(A/N: The last chapter is here. Sorry it's a little short, but it's mostly a wrap up meant to tie up lose ends and such. I know a majority of this story was one massive fight scene, but I said from the beginning that this story was meant to run like a standard DBZ movie, so you knew what you were getting into No need to banter on, lets get to it.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 20: Insight

The golden dragon flew off into the distance, eventually fading away several miles from where it had manifested. Goku stood alone from where he had unleashed his attack, all traces of the mercenary having been obliterated from the planet.

All at once, Goku's body completely gave out on him. He dropped down to his base form and fell to the ground, unable to move so much as his pinkie finger. It seemed he had pushed himself too far beyond his limits, and now he was paying for it.

Yet despite immense damage he had probably done to his body, he couldn't help but to smile. He could sense no trace of Exxis anywhere. It seemed his attack had done the job, finally putting the out of control mercenary to rest. It had been worth undergoing the harm he had done to himself. Besides, he knew a certain Guardian who could heal him up as good as new.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there, but he eventually became aware of someone walking over to him. A couple someones actually, and he just barely managed to crack open his eyes to see Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin standing over him. Vegeta was there as well, hanging in the back, but that didn't surprise Goku, and he felt his smile widen.

"Hey, guys," he wheezed. "I think I over did it a bit."

Gohan couldn't keep the smile off his face. "You could definitely say that. Good thing Dende has healing abilities, 'cause I'm not sure you could recover from this otherwise." He glanced at the others, noting their own injuries. "Actually, I think we could all use some healing."

Vegeta harrumphing, but did not argue. As much as he hated the idea of relying on another's power, he didn't have the patience to have his leg wrapped up in a cast.

Goku chuckled; it hurt to do so. "Yeah, this has to be a record for me needing a healing again so quickly."

"But you did it," Krillin pointed out. "You saved the day again. Honestly, we'd be lost without you, Goku."

"Hey, now," the Saiyan teased, "you guys really held your own. Especially you, Krillin. I'd say you did better than all of us."

Looking bashful, Krillin rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I don't know about that. It was more like dumb luck on my part. You guys were the only ones that provided him any challenge."

As he heard his friend humble himself, Gohan looked away with a frown. He couldn't help but think of how poorly he did against Exxis, and what the mercenary had said about him being a disgrace and not living up to his potential. A part of him always had felt somewhat guilty for giving up martial arts in favor of studying.

On the ground, Goku caught sight of Gohan's forlorn expression. "Hey, why the long face, son?"

The teen quickly snapped out of it. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing."

Cutting his eyes at him, Krillin nudged him promptingly. "Then what was that look for? We're still alive. You should be happy."

Gohan let out a reluctant grumble and let the shame he felt show once more. Goku frowned up at him as he wondered what was bothering him. "Gohan, you can tell us what's bothering you. Do you feel bad because you couldn't beat Exxis? You shouldn't. Not even I could have defeated him without the whole planet's help."

Gohan shook his head. "No, it's not that, not really. I just… Exxis told me that I'm wasting my potential as a fighter. And I can't help but think that he's right. I haven't kept up with my training at all, and my fighting has suffered because of it. If I kept it up since Buu, then I might even have been stronger than Exxis."

He wasn't trying to brag, but it was true. After Old Kai had brought out his hidden potential, he had been the strongest out of all of them, even stronger than his father at Super Saiyan Three. Had he not given up fighting after that, then he may very well have been stronger than the mercenary.

"I guess I… Sometimes I wonder if he's right, if I am letting my skills go to waste."

A few seconds of silence passed after this. Krillin opened his mouth to say something, but Piccolo placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him and gave the slightest shake of his head. This was something that Gohan needed to hear from his father. Any input they had would have to wait.

Goku looked at his son for several long moments before breaking out into a smile. "What are you talking about? You're not a disgrace." He chuckled lightly. "Gohan, fighting is what I love. But that doesn't mean that you have to love it too. You're entitled to go after what you want in life. There's no shame in that. You can't compare another person's standards to your own, especially when they choose to live differently that you. We all deserve to be able to do what makes us happy.

"And being a disgrace? Who are you kidding? You're one of the strongest people in the entire universe. You don't let your skills go to waste just because you don't keep up with your training. You always rise to the occasion whenever necessary, even though you hate that kind of fighting. You always do whatever it takes to protect others."

"But I could be so much more," Gohan argued back. "What happens when a new enemy appears, someone who's even stronger?"

"Then I know you'll do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe. Just like you always do. That's what matters. You can live your life however you want. But no matter what you do, I'm proud to call you my son."

The others were pleasantly surprised by what the Saiyan had said. While a genius when it came to fighting, Goku wasn't the most insightful person, and it was almost strange to hear such words of wisdom coming from him.

Piccolo couldn't help but smirk. "Your dad's right, kid. You don't need to live your life based on someone else's opinions. Just live the best way you can without regrets, that's what's important. And as for wasting your talent, the fact that you're always willing to step in and use your power even when you don't want to shows that you never let it go to waste, even if you do choose not to train."

Krillin placed his hands on his hips and smiled broadly. "Yeah, I mean, look at me. I gave up fighting, but I still step up when I need to." He narrowed his eyes a bit. "Even if I'm guaranteed to get my ass kicked. But you wouldn't call me a disgrace or say that I'm wasting my potential, would you?"

Gohan stared at the three of them. He could hear the sincerity in their words, and they did wonders to alleviate his concerns. Sighing in relief, he gave them a grateful smile. "Thanks, guys. That makes me feel a lot better."

"Glad to hear it," Goku told him with a smile. "And now, if you wouldn't mind helping me to get to the Lookout, I'd like to feel better too. My body is totally beat."

Smiling at the irony of his father currently being so weak despite his incredible power, Gohan helped him to his feet. As he placed one of Goku's arms over his shoulder, Piccolo did the same with his other. Krillin would have assisted, but wasn't quite tall enough to manage it.

"Hey, guys," he said, "let's keep how badly I was beaten from my wife. 18's already probably going to kill me for facing someone so powerful and dangerous anyway."

Goku chuckled. "Don't worry, Dende will make us good as new. Our wives won't be any wiser. Right, Vegeta?"

The Saiyan prince scowled at him. "Shut it, Kakarot! I'm the prince of all Saiyans! I don't need a low-class warrior like you preach to me."

Goku blinked in confusion at his harsh tone and glanced at Piccolo. "What's up with him?"

Piccolo couldn't help but smirk. With his superior hearing, he'd heard what Exxis had said to the Saiyan prince. "Don't worry about him. He's just nursing a wounded ego. Exxis made him feel like his status as the prince of Saiyans was worthless since he was no match for him because it was something he was born into rather than something he earned."

"Keep your mouth shut, green man!" Vegeta snapped, his face turning a shade of red.

Goku gave Vegeta a bewildered look. "What? You mean that's what's got you so upset?" He received no answer, but, in a way, that was answer enough. "Aww, Vegeta, you don't need to worry about that. You're definitely worthy of your title. I mean, so what if Exxis was stronger than you. He was stronger than me too. But just look at you. Look at what you've accomplished. You're a Super Saiyan, and you were the first one to take the step at going to the next level beyond it too. You're not only one of the strongest of all Saiyans, but one of the strongest fighters in the entire universe. And you're hundreds of thousand of times stronger than your father, who was the king of Saiyans. Not to mention you're one of the last of our race. Just because Exxis was stronger than you doesn't change any of that. Trust me, you may have been born with the title of prince, but you've more than earned it."

Once again, Goku surprised them all with his insightfulness. Vegeta stared at him for several long moments before turning his back to him and harrumphing. "I don't need a clown like you to tell me that."

Without another word, he took off, disappearing into the sky. He may have been trying to make a grand exit, but Goku couldn't help but notice that he was heading in the direction of the Lookout.

"I can never figure that guy out," Krillin muttered. "But then again, you Saiyans are a pretty confusing bunch. I can't believe Exxis came all this way and did all this just because he felt like you stole his revenge against Frieza."

Goku let out a chuckle. "There was a little more to it than that. But still," he looked up at the sky, thinking about where Exxis was right now, "he might just get his revenge after all."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

King Yemma could say that he enjoyed his work, or at the very least was content with it. He took great satisfaction in knowing that he sent souls to their proper place.

Of course, that wasn't to say that he wasn't stressed out or overworked at times. Being the judge of the souls of the dead for the Northern part of Universe 7 was a big responsibility, one bestowed upon him by the Grand Priest and the Omni-King. So even if he didn't like it, he couldn't exactly say no.

He did run into other problems though. Being in charge of the souls of the dead meant dealing with the troublesome ones that acted up in Hell. And ever since sending a particular soul down below a few months ago, he'd been dealing with the same problem over and over again.

When a soul presented themself him, whether they chose to appear in the flesh, as a pure soul, as an angel, or with a ghostly tail, he instantly knew who they were, and their entire life story, including whether they went to Heaven, Hell, or, in a few rare cases, could go to the land of the Kais to become one of their students. When it came to devils and demons though, essentially any evil being that would actually enjoy Hell, he would give them his official stamp of approval, completely purifying them and admitting them to Heaven, as was the case with the demon king, Dabura.

Exxis proved to be a rather unique soul, and not because he was the only half-Saiyan, half-Hera hybrid King Yemma had ever encountered. No, what was unique about him was how much of a problem he was being. And it wasn't just him. Ever since he sent the mercenary to Hell, he'd been having problems with another of its residents.

"King Yemma!" a young oni cried, running up to him. "King Yemma! We have a problem!"

Groaning at the interruption, the giant judge turned to him. He briefly noted that it was the same oni that had failed to properly attend the soul cleanser and had been infected by the evil energy, turning him into Janemba. "What is it? I'm very busy today."

The oni placed his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but there's trouble down in Hell again."

King Yemma scowled as his suspicions were aroused. "Don't tell me…"

The oni nodded. "Yes, sir. It's Exxis and Frieza. They ran into each other again and are destroying everything with their fighting."

A growl escaped the king. Ever since he had sent Exxis down to Hell, the Saiyan-Hera hybrid and Freiza have broken out into an intense battle every time their paths crossed. Exxis, being far stronger, won every time, but that didn't stop Frieza from trying again during each encounter. Sometimes King Yemma thought that it was a real shame that souls couldn't be killed.

If only he had been able to send either Fireza or Exxis through the soul cleanser to draw out all their sinful nature from them when they were alive. Typically, this was done in order to make damned souls more compliant and less hostile in Hell, but some were so uncooperative when receiving judgment that he had to simply drop them into Hell where they stood, as was the case with both Exxis and Freiza. As such, the negativity from their time alive had remained with them.

Hell was universal, but as the judge of the northern section of Universe 7, any souls that died in that area were for him to judge and deal with if any caused trouble. And that included both Exxis and Frieza.

"How is it those two keep running into each other?" King Yemma demanded furiously, slamming his fist on his desk. "Hell is infinitely large, literally, yet their paths keep crossing. Do they actively seek each other out?"

The oni shook his head. "I don't know, sir. Nor do I know why they keep attacking each other. Especially Frieza since he always loses the fights. This time he even figured out how to manifest into that freaky mecha form of his, but he's still no match form Exxis. Even so, their battles still cause a lot of destruction that needs to be cleaned up afterwards."

King Yemma grumbled. Sometimes he wished he had the power to just erase certain problematic individuals the way the Gods of Destruction or the Omni-King could. And while sometimes he was allowed to reincarnate a soul, like he did with kid Buu as a favor to Goku, those were exceptionally rare cases.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, King Yemma prayed for patience. He'd already had to have North Kai send down numerous fighters to deal with Frieza and Exxis' feud, but it seemed as if the two never learned their lesson. The last time when Frieza, along with Cell, King Cold, and the Ginyu Force, had been causing trouble, both Goku and Pikkon had taken care of them, locking them up in an unbreakable prison for a while. They'd seemed to learn their lesson after that and accepted their place in Hell, but ever since Exxis ran into Frieza for the first time, there had been problem after problem with the two. Clearly, a harsher punishment was needed for them.

"Um, King Yemma, sir?" the oni asked when his boss didn't say anything for a while.

With a frustrated sigh, King Yemma looked back at him. "I've had enough of those two. Stick them in cocoons and subject them to the fairy band punishment far away from each other."

The oni's eyes widened. "You mean with the dancing fairies and musical stuffed animals?"

While it didn't sound so bad on paper, it was a rather drastic punishment that trapped troublesome souls and subjugated them to joyful music and playful antics of fairies and cute animals playing in a band. It was a process that could last from months to centuries. It typically was used to annoy the subjects beyond the threshold until they eventually accepted it as part of their daily routine until the joyfulness started getting to them and they eventually took enjoyment out of it themselves. The overall goal was meant to mellow the hostile souls out so they would become more cheery and less troublesome, and was usually reserved for the most problematic of souls.

"That's right!" King Yemma snapped. "They can both go there until they've repented and learned to stop causing trouble, even if it takes an eternity!"

THE END

(A/N: That brings this story to a close. And I wrapped everything up in a neat little bow to fit it in canonically with the series between DBZ and DBS. I also gave an explanation for why Frieza was in his mecha form in a cocoon in DBS despite being seen walking around Hell in his normal form. Looks like Exxis ended up getting the same fate. And so, I close the book on yet another story. I was actually surprised at how long it ended up being. I knew it would mostly consist of fighting, sorry about that, but I didn't think it would break 80,000 words. I wonder what my next story will be. Guess we'll have to see. I hope everyone enjoyed this, and thanks for sticking with me 'til the end. Peace out.)