Notes: When Dyspo first appeared, there was speculation that he might be connected to Beerus. It was disappointing that this wasn't explored. Surely the artists can't have been so distracted as to design Dyspo so much like Beerus for no reason, and none of them noticed. I'm of the opinion that Dyspo's origin was a scrapped idea that was never implemented. So this is one way it might have worked. Of all the ways they ate up time to extend that last arc, I would have preferred any sort of Dyspo backstory to a near-full episode of Ribrianne any day. Even more than that, I would have preferred backstory on how Universe 2's theme translated into it being populated seemingly primarily by women, okama, and men very much in touch with their femininity. Where would the babies come from?

Summary: Three gods, one witch, and a mixed blessing.

Bulma's Suggestion Box
A Dragon Ball Super Fanfic by
Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)
Interlude: USA3: God of Speed

She was called many things.

Elder. Oracle. Witch.

All that truly mattered was that she was known only to the gods, and they guarded the secret of her existence out of both necessity and greed. She used her power only in service to them, and they ensured that she was left alone until her power was needed.

The three young brothers stood before her, as so many other gods had. She could read the eagerness in their eyes, the wild abandon in their souls. She began as she always did.

"I will grant you each one wish. Every wish comes with a curse. Think carefully, before you speak. What is done here, cannot be undone."

She turned to the first brother and gestured for him to speak.

"I wish to be the strongest of the three of us," he said.

"And so you shall be, Beerus," she answered. "The strength of your brothers will always pale in comparison to your own. But such power is not without its flaws, and must be used sparingly. Thus, I curse you with sleep. You will be unable to resist it, and it will be the one thing that always conquers you. Let that be the restraint upon your power. Now, go."

Scowling, Beerus turned and left.

"Speak your wish," she said to the second brother.

"I wish to have the greatest endurance of the three of us."

She smiled. "You seek a counter to the strength of Beerus. This is wise, Champa." Her smile faded. "But you seek to prolong the squabbles of old with your brothers. This is foolish. You are young gods, and you should not be so petty. But I grant your wish. You will be able to outlast even Beerus. And yet, I curse you with sloth. Your power will be limited by your imagination, which is already sub-par. Now, go."

Grumbling, Champa turned and left.

"And you," she said to the last brother. "Speak your wish."

He thought long and hard on all he had heard. Finally, he said, "I wish to be the fastest of the three of us."

"You seek to blaze a trail that your brothers cannot walk. A path they can only glimpse as you pass them by. But, I am afraid that you will have the greatest misfortune of the three, deserving though you are."

He flinched. "What is my curse, then?"

She shook her head. "You have the speed you wished for. You will always be the fastest of the three. Now, go."

He hesitated. "Please, elder. I have always been the weakest, never equal to either of my brothers in anything. I knew I would be the last to have a chance to speak, and that they would take the greatest gifts first. Tell me, was that my curse?"

She smiled sadly. "I wish I could say that it had been, young one. Were it in my power, I would make it so. But you already have your wish."

"And do I already have my curse?" he guessed.

But she would say no more.

The wishes, and curses, came true immediately.

Beerus possessed strength beyond either of his brothers. He was also prone to naps that lasted a full year, during which his body lost much of its weight. The slimness certainly helped in utilizing his power, but his appetite was greater than ever, which in turn increased the length of his sleeping spells.

Champa possessed endurance beyond either of his brothers. He could never defeat Beerus, not unless the contest was a test of endurance, which Beerus was wise enough to avoid, but Champa was not imaginative enough to demand.

The last brother possessed speed beyond either of his brothers. Not surprisingly, they refused to acknowledge this, and him. But they never had acknowledged him before, so this was nothing new. Still, he trained hard with his new gift, determined not to waste it, determined to make his brothers see that he would not be ignored. But the faster he became, the less they seemed to notice him. And still he became faster, convinced that they would one day have no choice but to recognize his skill.

So he ran.

He ran, streaking past every obstacle, and leaving behind anything that would weigh him down or interfere with his speed. All that mattered was that he would be the fastest.

"You. What is your name?"

He turned around, unable to resist the volume in that booming voice, and faced one of the largest men he'd ever seen. "I have no name."

The large man frowned, his amazingly large fists clenching. "And? Where is your Justice?" he demanded. "I hear you will take on any mission for any price. That is no way to live!"

He frowned, offended. "It's how I live!"

"Not anymore." The large man extended his hand. "Come with me, friend. Together, we will find your Justice!"

"Look, I-"

"COME!" The large man glared into his eyes. "They say you claim to be faster than the gods. But no man outruns Justice!"

"...whatever, man."

"You would deny Justice? Then fight me! We will see where your speed gets you!"

"Hey, wait. You're one of those Pride Troopers, right? I haven't done anything wrong. I do a job, I get paid. I don't like the job, I turn it down. So unless you've got proof that I did something illegal, leave me alone!"

This only seemed to make the large man more determined to fight. "Then here is your next job: try to escape my Justice Flash!"

"No memories at all?" Belmond asked.

"Nothing significant," Toppo confirmed. "All he has is his speed, and a burning desire. But even he cannot say what for. We can use someone like him in the Pride Troopers. And better he is with us, than hired to work against us. I will see to his training myself."

"Well, if you feel so strongly about it, Toppo, I'll allow it. From what I've seen, he is quite fast. But people that powerful don't just appear. I wonder where he came from?"

"I thank you for your patience, Belmond-sama," Toppo said, bowing.

Belmond waved him away. "See how far you can get him in, oh, three months. I have a meeting then, and I could use a capable man. Who knows, seeing more of the multiverse might jog his memory."

Beerus came to a stop, his eyes narrowing as Belmond stood up to leave, followed closely by his new attendant. "Wait."

Belmond glanced back at him. "Something on your mind, Beerus?"

Beerus stared at the attendant, who met his gaze uncertainly. "Who is this, Belmond?"

"Ah, him," Belmond replied, seemingly amused. "That's our newest Pride Trooper, Dyspo. The resemblance is truly uncanny, isn't it? Sure you don't have another brother?"

Beerus blinked, as if actually considering that. "...no. Many is the day I dreamed of trading Champa in for a replacement, but no. Only one brother, unfortunately."

For his part, Dyspo did not seem to know Beerus, either. And yet, for some reason, he was reluctant to leave the god's sight, as if there was some unfinished business between them.

Toppo slowly lowered his hands, unable to hide his shock. "Dyspo, that aura of darkness..."

"You like it, Toppo?" Dyspo laughed. "I call it my Super Maximum Light Speed Mode!"

"Yes, it's... very impressive." Toppo could not find the words to say what he actually thought, however. When he first saw that dark aura appear around Dyspo, for a moment, he'd been convinced.

He'd been in the presence of a Hakaishin.

One capable of cloaking himself in the Energy of Destruction, no different from Toppo's own defensive aura. But, of course, it wasn't the same. Dyspo's aura didn't seem to destroy anything. Although, Toppo could imagine, at high enough speeds, nearly anything could be destroyed: flesh, bone... perhaps even memories.

Maybe Dyspo had once been far more like Beerus. But in pursuit of ultimate speed, where everything unnecessary was cast aside... those chains of memory that would have weighed Dyspo down, and indeed, kept him from becoming Dyspo at all... how could those be needed by one such as him?

Toppo kept his thoughts to himself, however. He had an idea that part of the reason Dyspo was so fast was that he was trying to outrun something in his past. And in any case, Dyspo was now devoted to the Pride Troopers, and to Toppo, who had given him a new purpose. If ever there was a need to face his past, Dyspo would do so with all the speed and support he could ever need.

It was strange, though. If asked, Toppo would have said that Dyspo's dark aura was not so much the result of training, as it was a manifestation of instinct and willpower. As if his body had just... known how to become even faster.

"I curse you to forget, and to be forgotten. You will outrun your poor treatment at the hands of your brothers, because you will outrun their memories of you, and yours of them. Let all that would decrease your speed be consumed in your wake. Your form will be altered, until it is fit only for greater and greater speed. You will indeed be the fastest of your brothers, but none of you will ever know it. Race forward forevermore, god of speed."

End Interlude

Endnotes:

This was just a little sample until the next chapter of Eschalot's Dragon is done, and it almost is!

I find it very hard to believe that there is no connection between Dyspo and Beerus. They look so much alike that Champa comments on it. This is remarkably different from Pikkon resembling Piccolo, as Pikkon was clearly not Namekian, but until we saw all of Dyspo, he could have passed for Beerus in a Pride Trooper uniform. But apparently Dyspo is a rabbit, not a cat. Funny how he's the only rabbit to resemble Beerus to that degree. Surely the character designer was aware.

One of the aspects of the Tournament of Power that I really enjoyed was the people from other universes that also rivaled or surpassed their Hakaishin in power. But the idea that two such people hailed from Universe 11 was very interesting. Especially since Dyspo was supposed to be the third strongest, and all he really seemed to have was his speed. But the idea that Dyspo could move so fast that an angel had trouble tracking him really stands out. So yes, he only had speed, but he was among the very fastest, and almost certainly faster than some Hakaishin, if them being trained by angels is the norm. And if there is such a person, it fits that he'd find his way onto a team with two other god-surpassers. Which makes them a trinity (which I may do a chapter on later).

Dyspo being an uncrowned god makes Gohan look better. Piccolo stated that Gohan wouldn't have been able to beat Dyspo without Frieza's help. That would be the second time in the tournament that Gohan struggled with a faster opponent, so apparently that's his weakness. Nice job teaching Gohan to fight people who use Instant Transmission, Goku. Oh, wait. If only Gohan had access to anyone else who knew Instant Transmission and lived nearby... like Buu. Huh. In that case, it's pretty much Gohan's own fault he doesn't know how to handle people who use Instant Transmission. How hard is it to bribe Buu with sweets? Mr. Satan figured it out. Too bad Gohan doesn't hail from Universe 6, where Saiya-jin seem to pick up things as fast as Cell does. Probably going to address that in a chapter, too.