Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

Be warned, this chapter is extremely long. Forewarning before hand.

The Long Road

Chapter 30: Son of Goku

Gohan: Planet Mane

Pain seared through the right side of his cheek as yet another blow landed, dropping him to the ground. The tall Saiyan warrior stood above him, glaring down with a mixture of resentment and fascination. All Gohan could see was a monster staring down at him. Why was he so cruel? Why was this happening? All he wanted to do was go home. He didn't even know where home was anymore. Even his cell, his tiny, uncomfortable section at the base, was all he wanted to crawl back into. But every day this monster had come for him. Every day he'd told him his new 'duties'. Even when he spoke of them himself, he bitter himself somehow.

Alien trees stood all around them. This place was so foreign, and he didn't get why they were even there. The only thing Gohan knew was he was dressed in strange clothes, and he was with the man who ruled his every waking moment, and every sleeping moment as well. It was a name he would never forget... Paragus.

"Please, I don't understand what we're doing," Gohan whimpered as he tried to get up.

On the left side of his face, the long scar, from his chin to his forehead, was still fresh. It ached in the cold, and every time he saw himself in a mirror, it just made him sad. Even if much of what happened before it was a blur, he somehow knew that his mom and dad would be very sad to see the mark. It was given to him by his... uncle. He was gone, and ever since then, they'd moved him. They'd moved him again and again, until they gave him to this monster. Every time he struck him, Gohan feared he'd try to do to him what his uncle Raditz had done.

A foot came down on his chest, holding him down against the ground roughly. Struggling to breath, Gohan tried to push back up against it, but failed to even move.

"Listen here you spoiled little brat. With Lord Frieza missing, potentially at the hands of a Saiyan, we have to do our jobs. If we don't do our jobs, we die," Paragus snapped. "This is our job. We are going to kill everyone on this planet."

Grabbing at his boot, Gohan tried to push back again, only for it to press more firmly down on him a second later.

"I know all about that hidden power of yours. Unlike the other fools in this organization, I can sense it. I have a gift which you will never master in that regard. But I can sense inside of you the same potential... the same potential my son had."

Gohan tried to rise again, only to feel the boot firmly shove him back down again.

"Please-"

"Beg me to let you kill everyone on this world," Paragus said darkly.

Power flared up from beneath Gohan as he snarled like an animal, his hands glowed with golden energy as he shoved back on the foot. With a flash of purple energy however, Paragus's boot just shoved back down before it was even off his chest. A small smile appeared on his lips as he stared down at him.

"That's right... you'll need all that power to kill these miserable vermin. And any Saiyan worth his value, learns to hate," he said, before shoving his boot down once more, this time pressing painfully against his ribs. "A Super Saiyan goes beyond that, Gohan. A Super Saiyan delves into what it means to destroy, to kill. You have so much to learn, and so little time."

Finally, he kicked Gohan away, the small boy hit the side of a tree, and withheld the tears that wanted to come out. Struggling even to get on his hands and knees after the impact, he just looked up and scowled at his tormentor.

"You will kill everyone you meet on this world. Now get up, Broly," Paragus ordered.

That name again. It was enough to make Gohan's head turn up towards him. He needed to remember who he was more then anything else. If he forgot everything, the last thing he would forget was his name.

"My name is Gohan," Gohan breathed in response.

For a moment, his guardian seemed to pause. Both his eyes widened as if he was somehow reminded that this wasn't Broly. For a moment, Gohan almost thought he would receive some kind of reprieve, some kind of leniency. It was when his eyes twisted down at him hatefully, that all that hope slipped away.

"You are whoever I say you are, Gohan," Paragus scowled, before opening his palm revealing deadly green energy. "And you will do whatever I tell you. And I told you to kill everyone on this planet."

Before Gohan could respond, before he could even think to resist, or give in, pain flared up across his entire body as a bolt of terrible green energy zapped his body, scattering around him. Immediately the boy collapsed into the mud, trembling uncontrollably.

"Get up," Paragus muttered, walking over before grabbing him by his hair and yanking his head up. "I said get up!"

Gohan shrieked in pain as his hair was pulled back, pulling his entire body with it.

"Now I told you to beg."

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Broly:

This wretched city was almost finished. Peering through the glass of a building which was now in a blazing inferno, the Super Saiyan just watched with mild interest as the weaklings within screamed in terror and agony at their demise. Bodies burned as they ran helplessly. Any which had tried to escape, he simply destroyed with a flick of a finger. So far this had been his most amusing game. Each time one jumped from the burning building to their death, Broly gave one laugh. When they screamed until they burned to death, he just grinned. The ones who fled from the bottom level only gave an annoyed glance.

Of course they'd die by his hand if they fled, but that wasn't the amusing part of it all.

As the glass started to shatter across the building from the intensity of the inferno, and the screams died down, Broly's smile disappeared. So all the fun was over? Any semblance of joy quickly turned to a frustrated rage. So that was it? These pathetic creatures could only serve to entertain him for at best, minutes at a time? It was ridiculous! He'd been across a hundred worlds, and once Babidi had unleashed him, even without his true power, and he'd slaughtered people far more worthy of his attentions. These creatures couldn't even defend themselves.

All they had were machines to try and stop him. They were so weak they relied on constructs of metal, and ridiculous projectiles to attempt to even harm him. The only benefit that it gave him, was when he blasted the metal boxes they hid inside, they burned. But after burning down the apartment bloc next to him, burning the Earthlings was growing progressively boring.

Turning his eyes downward, he saw a man in the streets with a black afro, yelling up at him while shaking his fist. He wore clothing similar to the pitiful excuse for clothing Kakarot wore. It was that of an Earth martial artist. Slowly descending from above, Broly landed himself atop a short, half destroyed building, before just staring down at the miserable excuse for a warrior. For a moment, he grinned as he realized this one might entertain him for at least a few minutes.

"Well, have the Earthlings sent another champion for me to fight?" Broly chuckled.

Not far behind the foolish little creature, Broly could see several sheepish men holding a device on their shoulder. It was some kind of recording device. So far, Broly had seen dozens of them. There were other worlds with such devices, usually transmitting data and visual images across networks of electronic devices. Which meant he had a live audience to watch how much fun he was about to have. Knowing that there were millions of witnesses made what he was about to do seem all the more delicious.

"You came to the wrong planet, you... monster!" the bearded man shouted, pointing his finger up towards him indigently.

Almost immediately Broly determined he was going to break that finger off first. He was already imagining it in his mind.

"Oh? I could have sworn this is exactly where I mean to be," Broly responded, chuckling darkly. "I am now the ruler of this pitiful rock. I will kill whoever I want, and destroy whatever I want. Then, when I'm done... I'll destroy this planet and everyone left on it."

The man was clearly trying to hide his fear, and swallowed hard.

"You're just like those monsters the Saiyans! Or Cell, or even Bojack!" Mister Satan announced.

Well, it would seem this planet had been attacked by other significant forces before. It only seemed likely that Kakarot was the one who saved it. Well Kakarot and half of his foolish friends and family, were dead now. The ones that remained were no match for him at all. They'd get their time to suffer and die when they next showed themselves.

To this pathetic little human however, Broly found it in himself to spit laughter back into his face.

"I am a Saiyan, you pathetic little insect," he remarked amidst his amusement. "Now then, let me show your little recorder friends what they can come to expect."

Opening his palm, energy flowed freely into it, gathering like water into a floodplain. He'd only begun to tap his real potential, why waste his power on these fools? All that they needed to know was that their role was to suffer and die at his whim... they served no other purpose.

As soon as the orb formed in his hand, Broly felt his grin widen.

"My name is Broly," he said, letting the sphere of energy's presence sink in to his next victim. "You can die now."

Opening his palm to release the energy bolt, something froze for him. It was as if time had slowed by a thousand fold. The energy he'd sensed earlier appeared again, this time even more violently. Unconsciously his brain rapidly searched the area for where this power was. It was pinpointed just as he felt heat forming around the right side of his face. There was no time to turn before he felt something hard collide with his head. His cheek bone pushed in, and the flesh itself pushed harshly into his bone. Unable to control his jaw, it opened from the force of the hit, his lower jaw being one step behind the rest of his body as he felt himself almost become weightless. Saliva trailed his head, before his entire body lifted off in a blink of an eye.

Without being prepared for it, his entire body plunged into the building he'd turned into a giant crematorium. Each floor his body blasted through was in the midst of a raging fire. Finally his frame slammed into the elevator shaft. Crashing through the concrete walling around it, his body crashed into the thick cables which held up the boxes the humans travelled in. When the cables were impacted by his glowing form, they snapped immediately from the sheer force of his motion. Hitting the other side of the shaft, Broly bounced off. Screeching shrieked from above him as the elevator came roaring down the shaft. When it crashed into him, it collapsed in on itself, before breaking apart into a thousand torn metal shards. As the crumbled ruin of the elevator fell down the shaft around him, Broly only looked directly through the hole which he'd entered through, seeing an orange-clad warrior standing there with golden hair.

It couldn't be.

"Kakarot," he seethed, trembling in his rage.

The entire building began to shake violently as his power twisted and warped around him. Segments of the building began to collapse inward, drawn in by his gathering power. This couldn't be Kakarot! He'd killed him! Bones and blood had been crushed and splattered all around them. No one just came back from the dead!

Everyone he killed... stayed dead.

With his teeth grinding together, Broly felt his control slip. In under a second, green light filled the air as he roared in a fury. The already collapsing building now was thrown back as the forces around it were reversed. In an explosion of rage, it was carried off into all directions.

Left floating there in the middle of a space where a massive apartment building once stood, Broly just tensed as he floated in the air, looking straight towards the orange coloured fighter. Super Saiyan hair betrayed what he was without any more identification. But who he was quickly shifted in Broly's mind. There was a scar on the left side of his face... this wasn't Kakarot... This was his son. Quickly his rage slowly came under control.

There the boy stood, exactly where he had once been. His pose was so self-assured, so defiant. The look he had his face was that of raw determination. In those eyes, he saw the same disgusting look his father, Kakarot, had possessed. It was only fitting that the first one of the vermin left behind to challenge him be the last son of Kakarot. The boy had been the strongest of the fighters before, but not by much. This would cure him of his boredom however.

Two questions came to Broly's mind.

The first one was pragmatic. How did this foolish bastard of a Saiyan, who he'd left utterly ruined and coking on his own blood, now stand there as though they'd never had a battle to begin with?

The second question, was how did he become strong enough to actually harm him? Even before, the boy had managed to give him a few scratches. Here he just knocked him through a building in the opening of a fight. There was even the taste of blood in his mouth. The copper taste made it all the more exciting.

With blood pumping through his veins in anticipation, Broly made his first move forward. This was going to be this boy's last mistake. Anyone mad enough to fight him however, would at the very least be entertaining, if only for a few minutes.

Floating towards the other fighter, Broly narrowed his eyes in a deadly fashion.

"I hope you enjoyed your little entrance of yours, it'll be the last thing you do before you go to Hell to see your father," Broly seethed. "But I'd hoped that something less boring then these pathetic Earthlings would come up for me to kill. Just like that pathetic fool, your father, entertained me."

Across from him, the Saiyan's form shifted to one of a defensive posture, as if it'd matter. There was something which unsettled Broly however, centring in his gut. Where was his nervousness? He'd fought him before, and he was still beneath him in power. An annoyed growl rumbled form the huge Saiyan's throat as he looked at the brat.

"You can't kill me," the man said in response, his eyes blazing with something beyond the determination he'd seen before. "No matter what you do, Broly, you can't run from your fate forever. You can't hide from it."

A laugh burst from Broly's mouth at the pitiful little speech by the other Saiyan. Did he really think he was running from anything? He was the Legendary Super Saiyan.

"Fate? You think I run from destiny? I know my destiny, son of Kakarot, and it is to embrace destruction. I'll kill all the garbage like you in the universe. That is my fate."

The response was a sharpened look from his enemy, who just leaned forward, preparing to attack him. It was visible in all his body language.

"Wrong. My name is Son Gohan. You killed my father, and my brother. You wanna know you're destiny? It's to die here, today."

With that, Gohan attacked.

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Gohan:

Committed.

That was what he was now. When he stood on the broken piece of a shattered building, staring the demon back in the face as it grinned and laughed, he knew he'd picked his course of action. It wouldn't let him get away, and he didn't want to get away. There was no need to run from this. Even if Broly were a thousand times stronger then he was, that was no reason to even contemplate retreat. Even if he died, this monster would never forget what happened here today. The key was to fight in a way that the beast didn't expect.

"Honour in a fight? There is only honour in winning," Turles said. "Better to be alive then dead."

As soon as he moved in for the attack, Gohan already targeted out the main area for his assault. The nose, eyes and groin would be his primary focus, until he could at least bleed some energy off of the titanic force in front of him. Putting his index and middle finger together on his right hand, Gohan thrust the hand towards Broly's left eye in one vicious motion. To his own surprise, the giant backhanded his arm out of the way, seeing it coming and realize the implications. An annoyed sound rumbled from the mountain in front of him.

Pressing into his enemy all the same, Gohan shot a kick out, aiming directly for his groin. With a startled sound, Broly lifted his leg to block as well. When the two bodies connected, a blast wave shot out. Store fronts around them shattered as the waves cascaded through the burning streets. Buildings which were already having trouble standing were pushed over the edge. Screams of terror, and screams of metal ripping and tearing echoed out of the ill fated structures before they collapsed into the Earth. Dust clouds exploded out across the city as the Earth around them rumbled from thousands of tons of steel, glass, and concrete descending into the depths of the corpse of a city.

Despite the nauseatingly loud noise bombarding them from all sides, Gohan could hear what Broly said, a sneer written across his face.

"You think you can just cheat to beat m-" Gohan didn't let him finish as they stood in place, throwing his other hand out to strike at the exposed neck which was presented to him.

Catching his fist out of the air, Broly's face tensed and tightened even more as his sneer intensified, even more furious that he was interrupted.

Immediately he felt his bones in his left hand grind together. The response in his own face was immediate, he felt his facial muscles tense and contort with discomfort. Finally, his left arm started to tremble as he began to lose control over it. After a few more moments, his wrist began to bend. Clouds of debris floated down the street towards them from both sides, but Gohan could only locked his eyes on to Broly even as the clouds of building material encircled them.

"I wasn't done," Broly snapped. "I-"

Gohan responded and cut in not with words, but instead spitting into the face of his enemy. With no arms free, Broly had little hope of blocking the wad of saliva and mucus.

What escaped Broly next was a feral cry of pure rage. It was a violent response. His left arm was dislocated by a vicious pull from the monster, before Broly pulled back with both his arms, lifting Gohan into the air above his head. Looking down at him, wincing in agony, Gohan flug his body back down, driving both feet into the roaring monster's face with all his force. The impact was enough to make the hands on his arms go loose. Without a second thought, Gohan flipped back, landing in a kneeling position as he looked ahead, breathing heavily. Within seconds he snarled in pain, locking his left arm back into place. Sadly, he'd developed a good practice for it by now.

The giant stood there, his head still arched back for a moment, before stepping forward, breathing just as heavily as he was. Only Gohan knew it wasn't from exertion, it was from rage. The clouds now limited visibility tremendously, but Gohan was looking for energy, not solid forms, and he knew Broly was as well. Fighting in this giant cloud of debris and dust held no bearing on how they would fight.

Right now though, he needed to find a new avenue of attack, or his chances of stopping this thing, and avenging the fallen, would never be realized.

Before he could manage a proper attack, the giant appeared out of nowhere in front of him, his huge fist already sailing towards him. Raising his arms to block in an axe in front of his body, even with his new strength, Gohan had no idea the kind of power that was about to be exerted. Green energy suddenly burst into the air around them, blasting the soot in the air in all directions away. A burning sensation was felt on his forearms, even before the punch made its mark.

Finally, it arrived. Vibrations raked through Gohan's body as he felt himself almost come apart. The ground around them burned away and scattered in all directions. What had once been paved road, quickly turned to vapour. Dozens of metres worth of ground gave way along with it. Buildings on the edge of the roads were consumed by burning green light, the concrete which comprised them catching fire, and then just washing away in a moment of pure power. Gohan's body didn't just ache, his arms didn't just tremble, they burned. The air around him catching fire left his frame seeming to be on fire itself as he was sent back through the air helplessly. When his body hit the first building, it tumbled as he went through floor after floor, and wall after wall. The sound of shattering glass followed him, as well as torn drywall, broken wood, and torn steel. Each substance he passed through grazed his body, trying to slash at his hardened skin.

The orange gi Piccolo had made for him tore in several places as he went through the building. That was the first building.

The same process repeated twice more, smashing through the ruins without any sign of stopping, his body seemingly an unstoppable bullet. When he finally emerged from the other side of his third building, Gohan had finally pent up enough energy to challenge the momentum. Thrusting his arms out, and with a terrifying shout following it, his body stopped in the air. G-forces crashed into his body, but he held firm. Finally it was all over, for a moment he thought his muscles and organs would be ripped from his skeleton if he held on any longer.

"Going somewhere?"

Looking up, Gohan trembled as he tried to keep his body together, seeing the source of the damage just grinning down at him.

The gulf between them was now apparent. He could hit Broly, and hurt him. When Broly hit back, he sent him into a helpless flight. This was how he was making things up to people? This was the new him? What hope was there like this?

"I want to get to know the young, strong warrior who my son grew into."

It was his father's voice this time. It reminded him of the things he never really got an opportunity to do with him. It reminded him of how his father never gave up. Still trembling, but now for wholly different reasons, Gohan felt himself breathe out angrily as he returned a glare to Broly's grin.

"Everyone dies, Gohan," Broly chuckled, his grin only growing. "Everyone but me."

There was a sudden surge of energy under Gohan's skin, he felt himself almost bulk up seconds later. Energy brimmed from his body, before his aura flared violently seconds later.

The sky was darkening as clouds rolled in above. There was a thundering boom in the clouds themselves as light flashed to Gohan's left. With another flash of light, the rain started to come. There was no lead up to it. The downpour started almost immediately. His shredded uniform was soaked almost immediately, as was the Majin-Armour Broly was wearing.

So far, he'd played into Broly's hands, like a stupid child. He was letting everyone down, again. He was the only one strong enough to even try to stare this monster down, and he was fucking it up. There wasn't going to anyone who bailed him out this time. Even if someone tried to, they'd just end up dying along with him. This couldn't be what his life amounted to. What did he leave behind? What did he have to show for it all?

All he'd done in his life was kill. It was the only thing he ever knew how to do. He couldn't think of a single person in that second who he didn't regret killing. He'd murdered his own soldiers, innocent aliens who just wanted to survive, and even Turles. Without realizing it, his fist had tightened so hard he thought he'd bleed from his hands. Staring up at the grinning creature above him, Gohan only felt his heart starting to race. There was only one person he didn't regret killing.

Paragus.

Floating above him was the monster Paragus always wanted him to be, and it was every bit as cruel and sick as he expected. Every second he looked at that disgusting grin, he could see his little brother's face as his neck was broken. The tightness in his chest only got worse as he remembered Broly just stomping his father's neck. What kind of monster enjoyed that?

When he realized that he'd once enjoyed it, his own breathing hitched for a moment. All those people he'd laughed at while they died, or suffered. It was a hollow joy, one built out of the misery of others. It was a cruel irony that he faced the same fate. Being helpless as he watched others died in front of him, in the middle of a mocking laughter. He couldn't save anyone.

The only thing he could do was kill.

Rage surged up from inside him, feasting on his grief and inadequacy. All of them came to the fore of his mind... his inability to be a good son, the ruining of the Videl girl's life, failing his daughter by not even knowing she was real, and his failures to defend his family. The only thing he ever had succeeded in was killing. All of it grabbed hold of his soul and tried to choke it. As the regret wrapped around him, he felt himself desperately pull away. There was still one truth in all this.

If all I can do is kill, that's fine, because at least I can kill this monster.

Another violent flicker of his aura slipped through his golden aura as he felt his teeth clench.

"Are you done?" Broly asked. "If you won't make a move, then I will."

"The first one you can make is to go to Hell!" Gohan spat, blasting up towards Broly, and seeing the confident look on the titan's face only grow more satisfied.

Let's see how you like this one.

Sweeping upward towards the hulking brute, Gohan feigned an attack on his left side. The monster reacted as Gohan knew he would, swinging his huge frame about to face him, and striking downward towards him. Curving around the fist, Gohan shot past the monster, flying straight up into the heights of the city, a golden trail of energy streaming behind him. That wasn't the only thing following him however, as Broly had taken pursuit. Every second of flight Broly gained ground, threatening to overtake him. When things seemed they couldn't get any closer, Gohan opened his palms, revealing bright purple energy, before twisting in the air to face the furious beast. The entire frame of the monster seemed poised to come at him with both arms. Pointing his hands down at him while in flight, dozens of fragmented beams exploded from his hands, all converging on the Super Saiyan below.

It was just enough to chum the waters, so to say.

When the blasts hit, they exploded into one mighty blast, and it didn't even slow the beast down. Broly just cackled as he always did, only this time he increased his speed, bursting forward in a blur of motion, fast enough that Gohan could barely follow. It was only at the last second, with his own burst, that Gohan appeared two metres behind where he'd just been. Broly appeared in front of him, swinging down at where he just was. With all his might, and using the momentum of their climb towards the heavens, Gohan slammed both of his feet into the back of Broly's neck. The huge monster lurched forward with an annoyed snarl, before his body arched forward as well from the impact.

Looking down, seeing Broly's foot and seeing opportunity, Gohan grabbed the ankle of the subject in question. Pushing his power forward, his aura burning around him as electricity sparked through the air, Gohan descended from above with all his force. His enemy was confused as to what was happening for the first few seconds as they fell toward the Earth at break neck speeds. Buildings they'd passed became nothing but a blur of motion. Only when the monster seemingly discovered what was happening, it was too late.

With all his force and both his arms, Gohan flung Broly ahead of him, just as they reached the roof of an apartment bloc. A massive entry point appeared at the top of the structure. In rapid succession, each level of the building exploded out the only openings available across the structure. Windows blew out as dust and debris scattered into the streets. Once the series of fifty floors blew out, the entire building waned and trailed down, following Broly's path down into the ground below.

Landing on both his feet on the street, looking on at the shattered ruin he'd left the building, all Gohan did was look on as he awaited the monster's response. It would be a violent one, he knew already. There was a thundering boom, this time from the sky. The rain still descended from above, saturating the area and Gohan. Standing there, his eyes steeled ahead, Gohan felt the ground around him beginning to rumble. Every crack across the Earth all around him for an endless expanse, began to glow with green power.

It didn't make him flinch. It didn't make him tremble. All it did was remind him of why he had to win.

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Trunks:

They were dead.

Sitting in a lone room in the Lookout, all Trunks could do was sit on the bed and look ahead with pained eyes.

His best friend, Goten, was dead. Goten's dad, Goku, was dead. But worst of all, his hero, the man he idolized his entire existence, and the distant father who seemed invincible, was dead. They were all dead and gone and there was nothing he could do about it. All he'd done was sit there like some worthless kid. Even in front of all this, he'd just been helpless. All he could do was cling to his father's cooling body as everyone else tried to figure out what to do. All he'd done was sob like some little baby.

What would his father had thought of him?

The only one who stood up to do something was Son Gohan. According to Goten, his brother was mean, and hated their dad. It was always sad when he came up with Chi-Chi around, or if his mother was talking to her. But he knew just how much Goten hated Gohan. Worse, his father hated Gohan as well. Vegeta thought of him as little more then a lapdog and a traitor.

Even Gohan, the supposedly vile monster that he was, was going to fight for the fallen.

Now here he was, stuck in some stupid room feeling sorry for himself, feeling helpless. Outside his older self and Piccolo just stood at the ledge not doing anything. Why? He was there when everything had gone wrong. He'd felt the monster's power rise like the sun, unstoppable in and of itself, but he wasn't afraid. He had been afraid, but not any more. At first what happened to Goku, Goten, and his father terrified him. But in his grief, the boy found himself hearing his father's words from the past more then anything.

Always remember that we are Saiyans, boy, and we do not run from any battle.

His father hadn't run. His father had faced a monster of impossible strength to defend his home, and he died for it. Now that monster was loose and soon it would kill everyone. It would kill his mom, his grandparents, it would kill all his friends, and anyone else it could. The only one not running from it was Gohan.

For whatever that was worth, Trunks admired it. It was what he was raised to believe a Saiyan would do. It was what Goku would have expected, and it was what his father would have expected.

Just then the door opened to the room, and Trunks was presented with two humble figures. The Guardian of the Earth, Dende, and his assistant Mister Popo.

"Trunks," Dende greeted, his head bowing respectfully. "We just came to check on you, I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Looking out the open balcony towards Piccolo and Trunks, the younger of the latter turned back towards the guardian. There was no way they'd let him leave to face down the monster that killed his father. It was too dangerous for any of them to willingly jump in themselves. Piccolo probably planned to use the Dragon Balls, maybe even the Namekian ones, to solve the problem. They could bring everyone back with them and stop Broly once and for all.

But that only worked so long as there was still a planet left.

With sad eyes, Trunks turned his eyes towards the Guardian and Mister Popo.

"Sorry."

Blinking, the Namekian didn't seem to understand.

"Sorry, for wha-?"

The sentence wasn't completed, before Dende and Mister Popo hit the floor unconscious.

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Piccolo:

Everything was in chaos.

It was like being a general, left to the side lines t watch the troops below fight and slaughter one another. Organization was now the one skill he could most use to help. It was hard to send his thoughts so far across the universe to bring everything together. Gohan didn't yet know it, but help was coming. The only problem was, is it was seemingly coming too late.

The news from Namek left Piccolo disheartened to say the least. Even now Trunks stared back at him with anticipation, but he didn't even need words to say what had happened.

Three Hours.

It would take them three hours to gather the Dragon Balls and make a wish to bring back Goku, Vegeta, and Goten. It meant that outside of them, Gohan was alone. Even then, if Gohan was killed, they had to buy time until the wishes could be mad to bring everyone back, and that was only if the planet survived Broly's onslaught. Right now, that was definitely in question. On the planet below, Gohan fought bravely, but it was clear that his shortcomings were beginning to show through.

Despite inventive tactics, despite being a superior fighter to Broly, the monster just had too much raw power. It would only be a matter of time before Gohan was finished. It wasn't what Piccolo wanted, knowing the man he helped train was going to meet his end as his father, Goku, had.

Now wasn't the time for self-pity though, now was the time to figure out just what the Hell they could do. Right now their options were slim. Flying off at high speed to help Gohan wasn't going to help anyone, at least not right now. Collecting the Earth's Dragon Balls were an option, and right now looking to be the best one. Though Vegeta and Goku wouldn't come back from the use of them, they could at least send Broly half way across the galaxy and get time to deal with the situation.

Which meant they'd need the Dragon Radar, and they needed Gohan to hold Broly off. It meant he'd have to survive for another half hour at least and-

There was a sudden power spike, and Piccolo knew Trunks felt it too. It was all too familiar.

"What?" Trunks breathed, looking into the distance with widened eyes.

Piccolo already knew what it was, and it was a disaster. Any plans for an alternative quickly disappeared. The younger Trunks, the one from this time line, was blazing towards the battlefield at high speeds hundreds of kilometres ahead of them.

"Trunks," Piccolo then said, before turning to his comrade.

Really, the last comrade he could rely on even.

"You've got to go stop you, before he gets to Satan City. He'll get himself killed, and might even get Gohan killed as well."

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Gohan:

Every breath he took, Gohan expected the juggernaut to explode from the ruins of the building and leap at him. Green light still brimmed around the area like a beacon of destruction. The world itself seemed to twist with the power coming from the shattered building before him. Every moment of anticipation left Gohan prepared to dodge whatever was coming. When he felt the power beneath the wreckage shift violently, he nearly jumped back. It was determination that left him standing where he was. There would be not one step back. No matter what Broly thought he could throw at him, no matter how much power he had, Gohan had drawn a line and wouldn't cross it.

Instead, the Super Saiyan just stared ahead, gazing directly at where he sensed most of Broly's power. There was almost an unnatural shriek of pure noise from within the rubble. Rocks and chips of rubble began to slowly rise into the air. Pieces of the broken road soon followed as disjointed fragments were torn upward by the sheer energy thrumming over the blasted landscape. Shards of glass from streets of broken windows began to make clinking sounds as they lifted into the air, first scraping across the ground, and then tapping against one another as they lifted up in a flurry of motion. The entire city seemed to come to life with the sound of glass, broken rock, and concrete. To add to the chorus, the sound of steel bending was added seemingly to heighten the orchestra of destruction.

The light before him, once only cracking through gaps in the wreckage, became brighter as it too began to rise into the air. Countless tons of material began to lift away, debris splitting off from other pieces of building, the lighter materials rising faster.

Bracing himself, Gohan felt the entire world trembling even more violently. When the light finally fully exposed itself, it scattered away the last of the refuse around it, burning away concrete and metal. It was so bright Gohan almost had to cover his eyes, but he knew he couldn't. Inside the orb of green energy, he knew Broly waited. But as his eyes focused, as he looked into the light, Gohan found himself looking only into an orb of pure energy.

Broly wasn't there.

The ground still rumbled around him as he looked left, then right, feeling a spike of energy around him until he felt an immense force explode behind him. Huge arms came vengefully towards him. At the last moment, Gohan managed to slip his body to one side, avoiding one of the huge limbs, before his right arm was caught by the other. Huge fingers dug into his skin and ground against his bones, pushing into the muscle. In one frantic twist, the younger of the two Saiyans tried to escape his fate. When the other arm reached around and grabbed his other arm however, escape was all but denied.

With a frantic twist, Gohan tried desperately to break his arms free from the iron grips now on them. Racing to try and find anything he could do, Gohan's thoughts were cut short as a massive knee slammed into his back. Immediately his arms tensed, trying to hold on. The pain in the centre of his back spread almost immediately as his arms lost their ability to hold together. His shoulders popped and Gohan let of a cry of agony. Green tinted light still shone before him as the thrumming energy in front of them began to shriek again. All around them, debris still ascended to the heavens, now even the wrecks of half destroyed, or completely destroyed automobiles.

Every second Gohan felt his agony only increase as more pressure was applied by the laughing maniac. It was that same cackle, the same mindless joy that had reigned throughout every moment of their first battle. It was the same as a laugh he'd heard years ago.

Feeling his shoulders pop again, Gohan grit his teeth together, trying to hold on. His fists closed with a fury as he felt himself breath in sharply, pulling back against his attacker. For a moment it looked as if he was to slip past, until another wave of energy came from Broly himself. Green power engulfed his fists as he steeled his grip, and further forced his knee forward. It was too much for Gohan. Everything he had wasn't enough, even as he felt new depths of strength coming to his aid.

Every time he pushed, Broly pulled, and pulled much harder. The weight on his chest almost suffocated him as his muscles were pulled so tightly around his rib cage it began to tighten. His heart and lungs felt unimagined pressure as he tried to keep even his eyes open. Blood slowed and muscles weakened. With every push he made now, they only grew weaker. Slowly, Gohan's head nodded forward as he felt himself slowly draw down.

His sight began to dim, only with the view of the green pulsing orb in front of him...

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Gohan:

The green glowing light stared back at him. Standing there in front of him was a figure he recognized in a heartbeat. A grizzled war veteran, and slave to Lord Cooler. The one who treated him like vermin and urged him forward into his life of murder. The architect of the sad existence he built for himself, even after his death. It was the darkness he'd found himself in weeks earlier, in his nightmares.

With one hand outstretched, the older Saiyan stared back with a grin.

Paragus.

With a snarl, Gohan moved to thrust himself forward, only to realize shackles were on his arms locking him in place. Every time he moved his arms, it became even harder to breath. Sneering and snarling, Gohan almost tried to bite at Paragus, trying to do something, anything. It was like he'd been kept as a boy. Every time he finished his mission, he found himself shackled to a wall so he couldn't "get into trouble". Every part of his life had been contained, regulated, and then abused. Sometimes instead of meals, in order to 'toughen' him up, Gohan could remember shock sticks being used.

"Even after all this time," Paragus's words broke through. "You're still a disappointment. Do you believe what I said about legends now, Gohan? Can you not feel him suffocating the life out of you even as we speak?"

There were no questions from Gohan about how Paragus could speak to him beyond the grave, there were no enquiries in turn, all that existed was hate. A hate built on years of resentment left dormant and buried under a facade of the image of Captain Gohan of the Planet Trade. What Raditz hadn't stolen from him, Paragus had. The only thing Paragus couldn't have taken from him was his name. Despite trying to call him Broly, despite trying to rename him to anything Saiyan, Gohan knew his name was important.

A flash of the people who had really cared about him came into view. Before he could even hear himself, he imagined his father, Turles, and even for all the short comings, the Namekian. Behind them he could see his mother standing there, holding Goten's hand, even if his little brother was looking away.

And now this monster was sitting here, gloating that the product of his loins was superior to him. With his teeth almost gnashing, Gohan found himself able to respond. His voice felt so strong, but his lungs felt so weak. What should have been a whisper, came out in a strength he hadn't expected.

"No," Gohan responded, his breathing almost desperate. "I can only feel grip of a coward, and cowards can't hurt me."

The black haired Saiyan across from him, standing in front of the people who had helped him find himself, scowled, still holding the green orb in his hand.

"So suddenly you find yourself talking about how brave you are, Gohan?" Paragus asked, his eyes blazing with anger. "How quick you are to forget all the people you killed. Do you not remember the first batch of weaklings I had you kill? Don't you remember begging to do it? Just as any Saiyan child would beg to rip the life from any weaker creature."

Behind the others, Gohan could see eyes appearing in the darkness, eyes just hanging there without bodies. But slowly more and more of them appeared. All of the people he killed, because he failed as a sentient being. All of the people who he'd killed because he'd been the very coward Paragus had always wanted him to be.

Every second a hundred new eyes opened. Soon the darkness was illuminated by his victims, if only their eyes showed through. Each set that looked upon him made his heart beat faster. There was no changing the past. The only thing he could do was change the now. Each set of eyes fed his guilt, but his guilt fed his resolve.

"I'm sorry I failed all of you," Gohan breathed, feeling himself tense again. "I'm sorry I was so weak."

The only body truly there, Paragus, scowled angrily at the remark, before stepping forward.

"Oh? And I suppose you're sorry you killed me as well then? You're pathetic," Paragus spat, before grinning a moment later. "Look at you! On your knees for these pathetic creatures!"

There was laughter afterwards, the same terrible cackle his son had inherited, only the depth of tone was different. It was a maniacal laugh of pleasure from the misfortune of others. The first moments Gohan heard it, when he was only four years old, even he knew how wrong it was.

"For them, yes," Gohan responded, before looking into Paragus's eyes. "But the only one here I don't regret having failed, is you. The only thing in my life I'm proud of, is killing you."

The laugh immediately stopped, and Gohan felt himself rally.

No more monsters, no more demons from his past. No more failing people because he was afraid, or couldn't find the strength.

No more delusions.

No more.

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Broly:

Finally the body in his arms began to fall apart. It was satisfying to feel him desperately struggle to get free. The idiot had thought him some simple beast, incapable of tactics or strategy. Now here he was, dying in his hands. It was almost as satisfying as when he crushed the life out of his father, Kakarot. There was one key difference however, he could relish killing this one. It wasn't quick as Kakarot's death had been, no, instead it was as agonizing and slow as he wanted it to be. This time there would be no escape for Gohan.

There would be no tricks, no manoeuvres, only a slow and painful death. Even as he held on, the body eventually stopped thrashing to break free. It was impossible to resist his power regardless. Every inch he pushed him now, would push him towards suffocation, or towards his arms tearing away. With a grin attached to his face, Broly wanted to see which one would happen first. It only took a few minutes for Gohan's body to go limp, and his hair to fade to black.

Ripping the arms off was so tempting. The blood would splatter in all directions, but there was something fitting in killing him by asphyxiation. To hear the body struggle to breath and then expire, because he'd pushed it to that limit, because he kept on the pressure, was too great of an idea to pass up. Holding his knee in place, and keeping the arms locked, Broly waited, chuckling lightly the entire time. Strained murmurs escaped the soon to be corpse, but it didn't seem as if it would lead to anything. When the silence came, all the Legendary Super Saiyan could see was Gohan's body tremble for a moment.

The last desperate moments for air would come soon, and then-

Something pulled tightly against his arms, and the giant just chuckled. It had arrived. Reinforcing his grip again, Broly refused to let go. At first it was only with black hair that he pulled, but quickly a Super Saiyan aura reignited around Gohan's body. Suddenly, the grip wasn't so sure. When lightning began to spark around the other Saiyan, Broly felt himself sneer.

One last hurrah of strength? It was no matter, because none of these weaklings-

Suddenly his fingers desperately clung into muscle, and his own arms tightened, trying to keep hold. It was a shock, for a brief moment he almost lost his grip. A wave of force blasted off his foe's body, and the aura scorched his hands as he kept his fingers tightly wrapped on the body. Stray bolts of electricity zapped around his own body as he held firm. Trembling, massive arms slowly began to give way. His eyes widened and his brow went high as the Super Saiyan tried to understand what was happening.

Another wave rolled out of the body still desperately clung in his arms. The arms in his grasp began to wobble as the force multiplied with another wave. As soon as they flinched forward, pulling forward and away from Broly, the giant's arms followed as he felt himself snarl. Unrelenting power poured out of Broly's own reserves, his own aura flickering violently as he reasserted himself. But as the arms moved forward, fresh air entered the lungs of his victim.

A howl of something beyond any kind of rage the elder Saiyan had ever heard, echoed out across the city. In that moment, no matter what kind of reserves he pulled forward, the golden aura before him grew only brighter, and Gohan's strength seemed... unimaginable. Finally his fingers could hold on no longer, and his strained arms flinched before he lost his grip. Stunned, Broly watched as Gohan broke free from his grasp.

It was impossible. Kakarot's son's strength couldn't have been the source of the power he'd just used-

Before the thought could continue, with a vicious noise escaping his throat, Gohan spun about, his arm braced and arcing towards him. Before any defence was managed, knuckles impacted his cheek and jaw. For a brief moment, it was as if the world wasn't real. This was all some kind of hallucination. His head felt light as his entire head reeled from the blow. For the first time, exclusively by someone else's hand, Broly felt something beyond the superficial penetrate his skin. It was no simple burn, or even a scratch. All the way into the bone and muscle, Broly felt pain. Worse, he felt no control. It was as if the entire world became weightless, and then a great wave of force washed over him, as a massive tidal wave washed over a beach. In the storm of energy that followed the fist, Broly felt his feet give way, his body rocketing through the air.

A building in his path was relentlessly torn through. The high rise structure was broken open by his body impacting it. Pillars broke before him, the ceilings caving in behind him, and glass and walls were no match. Each level broke, tore, or shattered for his body. With one final impact, his body was ejected out of the other side of the building. Finally regaining control, Broly felt himself stilled in the air.

The first thing he noticed, the first thing he felt, was the tingling in his face, and the swell he felt in his cheek. Without even fully realizing it, he reached his hand up, touching his slowly enlarging cheek. Blinking as he pulled his hand away, the giant looked back down through the path of destruction his body had left behind. Floating there was his energy orb, and no sign of Gohan. An angry snarl escaped him as he looked around.

Without any hesitation, his own aura flared violently as his anger flowed into it. How dare this little vermin fight back!? He was the Legendary Super Saiyan! Worlds fell before him like crops to a thresher! Beings of unimaginable power, including Kakarot and Vegeta, fell to him without effort!

To his right, he saw the burning golden aura which had assaulted him, flying in from below at incredible speed. In a series of blurred motions, Gohan approached.

"You fool!" Broly shouted, pointing his hand down at him. "I told you, I am the Legend!"

Green orbs formed in his hand, before in a sweep of motion they descended towards Gohan in a violent flurry. Catching the rising debris from below, as it still moved through the air, each blast exploded prematurely before reaching their target. Unprepared and unguarded, Broly felt Gohan collide into his stomach, sending his huge frame back. Raw power alone this time, prevented the same kind of damage as had been done before. It was nothing but a scratch this time.

But it was when he saw the golden aura before him flicker, and turn to purple, that Broly realized what was happening. Purple energy spiked violently around Gohan several times before taking on its new form. Two orbs of bright purple energy appeared in Gohan's outstretched palms.

Readying himself, Broly felt himself prepare to take the blast. There was no verbal response from Gohan. His eyes, his hole form, were possessed by a rage. It wasn't able to be missed, and its depth was impossible to measure. The only words that came from the maddened man's mouth, were ones which Broly barely understood, until their true meaning manifested themselves.

"Cataclysm Cannon!"

When the hands were thrust forward, Broly expected something akin to the pitiful "Kamehameha" wave, or Vegeta's "Big Bang Attack". Instead, he was greeted by a sea of energy. As soon as he raised his shields and pointed his hands out to meet the wave, there was an immediate strain. For a moment his shield nearly buckled...

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Babidi:

There was a brilliant flash of purple light in the sky. Immediately the tiny wizard raised his shield, knowing full well what was to follow it. The power involved in the attack was massive, overwhelmingly, and even without the ability to detect energy, Babidi knew it. Dabura raised his own guard, just as the shockwave blasted past them. It seemed as if the entire sky was overwhelmed by the violet light, before the blast reached its climax. It was as if a grew eye opened in the heart of the sky. The city below burned from the release of so much energy. What few tall buildings remained, waned under the pressure of heat and force, sliding into oblivion. The debris from the falling buildings caught fire before falling into their final resting places. It was brilliant to watch.

Even then however, Babidi knew Broly would have survived such an attack. After all he'd seen, he was convinced that his former slave, and soon to be new slave, was more then capable of surviving such an attack. The power he'd seen demonstrated so far was phenomenal. When they'd discovered him all those years ago on that wasteland of a planet, a simple child with incredible power, he had no idea that his monster would evolve into such a glorious weapon of destruction. With his power, it was obvious that he could not only reacquire Majin Buu, but he could crush even more of his enemies before him. Soon he would be the sole power in the universe. The greatest evils ever known would be his to control.

The line of Kais would be forever snuffed out as well, for their slaughter of his father and for trying to intervene in his plans for so very, very long.

So far, the other Saiyan, Gohan, was doing his job perfectly. Every moment he weakened Broly, he increased his chances of being harnessed into slavery once again. Once Broly was his again, of course, the other Saiyan could die. If not killed by Broly's hands, then by Dabura's. The poor fool didn't even realize he was being played for the fool, not that he could ever hope to defeat Broly anyway. All of the Super Saiyans other then Broly working together couldn't touch him, so what hope did just one of them have?

When the light faded in the sky, Babidi just looked up with excitement, until he saw something to the left of the battle. Two golden dots moving towards the battle at high speed. Trouble makers trying to get involved.

"Dabura?" Babidi asked, turning his head towards him. "Do you recognize those two powers?"

The huge red beast of a minion of his slit eyes looked up towards the two.

"The weaker one from the tournament, and a child," Dabura said, before cracking his neck to one side. "What would you have me do, Master?"

It always so delighted him whenever anyone called him master, and the word immediately raised his spirits. With real excitement in his voice, Babidi responded.

"Please Dabura, would you be so kind as to kill them for me?"

The blue clad figure shifted his form, pointing towards the two small dots in the distance.

"With pleasure, Master Babidi."

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Future Trunks:

The entire sky seemed to open up in a purple flash in the distance. The amount of power being unleashed was unbelievable. From further afar before, Trunks had watched the battle still impressed. Even when Gohan seemed unable to harm Broly, the exchange of energy was incredible. Now as he got closer, their powers both seemed to rise violently. There was nothing he could compare it to, not even to fighting Gohan at the tournament. But what was most important was stopping his younger self from getting involved in the battle of the titans in front of them. There wasn't a chance he was going to make a difference.

Hell, if he got directly involved, he'd likely make no difference at all himself. It was just like when they all faced down Bojack. Everyone seemed to be felled like grass, until Goku pushed past the limit. After that, it was just down to the two of them, Goku and Bojack in a struggle of epic proportions. In that case, it'd been Bojack who was the underdog once Goku reached the next level. This time it was Gohan who was the underdog, which meant it was even more dangerous for his younger self to get involved.

If he got killed, even if the Dragon Balls fixed it, things would never be the same for his younger self. It wouldn't be the same for his mother as well, or even Vegeta. Closing to only a kilometre, Trunks felt relief wash over him. He was going to catch up with time to spare to get the Hell out of here as well.

When a power spiked nearby, all the Saiyan could do was turn his head towards it, by the time he did, he knew full well that it'd passed him already. It was extremely powerful, stronger then Cell or Bojack had been even. Without any kind of defence, Trunks didn't even had time to turn before he felt two fists come crashing down on his back. Immediately he lost control of his flight and twisted downward in rapid motion. Slamming into the freeway below his body crashed through a concrete meridian before cratering the road around him. Cars exploded out in all directions from the shockwave as people screamed. A traffic jam had built up as people desperately tried to escape the city.

The first thing Trunks knew he had to do was get up and get whoever this was away from all these innocent people. But all the same, getting on to all fours, and getting his face out of the dirt, Trunks pushed as much power as he could into his arms and legs, pouncing back and out of the crater his body had so recently formed. Below him the crater quickly turned into an explosion of red energy. Cars burnt and blasted in all directions before the force of the wave itself sent them, and their occupants, scattering in all directions.

All of those people were dead, and he knew there wasn't going to be much he could do to save any of them. When Trunks looked up he saw the source of the attack. It was the Red Monster that followed Babidi around, the one who killed Chi-Chi, Krillin... and Tien.

"You," Trunks said after a second, just staring intensely back towards his attacker. "You're Babidi's slave. You're the one who attacked us outside his ship. You're the one who killed my friends!"

The first response he got was something which already twisted inside his stomach, it was just a smile.

"Yes, I am Babidi's loyal servant, and I killed your friends," the Demon King responded. "But I can see how much you must miss them. I will send you to them, so you cannot miss them anymore."

Zipping towards him with such speed that he couldn't follow in his normal Super Saiyan form, Trunks could only helplessly watch as Dabura flew into him, striking out with his right hand and catching him across the face. Moving so fast that his body actually became hot from friction, Trunks' crashed into the street, skidding down the highway, smashing through vehicle after vehicle. Bent metal and broken plastic tore into his clothes with each car. Pistons and fluids exploded all around him with each impact, often only catching the screams of the drivers behind him as he rolled through layers of vehicles. Panic and screams began to irrupt all around him across the freeway as he skidded to a halt. People were beginning to evacuate their cars at the very least.

It was when he noticed the severed hand, from having impacted one vehicle, on his shoulder, with fresh blood on it, that Trunks trembled with rage before casting the limb off of himself.

No holding back. Trunks already decided it as the tall figure landed perhaps ten metres in front of him, his clawed hands opening up arrogantly.

"You're not nearly as impressive as the other Super Saiyans I've seen in action so far," the red demon remarked. "The ones known as Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan are much more impressive. That is before even mentioning Broly. I don't believe you will be much of a challenge for the King of the Demons."

As petty as the insult was, it was enough to irritate Trunks. So, he wasn't going to take him seriously? Good. Reaching behind him, he grasped his sword, drawing it while staring at Dabura. Concentrating his energy and power, his aura flared around him a moment later. Hair pushed higher upward as electricity surged around him. The force blasting out from his centre sent abandoned vehicles back, crashing into one another.

With a half smile coming across his face, reminiscent of his father's, Trunks responded.

"Believe whatever you want. I don't think you'll be seeing things that way after I beat you."

And he had to beat him fast, if he was going to have any chance of pulling his younger self out of the fire.

Before him, a long scimitar like blade formed in Dabura's hand, the large demon grinning at the sight of Trunks' sword.

Above Satan City in the distance, the sounds of battle still raged.

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Gohan:

The light from his hands had evaporated into the air itself it seemed. It was almost hard to breath he'd put so much energy into the attack. It was always hard to control himself when he felt his power rise up, brought on by distress, pain, desperation, or anger. It was like trying to guide a bolt of lightning to its final destination. It all happened so fast and with such intensity, and it was always over before he could get a hold of what was happening. It was untamed and violent.

Still, even as his hands trembled from the exertion of so much power, Gohan could only look forward at the cloud of smoke, billowing in the sky. Inside the cloud he felt the same power he'd felt before the attack. Slowly the smoke began to clear, and all he saw was the briefest hint of a green energy shield, before that evaporated. Finally the last of the smoke disappeared, and all that remained was the humongous Saiyan within. The scowl currently finding its home on his face was less then gratifying as well. Still, there was no visible injury save on the monster's cheek. Even now his own power was spent, and all he'd managed to do was give the monster a swollen bruise.

"You're so intent on avoiding dying, aren't you Gohan?" Broly breathed angrily. "Throwing pitiful attacks at me to avoid it. I told you before, I am the Legend. My power is beyond anything the universe has seen before. Babidi's magic could only hold me for so long. When I saw Kakarot, I realized what I'd been, and what I would be again. What I am now."

Despite being drained, Gohan's first response was to twist his head to one side and spit off to the side.

"I know what you think you are. A destroyer of worlds, a conqueror of the weak. You know what you really are Broly? You're a disappointment," Gohan said, his eyes locking on coldly. "Instead of being the Legend, you were what? Fodder for Cooler? Fodder for Babidi? And now that you're free, you're just a rampaging beast. I'm not afraid of beasts, I'm afraid of people who actually have strength."

The scowl on the monster quietly turned into a smile, clearly trying to hide his own annoyance. The eyes said it all, even without pupils in them. It was the reaction Gohan was looking for.

Come on, give me another opening.

"And how am I such a disappointment?" Broly laughed.

"Because I knew Paragus," Gohan responded. "And he hated the weak."

The response was immediate, eyes widened with the name being uttered, before the giant sneered. Closing his huge fists, Gohan almost swallowed as he saw something rise up from the depths in the monster. It wasn't just anger, as he'd demonstrated time and again, or even his sadism, it was something even darker.

"Kakarot's death will be nothing when put next to yours," he breathed.

It was like watching a force of nature being unleashed. Moving with the seeming wind of a hurricane, incredible force rolled over him at Broly's very movement. The renmant of a city beneath them couldn't even withstand the power pulsing off the monster's frame. Raising his arm in defence, Gohan felt Broly's swing come in low and clearly through it, knocking the limb aside, before his knuckles buried themselves into the left side of his ribcage. Immediately his flesh wanted to give way, were it not for his ki focusing on defence, his entire rib cage would have shattered, instead of two ribs fracturing. It was hardly the worst pain Gohan felt in his life, but it was still enough to make his face twist. His entire body flowed upward and in a fluid motion, before the other giant fist came crashing downward towards his chest. Smashing into his collar bone, it nearly snapped were it not for a redirecting of energy. Still, flesh felt a shockwave move through it. His remaining energy seemingly spent, the son of Goku was sent flying down, chasing after the blast-wave which crashed over the city from the first two impacts.

Back first, Gohan felt his body crash into the already abused and fragmented street below. Asphalt cracked and split open all around him, before the road itself caved in beneath him. Struggle to even get up, Gohan didn't have time to do anything other then desperately redirect ki again, before two huge feet came down on his chest. There was laughter in the air as Gohan hacked up blood, the huge devil standing on top of him. The red substance spit down his own lips and over his chin, before he stared up at Broly on his chest. Struggling, he reached his two hands up to grab Broly's boots.

"I should finish you now," Broly said, his lip curling upward into a sneer once again.

Stepping off of him, kicking away Gohan's hands as he did, Broly just seemed to stretch himself, cracking his neck from side to side. Struggling to come to his feet, Gohan felt his arms almost become unresponsive. Two huge bruises were forming on his chest itself, and his fracture ribs screamed in pain at any movement. It was an easy pain to ignore, given the pain he'd experienced before. It was a matter of dominating it, controlling it.

And it was the fact that if he let it consume him, or throw him off his game, he'd end up just like his father. Just the thought of dying, leaving everyone unavenged... and leaving the son of Paragus alive, sent fury into his veins. Scowling towards Broly, Gohan wiped the blood from his chin, staring back at the beast.

"Then finish me, you big-"

Before he could finish, Broly had already grabbed his head, this time grinning again.

"Better idea!" the brute shouted.

Reaching up and grabbing the hand, Gohan kicked out, only to find a knee in his gut before he could manage anything. Everything seemed to stall for a moment as he coughed once more, blood coming up again. Hoisting Gohan into the air, the monster blasted off from the ground, but not far. All Gohan felt was velocity and momentum a second later. Trying to bring his power back to the fore, he felt his fingers dig into Broly's hand to no avail.

"Kakarot! I think your son needs some quality time with you!" Broly shouted, as if Goku could somehow hear him.

Slamming Gohan's face into the ground as they flew close to the ground, Gohan felt the right side of his face dig into the ground as road was torn up by it. A long scar was carved out of a street for miles, their bodies smashing through cars and trucks as his face was ground into the asphalt. After another several metres worth of road, Broly released him, deciding he'd had his fill. Helpless throughout the air, Gohan felt his body smash through several already half destroyed walls, sending smashed cinder blocks and drywall trailing behind him. Finally he crashed into the destroyed hulk of a high rise building, brought low by the battle so far, and his body shattered half the wall he'd connected with.

Looking in the distance, all Gohan could see were ruins... ruins, and the glowing energy orb Broly had left slowly rising before. It was still there, humming and pulsing. Rising into his view again, the son of Goku then saw Broly emerging from below, having followed him through much of his journey through the street, and through several destroyed structures.

"So Gohan," Broly chuckled as he looked at him, and Gohan knew that Broly realized how much of an advantage he possessed. "Whose the disappointment now? Do you think Kakarot would be happy that you can't avenge him? That you'll die just as he did? You're as helpless and useless as that other son of his."

It was then that Gohan couldn't help his response. There were no words, instead, he just smiled back at Broly. It was a tired and weak smile, but it was there.

The immediate response from Broly was confusion, and Gohan could see it. Brutish and primitive, he couldn't understand why he, Gohan, would respond to such insults with anything other then his own, or scorn.

"Why are you smiling?" Broly snapped after a moment, all forms of his cheery demeanour having disappeared. "I've beaten you, you're finished. You'll die a miserable death! You shouldn't smiling!"

As strange as it sounded, Gohan understood what he meant in that moment. The monster who'd stolen his brother and father from him was in the same place he was all those years ago now.

"Because I know that my father would be proud of me, and snarling at you won't change that. Neither will being hurt by your mouth. All this smile means right now, is that I need to try harder, just like my father would have."

Pulling his arms free from the broken concrete behind him, Gohan slowly hovered forward. The right side of his face was bloody and cut from his ride through the asphalt. His body was bruised, battered, and scratched. The clothes Piccolo had made for him were torn ragged and his sleeves were almost non-existent. Everywhere hurt, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was beating Broly, and no matter how strong he seemed to be, Gohan knew he could find a way to win. Giving up was surrendering, and dying was just giving up. He wouldn't stop even if Broly crushed his windpipe, or broke his neck, because he wasn't going to give up.

There was no quitting. Of all the things he'd learned from his father, that was the one he now understood the most.

Stopping himself from trembling, Gohan assumed a defensive stance in the air, looking towards the glowing titan in front of him.

The grin returned to Broly's face as he saw Gohan assume his stance.

"Did all that trying save your father, Gohan? At least there is still plenty of fight left in you, good, you'll keep me from being bored for at least a few more minutes."

The air around them was filled with brimstone. The city burned all around them, or at least what had once been the city. Stray pieces of buildings were still rising into the air from the force of the power both where they floated, and from the energy in the distance. This was it, it was do or die now. Concentrating, Gohan felt his own power swirl, trying to recover what he could. Even the power which lay beneath the surface, the one which he'd always relied on, felt half spent, still trying to regroup. In front of him his enemy seemingly had unlimited reserves.

Victory would mean finding a way to take those away from him... somehow.

"HAAAAAAA!"

The sound of a boy's voice echoed between the two of them, cutting through the tension, only to heighten it a second later. A small boot, made by the Capsule Corporation, drop kicked Broly's face a moment later. His head barely moved, hardly a few millimetres. Time seemed to slow down for Gohan as he identified the angry boy now assaulting the demonic creature he'd been facing. The kid was dead, and it didn't take long for him to realize it. This meant he had two options.

He could hold back, and hope that somehow the brat bought him enough time to recharge enough to try something offensive against Broly.

Or he could get himself killed trying to save the stupid kid.

But then one question came to the fore, something he'd never heard before, in a split second before he finished making the most logical decision he could.

What would you're father do, Gohan?

In that second frozen in time, staring ahead at what was about to be a massacre, Gohan felt his heart stop. He'd been helpless, standing by as his little brother, was killed in front of him. Now he was going to stand by and watch his little brother's best friend die as well? All so he could try and get an attack going? What was the point in winning if it meant he was only fighting for revenge? There had to be more then that.

Shit.

With that, Golden energy surged around him for the first time in minutes, and Gohan blasted off, heading straight for Broly, as if to attack him. The giant was about to turn to strike down Trunks, but instead looked at him, in some surprise, and redirected his huge swing in his direction. Shifting around the blow, Gohan curved around Broly's arm and his entire body, before catching Trunks out of the air and arching his flight downward.

Please don't catch me, just this once.

Thankfully, it took Broly a moment to realize what was happening as he was left, having swung at nothing but air, and both his enemy gone. Gohan heard a frustrated and rage filled cry a moment later, before green light began to glow intensely from behind. Energy waves were coming down after him, hundreds of them. Seeing a subway entrance, and ignoring the struggles of the boy now trapped in his right arm, Gohan curved his flight once more, launching himself into the entrance. Behind him dozens of blasts went off, collapsing in the hall behind them as he dove down into the darkness.

Power had been long cut off, and the service station was filled with breathing, and Gohan knew people had been fleeing down here from the surface. Anyone not killed top-side probably went underground. His aura illuminated rows of people, looking dirty, tired and scared. He couldn't worry about them right now, which meant getting out of the tunnel fast, before Broly caught on. The world around them rumbled violently as Trunks kicked at him impotently.

Throwing the kid up against a wall, holding his neck, Gohan scowled at him with intensity.

"Do you have any idea what the Hell you are doing here, kid? Do you know how close you were to dying up there?" Gohan snapped. "Now all these people are in danger too, because we're down here. I'm down here, saving you."

It was impossible at first to recognize the face the boy, Trunks had. After everything that was going on top side, with the world seemingly in its final moments, and with his family being murdered by Babidi or his uncontrollable monster, Gohan had trouble reading him. The boy's eyes were struggling to hold back tears, his entire body was trying not to be wracked with sobs. Locked against the wall, grief stricken and helpless, was a boy who just wanted to do something, anything about what he'd lost. A boy who'd lost his father, and his best friend.

There was a moment where Gohan felt his own throat tighten at the pain he could see, but he needed to keep himself together. He couldn't afford to be even more distracted then he was. Above them Broly was likely already about to break through the ceiling and then a massacre would unfold.

"B-B-but he-he killed... he killed my dad," Trunks choked. "I have to do something! They just stood around at the Lookout and didn't do anything! And Goten is dead too! All I have left is my mom and-"

The kid was babbling, with a frustrated noise escaping his nose, Gohan dropped Trunks to the floor, only to see him pull his knees to his chest and start to cry.

Looking down at him, Gohan knew what that chaos was like. It reminded him of his present, and his distant past. Just like him, he'd watched his father, and Goten die. But Trunks hadn't seen what he had, he'd never experienced the horrors of space. Vegeta himself would have understood better then Trunks what happened back there, and he would have understood this situation better as well. Trunks couldn't be expected to know-

"My dad's... he-he's already been wished back once!" Trunks choked. "They can't bring him back again!"

Dragon Balls.

The items which had been used to heal him before, and wish back the people Turles had killed. Apparently even they had their limitations. He remembered hearing how his father had died before as well, which meant there was no coming back for him either. It wasn't something he'd really thought about before. Truthfully, Gohan didn't fully understand these Dragon Balls. When someone died, they died, there wasn't supposed to be anything that just fixed that. But in Trunks' world, clearly the situation was different. He lived in a world where these mystical balls fixed everything.

Placing his hand on the boy's shoulder, he waited for Trunks to look up at him.

"I'll take care of him kid. You're dad will want to see you grow up and be strong, not die trying to avenge him," he said honestly. "Besides, you're the last Saiyan Prince. If I die here here, you're the last of us, outside of the monster out there. We can't be remembered as being what he is."

Blinking away a few of his tears, Trunks just looked sad all the same, sad and tired. So much adrenaline must have run through him before he attacked Broly, he was completely spent now.

"Goten and my dad always say you're a jerk," Trunks mumbled, before looking away. "But you're the one whose going to stop him, aren't you?"

With a half laugh, the older Saiyan moved his hand away, before looking up, feeling Broly's power rising again.

"Kid, power down and stay down here, I don't want-"

Suddenly, the sky opened up and the ceiling of the underground station pulled away. Green energy wrapped around brick, rock, and concrete as it was pulled away. While being pulled up, the huge chunk of ground began to crack and break apart within the energy field, before being thrown away effortlessly, the contents of the energy field breaking apart in the air and raining down across the city. Immediately the people in the subway began screaming.

"It's like canned food, or entertainment in a box isn't it? I open it up, and there is just more fun to be had!" Broly laughed, pointing his hand down as energy swirled into it. Immediately Trunks dashed to his feet, jumping past Gohan and blasting straight towards Broly.

Whatever was running through the kid's head, it was insane.

Fuck!

Immediately Gohan felt his own aura rise around him once more, this time lightning striking across his form. At least he'd bought some time to recharge, but any relief was blown away by the fact Vegeta's kid was seemingly charging straight for Broly.

"Broly! Screw the kid! Fight me!" Gohan shouted, taking off after him.

It was the wrong choice of words, and he realized it only after he spoke. That dark cackle began almost immediately. Dispersing his energy wave, Broly moved with blinding speed, catching Trunks out of the air. As Gohan closed to try and land a blow, the only thing he felt was Broly side kicking him through the air, sending him crashing into the street above. Skidding along the street for a moment, Gohan finally came to a halt, his shirt finally ripping to pieces, despite his ki being there to somewhat deflect the damage.

Sitting up, his chest bare, showing the dozens upon dozens of marks left by life threatening injuries in his past, the battle hardened Saiyan looked up to see Broly holding Trunks, the same way he once held Goten. It was going to happen again. He could see Trunks' legs flailing violently, trying to break free.

"Do you remember how this ends, Gohan?" Broly asked, his voice filled with some kind of sick pleasure. "Remember what you said, all you have to do is try harder, isn't that right? Well let's see how hard you try to save this kid."

I've got to get him to fight me with both hands before he breaks Trunks' neck.

Immediately taking off, Gohan flew in low, aiming straight for Broly as the giant just laughed at him. They both knew how ridiculous this was. As soon as Gohan came in for his first kick, it was already over. The blow landed on Broly's neck, not even fazing him. It was only a second later that the counterattack came. His huge right hand came around in a crushing blow, slamming into his shoulder and dropping him to the ground. As soon as he hit, he already felt Broly's boot collide with his side, sending him to dully slap against the side of a broken building.

"Hey you!" a voice cut into the battle.

Broly just huffed, ignoring the human with the afro.

"Remember me? My name is Mister Satan, the strongest man on Earth! And I'm not afraid of the likes of you!"

With a grin appearing on his face, Broly turned his head slightly.

"Is that so?" he asked, his features twisting devilishly.

Fear immediately presented itself on the supposed strongest man on Earth's face. With Broly distracted however, Gohan immediately made another dash for the huge fighter, this time energizing his right leg with as much power as he could. Driving his foot into the underside Broly's left wrist, Gohan saw fingers twitch, releasing Trunks and letting the half conscious boy fall to the ground.

"RUN!-"

Before Gohan could say another word, the furious Super Saiyan bellowed angrily, turning towards him, driving his knee back into Gohan's belly, before violently stomping his hunched form into the ground. It was impossible to prevent his entire body from collapsing into a heap on the ground. Even with his energy beginning to restore, he didn't have enough power to prevent injury. More ribs fractured, and this time his arms felt like they were about to give way, having tried to resist Broly's foot for even a second.

Looking up, he saw Broly immediately launch himself after Trunks, who'd tried to scurry back. This time the giant kicked the boy across the street, breaking him through several walls. The first wall was wooden, and it exploded into a rain of splinters and wood chips. Pointing his arm out after him, cackling again, a green orb formed in his hand. If he fired, there was no way the boy would survive, insulated by a ruined building or not. There was nothing he could do-

But there is.

"I killed Paragus!" Gohan shouted, his voice choking a second later.

Immediately the monster froze at the words, not moving, but his energy wave disappearing. That was the nerve. That was the nerve he didn't want to pick, because of his own past, and because he knew how it may shorten the battle, against his favour. Now there wasn't a choice though. Rising to his feet, breathing in heavily, holding his ribs as he managed to rise, Gohan just stared defiantly towards Broly.

"Yea, you heard me. I killed him. He raised me, and I know about you because that stupid old fool used to ramble about you all the time! He even called me Broly when he was in his typical, pathetic, delusional stupors! The sick old man wanted me to be you. He always talked about how I could be just like you, it made me want to vomit!" Gohan snapped furiously, real anger coming out as he felt his aura burst around him once again. "That worthless old man of yours forced me to kill people. But you wanna know what?"

Broly had finally turned to face him, his face utterly impassive, but there was something brewing underneath. It lay dormant, seemingly just as Gohan's rage over Paragus had remained dormant all these years.

"The first person I enjoyed killing, was your father."

Spitting in front of Broly again, his spit mixed with blood, Gohan looked ahead dangerously at him.

"So I guess I have more in common with you then I thought. You killed my father, I killed yours. Funny how that works," Gohan spat, anger and disgust seeping into his voice as he spoke.

The world suddenly began to rumble again, as Broly's face slowly transformed. First his energy turned bright gold, his entire body beginning to tremble as his teeth grit together. Veins popped up around the sides of his head as his eyes cracked with red veins. Like a rising tide, waves of force rolled over the city once more as Broly's muscles tightened, and then bulged, veins appearing across already strained flesh. More thunder and lightning exploded through the sky, as rain continued to pound on the burning city, and two warriors just as it had before. Only now the storm seemed to assault the battlefield even more. Visibility, were it not for their auras, grew even worse. Puddles threatened to become small lakes, and now rolled waves of their own from the force of Broly's energy exposing itself.

This was his true power, coming forward, and coming forward with his rage.

In some way, even if he died, Gohan knew he could be satiated in knowing how it all went down. He told Broly the truth about his father.

Without another word being exchanged between the two, and with a rage filled noise, a half cry half shout, Broly charged him, the entire city seemingly moving with him as miles of already ruined buildings collapsed further forward. Without any time to respond, Gohan felt the familiar sensation of Broly's fist slamming into his body without mercy.

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Dabura:

Blades sang as they clashed into one another in motions of speed untraceable by the human eye. A series of pings and vibrations sang as the two blades met a dozen times every second. Each time they struck, it tested one's steel against the other. Bouncing through the vacating freeway, the two figures met with each motion. Each time, one trying to be the fastest, each time, one trying to secure victory with one well placed blow. Instead, each time, one found themselves only able to parry.

Landing on top of a red car, Dabura spied his foe trying to regroup himself. Without giving him an opportunity to do so, the demon came down in a red and blue flash. Streaking his sword upward, he cleaved the car in two, and his enemy disappeared in an afterimage. Immediately sensing the air move around him, Dabura raised his own sword, blocking a flourish as it came in, seeking to finish the battle in one fell swoop.

This Saiyan really wasn't on par with the others, not to say he wasn't impressive. If he hadn't resisted the gift from Lord Babidi, he would easily surpass his own power, but that hadn't happened. If it had happened, of course, he doubted he'd be fighting him. Still, with a grin on his face, he turned his head to the golden haired warrior.

"Well placed, but your plan forgot that had you confronted me from the other side, I couldn't do this," Dabura said, before burying his free hand in Trunks' stomach.

Immediately the other warrior gaped, before staggering back, raising his sword defensively. Striking the sword on purposes, if only to get Trunks to focus his attention on the blade. The plan worked perfectly as his opponent raised his blade to block, only to find Dabura had already kicked him in the side of the head. The Saiyan staggered, and with one sweeping motion, Dabura moved in for the kill, aiming to strike his sword downward and finish his enemy off. At the last moment the younger opponent tracked what was happening, rolling back as the blade cut through the air. The force wave that followed it, cut through five cars. Seconds later the vehicles exploded in order as their gas tanks were ruptured.

His cape blowing in the wind as the rain descended from above on the two of them, he just smiled at the inferior warrior.

"Surrender to Lord Babidi, and I promise you will be spared," Dabura offered.

The way his enemy held his sword tightly afterwards, told him that his comment had not been well received. It was a fool's errand on the Saiyan's part, after all, Master Badidi would give him a role in their new empire. Instead, he was choosing to die like a fool.

In a blur of violently motion, the Saiyan pressed the attack once again. This time his enemy's blade moving at incredible speed. Lightning sparked around them when their blades met in a direct confrontation.

"You were foolish to aim directly for-"

Before Dabura could finish speaking, he felt Trunks grab his hand, twisting it and pulling his sword off balance. In a full motion, Trunks then stepped forward, moving his blade down against his own hand-guard, before sweeping his blade away. The huge scimitar was tossed into the air and away, leaving Dabura to look after it for a panicked moment. His jaw dropped as he watched his weapon fly free. Lightning spread across the sky as the blade disappeared from view. Only at the last moment did Dabura realize his enemy had yet to be vanquished, stepping back at the last moment, a blade cleared where he had once been. Before he could do anything further, a golden wave of pure energy blasted into his chest, sending him flying backward, blasting his body through car and car, the vehicles exploding all around him.

"Do not fail me Dabuta!"

Babidi's voice shrieked through his skull. At times, his master pressed his patience, very, very much.

When he finally crashed into the last car, he saw the blade glint in the light of the fires all around them. Blinking, Dabura realized his escape was unlikely. Reaching both his hands up, he caught the blade in the air, his chest tightening as he did. His arms barely caught the blade in time, and even then the rain made them and the blade slippery. Pressing his advantage, the Saiyan pushed his blade against him. Struggling for a moment, Dabura raced to think of how to escape his fate.

"You're going to pay for all those you killed, you'll pay for releasing that monster too! And you'll-"

"You talk too much," Dabura offered. "Only gloat when you know it doesn't matter."

Trunks grit his teeth furiously at the remark, but Dabura now knew he had him. Horking a moment later, Dabura spat a moment later, hitting Trunks in the chest. The Saiyan looked down in a panic, stepping back, reaching down and touching the substance. Seconds later however, his body began to shift into stone, chest first. There was no escape. Stiffening as he struggled desperately, Dabura enjoyed watching the fear brim up into his eyes. Walking over to the man just as he finished his petrification, the demon smirked.

"You shouldn't have been so cocky, boy," he chuckled, tipping the statue over before gently levitating into the air.

A second later, the pieces of the statue shattered into a thousand pieces.

In the distance, near the city, he could see his master floating in the sky. There were still violent booms and explosions all across the city itself. The battle was still raging, and Babidi was still waiting for his moment to assume control. Pushing his energy ahead, Dabura just grinned to himself as he rocketed towards Babidi's form in the sky. Stopping next to his master, he turned his head.

"Master, I have neutralized the Saiyan as you asked," he said, bowing his head.

"Excellent Dabura, I always know I can count on you," Babidi said, his face turning into a grin. "It looks as though Broly however, has the upper hand. His power is even greater then I ever imagined. He'd barely taken a blow, and now he's ripping that poor fool apart down there."

With a joyful tinge to his words, Babidi continued.

"I suppose that just means we will have to have you-"

There was a pause from his master, who turned and looked past him.

"Oh, it's just you," he said, sounding relieved. " Where have you been? I thought you were supposed to take care of the-"

Dabura turned his head at the last moment, seeing the green skinned warrior, his body clad in a cape and turban. Piccolo, another one of the master's slaves, and he was staring at him with cold black eyes. The Namekian obviously wanted something and-

"You shouldn't have been so cocky," Piccolo remarked.

Blinking in confusion, Dabura then felt the kick land on the side of his face. Pain exploded in his jaw and cheek before he was sent spiralling towards the city itself, crashing into an already deep crater in the battle scarred city. All the same his body broke into the muddy ground below, covering him in the filth.

The Namekian-

Landing in front of him a moment later, the Namekian discarded the turban and cloak in one swift motion.

"Trunks still has a lot to learn. You get to fight me instead," Piccolo remarked.

"What are you two idiots doing?!" Babidi shrieked from above.

So, it would seem another fool came to meet his end at his hands. This one even weaker then the last.

This would be child's play.

Dashing forward a moment later, Dabura cried out with the feral call of battle.

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Goku: The Afterlife

This wasn't Goku's first time being dead. It wasn't the same adventure it was before, but it didn't have any anxiety or dread following him as to where he was. As soon as he arrived, he'd come across his son, and Goten was far more distraught. He'd been all alone for several minutes, and had no idea where they were. The thing that confused him more then anything had been that Krillin, Tien, and Chi-Chi weren't there. It was confusing more then anything. His first destination had been King Kai's, just to try and figure out what had been happening. It was easy enough to just grab Goten's hand, and take them there.

But as two problems came of all this. The first one was trying to help his son deal with the fact he was dead, and that they had no idea where his mother was. The other one was that he expected everyone else to meet their doom only shortly after he had. But they hadn't met their doom. Instead, Goku watched from beyond the grave with King Kai, and he dared to hope.

Something rekindled in him as he watched his eldest son change. He smiled, and smiled warmly as he saw his son go on to fight unimaginable odds, and have no fear, and not being driven exclusively by hate. But in seeing this, he knew all he could do was watch from the sidelines. Part of him was afraid to cheer his son on, watching him confront Broly. Every time the monster batted him away, Gohan found the strength to come back. He even defended as many people as he could throughout the battle, including Vegeta's son Trunks. Pride swelled in Goku's chest as he realized what kind of man his son had become. He wished Chi-Chi were here, or anywhere, for her to see what their son had become.

Their son, even if not perfect, had finally let himself be a good person.

Blinking several times, Goku tried his best not to let tears brim at the edge of his eyes. The road had been so long since they'd first met, he had trouble imagining it. His heart strings were pulled just as much by the fact that Gohan was fighting in his colours, in his memory. Even as he watched now, watching Gohan being beaten across the city, his body being thrown around helplessly, Goku knew his son would survive. Even if he needed help.

Finally, Goku looked up at Goten, seeing his other son sitting on the grass, his eyes staring forward lifelessly.

Releasing King Kai's back, Goku walked towards his son.

"What is it Goten?"

"Where is Mom?" Goten asked quietly. "I miss her."

"We don't know. But as soon as Gohan beats Broly-"

"He's not going to win," Goten responded quickly. "He can't."

Often, one could say Goku was blind to social mannerisms, but even Goku knew how much Goten... disliked, his brother. Reaching out and ruffling his hair, Goku smiled at him.

"Things may be rough, but Gohan's been through it before. Besides, he's fighting for us out there. He's stronger then ever, and when we get back, we'll find your mom, then we can all visit Gohan and-"

Immediately, the little boy turned away from him, his eyes looking almost pained. Sadly, Goku didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to say to Gohan, or Goten, or anyone right now. All he could imagine to tell Gohan was that he was proud of him, but he hardly knew if that would be motivational.

Then, an idea came over the Saiyan.

"King Kai! Can you make us all something to eat? I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?!" Goku said, sounding excited as he perked up. "We're going to have a guest!"

Placing his fingers to his forehead, Goku felt out an energy signature he'd not felt for several years. He found it deep inside a place he'd been before.

Hell.

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Gohan:

Blood leaked from the wound in Gohan's chest as he tried to get up. He coughed several more times as well, blood spitting onto the ground from his mouth. Breathing out heavily, before looking up at the monster walking towards him, Gohan didn't even know where he could get into an open window. There were no vectors of attack, everywhere he hit, seemed impervious. Especially right now, where Broly had brought forward seemingly all of his power.

Before he could even fully collect himself, Broly charged once again. There was no laughter this time, only the snarling noises of a furious beast, shredding its prey with its teeth. Diving into Gohan with a vicious kick, the smaller Saiyan felt like his entire body would implode. By the time Gohan gagged, the entire body of the monster had blinked out of existence, appearing next to him in a flash, before smashing his elbow into his face from the left side. Immediately Gohan's body tumbled through the air, being torn through another building, before his body crashed into the side of another building. Looking up, trembling as he did, Broly was already on him once more.

This time his hand was outstretched, firing an energy blast into him. When it hit, Gohan felt heat and pressure across his body, scorching him. A cry of pain escaped him as hot air entered his lungs. Another wave hit, then another. Each successive blast burned him further into the ruin he found himself in. Every moment was getting harder to fight, and he felt almost empty. There was just no power left for him to use, to grab hold of and manipulate. There was nothing left for defence, nothing left for attack, and nothing left for him to go on.

But he still couldn't concede, he still couldn't give up. Struggling to move, Gohan barely shifted from his burnt hole in the desolated landscape. The rain falling from above amidst the thunder and lightning, felt cooling on his burnt skin around his chest.

"Hey Gohan."

Looking around with eyes, hopeful to see the source of the voice, Gohan didn't see anyone.

"Who is that?" he barely murmured. "Goku?... Dad?"

There was a brief chuckle in the background, Broly finally finding entertainment around.

"Hearing voices now Gohan? Has your fear of death driven you mad?"

"Gohan, it's me, Goku, your father. I'm talking to you from the next life. You can still do this. I know you think you're out of power, but you aren't. I can still feel so much strength in you, just believe in yourself."

"No offence dad, but my body is burnt, and busted up. I can't even stand up, where is all this power going to come from?" Gohan asked in turn.

"Within."

Just as that thought reached him, the hulking Saiyan landed in the street in front of him, slowly walking forward. He paused, and seemingly everything did, when a massive explosion thundered through the streets a moment later. Brilliant green light flashed over Broly for several seconds, before he continued on his path towards him.

"Trust me kid, you're too good to get killed by that idiot Paragus's brat anyway," another familiar voice said. Even then as Gohan watched Broly approaching him, his heart raced, and not because of Broly.

"No hard feelings about the whole fight to the death thing, right?" Turles then added. "Your... father... told me what was going on. I didn't quite believe it until I heard it. So would you mind getting the Hell up and fighting?! You didn't fucking kill me just to die by this idiots hand! Now get up Gohan!"

That was Turles. The man who raised him more then anyone. The man he'd betrayed and killed for this planet. Now there he was, urging him forward, urging him to fight, despite everything that happened between them. His heart almost sank for a moment, until something new formed in it. Turles didn't say it, and he didn't have to, Gohan knew him well enough to know he never would say what he knew he meant. He forgave him, for killing him on Earth.

Knowing that, and knowing that Turles wanted him to get up and fight, drove Gohan as he felt himself beginning to wake up.

"Wow, you may want to calm down-"

"Shut up Kakarot!"

"Would you two stop fighting?" Another voice cut in, sounding almost stuffy somehow, and weak. "He needs motivation, not hearing you two fight."

In the confused words channelling over Gohan felt something underneath it all. The same as when he find a new strength, even when his arm had been blown off all those years ago when battling Slug, or when he fought Turles. He couldn't just sit here and die. He promised himself he wouldn't let that happen, and he'd almost failed in that as well.

"I brought him here, Gohan, to show everyone still believes in you. Your mom believes in you, Piccolo and the others do, and even Turles does. You can do this Gohan. Just let it all go."

"You will win this Gohan. Kill him with the same power you used to kill me."

Wracked breathing rushed through Gohan's body as the huge figure shifted his weight, a grin on his face.

"Die."

Something broke behind Gohan's eyes, hands coming off old restraints. He felt in that moment, one hand on each of his shoulders. One one side, he felt Goku's hand, and on the other he felt Turles's. The two portions of his life, the two figures who he respected the most, bridging the gaps from his old life, to his new life. Chaos flowed from his core however, as he felt his own controls collapse. This wasn't just a release of hidden potential. The gates were opened, and Gohan felt his body burn from the inside out. It was painful to even begin to experience.

Without thought, his hand raised up, just as Broly pulled back his huge arm to strike down at him. When his own hand caught it, all his energy surging into one limb, there was a flash of brief light and an explosive noise, before the huge fist was halted. Trembling, his fingers brimmed with electricity as the aura around his hand almost turned his skin golden. Shakey breaths escaped his lips before Super Saiyan eyes turned upward, looking into Broly's eyes.

"Ha... HA!... HAAA!"

Each breath that escaped Gohan grew more and more furious, more and more powerful. With each breath, his body exerted more and more pressure, more and more power, and more and more strength. Veins rippled across his body before his aura exploded around him. Golden light burned away concrete and steel, and melted glass into puddles. His scream echoed across the ruins of Satan City. It was the sound of an animal that had been unchained.

Stepping back nervously, the once predator Broly, gave the look of prey. When Gohan's scream died, he stood there before Broly, his body pulsing, barely holding together to contain the power within.

"W-Where are you getting all this energy?" Broly asked, unable to understand what had just happened, everything about him screamed nervousness, even bordering into fear.

It was something Gohan almost tasted in the air.

Immediately, a false sense of security appeared across Broly's face when he finally stepped far enough back to stand his ground.

"Hahaha!" the cackle sounded once more. "However much power you gather, it won't be enough to kill me!"

Almost immediately, the body before Gohan surged with golden energy, his own aura burning the asphalt beneath his feet, making it molten. Electricity rippled around his frame erratically, jumping from muscle to muscle, and limb to limb. Without even moving, the two auras fought, violently mingling between the two of them. A golden wall of energy formed between the two, superheating in mid air as energy fields tore into one another without any command.

Making the first move, Broly snarled furiously before flying in towards him. In turn, Gohan stood his ground, not even thinking to do so. So much of his mind was trapped behind the pain, trapped behind the power, instinct governed too much of his body. He felt conscious, yet asleep, just as he always did in these moments. Even now his power paled in comparison to Broly's, and wouldn't last. Deep within his mind, one thing came to the fore.

Victory would mean finding a way to take those away from him... somehow.

All the power in Gohan's body pushed itself deep into one spot. Above him, Broly descended from above, his weight and size coming down like an avalanche, power burning across his entire body. Gohan's body retracted down into a crouching stance, before leaping up in one motion, his whole body working together as he pushed himself up. Only energy surrounded his fist as his hand itself disappeared in the burning light arching towards Broly.

The arm seared up Broly's chest, starting in his lower abdomen, and then tearing up his chest. Skin broly and muscles were exposed to open air, before being cooked by the raw energy carving into the body. All that power blasted through all the layers of power protecting the monster's form, breathing his very body as blood first oozed from the wound, before becoming burnt from just being near the fist which so carved the body. The burning slash finished its trail near the top of the devil's chest. The entire body of the giant shifted with the blow, arching backward as a pained scream escaped Broly's mouth. Then green flashed through the gaping, open wound.

Only as the light faded at the end of Gohan's fist, did he come back from beyond. As soon as he did, he felt worn immediately, his body on the brink, but power slowly refilling inside of him. Screams from Broly echoed across the city, and a swirl of green energy wrapped around his core as his body began to flail in the air uncontrollably. Unable to contain his power any longer, Broly's body expelled it as he reached critical mass. Terror quickly ran through Gohan as he realized what was happening.

Gohan's scream was deafened by the sound of the blast.

In a blink of an eye, half of Stan City, as well as several mountains near it, disappeared in a titanic explosion of green light. Even as the city evaporated and cratered seconds later, the burning light travelled across the landscape for hundreds of miles, blinding anything that looked upon it.

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Piccolo:

Things looked bad, it was true. Gohan looked like he was going to fold to the Legendary Super Saiyan any minute now and that would mean Babidi and Dabura could try to reassert their control over Broly. That would mean the Earth would have fostered one of the worst tragedies in the history in the universe. There was only one thing Piccolo could do to blunt the tragedy, Dabura and Babidi had to die at any cost. Broly would go on to destroy dozens, perhaps hundreds of worlds, but if under Babidi's guidance, his destructive energies could be harnessed for far greater harm. That was before Babidi's less threatening monster killed Trunks, adding another victim to his tally.

So far the battle had been one of avoidance, trying to see how the red devil fought. He was very good, both talented and powerful. For Piccolo this meant he needed to find a way to win against a stronger opponent, who wasn't overtly stupid. After having blocked a series of probing attacks, Piccolo found himself staring down the other Demon King.

Even now as they stood across from one another, Piccolo was looking for ways to win, even if that ever annoying creature Babidi was off to the side, barking demands at Dabura. Piccolo looked at the two of them, and then off to the glowing green orb, slowly rising in the distance. A plan slowly began to form in the Namekian's mind as he turned back to the other two.

"Piccolo, you are going to pay for betraying me!" Babidi shouted angrily. "Oh yes! Dabura, kill him!"

"Master Babidi, I am trying-"

"He's a weakling! Even weaker then those pitiful Saiyans! Kill him!" Babidi further barked, before pointing at Piccolo. "You've yet to see what Dabura can really do, and he's going to turn you to stone just like all the others!"

Thankfully, Babidi was as helpful to Dabura, as Emperor Pilaf was helpful to King Piccolo. Of course, that meant he wasn't helpful at all.

As soon as Dabura gave an irritated glance towards Babidi, Piccolo launched himself forward. He needed to guide the battle west, to the west, he'd find victory. Dashing inside Dabura's defence, he drove his fist into the beast's gut. As soon as his fist imbedded itself, his opponent gagged a moment. It was a chance for a follow up. Sweeping the King's legs out from under him a second later, Piccolo finished his follow through, swinging his other leg up, connecting with Dabura's side and sending him flying high and far into the air.

With a green aura bursting around him a second later, Piccolo blasting into the air, following his attack with extreme prejudice. The truth was he couldn't keep up the level of power his attacks would need to be just to harm Dabura, let along win a straight up fight against him.

A thin red line of energy appeared over Dabura's form, before his entire body flipped around to face him, his arms spread out. The force wave of power that echoed out in front of him hit Piccolo like a wall, slowing his own speed, before Dabura cut forward, aiming to drive his elbow into his side. There were only a few options, and Piccolo picked the one that forward his chance of winning most. Dodging to the right, facing west, Dabura slid into where he'd just been. The world seemed to slow down before he saw his enemy's eyes turn towards him. By the time they had, the blue clad slave's left boot shot out, slamming into his chest before he could manage a defence. Immediately the Namekian took off in the air, a scuff appearing on his chest where he'd been impacted.

With his body tilting several times in the air, Piccolo's teeth grit in pain before he felt Dabura move above him. Both of the demon's arms came down in an axe hand smash, crashing into the side of his face. Piccolo's forehead took the burnt of the hit, sending a ringing through his ears and sending his body rapidly down towards the burning city. Immediately his body smashed through the half destroyed remnant of an office building, before breaking through brick and drywall, before slamming into muddy ground blow, breaking into the wet substance before his form dragged through the mud for what seemed like an eternity.

Shaking his head, trying to keep himself in the fight. Just to hold on as he had, he'd had to have spent energy just to absorb those hits. By the time he slowly pulled himself up however, Dabura appeared in front of him, red energy still around his body.

"This will finish you off," Dabura chuckled, pointing his hand out.

Red energy immediately collected into his grip, and black lightning circled it violently as a hellish blast formed in his fingers. The smirk on Dabura's face said exactly what he thought. This was another victory. Just as he'd killed Kibito, Krillin, Tien, and now Trunks, he thought himself able to kill Piccolo.

Behind him, Piccolo felt Broly's energy orb still, perhaps two kilometres behind him. That was the end game to this battle. Smirking, Piccolo shifted his stance to a fighting one. All it would take to win was a little more pain. He was going to stop these two no matter what it took.

"Is that all you've got Dabura? I thought you were supposed to be strong."

Just then, the annoying little creature known as Babidi hovered into view.

"Dabura! Why haven't you finished him yet?! Hurry up!"

With a frustrated snarl, Dabura unleashed his evil energy wave, blasting it towards Piccolo recklessly, before it was fully prepared. Shifting his body, the bolt flew straight past him, hitting a mountain of rubble behind them. A red tinted blast burst into the air behind him, clearing the path. When Dabura closed in the following second, looking to finish his attack, Piccolo was ready. Dodging past his fist fist, he spun about, swinging his left arm out to strike out against Dabura's neck with a chop. Shifting under his attack, Dabura spun low and threw his leg out, aiming to catch Piccolo in the ribs. Instead he found Piccolo's knee, raised in defence. The blow made the world rumble it seemed, and Piccolo's foot on the ground slid six metres in the muddy ground from the force of the hit. Stepping forward immediately, Piccolo moved into Dabura's exposed position, delivering another kick to the face. This time the Demon King stumbled back.

Good.

It was designed to be a slight, not a full on assault. Anger boiled in Dabura and Piccolo knew it. Immediately flipping backward, Piccolo began to try and get distance as the red skinned beast roared in outrage, following him. In mid flip Piccolo felt a knee drive into his back, sending him rolling back through the air in pain. This time when he looked up, another red energy bolt was already on its way. When it hit, the energy scorched his flesh in an intense pain. Letting out a cry of pain, Piccolo felt his left arm dissolve in the light. When he crashed into the ground, he wheezed once as he black electrical zaps still rolled over his flesh from the residue of the Evil energy wave.

There was a green light that washed over him when he landed on what had once been a street. Now it was a torn up battlefield, with rising forces pulling up against everything. His own energy stopped him from being a victim, but rock and debris continued to climb in the air around the immense power ball. Sitting up and holding his stump, Piccolo tried to get his bearings. This was it. All he needed to do now was-

When Dabura landed in front of him, Babidi landed next to him.

"Now then Piccolo," Babidi said, a long smile appearing across his face. "How should we start with your punishment."

Standing up, Piccolo stared back defiantly.

"I'm going to get what I deserve," Piccolo assured, before smirking.

The green light around them seemed to hum in the air itself. Taking a step forward, Dabura cracked his neck from side to side.

"Master Babidi, let his fate be worse then death. An existence trapped in stone, unable to pass into the next life, and unable to leave this one."

"That sounds delightful, Dabura," Babidi chuckled.

Horking violently, the red demon spat on Piccolo's chest a moment later. Looking down, Piccolo could already feel his body beginning to petrify. Focusing the last of his energy into his right hand, Piccolo didn't stop smirking. If anything, that just meant this was going to be much less painful for him.

His only regret was he wasn't going to get to see their faces. Pointing his two fingers to one side, a small golden-purple energy bolt shot from his fingers. Looking to his right, Piccolo's smirk only grew when he saw the bolt fly up and impact the bottom of the giant energy ball in the air. His ears immediately picked up how unstable it was before the stone spread up his neck and along his ears themselves. Turning his eyes forward, just as the stone overtook them, he saw Dabura's face and Babidi's turn to one of complete terror as the light became unstable all around them. Apparently he could leave without any regrets.

His last thoughts before the stone overtook him were simple.

I win.

Then followed a massive explosion.

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Gohan: Cooler's Ship

Another planet burned. It was his fifth one, and Gohan felt sick as he huddled to himself, looking up at his master, Paragus. Earlier he'd seen him laughing with the others as Gohan bled on the training floor. The bleeding was from another one of Paragus's lessons. The strong could always harm the weak. The weak had no rights but one, to be slaves to the strong.

"And remember Gohan," Paragus remarked, as if knowing what he was thinking. "That you are the weak, and I am the strong."

He'd spent hours in the healing chamber, if the wound had been any worse he'd have needed surgery first. Even in the tank, he could see a scar had formed just under his right collar bone. Even then it'd been painful and messy.

Looking up towards his master, Gohan scowled, openly for once.

"Don't tell me you've gotten all soft on me again, boy?" Paragus asked, staring down at his newly found 'son' with a glint of sadism.

"Remember what I told you-"

"You're weak," Gohan finally breathed, standing up, anger in his motion.

Immediately Paragus sneered.

"What did you say to me, child?"

"You're weak," Gohan repeated.

Immediately Paragus came in, his hand open, backhanding Gohan across the face.

"I am your master, and I make the rules! You may be stronger then me one day, but-"

Something exploded out of Gohan, a wave of energy. It was enough to blow Paragus back, his eyes wide with shock. An animal found itself in a cage with him, feral and untamed. Screaming in his fury, Gohan snarled like a starved dog, before leaping into the attack.

A tiny fist slammed into Paragus's face, sending him to the floor, before Gohan landed on top of him. Desperate and furious punches imbedded themselves in the old Saiyan's face. Blood squired upward, splashing across Gohan's face, but he was too far gone to care. Relentlessly he continued, snarling and hissing as he punched.

When he snapped out of it, there was nothing but crushed pulp where Paragus's head once was.

Trembling, the boy sat back, falling off his mentor's body. A cracked smile slowly appeared across his face, realizing what he'd done.

"Ha... hahahaha... HA! Hahahahahahaha!"

For the first time since he could remember, Gohan laughed.

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Gohan:

Everywhere hurt.

Even with raising all his defences, the blast from Broly's core had left him in worse shape then he'd wanted. He didn't know how long he'd been out, all he knew was the world around him felt solid, even stiff. As he started to try and move, he felt the solid world around him shift and break around him. Mud and dirt shifted around him before he managed to pull himself up. The world broke open for him a second later when he pulled his hand from his own shallow grave. As soon as it reached the air, rain from above cooled his heated skin. It felt so cold right now that his eyes winced.

Slowly but surely, he pulled himself out completely. Fresh air filled his lungs, even if it was filled with the stench of fresh mud and burnt buildings. Everything looked so... clear. Buildings had vanished, any sign of there being a civilization where he stood had evaporated. It was a wasteland of mud in front of him. There were no signs of life at all. Looking to his left, he saw the remnants of a devastated city, if one could even call it that anymore.

Just then, the wind picked up, blowing his black hair to the west, to his left. The rain intensified as lightning drew itself across the sky once more, thunder booming after it.

There was movement in the distance, perhaps fifteen metres away. The earth broke as a trembling, huge hand emerged from the debris. Still breathing heavily, Gohan watched in horror as another huge hand emerged.

No, there is no way he survived that.

When the golden haired head appeared from beneath the ruined mud, Gohan knew that it'd happened. Even having his own power unleashed on him, even reaching critical mass, the devil had somehow survived. It wasn't fear that Gohan felt when he looked at Broly, but astonishment. Just like him, Broly had refused to give up, defying death itself. With his head raised in the air, and blood seeping from his chest, the wounded Broly almost howled for a moment before shouting a single name.

"K-Kak-KAKAROT!"

As the words left his mouth, the huge beast slumped into the mud for a moment, leaving Gohan just to breath as he stood there, exhausted himself. It was when the monster finally pulled himself to his feet, one hand holding his massive gaping gash in his chest, that Gohan felt himself shift positions. Rainwater got into his eyes as another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.

"It's not over yet Gohan," his father's voice, Goku, whispered into his mind. "Babidi and Dabura are dead. Piccolo and Trunks are dead as well. If you can stop him now, stop him here, the nightmare will be over."

Spitting up blood a second later, Broly just stepped forward, his face twisted with rage.

"Gohan," he hissed.

Concentrating his power, Gohan felt a field of energy rise up around him again. At first it was a deep purple, before he managed to bring up enough to let his body transform once again. Muscles screamed in protest as his body burst with golden light, and his hair shot upward once more, before changing colour. There were no synthetics failing this time, his actual muscles desperately begged him for calm, but it was too late.

"I've had enough of you Broly," Gohan breathed.

Taking another step forward, the giant began to gain his footing again. His motions were less about his injury. Even as his pulled his left hand away from his chest injury, Broly moved as if he wasn't harmed. But there was something different about him. All of that power, that seemingly infinite reserve, it was gone. Gohan could still feel a great power in front of him, but not an invincible one.

The wind whipped around them again as the rain continued to bombard them.

"Not until you lie dead at my feet," Broly almost whispered, his mouth twisted with a hatred he'd not seen from the monster.

Rushing forward, moving on his feet rather then flying through the air, trying to save energy, the huge monster began to move heavily over the muddy ground, his feet pressing into the wet dirt with well placed movement. Raising his defence, Gohan shifted his body to follow Broly's movement, before finally the monster closed on him. Immediately Broly brought up his leg, swinging it up with all the force he could bring to bear. A tidal wave of mud followed it, spraying up and beyond Gohan as the younger Saiyan raised his arm, blocking it as it collided with his arm. Immediately stepping in, Gohan threw a punch towards Broly, but the giant stepped back, raising his guard at the last moment. Following through with his momentum however, Gohan shifted his left leg to one side, allowing him to swing through with his right leg, aiming high, aiming for the head. The blow cracked across the giant's jaw, sending him stumbling to side side, trying to keep his balance.

Both of them laboured heavily after the exchange. Lightning spread across the sky once again as thunder exploded across the skies once again.

When the monster regrouped, he stumbled forward for a moment, before lining up an attack and swinging down towards Gohan with his fist. Rolling under the attack, Gohan kicked the back of the beast's knee in, before ending his roll, turning to face the giant with steeled eyes and his defences raised.

Rage boiled in Broly's form, his face couldn't hide it. Despite his heavy breathing, he snarled and roared when he turned to Gohan, jumping into the air and swinging his leg around one more time, hoping to decapitate him in a single blow. It was easy to see his intentions. The blow landed low, crashing into Gohan's shoulder, making the son of Goku cringe in pain and grunt, and sending him stumbling in the slippery mud, barely able to hold himself up.

Without giving him a reprieve, Broly raised his two hands together, green energy dancing between his fingers and palms, before he unleashed a deadly wave of energy. The blast was unstable, barely formed and struggled, but at such close range, and such low powers, it found its home at Gohan's feet. Jumping above the blast, the shock-wave behind him, Gohan shot straight towards Broly, slamming his elbow into the giant's head as he fell into him. Staggering, the humongous man tried to stay stable, his guard completely collapsing around him. Now was the time for offence, now was the time to put in the damage he could. A straight punch landed in the monster's belly, hitting exposed muscle and blood gushed out from the impact. Flipping back, Gohan then planted both of his feet in Broly's chest, before landing on his feet after the back flip. Stumbling, but not falling, Broly managed to keep his bearings, before raising his guard once again.

Smelling blood, Gohan moved in for another attack. Broly appeared weak, in pain, and seemed to almost have trouble standing. As soon as he moved in however, the giant grabbed him by the side of his face, pulling him into the air in one violent motion, before slamming Gohan face first into the mud. Raising his leg up to pulverize Gohan even more, the Earth-Bound Saiyan rolled out of the way, just in time for the huge foot to sink into the mud, sending up a small wave of mud in all directions.

"I HATE YOU!" Broly shouted.

By the time he did, Gohan had already leaped out of his roll, swinging his leg in the air and catching the demonic Saiyan across the jaw. Finally the mountain of flesh fell back, landing on his ass. Huge hands moved to support him form falling completely back. For a moment, Broly looked just tired, tired and shocked. Snarling a second later though, he pulled himself up, leaving Gohan to stand there, breathing heavily as he maintained his stance.

Rushing him head long, Broly threw three punches. Each one was telegraphed in such a fashion, that Gohan simply stepped around each out, not realizing what the play was, how he was being set up. By the time he stepped around the third one, pain already exploded in his back as Broly's huge leg connected once again. This time it sent him clean off his feet, flying back. Gohan shifted in the air, turning his body to allow his hands to push back on the mud, letting him flip back to land on his feet. Immediately after landing he took off, blasting through the air with energy brimming around him, if only for a brief moment.

Focusing everything he had, Gohan remembered all the pain this monster had caused. It'd killed millions of people in only the last few hours. It'd killed his little brother, it'd killed Vegeta, and his father. No one else was ever going to be hurt by it again.

Not one more life.

"Not one more, Broly!" Gohan shouted, before driving his fist into the Legendary Super Saiyan's face.

The sound of Broly's already injured and swollen cheek cracking echoed throughout the empty wasteland of mud where they met for battle. Lifting off his feet, Paragus's son fell backwards as if he'd fallen off a cliff. His huge form rolled against the mud before sliding further as he landed on his front. For almost a minute he lay there near lifeless, his form seemingly broken, face first in the mud.

Standing opposite of him, in the distance now, Gohan held his stance firm. Every second he breathed he felt his power rising and falling. For all his strength, for all his power, Broly was no fighter. Broly was a murderer, he used his power and tossed it around recklessly. Now, now when they were both struggling to hold on to any power at all, his weaknesses showed through as plain as day. He knew how to fight, he knew how to block, but he didn't feel it. He fought without resolve or an understanding of the art, he only fought with hatred.

He fought like Gohan used to fight.

Slowly, the giant frame started to move, green energy sparking several times off his body. Broly was breathing heavily, one hand reaching to cover his gaping chest injury again as it leaked more blood into the mud around them. It took almost half a minute for him to finally find his feet. Even when he did, his shoulders were hunched, and his body was covered in sweat. His skin looked flushed, and truthfully he looked exhausted. The fact he was able to stand at all was a feat, an incredible one. For all his evil, even Gohan could see how badly Broly didn't want to let go.

Still, Gohan breathed in an out, trying to hold everything together. More green energy sparked and spiked around Broly as to took a careful step forward. As the monster moved, Gohan felt himself gathering power. Blue energy shot between him and the ground, and rippled off his hands and limbs, even his chest. It was all he had left, everything left inside of him, Gohan gathered and harnessed, bringing it to one place in his body for one last attack, one last show of strength.

Covered in mud, blood, and scrapes, bruises, and burns, Gohan breathed in evenly as he focused, moving past all the pain.

When Broly made another step forward, veins popped up all around his neck, chest, arms, and face. Whatever he felt was moving past rage, it was evolving into a kind of anger Gohan had never seen. An orb of green energy formed around him as he breathed in violently and exhaled violently.

Finally, he took another step forward and roared. The roar was that of a great beast, one which had shed all of its thoughts for only one purpose, rage.

Bursting forward, closing the distance between them, Broly continued to scream and roar in his rage.

Focusing all of his energy together in one place, Gohan's eyes just peeled forward, staring at the the animal which Broly had become.

You didn't deserve to defeat my father.

"Kaaaaaaa..."

Blue energy appeared in Gohan's hands as they turned to his side. A strange humming sound came to life as the light did. It was something he'd seen his father unleash a dozen times, and its power was a wild force in his hands, brimming to try and escape his concentration and control.

"Meeeeeee..."

Now energy flowed over his entire body, sending bolts in all directions. Still he breathed evenly as he grasped at it.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

The orb pulsed violently in his hands as blue light dominated every other light source around them. The monster was screaming now as he inched ever closer. All of his power was focused on the attack, on his shell around him, and not on pure speed.

"Meeeeeee...!"

Finally, Gohan felt it, he felt the wave rise up in his hands, reaching critical mass. He could almost feel Goku's spirit somehow guiding him through it, reminding him of where his control was, remarking him of where to let the ki flow. It was all in his memories, all coming forward as he remembered seeing his father in action. Twisting his hands at the last moment, Gohan took one step forward, and thrust his palms forward.

"HAAAAAA!"

Light exploded forward, burning away the rain it touched, parting the muddy ground before him as if a sea was parting. Two huge waves of mud exploded in each direction around it, acting more like water then like mud. The world became blue, and Gohan felt every pulse of energy within the wave itself. Staring ahead, seeing through the blinding light, Gohan only saw the rapid animal charge straight into the light.

The field of energy around Broly buckled almost immediately, the blinking shield overwhelmed by the power having risen up from inside of Gohan, the power his father had given him. When the energy blasted into bare skin, the giant's scream of rage turned into one of agony. It should have been Goku doing this, it should have been him holding his hands forward and burning away this cancer from the universe.

Not one death will go uncounted for Broly.

All the energy inside his body flowed through his hands, gates unlocking inside of him that he barely understood existed. Every piece of him felt like it was draining out of his body. Even now he felt Broly fighting off his destruction, fighting off his demise. Even with his barrier down, every cell in the titan's body pushed back against his fate. Slowly muscle burned away as it desperately clung on to existence.

Feeling the last of his strength waning, and feeling Broly's waxing as well, Gohan pushed forward, his body screaming in protest as he gave the last of what he had to the wave. The size of the beam expanded violently for only a brief second, before blue energy moved in a tsunami towards the giant.

When the tide of new power rolled in, finally the Legend's remaining resistance was broken. Muscles exploded off his body, revealing only skeleton and organs. Explosions of green energy blasted out of his body, before being washed away in burning blue light.

"NO!"

The last word that struggled to escape the monster's mouth echoed across the the battlefield, overwhelming the noise from the Kamehameha wave. When the wave faded away, the end of it shooting into the sky, taking with it the ashes of the monster, Gohan was left standing there by himself.

Golden hair turned to black, and his knees buckled immediately before falling into the mud. But even as he began to lose consciousness, there was a hint of a smile on his face.

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Author's Notes:

Now, first things first, let me thank everyone who reads, reviews, or favourites this story. Last chapter posting was amazing. I never thought you guys would like it that much. It's got my record for most views, and most reviews. That's amazing and I'm flying high as a kite on the good feels as a result! I put a lot of effort into the story, so all the feedback I can get is always awesome.

Next, let me say that this is the end to the second "saga". Please let me know what you think. This chapter was an immense amount of work, and I appreciate everything you guys have to say except-

I had to delete 5 anon reviews last time, because people decided to be mean to one another in the review section. The review section is not a forum. It is not there for you to fight over power levels or insult one another. It is there to review the story. I don't want to sound like a dick, but please don't do that.

This is my longest chapter to date, and I do apologize if that puts anyone off. These kinds of chapters are rare, and you can only expect around 1-3 more of them before the story is done. I'd just rather give everything to you guys all at once, rather then breaking it up into 5 chapters or whatever.

Don't expect the next 5-6 chapters to be nearly as massive, and don't expect huge amounts of action. After a big climax like this, everything has to build back up again. But don't worry, the next Saga is going to be the best in the world story, in my not-so-humble opinion. Lol

I also apologize if I missed anything. I went over this twice for edits and changed/fixed a fair number of things, but I am imperfect and will never catch everything. As I've said before, I'm an awful proof reader.

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Reviewers:

Dark Knight Shiva: Everyone dies!... Except for Trunks (current timeline) and Gohan! Lol

Guest1: Thanks.

ShadowLDrago: For once Gohan wins a battle without losing important bits of his body. Yay! :P

Maesde: Well, Trunks was broken alright. :P

Tomrrow4Eva: I don't think that psychologists will want to be around someone as strong as Videl as they give her 'advice'.

Guest2: Things would get out of control if Buu were there at all.

Guest3: Doesn't really matter, as I said, power levels don't really matter to me.

Guest4: I dunno. I never really thought about it honestly.

MaxPain32: Pan, Videl, and Gohan are all featured in the next Saga. Expect a lot of messed up things from our favourite group of dysfunctional people!

xdevil-childx: The battle for the patch of ground that used to be called Satan City is over. I hope you enjoyed it :P

an9454: Thanks.

Perfect Carnage: Cooler will be featured in The Long Road, but not for a while. We're a few sagas away from him. And I don't think you can call Cooler's planned end 'fortunate'.

Brograham18: Thanks man.

MasenkoX: Yes, Dende completely restored Gohan's body. And Broly is SS2 right now. Or he was. Before he died.

Silverhawk88: Well, you got your wish. :)

Pyromania101: Videl is in hospital on the island where the WMAT is. Mister Satan flew over there because of the pressing need for his help! Lol

Lourdes-Sunrise-Princess: I think I answered this one by PM.

RoxaShadow: Given the length of the current chapter, and the amount of fighting, I know some bits may be repetitive. I apologize :P

Guest5: Power Levels don't matter.

Guest6: Answering any of those questions would kinda spoil the story. So erm, sorry? I can't really answer them.

Hinata-Hime-Starz: Pan plays a big role in the story. It's exciting.

Lil dyanimc: Honestly, thanks a bunch for the review. I sincerely appreciate it, definitely glad this is one of your favourite stories. :)

Brelic: I try. And yea, I wanted a lot of symbolism in Gohan getting rid of his cybernetic parts.

DBZ fan the first: Thanks :D

gda: Sadly, Gohan would have died along with Goku and Vegeta if he had fought at the start.

XXXPossessedforlifeXXX: Yea, I really wanted to make Broly pretty twisted in this. Even he has his soft spots however, like when Gohan mentioned how he killed Paragus.

Runtu: Sorry dude, I came up with my own ending. There are some parts of the story with some humour in it, but you'll never see a serious situation resolved that way.

Bigblukrew: Billions of reviews! Billions! lol. Thanks for dropping me a review all the same dude.

Son Akito: Thanks dude. I hope you continue to enjoy. I'm always shocked when people tell me they burn through it so quickly.

"Guest12": Do not police my review section please. I police my review section. This is how so many reviewers had their anon reviews removed. I appreciate that you are tryingto help, but its really my job.

Wilson: Given your review arrived a second after 12's, I actually wonder if you are him. I was tempted to delete this review as well, given its nature and timing.

Guest7: And thank you for reviewing :D

Chemestry-Deaf: Well, so far Buu has been contained. The Supreme Kai has things under control!... But does he have the Kais under control? And Gohan beat Broly by never giving up. :D

Eveline: And they weren't the last ones to die! Lol

Maricam25: Chi-Chi never died. She was a statue. Trunks died because Dabura broke the statue.

ParagradeN7: Good job Shephard. Lol

Guest8: I don't do sequels. If I have something to add toa story, I simply add it to the story itself. There is a planned ending for The Long Road. I've had it planned for a while. Originally, I was even going to end things with the next saga, but you guys lucked out when I realized how much more I could do.

Stiehl: You don't survive being in the Planet Trade by being a nice person. Gohan is a survivor. He did everything he needed to to live, even if at first it was reluctant.

CottonCandy101: Totally Gohan time. :D

Moriksako83: Kamehameha to death you mean :D

Axios31: I always check my reviews friend, and I am honoured you and everyone else seems to enjoy it so much. I've definitely evolved as a write, because you learn what you do right, and what you do wrong. It's all experimentation. But thank you again. :)

asweetlilpixie: Too bad. :(

reader: Hopefully you're still eager after this one :D

Naruto57: Think I answered this by PM. But thank you for the feedback.

M33sha: You didn't review it because you hate me *cries*. lol

Daughter of Vegeta: I'm glad you're enjoying. Just wait until you see the havoc which is to come. The next saga is easily my favourite that I have planned.

Ultimate Black Age: Immense review! Incredible!... and I answered via PM already XD

Guest9: Thanks

Guest10: As always, you'll find what I do pretty unique with Gohan and Videl, and the outcome may make some people happy, and other people angry/sad. :)