The group opened the door and arrived in a vast field of grass. Overhead the sky was a pleasant shade of pink. In the distance there could be seen tall white pillars resembling marble.
A gentle breeze blew across the landscape just as the last person to come through the door, Majuub, arrived on the scene.
Gohan looked around with a look of surprise on his face.
"Is this really still the demon world? This place is actually pleasant." Gohan said, then wiped some black dust off his orange uniform.
Trunks adjusted his blue scarf out of nervious habit before talking.
"Sure this place looks nice, but that isn't really what I'm worried about right now." Trunks said, thinking of Goten.
There was a short silence before anyone spoke again.
"When he arrives..he will be needing our support. I know what he is going threw, and the company of friends is exactly what he will need." Goku said, his blue uniform contrasting sharply with the pink sky above.
"I do not mean to seem insulting Goku, but as usual you are missing the big picture." Nouva Shenron said, the golden dragon staring intently in Goku's direction as he spoke.
"What do you mean?" Goku asked, slightly confused.
"From the moment we arrived in Demon World our enemies have been using our sense of loss against us." Nouva said.
A golden hued butterfly flew silently past Majuub. A single tiny bolt of pink energy lashed out from Majuub's body and reduced the creature to ashes without a sound. Majuub smirked slightly.
"I should have known this would have happened." Bardock said, crossing his well-muscled arms over his green armored chest.
"Azrael always kept saying the same sentence every time I encountered him in those visions or whatever they were. Remember?" Bardock asked.
"Death is the only absolute right?" Vegeta said, his black outfit contrasting sharply with the bright coloration of the surrounding terrain.
"Yes. I believe each fight with a demon king has tried to show us a form of loss or somehow take advantage of loss in a personal way." Bardock said.
Before anyone could add anything further to the conversation, the doorway from the previous demon world reopened. Goten stepped threw, his white uniform stained red in many places with what looked like blood.
A look of utter grief was on Goten's face. It was a look that did not fit the normally cheerful Goten.
"Goten..are you alright?" Trunks asked his old friend softly.
Goten stared at the ground before speaking, tears streamed down his youthful face.
"No I'm not alright. I am not freaking alright!" Goten said with a voice combining intense grief with intense rage.
"What happened?" Trunks asked.
"I just had to kill the woman I loved." Goten said as tears continued to stream down his face.
There was shocked silence for at least five seconds before Goten was heard sobbing.
"I promised I'd rescue her. I promised I'd always protect her! I failed! They used my own love as a weapon against me." Goten said as he turned his hands into fists and looked up at the sky.
"Goten..I understand what your going threw." Goku said in the most gentle, kind voice he could manage.
"You understand..nothing! You always left mom, always with some stupid excuse. You choose to train Uub over your own family! You could have visited..but did you? No. So no father..I don't think you understand ANYTHING about what I'm feeling right now." Goten said angrily.
Majuub crossed his arms and smiled. This entire spectacle was very amusing to him.
"Goten your being unfair." Gohan said.
"Am I? Look..lets just get one thing straight here. This one thing I've been meaning to say for years to you and Dad. I'm not like you. Sure Gohan you claim to hate fighting, but you always found ways to fight, like that ridiculous Super Hero gig you did years ago. And Dad..everyone knows fighting is all you live for. You always have put your love of fighting ahead of your own family." Goten said.
"Goten your father is a Saiyan warrior. Don't expect to understand how he thinks. Also..don't forget that if it weren't for your father's love of fighting, well lets just say there would be a lot less people alive right now." Vegeta said.
"It doesn't matter. The Saiyan excuse only goes so far. Vegeta your a pure blooded Saiyan just like my father is..yet you have always taken your responsibilities to your family seriously. The point is I'm not like you Dad. Before this entire demon thing started I would have been perfectly happy to spend the rest of my life with Valese, even if that meant I'd not see a single battle till the day I died." Goten said.
"Let me get this straight Goten. Are you actually blaming me for Valese death?" Goku said with an angry tone.
Goten was about to respond when Majuub walked over and stood near Goten, laughing hysterically the entire way there.
"This soap opera is just too much. Look how pathetic you are Goten. First you sob like a baby over that stupid girlfriend of yours. Honestly did you expect her to survive? Anyway..then after your pathetic display of tears, you start blaming your father for her death. What is this? Desperate Housewives? I knew you were too weak to defeat me the last time we fought Goten. Your whiny, emo attitude here just confirmed it." Majuub said with a cruel smile on his dark skinned face.
"You take that back." Goten said darkly, a look of utter hatred on his face as he looked at Majuub.
Majuub began laughing hysterically in a manner that reminded Gohan and Goku of Super Buu.
"No I don't think I'll be doing that. I heard from the others earlier that you've been holding back the full extent of your power Goten. Show me what you can really do...or is crying over dead..stupid girls the only thing you can do now?" Majuub said cruelly as he got into a fighting pose.
"Guys now is not the time for this!" Gohan said.
"Oh I think it is. Uub I'm sick of your comments and your insults. I just lost the woman I loved. I will not allow you to speak of her in such a manner!" Goten said as a golden aura materialized around him.
"Oh am I hurting your feelings? Get over it. Or better yet, show me exactly how powerful you really are..or are you afraid?" Majuub said as a pink aura materialized around him.
"Guys please stop this!" Gohan yelled
"SHUT UP!" Goten yelled as he fired a blast of yellow energy in Gohan's direction. Gohan was sent flying into the distance by the attack.
"Now we are talking!" Majuub said
"You want me Uub? Well be careful what you wish for." Goten yelled as his now golden hair grew out to his waist and his eyebrows disappeared as he finished his power up to his Super Saiyan Three form.
Majuub smiled and flew with his right fist forward at Goten. Goten flew with his right fist forward at Majuub. The other Z-Fighters flew away to watch the battle from a safe distance.
As both fighters collided a huge shockwave was created which created a large crater in the formerly pristine field of grass.
In the skies overhead, bolts of electricity danced in the skies. The entire region was effected by the combined power of the two combatants.
Majuub landed a punch to Goten's face, causing the half saiyan to cough up no small amount of blood. Majuub then fired a pink energy blast from his mouth point blank at Goten. Goten fought against the pain and used all the power he had to push Majuub's attack backwards.
Majuub smiled wickedly as he pointed both his hands into the sky.
"Extinction Attack!" Majuub said as he began firing millions of pink energy blasts into the sky.
Goten remembered that technique. Years ago when Super Buu was told by Piccolo that the majority of Earth's population was still alive in order to buy time, Super Buu had used the move in order to kill everyone on Earth at once.
"You monster!" Goten said as he landed a hard flying right kick to Majuub's face, ending the attack.
Goten stepped back from Majuub, looking with horror on what he had done to his face.
Majuub's head was twisted back in an unnatural manner. Majuub looked like he was in a great deal of pain.
"Oh no." Goten said, regretting his actions.
Suddenly to Goten's horror Majuub's face stretched and changed as though it were made of liquid, and in seconds it was back to its orginal, uninjured state.
Majuub looked at Goten with black eyes, then spoke in a voice much deeper than his usual voice.
"Nice try Goten. I'd give your attempt an A for artistry though." Majuub said, than laughed at his own joke.
"Wait your not Uub." Goten said, then began charge white energy in both hands.
Majuub said nothing, instead he just smiled, and then stretched his arm out, grabbing Goten by the throat. Majuub continued to stretch his arm until he was holding Goten high over the ground.
With his free hand, Majuub fired a red beam of energy at Goten, who struggled to get free from Majuub's grasp as the blast approached.
Goten's thoughts shifted between thoughts of powerlessness, anger, grief at the loss of Valese, and finally hatred of Uub. The combined intensity of his raging emotions gave Goten strength, and he managed to rip Majuub's arm off his throat.
Goten yelled as he used all the strength he could muster to flip Majuub into the air using his own arm.
Before Goten could complete this plan though, Majuub returned his arm to its normal length, then fired a blast of red energy at Goten, who placed both arms in front of his chest and face in an X position to hopefully block the attack and reduce the damage.
Goten was forced backwards a short distance from Majuub's attack, but looked otherwise unharmed. Quickly shifting to a fighting pose, Goten stared at his opponent.
"This is the full extent of your power? How disappointing Goten." Majuub said.
Goten knew his friends and family were watching nearby. He knew that somehow Super Buu had regained control over Uub's body and mind. That would mean he would come for them next if he failed to stop him.
Yet how could he stop him? He was at his maximum as a mastered Super Saiyan Three. There was no way he could ascend higher without a blutz wave generator. Even if this world had a moon, he didn't have a tail..so attempting to reach Super Saiyan Four was out of the question.
"Whats wrong Goten? No more fight left in you?" Majuub said as he placed his right arm upwards, a small ball of red energy beginning to form the moment his arm was fully vertical.
Goten was using the maximum amount of power he could handle. This was the most he had ever dared to use. But he knew he could call upon far greater amounts of power if he really wanted to. There was a risk his body would be turned to stone..but he had to attempt it..the alternative was simply too horrible to contemplate.
"Valese I know I failed you, but know that my love transcends all time and diamensions. Gohan..you have always been the best brother one could ask for. And father..no matter what I say..I admire you more than you can know. For all of you I do this..perhaps my final act, my final part in this struggle." Goten said as he began pushing his power level beyond anything he had attempted before.
Nearby Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta noticed immediately.
"What is Goten trying to do?" Gohan asked.
"Is he trying to blow himself up in an attempt at destroying Majuub? Doesn't he know that won't work?" Goku said, shaking his fist in frustration. The last thing Goku wanted was to lose his youngest son..again.
"No..Goten isn't using the Final Explosion technique..I'd know. He is attempting something completely different." Vegeta said.
On the battlefield Goten continued to yell until his yell grew louder than what was humanly possible. His muscles began to expand, and his body began to grow larger. A tail emerged just as coarse, golden fur began to grow over Goten's entire body. Finally Goten's face grew increasingly primal and ape-like.
After he was fully transformed into a Golden Oozaru, Goten pounded his chest with both hands and howled at the sky.
"A golden great ape? But how? I thought you needed Blutz Waves in order to become that form?" Trunks asked.
"Well..technically speaking Blutz Waves only amplify a Saiyan's natural power. Therefore it is technically possible for someone to acheive the Golden Oozaru form without them so long as the Saiyan reaches the required level of power." Gohan said.
"I trained Goten for ten Earth years in the millenium realm. During that time he did not age physically, but his mind and strength changed a great deal. This is the first time I've seen Goten attempt this transformation though." Nouva said, crossing his arms over his golden chest.
"Can he move beyond the Golden Oozaru to Super saiyan four?" Trunks asked.
"That is up to him." Vegeta said.
Goten's mind was engulfed by the primal mind. Pure instinct threatened to totally consume his consciousness, yet he would not allow himself to suffer such a fate.
Goten used his love for his brother, father and friends, and the loss of his beloved to give him resolve and strength. He used that to cling to who he was.
After what seemed like an eternity Goten imagined himself swimming at the bottom of a vast ocean, a single ray of light reaching down from the heavens and piercing the darkness. Goten reached for that light as best he could.
Refusing to give up or surrender, Goten continued to reach for the light. Eventually the vast, dark ocean receded, the skies above rushing down at him.
Suddenly with the warm light around him, all of the pain and sorrow he had inside him seemed to vanish. A warm feeling, like the feeling of a mother's love for her child and a father's pride in his son enveloped Goten.
"Father..brother..Trunks..I will not allow you to fight this battle alone. I love you too much for that. Even if I have to follow you all to the very gates of hell itself..I shall stand with you." Goten thought
Suddenly the Golden Oozaru began to change. It shrank, becoming human in size and shape. Goten opened his now red eyes and looked at the world as a completely changed being.
His figure was still slim and lean, but well muscled. His arms and chest were covered with bronze hued fur. Goten's hair was now red and went down to his shoulders. Only the white pants from Goten's old combat uniform remained.
A golden and red aura surrounded Goten's new Super Saiyan Four body. Turning his gaze on a stunned Majuub, Goten spoke in a voice that somehow sounded wiser and somewhat deeper than his usual.
"I understand your pain Uub. I understand your struggle to discover who you are. I know the real you would never take the side of evil." Goten said as he slowly walked over to Majuub.
"You think you know me? You don't know. How can you understand me when I don't understand myself?" Majuub said, his voice and eyes back to their normal pitch and coloration.
"I know that you suffer. I know too what it is like to suffer. You take your unhappiness out on others because it briefly relieves the pain you feel. I can help you..if you let me." Goten said with a kind smile and an outstretched hand.
"Don't listen to him! He lies! There is no way he would show you kindness after the way we treated him!" Super Buu's voice said from within Majuub's mind.
"I trust him. The only thing your path has caused me is pain." Uub thought
"His way will only hurt us." The innocent Buu thought.
"Perhaps Maijin Buu was a creature of destruction and evil in the past..but things can change." Uub thought.
With some hesitation Uub grabbed ahold of Goten's hand.
Immediately Uub imagined himself at the bottom of that same dark ocean, a single ray of light coming down from above. Super Buu suddenly grabbed him by the foot. With a sinister smile, the demon attempted to pull him down into the murky depths.
Just when Uub thought he was going to fall into the deep darkness, a single hand pierced the ocean surface and reached down. Uub grabbed that hand with his own. He knew it was Goten.
Super Buu growled in rage, and pulled harder in an attempt at dragging Uub down with him.
Then a second hand pieced the ocean's surface. Uub grabbed onto that hand with his other hand. He knew it was Goku.
Super Buu tried with all his might to drag him down, but the love of his friends would not allow it.
Suddenly two more hands pierced the ocean's surface. One was fair skinned, but human, the other was golden and somewhat reptilian in appearance. Those two hands helped the others in pulling him up. Uub knew it was Nouva Shenron and Trunks.
Finally the hands of Gohan and Vegeta joined in, and together they dragged Uub out of the abyss and into the skies above.
Goten could feel Valese and his mother staring down at him from some other plane. He knew they were smiling.
"You are not alone." Goten said with a kind expression to Uub, who was kneeling and in tears.
Uub noticed all his friends behind him.
"Guys..I don't know what to say." Uub said.
"Did you really think I'd let my student fall to the darkness?" Goku said with a smile.
"I've been there..its not a place I'd let anyone I call a comrade to fall into." Vegeta said with his trademark smirk.
Somewhere nearby, beyond the pleasant fields and marble columns, was a tall Olympian-style palace of black marble. Twin statues that resembled ancient Greek warriors stood on either side, eternally guarding the for boding structure.
Inside a dark figure on a throne watched the Z-Fighters. The figure wore black plate armor and a violet cape. On the being's head was a grey helmet which resembled a dead cow's skull, with long curved horns protruded on either side.
He watched the Z-Fighters, seeing the camaraderie between them filled him with disgust.
"A touching display. But you are in my domain now Z-Warriors. All your previous efforts and struggles are for naught..as you all will soon see." The dark being said.
The Z-Fighters had decided to rest. Each had gathered in a small circle as they had done awhile ago, during the journey threw the third demon king's domain.
A sense of peace and completeness settled over the group with both Goten and Uub's issues resolved.
After afew moments of silence, Trunks decided to speak.
"This is the domain of the fifth demon king right?" Trunks asked.
Bardock answered before anyone else could.
"Yeah. Considering how much stronger each King is to the previous one, I'd say whoever our next opponent is will be a challenge. Not that I'm complaining of coarse." Bardock said, putting his arms behind his back as he looked up at the sky.
"So far Kakorot, Gohan, Goten and I have had turns fighting a Demon King, although I suppose we should also count you Trunks, since it was Gotenks that landed the final blow against that vampire." Vegeta said, leaning against an oak tree.
"I guess we should decide who will fight the next king then huh?" Goku said as he lay on the grass.
"I'll take this one. Besides, both Nouva and Uub are stronger than I am, we should save them for later." Bardock said.
"This is all assuming that the Demon Kings are indeed playing by those rules." Vegeta said.
"You think its a trick or something Vegeta?" Bardock asked.
"I don't know, but nothing seemed to happen when Trunks helped Goten defeat Malastar." Vegeta said.
"Just a theory but maybe the rule is each King can only be defeated by one fighter, and that same fighter cannot defeat any further demon kings. Maybe then Gotenks counted as a fighter, meaning both Trunks and Goten are able to fight and defeat an opponent, so long as they do so seperately." Gohan suggested as he also leaned against a tree.
"Well I might have a chance against one of them now that I can transform into a Super Saiyan Four, but Trunks I'd worry about if he fought alone." Goten said, sitting cross-legged next to his friend, he had his hands behind his back as he lay against the grass. Goten's white outfit was once again pristine and restored, due to the mysterious after-effects of the Super Saiyan Four transformation.
"Thankyou for the vote of confidence Goten" Trunks said.
"I'm just being realistic. Of all of us, you have had the least training and therefore the lowest power level. You haven't mastered anything beyond a regular Super Saiyan." Goten said flatly.
"You sound like my dad. What ever happened to the immature Goten who was always talking on his cell phone?" Trunks said.
"He grew up. Trunks I may be physically younger than you..but mentally I'm nine years older than you. I've changed a lot." Goten said.
"Yeah you sure have. I hardly recognize you. I guess I am just dead weight at this point. Shame because when I was fused with the other Trunks I was almost as powerful as your dad." Trunks said, thinking back to the battle with Krysis and the Perfect Trunks fusion.
"There may be a possibility that some of that power still lies dormant inside you. If that is the case, then you only need to learn how to tap into that power." Nouva said from his perch on top of the same oak tree Vegeta leaned against.
"I'll start working on that right away then." Trunks said as he stood up.
Trunks walked a short distance from the group, looked up at the sky briefly, then sighed.
"All my life I've lived in your shadow. You grew up knowing nothing but survival. You helped rebuild a future that no longer exists. I thought I was past this feeling..but I suppose it will always be a part of me." Trunks said
Trunks suddenly had a feeling. He reached into his right shorts pocket and retrieved a capsule. Trunks promptly pressed the capsule, and in seconds Tapion's Sword was in his hands.
"This sword killed Hirudigarn. It had half the power of the Time Guardian Trunks. Well..I, no, for everyone I need that power now." Trunks said, looking at the ancient blade.
Trunks thought he felt a brief shock, like static electricity, but he dismissed it as his imagination.
Trunks' thoughts were interrupted when he heard the voice of his father from nearby.
"I see your thinking about things." Vegeta said
Trunks turned to see his father. He had a kind yet somewhat amused expression on his face.
"Yeah..I was wondering if this sword still had some of the power that the fused Trunks had." Trunks said.
"You believe that maybe you can unlock that power and claim it for yourself?" Vegeta asked, crossing his arms over his black clothed chest.
"Yeah." Trunks said.
"That power is not yours to take. Trunks if you truly desire to get stronger..be aware that there are no shortcuts. We don't have access to the Elder Kai, nor any special technique which would bring out your hidden potencial. The only thing we can do is train." Vegeta said.
"Do we have the luxury or time to do that though? I mean..I'm so far behind the rest of you it isn't even funny." Trunks said
What happened next Trunks did not expect. Vegeta suddenly slammed him in the gut with a punch. As Trunks fell onto the ground gasping for air, Vegeta spoke.
"I've had enough of your self-pity to last me a lifetime. If you want to grow stronger, sulking is not going to accomplish it. There is a trick I know that can greatly increase a Saiyan's power in a short time..but it won't be pleasant and you must be truly dedicated." Vegeta said.
"I thought you said there were no shortcuts?" Trunks asked, still on the ground getting his breathe back.
"I forgot there was one. In order for this to work..you need to be injured to the point of death itself." Vegeta said.
Trunks didn't say anything.
"Don't worry..I have a sensu bean for you after the deed is done." Vegeta said.
"When did you get one of those? I don't remember Korin giving Goku any." Trunks said.
"I paid a visit to Korin briefly before we all met up on Kami's Lookout. Now Trunks..are you ready?" Vegeta asked his son.
"I am." Trunks said.
His own words were the last things Trunks heard before Vegeta fired a blast into his chest, and he lost consciousness.
Goku and Bardock walked over to see a heavily injured Trunks lying on the ground.
"Your method of training Trunks is to force him into a Zenkai?" Bardock asked.
"Seems abit..harsh." Goku said.
"With the time constraints on us, we don't have much of a choice." Vegeta said
Vegeta looked down at his son and smiled.
"I don't think I believe I'm saying this..but in a way, I'm actually somewhat glad Frieza destroyed our people." Vegeta said.
"I know what you mean. After we took over Planet Vegeta from the Tuffles, we became so obsessed with combat and fighting that we forgot our own families. We forgot how to love. I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with you on that Vegeta." Bardock said.
"Agreeing with both Frieza and Baby is not a pleasant thought." Vegeta said with a half smile.
"So do you think Trunks will be able to surpass Super Saiyan after experiencing a Zenkai?" Goku asked.
"Hopefully." Vegeta said.
"Super Saiyans..I thought it was just a legend myself one time. Until I became one. It may have been a miracle or some strange twist of fate..but when Frieza's death ball struck me..I found myself in the past. I always thought the Tuffles were the orginal inhabits of Planet Vegeta, but I was wrong. Battling Frieza's ancestor, becoming a Super Saiyan one thousand years in the past..did that make me the orginal legendary Super Saiyan? I thought so. But then I remembered our history. The story of how the orginal Super Saiyan destroyed our homeworld. Both events happening at the same time. Maybe that had something to do with both my son and Broly being born on the same day." Bardock thought.
"Eat this my son." Vegeta said, slipping the green senzu bean into Trunk's mouth. In moments, the open wound on Trunks' chest was completely healed and Trunks beganed consciousness.
"Do you feel stronger?" Goku asked.
Trunks got to his feet.
"Lets find out." Trunks said, then transformed into a Super Saiyan as he began to power up.
In moments Trunk's already spiky hair became spiker still. Blue bio electricity began to dance around his form.
"I was already close to becoming a Super Saiyan Two. I guess whatever just happened pushed me over the edge." Trunks said.
"Don't think your done yet, as long as there isn't a battle going on I want you training. If you really want to catch up to us..than that is the only way your going to do it." Vegeta said, crossing his arms.
Majuub walked over to Trunks from behind a nearby tree. While he was still dressed in his black "super majuub" clothing, the aura of faint evil and darkness seemed to be gone.
"If your worrying about using up Senzu beans in his training, I can heal almost as well as a senzu bean." Uub said.
"I guess that means your going to blast me close to death again aren't you father?" Trunks asked, slightly uneasy.
"Not yet, you still have to recover from your previous Zenkai. But soon." Vegeta said with his trademark smirk.
Somewhere else..
The black armored figure walked threw a town with architecture much like that of ancient Greece or Rome. The various toga-wearing human townsfolk kept their distance as their dark lord walked out of his palace, threw the town, and into the surrounding countryside.
When the dark lord was out of the town, he took to the air.
"They thought the first four demon kings were strong? They have yet to experience true strength. But they soon shall." The dark lord said as the pleasant skies above darkened.