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)

28. Legacy

A/N: You are not seeing things! It is a new chapter of SGTD! I am sorry about the wait dear readers, but this chapter has taken a lot of work, more than I thought, and this segment has become much bigger and more exciting than I originally anticipated. I'm trying some new things, new angles for certain characters and a new take on the Saiyans that I hope that you guys will appreciate. This chapter has been a long time coming, and I've worked super hard on it, which is why it has taken so long for me to post. I am super busy at the moment, I am still aiming for a chapter a month, but sometimes that won't be possible what with work and studying and all. And I am going to visit my husband whilst he's in the USA working this month and next month, so I can't give you a good time frame for the next chapter. HOWEVER, it is fully planned out, I just need to find time to write it.

I've had a lot of fun with the humour in this chapter, which I hope will be more refreshing since the angst in the last few chapters - but of course there's always gotta be a bit of angst ;) I'd like to take the opportunity to thank you for your continued support of this story, over 1700 follows is absolutely INSANE. Thank you so so much xD and I'm glad you appreciated the bad-mouthing Bardock! He has quickly become one of my favourite characters to write!

As always, please enjoy the chapter :)

ES x

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Chapter Twenty-Eight

Legacy

xxxx

Area 1101, Sector 2,467. Saiyan Territories - Home For Infinite Losers.

"It suits you!" Gine gushed, her eyes sparkling with pride.

Gohan blushed, a hand flying to his hair, "You really think so?"

"Oh I know so," she nodded, turning to the figure who was sulking against the wall, "What do you think, Raditz?"

His uncle wrinkled his nose, his face now clean of dirt and blood from the battle with Frieza's men. He growled in annoyance, dark eyes looking the halfling up and down in a scrutinising manner, "I don't see the difference. He still looks like an idiot."

Gine sighed, giving him a stern look. "Will you at least try to be civil, son?"

"You and father are the ones who decided to bring him here, I never damn well agreed to it," Raditz said haughtily, "I don't even have to look at the stupid brat if I don't want to."

The Saiyan Territories were unlike anything he had seen before, or expected. For one, it had taken an age to get there, and due following his estranged family through the winding maze of damp dark tunnels, he knew that he would never be able to find his way out of there without help. And even if he did try to venture out on his own, he would quickly find that he was most desperately lost.

All he knew for certain was that he was incredibly deep in the dark realm, possibly close to centre if the darkening crimson sky was anything to go by. He could see a great abyss of thick black clouds circling above them as they had finally stepped out of the tunnel, shuddering with a bleak yet electrifying energy, and sending jagged bolts of reddish lightening rippling over the sky.

It was a stark contrast to the bustling village below.

Gohan had wondered just how the Saiyans had managed to build a hamlet in the middle of HFIL, or how they had been allowed to do such a thing. Though there was an incredibly strong possibility that they may have threatened the ogres for the supplies to do so. Even King Yemma could have let them off with a few necessities just to keep the peace and stop the rowdy race from causing too much trouble.

He wasn't sure just what he had been expecting when his grandmother had informed him that they were heading 'home', but it certainly wasn't this. Home, as it turned out, comprised of a jumble of small stone huts in various tones that fit together in a sporadic fashion. They jutted out at odd angles, some rather old and wonky as though the bricks that they were made of were just shoved and moulded together in whatever fashion they would hold.

Much like the rest of HFIL, there was no grass or greenery, the dusty amber ground scorched and fractured beneath their feet. Out of the dirt protruded several fire pits, which looked as though they had been dug out by hand, the flames rising up from the very depths of HFIL. The crackling fires were dotted all around the hamlet, the smell of charred fish wafting through the air as several inhabitants roasted their catch upon the furnace.

The enormous shark-like monsters - that he presumed were the 'hellfish' that his grandfather had referred to earlier - were fixed upon sharp wooden spikes as they slowly turned in motion to get an even cooking. He guessed that the strange fish had come from the rushing stream of orange-tinged water that ran alongside the settlement. Although it was a wonder as to where the other hellish beasts had come from, catching sight of several spider-like creatures roasting on the pits too.

It was a little odd. He had thought that when 'normal' mortals died - that is, those that weren't chosen to become deities or indeed serve them - that they didn't really need to eat, or get hungry for that matter. Although when he had asked his grandfather as such, he had haughtily replied - "Saiyans like to eat, and old habits die hard. Plus it's boring as fuck around here, gives us something to do."

The hamlet was tucked away in its own little part of HFIL, situated at the other side of the enormous mountain range, hidden by tall looming cliffs and surrounded by rows upon rows of skeletal trees that swayed ominously in the distance.

The make-shift streets were packed full of lower-class warriors - second and third-class to be precise. According to his grandmother, this wasn't the only Saiyan settlement in HFIL, in fact they were dotted all around the realm. Though this was one of the larger ones, home to some couple of hundred Saiyans. And apparently, the first-class warriors and above were reluctant to mix with the lower classes.

He knew all too well of how Vegeta and Nappa had treated his supposedly 'third-class' father when they had invaded Earth, the former constantly berating the man for being 'lesser' even though their battle had resulted in a stalemate. He was well aware that there was an obvious class division amongst the Saiyan race, but he hadn't realised that it was so strongly prevalent that it had continued even in death.

They were all dressed in similar armour to Bardock and the rest of his family, and as he looked around at the Saiyans curiously, he couldn't help but wonder just how many of them he might be distantly related to.

He hadn't fought to introduce himself mind, and had attempted to shield himself behind Raditz's hulking stature as several warriors greeted them as they passed, desperate not to draw attention to himself. But despite his avoidance, his attire had still attracted a minor stir which included a few odd looks and snickers directed towards him. Thankfully there wasn't too much of a commotion, mainly due to the fact that the occupants of the Saiyan village had been too busy having an all out brawl in the middle of main street.

Roars and jeers of delight had filled the air, as a large crowd surrounded a pair of burly brutes locked in a fierce grappling match. Blood and spit flying from their lips as they simultaneously decked each other to the ground, cracking the dirt apart on impact and enticing a mighty cheer from throngs of onlookers.

It was the perfect distraction by all accounts, allowing for Bardock to roughly barrel him into a nearby hut that stood on a slight rise at the edge of the hamlet, ordering him to stay put with Gine and Raditz whilst he went off in search of some spare armour for him.

Their home was dimly lit by a much smaller fire pit in the centre of the dwelling, with brackets of flames fixed to the cold stone walls. Drapes of scarlet cloth separated the small living space from the other rooms whereby he could just make out three long slabs of rock that acted as beds, adorned with straw and thick black feathers once belonging to an unknown beast.

In the corner of the common area lay a wash basin and handmade wooden furniture for seating and a table. A long smooth piece of stone stretched the back of the room, with a meat cleaver resting on top next to a large bucket of chopped-up hellfish which his grandmother set about barbecuing as his grandfather made him change in one of the bedrooms.

Which had brought him up to now, standing in the middle of his grandparents' small hut in his brand new Saiyan armour.

Light and weightless, though providing a fair amount of protection. It was not unlike the attire he had been wearing when he had fought against Frieza all those years ago, or the one Bulma had made for him before he and his father went to train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. However, instead of the royal-blue spandex and white and gold chest plate he had become accustomed to in his youth, Bardock had decided to loan the halfling a spare of his. The black and green armour was a replica of his grandfathers, right down to the red shin guards, as well as the tight black spandex and fighting boots covering the lower half of his body. Though instead of red wrist bands, a pair of sleek black gloves covered his hands.

Just like the armour he had acquired back on Namek, the fabric was stretchy and elasticated and therefore clung to his figure perfectly. The lack of shoulder-pads showed off his strong muscular arms and chest, and Bardock had even given him one of Raditz's arm straps to tie his long hair back in a low ponytail. Though as always, the wayward spikes at the front refused to be tamed.

"You'll do as your mother tells you, boy," snapped Bardock, eyes narrowing at his eldest son as he leaned up against the doorway. The raucous sounds of the brawl outside could still be heard from beyond the large piece of splintered wood that the family were using as a front door. They seemed unfazed by the commotion, as though it was a normal - and regular - occurrence. "Or I won't be held responsible for breaking my foot off in your ass."

Raditz huffed as Gohan snorted, catching the attention of his grandfather. "And that goes for you too brat, or I'll think twice about lending you that outfit and you can damn well suffer for all I care."

The teenager opened his mouth to reply, when a loud bang sounded from outside the door. Gohan sprang to attention immediately, as Bardock jumped back, whirling around as several rugged-looking Saiyans barged into the hut, the thick slat of wood falling to the ground with a thunderous CRASH!

"Commander! It's been too long!" A muscular man bellowed, kicking his way over the threshold and announcing his presence to the room.

He was tall, with pitch-black hair just like any other Saiyan, spikey on top and bunched in a short ponytail at the back. He wore black and blue armour, with wide shoulder pads that scraped across the stone doorway as he forced his way through. His dark eyes glinted at Bardock with what Gohan was sure was malice.

"Too long since you took a beating, Tora," his grandfather scoffed, as the new group of Saiyans snickered ominously, "Though that can be easily arranged."

"Is that so?" Tora smirked evilly, much reflecting Bardock's own malicious grin that spread across his lips, "Why don't you try your luck then? But I don't think you've got much chance, you're getting rusty sat here playing house husband."

"The only thing gettin' rusty around here is Raditz," He retorted, prompting the Saiyan in question to grunt in annoyance, "And I'm amazed that you've got the gall to speak to your superior like that, soldier. Seems like you've finally managed to find your balls down here amongst the rot."

The tension grew, thick and suddenly as the two males stared each other down with venom in their eyes. A deafening silence filled the air, and Gohan shifted in the uncomfortable atmosphere, prepared to strike should the intruders try anything unsavoury.

But much to his surprise - and confusion, did Tora let out a gruff bark of laughter at the same time as his grandfather did, the tension evaporating as if it had never been there to begin with. The men strongly grasped each other by the forearm, laughing heartily as they pulled one another into a short and manly embrace.

The hut was filled with raucous laughter, as Tora clapped Bardock on the back.

"You look like crap!" He chortled, gesturing to his fellow Saiyan's scuffed and dirt laden armour, "More so than usual! What in the hell happened?"

"We were ambushed by Frieza's underlings whilst picking up Kakarot's cub," said Bardock, "Cleared them out pretty quick thanks to his help, mind."

At his mention, every pair of eyes turned towards him, their mouths falling open at the sight of him standing there. He felt a little awkward, as the three Saiyans who had barged in with Tora suddenly surrounded him, eyeing him up and down with interest.

The two men were large and bulky in stature, one looking more portly than muscular. He had black hair styled into a messy bowl-cut and a pencil moustache, wearing teal and black armour and fighting boots, as opposed to his comrade whose armour was dark blue and black. This other Saiyan was balding, with thick tufts of raven hair either side of his head. In the centre of his forehead was a line of three jagged scars that almost made it look as though the rest of his hair had been ripped off by an opponent of sorts.

A female Saiyan made up the rest of their group. She was short in height but not as petite as his grandmother. Her muscular frame was encompassed by a fuchsia body suit and black armour, her short shock of black hair framing her slightly pointed features. Her dark eyes narrowed for a moment, as she got uncomfortably close to the teenager's face.

"No way, this is him?" She gawked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Yep, this is Gohan - fucking ridiculous sounding human name but hey, you can't have everything," said Bardock, causing Gohan to shoot him a most hateful glare which his grandfather ignored, and instead pointed to each Saiyan as he introduced them, "Kid, this is my crew, Tora, Fasha, Borgos and Shugesh."

"Er, nice to meet you," said Gohan, prompting the crew to share a bemused look.

The female Saiyan - Fasha, smirked at Bardock, "Wow, who knew that your ugly mug could have contributed to producing such respectable and handsome offspring?"

The others sniggered as Bardock scowled, "Fuck off Fasha, everyone knows that the healers would have drowned your ugly ass brats if Frieza hadn't got to them first."

"Yeah, he definitely takes after Gine's clan," the tallest of the larger Saiyans - Borgos, observed, unfazed by Fasha forcibly punching an unsuspecting Bardock in the gut, "Don't you think he looks like Korn? Gine's pop?"

"Don't mention that bastard's name in my house!" The Commander snarled from where he was currently doubled over in pain, much to Fasha's satisfaction.

"Whatever," said Tora, rolling his eyes, "I can't believe that you're still sore about him kicking your ass."

"I did NOT get my ass kicked by that old man!" He fumed, his barbarous tone echoing around them and plunging them into silence.

"Well," Gine mustered tentatively, "You kind of did…"

"You shut your damned mouth, woman!" Bardock cried, panting as he attempted to calm himself down, folding his arms across his chest in a huff, "Anyway, it's a wonder how any of you even remember it, it was years ago. The details are… hazy."

"Not for me," offered Shugesh, "I can still remember your screams as he dangled you by the tail for knocking up his daughter."

"SHUT UP!"

"Scary guy that Korn, trust you of all people to have gotten on his bad side," Borgos whistled lowly, before looking over at Gohan, "You've got some pretty impressive warriors in your family tree you know, kid."

"Yeah yeah," griped Bardock, "What are you all doing here stinkin' up my place anyway? Did you come here just to piss me off?"

"No, but it's a bonus," laughed Tora, "We just came to see what the fuss was all about with this grandkid of yours - oh which reminds me, sorry about the door again, Gine."

Gine chuckled from where she was gutting a smaller beast that resembled a mutated rat on the counter, "Don't worry, Raditz can always make another. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Might take you up on that," Shugesh winked, the wooden chair creaking as he sat his large weight upon it and propped his muddy boots up on the table, "She's too good for you this woman, you know, Bardock."

Bardock gave him a rather rude hand gesture in response, causing the others to laugh as he smacked his comrade's feet off the wooden surface in annoyance, "Well, whilst you lazy shits make yourself comfortable as always and outstay your welcome, we've got training to do. Let's get going, boy."

The halfling blinked, "What, now?"

"No, we're going to sit and knit mittens and wait until after Perses blows up the multiverse to figure out your transformation," his grandfather spat, rolling his eyes in exasperation, "Of course now! So get your tailless backside outta my house!" He paused, looking over at Raditz, "You too, brat!"

"What? Me?!" Raditz gaped, "Why do I have to go?!"

"Because I said so!" He snapped, "Now move it!"

The long-haired Saiyan huffed, stalking out of the hut and out into the street, ignoring Bardock's crew who chuckled at his misfortune. Gohan sighed, waving goodbye to his grandmother before he followed his uncle and grandfather into the skies, flying through the humid air for around ten minutes before they came to a barren wasteland.

He descended, following Bardock as he landed in the middle of the dusty crimson ground. There wasn't a sign of anything or anyone for miles, though he could depict several high rising rocky peaks that cast long eerie shadows upon them from the horizon.

Raditz reluctantly landed beside them, though chose to sit on a nearby boulder rather than stand in the middle of the planes. The young Destroyer stood across from his grandfather, not really knowing what to expect - or even if he could help for that matter. Either way, it was worth a shot, and he needed to hurry up and get this over with before he could get on with locking the escaped prisoners back in their cells before they caused too much chaos.

"Alright, first things first," said Bardock, folding his arms across his chest in a strong stance, "Show me your Super Saiyan form."

Gohan frowned, "Huh? Why?"

"Always with the damned questions from these cubs!" His grandfather snarled irritably, "Because I fucking told you to boy. That, and I've never seen one up close before. The closest I got to seein' a Super Saiyan was watching Kakarot transform against Frieza on a crystal ball."

"A crystal ball?" He asked, suspicious, "Where did you get one of those all the way down here?"

Bardock shrugged, "One of the Kais must have dropped it off of Snake-Way whilst they were travellin' or some shit. Figured they didn't want it back."

"You stole from a Kai?!"

"You're in HFIL kid," he stated, as Raditz rolled his eyes behind them, "The fuck did you expect?"

"Oh," Gohan accepted, becoming rather sheepish, "Right yeah, sorry."

"Now, hurry up and show me," said Bardock, "My afterlife ain't gettin' any shorter."

A beat of silence drifted between them, as the young Saiyan obliged. He balled his hands up into fists, bringing the familiar heat and rage of his transformation forth. A brilliant, golden aura burst to life around his frame, sizzling with power and blowing back the dust from around his boots. A deep shout erupted from his throat, as he felt his hair stand on end before swiftly turning gold. He relaxed, his Ki pulsating around him as he fixed his sharp emerald eyes upon his grandfather.

He almost laughed - almost. As the gruff Saiyan's mouth fell open, the power washing over him in waves, the golden light shimmering around them and reflecting in his obsidian eyes. Even Raditz looked over in amazement, his jaw practically hitting the ground, and Gohan couldn't help but allow a small smirk to spread across his lips.

"Holy shit," Bardock breathed, finally able to speak. He paced around the halfling, his calloused fingers reaching for a spike of golden hair and tugging at it gently. Shaking his head, he let out a chuckle, "Well I'll be damned, a Super Saiyan in the flesh… never in all my years…"

"That power is incredible," he said again, astonished. And Gohan's suspicions were confirmed, as unlike the rest of Frieza's soldiers - former or otherwise - Bardock did not have a scouter, which led him to believe that he had learned to sense energy during his confinement in HFIL much like Vegeta had done from his time on Earth. It was a feasible and useful skill, for relying only on scouters in a fight would be incredibly debilitating, especially if they were destroyed during a conflict.

Bardock was unable to take his eyes off of him, still tracking circles around him. And Gohan, with his heightened senses, watched his grandfather's brow furrow in thought, and waited patiently for what was he was certain was about to come.

BAM!

He caught Bardock's fist effortlessly as he attacked, his knuckles inches from his nose and his golden aura billowing in the wind that erupted around them from the force.

Gohan raised an eyebrow curiously, as the Saiyan smirked.

"Fast too," said Bardock, "Though I shouldn't have expected anythin' less from you."

He blocked his next hit with the same amount of speed and agility, his grandfather's boot connecting harshly with his forearm. There was a lot of power behind his strike, but it was not even enough to knock him back - and Bardock noticed.

Whirling around, the older warrior snarled, unleashing a series of hefty kicks and punches upon the teenager, who easily evaded and blocked every hit that came hurtling his way. It was clear that his grandfather was putting in a fair amount of effort, a white aura simmering around his frame as his muscles bulged and contracted with power.

"Stop blocking and fight me, kid!" He spat, driving a flying kick into the halfling's side which was once again deflected with ease.

Gohan frowned, batting away a searing hot ball of yellow Ki and stepping aside of another one of Bardock's rampaging fists. He watched as his punch sunk deep into the dirt where he had previously been standing, sending crimson rocks and debris flying. Just what was he trying to achieve?

Maybe he just wanted to see how strong he was? Growing up, he knew that his father had a rather gutsy habit of challenging any opponent deemed stronger than him just to see how he would fair against them. He sighed to himself, relenting in the fact that the apple must not fall far from the tree in terms of his family.

Either way, he didn't really have time for such antics. So the young Saiyan obliged, pushing out his right palm just as his grandfather's fist came soaring towards him once more. He blasted him backwards with a gust of Ki, following up with a spinning kick to his stomach for good measure.

Bardock cried out as he was sent flying, his body clattering across the wasteland and skidding to a halt, kicking up a long line of dirt and rubble in his wake.

As the dust cleared, Gohan was surprised to hear the man laughing. He picked himself up, wiping a small trail of blood away from his lips and smirked wickedly back at him.

"Good, just what I was after," he told him, confusing him even more so.

And not even giving him a chance to reply, he was back upon him in a startling flash of rippling Ki. His swinging fists collided with his forearms, attempting to smash through his guard as Raditz started yelling.

"Father! Are you insane?!"

Bardock spat to the ground, not letting up as Gohan zipped quickly out of the way and appeared behind him, knocking him across the dirt once more with a debilitating chop to his spine.

"Shut it and jump in, boy!" He bellowed, clambering to his feet and slipping into stance.

"W-What?!" Raditz guffawed, realisation dawning, "Is that what you dragged me out here for?!"

"Stop fucking whining and back me up!"

"Two against one is it?" Gohan shrugged, as his uncle reluctantly got to his feet, "Fine, do your worst. It makes no difference to me."

"Cocky brat!" Raditz growled, his anger getting the better of him.

He kicked off from the ground, breaking apart the earth at his feet as he blasted towards him. Bardock too, took the opportunity to ambush the halfling, and hurtled forwards at break neck speed.

BOOM!

Gohan shielded his head from Bardock's boot at the same time as he grabbed Raditz's fist out of the air. His uncle's eyes widened to the size of saucers, his mouth open and closing like a fish out of water. The young Destroyer couldn't help but smirk back, and without missing a beat, fired his knee straight into Raditz's sternum, cracking his armour on impact.

The broken chest plate fell apart in shards just like it had done so many years ago, when his head had collided with his uncle's torso as a small child. But now Gohan was older, wiser, and felt able to relish in the sick feeling of satisfaction that stirred within his gut - earning himself a few revenge points in the process.

Raditz choked and spluttered, completely winded as the teen held his fist in his iron grasp. He used it as leverage to jerk the hulking Saiyan forwards, smashing their foreheads together and causing him to howl with rage and pain. Raditz was catapulted backwards with another crippling strike to the torso before he could so much as blink, backflipping over himself several times and landing in a pitiful heap several metres away.

His grandfather was next in his line of attack, though he was nowhere near as harsh in ending the fight. He quickly countered his kick with a well aimed uppercut to the jaw, knocking the warrior unawares as the teen followed up by backhanding him across the planes.

In a matter of seconds, it was over.

"You miserable little whelp!" Raditz roared, grasping at his bleeding forehead as he struggled to stand. He was covered in dirt, spit flying from his mouth as he glared dangerously back at him. Although it was a little difficult to maintain his hardened stare, seen as he kept wincing in pain. "That was a dirty shot!"

"Well maybe you should have thought about that before you kidnapped me and beat up my dad!" Gohan shot back.

"Are you still on about that?" Bardock growled irritably, now safely back on his feet, crimson dust and several grazes littering his body, "'Cause that shit's gettin' old pretty quick, boy."

He opened his mouth to protest, when he cut across him, "But I think I know the problem you're having with this whole God form crap, and it's just as I thought."

"Huh?" The halfling blinked, "What do you mean? I've not even transformed into a Super Saiyan God yet."

"Exactly," said Bardock, his eyes still drinking in his Super Saiyan form, the aura pulsating around him and lighting up the area surrounding them, "You don't even need to take on that form to pinpoint why you can't harness it."

"I'm not following…"

His grandfather sighed, his features serious, as though thinking something over, "Fighting you just now, even though I knew that you were holding back significantly, I could still see doubt in everything you do. There's doubt in your punches, your footwork, everything."

He frowned, as the man continued, folding his arms across his strong chest, "Your Super Saiyan form gives you a significant power boost, as well as all your other transformations. But there is no way that you'll be able to utilise any form if you don't have the basic level of confidence to use your power to its full potential. I mean sure, watching you trash talk and beat on Raditz is fucking hilarious - "

"Oi!" The Saiyan in question growled, but to his chargin he was ignored.

" - but it's like a front, a shield," said Bardock, "I know it might sound like I'm makin' a shot in the dark here, but from what I can see, you hide behind your power, you don't embrace it. You may have taken on opponents eons of times stronger than I am, and won. But if you want my opinion, those battles that been in, and even the ones where you've come out on top - and I mean the really fuckin' powerful ones, you've only or survived won by the skin of your teeth. Every battle you've ever faced, you've been guided by your emotions, not instinct. And that, Gohan, is what is holding you back."

Gohan stared, thinking for a moment. His father and Piccolo had always said that the key to his power was emotive, which was indeed a staggering force to be reckoned with if he became fully immersed in his rage and grief. It had helped him through the years significantly. He had been driven to transforming into an ascended Super Saiyan against Cell because of his fury, he had crippled tyrants and monsters bigger and stronger than him when he was only a child because he had felt an uncontainable amount of fear, anguish and hatred. It spilled over when he lost control, and exploded into gargantuan amounts of power.

Whis too, had remarked that if he gives in to his emotions too readily, then he becomes so easily lost within himself. Either over-thinking or not thinking enough. Bardock's remarks sounded very similar to what his mentor had told him about finding a balance within himself - this 'ultra instinct' or whatever it was, something that was incredibly difficult to master even for the Gods.

But he didn't understand what this had to do with the Super Saiyan God transformation. He had done the ritual, right? And that's all the prophecy had told him to do! So why wasn't it working as well as he and his superiors had hoped?

"You're unsure of yourself, it's obvious," his grandfather spoke wisely, "And uncertainly ain't very Saiyan."

Gohan fought the urge to roll his eyes, as Bardock glowered, "And before you go jumping down my throat spoutin' that 'but I'm half-human too' bullshit, just hear me out. The only way that you can be the best that you can be and evolve your power further is to utilise every part of you. Think of it like your power is a circle split into two halves, Saiyan, Human - "

"Idiot," offered Raditz from where he was resting on the ground, still clutching at his head in pain.

"That's three halves, dumbass," Bardock spat back at him, causing Gohan to snort behind his hand, "Look, what I'm sayin' is that at the moment instead of these halves connecting, they are fighting with each other. I ain't dissin' your Human blood kid, it's your ties to Earth that have gotten you this strong in the first place. But as much as your emotions make you powerful, they can also hinder you. There are times when, I'm sure even your angsty teenage ass has noticed, that you've let your emotions blind you, becoming so intense that they overwhelm your natural instincts. You're givin' in too quickly to your damned feelings, and ignoring what your blood is screaming at you - you're unfocussed. Ringin' any bells?"

He swallowed thickly, his grandfather had pretty much hit the nail on the head. As much as he tried, he couldn't focus right now, especially with all that had happened with Videl. Just thinking about her, the Earth, the baby made his gut churn with overwhelming amounts of guilt. It was threatening to engulf him completely, and he had all but collapsed underneath the crippling weight of regret and responsibility, even though he knew that he should be focused on the task at hand. He wanted to find a way to put an end to Zamasu's corruption and the looming threat of Perses' escape. But he couldn't, he couldn't move on like the Gods had demanded he do.

So naturally, it really was a wonder how he could even concentrate on mastering a new transformation with the storm of sadness and longing that continued to rage within him. A fleeting thought crossed his mind - did Bardock know about Videl? He wouldn't have put it past him at this point.

But even still, his grandfather had managed to figure out all of that by only sparring with him for a few minutes?! He couldn't help but think that Shugesh had been right in saying that he was descended from some pretty impressive warriors.

"Thought as much," said Bardock, eyeing him knowingly, as though he could see the cogs clicking into place in his head, "And I'm right in thinking that you don't know much about your Saiyan heritage, correct?"

"Well," he replied a little sheepishly, "Only bits that Vegeta has told me about in the past, but not much…"

"See?" He scoffed, "How can you be expected to find a balance between your Saiyan instincts and your Human emotions? How do you know who you truly are when you don't understand an entire half of your bloodline? How can you master a form from a prophecy fulfilled by your Saiyan ancestors when you don't know what it means to be a Saiyan? Get what I'm saying?"

"I mean, I think so," said Gohan, "But my dad grew up as a Human, and he's always fought with his instincts. He's an incredible fighter, it just comes naturally to him. I mean, most of the time he only has to watch a technique once and he can perform it as though he's been doing it his whole life!"

"Kakarot is a fucking enigma," his grandfather replied in an almost exasperated manner, "Not only that, unlike you he is a full-bloodied Saiyan. I mean yeah, he forgot a lot of shit because of his knock to the head, but his instincts, his drive was still there. He still loved to fight, picked up stuff quicker than any Human could. He lusted for battle, yearned for power and the honour and glory of the win. Tell me kid, do you feel any of that?"

He paused, swallowing the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. "No, w-well, I enjoy training and learning new things and stuff… but I only fight because the universe needs me to."

Bardock let out a frustrated sigh, "See what I mean? You just don't have that instinct in the same way that your father does. You're soft, emotional, which is no doubt your mother's bloods influence and that of the soft-hearted Earthlings that you surrounded yourself with whilst you were alive. Kakarot was influenced by it too, he barely goes for the killing blow unless he really has to. And I mean what kind of idiot doesn't go for the kill against Frieza?!"

The Commander closed his eyes, inhaling a deep, calming breath before he got angry again, "It's like I said, genetics can only do so much. But forget your father for a sec, the point is that I see it in you kid, something inside of you that lies dormant until you really need it. That uncontrollable rage inside of you that makes you rise up like a rampagin' Oozaru under the glow of a full moon. Whether it comes from your Saiyan blood or otherwise, it's apart of you, and you need to learn to suck it up and accept it rather than be fearful of what it can do. Listen to it, control it rather than letting it control you."

Gohan's mouth fell open, his grandfather's words sinking in as he continued his lecture, "I know you have it in you to listen to those instincts that cry out to you to fight, to conquer, to Destroy. Otherwise, you wouldn't have accepted the role of a Destroyer now would you? Even so, if you keep beating yourself up over every life you take or every soul you erase from existence, then you ain't gonna do yourself any favours."

He was momentarily stunned. It appeared that the man knew him more than he thought possible. Was he really that obvious?

"But Grandpa -," he started, though stopped short, looking up at the warrior hesitantly, "Er, I can call you Grandpa, right?"

"You can call me the Queen of the fucking sugarplum fairies if you manage to master this form," he huffed.

"Er, alright," said Gohan, trying again, "Well, I mean, I understand what you're saying - sort of. But how do you know so much?"

"Because I'm old as fuck," Bardock snarled, "Now stop asking ridiculous questions and transform into this Saiyan God already."

Sighing begrudgingly, the teenager obliged, pulling his divine power forth from the depths of his Ki. A swirl of crimson, amber and gold engulfed him all at once, licking at his frame like wild fire. A staggering pressure mounted without warning, intensifying as his long golden hair wavered in the sudden surge of wind and heat before turning a dazzling crimson, his emerald eyes following suit.

His muscles became more defined, leaner. The unguarded flames surrounding him cast striking shadows upon his cheekbones that stood out a little more prominently than before. Gold, amber and crimson particles filtered into the air that quivered with an ominous tension that suddenly made it incredibly difficult to breathe. A resounding shockwave cleared the dust around them, the orange clouds billowing backwards in a unfurling circle, spreading out for miles as he completed the ascension.

Bardock was stunned for the second time that day, staring intently at the Super Saiyan God with a mixture of shock and something else that Gohan couldn't quite put his finger on. Though he noticed the warmth that had flashed within his grandfather's eyes for but a moment.

Was that… pride?

"Hn, it's not that impressive," Raditz chimed in snidely, moving to sit back on a boulder, "I can't even sense any power from him."

"That's because it's divine energy, stupid," Bardock shot back, "We 'mere mortals' ain't privileged enough to sense his 'Almighty strength'."

"Er, it's not quite like that -," Gohan started in embarrassment, prompting his grandfather to scoff.

"Don't sell yourself short kid, what did I just tell ya about that doubt shit?" He glowered, his expression serious, "Now, seen as I can't sense anything apart from feeling like a ton of deadweight just shat on my senses, tell me what you feel."

"Wait, all that pressure is coming from HIM?! I thought it was the damned weather changing again or something!" His uncle cried, as Bardock rolled his eyes, encouraging the teen to elaborate.

"Well, I feel powerful," He explained honestly, his deep voice echoing around them, conveying a small delay as he spoke, "But the power, this form… it still doesn't feel like my own. I mean, I can reach it without the ritual just fine, and Lord Beerus said that it's as though my body has learned to tap into it at will. But, at the same time, it just doesn't quite fit."

Bardock hummed in thought, "The old legend of the first Super Saiyan God said that a bunch of pure hearted Saiyans revolted, putting their powers together to create this divine form or some shit. The person on the receiving end of the ritual took his comrades power on willingly and made it their own - but it seems to me that you haven't. It don't take no genius to see right through you kid, and it seems to me that you've got too much crap going on in that thick skull of yours to take on much more, and it's stopping you from realising the forms full potential. You can't just preform the ritual and be done with it, you need to be acceptin' of the power."

"But I was willing!" Gohan argued, "I need the power to try and defeat Perses when the time comes! And because of that I -!"

"Think about it," his grandfather interrupted firmly, "Were you honestly in the right state of mind to accept the power of your kin at the time? Were you focussed on your instincts? Focussed on becoming stronger or the knowledge of what was at stake? Or were you overcome by your emotions?"

He didn't even have to offer the man an answer, for the look on his face all but confirmed his suspicions.

Bardock sighed, "Saiyans are a warrior race, no ifs, ands or buts. We are built for fighting, we heal fast, we maintain great stamina even when inflicted with severe injuries. Our senses are heightened - touch, smell, hearing, seeing. We eat massive amounts to fuel the amount of energy we burn, and stay in our fighting prime well into our eighties if we manage to survive that long. What I'm sayin' is that we know our place in the universe kid, but do you know yours?"

"I… I'm not sure, anymore," he said quietly, his fiery aura still surging around him in hot waves. "The Oracle Fish said -."

"Oracle Fish?!" His grandfather guffawed blindly, "You're taking advice from a damned FISH?! No wonder you're this fucking hopeless! Next you'll be telling me you're getting your horoscope from the astral badger, or cooking advice off of the nutritional racoon! And who's giving you wardrobe advice huh?! Was it the paranormal parrot of nightmares that told you to come down here and start dressing like a fucking woman?!"

Ignoring Raditz's subsequent howl of laughter in the background, Gohan growled angrily, "The Oracle Fish told me that I need to look 'deep inside of myself' to find answers, whatever that means. I don't even know where to start! All I do know is that if I don't to this then the entire universe - the cosmos, everything will fall to ruin! Something tells me that it's what I'm meant to do, but I don't know how to get there. And, if I'm honest, I don't think acting more 'Saiyan' is going to help."

"That's not what I mean, boy," Bardock stated, frowning deeply, "You're overthinking it. All you need to do is let go of your doubt and insecurities. This divine shit ain't no walk in the park, right? It ain't like the other Super Saiyan transformations that you know, where it's all about rage and pride and sadness. So let your instincts take over in that God form and the rest will come. Stop letting everything else consume you, that's the only way that you're gonna make it fit right! Let go of your damned FEAR and get over yourself!"

The halfling was silent, the only sound that of his flickering aura sizzling around his frame, the end of Bardock's sentence reverberating in his eardrums and clattering deep within his chest. He dropped out of his transformation with a heavy breath, noticing how the air was becoming almost unbearably hot, beads of sweat evident on both his grandfather and Raditz's brows.

Bardock studied him quietly as his hair and eyes returned back to black, his own muscles relaxing as the crippling pressure elevated.

"Look kid," he said, his gaze softening ever so slightly as he stepped closer to the teenager and placed a strong hand on his shoulder, "Don't be afraid to be who you are. You might not know who that person is just yet, but stop comparing yourself to your father, to Perses, to Beerus and most importantly stop trying to please everyone. Find out what makes you a Human and a Saiyan, what makes you Son Gohan. End of the day, it don't matter what some damned goldfish or even what I tell you. You make your own choices, your own future. Got it?"

Gohan nodded obediently, a wry smile forming at his lips, "Thanks, Grandpa."

"Don't thank me just yet," said Bardock, "You haven't even begun to get your shit together. But just remember this - everyone has the fire, kid, but only true warriors know when to ignite the spark."

KA - BOOOOOOOOOM!

The three Saiyans whirled around, their eyes widening as an enormous explosion sounded. A blinding dome of light erupted in the distance, and several torrents of blackened smoke rose up to meet the dark, electrifying clouds.

As the aftershock sped towards them, blowing the hair away from their faces, Bardock positively fumed, "FUCK! What now?!"

"It looks like it's coming from the village!" Raditz shouted, already on his feet as his panicked eyes reflected the dazzling green blast. "Let's go!"

"Grab onto me, quick! I'll teleport us!" Gohan called, concern growing rapidly for his grandmother more than anything. As much as he had seen her hold her own against Frieza's henchmen, he really didn't want Gine to get caught up with anyone much stronger.

Bardock and Raditz exchanged a bewildered glance, before gasping hold of his outstretched forearm and shoulder, the teenager's tone far too commanding to ignore. And with a sharp pull at his navel, Gohan reappeared instantaneously in the middle of the settlement, his companions falling onto their backside from the sudden force.

His heart plummeted, as the majority of the hamlet was engulfed in flames. At least half of the buildings were completely decimated, bits of smouldering rubble and ashen debris littered all around them. Several wounded Saiyans lay amongst the carnage, some unmoving, critically injured, or worse. He felt a coiling sickness of dread in his stomach, catching sight of some of the bodies evaporating into nothingness. Even though he knew that they would be re-spawned, he sincerely hoped that none of them were his grandmother.

He spotted the members of Bardock's crew through the billowing clouds of smoke, laying amongst a row of devastated huts, bloodied and beaten but otherwise fine. But to his dismay and quickly building anger, he couldn't see Gine anywhere.

A glittering shower of hot ash swept across his face, intermingling with the smoke and fire that raged all around them. Amongst the crackle of flames, a frantic voice cut through the air, and Gohan turned just in time to see a large figure approaching from the distance.

"Commander Bardock! You made it!" The man puffed, his bald head shining in the startling amber glow, "Where have you been?!"

The teenager's mouth fell open in shock, recognising the Saiyan all too readily. Muscles upon muscles of brute strength charged towards them, his hefty boots skidding on the hardened earth as he ground to a halt.

He was just as overbearing as Gohan remembered him. Tall, brawny and imposing, those limitless pitch black eyes darted between Bardock and Raditz as he addressed them. Though instead of the crazed delight and malice that had once terrified him as a young boy when the man had brutally slaughtered the majority of the Z-Fighters, they held distress and frustration.

"Nappa, what the hell is going on?!" Bardock demanded, "It's not Frieza is it?!"

Nappa shook his head, gritting his teeth as an angered snarl left his lips, "Not quite, but they've took out a lot of our warriors already and -."

"They?!" Raditz gaped, "Surely you don't mean - ?!"

"Where's Gine?" His grandfather said fiercely, staring the hulking man down even though his size towered above him.

"She got out, I think - I hope," He replied quickly, "They attacked without warnin', it was bedlam. We stood no chance against those flamboyant bastards."

What is happening right now? Gohan thought as he stared unblinkingly back at them, unable to take in the fact that this brute of a man was showing concern for his grandmother. A sadistic beast who he had last faced off against when he only five years old, pouring all of his strength into a frenzied Masenko attack in a last ditch effort to cripple the maniacal bastard for murdering his beloved mentor, Piccolo.

But his efforts had been in vain, and Nappa had managed to knock the blast off course with only some minor difficulty, subsequently aiming to kill him instead. Once again, his father had arrived just in the nick of time to save both him and Krillin, and Gohan had watched in awe as his father had beaten the demonic Saiyan down within minutes, snapping his spine in the process.

As fate would have it, it had been Vegeta of all people that had dealt the killing blow, the prideful prince unleashing his cruelty upon his own comrade and blasting Nappa to smithereens in return for his failure.

He felt the anger shoot through his veins like white hot lightening, though before he could even open his mouth did another voice sound from up above. The owner of the shout descended rapidly, just as another unrelenting explosion rocked the air from the other side of the village, causing the Saiyans to dig their heels into the ground to prevent themselves from toppling over.

Gohan breathed out a sigh of relief, noticing Gine as she landed. She beamed back at him as he caught her eye, cradling her ribs in pain from where her chest plate had broken apart, dark red blood welling beneath her fingertips. Though he was not relieved to see the person who was carrying her, and quickly darted forwards, pulling his wounded grandmother away from the man's clutches.

"Grandma! Are you alright?!" The halfling asked worriedly, barely waiting for her to nod her head in affirmation before he pushed her behind him and positively glowered at the spikey-haired figure of Turles, "You! You get away from her you evil bastard!"

"Gohan, please - !" Gine started, but she was interrupted by Bardock letting out an exasperated snarl.

"Oh for fuck sake, not this shit again!" He snapped, slapping the teenager sharply upside the head, "What did I JUST say about controlling your emotions?!"

"But - !"

SMACK!

"Don't even think about it!" Bardock growled, his hand searing across his skull once again.

"Will you STOP hitting me?!" Gohan yelled, scowling as he rubbed the sore spot on his head, but much to his chargin, his grandfather merely scoffed.

"Well then, stop givin' me attitude, boy!"

"So this is him, eh?" Nappa observed, looking him up and down, "Wow, you've grown up a lot since the last time I saw ya kid, and into a fine warrior from what your grandpappy's been sayin'! I shouldn't have been surprised though, that blast o' yours nearly took my arm off! And you were only a cub back then!"

He gave the man a deadpan look, as the man let out a gruff bark of laughter, was this really Nappa?!

"Now really isn't the time to be ogling the brat's power," Turles stated in annoyance, his features serious as he turned to Bardock, "Our defences are pretty much obliterated, as well as most of our supplies, but I managed to get Gine out in time."

Gohan's jaw hit the floor. Turles was - or rather used to be - one of the most vicious and most notorious space-pirates in the galaxy. His merciless onslaught of Planet Earth was just one the violent atrocities that he had committed on a very long list of evil. He had nearly sucked the entire planet dry of life with the implantation of the disastrous 'Tree of Might', and led a horrific charge upon the Z-Fighters - including himself.

He would never forget the torturous feeling of his bones twisting and shifting out of place as he was forced to transform into a rampaging Oozaru. Nor the dissonant sound of Turles' cruel laughter as he set him upon his own father.

He almost shuddered at the memory - almost. Trying to coax himself down from unleashing his fury upon the two wicked Saiyans that had haunted his dreams when he was a young boy. Though the despairing look on his grandmother's face made him relent, it wouldn't be a good idea to fight amongst themselves when the Saiyan village was currently under fire.

"Good work Nephew," said Bardock, clapping the man on the shoulder pad, "Nice to see that you're not fucking things up as usual."

"N-Nephew?!" Gohan mustered, aghast, as Turles pouted, "H-He's your nephew?!"

His grandfather rolled his eyes, "My idiot brother's cub, a pain in my ass since he was born. Takes after his father."

They were related?! The halfling gaped, feeling a little nauseous. He couldn't believe it! Though the similarities between him and his father's appearance were nearly just as startling as Bardock's. It made a lot of sense, but Turles had never mentioned that they were cousins when he had invaded Earth. Then again, he was probably too busy trying to kill them.

With that tidbit of information sinking in, he looked around at his family, and it was then did a horrific thought enter his mind.

"Oh Gods! I'm not related to Nappa too am I?!"

"Oi!" Nappa spouted, his cheeks reddening with anger as the others erupted into laughter - much to his astonishment.

"No, you're not," his grandfather told him, looking rather amused, "He was disgraced because he got killed by Prince Vegeta for his insubordination, and then was demoted by the King when he showed up here and banished to the lower-classes. So he hangs around here amongst the boonies with us. In actual fact, I rank much higher than him now in terms of Saiyan Law, and the General here used to oversee the whole Saiyan army."

The Saiyan in question cleared his throat, "With respect Sir, there's no need to rub it in."

"Whatever," griped Bardock, turning to the halfling, "Listen kid, ain't no time for me to draw up a family tree here, we need to think of a game plan before - !"

"Oh LOOK! More monkeys!"

A gloating shout caught their attention, as five figures emerged from the churning clouds of smoke and ash. The tension mounted, thick and palpable, intermingling with the humid air as the unlikely group locked eyes with the ones responsible for the destruction.

They walked in graceful unison, wearing the same white-plated armour with brown-tipped shoulder pads, a matching crest embossed onto the torso. They swaggered slowly and confidently out into the open, chuckling with an air of superiority, the shadows from the raging furnace wavering over their sneering faces and making them look even more intimidating.

Though Gohan wasn't intimidated in the slightest, he could already feel his fury start to bubble underneath the surface of his skin as the others shifted uncomfortably behind him. Their own rage was evident, if their subsequent growls of contempt were anything to go by. He felt the brush of his grandmother's long tail against his leg as it began to thrash wildly behind her in anger, but the teenager held himself firm.

Diligently remembering the words his grandfather had fought to drill into him only moments earlier, he quickly curbed the well of haunting memories that threatened to spew forth into the forefront of his mind at the sight of the village's assailants before them.

"I told ya there was more of 'em hiding!" The tallest of the 'elite' force jeered, his tuft of messy orange hair wavering in the suffocating breeze, "Looks like I win! OH YEAH! Monkey hunting is my favourite game to play!"

The Ginyu Force chortled mockingly, as Bardock snarled, his temper rising as he made to start forwards, when Gohan stopped him.

"Grandpa, I'll handle this," he stated firmly, causing the warrior to look curiously towards him.

"You sure, kid?" He quirked, although he knew full well that the teenager would have no problem on his own.

"Big guns, remember?" He smirked back, "Besides, I have some unfinished business with these bozos."

His grandfather let out a bark of laughter, clapping him roughly on the back, "Nice to see that you're taking what I said to heart. Go wild, kid." He paused, turning to the others, who were staring open-mouthed at the halfling's boldness. "It looks like my crew are wasted - and not the good kind, let's get 'em back on their feet. Raditz, take your mother and get her bandaged up."

"But Bardock -!" Gine tried, looking worriedly towards Gohan.

"I'll be fine Grandma," he replied, flashing her a charming smile, "Please just get to safety, okay?"

"You heard the brat," said Raditz, gently moving her arm to rest upon his shoulder for more support and lifting her by the waist, "I don't want to get caught up in this battle!"

"Oh how valiant of you, Cousin," Turles said snidely, causing Nappa to snort.

"Fuck off!"

Gohan turned, ignoring the rest of their conversation as they flew off towards the burning buildings, setting about helping any Saiyan they could, along with recovering Bardock's crew from the wreckage. Though the group would turn to glance back on occasion, curious to see how the confrontation would unfold.

"Did I just hear you correctly, boy?!" The sneering, pompous voice of Captain Ginyu called out to him from across the desolate street, "Are you, a tailless Saiyan child, really going to challenge the mighty Ginyu Force all on your lonesome?"

His comrades snickered, as the young Saiyan all but smiled pleasantly in their direction, "Yep, that's right."

"Oh?" Ginyu blinked in dubious surprise, the sharp black horns atop his bulbous head glinting in the firelight, "It appears as though we have a most fearless challenger, gentleman! What a treat! It's been many a year since I met someone so stupidly brave as to challenge us! You must think yourself a rather formidable foe! Tell me, young man, what is your name?"

"It's Gohan," he replied, and for a moment, he thought he caught a hint of recognition in the Captain's eyes.

"Hmm Go-han, is that right?" He mustered thoughtfully, before breaking out into a malicious grin that the teenager remembered painstakingly well, "That seems familiar… but no matter! For it is only proper for such gallant warriors to exchange pleasantries before a sensational battle!"

The young Destroyer raised an eyebrow sceptically. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen something like this before…

"MEN!" Ginyu called loudly to his troops over the roaring flames, "INTRODUCTIONS!"

He let out an exasperated sigh as the Ginyu's stood to attention, readying themselves to strike. Here it comes…

"*GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES*!"

"OOOOOHHHHH I'M RECOOME!"

"HAAA! I AM… BURTER!"

"OH YEAHHHHHH! I'M JEICE!"

"HOOOOO! GULDO!"

"*GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES! GINYU FORCE RULES*!"

"HEEEEEEEYYYAAAA! CAPTAIN GINYU!"

"AND - !"

"TO - !"

"GETHER - !"

"WE - !"

"ARE - !"

"THE GINY - !"

"THE GINYU FORCE! Yeah yeah, I know!" Gohan spouted over the top of their ridiculous chanting, seeing no other option but to rudely put an end to this eyesore.

All five of them abruptly halted in their tracks, so startled by the teenager's outburst that they nearly toppled over themselves mid-pose. Captain Ginyu squawked from where he was currently bent forwards, his backside raised high in the air as he looked up at the halfling from in between his thighs.

His reddening face was a perfect mixture between flabbergasted and utterly furious, and he could feel the similarly shocked and bewildered eyes of the Saiyans burning into the back of his head.

A deafening silence rained, and Recoome - balancing awkwardly on one leg - finally fell over from with a enormous THUD.

"How dare you!" Ginyu roared suddenly, whirling around to face him, his nostrils flaring in anger, "How DARE you interrupt us whilst we are in the middle of delivering the sweet sanctity of our introductory pose! YOU RUINED IT!"

"I didn't ruin anything," Gohan scoffed, folding his arms haughtily across his chest, clearly unimpressed, "I mean honestly, couldn't you gits have come up with some better poses whilst you've been rotting down here for all these years?"

"You cheeky little bastard!" Jeice bellowed, as Guldo and Burter struggled to haul Recoome back to his feet. His red skin turning even redder in his rage, "Just who do you think you are?! Telling the likes of us how to pose?!"

"A scoundrel and a cad!" Captain Ginyu stated, still seething, "Clearly, he has no idea of the true power of the fighting pose! These poses you see before you are used to strike fear into the hearts of the bravest warriors! Handcrafted and harnessed with the dedication and skill that can only be performed by the illustrious Ginyu Force! They are too powerful, BEAUTIFUL and magnificent for your puny, primitive Saiyan mind to comprehend - !"

"I'm just saying that I think I could do better," he shrugged, interrupting again, "Things have moved on since you were alive, you know. You guys are so seven-sixties that it hurts."

"WHY YOU - !"

"That reminds me, Ginyu," he continued, frowning in thought as he eyed the Captain's halo, paying no mind to the fact that steam might just spurt out of his ears at any given moment, "How did you die?"

"W-What?" The purple-skinned brute spluttered hotly, "What does that have anything to do with - ?!"

"Well, I know that the rest of you died on Planet Namek," he explained, "But I could have sworn that when you tried to use that special move of yours to switch bodies that you got tricked and swapped with a frog instead. Didn't you end up on Earth somehow?"

Ginyu looked as though he was about to combust, his shoulders shaking with anger as Gohan distinctly heard the group of Saiyans snort loudly behind him. There were more of them now, thanks to Bardock and the others rescue, shielded behind a pile of fallen debris as they watched the scene unfold.

"Wait, you know about Namek?" Burter blundered, his snake-like features contorted in confusion.

"Yeah, as I matter of fact I do," he said boldly, his armour glinting in the amber glow of fire and dust particles that continued to filter through the air, "I also seem to remember you lot beating on me and my friends before my father showed up and kicked your arse to kingdom come."

The penny dropped.

"Y-Your f-father?" Jeice mustered, suddenly terrified, "Wait… you… you're that little brat from back then aren't ya?!"

"Took you long enough," Gohan huffed, rolling his eyes, "But you still haven't answered my question, Ginyu. How'd you end up kicking the bucket?"

The Captain balled up his hands up into fists, his eyes scrunched up in despair, as though he was battling with himself.

He almost looked ashamed.

"Y-You don't have to tell him if you don't want to, Captain," said the short and green-skinned Guldo, four eyes blinking up at his superior in concern.

"Yeah!" Recoome bellowed, raising one of his bulky arms up in defiance, "You don't owe that nosy runt nothin'!"

"What, did you get chewed up by a lawnmower or something?" He snorted, causing Ginyu to snarl angrily back at him.

"NO! It was not that mundane!" He cried, faltering slightly in a desperate attempt to calm himself down, though it was no use, "I-I was eaten! By that mangey mutt because of the wayward actions of those STUPID LITTLE HALF-BREED HOOLIGANS!"

"G-Goten and Trunks?" He mustered in bewilderment, faintly recalling how the boys in question had been scolded at Bulma's Cell Games anniversary party months ago.

Whilst Gohan was having a minor mental breakdown due to being reintroduced to his estranged family - albeit, under a badly constructed pseudonym - the terror twins had indeed caused a small commotion whilst playing with a 'weird-looking frog'. Goten had explained to their mother that Trunks had flung said frog at him because he refused to poke it, and when he had ducked, it had hit the enormous iced cake on the buffet table instead.

The cake had been launched through the air in a rather dramatic display, and had landed in the centre of the dance floor. Bee, being the greedy and excitable pup that he was, had eagerly sprinted towards the sugary treat and -

Oh.

If he ever managed to see Videl again by some rare cosmic fluke, he would not only apologise profusely for his stupidity and beg for forgiveness, but he would take great pleasure in informing her that her pet dog had managed to kill and devour the once fearsome Captain Ginyu of the Ginyu Force.

He couldn't help it, he felt the laughter bubble up from within his chest without warning, and it could not be contained as it erupted from his throat. It bellowed all throughout the smouldering village and out into the deep winding valleys of HFIL. For Gohan had not laughed in many months, not since he had left Earth for the very last time and felt the pain of being forced apart from Videl every single day. The light and warmth he had felt when he was with her had been replaced by dark shadows of emptiness that he just couldn't seem to escape from.

But right there, stood between the seething Ginyu Force and his baffled Saiyan ancestors in the middle of a burning hamlet, the young Saiyan could not stop laughing. He fell to his knees, pounding his fists upon the scorched earth as tears of mirth streamed down his cheeks, continuing to full blown hysterics.

"SHUT UP!" Ginyu roared, as the teenager showed no signs of letting up, "SHUT UP YOU STUPID BOY! IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY!"

Gohan breathed out heavily after a few more seconds of raucous laughter, his chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. The odd giggle escaping him as he finally managed to clamber back to his feet.

"Actually, it's hilarious," he told him, unable to stop himself from grinning at the thought of 'frog Ginyu' being digested by the hyperactive labrador, "But do you know what's even funnier?"

"What?!" The Captain raged, as the halfling clapped his hands together in order to get rid of the crimson soot that had coated his gloves.

"The fact that you really have no idea just how outmatched you are, do you?" He teased, as the Ginyu Force gaped, astounded by his gall.

"Tch whatever, kid!" Burter spat menacingly, "I seem to remember Recoome here pummelling your snot-nosed hide into the dirt!"

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," said Gohan, his onyx eyes shifting between them before he disappeared without warning, reappearing suddenly next to the orange-haired oaf in question.

THWACK!

He was so fast, that Recoome hadn't even had a chance to let out a shriek of surprise. The rest of Ginyu's men whirled around in bewilderment, as the horrific sounds of their comrade's subsequent agony filled the air.

The gnarly brute dropped to the ground, first onto his knees. He gargled and choked, clutching desperately at his neck where Gohan had forcibly flung his fist directly into his larynx. Recoome gasped, face-planting the dusty ground with a solid CRASH, his limbs twitching and quivering as he struggled for air.

"That's for breaking my neck, ugly," the teenager snarled, glaring down at the pathetic heap of a man beneath his feet, "Little tip though for someone of your 'illustrious' standing, the next time you chop someone in the throat, you might want to follow it up with something cool like - 'choke on that.'"

"So yeah," Gohan glowered, holding out a gloved palm that began to sizzle with a growing ball of golden energy, "Choke on that."

BOOM!

"RECOOME!" Jeice cried, as the blast engulfed Recoome completely, vaporising him so that nothing but dark wisps of smoke remained. "You filthy little mongrel! You're gonna pay for that!"

The young Saiyan turned, venom in his eyes as he fixed his gaze upon the remaining Ginyus. And Jeice quite rightly took a step back.

The red-skinned warrior hurriedly turned towards his comrade, "Quick! Hurricane attack!"

"O-Oh! Right!" Burter stammered, hurriedly getting into stance and raising his arms sharply in the air in a kung-fu style pose.

Jeice followed suit, whipping his long hair wildly around in a circle and performing a series of intricate moves, flinging his limbs out to the side and kicking out his leg once for good measure. He paused on one knee, his arms reaching towards the sky and his fingers pointed downwards in a strange crouching motion.

"Prepare yourself for the Ginyu Force's Incredible Hurricane Duo!" He chanted, "I am Jeice!"

"And don't forget me!" Burter chimed, spinning both arms in rapid circles like a propeller, before coming to rest in much the same pose as his fellow team mate, "I'm your worst nightmare! Burter!"

The teenager face-palmed, "Yeah, no. I'm going to have to stop you there."

"W-What?!" They chorused, still balancing in position as Gohan sighed.

"For one, your poses are completely off centre," he told them honestly, "Not to mention dull. Why not spice it up a little with a backflip or a handstand? Definitely some better dialogue, I mean, introducing yourself over and over just gets a bit repetitive, right?"

"And just what the HELL do you know, yeh pompous little blighter?!" Jeice yelled, seething as he struggled to maintain his pose.

Gohan's reply was cut short however, by Burter inclining his head towards his comrade, "You know Jeice, I think he might have a point."

"Huh?! What are you saying?!"

"Well, it's just that we've been doing the same moves for decades now, you know?" The blue-skinned warrior whispered, "Would it really hurt to try something new?"

Jeice's eyes widened as realisation dawned, his mouth making rapid movements but he just couldn't seem to get his words out. But it was too late, as unfortunately for them, their Captain had heard every word.

"Jeice! Burter!" He shouted up at them, looking rather hurt, "Are you trying to imply that the specially crafted Ginyu poses aren't good enough for you?!"

"N-No Captain!" They blundered, as Jeice finally managed to find his voice, and stuttered wildly.

"T-The only thing is, s-sir, is that - well, we've been dead for a lot longer than you have, and we've had a lot of time to think -."

"R-Right!" Burter called, backing up his ally, "A-And maybe this Gohan kid is right? Maybe i-it is time for some new material?"

"We don't mean anything by it, Captain," piped up Guldo.

Captain Ginyu paused, a tense silence drifting between them, before he exploded -

"NONSENSE! UTTER NONSENSE!" He roared, "DON'T YOU SEE THAT HE'S JUST TRYING TO GET INTO YOUR HEADS?! I WON'T HAVE IT!"

They shrunk back immediately, as the young Saiyan let out a low whistle, turning towards the rest of the group, "You know, if you ask me, I'd say that he's the one holding you back."

"BE QUIET YOU ANNOYING BRAT!" Ginyu snapped, "Forget the damned hurricane! Let's show this amateur what we're made of! MEN! POSITION FORTY-FIVE!"

"B-But Sir!" Jeice whimpered, "He just took down Recoome in one blow! Don't you think that we ought to - ?!"

"NOW!"

The remaining members of The Ginyu Force squeaked at his arduous tone, and immediately sprang into action.

"Y-YES SIR, CAPTAIN SIR!"

At once, they moved towards each other, striking another rapid series of outrageous poses in perfect sync.

"BEHOLD! THE GLORY OF GINYU'S POSITION FORTY - !"

"No, no, no!" Gohan berated in annoyance, stalking over to them and placing his hands haughtily on his hips, "This is all WRONG!"

They stopped short, their eyes wide in shock as he continued, "I mean yeah, you could fairly argue that I just disintegrated one of your team mates, but let's face it I probably did you all a favour. Either way, you're way off! Burter, what the hell are you doing with your arms?! They're all over the place! Jeice, PROJECTION, I can barely hear what you're saying underneath all that hair! And Guldo… well, I don't even know where to start!"

"I - I - " Guldo started weakly, but the halfling had already moved on.

"And you Ginyu," he scolded the horned Captain, "Your choreography is diabolical. Like, a total bloody SHAMBLES! You're throwing way too many moves at your team here, and they can't keep up! The key is quality man, not quantity!"

They stared at him blankly, prompting him to sigh, motioning towards them, "Bottom line, you just need to fix… this."

Ginyu was stunned, "B-But you just gestured to all of us…"

"Exactly," he pressed, rolling his eyes as they continued to give him vacant expressions, "Look, just watch me, alright?"

With that, Gohan cleared his throat in preparation, placing one hand on his hip and one arm raised towards the Ginyu Force, pointing at them in warning. His features hardening in concentration, a captivating aura of superiority shrouding his strong and sturdy frame, making it impossible for anyone to tear their gaze away.

"I am one of the almighty Gods of Universe Seven!" He bellowed, his tone fierce and commanding, booming loudly around the village, the surrounding flames reflecting the sudden fire in his eyes, "I am the answer to all of those who cry out for peace! I am the protector of cosmical balance that upholds the very fabrication of reality, the prophesied wielder of the ancient Z-Sword, I am the shadow of Destruction in the night! I am judgement, I am truth! And the end to your existence!"

Just then, the dark clouds parted ever so slightly, enveloping the young Saiyan in a shimmering amber hue that shone out from the upper sky. He posed, raising his right hand to his head and striking a two-finger salute, flexing his lean muscles in a spectacularly strong stance, "I am - Son Gohan, The Destroyer!"

As he finished, a pressurised build up of fire and ash exploded into the air behind him, raining down in a shimmering, glittering swirl of theatrics.

Silence loomed, as Ginyu's men stared, and then at once, broke out into a monumental applause.

"GOHAN!" Bardock roared behind the makeshift barricade, as the Ginyu Force continued to cheer. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Well," Raditz mustered meekly, his cheeks burning with embarrassment, much resembling the rest of the other Saiyans, "You did tell him to act more like himself. Maybe… this is it…?"

"CLEARLY, THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

"Beautiful!" Jeice cried, wiping a stray tear from his eye as he stared at the halfling in gracious awe, Bardock's exasperated roars of anger still echoing in the background, "Simply stunning!"

"Bravo!" Burter applauded, frantically clapping his hands together as he got to his feet. "Magnificent! What a show!"

"You're a genius!" said Guldo, all four eyes wide in amazement.

"Thank you, thank you," Gohan grinned, taking a bow, "You really are too much!"

"NO!" Ginyu shrieked furiously, causing his crew to flinch in fear, he was not as impressed by Gohan's display as the rest of them were, "Stop fawning over that brat at once! We are better than this! We're better than anyone! We're better than YOU!"

The teenager blinked, as the irate Captain directed his manic snarl towards him, "Did you hear that BOY?! I will NOT be told what to do and how to pose by some low-class chimp with an attitude problem! As the founder, Captain and choreographer of the mighty Ginyu Force, it is my duty to show you what we're TRULY made of!"

With that, he let out a deep shuddering breath, his chest heaving with anticipation, "Men! It is time… for POSITION X!"

The force gasped, horror stricken as his sinister words echoed around the fiery hamlet, their eyes widening to the size of saucers.

"P-Position X?!" Jeice gulped loudly, his hands already shaking, "B-But i-it's not ready Captain, a-and we've only practised it a handful of times before we died!"

"Sir, i-is this really wise?" Burter started apprehensively, pure terror in his eyes, "Even Lord Frieza forbade its use!"

"Well Lord Frieza isn't here, is he?" Ginyu retorted sharply, still glaring daggers at the young Destroyer before them, "Besides, we agreed that we would only use that position in the most dire of circumstances, and I believe that this is exceptionally just so - our very reputation is at risk!"

"But Captain," said Guldo, his knees trembling, "W-We haven't even got Recoome - !"

"And that is exactly why we must press on in his honour!" He stated boldly, cutting across him, "Recoome wouldn't take this kind of disrespect lying down! Recoome wouldn't just give up without a fight!"

They glanced at each other nervously, as Jeice tried again in vain, "B-But Captain - !"

"Would Recoome stand here now as you are, WHINING?!" Ginyu slandered, spit flying from his mouth, looking positively wild.

Burter blanched, "Well, no Sir, but we - !"

"Would he worry about a move that wasn't as well polished as the rest of his repertoire?!"

"N-No."

"Would he toss aside any SHRED of doubt that possessed the potential for him to swoon in fear in front of a most hated enemy?!"

"Of course he would!" Guldo chimed in bravely, "Recoome isn't scared of anyone!"

"And would he, RECOOME, allow this nobody to berate him and tell him that his poses weren't beautiful?!" Ginyu yelled thunderously, "I say NAY!"

"Y-You're right Captain!" Jeice said fiercely, raising a fist in the air in determination, his apprehension dissipating and a new found fire in his belly, "Recoome wouldn't be pushed around by this loser!"

"Exactly Jeice, good sport!" The Captain beamed proudly, "Now let me ask you all this, my valiant warriors and most flexible dance troop, do you know why I made our fallen brother change his name to Recoome before I allowed him to join the prestigious Ginyu Force?"

"Er, was it because his real name was Eugenie?" Burter offered.

"That was not the only reason, my dear Burter!" Ginyu boasted, placing his hands on his hips in a strong stance, "It is because 'Recoome' rhymes with doom! And DOOM is precisely what we are going to bring to this despicable excuse of a choreographer!"

"YEAHHH!" The Ginyu Force cheered, as their 'formidable' leader snapped an outstretched finger towards the teen in question, a sadistic smirk forming on his lips.

"OH FOR FUCK SAKE! JUST KILL THEM ALREADY!"

Gohan sighed begrudgingly, as his grandfather's barbarous shout echoed over the roar of flames in the distance. His gruff tone was quickly drowned out, however, by the excitable Ginyu Force's chanting as they formed a semi-circle, vigorously jumping up and down like group of mismatched and incredibly muscular cheerleaders.

"WHO ARE WE?!" Captain Ginyu cried.

"THE GINYU FORCE!"

"LOUDER!"

"THE GINYU FORCE!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOUUUUUUUU!" He sang, cupping his ear in the process as his crew positively frothed at the mouth.

"THE MIGHTY GINYU FORCE!"

Well, he could just give them a chance, the teenager thought, they seemed to be going to a lot of trouble after all. And he would be lying if he said he wasn't just a tiny bit curious to see what this 'Position X' was all about. They hadn't used it back on Planet Namek, as far as he was aware of.

"THAT'S RIGHT! ALL TOGETHER NOW!" Ginyu fired off one last time, raising both of his arms in the air and crossing them in front of his face so that they formed a distinguishable 'X' shape - the rest of his team following suit as they roared.

"POSITION X!"

And just like that, they were off, launching themselves into the air and leaving the halfling looking curiously up at them from his position on the dusty ground.

The four remaining Ginyu Force members ignited their auras so that a shimmer of white hot flames engulfed them. Gohan stared, as they moved in a perfect formation and Jeice slotted himself onto Burter's shoulders, his muscular thighs nestling either side of his head. Next, came the much shorter Guldo, back-flipping over himself until he was fixed atop of Jeice's messy hair.

Captain Ginyu brought up the final position, still smirking wickedly down at the teen from high up in the blood red sky, paying no mind to the fact that his groin was squashing Guldo's bulbous head and causing him to wince. Though whether his discomfort was only temporary or not was anyone's guess, as the green-skinned hellion closed his eyes in concentration, a distinct hum forming at his lips and causing the already humid air around them to shudder with a strange, otherworldly kind of energy.

Several onlookers yelped from below, leaping out of harms way as a sudden cascade of burning rocks, dirt and splintered wood rose up from the ground and shot straight towards the airborne humanoid totem pole. Gohan frowned, though remained rooted to the spot, as with a burst of amber light, did a fiery tornado of debris whip around the them, curtesy of Guldo's psychic abilities.

An enormous whirlwind swept the village, blowing his long hair away from his face and a torrent of crimson dust to hurtle towards him. He stood stoic, paying no mind to the yells of his Saiyan ancestors who were too busy trying to shield themselves from the explosion of dust and wind to take much more notice of what was forming in front of them - their arms crossed in front of their faces in order to stop it from invading their eyes.

Something was building, transforming and warping into a tall and imposing structure, taking on a form that looked almost humanoid. Captain Ginyu's manic laughter echoed over the hamlet, the fires no longer eating away at the Saiyans homes. Instead, the sizzling flames rose up and intermingled with the broken stones and crimson dirt that churned around Frieza's old lackeys, who were now completely hidden from view.

Slowly, the hurricane began to wane, and Gohan's eyes narrowed at the colossal monster of rock and fire that now leered hundreds of feet above him, its gigantic horned head touching the pitch black clouds that shuddered with dazzling clashes of lightening bolts.

Held up by the Ginyus enforced Ki and telekinetic energy, the enormous depiction of their combined power smouldered with pillars of dark smoke that protruded out of the gaps in its torso where the remains of the Saiyans huts hadn't quite managed to fit together. The hard earth cracked beneath its crippling weight as its head inclined to the young Saiyan, two great gaping black holes in place of eye sockets greeted him, along with a large mouth from which he could depict amber flames burning away at the back of its throat.

A smirk spread across its stony face, the sound of Captain Ginyu's voice vibrating through its chest. "BEHOLD YOUR DEMISE, BRAT! IN THE GLORIOUS FORM OF - !"

"MEGA-GINYU!" The rest chorused, as the humungous form of 'Mega-Ginyu' struck a pose not too dissimilar to a ballerina about to perform a pirouette.

"I can see why Frieza didn't authorise this," Gohan deadpanned, causing Mega-Ginyu to chortle.

"EXACTLY!" It boomed, the voice of Captain Ginyu ringing harshly in his ears, "It is far too terrifying for the faint of heart! To set eyes upon such a magnificent spectacle is a feat in itself! BEHOLD!"

Once again, Mega-Ginyu posed with dramatic finesse, its smokey insides bursting outwards as it twirled in motion, causing the ground to shudder and quake from the action of hopping from one foot to the other. Sparks and embers filtered out of the hundreds of cracks in its body as it moved, prompting the young Saiyan to leap out of harms way as one of the monster's enormous feet came crashing down upon him.

A monumental shockwave rocked the area from the force of impact, sending several unstable structures crumbling to the ground. Searing hot lava spurted from the ground where Gohan had been seconds earlier, sending thick, gloopy pillars of magma spiralling into the upper sky. The teenager phased out quickly, as another gigantic foot came soaring his way, followed up by a rush of blinding Ki and fire that escaped the beasts throat. The halfling conjured a golden shield in front of him, easily protecting himself from the blast that dispersed over the clouds, leaving Mega-Ginyu snarling irritably.

"I've got to hand it to you Ginyu, that's pretty impressive," said Gohan, hovering level with its head in the air as the lava continued to bubble and pop in the newly formed crater several feet below him, "I do have just one question though."

"Well, I suppose that I can oblige your last request before I condemn you to oblivion," Captain Ginyu's dominant tone echoed from deep within the monster, "Fire away."

"Why doesn't it have any arms?"

Mega-Ginyu looked down frantically at its torso, where indeed, two giant holes were in place of where a pair of arms should be.

"Isn't it obvious?!" Ginyu squawked, the large stoney eyebrow of the beast contorted into a deep and angry scowl, "Recoome was supposed to be the arms! Which is currently impossible, no thanks to you! We've got to work with what we've got! Have you never heard the saying that the show must go on?!"

"What did he say, Captain?" Jeice's muffled voice sounded from somewhere near Mega-Ginyu's stomach before the teen could retort, "I can't see!"

"Be quiet Jeice!"

"Ouch! You're hurting my shoulders, Sir!" Guldo faintly squeaked, and the mountainous body gave a sudden quiver.

"Concentrate Guldo!" Ginyu snapped, "You're holding this thing together after all! It wouldn't do well to - … wait a minute! Are you trying to say that I've put on weight?!"

Gohan sighed, scratching at his cheek impatiently, as Burter's tentative tone escaped from the groin.

"I don't know how to tell you this Captain, but me and the boys have noticed that eating like a frog for nearly fifteen years hasn't been all that flattering on your waistline… - OOF!"

Mega-Ginyu doubled over in pain, its knees buckling as though a rather nasty blow had been delivered to an incredibly sensitive area and causing several pieces of debris to topple to the ground.

"SHUT UP!" The irate Captain growled, causing the young Saiyan to sigh in annoyance.

"So, are you going to fight or - ?"

"PUT A SOCK IN IT, YOU INSOLENT RUFFIAN!" He roared, flexing the armless torso in preparation, getting so angry that the giant's desolate eyes ignited with flames.

The teenager rolled his eyes, swiftly dodging out of the way of a titanic blast of fire that exploded from the beasts mouth. It careened over the horizon, lighting up the dark valleys and coming to a clattering halt as it connected with a distant mountain. A mammoth plume of smoke detonated, the aftershocks hurtling towards them in rapid succession.

Gohan glared back at the Ginyu Force's creation, "You'll never learn, will you?"

"What was that?!" Captain Ginyu's angered snarl reached him once more, the shockwaves petering out into mild tremors, "If you say one more word about my choreography then I'll - !"

"I wasn't talking about that," he replied cooly, "Even though it still sucks major dragon's balls, no matter what form you're in."

He growled, his fury reflected in the glowing embers of the beasts eyes.

"What I'm saying is," he continued, "Is that bad guys like you always seem to get way ahead of yourselves. You're always too busy letting your arrogance go straight to your already gigantic egos to realise what's happening right underneath your nose."

"Be quiet, boy!" Ginyu bellowed, "I WILL CRUSH YOU UNDER OUR FEET!"

But Gohan was too fast - and strong, stopping Mega-Ginyu's oncoming stomp with just the tip of his index finger. The colossal brute struggled to push back, completely stumped by the young Destroyer's might.

He smirked, as the fire dimmed in the monster's eyes, its cold stoney features quickly twisting into what could only be depicted as fear.

"W-What the - ?!"

"You see, Captain," the halfling elaborated, the weight of Mega-Ginyu's crushing force still balancing on his fingertip, "Whilst you lot have been sitting on your arse for over a decade and performing the same embarrassingly bad moves over and over, I've gone through a bit of an upgrade myself. I've come a pretty long way since I faced you as a kid, and have utilised parts of my power in ways that might seem unfathomable to others."

"L-Like more poses?" Guldo asked wearily, though there was a hint of awe to his tone that was impossible to miss.

"Not just that," he scoffed, "No, one of the things I've been practising recently is something that I like to call 'latent Ki', meaning that I can unleash some of my power away from my body, and fire attacks without having to be near them. It's sort of like this ultimate attack that I've got going on, but this time I'm trying to do it without draining myself of energy…"

"So what?!" Jeice yelled, as Mega-Ginyu wobbled slightly, in danger of losing balance, "What's that got to do with - ?!"

"Well, I only think it's right that I give you fair warning," said Gohan, "I mean, I haven't really got a firm handle on it yet, so it can be a little bit… explosive."

Realisation hit them like a sledge hammer, and Mega-Ginyu's holes-for-eyes widened tenfold, its large stoney head whipping around in a blind panic.

"Er Captain?" Burter's muffled voice mustered nervously from the groin, "I don't mean to alarm you, but something's glowing down here!"

And then, to the Ginyu's horror and bewilderment, not excluding the stunned Saiyans' still watching from the ground, a spiderweb of golden light started to crawl up from in-between the monster's thighs.

It scattered all throughout the exoskeleton, getting brighter and brighter until vibrant golden beams spewed forth from the gaps in the debris and shuddered with the almighty strength of the young Destroyer's power. Long strings of white hot Ki broke through the psychic barrier that was keeping the pieces of broken rock and wood together, the fires that raged within the beast eclipsed by the impending blast.

"Y-You - !" Came the strangled cry of Captain Ginyu, "You tricked us! W-When did you even DO that?!"

The enormous foot that was perched atop his finger quickly crumbled to dust, as the gigantic form of Mega-Ginyu jerked and shuddered under the sudden force, no longer able to be sustained, parts of its fragmented body falling to the pit of lava below.

"Stuck a tiny ball of my Ki on Burter as you were getting into… position forty-five was it?" He shrugged indifferently, "I was just waiting for a good time to release it… tch, fastest in the universe my arse."

Ginyu was positively furious, "DAMN IT BURTER!"

"I'M SO SORRY SIR!" Burter's sobs echoed over the roar of the rapidly building blast.

"I-It's alright Burter," he relented, sighing heavily, "I shouldn't have yelled at you, t-that was wrong."

"Oh Captain -," cooed Jeice.

"No, no," Ginyu implored, a sort of begrudging respect about the tone of his voice, "As your Captain, it is only fair that I burden the responsibility. You couldn't have foreseen it. Not an attack like that. You know men, there is a great deal of pride to be had in oneself, in the acceptance that you have been bestest by a formidable opponent. And all I have to say is - well played, Son Gohan, well played."

The remnants of the make-shift Ginyu suit bent forwards, its decaying head bowing in respect before disintegrating completely with a cataclysmic KA-BOOM! A cascade of blinding energy released all at once, blowing back the darkened clouds so far that the smooth underbelly of Snake-Way could be seen thousands of feet above.

Gohan grinned wickedly, eyeing the smouldering Ginyu Force who were still hanging in the air, coughing and spluttering as the light cleared. They were looking rather worse for wear, their armour singed, broken and dirt laden, whilst Jeice's hair was utterly frazzled.

"See, the problem is with you lot is that you thought that those moves of yours were so perfect that they couldn't be possibly beaten," he told them, as their eyes widened fearfully, "Thing is, when you think you're perfect, you've got no way to improve. Get what I'm saying?"

They nodded in unison, gulping down the remaining dregs of their pompous resolve.

"Good," the teenager smirked, "Hopefully, you'll come up with something better if our paths ever cross again."

"T-Thank you for your wisdom, Son Gohan," Ginyu spoke humbly, his pride defeated, "I promise that we'll do our absolute best to impress you!"

"That's great to hear, I'll look forward to that," Gohan smiled in approval, before a mischievous glint sparked within his dark eyes. "But for now I'll leave you with this - an ultimate finishing pose."

"A-A finisher too?!" Guldo gasped in amazement, as the young Destroyer breathed deeply and slunk into a wide stance in the middle of the air.

"That's right!" He spouted, reaching his arms up to the sky and balancing on one leg in midair - preparing for something, "Remember chaps, no matter what the outcome of a fight, it's always much more dramatic to go out with a - !"

He disappeared before their eyes, causing the Ginyus to blink in bewilderment. That was, until they felt a terrifying presence lurking right behind them.

"BANG!" Gohan bellowed, his right hand mimicking a gun and forefingers pressed in-between Captain Ginyu's shoulder blades.

He yelped, thrust forwards by the unrestrained force behind the young Saiyan's fingertips. The blast so powerful that it not only fired Ginyu into the air but the others as well. They screamed as they shot across the horizon at breakneck speed, aiming straight in the direction of their cells and leaving a long tail of smoke behind them.

"What a marvellous techniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii - !" The last cry of Captain Ginyu sounded as they became nothing more than a speck in the sky, the end of his sentence lost to the deep abyss of HFIL.

"Tch, amateurs," Gohan griped, dusting off his gloves as he watched them go.

"BRAT!"

His grandfather's angered shout cut harshly through the air as the man charged towards him, his grandmother, Raditz and the rest of the surviving Saiyans in tow. There were only a few dozen of them left, their armour scuffed and laden with dirt and blood. Bardock's crew looked significantly more beaten up than the others, though they looked more than relieved that it was over, greeting him with tired smiles as they approached.

SMACK!

"What the hell was that?!" Bardock growled, smacking him upside the head, "Are you trying to make a mockery out of my bloodline?!"

"No, I was trying to create a distraction," the halfling retorted in annoyance, rubbing the back of his skull with a scowl on his face, "Anyway, it worked didn't it? Those gits are long gone."

"You could have wiped them out instantly and you know it!" He snarled, "Yet you dragged it out for your own damned amusement!"

"Well, you did say that I should start embracing more of my Saiyan heritage," he smirked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well I -," He stopped short, the teenager's words rendering him speechless.

Nappa let out a gruff bark of laughter, "Ha! Kid's got ya there, Commander!"

"Shove it, Nappa!" Bardock glowered, before shooting Gohan a glare, "I'm just glad that shit show is over. I swear you damned cubs are just out to embarrass the hell out of me."

"Well I thought it was cute," said Gine, pinching at his cheek and causing him to flush, "Especially with that little speech of yours - 'I am the shadow of Destruction in the night! Son Gohan The Destroyer!'"

His blush deepened, as his grandmother attempted to mimic his deep voice, as well as his strong pose.

"Grandma," he mustered weakly, as the group snorted, "I only did that to distract them…"

"Whatever," Bardock scoffed, "That was far too polished for you to have made that shit up on the spot. You've been practising that little speech in front of your bedroom mirror, haven't you?"

"… maybe?"

The hardened warrior rolled his eyes in exasperation, just as a distant shout caught their attention.

"Hey, Uncle!" Turles yelled, waving over to them from where he hovered above several rows of devastated rubble up ahead. "Good news! The tavern is still intact!"

The battle-torn Saiyans erupted into cheers, as Bardock let out a hefty sigh of relief, "Oh thank the ancient Gods! I could do with a stiff drink or ten after watching my idiot grandson prance around with the Ginyu Force."

"Same here," said Raditz, shooting the teenager a scathing look.

"Oi!" Gohan griped, "I told you that it was just a distraction - !"

"Give it a rest kid, you're not fooling anyone," said Tora, clapping him roughly on the shoulder, "Though I gotta say that apart from the dance moves, you're pretty impressive. I mean, we knew that Bardock's grandkid was a powerhouse, but it was something else to see you live in action!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked, confused.

"Told ya we watched Kakarot fight Frieza on that crystal ball I nicked, didn't I?" said Bardock, "We've been watching you for years."

"What, really?"

"Of course we were!" Fasha blurted, her armour broken in several places and a nasty looking bruise on her cheek, "We even watched your fight with that bug monster. Bardock had a vision of Kakarot fightin' off against a big threat to Earth, so he wanted to show off what his boy could do -."

"He nearly keeled over all over again when your old man sent you in to fight instead!" Borgos chortled.

"You should have seen Gine," said Tora, "I thought she was gonna tear apart a hole in between dimensions just to strangle Kakarot!"

They laughed, as Nappa shook his head, "But damn did you surprise us. Transformin' into a level beyond Super Saiyan when you were just a cub, and a half-breed at that!"

"I ain't never seen a Saiyan tavern so quiet," said Shugesh, a deep cut above his eyebrow, he flashed him a wicked grin as Raditz let out an irritated scoff behind him.

"We saw you die too," Gine said sadly, her eyes full of emotion as she regarded him, a makeshift bandage made out of cloth wrapped around her ribs, "But the crystal ball couldn't track you any further, no matter what we did. I don't think it works in the realms of the higher Gods."

"Yeah we all thought that Bardock was talking shit when he said you had become a Destroyer," Tora shrugged, "But it looks like his visions were true after all."

"You're one pretty tough kid," Fasha winked, punching Gohan playfully in the shoulder and causing his lips to quirk into a small smile.

"Trust me, you ain't seen nothin' yet," Bardock said gruffly, before turning towards him, "Now let's eat, we've got some emergency supplies somewhere, and the rest of the villagers should be re-spawning soon. We'll fix this shit hole up tomorrow."

He nodded obediently, following the rest of the Saiyans through the devastated hamlet. Just under half of it remained intact, though he reasoned that it shouldn't take too long for them to rebuild as long as they worked together. The fading embers of the extinguished flames still lingered, small columns of smoke lifting into the air in the aftermath of the chaos that had rained upon the small dwelling.

It should be getting dark by now, Gohan thought naively, but corrected himself almost instantly, for there were no suns or moons in HFIL and similarly no concept of night or day. He wondered just how long he had been down here, it must be getting awfully late. But he couldn't exactly leave until he had at least made sure that the uprising had been put to rest.

Besides, his grandfather had mentioned food, and he was starting to get incredibly hungry. All that plumbing he had done earlier had certainly worked up an appetite -

Shit, he thought in annoyance, he had almost forgotten that Otherworld's plumbing was still on the fritz. And made a mental note to remind himself to fix it before he went back home, else Whis and Lord Beerus wouldn't be too pleased. Thoughts of his relentless superiors dissipated however, as soon as his grandmother and some other Saiyans made use of one of the surviving fire pits outside of the tavern, the smell of charcoaled fish causing him to drool and his worries drifting into the back of his mind.

The meal wasn't great by all accounts, but he ate up everything on his plate anyway just to be polite. He sat on a shoddily crafted wooden table indoors with Gine, Bardock and Raditz, watching disbelievingly as they tucked to an enormous platter of overcooked fish and bowls of greyish gruel with unrestrained gusto. He reasoned that there wasn't that much good food around these parts, which he thought may have been purposeful, as being unable to satisfy a Saiyan's stomach was a special kind of hell.

It was warm and stuffy in the tavern, especially when more and more newly re-spawned Saiyans squeezed themselves into the rickety shack that resided not too far from his grandparents' hut. It was surreal, watching the bodies and piles of ash he had seen lying on the ground hours earlier laughing and rough-housing with their fellow comrades as if nothing had even happened.

The building was quite obviously old, with broken windows and beams with significant wood rot holding up the thinly thatched roof, giving Gohan the impression that it was probably one of the first structures that the Saiyans had built down here. A murky hue of red drifted in from the small crooked windows, casting looming shadows throughout the dimly lit room. The stale smell of old liquor tickled his nostrils as he sat and listened to the conversations unfolding around him, noticing how his boots kept sticking to the sticky floor underneath the table. The chatter in the enclosed space was raw and thunderous, causing his ears to ring from the onslaught of sound - a jangle of voices, back slapping, cat-calling, swearing and taunts of a good fight.

At one point, Bardock left their table and came back moments later with four large tankards of something frothy and strong smelling from the long and rough splintered bar that ran the length of the establishment. There was no barman of sorts, and it appeared that the Saiyans were able to just help themselves to the stacks upon stacks of enormous barrels that lined the wall from floor to ceiling behind the bar.

The teenager tried to protest as his grandfather thrust the tankard into his palms, but was quickly silenced by the man's warning glare as he informed him that - "It either goes down your throat or I'll find somewhere else to stick it!"

Whatever was in it, it tasted potent, and the young Saiyan quietly nursed his one drink whilst he nervously watched the rest of his estranged family put away around five tankards each in the space of an hour. Though to his astonishment, they appeared completely unaffected.

Raditz still refused to look at him, instead leaning over their booth and laughing away with Nappa and a group of burly males whom Gohan had yet to learn the names of. Though he wasn't bothered by his uncle's coldness towards him, for he found himself content with enjoying his grandparents company, particularly his grandmother's.

The other Saiyans too, surprisingly. Tora, Fasha and the other members of his grandfather's crew had dragged him and Bardock further towards the bar at one point, introducing him to even more of their comrades, who were all too eager to meet the grandson of the revelled Commander. Gohan was perplexed, as male and female Saiyans alike - all just as raucous and imposing as the rest - bombarded him with all sorts of questions about his strength, and his life growing up with his father on Earth. A couple of them even thanked him for taking down the dastardly Ginyu Force and protecting their homes from coming under more fire.

It seemed that he had been right in his assumptions after all, it appeared as though the Saiyans - well, the ones he had met so far anyway - had indeed repented in death. Sure, they weren't upstanding citizens or anything close to that, they were still rowdy and wild, with a scarily unquenchable thirst for battle. But despite himself, he found himself becoming more at ease as the evening ticked by. The fact that Nappa and Turles both came over to him at one point offering a truce with a full tankard and an apology each for attacking the Earth in the past probably helped to stifle his anxieties somewhat.

The thought was crazy in itself, but he actually ended up having a light hearted conversation with them about gravity simulation training, and what 'Prince Vegeta's woman' as they called her, had managed to achieve with her inventions on Earth. They were surprisingly intrigued by it all, and even spoke of some of their own rather questionable training methods.

He actually found out a little more about his grandparents as the night continued. And it was when he was halfway down his third tankard did he ask Bardock how he had met his grandmother.

"She was on my crew," he had told him, taking a large gulp of his drink - Gohan had lost count of how many he'd had at this point - and draining it, "She was fucking useless, weak, not cut out for fightin'. Wouldn't back down though no matter how much I told her to just fuck off already. Short story is, I ended up saving her on a some mission that nearly killed us all, we banged, she got knocked up so I had to marry her or else her stupid prick of a father would have disowned her. The rest is history."

He had cringed, his cheeks burning at the vulgarity, and took a long swing of his own tankard in response. His grandfather had turned away from him almost immediately, apparently having no more to say on the matter, and started up a conversation with Shugesh about some old war that the Saiyans had been involved in years ago - or more than likely started.

But despite the man's dismissal, the halfling knew that there was much more to his grandparents' relationship than that. He could see it in the way that Bardock looked at Gine, the way his hardened features would soften ever so slightly when she spoke, and the way his eyes would search for her in the crowded pub, making sure that she was still close to him. Because maybe, he needed her to be.

She had given him a family after all, a legacy. One that he was utterly exasperated by but also fiercely proud of. They had stood side by side through Frieza's reign of terror and had brought two sons into the world whom they had sacrificed everything for in order to keep them alive. And even in death it was clear just how devoted they were to one another, and by extension - their family.

His breath caught in his throat, his chest constricting painfully. All of a sudden, he felt suffocated.

Draining the dregs of his tankard, the sharp tang of alcohol lingering on his tongue as he plonked the empty beaker back on the bar, Gohan made his way out of the busy tavern. It was incredibly difficult, what with the Saiyans packed in there like sardines, several of them clapping him hard on the back or ruffling his hair as he squeezed past.

Safely outside, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief, resting his back against the cool stone of the building a ways up from the large doorway so that he could keep out of sight of any loiterers. The sound of boisterous chatter filtered out of the shattered windows, only dampened by the occasional rumble of the dark clouds above as rogue streaks of lightening jolted across the sky.

The hamlet was peaceful now, in spite of the current state of disarray that it was in. This half wasn't too bad, he noticed, as the majority of the stone huts had remained, though a fair few were covered in soot left over from the fires, sizeable cracks marring the brickwork and the surrounding earth littered with scorch marks from the remnants of stray Ki blasts.

He didn't know how long he had there stood brooding, his muscular arms stretched out behind him as he rested the back of his head in his palms, one foot balancing back on the wall, staring off into the mountains that lay beyond the valleys. His mind was whirring, wondering just how many of his old enemies that he might come across if they too had escaped just like the Ginyu Force and the hoards of Frieza's henchmen. He mentally stifled a sudden wave of nerves that threatened to bubble up within him when he thought of one hellion in particular. He would rather not allow himself to think on such haunting memories after all.

A sudden high-pitched squawk sounded from somewhere in the distance, and the young Saiyan caught sight of some sort of black-winged beast before it disappeared once again into the dark clouds. He sighed again, wondering just how he had managed to wind up in HFIL of all places? Whis was right, he really did have an uncanny knack for getting into trouble.

His onyx eyes searched the skies. Distance wise, here in another dimension, he was further away from her now than ever before. His heart waned, the ache in his chest getting worse and Bardock's words of wisdom from earlier ringing in his ears.

"How can I get stronger?" He whispered aloud, though he knew that she couldn't possibly hear him, "When I feel like I left all of my strength with you?"

"Who are you talking to?"

Gohan yelped, startled, pushing off from the wall and quickly slipping into his fighting stance when he caught sight of his grandmother's kind dark eyes smiling back at him.

"Sorry little cub," she giggled, approaching him slowly, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I wasn't scared," he pouted, relaxing as she continued to chuckle, "I just wasn't expecting anyone to be there, was all."

"Hn," Gine observed, mimicking him and leaning up against the wall beside him, "And here I'd hoped that my Kakarot would have taught his sons to always be aware of their surroundings."

"He did," the teenager nodded, sighing to himself, "He taught me a lot of things, actually. Goten probably more so."

"But obviously refrained from telling you not to daydream when there are enemies lurking," she said pointedly.

"I wasn't daydreaming," he paused, biting his lip, "I was just… thinking."

"About what?"

"I dunno," he shrugged, brushing off her concerned tone, "I suppose that it's just weird, you know? I mean, meeting you and Grandpa - everyone. I always grew up thinking that Saiyans were bad to the bone apart from my dad, and Vegeta once he'd settled down I suppose. I just never imagined that I'd be in a pub sharing a drink with Nappa of all people."

She laughed, "Well, Nappa and Turles were two of the worst, but they've come around slowly over the years."

He gave her a small smile as her own faded, "But make no mistake Gohan, we are all in HFIL for a reason, we have to serve our time here just like anyone else who has committed evil deeds in their life."

"Yeah, I know," said Gohan, his mind drifting to Makhai, Eris and Deimos for a split second, "But I wish you were in Otherworld though, I don't feel like you deserve to be in a place like this."

His grandmother frowned, "I did bad things too Gohan, things that I'm not altogether proud of. Your grandfather told you that I was on his crew, right?"

"Yeah, he did," he replied, her eyes becoming fierce.

"Our crew was one of the best in the Saiyan Army, even though the spots were only filled with low-class soldiers," she said firmly, "And the reason that it was so highly revered was because we racked up one of the largest kill counts."

He stared, his mouth falling open slightly as she continued, "I made my grave, and now I've got to lie in it. Not only that, my family is here. My friends, my people. I couldn't just abandon them like that."

"S-Sorry," the teenager mustered sheepishly, "I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that you're so nice and - well, I suppose that it doesn't matter as long as you're happy."

"I am," she smiled, the sharp and dangerous look in her eyes dissipating completely - why was she just as scary as his mother? "It's like I said though, HFIL may be a dangerous and terrifying place, but it does have the potential to change people, you just have to let it."

"R-Right," he breathed, flashing her a wry smile, "It is a weird place, though I think that the craziest thing that I've learned today is knowing that it was Grandpa that sent my dad to Earth and not some evil space pirates that wanted him to destroy all living things just to sell it."

Gine nodded, "He might not act like it, but Bardock has a lot of love for his children. And we are so proud of the man that Kakarot has become, I just wish that we had more time to give Raditz the same. Not that I'm not proud of him, but he deserved more than this."

He noticed the longing in her gaze again, and he became determined, "Raditz made his choices too Grandma, and I'm sorry for how it all ended back then. But you shouldn't beat yourself up for what happened, you and Grandpa did everything you could to save them from Frieza, I know that now."

"Oh you're such a sweet boy," she sniffed, smiling brightly up at him, crimson shadows washing over her delicate features as the clouds churned above them, "I can't tell you how happy I am that I've met you."

"Me too," Gohan grinned back, "I'm glad that my dad and Trunks managed avenge you both and send Frieza packing - and I got a few good hits on him too, you know."

"Oh I know you did, I was so proud!" His grandmother chuckled, "Watching that battle on the crystal ball, well, I think our cheers could be heard all the way up on the North Kai's world when we saw a five year old half-saiyan pummel our old boss into the ground!"

"I can't believe that you really watched all that," he said, though he did feel bad that his grandparents had seen his gruesome death against Cell.

Gine scoffed, "As if we were going to miss that old bastard finally get his comeuppance!"

"True," he chuckled, "You know, I actually think I remember Frieza mentioning Grandpa during the fight. He said to my dad that he resembled the Saiyan that had foolishly challenged him or something… w-wait, did Grandpa fight Frieza?!"

"Oh yes," she nodded, as his wide eyes turned towards her, having only just realised now with time what the tyrant had meant by that, "Remember Bardock saying that he saw his own death through the powers that the Kanassans cursed upon him? Well, he couldn't twist fate it seemed, and he was the first one to die in the planet's destruction."

Gohan listened intently, as his grandmother let out a sorrowful sigh, "He saw Frieza's ship enter the atmosphere, and he charged. I screamed at him to stop, to not go - but he did. I mean, he lasted a lot longer than I thought he would. He'd gotten so strong, and he took down the whole frontline of Frieza's men who were waiting for him before going after Frieza head on."

"But why?!" The halfling gaped, "He knew that he was going to die, right? Surely he realised that he wasn't strong enough?"

"Of course he knew," Gine smiled knowingly, much to his surprise, "He knew that we were all going to die, but he attacked Frieza anyway. That's why people around here respect him so much, they know what he did and that he tried to stop him when no one else could, or would."

He felt it too, a newfound respect for the grandfather whom he had known nothing about until today. And Frieza had been right, his father's resemblance to the man was striking, and now Gohan knew that the diabolical tyrant wasn't just referring to physicalities. No, he had been referring to the memory of a lone Saiyan standing before him, vowing to put an end to his empire and all that he stood for, and a promise that Frieza would finally fall.

His father, and grandfather - although the latter would surely scoff at the idea, were both heroes in their own rights.

For heroes fight at impossible odds, and it's not because they know they can defeat the evil that stands before them. No, it's letting them know that they won't go quietly into the night. If everyone dies, but no one fights back, they are not remembered. But even if just one raises their fist against them, they will be remembered. Not just in the people's eyes, but in the evil's as well.

"Frieza was still weary of the Saiyans," he said quietly, something resonating deep within him, "Even after all that time."

"Exactly," said Gine with a wry smile, as though reading his mind, "I think your Grandpa likes to think of it as his small victory. He may have not been able to defeat Frieza, but that evil bastard sure as hell remembered who he was."

He smirked a little at that, as the Saiyan woman laughed, "It was quite fitting that Bardock's son was the one who tore him down with his fists, and the one to achieve the legend that he feared."

Gohan nodded, feeling a swell of pride for his father, "Yeah, it's sort of poetic isn't it?"

"If that's what you Earthlings like to call it," she hummed thoughtfully, "Saiyan's call it 'gettin' what's owed to ya'."

"We have a saying for that too," he said, "It's called Karma."

"Karma?" Gine quirked, "What's that?"

"Well, Karma is a spiritual principle," he explained, "The theory that if you do something good, something good will happen to you, but if you do something bad, then something bad happens to you."

"Hm, I think I understand," she replied, giving him a wicked smile, "So what category do you fit in?"

"Huh?" He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I mean what will Karma bestow on you?" She pressed, her eyes twinkling, "Did you do something bad, or good to that girl that you've been pining over ever since you got two drinks in?"

Gohan spluttered blindly, his face heating up considerably, "W-What?! H-How did you - ?!"

"Call it a grandmother's intuition," Gine winked, "That, and it's written all over your lovestruck face."

"Am I really that obvious?" He cringed.

"Oh painstakingly so," she giggled, "The only reason that no one else has noticed is because they're already drunk or don't care for such sentiments."

The halfling said nothing, instead casting his gaze out at the swirling clouds of darkness above.

"So, which one is it?" She asked again. Clearly, he wasn't going to get away with not answering her, and he couldn't help but think that she would have gotten on rather well with his mother if their paths had ever crossed.

"Probably something bad," he sighed dejectedly, still not looking back at her, "I caused a lot of hurt, especially to her."

"I don't believe that for one second," his grandmother tutted, her brow arching, "Your heart is far too loyal for you to be capable of such things."

"Oh trust me, I am," said Gohan, his chest freezing up again, "B-But not intentionally…"

The words were rolling off his tongue before he could stop it. Words that he had bottled up inside of himself for so long for want of not admitting the truth, for want of not facing what he had done. Because maybe, just maybe, if he didn't say it out loud then he wouldn't have to admit that it was real, the harsh reality that he would never get to see her again. The girl that had lit up the entire galaxy that resided in himself, the sun and moon and stars that had chased away the darkness that eclipsed him - now snuffed out.

But right now, he felt so at ease, more than he had done in some months. Gine seemed to have that particular effect on people, she was so easy to talk to. There was no judgement in her stare, just a listening ear and a warmth to her dark eyes as she regarded him with only a love that a grandmother could bestow. It was bizarre, because where he had only seen his father in Bardock did he suddenly see him within Gine as well. She had an odd effect about her, one that had managed to tame such a gruff and crass man that was his grandfather. And it was not unlike that weird way in which his father managed to befriend pretty much anybody, even taking his ex-foes and making them his closest friends.

"I-I didn't mean to hurt her," he admitted quietly, "It was the last thing that I wanted to do. But I was being selfish. I knew, we knew that we couldn't be together, and even with knowing that, it was still so hard to let her go."

Gine nudged his arm in an almost playful manner, showing that she understood, for somehow she knew that he didn't want her pity. Gohan looked down, feeling something warm and furry wrap around his wrist. He blinked, as he realised it was his grandmother's tail, and was surprised at just how soothing the unfamiliar touch was against his skin.

"You know," she started wisely, following his gaze out into the sky, just as another shock of crimson lightening rippled across the clouds, "We're usually all so distracted by how things end, that we usually forget just how beautiful the beginning was."

"Y-Yeah," he swallowed thickly, his emotions threatening to get the better of him once more, though luckily his grandmother intervened.

"She's an Earthling?"

"Yeah, she is," the teenager mustered, "She's a fighter actually, my dad's been training her."

"Is that so?" Gine smiled, "She must be tough."

He fiddled absentmindedly with his gloves, the callouses and jagged scars that littered the surface of his skin from years of training and battle now hidden by the sturdy black fabric. Hands that had inflicted so much pain in the form of a Destroyer, hands that had wiped whole civilisations from the face of reality. Yet he felt that it was nothing, nothing compared to what he had done to her.

"I just wish that I could make it right, somehow," Gohan stated, his voice coming out hoarse no matter how much he tried to prevent it from doing so, "But it's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible my little cub," said Gine, reaching up with her thumb and tentatively brushing away a stray tear that had escaped his eyes, "Maybe you'll make it right someday. Love is funny like that, the easiest part is falling, the rest is up to us to decide what we do with it."

He sniffed, hurriedly wiping his eyes with his free forearm, feeling embarrassed that he had gotten so emotional in front of her.

"I hope you're right, Grandma," he said, letting out a shaky breath, "I-I just want to see her again, you know? But everything is just so complicated. I've broken so many rules already, and what with the baby, I -."

"Baby?!"

He stopped short, as her sudden shriek nearly pierced his eardrums. His grandmother's eyes were wide and aghast, her mouth falling open as she cried again, "What baby?!"

"Er, well, my baby - ours, mine and Videl's," the teenager started, feeling a little awkward under her intense stare, her tail's grip on his wrist getting stronger and tighter by the second, "Sorry, I-I thought that you already knew? I mean, what with my punishment and all…"

He attempted to explain further, "But because I'm training to become a deity, it's against divine law to even fall in love with a mortal, much less have kid with one -."

"We didn't know what the punishment was FOR! - Oops sorry!" Gine squealed, her tail clenching so hard around his arm that he yelped, and the warmth of her fur left him completely, "Your grandpa's visions don't tell him everything! And I thought it was rude to ask!"

Gohan winced, as the Saiyan woman continued to squawk, "You're telling me that you were down here scrubbing HFIL in a maids outfit because you got that Earthling girl PREGNANT?!"

He nodded wordlessly, a little fearful for his afterlife. In all honesty, he thought that she was about to deck him in the nuts, though much to his and 'little Gohan's' relief, his grandmother's eyes lit up with wondrous joy, as though the stars themselves were shining in the deep obsidian pools.

And then, she screamed at the top of her lungs, causing him to squeak as he was forcibly crushed into her bosom and enveloped in one of her incredibly painful and enthusiastic hugs. It lasted all but a few seconds before he was abruptly released. He was dazed that was for certain, and he could only stare after her as Gine sprinted back into the tavern, her long tail whipping wildly behind her as she bellowed her husbands name so loudly that it rattled what was left of the window panes.

The halfling groaned, quickly coming to his senses and followed her back inside the dimly lit dwelling. He caught up in no time, making to stop her when he was greeted by a deathly silence that seemed to penetrate through the old stone walls. Every pair of eyes were fixated on the duo, the burly lower-classes staring at them in bewilderment, their Ki raised in high alert.

Bardock was on his feet before Gine managed to skid to a halt in front of him, his tankard having been knocked flying and its contents now seeping over the bar. His brow was contorted into a deep and serious frown, his dark eyes raking over her frame - swiftly checking for any signs of injury.

"What is it Gine?!" He barked, "Are we under attack?!"

"Only by the soft pitter patter of tiny little cub feet!" She swooned, giddy with excitement.

There was a heavy beat of silence, as Bardock stared, before he slammed his fist harshly upon the wooden bar, splintering it on impact, "DAMN IT! Not another one!"

"Not ME you idiot!" Gine tutted, rolling her eyes at the impossibility as Raditz breathed a sigh of relief, "Gohan!"

"He's pregnant?" Turles quirked in confusion, looking the half-saiyan in question up and down as though searching for some kind of obvious sign.

"No! Of course not silly!" She huffed in exasperation, "The girl that he's in love with on Earth!"

Gohan felt his entire face burn, as he willed the ground beneath his feet to open up and swallow him whole, so that he could gladly sink into the deepest pits of HFIL and never return.

"Oh isn't it wonderful Bardock!" His grandmother gushed, throwing her arms around her husband's neck and pulling him into a hug, "We're going to be great-grandparents!"

Bardock stood stoic, looking rather… stunned, from what the teenager could see. And because of his delayed reaction to the news, the other Saiyans didn't quite know how to react. They looked back and forth between the pair, as Gohan noticed a flicker of something dark in his eyes, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

But it was gone with the moment, as his grandfather suddenly flashed him a crooked but altogether brilliant grin, raising his fist in the air and roaring to the heavens themselves, "THE BLOODLINE CONTINUES!"

To his astonishment, the tavern erupted into cheers. The Saiyans bellowed so loudly that the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. They whooped and clapped him roughly on the back, fingers tousling his hair as several beakers of liquor were thrust into his hands.

It was a wild feeling, for these were the first people who seems genuinely happy about the life that he and Videl had unknowingly created. Whis and Lord Beerus would get a stern look in their eyes if it was ever mentioned, the Supreme Kai himself pretended that nothing was amiss and wouldn't attempt to even mention it. And even when it was first revealed to his family and friends back on Earth, they were all too stunned to properly acknowledge it, instead rushing to utilise the power of the tiny unborn demigod to prevent the Earth from being erased.

He had barely allowed time to process it himself, the notion that he had fathered a child that he would never meet was far too raw. But as the giant Nappa aggressively pulled him into a bone crushing bearhug and Tora's jubilant laughter rang in his ears, he couldn't help but allow himself to smile, and relish in the cheer.

"This calls for a celebration!" Shugesh spouted, standing on a chair that creaked dangerously under his weight, "It ain't often a Saiyan is born after all! Nice work, kid!"

Gohan's face got redder, as Raditz rolled his eyes, "Please don't congratulate him on losing his - OW!"

He was interrupted by Bardock, who smacked him roughly upside the head, "Be quiet, boy! At least Gohan had half a fucking brain cell to carry on the Saiyan race, you nearly eradicated it!"

His uncle pouted, as the room jeered with laughter, prompting another round of drinks being poured and more offerings of congratulations towards the halfling, who was feeling rather overwhelmed by it all.

"Er, well, thanks?" He said breathlessly, cheeks flushed as Nappa finally released him, setting him down from his enormous height.

"I've got a soft spot for kids, ya know," the ex-General beamed from ear to ear, patting him on the head, "That's why I wanted to wait to kill you last when I came to Earth!"

Gohan scowled, as the Saiyans laughed heartily around him.

"Yeah, me too," Tules sighed almost longingly, gulping down the contents of his tankard, "If I'd have known that you we're going to become this powerful, I would have definitely kidnapped you and not wasted time beating up Kakarot."

"Seriously, what is it with you lot wanting to kidnap this little bastard?" Bardock guffawed, eyeing Turles and Raditz in particular.

They both shrugged indifferently, as Nappa let out a loud hiccup and stood to attention.

"You know, all this talk of kidnappin' reminds me of an old chantey - Ohh ye ol' Saiyan cubs - !"

Gohan snorted, as the burly brute had obviously had one drink too many and burst into song, his voice completely out of tune and wretched against their ear drums. Though luckily, the occupants of the tavern shut him down almost immediately, sneering and booing in unison.

"Oh bore off Nappa!" Bardock spouted, "We don't wanna listen to your screechin'! This is a party, not a funeral!"

They howled at the old General's misfortune, as he promptly sat down with a moody look on his face.

"Well then, why don't you give us a song, Commander?" Tora jested, a mischievous look in his eye as the Saiyan in question scoffed.

"Get fucked."

"Oh come on, Bardock!" Fasha chimed in, "It's probably been decades since I heard you sing!"

"I don't sing," Bardock growled in contempt, folding his arms across his chest in defiance, "You lot have obviously had too damned much to drink already -."

"Go on, Commander!" An older Saiyan with greying hair and an eyepatch shouted.

"Yeah, we wanna hear it!" Another yelled.

"Come on, Bardock!"

"Do it for old times sake!"

"Let's hear it!

"Yeah!"

Gohan was beyond confused, as the tavern was suddenly in uproar. Though unfortunately, this only seemed to make his grandfather angrier.

"NO! I told you I ain't singing nothin'!"

"What was that chantey you and Gine used to chant?" Tora pressed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Bardock was about to erupt, "You know, the one you used to do when were courtin'?"

"Aw yeah, that's a good one," nodded Shugesh in agreement.

Bardock huffed, turning his head away from them, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do," Raditz smirked evilly, "I heard you singing it in the shower the other day - word for word."

"You shut your damned mouth, boy!"

"Aw come on, moonshine," Gine cooed, coaxing the abrasive man down from decking their eldest son to the ground, "Everyone wants to hear it, do it for old times sake?"

"No."

"For me?" She all but purred, leaning into him and batting her long eyelashes, "Please?"

And to the halfling's astonishment, it actually worked.

"Oh for the love of - FINE!" He fumed, as the room exploded into cheers once more, "Just one chantey. But if I end up looking like an idiot then I'm beating the living shit out of Raditz."

Raditz stopped laughing immediately, "Wait, wha - ?"

"Shh!" Borgos hushed him, as the tavern suddenly became so quiet that one might hear a pin drop.

Gohan waited with baited breath, as his grandfather slowly stood from his seat, one hand leaning against the thick wood of the bar and his dark eyes cast to floor. All eyes were upon him, as he pursed his lips and began to whistle an unfamiliar tune.

It was slow and melodic, lasting all but a few seconds before the man's gruff baritone voice filled the air.

"I'll brawl and fight on savage planes with ne'er a fear of dying," he uttered steadily, more chanting than singing. And… it wasn't bad, and though his rough tone was dominant in his words, vibrating through their chests, it was almost enchanting, "And boldly wade through the storms of war, if you would marry me -."

A loud wolf whistle cut him short, curtesy of Tora, who Bardock snapped his eyes towards, glaring daggers at his comrade as his cheeks reddened.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, OR I WON'T DO IT!"

Tora laughed, though promptly stopped when Fasha thwacked him over the head with a chair.

"No brutal wounds, nor feral moon," Bardock continued, "Will stop -."

"ME ON MY JOURNEY!" Turles chimed in, raising his tankard in the air, before he was glared out too, "… what?"

His grandfather sighed heavily, pressing on, "If you would promise me your sons… a-and -."

He tailed off uncomfortably, almost in embarrassment, and Gohan was disappointed until a beautiful voice filled the tavern.

"And love me for eternity," Gine smiled, walking up to her husband and giving him a wink of encouragement, "My fearless moon, my brightest star, your mighty strengths astound me. But I've no need for mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me."

To his surprise, his grandmother was a rather good singer. Her melodic soprano complimented Bardock's harshness perfectly, and several hoots and cheers escaped the Saiyans as his grandfather smirked back at her, performing the next verse in a more upbeat rhythm.

"But I would bring you heads on spikes and I'd slaughter all your enemies!" He sang, grabbing her hands and twirling her around as Gine laughed. "Oh would you?"

"And I would keep you from all harm, if you would fight beside me!"

"I have no use for bloodied spikes, and I'll conquer my own enemies!" She sang, as the tune picked up and some Saiyans clapped in time to the beat, pounding their fists on whatever hard surface they could find. "I only want your tail to hold - !"

"But no sane father would let you near me!" Bardock called devilishly, causing his crew to roar with laugher.

"Lock up your daughters, lads!" Tora spouted, as more hoots and hollers joined in.

"In blood, 'til death, in Saiyan bonds, for the fighting and the freedom!" Gine and Bardock chanted, spinning wildly in a circle as the tavern was sent reeling, "Through all they suffer, we shall gain and I'll keep your roar inside me!"

Gohan laughed, clapping along as every Saiyan joined in, "I'll brawl and fight on savage planes with ne'er a fear of dying! I'd gladly wade through storms of war and you will marry meee!"

Frothy liquor was sent flying into the air as the chantey finished, some splashing over his armour from where he had perched himself atop the bar. He beamed in light of their vivacious cheer, their arms wrapped around each other in camaraderie and their smiles stretching every inch of their ruddy cheeks. His gaze fixated upon his laughing grandparents, looking so carefree and happy, as Gine leaned forwards and gave Bardock a rather passionate smooch.

Several wolf-whistles escaped the warriors that had seen the exchange, prompting a rather disgruntled Bardock to shove her off, "Get the HELL off me woman, you know how much I hate your sneak attacks!"

" - EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Nappa's voice barrelled though the air, "HEY LOOK! LOOK! IM STILL GOIN'! EEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"You just took a breath you stupid bastard!" Turles face-palmed, as Raditz rolled his eyes at the brute's antics.

"Oh fine whatever! I was done anyway!"

The young Saiyan giggled, jumping down from the bar and was about to join in the celebrations when -

Bleep bleep! Bleep bleep!

Oh shit.

His eyes widened, as the familiar sound of his communicator reached his ears, vibrating through the particles in the air before he swiftly conjured it, the rounded device dropping into his palm. Whis and Lord Beerus were going to positively smite him if they knew that he was drinking in a tavern with his Saiyan ancestors and not cleaning HFIL like he was supposed to.

And he wasn't even wearing the right outfit!

Slipping away from the throngs of rowdy warriors, Gohan made it outside just far enough so that the shouts and jeers of the tavern could barely be made out. Thinking quickly, and with the annoying sound of his communicator bleeping in his ears, the halfling summoned the frilly cap of his maids outfit from his safe place and jammed it on his head.

Slapping his face several times in order to perk himself up from the fuzzy feeling of the strange alcohol in his system, he put on the biggest smile he could muster and answered the call, the frowning face of his mentor looming back at him.

"Oh hi Whis! What's up?" Gohan grinned, making sure that he was holding the device close enough so that the Angel couldn't see his Saiyan armour.

"You're three hours late for dinner, Gohan," said Whis, eyeing him, "Is something amiss?"

"Nope, nothing's amiss," he replied, a little too quickly, "Why would something be amiss?"

The deity pursed his lips, "Well, it's just that I heard down the divine grapevine that there was a spot of trouble going on in HFIL earlier."

Bollocks, the halfling winced, as his mentor asked firmly.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, now would you?"

"Um, well…" he blundered nervously, "You see, a few of the inmates escaped their cells… but I put them right back in their rightful place and I promise that I didn't Destroy anybody!"

Whis stared at him for a moment, before he let out a begrudging sigh, "Well I shouldn't have expected anything less, you can never just stand aside and let evil wreak havoc now can you, my boy? Though I must say that it is one of the things that I admire most about you."

Gohan blushed, as the Angel continued, "However, you are under incredibly strict instructions to carry out your punishment posthaste. I don't want you to become distracted from the task at hand, or else it could mean incredibly dire consequences."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, feeling guilty, "S-Sorry, I just wanted to help."

"Of course you did," said Whis, sighing again, "But the ogres and King Yemma are more than capable, they have run a tight ship down in HFIL for many a millennia. How is the plumbing coming along?"

"Not too well," he told him honestly, "I thought I'd fixed it, but it uh, broke again. Actually, I was wondering if I could just stay here and try to fix it before I came home? I mean, if I can get it done then I can get a head start on cleaning tomorrow."

His mentor paused thoughtfully, "Hmm, I suppose that does make sense. But I want you to stay out of trouble, am I clear?"

"Why do you always think that I'm going to get up to no good?" The teenager griped in annoyance, feeling like he was being treated like a child.

Whis narrowed his gaze, "I don't think that I need to answer that, do you?"

Gohan scowled, as the Angel's eyes widened, suddenly remembering something, "Oh! And make sure that you return within a timely fashion, I'm afraid that if you stay too long down there in one sitting then you'll - !"

CRASH!

He dodged with a millisecond to spare, feeling the disturbance in the air just before a burly Saiyan male came crashing through one of the windows, landing in an unconscious heap several feet in front of him and leaving a sizeable hole in the tavern wall.

The teenager whipped around angrily, "Turles! What the HELL?!"

"Sorry!" The spikey-haired warrior called through the man-sized gap in the brickwork, prompting Gohan to roll his eyes as he caught sight of a rather enthusiastic brawl going on behind him.

He sighed, picking up his communicator that he had flung away from him much in the same way as his maids cap had flew off his head in his haste to move. Much to his annoyance, the device let out a few sparks, his mentor's face now replaced with a fuzzy screen. Bashing it against his palm a few times, he realised that it was quite obviously broken, something that his superiors weren't going to be too happy about, he had already broken three-hundred and seventy-two - Whis actually kept a tally.

"BRAT!" Raditz cried, his sudden shout jumping him out of his thoughts. His uncle's cheeks were tinged pink and his words slightly slurred. He stood in a strong, intimidating stance at the foot of the large hole that Turles had made, sneering back at him, "You may be ssschtronger than me in terms of power! But is your schtomach sschrong enough to handle the might of the most potent Sssaiyan ale?!"

"Get in here and kick his ass, kid!" His grandfather's shout came from somewhere inside, "Show him that Kakarot didn't raise no lightweight!"

Staring down at his destroyed communicator that was now beginning to smoulder, he wondered just what Whis was going to tell him before the transmission was forcibly cut off.

"Hurry the hell up, boy!" Bardock yelled again, the barbarous cheers of the Saiyans reaching his ears once more, "He's already got a head start!"

Vanishing the device into thin air as he made his way back into the tavern, Gohan shrugged to himself. Meh, it couldn't have been that important.

---

Lord Beerus' Planet, A Far Away Dimension, The Living World.

"Gohan? Gohaaaaaaan?" Whis called, frowning at the gem atop his sceptre, a fuzzing black and grey picture now in place of where his student had once been, "Helloooooooooo? Oh dear, where did he go?"

Surely he hadn't broken another one of those communicators? The Angel sighed to himself in exasperation. Though quite honestly, the last one had held the record for the most longstanding - its dismal end was only inevitable.

"WHIS! IT'S TIME FOR MY BATH!"

He pursed his lips, as the Destroyer's voice rang out harshly over the temple walls, the vastness of the darkening purple sky shrouding the cool stone walls in an other-worldly glow.

"Coming my Lord! Just a moment!" Whis responded, gazing back at his staff, the picture now completely blank, "Hmm, that's odd…"

"WHIS! HAVE WE GOT ANYMORE OF THAT PIZZA LEFT THAT WE ACQUIRED FROM THAT PLANET FULL OF FLOOZIES?!"

He tutted, rolling his eyes as his master's crudeness, "I think you mean Earth, my Lord. And it was actually just the one gir -."

"I SAID WHAT I MEANT!" Lord Beerus cried from somewhere deep within the palace, his contempt for the blue gem of the Northern Galaxy was still rather fresh, "THE ONLY GOOD THING TO COME OF THAT MISERABLE SUCCESSOR-CORRUPTING MUD-BALL IS THEIR FOOD! NOW IS THERE PIZZA OR NOT?!"

"Lord Beerus, you've just brushed your teeth," Whis argued, "And besides, you shouldn't be having cheese before bed, it can give you nightmares."

"I'LL GIVE YOU NIGHTMARES IF YOU DON'T BRING ME STUFFED CRUST RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" He bellowed, "WHERE'S THE BRAT?!"

"He is staying overnight in HFIL to get the plumbing fixed, my Lord," He explained, paying no heed to his threat.

"GOOD! HOPEFULLY IT'LL KNOCK SOME DAMNED SENSE INTO THAT THICK SKULL OF HIS!" Lord Beerus spat, pausing in thought, "YOU DID WARN HIM OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF HE STAYS DOWN THERE TOO LONG, RIGHT?"

"It's nothing to be worried about!" Whis exclaimed, although he looked a little nervous, "He'll be back in no time. It shouldn't take too long to unblock the backlog from King Yemma's toilet, after all!"

"WELL ALRIGHT," The God of Destruction huffed, "NOW ARE YOU GOING TO BRING ME PIZZA OR NOT?!"

"Well don't blame me if you have a nightmare, Lord Beerus," He relented, making to perform the Destroyer's bidding when the sceptre in his palm gave a shuddering jolt of electricity. Whis stared at the spherical gem in bewilderment, inspecting it for a few moments, but nothing seemed untoward.

He chuckled to himself, shaking his head and humming a whimsical tune as he made his way through the long winding corridors of the ancient temple.

"Ah, I'm sure he'll be fine."

---

8th March, 2020.

---

A/N: So what did you all think? I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it! I wanted to make this as Gohan's redemption, meeting his Saiyan ancestors and actually getting along with them kind of makes him realise that its not all bad right now. I loved writing Gine and wanted to develop a strong bond between her and Gohan, I feel that especially in cannon that their characters are so similar.

A few things I wanted to clear up...

As always Bardock is a HOOT to write, so I hope you enjoyed him there. Was it a bit OOC for him to sing a song? Along with the rest of the saiyans? Maybe. I may get flamed for that, but I wanted to depict the Saiyans akin to a bunch of rowdy, drunken, swearing, vulgar vikings. And the song was a rewrite and based on 'The Dancing and The Dreaming' from how to train your dragon, so you can see the inspo there! Haha. Its something different, and I enjoyed imagining it a whole lot, and making up my own Saiyan version entitled 'The Fighting and The Freedom'. Sadly, it is not available on iTunes. haha. I wanted to make it more of a 'chant' than a song, as I thought it would fit the Saiyans more, so I described it as a chantey. For those who don't know, a chantey is a 'work song' sung by sailors as they work... and Saiyans voyage all across the universe right? ;) As you can probably tell, I dont know how that part is going to go down with you all, but I thought it was fun and a way to get them rowdy and pull the saiyans together. Nappa is a little team four star hear, but who doesn't love him?!

The Ginyu Force... now I was originally going to bring Frieza with them. But I have better plans. And the image of Gohan scolding the Ginyu's for their rubbish choreography was just too good of an opportunity to pass up! I was getting mega saiyaman vibes. Hoped you all enjoyed Mega-Ginyu too!

Turles being Goku's cousin... well on DBZ wiki it says that he is a brother? But from what I found whilst researching it looked like it was an error in an article somewhere, and Turles was supposed to basically just be a cheap version of Goku Black haha. SO I decided to keep the premise that they were related, cuz they do look like each other. But a cousin I felt was more fitting, and makes Goku's side of the family a little bigger in that sense. Also got the joke in there with Gohan being HORRIFIED that he might be related to Nappa too ;)

I am super excited to get the next chapter out to you. As things to start to turn, as you may be able to tell from the tone I've ended the chapter with ;) But BECAUSE I don't want to keep you in too much suspense, and keep you interested, I will reveal the next chapter title. Which is: Chapter Twenty-Nine: Janemba

Yeah, I went there...

Thank you for all your support! Looking forward to next time on Son Gohan The Destroyer! xD

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Reviews:

Squidzi Galaxi : Thank you so much! :)

Knightwing20042: Thank you so much for the kind words! Your rewrite sounds amazing, and seriously keep going with it. I dont pretend to be an amazing writer or anything, I just enjoy it so much. A lot of it comes with practice and sometimes I get so stuck on a chapter or scene I cant move past it and it takes aaaaaages. Best thing that I find to do is just leave it well alone for a few days or a week and come back to it with a fresh pair of eyes. I get a lot of inspiration from books, movies and songs and connect with the words or lyrics and see what character that would fit with. I have notes in my phone and about 100 pages of notes or random quotes saved on my computer for this story. But when I look back at my old fanfictions I cringe now because I have deffo improved, it has taken years for me to get comfortable in my own writing style but once you get in the flow of it it just comes. The dragonball wiki is also amazing for world building insight! Try to think of something different but not unacheivable for the characters to do. Like think about who you want the story to focus on and what you want their end point to be. For me, every character needs an end goal, and Im not just talking about my story but in stories that I read in general. I want to be taken on a journey and see it through to the end, and come out the otherside thinking, wow that's changed my view or made me feel happy or sad but fulfilled, you know? Sorry if Im rambling! But I really hope that helps! :)

WhiteEagle1985: thank you!

BladeKnightmare : haha! I have more plans for Gohan's maids outfit in the future :)

X3runner: aww thank you! Yes Gine is so sweet, I love her, especially building her character more in this chapter! I think Gohan would visit them in HFIL, like you say there are no rules against it, and Bardock has taught him a few things, so you were right! Gine too, more on the love side xD He's still pining over Videl of course, poor thing. But I didnt want to focus too much on that yet. As for Broly... I think he and Gohan would totally get along! But I havent decided on whether to bring him in yet, possibly not...

Nonsense67 : Haha that would be cool to see them being brought back to life, I wish it were possible! But I have soooo many plans, and Im glad you enjoyed it! Hope you got a kick out of the saiyans interactions here too!

Astral chronicles : OMG yes, this bardock and tfs vegeta... I would pay good money to see that interaction

FireEmblemMaster101 : thanks for your review! I really hope you enjoyed Gohan's reactions with his Saiyan ancestors, and the way that this whole chapter played out. You were 100% correct with the weird shenanigans haha! And Im so happy that you found Bardock and all the reactions to the maids outfit funny. Makes my day!

devilzxknight86: Yay! Thank you so much!

LoneRanger7 : Thank you! I hope the wait wasnt too long! Glad you liked the characterisation of Bardock, especially his disregard of Gohan's God status. They are his stupid cubs and he can smack them upside their stupid heads if he wants to! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Aww and Im so glad you caught the 'my moonshine' I hope the differences in cultures came out here too!

Thomas-The-TMC: yes! haha thank you, glad it made you laugh out loud!

Marbbles123 : Thank you so much! Sassy Bardock is best Bardock.

super mystic gohan: He is such a badass, very quickly coming one of my favourite characters to write!

Emrys Akayuki: Thank you so much! And wow you picked up on the northern english! :P That may be very accurate! haha Thanks for your review Im so happy that youre enjoying the story! Big bad Perses motivation runs MUCH deeper than Thanos, I promise you!

A Novel and Anime Addict: Glad you still gave it a chance!

ErintheBestest: Thanks so much girl! Yes I agree with you, I am much more of a fan to the original Bardock story, but add Gine into the mix and it becomes so much deeper and tragic and you know how I love that! haha And thanks for the Raditz insight! Wow glad you picked up on that, I wanted the readers to feel a little for him, but he's still a meanie! And Gohan's stiletto heel! YAAAS. I couldnt not use the heels as a weapon, it was just too good to pass up! And it will become much more clear in the next chapter my dear, i can't wait.

PercyyyJackson: Wow thanks so much for your review! Glad you are enjoying the story and Gohan and Videl love! As for Goku and Vegeta being weak... well, we are still fairly on in the story right now, and it is only 1 year after Majin Buu. Goku and Vegeta havent trained as SSG or Blue or under dieties or anything yet, and Gohan has been doing so for EIGHT years. Its a long time, and we all knows that he improves at a rapid rate especially with his hidden powers. But do not worry, Goku and Vegeta, and everyone else will become much more prominent as the story progresses further. Im a big believer of letting every character shine!

Agent Frank Underwood : wow thank you for all your reviews on the chapters! I loved reading them! so glad that you are enjoying this story and I hope you keep coming back! xD

Chmia: Honestly? I never knew that I needed a badmouthed Bardock in my life either until I started writing him, and now I cant get him out of my head! haha Glad you appreciated Raditz' explanation for his behaviours. I feel like he had a hard life in the long run, and the show could have done a hell of a lot more with him. I actually really enjoy MasakoX's what if raditz turned good, so I feel like I can give him a little bit more love that his original character probably deserved. Bardock still beats on him though, which is hilarious.

badclash04: (Chapter 3): thanks for your review! Glad youre enjoying it so far and the fight with Kratos! Hope you stick around! And as for transformations, you'll see! ;)