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Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball Franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.

Chapter 22: Triple Threat IV: Pendulum

Age 762 (2012), Paprika Wasteland, Chikyu

"No!"

Gohan's voice wavered as the beams light diminished. The golden sparks that had once flooded the wasteland fizzled into obscurity, revealing crumbling ashes that dispersed into the passing breeze. Ashes. That was all that remained of Gohan's one-time-kidnapper and sensei. As the gray particles washed away, uncontrollable tears began to stream down the hybrid's face. Red, puffy eyes, locked gazes with Vegeta, a mocking grin plastered across the prince's face as he began to chuckle.

"So long you pitiful Namekian!" The words lingered in Gohan's ears as his knees sank into the ground, unable to process what was occurring.

"Gohan I'm so sorry." Was all Krillin could muster. Goku's best friend was still reeling in shock himself. Piccolo's last valiant deed was something he could have never predicted.

"Groveling is beneath a Saiyan, even for a worthless hybrid like yourself," Vegeta snorted in disgust as he glared at Gohan's trembling figure. The pre-pubescent boy was currently wailing on all fours. "This world has made you soft. I witnessed more horrific things as a -"

"Shut up!" A surge of energy emitted as Gohan screamed, his fist indenting the ground below. "I've heard enough from you!"

Gohan's tears could not halt their descent as he continued to furiously pound the dirt. A spiderweb of cracks forming with every enraged strike. Why? Why did Piccolo have to die? If only he had been stronger. If only he had trained harder. If only he hadn't been so weak. With the Namekian's death, the Dragonballs would now become dormant. There was no way to resurrect him.

"If you miss that green slug so much- I'll be more than glad to reacquaint you!" In a flash Vegeta's palm sprang open, Ki crackling at his fingertips as he took aim at Gohan.

Krillin's eyes expanded in horror as he screamed for the Demi-Saiyan to run, his body still throbbing from Vegeta's earlier assault. Unfortunately, the former monk's words didn't reach the Halfling in time as the attack was launched, detonating on impact.

"Gohan!" Master Roshi's pupil cried out as he watched a plume of smoke overtake the battlefield. Once again it appeared that he was unable to prevent the death of a comrade. What will I tell Goku when he finally gets here?

"Now, as for you Earthling," Vegeta grinned as he turned his gaze towards Krillin. "Let's see if I can't have some fun with you before I obliterate this..." But the prince's words were left trailing as he observed the expression on the former monk's face. Normally fear was etched into the hearts of his foes, but radiant joy gleamed all over him. Just what is he so happy about?

The Saiyan finally received an answer as he turned around, his mouth instantly dangling in shock. But how?! In front of him stood a totally unharmed Gohan, there wasn't even a single scratch to indicate any type of damage.

"That blast contained enough condensed power to destroy this entire battlefield. How did you survive it?" An incensed Vegeta questioned as he balled his fist. He received no answer though as Gohan simply began marching towards him. "Fine then, we can have it your way. Try this on for...size?!"

The blast forming in Vegeta's left palm fizzled as Gohan suddenly disappeared. The prince was immediately put on guard as he dropped into a defensive stance. That speed was beyond anything the child demonstrated in his battle with the Saibamen or Nappa. Krillin hadn't even seen Gohan move. His body language hadn't even indicated any sort of aggression.

The Demi-Saiyan's location was soon given up, the air surrounding Vegeta suddenly popping as Gohan landed behind him. "There you are!" Pivoting on his heels the prince lashed out with a chop aimed directly at Gohan's skull. His eyes blazed with fury as the fading effects of an after image vanished. A nearby cluster of rocks was forced to bear the brunt of his attack, slicing in half almost instantaneously.

"T-that speed!" Krillin muttered in pure disbelief as Vegeta's eyes began to dart around. How had Goku's son suddenly achieved this power?

"Stop hiding like a coward you brat! Face death like a true Saiyan!" Unable to detect Ki like Krillin, Vegeta was forced to swivel his head in every possible direction to locate his foe. Where is Kakarot's spawn hiding?

"Looking for me?"

The hair on Vegeta's neck stood on edge as the hybrid suddenly materialized before him, his voice now far deeper than it previously had been. Something's not right here. Krillin shared Vegeta's sentiments as he eyed Goku's child. There was a tinge of crimson aura surrounding Gohan, it was barely noticeable to the human eye but easily discernible to the Ki adept.

"You've caused enough destruction on this planet Vegeta, and for that, you must pay!" Gohan's aura flared to life, a torrent of wind slashing across the wasteland as he began to yell. The sky blackened as the child's screams ascended higher and higher in decibels. Thousands of miles away even Tien was forced to take notice at the tremendous storm brewing over Chikyu. What was most frightening though was the lack of a distinguishable energy signal. It was almost as if there was nothing there.

In another dimension, in a realm far beyond Earth, a watchful owl hovered in front of an orchid pool. The events occurring on Earth were exactly why she had sealed her nephew's divine energy. Even though she had sealed his powers it appeared a portion of Gohan's abilities were leaking through, fueled by his ever rising rage. He was out of control and only Zeus knew what he would be capable of if left unchecked. But fortunately had added an extra deterrent to the seal. Any moment now it would kick in and take effect. I'm sorry Gohan. [1]

Back on Earth, the Demi-Saiyan's power kept increasing at a rapid rate. Vegeta was forced to summon his aura, using it as a makeshift shield to protect him from the ever warping environment. Krillin, on the other hand, was not so lucky. His Ki had already been severely depleted following his battles with Nappa and Vegeta. At best all he could do was cower and attempt to protect his face. Gohan has to regain his senses! This is completely out of control!

"Your death is at hand V-"

The prince in question blinked in surprise as the child suddenly stopped, mid-sentence. The blazing red aura that had once engulfed the hybrid began to diminish. His onlookers, as well as the boy, were left in a state of complete confusion as it eventually faded away, blowing into the wind. Returning to his normally calm demeanor, the Demi-Saiyan's brows folded in shock. He attempted to voice his displeasure but found himself unable to as an unknown force slammed into him. As his eyes rolled back, pupils turning white- he began to plummet.

I can't let him fall. Siphoning the last remaining bits of his energy Krillin forced himself to rise. Whatever had just occurred had appeared to sap the child of all his energy. Unconscious, and at that speed, Gohan's collision with the Earth was sure to be painful, if not life ending. But as he dashed across the plain, Ki surging through his feet, the former monk realized it still wouldn't be enough. I won't make it!

But as the raven-haired boy was mere inches away from the turf, a pair of sturdy hands took hold of him. Krillin's sprint came to an abrupt halt, heels cleaving into the ground as he stopped to note who it was.

"Goku!"

Age 762 (2012), Mojave Desert, USA

Rage was evident in Superman's eyes as he rocketed towards the skies. For all the otherworldly gifts the Photonucleic effect granted him, none of his powers gave him the ability to save life. Sure he could rescue someone before imminent disaster struck, but he lacked the power to resuscitate anyone from the edge of death. It was a power he dearly wished he possessed, but never so greatly before as now. In seconds Yamcha would be dead.

As Turles removed his hand from the Earthling's chest a smile lingered on his ghoulish face as he glanced towards the approaching Kryptonian the man of steel was immediately forced to make a wrenching decision. He could attack Turles now while he was somewhat distracted, engrossed in the current bloodshed he was partaking in. Or the last son of Krypton could catch his falling friend. Yamcha would need a proper burial following this madness, assuming Clark even survived.

Kal-El didn't even have to ponder it, quickly altering his trajectory as he dashed over to his fallen friend. Before the Lone Wolf crashed into the smoldering desert Clark's hands captured him, reeling him into his chest. Softly landing on the grainy surface his eyes hardened as he looked over Yamcha's battered form. His friend had certainly seen better days. His blood was still spilling, splattering all over the house of El insignia.

His heartbeat was long gone though, along with any noticeable pulse. Yamcha was no longer present on this plane of existence. With a heavy heart, Clark placed the former bandit on the ground. His sacrifice would not be in vain. Turles would be defeated if it was the last thing he did. The Saiyan's promise to reveal the history behind the Krypto-Saiyan conflict was meaningless now. Justice was all that mattered.

"We have to defeat him, Superman." The desperation was clear in Tien's voice as he hobbled over to Superman. His last engagement with the Saiyan had certainly taken a toll on him, but his resolve was as strong as ever. "Chiaotzu are you with me?"

His ever faithful best friend simply nodded as he landed beside the duo. "This is for Yamcha."

"So you maggots have finally reconvened? Eager to join your pitiful friend I see?" Turles goaded as he crossed his arms together. Their determination while valiant, was absolutely humorous. His targets during his bounty hunter assignments were always so cheerful and full of hope- before he completely crushed them. "Are you going to attack? Or are you just going to stand there gawking like fools?"

"We need to think about this strategically." Superman whispered as he leaned into Tien's ears. The Triclops quickly nodded in agreement. Attacking individually had lead to nothing but destruction.

"You and I should take the lead, from what I can gauge we're the strongest out of this trio." Clark's deduction was indeed true. Chiaotzu was powerful in his own right, but his telekinetic abilities were where his true strength laid. "While we assault Turles head on, Chiaotzu can use his mental powers to attack him. I'd like to see how he fairs against a non-traditional type of strike."

"I didn't even ponder that during our battle with Turles. It could be a glaring hole in his defense." Tien pondered as he mindlessly rubbed his chin. If they had thought about this earlier, maybe Yamcha would still be alive.

"Well, we'd better act fast because it looks likes Turles is on his way here!" Chiaotzu's porcelain finger rose as it pointed at the irritated Saiyan, who was rapidly descending towards them.

"Well, we'd better meet him halfway then."

Without a further word Kal-El and Tien sped off to greet Goku's doppelganger. Tien arrived first, his fist cocking back as he unleashed a Ki infused punch. With a slight head turn, Turles managed to evade it though, a bored expression spreading across his face as he blocked the Triclops follow-up knee. Elbow met shin as the Saiyan halted the strike, the air vibrating around the appendages as they struck.

With his attention captured by the former assassin, Superman slipped past his guard, landing a harsh blow to his chest. Turles was stunned, the force of the strike echoing across his body as he soared backward. There was no time to dwell on the minuscule amount of damage as another fist quickly replaced that one. Fortunately, he was able to parry this one though, slapping it away with a quick flip of the wrist.

Unfettered, Superman fired off a combination of blows that would have shattered nearly any mountain. The Saiyan was slightly impressed, the strength behind these blows was far greater than anything the Earthlings has mustered, but he lacked their style or grace. Twisting and turning, his body contorting in every possible direction, Turles dodged every single strike, shockwaves reverberating with every miss.

Damn it! Clark mentally cursed as Turles made quick work of his attacks. Back stepping as he avoided one final jab, Turles outstretched his palm, opening it as he unleashed a cylindrical Ki blast. Pain instantly assaulted the man of steel's face as the blast struck, steam smoking from his skin as he retreated. Tien quickly ran forward to replace him. While the force of his strikes was not as powerful, they were far more fluid, each punch and kick seamlessly merging with one another.

As the duo danced across the skies, clouds parting in the wake of their collisions, Chiaotzu shut his eyes and began focusing. Connecting with another person's mind was usually easy, but the telekinetic was dealing with an otherworldly being. Sure, he had accessed Goku's mind before, but that had only been to talk or relay information. On top of that Turles was in another stratosphere as far as power was concerned. But it wasn't like the Earth had anything to lose anyways.

As blows were traded back and forth in the heavens above, Goku's doppelganger suddenly began to find himself feeling light headed. It couldn't have been due to a lack of energy though, it was impossible for him to have exerted that much power on the inhabitants of this planet. As he threw another punch that weariness began to affect him even more, his looming blow moving at a snail's pace. Superman joyously intercepted it. Latching onto the wicked Saiyan as he threw him over his shoulder.

Turles soared for several yards, trying, but unable to control the trajectory of his flight. He eventually hit a speed bump, coming in the form of a cliff as he shattered it upon impact. Shaking his head out of annoyance more than anything, the Saiyan glanced towards his opponents but found his field of vision distorted. But my eyes were just fine a minute ago. His confusion turned into shock as a Kamehameha illuminated the path before him. Shit!

Unable to jump out of the way, Turles was struck head on. The rock formation disintegrated as the blast took effect. His opponents gave him no time to breathe, even as he plummeted towards the ground, his scorched figure flailing in the wind. Seizing on the opportunity Superman zoomed towards the slumping Saiyan. Inhaling deeply he siphoned the air around him, finally releasing it in a chilly stream. Chunks of rock slowly, but surely, began to overtake his form as Clark encircled him.

Finally, with one full rotation, Turles was fully encased in a miniature glacier. Palming the frozen Saiyan in his hands, Kal-El set him down as he contacted the desert floor once more. Tien was hot on his heels, landing beside him as he dispersed his aura.

"Chiaotzu your distraction worked!" A rare smile formed on Tien's lips as he gave congratulated his life long friend. "That was even easier than I thought it would be."

"Let's not get cocky now Tien," Superman warned as he eyed the frozen figure. He had attempted something similar during his battle with Raditz, and Goku's brother had easily broken out of it. They couldn't relax just yet. "Are you still mentally restraining him Chiaotzu?"

The telekinetic nodded as he wiped the sweat from his brow. It was taking a lot of power to even the Saiyan at bay. "I am, for now. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep this up though. His mental walls are incredible. From what I can gauge he's encountered other telepath's before. I was lucky you guys were distracting him, getting inside his mind would have been even more difficult."

"But what are we going to do now? I say we strike the killing blow while we still have the chance. Chiaotzu's Ki is already fading with every second."

"Kill him?" Superman spat back incredulously. "I think that's going a bit too far here. We should take him to the proper authorities. I have a friend who can build something that can house-"

"This isn't one of your petty criminals Superman!" Tien shouted, interrupting the Kryptonian's dialogue. "You can't house or rehabilitate people like him. There's no type of jail that can contain him. He killed Yamcha with no remorse."

"I understand that Tien, truly I do. But we cannot falter and allow ourselves to become the same as him. What will killing him truly solve?"

"Killing him will prevent any future deaths. I'm sure you saw what those other two Saiyans did the moment they arrived. We still don't know whether he's in league with them or not. I will not give him the benefit of the doubt," Tien scowled as he trudged closer to Turles. "This is what Yamcha would want us to do."

"I'm not going to let you kill him," Steely confidence oozed from his words as the man of steel obstructed Tien's path. "We can find another way, Tien."

"This isn't America Superman. In Chikyu we operate under a different set of laws. If he wasn't such a threat I'd have no problem letting him live, but he's gone too far," All three of the Triclops eyes hovered on Superman as he stood his ground. "This isn't the time to waging a philosophical debate either."

"Uh...guys..." Chiaotzu muttered as he noticed cracks beginning to form along Turles icy jail.

"You're right; this isn't the time or place. But we can't kill him. We've managed to effectively subdue him without spilling blood, haven't we? That alone should prove that there's another way."

"But any minute now he's going to break out of that weak prison. I can just feel it. You're unable to sense Ki so you can't notice it but his power has been slowly rising ever since..."

"Guys!" Superman and Tien were taken back by the sharp rise in tone. The normally quiet and astute mime had actually yelled at them. Neither hero had seen that coming. "He's breaking out, and he doesn't look too happy."

Wary glances were made as the trio quickly backed away from the collapsing wall of ice. Chiaotzu's words never reigned truer as the Saiyan emerged, drenched in water. His hands were still smoking from the Ki blasts that had aided his escape. Though encased in thick, blistering cold sheets of ice, his hearing had remained intact. He had carefully listened to everything. Their petty argument and debate about morality was foolish. A Saiyan wouldn't have hesitated to kill him. But more importantly, he had discovered that the midget hovering to his left was a telepath.

Chiaotzu, however, was not the first one that he had encountered. Scouring the cosmos on numerous missions had lead to interactions with numerous beings. The Euphorians were just one of the telepathic species that he had come into contact with. He had never expected Earthlings to display similar abilities though. None of the PTO's data included anything of note concerning this dustball. But regardless, he knew what he had to do.

Before any of the Earth's heroes could react, Turles materialized behind the telepath. Chiaotzu stumbled forward as the Saiyan's heavy palm slammed into him. Taking care of the former assassin was his top priority. His mental fortitude, while strong, was not powerful enough to withstand a mental assault while engaged in a physical battle. As his right hand wrapped around the shorter man's neck, Turles began to forcibly pour Ki into him. This was a technique he had previously used on a Tamaranean. Their powers were based on energy absorption, but what happened when they pumped full of it? The result was a living Ki bomb.

I wonder how large the explosion will be this time.

A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 21!

Authors Note: Over 600 reviews now! I'm getting ever closer to my goal of 1K, and that's all due to my reviewers. Next chapter will conclude the Triple Threat arc. It will probably end up being the longest chapter of this story thus far, considering all the content I have to fit into it. I also know this chapter was a bit shorter than usual too.

[1]: Athena sealed Gohan's power back in Chapter 17. Here we saw a glimpse of why she did it. Gohan just isn't ready for that amount of power, specially at the tender age of three. Gohan unintentionally attempted to tap into it and had a modicum of success doing so, but was eventually brought back to reality due to the seal. Divine Ki in this story will be expanded and explored in greater detail than it has been in Dragonball Super. IMO Super has done an incredibly poor job explaining it, at least thus far.

Q/A:

magical fan18: I went back and edited some mistakes from the previous chapter, but I didn't notice what you were specifically referring to though.

Mistic686: First and foremost no one is making you read this story. I can take valid criticism but calling me stupid because you disagree with my opinion is completely unacceptable. I've seen you in multiple review sections boasting about the supposed power of DBZ characters. If you expect this story to be a one-sided wank fest for the Dragonball Franchise, you will be severely disappointed. Frieza has never destroyed a sun- you're making that up. You seem to have an incredible lack of knowledge regarding Maxima, as showcased by your fallacious comment about her being weaker than Master Roshi. Maxima has so many abilities that make her outclass Frieza. She wouldn't even have to physically fight him either, she could just simply teleport him into the sun.

darkmist111: I swear I get asked this question in every chapter lol. Gohan will be a member of the Teen Titans in the future of the story, we still have a long way to go though.

Drake202: I actually hadn't considered what you proposed but it could be a possibility now that you mention it.

Imagine476: We finally saw Goku in this chapter.

Kabuto S. Inferno: It's no biggie, I understand everyone has more pressing concerns than Fanfiction. I was look forward to a review by you though, since you always have something impactful to say. I'm trying to do better concerning the minor hiccups. I do all the editing on my own so there's always a chance that I miss something. I planned on having Nappa die this way a while back, and I've never even watched TFS. I agree, I do need to be more consistent with updating the story- that probably has something to do with it. I explained why Turles showed up on Earth in chapter 16, he wants the Dragonballs too. I actually do plan on using the SSJ4 transformation in this story. It's my favorite Super Saiyan form, and I'm not doing anything beyond SSG either.

dark flacon: Thanks! I'll probably just have the human Z-Senshi train more than they did in the actual canon. Batman will show up in the next chapter.

DRAGONDAVE45: Frieza is aware of other empires, regarding possible alliances though? You'll find out in the future.

Jplaya2023: You saw Goku in this chapter. You'll have to read and see what happens with Vegeta.

DRAGONDAVE45: I'm not going to spoil the pairing, but the ones you suggested aren't going to happen.

Archie: I keep the pace of the story generally slow because of all the things I'm trying to include in it. I can't really speak on how powerful Vegeta will be, but he definitely won't be joining the Justice Leage after this fiasco lol.

Exploding Sun: There's always room for improvement concerning the fights. I don't understand the complaints about Vegeta and Turles. Vegeta soundly beat up Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo. Turles on the other hand has fought four opponents, one of them being Superman, whose arguably the most powerful person on Earth in Goku's absence. And he just killed Yamcha at the end of the previous chapter. I've also never even stated his approximate power level either.

GokuBlackGodOfDestruction: Raven already has siblings. I may include Towa further down the line though.

Dragonkingofsky: A major timeskip will not happen, there's no reason for one.

Guest: Zeno will not be included in this story.

JOEL: The androids from the movies might appear in this story.

Leoj 3455: Zod won't appear for a while. Him being on Namek wouldn't really make sense, and he would be too powerful.

Nolesy154: I'll address the timeline alterations and paradoxes when we get there.

Page96: Thanks for the kind words. Frieza does know that there are more powerful being out there. The Supreme Kai knows about the existence of other deities.

Nanin123: Other beings in the DC Universe can learn how to use Ki. Can't really get into the Superman Ki thing. The Superman in this story is an amalgamated one. The Spectre acts on the will of the Presence. In DC canon there are plenty of people the Spectre could kill, but he hasn't. It's the will of the Presence.

EXTRA 9: Batman could do that, but I'm not trying to turn him into Ironman for this story lol.

CPO135: Zeno doesn't exist as far as this story is concerned. This story was made long before Dragonball Super.

HERGE 8: Amazo can copy Goku's. I believe you're thinking about JLU Amazo that kept evolving.

MrCcoz: Captain Marvel will appear in this story later down the line.

Pro 10: I don't plan to make mention of the 12 Universe or Zeno. Superman is not limitless. Screwattack was a complete joke in my opinion. I haven't planned out the entire story. Goku and the rest of the DBZ cast will encounter major DC villains. I don't plan on having any OC Characters, but if I do they'll be legacy characters.

Crazyartsofdbz1: This story won't be wanking DBZ or DC. I'll do my best to keep them both fairly balanced. Superman (Post-Crisis or New 52) is not stronger than current Goku. Previously the general consensus was that SSJ3 Goku and Superman would be a fairly equal battle. SSG completely changed that though. Whether or not you chose to accept what happened in Super- it still happened. We literally saw the Universe crumbling during Goku's fight with Beerus. Having extremely potent destructive capability does not mean that it necessarily extends to your durability. You can have one without the other. All stats don't have to be equal.

SCIENCE9: You'll see the Justice League formed soon. The Justice League will be its own thing. None of the Z-Senshi are really "superheroes" per se. I don't have any plans for Mister Mxyzptlk. Can't give out any Beerus spoilers.

PAGE 200: The British Empire never invaded Chikyu. King Piccolo only attacked Chikyu.

Sdog75: I have previously stated that Wonder Woman's power is innate. She doesn't have to train for her to be that powerful. Also, unlike Superman her powers aren't dependent on anything. Wonder Woman being that powerful right now is also the reason why she's not a part of the main storyline currently. The next story arc will be Namek, but I'll have another ongoing saga on the Earth involving the non-space-bound heroes. Superman will be way too powerful on Namek.