Attention: This story both operates as a one-shot set years before the events of "The history of Trunks", as well as a prequel to the story: "Talking With A Monster". Enjoy.

-Gohan-

"You can't save them all, Gohan!"

Gohan winced as his mother's words replayed in his mind. The wind was harsher on this day than most, whipping and thrashing at his dark locks of hair and orange gi as if it were clawing at him to stay back.

"You'll only get yourself killed like everyone else!" Chi-Chi's voice rang again.

Gohan's face tightened into a grimace as he cut through the sky in defiance of the wind's opposition. The clouds rushed past in flashes of gray and white as he scanned the Earth far below, his onyx eyes little more than narrow slits as the outline of South City began rapidly coming into view.

He startled when the golden glow of a ki blast swelled like a balloon, engulfing an entire neighborhood at the outskirts of the city and obliterating everything within. Gohan's horror only grew as the first explosion was followed by another, and then another.

He grit his teeth as he saw the Earth rumble in the distance, the sounds of explosions delayed as they traveled hundreds of miles to reach Gohan's ears. Gohan felt himself trembling with rage as the sound of each explosion reached him, each one representing even more lives lost as his fingers curled in white-knuckled fury.

Throwing his head back, the young man let out a seething roar so guttural and primal that he felt like he was going to explode with rage—until he finally did. The world around Gohan ignited with golden flame, enveloping him with thrashing, burning energy, transforming the demi-saiyan into the legend of his people. His onyx hair blazed with pale light and stood on end, his eyes teal and focused as he drew ever nearer to the city at speeds that would make a jet plane blush.

Not much farther!

Soon, he would confront the ones responsible for all this, and he would make them pay for what they'd done. Gohan steeled himself, mentally readying for the battle ahead as his master, Piccolo had taught him. He needed to ensure his reflexes were sharp, his focus and resolve unshakable, his mind wholly and completely dedicated to the task at hand.

And yet, despite himself, the young man found his thoughts returning to the last moments before the News blared the alarm that the androids had begun attacking South City, when his mother had been setting down the cake for his eighteenth birthday.

-Fifteen Minutes Earlier-

"Happy Birthday, my wonderful, incredible son!" Chi-Chi announced with a happiness in her voice that made Gohan smile. Rounding the corner of the kitchen, his mother hefted a massive, elaborately decorated, three-layer-cake with white candles at its very top. The chocolate cake was utterly immaculate, with detailed, snow-colored frosting lining its edges, and the words "Happy Birthday, Gohan!" carefully piped in orange icing at the top. The cake had clearly taken his mother some serious effort to accomplish, and based on the sheer joy in her smile, Gohan could tell Chi-Chi was proud of more than just him this evening. She sat it down at the table next to him with a heavy thump, causing the wood to tremble slightly as the sheer weight of the enormous cake bore down on it. Gohan tried not to let his smile falter as he stared at the number sitting atop the cake, as if a quiet reminder of his goal…seemingly forever out of reach.

…Eighteen…

Gohan sighed, annoyed that the androids had managed to invade his thoughts so much that the mention of a mere number could bring them to the forefront of his mind.

"What?" Chi-chi's voice grew concerned. "Is something wrong? Do you not like it?" Her nervous eyes darted between him and the cake frantically.

Realizing his mistake, Gohan immediately brightened, forcing a smile to his face. "Are you kidding me? Of course I like it! Your cakes are always incredible, Mom, and this year you've really outdone yourself! Thank you so much!" Rising to his feet, the young man spread out his arms before throwing a warm, cozy hug around his mother, who smiled with relief that her cake had not disappointed. Gohan decided then and there that he was going to push the androids from his mind, at least for today, for his mother's sake.

They had barely got out the plates when the News blared the emergency warning, ordering an evacuation from South City.

Gohan was at the door in a matter of moments, finding its handle and swinging it open in one swift motion. But, before he could even make it outside, Chi-Chi rushed to his side and seized his wrist in a desperate grip.

"Gohan, stop!" She cried, her voice trembling with fear as tears welled in the corners of her eyes, "You'll only get yourself killed like everyone else!"

"I have to do something!" Gohan answered. "If I get there quickly, I might be able to buy some time for people to get away."

"You can't save them all, Gohan!" Chi-chi said, "You can't keep endangering yourself every time there's an attack! We both know you're going to wind up getting hurt, or worse!"

"What are you talking about?!" He shot her an incredulous look, staring back at her as if she'd just struck him. "If I don't do something, who will?!" Off in the distance, Gohan felt a wave of Ki signatures extinguish all at once. He jumped when he felt it, his teeth grinding as the guilt of all those lives bore on his conscience. "I need to go! People are dying!" He roared, ripping his hand free of his mothers grip. The violent motion prompted a cry of shock from Chi-Chi, who stumbled back, her face contorting with a sharp look of pain so deep and wounded it made Gohan pause. His foot lingered on the doorframe as he stared back into his old family home, at the streamers and decorations his mother had lovingly put up for their little celebration; just the two of them, since the number of android attacks had started to grow. His eyes looked over the presents she'd selected and carefully wrapped herself, the party plates, the candles smoldering at the top of the enormous cake she'd made just for him.

Finally, his eyes found Chi-Chi again, tears trailing down the sides of her cheeks as her trembling lips slowly croaked out the words, "P-please…don't go."

For a moment, Gohan felt his resolve begin to crumble as the cruel unfairness of it all wrought with it a wave of guilt that made him wish he could stay. Stay for his mother's sake, to give her the piece of mind that on this one day that was meant to be special, her son wouldn't have to suffer…or worse.

But if the androids didn't take days off…neither could he.

Gohan had to shut his eyes, expelling a deep breath as he let that moment pass, and his resolve reforged with his body tensing for the battle ahead. His eyes snapped open, but softened as they landed on his weeping mother once more. His mouth fell open, trying to find the right words, something, anything that might make her understand why he had to do this.

"...I'm sorry. I…have to. I'm…all that's left."
"You are all that's left." Chi-Chi replied, her voice growing firmer. "You're all that's left of a legacy of people…who were bravest, strongest, most incredible people I will ever know…some of which I loved." Fresh tears poured from the edges of her eyes as sobbed, "...But, that is a legacy that only has one ending. The same one that took them all away from me!"

Gohan paused as he felt the weight of his mother's words wash over him. "N-no!" he stammered. "I just have to get strong enough to stop the androids, then it will all be over."

"It will never be over." Chi-Chi's voice came out as a whimper "You will forever be training, forever be getting stronger until the day that you can't get any stronger…because there will always be 'the next battle'."

"The next battle…?" His brow furrowed, confused. "There are only two androids, Mom. I can nearly handle one. If I can just catch one of them alone, I could—"

"The Red Ribbon Army!" Chi-Chi snapped, "King Piccolo! Raditz! Vegeta and Nappa! All the blasted aliens you fought on Namek! Frieza! And now the Androids!" Her face snarling with frustration, Chi-Chi stomped up to her son. "Do you really think this battle," She jabbed a finger into his orange Gi... the very same Gi that Goku used to wear, "is it ever going to end?"

Gohan stared down at her finger with a numb expression, absorbing her words and understanding their message for the first time. He thought to answer when yet another mass gathering of ki flashed out of existence in the distance, and found himself unable to linger any longer.

"Goodbye, Mom."

Without waiting for a response, Gohan blasted off into the sky, white wisps of energy rolling off of him as he shot off in the direction of the calamity. The demi-saiyan grimaced as he forced himself to ignore the desperate wailing of his mother to come back, her pleading quickly quieting into a distant whisper, and then nothing at all as he began closing the distance between him and his final battle.

Or, at least, he hoped it would be.

-?-

A curse under their breath was the only sound they allowed themselves to make as the figure carefully peered over the lip of the cracked, ruin of wall obscuring them from the monsters laughing as if they had just shared a good joke—and not just wiped out a man's entire family before his very eyes.

A pair of hate-filled eyes glared loathfully as Seventeen laughed, beckoning a bawling man and stretching out a hand for his sister to wait. "Hold on, hold on, this is gonna be great."

Eighteen rolled her eyes with a bemused smile before taking a step back, her denim-clad arms crossing over her chest. "He's all yours."

Seventeen turned, eyebrows raised enthusiastically as he settled hands on hips, regarding a trembling man hunched over next to the burning remains of the truck he'd been sprinting toward when the androids had flown overhead. A single blast as fast as the blink of an eye was all it took for the vehicle to detonate in a fiery eruption, consuming its occupants all at once.

The lone figure huddled within a decimated tire shop shuddered as they relived the short-lived screams they'd heard…before the flames eventually condemned the family to join the rest of the androids' countless victims.

The man rose, slowly turning to regard Seventeen with tears streaming down his cheeks and the rage of someone who'd lost everything defined in his snarl. He was larger than most—tall, with broad, muscular features, and loomed over Seventeen's slim, adolescent build in a way that would have been menacing to anyone but the monster he faced.

"Oh," Seventeen began as if he were only just noticing the burning vehicle. "Were those people important to you? I didn't see them from all the way up there." He thumbed a finger casually, "I just saw a car I thought was ugly and thought I'd rid the world of an eyesore." He rolled his hand in a nonchalant way. "Give or take a few lives." With a shrug, he grinned and held the man's gaze. "You don't mind, do ya big guy?"

Sniveling and trembling with seething hatred, the man with nothing to lose slowly knelt and picked up a pipe—a still-scalding part of what used to be his vehicle.

"Whoa, there, Seventeen, he's got a pipe!" Eighteen mocked.

Seventeen began backing up with his hands raised, feigning fear. "H-hey there, Buddy. L-let's not do anything you might regret."

The bear of a man let out a roar as he raised the metal pipe over his head. "You took everything away from me!"

The pipe came down with the full force of both of his bulky arms.

Seventeen didn't budge an inch as the pipe bent in half against him.

The android regarded the pipe now pressed to where his neck met shoulder and bristled. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You smeared shit all over my bandana." His voice was cold and sinister as he raised a hand and gripped the end of the pipe, lifting it easily to reveal an oily smudge staining the orange fabric. "Now you've gone and done something you're going to—" He crushed the pipe in his hands like it was made of styrofoam, "—regret."

With a movement so blisteringly quick that no one could react, Seventeen ripped the pipe from the man's fingers and embedded it through his thigh.

"Now, you see?" Seventeen began again casually. The android's posture was relaxed as he spoke over the man's screams of pain while crumbling to the ground, clutching his leg. "It's always important to think," Seventeen paused, fingering a thumb over his shoulder.

"...Before you act." Eighteen eventually added with an obligatory sigh.

"That's right." Seventeen continued with an amused smirk. "That's truly the goal here. We androids are not only about killing people, we actually like to teach life lessons." The man's whimpering was tempered by his efforts to crawl away as Seventeen spoke, leaving a long trail of blood along the asphalt. "You know," Seventeen shrugged, trying not to snicker as he aimed an open hand after his slowly fleeing target, "before we end them."

The street was utterly quiet save for the tragic scene as those nearby had either suffered the wrath of the android's or fled if they were only people who remained were the doomed man crawling for his life…and the lone spectator covered under a dark cloak holding a small, palm-sized sphere in their hand with an ever tightening grip.

Kami, please give me some sort of an opening! Let me save him, please!

The stranger knew they wouldn't be able to stop the androids in any capacity even if they gave everything they had…but…

I…I can't watch another person die tonight.

A dangerous crimson glow began to fill Seventeen's hand. "Welp, it's been fun, buddy. Oh, right, before I forget. I can tell that splinter in your leg is really bugging ya." His grin darkened into a malicious sneer. "Here…let me make the pain go away..."

The spectator's grip on the ledge tightened as they prepared to throw the sphere in their hand, their legs coiled to pounce the moment—

"Kaaa-meee…"

The spectator froze, eyes widening.

"Haaa-meee…"

A breath of relief escaped their lips as the stranger looked to the air, searching until they found a bulb of brilliant sapphire energy growing in the sky.

Thank you, Kami!

"Haaah!"

-Gohan-

Gohan watched both Seventeen and Eighteen's faces snap up to spot him. The duo appeared caught off guard as he unleashed a roar that echoed like a thunderclap, thrusting his hands, each brimming with energy, straight at them. Energy surged from his palms like torrents from a raging waterfall, crashing down on the twins as Gohan unleashed the full extent of his father's signature attack. He'd angled the stream of shining blue energy so that the man Seventeen had attacked wouldn't be hurt any further. The beam was on top of them in nearly an instant, leaving no time to dodge.

I've got you two now!

Gohan allowed a grin to begin to form at the corners of his lips as he watched his attack finally reach the twins. Neither attempted to even move a muscle as the beam impacted, creating an rippling shockwave that shook the Earth from the sheer might of the collision. Gohan's hair was blown back from the wind, which he squinted against as the resulting explosion created a cloud of dust and smoke bigger than he'd expected.

Grimacing, he tried to scan through the dust cloud, but the cover was too thick for anything within to be seen.

I'll still have to figure out a way to save that guy.

He doubted a pipe through the leg would be the type of injury someone could just walk off. Gohan knew that man needed medical attention, and quickly.

Now…where is he…?

He darted into the dark cloud, aiming for where he'd last seen the person crawling away from Seventeen.

Gohan's eyes narrowed to slits as he searched through the dust cloud, hoping to discover the wounded man before the dust settled and the androids were on top of them. While Gohan was hopeful that his attack had done something significant…he also wasn't going to hold his breath.

There!

Gohan's attention snapped to the side as his eyes followed the trail of blood leading to where he presumed the injured man had crawled away to. He followed the trail to its end to discover…nothing.

What?

Gohan blinked, staring at where the trail of blood simply ended. He could find no signs of either Seventeen or Eighteen finishing him off either, since they tended to like leaving things messy. It was as if the man had simply disappeared.

"You know," said a voice that made Gohan's blood run cold as his heart began thundering in his chest from anxiety. "I never understood why you like to call out your attacks like that, especially when you're trying to sneak up on us."

I guess I don't have time to figure out what happened…

Growling, Gohan turned his attention back to where he knew Seventeen and Eighteen were, seemingly unbothered by what had been his most devastating attack.

The last of the dust settled as Gohan found himself face-to-face with the smug expressions of the twins, each regarding him with mirroring sneers. Eighteen lowered her hand as the protective golden energy around them dissolved, leaving both without a scratch.

Gohan let out a shaky breath as he silently hoped the androids couldn't see his body trembling from this close. He hadn't even seen her set it up in time!

Eighteen paused, waiting for a response as she met the super saiyan's gaze with a glare so frigid Gohan found himself frozen in place, his mind replaying every devastating, brutal defeat he'd suffered at their hands.

"Well?" Eighteen continued, stepping forward and hitching her eyebrows expectantly. "What's the point? To let us know exactly what you're about to do just before you do it?" she snidely asked, not pausing for an answer. "Whoever taught you that is a good idea must have been excellent at getting their ass kicked on a regular basis." She paused, before tossing her hands up as if she was having an epiphany and finally pointing a finger at him with a smirk. "Whoa, just like you."

Seventeen snickered.

In an instant, the fear freezing Gohan in place vanished. In the same instant, Gohan could hear his knuckles crack from how tightly his fingers had curled into fists. His body tensed as he locked eyes with Eighteen, his biceps and shoulders trembling once more.

But, this time, they were trembling with rage.

"My father, Son Goku, taught me that technique." He said the name with pride, feeling his golden aura flare in reflection of his indignation. "He was a man twice as strong as both of you combined. If he was here, neither of you would stand a chance, so don't pretend you know better than someone who was greater than either of you will ever be!" he spat, practically shouting the words.

Eighteen pursed her lips, looking over her shoulder at Seventeen with an amused smile. "You hear that, Bro? His daddy was twice as strong as the two of us put together." She scoffed, before her smile fell and her icy-blue eyes locked onto Gohan's once more. "Do you think if he was still alive he'd be disappointed to know his son couldn't even live up to the power of one android?"

Gohan sucked in a sharp breath, the insult cutting deeper than he would have liked.

"You're wrong." Gohan growled, trying to appear fierce but feeling unnerved by her insult. "I'm stronger than I was before, and I'm strong enough to kill you."

Eighteen cocked an eyebrow. "Really, now?" Looking over her shoulder, the android shot her brother a glance.

Seventeen shrugged, before stepping back with his arms raised. " Eighteen locked eyes with Gohan once more."Alright, then, let's put it to a test, shall we? Let's see if there's literally anything useful Goku taught you, or if he really was just an idiot hick who took one too many hits to the head."

Gohan didn't even realize his body was moving until he had already closed the distance to Eighteen, blitzing the android with blinding rage and his fist cocked back. He didn't care who it was, he absolutely would not let someone talk ill of his Father!

"Shut your mouth!"

His fist whistled as it split the air, driving straight into Eighteen's face with so much force Gohan nearly missed the subtle grin pulling at the corner of her lips. Gohan stumbled as his attack met air, Eighteen having twisted at the very last second to avoid his attack.

Uh oh.

Realizing he'd been baited into a reckless attack, Gohan attempted to spin around in time only to feel Eighteen's leather boot bury itself deep into his abdomen. The impact alone rattled his bones from head to toe, causing a tsunami of pain which forced the super saiyan to double over, clutching his stomach with both hands. Spittle fell from Gohan's lips as he tried to catch his breath and make the black spots in his vision disappear—but the crunch of Eighteen's footsteps brought his mind back to the fight.

Gohan's head snapped upward, finding the android standing over him, meeting his hateful glare with an amused smirk.

"Finished yet?" she asked with a snicker.

"Hardly," Gohan snarled, kicking off of the ground and launching himself at Eighteen, leading with a wild hook that narrowly grazed Eighteen's blonde hair as she ducked. She crossed her forearms to block the knee Gohan had been trying to trap her with.

He cursed under his breath as she shoved his knee away, leaving him off balance and teetering forward, when he felt Eighteen's fingers intertwined behind his head—

—and saw her knee racing up to meet him.

There was a crack of skull meeting kneecap before Gohan's head snapped back, his vision clouding while the familiar taste of copper filled his mouth. Staggering back, Gohan didn't see the incoming sweep that knocked out his legs or the followup roundhouse kick that connected with his sternum before he could even hit the ground.

Gohan's limbs folded around the impact of Eighteen's leg, his face contorting into a tight grimace as the sharp heel of Eighteen's boot dug into his chest—before he felt completely weightless. Gohan whistled through the air for several, blissful seconds devoid of torment, before crashing through the side of a coffee shop, ending his short-lived rest as he blacked out.

.

.

.

Gohan's eyes fluttered open moments later as he lazily, groggily took in his surroundings. He strained to take a breath, a constant, stinging pain blossoming in his chest with each attempt.

My sternum is definitely broken.

Gohan grunted as he struggled to sit up, pulling himself free of the broken remains of the brick wall he'd been sent through. He grimaced as he reached out and used the devastated remnant of the counter he'd just plowed through to pull himself to his feet, his other hand pressed to his chest, where he could still feel the indent of Eighteen's boot against his skin.

"You still alive in there?" Eighteen called from outside, the walls of the now ruined coffee shop providing just enough cover to break line of sight.

Immediately, Gohan felt his fear return. The urge to flee began building in his chest, his body quivering at the prospect of stepping out into the street again.

Instead of responding, Gohan decided to take the time to reach to his waist, pulling free a small brown bag tied carefully to his waistband. With hands trembling from how hard he'd just been hit, he tipped the bag open, shaking it once before a single, lime-green bean fell into his hands.

He stared at it grimly, acknowledging how sparingly he had to eat these now that Korin was gone and Yajirobe still didn't know if he could save the Senzu plant. The fact that he was being forced to use one already was a bad sign.

He stared down at his hand, the flames of his super saiyan aura having extinguished when he blacked out.

It's either this, or die.

Quickly, Gohan brought the bean to his lips, securely tying the bag to his hip once more as he swallowed.

He took a deep breath as the Senzu bean's healing properties restored him, mending the shattered bones in his chest and renewing him with a full reservoir of Ki. With a shout, he felt the warmth of golden flames envelop him, his hair standing on end once more as he looked out into the street with glaring teal eyes. Finally, he stepped through the entrance his body had made, finding Eighteen waiting for him with arms crossed in the same spot he'd left her.

Gohan glanced over at Seventeen, seeing if the android was telling the truth and staying out of the fight. Gohan didn't know why the androids thought it was so much fun to fight him alone, but he wasn't going to question it…especially considering how much trouble just one android was.

Maybe this is my chance…

For the time being, it appeared Seventeen was staying true to his word. The android had taken to leaning on the no-longer-burning remains of the truck he'd destroyed. The dark-haired android released a whistle of surprise as Gohan emerged. "Well, would you look at that? Seems like discount Goku over there doesn't think this fight is over."

Gohan blinked, before sparing a glance down as his shredded gi.

His…father's gi.

"Do you really think this battle is ever going to end?"

The young man grimaced, shaking away his mother's words as he shifted into his Demon-Clan-style stance. He needed to focus on the battle ahead of him.

"-there will always be 'the next battle'."

Gohan growled, frustrated that his thoughts were refusing to cooperate with him at such a crucial moment.

"What's the matter? Getting cold feet?" Eighteen taunted, "Starting to realize you're not as strong as you thought you were?"

"You will forever be training, forever be getting stronger, until the day that you can't get any stronger!"

"I'm strong enough!" he shouted back, before murmuring under his breath. "...I have to be."

I'm all that's left.

Before Eighteen could respond with another biting remark, Gohan shot forward, forcing his anxiety to the back of his mind as he rocketed at the android like a torpedo. Eighteen's eyes narrowed, her grin widening as he drew nearer with golden Ki filling within each hand. Eighteen crossed her arms, surrounding herself in another golden shield.

Gohan grinned as he reached her, throwing both of his ki blasts at her feet. The two blasts detonated against the ground immediately, launching a massive cloud of dust and dirt into air that engulfed the duo entirely.

"What the—where did you—?" Eighteen stammered, whipping her head back and forth as she searched for Gohan within her bubble. The cloud of dust persisted as her patience withered. Growing frustrated, the android growled before relinquishing her energy shield and shooting straight up and out of the dust cloud—

—Right where Gohan was waiting for her. Eighteen startled, moving too slow to stop Gohan's knuckles before they cracked against her temple.

Staggering, Eighteen threw a wild left hook which Gohan batted away with a backhand, twisting and unleashing a spinning hook kick that crashed into Eighteen's jaw with enough force to send her spinning. Not being one to pass up an opportunity, Gohan charged into the android, planting his elbow deep into Eighteen's stomach.

Spittle flew from Eighteen's lips as she gasped, her body folding around his elbow before a spinning backhand knocked her back. Gohan tried to press his advantage as he lunged forward, only to slam headfirst into a desperately thrown explosive wave from android Eighteen. Gohan managed to bring up his guard in time, the flames of the shining energy blast only barely singing him as he was blown back. Eighteen steadied herself in the air, before glaring back at the panting form of Gohan with piercing blue eyes so hostile Gohan felt a shiver run down his spine.

"You need some help up there?" Seventeen's voice called.

Gohan bristled, readying himself for both androids before Eighteen snapped back, "Shut up, Seventeen! I don't need you!" Her posture lowered, her fists tightening, signaling Gohan to prepare himself once more. "I can disembowel this little shit all on my own."

Gohan startled as Eighteen's form blurred out of sight, appearing at his side an instant later, moving so fast it was all Gohan could do to raise his elbow in time to stop a fist meant for his face. Her punch was followed by another and then another, both in such rapid succession that Gohan felt Eighteen's knuckles graze the side of his cheek as he narrowly shifted his head out of the way. Eighteen's body started to become a blur, her movements too fast, her attacks carrying too much force for Gohan to do anything but defend as she continued her onslaught. Each block felt like a bomb exploding against his skin, each duck or sidestep narrowly avoiding a swing with enough power to take his head off if he wasn't careful. Every millisecond felt like a life-or-death situation, one where even the slightest miscalculation could mean the end.

"Getting tired?" Eighteen taunted over the sound of their combat. "Doesn't look like you have much left in the tank!" She slammed her boot into his forearms crossed before his chest, sending him flying back through the air.

Panting, Gohan steadied himself, feeling sweat running down nearly every inch of skin. "I have more than enough to destroy you," he growled defiantly.

Despite himself, he knew that Eighteen was right. He was already pushing his limits just to keep up with the android's unlimited supply of power.

I can't keep this up for too much longer…

Eighteen snickered. "Good. I wasn't done playing yet."

Gohan winced as he failed to avoid a skin-splitting right hook just above his eyebrow. The impact was dizzying, making Gohan's vision swim as he barely managed to make a dangerous, blind dodge to the side or risk Eighteen capitalizing on her opening.

Thankfully, his gamble paid off as the black spots in his vision faded, revealing Eighteen with her leg overextended, slashing out at where his head had been an instant before. Gohan could see the surprise in Eighteen's eyes as he charged in, drawing back his fist for an uppercut—

—Which was why Eighteen didn't react to the vicious knee impacting her stomach instead. Gohan finally released his still cocked upper-cut, rocking Eighteen's head back so hard that Gohan felt the shockwave thrash at his torn clothes. Gohan saw the daze in Eighteen's eyes, the lost look of someone seeing spots in their vision before blinking, and realizing he'd found his chance. Without another moment of hesitation, Gohan's hands rose to his forehead, his body tensing.

I have to make this count!

"Masenko-"

Eighteen's grimace eased just enough for her eyes to snap back to Gohan, alarm registering on her face a moment later as golden light began spilling from his palms. Gohan felt his body strain as he rapidly concentrated as much energy as he possibly could into his hands, before—

"HAH!" Gohan roared, unleashing the attack only inches from Eighteen's face. There was a flash of light brighter than the sun as Gohan's attack impacted, creating a deafening thunderclap as the explosive wave of energy washed over Eighteen. The magnitude of the shockwave blasted Gohan back, launching him through the air for several yards before he was able to stop himself.

Off in the distance, he could see the vague shape of Eighteen trailing smoke as she crashed through the top of a four-storey office building, bringing the entire structure crashing down on top of her.

The super saiyan grinned, wiping away a fresh coat of sweat from his forehead. His breathing was heavy as he tried to catch his breath after devoting so much of his energy to one attack.

I hope that did it.

Gohan couldn't imagine anyone or anything surviving an attack like that from point blank range.

A whistle from below shifted Gohan's attention to Seventeen who was still casually leaning against the blackened remains of the truck he destroyed. "You've really done it now." His gaze was staring out in the direction Eighteen had been sent, his eyebrows arched. "She is gonna be piiissed."

Gohan felt a lump form in his throat as the rubble from the collapsed building in the distance shifted, crimson light spilling from its crevices, before a massive explosion of blood-red energy sent debris flying in all directions. Like a claymore the size of a car, the eruption of power decimated the nearby buildings in a scattershot of cement and asphalt, obliterating everything around it. At its center stood the ragged and livid form of android Eighteen. Her clothes were ripped and torn in places, her denim jacket hung off of one arm lopsidedly, completely shredded on the other. With a slow, begrudging patience underlying the look of sheer rage twisting Eighteen's features, she pulled the ruined jacket off, letting it fall to the ground.

Gohan grit his teeth as Eighteen slowly raised her hand to push back several strands of disheveled blonde hair behind one ear.

How?!

Gohan bristled as he regarded Eighteen, seeing that the only damage he seemed to have inflicted was to her clothes. He had put nearly everything he had into that blast! How could someone take an attack strong enough to vaporize Frieza and come out unscathed? It didn't make any sense!

Unless…

"—the day that you can't get any stronger."

He growled as he shook his mind free of the thought. Gohan wouldn't believe it, couldn't believe it…because if he did…then he knew there would be no end to the terror.

I'm strong enough. I know I am. I have to be.

Because otherwise…he knew there was no one else who would.

The blood running from Gohan's forehead finally dripped into his eye, forcing him to wince and wipe away the crimson liquid for a moment. When Gohan's eyes reopened, his blood ran cold.

Eighteen had closed the distance between them in an instant, floating in the air before him with her arms crossed, projecting a glare so deep and hateful Gohan would have believed she'd been born with it.

"That…hurt." She snarled slowly.

Gohan's lips parted to respond, but before he could utter a single word, Eighteen darted forward, catching him by the neck with her arm in a savage clothes-line. Gohan went flipping through the air uncontrollably, his cry of pain strangled by his crushed windpipe. His flight was cut short, however, as android Eighteen's merciless claws abruptly snatched him by the back of the head, fisting a handful of his hair as she jerked him back with a brutal whiplash.

Gohan couldn't even make a sound as he was ripped back, his eyes clamped shut in pain as Eighteen's grip on his golden-locks tightened—

—before a knee nearly impaled itself through Gohan's back, forcing a startled, desperate rasp of pain from the super saiyan's lips.

Still holding Gohan's hair with a white-knuckled grip, Eighteen pulled him back until his ear was inches from her lips. "I hope you're ready to hurt so much more."

"We both know you're going to wind up getting hurt, or worse!"

No! They're wrong!

Gohan's reply came in the form of slamming his head back and straight into Eighteen's nose. The crunch of her nose being flattened loosened Eighteen's grip enough for the super saiyan to rip free. Gohan whirled around to face her and brought both hands to the sides of his face, his eyes clamped shut.

"Solar Flare!"

The world vanished around them as an eruption of light brighter than the sun itself flashed just as Eighteen's attention snapped back to him, her eyes wide with surprise.

When the sky faded back to blue, Gohan found Eighteen staggering back, clutching her face with both palms dug into her eye sockets and cursing loudly.

Now or never!

While Eighteen was blinking open wounded eyes, Gohan appeared at her side, and then her other, and then again behind her as Gohan pushed his speed to its limit, wrapping around Eighteen in a blur of motion that left afterimages circling the confused android.

She didn't see where I started, so she shouldn't be able to track me, either!

Eighteen's eyebrows scrunched up as her head whipped side to side, her eyes passing over his afterimages with panicked confusion as she desperately tried to pick out the real Gohan amidst the crowd of Gohans surrounding her.

"Knock it off!" She cried defiantly, anxiety slipping into her voice as she feebly lashed out at one of Gohan's forms—striking only air.

It's working!

He'd been practicing this technique for weeks now, hoping to master it before the time came to finally unleash it on the androids. It was a variation on a technique his father, Son Goku, had told him about during his time as a youth. It was a technique where the user dedicated all of their ki to speed, forgoing any defensive auras in order to surround the target with the remnant afterimages of the user, and hopefully lead to an opening as the opponent wasted time figuring out which is the real one. On the surface, the tactic seemed juvenile to Gohan, until he realized the value of gaining just one opening.

Without losing focus on fueling his flight, Gohan placed two fingers to his forehead and began the slow process of channeling his ki to the extended digits. The Makankōsappō, another technique he'd been told about by one of his masters. The beam had the power to tear through anything or anyone, no matter how much stronger an opponent they were. The only downside was just how long the attack took to charge up, leaving the user vulnerable for all that time.

Apart, both techniques were situational at best, from Gohan's perspective.

But, together?

This could be the answer to the androids I've been waiting for!

The youthful super saiyan felt a snicker escape him as Eighteen continued to thrash helplessly from within the prison of illusions Gohan had made for her. Hope began to swell in his chest as Eighteen roared, "You think this is funny?!"

Gohan's grin widened, feeling the power he needed for the Makankōsappō rise just past the halfway point, his index and ring fingers crackling with energy.

Just a little more!

"What?! Do you think all of this is some kind of joke?!" Eighteen demanded, even more furious this time, as she hurled a ki blast that cut through a phantom Gohan, whizzing past the real Gohan harmlessly. The super saiyan pushed his body as hard as it could go, feeling his muscles scream in protest as he pressed as much ki as he could afford into acceleration .

"Well…" Eighteen suddenly stopped, her demeanor changing as she folded her arms beneath her chest casually, tilting her head to the side with pursed lips. "I guess, when you think about it, you kinda are."

Eighteen's arm shot out so fast Gohan didn't even register the moment her fingers caught him by the throat. His body lurched to a stop with such a violent whiplash that the super saiyan thought she'd broken his neck, at first, the jolt sending a sharp, blinding flash of pain down his entire spine. The energy coalescing at his fingertips disbursed all at once, shooting out into the sky like a lightning bolt as it crackled with a powerful flash of brilliant, purple light . The only thing stopping Gohan's scream of agony was Eighteen ever-tightening grip on his throat, choking him so that not a single breath of air could reach lungs which already felt like they were on fire.

Eighteen drew him closer as he clawed desperately at her unwavering grip, his vision going cloudy from the lack of oxygen. "Because, you're the biggest joke of them all."

Gohan could feel himself beginning to slip from consciousness as his desperate struggle to escape grew weaker and weaker. The golden aura enveloping him dissipated moments later, his hair fading back to its usual onyx, before his arms fell limp at his sides.

That's why, when Eighteen's pointed hand plunged halfway into his abdomen, Gohan barely flinched.

"Did you really think that childish trick with the afterimages was going to work on someone like me?" She scoffed, appearing almost offended. "You're not even faster than me, let alone fast enough to confuse me!" Rolling her eyes, Eighteen breathed out a frustrated sigh as if she were merely scolding a particularly difficult child. "Face it, Goldilocks." Eighteen said with a sinister tone as Gohan began feeling the warmth leave his body in the form of a cool trickle of crimson rolling down his stomach. The world felt distant as Eighteen spoke, placing emphasis on each word, "You. Are. Not. Enough. Not strong enough to stop me." She dug in her nails a little deeper, and Gohan's features contorted in agony.

"It will never be over."

"You're not strong enough to stop us." Her other hand still clutching his throat, she turned his head to see Seventeen still casually leaning against the remains of a truck far below, waving a hand. "You're like all of those other complete jokes who tried to stop us, but they're all gone now." A dark grin split Eighteen's face. "Seventeen and I made sure of that together." She paused, leaning in as Gohan finally felt himself slipping from consciousness. "But, do you realize what that means for you? What it means, now that you're the last one left to try and stop us?"

Gohan's head lulled back as his eyes began to flutter closed, too weak to gurgle for breath, when, finally, Eighteen released his throat, her other hand ripping free of his stomach. Instincts forced air back into Gohan's lungs in a single desperate breath that took all the strength he had left. For a brief few moments of bliss, Gohan felt gravity begin to carry him to the ground—before a double-ax handle from Eighteen sent him there first.

Gohan let out a whimpered cry of pain as he smashed into the asphalt with a thunderous boom that left him in a heap at the center of a spider web of cracks.

Summoning more strength than he thought he had left, Gohan managed to roll over onto his back, grimacing from the stabbing pain in his shoulder, which had taken the brunt of the impact.

Dislocated…probably…

Despite it being his freshest wound, Gohan's attention was not on his shoulder. Pressing a hand to his abdomen, he could already feel that his gi was soaked through with blood. Immediately, Gohan put as much pressure as his trembling hand could on the injury, doing his best to stifle the otherwise steady flow of lightness in his head and the amount of red staining his gi told Gohan It wouldn't be enough. The wound was bad; one of his worst, and he knew it.

This…this isn't it, is it?

"It means you're the biggest joke of them all!" Eighteen descended from far above, hovering over Gohan's fading form like a vengeful ruler over a beaten slave. "You are the final joke in a long line of bad jokes who thought they could stand up to us. Since you're all that's left of them, that makes you the biggest joke of them all." She shrugged, "Y'know, by process of elimination, and stuff."

Gohan struggled to move his free hand across his body, his fingers shaking from blood loss as he feebly attempted to untie the bag at his waist. The blood staining his fingers kept slipping on the knot as he tried over and over again, each attempt more desperate than the last.

Am I…really going to die here?

"Of course, every joke needs a good punchline." Eighteen's grin darkened as she lifted a hand, her palm aimed down at Gohan dangerously. "Don't worry," she snickered as dark scarlet energy began to gather in her hand. "I'll make sure yours is unforgettable."

The last of Gohan's strength slipped away as he let his quivering arm fall to the side uselessly, his efforts to untie the life-saving pouch utterly fruitless. Gohan let his head roll to the side as the glow of Eighteen's growing attack bathed him in scarlet light.

Staring out at the devastated road beside him, Gohan's eyes glazed over as he recounted his final conversations before what he was rapidly realizing was his inevitable…

Gohan shut his eyes.

"You're all that's left of a legacy of people…who were…"

"...complete jokes who tried to stop us, but they're all gone now."

Tears welled in the corners of his eyes—not in fear of death, but from his grim realization of the truth.

The truth his mother knew, the truth that even the androids knew, the truth about his legacy which he'd never wanted to believe.

"a legacy that only has one ending…"

"...a good punchline."

Gohan's eyes opened to stare out at nothing. With what he predicted would be his final breath, he whispered, "I really am the biggest joke of them all."

He was a joke—a laughing stock to have thought he would actually make a difference against the androids. He was alone, fighting a losing battle against opponents with never-ending power in a desperate struggle that was no more than a game to the androids. Against such odds, how stupid could he have been to think himself enough to stop them?

Accepting his fate, Gohan prepared to be obliterated along with however much of the road Eighteen decided to take with him, the bloodloss spilling unbaited from his side now pooling beneath his limp form.

The last of Gohan's vision faded just as a small, round sphere rolled just in front of him with a lit fuse burning to the base.

…What?

Gohan frowned, his foggy mind swimming in confusion as darkness swallowed him whole.

Gohan's eyes fluttered open to find himself laying down in a world of complete blackness.

Am I…dead?

Gohan had never died before, nor had he ever asked any of his friends what death felt like once they had returned with the aid of the dragon balls. Was this…what death felt like?

Am I a spirit?

Realizing he still had use of his body in…whatever place this was, Gohan tried to sit up only for a sharp, stabbing pain in his side to force him back down, wincing as he fell back to the cold cement floor. Pressing his hand to his abdomen, Gohan could feel his fingers dampen as they sunk into the blood-soaked fabric of his gi.

I don't think spirits bleed.

Gohan's brow furrowed, his lips curling into a frown as he accepted the fact that he wasn't actually dead, but how? The last thing he could remember was android Eighteen preparing a devastating attack that Gohan had no delusions that he would have survived, had it landed.

So…what stopped it?

Blinking, a second realization hit Gohan as he pressed his hand against the near-fatal wound Eighteen had left him with, only to discover that the injury was closed.

"What the…?" Gohan murmured as he lifted his shirt and ran a finger along the stitches now knitting together what had been a jagged, gaping hole in his flesh.

"Wait, are you awake?"

Gohan jumped, sitting up with a lurch despite the pain as a mysterious voice spoke from within the darkness somewhere across from him. His arms sprawled out to either side, colliding with shelves and broom handles he hadn't known were there as Gohan's back found the wall furthest from the voice. "Who said that!?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Hey!" The voice whispered harshly. "Keep it down! Are you trying to lead the androids right to us?!"

Gohan's paranoia began to die as the reality of the situation finally set in, the fog of sleep dissipating. Off in the distance, the rumbling sounds of buildings being reduced to rubble could be heard.

So, I'm still in South City.

Frowning, Gohan's eyes began to adjust to the darkness of the room, which he was rapidly realizing was no larger than a closet. Continuing his search, Gohan discovered the vague shape of shelves lined with cleaning supplies, a bucket with a mop sticking out of it, as well as the shape of a figure with a cloak draped around them leaning against the wall, sitting with their hands wrapped around their stomach.

"Where are we?" Gohan asked, his voice much quieter now.

"A janitor's closet, the best I can tell." The stranger said in between strained breaths of air. "It was the first place I could find that was safe." As if to punctuate the stranger's point, far off sounds of explosions decimating whatever or whoever was unfortunate enough to be in the android's crosshairs blared to life, shaking whatever structure they were sitting in. "Safe enough." They paused, before adding, "for now.

Gohan winced as he twisted just a little too sharply, before his gaze flickered to the makeshift stitch-job he'd received. Turning back to the stranger—a woman, judging by her voice—Gohan asked, "did you…save me?"

"I did," she said. "I saw what happened—or, at least, I saw the last half of what happened. I got back as fast as I could once I got Johnny somewhere safe."

Gohan hitched an eyebrow. "Johnny?"

"The guy you saved with that big Kami-hami thing you did." The woman paused, her voice growing more solemn as she continued, "although, considering what happened…I could tell he didn't want to be saved very much."

"Some people don't want to be saved," Gohan said numbly, his voice growing distant. "...Some people don't need to be."

"...What?" The stranger asked, incredulous."What do you mean?"

Rather than answer her question, Gohan chose to remain silent as he let the events of the day soak in. His eyes glazed over as he stared out at the wall, but his vision was filled with the final moments of his fight against Eighteen.

All I am…is the last punchline in a long list of bad jokes…

"What I mean…" Gohan finally answered, his voice tired, his words slow, "...Is that You shouldn't have saved me."

Another rumble shook their building, causing traces of dust and debris to sprinkle atop the pair sitting across from one another.

"What?" The stranger snapped.

"You said that you saw what happened, didn't you?" he responded numbly.

The stranger paused, her voice uncertain as she answered, "Yes…? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Then, you know that I can't stop them. No one can." His head fell as Gohan withdrew into himself. "I'm not enough—not alone. Everyone else…the people who could have done something to stop them are all gone." Gohan let out a shaky breath, his body trembling as he relived the last terrifying seconds of his battle against Eighteen. "I can't do this alone anymore. I'm…I'm not strong enough…and I'm all that's left." His fingers curled into quivering fists, his teeth gritting with frustration before his strength vanished all at once and he slumped against the wall. "That's why you shouldn't have saved me. It was pointless." His eyes fell shut, resolute. "I'm nothing but a joke."

I'm done fighting. I'm done being a joke.

Silence filled the room for a time. Gohan almost expected the mysterious stranger to rise and leave the broom closet upon hearing his declaration. Instead, Gohan heard the woman suck in a breath of air.

"Welp, that's about the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard."

Gohan's onyx eyes snapped open, mouth agape as he turned to meet the gaze of the stranger's piercing blue eyes—partially obscured by the large black cloak wrapped around her. "What?"

"You're the Golden Warrior, and you think you're not strong?!" She asked in disbelief. "You point to another person who can toss android Eighteen across the entire city and maybe I'll believe you."

Gohan bristled. "You're forgetting about the part where Eighteen got back up without a scratch and would have killed me…if not for your help."

She scoffed. "Without a scratch? What planet are you living on? I don't think I've ever seen Eighteen get hit as hard as you hit her today. When that android bitch came out of that rubble, her clothes were basically ribbons." She snorted, barking a laugh in delight. "Damn, did that feel good to see."

Gohan shook his head. "My attack amounted to basically nothing. When we fought after that, she was just as strong, if not stronger. All I did was piss her off."

The stranger's fingers curled into fists against her stomach, before she shifted, trying to sit upright as she spoke. "That's bullshit! She only came back stronger because—fuck!" The woman hissed in pain curled inward, whimpering as her hand pressed down firmer against her abdomen.

Gohan blinked. "Are you hurt?"

She grimaced, her breathing labored as she answered, pulling her hand away and revealing a large crimson stain spreading from just below her ribcage. "Yeah…looks like I took a piece of shrapnel from Eighteen's attack when I saved you." She grunted, shifting again in an obvious attempt to ease some of the pain in her side. "I tried a couple times to get the piece out…but it's in there pretty deep." She released a half-heartedly laugh. "I've survived so many bangs and scrapes, I was beginning to think this big ol' coat was a lucky charm keeping me alive." The woman rolled up the coat's sleeve as she spoke, revealing an arm bandaged from wrist to elbow before disappearing the rest of the way up her sleeve. With a sigh, she added, "I guess my luck finally ran out."

Inspecting her other arm and legs, Gohan discovered traces of more bandages and scrapes disappearing into dark khakis and long sleeves. Even the woman's pale face—which she kept mostly hidden underneath the large dark hood she wore—showed signs of cuts and scrapes, judging from the bandages and stitches on her cheeks and forehead. He hadn't realized it until now, but the woman before him looked like she had injuries from head to toe, and had simply decided to keep going despite it all.

Gohan's eyes widened as he absorbed the sight.

How long did she say she's been doing this? Months? How has she kept going by herself for so long?

"I don't know how you do it." She voiced before he could, the fire in her voice dissipating as Gohan noticed the small trickle of blood rolling down her side. "I see those monsters hit you so…so hard. Each time they're trying to kill you…and yet you're always somehow ready for the next fight." Staring down at her bandage-wrapped hand, she added, "I've never even faced one of the androids—at least not one-on-one like you do—and I still come out looking like I went through a blender after almost every attack."

"You…rescue people during the attacks?" Gohan asked.

"Well, I think it's more accurate to say that I used to rescue people." Her face fell, eyes studying the blossom of red on her side. "I don't think I'll be helping anyone else anymore…"

"..." Without a word, Gohan twisted, grunting in pain as he reached around his side and managed to produce just enough strength to rip free the small brown pouch attached to his hip. He fell back to his spot on the ground, breathing heavily as beads of sweat trickled down his forehead from the strain. Gohan noted his head still felt foggy, his body frail and weak—a consequence of the blood loss, no doubt. The stitches were holding for now, but if the androids found them…

Staring down at the small bag for several critical moments, Gohan acknowledged just what he was giving away.

A chance at life…

A boom of a lethal energy wave roared across the sky, sounding closer this time than the last, reminding Gohan of who was waiting for him when he finally decided to take a step out of this broom closet.

Not like I'll need it, anyway.

"Here, take this." Gohan said as he tossed the bag across the short distance to where the woman was starting to tremble from blood loss.

"W-what is it?" She asked as she feebly picked up the bag, pulling loose the broken string and turning over the bag. A single viridescent bean fell into her open palm.

"It's a Senzu bean. Eat it." Gohan said flatly. "It'll help."

"I…I don't know that I have much of an appetite right now," she snarked, narrowing her eyes on the bean as she lifted it to eye-level. "There's…kinda a hole in my stomach."

Gohan felt a pang of guilt for being the reason for her life-threatening wound.

"Trust me. That bean in your hand is the reason I can get back up at all each time I face the androids."

After shooting Gohan a cocked eyebrow, the stranger tossed the bean into her mouth before biting down with a sharp crunch.

Gohan watched with a tired smile as the woman swallowed, before a couple seconds later, her eyes grew as wide as saucers. Immediately, the tenderness to her movements evaporated as she sat up rigid and bounded to her feet with an athleticism that surprised him.

Staring down at her now flexing fingers, she exclaimed, "I feel absolutely incredible! What was that? Wait a second, is my stomach…!" immediately, her hands found the red stain on her clothing, patting it multiple times, before looking up and meeting Gohan's tired gaze with eyes full of wonder. "It's healed," she gasped.

"All of your injuries are," Gohan grunted as he shifted into a better sitting position, wincing. "It restores your stamina and body to their peak. You should be able to get away safely, now."

She paused, frowning before snatching the brown sack off the ground. Her face fell as she overturned it, revealing it to be empty.

"Was…that your last one?" Gohan watched as her eyes flickered to the stitched-up—but still very severe—wound at his side.

Gohan merely shrugged his shoulders in response, nodding his head.

There was a pause of silence as Gohan watched the stranger go through the same thought process he had moments ago, and the same realization.

She's realizing that I have no intent to try and get out of here alive…

Her mouth fell agape as she stared at Gohan, gratitude mixed with shock resonating in her trembling voice as she spoke. "Thank you, Golden Warrior."

"You don't have to call me that," he responded weakly, his voice sounding drained. "My name is Son Gohan."

"Son Gohan…" She repeated the name under her breath as if mystified, before adding, "I never thought I'd meet you in person, let alone learn your real name."

"You act like I'm some sort of celebrity." He let out a forced laugh that sent stabbing pains up and down his side. "I'm no one special."

"Are you kidding me?!" The woman said. "You're probably the most important, special, awesome person on the planet! Bar none!" She huddled closer to his beaten form.

Gohan's head slowly fell as he listened to the stranger's words, so kind, so encouraging, and so, completely, utterly, wrong. It almost hurt more knowing that she…and likely many others…thought so much of him without ever knowing the truth of the matter.

"I'm none of those things." Gohan calmly responded. "I've been challenging the androids for years with nothing to show for it except Seventeen and Eighteen toying with me and humiliating me more times than I can count. The only reason I'm even alive now is because they never take me seriously. They never have to." Grimacing, Gohan's head fell back against the wall with a thump. "All I am at the end of the day…is a joke."

Silence fell within the small room.

"Are you…?" The stranger paused. "How…old are you, Gohan?"

Gohan let out a tired sigh. "Seventeen." He paused, realizing, "wait, no, sorry. I'm eighteen now. Nearly forgot."

"...All this time…I thought you were so much older…" Her eyebrows furrowed together within the hood, "Wait, how do you forget your age?"

Gohan paused, considering his answer before barking a dark laugh. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"How come?"

"Because...today is actually my birthday…" He eventually mumbled out.

Gohan heard a sharp breath of air from the stranger, before she exclaimed. "You're kidding!"

He shook his head. "The androids don't take breaks…so, I figured, neither should I."

The sound of calamitous destruction rang in the distance, forcing their conversation to a pause.

"So…the Golden Warrior really considers himself…a joke?" The words sounded so crestfallen that Gohan almost wished he could refute his statement, lie to her and tell her that he would keep fighting until the day that the androids were eventually defeated.

He wished he could give her hope…but he had none left to spare.

"You are so, so much more than just a joke, Golden-...Gohan." She lowered herself to a crouch beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're…you're…" Her words trailed off, and Gohan began to accept the fact that she likely had no way to dispute him. She'd seen what he'd seen, knew his failures were abundant from the fact that both androids were alive, and now that she'd met him…he doubted any delusions about the Golden Warrior being a determined fighter with an unshakable resolve remained.

She surprised him.

"You're…the reason we keep fighting."

…What?

"We?" Gohan repeated questioningly, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes. We." She reiterated. "Every. Single. Person—no matter if they claim to love or hate you—keeps fighting because of you." She pushed a finger into his chest.

Gohan's mouth fell open, confused. "I…don't understand. You're the only person who's ever helped me against the androids." Gohan grimaced, remembering. "Well…the only person in the last eight years…"

She shook her head. "That's not what I mean. Sure, you're the only person strong enough to sucker-punch one of those monsters and live to tell the tale, but that doesn't mean we aren't all still fighting alongside you."

Gohan shot her a blank stare.

With a sigh, the stranger began to explain, only for an explosion dangerously close to their structure to detonate a few streets down, followed by the faint shout of Seventeen's voice. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, Blondie!"

"They're getting close." Gohan felt a wealth of panic begin to form in his chest. "You need to go before-"

The woman cut him off, shaking her head. "No! This is more important." She locked eyes with Gohan, placing each hand on either of his shoulders. "You need to understand. Every day the androids appear, there is a battle—"

"—I know, I fight the androids and—"

"You gonna let me finish?!" she snapped.

Gohan recoiled with wide eyes, before nodding his head quietly.

"Every day the androids appear, there is a battle—" The woman was interrupted by another rumbling blast which told Gohan that another section of the neighborhood had been obliterated, leaving that much less for the androids to search. "A battle of survival that every single person fights their very hardest to win."

"That's people running away. I'm not blaming them—but that's not the same as fighting back." Gohan countered.

"Isn't it?" She said coyly, "The androids want everyone dead, Gohan. Their goal isn't to rule the world, it isn't even to kill you, it's to exterminate the entire human race." She smirked defiantly. "When you look at things in those terms, each and every person who survives means the androids failed that much more. Seventeen and Eighteen have been terrorizing us for years, and yet there are still people alive and determined to fight back each and every time they refuse to simply lay down and die for those monsters."

Gohan found himself lost for words, before he finally croaked out the words, "but…but, how am I the reason for all of that?"

The woman smiled. "Because you give us hope, Gohan. It's inspiring to see someone teach those androids a lesson—even if only for a while. Knowing you're there to stop the androids and give everyone the chance they need to get away…gives people the hope they need to keep fighting."

Gohan's gaze fell as he listened, his mind processing her words as he tried to form a response. Finally, his head sagged as he found his words. "I know."

"Wait, what?"

"I know that people depend on me to be the Golden Warrior. I realize that I'm the only reason that so many people get away…it's why I go out and challenge the androids in the first place." He released a deep sigh. "But that doesn't make it any easier, knowing that so many people depend on me. I feel so alone out there on my own, knowing that, when I fall, so does everyone else…It feels like the weight of the world, and it's too heavy a burden for me to carry."

"...But, you don't carry it, at least, not alone."

Gohan's chin rose ever so slightly. "I…don't?"

"Nope. You might be doing a lot of the heavy lifting, but that weight is something us normal folk carry alongside you every single day. Even if you died tomorrow, humanity would keep on fighting to our very last breath. Because, at the end of the day, those monsters out there hunting for us," a rumble sounded from a neighboring house, "can never hope to stop us. Sure, they can kill us, torture us, reduce us down to atoms with a flick of the wrist," she snarled, baring her teeth in a disgust, "but they can never destroy what we really are, what you and I and everyone else still fighting truly represent. We are humanity's hope—the dream that one day, mankind will finally know peace. There is no way to destroy that, and by extension, no way to destroy you."

A hand fell away from his shoulder, before she raised it, presenting a flat palm. "Where there is darkness, there will always be light. You're not alone, because even if you fall—" Gohan sucked in a sharp breath of air as he watched the room illuminate from a small, miraculous golden sphere of ki that had formed within the stranger's hand. "—There will always be others who rise, and take your place."

Gohan stared dumbfounded at the tiny, impossible ball of ki floating in the woman's outstretched hand. For years, Gohan had thought that he was the last to learn the teachings of ki control, that he was the final recipient of a legacy of people with magical, mystical powers, and so…he was it.

This puny, seemingly insignificant orb of golden energy floating before him spat in the face of all of that.

Eventually, Gohan managed to rip his gaze away from the orb, and for the first time saw the stranger's face clearly beyond the hood.

Black locks of hair cut roughly into a pixie cut sat atop a fair-skinned, beautiful face with eyes–the very same color as the sky—looking back at him. Immediately, Gohan could distinguish the youthfulness in her face, shocking the young man.

She looks like she's the same age as me…

Finally, Gohan asked a question that he realized he should have asked much earlier. "Who…are you?"

"V—" Her confidence faltered, "...I go by Luna, these days."

"These days?" Gohan repeated. "You used to go by another name?

Luna nodded solemnly. "Yeah."

Gohan cocked his head, noting the discomfort in Luna's eyes. "Can I ask what made you change it?"

"My old name was given to me by a man who I'd rather…not be associated with anymore." The sentence came out strained, her voice catching in her throat as she choked out the painful words.

Gohan's lips parted to apologize for bringing the subject up, only for the cement wall beside them to explode inward, blasting the pair with a combination of debris, janitorial equipment, broken shelves and the like. Gohan startled, trying to react in time as the light of the setting sun came flooding in at the same time the entire structure came crumbling down around them. The demi-saiyan found his efforts met with blinding pain in his side as he lurched, only to fall back against the cold floor as the building came down on top of him.

At the last moment, Gohan saw a figure dart ahead of the falling cement slabs rushing to meet him, and Luna's face looming over him, before everything came crashing down, and the world returned to darkness once more.

Slivers of light slipped through the rubble, providing Gohan's eyes just enough to stare wide as he watched Luna above. Her hands were pressed down on either side of his face, her knees sinking into the cracked cement as she strained to hold the weight of the ruins above on her shoulders. Immediately, Gohan reached out to try and help carry the weight, only to discover just how terribly weak he still was from his injuries. His biceps strained as he tried to push up rubble which, normally, he'd be able to shove away without breaking a sweat. This time, however, he found his vision clouding with black spots before his arms fell away, his entire body still so exhausted that he felt as if he might pass out if he tried any harder.

A bead of sweat fell from Luna's quivering, determined face, just as the sound of Seventeen's voice cut through the rubble encasing them. "Hold up, sis. Did you see that? I swear I saw something move when we blew up that gas station."

Luna's eyes closed in a tight grimace as she murmured a curse under her breath. When they reopened, her blue eyes locked onto Gohan's once more.

"Never give up, Gohan. You can't." Luna flashed a confident, reassuring smile, "Because we haven't given up on you."

Gohan noticed Luna's body beginning to tense, prompting the demi-saiyan to stammer with a whisper, "w-wait, what are you doing?"

Luna paused, releasing a soft laugh. "I'm making sure you get to enjoy the rest of your birthday. Call it my birthday present." She paused, blinking as Gohan noticed tears brimming the corners of her eyes. "Happy birthday, Son Gohan."

Before Gohan could get in another word, Luna grunted, bursting through the rubble trapping them in an instant, before digging into her cloak and retrieving a small black orb in the next.

Rubble tumbled from all around her as Luna rose, righting herself. Heavy debris and an avalanche of dust fell atop Gohan, both obscuring his vision and pinning him to the ground, he soon realized. The pressure of the building's ruins knocked the air out of the weakened demi-saiyan, and though he could still draw breath despite the weight, it was labored and quiet.

A reassuring glance from Luna told Gohan that she'd let the debris fall on him intentionally. She turned her attention away, glaring at the monsters just out of his view. "Hey, Tweedledum and Tweedledummer! Looking for me?"

"The fuck did she just call us?" Eighteen snapped indignantly.

"Hold on, hold on," Seventeen soothed. "I think she's the one I saw grab Blondie. She might know where he is." The android's voice grew louder as he shouted out to Luna, "tell ya what, we're in a pretty charitable mood. How about you tell us where you hid Blondie, and maybe, just maybe, we won't kill you."

"Oh, I'm definitely going to kill her for calling us—"

"Shut it, sis!" Seventeen snapped.

Gohan could see the fear in Luna's eyes as she stood defiantly before the androids, the creeping doubt that she wouldn't be enough, a feeling Gohan knew all too well.

But…that wasn't all. He could see her resolve clear as day—a determination to stand up for what was right, no matter the consequences. The ferocity of her expression, her unyielding conviction in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, ignited something within Gohan that he'd thought extinguished.

Hope.

For the first time in eight years, Gohan found himself staring up at something he'd thought he'd never see again.

A hero.

Luna grinned darkly. "You know what, that does sound like a pretty sweet deal." She tossed the small black orb up and down. "Tell ya what, I know you two like games, right? We'll play a little game of cat and mouse, and if you catch me, you can try and pry all the information you want out of me."

"Pfft, catch you?" Seventeen snarked. "You're already caught, little mouse."

Luna smirked boldly. "Oh, we're only just beginning." She slammed the little black sphere into the ground, and a billowing cloud of black smoke engulfed their surroundings entirely. Gohan wanted to scream as he felt Luna's presence disappear, to roar and shout for the androids to come back as he listened to the sound of their flight growing distant. His lungs strained to draw in the breath he needed to make even a small sound, but the cement slabs of broken building bearing atop his chest stopped him. With a grunt, the demi-saiyan devoted what little strength he had left to freeing himself from his prison, black spots filling his vision as he did.

C'mon! Just… a little…more!

The rubble crunched around him as Gohan listened to the distant sounds of explosions, of someone else rising to the challenge of stopping the androids. He could feel the concrete beginning to give as he gave everything he had left against the weight of the building. Just a few more inches and he could slip out from the under the enormous pile of debris and go to help—

Gohan startled as his bloody hand slipped against the lip of the cement slab, letting out a muffled shout as hundreds of pounds of weight came crashing down on him.

.

.

.

-Luna-

It's a little tough…being the mouse.

Gasping for air, Luna fell against the side of a building, a steady stream of blood spilling down the side of her face.

Her tired eyes stared out at the long, cracked and jagged road. The sun had set some time ago, the last rays of sunlight long since vanishing past the horizon. Under the curtain of night, Luna's part in this 'game' had gotten significantly easier. Easier, but not easy.

Behind her, Luna could hear the whistle of something coming straight for her. Letting instincts take over, the woman dove to the side—crashing through a pottery shop's display window just as a golden wave of ki detonated against the sidewalk she'd just been standing on. The explosion was enough to rattle the entire building as it blasted a wave of glass shards and broken pottery that slashed against the exposed parts of Luna's skin as she braced herself.

A rumbling dust cloud filled the street as a result of the explosion. Luna listened closely, hearing Eighteen's voice from outside. "Did I get her?"

"Dunno," responded Seventeen. "She's a slippery little shit, I'll give her that."

Luna swallowed a nervous lump as she heard the sound of the android's feet touching down just outside of the shop, the outlines of their silhouettes visible through the rapidly clearing dust cloud. Trying to not make even a single sound, the young martial artist crept along the floor of the glass-riddled carpet, carefully making her way toward the back, where Luna predicted a fire-exit would be waiting for her.

The crunch of feet stepping on glass made Luna freeze.

"I swear I heard something in here..." Seventeen's voice trailed off from somewhere inside the shop, just a couple shelves beyond the one Luna was crouched behind.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Eighteen called out, her sing-song voice only barely masking unbridled rage.

As the pair began to wander through the store, Luna found herself slowly making her way toward the back, creeping ever so slowly, when—

A blue sneaker stepped out inches away from her own.

Luna held her breath as she recoiled, whirling around the other end of the bookshelf in an instant as Seventeen stepped past. "She couldn't have gone anywhere, right? You didn't see someone flying out of that smoke, did you?

"Nope," Eighteen responded bitterly. "I'm going to be so mad if that bitch got away after insulting us like that."

Seventeen scoffed as Luna doubled back toward the entrance, realizing that the duo were heading toward the back already.

Keep your cool, Vi. You've got this.

Luna allowed herself a slow, calming breath to gather herself. She couldn't afford to make a rash mistake now.

Like a darting shadow, not even the silhouette of Luna's form was noticed as she slipped between the few obstructions left in the otherwise devastated store littered with glass and shards of pottery. After a matter of seconds that felt like eons, and a close call in which she'd been certain the thundering in her chest was going to give her away, Luna finally reached the lip of the former display window and crouched down behind the front counter, atop which sat the register. Listening carefully, Luna didn't move an inch until she thought she heard both androids stepping through the threshold into the back room. A cold sweat ran down her brow, before Luna hurtled over the lip, ignoring the flaring pain in her leg where a beam had managed to graze her. Her feet hit the sidewalk, and she flattened herself to the ground, praying she hadn't been noticed.

For a handful of seconds, she thought she'd managed to give them the slip.

"Wait, did you notice that?"

Luna grimaced, her fingers tightening to fists.

Here we go again…

Instead of hesitating and wasting what precious seconds she had, Luna bounded to her feet, pulling free from her inner coat pocket her two final smoke grenades. The twin grenades ignited in her hands as she focused her ki to spark the fuses before throwing one in the direction she was sprinting toward, and the other on the opposite side of the street against the wall of a bike shop.

Luna tightened her focus as she ran, centering her mind, before pushing out her ki in the way she'd been forced to teach herself. Her feet ignited with snow-white flames, thighs burning with the flow of her power rushing through them. In an instant, the ruins of structures in her periphery smeared like wet paint on a canvas. Her body blurring as she poured absolutely all of what little ki she had left into her speed.

Both bombs detonated at the same time, engulfing the entire street with dark, inky smoke. Luna dived into the smoky tendrils just as the whistling sound of two figures shot out from the pottery shop.

"Not this shit again!" Eighteen complained.

"To hell with it!" Seventeen snapped. "If she's not gonna tell us where Blondie is, then the deal's off!"

"Finally!" Eighteen exclaimed with cruel delight.

Luna felt a nervous tingle run down her spine.

Acting on pure instinct, she whirled to the side, narrowly avoiding the first of a hailstorm of ki blasts raining through her smoke cloud. Luna sucked in a tight breath, a grip of terror in her chest as she redoubled her efforts, rushing through the smoke as the barrage decimated the street all around her.

New plan!

Realizing she had to take cover, Luna shifted her destination to what she remembered to be a small set of apartment buildings she'd seen before clouding the street in darkness. She kicked off the ground, diving into a roll as adrenaline and instincts saved her from a blast that narrowly missed her eye, and another that almost tore a gaping hole through her chest.

Dive through the window, and head upstairs!

Her mind raced as she rapidly tried to predict the layout of the apartment complex, knowing that she would have precious seconds of safety within until the androids caught her trail again.

Luna stumbled as her shins met the front steps she hadn't noticed in her haste, and she came crashing down against hard, unforgiving concrete. Her forehead spiked against the edge of the front steps in a violent whiplash that forced a small whimper of pain to slip from her lips. The pain was blinding, but not enough for Luna to let herself stop as she scrambled back to her feet, darting up the steps on all fours. The barrage of ki blasts was like a deafening cacophony of destruction.

Alright, there should be another window in a unit upstairs. I should be able to—

Luna's thoughts were cut short as she reached the top of the steps—just as a rogue beam ripped through her thigh. Her hand slapped over her mouth as she let out a muffled scream of pain, tumbling to the ground as tears welled in the corners of her eyes.

The seasoned survivalist knew immediately that her leg was basically useless now, The bone and nerves had almost certainly been severed, leaving it limp and useless, but screaming with blinding agony.

Blue eyes, clouded by blood and tears, pierced the slowly dissipating shroud of darkness to find the front door to the building only a short walk away.

Sure could use another one of those magic beans right about now, Golden…Gohan.

Luna smiled grimly, recalling the young man she'd left behind.

No.

The young man she'd saved.

I saved…the Golden Warrior.

Her tired smile brightened, before Luna clenched her teeth tight. She couldn't be thinking like that right now!

I can still do this! Don't give up, Vi!

Summoning her resolve, Luna resisted the urge to cry out in pain as she mustered all her might to drag herself across the splintered and broken porch of the apartment building.

Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she felt another unlucky beam penetrate her shoulder, followed by another through the small of her back. Her body weight instantly became too much, and she thumped to the ground, biting back a wail of pain that she refused to let out.

Maybe…it's time to start thinking like that…

Luna let out a soft laugh at her own dark joke, but past her clenched teeth and shallow but rapid gasps of breath, it sounded more like some guttural snort. Her body trembled as she felt the chilling sensation of her lifeblood spilling out beneath her.

…Can't…stop.

The young warrior knew she didn't have the strength to bust through the front window anymore. She was down to one good leg and one good arm—on opposite sides, no less—. But…the front door was still an option, assuming the people hadn't locked it before fleeing.

Luna released a small prayer to Kami that the former was the truth as she rolled onto her side. The woman grit her teeth so hard that she was worried they might shatter as the injured shoulder burned under her weight. The pain was nearly unbearable, but adrenaline and sheer desire to live outweighed any pain as her remaining arm stretched out for the door's handle. The thunderous hailstorm of golden death grew even more ferocious as Luna's surroundings gradually vanished in disturbing explosions that left nothing in their wake. The neighboring building's stairway vaporized just as she managed to yank down on the door handle like a latch. Hope flooded her as the door clicked open—

Wha-?

-Weightless. Everything was suddenly weightless. Luna felt sick as a dizzying whorl of flashing colors and lights filled her aching eyes. Her ears buzzed loudly, but she couldn't hear anything else. Time seemed to lose all meaning as her addled mind wondered what had just happened. Sensation abandoned her entirely when she slammed into a brick wall like a sack of shredded meat and shattered bone, and fell to the unforgiving pavement far below in a bloody heap.

.

.

.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!"

The sound of Eighteen's shrill roar of outrage started Luna awake, her head lurching off the asphalt just enough to aggravate her settling injuries. Agony unlike anything she'd ever experienced forced the young warrior back down.

Where…?

Luna's mind felt foggy, her vision swimming as she tried to move her sluggish eyes and take in her surroundings. Despite herself, the disorientation was too much, and Luna's head rolled back, exhausted. The side of her bleeding head throbbed like a beating drum. A concussion, then, but worse than any she'd had before by an order of magnitude.

"Chill, sis! She couldn't have gotten far!" Seventeen's annoyed voice sounded, "Spread out!"

"When I find you, I'm gonna make you wish you were dead long before I finally rip you apart, you stupid fucking rat!" Eighteen roared furiously. She could just make out the familiar whistle of flight as the androids grew more and more distant.

Luna waited for the backs of her eyelids to stop spinning, then drew them back to look around. She was slumped in a mangled heap at the foot of another building entirely, having been launched through the air by what had evidently been a lucky shot by her pursuers. Neither android had noticed her shadowy form spiraling through the air past the devastation wrought by their tantrum. Now, with a blanket of ash beginning to fall from the fires that seemed to consume the entire area, Luna's broken body was just one amongst hundreds of others, nearly invisible against the backdrop of the ruined city.

The androids had flown right past her.

A grim, tremulous smile tugged at her cracked and swollen lips. "Guess…I won," she barely managed to whisper raspily. "We won."

Despite the reality of her situation—set aside, for the moment—Luna was exultant at the thought.

The present did sink back in, however, when she turned her gaze down to the state of her own body. She was in one piece, but far from intact. The gaping wounds she'd sustained as she clambered to the building, still sizzled with white-hot pain that she could barely register. Most of the flesh she could see past the rents in her clothing was blackened and charred, and she was quickly realizing that she was far shorter of breath than she should be, courtesy of a sharp, stabbing agony beneath the powder that had once been her shoulder blade—a punctured lung. The puddle of wetness surrounding her was not water, but her own blood, running slowly but steadily from too many wounds for her to have any illusions of what was coming next.

The cold realization bore down on her with unbearable weight, then. It was a thought she'd had before, but never with the certainty with which it came for her this time. There had always been hope; some way to escape, or find help, or—

…

Not this time.

I'm going to die.

The world, all fluttering flames and soft snowflakes of ash, seemed to move slowly around her. She did not panic. She did not crumble in fear. Instead, there was a great swell of uncertainty within her in her last few moments.

What would it be like on the other side?

Would there even be another side? She'd never stopped to really ponder that before. The thought suddenly bothered her a bit.

Did I…do enough?

…Would…he be proud?

Luna's mind flashed through her memories, moments in time that felt the most significant, and even others that didn't. Time's before the androids, before she was Luna, back when she was so young, with so much promise. She recalled birthdays with her mother, wild adventures with her friends, Erasa and Sharpner, and time spent training when the only stakes were a silly martial arts tournament title.

Luna scoffed, her mind returning to the memory of what she had thought at the time would be the greatest achievement of her entire life.

Luna could recall the excitement swelling in her chest as she slowly climbed the podium, nervous to somehow miss a step and make a fool of herself during such an important moment.

"It is my honor to announce your 24th World Martial Arts Tournament, Junior Division Champion! The daughter of the reigning champ, Viiidel Saaatan!"

Her lips formed a warm smile as she could almost hear the sound of the audience's roaring applause filling her ears. That accomplishment had felt incredible, and the trophy almost as glorious, but neither compared to what Luna realized was an accomplishment that surpassed even that.

She'd won.

The sun was rising.

Bright, powerful rays of light speared through the haze and washed over her, driving away the cold that was setting in as her time ticked away. She breathed a calming sigh and let herself enjoy the blazing cacophony of color that splashed itself across the clouds far above. She'd led the androids through too many different buildings and parts of the city for them to recall the sole, indistinguishable pile of ruin they'd begun their 'game' at hours ago. She'd made certain to hold out that long at least.

I saved my hero.

The man who had inspired her to begin her journey, the man responsible for saving so many countless lives, and the man she knew in her heart would someday save the world…was finally safe.

She smiled brightly, shedding her last, joyful tears as she watched the sunrise. A chilling numbness had crept up her body, but she hardly even noticed it against the fiery, hopeful warmth that burned in her heart.

I…got to save…my hero…

A gentle, numbing haze settled over her in those last moments. She didn't fight it as it swept over her like a warm, comfortable blanket, quieting her thoughts and finally driving away the last of the pain. She felt a soft kiss on the forehead, and a whispered wish for sweet dreams—like she was being tucked into bed one last time.

I hope…that makes me one…too.

Her eyes drifted shut, and with a soft, grateful smile, Videl breathed her last breath, and drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

-Gohan-

When his eyes finally fluttered open, it was to the rays of the morning sunrise gracing his skin. Grimacing at the feeling of so much weight atop him, the young demi-saiyan drew on his ki, and was relieved to feel that his rest had restored some of his strength. With only a bit more effort than normal, Gohan finally freed himself from his temporary tomb, and staggered slowly to his feet.

Too little…too late.

Still wincing from his healing wounds, the demi-saiyan stepped out of the collapsed building and into the street beyond.

It was quiet. So, so quiet.

The morning wind was chilly against his skin, but bracing as he breathed it in. It carried with it the faint scent of smoke from far away, and it sent rubble and dust tumbling along the ground like sand tumbling over the side of a dune. There was no movement, no life, save for him, and him alone. He was surrounded by the lifeless husk of yet another dead city.

Holding his side tightly, Gohan stepped out onto the splintered road and regarded the devastation with a long, pensive stare. The aftermath of the android's rampage was always staggering, and every time it weighed on him like a mountain rested on his shoulders.

But today…for the first time since before the terror of the androids began, his thoughts weren't of hopelessness and self-recrimination. Gohan felt bolstered in a way he had not even known he could anymore. He looked around at the latest in nearly a decade's worth of atrocities, and instead of another step on the road to humanity's extinction, saw only a new crime for which he'd make the androids bleed.

We'll make them bleed.

He thought of Luna, then. She'd been so kind to him at his lowest moment, and displayed a of bravery he wasn't sure even he was capable of. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had saved his life.

Gohan's face fell. There was not a single living source of ki for…a great distance. His eyes closed remorsefully as he took a shuddering breath. He knew what the odds against the androids were for most people, even someone as incredible as Luna.

Still…Gohan found himself clinging to hope, no matter how stacked the odds.

I hope we meet again…my hero.

Author's Note:

This chapter is dedicated to YumBibble who was the inspiration and benefactor for this one-shot. Without their input, this chapter would have never graced your eyes, so sing them praise in the reviews if you enjoyed!

I absolutely loved writing this chapter. Anyone familiar with my work will know that I truly thrive when I get to write about the dark timeline, and this adventure was certainly no different. The youthful Gohan we see here was a delight to write, especially in contrast to the hardened war veteran we all know and love in the original series. Gohan in this story is a young man who steps up to a challenge they aren't ready for, but knows that no one else can handle the burden. Writing such a tragic character made me appreciate how far along Gohan must have come to still hold the resolve to fight after such crushing defeats.

For those of you who are new to my work and have reached this far and wish to continue, I have good news as 30+ more chapters await you only a few clicks away. I'm sure that the question plaguing your mind is: "Why was Videl going by 'Luna' in the chapter?" My answer to that? Well, I suppose you'll just have to go and find out in "Talking With A Monster: Chapter 1" ;).

For those of you who are already fans of the series, this chapter was basically a plethora of easter eggs referencing many sections of TWAM. I'm curious how many you all can find :). (bet you didn't know Johnny is a canon character within the Dragon ball franchise, did you?)

What more can I say about this piece? It took me far longer than I assumed it would take to finish. I estimated this chapter reaching no more than 20 pages long in my outline. 30 pages later, and I realize that I really need to start over-estimating my outline lengths : /. Combining that with the excellent, but lengthy work Ben Thryss does editing for the story, I'm sure you can understand the type of time commitment this chapter was for both Ben and myself. So, regardless of if you are a returning fan or new to the series entirely, please leave a review in support if you enjoyed the read! I respond to all the reviews I can, and if you didn't enjoy it, frankly, I'm surprised you've read this far to begin with (lol).

I suppose that's all there is to say about this piece. My next project will be continuing TWAM with the next proper installment to the series, which is already 20 pages in (Yes, Chapter 31 is going to be a mega chapter, too).

The amazing cover art of this story was designed and completed by the wonderful:Upstart Psycho! If you'd like to check out their instagram where you can see all their other amazing work, please look them up: saintswakeart. They appreciated the story enough that they wanted to add their touch to the tale, and I absolutely love it! Their commissions are currently open, so hit them up using the previously mentioned tags if you want more incredible artwork!

Until next time!