Chapter 74 - Advent of the Hakaishin
With the battle between Goten and Rayo concluded, the announcer called for an intermission, as the Tenkaichi Budōkai's matches having reached the halfway point. This would give the maintenance committee a chance to check the structural integrity of the arena, and give Bulma herself a chance to check just how much punishment the barrier had taken, so that she could reinforce it for future tournaments with the expectation to take much more damage.
Most of the audience were rising from their seats, going to sample food from the ridiculously overpriced food-stands — Capsule Corporation had recently acquired the most popular brand of soft drink on the market, HeTap, and was taking this as a chance to promote their new acquisition — while others were making restroom runs that they had neglected in the hopes of seeing the most epic battles of their lives. The actual competitors, however, seemed to be generally disinterested in leaving the waiting wings.
No, those who were members of the 'Dragon Team' were far more curious about why they had felt Gohan's power wash over the planet like it had. The group had been refrained from discussing it among themselves until Goten's match had concluded — both out of respect and an interest in seeing how the youngest son of Son Gokū fared. However, with Goten's match now out of the way, discussion ran rampant.
"I don't like the feeling of this," said Goten first, his face deep set into a frown. "If Gohan was putting out that much of his ki, then he was fighting against some serious sort of monster."
"He isn't the type to simply waste that much ki on a display," agreed Piccolo.
"But now we can't feel his ki at all," noted Videl. "Think he took care of whatever it was, and is now casually chatting it up with that Kaiōshin fellow?"
"I'd like to think that," muttered Tenshinhan. "In fact, it's the most optimistic train of thought. But no. It was a massive surge of ki; one second it was normal then it suddenly spiked. And shortly after that, it completely vanished."
"Ki has a very natural way of flowing when its controlled," Yamcha added, looking at Videl. "You can detect this sort of flow when you're sensing the ki of someone else. If Gohan had won, we'd have felt a natural decline of ki as the flow returned to normal. But instead, it was an abrupt expiration of that same surge. Whoever Gohan was fighting, he lost to them."
"…that should be impossible," replied Videl. "You felt Gohan's ki, it was monstrous! And that was from a distance! What sort of freak is going to exceed that?"
Piccolo remembered the omen he and Gohan had felt leading up to the tournament, and the former Daimaō's face worked in frustration. "I don't know. The Universe is absolutely massive. Billions of galaxies split into the Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern Quadrants. Each of those billions are watched over by higher and lower gods from the Celestial and Lower Realms." The Nameccian raised a hand and conjured a massive sphere. It vast, similar to the MatterWave technology Bulma created, yet distinct.
Within the sphere were billions of lights, and beneath was a mass of shadow. Above the sphere, another sphere, smaller but greater in majesty formed. Away from it, another sphere, a planet with multiple Suns and Moons, was given shape.
"This is the Universe," said Piccolo, gesturing to the largest sphere. "These lights are all of the galaxies within the Universe. This shadow," he gestured to the dense emptiness beneath the Universe effigy, "is the Demon Realm of Darkness. Above us still are the Heavens. The Afterife, the Cosmos, call it what you will. It is a separate dimension, vast and within it rest many of the higher gods. Hell is within this dimension as well, at the base." Piccolo gestured next to the multi-satellite planet. "This is the Kaiōshin Realm, where Gohan and Erasa are now. The Kaiōshin lives here."
"The Universe is absolutely enormous," muttered Tenshinhan.
"Vast indeed," replied Piccolo. "Gohan's mistake — and perhaps our's — was believing he is the strongest within it."
"Can we even do anything about it?" asked Yamcha.
"Not without being able to visit the Kaiōshin Realm," said Piccolo. "The only thing we can do now is wait. If it was something that they needed help with, the Kaiōshin would make contact with us. Until we receive some word, we can't do anything." He stood up, and his cape and turban rematerialised. "This is an intermission, right? Enjoy yourselves for a moment. The Budōkai isn't going to get easier." The Nameccian walked off, intending to make sure they took his advice by removing himself from the area. Heading deeper into the waiting wings — having no use for a refreshments station by sheer nature of his biology — Piccolo took a seat in the lounge room. it was, to his appreciation, empty.
Gohan, what did you fight up there? He thought, folding his hands at over a table and thinking. I couldn't sense an opposing force at all. If his kihad simply drowned it out, he'd have won that battle. But I couldn't sense anything at all. Is he fighting some new form of Android? Despite attempting to reassure the others there was nothing to worry about, Piccolo himself was actually very worried. But expressing that fear to the others wouldn't help the situation, and he himself needed calm and quiet to assess the situation.
If it isn't an Android, what was he fighting? Every living thing has ki, unless they've been otherwise altered. That is irrefutable, it is a grounded rule. He groaned. Kiwe cannot sense...but it might not be artificial. His eyes widened, and his mouth gaped. It should be impossible, but Gohan had gone to the Kaiōshin Realm, the realm of the highest gods. Piccolo remembered when Shin had visited them during the previous Tenkaichi Budōkai. He couldn't sense the presence of that man. To have it be revealed that he was a Kaiōshin later made sense. Was...was it possible that Gohan engaged in battle with a god? It couldn't have been the Kaiōshin...with all due respect to him, his power would not be enough to take on Gohan. But...another god?
You're very right, Piccolo!
"T-That voice!" Piccolo gasped. It was familiar, slow and deliberate in its speech. He recognised it nearly immediately. The voice of the Northern Kaiō, one of the lower gods beneath the Kaiōshin. "It's you!"
Rude as ever. I'll ignore that for now, the situation is far too pressing to be worried about disrespect. You're right. Gohan did fight a god and lose.
"I'd almost be proud if that wasn't so much like his father," said Piccolo between grit teeth. "I need an explanation, Lord Kaiō!"
It was the Hakaishin, Lord Beerus. He's awake right now, and from what I heard from Gokū, who is with Gohan right now, he's heading to Earth right now.
A Hakaishin is a deity on an entirely other level, Piccolo. Please do not fight him. And above all, do not, I repeat, do not do a thing to disrespect him.
If you can keep him appeased, he will leave Earth in peace.
The frown Piccolo wore merely deepened, and he growled in irritation. The emblem on his forehead began to pulse with his emotions, but he silenced it. Gohan had challenged the Hakaishin and lost. If that was the case, the lot of them could not hope to repel this deity by sheer force. "Alright...we'll try to keep him appeased. When does he arrive?"
Now.
Papaya Island, Tenka'ichi Budōkai
To casual onlookers who were only glancing towards the sky, it may have seemed innocuous. A streak of light across the sky. Perhaps a meteor? A spaceship from another planet? There were a dozen answers, and thus no one in particular was interested in this cosmic event. This light, however, was far less harmless than it initially seemed. Contained within the light were the forms of the Hakaishin Beerus, and his attendant, Whis. They were zoning directly towards Papaya Island, and landed onto the island in a swirl of luminescence.
The two emerged from this 'rainbow road' of sorts, standing outside the the Tenka'ichi Budōkai stadium. To the gods, it was nothing special. They had seen far grander buildings on civilisations in other galaxies, but to see such an advancement on Earth was nonetheless impressive. They were standing in front of a huge stadium building, easily blocking out the rays of the sun, and Whis could have sworn he'd slipped them past what felt like a barrier on the way through.
"So the Saiyans are at this sort of gaudy place?" inquired Beerus, gesturing to the massive building. "Doesn't seem like their sort of hang-out, does it Whis?"
"It would appear this is a sort of event they hold here on Earth, Lord Beerus," explained his attendant helpfully. "The Strongest Under The Heavens Martial Arts Tournament. Much like that Super Saiyan God fellow you're looking for, the naming is certainly a bit immoderate. Though I suppose if we're going to find any sort of fighting deity, a martial arts tournament would be the place. Shall we have a look inside?"
"We've already made it all the way down here," replied Beerus casually, which was just his way of saying yes. The duo then walked forward without so much as a care. Passing through self-opening doors, Beerus and Whis found themselves standing in the middle of a spacious room. It was essentially a food court, containing a multitude of restaurants and the like. A mass multitude of humans were bustling to and fro, trying to desperately make time to enjoy the food prior to the end of the intermission.
The moment that they walked in, a vast array of delicious smells filled the nostrils of both the Hakaishin and attendant, and to say they became excited at the prospect of delicious food would be an understatement.
"Whis, what is that absolutely delectable aroma?!" The Hakaishin exclaimed, ears twitching frantically as he surveyed the area for which scent attracted his attention the most.
"I don't know, Lord Beerus, but it smells heavenly and I bet it tastes even better," replied Whis, placing a hand to his face as he too enjoyed the bouquet that filled the air. "Shall we take a momentary recess from our search and perhaps..." Whis, however, had not finished the sentence before Beerus had already made his way towards the closest scent, which was a mercifully idle restaurant. The Hakaishin walked over towards the counter to get the man's attention, and cleared his throat.
"You there, fellow! Something smells absolutely mouthwatering and I'd love to have some of it!"
Whis, who had been quick to follow, cleared this throat. "Lord Beerus, the culture of this planet seems to require something called 'money' to be exchanged for goods and services." He explained casually. "Things such as food and water are rarely provided to even the starving and dying unless money as been exchanged first."
"'Money'?" repeated an incredulous Hakaishin. "Why should I need 'money' to get a taste of something delicious? Are you trying to imply this lot will withhold food from me unless I give them this so-called money? I'm a deity, that's preposterous!"
"I believe this culture has a term for people like that, Lord Beerus," replied Whis casually. He looked into his staff, peering a single eye within its depths. "Several, actually, but 'deadbeat' rolls off the tongue most easily."
A vein throbbed in Beerus' temple, and he began to softly glow purple. "'Deadbeat'? I'm not sure what that word means, Whis, but it certainly feels like an insult."
Before Whis could say anything to assuage Beerus, the man behind the counter spoke up. "Excuse me? You two must be foreigners! I'm not sure what most of that talk was, but here at the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, food is provided freely to patrons of the event. Mrs. Bulma of Capsule Corporation funds this entire event!" Smiling generously, he pointed towards the menu. "You're free to order anything you'd like, sir."
"Anything you say?!" Beerus' festering sour mood vanished on the spot, his purple aura dissipating with it. "This 'Bulma' sounds like an interesting person, to offer free food to everyone. Alright my good man, I'll have everything here that smells so tantalizing!"
The man chuckled, smiling cheerily. "If you don't mind waiting then sir, that'll be just a moment. Please, seat yourself where you like, and your food will be with you momentarily!"
The Hakaishin obliged, used to waiting on humans to bring him dishes. He and Whis took the table nearest to the counter, and sat easily into the chairs, Beerus kicking up his feet onto the table. "I wonder if that human knows that he just inadvertently saved this planet?" mused Beerus.
"I sincerely doubt it, Lord Beerus," replied Whis. "Though I have to admit, I'm surprised this planet has advanced as much as it has in so short a time." He glanced into his staff again. "Earth wasn't due for these sorts of advanced for another century and a half at least."
"Is that so?" inquired Beerus with a bored expression, chewing on a chopstick that he'd found at the table. "I did notice that the Solar System itself was surprisingly different. Far too busy for this backwater neighborhood." As if to corroborate Beerus' statement, several starships cast a shadow as they flew over Papaya Island towards Earth's Capital — the Western Capital. "It's suspicious. Perhaps such advancements can be attributed to a God?"
"If so, certainly not one of Saiyan pedigree," Whis shrugged off the suggestion. "Booming societal advancements aren't their…department."
Beerus chuckled. "True. I may be jumping the gun. But he's so close I can almost taste it...a fighter in this Universe of some true worth!"
"Be that as it may, I still can't see a fighter born of humans that rivals you, Lord Beerus. Gods don't spawn out of thin air."
The Hakaishin frowned bitterly. "Are you insinuating I'm wrong, Whis?!"
"No, merely that you have a track record of being incorrect," replied the attendant jovially. "How is that any different?!"
Whis could do nothing but laugh, only further working the nerves of his Hakaishin superior. While Beerus tried to work up a retort, he eventually gave up and sat back down. If he blew up a planet for every joke Whis cracked, this would be a very barren Universe indeed.
The Hakaishin and his attendant had finished their exchange when the first dish was placed on their table, the waiter in the midst of balancing several other platters of delectable consumables. It smelled amazing, causing the cat-like deity to water at the mouth and his faithful caretaker raise a hand to his mouth with surprise. They hadn't seen such stellar quality cuisune in a long time. But again, looks didn't guarantee taste, as was proved with the planet Purnit.
Picking up a pair of chopsticks, the purple feline twirled them in his fingers and grabbed what looked like a head-less fish wrapped in seaweed. His eyes furrowed, his snout sniffing it. Again, it made him salivate. Shaking his head he resumed the slow approach of the seafood to his open jaw, unaware of the crowd of expectant viewers to see if he'd find it satisfactory.
A chomp, a sudden chill and Beerus' eyes widened. Retracting the toothpicks from his mouth, he began to chew and chew some more. Swallowing, he'd look down and gasp, his eyes watering with delight. He teared up as he began to dive in, Whis soon joining him as he moaned aloud with joy.
"Dish ish sho goof!" Beerus ravenously exclaimed, mouthing it between every helping he could get his fingers on. He consumed whole portions before the waiter at a familiar speed; one only a certain young boy had done during the last place of business that fed a terribly hungry customer.
"Oh my! This is heavenly! Truly this is of incredible work and that this is but your finest dishes," Whis complimented the waiter, the latter of which chuckled at the undue flattery. "Do you have more?"
"We have plenty. What would you like?" He asked.
"EVERYTHING!" Beerus exclaimed with howling glee, completely finished with his plates and starving for more of this delectable Earth cuisine. The deity and attendant continued to gorge happily on Earth's delicacies, and even those around them couldn't help but begin to chuckle a bit as they passed. Earthlings, in the past decade, had become remarkably used to aliens for a species who before would deny the existence of anything unnatural even if it danced naked in front of them wearing a neon sign. So the sight of a man with blue skin and a humanoid feline with odd taste in clothing did nothing to surprise the lot anymore. Indeed, some of the onlookers were alien themselves.
No, it was how easily excitable over the food that the duo were that sparked even a bit of amusement. It was due to some stroke of mercy, however, that the Hakaishin, absorbed as he was in what he considered to be a fantastic meal, did not notice the passersby, and paid them absolutely no mind. To him, Earthling food was bliss; why pay heed to humans now? Due to this, however, the arrival of someone who was intent on speaking directly to them slipped the notice of both god and attendant.
The person in question was none other than Bulma. Even in the light of the Tenka'ichi Budōkai's festivities, it had done nothing to improve the general look of exhaustion and resignation on Bulma's face. The bags under her eyes seemed more pronounced than ever, and the paleness on her skin made it seem as if she should be resting in a hospital bed, rather than hosting an event as big as the Tenka'ichi Budōkai. Her bandaged arm was more rigid than her unblemished limb, and didn't sway as much when the women walked. She approached the table, cleared her throat. The gorging deity looked up first, followed by Whis.
" 'hoo arf 'oo?" inquired Beerus, his mouth full of a sample from every dish at the table.
"Lord Beerus..." said Whis, casually pointing out his superior's lack of manners. Bulma herself looked slightly annoyed and the conversation hadn't begun yet. The deity looked at Whis, and then quickly gauged the situation. With a gigantic gulp, he swallowed all of the food within his mouth and grabbed a napkin to wipe his face.
"Let's try that again, shall we?" said the deity. "Who are you?"
"That's what I want to ask you," replied Bulma. "You two aren't the oddest people I've ever seen, but you weren't here when the Tenka'ichi Budōkai started."
"Oho! How astute!" said Whis with a wide smile. "We only just got here. We're sightseeing, you could say."
"I thought I felt something come through the barrier," Bulma noted. "You're…not normal aliens, are you? My barrier repels anything, and disrupts kikōha entirely. You can't just casually enter it." She sounded irritated, and she was well within her rights. The Capsule Corporation Shield Projector was one of her latest pieces of technology. She'd built it with Gohan's own energy output in mind. No one on Earth could causally break it, much less slip through and leave it practically undisturbed.
"And yet we did," said Beerus casually. "Guess that barrier isn't all that special. And now we return to the question, missy. Who are you? I don't take kindly to being interrupted."
A vein throbbed in the tired woman's head. She didn't much take kindly to being ignored, but was running on so little sleep she barely had the energy to actually argue, and relented with an answer. "I'm Bulma," she replied. "Former president of Capsule Corporation, and right now the host of the Tenka'ichi Budōkai."
"She's the wife of the late Prince," added Whis helpfully – or perhaps unhelpfully, given how Bulma's face blanched further – and her look of suspicion furthered.
"Oh? Vegeta's wife?" Beerus' expression lightened considerably. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Vegeta. I suppose we did break in, but we're only interested in the festivities on Earth. We've come a really long way, and this is the first time we've seen the planet so lively."
Beerus' sudden change in attitude was jarring, but Bulma found him immensely more pleasant to speak to when he wasn't directly avoiding her questions, and put on a weary smile. "That's fine, then. But, did you know my husband? He's...not here anymore." She sighed. Vegeta may have had his problems — he hadn't been the most loving husband, and the entire incident at the previous Tenka'ichi Budōkai were best left unmentioned, but Vegeta had been there when she needed someone, and Trunks' had loved his father — so there was still part of her that missed Vegeta terribly. Ten years had done wonders, and she no longer had nightmares of the man she'd married and conceived a child with slaughtering innocent people with a look of joy on his face, but her memories and thoughts about her husband were conflicted to an extreme.
"How did we know him?" repeated Beerus. "Old friends. We go way back. I've known him since he was just a brat. Honestly, I'm old enough to be his grandfather."
"Is that how it is?" mused Bulma, her smile not wavering. "Yet you still haven't told me your names?"
"Beerus." said the Hakaishin lazily.
"And you may call me Whis."
"Well, if you two are my husband's friends, then take a look around," Bulma replied, gesturing with both arms. "I'm hosting the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, a martial arts tournament held only here on Earth. If you want to see strong battles, or if you're just looking for something, I'd recommend it."
Beerus smiled, though it showed far too many of his teeth for it to be a kind grin. A Tenka'ichi Budōkai would certainly be a good place to look for a Super Saiyan God. Leaning his chin into the palm of his hand, he nodded. "I think we'll take you up on that invitation; a martial arts competition sounds promising."
Bulma beamed, and it did a decent job of shining through her exhausted face. "The tournament resumes in the next fifteen Earth minutes." She gestured towards a cylindrical tube. "You can access the Budōkai arena by taking that lift to the top floor. I'll have someone waiting for you two to give you some decent seats, since you're friends of Vegeta's."
"We appreciate the generosity, and I believe we will look into this 'Tenka'ichi Budōkai'," replied Whis. As he looked at Bulma, his eyes narrowed. "It seems you're about to leave. Before that, I have a question. It's been suspicious since you came over to speak with us, but I'm curious about your arm."
At this statement, Bulma's expression became narrow, and she almost concealed the bandaged arm from view. "What about it?"
"It isn't your's, is it?" inquired Whis. His eyes surveyed not Bulma now, but the arm. "I suppose it shouldn't be surprising, but up until now, prosthetics of the sophistication I'm sensing you have weren't available on this planet. That arm gives off a completely different aura than your body."
"It...isn't mine, that's true," replied Bulma carefully. She shook her sleeve over it as carefully as she could, deciding that a poor attempt at hiding it was better than leaving it from view. Too many people asked her about the arm, and only her father had actually been there during the experiment that had resulted in the injury. "I'm a scientist. My arm was damaged in an experiment that didn't quite go right, so I'm making due with this one."
"Oho, I see!" said Whis, apparently satisfied with the answer. "A woman of the sciences, how interesting."
The former head of Capsule Corporation forced a smile. "I'm going to head back; I need to make sure the barrier within the arena has been fortified. Remember my directions, and enjoy the Tenka'ichi Budōkai. you two." The woman turned to walk away, and headed towards the same centre lift that she'd told the duo about. When she was completely out of earshot, it was Whis who spoke first.
"Were you not going to tell her about your identity, Lord Beerus?"
"No," he replied lazily. "Too much trouble. Besides, you can get the measure of someone much better by seeing how they treat the average guy. And she was certainly an interesting woman."
"True," Whis tapped the ground with his staff, resulting in a loud clink! noise. "But she wasn't altogether truthful. I do believe our dear Mrs. Vegeta is hiding something. Though I don't suppose we'll find out what that is."
The Hakaishin rose from his seat. "Regardless, how about we take a look at this Tenka'ichi Budōkai?" He grinned. "A Saiyan would surely be attracted to a tournament of strong warriors. Perhaps there is where we'll find my Super Saiyan God!"
A/N: So so so! It's finally here! Took me a little bit, and I'm sorry for the delay! I love putting out chapters, but I just get distracted so easily! Thank you all for your patience, Lord Beerus has made landfall! There isn't much to this chapter, though that's because I'm still also just having a mental block with writing. I'll try to make the next chapter more lively, filled with my love for my audience! But for now, let this make you all happy, OK? So, this chapter was a fun one; Beerus has made landfall, and I got to have a nice moment I wanted to write for awhile. I'll let you all draw your own conclusions for now, so keep reading to see more! As always, thanks to Demod20 for proofing! I'll see you all soon in the next exciting chapter of the Erased Chronicles!