I taught her that one!" Gohan cheered.

"...It might've been better if she had fallen." Goku said.

"Huh?"

"Something is wrong about this Spopovich. He's way too unfazed by the damage he's taken and I don't sense any KI from him at all." Goku explained. As he said this, Videl kicked Spopovich in the head so hard that his head twisted all the way around. Audience members screamed in terror at the very violent act, but what freaked people out the most was the way Spopovich twisted his head back to normal.

"Is he a Devil?" Aki asked immediately. He was put on alert the moment the brute hadn't died from such a fatal wound.

"No, but he's something else entirely." Makima explained. She could feel Power and Denji attempting to stand, but she forced them both back down. "Neither of you make a move or I'll punish you."

"But Videl-" Makima's gaze stopped Denji from continuing his sentence.

"She will be fine as that man will not kill her. Do not do something to jeopardize your existence." Makima warned him. All Denji could do was comply and watch as his friend was brutally punched in the nose by the monstrous brute.

He wasn't the only one who felt helpless as Asa gripped her skirt with tight fists. Yoru was preventing her from interfering, telling her that Spopovich wasn't going to kill Videl. But still she didn't want to watch her friend face something that clearly wasn't human.

Videl flew back into the air to try and catch her breath, assured that Spopovich couldn't reach her from this height. Unfortunately for her, Spopovich DID know how to fly and stared her down like a hungry predator. "W-what…?!" Videl gaped at him.

"H-he flew?!" Gohan gasped.

"I-is flying the new fad or something?!" Pencil asked.

"V-Videl!" Erasa screamed.

Spopovich charged at the young girl, smashing his large fist into her body. Videl coughed out blood but before she could try to recover Spopovich unleashed a wave of air at her, blasting Videl back into the ring floor. However, she managed to release a small KI blast to push back against the momentum to keep herself from hitting the stone tiles.

"T-that was a KI blast…but without much power!" Krillin yelled.

"No, he weakened it on purpose to avoid killing her." Vegeta corrected him.

"But how does he…?!" Gohan asked.

"He has powers beyond his natural abilities…but why?" Goku also wondered.

The fight was no longer a fight, but a slaughterfest as Videl no longer possessed the strength to even defend herself. Spopovich proceeded to unleash the ultimate beat down on Videl, knowing that as long as he avoided killing her then he could have as much fun with the Champion's daughter as he wanted. After landing several rough gut punches into her body, he smashed his fist against her face, knocking Videl towards the edge of the ring.

"P-Please concede defeat!" The announcer pleaded with Videl.

"N-no… I can still win.." Videl struggled to her feet.

"...Why is she being so stubborn?! She'll get killed! That jerk doesn't care if she's a girl!" Gohan yelled, his anger starting to rise.

Spopovich ate a desperate kick from Videl and grabbed her by her hair, raising her up to smash his knee right into her face. Videl coughed out some teeth and blood, Spopovich threw her onto the ground with sickening glee.

"V-Videl…!" Erasa looked away in horror.

"Give up!" Sharpener yelled.

Asa couldn't stand it anymore and jumped up from her seat. She started pushing past people to reach the stairs of the stands. She could see Yoru floating besides her with a frustrated glare. "What the hell are you going to do?!"

"I don't know, but I need to get down there!" Asa replied, but it was hard for her to move with all these people in her way.

Makima watched the scene with indifference. She admitted that the fight was basically over and the brute was just torturing the girl at this point, but that was no reason for her to get concerned. She likes Videl and accepts the girl as a potential daughter-in-law, but she was in no danger of dying. Unfortunately it didn't seem like her son understood this fact as she felt his power rising, her eyes shifting down to see a golden light flashing by the waiting room. Makima tried to send a mental signal to Gohan to calm him down, but the boy forced her out of his mind instantly. "Dammit…!"

The moment Spopovich started crushing Videl's head with his foot, Gohan exploded forth in rage. However, before he could reach the stage, some else intervened. "ENOUGH FOOLING AROUND! END IT, SPOPOVICH!" Yamu's shout stopped the brutal massacre.

Gohan returned to his base form as Spopovich kicked Videl out of the ring. He moved quickly, catching the girl in his arms, holding her with extreme care.

"A-AND VIDEL'S OUT OF BOUNDS! SPOPOVICH IS THE WINNER!" Nobody cheered for the victor, all too concerned for Videl's health. Gohan watched as Spopovich walked out of the ring to join Yamu with a heated glare.

"Spopovich!" He called out the brute, who turned to face him. "I'll make you pay for this…!" Gohan's eyes glowed a dangerous color. "You'll pay…!" Spopovich stopped smiling, a slight shiver encompassed his body. He flew away with Yamu, hoping to get away from the hybrid youth.

Goku turned to his friends. "Does anyone have a Senzu Bean?"

"N-no! We came here to have fun, after all!" Krillin responded.

"That's okay! I'll be right back!" Goku used Instant Transmission to teleport to Korin's Tower.

"See, she's fine. Get over it." Yoru said uncaringly to Asa's back. The two had made it to a relatively empty hallway after witnessing the end of Videl's match.

"Will you shut up?!" Asa snapped at the War Devil. "I get that we lowly humans mean nothing to you, but she's my friend! Regardless of how you feel about it, I want to at least do something about what's going on!"

"And what exactly do you know about what's going on?"

"Just about as much as you, and that's why I need to see Gohan and the others!" Her exclamation made Yoru pause.

"NO." Yoru stepped in front of the clumsy girl. "That is the last thing we are going to do!"

"It's not like I'm going to interact with your sister!"

"Interacting with Gohan is a surefire way to get Makima on my ass! While the others won't be able to see me, he will!"

"And what makes you think Gohan hasn't seen you already?! All this time we've been stuck together and he hasn't said a word! Maybe he just doesn't care!"

"You don't know my nephew like I do."

"Are you sure you even know them that well yourself?! All you've done is constantly complain and complain about them. The brats are annoying, Gohan is too nice, Goku's an idiot, and Makima's a controlling bitch!" Asa's mocking of Yoru made the War Devil go silent. "From what I know Gohan is the sweetest boy I've ever met and he's not even human! Isn't that crazy?! The most human of us all is a hybrid between an alien and a Devil! I don't care if you're afraid of your sister finding out about whatever plans you have, because what's important to me is vastly different from you! I'm going to go check on my friend!" Asa stormed away, leaving Yoru to silently stew on her words.

The War Devil clenched her fist, sizzling with anger at the teenager for daring to question her and her motives. No human has ever had the balls to talk to her, a Horseman of the Apocalypse, with such disrespect. That girl didn't know what the hell she was talking about! "O-of course I know and care about them! If those brats weren't strong, if Gohan wasn't strong, then they'd be a waste of time…any progeny of Control's should be ruthless, destructive, malicious, and uncaring. But…they aren't and that's a disappointment…right?"

Goku arrived back from Korin's Tower with a bag full of Senzu Beans. Gohan, who was lucky enough to delay his match, cheered at the sight of his father. "Dad! Did you bring the Senzus?!"

"Yup! Korin hadn't grown any in a while, but he had three ready!" Goku handed one to his son.

"Thanks, Dad!" Gohan turned to Kibito with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'll be right back." Kibito didn't say anything, just watched as Gohan rushed towards the infirmary.

Gohan entered the infirmary to see Hercule and some doctors monitoring Videl. "Excuse me! I brought you something, Videl!"

"Hey! She's supposed to be resting!" Hercule glared at the boy.

The superhero ignored him and brought the Senzu Bean to Videl's mouth. "Videl, trust me and eat this bean." The doctors and Hercule attempted to stop him, but the two teens were trapped in their own little world.

"Knowing you…something miraculous will happen…won't it?" Videl smiled softly.

"Yeah." He lowered the bean into her mouth and watched as she started chewing. Knowing that he didn't have much time, Gohan rushed out of the infirmary to get to his match.

"HEY! That little brat! I'll make him pay for that!" Hercule threatened. Behind him, Videl stood up on her bed as all of her injuries healed instantly. The Champion and doctor turned around to see the teenager jumping up and down on her bed enthusiastically.

"WOW! I'M ALL BETTER!" Videl laughed.

Gohan re-entered the waiting room to see Asa panting heavily after running all the way over here. "Asa?! What are you doing back here?!"

The hybrid blinked at him for a moment as she tried to get herself back together. "G-Gohan… I was just wanting to check on Videl is all!"

"Right…! You and the others came to watch the tournament!" Gohan remembered when Videl handed out invitations to their group. "Well, don't worry, Videl's just fine now!" He reassured her.

"W-wait-!"

"Sorry, I gotta go!" Gohan continued running towards the stage. Though, he did take a moment to wave at his aunt, who he noticed standing near the back wall. The War Devil flinched at his actions before turning her head away with a huff.

Asa watched the hybrid disappear through the entryway, where she could hear the announcer doing the introductions. "She's all better now? How would that even be possible?"

"Senzu Beans." Yoru answered, gaining her attention. "Instant healing medicine. Your friend will be good as new after eating one."

"I-I see…thanks."

"Shut up and watch the match."

"I wonder where Asa went?" Erasa looks around for their friend.

"She probably couldn't stomach what happened to Videl, I don't blame her." Sharpener said. As they were talking Pencil was using his binoculars to get a better look at the Great Saiyaman.

"Hey, isn't that Gohan?"

"What?!"

"He has the same hair!"

"Give me that!" Sharpener tore the binoculars away to use them himself. He got a better look at the hero and gasped. "You're right! It's Gohan! He's the Great Saiyaman?!"

"Don't be silly, he's probably using the name to sneak in." Erasa clearly didn't believe it.

"Why use a disguise?" Sharpener questioned.

"He's a shy boy, I wouldn't be surprised." Erasa shrugs. She stood up and started waving her hands. "GOOD LUCK, GOHAN!" The other two joined her. "FIGHT HARD, GOHAN!"

"FIGHT HARD, GOHAN!"

"HUH?!" Gohan screamed as he realized his classmates were calling out to him. It seems like his durag had fallen off after his explosive transformation earlier. "Great…goodbye to a normal school life." He tossed off the glasses since they were useless now. "What do I do? I can't show my full strength. Like Mom and Bulma said, it would cause problems when I go back to school. That was the purpose of the disguise. And he doesn't look like an easy opponent either."

"Transform into a Super Saiyan."

"Eh?!" Gohan blinked.

"I want to see if you're strong enough to help us." Kibito continued.

"Wait! How do you know about Super Saiyans?!" Gohan asked. "And what do you mean help you?"

"You'll see soon enough. First, change into a Super Saiyan."

"Are you kidding? I can't change into a Super Saiyan in front of everyone!"

The rest of the group watched, unable to hear the conversation (Except Piccolo). "What are they talking about?" Krillin asked.

"He wants Gohan to turn into a Super Saiyan." Piccolo answered. "Gohan!" He got the boy's attention and gave him the green light.

"Piccolo…" Gohan muttered.

Goku looked at his former rival. "What's going on, Piccolo?"

"I don't know for sure but-"

"We're going to use Gohan, my deepest apologies." Shin interrupted the Namekian. "Please, no matter what happens, don't interfere!"

Vegeta hissed at the God. "I don't answer to those I don't know. Who are you?!"

"He's the Supreme Kai! The Kai above the rest!" Piccolo revealed, shocking the group.

"I've heard about you from King Kai! You're the Supreme Kai?!" Goku exclaimed.

Krillin looked pretty nervous about the situation. "What's going to happen when Gohan changes into a Super Saiyan?"

"I think Yamu and Spopovich will attack him. But like I said, please don't get involved. Don't worry they won't take his life, just his energy."

Goku felt a presence and turned to see a bird staring him in the face, one that had similar eyes to his wife. It didn't take him long to realize that his wife was already on the move, having overheard the entire conversation. "I don't think it's us you have to worry about!" He vanished with Instant Transmission.

"What is he-"

"Makima." Shin turned to Piccolo. "If anyone is going to get in the way of this, then it's going to be his wife."

"Videl!" The martial artist, now dressed in a dark blue shirt with 'FIGHT' printed in red on the front and white pants, turned to see Asa running over to her.

"Asa?! What are you doing back here?! Non-fighters aren't allowed to be back here!" Videl exclaimed. Suddenly Asa wrapped her up in a hug, confusing Videl for a moment before she returned the gesture. "I'm sorry. I should've given up the fight sooner."

"It's okay, I'm just happy to see that you're alright." Asa sighed. "The others will be happy to see you as well."

Videl nodded her head, then turned to the ring. "But first…" Asa looked over as well, feeling the power building up from Gohan.

"W-what is that power?" Asa muttered.

"That's Gohan." Yoru answered. The host couldn't believe her senses as she felt the literal depths that Gohan's power reached. It felt almost bottomless in comparison to everyone else in the stadium.

Makima floated over an oblivious Spopovich and Yamu, prepared to blow the two into chunks for even daring to think about attacking her son. She would've gone through with it had Goku not suddenly appeared in front of her. He grabbed her wrists before she could do anything and teleported away with her.

Yamu looked up in the skies, believing he had felt something. "Y-Yamu!" The skinnier of the pair turned back to his partner. "Look!" Yamu looked down at the energy reader in Spopovich's hands and grinned.

"Looks like we found our target." Yamu grinned.

Gohan's aura shifted from blue to yellow, his eyes turning to a teal color with his spiral pattern still thriving within them. The ground beneath him began to shake in reaction to his ever growing power. "Fine, I'll do what you want even though I don't know why you want me to do it. But is it fine if I go into my Ascended State too?"

"Ascended…?!"

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Lightning danced around his form as his energy exploded righteously. Golden light illuminated the stadium as Gohan completed his transformation into the ascended level of a Super Saiyan. Years ago, it had taken a considerable amount of practice to achieve this form without tapping into his Devil half, but thanks to his mother and Piccolo such a feat had become possible. "Okay, so now I'm a Super Saiyan. Do you still want to fight me like this?"

Videl gaped at Gohan's transformation. "Gohan…changed?!"

"This is the next level of a Super Saiyan." Yoru explained to the stunned Asa.

"Holy crap… Gohan's power is so awesome!" Denji yelled.

"G-Gohan's the Golden Warrior too?!" Sharpener gaped.

"What colossal power… I can't believe he's a mortal!" Kibito was sweating from the pressure of Gohan's might.

Vegeta scoffed with a disgusted snarl. "He was much stronger when he defeated Cell! He's not only slacked off his training during peacetime, but he's also ignoring that other power of his, isn't he?!"

"Still, it's more than what we imagined. I don't know if I'll be able to stop his power like this." Supreme Kai said. Right as he said that, the dastardly duo jumped out from their hiding spots to attack Gohan. The powered-up hybrid would've stopped them if some mysterious force hadn't forced him to hold in place. Gohan could only watch as Spopovich grabbed him tightly, allowing Yamu to jab some strange device into his body.

"GOHAN!" Several voices cried out.

Kibito did nothing but watch as the two drained Gohan of his energy, his Super Saiyan form dissipating at the same time. "Finished! We got all of his energy! Let's go!"

"Ha ha! That was easy!" Spopovich declared. The two of them immediately took off to the skies with the stolen energy. At the same time Goku had arrived, his clothes slightly disheveled, but mostly unchanged.

"I felt Gohan's power drop, does that mean-" He looked out onto the stage to see his son laid out unconscious. "Gohan…!"

"Don't worry! Kibito will get his power back to normal!" Shin reassured them. "I'm going to follow them. I'll be careful not to be spotted. If you want, you can come along. It'll be greatly appreciated!" Shin said and took off after the dastardly duo.

"W-what do we do?!" Krillin asked, clearly scared.

"I'm going with him. He said Gohan would be fine, and I want to see what's going on." Goku told the group. Only one person there was clearly against the idea, and to nobody's surprise it was Vegeta.

"Quit playing games, Kakarot! What happened to our match?!" Vegeta grabbed the taller Saiyan by his collar.

"Eh? Now's not the best time for that, don't you think?" Goku raised a brow.

"Don't you dare cheat me out of this! I don't care about this Supreme Kai person, whatever his business is doesn't matter! All I want to do is settle the score, one-on-one! That's the whole reason I came to this blasted tournament in the first place!" Vegeta explained.

"Okay, okay! I get how you must be feeling. We'll fight later for sure, even if it's not at the tournament."

"Fool! You only have one day left in this world!" Vegeta reminded him.

Goku inwardly sighed, having forgotten just how stubborn Vegeta could be. They really didn't have the time for this. "Just follow me for now, we'll fight later, I promise!"

"I'm going!" Piccolo took off after Shin. As he did that both Videl and Asa rushed onto the stage to check on Gohan. Videl held the boy carefully in her arms, not caring for the hundreds of people still watching them. Asa stuck close, checking Gohan's pulse to see if he was still alive.

Goku walked over to Kibito with a serious look in his eyes. "Can I leave Gohan with you?"

"As soon as Gohan is fully healed, I'll catch up with you. He'll probably want to come along too." Kibito replied. Goku nodded his head and took off to catch up with Shin, Vegeta was hot on Goku's tail. Krillin was seen flying after them after telling Lazuli that he'd be heading out to check things out.

"Where are they all going?" Asa asked.

"Wherever they're going, we're going too. As soon as Gohan stops taking a nap." Yoru and Asa for once came to an agreement.

Kibito kneeled down, placing his hand on Gohan. "He isn't even at full power. Isn't there any limit to his potential? With all of this pure…no, not all of this is pure energy, clearly due to his mixed heritage. Thankfully he only relied on the positive one." Kibito pumped a shit ton of energy into Gohan, instantly waking the hybrid teen back up. "You're fine now."

Gohan removed himself from Videl's arms, standing back up to his feet. "How did you?"

"Come with me. I'll explain everything." Kibito said before taking off into the skies.

"Can I come along too?" Videl asked. "There's a lot of things I've been meaning to ask you. Please."

"It won't be safe."

"I won't get in the way. I just want to come along."

"Will you promise to leave if things get dangerous?"

"Bleh!" The two looked over to see Asa with two scars running across her face, belching at them. "You two lovebirds make me sick."

"Auntie/Asa?!" Gohan and Videl exclaimed, then turned to each other. "Auntie?!" Videl exclaimed.

"I'll…explain that too." Gohan sighed.

"Let's move it!" Yoru flew off with Gohan and Videl following close behind her.

Denji watched as three of his friends flew off from the tournament, clearly going off somewhere to do…something. He started getting out of his seat until Aki yanked him back down. "What do you think you're doing?" Aki asked.

"What do you think?! My friends are heading off to deal with somethin'! Imma go check it out!" Denji yanked his arm back.

"Did you forget Makima's warning?" Aki's reminder made the boy flinch. "You are not allowed to go anywhere without her permission at this time. Nor are you allowed to transform either, so sit your ass down!"

Denji reluctantly complied with the order, only because he knew Makima would be upset if he disobeyed. Still, he wanted nothing more than to find out what was going on. Spopovich and Yamu had hurt two of his friends and there was nothing he could do to help him. Today was supposed to be a normal day, but now everything was suddenly going haywire.

And somewhere in his heart, Denji felt like things were about to go from bad to worse real soon.

Makima sat alone on a bench, her clothes were a bit disheveled, and her eyes held a loving gaze as she watched her husband, and others fly off to God knows where. Normally she would've followed after them, especially after the attack on her son but…

"I promise that everything will be fine…" Goku promised as the two held each other tightly, their bodies pressing intimately together.

"...You better not break that one." Makima muttered as she tasted his tongue against her own. She wished that they could take things further, but Goku soon broke their embrace to teleport away.

"I let him get away with that too often…" Makima sighed. She heard a crunching sound and looked over to see that Fami was now sitting next to her on the bench.

"Want one?" Fami held out her bag of chips.

Makima stared at her sister before reluctantly taking a chip from the bag. All she could do was have faith that Goku would handle whatever was going on. She didn't want him to waste this day away.

Supreme Kai looked back to see that Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Krillin had caught up with him. "I'm glad you came. Without you here, I don't think I'd stand a chance!"

"You can't beat those two?" Goku asked.

"No. Those two are just pawns in this game. A game orchestrated by a cunning magician." Shin revealed.

"A magician?"

"Yes!" Shin responded. He began going deeply in detail of a wizard known as Babidi awakening a terrifying creature known as Majin Buu. This creature had no fear, no emotions, as it was born to kill and destroy. In a few years he had obliterated several hundred planets."

"We Saiyans can do the same." Vegeta thought.

"Wrong, Vegeta!" Shin's mind reading caught Vegeta by surprise. "There used to be five Supreme Kais. Each one strong enough to defeat Freeza with a single blast! Four of them were killed by Majin Buu."

"What?! He's that strong?!" Goku gasped.

"Buu's power put a huge strain on Bibidi, so he sealed Buu away. However, after sealing away Majin Buu, he brought him to Earth, which was his next target. I had been waiting for him in surprise and before the seal could be undone, I killed Babidi. I didn't destroy the shell, since only Bibidi could undo it…however I was foolishly wrong! I discovered something terrible!" Shin exclaimed.

"What was it?" Piccolo asked.

"Bibidi had a child! He's as evil as his father, and his name is Babidi!"

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission (8): Family Kamehameha!

Goku flew down towards his wife's mangled body, pretty horrified by all of the brutal damage Cell had done against her body. There was no way to give her a senzu bean with the way her skull was crushed, so he waited as her body began to heal itself. There was a lot going through his head right now, especially with the massive burst of power coursing through his son. Goku knew that his assumptions on Gohan's potential were correct, but he hadn't realized just how massive it would all end up being. Not only that, but the irregular negative energy that was mixing with his normal energy was more than evident that the Devil abilities had awoken. Something that he and Makima never thought would happen.

"D-darling…" He left his thoughts, gazing down at Makima's recovering form. She had finished piecing her head back together, allowing her to speak. "W-where's Goha-"

"Wait! Eat this first." Goku carefully placed the bean into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed the miracle cure. The effect was instant, the broken pieces of her body healed immediately, allowing the Devil mother to stand back to her feet. It was at that moment that the explosive wave of Gohan's power invaded her senses, immediately shifting her attention to the battle between her son and Cell.

"That's… Gohan?" Makima muttered with stunned shock. She could feel Goku's hands brushing against hers, clearly attempting to comfort her and maybe even himself. She could understand why as the power coming off of Gohan was reminiscent of her own, except much more suffocating. Makima understood quickly that her blood had finally awakened inside of Gohan along with the evolution of his Saiyan genes. Which had allowed him to achieve this new breed of power never seen before.

"Yeah, when Cell crushed your head, he exploded." Goku explained. Piccolo and the rest of the group joined up with the married couple to watch the commencing of the final battle.

"Gohan…is that really him?" Krillin gulped.

"It feels…dark." Tien released a hesitant breath.

"I'm honestly pretty freaked out right now." Yamcha admitted.

Piccolo grumbled and looked at Makima. "Do you know what's happening to him? He used your chains earlier to kill the Cell Jrs. in one go."

"My chains…?!" Makima gasped. Of course, it made sense that her progeny would be capable of using her abilities instead of developing ones of his own. He was half of the Control Devil, which meant her mannerisms and abilities were all his to use. Makima turned to Trunks. "Did Gohan ever do this in your timeline?"

Trunks shook his head. "No, Mrs. Makima! Gohan never displayed any of your abilities when fighting the cyborgs or training."

Goku released a short breath. "Which means all we can do right now is watch. Gohan is our only hope right now of stopping Cell."

"Tch…! Dammit all…!" Vegeta hissed under his breath. Seeing his rival's child with such immense strength infuriated him to no end, but he couldn't disagree that the boy was their last hope of coming out of this alive.

Cell, ignorant to the conversation of the Z-Fighters behind them, focused all of his attention on the 9-year-old in front of him. Not a single word had left the child's mouth, but just the look in his eyes was pissing off the android. There was no fear, no anger, no passion at all! Just a cold stare that saw him as an insignificant bug to be crushed under a large boot. "Don't get cocky, boy! Do you think killing my children means you're suddenly on my level?!"

"Yeah." Gohan answered.

Cell's eyes widened at the lackluster response, then cooled his features. He let out a small chuckle as if the short answer had been hilarious. Then his power snapped open like a bursting dam. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Cell screamed as the world shook from the release of his hidden power. The Z-Fighters were all forced to take cover to avoid getting blown away by the shockwave. Unfortunately, the normal humans did get blown away by Cell's explosive might.

Gohan was the only one who stood unfazed by the unnatural phenomenon.

Goku felt the sweat pouring down his body as he felt the unimaginable weight of Cell's full power. "T-this is Cell's full power…" Once again, he was completely correct about the android holding back against him in their battle. Cell really could've ended it at any time but was just humoring him for his own amusement.

"It feels like the entire planet is trembling in fear." Krillin said.

Makima's eyes narrowed. "But still…"

It was nowhere near Gohan's level.

"Well? What do you think of my full power, brat?!" Cell asked arrogantly.

"...Is that it?" Gohan scoffed.

Cell froze again, then softly chuckled. With an explosive burst he charged at Gohan like a bull and crashed his fist against the boy's face. However, to his shock, Gohan didn't budge at all from his hit. "W-what?!"

"Again… is that it?" Gohan repeated.

"GRAH!" Cell screamed with another punch thrown at the hybrid. Gohan effortlessly deflected the attack and punched Cell right in his torso. The attack stunned the android momentarily to allow Gohan to deliver a devastating uppercut that sent Cell spinning through the air. He barely managed to catch himself, stumbling along the ground as the impact of those two hits echoed inside his body.

"Holy shit!" Yamcha cursed.

"J-just two hits?!" Vegeta hissed.

Cell wobbled on the heels of his feet, trying to heal himself from the damage. "I-impossible…! I can't have been hurt this much from just two measly hits!"

SHACKLE!

"Wh-what?!" Cell gasped when a chained collar wrapped around his neck, almost strangling him in the process. The android fell to his knees, gripping at the crimson metal in attempts to break it off. "W-why can't I break free?!" He stopped when a dark shadow loomed over him, looking up Cell saw a twisted visage looking down at him with haunting yellow, crimson spirals.

An unfamiliar emotion started to creep up inside of him, but Cell fought back against it. He glared with newfound hatred at the humiliation brought upon him. "D-damn you! I won't be-" Gohan's fist smashed into his jaw, blasting it clean off his face.

"That was for my mother." Gohan's icy statement sent an unnatural shiver down Cell's thorax. Since the android was still trying to regenerate his severed jaw, Gohan raised his knee into Cell's chest. A torrent of blood exploded out of Cell's mouth with strained coughs following soon after. He tried to get back to his feet to escape, but the chains refused to let him leave his spot. Gohan backhanded him in the head, knocking him into the dirt. Then the boy connected his foot into the bug's sternum, and he didn't stop there. With sadistic pleasure, Gohan continued wailing on the helpless Cell over and over again.

"Gohan…" Piccolo watched the display with uncertainty.

"T-that's not Gohan…it can't be!" Trunks exclaimed. "He would never do something this sadistic even against someone like Cell. It's inhumane…"

"But he's not human." Makima reminded them. Outwardly she looked indifferent to it all, but inwardly she was wondering just how much of an influence her nature was having on her son. The image of her smiling baby boy who wouldn't hurt a fly contrasted heavily with this sadistic Devil whaling on his helpless enemy.

"Gohan… I…" Goku clenched his fist, clearly feeling a wave of guilt for putting his son in this position.

Cell heaved heavily, his body bruised, bloody, and beaten profusely by the hybrid to the point that he was genuinely wondering if he had screwed up by pissing the kid off.

"Beg."

"H-huh?!" Cell looked back up at Gohan.

"You want this to stop, don't you? Then beg for me to stop. Get on all fours and beg for me to spare your pathetic existence." Gohan threatened. Cell let out a startled gasp as his body moved on its own as if it were being forced to obey the boy's command. The way his mouth opened to release the demanded words to end this torment made his stomach turn unnaturally. Anger, explosive anger, bubbled like never before, enough to allow him to push back against Gohan's control.

"N-no…! I-I-I WILL NOT BEG!" Cell roared, creating another shockwave that rocked the planet. Gohan stood unfazed, releasing his hold on Cell to let the android blast into the skies above. The boy knew what the bug was planning to do and shook his head at his refusal to listen to his master. Seems he still needed to teach his pet where it stood in this hierarchy.

Cell floated above them all, cupping his hands to his side. "KA…! ME…! HA…! ME…!"

Everyone else stood in shock at Cell's desperate attack, knowing exactly what he was planning to do. "That monster!" Goku exclaimed. "He wouldn't…!"

"YES! A KAMEHAMEHA WITH MY FULL POWER! DODGE IT AND THE EARTH WILL BE NO MORE! LET'S SEE YOU STOP THIS, BRAT!" Cell declared with a delirious laugh. Gohan didn't react and just stood there uncaringly, while everyone else behind him was freaking out.

"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" The sheer size of Cell's beam encompassed the entire area. The illuminated light of their impending doom left everyone in panic, all except Gohan.

"Ka… Me… Ha… Me…" Gohan simply pointed his hands towards the beam right as it was inches away from hitting the ground. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" His beam, while smaller than Cell's, carried far more power than the bug could've expected. It took milliseconds for Gohan's attack to decimate Cell's, and all the bug could do was stare in horror as the beam tore through him like paper. Gohan's wave flew all the way out into space where it harmlessly dissipated into nothing.

When the dust settled everyone could see the poor state that Cell was left in. His legs were completely gone along with his left arm, his torso was barely holding itself together, blood poured out of his wounds like an open faucet.

Vegeta gaped at the sheer difference in power just displayed in front of them. "That brat effortlessly bounced back Cell's attack. What the hell is that power…?!"

"It's like nothing I've ever seen before!" Tien added.

Makima knew she should be proud of her son's prowess, but she didn't like how the power had clear control over her son's behavior. Her child should be in complete control, but it was clear that he didn't know how to keep it together.

"DYAAAAH!" Cell screamed, forcing his body to regenerate all the damage. He released more heavy breaths from the effort it took to heal. He looked down at the smug sadistic child with hate that would make Freeza jealous. 'Y-Y-YOU'RE A CHILD!" Cell furiously roared, his body bulging with muscle as he pushed his power even further.

Trunks gasped at the transformation. "Cell's maxing out his power! He's making the same mistake that he mocked me for!"

Cell, who now hulked over the child, screamed with a crazed expression. "I WON'T BE BEATEN BY A KID!" He smashed his fist at Gohan, who easily dodged the slow attack. Cell continued trying to hit the evasion Gohan, but his lack of speed was making it extremely difficult for him. Gohan, who grew bored of the little game, decided to end it by landing a strong kick into the side of Cell's head.

The android stumbled drunkenly from the impact of Gohan's attack. He fell to one knee; something clearly began ascending up to his mouth. In a very disgusting display, Cell vomited out cyborg 18, who laid on the ground covered in the android's saliva.

Krillin realized it first. "That's 18! He just vomited 18!"

Without the female cyborg, Cell's body regressed back into its Semi-Perfect state. The hideous creature could only stare in horror at the events that tore away his perfection. Gohan blinked at him before laughing hysterically at Cell's humiliation. The android, growing in anger, attempted to reach for 18 in hopes of getting his perfection back, but Gohan acted quickly. A chain wrapped around her ankle and tossed her out of Cell's reach. Krillin was moving before he realized it and caught the cyborg to keep her from hitting the ground.

"M-my perfection…!" Cell cried.

"Perfection?" Gohan's power invaded Cell's senses, forcing the imperfect bug down to his knees. "You were never perfect, Cell. You're nothing more than an amalgamation of other people. Nothing was ever yours or created from your own effort. An imperfect being that'll spend the rest of its existence living under my foot as my little pet." Gohan's entire being stood over Cell's smaller power like a dinosaur to an ant. For the very first time in his life, Cell felt genuine fear.

"GOHAN!" The boy looked over at his father. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! FINISH CELL OFF WHILE YOU STILL HAVE THE CHANCE!"

Gohan stared at his father with a disgruntled look. "No. He's my pet. I'm going to make him suffer so much more. If you want to stop me, then feel free to kill Cell yourself. Just know that I won't make it easy." His eyes glowed with power to nail the coffin shut.

"He's talking just like Makima!" Piccolo grunted.

"Gohan?!" Goku cried.

Gohan was about to turn back to Cell until he felt a pressure invade his head. He grunted before shifting his eyes angrily at the one responsible. The familiar yellow spirals found his own and the boy found himself wavering. His mother, who he had believed to be dead, stood alive next to everyone else. Whatever crimson energy had been invading his golden aura had vanished as some form of sense returned to the hybrid. "...Mom?"

That moment of reprieve was all Cell needed to act on his final desperate move. With nothing else to use against the brat, he had to rely on the one thing he hoped he'd never have to do himself, unlike Android 16. Cell's body began to bulge once more, but unlike last time, he started growing like a balloon. Everyone noticed the action, but it was too late to stop Cell from initiating his plan. "Gohan, behind you!"

"What?!" Gohan turned back to see that Cell was bulging like a balloon. The android was laughing gleefully at their confused and hesitant looks. "What are you doing?!"

"HA HA HA HA HA! Say goodbye everyone! I'm going to self-destruct in 60 seconds! I'll die, but so will all of you! The entire Earth is going with me!" Cell declared.

"SELF-DESTRUCT?!" Yamcha cried with fear.

"It's too late to grovel or beg, boy! I can't stop it now!" Cell laughed.

"Then, I'll just kill you before you explode!" Gohan prepared to attack, but Cell raised a hand that caused him to pause.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you! I'll explode the moment I'm hit, and don't bother trying to force my body to shut down. Dr. Gero ensured that not even your Mother's abilities would be able to stop me!" Cell hollered in pyrrhic victory.

"No…" Gohan muttered.

"30 more seconds!"

Krillin looked back at the others. "We have to do something!"

"There's nothing we can do… we're done for." Piccolo cursed.

"20 seconds!"

"D-DAMMIT!" Gohan cried, falling to his knees. He should've listened to his father when he told him to kill Cell. But he didn't and allowed his own power to take control of his actions. Everyone was gonna die and it was all his fault…

…He failed his world and his parents.

"10 more seconds and the Earth will be no more! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Makima crushed herself for her own inability to prevent this from happening. She was the Control Devil, yet she lacked the control to protect all that she held dear. Her husband, her son, and… Makima touched her stomach tenderly…those who wouldn't have the chance to live. These lights would be snuffed out again by the blackest of hearts.

"Well guys, it's been fun." Makima snapped her attention to Goku, who was smiling at them all. "I've been thinking and there's only one way that I can think of to solve this."

"No…" Makima muttered with dread. "Goku… don't you dare…!" She knew what he was planning before he even finished.

He smiled lovingly at her with fingers to his forehead. "Bye, guys."

"G-Goku, you're kidding right?!" Krillin shuttered.

He vanished right in front of them.

"GOKU!" Krillin screamed.

Makima took off towards Cell, refusing to let her husband go through with his sacrificial plan. Once again, he was planning on abandoning her, because of some sense of duty or refusal to find a better solution. If they were going to die, then they were going to die together but he never liked looking at it that way. Her Goku was a selfish light that made his decisions without much thought of how it impacted those he'd leave behind.

Goku appeared between Gohan and Cell, his hand softly touching the android's bulging belly. He looked down at his son with a mixture of pride and remorse. "Sorry, that I put you through all of that, Gohan. You've made me proud."

"D-dad?!"

"Take care of your Mom."

"Dad…!"

Goku teleported away with Cell right as Makima was about to reach him. She slid across the ground, landing in a disgruntled heap in the spot that Cell and Goku used to be. Makima felt the pure anguish from her son as he cried out for his father to come back.

It didn't take long as her husband's energy signature completely vanished from this world, confirming his death to them all. "H-he's gone… Goku's energy is completely gone." Piccolo said. The friends of Goku lowered their heads to mourn the loss of their savior. Vegeta just spits at the ground in disgust and humiliation.

"DAAAAAAD!" Gohan cried, reverting back to his regular Super Saiyan state. "No…! No…! Why…?!" He kept smashing his hands into the dirt, crying loudly into the dirt. Makima made her way over to her son, who looked at her with his tears-stained eyes. He expected her to give him hatred and scorn, but there was none found within her eyes.

Makima stared into eyes of her own, eyes that held regret and fear. It made her skin crawl to see such a look coming from her son. She could sense the fear within his heart, fear that was aimed at her. "Gohan…"

"M-Mom…! I-I'm sorry! I'm so-" She swept his smaller frame into her arms, hugging him tightly. She softly rubbed his back as she felt his soft hiccups into her shoulder. The strongest in the universe her son may be, but he was still a small child.

"It's not your fault." Makima softly whispered into his ears. She kept repeating these words to her son to calm him down. "Your father made his choice."

"B-but if I just finished off Cell…then-then…!"

"But it's thanks to you that we had a chance." Gohan and Makima looked to see Krillin standing near them. "If it wasn't for you, Gohan, then Cell would've just killed us all from the get-go. Goku was content with his decision, he was proud of you. Never forget that." The monk smiled softly.

Gohan pushed himself out of his mother's arms to stand on his own feet. He tried wiping away his tears, but still reached for his mom's hand. Makima was more than willing to hold onto him as she needed emotional support as well. The Control Devil shifted her eyes to Krillin and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to him. He nodded his head with a slight smile.

Makima never had the highest opinion on Goku's chosen companions, but Krillin was always there for her son when he needed it. Especially when she and Goku couldn't be there to do it themselves. She appreciated that part of him at least.

The three of them walked back towards the group with Vegeta scowling at the female cyborg in Krillin's arms. "The hell are you doing?! Kill that thing and be done with it already!"

"But she's a person, Vegeta! She, her brother, and 16 weren't bad…just misguided, I guess?" Krillin defended the unconscious woman.

"They attempted to kill my darling, but all of you have tried that…so." Makima actually attempted to be humorous. Everyone, including her son, stared at her as if she grew a second head. "What?"

BING!

A massive sudden burst of wind exploded behind them, taking everyone by surprise. Lightning and dust swept through the area, filling the Z-Fighters with a deathly chill. Confusion only lasted for a second as the familiar evil KI suffocated them all like a bottomless ocean.

"Th-that energy!" Vegeta cried, shaking in fear.

"I-It can't be…?!" Piccolo shouted.

A swift yellow beam zipped out of the dust cloud, barreling past Makima and Gohan, and piercing through Trunks' chest with lethal force. The future hero let out a choked cough as his body crashed into the ground, struggling to breath with the huge hole in his chest. Everyone could only stare in horror at the sudden attack and even more at the one responsible.

"Who did I hit? Ah, Trunks. That makes two-for-two." Cell's chilling voice echoed through the wasteland. The dust parted to reveal that Cell was truly still alive, and back in his perfect form. His power had made a massive significant increase as well, furthering the gap that already existed between them all.

"H-how…?! How is Cell still alive?!" Yamcha asked.

"You seem surprised! I was too, honestly. However, it was nothing more than a stroke of luck. You see, there's a small cluster of cells in my head that makes up my 'core'. If that core isn't destroyed, then my body can keep on regenerating even if there's only microscopic pieces left." Cell continues. "When I self-destructed, my core remained unharmed. I really hadn't counted on regenerating, I was lucky." His arrogant smirking turned into a full blown beaming smile. "Even better, now I'm complete even without 18! And I've powered up just like you, Gohan! My Saiyan cells evolved due to the near-death experience!"

Cell lowered his arms with a deep look of satisfaction. "As you so politely told me before, Gohan, none of these things are mine. BUT WHO CARES?! I'm back and better than ever with more power than you could ever imagine! I even learned Instant Transmission due to Goku's cells that exist within me! Goku's sacrifice didn't stop me, it simply made me better!" Cell's sinister eyes bore into Gohan's demonic ones. "He made me perfect."

Pure unimagined hatred coursed poured out of Makima's body, spilling over the area, but still dwarfed by Cell's own malice. "My darling…died for nothing…!" Never before had she hated a creature more than Cell; such a disgusting monstrosity shouldn't be allowed to exist in this world.

"Hah!" Gohan's transformation grabbed everyone's attention, except for Vegeta, who was still focused on Trunks' corpse. The young hybrid's aura lacked the crimson color it had before as if signifying that he still had a semblance of control over himself. "Heh."

"Oh? You find imminent death amusing?" Cell questioned.

"My Dad died due to my own mistakes, so I'm glad that I get to avenge his death. There'll be no more second chances for you, Cell! It all ends here!" Gohan declared. His aura increased in size to intimidate Cell.

However, the overwhelming dominance the boy had before wasn't present this time. "We seem to keep repeating ourselves, Gohan. I'm also in the mood for retribution against the humiliation you caused me earlier!" Cell's own aura increased in size, pushing back against Gohan's.

As the two powerhouses were about to engage in their final battle, Vegeta was trapped in his own little world. His black iris stuck on the motionless body of his son, the boy from the future, the boy he ridiculed and mocked, the boy who wanted nothing more than his respect and recognition. A son who kept giving him chances that he never deserved in the first place, too much like his soft-hearted mother. "T-Trunks…?"

An familiar emotion with unfamiliar motivation swelled inside of him like a raging hurricane. A pained and furious cry born from regrets and shame bellowed from Vegeta's throat. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Without warning Vegeta transformed into a Super Saiyan, blasting past Gohan to attack Cell with lethal intent. "CELL! DIE!" Vegeta unleashed a massive burst of energy that slammed into the evolved android. The prince didn't stop with one and continued pouring out more and more KI blasts at the monster that took his son away from him, that humiliated him, that mocked everything he stood for as a warrior. Everyone else had to keep themselves steady from the shockwaves Vegeta's attack generated.

Eventually, Vegeta stopped his assault with exhausted breaths. He waited to see if his attack had killed the damn bug, which it obviously didn't. Not even a second after he stopped, Cell teleported right in front of them, their bodies only inches apart. Fear overtook Vegeta instantly as Cell loomed over him. "Prince of all Saiyans? What a worthless title!" The evolved android slapped Vegeta away like a bug, the prince dragged across the dirt, his body in deep pain from the one hit.

Even still, Vegeta slowly raised his hand to try and shoot at Cell. A tired breath left the bug's mouth before he tossed a lethal blast at the prince. "Vegeta, DIE!"

"NO!" Gohan dived in to prevent Cell from killing another one of them.

"GOHAN!" Makima was too late to stop him as the boy's left arm took the brunt of the damage. The explosion almost sent them all flying back, but Makima held her ground to see if her son was still alive. Once the dust had settled, she could see her bloodied son crawling off of Vegeta's body. His entire left arm hung limply, covered in blood with the left half of the top of his GI destroyed.

"GOHAN!" Piccolo yelled his name.

Krillin cursed at Vegeta. "Dammit, Vegeta! We could've brought Trunks back to life with the Dragon Balls!"

Cell touched down across from the two Saiyans, chuckling like it was his birthday. He enjoyed the pained expression on Gohan's face more than anything else in the world. "Hm… I think that's adequate enough. Of course, I won't be satisfied with killing you, Gohan." The evolved android cupped his hands, taking the all too familiar position.

"Dammit…! Do we have anymore Senzu Beans?!" Piccolo asked Krillin.

"No! We used them up on everyone here!"

Power erupted around Cell as he prepared his final attack. "I will wipe you away along with this entire planet! Everything you love shall come to pieces and you only have yourself to blame, boy!"

Gohan tried to move his useless arm, but hissed in pain, realizing that it was not going to work. Along with his arm, his power had also dropped significantly due to all of the damage had taken from Cell's attack. "I'm sorry, Dad… I failed you again."

Vegeta grunted softly, sitting up to look at Gohan. "I-I can't believe I was only a liability. I'm sorry, Gohan."

"Vegeta's apologizing? We really are dead." The hybrid realized.

Piccolo cursed the skies as Cell's unhindered might causs earthquakes and natural disasters to happen all over the planet. "Dammit all…! DAMMIT! I'm sorry, Gohan…"

While everyone else wallowed in despair of their impending demise, Makima accepted the way things were going to end. She already lost her husband, unable to die with him, the least she can do now is die with her son and unborn child. The planet and its populace didn't matter to her in the least bit. She already lost her hope…their light would go out.

Cell continued to mock the injured hybrid. "I have enough power to blow away the entire solar system! I am the Ultimate Lifeform, an undisputed fact!"

Gohan didn't say anything.

"Is that it, boy? You're going to go out quietly instead of fighting back?! The son of Goku is nothing more than a meek child, after all!" Cell laughed.

"What's the point? I don't have anything left to-"

"Don't give up, Gohan!"

"W-what?!" Gohan gasped, looking around for his father. "Dad…?! Where are you?!"

"I'm in the afterlife with King Kai, that's how I'm talking to you! But that's not important right now! What you need to do is stop Cell!"

"B-but I only have half of my power left, it's not enough to stop Cell!" Gohan cried in despair.

"You know that's not true; you have all the power you need! Fire off a Kamehameha just like Cell and finish this! Show him the power we made together! You, me, and your Mom! Show him our hope!"

As if the magic words were spoken, Gohan felt his strength coming back to him. His fear gave way to determination. "Y-yeah, yeah okay! I'm sorry for getting you killed, Dad."

"Forget about that! I'm having a great time here with King Kai! You enjoy your life on Earth, you got that?!"

"YEAH!" Golden energy surged around him like a raging flame. Gohan stared down his most hated enemy with unyielding spirit, much to Cell's own delight. He raised his one hand at his enemy. "KA…!"

"H-he's fighting back?!" Tien gasped.

"ME…!"

"Gohan…" Yamcha muttered, holding Trunks' corpse.

"HA…!"

"Oh man…" Krillin shuddered as the bustling power made his body tingle.

"ME…!

"It's not good! Gohan's KI is too weak!" Piccolo declared.

Their surprise wasn't as huge as Makima's who was staring at her son with awe. Just moments prior he was filled with despair and hopelessness, accepting his defeat and failure. But now he was willing to fight back. He was shining as bright as his father, a sun that wouldn't go out no matter how hard the darkness tried.

Cell launched his attack with overwhelming force. "THE EARTH SHALL BE DESTROYED!"

"HAAAAAAAA!" Gohan, with a silhouette of his father behind him, met Cell's Kamehameha head-on with his own. The two blue beams clashed into an earth-shattering struggle that sent everyone flying back.

The Devilish mother straightened herself out in the air, watching as her son struggled to keep up with Cell's attack.

"It's useless! Gohan's being overwhelmed!" Piccolo uselessly added. She was more than aware that her son was struggling but didn't need to hear it over and over again. It infuriated her just how powerless and uncontrollable the situation turned out to be.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! IT'S ALL OVER! THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GOOD TIMES!" Cell's mocking laughter echoed in their ears.

Gohan felt his feet being pushed back by Cell's force, his determination from earlier started to wane as his wounds burned. His father continued to talk to him through King Kai. "Release it, Gohan! Release everything! You haven't used all your power yet! Let it all out! EXPLODE!"

"I-I'm doing my best…! B-but I can't-"

"YES, YOU CAN! JUST BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!" Goku continued. "Any fears you have about the Earth being damaged can be fixed by the Dragon Balls! Stop holding back!"

"I-I'm not…! I'm not holding back!" But he was, wasn't he? That power he used against Cell earlier was still nowhere to be seen as if he was terrified of losing himself again. "Gah!" He grunted when another shockwave pushed him back even further.

"Does it burn, Gohan?! Those wounds I inflicted, I'm sure they sting! Let me make it WORSE!" Cell released another burst of power that tortured Gohan's body even more.

"GYAAAAH!" Gohan felt his body rupture from the searing pain, losing his footing in the process. He barely managed to hang on, but his side of the clash was almost entirely swallowed by Cell. "I-I'm sorry, Dad! I can't do it…!"

"NO CHANCE! YOU HAVE NO CHANCE!"

Goku and Gohan could only watch as their combined power was about to be overwhelmed. That was until a third party joined the clash. A feminine hand softly touching onto Gohan's, adding her power to his that stabilized his side of the clash. Gohan gasped at the sight of his mother, who was grunting heavily from the pressure of Cell's powerful KI. "M-Mom?!"

"Makima…?"

She smiled down at her son with that loving smile he's always treasured. "A mother can't sit back as her son fights for his life, can she? You're not alone, son, never forget that."

"Mom…! Dad…! Yeah, YEAH! HAAAA!" With the support of his parents, Gohan found his second wind and pressed back against Cell, actually managing to push the evolved android.

Cell grunted from the power but held strong. "Not enough, brat! IT'S NOT ENOUGH! YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY ARE DEA-"

BLAST!

Cell's head was knocked towards the side from a stray KI blast. "W-what?!" He looked over to see Vegeta had managed to damage him. "VEGETA!"

"NOW'S YOUR CHANCE! /NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!" Goku and Makima shouted together. As if responding to the bond he has with his parents, crimson energy fused with the golden light, increasing Gohan's power to greater heights.

With the roar of a demonic ape, Gohan gave his final push to end this nightmare. "HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The effect was instantaneous, much too quick for Cell to even dream of stopping. He could only watch in horror as his attack was completely swallowed by the hybrids'. The very last thing Cell would see was Gohan slowly walking towards him, while pushing the beam into him. Cell's body was disintegrating extremely painfully, and this time with no hope of ever coming back. "I-It c-can't be…! I-I'M PERFECT…!"

Gohan's blast erased every last trace of Cell from the universe, harmlessly drifting out into space to dissipate. The hybrid released ragged breaths as he floated in the air, most of the ground underneath him had been incinerated by the blast. He dropped down into his base form and fell towards the ground, luckily landing in the soft embrace of his mother's arms.

Piccolo and the rest had realized what happened. "H-he did it…! Cell's energy has completely vanished!"

Makima smiled proudly at her little warrior. "My little hero. You've made us proud."

Gohan raised his good fist into the air. "I-I did it, Dad…"

Goku, with his hand still touching King Kai, laughed happily. "That's my boy. Good job, Gohan!"

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission (9): A Couple's Trip

If there was one thing Son Goku hated the most it was hospitals. His battle with Vegeta had ended with all of his bones getting crushed, and he would've been again dead too if Makima, Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe hadn't shown up to save him. It did irritate him a bit that he couldn't beat Vegeta on his own, but he was thankful for their help, nonetheless. Sucks that he's been confined to this hospital bed while Gohan, Bulma, and Krillin raced off to Namek to use their Dragon Balls to bring all of their friends back.

Which is why when his Master Roshi showed up to explain the situation to him about what was happening on Namek, Goku couldn't help but grow a bit excited. Not only was Vegeta there, but there were guys even stronger than him running around too! So many powerful guys existed out in the universe, just waiting to be challenged to a fight, it was every fighter's dream. Sure, the occasional strong Devil, like his sisters-in-law, showed up from time-to-time but this was different. Who knows just how strong Vegeta had gotten since their last fight, and who knows just how much stronger the Prince's comrades are?! It's just so damn exciting to think about!

Of course, he is worried about his son and friends, but they can handle themselves as long as they stay careful. He'll be there soon enough to help them out.

And staying cooped up in this hospital wasn't going to help him become stronger!

"Yo! You alive, Goku?"

Once again, the good-hearted Saiyan's luck showed itself as Yajirobe arrived with a bag of senzu beans. "Senzu Beans are finally done. Just a few though. Korin told me to bring you all seven." The overweight samurai explained as he walked over past the doctor, nurse, and Roshi.

"Really?! Thanks, Yajirobe! Give me one right now!" Goku opened his mouth.

"H-hey! Don't just feed my patient something I didn't prescribe-" The doctor went ignored as Yajirobe flicked the bean into Goku's mouth. After a quick chew and swallow, Goku flipped out of his bed with renewed energy. With a mighty flex, he tore off his casts to unveil his healed limbs.

"Alright! I've been waiting for this moment!" Goku stripped out his gown and bandages, leaving himself in just his underwear. Reaching underneath one of the cabinets, he found his clothes that Makima had left for him. Goku quickly dressed in his GI, the one with King Kai's symbol, and stretched his limbs. "Right! Namek, here I come!"

"T-to planet Namek?! But how?!" Roshi asked as Goku took the bag of beans from Yajirobe. The reactions of disbelief from the doctor and nurse were completely ignored by them.

Goku chuckled as if he was proud of something. "When Bulma's Dad came to see me, I asked him to make me a spaceship just in case!"

"One like Kami's?"

"Nope! That one used some alien materials that he couldn't copy, then Makima reminded me of that spaceship that there were two other Saiyan ships that had landed on Earth before Vegeta and Nappa. The one that my brother Raditz used and the one that I arrived in when I was a kid!" Goku explained. The Saiyan from Earth stepped up to the window as his words sunk into the old turtle hermit's head.

"T-that's right!" Roshi exclaimed.

"Raditz's ship was destroyed by Gohan, but mine was still in perfect condition. I had him fix it up, so that I can get to Namek in six days!" Goku finished explaining his genius plan. He opened the window and climbed out of it. "NIMBUS!" He jumped out as his magical cloud arrived just in time to keep him in the air.

"W-wait! What about Makima?! Does she know you're heading out?!" Roshi asked.

"Nope! She's off at work, but there's no time to tell her myself! Be sure to tell her I'm sorry! Welp, I'm off to save 'em!" His cloud and he took off towards Capsule Corp before Roshi could even get another word in.

Yajirobe walked over to the old man. "Save who?"

"His son and friends."

"HUH?! Why did he look so excited about something like that?!"

"I think it's that Saiyan blood of his at work. He does want to save them, but that boy can never pass up the opportunity to face powerful opponents, no matter what." Roshi explained.

"And that part about his crazy ass wife…?"

"..." Roshi couldn't say anything, fearing the idea of having to explain these things to Makima once again.

Goku arrived at Capsule Corp, and after a brief meeting with Bulma's mom, he learned that Dr. Briefs had yet to complete the spaceship. The two walked over to the huge spaceship that had been constructed for Goku's travel. Dr. Briefs walked out of the ship to see Goku and wife coming his way. "Goku! I see you're better already! Those Senzu Beans sure are something!"

"T-this is the spaceship?!" Goku gawked. "And it's not finished yet?!"

"Oh, almost. Come in and take a look." Dr. Briefs responded.

Panchy removed her arm from Goku to allow the Saiyan from Earth to walk up to the ship. She watched him go with an itch scratching her brain. She felt like there was something she should've warned the warrior about but seemed to have forgotten what it was. Shrugging to herself, she walked away to go get them refreshments.

"WOAH! It's huge!" Goku was amazed just by how large the interior of the ship ended up being, considering that the pod he came from was much smaller. "How did you get it to be this big?"

"It didn't take long, really. So, what do you think?" Dr. Briefs asked.

"I could train all I want in here!" Goku smiled.

"That Saiyan technology sure is amazing." The old man chuckled.

Goku walked around the ship with curiosity. "What about the artificial gravity generator?"

"Oh, it's done. This is it." He led Goku over to the long cylinder extension in the middle of the ship. "This is the switch for the artificial gravity…and this is the controller. It uses the ship's acceleration. Like you asked, it can generate up to a maximum of 100g." He turned to Goku with a bit of confusion. "But isn't that kind of extreme? Even for you? If you weigh 60 kilograms you become 6000 kilograms! That's 6 tons! It might kill you."

"It's okay. If I couldn't handle that much, I'd never have a chance against the Saiyans. But can this thing fly?" Goku asked.

"Oh, it can fly. I've already imputed all of the data needed to get you to Namek. All you have to do is press the switch and the ship will take off." Dr. Briefs turned to the ladder leading downwards. "Over there is the bath, toilet, and bedroom. The food storage room has already been packed to keep you fed for the six-day trip."

Something wasn't adding up in Goku's head as he listened to the doctor. "Wait…if all of this is done, then why isn't it finished?"

"Well, I can't decide where to put the stereo speakers… I mean, you want to have good sound, don't you?"

"T-that's all?! That's all that's not finished?!" Goku yelled.

"That's all?" Dr. Briefs scoffed. "Positioning speakers for the best possible sound is an art form. I'll have you know! When you consider the acoustics of-"

"I don't care about the stereo! I'm in a hurry! I'm going to take off right now!" Goku yelled, desperately.

"What could be so important that you have to leave now?"

"I got word from Bulma that she, my son, and Krillin are stranded on Namek because their ship got destroyed! And that Saiyan, Vegeta, and his gang are there with them!" Goku explained the dire situation.

"My goodness…! Well, that is urgent, isn't it?!"

"Teach me how to fly this thing, now!" Goku asked.

"Alright, but you know, all I need is a few hours with the speakers-"

Dr. Briefs watched as the ship took off into space with a small huff. "Hmph, not bad considering how fast I threw it together."

Oolong and Puar appeared. "Where's Goku?! Where's the spaceship?!" The talking pig asked.

"Well, he was in a hurry." Dr. Briefs pointed upwards.

"Hmph! He could've said 'hi' at least!" Oolong huffed.

"I wonder if something happened…" Puar muttered.

Panchy arrived with a tray of drinks. "Huh? Goku left already?"

"Yes, dear." Dr. Briefs answered.

"But I didn't get to tell him something that I just remembered." Panchy muttered.

"What do you mean?" Puar asked.

"Well, it's just that Makima was here a few minutes before he arrived. I'm pretty sure I saw her walking towards the ship."

"HUUUUUH?!"

"Phew…!" Goku relaxed as the ship stabilized itself once it left the planet's orbit. "This thing sure is fast…! Boy, outer space is dark. Is it night now?"

"No, it's always like this."

"Ah! That makes sense." Goku smiled. He stood there for a few moments before realizing that it was someone else's voice and not the one in his head. A scarily familiar one at that…one that he was certain was still on Earth. Goku slowly turned around to be greeted by the pair of yellow spiral eyes that he had long fallen in love with. His wife was still dressed in her work uniform, neat as always.

Goku and Makima stared at each other for a solid minute, neither speaking a word. "Makima?"

"Darling."

"How did you get on the ship?"

"I walked inside."

"Oh…that makes sense."

…

"You were planning on leaving without a single word to me?" Makima's smile put Earth's strongest warrior on edge.

"W-well…you had work and everything! There wasn't enough time to go find you and explain everything with the situation that the others are in…" Goku nervously explained.

"So, you were going to head off into space, to the planet that our son is on, the planet where his life is currently in grave danger, and leave me alone to wonder if you two are even alive?" Each point she made nailed the idiot in orange further into the hole he dug.

"S-sorry." Goku apologized. "I never wanted to make you worry, especially after everything that happened with Piccolo and Gohan." She leaned up to him and softly kissed him on the cheek with a softer smile this time.

"Apology accepted." She giggled. Makima turned away to walk towards the gravity generator with Goku right behind her.

"So, how did you find out about everything anyway? Did Master Roshi call you?" Goku asked.

"Darling, I have eyes and ears everywhere. I wasn't going to leave you unsupervised, because you'd jump out of the window if it meant escaping the hospital."

"True." He replied with a shrug.

"I've already filled the bedroom with both of our belongings, since I know we'll be very productive for these next six days." She gave a slight seductive smile that sent an exciting shiver down Goku's spine. There was a part of him that wanted to tackle his wife to the floor of the ship, especially with the way she would sway her hips as she walked in front of him. But he knew there were more pressing things to take care of at the moment.

"As awesome as 'bed training' sounds right now, we don't have a lot of time, Makima! I gotta get started on training right away!" Goku's serious expression made the Control Devil's insides tingle in a pleasing manner.

"I'm aware, darling. We'll be training together, after all." She activated the gravity generator. "I believe you said that King Kai's planet was 10 times more than Earth's, correct?"

"Yeah! I plan to go up to 20 and start back at the basics. All that time in the hospital dulled my senses a bit, and I need to be able to handle higher than just the third level of Kaioken." Goku explained. "Are you sure you can handle the extra gravity?" Concern filled his voice.

She placed a hand softly on his cheek. "Darling, I can control the weight of my body at any point. It could be 200 times gravity and I'd feel as weightless as a feather."

"Cool! That'll make you an even better training partner too!" Goku grew excited at the upcoming training sessions between them. He always enjoyed sparring with Makima, her abilities made things challenging and unpredictable. With the increased gravity settings, he'll have to get creative in how to deal with her.

"Then let's get started." She took off her coat and tie, placing them down on the cockpit's seats. She then activated the ship's gravity generator, and both felt the immediate pressure of 20 times gravity. The Control Devil realized that this is how Goku must've felt when he first arrived at King Kai's planet. She quickly readjusted her own weight to allow simple movements within the chamber. Looking over she saw her husband doing push-ups, sweat already building up all over him. "Seems we have our work cut out for us this time." She smiled.

Makima wrapped the white towel around her damp body as she stepped out of the bath. She could still hear the sounds of her husband training his body late into the night. The idea of night in space was something she quickly attuned her body to get used to as there wasn't a day-cycle in the outer void. The Control Devil could only wonder if her son is able to get a proper amount of rest on the raging planet Namek. The knowledge of the severe danger her child was currently under without them there to protect him had sent her stress levels to an all-time high. All she could hope was that Bulma and Krillin were doing their best to watch over him, since she reluctantly trusted them with the task.

The only reason she hadn't gone with them in the first place was because she needed to keep a close eye on Goku. This far out in space surprisingly limited her abilities on Earth, which meant that she'd have to trust that nothing goes wrong while they're away. Certainly if any dangerous Devil did appear while she was away, then her sisters would just have to get off their asses and take care of it. She also made sure to inform Fami to keep a close eye on the dogs while they're away, no need to let their pets suffer.

Makima let out a sigh as she sat down in front of the bedroom's mirror to put up her hair. "It's not easy being the responsible one." As she finished tying up her hair, Makima could hear the gravity generator shutting off. A few seconds later, an exhausted Goku jumped down to the bottom floor with a satisfied noise. "Have you gotten used to 20g yet?"

"Just about, yeah! It felt just like training on King Kai's again!" Goku laughed as he started taking off his clothes. She looked away from the mirror for a moment to eye his sweat covered muscles. With his shirts off, he moved to remove his boots next. "Except this time I don't have to chase around Bubbles or hit Gregory with a hammer, hehe…"

"Very interesting training methods." Makima commented. She got up from the mirror to make a move for their closet to grab her sleepwear. Goku had already begun taking off his pants with his boots tossed to the side. "Are you certain he was tricking you? Gods are annoying like that."

"Huh? Nah, but he did think I was asking him to train me as a comedian. I had to tell him a joke to get him to agree to train me." Goku explained as he was now only in his boxers. "What do you mean by Gods are annoying? How many have you met?"

"Just Kami, but the knowledge of more just irritates me to no end. I'm a Devil, after all. We don't exactly get along with Gods." Makima answered as she removed her towel. Unbothered by being completely nude in front of Goku. He found his eyes staring pretty intensely at his wife's naked body as she put on a pair of small shorts and a white top that stopped just above her shorts, still showing a hint of skin.

"Darling, it's rude to stare." Makima's words snapped him out of his trance.

"Oh yeah! But it's you, so I don't think you mind." Goku laughed.

"True, I don't mind if you stare, darling." Makima winked. "I'm always staring at you, after all."

"You do? That's kinda weird."

"Married for six years and flirting still eludes you." Makima rolled her eyes.

"But I do like the way your eyes move when you're focused on something. It's easy to get lost in them, hehe!" Goku scratched the back of his head.

"You saved it." Makima said with a small smile. She saw Goku moving for the bed and quickly halted him with an invisible barrier. "Bath first, then dinner, and then bed."

Goku nodded along and felt his stomach growl. "Now that you mention it, I am getting pretty hungry after all that training."

"I'll set out some clothes for you to put on, so go wash yourself." Makima allowed her husband to walk freely again. As he entered the bathroom, his boxers came flying out a second later, which she caught with her abilities. She levitated the rest of his clothes and tossed them into a dirty hamper. "I'm happy that our son at least has proper manners when it comes to putting away his clothes. I've taught him well." She had long since given up on trying to teach her husband on the proper handling of dirty clothes. Makima then sets out a white tank top and shorts for Goku to put on once he's done bathing himself. She got started on dinner soon after, slightly impressed by the ingredients given to them by the Briefs. The Control Devil had a feeling that Panchy had fulfilled the responsibility of filling the storage with the most expensive and necessary foods.

The kitchen set provided also looked as expensive as one would expect from the most rich family on the planet. A high-powered stove and oven that should fill the needs for the more difficult ingredients. Judging by the looks of the appliance she may have to adjust her mental timer to be sure that the heating differences don't throw her off. Certain stoves allow for different levels of heat to go through and theirs back in their home was much different from this one. Even the quality of the utensils and silverware managed to impress her. "Depending on how dinner goes tonight, I might consider putting some of our funds into redesigning our kitchen."

Once Goku stepped out of the bath, dressed in his tank top and shorts, the scent of cooked food entered his nose. The Saiyan raised on Earth smiled brightly at the sight of his beautiful wife and an equally beautiful spread of delicious food. Makima leaned over, making sure her breasts were in view from the v-neck of her T-shirt. "So, darling~...which would you like to have first? Dinner or me?"

He had both.

Under the weight of 30g, Goku and Makima clashed against one another in an intense sparring match. One would think a husband would be against hitting his wife, and they wouldn't be wrong as Goku would never do that. However, they were sparring and they both understood the rules within one: Give it all you got!

Makima ducked under a right hook to cement her palm into her husband's chest, pushing the Saiyan back a few inches. She leaned in to keep the pressure, but Goku's knee shot her head upwards towards the ceiling. He pressed forward with a double body blow that knocked her back against the ship's wall. He would've kept going if an unseen pressure hadn't forced its way between them, keeping the Saiyan back. Goku's body screamed from the weight of the gravity and barrier, but an excited grin found its way to his face all the same.

With a shout, Goku shoved the barrier back with a KI blast. Makima flashed behind him with her tie reinforced into a sword that Goku reacted in time to block. A brief clash ensued between the two, the husband reinforcing his limbs with KI to protect himself from his wife's onslaught of slashes. Suddenly, the properties of the tie changed into that of a sickle that hooked itself around Goku's wrist. Makima, contrary to the difference of their body types, lifted her husband into the air and slammed him into the floor.

Goku struggled under the weight of the gravity for a moment, eyes widening at Makima's attempt to stab him in the chest. He stopped the weaponized piece of clothing between his palms, twisting it out of his wife's grasp. Goku flipped back up, while simultaneously grabbing Makima by the collar of her black shirt. He tossed her across the floor, where she gracefully balanced herself.

"Man…you're moving pretty fast in this gravity. It's kinda unfair." Goku released some strained breaths.

"As if you didn't run me like a beast last night, darling. Call it compensation." Makima smirked and pulled the tie back into her hand. With her free hand, Makima fired several invisible shots at the love of her life. Goku prepared to defend himself against the attacks with his raised arms.

"Goku?! Can you hear me?!"

"Huh? King Kai-BWAH!" Goku was sent flying into the ship's wall. Makima scoffed and rolled her eyes at the voice that had also forcibly intruded into her head. As her husband gathered himself, she crossed her arms with a glare.

"Speak." Makima ordered.

"Watch who you're ordering around, Control! I'm the Kai of the Nor-"

"I do not care for your title." Makima interrupted him. "You interrupted our personal time, so clearly you have something you wish to inform my husband about. Be quick."

"How rude!" King Kai blustered.

"Hey, King Kai! How are you doing?" Goku asked happily.

"At least SOMEONE is willing to greet me kindly. You have one hell of a wife, Goku."

"Hehe! Yup!" Goku laughed proudly, earning a smile from Makima.

"Wait, are you two in space? Why are you-oh, right! You're trying to get the Dragon Balls on planet Namek."

"You didn't know?!" Goku exclaimed. "There's something terrible happening on planet Namek, right now!"

"Something terrible? Well, we can discuss that later. Right now there are four guests who want to speak with you. It's amazing too, since they managed to clear Snake Way faster than you did."

Makima figured it out first and decided to give the dead Z-fighters props, since Goku had explained to her that Snake Way took most of his time to get through. She saw that her husband managed to figure it out as well. "That's awesome! Dead or not, they made it to King Kai's planet!"

"Yo, Goku! Can you guys hear me!"

"Yamcha! Yeah, we can hear you!" Goku responded.

"We met Kami in the afterlife and he told us all about this place! We hear you're going to Piccolo's home planet to look for the Dragon Balls, so that you can bring us back."

"Wait, four? Which means Piccolo's there too, right?!"

"Yup!"

"Is the last one Kami?"

"It's probably Chiaotzu." Makima said.

"She's right. Kami managed to regenerate his body, so that he can train with us. But I gotta be honest, the gravity in this place is crazy."

Makima rolled her eyes, already growing bored of the conversation. She felt like there were more pressing matters to discuss rather than her husband catching up with his dead comrades. "Isn't there something you want to tell King Kai, darling?"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Goku jumped to his feet.

"Right, you mentioned something terrible happening, didn't you?" King Kai remembers.

"Yeah, it turns out that when Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan went to Namek to find the Dragon Balls they weren't the only ones. Vegeta, the Saiyan who worked with the guy who killed you all, is also on Namek searching for the Dragon Balls!" Goku explained.

"WHAT?!"

"Are they safe?!"

"At the moment we know that Vegeta hasn't found them." Makima answered. "Their ship is wrecked and they have no way of getting off the planet, which is part of the reason why we're going."

"And the other part…?" Yamcha asked.

"Vegeta isn't alone, either! There are other creatures after the Dragon Balls, too! All wearing the same uniform as Vegeta! And one of them has a power that exceeds Vegeta's by a long shot!" Goku exclaimed.

"Who is it?" Makima demanded. She didn't care for their loud reactions, because the quicker she learned about the threat they're walking into, the better they'll be to handle it.

"B-by any chance…is it Freeza?" King Kai's voice stuttered with fear. Something that Makima was slightly surprised to hear, another mortal that proved how useless these Gods were.

"We don't know." Goku replied.

"I-I'll see if I can find out." King Kai reached out to search Namek's surface. He very quickly found the strongest presence that occupied the planet and cried with dread. "I-IT'S FREEZA!"

"Who is Freeza? What can you tell us about him?" Makima demanded.

"Listen to me! I understand that you're on a mission to bring back your friends, but things just went from bad to astronomically horrific! Goku, I know you feel like you can handle anything, but just this once give up!"

To hear a God pleading for them to give up, especially for someone like her darling to do so, put Makima on edge. "He's that dangerous?"

"He makes the Saiyans and you Devils seem like mere infants! Even the strongest of Devils could band together and Freeza would still make you all seem like ants against a dinosaur!"

"B-but, King Kai-" Goku was interrupted by King Kai's panic shouts.

"Goku, when you reach Namek just run away with your son and friends! DO NOT fight Freeza, no matter what! If you manage to anger Freeza then you, your family, your friends, and all of Earth are done for!"

Goku felt a familiar chill run down his spine at the thought of Freeza's power. "I never knew there was anybody that powerful… I'd hate to be that close to him and not even see him-"

"AS YOUR MASTER I FORBID YOU! DO NOT GO NEAR FREEZA!"

"Ignore him, Goku." Piccolo's voice interrupted King Kai. "Gather the Dragon Balls and bring us back to life. I'll soon become more powerful than you. Then together, we'll have no trouble besting Freeza."

"I also have to disagree with you, Northern God. If Freeza is as dangerous as you say he is, then I cannot allow someone like him to continue existing in this universe. He poses a threat that must be exterminated, such as my job entails." Makima smiled.

"Hmph! Seems we agree on something for once, Makima."

Her smile vanished instantly. "Make no mistake, Piccolo, I'll still be punishing you for everything you put my son and husband through. But Freeza comes first." She didn't hear a response, meaning that King Kai must've cut the connection between them.

Goku stretched his arms and legs. "Well, whether we fight Freeza or not, we still need to get stronger! Let's keep going, Makima! I want to get to 100g before we reach Namek!"

Makima readied her cloth weapon with a smile. "Right, darling."

With the assistance of Makima it didn't take long for Goku's body to adjust to the heavy strain of each new level of gravity. The two pushed each other rigorously to achieve new heights of strength to prepare themselves for the tough battles awaiting them on planet Namek to save their son and comrades. Now, as their ship grew closer to their destination, the married couple were intensely sparring under the pressure of 100g.

Goku disengaged from the melee clash against Makima to pummel her with KI blasts. Makima deflected the projectiles with her force abilities and locked her husband in place with a snap of her fingers. Several chains emerged from her body to attack the Saiyan, but he broke free from her control with a mighty shout. His power shattered her chains, pushing her back and she quickly put up a guard against his oncoming physical onslaught. His fists shook her smaller body like earthquakes, each one carrying more weight than the last. Makima's eyes illuminated for a brief moment and that was Goku's only warning to jump away from her as a second Makima almost sliced him in half with a makeshift sword.

The Saiyan raised on Earth wasn't the only one who had been benefiting from the training as the Devilish mother had managed to evolve her own abilities to new heights. Goku smirked as the two Makimas surrounded him, one with a sharp metallic weapon and one that was enhancing entire body with a KI barrier. "Her body manipulation clone is much different from Tien's multi-form technique. Where his power is halved by how many clones he creates, Makima loses nothing from creating a clone and she can control its every move or let it do its own thing. Not being able to predict when it'll move or what it'll do is all a part of the fun!" Goku's body tingled with joy at the increased difficulty of their training.

"Careful, darling…" Goku ducked underneath a sudden air bullet that could've dented his skull. Then he deflected a slash from the other Makima as she rushed him from the side, then he blasted her away with a KI blast. However, the original descended on him with a judo move that sent him flying into the wall. Goku caught himself in the air to keep himself from hitting the ship's already beaten interior. His eyes scanned the chamber to locate the vanished forms of his wife.

"...Wouldn't want you to get hurt now, would we?" Makima's voice was dangerously close to his ear. Goku reacted instinctively, vanishing before the air bullet could collide with his spine. He appeared above the ceiling and ducked under the sword, then retaliated with a kick that the sword-wielding double blocked with her weapon. She pushed away from him as the original came in from behind with a chain whip that wrapped around the Saiyan's neck.

Makima forced her husband down onto the floor, stomping down on his back in a way that put her in a dominating position. "Funny, I've waited years to put you in a position like this, darling~!"

Goku chuckled, also clearly enjoying himself. "Guess, it's time to ramp it up then, huh? HRAAAH!" Goku's power exploded with bright blue lights that blasted his wife away. With his blazing aura, the Saiyan dived for the clone with blinding speeds. She tried to block his attack with her weapon, but his punch shattered through it and nailed her in the chest. The clone bounced off the wall to be greeted by a lariat from Goku that sent her spiraling across the floor.

Goku backflipped over Makima's oncoming punch to downward kick her into the floor. The clone had recovered to attack him, which he blocked with his forearm. She wasn't all he had to deal with as Makima refused to stay down for too long. The clone and original relentlessly attacked Goku in an intense clash of blows that the Saiyan was all too happy to engage with.

"KA…!" He ducked underneath a right hook and countered with a strong punch to Makima's sternum.

"ME…!" Goku waved off the clone's swipe that tried to gouge his eye out. He backhanded her away with his left.

"HA…!" Makima elbowed him in the chest, but was then pulled in by Goku to shield him from the clone's kick.

"ME…!" Goku pushed both away with a burst of KI, then cupped his hands to his sides. A familiar ball of blue illuminated between his palms. Both Makimas joined hands to create a KI enhanced force that rocketed towards Goku.

"HAAAAAAAAA!" The Kamehameha exploded from Goku's palms, connected with the dual attack from his wife. The three screamed to increase the power behind their attacks to overpower their opposition. Eventually the energy between them had grown unstable, exploding violently so that it shook the ship. They were extremely lucky that the spaceship had been built to withstand this level of force.

Neither of them moved for the moment, still recovering from the intense level of training they had just gone through. Makima recalled her clone as there was no longer any need for it to exist, and climbed up to her feet. She slowly made her way over to her husband with a satisfied smile. "So, darling? How do you feel?"

Goku's eyes snapped open with a happy laugh. "Awesome!" She reached over to the seats, where they kept the bag of senzus tied up. She plopped one into her darling's mouth and stepped back as he jumped back up to full strength. "ALRIGHT!" Goku pounded on his chest like a gorilla. "I'm really starting to get the hang of this 100 times gravity! Just a bit more and everything will be complete!"

"Two more days, darling, and we'll arrive on Namek." Makima reminded him.

"Right! And there are plenty of strong guys just waiting for a fight!" Goku grinned in anticipation.

"Darling."

"Huh?" He turned back to her.

"I get that you're excited for a fight, but remember that our first concern is our son. The moment we arrive on Namek we are going to him immediately." Makima's words left no room for argument.

Goku nodded at her with a hum of agreement. "I haven't forgotten about Gohan, Makima." He brought her in a hug, understanding that she's been trying to not show the anxiety coursing through her about the state of their son. He was stranded on an alien planet surrounded by an army of powerful threats that wouldn't hesitate to kill him. While Gohan wasn't alone, there was no guarantee that Bulma and Krillin could keep him safe from those dangers. "I'm worried about him too, but don't worry too much. Our son is strong for a kid his age. He's our son, so I know that nothing can keep him down for too long."

Makima nuzzled into his warm chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. "Yes…our son is strong."

"G-Gohan…please…! Just stay down…!" Krillin, who was covered in brutal injuries, begged the five-year-old.

Things on Namek had gone from bad to worse. Krillin honestly believed he was trapped in another nightmare, one without any chance of a happy ending as an elite group of Freeza's men known as the Ginyu Force had made themselves known on Namek. These guys were so bad that they even had Vegeta, who they were temporarily working with, shaking in his boots. Not only had they lost the Dragon Balls to these guys, but their recent power boosts from Elder Guru meant nothing to them! Vegeta had managed to kill their weakest member, Guldo, but their brute force known as Recoome was too much for the Saiyan Prince.

"D-dammit…!" Vegeta cursed. He couldn't care less if the hybrid brat died, and was more pissed that everything was falling to pieces. All of his planning to reach immortality was going to be snuffed out by this group of dancing weirdos!

Gohan, beaten and bloody, dragged himself back to his feet. Tears were threatening to spill as the disparity of the situation and the wounds were starting to get to him. But even then he couldn't just give up now! His friends were counting on him, and his parents were going to arrive soon! If he gave up now, they'd be disappointed in him! Mr. Piccolo would be ashamed of him! His mom and dad never gave up or showed fear, they always faced every challenge head-on! Gohan glared at the smiling brute across from him. "I-I'm the son of Son Goku, the strongest man on Earth…! I'm the son of Son Makima, the Control Devil, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse…! I-I won't let you…!"

Recoome scoffed with a chuckle. "You still have the strength to fight back? I don't know what planet you're from, kid, but you're tougher than I thought!"

"I…WON'T LET YOU BEAT ME!" Gohan roared with a strong light illuminating in his eyes. He lunged for the brute with all of the strength he still had left.

"HA HA HA HA! TOO BAD YOU HAD TO FACE ME!" Recoome declared. He jumped over the boy and landed a devastating kick to the child's neck. A sickening snap echoed across the valley, leaving Vegeta and Krillin shocked. Gohan's body fell to the ground with a soft thud, his form barely twitching.

Krillin clenched his fists in shame and regret. "I'm sorry, Gohan…! Goku and Makima trusted me to protect you and yet…! I'm sorry!"

"Tch…! Pathetic! And here I thought the brat could actually prove to be helpful!" Vegeta spat nastily.

Standing over on a further cliff were Recoome's fellow Ginyu force members, Jeice and Burter. The shorter red skinned member read Gohan's power level with his scouter and laughed. "The kid's done for. His power's just about gone."

"A broken neck will do that." Burter's raspy voice added.

Recoome sighed with disappointment. "Lord Freeza called us out for this trash? Well, guess I'll just go and kill them all now-huh?" He looked over as something in the distance caught his eye. A ship landed in the far distance with a loud boom. "And just what was that?"

Krillin felt a spark of hope bloom in his chest, tears threatening to spill. "Like always, you always manage to pull through…! Goku's here! He's finally here!"

"TOUCH DOWN ON PLANET NAMEK COMPLETE!"

Makima, dressed in a short black dress that stopped at her knees with dark leggings underneath and a small jacket that stopped at her middle, stepped up to the door of the ship as it opened up. Her husband stood beside her, still wearing his usual orange GI, and finished tying the bag of beans to his belt. "Let's find them quickly."

"Right! Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma…" Goku searched out for their KI, but was surprised by the huge powerful beings currently roaming the planet. "This planet is filled with enormous KI! It's almost difficult to-" He stopped once he located a few smaller KI signatures, ones close to death, and only one of them almost made his heart stop. "Gohan-"

Makima was already gone, along with the bag of senzus he had tied to his waist. Goku didn't stay shocked for long as his wife had the right idea. His son and best friend were close to death and they didn't have time to waste. Goku took off after her at speeds that would had normal people gaping like fish.

Everyone flinched as Makima appeared suddenly next to Gohan, their shock was only momentary as the woman knelt down to her broken son.

"The Kakarot's Devil woman…!" Vegeta gasped. If she was here then that could only mean one thing…

"M-Makima…!" Krillin exclaimed, suddenly filled with relief.

They all went ignored as Makima focused solely on her son, carefully moving his head to look at her. With his neck broken the way it was there was no possibility of him being able to chew the bean himself, so she would have to help him chew it softly and quickly.

"HEY!" Recoome's loud boisterous voice interrupted her thoughts. "Who the hell are-" Recoome suddenly stopped, much to the confusion of his teammates. Everyone watched in horror as the brute raised his hand towards his chest and tore out his own heart in brutal fashion. The bleeding and beating organ was then shoved down his throat, where it continued to pour out blood. The dark crimson liquid filled the force member's lungs quicker than one would expect, and it would remain a mystery as to which killed him first. The torn out organ, the bleeding out, or the suffocation via drowning in his own blood. Recoome fell face down with his ass pointed straight to the air to add to the humiliation.

"R-Recoome?! W-why would he suddenly?!" Burter gasped.

"D-did that woman do something to him?! But that's impossible! There's no way Recoome could've been beaten so easily?!" Jeice stuttered.

Vegeta grounded his teeth in disgust and anger. "Her power's grown far stronger! I didn't even sense her power stretching over the area like before!"

"Holy shit…" Krillin suddenly remembered why he was always afraid of her.

Makima helped her son chew the bean and smiled softly as he instantly recovered from the deadly wounds inflicted. His eyes blinked as he regained consciousness and saw his mother looking over him. "M-Mom…? MOM! MOM, YOU'RE HERE!" Gohan embraced her tightly, tears falling from his eyes.

"I'm here, my little light." Makima whispered softly in his ears.

He looked up at her as he realized something. "Wait, if you're here then-"

BOOM!

With a sonic boom, Goku finally arrived on the battlefield, landing right next to his family. Gohan's eyes lit up like Christmas lights at the sight of his father. "DAD! DADDY!" Gohan jumped from his mother to his father, clinging to the man's clothes.

"Hey, son, sorry we were late." Goku apologized.

"I-I was so scared! I tried to be brave, but I-I-I-"

"It's okay, you did good, Gohan." Goku rubbed his son's back. "We're proud of you." He continued through his son's soft whimpers. He looked at his wife for a moment. "Can I see that bag of Senzu Beans?"

She tossed them at him, since they no longer had any value to her. As Goku walked over to Krillin he gave a glance to Vegeta, who was wisely keeping his distance from them. The Saiyan knelt down to his friend and handed him a bean. "Sorry, to make you wait so long, Krillin."

"I don't know whether to be happy or sad." Krillin chuckled as he ate the bean. With his body fully recovered, he started to warn his friend about their enemies. "I know Makima managed to take down that Recoome guy, but his partners are probably just as strong. I'm not sure-"

"Hold that thought." A chain stabbed into Krillin's head before the monk could realize. Goku and Gohan watched as it was yanked out a second later, leaving Krillin a bit doozy for a second. Makima walked over to them and took her son from Goku's arms. "Okay, I understand the situation now."

"What is it?" Goku asked.

"Darling, these guys tried to kill our son and want the Dragon Balls for Freeza. And Vegeta's apparently an anti-hero now."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Vegeta roared at her.

"Really?! Cool, then!" Goku tossed the last senzu bean at Vegeta, who caught it in his hands. "Eat that bean, Vegeta! It'll heal you right up!"

"W-wait! Are you sure that's a good idea?!" Krillin asked.

"Dad?!" Gohan was wondering the same thing.

"Yeah, I still owe him a rematch for the fight back on Earth. Besides, he's on our side for the moment at least." Goku responded.

"Tch…! You'll come to regret this, Kakarot…" Vegeta growled as he swallowed the bean. He could feel his power grow once more as he recovered from the near death injuries.

Goku looked at Recoome's dead body, realizing that his wife got a head start on him. "I'll handle the rest of these guys, Makima. It's not fair you got to fight first."

"He broke our son's neck."

"Ah…! Okay, I forgive you!" Goku smiled. Then turned to face off Burter and Jeice, who were flying over to their position.

Gohan looked at his mother. "Mom, are you sure Dad can handle these guys on his own?"

"Sweetie, it's your Daddy." Makima smiled.

"Oh, right! Daddy can do this!" Gohan smiled full of confidence. The two turned back to watch as the fight between Goku and the Blue Hurricane and Red Magma of the Ginyu Force.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: The Fallen Prince

Videl winced as she tried to keep her eyes open, still not used to flying at the speed they were currently going. She listened to Kibito as he recalled the monstrous tale of Majin Buu and his evil master, their nightmarish rampage across the cosmos that led to the deaths of several Gods, and the destructive entity's sealing. To hear that the mastermind's son was now planning to continue his father's exploits by reawakening such a thing that makes Cell and Devils look like babies in comparison was terrifying.

Honestly, this entire day has been one hell of an emotional ride for her as a whole. Just a day ago she was excited for a fun day at the tournament with her friends, to have the chance to compete against Gohan (And possibly confess to him), and hopefully watch her dad get knocked down a peg. But now?

Turns out there's some universe destroying threat that's just been sitting God knows where on their planet for centuries, one of her best friends has been playing Devil host to one of Gohan's insane aunts for a year, and she is entirely out of her depth here! And she thought her life was freaking crazy, but apparently, she's nothing more than a regular girl compared to Gohan. Who wasn't even human to begin with, in fact, he and his siblings are hybrids between an almost extinct alien race and a Devil. Not once did she think that Devils could reproduce, but the world was just full of surprises.

"I'm sorry."

"Eh?" Videl looked at Gohan, who had slowed down to talk with her. His aunt and Kibito were still flying straight ahead, the War Devil grilling the Godly apprentice for more information about Buu. She found herself growing lost in the boy's unique eyes as if he was allowing her into the mystery that was Son Gohan.

"I never meant to lie to you or get you dragged into all of this." All of the barriers he had built were slowly lowering themselves to her. "I'm not human as you've probably realized by this point. Even though I may look like it, there's so much about me that's different from everyone else, especially people my own age."

"It's why you always kept to yourself, right? You were afraid of people looking at you differently." Videl's guess earned her a nod.

"My Mother and Bulma said that, because of who I am, I can never be like everyone else. If people were to find out what I am, then I can never hope for a regular life."

"You never had a choice in that matter, Gohan."

"Yeah, it's why I never blamed my parents for my problems. I can't fault them for falling in love and having me and my siblings. But there are plenty of others who think the opposite, who find us to be abominations. That we shouldn't exist…" Videl's eyes widened at that, utterly baffled that someone could've said that about him.

"There's a reason only a certain number of people know the truth about my Mother's actual identity. How do you think people would react to finding out one of the most powerful and worse Devils in existence had offspring? More of her running around the world to cause chaos and destruction." Memories of his behavior during the Cell Games resurfaced in his mind. "Nothing more than monsters-"

"They're wrong!" Videl's shout caused him to stop. It had also gotten the attention of Kibito and the Yoru/Asa duo. The floating spirit of Asa stared at her friends with concern and wondered what they had been talking about this whole time.

"You're not an abomination, Gohan! And you deserve to exist just as much as anyone else! Attacking and hurting others for even thinking that just because you're different you don't deserve the same right to live is monstrous! They're the monsters in human skin! You may not be human, Son Gohan, but your heart is more human than anyone else on this planet!" Videl declared fiercely.

This time it was Gohan who found himself growing lost in her eyes. Sure, he's heard his mother and friends tell him over and over again that he wasn't an abomination. That his Devil heritage didn't solely define his existence. But to hear that from Videl, someone who has always been distrustful and suspicious of others, had caused an eruption of emotions inside of his heart. Those words of hers meant more to him than Videl would ever come to realize. "Videl…"

"Videl…" Asa smiled with a hand to her heart. It made her happy to see that her friend had fully accepted Gohan's abnormal heritage, something that had taken her much longer to do. Yoru scoffed at the overly emotional atmosphere, not understanding her nephew's distaste at people seeing him as something to be afraid of. He's a Devil for death's sake!

"As heartwarming all of this is, I would like to catch up with the rest of the group." Kibito's sour mood had knocked the teenagers out of their trances.

"Exactly! Keep the kissing and shit to yourselves!" Yoru added. Gohan and Videl blushed brightly at the accusation thrown at them, stuttering as they tried to deny them.

"You have no tact!" Asa hissed.

"Shut the hell up!" Yoru yelled back.

Videl got over her emotions and frowned at Kibito's back. "He's right, Gohan. You guys have to catch up with everyone else. I can't keep up with you guys nor do I feel equipped to handle all of this Majin Buu business."

Gohan agreed with her feelings. "Thanks, I was gonna tell you to turn back after hearing everything. When you get back to the tournament, can you tell my Mother and siblings what's going on? I don't know why my Mother didn't follow us, but she should know what's going on anyway. Worrying her is the last thing that I want."

"She creeps me out."

"She creeps everyone out. My Mother thinks it's funny."

Videl sighed a bit but nodded her head. "I'll tell them. Just confirm something for me really quickly."

"Sure." Gohan said.

"It was you guys who defeated Cell seven years ago, right? After everything I've experienced in the past month or so, there's just no way he could've done that."

Gohan nodded his head, confirming her question. "Yeah, I was the one who defeated Cell." He was surprised to see such a genuine smile appear on the tomboy's face.

"In that case, there's no way you're gonna lose! Kick that Babadi guy's butt, Gohan!"

"Yeah!" Gohan responded with a wide smile of his own. As Videl began to slow down, Gohan increased his speed to join back up with Kibito and Yoru.

"Are you done?" Kibito asked.

"Yes, sorry for the delay!"

"Finally!" Yoru exclaimed.

"S-sorry, Auntie." Gohan's soft smile caused the War Devil to flinch with a blush.

"Ugh…whatever." She pouted, ignoring the giggling coming from Asa. The three took off with a huge burst of speed that left Videl speechless.

"Man… I really was slowing them down. Be careful, Asa, Gohan." Videl turned around to head for the tournament but not before saying one last thing. "And the next time I see you, Gohan, I'll ask you out on a date!"

"Dad! Everyone!" Gohan called out to his father's group. Everyone looked back to see that Kibito, Gohan, and Yoru had finally caught up, giving the boy relieved smiles. Except for Vegeta, who just ignored them all the same.

Goku blinked at Yoru, recognizing the scars. "Oh! War, you were at the tournament! You look different too!"

Yoru's eye twitched at the friendly tone before frowning. "Wait…how did you know I was at the tournament?"

"You may be inside someone else's body, but your presence wasn't that difficult to pick up on." Piccolo responded.

The War Devil's stomach dropped a bit as Asa ended up reaching the conclusion first. "So, if they all knew you were there. Then doesn't that mean-"

"That fucking bitch…" Yoru hissed, realizing that Control was fully aware of her the entire time. Not only was she aware, but she didn't care enough to ever actually intervene or question her, treating the Devil of War as nothing more than a child on a leash.

"EVERYONE!" Shin's shout gained their attention. "Spopovich and Yamu are making their descent!" The group descended down towards a rocky mountain area, staying hidden behind a plateau.

"But we've checked this area already!" Kibito gasped.

"Seems Babadi made sure to hide his ship from wandering eyes." Shin glared at the small white entrance of Babadi's ship that stuck out of the ground.

"Keep your KI suppressed to avoid detection." Piccolo advised everyone. They watched as the two minions stood in front of the entrance with the device full of Gohan's energy. "We should make our move now before they can use Gohan's energy to resurrect Buu."

"No." Shin disagreed with the idea. "They'll move Buu's egg outside to resurrect him to avoid destroying the ship. We'll make our move then."

Something in the distance caught Gohan's eye, the hybrid noticing the wrecked farmhouse close to the ship. He could see the corpses of the family that lived in the home sprawled all over the ground. Clearly the small family had been murdered when the warlock made this spot his recent home. Such unnecessary acts of cruelty fueled the hybrid's desire to stop this madness before it could get worse.

"Someone's coming out!" Piccolo's warning had Gohan's attention placed back on the ship. The entrance opened up to reveal two distinct figures, one incredibly short and the other incredibly tall.

The first one has red skin, goatee, horns, large, pointed ears, and animalistic yellow eyes. He wears a light blue suit which covers his entire body minus his muscle-bound chest, along with a white spiked cape, a white circular belt, and white boots. There was a similar "M" symbol on his head just like the two minions.

The second one has a large bug-like shaped head with sickly brown colored skin, and large round eyes sticking out of his head. He wears a long orange cape over his small black top with a long teal colored skirt that covers his lower half. A white buckle with the "M" insignia sat attached to his waist.

"Dabura?! Babidi even has the king of demons under his command?!" Kibito gasped.

"That's trouble, he's the last one I expected to see." Shin sneered.

"Which one? The big guy?" Goku asked for clarification.

"Yes." Shin answered.

"Is he that tough?" Goku wondered.

"You don't become the king of demons through niceness. You may be the strongest in this world, but in the world of evil he wins without contest!" Shin declared.

Yoru scoffed with huge skepticism. "I highly doubt that."

"You would be wise to take our words seriously, Devil." Kibito warned her.

"I don't take orders from the likes of you." Yoru and Kibito glared at one another, sparks dancing between them.

Krillin, who scooted a bit closer to Piccolo, shivered slightly at the information. "King of demons? I don't like the sound of that."

"Which would mean the little guy is Babidi." Gohan realized. "He doesn't look so tough."

"Don't let his physical appearance fool you. After all, his magic is strong enough to allow someone like Dabura to become his minion." Shin replied.

"His magic can overpower such a foe?" Piccolo asked, concerned.

"No, his magic allows him to manipulate the evil and greed already lurking in someone's soul. Much different from the abilities of your wife, Son Goku." Kibito informs them.

"True." Goku nodded his head. "Makima's abilities work if she views those lesser than her, but they can still fight back against her if their wills are strong enough."

"Or if they're just too dumb for them to work." Yoru rolled her eyes.

"If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say it." Asa scoffed.

"That's why I said it in my head, dumbass!" Yoru hissed at Asa's spiritual form.

Ignoring Yoru's quiet hissing match with the air, Kibito continued on. "It is imperative that none of you possess evil in your hearts once we engage in battle with Babadi."

"Would being a Devil automatically make us targets?" Gohan asked, pointing at himself and his aunt.

"Regardless of your biological nature, your heart is much like your father's, Gohan. I doubt Babadi's magic would be able to influence you. The War Devil, however," Shin's eyes stared at the Devil. He could sense the second soul within the body, the one that didn't contain any evil whatsoever. While it contrasted heavily with the malicious nature of the War Devil, he could sense the long term influence the second soul had on her. "...I am uncertain."

Vegeta scoffed with an eye roll. "Do you believe that we can't beat him?" When Shin didn't respond, Vegeta continued. "The world will end if Buu's awakened, right? Hmph, then I simply won't be defeated."

"I've heard that before." Yoru's snide comment earned a heated glare from the prince.

Goku turned to his best friend, who he could tell was currently scared out of his mind. As strong as the little man was, this was clearly out of his depth. "Krillin, you should hurry back to the arena. It's too dangerous."

"Y-you're right, maybe I should head back." Krillin agreed with the idea.

Babidi examined the energy device, pleased with the amount of power his minions had managed to bring back. "You filled it to the brim! Wonderful job! Now we are much closer to Buu's resurrection!"

"Thank you, sir." Yamu smiled.

"It was nothing for us!" Spopovich added.

"...And now I no longer have any use for you two." Babadi's sudden declaration sent a shiver down their spines. His magic filled the area, announcing his sinister presence with a proud exclamation. The two minions stepped back, fear gripping their hearts as a shadow of death loomed over them.

"Wait, Master Babidi." Dabura's calm voice prevented the warlock from ending their lives.

"What is it, Dabura?" Babadi's eyes shifted to him with clear impatience.

"I believe these two may still have some use to us, they did manage to collect such potent energy for Majin Buu. Especially with the group that believes we don't know where they are." Dabura explains his reasons. Babidi hums in thought, realizing that his subordinate might be correct in his idea. There may be potential to get more energy for Majin Buu if he kept these two along.

"Fine." His magic relaxed, allowing the two minions to breathe once again. "I'll keep you two along for a bit longer. Prove your usefulness to gain us more energy for Majin Buu. Now back into the ship."

"Y-yes, Master Babidi!" Spopovich and Yamu hurried inside the ship, now wasting the mercy granted to them. Now that it was only them outside the ship, Babidi and Dabura got right down to business.

"I sense four energies capable of feeding Majin Buu along with the Supreme Kai, Master Babidi." Dabura informed his master.

Babidi nodded along. "I see, then they'll be the ones to give us the energy we need. Kill the riffraff to lure them into the ship. Just don't kill the Supreme Kai, I reserve that honor for myself."

"Understood, Master Babidi. I'll make sure you get to have your fun." Dabura smiled maliciously as his controller retreated back into the hidden ship. The King of Demons stood there for a few seconds, confusing the heroes.

"What is he doing? Dabura's the only one out there?" Goku wondered.

"Heh." Dabura exploded into their direction with a burst of speed, shocking the entire group.

"THEY KNOW WE'RE HERE!" Vegeta shouted. His warning came too late as Dabura stopped right in front of Kibito with a raised palm. KI exploded with devastating force, obliterating the apprentice, leaving not a trace of him left.

"K-KIBITO!" Shin cried.

"DAMN IT!" Goku snarled, angered that they had been caught lacking by their enemies. He would've charged at the Demon King, but the demon's next action surprised them even more. Two shots of saliva were thrown at Piccolo and Krillin, much to everyone's confusion.

"WATCH OUT! IF HIS SALIVA TOUCHES YOU-" Shin's warning was much too late, as Krillin and Piccolo started turning to stone.

"NO!" Goku raced towards his friends, but he was helpless to prevent them from becoming statues.

"Don't touch them! In that state their bodies are incredibly fragile!" Shin warned Goku and the rest. "If you break them, then they'll never turn back!"

"How do we turn them back to normal?!" Goku asked.

"The only way is to defeat Dabura." Shin spoke the harsh truth. However, to his surprise, Goku looked extremely confident.

"Really? That's easy." Goku jumped up to the cliff's edge, next to his son. They watched as Dabura retreated back to the ship, laughing at the misfortune that had befallen their comrades.

Yoru stood next to her family as Asa floated next to them, her eyes focused on the states of Piccolo and Krillin. "It happened so fast, Kibito's death and all of this. Could we have prevented it?"

"Even if we could, there's no point in worrying about it. As long as we kill Dabura, then those two will return to normal." Yoru responded to her host.

"Dad! Auntie! We need to hurry after Dabura!" Gohan exclaimed.

"Of course!" Goku yelled.

"I didn't need you to tell me that, kid!" Yoru huffs. The three of them take off towards Babadi's ship, completely ignoring Shin's hesitance.

"W-wait! We mustn't fall for their trap! They're luring us into their ship!" Shin yells at the three.

"Sorry, but I'm not one for waiting." Vegeta takes off next after the Son family members. Shin cursed the four of them for being idiots and followed them into the lion's den.

The remnants of the group now stood within an empty room with a single door leading somewhere else. "An empty room?" Goku tilted his head.

"There's a door over there! Let's break it down!" Gohan suggests.

"Wait." Yoru stops her nephew. "I feel something off about this place, some weird energy is surrounding this entire ship."

"That would be Babadi's magic!" Shin answers as he lands next to them.

"Oh, so you did come!" Goku smiles.

"I can't leave you all to your own idiocy!" Shin hisses at him. "We won't be able to leave Babadi's ship until we defeat Babidi himself."

"Then let's blow the ship up." Vegeta suggests.

"NO! That will wake Majin Buu!" Shin stops the prince. "Even if he's not a full power, Majin Buu will still be too powerful for us to stop! He'll destroy the entire universe! We need to take this seriously!"

TSST!

"Unfortunately for you, this is where your journey ends." The group turned to the door to see Spopovich and Yamu walking into the room. Gohan's mood instantly soured at the sight of the brute, remembering everything he had done to Videl.

Goku put his hands to his hips. "Sorry, but I disagree with you there."

Shin furrowed his brows at the two. "We won't be able to proceed to the bottom of the ship until we defeat Babadi's men."

"Is that all? Alright, then let's decide who gets to go first!" Goku stuck out his fist. Before the others could say anything, Yoru walked past him to stand in front of the minions. "Huh? War, we still need to-"

"They need to pay." She turned around to reveal that the scars were gone, meaning that Yoru was no longer in control. "Those two hurt my friends, and I won't let that go unpunished."

"Asa…?!" Gohan gasped.

"Huh? Who is she?" Goku asked. He could still sense Yoru's energy, but he had no idea who Asa was at all.

"That's one of my classmates, Asa Mitaka. She and Auntie are…sharing a body." Gohan explains.

"Ah, I get it."

"He doesn't." Vegeta mentally scoffs. The prince didn't care about whatever feud this human girl had with those minions, but he was interested to see how much stronger War had gotten.

"Don't underestimate them! Babadi's warriors are-"

"It's fine, Supreme Kai!" Goku stopped the blabbering God. "War and her friend can handle this."

Spopovich grinned at what he was assuming to be an easy target. "Heh! And what does some puny girl expect to be able to do against us?!"

"Be warned that any damage we deal to you here will be transferred to Majin Buu." Yamu explained.

"So, they don't get energy if we don't get hit. Hmph, sounds easy enough. Don't screw this up like you always do." Yoru warned.

Asa ignored the Devil in her head and glared at her opposition. She tore off a fingernail and flicked it towards Yamu. "Fingernail bullet." The nail blitzed the slender minion before he could blink, stabbing right into his left eye.

"GAH!" Yamu held his face as blood poured from the wound.

"Yamu?! You bitch!" Spopovich rushed the girl to retaliate for his partner, his larger fist barreling down on the teenager. Asa leaped into the air with a pulled back leg and met the brute's eyes with cold glare.

"Wait your turn." Asa smashed her leg against his jaw, skidding him across the room's floor. Yamu recovered enough from the earlier attack to rush her with a barrage of punches that the Devil host continued to dodge. She twisted his left arm and smashed her palm against it with enough force to cause the bone to penetrate outwards. Asa touched it with her finger. "Yamu Left Arm: Bone Sword!" Responding to the call, Yamu's left arm was torn off completely to transform into a grotesque blade.

"GAAAH!" Yamu screamed, holding onto his bleeding stump.

"Yeesh!" Goku winced at the ability. "I forgot how gross War's abilities could be, but they did always make her fun to fight against." Gohan sorta agreed with his father, Vegeta looked stone faced, and Shin wanted to throw up a bit.

"Finish him." Yoru ordered.

"Got it." Asa rushed forward at the deathly injured minion. Yamu attempted to kick at the fiend, but Asa flipped over his leg to place her hand on top of his head. "Yamu Spinal Cord: Sword!" The War Devil's power responded to her call, forcing the man's head to twist like a corkscrew.

POP!

With a satisfying noise, the minion's head and spinal cord was torn from his body. His body dropped to the ground like a sack of meat, blood and innards spilling all over the floor. Now with two bone swords, Asa turned her attention to the fuming Spopovich. As angry as he was, the man was clearly terrified of the girl's effortless handling of Yamu. Asa used her sleeve to wipe the blood from her face, her eyes never leaving the brute's bulking form. "Do you regret it?"

"W-what?!" Spopovich stuttered.

"Everything you did to Videl. Do you regret it?" Asa repeated.

Spopovich stared at her for a moment, then spread his lips with a malicious grin. "Nah! My only regret is that I didn't get to crush Satan's daughter's head like a watermelon!"

"Bastard…!" Gohan growled.

Asa didn't say anything at first, just staring at the floor with her bangs covering her eyes. She looked up, cold indifference glowing with icy hue. "I see. Then, I won't feel guilty about any of this."

"DIE!" Spopovich raised his palm, a big ball of purple KI was ready to blow. However, Asa was much quicker and infused her bone sword with KI, then sliced the brute's arm clean off. Spopovich screamed loudly as blood erupted like a waterfall from the severed wound, and his pain was only going to continue. Asa took her spinal sword and sliced off the minion's other arm with efficient ease. With his arms completely gone, Spopovich was completely helpless against the approaching teenager. "W-wait-please-!"

"Just shut up." Asa spat and decapitated the minion in one fell swoop. Spopovich's head rolled across the ground as his body dropped with a loud thud. The girl relaxed herself once the fighting was done.

"Hey, not bad!" Asa perked up and looked over to see Goku walking over. "You used War's abilities pretty well, even as good as her."

"You're nowhere near as good as me!"

Yoru went ignored once again, and Asa blushed a bit from the praise. "O-oh, it's no big deal! I just zoned in on making them pay and all that! We have more important stuff to focus on, after all!" She was correct as the floor opened up to allow them passage onto the next level.

"Oh, the floor opened up! Hehe!" Goku exclaimed like a giddy child.

"Hurry it up. The smell of their blood is making me sick." Vegeta grunted. He jumped down the hole with Goku right behind him.

"C'mon, you guys!" Goku called out to them.

Gohan jumped down the hole with Asa following behind him. He turned to his classmate with a worried look. "Are you okay, Asa? That was pretty brutal."

She gave him a nervous laugh. "I-uh-guess it was, huh? Don't worry, I've gotten pretty used to all the gore. At the beginning it would make me utterly nauseous and uncomfortable. Now, I'm just numb to it."

"Heh! Sounds a lot like me when I started fighting. My stomach could barely handle all of the actions, but Piccolo never gave me the time to stay nauseous. Had to get over it quickly." Gohan said.

"Sounds a lot like Yoru."

"Yoru?"

"Oh, that's the nickname I gave your aunt. Felt weird just calling her War all the time."

"Yoru…huh? I guess she finally decided on a name like how my Mom and Aunt Fami had." Gohan smiled. "I like it!"

Yoru, who had been silent up to this point, blushed a bit. "Shut it, brat! You're not allowed to call me that!"

"Auntie Yoru has a nice ring to it." Gohan giggled at his aunt's blustering cries. "I'm sure Goten and Nayuta will like the sound of it."

"Do not tell them! I forbid it, Son Gohan!"

Asa laughed loudly, enjoying the way Yoru was flustered by her nephew's affection. She thought back to the War Devil's feelings on her family, but the more she watched them interact the more she came to realize that her partner is probably not being completely honest with herself.

Behind them all, the Supreme Kai couldn't help but be utterly flabbergasted. Not only had this normal human teenager, host to one of the most powerful Devils, utterly obliterated two of Babadi's henchmen but they were all chatting as if this were a game. "I-I can't believe this…"

"How disappointing…" Babidi drawled with scorn. The two blunders hadn't even managed to hit the girl and lost in the most disappointing ways possible. "To think Earthlings could've gotten this strong, however…"

"It matters not, Master Babidi. They still have 3 floors to get through before reaching down here." Dabura reassured him. "Who shall be sent next?"

"Send down Pui Pui."

When Babidi's next henchmen, Pui Pui, arrived it was easy to tell that he was much stronger than Spopovich and Yamu. However, instead of being afraid, the Saiyan males decided to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets to fight him. "A-are they always like this?" Asa asked.

"Oh, they're usually much worse." Yoru shook her head.

Vegeta won the game, meaning that it was his turn to fight. As cocky as Pui Pui was of his victory, he was utterly unprepared for the strength and speed of the Saiyan Prince. Babadi decided to change the setting to that of Pui Pui's home planet, a world with 10 times Earth's gravity, to give his warrior the advantage. Which still didn't work since Vegeta had more than enough experience training in much higher levels of gravity. Within seconds, Pui Pui was blown to smithereens. "Feh! Another boring one!" Vegeta spat.

As they waited for the next opponent, the one that Goku will be facing, Vegeta's patience was starting to thin. "This is ridiculous! Let's just blast through the ship already and be done with it!"

"No! As I said already, Buu will awaken even if he's not at full power!" Shin protested.

"Hmph! I bet this Majin Buu isn't anything to speak of, just like Dabura!" Vegeta claimed, much to Shin's confusion. "What I'm saying is that Dabura isn't as powerful as you think. Anyone of us here could've easily dealt with him as long as we avoided his saliva. Kibito froze like an idiot and died like one."

"...Goku? Is this true?" Shin asked.

"Yup, Vegeta's telling the truth. Sure, seven years ago Dabura would've been an issue but we're much stronger now." Goku explains. "There was a guy named Cell seven years ago, he and Dabura are about the same power wise."

"As strong as Cell…" Asa muttered, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She remembered that monster's rampage, how it led to the death of her parents, so she wasn't too enthusiastic about something being as strong as him.

"Relax." Yoru interrupted her thoughts. "Even if it came down to us facing Dabura, I can handle him just fine. For once, those two aren't wrong that things just aren't adding up." Asa nodded her head, but still felt a bit off about everything.

Shin was once again left flabbergasted. "Are these Super Saiyans really this strong? Come to think of it, I did struggle to restrain Gohan and he wasn't even at full power. Not only that, but that War Devil hasn't shown everything she can do. And if she's just as strong as these Saiyans, then the other Horsemen must be just as powerful as well."

Soon enough Goku's next opponent, a light eating monster known as Yakon, appeared within the room. Just like with Vegeta's, Babadi changed the location to Yakon's Dark Planet. "Hey, I can't see anything in here!" Goku exclaimed.

"But I can see you!" Yakon attacked, but Goku was still able to dodge his attacks. The Saiyan kicked him away, leaving the monster flabbergasted.

"We're better than ya think! Even in the dark I can tell how you're going to attack by sensing the air currents." Goku explained. "Plus, there are other ways to see…HAH!" He transformed into a Super Saiyan, illuminating the dark space. "Do you get it now? Making it dark won't get you anywhere."

Instead of being afraid, Yakon smirked. "Oh, oh, oh! I get it!"

"Huh?" He, and the rest, were surprised to see Yakon open his mouth and suck the light energy right out of Goku. Without his transformation, the room was back to being pitch black once more.

"I-it's dark again!" Asa exclaimed.

"But how did he do that?!" Gohan asked.

"Of course, Yakon's race eats light! Goku's Super Saiyan is the perfect food!" Shin revealed.

"Delicious! I've never had light that tasted so good before!" Yakon licked his lips in satisfaction.

Gohan took a step forward. "Dad! Don't go Super Saiyan! He eats light energy!"

"Really?" Goku blinked. Within that small brain of his, an idea formed that was certain to get him out of this situation. "Okay, then! I know what to do!" Goku transformed into Super Saiyan again. His actions confused the group, who hadn't caught on to whatever idea he just got.

"No, Dad! I'll fight too so that you won't have to turn Super Saiyan!" Gohan yelled.

"Nah! I can handle this myself!" Goku stopped his son from interfering.

"Hooray for morons! I'm gonna eat my fill!" Yakon declared. His mouth opened wide once again and started sucking the energy from Goku.

Shin glared at the Earth Saiyan's back with layered annoyance. "That fool! Why do you all insist on fighting alone?! This isn't a game!"

"He's not stupid. He has a plan." Vegeta refuted.

"That dumbass is planning something. Keep your eyes on-" Yoru's eyes widened into saucers. She, and everyone else, felt Goku's power skyrocket briefly. It was such a split second that they would've missed it had they not been paying attention to the battle. That burst of power was too much for Yakon, and it caused him to explode into chunks.

"Phew!" Goku released a breath. He looked down to see that the floor's hole had opened up, allowing them to pass to the next floor. "Hey, guys! It's open!"

As Asa, Gohan, and Shin quickly followed after Goku, Vegeta furrowed his brow. "I see, so you also surpassed the Super Saiyan wall, Kakarot…" His fists balled tightly, his anger boiling at the tip, and it was damn near ready to explode.

"Y-Yakon blew up…?" Babadi muttered in disbelief. That was four of his henchmen that had been easily bested by these Earthlings, and not a single one managed to gather even a bit of energy for Majin Buu.

"The bonehead fell for a trap. He sucked in too much energy." Dabura snarled.

"No…it looked strange. The way Yakon swelled up in that instant…" Babadi came to a terrible realization. "These Earthlings aren't normal…"

"Fear not, Master Babadi. I shall deal with these nuisances myself." Dabura stepped towards the exit. "I'll ensure that enough energy is zapped to give to Majin Buu."

"Dabura, if you lose then I'm out of options. You better have a real chance out there." Babadi warns his strongest minion.

"Heh…? A chance? I'm the King of the Demon Plane! Nobody is as powerful as I!" Dabura declared darkly.

"You're up next, Gohan! Have you been training?" Goku asked his son as they waited for their final opponent.

"U-uh…" Gohan struggled to answer the question. He didn't want to disappoint his father by telling him the truth. So, it was a good thing that Vegeta was in the room with them to do it instead.

"As if! The boy's taken peacetime as his chance to slack off. He's too busy fooling around as a superhero to take training seriously. We're far stronger than him, Kakarot." Vegeta's gaze then shifted to the nervous hybrid. "Of course, we never know what might happen when he gets mad."

Asa decided to stick her nose into the conversation. "Well, Gohan felt pretty strong at the tournament when he went into that ascended state."

"I wouldn't expect a child like yourself to understand, however I'm certain War understands perfectly. Gohan was far stronger when he fought Cell." Vegeta's cold remark shoved the nail deeper into the boy's back.

"As much as I hate to agree with the smug bastard, he's right. When he was younger, his power exploded tremendously whenever he lost his temper. And against Cell…it hit its peak." Yoru explains to her host.

"But it shouldn't be an issue now, should it? There's no point in training yourself to death when there's nothing to fight." Asa tries to defend her friend, and Gohan appreciates it a lot. Though, the boy's eyes did trail to his father, who had been silent. He was hoping that his father wouldn't be too disappointed in him upon learning of his…lack of diligence.

Shin was stuck in his own little world as he listened to the conversation. "No wonder they've all been so relaxed! They have access to such incredible power! To think mere mortals could make me this unnerved!"

TSST!

The group turned to the door to see Dabura stepping into the room. Shin was immediately put on high alert as the greatest danger other than Majin Buu had finally made himself known. "You've defeated Yakon and reached stage four, not bad for a bunch of Earthlings. But this is as far as you go, you'll have to deal with me now."

"Oh…! If the top dog is appearing then that must mean Babadi is getting nervous." Vegeta chuckled, much to Dabura's annoyance.

"Talk is for pretenders. Come at me, all of you!" Dabura motioned for them to attack.

"No way! It's my turn!" Gohan stepped forward with a determined look. He'll have to make this quick just like how everyone else had.

Dabura growled at the teenager for his cocky remark. "What?! You dare make a fool of me?!"

As the landscape was once again changed to suit Dabura's needs, Asa started to question if everything really would be alright.

Several minutes have passed since the battle between Gohan and Dabura had commenced, and nothing had changed at all. Compared to the previous three battles, Gohan has officially taken the longest to finish off his opponent. Even after transforming into his ascended state, he was only matching the Demon King blow for blow.

Gohan dodged the blast of dark flames that erupted from Dabura's mouth. He took this chance to attack the demon, but the king had used afterimages to distract him. "I'm over here!" Gohan had no time to dodge as a dark fireball exploded against him, burning his green GI, and blasting him into the red waters below.

The hybrid recovered quickly, now only in his torn black spandex, gloves, and boots. Gohan cursed himself mentally for letting his guard down so easily. Not only had his fight been taking the longest, but he was also the only one of the group to actually get hit, thus supplying energy for Majin Buu's revival.

Goku hummed at Dabura's techniques. "So, he uses magic, huh? He's tougher than I thought."

Vegeta scowled at the fight, disgusted by the display in front of him. "He was still stronger at the age of nine! He shouldn't be having so much trouble against someone like Dabura!"

The Saiyan raised on Earth frowned slightly, now understanding Gohan's weird behavior all day. "Man…he really has been slacking."

Asa just continued to hope that her friend could win this fight, while Yoru just watched in disappointment. She turned away, no longer interested in watching the pathetic display in front of her

Anger continued to seep through Vegeta's words and mannerisms. "I'm beginning to lose my patience…!" The worsening of his attitude didn't go unnoticed by Dabura, but the king had to give his attention back to Gohan, who was charging right at him.

Dabura spat his saliva at the teenager, who blocked it with his gloved hand. Gohan acted quickly, tearing off the piece of clothing before the effects could spread to his body. This was an opening that Dabura happily took to summon his sword to slice the hybrid in half. Gohan stopped the blade between his palms, a short struggle happened before Gohan broke the sword in half.

The prince finally had enough of this farce of a battle. "That's it! I'll finish this myself!"

Goku intervened before Vegeta could do something drastic. "Wait, Vegeta! Gohan still has a chance-"

"I DON'T CARE!" Vegeta exploded, surprising everyone. "I did not come here to entertain some notion of friendship with you and your freak-show of a family! All I want is to settle the score with you, Kakarot! That's the entire reason I went to that blasted tournament in the first place!"

Asa gasped, stepping forward at the prince. "Hey! That's going too far-"

"Shut up! None of this is your business, child! For your safety you better stay over there!" Vegeta threatened, his KI starting to rise dangerously.

Yoru glared at the prince, prepared to swap places with Asa in case shit started to hit the fan. And if she had noticed the devious smile on Dabura's face, then she would've realized it was already too late.

Suddenly, the room shifted again, taking them back to Babadi's ship. Dabura lowered himself to the floor and quickly entered the exit. Gohan gasped at his opponent's sudden departure. "Hey! Are you running away?!"

"Running away? On the contrary, I simply found a fighter better suited for the job." Dabura chuckled darkly as the door shut.

Gohan lowered himself back down and returned to his base state. "A better fighter? Who is he talking about?"

"I'm not sure." Goku furrowed his brow in thought.

It was at that moment several things happened. Firstly, Shin came to a realization based on the events that just transpired during the fight. There would be no reason for Dabura to leave the fight unless he and Babadi had a plan up their sleeves. Secondly, Asa found herself back in her spiritual form, which meant that Yoru had taken control back. Thirdly, Yoru rounded on Vegeta as she felt the dark magic descending towards him. "YOU GODDAMN DUMBASS!" Yoru attempted to run her sword through Vegeta's heart but an explosive wave of KI sent her flying into Goku, who caught her.

Vegeta gripped his skull as sinister magic began to work itself inside of him. "AAAARGGGH!" His body forced itself into Super Saiyan as some kind of defense mechanism against the invasive magic.

"I KNEW IT!" Shin cursed himself once again for allowing something terrible to happen. "Vegeta! Babadi is trying to use the evil inside of your heart! You have to fight it!"

"S-shut up! S-shut up! SHUT UP!" Vegeta roared, electricity and KI exploding with tremendous force that would make a nuke jealous. Everyone was forced to defend themselves as the prince's unhindered power threatened to blow them all through the ship. "AAAAAARRRGGHHH!"

"V-Vegeta! Don't let his power control you!" Gohan yelled desperately, but even he knew it was hopeless to try. Yoru snarled nastily at the Prince, while her partner trembled at the overwhelming weight of Vegeta's evil KI. Shin stumbled back in shocked horror at the former ally.

Goku didn't say a word, but his body could feel the wave of malicious hatred that was being aimed solely at him.

Muscles and veins bulge across his body, heavy pants escaping his lips as he slowly brings his torso back up straight. Vegeta's eyes spoke nothing but disastrously malicious as he stared at his former allies. All the while, glowing hot red on his forehead, was the "M" insignia of Babadi's.

Majin Vegeta, the Fallen Prince, was born.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Tournament's Conclusion

As the tournament was put on pause due to the departure of Goku's group, the rest of the gang's spectators decided to change to the top row for a better view and more privacy to talk. The old turtle hermit could feel the air around the planet shift slightly. "Something's changed…"

"What do you mean, Master Roshi?" Yamcha asked.

"There's a huge cluster of KI far away…and it feels dark." Roshi muttered.

"I'm guessing that's in the direction where Goku and the others all went." The ex-bandit stretched out his senses to feel the evil KI as well. "Man…I really don't like how that feels."

"Do you think they can handle it?" Aki asked. As much as he felt like he should help there was a part of him that knew he would get in the way. Facing down Devils? Sure, he signed up for that with confidence but whatever was going on felt different. There was also the fact that Makima hadn't given them the sign to do anything, even when he wasn't on the clock, she still had a 'leash' around their necks.

"I wouldn't worry too much." Bulma reassures them. "Goku is there, and with him around things always manage to work out. There's also Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin too!" The richest woman on the planet held a sleeping Marron in her arms, and held the young girl close to her chest. As if it was a way for her to reassure herself that things would be okay. If only she knew where Trunks had run off to, so she could keep a close eye on him just in case. "I'll just have to ask Makima when she gets back."

Denji continued to pout, feeling utterly useless at the moment. However, he wasn't allowed to sulk for long as Power grabbed him by the face to force him to look at her. "What's with that pathetic look, Denji?! Didn't I raise you better?!"

"Who the hell did you raise?!" Denji tore himself out of her grasp. "And it's not pathetic! I'm just thinking!"

"Hah! You? Thinking? Stupid human!"

"You're to talk, idiot!"

"Take that back!"

"Nuh uh!"

"What do you mean 'Nuh uh'?!"

"Shut it! Do you two need to keep arguing?!" Aki interrupted them. "We're trying to focus here and you two aren't helping!"

"That's the problem! I can't help!" Denji yelled. His friends all just flew off to deal with some serious shit and he wasn't even allowed to help them. Usually, he and Gohan would be rushing off to deal with whatever bullshit, like the Devil Extermination shit that happened last year. But now he's confined to this stupid tournament thing because Mrs. Makima ordered him not to. And the worst part of it all is that he doesn't even know if he should be there or not. Like, there's something inside his head screaming that something terrible is gonna happen. "I can't help, and I feel useless when my friends are out there risking their lives!"

Aki was surprised by the declaration made, clearly not used to seeing this side of the usual slow hybrid. "Denji…"

"I get it." Yamcha's voice caught their attention. "Honestly, I feel the same as you do, kid."

"Really?" Denji asked.

"Yup!" Yamcha laughed. "I used to take part in these tournaments with Goku and Krillin when we were younger. All of the adventures we went on, the dangers we encountered, and the miracles that happened were a sight to behold."

"But what changed?" Denji and the others could feel the shift in the ex-bandit's tone as he continued.

"I died." Yamcha gave a humorless chuckle. "Vegeta and his Saiyan pal came to Earth and their little Saibamen killed me. Honestly, at the time I hadn't thought too much about it. The others were gonna travel to Namek to use their Dragon Balls to bring us back, so everything felt like it was fine. But then Freeza happened, then the cyborgs, and then Cell at the tail end." Yamcha could imagine the very bits of fear that coursed through him during those moments. Freeza and his father's KI was suffocating, it felt like a black hole waiting to erase you from existence. The cyborgs they first encountered, #19 and #20, had almost killed him if the others didn't appear. And Cell was just a completely different ballpark altogether, he had never before felt so out of his depth than at the Cell Games. "Catching up with Goku used to feel like a challenge, something to look forward to…but now…he's so far ahead that the battles just aren't the same. It isn't for me."

"Lots of things have changed since those days." Roshi added. "This old body of mine still knows a thing or two, but for the challenges that Goku and the others face now? I'd only be in their way, but that doesn't mean that we still can't support them. Right now just isn't one of those times, young man."

Denji looked down to his chest, placing a hand to his heart. "Give them support? Is it the same way for you, Pochita? Are you supporting me in the same way…? Am I honoring that promise by standing here on the sidelines?" He could feel his heart beating steadily, wishing that he could hear a response from his long-time best friend. Denji looked back at the others. "Then what do we do now?"

"Right now?" Bulma smiled as she pointed down at the ring. "We can watch the rest of the tournament. Seems like they've finally settled on how to proceed."

Makima rested her head on Fami's lap, closing her eyes to rest her energy. However, the continuous crunch of chips was slowly edging away at her patience. The Control Devil snatched the bag away from her sister and burned it to ash with her KI. "Enough eating, you've done enough for an hour, at least."

"You don't get to decide that." Fami argued as she pulled out another bag of chips from seemingly nowhere. "If you're so worried about Goku and Gohan, then hurry up after them."

"I must trust my darling can handle the situation on his own. Certainly, his power has grown significantly during these last seven years."

"You could tell?"

"If I couldn't tell that, then I don't deserve my darling." Makima responded. She sat up on the bench to avoid crumbs falling on her face. "Besides, I need to keep my eyes on the twins. They snuck into the Adult Division with Trunks and think they're being sneaky with it. I'll punish them later for disobeying me."

Fami shrugged. "Think of it as redemption for losing in the Youth Division. If they win then you still get the prize money, and they'll be champions. Think about all the food I could get."

"Why would I let you have the money?"

"We're sisters."

"As I said before, why would I let you have the money?"

"I'm hungry."

"Do you have three bottomless pits that need to be fed on a daily basis? Four if I have to count you. Then five if I have to feed my darling before the day ends."

"I am a bottomless pit."

"Unfortunately."

Fami pushed a chip into Makima's face, earning a glare from the older sister. "Do not."

"Try smiling more. It might make people like you."

"Why should I care what others think? As long as they fear me, then all that matters." Makima said.

"Hmmm…you're right." Fami shrugged, then continued eating her chips. Until Makima tore the bag away again to burn it.

…

…

…

Fami took out another bag of chips much to her sister's growing irritation. Makima decided to just let the Famine Devil eat the noisy food, but not before saying something. "I'm putting you on a diet."

"Nooooooo!"

Thanks to Hercule's suggestion on a royal rumble to decide the winner between the last five competitors, the stadium was back to its full energy once again. The remaining fighters stepped out onto the ring, with the champion being the only nervous one of the bunch. It had just occurred to him that everyone would be gunning for him first for the champion belt, which made him curse himself for the idiotic decision.

Mighty Mask and Jewel, aka the twins and Trunks, stood apart from each other. The three understood that the biggest threat to them was Lazuli, who looked the most bored at the moment, especially after the rest of the adults left. The three didn't know why they ditched the tournament since that basically ruined most of their reason for sneaking in, but they decided getting the prize will be worth it in the end.

"Hey!" Killa leaned down to whisper to Jewel and Mighty Mask. "Let's team up on Hercule. It would be best to get him out first, right?"

"Who cares about that buffoon?" Jewel scoffed.

"We only care about Lazuli." Mighty Mask added.

"Yeah!" Mighty Mask's stomach added. Jewel sent the stomach a nasty glare to get her twin to shut his mouth.

"THIS IS A NO-TIME LIMIT MATCH! LAST ONE STANDING WINS! LET'S GET STARTED! BEGIN!"

Mighty Mask lightly punched Killa out of the ring as Jewel dashed towards Lazuli. The cyborg hadn't been concerned about the blonde at first, but the speed at which the blonde moved unnerved her. She was forced to block the attack, noticing the abnormal strength that a normal human shouldn't possess. Jewel threw a torrent of jabs that would make a pro boxer jealous at the cyborg, who blocked or evaded each one.

"Tch…!" Lazuli clicked her tongue. She jumped into the air and was once again surprised to see that blonde follow her to the skies. "There's something off about this guy." Her eyes then trailed to Mighty Mask. "And that one's even stranger." Lazuli avoided the bullet-like kicks, and countered with a backhand to Jewel's face. However, the blonde recovered easily to engage the cybernetic woman in a melee clash.

"Are we not gonna help her, Trunks?" Goten asked.

"Nah, let her get some steam off first."

"HEY!"

Mighty Mask lazily looked back at Hercule, who had apparently gotten sick of being ignored. "I don't know who you think you are, Mighty Mask! But I'll be taking you out first, then those other two as well!"

"Ugh…" Mighty Mask rolled his eyes. "You're not even worth the effort." He muttered under his breath.

CRASH!

The boys looked down to see that Jewel had crashed down next to them in a small crater. She slowly rose out of the ground with a very pissed look at the put the boys on edge. "If you tweedle-dumbs are done standing around, then help me!"

"I figured someone of your strength could handle it." Mighty Mask teases.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"G-guys!" Goten's warning came a little too late. The three of them looked up to see a KI blast coming down on top of them, blowing a larger hole into the ring. Hercule was almost knocked off by the wind pressure alone, but the champion managed to barely hang on. He stuttered in fear at the power displayed in front of him, clearly aware of how doomed he was.

Lazuli waited in the air until two blurs came at her from both directions. She raised her arms to protect herself from the onslaught of punches and kicks that Mighty Mask and Jewel were throwing her way. She leaned back, causing their fists to connect, then leaned back in to backhand them both in the face. Lazuli whipped around a roundhouse kick into Might Mask's stomach, then moved her head out of the way of Jewel's punch. Grabbing the blonde's arm, Lazuli judo flipped the fighter into the approaching Mighty Mask.

"Grr…! She's making a fool of us!" Jewel growled with shame.

"You could bother to throw some kicks in, Goten!" Trunks hissed.

"I can barely see!" Goten defended himself.

Jewel knew there was a way out of this that could give them the win. However, the cons outweigh the pros. "Eh, whatever. Boys, let's go Super Saiyan!"

"Yeah! We should do that, Trunks!" Goten agreed with his sister.

"Well, we're disguised, so it shouldn't hurt. Can you do it while disguised?" Trunks turned to the transformed Nayuta.

"Yeah, but it'll burn through the time limit on this ability. Let's finish this quickly." Jewel said.

"Right!"

"These three are good. Too good for people of their appearances. It's as if-" Lazuli's eyes went wide when her opponents transformed into Super Saiyans. This move gave away their identities immediately. "I see, Super Saiyan. I know who you are now, brats...!"

"Don't use full power, guys!" Goten reminded them.

"We know!" Trunks and Nayuta yelled as they charged up their KI attacks.

"BIG TREE…!"

"KA! ME! HA! ME…!"

"CANNON!"

"HAAAAA!"

Lazuli's smirk faded as the weight of those attacks became apparent quickly. She dodged out of the way in time and watched in baffled gasps at the damage the kids caused to the ocean behind her. She turned back to them with a new plan in mind. "These kids have that much power…?! I have to end this quickly before they do something even more stupid!" Lazuli loudly addressed the brats. "GOTEN! TRUNKS! NAYUTA! I'M ENDING THIS NOW!"

"EH?!" The kids cried. "How does she know?!"

Lazuli raised her hand and created her husband's signature technique. The destructo disk flew right at Mighty Mask, splitting him in half to reveal the truth. Goten and Trunks scrambled like frightened chickens as their disguise was completely ruined.

"You idiots! Why didn't you dodge-"

POOF!

Nayuta stopped as her transformation gave way, back in her true form in Jewel's baggy clothing. The female hybrid blanched at how quickly her transformation fell apart. "You have got to be kidding me…"

"M-MIGHTY MASK AND JEWEL A-ARE JUST A COUPLE OF KIDS?!" The announcer voiced the surprise that everyone in the stadium was feeling.

"Argh! Screw it! Let's just kick her ass, boys!" Nayuta ordered as she tore off Jewel's clothes to reveal her GI underneath.

"Right! She can't take us on like this!" Trunks exclaimed.

"Here we go!" The Super Saiyan trio rushed the female cyborg, who was all too ready to take them on. However, that chance would never come as a very loud voice interrupted them.

"TRUUUUNKS! YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!" Bulma's shout was heard, even with all the screaming in the stadium. Trunks gulped in fear at his mother's declaration. Goten and Nayuta were in a similar boat as they felt their mother's presence wash over them, promising a rough punishment for even daring to go behind her back.

"Uh oh…" Goten mumbled.

"GOTTA GO!" Trunks and Nayuta grabbed the trembling Goten and took off from the stadium to escape the wrath of their mothers, even though they knew it was a futile effort in the end.

Lazuli allowed herself to relax, now completely certain of her victory. She lowered herself back down to the ring, in front of the trembling Hercule Satan.

"WITH THE DISQUALIFICATION OF MIGHTY MASK AND JEWEL! THE TOURNAMENT NOW COMES DOWN TO ITS FINAL COMPETITORS: MR. SATAN VS LAZULI!"

Hercule gulped. "I-I'm so dead…"

"Stupid tournament…! I feel so humiliated!" Nayuta complained as she and the boys flew far enough away from the island. "We didn't get to fight Gohan or the others, then Lazuli embarrassed us, and now we're totally grounded when this is all over!"

"Quit complaining! It isn't all that bad!"

"Says the moron who got us into this mess!" Nayuta hissed at Trunks.

"You didn't have to go along with it!" Trunks yelled in her face. As the two continued their shouting match, Goten just sucked on his thumb. He wondered if getting his mom some flowers would quell her enough to not punish them harshly. Their mom's punishments weren't fun to experience.

"Goten! Nayuta! Trunks!"

"Hm?" The three looked over to see Videl flying over to them. "Videl!" Goten waved at his brother's girlfriend. Nayuta just snorted with disinterest, while Trunks crossed his arms. He didn't have much of an opinion since he didn't know her.

"What are you three doing out here?" Videl asked.

"We got disqualified!" Goten answered.

"We snuck into the Adult Division. Didn't really work out well." Trunks clarified. Videl wanted to think back to how she didn't recognize they were there but decided to shelve that for later. There were more important things they needed to talk about. So, she started explaining everything regarding Majin Buu to the hybrid brats. Videl was expecting to see looks of worry or even fear, feelings that she had upon learning all of this, but instead the kids looked…excited?!

"Wizards…?"

"Magic monsters…?"

"Fate of the world…?"

Trunks turned to the twins. "H-hey, guys? You understood that, right?"

"Yeah!"

"No duh!"

The three were now bouncing up and down in the air, screaming loudly. "THIS IS SO COOL! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME!"

"W-what?!" Videl flinched back.

"It's that way, right?!" Trunks pointed at the far distance.

"Yeah, I can feel a whole bunch of energy that way!" Nayuta answered.

"C'MON! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO!" Goten jumped onto his sister and best friend.

"Alright, boys! It's a race against the clock to get there before those lame grown-ups beat up this Majin Buu!" Nayuta declared. "ON YOUR MARK!" She, Goten, and Trunks got into position. "GET SET!" All three transformed into Super Saiyans. "GOOOOO!"

Videl was blown back by the pure force of their launch, almost losing grip on her own flight. She managed to stabilize herself to avoid falling into the sea below. All the champion's daughter could do was stare at the three lights as they vanished into the distance. "N-no way…"

Fami turned towards the loud cheering as the winner of the tournament was finally decided. "Well, it seems like Hercule is the champion again." Though her face showed no emotion, the Famine Devil seemed heartbroken. "All of the food that could've been bought…"

"Honestly, this entire thing was a waste of time." Makima sighed. Regardless of the things happening in the background, they could've spent most of the time lost doing things as a family instead of being at this tournament. "Perhaps I should just-"

PA PARA PA PA!

Makima and Fami flinched as a torrent of dark energy flooded the island like a tsunami. Magic and KI infused together in a condensed force that threatened to eradicate everything around it. But the worst part was the familiarity of the KI.

"Vegeta…" Fami realized.

"Let's move." Makima could sense her husband, son, and sister were standing right in the middle of Vegeta's dark center. A massive explosion followed right after, screams of panic filling the air within seconds. The sisters took off towards the stage to see what was going on and what had gone wrong.

"V-Vegeta…?" Bulma muttered, devastated by the destruction her husband had just caused to the stadium. She didn't know what to think as the stands transformed into utter panic at the sudden attack that killed a good portion of people.

"What the hell is he doing?! Why aren't Goku or Gohan stopping him?!" Yamcha yelled. "Just what the hell is going on?!"

Power trembled in fear, her senses going haywire just from the dark impulses radiating off of Vegeta. She fell to her rear, sweat pouring down her body like a waterfall. "T-t-that guy…! I-I-I-"

"Power?!" Denji and Aki were by her side within a moment. The hunter tried to figure out what was bothering her. "Her senses must be going haywire, because of Vegeta!" Aki realized.

"Then, why the hell am I fine?!" Denji asked.

"Because you're not fully a Devil." The group turned to see that Makima and Fami had returned. "Power's instincts are reacting to the presence of the strongest malicious force in the area, like a scared animal about to be feasted on by a predator." The Control Devil explained.

"Makima!" Yamcha explained.

"I'm here too." Fami raised her hand.

Bulma rushed over to her fellow mother and grasped her arms. "You have to stop Vegeta! I don't know what's come over him, but he's not like this anymore! I know he isn't! Something must've happened!" The CEO practically begged with tears brimming.

Makima's eyes shifted down towards the source of the commotion. She doesn't have full knowledge of what's going on, but she can feel the dark magic that's infected the prince's body. The nagging feeling that she had been feeling the entire day returned, and that pretty much solidified her decision. "Fami, keep watch over them."

"I'll try."

Makima took off towards the stage and pointed her finger down at Vegeta. She hadn't gone unnoticed as her family members caught her approaching. "Makima?!" Goku cried.

"Mom!" Gohan shouted.

"Control…" Yoru muttered.

The prince felt the woman's intrusion on his mind and snarled nastily. He already had one annoying voice trying to influence him and he didn't need another one attempting it. Especially not Kakarot's freak of a wife. His eyes shifted towards her with malicious fury, a single arm raised in her direction. "Stay out of my head! BEGONE!"

Makima's eyes widened at the massive wave of KI that filled her vision. The Control Devil would have dodged it but remembered the certain people behind her. With a wave of her hand, she used her abilities to force the people in the stands and her group of companions out of the way of the attack. Which unfortunately left her open to take the full force of Vegeta's attack. Her body exploded with pain as she was blown through the island, everything in the blast's path was utterly obliterated. Buildings, cars, and people alike were erased before realization could've been realized. Whatever was left of Makima's body was left to sink into the ocean's depths.

"MAKIMA!" Bulma cried, speechless by the destruction caused.

"MOM!" Gohan yelled. His own anger rose as he tried to locate his mother's energy. He knew she couldn't be killed that easy, but he had no idea just how far her regeneration could go.

Asa covered her mouth, disgusted by such acts of cruelty. She had no issue with punishing the evils of the world, but to kill innocent people so easily, to hurt someone you knew was going too far. "Gohan's mom…she-"

"She isn't dead, but that attack definitely left her worse for wear. Don't focus on Control, because she isn't important at the moment." Yoru reminded her partner.

Vegeta slowly turned back to Goku with a satisfied look in his eyes. "So, Kakarot, are you finally ready to begin?"

Goku's eyes were closed, the pure-hearted Saiyan took deep breaths to get his emotions under control. Right now, he couldn't allow himself to be lost in anger. Makima would be okay, he knows that, but feeling her KI drop so drastically fast pushed his buttons in the wrong way. His Super Saiyan form came to life, and he kept his eyes completely on Vegeta. "Fine, then."

"No, stop!" Shin got in the way. "This is just what Babadi wants!"

Goku ignored him. "Vegeta, you surrendered yourself to Babadi just to make me fight, right?"

"Huh?" Gohan gasped.

"If I hadn't then I never would've gotten to fight you. After today you'll be gone from this world forever." Vegeta admitted.

Shin couldn't believe his ears. Were these people truly willing to risk the entire fate of the universe just for a simple fight?! "A fight?! You'll risk everything for something so meaningless?!"

THAT struck a chord in the prince's heart. "Meaningless?! What do you know of meaning?!" His KI exploded, kicking up wind around them. "I don't give a damn about Majin Buu! I am Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, yet I had to watch as this low-born fool surpassed me in strength! As he humiliated me time and time again! He's even saved my life as if I were a helpless child! He has stolen my honor and his debts must be paid!"

Yoru lowered her head as the prince's speech echoed in her mind. She hated the way she could relate to his words. That feeling of inferiority when you should be at the pinnacle of everything, yet you end up coming up short every time to others around you. Images of Makima and Goku surfaced through her head, pissing her off even more.

Goku felt like he understood Vegeta a little better than he had before. He knew what needed to be done if he wanted this to end. "BABADI! TAKE US SOMEWHERE THERE'S NO PEOPLE! AND THEN I'LL FIGHT HIM!"

"Wait!" Shin jumped in the way again. "Fight me first if you wish to do this!" Shin hoped that his status as the Supreme Kai would be enough, but Goku wasn't changing on his stance. He raised a hand towards the Kai with a KI blast at the ready. Gohan, Asa, and even Vegeta were surprised by Goku's actions. Yoru, for once, was impressed by her brother-in-law's willingness to go the mile.

"D-Dad…" Gohan mumbled. "You can't…"

"Fine." Shin relented.

"Sorry, Supreme Kai." Goku apologized.

PA PARA PA PA

The six of them were gone, teleported to a different location, much to the confusion of everyone else in the arena.

Now standing in an empty rocky wasteland, Shin stood over the hole that leads to Babadi's ship. "Goku, you and Vegeta can fight it out to your heart's content. Gohan, War, and I shall make our way towards Babadi and Dabura. Buu may have awoken from this shock, but it'll be better than having him brought back to his full strength."

"Oh no, you don't!"

"Guh…!" Vegeta grunted, gripping his skull as Babadi tried to force his control over the prince.

"Stop them, Vegeta! Kill the Supreme Kai!"

"N-no…! They have nothing to do with this! My only focus is Kakarot!" Vegeta declared. His ability to fight back against Babadi was shocking to the warlock and Kai.

"I'll only say this one more time, Vegeta! As your master I command you to kill the Supreme Kai!"

"G-guh..! Grr…! A-and I'll only say this once! I only want to fight Kakarot!" Vegeta declared. "I-I am the proud prince of the Saiyans! You may have invaded my mind and my body but there's something a Saiyan always keeps…HIS PRIDE!" Whatever hold Babadi may have had over him was completely severed.

"To think there was a mortal capable of resisting Babadi's magic…" Shin was stunned.

"That's just like you, Vegeta." Goku huffed. "Even Makima's abilities couldn't keep you under control for long."

"This Vegeta is something else. I don't think we can take him if it comes down to it." Asa gulped.

Yoru crossed her arms and walked towards the hole. "Then feel glad we're not the ones he wants to fight. We have more important matters." As she said that, the entrance to the ship opened up to allow them passage. "Seems Babadi doesn't want his precious Buu waking up so soon." She looked back at her nephew. "C'mon, Gohan! You're wasting time!"

"R-right!" Gohan hurried over, but his father stopped him.

"Gohan! Catch!" The hybrid caught the green bean. "Eat that Senzu Bean, Gohan. You've used up a lot of energy."

"Thanks, Dad." Gohan said as he ate the bean.

"Gohan." Goku stared his oldest son in the eyes. "Get angry, just like you did with Cell. I know it scares you son, but that power is what we need the most right now. The half of you that you've kept locked away will save this world. When you're at full power, nobody can beat you."

Gohan understood what his dad was saying, it was similar to what his mom and Piccolo have been telling him for years. But he didn't want to rely on that power if it meant losing himself again. "I'm sorry, Dad. This was our last day together and everything."

"Don't worry, we'll still have plenty of time left." Goku reassured him. He turned back to Vegeta as the three disappeared into the ship. The hole closed, meaning that the two-remaining full-breed Saiyans would have their privacy.

"I need to end this quickly. But should I use that power now? No, I can't risk losing my time on Earth. Gohan and the others should be able to stop Buu in time." Goku made his decision and gave his full attention to Vegeta. "I can't let any energy get sent to Majin Buu. I'll be ending this quickly."

"Heh! I look forward to seeing the fruits of your training in the afterlife." Vegeta said.

"HAH!" Goku powered up to the ascended level of a Super Saiyan.

Vegeta salivated at the pressure of Goku's KI against his own. "Impressive! You're stronger than Gohan was during the Cell Games." The prince's own KI rose to match Goku's. "HAH!" Lightning surrounded him, his hair also grew even more spikey, to signify his ascension.

Surprise showed on Goku's face, meaning that he had underestimated Vegeta's growth a bit. "Seems this won't be so quick, after all."

"COME, KAKAROT! I'LL FINALLY KILL YOU!" Vegeta rushed his rival with a kick aimed at his head. Goku blocked the strike, then grabbed Vegeta's oncoming punch. The two traded blows that shook the wasteland, which was ended by Goku roundhouse kicking the prince away.

Vegeta emerged from the ground to stand against his lifelong opponent. The two smirked at each other, clearly enjoying their long-awaited battle.

"Welcome, Supreme Kai, the one who killed my father." Babadi and Dabura stood in front of Buu's egg, facing off against their enemies.

"I've come to defeat you, Babadi, and stop Buu's revival." Shin promised.

"Heh! With Dabura on my side this will be a cinch!" Babadi promised.

Yoru strolled forward, brandishing her bone weapons. "I wonder, King of Demons, have you heard of the Death Devil?"

Dabura raised a brow. "I've heard rumors of such a creature, yes."

"Good, then you can tell her I said 'Fuck off' when you see her." Yoru threatened. Gohan stepped next to his aunt, ready to assist her in the fight.

Babadi shook his head. "Buu shall awaken soon, so let's not destroy the ship. I'll be changing locations."

"Fine, but I'll still kill you!" Shin hissed.

PA PARA PA PA

They now stood in a similar wasteland as the one the Saiyans were battling in. Babadi turned to his loyal henchman. "Just to be sure, you can defeat them, Dabura?"

"Of course, Master. I was handling the boy just fine, and that Devil shall be no issue either." Dabura assured him.

"We can do this, right? It's like those climax scenes in movies where everything really matters!" Asa is slightly worried.

"Of course, we can. Stop worrying so much and focus on the battle at hand!" Yoru yelled.

Gohan clenched his fists and transformed into a Super Saiyan; his father's words echoed in his head. "I am angry, Dad. At what happened to Mom, what Vegeta did at the tournament, and at these guys trying to end the world. But I can't be like I was before…I just can't!"

"It's over for you, Supreme Kai! You can't kill me like you had my Father! I'm much stronger than he was-"

BIIP! BIIP!

"W-what?" Babadi turned to Buu's egg. Disbelief at the readings on the energy meter left the warlock in a sense of ecstasy. "A-already?"

"What?!/What?!"

"He…he…he…he's at full power!" Babadi declared, much to the horror of Shin. "MAJIN BUU IS AT FULL POWER! HE'S FINALLY GOING TO AWAKEN!"

"H-how is that possible?! Those two just started fighting!" Asa exclaimed.

Yoru almost shattered her swords from the anger threatening to erupt. "Of course…those damn morons! They're fighting at full strength, so of course Buu's meter would fill within seconds!"

Gohan tried to look on the positive. "Guys, don't worry! We can still do this, right Supreme Kai?!" His words were only met with despair as the Kai looked close to giving up.

"I-it's over…I can't believe I miscalculated to such an extent. You Saiyans have truly done it now…! This world-no this universe-is doomed and there's nothing we can do!"

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Failure

"Mommy?"

Makima, who was doing her paperwork in the dining room, looked down to see her 3-year-old son. The little boy was dressed in a light blue onesie with a hole cut in the back to allow his tail to move freely. She could tell by the look in his eyes that the boy was tired, clearly being up past his bedtime was doing him no favors. Something she never had to worry about since Gohan usually slept peacefully throughout the night after a fulfilling dinner. "Gohan?"

"What are you doing, Mommy?"

"Paperwork." She answered. The late nights after dinner when both her darling and son were fast asleep were the best times to get work done without interruptions.

"I-is it like my homework?" Gohan asked.

"Yes, but for grown-ups." Makima answered and felt a warm sensation at the boy's smile. It always fascinated her to see the way his eyes lit up at the opportunity to learn new things, just like herself and his father. She had never given children much thought, finding them much easier to put under control than adults, however her son was a new step for her. For one, Makima was unsure if she was ever doing anything right with the boy in the first place. She knew the basics of keeping a child alive and healthy, but the deeper aspects were unknown to her.

Whenever she watched her darling interact with Gohan it always seemed so easy to do. A bright smile here, some tickling there, and some other form of games would make the toddler happy as can be. Goku never struggled to bond with their son, but Makima found herself staying at arms length more often than not. She cared for him, but she didn't know how to be a mother, so she stuck with 'being around' as the best way to handle the problem.

The only time she's ever hugged Gohan was the day he was born.

Makima left her thoughts when she felt a small hand grab the leg hole of her shorts. She looked down to see her son had closed the gap between. She didn't make a move to reach for him, since she could tell that he likely wanted to get picked up. Goku picked Gohan up all the time and made the boy feel like he was flying whenever he did. Makima decided to ask him the important question. "Why are you awake, Gohan?"

"I-I had a bad dream. I usually go to yours and Daddy's room, but you weren't in there and Daddy is still out on his camping trip." Gohan explains. Goku had gone out on one of his annual camping trips to get some training done. It's the only time he was able to get any personal space since Gohan was born. It was never too big of an issue since he was only gone for a month at best and if the trip took longer then she'd go out to find him.

"I see. It was just a dream, Gohan, and dreams can't hurt you." Makima said.

"B-but they're scary." Gohan muttered, eyes facing the floor.

"They're only scary when you allow them to be." She sighed when he continued looking down at the floor. "Look at me, Gohan."

The boy looked up and found himself amazed by his mother's eyes. His daddy told him that people found her eyes scary, but they never seemed that way to him or his daddy. In fact, his mother's eyes were always looking out at something more, something that they just couldn't see themselves. It was a mystery and he liked mysteries, because they reminded him of his mother.

"Fear isn't something that hurts us, in fact, it makes us stronger." Makima explained.

"Really?" Gohan gasped.

"Yes, for you possess my blood, the blood of the Control Devil. I was born from the fear humans have of 'control', thus I don't fear the world around me or the unknown. It is the same for you, Gohan. You have nothing to be afraid of as long as you take control of the things that scare you." Makima explains. "The more people fear me, the stronger I become."

Gohan made a little noise, and squeezed his mother's leg. "I don't fear you, Mommy."

"Really? These eyes or my words don't scare you?"

He shook his head at her. "No, because you always make my bed in the morning, cook yummy food, help me with my school work, and give me nice clothes to wear! I'm not scared of you, Mommy! I love you!"

The Control Devil stared at the small boy as her chest felt like something had stabbed into her heart. She knows what love is, since she loves her darling, but that was a different kind of love. A love that's born from a deep want, a desire to become one with another person in an intimate fashion. Her darling was the only person in the world capable of drawing that kind of emotion out of someone as evil as her. But what Gohan needed was different, so much different that she felt that a single misstep would ruin him forever. He was a bright boy, much similar to his father, and she didn't want to ruin that. If she got too close to him…then he'd…maybe he would be-

"I love you!" Gohan repeated, sending another ripple through his mother's heart. "You have to say it back, Mommy! Daddy always says it back!"

She opened her mouth. "I…" Before she could finish saying the words, Makima used her abilities to put her son to sleep. She grabbed him before he could hit the floor and gently pulled him into her arms. Makima listened to his soft breaths as she slept peacefully in her arms. "I love you too."

…

…

…

As she laid in the bottom of the sea, her body was slowly pulling itself back together. Makima could feel the malevolent energy that was spewing out into the planet, covering it like a blanket of pure chaos. She didn't know what it was, but she could barely feel the energies that were the closest to the source. As her mind started slipping to focus on regenerating, Makima could only do one thing.

"Don't die…"

"Don't die…Gohan."

"What…?" Gohan turned his head away from the situation. "Was that, Mom?"

"GOHAN!" The hybrid snapped back to reality as his classmate and Shin were calling out his name. His aunt just stood there, still ready to fight whatever Majin Buu was truly going to turn out to be.

"We need to get out of here! It's hopeless!" Shin yelled at his companions.

"What are you talking about?! We can't just leave this!" Gohan denied the God's idea.

"Gohan's right, there's no way we can just run away when that thing you've been scared of is about to emerge!" Yoru added.

Shin couldn't believe the audacity of these mortals. "I already told you all that if Majin Buu were to awaken, then it would be the end of everything! There's nothing we can do to stop him!"

"B-but there has to be something we can do?! Right?!" Asa exclaimed.

"WE NEED TO LEAVE! NOW!" Shin roared, clearly panicking.

"Like, hell I'm gonna run away! There's only one thing we can do in this situation and that's fight!" Yoru's pride as one of the four Horsemen refused to listen to the whims of some God that was scared of a boogeyman. She wasn't going to fail here when she was in the perfect position to show why a being like her should be feared in the first place.

Gohan glared at the villains across from them, Babadi's wicked laughter echoing victoriously through the raging winds. He knew that the Supreme Kai was likely right that it would be better for them to escape now, but he couldn't risk that. There was too much at stake for him to turn tail like a failure. His father, mother, little siblings, and friends were all counting on him to save the day again like he had seven years ago. "If he's already at full power, then I might as well do something!"

"What?!" Shin, Yoru, and Asa were almost blown back by Gohan's aura as the teen powered himself up to his max.

"RAAAAH!" Gohan screamed, then cupped his hands to his side. "I'M NOT GOING TO RUN AWAY! I'LL FINISH THIS HERE! KA! ME! HA! ME! HAAAAA!" Gohan unleashed the strongest energy blast he could muster at the smoking egg.

"WHAT?!" Babadi cried as Dabura quickly grabbed him to dodge out of the attack's way. The beam collided with the egg, pushing against the malevolent aura that pulsated around it. Everyone had to hold themselves firm from the air pressure created by the clash.

"You fool! It's hopeless! There's no way you could possibly-"

"HAAAA!" Gohan pushed out one more burst of power that managed to knock Buu's egg off of its stand. The pink egg rolled across the ground before coming to a complete stop and opening up to reveal nothing inside. Everyone stared at the empty shell with shock and disappointment.

"N-no way…it's not possible… Majin Buu is…" Babadi stuttered.

"He's not there…?" Dabura muttered.

Shin blinked for a few moments as he overcame his own shock. Relief and hope swelled inside of him, refilling his confidence. "Ha ha! Tough luck, Babadi! Seems like your Majin Buu had grown weaker during his time sealed away and the energy killed him!" In his time of gloating, the God completely missed the way his allies were shivering from cold sweat.

Dabura heard his master growl at the Kai and tried to ease his worries. "Worry not, Master! Even without Majin Buu, you still have me! And as soon as Vegeta is properly under your control then-"

"I don't care! All of this would be pointless if I don't have Majin Buu!" Babadi hissed.

Shin continued, still ignorant of his allies' plight. "Goku and Vegeta are probably evenly matched! I'll wrestle down Babadi, so as long as you two defeat Dabura then this battle will be ours! It's just as your Father said, Gohan! Let your true power show itself and this world will have a future!" Shin declared proudly.

"No…"

"What?" Shin grew confused. He turned to Yoru, whose body was shaking like a leaf as if a deathly chill had filled the air.

"Y-Yoru…this power it's…" Asa's spirit trembled. Her hand flew to her mouth to prevent her bowls from exiting her body.

"We really did fuck up…!" Yoru muttered.

"Supreme Kai…" Shin turned to Gohan, who was in a similar state as his aunt and friend. "There's a monstrous KI building…and it's right above us!" Gohan and everyone else looked up to see a huge cloud of pink smoke gathering together.

"W-what…what is that?!" Babadi questioned.

Shin's hope died once again, fear gripping his form. "No! No, it can't be!"

As the pink cloud started taking shape, Gohan and Yoru flinched back from the overwhelming darkness emanating from the creature. Its body, arms, legs, and head fully formed to show the appearance of the terrifying entity known as Majin Buu. Buu has pink skin, an antenna on top of his head with three "steam holes" on each side. He is clothed in a purple cape, and a black vest with golden trims. He wears yellow gloves and boots with white baggy pants. He also wears a black belt with a golden belt buckle with the "M" insignia. "BUUUUUUUUUUUU!" The monster screamed.

Buu dropped down onto the ground with a cheery smile on his chubby face. The creature just stood there as he tried to make sense of his surroundings after centuries of being asleep. Buu stretched his arms and kicked out his legs. A happy little laugh left his mouth as he continued doing his little exercise.

"M-Master…is that Buu?" Dabura basically asked what was on everyone's mind.

"I don't know. Only the Supreme Kai has ever seen him before. Babadi and Dabura looked for confirmation, and judging by the look on Shin's face, their assumptions were correct.

"So, that's Majin Buu?" Gohan asked.

"Yes, I'll never forget his horrible face!" Shin snarled.

"I'm not going to lie, I kinda expected something bigger and uglier." Asa comments.

Yoru tightened her grip on her swords. "Don't let his appearance fool you, girl, feel out that thing's power. This also goes for you, Gohan."

"What? Auntie-" He was interrupted by Yoru's fierce glare.

"I know you can feel that thing's power, brat. I'm certain Piccolo taught you not to underestimate an opponent just because of their appearance. That thing may look cute and cuddly, but there's a dark energy kept inside of him. Almost to the point where it could swallow the whole galaxy." The feeling that Buu was giving off could even make the Darkness Devil shit itself just from being near it.

"Your Aunt is correct, Gohan. We can't underestimate Buu!" Shin said.

Gohan clenched his fists and stood to his full height. "I know, but still…I feel like if I go all out, then I will definitely beat him."

"Wait, Vegeta!" Goku, who was pretty beaten up and bloody, held his hand up to his rival's face. The fallen prince glared at his foe with impatient anger.

"What?!" Vegeta hissed. He was equally as bloody and bruised as Goku, which remained as evidence of their intense battle.

"A huge KI just appeared! It's pretty powerful too! That must be Majin Buu!" Goku realized. He internally cursed himself for letting the battle get to his head, since it led to the chaos entity to be released.

Vegeta looked over to where Buu's KI was emitting from. A dark chuckle came from the prince before turning into full blown laughter. Goku was confused by whatever Vegeta found humorous. "So, that's Majin Buu, huh? Not much to speak of, is he?"

"I don't know…he feels abnormal." Goku responded.

"Tch! That Supreme Kai was supposed to be invincible, but were you impressed?! All that buffoon managed to do was overestimate the abilities of our opponents and was left shocked by our strength! We Saiyans and even that sister of yours have already left these 'Godly' beings in the dust!" Vegeta declared heatedly. "Majin Buu is not a threat!"

"I-I don't know, Vegeta. We should-"

"ENOUGH!" Vegeta's roar caught Goku off-guard. "You will not delay our battle any further! Every second wasted speaking is time that could be used to battle!" He dashed at his rival with a punch that sent Goku flying back. The pure Saiyan refocused himself on the fight in front of him, and countered Vegeta's next attack with an uppercut to his jaw. Vegeta fought against the momentum to keep himself in Goku's personal space. The two clashed fists that created shockwaves that devastated the area around them.

Babadi and Dabura carefully approached Buu, who was still doing his exercises. "B-Buu, I am Babadi, son of Bibidi, your master! I am the one who freed you from the shell that you were trapped in! Which means that I am now your master!"

Buu stared at the tiny warlock with disinterest. He turned away, having no desire to be controlled by another magic-user. Babadi took clear offense to the rude disregard. "H-hey?! Where are your manners-"

"BOO!" Buu's head turned a full 180 degrees, his face morphing into a horrific abomination that would even give a Devil nightmares for years. Babadi fell to his rear as Buu childishly laughed at the little warlock.

Dabura spat at Majin Buu. "Peh! Nothing but a child!" He crossed his arms with clear disapproval. "Looks like we failed, Master Babadi. Majin Buu is nothing but a fat child!"

Buu stopped laughing. His head slowly turned to face the Demon King, who raised a brow in response. "What? Do you have an issue, fatty?"

Buu just stared at him.

The others just kept quiet, carefully watching the scene play out. Asa, even though she was in spirit form, kept close to Gohan and Yoru as if that would bring her some comfort.

Dabura, who seemed to have lost all sense of self-preservation, continued to taunt the pink monstrosity. "What's wrong, fatass? Do you want to try fighting me-"

PWEEEEE!

Gohan, Yoru, and Asa felt their stomachs drop as Buu's power increased within seconds. The monster's power already felt overwhelming, but this burst of power was unlike anything they've felt before.

If you asked any of them what had happened, they wouldn't be able to describe the scene to you. One moment Dabura was standing there with his arrogant grin, and the next he was on the ground withering in pain as his horns and left arm had been brutally torn from his body. Buu held the pieces of the demon's body in his hand, then swallowed them whole with a soft burp following afterwards.

"GAAAH!" Dabura's pained screams echoed throughout the wasteland. He tried to move, but Buu warped through the space between them within seconds. The pink monster's short leg embedded itself into the king's chest almost like a cartoon. Dabura bounced across the ground like a pebble skipping on a lake's surface and smashed into a plateau.

One would think that Babadi would be distraught over one his strongest pawns getting destroyed so easily, but instead he was ecstatic. "Buu! Buu, you are incredible! You completely flattened Dabura as if he was nothing!" Buu soaked up the praise, dancing like a ballerina.

Gohan was still reeling from the pressure of Buu's power. "H-his KI just shot up like a geyser! His power is unbelievable!"

"Huh? Did you two feel that?" Trunks asked the twins. The three were merely cruising along now, having initially gotten lost when the cluster of KIs they felt before disappeared.

"Yeah, it feels really strong!" Goten responded.

"There's also two other KIs in that direction." Nayuta pointed to the left. "It feels like our Papas, but something is off about it."

"Which way do you two want to go?" Trunks asked. He already knew which way he wanted to go, and hoped they would pick the same.

"Isn't it obvious? We're going after the bigger power source! That one has to be Majin Buu!" Nayuta pointed to the right.

"Yeah!" Goten agreed with his sister.

"Okay, then! Let's go!" The three took off towards where Majin Buu's power was coming from.

This time both Goku and Vegeta stopped their fight after feeling Buu's burst of power. Whatever feeling of superiority Vegeta held over the Majin started to waver after that power burst. Goku turned to his rival. "We can't keep fighting like this, Vegeta! Buu's power is no joke!"

"Shut up! All I care about is our match!"

"What about everyone else, huh?! Bulma and Trunks will be killed if Majin Buu is allowed to roam free!"

The mention of his wife and son made Vegeta pause for a moment, but the dark impulses tried to push those thoughts away. "S-shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP! I sold my soul to eliminate that sense of compassion in my heart! They don't matter to me! Nothing else matters other than our battle!"

"That's a lie, Vegeta." Goku saw right through him. "You didn't sell your love for them."

"What would you know?! You sold your soul to a Devil, didn't you?!" Vegeta fired back.

"I didn't sell anything, Vegeta. I just fell in love with Makima and vice versa. Makima being a Devil never mattered to me. Loving people isn't a weakness, Vegeta." Goku said with a soft smile.

The prince allowed his words to sink in, then stood back up straight. "Fine… We'll put this off since you clearly can't concentrate."

"I can't? Hehe!" Goku giggled.

"Give me a Senzu, we've both used up a lot of energy." Vegeta offered his hand.

"Sure!" Goku naively turned his back to grab the pouch. "There's only one, so if we split it then it can work. With the two of us together, along with Gohan, then we can win-GUH!" Goku's Super Saiyan form gave out after a strong impact nailed the back of his head.

Vegeta picked the bean up off the ground and ate it. "Even you can be taken out when you let your guard down." The bean instantly returned him to full health. Vegeta stared down at the object of his self-doubt and hatred for the past decade or so. Goku's words from earlier echoed in his head without mercy. "I made this mess, so I'll be the one to fix it."

As Vegeta approached the entrance to Babadi's ship, he turned to Goku one last time. "We'll finish this later…if I'm still alive."

"Listen to me, Buu! I am your new master!"

Buu stared at him, then turned away.

He hoped he wouldn't have to use this threat, but this creature wasn't leaving him with any other choice. "I've read my Father's notes, Buu! I know the exact spell to seal you away again!"

Buu froze and looked back down at the warlock.

"You don't want to be sealed away, do you?"

Buu shook his head rapidly, then bowed respectfully at his new 'master'.

"Good! That's better!" Babadi grinned.

Asa narrowed her eyes at the scene. "He acts like a child."

"A child with the ability to drop a nuke if he so wanted." Yoru corrected.

"Should we just kill Babadi?" Gohan suggested.

"No! Killing Babadi now will just leave Buu without someone to keep him controlled!" Shin shut down the suggestion. "There will come a time when Buu proves to be too much for Babadi, and when it does the warlock will seal him back up!"

"And when exactly will that be? After that thing tears the Earth into pieces?" Yoru growled.

Shin didn't try to deny her accusations. "I only have myself to blame for all of this. Had I known the strength you all possess, then I would've used the other way!"

"Other way?" Gohan and Asa took note of his words.

"It's too late, there's no way we'll be able to escape. We're doomed." Shin had already accepted their defeat.

"No way…" Asa muttered.

"Will you stop with the quitter talk! All we need to do is find a weakness! Everything has one, even an abomination like that!" Yoru yelled.

Gohan agreed with his aunt. "Auntie is right! We can't just give up here! I promise, Supreme Kai! I'll stop this thing right here-"

"Buu! Your first order is to kill the Supreme Kai and his allies!"

They barely had a moment to react as Majin Buu descended upon them like a natural disaster. Gohan pushed Supreme Kai back into his aunt as Buu's fist smashed into his chest. Blood and spit erupted from Gohan's mouth as he was blasted across the wasteland. The hybrid's body spun through the air before crashing into a mountain, the landform falling to pieces on top of him.

"GOHAN!" Asa cried his name. There wasn't even a moment to catch their breaths as Buu moved onto his next targets. Yoru tried to block the monster's punch with her bone swords, but they were nothing more than twigs against his power. The War Devil and teenager folded like paper from Buu's attack. The two skidded across the ground, blood erupting from their body in response to the violent attack.

"Gohan! War!" Shin cried out to his allies. The Kai felt Buu's gloved hand grab the top of his head. The pink menace held him up like a toy, then smashed his fist into the Kai's stomach. Blood poured out of his mouth in response, but Buu didn't just stop at one. He continued slugging the Godly being over and over again with sadistic glee. Babadi watched in utter satisfaction as the Kai's screams filled his ears. That was until the ground started to shake violently.

"RAAAAAH!"

BOOM!

The crumpled mountain exploded from the force of Gohan's power. Majin Buu and Babadi turned to his direction to see the teenager's raging aura was affecting the air around them. Crimson color started to blend itself together into the boy's golden aura, giving it a demonic pressure that invaded their senses. Majin Buu dropped the Supreme Kai and gave his full attention to Gohan.

The hybrid could feel the dark presence of his Devil half encroaching on his mind, attempting to take over. As much as he wanted to fight it, as much as he wished to never use it again, the situation was proving too dire. Just the weight of Buu's attack told him just how much everything was truly on the line. "Dad trusted me to put an end to this! I'll use this power even if it means losing myself to it!"

Yoru pushed herself off the ground, still reeling from the attack. Since she and Asa share a pain tolerance, she didn't have to worry about her host being dead. The War Devil could feel the power rolling off of Gohan, the power he inherited from her sister was almost intoxicatingly disgusting. However, it was what they needed right now if they wanted to stop Majin Buu. "I-it's about time you got your head out of your ass, brat…"

Asa stared at her classmate, blown away by how much his power was affecting everything around them. The sky felt like it was shaking in response to the hybrid's might. "J-just what are you…Son Gohan?"

Shin slowly moved out of the way, since Buu was distracted by Gohan's powering up. The God knew that these mortals were powerful, but Gohan was something else entirely. A power that could turn Heaven and Hell to cinders if left unhindered. But even with those thoughts, he didn't feel afraid, in fact he was feeling hopeful. "G-Gohan…you have to win."

Buu stood unfazed by the phenomenon. His creepy smile didn't leave him at all as he awaited his opponent.

"RAAAAAH!" Lightning sparked across his body, his muscles bulged from the increased power, and the spirals in his irises glowed bloody red in a sea of teal. Gohan felt his mind create images of violence, ones depicting the brutal methods that could be used to kill Majin Buu. A sadistic smile formed on his lips, something completely out-of-character for him.

BOOM!

A huge explosion kicked off as Gohan phased in front of Majin Buu. His fists blurred as they pummeled into the pink dough with excessive force. Buu was lifted off his feet due to the momentum and felt himself getting kicked away towards Babadi.

"Gyah!" Babadi ducked out of the way as Buu's large body sailed past him. The monstrous pink ball bounced across the ground before coming to a stop. Buu spun on his heels with a single hand outstretched. Gohan rushed forward only to be smacked across the face by Buu's hand, but before he could go flying, Buu grabbed his ankle.

"WHAM!" Buu slammed the hybrid into the dirt.

"BAM!" Gohan was slammed down like a hammer once again.

"WHAM!"

"SLAM!"

"BAM!"

"WHAM!"

Asa winced from the repeated brutality. "H-he's hitting him like Bam Bam!"

"What…?" Yoru gave her a look.

"W-what?! I watch American cartoons!"

Having enough of being treated like a toy, Gohan released a charged blast into the ground, causing an explosion that knocked Buu away. With himself freed, Gohan rocketed at the pink bubblegum and swiped his hand. The air between them rippled like a wave of water and the space between them was erased completely. The hybrid smashed his fists into Buu's large stomach and when Buu bounced back up like a bouncy ball, Gohan unloaded a torrent of KI blasts that buried Buu deep within the ground.

"B-Buu?!" Babadi cried for his new pet.

"Not enough." Gohan spat out some spit. He was proven correct when Buu joyfully jumped out of the hole, completely unharmed. The pink menace brushed off some of the dust on his body with a soft hum. Gohan smirked at the blob. "Finally! Something that can take the punishment! It's always so disappointing when the toys break too early!"

Buu turned back to his opponent. "Buu no like you."

"Is that supposed to upset me? Well news flash, fatass, nobody likes you either." Gohan grinned, knowing full well that the pink blob hates being insulted.

Majin Buu stared at the hybrid for a moment, processing the second insult thrown at his weight. His slanted eyes opened to reveal the pure fury that existed within them. Steam poured out of his body like a train engine. "Okay! Buu kills you now!"

"Just try it-" Gohan's retort was interrupted by Buu's mighty swing. He managed to block the attack, but the weight behind it made his bones shudder. Gohan was forced back, leaving him open for Buu's next attack. The pink menace enlarged his hands to an insane degree and brought them together with Gohan in between.

"G-gah!" Gohan grunted as he attempted to push back against the pressure of Buu's hands. However, he wouldn't get the chance as copies of Buu's head sprouted out from the palms of his hands. Each one opened their mouths and unleashed a hellish barrage of KI at the hybrid, each one burning his skin like a blazing flame.

"RAAH!" Gohan screamed, unleashing an explosion of KI that finally freed him from Buu's capture. The upper torso of his black spandex had been completely obliterated with only the bottom half to protect his modesty. "D-dammit! What the hell is this thing?!" Gohan blinked and Buu vanished from his sight. "What?!"

"BOO!"

Gohan whipped around to receive a devastating uppercut that blasted him further into the air. He spun for a moment and regained his balance to keep eyes on his opponent. When Buu came rushing at him, Gohan unleashed his chains upon the monster in hopes of taking control of him. However, to his shock Buu raised his pink tendril on his head and released a pink beam that started turning his chains into candy. "H-how?!" He was forced to release them before the effects could reach his body.

Buu devoured the candy chains, licking his lips as he did so. The monster raised his hands and a pink chain shot out at Gohan, shocking the hybrid and those below. The chain wrapped around Gohan's body, trapping him once again.

"A-are those?!" Asa stuttered.

"T-that thing…copied Control's chains?!" Yoru wouldn't have believed it if she wasn't seeing it right now. The War Devil hurried to her feet, confusing her partner.

"W-what are you doing?!" Asa yelled.

"If that brat gets killed then we're all dead! If we can grab even a piece of that pink blob and turn it into a weapon, then we might stand a chance!" Yoru took off towards the battle before Asa could say anything else. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a capsule, popping it to reveal a demonic blade created from the Curse Devil. Its near indestructible nature seemed to be their best bet at the moment.

Buu didn't notice the War Devil approaching with her raised blade until it was too late, and felt his arm get sliced off by Yoru. She reached for the pink limb to turn it into a weapon.

"B-Buu! Your arm!" Babadi screeched.

Shin grunted hopelessly. "W-War…it won't work."

Right before Yoru could make contact with the limb, it balled itself up into a ball and smashed into the Devil's face. Yoru and Asa were utterly baffled by the sudden attack and watched as the arm spun around them like an annoying fly. "He can control his limb even after being severed?!"

Yoru swung her blade at the ball, but her sword harmlessly phased right through it. It crashed into her again, but it didn't stop there. The ball continued repeating the rotations, slamming into the Devil with more force than the last one. There was nothing the duo could do as they were getting pummeled to death.

Gohan watched helplessly as his aunt and friend were brutalized. His anger exploded, tearing through the chains that bind him. "STOP! Gohan blasted the arm to pieces and ignored the way his aunt fell back down to the ground. His eyes shifted to Buu, who used the pieces of his arm to regrow his limb. "I don't care what you are, I'm ending this now!" Gohan cupped his hands to charge his father's technique.

"Buu tired of you. Go away." Buu's eyes opened once more as he instantly created a ball of KI in Gohan's face. The hybrid was forced to rush his attack out in hopes of countering, but it was no use. Buu's attack swallowed him whole and Gohan's body exploded with a level of pain he had never felt before in his entire life. Gohan's screams were drowned out by the noise of the blast as it sent him flying far from the wasteland.

Yoru's eyes widened as she felt her nephew's power plummet like an anchor in the sea. There was nothing she could do as her nephew was being burnt to death in a malicious ball of energy.

Babadi couldn't be happier as he is right now. "Yes, Buu! That's it! Let that fool blast off to the ends of the universe!"

Shin may have struggled to pull himself up, but he still had some strength left in him. His eyes glowed brightly as he blew up the KI ball that was flying off with Gohan. He could see the hybrid's body falling further away. "P-Please live, Son Gohan…don't die yet…"

Gohan's fall was broken by a few trees as he fell into the grassy meadows. His body was broken and beaten, burn marks stained his torso like permanent scars. Breaths barely escape his throat as his body fights to stay alive. Deep within Gohan's mind, a single thought echoed harshly.

"When everyone's dead, it'll be all your fault. You fuckin' failure."

"I-I can't sense him anymore…" Asa muttered; despair written all over her face. She turned to her partner, who was still lying on the ground. "Yoru! Gohan is-" She stopped when she saw the devastated expression the Devil's features. An emotion she's never seen the War Devil convey in their entire time of knowing each other. "Yoru!"

"Gohan…" Yoru desperately searched for her nephew's KI. "Not like that…you can't-!" Whatever she was about to say next was stopped by the immense weight of Majin Buu crashing down on her. Both she and Asa filled the wasteland with their screams as Buu relished in his fun.

"Yes, Buu, yes! Crush her to pieces!" Babadi cheered.

Buu started beating the life out of the Devil beneath him without mercy. His yellow gloves turned red as they were stained with her blood. Buu happily started singing with each punch that smashed the Devil's head back into the ground.

Asa felt like her brain was going to explode just from the sensory overload alone. None of their fights before felt so hopeless, so painful, and yet she tried to think of something. "T-there has to be something we can d-do! W-we're gonna die at this rate! Yoru!" Once again, her partner refused to respond. "Screw it!"

Asa took over their body in between Buu's swings, she gripped the cursed weapon and swung it with everything she had. This time Buu hadn't expected the attack and felt his head disconnect from his shoulders. Asa managed to scramble to her feet, while Buu stumbled back away from her.

"Buu! Your head!" Babadi cried.

The possessed teenager was praying that a decapitation would've done something against the monster. However, her hopes were dashed immediately when Buu simply picked up his head and put it back on. The pink menace laughed happily, clapping his hands at her.

"N-no way…? What can even hurt this thing?!" Asa coughed out, falling to a knee. Their body had yet to fully heal from the brutal onslaught, and without Yoru there wasn't much she could do on her own.

"That was fun!" Buu exclaimed, then raised his hand. "You die now!" Before he could blast the teenager to hell, a spear tore through his stomach. Everyone turned to see that Dabura was still alive, the Demon King was barely clinging on.

"D-Dabura?! Just what are you doing?!" Babadi demanded.

"M-Master Babadi…Buu will never be your loyal servant. That monster will one day prove too much for you and will be your undoing!" Dabura warned him. "H-he must die!"

Babadi didn't take his foolish servant seriously. "Fool! Do you think I still care about you?! I have Buu under my control now, which means you're worthless!"

"Down there! Quick, undo Super Saiyan!" Nayuta ordered the boys. The two listened to her and the three of them dropped down behind the cliffs. The Saiyan hybrids were a good distance away from the action, but they were still able to make out the figures.

"I don't recognize those weirdos." Trunks said.

"No! There's that one weirdo at the tournament!" Goten pointed at Shin. "Then I think that girl is Gohan's classmate!"

"What the heck is even going on down there?" Nayuta grumbled.

"Nayuta, do you know which one is Majin Buu?" Goten asked.

"Why would I know, dummy? Videl didn't hand us a picture." Nayuta scoffed.

Trunks glanced to his left and noticed some weird statues. "Hey, what's that over there?" His question got the twins' attention. The three of them scurried over to the statues, making sure to stay hidden. When they reached the statues, they noticed just how familiar they looked.

"Woah! This one looks like Krillin!" Goten observed the short one.

"And this one is like Piccolo." Nayuta added.

"Weird. I wonder who made them-oh." Trunks knocked on Piccolo's statue a little too hard. Piccolo fell over and broke into pieces.

"Good job, moron! Whoever made these is gonna get mad at us!" Nayuta hissed.

"I didn't know it'd break that easily!" Trunks got back into her face. The two continued to growl at each other, while Goten just sucked on his thumb.

Asa stumbled on her feet as she watched Majin Buu effortlessly turn Dabura into a large cookie. The monster's abilities just continued to baffle her, hell, Devils made more sense than whatever this thing was! Devils were much more straightforward in how their abilities work, whatever concept they were created from defined their powers. But Buu was just an enigma, some kind of unknown entity with not a single weakness. She flinched when Buu's attention turned back to her, and Asa did the only thing she could do.

She turned tail and started running.

"Don't let her escape, Buu! Kill her, then we'll deal with the Supreme Kai!" Babadi ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Buu saluted his 'master'. His pink tendril pointed at Asa's back and fired with terrifying accuracy.

What saved the teenager in the end was the rock she ended up tripping on. Which caused the beam to hit her arm. Asa's instincts kicked in quickly, she raised the cursed blade and sliced off her own arm before the effects could spread. The chocolate limb landed on the ground with a softer thud than her body did. Asa curled into a ball and let out a pained scream as her blood poured out of the wound, Yoru's regeneration moved as quickly as it could to seal up the damage.

Babadi clicked his tongue. "Tch! Brat barely managed to survive. Oh well, she'll bleed out in time." He turned to the Supreme Kai with a victorious grandeur. "Time for you to finally pay for what you did to my father, Supreme Kai!"

Shin could do nothing but await his death, cursing himself for his failures to avenge the lives lost.

"Buu! Eat him too-"

BOOM!

"Eeek!"

"Eh? Krillin?" Goten's voice snapped the other two out of their argument. All three peered down to see that the Krillin statue had turned into Krillin. The ex-monk looked up, surprised to see that the kids were here.

"What?! Why are you three here?!"

"You were a statue!" Trunks exclaimed.

Krillin blinked as the memories came back to him. "That's right! That Dabura guy used his spit to turn us into statues!"

Since, other than Gohan and her mother, Nauyta was the only current Son with a brain cell, she realized something. "Wait…if you were a statue then doesn't that mean…?" She and Trunks gulped loudly. They scrambled back up the cliff towards Piccolo.

"What's wrong with them?" Krillin asked.

"Trunks broke Piccolo's statue." Goten answered nonchalantly.

"EH?!"

The two came back down, looking blue and green. "Uh…let's not tell anyone what happened? Okay?" Trunks pleaded with his friends and Krillin.

"What's the trouble?" Piccolo's gruff voice gained their attention. They saw that their ally was standing above them perfectly fine, as if he hadn't been broken into chunks earlier.

"P-Piccolo, you're okay?!" Nayuta gasped.

"I can regenerate as long as my head is still intact." Piccolo explained. Suddenly, a dark chill went down his spine. The Namekian dropped down to hide himself, causing the others to join him in staying low. "T-that powerful KI?! Could that belong to Majin Buu?!" He turned to the kids. "What's happened?! Where's Goku?!"

"I don't know. We just got here." Trunks answered.

Krillin stared at Majin Buu with fear. "Y-you're telling me that's Majin Buu?!"

"Indeed…"

"N-no way…! That thing makes Cell and Freeza look like baby ants!" Krillin cried.

Piccolo's enhanced eye-sight allowed him to catch the forms of Asa and Shin, both on the ground withering in pain. "The Supreme Kai and War?!"

"Huh? Auntie War is down there?" Goten asked.

"That girl on the ground is sharing a body with your Aunt." Krillin answered.

"Ew. I knew Auntie War was weird, but I didn't think she'd go that far just to try and be young again." Nayua gagged.

Piccolo growled at the kids. "This isn't the time for joking! We need to save-"

"Wait, Piccolo! I know you want to save the Supreme Kai and Gohan's classmate, but not even you would be a match for Buu." Krillin stopped the previous guardian from doing something reckless.

"If that Buu guy was strong enough to hurt Auntie War like that, then he must be pretty dangerous." Nayuta added with Goten nodding his head.

"Then what are we supposed to do-"

BOOM!

Babadi and Buu turned around to the source of the explosion, which is where Babadi's ship used to be located. "M-my ship! What fool could've possibly have done such a thing?!"

Descending from the smoke and flames was a familiar widow's peak having prince. In his hands was a corpse of one of Babadi's leftover minions. He dropped it to the ground as if it were complete trash. Vegeta smirked at the stunned warlock and his newest monster. "I did."

"DAD! It's my Dad!" Trunks exclaimed, happily. The others stared at the prince's arrival with shock and a bit of relief as well.

Asa managed to keep her eyes open to see that Vegeta had arrived at the battle. She didn't know where Goku was, but she hoped that the prince was willing to help. It would be bad if he somehow fully succumbed to Babadi's control, however she had enough critical thinking left to deduce that his blowing up of Babadi's ship said everything.

Babadi hissed at his disobedient 'servant'. "Vegeta, what is wrong with you?! I never told you to blow up the ship!"

Vegeta ignored the warlock and focused fully on Buu. "So, this is Majin Buu…the repugnant monster that killed Gohan."

Piccolo's heart stopped at the revelation; his enhanced hearing allowed him to hear the whole conversation. "No…not Gohan…"

"Piccolo?" He looked down at the Son twins, who were ignorant to the heartbreaking news. "What are they talking about?" Nayuta asked. Piccolo turned away, not having the heart to tell them, not in the situation they're in now.

"Repugnant?" Buu didn't know the definition of the word. He looked down at Babadi for an answer.

"He's calling you ugly."

Buu's mood switch was immediate, boiling hot steam blowing out of the holes on his head. The spectators all flinched from the crushing pressure Buu's exposed KI was causing. "Mad! Mad! Mad! Buu kill you now!"

"Feh! Might as well, since he won't listen anyway." Babadi allowed.

Vegeta prepared himself for a difficult battle, powering himself up to the max, knowing that anything else would mean a quick death. His eyes glowed with unimaginable fury at the monster in front of him and the one inside of himself. No matter how this battle ends, it'll be his final.

"I won't be going to hell alone! I'm taking you with me!"

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: Atonement

Fami has been called a lot of things in her countless lifetimes, lazy, a monster, weird, gluttonous, and greedy. That last one is probably the one she's heard the least, but it was the most accurate one to describe herself. She's the Devil that represents the fear of famine, the idea of dying to hunger terrifies humans on an extremely deep level. Even if they aren't in any position to die from starvation it'll still exist in the back of their minds. Humans are greedy creatures who will take from others to get exactly what they want, including their next meal. So, she eats, and eats, and eats to fill that greed that gave birth to her. Fami couldn't remember a single point in her existence where she felt filled, that her everlasting greed ceased to exist.

No…that was wrong. There was a time.

…

Fami stared at her older sister as she sat within the cozy little home that Makima and her newly wedded husband had built. Even after that mess of a wedding it still baffled her that the Control Devil actually managed to settle down into such a lifestyle. It seemed impossible for someone like Makima to find someone or something that would actually fulfill those greedy desires of hers. Similar to herself, the Control Devil is shackled to the fears that gave birth to her desires, leading her in directions that beckon them to be satisfied. But that is the curse that binds Devils to their existence, they can never be satisfied no matter how hard they try to be. Makima would never stop until everything was under her control, but even that would be unlikely to ever satisfy her.

However, that same fiendish sister of hers was now cozily wrapped up in her husband's larger shirts with a pair of shorts hidden underneath. Those eyes that always spoke of greed and manipulation had vanished into such warmer colors that it confused her. How could someone like Makima change in such a way that her desires could actually be fulfilled? "It makes no sense."

"Hm?" Makima put down her cup of tea. Fami's face didn't show much emotion, but Makima had long since grown accustomed to reading her little sister's moods. "Did you say something, Fami?"

"You're greedy, Makima."

"Hm…yes, I suppose I am." She didn't deny.

"Then, how come you look so fulfilled?" Fami asked. She brushed some of her pink hair away from her eyes. "Devils like us can never be so satisfied that we end up forgetting our desires."

"I think you misunderstood something, Fami." Makima closed her eyes.

"And that is…?"

"I am not satisfied. I don't think I will ever stop being greedy for as long as I continue to exist." Makima said. The questions running through her sister's head were obvious to see. "My darling will not live as long as me. He's a battle maniac, it's obvious that at some point he'll get himself killed in some fight and even with the Dragon Balls his lifespan will eventually reach its conclusion."

"Just create a contract-"

"He'd hate me for it." Makima interrupted Fami. "I already thought about extending his lifespan with a contract or even using the Dragon Balls to make him immortal, but that would ruin his fun. Something that is often not seen in humans is their ability to accept that their lives are finite, that their fires will burn out. But darling understands that his life will not burn forever, so he carries through every day with all of his energy. Every day is an adventure for him, and I'd hate to be the one to take that away."

Fami narrowed her eyes a bit. "Then, doesn't that mean you're satisfied?"

"Yes, that does imply such a thing, doesn't it?" Makima leaned back in her seat. "The Control Devil shall never be satisfied, because once one lifetime reaches its end then the next will begin as a blank canvas." Makima stared her little sister in the eyes, their glow pulled the Famine Devil in like gravity. "Son Makima is satisfied with where her life has gone, and that is the most important thing."

Ah…right. That makes sense.

…

When Gohan was born, Fami felt a strange sense of warmth course through her. The tiny hybrid wrapped in a bundle would smile up at her with a face similar to his father's. To think a baby would find her presence something to smile at…it was nice. The day she met her nephew, Fami didn't feel all that hungry.

Then, the twins entered the world and Fami found herself blown away by their charm. Such noisy little infants that clung to their mother like suction cups had enveloped her world. They were loud, they were headaches, they were nuisances, but they were everything to her. As Makima would describe them, tiny little lights that continued to glow no matter how much you try to stop them. Whenever she held them, her stomach wouldn't grumble as much as usual.

Piccolo was an enigma, someone who was once an enemy to them all became extremely close in just a few years. His attachment to Gohan, his respect for Goku, and his tolerance for Makima made an interesting dynamic that Fami enjoyed watching whenever she could. They were a tight little family, and she didn't mind stepping foot into that circle from time-to-time.

War was loud, stubborn, proud, and violent but was still capable of acting accordingly to avoid pissing off Makima. She would yell at Goku one minute, then secretly act soft around Gohan when she thought nobody was watching.

Death would always show up unannounced, uninvited, and unwanted by her sisters. However, Goku and Gohan would welcome her with open arms every time.

The time they spent together always made her hunger go away.

…

…

…

As she sat inside of Bulma's airship, acting as the guardian for their weird little group while they collected the Dragon Balls, Fami stared out of the window. The messy storm of dark energy was toxic even to a Devil like herself. She couldn't even tell what was going on over there, because of that dark power. All that storm did was remind Fami of what she truly desired from this life of hers, what would truly fill her stomach.

Herself, her sisters, nephews and niece, Piccolo, and Goku all sitting together at a single table for dinner. Their own happy little bubble where arguments, fights, laughter, and food would fill the night to their hearts' content.

A simple little desire that she could only wish will happen.

"I'm not going to hell alone! I'm taking you with me!" Vegeta declares. With his aura blazing around him the prince rushes towards the pink menace with a vicious offense. His punches and kicks dented the dough-like body of Buu, pushing the fat monstrosity further back. Majin Buu made no move to fight back against Vegeta's onslaught.

"B-Buu?! What are you doing, Buu?! Fight back!" Babadi demanded of his monster.

"Yeah, Dad! Kick his butt!" Trunks yelled.

"Haha! Yeah! Get that monster!" Goten cheered.

"Break his legs!" Nayuta yelled.

"Woah…! Vegeta's really kicking ass!" Krillin was surprised.

"He's broken past the Super Saiyan barrier. He's stronger than Gohan was when he fought Cell." Piccolo added. But that nagging feeling in the back of his head wouldn't go away. "But if even Gohan was beaten by this Majin Buu…just how strong can he be?!"

Vegeta batted Majin Buu away, allowing the Majin to recover from the attacks. Buu's body puffed itself back up and looked as if Vegeta hadn't just mercilessly beaten him down. Vegeta extended two of his fingers and thumb, releasing a lethal piercing beam that drilled a hole right through Buu's body. Believing himself to have won, Vegeta smirked at the motionless Buu.

"B-Buu…?!" Babadi feared the worst when Buu hadn't gotten up immediately.

"Alright he did it!" Trunks hugged his best friends to celebrate.

Asa opened one of her eyes, knowing that wasn't the end. "I-it's no use…that won't work."

Her words rang true when Buu picked himself back up off the ground. Everyone watched as the Majin regenerated his wounds easily, clearly unaffected by the beam. Veins throbbed along Buu's head, showing just how he felt about Vegeta's attacks earlier. "That…hurt…" He raised his hand and shot pink chains at Vegeta, forcing the Saiyan to dodge the attack.

"The hell?!" Vegeta grunted.

"T-those chains?!" Piccolo, Krillin, and the kids were just as shocked by this recent development.

Vegeta pointed his palm to fire another blast at the monster, but he failed to notice the other round of chains wrap themselves around his neck. His hands gripped the pink flesh-like metal in an attempt to tear them off.

"Feel Buu's pain." Majin Buu clenched his fist. A wave of static power flowed through the chains and entered Vegeta's brain. The prince screamed painfully from the transmitted vibrations that coursed through his head like an earthquake. Each shock felt like his head was about to explode like a watermelon.

"Dad!" Trunks cried out. He was about to rush out, but Piccolo held the boy back.

"Unless you want to get killed, then stay here! Your Father isn't defeated yet!" Piccolo tried to reassure the heir.

Buu retracted the chains, pulling Vegeta in close to collide his fist into the prince's face. Then another punch sent the prince skidding across the dirt. Buu brought Vegeta right back towards him for another slugging that repeated like a game of Ping-Pong. The pink monster tightened the chains around the Saiyan's neck, causing a cough of blood to spurt from his mouth.

Babadi took just as much pleasure from Vegeta's pain as Buu did. "Yes, Buu! Teach that traitor what it means to double-cross me!"

When he was brought back in towards Buu, Vegeta pushed himself down under Buu's fist. He pushed his hands against the ground to double-kick the Majin in the stomach. "ENOUGH!" Vegeta gripped the chains around his neck and pushed his own power through them. "HRAH!"

"WAAH!" Majin Buu cried out when his chains exploded, flinging him across the ground. He rolled a bit before coming to a complete stop on the ground.

Now that he was free of those accursed chains, Vegeta's hands lit up with vibrant yellow energy. The prince unleashed a devastating volley of KI blasts upon the pink monstrosity. The earth shook with each blast that made contact, his roars of fury matching the output of power that he was forcing out.

Babadi screamed for his new servant, afraid that Vegeta's attack could potentially cause permanent damage or even kill Buu. The spectators on the cliff were filled with the cheers of the kids, who thought that Vegeta had managed to overcome the monster. However, the rest were uncertain or even refused to believe that such a creature could lose this easily.

Fears were proven correct as a pink light broke through the dust clouds, deflecting Vegeta's consecutive energy blasts. The fallen prince stopped his assault and stared wide eyed at the building energy that encompassed Majin Buu. A pink dome of unstable energy surrounded the Majin, steam whistled loudly as it burst from his pores, and sparks of lightning danced around the dome with dangerous intent. The winds around the wasteland started picking up, reaching catastrophic levels that would have meteorologists pissing themselves. The earth shook as if it was trembling in fear of the power the Majin was about to release.

"Buu…mad…! Buu…really…really…really mad…!"

Babadi took a few steps back, suddenly very afraid. "B-Buu…what are you-"

"W-what's he doing?!" Krillin cried.

"WE NEED TO MOVE!" Piccolo roared.

"Oh no!" Asa screamed. She and Shin were unable to brace themselves, thus had no choice but to hope for the best as the living nuke was about to go off.

"F-FORCE FIELD!" Babadi conjured a dark green barrier to protect himself.

Vegeta could only put up his own guard, pushing enough energy forward in hopes of protecting himself from the impact.

With a furious roar, Majin Buu released all of his pent-up energy. "BUU KILL YOU!"

BOOM!

"-geta!"

The prince turned his head away as he tried to continue getting some sleep.

"Vege-!"

He ignored the voice shouting at him again.

"WAKE UP, IDIOT!"

SPLASH!

"GAH!" Vegeta shot up, shivering slightly from the ice-cold water that was dumped on him. His tank top is now completely soaked along with his hair. The prince glared at the one responsible, the woman who had wormed her way into his cold abyss of a heart…not that he'd ever admit that. "What the hell was that for?!"

"I was trying to wake you up nicely, but your stubborn ass refused to listen!" Bulma huffed.

"Wake me up for what, woman?! Can't you see I'm busy?!"

She scoffed with a head turn and crossed her arms. "Oh sure, the super busy prince of all Saiyans that was just taking a nap! I'm sure that's more important than today!"

"Today? The hell is so important that you had to wake me up?!" Vegeta grunted.

"I told you last night! It's Trunks' 5th birthday! My staff and parents are almost done getting everything set up! It would be great if you could help out for once and support your son on his special day!" Bulma yelled.

"Tch…!" Vegeta turned away from her. "He'll have plenty more, why the hell should I bother?"

"That's what you said last year and the year before that and the year before that one!" Bulma reminded the stubborn alien. "Can't you just get over yourself and come join him on his birthday?"

"I do join-"

"Showing up at the very last minute and then leaving after he sees you isn't being a part of the celebration! You don't talk to people, you don't have fun, and you insult everyone who even looks at you! All you do is sit in that gravity chamber sulking about a dead man!"

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't be exactly how you want me to be!" Vegeta was on his feet in an instant, meeting Bulma's glare with his own. "I don't do birthdays, I don't do gatherings, and I have my own version of fun! Not all of that stupid partying that you humans enjoy doing! And I don't give a damn about Kakarot!"

Bulma rolled her eyes, obviously not buying it. She, more than anyone, was aware of how hard Vegeta took Goku's decision to stay dead. His motivation and goal since Freeza's death was now gone from his grasp and the man didn't know what to do with himself. She's seen the way he would look at Goten whenever he'd come over, and the look of barely disguised anger that he'd fight against to stop himself from throwing a fit.

It wasn't like she didn't understand Vegeta's feelings on the matter. She still missed her 'little brother' and the warmth he brought to them all with his presence. But they all had to move on at some point and live with the decision he made. Even Makima, the one hurt the most, was trying to move forward with her life with her kids. But the stubborn jackass in front of her was too stuck in the past to even see a life in the future.

"You have to move on, Vegeta." She spoke softer this time.

He fought back by walking away from her. "There is no moving forward, because I don't need to." His fists tightened and he crossed his arms. He didn't care about anything other than himself; it's always been that way. His people, Freeza, Kakarot, and this family he's found himself being stuck with. None of them mattered…all that mattered were his own goals.

But what were his goals? Surpass Kakarot? Surpass his demon spawn? Conquer the universe? He didn't even know anymore. Life on this godforsaken rock had muddled his brain entirely. Maybe he should've just abandoned it when he had the chance-

"Dad!"

Vegeta turned around to see his soon to be five-year-old son running over to him. The boy was covered in a bunch of childish golden accessories with a plastic crown on his head. Regardless of his status as a prince, Vegeta thought the boy looked ridiculous. "What?"

"Are you gonna come to my birthday party?! Mom said that the cake this year is gonna be bigger than the last one! I'm sure Goten and Nayuta are gonna be super jealous!" Trunks bounced on his heels.

And the clear spoiled behavior of his was another thing Vegeta didn't like, he blamed the boy's mother and grandparents for that one. If he had his way the boy would be spending his days fighting to get stronger, more powerful than Kakarot's demon spawns. He was nothing like his future counterpart, which was to be expected due to different upbringings. "No." Vegeta responded.

"O-oh…" The boy's excitement died instantly. His eyes dropped down to his feet and he backed away a bit from his father. "U-um…did you at least get me a gift?"

"No."

Trunks didn't even make a noise this time. He just accepted that his dad wouldn't be celebrating with them again. He didn't participate much in holidays or birthdays, and he wouldn't really hang out with him. Trunks hoped this year would be different, but his one birthday wish was dashed yet again. "O-okay. Uh-see you later, Dad…" He turned to walk away back towards the courtyard.

Vegeta stared at his son as the distance between them grew more and more. Before something like this wouldn't have bothered him, but for some reason he couldn't help the pain that stung his heart at his son's disappointed look.

Holding onto his bleeding and broken arm, Vegeta glared at the pink menace that was dancing in the air above the gargantuan crater he had created. "D-dammit…! If this thing is powerful and immortal, then there's nothing we can do…"

Piccolo, the kids, and Krillin had recovered from the blast, luckily unharmed. However, the Namekian couldn't even sense the Supreme Kai or the War Devil anymore. What was worse is that Vegeta was clearly outmatched in this battle. "Not even Vegeta can win?! Gohan's dead, War is dead, and the Supreme Kai is gone, and Goku's nowhere to be found! What hope is there!?"

Trunks stared down at his father, fear and uncertainty took hold of his heart. "M-my Dad isn't going to lose, right?! There's no way he could lose!"

Nayuta nodded her head. "H-he's super strong! That fat thing in a diaper shouldn't be able to win!" Her bravado lacked its usual energy as even she didn't know if Trunks' dad was going to be able to win this.

Buu touched down in front of Vegeta and waved his hand. "Okay, you die now. Bye bye!"

"Dammit! There has to be something I can do!" Vegeta gritted his teeth.

Grabbing his bloated belly, Majin Buu tore off a big chunk of his flesh. Everyone watched in confusion as the fatty stretched out the pink clump like playdough.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Vegeta questioned.

"Bah!" Buu spat out a KI blast, forcing the prince to jump out of the way. This left him open for Majin Buu to throw the stretched out flesh at Vegeta, it wrapped around his body, trapping him yet again. Now that his prey was trapped Majin Buu grinned sadistically, pulling back his arms and punching forward in rapid motion. "Buu Buu Gatling!"

Vegeta's body was assaulted by the blindingly fast punches, helpless to do anything about it. Buu didn't just stop at punching from one direction, his arms would bend, twist, and spin around the prince to batter him from every angle. There was nothing Vegeta could do but take the brutal beatdown.

"H-he'll be killed!" Goten cried, terrified out of his mind.

"W-where's Goku and Gohan?! They couldn't have already been killed, could they?!" Krillin yelled.

"AS IF!" Nayuta rejected the possibility. "There's no way big brother would die or lose to some fat pink diaper baby!"

"Big brother is too strong to die!" Goten added.

Trunks crushed the rocks under his hands, his anger building as his father's pain screams echoed in his ears. His father may not have been the most fatherly or caring person in the world, but he was still his dad. And he'd rather die himself than watch his father get killed in such a terrible way!

"Trunks, stop!" Piccolo tried to grab the heir. "If you go out there then you'll die-"

"I DON'T CARE!" The power of a Super Saiyan roared to life and Trunks shot out towards the battle.

"STOP!" Piccolo screamed.

"TRUNKS!" Goten and Nayuta jumped up to join him, but Piccolo quickly grabbed the two before they could do so. "P-PICCOLO?!"

"Trunks may have gone out there, but there's no way I'll let you two go!" Piccolo yelled. "I already failed Gohan! I can't fail you two as well!"

Nayuta sank her teeth into the Namekian's arm, causing him to lessen his hold. "Well, guess what?!"

Goten pushed his elbow into Piccolo's chest, knocking him back into Krillin. "There's no way, we'll leave our friend behind!" Goten and Nayuta exploded into Super Saiyans and chased after Trunks.

Piccolo stared at the kids for a moment before getting his bearings back. "Dammit! Why can't you brats ever listen?!" He shot off after them, leaving Krillin to wisely keep himself at a distance.

Babadi enjoyed the torture show until three golden streaks blew past him. "W-what was that?!" His shock grew even more when Trunks kicked Buu away from Vegeta, then he watched as the three golden children freed the prince from his bubblegum hold. "Who are those brats?! I didn't think Vegeta had more comrades!"

"Babadi."

"Eh?!" The warlock turned around to see Piccolo looming over him.

"Buu may be dangerous, but you are indeed true evil. I can't kill Buu, but I can ensure that you'll never harm anyone ever again." Piccolo promised with a venomous tone.

Babadi quickly tried to play his one hand. "B-be warned! If you kill me, then Buu will have nobody to seal him away! He'll be free to cause as much destruction as he wants!"

"And how is that different from what you intend to do?" Piccolo countered.

Knowing that he was in real danger, Babadi called out for his pet. "Buu! Buu. hurry up and kill this guy-"

"DIE, BABADI!" Piccolo's hand cleaved through the warlock's torso. He watched in disgust as the small wizard's pieces fell to the ground. To add insult to injury, Piccolo spat in the warlock's eye.

Vegeta and the kids watched Babadi's downfall, then the prince opened his mouth. "Trunks…take care of your mother for me."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Trunks asked.

"You kids shouldn't be here. Escape with Piccolo, and I'll deal with Buu on my own." Vegeta ordered.

Trunks shook his head, disagreeing with his father. "No way! We'll fight him together! Right, guys?!" He turned to his friends.

"Yeah!" Nayuta flexed her arm.

"We're really strong!" Goten added.

He figured the kids wouldn't listen, they were stubborn to a fault, and this was the worst time for it. Vegeta looked down at his son, the son he never showed love towards, the son who idolized his strength, and the son that he had never held. "Trunks, I've never once held you even when you were a baby."

"D-dad?"

"Come here." Vegeta opened his one good arm. "Let me give you a hug." For the first time in his life, Trunks saw nothing but love and compassion in his proud father's eyes. Something he's so desperately wanted since the day he could remember. Trunks didn't even realize that he had moved into his father's embrace until it was too late.

Nayuta watched the exchange, feeling pretty awkward at seeing such an unusual intimate moment between father and son. Seeing Trunks hug his father for the first time made her wonder what it was like to experience such a thing. To have your father express his love for you with his actions.

"Take care, Trunks."

"Wha-guh!" Trunks never saw the chop to his neck coming. His Super Saiyan form died out with his loss of consciousness. The Son twins made noises of surprise at seeing Vegeta strike his own child in such a way.

"Y-you jerk! Why did you do that to Trunks?!" Goten yelled. Vegeta turned to him next and moved faster than the boy could react. Goten lost consciousness when Vegeta's fist slammed into his stomach.

Nayuta hissed with fury at seeing her little brother get harmed. "You bastard!" She attacked Vegeta, but the prince effortlessly dodged her punch. He knocked her out next with a punch that knocked the air out of her lungs. Vegeta held her in his arm and carefully lowered her next to the other two hybrids.

Piccolo landed next to Vegeta, understanding the prince's reasons for knocking out the kids. The two of them looked over to see that Buu had finally recovered from Trunks' sneak attack. He was dancing over to them, singing a soft hum to himself. "Take the kids and go, Piccolo." Vegeta said.

"You're planning on dying here?" Piccolo asked.

Vegeta didn't answer the question and he honestly didn't have to. Instead he decided to ask a question of his own. "Tell me, Piccolo, will I be able to meet Kakarot in the afterlife?"

"...I'll be blunt, Vegeta. You've killed too many people to be granted access into Heaven. When you die, you'll lose your body and be sent down to Hell where you'll have to repent for your sins. Then once your soul has been cleansed of all sins, you'll be reincarnated with no memories of your life before. You'll never see Goku or any of us again." Piccolo explained.

As harsh as that was to hear, Vegeta understood that he deserved nothing less than that. It took him much too long to realize what it was that he truly wanted in life. "I see, so be it. Now, go!"

"Yes…goodbye, Vegeta." Piccolo grabbed the hybrids, sticking the twins under one arm and Trunks under the other, and took off back towards Krillin.

Buu noticed Piccolo leaving and reached out towards him. "NO! Buu play with you too!"

"LISTEN HERE, BUU! I'M YOUR OPPONENT!" Vegeta's shout grabbed the Majin's attention. "You'll have to kill me first to get to them, you ugly fat moron!"

Buu's anger increased once more. "You call Buu mean names?! Buu kill you!"

Vegeta just smirked and started building up a dangerous level of energy inside of himself. The power alone darkened the skies, the winds kicking up around himself and Buu.

Piccolo flew over Krillin. "Krillin! We need to move! NOW!"

"R-right!" Krillin took to the skies to follow the Namekian. "A-are we really leaving Vegeta behind?! He'll be killed!"

"For once, Vegeta's fighting for someone other than himself! And he's giving his life for it!"

A yellow ball of sparking KI gathered around Vegeta's body, just the force alone managed to surprise Buu. Vegeta smiled like a madman as he took in the sight of his final opponent. This would be his last stand.

His final atonement.

"I'm going to crush you and throw you into the wind! To the point that regenerating will be nothing more than a dream!" Vegeta declared. Buu stared at his own hands, surprised to see pieces of his body lighting up into dust just from the touch of Vegeta's KI.

Vegeta took one last breath. "Goodbye, Bulma…Trunks, and yes, even you Kakarot…" All at once, Vegeta released the energy within him in a brilliant burst of light. "HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Majin Buu screamed as he was devoured by the blast, unable to do anything to stop Vegeta's final explosion.

Krillin and Piccolo watched the explosion, having gotten far away enough from the radius of Vegeta's final explosion. Krillin felt the power of their once most dangerous foe drop to zero. "VEGETA!"

Bulma jerked up, surprising Yamcha, the woman had been completely despondent since Vegeta's attack at the tournament. The blue-haired genius looked out the window of the airship with worry and heartbreak. "Vegeta…?" Suddenly, the airship shook violently as the shockwaves from Vegeta's attack had even reached that far.

Floating still in the air were the remnants of Vegeta, his body having turned to stone after emptying out everything it had in that last explosion. The stone prince fell down to the earth and shattered to pieces…

…the dust that remained flowed away with the wind. Carried off to the unknown, much like the proud soul that once inhabited the empty particles.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission (10): Body Mishaps

Vegeta growled to himself as he felt the power rolling off of Goku as the pure-hearted Saiyan faced off against the Ginyu Force. The prince couldn't fathom the strength that Goku currently possessed, especially since the fool stood no chance against him during their fight on Earth. It had only been little more than a month since then, but the difference in their power was staggering. "It can't be…! Could Kakarot truly be a Super Saiyan?!"

Makima noticed the shift in Vegeta's demeanor, but felt it wasn't important to focus on at the moment. She held her son close, having been apart from him much too long to consider separating from him yet. Krillin stood a few inches away from her, clearly afraid of what she might do for being unable to protect Gohan. Was she pissed? Oh absolutely. But she understood that the monk (And Bulma) were much too out of their league compared to Freeza's forces and Vegeta.

Luckily, she and her darling were here now to handle the situation. Speaking of…

"Mom?" She looked down at her son. "Dad's power feels weird…"

Krillin nodded his head. "Those Ginyu Force guys are just as deadly as that Recoome guy, but Goku's not even struggling against them."

"Tch! Isn't it obvious? Kakarot's briefly raising his power the moment he attacks. He's doing it so fast that not even the scouters are picking it up!" Vegeta realizes Goku's strategy.

"It's just a little trick your Father picked up during training. It saves a lot of stamina in the long run." Makima answers.

Burter huffed at their opponent, this nobody that dared to make a mockery of the Ginyu Force! He tapped his scouter to activate the communication functions. "Jeice! Can you hear me? Use your Crusher Ball to distract him! Of course, he'll dodge it with that speed of his!"

"Then why use it?" Jeice questioned.

"Isn't it obvious? When he's distracted, I'll use my superior speed to catch him from behind, then we'll take him down quickly!" Burter explained.

"Gotcha." Jeice ended the call. He clicked his tongue in annoyance at the trouble they've been given. "All of this for a stupid fool!" Jeice raised his hand up, creating a sizzling red ball of KI. "Crusher Ball!" He threw the attack straight at Goku, who stood still on the ground.

"Heh! Just try and-huh?" Burter blinked when Goku made no move to avoid the attack. "W-what are you doing?! Why aren't you dodging it?!"

Goku easily deflects the attack away as if it were a housefly. The attack soared towards Burter, forcing him to dodge it instead. The Blue Hurricane quickly turned back only to see that Goku was no longer in his previous spot. "W-what?!"

"Burter, behind you!" Jeice yelled.

Burter turned around to see Goku floating behind him. The Earthly Saiyan raised his hand for a greeting. "Yo."

"W-when did you get behind me?!"

"Just now."

"B-but that's impossible! There's no way you're faster than me!" Burter shouted. His pride as the 'Fastest in the Universe' was clearly at stake.

"I wouldn't say that. My old teacher always told me that there's always someone out there better than you. Claiming to be the best at something just stumps your own growth, ya know?" Goku explained casually.

Burter could only feel a sense of fear building up inside of him. "Just who are you?!"

"I'm a Saiyan raised on Earth." Goku replied.

"A-a Saiyan?! There's no way a Saiyan could be faster than me!"

"With enough training, anything is possible."

"SHUT UP!" Burter roared and started attacking Goku with insanely fast punches and kicks. Goku easily avoided each one with little to no effort involved.

Jeice decided to stop sitting on the sidelines and assist his partner. "Enough of this! Nobody mocks the Ginyu Force! Burter! It's time for our special move!"

"Right!" Burter disengaged from their enemy to join with his red counterpart. The two stood side-by-side as blue and red auras began mixing together. Burter and Jeice circled one another, the color of their energy shifting into bright purple.

"W-what are they doing?!" Krillin flinched away.

"A combination move, it seems." Makima shrugged uncaringly.

Goku watched the colorful display without a hint of fear, instead he looked like he found the move interesting. "Gohan and Makima were right, red and blue do make purple."

"PURPLE COMET!" The duo declared together. The massive purple comet descended towards Goku with the intent on obliterating him completely. Right as the attack was about to reach Goku, the Saiyan struck out his leg, kicking the ball at its weakest point. The attack dispersed instantly, revealing to everyone that Goku's foot had lodged itself in Burter's chest, knocking the air from his lungs. Jeice's face was paler than a white sheet of paper at the turn of events.

"My turn." Goku declared, vanishing from sight. He appeared above Burter and elbowed the Blue Hurricane on top of his head, knocking the Ginyu Force member out of the air.

Goku reappeared underneath him and caught the unconscious alien with a single hand, similar to how he defeated Nappa. He tossed Burter's body onto the ground, then looked back up at Jeice. "Do you understand now?! There's no point in fighting! Just take your friend and get off this planet before you end up dead!"

Vegeta stared incredulously at the supposed 'Super Saiyan'. "What the hell are you doing, fool?! Hurry and kill them both!"

"There's no point! They're both clearly unable to fight!" Goku responded.

"Soft hearted idiot!" Vegeta growled, then shifted his gaze to Makima. "What about you?! I know you're nowhere as soft as Kakarot!"

"If darling wishes to let them live, then so be it." Makima responded.

"What?!" Vegeta cried.

Jeice's entire body was shivering, something that hasn't happened to him in years. "I-I can't believe this…we're the G-Ginyu Force…! The elite of the elite…! T-there's no way we can be d-defeated like this...! I can't stand it!" Jeice cried and retreated, flying off from the battlefield.

"He's getting away!" Gohan pushed himself out of his mother's arms. "We have to-"

"Gohan." Makima's voice halted the boy instantly. "It'll be fine. Don't do anything foolish."

"R-right, Mom." Gohan stopped himself.

Goku looked down at Burter with pity. "Man… I can't believe he left his friend behind." Suddenly, Vegeta appeared in front of him and crushed Burter's neck with his knee. "Vegeta?! That was uncalled for!"

"Oh please!" Vegeta spats back. "I didn't see you throwing a hissy fit when that demon of yours killed Recoome!"

"Makima got here before I did, so whatever she decided to do was her choice. I would've stopped her too otherwise." Goku responded. His family and Krillin quickly approached the two full-blooded Saiyans.

"Your soft heartedness makes me sick! How could you just stand there and let that one get away! You're no Super Saiyan!" Vegeta growled with disgust.

"Super Saiyan?" Goku titled his head.

"I bet you're proud of that power you have now, aren't you, Kakarot?! Well too bad, because it still means nothing in the face of Freeza! Unless you become immortal there's no chance you'll be able to beat him!" Vegeta declared.

"Stupidity." Makima sighed, gaining Vegeta's attention.

"What was that?" He growled.

"Immortality isn't a shortcut to power, but simply an escape for humans and others alike to escape the jaws of death. If you and Freeza are dead set on becoming immortal, then so be it, however that simply proves one little thing about the two of you." Makima smiled.

"And what would that be?"

"A fear of death." Makima's chilling declaration sent a cold chill through the prince. His eyes glowed with fury as he stared down the Control Devil.

"You dare…"

"Wait a moment!" Goku spoke up, stopping the sparking dancing between Devil and Saiyan. Everyone looked at Goku, who seemed pretty confused. "Not that I'm bragging, but I've gotten pretty strong recently. And you're saying that I still can't beat Freeza?"

"Freeza's might is beyond anything you've ever seen. None of you could ever dream of being prepared for it." Vegeta scoffed.

"But you saw the way Goku and Makima trounced those Ginyu Force guys, nobody can take them on!" Krillin added.

"Fight him yourself and see." Vegeta shrugged. "But be warned that Freeza has likely gained eternal life by now with the Dragon Balls. I'd say our best hope is to pray that we never cross his path."

"I don't think he has used them yet." Krillin said, confusing everyone except Makima. She had been thinking about it since learning of Freeza's goal. As Krillin explained it all, she figured that if Freeza had only just recently got all 7, then the sky would've turned pitch black. It seems that Freeza, who had quickly made his way to Namek upon learning of the Dragon Balls, hadn't done any form of research to find out more. Or, the more likely reason, his approach of using terror and genocide backfired in a way he hadn't expected.

"As I figured beforehand. Freeza is a fool." Makima shook her head. If she were in his shoes, she simply would have earned the Namekian's trust in a much more peaceful way to gain the Dragon Balls and password to awaken the dragon. Implanting suggestions and small bits of manipulation goes a long way to get exactly what you want. A dictator such as Freeza wouldn't understand that.

"You're right, Krillin! Without the right words Freeza won't be able to awaken their Shenron! Now we can still bring everyone back!" Goku, Gohan, and Krillin were cheering at the hope presented to them. Vegeta just looked confused, since he didn't know much about the Dragon Balls at all. Makima giggled softly at the boys' enthusiasm, happy to see just a cheerful look on her son's face.

"Now we just need to get the Dragon Balls back." Krillin said.

"Vegeta, you know these guys. Any good ideas?" Goku asked their temporary ally.

"I thought you were going to fight Freeza." Vegeta responded.

"To be honest, I really want to. But King Kai told me not to challenge him to a fight. So, we should focus on bringing everyone else back to life." Goku explained.

"That's your wish?!" Vegeta scoffed. "What will you do when Freeza decides to blow up your planet one day?! Just make me immortal!"

"I could just turn you into my slave instead. How would you like to be my personal 'pet'?" Makima threatened.

"I'd much rather see you wiped out entirely." Vegeta hissed at her. He looked down and saw Gohan glaring at him for the threat. "What, boy? Ready to defend your demonic mother?"

"Stop calling her that!" Gohan growled.

"Or what?" The prince smirked. Gohan took a step forward, but his father's arm stopped him from advancing.

"Gohan, don't let it get to you." Goku advised.

"But, Dad, he's-"

"I know, son, but remember what your Mom always tells you?"

Gohan looked away, sighing at the ground. "Keep myself under control." When his father pulled away, the hybrid kept his attention turned away from Vegeta. He didn't want to risk upsetting his parents by getting into a fight at a time like this.

Vegeta scoffed in disgust at Goku, then snapped his head to the direction Jeice had gone to. "There are two power levels heading this way. It's Jeice, and of course, he's bringing Ginyu along with him. I wonder if even you can handle him, Kakarot."

"He's right, Goku! This is trouble!" Krillin gulped.

The prince realized something was amiss with the situation. "Wait, where's Freeza? He was on the ship where Ginyu took the Dragon Balls!"

Makima pointed in a different direction. "There's a powerful presence heading in that direction."

Gohan and Krillin reacted instantly. "Oh no! That's where the Grand Elder's house is located!"

"I get it now! Freeza couldn't get the Dragon Balls to work, so he's heading for the Grand Elder to tell it to him!" Krillin exclaimed.

"Wait, is the Grand Elder the one who made the Dragon Balls?!" Goku asked.

"Yeah! If Freeza kills him, then the Dragon Balls will be useless!" Gohan responded.

"WHAT?!" Vegeta cried, shocked by the development.

"We have company." Makima got their attention. The males looked up to see Ginyu and Jeice had arrived on the battlefield. She observed the attire of the leader of this elite group and rolled her eyes at the fashion choices. Makima was unimpressed that aliens didn't even try to make stylish or appropriate uniforms.

Captain Ginyu is a tall, purple humanoid alien. The top of his head displays prominent veins, similar to that of a human brain. Two black conical horns protrude from the top sides of his head. Ginyu wears a black variant of the Battle Armor that Frieza's forces wear, with lower side guards, black and white wrist bracers, and the addition of the Ginyu Force insignia on the upper left side of the chest plate. He wears black underwear as his lower body armor. Ginyu is equipped with a green Scouter.

"So, these are the fools who dare make a mockery of the illustrious Ginyu Force?!" Ginyu exclaimed.

"Yes, Captain!" Jeice replied.

Krillin gulped as he felt Ginyu's power. "Goku, are you sure you can beat him?"

"I won't know until I try." Goku said.

Ginyu analyzed Goku and Makima with his Scouter. "Both of them are at a level of 5000."

"Yeah! Isn't it crazy?!" Jeice cried.

"Idiot!" Ginyu scolded his subordinate. "Do you always believe everything these things tell you?! It's obvious that they're hiding their power to take us by surprise. These things are useless against them. I estimate that their true power is somewhere around 60,000 or even 70,000!"

"60,000 and 70,000?! That's insane!"

"They must be some kind of mutations; gifted fighters like us. It seems I'll finally be able to go all out in a true battle." Ginyu grinned with excitement.

Goku turned to his wife. "Makima, you take Gohan and Krillin to their ship and find the Dragon Balls with the radar."

"Aw~! You don't want to risk me getting hurt, darling?" Makima smiled.

"Well, I would like to fight these guys with you, but I want to make sure Gohan and Krillin don't run into any trouble. I know you can keep them safe." Goku said. "I can handle these guys with Vegeta."

"You shouldn't trust him so easily, darling, but fine." Makima had tried to tell her husband to not be so trusting years ago, but he never listened. She turned to her son and Krillin. "Let's let the big boys handle the fighting."

"Y-yeah!" Krillin nodded.

"Okay, Mom!" Gohan agreed.

"Be careful, Goku!" Krillin said one last thing before the three took off to grab the Dragon Radar. Leaving the full-blooded Saiyans to deal with the remnants of the Ginyu Force…or so they thought.

Vegeta smirked evilly and blasted off into the skies. "SO LONG, KAKAROT!" The prince shot off towards Freeza's ship, fully intending on finding the Dragon Balls for himself.

"VEGETA!" Goku yelled at the betrayal until Ginyu took the opening to elbow the Saiyan in the jaw. The pure-hearted Saiyan decided to deal with Vegeta later and focus on the fight in front of him.

"Sorry, Makima."

Gohan and his mother turned their heads to Krillin as they continued to fly towards Bulma's hideout. The monk looked pretty regretful about something, and the Son Matriarch knew exactly what he was apologizing for. Gohan didn't understand what Krillin was going on about. "Why are you saying 'sorry', Krillin?" Gohan asked.

Krillin looked at Makima, who already turned her attention elsewhere. "You entrusted me to protect Gohan and yet…" His mind flashed back to Recoome breaking the child's neck. "...He almost died with me being unable to do anything about it."

"K-Krillin, you don't have to-"

"I see." Makima spoke up. "Thank you for apologizing."

Krillin was surprised by how easily she forgave him. "So, you're not mad?"

"Oh, I'm livid." Makima's voice held enough venom to make the monk and hybrid shiver. "However, I understand that for you and Bulma the situation has become far out of your control. You tried your best to keep my son safe and that is something I can be thankful for."

"R-right…" Krillin sighed in relief. At least he knew that Makima wasn't going to hurt him too badly for what had happened. He knew that the Devil didn't have high opinions on them, especially after her discovery of Piccolo kidnapping Gohan but he at least wanted to try and make up for all of that. She was his best friend's wife after all, she at least deserved kindness, regardless of her nature.

"Mom…" Gohan looked more disappointed in himself more than anything. He didn't like it when his mother would get upset at his friends, but from what he could understand they never really got along with her. His mother wasn't a bad person in his eyes even though his mother would tell him the exact opposite.

"I feel her." Makima said.

"Down there!" Krillin pointed down at a small island. The three descended down into the small crevice where Bulma had set up her own personal belongings. The heiress herself was busy taking a nice peaceful nap. "Bulma! Bulma! Where's the Dragon Radar?!"

"W-what?" She woke up to the sight of her friend and Godson. Anger quickly rose inside of her as she stormed to her feet. "You two! Where the hell have you been?! First you came to get the Dragon Ball with Vegeta in tow, and then you took off again! What's the big idea of leaving a girl alone in a place like-guh!" A chain shot into her head before she could finish her rants.

"M-Mom!" Gohan yelled.

"Hm?" Makima raised a brow as she pulled the chain out. "I was simply getting our information, because she was taking too long." Makima raised a hand and used the force to bring the Dragon Radar into her hands. "I just informed her of everything that you two have been through up to this point."

Bulma fell to her knees as she tried to get herself pulled back together. Her eyes shifted to Gohan and her anger turned into concern. "G-Gohan…are you sure that you're-"

"I'm fine!" Gohan exclaimed, clearly tired of everyone's concern. "Mom and Dad are here now, so there's no need to worry!"

"R-right…with Goku here everything should be fine." Bulma smiled.

"We need to hurry before Freeza comes back for the Dragon Balls!" Krillin ascended into the air. Gohan and Makima joined him in the air, and the three shot off towards Freeza's ship to get the Dragon Balls back.

Bulma leaned against the rocky wall, mulling over all of the information Makima had shoved into her head. After seeing everything that Gohan and Krillin had really been going through since coming to Namek really made her regret the way she's been treating them. Especially since they and Vegeta had almost been killed by those Ginyu Force guys. The image of little Gohan with his neck broken was so disturbing that she could only wonder what kind of emotions were running through Makima when she found her four-year-old son like that.

"I never really thought about it, but maybe she was right…" Bulma thought back to the most fearful encounter she's ever had with Makima.

A terrified Bulma, Roshi, and Krillin backed away as Makima's presence loomed over them. The Control Devil's power threatened to overwhelm them to the point of sensory overload. Her eyes glowed in such a way that the three humans knew that they were nothing, but mere insects compared to her. "I understand that you are all used to my darling handling every little threatening issue that pops up, he's saved your lives too many times to count. However, that same line of thought should NEVER be extended towards our child. Gohan and Goku are NOT the same person."

Bulma frowned, hugging her knees close to her chest. "...She says that, but Gohan is so much like Goku that you can't help but trust in him too." Bulma didn't think that was such a terrible thing to believe in.

Vegeta, after killing the rest of Freeza's henchmen and changing into a new set of clothing and armor, hid himself as Goku's family and friend arrived at the ship. "I have to be careful. Even with suppressing my energy that demon could still potentially sense that I'm here."

Makima sat down on a flattened rock as her son and Krillin searched around for the hidden Dragon Balls. She kept herself on alert the entire time, luckily Freeza was still off somewhere far away, fighting against some smaller energy level. Then there was Vegeta, who believed himself to be hidden from her. Clearly he was waiting for them to summon the dragon and take the wish for himself. She wasn't surprised to see that he had abandoned her husband to fight the battle alone.

"We found them, Mom!" Gohan exclaimed. She looked over to see the two were lifting up Basketball sized Dragon Balls out of the ground. Makima felt like there was an obvious joke to be made when comparing the size of the two different sets of Dragon Balls, but that was too immature for her taste.

"Alright! Now let's summon Shenron and get our friend back!" Krillin said.

"It probably won't work." Makima informed them. Her words surprised the two and Vegeta. "Considering just how secretive the Namekians have been when it came to the Dragon Balls, and thinking about Kami's own underhandedness, it's likely that these can only be used when speaking in the Namekian's natural tongue."

"R-really?!" Gohan gasped.

"What?!" Vegeta hissed mentally.

"I guess that makes sense. It would explain what that old Namekian meant when he told Freeza that he'd never get his wish. By killing all of them Freeza not only would lose the chance to use them, but he'd also never get them to work in the first place." Krillin realized.

"And if Freeza kills the Grand Elder then we really won't be able to get our wish." Gohan frowned.

"Tch! So, all of this was pointless, then?! Freeza, you fool!" Vegeta spat.

"There's still Nail and Dende! If we can get one of them then we can-huh?!" Krillin, Gohan, Makima, and Vegeta all felt two KIs heading their direction. "T-two energy levels are heading this way! It feels like those Ginyu Force guys!"

"Darling…?" Makima hadn't paid attention to the battle, expecting her husband to be able to handle it with no issue. But something seemed to have gone wrong and now she could barely feel her husband's energy. "Gohan! Krillin! Hide!" The three hid behind some rocks as Ginyu and Jeice arrived at the ship.

The most shocking thing turned out to be that the person standing next to Jeice was none other than Goku, who was wearing a Scouter. Makima's confusion only lasted for a millisecond as she realized that the person standing next to the Red Magma wasn't her darling.

"G-Goku?"

"Dad?"

Of course, those two hadn't realized why everything seemed wrong, clearly falling for appearances. Her son was still young, so his naivety was excusable, but there was no excuse for Krillin being unable to tell that wasn't his best friend. As the monk stepped out to greet the Ginyu Force members Makima made a finger gun and pointed it at the two. "Bang."

Their scouters instantly exploded, pushing the two away from the Dragon Balls. Krillin turned around at Makima, shocked at her actions. "M-Makima?! Why did you-"

"THAT'S NOT MY DAD, KRILLIN!" Gohan shouted. His mother would never attack his father unless they were training. If she felt that something was clearly wrong, then it was wise to trust her judgment.

"What?!" He and Vegeta were shocked.

Ginyu recovered with a smirk. "Seems the baldy wasn't alone. Hiding your power levels from our Scouters, then destroying them was a smart move. An annoying one to be honest."

Makima and Gohan stepped out to join Krillin, the Control Devil burning holes in the two with her eyes. "Where is my darling?"

"Isn't it obvious? I stole his body, since this one was much more powerful. Too bad for him though, he's likely to have bled to death by now." Ginyu chuckled. He and Jeice struck their ridiculous fighting poses. "I am Captain Ginyu of the Ginyu Force!"

"Switched bodies?!" Krillin cried.

"Ginyu had something like that up his sleeve?!" Vegeta snarled.

"Makes sense, there's too much evil in your soul to ever be my darling." Makima spat darkly at the leader. "Gohan, Krillin, stay back. I'll deal with him." She walked forward to face the Ginyu Force.

Ginyu chuckled. "In that case, Jeice you stay back as well. Time to take this body on a test run and who better than the monkey's pet wife."

"Understood, Captain." Jeice kept back as his captain faced off against Makima.

"Damn it all. Whether or not it's Kakarot, this is all getting too annoying." Vegeta said.

Ginyu and Makima took fighting stances as they stood across from one another. "Be warned, that this body possesses a power level over 180,000! You stand no chance! I'll be sure to get revenge for what you did to Recoome!"

Makima chuckled, confusing the captain. "The Freeza Force continues to show its incompetence every time I interact with your lot. Nobody knows that body better than me."

"Tch…! Arrogant woman!" Ginyu charged Makima with a punch that she blocked with her forearm. He continued with a barrage of punches that she blocked or evaded before jumping back into the air. The captain gave chase with a swift kick, which Makima flipped over with graceful form. She spun for a moment and carried forward with a knee strike that Ginyu managed to block. He was pushed back a bit, leaving him open for Makima's finger gun.

"Bang." Several shots fired off, crashing against Ginyu's chest that sent him flying back even further. The body-stealing captain grit his teeth and charged back at the Devil to teach her a lesson. He opened his palm and fired several blasts that Makima was forced to dodge, then he used that chance to attack her blind spot.

Makima expected his attack and blocked his punch that pushed her back. But to the captain's surprise the woman looked entirely bored of their brief struggle. "Is that it?" She asked.

"W-what was that?!"

Jeice turned from the fight and saw a familiar figure approaching the battle. "Captain! He followed us!" Everyone turned to see an injured 'Ginyu' slowly flying over to them.

"I…I finally found them…" 'Ginyu' held his chest, trying to stop the huge hole from bleeding too much.

"Darling…!" Makima felt his energy, recognizing that as her husband. This left her open for Ginyu to elbow her in the chest. He pushed his palms into her chest and blasted her with a KI blast that sent her flying into the water.

"MOM/MAKIMA!"

Ginyu smirked. "Heh! That'll teach you to look down on Captain Ginyu!"

"That proves it! Ginyu and Goku really did change bodies!" Krillin yelled.

"Dammit! Gohan! Krillin! Don't hold back against him!" Goku shouted to his comrades.

Ginyu scoffed at the misplaced Saiyan. "And what makes you think they can do anything against me?! With this body there's no way I can lose!"

Gohan, after seeing his mother get blasted away and seeing the poor state his father was in, quickly lost his temper. The boy's power rose as he shot into the skies to engage Ginyu, much to Krillin's shock. "Gohan, wait!"

"ARGH!" Gohan started punching wildly against Ginyu, who actually found himself struggling to avoid the hybrid's attacks. Gohan kicked the captain right in his sternum, knocking the air out of him, then uppercuts him further into the air, and Gohan gave chase.

"Stupid, brat!" Ginyu recovered and fired a KI blast that knocked Gohan back down into the ground. He smirked at his short triumph until Krillin caught him by surprise with a left hook across his jaw. The monk spin kicked Ginyu, then flew around him to knock him down into the ship. Ginyu bounced, leaving him open for an enraged Gohan to headbutt him in the spine like a raging bull.

"Captain!" Jeice was about to go help his leader until a certain prince grabbed his shoulder. Jeice turned around only to be greeted by a devastating punch that broke his nose. The Australian sounding alien stumbled back. "V-Vegeta?!"

"Not so fast, Jeice! Your fight is with me!" Vegeta chuckled darkly.

"Vegeta…!" Goku smiled at his fellow full blood.

Ginyu grabbed Krillin by his leg and swung the monk into Gohan. He pulled back his hand and charged up a purple ball of KI. "Milky Canon!" The ball raced towards the duo, exploding upon contact with them, and knocking them down into the ground. Ginyu smirked evilly until he saw the two recovers from his signature attack quickly. "W-what?! How is it possible that you two are still standing?! This body has a power level of 180,000! Why am I struggling against such trash?!"

"Because you fail to understand that body." Ginyu whipped around to see a drenched Makima looming over him. Her hair parted slightly to reveal one of her eyes, and the glow of that spiral sent a shiver down his spine. "A soul that doesn't belong in the body it possesses has no right to use it. My darling's body rejects your tainted spirit like an allergic reaction. And I'd be more than happy to rid it of the infection."

Ginyu fought against the fear infecting his mind and screamed. "DON'T SCREW WITH ME! I'M CAPTAIN GINYU!" All Makima did was raise a single palm and blast Ginyu away with an invisible force. Gohan rushed in and kicked Ginyu into the air, then Krillin slapped him down towards Makima, and the Devil slammed her leg into his ribs to shatter them upon contact.

Jeice was struggling against Vegeta, who was currently having the time of his life. "H-how are you this strong, Vegeta?!"

"Fool! Haven't you realized that we Saiyans grow stronger from the brink of death! All that fool Recoome did was make me stronger!" Vegeta declared as he blocked another attack from Jeice. Then he slapped the Red Magma away with the swipe of his hand.

"D-dammit! This can't be happening!" Jeice shivered.

"Oh but it is! I've surpassed the natural limits of the Saiyan race and I'm still getting stronger! I'm closer and closer to becoming a Super Saiyan!" Vegeta exclaimed with an arrogant laugh.

"A-a Super Saiyan?!"

"Kakarot is too soft to do it himself, so that only leaves me!" Vegeta rushed Jeice with a kick to his jaw. Then he flashed towards him and slammed his hand through the Red Magma's ribs. As Jeice reeled from the attack, Vegeta pushed his palm into the fool's face. "Heh." With a single blast, Jeice had been reduced to ashes.

"V-Vegeta! You didn't have to go that far!" Goku yelled.

"That's it, Kakarot. Keep acting like a soft-hearted fool and leave the Super Saiyan status to me." Vegeta grinned. His attention shifted to Ginyu, who was left frozen by the death of his last subordinate. "Tsk! You fools still haven't killed Ginyu yet?! It's because he's in Kakarot's body, isn't it?! Fine, I'll take care of it!" The prince rushed for Ginyu and sunk his fist into the captain's stomach. Then bashed him downwards with a sledgehammer attack.

Ginyu lay defeated on the ground, the stolen body broken by the continuous assaults dealt to it. Vegeta prepared to deal the finishing blow, but a chain wrapped around his waist and pulled him through the air. The prince was turned around and greeted by Makima's fist smashing into his face. The prince spat out some blood and glared at the Devil. "That was your last mistake."

"We still need Ginyu alive if we wish to return my darling back to normal." Makima wasn't intimidated by him. She reacted quickly, blocking Vegeta's punches with her hands and hissed as he began pushing back against her.

"Does it look like that matters?! I'll be killing Ginyu regardless of how you all feel!" Vegeta struck Makima in the stomach, then bashed her away. Gohan charged in to protect his mother, but Vegeta avoided the hybrid's attack and kicked him down into the ship.

Goku was the only one who noticed the purple glow around Ginyu's body. The captain's intentions were clear as day to the Earth-Saiyan. "He's trying to…oh no!"

"CHANGE…NOW!" Ginyu's beam soared towards Vegeta, who noticed it too late to avoid it.

"THIS IS MY CHANCE!" Goku raced for the beam, jumping in the way before it could reach the prince. There was a flash of light that momentarily blinded everyone for a moment, once it died down they all noticed a difference.

Ginyu stared at his purple hands, hissing at the self-inflicted hole in his chest. "D-dammit! T-this can't be…!"

"Hehe…! I got my…body back." Goku smiled.

"W-what happened?" Gohan asked.

"Did he and Goku just switch back?" Krillin wondered. They looked over and saw the relieved smile on Makima's face, which pretty much answered the question. "Alright! Goku's back to normal!"

"What?!" Vegeta was a bit confused by all of the rapid changing events.

Ginyu glared at Goku. "That was poor planning on your part! Now you can't interfere anymore!"

"I-I wouldn't be too sure about that…" Goku laughed.

"What are you-" Ginyu's thoughts halted when a chain wrapped around his body. The captain's limbs were forced to disobey him. "W-what's happening?!" He watched as his own fist raised towards him and started bashing his own face in. Blood, flesh, spittle, and more were spraying out from the brutal onslaught forced onto him. Eventually it stopped, revealing the ruined face of Ginyu. Makima came rushing down and kicked the captain into the ground with explosive force. With him taken care of, she hurried down towards her husband with Gohan and Krillin right behind her.

"Darling!" She carefully helped Goku up off the ground. "I'm sorry about-"

"Don't worry about it, Makima. It's my fault for letting my guard down and getting my body stolen like that. You guys did good." Goku said to them.

"Dad…" Gohan frowned at his father's wounded body.

"Do you have any Senzu Beans left, Goku?" Krillin asked.

"Nope. We're fresh out." Goku chuckled, then winced at the pain that came with it.

SQUELCH!

"Vegeta!" Goku yelled at the prince. The group watched as the prince stomped down on Ginyu's head, crushing his skull into purple chunks and bones. Makima turned her son's head away, so that he wouldn't see the disturbing display. "You didn't have to-"

"Give it a rest, Kakarot! You know as well as I do that the bastard would've tried switching bodies the moment we let our guards down." Vegeta defended his actions.

"He's right, darling." Makima hated to agree with Vegeta, but she needed her husband to understand that their enemies here needed to die. Goku just sighed and accepted it as Vegeta walked over to them.

"It would be easy to kill you all right now." Vegeta's statement wasn't wrong. He was the only one in the best condition and his power had grown a lot due to his Zenkai Boost. Makima didn't feel like testing her luck at the moment when her husband clearly needed help. "Luckily for all of you I still need you for the Dragon Balls and taking on Freeza. We'll treat Kakarot's wounds and get him back to full power."

"How?" Krillin asked.

"Just shut up and follow me into the ship!" Vegeta floated up to the entrance. With no better alternative available the Son Family and Krillin followed Vegeta into the ship to treat Goku.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: Aftermath

If there was anything Makima felt confident about it was her identity. She knew exactly what she was and who she would always continue to be. She was a concept, an idea twisted into living form from the decrepit minds of humans. She was unnatural and natural all at the same time. A creature born from the depths of darkness to spread that darkness to everything around her. Makima would stand at the apex, the highest peak of Devils and humans alike to cement herself as the one truly in control.

But then a single speck of light entered her domain without permission, and everything around her changed.

She never knew what she would do if she lost that light permanently.

As she and Gohan conversed with the guests of Goku's funeral, the Control Devil found herself face-to-face with the one who gave them their chance at a brighter future. The young man from a future-to-never-be stayed in the back to avoid the crowd. As extroverted as his mother was, it was clear that Trunks got his anti-social qualities from his father. He was a sweet boy, but he'd buckle under too much social pressure if given. He liked his space and she respected that.

Makima loved her space too. Touching her stomach, she reminded herself that her space would need to expand in 9 months.

"Ah… Mrs. Makima!" Trunks noticed her approaching. "I guess you wanted some space too, right?"

"Yes, my son should be able to help the guests if they need any." Makima responded.

Trunks turned his eyes to stare at the boy who saved the whole universe just a week ago. His thoughts drifted off to his version of Gohan, who failed to save their world in the end, but had entrusted that hope to him. "He's amazing, isn't he?"

"Yes, much like his father. Gohan's light shines just as brightly and I'll make sure it'll continue to do so." Trunks felt that the last part was more directed to herself rather than him. The future traveler stared at the woman in front of him and thought back to his version of Makima. They were the same person, but their attitudes towards the death of Goku were vastly different. He honestly wondered what that change could've possibly been.

"Trunks, what happened to her?" Makima's question dragged him out of his thoughts.

"E-eh? Who are you-"

"I can tell by the way you're looking at me. You're thinking about the version of me in your timeline, yes?" Makima saw right through him. It was something she was stupidly good at doing to people and he still wasn't used to it.

"Y-yeah, sorry about that." Trunks rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't care too much about that. Just answer my question." Makima requested.

"Are you sure? This isn't exactly a happy story." Trunks said.

"Nothing about my life is a happy story."

"Fair." Trunks sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them back up. "I don't know everything as accurately as possible, since I was just a baby when everything went from bad to worse. But from what Gohan and Mom told me, after Goku had died it was like a flip had switched in your brain. You were colder, quieter, and far more intimidating to be around. Gohan said it was like the warmth that your home used to be filled with had been frozen over by a blizzard. The home that he had loved since childhood had died with his father." Trunks looked back to see if she was going to say something, but the Devil's face hadn't changed at all. "Then the cyborgs appeared, allies started dying, and the only ones left that could fight were you and Gohan."

"She tried to control him, didn't she?" Makima came to the conclusion all on her own.

"Y-yeah, and it didn't end well."

"Of course it didn't." The Control Devil scoffed softly. "Gohan is strong, much like his father. He's stubborn like me, but he doesn't possess my patience at all. Trying to force her will on him was the dumbest thing she could've done, and I'm certain it led to their relationship falling apart."

"Nailed it on the head. Their fight was also how he achieved Super Saiyan. It would be more than a decade later when…you two would see each other again." Trunks tightened his grip on his sleeve as the memory came back to him. The anger, the pain, the sorrow, and the sense of failure of being unable to help his master-his friend. And his inability to keep his promise to Makima to stay by his side and to never let his light go out. "W-when we found out that Gohan had been killed…it truly broke you. You had already been suffering from Goku's death, and the loss of your child pushed you to suicide."

"She no longer had any light in her world. A world without light is a world that she couldn't live in…" Makima closed her eyes, taking deep breaths.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's not your fault. You were a boy, and that responsibility never should've fallen to you. It was the incompetence and inability of us adults that caused your world to fall into disarray." Makima turned away to leave.

"W-wait, Mrs. Makima!" Trunks reached for her. The woman stopped and turned her head back to look at him. "I-I just want to make sure that you're okay. With Goku gone I don't want to… I can't see you fall like that."

Makima stared at him for a moment before chuckling softly. "You're a good person, Trunks. I honestly question if you really are Vegeta's son. When you find my reincarnation, be careful around her. She'll attempt to attack you to get information. And good luck in saving your world." Makima turned back and started walking back towards her son.

Trunks stared at her back and allowed himself to relax. As much of a worrywart he tended to be, the future warrior couldn't help but feel hopeful for the Son Family in this timeline. He saw the way the Control Devil loosened up around her son and even engaged others in conversations. It was something his mother said was pretty uncommon for her to do. But maybe, after hearing his story and learning of the alternate path she could've walked, she could walk forward.

Perhaps the Devil that fell in love the hardest could learn to live in a world without the one she loved the most.

Lightning cracked the skies around Krillin and Piccolo as they felt the Earth settle from the aftermath of Vegeta's final attack. The Namekian released a breath and handed the kids over to Krillin. "Take the kids back to their families."

"R-right." Krillin nodded as he slung Nayuta over his shoulders and held the boys under his arms. "What are you going to do Piccolo?"

"I'll check the aftermath. Be sure to tell everyone what happened." Piccolo glanced at the ex-monk. "I don't know what happened to Goku, but Gohan was killed by Buu. I heard Vegeta confirm it when he fought Buu."

"W-what?!" Krillin gasped. As he watched Piccolo take off, the small martial artist hung his head low, mourning the loss of one of the best people he's ever known. "No…not Gohan."

Piccolo touched down inside the crater, observing the damage done and the pink remains of the monster. "Anything less would have allowed Buu to regenerate. He sacrificed himself to ensure that the monster was gone for good. He saved us all."

"G-gwaaah…"

"What?" Piccolo whipped his head over to see that Babadi had somehow miraculously survived not only his attack but also Vegeta's explosion. "What a tenacious creep. He must've used a force field to protect himself. Whatever, I'll finish him off for good this time." Piccolo declared and slowly approached the shivling warlock.

WIGGLE!

Piccolo stopped after hearing the squishy wiggling noise on the ground. He looked down and saw that the pieces of Majin Buu had started moving. "W-what?! Majin Buu's fragments are…!" Suddenly, the pieces all turned into mini Majin Buus and started clumping together in the air. Piccolo's body instantly filled itself to the brim with fear and despair. He wasted no time in flying away from the area to avoid getting caught by the pink monster. As he flew back towards Krillin, he could hear the joyful cheer of the unkillable entity.

"BUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

"G-grah…" Goku groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He stood back up, rubbing the back of his head to relieve the stinging. Goku picked up the empty bean bag on the ground. "Stupid Vegeta, he ate my last Senzu and went to fight Buu by himself." He stretched out his senses to search for the prince but could only feel the mighty dark presence of Majin Buu. "That's Majin Buu's KI, but I don't feel Vegeta or Gohan…what's going on?" Goku searched in a different direction and got better results. "Oh, there's Piccolo and Krillin! I guess they got turned back to normal! They might know what's going on!" Putting two fingers to his forehead, the Saiyan teleported to the Lookout.

"G-Gohan…" A battered Shin muttered as he forced his body to move. Behind him, he dragged an unconscious Asa Mitaka by the collar of her blouse. The Kai's body screamed from his wounds. "P-please be alive…"

After getting healed by Dende, Goku listened to the story of events that transpired while he was unconscious. The Saiyan from Earth cursed himself for falling for Vegeta's taunts and tricks. "The Supreme Kai, War, Vegeta, and Gohan…" Four lives, one of them being his eldest son, had already been claimed by Buu's terrifying power. If he had just been there from the beginning then his son would still be alive. His thoughts drifted to Makima and how he would have to explain the news to her.

"As the Supreme Kai said, Majin Buu's power is beyond imagination. It won't be long before Earth and the rest of the universe is snuffed out." Piccolo said.

"But we have Goku here now! You can totally kick his butt, right buddy?!" Krillin looked hopeful.

"No, I can't do it." Goku dashed his hopes. "Vegeta was just as strong as me and he was helpless against Majin Buu. Sorry, but I don't stand a chance."

"D-dammit!" Krillin cursed.

Goku thought back to something, a technique he had learned during his time in the afterlife. "...But if Vegeta or Gohan were still alive then we might've stood a chance."

Piccolo shook his head. "Numbers won't make a difference against someone like this."

"No, I mean I could've fused with them." Goku clarifies.

"Fusion?" Krillin tilted his head.

"Wait! You mean the ability to combine with someone else?!" Dende exclaimed. "Like how we Namekians can fuse with one another?"

Goku stood up to explain. "Sort of, but the guys I met in the otherworld had a different way of doing it. You have to be of similar height and power to achieve this technique. When they combine, they become way stronger than the sum of their parts."

"Then you could've fused with either Vegeta or Gohan and fought Buu?" Piccolo asked.

"I never tried the technique myself since there was nobody at my power level there. But I guess it doesn't matter now…huh?" Goku sighed.

"Wait, but you could just meet up with Gohan and Vegeta in the afterlife! Then fuse with them and come right back!" Krillin suggested.

"No." Piccolo dashed his hopes again. "Goku's soul will never be allowed to return again after today, even if he were fused with others. Vegeta…will be in a far different place."

Mr. Popo stared at them all, wondering if they would've realized the obvious by now. But since the four of them were still struggling to realize the solution, he decided to point it out. "Why not just have the kids learn it?"

…

…

…

"Mr. Popo, you're a genius!" Goku exclaimed.

"I thought it was quite obvious." Mr. Popo said, but they already stopped paying attention to him by that point.

"Piccolo, I won't have enough time to teach them to completion, so do you think you can take over when I have to leave?" Goku requested.

"Sure." Piccolo nodded.

"Alright! With this we finally have an ounce of hope!" Krillin was happy enough to do a little dance.

"It'll take some time for the kids to learn this technique. Many people-humanity itself will likely be wiped out by the time they've mastered it." Piccolo mentions.

"Maybe so, but as long as Dende and the Dragon Balls are safe, then they can be brought back." Goku responds. He put his fingers to his forehead. "I better hurry and find Makima."

"Isn't she with everyone else?" Krillin asked.

"Nah, Vegeta attacked her to goad me into fighting him. I need to find her to let her know about the situation and Gohan's-"

Suddenly, the sky turned pitch black as if it were night. Goku stopped searching for his wife's KI and gasped. "It got dark all of a sudden! Is someone summoning Shenron?!"

"Bulma has the Dragon Balls! They don't know what's going on!" Krillin exclaimed.

"That's right! She's trying to bring back all of the people Vegeta killed at the tournament!" Goku realized.

"If they use the three wishes now, then the Dragon Balls will turn to stone for a year!" Dende reminded them.

"I'll be right back!" Goku quickly teleported to where Bulma's KI was located.

Denji remembered Gohan telling him how massive Shenron was, but he never believed his friend until this moment. Going around the world and collecting these seven orbs didn't take as long as his fellow hybrid had described, but he was thankful for that. At least he got to help take out some whale Devil that had swallowed one of those balls.

"S-so huge..." Denji turned to look at Videl, who was equally as shocked as he was. "This dragon is really going to bring people back to life?"

"I guess so." Denji shrugged. "Maybe I could use one of the wishes for a girlfriend?" His suggestion caused the champion's daughter to give him a flat stare. The chainsaw hybrid flinched back from her stare. "I-I was just joking!"

"Sure." She scoffed. They then heard a crunch noise and looked over to see Fami chewing on a chicken leg. "Uh…?"

"Trust me, you two will get used to it." Fami said as she took another bite.

Denji leaned over to Videl. "When did she get that?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think she'll get me one if I ask?"

He received another flat stare.

The richest woman on the planet chewed on her lip. "How should we put this one?" Bulma looked to Yamcha.

"How about…! Can you bring back everyone who died today, except for the bad ones!" Yamcha requested loudly. "That should do it."

"Thanks." She gave him a thumbs up.

Shenron's eyes glowed red. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED."

"CRAP! I DIDN'T MAKE IT!" Everyone turned to see Goku had suddenly appeared, clearly panicked.

"GOKU?!"

He ignored them to speak with Dende. "Hey, Dende, they already made a wish. What should I do?"

"Tell him we don't need the other two, so then we'll only have to wait four months."

"Okay, thanks!" Goku closed the connection, then looked up at Shenron. "We don't need the rest yet, Shenron! Thanks!"

"FARE YOU WELL." Shenron disappeared in a bright golden glow. The Seven Dragon Balls took the skies and split across different directions across the globe.

Yamcha approached his long-time friend. "Goku! What's this all about? We still could've used those two wishes!"

The Earthly Saiyan smiled sadly at them. "I'll take you all to the Lookout first. Piccolo and Krillin will explain everything while I go find Makima."

Kibito gasped as he stood to his feet. The assistant to the Gods checked his limbs, realizing that he had been brought back to life. "Didn't Dabura kill me? Have I come back to life? I can't believe it." As he got over his shock, the red-skinned man realized something important. "The Supreme Kai! I must find him!" Thankfully, Kibito was able to sense his lord's faint energy levels. "He's still alive! I must find him quickly!"

Meanwhile, Shin was barely clinging onto life. "G-Gohan…is…ali…" He finally lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground, dropping Asa like a sack of rocks. Luckily, before his life could extinguish, Kibito managed to locate him.

"Supreme Kai…and isn't that one of those Horsemen?" Kibito touched down next to the pair. He ignored the girl in favor of restoring his lord back to full health. Kibito's healing abilities brought Shin back to full health instantly. "Supreme Kai!"

"K-Kibito?! How are you alive?!" Shin questioned, jumping to his feet.

"I don't understand it myself, my lord." Kibito responded.

Figuring it was better to appreciate the small miracles, Shin gestured to Asa. "Quickly, grab War! We must find Gohan before he perishes to his wounds!" Listening to his lord, Kibito slung Asa over his shoulder and followed Shin into the skies.

"Do you feel Buu's power, Kibito?" Shin asked.

"Yes, and it is as powerful as we feared. The universe shall never know peace as long as Buu and Babadi are allowed to run rampant." Kibito responded.

"Do not fear, Kibito, as I sense a faint glimmer of hope."

"What?! Do you mean in Son Gohan?!"

"Yes, and War too as well. They may not be strong enough to challenge Buu as they are, but with what I have planned their skills and abilities shall surely prove to overcome his might." Shin's alluding proclamation confused Kibito further.

"You would truly put your hopes in these Devils and mortals?" Kibito asked.

"Yes, I will. You haven't seen the power they possess, Kibito. Not yet you haven't." Shin smiled. He looked down at the forest below and felt a pulse of strong KI within the grass. "Down here! Gohan's just below us!"

"There he is!" Kibito and Shin touched down next to the unconscious hybrid. His wounds have clearly worsened just from the time spent with no treatment given.

"That was close. Any longer and he might've died from his wounds." Shin sighed in relief. "Kibito, we shall take them to our realm first before giving aid."

"W-what?! To take such lowly beings into the realm of the Gods so casually! Such a thing has never been-"

"Do as I say, Kibito! The fate of the universe rides on this!" Shin's orders were absolute. Kibito had no other choice but to listen and transport the four of them away from Earth.

Makima rose out of the waters of Papaya Island, her clothes were an utter mess from the power of Vegeta's attack and the ocean's weight pressing down on her. With a snap of her fingers, Makima replaced her previously nice dress with a pair of black fitting pants and a silver-colored blouse that showed her collar. She whipped her arm and allowed her favorite trench coat to cover her body once more. Makima floated down onto the destroyed street, taking in all of the damage that Vegeta had caused in such a short time. If there hadn't been already, she was certain some new type of Devil would be born from this incident today. However, there was something more important that called for her attention. "Darling."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to try and sneak up on you." Goku's voice came from behind her. The Control Devil turned around to face her beloved, and she could tell that he was thinking about something. He was always easy for her to read.

"Darling, explain the situation to me."

He did as told, telling her everything that had gone down since they had first left the tournament to follow the Supreme Kai. Makima wasn't surprised to hear that another God made a blunder in underestimating her darling and the rest, which obviously made distrust grow between himself and them. Nor was she surprised to find out the reason Vegeta had gone apeshit and committed another terrorist act, his unresolved sexual tension with her husband hadn't escaped her notice in the last seven years. It was just incredibly frustrating that he had to make everything about him at the worst possible time.

The news of Majin Buu's awakening unsettled her a bit. While her husband had yet to have direct contact with the entity, their children and some of the others had. Thankfully, the twins and Trunks were safe. But Vegeta, War, and the Supreme Kai hadn't been as lucky to survive their encounters. If Makima was being honest, which she usually is, she didn't care about their deaths.

Vegeta deserved it and she only wished it had been more painful for him for causing the mess in the first place.

While it was a pity that an innocent girl got caught in the crossfire, she and her troublesome sister will be brought back with the Dragon Balls.

Makima did not give shit about the Gods to care about Shin's death.

However, there was a single piece to it all that was clearly missing. Someone who she was very aware of had been a part of that group that Goku refused to mention. She could see it in his eyes that he was hiding the information as if trying to find some way to say it. "Darling, what about Gohan?"

…

"Darling."

"Gohan…was killed by Buu too. Piccolo confirmed it." Goku waited to see if his wife would react. But she made no visible reaction to the news and just stared at him.

"I see…" Makima said quietly. "...Was there a body?"

"No. Piccolo said there was nothing left."

She couldn't sense any lies in her husband's tone, nor could she feel her son's energy anywhere on the planet or nearby stars. Which confirmed the truth of the matter that her oldest son had been killed.

"B-but it's okay, Makima!" Goku's usual smile looked back at her. "The Dragon Balls will be reusable in four months! Once Majin Buu has been taken care of, then you guys can use them to bring him and the others back to-"

"Does it mean nothing to you?"

"Eh?" Goku stopped as his wife's emotionless words washed over him. "Makima-"

"Does our son's death mean nothing to you?" Makima repeated.

"What?!" Goku was flabbergasted at the accusation. "Of course, I'm upset-"

"Then why would you even conceive the thought of saying that to me right now. I do not care if your little safety blanket can bring our son back, Goku."

Oh, she was pissed enough to actually use his name.

"What I care about is the fact that our son is dead and neither of us were there to save him. Was he sacred, was he saddened, was he hoping that one of us would arrive to save him before it was too late. That we'd scare away the monster hiding beneath his bed. But no, we'll have to wait four months to find out." Makima turned and started walking away.

Goku found his voice again and reached out for her. "Makima, wait! I can take us right to the Lookout-"

"I'll fly." She declined his offer. Makima stopped and turned her head to look at her husband. "I'm not angry at you, darling. But I want you to understand that we failed as parents." With her piece said, Makima took off towards the Lookout, leaving Goku to stew on those words.

Goku looked down at his feet, his mind drifting off to the last time he had seen Gohan. The uncertainty that his son had in himself to live up to his expectations and how much of a failure Gohan must've felt like in his last moments. "Y-yeah… I guess we did fail, huh."

Makima could feel the dark thoughts filtering through the air, Majin Buu's chaotic energy was clearly messing with her senses. But that didn't matter, what mattered was the subject of her children. The ones that were still alive and waiting for their mother to comfort them in their time of need. The ones she had yet to fail. "Is this how you felt…?" Makima thought back to her future counterpart. "Is this how it feels to lose your own child?"

"BULLSHIT!"

"Denji!" Aki whirled on the hybrid as he stormed up to Piccolo. The chainsaw hybrid grabbed the Namekian by his cape, glaring right into his eyes.

"BULLSHIT! There's no way, there's absolutely no way Gohan's dead!" Denji roared. Aki tried to pull him back, but the teen refused to budge from his spot.

After Goku had left the group on the Lookout and went to find his wife, Krillin and Piccolo explained everything that had happened. The Namekian left nothing out as he went into details on the deaths of their fallen comrades. Bulma had burst into tears immediately upon learning of Vegeta's sacrifice, Yamcha was doing his best to try and comfort her. Videl stood frozen in place as she tried to come to terms on the deaths of her crush and friend. Tears that she was trying to fight back against tickled the edges of her eyes.

Fami just moved to stare out at the world outside of the Lookout. When the news was given, she hadn't said a word or eaten anything since. Nobody dared to disrupt her, understanding that she needed her own personal space.

Everyone else mourned the losses and tried to do their best to come to terms with the situation given to them. Power was quiet as she watched Denji's emotional outburst. In that small brain of hers, she understood her friend's distress to an extent.

"It's the truth, kid." Piccolo said.

"And I call BULLSHIT! Gohan wouldn't die! He's too strong to die! I've seen it myself, there's no way he'd let some freak take him down!" Denji argued.

Krillin, holding Marron in his arms, stepped. "I'm sorry, but Majin Buu was just too strong even for someone like Gohan."

"Where's the body?!" Denji's demand silenced him. "Until I see a body then there's no way I'll accept it!"

"Vegeta blew himself up, do you want me to try and find his body too?" Piccolo silenced the hybrid. "Gohan's power is nowhere to be found and Vegeta was the one to confirm that Gohan had died. Buu erased him from this plane of existence and there's no changing that."

Denji's hand shook, emotions growing further and further. Anger and sadness were threatening to explode inside of him. He needed something to take his anger out on and the green jackass in front of him was the best target. Denji pulled back his fist with a shout. "RAH!"

"You dumbass-uh?" Aki was stopped when Goku appeared between Denji and Piccolo. The Saiyan grabbed the hybrid's wrist, holding him in place.

"Goku…" Krillin muttered.

"Hey, there's no need for that." Goku lightly scolded the blonde. "I understand that emotions are high, but there's more important things going on right now." He released Denji's wrist, the hybrid flinching away from the Saiyan. Once again, the chainsaw hybrid felt his chest tingle at the sight of him again. Deciding to retreat for the moment, Denji shoved Aki away and stormed off from the group.

"I'm sorry about him." Aki apologized. "He's a pain in the ass, but the sudden terrible news pushed him too much."

"He's Gohan's friend, right?" Aki nodded his head. "Then it makes sense that he's upset. Don't be mad at him, okay?" Goku smiled. The hunter was surprised to hear just how soft and understanding Makima's husband turned out to be.

"Goku, where's Makima?" Piccolo asked.

"She didn't take the news well. She'll be here soon if she isn't already." Goku answered.

"Can you hear me, Earthlings?"

Everyone on the Lookout flinched from the sudden mental intrusion. Some of them looked around for who could be talking to them right now. Piccolo, however, recognized the voice immediately. "Babadi?!"

"Do not bother looking for me. I speak directly into your minds using my magic."

Makima stood over her babies, softly brushing their hair out of their faces. She was thankful to see that Goten and Nayuta were sleeping peacefully next to Trunks, clearly unaware of the terrible situation they were in. She was enjoying this quiet time until a dreadful voice decided to interrupt it.

"Sorry to intrude on your peaceful day, but I had a terrible day thanks to four idiots! Close your eyes and I shall grant you a visual picture."

Makima's blood boiled seeing Babadi threaten her children. Piccolo and Trunks were also on the warlock's shitlist, which was still a point of concern. Piccolo was an adult, but to threaten children in such a way had pushed the warlock up on her priority list. It was foolish of him to create a mental connection between them. She listened to the rest of his spiel and watched as Buu turned an entire city's population into candy before decimating it with his breath. Due to Babadi's pettiness, her children, Trunks, and Piccolo were now public enemy #1 across the entire globe.

It didn't take long for some foolish dumbass to attempt to sell them out. She would've killed the guy herself if Babadi hadn't done it first.

"No more false calls! I'm much too busy killing humans! I might be coming to your town next! If those fools' locations aren't given to me in the next five days, kiss your planet goodbye!"

Before Babadi could cut the connection, Makima sent a warning shock through it. The warlock hissed in pain at the mental attack, surprised that it could be achieved in the first place. His connection to everyone was severed by the Control Devil herself. "Pitiful. I'll have to wipe everyone's memories when this is all over."

"Mama…?"

Makima looked down to see that the kids were finally waking up. Goten and Nayuta rubbed their eyes as Trunks yawned. She waited until the children had wiped their sleepiness away before addressing them. "Hello, children."

"MOMMY!" Goten shot into her, taking his mother off her feet. She balanced herself and held the boy in her arms as he buried his face in her chest. "You're here! You're here, Mommy!"

"Yes, I'm here."

"Momma!" Nayuta was next and Makima made room for her daughter as well. "You're here, Momma!"

"Yes, I'm here." Makima said softly.

Trunks felt a bit awkward but spoke up anyway. "Uh? Where are we exactly?" The last thing he remembered was hugging his dad, then everything went black.

"The Lookout." The four looked to see Piccolo and Goku arrive in the room. "Enough dawdling, kids. There's a lot that you need to catch up on."

The temper tantrums were expected.

"NO! NO, HE'S NOT DEAD!"

"MY DAD CAN'T DIE! YOU'RE LYING!"

"BIG BROTHER ISN'T DEAD!"

Goku, Makima, and Piccolo stayed silent, allowing the kids to get their emotions out. The three hybrids screamed and stomped and cried loudly in denial of the harsh reality put upon them. Everyone else listened silently, but were disheartened by the sounds of the children, clearly hating it.

Goku had heard enough. "ENOUGH! WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR CRYING! LEARN THIS FAST IF YOU WANT REVENGE!" The children listened to his shout, stifling their cries and stood facing the three adults. His features softened at them. "I'm sorry, but we don't have a lot of time before Babadi finds us. We have to start now."

"Can't we put them in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" Piccolo suggested.

"No, they can only use it for two days in their whole lives. It's best if we save it just in case." Goku replied. "I'm certain they'll learn this fast. Let's start. You need to remember this too, Piccolo."

Makima could sense the distrust the kids were holding towards her darling. Considering the situation and the deaths of their loved ones, it was obvious that they would hold contempt towards the man who they don't know and who wasn't there.

Goku continued on. "You'll only be able to stay fused for 30 minutes, even if you succeed. Then you'll split off and have to wait an hour before fusing again."

"Only half an hour?" Piccolo's disgust was clear.

"Half an hour can be enough if they don't waste time." Makima said.

"Exactly." Goku nodded. "They'll get the job done if they get it right." He turned back to the kids. "Okay, turn Super Saiyan."

The three glared at him.

"Hm?"

"What were you doing when Gohan and Dad got killed?" Trunks asked. The other two clearly had the same question burning in their minds.

"I was out cold." Goku answered easily.

"Out cold?! At a time like that?!" Trunks scoffed.

"How are we supposed to learn anything from you?!" Goten spat.

"Gohan was wrong, there's nothing special about you." Nayuta snarled. She was right to think that this guy was worthless. Her big brother and aunt were dead and the supposed 'strongest in the universe' was taking a dirt nap.

"Watch your tongue!" Piccolo yelled. "You brats don't understand-"

"It's fine, Piccolo. They're not wrong. If I had been better, then none of that would've happened. It's my fault." Goku took the verbal hits. He would be lying if he said that the clear distrust and spite from his own kids didn't hurt. But he understood that he was still a stranger to them, they had only known Makima, Gohan, and his sisters-in-law as their own family.

He didn't have much of a place in their hearts, and with the small amount of time he had left…he never would. Goku had to accept that truth.

"It's true that I can't beat Buu, but this trick will allow you guys to do it. If you want to avenge everyone, then you have to listen to me." Goku tried to convince them.

"Tch…! As I want to learn from-" Nayuta was cut off by a mental intrusion. Babadi was once again invading their minds.

"Hello again, Earthlings. Just as before I'll be destroying another city. Unless Ma Junior, Goten, Trunks, and Nayuta show themselves right this instant!"

"T-that's us! He's talking about us!" Trunks exclaimed.

"Close your eyes, guys, then you'll see him!" Goten yelled. The two followed his lead and gasped at the sight of Majin Buu and Babadi looming threateningly over a city. When nobody came forward with information, Buu turned everyone in the city to candy before blowing it to pieces.

Makima was about to send another shock to hurt the warlock, but three tikes beat her to it.

"Babadi! Buu!" Trunks growled.

"Oh? What is this?"

"This is Trunks!"

"I'm Goten!"

"And I'm Nayuta!"

"We can't do it right now, but I swear that the three of us are gonna kick your ass!" Trunks declared.

"Stop talking! He'll find our location!" Piccolo yelled.

"No need." Makima had already blocked the connection, preventing Babadi from finding them. She looked back at the kids and smiled at the pure determination rolling off of them.

"Are you three ready now?" Goku asked.

"Yeah!" Trunks nodded.

"We'll beat those jerks!" Goten added.

"I may not like you all that much, but if you can help us get stronger, then I'll listen!" The spirals in her eyes glowed with a fierce passion.

"Good." Goku felt a sense of pride well up in his chest at his kids. "Let's get started."

Deep within the confines of Hell, where thousands upon thousands of Devils screamed and tousled to till their reincarnation, a certain black-haired woman smiled playfully at her newest companion. "Sooooo? How does it feel to be a failure?"

Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, growled at Death, the final Horseman of the Apocalypse. "Shut the hell up!"

"Aw, don't be like that, Veggie!" She waved playfully.

"I'm going to kill you."

"You're welcome to try, sourpuss. Welcome to my hell."

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: Papa is Cool!

"Guess what?! My Daddy bought me a new dress!" An elementary school girl exclaimed to her friends. It was clear by looking at her clothing that the girl came from a wealthy background. Her current dress looked custom made with glittery detail and hot pink colors. The group of girls all squealed loudly, gaining some looks from the other kids in the cafeteria.

Nayuta rolled her eyes, scoffing at their girlish behavior. She turned back to her stack of lunch boxes that her mother had prepared for her and continued eating. Unfortunately, her behavior didn't go unnoticed, said group of girls turned their attention to the hybrid.

"Something you want to say, Son?" The rich girl sneered.

"Yeah, you four need to get a room if you're to be that loud!" Nayuta said with a glare. "Some of us are trying to eat in peace!" Her bark only increased the tension between them, with the rich posse marching over to Nayuta's table.

"What? Jealous that the four of us are having fun while your friendless butt sits alone?" Rich brat motions at the empty table. It wasn't uncommon to see Nayuta sitting by herself, especially since the hybrid made it an effort to avoid talking with people. The only other person she'd be seen eating with would be Goten. "Thinking about it now, I don't see your freak of a brother. Maybe he got stuck in the bathroom again?" She and her friends started laughing.

Nayuta's fist clenched around her chopsticks, almost snapping the reinforced utensils in half. "That was one time and don't call him a freak!" She warned dangerously. To be honest, she didn't know what her brother was doing at the moment. He ran off after seeing a butterfly outside the window and was probably chasing it around the playground. Nayuta knew she would have to hunt him down later before it was time for class again.

She also has friends!

…

Okay, it's just Trunks but he counts!

"Oh~! The freak is getting mad!" One of the background girls giggled.

"She's probably going to use her freaky appetite to eat us!" Another mocked.

"What? Don't feel fat enough after eating all that food? You need to eat us normal people too?" The third background brat said.

Nayuta didn't fall for their taunts. She turned away from the wannabe bullies and tried to finish her lunch. The faster she finishes eating, the quicker she can leave to find Goten.

"Maybe she's just upset that she doesn't have a Daddy."

SNAP

The chopsticks fell onto the table, broken in pieces. Nayuta's dark red spirals were aimed right at the rich brat, staring deep into her soul. "What?"

A deathly chill fell down the click's spines. Something in the back of their minds was warning them that it would be best to back off. However, the spoiled rich girl clearly didn't get the memo. "Is your hearing going out too? I said that you don't have a loving and amazing Daddy like me! He buys me gifts, treats me like a princess, and lets me do whatever I want! I heard that you only have your Mom, and that she makes you live out in the country of all places! What a shame!" As she laughed, the spoiled princess clearly missed Nayuta standing right in front of her. The brat's friends were already scampering away out of pure fear.

"Hey, dumbass."

She stopped laughing. "What did you ju-" The spoiled brat froze as she stared the hybrid in the eyes, finding herself getting lost in a trance. Nayuta, with a surprising amount of self-control, raised her finger and thumb.

"Never make fun of my family again."

FLICK!

The spoiled brat went flying across the cafeteria, sliding across tables, and ruining her expensive dress with tons and tons of spilled food. Everyone in the cafeteria was deathly silent as they tried to understand what had just occurred. The spoiled princess managed to climb to her feet, wobbling and using the table for support. One good look at her ruined appearance and the pain thumbing through her forehead caused her to cry loudly like a baby. It didn't take long for adults to swarm the cafeteria or for all of the kids to sell out Nayuta as the culprit of the 'fight'.

…

"A week suspension? Be thankful that was all they wanted to do." Makima stared down at her daughter with clear disappointment. The two were sitting in their living room to discuss the prior events. Makima had already ordered her boys to stay upstairs while she handled her daughter. "You lost control."

"I didn't hurt her too badly."

"Did I tell you to talk?" Nayuta had enough sense to know that wasn't a question that needed a response. She hung her head low instead, refusing to meet her mother's eyes.

"It does not matter if you didn't hurt her much. The matter is that you allowed petty little words to get to you. How many times have I reminded you and Goten that you need to keep yourselves under control? For you people like us, the humans and world around us may as well be cardboard. One false move and you could've killed that girl, and I would've had to clean it up."

"Would it have been that bad if she died?"

"Yes. It would have." Makima rolled her eyes at Nayuta's shock. "I'm your Mother, I'll always know what's going through your head."

Nayuta clenched her fists and stood up. "S-she insulted you! She insulted us and the way we live! They were calling Goten and I 'freaks' just because we're different!"

"And?" Makima raised a brow.

"A-and…she made fun of me for not having a Daddy…" Nayuta looked down at her feet. Feeling embarrassed by the way she allowed herself to be so heavily hurt by something like that. She didn't need a dad in her life. She had her mom, Gohan, Piccolo, and her aunts! They were all she needed!

"Okay." Makima shrugged.

The hybrid stared at her with disbelief. "Y-you don't care?!"

"Why would I care about the words of an insignificant spoiled brat that has had everything handed to her? It's true that we don't have a lot, even with my funds a lot of them have to go towards feeding you three and your aunt Fami." Makima scowled briefly as she thought about her gluttonous sister, before looking back at her daughter. "The funds go towards your schooling, our clothes, feeding our dogs, and many other things. We're not rich like the Briefs and we're probably never going to be."

"Then what? What do we have?" Nayuta asked.

"A home." Makima stood up from the couch. "And in regard to your Father…just know that even if he isn't here with us physically. He loves us more than anything." She turned away from her daughter to let her stew on those words.

Nayuta stared at her mother's back with conflicted feelings. She didn't understand everything, which annoyed her since she takes pride in her smarts. What did her mother mean by 'a home' or about how her father loves her. She doubts that a dead guy even knows who she is. None of it made sense.

"Oh, Nayuta?"

"Y-yes, Momma?"

"You're grounded for the entire week that you're suspended."

"Ugh…" Nayuta slumped forward. Scratch whatever the hell her other issues were messing with her head. Being grounded was way more annoying.

Within the tranquil realm of the Supreme Kais, the Godly beings and their companions arrived on the soft green grass. Shin motioned for Kibito to gently place Asa next to Gohan. "Now fill them both with energy, Kibito."

"Yes, sir." As reluctant as he was, Kibito did as told and healed both hybrids back to 100% condition. The effect was instant, both teens snapping awake with startled gasps and they leaned upwards to catch their breaths. Asa's eyes snapped to her left to see the wonderful boy she believed to have perished a terrible death sitting right next to her.

"GOHAN!" Asa threw her single arm around his shoulder, practically jumping onto him in the process. "YOU'RE ALIVE! Y-YOU'RE-" Tears fell like waterfalls down her cheeks as she cried into his shoulder.

"A-Asa…?! What are you…" Gohan was a bit startled by her actions but hugged his friend back anyway to comfort her. The hybrid then noticed that she was missing her right arm. "Y-your arm?! What happened to your arm?!"

Asa broke the hug and turned to her missing limb. The memories of the near-death were now coming back to her. She gripped the stump with her only arm left. "I-it was Majin Buu. He tried turning us into candy, so I cut off my arm before he could finish us off.

"Majin…Buu…" Gohan muttered carefully. The memories of his failure were pulsating within his head. A sense of failure and grief filled him now that he was more than able to think about his defeat at the hands of that monster. Even with his Devil half taking control, he was still no match for Buu's overwhelming power. Now, because of him, everyone on Earth was in danger of being killed.

He let everyone down…

SLAP!

"OW!" Gohan winced and held his stinging cheek. He glared at Asa, who had been the one to slap him in the face. "What was that for?!"

"For looking like a depressed loser! This isn't the time to be wallowing in self-pity!" Asa yelled.

"She is right, Gohan." Shin stepped forward with Kibito at his side.

"S-Supreme Kai? And Kibito?! I thought you were dead!" Gohan exclaimed. Asa was just as shocked as her friend. "W-wait, but if you're here does that mean we're dead?"

"No, luckily, we are all alive. I do not know how, but Kibito was brought back to life." Shin explains.

"Probably the Dragon Balls, huh?" Gohan figured that was the only explanation.

"Welcome to our realm, Gohan, Asa, and War too." Shin said.

"Right, Yoru!" Asa perks up and calls to her other half. "Yoru, Gohan's alive-huh?" The clumsy teen blinked when she couldn't hear the War Devil inside of her head. She could feel Yoru's presence, but the usually prideful Devil wasn't communicating in the slightest. It was as if she was hiding away.

"Is everything alright, Asa?" Gohan asked, concerned.

"Y-yeah! Everything is perfectly fine!" Asa waved her hand to quell his worries. She'll just have to figure it out later. "I think we have more important things to discuss, right?"

"She is correct." Kibito speaks up. "I would like to know why two mortals and a dark creature were allowed inside of the realm of the Gods."

"Gohan." Shin got the boy's attention. "I want you to kill Buu with the Z-Sword. I am certain that with your strength you should be able to wield it."

"A sword? Wouldn't it be better for Asa and Auntie Yoru to use it?" Gohan points at his classmate.

"In a sense, yes, but I fear that they wouldn't be strong enough to wield it to its full capacity. I do have training planned to strengthen their powers far beyond their current limits." Shin explained.

"Strengthen our powers…?" Asa muttered with a head tilt.

"Supreme Kai, sir, you can't possibly expect a mere mortal to be able to wield the Z-Sword!" Kibito exclaimed. "Do you remember just the number of Gods that have tried to use that weapon and failed?! Do you truly believe that a mere mortal will be capable of using it?!"

Asa glared at the apprentice with a hand to her hip. "And just where do you get off underestimating us mortals, huh?! Last time I checked you were killed by Dabura instantly, when Gohan was fighting him to an even standstill! Heck, even the Supreme Kai was left shocked by us during our fights with Babadi's minions! So, just back off!" Asa's rant caused Kibito to flinch back.

"A-Asa…you don't have to-"

"I DO have to, Gohan! It's stupid, bigoted, and racist to look down on someone because of their race or because they're a mortal!" She whipped her head back to Kibito and shoved her finger into his chest. "Your GOD wants our help; thus you're going to shut up and let us help! Got it?!"

"Y-yes…" Kibito muttered, clearly afraid of the smaller mortal's anger.

Gohan let out a small chuckle. "I-I think Auntie is rubbing off on you."

Asa blushed a bit and turned her head with a pout. "I-I just hate that type of thinking is all! This has nothing to do with Yoru!"

Kibito stalked back over to his lord, who was giving him a small smirk. "So, Kibito, have you learned your lesson?"

"L-let's just carry on, my lord…"

"Certainly." Shin started levitating into the air. "Come, you two! We must make our way towards the Z-Sword!" The Lord of Lords took off towards the long rocky pillar that stood in the middle of a lake. Kibito, Gohan, and Asa quickly followed after him.

The apprentice looked back at the teens and their ruined clothing. He stuck out his finger and shot two beams at them, changing their outfits into similar outfits that he and Shin were wearing. "There…more appropriate for beings undergoing training from the Supreme Kai."

Shin looked back and laughed. "I think the new clothing looks good on you two."

"R-really?" Gohan looked at his attire, then at Asa, who clearly didn't like her new clothing. "It makes us look like some matching couple."

Asa stuck out her hand. "I'm flattered, Gohan, but I'm not interested in you like that." She seemingly rejected what she thought to be a dating proposal. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you and Videl are more into each other anyway."

"Oh, I wasn't insinuating anything like that! Besides, I know you're more interested in Denji anyway." Gohan shrugged. He was not prepared for the loud screech that escaped Asa's throat in response to his claim.

"HUUUH?!" Her face was as bright as a tomato. "Who would be interested in that s-stupid pervert?! Just because he has that stupid goofy grin of his, constantly notices whenever I make little changes in my hair, also likes cats like I do, and makes those stupid corny jokes that make me laugh sometimes doesn't mean that I like him!"

Gohan blinked at her owlishly. "But don't you guys walk home sometimes?"

Asa's brain went haywire as she remembered when she'd keep close to Denji to help Videl find out his secrets. The worst part about it was that even after Videl called off the investigation, the War hybrid didn't stop walking home with Denji. In fact, she found herself enjoying his presence since he'd always listen to her ramble about anything that pissed her off or brought her joy. "T-THAT MEANS NOTHING! NOTHING!" Asa denied it heavily.

"O-okay?" Gohan shrugged, not understanding what was going through her head. As smart as Gohan was, he still had some of the cluelessness about social understandings like his father.

"There it is!" Shin's shout took their attention away. The four landed on top of the rocky pillar, where a single sword could be seen embedded into it. "Try to pull it out, Gohan. Nobody in recorded history has been able to do it."

"Nobody, huh?" Gohan inspected the embedded weapon.

Asa gasped, giggling and snorting like a pig. "Woah! It's just like Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur! Only someone truly worthy will be able to unearth the legendary weapon and achieve their greatest destiny!"

…

…

…

She noticed the way they were all staring at her. "Uh…hehe… I got a little excited there, huh?"

"Nerd…"

Asa's head whipped to the side to glare at the only person who would've called her that. However, the one responsible disappeared before she could do anything.

"Okay, let's get started!" Goku exclaimed with a clap of his hands. "The first thing I want you three to do is turn Super Saiyan!"

"Right! HAAH!" The three brats listened to his order and transformed into Super Saiyans.

Goku nodded his head. "Okay, now raise your power to its maximum."

Trunks side-eyed the twins. "Heh, how about we freak him out? What do you guys say?"

"I'm in." Nayuta nodded.

"Let's do it." Goten agreed as well.

"HYAAAAAAAA!" The children's power skyrocketed to their maximum limit. Piccolo grunted slightly from the force created, while the married couple stood unfazed and unimpressed.

"Is that it?" Goku raised a brow, clearly having been expecting more.

Not expecting such a lackluster response, the kids nervously looked at each other. "U-uh…yeah." Nayuta nodded her head. She didn't know why, but the slight disappointed look in his eyes made her shrink a bit.

"Okay, Trunks' KI is a bit higher than Nayuta and Goten's. Your KI has to be exactly the same for fusion to work. Trunks lower yours a bit." Goku instructed.

"Screw that!" Nayuta scoffed. "It's insulting that he has to 'lower' himself to our level! Do you think we can't rise up and match him?!"

"That's not it-"

"I bet you're just super disappointed that your kids are so weak, huh?!" She growled at him. "I bet you're thinking the same thing about Gohan, because he died!" Her words caused the boys to gasp, and Piccolo looked close to marching over to her.

"Nayuta." The female hybrid froze as her mother's warning struck her. One good look at Makima told her that the next words out of her mouth better be an apology. She powered down from Super Saiyan and stormed off with a huff.

"Nayuta!" Piccolo called after her. "Why that little…"

"It's fine." Goku shrugged. "I'll go talk with her."

"Darling?" Makima looked at him carefully. She understood her husband's attentions, but her daughter had too high of a track record of losing her cool easily, much more than Gohan did at her age.

"It'll be okay." Goku reassured her. He turned to Piccolo. "Help Goten and Trunks match their KI levels while I'm gone."

"Right." Piccolo nodded and watched Goku follow after the young girl. With a short breath, Piccolo stared down the boys. "Do you two have any problems that need to be talked out?"

"N-no, sir!" Trunks flinched back.

"A-all good, sir!" Goten nodded his head quickly.

"In that case let's get to work!"

As Piccolo continued his drill sergeant routine, Makima snuck away to follow after her husband and daughter. She should've expected something like to happen with Nayuta's bubbling emotions towards her father. Gohan's death was simply the trigger getting pulled.

"So, what happens when I pull it out?" Gohan asked as he gripped the sword's handle.

"They say a tremendous power will flow through you. Perhaps it'll be enough to surpass Buu." Kibito explained.

"Really?! Does that mean it's super sharp or something?!" Gohan gulped.

"I-is that really your big worry?" Asa sighed.

"Don't worry, you won't be able to pull it out." Kibito's doubts earned him another glare from Asa. Seems her rant earlier still hadn't fully gone through his head. The only way he was going to stop looking down on them is if Gohan manages to pull out that sword.

"Come on, Gohan! You got this!"

"Give it a tug, Gohan."

"Okay, here goes!" Gohan began pulling on the sword with everything he had, however the weapon refused to budge from its spot.

Kibito's shit-eating grin was getting on Asa's nerves. "See? Pointless."

Gohan grunted. "In that case…! HYAH!" His hair changed to bright blonde, his Super Saiyan form roaring to life.

"Going Super Saiyan won't change a thing-"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Gohan roared loudly as he tore the legendary weapon from its spot on the rock. He ended up flying high into the air from the momentum and held the sword triumphantly above his head. "I-I got it!"

"Yes, Gohan!" Shin exclaimed.

"That's right! I knew you could do it, Gohan!" Asa cheered as well. She looked over at Kibito, who was stunned into silence. She took immense joy out of his comical expression at Gohan pulling out the weapon. "So, do you still think mortals are weak?" Kibito just turned away from her with an embarrassed growl.

The four made their way back down to solid ground. Where Gohan was struggling a bit to hold the sword up. Shin analyzed Gohan as he held the weapon in his hands. "So, how does the sword feel, Gohan?"

"W-well, it's pretty heavy! I don't see how it's s-so special…!" Gohan grunted as he tried to swing it around.

"Is it really going to help us defeat Buu?" Asa questioned.

"Tch! This is the greatest weapon in the universe!" Kibito loudly exclaimed in her ear, making the teen flinch. "Of course, it won't help if you can't even wield it properly! You must train with it until it feels like an extension of yourself!"

Gohan, who was also getting tired of Kibito opening his mouth, walked over to him. "Here, why don't you try holding it." Gohan handed the sword over to Kibito.

"Hm-GWAH!" Kibito instantly ended up dropping the sword to the ground due to its weight. He attempted to tear it apart from the dirt but the sword refused to budge from his might.

"Heh, so much for godly might, huh?" Asa's mocking didn't make the apprentice feel any better.

Kibito gave up on trying to pick the sword up. Instead, he coughed into his hand and turned back with a bright blush. "Anyway, you must be able to wield it freely!" He pointed at Gohan.

"O-okay…" Gohan leaned down to pick the sword back up.

"In any case." Shin sighed and looked at Gohan. "Practice getting used to the sword's weight for now. Once you've mastered that we can move to the next step."

"Right!" Gohan nodded.

"Asa." Shin looked at the girl. "It's time for your role in all of this."

"R-right! I'm ready to begin!" Asa straightened herself out.

"Good, because I'll be training you to master the abilities of a Supreme Kai." Shin informed her.

…

…

…

"EEEHHHHH?!" Asa and Kibito screamed simultaneously.

Gohan looked over, confused because he wasn't paying attention to their conversation.

Nayuta sat on a set of stairs within the Lookout, her knees tucked close to her chest. She hated how everyone just didn't understand anything about her. Momma didn't understand, Gohan didn't understand, Piccolo didn't, and not even her own freaking twin! She hated the way she stormed off, because it made her look weak in front of everyone, but the girl didn't want to be there anymore. Learning some stupid technique that just made her realize how weak she was compared to Trunks, reminding her of that humiliating loss back at the tournament, and that disappointed look in her papa's eyes. He realized how weak they were and didn't want anything to do with them now.

She knew it. Dads were stupid.

"Hey."

Nayuta whipped around to see Goku standing at the doorway. She made no noise and just stared at her father as he slowly approached. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

"Go ahead." Nayuta turned away and scooted a bit to the side. The two just sat next to each other in silence for a few moments. Until it was broken by an apology.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Nayuta looked up at her father.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't save Gohan. As his Father, I should've been there for him when he needed me the most." Goku apologized.

"Yeah? Well, you weren't there, so you're a pretty bad Dad then." Nayuta scoffed.

"I guess I am."

She gritted her teeth and whirled at the full-blooded Saiyan. "What is with you?!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Goku blinked.

"Here I am throwing insult after insult at you, blaming you for things, and yet you just take it and move on! I called you a bad Dad and yet you're just…just…not getting angry." Nayuta pointed out to him.

Goku shrugged. "I don't really have a reason to be angry at you."

"And why not?!"

"Because you're right." She blinked at his words. When she didn't say anything, Goku continued on. "I don't understand a lot of things about the world. Even now I'm still struggling to adjust to all of the changes that have happened these last seven years. When Gohan was born, I didn't really understand the details of being a Father, all I ever had was my Grandpa. So, I just acted how he would be with me. But, then a bunch of things happened, and I wasn't able to always be there for him." Nayuta kept silent, clutching the ends of her purple skirt. "In the blink of an eye that little boy who was clinging to my pants all the time was standing up on his own two feet, staring down dangers that would've had me terrified at his age."

"B-but…aren't you disappointed that he lost to Buu?" Nayuta timidly asked.

"Are you?"

"Huh?" She flinched back.

"Are you upset that he lost to Buu? That your big brother couldn't save the day like he's done plenty of times before?" Goku repeated.

"N-no! W-why would I be disappointed in him?! I know Gohan, and I know that he gave it the best he could! My big brother always tries his best!" Nayuta exclaimed. She gasped lightly when Goku ruffled her hair with warm affection.

"That's good. I'm sure Gohan would love to hear that." Goku smiled.

"What about me and Goten?" Nayuta's question confused him slightly. "Are you disappointed that we didn't meet your expectations? That we lost the tournament and stuff too?"

"Nope!" Goku grinned.

"W-why not?! We're weak, right?! That's how we must've looked!"

"Guess, what?"

"What?"

"I lost my first tournament too!"

"Really?!" Nayuta gasped loudly.

"Yup! This really strong old guy named Jackie Chun beat me in the finals! Then, I also lost my second one to Tien!" Goku laughed as he looked back on those fond memories.

"B-but didn't you feel weak?! Losing sucks!" Nayuta exclaimed.

"Yeah, losing does suck. But do you know the best part about losing?" Goku gently brings Nayuta in closer as her eyes scream to know the answer. "It means there's still room to get stronger. I took my defeats as a lesson to make sure that I would win the next time. Getting stronger and stronger to surpass your limits sounds fun, doesn't it?"

Nayuta found herself giggling, almost laughing as she stood in her father's arms. The man's smile and energy was just too infectious. "Y-yeah! That does sound like fun! I wanna get stronger, Papa! Strong enough to avenge everyone Buu killed!"

Makima, who was hidden behind a wall, smiled softly at the bonding between the two. It seems she had nothing to truly worry about, since her husband managed to connect a bond with his daughter.

Goku smiled proudly at his daughter. "Alright, then. Let's get back to training-"

"Earthlings! I just learned something fascinating!"

"Babadi?!" Nayuta cried. Goku motioned for her to stay silent as the warlock continued his monstrous tirade.

"It seems like one of my four targets lives at the Capsule Corporations located in West City! And that happens to be where we're heading now! Better show yourself now Trunks or your city will be gone!" Babadi cut the connection to the feed.

"Darling." Makima stepped out of the shadows, surprising her husband and daughter.

"Yeah, I know." Goku nodded his head, standing up to his full height.

"GOKU!" Bulma, Trunks, Goten, and Piccolo rushed towards them. "Did you hear that?! My parents will be killed by those madmen!"

"We can just-" Goku stopped himself from saying that the Dragon Balls will bring them back. He thought back to his conversation with Makima, realizing that it was a pretty insensitive thing to say to someone, regardless of how used to it they may be. "Okay, I'll go stop them."

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Is the Dragon Radar at Capsule Corp, Bulma?" Makima asked.

"Yeah! If they wipe out the city, then the radar goes with it." Bulma answered. "That thing takes some special parts to make, so I don't know how long it would take me to find them all from scratch to build a new one!"

"Which is why it'll be good to send someone over to get the radar while I distract Buu and Babadi." Goku said.

"Daddy? Are you sure? Buu is strong!" Goten argued.

"Yeah, he beat my Dad." Trunks added.

Goku nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm not trying to beat them or anything. Just stalling. So, Trunks, you head to Capsule Corp and get the radar from your grandparents, okay?"

"Right!" Trunks nodded. He turned and took off towards the edge of the Lookout towards Capsule Corp. Trunks turns Super Saiyan to increase his speed.

"Darling, be careful." Makima whispers.

"I'll be back." Goku teleports away, easily locking onto Buu's KI.

Buu and Babadi stop their flight as Goku materialized right in front of them. The Saiyan from Earth smiles at the two forces of evil with his own little grin. "Yo."

"You!" Babadi recognizes Goku. "I thought Vegeta had killed you! But I am thankful for your assistance in resurrecting Buu."

"Vegeta and I underestimated you. We never thought Buu would be this powerful." Goku's words filled the pink menace with a sense of pride.

"He was my Father's loyal pet, after all." Babadi giggled. "Are you here to tell me where those fools are hiding?"

"Forget it. Two of 'em are my kids." Goku refused Babadi's request. "I'm just here to warn you."

"Heh! Funny, I'll just let the rest of the world listen in on this ridiculousness." Babadi brought back the connection, allowing everyone else on Earth to see the three of them.

The Division 4 building of the Public Safety Commission was in utter turmoil. They weren't the only ones, as every other Safety Commission building, and government outpost were working to try and pinpoint the exact location of the newest threats. Buu's rampage across the globe escalated far higher than any Devil threat in recent history had managed to achieve. The recent announcement of Babadi's decision to head for West City was at least giving them a warning of where they'll strike next. A task force, specifically created by Son Makima, was currently being mobilized to neutralize the newest threat.

A tall, grizzled man with scraggly facial hair and a stitched scar running across his left cheek from his mouth. He has blonde hair color, possibly indicating it's dyed. He has two piercings on his left ear and one on his right ear. He wears the standard Public Safety Devil Hunter uniform, complimented by a large overcoat. This was Kishibe, a Devil Hunter that is a member of the 4th Division. He stood in front of the assembled hybrids he was assigned over with his usual stoic expression. "Alright, I'm certain you all know what you're getting into. Mrs. Makima hasn't given orders, but the higher ups are on our ass about taking care of this newest threat."

A black-haired youth with a sword keychain around his neck raised his hand.

"Don't ask questions. You know as well as I do that the chances of dying here are likely, however, your Devils. Dying is practically a trip to getting a fresh ice-cream sundae."

A young woman with an ignition choker around her neck felt a tingle in her head. She was already getting used to this uncomfortable feeling and spoke up. "Mr. Old guy!"

"Not my name-"

"The wizard is back!"

Her announcement ceased all movement around them. Everyone felt the tingle of Babadi activating the telepathic connection again. Closing their eyes, everyone within the building and the world were greeted to the sight of Son Goku standing against Babadi and Buu.

Kishibe hummed and took a swig of his alcohol. "Makima's husband is back from the dead? Let's see how this ends."

"The ones you're looking for will show themselves, I promise! But you have to wait for them! This mayhem won't do any good!" Goku requested.

"Why wait? Are you plotting something?" Babadi asked.

"Yeah, they're training to beat you."

"Beat us?! HA HA HA HA! Do you hear that, Buu?!" Babadi and his monster started laughing hysterically. Goku stood unfazed by their behavior. "Forget waiting! Tell them to show themselves now or we'll go back to killing as much as we want!"

"I figured you'd say that, so I'll have to stall you." Goku said.

"Stall?! Fool, there is no stalling! Kill him now, Buu!" Babadi ordered. However, his 'pet' didn't feel like following orders. Buu whistled to himself like a child. "BUU!"

"Okay~!" Buu shrugged and danced over to Goku.

Goku, in an odd display of intelligence, took a shot. "Do you really let him tell you what to do like that?" Buu and Babadi stopped and allowed the Saiyan's words to sink in.

"S-shut up! He is my pet, of course he'll listen to his master!" Babadi declared before flinching back at Buu's cold stare. It was clear that the pink entity didn't take kindly to being called a 'pet'. "W-why are you looking at me like that?! Do you want me to seal you away?!"

"Seal me and he kill you." Buu warned the warlock, shutting him up.

"D-dammit! He's getting too smart too quickly!" Babadi was more than aware that a smart 'pet' led to terrible outcomes. But he couldn't risk sealing Buu, or he'll lose his only advantage, he literally had nothing else to rely on after Vegeta killed the rest of his men and blew up his ship. Babadi really hated that damn Saiyan Prince.

"But I still kill him. Buu hates good guys." Buu declared, much to Babadi's relief.

"Guess I have no choice." Goku powered up to the ascended state of Super Saiyan as he prepared to face off against Buu.

"Watch, Earthlings! You'll see what happens to those who defy us!"

Everyone on the Lookout watched with bated breaths as Goku faced off against the terrible Majin. Goten looked over and saw the nervous shivering of his sister. The youngest Son reached over and tightly held her hand with his own. Goten smiled softly as he felt Nayuta calm down at his touch. The boy closed his eyes and tried to keep his own nerves intact as he watched his father, who he was still getting to know, battle against the monster that killed their brother.

"Please, don't die, Daddy."

Trunks stopped as he felt Goku's KI shoot up. "Woah…! He's just as strong as Dad!"

Goku grinned, realizing that this level of strength wouldn't be enough to hold off Buu. He was gonna have to bust out his new form if he was going to have any chance of this working, even though it'll cost him the rest of his time still on Earth. "Alright, then! I guess I'll just have to go beyond the ascended level of a Super Saiyan!"

"Beyond…the ascended?!" Piccolo gasped.

"Darling…" Makima mumbled, confused by her husband's words.

"I don't get it…beyond what?" Babadi questioned.

Goku ignored him for a moment due to Trunks' KI signature stopping. "Why did Trunks stop moving?! I don't have a lot of time here!" Realizing that the boy was likely watching the fight, Goku knew he needed to get the boy moving. "GET THE RADAR, NOW!"

"R-RIGHT!" Trunks stumbled in the air before shooting back off towards his home. When Goku wasn't smiling the rich kid had to admit that he was just as scary as his own dad.

"Who are you yelling at?!" Babadi and Buu looked around. The warlock glared at the Saiyan. "Cooking up some scheme, are you?"

Goku dropped back down to base form. "Something like that."

"Why turn back? Are you giving up?" Buu asked.

"Nah, nothing like that. I just want to teach you about Super Saiyans, so that it's easier to understand." Goku replied.

"I don't care! Just hurry!" Babadi yelled.

"Now, now, don't get impatient. You're going to love this. This is my normal state." A bright flash signified his transformation into a Super Saiyan. "This is a Super Saiyan. And this…!" A small flex and flash brought him into the 2nd level. His hair was a bit more spiked with a single long bang going down the left side of his face, and lightning coursing around him. "This is what is known as a Super Saiyan that has ascended past a Super Saiyan! Or you can just call it Super Saiyan 2!"

"Oooh!" Buu nodded his head.

"Tch! What's the difference, you barely even changed!" Babadi scowled.

Goku smirked.

Piccolo grunted. "H-has he really found a way to surpass an ascended Saiyan?!"

"He has to be bluffing…I mean-what would that make him? Double ascended?" Krillin jokes.

"No…" Makima got their attention, though their eyes were still closed to watch the fight. "Darling wouldn't bluff about this…!" She could feel it, something inside of her darling was building and was just waiting to burst.

"AND THIS…!" Goku tightened his body.

"W-What's he doing?!" Roshi cried.

"IS… TO GO… EVEN FURTHER BEYOND! HYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Everyone gasped as they felt Goku's power skyrocket to levels they've never felt before. The Earth itself responded to the Saiyan's power, shaking in pure anticipation of its hero's magnificent level of power. The sky morphed, twisting and turning in Goku's direction as if being drawn into his power.

King Kai, who had been watching from Otherworld, cried out to his student. "You have to stop, Goku! If you do this now it's going to drain away all of the time you have left on Earth! And you need every second as it is!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"I-It's unreal! How is he generating that much power?!" Piccolo cried.

"Darling…!" Makima's breath hitched, her face growing hot as she felt her darling's power encompassing the entire planet. She clasped her hands together and softly moaned to herself as she stared lovingly at his transformation.

Fami looked up at the sky and gave a small smile. Her brother-in-law always managed to surprise you when you least expect it.

Trunks stopped again. "W-what's going on?! Goten and Nayuta's Dad is putting out even more power than before!" Then he realized that he had stopped again. "I-I should go! I don't want to get yelled at again!" Trunks continued his mission.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Earthquakes continued around the planet. Every single human watched in utter awestruck panic and anticipation at this mysterious warrior's power. Their buildings were shattering, the tidal waves threatened to overcome cities, winds transformed into tornados, and even technology was short-circuiting!

"T-this guy…this is Gohan's Dad…?!" Denji muttered, utterly blown away.

"Mrs. Makima's husband is unreal…" Aki stumbled on his feet.

"W-warm…it feels warm…" Power, unlike when she felt Vegeta's energy, relaxed as her senses took in Goku's power. It was like a warm blanket being wrapped around them all, swearing to keep them safe.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"T-this is insane!" Tien Shinhan exclaimed. Chiaotzu was right by his side through all of this. "It feels like the entire world is breaking apart! If Goku doesn't stop this, the whole world is going to be destroyed!"

Hercule Satan, who was training in a hidden bunker, stumbled as the earthquakes reached his position. "W-woah! WAAAAAH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Stop it! STOP IT NOW, GOKU!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A white flash almost blinded Babadi and Buu as Goku finished his transformation. The two held strong through the winds and vibrations, being right at the epicenter of it all. When everything finally calmed down, Babadi opened his eyes to look at their enemy. His mouth and eyes were wide open with disbelief.

Goku's appearance changed pretty drastically compared to the previous two forms. His hair went from the rigid straight to smooth and flowing, extending down past his buttocks in length. His eyebrows vanished completely, giving his face a more rigid and stone-like appearance. Lightning surrounded this form in spades, threatening to shock anything that gets close. "Sorry this took so long. I haven't had much time to practice with this one. This is Super Saiyan 3!"

Nayuta and Goten were shaking, unable to control themselves as they felt their father's massive energy vibrating through the air. "Papa is…"

"Daddy is…"

"...SO COOL!" They declared with bright stars in their eyes.

Gohan stopped his training, feeling his father's power even this far out in the galaxy. "Dad…?! This power is…!"

"Yes, that is Son Goku!" Shin exclaimed.

"Holy shit…! Just how strong is your freaking Dad!" Asa yelled, shocked.

Kibito was left in awe by these mortals yet again. "T-to think that a mere mortal's power could be felt all the way here!"

Deep within Asa's mind, Yoru flinched as she felt her brother-in-law's power. Her ring-like pupils looked up towards the direction Earth was in. "Goku…"

"Dad?! Just what is going on back on Earth?!" Gohan exclaimed.

Deep within the confines of Hell, Vegeta stared at the crystal ball that showed Goku's battle against Majin Buu. The prince's fists were growing so tight that blood would've leaked through his gloves if he were capable of bleeding. "Kakarot…you…"

Death leaned over, smiling at her brother-in-law's new form. "Super Saiyan 3, huh? Pretty cool, right Prince?"

SHATTER!

Vegeta crushed the ball between his fingers, tossing the pieces away towards the lower pits of hell.

"Prince-"

"FUCK OFF!" Vegeta's aura exploded to life and he took off to who-knows-where. The oldest of the Horsemen watched him fly off with a bored expression. There wasn't a way for him to leave unless she allowed him to do so. It was obvious he was going to run off somewhere to blow off steam, so she'll go find him when she needs him. Can't have him causing too big of a mess down here, now can she?

"Good luck, brother-in-law. You're going to need it." Death chuckled and leaned back on her throne.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: Time's Up

"Do you miss them?"

"Hm?" Goku stopped his hand-handed pushups to look at King Kai. He stood back up onto his feet with a confused look. "What are you talking about, King Kai?"

"What do you think I'm talking about, Goku?" The Northern Kai asked.

"...Your planet?"

A tick mark appeared on the God's face. "And who do you think I have to blame for that, huh?!"

Goku waved his arms in an apologetic manner. "I said I was sorry, jeez! How long are you going to yell at me for that?!"

"For however long it takes for me to get my planet and life back!"

"Oooh! Oooh!" Bubbles agreed, clapping his hands.

"We'll be sure to do the same." Gregory added for himself and Bubbles.

"Jeez…! A guy can't catch a break, huh?" Goku smiled, nonetheless.

"Anyway, that wasn't what I was asking about." King Kai stood up from his chair to make way towards his student. "I was talking about your family and friends."

"Of course, I miss them, King Kai. Why ask a question like that?" Goku crossed his arms with a head tilt. As much fun as he's been having these last seven years in the Fighter's Realm, he does think back about his family and friends. He does wonder how Gohan and Makima were doing all this time. There were also those two kids in that photo that Death sent him. Goku had to assume they had to be his kids, right? He did remember that he and Makima did some stuff together before the Cell Games.

They did a lot of things in that short time.

"You'll be seeing them soon for the tournament, so I was just wondering how you were feeling. It's been seven years since you last saw them." King Kai said. As many liberties as Goku is usually given for his good deeds, he wasn't allowed to communicate or look at the world of the living unless the circumstances were called for it or requested by a God. Just like the living, the dead need to move on in order to find a sense of peace in their afterlife.

Goku hummed with a finger to his chin. "Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious to see how they're all doing. I'm sure not too much has changed in all this time, and I bet they're all excited to see me too!" He laughed a bit. "It'll be a fun day!"

"Is that all you want, Goku? Just a day?"

"A day will be more than enough to-"

"A day where you'll be busy fighting in a tournament that'll take most of the day to finish. That's barely enough time to catch up with everyone and to get to know the children you've never met." King Kai interrupted him. The Northern Kai stared at his student's blank face, knowing the gears in that brain of his were slowly turning. "You could've chosen any other day to go back to them-to see your family again, but you chose a tournament. Why?"

Goku didn't answer immediately, but he did manage to put his thoughts together. "I just want to see everyone again, I guess. Even if it's not enough time to fully catch up, I just want to know they're doing okay."

"They aren't dead as you know."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they're happy."

"But what if they are happy? What if your visit does nothing but open up old wounds that managed to heal after your death?" King Kai's words drive a nail into the Saiyan's heart. An uncomfortable feeling that he wasn't used to and didn't really like. "What if they've moved on, Goku?"

…

…

…

"...Then, maybe I have to move on too." His voice sounded uncertain. It wasn't common that you'd hear the usual confident Goku sounding nervous. All this time he was more than certain everything would be fine after his death, and even still a part of him still believed this. Nobody was dead yet. If a threat did pop up, he was more than certain Gohan and the others would handle it.

King Kai walked around to face his pupil in the face. As much as the two would usually joke and laugh with each other, there was still a sense of respect held for King Kai's position. His wisdom and knowledge had proven useful repeatedly and Goku would continue to be incredibly grateful for everything King Kai has done for him. "Goku, if by the end of this day you wish to stay with everyone, then I'll contact the Namekians to use the Dragon Balls to bring you back to life."

Goku's eyes widened in shock. "King Kai, you can't-"

"I can! I know we all agreed to leave the Namekians out of our problems. But it wouldn't be right for you to remain miserable here after everything you've done for your world-no-the universe."

"But I can't just leave you guys alone after getting you killed like that!" Goku exclaimed.

King Kai sighed at Goku's selflessness, a pure heart indeed. It baffled the God upon meeting him for the very first time. How could such a pure-hearted Saiyan ever come to exist, someone from a race born and bred to cause chaos around the universe to fulfill their battle-hungry needs. This didn't mean Goku was completely selfless, the battle with Freeza came back to his mind, but the Saiyan was selfish in the sense that he made decisions that he believed would benefit others more than himself.

A selfless selfish person. That was Son Goku.

He turned away from his pupil to look up at the pink sky. "Goku, there is nothing more valuable than time. We all have to use our time wisely or else we'll come to have regrets. In a way, you're still young, Goku. Don't waste the time you could be spending on the things most important."

"Sorry, King Kai, I don't have a choice." Goku thought after fully transforming into his newest form. His Super Saiyan 3 power filled the air, clashing against Buu's malevolent aura that threatened to consume the world.

"HA HA HA! Super Saiyan nothing! Humiliate him in front of the whole planet, Buu!" Babadi ordered.

"Hup! Hup! Hup!" Buu started winding up his arm in a silly manner.

"Let's go!" Goku charged forward faster than Buu expected. His foot smashed into the chubby cheeks of Buu, blasting him through the air. His hand grabbed the antenna on his forehead to yank Buu back towards him. Goku started treating Buu like a paddle ball, punching the pink bubblegum each time he was pulled back in. Then he swung Buu around and tossed him down into the sea.

"That's it, Papa!" Nayuta cheered.

"Get him, Goku!" Yamcha exclaimed.

Buu immediately came out of the water, unharmed from Goku's assault. Buu released a barrage of KI from his palms. Goku grit his teeth and deflected each of the blasts that came flying at him. When each one had been dealt with, he saw that Buu was no longer below him. Suddenly a pink fist smashed into his jaw, propelling Goku through the air for a brief moment.

After steading himself, Goku frowned slightly. "My attacks didn't hurt him at all. That barrage he just did was Vegeta's technique. Did he learn that just from watching Vegeta do it once?"

"Enough, Goku! Stop using Super Saiyan 3 or else you'll run out of time! You still have to teach the kids fusion!"

Goku ignored his teacher's shouts to focus on the fight in front of him. He smashed Buu's head to the side and was greeted with a similar punch in retaliation. Goku flipped around and kicked the pudgy pink ball in the stomach. Cupping his hands to the side, Goku charges up a powerful Kamehameha and fires. The beam tore through Buu as if he were paper, a gaping hole left in the monster's torso. Unfortunately, just like before, Buu easily regenerates the damage as if it were nothing. What shocked the Saiyan more was the way the Majin copied his movements by cupping his hands to his side.

"No way…! He couldn't be…!"

"HAAAAAA!" Buu gleefully shouts as he fires his own Kamehameha! Goku was forced to deflect the attack, grunting as the force of the attack made his bones rattle. The attack flew back at Buu, who gladly deflected the attack himself. All three, along with the entire planet, felt the sheer impact of the blast hitting the Earth. The Lookout vibrated violently, and they were nowhere near the battle.

"S-such…power!" Piccolo grunted.

Babadi released a shaky breath, then turned to his monster. "Buu, you idiot! That attack almost hit me!" Sadly, for him, Buu didn't seem to care about that. Rolling his eyes, Babadi turned his attention to the Saiyan. "Looking at the damage, it seems that attack took out a 10th of the planet! What kind of Hero of Justice are you?!"

Goku ignored Babadi to focus on his powerful opponent. His Saiyan blood was racing with excitement at Buu's might and adaptability. "You don't look smart, but you learn fast. You really are strong, Buu."

"Hee! Hee!" Buu rubbed his nonexistent nose.

"Let's continue!" Goku dashed forward with a punch to Buu's stomach. However, the Majin grabbed the Saiyan's arm and started spinning him around. Majin Buu tossed Goku away and pushed his palm outward. A pink chain extended from his palm and wrapped itself around Goku's leg.

"A chain?! But he never fought Makima!" Goku noticed the similar energy flowing through the chain as it tried to erode his mind. He pulled his leg back, yanking Majin Buu towards him. "If he never fought Makima, then the only person could be-"

"How dare…!" Makima's bloodlust started leaking out as she came to a similar conclusion as her husband. Anyone other than Piccolo and her children started scooting away to avoid her potential wrath.

Growling at the thought, Goku backhanded the Majin in the face. Then he flinched when he felt a wave of pain flow through his body instead. "What?!" Looking down at the chain still wrapped around his leg, Goku saw the brief static surrounding it. "Is he channeling the pain I deal back to me?!"

Buu rocketed back up with a headbutt into the Saiyan's stomach. Buu extended his head upwards with a breath blast that knocked Goku backwards. With the space given, Buu placed both of his thumbs in his mouth. His hands enlarged to a comical degree that left everyone gaping at the ability. "HEEEE!" Buu whipped the chain downwards to place Goku in the perfect position for his attack.

Goku crossed his arms as Buu unleashed his gargantuan fists upon him in rapid succession. Shockwaves shook the planet with each impact that continued to throw the whole population into panic. Goku grunted under the weight of Buu's attacks and pushed back against his fists. His KI rose as twin bursts of energy blew the gloved fists away. Goku charged in and unleashed a barrage of attacks that pummeled the pink gummy bear. He kicked Buu back towards Babadi and released a breath. Before he could re-engage Buu, his senses reacted to Trunks' energy that was moving back towards the Lookout. "Trunks' KI is moving fast. He must've found the radar. Good." Goku relaxed his body and dropped back down to his base form. Sweat was beating down his face, clear exhaustion from using up some of his time is shown.

Buu gasped at him. "Why turn back?! Buu is having fun!"

"Sorry, Buu, but I don't have time to keep playing with you. I'm heading back to my friends." Goku apologized.

"Do you think you have a choice?!" Babadi yelled. "Kill him right now, Buu!"

"Babadi! The ones you're looking for will be here in three-no-two days! Stop this killing and just wait two days!" Goku requested.

"Are they strong?" Buu asked.

"Yup! It'll be much more fun than fighting me!" Goku promised.

"Why should we do what you say?! Maybe we'll just kill more people just to spite you?!" Babadi laughed, trying to get the situation back under his control. He didn't like the way Buu was clearly listening more to their enemy than him. Neither of them cared much for him in this conversation, simply treating him as an insignificant fly.

Goku put two fingers to his forehead. "That's too bad, Babadi. I'm certain Buu would've had a lot of fun fighting them. See ya." He vanished from their sight, confusing the warlock and monster.

"Grr…! What do you think you're doing, Buu! Find that bastard and kill him!" Buu didn't turn to face him. "Are you listening to me?! I AM YOUR MAS-" Buu's hand stretched out, wrapping itself around Babadi's throat. "B-Buu…gah!" He choked.

"Master Babadi…"

"B-Buu?!" Babadi choked as pink chains extended out of Buu's arm, embedding themselves into the warlock's head. His eyes grew wider as he felt Buu's influence stretch across his brain. Babadi attempted to say something, to say the spell to seal Buu, however no sounds were coming out of his mouth. As if his voice had been stolen by him.

"Babadi…"

"M-my voice! That's my voice!" The warlock's body trembled from hearing his voice come from Buu's mouth. The monster's head did an unnatural 180 spin to face him, then the rest of the body followed. Buu shortened the distance until the two were nose-to-nose.

"It feels bad, yes?" Buu's voice was still Babadi's. Then his face shifted into the warlock's to add to the unnatural horror. "To not be in control, yes?"

"B-Buu…!" Babadi clawed at the glove that was restricting his breathing.

Buu's head then shifted into Dabura's with the Demon King's voice following suit. "I warned you, Master Babadi."

"M-Master Babadi…Buu will never be your loyal servant. That monster will one day prove too much for you and will be your undoing!" Dabura warned him.

The pure fear in the warlock's eyes as he realized the truth of the situation was delicious eye-candy to the pink monster. He savored every bit of his pathetic "master" before raising him higher into the air. Babadi tried to do anything, desperately wishing to shout something, but his muted voice prevented that. He could feel the chains draining away his knowledge and magic, all of it flowing into his "pet".

Buu's face morphed back to normal. "With this, Buu knows how to avoid spell that can seal him away! Buu will no longer be controlled! BUU IS FREE!" His eyes glowed and all at once Babadi's body was engulfed with anguishing shocks of pain. Every bit of tremor Buu had felt from his battles since awakening transferred into the warlock's small body. Buu made sure the torment was nice and slow before allowing the warlock's body to crumple to dust within his grasp.

"WHOO-HOO!" Buu cheered happily at the death of Babadi. "BUU DID IT! BUU DID IT! WHOO-HOO!"

Goku's head snapped towards the direction Buu was in, his eyes widening slightly. "Darling." He looked over to see Makima and Piccolo approaching him. "He killed him, didn't he?"

"Yeah, Buu finally killed Babadi. I expected it to happen, but not this quickly." Goku responded.

"Pity, I wished to do the deed myself." Makima sighed.

"If there's nobody left to control him, then Buu might not act violently." Piccolo hopes. His words instantly proved futile as they felt the rapid decrease of small KI signatures around Buu. Seems even without Babadi, the monster was planning to do the only thing it knew how: Destroy. "Tch..! It really was too much to hope for!"

"It's actually worse that he's doing it for fun." Goku said.

"Hm, most Devils usually cause mayhem due to their inherit natures to do so. However, there are some who have enough intelligence to simply mind their own business. Whatever Majin Buu seems to be, his natural instincts gravitate towards destruction." Makima adds.

"I wonder…" Goku hums. There was something about Majin Buu's behavior that reminded him of a child with too much power in his hands. However, the monster was simply too chaotic for its own good.

"Buu may just destroy the planet at this rate before the kids even learn Fusion."

"Nah, I think it'll be the opposite. I told him that three fighters will arrive to challenge him in two days. As long as they learn fusion in that time frame, then everything should be fine till the Dragon Balls are ready to be used." Goku said.

"Darling, I have a question." Makima turned to her husband.

"Yeah?"

"If Fusion is required for two people, then how are three children going to benefit from this training?" Her question genuinely stumped Piccolo and Goku. She sighed for a moment and crossed her arms. "I figured this thought hadn't crossed your minds, so I'll be taking over training for Nayuta from this point forward."

"Wait, but how is she supposed to get as strong as Goten and Trunks' fusion in that case?" Piccolo asked.

"Unlike the boys, Nayuta has a natural talent of properly utilizing my abilities, even adding her own spins to them, as destructive as they tend to be." They all thought back to her technique at the tournament. "As hardheaded as she is, there's a level of control and patience she has whenever she wants to learn something new. It's an intrigue that I've only ever seen in your eyes, darling." Makima explains. Goku smiled softly at those words, pleased to see there's something that he shares with his daughter.

"I take it that it'll close the gap between them all?" Goku asked.

"No, I have no guarantee of how strong Goten and Trunks' fusion will be, but our daughter won't be a burden to the battle. This is my way of fixing my mistake with Gohan." Makima softened her words.

Piccolo understood what Makima was talking about. His pupil's fear of his Devil heritage left him to stagnate and his mother's attempts to help him control it had failed. Eventually, she gave up on trying to get him to control the power since he refused to listen. The guilt of not helping him master those powers must be eating away at her, a sense of blame for his death.

"Alright, then. I'll leave that to you, Makima." Goku agreed. His breathing had started growing more ragged as he talked, something that neither had missed. The Saiyan chuckled and wiped his brow. "My time must be running out."

"What?!"

"Darling…you should have more time." Makima's voice betrayed any sense of calmness she was holding.

"Super Saiyan 3 drains too much energy, which uses up the time I have here on Earth. So, I basically have to borrow with the time I have left." Goku explained.

"Have Dende heal you!" Piccolo suggested.

"No, only the afterlife can heal this." Goku said.

"Goku!" The three turned around to see Uranai Baba floating down on her crystal ball. "Prepare yourself. You only have 30 minutes left."

"30 minutes?! That's it?!" Goku cried. "Dammit, Trunks! Hurry it up!" He felt Makima's hand slip into his own to help calm him down. It worked and slowed his breathing to allow him to not stress too much.

"Goku…I've wanted to ask you something." Piccolo gets his attention. "With Super Saiyan 3, couldn't you have defeated Majin Buu yourself?"

"...No, I don't think I could've." It wasn't the first time they've heard Goku admit that he wasn't strong enough to win, but it was still surprising. "In that brief fight, I can see why Gohan, Vegeta, and War struggled so much with Buu. His level of durability far outstrips Cell's, and his power is almost unheard of. Maybe if I really tried, I could've killed Buu…"

"The world doesn't live on 'what if', darling." Makima reminds him. "If your power wasn't enough, then that's it. We have to live with that."

Piccolo mulled on his old rival's words before surrendering. "I understand. Then…give Gohan my regards when you see him."

"I will."

"Hyrah!" Gohan swung the Z-Sword much easier this time. Though there was still weight to it, he at least didn't need to be in Super Saiyan any longer to move with it. Kibito watched with an actual impressed gaze at Gohan's speedy process. "Dad trained hard, even in the Afterlife! I have to live up to that! To make up for my failures, I have to become better!"

Over by a tree, Asa sat in a meditative position in front of Shin. The Kai held her only hand as he linked their energies together. Thankfully, Asa was able to access Yoru's energy enough to not have to worry about the Devil throwing a fit about connecting with a God. "We Supreme Kais are Gods of creation. We breathe life into the universe to bring about balance. When there is destruction brought about by others, there must also be those who create the world."

"Gods of creation? Wouldn't that mean there's a God of Destruction too?" Asa wondered.

"You and War are similar in that regard, Asa. As the War Devil you have the ability to both breathe life in destructive ways and to wipe it out in equal capacity. Yoru already possesses the ability to create weapons with whatever she touches, however your weakness lies in the inability to create weapons out of things out of your touch." Shin opened his eyes to look at her. "You can create powerful weapons out of things that hold meaning to you, yes?"

"That's right." Asa replied. "It doesn't necessarily have to be entirely positive. My first weapon was using the spine of a perverted teacher that had me killed to kill another student turned Devil that he was sleeping with."

…

"I see."

"Yeah, sorry, my life is pretty grotesque at this point."

"So, you're depressed too?" Denji looked over to see Videl plop down next to him on the edge of the Lookout. A pretty dangerous thing to do, but they're both capable of flying so it wasn't that dangerous in hindsight. She tapped her fingers on the golden ring edge and looked at him. "Thanks."

"For what?" Denji asked.

"For believing that they're not dead. Everyone else seems to have accepted it." Videl shrugged. She then looked back at the rest of the group, who were minding their own business as the kids were training. "Can't say I blame them though since they're much more experienced in this stuff than either of us are."

"Doesn't mean shit." Denji spat. "I can't accept Gohan's death and if he's not dead then neither is Asa. He wouldn't let anyone die under his watch no matter what."

Videl stared at him and thought back to his outburst when the news was given. She's never seen the school's infamous pervert so…emotional. If anything was true about Denji it was the absolute faith he held in his friend. "How did you two meet?"

"Eh?"

"You and Gohan. How did you guys meet?"

Denji scratched his cheek as he thought back to the worst and best(?) day of his life. "Let's just say that he and Mrs. Makima found me after somethin' really bad happened. Stayed with the Sons for a few days before getting dumped on Aki's doorstep. They were…the first people to ever show me kindness."

Videl didn't know what could've possibly happened in his past to make Denji the person he is today, but it wasn't her place to ask. It wasn't like they were super close for that kind of conversation anyway. "But should that change?" It wasn't like there was anyone else other than the Sons she could converse on here with. There was nobody else that would understand the thoughts running through her head other than Denji. She looked back at him. "What are we gonna do, Denji? About all of this stuff?"

Denji shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I ain't smart enough to come up with complicated plans like the rest of these guys. But I do know something that I do want."

"And that is?"

"To cut Majin Buu to pieces!" Denji declared with a clenched fist. "I don't care how much he can regenerate. Even Devils have a limit to how much their bodies can handle getting sawed to pieces."

Videl smirked. "I guess that hero routine you and Gohan were going on with is still present in you, huh?"

Denji smirked at her. "Chainsaw Man can't exactly give up, can he? His partner is gone, supposedly dead, and all he can do is sit here? Like hell!" Denji stood to his feet. "I'm gonna make that pink bastard pay! I swear on my heart!"

"Okay, then. Let's train." Both teenagers flinched, Denji almost falling off the Lookout, at Fami appearing behind them. She was munching on a creampuff as they tried to get themselves back together.

"Ms. Fami, you're-" Denji was surprised to see her actually talking.

"My brother-in-law will be returning to the afterlife soon. My nephew, niece, and their friend will be taking over the fight with Buu. My little sister and oldest nephew were killed by Majin Buu." Fami crunched the creampuff between her jaws and swallowed it. "Even if it's just a little bit, I want to ensure that I don't lose any more family." It was the most emotional the two have ever seen her be. "So, Denji, I'll help get you stronger in time to hopefully assist in the fight."

"R-really?! You'll do something like that?!" Videl gasped. Fami nodded her head as she pulled out another creampuff.

"That's great, but I need Mrs. Makima's permission at this point to transform."

"She's given permission in case shit hits the fan." Fami answered. "So, come with me. We'll head to the lower levels so that we don't disrupt the Fusion training." Fami turned around to walk towards the entrance way. Both Videl and Denji scrambled after her with smiles on their faces for the first time in hours.

"Are you sure you're okay, Goku?" Piccolo asked.

"I'm fine, Piccolo… It won't be long now." Goku assured him.

"Does Super Saiyan 3 really sap that much energy?" Piccolo wondered to himself.

Goku placed his focus on Goten and Trunks. "Okay, so once your KI levels have matched, you'll have to go through a series of movements at the exact same time. I'll demonstrate." As Goku went through the movements, even roping Piccolo in to help, Makima and Nayuta were outside of the room. The mother had her hands connected to her daughter's head.

Their energies were intermixing with one another. Dark and yellow aura mixed between them both, red and white chains were crossing into each other's bodies. Nayuta could feel waves of information being processed inside of her brain. "Mama…"

"Focus, Nayuta. I'll be granting you just a bit of my power, the max that you'll be able to handle at this stage of your life. Once your blood has responded correctly, we'll move into the stage of controlling the power granted." Makima explained.

"And if we can't…?"

"Remember that movie we watched? Where the main character lost himself to his transformation?" Makima mentions.

"Yes…"

"You don't want that to happen." Makima hummed humorously at her daughter's shiver before resuming the process.

"Makima." Their process was interrupted by Goku's voice. Makima lowered herself and her daughter back to the floor, then turned to see her husband. He was sweating much more and looked a lot more tired. She grimaced at the reminder that he didn't have much time left before he had to return to the Afterlife.

"Papa?" Nayuta looked confused at his state. "Are you okay?"

Goku lightly ruffled his daughter's head. "I'm okay, Nayuta. The boys are taking a break for the moment, so go play with them while I talk with your Mother, okay?" She nodded her head and scurried off to leave her parents alone. He smiled softly at the loud noise generated by the kids talking. "Those three…they're good kids."

"Yes, they are." Makima closed the distance between them. She stared into his eyes and remembered the very first time she saw those dark irises. Makima placed a soft hand on his cheek with a concerned look. "Darling, your time is almost up."

"I have a few minutes left."

"Don't leave."

"Don't leave me again."

He reached up to softly remove her hand from his face. Goku gently rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, memorizing the feeling of her skin. "I have to."

"No, you don't. You never had to leave."

"It's better for everyone."

"Who is everyone, darling?" She placed her head against his chest to listen for a heartbeat that wasn't there. A heartbeat she'd never hear again if he were to remain dead. "Not a single thing that happened has ever been your fault. You are not responsible for the acts of a deranged old man hellbent on revenge, you are not responsible for your brother or Vegeta, and you are not responsible for Freeza coming to Earth. They all made their choices and none of that was on you."

"But I'm the cause and you know that."

"You had no choice-"

"We all have a choice. You said it yourself that they all made their choice. But we both know that those choices wouldn't have been made if it weren't for me." Goku felt her arms tighten around his waist.

"Please…don't break my heart a third time, darling."

He thought back to what King Kai told him before his free day back on Earth.

"Goku, if by the end of this day you wish to stay with everyone, then I'll contact the Namekians to use the Dragon Balls to bring you back to life."

It was hard, incredibly hard. To many others it seemed so easy to make the choice to come back to life to be with the ones they love. But Goku was a selfish person at the end of the day. He fell in love with the twins immediately upon meeting them, and he was so proud to see how strong they were for their age. When he saw the light in Makima's eyes upon his return to the living, that alone almost made him contact King Kai. He saw his oldest son all grown up, a young man having fun with his life as he should. The rest of his friends had all moved forward with their lives, they were all so different from how they were the last time he had seen them.

Life had moved on without Son Goku and it hurt more than he cared to admit.

He thought during the tournament that it wouldn't be so bad to come back to life. And then…

"What I care about is the fact that our son is dead and neither of us were there to save him."

"I'm not angry at you, darling. But I want you to understand that we failed as parents."

Gohan's death proved one thing and it was that he didn't deserve that kind of happiness. He got so focused on giving Vegeta the fight he wanted that he ended up losing his son in the process. Gohan was alone, likely blaming himself for everything, and Goku wanted to reassure his son that it wasn't his fault. He wanted to be there and apologize for failing him.

Even though he'd be leaving, he didn't want it to end on a depressing note. He'd use these last few minutes productively. "Makima, can you tell me about them?" She looked up at him. "Can you tell me about the twins and Gohan as they were growing up?"

Makima closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled a soft breath. "Yes, I'll tell you everything, darling."

"Goku, it's time." Baba's announcement brought a wave of sadness over the Lookout. Everyone stood outside, surrounding the Earthly Saiyan before he departed from this realm. Goku said goodbye to all of his friends with a smile, not wishing to see any of them looking upset. Goodbyes shouldn't be depressing at all, at least that's what he always thought.

"See ya, Goku." Krillin gave his friend one last handshake. "It was nice having you here while it lasted."

"It'll be fine, Krillin. We'll see each other again when you die."

"Not exactly the kind of thing you should say in this situation…" Krillin shook his head with a smile.

"Goku…" Bulma walked up to him. "Thanks for everything." She hugged him tightly and Goku returned it with just as much love as he could.

"Sorry for making you sad, Bulma. I'll see about Vegeta when I get to the Afterlife." Goku assured her.

"You don't have to. I know he's probably sulking in Hell right now. He needs some time to…think things through." Bulma said as she broke the hug.

Fami came up next and handed Goku a cream puff. "A going away present."

"Thanks, Fami!" He put the cream puff into his GI to eat for later. Then she handed him several more. "Uh…?"

"You get hungry quickly even as a dead person."

"True. Hehe!" He quickly eats a few of them in one gulp, enjoying the sweet taste of their filling. Goku could always trust Fami to find something delicious to eat. "I'll share some of these with Gohan when I see him."

"He's still alive." Goku and the others turn to Denji and Videl as they approach him. "There's no way he's dead."

"You know…I hope so too." Goku smiles.

"Papa…"

"Daddy…"

Goku looked down at the twins, who were fidgeting around their mother. Makima softly smiled at her children and pushed them towards Goku. They were trying to look tough in front of everyone and didn't know how to properly express their emotions. 24 hours ago, they barely had any idea who he was, and now he had managed to worm his way into their hearts enough for them to care. They had seen his kindness, they had seen his power, and they had seen his love for their family.

And they wanted more.

"PAPA/DADDY!" The twins jumped onto him, clinging to Goku's clothes tightly. Their tears stained his shirt, but that didn't matter to him. Goku held his youngest children with arms filled with warmth and love. A sensation they wanted to feel forever and ever.

"D-don't go, please! I-I want to know more about you, Papa!" Nayuta cried.

"I want to know more about you too." Goku said.

"D-don't leave us too!" Goten cried.

"I'm sorry, but I have to. Though, I'll always be watching you guys, okay? And the next time we see each other we can spend the entire time talking about everything you've done in your lives. I want to hear about all of it over a delicious meal, okay?" He received reluctant nods from his kids. "You two need to be strong for your Mom. Can you two do that for me?" They nodded once again. He gently removed them from his body, handing them off to Makima.

Husband and wife stared each other in the eyes one last time. Everything they needed to say to one another went unsaid.

Stay with me forever.

I'll always be here for you.

"Till death do us part…" Makima muttered into her son's hair as she held the twins.

Goku and Baba flew above their heads, the Saiyan waving goodbye with a smile. "BYE, EVERYONE! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!"

POP!

"...And he's gone." Yamcha sighed.

"Mrs. Makima." Aki got his boss' attention. "Your husband was a special guy."

She smiled softly and turned away. "Yes, yes he was."

"I'm certain you can find your way yourself?" Baba asked as they floated over the Check-In Station.

"Yup! I'll be all good from here! Thanks, Baba!" Goku exclaimed. After Baba teleported back to her palace, Goku made his way down to Yemma's desk. He skipped past the long line of souls, those who had been killed by Majin Buu, to talk with the huge ogre. "Hey, Yemma!"

"Goku?! You're back pretty early!" Yemma noticed.

"Yeah, some stuff happened." Goku shrugged.

"You're telling me! What the hell is happening on Earth for all these souls to be popping up?!" Yemma motioned at the long ass line.

"Sorry, Yemma, the entire Earth population may end up here in a day or two."

"HUH?!"

"By the way, can I ask you something?"

"DON'T JUST SKIP OVER THAT!"

"Did my son Gohan pass through here earlier?" Goku ignored the ogre's shout to ask his question.

Rolling his eyes at Goku, Yemma searched through his checkbook to find Son Gohan. "Nope. There's nobody named Son Gohan in my book."

Goku's eyes widened at the revelation. A spark of hope and relief washed over him. "You mean he's still alive?!"

"There was someone else though. Dabura, the King of Demons, came through here. Never thought I'd end up judging him, but I was all too happy to send him up to Heaven. Someone like him would thrive in either Hells." Yemma explained.

"I mean…Death wouldn't let him have his fun."

"You would think, but that damn woman came through and snatched that other Saiyan's soul before I could judge him! I have no idea what's going through her head!"

"Other Saiyan…? Oh, you mean Vegeta!" Goku realized with a gasp. "Huh, I wonder why she took him. I mean, I guess she probably wanted to punish him for something but I can't think of anything he's done recently to warrant that." Goku shrugged. Well, it wasn't his business at the moment since Bulma told him to leave it alone for now. His focus should remain on the fact that Gohan was still alive. "Thanks for the info, Yemma!"

"Goku, wait-" The Saiyan was already flying out of the station before Yemma could stop him. The Judge just sighed and decided to just get back to dealing with the line before it could get any bigger.

Goku floated in the air with a pleased smile. "Gohan's alive, just like his friends said! Awesome! But why couldn't I feel his KI?" Searching outward, Goku's senses managed to pick up the trace of Gohan's KI. "That's Gohan's energy! But where is he exactly? He's not with King Kai…so where exactly is it? Welp, only one way to find out!" He locked onto Gohan's energy and teleported.

Goku's boots touched the soft grass of the Supreme Kai's Planet. His arrival didn't go unnoticed as everyone turned to the Saiyan with stunned shock. "GOKU?!" Shin and Kibito exclaimed.

"Gohan's Dad?!"

"DAD?!"

Goku stared at his son and his weird state of dress. Seeing his son standing and still breathing sent a cooling sensation down the Saiyan's spine. A wide happy smile graced his features and he flashed towards his son in an instant. "GOHAN!"

The teen dropped his sword as his dad picked him up for a hug. "D-dad?! W-wait!"

"You're alive! That's awesome!"

Gohan saw the pure relief in his father's eyes and relaxed himself. He wrapped his own arms around Goku and released a breath. "Yeah, I'm alive, Dad. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Gohan. Everything's going to be alright."

Asa smiled at the scene and tried nudging her other-half. "Hey…! Your brother-in-law is here!" She felt Yoru stir slightly and could only wonder what was going through the Devil's head.

Yoru stared at Goku through Asa's eyes. As she watched the reunion between father and son, a certain emotion bubbled in her chest. She didn't know why, but the scene in front of her was…reliving. She hated this feeling and wanted it to go away. To bury it forever to never feel it again.

"So, you want to train?" Death hummed as she played with a little fidget spinner. Standing in front of her throne was Vegeta, the prince had the same scowl as always.

"Exactly. I refuse to allow Kakarot to remain stronger than me. I'll find some way to surpass that Super Saiyan 3 form, and then I'll beat him black and blue for lying to me!" Vegeta declared.

"You're assuming that I'll let you out of here to go fight my brother-in-law again." Death said. "You do realize the reason why I brought you down here, right?"

"Because you enjoy toying with me."

"That's one of the reasons, Veggie." She tossed the fidget spinner away to give him her full attention. "The other one is because of your little mid-life crisis." She smirked at his annoyed growl. "See, Vegeta, your soul was still embedded with Babadi's magic when you uselessly blew yourself up." His growls increased in volume. "Thus, your soul is currently tainted with foreign magic that could have negative consequences if you were to have been taken to the normal Hell."

"Then where's Dabura and Babadi's other jokers?" Vegeta asked.

"Yemma already kicked that wannabe Demon King into Heaven as a punishment. Whatever consequences that'll come from that will be on him. I grabbed the other shitheads and tossed 'em down here. I made sure to grab you quickly as soon as I saw that you died a pointless death-"

"I GET IT!" Vegeta roared, blushing.

"As long as you understand that self-sacrifice only works when you're certain it can kill the enemy." She winked at him.

Vegeta huffed, trying to calm himself down. He knew she got her kicks out of pissing people off. "Then what's your point?"

"Basically, let's say there's a...'seal' on your soul. As soon as we get rid of that, then I'll deem you fit to be released. Going to normal Hell wouldn't have cleansed your soul properly anyway, then that 'seal' would probably prevent you from getting brought back to life." Death explained.

"Something like that is possible?"

"Yup! Just need to hit the right restrictions. Babadi's magic is a bitch to deal with. I'm going to enjoy torturing that little shit for an eternity." Death conjured a glass ball, where Babadi's soul could be seen trapped inside. She dispelled it after letting Vegeta see it.

"How exactly do I get rid of this 'seal'?" Vegeta asked.

"Self-discovery." Death answered.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Veggie. You're going to have to do a little bit of soul searching to undo that 'seal'. And once you've got that taken care of, then we'll hit the training." Death explained to him. She got up from her throne and approached the prince with that superior look she loved to have.

"So, what? Do I have to sit in some dumb meditative position to do this?" Vegeta questioned.

"Nope. Just let me do this." She tapped his forehead before he could stop her. His body glowed brightly before transforming back into a 'pure' soul form. Death grabbed Vegeta's soul, balled it up between her palms, and tossed him right into a newly conjured crystal ball. Once his soul was safely packed inside, Death shoved him into a hole in the wall, where multiple other soul crystals could be seen. "I understand that it's going to be cramped for a while, but trust me, this'll be worth it."

Vegeta blinked for a moment, trying to get a grasp on his surroundings. His anger at Death's sudden actions faded when he came to the realization of where he currently was. He was no longer standing inside of Death's throne room, but one that was all too familiar to him. A throne room that he hadn't seen in decades, especially as he took in the form of the one sitting at the throne. There were also rows of nameless high-class societal members kneeling down around him.

An older man who shared a striking resemblance to himself loomed over him. His face shows marked cheekbones, longer sideburns and his beard possessing a thinner mustache, with a gap in-between his mustache. His hair color also seems to be a darker shade of brown but other artworks depict his hair color as black with gray lightings to them. His attire is made up of a black armor with a gold stomach and lower back plate, also possessing gold shoulder pads held for a red cape. Underneath the cape and armor he dons, he wears a dark blue tight suit, a gold necklace with a few blue gems, a pair of black wrist guards, a pair of white boots, and a white skirt that possesses a red and gray stripe at the bottom, in which his tail is wrapped around on.

Vegeta hissed softly at the visage of his long-deceased father and race. "Father..."

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission (11): Lovely Visits

In preparation for the 23rd Tournament and his inevitable battle with King Piccolo's reincarnation, Son Goku has been spending the previous couple of months on the hidden Kami's Lookout to train. It had been a jarring shock for the young fighter to learn of the Lookout's existence and that the God of Earth dwells within it. An even bigger surprise was finding out that Kami was the creator of the Dragon Balls and the positive half of the evil Piccolo. But shock wore off afterwards as Goku continued to spend his days training on the Lookout. If the monkey boy was to be completely honest…?

The place was pretty boring.

None of his friends were here, there wasn't anyone fun to fight (Mr. Popo was still too much of a challenge to get any enjoyment from), no buffet of food to devour, and no games to play. Kami and Mr. Popo were good people, but they weren't the most…entertaining individuals to hang out with. They preferred a quiet and calm atmosphere compared to the commotion he would always encounter back down with everyone else. He appreciates all of their efforts and willingness to train him, but he just wished there was some excitement.

"I wonder how everyone else is doing?" Goku broke out of his meditation to look down at the Earth below. He knew the Dragon Balls had been used months ago to bring back everyone King Piccolo had killed, meaning that Krillin, Roshi, and Chiaotzu were alive again. He wished he could go see them, but his agreement with Kami was that he wouldn't leave the Lookout at all unless circumstances were dire or his training was complete. Goku's thoughts drifted off to a certain redhead Devil that he had gotten close to the last couple of years. "I wonder if Makima is working right now."

"Thank you for thinking about me, darling."

"Eh?" Goku blinked and looked to his left to see Makima sitting next to him on the palace's edge. She had grown some since the last time he saw her. Makima's hair was tied into a long ponytail that reached down the middle of her back. She's dressed in a fitting black top that showed her middle, and a peach-colored skirt that stopped at her mid thighs. She has a pair of knee-high boots with gold and black coloring on her feet and legs. Sitting on Makima's lap is a basket filled with delicious food if Goku's nose was anything to go by. "Makima?! How did you get here?!"

"Shh! Don't need that God or his assistant finding out that I've gotten past their little barrier." Makima softly placed a finger to his lips. It had taken her months to get past whatever little protection barrier Kami and Mr. Popo had put up to prevent her and others from reaching this place. She was surprised to find out that the God of this world resided in such a location, but she wouldn't allow him to get between herself and Goku.

"Okay. What are you doing here though?" Goku asked.

"I came to see you, darling." Makima giggled.

"Really? Awesome!" He laughed. His eyes trailed down to the basket in her lap, a slight drool running down his mouth. The Control Devil rolled her eyes at his focus leaving her so quickly for the food.

"It's for you, darling. I made sure to pack a lot, since I doubt this place has anything good for you to eat." Makima passed the basket to Goku, who wasted no time in digging into the freshly cooked food.

"Dish you makthe thissh?!" Goku asked as he continued stuffing his face.

Flicking away any bits of food that could've landed on her, Makima nodded her head. "Yes, I've been practicing my cooking skills. Do you like it?"

"Yeah!" Goku swallowed his food, wiping his mouth with his arm. "Your food tastes amazing!"

The Control Devil blushed slightly with a smile. "That makes me happy, darling."

"Have you talked with the others since the fight with King Piccolo?" Goku asked.

Makima tapped her chin with her finger. "Last I checked Tien, Krillin, and Yamcha headed off on a training journey with each other to prepare for the tournament. After hearing how you're being trained by a God, those three were fired up to catch up."

Goku smiled excitedly at the news. "Oh yeah! That gets me excited! I can't wait to see how strong they get in three years!"

"They won't be strong enough to beat you." Makima told him.

Her darling shook his head. "Don't say that, Makima. You never know how strong someone can get with the time they're given. They might even develop techniques that'll take me by surprise."

"Certainly, but I'm still betting my money on you." She slid closer to him, their arms touching. Goku felt the warmth of her skin and felt his cheeks warm up a bit for some reason. "You saved the world, after all."

"I didn't do it alone."

"No, but you still did better than the rest of us. Had King Piccolo not played dirty throughout the fight, you would've beaten him single handedly." Makima said. She turned her gaze to him with an alluring look in her eyes. "You're the strongest, darling."

Goku found something within her eyes, a strange sight that he never saw before. His body started tingling a bit, but he shook it off pretty quickly. "I wouldn't say I'm the strongest. I'm certain someone stronger will show up soon enough." His words confused her momentarily.

"Whatever you say, darling. Just know that you don't have to be so humble." Makima leaned away with a sneaky smile.

Goku laughed a bit at her, then turned his body to fully face her. "How about you, Makima? Have you been alright?"

"Work is the same as always, and the world has started returning to its regular rhythm after the scare King Piccolo caused. I've just been missing you, is all."

"I miss you guys too."

"Yes…us all." There was slight disappointment in her voice, which confused the little monkey. She stood up on her feet and stretched a bit. "I can feel that God's presence moving to our location. He's probably figured out that I broke into here. I'll have to leave for now, darling." Makima didn't seem happy at the thought, but she smiled, nonetheless.

"Really?" Goku frowned.

"I'll be back."

"With more food?"

"Why do I feel like he missed the food more than me?" Makima rolled her eyes again. "Yes." She responded and vanished just as Kami reached the outside of the palace.

"Goku! Is everything alright?! I felt someone had broken through the barrier!" Kami exclaimed. He had an idea on who it was, but nothing seemed to be out of place.

"Oh? Uh…yeah, but it's all good!" Goku gave a thumbs up. He looked away from his teacher and back out at the outside world. He wondered when he would see Makima again.

A year later, Goku was greeted once more by Makima, who had made sure to get through the barrier much more carefully this time. She and Goku laid underneath the stars during one of the warmer knights on the Lookout. Kami had recently removed Goku's tail permanently, which is the only reason he was even allowed to sit outside tonight. He didn't really understand why his tail mattered, but it felt weird to not have it. His sense of balance was always thrown off when his tail kept getting cut off, but he'd adjust eventually.

"Hmm…darling?"

He looked over to the Devil that had attached herself to him, her arms wrapped around his torso. Makima's eyes glowed in the night's darkness which always made it easy to find her whenever they were in the dark. "Yeah, Makima?"

"Do you ever get lonely?"

"Lonely?" Weird question to be asked. "Not really. I have all of you guys with me. There's also Kami and Mr. Popo up here on the Lookout too."

"But we won't always be around, darling. You like to move a lot, so don't you think it would be nice to have someone with you?"

"I guess." Goku thought back to most of his travels, and how weird it felt to not always have his friends around to talk to. Back when he lived on Mt. Paozu after his grandfather died, it was pretty lonely until he met Bulma. "Huh…? I guess I have felt lonely before."

"I'm lonely too." Makima said.

Goku looked confused at that. "You have everyone at the Division place, the rest of the gang, and your sisters!"

"Those are my employees; our relationship will always be strictly professional. I'm not close to the rest of your friends as you may think, darling. They're afraid of me, especially after finding out my true nature as a Devil, which simply made me a bit stronger." Goku frowned at that, surprised to hear that his friends couldn't see how cool Makima was. "And my sisters? We're not much of a family."

"But you're siblings."

"In a sense, we are, but we've never seen each other as family."

"That's weird. I don't know what I'd do if Grandpa never saw me as family, he was all the family I had." Goku thinks back to his late grandfather.

"You never knew your parents, right?"

"Nope. Grandpa said he found me in the middle of the woods when I was really young. I guess they never wanted me." Goku shrugged.

"Their loss, then." Makima moved to lay on top of Goku, staring into his strong powerful eyes. "People such as them will never get to see just how wonderful you are, darling. They'll never see your light." Goku stared back at her with a look she couldn't figure out. It seems the gears in his head were turning and that meant he was getting an idea.

"You don't have a family like I had, right Makima?"

"No, darling."

"Then we can be a family!" His suggestion caused her eyes to widen to a comical degree. An expression the Control Devil had never once possessed in her entire life will only ever be Goku's to see. Her face was pretty red, almost lightly up the darkness of the night. "If you're lonely, then I can stay with you! That way neither of us will be lonely again!"

"D-darling…are you suggesting…something?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Goku's smile vanished as he tilted his head. She looked nervous. Did she not like the idea?

Makima, as confident as she was, had never been in this position before, especially with someone as special as Goku. She needed to handle this with care. "You're suggesting something pretty…intament."

"What do you mean? It's just living together." He shrugged. "I lived with Roshi, Launch, and Krillin during my training. I also lived with Bulma as we were traveling for the Dragon Balls."

Makima's embarrassment vanished as she realized what Goku was thinking about. Her irritation grew slightly with a tired groan. "Darling, you're thinking of something temporary. In those situations, you were never planning on permanently staying with them, were you?"

"No."

"Exactly. What you just suggested to me is far different."

"How so?"

"You suggested marriage, darling."

"What's marriage? Is it food?"

…

…

…

Makima, after leaving the Lookout before Kami could find her, would spend the rest of the night bashing her head against a concrete wall. Several high-ranked criminals around the world would die from sudden head trauma that night as well.

Goku was confused by her behavior, wondering what it was that he said that troubled her.

Another year later, Goku had finally hit his growth spurt. His sudden growth in size was a surprise to his teachers, thus he had needed new clothing to accommodate his new body type. Not that he minded the sudden body growth, because it felt nice to finally be taller than Makima even if it was by a few inches. Speaking of Makima, his friend had also gone through some changes since the last time he had seen her.

Makima's black dress clung nicely to her curves and proportions, which had gained Goku's attention much more than they had before. Her features were more mature, having lost her child-like appearance. Goku's stomach would tingle every time he found himself looking at Makima. It was similar to how his stomach would feel whenever he was hungry, but that confused him a lot. Makima wasn't food, but she was nice to look at.

Her hands softly touched the top of his GI, examining the material with those beautiful eyes of hers. "Weighted clothing, huh?"

The question pulled him out of his thoughts. "Huh? Uh, yeah, I asked Kami if he could increase the weight of my clothing during training. It's similar to the training that Master Roshi had Krillin and I doing when we trained with him. He had us wear these really heavy turtle shells on our backs."

Makima nodded her head. "I see…the weight puts a heavy strain on your body. However, the more you work with it the better your body adjusts to the weight, amplifying your strength and speed when you take it off."

"Pretty much! Each piece of clothing weighs the same, so my whole body is getting a workout." Goku explains. "We'll keep increasing the weight once I'm adjusted to the current one."

She trailed her finger along the fabric then up along his collarbone. She closed the distance between them with a sultry smile that sent an oddly excited shiver down the Saiyan's spine. "So? You've had these weighted clothing on for a while now, yes? If you removed them, I wonder just how fast you are now…" Their faces were intimately close, their breaths gently brushing against their faces. Goku's hands subconsciously reached for her waist, bringing Makima's hips into his own. Her hands pressed against his chest with an audible moan as she felt his pelvis against hers. As she thought, their bodies fit perfectly with one another perfectly, like a puzzle coming together. "Darling~."

"Ah hem."

The two broke apart from each other, too caught up in each other to realize that someone else had been approaching. The two looked to see Kami standing a few feet away, a glare etched across his wrinkly green face. "I hope I'm not disrupting something."

"You are." Makima scoffed, crossing her arms.

Kami glared back at her. "And seeing how I don't remember inviting the Control Devil into my sanctuary, you have no place being the one displeased." He walked towards them with powerful steps. "I may have missed you the last two times, but I finally caught you."

Makima hummed, clearly not intimidated. "And what do you plan to do? Kick me off the Lookout? I think we both know how that will end." Her eyes glowed dangerously, daring the God to try.

Quickly Goku got in between them. "Woah! Woah! There's no need to get all angry at each other!" He looks at his teacher. "She wasn't doing anything wrong, Kami!"

"Au contraire, Goku, she has trespassed on sacred grounds and has disturbed your training more than once. I was willing to overlook the previous two times as they were harmless at the time, but clearly, she has been planning something far worse than I thought." Kami responded.

"What are you implying?" Makima's negative energy started to seep out, contrasting her calm sounding voice.

"Taking advantage of my student, manipulating him, and-guck!" Kami fell to his knees as Makima's force gripped around his neck.

"Makima!" Goku yelled, but she ignored him.

Makima flashed in front of the struggling Kami, her eyes glowing with malice. "Never imply those filthy words about the bond between my darling and I ever again. I wouldn't expect someone like you who would try to mold and groom an innocent soul like him to do your dirty work to understand the meaning of true love."

"What…guh…are you-"

"I know about Piccolo's reincarnation. It was a good attempt trying to hide him from me, but I finally figured out why a God would even bother training a mortal to participate in a silly little tournament." Makima hissed out.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Goku giving her a stern glare. "Makima. That's enough."

She flinched under his glare and released her hold on Kami, causing him to wheeze as he tried to regain his breath. The Control Devil turned away, digging her face into the crook of Goku's neck for her own sense of comfort. "You know I'm right, darling."

"That doesn't make it right." Goku said.

"He wants you to take his spot, because he understands that he's nothing but a failure of a guardian."

"Makima-"

"She's right." Kami said as he finally got back to his feet. He gave Goku a regretful look of his own. "I have been training you in the hopes that my lessons would take to you. That you would vanquish the evil of Piccolo from this world and take over as the guardian. Goku, you've done far more for this world than I ever have."

"At least you understand that much." Makima spat.

Goku processed everything they've said to him, trying to form his own conclusion. It was difficult since he wasn't used to thinking about such complicated matters but the two were clearly waiting for his answer. He scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Well, it's all fine. I don't blame you or anything, Kami."

"What?!" Both stared at him with wide eyes.

"I don't really understand everything you guys were talking about, but I don't like seeing the people I care about fight like this. Whatever the problem is, can be solved easily, right?"

"W-well…I don't know about that…" Kami muttered, taken aback by Goku's easy going nature.

"Besides, I don't mind having to fight Piccolo! I know his reincarnation is still getting stronger until the tournament comes! As long as I beat him, then it's fine, right?" Goku laughed happily, scratching the back of his head.

Makima blinked at him before sighing with her own smile. "You're the only person who can take a complicated situation and make it seem so easy, darling."

"Really? Hehe!"

"You're a special person, darling."

Kami stared at the two with a look of disbelief. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he should've known that Goku would've seen the easy solution in the end. This young man really was a better person than he had ever expected, far more than he ever was. Goku would indeed make a perfect replacement if his heart truly wished for it. Though, he was still uncertain about Goku's close relationship with the Control Devil of all people. He's seen the damage she could do, but he would be a complete fool to not have noticed the difference in her that has come since meeting Son Goku.

Though, still, he wanted to be certain that his evil half could be finished off once and for all. Goku may hesitate or even fail to beat him, thus the old guardian may have to take things into his own hands.

Goku finished his stretches as he stood on the Lookout, an excited smile graced his youthful face as the morning sun greeted him. It was finally time for the 23rd World Tournament, the day he'd reunite with his friends, and the world deciding battle against Piccolo. He would need to head out now if he wanted to make it to Papaya Island in time for registration.

"Oh, Goku!"

"Hm? Hey, Mr. Popo!" Goku waved at his other teacher and caretaker these last three years. "Did you come to see me off?"

The guardian's assistant nodded at his former student. "Yes, I also came to give you these." He held a box in his hands, handing it off to Goku. "It's a spare weighted GI for you to wear at the tournament. We wouldn't want you to head there unprepared."

"Thanks, Mr. Popo! I can always count on you to come through!" He tucked the box under his arm. He looked around, noticing the lack of the usual guardian. "Do you know where Kami is?"

"He's resting at the moment, though he told me to tell you he wishes you good luck."

"Nice!"

"Are you excited to see your friends after all this time?" Mr. Popo asked.

"Of course! I bet the rest of the guys have gotten super strong! I can't wait to fight them in the tournament!" Goku answered with his usual smile.

"There's also the more important matter to keep in mind, Goku. The fate of the world rests in your hands." Mr. Popo warned him.

He nodded his head, fully understanding the responsibility. "I understand, Mr. Popo. But still, I'm gonna have as much fun as I can."

"Heh. I don't think I can expect anything less." Mr. Popo smiled. He stood there, a bit confused as to why Goku wasn't immediately heading out. "How come you're not racing off, Goku?"

"Huh? Oh, Makima told me to wait for her when she was here last time. Something about wanting to head out with me." Goku responded.

Mr. Popo tapped his chin, thinking about the Control Devil who had been sneaking up here the past three years. He hadn't been ignorant to her trespassing and even watched diligently from a far distance as she interacted with Goku. It was obvious to see her attraction towards the young man, but he was curious about Goku's feelings on the matter. The boy clearly didn't know much about social norms, which would make courting him difficult. However, there was a simple way to get an answer out of him.

"Goku, how do you feel about Makima?"

"Huh? Well, she's a friend."

"Just a friend?"

"Yeah."

"Are you certain?"

"...I think so."

He needed to poke more. "Does her appearance gain your attention more often than not?"

"Well, I have been looking at her butt more, I guess. But I don't understand what that has to do with anything." Goku said.

"I see. Do you enjoy her company?"

"Yeah! It feels awesome whenever she's next to me! Makima has definitely helped make my time up here a lot more fun!" Goku answered with a wide grin.

Another push goes in. "Does your body feel strange whenever you're close to her?"

"Well…yeah." He scratched his cheek. "My body gets tingly, especially my crotch! It feels all weird and stuff whenever I look at her. I never felt like this around anyone else. Bulma's pretty, but she's just…Bulma, ya know?"

Mr. Popo nodded his head. "Goku, do you know what everything you described is called?"

"Uh…not really."

"It's love. When someone feels a strong attraction to another person and wants to spend their lives with that person."

"Love…huh?" Goku tasted the word, something that was pretty foreign to him. He thought back to Bulma and Yamcha, who were a…couple(?), then to all of those weird romance shows Blue Launch would always watch. Finally, he remembered that conversation he and Makima had on that night.

"If you're lonely, then I can stay with you! That way neither of us will be lonely again!"

"Oh… I guess, you're right, Mr. Popo! I really love Makima!" Goku declared loudly.

"Eh?"

Both Mr. Popo and Goku turned to see Makima standing behind them, near the edge, with a dumbfounded look on her face. She blinked like an owl as she stared at the idiot clad in white and blue, having heard his loud declaration the moment she arrived on the Lookout.

"Hey, Makima!" Goku waved, oblivious to the storm going on in her head. "Guess what?! I really love you, Makima!"

Her brain had been fried completely as her one goal the past three years finally managed to accomplish itself without her even noticing. Like a bullet piercing her heart, Makima ended up falling backwards off the Lookout.

"AH! MAKIMA!" Goku yelled as he watched her take a plunge towards the ground. He turned back to Mr. Popo with a raised hand. "Catch you later, Mr. Popo! Thanks for everything!" He jumped off the sacred palace to follow after his newly discovered love.

"Good luck, Goku!" Mr. Popo laughed his goodbye.

Goku flipped through the air, pushing himself forward to catch Makima with his free arm. "NIMBUS!" His trusty companion that he hadn't seen in three years appeared in a flash. Catching him perfectly, and allowing Goku to rest his butt on the soft cloud as he rested Makima on his lap. When her eyes started to flutter open, the Saiyan opened his mouth. "Makima, are you okay-MFFH!" He was interrupted by her lips pressing into his.

She broke the kiss with a pleased smile on her face. "I love you too, darling~!"

"I guess kissing is something couples do, huh?" Makima nodded her head in response. "Cool! I like kissing you, then!" Goku laughed.

"Good, because you're only allowed to kiss me."

As the Nimbus flew them towards their destination, to the battle that would decide the fate of the world once more, the newly found lovers were trapped in their own little world for the moment.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: Hope and Despair

"For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to live a normal life. To be just like everyone else who roamed the town. But that was impossible, my life was too messed up. I was too stupid for school, too poor to afford basic needs, and stuck paying off debt from my shit-bag old man. But I wasn't alone. As long as I had Pochita, then even this miserable life meant something."

A young man with blonde hair stood in front of a large horde of zombies. The leader, the Zombie Devil, loomed over him with a sickening scent that would drive anyone mad.

"But even then, I wanted to be normal. It's selfish, but I think everyone has the right to be. If something happened to me, then I at least wanted Pochita to be happy."

The young man reached for the ignition cord sticking out of his chest.

"Then I learned that without me he wouldn't be happy. I feel the same, because I also want to be with him forever. Together, the two of us can live by our own rules. We can be free."

He glared at the horde as they piled on top of him. "And if anyone dares to get in our way, then we'll tear 'em apart!" He yanked on the ignition cord with all he had. Chainsaws emerged from his arms, an orange helmet covered his head with a chainsaw emerging from the front of it. Blood and meat spewed everywhere as he tore his way through the zombies as if they were butter.

"W-wait! That shitty little Devil took over your body?! Then aren't you the same as me?!" The Zombie Devil cried. The Chainsaw Devil couldn't give a shit and flung himself at his adversary. He shoved his right arm down the Devil's eye socket, tearing through his brain. Then he dragged his arm downwards to slice the monster's head in half.

The newly revived hybrid turned around back towards the horde. "Looks like you guys are Devils through and through now." Without their leader, the zombies were nothing but mindless creatures acting on instincts. "FINE THEN! I'M A DEVIL HUNTER, I'VE GOTTA SLAUGHTER THE LOT OF YA!" He charged at the horde, swinging wildly without a care in the world. The zombies piled on him, but his saws ripped them to shreds quickly. "OH YEAH! IF I KILL ALL YA FUCKERS MY DEBT DISAPPEARS! GYAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

…

"Quite the conundrum, don't you think so, Gohan?" Makima looked up at her oldest son. The two stood in front of an old warehouse, where they could see the aftermath of a huge battle that had taken place. The putrid smell of blood and rotten flesh was sickening to the boy's nose, but his mother was unaffected by it. "Seems even on my day off I still tend to find trouble."

Gohan didn't answer his mother, his eyes stuck on the lone figure that was still standing inside the warehouse. A shirtless Devil with chainsaws sticking out of his body, covered in dried and fresh blood. Gohan felt out his energy, noticing the distinct feeling that only hybrids would be able to give out. "He's a hybrid, Mom."

"I'm glad you noticed, son." Makima smiled.

When the bloodied hybrid started wobbling on his feet, Gohan acted quickly and caught him in his arms. The chainsaws and helmet melted away, revealing the dirtied face and blonde hair underneath. "A kid."

"Same age as you I would assume." Makima slowly approached. She used her invisible force to create a barrier to prevent her new clothes from getting stained in blood.

The blonde's eyes started fluttering open, he was too tired to move his body much. His eyes met the warm spiral orbs of Gohan, and suddenly a sense of comfort entered his body. "W-who…are ya?"

"I'm Son Gohan. I'm not gonna hurt you."

For some reason, the blonde couldn't help but believe him.

"What's your name?" Gohan asked.

"D…Denji…"

"Nice to meet you, Denji." Gohan picked him up and placed Denji on his back. "Just hold on the best you can. We're gonna get you some help, okay?"

"Y-yeah…" Denji's eyes were fluttering as his consciousness started to fade. He caught a glimpse of red hair before his consciousness blacked out completely.

"Pay attention!"

CLING!

"Tch…!" Denji was pushed back as a Bull Devil's horns were threatening to tear through his chainsaws. He let out a grunt and shoved the bull back before it could get any more leeway. He was then smashed into the wall by a falcon's talons. The Falcon Devil screeched loudly before digging its claws into his body. "Gah! Goddammit! Get the hell off!" Denji tore his saws through its body, forcing it to retreat back. He sprinted forward and jumped at the Devil with his blades in an 'X' position. With a crazed scream, Denji tore the Falcon Devil into chunks with quick swipes. He opened his mouth and devoured the blood of the deceased Devil like it was a gallon of Kool-Aid.

Videl cringes in disgust at the sight before her. Even after seeing Chainsaw Man fight in the past his gorey way of defeating his enemies never stopped disgusting her. "A-are we sure this is going to work?" She looks over at Fami, Aki, and Power, who were all watching Denji's training.

It had been an hour since Son Goku had left the world of the living. With only two days to prepare for the eventual final battle against Majin Buu, there was no time to mourn the departure of the kind-hearted Saiyan. As Piccolo and Makima continued to train the kids, Fami had taken them to the lower levels to train Denji. Aki and Power joined them to support and keep an eye on their family member.

Fami shrugged. "Probably."

"P-probably?!" Videl flinched back.

Aki lit one of his cigarettes and glanced at the Famine Devil. "I have to agree with the Champion's daughter. Is feeding him like this going to really make him stronger?"

"The best way to make a Devil stronger is to increase the fear of their identity, however, that plan would fail due to Majin Buu running rampant at the moment. The next best solution is to not only strengthen Denji's fighting abilities but also fill him with enough blood to increase the power of his Devil abilities." Fami explains. She reaches into her pocket, pulling out a tiny dried out corpse. She flicked it out towards Denji and snapped her fingers. It grew in size, revealing to be another Devil for the hybrid to fight. "Does he know how to use KI?"

"He knows how to fly. Anything else hasn't been refined at all." Aki responds. Not that he or Gohan haven't tried, but their methods of teaching just didn't stick with Denji. His own patience was too short and Gohan used big words. The Chainsaw hybrid's attention was also just severely lacking in several areas.

"I see. We'll work on refining that during these two days as well." Fami bit into a ham sandwich that she pulled out of her pocket.

Videl looked even more disgusted. "Where do you get all of this food?!"

"I don't know." Fami shrugged and kept eating.

Power, who wasn't paying attention to their conversation, was yelling at Denji. "GO LEFT, DENJI! DODGE THAT ONE! DON'T GET HIT, STUPID!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP! YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" Denji roared at the Blood Fiend. That distraction cost him and allowed him to get impaled by the Karate Devil. Blood exploded out of his mouth as the fist was ripped out of his chest. Denji ignored the pain, swirling around and knocking the Devil away to catch his breath. He noticed the other ones that Fami kept tossing out where started to surround him. "C'mon! I can take each one of ya bastards on!" With a monstrous roar, Denji lunged at them with fierce strikes.

He needed to get stronger, strong enough to protect the life he had now. Just like before, he's going to tear apart anything that gets in the way of his dream.

On the Supreme Kai's Planet, Gohan continued to work hard at mastering the Z-Sword. After reuniting with his father, Goku explained the situation back on Earth. More guilt slammed against his heart as he thought about all of the destruction Buu could be causing while he was here. His family and friends were all in danger because of him. That dark seed that had been festering inside of him since the Cell Games continued to grow inside of his heart.

Asa released heavy breaths as she continued her own training. In an effort to get her to master creating matter from nothing she needed to at least be able to create matter from something. In a way, Yoru's abilities already allowed that to happen but the difference was that she could only create weapons while touching them. Asa was trying to transform a rock into a sword, an actual bladed weapon made from metal. Thankfully, she was making progress but getting the matter to shift into metal was difficult.

And the lack of communication from her partner wasn't helping matters either.

Off to the side, Son Goku was taking a nap, having grown bored from watching the teenagers train. Kibito and Shin were supervising the training and were doing their best to tone out Goku's snoring.

"Again!"

"Fu-sion-HA!"

Again!"

"Fu-sion-HA!"

"Again!"

"Fu-sion-HA!"

"Again!"

"Fu-sion-HA!

Piccolo and the boys could be heard from the outskirts of the Lookout. The Namekian wasn't wasting a second on drilling the corrected motions of the dance into the boys' bodies until they knew it by muscle memory. "Trunks, your legs are too close! Goten, get your timing to match Trunks!"

"Yes, sir!" The boys shouted, though their exhaustion was clear to anyone listening.

Floating above the Lookout was Makima and Nayuta, the two were surrounded by a red sphere of energy, the only daughter of the Son Family was fighting against her instincts to turn Super Saiyan. "Do not transform. Your body won't survive the transfer from the sudden shift." Makima warned. She could see that her daughter's eyes were switching from black to teal repeatedly.

"I-I'm…trying…" Nayuta struggled to even talk.

"I know." Makima replied softly. It wouldn't be long until Nayuta's body learns to accommodate for the excess power being pumped into her. Once her body is ready, then they can work on refining everything for battle.

BOOM!

"BUUUUUU!" Majin Buu yelled happily. The pink menace just got done tearing through most of the Western Continents. It was barely even an hour since he finally killed Babadi and the monster had already destroyed 2/3rds of the Earth as a whole. Nothing but smoke and barren waste was left in his wake. He tapped his chin with that goofy look of his. "Buu wonders what he should destroy next? Somewhere Buu can find anything delicious to eat?"

"How about a raincheck?!"

"Huh?" Majin Buu looked up to see seven figures descending down on top of him. They surrounded him, keeping him pinned to his position in a sense. The doughy pink monster tilted his head. "Who are you?"

The young man of the group stepped forward. "My name's Miri, bastard! The guy who's gonna kick your ass!" He is a young man of average height with unkempt black hair that goes down to the middle of his neck and visible dark circles under his brown eyes. He's dressed in the Public Safety uniform with a white hoodie over the top.

"Do you always have to be so loud?" One of the women complained. She is a tall woman with cream colored hair tied back into a ponytail. She wears an eye patch over her right eye, has a brown left eye, and possesses an athletic build with rather wide hips. She dons a set of sheathes on her back, holding up to three swords which resemble Dao. She is also dressed in the Public Safety uniform.

"Don't be too harsh on him, Miss Quanxi. Boys are pretty brash at this stage in their lives." A girl who looked similar in age to Miri commented. She is a young girl of slender build. She wears a choker around her neck with a grenade pin sticking out. She is dressed in the Public Safety uniform as well.

"Shut up, Reze!" Miri yelled, blushing a bit.

"I agree with the Lesbian!" An older man speaks up, earning an eye roll from Quanxi. "The stupid sword brat is too much like that Chainsaw Man! It pisses me off!" He is a tall man with short black hair and notable sideburns. He wears the Public Safety uniform, but keeps the shirt unbuttoned at the collar.

"Are you saying that because Denji almost turned you into a woman, Katana?" Reze's question caused the man to glare fiercely at her.

"Keep your mouth shut, brat! I'll kill him the next time I see him!" Katana roared.

"Can we please focus for once?" The man standing next to Katana said. He is a tall man with relatively long black hair that's swept behind his ears, with the exception of one strand of hair that drops from his forehead and connects to his right eyebrow. He wears his uniform neatly with a bowtie instead of a necktie. "We have a job to do here." The other two unnamed hybrids nodded their heads, clearly wishing to get on track.

Miri rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. "Fine, but I'm not doing it because you said so, Barem! I'm doing this because-WHY IS HE ASLEEP?!" He and the rest of the hybrids turned back to see Majin Buu had fallen asleep during their introductions. A snot bubble had even inflated from the monster's non-existent nose.

"Guess he got bored." Quanxi shrugged.

"Our introductions must've taken too long." Reze said.

"Tch…! Fat pink bastard!" Miri cursed loudly.

POP!

The snot bubble popped as Buu woke up from his slumber. His eyes opened, staring directly at Miri. "What did you say?" His voice was filled to the brim with quiet rage.

The young hybrid smirked. "Heard that one, did ya? Don't worry, that insult is the last thing you need to be worried about!" Miri shoved his hand down his throat and bit his hand off. Two long swords spiked out of his arms, his head shifted into a demonic helmet.

Reze pulled the pin in her neck. Her head exploded, revealing the transformed torpedo helmet.

Quanxi stabbed herself in the head with a black arrow. Her skull shifted into an arrow head with several bone-like arrows growing out of her collarbones. Her arms transformed into bone-like crossbows.

Another member pulled a spear out of his spine. His head shifted into demonic form.

The other snapped their fingers, transforming their body into demonic whips.

Katana's hands fell off, his form flashed brightly to reveal his true form. Two long katana's extended out of his arms with a singular long one coming out of his head.

Barem ignited his form with a snap of his fingers. His head transformed into a huge fire tank as dual flamethrowers took the place of his arms.

Buu, after witnessing the cool transformation sequences, forgot his anger and clapped his hands. "OH~! Do it again! Do it again!"

Katana Man descended first. "Don't worry, I'll give you a close and personal show!" His swords swiped at the pink blob, but ended up hitting nothing but air. "Huh?"

"Katana, behind you!"

He didn't even have a second to react before Buu's fist smashed into his head, embedding him into the ground. Buu laughed loudly until several arrows started impaling his body, knocking him back from the Katana hybrid. Buu didn't get a chance to react as each of the arrows proceeded to explode, engulfing him in flames and smoke. Quanxi and Reze had attacked together to deal some damage to the pink blob. However, their attacks proved fruitless as Buu emerged from the smoke unharmed.

Buu pushed out his hand, generating a forcefield around the two female hybrids. The two tried to bust their way out of it, but the field was studier than they expected. With his other hand, Majin Buu snapped his fingers with a sinister grin. The ladies gasped as the dust particles beneath their feet exploded violently. Their screams echoed as each explosion had far more weight than they could've seen coming.

A spear attempted to stop Buu, but he easily dodged out of the way. The Spear Devil and Whip Devil attacked Buu in tandem, forcing him to release the force field around the girls. Several whips wrapped around his pink arms, stretching them out to keep him still. Spear Devil rushed in with his spears to try and cut through the Majin. However, Buu took a deep inhale and flexed his arms. The whips snapped easily, shocking the Whip Devil thoroughly, and leaving them open for Buu to grab the extended whips to pull them in. Buu bashed the Whip Devil into the Spear Devil, then blasted them both away with a KI blast.

"Don't think it'll be that easy!" Miri cried as he came flying down with his swords. His blades clashed against Buu's arms, attempting to slice through the pink flesh. "Dammit! Why can't I cut through ya?!"

"Hehe! Buu's body is sturdy!" Buu pushed Miri's arms apart, causing him to gasp. The Majin's yellow gloves clapped against the sides of the teen's head harshly, almost crushing his skull. Buu kicked Miri away, laughing as the Longsword hybrid bounced across the ground.

Flames engulfed Buu quickly, Barem unleashed hell upon the monster. "Attack!" He yelled towards his comrades.

Reze had recovered from the earlier onslaught and raised her arms. "Here comes the boom~!" Her arms snapped off, blasting into the air like torpedoes. They descended into the fire tornado and exploded, increasing the intensity of it. As her limbs regenerated, Quanxi and Katana Man joined in next.

With KI enhancing their abilities, the two attacked fiercely. Quanxi's KI arrows mixed with the flames and Katana's energy slashes kept on the pressure inside. Miri decided to follow Katana's lead, repeating a similar action as him. The Spear Devil was the same, tossing KI enhanced spears into the massive flaming tornado. The Whip Devil recovered and wrapped their whips around the fire tornado to keep the flames condensed enough to focus solely on Buu.

"Keep it up! This has to have hurt him!" Miri yelled.

"HA HA HA! I'd like to see the look on that pink bastard's face right now!" Katana laughed.

"Uh huh! Buu wants to see it too!"

"What-"

SQUELCH!

All of the other hybrids stopped their attacks to stare in horror at Buu tearing a hole right through Katana. The Majin roughly pulled his hand out of the hybrid's body, allowing him to fall to the ground. Buu frowned at his bloodied hand. "That no good! You can't play with Buu like that! Oh well, guess Buu will turn you into candy!"

"We won't let you!" Spear and Whip tried to stop him.

"Go away! Buu no like you!" Majin Buu unleashed a powerful wave of KI that swallowed the two Devils up like a tidal wave. Quanxi and Reze had to jump out of the way to avoid the blast. When the dust settled, there wasn't a trace of the two left to be found.

"No way…! Spear and Whip…!" Miri cried.

Buu stomped down on Katana's head, crushing it like a grape as he walked towards the rest of the hybrids. "Hmm…! Buu wonders what snack he'll turn you all into!" His words sent a wave of terror through the four that were left.

"...We need to run." Quanxi said.

"What?!" Miri exclaimed.

"That thing is too strong. We knew this was a suicide mission, especially since Mrs. Makima's husband wasn't even able to beat it. But I genuinely didn't think it would be this impossible." Quanxi admitted.

"We can't just give up here! If we leave now, then this thing will continue destroying shit!" Miri yelled.

"I hate to admit it, but at this point there's nothing that we can do." Reze said. She turned to Miri with a saddened smile. "This is even worse than the Cell Games seven years ago. I'm sorry, Miri, but the world needs a miracle and that isn't us."

"A time where both humans and Devils are facing the reality of extinction." Barem speaks up. "To think such a time would actually seem to be possible. This world will finally reach its end at the hands of this monster unless a savior appears to stop it. Funny how it was some pink monster instead of a Devil that would end us all."

Miri stared at them with shock. He couldn't believe they were so ready to give up so readily, especially when everything was hanging in the balance. They were sent out here to stop this monster and he'd be damned if he ran like a coward. "Fine, then! You can all run away, but I'm not gonna lose to this fatass!" He charged in before any of them could stop him.

"Miri, wait!" Reze called out to him. She was going to follow him but was pulled back by Quanxi. "Why are you-"

"Some of us need to live if there's going to be any form of hope." Barem stood in front of them. He sighed a bit and readied his flamethrowers. "I hope you ladies find some way to enjoy your final days in some fashion." He boosted himself into the air with his flames and descended onto Buu alongside Miri.

"Wait! We can't just leave them!" Reze cried as she was pulled into the skies by Quanxi. The one-eyed hybrid continued to fly through the air as fast as she could from Majin Buu.

"We can and will. Besides, you're too pretty to let die. And there are my girls who I need to make sure…oh…" Quanxi suddenly came to a stop, confusing Reze.

"Why did you stop-oh…" Reze looked ahead to see Majin Buu looming over them both. The tubby Majin was rubbing his belly, chocolate crumbs littered his mouth. He held the chocolate form of Miri in his hands and swallowed it in one whole gulp.

"Yummy~! They were delicious~!" Buu exclaimed. He then opened his eyes, smiling sadistically at the frozen hybrids. "Buu wonders how you two will taste!"

The last thought that went through Reze's head before she was turned into chocolate was if Denji had managed to survive Buu's terror wherever he was.

Kishibe watched on his tablet as Quanxi and Reze were effortlessly killed by Majin Buu. The special forces that had been put together to deal with the monster couldn't even manage to hurt the damn thing. He let out a deep sigh and took a long swallow of his alcohol.

"Welp, we're dead."

A day later, back on the Supreme Kai's planet, Gohan effortlessly twirled the Z-Sword in the air before posing with it. He finally got the handling of the sword done perfectly, using it just as he would any other weapon. His father and the others clapped their hands to applaud him on his efforts.

"Nice work, son! You managed to get so much better in just one day!" Goku congratulates him.

"Hehe…! Thanks, Dad." Gohan blushes a bit.

Shin turned to Asa. "Now, let's see your progress, Asa."

The one-armed teen nodded her head. She turned to the large stone in front of her and raised her hand. A pulse of energy entered the stone, enveloping the material in a bright flash of light. The light vanished to reveal a polished steel tipped spear with her name engraved on the handle. Asa picked it up and twirled it around. "Figured it out even without Yoru's help! Not bad for a human, huh?" She directed that last part to Kibito.

"Hmph! Don't get so full of yourself, mortal. You still have a ways to go till you're ready to face Buu." Kibito huffed.

"You really can't compliment anyone who isn't the Supreme Kai, can you?" Asa rolled her eyes. The apprentice sputtered at her claim with an embarrassed look on his face.

Goku got up off the rock he was sitting on. "Hey, I got an idea." He gained everyone's attention. The Saiyan ripped the large rock out of the ground, holding it over his head. "Why don't we test out that sword to see how good it is?"

Gohan got into a batter's stance. "Alright, Dad! I bet the Z-Sword will cut through it like butter!"

"Hold it!" Shin stopped them. "If we're going to test the sword then we're going to need something harder." He raised his hand into the air, summoning a large cube of black metal. Goku caught the cube when it was tossed over to him.

"Woah! This thing feels pretty tough!" Goku tapped the cube and felt the pure density of it. "What is it?"

"That is Katchin, the hardest metal in the universe. Try it out." Shin said.

Asa looked a bit unsure. "Uh, what if the sword breaks?"

Shin and Kibito both chuckled at her, causing the teen to feel a bit self-conscious. "Nonsense, Asa, the Z-Sword is the greatest weapon in the universe. If anything can cut through Katchin it'll be the legendary weapon-"

KRAK!

The sword broke the second it came into contact with the metal cube. The severed half clattered to the ground as the cube smashed into the dirt behind Gohan. The air around them was deadly silent as the horrid reality of the situation processed in their minds.

Asa gave the gob smacked deities a flat stare. "Told you so."

"T-t-t-t-t-the Z-Sword…?!" Shin trembled.

"H-how can this be?! It's the most powerful weapon in the u-universe!" Kibito was in just as much turmoil.

Goku frowned at Shin. "Look at what you did! You just had to use that metal, huh?"

"B-but it's the legendary weapon! It should be able to handle something like Katchin!" Shin stuttered, trying to defend his actions.

"Even legendary weapons can break." Asa shook her head. She walked over to Gohan and picked up the broken half of the blade. "Maybe I can piece it back together?"

"Yeah, but if it broke that easily then will it really be effective against Buu?" Gohan questioned.

"Do you at least feel stronger?" Asa asked.

"I mean, I do feel like my physical strength increased after swinging around the Z-Sword for so long." Gohan answered.

"But I don't think that'll be enough to stop Buu, though." Goku said.

"No! That has to be it!" Shin was still trying to salvage the situation. "Perhaps once you turn Super Saiyan you'll see a tremendous growth in power that'll-"

"You're wrong!"

"EEEKKK!" Shin and Kibito jumped away, turning to see who had snuck up on them. Standing across from them was an old man who looked very similar to Shin.

"Woah! Supreme Kai is that your Grandpa?" Goku asked.

"W-what?! No, he's not my Grandfather!" Shin exclaimed.

"Correct! I am the Supreme Kai from fifteen generations ago." The Elder Kai explained.

"Fifteen generations?!" Shin gasped.

"That's right. A long, long, long, long time ago this lazy God of Des-I mean-this powerful entity sealed me away inside of the Z-Sword." Elder Kai explained.

"Why would he do something like that?" Asa asked.

"Because he's a short tempered-I mean-a very dangerous individual!" Elder Kai coughed to cover his slip-up. "Trust me, you're lucky to never have to meet him."

Goku smiled and turned to the teens. "He doesn't look very impressive. Let's test it out to see if he's got any hidden strength."

"Uh, Dad, I don't think that's a good idea-" Gohan was too late as his father shot a weak KI blast at Elder Kai. The ball exploded against the old man's face, knocking him over effortlessly.

"CRAP!" Goku cried.

"DAD!" Gohan yelled.

"Dumbass." Yoru's voice vibrated in the back of Asa's head. The one-armed girl was wondering how someone smart like Gohan was related to someone like Goku. Then she remembered who his mother was and that probably balanced him out.

"G-great ancestor!"

"Elder Supreme Kai!"

The old Kai shot up like a missile, hissing dangerously at Goku. "YOU STUPID MORON! WHAT WAS THAT FOR, DOODOO BRAINS! TWINKLE TOES!" He continued to curse Goku's existence as Shin and Kibito tried to calm him down.

"Hehe… My bad." Goku apologized.

"Dummy! He wasn't afraid of my strength, but of my special powers!" Elder Kai explained after calming down some.

"Special powers?" Goku asked, growing interested.

"Nope! Now I'm not gonna show you!" Elder Kai huffed.

"What are you? A child?" Asa's opinion on these Gods was really starting to hit rock bottom. Instead of seeming like these larger figures that governed the universe, they just seemed like manchildren given too much power.

Elder Kai's eyes turned to Asa, trailing up and down her body. She felt his perverted gaze and shifted back a bit. "Well, I'd be willing to tell you if your lady friend over there gives me a kiss-" He suddenly found himself at the end of a pointed weapon, Asa's eyes glaring at him dangerously.

"Finish that sentence, old man, and I'll happily turn you into a woman!" Asa threatened.

"Asa, wait!" Gohan pulled her back away from the terrified old God. "You can't just kill him!"

"He's a pervert! What kind of old man asks a teenage girl to give him a kiss?!" Asa yelled.

Elder Kai just spat at her. "Fine, then! I guess you'll never learn about my powers!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Goku called out to him. "I can get you some dirty magazines if you agree to tell us!"

"DAD/MR. GOKU?!" The teens exclaimed.

"Goku?!" Even Shin was surprised.

"Peh!" The old God scoffed. "I don't need any magazines. With these eyes of mine I can see women changing clothes from here!"

"I'm going to kill him." Asa was held back from ending the God's life by Gohan, Shin, and Kibito.

"Well, how about I know Asa refused but I could bring another woman here who would be happy to give you a kiss!" Goku suggested.

"Really?!" Elder Kai turned to the Saiyan with glee.

"Yup!" Goku thought back to his early days with Roshi and how he got the old turtle hermit to train him. He was starting to think all old guys were the same with their weird ways of thinking.

"D-Dad! W-what are you planning to do?" Gohan asked.

"I can't go back to Earth, so you're gonna have to convince your Auntie Fami to give him a kiss." Goku replied.

"W-WHAT?!" Gohan flinched back. "W-why Auntie Fami?!"

"Asa already disagreed, War would kill me, Death would kill me, your mother would kill me, Bulma would kill me, I don't know Lazuli enough to suggest her, I don't know Power either, and I don't think your girlfriend would agree either."

Gohan nodded his head. He could envision the hell storm that would've been unleashed on his father's head if this topic even reached his mother's ears or Bulma's.

"Fami is the only one who wouldn't care enough, so she's the best solution." Goku said.

"Okay, but let's not tell Mom, okay?"

"Agreed." Father and son shook on it to keep this entire conversation a secret.

"This is still sexual harassment, Dad."

"What's that mean?"

"...Nevermind." Gohan turned back to help calm down Asa.

Goku gave the Elder Kai a thumbs up. "Alright! Once Majin Buu is taken care of you'll get that kiss!"

"Deal!" Elder Kai agreed, already imagining the beauty who he'd be locking lips with or at least getting a kiss on the cheek from. Either way it was a win/win. "Alright, I'll start explaining my special powers!" Elder Kai got the others' attention.

Asa scoffed. "Better be something good then."

"My psychic powers allow me to draw out the hidden strength far beyond the normal limits of the most skilled fighters. Ever heard of anything like that?" Elder Kai bragged.

"Uh, yeah, every day." Goku said.

"Tch! Well, I can go even further than that! Nobody else in the universe can do it like I can!" Elder Kai yelled, then pointed at Gohan. "You're the one who pulled out the Z-Sword, right? C'mere."

Gohan approached the Elder Kai, separating from everyone else. "If you can swing that sword around while I was still sealed inside, then you'll really be the strongest in the universe by the time I'm done with you." He then shifted his gaze to Shin. "I am disappointed that it wasn't a God who freed me. To think…freed by an Earthling."

"I-I'm sorry." Shin muttered.

"Now stay right there!" Elder Kai held out his arms at Gohan. Everyone watched in anticipation at the special technique that would be used. "Here I go! Let's beat Buu!"

He started walking around Gohan, dancing to his own tune. "Dee-dum! Dee-dum! Dee-dum!"

…

…

…

"Yeah… I'm just going to go back to my own training." Asa walked away, tired of dealing with perverts and Gods.

"How long is this supposed to take?" Goku asked.

"Five hours for the ritual and twenty for the power-up! Now shut up and let me work!" Elder Kai yelled.

"In that case, I'm just gonna take a nap. Good luck, Gohan!" Goku walked over to a nearby tree to rest.

"N-no fair…!" Gohan groaned.

"I suppose we should remain awake?" Kibito asked.

"Yes, we should." Shin replied.

As Asa was about to continue refining her abilities, her eyes shifted over to the Katchin cube, then down to the broken pieces of the Z-Sword in her hands. "Hm… I think that can work."

Makima ducked under a kick from her daughter and grabbed the girl by the collar of her GI. She flipped her over her shoulder, tossing down into one of the Palace's structures. Nayuta steadied herself quickly and quickly re-engaged her mother. Several blood red chains wrapped around Nayuta's legs, giving her a boost in raw power. She nailed her mother in the stomach, then pointed her index fingers at Makima.

BANG!

Rapid fire shots connected with the Control Devil, blasting her down onto the surface of the Lookout. Everyone else kept back to avoid getting caught up in the intense sparring match going on between mother and daughter. Nayuta smirked at her growth in prowess, until she felt something approach her from behind. She turned to see her mother's fist smash into her stomach, folding her over. "Do not let your guard down!" Makima scolded Nayuta.

She smashed her knee into Nayuta's jaw, then knocked her down with a hammer strike. Nayuta laid in a small crater with a tired groan. Dende quickly approached to heal her as Makima floated down to the floor. "You're still not using the power properly, Nayuta. It's not just a boost in your abilities, but the key."

"Key?" Nayuta questioned.

"There's a lot of power inside of you, Nayuta, hidden strength comparable to your big brother. You need to evolve if you wish to control it." Makima explained.

"Evolve?" Nayuta repeated the word. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"You'll understand it soon enough."

"Makima. It's time." Piccolo's voice echoed inside of her head.

"Fine." She turned to everyone else as they were approaching. "The boys have completed their training! It's time to see what the Fusion technique can truly do!"

"We're finally getting something done?" Lazuli approached her. "About time."

"Yes, it does feel like things have been progressing slowly." Makima agreed. She looked down at Marron softly patted the girl's head, earning a cute smile from the blonde child.

A ragged Denji was being carried outside by Aki with Fami, Power, and Videl following from behind. Makima could feel that the hybrid's power had also grown from his intense training, but she knew that it could only get him so far. There was the other option of awakening the Chainsaw Devil inside of him, but that was more of a last resort all things considered. She wondered if his special power could work against Majin Buu in some way.

Lastly, Piccolo came strolling out with Goten and Trunks following by his side. "We'll perform it out here just in case to avoid the Lookout getting too damaged." Piccolo said.

"Don't screw it up, Goten, Trunks." Nayuta said as they walked past her.

"Pssh! As if! We're totally gonna look cooler than you by the end of this, right Goten?" Trunks bragged.

"Yeah! But you look cool too, Nayuta!" Goten quickly complimented his sister.

"I always look cool! I don't need you to tell me that!" Nayuta yelled with a blush.

Krillin rubbed his chin in thought. "Y'know, if they're going to become one person then I wonder what they'll look like."

"I doubt they'll look too different from how they are now. Unless they become some huge muscle-head." Roshi said.

"What about their name? The fusion may want a name to refer to him as." Aki said.

"How about…Power II?!" Power suggests.

"That's stupid as hell." Denji snarked, then he got kicked across the head by her.

"Don't insult my name, peasant!"

"Screw you!" Denji yelled back.

"Behave for one second! Can't you see something important is going on?!" Aki yells.

"You really have your hand full with them, don't you?" Yamcha chuckled.

"It's like watching toddlers." The hunter sighed.

"Hear that, Denji! You act like a toddler!" Nayuta giggled.

"Says the brat." He shoots back.

"Who are you calling a brat?!"

"Ha! You're a brat!" Power joined in.

"Nobody was talking to you, moron!" Nayuta hissed.

"Quiet!" Piccolo's shout ceased all conversations on the Lookout. He turned to the boys, who were standing the correct distance from one another. He sensed the boys' energy levels for assurance. "Okay, you both are identical in power now. Begin!"

"FUUUU-!"

Trunks and Goten moved closer to each other.

"-SION!"

Trunks extended his index fingers outwards.

"HAAA!"

SHINE!

Their fingers connected, completing the dance, and creating a new warrior to save the world.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: Surpass the Limit

"I hate you."

"Huh?" Goku turned away from his mountain of food to blink at War. The 23rd World Tournament had just concluded with his victory over Piccolo Jr., so now everyone was celebrating at a banquet organized by Makima. The newest champion wasted no time in scarfing down all of his food, while his friends were singing his praises for his achievement. Fami was over at a different table to partake in her own large share of food and would probably wander over soon to try and eat his share. He wouldn't let her though.

War had approached her soon-to-be brother-in-law after Makima stepped away to answer some calls from some officials at her job. The War Devil's short black bangs parted to only show her right eye, its spiral pattern reminding him of Makima a bit. She dressed in a casual white button-up with the collar open and a pair of black jeans. War looked down at him with nothing but disgust and contempt in her eyes.

Goku met her stare with a confused one. "Whffty?" Bits of food spat out of his mouth, splashing onto her face. If it was possible to hold even more hate for a person, then War was single handedly about to shatter that record with how intense her gaze had become. She took a napkin to clean the bits of food off of her face.

"You just proved one of the many reasons. You're a disgusting little monkey." War spat.

He swallowed his food. "But I'm not little anymore."

A vein was throbbing across her forehead. "Add your incredibly huge level of stupidity to that list as well. Honestly, I don't know what Control even sees in someone like you."

"What does that mean?" Goku asked.

"It means that someone as evil as her has been wrongly tainted by your insufferable presence. I'll admit that you're strong, having defeated Piccolo twice proves that. But a powerful Devil like her has no reason to be associating herself with you." War snarled.

Goku blinked at her, then frowned. "I don't think you should be the one deciding that though."

"What was that?"

"Like you said, Makima's strong, so she can make her own decisions." Goku elaborated.

"So? Does that mean I'm not strong, then? I can't make decisions just because the two of you are ahead of me?!" War's volume increased as she continued. Luckily, most of the others were still distracted with their own celebrations too notice. Well, a drunken turtle hermit was stumbling over into their direction, his eyes focusing on War's backside.

"Well, I never said that-"

"Then fight me!" She slammed her fist on the table. "I'll show you that no mere human is capable of standing in the same league as the beings they should fear-huh?" War's tirade stopped when she felt someone feeling up her ass. She turned around to see Roshi feeling her up with a drunken giggle.

"Hehe-hic-what a fine behind you have-hic!" Roshi continued without an ounce of shame. That was until the barrel of a gun was immediately pressed against his skull, a slender finger pulled the trigger without a second of hesitation.

However, the bullet would never reach its destination as Goku easily crushed the barrel seconds before it could leave the chamber. He tore the weapon out of War's hand and tossed it to the floor, his eyes glaring into her own. The next second, Goku had to dodge a short dagger that managed to slice off a bit of his hair. He grabbed his old teacher and tossed him out of the way, the noise of Roshi hitting the table had grabbed everyone else's attention.

"Goku-" Bulma's shout was interrupted by Yamcha yanking her down as War released several super charged grenades into the air. Each exploded against Goku's guard, blasting him through the wall of the restaurant. War gave chase after the Earth's savior with Goku's friends quickly following after to see what was going on.

Fami just ignored everything else and continued munching on her food. She looked over to see Makima had just re-entered after hearing the explosion. A clear look of disapproval was written all over her features. Fami raised a single finger and pointed out the hole in the wall. "They went that way."

…

Explosions echoed through the city as the Devil and Saiyan battled through the streets. Goku flipped back to avoid a swipe from War's twin dual broadswords and reached back to whip out his Power Pole. The weapons clanged against each other, sparks dancing between the weapons. Goku pushed forward with his superior physical strength that made War switch tactics immediately. She released her grip on one of her swords to summon five poisoned tip needles between her fingers. War jumped back, tossing the needles at Goku, who twirled his staff to deflect each one. He kicked up the sword she dropped on the ground and kicked it back at her. War easily caught the weapon and snarled nastily at her opponent. "You really should've watched those needles!"

Goku only had a second to duck as the needles had bounced off the surrounding street to attempt their stabbing once more. After evading the needles, he watched as Yor slapped her hand against a terrified bystander's back, transforming the woman into a razor tipped bone spear. The Earth-Saiyan never liked the way War's powers worked, finding the idea of killing innocent people for strength wrong. He respected her strength, but the way she went about it went against his own morality.

"You hate it don't you?!" War's spear clashed against his pole. "Even after all this time you still don't like the way I do things, don't you?!" She raised her leg and slammed it against his stomach, pushing him back.

"Goku!" The two turned to see that his friends had caught up to their battle. Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin stepped forward, the bald monk taking the lead. Chiaotzu stayed back to keep a psychic barrier in front of Bulma, Puar, and Oolong. "What's the big idea attacking Goku, huh?! He just stopped Piccolo; can't you give him a break?!" Krillin yelled.

"I don't understand what your deal is, but we'll fight you if we have to!" Yamcha added.

Tien removed his shirt, taking his own stance. "Goku, we'll back you up!"

"No!" Goku declined their assistance. "This is our fight! I got this, guys!"

War spat at Goku's friends. "Don't even think you three are even worth the effort. Against Piccolo you three are nothing but ants, and against a Horseman like me, you humans are still just as low!" The three martial artists growled at her insults thrown their way. She placed her attention back on Goku. "Someone who struggles to understand the way we Devils work has no right to ever associate with us! You should be screaming in terror just at the sight of me!"

"Why would I do that? I'm not afraid of you." Goku responded.

"And that's the problem!" War pushed forward to slash him with her spear, but Goku easily avoided the attack. He struck her across the jaw with his elbow, then slammed his staff into her ribs. War went flying into a car, terrifying the family inside. She flipped over the car and shoved her hand through the sunroof. Her hand grabbed the head of the father inside and transformed him into an assault rifle. She ignored the cries of terror and began unloading the bullets at Goku.

He jumped into the air, which caused War to smile. "Wide open!"

"Power Pole, extend!" Goku's shout earned a gasp from the War Devil. The staff slammed into her stomach, smashing her into the street. Goku kicked off the air and descended onto the struggling War, his knee crashing into her chest. Blood and spit erupted from the impact, causing her to cough erratically. Goku loomed over her like a nightmarish monster that refused to leave her closet. "Are you gonna stop now?"

"Like…hell!" War reached into her sleeve and tossed out another grenade. Goku caught the weapon and launched it into the air for it to explode harmlessly. War kicked up, her legs connecting with Goku's guard. "I refuse…!" She flipped up and re-brandished her broadswords to try and cut the savior in half. "To lose…!" Her blades were blocked by Goku's pole, then he pushed to the left, causing her to lose balance. His knee crashed against her ribs, pushing a few inches into the air. Goku's fist embedded itself into the sternum, knocking the air out of her. War went flying through the war and crashed through a building.

Next thing they knew a rocket missile came flying out of the hole towards Goku, who easily kicked it into the air to avoid damaging anymore of the city. A disheveled War blasted out of the hole with an enraged look. "...TO YOU-"

"Sit."

As if gravity itself took control of her, War's body smashed into the pavement with a loud boom. Everyone other than Goku felt a chill through their bodies as Makima finally appeared to stop the battle. Goku smiled at his fiancé and waved. "Hi, Makima!"

"Hello, darling." Makima returned the wave.

"C-Control…you…!" War hissed, trying to move her body. That was until she felt Makima's piercing gaze stab into her like a freezing blade.

"War, I really should just get rid of you entirely." Makima's threat created a new layer of fear within the War Devil. Her instincts were screaming at her to run as far as she could to avoid the wrath of her older sister, but her body wouldn't listen. Makima slowly stepped towards her little sister. "Today was supposed to be a fun day. My darling has just saved the world from Piccolo once more, we announced our engagement, and yet you decided to ruin it." All War could see were Makima's yellow spirals as she loomed over her. The rest of the Control Devil's face was shadowed by the darkness of the night. "All because you are nothing more than a selfish, entitled, and arrogant little brat."

Sweat poured from her body; air was barely reaching her lungs as Makima's pressure continued to crush her. She could feel it, much more than any time before. Her sister's malice was overwhelmingly potent at this point. It was throwing her senses out of whack and War wasn't certain if she could even breathe anymore.

She was going to die.

Control was going to kill her and wasn't going to stop as long as she continued to reincarnate.

This truly was the end-

"Hey, cut that out, Makima." Goku plopped his hand on her shoulder. The interference of his presence completely undid whatever anger was coursing through Makima. She relaxed her body and melted into her darling without missing a beat. "You don't have to threaten War like that."

"She needs to be punished."

"Yeah, but she was just upset about some stuff. While I don't like how she involved a bunch of innocent people. I'm sure she'd stop if you're nicer about it."

Makima mulled over his suggestion and sighed. "Fine, darling." She frowned down at her recovering sister, who was clearly enjoying her ability to breathe again. "Are you sorry, War?"

War stared up at the two of them, fear present as ever in her pupils. It was a literal miracle that she wasn't dead and even more so to not be cursed to an eternity of suffering at the hands of Makima. She had been reduced to a shivering and snot filled mess by her sister, and she had been humiliated by Goku in a fight. Neither of them were going all out, but it was clear to the War Devil that she would've lost either way.

"I-I-I'm…sorry…"

This power couple had completely shattered her pride.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" The laughter of Nayuta, Denji, and Power echoed all over the Lookout as they surrounded the fusion of Goten and Trunks.

Makima and Bulma both looked embarrassed by the turn of events, figuring that the boys would've found some way to screw it up. Everyone else looked bewildered and shocked by the fusion's appearance.

Dende looked up at Piccolo. "I-is this supposed to happen?"

Piccolo grumbled at the fusion. "No. Trunks extended his fingers at the wrong time, thus screwing up the dance."

The newly born fusion glanced at his pudgy hands and his chubby gut. He has black spiky hair with purple streaks going up the back. He wears a black and yellow vest over his large upper body. He wears a teal-colored sash around his waist, white silky pants, dark shoes with teal wraps, and black wristbands. The boy felt three fingers poking his chubby cheeks and glared at the ones responsible.

Nayuta smiled evilly at her fused brother. "Nene~! What's with this appearance, huh? I guess you dunderheads managed to screw up, huh~!"

Denji was next. "Pretty pathetic, huh~? Where's all that cocky attitude you had before~?"

Power laid the final nail in the coffin. "Look at the little big baby~! Gonna cry~?"

"RAAAH!" The chubby fusion tried to swipe at them, but they were much too fast for him. He chased after the three, but it took only one minute for him to lose all of his steam. The boy was breathing pretty hard from all of the energy he exerted. Then he felt a tap on the side of his arm, looking down the fusion saw Marron smiling at him.

"Tag! You're it!" She happily giggled and followed after the other three troublemakers.

"W-wait…! That's…not…fair…!" He cried, reaching out at his mocking friends.

Bulma looked over at Makima. "So? What should we call him?"

"Gotenks." Makima answered.

"Hm…Gotenks, huh? It fits. How did you come up with it?" Bulma asked.

"I figured the boys would like it." She replied. The mothers watched as Nayuta shoved Gotenks to the floor and rolled him around like a big ball.

"We don't have time for this!" Piccolo stomped over, placing his foot down on Gotenks to stop Nayuta from rolling him.

"Move, Piccolo!" Nayuta ordered.

"Quiet!" He silenced her quickly. His attention turned down to the fusion. "Hurry up and separate, so that we can try again. Be sure to not extend your fingers too early next time."

"Uh… I don't know how to separate." Gotenks admitted.

"...Oh." Piccolo coughed. "Then, we'll just wait half an hour." He moved back to let Nayuta continue bullying her fused brother.

"Are you sure it's okay to let them keep messing with him like that?" Krillin asked.

"Let them have their fun. They're kids, they could use all the fun they can get right now." Bulma shrugged.

"As long as Marron doesn't pick up any bad habits, then I don't care." Lazuli said.

"It's funny." Makima admitted.

"Birds of a feather, those three." Yamcha chuckled.

"Some pretty fine birds if you ask me-gack!" Roshi's brain was turned into a puddle by the white chain Makima fired. He collapsed to the floor, drooling like a baby.

Goku woke up from his nap, wondering if enough time had passed for Gohan's ritual. But when he heard Elder Kai's singing, that pretty much answered his question. He could see how uncomfortable his son was standing there, but there wasn't anything he could do to help him. So, instead he turned attention to Asa, who was still performing her own training. He was pretty bored, so talking with her and War should help relieve some of that. Goku flipped to his feet and made his way over to the teenager. "Hey, Asa!"

"Huh?" She looked away from her work and turned back to Goku. "Oh hello, Mr. Goku!"

"You can just call me Goku. Saying 'Mr. Goku' makes me sound old." The Earth-Saiyan giggled.

"Okay, well, what is it that you need from me? I'm in the middle of training." Asa said, hoping that didn't come off rude. Clearly, Goku didn't mind whatever tone she used since he was still smiling like a goof.

"That's what I'm curious about. Gohan's busy, and the Kais are overseeing that whole thing, so I was wondering what you were up to."

"...You were bored, weren't you?"

"Yup!"

"Not even going to deny it, huh?" She sighed, then shook her head. "Well, I guess I can explain it to you. You're aware of how Yoru's abilities work, right?"

"Yoru?"

"War."

"Ah. Yeah, I do."

"So, the idea is to basically negate our weakness of necessarily needing to touch someone or something to create weapons. What I've managed to do by being here is take something like…this rock." Asa picked up a rock off the ground. "And change its particles and matter into something different. It's been difficult since I still have to imagine what exactly I want to turn it into while also remembering the materials said weapon is made out of. Thankfully, I've managed to memorize the entire Periodic Table back in school, so that helped a lot when shifting atoms, density, matter, and even liquids. Imagine trying to turn a droplet of water into a mini grenade that doesn't just explode back into water. It's a good thing I've been using Yoru's abilities for at least a year now or else I never would've-"

"He's not getting it. Shut up."

"Ah…" Asa stopped her nerdy rant to see that Goku was just staring blankly at her. Seems her other half was correct in that he was genuinely lost. She really needed to work on not sounding like such a nerd when talking to people. If Goku was going to get it, then she needed to dumb it down to Denji levels. "I can turn rock into gun."

"Oh! Now I get it!" Goku slapped his fist into his palm.

"Gohan is really the only intellectual here that I can talk with." Asa mentally cried. "I really wonder how you and Gohan are related sometimes…"

Goku tilted his head. "What do you mean? Of course we're related! Me and Makima had sex and-"

"I WASN'T TALKING ABOUT THAT!"

"Okay, now let's try it again!" Piccolo ordered the boys.

"Yeah, don't screw it up this time!" Nayuta teased.

"Nayuta."

"Sorry, Mama…"

Goten and Trunks took their positions and started the movements.

"FUUU-"

They moved closer to each other, their arms doing a circular overhead motion.

"-SION"

Then they brought their arms to their opposite sides, fists clenched, and their knees bent upwards.

"HAAAA!"

Their fingers didn't align correctly, something Piccolo noticed.

SHINE!

"Okay, this one is just pathetic." Nayuta comments first. The group took in the malnourished failed fusion of Gotenks.

"Another flop." Krillin sighed.

"At this rate I don't think they'll ever get it right." Oolong groans.

Piccolo scoffed at that. "They don't have a choice, but to get it right." He pointed at the skinny Gotenks. "Your fingers were out of alignment during the 'HA!' part! After thirty minutes pass, do it again!"

"U-uh..huh…" Gotenks tiredly nodded his head. He sniffed the air, smelling something delicious entering his nose. The skinny fusion turned to see Fami standing next to him while chewing on a donut. She offered a glaze donut to the fusion.

"Here, you look hungry." Fami said.

"T-t-t-than…ks…" Gotenks carefully took the donut. He took careful bites to avoid choking on the food.

"Aunt Fami! I want a donut!" Nayuta scurried over, giving her aunt a 'begging' look. She squealed happily when Fami gave her a donut as well. Fami rubbed her niece's head affectionately, earning another pleased noise.

Gotenks coughed a bit, struggling to eat the donut with his dry throat. "Here." He looked ahead to see Makima holding out a water bottle. "You'll struggle to eat unless you drink something with it."

"T-than…ks…uh…Mom?"

"You can call me Mom."

"O-okay." He smiled at her, which did bring a softer look to Makima's face. Bulma quickly made her way over to make sure her fused son was doing alright.

"Are you sure things are going to be alright, Piccolo?" Dende asked his fellow Namekian.

"They'll get it right on this next one. I know they will." Piccolo responded.

"So, what's with the Z-Sword?" Goku pointed down at the broken sword on the ground. "I thought it wasn't usable anymore after the old Kai came out of it."

Asa touched the warm metal with her one hand. "Well, I can pretty much repair it back to the state it was before. I can also still feel some sense of magical energy coming from it, too, so it may still prove to have some use. But…"

"Hm?"

"I want to use the Katchin to strengthen the sword, like a sort of coating layer to make it stronger. But I'm struggling to work around the magical properties of this weapon without Yoru's help. Unfortunately, there's only so much I can do on my own and she refuses to help." Asa explained.

"Why?"

"That's the thing, I don't know!" Asa exclaimed. "She's been an absolute shut-in since the fight against Majin Buu! We may share a body, but she keeps me locked out of her thoughts at all times, so I have no idea what's going through her head!"

Goku nodded his head, then placed his hand on top of her head. "Alright, I'll talk to her."

"Wait what-guh!" Asa's eyes rolled into the back of her head as Goku intruded into her mind somehow. She slumped over into his chest, banging her head against a metaphorical wall of bricks.

War's eyes burned a hot fury as she stared at the accursed figure of her brother-in-law. "How the FUCK did you manage to get in here?!"

Goku shrugged, and Asa stood awkwardly next to him. "Makima taught me this a long time ago. I just never had to use it." He looked around the small well-kept apartment of their mind. "Woah! The inside of your head is smaller than I thought!"

"WE DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU!" Asa and Yoru both took offense to his comment.

"Who's place even is this?" Goku ignored their shout, focusing on the environment.

"It's a copy of my actual apartment that I live in. It's where I feel the most comfortable, so the mindscape just adjusts to that." Asa explained.

"I wonder what mine looks like…"

"Probably a blank void." Yoru spat.

"Can you just be nice for once?!" Asa glared at the Devil.

"I can be nice. To him? No." Yoru crossed her arms, turning away from the two. Goku approached her with a contemplative look on his face.

"What's wrong, War-I mean-Yoru. What's wrong, Yoru? Asa needs your help." Goku said.

"Tch…" She refused to answer him.

"C'mon! You guys gotta work together if you want to beat Majin Buu!"

"And why should I?" Her question caught the two by surprise. "Clearly I'm not needed."

Asa stepped forward. "Well, we need to make weapons stronger. I'm sure using the Katchin can-"

"Let me clarify, WE are not needed." Yoru referred to herself and Asa.

"What are you-"

"Don't act like bringing us here was ever going to change anything!" Yoru hissed at her partner. "We were utterly fucking useless in that fight against Buu! All we did was get in Gohan's way, and he…he almost…" Her hand balled into a fist to signify her growing anger. "I was so certain that I had gotten better, that I improved so much these past years, even combining with a hopeless squirm like you held merits, and yet…"

Vegeta was still leagues ahead of her.

Her own damn niece and nephews were incredibly powerful. Goten and Nayuta would far outstrip her in no time.

Makima was still stronger than her.

And Goku had surpassed every single one of them as if it were the easiest thing in the world. She looked like a baby compared to his Super Saiyan 3 form.

"...Nothing's changed." Yoru's voice quivered slightly. "I'm still weak."

Asa felt terrible for not being able to notice the turmoil going on inside of her partner. She reached out towards Yoru. "Yoru, I had no idea-"

"Yeah, I guess you are weak." Goku's claim froze them both in place. The Earth-Saiyan had his hands behind his head.

Yoru's head slowly turned to look at him, only one of her eyes were visible. "Say that again?" The icy poison of her voice sent a shiver down Asa's spine.

"What?" Goku blinked. "I said you were weak. That's all."

"That's…all?" Yoru repeated. A soft chuckle came from her mouth, putting the teenager on high alert. The War Devil stood up, clenching and unclenching her fist as she did so. "Goku, you really are…"

"Hm? I can't hear-GAH!" Yoru's fist smashed into her face, blasting the Saiyan out of the mentally constructed apartment.

"A MAJOR PAIN IN MY ASS!" Yoru roared loudly; her voice echoed in his ears as he was thrown out of their head.

Goku's eyes snapped open, his brain registering that he was definitely in danger. He tried to step back as Asa's body snapped awake, two scars adorned her face to visually show that Yoru was now in charge of the body. She grabbed him by his shirt, pulled him down into him and donkey kicked him into the air. Yoru extended her hand at the large cube of Katchin, commanding some of the material to liquify itself and mend the broken Z-Sword back together. The black liquid solidified itself over the silver blade, strengthening its properties fifty-fold. She felt the power of the blade flood into her body, and she blasted into the air.

"DIE, YOU STUPID BASTARD!" Yoru roared, attempting to cut Goku's head off. The Saiyan ducked under the swipe, losing a few strands of hair in the process.

"W-wait, Yoru! I'm already dead!" Goku tried to de-escalate the situation.

"THEN DIE ALL OVER AGAIN!"

Gohan gaped at the fight going on between his aunt and father. "Dad?! Auntie Yoru?! What are they-"

"Don't move!" Elder Kai warned him. "Whatever their issue is, let them sort it out like proper adults. Stay still if you wish to grow stronger."

"Ugh…" Gohan groaned.

"S-should we do anything, Lord Supreme Kai?" Kibito asked as he pointed at the aerial fight going on.

"L-let's just do as Elder Kai said, yes?" Shin did not wish to try and get in the rampaging woman's way.

"Understood, sir."

"Okay, this time no screw ups, got it?!" Piccolo ordered. The boys nodded their heads and got into position. Everyone watched, wondering if the boys were going to manage to screw it up again.

"FUUUU-"

They moved closer to each other, their arms doing a circular overhead motion.

"-SION"

Then they brought their arms to their opposite sides, fists clenched, and their knees bent upwards.

"HAAAA!"

Their fingers aligned perfectly.

SHINE!

Instantly, an insanely high level of power invaded the senses of anyone who could sense KI. A blast of wind almost knocked everyone over. Piccolo fought to keep his eyes open to peer at the fusion that stood in front of them all. "H-his power…!"

"Holy shit…!" Krillin cursed.

Roshi, who Makima reluctantly fixed, felt his old bones rattle. "T-this power is tremendous! They've done it! They got the dance right!"

Nayuta couldn't stop the feral grin that graced her features as she felt Gotenks' power. Her blood was pumping to test herself out against his power. "Looks like you dunderheads finally figured it out!"

"H-his power is incredible!" Videl exclaimed.

Makima's eyes could make out the chaotic unlimited potential that surrounded the young fusion warrior. She hadn't doubted her darling's words of the fusion being strong, but this completely blew her expectations out of the water. Gotenks easily surpassed whatever Trunks and Goten could possibly achieve on their own. She now wondered what would've happened if her darling had attempted this with Gohan or Vegeta. Just how powerful would their fusion have been?

Fami actually dropped her food from shock at Gotenks power. She's seen a lot in her countless lifetimes, but the power this kid had made anything that came before look like an ant in comparison.

Denji fell onto his ass from the blast of wind, gasping at Gotenks' power. His heart was beating like crazy, as if it was reacting to the power the two held. He had to take a few moments to calm himself down to get a hold of himself.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Gotenks was powerful, but would it be enough to defeat Majin Buu?

Gotenks looked down at his hands, examining his body. He nodded to himself, grinning at the feeling of finally being complete. His body felt powerful, unbelievably so, he felt as if he could take on Goku's-his dad(?)-Super Saiyan 3. Would he need to even turn Super Saiyan himself? Nah, no way, he's much too strong to even need that.

"Alright, this is good." Piccolo's voice grabbed his attention. "We'll wait for the fusion to end, then try again with Super Saiyan."

"No." Gotenks replied.

"No?" Piccolo narrowed his eyes.

"What do you take me for? This power alone is enough to deal with Majin Buu." Gotenks declared.

"Fool! You don't know anything about Buu's power! You may be strong, but just your base form alone won't be enough!" Piccolo yelled. However, Gotenks wasn't keen on listening to him or anyone. He floated into the air, searching out for Buu's energy.

"There! He's that way!" Gotenks smirked, preparing to take off.

"Hey! Dunderheads!" Nayuta stepped forward. "Get back down here!"

Gotenks scoffed at her. "Why should I listen to a weakling?" His words immediately infuriated the young girl. "I'll be back soon with Buu's corpse!" Nayuta had to be held back by Piccolo to be prevented from chasing after Gotenks.

Makima's own eyes narrowed at the streak of white that vanished from the Lookout. She should've expected such a glaring weakness to this fusion, which was his own temperament. He wasn't two people sharing a brain, but one person born from a combination of two. Trunks might've done something like this, but he could be talked down. Goten knew better than to disobey a direct order unless his emotions were getting the better of him. However, Gotenks didn't care for the opinions of those he deemed weaker. That power had immediately gone to his head.

"Dammit! Trunten doesn't understand what he's doing!"

"Actually, it's Gotenks." Dende corrected Piccolo.

"His name is DIRT for all I care! He's going to throw everything away if he ends up getting himself killed!" Piccolo yelled.

"That's a behavioral problem we're going to have to stomp out, immediately." Makima warned Piccolo.

"Agreed. For now, we can only wait."

A few minutes later, a beaten up Gotenks returned to the Lookout with a sheepish look. Everyone glared at the fused warrior, who refused to meet their gazes. "...I-I got beat up…"

Nayuta didn't waste a moment and drop kicked the fusion into the floor. His upper body got stuck in the floor, leaving his bruised and bloody legs to kick pathetically. "NEVER call me weak again! GOT IT?!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Gotenks' muffled voice could be heard through the floor.

Piccolo stomped over, grabbed him by his leg, and pulled him out of the hole. The Namekian's stern glare caused Gotenks to shiver in fear. Not only that, but he could see the disappointed look in Makima's eyes, which scared him even more. "Tomorrow you're going to fight Buu! Today, you'll be training your ass off with Makima and I! Fusion requires strength! UNDERSTOOD?!"

"Y-yes, I understand!"

Goku ducked and weaved his way around the furious attacks of Yoru. The War Devil refused to give him even a moment to breathe. She struck out with her leg, forcing him to raise his own to block the attack. The Z-Sword followed after to slice his head clean off, but Goku managed to stop the sword with his arm. However, he felt the sword slicing through the KI barrier he had put up and knew he had to act quickly. His other arm pushed her back with a burst of air that gave him a moment to analyze.

"To think that by infusing the sword with that weird metal would make her this much stronger. Maybe the reason Gohan didn't feel anything was because he was already too strong to begin with?" Goku theorized.

"Pay attention, dumbass!" Goku ducked under the sword's swipe and pressed his feet into her gut to knock Yoru away. But the Devil opened her mouth, coughing out a small missile that took Goku by surprise. It exploded across his face, blasting Goku into the ground. She descended onto him with the sword aimed directly for his heart, but the Saiyan clapped his hands to trap the metal between his palms. The two struggled to budge the other as they refused to give an inch to their opponent. Goku had to admit that he was pleasantly surprised by how much she was making him work for this. He knew his words would force her to take action, and he could feel his blood pumping at the thought of kicking it up a notch.

A bright flash alerted Yoru that Goku had transformed into a Super Saiyan. She was thrown off of him the following second, and backflipped gracefully onto her feet. Yoru pointed her weapon at the Saiyan. "Finally taking me seriously?"

"I've always taken you seriously, Yoru." Goku said.

"Bullshit! All you've ever done is look down on me! Judge me! Pity me! A Horseman doesn't get pity, we're the strongest for a reason!" She rushed Goku, who got into a stance to counter her move. However, he was taken off guard when she threw the sword into the air, his eyes briefly following the weapon. That was all Yoru needed to bite off her own fingernails and morphing them into razor sharp projectiles. Goku crossed his arms to block them, expecting them to stab into his arms but instead the nails exploded across the ground, knocking him into the air. Yoru's foot smashed into his gut, causing him to cough harshly from the blow. She flip kicked him back, then caught the sword in her hand and slashed across his chest. Blood oozed from the wound, but Goku ignored it in favor of smiling at her.

"Man…! You're really strong, Yoru!"

"Shut up!" She hissed and pressed forward. Goku knocked her arm aside and shoved his knee into her chin. As she was stunned he blasted her away with two balls of KI that he pressed into her chest. Goku gave chase, flying behind her to kick Yoru further into the sky, then teleported above to slam her back into the ground. Taking a page out of Vegeta's book, Goku unleashed a barrage of KI blasts upon her.

Yoru snarled and sliced through each blast with the Z-Sword, moving her arm fast enough to keep up with the barrage. Right as she sliced through the last one Goku teleported behind her and slammed his leg into her ribs. But Yoru was anticipating that and stabbed the sword into the ground to stop her momentum. She dragged it upwards, barely managing to cut Goku's clothes.

She jumped back from him, and used her sleeve to wipe the blood from her mouth. "Let's finish this!" Yoru powered up, filling her sword with a fuck-ton of energy to cut through her brother-in-law.

"Sure! I'm giving it everything I've got!" Goku declared. He cupped his hands, bringing them down to his side. "Ka! Me! Ha! Me!"

Yoru shot forward like a hi-powered missile.

"HAAAAAA!" Goku unleashed his signature attack with a powerful roar. The beam soared towards the Devil with blitzing speed. Yoru refused to bow down to his power ever again, anger and hatred burned within her chest as she brought down her sword against his beam. The Z-Sword sliced through the Kamehameha like butter, unable to stop Yoru's momentum. Goku's eyes widened as Yoru rushed towards him. Thus he pushed more power into his blast to stop her, but the Devil refused to be stopped and kept powering through it. "Looks like I'll have to kick it up a notch! HYAH!" The power of Super Saiyan 2 roared to life, empowering the beam even more.

Yoru fought even harder to keep herself from getting blown away. Her body rattled just from the pressure of the beam pressing against her. She could hear Asa screaming at her to get out of the way of the attack and to just stop. But she refused to listen, refused to allow herself to fall down to these Saiyans any further, to fall to her sisters any further, or to let any freak of a monster like Cell or Buu threaten to take away what was hers ever again!

She'll show them! Show them all the strength that she held! She is the War Devil, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse! "I AM NOT WEAK!" Yoru roared and a surge of power from the Z-Sword responded to her spirit. Yoru felt her (And Asa's) body undergo a change, a shift that allowed her to shatter through her limits in this moment. Her blood-colored spiral eyes regained a fierce flame that had been missing for a long time. Yoru roared with everything she had. "APOCALYPTIC BLADE!"

Goku gasped when Yoru started cutting through his attack with even more ferocity. Whatever gap had existed between them before had been closed by a significant amount. An excited grin spread across his face right as Yoru was right in front of him. She looked just as happy as he did, and that's all he really wanted, to see her enjoying a good fight just like him. But even still, he refused to lose this fight. "FULL POWER!"

"HRAAAAAH!" Yoru responded with just as much intensity. Their clash resulted in a massive explosion that shook the planet. Shin had to act quickly and put up a barrier around Elder Kai and Gohan to prevent their ritual from being disrupted.

"Kibito! Go check on those two!" Shin ordered.

"Y-yes, Lord Supreme Kai!" Kibito exclaimed. He took to the skies and took off towards the battle between Yoru and Goku. When he arrived at the location of their battle, he found the two lying within a huge crater, their clothes and bodies heavily damaged from their fight.

Goku was laughing pretty hard, his head turned towards Yoru. "Look at that, Yoru! You're really strong!"

"Shut up…" She lightly smacked his face, too exhausted to do anymore. But she couldn't stop her own smile from forming on her face. "I get it…"

"Huh?" Goku looked at her.

"You really do bring out changes in people. During our fight, I could see something within you." Yoru stared Goku in the eyes. "I think I finally see what Makima loves about you, Son Goku."

Goku smiled. "You love me, huh?"

"As if, asshat!" She scoffed, turning away with a blush. "...But I don't hate you if that makes any sense."

"We're family, Yoru, so we should do this again. You're really fun to fight against. I know you'll keep getting stronger." Goku smiled.

Asa knew Goku couldn't see it, but the teenager could see the tears flowing from her partner's eyes. They weren't tears of pain or regret, but ones of relief and happiness. Seems Goku's words and the fight had managed to clear up the turmoil existing within her heart. Asa figured it would also do her partner some good to talk with Gohan and Makima at some point in the future.

"Alright! Now it's time to attempt fusion as Super Saiyans!" Piccolo announced. It was the following day, which meant the battle with Majin Buu was very near. It was now or never to ensure that the kids would be ready to face off against the pink monster.

"Yes, sir!" Goten and Trunks exclaimed.

"Don't get cocky this time! Even if it succeeds!" Piccolo added.

"Goten!" Makima called to her youngest, gaining his attention. "Remember that control is key."

"Right, Mommy!" Goten nodded his head.

"You too, Trunks! Don't get such a big head!" Bulma yelled.

"Don't embarrass me, Mom!" Trunks blushed.

Piccolo waved his arm. "GO!"

Trunks and Goten powered up to Super Saiyan, keeping their energy levels at equal wavelengths. The two got into position for the Fusion Dance, and followed the movements perfectly once again.

SHINE!

Everyone once again felt the explosion of power held within Gotenks, which was amplified by his Super Saiyan form. The fusion held a cocky grin, enjoying the looks of awe and wonder from the audience. "Like what ya see?"

"Good! Your energy is impressive! Now show me what you can do!" Piccolo ordered.

"You want to see what I can do, huh?" Gotenks lightly tapped his chin. "If I did it here, then I may end up breaking the Lookout." He turned his attention to the world outside. "Best to give it a real test!" Gotenks blasted off into the air before anyone could stop him, clearly having not learned his lesson from before.

Aki flicked his cigarette. "How is it that they got more annoying after fusing together?"

"Better body, same attitude…" Krillin sighed.

"Dammit!" Piccolo and Makima took off after Gotenks before getting outpaced by a Super Saiyan Nayuta. "Nayuta!" The Namekian called after her. "Dammit! What is with these Saiyan brats never listening?!"

"Their fathers."

"I know!"

Nayuta managed to barely catch up with Gotenks, the golden streak in front of her was laughing hysterically to himself. "HEY, DUNDERHEADS!" Her shout caused him to look back at her. "GET YOUR BUTTS BACK HERE AND LISTEN!"

Gotenks smirked, suddenly stopping and holding out his arm. Nayuta hadn't expected it and smashed face first into his arm. She stumbled a bit, holding onto her bloodied nose with a pained hiss. "Why should I listen to anyone?" He kicks her away, then flashes behind her. "You never do!" Gotenks smashed his hands into her back, blasting Nayuta into the ground. "Hmm…I don't know if beating a weakling like her proves anything-"

BOOM!

"RAAAAAH!" An enraged Nayuta blasted out of the ground, crashing into Gotenks with a devastating headbutt. Red crimson energy swirled around her yellow aura with a ferocious roar similar to a tiger. Nayuta slammed her fist into Gotenks' mouth, knocking him through a mountain.

Gotenks recovered easily from her attack, and wiped the blood from his nose. He hadn't seen the charge coming initially, and he wouldn't lie that his sister's power wasn't impressive but she stood no chance against him. Nayuta dashed towards him, still trapped in a bloody rage. "Fine, I've been waiting for the day I'd get to kick your butt, sis."

"RAAH!" A strong kick from her was blocked, then he grabbed her leg and swung her around like a ragdoll. Gotenks released Nayuta, leaving her to crash into the ground. She bounced repeatedly until she clawed at the ground to stop herself. The young girl opened her mouth and bellowed out a raged scream that momentarily stunned the approaching fusion. Her palms shot out a huge beam that swallowed up Gotenks, eradicating the forest around them.

Suddenly, Gotenks appeared behind her and axe-kicked the girl into the scorched ground. He grabbed her leg and tossed Nayuta into the air. Gotenks rushed forward and struck her with lightning fast moves reminiscent of a pro boxer. Then he brought her head down into his knee, staining his pants with her blood. Smiling at her pain, Gotenks backhanded Nayuta with his fist, then slapped her away.

She soared through the air before exploding with another rageful scream. Gotenks prepared to counter her rush until the girl vanished from his sight. He searched for her quickly, until he felt a pair of hands gripping his ankles. Nayuta grinned sadistically and descended towards the ground like a meteor, refusing to release Gotenks. She spun a few times before grand slamming the fusion so hard that the Earth shook for a moment.

There wasn't a moment of reprieve for her when Gotenks' fist buried itself into her stomach. A blast of energy sent her skidding across the ground. She pushed off the ground, flipped through the air, and landed feet first. She glared angrily at Gotenks' cocky expression. Her blood and body burned fiercely in response to his massive strength. Something inside of her was bubbling, building up to break free from its cage. She didn't know what it was but she knew it needed to be released. It was screaming inside of her to tear her opponent apart, to scorch the world around her to ashes.

Just one more push…

One more push was all she needed to evolve, and she'd put the cocky shit in his place.

The moment she took a step, chains wrapped around her form. Nayuta felt her anger and passion melt into soothing calm within a moment. She fell into her mother's arms, who held the girl with tender care. Makima glared directly at Gotenks, who flinched back a bit.

"Gotenks!" Piccolo touched down next. He glared at the troublemaking fusion. "That's enough! We're heading back to the Lookout, now!"

Gotenks recovered and scoffed. "And why should I? You saw how I easily beat her, right? In fact I bet I could lap around the planet a few more hundred times."

"I'm disappointed."

Gotenks paused, shifting his eyes to Makima. "What?"

"Your Father entrusted you with defeating Buu, and yet here you are beating up on your own sister for your own amusement. You're nothing but a cocky, arrogant, and irresponsible child with too much power at his disposal. Both of your fathers and Gohan would be severely disappointed in you." Makima's cold response stabbed right through Gotenks' heart.

"I-I-I-Mommy…I'm…" Gotenks stumbled forward, his eyes glittering with tears. He gripped his head, hissing at the splitting headache. Piccolo and Makima watched the fusion with careful glares. Gotenks kept mumbling to himself. "I-I'm not a…I wouldn't…there's…" He looked up at the beaten form of Nayuta.

Something in his head snapped.

He carefully raised a finger at Nayuta. "D-did I do that?"

Piccolo furrowed his brows. "Yes, you're aware of that, aren't you?"

"Gotenks-"

"No! I-I'm not Gotenks!" He screamed. The boy's head felt like it was splitting apart. Makima quickly dashed towards him, holding the fusion with her other arm. Gotenks looked into her eyes, tears were flowing freely from his own. "M-Mommy…? I-I wouldn't hurt Nayuta…would I?"

Makima's eyes widened. "Goten?"

"I-I'm not a monster, am I?"

Until she could figure out what was wrong with him, Makima just held the boy close to her chest as he continued to cry. She turned to Piccolo with a concerned look. "We need to rethink some things."

"Yeah. I agree." Piccolo nodded. "Let's get back to the Lookout."

Many hours had passed since the ritual had begun, now Gohan and Elder Kai were in the power-up phase. The two sat in front of each other on the grass in meditative positions. Elder Kai held out his hands, and had long since fallen asleep. Gohan audibly groaned, especially when he looked over at the rest of the group. His friend/aunt and father, after being healed by Kibito, were now sitting under a tree and eating some freshly cooked pork buns. Kibito was passing the time by reading and the only one still paying attention was Shin. The smell of the pork buns entered his nose, causing his stomach to growl. "Oh man…"

"Hey, Gohan!"

"Hm?" Gohan looked over to see a pork bun flying towards his face. He opened his mouth quickly and caught it. He blinked at his father, who was giving him a small thumbs up. Gohan nodded at his father, and carefully chewed on the yummy bun.

Goku turned to Shin. "Supreme Kai, is he really drawing out Gohan's hidden power?"

"I'm embarrassed to say that I'm unsure. But I have faith that he's telling the truth." Shin answered.

"If not, then I'll cut him in half." Asa said.

"I'll make sure it's incredibly painful too." Yoru added, though nobody other than Asa heard her. The teenager smiled softly to see her partner was back to her usual self, sitting right between herself and Goku. Yoru noticed the smile and glared. "Who the hell are you smiling at, nerd?"

"Yup…back to normal." Asa sighed. She looked over at Goku with a thought on her mind. "I wonder how everyone on Earth is doing?"

Goku shrugged, giving an easy smile. "I'm sure they're just fine."

Piccolo and Dende stood over the edge of the Lookout, observing Majin Buu's recent friendship with Hercule Satan and…some other weird girl. It was a strange sight to behold, but somehow the fraud managed to quell the destructive monster. "I don't understand. Why are those two together with Majin Buu?"

"W-well, maybe this is a good thing! If they manage to convince Buu to stop killing then perhaps we won't have to fight?" Dende looked at the situation with optimism.

"I'm unsure. There's something in the air making me feel uneasy." Piccolo said. Footsteps were heard approaching the two, they turned to see Makima walking towards them. "Makima, how are the kids?"

"Physically, after Dende healed them, they're fine. Lazuli, Bulma, and Mr. Popo are watching over them." Makima answered.

"Mentally?" Dende asked.

She crossed her arms with a deep frown. "I had to search through Goten and Trunks' memories to understand what had happened. It seems an unpredictable possibility had taken place, in that Goten managed to separate himself from Gotenks' subconscious to take control."

"What?!" The Namekians cried.

"I don't remember Goku saying anything about this being possible." Piccolo said.

"As…intelligent my darling can be at times, I doubt a scenario like this was ever feasible when he learned of this technique." Makima sighed, pushing some of her hair out of her face. "It's likely that Goten's latent abilities awoke in response to Gotenks' emotional state, thus forcing him to act."

"Will this be a problem going forward? As troubling as this sounds, those kids are our only hope in stopping Buu." Piccolo inquiries.

"I had to mess with their memories. It's likely they won't remember any of what happened when they wake up. At best, Goten and Trunks will remember fusing and then wasting their time racing around the globe." Makima responded.

"And Nayuta?"

"She won't remember any of it. It'll be fine." Makima promised. "For now we need to focus on-"

MALICE!

Piccolo, Makima, and Dende flinched as an explosion of pure evil flooded the planet. It was like a blanket of bloodshed and chaos had sucked all of the light out of the world itself. Whatever they felt before when Majin Buu first awoke paled in comparison to what they were feeling now. Not even the worst of Devils they've ever encountered could measure up to the level of bloodlust Majin Buu possessed now.

"No…no this is terrible!" Piccolo cried.

Makima cursed herself for not keeping a closer eye on Buu. She had been too focused on the kids, and feeling safe in the fact that they'd have enough time to get ready. It was a foolish decision on her part to not know what could've caused this change in Majin Buu.

Krillin walked over, not understanding their plight. "Hey, guys. What's wrong?"

"Are you not sensing Buu's power?" Piccolo asked. Krillin frowned, because he had long since stopped feeling out Buu's KI. Anyone who could sense KI could feel that monster from anywhere on the planet.

"Not really."

"He's transformed." Makima informed him. "Whatever happened down there just caused his power to skyrocket exponentially. His body, his soul, and his attitude are all perfectly suited for bloodshed now."

Okay, now Krillin was getting worried. "B-but we still have the kids, right? Once they're back on their feet they should be able to handle it! Besides, we're still safe up here in the meantime!"

"But for how long…" Dende muttered.

"We need to get the kids up and-"

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The planet's fear was palpable in the face of the nightmarish roar that echoed all over. An explosion of overwhelming evil was heading straight for them, followed by a dark laugh that sent their bodies into fight or flight mode.

Piccolo stumbled backwards. "H-he's coming…!"

"What?!" Krillin exclaimed.

"MAJIN BUU IS HERE!" Piccolo's warning alerted everyone on the Lookout. "HE CAN SENSE OUR ENERGY!"

Makima turned back to Krillin. "Inform everyone that they are not allowed to fight Buu under ANY circumstance unless the situation calls for it! Go!"

"R-right!" Krillin rushed for the Palace entrance.

Makima turned around to be greeted by the pure black eyes of Majin Buu. Her own eyes were as wide as saucers as she stared him down. For the first time since this debacle had begun, Makima had finally come face-to-face with the one responsible for her son's death. Buu's appearance was very different from the last time she had seen him.

Buu was much more muscular and taller, having lost the chubby body from before. He no longer possessed the jacket, cape, gloves, and black leggings of the previous form. Instead he has two black armbands with yellow linings and white baggy pants ending in black boots with a similar yellow pattern ending in grayish brown shoes. He retains the Majin belt of his previous form.

Buu leaned back to stand at his full height, looming over the distressed mother. "Found you. Hehe."

Hatred.

Pure unyielding hatred coursed through Makima's entire being. It took every ounce of self-control that she possessed to not blow the pink bastard's head off. This was it. The true battle against Buu had begun, and now more than ever she was uncertain of their future.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: Loss of Control

SHATTER!

Makima's healing sealed the blood that oozed from her knuckles after she smashed the expensive vase to pieces. She had bought it from a highly acclaimed antique shop, because it had relation to one of her son's history lessons. She had figured it would help him greatly if he had a physical representation to study. Seeing the look of pure joy in her little boy's eyes had filled her heart with warmth. Her darling didn't understand what made the vase so important and did his best to listen closely as Gohan tried to explain it to him. It was cute, it was funny, it was…

"Home." Makima thought bitterly as she slammed down into a chair. She hadn't bothered turning the lights on, finding no need to fill her home with light. The light that filled it had vanished a week ago.

A single day. A single day in that week that had altered everything in their lives forever.

…

Everything was fine until that day. A few days prior they had received mail from Bulma talking about holding a little get-together at Roshi's house since it's been five years since their last meeting. Goku figured it would be the perfect chance to introduce his friends to Gohan, and Makima couldn't disagree. The boy was three-years-old and amazingly intelligent for his age, so there shouldn't be too big of an issue. She would've gone along that day but an urgent matter pertaining to a Devil that had leveled several cities in a row had required her attention.

Makima had lovingly bid her husband and son farewell, telling them to return home before dinner. They smiled, gave her kisses in return, and flew off on the Nimbus towards Roshi's tiny island. Things should've been just fine.

In a perfect world, nothing terrible would've happened.

But after an irritatingly annoying battle with that gravitational battle (Where she learned she could control the weight of her own body), Makima had returned home to hopefully see her boys had returned. But the house was dead silent, which was impossible when living with Son Goku. Figuring that they were likely still at Roshi's and that her husband must've forgotten the time, Makima reached out to feel them out.

She couldn't find them.

Panic was brief, but that brief second was enough to send her into overdrive. Makima took off into the skies towards Roshi's house. There should be no reason she couldn't feel out her husband and son, they were bright beacons in this dark world. Unless someone was cloaking their presence, they should be easy to find.

Makima arrived at Roshi's house, scoffing at the surprised faces of Roshi, Bulma, and Krillin. The three acted as if she wasn't going to appear once she noticed that her family was nowhere to be found. "Where is my darling and son?" There were nervous, frightful, glances shared between the three as if they were fighting to tell her what had happened. She didn't have the patience for this. "Talk or I'll make all three of you do it." That threat got them to act accordingly. Krillin, who still tried to keep his distance, swallowed the bullet.

There were several revelations that shook her down to her core.

Firstly, her husband was an alien. He was born from a genocidal militaristic race of warriors known as Saiyans. She would've called them liars if everything strange about her husband didn't click into place. It made sense, though there were animalistic-like people born into this world, none of them possessed the ability to transform into a giant ape under a full moon. Her darling was unnaturally strong for a human, even decades of training could only take a human so far, yet he eclipsed everyone on this planet, Devil and human, at an exponential rate.

The only reason this planet hadn't been wiped out when he first arrived was because he bumped his head as a baby, giving himself amnesia.

Secondly, his older brother, her brother-in-law, arrived on this planet mere hours ago to recruit her husband to join himself and the few remaining Saiyans left. He attacked them, kidnapped her baby, and threatened her husband to commit a planet wide genocide if he wished to see Gohan again. Then, Goku and Piccolo teamed up to take down Raditz and save Gohan. Which brought her to the third point…the most important one…

Her darling was dead. He had sacrificed himself to defeat Raditz, both killed by Piccolo's newest technique. And what made it all worse is the fact that Piccolo kidnapped her son, because of some 'hidden potential' found within him.

Krillin continued to talk, oblivious to the emotions swirling within her. "I-I know it all sounds bad, but we're going to bring Goku back with the Dragon Balls! And we all have to get ready for the Saiyans when they arrive in a year's time! I know the news about Piccolo and Gohan might not be the best, but I doubt anything bad will-"

"KRILLIN!" The monk reacted to Bulma's shout. He looked back towards Makima and froze in fear as her face was mere inches from his. Her eyes drilled into his very soul, barely stopping herself from tearing his soul into shreds. Bulma fell to her rear as Roshi stood protectively in front of her.

"Why…?"

"W-w-w-w-why…what?" Krillin's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Why was I not informed? The moment my son was placed in any form of danger, I should've been alerted. The moment my darling died, I should've been called. For what reason do you three continue to show incompetence and negligence when it comes to me and my darling?"

"T-t-that's not fair! There was nothing any of us could do! That Raditz guy was way too strong! Goku and Piccolo barely won!" Bulma spoke up.

"That was no victory." Makima hissed. "All they did was barely delay the inevitable." She looked back at Krillin. "Answer my question."

"G-G-Goku told us not to call you! He said that you were busy and that he'd be able to save Gohan w-without worrying you!" Krillin quickly answered.

Makima leaned back from Krillin, her mind racing with thoughts. Her darling, her light in this world, died without her knowing. If she were there she could've taken the shot. If she were there her son never would've been taken.

IF SHE WERE THERE HER DARLING WOULD STILL BE HERE.

In a single blink of an eye, Makima vanished from Roshi's house, allowing the three humans to freely breathe. Each one of them were afraid that she'd do something far worse for what had happened, but Kami was looking out for them today.

But it didn't stop the wave of guilt that filled their hearts.

…

Makima released ragged breaths as she leaned over her table, the memories of that terrible day had kept replaying over and over again. Her dreams were poisoned with images of the possible tortures Piccolo could be putting her son under to turn him into his personal child soldier. A perfect minion to use against herself and her darling.

She couldn't find him. No matter how hard she searched, there was something preventing her from pinpointing the exact location Gohan would be. Whatever wards or mystical ability Piccolo was using was keeping her son separated from her. All she could do was bang her head against a wall in frustration, cursing the stupid reincarnation to an eternity of suffering.

Ironic for a Devil like herself.

Makima needed her darling, she needed him to keep her stable. But he wasn't here. He died and was now undergoing some training to prepare for the Saiyans eventual arrival. She wondered what his last words were, she hadn't asked, because she didn't want to end up cursing him. She loved him, but his decision to selfishly handle such a matter concerning their son would forever leave a black mark in her heart.

She cried. Tears descended down her face as she thought of the happy little bubble her home used to be.

Then a fire, a burning flame of anger blossomed inside of her heart. She promised herself to get stronger, to protect their home from what was to come. She'd ensure that her darling and Gohan would have a home to return to when everything was said and done.

Majin Buu examined the ones in front of him, searching out their KI, and frowning at their lackluster energy levels. The promise made by the spiky haired man in orange vibrated through his head. He wanted to fight the ones that were said to be strong enough to give him a good time. And yes, none of the ones he could feel fit that description!

THEY WERE ALL TOO WEAK.

"BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!" Buu roared, shaking the air itself with just his shout. Makima and the others all stumbled back just from the force of his screams. When Buu settled down everyone tried to gather themselves back together.

Piccolo took a slight step forward, which caused Buu's eyes to shift to his direction. "Bring what? Tell us…and perhaps-"

"The ones who will fight me. I want to kill them. Bring them out." Buu ordered.

Bulma and the others stuck their heads out to get a good look. They were all surprised to see the drastic change the bubblegum monster had gone under. "So that's Majin Buu, now?"

"Yeah…and he can feel our energy too." Krillin gulped.

Yamcha stuttered. "T-that power…it's bottomless."

"Or maybe it's so massive that it feels bottomless." Roshi said gravely. He tightened his grip on his cane, cursing his own powerlessness.

Lazuli hid Marron behind her. "Stay close to me, Marron, okay?"

"Y-yes, Momma." Marron nodded.

Videl looked back to see Denji and Aki sticking close to a shaking Power. She turned to Fami with a concerned look. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine. Her body simply has to get used to the danger near her. Like a prey under watch from a predator." Fami explained. Her eyes narrowed at Majin Buu; she kept her hands tucked into her pockets just in case she needed to defend them.

Piccolo continued negotiating. "Yes, it's true that they're here. But they're resting right now."

"Wake them. We fight now." Buu ordered.

"W-wait! Let them sleep just a bit longer! You want to fight them at full power, yes?!" Piccolo tried to reason with him.

Buu tilted his head back and forth, thinking it over. "Hmmm! I hate waiting."

"Fine then." Makima shrugged. "Until the warriors are ready to fight, go down and kill every single human on this planet." Dende and Mr. Popo gasped, but Piccolo understood why she did it. Had she not brought it up, then he would've done so. They would be able to bring every human back to life with the Dragon Balls soon enough.

She knew this could have disastrous effects on Devils as a whole, but at the moment the kids needed time. It was simply a bullet that both humans and Devils were going to have to bite. Makima continued. "No better way to kill boredom than to play with the insects, right?"

Buu blinked at her before staring into her with a sickening grin. Every fiber of her being hated the way he looked at her. As if he could see into her very soul, view every single life she's lived up to this point, and would in the future. Makima tried to fight against her body's desire to shake in fear, but it was taking everything to stay calm. "Is this what it feels like to have someone else peer into you? To force themselves into your very soul…"

Buu started walking around the Lookout, staying close to the very edge itself. Everyone felt a sense of uneasiness at his action, utterly lost on what he could be doing. It took Makima a full minute or so, the same time it took Buu to do a full lap, to understand what his plan was. "He's counting…"

"Counting?" Piccolo questioned.

Then it clicked in his head.

Buu's sadistic smile never left as he raised his hand into the air. Countless beams of energy erupted from him like a pink cosmic shower. Everyone watched in horror as each beam of KI descended upon the Earth like homing missiles.

"Woof! Woof!" A small grey dog barked loudly. He curled up towards the nervous wreck of a girl, who greatly appreciated the emotional support at the moment. Kobeni Higashiyama rubbed the soft fur with small, muttered breaths. Her mind replayed through the series of events that brought her to this moment.

…

Everything was going great for once a few days ago. She had been using her recent bonus to get her car cleaned, buy some nicer clothes, and even sent some to her family for her brother's schooling. One of her co-workers even asked her out on a date! Her! The stupid, ugly, lonely, and clumsy Kobeni that couldn't get anything right! It was the perfect chance to try out her new dress that she had bought! Things were finally looking up for her!

Then the world started ending.

Majin Buu and that ugly little wizard appeared out of nowhere and threw the entire world into a chaotic frenzy. The only time she could remember something like this was back when that Devil (What people, even hunters, who aren't in Makima's close circle identify Cell as) known as Cell announced his Cell Games. But this was different, much different. The rate at which the two were wiping out humanity surpassed anything seen before.

Her date had been canceled, since the co-worker wanted to go find his family. The city they lived in was destroyed an hour later.

She tried to contact her own family, only to watch as the city they lived in got turned into candy. Meaning that they had all been killed, probably cursing her for doing nothing to help them. She could hear their insults and sneers that they were throwing at her from the bottom pits of Hell.

Kobeni was called into work, since the government was trying to gather as many hunters as possible to combat this threat. But considering that she no longer had a reason to keep working as a Devil Hunter, she could only do one thing.

Get into her car and get away as far as possible. At least that's what she tried to do, when eventually her car's tires were popped by random gun fire. Even during a world ending crisis, the universe couldn't just leave her alone. Thankfully, whoever it was that popped her tires must've decided to move onto bigger prey. She could take comfort in the fact that she was so insignificant that random shooters wouldn't find her important enough to kill.

As she trekked through the desert for a day, she had gone through all of the provisions she had brought with her. At this point Kobeni truly felt like she was going to end up dead. Without any phone battery or reception, she had no idea how the world was doing against Majin Buu. If they managed to beat him or not, then it didn't matter to her. The unlucky Kobeni had finally hit the end of her road. She collapsed onto the hot desert ground, welcoming the sweet embrace of death.

If she had been paying more attention before passing out, she would've noticed the oddly shaped looking house, two figures, and a dog approaching her. She could very faintly hear voices.

"B-Buu! You gotta help her, Buu!"

"Why Buu help?"

"B-because it's the right thing to do, remember?"

"Oh yeah! Okay, Buu will do it for you, Satan!"

Suddenly, her body was covered by a warm light. All of her fatigue, hunger, thirst, and pain vanished as if it were never there. Kobeni's eyes blinked open as her consciousness came back in full. She was surprised to see that she was still alive, but apparently some brave souls had saved her. When she looked up, the cowardly hunter came face-to-face with the monster who was terrorizing the world. "KYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Buu tilted his head at her behavior. He turned to his companion. "Satan, why is she screaming?"

"She's uh…probably afraid of you, Buu." Hercule Satan, the World's Champion, answered.

"Why scared of Buu?! Buu is cool!" Buu declared proudly.

"Woof!" The dog agreed.

"Y-yeah, Bee! Buu is really cool!" Hercule agreed with the small dog. Their praise caused the pink monster to grow a very pointy nose to show his satisfaction. The three turned back to Kobeni.

She was still screaming her head off.

…

"How did my life end up like this, Bee?" Kobeni cried. Bee made a small noise, licking her hand to show his care. She allowed a small smile at his support. "Thanks."

"Yo!" The two looked over to see Hercule walking back over to him. The World Champion, who had managed to tame Majin Buu much to her own surprise, pointed over to something. "I found a truck a bit past the mountain. Those stupid shooters must've owned it."

Kobeni really didn't want to think about those two guys, the ones who ruined everything.

…

It had taken some time, but she had gotten pretty used to being around Majin Buu. Doing his chores alongside Hercule (Who promised her this was just his way of keeping Buu under control) was much more…soothing than everything in her life prior. Bee was a cute energetic puppy to have around. She always wanted a puppy, but her parents scolded her for even daring to think of wanting something for herself. Her brother was allowed to have a puppy after she had moved out, though.

They're dead, so she shouldn't have to think about them.

In contrast to the fact that he had massacred most of the human race by this point, Majin Buu wasn't as evil as she initially believed. She had to agree with Hercule that Buu seemed like a very excitable child who had simply been led down the wrong path. A path that Hercule was determined to keep him away from.

Buu would even invite her to play alongside himself and Bee, while Hercule cooked food. It was truly scary to see a puppy being so close to him, but the Majin was never hard on him. She watched Buu hold Bee with such gentle care that she genuinely forgot that he was responsible for so much death and destruction. Buu would turn rocks and plants into candy for them to snack on before lunch and dinner. He'd giggle and laugh at some manga that Hercule apparently had on him for some reason, then would scarf down his own share of dinner like a starving child.

Strangely enough, it felt nice. Sitting around a table with people who genuinely didn't mind her company. Buu looked at Hercule with a puzzling expression. "Satan."

"Y-yes, Buu?" Hercule responded.

"Do you have a family?" Buu asked.

She looked just as confused as the champion. "What brought this on, Buu?" Hercule asked.

"Buu saw something about a family in comic book. Buu never had a family, so Buu wondered if you did." Buu explained.

"Well, I do have a daughter."

"Daughter?"

"That's right! She's my pride and joy! My baby girl!" Hercule proudly declared. Kobeni tried to bite back a nasty feeling inside of her, thinking back to how her parents never saw her in such a light.

"Where is she?" Buu asked innocently.

"Probably dead." Went unsaid between the two of them. As much as they've grown to understand Buu, they both couldn't deny that possibility. Kobeni had lost her own family (As terrible as they were to her), and Hercule held out hope that Videl was still alive. But if she weren't…it hurt too much to really think about.

"I-I'm sure she's out there, staying close with her friends." Hercule said.

"Buu thinks you should bring her here! It'll be fun!" Buu smiled.

"Y-yeah, Buu! I'm sure she'd love it!"

"How about you, Beni?" Buu called her with the nickname given. "Do you have a family?"

"No." Kobeni answered immediately. "I don't have one. I wish I had one."

"We can be family!" Buu suggested. "Buu, Beni, Satan, Satan's daughter, and Bee! We're family!"

Honestly, Kobeni couldn't find herself hating the idea. The genocidal monster that had been hurting humans had treated her far better than her family ever had. She actually felt loved…if that made sense.

She was happy.

Too bad happiness never lasts long for her.

The next day started like any other. She was playing around with Buu and Bee while Hercule was cleaning the house. She watched as Buu tossed the ball a few feet away for Bee to go fetch. He was barking happily until a gunshot echoed, and a bullet pierced the little puppy. She and Buu stared in shock as Hercule came running out to see what happened. When he saw the puppy bleeding out on the ground, Hercule searched for the ones responsible.

There were two men with rifles sitting on a cliff, happily laughing at what they had just done. One of them whipped out a rocket launcher and started firing repeatedly down on them. She and Hercule ducked out of the way, while Buu just stood there.

As the smoke from the explosion died down, Kobeni stared in horror as a second place she came to call home fell to ruins. While she sat there in shock, Hercule was rushing towards the cliff to beat those shooters down. Buu just stood there, his anger steaming out of the holes on his body.

Kobeni hurried over to Bee, hoping that she could stop the bleeding but it wasn't looking good. Seeing her kneeling down by the dog and watching Hercule beat down the ones responsible allowed Buu to calm down. He rushed over to Kobeni and Bee, using his abilities to heal the puppy. Bee barked happily at the two, pleased to no longer be in pain. Hercule rushed back over to celebrate the miracle with them.

That's when another gunshot echoed out. A bullet pierced through Hercule, taking down the World Champion. Kobeni, Bee, and Buu stared in horror at the act of violence done against the man. Behind them, one of the killers laughed triumphantly at his deed.

That seemed to have been the last line for Buu. Steam exploded out of his body like a torrent, the fat Majin was trying to keep his emotions in check as he healed Hercule. Buu stared at the only people who have ever treated him with any form of kindness since the moment he could remember.

"R-run…get away…!" Buu struggled to speak.

"B-Buu?!" Kobeni reached forward. The Majin pushed her hand away, and glared angrily at them.

"GET AWAY!" Buu roared. The explosion of steam that occurred afterwards changed everything forever.

…

The weird gray Buu, the transformation that happened afterwards, and the death of those killers were still very fresh in her mind. Kobeni picked up Bee and followed Hercule to where the car was. She didn't know where they'd go, but they needed to find somewhere safe to be after everything that happened.

Suddenly, the sky darkened above them. The three looked up to see multiple rays of light descending upon the Earth, coincidentally avoiding them the entire time. They could only stare in confusion at the phenomenon, unaware of the horrors it was bringing upon the Earth.

Anyone who could feel KI felt every single life on the planet below get extinguished within milliseconds of each other. Buu's indiscriminate attack attacked anything with an energy signal, regardless if it was a human or not. Dende screamed at the cruelty and at his failure to protect the lives of the Earth.

Makima, Fami, Denji, and Power all felt something inside of them change. A balance within their souls shifted completely, like a table being overturned. Devils were born from fear, they were connected to the fear humans hold. As much as Devils would kill humans, it was impossible for them to fully wipe out the human race. Kill a bunch of humans, and a bunch of humans would just continue to be born into the world. Devils get killed, then reincarnate to continue doing what they want. A symbiotic relationship if Devils wished to keep their powers in tact. A trapped cycle that none of them could destroy even if they wanted to do so.

But what if it was destroyed?

Their concepts, their very beings would never vanish, but they would still feel the disastrous consequences. The power they loved so much dwindled like a fire getting drenched in water.

Yoru and Asa flinched, they too felt the massive pendulum shift from Buu's genocide attack. Asa's head snapped towards her partner, who was sweating profusely. "Yoru! Did you feel that?!"

"GODDAMMIT!" Yoru cursed loudly.

"I felt it too." Shin wiped the sweat from his brow. Goku and Gohan turned their attention, wondering what was going on.

"What's wrong, Supreme Kai?" Goku asked.

"Every single human and Devil life on Earth has just been extinguished." Shin answered.

"WHAT?!" Goku screamed. "Did he destroy the planet?!"

"No. Earth is still there but…"

BOOM!

Everyone was almost blown away by the explosion of power generated from Gohan. The hybrid's patience had reached its limit after hearing of Buu's monstrous deed. "I'M DONE!"

"Sit." Elder Kai ordered.

"NO! I'M SICK OF IT!" Gohan roared, his body exploding even more. Asa had to hold onto Gohan to keep herself from getting blown away. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BEAT BUU IF…We…just…" Gohan stopped himself, recognizing the huge increase of power he just demonstrated. "I-is this really my power?"

"Sit down. You're wasting time."

Gohan complied, but his anger was still simmering strongly. Now having proof that the Elder Kai wasn't full of shit, he was more willing to go through with the ritual. But his thoughts still drifted to the safety of his family. Even after having the things about Fusion explained to him, that didn't stop him from fearing the death of his loved ones.

"Holy shit…" Asa muttered.

"A-all of that power…is inside of Gohan…" Pride and disbelief swirled within Yoru.

"Gohan…is that powerful…" Goku was the proudest of all. He turned to Shin. "Latent power is the hidden power he has inside, right?"

"Yes, I believe so." Shin replied.

"Wow…! Just how much power does Gohan have inside of him?" Goku wondered.

Piccolo was thanking his lucky stars that Videl was with them. Whatever relationship he had formed with Hercule had allowed them to use her as a leverage to keep Buu in place. Unfortunately, they could only buy themselves an hour and a half to get the kids into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. The time dilation should be able to give them time to strengthen themselves up to handle Buu's new might.

"That's Buu?" Trunks asked, staring at the still Majin.

"He did change." Goten said.

"Still looks like an idiot, though." Nayuta added.

"We don't have time to continue discussing this. We need to get you three into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. For every minute, you will experience six hours in there. Take that time to get as strong as possible." Piccolo explained. He turned to the Control Devil, who's eyes hadn't left the Majin at all. "Makima, we need to-"

"Take care of them." Makima said, quiet enough for him to hear.

His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't let my babies die. They're all I have left."

An uncomfortable feeling started to rise inside of him. "Do that yourself. You're their Mother, you're all they have left."

Makima turned to look at him with a small smile. "And as their Mother, I have a duty to protect them. Even if it means dying."

"W-what are you-"

She vanished from her spot before he could stop her. Piccolo and everyone else saw the red haired Devil flash in front of Majin Buu. "DAMMIT!" The former guardian tried to reach for her, but a surprisingly strong barrier stopped him from leaving the palace. "W-what is this?! Makima!"

As she stared into the eyes of pink monstrosity, Makima came to a conclusion of the feelings inside of her. She was afraid, terrified of the creature in front of her. To think someone like her would come to accept the idea of fear existing within her. She is the Control Devil, a monster born from the fear of Control, and yet she's never really been in control of her own life. Even with all of the power she held over others, nothing ever seemed to go her way.

SHE WASN'T ENOUGH FOR HER HUSBAND TO WANT TO LIVE.

SHE COULDN'T PROTECT HER SON FROM THE HORRORS OF THE WORLD.

As a Devil, as a mother, and as a wife she was an utter failure. Time and time again the world continued to take from her. None of her previous lives were filled with joy, lifetimes spent trying to force humans to submit or to keep Devils under her foot. Her heart had always been empty, void of the one thing she truly ever wanted.

When she finally found that love in the form of Son Goku and the family they created, the universe continued to split them apart. They were finally supposed to have a day when they'd all be together and yet…

GOHAN DIED.

HER HUSBAND STILL LEFT HER.

AND-

"MOMMY/MAMA!"

Makima turned around to see her youngest children were banging against the invisible wall. Their terror was written all over their faces, pleading for her to come back to her. Any mother would've folded instantly to the sounds of their childrens' cries and would've been quelling their fears with her love.

SHE SHOULD'VE DONE SO.

Instead, Makima just turned away from them to give her full attention to Majin Buu. She couldn't kill him, that much was painfully obvious. But she'll do everything she can to rid the world of him forever.

When he looked back at her, Buu actually grinned. A look of familiarity passed through his facial features. "You."

"You know me?"

"Buu knows what you are."

"Then you should know to fear me." She pressed her finger against his head. Their figures glowed as silver chains erupted from her body, entangling themselves around the two.

Out of all of the minds Makima has ever wondered through, Buu's was by far the most expansive. It made sense, for a creature of little sense, he's lived much longer than she has. His very existence stemmed from the very beginning of the universe itself, or at least his essence had. She floated within his mindscape, which looked similar to the void of space. Galaxies surrounded her, each one a different color. Makima figured those must be where Buu's memories were stored. Those were none of her concern, she simply needed to find the 'core' of his being and warp it to her control.

A person's 'core' is what ultimately defines them, similar to their soul. Every living thing had one, and all she had to do was trap it within her chains. It would only fail to work when the person's will was much too strong, similar to her darling and Vegeta. Thus, she needed to work fast before Buu could repel her away.

Makima felt something burning, and looked up to see the sun illuminating the void of space. Just like the real one, it eclipsed everything else in size. She could feel energy pulsating from it and pushed off to reach the 'core'. Her hand reached out and something took hold of it. Makima's eyes widened at the pink appendage that clearly didn't belong to her.

"That was too quick." Was all she could think before Buu's other arm wrapped itself around her waist. She was pulled back, pressed against the squishy hot body of Majin Buu. The deranged bubblegum creature laughed sadistically in her ear. His tongue licked the sides of her ear, drenching the rim with his saliva. Buu's steaming breath burned her neck, causing her to wince slightly.

"Buu should fear you? Is that what you said?" Buu asked dangerously. His hold tightened, crushing her ribs and lungs. He enjoyed the way her face twisted from the pain, the confusion written across her face. She didn't understand how he was overpowering her in such a way, even if he was fighting back, there should be no way for him to manifest like this. At least that was until pink chains burst from his body. Everything clicking into her head just like that.

Buu had stolen this power from Gohan, who was born from her blood. Thus, he would also possess the same abilities as her.

The chains plunged into her chest, eliciting strained screams from her throat. Buu laughed sadistically as more and more chains started to stab into Makima's body. She felt as if her body was being torn apart with each chain added to the torture. Was this the kind of pain she was always subjecting others to? Is this how everyone felt whenever she'd force her will over theirs?

Why was the universe so cruel to her?

As her body started cracking away like glass, Majin Buu gripped her face to turn her to face him. His pleasure in her suffering was clear as day, a grim reminder of the way she'd treat others whenever her way was granted.

His presence completely overwhelmed her own.

"BUU FEARS NO ONE! YOU FEAR BUU!"

SHATTER!

She was afraid.

She was a failure.

"Your eyes look funny!"

Who said that?

She couldn't remember.

"Mommy! I love you!"

Why? Why would anyone love her?

Who…was she anyway?

"MOMMY!" Goten wailed, banging his fists on the invisible wall.

"MOMMA! MOMMA!" Nayuta was in a similar state of distress.

Piccolo pulled the two back, tucking them under his arms. "I'm sorry, but you have to stay here! I'm sorry!" He continued to apologize to the twins.

Everyone else listened to their wails, simply waiting all the same for what would happen next. Fami couldn't even eat her food as she listened to her nephew and niece, upset at herself for being unable to help them. Her sister had made her choice, a choice that was stupid. But even love could make the Control Devil do something stupid.

Suddenly, the invisible barrier put around them vanished, no longer separating them from what was going on. Piccolo refused to let the twins go, knowing they'd try to save their mother and get themselves killed.

SHATTER!

The barrier of chains around the two shattered to pieces, losing their silver color. As they fell to the floor with quiet thunks, the red headed woman stood still as a statue. If they could see her eyes, they'd see that there was no longer any light held within them. Her hair slowly came undone from its one braid, the long strands of red fell loosely down her back.

Buu licked his lips, then grabbed the top of her head. "Do you know Buu?"

"...No."

He turned her around to face the group. "Do you know those children?" He pointed at Goten and Nayuta, who were reaching out for her. The woman couldn't recognize them, she couldn't even hear the words coming out of their mouths.

"...No."

"Heh." Buu turned her back around to face him. Lifting her face up to his own. "Who do you fear?"

…

…

…

"...You. I fear you."

Satisfied, Buu's energy encompassed her body like a covering. He allowed her to stand on her own two feet and pushed her towards the group. The woman stumbled on her feet, barely able to walk forward.

Goten and Nayuta reached out for her, hoping to grasp her hands. The woman's hand subconsciously reached forward as well. Right as their fingers were about to touch, the woman's body turned to ash.

The particles gently floated down to the ground, barely making a sound.

Majin Buu turned his attention back to the hourglass, giggling to the cries of children as they screamed for their mother.

Chapter End

Chapter Text

Intermission (12): Light of the Universe

Makima carried Goku as she, Gohan, and Krillin followed Vegeta into Freeza's ship. The prince directed them towards one of the healing chambers. "The medical machines in this room are older, but they'll be more than enough. Pity that I destroyed the newer ones." Vegeta said.

Makima carefully placed her husband into the machine, hooking him up to the breathing mask. She watched with concern as the water filled the chamber, submerging her injured husband. There was unfortunately nothing she could do to speed up the process, so they would have to wait until the machine was done. Goku slowly raised his arm, giving his family and friend a small wave to assure them that he'd be fine.

"Now then." Vegeta got straight to business. "I'll get you three some battle armor. It'll provide some protection."

"I refuse." Makima snapped her fingers, replacing the ruined outfit she was wearing with her clean uniform and trench coat.

"Then, I'll-"

"No." Makima interrupted her son. "You will be putting that armor on to ensure you have protection. I don't need it." Her tone shut down any room for arguments, with Krillin giving the kid a comforting pat on his shoulder.

"Suit yourself. Brat! Baldy! Follow me!" Vegeta ordered the other two. Gohan hesitated, but Makima told him to follow after Vegeta. She didn't trust the prince but killing them would prove more disadvantageous for him rather than them. She watched as Krillin and Gohan left with Vegeta, tracking their presence the entire time.

Makima took this time to assess their current situation. At the moment they had all 7 Dragon Balls in their possession, however they remain unusable due to their inability to speak the Namekian language. This also worked to their advantage and disadvantage. While they have the info and potential allies to call upon, Freeza could end up killing Guru and ruin everything. Everything hinged on using the Dragon Balls before Freeza could continue to prove himself incompetent.

Following, as much as she hates to admit it, Vegeta's recent boost in power currently made him their strongest asset with her husband out of commission. They'd need him when it eventually comes down to fighting Freeza as getting off this planet without engaging him will be impossible. If she wanted to stand a chance, she needed to boost her own power once more to be able to protect herself, Gohan, and Krillin. Ginyu's brief period of fear had given her a slight boost, but she needed more. Being so far from Earth was truly hindering her at this moment. Perhaps there was still a way for her to strengthen her connection to gain some more strength? Her contracts were still working even from this far away, so maybe…

"Mom!"

Makima turned around to see the two of the three returned to the medical room. She saw that her little boy was now wearing the Freeza force armor with a light blue spandex suit underneath. She had to admit that her son looked adorable even with that cursed armor on. Makima noticed the lack of a certain bald monk. "Where did Krillin go?"

"He went to Grand Elder Guru to find out the password." Gohan answered.

The Control Devil had to hand it to Krillin for his quick thinking. They had already discussed the possibility of the passcode needing to be spoken in foreign tongue, but Vegeta didn't know that possibility. All he knows is that there's a passcode needed to be chanted. As long as Krillin didn't get killed, then there's nothing wrong with him heading out.

Vegeta moved from his spot at the entrance. "I'll be getting some rest before our battle with Freeza. If you even think about betraying me, then you can kiss your asses goodbye." The prince turned towards the exit of the ship.

Once Vegeta was out of earshot, Makima looked down at her son. "Gohan, I need you to head out and keep watch for Krillin or Freeza."

"But what about, Dad?" Gohan asked.

"I'll be in here keeping watch over your Father. If Freeza is starting to come towards our direction, then warn me immediately." Makima said.

"What are you going to do here, Mom? Wouldn't you be able to sense Freeza if he was coming towards us?" Gohan understood keeping watch over his dad just in case, but his mother would still be aware of everything going on, right?

"Under normal circumstances, yes but I need to handle something that's going to require my full attention. It shouldn't take long anyway, so don't worry about it. Just stay safe, okay?" Makima softly touched his face. Gohan could feel his mother's affection and smiled softly.

"Okay, Mom! I-I just don't want Vegeta getting in our way." Gohan said.

"I understand. But at the moment we need his power, but after that we can deal with him together, okay?"

"Right!"

"Then get going and stay near the ship." Makima separated from her son. He nodded his head and took off outside of the ship to keep watch of the situation. Makima turned back to her husband, who was recovering slowly. Her husband always healed fast, but those were more minor wounds than large ones. By estimation it seemed like it would take perhaps 50 or 60 minutes for him to fully heal. About an hour as a whole. It would be better if it were faster, but this was better than nothing.

She sat in a meditative position next to the machine. Makima relaxed every part of her body for this plan to work. It wasn't a guarantee, but it was better than nothing. She delved into her established connections to those on Earth that she made sure to keep tethered to her. Similar to her contracts but only in a way that doesn't inconvenience her at all. Makima grabbed the one that would prove to be the least difficult to deal with.

Establishing this connection might take a bit. Hopefully, things are going well for Gohan to where he won't need her assistance.

Gohan was really wondering if he should call for his mother right now. After leaving her alone to keep watch outside, Krillin had returned with Dende. The three of them then proceeded to summon the Namekian's dragon named Porunga to use the wishes while Vegeta was asleep. He didn't think he needed to tell his mother about this since things would be fine as long as they got the wishes done quickly.

It was really unfortunate that after making their first two wishes to resurrect Piccolo and to bring him to Namek, Vegeta had woken up. It was even worse when they detected Freeza's power heading straight towards them.

Vegeta held Dende up by his collar. "You stupid fools! I warned you about betraying me, and yet you still had the gall to do it!"

"W-wait! We're given three wishes! We can still make one more wish!" Gohan panicked to protect his friend.

"Don't tell him that!" Krillin yelled.

Vegeta lowered the kid to the ground. "Then what are you waiting for?! Make me immortal before Freeza gets here!"

Krillin and Gohan were struggling to figure out where to proceed. Giving Vegeta his immortality would only spell doom for them if they managed to defeat Freeza, but if they don't do something then Freeza would kill them all upon arrival. Goku was out of commission, Makima was busy with something else, and Piccolo was too far away to reach them.

"D-dammit!" Krillin cursed. "I don't want Vegeta to become immortal! He killed my friends, tried to destroy my home, and yet he's still a helluva lot better than Freeza!" He swallowed the metaphorical pill and turned to Dende. "Just make the wish, Dende! It's our only shot!"

"I-if I have to…" Dende muttered.

Vegeta smiled triumphantly. "Yes…yes! Good! Hurry it up!" He ordered the Namekian boy. "You won't be able to kill me now, Freeza! I'll wear you down! And someday, I'll be the one to rule the universe!"

As Dende began to speak the words for the last wish, Porunga's eyes lost their color. In a bright flash of blinding light, the large dragon vanished from the sky. Night turned back into day, and the Namekian Dragon Balls turned to stone. Nobody was more confused by the turn of events than Vegeta.

"W-what happened?! Where's my wish?! Where's my immortality?!" Vegeta demanded to know.

Dende lowered his head. "The Grand Elder has passed away… The Dragon Balls can no longer be used."

The prince's head slowly turned around to face the Earthlings. "You…this is all your fault! You conniving little bastards cheating me out of my wish!" He slowly stomped towards them. "I'm going…going…going…" Vegeta's anger vanished as his eyes peered upwards. Gohan and Krillin were confused until they followed his line of sight.

Their stomachs dropped to the floor like two-ton weights.

Freeza stood at the top of the hill behind them, staring down at the four with pure undeniable disgust. Freeza has a humanoid body, a large purple cranium, two horns protruding from his head, small red eyes, and a long, pink, purple-tipped tail. The skin on his hands, feet, and face are a light shade of purple, while the skin around his cranium, as well as the flesh making up his torso, lower arms, and lower legs are white. He also sports brown plating on the white portions of his arms and legs. The skin on his upper arms and legs, in the meantime, was pink like his tail. On the sides of his head, he possesses two large openings which act as his ears. He also sports two pink stripes down the side of his face and dark-colored lips. Freeza's upper body is covered by the standard armor uniform of the Freeza Force.

"F-F-F-FREEZA!" Krillin screamed.

Contrary to the anger burning intensely inside of him, Freeza allowed himself to stay calm at the moment. Which was single handedly more terrifying than him being outwardly pissed. "My, oh my, it seems you've done me a great disservice. My dreams of immortality have been crushed. And I see there is no trace of the Ginyu Force… Did you kill them? My, you are industrious little tykes, aren't you? Even the Dragon Balls are no longer of any use to me." Freeza slowly floated down in front of them, making the group flinch back.

"Never ever has anyone made such a fool of Lord Freeza." The tyrant declared. Nobody made a move, too terrified to even take a breath around the malicious leader of the Freeza Force. "I never thought I'd face such a day…curse you all…" Freeza's mask of indifference broke instantly. "YOU DESPICABLE MAGGOTS! I'LL TORTURE YOU TO DEATH! INCH BY BLOODY INCH!"

Gohan really should've called for his mother.

Makima felt her spirit travel across the universe back towards Earth, her power returning to her in the process. However, she knew that this was only due to her spirit being on the planet without a connection. If she were to just go back to her body, then the power would dwindle back down again. She needed to find the person she could strengthen her connection to if she wished to gain even a lick of her proper strength. Which…unfortunately brought her to a spot she shouldn't be surprised about at all. Makima's eyes trailed up to the Burger King sign, more than familiar with the greasy fast-food place. She had made it a mission to not let Gohan eat too much of this stuff due to how bad it was for one's own body. However, there were two people close to her son who didn't really care.

The first is her gluttonous husband.

The second is her gluttonous little sister.

Makima's spirit walked through the walls, searching for the one who was likely eating this place out of business. She found her sister, the Famine Devil, chowing down on what was likely her 50th burger. And judging by the massive pile of unwrapped burgers, she was nowhere close to finished. Makima strolled over to her sister and took a seat next to her. Fami didn't even flinch at her sister's spirit popping up.

"Want one?" Fami held a burger towards her.

"No."

"Your loss." Fami shrugged. She unwrapped the burger and started eating it. "What do you need?"

Makima explained the entire situation on Namek up till now, detailing her gruesome killing of Recoome for what he did to Gohan. She noticed the brief flash of anger that crossed Fami after hearing about Gohan almost dying. It was no secret that the Famine Devil cared a lot about her little nephew, which was why Makima permitted her to even be near the boy more often than not. "And now we're about to do battle with Freeza, and I need all the power I can possibly get."

"So, you want to use me as a tether to connect the fear humans have for us to your spirit?"

"Exactly."

"Sure." Fami shrugged. "It'll leave me drained, but I can just eat more to fuel me back up."

"That's not how it works."

Fami shrugged and ate another burger. "Though, I'm sure you know that just me alone won't be enough, right? You're going to need to get War to cooperate as well."

Makima visibly frowned at this but conceded with Fami's point. Getting War to assist would make her even stronger. But the youngest of the four was a headache to deal with at times, and she did not have the time to deal with her entitled attitude.

Regardless, it was best to hurry up and get this over with. She needed to hurry before Freeza possibly showed up.

"KRILLIN!" Gohan screamed as he watched Freeza's horn stab through the bald monk. In a terrible turn of events, Freeza had unveiled his powerful transformation after some goading from Vegeta. Freeza is now far taller and more muscular than the rest of them, his armor had been blown off from the increase in body mass. His power and speed had reached such astronomical levels that they could barely even react to his moves.

Krillin could've moved out of the way but chose to protect Dende instead. He struggled to move as Freeza happily jolted him around to gain more cries of pain from the monk. The tyrant licked the human's blood as it trickled down his face. "I warned you, didn't I? I can't control myself in this form."

"That fool! He shouldn't have bothered with the Namekian brat!" Vegeta cursed.

Freeza tossed Krillin off of his horn, allowing the monk to fall lifelessly towards the water. Gohan attempted to chase after his friend, but Freeza flashed in front of him to stop him. The hybrid growled in anger at the evil tyrant that smiled with sadistic pleasure.

"W-what speed!" Vegeta gasped.

"Trying to save him? Don't bother, he'll be dead soon. Focus on your own life." Freeza said.

"Move…"

"Hm?" Freeza raised a brow.

"I SAID MOVE!" Gohan roared. His tiny leg struck Freeza across the face, actually making the tyrant flinch back. A powerful uppercut smashed into the monster's jaw, knocking him back. Gohan piled on relentless gut punches into Freeza, then kicked him away. A powerful ball of energy swirled in his hands before getting tossed at the tyrant, the explosion rocked the skies of the planet like an earthquake.

Vegeta grunted, stunned by the power Gohan showcased. He couldn't believe that a young half-breed could possess enough power to actually stagger Freeza.

"HYAAAAAAAA!" Gohan screamed as he unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of KI at Freeza's downed body. The boy didn't stop his barrage until he was certain that Freeza was down. His anger slowly started to subside along with his attacks. Gohan released tired breaths, his hands stinging from the power thrown out.

"U-unbelievable! He's got so much power that he doesn't even know about it until he snaps! Could he be the Super Saiyan?!" Vegeta wondered.

"Right! Krillin!" Gohan looked down to see Dende emerge from the depths with Krillin clinging onto him.

"He's alive!" Dende yelled.

"Good! Don't die on me, Krillin!" Gohan exclaimed.

"FOOL!" Vegeta's shout gained Gohan's attention. "Your attack didn't kill Freeza! Keep your eyes on the enemy!"

True to Vegeta's words, Freeza got up from the ground as if the attacks hadn't hurt him. He smiled evilly at the hybrid. "You're not just any brat…that hurt me a little. You chose the wrong opponent; you've only made me angrier." The tyrant increased his power, eliciting more fear from the two Saiyans.

Gohan trembled in fear as Freeza appeared in front of him, too scared to bother moving. The tyrant slapped him down as if he were nothing more than a fly. Vegeta tried to land a sneak attack, but Freeza didn't even feel it. "Wait your turn, Vegeta. I'll play with you shortly."

"T-this is the end…" Vegeta trembled.

Gohan did his best to fight back, but Freeza was easily avoiding his attacks. His hair was grabbed and Freeza brought him down to strike his small ribs with his knee. Gohan coughed blood and spit, tears leaking from his eyes. When Freeza released him, the boy tried to escape but it was a futile effort. Freeza just kicked him back down into the ground, then stomped on his head. He slowly increased the pressure, making sure to take his sweet time in killing the boy.

Freeza looked up at Vegeta. "What's wrong, Vegeta? Are you not going to try and save him?"

"As if I care if that brat dies!" Vegeta exclaimed.

Back inside of the healing chamber, Goku could feel his son's energy dropping to dangerous levels. His body wasn't close to being fully healed, but at this rate Gohan was going to end up dead. Makima's body hadn't moved an inch, and he had no way of getting her attention. "Dammit…! I have to do something or Gohan's going to die!"

Luckily, he didn't have to as he felt Krillin's power suddenly return into the battle. He didn't know how that had happened, but thankfully it seems his best friend managed to save his son. Even better was that he felt Gohan's power increase even more a few seconds afterwards. Goku really didn't know what was going on, but it looks like he can stay in the tank just a bit longer. Hopefully Makima will wake up soon-wait is that Piccolo?!

After stabilizing her connection to Fami, Makima spent several minutes searching for her other little sister. Eventually, she managed to find the War Devil overseeing a warehouse, where multiple trucks could be seen being unloaded. Makima noticed that the crates were clearly filled with weapons and drugs. Whatever was going on had clear importance to the War Devil, but not to the Control one at this moment.

"War."

"What? Can't you see I'm busy?" War didn't turn to face her. "This entire weapons and drug transaction is about to escalate into a full on gang war. Even minor wars like these can give me a good boost."

"Then it seems I'm here at a good time." Makima stood next to her, folding in her arms. War raised a brow at her. Makima was seemingly struggling with some which was evident by the twitching of her left eyebrow.

"I… I need your help."

War blinked. "Me?"

"Yes."

"My help?"

"Yes."

"The almighty Control Devil needs my-"

Makima grabbed her by the collar, pulling War in close to stare directly into her eyes. "My son and husband are in threat of getting killed on an alien planet by the universal equivalent of Hitler. I do not have time for your ignorant routine of superiority. Either give me your power, so that I can protect them, or I'll take it by force. Be grateful that I'm giving you a choice."

War buckled under the weight of her sister's aura, even in Spirit form Control managed to turn her into a sniveling mess. It was insulting to her pride, but she really wasn't given a choice regardless of what her sister just said. War relented her powers to Makima, allowing the Control Devil to have access back to her full strength.

Makima released her sister, feeling the fear of the three Horsemen filling her spirit. As soon as she rejoined her physical body, then the combination from the gravity training with Goku and the rejuvenated spirit should be more than enough power. Her spirit ascended away from her home planet, racing back towards Namek.

She would be lying if she said that it didn't concern her that she wasn't contacted by Gohan even once. Most would think that was a good thing, but things never go according to plan when it comes to their lives. Worst case scenario was Freeza showing up right as she disconnected from her physical body, but Gohan should've still been near the ship to warn her.

Something went wrong, and it's very likely Gohan went against her order to stay near the ship.

Freeza's enormous energy was felt the moment she reconnected with her body. Makima's eyes snapped open with lightning-fast speed. She spared no glance towards her husband this time, knowing he was still healing in the tank. Freeza was far too close to their son for her liking, which demanded her immediate attention. She could feel Vegeta, Krillin, a smaller energy, and…Piccolo?! Just his presence alone explained what possibly had transpired while she was busy, slightly infuriating her. Krillin and Gohan had to go and use the Dragon Balls without telling her, probably under an assumption that nothing would go wrong.

It was very fortunate that nobody had been killed yet.

Piccolo, after fusing with a dying Namekian named Nail, had gained a massive boost in power. His confidence skyrocketed just as high as his abilities, making him self-assured that he could defeat Freeza. The tyrant had proven a challenge, but they stood at a stalemate that could easily be tipped in the other's favor. All he needed to do was hit him with his Special Beam Cannon, which would likely-

"Impressive. To think that there was someone who could match this level of power. Too bad this is nothing more than a fraction of my true power." Freeza declared.

"What?!" Piccolo gasped.

"Were you aware that I'd already transformed once before you arrived? I shall grant you the same feeling of terror that I gave Vegeta and the others." Freeza explained.

"Transformed?" Piccolo questioned.

"But first, allow me to tell you something that will fill you with despair. Each time I, Freeza, transform, my power increases substantially. I have two more transformations still remaining. Do you know what that means?" Freeza enjoyed the look of terror on Piccolo's face.

"W-what did he just say…?!" Krillin asked the other two. It seems that Vegeta and Gohan's more advanced hearing had caught some of the conversation. The two were shaking like leaves just from the thoughts of Freeza's power.

"F-Freeza can still transform two more times?!" Gohan exclaimed.

"NOW LET ME SHOW YOU! I HOPE YOU FEEL HONORED, YOU ARE THE FIRST ONES TO EVER SEE THIS! THE MIGHTY SECOND TRANSFORMATION OF THE MIGHTY FREEZA!" With a loud shout, Freeza's body underwent another drastic change. He retains his immense stature from his first transformation, and his skull elongates, making him appear even taller; additionally, his horns multiply, and become white, growing out of the side of his skull. Out of his back erupt two large spikes, and the armor on his shoulders jut outwards. His facial features are the most different in this form compared to any other; he loses his nose, as it has melded into his mouth instead causing it to resemble a beak. "Thank you for waiting. Now, if you're ready, let's begin round two, shall we?"

"Y-you monster…" Piccolo grunted.

"H-he hasn't changed that much." Krillin said.

"Fool! Can't you feel his power?! It's nothing like it was before!" Vegeta corrects. "Not only that, but it seems he's able to exercise a far greater degree of control."

"And the damage he took in his fight with Piccolo has healed too!" Gohan added.

Freeza chuckled lightly. "You removed that weighted clothing to improve your speed, yes? You seemed quite confident. Let's see it."

Piccolo had a millisecond to avoid Freeza's lunge, taking to the skies. "You may have the power, but I have the speed! You'll never catch me-" Piccolo stopped on a dime as he stared horrified at Freeza. "N-no way…!"

"Well, well… Did you miss me?" Freeza smirked. He struck quickly, sniping Piccolo's left thigh with a death beam. The tyrant licked his lips and continued his rapid-fire wave of death beams. Each one was much too quick for Piccolo to react to, leaving him to suffer a brutal beatdown.

"STOP IT!" Gohan roared, charging in to save his teacher.

"That idiot-" A flash of red and black caused Krillin to stop. His eyes widened as the blur struck Freeza, knocking him down into a plateau below. Makima held Piccolo by his arm, keeping him up in the air. "M-Makima?!"

"Mom?!" Gohan cried.

Piccolo craned his neck upwards, trying to recover from the onslaught. "T-took your t-time…"

"Shut up. You look pathetic." Makima released the Namekian, allowing Gohan to catch him. "Don't get yourself killed and waste our efforts coming all the way here."

"Mom, you can't-"

"We'll discuss why you disobeyed me later." Makima interrupted him. She narrowed her eyes at Freeza, who had easily recovered from her attack. The tyrant ascended back up towards them, scanning over Makima's form. He took notice of her eyes, the woman's strangest feature compared to everything else. Something about it unsettled him in a way he didn't like. As if everything around her was beneath her, even himself.

"Hm? So, there was another one of you worms hiding from me." Freeza said.

"So, you're Freeza? I have to say, you're far more disappointing than what I was expecting." Makima's comment wiped the smile from his face.

"Excuse me?" Freeza frowned.

"You heard me. Only a pathetic excuse of a lifeform would chase after something like immortality. Your plan was doomed to fail the moment you even considered it a viable strategy."

"I see…to think there would be a fool daring enough to talk so ignorantly to the mighty Freeza." The tyrant's smile covered his blooming rage. He fired a death beam, but the attack never reached Makima. An invisible force prevented it from touching her, surprising everyone. He continued firing on her like a torrent, but the beams kept stopping just an inch short.

Makima flashed from sight and reappeared behind Freeza. She struck him in the back to knock him down towards the waters. Her finger gun unleashed repeated bullets against his body, pushing him into the waters. She pushed downwards to find him, but stopped herself suddenly to avoid a lightning-fast kick that would've taken her head off. Makima saw that Freeza had recovered before she even realized it. His hand swiped for her face, but she blocked the attack with her arm.

An invisible bullet struck his face, knocking Freeza away from her. Makima clapped her hands, squishing two invisible barriers against Freeza in an attempt to crush him. The tyrant's struggle was brief, but it was long enough for a second Makima to appear next to the original. The clone clapped her hands as well to double the pressure on Freeza, crushing into a more compact shape.

When it seemed like Freeza was about to break free from the pressure, a third clone appeared to increase the gravity in the tyrant's body.

"S-she's pressuring Freeza!" Krillin gasped. "She might actually be able to do it!"

"You got it, Mom!" Gohan yelled.

"W-what?! Even that damn demon can contend with Freeza…?! She's not even a Saiyan!" Vegeta growled.

Freeza's eyes shined for a second, causing the three Makima's to flinch back. With a yell, the overlord broke free from her attack. "To think that there's a being out there that can even pressure my second transformation. I suppose the universe is filled with surprises, after all." A purple beat of energy illuminated his fingertips. Makima's eyes widened when his fingers quickly dragged diagonally across the air.

She boosted herself into the air as a purple slash wave sliced her clones to ribbons. Makima looked over to see Freeza's tail impacting across her face, knocking her across the green waters. He flashed behind her and wrapped his tail around her neck to hold her in place. "Tell me…what exactly are you? An Earthling?" Freeza asked.

She raised her fingers, mimicking Freeza's move prior, and slicing it across his tail. The appendage severed once again, much to the tyrant's displeasure. Makima held the severed tail in her hands and reached into her connection with War to temporarily use her abilities. She wouldn't be able to use it in the same capacity as War, but this would suffice. Freeza's severed tail morphed into a large bomb. "Not an Earthing! I'm the Devil!" Makima hurled the bomb at Freeza, who refused to let it reach him and shot a death beam.

BOOM!

"GYAAAH!" Freeza screamed, holding onto his eyes. When the bomb exploded, a toxic gas was allowed to spread into the air. The fumes stung his eyes, blinding him from seeing the enemies that lie before him.

Piccolo huffed. "To think a human made weapon would actually prove useful here…"

Seeing that her foe was blind, and unable to sense energy, Makima decided to try out a new move for the first time. "I'll be taking a page out of your book, darling!" She cupped her hands to her side, building up KI between her palms. "Ka! Me! Ha! Me!"

"ENOUGH!" Freeza pushed out his palm, expelling a huge wave of energy from his body. Makima was forced to abandon her attack plan to evade out of the way. She gasped loudly when she took in the damage Freeza's blast had done to the planet. The large chasm was split far across the planet's ground. She couldn't even make out the bottom of it, even before water started flooding back in.

This moment of distraction cost her as a beam pierced through her shoulder, causing her to cry out. She turned to see that Freeza was starting to regain his eyesight, and the tyrant did not look pleased in the slightest. "To humiliate Freeza like this shall be paid with painful retribution!" He moved before her wound could finish regenerating, smashing his fist into her gut. Blood exploded from her mouth and Makima was blown away through the air. Freeza chased after her with blazing speed. She ducked under a swipe just to get Freeza's knee striking her spine to knock her upwards. Then Freeza brought down both his hands to crush her stomach.

"MOM!" Gohan let go of his teacher in favor of flying down to help his mother.

"Gohan!" Piccolo and Krillin yelled.

"DYAAAAH!" Freeza heard the brat coming and avoided the kick at the last second. Gohan took off above, preparing a strong energy blast. "TAKE THIS! FULL POWER!" He shouted and unleashed his massive energy blast at Freeza.

Makima was tackled out of the way by Piccolo. She was led over to a plateau that was far away enough to not get caught up in Gohan's attack. Both mother and teacher were blown away by the amount of power showcased by the young hybrid. Krillin and Vegeta were equally as stunned by the attack.

Freeza hadn't expected the child to hit him with another attack that could actually make one of his stronger forms feel a lick of pain. He briefly struggled against the beam before kicking it away like a soccer ball. Gohan gasped as his own attack was bounced right back at him. Thankfully, a chain wrapped around his little waist and yanked him out of the way. Makima pulled her son in close, glaring at Freeza, who was still too stunned to speak.

Freeza stared at the three as his thoughts were running at light speed. "This is strange. The little one shouldn't have that kind of power after being so close to death before. It's like he's a different person… That's it! He's a Saiyan!" Freeza realized. "But whose child could he be…? Twenty years ago, the Saiyans were wiped out except for Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz."

As Freeza tried to solve his little dilemma, Piccolo and Makima were tending to Gohan. The Namekian mentor looked proud. "He may have bounced back your attack, but you've grown stronger, Gohan. I'm proud of you."

"T-thanks, but not even that or my Mom were able to stop him. Nothing we do is able to stop Freeza…" Gohan muttered.

"I'm just glad you're still alive, Gohan." Makima softly pats his head.

"Are you mad that I didn't call you?"

"Extremely so, but you've survived. That's all I can ask for." Makima responded. She didn't want to admit that she was scared when she didn't sense him at first upon waking up, but her son managed to hold out against Freeza. He really was his father's child.

Freeza's eyes narrowed in thought. "He doesn't take after Vegeta or Nappa, so he's Raditz's son? Something about him seems familiar. He also refers to that demon woman as his mother, but she didn't act familiar with Vegeta. Is there another?" He tightened his fist as his bloodlust burned. "Regardless I cannot allow even a single Saiyan to live. I must eliminate every last drop of Saiyan blood from the universe. I do not believe in the ridiculous Super Saiyan legend, but I always choose to err on the side of caution. Vegeta and the boy are growing stronger right before my eyes." Freeza came to a decision. "Alright, then…it would be a relatively simple matter for me to blast you to pieces the way I am now…but before I do that, allow me to show you the ultimate power more fearsome than death itself!"

Everyone stared in shock at hearing Freeza's declaration.

"FEAST YOUR EYES WHILE YOU CAN ON MY FINAL TRANSFORMATION! MY TRUE FORM!" Freeza announced to his audience. The tyrant began transforming once more, taking much longer with this one than his last two. The planet started to tremble in fear of the overwhelming power building up from him.

"D-dammit…! What do we-"

BLAST!

The three looked up to see Krillin had blown a hole through Vegeta's body. The Saiyan fell down onto a landmass below, which happened to be where Dende had been hiding. All of them were confused by Krillin's actions. "W-why did Krillin do that?!" Gohan stuttered.

"I can figure out why, but it doesn't matter right now! We need to move!" Makima ordered. Her companions agreed, and the three flew off further away to avoid being too close to Freeza's transformation. Makima and Piccolo struggled to move, but they managed to get far enough away from Freeza.

Krillin hurried to follow after them, landing next to the group. He examined the injuries that the strongest of the group had suffered. "D-don't worry, guys! A little Namekian named Dende will heal you up quickly."

"My wounds are healing, it's Piccolo who needs it." Makima replied.

"Ladies first." Piccolo spat back. Their little argument earned them sweat drops from Gohan and Krillin.

Thankfully, Dende flew over to them. He quickly got to work in healing Piccolo and Makima's injuries, getting them both back to full strength. If they were Saiyans, then perhaps they could've earned boosts from it.

It was very unfortunate that Freeza had been watching them the entire time.

The Control Devil had to give props when it was due. Her automatic healing paled in comparison to Dende's power. It was as if they hadn't been battling at all up till now. "It seems your race does have some use outside of the Dragon Balls."

"Tch…!" Piccolo gave her a small glare. He looked back at Dende. "Do I possess this power as well?"

"No, you belong to the warrior class." Dende answered.

"In other words, useless…" Makima's comment earned a growl from the Namekian.

"Mom…" Gohan whined.

Krillin focused on the bigger picture. "Dende, you have to heal Vegeta! I understand that you hate him, but he's our best shot here!"

"He's the same as Freeza! He's killed my people too!" Dende yelled.

"Then, do it for me." Piccolo said. "I can handle Vegeta, but Freeza is a different matter."

BOOM!

Everyone braced themselves as Freeza's power literally exploded, kicking up the winds around them. "He's finished transforming!" Piccolo yelled.

"Dammit! Why didn't we just mask our KI and hide somewhere?!" Krillin questioned.

"It wouldn't matter! He'd just blow up the planet like a crying toddler!" Makima responded. She really hated to keep banking on Vegeta, but until her darling was done healing, he really was their only shot. Freeza's power was far more than she could've imagined, not even the strongest Devils she's faced compared to the tyrant.

"Dende, you have to heal Vegeta!" Gohan pleaded.

Swallowing the disgusting pill, Dende took off towards Vegeta to heal him. Gohan nodded at his new friend, feeling terrible for making him do that. "Thanks, Dende."

"He's coming into view."

Once the dust settled, Freeza's final form was bare for the world to see. It is lizard-like, the same as his previous form, but it lacks the outer aggressiveness that Freeza's second form showcased. His body is a pure white, though he retains the purple sections of his body from his previous form, which are located at the cranium, torso, legs, and arms.

"T-that's his form?! It looks smaller and more slender." Krillin said.

"How many times are you going to keep judging a book by its cover? Feel his power, not his appearance." Makima advised.

"Sorry. After all the trouble you went to bring me back, I'm not going to be any help against him." Piccolo said, tensely.

The moment Freeza moved, Makima pushed her son behind her to protect him. She didn't know what kind of attack he was going to throw out, but she needed to prepare herself for whatever he threw at them-

BOOM!

What?

Everyone looked back to see Dende's smoking corpse on the ground behind Vegeta.

"D-DENDE!" Gohan screamed.

"I didn't even see him fire it. What kind of speed…?!" Makima's body shivered for a moment. The others were in similar positions of fear as they came to the realization of what they were truly dealing with now.

Freeza lowered his hand. "Now none of you can be revived, yes?"

"H-he killed Dende!" Gohan cried.

"D-dammit! He realized he was healing us!" Piccolo cursed.

Freeza suddenly appeared in front of the group, forcing them to jump back. Freeza smiled at their reactions. "I promised you, didn't I? That I'd show you a nightmare beyond the horrors of Hell."

"I've been to Hell. Trust me, the thing down there is more annoying than you." Makima responded.

"I doubt that." Freeza replied.

Piccolo attacked first, his attack whiffing completely. Krillin tried his luck next with Makima and Gohan coming in from the rear. The four did their best to land even a hit against Freeza, but the tyrant effortlessly dodged their assaults. Beams and invisible bullets were fired on the evil space tyrant simultaneously, but they proved futile.

Vegeta was luckily watching the fight. "He's behind you!"

Two beams were fired right at Gohan, too fast for Makima to react. A dark pit formed in her chest as the realization that her son was about to die in front of her set in. Makima reached forward, but her hand would never make it in time.

Again, luckily, Vegeta acted first and smacked Gohan out of the way. The beams collided with the ocean behind them, lighting up the area like fireworks. Makima rushed towards her son, holding him close to her chest, reaching beneath his armor to confirm for herself that his heart was still beating.

She would never thank Vegeta for this.

Gohan would. "T-thank you…for saving me…"

"I didn't do it for you. I just wanted to show off what I can do." Vegeta smirked.

THAT is why Makima would never thank him.

"You won't win." Makima said. Even if Vegeta was able to react in time to Freeza's attacks, she doubts there was hardly any effort put into those beams.

"Shut it! You lot don't have the guts! Step out of my way!" Vegeta positioned himself right in front of Freeza.

"Vegeta, you sure are full of confidence. Has the helplessness of your situation made you delusional?" Freeza questioned.

"Go ahead and smirk while you still can! What stands before you is the thing you fear the most! A SUPER SAIYAN!" Vegeta declared proudly.

Freeza blinked at him, then chuckled. "Heh! I never knew you had such a sense of humor."

"HRAH!" Vegeta shot forward with everything he had. "KAKAROT WON'T EVEN GET A TURN!"

Kakarot would get a turn.

Goku, who had been trying to keep track of the battle, was proud to see how strong his wife and son had become. It was unfortunate that their power meant nothing in the face of Freeza, even the Earthly Saiyan questioned if his power would be enough. Then there was Vegeta's spike in power that impressed him next, but even that didn't last long against Freeza's newly shown capabilities. If things continued on like this…then everyone would be in trouble!

BIII! BIII!

"I'M HEALED!" Goku declared, smashing his way out of the tank. He didn't waste time and burst through the ceiling to stand on the roof of the ship. Goku shook all of the water off his body, then examined his newly gained strength. "Wow, I'm a lot stronger now…! It feels like the power is gushing out of me! I thought I'd gotten as strong as I could, but this is amazing! I'm almost scaring myself!" He tilts his head back with a small smile. "It feels so good… I wish I had time to enjoy it." Goku faces towards the battle, his face grown serious. "I'M COMING, YOU GUYS! JUST HANG IN THERE!"

Vegeta's 'fight' with Freeza couldn't even be called a fight. It looked more like an adult playing along with a child's fantasies. The prince, who had been drunk on his own hype, had been toyed around with by Freeza. Where the prince was putting maximum effort into every attack, Freeza barely retaliated. It was as if he settled on letting Vegeta defeat himself rather than do it himself. The moment Vegeta accepted the monumental difference between them, tears started falling from his eyes.

On any other day, such a sight would've brought her joy, however the moment Freeza grew bored with Vegeta they were next on his list.

All they could do was watch as Freeza slowly tortured the prince to death as penance for all of the trouble he's caused since arriving on Namek.

"What a shame. It seems all the fight really has gone out of you. It's sooner than I'd have liked, but I think it's time to finish you off." Freeza grabbed Vegeta by his armor strap, lifting him up, ready to deal the final blow.

FWIP!

Everyone felt the newest addition to the battle, even Freeza's lack of KI sense had felt the air shift when Son Goku arrived on the scene. Makima usually would've jumped into his arms, but she was just blown away by how different her husband felt. The air around him screamed 'POWER' much more than it ever had before.

Goku casually walked forward, addressing them all. "So, that huge KI was you, Piccolo. The Dragon Balls brought you back, right?" He walked past his family and best friend. "Thanks to you guys, I've recovered from all that damage earlier. Let me handle it from here."

"G-Goku…"

"Darling…"

"Mom… Dad feels different." Gohan speaks for everyone. His mother just nodded her head, still trying to wrap her head around it. Even after becoming aware of the boosts Saiyans receive after recovering fully from near-death, she still hadn't expected this large of a jump.

"You must be Freeza. You're a lot smaller than I thought you'd be." Goku comments.

"Once again, I've overlooked a few bits of garbage." Freeza scoffs, not taking the Saiyan seriously.

"Vegeta promised me a fight. If you want him, then wait your turn." Goku said.

Upon closer look, Freeza noticed something about him. "Have I seen this man before?"

Vegeta awoke from his blackout. "K-Kakarot…you…"

"Kakarot?! That's a Saiyan name!" Freeza gasped. The name triggered a memory he had long forgotten, back to the day he had destroyed Planet Vegeta. "That's it! He looks just like the Saiyan who rebelled against me before I destroyed the Saiyan planet!"

Neither Goku or Freeza were aware that the Saiyan who defied Freeza was Goku's father, Bardock.

"K-Kakarot isn't the same as he was before…has he truly done it…? Has he become a Super Saiyan?!" Vegeta wondered.

"I can't permit even a single Saiyan to live. No point in resisting…you could save yourself the trouble and kneel before me now."

Makima blushed a bit, remembering a time when she spoke to her darling the same way before he ravaged her into the ground. A soft moan escaped her lips, confusing her son, Krillin, and Piccolo.

Ignorant to the horny images going on in his wife's head, Goku avoided an attack from Freeza, then struck the tyrant across the face. The lizard-like alien jumped back, touched his stinging cheek, and smiled. Freeza pointed his finger at Goku, which snapped Makima out of her daze.

She pulled her son out of the way, while Piccolo and Krillin jumped in a different direction. Freeza shot multiple beams at Goku and each was easily deflected. "It can't be… He deflected them all, and with a single hand." Freeza gasped.

"Ha…ha…ha…" Vegeta weakly laughed. "D-don't underestimate him, F-Freeza. H-he is the one you fear the most… He is the Legendary Super Saiyan-" A beam pierced right through his heart right as he finished.

"Vegeta!" Goku and the others gasped.

Piccolo and Makima stared indifferently at the prince's death. He had brought it on himself, after all.

"Did you already forget? I despise unfunny jokes." Freeza spat.

Goku growled at the ruthless tyrant. "Hey! Vegeta could barely even move, let alone defend himself! There was no need to finish him off!"

"It serves him right for prattling on about that nonsensical Super Saiyan legend. I detest those who blather on incessantly." Freeza said.

The prince coughed out blood, barely clinging onto life. Before he descended into Hell, he needed to give these last words to the last remaining full-blooded Saiyan. "K-Kakarot, you fool…! Don't tell me y-you're still preaching that m-mercy nonsense… That means y-you're not truly a Super Saiyan…" He coughed again. "Y-you fool…you have to harden your heart. If only you had put aside your mercy…then you'd surely…become a Super Saiyan…"

"I don't care what you say, I could never act as cold-blooded as you do. And besides, I don't even know what this Super Saiyan is supposed to be!" Goku responded.

"A S-Super Saiyan is…GUH!"

"Don't speak anymore! You're just gonna quicken your death!"

"L-Listen to me, Kakarot… The reason why Planet Vegeta, the world where both you and I were born, is gone…i-is not because it collided with a giant meteor…"

"I've run through his heart and everything, yet he's still running his mouth." Freeza comments, but nobody was paying him any attention.

"It was Freeza! He's the one who destroyed it! We Saiyans served him loyally, and followed every last one of his commands…"

Makima wasn't surprised to hear that. With how much Freeza kept talking about wanting to wipe out the Saiyan race (Which included her husband and son), the more obvious it became that he had a hand in its destruction. She had no pity for them, since the Saiyans weren't a race of saints. They were a race of battle hungry mercenaries running around the universe fighting whoever they wanted. The fact that her husband, who shined the brightest in this universe, came from them still baffled her slightly.

"...But he murdered every one of them, except for us…including your parents, and my Father the king. Freeza feared that as the Saiyans grew stronger, a Super Saiyan would one day show himself." Vegeta started crying again as his final breath drew near. "P-please, Kakarot… I beg of you… Freeza… H-he must…die… By the hands of a Saiyan…"

The proud prince of the Saiyan race has finally died.

"Vegeta…"

"Finally finished, is he? Now that he's done, shall we resume this horror show?" Freeza clearly didn't care for Vegeta's last words.

Goku continued ignoring him. "For you to cry…for you to beg me for help. That must've been hard for you to do." He flexed his eyes, exerting a bit of energy to dig a hole in the ground. Goku picked up Vegeta's corpse and placed him inside the hole. "I get it, now. You weren't just upset that your Saiyan friends were killed…you despised being his puppet, didn't you? I may have hated you, but you had the pride of a Saiyan. Now… I'm going to share a part of that pride."

Once Vegeta was buried, Goku stared down Freeza once more. His spirit burned strongly as he carried the hope of several on his back. "I'm a Saiyan raised on planet Earth! For all of the Saiyans and Namekians that you've killed… I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU DOWN!"

"What a load of nonsense…" Freeza scoffed.

Makima grabbed Gohan, pulling him back. "We need to leave."

"What?" Krillin asked.

"She's right! We'll just be in Goku's way!" Piccolo added. He took off into the skies with Krillin following after him. Though he wasn't watching, Goku could feel the eyes of his wife and child staring into his back.

"Darling…"

"Dad…"

"Let him have it!" The two encouraged him, filling the man with even more strength. Mother and son took off away from the battle to avoid getting in the way.

Makima looked back to see Freeza and Goku clash, creating an air-shaking shockwave. A part of her wondered that if she never met her darling, would the two of them have clashed like this as enemies. Would he be carrying the fate of the world on his back in an effort to defeat her? Perhaps…she couldn't deny it. She and Freeza were similar in a lot of ways, ones that disgusted her too much. But there was no point in thinking about what could've been, since they live in the here and now. All she could do was pray that her husband would come out victorious. "Win…darling."

Then another thought entered her head.

"Hm… I wonder how Bulma's doing."

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Bulma was currently submerged in the depths of Namek's ocean, riding around in a mechanized deepsea suit. She grunted as a giant crab and whale attempted to tear her suit apart. She activated the defense mechanisms, burning the two with lasers. When she managed to get some space, Bulma fired off missiles that managed to blow the crab's claws off.

"Why the hell did I come to this stupid planet anyway?! I should've just let Gohan and Krillin come by themselves! I'm not even needed here! Goku and Makima are here, and I'm pretty sure the Dragon Balls got used earlier, so hopefully that means everything went well." She was taken from her thoughts when the whale attempted to eat her. Bulma activated the boosters to widen the gap between them. "I swear…they better not have forgotten about me!"

This was not good at all.

Everything was fine at first, seemingly her husband was fighting Freeza on even terms. Their battle was almost untraceable for her to keep track of. A glimmer of hope bloomed in her chest as she was blown away by her husband's growth in power to handle Freeza.

Then the tyrant crushed that hope immediately.

As Freeza started using more and more of his power, the more it became clear that the gap between him and the rest of them was too huge. Her darling could barely even keep up, even with Kaioken to assist him. Freeza managed to tank a full power Kaioken x20 Kamehameha, which pretty much left her husband stumped.

Not even all the way back to their battle against King Piccolo felt this hopeless. Their fight with Vegeta on Earth still wasn't this desperate of a struggle.

Piccolo chuckled humorlessly. "It's over. It seems King Kai was right, after all. We never should have crossed paths with Freeza."

"Darling…" Makima muttered.

Freeza stared at his scorched hand, seething at the pain. "I actually felt that… You filthy Saiyan!" He descended onto Goku with a rageful scream. "THAT HURT!" He smashed his large dome against Goku's face, knocking him further back. As Goku tried climbing back to his feet, Freeza kicked him into the air, then smacked him aside painfully. "What happened to all of that energy you had just a moment ago? Don't tell me you've gone and used up all your power."

Gohan's anger continued to bubble as he watched Freeza beat down on his father. "That's it, I'm going in!" His mother's hand clamped around his collar faster than he could blink.

"No. There's no need for that." Makima wasn't going to let her son charge into his death like that, but there was also something else. She saw the way Goku was raising his hands into the air, slightly confused until it clicked. Makima remembered Goku explaining the training he had undergone with King Kai back on their trip here. "The Spirit Bomb…"

"That's right! The Spirit Bomb is the only thing left that could kill Freeza!" Krillin exclaimed.

Piccolo was confused. "What even is that?"

"It's a move that gathers energy from all of the plants, animals, people, and even microscopic organisms. He learned it on King Kai's planet." Krillin explained.

Piccolo clicked his tongue. "That damn Kai…he never taught me something like that."

"But will it even work?! Namek doesn't have as much life as Earth!" Gohan said.

"Darling knows that. But he's not going to gather just the energy from Namek." Makima explains. She points upwards, garnering their attention to the sky. The three gasped loudly at the huge ball of blue energy building in the sky. "He's taking energy from the surrounding planets as well."

"I-it's huge! Way bigger than on Earth!" Krillin exclaims.