Chapter 107 - Time Tells No Lies
The origin of the multiverse was a hotly contested topic, even among the gods. Throughout all of history, exactly how everything came to be was not information widely known. Among the biggest issues of contention, however, was perhaps which had occurred first.
Did time begin to spin?
Had space already begun expanding?
When pondering what happened before the very concept of "before", it often led to arguments and confusion, from the highest god to the lowest intellectual mortal. There were three individuals who knew the answer without even a question against its certainty; Whis and Beerus would be paying one of them a visit, after their business at the Kaiōshin realm concluded.
The first of these three was someone Beerus would prefer going his entire tenure as Hakaishin without ever meeting again.
Hurtling through space towards the Kaiōshin realm - which was itself not located in the mortal realm at all - Beerus lazily kept a grip on Whis. They would be arriving at his counterpart's realm in mere minutes now.
Kaiōshin Realm
"G-Gokū, it isn't that your presence is unappreciated, but why are you here?"
Shin was exasperatedly watching Son Gokū perform routine training exercises across the surface of the planet of the Kaiōshiin Realm at staggering speed. He was impressed, truly, by how the man fought; easily, Son Gokū was the strongest mortal who had not yet touched the real of the gods, at least in the Seventh Universe. Yet admiration did not go towards answering the most pressing question.
"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" shouted Kibito, beside himself. His normally blue face was tinged purple as it flushed in indignation. "You, a mortal, are desecrating this holy ground without so much as permission from the Lord Kaiōshin! Do you have any idea the scope of your impetinence?!"
"I mean, it's a sturdy lil' world," grinned Gokū. Cocking his fist back, it ignited in a burst of ki; he slammed it into the surface, and an explosion of light and dust engulfed him. When it cleared, however, there was no damage to the surface of the planet itself. Gokū chuckled, a chittering, monkey-like sound. "See? Ain't nothing better. And Lord Kaiō told me to come, so long as I mind myself."
"No, he precisely told you not to come because you couldn't!" snarled Kibito. "My lord, please, exile him from these holy grounds!"
"There's no need to go that far," said the Kaiōshin. "Gokū had been of great service to our Universe, so if he wants to train here, I see no harm in it. I've just...never met a mortal quite like him."
"Yes, there's no reason to banish the Saiyan just yet."
A pillar of light crashed into the ground of the Kaiōshin Realm, and out of the light stepped Beerus and Whis. Stepping away from Whis, Beerus eyed Gokū curiously. His yellow eyes swiveled from the man's face, to his fists. Both were devoid of the incriminating divine artifacts worn by the man they called Black.
"L-Lord Beerus, what brings you here?!" stammered Shin. "Surely, there are places to be other than here...?"
"Oh! I remember you! You're that Destroyer guy Gohan fought on Earth!" Gokū grinned.
"G-Gokū, please! He's the Hakaishin, Lord Beerus!" hissed Shin.
"I'm here to ask you a few questions, Kaiōshin," said Beerus. "But I'll hold off on that for just now. On Earth, there was a run-in with a man identical to this Saiyan here. Son Gokū, wasn't it? The Saiyan who defeated Freeza?"
"Oh yeah," said Gokū. "That was ages ago, Lord Beerus. But what did you mean, someone who looks like me?" There was a glint in Gokū's eye. "Was he powerful?"
"Surprisingly so, for a mortal," nodded Beerus. "So...I want you to fight me, Saiyan. We're investigating this man who looks like you, so it is considerable good fortune that you're already here on this planet."
"L-Lord Beerus, you want to fight Gokū here?!" Shin trilled, whilst Gokū simply looked ecstatic at the chance. "Please, reconsider! S-Sir Whis, please convince him this is folly!"
Whis shook his head. "I agree with Lord Beerus. It shall make an interesting point of comparison. That aside, the planets of the Kaiōshin realm are sturdier than those of mortals - they are made, after all, for the gods."
Shin groaned, and Kibito paled. They were outvoted.
"Yes!" Gokū pumped his fist. "I've been wantin' to fight you since I saw you on Earth, but it didn't feel right at the time. But now, with nothin' in the way, we can tussle, Lord Beerus!"
"You're certainly an eager one," Beerus said, grinning toothily. "It isn't everyday I meet someone who has kept their body in the Afterlife, especially a Saiyan. Show me why my counterpart holds you in such high regard, Son Gokū."
Gokū clenched his fists, and was engulfed in a brilliant yellow flame. His green gi top ruffled in the wind, and his hair, normally onyx, stood rigid as it began to dye itself golden from the roots to the tips of his spiked tresses. His dark eyes became burning emeralds, and his muscle mass increased. The Super Saiyan Son Gokū took a stance, while Beerus adopted none.
He's...not guarding...but I can't find a single opening...
"What's the matter, Saiyan? Try any angle you like. This will be just fine for working off the afternoon meal."
"H-He's mocking me!" Gokū grimaced. His green eyes moved quickly, trying to decide the best angle of attack. He couldn't sense Beerus' ki, but at this distance, he didn't need to. Focusing, he placed two fingers to his forehead and teleported. Appearing behind Beerus, in what should have been a blind spot, Gokū launched a powerful punch-
-and Beerus' palm came up to parry the blow. The force was diverted to the left, dissipating in the air.
"The Teleportation of the Yardratians?" Beerus asked rhetorically. "You've studied their Spirit Manipulation techniques, I see."
"Just the basics," replied Gokū, still in the awkward pose of having his strike forced away.
"You really are an interesting specimen, Saiyan. Show me more."
Gokū took a step back. Beerus had thrown him off entirely by how casually he parried him. When someone can deal with literal instantaneous movement, there wasn't much yo be done about them. Teleportation was an easy ability to read; Gokū knew how well it could be predicted.
Can't let him shake me 'cos he's good at readin' me, Gokū thought, preparing for his counterattack. He could feel it. His blood was pulsing. His heart racing. The Saiyan biological response to an opponent stronger than they were. "I'm getting pretty excited, Lord Beerus!"
"Enough chatter! Come at me!"
Forcefully, Gokū pushed forward, closing in on Beerus. His first punch wasn't deflected this time, but easily dodged; the same followed suit for the next blow, and the one that followed. Beerus snaked around Gokū's strikes as if he were liquid, yet it was just unorthodox movement. Caught offguard by these incomprehensible motions, Gokū failed to notice a prehensile limb sweeping it's way towards him.
Caught around the middle by a muscled tail, Gokū's eyes rolled back, and the air left his lungs. Careening backwards across the planet, Gokū forced himself to pull upwards into the sky. Clutching his gut, astounded at the pain, and the mixture of spittle and blood that trailed his chin, he dazedly searched for Beerus.
"Ah, you're still here," the Hakaishin's voice came from behind him. "I was worried I may have wiped you out of existence with that one."
Gokū turned, and saw Beerus floating casually behind him.
"If that was your best, then I believe I have my sampl—"
"N-not yet, Lord Beerus!" Gokū refused to be counted out after suffering only the single blow. "Let me show you what Super Saiyan looks like at full throttle!" A shot erupted from Gokū's throat loud enough to make the Hakaishin's sensitive ears curl. The ki around him Flared to life again; bio-electricity crackled within the golden blaze, his hair whipping around in the gust, yet Gokū had no physical changes.
"His power...its phenomenal!" Kibito gaped. "How can someone of the power realm exert this much ki? I thought Gohan was a one-off anomaly!"
"What do you think, Lord Beerus?" grinned Gokū. "I've been trainin' my butt off in Heaven since I died! This is what a Super Saiyan can do at full strength!" He no longer needed 2 or 3; he was able to draw out the full power of his Super Saiyan form as it was, without stressing his body.
"Your power truly is impressive," said Beerus, though he appeared unfazed. "For a mortal. I can see where your son gets it from."
Gokū rubbed the underside of his nose sheepishly. "That's his own hard work, y'know. My boy's strength ain't got nothin' to do with mine." Gokū burst through the sky, and then vanished. He reappeared behind Beerus, who had predicted the strike; his ear moved to deflect, only to catch air. The sharp sensation of an elbow to the jaw clued him in; Gokū had moved at blinding speeds, only to teleport a second after Beerus moved to strike. The surprising force pushed the Hakaishin back, though he held his ground with ease.
"Oho," Whis intoned, watching curiously. "He managed to land a strike on Lord Beerus. This Son Gokū has remarkable fighting sense."
"So you're not all talk after all," grinned Beerus, clearly impressed in spite of himself. The time he took to speak himself caused him to miss Gokū lobbing two large ki spheres at him, which exploded before they even reached him. The orbs had been deflected by Beerus' own barrier, erected by the sheer difference in power between himself and this gutsy mortal.
"Ka...Me...Ha...Me..."
Through the smokescreen, Gokū had taken a moment to head skyward, away from Beerus. He'd never pull off this manoeuvre on a planet in the living realm, but here, this world could take it easily. Ki, sapphire blue, trailed behind him as he flew, until he reached a point where he cupped his hands properly, the Kamehameha coalescing between the two palms. The smokescreen was fading, and Beerus, who hadn't bothered to move. But had followed his trajectory, was watching.
"HAAAAAAAAAA!"
Gokū thrust his hands forward, releasing a Super Kamehameha of massive size down towards Beerus - towards the planet.
"W-WHAT IS HE DOING?!" shouted Kibito, feeling the ki whip up a storm that shouldn't exist. Whis, bracing for impact, encased Kibito and Shin in a barrier. The Super Kamehameha crashed into the planet of the Kaiōshin Realm, yet it did not so much as tremble.
Gokū knew the blast connected; Beerus hadn't moved, and he could feel more than simply the world beneath his technique. So why? Why didn't he feel anything giving way? Then Gokū saw it. A dark-shape moving within the sea of ki. It was feline-shaped, and moving fast. The Super Saiyan realised what it was moments before Beerus surfaced directly in front of him, casually floating in stream if his Kamehameha.
The Hakaishin raised a hand, and brought it down on Gokū's neck. Instantly, the Kamehameha was disrupted. Golden light burst and faded, Gokū's hair adopting its standard black colour as he fell. Gokū crashed into the ground, unconscious, Beerus landing next to him with a yawn.
"Not a bad way to stretch my legs," the Hakaishin walked away from the unconscious Saiyan.
"G-Gokū!" Shin looked panic-stricken.
"Calm yourself, I held back against him," Beerus said. "I was testing him."
"What was your verdict, Lord Beerus?" inquired Whis casually.
"It is as they said," surmised the purple cat deity. "Whoever that fellow is, he was not Son Gokū. Or I should say that he both is and isn't," added the Hakaishin. "I felt this Saiyan's ki as we fought. Its close to that Black fellow, but it isn't quite the same. Whatever was making it so different...it felt familiar."
"I thought as much," agreed Whis.
"C-Could you please clue us in as to what you're talking about?" asked Shin. "You didn't just come here to fight Gokū, you said it yourself."
"Ah, that's right," Beerus absentmindedly scratched his head. "I was so caught up enjoying myself with that mortal it slipped my mind. Whis, if you could?"
Whis explained the current situation to Shin: how a young man called Trunks had arrived from the future, how he'd been breaking the laws of time before this, and how someone who looked exactly like Son Gokū followed Trunks through the Time Rift, bearing a Potara and the Time Ring. When he finished, Shin was perplexed, but Kibito looked outraged.
"A mere mortal, wielding the Time Ring and Potara?!" a vein throbbed in his head. "How could he have—"
"I understand your indignation, Kibito, but this isn't the first time," said Shin. "I have gifted both Gohan and Erasa the Potara myself, as a sign of my acknowledgement. And in Erasa's case, the hope that she may consider taking more responsibility."
"And I've made my thoughts on that plain, sir!" groaned Kibito. "You place too much faith on these mortals!"
"Your squabbles aside," said Beerus. "We're here mainly to check on the status of the Time Rings. Once we've ascertained ours, we can follow other leads. I trust you have no issue taking us to them, Kaiōshin?"
Shin shook his head. Once it began clear Beerus had a mission in mind, he was all too willing to work together. "Kibito, please tend to Son Gokū? It isn't good to leave him there," He told his disgruntled assistant. "Come with me," he added to Beerus and Whis.
Kaiōshin Realm, Inner Sanctum
The Kaiōshinled his counterpart and Whis towards a towering plateau, in which was carved a gaping cave entrance. Proceeding through it, space seemed to bend and twist, until they found themselves inside an ornate building. It possessed a large, domed ceiling, and standing lined up against a wall was a selection of filing cabinets. As Shin walked over to one of many, Beerus inquired.
"Can anyone just walk through here?"
"No," replied Shin. "They would need to be wearing the Potara, or be admitted by someone wearing them; in essence, a Kaiōshin and their apprentice."
"Or someone who had commandeered the artifacts," added the Hakaishin.
"Yes," replied Shin solemnly. Reaching for a filing cabinet, the Kaioshin relieved its contents; an ornate box, tied by a single string. Carrying this tamatebako towards the Hakaishin and his attendant, Shin pulled the string loose, opening it. Resting, cushioned within the box, was a gleaming silver ring, surrounded by several green rings that mirrored the look of the lone silver. Whis and Beerus eyed these additional green rings with a certain amount of distaste. The fact that there was even more than one could only mean one thing: that the laws of time were being flouted with startlingly regularity. All that aside, Beerus felt himself breathe a sigh of relief.
"It appears our universe's Time Ring remains safe," said Beerus. "That is mainly what I wished to confirm. However, seeing these," Beerus gestured to the additional Time Rings within the tamatebako, "only worries me further." He placed a clawed finger on his chin. "Listen to me, Kaiōshin. I've got another appointment, so I want you to make a trip."
"A...trip?" blinked Shin. Whatever he had expected Beerus to say, giving him a direct order to pop in somewhere else hadn't been it. "Where to?"
"The Tenth Universe," said Beerus. "As for myself... I'll need you to send me on my way. To the Time Abyss," the Hakaishin added, in response to Shin's questioning look. "I think we'lll both get the same answers if we split up, but it never hurts to be sure..."
"The Time Abyss?!" Shin repeated. "L-Lord Beerus, am I to send you there and leave you?!"
Beerus shrugged. "I'll make my way back. Just quit your yammering and do it. And then book it to the Tenth Universe! I'm already investing far too much of my time into this, simply because those mortals had to go messing about with time!"
Shin tossed a Potara towards Beeeus, who clipped it into his ear, and then held up the Time Ring towards Beerus. Sending him into the Time Abyss would be a different procedure than using the Ring to travel to the future. However, Beerus would still need to be recognised as a Kaiōshin., even briefly.
"The Time Abyss!"
On Shin's command, Beerus vanished in a swirl of rainbow light.
Kaiōshin Realm, Tenth Universe
An elderly Shinling sat patiently at a table, simply relaxing. He wore two green Potara, and had he been mortal, his yellow skin tone may have made him be mistaken God a sufferer of jaundice. The Kaiōshin Gowasu called unto the courtyard.
"Zamasu! Are you bringing the tea, my boy?"
"Right away, sir," came a slow, brisk voice, carrying over the sound of spinning wheels. A much younger Shinling was walking towards Gowasu. He was a beautiful young man, with gentle facial features, orange Potara, and the same hairstyle worn by all of his kind.
"Let me make the preparations, Master," said Zamasu.
A/N: So, this was a very...strange chapter to write. I started it out with just the intention of getting Beerus from point A to point B, but then somewhere along the way decided that it might be interesting to have Beerus spar with Gokū. For the first time in a very long time., I was dissatisfied with how I ended my chapter, and actually deleted a quarter of it. While I don't believe this is necessarily an improvement, what I originally had played my hand too soon. I've got quite a lot on store for all of you, and I'd rather save some treats for the next arc. Regardless, I hope you guys enjoyed this! Especially the little Gokū vs. Beerus match. I'll see you all soon, in the next exciting chapter of the Erased Chronicles.