Son Gohan The Destroyer

by EmeraldSaiyan

Death greets Gohan at the end of the Cell Games, yet instead of passing on to the Otherworld, Whis takes an interest in the young half-saiyan's incredible power and decides to train him as Lord Beerus' successor. With the balance of the universe at stake, Gohan accepts the deity's offer. (AU)

27. Uprising

A/N: Hello everyone and happy new year! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! It has been a rocky couple of months but I am finally on the mend after surgery, and have been working really hard to complete what I am now referring to as 'The HFIL Saga'. Originally it was going to be two chapters long, but it fits better with three. The chapters are a little shorter and the second part is nearly complete so I am hoping that I can get that out to you soon. This has been super fun to write (just as much as writing Gohan in a maids outfit - ha!) and if you're wondering if it's some kind of filler, it isn't - everything has a purpose here. And of course, it's great to give Gohan some more adventures!

As always, thank you all for being so patient and for all the love, reviews, faves and follows! I am really enjoying this journey, thank you for being there with me for the ride!

ES x

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Chapter Twenty-Seven

Uprising

xxxx

Area ? ? ?, Sector ? ? ? . Home For Infinite Losers

Gohan had been kidnapped far too many times than he would care to admit.

The first time it had happened, he had barely been four years old, and he would never forget the crippling fear and panic that had gripped him as he was wrenched from his father's side by his estranged uncle. Nor how much he had screamed and sobbed for his parents as he was forcibly imprisoned in a suffocating space pod.

Of course, his father had come to his rescue almost immediately, but alas, his freedom had been short-lived. Son Goku had been killed in the ensuing conflict and Gohan had once again found himself in the charge of another stranger. There was no time to mourn for his father, nor grieve for the luxuries that he had once known in his family's quaint cottage in the mountains, for his new captor - Piccolo, would not allow it. Time was not in abundance, and he was condemned to spend a year in the wilderness in preparation for the fight for Earth and the Dragonballs.

It was some years later before he was taken again, waking up in an unknown place with another strange being looming over him. Though he reasoned that although Whis had indeed plucked his soul from its original destination of King Yemma's Check-In Station, he did not hold him against his will.

After that, the young Saiyan had lost count. Due to being the youngest and shortest during his early years on Lord Beerus' world, he had been pressured into taking on the role of 'the bait' during many missions with his fellow recruits. He had been held captive by numerous monsters and warlords, even The Galactic Patrol at one point (although that mishap could be considered as more of an arrest than a kidnapping). Kratos too, had once ripped him from his bed in the middle of the night along with Makhai when he was around thirteen, and dumped them off in a random rift in between dimensions that neither of them could escape - for days.

Whis was severely unimpressed by the incident, though even more so when he'd learned that Kratos' reasoning for 'misplacing' his comrades was in retaliation to the mischievous duo emptying an entire bottle of thinning solution into his shampoo. The only solace that Gohan had gained from the experience was that he could still see a bald patch on the warrior's head should he float above him.

Either way, it had been years since he had been subjected to such humiliation, he was no longer a little kid after all. He was a Junior Destroyer for goodness sake! And at nineteen years old, he would've thought that he'd outgrown this crap by now.

So much for staying out of trouble.

BOOM!

Another unrelenting explosion rocked the area as they flew at rapid speeds. The booming force blowing Gohan's long pigtails away from his face and hitting his captor in the nose. The mysterious man coughed and spluttered, though his vice-like grip did not loosen from where he had hold of him by the scruff of his neck. Spitting out a mouthful of hair, he snarled down at the teenager who was still gawping at him in bewilderment.

"Close your damned mouth!" The stranger ordered over the roaring winds, his voice low and gravely and laced with annoyance, "I ain't gonna be held responsible if a hellbat flies into your throat and eats your tonsils! That damned woman wouldn't let me hear the end of it!"

Not too certain if his father's look-a-like was joking or not, Gohan promptly clamped his jaw tight - not wanting to take any chances. He swallowed dryly, though before he could ask just what in Otherworld was going on, did their flight abruptly change course.

The halfling squeaked as he was almost strangled by the rough tug of his collar against his adams apple, the pair hurtling around a sharp corner and rapidly descending into a deep valley overlooked by a vast mountain range.

The tallest of the peaks lay in a great line that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was as though the rocky spines had once belonged to a mighty beast who had lay down after tirelessly wondering the depths of HFIL, only to never to get back up again. The range was high to the east and low to the west, curling at the end like a tail. Cold, jagged crevices loomed over them as they delved deeper into the darkness, and Gohan could just make out the thick ice at their points, sharp and glistening like fangs.

He was let go as he was flung into a dark cave at the base of one of the rocky mountains. Skidding to a halt as he landed roughly on his backside, the young Destroyer glared up at his captor who was too busy staring out of the cave entrance to notice his growing anger. The man's jaw was clenched tightly shut as he surveyed the barren valley, his obsidian eyes hard and calculating.

It was only now, by the blinding light of the explosions that flashed across the opening, did Gohan finally manage to get a proper look at him. He was tall and muscular, his bulky torso shielded by black and green battle armour, not too dissimilar to the Frieza Force's attire, though instead of the wide shoulder pads, it had green-coloured thigh pads stretching over either side of his hips.

His lightly tanned skin was marked by an abundance of faded scars, along with a more prominent one that spread thick and sharply across his left cheek. He wore dark red shin and wrist guards, black and green fighting boots, and a curiously crimson-stained headband over his forehead. He had a mass of thick black hair that stood out at odd angles atop his head, a style which had stricken Gohan with such a strong sense of familiarity moments earlier.

He had been mistaken of course, for the more he stared at the stranger did he notice the subtle differences between him and his father, his eyes drawn to his hard chiseled features that glowed in the fires that raged beyond the mountain, and what appeared to be a permanent snarl etched upon his lips. And as a wave of shadows cast over the damp stone walls, did the halfling notice that, just like him, he had a shining golden halo hovering above his head.

That, and the furry brown tail wrapped around his waist was impossible to miss.

"What the - ?!" Gohan started hotly, clambering to his feet before the man slapped a calloused hand over his mouth and chin - muffling the rest of his sentence and shoving him flat against the rugged wall.

Though just as the young Destroyer was about to unleash his fury upon his ballsy assailant, did a bellowing battle cry sound from somewhere in the distance. It was loud and barbarous, reverberating through the desolate mountain range and echoing harshly against the cave walls. No more than a split second later, did hundreds - no, thousands of hellions race past their hiding place and out into the horizon, roaring, cheering and firing random Ki blasts from their hands as they went.

"That was close," he told him, finally releasing him as the enormous group disappeared into the shadows beyond the mountain, "I didn't think so many of them would escape. We can't let them see us, not just yet."

"Who the hell are you?!" Gohan demanded fiercely as he slipped into a defensive fighting stance, "What's going on?! Why did you bring me here?!"

He was perplexed, as the mysterious warrior snorted almost mockingly at his display, "I think the better question is why did you let me bring you in here. Tch, and here was me thinking that you'd put up at least a little bit of a fight. Gotta say, as far as first impressions go - disappointing."

"W-What?" The teenager blundered, though his frustration was evident as he gritted his teeth at the man's mockery, "Just who the hell are you?! And why do you look like my - ?! Y-You know what, that doesn't matter."

He paused, breathing out slowly and attempting to get the image of his father's despairing eyes back on the cruise ship out of his mind. Indeed, it was obvious that this man was a Saiyan, the black hair and eyes, as well as the extra appendage was a dead give away. And from previous run-ins with the notorious space-pirates, he wasn't going to allow himself to let his guard down that easily. Even though Vegeta had mellowed out significantly nowadays from what he had seen when he was back on Earth, he would never forget the brutal Prince of Darkness that once was, nor how he used to openly boast about his race's ruthless and bloodthirsty nature.

Back when he was learning about the rich history of the universe and of the tyrants who had ruled over the galaxies in the modern eras, Gohan had himself wondered just what the Saiyans would have been capable of if they hadn't been driven to the brink of extinction by Frieza and his tyrannical family. Though he had deduced that whatever it was would have no doubt upset the universal balance, and that maybe by some odd twist of fate, he may have had to put an end to it by his own destructive hand.

It had always seemed strange to him, especially when they had learned of his father's true heritage, that someone like Son Goku could have hailed from such a planet full of cruel and merciless warriors. For the man was the most selfless and kind-hearted person he had ever known, certainly nothing like this space-pirate in front of him who positively exuded arrogance and a brutish sense of pride. And judging by the sneering look upon his features as he regarded him, this man was just like any other full-bloodied Saiyan he had encountered.

It was obvious that he was trying to rile him up or challenge him in some way, which angered the younger Saiyan even more so! He'd had an incredibly testing day thus far, and he'd be damned if this brute tried to 'cop-a-feel' too.

Standing more upright with his shoulders tall, and giving the Saiyan brute the most intimidating stare he could muster, Gohan decided to rise to his title, lowering his voice so that his commanding tone battered against the cavernous stone surrounding them, "Do you know who I am, mortal?"

The mysterious male stared, and for a moment the teenager had thought that his 'Almighty' display had done the trick and terrified him into submission. That was, before he let out a loud snort, not even attempting to cover up his subsequent bark of laughter.

Something, which the young Destroyer-in-training did not take lightly to.

"Oi!" He barked in annoyance, as the man continued to hysterics, his gruff bursts of laughter grating on his nerves. By rights, he should be quivering in fear at the mere sight of him, though this nutcase had not only swiped him off the murky streets of HFIL and stuffed him into the side of a mountain, but was acting as though he was looking at a puppy performing cute tricks and not a mighty Destroyer of Worlds demanding answers, "What's so funny?!"

"Now that was just precious," The Saiyan chortled, smirking at him, "Tell me kid, when did you graduate from pull-ups?"

"So you don't know who I am then," Gohan glowered, allowing a wry grin to play upon his lips and balling his hands up into fists, "Well that's just fine by me, because I'd be more than happy to show you."

"Calm down twinkle-toes, I know exactly who you are," he replied haughtily, apparently unfazed by his dangerous threat, "Do you think that I'd just up and save any random-ass teenager in a dress?"

The halfling scowled, heat rising to his cheeks as the man gave his attire a scrutinising once over and wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"As soon as I caught sight of you in that ridiculous get up, I just knew that you'd have to belong to one of my idiot cubs," he told him, causing Gohan to frown in confusion.

"Wait, what?"

"Oh come on," he griped, clicking his tongue in aggravation, "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one of the family."

"Did you get him Bardock?!"

He didn't get a chance to retort, as a shout suddenly cut through the air, accompanied by rapid footsteps from further down the dark cave. The voice was light and feminine, belonging to a short figure who stepped out of the pitch blackness and into the dim light that poured into the lip of the cave's entrance.

Slender and petite, the woman had much softer features compared to her companion. She too was wearing combat armour in shades of bronze and dark green, and a halo atop her shaggy black hair that barely reached to her shoulders. Her dark eyes were wide and anxious, her own Saiyan tail unraveling from her waist as she skidded to a halt before them.

"Yeah I got him, Gine," The mystery man - Bardock, huffed somewhat begrudgingly, giving the teenager another scathing look, "Although I thought I was supposed to be picking up a grandson, not a granddaughter."

Gohan was floored.

"G-Grand -? Wha- ?!" He spluttered in disbelief, before Gine shrieked in delight and the next thing he knew, he had been forcibly pulled into her embrace, his messy head clanging against the front of her chest plate as she clasped him tightly to her bosom.

The hug - if one could call it as such - resembled one like his mother used to give him, though was much much stronger. So much so that he was certain he would have been starved of oxygen if he wasn't already dead. Either way, the young Saiyan was too shocked to move, let alone free himself of her iron grasp.

Lucky, Bardock came to his aid.

"Alright alright!" He growled, yanking the flustered teen away by the scruff of his neck, "Control yourself woman, give the damned cub some room!"

"Oh hush," she spouted, uncaring of her husband's aversion to affection and clasping Gohan by the cheeks with both hands, gazing into his eyes - as though searching for something, "Oh just look at him Bardock! Don't you think that he looks like my father?"

"Tch," the Saiyan mustered with obvious contempt, "I hope the resemblance stops there, I don't wanna have to face a reincarnation of that pain in the ass."

Gine rolled her eyes, though she failed to hide her amusement, "Don't you think that it's about time you forgot about all of that nonsense? It has been nearly fifty years since he died."

"And I'd take an eternity in HFIL over spending another second with that miserable old f - !"

"Hold on a minute! Time out!" Gohan interrupted suddenly, tearing himself out of the strange woman's grasp and backing away, his eyes wide as he regarded the two Saiyans in disbelief, unable to quite comprehend the situation, "Just who are you people?! Look, you'd better tell me just what the hell is going on here or else - !"

"You mean you haven't told him?" Gine started, frowning deeply at Bardock, who all but huffed in annoyance.

"Well I was a little busy saving the brat from being reduced to ash," he replied indifferently, "That big explosion burst the fire-dams banks, and he was just standing there watchin' it speed towards him. Gormless fuck."

"I didn't ask for your help, you know," he spat back, prompting the older Saiyan to roll his eyes.

"Whatever kid, you should be thanking me for saving your stupid ass."

"Bardock is right, Gohan," Gine began to explain before the teenager could offer his own angry retort, "The flames contained by that dam aren't ordinary. From time to time, it overspills and creates a very dangerous river of wild fire that runs all the way through HFIL. Sometimes, when the firestorms are especially bad down here it can spread all throughout the main sectors, burning everyone and everything to cinders. It's part and parcel of the punishments for the inmates. If we're unlucky enough to get caught up in it, we'll re-spawn after being burned alive because we're doomed to spend an eternity here. But for someone like you, however, the same rules don't apply, and a wave of that magnitude could have wiped you out completely, if not injured you very badly."

"Hang on," he managed to muster after a beat of silence, attempting to ignore the shudder that travelled up his spine at the revelation of the gruesome tortures that befell the occupants of HFIL, "You know my name? A-And just now you called me your - "

"Grandson, yes!" The Saiyan woman beamed, giddy with excitement and holding her hands to her heart, as if trying desperately trying to stop herself from hugging him senseless again, "I can't believe that we finally get to meet you! Oh and I thought this day would never come - not that I would wish for you to spend your afterlife down here of course! Are you surprised?"

Well, that was one word for it, he thought, staring unblinkingly back at them. "A-Are you really my grandparents?"

"Oh for the love of - yes!" said Bardock, his grandfather, rolling his eyes in exasperation, "Surely it's not that much of a difficult concept to grasp, boy. Your father had to come from some poor fucker's junk."

Gohan grimaced at the vulgarity. Well, at least that explained why the man resembled his father so much. Though the thought was surreal, only a few short hours ago he was scrubbing the deepest bowels of King Yemma's toilet bowl in a maids outfit, and now he was hiding in a cave in the middle of HFIL talking to his Saiyan grandparents (still in said outfit, mind). People who he had never thought he would meet, for he had accepted many years ago that his Saiyan ancestors had been condemned to HFIL for their crimes just like the rest of their race.

How did he keep getting himself into these situations again?

But perhaps what was even more unbelievable was the fact that the pair of supposedly ruthless, bloodthirsty space-pirates had just saved him from being barbecued - something that he was certainly going to keep to himself for want of Lord Beerus and Whis not getting wind of it. That was just one oddity, the other was the fact that his grandmother seemed so… nice? Definitely not the type of person to be subjected to an eternity in HFIL if first impressions were anything to go by. In fact, despite his crass and sarcastic demeanour, his grandfather hadn't exactly tried to mutilate him just yet.

Though Gohan had every right to be sceptical, for every first encounter he'd had with a Saiyan had gone sour. A part of him couldn't help but think that they were playing some kind of trick. Then again, Saiyans weren't exactly known for being deceptive at heart, they weren't usually sneaky or delighted in using stealth tactics. No, from what he knew from the near-extinct race, they were full-frontal and brash, rather facing their opponents head on in an all out brawl. Trickery, as Vegeta had once remarked some years ago, was the very height of cowardice according to a Saiyan. And the Prince was certainly a man who did not like to be tricked.

So what was the deal? Had they seemingly mellowed out in death just like Vegeta had in life?

He wasn't so certain, though he couldn't help but be a little hopeful, as his grandmother succumbed to her emotions once more, pulling him in for another bone-breaking hug. Her slender arms wrapped lovingly around his middle and squeezed him tight. He hugged her back awkwardly, despite himself, and was pleasantly surprised to feel the maternal warmth radiating from her. Though Bardock made an agitated grunt at the display.

"Oh Gohan, my sweet little cub," Gine gushed, looking up at him with watery eyes, "I can't tell you how happy I am to have this moment."

"Well er - , it's good to meet you," said Gohan, still a little stunned, but smiled all the same, "I can't believe it myself really."

She chuckled, reaching up on her tiptoes and ruffling his bangs with her delicate fingers, causing him to blush, "I can't believe that you're this tall!"

Bardock scoffed, "And I can't believe that you're this frilly."

"Bardock," Gine said in warning, though her smile was still sweet - quite frankly, the combination was a little unnerving, "Maybe Gohan feels comfortable in what he's wearing. And as his loving, supportive grandparents we need to respect his choices, we have no right to judge - !"

"It wasn't my choice!" The halfling exclaimed hotly, gripping at his skirts out of embarrassment, "I was forced to wear this, alright?!"

"Sure you were," his grandfather snorted sarcastically, "Look, all I'm saying is that you're walking a little too good in those heels for someone who was only just forced to wear them, kid. That, and you could just take it off. I'd rather walk around stark bollock naked than parade myself around lookin' like a fool. "

"I'm not allowed to take it off!" He argued, his blush deepening even more so, "It was a punishment given to me by the Gods themselves - !"

"Oh really? And what could Kakarot's golden boy have done that was so bad that the 'Gods themselves' had to deliver the penalty?"

Gohan froze, as a snide, sneering voice escaped from somewhere in the shadows. A searing hot anger filled him without warning, as the spiteful tone was all too familiar. It was a voice that had sung from deep within his darkest childhood memories, belonging to a man - a monster, whom he'd hoped he would never have to set eyes upon again.

Raditz stepped forwards into the light, his large boots tapping roughly upon the rocky ground as the reddish hue from the circling clouds outside bathed his tall, muscular frame in an eerie crimson glow. He looked exactly the same as he had done fifteen years ago. The same black and brown armour, the hulking Saiyan stature that even surpassed Bardock's, the long brown tail that had sent Krillin flying into the wall of Kame House all those years ago. The scarred and calloused fists that had unleashed so much agony upon his father, now balled up tightly in an offensive stance, the same snarl curling his lips as he regarded the half-saiyan before him.

The fiendish brute must have heard the teenager's breath hitch involuntary, as his smirk grew even wider.

"Come now, nephew," said Raditz, his mass of long spikey hair wavering in the sudden cold breeze that swept the cave, "Don't keep us in suspense. Why don't you elaborate?"

He growled, gritting his teeth as a bombardment of haunting memories swelled within him, "I'll elaborate my fists all over your face if you take one step closer."

The tension surged and sizzled between them, and Gohan had focused his dangerous stare so much so on his estranged uncle that he failed to notice his grandmother looking worriedly between them.

"Hn," Raditz observed mockingly, "It appears as though you've gotten somewhat better at defending yourself, brat. Though it's a shame that I couldn't say the same gall resided with your father. I can still hear that pathetic excuse for a Saiyan's screams as he allowed me to torture him to within an inch of his life."

Gohan's eyes flashed green, his fury rising, "WHY YOU - !"

SMACK!

The teenager jerked forwards, wincing at the sudden pain that seared across the back of his skull. He whirled around in shock, shooting daggers at his estranged grandfather's offending hand. The man looked livid.

"What was that for?!" He growled, rubbing the sore spot on his head as Raditz snickered at his misfortune.

"I'm not having you two fuckwits attack each other when we've got bigger shit to deal with," Bardock stated, lowering his arm and glaring at the pair of them.

"But -!"

"No, shut it!" He snapped, pointing an accusatory finger as he continued, "I don't give a shit just how powerful you are, you ain't gonna throw your weight around under my watch. And before you even think of arguing back, you'd do well to respect your fucking grandparents, boy!"

He pouted, as his grandfather rounded on his eldest son, "And YOU Raditz, do you really want to fuck with a Destroyer?! You do remember what happened the last time you pissed this kid off, right?"

As Gohan pondered just how in the world he even knew that he was a Destroyer, Raditz looked furious, "But father - !"

"NO BUTS!" Bardock yelled, cutting across him, "Bunch of little shits. If Kakarot were here I'd bash all three of your skulls together so hard, so help me - !"

"Bardock, my moonshine," Gine interrupted sweetly, smoothing her hands over his shoulders - which seemed to slowly relieve the tension much to Gohan's surprise, "Why don't you let me handle this?"

The Saiyan warrior grumbled in annoyance, still fuming. Though he relented, muttering to himself as he stalked away with his arms folded. He plonked himself down on a nearby boulder, allowing Gine to address both uncle and nephew.

"Now Gohan," she started carefully, "I know that what Raditz did was… wrong. But believe me when I say that I was just as angry with him as I was with Kakarot."

The teenager gaped, "But my dad didn't do anything - !"

"Let me finish," she said forcefully, "I think that there is much more to the situation than you realise."

"Mother, this is NOT necessary - !" Raditz started, though with a firm look from the Saiyan woman, he too was silenced.

"Your grandfather and I, we sacrificed everything to keep our sons alive," Gine explained, looking towards the halfling. Her voice was firm and collected, but there was no denying the storm of emotion that raged deep within her eyes. "We got… wind of Frieza's plan to annihilate our world and every Saiyan on it. He was scared of the power that our race possessed, as we were quickly becoming the best soldiers in the Frieza Force. Your grandfather caught his eye, as he harboured a lot of power for a third-class, even one that had risen through the army ranks and become a Commander. Everyone knew how strong Bardock was becoming, and rumours of the old legend - the Super Saiyan - began to resurface. Frieza's scouts must have tapped into a scouter or two, and reported back to Frieza."

"That bastard ordered every Saiyan fleet and battalion back to Vegeta so he could make sure that we were all wiped out in one, terrified that the prophesied warrior would come into fruition and end him and his empire," she said, a fierce look about her, "It was lucky as at the time, Raditz was off world on a mission with Prince Vegeta and General Nappa. It was incredibly rare for a third class to go on missions with the Prince of all people, but the King was mildly impressed with Bardock's power and wanted to see what his son was made of too. It started out as some sort of test, I think. But as fate would have it, Raditz was a long way from home already, so I made sure that his return orders wouldn't reach them in time."

Gohan's eyes widened, listening intently as his grandmother continued, letting out a shaky breath as she did so. It appeared that it was still a difficult story for her to tell, even after all of these years.

"And, Bardock… he stole a pod for your father to send him off to another world far off Frieza's radar. Kakarot was only a baby, too young to even come out of the nursing capsule at the time. I feared that because of it, he wouldn't make it," she said, tears welling in her eyes, "But your grandfather was adamant that he would. He believed that he was strong, and that he might grow up to defeat Frieza himself one day, maybe even become the Saiyan of legend that he feared. Either way, if we were wrong, we promised that we would go and fetch him, and bring him home."

He stared at Bardock in amazement, "You chose to send my dad to Earth?"

"Piece of shit world," The older warrior shrugged, "Underdeveloped in terms of tech and the inhabitants barley had a power level to brag about. Frieza wouldn't have been interested, so Kakarot would have been able to live on undetected."

"But I thought that he was sent to Earth to destroy it ready for sale or something?" Gohan frowned, bewildered as he looked towards his uncle, "That's what you told us, right?"

Raditz rolled his eyes, "Idiot, I was wearing a scouter. A scouter that could have been tapped into at any time by Frieza's intelligence. Do you really think that bastard would have just let me run off to the edge of the North Galaxy on my own? No, I needed a cover, a goal. So I told Prince Vegeta, Nappa and the rest that I was going to collect my little brother to join us from where he had spent the last twenty odd years slaughtering the inhabitants of an incredibly valuable planet. It wasn't that far off from the truth."

"Although it probably would have been conquered if the stupid little prick hadn't bashed his head open and forgotten pretty much everything that made him a Saiyan," added Bardock.

"But I don't understand, I thought that Saiyans didn't care about family," he said, giving Raditz another scathing glance, "Or any one else for that matter. At least from what I saw anyway."

His grandmother looked a little hurt by his words, as Raditz growled, his cheeks reddening with anger, "Mind your tongue, brat! You have no idea of the miserable existence I suffered in the living world. My race, my planet, my home was blown to space-dust and I spent the best part of twenty-five years under Frieza's heel! I risked my life travelling to Earth to find your worthless father. And what do I find when I get to that miserable rock? Not a Saiyan, nor a brother but a man, a boy who forgot everything and denied his heritage and as well as his bloodline! He threw my offer to leave his merry band of weaklings and join a cause worthy of a true warrior back in my face!"

"You threatened to kill everyone on Earth!" The young Saiyan snapped, his own fury bubbling over as his grandparents looked back and forth between them, "Not only that, you kidnapped his son and tried to make him slaughter innocent people just to get me back! How the hell did you expect him to react?!"

"He made a mockery out of me and everything that I stood for!" He roared, his bellow ricocheting off the cave walls and escaping into the shadows behind them, "We could have led a revolt and defeated Frieza and his army together! We could have avenged our parents, our race! But Kakarot denied me that, he renounced himself as a Saiyan and instead pledged his allegiance as an Earthling. And hell did he prove it, allying himself with the weak and interbreeding with the locals! And after everything I went through, I was rejected by my own brother, do you have any idea how that feels, brat?!"

Silence followed as Raditz panted, his breath laboured and laced with anger, frustration and a sadness that stumped the young Destroyer - albeit momentarily. He thought on his uncle's words carefully, regarding his next step as the end of the man's sentence continued to clatter through the humid air.

He briefly pondered what his father might have said in this situation, but alas, Gohan was not his father, and therefore wasn't able to forgive as easily.

"Maybe I didn't know about your life," he spoke slowly, boldly staring up at him, "But scouter or not, if that's what you truly believed then you should have said something along those lines before you threatened the Earth."

Raditz looked away, averting his dark stare to his boots, but Gohan continued firmly, "My father has always been a tolerant man, but when someone threatens the lives of those he loves then he finds it hard to just let that slide. Brother or not."

The halfling sighed as his uncle still refused to face him. Instead, his eyes only darkened further, "Look, I'm sorry for what Frieza did to you, to everyone. But I know a lot of people whose lives haven't been all sunshine and rainbows either, and they didn't do the half of what you did to my family and friends. Bottom line, you acted like a complete prick - so forgive me if I'm a little unsympathetic."

He had half expected the bulky Saiyan to throw a fit when he had finished. But although he was clearly burning with rage, Raditz scoffed and stomped away from the group, glaring at one of the dark corners of the cave - but he did not leave.

Bardock let out a small chuckle, "Don't worry about it kid, we've already chewed him out for what he did. Though you might wanna get your head outta your father's ass, he ain't no damned saint. He should have ditched the sentiments and joined his brother like a true Saiyan warrior. And don't look so fucking butt-hurt. Despite what you 'believe', Saiyans do look out for each other, always have, always will - especially the lower-class, sometimes it's the only way to survive. And incase you need your memory jogging, boy, I think you'll find that it was Kakarot that killed Raditz, not the other way around."

He clenched his jaw, ready to fight his father's corner once again, when Gine placed a gentle hand on his bicep.

"Gohan listen," she started seriously, "Raditz has had a long time to think about his mistakes, as I'm sure Kakarot has too. I understand your anger, but we can't talk about this here - not now, we need to get going before we get caught up in the uprising."

"Uprising?!" Gohan gaped in disbelief, his anger wavering, "What?! Is that what all those explosions were?!"

"It isn't for discussion here, little cub, we haven't much time," his grandmother cooed, dragging him by the hand and making to lead the way back into the shadows, "Come, I was in the middle of preparing a feast for your arrival before Bardock ran out to get you."

"And what a glorious feast it'll be," Bardock scorned, "More hellfish and bowls of gruel…"

"W-Wait!" The halfling spouted, stopping them in their tracks, "If there's an uprising in HFIL then I've got to stop it! It could upset the universal balance, and it's already being threatened by - !"

"Yes, we've noticed," Raditz said snidely, finally turning to face him once more, "Everyone down here has noticed the amount of dark energy sweeping across the universe. Why do you think there's a resistance in the first place? These things aren't exactly a regular occurrence, you know."

"Yeah I know that," he shot back in annoyance, prompting his uncle to let out an angered growl.

Although he didn't have many dealings with HFIL as a Junior Destroyer, he had read enough during his studies to know that a revolt by its inmates was a very very big deal. On a big enough scale, it could lead to catastrophic consequences - mainly ripping apart the dimensions between this realm and the realm of the living.

And that was the LAST thing that they needed right now.

"But what do you mean everyone down here has noticed?" he asked, even more concerned by his grandfather's sudden serious look.

"Dark realms like HFIL are sensitive to negative energy," said Bardock, "And we've been feeling a darker power growing stronger as it spreads across all dimensions. The inmates have been buzzin' off their tits about it for a while. It's as though they can sense that something is coming, something disastrous and evil that might just be powerful enough to release them from this place. Because of that, the worst have them have broken out of their cells. Though if they knew it was Perses that was coming, they might do the smart thing and lock themselves back up in the deepest pit of HFIL, stick their head between their legs and kiss their ass goodbye."

"You know about Perses?" Gohan mustered, he didn't understand how the man knew so much. For one, Perses was a Junior Destroyer way before Bardock's time, and now he had been dead for some forty years, he should be completely oblivious to what was going on outside of HFIL. Something just didn't add up.

"Of course I do," He sighed gruffly, running a hand through his hair out of frustration, "See, the thing is kid, I - "

He stopped short suddenly - and went ridged.

The teenager was flummoxed as he watched his grandfather's eyes bulge and become vacant and unseeing, his mouth jarring open in what looked like a silent scream. He thought he was going to topple off the boulder he was sat upon, when Gine gasped and rushed to his side, grasping his shoulders tightly with both hands.

"Oh no, Raditz! It's happening again!" She cried worriedly, rubbing her hands over her husband's muscular arms in a soothing manner, "Come on Bardock, snap out of it!"

Though no sooner did the words leave her lips, did the Saiyan appear to come back to his senses. His body relaxed as he breathed out, but his features quickly contorted into an aggressive snarl, his knuckles turning white as he scrunched up his fists from where they rested upon his knees.

"Oh son of a bitch!" He spat furiously, "Just what we need!"

"Father, what was it?" Raditz started, concern marring his brow, "What was the vision?"

"Vision?" Gohan frowned, surely they were pulling his leg, "What do you mean vision?"

"Ambush," Bardock stated, ignoring the question, his breathing still a little laboured as he recovered, "Frieza Force."

Gine gasped, as Raditz swore under his breath, "An ambush? When?"

"In about five seconds."

"What are you psychic now or something?" The halfling drawled sarcastically, though he was confused, as his grandfather let out a dark chuckle.

"Hn, looks like I was wrong," he said, "You're not as stupid as you look."

"Wait, wha - ?"

KA-BOOM!

Too stunned to process his grandfather's words, Gohan lurched forwards as the mountain was struck with a rip-roaring shockwave. Though he quickly recovered, thrusting a hand outwards and conjuring a golden shield around them as the cave began to crack and crumble.

"Are you effing serious?!" The teenager cried, as a shuddering force not unlike an earthquake rocked the entire area. "You're actually psychic?"

Bardock growled from where he had crashed to the ground along with Gine and Raditz, looking irritably up at the young Saiyan, "Do I look like I'm fucking around, kid?"

His retort was stifled, as a bombardment of white hot Ki blasts rained upon the mountain range, scorching the earth and igniting the air beyond the shield. Thick, black clouds of smoke engulfed the area as the whole mountain crumbled to dust, falling from the sky in a clattering shower of rouge rocks and falling debris.

Gohan's eyes narrowed, letting his protective shield dissipate into the air as the ash and smoke began to clear, and in its place filled cruel cackles of laughter.

"Well, well, look what we have here," an amused voice sounded, "A bunch of low-level monkey scum. Funny, I thought that baboons came in larger packs, these four must be strays."

The fact that his dead Saiyan grandfather somehow had psychic abilities that allowed him to look into the future perhaps wasn't the craziest thing that he had ever heard. It would explain how he knew that he was a Destroyer after all, not to mention his knowledge of Perses' and his growing power. However, it was still rather difficult to believe, even now as around three dozen of what were unmistakably Frieza's soldiers hung in the red sky above them - just as he had predicted.

"So," Gohan started somewhat haughtily, relenting in the fact that this day was just getting weirder and weirder, "Do I even want to ask how - ?"

"Magical foresighted fish-faced aliens," Bardock informed him bluntly, getting to his feet and slipping into a bold and unfamiliar fighting stance, Gine and Raditz immediately following suit, "Pissed them off. So they cursed me with the ability to see the future as well as my own abysmal end - which was ultimately being the first to burn up in Frieza's death ball when I tried to stop him from blasting Planet Vegeta into oblivion."

"What did you do to make them so angry?" he asked, eyes wide.

Bardock shrugged, "My crew and I brutally slaughtered their entire race."

"Wow, now I can see their reasoning," Gohan said dryly.

"Don't be a smart ass!" He snapped back, "It's not like you haven't done the same, so don't pull that goody two shoes crap on me!"

"That's different!"

"When you maidens have finished!" A hulking orange-skinned solider called over them. He had a brutish appearance, with a heavy set jaw and wild brown hair. He exuded a sense of superiority as the largest of the group, twisted sharp horns fixed atop his skull and a smirk so wide that he could see the sharp fangs protruding from his lips.

"Ah Bardock! It's been too long, Commander!" He sneered, locking eyes with the warrior below, "I hardly recognised your face."

"Shame that," Bardock glowered, wearing his own smirk, "Though maybe you'd remember the bottom of my boot better Napal, seen as it was the last thing that you ever saw."

Napal seethed, as Gohan turned to his grandfather, "You know them?"

"Dodoria's elite patrol," he said, a dark look about him, "Cowardly bastards murdered my crew whilst I was out of commission not long before Frieza blew us all up."

"And what fun they were too!" Napal chortled, as his troop began to snicker behind him, "I like 'em tough. It took us hours of torture to get them to scream for mercy!"

"They would never - !" Gine started, looking positively wild at the accusation, though Bardock merely chortled.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he mocked, causing the soldiers to snarl with contempt, "Though I have to say you've got some guts showing yourselves around these parts, and I was led to believe that you didn't have any."

"Miserable low-level!" Another green-skinned alien growled, spitting on the ground in disgust, "You dare to tell us what to do?!"

"You're boarding on Saiyan territory," said Bardock, "So I think you'll find that I do. And besides, you know that you're supposed to be rotting in a cell, not roaming free. So why don't you crawl back into your pit before things start to get ugly?"

A roar of laughter escaped the group, as Napal gave them a snide grin, "You threaten us?! You're outnumbered!"

"Oh, I don't think so," The Saiyan warrior smirked, "I've brought the big guns. Though I don't exactly need them to deal with the likes of you peons."

"Me?!" Gohan gaped angrily, as his grandfather pointedly looked towards him, "How does this involve me all of a sudden?!"

Even though he was all for locking up the inmates where they belonged to prevent an uprising, he didn't want to get caught up in any unnecessary brawls. He was already in enough trouble as it was, and only a few hours ago, he had punched an ogre, demolished half of the Check-In Station and unleashed his fury on another hoard of Frieza's men earlier. He wasn't certain just how much more he could get away with before Whis and Lord Beerus started getting word of trouble in HFIL, and he was determined not to get caught in the middle of it.

No, he would have to round up the hellions quickly, inform King Yemma of the situation if he didn't already know, fix the still-broken plumbing and leave.

However, it appeared that Bardock wasn't having any of it.

"Stop being a fucking pansy," he growled, "Are you a Destroyer or not? Even if you don't end their worthless existence, if we kill them they'll re-spawn back in their prison. It's like a default. Hopefully they'll stay there if the ogres have managed to reinforce the cells."

"Hang on a minute," he quirked sceptically, "Why aren't you in a cell? Did you escape too?!"

His grandfather sighed in annoyance, clearly fed up of all his questioning, "Not everyone is condemned to a cell, boy. I mean, I did end up in a cell at first, but I got let out early because of my small act of redemption before I died."

The teenager opened his mouth to reply, when he was interrupted by a wolf whistle from up above them.

"I see you're keeping better company Bardock," Napal practically salivated, eyeing the halfling's outfit and causing Gohan to shudder, "Who's that pretty little thing in the dress?"

Raditz snorted at his misfortune, as he sent him a furious scowl.

Bardock, however, grinned back evilly, "My brat's new piece of ass."

"WHAT?!" Gohan and Raditz cried, horrified.

"Father!" His uncle practically shrieked, as Gine let out an exasperated sigh. Though Bardock ignored them.

"Ain't she a cutie?" He goaded them, "You want her? Come and get her! You'll regret it."

"Can you not?!" The young Saiyan spluttered angrily, trying to ignore the way that the henchmen ogled him with hunger in their eyes, "I've had enough people hitting on me today!"

"Don't look at me," he shrugged indifferently, "It's not my fault that you inherited your grandmother's ass."

Raditz face-palmed, as Gohan let out a mortified squawk.

"Nah, keep her," One of the alien's spouted, "We don't want no sloppy seconds!"

"Yeah!" Another called, "No matter how easy she is, Saiyan trash ain't really my type."

"Especially one with that many hideous muscles!" Napal called.

"Oi!" The teenager shouted, suddenly offended, "I am at least an eight!"

"Yeah, an eight out of a hundred more like," Raditz muttered.

"Piss off!"

"Hey," Bardock growled up at the chortling brutes, "Nobody talks about my grandson like that, even if he is a cross dresser!"

"I already told you!" He fumed, "I was forced to - !"

He felt Bardock's Ki spike without warning, stunning Gohan somewhat as it was far more powerful than he had expected. The earth cracked beneath his boots, as with an almighty bellow did he charge towards the elites. It barely gave the startled group time to react, the majority of them scarpering as Bardock's rampaging fist embedded itself deep within Napal's abdomen.

It smashed straight through the armour, sending shards of broken chest plate and purple blood spewing forth. The orange-skinned solider choked on his own blood as it filled his throat, the sticky fluid pouring down his chin, his features marred in shock and agony.

The Saiyan warrior smirked devilishly at the reaction, relishing in the fact that he was elbow deep in his victim's torso, pushing his arm in a little further into the pit of his stomach and causing the brute to gasp and writhe in his suffering.

"It's just as I thought," Bardock snarled, "You don't have any guts!"

On cue, he wrenched his arm away with a sickening squelch, ripping out a meaty mass of organs from the gaping wound and tossing them to the ground where they landed with a loud and hideous SPLAT!

Well, that was a little excessive, Gohan winced in distaste. Though he didn't have much chance to dwell on his grandfather's brutality, as Napal's blood curdling screams cut through the air. The elite's wide eyes dulled and whitened as he fell rapidly through the sky and tumbled to his demise.

And it was then that pandemonium erupted.

Dodoria's men charged towards Bardock all at once. Their unrestrained cry of fury fuelled by sight and terror of their gutted comrade, as well as the gruesome shock of his bloody insides lying several feet below them.

A shower of hot Ki blasts ignited the air, though the Commander was too quick, phasing out and reappearing above one of the henchmen, cracking them effortlessly across the skull with both fists and sending him crashing to the ground. The soldier impacted the dirt with a barbarous BOOM, forming a small crater around his body that remained broken and unmoving.

"You dirty ape!" A bulky blue-skinned elite roared, firing himself towards the Saiyan and leading another charge through the unfurling columns of smoke left over from the useless beams.

Bardock ducked and dived swiftly out of the way of their attacks, following up with his own unrelenting barrage that sent shockwaves rippling over the half-destroyed mountain range - nearly levelling the rest of the peaks with a devastating blast that exploded from his right palm, wiping out around a third of Dodoria's men in the process.

Enraged, the rest of the henchmen sprang towards him, the first wave easily avoided by the Commander. Though Gohan almost cried out in warning, as an unruly soldier made to grab Bardock from behind when he wasn't looking. But he needn't have been worried, as his grandfather grabbed the hulking man by the elbow, flipping him over his shoulder and subsequently guarding him from another attacker who was quickly closing in.

Bardock's victim shrieked as his comrade's fists sunk into his back instead, cracking his spine on collision with a nauseating snap. The flabbergasted elite all but gawped at the Saiyan, before the both of them were obliterated in another blaze of burning energy - curtesy of Bardock's outstretched hand.

"What was that you were saying about us being outnumbered?" He jested as the blinding light cleared, casting shadows back over his hardened features, "Because the way I'm going, I'd say my odds are pretty damn good."

Alright, so maybe 'Grandpa Bardock' was a little bit of a badass, Gohan thought to himself, his mouth becoming unhinged at the sight of the stoic warrior, whose chilling gaze ran the length of the remaining soldiers as they wisely shrunk away in fear.

"HOW DARE YOU!" A ballsy opponent suddenly roared, drawing back his fist as he careened full-speed towards the mocking Saiyan.

It seemed as though one henchman was all it took for the rest to gather what courage they had left and ambush Bardock in one last desperate attempt. Spotting this, Raditz growled, his eyes glinting with malice as he kicked off from the ground and launched himself towards the fray.

"Oh no you don't!" The long-haired man yelled, aiming for one elite who was too busy charging up a crippling Ki attack to notice him barreling towards him.

"Right behind you, son!" Gine cried fiercely, wanting to get in on the action, a white aura igniting around her petite frame as she followed him hurriedly into the air.

Though Raditz's attempt was in vain, as Bardock blew his assailants back momentarily with an explosive wave of Ki, turning just in time to block the blast that was headed straight for him. The purple beam struck his forearm dead on, though the Commander managed to knock it into the air where it detonated in a vibrant swirl of black and violet smoke. It blew back the amber clouds, causing them to quiver from the force and streaks of blackened lightening to ripple over the upper sky.

The elite squeaked, too blinded by the shock of the explosion to notice Gine appearing behind him. Without missing a beat, her boot aimed for his skull, striking the alien down with an agonising force, where he hit the ground unmoving in much the same manner as his other fallen comrades. Bardock finished off the job with a sizzling Ki ball, the soldier's body disintegrating into nothingness.

"Nice shot, babe," Bardock praised, albeit gruffly.

"You're not so bad yourself," Gine giggled, giving him a sly wink that caused the usually abrasive man's cheeks to tinge pink, "You know Bardock, fighting together like this reminds me of our younger days, going off on missions to conquer distant worlds…"

"Hn, is that so?" The Commander raised an eyebrow as something devilish flashed within his eyes, his lips quirking upwards, "Why don't after this, I remind you of what else we used to get up to on missions?"

Gine flushed, as Raditz rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Oh for the love of - READ A BATTLEFIELD PEOPLE! Can you not do this right now?!"

Gohan - for the first time ever, actually agreed with his uncle, feeling his own embarrassment burning away at him.

His grandfather unashamedly scoffed, "Oh shut up Raditz, just because every woman you've ever bedded has to go to therapy afterwards just to rid herself of the disappointing memory."

The halfling couldn't help but snort, as Raditz positively seethed, "Father! That is not - !"

"Oh please, I've heard the stories from Nappa."

Gine tutted, unimpressed, "Bardock really, is that any way to speak about your eldest son?"

"That depends on whether or not he decides to get off this never ending merry-go-round of disappointment," he replied haughtily.

"But father - !"

"Shut it! I'm tired of your constant backchat, boy! But that's not nearly the main problem here," He snapped, gesturing to the smouldering ashes of the former elite below them, "Like where were you for the last five fucking minutes when I was kicking their asses?! You should have at least gotten one kill in instead of just gawpin' at them!"

"I thought you had it!" He protested angrily, prompting the man to let out a frustrated snarl, "And I was going to make a move until that blast - and then mother - !"

"Enough with your excuses!" Bardock fumed, "You're damned lazy is what you are! You ain't gonna get any stronger sittin' on that good-for-nothing tail of yours! It's already hard enough as it is to improve around here with that idiot troll upstairs breathing down our necks!"

Raditz looked furious, though before he could argue any further, did another bout of cold laughter echo around them. The Saiyans whirled around, it appeared they had forgotten they were in the middle of a fight in light of their family spat. There were now just under half of their opponents left, though despite this - and being the idiots that were Frieza's underlings, the soldiers in question couldn't help but mock those whom they thought were beneath them.

"Your father's right you know," a spotted-skinned elite glowered snidely at Raditz, "You aren't going to save your cute little girlfriend if you don't give us all you've got."

The long-haired warrior's cheeks flushed, enraged, as Bardock howled with laughter, "He's not my damned girlfriend! He's my idiot nephew!"

Gohan scowled up at him, as Dodoria's elites shared a look of disgust.

"Well," one offered thoughtfully, "General Zarbon did used to tell us that all Saiyans were inbred."

"THAT'S IT!" Raditz bellowed, charging up his deadliest attack, his fists buzzing with electrifying energy, "I'll teach you fools to make a mockery out of me - ! DOUBLE SUNDAY!"

At once, two gigantic beams exploded from the Saiyan's palms. The whirring, searing energy speeding towards the startled soldiers, who screamed and yelled as they attempted to dodge the blasts. It connected with a clattering BOOM! the smell of charcoaled fleshed wafting through the air as the rest of the henchmen were completely wiped out.

"Huh," Bardock observed as the light dissipated, nodding in approval, "That wasn't nearly as entirely useless as usual, you actually managed to hit someone with it."

Raditz seethed, as the man continued gruffly, "Shame about the name though."

"Father, now is really not the time to be discussing the names of my techniques!"

"He's got a point, you know," said Gohan, unable to keep himself from agreeing with his grandfather about the badly named attack.

"Shut up, runt!" He shot back, "What the hell do you know anyway?! I bet you haven't even got a signature attack!"

"Er, I have actually."

"Oh really?" Raditz barked, throwing his head back in exclamation, "And what could possibly be the name of this 'big scary attack' hmm? 'The blast of love and friendship'? 'The beam of hope and justice?' Or 'The song and dance of weaklings?!'"

"Mass Extinction."

Bardock smirked, as his uncle spluttered wordlessly, "He's got you there, Raditz, that does sound pretty fucking cool."

The teenager smirked back, as Raditz huffed and stuck his nose in the air in defiance, "Well… it's not that cool."

Gohan rolled his eyes, "Sure it isn't."

"Fuck you, brat!"

They were interrupted, by an obvious shift in the air. The young Destroyer felt the disturbance just before it happened, the low rumble that reached his sensitive ears and the rubble beneath his feet beginning to shudder and quake. He cast his dark eyes towards the horizon, where the shadows were so dark that they appeared solid. Slowly, he saw the darkness start to stir, and move towards them at a rapid speed.

And it was then did he realise that they weren't shadows at all. No, they were inmates - Frieza's army to be exact. Hundreds, thousands of them careening towards the decimated valley, a furious war cry erupting from their throats as they headed straight for them.

Gohan wondered firstly how they could have even found them all the way out here seen as he had noticed that none of the henchman so far had been wearing scouters - most likely not being able to bring them with their bodies to HFIL. Then again, his Saiyan family had caused quite a commotion that wasn't that difficult to miss.

"Incoming!" Gine yelled, slipping into stance in midair as she spotted the charging army.

"Well I didn't want them to find us so soon, but I guess it can't be helped," said Bardock, a wry smirk playing on his lips as he smashed a closed fist into the palm of his hand, "Looks like some people just can't wait to be blasted back into their cells."

"They may just be grunts, but there's a hell of a lot of them," said Raditz, gritting his teeth as the earthquaking roar of thousands of soldiers grew louder and harsher. "We have to be cautious."

"Tch, cautious my ass," the elder Saiyan spat savagely, "Where's your sense of pride? I've been waiting years to get my revenge on these worthless shits!"

Raditz opened his mouth to argue, when Gine stopped him by placing her hand gently on his shoulder, "Just let your father have this one son, it's been a long thirty-eight years for him."

He reluctantly complied at her soothing tone, as Bardock let out a loud bellow from his chest. Balling his hands up into fists, his white aura burst into life around him, his muscles bulging as his power swelled even further. His pitch black hair wavered in the breeze, spiking upwards in an even more wild fashion as his obsidian eyes glinted with unbridled glee.

And then, he was off as his power peaked, almost blowing back Gine and Raditz as he propelled himself into the centre of the approaching army. Spearheading the assault, he struck a rather large brute in the jaw with a powerful uppercut, sending the henchman crashing into a gaggle of others and sending them flying. A ferocious plethora of energy blasts lit up the crimson and amber sky, and distinctly, Gohan could make out his grandfather's cackles of manic laughter through the terrified screams and rip-roaring explosions.

Distracted by the full-frontal attack by the Saiyan Commander, the army slowed in their path, aiming to knock Bardock out of the sky. But again, he was too quick, dodging a Ki ball that aimed for his back and slamming his elbow into another henchmen's face. His grandfather fought with a bold and unrestrained aggression, seemingly using every inch of his body to inflict pain - and hell was it working, he blinked, watching as bodies continued to drop to the ground one by one.

"Let's bash some skulls in!" His grandmother boomed, springing into action just as Raditz did, flanking either side of Bardock and striking down a soldier each simultaneously.

Though as each member of the Frieza Force was defeated, even more were quick to take up their place. Gine used the advantage of her smaller frame to dip and dive out of the rampaging fists of one hulking solider, before following up in her attack, sucker-punching her opponent with a fierce snarl and kneeing him harshly in the sternum - a loud CRACK filtering into the air.

Raditz was currently taking on three assailants at once, and was surprisingly holding his own, parrying one of the henchman's oncoming shins before blasting another in the face. Though despite the stellar start, the battle was quickly turning, for there were far too many of them to take on at once. And to the teenager's dismay, Gine and Raditz were becoming overpowered by sheer numbers alone.

And although Bardock was most certainly dealing a lot more damage than the others, it wasn't going to end any time soon.

Gohan cringed, as he heard his grandfather scream with fury, his lip bleeding and his armour scuffed and tattered. His swinging fist barrelled into a swarm of soldiers, sending them hurtling across the sky, before he was ambushed once more, shielding him from the teen's view.

Should he…?

He looked up, as Raditz was struck with an almighty gut punch. He coughed up a wad of blood and saliva, though quickly recovered, snarling with rage as he launched himself back towards another throng of soldiers.

Whis wouldn't exactly be too thrilled if he got involved, it wasn't exactly a Destroyer's job to control wayward hellions. He was under strict instructions not to cause any trouble whilst he was in HFIL, after all.

But did it still count if the trouble had come to him?

He bit his cheek in annoyance, struggling with himself. He didn't really fancy being ripped a new one by his superiors again, and if it all went pear-shaped, who knows what the Divine Council would have to say on the matter.

A sudden shriek broke him out of his thoughts, catching sight of his grandmother falling rapidly through the sky, curtesy of a burly brute smacking her hard across the face. She caught herself quickly, gathering up her Ki and propelling herself back through the air, though to his dismay, her subsequent kick missed by inches, allowing another couple of henchmen to take ahold of her wrists - trapping her.

She squirmed, desperate to break free as a tank of a solider leered over her, licking his lips sadistically.

"Oh, you're going to regret this," he leered, a disgusting trail of drool escaping his lips as he raised his fist high into the air, making to take deadly aim and -

"OH FINE!" Gohan relented to the upper sky as though shouting to fate itself, and teleporting instantly to Gine's side.

He easily caught the alien's oncoming blow just before it made impact, causing the grunt to squawk in both shock and horror, bewildered by the young man's sudden appearance before him.

"The only thing someone's going to regret here is not bringing an extra pair of underwear to a battle zone, because believe me, you're going to need some when I'm through with you lot," The young Destroyer glowered, giving him a menacing stare that caused the goon to visibly shudder - confirming his suspicions.

Though he didn't give him a chance to answer, as he unleashed a hefty blast from his palm, firing at point blank range.

BOOM!

The soldier erupted in a shower of ash, his body completely vaporised.

Gine's captors were stunned, and taking the opening whilst she could, his grandmother swiftly broke out of their hold. Yanking back her arm and striking the soldier to her left in the ribs, whilst Gohan phased out, grabbing the one on the right and banging the henchmens' heads together, causing them to fall hundred of feet into a well of sharp and deadly spikes below.

"KA-ME-HA-ME…." He chanted, cupping his palms to his side as hundreds of Frieza's minions attempted to escape him, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The brilliant blue beam burst into existence, dazzling the soldiers as it hurtled towards them. Their screams where swiftly quelled as the enormous blast engulfed the lot of them, careening off into the distance and connecting with a mountain on the horizon - reducing it to ash.

"Thank you, Gohan," his grandmother cooed proudly, reaching over and pinching at his cheek, "That was a nice save!"

"Er, thanks," he replied, blushing a little at her affection, when a loud scream reached his ears. Looking over, he realised that Raditz was being held in a headlock, as several soldiers unleashed an onslaught of ruthless attacks upon him. His armour was cracked in several places, and his face beaten and bloodied - he was being pummelled.

"Can you handle it?" He asked Gine, gesturing to a few grunts that were hovering across from them in the sky, calculating their next move. As thanks to Gohan's Kamehameha, the army's numbers had been significantly reduced.

She nodded, a small twinkle in her eyes, "Don't worry about your old grandma. My fighting days may have been over a long time ago, but I can handle those weaklings."

He gave her a wry smile, before leaving her to it and racing to Raditz' side, wasting no time in driving a spinning kick straight to his captor's throat. His stiletto heel pierced the soldier's jugular, causing the brute to gurgle and scoff, blood pouring unforgivingly from the wound as he abruptly let go of his uncle.

Not letting up, Gohan smashed his fist into the brute's temple, his punch so rife with power that the vile fiend exploded into smithereens, leaving nothing left. The teenager turned to the rest of the henchmen, who had all quite rightly staggered backwards in light of their new opponents might.

"Next?" He quirked almost wickedly, his onyx eyes raking over them and causing them to quiver in fear.

"I don't need your help, runt!" Raditz spat suddenly, causing the halfling to roll his eyes.

"Oh right yeah," He scoffed sarcastically, "'cause you looked as though you were really holding your own back there."

"Shut up!" He roared, firing off a few hits from his open palm and sending several soldiers plummeting to the crater-filled ground below them.

The young Destroyer ignored him, instead taking off and setting about disintegrating the rest of the Frieza Force in a cacophony of fast and precise strikes that sent the hellions shattering into nothingness. He knew that he couldn't Destroy them as it hadn't been authorised, however, that didn't mean that he couldn't send them off packing back to their cells - where he sincerely hoped they would stay.

A clattering shockwave ricocheted over the vast landscape, as Bardock finished off his own band of opponents - impaling the last of them with his fist before joining Gohan in the air. Grandfather and grandson floated back to back, obliterating the last few hundred stragglers with a conjoined blast of golden energy. The atoms around them sizzled and popped from the heat of the attack, their enemies' screams silenced in an instant.

The harsh sounds from the Frieza Force's onslaught continued to ring in his ears as they landed on the disturbed earth, his grandmother giving them a smile of relief.

"Phew, I'm glad that's over," Gine sighed, wiping a few beads of sweat from her brow as the brilliant light dwindled, "Well done boys."

"Yeah yeah," said Bardock, watching several leftover bodies and severed limbs evaporate in a smoulder of black particles. "Though I doubt that was even half of the Cold empire. Let's move before any more show up. I don't want to waste any more energy on low level pissants like Frieza's cannon fodder."

"Well um, it was great to meet you… sort of," said Gohan, lifting off into the air once more. It was true that he was full of questions for his Saiyan family, but there were much more pressing matters to attend to. Mainly, the fact that during the fight, he had realised that the universe would be in a lot more trouble than he was right now if he didn't put an end to this mayhem, "But I've really got to get going -."

"Going?" Gine blinked in confusion, "You're leaving already?"

"I have to to stop this uprising," he told her defiantly, "If I can put everyone back into their cells, then that'll be one less thing that I'll have to worry about. I'm sorry that I have to leave when I've just met you both," he added, looking towards his grandparents, "But I can't risk the unraveling of the barrier between dimensions, and I certainly don't want anyone to get hurt when I have the power to prevent it."

"Oh give me a break," griped Raditz, as the teenager finished his speech.

His grandfather snorted, "Nice try kid, but you ain't gettin' out of this family reunion that easily."

"But - !"

"You ain't got a chance this side of hell taking out all of those fuckers on your own, you wouldn't last - even at your level," he added, as the teen opened his mouth to protest, "HFIL ain't a walk in the park Gohan, especially for pure-hearted spirits like you."

Gohan frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Pure spirits aren't supposed to wonder into this realm," his grandmother explained, "Some with stronger wills might be alright for a while, but slowly the darkness can eat away at your pure heart. It can drive some insane, to the point where they are but a shell of their former selves. Nothing but a lonely shadow fated to wonder the depths of HFIL for all eternity."

"Has that ever happened before?" He asked, "I mean, pure spirits that got turned into shadows?"

Bardock nodded, "According to the ogres, only those that have accidentally fallen off Snake-Way and into here. Basically - only fucking idiots that didn't look where they were going."

"HFIL works a lot differently to the other realms," said Gine, "It is forever changing, warping. Not only the weather but the landscape too. Sometimes you think that what you're looking at his real, but actually it's just an illusion. It's a very dangerous place, little cub, and because of it you can become so easily lost, and you don't know your way around here as it is."

Gohan sighed, though accepted her explanation and lowered himself back to the ground. It wouldn't do well for him to get trapped in a deep part of HFIL and never be able to return. After all, Goz and Mez had told him to stick to the well-known pathways of the realm when he had first arrived, and similarly not stray too far into certain treacherous sectors.

No doubt this was one of them, he thought bitterly.

"We want to help," his grandmother implored, stepping forwards so that she was closer to him, touching him gently on the forearm, "Help prevent this rebellion from happening, I mean."

"You do?" He said sceptically, though they had certainly proven their intentions thus far.

"Of course we do," Gine said firmly, her brow furrowing, "You know just as well as any of us that if that bastard Frieza reeks havoc upon this realm then it would spell trouble for us Saiyans, as well as the rest of the universe should the fabrication of the dimensions fall apart. Not to mention the rest of the monsters that will be out for blood."

An involuntary shiver ran down his spine to the place where his tail used to be. His grandmother was right after all, there would be an abundance of evil doers out for revenge, and he knew just who the main culprits were. If anything, Frieza was the least of his concerns right now. And not only did his mind perform a quick run down of every villain he had ever faced when he had been alive, it also highlighted the ones that he had killed since he had been dead - and hell were there a lot of them.

And if they had all escaped then… well, shit. He might just have to take up his estranged family's offer and head back to Zalama knows where and think of a game plan at least. He had half a mind to contact Whis and inform him of the unfolding situation…

But something held him back, a part of him that wanted to prove himself again. He had severely disappointed his superiors after all - and still was due to not being able to utilise the power of the Super Saiyan God to its full potential. Maybe, just maybe, if he singlehandedly dissolved an uprising in HFIL then he might be able to gain their trust in him again. That, and it would make for some pretty decent training.

Either way, putting bad guys in back in their place was a whole lot more entertaining than fixing the Otherworld's plumbing problem.

"Well, alright," said Gohan, giving in, "I suppose I'll need your help to navigate my way around here. But I'm not too worried about taking them out, I'm sure that I can handle it."

"That's the spirit, kid," Bardock let out a small chuckle, clapping him roughly on the shoulder, "But how's about a proposition? You scratch our back, we'll scratch yours."

His eyes narrowed, "Meaning?"

"Meaning that you help us clean up HFIL - you are already dressed the part after all," he smirked, causing Gohan's cheeks to redden with annoyance, "And I'll help you figure out this new form of yours."

"The Super Saiyan God?" He guffawed, "Look, no offence, but I don't think that you'll be much help. It's a divine transformation and -."

"Get your head outta your ass," his grandfather scoffed, "It's a Saiyan transformation, which not just any mighty deity can obtain. Whatever you think it is, you're fucking it up. And you're never going to be able to master it fully if you don't understand the form's components."

"Huh?"

Bardock tutted in aggravation, "You're only half-Saiyan right? Born on Earth, lived as an Earthling, yada yada. What I'm trying to say is that you've never fought like a Saiyan, trained like a Saiyan, utilised your full Saiyan potential - the part of you that gives you your natural fighting instincts, right? Genetics can only give you so much to work with, kid. The point is, how the hell do you expect to be able to control this Saiyan power that has been gifted to you by some damn ritual when you don't fully understand it?"

Gohan bit his lip in thought, he had never thought about it like that. But something just didn't quite sit right with them.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, looking towards his grandparents as Raditz continued to sulk. "Helping me? Stopping HFIL from unleashing?"

"Because I want a quiet fucking afterlife," Bardock stated gruffly, "And like it or not, your idiot ass is the key to preventing everything from going to shit. From what I can gather anyway."

"Y-You've seen it?" He mustered, his grandfather's foresighted abilities ringing true.

"Partly, my visions aren't wholly accurate. Sometimes the power shows me things seconds, days or years into the future," he shrugged, though his features became stern, and Gohan could see the sudden anger that flashed within his eyes, "For example, I saw Kakarot face off against Frieza before I even died. That was it, I thought. My son was going to slaughter that dirty traitor and avenge us!"

His grandfather snarled, throwing his hands up in exasperation, "But no, Kakarot didn't even have the BALLS to finish the damned job! And who did?! Hmm?! King Vegeta's magical fucking time-traveling grand-spawn! Useless psychic powers didn't show me that little miscalculation now did they?! And hell would the King not let me forget that shit show!"

Gohan winced, as Bardock became so angry that he thought that steam was about to spurt out of his ears, "So if you even so much as think that I can tell you how to beat Perses or what's going to happen then you're shit outta luck!"

Well, that was annoying, the halfling sighed, folding his arms across his chest as his grandfather's erratic breathing echoed around them.

"One thing that he kept seeing was you, Gohan," his grandmother said tentatively, as Bardock continued to mutter about his 'stupid, disappointing, waste-of-space brats', "It's how we were able to recognise you so easily. And how we knew you'd be down here, and that you were struggling with this new transformation of yours. His visions haven't been consistent, so we've had to string the pieces of what's happening together over the years. But we think that we might be able to help with this."

"So you really can't tell me anything about Perses?" Gohan pressed, "If he escapes or anything? If we'll… win?"

"Things are hazy right now," said Bardock, having calmed himself down, "I don't know if it's due to the surge in negative energy around here that's messing with my powers, but it's somethin'. Who knows? What I do know is that the future is unstable. Anything could happen. The only thing that's been clear my mind is you kid, which is why I've decided to help you out of the fucking goodness of my cold dead heart. So count yourself privileged as hell."

"Um, thanks?" He said weakly, as his grandmother gave him a beaming smile, "But where do we even start?"

"Home," she told him, "The Saiyans are a huge target for Frieza, and if his soldiers have managed to set him free too then it won't be long until he attacks us, or sends someone stronger at least. If Dodoria's elites and the Frieza Force have managed to get this far then it won't be long until we come under fire again. We have to be prepared for anything."

"And no doubt that golden boy here will take all the glory for himself," Raditz said snidely, causing Gohan to shoot him an irritated glare.

"We'll get something to eat and then start putting our heads together," Gine gushed brightly, "Oh I can't wait to show you off to everyone!"

Everyone? The teenager wondered nervously, when his grandfather cut across him.

"Not like that you won't," he growled, "First things first, we're going to have to get you some decent fucking clothes. Ain't no grandson of mine going to be walking around dressed like a Ginyu Force groupie."

"A what?" Gohan blundered, as Bardock grabbed him by the scruff of his neck once more and started to pull him further into the valley beyond the rubble of the mountain. Due the cave being destroyed, he could now make out the long cracks that were etched into the rocky slopes that had miraculously survived the fray.

One was deeper than the others, he noticed, shrugging his grandfather off of him as they got closer to it. He watched as his grandmother easily slipped inside, realising that it led to a dark network of tunnels underneath the mountain range. Raditz went next, his large shoulders brushing against the rock as he squeezed himself into the narrow space. Though with only some difficultly, he made it inside.

Bardock picked up on his reluctance immediately, sighing in annoyance as he caught sight of the halfling glaring at the space where Raditz had disappeared.

"Oh boo-fuckety-hoo, you're still mad at him," he said scathingly, "You can kiss and make up later, but right now I ain't got time for family therapy, so suck it up and get your mongrel ass in the tunnel."

Gohan scowled, he was so pushy. Though despite himself, he relented, averting his eyes from his grandfather's challenging stare and following his uncle into the dank space. Because no matter how much he didn't like it, his mother had always taught him to respect his ancestors, and that teaching was still ingrained within him for better or for worse.

Although, he thought, as Bardock forcibly kicked him in the rest of the way by launching his boot up his backside, he couldn't ignore the horrible, sinking feeling that this was probably for the worst.

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14th January 2020

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Hoping the next chapter won't be too far away for you guys! Writing Bardock was SO MUCH FUN. I really enjoyed playing with his character, and making him a little more... crass than in the movie specials. haha. I wanted to give a little more background to Raditz and the whole Frieza blowing up Planet Vegeta too, so I mixed the DBS Broly movie, and the Bardock movies :) The next chapter - which is so close to being complete and will NOT have a two month wait! Hope to see you in the next episode of Son Gohan The Destroyer: Chapter Twenty-Eight: Legacy

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Reviews:

Squidzi Galaxi: yaaaaas!

X3runner: oooh you deffo entered my mind there! You will find more about the SSG form in the next chapter! As for the maids outfit being from Whis' own closet... I never said it wasnt :P haha! Thank you for your review :)

DaDragon562 : hmm I understand your observation and thank you for your r/v and thoughts! I am hoping that this HFIL time gives him some redemption and I really wanted to get it across how heartbroken he his. He wants to get better, stronger. But his duty has always been to his loved ones and to keep them safe, that is Gohan's character through and through. Gohan still needs growth, for me I couldnt just see him being great at everything off the bat, including being dead set on what he wants, Gohan is complex in ways that Goku isnt, and his more emotional than Vegeta too. The whole point of this story is about Gohans growth, finding out who he is, and not what everyone expects him to be. He will find his way, but it'll take a journey to get there! :)

Pie 555 : thanks for your r/v and Im so glad you enjoyed the maids outfit haha ooo a kids section in hell! I have some thoughts on this but wont spoil for future chapters ;)

dx-1118 : absolutely! and thanks for your r/v! A good blast from the past and a firm kick up the arse is exactly what he needs!

o- Nyx -o : ALL THE LOVE THANK YOUUUUU :) xD

TheAlphaOfLife : thank you so much! Yes glad you liked the brooklyn 99! I could not get that out of my head!

devilzxknight86 : haha maybe! :P I am so excited for what is to come!

Hek'UnnSkipper: thanks so much for your r/v really glad you enjoyed it !

Green Cuppa : thank you so much for your two r/vs in one xD really glad you enjoyed them yay! yes I really wanted to depict chichi just how you said, and I think in this story she has mellowed out significantly in regards to studying etc with her I wanted to make her more human than banshee as she is often depicted too! Really happy that came across and that you appreciated it :) and yes I would like to think that she has had to hold the fort in this story a lot when Goku has broken because of Gohans untimely death! For chappy 26 r/v - so glad you liked the maids outfit! it just HAD to be done didnt it?! hahaha. Im thinking more gruesome punishments would have been appropriate for him but Beerus certainly swayed the Council with the dress idea haha I really hoped you enjoyed Gohan's reunion with his saiyan family! And your writers theory is wonderful! But I dont want to spoil the next couple of chapters, hopefully wont be long to wait though :P Gohan needs a good sulk, and a kick up the arse haha but I do not aim for him to wallow for too long, as Bardock says - they have bigger shit to deal with! :)

Thomas-The-TMC " Thank you!

super mystic gohan : thank you so much :) Hoping you liked this chapter and Gohan and Bardocks interactions!

FireEmblemMaster101 : You guess it re Gine and Bardock! :) Thank you so much for your review! You are too kind! Gine deffo has mama bear... or is it mama oozaru? haha either way she is still fierce despite being gentle, which throws Gohan for a loop at first! Really liking your thoughts on how Gine ended up in HFIL too! I too was going off the missions things, and maybe yeah she did choose to go with Bardock to HFIL I really loved that! Yes it was mentioned that Gine was a part of Bardocks team at one point, and I thought why drag it out this scene, Gohan can meet the whole family at once! They all came to get him - though Raditz reluctantly lets face it! haha Glad you enjoyed the maids outfit too! Gohan fighting in it for me is TOO FUNNY! Yeah I thought I didnt want to make the punishment as severe as he is doing some good in attempting to bring Zamasu to justice and prevent Perses from escaping. The Gods are curious too, even if Gohan did break a very VERY big rule! And also thank you so so much for your kind words, I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that people are really loving something that I do for fun - but has very much become such a big part of my life! This story fills my thoughts like every single day, I have so many ideas about it and jot things down on my phone when im out or at work or in the middle of the night! Haha. so truly thank you from the bottom of my heart! And hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

LoneRanger7 : wow thank you so much for such kind words! XD you made my heart burst! haha Thats truly amazing that youve read it three times already oh my gosh! Thank you xD im so happy that youre enjoying it. I said in the review above that I cant express how much it makes me happy when I hear you guys are enjoying something that I do for fun! But this story is taking over my life and I LOVE IT xD Haha thank you so much, its lovely of you to pick that moment of Goku's sacrifice, I felt as though that scene would play over and over in Gohan's head - his biggest mistake, possibly the thought that gave him the push to make his decision to become a destroyer. And even though its been years he is still struggling with that memory. He doesnt want to fail like that again! He will get off his arse soon, promise! xD really hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others. More to come sooner than 2 months! :O And thank you for your well wishes, and no it is not bad for you to wish me to stay in hospital, I wanted to as well! haha xD

Marbbles123: thanks so much for your r/v! :) yessss angsty Gohan is one of my faves, so I am glad you enjoyed it! and also enjoyed the maids outfit! Poor Gohan! Hope you liked Bardock in this chapter too, more to come from this crass saiyan soon!

that-girl-at-the-corner ... chapter 18: thank you so much! Glad youre enjoying this story! XD

dolguldur : thank you!

Guest : thank you :)

Mrs. Videl Son : thanks so much! :)

RabbitMelody: haha yes! The dress, the heels and the womens knickers :P

ObnoxiousDadJoke : haha! thanks for your r/v! yes where is Cell... I wonder...

Chmia: Yay! Im glad! Thank you :)

yasho360: thank you so much! Yes I too felt like Gohan needed MORE. I hope he continues to give it you in this story Xd - or rather I do!:)

ErintheBestest : thank you so much Erin! Hope you enjoyed this chappy! :)

WhiteEagle1985 : thank you so much! Hope you keep coming back xD

Elzurdomaldito : yep, thats Grandpa Bardock alright! xD

Iwik : Thank you so much for your r/v and honestly no worries on the wait of r/v! I do not expect anything trust me! Thank you for taking the time to comment! I do hope things have settled down for you again now! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter and really hope you liked this one too :)

Rochful : Thank you! xD