The Ultimate Avenger

by Golden Yaksha

Gohan had been traumatized by his failings against Cell, which had resulted in the death of his father. As a result of this, he had honed himself as to become a perfect warrior, to protect the Earth in his father's stead. In the result of a battle once thought won, he and his brothers found themselves in a world similar and yet different, but where do the differences lie?

Good Afternoon. Golden Yaksha is back from the dead and I know most of you kind of loathe me while others don't really care either way for my absences/lack of updating. I know, and I'm sorry, but I promise you that everything is going to be different.

Here's a new story. Please enjoy.

---

"Nii-chan!" Gohan turned his head and grinned at his younger brother Goten, who had descended onto one of the many buildings that had been destroyed in the wake of the ensuing battle. "Are you all right?!"

"Fine!" The teenager returned with a grin soon sobered up, "Have you managed to evacuate everyone from the city?"

Trunks soon made his presence known and nodded, though his body language revealed a degree of exasperation, "Yeah, but it wasn't easy. So um –" He started, feeling a sliver of nervousness creeping through his gut as a massive shadow casted itself over the three, "What do we do about that thing?"

"Oh?" Gohan turned to the right and stared into the red eyes of the monster, "I was sure I had managed to take it out."

"Well, if you ask me, it looks like you just made it even more mad."

Goten blinked, "No one asked you, Trunks."

"Oh, shut up you." Trunks retorted before turning his attention toward the beast, a joking smirk playing on his lips, "Heh, you would think only one super powerful, ancient killing machine was enough for one year, huh Gohan?"

"Story of our life, it seems. Luckily for us, this Hirudegarn creature doesn't seem all that bright." Gohan mumbled in jest and entered a twisted stance reflecting all of the training sessions spent with his many masters.

"Right, this should be easy pickings for us then!" Trunks grinned and fell into a tight stance as well, "Ready Goten?!"

Goten bounced on his feet before focusing himself, the furrowing of his brow betraying the excited smile he held, "Yeah! Let's do it!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold the phone you two!" Gohan halted them with his hands outstretched and nearly stumbled over himself, "Haven't you felt it's power? It's incredible!"

The two children looked at one another before blinking at him in unison, "So?"

"So?" Gohan furrowed his brow in indignant annoyance, "You're not fighting him!"

"What if we turn super?"

"Not even then!"

Goten's eyes brightened, "Ooh, what if we fuse?!"

"Yeah! Nice thinking, Goten!" Trunks grinned in excitement, "There's no way this giant bug could stand a chance against Gotenks!"

Gohan cradled his face into his palm but disappeared in a burst of speed, reappearing on top of another ruined rooftop as Hirudegarn's fist smashed on top of the building they once stood on. In a moment of thought he released a grudging sigh and turned to them, his eyebrow twitching as he noticed how they were nearly bouncing with anticipation, "Fine! I'll let you fuse but if things get tough I want you to bow out and let me take care of it, understand?!"

"Got it!"

"You can count on us, Nii-chan!"

Gohan nodded hesitantly and took a few steps backward, watching as the two children performed the ancient dance with utterly perfect synchronization. As he idly thought of what it would be like if he fused with someone around his level of power, his eyes widened as a corona of golden energy had pushed him back, forcing him to block the incredible light that strove to pierce his eyes.

As soon as he moved his arm he was presented with the image of one of the strongest warriors in the Universe, if not the most egotistical.

Gotenks did a few poses and assumed his third form before jutting out a small finger that had electricity arcing around it toward Hirudegarn, "I hate to break it to you, ugly, but your reign of terror is about to be brought to an end by none other than the God of Death himself..." He tilted his head up.

And then down, revealing a spiteful smirk, "Gotenks!"

"Not bad." Gohan complimented.

"Heh, thank you kindly. Now if you'll just wait here," Gotenks dropped into a crouch, "I'll crush this giant bug in no time flat." With a small roar he gathered he begun to gather his energies to its maximum.

"...He's really powerful. If I slack off in my training its possible for him to surpass me one day." Gohan cursed and brought up an arm to shield himself from the dirt and debris that exploded in his face when the adolescent superpower had all but exploded from the rooftop, "I just wish we could do something about that ego." It never ceased to amaze him how the fused warrior was predominately Trunks than it was Goten, but there were moments where the latter's personality came into play.

Unfortunately this wasn't that time.

Gotenks rocketed through the air with incredible speed but while remaining terribly unconcerned all at the same time as evidenced by picking his ear clean with his pinky finger. Hirudegarn roared angrily and punched at the glowing child, but it was effortlessly avoided.

The monster looked to and fro, but could not get a bead on where the child had gone until he felt something tapping against his shoulder, that is.

"Over here!" Gotenks placed his knuckles against his hips and tapped his foot against the monster's shoulder in annoyance, "Man, you're slow. Can we get this show on the road or are you just going to stare of into space or whatever it is you dumb monsters do when you're not destroying everything?"

Hirudegarn roared and clapped his shoulder with tremendous force, the resulting shockwave collapsing numerous buildings.

"Close," Gotenks muttered as he floated in front of the unsuspecting giant, "But no cigar, heh-heh." Laughing, he dodged a relatively slow flurry of punches that did nothing but throw large gusts of chaotic wind about.

The monster roared in frustration, but Gotenks simply closed his eyes and wagged his finger dismissively, "Uh-uh, you've already had your fun. Now it's my turn." He grinned as he disappeared in a flurry of speed, with the only thing Hirudegarn managing to understand throughout the convoluted maneuver being the child's fist slamming into his abdomen.

Hirudegarn released a wheezing groan and swept the back of his fist for the surprisingly powerful child. Easily telegraphed, Gotenks descended to the ground and sped through the city streets before crushing the monster's kneecap with a brutal punch. As Hirudegarn begun to stumble to the ground, Gotenks ascended upward with his arm outstretched, catching the giant insectoid with a perfectly timed uppercut to the chin, one that sent the monster airborne.

Chasing after his prey, the child finished his combination with a spinning heel that smashed into the side of the monster's face, sending it sprawling to the ground.

Gotenks slowly ascended into the air and observed his handiwork. The beast was clearly dazed, laying on the ground with a dislocated jaw and a crushed kneecap; he wouldn't be standing anytime soon, and maybe they would finally be able to do without his constant roaring.

"Jeez, is that it?" Gotenks yawned into his hand and observed his nails in a critical but mocking manner, "I mean, I knew I'd win, but I was really expecting a challenge from you, ugly." The child closed his eyes tightly and crossed his arms over his muscled chest, "Y'know, for a giant, fire-breathing monster, you're pretty lame, you know that?"

"Don't lose track of what we're supposed to do, Gotenks!" Gohan cupped his hand to his mouth and called out with his energy projecting his voice.

"Huh?"

"This isn't a spar! Hirudegarn isn't a rival for you to test yourself against!" Gohan continued, "Kill him while you have the chance!"

"Oh, right; I almost forgot!" Gotenks nodded childishly before soon adopting an arrogant smirk, "I think this may be the best time for me to try out my newest technique; the –"

"And no new techniques!"

Gotenks slumped his shoulders forward, dejected. "Fine, jeez, you're such a party pooper, Gohan." The child scratched his head as he stared down at the downed monster. Though he didn't want to anger his older brother, he really couldn't stomach the thought of ending this fight in anything but the flashiest manner possible.

Snapping his fingers in revelation, the child gathered his energy, which had generated a massive lightning storm overhead. "Take this; Continuous Die Die Missile Barrage!" Gathering two ball of energy in his hands, he begun tossing a flurry of high-powered blasts that burned, crushed and all-out destroyed nearly every part of Hirudegarn, resulting in a glorious shower of golden light.

As the smoke cleared, the child laughed confidently and rubbed his nose as he observed the burnt carcass that had been Hirudegarn. "Whoops! Overdid it! I guess I don't even know my own strength!"

Gotenks glanced up at his elder brother with an overly familiar grin and gave him the victory sign, "Sorry 'bout that; I've been meaning to let you get a few shots in, but it looks like the fun's over! Let's pack it up and head home; I'm starving!"

Gohan would have replied to the fusion-born, but he felt something very strange, and growing incredibly stronger. It was when he noticed the glowing opening in the monster's carapace did he realize what was happening, "Quickly, Gotenks; get out of the way!"

"Huh?" Gotenks turned around and felt his eye forcibly shut as a massive fist had streaked against his face, sending him sailing through the air. Before he managed to slam into a building he had been caught in his brother's arms.

"You scared me for a second there," Gohan observed his ward and felt relief that there were no lasting injuries. "Are you okay?"

"Okay?!" Gotenks floated out of his brother's hold and clutched his hand to his cheek as he tried to blink tears of pain from his eyes, "That really hurt! Just how did that freak manage to survive that, anyway? I wasn't holding back!"

Gohan felt a frown stretching across his face, "I have a guess as to why, but nothing good can come of it."

Hirudegarn emerged wholly from its former skin, clad in a shiny, golden carapace and outfitted with large wings that added to its insectoid appearance. The entire monster appeared more streamlined and far less clumsy than its previous form, but its power had increased dramatically, making him all the more dangerous in the eyes of Gohan.

"Power down and conserve your energy for now, Gotenks." Gohan floated forward with his hands tightening into fists, "I'll handle this."

Gotenks did as he was told, but raised an eyebrow, "You sure? That monster managed to grow even stronger than before..."

"Don't worry. He's strong, but I think I got this; stay here." Gohan gave his younger brother a wink before flying to address the monster.

It was obvious in Gohan's eyes that Gotenks had thrived underneath his tutelage, the child having managed to sustain his both his third form and the fusion whilst in it for an extended period of time. Even to further add onto his list of accomplishments, he knew that Gotenks had enough power to dispatch the Majin Buu he lost against with ease.

But this transformed Hirudegarn was nowhere near Majin Buu; it was far above the monster, something that had never occurred to Gohan in spite of all their training. It seemed no matter what he did, there was always someone or something far strongerand even more dangerous willing to tear down the peaceful lives they built for themselves.

Eyes narrowing, Gohan released a powerful shout that echoed throughout the emptied city, the resulting rush of invisible energy collapsing dozens of buildings within a seven-block radius. With his full power flowing wildly through his veins and his previously tamed but unkempt hair now left spiky and gravity defying, Gohan stared nothing but death at his opponent. "Hirudegarn!" [1]

The monster focused its beady, red eyes on the teenager and roared questioningly.

"Your fight is with me now." Gohan demanded rather than spoke, "I just hope you understand that I'm not as creative as my little brother, and nowhere near as playful."

Hirudegarn roared in primordial fury and punched Gohan. The speed behind the punch was significantly faster, but while the teenager could have dodged it easily, he simply extended his arms in front of him, stopping the force behind the blow dead in its tracks.

Gohan chuckled with a little strain in his voice; Hirudegarn was definitely powerful. "Is that the best you can do? It seems as though you wasted your time with that transformation!" The smirk he held vanished at the sight of Hirudegarn's second fist moving to smash into him from his side. With precise timing, Gohan pushed away the fist he caught and dropped to the ground below before spinning with his leg extended, tripping up the monster.

As Hirudegarn fell on its side, Gohan blocked a retaliatory fist and begun running up the monster's arm, channeling a powerful ball of energy in his hand. Hirudegarn snarled in annoyance and slid his hand alongside his arm in an attempt to crush this two-legged pest.

Gohan felt his breath hitch and slid on his back, dodging the monster's large hand by a hairsbreadth – a gap far too close for comfort. After springing up back onto his feet, he hopped off of Hirudegarn's bicep and fired the blast in its face.

Agony escaped Hirudegarn's mouth as its face begun to melt away and flailed wildly at its attacker. Gohan quickly took the time to disengage from the beast and regroup alongside his brother. "Gotenks, get ready!"

"Ready? For what?"

"We're going to attack Hirudegarn at once." Gohan replied with his eyes still glued to the beast, "It should be more than enough to take him out."

Gotenks' grinned and transformed with a triumphant shout, his long hair swaying as he begun to reach his maximum. "Alright! What should we do to finish him off this time?! I was thinking I knock him up in the air, and then you swoop down from above and..."

Gohan gave him a deadpanning stare.

"...Fine." Gotenks crossed his arms over his chest, looking as dejected as ever. "You're almost as bad as Piccolo, you know that?"

"We'll come up with some finishing moves later, Gotenks, I promise; let's just focus on taking this monster down first and foremost. Please?"

"Okay, okay, but I'll make sure to hold you to it later then!"

"Kaa...mee..." The two gathered their energies at once, and upon calming themselves did they manage to go through a set of fluid motions that resulted in their hands being cupped nearest their hips. "Haa...mee..."

Before they could even manage to fire their blast, Hirudegarn stood on its feet and released a primordial roar, one that sounded much unlike what they had grown accustomed to over the course of this prolonged but one-sided battle.

Gotenks had his attack primed and ready to fire in his hands, but couldn't help the questioning look on his face, "What the heck is that thing doing? Is it going to attack?"

"No..." Gohan trailed off, his eyes scanning the massive winds that seemed to surround the monstrosity. He spent several moments trying to comprehend what was happening; no energy was being amassed in a final attack, but something was definitely off.

Just then, Hirudegarn released a black miasma from his mouth that managed to tear a hole in reality itself, revealing a large doorway that revealed nothing but bright light. Gohan's eyes widened as he placed two and two together, "Its trying to escape!"

"Huh? What?!" Gotenks looked between his brother and the monster, blinking wildly.

"It knows its beat, and its trying to escape to another planet! Come on; we can't let that thing get away!"

Gotenks blanched before speeding after his brother, "Hold up, Gohan! Wait for me!"

"You think you can just come in, destroy everything and leave when you please?" Gohan asked no one in particular, his eyes hardening and voice rising in anger, "Think again!"

Hirudegarn made to step through the massive portal, but turned around, only to catch a glimpse of the speeding Gohan smashing his fist against his cheek, knocking him through the portal. The monster roared and collapsed against a building as the three crossed through to the other side, crushing it under its weight.

"He's right, you know?" Gotenks flicked his nose with his thumb, "You can run, but your ugly mug can't hide, not from...uh, Gohan?" The child blinked in confusion at the sight of not a dark, cloudy and overall ominous night that loomed over West City, but something else entirely different. "Where are we?"

The sun was beginning to set over the city, which was definitely not one they were accustomed to seeing. The architecture as a whole looked entirely different, though it still held that urbanized look and feel to it. In his considering of the architecture, he noted that save for the building Hirudegarn fell on, the entire city appeared to be relatively intact. And there were people screaming in the streets below, meaning that it wasn't deserted.

All in all, a very harrowing situation that had begun to dawn on the young warrior.

"I...I'm not sure." Gohan answered with obvious confusion. "Looks like we're on another planet, I guess, but it seems really similar to Earth if you ask me."

"Hm, I guess..." Gotenks trailed off as he observed the people below, "The people don't really look like aliens, though; they look and feel like...regular people." Nothing advanced seemed to dot the cityscape, and it in fact looked a little underwhelming compared to West City in terms of technological advancement. There were no transport tubes, nor were there any hover cars.

How many civilizations were there that had natives looking similar to humans, anyway?

Gohan wanted to try his best to assuage the super-powered child's uncertainty, but he was at a loss himself, luckily the roaring of the monster brought the two out of their daze. "Looks like sightseeing's over! We've got bigger things to deal with at the moment!"

"Got it!" Gotenks replied in earnest, and the two parted from one another to dodge the monster's fist before releasing a powerful in unison shout as they attacked it with all they had to offer.

The massive blow shook the entire city and sent Hirudegarn stumbling back, but the monster still managed to gather its bearings in spite of it all, even managing to repair itself once more. Gotenks groaned as he realized this. "Man, this thing has regeneration too? That has to be like one of the lamest powers ever!"

"This just means we keep beating it into the ground until there's nothing left to regenerate." Gohan answered and charged into the battle.

Hirudegarn stared at the taller of his two opponents with his red eyes blazing in unbridled fury. Inhaling deeply, the monster exhaled a large wave of superhot white flame. Gohan's eyes widened but they soon narrowed, and he roared as he managed to stop the flow of fire with his hands, which was no easy task considering the power was beginning to burn through his palms.

However, the monster had predicted this and smashed its tail against the eldest half-Saiyan, catapulting him on top of a parked car in the streets below, crushing it and sending a number of people running away in fear. Gohan propped himself up on his elbows, his face expressing distress as he realized the fire had begun to move in the direction of retreating civilians, "Gotenks!"

Gotenks felt adrenaline pumping through his veins at his brother's shout and nodded fiercely, "On it!"

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Gage?"

Gage ducked in caution as he stared up at the beast but soon calmed himself, "Are you kidding? This is the kind of coverage that'll earn me my spot amongst the big boys! Get us set, Travis."

Travis sighed, but complied with his friend's desire. After setting the camera on his shoulder he signaled a countdown before pointing to his friend as soon as the camera's lights came on.

"This is Gage Matthews, reporting from downtown Manhattan, where it appears to be besieged by a giant, monster of some kind! It would seem that there is no peace to be found only moments after the massive prison break that occurred only –"

"Look out!" Travis pointed upward, where a giant flame was speeding toward the roof they were standing on.

Before it could touch them however, they were swept up in a flurry of speed and deposited in a far safer place alongside a large number of civilians.

"How is it I'm always left with the clean-up?" Gotenks floated above them and did a body count before grinning, "Great. That seems to be all of them. Now, to go and help Gohan!"

"Wait!" Gage stood up and coughed into his hand, pointing his microphone up at the floating, eyebrow-less and long-haired child with large muscles. "Who are you?! Are you fighting that creature?!"

"What?" Gotenks blinked for a second before cleaning out his ears. He couldn't make heads or tails of whatever it was the man said. "Whatever." Shrugging, he grinned, "Don't worry, everyone! That giant freak doesn't stand a chance against the mighty, Gotenks! Just give me a second and I'll have that bug squashed!"

"Gotenks!"

The child winced and rubbed the back of his head before waving, "Sorry, got to go!" With a flare of energy he raced into the air, the entire movement either flooring or knocking back the group of civilians.

"Who was that? It looked like a kid!"

"Of course it was a kid! But who was he? I've never seen a hero like him before."

Gage stood back on his feet and immediately assumed position in front of the camera, "It would seem that the matter at hand is currently being handled by an unknown, young hero. But super-powered or no – can we really entrust the wellbeing of our fair city to only. . ."

". . .a child? This is Gage Matthews from Channel 6 News."

The new order of Avengers who built themselves out of the ashes of old sat quietly inside of the Quinjet as the sounds of the battle roared over the reporter's broadcast. It was quite honestly a surprise considering they had just left New York perfectly in tact.

"So the city gets attacked while we're not in it?" Peter hummed as the broadcast was muted as the silence the screams and inhuman roaring, "My conspiracy radar is going off the charts."

"I may be inclined to agree with you if there was any substantial evidence, but the thing is. . ." Steve commented as he strained his eyes, trying to get a proper viewing of the monster, "Just what was that exactly?"

Lucas grunted, "Considering its giant, ugly and hell bent on destroying the city, I don't think we should give two shits about it other than how to destroy it."

"What about that kid?"

Peter paused for a moment, "Not sure, but he seemed pretty creepy for a kid."

"What was it that got to you? The bulging muscles or the lack of eyebrows?" Lucas asked.

"Both."

"My Japanese isn't so good, was anyone able to get a gist of what he said?" Steve asked without really asking. "Anyone?"

For a moment, the group remained silent, and Steve would have taken that as an unanimous 'No', but he was surprised to have received an answer in the form of their quiet guest, "He said his name was Gotenks, and that the 'giant freak' as he put it, wouldn't stand against his might."

Tony didn't know what to make of it, but he held a ghost of a smile on his mouth. "Sounds pretty confident."

Lucas grunted, "Sounds like overconfident if you ask me. We don't even know who this kid is – and speaking of kids, why is there one fighting this thing?"

"Maybe he's hiding his real age underneath all that hair and muscle?" Peter offered in the form of a quip.

"He did also mention something about helping a 'Gohan'. I surmise that this may be his partner." Maya responded once more before going silent again.

Lucas laughed sardonically, "For some reason, something tells me that this entire thing is fishy – with the giant monster, the sudden attack and these two we know nothing about."

Peter rubbed his chin, "Huh. Gotenks and Gohan? Sounds pretty ridiculous. Anyone wanna bet five bucks this monster has a name just as wonky?"

"I'll take you up on that." Lucas answered.

Tony, who had been silent through their entire discovery decided to speak up, "My satellites had definitely picked up something strange concerning this thing – the monster, not the kid and his partner."

Jessica turned her gaze from Madame Hydra, "Strange as in how?"

"That monster didn't crash-land in the city, or had even traveled there. It just...appeared."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, "The hell? You mean it just upped and appeared out of thin air?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. And there's a good chance that this Gotenks and Gohan most likely came with it."

Peter opened his mouth and closed it, "But you don't know for sure, do you? A giant monster, a weird looking kid and someone else with a matching name appearing out of nowhere, together?"

"We've heard weirder, and have definitely seen stranger." Tony answered, and Peter found himself falling silent once more.

"How long until we reach the city?" Steve asked.

Tony gauged the metrics for all of one second, "About twenty minutes."

"Make it fifteen."

Jessica – as a result of her nervousness, had produced a fairly potent amount of pheromones. This was exactly what she didn't want to hear, but the already terrible situation plummeted the moment she remembered she would have to break Madame Hydra out of the Quinjet. "Are there any heroes in the vicinity?"

"...There's Bob, but we don't know just how stable he is at the moment."

Peter scratched his chin over his mask in thought, "He seemed pretty okay the last time we spoke to him – granted he was bawling in the fetal position in front of everyone, but he was all right when we left him." He shrugged, "You never know with that guy."

Steve's eyes narrowed, "We're going to have to bank on him, for now. Get him on the line."

Tony inputted some commands before reclaiming the steering wheel, "Line secured. Bob! Have you –" The man caught himself off as he saw Madame Hydra and Jessica staring at one another.

Normally it wouldn't bother him, but soon the captured woman soon started, as if caught.

Both of their eyes met.

Which effectively distracted him from noticing how Jessica had engaged the door override sequence.

•••

Gohan emerged from the ocean and coughed out water, his voice throaty and hoarse. Gritting his teeth, he brought along with him the forms of both Goten and Trunks. They were beaten and bruised beyond belief, but were fortunate enough to still draw breath. Even then, the realization consumed Gohan in the worst of ways.

Recollecting himself, he reached behind his orange sash and produced a perfectly whole Senzu. After snapping it in half, he fed the healing vegetable to the children and took note of their scrunched faces; they were responding to its effects, and he could tell given their energy was now at half capacity.

"You guys did well enough, but the blame is mine." Gohan muttered as he stood up and tore away the remnants of his shirt as he stared up at Hirudegarn. "I had no idea this thing would be so powerful."

'I had an inkling, but instead of killing it outright myself, I allowed for this to happen by giving them a shot – a chance to succeed after their failure against Majin Buu.'

Closing his eyes, he use a bare amount of his energy in order to create several clones. Though the lack of proper energy division meant they couldn't be relied upon for skirmishes, Gohan knew he only needed them for one thing.

"...They should wake up in a few minutes, hopefully." The teenager ignored the awestruck sounds made by the crowd as he took into the air with a grunt, racing toward the monster once and for all, the thought of probable failure tainting his mind with memories of a similar event.

Cell.

Gohan was glad they had managed to at least displace the monster in the ocean before they had lost consciousness, simply due to the fact that he knew it would minimize casualties by a large margin. "It's time we finish this, Hirudegarn. Wouldn't you think?"

The monster roared in a predictable fashion, and Gohan smirked, though on the inside he was far beyond annoyed, "Heh, a little banter wouldn't hurt. Too stupid for a response I guess? I can see how easy it was for you to get sealed over a thousand years ago."

'Never before would I have believed that a simple insult could turn the battle in such a manner. If I knew about its propensity for anger back then, Gotenks could have handled this without it having to come to this, and with good reason.' Gohan thought to himself as he dodged Hirudegarn's punch and countered with a smarting blow to the side of its head, 'Anger, aggressiveness and bloodlust are easily exploitable in battle...'

'What makes this moment even funnier is that...' Gohan summoned the godly sword he used in his battle against Majin Buu as a Champion of the Kais and sliced the monster's arm off, delighting in its pained screams. '...It's almost as if I'm staring into a splitting image of myself eight years ago...'

Hirudegarn clutched its bloodied stump of a hand and roared in pain, the obvious opening prompting Gohan to strike for the monster's neck. But as the teenager twirled in the air rapidly in order to deliver his final stroke, he was surprised when he had struck at nothing, the tendrils of the monster's gaseous form trailing off his blade.

Awaiting him soon came pain, and plenty of it. Gohan at first couldn't say anything as he was caught in the monster's grip, but as soon as Hirudegarn applied pressure, he was sure that his screams could be heard throughout the world.

One, no, three ribs had cracked, and he was sure a number of his organs had been ruptured, resulting in blood pouring from his mouth and nose. Hirudegarn smelled blood in the water and hastily pressed its thumb against the teen's head in an effort to crush his opponent once and for all.

"Kaio-ken!"

Hirudegarn hissed loudly as the half-Saiyan exploded out of his palm, taking away several of its massive fingers, which fell into the ocean below with incredible force.

Gohan took heed of the massive amounts of steam that rolled off his blade and body, before blinking out of sight, and Hirudegarn could only struggle to speak through its own blood as a number of deep gashes appeared on every section of its body.

Tendons sliced through neatly, Gohan willed his blade out of existence as he cupped his hands nearest his hips. There was no need to charge; any blast would surely do the job. With a roar he thrust his bloodied palms forward, uncaring of the damage his body was undertaking as a result of the World King Fist. "Kamehameha!" [2]

The blast raced out of his hands and toward the monster. Though carefully restrained through proper control, the attack managed to engulf the upper-half of Hirudegarn's form, tearing away at most of its skin, but not kill it, something Gohan noticed with a smirk, "Still wasn't enough?"

Possessing a rage that seemed boundless, Hirudegarn slowly trudged toward the half-Saiyan but was slowed by its constant need to regenerate.

"Don't worry, Hirudegarn; I understand now that it's going to take a power I don't possess to kill you." Gohan conceded as he had lost control over the World King Fist, grimacing as nearly every bone and muscle in his body ached and tore itself, respectively. "But you've lost."

Hirudegarn didn't heed his words as it continued to stride forward. It was only then it noted that Gohan's clones stood neatly positioned around it in the form of a hexagon. The clones formed complex body movements and remained dangerously still, focusing what little energy they had on immobilizing the beast.

Gohan opened his eyes as a crackle of lightning appeared overhead. Exhaling, he formed several complex hand motions before stopping, calming his heart and his breathing another clone appeared next to him, carrying a small jar that was meant to contain preservatives. It was only then did he open his eyes as the monster broke free from his clones' telekinetic hold, and brought his hands forward, his life energy flowing off his form and taking form as a massive windstorm, "Mafuba!"

The demonic statue brought to life was crushed by the magical energy and deconstructed its form, though its howling did not cease in the slightest. Gohan's left eye winced as numerous veins sprouted across his body; the strain was immense and his concentration was fading, but he needed to put an end to this as soon as possible.

As soon as the moment presented itself, the teen's eyes widened and he shouted as he held his two fingers over his head, the powerful winds culled the soul and willed it into the jar with dangerous accuracy. The clone locked it and the seal burned a bright red before fading.

Gohan took the jar from his clone, who then disappeared, admiring the soul of the large demon that floated about inside of the jar relentlessly; even its roars - while muffled, were passionate and incredibly angry. "It's a g-good thing it worked, or else I'd have died f-for nothing, heh-heh, eh..."

The teen's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he loss consciousness, jar in hand, though he wished he could have gotten out of the sky beforehand.

•••

Goten moaned and sat up slightly, grimacing as he fought against the soreness that was undoubtedly a result of their skirmish from yesterday.

The child's eyes opened wildly. "Oh no!"

"Pipe down, will you? You're giving me a headache." Goten peered to the left and felt relief in the form of his best friend.

"Trunks!"

"Hey." The infamous heir waved his hand in a halfhearted greeting, "Nice to see you too, but –"

"Ah, so you're both awake." The children turned toward the door and found standing a young nurse sporting a pleasant smile, "Ever since you were brought out of the wreckage we were worried you may never recover. It was simply amazing the state we found you in."

"Trunks?"

"Yeah?"

"What's she saying?"

Trunks closed his eyes and made a pensive expression, "Oh, I remember now. She's speaking English."

Goten tilted his head in confusion, "English?"

"Yep. My mom tells me about it all the time; that she sometimes has to speak it when she's out on business trips and whatever."

"Oh! I think I remember Nii-chan taking English at school!"

Trunks nodded and leaned backward, feeling rather pleased for having reached his friend. "Well, there you go; she's speaking it."

Goten smiled, pleased at having been enlightened. Though his frown came back a moment later, "But what's she saying?"

"Uh..."

The nurse witnessed the entire exchange with a straight face, "Japanese? I think I'm going to need some help getting through to them. Um," She spoke aloud, gathering their attention, "I will be right back. I will bring someone to help us communicate better! Okay?" The woman spoke while making very strange gesticulations before leaving the room with haste.

"What did she say just now?"

Trunks frowned, not at the question itself but being in the same boat as his best friend – unknowing, "Who cares? Let's blow this place already and find Gohan."

Goten nodded, "Okay!" He hopped out of the bed, unnoticing of the needles that had been pulled out of his flesh with the sudden movement. For a minute he stood there, observing his clothes, "What the heck is this?"

"It's a hospital gown, you idiot. It's what they give to people who've been admitted here."

"Ah," Goten nodded and turned around, noticing how he had a perfect view of his derrière, which was easily quite embarrassing, "I don't wanna fly out there like this."

"Me neither; let's try and find our clothes." Trunks paused from he act and froze, his ear twitching slightly as his superior hearing caught wind of a conversation that lurked outside these walls.

"So you're saying that they speak only Japanese?"

The nurse nodded as she walked alongside the presiding doctor, "Yes doctor."

"Alright, well let's see if we can get ourselves better acquainted with these young children," The doctor replied as he observed their case file, "And hopefully find some information on their families."

As soon as he opened the door, his eyes widened and the nurse gaped as they witnessed the children – draped in their same tattered clothing and about to climb out of the window on the far side of the room, "Just what do you think you're doing?! We're on the seventh floor!"

"Oh, um..." Trunks cursed; he had hoped to have left before they came in. He clearly didn't understand what the woman was saying this time, but from experience he knew all too well what a disapproving tone sounded like, "Let's bail, Goten!"

Goten nodded and jumped out of the window alongside his friend. The doctor and the nurse nearly threw themselves out of the window in hopes of catching the falling children, but were surprised to have found that they weren't going down, but rather up.

And very far away from the hospital.

"Jeez, that almost got hairy." Trunks muttered as he continued flying while facing the sky, his arms crossed lazily behind his head, "Don't you think its weird that those people in the hospital looked just like us, Goten?"

"Wouldn't that mean they're human?"

"Don't be an idiot. If they were human, then we'd be on Earth." Although he said that, he was all too aware of the fact that their energy signatures were similar to an average human on their home planet.

'Man, things are getting confusing. We'd better find Gohan fast and ditch this place quick.'

Goten hummed, "I can't sense my Kā-san at all."

"Exactly. If we were really on Earth, then we'd be kicking back at my place, not in some cramped and smelly hospital." The child shuddered; he wasn't too fond of those institutions.

"Hey, do you feel that?" Goten asked and stopped flying aimlessly, prompting his friend to do the same, "It feels like..." His eyes widened, "Nii-chan!"

Trunks made a look of acute surprise, "Well whaddya know? It is him. He must've defeated that monster while we got knocked out. Lame. Why is his energy so faint, anyway?"

"He must be tired," Goten answered and patted his torn clothes, his eyes brightening as he withdrew the famed green bean, "Yes! I found it!"

"A Senzu bean? Nice work, Goten!" Trunks grinned, "We'll go give this to Gohan, and finally get something to eat!"

"Yeah!"

•••

"So you said you found him floating in the harbor?"

Robert nodded as he leaned against a wall with his arms crossed, "Yes. And you're telling me he hasn't woken up yet?"

"Just checked in with Tony." Steve begun, "Said the kid has a number of fractured bones and lacerations both large and small, but get this: all the muscles in his body had been torn – shredded."

"All of them?"

"Yep."

"How is that even possible?"

Steve shrugged as he sipped at his coffee, "Your guess is as good as mine. I'm surprised you didn't get a chance to fight that monster."

The thought of having the muscles in one's body ripped to shreds did not sound interesting. "I had actually considered coming to you guys to see what had happened." Robert replied before uncrossing his arms, "But I figured that everything would be fine in my absence."

"Everything should've been fine. It's just," Steve released a sigh, "Nothing; I'm glad it's all be squared away with Jessica, to be honest."

"Same. It's kind of hard to imagine the thought of a suicidal Spider-Woman, but not many people are unfortunate enough to unintentionally kill off Captain America, right?"

Steve mumbled into his cup, "You're beginning to sound just like her."

Robert felt a smile tugging on his lips before turning away, "Well, I had better head up to the Watchtower. I need to check in on Lindy; didn't get a wink of sleep last night."

"And you don't look tired at all. I don't say this often, but I think I'm just a little –" The man ducked into a crouch behind the island inside of the kitchen, a silver P99 in hand as the window nearest him had exploded, showering the entire area in supposedly indestructible glass.

Tony is going to want to have a word with the glass manufacturers.

"Robert! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine! It's just. . ." Robert trailed off, unable to properly explain the situation.

Steve furrowed his brows and peered from behind his cover, the grip on his gun loosening as he stared at the cause for his ruined coffee and stained pants, his face clearly expressing confusion.

The other members of the Avengers tore into the room in quick fashion, some more prepared for a skirmish than others, but upon noticing the commotion Tony felt his eye twitch, "Oh, I'm getting a refund for this!"

Lucas quirked an eyebrow, "Who the hell are these kids?"

"Heck if I know," Jessica muttered, "They look as though they crawled out of a gutter." She commented as he observed the blood and grime on their clothes, but mostly the grime.

"Or a meat grinder." Peter added.

Trunks and Goten observed all of the grown-ups in the room before looking at one another. The heir of Capsule Corp. pulled his friend in close and whispered in his ear, "Idiot. I thought you said this was where Gohan was?"

"It is!" Goten whispered loudly in indignation, "He's here; I'm sure of it!"

"Then why the heck are we standing in front of all these old people?!"

"I don't know!"

"They're speaking Japanese." Robert blinked, confused.

"The roided-out kid on TV was speaking Japanese too." Peter hummed, "Coincidence?"

Tony crossed his arms over his chest, "Weirdest thing. I had managed to save a voice file of that strange kid from yesterday, and these two are an exact match."

"Wait, wait. You're saying that these two kids right here, and the kid we saw on the new yesterday are the same people?" Lucas asked, his tone laced with skepticism.

"I know it sounds weird – "

"Weird? This sounds more than weird. This is straight up the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," The man interrupted as he observed the two children, "How could they – two people, be one person that doesn't even look like them?"

Tony considered the information and shrugged, "Could it be that they're – wha, hey!" He called out, annoyed as the children ran past him upstairs and into the back rooms, "Get back here, you two! And don't break anything!"

Crash.

"God damn it!"

Trunks and Goten crashed into the room where they felt Gohan's energy signature resonate the strongest, and felt themselves brighten as they saw him lying in bed, "Gohan!"

Gohan stirred in his sleep at the sound of loud banging, but it was a garbled shout that sounded eerily similar to his younger brothers, and their energy signatures that brought him out of the dark and blackened depths of his unconscious. The teenager opened his eyes and instinctively removed the breathing apparatus from his face as he sat up with some notable effort, "Goten? Trunks? What are you guys doing her- eeeergh!?"

Steve's eyes widened as he heard the scream that echoed through the halls, "That must've been the kid Robert fished out of the ocean? What are they doing to him?"

"I don't know; assassination attempt?" Jessica offered. The suggestion placed an uneasy lull over the already tense situation.

"Man, they're fast. So, it hasn't even been a good three days and we've already been dealing with a jailbreak, abolishing slave labor for Neanderthals, a giant bug monster who suddenly disappeared overnight, a big-wigged kid who disappeared in the same night, and little kiddy assassins as an Avenger? You guys do this all the time?"

"Yep." Tony couldn't fight the smirk that appeared, "And this could be considered a slow week."

"Oh boy. . ." Peter exhaled.

They burst into the room and paused, finding the children sitting on the bandaged chest of the teenager that had been found beaten and unconscious last night. But instead of any attempts at his life, the children were simply laughing gleefully while they jumped on top of him.

It might as well have been an assassination attempt; the teenager seemed to be in immense pain, though it wasn't surprising as to why.

"G-Goten! Trunks! G-get off of me!"

The two paused from their glomping and got off of their older brother with varying looks of embarrassment and sadness, though the later was fabricated. "Sorry." They both replied at once.

Gohan breathed weakly and held his chest, "Jeez guys. Y-you can't do that; I'm in a lot of pain here!"

"But it's okay now, Nii-chan!" Goten grinned brightly and held his hand up, "Look at what I've found!"

Peter leaned to the group with his eyes still stuck on the trio, "I'm pretty sure that kid is giving him a bean."

"Tell me something I don't know." Jessica replied.

Gohan sat up, and though while he winced from the action, he couldn't exactly hide his excitement, "A Senzu bean? How did you –? Never mind. Thanks for this, Goten." The teenager snapped the vegetable in half with practice and popped a piece into his mouth, his eyes widening and his muscles briefly expanding to the point where the bandages wrapped around his body tore apart.

". . .Did you know the bean could do that?"

Jessica gave him a look but ultimately turned away, "No."

Gohan swept his legs over the bed and stood up, sighing pleasurably. The soreness was still there, but it was more of a pleasurable one than the other, where it made him wonder if he was being carted off into the next life. "Man~ I feel great!" He turned to his wards and smiled as he ruffled their hair, "You two okay?"

"We kinda ditched a hospital on the way here." Trunks shrugged, "But other than that, no problems."

Goten grinned, "Everyone in the hospital speaks English, Nii-chan!"

"English?" Gohan blinked. Of course, he had mastered the language, as he had so many others, but it did come off a slightly surprising. While they were still homeschooled, Trunks and Goten never had to deal with language barriers, so he could see how strange things must be for them.

Trunks fidgeted and turned around, scowling as he stared at the people who were gathered at the door, "You know these people, Gohan?"

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck. They must also speak English as well. "Erm, no, actually. Just wait here and give me a second to have a chat with them." He cleared his throat and took two steps forward, "You must be the ones who brought me here to recover; thank you very much."

Steve – like the others, were stupefied by the situation and how unwelcome they felt in spite of it all, but soon recovered, having grasped the teen's hand in a firm shake, "You're very welcome, but I doubt anything we did for you could have amounted to much in comparison of that bean you ate."

Bean? "O-oh, right! The bean!" Gohan laughed goofily.

The engineered super-soldier didn't know why he was laughing, but his smile was contagious. "My name is Steve – Steve Rogers, and these are my friends. . ."

"Hi."

"Hello."

"Sup?"

"It's a pleasure."

"Howdy."

Gohan smiled pleasantly. It seemed things were going along smoothly, "My name is Gohan, and these are my little brothers; Goten and Trunks." As soon as they heard their names, the little boys bowed respectfully, though it was done as not to earn Gohan's ire, rather than to be respectful.

"So that's Gohan, huh?" Peter asked in a drawn out manner while his hand was extended, and in it went a crisp five dollar bill, courtesy of one Lucas Cage.

"Nice to meet you, Gohan, do you think you could –" The man fell silent and so did everyone else as they caught wind what appeared to be a massive roar. They looked around cautiously until it roared again, the sound directing them toward his stomach.

Gohan laughed, a faint rosy hue blooming on his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his head, "Um, I'd love to answer any questions you might have, but do you think we can get something to eat first?"

•••

The kitchen was soon filled with the sounds of clattering dishes and monsters filling their gullets, only it wasn't monsters eating, just some half-Saiyans.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to this. . ." Peter muttered, his tone filled with complete, mind-blowing astonishment.

"I think I may never sleep again." Jessica added.

Steve didn't seem all that fazed by their eating habits as he was drinking from a nice cup of coffee with a new pair of pants, but it was strange that a couple of kids and their older brother –a group of three who couldn't possibly weigh more than three hundred pounds combined were eating at a speed incomprehensible and with an appetite befitting an entire squadron of men.

Make that a battalion.

Jarvis did seem to be rather accommodating toward their dietary needs, even if the aged butler was beginning to feel challenged to the point where he had brought in a dozen or so private caterers.

Tony stalked back into the kitchen and gave the three a deadpanning look, "I've been away for nearly half an hour and they're still at it? What does this make it? Seventh? Eighth plate?"

"Seventy-second. . ." The group answered in unison, with varying amounts of skepticism, disbelief and nausea.

"And that's not even counting for the other two." Lucas muttered as he couldn't help but watch.

Gohan pulled up from his plate and smiled awkwardly. Though he ate with the most manners out of the three, he could understand how disconcerting the sight must be for people not yet accustomed to it, "Sorry about this; we're kind of known for our terrible appetites. We got it from our fathers."

"Fathers?"

"Oh, right, Trunks here," The child in question clearly didn't care for their conversation, as he was too busy stuffing his face to be concerned with a language that didn't even make sense to him, "He's not really my brother, but I often consider him as such seeing as our families are so close."

Tony hummed in thought; a diet such as that could be a dangerous thing to maintain, that was definitely something to take note of. "Dangerously fast metabolism huh? Must be a pain. Well, since we're all here, would you mind answering a few questions?"

"Not at all." Gohan smiled as he leaned back in his head, offering a quick muttering of appreciation to the cooks who served him. It was hard to believe that he would feel so content after a quick bath, a change into some clothes – consisting of a black shirt and sweatpants, and multiple, multiple, hot meals. "So, what do you want to know?"

"I think you might have some clue." Steven hinted.

Gohan nodded as he picked up an apple and tore it in half before handing the halves to the children, "Ah, I see. Well it's a long story."

"Try and make it short and sweet. We'll fill in the blanks." Tony riposted.

"Huh, okay. Well my city was attacked my an ancient monster summoned by the last member of a group of alien cultists called the Kashvar – who wanted to 'cleanse' the entire Universe with said monster."

"Do you happen to know the monster's name, by any chance?"

"Yeah. Hirudegarn."

Peter nodded slowly, "I see." He held his hand out and collected another five-dollar bill from Lucas, who appeared to be grumbling in annoyance.

"Don't mind them," Steve interjected, "Please continue."

"Where was I?" Gohan asked himself and snapped his fingers, "So we were fighting the monster –"

"Just wanna clear something up real quick, but where is the other member of your little demon-slaying gang? This, 'Gotenks'?" Lucas soon found himself uncaring about his consecutive losses in two bets, his interest now being shown in the teenager's story.

"Gotenks? Oh, he's right here."

"Where?"

"Here." Gohan gestured to the children eating all of the fruit from the fruit basket, "Goten and Trunks; they're Gotenks."

Jessica looked in between the two, and toward Tony, whose face was wrought in surprise, "You all right, Tony? You have a strange look on your face."

"No, no I'm fine, it's just. . ." He rubbed his chin, "Huh, I didn't see that coming."

"What?" Gohan blinked, confused.

"I has assumed that they were somehow Gotenks based on an audio file I saved, but I'm surprised to see the theory actually confirmed." To be honest, he still would like to see it for himself someday. It's definitely an interesting power to have.

Trunks chewed his banana slowly while giving the Avengers a look which was basically standard for a kid that didn't like them, "What're they talking about?" He asked as he offered Gohan a banana.

Gohan took the fruit and unpeeled it with one hand motion, "They wanted to know about Gotenks."

"Nii-chan says that we're probably the second strongest in the Universe behind him!" Goten spoke with unbridled exuberance that brought smiles to most – if not all of their faces.

"Not like it matters." Trunks smirked, "We're definitely stronger than you, and we don't even have to fuse."

Steve smiled pleasantly at what he believed was standard jargon for children, "What are they saying?"

"U-um," Gohan balked, "T-they said that they appreciate the food you've prepared for them."

Jarvis smiled and turned from the glass he was sweeping from the floor, "It was my pleasure."

"That's funny," The group turned toward the figure positioned neatly in the shadows. Logan appeared with a menacing scowl that seemed natural and was drinking from a large bottle of apple juice, "I could've sworn those kids said that they're far stronger than all of us."

"Did they?" Peter asked, incredulous before turning back to Logan, "Did they?"

"Uh-huh, and that ain't even the best part," The man wiped some juice form his mouth with his hand, "Apparently they're the strongest in the Universe behind their brother when fused, whatever the hell that means."

Gohan grew pale, "Ah, s-so you understand Japanese?"

Logan burped, "Yep."

"G-good to know."

Tony crossed his arms over his metal chest, "Tell us the truth. Are they telling the truth?" The man knew it was the words of some kids, but there was something oddly prodding his conscious on the matter. And this was one of the reasons why he never bothered to get married; the silver-haired kid was probably reason enough.

Kids.

"I-I'm not sure to be honest," Gohan shrugged, "Maybe?"

The room grew silent, and Steve held up his hand, "Perhaps you should finish your story."

Gohan gulped and nodded, far more nervous from all the strange looks he was receiving rather than fear for any bodily harm, "Right. I had the them fuse in order to fight he beast –"

"So young? How old are they?" Jessica asked.

"Eight and nine." Gohan answered, surprising the group as he pointed to Goten and Trunks respectively, "It seemed like a good idea at first, so they could get some experience from the battle, but things had soon began making a turn for the worse. Where it seemed as though Gotenks had defeated it, Hirudegarn had evolved to an even stronger form. It was this form you probably saw in the city."

"How did it get here?"

"When I begun to fight it, I had weakened it to the point where it begun to fear for its safety and tried to flee to another planet through a portal. We followed it here."

Steve rubbed his chin in thought, "And how did you defeat it?"

"I-I couldn't really," Gohan admitted as he rubbed the back of his head, "I realized it couldn't be killed so I had to seal it inside of a jar." [3]

Robert raised an eyebrow, "It would have to be the same jar I had found with him."

The group looked over to Logan and he sniffed, "It don't smell like he's lying."

"His heart rate and brainwaves are in the norm." Tony observed as he scanned the teenager, "So why would you seal it inside of a jar?"

"I had no choice really; it was either I do that or fight a battle I would have lost eventually."

"Smart move." Lucas agreed.

"Please," Gohan begun, his voice very urgent, "Do you know where it is?"

"It's...in the cupboard actually," Peter begun awkwardly, "We actually thought it was a jar of preservatives, though the fancy Japanese symbols and faint roaring did have me wonder if its past its expiration date."

Gohan sighed in relief and slumped against his seat. If it had gotten out of his sight, he wouldn't know what to do, and he wouldn't enjoy the thought of having all of his energy drained a third time, or fighting Hirudegarn again.

Steve placed down his mug and smiled at the teenager, "Well I for one appreciate your dedication into stopping this beast in our absence, Gohan. It could have been too easy for anyone to just dump it here and be on their way."

"Oh, oh no, I couldn't possibly do that; my mother would kill me!" Gohan scratched his cheek, bringing forth a small laugh from a small few.

"No need to sell yourself short," Tony waved him off, "Amazingly enough, you kept property damage and casualties down to an absolute minimum, which is surprising considering you were up against a hundred-something foot monster and coming out of it looking the way you did afterward. You know what you're doing."

"Well, I have been doing it since I was four," Gohan admitted, "And my father always said to make sure that I had to focus on the safety of others before all else."

"Sounds like a good man." Steve said, intentionally not bothering to enquire about what the teenager had just said about his age. Was he really being serious? Fighting monsters similar to that beast at the ripe young age of four? "And we're indebted to you, it goes without saying. If there's anything we can help you with, don't hesitate to ask."

Gohan was pleased to have met this man; he reminded him of his father. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble then, would you guys mind helping us get home then?"

The group looked amongst one another, "I'd have to put in a word with Richards, but it shouldn't be that much of a problem considering what you did for us. Where do you live?"

"Earth."

"Oh boy." Logan muttered.

Tony blinked once, twice and then looked to Steve, whose eyebrows were raised slightly, as if to express surprise, "You're from Earth?"

"Yes."

"Gohan, I don't know how to explain this to you," Steve began, "But this is Earth. You're on it."

The teenager felt all the blood in his body run cold. Looking at his hands, which were beginning to shake slightly, he turned to Goten and Trunks, who were looking at him quizzically, "What's the matter, Gohan?"

"Yeah, you look as if you've seen a ghost, Nii-chan!"

"It's nothing. Do me a favor and head upstairs; I need to talk to these guys privately, okay?"

Goten looked at everyone before pouting suspiciously, "Are you being bullied, Nii-chan?"

Logan snorted. Gohan simply smiled, "No, everything's fine. Just give me a moment, alright?"

"C'mon Goten; let's give them their space. Hopefully the sooner he talks to them to sooner we get back home." Trunks muttered as he strode upstairs with his best friend with his arms crossed over his chest.

As soon as he felt them a good distance away, he picked his head up off the table, "...Are you serious? Is this really Earth?"

"Unless there's another we know nothing about," Tony made a face that was apologetic on its own, "I hate to break it to you, but this is Earth."

"So this isn't West City?"

"Try New York City." Peter offered.

Gohan blinked idly, "N-New York City?"

"Y'know? The Big Apple? Five boroughs?"

"I'm sorry," Gohan rested his face in the palm of his hand and tried to rub the tension out of his skull, "I don't know what any of those things are."

Jessica came forward and place a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry about it. At least you and your brothers are all right."

Gohan sighed and nodded, a small smile that left his face as soon as it came. "You're right, but what am I supposed to do? How do I even get back to my Earth?"

"Unfortunately we're not too well-versed in trans-dimensional travel." Tony explained, "And there're most likely an infinite number of universes; we'd be lucky to get you back to your own, even if we knew how to travel."

"T-that's just incredible." If he didn't feel despair clutch his heart before, Gohan sighed and rested his face in both of his hands, "We're stuck here, and I know next to nothing about this place."

"How hard could adapting to this life be? It's still Earth." Jessica shrugged, "You're already bilingual – which is more than can be said for most of the people in this room."

"I-I actually know thirteen languages. . ."

'Showoff.'

Jessica smiled brightly, "Even better."

"I apologize for the interruption." Jarvis cleared his throat and stood in the doorway before moving to the left, "I present to you all, Ms. Carol Danvers."

Steve smirked, "Carol Danvers."

"Hey, girl." Lucas offered her a wave.

Tony turned to the right, "Is everything okay?" The last he heard was that she had business across the country, so this would naturally be the first thing to come out his mouth.

"No, everything's fine. I just wanted to come and check out the festivities, if that's okay."

"Of course." Steve smiled, "It's nice to see you again."

Carol smiled in earnest but soon found herself staring at a teenager, who was staring back at her with peculiar, wholly black eyes. It was weird considering the entire Avenger team had their guards let down around him, when she herself didn't even know him, "Who is this?"

"I'm –"

"Gohan," Tony interjected, ignoring the look he was receiving from the half-Saiyan. "He's going to be staying here for awhile. Bit of a long story, his history."

"Ah, okay; I suppose I wouldn't mind listening to it later. Cap, mind if I have a word with you?"

Steve clapped his hand on Gohan's shoulder and offered him a reassuring nod before placing a comforting hand on Carol's shoulder as he begun to direct her toward an empty room, "Absolutely. How long do we have, Tony?"

"An hour. There's things for me to go over with the team, and our guest."

Gohan swallowed as he stared after the woman but soon snapped out of it when he saw Tony approach him with a strange look, "Impressive, hm?"

"What? I-I don't know what you're talking about." He couldn't believe he let his eyes wander like that, but whatever she was wearing was unlike anything he had ever seen. Why was she wearing that for example?

"Sure you don't, but let's leave that alone for a moment. It looks like –"

And why was Tony wearing this strange body armor? "Did you really mean that? I'm going to be staying here?"

Tony shrugged, "It's not like I don't have room. I actually have plenty of it – more room than I know what to do with, really, but that's besides the point; there's no point kicking you out of here when you've become so important."

"I have?" Gohan tilted his head.

"Yes," Tony clasped his iron hand over his shoulder and gave him a firm grip, "You have. Tell me Gohan, how would you like to become an Avenger?"

---

Author's Note: Well, this is it, I suppose. You might have realized by now that my other stories are gone, but I realized that I'd written them terribly. They were terribad.

I am in the process of re-writing both Limitless and Bleach; the Ultimate Hero story is being scrapped for this one, which I'll be focusing primarily on. With the buzz I have going on right now, you should see an update sometime next month.

There are other stories I'm crossing over with DBZ, such as Date A Live, Hyperdimension Neptunia, and Sekirei, but if there's something really interesting that I haven't considered, let me know via review or PM.

[1] I had always figured that Gohan's Ultimate transformation was similar to his SSJ2 one, so I decided to have it alter his hair in the same form. For the story, and for most of my other stories, Gohan's hair will resemble his Cell Games' hairstyle - usually the short one if not the one with the mullet. If you must know why I'm doing this is because, I just hate the hair he had in the Buu Saga; it was confusing as hell, and made no sense.

[2] World King Fist ~ Kaio-ken, if you don't know already. You probably do.

[3] This pretty much pertains to the movie, where it pretty much had Hirudegarn smack around everyone until Goku came out of nowhere with his Super Dragon Fist. I figured, eh, why not change it up? I still consider Hirudegarn to be ridiculously powerful, so I had him sealed inside a jar of preservatives, using the Mafuba.

It is with this that I would really like to thank Guest Reviewer Veller; honestly, I had forgotten about the technique and I really disliked how the fight [if you would call it that] ended. So then, much love and god damn you for this edit. But still, thank you.

Oh, and what do you think Gohan's hero-name should be? Great Saiyaman? Or something else? Yes, Gohan is a badass, but only in terms of fighting. As a socialite he's as incompetent as can be, and a terrible liar. Perhaps things will change if his previously repressed Saiyan side appears once again, but that may never happen.

Until next time.