The president turned back to the crowd. "And too the person out there who helped defeat Doomsday, you will be remembered, your heroic deeds and great valor will be acknowledged, on behave of the United States and I believe I can speak on behave of the world, thank you" Said the president as he took a medal.
"I will place the mystery hero's medal in Batman's care, I hope that one day it will find its way to you, wherever you are out there" Said the president as the crowd applauded and cheered.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Gohan sighed as he sat in the watch tower, he was watching the news, he couldn't show his face to the world, he really didn't want to join, why? Why whenever he decides to be normal something out there decides no, and brings some form of death to rattle him. It's like something in the cosmos wants him to acknowledge who and what he was.
He clenched his jaw before muting the TV and looking to Bell's unconscious form, he looked down in shame. "…I'm so…so sorry Bell…even if you can't hear me, this was all my fault…if only I hadn't ignored Doomsday…it's insane, just when I think I can finally relax something comes and destroys my peace of mind"
Gohan felt the guilt of his family's death haunt his mind, he heard his father's voice echo. "Show 'em what a Saiyan's made of!" Gohan's head perked up at the words of his father, he looked around to realize that it was his imagination.
Another voice spoke. "Don't give up…" Muttered Bell as she slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I don't know what happened, but I know one thing, you saved my life…I could have been there by myself if you didn't come with…" Said Bell. "I feel like I should have died…" Said Bell, her voice was calm but there was an unnerving tone in it, she looked to Gohan making eye contact, a long tear slid down her cheek.
Gohan looked at her with a face of reluctance as he noticed her tear, he came closer and whipped it away gently. "Bell…I couldn't protect you because I wanted to ignore who I was…I was ignoring it because I was ignoring my past, because of my ignorance, believing I could lead a normal life, you were nearly killed" Said Gohan in mild anger at himself.
She looked to him. "How…how am I alive?" asked Bell as Gohan sighed.
"Honestly Bell…I have no idea" Said Gohan as he looked to his hands. "All I know is I wanted you alive and I didn't want to think of anything else" Said Gohan before looking back to her. "I am so glad you are alright…but I don't want you to get hurt like that again…" Said Gohan as she raised her hand, gently touched his cheek.
"This wasn't your fault…who knew that that thing would find its way to Central City, coming from Metropolis?" asked Bell, Gohan sighed.
"Regardless…you are in this bed and a lot of the people's lives were in danger because I didn't help when I knew I could" Said Gohan.
"Gohan…there is nothing wrong with wanting to live a normal life" Said Bell as she sat up.
Gohan looked worried. "Should you be sitting up?" Asked Gohan as she looked down and shrugged.
"I feel fine, I was really sleepy before, but I am starting to feel better" Said Bell as Gohan nodded still a little worried. "What will you do now?" Asked Bell as Gohan looked to her with regret written all over his face.
"I am leaving Central City, I can't stay there anymore my apartment was destroyed and I can't be around you anymore…I have to protect you" Said Gohan as Bell looked to him with a look of pain and anger.
"You do realize the last time you left me, I was attacked by that thing?" Said Bell as Gohan flinched, she grabbed his hand. "Listen…you don't have to run from me…" Said Bell sincerely.
Gohan smiled lightly. "I don't want to put you in danger like that again…" Said Gohan as Bell squeezed his hands a little tighter.
"You won't" Said Bell as Gohan smiled before his face contorted in pain and a crack was heard.
"Argh!" Exclaimed Gohan as he yanked his hand away from hers.
"Gohan!?" Asked Bell in shock and surprise. "What's wrong?" Asked Bell as Gohan looked down at his hand in surprise, it was definitely broken.
"My hand…it's broken" Said Gohan in shock as he looked to her, she was surprised, his mind raced through a million possibilities and they all arrived at one outcome. She was now either Super strong or he was weakening.
"How…?" Asked Bell as Gohan looked to her in surprise.
"I…I don't know" Said Gohan as he approached her bed, he put his hand on her forehead before sensing deep within her.
"What are you doing?" Asked Bell as Gohan opened his eyes with a horrified expression. "What…what is it Gohan?" Asked Bell as Gohan looked to her.
"That…that can't be possible…" Muttered Gohan as he looked to her before pulling out his phone dialing one person's number; Batman, he walked out the room with Bell calling after him, which promptly ignored.
He heard the phone ringing before hearing a beeping sound coming down the hall, he looked at his phone in confusion when saw the person walking towards him with Wonder Women next to him.
Gohan ended the call as Bell came out the room and looked at him in irritation. "What the hell Gohan" Said Bell as Batman approached them, he had been on his way to the infirmary already, Wonder Women decided to tag along.
Wonder Women and Batman gave the girl a questioning stare. "How is she walking?" Asked Batman. "And why were you calling me?" Asked Batman as he noticed Gohan holding his hand like it was broken. "And why is your hand…broken?" Asked Batman.
Bell looked at them in surprise as she looked at Gohan. "You know Batman and Wonder Women?" Asked Bell surprised.
"Batman…Wonder Women…something just happened, I think I accidently turned Bell into a goddess" Said Gohan as Batman's eyes narrowed somewhat, Wonder Women on the other hand gave a surprised glance to the girl.
Bell's jaw fell open at the comment. "Goddess? What do you mean Goddess?" Asked Bell as Gohan turned to her.
"Remember I told you, I wanted you to be alive" Said Gohan as she slowly nodded.
"Yes…but what does that have to do with me and the word Goddess being used in the same sentence?" Asked Bell as Gohan continued.
"Well Bell, I am…I am actually a god…" Said Gohan as Bell's jaw dropped again.
"You mean to tell me, my lecturer is actually a god?" Asked Bell with a look of disbelief. "Look I deserve to know the truth, not some fairy tale, Gohan I can handle the truth if you are a meta-human I understand" Said Bell as Batman spoke.
"It isn't a fairy tale miss Tailor" Said Batman. "And Gohan here isn't a meta-human, he is an extra dimensional god that accidently landed in our universe" Said Batman. "And right now we have to figure out what happened with you and I think Gohan here might have just figured it out" Said Batman as Bell kept quiet, trying to process and digest the information.
"Listen…when Bell was in my arms and I was desperate, my power was unstable and hard to control, and I think I might have accidently turned her into a deity, now she has my physical strength as a god, I have no idea if she will develop…my other more destructive power, I can channel and control it but she doesn't" Said Gohan as she looked between them worried.
"What does that mean?" Asked Bell as Batman sighed, it was an irritated one.
"It means we have to see what you can do, your very existence is now a global threat" Said Batman. "You will have to remain calm at all times, it is clear that Gohan's power comes from his emotions that's how he was able to call on his full power" Said Batman as Gohan nodded.
"My father told me once that our power comes in response to a need, not a desire, if you feel any strong emotions it can call forth the power, and just now in there, when we were holding hands, it came to you because you felt strongly about it" Said Gohan as Bell looked at him, she was clearly startled by this discovery.
"Bell…I know this is a lot to take in…" Said Gohan as she adopted a furious expression.
"No fucking shit Sherlock" Said Bell as she paced back and forth, Batman was the first to notice the tips of her hair turning a golden blonde.
"Bell please calm down" Said Gohan in worry which Batman took note of.
"And why would I listen to that Gohan!? I mean I am happy that I didn't die but now I have some sort of power that could kill if I get a little sad or angry, I feel like with this I will have to walk on eggshells for the rest of my life" Said Bell, her hair becoming more blonde as the TV screens started to flicker.
"Listen miss Tailor, Gohan is the only one who can help you and if he says calm down…please do so or we will have to sedate you" Threatened Batman as she looked to him in surprise and then anger.
"Oh screw you" Said Bell her hair now completely blonde and somewhat faintly glowing as Wonder Women spoke.
"Why don't we all calm down" Said Wonder Women. "This is all overwhelming, I understand Miss Tailor, more than you know, although our situations aren't completely the same, it is similar, unlike you I am half goddess, the daughter of Zeus, and I didn't know that until a few years ago, just like me, you have been told something that changes who you are, now you can either accept it or deny it, keep in mind denying does nothing but cause chaos, out here in the real world and in your mind" Said Wonder Women.
Bell sighed before she looked to Gohan, her hair no longer faintly glowing but still blonde. "What do I do to suppress my emotions then…?" Asked Bell as Gohan smiled.
"You don't suppress your emotions, it's nothing like that, emotions are important, they control you just as much as they do when you are angry" Said Gohan as she nodded, somewhat relieved.
"But we do need to see how strong you are now" Said Gohan.
"Then lets test" Said Bell as Gohan looked a little unsure.
"I am not sure how though, if you become unstable you could possibly depending on how much power you have, destroy either the watch tower or take out the galaxy or if you seriously took a large chunk of my power, close to half the universe could go up in fireworks" Said Gohan as her eyes widened.
"Gohan…why didn't you tell me you possessed that kind of destructive power?" Asked Batman, his eyes now dangerously narrowed, Gohan gulped.
"Well, I can't really do all that normally, unless I go full on god mode, at best in my normal full power without my divine power I could maybe take out this solar system in one blast at best" Said Gohan sheepishly as Bell looked to him.
"What the fuck Gohan? What kind of deity are you?" Asked Bell as Gohan sighed.
"Well….not too long ago I became the god of my species, the Saiyan Race, I am the Super Saiyan God" Said Gohan as Bell looked confused.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Asked Bell as Gohan looked to her. "And what is a Saiyan?" Asked Bell.
"I suppose that would make me the god of Ki or as others like to call it life force energy, it can be very destructive" Said Gohan as Bell gave him a look.
"Then why not just call yourself a God of Destruction?" Asked Bell as Gohan's face fell.
"Because…that title is taken by another, far more powerful than me, his name is Beerus the Destroyer God, he is the reason why I am stuck here and the one who destroyed my earth" Said Gohan quietly but still audible.
Bell felt his sadness and deep fury. "Besides…unlike Beerus I do not wipe away civilizations, I protect people" Said Gohan. "Just like my father and his friends" Said Gohan. "And I have been cowering away from helping people after I lost them all to Beerus" Said Gohan.
The hall was quiet as Batman spoke. "I will ask again Gohan, remember that this doesn't mean that you have to give up your life on earth, will you join us, the Justice League and help maintain balance?" Asked Batman as Gohan looked to him and nodded.
"I will!" Said Gohan as Batman nodded.
"Now Miss Tailor if you are up to it, please go and get changed and Gohan will escort you to the training area" Said Batman. She nodded and Gohan looked at her hair.
"Bell you realize you have blonde hair now right?" Asked Gohan as her eyes widened before pulling it from behind her ear.
"What the heck? What happened to my hair?" asked Bell as Batman spoke.
"It must be some form of metamorphosis, her body is responding to the changes" Said Batman. "If that is true than she should also expect her eye color to change than?" Theorized Batman as Gohan nodded.
"Seems you were granted Super Saiyan power" Said Gohan, her power level wasn't that great as a Super Saiyan because it was just a power multiplier but with the god strength and divine Ki, she could very well be a real super saiyan just stronger.
She gave him a quizzical look. "You have a lot to explain Son Gohan" Said Bell as Gohan sighed, she was right. "But not now, after this test, my family is probably worried sick" Said Bell as she realized something.
"Wait a minute! How will I explain this new change to my family?" The hair won't be a problem but you just said that my eyes might change too, how in hell will I explain that?" Asked Bell.
"It shouldn't be a problem, dropping out of Super Saiyan usually just takes relaxation, and your eyes right now are still normal, so I assume you will have to get really worked up for them to change" Said Gohan as she slowly nodded.
"I hope you are right" Said Bell as she turned and walked back into her hospital room to get changed.
"She is in your hands Gohan…make sure she doesn't accidently do something that could endanger the earth" Said Batman as Gohan nodded.
Batman and Wonder Women left to the training area.
A couple minutes later Gohan could sense the Kryptonian doppelgangers enter the solar system heading for earth with the Green Lantern, they were definitely moving at a very fast speed.
Bell exited the room in a tightly fit dark blue spandex suit.
"Let's go Gohan" Said Bell as he led the way, once they arrived Gohan opened the door and a speed figure dressed in white came passed them at god speed, she was Power Girl aka Karen Starr and behind her was Supergirl.
"Batman!" Yelled Power Girl as the dark knight looked to her with an indifferent expression. "Where is Superman?" Asked Power Girl as Batman looked back to his screen.
"Where is he!?" Yelled Karen as he still said nothing, Supergirl spoke next.
"Diana…say it isn't true…" Said Kara hoping against everything that it wasn't true.
"Unfortunately Power Girl…Supergirl…Superman, didn't survive his fight with Doomsday…" Said Wonder Women as Kara burst into tears.
"I swear if we were here…that thing would not have killed him" Said Power Girl in anger.
"But you weren't here!" Said Batman. "You cannot be everywhere at once, you have duties like he did, and he fulfilled his role, he died a hero and you should acknowledge him for his great sacrifice" Said Batman as Power Girl wanted to retort but Supergirl stopped her.
"He is right Karen…" Said Kara as Gohan and Bell walked in, Power Girl looked to him.
"And where were you when all this was happening?" Asked Power Girl as Gohan looked down, he couldn't meet her gaze, maybe if he fought with them from the beginning the man of steel may still be alive.
Bell watched the exchange. "Power Girl it was not Gohan's fault" Said Diana. "He was there fighting beside us when things got out of hand" Said Diana.
"Only when things got out of control huh?" Said Power Girl as she clicked her tongue. "Clearly he had other priorities than the world that took him in" Said Power Girl.
"Karen…" Said Batman in warning.
"What!? He comes out of nowhere, a super powered being that can help us and he decides he wants to live a normal life!" Said Karen in irritation.
"Hold up there is nothing wrong with wanting to be normal" Said Bell as Power Girl looked to her.
"And who are you? And why are you here?" Asked Power Girl venomously.
"She is a civilian that was hurt in the battle with Doomsday" Said Diana.
"Oh now I see why she thinks it is alright, people believe that but when something that they can't handle shows up they look to us" Said Power Girl as a thought occurred to her. "Why is she even here!?"
Bell looked angry at her. "What's that supposed to mean!? I am pretty damn sure that you also live on earth so I don't know why the fuck you are being such a bitch about him wanting to live a normal life away from fighting" Said Bell she was growing real angry, very fast.
Power Girl was in front of her within a millisecond. "Watch yourself human girl, you wouldn't understand, you never will understand, with power comes a choice, either you become evil or good, there are no fence sitters, you always pick a side" Said Power Girl as she got into Bell's face, Bell not being one for being a push over around met her gaze before speaking.
"I may be human and I don't have X-ray vision but even I can see Gohan is a good person, why can't you?" Asked Bell as wind started to pick up in the room as the temperature raised between the two, Bell's hair started to glow a faintly golden hue with some crimson red outlining, her iris changing from dark brown to a brilliant red that seemed to have flames in them.
The watch tower started to slowly shake. Supergirl and Gohan seeing the hostile atmosphere immediately separated the two, Gohan pulled Bell away while Kara pulled Karen away.
"Enough!" Yelled Batman and everyone calmed down, the rumbling of the tower slowing to a halt.
Gohan made eye contact with Bell. "Calm down, deep breaths, Bell deep breaths!" Said Gohan as she slowly started to control her breathing and her anger slowly faded along with the changed eye color and glowing hair.
Karen noticed this and free herself from Kara. "What is with her? Isn't she a civilian?" Asked Karen to Batman.
"She still is, Gohan accidently shared his power with her" Said Diana. "She is unstable at the moment, any aggregation could set her off" Said Diana as Karen scoffed.
"So what?"
"Because she has Gohan's power, she can blow the watch tower into space dust" Said Batman. "So refrain from angering her, right now she is a global threat until she can control it" Said Batman.
"Global? That's ridiculous she can't be that strong just from him, he is physically strong but he isn't that strong, unless she swings her fist into the ground" Said Karen.
Batman sighed. "Seems Gohan had been holding out on us, he was far more powerful than he was letting on" Said Batman. "He is the one that finished Doomsday" Said Batman as Karen's eyes widened.
"He figured a beam of pure energy that vaporized Doomsday" Said Batman.
"Now we kill?" Asked Power Girl.
"No we don't, but Power Girl, you weren't here when Doomsday was, we fought him for most of the day, we incapacitated him multiple times and he would just come back stronger, eventually we were running on fumes and if we fell the earth would not be around today, so Superman, Batman, Gohan and I executed a plan, and once Doomsday was gone, we lost Shazam and Superman" Said Diana as Power Girl kept quiet.
"I heard Shazam is gone too" Said Supergirl as Diana nodded.
"Yes, he took on Doomsday and stopped the beast when Superman and I were trying to still get up, but Doomsday returned and caught him by surprise and left him close to the underworlds door, so he decided to use every ounce of his power in a last effort, but Doomsday had already adapted and we couldn't do a single thing, now they are gone" Said Diana.
"But now we here to test how much of her real power he has" Said Batman, he gestured for Bell to go to a weight system. "Stand beneath it and I increase the weight"
She nodded, she was still irritated at Power Girl but stood under it and lifted her hands holding onto the one kilogram weight.
"Okay let's start" As he increased it to 10 kilos.
Bell made no sign of feeling the weight change, so Batman increased it to 50 and again nothing, he upped it to 100 and she sighed.
"Come on now…when will you increase the weight, it just feels like I am just holding up my arms like an idiot" Said Bell.
Batman increased it to 500 watching her, still no sign of any reaction, he glanced to Gohan, who was watching with a curious expression.
"Bell we will start just now, Batman is just showing me something" Said Gohan as the other heroes looked to Gohan with a confused expression.
"Alright, can I lower my arms?" Asked Bell as Gohan shook his head.
"No the weight is still set on ten kilos you might hurt your head if you drop your arms" Said Gohan as Bell nodded.
"Continue Batman" Said Gohan as Batman stared at Gohan before returning back and increased it to 1 ton, they all looked to see if she realized and nothing.
Batman increased it to 2 tonnes and still no reaction. "This is unreal" muttered Supergirl as Bell dropped her one arm to scratch her stomach.
"Let me know when you start again so I can raise my arm" Said Bell as Gohan nodded surprised at her relaxed nature.
"And you say she is human?" Asked Power Girl as Batman nodded. "Well she beat Conner's limit already"
Batman increased it to 8 tons, at this point Bell was becoming bored and gazed around the facility, lots of gyming equipment.
16 tons, Batman sighed before increasing it to 32 tons, she felt her arm bend a little as the weight increased.
600 tons, Gohan's eyes widened when she dropped to one knee lifting up her relaxed arm to push it back up, her hair however was glowing a feint golden hue however and it was now outlined by a crimson light.
Bell looked at the group "You increased the weight?" Asked Bell it was clear she was now straining, Gohan looked to her with wonder. "A warning would have been nice!"
Batman turned to Gohan. "No bullshitting me this time Gohan, no half-truths what are you capable of? If she can do this with a piece of your power that what can you do with all of it?" Asked Batman. "Diana here was reluctant to tell me about her power as well but at least I know now it's your turn" Said Batman as Gohan gave him a confused expression.
"When I take off my bracelets my divine power is unleashed, they act as super power dampeners that lock up my power, in that mode I am a goddess in every sense of the word" Said Diana as Gohan's eyes widened.
"Well…I haven't used my god power a lot but, when I used it against Beerus the Destroyer, we clashed and I remembering hearing his assistant warn him if we cross fists to many times we could shatter the universe, so his assistant created a barrier that contained us and that's when the rip appeared, that's when you guys saw me" Said Gohan as it became silent, like you could hear a pin drop everyone could hear.
"So you are telling me you potentially have the power to end or universe?" Asked Kara as Gohan slowly nodded.
"Well that's only if I use all my power, and I can't without becoming a nuclear bomb for the universe and other parallel dimensions" Said Gohan. "I didn't want this power…but Beerus was too strong…" Said Gohan as Karen spoke.
"And who is this Beerus?" Asked Power Girl still not liking it, unfortunately that set the saiyan off.
"He is the reason why I don't want to fight, my entire family wasn't strong enough to stop him, we all powered to the max and got slaughtered, but before that we tried to create the Super Saiyan God in a last ditch effort, it came to me because my family and the other saiyans weren't in shape to regulate that power, they all died and even then I fought Beerus and somehow I was forced out" Said Gohan with some venom in his voice. "You happy? Now you know why I didn't want to be a hero! It has been the death my family! My family sacrificed everything! And in the end they all were slaughtered, I was in a coma for nearly a year, that is why I quit being a hero, there is always someone stronger than you…more powerful, my father taught me that, he was the greatest hero my world ever saw, the greatest hero my universe saw, reduced to nothing, in the end it didn't matter" Said Gohan as he walked passed Karen who had a shocked and sad face, it was filled with regret.
She now knew why he didn't want to be a hero.
Bell watched Gohan walk away, she only heard of this now and it was a bomb, but she glanced down at her hands, she had super powers now, when she was a kid she would have liked powers because it was every little kids dream.
But now she actually had it, she didn't always like the thought of super powered people but something about her strength was a bit intoxicating, she knew she was around 500 kilos when Gohan stopped and told her Batman wanted to show him something.
She walked up to the console and saw 600, she looked to Batman.
"Mister Batman sir…what is this? 600 kilos?" Asked Bell, he shook his head.
"No, that is 600 tons" Said Batman as her eyes widened.
"600…tons?" Said Bell in bewilderment, Supergirl walked up to her with a smile.
"You are now a super powered being, what will you do?" Asked Kara, Bell was quiet for a short while.
"Well I have seen enough superhero movies to know that control is important…and my life won't be the same anymore and like I heard your earlier conversation, I have to decide what I want to do…I have three options…villain, the easiest role to use your super powers with, many take this path…hero, not the easiest but not the hardest path, I can juggle my life with hero and normal" Said Bell, Batman and the other heroes were listening to her, she was actually quite intelligent and her breaking down of the situation was quite amazing, they were all curious on her third path.
"And the third path, the hardest and could led to problems, this one hangs in between Super hero and Villain, the neutral path, like Gohan, I have to struggle between saving people or not doing anything or using it to get my way, this one requires a lot of effort" Said Bell with a sigh before looking to the Super heroes of the league.
"I will have no choice but to become a hero, my father like many others believe that with power comes responsibility and doing nothing with my power would let it and me go to waste" Said Bell as she thought of Gohan.
Surprisingly Gohan walked in after he stormed out angry at Power Girl, he was now dressed in his Gi, but the previous orange was now black and navy blue under shirt was gold.
"Becoming a hero is my only path right now, I have to return to my universe and avenge my family…but I am not leaving my normal life behind" Said Gohan as Wonder Women smiled.
"That is good to hear Gohan! You will be an amazing sparring partner, very few in the league possess both excellent fighting ability and super strength" Said Wonder Women as Gohan nodded.
"I have more than just Super strength, I also have Super Speed and flight without my god power, along with full Ki control" Said Gohan.
Bell watched the exchange, before she felt Batman tap on her shoulder. "Since Gohan created you, he will train you, having super strength won't always be enough" Said Batman as she nodded.
Gohan walked up to her. "Bell, the training will be tough and many times you might partially consider killing yourself to end it, but that's how I was trained and how most of my earths strongest fighters were made" Said Gohan as he turned to the league. "I am certain she has super speed too and she has a much stronger more resilient body now, her Ki is no longer completely human, she is part saiyan now too and with each battle win or lose, or even a friendly spar, she will gain an increase in power" Said Gohan as Batman raised an eyebrow.
"Yes…we were bred for battle, the gods of creation in my universe weren't thinking when they created a species that could rival them and then surpass them, good thing they were driven to extinction" Said Gohan. "Or my universe would either be burning or under iron grip from millions of saiyans as strong or if not stronger than me, after all Saiyans aren't anything like me, the first time a real Saiyan dropped on earth years ago he outclassed everyone, including my father who was his younger brother, than two more came, each one Elites and they destroyed a couple planets on their way to earth, Saiyans were brutal" Said Gohan.
Batman nodded, he thoroughly agreed with that, he didn't like that the species was destroyed entirely because they were still living beings and not all of them were as evil he would assume, but the thought of millions of trained Saiyans like Gohan descending to earth with conquest in mind, that thought was quite terrifying.
"Anyways Bell, you want to go home and get settled in? Remember your parents or anyone else cannot know or their lives can one day fall in harm's way" Said Gohan as Batman nodded.
"Indeed, you will be a League trainee, you will join the Team, led by Nightwing, he will teach you stealth and everything else you might need as a League member, you will have a month to prepare, I understand your world was just flipped upside down" Said Batman to Bell who nodded, her head was spinning this was moving so fast, but at least she had a month to get used to the fact that all this was happening or at least give her enough time to wake up from her bizarre dream, if this was a dream she really has some imagination.
"And Gohan, you will need a codename, you better think of one fast" Said Batman.
Gohan led Bell away from them and to the boom tube pad where she finally realized she was actually in outer space.
"Holy shit are we in space?" Asked Bell as Gohan nodded.
"Yep, the Justice Leagues real secret base, state of the art tech and highly classified so this is a big secret, no one must know that it exists" Said Gohan as she nodded absentmindedly. She was fascinated by the earth's surface, it was nothing short of breath taking.
"Come on this way" Said Gohan with a chuckle as he slowly pulled her away from the view. "This view will be here when you come back" Said Gohan as she slowly walked with him not taking her eyes off the view until it disappeared when she entered the passage.
Once they arrived people by the computers opened a boom tube to the earth in Central City. He made his way to his apartment when he remembered the place was destroyed, his eyes widened in panic as he finally remembered he had his designs and other tech ideas in there, hopefully his Ki barrier was still holding up.
He quickly made his way to the building and saw a building that was completely damaged, he slowly approached it and sensed for his Ki, he breathed a sigh of relief when he sensed it, he held his arm forward before pulling it towards him.
Bell watched as a glowing box approached Gohan. "What's that?" Asked Bell as Gohan turned to her.
"Tech designs far ahead of this planets current level, it took me a good half of this month to see which formulas and equations would work, I am close but not quite there" Said Gohan as she nodded, she knew he wasn't from earth now so she wasn't surprised.
"You don't look surprised" Said Gohan as she shrugged.
"Well much larger bombs of information were already detonated, why would this surprise me? Plus some of those larger bombs included me" Said Bell as Gohan nodded, she wasn't wrong. "…But I don't know if I can use these powers to the point where I can be a hero and make a difference" Said Bell, she had been experiencing doubts. "I mean I was fully human until a day ago" Said Bell as Gohan chuckled.
"There were three humans, that also held immense Ki power through training, being human doesn't make you weaker Bell, believing that you are weak doesn't make you weak, believing that you are strong doesn't make you strong, it is your will that makes you strong, the will to continue growing" Said Gohan as she slowly nodded.
Gohan dispersed the barrier around the paper designs and rolled it up before walking Bell back to her apartment on the other side of the city.
"I will drop by in two days, to help you focus your new Ki reserves" Said Gohan as she nodded, Gohan bit his lip. "Bell…I…" Said Gohan as Bell cut him off.
"I'm…sorry Gohan…I know what you want to say…but, right now…I have so much going on, so much change and I really started to like you, but with everything that's happened, everything that's happened to me…I just can't handle it…I'm sorry" Said Bell as she turned away and closed her door.
Gohan was quiet, he felt his heart break at the words, he damn near fell in love with her and now…now after everything, she can't give him a chance. He clenched his fist before unclenching it, he sighed a heavy sigh before walking away.
He made his way back to the watch tower he felt so confused and angry but most he was hurt, he didn't really know what to do. He turned a corner after putting his designs and schematics in his room and bumped into Wonder Women who was talking with Green Lantern.
"Gohan?" Asked Diana as she saw his eyes, he was hurt, she could tell, Green Lantern looked at Gohan, he noticed the look in his eyes, either he was just dumped or he was rejected.
"You alright?" Asked GL as Gohan sighed and nodded.
"Yes, just experiencing technical difficulties" Said Gohan as GL chuckled.
"Never met someone that became humorous after a break-up" Said GL as Gohan looked at him surprised. "Yes I know, don't ask me why though" Said GL as Gohan gave a weak chuckle. Was it that obvious?
Gohan looked to Diana before speaking. "Diana, would you like to spar?" Asked Gohan as she nodded.
"Of course, time to see who the better fighter is" Said Diana as Gohan nodded, a challenge.
Gohan, Diana and GL made their way to the training area, GL wanting to watch the fight, he had heard from Diana and Bruce that Gohan is a martial artist as well and he was quite good, now he wanted to see if that was true, they had passed Batman who was talking to Nightwing.
Curious Nightwing gave GL a questioning look. "Diana and Gohan are going to spar" Said GL as Batman raised an eyebrow, he felt his curious nature peak, it was actually the best way to see Gohan in action and judge his martial arts capabilities and his control.
Nightwing gave Batman a look, they both nodded and followed the three people, after all they had just finished their conversation of Isabella Tailor joining the Team.
They had passed Karen who was talking with Kara and Dinah, and they also decided to watch, everyone was curious on what the killer of Doomsday could do, Green Arrow was quiet and in the back, he had a critical eye on the Saiyan, Barry walked up behind Oliver and spoke.
"Hey Arrow, you also going to watch the fight?" Asked Barry as Oliver nodded.
"Yes, I am curious on what he is capable of and if he can be trusted" Said Arrow as Barry chuckled.
"Oh Gohan, he is cool, he even knows my real identity, he is trust worthy, even bats likes him" Said Barry as Arrow gave him a raised eyebrow.
"Aren't you a bit too trusting?" Asked Oliver.
"That's the thing, usually new comers don't get accepted but Gohan has…special circumstances, he is a sole survivor of his earths protectors, as far as the league knows they were all killed and Gohan here found his way to us" Said Barry as Arrow looked at Gohan's back, he still didn't really like it but, he had just joined the league, he couldn't really question the things the league did, he could only hope that Gohan wasn't planning something.
Gohan and Diana reached the training area when they noticed that quite the crew of leaguers had been following them.
"Seems many are interested in your abilities Gohan and what you are capable of" Said Diana as she walked up to a shelve with weapons upon weapons. "I highly doubt any weapon will be able to withstand a battle between us, so we will use these, they are made from the hardest metal in the universe" Said Diana as Gohan nodded.
"We are using weapons?" Asked Gohan as Diana raised an eyebrow.
"Do you not know how to fight with weapons?" Asked Diana as Gohan smiled.
"No I do know, I just haven't fought with one in a while, so I might get wrecked by you in a straight fight" Said Gohan as he chose a Chinese broadsword.
"I think this should do" Said Gohan as he entered a stance, he glanced down at the blade, the last time he used a sword was when he was hunting dinosaurs for survival during Piccolo's training.
He read Diana's power level and rose his Ki to match hers evenly, he wanted to see how well she could fight so he could really test his martial arts, not try and outclass her in power.
He slid into the demon stance, with his sword held horizontally on eye level. He smirked as they stood in silence, Diana had chosen a Chinese Broadsword as well, it would truly be a test of skill and not power.
The audience of observers were all waiting, some were placing bets. Many were betting for Diana to win this sword exchange while a few bet on Gohan.
The two got ready before they suddenly gained intense concentration, everyone could see the two, they were watching and sensing each other, who would make the first move.
Everyone's eyes nearly bulged out of their heads when Gohan was suddenly behind her, they could clearly still see him in front of Diana, it was like he was in two places at once.
Diana had felt something was off, her instincts yelling at her, tell her to duck when she felt a slight breeze pass her, the Gohan in front of her, his eyes were empty, almost like he wasn't there anymore, she ducked in time and did a roundhouse kick at Gohan who raised his forearm and blocked the kick causing a vibration to rumble through the training ground.
Everyone watching was so baffled and they felt their skin crawl and for the first time they realized they were watching a real martial arts fight backed with very real strength.
Gohan faded away from his block to appear a couple meters in front of her, he had a serious expression on his face, he was disappointed to have missed but his blood was pumping, Diana blocked and effectively countered his attack in one move, the only time he was this challenged as a martial artist was when he trained with Piccolo and his father for the android threat.
He grinned and she returned the gesture. "I almost never figured out you weren't in front of me anymore Gohan" Said Diana as he shrugged.
"To be fair Diana not many can actually block and attack it at the same time, you surprised me when you saw me and attacked instantly afterwards" Said Gohan with a grin, Diana just smirked.
"I have been training since I was a child" Said Diana. "When did your father start training you?" Asked Diana as Gohan chuckled.
"My father wasn't the first, it was my mentor Piccolo, he kidnapped me and left me in a jungle with dinosaurs and told me to survive for six months only than would he train me, the first month was hell" Said Gohan as many Leaguers felt their eyes widen.
"That is a…unorthodox method" Said Diana as Gohan chuckled.
"Yes it was but it made me who I am today" Said Gohan as the fight quieted down.
The audience was still murmuring but it was slowing quieting down, other martial artists in the crowd could tell the fight was about to resume.
Diana and Gohan charged at one another, they attack with their swords causing a load clang to be heard, the two expertly attacked and parried the other's attack, but it was clear to the more experienced fighters that Gohan wasn't as good as Diana with a sword, he was struggling to keep up with her sword attacks, but his instincts kept him in the fight, Diana slashed at his head horizontally watching him behind back to evade it, she saw an opportunity to catch Gohan off guard, Gohan however was a fighter with his limbs after all, he grinned as she came closer to finish it, he leaned further back before pushing off her creating distance between the two.
Gohan grinned. "Seems you have me beat with sword fighting" Said Gohan as she smirked.
"Well now? Not every day a man admits he is bested by a women in combat" Said Diana as Gohan shrugged with a smirk.
"You didn't exactly touch me though" Said Gohan as she entered a fighting stance with his sword.
Diana gave a chuckle. "True, however I can tell you do not fight with weapons, after you failed with the weapon to stop me, you immediately used your legs to make space between us, you like to fight with your fists, you should widen your skillset, you should spar with weapons more often, and maybe one day you can match me with a sword" Said Diana as Gohan chuckled.
"Really now? I am still a master at martial arts, so how about we see how well this fight goes" Said Gohan, Diana gave him a smirk before dropping into a stance.
This time Diana charged at Gohan, she swung her sword, Gohan ducked and evaded the slash returning a slash to an open spot he saw, Diana however left that open to catch the Saiyan off guard, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he realized his mistake, he turned and flicked his sword up knowing it would take wasted movements to move it out of the way as well, he turned as fast as his power level allowed him and the moment he was free from any imminent danger from Diana's counter attack, the sword came down and he caught it in reverse grip and Diana was now open in several places, she hadn't expected such a maneuver.
He spun the blade and was now holding it correctly, his sword was now inches away from Diana's neck, he was panting slightly and he had a grin, he glanced down and noticed Diana's sword was mere centimeters from his heart.
"I see now…you depended less on your sword, you got rid of it the moment it became a liability, you used that advantage and quickly evened the scale between us by throwing it up and getting close enough to catch it while in close vicinity of me, your fighting ability makes up for your lack in sword play" Said Diana, she now knew that Gohan was very good at hand to hand, probably as good as her if not better, but maybe not quite on her level with a sword or any other weapon.
They were still in stalemate with one another's weapons dangerously close to the other, they haven't move an inch since Diana spoke. Gohan smirked. "Shall we continue?" Asked Gohan, he had never been evaluated by another martial artist quite like she just did, he enjoyed it. Diana nodded.
Gohan immediately used his left hand and threw a punch at Diana who used her left hand to parry the strike before returning with a palm strike aimed at his nose which Gohan evaded by tilting his head to the lift, he grabbed her left hand with his, a struggle of strength erupted between the two as Diana attempted to pull her arm back while Gohan held her arm in place, both were struggling in a stalemate causing light rumbling in the training area, Diana in a surprise move twisted her arm which forced Gohan to let go, she pulled her arm back before thrusting it forward again.
The two swords still in such vulnerable places, close to Gohan's heart and close to Diana's neck, neither blade moving from the spot while the two martial artists duked it out with one arm trying to gain the upper hand…see what I did there?
They both eventually pulled their fists back before punching forward causing a mini tremor to shake the room, neither moving, again another contest of brute strength as the two pushed against each other's knuckles.
Diana and Gohan were really neck and neck trying to gain the upper hand, it was proving to be quite the task for them both, Gohan and Diana now nearly completely in sync, Gohan got the idea of using his leg and almost like she read his mind, Diana blocked his leg with her shin, she forced his leg down with her right leg before attacking with her left leg and forcing Gohan to also block with his right leg.
However Diana finally gained an opening, with Gohan's left leg being held down with her left leg and his right that just blocked her attack, she raised her left leg from Gohan's and kept it above his left leg giving her a free shot to his ribcage which she took advantage of.
Gohan felt his ribcage light on fire as her leg made contact just as he grinned when she realized she forgot about the power struggle between their left arms, with his arm now free he landed a elbow to her jaw, causing a shockwave that blasted Gohan and Diana to the left from Diana's left leg kick to the ribcage and Gohan's left elbow to her jaw.
Both of them slammed into the wall of the area. The audience winced at the sight, but everyone had felt their neck hairs rising during the battle, it was such a tight battle, everyone felt the light shockwaves the battle produced.
"I would hate to see what they can do if they are serious" Said Dinah as Supergirl nodded.
"Both Diana and Gohan were trained as children, that is why they are so skilled" Said Batman, honestly this fight was really something to see, he could tell that only Gohan could match Diana in a fair fight, he might have been able to match them both in skill had he the strength and power those two possessed, he glanced around the room of leaguers and realized a select few could if they had the power to back them up.
Nightwing was definitely among them, he could see the look of fascination on his face at the sight of the fight, Dinah probably could too, she was a very skill fighter as well, he immediately went back to the two who were getting up and walking to one another with slightly labored breathing.
"Well now Gohan, you can certainly hold your own" Said Diana as Gohan nodded with a wide smile.
"Wow Diana you are really something else, only people that could match me in a straight up fight of skill like that were my dad and a few of his friends" Said Gohan as Diana smiled.
"I am glad to hear, by the sound of it your father was an amazingly talented fighter" Said Diana as Gohan smiled.
"You have no idea" Said Gohan. "Thank you for the spar Diana" Said Gohan as she smiled.
"Anytime" Said Diana as she turned and walked away, Batman, Nightwing and Karen and Kara approached him, Barry sped in front of Gohan.
"I knew you could fight but damn Gohan you matched Diana! She is the league's best fighter because she has skill and power, otherwise the best fighter between humans gets split between Black Canary, Batman and Nightwing, but Nightwing isn't part of the league so, Green Arrow is also a martial artist but he hasn't fought Black Canary or the others yet.
Gohan nodded. "Back in my universe three humans were in our ranks, all three of them were master martial artists that could potentially destroy a planet…maybe not Yamcha though…he retired very early in his fighting career" Said Gohan.
Dinah's ears perked at the comment, Nightwing also noticed the comment, maybe they could too.
Power Girl raised an eyebrow. "Destroy earth? That's a bit extreme for some humans" Said Power Girl with sarcasm, Gohan chuckled.
"Well yes for Humans that aren't trained in the art of Ki, but Krillin surpassed some Saiyans like Nappa, I am sure he can fight some of our weaker villains and win, like maybe first form Frieza" Theorized Gohan as the league looked at him with a confused expression, he just waved them off.
"Never mind, just know that Humans do have the potential to become super powered beings on their own with enough training" Said Gohan as Nightwing spoke.
"Well than mind training me?" Asked Nightwing. "I don't really need martial arts training, but Ki training as you say can be beneficial, and being stronger means I can protect my team better" Said Nightwing, Batman had an indifferent expression on his face, If Dick wanted to learn than he wouldn't stop him.
Dinah spoke next. "If you say it can bring that close to being close to a Kryptonian than count me in" Said Dinah as Gohan chuckled.
He had a feeling someone would eventually ask. "I can train you in the art of Ki manipulation, you will all be students of the Turtle Style" Said Gohan with a grin as Nightwing felt his small excitement drop at the name.
"Turtle…?" Asked Dick as Gohan chuckled.
"Yes, the martial arts style that created super powered humans through natural means without drug enhancements, it does take a great level of concentration, people can become power hungry and it can lead you on a lonely life" Said Gohan as he remembered Vegeta who hungered for power.
"It was created by Muten Roshi, a Turtle Hermit who spent fifty years studying martial arts and trying to develop his Ki and another twenty years before he could actually use it" Said Gohan as Nightwing sweat dropped.
"Seventy years…?" Asked Nightwing as Dinah suddenly didn't feel all that enthusiastic.
"Maybe I don't need it" Said Dinah as Gohan looked to her with a curious expression. "Seventy years for a man who studied martial arts his entire life is way too long and I probably won't even live that long" Said Dinah as Gohan realized what they thought and he burst into laughter.
"Oh no, it won't take you that long, Master Roshi went through a lot of errors and years of not really understanding, but once he figured it out, it took him maybe three years to create a technique from it, the attack I used to defeat Doomsday" Said Gohan as Nightwing's eyes widened.
"You mean that giant blue beam of energy that covered the United States?" Asked Dick as Gohan nodded. "You mean we will be able to tap into power like that eventually?" Asked Dick as Gohan shook his head.
"No, that was a Kamehameha wave in my god form, that blast was packed with power that came from my divine Ki, but Master Roshi years ago when he trained my father as a kid, he wasn't nearly as strong as he was before he died but he blew up the moon with a Kamehameha wave" Said Gohan. "My father and his human rival and best friend learned the Kamehameha wave the first time they tried, my father saw it once and immediately did it, it wasn't very strong and could only wreck a small car but my point is once you have Ki control down, the sky is the limit" Said Gohan as Nightwing nodded.
"Okay I can work with that" Said Black Canary.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A couple months ago when Gohan was fighting with Beerus and their fight was tearing away at the fabric of space and time, in a distant universe far away where the Saiyan race was still bustling, on the surface of Planet Vegeta, two factions were in a full out war.
"Butaraiga!" Yelled a female saiyan as a Ki blast blew a hole in her friend's chest, she growled in anger before vanishing and ripping the other saiyan's head off his shoulders.
"That's what you get you stupid fucker!" Said the women as she threw his body to the side.
"Gine" Said a man as he flew up behind his wife.
"What is it Bardock? We are in a war have you forgotten?" Asked Gine as she kept her senses scanning the battle to make sure her head wasn't ripped off her shoulders, there weren't many living enemies left but she couldn't take that chance. "Shouldn't you be next to King Vegeta?" Asked Gine
"…it's Kakarot and Raditz…" Said Bardock as he grimaced. "The Red Faction launched a surprise attack on our city…it's gone" Said Bardock as Gine felt her heart break at the words.
"That's…that's why the Red Faction sent such a puny attack force on the battlefield!" Said Gine as she clenched her fist in anger. "They sent their entire force to the city while we fought the disposable waste" Said Gine.
"King Vegeta has commanded that once we eradicate this force, we head straight for the Red Faction capital" Said Bardock as Gine grinned in anger.
"Even if he hadn't commanded it, I would have flown there myself and lay waste to that city by myself even if It cost me my life" Said Gine as Bardock nodded.
"King Vegeta knows that many of us will attack regardless, but it is not like he was planning on letting that go without destroying them" Said Bardock.
Gine nodded as Bardock looked over the battlefield and pumping Ki into his lungs. "Saiyans of King Vegeta! Your king demands that we dispose of the Red Faction capital, they have taken it too far, earlier they destroyed our Capital, now we shall return with our fury and vaporize them all! Nothing must come in our way!" Said Bardock as he flared his aura to show his fury, Gine followed his lead and flared her aura, the last Red Faction Saiyans were now trying to get away as the entire Saiyan Army of King Vegeta could be seen approaching in the distance, the rest of the Saiyans that were on the battlefield flared their Ki and they quickly killed the retreating Saiyans before they blasted off towards the Red Faction Capital.
When the Saiyan Army arrived Bardock yelled at the top of his lungs. "For King Vegeta and our fallen brethren! Teach these traitors a lesson, your king and your General commands you!"
They attacked but were countered by the Red Faction Army of Turles, it was a bloody battle and the City and many of its people were killed, King Vegeta's army was proving to be too strong, after all they still held most of the Saiyan Elites, King Vegeta and Turles were locked in a heated battle.
But just as the battle started to really get heated and bloody the red sky turned purple before going through multiple colors before stopping, the Saiyans all stopped fighting as a massive shockwave rocked their world, a giant whole ripped through their sky and kept becoming larger and larger until they say a man fighting some purple cat like being.
Gohan was so deep in concentration he had hadn't even noticed that the worm hole was open and everything happening was being seen in another universe. "You won't win Beerus, you killed my entire family, everyone I knew and loved, you aren't going to survive, the universe has been terrorized enough even the Supreme Kai are too afraid to do anything" Said Gohan as Beerus shrugged in anger.
"You think I care!? I am the God of Destruction boy!? It's my duty, the Omni-King orders me to do so, you might feel a little strong now but in the eyes of the king of Gods you might as well still be a mortal, this universe is my jurisdiction and you and your family are the last beings capable of even dreaming of challenging the Gods" Said Beerus as he increased his power and pushed Gohan back a little, Gohan felt his power rise in response.
"You are forgetting Beerus, I am my father's son!" Said Gohan as he flared his aura increasing his power as well pushing the struggle to a stalemate again.
The saiyans were so caught up in watching the fight until it just disappeared, many among them were confused, that never happened before, what in the world was happening.
King Vegeta and Turles glanced at each other, they knew what a God of Destruction was, the being did kind of look like Champa but he was smaller built, they knew they could have their squabbles among each other but when the God of Destruction came, they were all on their best behavior.
They were about to continue fighting but an ear bleeding boom ripped through the air and suddenly there was violent shaking causing the parts of the city that weren't already damaged, to fall over.
The generals of each army appeared next to their kings, Bardock and Nappa appeared next to King Vegeta while Paragus and a female saiyan with red hair appeared next to Turles.
"Sire something is not right" Said Bardock as the shaking stopped and the saiyan world suddenly went dark, Bardock pressed a button on his scouter and spoke.
"What the hell was that?" Asked Bardock, you could hear someone on the other end. "And where in the fuck did the light from our star go?"
"I will have the answer in a sort moment Sir" Said the Saiyan on the other end, an awkward silence suddenly settled on every Saiyans many were still angry and wanted to fight, but since the Kings and Generals had seized fighting, something important must have happened, considering, that their world just went dark like the star's light suddenly disappeared.
Gine so badly wanted to go to Bardock, she however knew she was no near the correct rank, she was a second class and only Elites were allowed to go closer, she would know later either way from Bardock.
The Saiyan on the other end finally spoke. "Sir…is King Vegeta listening…?" Asked the Saiyan.
"Yes now speak!" Commanded King Vegeta.
The other Saiyan spoke. "Sire…I cannot pick up any transmissions from Lord Frieza or any other world in our galaxy…the stars are all gone and all of the other planets nearby are gone" Said the Saiyan as he continued. "But the real problem is sire, we are now a stray planet, something happened just now and we are spinning in a random direction through the cosmos, my initial scan of the cosmos determined that…we may not be in our galaxy anymore" Said the saiyan.
King Vegeta looked down to the city that was now in ruins, he flashed Turles a grin before ordering his Saiyans to return to their fallen city. Turles felt his anger flicker at Vegeta's grin.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Gohan sighed when he walked up to Bell's apartment. He knocked and she opened the door letting him in.
"You ready to go?" Asked Gohan as she nodded.
"So Gohan? Will being part of the league pay me?" Asked Bell as Gohan nodded, he didn't really feel like unnecessary conversation.
"Yes, as far as I know Batman told me, that a normal league member earns around $200,000 yearly" Said Gohan as her eyes widened.
"But you are starting as a member of the Team, they are mostly young adults, as far as I know from that they only earn $80,000 yearly" Said Gohan as her face fell a bit, compared to the league pay cheque, it was puny, but she lifted her head, at least she had super powers now.
Once they were ready they left and Gohan picked her up before flying away, they arrived back at the watch tower before walking back to the training area.
"Alright…" Started Gohan as he explained how to find Ki and how to let it out, he felt that he should teach Nightwing along with Canary at a different stage compared to Bell, after all Nightwing would be her team captain, plus he didn't want to discourage her by trying to make her keep up with their already high level of concentration and understanding of martial arts.
The day went by pretty smoothly, Bell however struggled to call forth her Ki, she may have divine energy but she couldn't get in tune with it.
Everything was going smoothly, the earth, mainly America was starting to recover from the attack of Doomsday, and Gohan was finally made into a full league member, although the world didn't know of this yet.
However Darkseid was readying himself, he was going to terraform earth and he wouldn't fail, he already had his parademons plant boom tubes all around the planet, soon and very soon he would go to earth and bring it to its knees and all the worms that protect it, he was pleased to hear the Kryptonian Superman was dead, at least Doomsday did that right.
Wow guys this was such a long chapter! Long for me, I have never written such a long chapter and quite frankly it was tiring, but I am happy I did it, it just means I am becoming faster at typing and realizing I wrote like four thousand words already, than eight thousand and now my new record +10,000 words, now please guys some feedback would be nice, oh and the Saiyan Race! I thought that would make things spicy! Like I said I have some plans I have in my head that I hope will really get you guys on the edge of your seat or yelling "WHAT! NO WAY!" so ya, and another thing, I might delete this story to repost it again because for some dumb reason it isn't showing in the crossover section of Dragon Ball Z and Justice League, again I apologize if anything is written incorrectly in this chapter, I don't proofread. But please review on what you think of the story so far! I am dying to know what you guys actually think! If you get happy when you get the email notification of the update of my story please drop a review, it means you really enjoy it and nothing will give me more joy.