Hey guys!
It's been a year since my last update and over this time I have been contemplating a few things. Primarily, whether I want to continue writing this story, and at what pace this story is being completed. To answer the first question, I really love this story, and even before I got to the meeting of Pan and Gohan I had a skeleton of the rest of the story. I knew how I wanted the meeting to go and even some of the pivotal points in the story. As time went on the story took its path and made a sharp turn to a very dark route and it took a while but I was able to bring it back to where I wanted the story to head in the first place. I love nothing more than to continue writing this story, but it is the second question that has me writing this letter today. This year marks the sixth year where I have posted one chapter in the entire year. One update a year for me seems like an awful schedule, and I wish I could say that it takes me that long to write a chapter but most of the time it takes about half a month or less. Usually, it is about a weekend of non-stop writing and lots of energy drinks, but I have my first draft, and the rest of the time I focus on tuning the writing. Making sure the flow works and rereading my old chapters to catch any inconsistencies.
So, why are there such long pauses between each chapter? It is a combination of laziness, time management, writer's block, and real-life woes. I always had Uni and work before and blamed that for my lack of time, but I finished Uni a long time ago. I believed that I would have more time since I wasn't focused on school assignments, but all my free time went to working more hours and real life changes (not all of them were good changes). Fanfiction has also changed over the years. I may be wrong on this but I think there aren't as many readers/writers as there once were. I have always dealt with writer's block and funny enough sometimes a review or even a PM conversation with a random reader would break that block momentarily. I can't tell you how many times I would be stuck on a scene for a few days and conversing with someone about this story would reenergize my spirit and help push past that block. It is harder to get passed those blocks now when there isn't anyone to bounce ideas off.
What does this mean for the story? I think it means that it may be time for me to stop writing. Stop giving people hope that I'm returning and going to come back to a regular schedule just to once again disappear for a year with another lame excuse about not having time. Every time I finish the yearly chapter I reprimand myself for not finishing this sooner. As a reader, I dislike it when there are long pauses between chapters because I forget certain aspects of a story which means I have to go back and read either the entire story all over again or at least the previous 5 chapters to get a semblance of what that story was about in the first place. I can imagine that many of my readers probably feel the same way about my story.
That being said I also dislike when an author leaves a great story midway with no conclusion. I told myself from the beginning; if there ever came a day when I would be throwing in the towel I would do it with a final Author Note where I write the entire outline for the rest of the story. It may not be what readers want, but it is far better than just disappearing. It is my hope that I will continue writing this story, but I will be doing it at my pace where the only one that is disappointed that I haven't written the next chapter is myself.
So… without further ado let me tell you how A Daughter's Difference would have ended:
There is a lot of debate on how I would handle the 7-year gap. One idea was to just skip over this part and go straight to the High School Era; however, there are two issues with this idea. One is that it defeats the purpose of having a young father and Pan if I'm just skipping over it and the other was pointed out to me that Gohan would have no reason to be going to High School since at this point he works with Bulma and knows more than any school can offer. So, I settled on maybe shorter time jumps.
The last chapter revealed that a year had gone by since Trunk's departure. In that time Gohan had settled into his life at Capsule Corp: being Bulma's assistant, balancing his fatherly duties, and growing a budding relationship with Lime. On the character of Lime, I decided to bring her into my story as both Gohan's confidant as well as possibly a love interest. I love working on Lime since she is a blank slate and yet she is not an OC that I would have to consistently describe since she exists in DBZ.
I also had Videl make a second appearance with both her and Gohan officially meeting and exchanging names. Lime's purpose in the story would have been as the only person that truly knows all about Gohan, and her feelings for him would develop over the years with many years initially denying any such feeling. Videl, on the other hand, would make sporadic appearances each time they cross paths a different Videl would meet Gohan. Initially, the first time we saw Videl at the Intergalactic Tournament she was hyper and kind of loving the new spotlight on her. The second time at the fair she seems a little less cheerful (as her mother has recently passed behind the scenes) but her feeling like a celebrity hadn't waned. Every time we would meet Videl her demeanor would sour a little more and her revulsion at her celebrity status would be more and more apparent. This would end with a Videl very similar to the canon Videl with the only difference that she knows Gohan exist and they treat each other like passing friends. She likes that he doesn't grovel at her feet and can talk to him without feeling bad intentions coming from him. They run in similar circles with Gohan's position at Capsule Corp and Videl as the daughter of Hercule, so it gives them opportunities to meet but they don't have any intention of seeking each other outside of the gathering they are forced to attend for the first few years. Videl was able to keep the fact that she is Hercule's daughter away from Gohan for a while until one of her friends blurts out her secret to him. Videl does meet Pan and while she is a little confused that a boy her age would have a daughter already; she doesn't poke into it as Gohan told her it was a long story and he didn't feel like sharing. Given that Gohan was one of the only people she liked talking to at those stuffy gatherings she chooses her curiosity was not worth potentially losing Gohan in the process.
Pan doesn't really care for Videl when she first met her. In fact, Pan tries her best to stay away from those adult gatherings. She prefers to spend time with Lime. Since Pan's arrival at this time and her meeting with Lime, they have grown a great relationship with her spending nights at Lime's place and taking any opportunity to spend it with both Lime and Gohan.
Chichi's and Gohan's strained relationship does get resolved and it would have been done in the next chapter I would have written or probably the one after. It would begin with a visit from the Ox King during one of Gohan's training sessions. He would seek out his grandson and ask if there was any chance for Gohan to talk to his mother. If he could find it in his heart to at least give her a chance to see him as the loss of her husband and subsequently Gohan's departure had placed a large strain on her soul. With Bulma and Ox King as witnesses', Gohan and Chichi would meet for the first time in a year. After some choice words from Gohan, there would be a break in that frozen tundra as Chichi apologized; saying that in part the stress of the Cell Games plus the death of her husband and carrying Goten has placed her in a dark place and she didn't even realize that she was taking out her anger on him. That it wasn't until Gohan walked away that she realized what a colossal piece of work she had been. That she was hurting from all the tragedy and failed to realize that her son was hurting just as bad or maybe even worse as he had to bear witness to Goku's death firsthand. Their relationship does improve by leaps and bounds after this, but Gohan states that he doesn't intend to move back as his job at Capsule Corp and the other project he was running needed him in the city. He does make an effort to visit Chichi more often and Pan is over the moon as she can finally go see her grandmother with her father rather than being taken by Ox King (like they had been doing over the first year time skip). Chichi, much like her future counterpart, dotted over her granddaughter throughout that first year in part thanks to her father bringing Pan over.
Working at Capsule Corp and finding out about Hercule:
In the last chapter, we see that Gohan has been working diligently under the tutelage of Bulma. We also are told that they are getting ready for a press release of their new hovercraft. They are able to fix the issues with hovercraft in time for the press release. It was during a lull in the release that Bulma pulled Gohan into her office where they met with X. S. Cash. The eccentric millionaire has arrived to finish the paperwork that is laid out on Bulma's desk. Bulma then announces to Gohan that Capsule Corp. has decided to invest in the revival of Cash Land. While Capsule Corp regularly has no interest in theme parks, she got quite a pitch from the millionaire and she decided that this could prove to be an excellent learning opportunity for Gohan. She does not doubt in his mind when it comes to building machines, but that just being an inventor will not get him as far as she believes he is capable of getting. She believes that if Trunks decides that Capsule Corp is not where his future lies that she wants a person like Gohan to run the business one day, but he won't be able to do that if he just focuses on the inventor side. Likewise, she claims, the experience on the business side could eventually lead Gohan to build his own company if he ever chooses to leave Capsule Corp. So with Cash's blessing she came to an agreement where Cash Land's investment will be funded on the agreement that Gohan is going to be working with X. S. Cash on its revival. Gohan is not necessarily fond of the idea given that he feels that he has already too little time outside of work plus he has no experience, but he is convinced by both Bulma and Cash that the beauty of this agreement means he will be running and learning from Cash and with the finish of the hovercraft there is no project that Bulma will be running for a while so the time usually dedicated to the hovercraft will be used for the revival of the theme park. Plus Cash believes in strict 8 hours of work so he won't have the kind of crazy long-hour schedule he would usually have with Bulma. This also ties to his heroic actions in the city as he spends more time flying around making the myth of the Golden Angel much bigger. Plus Cash turns out to be an excellent teacher as well as he learns from Gohan what actually happened in the Intergalactic Tournament.
In the last chapter after his return from the South City fair, Bulma does pull him into a conversation about his heroic acts. This is the first time that Gohan learns that the outside world refers to him as the Golden Angel and he also learns who Hercule is and what he did. To say that Gohan was livid is an understatement, but upon hearing the things that Hercule has been spewing and belittling the sacrifices that he and Z-fighters had endured almost made Gohan fly over to the new Satan City and blow Hercule's new home to bits. Bulma had to reason with him and asked him if he really wanted the image of the Golden Angel to be known as a destroyer. She asked if he saved people for his ego or if was he doing it out of the kindness in his heart. If he was doing it out of kindness then the image of a destroyer would ruin everything for him. She also showed him that the world was split. There were a lot of people that believed Hercule and his fairytale, but she also showed how his deeds as the Golden Angel had placed doubt in the minds of many that didn't believe Cell, who could destroy full armies, was taken down by a normal human. They believed that deity known as the Golden Angel had saved them all. She finished by saying that if Gohan did go after Hercule there is a chance that it could embolden his believers to attack those that didn't believe in Hercule in retaliation. Also, Hercule was likely to draw sympathy and cement those people's belief that Hercule is telling the truth. This is all to say that it would have been something that would be happening mostly off-cameras but we would get a snippet of how the public discussion of Gohan vs Hercule was playing out in the mind of many supporters. Hercule actually took any chance he could get to discredit the Golden Angel as a fraud. He would even go as far as stage events where Gohan would help thinking he was doing a good deed, only for those people to go on TV and claim that it was all a set up by the Golden Angel. Gohan does not meet Hercule and mostly that was possible due to Bulma. She would ensure to keep them from meeting each other as she was unsure how Gohan would handle meeting him at those social gatherings I mentioned before.
There was a plan for maybe having a villain during these years. I felt there were too much melodrama and no fight insight. There were three options: a revived Mecha Cooler, a surviving Cell Jr., or maybe an OC villain; though I was leaning more toward the first two. Both can give Gohan a run for his money. I never really landed on an option though it was during this time that I was going to showcase Gohan's power and the mental fortitude that Piccolo has been training him so far.
The story would continue a few years later with Gohan around 16 years old and Pan aged 8. During a social event that Pan is actually attending; Gohan had approached a rather pretty young woman and asked her to dance. For most of the event, they had a good time, but Pan had become restless and wanted to see if her father could take her home. She approached the dancing father and called out 'papa' to him. Her arrival confused Gohan's dancing partner especially when Gohan actually knelt and picked her up into his arms. The woman made a lame excuse and walked away from the pair. As they were walking the many halls of the building housing the event they overheard the same young woman bashing Gohan and his weird behavior to her friends. Especially saying what kind of freak makes his 'little sister' call him papa. When they rounded the corner there was hurt in Gohan's eyes as he really thought they were bonding and his eyes confirmed it was the same young woman. Pan saw that hurt and while she couldn't understand what was wrong with her calling her father, she did understand that women's words had hurt her father, and she wasn't going to let anyone hurt her father. Thankfully before Pan could make due on her promise, Gohan was pulling Pan along and they exited the event and headed towards Capsule Corp. At home, Gohan smiled at her and kissed her forehead before he headed to one of his labs and Pan sought out Bulma, who was working in her lab, for answers. The little girl explained everything that happened and asked if Bulma could understand why that woman's words hurt her father. Bulma explained that her father is getting to an age where is taking an interest in girls, and that woman's false accusation probably hurt because it reminded him that he isn't like most guys and that there will be a lot of people that will discount him. After all, he has a daughter already. Bulma was focused on her work so she was answering frankly, so when Pan rebutted that woman didn't have a chance and that only Pan's mother would understand their situation. Bulma laughed and answered that there was very little chance that they would meet, and there was a girl she knew that was interested in Gohan and that girl already knew he had a daughter. Pan angrily denied once again claiming that they would meet and only her mother would understand, but Bulma said, 'Are you really going to tell me that you haven't noticed how Lime looks at Gohan? She practically drools when she sees him.' When Bulma tore her eyesight from her work she noticed that Pan's eyes were getting puffy and at that moment she realized all the things she had been saying to Pan, but before she could take anything back Pan flew out of Bulma's lab and the direction of Lime's village.
It didn't take Pan long to locate Lime. With tears in her eyes, she looked at the redhead and asked how Lime felt about her father. At first, Lime tried to play it off saying that was a weird question to ask especially with her coming out of nowhere, but Pan pushed and demanded to know if it was true that Lime felt something for Gohan. Lime tried to deny it once again but the distraught look on Pan's face made her tell the truth. How she had only barely come to terms with her feeling recently, but yeah she had been in love with Gohan. Pan yelled that Lime could never be with her father because he is destined to be with her mother. Lime admitted that she knew the story of Pan's mother. How Pan's mother had met Gohan during the first year of the Android invasion in the future (just like her), how headstrong and independent she was, and how over the years she began to believe that Pan may in fact be her daughter. She saw Pan as her child and loved her as such, but Pan shook her head. Pan explained that her father always warned her not to go looking for her mother. That when she learned how to sense Ki eventually they explained that everyone's Ki is a mixture of your parent's Ki and that anyone with a strong sense can separate and identify. Her father warned her but she too began to see Lime as her mother, so she decided to ignore her father's warning and check if Lime was in fact her mother a year ago. She felt crushed when she realized that Lime was not her mother, she felt destroyed and wept inconsolably. With her so close and her tears in free fall, Lime pulled the little girl into her chest as she began to comfort Pan. The words finally hit Lime and she felt that no air was entering her lungs as she struggled to come to terms with the fact that what she had been dreaming for years had been nothing more than a fantasy. With time, both slowly came out of their respective stupor. Lime finally asked Pan what had brought this line of questions and Pan explained everything that happened at the party. 'Well I'm not surprised, your father always seems to attract attention,' Lime joked before she made a deal with Pan. Lime promised that she wouldn't pursue or say anything about her feeling to Gohan for 2 years. If in two years Gohan manages to find Pan's mother and be with Pan's mother then she will bow out without a single grievance (Pan cannot interfere or be searching for her mother); however, if the two years pass then Lime will confess her feeling on the day she turns 18. However, if Gohan confesses to Lime at any point before then she will not deny his feelings. Feeling a little better, especially since Lime knew exactly how to make her feel at ease, Pan agreed to her terms.
From here there is a point where it slows down for a bit. Gohan at this point is on really good terms with Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner. Though he doesn't hang out with them regularly, Gohan and Pan do make some time to go out with them to get food or watch a movie. Almost two years have passed since Lime and Pan made their deal. During one of their outing, Erasa was taking pictures of Pan, especially in the new outfits that Erasa had bought her, to say Pan was not a fan is an understatement. Videl was also struggling with how she felt about Gohan. Over the last year, she noticed there was a change in how she interacted with him and even was looking forward to when the father-daughter came out. She had fun with Pan and felt a kindred spirit as they were dragged through the mall by Erasa, both sporting the same annoyed looks. However, she questioned her heart why it would beat harder when Gohan was around or why she got annoyed when she saw him dancing/talking with another girl.
Gohan for his part is troubled by his love life. A few years back he had given up on looking for someone, especially since he knew that he had to be thinking of Pan's well-being. That didn't mean that he didn't have some crushes, specifically on the two of his friends. Lime had always been there for him. In his darkest moments and fondest memories, Lime was there holding on to Pan's hand as they all walked together. Videl had a charm about her that grew on him over the years. Her tenacity and determination to get out of her father's shadow resonated with him and he often found himself staring at her with eyes that were less than cordial or that of a friend. There were times that he could swear that he saw the same glint of desire in their eyes towards himself, but every time he told himself it was more likely in his head.
It was around this time that a new tournament was announced. Initially, Gohan had no interest in the tournament and saw it as more of a distraction from his work. Videl, of course, was ecstatic and wished her friend would join, but accepted that Gohan had no desire for the tournament. Pan was likewise excited for the tournament and begged her father for both to enter. She explained that she wasn't allowed to join the Intergalactic tournament, so she was owed a tournament and this was the time. She is 10 years old, so she used that Gohan was around her age when he entered the Cell games. She convinced her father to join on the belief that they may end up fighting one another, and using her max charm was able to sway Gohan to enter as well. With Gohan's entrance, it opened the door for more people to join including Trunks, Goten, Tien, Krillin, and Android 18.
Videl was at home lounging in the living room. Erasa had taken it upon herself to print some pictures of Pan in her new outfits and Videl was having a ball looking at the annoyed look of her friend's daughter. Hercule happened to be walking past the living quarters when he noticed his daughter. Unusual for her to be home, he made a detour to see how she was doing when he noticed the pictures. The pictures made him pause as he tried to locate them in his memory. Eventually, he asked where she had gotten those photos as he could not recall ever taking those photos of Videl. This made her laugh as she explained that this wasn't her but rather the daughter of a friend. Yet Hercule was determined and examined the photo more closely as he wondered if Videl was sure because this little girl looked exactly like Videl at that age. In fact, he went back to his room to retrieve a photo album to demonstrate their similarities. Videl's eyes widened as she compared the photos on the table to the photo album. The resemblance was uncanny. This led her to look at her father suspiciously; she didn't want to accuse her father of possibly having a child outside of his marriage, and yet she also couldn't stop staring at the picture. There was also the fact that this little girl claimed Gohan was her father. While Gohan never told her the story it was a running theory between Erasa, Sharpner, and her that Pan may be adopted by Gohan; because the alternative was that Gohan had her when he was 8 years old and that just didn't make sense. As she had this internal debate her father animatedly continued to find photos to compare and contrast. Eventually, Hercule asked if there was a chance for her to bring this girl around as he would love to meet her in person. Videl had her plans to meet little Pan, but she planned to confirm her suspicion that Pan may be her little sister, and if that was the case there was hell to pay by her father.
Erasa, upon hearing what Hercule said about Pan from Videl, couldn't stop squealing as she noticed the similarities for the first time. She quickly hatched a plan with Videl to inconspicuously collect some samples to send to a Capsule Corp lab for testing. Using a ploy that Erasa had a new store in West City they wanted to check clothing for Pan; the girls asked Gohan if they could borrow Pan for the afternoon. Since Pan had pulled one of her pranks earlier in the day on her father, Gohan was smiling from ear to ear as he called Pan to tell her where she was headed for the afternoon. The paleness of Pan and pleading for mercy was not enough as she was dragged by Erasa for another afternoon of shopping and pictures.
Along the trip, the girls collected any sample they could get their hands on to send in for testing. They finally returned a defeated Pan late at night to a still-cracking-up Gohan. With Pan still pleading for mercy as she walked through the door; Gohan bid the girls a good night none the wiser of what they had accomplished. On the way back, a part of Videl felt guilty for what they had done, but they knew Gohan would never tell them as they had asked him over the years and he always rebuffed them. They continued collecting all the necessary samples from her father and even herself and submitted all for testing hoping that she was wrong this had been a huge misunderstanding and coincidence that she would never have to disclose to Gohan or her father.
On the day that she got the results, she sat on her bed with the unopened letter. In her hand was a piece of information that once read couldn't be taken back. Erasa was giddy and a bit oblivious to the crisis her friend was going through. After all, Erasa knew the results couldn't affect her, yet a small part of her understood Videl's apprehension to open the letter. Though this waiting was killing her; finally Videl dared to open the letter and as she read more her eyebrows furled as she made sense of the result. Erasa was the first to question if the results were accurate and Videl couldn't help but let out an aggravated groan. She immediately was on the phone calling the laboratory to get an explanation for the result. Ensuring that her identity was protected from anyone on the other side of the line, she began to question their competence as they continued to stand by their results that Pan's DNA was related to Hercule but not in the way Videl thought. Instead, it stated that she was Pan's mother. She was freaking out and didn't know what or who to talk to. A part still wanted to yell at her father, but at this point, she would have to show her father the results and that could quickly turn back on her.
Videl decided that the only person who could give her the answers she sought was the man of mysteries, Gohan. Knowing that she was possibly blowing up a friendship she had cultivated for 7 years and armed with the letter in hand, Videl walked through the halls of Capsule Corp. towards Gohan's lab. Seeing the angered face of his friend, Gohan stopped what he was doing and allowed her into his enclosed lab. He wanted to ask what was happening, but all she did was shove the letter into his chest and ask for an explanation. Gohan looked at the papers and began reading the results before he came to the end. He didn't know if he should be angry, sympathetic, or back to angry. A quick check of her Ki signature confirmed the result on the paper. He wanted to kick himself for not noticing earlier, but if he was fair with himself he had been blinding himself intentionally of Pan's signature. Still, this explained why there was so much familiarity when he sensed her. Videl asked him once again for an explanation and Gohan contemplated giving her some story about how this could be a mistake, but the glare she gave him was strong enough that he knew that he had to be 100% proficient with this lie and he wasn't sure he could deliver. It was at this moment that he was happy Pan was with Lime. Finally, he decided to come clean at least about Pan.
He gave her the story about the girl that came from the future. The warrior that came to save their time, even though it would not affect his world; Gohan told her the story of Trunks' final plea and the story of what happened to his future counterpart and now what happened to her future counterpart. Videl didn't know what to say or even how to process the information. She wanted it all to be a lie, but she knew when Gohan was lying; this was not one of those times. 'This has to be a joke' she would say, but Gohan would just shake his head.
Videl still struggles to accept that the little girl she has known for a long time has been her unknown future daughter with Gohan. Now that it is all out, her mind wants to deny it but her heart knows it is true. Her face, attitude, and even some mannerisms are the same. Obviously could have never guessed this result, but there was nausea that just wouldn't let up and now she doesn't know what to do. This plus her feelings for Gohan seems to complicate things. Now she knew there was a future where they were together and she didn't know what to do with that information.
This is where the tournament would begin. Gohan would enter as himself as no Saiyaman ever appeared in my story. In the beginning, I had no intention of bringing Goku back, but I feel in the end for the sake of the story I would do it. Similar to the canon universe most of the Z-gang would meet up with Goku given the one day on Earth. During this time he would get to meet both Goten and Pan. There would be some hesitance on Gohan's part regarding his father. There wouldn't be any outright anger but Gohan wouldn't jump for joy at the sight of him. Chichi and Piccolo would be the only ones to really pick up on Gohan's attitude change, and it would be Chichi who would encourage her son to have a conversation with Goku similar to the one they had many years ago. She'd tell him that he may have a small window of time but things left unsaid usually fester and eat away at the soul. She would be damned if she made the mistakes of her past and wants the three to have a real conversation, after the tournament.
Lime would accompany Gohan and Pan; specifically to cheer on Pan on in the hopes she knocks her father out of the competition. It was clear to anyone who saw the trio looked like a family, much to Videl's distress. This would also be the first time that Lime and Videl would meet. Each would have heard about the other, but neither had met before this point. Pan obviously would be attached to Lime. Videl for her part is still reeling from knowing about Pan's origin. Videl kept some distance from the trio, and while Gohan would have wanted to have a private conversation to see how she was coping, Videl wouldn't give him a chance.
A part I forgot to mention earlier is how I would handle Videl learning about Ki; the simple answer is I don't. Videl never learned about Ki or that side of Gohan. As I mentioned before, Videl chose a long time ago not to pry into Gohan's life. The Golden Warrior does exist, but is known as the Golden Angel to the mass population and he is spoken of as a deity and not a human. Gohan's heroics also have been going on for a long time, so Videl doesn't feel any competition towards the Golden Angel nor would she suspect that her friend is that deity. She does know that Gohan knows martial arts however she believes he practices sparingly as he is constantly busy between work and taking care of Pan.
Like the canon universe, there would be a separation of adults and children, much to Pan, Goten, and Trunks' dismay. They figure that in the end, the battle would end up between the three. I think in the end the battle would be similar to canon with a few differences. Goten and Trunks would fight in the semi-final and similar to canon Trunks would emerge victorious. Trunks would try to bribe Pan like Goten, but Pan wouldn't have it. In the end, she and Trunks would have a great battle with Pan's superior training eventually beating him out. The victory is nice for Pan yet she would feel disappointment at not being able to battle her father. Lime does her best to cheer her up and constantly reassure her that her victory is well deserved. Plus she reminds her that it would be amazing if both father and daughter won the tournament which did great wonders to lift her spirit and to cheer for her father even harder. Videl is off to the side watching this interaction and can't stop the feeling of jealousy rising at the ease Lime has speaking to Pan.
The matches for the adults would remain the same. The first notable difference would come in the battle between Videl and Spopovich. Obviously, in this battle Videl does not have the same power that she wielded in the canon universe; as such, Videl has a much harder time with Spopovich and the brute is having an easier time picking her apart. Gohan's anger would rise seeing Videl getting more and more hurt; however, Gohan wouldn't stay still like he did in canon. Goku attempted to calm his son and reminded him not to interfere, but Gohan ignored him and sent an Invisible Eye Blast that shoved Spopovich out of the ring before he could bring his foot down on Videl. The crowd and judges assumed that Videl must have shoved him away, however, everyone in the back knew that it was Gohan who had interfered. Goku tried to chide Gohan for being involved in the match and eliminating Spopovich, but Gohan responded, "You may be okay watching your loved one getting pummeled, but I'm not like you and I will not stand idly by as someone I care for gets hurt. My only regret is that I didn't jump in earlier and shoved that monster off her." Gohan pushes past Goku allowing his shoulder to collide with his father as he follows the medical team that was transporting Videl for an evaluation. Goku tried to reach out, but Piccolo stood in his way asking Goku to let Gohan cool off. Piccolo had brought a Senzu bean in case and handed it over to Gohan for Videl.
Gohan eventually returned with Videl to the waiting area as he made his way to the stage for his match. Shin would tell everyone that no one is to interfere with this match or what happens. Most assume that this was in response to Gohan's prior interference, but Shin explains that there are stronger forces in play and that Gohan plays a role in that. Kibito would ask Gohan to transform and show him his full power, yet Gohan was hesitant to comply. Piccolo like in canon would convince his student to follow through. Gohan has been training all these years so when his power came out the entire planet began to shake as he transformed. Even Shin, who had made his assumption about Gohan's power was severely underestimated and worried that he had made a mistake in choosing Gohan to be the bait, but he had no chance to reconsider because Yamu and Spopovich were already upon Gohan.
Shin was able to put a psychic hold on Gohan as Yamu and Spopovich began their harvest. Videl was getting over the fact that Gohan was actually the Golden Angel and jumped to help her friend but Goku held her back. She pleaded with him, but he stated that Gohan would be alright. She tried to urge Goku to act or let her go, that Gohan is his son so he should be out there, but Goku refused on account of Shin's request.
Initially, the plan was going smoothly, but Shin noticed that one of Gohan's arms was breaking free of the hold. Gohan's power was overwhelming his hold, so Shin redoubled his effort with great strain as Gohan thrashed with the energy being collected. Another wrench was heading for Shin as Pan was making her way from the stand to her father. Shin barely had enough time to tell Piccolo to hold Pan from interfering, which he did much to his displeasure at seeing the crying little girl reaching out for her father. The collection was completed and Shin was finally able to release Gohan. He reached for his nose and noticed a bit of his blood had come out from the strain and once again questioned whether or not he had made a mistake in choosing Gohan. The young Saiyan had a lot more energy than he had initially thought and panic began to rise within him if he had in avertedly handed Babidi all the power needed to revive Buu. He stressed that he must follow Yamu and Spopovich and asked the others to follow him, assuring them that Gohan would be safe with Kibito.
Krillin was unsure about following Shin without first checking on Gohan, but Goku didn't have the same hesitation. This small act of indifference or idiocy was not lost on Piccolo as he glared at Goku. Kirillin, Goku, and Vegeta followed Shin, but Piccolo stayed to at least attend to his pupil as Pan was getting aggressive over her father's body. Lime and Videl were already by Gohan's side with Lime standing in front of Kibito not allowing him a step closer. Piccolo had to reassure them that Kibito was only going to help Gohan and eventually, they allowed him passage, yet Pan was standing with two Ki balls in her hand ready to launch at Kibito. Videl was going through a rollercoaster as she had a million questions relating to what she had seen in the last hour and felt that there was no one she could turn to at the moment. She even felt a bit of fear as she could feel the heat emanating off the Ki balls in Pan's hand.
Once Gohan had healed, Kibito urged Gohan and Piccolo to accompany him towards the Supreme Kai. It took some convincing as Pan wanted to go with her father. After what she had seen, there was worry in her eyes that her father was still in danger. Eventually, Gohan convinced her to stay with Lime and Videl and to protect their family as he was having a feeling that this was only going to get worse.
The story follows a similar path with Dabura turning Piccolo and Krillin to stone and killing Kibito, which greatly angers Gohan at seeing Piccolo's state. This darkness didn't go unnoticed by Dabura. Still, the battle between Pui Pui and Vegeta as well as Goku and Yakon continues. One difference was that I wouldn't have done the Rock Paper Scissor scene as I always felt it a bit odd that these characters would do this following what happened outside. Dabura had intentions of being the third opponent but decided against that. Earlier he had noticed that both Gohan and Vegeta had darkness in their heart and he advised Babidi that there was a chance he could turn one or even two of them.
Vegeta like canon was turned Majin, but the story plays out differently in Gohan's mind. We see that Babidi attempts to convert Gohan by bringing up all his darkest memories. This also brings back Cell as he begins to taunt Gohan; claiming that no matter how far Gohan suppresses him he will always be there. When Cell attempts to attack Gohan, his fist is stopped short of hitting Gohan. A small hand is holding Cell's outstretched fist. The mental image of an emotionless Pan is hovering between the two and pushes back Cell. Gohan then turns away from Cell and addresses the figure hidden in the shadows of his mind.
"A long time ago, I allowed my self-doubt and self-loathing to almost consume me. The darkness that you see within me exists, but I do not allow it to govern me anymore. She is my reason and she is my motivation to be better each day, and if you think that you're cheap mind trick is going to affect me, Babidi, then you got another thing coming. Piccolo made damn sure that my mental defenses were refortified. And believe me, you're going to pay for what you did to him."
Babidi could not believe that a person with an impure heart was fighting him back and Gohan ejected him from his mind. This actually blasted Babidi's real body back.
Majin Vegeta demanded a fight with Goku and a scene similar to canon happening, with the destruction of the World Tournament. Dabura, likewise, also went out to fight with Gohan. These two fights gave Buu enough energy to revive with some extra power. Dabura barely managed to escape his battle with Gohan just as he was going to perish. He returned to Babidi's side just as Buu reformed. Gohan allowed his frustration to pour over and started to break the ship apart looking for Dabura against the Supreme Kai's wishes.
The battle between Gohan and Buu would begin, but it became too apparent that his attacks were not doing anything against Buu's regenerative abilities. Gohan poured all his energies into one final attack in the hope that it would be similar to Cell where every bit of Buu had to be destroyed to beat him. The energy wave was much stronger than the one he used against Cell and Buu took it head on. Dabura managed to save Babidi, but he was killed in the process. The Supreme Kai also had fled the area for his safety, yet truly wondered how a mortal like the Saiyans he had met could amass such power. In the end, Buu was able to regenerate and he was furious at Gohan. Being spent, Gohan struggled to put up a defense. His thoughts about Pan kept him going as his body took greater damage trying to fend off Buu. With his life fading, Babidi ordered Gohan to be erased which Buu was happy to oblige. The Supreme Kai in his weakened state still manages to save Gohan from the blast that was taking him into outer space. Across the planet Pan begins to feel that something is wrong with her father, but is unable to look more into it as she follows Gohan's orders to keep Lime and Videl safe as they collect the dragon balls.
Eventually, Goku and Vegeta notice that Gohan's Ki has disappeared. Vegeta knocks out Goku and travels towards Buu. A revived Piccolo and Krillin join Vegeta, much to his annoyance, in confronting Buu and they are told that Buu has erased Gohan. Unlike canon, Goten and Trunks did not show up where the adults were fighting Buu. In the end, Vegeta showed remorse as his quest for vengeance on Goku blinded him and someone he had grown to tolerate over the years had perished. While Vegeta and Gohan didn't have the best relationship, the years of Gohan living at Capsule Corp had softened him to the half-Saiyan to consider him a warrior who earned his respect long ago. He grew bitter as he realized that he may be indirectly responsible for leaving young Pan fatherless. Finally seeing how selfish he had been, he promised to make amend and ensure that Buu died by his hand and safeguard Pan, even if it meant sacrificing his life. Piccolo and Krillin ran from the area as Vegeta used his life force to erase Buu. Vegeta's sacrifice had indeed killed Babidi, but Buu managed to survive.
Goku was found by Piccolo and Krillin. They bring him up to speed on what happened including the deaths of Gohan and Vegeta. At that moment they notice that the sky has darkened as Shenron is summoned and Bulma makes her first wish to revive anyone killed since this morning. Realizing that the threat of Buu is not over, Goku teleports to Bulma to send Sheron away. He then teleports everyone to the lookout.
The weakened Supreme still was making his way towards Gohan. The newly revived Kibito healed the Supreme Kai and together they found the barely living Gohan. They instantly transported him back to their home world as the Supreme Kai believed that Gohan could be the key to their salvation.
Goku explains everything that has happened since they left the tournament. He eventually got to the point about the deaths of Gohan and Vegeta. Bulma was distressed by Vegeta's death along with Trunks who refused to believe Goku's words. The person who took this the hardest was Pan as she outright refused to believe and screamed at Goku that he was a liar. Lime and Chichi did their best to calm Pan with Videl watching a few steps back. Eventually, she blew both of them back as she began to power up. She began to hover as she closed her eyes and tried to look inside for their bond. She realized that the reason that she felt something was wrong earlier was the connection dying out. She let out a gutted scream as no one could get close to her, and her attempts to find the connection became more desperate. Videl barely held her place on the ground as Lime used her limited access to Ki to reach Pan yet failed to make way. Her eyes finally opened and they had turned teal as Piccolo rushed to pull Lime away from the transforming Pan. Her aura turned gold and her hair lifted into the air. Once the transformation to Super Saiyan was completed, Pan used all her new power to find her bond with her father; her aura furiously reaching the high heavens. Finally, she was able to find the small spark that once again told her that he was alive, yet very weak. Having sapped so much power she collapsed out of her Super Saiyan transformation and Lime was quick to grab her before she hit the ground taking the hit herself. With a small smile, Pan told her that her father was alive but very far away before falling unconscious.
I guess this is as good of a place to stop and talk about another change I made. Goten and Trunks aren't just naturally Super Saiyans like in canon. I felt that over the years the transformation of Super Saiyan has been diluted, and that was before Super completely destroyed the legacy of the transformation. I always felt that Goku, Vegeta, Future Trunks, and Gohan all had this moment where the transformation meant something to each of them and came at a pivotal point in their life. For Goku, the death of his best friend at the hand of an irredeemable enemy pushed him over the edge; Vegeta's pride and humiliation at seeing someone he considers as inferior turn to the legend he grew up idolizing; a destroyed future where Trunks believed nothing else could be taken from him just to see the lifeless body of his mentor and last friend, and Gohan who never desired to fight but understood that Cell will kill everyone that he cares for if he doesn't grow up and push past his limit. They all had a reason to transform and I felt it very insulting that Goten and Trunks just got it because why not? So, in my story, they will have to earn their transformation as the previous generation had to.
At the time Pan was transforming, Kibito was completing his healing of Gohan before a blue aura engulfed Gohan making him take a step back. Gohan's eyes snapped open as he took in his new surroundings. He noticed the blue aura around him and knew that Pan was trying to reach him. He did his best to calm his Ki so Pan could tell that he was okay. He desires to return to his daughter, but the Supreme Kai tells him that going back won't change the fact that he is not strong enough to defeat Buu. Gohan doesn't care as he could feel Pan's distress and the Supreme Kai showed him how Buu was going on a rampage destroying everything in his path without Babidi to subdue him. The Kai tells him of a sword whose legend speaks of an unimaginable power and he believes that Gohan not only takes the sword out but also wields it. Gohan doesn't wish to stay, but without a way to get back to his world, he must accept the Kai's invitation to take out the Z-sword.
Dende tells the people on the lookout that Buu has regenerated and has begun a campaign of destruction looking for Vegeta. Goku decides to fight Buu and stop his destruction. He doesn't believe that Gohan is alive as Pan claims, but he does realize that she may be the key to fighting Buu since his time is limited. With Pan taken into a room for rest, he makes his way to Buu to defeat him with his new Super Saiyan transformation. SSJ3 Goku is strong enough to fight Buu, but Goku realizes that he is wasting too much energy and depleting his time on Earth. He is left with just a short time when he powers down and promises Buu a better fight if he is willing to wait 3 days for another fighter.
Back on the lookout, Lime is watching over the still-unconscious Pan. She notices that Videl's Ki is standing by the doorway trying to hide in plain sight. She eventually calls Videl in, and Videl asks if Lime can see through walls but Lime just states that she has the ability to sense people around her. A shell-shocked Videl eventually asks Lime who Pan is and how can she and Gohan do the things that they do. Lime instead answers Videl's question with her own;
'Tell me, you could have stayed at the tournament and remained oblivious to this world, yet here you are desperately trying to find information. Why are you here Videl, what possess you to not run away with everything you've seen and go back to your happy little world?'
Videl eventually confesses what Gohan told her about Pan's mother which makes Lime laugh uncontrollably. Lime never stopped taking care of Pan throughout this whole conversation. Videl is still unsure and reveals that she doesn't believe Gohan even though the science backs up his claim. Lime shrugs as she reminds Videl that Gohan may be a mystery, but a good liar he is not. She also tells Videl that she is welcome to take care of Pan, but Lime won't step aside just because Videl is Pan's mother in another timeline; thankfully Videl remains by the doorframe of the room. Lime states that she can't tell Videl the whole story of Gohan and Pan as those stories should only be heard from them. Lime gave Videl an overview of who Gohan and Pan are, and how Pan came to their timeline to live a better life. Lime tells her how she has been taking care of Pan all her life and treats her like her daughter even knowing that not a trace of her blood flows through Pan, and would be willing to die to protect her.
Goku returns to the lookout after his battle with Buu. Piccolo is angry as he believes that Goku had a chance to destroy Buu, but his thirst for battle drains so much of Goku's time and energy. A fact that Goku doesn't deny, but also states he was unsure if he could have killed Buu as he was able to regenerate even from Vegeta's attack. He then states that he believes that the children can fight and maybe even win, which makes Piccolo see red and push Goku back. He unloads his frustrations about how Goku doesn't take into consideration that these are children that Goku is offering as sacrifices. Goku disagrees, he believes that they may be children but he was a child once and did a lot more with as much danger. He believes that even if Piccolo doesn't agree; there are no other options as the humans and even Piccolo don't have the strength to fight off Buu. With Pan still unconscious, he tries to use his little time to show Goten and Trunks his fusion technique to be better equipped to fight off Buu; though his desire was for Pan to be awake to walk her through her transformation Lime denied Goku entry to Pan's recovering room. Goku's time eventually runs out with him being forced to return to the next world. He tried to make Piccolo see his way, but the Namekian refused to acknowledge him and stated that he would train the boys if only for protection as he believed Pan that Gohan was still alive.
With the return of Goku to the afterlife, his first stop is the check-in desk where he confirms that Gohan has not passed through there. Confirming that Gohan is alive, confuses Goku as he can't understand where his son could be. Using the check-in area, he attempts to look for Gohan and is surprised that he can sense him; something he could not do back on Earth. Teleporting, Goku heads to his eldest son on the Supreme Kai's planet.
Gohan in the meantime had retrieved the Z-Sword. The Supreme Kai, as well as Gohan, were both confused as to what to do next. The legend stated that incredible power would be granted to the being who took it out, but Gohan did not feel any different other than holding a heavy sword. Believing that this was a waste of time Gohan asked to be taken back to Earth as he worried for Pan's safety, but Kibito and the Supreme Kai insisted that he stay as Goku was on Earth anyway. At that moment, Goku materialized in front of the higher beings. This set all sorts of alarms within Gohan, though Goku was oblivious to Gohan's panic. Goku was overjoyed and in shock that Pan had been right this whole time, while Gohan approached his father to demand to know if he was here who was on Earth fighting Buu. Goku stated that he ran out of time by powering up his new form, but that he left knowledge with Goten, Trunks, and Piccolo on a new transformation that might help them fight; likewise, he fills Gohan in on Pan's transformation, and she might have to the power to fight when she recovers. This infuriated Gohan as he sees his father once again placing the responsibility of the world on a child, but what is worse is that Gohan has been working his whole life to keep Pan away from these life-and-death battles just for his father to place her in harm's way when he was not there. The anger boils over and he punches the unprepared Goku. Gohan instantly transforms and follows his flying father. Goku, given that he is in the otherworld, transforms for the second time into his SSJ3 to defend himself. Gohan doesn't see clearly as rage has taken over and uses everything at his disposal to fight his father including the Z-Sword.
During the fight, Gohan reprimands his father for all the failures he sees throughout his life. All the times that Gohan felt alone and abandoned by him, all the times he was pushed too far and lived with the consequences of those battles and the great tragedy that was his childhood. Everything he has ever wanted to say comes pouring out all at once, and Goku tries to defend his actions and explain how they were necessary for the greater good.
'I never knew you felt this way Gohan.' Goku would respond.
'How could you, you were never around long enough to find out and when I told you I didn't want this you said that I was the only one capable of fighting. You told me that if I couldn't fight then everyone would die. There was no choice there! And now you have put my daughter in front of that monster! I promised that she would not go through what I went through!'
Shin and Kibito choose not to get involved as the power these two titans are displaying pushes them back. Gohan infused so much Ki into the Z-Sword in his rage and blindly hit it against anything in its path that spider web cracks formed. With one final swing, Gohan missed Goku and broke the Z-Sword against a mountainside. Throwing the handle to the side, Gohan turned to his father to continue.
Goku powered down and landed. He opened his arms and told Gohan that he was free to strike him down, but Goku was not going to continue fighting his son. Gohan demanded that he power up, but Goku refused. He acknowledges that he has made mistakes in the past; and that he is mortal as well. He explains that it is hard for him to see past the battlefield at times, and with the potential Gohan has displayed since he was a child he may have been blind to Gohan's needs. In the end, Goku apologizes for not seeing it sooner and for putting Gohan and now his daughter in harm's way.
A growl escaped Gohan as he contemplated his fist, but in the end, he chose to walk away. The Old Kai decided to make his presence known. He explained that he was trapped within the sword and that the legend of the power the Z-Sword had was just a myth made over the years. Though he claims that he does have to power to unleash a champion potential his brief time in Gohan's hands made him see the potential laid dormant.
Gohan doesn't care and once again wishes to be brought back to Earth; especially after hearing that it would take a day of meditation for the Old Kai's ritual to succeed. Shin and Kibito advise him that he doesn't have to power to save his loved ones, and Goku chimes in that he made a deal with Buu to give him some days for another fighter to come. Reluctantly, Gohan begins the ritual with the Old Kai. Goku, Shin, and Kibito set up nearby where they watch over the Earth through a crystal ball.
Back on Earth, Trunks and Goten have used their time to perfect the fusion technique. They still struggle to get it right in consequent tries, so they keep doing it throughout most of the day. Pan also wakes up to Lime and Videl watching over her. Chichi was working on making a feast as she knew that Pan would be famished when she awakens. Pan tells Lime that she was dreaming of her father in a faraway land, but he working as hard as he can to get back to her which brings a smile to Lime. Videl, seeing the duo's interaction and feeling like a third wheel, apologizes as she gets up to walk away. Pan is confused by Videl's actions but does not question them.
Trunks is still hurt about the death of his father. He confesses to Goten that he wants to get revenge on Buu for killing his father and he believes that Gotenks has the power to beat him. The next time they managed to fuse, Gotenks took his chance rockets off the lookout and headed for Buu. Piccolo flew after them, but the fusion proved to give the young Saiyans enough power to elude him. They find Buu in a house in the middle of nowhere. Gotenks doesn't waste time and blows up the house with Buu inside. The pink monster was able to get out in time and saved Hercule and a small dog. This infuriates Buu at seeing his peace going up in smoke. Gotenks doesn't care for Buu's anger as he claims that Buu deserved it for murdering Trunks' father. The battle rages as Gotenks uses his whole power to push back on the abomination. Eventually, Gotenks sees the tide of the battle going against him, and all they can think about is Vegeta and to a lesser extent Goku. The fusion of the boys' desire for nothing more than making the monsters that took their fathers away from them pay. The combination of their grief and determination to not lose pushes the fusion to transform. This moment changed the battle as the fusion began to take charge until their transformation evaporated any time they had left. With the fusion over, both young Saiyans prepare to fight Buu anyway.
During the entire time Buu was fighting Gotenk, there was a steady steam coming from Majin Buu. As the battle progressed and Hercule and Bee almost got hit by a stray Ki blast, Buu seemed to slowly be losing control of himself.
Pan having awakened and observing what is happening through Dende; begins to prepare to go down to Earth especially now that the fusion time has ended. Lime and Chichi are trying to reason that Piccolo will bring back the boys and that her going is only going to make things worse. Pan on the other hand argues that they need all the reinforcements they have. She believes that her father will come back, but she needs to buy him some time.
'I'm going! Papa has fought against demons, aliens, and machines; how can I call myself his daughter if I can't fight to protect the world he has worked tirelessly to keep intact.' Pan argues.
'Because your father did it to protect you. He fought not because he liked to fight but because he didn't want you on the battlefield.' Lime held Pan in a tight hug.
Pan would push away. As she prepared to leave the lookout, Videl would stand in her way; she would tell Pan that she didn't want her to be in harm's way no matter how strong she thought she was. Videl would reveal that she is her mother. The revelation shocked those on the lookout, except for Lime, making Pan actually stop in her tracks. Pan would turn to Lime and see that she doesn't seem to be affected by the announcement.
'You knew!? Why did you hide it from me?'
Lime would explain that she only found out about 2 hours prior. Videl would back her up; telling the young demi-saiyan that she only found out recently and confirmed with Gohan. Videl and Lime kneel in front of Pan trying to get her to stay, but Pan is hurt by what she sees as a massive cover-up. With tears in her eyes, Pan turns Super Saiyan blasting off the lookout.
Videl apologizes to Lime. She explains that while she may not have been Pan's mother in this world, she hoped that the revelation would give her some credit for keeping the girl from going down there since physically they wouldn't be able to keep her. She had seen enough to know that there was a real risk and there was a real chance she could die and she couldn't live with herself if she didn't try anything. Lime understood what Videl was trying to do. Videl asked a question that had been gnawing at her for sometime
'There is something that has been bothering me since the moment I witnessed Gohan turn into the Golden Angel. Pan said that Gohan has been fighting all sorts of creatures his whole life, and it reminded me of a different battle. 7 years ago there was a strange group that showed up at the Cell Games. Among them was a young man that the world has known as the Golden Angel; however, today I have seen many individuals turn into Golden Angels. Was Gohan the Golden Angel at the Cell Games?'
Lime didn't know how to respond, but Chichi was the one to answer that question. She explains that the transformation Videl saw was known as Super Saiyan and that Gohan was not only at the Cell Games but the individual responsible for putting Cell down. When Videl asks why they let her father take credit, Chichi responds that she never intended for anyone to take credit but rather she just wanted her son back home. She admitted that she made a lot of mistakes during that period, but she is doing her best to right those wrongs. Chichi laughs as she recalls how history is repeating itself once again. She should have known better that Pan would be just like her father. All she can do now is pray that the Kais watch over Pan.
Back on the battlefield, Piccolo prepared to jump in to fight but Buu seemed to going through an ordeal as the steam blew out forming Evil Buu. Piccolo takes the weakened boys and begins to depart as the battle between Buu and Evil Buu begins. On the way back, Piccolo is intercepted by Pan. They are talking to one another when they sense the battle between the Buus is over and one entity remains. Piccolo pushes for all of them to return, but the new Buu has already caught up to them.
Shin and Goku let out a gasp which alerts the meditating Gohan. He asks what is going on, but they don't want to tell him what they are seeing. This infuriates Gohan and threatens to get up and see for himself if they don't tell him. In the end, Kibito informs Gohan of what happened including the new Buu fighting Piccolo and Pan. He explained how they are slowly getting overwhelmed. Gohan questions if the ritual is complete and the old Kai attempts to make a joke about still having a long way to go. Gohan aura explodes but the old Kai tells him he was just joking and the ritual is complete. He tells Gohan that all he has to do is transform and he should access his new power. Gohan didn't need to be told twice and let his full power manifest. The transformation actually shakes the Kai's planet and his Ki is felt across the cosmos including to those on Earth.
There is a pause in the battle on Earth as all Ki-sensitive individuals feel the new force. Buu grits his teeth at what he is sensing, but it isn't long before he returns to the battle with Saiyans and Piccolo. Pan is enveloped in a strong aura as she feels the bond with her father stronger than ever.
Gohan asks Kibito to take him back to Earth now; he worries that every second spent here Pan may perish. Goku approaches Gohan and calls out to him before he departs. Goku is a bit out of words but eventually comments on Gohan's dedication to Pan. Which Gohan responds:
'She is the light of my life. I still remember the world before she arrived and with every fiber of my being, I will fight and claw to ensure a safe world for her. She is my daughter and there is nothing and nobody that will stand in the way of ensuring that future.'
Goku expressed that he wished he had more time to talk but Gohan stopped him.
'There was always time, but unfortunately today all of our time has run out.'
Kibito and Gohan teleport off the Kai's planet and they land in the spot the Kai found Gohan before. Kibito was about to depart when Gohan asked for a wardrobe change to his old purple Gi. Gohan also leaves in the direction of the battle.
Pan is currently in an Energy Clash with Majin Buu. She is pouring all her Ki to hold the beam from hitting her, but she is running out of steam. Piccolo, Trunks, and Goten have been knocked out behind her, so she is currently the only person in the way of all of them being wiped out of existence. As she closes her eyes and mentally asks for forgiveness from her father, Pan opens her eyes when she feels him arrive behind her.
'Hey Squirt!'
Their conversation is cut short as the beam is inching towards them. Gohan smiled as he prepared his own Masenko (thereby having a father-daughter attack) and overwhelmed Buu. This resulted in Buu being ripped apart and pieces of him spread across the battlefield. With the beam no longer a problem, Pan rushes to hug her father. Piccolo slowly sits up to see his student embracing Pan.
Piccolo remarks that he barely recognized his student which Gohan takes the compliment. Piccolo explains how Buu will regenerate soon enough and explains that no matter what they toss at him, Buu seems to just keep coming back. Gohan asks Piccolo and Pan to return to the lookout as he will face Buu. Pan doesn't want to leave her father, but Gohan leaves no space for her to argue. Reluctantly Pan releases her Super Saiyan and takes off with Piccolo and the two boys back to the lookout.
Sure enough, Buu regenerates and walks towards Gohan. He asks if Gohan is the warrior that was promised to him. Gohan doesn't know what he is talking about, but he does claim he is here to rid the universe of the cancer known as Buu.
Their battle begins with each powering up. At first, they fought in close combat testing each other and pushing their speed and ferocity as time passed. Gohan had a fraction of a speed higher than Buu; the frustration pushed the pink monster to introduce Ki-based attacks to the battle. While Gohan had the advantage, even overwhelming Buu and blasting him to pieces, Buu's regenerative ability was beginning to wear on Gohan. He would even try to destroy as many pieces of Buu, but there was always enough of him to reform and continue to fight.
There was a lull as Buu was reforming and Gohan was catching his breath. He was trying to form a plan as he could see that while he had the advantage in terms of power; Buu had the advantage in terms of stamina. They could continue fighting and Gohan would eventually lose.
From the heavens, Shin's voice called out to Gohan. He explained that he was using King Kai to talk to him since the Old Kai had a message for him. The Old Kai was yelling at him for taking too long and not properly fighting. He explains that during their time unlocking his power, the Old Kai sensed a well of power beyond anything he felt before but it seemed to elude him. Now he understands what is happening, Gohan has set limits for himself. He berates him for having the power to end it but chooses to not use the power deep inside and that if he continues with half-measures the ceremony of unlocking his potential will have been a great waste of time.
Goku chimes in saying throughout all of Gohan's life he has watched a warrior in the making. He explains that a long time ago he knew that Gohan would surpass him and how proud he was when he did against Cell. He apologized once again that he didn't notice the emotional turmoil he had caused for Gohan, but he explained that if he didn't listen to the Old Kai or himself; Goku hoped that Gohan would fight for Pan. The older Saiyan saw the determination Gohan had for his daughter and he hoped that the same determination would push him to use his full power without fear.
Gohan closed his eyes as he looked deep inside. Buu had almost reformed, yet Gohan was in a meditative stance. Inside Gohan found the bond to Pan and the fire that burned furiously. He could feel her worry for him but he could also feel how calm she knew that her father had come back. Searching deeper, Gohan came to a mental block. He could feel the overwhelming power behind the wall and came to understand what the Old Kai and Goku were talking about.
His memories begin to fill the walls of his mind. He remembers every battle where his power needed to be accessed, but he also remembers the fear he had for said power. All of these memories ended with the words of Piccolo during the Intergalactic Tournament.
"For as long as I have known you, you have always had a problem with your own self-confidence, never believing yourself to be as strong as you are. Ironic isn't it, at least that is my thoughts since I joined Kami and got his memories, that one of the strongest if not the strongest warrior on Earth suffers from a lack of confidence."
"Gohan, find your purpose, your reason for fighting and living, and I promise you that this problem will resolve itself. Find the balance between your mind and body. What is the one thing you fear the most losing!?"
"In the end, it was always her. For Pan, I will lay my life down. For Pan, I will protect this world. For Pan, I will cross all deserts and all of damnation because what I fear more than this power is losing her"
Gohan blasts past that mental barrier as his body responds to his full potential released. In the real world, Buu had already reformed and was inches from striking Gohan when the motionless man stopped Buu's fist from making contact. Gohan's eyes opened and Buu could see the teal iris looking back. A gutted growl escaped his lips as Gohan's power began to climb. The world began to shake once again as Gohan's full power manifested. Buu was pushed back by Gohan's aura. Dende worried as Earth didn't seem capable of housing the energy output from Gohan and elements were in chaos around the battlefield.
Finally, the aura grew smaller as Gohan stabilized his full power and turned to the angry Buu. A nearby volcano continued to spew lava as the Earth did its best to calm after the stress of Gohan's power output. The battle was no longer even as Gohan took little effort to stop or push Buu back. The pink monster's attacks became more erratic and desperate, but with some final words Gohan was going put the menace down:
'The universe has feared your return; and anxiously wished your rebirth never happens. The fear you feel towards me is the same so many people had of you before you erased them from this world. Today I'll make sure my daughter and future generations never worry about your return.'
Gohan concentrated as much of his Ki into a final beam. Buu seemed frozen between wanting to attack and running away. In the end, he prepared his beam to respond but it did little to hold Gohan's approaching attack. In a last-ditch effort, Buu attempted to cut a piece that could reform him, but he didn't notice that the attack pushed him through an active volcano. He didn't get a chance to cut the piece before the magma encompassed him and there was no chance for any piece to separate. Gohan's attack finally overcame Buu's resistance and the large beam disintegrated every molecule of Buu.
So, let's talk about some of the changes that were made to the Buu saga. This story is primarily about Gohan and Pan, and to a lesser extent about Videl and Lime. They would take a lion's share of the saga: the conflict of Videl learning about Gohan's world while trying to come to terms with Pan's heritage, Lime's role as a mother coming under threat with Pan's real mother in the picture, as well as Pan trying to figure this whole drama while the world is literally burning around them. Gohan would take a larger role in Earth's protection after all that was supposed to be his role after the Cell games. One thing that everyone agrees about Gohan is his lack of desire to fight and train, however throughout canon, we have seen that even with that dislike Gohan will train just as hard or harder than those around him if it means protecting his loved one. This Gohan grew up as a father and any parent will agree that protecting their children becomes their number one priority. This Gohan is far stronger and more mature than his canon counterpart mainly because he grew up raising Pan.
Canon Gohan does not share his father's desire for a strong battle or letting his opponent power up to make it more interesting; this story's Gohan shares this belief. This is the main reason I didn't let the battle drag on longer than it had to be. This Gohan understands that if he doesn't put a stop to Buu immediately; there is a real risk that Pan and the world will suffer. I know some would have wished for me to include the fusion arc, Buuhan, Kid Buu, and a lot of the other bits from the canon universe, but realistically I could not see how I could explain why this serious-minded Gohan would allow himself to get caught off guard and absorbed. Or why this Gohan would play with Buu as Mystic Gohan did in the canon universe instead of ending the fight. Goku sees the best in people so that is why in the canon universe as he defeats Buu he wishes that he may be reincarnated, but Gohan is a realist whose sole desire is to protect his family so his speech to Buu is one of a world protector eliminating a threat.
This change did leave me in a bit of a bind. It was only because Gohan was absorbed that Goku and later Vegeta were revived. In the end, I figured that I would have Gohan and the others use the dragon balls to find and use the Namekian dragon balls. Vegeta would be revived through the Namekian dragon balls as well as all the others that died during the Buu conflict. The good Buu never separated so Kid Buu was never a thing. In all honesty, I didn't see that much of a point in bringing Kid Buu into the story, and I'd rather have Gohan defeat the strongest form of Buu.
I also struggled with reviving Goku. I'd argue back and forth on whether or not to bring him back through Porunga. Ultimately I decided against bringing him back. My argument was that he was only revived because he couldn't fight on the mortal plane, but he hadn't chosen to be revived of his own will. He didn't have an epiphany that he missed his family during his one day on Earth, so since he wasn't forced to be revived like canon then I'm sure he wouldn't have asked to be revived nor would the Z-fighters revive him against his will.
The story picks up after the trip to Namek and the Earth once again in times of peace. There was a multitude of ways I could wrap up the story. As I mentioned before, when I started this story Super was not a thing and as such I had no plans to include Super. Combined with what I have felt as weaker storytelling and an explosion of transformations, nothing from Super has really pushed me to include it in my story. Even the return of Trunks didn't feel as satisfactory as I would have liked; don't get me wrong I liked that we got to see more of Future Trunks but I felt the ending left a bad taste. Added that I had such a slow release, I felt that adding Super was not a good idea so I felt it would be best for me to wrap up after Buu and leave Super for a sequel if I ever felt like writing it out.
Following Buu's death, the world knew of the danger of Buu but they were left in the dark about what happened to him. In the end, Hercule would come out to say that the terror of Buu had come to an end as the people were still in a panic that he was still out there. Naturally, the general population thought that it was Hercule that ended Buu, but Hercule came clean that he didn't finish off Buu. For the first time, Hercule acknowledges the Golden Angel and names him as the savior. There was a part of Hercule that wanted to take credit as well, but Videl put a stop to that. She found him at the sight of the final battle and gave him a verbal lashing for lying to her and the rest of the people. Hercule took the lashing in part because he knew he was wrong but also because a part of him was saddened that the good Buu he met had also perished. He thanked Gohan for ending the threat as well as getting revenge for the good Buu, but Gohan told him that he only eliminated the threat and he certainly didn't do it for Hercule much less the 'good Buu.' Videl pushed him to come clean about Cell as well but Hercule told her that lie had cemented for so long that if he came clean now he worried for his and her safety.
I'll be honest I didn't know who would end up with Gohan. I figured as the story progressed that I would continue to read the reviews and see how the readers felt about each girl. My job would be to present the best of each girl without trying to back either and in the end the one the audience gravitated towards would be the girl to end with Gohan. I always believed the Lime would make a compelling story given that she raised Pan with Gohan and since she was his confidant she would end the story with Gohan. On the other hand, it would have been hilarious if Gohan and Videl got together since Pan was already born then I wondered if they would have another little girl or if maybe the shift in the timeline by Pan would push them in a different direction.
The story would come to an end here. This would allow expansion down the road if I ever chose to go into Super. There are a lot of details I had to cut out. I really wish I would have been able to tell the story the way it is supposed to be told, but I don't want to keep giving people hope that I am returning just to disappear once again. If you have any questions I can't wait to answer them and if there are enough questions I may make another Author Notes with all the questions and answers.