Greetings and welcome to the Threequel of 'Gohan's Redemption'! When I originally wrote this fic ten years ago, DBS was not even a glimmer in Toriyama's eye. Now, a full anime series has come to a close with the English Dub having a few months left. Also DBS Broly, which was amazing btdubs! When I finally finished (and renamed) the sequel, Battle of Gods and Resurrection F had come out with DBS in the works. And now, after finish (shortcutting) the Movieverse where Gohan can take center stage without taking away from the theme of the plot, it's time to continue into the 'Super Chronicles'. Note that this is a VERY DIFFERENT AU to the canon story of DBS, mainly because Gohan is so different.
Disclaimer: RDF1 doesn't own this, moving on!
Thank you everyone who stuck with my Gohan stories despite a terrible name for a sequel for so long! Hopefully this will be much better.
(Story Begin)
(Recap)
Last time, Gohan had managed to help defeat Majin Buu and bring peace to the world. In doing so he fully tapped into his own power and made it his own, finally achieving Super Saiyan 3. Peace has reigned once again, though for how long?
(Recap End)
A lone figure was walking through a hallway towards his destination, where a certain someone was resting. He had news to tell him, and it was a time where the figure was supposed to wake up anyway, so it was a win-win. Suddenly, an explosion when off above him as he entered the room. The sleeping figure didn't move, or rather didn't want to move and it wasn't until a second explosion that the lone figure took action.
"Lord Beerus, if you sleep through anymore alarms, you'll have to fix your own meal," said the figure, who had blue skin, tall gravity defying white hair, regal robes and a staff with an orb on the end.
"Alright, alright," grumbled 'Lord Beerus', getting up and turning off the alarms, "Now tell me Whis, how many years has it been?"
"Thirty-Nine my lord," informed Whis.
"Why did I set the alarm so early!?" yawned Beerus, clearly not ready to get up, but did so as to not miss out his first meal after waking up, "I need at least fifty years for a proper sleep."
After getting ready, Beerus headed to the buffet set out for him by Whis.
"If I recall, thirty-nine years ago I asked that bastard Frieza to destroy Planet Vegeta for me. Did he do as I asked? Those upstart apes could have had another ten millennia and they'd never get up to par," wondered Beerus as he ate his meal.
"Indeed he did, my Lord," responded Whis, "though interestingly enough there are some surviving Saiyans, though not very many."
"Hmm, interesting indeed," mulled Beerus as he took another bite, "Who survived, I wonder? Next time I see Frieza, I'll kill him for failing like that."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, my Lord," answered Whis, lifting up his staff to and an image appeared in the room, "Frieza was killed over ten years ago by one of the surviving Saiyans. The one known as Kakarot, though he's more commonly known as Goku, was the one who defeated him. There were three other surviving Saiyans though only one of them is alive at this time. The would-be heir, Prince Vegeta. There are three other surviving Saiyans, half-breed children of both Goku and Vegeta."
"A Saiyan managed to kill Frieza? That is indeed impressive," remarked Beerus as he watched Super Saiyan Goku thrash Final Form Frieza, "Quite odd. My memory tells me Saiyan hair is supposed to be Black. Why is this Goku's hair Blonde?"
"The Saiyans have developed a technique, a transformation if you will, to become a Super Saiyan. And that's not all, my Lord," said Whis, "It seems rather unusual, but Goku's first born child, Gohan, has temporal remnants emanating from him."
"Wait? He messed with the Timeline?" asked Beerus, "How was this not caught and dealt with by the Kais? Or indeed yourself, Whis?"
"I'm afraid this only became known recently, roughly five years ago, though the earliest point he began emanating Temporal remnants came about little over fifteen years ago. When it came to my attention, I spoke with my father on the matter."
"The Grand Priest?" mused Beerus, raising an eyebrow, "And what did he have to say about it?"
"His investigation proved that Gohan himself did not intentionally travel cross-time, nor did a human by the name of Mark Satan, known to his world as Hercule, who also emanates this energy. One who intentionally travel cross-time was the Namekian known as Piccolo. Though the extent of the research has shown that the changes in the timeline are rather minimal at best, concerning the universe."
(AN1)
"Well," yawned Beerus, finishing his meal, "I am quite interested in meeting this Saiyan... Wait..."
Beerus shifted his position in his chair a bit, "Super Saiyan... No, it couldn't be..."
"My Lord?" asked Whis.
"Thirty-nine years... Of course!" exclaimed Beerus, "It's the only explanation that fits. I remember it now. A Dream I had a few centuries back, that I was facing off against a Super Saiyan, only he was different. He was a Super Saiyan God. A Rival that would challenge me. To confirm this, I went to the Oracle thirty-nine years ago and asked about my dream. He said, 'In Thirty-nine years, a rival will appear to face you, shifting the future towards a new path and he shall be called "The Super Saiyan God"'. Though changing history is frowned upon, the fact that this is a future event which is a crossroads for untold events is something quite different."
"Indeed, shall we visit the Oracle to re-confirm this information before beginning our search?"
"Indeed we shall," smirked Beerus, taking one final bite before going to get changed.
Several minutes later, Beerus and Whis were traveling the grounds before Beerus called out to the Oracle.
"Yeah, what do you want?" asked the Oracle Bluntly, "I was taking a walk."
"Thirty-nine years ago I approached you about a dream I had. You gave a prophecy that I would meet a rival in thirty-nine years time, which means roughly around now."
"I did?" pondered the Oracle, thinking back. Unlike Beerus, who was asleep the entire time, the Oracle had been awake a majority of the time and had to sift through several memories before he found it, "Ah yes, I did say something along the lines of an event that will lead to a crossroads. Quite strange though, it's not very often I make a Prophecy about a crossroads meeting. I don't seem to recall making more than two others in the last one-thousand years."
(AN2)
"Well, there you have it Whis," said Beerus, "I believe it's time we search for the one call Goku and indeed Prince Vegeta for more information. Where are they now?"
"Let's see," said Whis, taking a close look at his staff, "Prince Vegeta and the Hybrid children are on Planet Earth, which seems to be their home now. Oh, this is rather curious. It seems the one called Goku is currently on North Kai's World."
"A Saiyan and a Kai? Curious indeed. Let's head there at once. How long would it take?"
"Roughly twenty-six minutes, my Lord."
"The average length of an Anime episode. I supposed I will have to be patient for this search."
With that, Whis and Beerus left the Planet of the God of Destruction and headed towards North Kai's planet.
Gohan chuckled as he looked out at the setup for Bulma's Birthday Party. His father had opted out of this buffet to train with King Kai. How idiotic can you get. To be fair, Vegeta was currently finishing up a training session himself because his rival was training as well.
'Egos will be Egos,' thought Gohan with mirth.
It had been just over two years since everyone fought Majin Buu, since then he and Videl had graduated High School and started up a Dojo while Videl continued her education into college and working towards a Teaching Degree. Gohan, having tested for the certifications to own and build a Dojo, which he symbolized with Piccolo's mark that he had given him all those years ago, and opened it up to students of all ages. Mind and Body Dojo, appropriate title as he was helping kids and adults find a balance between studying and training. The idea happened upon him from looking back at his previous life of being scholar. While Goku and Vegeta were still around at that time, that didn't mean much if they got taken out by a new force seeking trouble on Earth. He wasn't going to make the same mistakes this time and decided to help Earth improve itself, one student at a time. His long term goal was to spread this Dojo around the world to help raise the average Power Level of the Planet so that in a few generations, everyone was at least Radditz's level if not greater at the prime of their life. Videl was all for the idea, since it gave her reason to continue pushing herself as well. Being a housewife didn't settle well with her and with some prodding from Gohan, Chi Chi didn't try to convince her otherwise.
Fun and games were had at the party, and Gohan was enjoying the festivities as well. That was until... Goku's Ki flared up, all the way up to his peak power.
(AN3)
'That's odd,' thought Gohan, subtly checking his surroundings to see if anyone else, other than Piccolo who caught his eye and subtly nodded, 'What in the After Life would have dad go full power? I can barely sense King Kai, if only because his Ki had something to feel out thanks to Instant Transmission, as dad proved when he went to pick up Dende to become the New Guardian of Earth. But I don't understand, who or what would dad be facing that forced him into this, and right from the start too.'
A sinking feeling filled both him and Piccolo, for as quickly as Goku's energy spiked, it faded just as rapidly, if not more so.
'Kid, something's not right here,' informed Piccolo, 'And it doesn't seem like anyone else has noticed it too...'
'Wait, Vegeta's heading this way, and it feels like his mood has soured greatly,' cut off Gohan, as they looked over at Bulma, who was clearly tipsy enough to be legally drunk, head up the stairs to where Vegeta was.
The sinking feeling magnified as a foreboding presence seemed to fill the air, but without a clear source. It was as if a cloud of negativity was covering the entire area. It became clear where the source was coming from when they noticed two new beings joining Bulma and Vegeta as they joined the party (or rejoined in Bulma's case). Neither time traveller ever felt anything like it, if there was actually something to feel. A cat-like humanoid who was indeed a proper skinny if not skinnier with a rather formal attire. The more human-looking humanoid was dressed similarly, but with an even more formal attire, if that made any sense. And the hair... if Saiyan hair naturally defied gravity, this humanoid's hair straight up acted like gravity was straight up inverted. The two introduced themselves as Beerus and Whis, old friends of Vegeta from long ago. Gohan walked up to Vegeta as everyone got back to enjoying the festivities.
"So, old friends?" asked Gohan, rather quietly as to not rouse suspicion with their friends, "Something tells me that's not the case."
"You remember how I served under Frieza? Well Beerus here makes him look like Kakarot when he was born, that's about as accurate as I can guess on the difference in their power, as Beerus is a God of Destruction, and his God Ki can't actually be sensed by us mortals," replied Vegeta in an equally quiet voice, "He can literally destroy our planet with a tap if he so desired, so we cannot let him be angry in any way."
"Understood," agreed Gohan.
(AN4)
This is what he was afraid of. While this never happened last time, something changed that now. Could his time travel have shifted the future to bring the God of Destruction to Earth as punishment for his actions? If that was the case, then he would gladly take the punishment if it meant sparing the Earth.
'Kid, if anyone should be punished, it's me,' interrupted Piccolo, 'You were sent back without your knowledge or consent. Same with Hercule. I made the decision and wish to follow you myself.'
'Sorry Piccolo, but that's not gonna fly. We're in this together,' countered Gohan.
The party continued on as normal, until Gohan noticed some familiar faces... at least, from what he heard about from his father and Bulma growing up. While he never actually met them, the faces of Emperor Pilaf and his two most trusted followers were unmistakable. Trunks was talking to them like he knew them, which was weird because Trunks wouldn't have any reason to know them. Once the Bingo Announcement started and the Dragonballs were revealed as a prize, things moved all too fast and now Trunks had a sword and gun pointed at him while Pilaf held onto the Dragonball. Of course Trunks was not in any real danger, thanks to his many years of training, but it was almost comical how the Pilaf trio thought they were being intimidating. Walking forward, Gohan knelt before them.
"Kids, it's not nice to play with swords or guns. Now, let Trunks go and hand over the Four Star ball before someone gets hurt," informed Gohan, while not threatening, the tone had a slight edge to it, which was enough for the Paranoid trio of de-aged adults to flinch. Gohan, using the momentary hesitation, relieved the Pilaf Trio of their items and stepped back.
"Now, let Trunks go, unless you're dragging him off for some 'alone time'?" smirked Gohan, causing both Mai and Trunks to blush heavily. Gohan returned the Four Star ball to Bulma as he gave the sword and gun to Piccolo to 'dispose of'.
(AN5)
The Bingo Tournament started up and everyone was distracted, not noticing Beerus and Whis speaking with Majin Buu. Piccolo did overhear the word 'Pudding' and passed it along to Gohan, who stood up and rushed over, grabbing an unopened Pudding Cup on the way. It was too late, as Beerus already sent Buu flying as Gohan approached.
"EXCUSE ME! Lord Beerus," called out Gohan, getting his attention, which still held the look of anger in it, "I'm sorry, but you said something about Pudding? I grabbed this earlier before Trunks and his friends caused a bit of show and forgot all about it. If you'd like, you can have it."
Beerus looked to the pudding in Gohan's hands. His energy died down, but his look of seriousness never wavered, "I see. Now how would you have overheard our conversation over the Bingo commotion?"
"Well, it wasn't actually me," confessed Gohan, with the infamous head scratch, "But Piccolo did and let me know."
"How curious, why would he do that? Unless he had reason to," frowned Beerus, "Don't think these ears are just for show. I overheard you speaking with Vegeta earlier. I don't like hearing people talk behind my back. I'd like to think I keep my cool far better than people say, but I suppose some things just trigger me."
Unfortunately, Gohan's attempt to pacify Lord Beerus gave Buu the time to recover, as Buu flew up out of the water, powered up.
"You hurt Buu! BUU WILL HURT YOU NOW!"
"No, Buu! STAND DOWN!" called out Gohan, but it was too late. The others got into the fray too, but Beerus easily dismantled each of them with a pair of chopsticks. Gohan sighed, in for a Zeni...
Gohan powered up to his SSJ3 form and charged in, only for Beerus to dodge him effortlessly. Gohan could feel something tug on his mind to move, and barely avoided Beerus's hit, though the blow grazed him, sending him to the ground. Relying on the feeling, he pulled back and used his Mystic form got back into the fight with Beerus. Somehow, the Mystic Power had him avoid a few direct hits, though he could never actually land a blow on Beerus. Beerus suddenly grabbed him and blasted him to the ground with little effort. Vegeta joined the fray as well, to no avail.
(AN6)
Despite the pain he was in, he tried to keep watch over Beerus's movements. For some reason, his Mystic Power was able to get a glimpse into them, despite it not being enough. 'Could that be because the Elder Kai unlocked that power? Questions for later...' Bulma approached them and gave Beerus a stern talking to, only to end up being bitchslapped into unconsciousness.
'DAMNIT! BULMA NO!' thought Gohan, fearing the worst. The woman who found his father and basically treated the Son Family as family in their own right... Who was basically his Aunt, and she just got hurt by the worst being in the universe.
Vegeta wasn't going to take that lying down. This was far worse than Goku's reaction to his best friend being killed. This was his mate, and by all the Gods above he was going to make Beerus pay. With renewed spirit, Vegeta's anger boosted his power far greater than before, even surpassing Goku's current power, and charged in on Beerus once more, with much more success, having actually landed a full fledged, no blocked, hit on Beerus, followed by several more.
Gohan could tell that even though the first hit really was a surprise, the following ones were basically allowed, as if Beerus was testing Vegeta's new limit.
"My one shot at having Pudding failed. No sign of the Super Saiyan God," mused Beerus, catching Gohan's attention, "I suppose this is a bad day for me."
'Super Saiyan... God?' thought Gohan, getting up despite the pain, 'I mean, Super Saiyan is something achieved by all Saiyans right now, and the only time you hear those words in a sentence together is whenever one refers to us Saiyans hanging out with the Kais... what does he mean by "Super Saiyan God"?'
As Beerus floated closer to the ground, everyone regrouped to try and think of something quick before the Earth was destroyed... again. That was when Gohan realized something.
"Wait Lord Beerus!" called out Gohan.
"Oh, and what does the Hybrid have to say now?" spoke an impatient Beerus.
"You said something about a 'Super Saiyan God,' right?" asked Gohan.
"Yes, I came here searching for one; however, there seems to be no trace of one, nor does anyone here have any information about it," explained Beerus, "unless you know of it from your original timeline?"
'Crap... he knows. Though that's to be expected if the Supreme Kai knew,' thought Gohan, before speaking up, "Sadly, no. I wasn't even aware of your existence in my last timeline. Our paths never crossed and the Kais never mentioned you. I'm sorry to say that 'Super Saiyan God' is something I have never knew or learned about. The closest thing we have is the Legendary Super Saiyan, though I doubt Vegeta would be able to say it's the same thing."
(AN7)
"So... not even the Time Traveler knows of the Super Saiyan God," mused Beerus, "Guess that's that, no more Earth."
"WAIT LORD BEERUS!" called out a familiar voice.
It was Goku, though Gohan and Piccolo had noted that he had been there since Beerus was talking to Buu and has seen the whole fight.
"You shouldn't have returned, Saiyan," said Beerus, "unless of course you figured out the secret of the Super Saiyan God?"
"No, I'm afraid not," replied Goku, "but I can't allow you to destroy Earth. It's already been through so much."
"You do realize my title, no?"
"I do, believe me," said Goku, melancholy, "I'm just not able to beat you right now."
"I got it!" said Gohan, as everyone turned to him, "We may not know about the Super Saiyan God, but that doesn't mean we can't find out."
Beerus was indeed curious as to the mortal's plan.
"Bulma, we need to borrow the Dragonballs and ask Shenron about the Super Saiyan God. I'm sorry if that ruins the Bingo Tournament..."
"Gohan, take them. The Earth is in Danger and if you need the Dragonballs to set them right, then they're yours," cut off Bulma, as Vegeta recovered.
So the Dragonballs were set out and Gohan summoned forth Shenron.
"I, Shenron, have been summoned. Speak your wishes and I shall grant them," said Shenron.
"Mighty Shenron, we wish to know the truth about the Super Saiyan God," wished Gohan, "This information will be for Lord Beerus."
"Wait, Lord Beerus is here?" exclaimed Shenron, sweating heavily, before noticing him, "Lord Beerus, it is an honor to meet you."
"I'm sure it is," said Beerus, who had taken a seat once more, and taking a sip of his drink, he continued, "I would indeed like to know the truth about the Super Saiyan God."
"Of course! I will tell you everything I know about the Super Saiyan God," answered Shenron, "The truth is that the Super Saiyan God does not exist except for short moments in time. A Super Saiyan God will emerge when five pure hearted Saiyans share their energies with another. This happened once before several thousand years ago, when good Saiyans defeated the previous Legendary Super Saiyan. In time the Super Saiyan God was lost to the memories, though the Legendary Super Saiyan became myth. And that is all I know about the Super Saiyan God. I bid you farewell."
With that, Shenron GTFO'd, leaving the mortals reeling with that information.
(AN8)
"Well, I guess that's about as good as we're going to get," said Gohan, "Right now we only have Five Saiyans that would even qualify, even without the 'Pure Heart' requirement."
"Wait a second," said Bulma, turning to Vegeta, "What about your brother? Couldn't we get in touch with him?"
"Sadly no," replied Vegeta, closing his eyes for a moment, "We didn't give him a communicator and since Shenron left we can't bring him here instantly. We're out of luck."
"Um, actually..." spoke up Videl, "We... actually DO have a sixth Saiyan."
Everyone turned to Videl at that statement, even Beerus and Whis. This was indeed news to them.
"I'm sorry, Gohan," said Videl, "I've been waiting for the right time to tell you. I guess now is as good a time as any: I'm pregnant."
Gohan heart skipped a beat with that information. He couldn't believe it. A child. He was going to be a father (again). He scooped up Videl in a twirl and kissed her tenderly before setting her down.
"This is wonderful news, Videl," said Gohan, "I love you so much."
"I love you too," replied Videl, smiling back, "And now, we have a chance to prevent the Earth from being destroyed... again."
"So, let's gather in a circle," said Goku, "I'm going to become a Super Saiyan God and fight Lord Beerus."
"No dad, I can't let you do that," said Gohan, shaking his head, "You're just looking for a fight. I know you want to protect Earth, but you know as well as I do that you'll give Beerus all the time in the world to push your limits. We can't afford that. I will fight Lord Beerus."
(AN9)
Goku looked into Gohan's eyes, and saw a resolve in him he had never seen before, not even against Cell. Gohan's will was stronger than ever, even stronger than his and Vegeta's combined, which actually meant something. Goku sighed and nodded his agreement.
Goku and Vegeta stood just behind Gohan, with Goten and Trunks behind their fathers, and Videl behind Goten and Trunks, as they linked hands, with Goku and Vegeta placing their hands onto Gohan. The Male Saiyans powered up to Super Saiyan, while Videl focused her energy as well. A few seconds passed as the energy surged around them, until it happened. A blue blaze of energy started to spark within Goku, Vegeta, Goten, Trunks, and from Videl's abdomen. The Blue Energy swelled and flared around all of them, before it was absorbed into Gohan, who floated up as lights flickered around him. Gohan could actually feel the difference. He now understood why. The Mystic energy he unlocked with Elder Kai was sort of a half-step towards God Ki, which felt ethereal in nature. He felt slimmer, faster, and his power eclipsed everything he knew before, even Super Vegito. He also could now sense Beerus's Godly Ki as well, and it nearly floored him. He barely felt a hint of even a fraction of this power, and now... it was no wonder every single Kai was afraid of the God of Destruction, he was like a million Kais put together. No wonder he took apart everyone like they were nothing, because they literally WERE nothing power-wise to him. Landing back down on the ground as the blue energy faded, he could see a red fiery Aura around him as he took a look around himself. He was now a Super Saiyan God.
"No way, what a change," awed Krillin.
"He's now a Super Saiyan God," informed Piccolo, "red hair, red eyes, fiery red aura. Gohan, it's up to you now."
Gohan nodded as he turned to face Beerus, who stood opposite him, highly intrigued and satisfied at who he was facing off against.
"So, shall we go? If I win, you promise not to destroy Earth," said Gohan.
"Of course. You prove yourself stronger than me and I give you my word as a Deity that I will not destroy your planet," agreed Beerus as both of them rose into the air, "however, your situation is rather unique. Had I fought Goku, I would merely blow up the planet, allowing all the humans, and other sentient beings, to go to otherworld. Since you have messed with time... should I win, I will truly destroy you and your existence. There won't be another trip to Other World for you."
"Understood," nodded Gohan, as he and Beerus got into a fighting stance.
After a tense moment, Gohan rocketed forward with a punch, one that Lord Beerus caught, though with noticeably more effort than before.
"Interesting, it seems your training with the Kais have given you a stepping stone into comprehending this power," smirked Lord Beerus, "How does it feel?"
"It feels like everything I've done up until now was kid stuff," answered Gohan, his fiery aura flaring before twisting around for a kick, which was again blocked by Beerus, "But I have more clarity than my father would have, so I can push down my first instincts with this power and focus on the task at hand."
"Indeed," said Beerus, twisting around himself to slap Gohan with his tail, which Gohan blocked, "Let's explore this power."
Beerus took off, with Gohan right behind him. This feeling, the strength and speed makes his previous movements look like they were moving at a snails' pace compared to the lightning fast speed he was moving at now. He could feel the others move to follow them, but he paid it no mind as he had to defeat Beerus. Flying around the buildings, Gohan and Beerus exchanged more blows before Beerus stopped over the city.
"Hmm... something's wrong. You feeling some regret fighting me instead of letting your father?" asked Beerus.
"No, it's not that," said Gohan, "I may not be my father, and I'm certainly nothing like Vegeta... and yet some part of me feels like this shouldn't be the way to do this."
"'Some part of you?' What, feeling some sense of pride disagreeing with you? You, the least prideful Saiyan I've ever met, though that isn't exactly saying much. Being a God is something you have earned more than most."
"Being a God isn't the problem, though I don't actually like being one," countered Gohan, "All my years I've struggled with myself, as if I truly had two halves battling each other. My Human side who yearns for a normal life and my Saiyan Side that seeks battle, if only to protect those I cherish above all else."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"You don't need to," declared Gohan, charging forward to re-engage with Beerus.
(AN10)
If it could be possible, both Gohan and Beerus moved even faster than before. Thanks to Gohan's extensive years of reaction training combined with the boost that SSG gave him, Gohan managed to keep up with Beerus, no matter how fast they moved. Gohan could feel it, something deep inside was surging, urging him to continue the fight, as if defeating Beerus was what mattered. He quashed that feeling. This was to protect his family: His father, his mother, his friends, his planet... his wife and unborn child. They mattered more than strength, yet that feeling kept pushing back. He thought he found a compromise, being content to continuing his training while pursuing a peaceful life, but it turned out that this God Energy just rekindled the internal war inside himself.
"It seems you don't understand yourself," continued Beerus as they exchanged blows, moving outside West City and into a forest miles away, "You, who only ever fought for the sake of others, now has the power to do so... and yet here you are, still fighting for others. That's something I liked about Goku. He was honest with himself, fighting for himself when nothing else mattered... and in this fight, nothing matters right now BUT the fight!"
Beerus got Gohan in the gut and sent him flying further away from the city, and the forest, out into a mountainous region. Gohan got his bearings as he landed on the ground and raced back towards Beerus, who had landed as well. They continued exchanging punches and kicks, with Beerus adding in his tail from time to time. Seconds felt like days as he continued fighting Beerus. The sense of pride that he could keep up with Beerus was overwhelming his sense of duty to protect his family.
"Your control over your pride is commendable, but it's holding you back!" exclaimed Beerus, as he caught Gohan off guard, sending him through a mountain and into the water below, the force parting the body of water as Beerus followed after Gohan, who had regained his composure, "Pride has drawbacks, but it has it's advantages as well!"
Both Gohan and Beerus went below the ground at the bottom of the water as they continued their fight. They broke down through the ceiling of an underground cave as they separated for a moment.
"Saiyans held their Pride far above most other beings... and they got killed for it," stated Gohan with a glare.
"Yes, and yet that same pride allowed Vegeta to get a hit in on me. Like a said, Pride can be a drawback, but it has its advantages as well. I take pride in knowing that I have the power and judgement necessary to determine if someone needs a lesson. I am a God of Destruction, but if Beings of a planet have potential, I can't stand in its way. I must challenge it. You are squandering your own potential, even with God Power. I'm disappointed. I'm not even close to using my full power."
"I can tell," said Gohan, "When I felt that etherial Ki, I could also sense yours. In the same manner, I'm holding back as well."
"And why would you do that in a battle that determines the fate of your planet?" probed Beerus.
"Because if I go all out in a form I haven't fully mastered, it does more harm than good. This happened when I fought against Cell, both in my previous timeline and in this one," said Gohan, "But now that gotten a handle on it, we can finally go all out."
"Well then, show me your full power!" declared Beerus as he charged in.
Gohan did as well, but all too suddenly, the flames of Godhood died down, as did his hair and eyes return to their normal color of black. Gohan noticed, but he didn't care. He kept battling, because if he stopped, he wouldn't just die, he'd be destroyed outright. And yet, he could still see Beerus's attacks, still react to them as if the power hadn't worn off. Sure the blows hit harder, but he persevered, because his family was waiting for him to return from this fight. To protect them with everything he had. He still had a trick up his sleeve. Focusing more so than ever, he used Instant Transmission to move behind Beerus and blasted him. He did it again, only for Beerus to counter and fired back a barrage of blasts.
"Crap, not good," swore Gohan as he moved to avoid the blasts.
"Don't forget: you lose, you will be destroyed!" reminded Beerus.
Gohan used Instant Transmission once more and got one more strike on Beerus while he was focused on blasting Gohan where he was before. Now truly ticked off, he spun around, launching countless blasts everywhere. Gohan tried to avoid them, but the rocks were closing in on him, preventing him from moving. Feeling trapped, he called out everything inside, determined to stop Beerus no matter what.
"I WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY MY WORLD!" decreed Gohan, powering up to Super Saiyan and moved faster than ever, breaking back above ground with Beerus right behind him.
As he and Beerus continued to exchange blows, a corona of electricity swirled around him as he went to Super Saiyan 2, and continued to move even faster, heading into the upper atmosphere, getting more and more hits on Beerus thanks to his newfound increased speed.
"So, you want to use Blasts now!?" exclaimed Gohan, "I'll show you one you won't forget!"
Purposefully overthrowing himself into a punch that Beerus dodged, he suddenly disappeared into Instant Transmission. He kept it up, keeping Beerus off Guard until Gohan was ready.
"Masenko..." called out Gohan in a whisper to the void of space around him, golden energy gathering into the palms he held above his head, before letting loose a cry that could be heard for lightyears, even in the vacuum of space, "HAAAAA!"
Beerus couldn't move, and ended up taking the blast head on; it was that fast. As the smoke cleared, Beerus had scuff marks on him, but other than that he didn't seem to be damaged. Gohan went to attack him again, only for Beerus to teleport a bit further from Earth and gathered energy in between his hands.
"Crap!" swore Gohan, "That's gonna blow up the Earth!"
"If you truly wish to stop me, then stop THIS!" declared Beerus, sending the energy sphere towards Earth.
"NOO!" cried out Gohan, getting between it and the Earth. He pushed against it with all that he had left, as he was running out of adrenaline to keep up, 'Come on body, push! You're doing this for Videl, for your family... your friends!'
But it was to no avail. Try as he might, the blast was still pushing him back slowly, breaking his Super Saiyan 2 transformation, reverting him back to a regular Super Saiyan. But still he pushed, he focused everything into keeping the blast back.
"Apparently you haven't realized it yet?" asked Beerus, getting his attention.
"What, you mean the God power disappearing?" countered Gohan, "I said it before: I never cared about it beyond using it as a means to fight you."
"And yet once it was gone, you kept fighting, not only keeping up with me, but continually moving faster and growing stronger," explained Beerus, "I have seen many prodigies, but I dare say I've never met anyone like you. You truly are unique."
"And what does that have to do with anything?" asked Gohan.
"Remember, Pride can be good thing, so feel satisfied that everything you're doing right now is of your own strength."
"That may be well and good, but it won't matter if the Earth gets destroyed here and now!" strained Gohan, continuously pushing against the energy, "I can't beat you like this!"
"Then give up!" goaded Beerus, adding more energy to the blast, knocking Gohan out of Super Saiyan.
'NOOOOOO!' cried out Gohan mentally, feeling the last of his strength giving, as he fell helpless towards the Earth, the Blast not far behind him, 'Not now... not after everything!'
Gohan felt tears escape his eyes as his body felt paralyzed from the exertion he did against Beerus. It was over...
'GOHAN!' came a familiar voice.
As if he could hear the calls of his family and friends, everyone was calling out to him: Videl... Goku, Chi-Chi, and Goten... Piccolo and Hercule... all of his friends... but still he couldn't move his body. It refused to move, even though everyone one he loved was about to die...
'DADDY!' came a new voice, startling Gohan out his thoughts.
Gohan could see an image of a young girl, barely in her teens looking at him in front of the blast, 'Don't give up daddy! You can still win this! You're the Son of Goku after all! You're my father, and I believe in you. I always have.'
Pan... His daughter from his previous timeline. It couldn't be, and yet he heard her plain as day.
'NO!' declared Gohan, feeling new strength return to his body, able to move once more, 'NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BASTARD! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE MY DAUGHTER!'
Letting out a cry across the universe, Gohan felt new strength awaken within him, turning him back into the Super Saiyan God. He grabbed Beerus's blast and with great deal of effort, imploded it upon itself, safely dispersing it and saving the Earth. Gohan breathed heavily as he turned towards Beerus, who had an unreadable look upon his face. He finally felt the God Power disappear again, but he didn't fall. The fight wasn't over yet, and as long as he drew breath, he was going to fight for his daughter, his pride and joy.
That was the answer, the one Beerus had been guiding him towards. His two halves didn't feel at war anymore, as if the one thing that bound them together allowed them to become as one. His pride, his desire for a normal life. He had to use that pride to protect his family, but getting stronger than ever. If he was going to protect his family, he was going to take pride in the fact that he could, and could only continue to do so by getting stronger than ever.
(AN11)
"Hmm... What was that? How did you do that?" asked Beerus, truly taken aback by this turn of events, "You return to Super Saiyan God, if only for a few seconds."
"I... I don't understand it myself," panted Gohan, looking Beerus in the eye, "I heard my family and friends calling out to me, begging me to keep going... but I still couldn't move... then I heard a voice, one I thought to be impossible."
"Given everything you've been through, 'impossible' doesn't seem to be in your vocabulary," joked Beerus.
"I heard... her," continued Gohan, "my daughter, Pan. I could see her future self calling out to me from across time, supporting me, motivating me to continue even when my other loved ones couldn't. You were right, pride does have its upsides. I took pride in my daughter, and that I wasn't going to let her life end before it began. No one, not even a God of Destruction will take my daughter."
Gohan's eyes hardened and even Beerus couldn't fully ignore the depths within him. But Beerus had to finish this. He held up his hand, glowing with energy. Gohan smirked, finally allowing the pride that Vegeta held onto be satisfied. A God of Destruction is what it took to actually take him out... It was indeed something to be proud of. Beerus let the energy go.
"What? You're... stopping?" wondered Gohan.
"I want to you say it," replied Beerus, "I want you to say those words: I give up."
"I wish I could..." replied Gohan, "But I will continue fighting, so long as there is will in my spirit, I will not stop fighting until my loved ones are safe."
"I see..." said Beerus, folding his arms behind his back, frowning, "It seems that we are at an impasse. I could kill you as I've clearly won this fight, and yet your determination to continue fighting even if your body can't move is so great, your will is actually stronger than mine at this point in time. I suppose that means this fight becomes pointless."
"What are you saying?" asked Gohan.
"I'm saying I recognize your strength, Gohan Son," stated Beerus, "and I'll let you in on a secret too, one I'm sure will surprise you."
"And what's that?" questioned Gohan, who couldn't fight off a smile at the corner of lips.
"You see Whis over there, enjoying a lovely parfait without a care in the universe?" informed Beerus, gesturing to Whis, who looked a bit embarrassed, "You see, while he waits on me for nearly everything, he is also my teacher."
"I see," chuckled Gohan, "that explains his lack of interference in the fight. So, that means you're not the strongest of this universe?"
"I see you're starting to understand," said Beerus, "Time travel, while having its own rules and its own multiverse, is still within a singular timeline for its universe, if you will. And these events all take place in the timeline of the Seventh Universe. In total, there are 12 Universes and some of them have spawned even greater fighters than me."
"I see," sighed Gohan, "I'm sure Dad and Vegeta will be pleased to know that there are still new levels to reach and new challenges to face."
Gohan's will suddenly gave out, his spirit exhausted once more after that second wind. With Beerus truly acknowledging him and his world no longer in danger, he could rest. Beerus caught him before he fell too far and guided him down with Whis following, still enjoying parfait.
Gohan felt himself land on the ground when Beerus got close enough. He could hear everyone's concern, but was relieved they were okay.
"Anyone got a senzu bean?" smiled Gohan, sitting up with help from his wife and mother.
"Well now, I have won this fight, and as was agreed, I get to Destroy Gohan for his meddling of the Timeline and destroy Earth as well," announced Beerus, as he began to gather energy again.
Everyone was on edge, knowing they should do something, but couldn't as even at Beerus's current level, no one still could match him, not even Goku. Gohan felt the God Ki, a neat souvenir of the God Form, and didn't worry. He could feel Beerus's energy was a front, a ploy. Though he could actually destroy the Earth, and Destroy him, he wasn't actually going to. Gohan understood that now, he managed to earn the God of Destruction's respect, something his pride couldn't comprehend the contentment of that feeling. Suddenly, Beerus blasted a nearby rock, breaking off its top piece.
"Well look at that, you destroyed Earth like you said Lord Beerus," mused Whis, "just not very much of it."
"I guess I used up too much energy in the fight," added Beerus, "I guess I'll have to come back and destroy the rest of it another time."
Everyone was relieved at that statement, and a few of the smarter ones could read through Beerus's acting, though hid it to avoid angering him again.
"Thank you, for everything Lord Beerus," smiled Gohan, giving full respect to the God of Destruction.
"You know, one day we could make you 'Gohan the Destroyer,'" remarked Whis, "after Lord Beerus kicks the bucket."
"I'm that old yet!" complained Beerus.
"Can we table that discussion for another time?" proposed Gohan, as it was something he definitely wanted to think over for after he achieved his goals on Earth, though that would definitely be something to discuss with Videl at the very least.
"I see, very well then, consider that topic on hold until another time," agreed Whis, not actually disappointed in Gohan's decision.
"Mrs. Vegeta," said Beerus, getting Bulma's attention.
"Oh... what now?" worried Bulma.
"I do apologize for interrupting your festivities. It was rude of me," apologized Beerus.
"I don't care about that. Apologize for hitting me!" complained Bulma.
"Yes, I am terribly sorry for harming you," continued Beerus, bowing his head as a sign of his sincerity.
"You know he could still kill us, right?" reminded Oolong.
"We would be honored for an invite to your next party," proposed Beerus.
"Only if you don't wreck everything," smirked Bulma, catching on to Beerus's antics.
"I can agree to that," countered Beerus, playing along, "Though I do insist on trying some of that pudding."
"I can fill the whole swimming pool with pudding for you," continued Bulma, "but if you don't like, you're not allowed to complain."
"That's fine. If I'm displeased, I won't say word and just destroy the planet," agreed Beerus.
"If you come back, Lord Beerus," spoke up Goku, "We can have OUR rematch?"
"Now that you can achieve Super Saiyan God with that Ritual, I won't say no to another round with you," smiled Beerus.
Whis summoned his staff and Beerus placed his hand on Whis's back and they disappeared in a tunnel of light.
Gohan couldn't help but grinned. A new world opened up to him, and a new path for him to take. He may have found a good balance in life, but he didn't quite feel at peace... until now. Searching deeper within himself, something felt off though. He couldn't determine what, but he could leave that for another day. The world was safe, his wife was safe. He was going to be a father (again). He could live with that blessing... for now.
Beerus and Whis returned to the Destroyer's world, quite content with the events of the day.
"Well, that was indeed something," mused Beerus, as he laid down on the ground, "though I can't exactly call Gohan an arch-rival just yet. If only his God Form could have lasted longer..."
"True my Lord, but it has been ages since someone forced you to use over 70 percent of your strength," commented Whis.
"Between him, Goku, and Vegeta, there may yet be a rival that appears among them," noted Beerus, "Though Gohan is going to need far more work."
"Indeed, his power is such a patchwork of shoddily forced fusion that it's going to kill him at this rate," added Whis, "I'm amazed his God Form didn't Destroy him outright when he harnessed a second time."
"His daughter from the future," contemplated Beerus, "We cannot deny the possibility, though that could have just been Gohan's mind snapping after having lost the will to go on."
"I will look into it a bit later, my Lord. Now, this food will be here after your next sleep, so get ready for bed okay?"
"You really know how to take the fun out of everything, Whis," grumbled Beerus, getting up and trudging his way into his 'house', if it could be called that.
'Indeed, that is something I will need to speak to Gohan about,' thought Whis, keeping an eye on Beerus, 'If something isn't done, Gohan could accidentally take out his whole galaxy if his power isn't fixed.'
(Story End)
And it's done. We have now officially dived into Super. Remember that I'm doing the movies first, then moving on to the tv arcs after Frieza. Thanks for reading and please leave reviews. They help motivate me to write more! Until then...
Author Notes!
AN1: Honestly... it's the best explanation I can come up with regarding Super's inclusion into this canon. Remember, I wrote and finished the original 'Gohan's Redemption' and nearly all of its sequel prior to Battle of Gods being released. With Super concluded in Japanese and nearly there in English, working with the established characters and feeds into the Buu Saga where Supreme Kai knew of Gohan's changing the Timeline without actually punishing him.
AN2: Note the change in the Oracle. Considering the change in the timeline, much like Flashpoint for DC, the time-quake echoed into the past, thus the change in prophecy to reflect Gohan rather than Goku.
AN3: If Gohan could feel Goku's energy from the Supreme Kai's world while Goku was on Earth itself as a Super Saiyan 3, then there's no way he couldn't sense it on King Kai's planet from Earth, several times closer.
AN4: Continuity in the fact that Vegeta has come to trust Gohan for several years as a confidant.
AN5: Taking out the ridiculous acting that led to Vegeta's dance. Yes, it was funny, but unnecessary in the long run, given that Gohan didn't fully embrace the flamboyant persona.
AN6: As much as I hate 'Ultimate Gohan' as a transformation, I went with it. I made it into it's own thing, and combined it with his Saiyan power for the SSJ3 transformation (as some may remember it from when it happened in second half of my sequel). For years, even if it was filler, we saw that Transformations could be combined, like Super Kaioken that Goku did against Pikkon. I firmly stand by this, which was ultimately done so in Super with SSB-Kaioken, including the multipliers up to 20. If Goku could have done this and decided not to, then why couldn't Gohan do so with his Ultimate Form and Super Saiyan Transformation. (gets on soap box) This is why I always saw the 'Ultimate' form as his new base power with Super Saiyan and SSJ2 being able to be applied on top of it no problem. Translation: I always saw Gohan 1% of his power throughout the end of the Buu Saga and throughout Super... actually less given his lack of training in canon. Toriyama knows Gohan could have handled both, but he has a fight boner for Goku, and Vegeta to an extent, so Gohan doesn't train so Goku can still get in all the fights he can... crap, I'm getting carried away again, aren't I?
AN7: An in-story reminder/confirmation of the fact that Super did not exist when I wrote the original and sequel story. So Gohan is experiencing the events of Super fresh.
AN8: Thought I'd give a bit of humorous commentary on Shenron's departure. I had no other reason, just thought it was funny to write it this way.
AN9: The most critical change thus far for this story in particular. Gohan COULD have let Goku fight, and I'd be left with a bunch of character dialogue to write with a similar story and ending. Gohan is a dual protagonist alongside his father, so he's taking center stage in this fight, because his new character arc begins here.
AN10: This is something recent I've toyed with, and it gives more reason for keeping Gohan in the Protagonist chair alongside his father.
AN11: This isn't the end of his arc, as if it could be resolved in mere seconds. No, this is the conclusion he needed to take the new path before him.
And there is the start. The idea for this new arc for Gohan came about while watching through Super, and everything that came with it. I'm actually debating on Resurrection F at this point because of I can go either way. I can skip this movie by rewriting one small scene at the beginning, and Frieza is ultimately left out of the story entirely. I can keep it in, giving Gohan true respect in the film while letting Goku have his rematch. Review down in the comment section if you want Resurrection F or ultimately skip it, allowing new content to be written later on.
Also, just because I can, I'll pad the story with this one sentence to have OVER NINE THOUSAND WORDS! LOLZ!
Later,
RDF1