Reality warped around the group of 14 as they shot through the void of space to the surface of the dradul shaped arena that would be determining the fate of 8 universes.
Landing with a sort of grace and elegance, the group of warriors and gods took in their surroundings. It was nothing short of magnificent. The sheer scale of the arena was astounding. It had to be at least the size of a large city. Maybe even a small island!
Well I mean, it's kind of an island. But still.
The Cat God of Destruction spoke to his angel advisor as his team looked around the stage in curiosity.
"Whis"
"Yes, Beerus-sama."
"This is it, isn't it."
"Have faith, Beerus-sama," Whis said pointedly, "We have the Saiyans, after all."
"Something tells me we're not the only ones with Saiyans, Whis."
"Yes."
Beerus gestured for Goku to come to him and Whis. "Goku, come here."
Goku looked over towards the unusually serious Beerus. "Coming!" He said while lightly jogging over to him.
"Are you ready for this mess you've gotten us into?" The cat asked, waving his hand around the stage.
"I think I am. I'm not sure though. There are a lot of really strong guys here!" Goku exclaimed while putting his hands behind his head in a carefree nature.
Beerus smacked Goku on the back of the head. "YOU IDIOT! THIS COULD MEAN ALL OF OUR LIVES AND YOU'RE 'NOT SURE'!"
"Hey," Goku's said meekly, "I'm sure we've got this. We have a lot of strong guys too."
"But do we have control of all of our 'strong guys'!"
"Well I mean, yeah." Goku looked over to the Arcosian and fusion."At least for now."
Beerus scoffed at the two. "Those two had better stay in line. You knew how I felt about bringing him from Hell, and you still did it. And to top it all off, you brought a child as well! How can we trust them with our universe?"
"Simple," Frieza said having stepped behind Goku, his arms crossed and eyes closed. "It's our universe too."
"Yeah, old man," Trunten cracked his knuckles, throwing a few punches while speaking, "I could easily take this whole arena of fighters on. I don't know what you're so worried about."
Beerus scoffed again, this time a bit louder, "Boy, you have no idea the caliber of fighters here." He looked towards The God of Destruction of Universe 11, "There are some who have surpassed the gods themselves."
Gohan stood motionless. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes were closed. The people around him were moving in a hurry, they were already behind schedule, and so far only 12 of the 16 were in the transparent box that Vados had created for them.
"KALE! CAULIFLA! SPROUT! CABBA! GET IN THE BOX NOW!" Broly and Champa both shouted. They had to leave in the next minute or they would be late.
"Yeah, yeah, give me a minute." Caulifla said nonchalantly, putting her left shoe on slowly, which drove the two mad.
Gohan sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Every single time." He muttered under his breath. He walked out and grabbed Caulifla by her arm, and quite literally tossed her into the box. Ignoring the protests, he quickly did the same to Cabba and Sprout, while Kale meekly walked herself over.
"Thank you, Gohan," Champa said while rubbing his temples, "Vados, we need to go now."
"Yes, Champa-sama." She quickly tapped her staff on the ground, and the box that Universe 6's fighters were in disappeared in a flurry of light.
The atmosphere was tense with the fighters and company. Everyone was on edge, even those who weren't fighting today. Nobody had the nerve to try and talk to either Vegeta or Hit. The other Saiyans were discussing battle strategies for every scenario they could come up with. Pirina was in a semi meditative state, much like Gohan's old mentor, Piccolo had loved. Superman was having a last minute talk with Batman and Faora about how he was to manage his powers in actual, no holds barred combat with beings he knew were on a level he could never attain.
However, none was more tense than Gohan. He stood rigid to the side of Champa and Vados, but in front of Fuwa, the Supreme Kai of this universe. He got a bad vibe from the fat Kai, he knew he wasn't acting real. This was an act. But then again, he was pretty sure Champa knew as well, and just let it be. So he would too.
Even with the side thoughts of the deities around him, he was still troubled. He had been for the weeks leading up to today, but it still made no difference on it. He was ready. Ready as he ever would be. He also was happy he would get to see his family again, even under such dire circumstances. But, he didn't want sentimental moments to cost him the fight, and in turn, his new home's existence.
"Vados." His face turned towards her a fraction of an inch. "I need a favor of you." He looked back away, staring off into the passing space with an intensity not matched by many.
She saw the nature of her strongest fighter's demeanor, and quickly agreed. "Yes, Gohan-san, anything you need." She said with a small smile.
"I want a mask," He said, "something to cover my face so Universe 7 can't recognize me. Just make it easier to fight them if they think I'm the enemy." Without a response from the all powerful being next to him, he felt a heavy weight appear from the base of his neck to just under his eyes. He reached up a hand to touch it, it was metal, cool, and surprisingly comfortable. He could breathe properly through it, and honestly, if he didn't think about it, he really didn't notice it.
Vados' staff waved itself in front of his face, the ball reflecting his image. The mask he wore was a black metal that he didn't recognize. There were vents on each oh his cheeks that allowed for proper ventilation. They worked extremely well as far as he could tell, fighting in it, however, is still yet to be tested.
Vados retracted her staff as she looked to Gohan, she could see his grateful smile even through the mask. It did seem a bit dark for his personality, but then again, Katchin is a dark metal, and the strongest in her reach.
She looked away from the Saiyan teen, and turned her attention back towards the space in front of her. "We are here." She said, her voice unwavering.
"Finally," Champa stretched his arms over his head and adjusted his shoulders. Standing was hard work. "Are you all ready?" He asked the ten brave souls.
"Not like we have much of a choice." Pirina said. His deep voice resonating throughout the box.
"Agreed." Hit responded. "I wish you all the best of luck." With that, the space around the box of fighters warped as they came out of their faster than light travel. Slowly, a dradul shape came into view. The more curious, young Saiyan warriors ran to the edge of the box to get a better look, while everyone everyone else stayed where they were.
"How long do we have to fight." Batman glared at the arena. He had seen Gohan in action, and didn't doubt his power, especially from what he's been told of about his newer forms. But he couldn't believe a whole tournament that would determine the fate of 8 universes was to be fought in 50 minutes. It took him more time to work out than that.
"100 Taks," Gohan replied through his mask. His voice was surprisingly not muffled in the slightest. "or, 48 minutes." Batman nodded. His stoic form unchanged from before.
Universe 6 landed a bit away from the other universes since they were carrying non fighter and non universal deity spectators, and they didn't really want to cause a scene. The box around them disappeared the moment it touched the fighting arena, allowing for the fighters to exit. They all looked around and saw that the other universes were actually just exiting their own boxes, allowing Champa to sigh in relief. "At least we weren't late."
The fighters ignored him promptly, and instead separated into their groups, talking with their partner, and gauging opponents with each other.
"I was told Universe 11 had a powerful fighter by the name of Toppo. He apparently went head to head with Goku in the same form he used against me." Hit projected to his allies. "They didn't get to finish their fight, but if he can push Goku to his god form, then he is a real threat."
Broly nodded his head, "And he has friends too," He pointed to Universe 11's area. There were 10 warriors all dressed in the same black and red uniforms. The team looked over to the Universe 11 warriors, who saw and returned with a glare. Kale hid behind her Saiyan friends, while the rest held their gaze. Gohan and Hit stepped in front of the team and glared back, with Vegeta doing the same soon after.
"Looks nasty to me, but not all that powerful," Vegeta said with a smirk, "Besides Toppo, all of them look like half assed dancers." He was lying. He continued to study them. Something was off. His glare hardened.
Gohan didn't respond, sizing up every single one of them. He could tell Hit was doing the same. Gohan obviously took in Toppo first. The man seemed very top heavy, strikes from his arms would most likely be devastating to everyone on the team except him and possibly Vegeta and Hit. Next he looked at the fighter that looked like a leaner version of Champa. Gohan could easily tell in his movements that he was built for speed. He couldn't gauge just how fast he was, but just from how he seemed to consciously restrain himself in just basic movements, Gohan could tell he would be extremely fast.
Finally the last person he thought was remarkable in any way, was the large gray man in the back of the group, levitating slightly, meditating. He was top heavy, like Toppo, but more proportional. But even from what Gohan could sense from here, he was extremely powerful. On par with his base God form, even when resting.
"Bah, they don't look that tough," Sprout said arrogantly, "I bet I could take fish eyes back there no sweat." She swiped her nose with her thumb in a rude gesture at the meditating warrior.
Vegeta scowled, "Hold your tongue you prude!" She looked at him with a glare.
"And why should I you peasant!"
"Look at him!" Vegeta deadpanned while nodding at the meditating warrior, "He is a seasoned warrior. Do you not see it in his posture? How his, obviously powerful, teammates are giving him clearance? He is most likely the strongest on that team!"
"Seems like Vegeta is thinking the same," Gohan glanced to his training partner.
"Champa-sama, we should go to the viewing platform now," Vados said softly, gaining the attention of the fighters once more, and a nod from Champa.
"I agree," Batman said, "Lets go and let them prepare themselves." He said, referring to their fighters. He stepped closer to the deities, signaling he was ready to go. A square, transparent green platform appeared under the human, as he, Vados, and Fuwa flew to the viewing station. Faora stayed a moment longer, giving Gohan and Superman a reassuring look, but lingering a bit longer on Gohan's form as she rose to the air, catching up with the group.
Champa stayed behind. "Kale, Caulifla, I have something for you two."
The two's ears perked up, they weren't expecting any help in the tournament. But they would gladly welcome it. They walked over to Champa, Caulifla taking the lead while Kale stayed behind her.
"Eh? Whatcha got for us?" The lead female Saiyan asked curiously.
"Potara earrings." He said, showing them his open palm, which had two earrings laid out in it. "I think the strength of this team as it stands should put us on top, but just in case one of our heavy hitters goes down, this will make you both into one of the most formidable warriors on this battlefield."
Caulifla bent closer to get a better look at the earrings. "Cool, but why not just lead with them?" She grabbed the pair of earrings and put them on herself. "I don't feel any different. Are you lying to us?" She said cynically.
Champa facepalmed. Hard. He took a few deep breaths to keep his composure. "No, you idiot. If we lead with them, then you will be targeted first because of your strength." He snatched one of the earring from Caulifla's ear forcefully, making her yelp. "And their not working on you because they fuse two fighters together for a period of time to make one super fighter. If and when you're going to do this, you have to put it on your right ear," He pointed at Caulifla, "and you, your left." He changed to Kale, who was still standing behind Caulifla.
"Hmph, are you saying we're weak old man!?" Caulifla yelled at the god.
"You're insufferable," Vegeta said, stepping behind the wild female. "Thank you for the advantage, Champa-sama, but don't you think it would be better if Gohan and I fused instead? If we were to fuse with our standing power now, I'm sure we would be much more powerful than any other combination on this team."
Champa reached into his robes, "That's a very good point Vegeta, and exactly why I was coming over to you two next." He tossed Vegeta another pair of Potara earrings, "I'm sure you can explain to Gohan how to use them."
"Thank you Champa."
"Hn," Champa grunted while turning to fly to the viewing station. "Just don't lose this for us. For everyone." He flew away at a leisurely pace to where Vados and the others were seated by another Universe's gods, one of which, looked eerily similar to Champa.
"Universe 7," Gohan thought as he watched from a few meters away from Vegeta, "So they're here already."
"Gohan!" The Saiyan's eyes snapped to Vegeta. He was walking over to him with a closed fist. "Champa gave us Potara earrings. They will fuse us to make us stronge-"
"I heard him." Gohan cut Vegeta off. He was too focused on finding his friends to care. His eyes scanned the entire platform, searching endlessly to find a glimpse of orange and blue.
Vegeta caught on immediately. "They're over there," He pointed in the opposite direction of Universe 11. They were standing by the large pillar in the middle of the arena, and Gohan recognized almost everyone in the group. He even got a hell of a shock when he saw Frieza standing in their midst. There was also a child no older than 10 warming up with Piccolo. He had black and purple mixed hair that was in a style somewhere in between Goku's Super Saiyan state, and Vegeta's normal hair. They were dressed in a green gi similar to his father's with a blue under shirt. He took note that they had the same earrings on the Vegeta had shown him.
"A fusion," He concluded, "Most likely between two Saiyans, half Saiyans at that. That means that they're either the offspring of new Saiyans that were found while I've been gone or…" Gohan caught sight of his father and Vegeta, both standing in the middle of the group, talking at each other while eying the other teams, including his. Gohan sized them up. Vegeta looked a little more defined in his stature, if that was even possible. He noticed some of the arrogance was gone, instead filled with pure pride for his own, and the fusion's power. "Yep, so Vegeta's son, Trunks is one half. Should have figured that off of the purple hair, but who's the other?"
He studied the face of the small boy, who was no older than he was at the Cell games. He saw Vegeta's face in there definitely, the way he acted was also a giveaway for that. However, the more he looked at him, the more he saw his father's facial features. The forehead was dominated by Vegeta, as well as the chin, but the fusion's nose and eye structure were too similar of his father's to dismiss.
Gohan didn't know how to feel. Was he really replaced by his parents? Have they really forgotten about him after all this time? He couldn't really blame them. He had been dead to all of them for years at this point. Moving on was just a natural part of it. But judging by the age of the fusion, including Vegeta's son, then his brother couldn't be much younger than Trunks.
Gohan's face turned white. His brother was planned before his disappearance. He was going to be a big brother after the Cell games. His parents had planned all along for him to have a role in this person's life, and yet he wasn't there.
He turned to the viewing station where the Gods of Destruction were seated. "Champa!" He shouted up, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice, "How long until we have to be ready for the tournament?"
Champa did the same thing with his hands as Gohan, "About 7 or 8 minutes, there's been a delay in the fighting stage, they're just reinforcing it now."
"Thank you!" Gohan gave the god a thumbs up. He turned around and stepped towards Vegeta, who had gone back and was discussing the Potara fusion with Hit and Pirina. "Vegeta, I'm going to talk to someone real quick, I'll be back in a few minutes." Vegeta waved him off, considering Pirina's point further.
With his team notified, Gohan turned around with his determination hidden under his mask. He briskly walked across the stage to the people he called his family. He was almost there, just a few steps away, when he was pulled to a stop by the back of his blue gi.
His face was one of annoyance as the person not only stopped him in his tracks, but then began pulling him. Gohan was struggling to get free of the grip, but found that nothing he did released him of the hand.
(1)
The teen spiked his power, ascending to Super Saiyan with a grunt, both igniting his aura and breaking free, which caught the attention of every being present.
His hair golden, and eyes full of annoyance and anger, Gohan spun around to face the person who was denying him of seeing his family. He was nothing short of enraged when he saw that the person who had been holding him back was Broly.
"Come on, Gohan. You know you can't go to them. Not yet." Broly said with a kindness reserved only for his daughter under normal circumstances, as he reached out to wrap his arm around Gohan's shoulders.
Although Gohan was surprised by the gesture, he was not moved by it. Using the arm that Broly broke less than a year ago, Gohan released a palm strike to the adult male's solar plexus, firing Broly away from him, and sending him tumbling back to the other fighters on his team.
Broly stood and immediately burst into his own Super Saiyan state, catching the attention of Universe 7 specifically.
"Three Super Saiyans from that Universe?" Vegeta from Universe 7 scanned the Universe 6 team, noticing Cabba and putting him in the count. Hit was there along with a Namekian of incredible power. Vegeta wouldn't doubt if he could match Piccolo. There were more Saiyans, all of whom were on guard, with one female trying to calm down the adult male, who was strikingly similar to Broly. A doppleganger perhaps.
But then he saw himself.
A scarred, half blind, version of himself who was no older than the Saiyan challenging the Broly doppelganger. Vegeta sensed his doppelganger's power and was shocked to see that at such a young age, he was already using god ki. Vegeta sensed all of the fighters, and was shocked that the teen challenging Broly was also able to access god ki. "Just who are these people?"
"Come on Broly! If you want me to come back, then you've gotta make me!" Gohan exclaimed at his teammate. He had never let the events on Vegeta go, and he had been on edge with Broly since he was announced to be on their team. This was a show of bottled up frustration.
"You ungrateful brat! You don't understand what this could do to our chances of survival!" Broly yelled in rage at Gohan.
Gohan flared his aura even more, "I don't know what my actions do? You seem to be sorely mistaken, old man, as you're the one who can't mind his own FUCKING BUSINESS!" He screamed, letting his anger gain a bit more control of him. "You can't imagine what they mean to me. The only family you've ever had was your whore of a daughter!"
Broly's eyes glazed over, "Don't you speak of her like that!" The Super Saiyan shot forward with a jump, reaching Gohan within a second. He assaulted the teen with a flurry of punches that even made Goku do a double take.
Gohan crossed his arms over his chest in an X and tucked his head. He took all of the blows no problem. He waited for the right moment, and grabbed Broly's wrist. He flipped the larger Saiyan over his shoulder in a wrestlers move, driving his head into the stone. Gohan quickly shoved himself off of the ground, and brought his foot unto Broly's head, holding him down.
Gohan held out a hand charged full of yellow energy at the Saiyan, "Is that all you've got bastard," Gohan sneered, riling Broly up even further.
"Father!" Sprout shot forward as well, transforming into a Super Saiyan on the way.
She didn't make it halfway when Gohan used his overwhelming power to generate an aura that pushed her to the ground. "Sprout!" Broly shouted with worry. His glare hardened even more and his pupils started to disappear. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" His aura turned a faint green, almost overwhelming his gold-
"ENOUGH!" A red aura exploded in the midst of Team Universe 6, shaking the entire fighting arena. "GOHAN! BROLY! Control yourselves!" The scarred, red haired Vegeta bellowed, his godly transformation amplifying his voice so anyone close to him had to cover their ears.
"Hn." Gohan grunted, and dropped his transformation. The ki in his hand dissipated as he turned to resume his walk to Universe 7's team. That was, until he turned around to block a green ki blast from hitting his back, his red eyes shining with rage.
Gohan's hair turned a bright red for a split second, as he vanished and reappeared on top of Broly once more, before caving his nose and most of his face in with his fist. A shockwave pushed even Vegeta in his godly form back.
After the blow landed, Gohan immediately dropped the transformation. He stared down at the now black haired, and bruised Broly. He scoffed and roughly kicked him back towards Vegeta and the others, who were now in the company of an amused Vados.
Gohan resumed his walk towards Universe 7's fighters, not paying any mind to the others who were staring at him after that display of power, including the meditating pride trooper with one eye open, staring intently on the Saiyan who walked away. He was focused on one thing, and one thing only.
Gohan reached the fighters of Universe 7. He couldn't believe he was here with them, up close again. He honestly thought he wouldn't ever see them. However, they were visibly sceptical of him. Most of them sized him up, taking in everything from his casual stance, his build, and his power. Even Piccolo, who he thought would have recognized him by now, showed no sign of knowing him at all.
However, his father, always being the extroverted one, ignored the standoffishness that his friends displayed towards the teen in front of them. He instead, stuck out his hand for Gohan to shake. "Hi, I'm Goku, you're pretty strong aren't you? We should really spar after this whole thing is over."
Gohan was surprised by the friendliness, but also should have known to expect it. Even so, it almost brought to tears.
Gohan gave his father a quick once over. If one was to look on just the outside, they would think Goku hadn't changed over the last- however long Gohan had been gone. But since Gohan had spent a year alone with this man, he noticed some of the light had gone from his eyes, his posture was off by maybe a centimeter at most, and his ki seemed to have lost a little of the brightness. Not enough to warrant any reaction from his friends, as it most likely happened gradually, but enough for someone who had sensed it for the first time in a while to notice.
It really made the teen feel guilty. What if he had been able to stop Cell's attack? What if he had countered it sooner? That one stupid, overcocky decision had cost him and his family so much.
"Yoohoo~ Aren't you going to shake my hand?" Goku asked politely, staring a little at the newcomer, studying what he could see of him. He couldn't help but note some similarities in their facial structure (of what h could see), and even some in their ki. Odd.
Gohan blinked in surprise, "Oh, I'm sorry," He took the older Saiyan's hand in his own, noticing the firm grip getting ever so tighter. His father was testing his strength, even through a handshake. Typical. He couldn't help but shake his head and smile under his mask, which was feeling more and more wrong by the second. He really should just tell them who he was.
Yes. He would. Maybe their teams could form an alliance and agree to have a better cause. To use the Super Dragonball whatevers to wish back the other Universes if they were destroyed. But then again, what if he couldn't do it? What if they lose their focus on the fight? What if they get eliminated because they weren't focusing fully for even a split second. That probably wouldn't be a problem for Vegeta, or Frieza, or even the little shit with the purple and black hair, but what about his father, or Piccolo, or Kri-
"Gohan?"
He looked up at his father. There were hopeful tears in his father's charcoal eyes. Eyes that held such pain, such innocence, yet more expecince than Gohan had ever seen. Suddenly, any doubts Gohan had of not revealing himself were gone.
The young Saiyan reached up to his face, and removed the half mask. He tossed it to the side, where it landed on the ground with a metallic clang.
His face now revealed, Gohan looked at his father once more. The tears that were exclusive to his eyes before, had now become a stream down his face.
"Gohan!" The man embraced his son, squeezing him harder than Chi-Chi could ever imagine, not that Gohan cared.
Gohan returned the embrace, "Father."
**FIN**