Disclaimer: I don't own Injustice or Dragonball
Shooting Stars: Chapter 16
Earth
Goku knew what he needed to say now, to bring forth the Saiyan mind within the raging Oozaru, "Gohan, its Dad! Please listen to me! Remember Kara, remember everything you've ever shared together. This isn't the man I know you are, the man she fell in love with, now fight this!"
Gohan's massive crimson eyes twitched, thinking back on the moment he first met the young Kryptonian girl lost in the Universe and just looking for somewhere to call home. The battles they endured together, the years they spent training for survival, the enemies they had beaten side-by-side. Once he had remembered he felt a metamorphosis begin to occur in his body down to his very DNA as though his power was being amplified by something even more primal than before. Even with so much power raging inside of him, changing his body to better suit it, Gohan still managed to maintain his control perfectly. His entire body returned to normal save for an extra foot of height now being well over six-feet-tall; he shouted with rageful screams as his muscles condensed all of the amplified strength into a regular humanoid body. His entire form began growing burgundy-crimson shaded fur over his arms, legs, and torso representing full mastery over all of his transformations including both the Super Saiyan forms and the Oozaru. His energy managed to manifest his baggy yellow pants in the appropriate size to cover his groin and legs though he refrained from clothing his red-furred torso. His hair returned to a raven-black shade but, was now much longer hanging down to his mid-back, draped over his shoulders, in a spiked fashion.
Majin Buu raised his brows having absolutely no idea what this transformation was about, it was nothing like he'd ever seen even with Kara's memories, "W-What the hell is this!? I've never seen this transformation before!" he shouted through clenched teeth; it was clear he was absolutely furious as he watched the massive cyclone of energy swirling around the transforming warrior slowly dissipate from sight and condense down to a bright golden-flame engulfing his body much like his Level 1 form's aura.
Gohan's eyes were closed as he slowly lowered himself back down to the ground, still adjusting to the massive jump in power, he vertically dropped through the air at a controlled pace reaching the ground quickly but, gently placing his feet onto the ground. Buu had only just now noticed that he was landing directly beside his untouched prosthetic arm, proving he had control of his strength by gently grabbing hold of it without crushing it in his organic hand and reattaching the clamp to his stumped limb.
Meanwhile, in Other World atop Supreme Kai's planet, "Oh yea! I told you guys!" Goku shouted in excitement as they telepathically watched the fight in their trained mind's eye, seeing the battle clearly, "All he needed was a little push, now it looks like he's gone passed even Super Saiyan 3!" he announced.
Shin continued to read the fight with his eyes closed, feeling the source of Gohan's new power in waves even from this distance, "I don't believe it, it's even higher than I imagined possible, he must be at least thousands of times more powerful than he was facing Buu moments ago!"
Kabito Kai was flabbergasted at the reading he was getting from his own senses, "R-Remarkable… by the gods, I've never known any mortal to reach these heights!"
Goku tapped his chin for a moment, keeping his eyes closed to look over Gohan's newest transformation from his telepathic view, "I guess it'll need a name… If he's well passed a Level 3 Super Saiyan than…" He surmised with a proud grin on his face, planting his fist down on his empty palm, "This must be Super Saiyan 4!" he announced proudly.
Gohan finally opened his eyes, slowly glancing around at the destruction he caused, not remembering any of it now that he was back in his senses. He adjusted his prosthetic arm, feeling out the metallic fingers as he was still unsure of how this new form came to be himself. Suddenly, his eyes snapped back towards the demon where his glare frightened the Majin to his very core, "You! You're dead!" he pointed his gleaming prosthetic finger up at Buu with a furious scowl across his face.
Majin Buu floated back a few feet, slightly forming sweat across his brow which the demon wasn't even sure was possible with his physiology. The demon felt a pressure unlike anything he'd experienced in his long life, the threat of true imminent death, floating back through the air slowly. Gohan never tore his glare away, as suddenly Gohan vanished from sight in the blink of Buu's crimson eyes, "W-What?! He's gone!" he turned his gum-like neck in either direction searching for his opponent.
"Behind you," Gohan muttered with his hand out and just as Buu turned around with a gasp, the Saiyan's open palm unleashed an ungodly amount of condensed golden Ki energy which completely atomized the majority of the demon in one shot, almost annihilating the creature. Though, the specks of his remains still collected as Gohan narrowed his eyes, glaring at the creature as it reformed.
'I guess just destroying the body isn't enough, maybe if I put more effort into it,' Gohan's thoughts took up the second or two Buu took to reform his body and armor back to its original shape.
"Wouldn't you like to know how Kara is fe-" Buu was interrupted by Gohan flickering through his sight-line with sheer speed, plunging his fist into Buu's torso before charging a powerful golden aura. Gohan had spent decades fighting an endless war and since that trauma, he realized that talking during battle is almost always pointless, he had to be ruthless.
"Ha!" Gohan unleashed a thick wave of Ki energy that completely consumed his body, eradicating the entirety of his opponent's material body, leaving nothing but smoking cinders. Though it lasted a few seconds longer, Gohan sighed slightly as he watched the clouds of smoke turn pink, reforming Buu back into his original form though, it looked as though it was a struggle that time. He adjusted quickly enough, regaining his evil grin.
Buu tightened his fists at his side, "You will never destroy me! I am immortal!" grunting as he unleashed twin beams of crimson heat vision from his eyes, striking Gohan in his crimson-furred chest; the blast couldn't even breach the flaring aura around Gohan's body let alone singe the hairs on the Saiyan warrior's chest. 'I guess Dad was right, I'm glad I let him show me that technique before we parted ways…' Gohan didn't emote in the slightest, sticking his one organic arm straight up into the air.
Buu saw this and became irritated immediately, he ground his teeth and shook with rage, "How dare you ignore me, I am Buu! I will wipe out this entire Galaxy!" he shouted in rage as his massive pink aura shot up around him cackling violently with purple lightning cascading across it. The ground shook down to its core rocking the entire planet slightly but, enough to cause Metropolis and each tiny civilization left scattered across the globe to panic. Gohan's expression remained completely stoic, still with his arm directly up, his palm open face-up towards the sky.
Buu rocketed forth with his aura trailing behind him, his fist reeled back he prepared his most powerful haymaker and aimed it directly for the Saiyan's face, however; as he struck, his fist connected with a wall of energy between them, a force so strong that Gohan simply glared at Buu and he was sent flying back through the air. "T-This… this isn't possible!" Buu stuttered, wiping his own rubber-lip, and finding blood on his finger, it was a sensation he'd never felt before in his millions of years of life.
As Super Saiyan 4 Gohan floated in the sky hundreds of feet above the ground, his senses extended even further beyond that physical realm, reaching out into the vast expanse of the Milky Way Galaxy. Each individual star, planet, and living being becoming a conduit for his power, resonating with his pure-hearted determination. With a focused mind and unwavering resolve, Gohan channels the energy towards himself, drawing it to him like a celestial conductor orchestrating a symphony of power. As he concentrates, Gohan visualizes the Spirit Bomb taking shape before him. It began as a small spark of energy, but with each passing moment, it grew larger and more luminous in the upper-stratosphere, fueled by the collective life force of the galaxy itself.
However, amidst this awe-inspiring display, the malevolent Majin Buu attempted to disrupt Gohan's concentration, "What is this?!" he watched with his demonic crimson eyes as particles of blue-ki-lifeforce energy traversed thousands of lightyears in seconds above their heads. With a swift and vicious beam attack, Buu launched a vibrant purple blast of energy at Gohan, seeking to thwart the Saiyan's efforts. Yet, to Buu's astonishment, Gohan remained completely unfazed by the explosion of power that slammed into him. Finding he was surrounded by a thin energy-shield which he was casting himself quite effortlessly. His focus remained unbroken; his determination unwavering.
The assault from Majin Buu barely registered to Gohan, as if the creature's efforts were nothing more than a fleeting breeze against an unyielding mountain. With his one arm outstretched, Gohan commands the swirling mass of energy, guiding it with precision and control. Every particle of energy obeys his will, forming a majestic sphere of pure power the size of a large-mountain itself, crackling with electricity and pulsating with untold potential. The Spirit Bomb, now a magnificent spectacle of cosmic might, radiates with an otherworldly good-hearted brilliance, illuminating the darkness of space with its dazzling glow.
Gohan's yellow eyes blazed with determination as he harnessed the full extent of his Super Saiyan 4 power, ready to unleash it upon Majin Buu with all the force of the galaxy behind him. With a quick switch in his intentions, the Saiyan willed the Spirit Bomb back into particles of pure energy which seeped down like a waterfall atop Gohan. His body became the conduit for an immense power transfer; energy flows through him, merging with his own Saiyan strength, creating a radiant white-aura that engulfs him in a shimmering cocoon of light.
Gohan finally lowered his arm as it surged with the absorbed power of the billions of stars and planets in the Galaxy, he cupped it along with his prosthetic hand, his aura pulsating around his body wildly, "Ka, Me, Ha, Me…" taking aim and catching his target in his senses, a roar that echoes across the cosmos was cried, "HA!" as Gohan unleashed the Spirit Bomb powered Kamehameha Wave, a beacon of hope hurtling through the void towards its target. Majin Buu's malevolent presence quivers in the face of such overwhelming power, as the Spirit Bomb streaks across the galaxy, heralding the dawn of his inevitable defeat. "This cant be happening, this cant beee…" Buu's entire body down to its atomic structure was totally eradicated into nothing, his essence totally eliminated by the purifying energies of the Genki Dama, his screams trailed off as Gohan glanced around to ensure his opponent was gone for good. It was clear this Super Saiyan 4 was so many leagues of power beyond Majin Buu, that it appeared to be only a matter of eliminating his evil essence permanently.
After nearly ten minutes with his eyes closed, simply using his newfound power to sense off into deep-space, not realizing how far this new form could take him, he was shocked by the distance his pull reached for the Spirit Bomb. It gave him an idea. 'If I could reach that far to borrow energies from planets, maybe there's a chance I could pick out a familiar energy from my past, even among all the worlds in the Galaxy!' he thought to himself, turning to look up into the sky before closing his eyes down again, reaching up and out into the deep, distant cosmos. He searched for the one energy that he'd become quite accustomed to while he'd been out in space during his childhood, there was only one thing he could do now to restore what he had before Majin Buu stole it from him.
"Found it!" Gohan quickly placed his fingers to his forehead and focused pensively on the energy he'd discovered so as to not lose it before he had locked on completely. The technique he'd picked up from his father allowed him to teleport instantaneously across any portion of space to a targeted energy the user focuses on. Gohan's Super Saiyan 4 body was dematerialized in the blink of an eye, vanishing from the face of the Earth, and traversing through a subspace where time, as a concept, doesn't exist.
…
Planet Namek
Gohan rematerialized under the murky-green skies of the distant planet that deeply resembled the now destroyed world he'd visited as a child, touching down on the vibrant blue-grass, the half-Saiyan immediately noticed how fatigued this new form had made him with just one attack.
As soon as he appeared in the middle of a small village of domed houses and fields of crops with familiar green-men tending to them; the natives turned their heads at his arrival, whispering to one another without addressing him directly.
"Who is that furry stranger?"
"He doesn't seem friendly."
"Someone get the elder!"
Gohan was suddenly engulfed by a golden-light, his flaming aura shrouding him before dispersing completely leaving him returned to his base form, being now far more recognizable, especially considering the stories that had been passed down throughout he decades. He quickly found himself disoriented, the power had been far too much too quickly, even after one a few attacks, he was completely drained, collapsing back onto the grass, staring up at the sky.
The Namekians gathered around the boy, looking down at him, whispering to each other as the young attempted to poke his orange-Gi pants with a stick, "Give him air," an even more familiar face pushed through the crowd, now a fully-grown man and apparent leader of his people, Dende parted the crowd to look down at the stranger, "Goku… no wait, is that you Gohan?"
Gohan was about to pass out now that he had seen an old friend, "H-Hey Dende… heheheh," he chuckled aloud before his head fell back, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Dende smirked, turning around to walk away, "Bring him to the healers hut, he is our guest," he instructed as the bulkier working Namekian-men picked up the Saiyan, carrying him across the village.
…
Gohan's eyes snapped open as he sat up in a small wooden-bed, looking around the room, he quickly checked his prosthetic's digital screen out of habit noticing that the charge was almost completely drained. One of the small Namekian children was startled by his awakening, dropping a vase of water, which spilt over the floor as he ran out, "W-Wait, excuse me!" he tried to call out but, the boy was too frightened to return. He slipped his legs over the side of the bed, placing his feet against the cold floors, he felt a bit odd not having the top to his Gi though, he was pretty distracted when he left Earth in his new form.
Exiting the hut, Gohan was immediately met with Dende who was standing in the center of the village's square, it looked like it hadn't been very long since he'd arrived thankfully, "Dende, it's so good to see you!"
The Namekian turned around with a smile, leaving his arms open for a hug which Gohan reciprocated, the former noticing their height differences, "I'm glad you're away, we tried to restore your energy after we healed you but, it seems you've grown too powerful for us," he finished his sentence by chuckling a bit, reminiscing on a time where they were the same height.
Gohan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as Dende continued by inquiring what his impromptu visit was for, "We haven't seen anyone from Earth in decades, we assumed you'd all moved on with happy lives, but judging by how you arrived, and the state of your arm that its likely not the case."
The Saiyan's expression turned to a grimace, recalling how things had changed to drastically in such a short amount of time after the Namekians were wished onto a brand new world; he reached over with his organic hand and gripped his prosthetic, "It's a long story but, we were basically attacked by another enemy from our own world this time, they wiped out all of our friends including Piccolo and Krillin. Without the Dragonballs we had no chance of ever finding this new world, and with that we had no hope of ever bringing them back," Dende gasped after hearing about his dear-friend Krillin's demise as well as the essence of Nail being wiped out for good with Piccolo.
Dende scowled at the ground, his fists tightening, shaking with anger, "That just isn't fair, you and your friends all did so much to save our people from that monster Freiza, and now you're telling me that fate is cruel enough to take them all away a second time?"
Gohan sighed exasperatedly, "I know what you mean but, I've done a lot of meditating, and I've even had a trip to the Other World since then… I'm not sure if most of them, after so much time, would even want to come back to life," though he tried to reassure Dende, the look in his eyes still told him something was wrong.
"Well, it wouldn't really matter, even Porunga isn't powerful enough to bring the dead back after more than a year but, you already knew that so… why are you truly here Gohan?" Dende inquired, having clearly earned the title of Elder Namekian, he was quite wise to sense this out so quickly despite being the youngest of any elder.
Gohan looked down to his feet in shame, closing his eyes, "I eventually managed to defeat the villains who killed all my friends but, it didn't matter, evil kept rising up at every turn, and I-I lost someone, again…" the Namekian could see the pain in his onyx-black eyes, and hear it in the Saiyan's voice as he spoke, "This time though, I learned an ability that combined with the new form you saw, I realized it could take me right to you."
"And I suppose this person died most recently, unlike the others?"
Gohan looked up, snapping him from his gloom, "Exactly!"
"That is quite the story, Gohan, and I have good news for you," Dende turned around, finding that the other Elders had done as he asked, each of them bringing a large orange-crystal sphere in both hands, "We haven't used the Dragonballs once since the incident with Freiza, so they're already gathered and ready."
Gohan smiled brightly, quickly embracing Dende once again, quickly, "That's fantastic, thank you so much!" though, he'd gotten a bit over excited, he quickly put the Namekian down, clearing his throat.
Dende chuckled a bit, watching as the Elders all placed their seven crystal-orbs atop the lush blue-grass, once sitting within a foot of one another, the orbs began to glow and hum, "Alright, now it's just a matter of summoning the dragon," he raised his hands out over the seven gathered spheres, shouting a full sentence in Namekian which Gohan had almost forgotten how foreign it sounded.
"Takkara-Puto Popporunga Pupiritto-Paro!" Dende's shout echoed over the grassy-hills in the distance as silence rolled over the gathered Namekians. Gohan smiled as the green-sky darkened unnaturally above them, the orbs began shine brightly with light from within them as golden-lightning conducted between the balls before shooting out, up into the sky. The bolt of mystic-lightning quickly formed with a clap of thunder into a massive, bulky dragon with green-scaly skin, and deep crimson eyes.
Porunga roared in the sky, looking down on those who summoned him with an intimidating glare, "I am the Eternal-Dragon, Porunga! State your wishes, I will grant any three!" his voice boomed over the planet's hemisphere.
"Okay, so what is the name of this friend that lost their life?" Dende turned, looking towards Gohan who smiled, staring up at the magnificent dragon before glancing back at his Namekian friend.
"Right, sorry, it's just been a while since I've seen a dragon like this…" Gohan took a few steps forwards, "Her name was Kara Zor-El, she was born in another Universe, is that gonna effect the wish?" he scratched his cheek having not considered that first.
"She was born where!?" he responded with a shocked expression, "Wow, not sure, let's find out…" Dende responded casually, looking back up to Porunga with respect, "Great dragon, we wish for you to return to life the female known as Kara Zor-El! Her presence in this reality was… uhm, unorthodox? Would this be within your power?"
Several moments of silence passed as they waited for the Dragon, his eyes flashes with crimson light before he finally responded, "It is not within the power of one single wish, however, if you give up your remaining wishes, it can be done."
Gohan sighed with relief, chuckling a bit, "Phew, I thought for a second there he wasn't going to be able to do it! I was hoping to use one of the wishes to get back to Earth but, I can always wait until I'm back to full strength."
"Are you sure, Gohan?"
The half-Saiyan gave a thumbs up to his old friend, who quickly smiled and turned his attention back up to the dragon, "Please-"
Gohan shouted quickly, "Wait, wait! Make sure to bring her back to this spot, surely he should be able to if you word the wish properly," he suggested, looking to avoid a similar issue they had with Piccolo when returning him from the dead many years ago.
"R-Right, good call, we didn't have nearly this much time to consider that the last time," Dende responded, clearing his throat, and turning back to the dragon one last time, "Then please, Porunga, bring Kara Zor-El back from the dead to this very spot!"
Porunga's eyes flashed with crimson light once more, summoning a bright flash of white light in front of Gohan and Dende, in the center of the group of gathered elders. "With the power of all three, your one wish has been granted! Farewell!" the spheres quickly rose from the ground, levitating into the air, and spinning rapidly before jettisoning all seven of them across the planet in random directions.
Within that flash of light, Kara materialized before the Namekians surrounding her. Gohan's eyes glisten with tears of relief and happiness as he spotted Kara through from behind Dende.
"-And I get it, it's a really nice desk, but if could get admitted to the next world now that would be-" Kara turned in a circle, having blinked, and suddenly her surroundings had changed once more to her frustration, "Not again, who are all of you? Is this heaven? Is it hell?" she gasped at the thought of this as in every direction there seemed to be strange green demon-slug men, "I don't know if that's totally fair, that check-in guy wouldn't stop talking about mahogany and-" in her confused spins, she found a familiar face standing behind one or two of the green-strangers, her heart skipping a beat out of relief on sight of his onyx eyes, "G-Gohan?" she stuttered happily, her eyes watering in response.
Kara dashed through the crowd so fast she passively knocked several of the Namekians down on her way to a powerful tackle-hug where she jumped on top of Gohan as he enveloped her in a warm embrace, wrapping her legs around his torso as well, "I was sure I'd never see you again!" she kissed his cheeks repeatedly with her arms around his neck, squeezing like she thought he would vanish at any moment; her heart overflowing with love and gratitude at being reunited with her soulmate. For a timeless moment, they simply held each other, the world around them fading into insignificance as they revel in the miracle of their reunion. Words seem inadequate to express the depth of their emotions, so they simply stand together, their connection stronger than ever before.
Kara's eyes sparkle with tears of joy as she pulled back, her voice trembling with emotion as she held the side of his face gently and looked deeply into his eyes, "I'm sorry, I-I was reckless and stupid and It cost me my life… h-how did you bring me back in the first place?" she questioned, slowly releasing her grip on his torso with her legs, lowering her back down to the ground as her hands found his, clasping their fingers together.
"Well, after I managed to defeat Buu, I used a new technique to find my way to that planet Namek I told you stories about," Gohan explained as summarized as possible, gesturing to the smiling, peaceful Namekians standing behind them.
Kara turned around, chuckling nervously before regaining her composure, "Thank you all for helping me! I wouldn't be here if not for you guys, literally…" she chuckled, her hands politely behind her back.
Dende approached with some of the other Elders and children dispersed from the gathering, "It was our pleasure, this world and our people owe a debt to Gohan and his family that could almost never be repaid, we were happy to help," he stepped forward and held his green-skinned hand out for her to shake.
She smiled, shaking his hand to reciprocate the kind gesture.
Gohan stepped forwards, holding out his prosthetic hand for Dende to shake as well, "We appreciate everything you've done for us, and now that I know I can find a way here myself, you can expect us to visit more often, one that doesn't involve us bringing people back from the dead," he chuckled nervously at that last part, scratching the back of his head, just like his father would do which Dende notice, smiling the resemblance.
"You're both welcome guests on Planet Namek any time, we hope you return soon!" he replied.
Gohan took a step towards Kara, wrapping an arm around her waist, "I think I have just enough power left for a jump home, lets just see if I can lock on to Bulma's chi…" Kara waved as he placed his fingers to his forehead for a moment or two before eventually dematerializing from sight instantaneously.
…
West City Ruins – Earth
Atop the skeletal remains of a once towering skyscraper, the jagged edges of broken glass and twisted steel bear witness to the devastation that has befallen the city below decades prior. The skyline, once a testament to human achievement, now lies in ruins, a testament to the destructive power that has swept through its streets. Against this backdrop of desolation, the air crackles with energy as an interdimensional portal tears open above the shattered cityscape. From within its shimmering depths emerges a man with a muscular physique, clad in blue and red armor with a familiar 'S' shield prominently displayed on his broadened chest. His strong jawline, defined features, and his silhouette framed by the pulsating hues of the dimensional gateway sent imposing waves out around him passively. As Superman steps forth onto the broken rooftop, his presence commands attention, a towering figure clad in the tattered remnants of his iconic cape and suit. Yet, there is something different about him, an aura of anger that radiates from his very being, casting a shadow over the ruined landscape below. His eyes, usually symbols of unwavering determination and hope, now burn with a fiery intensity that speaks of inner turmoil and righteous fury.
Superman opened his hand where the node embedded in his palm projected a hologram for him to view; an image of a blonde-woman with piercing blue eyes, "Alright, Kara, it's time to take you home."
…
WHAAAAAAAT? I update this story like twice a year, so this would be one.