Dragon Ball Prometheus
Disclaimer: I own nothing (unfortunately); all rights and characters in this fic belong to Akira Toriyama, and other respective owners and creators. I gain no profit from this; it's purely for fun. I only own my OC characters.
Note: This takes place a few weeks after the Future Trunks/Goku Black Arc.
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Prologue
The waves crashed against the shore with tremendous force, enough to force Beerus to use one hand to grip his seat tightly and not fall off, while using the other to keep his box of noodles from tipping over. The ground beneath him shook and the leaves from the trees around him were scattered in the wind. He froze, desperately waiting for the shockwaves to dull, so not to drop his beloved food, of which he had yet to take a bite of.
After a moment, the shockwave passed and Beerus was able to relax, knowing that he hadn't lost his precious noodles. He sighed with relief, before shifting his attention to the action going on above him. ''Oh, you two best watch yourselves. If I drop even a single slither of noodles, I won't hesitate to destroy you both!'' He snapped.
Appearing from seemingly nowhere, Goku halted in mid-air, looking down towards Beerus and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. ''Sorry about that, Mister Lord Beerus.''
''Kakarot! Focus!'' Vegeta yelled from behind.
Goku turned around sharply, too late to notice Vegeta being flung in his direction. The prince crashed into Goku and both Saiyans were sent hurtling towards the ground. They smashed into the divine fields, sending rubble flying everywhere.
Beerus huffed before leaning back into his chair and tucking into his meal. He didn't care if Goku and Vegeta were smashed into oblivion, as long as they did it far enough away so not to get dust or debris in his food. Although, a part of him did watch on in amusement to see how the two fighters would respond to Whis toying with them yet again.
Speaking of Whis, the Angel floated casually above the crater, looking down on his pupils with disappointment evident in his eye. Though that didn't stop a small smirk from growing across his face when he saw the two emerge from the wreckage and lock eyes with him. ''You're both going to have to do better than that! I even gave you the handicap of turning Super Saiyan Blue. I'm afraid that you're both lacking in your reaction time and speed.''
Goku and Vegeta were back on their feet, but hesitant to go charging in. Vegeta breathed heavily, gritting his teeth and growling. ''Damn it, he's mocking us.''
''Doesn't he always do that?'' Goku inquired.
''Shut up!'' He barked at him. ''We'd be doing a lot better if you paid attention for once. If I remember correctly, that's something you're supposed to be working on.''
Goku chuckled half-heartedly. ''I know. But I would rather fight a snarky Whis than a ticked-off Lord Beerus any day. At least until I know I'm strong enough to beat him.''
Vegeta scoffed. ''That won't happen. Because I will be the first to defeat Beerus!''
From above, Whis listened with great interest. He eyed them amusedly, with a hint of admiration and how determined they were to keep improving. He couldn't blame them, as it was a Saiyan trait, after all, a bit savage for the higher being's taste if he had to judge. But that wasn't what he wanted to judge, the determination can only take a person so far, they still need the strength to accomplish their goals. He wanted to know how long it would be before Goku and Vegeta would reach that level.
With a sudden burst of power, Goku and Vegeta amped up, igniting in a blur of blue light. Sparks surged all around them, and they soared in Whis's direction. Despite travelling many times faster than light itself, Whis could see them like watching birds land in a nest. He was a little bewildered to see Vegeta ahead of Goku. He chalked that down to the Prince wanting to land a punch before Goku.
Before they got too close, Whis caught a glimpse of Goku sneaking in closer behind Vegeta before pressing his hand on the back of his armoured gi. Vegeta didn't seem to notice, or bothered by what Goku was doing. Whis stalled, unsure of what his students were planning. In the blink of an eye, the two Saiyans disappeared from Whis's line of sight. The Angel was actually surprised by this strategy, and for a moment, he had lost track of them, leaving him completely unguarded.
However, his eye tracked Goku and Vegeta, both teleported behind Whis and thrusting their fists to strike. With incredible speed, Whis spun around and caught their fists in the palm of his hands. Goku and Vegeta gasped in shock, their plan was brilliant; unfortunately, they chose to use it on the wrong opponent.
Throwing planning and caution to the wind, they unleashed a flurry of high-speed punches and kicks, not a single one landing their mark. Whis blocked and dodged effortlessly. No matter how quickly the eager fighters struck, they were unable to hit him. Frustration evident on Vegeta's face, whilst Goku appeared to be trying to think of a new idea but was coming up short.
''Whis!'' Beerus called out. ''The beef slices in these noodles taste funny. I can't place why.''
Without uttering a word to his pupils, Whis turned around abruptly to look down towards Beerus. The force of his sharp turn knocking Goku and Vegeta back a bit. There was a moment's hesitation. They wouldn't usually stop unless Whis gave the word, however, seeing as he didn't actually say anything to them, they took it as a sign to keep going even with his back turned to them. Any thought of this being to their advantage was short-lived because Whis somehow dodged all of their attacks without looking back.
''Hmm,'' Whis droned, placing a finger on his chin and thinking deeply as he looked down at Beerus's food, all the while, evading the countless strikes from the Saiyans. ''Oh, I think I understand the confusion. You ordered the ham slices with those noodles. That explains the taste, my lord.''
''Ah, it's ham. I thought I recognised the taste.'' Beerus said cheerfully before stuffing his face with the last bit of food he had, practically shoving his face into the noodle box to get every last drop.
Clearly irritated, Vegeta slowed one of his punches so that he could call out to Whis. ''Hey, pay attention to the fight!''
''Vegeta, switch!'' Goku shouted.
Goku flew above Vegeta, and the prince dived under, swapping their positions in an attempt to surprise Whis. Time seemed to slow as their fists neared Whis and he appeared to make no attempt to dodge. For a split-second, they each believed that they had finally become too quick for the master to counter.
This wasn't to be.
They were struck before they could even see him. Whis had zoomed in between them, through a narrow gap and once he was behind, straightened his hand and chopped them both on the back of their necks. Muffled gasps of pain escaped them both as they were knocked out of their Super Saiyan Blue forms and plummeted into the lake below. The impact resulted in a small tsunami.
Beerus was too busy with his food to look up and see the giant wave heading right for him. He shrieked when he was suddenly blasted by a jet of cold water and knocked right off his. The current pulled him along, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't hold onto his box of noodles forever. Up above, Whis's hand went straight to his mouth as he suppressed a gasp. ''Oh my, I might have overdone it a tad. Though I did warn him, that's what happens when he eats too close to the lake.''
Minutes passed before the waves finally calmed, though there wasn't much of the lake remaining, with the tide only reaching halfway from where it reached before their sparring battle. The quiet surface of the water was disturbed by Goku and Vegeta finally coming up for each, both reaching the shore to hoist themselves up and stop themselves from drowning. Their breathing was heavy and their clothes were drenched, not to mention their bodies were numb from Whis's precise attack, although their pride took the hardest hit of all.
Once he had his strength back, Vegeta proceeded to punch the ground in frustration. ''Damn it, I thought we had him that time.''
''Me too,'' Goku agreed. Despite the humiliating loss, a grin grew across his face. ''We came pretty close. If were had been fighting someone else other than Whis, that attack would have definitely worked.''
Before they could speak, they noticed a shadow cast over them. They looked up and panicked immediately when they saw a trembling Beerus glaring down at them. Even with a soggy empty box of noodles dangling from his ear, he posed an intimidating figure. He bared his teeth and held out his hand towards the drained Saiyans. From the palm of his hand, a small ball of purple ki began to grow.
Goku nervously laughed. ''S-sorry about that, Mister Lord Beerus sir. We forgot you were there.''
''Really? Then let me remind you.'' He hissed at them. The ball of energy in his hand grew to twice its size.
Goku and Vegeta were preparing themselves for the inevitable chase that would ensue until Whis teleported between them and Beerus. Now, the God of Destruction fixed his stare onto his attendant. After a moment of silence, with Whis remained rooted to the spot and not saying a word, Beerus eventually lowered his hand and his energy blast disappeared into nothingness. Disaffected with not getting his way, he huffed like a spoilt child and turned around with his arms crossed over his chest.
Whis grinned at the God's actions. He held out his hand, and his staff magically appeared. He gripped the shaft with his hand, still not saying a word as Goku and Vegeta got out from the water. Vegeta stood patiently with his back straight and chin up. Meanwhile, Goku scrunched his soaking clothes to try and rinse them out. ''I have to admit, I'm actually impressed,'' Whis praised. ''Your creativity in battle knows no bounds. That's a trait not many warriors consider. It can be the deciding factor in any duel. Not only that but your teamwork has certainly improved.''
Vegeta huffed. ''We don't plan on using teamwork often. It's more intuition within the heat of battle. If the circumstances of fights change, or new tactics are deployed we learn to adapt to them.''
''Yeah, I have to agree with Vegeta on this one,'' Goku concurred. ''Sometimes you can plan everything beforehand, but there are other times we just make it up as we go.''
''Perhaps. But that little trick with your teleportation was well thought-out. I dare say it even kept me on my toes.''
''Spare us your wit, and tell us where we need to improve,'' Vegeta said firmly.
''I was getting to that,'' There was sharpness to Whis's tone that caught the Saiyans off guard. ''The idea was excellent, however, the execution was severely lacking.''
''In what way?'' Goku asked.
Whis turned to the carefree warrior. ''Goku, I want you to use your Instant Transmission to teleport anywhere on this planet.''
''Huh? You mean right now?''
''Yes, and don't tell me where you're going to go,''
Goku swore that he saw Whis's lips edged into a wider smile, almost mischievously. He was perplexed by the angel's instructions but followed through with the orders. He placed two fingers against his forehead and thought of a place he could teleport. He considered on the other end of the higher being's home planet, after all, he was told anywhere. It seemed too obvious. Then he remembered a place far enough to get out of Whis's reach, and close enough that his master might not consider Goku going there. The Saiyan closed his eyes, the image of the tree Beerus called his home, a few miles away from the group in the background, formed in his mind and he teleported.
He felt himself shift between space, however, before he could open his eyes he felt something grip tightly around his neck. His eyes bulged open and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had managed to teleport to the tall, twisted tree, and yet Whis was still somehow in front of him, holding the poor fighter in the palm of his hand. ''No way.'' Goku gasped.
''Your ability to instantly teleport is incredible, and you've certainly become quite gifted with it,'' Whis said and let go of Goku, giving him a chance to catch his breath and rub his sore neck. ''You're quick on the draw, but you stall when you reach your destination. After you transmit, you take a moment to adjust to your new surroundings. That moment of hesitation can mean the difference between life or death, even if it may only be a nanosecond at the most.''
Goku listened intently. He'd never even considered that he was too slow with his instant transmission. To him, that was the pinnacle of his speed. ''But…that's impossible, I can't move that fast.''
''Well, I can move that fast.'' Whis pointed out. ''I've mentioned this many times before; you have to learn to move and fight faster than the brain can think. It'll come naturally to you, like an ocean wave learning to pass over a stone in different ways.''
''I want to learn it,'' Goku stated. ''It's just that…if I think that I'm moving as fast as I can already, how will I know when I've improved?''
''When you learn not to react to a battle, and the battle has no choice but to react to you.''
In the distance, Vegeta watched on with a mixture of shock and awe. He needed a moment after Goku's teleportation to find where he had gone, and couldn't grasp the reality of what he had witnessed. It was unbelievable to see Whis catch up with him so easily, almost like child's play. He didn't know where to praise or curse Goku's name. He knew that he was always getting stronger, and would keep pushing himself to become stronger. Yet, every day he was reminded, either by Goku or someone of another world, he was a still league below the very best.
''You look troubled, prince,'' Beerus taunted. Vegeta glanced over to see Beerus looking at him with a teasing grin. ''Feeling scared?''
He remained tight-lipped. Not bothering to respond, and not wanting to get on Beerus's bad side again. Soon enough, Vegeta knew that he would be able to wipe that smug look off of the God's face. In time, he would be the one taunting Beerus.
Goku and Whis flew back over to the others, landing delicately. ''Don't take my criticism too heart, you're both making great progress.'' Whis boosted.
Those words of inspiration reminded Beerus of something that he wanted to address to Goku and Vegeta. He decided to take the reigns and stepped forward, signalling for Whis to hold his tongue, and the attendant obliged without question. ''And you both will keep making great progress if you want to win the tournament between the twelve universes. Because there is no second option, you are going to win that tournament.''
The mention of the tournament was enough to exhilarate Goku and cause his heart to flip. He pumped his fists together and beamed brightly. ''I can't wait! It's getting closer. There's going to be so many new and strong fighters to face. It's exciting.''
A little peeved that Goku interrupted his speech, Beerus approached the cheerful Saiyan. ''Not to mention, there's the added pressure of pleasing two Omni-Kings now because of your actions and interfering with the space-time continuum!''
''Oh, come on, you're still making it seem like such a bad thing.''
''Because it has the potentially to be a very bad thing!'' Beerus hissed. Clearly annoyed, but keeping his voice down to a controlled level, almost as if he was afraid of being overheard by Zen-Oh himself.
''Hey, he said he needed a friend to play with, and I couldn't do it otherwise I wouldn't have the time for training or be with my family. Besides, they're pretty much the same person, they'll get along great.''
''Oh, how I wish to have your carefree and stubborn way of thinking,'' Beerus muttered sarcastically before shifting his tone back to deadly serious. He paced around Goku, folding his arms behind his back and leaning forwards. ''All it takes is one little argument, and an entire universe could be wiped out in an instant. In fact, with two Zen-Oh's, all of creation could be destroyed before you say pizza. I swear you aggravated me to no ends. Always rushing in and slamming your head into a mountain, before charging off to find the next mountain.''
A giggle escaped Goku and he scratched his cheek. ''Yeah, that's me to a tee.''
This was the last straw for Beerus. He stopped right behind Goku before swinging his arm out to strike the fighter on the back of his head. ''That wasn't meant to be a compliment.''
Whis sighed and steadied himself to intervene until he watched the scene play out in its entirety. Goku's expression switched into one filled with resoluteness, and his whole body ignited in flames. His hair spiked up and changed to the familiar and godly shade of blue. Before Beerus could hit him, Goku raised his arm and blocked Beerus's attack, shocking everyone, most of all Beerus, who went in with the full intention of actually hitting Goku.
Suddenly, something inside the God seemed to change. As he looked into Goku's eyes, seeing the fire burning brightly behind them, he suddenly felt a sensation overwhelm him. He couldn't describe it. Something about the way Goku caught him off guard made Beerus second-guess his next decision.
Vegeta looked at them unsure of who he should be paying attention to, Goku or Beerus. Even Whis didn't know what to make of this predicament. He has known Beerus since he began his duty as an attendant, and he could read Beerus like a book, at least most of the time he could. However, it was clear on the God's face that he had been taken aback by Goku's surprising speed. Perhaps today was a productive day of training after all.
The orb on Whis's staff glowed brightly interrupting the tense moment. This earned the attention of everyone, including Beerus and Goku, the latter powering down to his base form.
Whis answered the call, and a hologram hovered above them, revealing Bulma. ''Hello? Whis? Can you hear me?''
''Bulma, how wonderful to hear from you,'' Whis greeted. ''You don't happen to be letting us know that more delectable meals are on the way.''
''Not this time, I actually need to speak with my husband and Goku,'' Bulma replied.
Vegeta tensed momentarily, and Goku walked away from Beerus, oblivious to what he had just managed to accomplish a moment ago while Beerus was still in shock. Once he was close enough to the hologram, Goku called out. ''What's wrong, Bulma? Is there trouble?''
''No, no trouble! We just need you both to come back to Earth right away. We have some big news for you both.''
Goku and Vegeta glanced at each other, confused thought curious to know what news would warrant them being called away from training if it wasn't life-threatening as Bulma seemed to suggest. ''This better be important!'' Vegeta said.
A small laugh came from Bulma on the other side. ''Trust me, you won't want to miss this.'' With that, the hologram disappeared.
''We best be going then,'' Goku said. Vegeta nodded and placed his hand on Goku's shoulder. Goku raised his hand to his forehead, ready to teleport them both back home, but not before giving a quick wave to Beerus and Whis. ''See ya!''
Just like that, the two Saiyans vanished into thin air.
Now that they were finally gone, Beerus had a moment to himself to comprehend what just happened. Although he didn't get much time before Whis probed him inquisitively. ''What are you thinking, my Lord?''
Beerus twitched and quickly folded his arms behind his back, regaining his composure, attempting to at least. ''None of your business.''
''I was just curious, there's no need to be rude.''
''Ever hear the phrase curiosity killed the cat?'' He threatened.
''Hmm, I believe so, is that the one that's followed by satisfaction brought it back?''
Beerus flustered, losing his equanimity. ''You're making a bigger deal of it than it is. He got lucky and blocked my attack, there's nothing more to it than that!''
''Well, if you'll allow me to express what I saw from my point of view…''
''I didn't ask for your point of view.'' Beerus cut in.
Whis didn't appear deterred by the aggressive tone he was being shown; instead, he seemed to be enjoying it a little too much. ''We both knew it would only be a matter of time. It's true that right now, they still have much to be polished and refined, but soon enough they'll each be a match for you. Isn't that what you wanted?''
Beerus hesitated to answer. He remembered a time where he literally dreamed of challenging someone who could match his level, someone who wasn't his annoying, brutish brother. Despite Goku's strength when he acquired godly power and his vast improvement in the following years, Beerus still believed the Saiyan to be a galaxy's way behind him in terms of power. But now that realisation was starting to dawn on him, it was no longer a dream.
Goku and Vegeta were catching up with him. He was afraid of that, or what could follow if they actually did the impossible…and surpassed him.
''It was a lucky block,'' Beerus said. ''Besides, you just said so yourself, they still have much more to learn.''
Seeing that Beerus wanted to drop the subject, Whis decided to end it, but not before some final words. ''Those weren't my exact words. They need to be polished. They don't have much more to learn,'' He warned. Like a flash of lightning, his mood shifted to pure joy and he clapped his hands together. ''Now that I have some free time, I can enjoy myself to a helping of those ham noodles Bulma provided us. I've been dying for a taste.''
While Whis walked away to go and stuff his face, Beerus remained. He stared down at his shivering arm, feeling an inkling of discomfort from where Goku had blocked him. It actually hurt. He had to admit that they were almost there.
He couldn't consider them child's play anymore.
Soon, they would be rivals.
To Be Continued…
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