Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL

by DarkShadowGames451

After a heroic sacrifice, Son Goku fell at the hands of Cell in the dreadful Cell Games, leaving it up to his son to protect the world in his place. But after seven long years of peace, new evil forces emerge to threaten the planet. Now, it's up to Son Gohan, the son of Goku, and his new friends to take a stand and defend the Earth that Goku gave his life to protect.

41. Chapter 41

Review Response:

To SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta: I think it's interesting that Saiyans in another universe found a way to transform without using anger. I thought that someone like Wheelo could figure that out because he's a human scientist that spliced his DNA like a Saiyan. After all, why should he care about Saiyan traditions where his mind is his best weapon? Sorry that it pisses people off given the cool moments of struggle our beloved characters had to go through to attain a "legendary" form.

To SeanHicks4: Thanks for the feedback man. Also, a man's viewpoint could change over time. While I still think that the Super anime wasn't as passionate as GT or hit the same emotional highs as the Dragon Ball Z anime, there were a lot of concepts that I liked and Dragon Ball Heroes/Super Dragon Ball Heroes' content did excite me and gave me plenty to work in this story. All that I can say from here is welcome board and I hope you can hold my hand until the story's end.

To SuperSaiyanFever: Ha! It would be funny if Sharpner left the Battle Zone and got a giant bottle of RAID to kill Barry Khan. But yeah, different methods of power could be achieved through different ways from universe to universe. The possibilities are endless.

---

Last time on Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL, our heroes still struggle to put down their foes. One M-2 Unit, in particular, was able to defeat two young Saiyan Hybrids on their own. It the threatened lives of several humans and Trunks for Goten to finally transform to obliterate the mechanical fiend ince and for all. Bulma and her father discovered Erasa's project which she helped build, T-2006; a model created out of Capsule Corp's technology that also incorporated Cooler's Big Gete machinery. With the same kind of technology being used in Dr. Wheelo's technology, T-2006 took it upon itself to attempt to hack into the evil scientist's private server. Around this time, Gohan, Videl, and Sharpner were in the middle of confronting their respective opponent with the aim of putting an end to their goals to sabe their loved ones and the world. Will the Dragon Team overcome the odds before time runs out? The tides of change flow freely as the Dark Revolution continues, now!

---

King Kai's Planet, Other World, Age 774

"Oh wow!" King Kai cried as his antennae picked up the destruction of the last of the higher-ranking Machine Mutants.

"What do you see, King Kai?" Grandpa Gohan questioned with Son Goku and the blue-skinned Core Person's pet monkey, Bubbles, standing beside King Kai.

"Special machines designed by the Earthling responsible for this mess had been unleashed. They managed to wipe out quite a large number of people in the process of deployment." King Kai explained, taking Goku and Grandpa Gohan off guard. "To be frank, four of these machines are so advanced, they blow the Artificial Humans and the likes of Cell out of the water. Hell, they gave your friends a lot of trouble, Goku. Even Vegeta struggled, and he's much stronger than Gohan at this point."

Goku's eyes widened in apprehension but kept his composure with a hardened exterior as he retreated to his thoughts.

'Vegeta's having issues with 'em, huh? Now I know that something's off.' Goku thought to himself. 'This Wheelo guy's gotta be as smart as Bulma to pull this off.'

"What of Goku's family and friends? Are they okay?" Old Man Gohan questioned out of compassion and concern.

"All of them are all currently. Chi-Chi, Bulma, one of Gohan's friends, and Krillin's daughter all got away from the island. The warriors have gone and split up into several factions. Vegeta defeated one that could manipulate liquid metal with a power that is near his own. One group comprising Piccolo, No. 18, Tenshinhan, and Krillin managed to bring down a techno-organic lifeform capable of converting negativity into power. This could have potentially been a danger to the entire universe, but Piccolo's incredible technique put a stop to the being."

"Hm?" Goku uttered with his head cocked to the side. "What technique are ya talkin' about, King Kai?"

"Oh, it's nothing too important. Piccolo just unlocked his ability to access Godly ki." The god waved off casually.

"Woah! He did? That is incredible!" Goku complimented, remembering how difficult it was for him to utilize divine energy before transcending into the Saiyan God form.

"It shouldn't be too surprising if Kami rejoined with the Demon King's reincarnation." Grandpa Gohan pointed out.

Grinning, King Kai chuckled as he held up an index finger, saying, "If you think that's impressive, wait until I talk about Goten!"

"Goten?" Goku repeated, with a firm expression now appearing on his face. "Did something happen to him? Who hurt my son, King Kai?"

King Kai raised his hands defensively, saying, "Hey, now! Take it easy! He's alive and well. He defeated the final machine by transforming into a Super Saiyan."

"He did WHAT, now!?" Goku shouted, with his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "U-Uh, how old is he, again?"

"He's eight, Goku. His birthday was a month ago." King Kai said while facepalming. "He's a year younger than Vegeta's son."

Crossing his arms, Goku couldn't help but smile proudly at the news.

'Well, would you look at that? My boy's a Super Saiyan and at eight no less. Man, Gohan and I weren't nearly as strong at his age. I can only imagine how strong the little guy could be if he keeps up his training. Man, he's gonna be a powerhouse when he grows up!' Goku thought as he optimistically imagined his youngest son working hard as he spars with Gohan.

"Although that sounds splendid, I cannot help but feel that there's still trouble afoot." Said Grandpa Gohan, who kept a concerned face.

"Very astute, Gohan." King Kai stated as he faced away from everyone else. "I sense a great evil coming from Wheelo. And while he's not as strong as Cooler, the prevalence of his malicious energy cannot be ignored."

While Grandpa Gohan frowned at this information, Goku shook his head and stated, "You shouldn't worry too much, King Kai. If the guy ain't tough like Freezer's brother, then he shouldn't be a problem for Gohan. Besides, when everything is set and done, they can just bring all those killed by the robots back with the Dragon Balls."

"Goku, out of all people, you know very well that no opponent should be taken lightly. No matter what the power difference is." King Kai said with a sharp voice. "Remember when I told you to stay away from Frieza and yet you still dared to challenge him? The same could be done for your son if he doesn't keep a level head."

Goku nodded, recalling the shift in his eldest son's personality when he transformed into the second level of Super Saiyan.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Goku admitted sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Son, I know that your intentions are pure. And the Dragon Balls mean much to you, but I think it is unwise to constantly rely on them." Old Man Gohan said.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Goku questioned in a confused manner. "We kind of need those Dragon Balls to fix things on Earth. Those folks weren't supposed to be killed like that, ya know?"

"Oh really? Tell me, Son Goku. Are you a Creation God?" Grandpa Gohan questioned with a stern expression.

"U-Um, no?" Goku recoiled, taken aback by his grandfather's sudden attitude.

Grandpa Gohan crossed his arms as he inquired, "No? What about a God of Destruction? Do you have that title?"

"...Uh, I don't know what that is, Grandpa. But I know that I ain't no god. I only just got the power of one." Goku carefully answered with his hands raised close to his chest defensively. "What's with these strange questions suddenly?"

"Is that so? Then why are you so inclined to resurrect the dead? Who are you to decide who gets to cross back to the world of the living?" Grandpa Gohan heatedly lectured in a questioning manner.

"Wait, hold on! There's no need to get so angry! It just doesn't seem to sit well with me that there are people who were wrongfully murdered." Goku tried reasoning with the old sage.

"It doesn't matter how you feel about the situation, Goku! By constantly bringing people back, you're upsetting the natural order of the cosmos! Your foolish over usage of the Eternal Dragon's magic has diminished the importance of death over time, robbing it of its meaning!"

"...W-What?" Goku stuttered in shock. "Hold on, I don't understand. What are you trying to say?"

"Think, Goku. How did you feel when your grandfather passed away?" King Kai questioned as he came back into the conversation.

"I was sad for a while. I was eight when Grandpa died. Even if it was only for four years, I was alone in the mountains with no contact with other people. but I knew that he would want me to keep on livin', so I did." Goku answered honestly.

"And that's the point," King Kai revealed as he then turned to Goku. "I refrained from telling you this because I honestly believed that you made the right choice, but I will since it is relevant to this lesson. Goku, when you refused to be wished back by the Namekian's Dragon Balls, everybody that was close to you mourned over your permanent death. Many of them didn't know how to cope, eventually moving on with their lives without you. Even Vegeta was lost for some time, swearing off fighting until he could find a new meaning to battle without the need to have something to constantly prove. But nobody has been more shaken by your loss than your family. Especially your eldest son, Gohan."

"What?" Goku whispered sadly as his head bowed down a little while scratching his head. "That doesn't seem right to me. The last time that I spoke with him, he understood why I chose to stay dead. He didn't seem too broken up about it at the time. I just assumed that he'd got over it and moved on to live his life as I did."

"Son, the loss of a loved one doesn't just go away." Grandpa Gohan said as Goku turned to listen to him. "It's a wound that can heal over time, yes. But it'll just become a scar that doesn't fade. Just because that young man can see reason does not mean that he is not hurting deep down. You left him with his mother, who would later be left to raise a new child. He most likely thought it is best to stay strong for them."

"Your grandfather's right, Goku." King Kai added. "Your son blamed himself for your death for seven long years, which affected how he perceived himself. Deep down, the fear of his seemingly uncontrollable power prompted him to swear off using the second level of Super Saiyan."

"A-Are you kidding me? I can understand not being interested in fightin' like I am, but I thought he'd at least mastered that form by now. Why wouldn't he-"

"-Out of self-loathing." King Kai said, cutting Goku off. "He hated himself for not finishing Cell off sooner. Seeing your friends that he fought for and alongside, grief over something he thought to have been responsible for weighed on that boy's conscience. It still does to this day, to some extent. I mean, your second son looks exactly like you. And while Goten is arguably the most important person in Gohan's life, the reality is you never survived to see your youngest son grow up due to your sacrifice. And upon you passing the torch to Gohan as Earth's protector, he has to live with that burden for the rest of his days."

Goku went silent, trying to wrap his head around the ramifications of his choice. He didn't know how much of a profound impact his death left on his friends and family. Goku could only imagine the emotional agony his friends and family were in upon his death. It didn't sit well with the full-blooded Saiyan. This wasn't what he intended to happen. His sacrifice had placed the lives of the planet before his own. He figured that staying dead would ward off all future foes that had some sort of connection to him, making the world a better place for all.

Two streaks of tears fell from the eyes of the dead man's face.

"...I-I didn't know," Goku said softly as he wiped his face with one of his arms before he leaked some of his ki out of anger. "Damn it, I never meant to hurt anybody! I was only trying to protect the planet! I'm dead for Kami's sake! Evil folks aren't supposed to come after my family anymore! None of this is what I wanted!"

Grandpa Gohan was about to try and calm down using his God Bind technique, only for King Kai to stop with a hand on his shoulder as he shook his head.

'Yes, I know you only meant well. But that's a flawed way of thinking, Goku. Evil predates time itself. It existed before you and it will exist long after your death. But I'm certain that you've figured that out by now.' The god thought to himself.

Veins become visible on the youngest son of Bardock's forehead as he gritted his teeth. He may have had the Earth's best interest at heart, but his sacrifice had caused him to inadvertently abandon his family. Now, his planet was paying the price for his lack of foresight. His incompetence.

And there was nothing he could do about it but watch.

Goku nearly powered up into his Super Saiyan out of anger from his actions, but the blue gi-wearing martial artist simmered down as the rage left him as quickly as it came. He then walked away from the others in silence to clear his mind. Noticing the tail of Snake Way, he found himself staring in the direction of Earth with eyes that were currently losing the glint of happiness they once had.

The only thing that now plagued his mind was his failures. And because of him, he placed the tremendous burden of keeping his family, friends, and planet together on the shoulders of an emotionally and potentially mentally unwell son.

Son Goku could only whisper to himself, "...What have I done?"

---

Bulma's Laboratory, Capsule Corporation, West City

Dr. Briefs, and Bulma couldn't believe the results of Erasa's little project at work. Currently, T-2006, also known as Project GEAR, was in the middle of bypassing the various firewalls that Dr. Wheelo's operating system that helped run his private server. This, of course, is connected to all of his known devices, including his direct connection to the Red Ribbon Satellite which has a particle cannon that is programmed to nuke the Capsule Corporation.

So far, T-2006 had conquered five software firewalls and shown no signs of ceasing its objective.

"Bulma, are you seeing this?" Dr. Briefs asked in a whisper while absolutely mesmerized by the technology that her daughter and understudy-in-training had reversed-engineered.

"I know! This handy little guy's busting down firewalls like how Goku dismantled the Red Ribbon Army!" Bulma grinned excitedly as she spoke to the Machine Mutant. "Hey, T-2006! How much longer is it going to take to gain access to the private server?"

"Giru giru giru giru!" T-2006 chirped while flashes of binary code were on its screen. "Without interruptions, the estimated time would be less than ten minutes! Giru, giru!"

"Ah-ha! There is still hope for us!" Dr. Briefs while he and his daughter embraced each other.

Meanwhile, Cocoa was elsewhere in the room, sitting on a sofa next to a shelf where several books were located. Looking over to a nearby wall adjacent to the sofa, the creation of Dr. Wheelo noticed a particular picture hanging on the wall.

Cocoa then decided to do something that nobody realized she could do but herself. While channeling a small bit of energy, her vision entered a telescopic mode with her irises changing into a magenta hue.

On the wall with the picture in a decorative frame, several individuals were standing behind the entrance of the Capsule Corporation. On the top right corner of the photo, it was dated as the summer of Age 766.

On the far left in the back stood a younger Tenshinhan. Right of him was Yamcha. While on the same side, Chaotzu stood in front of Tien while on the right of the telekinetic fighter was a much younger Son Gohan with longer hair that reached to his back.

Cocoa recognized the boy that she admired instantly due to spotting his facial features.

Over on the far right side happened to be Krillin, except he was wearing an orange martial arts gi akin to those who studied under the Kame Sen'nin. Behind Krillin were two taller men. One bore a striking resemblance to Bulma's small son, Trunks.

But that didn't add up in Cocoa's mind. Little Trunks was around Gohan's brother's age. Here, the young man appeared to look like a grown-up version of Bulma's son. Perhaps it was a relative of the famous scientist who happened to resemble her son. Yes, that's probable.

Another familiar face was Vegeta, Bulma's husband's home she had met after he saved hers, Bulma's, Marron's, and Chi-Chi's lives from one of her father's creations. Here, he wasn't blond but had black hair.

Next, behind Vegeta, was the son of the Demon King, Piccolo, or Majunior as she knew him due to the research conducted during her past times locked in her room.

Finally, Cocoa immediately spotted the man at the center of the photo. The resemblance to Son Gohan and especially Son Goten was uncanny. Just add Gohan's face with Goten's hair, put the man in an orange martial arts gi with a dark blue undershirt, and you get the legendary martial artist, Son Goku. According to Cocoa's creator, the young champion's discipline and dedication to his study was what Wheelo aspired to be like as a man and a scientist in terms of work ethic. Goku was the modern-day Mutaito, further innovating martial arts with his display of pushing the body to its absolute limits with his thunderous showdown with Piccolo. While he wasn't his hero, given that he didn't want to make the same mistake of worshiping another flawed man, Cocoa's father has always carried great respect for the late warrior for his honesty and dedication to his lifestyle.

'This was taken a year before the Cell Games. Gohan-kun must have been nine years old then.' Cocoa thought to herself before her deduction skills started to show. '...Wait. Almost everyone in this photo was in the Cell Games. I'm sure of it. I recall Majunior, Yamcha, and Krillin there. And both that mystery boy and Mr. Vegeta were there, too! Then there are the two golden warriors that…challenged Cell…and...'

Suddenly, she remembered Vegeta's transformation from having black hair to gold hair, then recognized the faces of the older and younger golden-haired warriors.

'...O-Oh Kami! How could I have been so blind before? It's them! Son Goku and Gohan! They were there at the Cell Games! That means that Gohan was the one who–!'

–Gohan defeated Cell. And if he was capable of that, then there was no doubt in her mind that the teen was the Great Saiyaman. Now everything made sense, or at least Cocoa thought she solved it. Her father used Barry (and her) to get close to Videl's friend group, which included Gohan. That way, Wheelo could keep his most hated enemy closer. And knowing how cautious the doctor was, he may have taken the opportunity to study Videl and Gohan in case they were to go against him.

But two things flashed in Cocoa's mind that didn't add up.

One was a term that she had overheard her father bring up from time to time. "Saiyan". Sure, it was a part of Gohan's hero name but its significance did not register until now. What did this term mean? And what does it have to do with Gohan?

And secondly, her father held a vial that contained a blood sample on the day Jinpachi threatened her if she threw the rag she used to clean Gohan's wound away.

'...What would Father need Gohan-kun's blood for? How does it fit in his grand scheme?' The girl questioned with a frown formed on her face.

The chestnut-haired girl snapped out of her silence as her enhanced hearing picked up on a conversation between Bulma and Dr. Briefs.

"...At least the T-2006 unit's making progress, even if I wish it would be sooner…" Bulma said before sighing. "I hope Vegeta, Gohan, and the others get Erasa back, beat Wheelo, and make it out of there alive."

"These are troublesome times, pumpkin. I will not deny that. But I wouldn't worry too much about them. Your husband and son are some of the strongest and most prideful individuals around. After all, the two are Saiyans. They wouldn't let themselves be undone, especially when the family is on the line. Especially Vegeta." Dr. Briefs stated as he gazed into his younger daughter's eyes. "And Gohan and co? As a collective, they are more than well equipped to handle themselves whether they are human, Saiyan, a cyborg, or a Namekian."

Bulma, while still not fully relieved, managed to be alleviated from some of her worries by her father's words.

"You're right, Dad. I shouldn't let the pressure get to me. They'll come out on top. We've got some of the best fighters around. Machines or not, Wheelo's tech has no chance in hell in beating up a powerful cyborg or a Super Namekian, let alone four Saiyans which two of them could transform!"

"Saiyan…?" Cocoa repeated, prompting the two experienced scientists to turn their heads toward the girl's direction as she slowly approached them. "Is that why Son Gohan-kun is so strong? Because he's one of these "Saiyans" that you speak of?"

Bulma's lips parted, relatively in awe as to the random question that her guest had asked. This awe turned into dread, now realizing that the girl was on the verge of discovering a large secret that could very well compromise Bulma's entire social group.

Not to mention that could yield devastating consequences to her reputation and the reputation of the Capsule Corporation if the public learned the truth about her mingling with Vegeta and his ties to the Saiyan invasion.

Bulma would have quickly retorted with a refute to Cocoa's claims had it not been for her father stepping in to ask a few questions of his own.

"That's quite the assumption, young lady. Do you know what that term is? Where did you first hear of it? And how did you draw that conclusion?"

Bulma then leaned close enough to her father to only be heard between the two of them.

"Dad! Are you crazy!? We shouldn't go and humor her!"

"Hey-hey-hey! None of that, Bulma. If she managed to piece this together and still side with us to go against her creator, then we might as well assess the situation further before we come to a decision."

Bulma bit her lip before reluctantly going along with her father's plan.

"Proceed, Cocoa-san." The old man said.

Cocoa nodded as she stated, "...My creator was never upfront with me about the details of his plans. As I explained earlier, he never trusted me. I am deemed a failure by him in the Specimen Model series. But with that being said, I have still considered a physically enhanced organism as over time, I found myself secretly developing abilities that would be considered unnatural to other humans and to even the most capable of Beastmen."

Bulma frowned as she crossed her arms against her ample chest.

"Mind my skepticism, but I find that hard to believe. Your… "brother"? I can at least buy that much. He can control his special powers like a spider's web." The CEO stated, with one hand raised.

From there, Cocoa closed her eyes for a split second. When she opened them, Dr. Wheelo's daughter narrowed her eyes, which were now an inverted color scheme of white irises and black sclera.

'...Her eyes have changed colors!' Both father and daughter thought simultaneously.

Cocoa used this time to stare at Bulma's chest. In less than three seconds, Cocoa blinked, defaulted in a stoic expression, and monotonously pointed out, "You are wearing a lacy black bra, roughly size 34C. You also seem to have a heart-shaped birthmark on the lower region of your right breast."

Dr. Briefs had to face away from the two women as he held one hand from his mouth to prevent himself from laughing after his initial shock dissipated.

Bulma's shock resulted in her face blushing a bright red that could rival Goku's Saiyan God form as she shrieked in embarrassment.

"Y-You! THAT WAS PRIVATE!" Bulma screeched directly at an impassive Cocoa. "Why did you have to go and say that out loud!?"

"X-ray vision. I stumbled upon it along with my telescopic vision about a month ago." Cocoa said as the light in her eyes returned to her normal dark-colored irises, now donning a determined expression. "Nevertheless, your doubt towards me beforehand was warranted. My brother is a murderer who enjoys inflicting pain on other people, and my father committed mass genocide in hopes to bend society to his will. But make no mistake. I am nothing like my family, Bulma-san. And I refuse to let the yoke my father has placed on me force me to act in his interest any longer. For the first time in my life, I am being me. The real me."

Bulma and her father agreed as the blue-haired woman said, "Moving back on topic…"

"Right," Cocoa agreed. "I've overheard Father talking to himself downstairs when he mentioned the term "Saiyan" several times. I haven't thought much of it. Not at first, anyway. But when I first heard of the Great Saiyaman, my mind immediately made that connection. The first half of his name is "Saiya", one letter short of "Saiyan". I didn't place Gohan-kun into the theory until Father had posted the broadcast. Could you blame me, though? He didn't initially show himself to be capable enough to do half of Saiyaman's stunts despite his background in martial arts. Not to mention, Saiyaman had defeated that alien monster, Cooler; someone who was said to have been comparable to Cell. But all of these factors are against Gohan-kun not being the Great Saiyaman that was thrown out the window when I discovered a peculiar photograph."

"Hm? A photograph, you say?" Dr. Briefs echoed in curiosity.

Cocoa nodded as she silently pointed to the famed picture behind her, which Bulma and Spender's eyes widened before Bulma facepalmed.

Rubbing his nose, Dr. Briefs recalled, "...Oh, right. Panchy wanted to spice up the lab a bit."

'Argh! That photo! Of course! Goddamn it, Mom! Why didn't you hang that old summer picture in the family room!?' Bulma sighed in frustration from her conscience.

"What clued me in aside from the photo was witnessing Mr. Vegeta turning blond. In retrospect, I should have noticed these people you surround yourself with ages ago. Father has shown me the Cell Games, so I have always known that the Delivery Boy was the one who saved the world. But after looking at that picture, it all makes sense. That picture was taken a year before the day of the Cell Games. Those martial artists, and Majunior, were all present at the arena Cell prepared. Just as they did in this tournament and in West City during the invasion. Saiyaman appeared right after the Golden Warrior's disappearance."

"Those very well could just be coincidences," Bulma off-handedly started while inwardly sweating at the young girl's astute intellect.

"Coincidences? Bulma-san, who are you trying to fool? If Saiyaman defeated Cooler, who was Cell level, possibly stronger, and the Golden Warrior is supposed to be an older Delivery Boy, who is clearly the son of the Golden Warrior that clearly sounds, dresses, and fights like the Champion of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budōkai with blond hair and teal eyes, then it all too clear who that little boy is." Cocoa said, placing her hands on her hips.

"It seems like you've thought this through quite meticulously. Though, how would you know what Goku sounds like? Tell me something, how do you go about explaining the man's golden hair when Goku's family predominantly has black hair? People can have someone that resembles themselves. This could be the case here." Dr. Briefs suggested playing devil's advocate.

"That goes into my Saiyan theory. The two of you mentioned that there are four Saiyans. I don't exactly know what it means, but from basic context clues, I can infer that they are a limited group of people that possess superhuman abilities such as strength, speed, durability, and stamina. I ruled out the longer-haired boy since he was nowhere to be found. And since Son Goku has been dead, I can only guess that you're referring to Gohan-kun, his brother, Mr. Vegeta, and your son." Cocoa stated to Bulma as she continued to speak. "And if there's one thing that this group shares in common, it's that they seem to have the ability, or the potential to change their hair and eyes to grow more powerful. Therefore, I am ninety-nine percent sure that Gohan-kun is a Saiyan."

Bulma and her father were astounded by the girl. Her logic made sense despite her missing a few major details. Aside from that, she had practically solved the mystery that went over the heads of countless people. Not even Videl had the chance to crack it. Granted, Cooler was at fault and Cocoa seemingly had the information advantage of knowing a part of the whole truth.

Spender saw the look of approval on his daughter's face and registered it as a pass for the old man to reveal the whole truth.

"Well then, Cocoa-san. Firstly, I'd like to praise you for your incredible deduction skills." Dr. Briefs said before revealing, "And you'd be correct. Gohan is a Saiyan, albeit he's only half-Saiyan."

Cocoa thought aloud, saying, "Half? So, Gohan-kun happens to be biracial. Are Saiyans an obscure ethnic group of mutants?"

"Not even close. Try a race of extraterrestrial warriors that conquered worlds and can transform into giant monkeys by looking at the full moon." Bulma clarified casually.

Cocoa stood silently for a good five seconds before uttering, "...What?"

"Bulma, that was too much for her to handle all at once." Dr. Briefs lightly scolded.

"Sorry, Dad. I'd love to give her the rundown on our crazy lives, there are pressing matters that we should be dealing with." Bulma pointed out before turning to Cocoa. "As I said, Saiyans are aliens who were known throughout the universe for wiping out global populations to sell the planet's offer to the highest bidder. This is why they are strong. Goku and Vegeta came from a distant planet inhabited by the Saiyans which was destroyed a long time ago. Goku arrived on Earth first as a young boy but suffered a head injury which made him forget where he came from and lose the twisted nature his kind was commonly known to have. And if Saiyans get strong enough while angered, they go Super Saiyan. That's the blond-haired and teal eye form that Earthlings call the "Golden Warriors". Do you follow?"

Cocoa, although initially stumped by the bombardment of extraordinary information, wearily nodded, saying "...Y-Yes, I understand. It's a lot you're throwing at me, but it's beginning to all make se–"

In the middle of her sentence, a mortified expression fell onto the Specimen Model's face as a sinister thought flashed in her mind.

The bloodied rag…The vial of blood…

"...Oh no." The girl whispered, with her eyes dilated as she placed both of her hands to her mouth. "Don't tell me…! He didn't…!"

Both adults stood up at this point, obviously worried about the girl's current state.

"Hey, don't go and leave us hanging! What's wrong?" Bulma said.

"I-I think I've done something terrible." Cocoa stuttered as she began to shake in fear. "M-My creator, h-he looks different because of me."

Bulma recalled while tapping her chin with her right index finger, "Now that you mention it, Wheelo did appear in a magazine a month ago. He was shown to be well fit as if he put on some weight and hit the gym."

Dr. Briefs echoed, "And you're saying that his physical change was because of you? What do you mean by that?"

"He's a bioengineer and a geneticist, remember? Father spliced DNA to make me. He had done the same to create my brother, Zeta. I-I'm afraid…And r-recently, he invited Gohan-kun and Videl-chan to one of his labs to run an experiment. When Gohan got hurt, I came over to t-treat his wounds with a wet towel. A-And when I was about to throw the towel away, b-but Father…he didn't let me."

"Wait…You're telling me that Wheelo stole Gohan-kun's blood!?" Bulma screamed. "What could he possibly want with–"

The older scientist, realizing what Cocoa was implying, felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as the pit of dread nearly consumed his whole body as it spread.

"IN KAMI'S SWEET NAME! Bulma, that man's gone mad! Absolutely, mad!" The old man shouted.

"Yeah, like I haven't already figured that out," Bulma said while rolling her eyes.

"Watch your tone, Daughter! Don't forget who you're speaking to!" Dr. Briefs sternly scolded, causing Bulma to flinch as she hadn't heard him lash out at her since she was a teenager. "Have you understood anything this girl said?"

Cocoa started to silently sob, covering her face with her hands as she repeatedly apologized. The older man walked over to her and tried to console the girl as he kept his stern eyes on his daughter.

Bulma blinked for a moment before saying, "Dad, w-what's gotten into you!? Of course, I did! He took Gohan's blood!"

"You're missing the point, Bulma! Think! He isn't just any random scientist that turned evil! This is Jonathan Wheelo's son! Whatever ideas his father had, Jinpachi has run with that and taken it several steps further! That man didn't just perform experiments on test subjects, he conducted one on himself! By SPLICING his DNA with Saiyan DNA!"

It took a few seconds for her father's explanation to be fathomed, but once it did, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

After all, this whole event was premeditated.

"...My God!" A pale-faced Bulma gasped, now dreading what could become of her friends and family.

---

Tartarus Room, Wheelo's Base, Battle Island II

Block, dodge, counter. This was constantly being repeated in the mind of Videl Satan. How couldn't she? The girl was being attacked by Mercenary Tao and his three clones thanks to the Multi Form technique that he used.

Now, one would think that because the older man had performed the Multi Form technique that his power reserve would have been halved for each clone. Of course, Videl herself wouldn't be able to figure that out. Tao was a cyborg, so sensing his energy was impossible. This made the situation extremely deadlier than it already was.

The chained and gagged Mr. Satan, while not being able to keep up with the ongoing battle, was on the edge of his non-existent seat in his cage. He could only pray that his daughter could somehow pull off the victory for her sake, and his own to some extent. Why? Well, even if he survived this, Hercule's social life is in shambles. And it was entirely his fault.

If that wasn't bad enough, one of the clones exchanged their mechanical hands for electric whips, much like one of the Brutal Warriors.

For a while, Videl managed to anticipate and avoid the quadrio's attacks to lay in a few kicks and punches of her own, but this did not last.

After moving away from personal hand-to-hand combat, the four mercenaries decided to switch up their strategy and move to the four corners of the room.

Videl, after wiping off the blood that was bleeding from the cut on her forehead, saw this and narrowed her eyes.

'What are these old geezers up to, now?' Mr. Satan's daughter questioned.

The girl snapped back into reality once she noticed that all four assassins pointed their fingers at her, firing four Super Dodonpa at Videl. Thankfully, the girl reacted fast enough, jumping up while watching the four beams curve upwards to follow Videl. Quickly, Videl fired a Garuda Cannon energy sphere to intercept the three beams, causing an explosion that obscured the teenager's vision. Because of this, however, one of the clones with the electrical whips managed to blindside Videl by landing a powerful lash on the girl's lower back, cutting through her white gi as she shrieked in pain.

The sound of Videl wailing in pain shook the bound Mr. Satan's core, causing him to squirm around in a pathetic attempt to break free and rescue his daughter. Once more, this proved to be a useless endeavor, forcing Hercule to watch as the other three assassins leap into the air to continue their assault on the minor.

While in the air, Videl felt her body stiffen for a brief moment, trying to get accustomed to the waves of lingering pain that a plasma whip construct inflicted.

"S-Shit!" The girl said while trying to concentrate on staying in the air. "T-That hurt like a real bitch!"

Before Videl could anticipate the attack, the real Mercenary Tao reappeared in a blur using Rapid Movement and coldly spoke, "You're unfocused."

In a swift motion, the man struck Videl's throat with the knuckles of his right hand after curling his fingers back. Videl proceeded to cough up blood from the attack before another Tao flew next to her and landed a roundhouse kick to the girl's face, launching her backward. This was followed by a punch, which flung her to other Tao clones.

From there, all four mercenaries ganged up on Videl in the air. The beating was a blur to the pig-tailed girl, barely seeing flashes of the multiple mechanical fists, legs, and feet of the assassin that was currently pummeling her face and upper body. Due to the overwhelming number of opponents circling her as she was getting beaten and tossed around like a ragdoll, the enemy managed to draw blood from inflicting various bruises on the girl's face.

Upon seeing this, Mr. Satan began to violently flail about while gagged and in bondage, mentally screaming, 'NO! STOP IT! STOP HURTING MY BABY! HURT ME INSTEAD! JUST LET MY LITTLE GIRL GO! PLE-HE-HEASE!'

Once the chain combo was finished, the three Tao copies flew back to inspect their handiwork. The original Tao, who had held the thoroughly thrashed Videl by her pigtails, grinned at the crime fighter's appearance.

One of her eyes was blackened. Her lower lip was busted and bloodied, with her upper lip had a cut on it. Several gashes and whelps were present around the top of her head, and her lower chin had a bluish mark on it. If it had been attacked once more, it would have been completely broken.

'...Goddamn it! H-he's too strong! I need an opening… A way to get out of t-this old fuck's grasp… B-But how?'

"A glutton for punishment, just as I said," Tao said with furth before floating to the cage where her father was.

Approaching the cage where the sniveling teary-eyed Hercule was chained, Tao gloated, "How does it feel, Mark? How does it feel to watch everything you've built from seven years of lies and deception crumble before your very eyes? For your legacy to be broken by the very trickster who took your master from you?"

If Mark wasn't gagged, he would have shouted bloody murder, baseless threats that would usually cause many ordinary people to run in terror from his declarations of violence. But since he couldn't speak, it was all incoherent muffling noises to Tao. The hateful glare was all that Tao needed for the mercenary to know that he got under the broken man's skin. So, he continued to mock him.

"Please, as if your hateful looks and fruitless barking could scare me. You're more than free to curse my name for eternity. It does not change the fact that at the end of the day, everything that happened is all on you." Tao said, metaphorically rolling his eyes. "Had you kept that deceitful mouth of yours shut, you wouldn't have made the enemies that you have today. And your precious child certainly wouldn't have had to suffer. But it seems that you haven't learned to hold that tongue of yours the first time since I killed your teacher. That's fine, I'll just take your daughter's life."

Hercule let out a high pitched muffled scream, clearly against the idea of watching another one of his beloved family members die before him. The three Tao clones cackled at the folly of the girl and her father's pathetic actions.

The girl's healthy eye widened with a spark of fire in it, mentally shouting, 'Now!'

Videl took this opportunity to turn her waist and land sidekick in Tao's crotch, causing the cyborg man to squeal in pain as he used his free man to clutch his family's injured jewels. The other cyborg clones winced at this, dreading having to re-merge and feel the same amount of agony that their original self had to gruel over.

"ARGH! Y-YOU WENCH!" The nasally-sounding murderer squealed.

Using one hand, Videl channeled a fair bit of ki into her fingertips and severed her pigtails in a single swipe. Not only did this double as a makeshift haircut for the girl, but it allowed the girl to escape from the original Tao's grasp.

Videl, who now was sporting a pixie cut, strengthened her left leg and right knee with energy as she prepared for her next attack. Lifting her right knee, Videl struck the original Mercenary Tao with a strong knee that cracked the cyborg's jaw. Then with an energy-enchanted roundhouse kick from Videl's left leg, Tao was sent to a wall on the other side.

Videl panted, spitting blood from her mouth on the ground. She then found her two large locks of hair that she severed.

"Well, there goes the pigtails." Videl bitterly muttered as pocketed the two hair ties that once belonged to her mother before jumping twelve feet away from Tao.

Meanwhile, the assassin's other clones brought their original to his feet. Tao could feel his jaw swelling up in pain, much like his lower region, with the only difference being that he found it hard to move his jaw.

'...THAT BITCH! SHE CRACKED MY JAW!' Tao shouted, enraged at the humiliation that Hercule's daughter was able to injure him in any way. 'NO! I REFUSE TO BE HUMILIATED BY CHILDREN AGAIN!'

With every Tao forming the same idea, three of them nodded and retracted their right hands to create a small cannon while donning a malicious smile on each of their faces.

Videl then took her defensive stance at all of the opponents that stood against her out of complete defiance.

"...I…won't…fall!" Videl declared while breathing heavily, glaring at Tao and his clones defiantly.

"...No, brat. Y-You will not fall." The real Tao uttered while pointing his left metallic finger at her. "You will FREEZE!"

"Huh? What are you-!?" Videl said, only for the three copies quickly drew their cannons at the blue-eyed teen.

From there, three beams of cryokinetic energy were fired from the Tao clones' cannons. These three separate beams intertwined, merging into a giant blast that managed to hit Videl. Due to this, Mr. Satan watched as her pride and joy were encased in a block of ice.

In the World Champion's mind, the last member of his family was dead. Snuffed away from him, just like his master, Shaytān.

'...NOOOO! VIDEL! VIDEEEEL!' The frozen girl's father shouted in his mind as tears and mucus ran down his face from the man's eyes and nose respectively. 'MY BABY! Oh god, he took my baby from me!'

Tao gazed at the suffering man's mourning, only for him to turn to the large block of ice that held the "deceased" teenage human popsicle.

"And so, that concludes the tale of great Videl Satan. A spunky child with a bit of hidden potential and some level of competence. In the end, however, her future was squandered by the sins of her idiot father." Tao mocked before spitting on the ice block.

One of the Tao clones asked the original mercenary, "Should we wrap things up and shatter this frozen brat?"

Tao turned to his sentient copies with both of his hands behind him, answering "Now, now, gentlemen. Let us savor this victory. Yes..."

The sobbing Hercule bowed his head down, feeling an overwhelming amount of tears falling from his face, eventually creating a puddle beneath where he was hung by the wrists above his head in which where he was bound.

'...Mitchelle, my angel. I'm so sorry, I failed our daughter. I failed you. Please, forgive me. FORGIVE ME!' Hercule prayed with his eyes shut tight and his teeth clenched.

When all hope seemed lost, a source of heat began to radiate from the block of ice. Tao copies and the original notice, as their scanners picked up on the rising temperature.

"What the–!? I-It can't be!" Tao stuttered as he and his copies watched as the large ice that held Videl began to thaw out at an incredible rate.

Hercule stopped crying because of the heat, then saw that his "dead" daughter's skin began to turn red as her icy prison started to crack little by little.

"What's happening!? I thought she was supposed to be dead already!?" Another of the assassin's copies complained to their group.

"S-She was! Those blasts were below zero degrees Celsius! I'm just as shocked as you!" Another clone stated.

"Enough of your bickering! Fire your cannons again before she–!" The real Tao barked, only for an explosive wave of red energy to completely break their opponent free, which was followed by a fierce yell that escaped Videl's lungs.

'...Oh, dear.' All of the Taos thought as they whimpered in fear.

Mr. Satan witnessed his daughter's apparent survival of the cryo cannon's blast. The man, while stopping his sad whimpering, now started crying tears of joy at the sight of his beloved child still alive, who was now coated in a burning crimson aura.

"KAIŌKEN!" Videl bellowed from the top of her lungs as the fiery aura surged throughout her body, increasing her muscle mass with an incredible intensity.

"D-D-Don't just stand there, you dolt! Freeze her, again!" Tao squawked, promoting his copies to fire their cryo cannons again in order to finish the job.

Videl decided to face it head-on and charge headfirst at her opponent's attack. The results weren't in the assassins' favor, fortunately. The aura of the Kaiōken technique was so hot, it negated the properties of the combined cryo blast.

Needless to say, every single Tao had been thrashed without mercy. Sure, the mercenaries had numbers on their side. It was a four-on-one. It didn't matter. The Kaiōken multiplier gave Videl a massive strength and speed advantage which made it fairly easy to beat and round up.

Videl immediately blitzed the original Tao, punching him into the wall which pressed his body firmly into it. Next, Videl blasted upwards to the Tao clone with the lightning whip ability and landed a killer front kick, sending him to the roof where his head got stuck in the ceiling. Anticipating two other Tao clones using Rapid Movement to charge at the girl with knives ready to strike, Videl quickly twisted their arms and punched their stomachs before sending them back into the original Tao's body with a kiai blast each. She finally did the same to the last Tao clone, whose head had been stuck through the ceiling by ripping him out of it and tossing him, forcing them to all merge back into one being.

Tao barely managed to get out of the hole he was in, dropping to his knees from the pain he experienced from each of his clones' memories.

'I don't understand! How am I being overwhelmed by such an absurd degree!? I'm over two centuries old, a trained and seasoned assassin! She's just an amateur! An overly privileged schoolgirl who picks fights with simple-minded street thugs!' Tao said while struggling to get up. 'Dr. Wheelo gave me the best upgrades on the market! I even stole that blasted traitor's Multi-Form technique from the 22nd tournament. And yet…'

Sweat poured from the cyborg murderer's face as the fiery figure of Videl Satan reflected on his bionic goggles meant for his eyes.

In a crimson flash, he found himself spitting out saliva and blood from the one-inch punch that Videl had inflicted onto his solar plexus.

From there, Videl started to land hit after hit which culminated in twenty-five punches and several kicks. During the brutal onslaught, along with the extensive damage to his jaw, Tao sustained a smashed-in nose, the dome on top of his head had been dented, and Videl made several cuts on his face and cracked mechanical eye on the left side.

With a mighty uppercut, the girl sent the old man flying upward while Videl flew after him and eventually flew ahead.

'...It's not enough!' Tao thought as he was brought down by Videl's axe kick.

But right before his back could hit the ground, Videl flew back down to the ground after swerving from the plummeting assassin. And much like Goku during his battle against Nappa, Videl raised one of her hands and caught the mercenary with ease before dropping him down on his stomach.

Videl, who now dispelled the Kaiōken technique, glared at the broken mess that was her opponent and took her turn spitting at Tao's face.

"Look who's outclassed now, bitch." Videl coldly antagonized before making her way toward Mr. Satan's cage.

The dark-haired pixie-cut girl ran up to the cage's bars, bend it outward to get inside the prison fired a very small beam of blue ki with her left index finger to break the restraints that bound her father. Mr. Satan would have crumbled to the ground hadn't been for Videl taking a hold of the heavily injured man.

Almost immediately, the man wrapped his arms around his daughter in a firm hug as he wept once more. The man kept repeating the words, "My baby" as he kissed her forehead, which prompted Videl to lightly blush from mild embarrassment.

"Woah, hey! Take it easy, Dad." Videl softly spoke despite the awkwardness she felt, trying to hold in her emotions herself. "You're not in the best shape."

"S-Sweetpea, I'm sorry!" Mr. Satan whispered profusely as he sniffled. "About this, my lifestyle, your life without your mother, the lies I've told, e-everything!"

"Don't worry about it, Dad. It's f-"

"-NO!" Mark strongly corrected, startling Videl before the man lowered his tone and looked directly into his daughter's eyes. "I-It's not fine. What I've done is not okay. If I h-hadn't lied about Cell and talked about those other guys with those crazy powers, none of this would have happened. This hole that I've dug myself in, it's so deep and widespread that other people are getting sucked in. And to be be honest, I deserve to be buried in the hole. But that doesn't mean that you have to be buried with me. You deserve all that life has to offer and more."

Narrowing his eyes, Videl got out of her father's grasp and brought one of the man's arms around Hercule's neck to help him walk.

"Stop speaking like that, Dad! That's quitter talk!" Videl said, internally worried about what exactly happened to the once proud man after Tao captured him to render him defeated. "We're going to make it through this, okay? Just hang in there! Once we get out of here and regroup with the others, I'll get you one of those Senzu Beans. That should fix you up real good!"

Mr. Satan tried talking, "Videl, I–"

"I'm not hearing another word of it! I'm not leaving you here and that's that!" Videl stubbornly finalized. "Save your strength, we're done here."

Mr. Satan felt himself move as Videl gently helped him out of the cage. They began to slowly walk towards the door the girl had busted through.

In his mind, Mr. Satan thought, 'Just look at you. If it wasn't for your face, I would have mistaken it for someone else. You were a grown person back there, fighting like a demon with the grace of an angel. Just like your mother. I can't be any more proud.'

Mark found himself cracking a smile as she looked at the determined expression that Videl had while they passed Tao's crumbled form.

Due to the assassin being a cyborg, Videl wouldn't be able to sense a small amount of life that clung onto the man.

In his deranged mind, Tao was heated. He failed his mission despite the tools and upgrades he was given. He was bested by a child, not one, not two, but three times. Once by Goku, then his son, and now the daughter of that bumbling idiot which Goku's son was eloping with! And she humiliated him! The great Tao Pai Pai!

And now, Hercule was…smiling!?

No, this simply wouldn't do for Tao.

"...H-How dare you!?" Tao whispered on the ground while shakily raising his right hand while charging a smaller but more precise Dodonpa. "How dare you turn back on ME!?"

Taking aim using his good scope eye, Tao fired the beam which managed to pierce through Mr. Satan's back and exit through his left pectoral.

While everything had slowed down for the two, Mr. Satan's entire life flashed before his eyes. His beginnings, the man's acceptance to join his master's dojo, his marriage, Videl's, his rise to stardom, his mistakes, it all played in small snippets like a flip note was being flipped in front of him.

Outside of Hercule's perspective, horror had struck his only daughter like lightning as she watched her only remaining family member lose his grip on her and fall back first onto the metallic flooring with fresh blood pouring from the hole Mercenary Tao's ki attack made.

"D-DAD!" Videl screamed, panicking at the sight of her father's rapidly declining health.

"V-Videl…!" The man managed to gasp while losing blood.

"Hehehe!" Tao cackled loudly with mirth, getting Videl's immediate attention. "You don't get to walk away from this, happy, girl. If it's fate that I part ways from the living world today, I can at least guarantee that I won't enter the gates of Hell alone."

Having depleted the last of his energy, Tao had finally dropped dead.

The mercenary's words fell deaf to the ears of the teenager as she cradled the man that gave her life while fear overwhelmed her entire being.

Videl, while using both of her hands to apply pressure to the wound to keep Mr. Satan from bleeding out, thought to herself, 'God! He's losing so much blood! My weight isn't enough to stop the wound from the back! At this rate, he'll end up like Mo–'

"S-Sweetpea…" The man muttered as he felt his life slipping away.

Videl frantically hushed her father, saying, "S-Shush! Don't say anything, Dad! Just try and focus on keeping your eyes open for me so I can save you!"

Hercule slowly shook his head as he managed to bring a hand to one of her bloodied hands, momentarily stopping the short-haired girl.

"It's okay, Baby girl…You have…to…Let me go…"

"No. No! Damn it, I won't! We already lost Mom, I won't lose you too!" Videl refused, now starting to tear up.

'Damn it! I have the power of energy but I can't even heal my own damn father!' The girl cursed mentally.

"Y-You have to…live. F-For the both of us." Mr. Satan said as he coughed. "I-I want y-you to…finish school…To g-go see the world…G-get married…And have a family one day."

"Daddy, no! S-Stop talking like that! You're going to m-make it!" Videl denied it in a solemn manner, finding herself losing her faith in her own abilities due to Mr. Satan's waning health.

Hercule squeezed her top hand, giving his daughter a smile as he uttered, "...I-I'm so proud…of you. Very proud. Y-Your mother…she…would be…too."

Having given his last words, Mr. Satan drew his last breath and peacefully passed away in the arms of Videl.

Videl, not being able to cope with this crushing reality, the girl began to wail in sorrow. If someone were to enter the corridor that led to the Tartarus Room, one hear the mournful screams of a heartbroken girl that officially has no more family left living on the planet.

"NOOO!"

---

Olibu Coliseum, Hellenistic Ruins, Battle Island II

Two golden lights flew all around the ancient city, with their three dozen clashes breaking the stone-struck and abandoned houses. And throughout this ordeal, Gohan made sure to move the growing energy orb created by Wheelo's siphoned Genki out of sight to avoid any suspicion. Upon making up to thirty laps around the ruins, the two Super Saiyans flew towards the shore of the ruins to continue their hand-to-hand battle. The two found themselves floating above the ocean. The force of Gohan and Wheelo's intense fight was so great, its shockwaves started to churn the sea below which eventually resulted in a vortex forming and obscuring them from sight.

While surrounded by the vortex, Super Saiyan Son Gohan weaved through seven punches that Super Saiyan Jinpachi Wheelo threw at him. In retaliation, the monkey-tailed performed a sidekick, which the evil Super Saiyan blocked with his forearms. However, the force of the kick pushed him back enough to nearly get out of the vortex.

'This is getting tiresome!' The evil Super Saiyan said as he growled under his breath.

Using Rapid Movement, Wheelo reappeared in front of Gohan with a jab aimed at the center of his abdomen, only for the younger Super Saiyan to take the blow without so much as a flinch on Goku's eldest son's face.

In fact, Jinpachi had to reel his hand back in pain before he locked onto the eyes of his opponent.

'Blast it! Why aren't my attacks affecting him!? I've been applying my energy into each strike like I'm supposed to!' Jinpacho screamed in his mind while trying to figure out Gohan's relatively unharmed appearance compared to his battle-worn look and damaged clothing and lack of his snazzy new trench coat. 'Come to think of it, my power feels like it's going through a slow but steady decline. It can't be the Pinyin formula, can it? No, that's absurd. I've re-stabilized my body! The process was perfect! What is it, then? I've achieved the pinnacle of a Saiyan's power! Hell, I've mastered it! So what am I lacking!?'

"Something the matter, Doctor?" Gohan questioned calmly, never changing his cool and hardened exterior.

Wheelo snapped back to reality, saying "What?"

"You froze in place after your last attack. And based on the slightest furrowing of your brow and the lack of words, I figured you were thinking. Contemplating." Gohan elaborated as he pressed on with his words and the sharpness of his tone." Don't tell me… Are you finally having second thoughts on this so-called revolution?"

Red electricity surged around the evil Super Saiyan's golden aura out of Wheelo's ever-increasing rage.

"Cocky brat!" Jinpachi spat before he held out both of his palms and fired a barrage of twelve golden ki blasts with the goal of blasting Gohan out of the air and letting his body drown. "Don't you mock me!"

However, through Shin's training and practicing Spirit Control on his own, the heroic Super Saiyan swung both of his arms in a fluid circular motion while his hand guided the blasts of ki as they were shaped into six smaller orbs each.

This arm motion was a technique called Kienjin, or Circular Disengagement.

As these orbs were condensed, they were eventually all merged into a golden energy orb the size of a soccer ball that was cupped into Gohan's hands.

The next thing the Wheelo knew, Gohan had the ball of ki directly in the scientist's face. The older Saiyan Hybrid couldn't react sooner enough. But instead of being obliterated, Gohan imprisoned him in a now life-sized orb barrier.

From there, Gohan then took the time to exercise his telekinesis abilities and pull the Imprisonment Ball that held his enemy and attack it, sending it flying. Like a predator, Gohan would chase and knock it in a different direction while the feedback of each impact would be drawn through the barrier, harming Dr. Wheelo's entire body as he experiences the laws of gravity within the barrier.

Feeling his rage build up while his malefic energy manifested as a magenta aura, the evil Super Saiyan broke out of the Imprisonment Ball using a Super Explosive Wave and flew over Gohan and the ancient ruins in the air while creating two clones using Tri-Form and hid them from his opponent's sight.

"I will not lose! Not when I'm so close to seeing the dawn of the new world!" Wheelo shouted while outstretching his arms and facing his closed palms toward Gohan as he charged a globe-sized black orb with crimson lightning dancing around it. "Blitzing Hell Sphere!"

When Gohan witnessed the attack coming down towards him, his mind instantly flashed back to Cooler's Supernova. Back then, he was so consumed by anger and the desire to kill that the power of the imperfect Super Saiyan Level Two failed. He wasn't ready during that time, and if it wasn't for Shin's intervention, he and all of Earth would have been destroyed.

But things have changed after a few months of intense training and energy control. In a brief amount of time, he has mastered the Ascended Super Saiyan state much sooner than he and his father took to completely control the first stage of Super Saiyan at the Hyperbolic Time Chamber up on the Lookout.

Now, Gohan was more than prepared and wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

As the ball continued downwards, Gohan could sense the tremendous evil that it contained. Its presence all began to change that atmosphere as its power polluted and attacked the positive energy nearby. Even Gohan himself found it so revolting that it made his body want to wretch.

"I can't let that attack hit me or this island!" Gohan thought aloud before taking a familiar stance as he cupped his hands together. "KA…ME…HA…ME…!"

Before he could finish charging the attack, the two Super Saiyan Dr. Wheelo clones finally made themselves known to Gohan, with both of their unfolded hands clasped together as they screamed, "NOT SO FAST!"

"What!? He learned to clone himself, too!?" Gohan exclaimed in shock.

Upon channeling their Super Saiyan energy into each palm, the two Jinpachi clones opened both of their hands and faced their crimson electric-laced palms that were surrounded by their golden aura towards the younger Saiyan Hybrid, screaming, "RAIJINSHŌ!"

From there, Gohan not only found himself getting brutally attacked by two electrical energy waves, but due to the nature of this attack, he not only found that his body was tremendously restricted by the joint electrical field that each Jinpachi clone was sustaining through the electrical attack.

The sheer agony that was coursing through Gohan's body caused him to scream in pain, to which the evil clones smirked.

"You're not the only one with tricks, Son Gohan! This little technique is a modified version of the Thunder Shock Surprise! It's an old-school lethal attack your father and his cohorts would be familiar with." One Jin clone explained as Gohan struggled to move.

'Shit! Why won't my body move!? Even my ki isn't helping! I can barely stay Super Saiyan, but this attack is making it hard for me to maintain it! It's kind of like that gun the Red Shark Gang used on me!' Gohan thought to himself as he tried to stop himself from screaming further.

The second Jinpachi clone laughed at Gohan's expense, saying, "If you think that's shocking, well, here's another smack to the face. Think back, boy. Back to a hotel in Hercule City during a particular hostage situation. Remember those dimwitted thugs that you and Videl put behind bars? The Red Shark Gang, was it? Wasn't it strange to you that they were bailed out of prison after the stunt they pulled? And they returned with remarkably advanced weapons that actually harmed you while you were prancing around in a cape and tights?"

Gohan's eyes widened, questioning, "H-How did you know a-about the–!?"

"–It was me, Gohan!" Both evil Super Saiyan clones answered at the same time.

As the orb moved towards him, the first clone wickedly smirked, saying "Think about it! Why do you think I hired people who hated Mr. Satan in the first place? Because if they could nab Videl, you would obviously follow in pursuit. Those criminals were under Tao, who had been my employment behind closed doors during the latter half of the last seven years. When Tao's energy blast damaged you, he retrieved me a small blood sample of your DNA to experiment with, even if it wasn't enough. And what of those three idiots from that little gang? The perfect test dummies helped me discover that ki flow could be blocked with one of my prototype weapons. Hell, it's what inspired this technique in the first place!"

At this point, despite the excruciating pain he was in, the heroic Saiyan's expression shifted to something unreadable as he bowed his head down.

Seeing that the orb was nearing Gohan, the second clone finished speaking to his opponent, saying, "Yes, it's all sinking in! Good, let it. All this time of waiting and plotting has finally led me to this exact moment. And my pulling of certain strings had led you to me! But this new world that I'll govern does not have enough room for you or your comrades. No, you're far too tainted by the ways of your foolish elders. Since you've tried to do good in life, I'll grace you with the privilege of reuniting you with your beloved father in the afterlife! Go in peace, Son Gohan! If your friends hadn't fallen at the hands of my creations, I assure you that you'll be seeing them very soon!"

The Blitzing Hell Sphere managed to get about twenty-five feet above the ground, which caused the nearby debris to rise until the evil ki incinerated it from close proximity. The plants themselves began to wither and die from the foul energy that was polluting the air.

And this was occurring, a festering rage had been boiling inside of Gohan which he was trying hard not to leak out. But the constant reminder of his failure and being deliberately deceived by his opponent made it extremely difficult to stay focused.

But the threat of Wheelo promising the death of his friends and loved ones had been the last straw for Gohan.

Jinpachi was ecstatic. He was going to take a huge step in the final stage of his plan. And sure, he didn't harbor any ill will towards Gohan personally, but the scientist anticipated the friction between what he wanted for the world compared to Gohan's longing to keep the world the way that it was. After all, the less the world knew about the Cell Games, the lesser the chances of people finding out about the teen's direct involvement in the fight and the longer his family could be in peace with their privacy intact. But his willingness to keep the status quo up was a detriment to humanity's development, thus he had to be eliminated.

The moment the Blitzing Hell Sphere was roughly five feet away from him, Gohan's anger was made manifest in a sudden shout which sent both clones away, dispelling their joint technique and releasing the Super Saiyan from the trap. Simultaneously, his shout had the effect of unleashing a brief expansive barrier of ki that held the energy sphere back several feet before it could make contact with him.

Dr. Wheelo, whose clones remerged back into his being, could do nothing but watch out of shock and fear.

From there, the familiar blue electricity began to dance from the ground until it started traveling up Gohan's legs as the Super Saiyan began to power up. With his fists clenched, Gohan stood up while covered in his intensified Super Saiyan aura. The amount of power that Gohan was producing by himself caused the waters that surrounded the artificial island to churn. The sound of thunder echoed from the heavens, and the ground that Gohan stood on sank into a crater from the raw power he had been letting loose. The moment the electricity reached up to his spine and passed his neck, Gohan let out a mighty roar and underwent an explosive transformation as his aura grew into a pillar of golden light that destroyed the malefic energy sphere.

Jinpachi covered his eyes with his arms. Thankfully, the light show lasted for a brief moment. When it died down and Jinpachi floated back down to move close enough, the evil Super Saiyan's held his breath at the tremendous presence that stood before him.

This was Son Gohan, now ascended to his Super Saiyan Level Two form.

Wheelo was in utter disbelief. Due to his extensive files on the boy, Jinpachi was well versed on the particular form and the baggage that came with it in Gohan on a personal level. Why would he allow himself to change into a state that he has next to no control over?

'This p-presence is overwhelming! Can this be the true power of an enraged Saiyan? Damn! …Engaging him head-on as I am now would be a death sentence. That's something I cannot afford.' Jinpachi thought as he began to panic before his mind quickly formulated a plan.'...Wait! I must have triggered the boy after my clones were egging him on. He couldn't possibly have control over this state, not after neglecting the power for so long out of fear. I can use this to my advantage.'

Wheelo decided to slowly approach the Ascended Super Saiyan (SSL2), clapping his hands as he said, "Well done, Son! You managed to break out of my trap and with a stylish light performance."

The doctor stopped all movement while an evil smirk reappeared on Dr. Wheelo's exterior.

"Sarcasm aside, this explosive form does pique my curiosity." The evil Super Saiyan rubbed his chin with his right hand in a faux pondering motion. "Wasn't this heralding and daunting look the same state that you've never seemed to quite get a handle of? If memory serves me right, that lack of control had sealed your father's fat-ARGH!"

He didn't see it coming. Wheelo found himself staggering backward, holding his nose that was bloodied and broken in a near instant. Two feet away, Super Saiyan Level Son Gohan stood, with his right arm outstretched while holding a balled-up fist.

"...You evil types never know when to quit talking," Gohan said with a cool yet irritated tone.

Retorting wasn't an option for the evil Super Saiyan at the moment, as he had to painfully realign his nose in a signal pop. Aggravated, Wheelo laced his right fist with red lightning (Malefic Energy Punch) and took a step to lunge at Gohan. SSL2 Gohan moved away from the blow, elbowed Dr. Wheelo in the chest, front kicked him in the chin with his left foot, then swung his right leg, sending Dr. Wheelo twenty yards away from the Ascended Super Saiyan (SSL2) Son Gohan while airborne and crashing into three stone marble temples along the way.

Super Saiyan Jinpachi recovered and tried to power up once more, bringing his Super Saiyan energy to its maximum level until he reached Super Saiyan Full Power as he saw Gohan following him while airborne.

"Let's see you avoid this!"

Raising both of his hands, Jinpachi constructed and threw several crimson malefic variants of Krillin's Kienzan technique at Gohan as a means to rip SSL2 Gohan to pieces.

This was called the Razor's Edge technique.

Gohan saw that twelve large crimson disks were flying towards his way with confidence never wavering.

Confidence, and not arrogance or blood lust.

With his right hand, Gohan channeled the blue electricity that surrounded his body to that hand, forming a white Energy Hand Blade with the help of his Spirit Control. When it was fully formed, Gohan had created an Energy Hand Blade that was a foot long while surging with controlled power.

Upon mastering the art of alteration-type ki manipulation through a specific training method, Shin named this variant of the Energy Hand Blade that Gohan formed throughout that method, the Kusanagi Sword.

Gohan closed his eyes while holding his Kusanagi Sword towards the incoming crimson razor ki disks, he began visualizing each disc as a separate blade of grass flying towards him.

Taking a deep breath, the Ascended Super Saiyan (SSL2) thought to himself 'Focus, Gohan… They are all blades of grass…'

He charged forward in a dash then swung several times with the Kusanagi Sword, chopping down each Razor's Edge disk with the precision and swiftness of a skilled swordsman. However, to Super Saiyan Wheelo, it was like a blink of an eye. From the evil Super Saiyan's perspective, Gohan blurred from fifty feet away to directly in front of Dr. Wheelo in less than a second while all of the doctor's razor-sharp energy disks were cut in half before exploding at the same time.

And now, Wheelo found himself with a ki blade centimeters away from his throat as Gohan stared him down as if he was about to kill him without hesitation.

"Y-You…!" An angry, yet intimidated Super the Saiyan Jinpachi growled as his body shook.

Suddenly, Gohan dispelled the Kusanagi Sword, much to the bewilderment of the scientist.

'Is he… is he letting me go?' Jinpachi inquired to himself in his mind.

Cracking a grin out of finding an opportunity, Wheelo went to attack Gohan with a Reverse Shot as he screamed, "YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE FOR THE KILL, FOOL!"

The shirtless Gohan would have been struck by the blast if it wasn't for the fact that he replaced himself with an After Image in front of Dr. Wheelo, causing the blast to travel aimlessly.

"What!? Where did you-Argh!" Wheelo questioned before being on the receiving end of an electric-laced karate chop to the back of the neck.

This didn't knock Wheelo out, but the pain that came with the shock caused him to lose control of his body. Gohan, being much faster, moved in front of the scientist and grabbed a tuft of Wheelo's golden locks. SSL2 Gohan then proceeded to beat Wheelo by punching him in the face until Gohan drew the man's blood after the sixteenth blow. Then, Gohan turned Wheelo over, picked him up so where the evil Super Saiyan's back was facing the ground. In a fast motion, Jinpachi let out a shrill shriek of pain as Gohan embedded his right knee onto his spine.

"NAAAGH!" Wheelo screamed.

Gohan brought his hands together and struck his opponent on the head, silencing him as Jinpachi was sent to one of the bigger and circular temples that honored Olibu, causing the whole floor of the entire temple to sink into a crater from the impact of Jinpachi's crash landing.

Wheelo survived the onslaught while still sustaining the Full Powered Super Saiyan transformation, but was heavily bruised all over his face. When he struggled to get on his knees, he spat out blood, saliva, and a few of his molars from the back of his lower jaw. His body was aching in pain. It felt fatigued. He was fatigued…weakend.

A feeling that Dr. Jinpachi Wheelo was familiar with, a feeling that he grew to despise throughout his life.

The man managed to barely stand on his two feet out of sheer determination as red lightning sparked around his body for a split second due to the deep seeded hatred that lingered deep within Jinpachi.

While catching his breath, he thought to himself, 'Damn him! DAMN HIM! WHY!? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!? I am so close! The world that I yearn to shape is right in front of me! And this boy is standing in my way! I wasn't expecting to use this form, let alone master it! A couple of months wasn't enough to bridge the gap at all! FUCK!'

The evil Super Saiyan heard a warping sound and turned around to see Gohan slowly approaching him with a calm and collected expression.

"Hey, genius. Do you know where you've miscalculated?" Gohan inquired.

Dr. Wheelo rolled his eyes, bitterly snarking "Of course, I don't. But even if I did, I'm sure you'll be more than elated to tell me."

As Gohan got close enough, Wheelo lunged at him with a weak left jab. Instead of dodging, Gohan wrapped his tail around Jinpachi's wrist. He then applied pressure with it, causing Wheelo to fall on one near while he suppressed the urge to scream in pain.

"It's those cells that you injected inside yourself. The DNA that you stole from me!" Gohan clarified with a sharp tone.

With a bit of blunt force, Gohan used his tail to slam him onto the ground four times before throwing Dr. Wheelo against a nearby pillar hard enough to leave a crack in it. Wheelo had to sit up and listen to the opponent that took his time to walk up to him.

"Those cells, they come from my body. I may not have dedicated my life to martial arts like my father, but every cell has a fierce history of combat and battle experience. Strengthening my body as it improves daily." Gohan elaborated as he grabbed Wheelo by the collar of his torn purple shirt.

"But for you, it's all secondhand! Petty gene theft!" Gohan growled before slamming Jinpachi into the pillar hard enough for it to collapse.

Then, the Ascended Super Saiyan (SSL2) then landed a flying kick to the scientist's chest that prompted Wheelo to skid back a yard as he landed on his back.

"Unlike me, you've never been in a real fight with a stronger opponent. You've treated those cells like a tool, running trials on yourself like an experiment. And that's where your problem lies." Said Gohan before getting on top of the older Saiyan Hybrid and began to beat his chest and face again on the ground.

Gohan continued his lecture as he punished his opponent physically, shouting, "You feel all of the power that those Saiyan Cells provide, surely! Yet, you fail to comprehend it! And you never will, because they weren't YOURS, to begin with!"

With a mighty punch to Wheelo's chest that made the evil Super Saiyan wheeze in agony, Gohan created a shockwave so great that it shattered all of the pillars that made the temple collapse in on itself. Thankfully, Gohan emerged from the rubble while dragging with him a haggard and thoroughly beaten Wheelo, who was on the verge of near death.

Gohan grimaced at this. He then flew towards a better location in the ruins and then tossed his opponent's body to stable and safer grounds.

"...No…This can't…end like this…" Jinpachi groaned in agony. "The gap…Your power…How…is can it…be so large?"

"I already told you before," Gohan replied as he looked down at his opponent with incredible disdain. "You're no Saiyan. You are a pretender, a shameless imitation."

Gohan positioned his hand and charged a ki blast, with Jinpachi locking eyes with him in what seemed to be his final moments. And the blast connected…

…Only for Wheelo to feel himself being rejuvenated.

The man couldn't believe it, himself. Gohan had healed him by sparing Jinpachi some of his own energy!

When it was finished, Wheelo jumped to his feet while assessing his healed body which had next to no blemish or injury. If anything, Dr. Wheelo felt stronger than ever despite not being on the level of Gohan (or Vegeta).

He turned to Gohan, questioning the teenager, "What is the meaning of this foolishness? Aren't you here to stop me and "save the world" like the hero you've been made to be? You had every ample opportunity to slay me with pragmatism! What's stopping you from doing so and being done with it all?"

"Done?" Gohan inquired before a scowl formed on his face. "Who decided that, you? No, we're far from done here. Nothing is over until I say it's over!"

The scientist began to sweat bullets from the murderous intent that radiated off of Gohan, stuttering, "W-What?"

While an outer glow enveloped Gohan's body, the younger Saiyan Hybrid darkly stated, "As I told you before, Wheelo…"

From himself, four clones spawned out of Gohan's power with next to no dent in the boy's energy thanks to his Spirit Control. Now, Jinpachi had five Ascended Super Saiyan (SSL2) Son Gohans standing in front of him with menacing gazes on their faces.

"...I'm going to break every single bone in your body. Now, get ready. I don't plan to go easy on you this time."

All that the doctor could utter at this moment was, "Kami, help me."

---

Battle Zone V- Abandoned Power Plant

Run. That was what Sharpner had been doing nonstop for the past three minutes. Meaning that Specimen Model Zeta and his life-sized horde of spider minions had long since started to hunt him down.

One would think that this would have instilled the fear of God in the bleach blond Neo Crane student. After all, he died before. And Sharpner had come to slowly accept that it happened in his life, as that was a part of his training with Tenshinhan. It would take some time, though.

But the urgency that coursed through his body was not due to Sharpner's own life being put on the line, but Erasa's life being threatened.

He couldn't afford that to become a reality. Nobody should have to go through the torment of remembering the experience of death.

'And I won't let that happen to her!' Sharpner promised in his mind as maneuvered in the silky tunnel of this maze made out of thread.

"Sharpie boy, where are yooouuu?" Zeta's voice echoed through the Battle Zone. "Barry just wants to PLAY!"

'Shit shit shit shit SHIT!' Sharpner cursed into his mind as he kept moving until he appeared in a clearing.

Sharpner kept moving until he ran into some of the spider minions, who tripped him with a large thread of silk. Sharpner was assaulted as they tried to bite and swung their claws at him.

Thinking quickly on his feet, Sharpner pushed them off and fired a regular Dodonpa one in the eyes, making it screech in pain as the first spider fell dead.

One of the spiders aggressively fired a barrage of silky threads at Sharpner's feet as a means to immobilize the bleach-blond warrior, but Sharpner narrowly dodged them, knowing the loss of his ki had made him slower. Thankfully, the student of Tenshinhan was still fast enough to get himself out of harm's way.

Utilizing his master's teachings, Sharpener resorted to using his hands to form a "beak" and jabbed at the spiders with a flurry of strikes. Sharpner's attacks hit several weak spots of the nearest spider with his method. He continued this assault for fifteen seconds straight before punching the spider minion so hard, he ripped a hole through its torso as the second spider lay dead.

A third spider minion moved swiftly alongside Sharpner, who verbally compared it to a wolf spider's speed as it tried to pounce him from behind while its other two members followed. Sharpner's reflex kicked in as he rolled out of the pouncing spider's range. After getting up, he turned around, blocked, and successfully parried each minion's attacks. It was a daunting task as though they had speed, the strength behind them is still far below Sharpner's level of power. A power that he had built over the arduous months leading to the Elemental Tournament.

A power earned from the aim of surpassing and going beyond the perception of who he once was.

Needless to say, he made swift work of his foes. Sharpner did this by proceeding to snap the spider minion's arms off before picking them up and smashing them into the ground.

Sharpner took a breather by letting out a sigh.

"Damn pests…" The teen said before hearing a repetition of vibrations that began to shake the silky threads below his feet.

"Ah! So that's where you're hiding… Ready or not, HERE I COME!"

Sensing the abomination approaching his direction, Sharpner found another tunnel and bolted there. As he made his way into the tunnel, the monstrosity that was Specimen Model Zeta chased him.

The Neo Crane student cursed out loud, saying, "Fuck! He's on my tail!"

As a response, Zeta let out an ear-piercing shriek that shook the area as a means to screw with Sharpner's equilibrium. But the adrenaline and the human's survival instincts kept him up and running as he went through five different pathways.

'Shit! I didn't expect this freak to be agile for his size! At this rate, I won't be able to shake him off! And I can't afford to die! Not when Erasa's life is on the line! I'll just have to outsmart this bastard if I'm going to win this game!' Sharpner thought to himself.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, MAGGOT!" Zeta screeched, climbing on the side of the tunnel's walls before spouting a venom-laced blob silky substance at the bleach blond like a Spitting Spider.

Sharpner immediately jumped to the right at the last moment, narrowly avoiding his flesh being burnt by the dangerous substance. Specimen Model Zeta did this a few times, causing the middle of the tunnel's webbing to snap and both ends to swing away from each other.

Zeta attempted to jump to the otherside to go in for the kill. In spite of his incredible leaping strength that was comparable to the Jumping Spider, Sharpner shot a blast of kiai that was time so perfectly that it hit the large predator and sent him back to his side of the den while leaving Sharpner to crawl up the silky wall until he made it back to the other area of the den.

As Sharpner panted with fatigue, he heard Zeta scream, "THAT WAS A LUCKY SHOT, SHARPIE BOY! BUT LUCK WON'T SAVE YOU FOR LONG! IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I SPOT YOU! AND WHEN I DO, I'LL ENJOY TEARING YOU APART! LIMB! BY! LIMB!"

Sharpner stopped moving for a few seconds after the echo of Zeta's deranged laughter lessen until it grew quiet again.

"...Holy shit! I'm living in a fucking real-life horror movie right now." Sharpner whispered to himself as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead with his left forearm. "Come to think of it, didn't Videl and the news mention reports of dead Beastmen? Ah, fuck me! This guy's the Beastmen serial killer of Hercule City, and now, I'm his next target."

'Think, Crayon! You've been training nonstop since Master Tien took you under his wing. He taught you to examine your foe. So what have you learned about him?' Sharpner asked himself as he moved away from the destroyed tunnel. 'Alright. This guy is a giant furry mutant spider monster. He can spin webs from his mouth. He could spit venomous acid and lace his webs with it. He's got large fangs to coat that acid with. He could use those crazy ki threads in tandem with his web to sap my energy. And he could leap large distances. Huh, he has a mishmash of specific traits of various spiders. How can I used this to my advantage?'

Sharpner stopped walking as he made it to another clearing. An amused expression appeared on the human's face.

"Heh, here I am talking in every detail like I'm a nerdy straight-A student brainstorming. Man, I'm starting to sound like Brains." Sharpner chuckled before verbally thinking. "Okay, let's refocus. The freaks are bigger, he's faster than he looks, has multiple eyes and arms as perks, has shoot webs and acid hax, and can use ki strings to debuff me. He's acting just like a spider...Wait!

-Flashback, In the Mountains Nearing the Mushroom Forest-

It was a week before the Elemental Tournament. Sharpner and Tien finished their daily training routine early and decided to rest on the beach that was nearby the mountainside where the Triclops' farm was located. Before leaving, Launch (the blonde) had recommended they go and train near the water, as the weatherman on the local news stated that a heatwave was going to sweep the area. Tenshinhan took heed of his old friend's request and brought Sharpner with him to the shore below. Upon their arrival, they have gone at least three hours of nonstop sparring after fifteen minutes of stretching. And while Tenshinhan was still much stronger and more experienced out of the two, the veteran warrior could tell that Sharpner made extraordinary progress compared to when he first started.

And boy, was he growing strong fast.

While there, Sharpner walked around, allowing his legs and feet to be soaked in a weak ocean wave.

"Sharpner, would you come over here? There's something that I'd like to show you."

Sharpner answered his teacher's call, jogging over to dry land, making his over to his location.

"Yes, Master? What do you want to show me?" The former jock questioned.

The tall, muscular, and bald warrior then took his time to squat down as he told Sharpner to do the same while pointing at a sand pit that was created by an Antlion.

Crossing his arms with an eyebrow raised, Sharpner asked, "...Uh, Master Tien? What am I looking it at-?"

"Shush…" Tien hushed softly, as he continued to point at the pit, saying, "Don't talk. Observe."

Doing as he was told, the two warriors watched as a lone ant wandered towards the pit. Unfortunately for the insect straggler, it had wandered too close to the death trap, unaware of what was to come next. The insect took a tumble into the sand-pit and found itself ensnared in the sharp and strong pincers of the predatory Antlion as it was slammed against the hot sand, losing itself life.

"...Ouch." Sharpner mildly winced.

"That, Sharpner, is an example of an ambush predator in action." Tenshinhan stated as he stood up and looked at the teenager.

"...An ambush predator? This sounds like something I heard back in middle school in my science class." Sharpner commented as he stood up and placed his arms behind his head. "Why did I have to watch a fatal mugging in the bug kingdom, again?"

"While animals like wolves and lions hunt in packs and use their numbers to overpower prey, the Antlion instead relies on ingenuity and cunning to catch prey, and they apply this into action by creating a trap in the form of this sand-pit, which pulls in ants that are foolish enough to walk into them. They'll even cause small avalanches inside of the pit should the ant try to climb out." Tien said as he placed his arms behind him, subconsciously imitating his former masters as he continued his explanation. "Other ambush predators will utilize stealth, such as camouflaging and blending in with their surroundings to catch their prey off-guard or practice the patient game of waiting until their prey is in sight then stalking and striking them down when they're vulnerable or showing their weak points."

"I guess that makes sense, Master. But I don't know if this lesson would apply to my life. I mean, sure, I've bit the dust once. But I don't have a target on my back." Sharpner expressed while frowning and putting his arms to his sides.

Tien placed a hand on one of his student's shoulders, saying, "Kid, never say never. With the life that you're leading, you'll never know what kind of situation you'll find yourself getting into in the future. Trust me."

-Flashback End-

"If he's like any spider, then I could have been stronger than him. Ha! That's probably why he can't fight me head-on in a drag-out fight. Even with the low amount of energy that I have, I could take him out with a well-timed blast. And given his larger Battle Power compared to mine, I can track him down with no problem."

As Sharpner walked around the open area for a moment, he stopped again as he groaned, "Ah, but the freak could sense my energy! How am I supposed to out-ambush an ambush predator in its natural habitat!?"

He facepalmed himself, bitterly stating, "Ugh! I wish I could raise my ki and just rip the bastard apart! But I can't even raise my ki… Pfft! What am I supposed to do with my limited energy now? Suppress it? Like that'll do any-"

Sharpner's mind froze mid-rant as an idea formed in his mind.

'He wouldn't be able to sense my presence if I were to suppress my ki, would he?' Sharpner thought before asking, 'How would I be able to get the jump on him if he can't sense me? Aren't spiders lured by vibrations from their webs, right?'

The bleach blond stopped pondering as he felt the need to look up. When he did, Sharpner's mouth opened as he found various empty husks of Beastmen that were covered in real silky webbing with no sight of Zeta's Psycho Threads woven into them.

The brown-eyed teen formed a confident smirk as he boldly stated, "...Oh yeah, it's all coming together."

-Timeskip, Ten Minutes Later-

"SHARPIE BOY! WHERE HAVE YOU GONE TO HIDE THIS TIME?" The large man/spider abomination questioned, with his voice echoing throughout the outer area of the den.

Zeta kept himself on all eight, using his extra limbs to crawl on the webbing as he scaled the walls of a tunnel. Thanks to his mutated state, the monster had the ability to pick up sensitive vibrations to locate his prey. This was what he was currently using as he noticed that Sharpner's ki seemingly vanished.

'You think you're sooo smart, lowering your energy to stay hidden. Dumbass! I don't need to sense your energy to find you when you're on my home turf! my webs tell me everything and-!' Zeta mentally boast before he felt a jolting sensation from one of the web lines, prompting the artificial organism to cackle as he said, "...I FOUND YOU!"

With a mighty hiss, the man-spider creature proceeded to increase the speed of his crawling with murderous glee fueling his body. Zeta made his way through seven pathways that winded the deeper he went. He could tell that as the closer he got, Zeta began to sense Sharpner's energy signature growing stronger and stronger with every stride he took. The mouth of the human-arachnid creature salivated with an acidic liquid as his thirst for blood spiked. One could say that he could almost taste the blood from the bleach blond's soon-to-be-corpse.

This led him to a clearing surrounded by rows and columns of steel bars that were covered in webbing. Zeta took this time to look up. In doing so, he recognized that he was in one of the "trophy rooms" that presented numerous bodies that he had emptied and left to hang on his webbing.

Ignoring the vibrations in exchange for using his ki-sensory, Zeta ended up detecting the source of the former jock's ki signature in the form of a figure with long blond hair hiding in one of the corners of the room.

Believing this to be Sharpner, Zeta shot a web line near the figure's location and pulled himself forward to the figure with the intention to pounce, bite, then tear through the body.

However… As soon as the figure came to view, Zeta immediately noticed that not only that Sharpner's energy had left the figure, but the figure that he had pictured wasn't of a normal human Earthling, the husk of a deceased long-haired Beastman.

"No…! He tricked me!" Specimen Model Zete whispered before shouting, "You son of a pedaling WHORE! WHERE ARE YOU, CRAYON!?"

"Hey, freak! Try up here!" A familiar voice rang above the human-spider creature.

"What was that?!"

Zeta's fatal error came to fruition the moment he looked upwards and found Sharpner standing on one of the large steel beams, the bleach-blond teen placed his two hands over his face with his palms facing toward the face and executed a well-timed Solar Flare.

The intense light of the Solar Flare was so great, its brightness effectively permanently damaged all of the retina in all of Zeta (Barry's eyes).

"ARGH! MY EYES! MY EYEEES!" Zeta screeched as he placed two of his many hands on his face.

Sharpner then took this opportunity to jump down from the steel beam while forming two Kienzan disks.

'It's about time someone cut you down to size!' Sharpner thought to himself as he threw the razor ki disk at Zeta.

When he threw them, the discs split into three disks each, and ended up amputating and cauterizing all six of the man-spider creature's arms.

This forced the blinded and literally disarmed artificial creature onto its knees, continuing to scream curses.

"ARGHHHH!" Zeta shrieked, shaking the area from the high-pitched cry. "FUCK! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What have you done to me, you bastard!?"

Sharpner coldly stared at the amputated blind monstrosity that was before him, answering, "Nothing that you didn't have coming, Khan."

Out of rage, Specimen Model Zeta shot a blast of acidic webbing at Sharpner, only for him to miss by hitting an After Image.

The real Sharpner had used his limited reserve of energy to leap into the air and float for a moment as he formed his opened hands into a diamond shape. While perfectly concentrating his energy inside of his body, a white aura began to surround him like an outline while also being focused aura around his hands.

Once again, Sharpner had unknowingly entered his State of Selflessness.

Upon building enough energy, Sharpner shouted, "BURN IN HELL FOR ALL THE PEOPLE YOU'VE MURDERED, MONSTER! KANZEN KIKŌHŌ!"

Zeta didn't even have time to evade as a large white widespread energy wave was fired from Sharpner's hands, engulfing the artificial monstrous lifeform.

When he felt the intense heat of the attack, Zeta screamed, "NO, WAIT! NOT THE FAAAC-AHHHHHGH!"

The monster's form was caught in the ki wave, erasing his physical body from existence, closing the book on Barry Khan Yanagi's short but menacing life.

When the dust settled, Sharpner descended to the ground with barely any energy left to safely land.

Fortunately for him, because of Barry's death, the Psycho Thread's effects were lifted as all of Sharpner's energy returned to him and brought him back to full power.

The Neo Crane student dropped out of his State of Selflessness as he eyed the large burnt mark on the scorched metal floor.

No longer sensing Zeta's ki signature, Sharpner scowled in his direction as he coldly stated, "Good riddance!"

With that, Sharpner levitated from the ground once more and began blasting through the walls of the labyrinth while homing in on Erasa's energy signature.

Meanwhile, Erasa herself was shaking in her cocoon. Since was hanging from the ceiling with her back face to it, her face was always looking down at the floor that was at least thirty feet below her current location. She decided that the best way to pass the time without thinking about the potential of falling.

So, she decided to mull over the moments in her life that she may regret.

And the biggest one was her slow separation from one of her oldest friends, Sharpner.

Their last real conversation (which was more of an argument) had been plaguing her mind for weeks. It didn't help that the male bleach blond that made himself more scarce due to his training, her relationship with Barry Khan effectively caused them to drift apart to the point where they didn't even talk to each other at school. In fact, the only reason why they were even still on speaking terms was because of the project they were assigned to work on together.

In retrospect, that was horrifying for the pixie-cut blonde. She couldn't fathom a life without the big lug. Sharpner was one of her closest friends.

…She loved him.

And yet, it's because of that love that Erasa couldn't stand Sharpner constantly hitting on Videl, getting heartbroken, only to use her as comfort and compassion to rebound back into pining for Videl, shelving her until the cycle repeats. At first, the bubbly blonde didn't let the first couple of instances where Sharpner had done this, though, over time, Erasa started to resent this behavior as the pain of being used weighed on her. So by the time, Barry Khan came into the picture, Erasa grew fed up with Sharpner's past shallow and superficial antics.

Oh, and the irony of all of this was that in exchange for essentially ditching her longtime friend, she ended up dating a wolf, or spider, in sheep's clothing that thought of her as a commodity more than a person. Who apparently is a homicidal psychopath that ate a person and is currently out to kill the boy who came looking for her despite their separation,

Needless to say, Erasa had been mentally praying to Dende for Sharpner's safety.

'Please, Dende, let him be okay!' The girl prayed continuously.

She had done this during the entire ordeal when suddenly several loud blasts resounded throughout the area. Erasa stopped moving as her heartbeat sped up.

But, before dread could overwhelm her as she squeezed her fearful eyes shut, a breeze enveloped in speeds she couldn't even comprehend. Now, Erasa found herself freed from her silky cocoon as she felt a pair of protective arms carrying her bridal style while still in mid-air.

"...'Rasa…Erasa!" A familiar voice called to her. "Hey, you can open your eyes."

Just then, the girl's eyes immediately shot open, now gazing upon Sharpner, the boy who had rescued her.

"...S-Sharpie? Is that you?" Erasa inquired in the tone of a whisper.

Sharpner nodded, saying "Yeah, I'm here. I guess it's been a while since we found the time to really talk, huh?"

Sharpner would be continued to talk but was silenced when the blonde embraced the former jock in a hug while crying onto one of his shoulders.

He didn't know if it was because she was afraid of what was happening outside, the fear Zeta inflicted onto her, their personal issues, or a combination of both. What was clear to the Neo Crane student was that Erasa was emotionally drained from the puffy red eyes, her flushed face, and ruined make up that was getting on his shirt. It didn't matter to Sharpner, though. It as Erasa's turn to be comforted, and it was about time that Sharpner provide that for his friend.

"I-I'm so sorry, S-Sharpie," Erasa apologized, never breaking up the hug or speaking above a whisper. "About w-what I said, I-"

"-Forget about that, okay?" Sharpner lightly cut her off. "That doesn't matter right now. What I care about right now is making sure that you're safe and getting you out of here alive."

Erasa nodded lightly while sniffling, "Please. I-I don't want to be here anymore."

Nodding himself, Sharpner told her to hold on tight as he flew through an open window within the power plant and fled the Battle Zone at a steady pace that was safe enough for Erasa to endure.

"...Hey, Sharpner?" The blonde girl called to her friend, who verbally responded to indicate that he was listening to her.

"Hm?"

"I k-know that I don't say it often, but, thank you," The blonde expressed with gratitude. "You really, like, totally got m-me out of a jam back there."

The former jock shook his head, stating, "Didn't I say don't worry about it? Seriously, 'Rasa, it's not a big wow. Helping each other out is what friends do, right? Besides, it's going to take a lot more than a shouting fest to get rid of me that easily. We stick together no matter what."

Erasa gasped, surprised at how casual Sharpner was acting in spite of their issues. But she smiled, that shook her head, calling herself stupid for how she was acting.

Sharpner was not going anywhere, and hearing it from his mouth brought a true smile to the girl's face.

---

Olibu Coliseum, Hellenistic Ruins, Battle Island II

Hell. Torment. Torture. Pain. Words, while not wrong, weren't nearly a perfect adjective to describe Dr. Jinpachi Wheelo's experience in battling Son Gohan within the last fifteen minutes.

No, that wasn't accurate. Instead of a battle, it was more of a one-sided beatdown. Courtesy of not one, not two, but four clones of Son Gohan along with the original. And they're all nearly just as powerful as the original.

Ribs, femur, arms, legs, collarbone, wrists, ankles, legs. The scientist was very aware how particular these bones were being selected. The group of calm but cold-looking Saiyan Hybrids weren't looking to just randomly damage him. No, Gohan was purposely targeting some of the most common bones that an average man would be susceptible to get injured and proceeded to damage them. Was the teenager bluffing at his claim? Technically, yes. After all, breaking every single bone in the evil Super Saiyan's body would surely kill the doctor.

And Gohan did not want to kill him…yet.

However, it wasn't too far off. Using his clones, the eldest son of Goku took turns for each clone to physically pulverize Wheelo with their bare hands without the use of ki until the man was a bloody pulp. Once this process was done, the original Gohan would use his Healing Technique that Lord Shin had taught him on Dr. Wheelo, restoring his foe to peak condition while also making him a tad bit stronger, only for the cycle to start anew with a different clone.

And while fifteen minutes is a brief moment to the outside, it was an eternity of suffering in the eyes of the illustrious geneticist. Because of his newfound abilities as a ki practitioner, he recognized that his perception of the flow of time is much different. On the battlefield, everything moved much slower to him due to his being able to move, anticipate, and react much faster than any ordinary human or non-ki using Beastmen. At the moment, the pain was ongoing and only perpetuated further like bringing in damnation. Sure, there were brief pauses that were given to him. But Gohan, being as ruthless as he was in Super Saiyan Level Two, had done this to systematically make Jinpachi's torment worse when he resumed beating on him some more.

It had gotten so brutal that one clone held Wheelo in a full nelson while the original Saiyan Hybrid wailed at him, making sure that Wheelo felt each blow while never losing eye contact.

Because of this tremendous and extensive amount of humiliation that he was inflicted by a mere child, Jinpachi had begun to hate Gohan.

Currently, Super Saiyan Jinpachi Wheelo, while at least several times stronger than he was since he transformed, wasn't doing so well against his opponents.

The now shirtless businessman slid backward from the force of a devastating blow to the cheek, crashing into several more buildings in the process. He managed to stop himself from moving back as he dashed forward at Gohan, who had long absorbed his clones back into his body.

Wheelo managed to land a left knee on the teenager's chest, turn his left foot to the boy's face, then perform a backflip and fired a fully charged Zenmetsu-Hō at point-blank range.

The doctor landed on the ground perfectly, then charged forward with a Malefic Energy Punch that connected while within the smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Gohan stood his ground despite having a fist to his face. Gohan kept his cool and stern glare as it pierced his opponent's soul. Much to the frustration of Dr. Wheelo, none of the doctor's attacks were affecting him.

The evil Super Saiyan took five steps, peeved, no, infuriated, at the lack of damage Gohan received as the said boy began to slowly walk towards him.

"For Kami's sake!" Wheelo grunted as he faced his palms away from him and towards Gohan. "WHY WON'T YOU DIE!?"

Alongside the last word that was shouted, Dr. Wheelo fired a barrage of Reverse Shots at Gohan in the hopes of putting the seemingly unstoppable force that was SSL2 Son Gohan, down. In response to this, Gohan easily slapped the ki blasts away from him and made sure that each slap was redirected to a solid object so that they couldn't hit him from behind.

Gohan then rushed directly in front of Dr. Wheelo's face and struck him in the kidney with a punch. Jinpachi wasn't even able to have time to register the pain as he was grabbed by the throat via Gohan's monkey tail, slammed him onto the very ground that they stood on face first until a large crater was formed beneath them (five times).

Once Gohan was done, he then tossed Jinpachi's beaten form against the statue of Olibu as a bloody mess of a man while barely being able to be in his Super Saiyan form as his power was rapidly decreasing by the second.

"S-Shit!" Jinpachi cursed, who was laying on his back while hating himself for not being powerful enough to defeat his opponent. "...So…Close..! Very…Close! Why? …What…What do I lack?"

Wheelo's eyes began to tear up, now feeling the pain of failure wash over him like a tidal wave as he dragged his fingers of both hands across the ground, leaving streaks of blood behind. "It's not…fair!"

'Look at him,' Gohan thought to himself with scrutinizing eyes as the man began coughing up blood. 'He's not even half the man that he was. In the critical condition that he's in, it won't be long for him to die from his wounds. I don't have to do anything else at this point thanks to my Spirit Control draining the remainder of his energy not too far from here. He's done for.'

Gohan turned away from Wheelo and started walking away without a care in the world.

This didn't go unnoticed as Jinpachi managed to scrape up enough energy to stand up while donning a face of absolute bewilderment, saying, "HEY! W-Where do y-you think you're going!?"

The Ascended Super Saiyan (SSL2) Gohan stopped moving as he heard the enraged Wheelo struggling to stand back up while using the statue to lean on, "You…think that you…can just walk away from me? I-I'm not done yet! WE'RE NOT DONE YET!"

After that shout, Jinpachi started coughing up more blood as the hatred in him brewing and churned from his stomach and coursed through his veins.

Without looking at him, Gohan said, "Yes, we are. There's no point in fighting you anymore, Wheelo. You're health is declining by the second. I've stripped you of any sliver of pride that you once had, and physically avenged all of the people that was murdered or had suffered by your hands today. In spite of the amount of time, effort, money, and thought you've put into this grandios scheme, it came crashing down. All because it couldn't sustain the ego you fed into at the very end."

"My plan was PERFECT! I was going to save the WORLD!" Wheelo shouted in defiance before violently coughing again while he felt himself weezing in pain.

Gohan shook his head, letting out a sigh as he said, "...Delusional self-righteous fool. You say that as if your intentions were pure, yet you taint that claim by murdering thousands and threaten death if your subjugation isn't met with haste. This so-called "revolution" that you mask, your experimentation of my DNA in your body, it was all so you can take control of the planet that once left you with nothing long ago. For revenge. Can you accuse us for being selfish?"

Wheelo's anger turned into a bitter laugh as he took a deep breath and cackled.

"Well done, Gohan. Very astute of you to figure that out. Just like me when I was your age." A hapless Jinpachi cackled before a grim expression shifted in place. "But I don't give a damn of what you think! Unlike YOUR beloved elders, I DESERVE recompense for the wrong doings that was done to me in my life! This world took my parents from me! Then it THREW ME AWAY! LIKE TRASH! HEll, IT SPAT ON YOUR FATHER FOR YEARS! WHILE HE WAS IN THE GRAVE! What reason do you have to stop me from removing the errors of mankind with my genius, boy!? TELL ME!"

"Because this isn't about the world or it's flaws. This is about you, and your refusal to let go." Gohan answered so easily, tearing through Jinpachi's argument with relative ease. "You were so caught up in your goals that you've spent the latter half of your life using people! Anybody, whether they were strangers or those close to you were merely pawns for your little games to get what you want! In tragic irony, you couldn't even realize that you've gotten what you lost long ago. No, you too blinded by revenge to see it. And you took that missed opportunity for granted!"

Gohan's mind flashed to Barry Khan and Cocoa's faces while Wheelo grinded his teeth together.

SSJ2 Gohan sighed once more before dropping down to his normal state and walking way, "Just lay down and die peacefully. That'll do youself and everyone else a favor. Maybe if your remorseful enough, you could be forgiven in Other World someday. Goodbye, Doctor."

Watching the retreating back of the monkey-tailed teenager with the combination of his words sparked something in Dr. Jinpachi Wheelo. It was anger-no. Anger is just frustration. A temporary emotion that could be quelled with time. No, this was deeper than that. Something that had festered within him for decades. And even though Gohan hadn't done anything wrong to him up until recently, the battle, the deterioration of Dr. Wheelo's mental state, and the boy's words have all culminated in what was about to transpire.

With all of his determination, red lightning began surge around the hate-driven scientist as he stood up on both of his feet without support.

"You…! YOU…!" Wheelo growled in a low yet demonic tone, as he dug deep inside of himself, tapping into the malefic energy that was buried in his heart.

Suddenly, dark clouds had gathered and blocked the sun as if the seven Dragon Balls were gathered. The oceans that surrounded the island churned violently as thunder roared and flashes of crimson lightning danced in the sky.

Gohan watched this for a moment, alarmed by the change in whether before is head snapped towards the direction of his fallen enemy, who was now producing an enormous amount of malefic energy.

'So much power! B-But how!?' Gohan thought to himself as he watched Wheelo struggled with a possible change.

"Son…Gohan…!" The scientist growled demonically, with debris floating around him and an ominous wind swirled underneath the evil Super Saiyan.

The voice that the former human used sent chills down Gohan's spine. The twist presence that emanate from the older Saiyan Hybrid made caused his instincts to run wild. One part of him told Gohan to kill him while the other told him to flee. But near of these feelings overtook the one another, forcing the boy to stand and watch. The overwhelming negative force had made him stationary.

For a split second, as more of his opponent's hair began to stand up on end and grow a bit longer, Gohan swore that he spotted the hue of the golden locks flicker…silver? Or was it white? He couldn't tell as it was for a split second.

As the businessman clenched his fists and kept his arms away from his sides while in a horse stance, several veins appeared on his forehead and jaw. He bowed his head down while forcefully drawing out more of his evil ki and move it up his spine through his anger.

"Don't you dare…!" The man spat as the evil crimson power he was channeling crept near his neck.

Within the climax of the changing process, all of the sacrifices and trials in his life flashed in his mind. Reaffirming his goals, the final mental block had by Jinpachi as he let out demonic bellow.

Wheelo roared, "...TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!"

Much like Goku on Planet Namek, a tremendous power had been unleashed that was so great the whole island had shook which could be felt be everybody on it.

However, the crimson pillar of light that initially was associated with Jinpachi's energy had turned purple and magenta.

The flash of light and the brief shockwave promoted Gohan to cover his eyes for a moment with his arms.

But when the commotion subsided, and he put his arms to his sides again, the young warrior's mouth parted from the look of bewilderment and dread that his face froze with.

"W-What is this?" Gohan whispered in apprehension.

Standing before Gohan was a being reminscent of a Super Saiyan, and yet there was a malevolent twist to him. His hair, while spiked up, had wavy-like stark white locks with two long bangs hanging down; a similar appearance akin to that of Super Saiyan Future Trunks. Jinpachi's muscles were enlarged, much more defined as if his full potential had been unleashed. His irises had turned crimson while his black pupils were exposed. Surrounding his more narrowed and sinister eyes were a pair of red coloring could be a byproduct of the evil spreading his body. Speaking of which, besides the surrounding red electricity were was surging over his body, there was a purple in aura that was encompassing the much more aggressive and chaotic magenta outer aura.

The newly changed Saiyan Hybrid had felt the power he had brought while he inspected the auras that surrounded him.

Forming a twisted grin before cackling, Dr. Jinpachi Wheelo gloated to Gohan, saying, "...At last, I've reached my enlightenment. Son Gohan, I thank you once again. For your actions has led to the birth of Malice. Super Saiyan Malice!"

To Be Continued…

---

Sharpner's steadfast courage and quick thinking brought an end to Specimen Model Zeta once and for all! And because of that, Erasa finally has been saved! Unfortunately, tragedy and peril had fallen unto the Dragon Team with the demise of Videl's father, Mr. Satan, and the creation of a brand new threat. Just how dangerous is this so called "Super Saiyan Malice"? Will the second level of the golden haired Super Saiyan be enough to bring him down? Or will something far greater be needed? What will happened to the Capsule Corporation? Can T-2006, Bulma, and Dr. Briefs shut down the particle cannon from Wheelo's Red Ribbon Army sattilite in time? Find out what happens next Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL!

---

Author's Notes:

Sheesh! Longest chapter of my goddamn life!

Okay, I want to comment on a name change of a preexisting attack. The Electric Eclipse Sphere (電撃地獄玉 Dengeki Jigoku Dama) that Super Android 17 has was been given to Jinpachi. One of the games stated it was called "Blitz Hell Sphere". But instead of the dub name, I've given it the name "Blitzing Hell Sphere" just to make it more accurate to the Japanese translation while making it grammatically sound in English.

Why did I give him this attack? Well, it looks like a certain technique that may be seen within the next two chapters.

Oh yeah, Circular Disengagement was taught to Gohan by Shin during his training in the Sacred Realm of the Kai before the tournament but after Goten's birthday. This was a technique that Shin could do in the game, Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden 3.

Now, let's go over fanmade techniques real quick!

雷神掌 (Raijinshō) *Lit- "Thunder God Palm" (Thunder Palm): A perfected and modified variant of Master Roshi's Thunder Shock Suprise created by Dr. Jinpachi Wheelo. Like the Thunder Shock Suprise, the user shoots a lightning blast toward the target using both hands and traps the opponent within an electric field. What makes this different is that Jinpachi's technique utilizes Super Saiyan energy to restrict ki flow for a certain period of time and could be strengthened by another person or through cloning techniques.

悪の気拳 (Akū no Kiken) *Lit- "Evil Spirit Fist" (Malefic Energy Punch): A corrupted version of a normal Energy Punch that utilizes malefic energy. By channeling evil ki, the user energizes their fist with ki to strike an opponent with greater force. It is a widespread technique that varies in style between its users. This was created by Dr. Jinpachi Wheelo.

剃刀の刃 (Kamisori no Ha) *Lit "Razor's Edge": A malefic variant of Krillin's Kienzan created by Dr. Jinpachi Wheelo. Using evil ki, the user forms a crimson razor-sharp disk of energy that can slice through almost any substance.

草薙の剣 (Kusanagi no Tsurugi) *Lit "Grass-Cutter Sword" (Kusanagi Sword): This is a variant of the Energy Hand Blade that various ki users could perform throughout the series. This one, in particular, was created from a specific method of training in Spirit Control that Gohan had undergone before the Elemental Tournament. The technique was named by the Supreme Kai, Shin. The namesake was an ancient Shinjin swordsman whose precision was unrivaled. The user forms their ki into a piercing energy blade around their hand.

完全 気功砲 (Kazen Kikōhō) *Lit "Perfected Spirit Cultivation Gun" (Perfected Tri-Beam): A mastered and enhanced version of Tenshinhan's signature technique created by Sharpner Crayon. This technique usually takes a considerable amount of ki to perform but can be used with very little energy if the user focuses their ki intensely without it leaking out of their body. So far, Sharpner can only do so when in his State of Selflessness (No Ego Zone). The only difference this has to the normal Kikōhō and its Shin Kikōhō variant is that this lacks the lifespan drain of the original technique and that the energy attack is white, rather than yellow.

Before anybody decides to question me about Goku's character, let me give a little context on what he's based on philosophically.

Outside of being an enlightened Sun Wukong from Xiyouji/Saiyuki (Journey to the West), Goku was raised by an old man that lives in the mountains that are separated from society and its structure while being surrounded by nature. Grandpa Gohan and Master Roshi are the counterparts of the Patriarch Subodhi, one of the Buddha's ten disciples. And while there are many Buddhist references in Dragon Ball, fundamentally, Goku was named and taught manners by Grandpa Gohan while Master Roshi took the foundation of Goku's martial arts and expanded upon it. This is a call back to how Subodhi named Wukong and taught him the mystical Daoist arts that eventually allowed him to learn the secrets of immortality.

What makes this relevant is that since both Gohan and Roshi are based on a hermit and a possible bodhisattva with Daoist learning, it's safe to say that Goku was raised and trained by Daoist men. And Daoists believed that suffering comes from structured society, which is why through having an understanding of the Dao, the sages would be able to leave society and live a life of modesty in nature and become enlightened. And in Chinese myths, these sages become deified in death. Hell, Laozi, the author of the Daodejing, appeared in Journey to the West as a god who bound Sun Wukong with a diamond snare.

But that doesn't mean that these sages don't struggle while on the path to enlightenment. Goku is still selfish in the sense that he seeks strong opponents to challenge him, which can become seemingly dangerous to himself and those around him. Right now, Goku is dealing with the consequences of his actions of placing the responsibility of defending Earth on a young boy who doesn't have nor desire his lifestyle. And while Goku will keep to his words and stay dead, he does feel remorse for causing his family and friends to suffer. Especially how ghastly things are getting with this new threat to the planet. Though, this all ties to his path to reach enlightenment while understanding himself and Godly ki under the tutelage of his Grandpa Gohan, an enlightened sage.

When it comes to Cocoa and her sudden intelligent streak and "random superpowers" appearing out of nowhere, please remember that Cocoa is an artificially enhanced bio-engineered organism created by Dr. Wheelo. She is very capable of adapting and learning quickly to be an above-average functioning sapient to mimic human behavior. However, due to the docile nature of Mrs. Wheelo's DNA spliced into her, Cocoa did not start showing signs of her powers or augmentations until much later in her life. I've never specifically stated that she was powerless, nor did I show that she was completely oblivious. From Cocoa's perspective, she is a girl who has dreams to make people happy and have a family that loves her. She would never harm her father, her brother, or anybody for that matter. She's not a fighter and she does not desire to do anything greater with them. So because of her quiet and kind personality, Cocoa kept these sides of herself to herself. In contrast, Barry Khan would have flaunted his powers around with the swagger of a spoiled prince, but he had to play the role of the perfect teenage boy to stick to Dr. Wheelo's master plan.

And yes, Videl killed Tao. You guys might be asking how could she survive being frozen solid completely. Well, that whole sequence was a huge reference to the movie, Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest. I had to have Videl get the win on him. She, as one of the fighters of the new generation, has shown to have some level of mastery over the Kaiōken technique to where an x2 multiplier would be enough to fatally wound Tao without being crippled by its drawbacks. And mind you, Videl has been training in conditions harsher than earlier Dragon Ball warriors in a shorter amount of time and received greater returns of growth due to being a part of a younger generation with greater potential. Remember, plot and narrative will ALWAYS trump power scaling. Also, Tao believed that his new upgrades were all that he needed to bring Videl down. His arrogance and underestimating Videl's strength and growth all played a part in his demise.

This leads to Mr. Satan officially kicking the bucket. Yes, old Hercule has finally been killed off after debating on it for nearly a year. Why have I decided on it? Well, there's no point in keeping him alive. Sure, it sucks because Videl has no living relatives and will have to continue on in life with her father's mistakes being placed on her like a cross to drag. But think of it this way. What's the point in having him around? Mr. Satan is a gag character that is a comedic relief at best, and a willfully ignorant, annoying jerk at worst. To be honest, his death is a fitting one to cap off his character. All of Hercule's selfish lifestyle and negative karma from his life and other possible incarnations accumulated and came back to bite him in the worst way possible, which ultimately resulted in him being killed by the same "trick" that he claimed to be fake.

Before you bring up the Dragon Balls, ignore that thought and just keep reading. I will not answer any questions regarding those orbs directly. Wait patiently, and follow along. You'll see what I'm about to do with them.

Now, how did Specimen Model Zeta (Barry Khan in Man-Spider form) die? Well, he may have been spliced with spider DNA, but Barry did not receive all of the attributes of them because he's an incomplete monster. He's inherently flawed due to being an earlier creation of Dr. Wheelo who's original purpose was to simply act as his son. The monstrous form was a side effect of adding too much spider DNA that Wheelo was trying his best to suppress. And since he was a spider, Barry was prone to do certain predatory behavior. However, due to his humanity (as in the human mind and not heart), he can consciously chose to ignore these instincts whenever he wants.

Barry just happened to screw up in not thinking things clearly, possesing an ego that nearly rivals his father and Vegeta's, and having his own instincts being used against him.

And why isn't Sharpner and Erasa not together yet? Its too soon and their worried about staying alive more than hooking up. Give those two some time to breath first, okay? Realistically speaking, they have stuff to sort out. Besides, Videl and Gohan had a romantic payoff. The blond(e)s need time to get thiers.

Next, Gohan's screw up. Yes, I purposely had Gohan spare Jinpachi's life multiple times. And I know you guys are going to hate that. But please understand that there are many layers to his approach. One, notice that he hadn't shown the same kind of hatred attitude he gave to Cooler. Two, when he transformed, he displayed his higher level of self control with his ki and emotions. And three, he continuously healed and beaten Wheelo as a form of punishment to the man's mind for everyone he hurt in his life because of his selfish action. Including Gohan, himself. It was a personal battle for him, which didn't lead to the susal power-drunken arrogance fueling Gohan like it did in the Cell Games or the fight with Vegeta after Cooler's Invasion. No, this time, Gohan's sadistic Saiyan side clouding his sense of reason. And that side wanted Jinpachi to be a broken mess of a man. Hell, when Gohan was done with Dr. Wheelo, he was so weak that the guy would rather leave the doctor to dry from his battle injuries than to finish him off himself.

Notice the certains references and parallels that come with the fight.

It was also to give Dr. Wheelo Zenkai Boosts so that he could eventually transform.

Speaking of which!

超サイヤ人 怨念- (Sūpa Saiya-jin On'nen) *Lit "Super Saiyan Grudge" (Super Saiyan Malice):

This transformation is belongs to a special branch of Super Saiyan, much how like the God forms and Super Saiyan Four are in their own branches in canon as well. Speaking of Super Saiyan God, the conditions as to how one achieves this particular transformation is much like Super Saiyan Blue (SSGSS), for one has to channel their malefic energy and use it as if you were going Super Saiyan. And no it's not Evil Aura like in Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Why? Because, he's not a Saiyan naturally nor is he of Saiyan origin. No, the malice in Dr. Wheelo's heart had been in him since he was a young man, hence being of human origin.

This is where elements of Gohan's Beast form take shape. Because of his using his unique festering human-based evil ki to go Super Saiyan, he had undergone a transformation that brought out his full potential on display (at least without a tail). This form is completely unrelated to Super Saiyan (Berserker).

Fun Fact: This form was always planned, and was there about a year and a half before DBS: Super Hero came out. It was going to look remarkably similar to Beast Gohan. But given what we got in the movie, I've decided to make it a form based on it. You can consider SSM an evil take on Gohan Beast as Dr. Jinpachi Wheelo is PRIMAL Gohan's dark reflection. His

Six Earred Macaque, if you will.

How strong is Super Saiyan Malice? Well, stick around to find out.

Please leave your comments, questions, concerns, and criticisms in the Reviews. Tell me what you like, dislike, what could be better, and what you enjoy about the saga and/or story so far by writing a detailed review for me. What are your favorite moments? Who do you like to see more of? Let me know these things, guys! It helps me grow as a writer, and I enjoy reading your thoughts on my work. Anyway, I'll see you guys later!

-DarkShadowGames451