Ascension, Part 1

by edgarmash79

Peace had once again returned to the multiverse after the events of Dragonball Z. Goku is eagerly awaiting a new Martial Arts Tournament to enter his new protégé, Uub, whom he had spent the past six years training with. Little does he know that there is a growing threat from Universe 11 that may become a threat to the whole multiverse.

1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

The following is a work of fan fiction. Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT, and Dragonball Super are all owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Shueisha, and Akira Toriyama.

Please support the official release.

DRAGONBALL SUPER: ASCENSION, PART 1

Prologue: New beginnings.

Age 780…

The Grand Minister stood alone on his floating platform. He toured the ruined fighting stage, one half completely obliterated save a few chunks of Kachi Kachin floating around the backdrop of the Null realm.

Kachi Kachin, the strongest material in all of creation, was still able to take a large degree of damage from the three Destroyers who chose to test out the stage. He felt that the material could be reinforced somewhat and make it more durable and set the three to work to patch up the stage before the participating universes would arrive.

He was satisfied that the stage held out long enough during the length of the Tournament of Power, yet he was impressed at the strength these mortals displayed that managed to damage the ring to this extent. His content look was equal parts satisfied with the fact the stage wasn't destroyed entirely and that the Omni Kings were overjoyed at the entertainment they had witnessed.

The two could be heard in the background, voicing their thoughts with their guards, while the exempt universes: 1, 5, 8, and 12 were deep in a thoughtful discussion about what they had witnessed themselves.

When the Grand Minister floated over to the stands to greet the Destroyers and their Supreme Kais, the Destroyers all stood up and bowed gracefully at him.

"On behalf of the four universes that have been exempt by his excellency, I extend my gratitude to you and to the Omni Kings for such a grand display of showmanship, combat, and spirit from the eight participating universes."

"Thank you for your kind words, Lord Iwen," the Grand Minister said with a smile. He brought his hands from behind his back and placed one hand on top of the other.

"Let us hope that this provides the needed motivation for those universes to improve their mortal rating," he followed and both Destroyers and Kais nodded in agreement.

"I'll say," Lord Geene of Universe 12 piped in. "It'll give ol' Beerus a kick in the pants to behave himself and not laze around so much next time. I can't say the same for that pipsqueak of a Supreme Kai though."

"Universe Seven's act of compassion should also remind you four why your mortal ratings are as high as they are," the Minister reminded them and Lord Geene's expression changed. He averted his gaze from the Grand Minister and coughed, shifting his attention to his Supreme Kai and his attendant, giving them a nod.

"By your leave, sir, we will depart for our universe and continue our work. Thank you once again for the invitation and hospitality," Geene said and stood beside his attendant, Martine and his Supreme Kai, Ag. The Grand Minister used his power to teleport them back to their own universe.

Liquir, the Destroyer of the 8th universe, puzzled over the destruction of the fighting stage. His pensive look seemed to always amuse Arack, the 5th universe's Destroyer and he crossed his arms, giving Liquir a nudge on his side with an elbow.

"Impressive that mortals have the strength to damage Kachi Kachin to this extent, huh?" Arack quipped and Liquir grinned.

"Makes me wonder now if our own universes have warriors as gifted as the ones we've seen here earlier," he said.

"The possibility is there," the Grand Minister piped in and both Destroyers nodded.
"I can have Ogma look into it when we return," Arack said, glancing at his Supreme Kai. Ogma was slightly taken aback from Arack's statement but he got the gist of the Destroyer's statement.

A thought had crossed Arack's mind and it seemed to resonate with Liquir and Iwen as well.

"Son Goku. He's quite the interesting fighter," Arack said.

"Indeed. He's the first mortal to have achieved Ultra Instinct," Iwen said and the three Destroyers agreed.

Iwen pictured the intense fight between Goku and Jiren the Gray, remembering every detail, every movement, every blow, and every ounce of energy put out by the two that shook the null realm. His smile was concealed beneath all that black hair that no one really noticed. He crossed his arms and pondered this new development a bit further. There was only one moment that made him think how dangerous this state of being is and it was when Goku's limit breaking energy overwhelmed him and nearly killed him. He had been in a state he never used before, untrained and unknown. This was something he needed to investigate with his attendant, Awamo and his Supreme Kai, Anat.

"Iwen's off in his own world again," Arack stated and it got a chuckle out of Liquir. Universes 5 and 8's Destroyers occasionally enjoyed exchanging barbs of a humorous nature whenever they met. It reminded Liquir of a joke Arack told him about Lord Quitela and a type of cheese and he chuckled a bit under his breath. When it got the attention of Arack and the Grand Minister, he quickly composed himself and they turned to Iwen to see if he has something to say.

"You seem more fascinated about Goku's fighting ability than we are, Iwen," Arack said and Iwen sighed, nodding slowly.

"I think that with proper training, I can help Son Goku make good use out of Ultra Instinct," Iwen said and the tips of Liquir's tails began to twitch. His ears began to twitch as well, and the corners of his mouth contorted to a snarl. His tails would twitch whenever he would hear something that either piqued his interest or made him feel uneasy. His ears would only twitch when something began to aggravate him and push him to destroy the nuisance.

"I dread to think of what kind of threat a warrior like that would have if he mastered Ultra Instinct. I like to think that only us Destroyers should control how hostile fighters can get and destroy those that become too much to handle." Iwen laughed a bit at what Liquir said and Liquir's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Your laugh is insulting my intelligence, Iwen. Watch it," Liquir threatened but Iwen shrugged his shoulders.

"I wouldn't worry too much about Son Goku. He's a kindly soul who from the looks of it only cares about fighting. A mortal like him with that kind of power would make our jobs a little less stressful," Iwen said and Liquir pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Are you seriously implying you train him to undergo the trials?" Liquir asked and even Arack's eyes grew bigger at the notion. Iwen nodded, arms crossed.

"I believe Son Goku is an ideal candidate. When the time comes, I will summon Whis to bring him to me and I will train him properly to handle the trials when he's ready."

Iwen commands the harshest training regimen which even most of the Destroyers vowed never to suffer through again. Iwen can count on one hand the number of mortals who were strong enough to survive his training regimen.

"I don't know much about Son Goku, but if you want to train him, we'll pray for his survival," Arack said, smiling but Iwen's own smile stopped it quickly.

"You still haven't done any of my training, Arack," Iwen stated and Arack gulped. "You're still welcome to try it out for yourself."

"I'll pass, thanks. Ogma, Cukatail, time to go," Arack said as he walked over to his Supreme Kai and his attendant. Moments later the Grand Minister sent them back to their universe.

Iwen couldn't help but laugh out loud and Liquir's tails and ears twitched even more, vibrating violently. He even felt his right eye begin to twitch and he growled under his breath. That damn training regimen. I'll never forgive him for that.

"I'll be taking my leave as well, Grand Minister. Iwen, don't go and break that mortal. I'm curious as to whether he'll be able to make it through."

After Liquir left with his Kai and attendant, the Grand Minister hovered in front of him, hands behind his back.

"Is there a deeper significance to this desire you have, Lord Iwen?" the Grand Minister asked.

"The trials and tribulations of the Seventh Universe have been well documented in the grand archive, your eminence. The books recording Namekian prophecy have become more active recently." The Grand Minister put a hand to his chin and poured over this statement, then lowered his hand inquisitively.

"Do you feel that Whis's actions in reviving Freeza at Lord Beerus's request was a mistake on their part?" he asked.

Iwen shook his head. "Oh no, it has nothing to do with Freeza. What happened during their time years ago influenced their mortal rating, but I feel that they're due for an era of peaceful time on their planet and the universe. I'm confident that their mortal rating should reach a satisfactory level soon."

"Yet you are still pre-occupied with something," the Grand Minister said and Iwen nodded. His strange eyes were staring down at the ruined fighting stage and for a few moments he remembered all the battles that were fought on that stage. He tried not to let himself be distracted by all this and he gave a pensive sigh.

"This Tournament of Power has shown me that mortals are steadily growing in strength. The archives have been working furiously to update their books with these new developments and I wonder if this is building up to something too big to ignore." The Grand Minister gave a thoughtful hum from his throat at the statement and put a hand back on his chin.

"Are you concerned this may dwarf the actions that took place involving Gowasu's rogue apprentice?" the Grand Minister asked and Iwen leaned forward. Anat, his Supreme Kai and his attendant, Awamo were in the background enjoying a friendly chat with the Omni Kings, their joyful sounds could be heard from the two. Yet their joyful tone was eclipsed by the seriousness of what Iwen and the Grand Minister were pondering.

"If you are referring to the abuse of time and space, then no. However, I do feel we are drawing closer to a calamity that could threaten the multiverse. Whether this entails the erasure of all of us at the hands of the Omni Kings or it will be dealt with somehow, this calamity might very well happen soon. However, we won't know what it will be until it manifests itself."

"What counsel do you seek then, Lord Iwen?" the Grand Minister asked.

"No counsel, your eminence. This does not arouse my concern enough to warrant action from yourself and the Omni Kings. I pray it never comes to that."

"Very well then. I do believe we should wrap things up here and bring you back to your universe so you can resume your work." The Grand Minister said and Iwen nodded.

"Anat! Awamo! To me!" Iwen cried out and both his Supreme Kai and his attendant made their farewells with the Omni Kings and bowed one last time before they joined Iwen.

"I've never seen the Omni Kings this content in ages," Awamo said in passing as he walked with Anat back to Iwen. He had a huge smile on his face that was almost echoed by Anat.

"Indeed. This Tournament of Power was exactly what our highnesses needed." Anat said and when they reached Iwen, they saw that his expression wasn't as joyous.

"Lord Iwen, is something the matter?" Anat asked and Iwen waved him off in protest.

"An old fool's intuition, pay it no mind."

"As you wish," Anat said and he exchanged a glance with Awamo. A thought did cross Iwen's mind before the Grand Minister sent them back to their universe. I would hope for all our sakes that the Grand Zenos don't grow too attached to Son Goku.

Lord Belmod's world…

While the Destroyers were socializing in the Null realm, Lord Belmod unleashed his fury out on his own home world.

His universe lost. It was incomprehensible to him. He lost. Jiren had lost.

Jiren the Gray, the one rumored to be the only mortal in his universe a Destroyer could not defeat in battle, lost and was eliminated from the tournament stage.

Belmod had a great deal of pride in Gicchin's prized pupil. A champion of justice whose strength was immeasurable.

He had the utmost faith in his Pride Troopers, led by Toppo. They were going to take part in this Tournament of Power and prove to the Omni Kings that universe 11 was the universe that would win and survive. They vowed that after this tournament, they would work even harder to raise their mortal rating to satisfactory levels.

But each time a Pride Trooper was eliminated from the stage, it stung. He felt their losses as though they were his own.

This was his Tournament to lose and nothing, absolutely nothing, would take that victory from him.

But that damn Son Goku, that persistent Saiyan, achieved the impossible and managed to fight equally with Jiren.

Every blow Goku dealt to Jiren, Belmod felt it too. Every moment that his universe wasn't gaining the upper hand and winning, he hated it.

He hated this feeling of loss. Although he had to accept that his universe was going to be erased by the Omni Kings, he couldn't imagine what not existing felt like.

When they were all brought back by the Super Dragonballs, he reappeared back home, surrounded by his harem of servant girls and Cae, his Supreme Kai. Cae could tell how defeated Belmod looked and decided to leave him alone and teleported back to his own world for now.

Marcarita eventually returned after the wish had been made, and she came back to greet Belmod, who was sitting on his sofa, leaning forward with both tufts of his orange hair in his hands.

A purple aura began to envelop Belmod and he stood up. He raised his hand at a statue in the corner, a sculpture of a woman clothed in a simple silk garment. He knew it was always there as he walked by during his lifetime. Energy pulsed from his hand and the statue dissipated into purple particles that floated aimlessly into the air before they disappeared completely.

He started destroying other statues along the wall, sculptures of people, animals, landmarks, whatever he could see in front of him.

This didn't feel satisfying somehow. His rage hadn't subsided. He was so angry that he was almost bored just destroying things. He wanted to feel this anger, he wanted to see this anger cut loose and wreck things without destroying them. His universe lost when it shouldn't have, it lost when he had every single moment of victory available to him.

He picked up a heavy object, a complex looking sculpture that looked like a large bear, but the way it was sculpted made it nearly indistinguishable.

Holding it in the air, he screamed and launched it against the wall. The statues were made from a similar material to that of Kachin but malleable enough that a chisel could still work on it. This frightened the poor harem girls that they all huddled against each other in the far corner of the chamber, as far away from Belmod as possible.

Smashing statues, tearing apart paintings, throwing furniture, they felt more satisfying to Belmod. He could easily have these fixed up shortly after he had calmed down, so he could break them again. But for now, he wanted to destroy these artifacts without erasing them. When he picked up a unique looking statue that stood nearly 10 feet tall, it drew the attention of Marcarita, who had been calm up until now.

"Um, Lord Belmod, that statue's over a million and a half years old. Are you sure you want to break that?"

Belmod paused. He looked at the large statue and could see for the first time how intricate the details were put into this. Whoever did this was a genius in their craft. This must have existed when the previous Destroyer had reigned. He set the statue down slowly and looked up at the face. It was a warrior who lived ages ago, likely a champion of this universe during the former's rule.

His anger had left him now, and all he could do was breath out a heavy sigh. He kept looking up at the statue.

"Marcarita, return the girls to their planet. I won't be needing them anymore," Belmod said, his back was still to them as he spoke.

Marcarita didn't say anything and walked over to the harem, taking them with her as she left in a flash of prismatic light.

Belmod walked back to the sofa and slouched back down, letting his body go limp. He spotted a broken shard of one of the statues he smashed against the wall, amazed that it had flew all the way to the sofa. He picked it up, looked at it, but just as quickly threw it away. He put his hands to his face as Marcarita came back and she casually made her way to the sofa to sit down beside him.

"I haven't been a Destroyer for that long, have I?" Belmod said through his hands.

"It hasn't been two hundred and fifty thousand years yet, my Lord," Marcarita replied and Belmod sat up to lean on his lap with his arms. He glanced down at his hands, closing them and opening them up a few times before he gave his attendant a sideways glance.

"It's pathetic, really. I've only been a Destroyer for such a short time, yet I feel like I've lived for eons." Marcarita wore her best smile, but even that was hard for her to conceal the growing amount of sadness within.

"Is it time, then?" she asked. Belmod looked at her for a moment, not saying a word. He stood up and walked towards an archway that led to a large bathroom. He stopped short of going in and leaned an arm against the opening.

"Go get Toppo," Belmod said and Marcarita nodded. She stood up and tapped her staff on the floor and left the room.

Socializing on Netfiss…

Toppo, Dyspo, and Kahseral were sitting at a table. A few drinks were served to them along with a heaping plate of seafood. They raised their glasses in the air.

"To the Pride Troopers!" said Toppo.

"To Justice!" said Dyspo and the three brought their glasses together, an audible tink sound could be heard from a few tables around them. Dyspo and Toppo downed their drinks but Kahseral just sat there, looking at his glass for a moment before he took his drink. While Dyspo was the most cheerful of the three, Kahseral seemed out of it.

"Why the long face? We should be celebrating!" Dyspo quipped but Kahseral didn't say anything.

"Kahseral?" Toppo piped in and Kahseral snapped out of it, glancing at him. Toppo's reptilian-like eyes gazed pensively at Kahseral, wearing a small grin behind his large imposing moustache.

"Sorry, I'm still coming to terms with the fact we ceased to exist and yet we're back here on Netfiss," Kahseral said and Dyspo was slightly taken aback from the statement. He didn't want to think about that moment of non-existence. Eternity can feel like a fraction of a moment when you don't exist, when nothing else is left of your universe. A shiver ran down Dyspo's back and he shook his head.

"Come on, Kahseral, don't make me think with the glass half empty. That Tournament of Power with all those fighters was one of the best times I've ever had in my life."

"Agreed," said Toppo, signaling the waiter for another glass of a mixed drink. Netfiss had similar versions of alcohol as those you would typically find at a bar in Universe 7, so it came as no surprise that there are multiple universes that had similar features. A bar for people to socialize in was one of the most common sights no matter where you'd be travelling to.

When Toppo got a fresh glass of what looked like scotch with a pair of ice cubes in it, he took a sip and set his glass down, crossing his massive arms as he lounged back in his chair.

"What I take away from this is that we gave it our best effort, as we always had as Pride Troopers. We've shown the other universes what we stood for and why we should not be underestimated. I will always be proud of every one of you for being a part of this great team of fighters for justice."

"Hear hear!" cried Dyspo as he hit the table with the palm of his hand. Dyspo got a fresh glass of gin and downed it quickly, the liquor hitting him quickly in a way that he enjoyed, and he slammed the glass down on the table right as soon as he downed the drink.

"Slow down, Dyspo. Last thing we need is to drag your drunk carcass out of here," Kahseral said and Dyspo laughed. Kahseral could tell that Dyspo's cheeks were getting rosy with his growing state of inebriation and worried that he might be overdoing it.

"I want to have a good time. Besides, we're popular now, right Toppo?" Dyspo said, referring to the fact that earlier in the day after everyone came back from the abyss of nothingness, the Pride Troopers were greeted by thousands of adoring people, cheering them on and congratulating them on a good battle. Toppo was surprised at how many people admired their determination and he was overwhelmed by the number of requests people were making to join the Pride Troopers and fight for justice. That nearly brought a tear to his eye as he felt this Tournament of Power was going to change things for the better. He rested an arm on the table and looked at his comrades with a serious expression.

"The next few days are going to be crucial for all of us. We've become the center of attention and we should consider the fact that people now want to join the Pride Troopers and make this the biggest organization in the universe to preserve justice and to smite evil."

Dyspo gave a couple hard taps on Toppo's shoulder and laughed.

"You're damn right this is going to be huge! We'll have numbers in the hundreds, possibly in the thousands within the next few years that no evil bastard will even want to step foot within a civilized planet unless they want to piss us off!" Dyspo cried out and he was starting to draw looks from the other patrons.

The doors to the bar opened and a couple members of the Pride Troopers, Cocotte and Kettol, walked in. They were still dressed in their red and black spandex uniforms with white gloves and white boots when they walked over to Toppo's table. Kahseral stood up and saluted them, while Dyspo drunkenly waved at them, almost falling out of his chair. Toppo stayed in his chair and nodded at the two as they approached him.

"General Toppo, we bring news of a transfer," Cocotte said.

"Transfer?"

"Tupper and Vuon have requested a transfer to the maximum-security space prison to take over the duties of two guards who are retiring this year. The transfer request was approved earlier today by Warden Kutlerie and awaits final approval from yourself."

"Tch, let that smelly old fart get his own guards," Dyspo said, his speech a little slurred from the amount of alcohol he had been consuming. Cocotte covered her nose due to the smell of alcohol on Dyspo's breath, yet Kettol was fortunate to not notice due to his short stature.

"Pay no mind to Dyspo. I'll approve this request as it will serve as a fine example to the space prison that the assertiveness of the Pride Troopers will keep order within the confines of that facility and ensure that no evil-doer will attempt to escape. The prison will be in good hands with those two involved. Please relay my message to Warden Kutlerie as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir," Cocotte said, saluting him. Kettol saluted as well and the two were about to turn around when a bright flash appeared in front of the Pride Troopers. Dyspo cried out, holding his face as he tumbled back out of his chair and Toppo stood up. Cocotte and Kettol helped Dyspo back into his chair and Kahseral kept standing at attention. When the light diminished, Marcarita stood before them, holding her staff in her left hand.

"Lady Marcarita, it is an honor. We were not expecting you. Did Lord Belmod not accompany you?" Toppo asked. It was very rare to see Marcarita travel solo, and even rarer to see the kind of expression she had on her face, one that Toppo had never seen before.

"Lord Belmod requests your presence at this time, Lord Toppo," she said and Toppo's face sank. He knew that whenever Marcarita addressed him as Lord Toppo, it only meant one thing.

"Hey, what's going on? I can't see," Dyspo said, rubbing his eyes. He held his head and he could feel it pounding as he let out a loud belch. Cocotte rubbed his back and Kettol put his hands together in a pleading gesture.

"Please forgive Dyspo, he's consumed a little too much," he said and Toppo sighed, glancing at Dyspo. He's tried to warn him many times about drinking too much too quickly, but Dyspo dismissed it each time, underestimating the fact that he really was a lightweight when it came to drinking alcohol.

"Allow me," Marcarita said and pointed the tip of her staff at Dyspo. With a flash of light from the sphere at the end of her staff, Dyspo sobered up quickly and shook his head.

"Huh? Wha?" he said and saw Marcarita standing in front of him. He stood up and bowed formally at her.

"My lady, it is an honor to see you at this time!" He said, almost forgetting that he was drunk seconds earlier. Marcarita chuckled a bit but regained her serious tone as she looked up at Toppo.

"It's time, my Lord."

"Time? Time for what?" Dyspo asked and Toppo closed his eyes for a moment. He turned to each one and placed his two large hands on Kahseral and Dyspo's shoulders.

"It has been an honor serving with the both of you these many blessed years. But now is the time that I must bid farewell to my status as leader of the Pride Troopers and take my place as this universe's Destroyer."

The reactions from the four of them were as expected from Toppo, shock and worry.

"Really? So soon?" Kahseral asked.

"Come on, man, you can't be serious about this," Dyspo said, his voice reserved yet calm. "I've always been hesitant about this whole Destroyer training you've been doing but now that it's becoming a reality, I don't know how to feel about this."

"Dyspo, Kahseral, I built the foundation upon which the Pride Troopers has grown, and it has become a powerful unit. I chose my Troopers well, and I know for sure that the both of you will continue in my stead. I appoint you both as co-generals of the Pride Troopers and leave all leadership duties in your capable hands. I am confident that the both of you will lead with example and dignity as I have, and that I encourage you to grow in numbers and bring more people into this organization."

Cocotte couldn't hold back her tears and rushed to give Toppo a big hug. Even Kettol, Kahseral and Dyspo went to hug the big man before they stepped back and saluted him.

"What should we tell Jiren and the others when we see them?" Dyspo asked.

"Tell them good things are coming for Universe Eleven," Toppo said with a smile on his face. He walked over to Marcarita and placed his large hand on his chest.

"Always remember your dedication to the Pride Troopers! For Justice!" Toppo commanded.

"For Justice!" the four replied and both Marcarita and Toppo disappeared in a flash of light.

"Well, you heard the man," Kahseral said and nodded to the other three.

"We've got our work cut out for us. Let us honor Lord Toppo's wishes and make this the best organization ever," said Dyspo. They all saluted each other and Dyspo left money to pay for the drinks before they left the establishment.

The transition…

Marcarita and Toppo arrived in Lord Belmod's chambers. Toppo's eyes widened at the amount of debris from all the destroyed items lying around. Torn paintings, broken sculptures, shattered pots and vases laid strewn about all over the room and he carefully stepped around the broken pieces, but even his big size proved difficult as he felt a shard crack and crumble under his left foot when he took a couple steps forward. He sighed and bowed his head at Lord Belmod.

"You summoned me, Lord Belmod?" Toppo said.

"Yes. It is time, my friend," he replied. Toppo said nothing but gave a small nod of agreement. He could see that this was a difficult decision Belmod had to make, the look of defeat written all over his face meant that he took this loss the hardest.

He and Marcarita noticed that Cae was already there waiting for them. Cae walked over to Toppo and extended his hand and Toppo took it.

"I look forward to working with you and that our new partnership will improve our mortal rating."

"Indeed. I will fulfill my duties as Destroyer and be as dedicated to preserving the integrity of Universe 11 as Lord Belmod has during his tenure," Toppo said and Belmod had a huge smile on his face, eyes closed. He was glad to hear that Toppo was committed to this and that all his training had not been a waste.

"Then let us proceed to the ritual chamber," Marcarita said and led the three to a hallway past the bathroom.

They walked for a while, past many connecting corridors that overlooked other rooms which had contained decorations much like that of Belmod's main harem chamber. The end of the long hallway led to a dark room that was lit by ever burning flames, flames that burned eternally and could never be put out. They burned different colors that matched the pants and mantle of the Destroyer of that universe. The flames flickered and brightened the center of the room, a glyph that resembled the symbol representing that of the 11th universe, a glyph that sort of resembled Belmod's face while upside-down.

The glyph began to glow a light blue color as Marcarita took her position. The glyph was large enough to have four people stand comfortably, but only three were needed to stand within the glyph. Belmod and Toppo took their positions, facing each other, while Cae stood at another point of the glyph to the side, facing Marcarita, with Belmod and Toppo to his left and right respectively.

Marcarita planted her staff in the middle of the glyph and it began to glow brighter as she began to speak the language of the gods:

ezinavlag niaga ecnO, ecnalab dna ynomrah yhT, esira llahs rehtonA, llaf eno dluohS. tneb eb thguan tlahS, noitcurtseD dna noitaerC, dne ot htemoc emit ecnehW nageb emit ecnehW.

The glyph's light shone brilliantly, surrounding the four. The mantle and gauntlets that Belmod had worn faded out of sight. Toppo's outfit and physical stature changed as the dark purple aura of destruction surrounded his body. A mantle of red and black with a white circle in the middle of the front appeared on Toppo's broad shoulders, replacing the suit he had worn earlier. His pants changed to a baggy pair of red pants with a black waste band and black boots on his legs, leaving his bare chest open. His pudgier build morphed into a slenderer yet imposing build as the gut shrank down to a six-pack and his arms and chest became much more ripped and muscular than they used to be. He took this form once before during the Tournament of Power when he was cornered by Universe 7's warriors, forcing him to make a decision to harness his power as Destroyer. Now that the ritual was nearing its conclusion, his stature became more permanent, and his gaze looked more menacing.

An eerie blue sphere of energy that had appeared on Belmod's chest moved itself to Toppo's, matching the blue sphere of energy that was displayed on Cae's chest. It was a representation of the life-link that had been transferred from Belmod to Toppo. So now, should Cae ever die, Toppo would die as well, and vice versa.

"Lord Toppo?" Cae inquired, looking up at him. Toppo shook his head, his bushy moustache waving around.

"Toppo was my name. But now that I've become the Destroyer of this universe, a more suitable name should be given. I had given much thought on this and concluded that Barbon would be that name."

"Lord Barbon," Cae said, looking down pensively. He smiled and nodded. "I like the sound of that."

"I have one last request before I leave this place, Lord Barbon," Belmod, the former Destroyer asked, placing a hand on the large beefy arm of Barbon.

"Of course."

"There's a planet in this universe that is populated by Saiyans, Planet Gardena." Belmod said and Barbon's eyebrows rose.

"Saiyans, like Son Goku and Vegeta?" Barbon asked.

"And like Kale, Caulifla, and Cabba of Universe 6, the very same species." Belmod sneered. "It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if all universes have a version of the Saiyan race that are as barbaric as those two."

"We were so pre-occupied with the Tournament of Power and the events leading up to it that I forgot we had Saiyans in our universe as well. When I went back to my world after the Tournament ended, I investigated the planet I had created long ago and found that the Saiyans weren't the original farmers I designed them to be. They eventually developed into a combat-driven warrior race, likely due to their strength and durability."

Barbon pondered this news for a moment. It seems the inherent nature of the Saiyan race, regardless of the universe they inhabit, is there love of fighting and inflicting violence. This kind of lust for battle was perplexing for Barbon when he fought them in the Tournament. That these evil-doers would exist in the same universe that showed compassion to everyone by wishing them back was a most difficult thing to think over.

"Are these Saiyans potential evil-doers like Son Goku?" Barbon asked. He wasn't 100% sold on Son Goku's nature and still held to the belief that he was capable of evil deeds. His defeat at the hands of Vegeta seemed to reassure that notion as well.

"It's hard to say, but their propensity to grow stronger might be a threat," Cae stated, crossing his arms. He didn't feel convinced that these brand of Saiyans had the same inkling as those of other universes, but if Belmod is sure that they are a threat, then Barbon would have to carry out the task of destroying them. He turned to Belmod.

"Are you certain this is something you want to task Lord Barbon with?" he asked and Belmod scoffed.

"Absolutely! They're too dangerous to ignore and if they are given too much opportunity for growth, they may even become stronger than Jiren. Would you want a race of warriors like that roaming around our universe? I say we pluck out this root before it infects the rest of the garden."

"Are you certain you're not letting your loss in the Tournament cloud your judgement, Belmod?" Cae asked and Belmod grabbed him by the collar. Barbon rushed in to separate the two and put a hand on Belmod's shoulder.

"I'd have destroyed the damn planet myself if I wanted to, but I need to test the loyalty of our new Destroyer. This will be your first duty as Destroyer, Lord Barbon, and my last official order as former Destroyer. Only then shall the torch be passed."

Barbon stared down at Belmod for a while. Belmod's face was resolute and determined, he was serious about this and no argument would convince him otherwise.

Finally, Barbon clenched his fist and put it to his chest. "Understood, I shall fulfill your request."

Age 784…

Son Goku flew in the air, his new protégé Uub holding onto Goku's back as they flew together southward from Papaya island. They had made their declaration earlier about working together to become stronger and cried loudly into the heavens, laughing afterwards. They grew quiet afterwards and enjoyed the sights as they flew by. Uub looked down at Goku's face to get his attention.

"I hope you'll like my village, Mr. Goku," Uub said.

"Yeah, I hope you guys have lots of food, I'm starving!" Goku replied, a huge smile on his face.

"W-well, we don't really have a lot of food, but my mama always cooks a lot for us."

"Ah, thank you," Goku said.

The two continued flying and Uub pointed to an archipelago in a southeast direction.

"Those islands over there are where my village is!" Uub cried out, raising his voice in the strong winds as they were flying higher. Goku looked in that direction and could see the islands come into view.

"Ah!"

"Um, Mr. Goku, I was wondering about something," Uub said and Goku glanced at him.

"I saw some people look pretty upset when you were leaving with me. Were they your friends and family?"

"Yeah," Goku said. "But they'll be fine without me. There's a lot of good fighters who can look after them that I don't need to worry."

"Ah," Uub said. He thought about that little girl in the red gi who was the most upset of them all and had a sad expression on his face.

"That girl looked very upset to see you go, though."

"Pan's a strong girl. If she wants to, she can always come see me any time since I won't be too far away. And I did promise them that I'd visit them anytime soon." Goku said. His confident smile seemed to have this effect on those around him that things weren't as bad as they thought they would be. Uub saw this and smiled himself. He saw that girl called Pan fight that large opponent and easily defeated him in one punch, sending him flying out of the fighting stage. When he saw her fight, he had a bit of a smile on his face. Another question was building up in his head now that they were close to his home island.

"What sort of training are we going to do, Mr. Goku?"

"Why do you keep calling me Mr. Goku? That sounds weird. Just Goku is fine with me."

"Right, sorry."

Goku crossed his arms. He had to think about this one for a moment. He knew he wanted to teach this kid to harness his power, but he never gave much thought about a proper training regimen. The growling in his stomach didn't help matters either as it distracted him the most.

"Ah, I can't think right now, I'm so hungry!" Goku laughed. Uub chuckled as well. He liked this man's laugh, it felt genuine and contagious. He also liked his enthusiasm and his vow to become stronger together and it made him excited again.

Uub's village was coming into view and his face lit up.

"Ah! There it is, my village!" Uub cried out and pointed to a large island that had a open area surrounded by trees and rocks. Goku flew down and landed on the edge of the island, letting Uub jump off his back and land behind him. Goku put a hand on Uub's shoulder with another hand on his hip.

"Take me to your village and to food!" Goku cried out, raising a finger in the air. Uub looked up at him and Goku's wide toothy grin stared back down at him. Goku sniffed the air and licked his lips.

"Wow, that smells amazing!" Goku cried out and Uub could smell it too. He had a wide grin on his face too as he clenched his fists.

"That's my mama's cooking! My favorite roast boar stew!" Uub said and he started in a run down the open path that led to his village.

"Ah, wait!" Goku cried out and ran after him.

The path leading to Uub's village was short, since the foliage gave way to a large open area where a row of huts and rock formations were coming into view. Uub had slowed himself down to a walking pace and Goku caught up to him, walking to his right. The layout of the island brought back memories of his childhood as he was busy training by himself for the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament.

When they reached the clearing, Uub could see some of his villagers walking around, the women carrying large jugs of water on their heads, with a mule pulling a cart full of fruits and vegetables following behind them.

When a couple of the adults spotted Goku and Uub walk into view, they called out to the other villagers and they all rushed to greet them.

"Hi everyone! I'm home!" Uub cried out, waving at them.

"Uub! Welcome back. How did it go at the tournament?" Said an elderly gentleman, using a walking staff to hold himself up. He had a hand on his lower back to dull the pain he was feeling, but his enthusiastic smile was still able to keep his mind off it now that he saw Uub again.

Uub was hesitant to speak, knowing that he didn't win the prize money in the tournament and wasn't sure how to break it to the villagers. He put his hands together and bowed deeply at them.

"I-I'm sorry, everyone. I wanted to win the prize money to help us get enough food, but I couldn't do it. Please forgive me!" Uub was on the verge of tears as he started to shake, but Goku ruffled his mohawk. Uub looked up at him and stood up straight.

"Hey, don't worry, I told you I'll take care of that," Goku reassured Uub and he nodded.

"Who have you brought with you?" said a voice from the back of the group. A large rotund man with an imposing figure and an ancient looking face approached the pair. His garb was different than that of the villagers as there were no straps over his shoulders and the pattern on the cloth that he wore around his waist that draped in front of him over his white pants would indicate that this was an important figure. He also wore a crown of feathers and bones on his head.

"Yo!" Goku said, raising his hand to say hello.

"Ah. This is our village chief, Pella," Uub said. The chief eyed Goku for a moment and turned to Uub, putting his hands behind his back.

"This is Son Goku, he's going to live with us to help me train and become stronger," Uub said and the chief raised his eyebrows.

"Uub, you do know about our village's rule with regards to bringing outsiders here, remember?" the chief asked and Uub's eyes widen. He forgot about that part completely.

"Ah, I'm sorry, chief. I didn't mean to. I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

"What's going on here?" said a woman's voice from behind the group. A plump dark-skinned woman made her way to the chief, wiping her hands with a cloth. She slapped the cloth onto her shoulder and stood beside the chief.

"Mama!" cried Uub as a huge smile crossed his face.

"Are you seriously going to keep this gentleman from living here? Seems Uub's made himself a friend, what harm will it cause us to have another mouth to feed?"

"The rules are the rules, Palma," said the chief, crossing his arms. Palma smacked him in the back of the head with her open palm and he grabbed the back of his head. His crown fell off and hit the ground and some of the villagers were shocked, while others stifled laughter. It wasn't the first time Palma had to give the chief a good smack on the head.

"Idiot! You and your rules, how often do I see you breaking them yourself?" She yelled in his ear.

"But that was only one time!"

"I don't want to hear it. Uub, come here," she called and Uub ran over to her. She looked him over and saw that he had a few bruises on his arms and legs, then turned to Goku. She eyed him suspiciously and it made Goku think back to all those times Chichi gave him that look when it came to training or when Gohan would come home with a splinter. She walked over to Goku and glared up at him.

"You the one roughing up my baboo?" She said, hands on her hips. Goku waved his hands in front of him.

"We had a match in the Tournament, that's why we were fighting." Goku said and Palma narrowed her eyes. She wasn't sure if she could trust this stranger and turned back to Uub. She took his head and looked it over, closing her eyes. She felt around and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"At least he's not seriously damaged, thank Kami," she said, glaring at Goku.

"Mama, he's going to help me train to become stronger so I can protect the village!" Uub pleaded and Palma relaxed her face while still staring at him. Goku's stomach growled even louder and her eyes widened a bit.

"Well, I suppose I should get you something to eat while you're here. But you'd better give me a good reason why you want to live here." Palma said and the chief cleared his throat.

"I'll have the final say on that," he said sternly and Palma scoffed. She walked back to her hut and went back to stirring the large pot full of her stew. Uub's father came into view, a man of stature that was slightly smaller than Palma's and he smiled as he saw Uub and Goku.

"Hi papa," Uub said, smiling.

"You must be Uub's papa! I'm Son Goku, pleased to meet 'cha!" he said, extending his hand. The father shook it with a pleasant look on his face.

"Welcome to our village, Son Goku. I'm Tropius, the village chief is my brother-in-law. You don't need to worry about the chief's rules, he's always been cautious of strangers coming to the village."

"Ah, thank you," Goku said and they began to walk over to Uub's hut as the villagers dispersed and went back to their activities. Some of them still looked at Goku and a couple of old women walked over to Goku with a smile on their faces.

"My my, who is this handsome young fellow?" said one of them. The other took Goku's arm and squeezed his muscles, then began to blush and caress her face with her hands.

"Ah, to be young again and have a strong man such as yourself," she said in her sweetest voice but Goku looked back at them confused.

"Um, I'm actually kind of married, sorry!" he said, and the older women laughed.

"Who wouldn't want to marry you, young one! She must be a lucky gal," said the one who still had a hold of his arm.

"With a strong body like that and a young girl who's probably quite the fertile one, I'd say you probably have eight to ten kids by now," said the other old woman and Goku blushed heavily. Uub and his father's jaws dropped at the old woman's comments and Goku pulled himself away from them to rush back to Uub.

"I have to join Uub, sorry!" he cried and ran quickly to Uub. The old women laughed and went back to their huts. Goku glanced back, a little confused.

"What did they mean by 'fertile'? I ain't got that many kids, I only have two," he said and Tropius eyed him warily. He doesn't know what fertile means?

When they reached the hut, Goku sat down on the ground, legs crossed. Tropius and Uub sat down beside Goku while Palma was busy in their hut. She came out a moment later with a few bowls and a couple of younger kids behind her. They looked younger than Uub and were still clinging onto Palma's apron when they noticed Goku. They shied away but Palma brought them forward and had them sit down opposite of Goku, Uub and Tropius.

"Oh. Hey Uub, why don't you show them your power?" Goku said and Uub stood up.

"Yeah! Mama, Papa, watch how strong I've been able to get!" He said and clenched his fists. Goku didn't think to warn the other villagers how powerful Uub really was or how much the output of energy was going to be, but he waited to see the kind of strength Uub was going to display for his family in front of him.

Uub cried out for a few seconds, but nothing was happening. He kept yelling and tried to bring out his power by shaking his fists vigorously up and down but not a single speck of energy was being gathered. All that was felt was the warm breeze blowing through his hair. Uub opened his hands and looked at them.

"But I was feeling so much power inside me earlier today!" Uub said sadly. He hung his head as he walked back to his father and sat down. Goku crossed his arms and had to think about this for a moment. Then it clicked.

"Ah, that's because I had to make you angry to make you use your power," he said and that got an angry glare from Palma and a surprised look on Tropius's face.

"You say something to provoke my little baboo now?" Palma sneered and Goku realized the hole he was digging himself into.

"I didn't mean to, honest! But I had to be sure he had a lot of power, so I had to get him angry to release it!" Goku pleaded but each time it was making it worse as Palma walked over to him and towered over him with a glare that made Goku very nervous.

"What did you tell my baboo?" She said coldly, a chill running down Goku's spine as he scratched the back of his head. Uub was bracing for his mother's wrath and dared not intervene. Tropius even had a serious look on his face now as he looked at Goku, waiting for an answer.

"I, um, I…don't remember…" Goku said, laughing nervously and Palma huffed, turning back to her large pot. She blew down on the fire to keep it going and lifted the lid. The fragrant aroma of herbs and spices mixed in with the vegetables and roast boar were making Goku's mouth salivating, his appetite growing even more.

"Then I guess you won't mind us eating while you refresh that memory of yours, then?" She said, spooning a bowl of her stew for Uub, handing him the bowl first. Uub placed his hands together and thanked his mother for the food before he blew on the first morsel to cool it down.

"Wait!"

"Oh? Something jog your memory, now?" Palma said as she spooned the next bowls for Uub's younger twin brothers. As she was spooning the stew in Tropius's bowl, Goku stood up.

"I, I said you didn't give Uub enough spankings and that his father smelled of poo!" Goku cried out, yelling the words almost all at once. Palma dropped the bowl into the pot, a look of shock on her face. Tropius's eyes and mouth were open wide as Uub inched himself away from the area, waiting to see what kind of wrath his mother would visit upon Goku.

What Uub wasn't expecting happened a few seconds later. Palma burst out laughing, nearly falling back into the hut's door, using the door frame to hold herself up. She laughed loudly, tears streaking down her face as she breathed heavily. Tropius was as shocked to see his wife laughing out loud like this as he was to hear Goku's insult. Uub slowly made his way back beside his father and ate quietly.

After Palma recovered, she grabbed a stool from inside her hut and sat down.

"Oh my goodness, I hadn't laughed that much in ages!" She said, wiping her eyes and face with her apron. She fished the bowl she dropped in the pot, not caring that it was hot to the touch and spooned a bowl for Tropius and handed it to him. He grabbed it but had to play hot potato with the bowl before setting it down on the ground, blowing on his hands.

"My little baboo takes after me a lot, he's very protective of his family," she said, smiling down at Uub. She grabbed a bowl and spooned a heaping amount of stew inside and handed it over to Goku, who happily obliged.

"Thank you!" he cried out and set the bowl down before giving his thanks. He blew on the stew before he took his first bite and he hummed gleefully.

"Mmmm! This is so good!" He said and devoured the contents rather quickly. He offered his bowl up to Palma.

"More please!" he said and Palma gladly spooned another helping. What she wasn't expecting was that Goku was going through helping after helping after helping before she realized that the pot was eventually empty. Uub and his brothers each had two bowls, while she and Tropius only had the one. Goku sighed happily and tapped his stomach.

"Yummy! That hit the spot!" he said and leaned back on his arms. He looked up at Palma and stood up.

"I'm sorry for having insulted you and your husband, ma'am," he said, bowing at them.

"Tch, I've heard worse. You should hear some of the things that come out of those old women sometime," Palma said and Goku glanced back at the huts he remembered seeing the two old women walk into. Palma looked down at Uub and shook her head.

"I've been trying to teach that boy to have a thicker skin but even then he'll still lash out at anyone who makes fun of me and Tropius. But I guess that'll take some time, right baboo?"

Uub didn't say anything and nodded quietly, looking down at the ground. Palma clapped her hands to get Uub's attention and he and the boys stood up.

"You three are on dishes duty!" She barked and the three quickly took the pot, the bowls and the utensils and ran around the hut to the back where a water well was used to pump water to wash everything. She walked over to Goku and motioned Tropius to join the boys and supervise them.

"I need a word alone with Son Goku," she said to him and he complied, standing up to join his sons.

Palma and Goku walked around the village, the night sky illuminating the ground of the island. The sun had set while they were busy eating and Goku was able to watch it slowly drift away behind the horizon. He remembered times when he went fishing that he could see the sun set behind the mountains.

He could sense a lot of similarities between Palma and Chichi that it felt like he was at home again and it made him feel a little more comfortable that Palma was a strong matriarch of her family and she'd take care of them.

"Tell me, exactly how strong is Uub?" She asked him.

"He's very strong, he gave me a run for my money and with the proper training, he will be the strongest fighter on the planet," Goku replied with a confident tone. He wasn't sure he was ready to explain to Palma exactly why Uub had that kind of power. He could never bring himself to tell Uub's mother that Uub was the reincarnation of the evil Majin Buu.

"He doesn't know I've noticed, but I have seen him display feats of strength that far surpass the strongest men of this village. I felt this child was the greatest blessing Kami could ever give me."

"Yeah," Goku said, putting his arms behind his head as he walked. She looked up at him again and could see that his blue gi was ripped in a few areas.

"Did Uub do that to your clothing?" She asked, pointing at his gi.

"Yep. I'm really excited to get him stronger."

"I see. You look strong, but you have poor manners for a stranger. But I think I can be comfortable allowing you to train my baboo, just so long as it doesn't interfere with his work around the house and in the village. Understand?"

Goku looked down at her, and she had a serious expression on her face. She meant business and Goku knew that.

"I promise, I won't let his training get in the way," Goku assured her.

"I'll have a spare bed set up for you tonight," Palma said and turned to walk back to the hut. Goku breathed a sigh of relief, glad to know that this was going to work out.

A young prodigy…

A day after the World Martial Arts Tournament was cancelled, Trunks and Vegeta were busy training in the gravity room at Capsule Corporation. Their training had become so intense that their heavy blows could be felt across the whole building. It was a frustrating endeavor for Bulma as she worked on a generator in her main lab. It was raised onto a platform for Bulma to work underneath, lying down on a creeper that rolled back and forth. She made adjustments to the hardware while working on the calculations through her digital notepad and her laptop which was plugged into the generator to display their numbers.

Bulla, her youngest daughter, was sitting on a work bench beside a tool box. The table was adjacent to the platform, which made her easily able to reach into the toolbox to hand Bulma the next tool she requested. She could see her mother roll out from underneath the generator to sit up, extending her hand out to Bulla with a wrench.

"I need a screwdriver; can you get it for me?" She asked.

"Which one?" Bulla asked.

"Um, the Philips head, no, the flathead, gah!" Bulma shook her head, frustrated. Another small tremor shook the room and the platform shook, jolting the generator up a bit. Bulma cried out when she saw this but breathed a sigh when the generator was still resting on the platform. She growled in anger as she clenched the screwdriver tightly in her hand and Bulla sighed. She didn't like seeing her mother get angry and she knew why.

"Ugh, why can't those two take a break for once?" She muttered to herself and she laid back down on her creeper to roll back underneath the generator.

When she had finished, she rolled back out and stood up. She punched in a few buttons on the panel near the bottom of the generator and it started to run, the whirring of the engines began to function. But the whirring noises were clattering and were making stop-and-go motions before a panel burst open above her and black smoke blew out from the broken section. Bulma and Bulla both winced when the panel blew open and Bulma let out a groan of frustration, dropping to her knees.

"Ugh! I give up, this is hopeless," she said to herself, sighing. She brushed her hair away from her face and Bulla hopped down from the work bench to sit down beside her mother. They had been wearing matching one-piece mechanic outfits that zipped up all the way to the neck, the Capsule Corporation logo emblazoned on both the front and back of the outfits.

"We can fix it back up, mama," Bulla said and Bulma sighed.

"I've tried, but the energy output is too much for the structure of the generator to handle. I can't get it beyond the 1200% increase that is needed to keep your father's training from tearing this building apart."

She stood back up and walked over to a white board that had equations and formulas written all over it, covering almost the entire board. Bulla looked at it herself, but she was still too young to properly grasp the meaning behind what her mother wrote. She mimicked Bulma's movements as they both looked over the formulas written on the board. When Bulma got frustrated, she threw her arms in the air and Bulla ended up doing the same. Bulma glanced down at her daughter and saw that she was copying her. Bulma chuckled a bit, realizing how stressed she was getting and walked over to a blank table that had a lunch box prepared for them to sit down and eat.

"I've looked over the numbers and I can't figure out where I went wrong with this," Bulma said and Bulla looked at her while sipping back a juice box. Bulma opened her bento box and began to eat, muttering calculations under her breath. Bulla finished her juice box and set it down on the table.

"Can we get someone to help?" She asked and Bulma shook her head.

"No one here's smart enough to figure this out. Unless…" she paused, then shoved a portion of rice into her mouth. She snapped her fingers and took her cell phone out, taking a picture of the white board. She began dialing a number.

"Who are you calling, mama?" Bulla asked.

"Son Gohan, he's as much a whiz as I am at this." Bulma said and waited for an answer.

"Hello? Ah, hi Videl, is Gohan there?...What? Another seminar? Ugh…I know, but I need him to help me with something…he won't be back until dinner time…okay, sorry to trouble you, I'll call back later." She hung up and breathed a sigh. She walked back over to the generator but her eyes were too focused on her electronic notepad to notice the loose cables on the floor leading up to the generator. Her foot caught on one of the cables and it wove itself around her ankle, causing her to trip and fall forward. She let out a yelp as she fell forward and hit the floor, bumping her face in the process.

"Mama!" Bulla cried out, running to her. She looked at her face.

"Mama, are you alright?" she asked, a lot of worry in her voice.

"Y-yeah, I think so," Bulma replied and she felt her face. She winced heavily when she touched her nose and she panicked when she saw that her fingers were covered in blood.

"Damn, I think I broke my nose," she managed to say, but she was also beginning to feel light-headed.

Another rumble shook the building, even bigger than the one before and Bulla almost fell to the floor.

"Bulla, can you help me get to my feet?" she asked her and Bulla went to the cables that were around Bulma's ankle to try and loosen them up. The platform holding up the generator cracked and bent, giving way. The generator began to tilt forward in the direction of Bulma and Bulla and it started to fall. Bulma could see that the generator was tilting forward and its full weight began crashing down in their direction.

"Bulla, get out of the way!" Bulma yelled at her but Bulla was almost able to get the cable off. She pulled up the cable and Bulma pulled her foot away, but there wasn't enough time for them to get away from the generator. Bulma was bracing herself by moving to cover Bulla so she wouldn't take the full force of the impact but Bulla looked up and saw the generator falling towards them. By instinct, her adrenaline kicked in and she made a hi-speed movement to get on top of Bulma and raise her hands.

Bulma couldn't believe her eyes as she saw what happened. Bulla moved so fast she couldn't catch it. One moment Bulla was at her feet getting the cable untangled, the next she's standing above her, and she caught the generator before they were both crushed. She could see the intense expression on Bulla's face as she held up the generator with ease, a feat of strength she couldn't believe her daughter possessed. The look on Bulla's face reminded her of Vegeta and for a moment she almost forgot that Bulla was half-Saiyan like Trunks.

Bulla threw the generator away from them, letting it crash down on the floor a few feet away. Bulla kept the same facial expression for a moment before she started to feel light-headed herself and she fainted, collapsing on top of her mother. Bulma took her in her arms and hugged her tight, not caring that some of her blood was messing up her daughter's hair and she began to cry.

When Bulla woke up some time later, she found herself in the infirmary. She looked around for her mother and saw a nurse tending to Bulma's injuries. Bulma was sitting on a bed, a bandage covering her nose and a bandage wrapped around her ankle due to a minor sprain. The nurse wiped off the dried blood on Bulma's face and hands and checked her one last time before she left the room. Vegeta and Trunks stood by the foot of the bed, getting a cold stare from Bulma. Vegeta crossed his arms and looked away, blushing, but Trunks was more worried as he saw her face.

"Mother, what happened?" Trunks asked.

"What does it look like? I tripped on a cable and fell face first on the floor, that's what happened," she told him. She kept the part about the generator out so she wouldn't freak out her son, but she wondered if she should tell Vegeta about this.

"Go wash up and get changed," Vegeta said to Trunks and his son nodded, leaving the room. Vegeta walked over to Bulma and examined her face. He wanted to check her broken nose to see how badly she had hit herself, but she grabbed his hand gently before he reached it.

"I'll be fine, it's not the first time I've hurt myself," she said.

"I'll get you a senzu," Vegeta said calmly.

"No, I don't want to waste those for something as small as this," Bulma assured him and Vegeta sighed.

"Fine, do whatever you want, I'm going back to the gravity room," Vegeta said, turning around, but Bulma gripped his hand tighter. She didn't want him to leave and she stood up, wrapping her arms around him from behind, being cautious not to put pressure on her broken nose. Bulla wrapped her arms around Vegeta's leg and he almost let a smile slip unnoticed. He put his hand on his daughter's head.

"I felt a spike of energy," he said quietly and Bulma's eyes widened. He knows.

He turned to face her and glanced down at Bulla.

"What else happened in there?" he asked. Bulla tugged at his pant leg to get his attention.

"The big generator we were working on fell down and it was going to fall on top of us, but then I saw it on the floor away from us. I don't know how that happened, there's no wind that blew it away." Vegeta raised his eyebrows. One of the things that he felt was impressive was that Bulla was smart, very smart. She learned how to speak when she was only two years old, and she was able to catch on to complex adult words that she often heard her mother use when she was working with her father, Dr. Briefs.

Vegeta closed his eyes and knelt on one knee to be at eye-level with Bulla.

"Go play in your room, I need a moment with your mother," Vegeta told her and she wrapped her arms around his head.

"Okay papa!" She said happily and ran out of the room. Vegeta stood back up and crossed his arms.

"Is this the first time she's displayed this feat of strength?" He asked her.

"Yes, yes it was," she said and she could tell a smile was forming on his lips.

"Vegeta, don't," she said and Vegeta glanced back at the doorway.

"She has the noble blood of the Saiyan race in her and soon enough she will want to learn how to fight. She may be our little princess but it'd be a wasted opportunity if she didn't at least learn how to defend herself and become strong. If Kakarot's granddaughter can fight, so can Bulla."

"But I don't want Bulla to be a fighter, I'm leaving that up to you and Trunks. I want her to be as smart as she is beautiful, like me," Bulma pleaded, taking Vegeta's hands in hers. They always felt rough to the touch but there was always a gentleness beneath them whenever the two of them were alone.

"That's up to her to decide," Vegeta said and Bulma sighed, touching her forehead.

"She's still only four years old, you know." Vegeta scoffed at her statement.

"Tch. Saiyans train how to fight at an early age regardless of the sex they were born with," he said and Bulma sighed.

"Ok fine, but if she doesn't want to fight, will you let her pursue her own education?" she said, looking up at him. He looked uncomfortable having to see her face covered in a bandage, it was something he couldn't bring himself to bear. That anything should tarnish the beautiful face of his woman was unacceptable. He broke free of her embrace and began to walk out of the room. He was too preoccupied with her injuries that he couldn't give her an answer.

"I'm getting you a senzu," he said.

"No, I'm telling you I'm fine!" Bulma cried out.

"I refuse to let you walk around the building with a broken nose," he stated and Bulma wanted to run after him to stop him, but she winced when she put pressure on her sprained ankle, limping once. Ugh, fine, you win this time.

A Son family dilemma…

Goten and Gohan shared a few laughs about the day before when the World Martial Arts Tournament was cancelled. Pan still wanted a good match and Goten volunteered with Trunks acting as the referee. It didn't last long as Pan knocked Goten down on the ring for the ten count. Goten remarked how strong his niece had got and both Gohan and Videl were proud of Pan's strength.

Piccolo decided to stay for a few days with Gohan, Videl, and Pan to keep them company and he too was at Chichi's house, tucking Pan into Goten's bed for now until it was time for them to leave for the rest of the night. Videl made Pan an early dinner so she could eat her fill, allowing the older folks to eat their dinner later. Chichi was hopeful Goku might get homesick and come back so she waited a couple hours before she started on dinner.

Videl joined Chichi in the kitchen, yet Chichi was still feeling stressed. Videl had to catch her from putting the wrong seasonings on certain dishes and almost confused curry with cinnamon. She could tell that Chichi was still upset about what happened yesterday, when everyone saw Goku leave the tournament grounds with a kid they've never seen before. Even stranger was when he said he was going to live with the kid at his island home.

Chichi didn't really touch her food and both Gohan and Goten looked at her with worry on their faces.

"Mother, you really should eat, it's not healthy to go to bed hungry," Gohan said to her.

Chichi sighed. Videl poured her a cup of loose-leaf tea and handed it to her.

"I'm sure father has his reasons, right?" Videl said, looking at Gohan for reassurance. She seemed to understand more the dynamic her husband and brother-in-law shared with their father but seeing the look of abandonment on Chichi's face wasn't helping alleviate the situation.

Chichi sighed again, then took a sip of her cup. She winced and fanned her lips with her hands, carelessly taking a sip of the hot liquid without blowing on it first and she glared down at the cup. Her anger started to show full-force now.

The door at the far end of the living room opened and Piccolo stepped through, closing it gently.

"Pan's asleep," he said and saw Chichi's look of anger. He averted his gaze since he didn't like seeing that woman angry in the slightest. Every visit he's had at the Son residence meant at some point Chichi would get angry about some rash decision Goku had made with regards to Gohan and he'd get an earful about delaying Gohan's education and turning him into a delinquent. Piccolo really didn't like that word and wanted to tell her that Gohan would still become a capable scholar.

"Ah, thank you," Gohan said and he pulled up an empty chair for Piccolo to sit in. He declined and instead leaned up against the wall near the front door.

"Should we talk about father's decision yesterday?" Goten asked and that got a small growl from Chichi.

"That idiot!" Chichi yelled, slamming the table with her fist. "What does he think he's doing leaving us with some kid he's never met before? 'I'm going to live with this kid and train him to get stronger!' Seriously?! My Goku has no business training strange kids, this coming season is crucial for the next harvest and he needs to be on the fields getting things ready for the crops to be planted!"

"We can get someone else to help plant the fields, mother," Gohan said and she glared at him.

"No one can do the job Goku can," she replied sharply.

"I can do it, I've seen father do it before and I'm sure it won't get in the way of my work," Gohan tried to explain but she hushed him when she raised her hand.

"Not happening, Gohan. You're a successful scholar and you have too many important seminars to teach and conferences to attend to give it up for farm work. Same goes for you too, Goten. Your studies are too important to ignore!"

Piccolo felt nervous hearing Chichi's voice grow louder. He worried that if this escalated even further it would wake up Pan. He figured he could at least pitch in the work for now until Goku comes back and went to speak up.

"I can-"

"And what kind of example is he setting for Pan? Running off at the first sight of a fight or some training exercise? Always running away to train for something! We don't have any threats anymore! Majin Buu's gone, Beerus isn't going to destroy the planet, that Tournament of Power or whatever is over and done with, so we don't have to keep going through this anymore. I want you three to go to wherever Goku went first thing in the morning and bring him back here!" She said, staring at Gohan, Goten, and at Piccolo, who blushed and looked away. He really didn't want to be in this house anymore and was ready to leave. He sighed and relented, looking back at Chichi.

"I will carry on Son's work in his absence," Piccolo said and both Gohan and Goten looked relieved, but Chichi shook her head.

"I'm not bringing you into this, Piccolo. This is Goku's work and he has no business abandoning it for selfish reasons."

"But Piccolo is just as good at the farm work as Goku is," Gohan said. Videl thought she heard a commotion from the other room where Pan was sleeping and went over to check on it. Chichi slammed her hands on the table, standing up.

"Get my Goku back NOW!" she screamed and everyone else sighed, hanging their heads low. Gohan nodded.

"Yes, mother."

"Can we wait until sunrise first, mother?" Goten asked and Chichi slumped back down on her chair. Her appetite came back and she began to eat, taking care not to stuff too much into her mouth.

"I don't care, just bring him back here before dinner tomorrow." she said in between mouthfuls and the three men looked at each other. Videl came back out of the room with Pan, who looked a bit groggy.

"Why is Grandma being so loud?" Pan asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Grandma's upset your grandpa didn't want to stay," Videl said and ushered her back into the bedroom.

"But Grandpa did promise he'd come visit us. So it's okay, isn't it?" Pan asked. Chichi sighed and gave her granddaughter a sad look. She knew Pan couldn't understand the situation she was in and wished that she would be more upset about not seeing her grandfather around.

"You father, uncle Goten, and uncle Piccolo are going to bring Goku back tomorrow, so you'll be able to see him then," Videl said and escorted her back into the room.

"Can I come too?" she asked and Videl frowned.

"You have your school work and studies tomorrow, Pan." Videl said and they both disappeared into the bedroom.

After Pan had fallen back asleep, Videl came back and she went into the kitchen.

"I'll take care of the dishes, you take it easy, okay mother?" She said and Chichi breathed a sigh, smiling.

"Thank you. I'm so happy you've dedicated yourself to be a diligent housewife to my Gohan," Chichi said and Gohan blushed a bit.

"I've had a really good teacher," Videl said, bowing at Chichi and collected the empty dishes to bring them into the kitchen. Gohan and Goten stood up.

"We'll help out too," Gohan said and they quickly cleared the table. Chichi glanced at Piccolo and scoffed a bit. She still had memories of when he wanted to conquer the world and avenge his father but seeing how gentle he was with Pan and how often they played together, it at least made her feel at ease.

"I'm glad you're there for Pan, she needs people to set a good example for her as she grows up," she said and Piccolo didn't say anything. He decided to exit the house and sit by a tree a few yards away. He sat down cross-legged and began his meditation exercises and mental training, then rested until the morning while everyone else inside were getting ready to settle in for the night. Since Gohan's house is next to Chichi's, they walked back home, Gohan carrying Pan in his arms as she continued sleeping.

When the morning sun peeked over the horizon, Gohan and Goten were already up, dressed in their gi. Gohan's gi was the same as Piccolo's, while Goten had his orange gi. The three took to the air to fly over to Goku's location, which was an island southeast of Mount Paozu. The trip was brief considering their speed and they landed in the middle of an island village. Gohan pointed to a hut at the far end of a row of huts.

"Father's in that one, over there," he said and the three walked over to it. A plump dark-skinned woman exited the hut and saw the three walking over to her. She looked at them suspiciously.

"More strangers in my village? What business do you three have?" She said coldly, staring a bit longer at Piccolo as she spoke. She wasn't sure about the tall, green-skinned man with the turban and mantle and saw that the other man with glasses on his face was wearing the same purple gi he was and gave him an equal cold look.

"She doesn't look very happy to see us, brother," Goten said and Gohan ignored it, smiling. He bowed at her.

"Hi, I'm Son Gohan. Son Goku is my father, we were told he came to this village the other day."

The woman relaxed her gaze and pointed inside the hut.

"Yeah, that impolite oaf is sleeping in there. I caught him late last night eating my leftovers and gave him a good spanking for it," she said, and the three men's eyes widened a bit. A young boy walked out and stretched his arms, yawning. He saw the three and rubbed his eyes to get a better look, then smiled since he remembered their faces from the tournament on Papaya island.

"Oh, hello! You were with Son Goku, right?" the boy said.

"Son Goku's my father. I'm Son Gohan, and this is my younger brother, Son Goten. This is our friend, Piccolo."

"Pleased to meet all of you. My name's Uub," he said, bowing at the three.

"Go wash up and fetch our supplies for breakfast, baboo," the large woman said and Uub nodded, running back into the hut.

"What brings you here to our island, then? What business do you have with Goku?" the woman asked.

"Our mother asked us to bring him back home. He's supposed to be working on our farm to grow crops for the next harvest season and she's been very upset since he left."

"Is that so?" the woman asked. She glared at the inside of the hut and walked back in. Moments later, they could hear Goku cry out in pain from inside and the large woman came out, dragging Goku by the ear as he winced and cried out in pain. When she let him go, Goku held his left ear.

"Ow ow ow," he said, then looked to see his two sons and Piccolo standing there.

"Huh? What're you guys doing here?" he asked.

"Mother wants you to come back. She won't take no for an answer." Gohan said.

"You never said anything about being a farmer, Son Goku," the large woman said.

"I'm sorry, Palma." Goku said, putting his hands together, bowing at her.

"Not only are your manners disgusting, you disregard the work of your home? If I were in that woman's shoes, I'd march down here and drag your butt back home myself!"

"Please, I really want to train Uub to get him stronger and I want to do my part to help out the village! I'm friends with the world champion, Mr. Satan, he can give you enough money to get all the food you need so you won't have to go hungry anymore! Please, I'll do everything I can to help, just let me train Uub."

"I don't care if you're friends with the Monarch!" Palma yelled. "You disrespected the integrity of your family by leaving them for selfish reasons!"

"It's okay, miss Palma. Father's a really good person, he's saved the world a lot of times and he wants to train Uub so he too can help keep the world safe, right?" Gohan said as he looked to Goten and Piccolo. Goten nodded but Piccolo remained neutral, yet his face did indicate his resolve that Gohan speaks the truth.

"If his wife is okay with it, he can stay in the village to train my baboo, but if she refuses, I don't want to see him step one foot on this island or he'll get another whooping," Palma stated and Goku shook his head, grabbing his rear. He stood up and walked over to the three men.

"Oh man, I'm really blowing it this time. Uub's mama is upset, Chichi's upset. I really want Uub to get stronger because he still has the same power as-"

"Are you sure you want to reveal that bit of information to the boy's mother?" Piccolo interjected before Goku finished his sentence. Goku sighed, but then an idea came to him.

"Hey Palma, let me take you and Uub to meet Chichi, I'm sure we can come to an agreement on something!" Goku said, smiling and Palma raised an eyebrow.

"But don't you need a plane or something to fly off the island? At least take a boat to the next island so we can head to the airport," Palma said.

"It'll be fine, Goku can take you all back to his home without the need of a plane. I'm going back to the lookout. If you need anything, raise your energy and I'll come down."

"Sure. Bye for now!" Gohan called out and Piccolo took to the air, channeling his energy to give himself a burst of speed and he was out of sight within seconds. Palma shielded her face from the winds that blew from the burst of energy and couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Piccolo fly away.

"That green giant can fly?" She asked, surprised.

"We all can, actually," Gohan said and both he and Goten floated up a few feet, then landed back down on the ground.

"Can my little baboo do that too?" Palma asked. She was starting to become intrigued by this new sight. People with the ability to fly without the need for an aircraft.

"That's one of the first things I'd like to teach him, actually," Goku said, but put a hand to his chin. "Well, I guess he'd have to learn to control his energy and tap into it at will first."

"Is it okay to carry all of us on your backs, or will you have to hold our hands while we're, um, flying up there?" Palma asked and Goku blinked, confused.

"Oh, no need for that, I can use instantaneous movement to take us back to my house!" He said, smiling.

"Instantaneous movement?" Palma said, mouth open. She was hearing these things for the first time and she didn't know what to make of all this. She knew her son was blessed with a great gift, but could he also learn all these new things? Is he even capable of that? She started to wonder a bit more about these new developments and shifted her gaze back to the hut.

"Uub! Go wake up Coco and Natta!" She yelled. A couple minutes later, her two younger twin boys came out of the hut, rubbing their eyes.

"I want you two to help your papa gather provisions at the store today. Your brother and I have some urgent business to take care of. Uub!" She called out and Uub quickly came out of the hut to join her.

"Alright, if you can instantly move us, then please do so," she said, crossing her arms. Uub looked up at Goku. He saw that Piccolo wasn't around.

"Where'd that big green guy go?" Uub asked.

"Piccolo had to go back to his home up in Kami's lookout," Gohan told him and Palma's mouth almost dropped.

"That man is friends with Kami?! Why didn't you say something! I wanted to give him my thanks for blessing my family!" Palma said and Gohan laughed a bit.

"I'll be sure to tell him when I see him next time," he said and he placed a hand on Goku's shoulder.

"Everyone hold hands," Goku said and put two fingers to his forehead. Goten placed a hand on Goku's other shoulder while he, Palma, Uub, and Gohan were all holding each other's hands. Seconds later, they all teleported off the island and this shocked the village chief as he was walking up to greet the new people.

"Did I just see ghosts?" He said, blinking.

When the group reappeared, they were standing outside of Goku's house and Chichi burst out from inside, almost hitting Goku in the face with the door.

"H-hi Chichi," Goku said, waving his hand weakly.

"Goku! How many times are you going to do this to me?!" She screamed and stopped herself from giving Goku an earful when she saw the two new guests he brought back with him. When she spotted the apron around Palma's waist, she had a glowing look on her face and she rushed to greet her. Palma on the other hand was a little shocked by how quickly she moved from one location to the next.

"Ah, I should've mentioned that you might feel dizzy the first time," Goku said, putting a hand behind his head.

"I can always tell another housewife when I see her. I'm Chichi, Goku's wife! Pleased to meet you!" She said, bowing at her. Palma cleared her throat and straightened her clothes. She looked intently at Chichi's face and smiled, nodding.

"You have a strong face, that's good. But your husband still needs lessons in proper manners whenever he visits a stranger's house," Palma said, glaring at Goku.

"My Goku takes some getting used to, miss-?"

"Palma. This is my son, Uub," she said, placing her hands on her son's shoulders. Uub bowed at Chichi.

"Pleased to meet you, miss," he said.

"Won't you come inside? Breakfast is almost ready," Chichi said, motioning everyone to come inside.

As soon as Palma walked in, her mouth beamed. Such a clean house! It looked so organized and beautiful that she couldn't believe this big oaf would live in here without causing such a mess. She almost envied Chichi for keeping this place spotless.

"Your hut is so beautiful, Chichi!" Palma cried out, a huge smile on her face.

"Huh? Hut?" Chichi muttered, but ignored it. She walked into the kitchen and Goku pulled out a chair for Palma to sit down on and she looked at the chair, confused.

"Would you like to sit down?" Goku asked.

"Uub can sit down. Oh my, what's that lovely fragrance?" Palma asked, smelling the air. Goku sniffed the air and licked his lips.

"Chichi's best breakfast recipe, she always makes those for me first thing in the morning before I go work on the farm," Goku said and Palma walked to the kitchen area. She excused herself in and Goku, Gohan, Goten, and Uub could all hear the two women chatting away and they eventually began exchanging recipes. It was amazing how much in common the two women shared as he heard them talk that he was hoping they'd all have forgotten why they were angry at him in the first place.

When breakfast time came, Goku shoveled down mouthful after mouthful of food in his mouth. He hadn't eaten a large amount since the morning of the Tournament and although he enjoyed Palma's stew, he still felt hungry later that night. He regretted eating into their stores and apologized profusely but complimented her cooking nonetheless. After they all had their fill, Chichi and Palma stood before the four with hands on their hips.

"We've talked it over and we reached an agreement. Goku can train Uub, but he will have to help Goku with the farm work." Chichi said and Goku smiled.

"Really?!" Goku cried out.

"I think working on a farm to grow crops is an important job and my little baboo can build his muscles while helping you out. Provided that he is back at the village to help with house chores. So for three days he will be with you, then three days he will be back home. The seventh day can alternate between staying with you here or staying home. We'll figure out what sort of training you want to do with Uub afterwards. Understood?"

"Really? Really really?" Goku said, excited and Chichi sighed, touching her temple with her hand.

"Yes Goku, but don't ever leave without discussing it with me first, got it?"

"Yahoo! Thank you!" Goku cried out, raising his fists in the air.

And so it was that Goku began his training with Uub. Uub helped Goku plow fields and plant crops, using some of the same training Goku did back when he was a kid training with his friend Krillin under the watch of master Roshi. He even gave Uub some weighted clothing to help build his muscles as he worked the fields.

For the next few years, Goku gradually began to teach Uub how to control his energy, how to fly in the air, even getting a few sparing sessions during the off-season when the harvest was over. Each year for the next six years Uub would mix in strength building during the season and then work on fighting techniques with Goku after the harvest.

Pan continued to build up her skills at fighting while working on her studies. She was glad to see Goku again and was even happier that he was staying around this time to see her more often. She even began to become good friends with Uub, helping him with some training and sparing of their own while Goku was busy with the farm work. Pan got more used to her tomboyish looks that she became comfortable wearing boyish clothing: short-legged jeans that cut off at her shins, a red t-shirt, and an orange bandana she wore covering the top of her head. Uub eventually began to wear the same blue gi that Goku was wearing and even had the turtle emblem engraved on it out of respect for Goku's teacher.

Bulla gradually mixed in her work in Bulma's lab while taking part in some of her father's training and would watch him and Trunks spar and train side by side. Despite Bulma's objections, Bulla was still happy that she could spend equal time with both her mother and father. She enjoyed working on new technology and even started building her own equipment to help her brother train. She even cracked a complex formula to help increase the strength of the barrier generators so they can resist stronger impact from large bursts of energy. She was already smart enough to breeze through her education that at the age of 10 she was studying at a university level, focusing on engineering and physics, much like what her mother used to during her childhood before she left on her adventure to gather the Dragonballs. But she would also devote enough time to grow stronger by training with Trunks while Vegeta was busy with other endeavors, whether it was to help the Galactic Patrol (he was assigned to the reserves on an on-call basis if they needed the extra muscle to help Jaco tackle a criminal), or it was to get in some sparing and training with Whis and Beerus on their world.

Beerus had spent time planning with the Supreme Kai Shin to help boost the mortal rating so they don't anger the two Grand Zenos anymore. He realized that for this to be more effective, he had Shin bring him and the Old Kai to new Namek so they can make a wish with their Dragonballs. They asked Porunga to de-fuse the Old Kai and he separated into his younger self and the old witch that put on his potara by accident. Beerus wasted no time and destroyed the old witch. He ordered the renewed young kai to fuse with Shin so they can be a more competent Supreme Kai and the two reluctantly obliged. They fused into Shinkai, a Kai slightly taller than Shin was, with a shorter white mohawk on his head. Their face was mostly still like Shin's, but it looked older and his eyes held a deeper wisdom and well of knowledge than Shin had previously. Beerus eyed the new fusion and shrugged, deciding it was satisfactory enough to work with. Shin's memories and the ancestor kai's memories had combined and Shinkai felt more confident about his work and about his business relationship with Beerus.

Shinkai went to work creating new planets that occupied the areas that once housed Planet Plant, Planet Vegeta, and Planet Namek respectively and their civilizations would eventually grow over generations to prosper and thrive. The Grand Minister took notice of this new development and was pleased to see that the mortal rating for Universe 7 was gradually making its way up to satisfactory levels.

This was the same with the other 7 universes, except for Universe 9. Supreme Kai Roh was still giving the Grand Minister a measure of difficulty as he observed the universe and wondered if he truly benefited from his second chance. Ultimately, he would eventually have to settle on a new Supreme Kai and Destroyer for that universe, otherwise the Zenos would simply erase the universe entirely and leave it at 11 for the foreseeable future.

The Grand Archive of the first Universe was set to turn the page on a new age, Age 790. This was the year a new World Martial Arts Tournament would take place on Universe 7's planet earth, and new discussions about tea recipes would take place between the first and tenth universes. Supreme Kai Anat and Iwen the Destroyer eagerly awaited to exchange new pleasantries with Supreme Kai Gowasu and hoped that he would eventually begin training his new successor.

A new grand adventure was set to take place for Goku and his friends.

Author's note:

I'm really pleased with how I'm starting this one out. The first draft to this story wasn't complete and it had a few major holes in the story that I needed to go back to and fix. When I had reached a certain point in the story, I had a clear idea of how I wanted to write the rest of it, but I wanted to re-write the first few chapters so that the plot would make more sense and everything would connect the way they should.

The major thing that needed to be fixed was the Prologue. I really needed to be sure that certain characters would be introduced and how they fit into the narrative of the gap that happens at the end of Dragonball Super and the events at the end of Dragonball Z and carry on the story as it happened after Goku left with Uub and I hope that the next set of events would make sense in that context.

Age 790 or thereabouts in terms of the Dragonball timeline is usually where Dragonball GT would take place and the overall impression most fans had was that it was rushed and poorly written. It was also written many years before the ideas of gods of Destruction, the Omni King, Super Saiyan Gods and what have you were even conceived in the mind of Toriyama so taking that into account meant that the story of GT was no longer cannon (and presented itself as an AU in Super Dragonball Heroes). I've been developing this fanfic to be able to properly continue the narrative, tying in what happened in Super with what happened in Z and bridge the gaps to the best of my ability without making it look too confusing.

I also want to give characters like Uub and Pan a better chance to develop, yet I still think their looks from GT make sense and give their characters some padding to work with.

I hope to be as faithful to the source material as I can and gain an understanding of Toriyama's narrative as I write this without deviating too much. I love Dragonball and I want to write this with all the love a fan can hope for with this work.

Thank you ^_^

Edgarmash,

December 23, 2018