Dragonball: RPG X
A/N: "The following is a fan-based work. Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball Heroes, Super Dragon Ball Heroes, and Dragonball Xenoverse are all owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Shueisha, Dimps, and Akira Toriyama. Please support the official release."
Chapter 10: The Beginning...
In Chapter A/N: Hi! Just wanted to say something really quickly to address those that are complaining about Ice, and how often he is featured so far. Ice is the "Big Bad" of this story, and his part of the story is lore heavy, far-reaching, and his character is complicated. Let me say that I personally loved Rebirth and Super GT Rebirth. I've read my own stories like a hundred times, as it helps me write more. But my only complaint is that I didn't give any of the enemies there enough of a story. It was "appear, oh no danger, battle, Kll wins or loses". Generally in a chapter, maybe 2 at most. I'm changing that for Xenoverse as it never felt like I was being fair to the characters I was writing. So please bear with me as I set up the final confrontation that you all deserve. It's gonna be fucking awesome, but it's gonna take some time to get there. DBR didn't start really moving till chapter 9, as it took that time to set up the universe, set up the characters, and flesh out the system. This story will take at least that long as well(Chapter 10 is this chapter), so we're right on schedule.
Yardrat
I looked at Soba. He looked at me.
"Are you sure?" I asked, motioning to the large spires.
"That is how we all begin, yes." Soba explains. "It helps you center your Spirit."
I wasn't exactly in a position to argue, so I did what I was told. Laid out before us are dozens and dozens of hundred-foot tall spikes. From Soba's explanation, the hardest part of learning Spirit Control would be centering. Achieving a balance between body, and mind. I fly up, landing lightly on the tip of one, watching Soba as he drops down into an odd sitting position. I did my best to emulate him, and from his nod, I took it as I did it well enough.
"About how long does this take?" I ask, closing my eyes.
"Most that begin their training in their youth takes a bit less than a year to find their Center." Soba, says, casually.
"Wait Wha-"
ADF $YHT PQFH
Ice stood in front of a large bank of screens, floating in a circle around him, showing different people, places, and events. His eyes jump from screen to screen, trying to take it all in. So far he had managed to take down five gamers across the many universes and timelines, but there were so many more.
"Where is he…" Ice says, flipping through more screens.
Yardrat - Week 2
There was a light breeze drifting through the spires, tickling my skin lightly. Within me, my energy churned, spinning slowly, drifting lightly. I sensed everything around me for light years out, every being with any energy to its name, I could see so clearly. It was more than sense, I could almost see them in my mind's eye, their interactions, their lives...Sudden sharp pain in my forehead had my eyes snapping open, as I almost fall from the spire.
"The hell, Soba?" I ask, rubbing my forehead.
"You were sensing outward, again. All that's doing is hindering your progress. Sense inward, find your center." He explains, tossing a pebble in his hand.
"I'll find your fucking center…" I grumbled, closing my eyes once more.
I concentrated inward, doing my best to ignore Soba's burning energy so nearby, ignoring the billions of energy signatures I could feel so far away.
'Inward...What does that even mean?' I thought, doing my best to feel myself with my mind.
All I could sense was the duel energy that made me what I was. I could sense my energy, the calmness, a placid lake power that made me...Beside it, the burning fury of a monster, ready to be released on my enemies, to burn them to ash. It was an inferno compared to my normal energy. As I studied that energy, though, I noticed that while it burned, little flecks of my normal energy flowed through it as well. That even though I felt it wasn't me, that I wasn't the monster that killed the Namekians...I was. That was me. I am that monster as much as I am the normal me.
As I thought it, my energy surged, the inferno, the placid lake, mixing together within me. My vision was filled with warnings, even with my eyes closed, as I suddenly found myself struggling to control the energy within me. I pushed, trying to compress it, but I was failing. I couldn't hold back the maelstrom that my energy had become. I pulled on it, trying to pull it back apart, but it was almost sticky in its consistency. It didn't want to separate, it didn't want to be apart. I couldn't let this happen, not here on Yardrat. I abandon the clamp on my power, focusing my mind on the blank stretch of space that Namek once floated in.
"Stop!" Soba yells before I'm able to twist my energy in the way that pushes me between time and space.
As his voice reverberates within my mind, my energy is drained, from 100 to 0 so quickly it took my breath away. My eyes snap open, finding Soba balancing on one of the many pillars, his eyes clenched in concentration.
Spirit Control: 10%
Above us, a mountain-sized ball of roiling green energy. I could feel the heat from where I sat, the pure power floating there. Above that, however...I could feel the anger, the rage, that makes the power so strong. The fact that that was inside of me nearly made me recoil. Around us, several pops as more of the Yardrat natives arrive, each raising their hands into the air. The ball splits, and with each division, the strain Soba is feeling lessens. In the end, five more Yardrats surround me, holding the beast at bay.
"Continue your meditation, Kll," Soba says. "We will help...as you gain control, we'll allow a little bit back in."
Time Nest
Trunks and Chronoa both sit, watching the scrolls around them, laid on every surface, for another sign of the Frost Demon Ice. They both know he's out there somewhere, doing who knows what. As they wait, there is a knock at the large door, as a tall figure steps through.
"Goku!" Trunks exclaim, "You're back!"
"Heya Trunks! Yeah, I'm back. Have there been any changes?" Goku asks, looking at all the scrolls around him. "I'll admit that this doesn't look good."
"It's not Goku, not at all!" Chronoa exclaims. "The Time Destroyer is wrecking all sorts of havoc!"
"Goku, did you find my f-, Vegeta?" Trunks asks with a slight stutter.
"No, not yet," Goku replies. "Is it that serious?"
"He matched me blow for blow, Goku." Trunks explains, looking down. "I couldn't stop him the last time we found him. He's somehow killed two entire timelines."
"Even against your ascended form?" Goku asks, stunned.
"Yeah...He even eluded being able to get stronger. We need Vegeta." Trunks says, shaking his head.
"No. I'll take care of it," Goku says, a hardness in his voice. "Next time he appears, I'll go."
"T-trunks? Goku?" Chronoa says, pointing at a scroll on the other side of the large table.
Universe 15 - Timeline 1 - Namek
A soft breeze drifts through the air, the Namekians milling about. Gardening, talking, traveling. Their world was at peace...A peace that was about to end. With the shattering of glass, the very universe in the center of their village cracks open, a break in the fabric of reality, filled with colors and symbols their minds recoiled from. Within, a Frost Demon, pale blue and white, against the colorful background. He steps out, lightly dropping to the soft grass, the break-in reality closing behind him. The Namekians recoil back, the energy contained within the being nearly overpowering. It glances around, studying each Namekian in turn, frowning. He glances sideways, almost as though he can hear something coming from far off. A soft pop and a small Namekian, no older than 7 appears a few feet away. His eyes are hard, glaring at the monster before him.
"Ah yes...Momiki. Such a silly name, in my opinion." Ice says, smirking. "Logan is a much better name, don't you agree?"
"Like Ice is any better?" Logan asks, sneering. "Do you have Any. Fucking. Clue how much I suffered the last playthrough? And for what?! We're still here."
"Sorry man." Ice replies, shrugging. "It was working though. You destabilized your timeline to the point that it was so close to crashing. A little more time and it definitely would have...Or a little more power."
"Chris, give it up!" Logan exclaims. "We're not getting out of here."
"Fuck that," Chris replies, his tail slapping the ground, a crevice a mile-long forming. "We're getting out this time."
"What's the plan then?" Logan asks, sneering at the Namekians around them. "You said more time? Technically if I start now, I'll have an extra two years at full absorption before the tournament happens."
"No, we need more power and more time," Chris says, as he reaches into nothingness, his hand disappearing.
He pulls it back out, clutching two earrings in his hand, tossing them to Logan, who catches them.
"How do these help get more power?" Logan asks as he clips them to his ears.
The Frost Demon raises his right hand, showing that each finger has at least one silver ring resting on it. He plucks one from the middle finger, tossing that to Logan as well, who catches it, placing it on his ring finger.
"This time, you're absorbing them all. Universes 13, 14, and 16 have a full planet worth in all 6 timelines. Timeline 2 in 17 and here are dead. Don't bother going there." Chris explains. "Take them all. Kill any Gamers you come across while you do so, but don't hunt them down. Do that after you absorb the Namekians. Otherwise, the timeline will close ahead of schedule. "
Logan frowns. "This is a Time Ring. It won't let me travel to other Universes?"
"I know. However, the Black Star Dragonballs were more than powerful enough to change that." Chris says.
Logan considers that new bit of information, the tension clear in his face as he considers the ramifications of what happened after absorbing a single Timeline's worth of Namekians. Chris walks over, kneeling down, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"When you're done, meet me in Universe 13, Timeline 2. I have the Super Dragonballs...We can wish the voices away, and keep the benefits this time." Chris says, smirking at the relief on Logan's face. "I did my best to make this as easy on you as possible."
"Thanks, Chris…" Logan says, looking up at him.
The Frost Demon begins to speak again, but pauses, glancing behind him. "Go now. We've got company."
Logan nods, glancing over Chris's shoulder, before closing his eyes. To someone watching, he simply disappeared between the blink of an eye. Ice stands back up, before turning around.
"Ah, Goku." He says, motioning a soft welcome with his hands. "I see Trunks has decided to sit this one out?"
The Red vest Goku wears swishes softly in the slight breeze. His eyes harden as he stares the Frost Demon in the eyes.
"You know me?" He asks, studying the creature.
Ice smirks, almost seeming to laugh before he catches himself. "I do. You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."
"Uh...What?" Goku asks, puzzled.
"It's a reference. You wouldn't get it." Ice says, before flexing, a ripple of energy running across his body.
"Hey now, let's take this somewhere else," Goku says, looking at the crowd of Namekians still watching them.
Ice cocks his head for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, I don't think we will."
With a blast of energy, he appears at Goku's throat, his fist inches from his face held tightly in Goku's hand. His energy swirls around them, before turning bright gold, his hair turning spikey as little motes of electricity shoot around them. The Frost Demon spins, his tail slamming across Goku's face, sending him flying through the air. With a pop, he appears near Goku, who has righted himself already.
"As much as I want to play with you Goku, I'm not in the mood for warmups. Try that again, and I'll kill you outright." Ice says, sneering as his Power Level starts to grow.
Goku watches him for a moment, before dropping back to his base form. He grabs his belt, pulling it and his vest off in one pull, leaving him only in his solid black short-sleeved outfit. He flexes, his body seemingly exploding as his muscles expand, covering in red fur. His Power Level skyrockets, but ends up just shy of Super Saiyan Blue 2 Trunks.
"Is that the best you have?" Ice asks. "Even Trunks had more to give...oh well. At least you'll be interesting to fight. You'll be the second Goku I've killed in this lifetime."
Goku disappears, his fist slamming into Ice's smirking face before he could react, knocking him backward as Goku follows right along. He grabs Ice's ankle, yanking him back to knee him in the face, the sonic boom flattening the land around them for miles. Ice's tail grabs Goku by the throat, throwing him away as energy fills his palm.
"Rgahhhh!" He screams, filling the sky with energy that boils the ocean.
As the energy clears, Goku is a bit singed but otherwise unhurt. He smirks, laughing.
"Yeah, I can see why Trunks would struggle with you," Goku says.
As he appears next to Ice, his fist buried an inch into his stomach, his Power Level starts to grow.
"But I'm not Trunks." He pulls his fist back, uppercutting Ice into the air above him. "I'm Son Goku."
A bright aura forms around Goku, his Power Level growing in leaps and bounds.
"And for the crime of Time Disruption, you will face death!" He yells, pushing to his max Super Saiyan 4 power level. "KA! ME! HA! ME! HA!"
He brings his hands together, pointing them as the Frost Demon that has just barely righted himself high above. The energy explodes from his hands, the sky blanked out with the intensity of the blast. As the blast ends, Goku's eyes survey the sky, before snarling.
"Fucking Saiyans!" Ice roars, clutching the stump of his left hand. His right-hand burns with energy, cauterizing the wound.
He had tried holding the blast back, but instantly knew he was going to fail. As the blast began to eat away his hand, he did the only thing he could to survive.
"I thought you said no warm-ups?" Goku calls up, "If you had another form, why start with the other?"
Ice's form is blue, yet shimmers in the light of the Namekian Suns. Ice was thankful he had taken the time to unlock his 'Golden' form after fighting against Trunks. Otherwise, he would have died right here, leaving Logan all on his own. The thought enraged him, his body filling with energy. He slowly dropped back to the ground, landing feet away from Goku.
"I kinda like the color," Goku says. "It fits you. Certainly better than Cooler and Frieza's Gold."
"I'm going to make you regret this, Goku. You're playing in a game far larger than you will ever understand." Ice whispers. "I should never have let this go so far."
"Maybe you have some Saiyan in you?" Goku asks, dropping into his fighting stance. "We tend to make that mistake with every new enemy."
"The only mistake you've made today is coming here," Ice says, as the ground around them starts to shake. "I am a thousand times stronger in this form!"
Goku's eyes actually widen as he senses the Frost Demons' new power. The ground is literally shaking apart, a sound so loud it deafens him as the planet groans under the strain.
"Fuck...I thought I might still have a chance without going even further...Could really use you right now Vegeta." Goku says, before reaching deep inside himself. "This is going to hurt…"
He closes his yellow eyes, reaching for that well of energy deep within, bringing it to the surface. With a scream, his energy explodes, his aura flashing between gold and red, before mutating into fiery reddish-purple. His black hair shifts into a bright red, as the fur on his body, darkens slightly. He opens his eyes, the yellow glowing with a red outline.
"Haa….Haa...Haa…" He huffs, every muscle in his body screaming. "Let's do this for real, shall we?"
He expected to see Ice ready to fight again and is surprised by the look on the Frost Demons' face.
"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me!" Ice yells, "This is such bullshit."
"Uh...I...Well, you wanted a challenge right?" Goku asks, catching his breath.
"No. Actually not at all. I'd much prefer to continue on unimpeded by fucking Saiyans that don't know when to stop!" Ice screams. "What's next, huh? I ascend to my 5th form on top of my 'Golden' form, and you mix Super Saiyan 4 with Super Saiyan Blue?"
"No?... Wait...is that possible?" Goku asks, dropping his fighting stance.
"No, shut up!" Ice says, shaking his head.
He drops back into his own fighting stance, still shaking his head. "This is bullshit, I'll have you know."
"I'll be sure to apologize to your dead body," Goku says, dropping back into his fighting stance.
They don't move a muscle, watching the other as they both pump more and more energy into their speed, attempting to outdo the other. With an explosion of power, they meet in mid-air, their fists crashing together. The Universe buckles around them as a knee meets the knee of the other. A backhand is dodged, a jab slapped away. A hand full of energy is snuffed out, as the other dodges a beam of sharp energy. Yet as the battle raged, a clear victor was making itself known. Two beings of power, equally matched, the planet falling apart around them as the Universe itself recoils.
"Enough of this!" Ice screams, as Goku flies towards him once more.
Ice's right-hand slashes down as he dodges to the left, a gap in space opening as Goku passes through it. It closes, sending Goku away, even as Ice is opening the bridge of color and code, hopping in and closing it behind him. No sooner had it closed does Goku reappear with a pop, the air shattering with the energy he is pouring out. He clutches his chest slightly, breathing heavily.
"Pull me out Chronoa!" He yells into the air, as he powers down.
His vision swims, and his eyes close, as he fades away.
Time Nest
Goku appears, barely being caught by Trunks, who had been watching the battle. He slips a Senzu bean into Goku's mouth, helping him to swallow. A few seconds pass before his eyes open, and he climbs to his feet.
"He ran away," Goku says, "Right when I had him on the ropes."
"We saw, Goku. I can't believe he managed to stand against your Super Saiyan 4 God form." Chronoa says.
"Neither can I...I don't know who this guy is, but he's dangerous. Even missing a limb, it didn't hold him back." Goku says, frowning. "I definitely had him at the end there. A few more minutes and I'd have taken him out.
"Missing a limb?" A voice from the entryway says, "Are you talking about me behind my back Goku?"
"Vegeta!" Goku exclaims, "You're back!"
The Saiyan standing in the doorway surveys the collective, his bright silver eyes meeting each in turn. He walks into the room, his dark green outfit clashing with his shock silver hair. His missing right arm is hidden artfully by the design of the robes.
"Lord Zeno had need of me. The Grand Priest sent me as soon as I returned...What has befallen the mortal realm?" He asks.
A/N: Edited 01.09.2022
Original A/N: Let it never be said that I don't give you what you need!
Kll is learning to control the monster within, Goku failed to stop Ice, Logan is part of some sort of plan, and was that Ultra Instinct Grand Priest Vegeta?! Fucking find out next time...on Dragonball! RPG X!
I commissioned some art! See it in the art channel on my Discord. It's the end scene of Chapter 15 from Dragonball: RPG Rebirth. Last week, the 14th marks 3 years!