Chapter 116 - Sinister Symphony
East Mountain District 439, Son Home
To say that Gohan was relaxed was an understatement. He had spent the last hour speaking with his mother, the Chi-Chi of this era, about his family from his era. How he'd met Erasa, her kind and cheerful personality, and how she had been there for him during their younger years, and of course, about their young daughter, Pen. Chi-Chi saw how Gohan seemed to light up with delight every time his mouth formed Erasa's name, and couldn't help but smile - smile truly and genuinely for the first time in years. The older woman didn't always understand everything Gohan was trying to explain ("And then, Mother, if you'd believe it, she stayed by me the entire time I was unconscious...") but other, earlier parts were more intelligible to a regular woman like her ("She kept the bear I got her when we first met. I didn't even remember it myself at first!").
Each and every word he said was like something precious to her. With her own Gohan gone, it was like something out of someone else's life to hear his voice again, and to see him talk so animatedly about his personal life. The Gohan of her era, while they weren't distant, had dedicated himself to fighting the Androids. There hadn't been a chance for she and him to truly bond as he grew up, since from the moment Gokū had died, everything had been ruined.
"What about your father? What's he like about all of this?" Chi-Chi asked eagerly, and immediately wished she hadn't.
"Dad...he died in my timeline as well," sighed Gohan. "It's a long story, Mother, and to be honest, I'm partially to blame for it."
"H-How could you say that?" Chi-Chi asked indignantly. "You couldn't have had anything to do with how your father died, I know it!"
Gohan frowned, lost in his own mind for a moment. "To be honest, you'd think it'd be entirely put on me. Everyone was counting on me, and when it mattered most, I screwed things up. Dad sacrificed himself to make up for my blunder, to save the planet, and even though he took it in stride, it wasn't easy for you or me for years from that point." His earlier eagerness at talking about his wife deflating quickly, Gohan shook his head. "But you know how Dad is. He doesn't blame me, and I shouldn't blame myself either. We've all come to terms with it now, but I was still really young then."
"Oh, Gohan..." Chi-Chi looked at her son, unable to find the proper words to convey. She'd already gone through the process of losing her husband and son both, so she was acquainted with grief. Much of the time, people's words weren't what another person needed to hear. Nonetheless, she reached out a thin hand, and ruffled Gohan's hair, in a direct mirror of how she'd remembered Gokū doing it when Gohan was young. It had been his father's version of a hug for the young boy.
"Mother, I-"
"You're doing fine." said Chi-Chi, speaking over her son's confusion. "I don't know everything that's happened to you in your era, and how you wound up here is equally confusing, but listening to you talk has only made me sure of one thing. I'm very proud of you, Gohan."
"...Thank you," Gohan said quietly. He wasn't sure what else to say. In fact, Gohan felt as if all possible words one could say had been lost here.
"Let me show you something, Gohan," said Chi-Chi, standing up and motioning for her son to follow. "It only feels right for you to see it, since you're here."
Perplexed, Gohan stood up, and followed his mother out of the house. She led him up the mountain trail, away from the Son family household. Gohan knew the path they were taking. It led to the cottage his great-grandfather had raised his father in. To his surprise, however, Chi-Chi strode past it, and so he followed.
Their walk led them off of the mountain trail, and into one of the more forested parts of Mount Paozu. There, beneath a canopy of growing bamboo, rested a stone grave marker. It wasn't grand - a thick pillar of stone built atop a cut base. Gohan could read the initial inscription, as it bore the family surname, 孫. Etched into the marker were other characters, older script, that Gohan couldn't read. He assumed these were part of the funeral rites, and knew without asking where they were.
"Hey, Dad."
The weight of where Gohan was at this moment felt heavier than any blow he'd sustained from the likes of Cell, Beerus, or Black. He was standing in front of his father's grave. It wasn't a new feeling, as his mother had composed a similar marker when his father had passed in their timeline. Something, however, felt different about this one. It wasn't simply an emotional shift. There was more to this grave. Additional names, not just that of his father.
"Mother, who else...?"
"You and your father's grandfather," said Chi-Chi quietly. "After your father died, I had a new family grave constructed. We even managed to perform proper funeral rites. And then..." She trailed off, though Gohan didn't need her to continue. The rest hung in the air, plain as if she'd spoken it.
And then you were killed.
So a family plot initially for grandfather and grandson had come to play host to the ashes of all great-grandfather, grandson, and great-grandson. The visit had been so abrupt, Gohan realised he didn't have anything to pay respect with. It almost felt strange, having a general idea of what the afterlife was like, from the tales of his father, and yet still feeling inclined to obey proper gravesite visitation rights. Nevertheless, Gohan made do. It was clear Chi-Chi had intended to pay a visit here later with a more planned itinerary, as the incense sticks rested in a container at the left-side of the grave. Lighting them with a single touch of glowing fingers, Gohan knelt before the grave, clasping his hands together.
The thoughts of two family members were poured out like water, washing over the alcove and the grave contained within. Rising first, Gohan glanced down at his mother, still praying. Unwilling to disturb her, he waited until she'd finished, which itself took another few minutes. Gohan suspected she was relaying everything about their meeting to his father, great-grandfather, and to his future self - the latter of which felt slightly odd, having met his future counterpart not a day ago.
Gohan waited in silence for his mother to finish her prayer. When she had, he extended his hand for her to stand up. She took it, bringing herself to her feet.
"Shall we head back?"
Gohan nodded. He knew he would have to eventually leave Chi-Chi, not simply to just return to his own time, but also to handle Black. He couldn't stay here to keep her company forever, and part of him felt crushed that he would have to make Chi-Chi lose her son all over again. The two walked out of the alcove, and began to make their way back towards the mountain trail that would lead them to East Mountain District 439. No sooner was the trail in sight than bursts of yellow rocked their sight, and explosions beat at the ground.
Sensing the familiar ki above his head, the Saiyan-half spun and turned his eyes skyward.
"Black!" Gohan's voice came out as a snarl, his body shielding his mother from the rain of volatile ki. Each sphere met his own palm, laced with ki itself, and Gohan disrupted the flow without deflecting the blasts in any other direction. Explosions rocked around him, yet his body kept his mother safe. As the attacks ceased, Gohan peered through the smoke, glaring daggers at the individuals floating above his head,
The two Blacks were grinning, Gokū Black's hand lowering. They descended to the ground, eye level with Gohan from across the distance.
"Black!" said Gohan again, though whom he was addressing was not clear. "Why are you here!? This is a gravesite!"
"Oh, is it now?" said Gokū Black.
"Kind of you to appear somewhere ready made then," added Gohan Black.
"G-Gohan," Chi-Chi's voice stammered from behind her son's back. "What's going on? Who are those people?"
"Get back, Mother," said Gohan. "You don't want to be near any of this."
"Oh..." Gokū Black's face split into a wide grin. "Now there's a familiar face. Chi-Chi! I haven't seen you in a long time. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you alive in this timeline."
"G-Gokū?!" Chi-Chi's eyes widened, having gotten a good look at the man in front of them for the first time. "Gokū! Is that you!?" The woman was confused. Neither she nor Gohan had said Gokū's name at the gravesite. Nothing should have called his soul here, but here we was. It had to be Gokū. Chi-Chi slipped past Gohan, attempting to make a break for the man who so resembled her husband...
...as a flash of purple slit through the sky.
Gohan's roar of pain shot through the forest, a searing burn across his chest. In the instant Chi-Chi had tried to run to him, Black attempted to cut her down. Gohan, instinctively, moved forward to protect his mother, throwing himself in front of her. Black's hand, coated in ki, had sliced across his chest.
"You're...not Gokū!" Chi-Chi gasped, her eyes dilating in horror. "And...is that another Gohan? Gohan, what's going on!?"
Gohan gripped his chest, the burn radiating pain through his body. "I don't quite know either, Mother. I...have to assume these two just have similar faces, but I don't know." Gohan glared at Black. "What did you mean...? 'Alive in this timeline'?"
The ki blade surrounding Black's palm dissipated, and he shrugged. "I suppose the least I can do is explain it to you. You've been so confused up until this point, but I said too much right there." His black eyes shined maliciously, eyeing Gohan's wound. "Besides, I'm going to send you on your way to the Afterlife; the least I can do is clarify things."
"You don't need to do that much for them," said Gohan Black, raising an arm towards Gohan. "What good does it do us?"
"Relax," Gokū Black stepped back, placing a hand on Gohan Black's arm. "We're in no hurry." Turning his attention back towards Gohan, Black toyed with the emerald coloured earring on his ear. "We are Kaiōshin from the 10th Universe."
"The...10th Universe...?" Gohan blinked, perplexed. "What do you mean, "10th"?
"Did the Hakaishin tell you nothing?" Gokū Black was equally thrown, his grin broadening, yet his eyes widening in surprise. "Are you not his protégé? That was my understanding."
"I've never heard anything about a multiverse," replied the Saiyan-half. He was familiar with a concept through his studies, but nothing clear cut. It had always been a hypothesis thrown out in certain scientific circles, which Trunks had inadvertently proven through his time travel. But something in the way Black said the 10th Universe told Gohan it was more than the mutliverse humans had conceptualised that he was about to be informed of.
Gokū Black laughed, a raucous sound. "Oh that's rich! You're a human so sacrilegious in your flippant attitude towards the divine, yet you don't even know this? There are a total of twelve universes, Gohan. We two are Kaiōshin who hail from the 10th Universe - our name is Zamasu. I have longed for the extinction of mortality throughout the universe; my end goal, to create a perfect universe for the divine, by a divine hand!" Gokū Black placed a hand on his face, his shoulders still trembling with the mirth. "I sought out a way to bring this plan to action...and I stumbled across it during my training with my master. I saw your father, Gohan. Wielding the energy of the gods, in blatant defiance of the natural order.
It was then my master explained to me about the Super Dragon Balls, the artefacts over which your father was skirmishing. And how they could grant any wish. So I sought them out, and wished for a body strong enough to purge the universes of mortals - the body of Son Gokū. I made the journey to Earth, and slew Gokū, Goten, and Chi-Chi with my own hands."
"You...what?!" Gohan felt his hackles raise. Ki rose up through his body. The vision of his mother and brother running for their lives filled his eyes. It hurt him that he could not even imagine his father's last moments, being entirely unfamiliar with what Zamasu originally looked like. Gohan felt Chi-Chi's hands clench at his back in palpable fear.
"I knew, however, I would need an ally who shared my vision. So I sought myself through another timeline, using the Time Ring I wield, and we used the Super Dragon Balls one final time - to steal the body of you, Son Gohan."
Gohan felt his blood run cold. He hadn't had the time to make this connection, the idea of his immediate family being slaughtered had driven everything else from his mind. Chi-Chi continued to tremble behind him.
"We then repeated the process," said Gohan Black, stepping up towards Gokū Black's side. "You fell by my hand, alongside your immediate family. After destroying the Super Dragon Balls, we Zamasu came here to this timeline, to mete out our justice here, where Hakaishin Beerus had already lost his life."
The two Blacks looked at each other, and spoke in unison.
"And, of course, to strike back against Trunks for his flagrant shattering of divine law."
"Mother...please let go and run," said Gohan. His voice was quivering, his body trembled. Ki crackled around his body, rising up in wafts.
"Gohan, I—"
"Run, Mother!" Gohan repeated, and Chi-Chi let go, taking a few steps back before turning tail and running.
"Run?" Gokū Black raised his palm, generating a golden orb of ki with a dark black core. "Where is she going to go?"
Azure light blinded the eyes of both Blacks. Gohan's rage flared, and with it, the god ki rose to the surface. He was encased in a shell of blue ki, shattering with a single step. A step was all it took to bridge the gap between himself and the effigy of his father - the one he now knew to be a false god using a stolen body. Gohan's hand gripped Gokū Black's wrist, bending it backwards. Gohan Black balked, surprised at the speed. "You've done harm to my family not once, but twice. You killed my parents. You killed my wife and child. You took my father's body, and you killed me." His grip tightened, making Gokū Black wince. "I haven't been this furious in a long time, Black. I'm going to make you pay!"
Heaving with all of his might, Gohan forced Gokū Black off his feet into the sky. This area was his family gravesite. There was no sense in fighting here.
"Don't think you-!" Gohan Black moved to strike.
"I'll deal with you after," Gohan raised a palm, releasing an invisible kiai towards his own dark counterpart. The bundle slammed into Gohan Black, blowing him too away from the area. Leaping off his feet, Gohan rose into the sky, a streak of blue into the clouded heavens. Closing in on Black, the blue Super Saiyan God swung his fist towards the rogue god. It connected, landing a heavy blow on Black's jaw. Without the ground to deter his movements, Gohan slid easily into a tornado kick, both legs landing crushing strikes to Black's torso.
Black found himself pushed back, a grin crossing onto his face. The pain from these blows, from a form beyond what a Saiyan clad in normal god ki would be capable of. This is it! The very same form that Son Gokū was capable of back then! Cackling madly, the divine Saiyan clutched at his chest, where Gohan's heels had struck. "That's it, Gohan! That's the spirit! This pain will empower me! Show me what you—"
"Just shut up already!" Gohan's fist cocked backwards, divine blue ki seemingly stretching from his core to his fist, coalescing at a single point. Vividly shining, Gohan brought his fist to bear against Black himself. Blue met an explosion of red; Gohan didn't need to process it to realise that Black had transformed into a Super Saiyan God at the moment of impact, drastically increasing his own abilities for the sake of surviving a blow that would have rent him asunder.
The blow shook the planet itself; Gohan sent Black flying over the canopy of trees, seeing a burst of ki in the distance. Black had evidently stopped his own flight with a kiai. Gohan had known that wouldn't be enough to finish him. He flew across the forest covering, stopping just before Black. The man floated there, ragged, bruised, but whole. His thinned body. flowing with the aura of a Super Saiyan God, was intact despite Gohan's own pulverising blow.
"You're amazing, Gohan!" said Black, raising both arms towards Gohan in a congratulatory gesture. "Your power is sublime! For a mortal, you've shattered every possible expectation — which of course means your sins are simply that much more severe." Slowly, Black inhaled, breathing deeply, and then exhaling. Every breath he took seemed to resuscitate him, and flood new life into his body. Gohan knew he wasn't regenerating, even though a nagging feeling told him something was coming. "As a reward for trampling over all of my expectations...I'll show you something splendid."
Gohan reached deep within him for his reserves of ki; even so, he was too late.
Black let out a guttural shout. His crimson locks began to stand on end, his aura dying itself a whole new hue. Gohan felt the shift, the heightening of the ki coming from Black, and knew what was going on before Black had even finished.
He's broken the Super Saiyan God barrier...
Black's entire form became encased in vivid, pink-hued ki. From the extremities upwards, the ki shell began to shatter and wither away, revealing Black resplendent in a new Super Saiyan form. His hair was a poisonous pink, his eyes gray, and his aura, a rose-coloured flame, darker and viler towards its edges, with a violet core which surrounded Black.
"What...is this...?" Gohan's eyes took in the form with a mixture of shock and confusion. His own rage was momentarily blindsided by this new development. "Pink hair...? I thought when a Saiyan surpassed Super Saiyan God, their hair turned blue!"
"Pink, is it?" said Black, examining the aura of around his hands with immense interest. "That must be the measure of the difference in our status - when a Saiyan who is truly a god surpasses the Super Saiyan God state, their hair becomes pink. My divine soul and this Saiyan body have truly become one now, Gohan! I've finally achieved that level of power - the Super Saiyan level of a Super Saiyan God!"
Gohan stepped back. He wasn't scared, far from it. However, until this point, he'd been entirely sure he was the stronger of the two. Black himself had likely believed that as well. All because I was the only Saiyan who had crossed over the threshold of Super Saiyan God... Gohan thought bitterly. I was so swept up in my emotions I got ahead of myself...! Cursing his own stupidity, Gohan readied himself for the second round, short a the first had been.
"I can see it in your eyes, Gohan," said Black. "You thought you were unique. Special, even? But the potential to surpass the Super Saiyan God is intrinsic in any Saiyan - why, Vegeta could do it in my timeline as well."
"That doesn't change anything, Black," replied Gohan. "I still have to kill you. You took more than your share of damage."
"You're not unscathed either," Black shrugged, grinning. "Let's see who gives out first."
"I'm surprised," said Gohan. "Not worried about your friend?"
Black shook his head. "Whatever you did to take him out won't last. Besides, I want to relish this chance to compare our battle strengths."
Nothing could be gained from conversation anymore. Black and Gohan readied themselves, both combatants lunging. Fist clashed against fist, and the resultant strike of two divine powers beyond the realm of Super Saiyan God shook the planet from this simple clash. Shockwaves emanated from the epicentre of their clashing fists. Black slipped his own free hand beneath their clashing arms, a solid, resounding blow landing on Gohan's person. The blow rocketed Gohan backwards, Black having struck at the sight of his own slash wound for extra damage.
Reeling, Gohan clenched at his chest where the blow had struck. Black really must be playing around; normally, he'd have taken that chance to run him through. I'm going to have to finish him off now, while he's high on himself!
"I feel it, Gohan!" crowed Black, laughing. "From that blow alone, I can feel how much higher this form is! The Super Saiyan state of a Super Saiyan God! Beyond God indeed! In fact, I'd go as far as to call this a Super Saiyan Super Saiyan God!"
"Your naming sense is as bad as your dress sense," growled Gohan. Ki ignited around his palms, multiple spheres strung together on a single line of ki. Swinging it forward, every sphere exploded at odd intervals, obscuring Black's vision with smoke and flashing. Using the chaos, Gohan swung his arm into Black's gut, returning the very same blow he'd just received. Air rushed from his body, upheaved by the sudden blow, and Black was forced back. Raising his hand in counterattack, the pink-haired Saiyan discharged a similarly coloured kikōha at Gohan.
Gohan rushed skyward, avoiding the thin, narrow beam of ki as it raced beneath him. Black pursued, a streak of pink against the sky. He caught up to Gohan within seconds, his left fist slamming into Gohan's sliding palm, which parried and diverted the strike. The blue half-Saiyan inclined his head quickly left, avoiding the next incoming strike, spinning backwards and catching Black's head on the toe of his boot. Streaking downwards, Black hit a lake, submerged beneath the water. Emitting a kiai, Black forcibly stalled himself, regretfully bursting the lake in a surge of water.
Wildlife around him flopped pathetically, and the divine Saiyan sighed. Forcing my hand at the expense of your planet's innocent creatures...you are vile, Saiyan.
The 'vile Saiyan' made a breakneck pace towards Black, swinging his leg up. Black raised both arms to block, skidding across a ground which exploded beneath his feat.
"Have you no care for this planet, Gohan?" sneered Black. "You claim to be on the side of righteousness, yet you vicious Saiyans destroy all you touch!"
"You evaporated that lake yourself," replied Gohan, staggering as Black countered another blow of his. "Why pretend to be compassionate now?!"
"I am compassionate," said Black. "I love nature. This planet, and all of its wildlife. It's only filthy mortals like you I despise."
"Twisting your words to make yourself sound justified!" Gohan's next blow connected with immense force. Black felt his arms and body ring in pain, his feet grinding a track into what was once lakefloor, Gohan's attack blowing him back. Hastily, Gohan leapt forward, his leg extended to kick Black. Regaining composure, Black wove around Gohan, the latter rocketing past him. Gohan forced himself to stop, levitating and turning around in time to see Black having closed the distance, both hands clasped together. The strike concussed him across the face, and Gohan felt himself lifted off his feet.
His body slammed through the ground, tunneling deep beneath the former embankment. Igniting his own body in ki, Gohan forcibly changed his trajectory, rushing out of the ground, mud and dirt falling off him from the sheer pressure. At the instant he broke the surface, a pink hued kikōdan zoomed past him. Narrowly avoiding the sphere, Gohan looked ahead to see Black, floating level with him, arm raised. Another shot. And another. A barrage of kikōdan burst from Black's hand, beelining towards Gohan.
He's determined! Gohan thought. He'd have to rush Black, there was no other way. Bracing himself, the Saiyan darted forward. He dodged around the spheres he could avoid, and batted away the ones he could not, the resultant explosions behind him out of sight. In his dominant hand, ki began to pool, condensing into a sphere.
"Ka...Me..."
Another orb. Gohan dodged. He was closer. Just another moment.
"Ha...Me..."
Using his knee now, Gohan sent the next orb flying.
Now!
"HA!
"
Approaching Black, Gohan thrust the sphere forward - all the force of a Kamehameha contained into a single, condensed sphere. Black, quickly, grabbed Gohan's wrist, attempting to keep the limb at bay. The sphere, spinning violently, kicked up strong air currents between the both of them, whipping their hair, clothing, and jewelry to and fro. It shimmered and glowed, emitting its vivid blue light. Grabbing his arm with his other hand, Gohan used all of his strength to force his attack through Black's grip.
"BARRIER!"
In seconds, Black erected a powerful barrier between himself and Gohan. The sphere crashed into the defensive wall, rotating forcefully against it. Black grinned, seemingly believing he had the advantage...
...only for his barrier to crack under the stress. Gohan's whole arm reached through the shattered wall, and thrusting the sphere against Black's chest. Gohan released the contained energy within, enveloping Black in a point-blank Kamehameha. The energy covered the sky. To anyone below, the view would have appeared as if a blue sun had swallowed the entirety of the heavens.
"You'll find my wife has the strongest barrier around," said Gohan, watching his blast peter out. "Yours just couldn't measure up." He couldn't see hide nor hair of Black, or where he'd gotten to. He felt the blast connect. The sphere, and its resultant release of a full Super Kamehameha, had definitely hit Black. Yet he hadn't felt his ki drop down to nil. Shit, he's—
Gohan had no time to fully process the thought. A spike of ki signaled the assault. Spinning in the air just in time, Gohan saw Black leaping up from behind him, arm coated in ki. The blade shone vividly, and with a single slash, Black released his own wave from the tip. Gohan's eyes widened, the incoming kikōha colliding with him. It exploded on impact, setting the sky alight with yet more colours. A hand ripped through the smoke and flames, Gohan pushing the obscuring screen aside. Ki shattered and fell from all angles.
His own barrier? thought Black, rubbing his neck and grinning. "This is what I wanted, Gohan!" said Black, pleasure in every word. "Both of us, on equal footing, measuring our power against each other. I want to see how far my own combat strength has come before I kill you!"
Every word Black spoke rang in Gohan's skull like a gong. He truly was a dark perversion of his father, and it made it difficult to even stand in front of him. He still knew he had to finish him. Black had done so much damage, not only to Trunks' world and people, but to his own family, friends, and countless other worlds. Without any idea where Trunks was, and with Black right here, Gohan had to kill him. "I'm not here for the fun of the fight, Black! I'm here to kill you and bring peace back to Trunks' time!"
"That's right, you never did enjoy fighting," Black mused, disappointed. "Such a pity. I've never felt such elation before. I've found someone who can keep pace with me!" Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. "It is such a shame I have to kill you like the rest of the mortals."
"It goes without saying I don't feel the same." replied Gohan.
"It doesn't matter in the end," said Black, shrugging. "I've perfected Son Gokū's power! I no longer have the need to keep Trunks or you alive. When I kill you, I will find Trunks and force him to confront his sins - and then, I will erase the rest of the Earthlings and move on to the other worlds of the Universe!"
"Well said, Zamasu. You have broken the Super Saiyan God barrier, and now we've pushed Gohan into a corner. Let me make this even easier for us."
Gokū Black and Gohan searched for the source of the voice. Floating towards them was Gohan Black, levitating the unconscious figure of Chi-Chi, whose limbs were bound together by rings of yellow ki. "Stand down, Gohan, or your mother dies here."
"You—" Gohan snarled, making a move towards his dark counterpart. Gokū Black teleported instantly between them, preventing Gohan from taking another step further.
"I can't say I'm fond of this method, but I've gotten the amusement I've needed," said Gokū Black. "Your compassion for these incomplete creatures is your undoing, Gohan. Don't worry, we'll send Chi-Chi after you into the afterlife. You both can give Bulma my hello."
"Let! Her! Go!" Gohan bared his teeth, hesitant to move further in case Gohan Black killed Chi-Chi instantly. Gokū Black could teleport. Outside of a direct fight, his speed was objectively inferior.
"Will you risk your mother now, or give her a few more seconds of life, while I erase yours?" inquired Black, cupping two hands at his side. Pink light began to pool between his fingertips, an onyx core at the centre of his cupped hands. "Ka...Me..."
Is there really nothing I can do!? They're going to kill Mother anyway...am I just unable to be the reason she's killed!? Gohan thought furiously. Am I going to be why one of my parents die again?! Furiously, Gohan pulled his hand back, indigo ki trailing all the while.
"So you'll be the one who kills her!" shouted Gohan Black.
Gohan discharged the blast in Gokū Black's face before he finished his incantation, at the exact moment another explosion erupted around Gohan Black, independent of his himself. Chi-Chi's suspended form began to fall, the telekinesis Gohan Black was using to keep her suspended disrupted after being blindsided by the random explosion. Gohan moved to dive for his mother; a blur of colour beat him to it, catching Chi-Chi just before she hit the ground.
It was then Gohan felt the familiar ki signature.
Searching in the direction of the ki, Gohan could see Bulma standing there, her gloved hand extended, smoking slightly. Her eyes were a brilliant emerald, and her lavender tresses were instead white-gold, and standing on end. Qirka rushed to Bulma's side, setting Chi-Chi on the ground gently, standing upright to face Gohan.
"Bulma! You're alive?!"
A/N: Hey, everyone! I am so sorry for the delay of this chapter, I legitimately meant to have it up much earlier, I started it in August but got caught up in work, family issues, drawing practise, and my other two fanfics. I desperately want to update more regularly, so I'm going to try to start getting some writing done nightly so I can update the way I should be. This was an interesting chapter to write. I don't know enough about Eastern funeral practises, so I could only incorporate my own pretty limited knowledge. Having Black appear here, above the gravesite, is intentional; there is a belief around Japanese graves that speaking the name of the dead will call their attention and bring them back. The idea is to put a Buddhist name on the grave after they are interred, so I tried to replicate that here. As my readers know, I don't enjoy long fight scenes. I could have lengthened the scene before the transformation sequence, but I think I wrote exactly what I needed. What is interesting about this is...as of this chapter, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan hasn't been given ANY name. So much like Super Saiyan 2 before Gokū named it, it's currently only being given a classification.
Also, I feel the need to explain this. Super Saiyan Rosé and Super Saiyan Blue are the same form - Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan. Anime viewers seem to have some weird idea that in the anime, Super Saiyan Rosé is just Black's own version of Super Saiyan, but if I recall, according to Toriyama's notes, even for the anime, Black can use the regular Super Saiyan form in the anime. The manga at least had the decency to explain Super Saiyan Rosé a bit more; a Saiyan who possesses true divine status, a divine soul, takes on the Super Saiyan Rosé form, as opposed to Super Saiyan Blue. But otherwise, both are the same form.
And here it is! Bulma isn't dead! I wonder if anyone thought I'd truly kill her? Alright, everyone! I'll see you in the next exciting chapter of the Erased Chronicles! Have a Happy Hallowe'en!