After about a week, (and a few Senzu beans) Bulma was released from the hospital, and she was relieved. Sure, her body ached a little still, but that was nothing she couldn't handle. She was pretty quickly back to work, messing around with several new concepts for inventions. Not just weapons or armour this time mind you, she began drafting ideas for vehicles and machines that could help the general public. From prosthetics that had the equivalent of a utility belt built in, to a car with reinforced airbags that looked like Kirby (she didn't know why she did that, she just thought Kirby was cute). She figured she may have multiple breakthroughs in the near future.
Life for the others was (finally) calm once again. Yes, insert the obligatory 'But Goku and Vegeta kept training regardless' part here, but for once, things were genuinely calm. Goku had been spending more time at home, helping Chi-Chi with odd jobs and spending more time with his sons. Vegeta had been trying to spend time with Trunks, but wasn't sure how to do so in ways that didn't involve training. They had attempted to go fishing, but Vegeta's frustration at the fish always taking his bait before he could set the hook got the better of them. This however, led the two to bond over a new type of father-son experience. Ki fishing. Vegeta had used a Gallick gun blast to simply shoot a fish, managing to kill it. Trunks retorted by killing two fish with a blast, and not one to be upstaged, Vegeta managed to kill three. The two found themselves genuinely having a good time as the continued trying to rack of a fish kill count. Eventually it came to an end when they realized they had killed all the fish in the lake, and didn't know what they were going to do with them.
Skorch now had a fish and chips food truck, while the ecological association were trying to figure out what happened to the halibut population in the nearby lake.
Eventually, the Z-Fighters were called to Capsule Corp. HQ to see what Bulma had been working on. As the scientist came out, she pulled a welder's mask off of her face.
"Gotta admit, things go a lot faster when you've got a human blowtorch helping you." She remarked. With time to kill, those present (Goku, Gohan, Krillin, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Vegeta, Goten, Trunks and Piccolo) were back in the familiar viewing lounge, hearing the familiar theme song.
(*Cues: Invader – Jim Johnston*)
"They say that some of the greatest heroes of all are shunned by the very people they continue to protect." Wiz said with a surprisingly somber tone.
"Essentially it's the worst deal ever." Boomstick flatly said, his tone bitter.
"That's… sadly kind of accurate." Gohan conceded. "I mean, to be fair, they usually do have a reason to be afraid, but the point still stands."
"Like Beast, the furry blue super genius of the X-Men." Wiz introduced the first fighter, who looked like a mixture between a human, a gorilla, and a bear. Except his body was covered in dark blue fur.
"And Goliath, the leader of the Gargoyles who brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Tough as stone.'" Boomstick continued as a shadow image of a large, gray winged figure appeared. It seemed to have a facial structure somewhat similar to that of a bat's, but his body seemed to be made of stone.
"Seems like we've got two more anti-social edge lords in this episode." Krillin remarked flatly. "Why does it seem like the second you get powers, you lose the ability to smile?"
"He's Wiz, and I'm Boomstick!"
"And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armour, and skills to figure out who would win… A Death Battle!" Wiz concluded as the doors closed then re-opened, DNA strands that seemed… off.
BEAST
(*Cues: X-Men (2000) - Main Theme*)
"Mutation. The scientific even of genetic design altering itself for unknown reasons. To some, mutation is the key to evolution, and would act as the gateway to perfecting humanity. Left to happen naturally, the process is slow, normally taking thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward." Wiz began, thankfully explaining things simply enough that all those present understood and were only somewhat confused. Bulma however, understood everything that was being said.
"Yeah, but if mutation means we're all going to morph into giant blue monkey-men, count me out!" Boomstick added. "I mean, being able to climb like one or maybe having a tail would be cool… I'd have an extra hand for beer!"
Now the watchers saw Beast once again. He resembled a gorilla in some physical aspects, but everything else seemed wrong. He was covered in blue fur and was wearing a yellow belt, as well as wearing glasses. He honestly seemed… respectable.
"He looks like a mix of the Great Apes you turned into and a smurf." Krillin joked.
"So, you if you turned into a great ape?" Vegeta shot back, not even looking back to the smaller man, but knowing he landed a solid blow.
"Due to fears caused by intentionally creating negative stigma and social conditioning tactics much akin to some of history's greatest monsters, mutants were feared by most 'normal people'." Wiz continued. "In most cases. mutants generally begin to show signs of their... uniqueness around puberty. Not so for Hank McCoy."
"When he was born, it was pretty clear that something was different about him. Namely, the giant monkey hands and feet. Ooh, that must've been rough on the way out! He better give dear old mom double the presents on Mother's Day!"
"I mean… that… that had to…" Bulma began to say, but trailed off, not sure where she was going with that.
"How do people end up with mutations in the first place?" Goten asked.
"Well, to put it simply, acquired or somatic mutations occur at some time during a person's life and are present only in certain cells, not in every cell in the body. These changes can be caused by environmental factors such as ultraviolet radiation from the sun, or can occur if an error is made as DNA copies itself during cell division." Bulma explained. Everyone went silent as they looked at the scientists, their faces reading 'What…?'
"That was the simple explanation?" Krillin asked after a few moments of silence.
"…shut up." Bulma grumbled.
"To his credit, Hank managed to hide his mutation for most of his adolescent life, things weren't always so easy once he was inevitable found out. Due to the extreme and mostly unjustified mutant prejudice, he was constantly harassed and bulled. Eventually being shunned and kicked out of his school." Wiz continued, his tone somber.
"And now that I'm thinking about it. They made a massive mistake!" Boomstick agreed.
"Because of their short-sighted racism and the fact that Hank would become one of the smartest people on the planet, and be the figurehead for the anti-mutant discrimination movement bringing the two groups together?" Wiz asked, somewhat sarcastically, expecting Boomstick to have a dumb response.
"Yes!"
"Wait. What?" Piccolo said, surprised. "He actually thinks that articulately?"
"Well, racism is a thing even idiots can be smart enough to know is wrong." Chi-Chi shrugged. She didn't like Boomstick, but she was willing to admit that he wasn't completely unlikable.
"Wiz, racists, sexists, and homophobes are shitheads. Even I know that! Also, with those monkey hands and feet, he could've guaranteed his school victory in the basketball championship! The Toronto Raptor's wouldn't need Kawhi Leonard! Coach! Put Hank in the game!"
"I mean, it should be simple enough that even an idiot would know racism is bad, but…" Vegeta trailed off. "I mean…"
"It's Boomstick." Piccolo completed the sayians thought.
"Yeah. It's Boomstick."
"Regardless, everyone Hank knew and loved began to turn their backs on him. His friends, his classmates, and even his own parents began to see him as a freak." Wiz added, his tone unnaturally serious.
"That… that's not right." Trunks muttered, voicing what most of the fighters were thinking.
"Leaving him to drown in his sorrows, wallowing in the social outcast he was, the permeant loneliness."
"I've been there. Thankfully alcohol manages to solve all those issues!" Boomstick declared before opening a can and chugging it. "And thankfully for Hank, old Wheels here showed up and offered him a place on the mutant group known as the X-Men."
Everyone watched with curiosity as a bald man in a wheel chair seemed to be talking to Hank. Behind him was a man who appeared to be made of ice, a man with angel wings, and a man with an odd-looking visor. Like something out of Star Trek The Next Generation.
"How's the bald guy a mutant?" Goku asked, bewildered.
"Why are you asking us? This is new to all of us." Vegeta replied in his arrogant tone.
"You have no idea what I am…" Hank said sadly, his composure one of a man who had given up all hope.
"That's where you're mistaken Hank." Was suddenly heard.
"Wh..what?! How did…"
"I'm in your mind Hank." The voice came again, and surprisingly, the bald man wasn't talking, but had two fingers to his temple. "I know what it's like to be feared, to be rejected, and we can offer you a place where you'll be considered one of the crowd. We can make a difference; do you want to help us?"
"Ah, so he's a telepath." Bulma remarked.
"Hank decided to give it a shot, and turned what he had spent years fearing into something that made everyone around him fear, uh. Him." Boomstick continued as Beast was shown fighting off a number of goons while jumping around like a monkey, cracking skulls, throwing punches, and generally avoiding any attacks.
"Wait, wasn't he blue earlier?" Goten remarked, watching Beast fight. "He still seems human."
"As an X-Man, Beast became an integral member of this uncanny team, and is one of the longest-remaining members on the team. And if you know anything about the Dark Phoenix…"
"DON'T. START." Wiz suddenly cut Boomstick off with a very angered tone. There was silence for a moment, then Boomstick continued.
"…Okay… Fair point. Regardless, his superhuman strength, speed, and durability let him go toe-to-toe with baddies like the immovable Blob, Sabretooth, Mister Sinister and Kraven the Hunter!"
BACKGROUND
- Full Name: Henry "Hank" McCoy
- Height: 5'11" I 1.8 m ("He's shorter than I expected." Gohan remarked.)
- Weight: 402 lbs I 182.3
- Six Doctorates, Including Biophysics, Psychology and Philosophy (Bulma was very impressed by that)
- Considered one of the smartest men in the Marvel Universe, behind Mr. Fantastic, Dr. Doom, Tony Stark and a very few others (Now Bulma wanted to know who these others were)
- Teacher at Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters ("So there's a mutant school?" Trunks asked. "That sounds awesome!")
- Member of the X-Men, Avengers, Defenders and Illuminati
"Hold up." Krillin suddenly said in surprise. "Illuminati, as in… the group of people that supposedly control the world as we know it?"
"Wait. There's a group that controls the world!?" Goku exclaimed. "How have we never met them before?!"
"Because they're only a myth." Vegeta said flatly. "It's a story that humans believe for some reason. Then again, they tend to believe just about anything."
- Likes Shakespeare… A lot.
"That makes one of us." Gohan muttered, remembering the stories he had to read when he was younger. Chi-Chi noticed that and spoke up.
"They weren't that awful honey."
"Yeah, the stories about suicide, incest, murder, lust and implied sexual assault are great!" Skorch shouted from another room. "Not to mention they're BORING AS HELL!"
"I gotta agree with him." Gohan nodded, annoying Chi-Chi. Skorch suddenly appeared in a quick puff of fire before adding:
"Just be thankful you don't have to read 1984 and A Clockwork Orange back-to-back. Those stories… Why they make kids read them in high school is beyond me."
"Clockwork wasn't that bad. Aside from the main character's being wholly irredeemable, murderous, drug addicted rap… Wow, now that I look back on it, that book is messed up." Gohan began but quickly trailed off. Skorch shrugged before disappearing again. Chi-Chi looked to her son with a mortified look that clearly said 'You've seen/read WHAT?'
"So, it seems like even though he's treated like a social outcast, he's able to find ways to make use of the hand he was dealt." Goten spoke.
"Well, sometimes someone's weakness can prove to be their greatest strength." Piccolo commented. "If you're able to use what some say a weakness is to your advantage, then that can make it harder for your enemy to find your true weakness."
"True that." Goku nodded, surprising everyone around him at the fact that Goku understood that.
"Things actually got pretty good for Hank, and eventually he left the X-Men to resume his studies." Wiz said. "This wasn't due to him feeling like an outcast amongst the X-Men, if anything, they were his family. But he wanted to help people, being a genius like yours truly, he quickly completed his doctoral studies and became a leading researcher in mutant genetics. Desperate to 'cure' the mutant gene issue, Hank devised a formula that would supposedly supress the mutant genes."
"It didn't end well." Vegeta snarked.
"It didn't end well." Boomstick stated.
Hank looked down at his arms and hands, which seemed to be trembling uncontrollably, the veins turning blue. His body began to spaz uncontrollably, leaving him crying out in agony. His clothes tore as his body grew larger, blue fur covering his entire body. Hank looked at the remains of a broken mirror, the remaining shards showing a broken reflection of what he had become.
"What… have… I… done?" Hank whispered, horror clear in his tone.
"That's terrifying…" Chi-Chi whispered, shocked at what she had just seen. Looking to Goku she added: "Is that what it was like when you changed into your great ape form?"
"I don't remember." Goku frowned, thinking back to all those years ago when he and Gohan had that ability, and had fought Vegeta for the first time.
"A side effect of the transformation is that you lose consciousness." Vegeta spoke up, looking back to Chi-Chi. "It may be fair to describe it as another personality taking over. It hurts, but the other side quickly took over. If he retains his own mind while this happened, then his entire body just changed." (Okay, that may not be one hundred percent true, but it works in this case.)
"Poor guy…" Boomstick shook his head. "Now and forever more, he truly was a Beast. His transformation wasn't all bad though, Fuzzy Beast could now lift over ten tons, run over forty miles per hour, and jump over twenty-five feet in the air."
"Well at least he got something out of it." Krillin conceded, still feeling bad for Hank. This wasn't a guy who tried to hurt people, if anything, he was trying to help them.
"If you could gain those strengths, would you let yourself change like that?" Piccolo asked. The others were quiet for a moment, some said they would, but not without giving it further thought.
"So, the pros and cons of it are somewhat debatable. Hey, maybe he was a furry before this happened. If he was, then he just saved a TON of money!" Boomstick added.
"What's a furry?" Goku asked confused, and a few heads turned to him. Thankfully, no one saw Goten looking back and forth nervously.
"Someone will explain it later." Krillin finally said. "And I'm not that person."
"Also, Hank retained all of his intelligence." Wiz continued in a slightly awkward tone. "He continued his studies, trying to find some sort of cure, but eventually decided to embrace who he was. Due to the second mutation so to say, Beast also gain and extremely fast healing factor. Well, sort of." Wiz began with a tone that said: 'Sit down folks, this is gonna be weird.' "This is what Beast used to look like."
Suddenly, an image of beast appeared, but this time he had gray fur. Several brows were raised in confusion.
"He kinda looks like a dirty yeti." Bulma said aloud, curious as to how Hank went from gray to blue.
"Comics go through a LOT of changes." Wiz began. "Origins, powers, names, race, gender, sexuality, allegiance, backstory, personality… It's hard to find a superhero who hasn't been drastically changed through reboots or retcons. As for Hank, back in Amazing Adventures #11, published back in 1974, Hank's original backstory was that he was working on a cure or some sort of drug to supress or activate the 'X-Factor, the mutant gene."
"Do you think Sayians have a gene like that?" Piccolo asked, glancing over to Bulma.
"Maybe? It's hard to say." The scientist frowned.
"The bloodline does determine what a sayian or half-breed can or can't do, but there wasn't much research done into the genetic reasoning behind it." Vegeta answered.
"The company he was working for, called Brand Corporation, was actually a subsidiary of Marvel's evil mega-corporation, Roxxon. So, when they tried to take the breakthrough Hank had made in order to create a super-army, he did what any Nobel Prize winning scientist would do."
"He shotgunned it like a forty-ouncer!" Boomstick declared. "Seriously, that just seems dumb. And potentially dangerous."
"When Boomstick is speaking the truth, you know there's something wrong." Krillin stated, everyone agreeing with him. Now in Beast's defence, he sort of had a reason for it, but… It was an admittedly dumb one.
"This caused him to grow fur and gave him a healing factor so powerful it could heal bullet wounds within minutes." Wiz continued "Until it was drained a few months later and this also caused his fur to turn blue. Now, his healing factor takes a few hours as opposed to moments."
"Well… that's one way to keep a super weapon from falling into the wrong hands…" Chi-Chi commented.
"Y'know, for a scientific genius, he never did quite figure out how to turn back to his old self." Boomstick said. "I mean, he's been able to turn into a cat-man, a horse-man, blue Kelsey Grammer, and even Sasquatch. Somehow. he always ends up as his classic, blue ape self."
"This did mean he couldn't hide in plain sight anymore, so Hank returned to Xavier's school to become a teacher, and eventually became a focal point for bridging humans and mutants together."
"Good for him." Chi-Chi smiled. "I doubt it was perfect, but if he was able to at least begin the process of bringing humans and mutants together, that counts for something, right?"
"And to his credit, Beast isn't just a genius. He's also a ridiculously strong fighter." Boomstick continued. "He's survived hits from the Juggernaut, smashed open a tank with his bare fists, taken on armies of pissed of mutants alongside the X-Men, fought the mutant capture and killing Sentinels, he's able to hit the ground with a punch so hard, he created an earth-shattering shockwave, and lifted a solid gold oak tree!"
The fighters were impressed as Beast was indeed holding up a tree made out of solid gold. The biggest question on their minds was simple: How did that tree grow?
Suddenly, a diagram of a cube of gold appeared, measurements and numbers appeared as Wiz spoke:
"A cubic foot of gold weighs approximately one ton. Comparing the diameter of the tree to Hank's height, it's reasonable to believe that this golden tree weighs at least sixty tons." The scientist explained.
"For someone who doesn't seem to have much training, he's surprisingly strong." Goten said, surprised.
"Actually, yeah. When did he learn to fight?" Trunks asked.
"Or, a literal "shitton", to be precise." Boomstick clarified.
"…right." Wiz answered after a few moments. "Despite his enhanced power and strength, Beast is actually a pacifist most of the time, preferring brains over brawn."
"He does strike me as someone who would be a pacifist." Piccolo nodded. "His past, his powers, they don't seem like he'd use them to fight people."
"Well, didn't they say he ended up acting as a figurehead for relations between humans and mutants?" Gohan asked. "If that's what he ended up doing, he seemed to achieve something with his powers."
"He's never the first one into battle, not due to cowardice or anything like that, but rather Beast acts as the team strategist, able to use his superior intelligence to help devise winning plans in supposedly un-winnable situations."
"If he's a strategist more than a fighter, that may give him an advantage in the battle." Goku stated. "He seems strong enough to hold his own, but if he's able to make up plans on the fly, that may help him win."
"True, but the best plans won't succeed if the warrior isn't strong enough to pull it off." Vegeta remarked, looking over to Goku. However, he seemed somewhat impressed with Goku's logic.
"Are you sure about that?" Goku asked with a raised brow. "Just because someone's physically weaker doesn't always mean they'll lose. If Beast is weaker than the other guy, he may be able to figure something out."
"But when the chips come down, Beast can enter a sort of berserker state, and if a character has one of these, it's bad news for EVERYONE around him." Boomstick continued as Beast was shown completely losing his mind, now tearing his way through a hallway of armed guards, seemingly having no control as he did so. "And in Hank's case, it can get so aggressive, he can actually pose a threat to his closest friends!"
"Man, that sucks…" Goten frowned. "He seems like someone who couldn't hurt his friends even if he tried."
"The more power someone has, the more careful they need to be." Piccolo said.
"I thought you were a diplomat." A man with what looked like metal claws coming out of his hands remarked as he slashed a man with his claws.
"As Churchill said, 'There comes a time when every man must...'" Beast began, but was hit by an attacker, who he grabbed and slammed into the ground before slashing at him with his claws. Another attacked tried to jump on Beast's back and he slammed himself into a wall, knocking the attacker off, then upper-cutted a third attacker before violently slashing the throat of a fourth attacker. "Oh, you get the point!"
"Beast's monstrous appearance remained a permanent part of his life. He was never truly accepted by society, and even had to leave the woman he loved for fear she would become a target of mutant haters." Wiz said. "Now for every bad, there was some good. Beast helped save the world multiple times, and helped develop multiple cures to previously incurable diseases."
"But if he could have his way, he would spend his days hanging from the ceiling with a nice cup of tea, reading Shakespeare. But we don't always get what we want, so he'll have to settle for kickin' ass!" Boomstick concluded as an odd sight of Hank sitting on a chair, upside down reading a book.
"With faint heart, averted feet, and many a tear, in our opposed path to persevere." A minor poet for a minor obstacle." Beast remarked, reading from his book before the doors closed.
"I like him." Bulma remarked after a moment. "He seems more like Spider-Man and less like Spawn."
"I'm still not sold on him being able to win a battle." Vegeta shook his head. "Intelligence will only get you so far."
"I agree with Vegeta." Gohan nodded. "It depends on who he's fighting, but Beast may be at the disadvantage already."
GOLIATH
The doors reopened and a large castle was shown, being illuminated by lightning.
(*Cues: Gargoyles - Intro Theme*)
"One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age...of gargoyles." Wiz began as a group of large winged warriors stood on the edge of the castle's balcony. They held swords and shields, and in the front of them was a much taller (and stronger) gargoyle with almost ash-gray skin with a light blue tint to it.
"And badass cartoon intros!" Boomstick added as a song that seemed to be a mix of a choir, old flutes and drums played, giving an ominous, but awesome vibe.
"Yeah that sounds pretty awesome." Goten admitted.
"If we're a cartoon to other worlds, I wonder if we have a theme." Piccolo mused.
"By day nothing more than stone statues, but by night some of the fiercest warriors ever to take to the battlefield, gargoyles used to be common throughout the world, each one a representation of the culture and warriors of its land." Wiz explained as a panning shot of what looked to be Japanese Gargoyles landed on a balcony, posing. Interestingly, they seemed to turn to stone in the sunlight. "They were known as protectors, guarding their home and anyone within, was always their top priority."
"And if we go by the fifth edition Monster Manual from Dungeons and Dragons, then Gargoyles more often than not weren't good guys. Er, stone-bat-things…" Boomstick added as what looked like an old parchment drawing of a gargoyle appeared, looking much more demonic than the ones previously seen. "They mainly acted as sentries, but... these aren't that type. Mostly."
"Huh. Haven't thought about Dungeons and Dragons since high school…" Gohan missed, thinking back to when he was younger.
"You played that game?" Roshi asked bewildered.
"Yeah."
"Same!"
"Besides, it's not every day that your garden decorations are also you're top-tier ass-kicking bodyguards. Otherwise I'd have a lot more lawn gnomes!"
"Man, imagine getting attacked by an army of gnomes…" Goku said, thinking about it. "That would just be weird…"
"As opposed to everything else we get attacked by?" Piccolo asked.
"Fair enough."
"Back in the year 994 AD, a clan of gargoyles formed a symbiotic relationship with the humans of a Scottish castle. By night these winged warriors would fight off intruders, hold back attackers, and defend the castle with their superhuman strength, keen senses, and warrior spirit." Wiz continued as the gargoyles seen earlier were fighting off an army of attackers. "And by day, the humans would protect them when they were most vulnerable. As gargoyles turn to solid stone in the sunlight."
The fighters watched in bewilderment as several of the gargoyles perched on a balcony as the sun arose, and their bodies seemed to turn back to stone.
"That is.. really weird." Goku finally said. "They're like rock vampires?"
"Pretty close, except vampires die in sunlight." Gohan replied.
"I'm amazed no one seems to have thought about ambushing the castle and destroying them while they're trapped in stone." Vegeta said, almost bewildered at the fact. "Also, why would they make their presence known so clearly?! Wouldn't it make more sense to hide in a sealed off room during the day, and then come out at night?"
"Vegeta's right." Krillin nodded. "The only real excuse for them being caught out in the open when the sun comes up would either be if they were caught and held out there so they could be killed, or if they somehow lost track of time."
"These stone mofo's were led by Goliath, a badass with a voice so sexy, he can make a LOT turn to stone… If you know what I mean." Boomstick added.
The women were about to groan when Goliath gabbed a man's sword and snapped it in half before grabbing him by the neck and pulling him up.
"You are trespassing." Goliath said in a deep, booming voice. Bulma and Chi-Chi were taken aback by the sound of his voice, and blinked in awe. Even some of the guys mentally noted that if they got a chance, they'd probably wish for their voice to sound like that.
"Unfortunately, due to their monstrous appearance, Goliath's clan was eventually forced to confront bigotry and unjustified prejudice form the humans they protected." Wiz said, an annoyed tone in his voice.
"Wait. Why!?" Goku suddenly asked. "They're literally keeping them from getting overtaken! Why would they suddenly turn on them?!"
"Humans are stupid." Skorch commented, suddenly appearing upside-down from the roof. "Ninety-nine prevent of them are elitist assholes who only care for furthering their own social standings." He looked to Bulma and added: "Say I'm wrong. I dare you."
"We are most seriously displeased to allow beasts in the dining hall." A woman in royal attire said in a very condescending tone, and the Gargoyles seemed agitated by the comment.
"These are unnatural creatures. No good can come from associating with them." Another man remarked.
"Geez, she's kind of a bitch..." Trunks remarked flatly.
"Trunks!" Bulma shouted, angered.
"He's not wrong." Vegeta countered.
"What?!"
"The boy's right, they risk their lives to defend this castle and those that live in it, and in response they're treated like outcasts? That's the kind of elitism Skorch was talking about."
"Not all humans are like that." Krillin shrugged.
"And what about how people reacted when we first arrived? Or when Cell attacked?" Vegeta asked in an even tone, raising a fair point.
"You showed up and started killing people, Cell showed up and started absorbing people." Krillin replied, raising a fair point. The room fell silent for a moment until Piccolo finally broke the silence with a nod.
"Well, he's got you there."
"And if that wasn't bad enough, Goliath's closest friend Robert, inadvertently led to most of the Gargoyles being killed."
That did get everyone's attention as they were taken aback by the sudden revelation. It made sense that not all of them would survive everything, but to be betrayed by their closest friend and ally…
"Now, in his defence, he kind of had a reason for this." Boomstick continued. "Robert was rightfully pissed off over how the Gargoyles were treated, so he went to this dude Hakon, a Viking chief and made a deal with him. He'd let them raid the castle and kill everyone, but the Gargoyles would be left alone, and in the end, they'd have the castle to themselves."
"That seems a bit harsh." Chi-Chi said. "I understand he's angry, but letting a lot of innocents die is just… wrong."
"Eh, something I've learned is when people are angry or need to boost their ego, letting innocents die is usually step one." Krillin remarked and Vegeta's eye twitched before he flipped the monk off.
"Things kind of went to plan, and Hakon and the others did succeed in raiding the castle… but the plan had been for Goliath to take his crew to go fight the Vikings during the night. However, Goliath only took his mentor Hudson…"
"…and they attacked during the day." Gohan finished where Boomstick was going, frowning as he realized what was coming. The Vikings were shown storming the castle, those inside were scrambling to get to safety, but it clearly didn't matter. They were taken away, and it was clear they were probably gonna die.
"…and the duo were frozen when the sun rose, sparing them." Boomstick concluded. "Actually, come to think of it, why the hell do they hang out on the edge of the castle all the time? If they're gonna do that, why not go the full mile and taunt the Vikings before you turn to stone?"
A rather crude image appeared of a gargoyle mooning the camera, another was grabbing his crotch with one hand and flipping everyone off with the other, and a third read a sign that said 'I give your wife better rock than you!' This did get a laugh out of a few that were watching, but they also had to agree, it was an odd choice to remain out in the open like that.
"Right… Well, one thing led to another, and some albino Legolas asshole accidentally turned them to stone permanently." Wiz said, getting things back on track. Cutting to a shot of the Gargoyles once again encased in stone, returned to where they once stood.
"This has to be one of the worst weeks to ever happen to anyone." Boomstick mused.
"True." Gohan nodded.
"Okay, so maybe not forever… just until one weirdly specific and nearly impossible critera was met." Wiz added.
"The terms of the spell were that they would sleep... until the castle rises above the clouds." A voice spoke as a shot of the castle was shown, slowly being left to nature to reclaim it.
"I'm sorry, what?" Bulma blinked.
"When the castle rises above the clouds? Do they literally mean that someone would have to life the castle above the clouds in order to awaken them again?" Goku asked aloud, trying to figure out what the spell meant. Frankly, everyone present was left without an answer that sounded reasonable.
"Maybe it means once the moon rises a number of times?" Chi-Chi suggested.
"Or maybe they have to somehow lift the statues into the sky." Goten added.
"And when he says 'above the clouds', he means it literally." Wiz explained, his tone one of 'I can't believe I'm saying this'. "So, stone they remained for a thousand years, until, in 1994…"
("Cues: Gargoyles - Suite 2*)
"Some billionaire with a name that sounds like an anti-depressant or an anti-erectile dysfunction pill just happened to be crazy enough to try something really stupid. Xanatos moved every last stone of the ancient castle to the top of his New York skyscraper, which happened to poke above the clouds." Boomstick explained as helicopters were shown lifting stones up past the clouds. "I mean… sure. When you're rich, why not?"
"Okay, sure…" Vegeta blinked, unsure of what to say. "Just… why?"
"…the cost of which must've been astronomically high, and that's not even considering the building permits, zoning laws, manpower… But hey, whatever works."
"Don't disappoint me…" A man with a mustache and goatee said in a low tone, watching as dark clouds rolled in, rain pouring down as the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the buildings.
"Wait. That worked!?" Goten exclaimed, surprised.
To answer his question, as thunder cracked and the music swelled, the camera panned around the statues, all of which cracked, then seemed to burst as the gargoyles awoke from their one-thousand-year slumber, each of them roaring as they awoke. It was a powerful sight that left the watchers speechless in awe.
"Damn. That has to be one of the greatest yawns ever." Boomstick remarked.
"With the curse finally broken, the Gargoyles were awake once again, and Goliath set forth to lead his clan into the modern age." Wiz continued. "And Goliath's crew finally got names. Yeah, surprisingly they didn't have names."
"That's odd." Chi-Chi spoke. "How have they lived for so long yet never had names?"
"Does the sky need a name? That river?" One of the gargoyles spoke. He had a faded orange-colour to his scales, along with a white beard and a wounded eye.
"I guess that explains it." Piccolo replied. "They lived for battle, names were something they never really felt a need for."
"That's the Hudson." A woman remarked, looking from over the balcony back to the gargoyle.
"Fine lass, then I shall be the Hudson as well." Hudson remarked.
"I'm Brooklyn." The reddish gargoyle said, he seemed more bird-like than any of the others.
"Broadway!" A larger, blueish gargoyle said. He seemed oddly like Majin Buu, but… blue. And a gargoyle. And with the ability to speak.
"Lexington!" The smallest one exclaimed.
"I guess he'll need one as well now." Goliath said, looking over to a dog-like gargoyle. Oddly, he didn't have winds or talons like the others, but he seemed more like a mixture between a bear and a large dog with a darker blue scale colour.
"Oh, I've got one for him too!" Brooklyn remarked. "You're Bronx."
The doggoyle seemed to growl and walk away.
"Ha! I think he likes it!" Lexington laughed.
"Is it weird that I find the dog gargoyle kinda… cute?" Bulma asked. "I can't say why, but.. there's something about him."
"A gargoyle dog for a pet? That'd be awesome!" Goku exclaimed.
"He'd probably eat more than you." Gohan remarked.
"So?"
"Also, wouldn't we only be able to do stuff with him at night?" Krillin asked.
"If you put sunblock on him would that help?" Goku asked.
"And despite being displaced in time for about a thousand years, Goliath adapted pretty quickly to modern times." Wiz added.
"So, he was vaping, eating a paleo diet, watching vines and looking at memes online?" Boomstick asked.
"What? No, this was the 90's." Wiz corrected him.
"Oh, so he wore crazy colored clothing, had a Walkman, used nonsensical description words like "Bodacious", "Radical", or..."
"Jalepena..." Goliath scowled, followed by a montage of the other gargoyles repeating the word.
"Jalepena…"
"Jalepena!"
"Jalepena?"
"Jalepena."
"Jalepena..."
"Jalepena."
"Why are they saying jalapeño wrong?" Goku asked.
"Jalepena is the feminine seed form of Jalapeño peppers." Chi-Chi answered.
"….dammit." Boomstick muttered.
(*Cues: Gargoyles - Suite 1 again*)
"Thanks to his giant wings Goliath is well suited to traverse the broad skies and alleyways of the city he now calls home. However, Goliath insists that he can't fly, but he can glide through the air." Wiz added, his tone one of 'Really?' as Goliath 'flew' across the sky.
"So, he can't fly, but he can fly." Vegeta said in a flat tone. "I can't be the only one who sees the issue with that statement."
"I mean, sure." Bulma shrugged. "Maybe he can't fly but can glide, but if that's the case, how is he able to scale buildings like we've seen him do?"
"Which I insist is absolute bullshit." Boomstick said matter-of-factly. "What else do you call what's happening here, if not flying?!"
The fighters watched as Goliath somehow 'glided' upwards, going up a large skyscraper. No one decided to question this, considering the fact that they were watching a show about a blue-monkey-mutant fighting a gargoyle.
"As much as you've got a point Boom, there really isn't an answer. Regardless of wind direction, resistance or speed, Goliath seem to has no issue 'gliding' wherever he wants. However, his only restriction is that he can't take off from the ground. He requires an elevated place to take off from."
"Okay, I guess that make sense." Gohan conceded.
"Well, regardless of ability to 'fly' or not, Goliath can still scale giant skyscrapers from ground level without breaking a sweat. His claws are powerful to dig through solid concrete without an issue, is strong enough to lift a car, can slam the ground with enough force to create a small earthquake that can split the ground, and is able to tear through steel sheets on military grade airplanes with his bare hands like they were wet paper."
"As much as it seems like Goliath could win through brute strength, what are the chances Beast can outsmart him long enough to somehow get him into the sun?" Piccolo asked.
"Honestly? I'd say pretty low." Krillin responded. "Even if the battle takes place at some time such as three in the morning, Beast would have to not only avoid getting killed, but also keep Goliath's attention for anywhere from five to eight hours straight. In my opinion, Beast could still win through his athletic abilities, but I don't think sunlight will be a deciding factor."
"He's fast enough to keep pace and even outmatch foes who travel using rocket-powered engines, his stamina is wickedly high, and he can even survive a fall from one hundred feet without it seeming to affect him."
"Impressive." Vegeta admitted.
"Add to that the fact that even though he may not be stone during the night, his body is still incredibly hard to damage. Goliath has tanked bullets, swords, arrows, magic, and was even able to keep 'gliding' when he was shot repetitively by a World War II Nazi Fighter Plane." Boomstick paused for a moment as the footage was shown, then added: "Yes. He traveled through time. The show got weird in its third season."
"Much like Beast however, while Goliath may seem like a monster, and when he gets pissed off he can be, but he's typically a calm, clever and wise." Wiz continued. "He was able to outsmart Oberon, essentially an all-powerful magic God, and was able to adapt to a sudden time jump of over one thousand years. Due to his physiology, he doesn't need to work out to maintain his muscular body and spends most of his free time in the castle library,"
"And all of you say brawn is better than brains." Bulma said with a prideful smirk. A few rolled their eyes at that, but said nothing.
"Where he's spent many a night learning a millenniums' history. Or trying to have a relationship with a human detective…"
"BOUNDARIES!" Boomstick shouted. "Don't give the internet more ideas for rule 34 art!"
"…rule 34?" Goku asked.
"Dunno, we can ask Skorch later." Gohan shrugged.
"Inhumanly strong and a force of pure badassery, Goliath is a force of nature not to be reckoned with!" Boomstick declared. "For twelve hours of the day…"
"True." Someone commented.
"Not to mention that while he may seem bullet proof, Goliath has been injured by swords, magic, electrical charges…" Wiz listed off some of the gargoyles' weaknesses. "But in what is probably Goliath's biggest weakness is the fact that he routinely seems to throw himself in harm's way for the sake of others, regardless of the risk."
"Stay behind me." Goliath ordered as what seemed like twisted, clay gargoyles seemed to be forming out of a sludge they were surrounded by.
"Goliath, you can't fight them all! They'll kill you!" Lexington exclaimed.
"It doesn't matter. It should give you all a chance to escape."
"Well, he seems to be a good leader." Goku said. "Even if it seems like he'd probably die because he tried to fight something he couldn't beat."
"He's like a smarter you." Vegeta added.
"…hey!"
"Regardless, Goliath has lasted for over a thousand years, and believe me, this isn't a warrior whose bad side you want to be on." Boomstick concluded as Goliath was shown illuminated by lightning as he roared, fists to the sky, with an orchestra singing a loud song in the background as the doors closed.
"I think the stone guy is gonna win." Goku said matter-of-factly. "He's stronger, faster, and Beast probably doesn't know about his one weakness."
"I think dad's right." Gohan nodded. "Unless Beast has an insane amount of stamina, which they didn't mention, I don't think he'll be able to put Goliath down."
"I'm more surprised they'd fight in the first place." Chi-Chi shrugged. "Given their roles and personalities, it honestly feels like they'd become friends long before they'd try to kill each other."
"But that kinda goes against the rules of the show." Trunks added.
"And would probably be really boring. What kind of fight would end with the fighters becoming friends?"
"I don't see why you all think Beast will lose." Bulma reasoned. "If he's smart enough to create cures for illnesses, and can lift a solid gold tree-"
"No, he didn't." Vegeta cut his wife off.
"-and can lift a solid gold tree, he should be able to match Goliath's physical strength!" The Scientist repeated herself.
The room was silent for a few moments until someone coughed.
"Seriously?! How am I the only one who thinks Beast can win?!"
"I dunno. You're wrong?" Goku replied with utmost sincerity. Not understanding how insulting that was.
"While I think Goliath will win, I don't think it'll be a one-sided fight." Krillin sad, trying to shift the focus to something else. "Beast definitely has the intelligence advantage here, so he might actually be able to think of a strategy. But Even then, it doesn't seem likely that he can win."
Bulma huffed annoyed, being the sole viewer voting for Beast, whole everyone else (mostly due to his amazing voice) were voting on Goliath.
"Alright, the combatants are set. It's time to end this debate once and for all." Wiz stated matter-of-factly.
"IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLE!" Boomstick declared.
The doors opened over New York city late at night, a shadow figure was shown jumping from roof top to roof top. Finally, Beast landed and looked around puzzled.
"What you see Blue Man?" A gruff voice asked over a phone. In the background, the sun was shown setting.
"Nothing…" Beast muttered. "Are you sure that-"
Beast was cut off when several loud Cracks! Were heard, followed by a loud roar. This was followed by a shadowy figure shot up into the sky behind him. Beast snapped around to look back, seeing a winged figure land on the balcony behind him.
"Who are you?" Goliath said in his deep voice.
"…Logan, I'll have to call you back." Beast replied, hanging up before clearing his throat. "Are you the one who they call Goliath?"
"Who wants to know?" Goliath asked, arms crossed across his chest.
"Well, my name is Hank McCoy, I'm here in behalf of a personal friend. They were wondering if it would be possible to talk with you."
"My place is here." Goliath responded. "I have no intention of leaving. Don't waste my time or yours."
"I'm afraid I can't do that." Beast shook his head.
"Then this is where you'll die." Goliath replied.
FIGHT!
(*Cues: X-Men Mutant Academy 2 - The X-Jet*)
Goliath shot forward like a wild animal, claws out. Shockingly, Beast grabbed Goliath and slammed him into the ground, he stomped the back of his head further into the ground before suplexing him back onto the rooftop. Goliath managed to break free and flew back a few feet, before rapidly flying back-and-forth, slashing at Beast with his claws, leaving long scratch marks along the mutant's chest.
"They really do seem to fight like animals." Piccolo remarked.
When Goliath came back for another attack, Beast seemed to have calculated his path and wound back, delivering a savage punch to the gargoyles' face. The blow sent Goliath back a few feet, and Beast ran towards him again, only this time, he jumped off of a nearby vent and came slamming down like a meteor. Goliath was thrown back again by the attack, and as he managed to pull himself up, Beast came in once again and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying off of the rooftop. The Gargoyle was sent spinning downwards, until he realized what was happening and began flapping his wings, managing to begin 'gliding'.
"That's flying, how is that not flying?" Trunks asked bewildered.
"I… I dunno." Roshi admitted shaking his head in bewilderment.
"It's flying! This is gonna bug me now!"
Beast leapt off of the rooftop and came plummeting down right on Goliath's back. The gargoyle had been preoccupied with 'flying' that he didn't look for incoming attacks. This led to him being blindsided when the blue mutant landed on his back, driving both his fists in a hammer punch to the back of Goliath's head. Goliath seemed to be struggling with both the attacker and sustaining his 'flight', but Beast made the mistake of grabbing one of the stone warrior's wings. When he did so, it drove both of them into a nearby building, Beast taking the brunt of the impact as Goliath had turned around, smashing him into a brick wall.
"Ouch…" Someone muttered.
"They seem pretty evenly matched, but I don't think that means much at the beginning of these fights." Goku remarked.
"My Gods. He's learning." Piccolo said in mock shock and amazement.
"If Beast can damage Goliath's wings, that would probably give him a sizable advantage, it may even be what he needs to win." Bulma mused.
"Well yeah, but do you think he'll be able to outlast Goliath long enough to tire him out? Or be strong enough to break or rip them off?" Vegeta replied with a question.
"He was strong enough to lift a tree made of solid gold." Bulma countered.
"Not exactly. He didn't lift it into the air, he simply lifted it enough to let one of his teammates get out from under it." Vegeta replied evenly. "If he deadlifted the whole thing, even just a few inches into the air, that would be a different story, but he didn't."
"He didn't? I thought he did…"
"Couldn't he just find some sort of sun lamp to weaken him?" Trunks then asked.
"Maybe, but if Beast doesn't know that's what can hurt Goliath, it doesn't seem likely he'll live long enough to learn that."
Goliath flipped over, driving his claws into the brick wall, but shockingly, Beast drove one of his hands into Goliath's back. The mutant then turned over, driving another hand into the monster's back. Goliath roared in pain and launched himself off of the building, smashing into another wall nearby, but didn't wait for another attack, he jumped back to the other building he had been on and climbed up a few feet, then as Hank was getting up, launched himself off of the wall once again. This time, He grabbed Hank and proceeded to dive-bomb downwards, dragging Hank face-first against the brick wall. A sickening scraping sound was heard as a long blood stain was made as the dup fell towards the ground. A few of the fighters winced as Hank had a sizable amount of his face literally ripped off by bricks. Too his credit though, Hank seemed to manage to focus for a few seconds despite the agonizing pain, and drove his claws into the space between Goliath's wing and his back. It didn't sever the wing, but it was clear it was a nerve bundle, as Goliath screamed in pain and let go of Beast. Digging his claws into the building to slow his fall, before beginning to scale the wall like a spider. It was clear he was injured, and Hank seemed to be in better spirits despite the impromptu face lift. Not only that, but Beast was able to catch up to Goliath in a few leaps, scaling the wall shockingly fast. With one last jump, he caught up to the gargoyle and smashed his face into the wall several times. Grabbing him by the tail, Beast spun once again, smashing Goliath into a window and shattering it. Jumping into the office building, Beast grabbed Goliath's tail once again and began slamming him back-and-forth into the ground before spinning around and throwing him through a wall.
"This is madness! Stop before someone gets hurt!" Beast shouted, clearly in pain from the bricks, but refusing to let it show.
"You came into our territory, we protect this city from monsters like you!" Goliath snapped back, refusing to show any signs of weakness.
The term 'monsters like you' seemed to snap something in Beast, as his pupils seemed to dilate and his whole body seemed to shift into a more animalistic stance, roaring and running towards him. Grabbing the gargoyle and drop kicking him into a nearby column. Goliath scowled and grabbed a large stone chunk, throwing it at Beast, who tried to punch through it, but the force of the impact won out, the stone smashing into Hank, and sending him flying back out the window. Goliath ran and jumped out said window, grabbing Beast as the two fell and began wailing away on him. Beast finally seemed to collect himself and began hitting back, the two spinning towards the ground. Beast punched Goliath across the jaw and launched off of his chest as the latter slammed into the ground. Beast came flying down and landed on top of Goliath, creating a large shockwave and crater.
"What…are…you…?" Beast asked, clearly growing tired, looking at the presumably dead Gargoyle.
"Odds he's dead?" Krillin asked.
"Unlikely." Everyone said in unison.
Without warning, a hand snapped up and grabbed Beast by the neck. Goliath began to rise to his feet, using his wings to lift himself up. His eyes were now blood red, and it was clear he was pissed, and anything he may have been holding back was gone.
"I. Am. Goliath." Goliath said, his deep voice sending a chill down everyone's' spine. "You will not threaten my city any longer."
Spinning around, Beast was sent flying through the air, smashing into a car when he came to a atop. Beast breathed heavily and looked down, before grabbing the car and throwing it back at Goliath. However, the gargoyle smashed the car in half with his claws as he flew through it, but rather than let the destroyed car fly away, he grabbed the two halved and then used them like boxing gloves as he smashed them into Beast, sandwiching him between the crushed tons of metal.
"Oh… that… that just looks… that just looks painful." Chi-Chi winced, paling slightly.
Vegeta was about to say something, but then watched in surprise as Beast began to push the two car-boxing-gloves outward, his strength even surprising Goliath.
"You… don't know… who you're fighting." Beast growled, before jumping forward and kicking Goliath square in the chest with both feet. The force was strong enough to send Goliath stumbling backwards, and the heavy metal chunks he was holding caused him to fall backward. Beast leapt into the air again, clearly going in for the kill, but Goliath swung his right arm in a right hook, throwing Beast off course. When beast stood up, Goliath came flying in like a freight train, dragging Beast along the ground. When he came to a stop, the gargoyle roared once again and slashed Beast across the mid-section. He repeated this action with both claws, literally slicing Beast in two. Blood, bones and organs were flying as Goliath ripped Beast to shreds. Finally, he grabbed Beast by the head and sliced him one last time across the neck, decapitating him.
K.O.!
Beast flew back up to a balcony, still holding Beast's severed head as he turned back to stone as the sun rose once again.
"That was disgusting." Chi-Chi plainly said.
"Yeah, but also kinda awesome." Krillin added.
"That surprised no one." Piccolo stated.
"I just… If Beast is smart enough to cure illnesses and strong enough to lift solid gold, how could he lose?" Bulma exclaimed exasperated. "Even if he didn't know about Goliath's sun weakness, he still should've been able to hold his own long enough to take him down!"
(*Cues: Gargoyles Theme - Metal Cover*)
"They never show ya that shit on 90's cartoons!" Boomstick shouted with high energy.
"When it comes down to it, Beast and Goliath were pretty even in terms of strength and speed." Wiz explained. "Making this more so a battle of wit and experience. Beast was always more of a team player, preferring not to fight directly unless absolutely necessary."
"Goliath on the other hand, has been fighting dudes for decades. Taking on Vikings, magical warriors, robots, fading into obscurity, thugs and a lot more. So, in terms of experience, he topped Beast without a doubt."
"However, where the two came close to being evenly matched in terms of speed and durability, Goliath was always physically stronger. Don't take Beast's gold tree lift out of context. He didn't actually lift the entire thing off of the ground."
"Ha! Called it!" Vegeta exclaimed.
"And in comparison, there was this one time when Goliath got nailed in the back by a freaking Anti-Aircraft round! Yes. Those things used to DESTROY PLANES nailed him in the back. He simply got back up and dropped a radio tower on the fools who tried that." Boomstick added as a shot of Goliath dropping a radio tower onto military equipment was shown.
"Yeah, there was no way Beast could win this one." Gohan admitted.
"And finally, Beast didn't wait until sunrise for an advantage for two reasons: One, he didn't know what would happen, because gargoyles in his universe don't share the "stone by day" rule, and per the rules of Death Battle he wouldn't know that at the beginning of the fight. And second, Beast isn't tough enough to stand against Goliath for twelve hours straight. Sooner or later, he would grow tired, especially after forcing himself in his rage mode for so long. Goliath just has better stamina. But to be cleat, Beast has fought somebody similar to Goliath named the Griffin, but he got beaten pretty badly and only survived the fight due to his fellow X-Man Angel's help."
"He still should've won!"
"Mom. It's a show." Trunks said, surprised by his mom's reaction.
"I feel like this isn't the last time we're gonna see someone we think should win lose." Roshi admitted. "And may the Gods help whoever is making those choices should they ever be found out…"
"In the end, Beast just didn't have the heart to keep up with the gargoyle." Boomstick joked.
"The winner is Goliath." Wiz concluded.
"And… Done." Skorch sighed, sitting down in the driver's seat and kicking his feet up. Picking up a tablet he opened his emails and set to reading the reviews.
"First off we have Shadowkanji who wrote…"
Ok good chapter but 2 things: 1. Are you gonna skip around in the death battles and pick random ones? 2. Are you gonna do a dbz reaction to dbza?
"Yes, and once again. No. I don't care how many people ask, I ain't doing the Z Fighters react to Dragon Ball Z Abridged. I love that show, but if I simply had them watch the show, that could lead to plagiarism issues, with Death Battle, I can change things enough to make it my own. I'm not doing DBZA, so don't bother asking. Up next is from MAJORMATT1234 who wrote…"
This was super fun! I really hope to see goku v superman sometime soon, but love reading these
"Thanks Matt! And skip to the end where I'll discuss my plans for Goku V Superman. We have one of many reviews from a 'Guest' who wrote…"
Well if you eventually do Master Chief vs Doomguy remember Doomguy and the Doom Slayer are as far as we know two different people.
"The 'as far as we know' is important. From what I've found from my studies, it's believed that the Doomguy and Doom Slayer might actually be the same guy, after the events of DOOM 64 took place, he decided to remain in hell, where he met the Wretch who upgraded his suit, and… Y'know what? I'll leave that for a later day. And the last one for now is from AdventureKing2017 who wrote…"
I feel like this was painful to write XD The best part was how everyone reacted and talked it out, maybe is just me but you could have jumped this battle and did another one. However good work man, for something you had no idea about you done amazing
"Well, first things first, it wasn't painful as much as… weird. I don't know why I chose that battle, I guess I wanted to try something not comic book related, and that was the first one I found. Regardless, thanks for the support!"
Cracking his neck the entity added:
"And that goes to all of you! Happy (belated) One Year Anniversary! I'm not kidding, it's been just over a year since Rouge vs. Wonder Woman went up! I want to thank you all for sticking with me over the past year as I adjusted to this new story and style. Your reviews have always been helpful and I thank you for sticking with me! Now. A few quick announcements. First of all, I'm not going to start the next chapter until the new year. I have a bunch of other projects I've been holding off on working on trying to finish this. Secondly, I plan to jump around a lot more in terms of what battles the characters watch, as well as what characters appear. Including some DBZ characters who may not have appeared yet in this story… Finally, I do plan on doing Goku v Superman. BUT. I want to at least do Kirby vs. Majin Buu first, and I need some help with the GVS one. I'm not looking for a co-writer, but while I believe I can write a fair and honest battle, I want to ask all of you: would you rather I take things as the battle showed and try to fix what they got wrong? Or should I scrap that battle and make my own take on it? I'm not saying I'd re-write the whole thing, but certainly adjust some factors. However, I also know that while there are a lot of Dragon Ball fans reading this, there are also DC Comic fans reading this. So really, whatever I end up doing… I want you to know I'm not trying to start a war between the fandoms. So, I will consult not only Death Battle debunked, but a lot of other Death Battle react fics to see what they concluded and go from there. Regardless, keep your lights shining bright, and I'll see you all next time! Thanks for an amazing year everyone!"
Up on the lookout, Dende sighed as he aimlessly wandered the perimeter. Things had been quiet recently, and he was fine with that. But what he wasn't fine with was the unnerving feeling in his spine. Something was wrong. Someone or something didn't belong…
He stopped short when he saw what he assumed was the being who didn't belong, and frankly… Dende had no idea who or what was standing near the fountain.
"Uh… hey?" He finally called, not sure how to address the newcomer. "Are you one of those Gods Goku fought last month?"
The figure turned, green eyes narrowing questioningly.
"Who are you?" He asked in a deep voice, chains rattling as he turned to face the namekian.
"I am Dende, guardian of earth." The Namekian replied. "Who are you?"
"...The name's Al." The man replied. "And this ain't no earth I've ever seen."
"Listen, I don't know if you're here to attack or if your lost, but if you keep your hands away from those guns, maybe I can help."
The man looked down, then slowly moved his hands away which had instinctively moved towards the machine guns at his waist when Dende had called. Slowly, he took them off his belt and set them down on the ground. Trying to make it clear he wasn't a threat. Or at least, was pretending not to be.
"Where the hell did you come from?" Dende asked puzzled.
"Exactly." Was all Al said in response.