Dragon Ball Z Dynasty

by Feraligreater328

When travelling along Snake Way, Son Goku suddenly finds himself plummeting down to Hell. There, he meets a surprisingly familiar ghost from his past that promises to change everything about his life going forward. How will the Saiyan react to this sudden, positive change in his life? Find out in Dragon Ball Z Dynasty.

176. Chapter 174: Gohan vs Bardock

Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

A/N: Okay, so to explain the past month or so from two perspectives. Perspective 1, Steven went to Japan and had a very nice time. Perspective 2, I have had COVID, the flu, food poisoning, the 24-hour bug, and a bleeding ulcer continuously since roughly 3 days after I posted the last chapter. I weigh 293 lbs now where I weighed 312 lbs. in October. And, to make things even funnier, my niece gave me her cold which I am dealing with right now and it's making it to where I can barely taste my saltwater taffy. Sorry about such a long delay without at least an update. Unless my apartment collapses on top of me, we will be seeing Buu this year.

Whining aside, please make sure you have the Freebird guitar solo keyed up on your phone for today's reading. :)

Chapter 174: Gohan vs Bardock

In a wasteland, 3 miles from Babidi's ship…

Gohan and Bardock clashed in the middle of the desert, the dust and debris surrounding their feet blowing away in a massive circle. The younger Saiyan snarled and drew his fist back, planting it dead center on Bardock's mask and sending him flying back. Gohan gave chase and with a furious shout. "What happened to you?! How could you, of all people, fall victim to mind control magic?!"

Gohan went for another punch which Bardock caught and blocked. The boy was grinding his teeth. "The great rebel! The only Saiyan who stood up against Frieza! Those were stories that you told me! And everything I've ever seen from you! You know morality! You know duty! You have just as much pride as any Saiyan living on this planet and you let this happen to you?!"

Bardock was silent, gripping Gohan's shaking fist tight. Gohan screamed in his face. "ANSWER ME! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAN THAT EARNED GRANDMA GINE'S LOVE?!"

The older Saiyan gripped his grandson's fist even tighter. "I am doing what I must."

Somehow, defying even the boy's own expectations, that statement made Gohan even angrier. He sent a kick at Bardock which the Saiyan tried to dodge, only for an even faster left hook to cross him on the jaw. The shockwave of the blow momentarily made the tails of Bardock's bandana go rigidly straight and he just barely blocked a second one. Bardock nodded. "You've improved."

The older Saiyan dragged Gohan toward him, slamming a mighty uppercut into the boy's jaw and then following that with an upward tilting kick to send Gohan streaming into the sky. Bardock raced up, beating Gohan's ascending speed and then hammering the younger Saiyan back to the ground. Gohan landed on his feet and easily regained himself, Bardock's blows hurt but they hadn't thrown him off. He glared up at Bardock and grimaced as if something bitter were rising in his throat. Again, he found himself wondering just how a travesty of this magnitude could have happened.

Bardock took immediate advantage of this, using his Tyrant Lancer to zip to the ground in a flash and slam into Gohan's back. "Don't get distracted, boy! We aren't playing for anything less than keeps!"

For just a moment, with his grandfather's fists digging into his back, Gohan's eyes went blank. He quickly regained himself and turned, elbowing Bardock in the chest and sending him flying back. Bardock shot away from Gohan like a bullet, only to suddenly disappear. Gohan flinched, but then found himself on the backfoot as Bardock suddenly trapped him into a vicious headlock.

Gohan choked and Bardock roughly sighed. "Idiot! Too indecisive! That wasn't a killing blow, so it wasn't worth a shit!'

Bardock began to twist Gohan's neck. "Get your priorities straight and fight at full capacity or I'll kill you! Hurry it up, fool! Buu is waiting!"

Gohan snarled and exploded with power. "QUIT SAYING THINGS THAT LIKE WITH MY GRANDPA'S VOICE!"

Bardock went flying back and Gohan gave chase, unleashing a rapid-fire assortment of punches into Bardock that the older Saiyan quickly moved to block and dodge. Bardock returned fire on the boy with a knee to the stomach that made Gohan double over. He followed this with a hard elbow to the center of the back, making sure to drive the bony point of his elbow blade deep into Gohan's spine for good measure. Gohan glared up at him with eyes brimming with tears and Bardock was cold. "Such a pouty child! Have you ever been anything but-"

Gohan responded to that by gripping onto Bardock's thigh and squeezing with all his strength, driving his finger points onto Bardock's muscles and pulsating his Ki into them for good measure. Bardock hissed as every muscle in his right leg cramped up and Gohan used that opening to his advantage. He seized Bardock by the ankle, pulling his leg straight and then jerking it up with all his strength.

Bardock roared in pain as his cramping muscles screamed and his kneecap threatened to explode apart. Furious as he was, Gohan almost did break his grandfather's leg right then and there. But then, the sound of such a beloved voice screaming caught Gohan off guard. He let loose the pressure, unable to follow through with it. Instead, he whipped Bardock high into the air and tossed him to the ground.

Bardock was dazed and Gohan followed up with a powerful punch. The older Saiyan rolled out of the way at the last second and watched as Gohan's gloved fist sheared through the solid rock. The boy shot a hateful glance in Bardock's direction and then connected the bottom of his foot with Bardock's mask. The grandfather went flying and Gohan gave chase, a Ki blast now glowing in his hand. Once more, Bardock vanished. This time, however, Gohan was ready. He dodged a punch that was meant for the back of his head and then smashed his Ki blast right into Bardock's ear. Very quickly, he followed that up with a shattering headbutt right between Bardock's glowing red eyes. The older Saiyan went flying and a veritable spider web of cracks spread across the mask's surface.

Bardock skidded across the ground on his back for only a moment, quickly rolling and making it back to his feet. Gohan came flying in with a kick aimed at the gut, but Bardock quickly caught him by the ankle. The Saiyan nodded. "You've been maintaining your training at least. Very strong indeed. But you'll find I haven't been slouching, whelp!"

The older Saiyan gave a harsh twist to Gohan's foot, kicking the other one from beneath the boy and making him spin in the air. Shortly after, Bardock's fist entered the miniature green tornado and planted itself into the bridge of Gohan's nose. The boy slapped the fist again and quickly landed on his hands, doing a quick backflip and kicking Bardock in the back of the head. Bardock fell to one knee, but lashed out with his hand and seized Gohan by the green robe of the Saiyaman gi, yanking him forward and then driving him head-first into the ground with an offhand punch.

Bardock stood, now seizing Gohan's collar with both hands and yanking him into the air. Then, with a quick snap, Bardock piledrived his grandson down into the rocky ground.

The older Saiyan quickly followed up on the brutality by yanking Gohan up and heaving him through the air. Chasing along, Bardock introduced his grandson to the feeling of a dozen punches to the mouth before ending the torment with a kick that sent Gohan and a mountain crumbling to the Earth.

Bardock cocked his head, sure that this wasn't over. He was proved correct when Gohan shot from the rubble like a golden rocket, kicking Bardock in the face and shattering away a chunk of mask. The older Saiyan snapped his head forward and he and Gohan locked gazes. Gohan's furious emerald eyes met with Bardock's now singularly uncovered eye.

They both glared in silence. And then Gohan shot forward and delivered an elbow to the jaw, followed by a double palm thrust to the chest. Gohan snarled with anger, letting loose a mighty howl of anger. "MASENKO!"

The explosion was close enough that both fighters were caught pointblank. Bardock smashed into the ground and felt the piece of armor around his neck straining. He sat up and squinted into the sky, seeing Gohan floating there with half of his green robes blown away. The boy, despite the punishment he had taken, was not really any worse for wear. Bardock stood and dusted himself off. "Considerable training indeed. Cell would die all over again of shock."

The older Saiyan cocked his head. "Who'd you become that strong for, boy?! My idiot son?! That worthless Namekian?! Or… heh… did you do it for me~?!"

For a moment, to Bardock's delight, the fury on Gohan's face seemed to crystallize into blind hate. But then, to his disdain, it collapsed into something much weaker.

Up in the air, Gohan flashed back to sleepovers with his grandparents. He thought of running the woods with his grandfather. Training, sparring, learning, living, loving. Gohan remembered the stories, the small adventures, the anecdotes, the jokes and the secrets between him and this man that now stood as an enemy before him. He remembered his big talk today, his assertions that he would handle this. Gohan's voice came out as a husky, wet whisper. "Is there any of you left in there…? Isn't there a bit of you that sees what he's doing…? D-Don't… Don't you… c-care…?"

Bardock offered his estranged grandson nothing more than a rough, irritated sigh. "I already told you that I am doing what I must. Why are you wasting my time?"

The boy's entire body shuddered. He could feel tears threatening to spill. He could feel his nose starting to run. But then, Gohan bit down on his tongue really hard. Hard enough to hurt. To almost draw blood even. And then the sadness went away. He glared down at his grandfather. "You're still in there somewhere. I know it. I'll shatter layers and layers of you away until I find it again, Grandpa."

Bardock began to rise into the air. "By all means, boy."

Gohan charged at his grandfather and Bardock happily returned the favor, the two Saiyans met in the middle and each threw a punch that the other caught. The two of them quickly locked up and started to engage in a furious struggle for leverage. Petty kicks were tossed at each other's legs and found themselves meeting a rock solid stance from their adversary. At the same time, both warriors went for a knee to the gut and only succeeded in cracking their kneecaps together. They both quickly found that the man they were facing was utterly refusing to let up.

With a growl of frustration, Gohan delivered another heavy headbutt to the center of Bardock's face, making the older Saiyan stumble back and immediately gain the necessary leverage. Gohan heaved Bardock up and tossed him to the ground. Then, with a backflip, Gohan hammered down with an axe kick that cratered the entire area.

With a stomp to Bardock's chest that made his armor crack, Gohan rose into the sky and began to charge another blast. "KAMEHAMEHA!"

The blue beam shot from the boy's palms and down at his grandfather. Reacting quickly, Bardock thrust his hand toward the beam and shouted. "METEOR BURST!"

A massive, pink ball of energy shot from Bardock's hand and swallowed up the Kamehameha, firing into the air at Gohan. The boy dodged just in time and glared down at his grandfather as the now-purple energy ball exploded in the air like a firework. For a moment, Gohan's memory flickered back again to happier times. This time it was a memory of training for the Android Invasion. Tears threatened again, but Gohan drove them away with a furious roar.

Gohan rushed at Bardock with a twist of fury sending his upper lip into a frozen snarl. Bardock slowly got to his feet… and then he swung a Rebellion Edge-clad hand right at Gohan's face!

There was the sound of tearing flesh followed by a spatter of blood painting the ground. Gohan recoiled and held his hand up to a deep gouge in his cheek. His lips were sealed into a rather tight grimace, and yet he could feel fresh air on his teeth.

Bardock held up his Ki blade and waved it nonchalantly. "Still stuck on that whole 'blind rage' thing, huh?"

Bardock cocked his head, waiting for a response. And then Gohan swung out with a Rebellion Edge of his own, slicing Bardock across the face!

A bloody gash spread just beneath Bardock's exposed eye, then a slit formed on the surface of his cracked mask and the part covering the other eye fell to the ground with a shattering crack. A small waterfall of red slid down the white surface of what was now simply a mouth-covering and Bardock chuckled. "Stealing my techniques, now?"

Gohan responded with a voice that was now a perfect mix of unreserved grief and cold fury. "I wanted to learn it to make my grandpa proud. It's a shame he isn't here…"

Bardock cackled and thumped his chest. "So dramatic! What happened to Oozaru Strong~?"

Gohan made his Rebellion Edge blade extend. And then, to rub salt in the wound, he began to flow Devilmite energy into it. The pink energy of that technique mixed with the golden energy of the Rebellion Edge and took on a shining orange coloration. "Burn in Hell."

The two warriors clashed blades, Bardock immediately feeling himself being overwhelmed and summoning a second Rebellion Edge for support. The clash of blades sent both warriors sailing back and forth across the battlefield, cutting down massive boulders and fossilized trees in equal measures. Anything finding itself in their path was quickly and effortlessly reduced as both warriors attempted to slash each other in key points.

Bardock swung his left hand and felt himself cut through the surface of one of Gohan's knees. He jeered. "Sloppy, boy! Sloppy!"

Gohan swung his singular blade and Bardock blocked it with both of his. Finding themselves locked up again, Bardock took the time to play dirty. He simultaneously flared and constricted his aura, filling the air around him and Gohan with the lightning that signified Super Saiyan 2 and tasering the boy with it.

One more, Bardock began to mock Gohan aloud. But this time the jeers fell on steadily deafening ears. Gohan could feel himself losing his cool. He could feel a familiar presence, one recently roused, building up in him. He could hear a certain voice starting to speak in the back of his head, not wanting to take over but wanting to join in to the "fun". It spoke in a hellishly deep whisper, its voice like spicy honey. 'Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuddyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy~'

Gohan shook his head and kicked Bardock in the chest mid-taunt, sending his skidding backward. The boy snapped at his grandfather. "I still don't get this! Why?! Why would you submit yourself to Babidi?! Huh?! I know he'd never be able to force his way in! You're too stubborn for that! So, why?! Just for more power?! So you could have Super Saiyan 2 as well?!"

Bardock didn't answer, he simply shrugged.

Gohan shrugged back. "A shrug?! That's it?! All you can do is shrug?!"

Bardock shrugged again. Gohan screamed so loud he hurt his throat. "AT LEAST GIVE ME A REAL ANSWER, YOU COWARD!"

Gohan raised his shining orange Rebellion Edge into the air and brought it down with all his strength. Bardock held up both his and blocked, wanting to cause another stalemate. This time, however, Bardock immediately began to sink into the ground. His knees buckled and both of the blades coating his hands shattered and he was driven into the ground with a mighty crash.

Gohan landed on his feet, breathing heavily. He coughed and it came up bloody. In all his years doing this, that might be the first time he had actually damaged his throat by screaming.

Bardock, meanwhile, shakily regained his feet and examined his hands. All ten of his fingers had been dislocated out of place. Three of them actually had tears in the flesh where fresh blood was freely pouring. Bardock glared over at his grandson and a smile flashed in his eyes as he gripped his fists and forced his fingers back into place.

This was just getting started.

Meanwhile, outside of Babidi's ship…

Goku, Shin, Vegeta, and Piccolo all watched on with looks of impatience and open pity as Yakon fumbled with the door. Very carefully, the creature entered his pin code onto the pad and watched with frustration as his third try in a row ended in failure. He turned to the others and spoke sheepishly. "I was hitting 1-2-3-4… Right?"

Goku gave him a pat on the back. "You were, buddy. You were."

Yakon groaned. "Dabura must have thought ahead and removed my code. I'm a failure…"

Shin sighed in frustration, scrubbing his face. "And now we're stuck."

Vegeta, meanwhile, seemed distracted. "There are hundreds of corpses strewn about and Krillin and Tien are both missing from where we left them. Where's Chang Zhi or whatever his name is?"

Piccolo, meanwhile, was silently contemplative. The Namekian stood with his eyes closed, deep in thought. Gingerly, as the others talked around him, he placed his hand onto the door of Babidi's ship and focused his senses as sharply as he could. When that failed, he instead pressed the side of his face, ear and all, to the hatch. And then Piccolo smirked. "Goku… come try this."

Goku cocked his head, but then he obeyed. He pressed his face to the ship and hooted. "Ooh! Buzzy!"

Piccolo nodded. "Indeed. There's some sort of hex on this ship that blocks energy signatures. But, without moving your face… try to sense Dabura, Goku~"

Goku closed his eyes and began to sharpen his focus. Sharpen… and sharpen… and sharpen…

Within Babidi's ship, Stage Six…

Babidi cackled, rapidly shifting his gaze between the steadily upticking needle on the gauge attached to Buu' cocoon and the comical sight of despairing failure taking place outside his ship. "Isn't it just grand, Dabura?! All they can do is stand around and wait as their doom draws ever closer! How marvelous~"

The warlock held out his crystal ball as if to get a different view and Dabura laughed alongside him. "Indeed, Master! The fools sincerely believed we would keep the traitor Yakon's access to the ship active! Why, once Buu is awakened, I will personally go to that cur and-"

All at once, the group outside the ship vanished. Babidi and Dabura both gasped and blinked. Dabura scowled. "What the devil?!"

Babidi was gobsmacked. "Um… I suppose they've run off! The fools must have given in to despair and simply decided to flee! Maybe the Kai took them all back to his ridiculous little sacred land or some such…"

Quickly pivoting, Babidi cackled. "How about we check and see how the army is doing at those tournament grounds! I wonder how many of the wretched fools there they've managed to slaughter?!"

Waving his hand at the orb, Babidi watched as the picture began to change.

However, before he could get a clear view, the group consisting of Son Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Yakon, and the Supreme Kai all appeared out of thin air! Babidi screeched in panic and Dabura, caught off guard, could only dodge backward as Piccolo thrust two fingers directly at his eyes. The feint was half-effective. One of Dabura's eyes was just out of reach. The other shifted to darkness as Piccolo's talon-like nail plunged through the surface. Dabura roared in pain, now half-blind, and was kicked across the room by the Namekian for his troubles.

Piccolo cackled, happy to be correct and quickly discarding his cape and turban once more. "I knew that would work!"

Goku tapped his index and middle fingers on the bridge of his nose. "Never a day where I'm not thankful I learned Instant Transmission~"

In a panic, Babidi ran across the room and telepathically screamed an order to the entire ship. "ALL REMAINING TO STAGE SIX AT ONCE!"

Vegeta glowered in the little imp's direction. "He is mine."

Vegeta charged. Babidi screamed. Dabura rushed in and Piccolo intercepted. Goku and Yakon turned toward the stairwells as a hoard of leftover Zoonian thralls poured in. Shin watched all this occurring all at once and turned his attention toward Buu's ball. "First things first, I must extract the energy from that ball…"

As all the gathered Z-Fighters went to work on their immediate tasks, a different scene altogether was playing out on the surface of Babidi's discarded crystal ball.

Meanwhile, at the Tournament Arena…

Bulma was headbanging with wild aplomb as the mass carnage and almost cartoonish violence played out around her, the voice from her phone's speaker singing at the top of its lungs.

"LOOOOOOOOOOOORD, I CAN'T CHANGE~

WON'T YOU FLYYYYYYY HIIIIIIIIIIGH~

FREEEEEEEEEEBIRD, YEAH~"

Erasa and Sharpner watched in stunned silence as a Zoonian, engulfed from head-to-toe in flames, went running by screaming at the top of his lungs.

Chi-Chi swung his mother's naginata in circles, slicing two more Zoonian's in half and that waist and spearing a brainwashed human criminal through the gut before swinging him into the air and back into the stands above. One more Zoonian tried to tackle her from behind, but she grabbed him by the throat and slammed him to the ground, stomping him twice in the throat to finish him off. Chi-Chi slung her new champion's belt off her shoulder, gripping it like a baseball bat with both hands and swinging for the fences, shattering out a Zoonian's teeth and sending him flying…

… directly over the Ox-King, who had produced two axes from a pair of capsules he carried in his wallet. He sliced three brainwashed humans into meaty chunks before seizing a third by the sides of his head and headbutting him hard enough to cave his face in. That human was thrown and a Zoonian tried to aim a blast at the massive man's back, only to get speared by Chi-Chi's naginata. The alien turned to fire on Chi-Chi, but the Ox-King snapped his attention to the would-be attack and cleaved both of his arms over. The Zoonian shrieked and Ox-King grimaced before taking off his head with the swing of an ax. That head went flying…

… only to be kicked like a soccer ball at one of its former companions by Koriocha. The peppy young martial artist turned and kicked a Zoonian in the solar plexus, unleashing a furious barrage of blows into him before sending him flying and sending a Ki blast chasing after him. Fully healed and exceptionally limber after receiving a Senzu from Raditz, Koriocha pounced on her foe's shoulders, locking her legs around his neck and directly him like a jockey would a horse. As the Zoonian mount stumbled blindly into his fellows, Koriocha leapt off and unleashed a series of blows to various exposed bellies in front of her, sending twenty unconscious Zoonian's flying through the air like the baseballs her papa tossed at the Jingle Village Little League Practice.

Several more Zoonian's rushed in with Ki blasts at the ready and Koriocha heard her Mama calling out a word of warning. She turned and waved at Suno, who was cradling a cheering Marron. Awkwardly, Suno waved back. And then Koriocha got to work, batting away dozens of Ki blasts, deflecting some into the sky and even more right back into their owner's faces. One of the Zoonian's who hadn't been hit snarled in frustration and lunged at Koriocha, only for a spiraling yellow ki sphere to crash into his ribs with a sickening crunch and carry the guy toward…

… a severely pissed off looking Yamcha quickly relieved the Zoonian of his living obligations with a very angry and very fatherly punch to the chest. The new corpse splattered against the ground and then Yamcha turned on his heel and fired an obliterating Kamehameha at another thirty of them. Koriocha leapt in with a polite thank-you to her father and the two of them smiled. But then, with a yelp, Yamcha quickly pulled himself and his daughter to the ground, just barely avoiding a stream of flames and watching as what could only be described as Zoonian Hell played out before them, because…

… Android 18 was on a burning rampage, her very touch colliding with brainwashed human and brainwashed Zoonian alike and reducing them to burning effigies with her lightest caress. A few dozen Zoonians tried to rush her all at once, so 18 took a deep, deep breath and unleashed a flamethrower from her mouth so intense that most of the poor fools had fleeting thoughts that Dabura had turned on them in their last moments. 18 leapt into the air, easily dodging an attack from behind and stomping a Zoonian soldier into the ground hard enough that he simply burst apart into a heap of ashes. She turned at the sound of her daughter cheering her on to flash a victory sign, only to scowl at several of Babidi's cronies attempting to sneak up on the non-combatants. Summoning her flaming bow, 18 fired off several righteous arrows that struck true and reduced her foes to the cowardly infernos they were meant to be. Marron cheered, Suno breathed a sigh of relief, Erasa swooned at her boss. 18 smirked and then turned, kicking some unseen foe in the sight of the head and only catching sight of him as his charcoal crackled against the ground. 18 began to breathe fire again, blasting a column in her throat at a dozen foes and catching two more than she planned…

… because Chi-Chi had kicked them into the flames. She then leapt back and onto her father's shoulders, riding him like a general would a horse into combat and swinging her naginata at the teeming throng below, cutting them all down and shouting her status as the world champion. Ox-King groaned, at the very least wishing his daughter was wearing something other than that Gyuhime faker's sports bra, and venting his frustrations by stomping down on a brainwashed human brandishing a shotgun. Ox-King continued to swing his axes back and forth with careful precision, cutting down foe upon foe upon foe until a scream caught his ear and he turned his head…

… to see multiple straggling humans running through the hole that Bardock had blasted in the arena. They were fleeing from a small hoard of Zoonian and human filth that was eager to spill blood. Two innocents were gunned down by Ki blasts and the group of scumbags continued to give chase until a giant, lime green wall constructed of nano machines sprung up into their way. All the thugs crashed into the wall and were confused where it had come from until Android 16 slammed all his weight into one of the Zoonian's and crushed him like a bug on a windshield. He then quickly seized another and suplexed him through the wall before removing one of his hands with a click and gunning the others down with little effort. The hulking Android turned, glowering at several Zoonians firing Ki blasts at him from a distance. He turned and began to march toward them, their neutralization priority number one in his mind, until a bolt of lightning crashed into them and reduced half of them to dust. The other half and 16 both turned their direction to the source, and…

… Android 17 quickly tossed a second bolt right at them. Happy that he had stopped that scum from shooting his friend in the back, 17 turned his attention to more of these bastards on the ground and fired two continuous streams of lightning from his eyes, cutting some in half and electrocuting others and straight up incinerating the rest. His gaze kept flickering over to his sister, worrying for her health at her overuse of Terrablaze. Seeming to read his mind, 18 shot 17 a thumbs-up and continued her work before. 17 sighed and summoned his trident, crashing down and skewering two Zoonians before firing off another massive bolt as a crowd of Zoonians and brainwashed humans alike.

17 looked over and checked on his wife and kids, finding Trixie holding both of the tots tight and finding both of the tots cheering him like their favorite battleball team. Feeling an almost embarrassing gush of fatherly affection rise into him, 17 beamed and waved as his kids, getting saved unknowingly from a blindspot attack by…

… Yamcha's Spiraling Spirit Ball which handily returned to its master's palm. Yamcha recharged the attack with his energy and chucked it again. He was looking around for Koriocha, who had been lost somewhere in the chaos, only to run backfirst into the back of…

… Master Roshi. The Turtle Hermit turned and gave an approving nod to his student before spinning his staff in his hand and knocking away two of these invading goons. Realizing that he didn't really have a way to deal a finishing blow like some of the young'uns did, Roshi joined up with Yamcha and the two went at it. The old master might have lost a step or two to time, but he was still spry enough to knock these goons silly and let Yamcha play clean-up hitter. Several cracks of the staff sent Zoonian and human alike flying and several well-placed blasts of smashes of Yamcha's Spiraling Spirit Ball put them down for good. Yamcha quickly vaulted over his master, racing into a crowd of Babidi's soldiers and unleashing the Wolf Fang Fist onto them.

Roshi sighed and ripped off his shirt, realizing that it was time to get serious. He took a deep breath and then made his muscles expand to max power. Roshi charged in right alongside Yamcha and the two of them began to clean house as master and student. Standing side-by-side, Roshi and Yamcha each fired off a Kamehameha and the two beams sent a dozen foes flying right into…

… the golden beam that was firing from the barrel built into Android 16's forearm. He quickly reattached his hand and then turned just in time to catch a Zoonian punch and respond with a devastating headbutt to the invader. The alien crumpled to the ground as a corpse and 16 sighed at all the violence taking place. He wished it didn't have to happen this way every time some threat came to Earth, but any attempts at reasoning with these people only resulted in having 'For Master Babidi!' shouted into his face. 16 transformed his hands into circular saws, continuing about his grim work and hoping that his friends were doing well on their end. 16 swung one of his whirring blades and it caught a Zoonian right upside the face, his purple blood spurting through the air and…

… splattering right at the feet of Trunks as he fired off a dozen blasts and got a dozen kills. The boy looked annoyed, and the source of his annoyance became immediately apparent as Bulla landed on top of his head and stole at least ten of his kills for herself. The girl looked smug, but Trunks quickly bucked her off and caught up in his score again. The two siblings each tried to muscle their way past the other, eventually coming to a stalemate and firing off a double Galick Gun that blasted away an entire score of Zoonians and…

… made Giran yelp at he ducked the blast and just avoided having his head blown off. Giran grumbled in frustration and then fired his Merry-Go Round Gum into a crowd, trapping several of the attacking soldiers and leaving them open to be pummeled. As Giran laid into the restrained goons, Nam gracefully dodged several blows behind him. The warrior's eyes were shut tight, but he was dodging blows with ease. Several foes, Zoonian and human alike, were sent flying with well-placed kicks.

King Chappa was taking part in the fight in equal measure, unleashing the fury of his Eight-Arm Fist into any that would dare cross his path. In addition to them, the other preliminary dropouts were very willingly taking part in defense of their home world from this sudden threat. Pamput shattered the jaw of some hulking criminal thug with one well-placed punch. Kazuma Kiryu was manhandling dozens of foes at once. Spike the Devilman ran three Zoonians through with his pitchfork and then fired a Devilmite Beam at two more, watching them explode with a malicious grin. Ranfan locked a brainwashed human into a headlock and with a quick jerk broke his neck. Silas, performing the dance of his people, unleashed a beautiful array of multi-colored flames which reduced his attackers to ash. These sparks of gorgeous flame shot through the sky…

… and provided a beautiful backdrop as Blonde Launch unloaded into an entire crowd with wild abandon. The woman was near inconsolably stressed out by the disappearance of her daughter and getting to gun down these freaks was helping her work over her nerves. They kept coming and coming, but armed with her Ki-charged machine gun, Blonde Launch was having no trouble sending these fools straight to Hell. The brainwashed soldiers were beginning to try and work out a strategy for killing this one when, to their shock, the smoke from the gun's barrel made her sneeze. Blue Launch blinked twice, looking confused as Babidi's forces all glowered at her. As they began to stalk their way toward their seemingly helpless prey, however, Blue Launch suddenly produced a baseball bat from a Capsule and rushed at the goons with an almost primal scream…

… which distracted Videl for only a moment. She looked over long enough to see Blue Launch send teeth flying with the swing of a bat and then went back to work. This was like prom night in slow motion for Videl as she swept between foes, under thrown punches, and past several fired Ki bolts. Videl corkscrewed through the assault and landed a savage haymaker that sent her Zoonian foe crashing into the ring. Not taking even a single moment's pause, Videl launched herself at another foe and wrapped her legs around his head, throwing his weight into a third attacker and then blasting them both away with a kiai. A hulking Zoonian attempted to lunge at her from behind and Videl responded to his attempted attack with an elbow to the gut that sent him flying…

… directly to Sharpner's feet. Another four of these alien weirdos went running by, screaming in pain as the flames consumed them, and Sharpner gave a small, nervous chuckle. "We've thrown our lot in with a bunch of psychopaths. Holy shit…"

Erasa shrugged. "At least the psychopaths are keeping us from being killed~"

Another burning Zoonian rushed by, screaming in agony as Android 18 gave chase…

Back at Babidi's ship…

All the carnage at Papaya Island went totally unnoticed by Piccolo as he grabbed Babidi's discarded crystal ball and smashed Dabura over the head with it until it shattered.

The Demon King snarled with fury. "Wretch!"

He spat twice, but Piccolo was ready. He reached out into Goku's stock of would-be opponents, grabbing two struggling Zoonians and using them as shields. Both of the alien warriors screeched with panic as they began to petrify, but Piccolo was kind. He ended their panic very shortly by smashing their partially paralyzed bodies together and then blowing the resulting dust into Dabura's face. The Demon King snarled in frustration, wiping away at his stinging eyes. Just as he managed to start clearing his vision, however, Piccolo rushed in with a stretchy-armed punch to the mouth that sent Dabura spiraling face-first into the wall.

The Demon King tried to push himself up, but Piccolo's palm thrust into the back of his head and pinned him in place. And then, once again, Piccolo made use of his stretching arms by dragging Dabura's face across the hard, metal walls. The Demon King left a rut as he was dragged, higher and higher, in a massive spiral across the wall until he hit a structure on the ceiling and smashed into it. Dabura was enraged as he fell. He was not used to combat in such enclosed, hectic spaces. Not to mention that the Namekian's earlier cheap shot had all but blinded him in one eye.

Dabura spun in the air and summoned a massive, demonic axe. "PREPARE TO DIE, INSECT!"

Piccolo ducked under the axe strike and then rose just in time to fire a barrage of Eye Beams into Dabura's exposed chest. The Demon King was repelled back and crashed through a door into what was, ironically enough, his own sleeping quarters. Piccolo smirked and sent the Demon King to bed with a massive Ki blast. The entire room exploded, and Piccolo cracked his neck, happy to have his first taste of revenge.

Meanwhile, a shrill shriek rang out through the ship as Vegeta chased Babidi, tormenting the little imp with a variety of "missed" attacks and just a few well-placed direct hits. Tears were welled in Babidi's eyes as he shrieked. "DABURA! HELP!"

Dabura flew from the flaming wreckage of his quarters, roaring at the top of his lungs. "MASTER!"

Piccolo caught Dabura's trailing cape and quickly swung the Demon King back into his burning room with all his strength. "THIS IS WHY WE REMOVE OUR CAPES WHEN WE FIGHT SERIOUSLY!"

Watching Dabura get held up, and feeling the air from one of Vegeta's punches just barely missed his head, Babidi screamed in panic. "MINIONS! HELP!"

He looked over and gasped in shock. Son Goku was riding on Yakon's back as if Yakon were a horse. He was laughing out loud, throwing the occasional punch or kick, but mainly watching Yakon scoop up fresh, fleeing meat into his jaws.

Babidi's eyes went wide at the sight of this farce and then he screamed at the top of his lungs. "HOW IN THE HELL IS THIS HAPPENING?!"

This question was answered by Vegeta's boot planting into the back of Babidi's head. The wizard went flying, crashing into a wall hard enough to make it spider-web. He just barely recovered, his nose and ears bleeding, when he looked up and found Vegeta looming over him like the shadow of death. The Saiyan Prince's fist was drawn back for a killing blow and Babidi just barely managed a defense. "BARRIER!"

Babidi was shaking in fear as Vegeta glowered down at him. "A barrier, eh? Let's see how long that lasts…"

And then Vegeta began to stomp on the magical sphere as hard as he could, each time drawing a yelp of panic from the terrified wizard. Babidi curled up into a fearful little ball and squeezed his eyes shut. "Dammit! Need backup! Now…"

Over by Buu's barrier, meanwhile, Shin was making great progress as he was siphoning away all the energy Buu had gained during this whole, sordid process. The Kai was funneling the extracted energy into a psychic bubble, occasionally stealing a glance over his shoulder at the incredulous display taking place behind him. Shin flinched as Vegeta stomped on the barrier again, driving it into the wall. "I cannot believe this is working…"

Back with Gohan and Bardock…

Bardock fist drove into Gohan's cheek with enough force to make the boy's eye roll up, but Gohan endured nonetheless. He quickly returned fire with a punch of his own, driving it into Bardock's now exposed cheek hard enough to make his grandfather backflip in midair. Bardock recovered quickly enough, but Gohan was hastily upon him and the two began once more with a rapid exchange of blows.

As he fought with his grandfather, Gohan felt more wretched, treasured memories bubble forth in his head. He blinked his eyes and he was in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber again, just taking Super Saiyan for its first test drive while his Grandpa Bardock ran him through 'Warhammer Drills'. The training was hellish, but Gohan couldn't think of many times he had been happier. Seeing that proud smirk on his grandfather's face was more than enough to make it all worth it. Gohan hit the floor of the chamber hard, wincing as he pushed himself up and chuckling as he looked up to see his smiling Grandpa Bardock offering him a hand.

This scene from the past was quickly cut off by Bardock seizing him by the throat. With a garbled growl of pure rage, Gohan was yanked from the ground like a newborn kitten and harshly slammed into a nearby rock wall. Gohan gasped and Bardock followed up with a stomping kick to the check that drove the boy even deeper inward.

Bardock mocked. "Lost in memory lane again, brat?!"

Gohan snarled, grabbing Bardock by the foot and shoving him backwards. He stood and snapped. "How can you not be?! Did Babidi erase your memory when he was putting a leash on you?! Huh?!"

Bardock charged forward without a word, slamming his elbow into Gohan's chest and grinding it against the bone. Once again, Gohan found himself gagging in pain as he was driven through the mountain. The boy squeezed his eyes shut, and then he trusted his hands down and dragged his fingers through the ground until he came to a stop. He launched forward like a missile, charging at his grandfather with a roar that only carried pain. Gohan threw a punch, which Bardock sidestepped, and then quickly reacted to a return chop from the man. He had seen his grandfather pull this move before and was prepared. He gripped the elbow as tightly as he could and quickly snapped the joint out of place. Bardock snarled in pain and tried to retreat, only for Gohan to unleash a flurry of blows that knocked the older Saiyan senseless.

Bardock tried to catch one of Gohan's fists with his tail, but Gohan saw that maneuver coming as well. He stopped his punch short and then shot forward with the alternate hand, smashing his grandfather across the bridge of the nose and sending him flying. Bardock groaned, but used the new space to snap his elbow back into place. And then the boy was on him again.

Once more, Gohan unleashed a flurry of furious blows, each one launched and reasonable blocked or countered by Bardock. The exchange continued all across the battlefield until the two warriors exchanged a pair of roundhouse kicks, sending each other launching backward. Bardock tried to take advantage this time, charging in for a punch but recoiling in shock as Gohan easily deflected. Gohan returned fire with a stomping kick and Bardock went plummeting to the ground, only to disappear before making contact.

He quickly reappeared above Gohan's head and dropped and elbow toward the boy. Ever reactionary, Gohan spun around and kicked Bardock in the ribs, sending him flying away. He quickly followed this by launching an unannounced Masenko, the surprise of which caught Bardock off guard and forced him to take the blast undefended. Bardock growled in frustration and fired back two Ki blasts on his own. Gohan quickly chopped through the first and punched through the second with a furious shout. He rocketed forward and, before Bardock could block, Gohan launched a second punch directly into his gut. Bardock's eyes rolled back and his dry-heaved. But still, Gohan did not let up. He continued to pummel the older man, battering him across his face and his gut before harshly kicked him into a pile of rocks below.

All was still for a minute, and then Bardock came shooting back into the air. More blows were exchanges, Bardock finding to his dismay that he was firmly on the backfoot. Seeing the small hope of a tiny opening, Bardock seized the opportunity and smacked Gohan away with all his strength. Gohan went flying, seemingly stunned, until his head suddenly snapped back into attention, and he began to fire dozens of Ki bolts at once. Bardock sighed, he didn't have to be a genius to know what was coming next. The older Saiyan crossed his arms over his face as Gohan clapped his hands together and a Hellzone Grenade crashed into the older Saiyan.

The explosion went off with a mighty boom and Gohan glowered down at the guttering smoke. He saw a new hole in the ground, but no Bardock. Gohan closed his eyes to try and sense his grandfather, but Bardock shot up from the ground directly beneath him. The older Saiyan crashed shoulder first into his grandson's stomach and then quickly followed that up with a hateful knee to the face. Gohan doubled over and Bardock slammed his fist onto the back of the boy's head, sending him crashing to the ground below.

Bardock snorted. "Serves you right for thinking that a borrowed technique would do me in!"

Gohan stood, coldly furious. And then he lunged at his grandfather. Before Bardock could react, Gohan seized him by the armor strap and slammed him face-first into the ground. Then Gohan dragged him, leaving a deep trench in the ground with his grandfather's face before giving an almighty spin and heaving him into the nearest mountainside.

The boy then leapt in and continued the assault, grabbing Bardock by the back-plate and leveling several punches directly into his kidney. Bardock sputtered, feeling a genuine level of pain that he wasn't expecting. He knew that Gohan could be vicious, but this was more than he had expected. Needing to escape this torment quickly, Bardock seized Gohan's fist and then shot a kick directly upward and into the boy's face. Gohan stumbled back and Bardock fired a massive Ki blast into his chest to send him skidding. He thought he had a moment to breathe, until Gohan headbutted his way through the ki blast and fired an Oozaru Mouth Cannon directly at his grandfather. Both blasts exploded simultaneously, Gohan's sending him flying back and few feet and shredding off a bit more of his tattered Saiyaman robes. Bardock, meanwhile, found himself laying in a heap of rubble. He was thoroughly singed.

Both warriors took a moment to regain themselves. Gohan was gasping for breath and Bardock was struggling to stand. He glared at Gohan and chuckled. "The Oozaru Cannon, eh? You're learning…"

Gohan spat. "Save your empty complements. They mean nothing so long as you're hiding that wizard's mark beneath your bandana…"

The boy cocked his head. "Why not whip the thing off? You're Babidi's pet now! Where your brand loud and proud, why don't ya?!"

Bardock shook his head. "I don't see any logic in taking off the item that allows me to control my clairvoyance…"

Gohan snapped. "Logic?! LOGIC?! You nearly killed the woman who made that bandana today! You would have blasted Bulma to pieces if it weren't for 17 and 18! What the hell kind of logic are you looking at right now?!"

Bardock shrugged. "I believe we discussed the greater good on Namek. Well, this is all for the greater good~"

Gohan snarled. "Bullshit."

Bardock sniffed. "What a filthy mouth you've developed…"

And then, without warning, Bardock shot forward and clotheslined Gohan right across the mouth. Gohan crashed into the ground and Bardock landed with a stomp. He summoned a blast into his hand and aimed it directly at the boy's face. "Rebellion Trigger!"

Gohan quickly burst the attack with a Kiai fired from his eyes. Bardock was blown slightly back, and Gohan was on his feet in the blink of an eye. He punched his grandfather in the throat and then kicked him in the ribs. Bardock groaned and instinctively leaned forward, only for Gohan to meet him in the middle with a furious elbow to the face. Bardock's nose exploded with blood, but he quickly responded with a Ki blast right back into Gohan's face. The boy tried to withstand, staring his grandfather's energy straight on and almost overcoming it. And then Bardock leveled up the pressure and Gohan was sent flying back.

Bardock flew after him, a kick at the ready, but Gohan was prepared once more. Just before his grandfather's foot made contact, Gohan grabbed him by the ankle and harshly yanked him down. And then, he uppercutted Bardock as hard as he could. The older Saiyan's head snapped back, and Gohan shoulder tackled him into the sky.

Bardock was in a delirious freefall, feeling the punishment coming but utterly unable to respond to it. He lashed out with his hands but kept meeting empty air as he was pummeled around and around until finally slamming into the ground. Bardock raised a hand to push himself up and it was quickly stomped into the rocks. And now, with the ground as a reference point, Bardock was able to counterattack. He yanked his arm from the ground, bringing a 500-pound boulder with it and smashed it into the waiting Gohan's face. Bardock smirked, thinking he had won, only to gasp in horror at a familiar energy pulsing on Gohan's fingers. He barely had time to summon a Rebellion Edge as Gohan roared out. "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

The twisting energy drill fired from Gohan's fingers and Bardock chopped it dead center, cleaving the attack in half and sending the two halves rocketing in opposite directions. As two explosions went off behind him, Bardock breathed a sigh of relief. That sigh quickly hitched in his throat as Gohan suddenly seized him by the wrist of his blade hand. Gohan through a punch and Bardock dodged out of the way just in time. The boy went for a punt kick and Bardock jerked his head back. He tried to return a kick of his own but was sent flying with a stomach punch for his trouble.

Gohan roared with power and gave chase, drawing his head back for a headbutt. Bardock responded in kind and the two warriors exchanged shattering headbutts, both of their eyes going white.

Memories played in rapid succession. Grandpa Bardock being taught Earth history. Gohan being taught how to hunt. Bardock trying to understand an Earth movie while Gohan laughed. Both of them being taken clothes shopping by Grandma Gine. The two of them eatitng lunch together. Gohan showing off his home-schooling test scores and Bardock proudly ruffling the boy's hair. Gohan opened his wincing eyes again and found tears pouring from them. "Goddammit…"

Bardock gained the upper hand and rang Gohan's bell with a hearty right cross. Gohan moaned. "No…"

The older Saiyan stomped hard on his foe's chest. Gohan sobbed. "I can't do this…"

Bardock grabbed Gohan by the hair and drew his fist back. "I can't…"

"FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY~"

Gohan went blank. And then Bardock screamed in agony.

The older Saiyan leapt back, clutching at two deep gashes that were newly ripped across his chest. He roared in pain, his blood splattering to the ground in great splashes. Bardock looked up, his eyes wide, and spoke in a quiet and quite terrified voice. Put more plainly, Bardock was scared shitless. "Oh no…"

Gohan stood there, his face blank. Tears were pouring from his eyes. The tatters of his Saiyaman robes burning away. The boy's head lolled to the side, as if he were unconscious. And what was propping him up? A black-and-red flaming aura with two spindling hands splayed above, like a puppet master with a marionette.

Bardock saw this new menace looming in front of him, an unhinged ancient terror, and he spoke very quietly to himself. "Hurry up, Babidi…"

Meanwhile, in a barren archipelago somewhere in the middle of the ocean…

Son Chika continued to fly on her mission, so focused on her personal goal that she had neglected to notice the sudden army of aliens, nor her twin's sudden disappearance. Goten was eager to run off and join in on a fight, but fighting was never Chika's real interest. She liked cooking and baking, helping her parents in the garden or in the field, and, most of all, Son Chika loved her family. That was why this was so important to her. To her, the most important task of the day wasn't fighting some foe. It was finding…

Chika gasped. "RANCH!"

Ranch was sitting all alone atop a rocky bluff, crying her eyes out and sobbing openly against the sound of waves crashing against the crags below. The poor girl, after everything the World Martial Arts Tournament had brought her, was lost in a sea of sadness and desperation. The look of scorn on 18's face flashed through her head. It was so much like the look of scorn on her father's face whenever they locked eyes. What if all the adults were looking at her like that?! What if every memory she had, even the happy ones, were all just bitter and full of disdain.

Ranch hiccuped and silently questioned why she was even alive?

And then Chika landed and called out again. "Ranch!"

Ranch looked up and glanced, puffy-eyed, at her younger cousin. "Chika…?"

Chika ran over and, without asking permission or waiting for a cue, wrapped her arms around her cousin as tightly as she could. Empathetic as she was, Chika couldn't help but break down in tears as she held her cousin tight. "Oh, Ranch! I was so worried about you! Are you okay?! What made you cry like that?!"

Hearing her little cousin sob, Ranch's crying stopped for just a moment. She sniffled and wiped her nose and gently patted her cousin on the head. "Hey, squirt, don't you start… crying too…"

The tears returned to Ranch's eyes once more and she hurriedly blinked them away. No matter what, she was the oldest of the kids. She had to keep it together for the rest of them. Not to mention, she had more or less screamed her throat raw already. Ranch opened her mouth to comfort Chika, but then her eyes went wide. Ranch rapidly looked around. "What?!"

Chika lifted her face from Ranch's hoodie. "Ranch… what is it?"

Ranch ignored Chika, getting to her feet and speaking with a hint of fear in her voice. "WH-WHO'S THERE?!"