Chapter 8
13 years after the appearance of the Androids
When Trunks awakened again a short time later, he was not able to sense anything. Not Gohan, not the people at the place the Androids had been attacking.
Gohan had knocked him out, to keep him from joining the fight, he realized.
As he flew down to the now destroyed town, to the same place he had seen the explosions earlier, he already suspected what he would find.
But if there was even the slightest chance... no, even if there was no chance at all, he at least had to find...
Trunks forced himself to continue to walk across the ruins... and through the rain.
Until he found him.
He saw Gohan´s lifeless body lying on the street.
For a moment Trunks felt nearly entirely empty inside.
"Gohan," he whispered.
Then the emptiness was nearly instantly replaced by sorrow and grief.
Trunks kneeled down next to the body of his friend, mentor and older brother.
There was no sign of life. Nothing. Just like he had already expected.
"Gohan please - don´t leave me," he said. "Why did you...?" He sobbed.
But he knew why. Because Gohan thought he was not ready to face the Androids yet, because he was not a Super Saiyan, because...
And then the sorrow was joined by sheer overwhelming rage.
Trunks screamed out his pain and rage to the world as tears were flowing down his face and his hair turned golden.
xxxxxxx
2 Years later
Trunks was training by himself on a meadow a few kilometers outside of West City.
His power had grown exponentially during the last two years. He had learned to stay in control of himself in Super Saiyan Form.
His body had grown taller and matured. He had grown through the growth-spurt saiyans had in this part of life. And he had continued to train and grown even stronger.
He wished nothing more than to just run off and face the Androids right away.
But he knew he was still weaker than Gohan had been.
xxxxxxx
The Afterlife - Master Kaios Planet (at the same time)
Gohan had now joined his father, Piccolo and the other Z-fighters in the Afterlife.
Given the circumstances it was of course not really a happy reunion.
While they were of course happy to see each other again, they were also sad that Gohan had to die for this to happen.
And they were also worried about the people Gohan had left behind in the world of the living - his mother Chichi, Bulma and Trunks and also the rest of the people they knew who were still alive.
Like so often most of the Z-fighters were together on Master Kaios Planet to train.
Right in this moment it were Goku and Gohan who were having a sparring match.
With Piccolo, Vegeta, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chaozu and Master Kaio himself sitting at the sides.
Like the others, because of the things he had done in his life, Gohan had been allowed to keep a new and uninjured version of his body.
And like Vegeta, he had grown several times stronger since he was here.
Gohan only wished he had managed this kind of progress in his training when he was still alive. But the truth was he had hit a wall a few years ago and had not really been able to advance any further from there. Not just because of his injuries, but also just because not knowing how.
The ten times Eath Gravity on Master Kaios Planet alone had already helped. But even more the advanced training with his father.
It had never crossed his mind to try to stay in Super Saiyan form for days and weeks to let his body get used to the form, spare energy and get stronger, like his father did.
Gohan was still far behind Goku and Vegeta, but he was catching up.
What if he had tried the same thing when he was still alive? he asked himself. What if it had worked?
He would have probably been able to beat the Androids long ago.
If only it had been like that, he thought... If only.
xxxxxxx
Meanwhile elsewhere in the Afterlife
It was close to the entrance of the Afterlife, to King Yemma´s office - where the fate of the recently arrived souls were decided and the gateway that led to the entrances of both Paradise and Hell.
Here was the place where the souls that were not able to be directly go to Heaven and where either send to reincarnation or Hell, were attempted to be cleansed from their evil, in form of the negative energy they had formed in life.
With many souls it worked, while some, like the infamous Freeza, turned out to be irredeemable.
It was a kind of bizarre mixture of a metaphysical and spiritual process to cleanse the negative energy from the souls... and then store it inside large tanks that were specially created for this purpose.
At this moment, another line of souls came in. And the Ogres working on this station continued their work.
Until one certain soul reached the end of the line.
They saw on the first look that this soul was not like others. For once it had an truly immense amount of negative energy attached to it. And an immense amount of energy per se, negative or otherwise.
They could literally feel the sheer rage, hatred, misery and desperation radiating from it.
Whoever it had been in life, it must have been someone with an unbelievable power at his or her´s disposel. A powerful being with a probably terrible life.
But strangly this power seemed to clatch to the soul even now in death.
"Be careful with this one," the Ogre in charge said.
"Yes," another responded.
They all took a little more distance. And set the Soul Cleansing Device at the highest setting.
But as this soul was starting to get the negative energy cleanse from it by the supernatural apparature, it suddenly leashed out.
A wave of energy errupted from it in all directions.
One that was actually strong enough to completely shatter the cleansing-device and to threw the surrounding Ogres from their feet.
This should not have happened. No souls should have been able to physically attack them.
But it became even worse.
The soul started to move.
To their shock, it actually leaped towards the Ogre closest to it and moved inside his body.
"What? No, no!" the Ogre cried out in fear and disbelief as he saw the soul passing through his skin.
Then he cried out like in pain as the power that came from the soul was flowing inside his body.
His powerlevel was rising into the millions and then into the hundred millions.
His appearance was changing as well. He became more musculous and he was growing literally taler. His entire body bulged up. His eyes were glowing and seemed commpletely white.
And the same time the soul was taking control of him.
A bright green light was radiating from his form.
He let out another terrible scream and the ground was shaking beneath his feat.
"Damn it - run," the chief called out.
He and the others were fleeing in panic.
xxx
"What is going on?" King Yemma called out, sitting at his desk, as he sensed the tremors and the outbreaking energy.
"Boss - it is an disaster," one of his assistants came running in, shouting. "A soul has gone out of control, an incredible powerful one. And it has possessed one of our men and is running amok."
"What? How?" King Yemma asked.
"We don´t know," the Ogre replied.
"What kind of soul was that?"
"We are not sure either. We are trying to find out. But in this chaos..."
"I see," King Yemma replied.
`King Kaio, Master Grand Kaio,´ he send out a telepathic message, `we need help here. Please send your warriors. As fast as you can."
xxxxxxx
King Kaios Planet
The training of the Z-fighters was suddenly being interrupted.
"Goku, Gohan - stop for the moment," Master Kaio called out. "Something has happened."
"What is it Master Kaio?" Goku asked.
"I just got a message from King Yemma. As it looks some kind of soul has gone rogue during the cleansing process and possessed one of his Ogres... and turned him into some kind of very powerful being. And he asks me and the Grand Kaio to send warriors to stop this creature."
"What really?" Goku asked enthusiastically.
"This is not a happy incident Goku," Master Kaio called out. "If he is close to the soul-cleansing equipment or even the Gate of Hell, there is no telling what kind of damage he could cause. So go and stop him right now."
"Okay," Goku replied.
"I am going too. I could use a real fight as well," Vegeta said.
"And you Gohan?" Goku asked.
"I guess I will come too," he replied, but in opposite to Goku himself, not all too enthusiastically. "But I don´t think there will be much to do for me. The energy I sense is not really that great."
"Well - we will see about that," Goku said. "And you Piccolo?"
The Namekian just shook his head.
"Like Gohan said, I dont think there will be anything to do for me."
Krillin, Tien, Yamcha and Chaozu declined as well.
"Goku - now!" Master Kaio shouted, running out of patience.
"Okay, okay," he replied.
He used Instant Transmission to teleport himself, Gohan and Vegeta away.
xxxxxxx
They reappeared in a close distance to the rampaging possessed Ogre a moment later.
By what they saw, he had indeed completely wrecked the soul-cleansing device, injured at least two other Ogresa and had the rest of them running for their lives and otherwise blown a few craters into the landscape.
"Hey," Goku called to him. "Who are you?"
But the creature just growled and looked around seemingly confused.
"It seems Gohan was right," Vegeta stated. "He do not seem to be that strong."
Objectively, the possessed Ogre was terrifying, at least by any normal standards.
His power was even greater than the Androids. And that meant far greater than most normal mortal beings could ever hope to have.
But it was simply not even close to the power the three saiyans had reached since they were in the Afterlife, even Gohan who was only here for two years.
"I guess that´s true Vegeta," Goku admitted. "Maybe this could still be a challenge if we team up against him without transforming or we transform into Super Saiyan and suppress our power."
"Dad - you heard what Master Kaio said, we should stop him as quick as possible," Gohan stated.
The possessed Ogre however suddenly stopped and turned round when he heard Goku´s words.
"Vegeta," he said in a hollow deathly sounding voice.
"Vegeta," he repeated growling, this time his voice was filled with pure rage and hatred.
The green light surounding him had now intensified and became a deep green aura.
And with a scream the Ogre leaped forward and threw himself at the Saiyan Prince. His hands reaching forward as if he wanted to strangle him.
Vegeta transformed into Super Saiyan just before the Ogre reached him.
And he caught his opponent´s hands with his own and held them in place.
"Interesting," Vegeta said, as the Ogre tried to break free from his hold and failed. "But not good enough, not nearly."
Then he placed a kick on him and send his opponent flying backwards.
He came to an hold in the air a few meters before them.
The green aura was shining around him. And his face switching between enraged and completely expressionless.
"Be careful," Goku said. "Remember, the body is just an innocent victim."
He and Gohan had transformed into Super Saiyan as well.
"If I weren´t, he would be already dead by now," Vegeta responded.
But their opponent didn´t seem particular concerned with Vegeta´s show of strength either.
In fact he just growled and charged at them once again.
This time it was Gohan who intercepted him and easily stopped him.
This being was stronger than the Androids, Gohan reminded himself. It was frustrating how easily he could have defeated them, if he had been like he was now.
The Ogre however did not stop struggling in Gohan´s grip.
Until then suddenly the green colored energy itself seemed to be leashing out at him.
It was gathering around Gohan. And then started to flow inside his body.
Gohan realized what was happening.
But it was already too late. As the brightly glowing soul suddenly flew out of the Ogre´s body and entered his own.
The body he was still holding in his grip grew thinner and smaller. Once again just a normal Ogre, he let him simply falling to the ground a few meters below him.
And Gohan himself started to change. The green aura was now forming around him instead and his eyes turned white.
And his power suddenly exploded. It now rose into the billions and tens of billions as the now possessed Gohan powered up.
Goku and Vegeta instantly knew they were in great trouble and transformed into the new form they had discovered here in the Afterlife, that Goku had named Super Saiyan Two.
xxxx
Inside his mind Gohan saw himself sitting on a meadow on some alien planet. Only that it was not him, but whoever the owner of the soul had been, he realized.
"It is all Vegeta´s fault." He heard a voice saying. A voice he had never heard before. "Some day we will have our revenge."
xxxx
Goku and Vegeta were now facing a completely changed version of the Gohan they knew.
Unlike the Ogre before, his musles had expanded not expanded, but not nearly that much. His eyes were glowing in a white light, that made his pupils practically invisible. And his hair had turned instead of the normally pure gold color of the Super Saiyans, into a shade between gold and green.
They realized that, even as Super Saiyan Two, they had barely any chance.
"Gohan!" Goku called out to him, "come back to yourself son. Don´t let it control you."
"Fa-... Goku," Gohan - or rather the soul instead him - said. "Arhh," he called out. He glared at the Saiyan Prince. "Vegeta... Your fault. All your fault."
"What are you talking about? Who are you?" Vegeta asked.
Gohan moved forward, faster than either of them could react. And he used both his fists to punch them at the same time and send them flying into different directions.
"N-no, stop," Gohan cried out a moment later, holding his own head.
xxx
Vegeta crashed after a few hundred meters through a wall and landed inside King Yemma´s office, right next to his desk.
"Vegeta," he said, looking down at the saiyan. "It seems the fight is not going well. The power of that soul has grown terrifyingly."
"It has taken over Gohan," Vegeta told him, as he was struggling to stand up again. He had turned back to his base form.
"I hate to admit it, but I doubt we can beat him one to one." Some years ago, he would have never admitted this, no matter how obvious.
But the past had thought him many lesson and it seemed he had finally learned.
"More help should arrive any minute," King Yemma stated.
"Good," Vegeta replied. "I need to get back."
He transformed back into Super Saiyan Two.
xxx
Goku meanwhile had been thrown nearly a kilometer away.
He used Instant Transmission again.
But not right back to the battlefield.
xxx
Instead he appeared back on Master Kaio´s Planet.
"Do you sense this?" he asked the others, especially Piccolo who was the closest to him.
"Yes," he replied.
He stood up and walked towards Goku, clearly ready to accompany him.
Goku looked at the others.
"Sorry," Krillin said, "but I guess we better stay out of this."
"We would only get in the way," Tien replied simply.
But his frustration was visible as he said this.
They all sensed the terrifying power the possessed Gohan had developed.
"Okay - I just wanted to ask," Goku said and he and Piccolo teleported away.
xxx
A moment later they were back a short distance in front of Gohan.
Vegeta was flying back to them as well.
And from another direction, they sensed another fighter appearing.
It was Paikuhan. A fighter under the West Kaio and one of the best fighters in the Afterlife.
"Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo," he greeted them, "it seems I am really needed here," he said.
"Gohan?" he asked Goku.
"Yes - this soul has taken over his body. We will get him back," Goku said.
The four were forming a line in front of their opponent.
In opposite to the announcement last chapter, the last story arc is going to be longer than first expected and separated into a double-chapter.
So one more before the story ends.
I guess most readers are able to guess the identity of the soul the Z-fighters are dealing with.
xxc
Powerlevels:
Future Trunks (13 years after the Android´s Arrival): 2.200.000 - SSJ: 110.000.000
xxc
15 years after the Android´s Arrival:
Future Trunks (15 years after the Android´s Arrival): 4.300.000 - SSJ: 215.000.000
Future Android 17: 280.000.000
Future Android 18: 270.000.000
xxc
Afterlife
Future Goku: 40.000.000 - SSJ (Mastered): 2 Billion - SSJ2: 4 Billion
Future Gohan: 15.000.000 - SSJ 750.000.000... - Possessed: 12 Billion+ - ...
Future Vegeta: 32.000.000 - SSJ 1.6 Billion - SSJ2 3,2 Billion
Ogre (Possessed): 250.000.000 - 300.000.000
Future Piccolo: 1 Billion
Future Paikuhan: 3 Billion