IT LIVES.
P.S. Elements from the manga, anime, and movies will mix.
-YARN
Gohan cried out in pain as he plowed straight through the mountains to land in a crumpled heap in the floor. His hair that was once golden flickered back into black as he tried to get up, feeling Broly's ki moving towards him.
Ever since Broly suddenly became stronger with that weird aura emanating from him, things went horribly wrong for him and Piccolo.
Whereas they at least could hold him off and deal damage, now they were both completely outclassed and overpowered to the point their fight was hopeless. Their blows may have well not been there for all the reaction Broly gave, he just brute forced through their guards and knocked them around like a fly swatter swats flies. After Piccolo had been knocked out of commission and fell to the ground, Gohan had tried to manage alone, but it was all for naught as Broly brutally pulverized him until he couldn't keep standing. He held out as long as he could but now he was almost too hurt to move and too weakened to effectively fight back. Gohan managed to get to his feet but he almost collapsed and he could barely get in the air with all the damage he had sustained. He grimaced at the familiar feeling of being totally helpless even after training so hard and for so long. It was bitter emotion he never wanted to ever feel again but here he was once again; it was like his time suffering under the androids all over again.
He was preparing to go down swinging as Broly approached.
Suddenly Goku was in front of him in his Super Saiyan form, arms crossed as he glared at Broly who stopped to glare at Goku.
"Kakarot…" He snarled, eyes narrowing in rage, "KAKAROT!"
"Enough." Goku said, not a hint of anticipation as he flicked a glance at his son, "Kurai told me about you and I am giving you one chance to leave."
Broly laughed cruelly, "I'll never be at peace while you live! I will destroy you and this pathetic planet you call home!"
Gohan glared and made to move forward but Goku quickly placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him back, "Rest son, you did well but you can't fight anymore in the state you're in. Go find Kurai and get healed. This time, I'll stop him."
Gohan reluctantly drifted away as Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan 2 and Broly laughed, "You'll die as pitifully as everyone will once I reduce this planet to dust!"
Goku frowned at Broly's oddly-tainted ki, knowing it was too much even for him at Super Saiyan 2 to match.
So the next level it was.
Goku roared as he powered up, his hair lengthening and body flaring with ki, Gohan shielded himself while Broly was literally being forced back by the sheer output of ki Goku was generating.
The world had been shaken when Cell powered up in his perfect form, and Goku had long since surpassed that power level.
All the other Z-fighter froze as Goku's ki began to explode to unbelievable levels, far outstripping the level this fight had been at. The world shook with Goku as the epicenter, clouds dissipated as what clouds didn't vanish shifted away, and oceans began to churn and flood the beaches as if trying to put as much distance as possible from the Saiyan. Kurai couldn't help the nervousness that began to fill him as he felt Goku's transformation while he tended to Gohan's injuries; it had taken blood, sweat, and numerous close calls during his training to achieve that milestone himself but the rush of cutting loose when he had to go that far to beat someone never faded in the slightest. Maybe because it was more primal, but it was the most taxing form of Super Saiyan barring the god forms and even then, Super Saiyan Blue wasn't as draining or as unstable as Super Saiyan 3 was on the body. But the sheer exhaustion after a good bout in that form was comfortable in it's own way as feeling utterly spent was…refreshing. However Super Saiyan 3 was inadvisable for a drawn out fight due the stamina drain and strain of holding it.
But even more than that…
Kurai couldn't help the surge of dread that as pooling in his heart at what was being unleashed from Goku as he ascended.
Goku's ki had been felt across the universe when he transformed in the main timeline to the point that even Gohan had sensed it while training with the Z-sword with The Supreme Kai and Kibito.
Power like that invites challenges as Goku of the main timeline had realized and therefore initially refused to be wished back to life (Kurai didn't personally agree when he heard about that as not all problems in the future hinged on Goku). And while Goku's power heralded that powerful warriors were here and they were not to be toyed with, there were still plenty of hostile beings that would be more than happy to fight to come to Earth looking for a fight.
By the time the light coalesced, Goku was in his Super Saiyan 3 form and glared at Broly as lightning danced across his skin and his aura pulsed erratically. Kurai knew that Goku was too kind-hearted and often spared those who shouldn't have been saved, but Broly had brutalized all of his friends and family, aside from Goten — who was probably still at home with Chi-chi —and Xtrunks who had gone off in pursuit of the mysterious man after he bolstered Broly's abilities. Kurai honestly couldn't predict how this Goku would act, his death and the subsequent years spent watching Gohan and Trunks suffer under the androids would have definitely had an effect on Goku's attitude. In addition to not being able to help then, there hadn't been a situation like the destruction of the Earth since the androids committed mass genocide.
"You won't destroy the Earth! I won't let you!" Goku declared as he got in his stance, "I failed to stop that once before, I won't let that happen again!"
"Then try and stop me if you can, Kakarot!" Broly countered as he rushed forward.
Broly blitzed into Goku and lashed out with a punishing kick that would have sent any of the other fighters flying even in their Super Saiyan 2 forms.
But not Goku.
Especially in his Super Saiyan 3 form.
A raised arm stopped Broly's attack cold even as the force caused the wind to almost create a storm around the two fighters.
Broly's eyes widened in shock and was too stunned to react as Goku lifted his free hand and fired a ki blast point-blank in Broly's face. The ki blast was strong enough to carry The Legendary Super Saiyan into the side of a mountain where a massive explosion lit the world for a moment. Goku didn't dither and flew to pursue Broly before the Legendary Super Saiyan could regain his bearings. The other z-Fighters carefully picked themselves up and flew towards the smoking mountain, they had to see this battle and see how far Goku had outstripped everyone. Goku hadn't ever used Super Saiyan 3 in a battle except when he and Kurai sparred in The Hyperbolic Time Chamber, so no one had been able to sense him and Kurai when they sparred at that level.
Broly was picking himself from where he had been forcibly relocated via ki blast, scowling angrily at how he had been so easily been struck. He growled as he saw Goku approaching and howled angrily as his ki flared with purple and green as he flew at his adversary. Goku's frown deepened as he met Broly in a flurry of blows that sent shockwaves and echoes across the mountains. It was clear that while Broly was still monstrously strong he wasn't the one who was winning anymore. Whereas before his boost given by time ring had healed him and let him overpower the other Z-fighter, Goku wasn't holding back at all as he and Broly traded blows and pushed at each other.
Super Saiyan 3 was nothing to scoff at in terms of a power up.
Granted, it wasn't like Goku was having a walk in the park, Broly was still prodigiously strong and his rage seem to push himself to be even more vicious. Goku had been puzzled by how much Broly seemed to hate him, he hadn't even met this Saiyan before and yet Broly obviously knew them. He had mocked Vegeta for being just as weak as he was last time and knew his saiyan name as he kept screaming it. Goku had never met this insane berserker before, but whatever interaction he had with this Saiyan didn't matter, he wouldn't stop until Broly was defeated. He winced as Broly slammed a fist into his gut and responded with an uppercut that rocked Broly's head back. They both disengaged for a moment to assess the damage before crashing together again with lethal intent, arms and legs a blur of movement. They both were pushing each other to their absolute limits, diverting ki blasts away, punches crossing each other, and kicks connecting with loud shockwaves.
If Goku hadn't ascended into Super Saiyan 3 right off the bat, Broly would've crushed him like he did everyone else. Gohan was definitely one of the strongest warriors — and no slouch in combat as he trained with Goku and Piccolo whenever he could— on Earth but had never gone past Super Saiyan 2 despite what training he did to keep his skills sharp. But on the other side of that argument, Gohan never went into The Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Kurai — or the few times Vegeta went in with him — to hone their skills and reach greater heights as he wanted to continue with his studies as well now that he had a chance to reach a long-abandoned dream of being a scholar. He had given up on it as the Androids had hunted him and Trunks for years. What use was there for a scholar in world devastated by endless death and fear? But that had no longer been the case and he relished the strides he took in being the man he always wanted to be.
That was something Goku had never forgiven himself for.
He may not have died at the android's hands all those years ago, but that hadn't helped the helpless anger and guilt that sometimes rose in him of being dead and seeing Gohan and Xtrunks nearly dying over and over again in a battle they could't win. Over and over for years he watched as people he wanted to protect died and his and Vegeta's son could do nothing but fight and lose in a desperate hope to save someone, anyone from death. His son spent so, so many years sacrificing and risking everything — his goals, wishes, hopes, life, and even the remote chance to be happy — to train Xtrunks and find a way to win. Hope and raising Xtrunks like had been all that kept his son going when everything was going to hell around him. Gohan had talked to Goku about how he knew he was heading to his possible death had Xtrunks not intervened and been enough to destroy the androids with their combined power.
Goku vowed to never put his family in that position ever again.
He thought of Goten — who had such potential and joy when they sparred, practically another Goku as a child — and how he had born in a world where he had a chance to make a choice to live as he pleased. How Gohan clung to his family in moments when the nightmares of the androids had plagued him in the years following those events.
"You won't win." Goku growled as they fought, ignoring the damage as it built on both fighters as the they battled, "They've lost too much already! I will defeat you!"
Broly's rage peaked at the fact he was being actually being held to a standstill by the one person who he only lost to because he used his allies' power. This wasn't the same as that time, Kakarot's power was all his own and that made it all the more humiliating.
Broly knew he was even stronger than when he fought his sons, that pink-haired brat, and that woman to the brink only to now be forced back all alone?
This was not how it was supposed to be!
Suddenly he felt Goku's ki falter and slammed him away with a backhand that sent Goku spinning away. Goku righted himself in the air and Broly noticed he was panting as he got back in his stance. Broly grinned as he realized that maintaining the form he was using was taxing enough to cause Goku to begin losing power. Even Goku had realized it and blitzed towards Broly, flaring his ki as he did and begin to attack The Legendary Super Saiyan with a barrage of punches and kicks. Broly crossed his arms to block but Goku poured himself into the attack, trying to overwhelm the berserker before the strain on his body became too much. Just then a blast slammed into Broly causing him to fly away and for Goku to drift away, panting harshly.
Xtrunks was there, immediately slinging Goku's arm around his shoulder to support him while starting to give Goku his ki prolong Goku's transformation.
"How bad is it?" The hybrid demanded quietly.
"Bad." Goku sighed as he felt the strain lessen as Xtrunk's ki worked against it, "Super Saiyan 3 is too much right now."
"Why?" Xtrunks growled, "You fought others in that form and lasted longer!"
"Broly's strong enough to match me and he just keeps raging more and more. He sturdy enough to take me on and gives as good as he got. I discovered this when I was dead so the strain wasn't as bad because I was dead." Goku realized in annoyance, "I have been trying to improve on it now that I am alive, but I haven't gotten as far as I wanted."
Xtrunks realized that Goku had achieved this in the afterlife and it was actually something that had been a problem when he fought Kid Buu in the main timeline. He had never used it when he was alive except for a small exchange with Super Buu after he absorbed Piccolo and Gotenks and even then didn't hold it after Gohan got absorbed as well and he fused with Vegeta to form Vegito. Even with him trying to rest while on the planet of the Kai's while Vegeta bought him time, the form simply was too much and Goku reverted back to his base form after some time passed, leaving him exhausted.
Xtrunks was already in a bad mood with having lost the man who had brought Broly here, and now Goku was flagging due to the strain of Super Saiyan 3. With a resigned sigh, he pumped as much of his power he could safely share into Goku, bolstering him as much as possible despite not being able to fully charge Goku. Goku immediately straightened as Xtrunks' ki pushed him back from the brink of collapsing from fatigue; he wasn't back at 100 but he was definitely better.
Then Kurai arrived, his mystic form active as bright white energy surrounded him, "Sorry I'm late, had to fix the cavalry as much as I had time for when I felt Goku's power fluctuate."
"Goku." Xtrunks murmured, "Get to the look out and get some senzu beans. We can hold him off, just use Instant Transmission."
Unfortunately, the idea came a bit late as a spire of green and purple energy erupted from where Broly was and he appeared right on top of them, face set in a furious scowl.
He took advantage of the break in Goku's assault to deliver a hammer blow with both hands that sent Goku down to the ground before grabbing Xtrunks and smashing his head into Xtrunks' with a sharp crack. Broly whirled and slammed a foot into Kurai's chest and sent him soaring back as Xtrunks fell to the Earth, utterly dazed from the blow to his skull. Kurai righted himself in the air and balsted Broly in the back with a barrage of energy blasts. Broly lurched forward as the blasts impacted his back and scowled as he realized that this was the same saiyan who initially attacked him when he found himself in this planet. He poured himself into the battle against the time-displaced saiyan — who and looked as though he was in his base form — that was somehow matching him blow for blow. In spite of the circumstance, Kurai could admit he was excited to use his Mystic form after having been using only his Super Saiyan forms to spar with his friends (mastering Super Saiyan 3 was hard enough and he was happy to make sure the fight was fair when he and Goku fought in The Hyperbolic Time Chamber at that level). It was beyond Super Saiyan 2 and — unlike the almost insane strain of maintaining Super Saiyan 3 with no practice — had no discernible stamina drain affecting him in combat.
Honestly, sometimes he wondered why nobody beside Gohan ever had this done with the Elder Kai being able to do it for practically anyone. Then again, Gohan always had a massive amount of potential hidden away most of the time, he only usually tapped into it when he was enraged. Kurai didn't have to have the same sort of hidden power but he never hesitated to keep pushing himself to try to grow what he did have, never content in just being strong enough and always trying to improve himself. Technically speaking, he actually didn't have the sheer amount of potential Gohan had always held back behind his rage, but he was no slouch in power when it came down to it. Whereas Gohan's potential was unlocked to be at his full disposal, Kurai considered his own unlocked potential and transformation to be 'mystic'; not quite the same, but not all that different either. He also didn't suffer from the arrogance that always plagued Gohan once he actually began to dominate his enemies, causing him to be caught off guard.
Mirai Gohan had long since conquered his arrogance through years of hardship, and Kurai couldn't honestly only say it was an improvement.
Pushing his musings aside, Kurai cut loose and fought with every scrap of power he had; if he had to be the one to kill Broly, he would do it happily. On the rare missions where he had unwillingly had to team up with Broly to fix alterations in time he had made his stomach churn and skin crawl. He was no monster and took no pleasure in killing when he didn't have to. He loved battle just as much as any Saiyan did, but he idolized the Z-fighters and aspired to be like them when he was still in the academy; so his life wasn't supposed to be about pointless slaughter and dominance, but protecting. Broly was the antithesis of his philosophy in life and it had led to some very strong feelings of disgust against the berserker. So kicking his teeth in would be a lovely way to beat some of the long held frustrations Kurai had harbored for the self-proclaimed devil without repercussions.
Broly's and Kurai's fists clashed and a wild grin appeared on each other's face as they relished the battle.
They were still warriors after all.
Blows echoed from above as Goku picked himself up before falling down on one knee, hand coming up to cradle his head and try to soothe away the ringing in his ears. And — to add salt to the wound — Goku's transformation finally faded and the weight on Goku's body redoubled as the full weight of Super Saiyan 3 strain landed squarely on his shoulders.
Still, it as not time for rest as Goku managed to speed over to where Xtrunks had landed and quickly flew him to the rest of the Z-fighters were waiting. Vegeta eyes widened on seeing Xtrunks while his younger counterpart quickly ran over and to frantically check over his surrogate older brother. Vegeta scowled and made to transform and fly over when Gohan clamped a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.
"We aren't fully healed. Kurai only did enough to keep us conscious before flying off to help Dad." Gohan reasoned.
"Can you lend me some ki?" Goku inquired, "I am heading to the lookout to grab some Senzu beans."
Piccolo nodded and reached out to Goku, hand glimmering green as he shared his ki with the Saiyan.
Goku pressed his fingers to his forehead and vanished.
The man sighed as he watched the battle between the two saiyans in the sky, mouth drawn into a thin line. Evading Xtrunks had been hard enough, but he managed well enough. The battle had been entertaining, but he could tell Broly was too worn down to fight as effectively as he could, there were some things even his corrupted time energy could not bridge, and Broly's damage from battle the Z-fighters and then from scrapping with Goku while the Saiyan was at Super Saiyan 3. This version of Broly wouldn't have been able to match Goku at all if he wasn't given a boost via the corrupted time energy that empowered him. At this point it was drawing out the fight against the former time-patroller for no good reason and honestly things were going to be very interesting with the herald call of Super Saiyan 3 energy that echoed throughout the universe.
"Well… not too much more to do here but wait for the finale." He mused, "I personally know once Goku arrives with senzu, Broly won't have a chance. May as well end it here then."
He held out his hand to Broly as the purple ring on his finger flashed.
