Chapter Hundred-forty-four

The Super Saiyan God is Here! But Who is it?!

Outside the bubble of space and time, in the Realm of the Dragons, Shenron looked up from his tea as he felt a familiar call. For a brief moment, he had thought that the Earthlings were going to set a new record for how long they went without summoning him but alas.

"Seems like it's a real mess down there," a familiar voice who was a very recent addition to the Realm of the Dragons said as they set down their tea. "Looks like it's go time!"

Shenron nodded even as he set down his tea with a resigned sigh. It had been such a lovely day, too. "Indeed," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice as the person he had been sharing tea with flew up to land on top of his head. The two figures began to glow before turning into pillars of light and returning to the mortal realm once again.

OoOoOoO

"Getting the Dragon Balls, duh," Suno said somewhat tersely as she walked to roughly the middle of the deck. Everyone wisely decided to ignore the light blush dusting her cheeks and the way her clothes were slightly rumpled. "Piccolo, Dende, cover your ears. Nonfighters, hold on to someone. Sorry, Bulma." Everyone quickly complied (it seemed that Suno's "teacher voice" worked even on her friends) as Suno raised her hand and snapped her fingers. This, alone, would be an odd thing to do if it wasn't for the fact that the snap was kiai enhanced and thus deafeningly loud. Despite the forewarning, Piccolo and Dende still flinched in pain as the explosive force sent all of the tables, chairs, and miscellaneous decorations flying.

"Jeez, Suno, just how strong are you now?" Krillin asked as he had to actually brace himself to not be flung off. Tenshinhan and his family were only still standing because they had grabbed on to Piccolo.

"I dunno, pretty strong. If you think boning a Super Saiyan keeps you in shape, try boning a Super Saiyan 3."

Krillin winced, "That's still mean."

Gohan wondered if anyone would mind if he drowned himself.

Ignoring that comment, Suno unceremoniously dumped the Dragon Balls onto the ship's deck, not caring one whit about everything else that was being dumped out along with them. That was until she spied one thing that'd be embarrassing but Goku snatched it the instant it started leaving her purse and slipped it back in.

Gohan was halfway to the edge of the ship before Videl managed to drag him back.

With all of the Dragon Balls out, Suno took a deep breath and paused as she lamented Puar's absence. This really wasn't the same without the little guy. "Great Shenron, I summon you!"

The sky quickly turned black as storm clouds gathered and the Dragon Balls began to glow with mystical energy. The glowing reached a crescendo as a beam of light shot out from them, twisting and twirling in the air before solidifying into the only reason literally all of them were still alive.

"You who have gathered the seven Dragon Balls," Shenron began, his voice rumbling the air like a great typhoon, "Speak your three wishes and I shall grant them." The familiarity and awe of Shenron's appearance was completely spoiled by a very familiar and very out-of-place figure sitting atop Shenron's head.

"P-Puar?! Is that you?! What are you doing with Shenron?! How are you with Shenron?!" Yamcha asked in disbelief.

"Yep! It's me!" Puar called out from where he sat atop Shenron's head. Instead of the graying, old cat that they remembered, he was now back to how he looked when Goku and Bulma first met him. "When I died, I was just kinda chillin' in line waiting to be judged when I was suddenly in a new place with Shenron! He asked if I wanted to hang with him and how could I say no to that?! Now, my final job is to be Shenron's little buddy!" At Puar's words, Shenron… smiled?

What a bizarre day this was turning out to be.

Beerus cleared his throat. "Hello, little cat-god," Beerus greeted Puar with a barely-restrained annoyance. "But I believe this was supposed to be relevant to me somehow, yes?" He'd been momentarily distracted by the absurdity of the whole display. These were the Dragon Balls he'd been fighting over? He supposed it made sense, in a way. He doubted there was any way for these mortals to summon Zalama, after all.

"Eternal Dragon Shenron… and Puar," Suno called up to Shenron. "For our first wish–"

"I WISH I WAS TWO FEET TALLER!" Chaozu shouted over everyone else. The rest of the party turned and stared at him sharply while he looked incredibly pleased with himself. Had his soul not been purified long ago, Commander Red would have screamed from the depths of Hell.

"A simple matter," Shenron declared with a voice that shook the earth and sky, his eyes flashing red. Before their eyes, a faint yellow glow surrounded Chaozu's body like stardust and he suddenly shot up in height, his limbs, torso, and head all stretching out to proportion. Thankfully, his clothes grew with the rest of them. He was actually now an inch taller than Tenshinhan, though he was still shorter than Chi-Chi or Piccolo.

"Chaozu, what the hell?!" Suno snapped.

"Oh, come on, it's not like we only have the one wish!" Chaozu protested. "Besides, look at this guy," Chaozu gestured at Beerus, "As soon as we do the wish he wants, he's gonna scare Shenron off or blow him up or something and then who knows when I'll get my turn again?" Suno just groaned and shook her head.

"You can fly and use telekinesis, was this really necessary?" Launch asked.

"It's about the principle," Chaozu said. "I can go on roller coasters now and reach the top shelf without using magic! You and Ten don't have to buy me beer and people won't shoot me down when I ask them out because they think I'm a kid! The world is my oyster!"

"You can fly faster than the speed of light," Krillin pointed out dryly, "And you want to go on roller coasters?"

"I told you, it's the principle!" Chaozu snapped. "Besides," he continued smugly as he crossed his arms over his chest, "You're just mad that you didn't think of it first."

"Dude, I stopped being self conscious of my height, like, twenty years ago," Krillin shot back. "I've got a wife, I've got my kid, I have a successful job. I'm good, really. You shoulda wished for the ability to grow a full head of hair," he taunted.

Lazuli smirked, leaning forward and resting her forearms on top of Krillin's head. "Plus, he may only have five feet but he makes up for it by having three legs." Krillin went beet red and Chaozu fumed.

While they continued to bicker on at a distance, Suno ignored them and soldiered on. "Oh Shenron, for our second wish, tell us how one becomes a Super Saiyan God."

Shenron paused for a moment and Suno was genuinely worried Shenron was about to say he didn't know. Mercifully, he did speak up shortly after she thought that. "Six Saiyans, pure of heart, shall join their hands to create the spark. Among them a champion must be named, a warrior wreathed in crimson flame. Their powers combined shall light the forge, this is how a God is born." They certainly hadn't expected a rhyme and this didn't exactly give them a clear answer. Suno worried if asking for clarification would count as a third wish, but luckily, Shenron no longer worked alone.

"It's an old poem," Puar explained. "Six Saiyans have to stand in a circle and join hands and pick one of them to be the person they all channel their power into. That person is the Super Saiyan God."

"Ohhhh, so that's what the old Saiyans who hate Vegeta were talking about," Goku said with a hand thoughtfully placed under her chin.

"I'm sorry, the what?" Vegeta asked. Goku gave a dismissive wave.

"Eh, I'll tell you about it later. Or you'll find out when we're dead a long time from now."

"Do you guys have a last wish?" Puar asked.

"Yes," Beerus interrupted, "I wish for you two to scram!"

Puar looked down at Shenron and Shenron looked up at Puar, a look of fear shared between them. Yes, Shenron looked afraid.

"Good enough for us! See you guys later!" Puar declared. He and Shenron turned into a pillar of light and shot back into the sky, splitting into seven balls that streaked across the dark clouds as they quickly returned to a blue sky. Suno was hesitant to admit that Chaozu had been savvier than she wanted to give him credit for. Which was precisely why she wouldn't say it aloud.

"Oh no, this is horrible!" Chaozu cried out.

"What, what's wrong?" Tenshinhan asked.

"I forgot to wish for Shenron to change my voice!" Chaozu cried in dismay, clutching at his throat. "No one's gonna want to make out with a guy who sounds like this!" Indeed, despite his change in height, his voice had not gone down one octave.

"Eh, you'd be surprised what some people are into," Yamcha said with a shrug.

"Anyway, you've got a more pressing concern," Ten told him, poking at his forearm. "You're all skinny now. You're gonna need to get back to training." While it was true that Chaozu's limbs were all proportional and he hardly looked emaciated, he was indeed rail-thin. This drew laughs from the rest of the humans around him as Chaozu's face turned bright pink.

The six Saiyans gathered together into a circle, Trunks trying to strategically maneuver himself so that his dad was between himself and Goten but Vegeta quickly sidestepped his son to stand between Gohan and Tarble.

"Oh, hey, who are you?" Goku asked, pointing at Tarble.

"Not gonna lie, I've been wondering that myself," Gohan admitted.

"I guess we never were able to do proper introductions," Vegeta realized. "Gohan, Kakarot, Goten, this is my brother, Tarble. Trunks, this is your uncle."

"Neat," Goku said as she put out a hand for Tarble to shake. "But call me Goku, okay?"

"Oh, so you're the one who defeated Freeza and fought Majin Boo," Tarble realized as he shook her hand. "It's great to finally meet you."

"We can get better acquainted when we've stopped Beerus from destroying the planet," Gohan said. "So, who's going to be the Super Saiyan God?"

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Trunks eagerly raised his hand, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Gohan," Goku said.

"Gohan," Vegeta agreed.

"Big Bro," Goten added.

"I've only known you for about half an hour and you're clearly one of the strongest beings in the entire universe," Tarble surmised. "It just makes sense."

"Ah, dang it," Trunks grumbled. With that, Goku took Gohan's hand, who gave his hand to Vegeta, who gave it to Tarble, who gave it to Trunks, who– very hesitantly– gave it to Goten, who gave her hand to Goku. "How do we do this, anyway?" Trunks asked. "Do we just… power up?"

"I think it's probably like the Genki Dama," Goku guessed.

"Uh, mom. I never learned the Genki Dama," Gohan pointed out. Goku shrugged.

"Eh, it's easier than you think," Goku told her. "You just need to let yourself be completely open to the passage of your ki to others' and to accept that ki as it comes to you. Let yourself be a conduit."

"I still have no idea what ki is," Tarble admitted.

"Battle power," Vegeta explained simply.

"Ohhh," Tarble realized, eyes widening slightly with understanding.

The six Saiyans closed their eyes for a moment and did their best to follow Goku's advice. Any walls of pride or fear were lowered as the five who could powered up to Super Saiyan without even consciously realizing they'd done so. Gohan could feel their energy passing into him but it was more than their ki. He could feel their hopes, their dreams, the things they loved, the things they wanted to protect most in this life, all entering him and joining with his spirit. In that moment, he understood the five others as well as he understood his own mind. The six opened their eyes and watched as a blue-white blossom of flame formed around their circle, washing over all of them. Gohan could see in their eyes that, although not to his degree, they all had a greater understanding of one another in that moment. The flame grew greater and brighter before coalescing around Gohan. There was a flicker, a flash… and Gohan looked exactly the same.

They dropped their hands as Gohan looked himself over in confusion and flexed his fingers. "Did… did it work?" he asked. "I don't really feel…. I dunno, godly?"

"I can't sense your ki," Goku noticed, "But it definitely feels like something's missing."

"Why didn't I change?" Gohan asked.

"Because that's not how you work anymore!" a voice interjected. Everyone turned to see that Xibito and Pracya had arrived on the scene.

Roshi had finally recovered enough to sit up and look at the two immortals, rubbing his eyes in confusion. "Jeez," he muttered while looking at Pracya, "And everyone made fun of me for being old."

"Xī, what are you and Pracya doing here?" Gohan asked.

"Helping how we can," Xibito explained as she moved forward, putting herself between Beerus and the mortals. Beerus looked at her in confusion.

"I'm… I'm sorry, and you are?" Beerus asked.

Xibito rolled her eyes. "I know you remember me, I'm just… altered a little these days. I'm Xī, the Kaioushin, remember? Only now I'm the Daikaioushin. Which means if you want to hurt anyone else here today, you'll have to go through me," she smirked a little and crossed her arms over her chest. "But you can't do that. I might not be able to hurt you but, if you kill me, you'll die."

A look of recognition crossed Beerus's face as he snapped his fingers. "That's right! The one who didn't get eaten! You've got the big job now, good for you." Then his faux pleasant smile gave way to a sinister grin. "But there's so many things I can do without killing you. Just ask the old man." He looked over her shoulder at Pracya. "How d'ya like being out of the sword these days, huh?" he taunted. "I can always put you back if you screw with me again!"

To his credit, Pracya didn't break into a cold sweat and kept his attention on the Saiyans. "The whole ritual, remember? The song and dance I did, the big light show? The magic changed your body and how you access ki. You didn't just not need to transform anymore, you can't transform!"

Gohan frowned and looked down at his hands. "So, I can't get any stronger?" he asked sadly.

"No, no, nothing like that. The ritual worked but whatever latent magic is inside your Saiyan blood from Xī's hand in your creation reacted with my magic. So, instead of the sudden surge of power from a transformation, you'll get stronger over time. You're getting stronger right now!"

That didn't really improve Gohan's expression. "What are the odds that Beerus will wait for me to get strong enough to fight him?" Pracya winced and gave a hiss. "Yeah," Gohan said, "That's what I figured. Alright, so we have to do it again. Mom?" he suggested. To his surprise, Goku shook her head.

"Ehh… I'm gonna pass," she said. The others, save for Trunks, stared at her in shock.

"I won't pass, I won't pass!" Trunks insisted.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Gohan demanded. "What do you mean you'll 'pass'?!"

"I don't know," Goku admitted, "I'm just… I'm not comfortable gaining strength I didn't earn. Besides, Vegeta's stronger than me right now," she added. "I sensed his ki, it'd make more sense for it to be him."

"Kakarot, you can't be serious," Vegeta protested. "Do you honestly think I can be trusted with that kind of power?"

"I can be trusted, I can be trusted!" Trunks shouted, bouncing on his tail. Though neither Gohan, Vegeta, or Gohan had noticed it yet, they had regrown their tails.

"Goku's right," Tarble interjected, "It should be Vegeta." Vegeta's mouth fell open as he looked at his younger brother. "Bulma was right, Vegeta. You really have changed. I refused to see it, I refused to believe it. But even before the ritual, I really have come to understand you better. The way you care for those weaker than you, that you were willing to discard your pride for their safety. How your love gave you a greater strength than anything you might have achieved through pride or hatred." He gave his brother a fond smile. "There's no one I'd rather trust to assume the mantle of a god."

"...Yeah," Trunks had to agree, "You've got this, dad."

"Tarble…" Vegeta said softly as he suddenly found himself overcome with emotion. Beerus and Xibito's kis suddenly flared up, catching their attention, and Gohan was shocked to discover that he could actually sense their power now. Beerus was… like nothing he'd ever imagined. He was absurdly more powerful than Xī. To her credit, she didn't give an inch of ground.

"Not to interrupt the moment," Gohan said, "But if we're doing this, we're doing it now." The Saiyans quickly joined hands again and let the power flow through them freely.

Stripped bare of fear, anger, and pride; Vegeta felt a profound oneness washing over him, a connection to his Saiyan spirit that he'd never felt before. So much of his life had been defined by seeing himself as separate, royal, and superior; raising himself above his fellow Saiyans when they were all he had in the universe. It had filled him with an intense, bitter loneliness that had been no small part of his anger. But he could feel the might of the Oozaru coursing through him now like never before, bonded to his Saiyan brethren. He could even sense, in scattered corners of far-off space, other flickers of their shared flame. There were still more Saiyans out there, they weren't all alone!

Before Vegeta could try and focus on that, the blue flame returned in even greater intensity than before. Vegeta was lifted involuntarily off his feet and into the air, everyone staring at him with their hands covering their eyes like they were looking at a star. Vegeta pulled his arms tight to his chest and tucked in his legs until he was in a tight ball inside the blue flame and then splayed out to dispel the flames. Somehow, the remains of his party attire had been discarded and he had replaced them with his blue gi, white hand wraps, and white boots. Was that magic? Could he do magic now? Vegeta looked at his body in astonishment, noticing the orange red flaming ki aura that covered his body. The power surging through him… it was indescribable! It was more than raw strength, he felt… cosmic. This… this was unreal!

"Oh, cool, ya got red hair," Goku noted with a grin. "Huh, and we can't sense your ki anymore."

"I can," Gohan remarked in astonishment. It was intense. He also couldn't help but note that he had absolutely no reservations about Vegeta being more powerful than him. Things really could change.

"Wow, Vegeta, ya got all toned!" Bulma remarked with a grin, looking her husband up and down approvingly.

It caught Beerus's attention and he grabbed Xibitio by the face to shove her out of the way. That hair… that fiery red aura… "Yes," Beerus declared ecstatically. "Yes, yes, yes! That's it! That's what I've been waiting for!" he pointed a claw at Vegeta. "The Super Saiyan God! The battle of my dreams!" For the first time in centuries, maybe millennia, he got into a proper fighting stance.

Despite the terror of the situation, despite the fact that he could sense just how powerful Beerus was, despite the fact that this planet and everyone he loved was in mortal danger, despite all of that, Vegeta just smiled as he got into his own stance.

"Well then," he said, "I hope I can live up to the hype."