A/N: Hello and welcome to another chapter of SGTD! I just wanted to say thank you to you all for being so wonderfully patient with me. Things have been tough what with the pandemic here, and it has taken me so so long to get this chapter out to you as I am working on the front line (not a woe is me, just a fact!). I just wanted to reassure you that I have no intention of giving up on this story, and there might be a couple of months in between chapters atm but I am still here writing when I have time!

The next couple of chapters are so exciting and I can't wait to get them out. I'm so happy that lots of you enjoyed the Saiyans, they are a joy to write, especially Bardock! As always thanks for all your reviews and follows and faves, you are amazing! xD

And please enjoy this new chapter, I hope the wait was worth it!

ES x

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Janemba

xxxx

Check-in Station, The Otherworld.

"You go above… and you go below…below, above, below, above, above, below, below, below -."

Another day, another quota of souls to be judged.

These days, it was steady work. There would be peaks and troughs of course, and particularly busy if there was a war or natural disaster that had ravished a planet or two. Though King Yemma was just thankful that the days of Frieza's Empire were over with - oh the decades of paperwork that never seemed to dwindle was enough to give him palpitations!

He had nearly keeled over when he had heard that Majin Buu had been released again, and he had caught sight of the long line of souls that had backed up so far along Snake-Way that he could barely see where it ended. It was lucky that Son Goku and his friends had managed to put an end to that monster before it was too late and the second reckoning of the wicked Majin had come into fruition just as it had done over a thousand years before.

Though things were not as quiet as he would have liked. There had been an obvious tension gripping the universe for months now, and it was clear that the inmates of HFIL had felt it too. They had been particularly restless as of late, forcing the King of Ogres to redeploy some extra staff to the lower levels for want of keeping them in line.

But from yesterday's daily report, it appeared that the Ogres weren't quite as equipped for a jailbreak as he'd hoped. It was a good thing that they had a certain Junior Destroyer on business down in HFIL at the time, or else he was certain that they would have been in a rather sticky situation. Oh yes, Lord Gohan was more than enough to beat the rabble back into submission, and honestly, who else would be stupid enough to challenge him?!

It appeared that despite his divine status, Son Gohan took after his father all too readily when there was trouble afoot, unable to stand aside and let chaos reign. Granted, he was down there for a different assignment, one drafted by the higher Gods themselves. But it couldn't hurt if he roughed the hellions up a little.

When Gohan had died, he'd been just as stumped by the disappearance of the young boy's soul just as much as the Kais above him. For nothing got past his nose when it came to the inner-workings of the dead. A mystery it had been, until word had filtered down through the divine ranks about Lord Beerus' new (and incredibly young) disciple some years later, and it was then did he realise that Gohan's soul had been chosen for a higher purpose.

King Yemma wasn't one to question his superiors, not by a long shot. But he couldn't understand just what they had been thinking in training a boy - Son Goku's boy for that matter, up to become the next God of Destruction. Though from what he'd heard from the whispered gossiping of the Lower Kais, he seemed rather apt at the role - which was quite terrifying by all accounts, as Lord Beerus was enough to deal with on his own.

Ah yes, the look on his face when The Warp had appeared in the middle of the Check-In Station yesterday morning was one of pure, unadulterated rage. And was enough to make several of Yemma's attendants wet themselves, even if the young man in question was wearing a dress and carrying a toilet plunger that was twice as tall as he was…

"Single file! Single file!" A short and specky Ogre called over the hustle and bustle of souls, dozens of wispy cloud-like forms gathering around him as he directed them towards the gateway that led to the heavens above, "Please proceed in an orderly fashion as we prepare to board the shuttle. There's no need to rush, you're already dead!"

"Right this way you naughty little devils!" Another blue-skinned attendant spoke from the opposite end of the temple, signalling the spirits destined for HFIL down towards their enteral fate, "Be sure to enter the soul cleanser on the way down to your doom. Don't be shy! You need to shrug off that extra naughtiness so that we can keep Hell as unsullied as possible after all."

"Above, below, above, below," King Yemma drawled, taking a bite of his enormous sandwich as he worked, stamping his seal of judgment upon thousands of spiritual records as they floated in front of him, one after the other.

"Hmm," the large Ogre chimed thoughtfully around his mouthful, "If I work through lunch, I might have time for a pedicure before the next load arrive -."

KA - BOOM!

"W-What the - ?!" He yelled, falling off his chair with a clattering THUD as a monumental explosion rocked the temple, followed by a crippling shockwave as Yemma's colossal size hit the deck. "WHAT IN THE OTHERWORLD IS GOING ON?!"

"Sir!" A small-horned apprentice cried, looking rather frazzled as he clambered over a number of attendants who had toppled over from the force and raced towards him, "It's the spirit cleanser! It just exploded!"

"WHAT?!" He roared, heavily pushing himself back up to his feet, causing the smartly dressed Ogre to shrink back out of fright, "What do you mean it exploded?!"

"T-The tanks have breached!" He cried, waving a clipboard in hand as a spider web of large cracks spread sharply across the newly-constructed temple ceiling above them, the brickwork letting out a dangerous groan in the process. "I've just run diagnostics! It appears as though something's clogged it, and the build up of pressure got too much for the machine to handle! I-It could be to do with the plumbing - !"

"The plumbing?!" King Yemma positively shrieked, "But I thought it had been fixed!"

"Ah, i-it appears n-not, Sir," he gulped, just as a torrent of dark purple smoke engulfed them, causing them to cough and splutter.

Hundreds of spirits began to squeal and sob, crashing into one another amidst the pandemonium. Several Ogres attempted to regain order, but it was no use, as they could barely see two feet in front of them. The smoke grew thicker, invading their lungs and choking them as the matter became denser and more sludge-like. Unable to be contained, it burst out of every crevice, eclipsing the temple windows and doors. It rolled across the fluffy yellow clouds and blanketed the limitedness horizon that lay far beyond Snake-Way.

"Damn it!" Yemma cursed, now up to his knees in the disgusting sludge, whilst the smaller Ogres struggled to remain afloat, "This is a disaster! We can't go into a meltdown NOW! This sludge represents thousands of years of spiritual waste, and it's all being released at once! It could destroy us all if we don't stop it!"

The muck was rising quickly, now up to his rather generous stomach, and his attendants had no choice but to crawl onto his shoulders for want of not getting pulled under the surface.

"King Yemma, Sir! Something's coming out of your bathroom!" A small Ogre gasped frantically in his ear, pointing behind them.

"Huh - ?"

A silhouette of dark shapes warped and twisted together just beyond the doorway in question, causing Yemma's eyes to widen. It was as though the oxygen itself froze in his throat, as indeed, something or rather someone emerged from within the toilet bowl.

At first there was laughter, childish, witless laughter that was undeniably bone-chilling as it echoed around the temple. Though it didn't take long for the source to make itself known. Several thunderous crashes caused the entire Check-In Station to quake, as the strange being catapulted itself out of the bathroom and blasted through the roof.

A shower of dust and debris rained down upon them, causing the Ogres to scream as they attempted to shield themselves with their clipboards. King Yemma growled with contempt as he cast his gaze upwards, catching sight of the beast through the giant hole in the tiles.

"JANEMBA! JANEMBA!"

It was then did the King of Ogres realise that the severe blockage perhaps wasn't just down to the extra spicy curry he'd had for lunch yesterday.

"JANEMBA! JANEMBA!" It squealed again with unbridled mirth, its giant size causing the roof to wane under its weight.

The monster's skin was pale yellow in colour, its body round and stumpy arms and legs flailing around him almost happily. Two small horns where flat against its similarly rounded skull, and a long tail thrashed behind him, causing even more damage to the temple as it collided harshly with the roof.

Their obese intruder didn't look all that intimidating, if it wasn't for the fact that it was exuding a crippling amount of dark energy. It laughed and clapped with maniacal glee, as the Check-In Station began to twist and warp into an unrecognisable shape, the floating debris surrounding it turning into something that looked like … multi-coloured jelly beans?!

Yemma's eyes widened, as the heavens gave an all too noticeable shudder.

"Sir! What is that?!" One of his attendants squeaked, taking refuge atop his horned head as the dark purple sludge was now up to his neck, "Is he one of our kind?!"

"No," he replied, his features hardening as the squeals of laughter continued to grate heavily on his every nerve, "It's a monster, for only a monster would do such a thing as this. A monster from the demon realm!"

The Ogres gasped in horror, "The demon realm?!"

King Yemma nodded thoughtfully, nearly causing them to topple off his hat, clutching onto his horns for dear life as they yelled in surprise. Though the celestial being appeared not to have noticed.

"I fear that the negative energy that's been sweeping the universe has crossed the bridge between dimensions, and has ultimately led to this beast unleashing into our domain," he said darkly, "If the Check-In Station shuts down completely, then there will be no barrier separating the dimensions. The heavens will no longer be protected and the gates of HFIL will be wide open, and there's been reports of a few maniacs running rampant down there already! The dead will walk amongst the living, and the living amongst the dead!"

"W-What shall we do?!" They cried, as Yemma had no choice put to swallow his pride. He always ran such a tight ship after all, for such a thing to happen under his watch was a calamity in itself!

"W-We must contract the Kais," He stated boldly, his eyes darting to the large red button on the opposite side of the temple wall - yet to be swallowed by the diabolical sludge. "Quickly! Sound the emergency alarm -!"

"JANEMBA! JANEMBA! JANEMBAAAAA!" Came the demon's chilling chant, and just like that the temple was encased by a mysterious and impenetrable force, freezing its occupants solid.

King Yemma growled, albeit through gritted teeth - he couldn't move a muscle! Though he was thankful that the rising sludge had also been halted in its tracks just before it reached past his chin, "W-What's - happening -?! I - can't - move!"

"Us - too - Sir!" The haggard call of one of his loyal workers breathed through his own frozen features, "W-We're stuck!"

"JANEMBA! OHOHOHOHOHO!" The demon giggled, its thick, nasally tone echoing throughout the realm between realms, causing Yemma's blood to boil.

Oh what to do? What to DO?! The Kais were too far away for him to reach telepathically! This was a nightmare! How the HFIL did this monster get stuck in the U-Bend of all places anyway?!

The King's eyes widened as realisation dawned - which was extremely difficult given the fact that he currently resembled an icicle. Yes! That was it! They needed to send word to Lord Gohan immediately! He would put a stop to this, he was certain of it!

He thought hard, sweeping his omnipotent senses over the deepest pits of HFIL, hoping that the Junior Destroyer was still down there somewhere given the fact that the plumbing still hadn't been fixed yet. He hadn't come to report back to him like he had said he would, after all.

Seconds went by, then minutes. And try as he might, it was no use, he just couldn't get a read on the boy! It was as though he had shut off all forms of communication!

"Damn - it!" King Yemma griped in frustration, as his attendants slowly caught on to his plan. Which was a rather risky idea by all accounts, it wasn't exactly proper protocol to ask for a Destroyer's help. "I - can't - reach - him! What - is - he - doing?!"

"M-Maybe - he's - sleeping - Sir?" One Ogre offered tentatively, still struggling to speak through tight lips.

"SLEEPING?!" He strained to roar, as the Check-In Station became more and more eclipsed by the large dome that the monster had warped around them.

And then he finally felt it, the young Saiyan's divine Ki humming along in contentment, lulled and relaxed in what was without a doubt, a dream state.

"Why - is - he - sleeping?!" King Yemma shrieked, his voice cracking from the exertion. DAMNED TEENAGERS!

"Destroyer - or - not!" He bellowed, and his attendants would have quite rightly shrunk away in fright if they could move. "He - shouldn't - be - napping - on - the - job!"

His final cry was cut short, as a loud CRACK struck the eternal space surrounding the temple, turning it completely black. A plethora of crimson lightening bolts shot like daggers through the air, the dome solidifying and trapping them completely.

Main Shopping District, West City. Planet Earth.

"Can someone please remind me why I've been dragged along to this again?" Tien griped, his three eyes glaring out several passers-by who ogled the mismatched group of warriors trailing through the large shopping centre.

It was all too obvious to him why the group was getting so much attention, and although they had gotten more used to it in the years since the Cell Games, it still didn't mean that he had to like it.

"Aw, come on Tien, don't be like that!" Goku chimed brightly, seemingly oblivious to the excitable whispers that followed them. He peered sideways at his friend behind the tall stack of parcels he was carrying as he spoke. "We said we'd help out, didn't we?"

For once, the earth-raised Saiyan wasn't wearing his signature orange and blue gi, instead opting for a pair of faded blue jeans and a casual white t-shirt. The bomber jacket that completed the look was no doubt due to his loving wife's insistence, as a brisk and noticeable chill had arrived with the first week of October.

Tien chose not to reply, as Krillin let out a groan to Goku's left, dressed just as casually as the rest of their group, his arms weighted down by a mountain of shopping bags. "I don't know why you're so chipper Goku, I thought that you hated shopping."

"Well yeah," he admitted a little sheepishly, though his smile remained unwavering, "But I suppose that I'm just a little excited. After all, I've never become a grandpa before!"

Krillin couldn't help but smile at that, though before he could open his mouth to reply, did a angered snarl cut across him.

"Who gives a shit?! The brat is only going to get the same crap that every other snot-nosed whelp gets on this Kami-forsaken mud ball!"

Goku pursed his lips, looking back at the disgruntled prince who reluctantly trudged behind them. A pair of jeans and a loud pink shirt with the words 'BADMAN' embroidered onto the back replaced his usual dark blue spandex, gloves and boots. "What's your problem?"

Vegeta looked stunned by the question, so stunned that he nearly dropped the beautifully wrapped packages that nearly reached above his head. From this angle, all that could be seen was the menacing look of his dark obsidian eyes over the gift wrap.

"My problem?! My problem?!" He seethed, glaring right back at his fellow Saiyan, "My PROBLEM, Kakarot, is that instead of training for the battle of the century, I'm stuck here with you peons, dressed like a weakling and trailing after the women, carrying their shit like a damned peasant all because your stupid brat couldn't keep it in his pants!"

"Wow Vegeta, why don't you tell us how you really feel?" Tien drawled sarcastically, as Goku's eyes widened, a pink tinge evident on his cheeks.

"Seriously, Vegeta?" Krillin scoffed, "You're seriously blaming Gohan for Bulma dragging you out here on a shopping trip with us?"

"Of course I am! This is all his fault!" He snapped, a little too loudly, prompting several shoppers to give their group a wide birth, "If that randy little runt hadn't knocked up the harpy then Kakarot's woman wouldn't be spending hours cooing over pictures of drooling brats on nappy brands, nor would she be buying every breast pump known to freaking humanity! Robo-Doll wouldn't be traipsing us in and out of every blasted fabric shop looking for the 'right' colour scheme -!"

"Oi!" Krillin interjected hotly, looking annoyed, "Eighteen's really good at interior design, she's just trying to - !"

"Newborns are colourblind and you KNOW it!" Vegeta scorned, causing the man to shrink back, "What's the damned point?!"

"Well I -."

"The point weaklings," The prince glowered, not giving them chance to retort, "Is that if Gohan had spent more time whilst he was here thinking with his head and less with his 'Z-Sword' then NONE of us would be in this situation. I would be training to end to Perses reign of terror before it even begun, and preventing the inevitable unravelling of the cosmos as we know it! Not playing daddy day care with you fools and the women, one of which includes my own jealous heathen of a wife who has spent the last four months whining about how she wanted another brat before she got too old and weak to bare my royal seed. You know what she's like when she gets an idea into her head! So now, there's ANOTHER one on the way!"

Tien wrinkled his nose in disgust, "Do you really have to call it your 'royal seed'?"

"SHUT IT!" He growled, his eyes flashing emerald for a split second, "It's your woman that's the worst of them all! Getting so overexcited that she gave herself that ridiculous sneezing fit in the middle of buying prams for Kakarot's demon grand-spawn!"

"That's not very nice, Vegeta," huffed Goku, before giving him a sly grin, "You're just pissed off because one of Launch's stray bullets hit you in the butt."

Ignoring the others' snickering, Vegeta shot the man a furious glare, "Shove it, clown. You're not fooling anyone, everyone knows that you've only tagged along so that you can go to the toy store!"

"So, how does this involve me?" Came a gruff voice that brought up the rear. It belonged to one miffed-looking Namekian, who didn't seem all too impressed by the Z-Fighters' display.

It certainly didn't help that Chi-Chi had forced him into wearing Earthling attire either. Although he supposed that she did have a point when she had insisted that the semi-famous warriors would be attracting enough attention as it was, without him donning his 'weirdo alien clothes' to boot.

"I'm not married to any of your wives," he continued pointedly, "And I sure as hell didn't get anyone pregnant."

"Moral support?" Goku smiled weakly, causing Piccolo to roll his eyes.

"The only moral support I'll be offering is to Videl," he stated, his sharp gaze fixated up ahead, "The kid already looks overwhelmed enough as it is."

They followed his stare towards where the girls had come to a halt in front of what they presumed was yet another baby-related department store. Bulma and Chi-Chi were beaming brightly, their faces pressed excitably up against the glass window pane and enthusiastically pointing at something on display.

Eighteen and a now blonde-haired Launch looked amused by something they said, the latter letting out a bark of twisted laughter before she pulled a rather uncomfortable Videl into the shop by the arm, the others quickly following suit.

Videl was already in the fifth month of her pregnancy, the neat little baby bump peaking out underneath the black leather jacket she wore. She was positively glowing, and it appeared that her body was adapting well to the task of growing new life within her. Though even from this distance, there was no doubting the change in her eyes ever since that day on the ship - an uncertainty to those sapphire orbs that was growing more prominent with each passing day. Something that was never really present before, for Videl Satan had always been certain of everything she put her mind to.

Goku noticed with a slight tightness to his chest, and followed his student into the entrance, perhaps to suggest a break for some ice-cream or something that might take her mind off whatever was troubling her. That was, until he saw the type of establishment that she had been dragged into. He stopped short immediately, his face heating up as his friends crashed into his back.

"Ouch, Goku!" Krillin winced, rubbing his sore head. It was like running head first into a solid brick wall! "Why'd you stop like that - ?"

His eyes widened suddenly, taking note of the elegant bright pink signage hanging above them. The men gulped simultaneously - well all except Piccolo, who wasn't privy to that kind of thing.

"Oh isn't this one just gorgeous, Videl!" Chi-Chi gushed, her warm tone carrying towards them as she and the rest of the women stood just inside of the automatic doors.

Videl blanched, eyeing the lacy number that the ox-princess had thrust into her chest, "Er, it's pretty Chi-Chi, but I thought that we were looking for maternity bras? I mean, I don't see how this is going to be practical for nursi -."

"Ah practical schmatical!" Bulma chortled, draping a see-through slip over the girl's head and holding it tight over her bosom, "Who cares when it'll make those bazoongas of yours look amazing!"

She flushed, looking like the ground wanted to swallow her whole as she whipped the sexy lingerie away from her and hurriedly shoved it back on the rack.

"What about this one?" Eighteen smiled gently, forever the voice of reason as she passed her something much more suitable. "It looks comfy, and it's flattering too."

"Oh! Yeah this is perfect, Eighteen," she mustered gratefully, her embarrassment wavering, "Thanks. I think I'll just go with a few of these -."

"But has it got room to attach these babies easily?" Launch smirked suddenly, whipping a pair of breast pumps that she had jokingly placed in the holsters on her belt. She took aim, pretending to shoot at the cashier behind the check-out desk.

Videl paled considerably, as the three elder women hooted and cackled at the display.

"Oh for the love of - ! Enough of this!" Vegeta fumed, dumping down his parcels in annoyance and making to drag his newly pregnant wife out of the lingerie shop, "They'll be stuck here for hours if we don't intervene!"

"Vegeta!" Goku shrieked, halting the Saiyan prince in his tracks and catching him off guard, "W-We can't go in there!"

"And why the hell not?!"

"T-There are…" he started nervously, lowering his voice to a whisper, "There are bras in there!"

His fellow Z-warriors gave him a blank stare.

"The great Kakarot scared of a woman's undergarment? Seriously?" Vegeta snorted, as Goku continued to cringe, "You faced off against Frieza, and yet you can't walk past a stack of brassieres without getting flustered?!"

"I-It's not THAT!" He protested, "Chi-Chi told me that it's not 'proper' to look at a woman's underwear unless they were on your own wife!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "Oh how noble of you."

"I'm not scared of them," Goku pressed again, his eyebrows knitting together in thought, "Besides, bras are just so restrictive and really confusing! I don't understand why anyone would even want to wear one!"

Krillin and Tien face-palmed, as the prince growled in annoyance.

"Of all the blasted - !" Vegeta cursed, as Goku's stalling had made him lose sight of the girls as they disappeared into the changing rooms. Videl's shouts of protest and Bulma and Chi-Chi's girlish giggles could be heard from back of the shop.

And all too suddenly, did they realise just how painstakingly awkward it was for five grown men to be loitering in the entrance of a lingerie outlet. They even earned themselves several glares from lone women coming in and out of the shop, and it was made all the more uncomfortable when two teenage girls stalked past, whispering to each other not so subtly.

"Why are those old men just standing there?" One asked, skirting around them.

The other wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Ew, what a bunch of perverts."

A vein in Vegeta's forehead throbbed, his cheeks blazing crimson as he rounded back on Goku, "FINE! If you're going to be a wimp about it Kakarot, then we will just have to wait outside!"

"Phew, thanks Vegeta," he smiled gratefully, looking a little more chipper.

Making their way to a nearby bench, the exhausted warriors dumped their shopping at their feet. Krillin and Goku sat on a couple of boxes that they had placed on the floor whilst the others took up space on the bench.

Bags upon bags of baby paraphernalia surrounded them, and it was a wonder how Videl was going to fit it all in her small apartment in Orange Star City. Though Chi-Chi had wisely reasoned that some of it would be spread across the Son cottage and Hercule's mansion if Videl ever wanted to stay over with the baby.

There were some neatly wrapped packages for Bulma too, but they were few and far between, given that she was barely a couple of months along.

"Hey, Vegeta?" Goku mustered after a few moments of blissful silence, the hustle and bustle of shoppers fading away into the distance as they relished in the short break from their excitable companions.

"What?" The prince asked, a little harshly, rubbing his temples in an attempt to quell the headache that was looming. He would rather go another few rounds with Majin Buu over enduring this torture.

"Have you ever managed to take off a bra?"

His eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets, as the others snorted with laughter. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK?!"

"I was just asking," Goku blinked, unfazed by his sudden outburst.

"WELL DON'T!"

A pause, as an awkward silence drifted between them.

"Hey, Tien - ."

"Just be quiet Goku, please?" The three-eyed warrior sighed in exasperation, causing Goku to pout.

"Fine, you lot are no fun," he said, drumming his fingers on his knee impatiently, "Are we going to look at toys soon?"

Krillin ran a hand through his short black hair, before fishing an eight-page, double sided document out of his rucksack, "Well, it's on the itinerary, but I think the girls want to go to one a couple of floors up from here. It might take us a while to get there, we haven't even finished this floor yet."

"I don't understand why this baby needs so much stuff," said Piccolo, his tall shadow looming as he peered over the list, his antenna hidden by the souvenir Titans baseball cap upon his head, "Gohan had nothing but the clothes on his back when I left him in the wilderness for six months, and he survived just fine."

Goku shot the Namekian a warning glare, as Vegeta actually chuckled.

Krillin sighed hopelessly, "I don't even know where to begin to tell you what's wrong with that."

Suddenly, a giddy high pitched squeal erupted from the lingerie shop, causing all five men to wince in unison.

"Ugh, I'm suddenly so glad that I don't have any kids," said Tien, folding his arms across his chest as the distinct sound of girlish cooing travelled towards them.

"Oh stop fucking gloating," snapped Vegeta, "If you want, you can have one of mine."

Goku fought the urge to roll his eyes, "Vegeta, you don't really mean that."

"Don't I?" He growled, leaning back in his seat and casting his eyes towards the pristine white ceiling, "The only good thing that's come out of all this is that you and I can do the ritual and become Super Saiyan Gods… once Bulma allows it."

The younger Saiyan frowned, as the prince continued with a huff, "I'll be damned if I allow that brat surpass me again, Destroyer or not."

Krillin exchanged a worried glance with Tien, as Goku suddenly grew extremely quiet.

"You alright there, mate?" The shorter warrior asked, reaching over and clasping him firmly on the shoulder, prompting him to look towards him.

"Y-Yeah," Goku started, an unmistakable storm of emotion in his eyes, "It's just -."

"We get it," said Krillin, reading his best friend like an open book, "We're worried about him too."

He stared, as his lips twitched into a reassuring smile, "But if I know you, once you achieve Super Saiyan God, you'll master it in no time - Vegeta too. And we'll have a much better shot at helping Gohan win this fight. We're all in this together, right? Always have been, always will be."

He swallowed thickly, attempting to give him a wry grin back, but there was a crushing weight in his chest that seemed to be present ever since Gohan had disappeared beyond the stars once more. The realisation that he had lost his eldest son all over again, the crippling wave of guilt that had crashed over him when he the truth of what Gohan had become had been revealed. And the hurt and loss in his boy's eyes that had reminded him all too well of the last time he had seen him alive…

And then there was the gnawing ache in his heart, the questions that barrelled through his mind over and over again. Why couldn't Gohan have just told him? Was he that scared of opening up to him? His own father? Was he worried that he was going to disown him or something?

The damning thoughts threatened to drag him into the darkest wells of his mind, ones that had he had kept locked away for years, ones that Babidi had broken into and unleashed for everyone to see. It was difficult for him not to go there. Especially now that he had one son that was so broken by the outcome of his last battle on Earth that he couldn't open up to him even in death, whereas the other was filled with so much betrayal that he flung his emotions at him in angry bucket loads.

He felt as though he was losing both of his sons, and he had no idea how to get them back.

"Goku, stop day dreaming!"

"Yikes!" He yelped, coming to his senses just in time to catch the enormous stack of boxes that his wife flung at him. He caught them effortlessly out of the air, piling them high and balancing one on top of the other as they reached far above his head, causing several awestruck onlookers to applaud at the display.

"Tch it's not that impressive…" Vegeta grumbled irritably, as the rest of their wives joined them.

"Oh hush, honey," chuckled Bulma, handing him yet another armful of bags that were full to the brim, "You need to relax and enjoy yourself, it's not often that we all have an outing like this together!"

"I can hardly contain myself," he spat venomously, though took her shopping without argument.

"Well then start acting like it!" She snapped, her eyes flashing in anger, "Honestly, you've done nothing but sulk all day! And don't roll your eyes at me mister! You've got some nerve, when I'm the one carrying your child! Not to mention providing for them!"

"Oh give me a break," Vegeta retorted scathingly, eyeing her stomach that had only just begun to show, "You've barely brought anything for the damned cub, yet I see you've spent heaps on Kakarot's grand-brat!"

Bulma looked positively wild as she grabbed her husband by the collar, and lowered her voice to a harsh whisper, their noses almost touching, "Videl needs all the help she can get as a single mother you dolt! She's as much as our family as Gohan is! And Gohan… G-Gohan is gone, so we need to be there for her as much as we can, and that includes helping her get ready for the baby!"

His gaze narrowed as she released him, though the sadness reflected in her eyes caused his features to soften - albeit only momentarily, "I still don't see how this is my problem."

"It will become your problem if you don't start being supportive!"

"Where is Videl?" Eighteen spoke suddenly, having caught the end of the exchange between the hot-headed couple, her icy blue stare looking about her.

"She was right behind me a second ago," Launch frowned, as Chi-Chi looked increasingly concerned.

"Don't worry, she's here," Piccolo grunted, spotting her approaching from a ways off.

Videl smiled as she bounded towards them, her long raven pigtails swishing behind her.

"Sorry, I had to use the ladies room again," she informed them with a sheepish smile, a hand resting on her protruding baby bump, "I swear this kid thinks that my bladder is a trampoline."

Chi-Chi looked relieved, patting the girl's tummy fondly, "Ah I certainly don't miss that feeling. What have you got there, dear?"

Videl's eyes widened slightly, as the ox-princess motioned to the small paper bag she was holding.

"Oh it's just something silly," she told her, brushing her off, "I spotted it on my way back from the bathroom. It's nothing important."

"Well, alright," Bulma winked somewhat knowingly, before turning to Krillin, "So what else is on the list?"

"Er, quite a bit actually," he replied tiredly, "Are you sure that you really need all of this, Videl?"

"Well, I -," she started, until Chi-Chi forcibly cut across her, her dark eyes narrowing dangerously at him.

"Of course she does Krillin," she glared, "Honestly, you should know better, you are a father after all."

"Look, all I'm saying that maybe the baby doesn't need all of these books on calculus," he said - rather bravely, holding up one whole page that was solely dedicated to books.

They could have sworn that her eyes turned red, as Krillin added nervously, "I-I mean er, c-couldn't they just have some of Gohan's old books? You still have them, r-right?"

"Nonsense!" She guffawed, causing the others to share an amused look, some things never change, "Do you even realise how outdated that curriculum is?! No grand-baby of mine is going to end up falling behind before they've even begun!"

"Oh! I know where to go next!" Bulma interjected, swiftly changing the subject and snatching the itinerary to look for herself, "We need to find you a hospital bag for the birth, Videl! Its one of, if not the most important things to prepare!"

"R-Right… yeah," Videl mustered weakly.

Chi-Chi seemed to catch on to her reluctance immediately, her demeanour performing a complete one-eighty, "Don't worry sweetheart, it's going to be absolutely fine! And remember, I'll be with you every step of the way."

She smiled at that, "Thanks Chi-Chi."

"Now," the ox-princess hummed thoughtfully, "I could have sworn that I spotted a sale on nipple cream earlier… if this little one is anything like Gohan was as a baby then they'll be stuck to you like glue for at least the first six months!"

The girl nearly laughed out loud as she caught the faces that her male comrades pulled behind her. And just like that, they were on the move again, with Bulma and Chi-Chi loudly complaining of the toils of raising half-Saiyan children.

Videl sighed, making to start after them when she noticed that the men were once again lagging behind. She glanced hopefully towards them as she joined them a few steps back, flashing a small smile, "Mind if I hang back with you lot for a bit? I think I need a break from all the baby talk."

Goku grinned, but before he could respond, Vegeta snapped his head angrily towards her.

"NO! This spot is specifically reserved for people who don't want to be here!"

"Vegeta," Krillin said tactfully, nearly tripping over his shopping as he did so, his short height causing some of the bags to drag on the floor, "That's not true."

Videl quirked an eyebrow, "What's gotten your knickers in a twist, Veggie?"

"Mainly YOURS!" He griped, baring his teeth in irritation, "It's embarrassing enough to parade ourselves around this hellhole without having to listen to Kakarot's woman talk about your womanly body parts and what are and aren't putting on them!"

To their surprise, instead of offering her usual feisty retort, she sighed heavily, "Believe me, I'd rather not hear about it either."

Piccolo matched her walk as it slowed, giving her a calculated once over, "You okay, kid? Do you need to rest?"

"I'm fine Piccolo. I told you before, right? I've never had so much energy in my whole life!" She chuckled, waving off his concern, before her eyes became sullen once more. The uncertainty was back again, "Sorry, I suppose that it's just taking a lot of getting used to. It's still a little surreal."

Goku attempted to give her a warm smile of reassurance, but it came out broken, for he too felt the strangeness of it all. It was an odd feeling, in knowing that soon he would be a grandfather of all things. But despite the initial shock (and boy, was it!), it was incredibly exciting. He couldn't wait to see what would become of the child, for he could already sense that they were going to be strong.

It was difficult to miss. The feeling of buzzing life energy that swelled from within the girl, intermingling with hers. He could already detect the strong notes of Gohan's Ki that accompanied the steady pulse of Videl's - this child was the perfect mixture of both its parents that was for certain. Though there was something else that hummed within the background of its life-force as it continued to grow, it was something raw and intangible, and he couldn't help but think that it was something to do with the divine nature of its existence.

Now, the Z-Gang were all too accustomed to the mixture of Human and Saiyan blood, but the fact that Gohan and Videl's child was effectively a demigod was something new altogether. And Goku couldn't help but wonder if Videl's mortality could handle such a thing. He didn't know of any mortal that had birthed a divine being after all. The only demigod they knew of was Perses, and his mother had been a Supreme Kai.

He regretted not asking that weird Angel guy about it before he had left with Gohan and Lord Beerus to the realm of Gods. But at the time, he could hardly think straight.

Goku had never been one for worrying, but the thought was certainly concerning. He had shared this in confidence with Vegeta a couple of months ago, after the dust had settled somewhat and preparations for the arrival his grandchild had begun.

Despite the prince's initial reluctance, they had agreed to keep a close eye on Videl should anything take a dangerous turn. The girl was strong yes, and had come on leaps and bounds ever since she had first asked him to train her after the conflict with Majin Buu. But she was not only mortal, but a human too, and carrying a part Saiyan child was difficult enough.

He remembered all too well how exhausted Chi-Chi had become when she was pregnant with both of their boys, the strong kicks of the unborn halflings had nearly sent her flying on more than one occasion. They had been more cautious with Goten, and Goku had been insistent that his wife had taken more rests and not overworked herself whilst she was carrying him.

There was a strange kind of reassurance that came with a second baby after all, as they had already gone through it once before. As well as that, they had been young and inexperienced the first time around, and they hadn't found out what Goku was until Gohan was four years old.

In all honesty, it was pretty startling that the boy had even been born at all, given the fact that his parents hailed from two different races entirely - no wonder they had spoiled their little miracle so much.

Bulma, in all her wisdom all those years ago, had surmised that maybe Saiyans and Humans had a common ancestor way way back. He didn't really understand it, but he was just glad that he was able to have his two boys. Becoming a father had changed him in the best of ways, even with all the heartache it had brought along with it.

He tried not to worry, and Chi-Chi had even teased that he was already acting like an overprotective grandpa. But he slowly began to relax as Videl's belly swelled, and the baby's due date got closer and closer. The baby was due in mid March, almost two months to the day before Gohan's birthday. He didn't know if it was going to be a boy or a girl, as Videl had insisted that she wanted the baby's gender to remain a surprise.

Though Videl was pretty certain that it was a boy anyway, as was everyone else. For one, there hadn't been any female Saiyans born in decades, and boys seemed to run in the Son family. But Chi-Chi was determined on getting both sets of clothes just incase the baby was without - no doubt the reason why they were laden with so much shopping.

He was glad that his wife had gotten her out of her initial slump, and Videl was training with him again, albeit much more gently. The oodles of energy she had was something entirely different to both Bulma and Chi-Chi's pregnancies, her increased stamina more than enough to keep them sparring for more hours than usual. Her extreme appetite, however, was all too reminiscent of the others. It appeared as though the little quarter-Saiyan was set to inherit their father and grandfather's stomach, given how much it made their mother pack away at meal times.

That much was reassuring, and luckily Bulma once again thought of everything, asking Videl to allow her to run weekly tests on top of her usual doctor and midwife appointments to make sure that everything was as it should be. And thankfully, so far, both Videl and the baby were as healthy as could be.

"Is something wrong, Goku?" Videl asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

He had been staring at her for a while, he noticed, too busy relishing in the small sparks of his eldest son's Ki that washed over his senses. The pair of them had slowed to a stop, the others too busy with trying to coax Vegeta down from blasting a group of youths on skateboards who had nearly crashed into him to pay them much notice.

Goku gazed back at his young student, confusion marring her brow as he placed a strong hand upon her shoulder. He had so much to say, but he didn't know how to say it. He knew that Chi-Chi had already broached the subject of Gohan with her, but he hadn't yet found the right words. It was still far too raw, and he didn't want to upset her, even though he knew that it would take a hell of a lot to make Videl of all people break down in front of him. He had never been good with that kind of thing, he hated it when Chi-Chi cried.

He knew that she was still hurting, for he was too. Maybe they should sneak off and go and get some food? Food always made him feel better. It might just work!

Before he could speak, there was a flash of gold that caught his eye behind Videl's head. He felt a horrible pang in his chest as a cartooned image of the Cell Games lit up the enormous advertising screens that hung from the ceiling.

And there was the source of his heartache. His son. Forever young in his Super Saiyan form, whizzing across the panel before firing off a rampage of Ki blasts from his palms, although it did nothing to harm the animated version of Cell in front of him.

"This the end for you boy!" Cell laughed maniacally, his voice actor doing an incredibly over the top impression of his laugh, "You can't defeat me! You're running out of steam!"

"That's where you're wrong," cartoon Gohan smirked, his emerald eyes flashing wickedly as he spoke. "I've still got one more trick up my sleeve. Isn't that right, Mister Satan?"

The camera panned over to the very real ex-Champion, who was sipping on a can of Golden-Ade from where he was relaxing on a sun lounger, surrounded by beautiful women in shiny gold bikinis.

Hercule grinned, "I prefer the sweet taste of Golden-Ade Original, but for you Gohan, I think you need something a little more… EXTREME!"

With that, Mister Satan reached into a nearby cooler which was full of golden-coloured energy drinks. A clatter of dramatic music seemed to fuel the battle cry that escaped his lips, as he threw the largest can off camera.

Cartoon Gohan caught the now animated can effortlessly out of the air, opening the seal with a satisfying 'hiss'. Raising it to his lips, he gulped down the entire thing, the dazzling sunlight reflecting cool watery droplets sliding down the rim of the can and dropping onto his neck and collarbone, running down his muscular torso as he did tilted his head back.

He let out a satisfied sigh when he finished, crushing the empty can easily in his palm and tossing it at Cell's head ("Ow!"). His muscles bulged, and a brilliant golden aura erupted around his frame, sizzling with lightening bolts and blowing a terrified looking Cell back a few feet.

"N-No!" The bug-like monster gasped, horrified, "This cannot be! Not all the power of Golden-Ade, now with added acai-acai and ginseng! T-The electrolytes are off the scale!"

"THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO EXTREEEEEEEME!" Gohan roared, his power exploding in a monumental shockwave of electrifying Ki which obliterated Cell instantly, the screen turning completely white until the preteen appeared once more, directing a thumbs up to the camera.

"Wow, that was easy!" He beamed with a brilliant white cartoon smile, holding Cell's severed head under his arm. "Thanks, Mister Satan!"

Mister Satan laughed, as the advert cut back to him, the old Championship belt hanging around his waist and his long white cloak billowing in a non-existent breeze. "Haha! No problem, Gohan! But don't thank me, thank the new Golden-Ade X-Treme, the energy drink that helps you conquer anything!"

As the slogan for 'Golden-Ade X-Treme' flashed across the screen, a voice-over spouted, "Don't forget to scan your can and enter the competition online for your chance to win a one on one training session with the last world martial arts champion! Terms and conditions apply, competition not eligible to under 18's, trained martial artists or extra-terrestrial beings. Golden-Ade and its derivatives will not grant the consumer superhuman powers such as super strength or flight. Please consult your physician before consuming Golden-Ade as regular consumption may cause early onset diabetes."

Videl followed Goku's hardened gaze, before letting out a sigh at the sight, and slapping a hand to her face.

"The amount of times I've told him…" she muttered, relenting in the fact that her father refused to stop showboating and lacked the ability to say no to cheesy gigs.

"Don't worry, Videl, I know he doesn't mean anything by it," said Goku, although he still looked a little put out as the news channel flickered into view, the items rolling across the bottom of the screen reading 'WHAT HAPPENED TO MARS: 15 years since the moon's spontaneous combustion! Did it disappear? Or was it never there to begin with? The conspiracy theory that's gripping the nation!'

"Why don't we ditch the others and go and get some ice-cream?" He quirked, "I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

She couldn't help but grin as her mentor read her mind, her belly growling loudly in agreement "You know that Chi-Chi would kill us."

"Ah, we'll be back before you know it!" He beamed, as the young woman relented with a playful roll of her eyes, "And my stomach knows exactly where to go don't ya boy? - Yes I do!"

Videl snickered, as the man put on a silly voice to imitate the bottomless pit that was his stomach.

Though unfortunately, their plan of escape was interrupted, by the frantic shout that barrelled through the earth-raised Saiyan's mind.

"GOKU!"

He blinked in bewilderment, recognising the voice of his old master instantly, "Huh? King Kai? Is that you? It's been a while!"

"King Kai?" Videl asked, confused, though the irate deity didn't give him a chance to respond.

"Yes, of course it's me!" The North Kai huffed, "Who else would dare try and telepathically crack through your thick skull?!"

"Well it looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Goku frowned, folding his arms across his chest, "What can I do ya for?"

"This isn't a curtesy call, Goku!" He twittered, he seemed really nervous about something, "Something TERRIBLE is happening in the Otherworld!"

"Otherworld?" He asked, before letting out a giggle, "Aw man, did King Yemma block up the bathroom again?"

"WILL YOU BE SERIOUS FOR JUST ONE SECOND?!" King Kai roared, taking a deep shuddering breath in an effort to calm himself down, "This is no laughter matter! A great evil from the demon realm is messing with the barriers between dimensions and reeking havoc! Strange things are happening all over the universe, mainly the DEAD being unleashed into the living realm! It's a DISASTER!"

Goku's eyes widened, "W-What?! You've got to be kidding me!"

"SON GOKU!"

He flinched, as his wife's enraged shriek reached his ears. He turned slowly, spotting her charging towards him with the others in tow, her hands upon her hips and a threatening scowl upon her features.

"Where in the world did you get to?!" She glowered, giving both him and Videl an accusatory stare, "Were you two trying to sneak off?! You are such a bad influence Goku! Is this any way for a grandfather to behave?!"

"Er -," He stuttered nervously, before Videl came to the rescue.

"We weren't sneaking off, Chi-Chi," she implored sweetly, saving both of their skins, "We just saw a really cute pair of booties and got distracted, and then Goku got a call from King Kai and -."

"Booties?!" She squealed in excitement, causing Piccolo to wince at the piercing sound, her anger evaporating in an instant, "Ooh let me see - ! Wait, did you say King Kai? That's odd, he barely ever calls unless something's amiss, or Goku's exploded something of his -."

"And I still haven't forgiven that dirty home wrecker for blowing up my planet!" King Kai seethed, his voice now prominent in all of their minds.

"Aw come on, King," Goku whined, "I wished it back didn't I?"

"That's not the point - !" He began, but cut himself short with another exasperated sigh, "Ugh, we haven't got time to argue about that right now!"

"Oh yeah," he replied thoughtfully, "What were you were saying about the dead being unleashed upon the living world?"

"WHAT?!" The others chorused, giving him aghast expressions.

"Surely you're pulling our leg," Vegeta growled back at King Kai, "How the hell is that even possible?"

"Well, if you don't believe me, just look behind you," he scoffed.

At that moment, a blood curdling scream pierced the air, and Goku and the others raced over to where a crowd was gathering around the large windows that looked out over the car park.

They gasped, as sure enough, a large-scale calvary battle was unfolding before them. Undead riders wielded their sharp weapons as they galloped towards their foes on skeletal horses. Rows upon rows of capsule cars where utterly trampled, as a centuries old war was reenacted right before their eyes.

Then, the gut-wrenching roar of an engine flew overhead, before an old bomber ripped straight through the wall of the building. The sound of tinkering glass and exploding brick followed, as the zombified pilot in the cockpit flashed the flabbergasted and terrified onlookers a wicked grin. Though luckily, the falling debris missed by inches thanks to Piccolo's quick thinking, materialising an invisible shield of Ki to protect the crowd.

The rickety old plane crashed out of the other side of the mall, joining a fleet of a dozen others as they flew off into the horizon, showering the city with bullets as they went. Terrified screams erupted all around them, as throngs of people fought their way out of the complex.

"W-Was that… Red Ribbon?" Bulma gasped, her gaze fixated on the red painted insignia at the tail of the aircraft, that was all too reminiscent of the disbanded army.

"Yes," Eighteen confirmed with venom in her eyes, "It was."

"Er, guys?" said Videl, watching the TV screens where the news was still playing, her mouth hanging open at the sight, "You might want to take a look at this…"

They were left reeling, as pictures of chaos and destruction flashed across the screen. Cities were burning, covered in craters, and littered with rubble. Flocks of people rushed through the streets, screaming and crying as they fled from the undead that plagued the streets.

There were reports of powerful, centuries old dictators and warlords taking over government buildings, and were even fighting amongst themselves. Old King Furry's army had already been deployed across the globe, yet they were being crippled by the undeniable might of the Red Ribbon Army, even with the outdated tech.

Though that wasn't the most startling thing. Oh no, what had gained the group's attention was the numerous swirling vortexes that had appeared all over the planet. They looked very much like black holes, full of darkness from which there was seemingly no end. Sharp, jagged bolts of electricity jolted around the edges, which were akin to the clashes of lightening that had suddenly engulfed the sky hanging over West City.

It appeared that the rest of the world was experiencing the strange and sudden change in weather, as an aura of darkness swept the Earth. The evil in the air was almost palpable, and caused a nauseating chill to run down Goku's spine.

This did not look good. He could see why King Kai was so worried.

"It's obvious that these spirits are anything but friendly," stated Piccolo, his features serious, "I take it that the majority of them have escaped from HFIL?"

"That's correct, Piccolo," King Kai replied darkly, "It appears that the inmates have been planning an uprising for a while, no doubt sensing the darkness that's been building in the backdrop of the universe for quite some time now."

"Perses," Goku confirmed, a familiar fire igniting in his gut, "He's behind this?"

"I'm not sure if he planned this Goku, but at this point anything is possible," said King Kai, knowing full well that the higher Gods had informed Earth's protectors of the grave situation the cosmos was facing, "Though if his goal was to create chaos, then the impact on the darker dimensions like HFIL and the demon realm seems to be working in his favour. Those realms are particularly sensitive to negative energy, after all."

"So, he's closer to escaping?" Videl asked anxiously.

"Everyday that he gets stronger is another day closer to that menace escaping!" King Kai scoffed, "All I know right now is that Perses will be the least of our worries if the dead aren't put back in their rightful place! The evil ones will ravage not only the Earth, but the entire universe!"

"Wait, so there's a way to put them back?" Goku quirked hopefully.

"Well, yes, but there's nothing to keep them there numb nuts!" He spouted in frustration, "The barriers between worlds are unstable, and it's only a matter of time before they disappear completely. The realms of the living and the dead have already begun to collide, and that monster from the demon realm has the Check-In station in a total state of disarray!

"We could use the dragonballs!" Krillin blurted suddenly, "Yeah! We only used one wish because Shenron was so terrified of Gohan and Lord Beerus and left early, remember? We could just ask him to reinforce the barriers!"

"Thats a great idea Krillin, good thinking!" Goku praised, before King Kai interrupted them.

"Even if Shenron did have that kind of power, if you waste time gathering the dragonballs then it'll be too late!" He told them, "We're running out of time, we have to act quickly to prevent the dimensions from merging permanently!"

"Well, it looks like we'll just have to fight these undead guys for now to prevent them from causing any more damage," Goku said boldly, raising two fingers to his forehead, "I'll go to the Otherworld and see if I can put a stop to this demon monster -."

"Are you insane?!" King Kai bellowed, "For one, you're ALIVE! You'd be breaking the rules of the celestial by doing that!"

"What's the problem?" He frowned, "I come and train on your planet all the time, and that's basically the Otherworld, right?"

"No! Of course it isn't!" He exclaimed hotly, "Do you need a geography lesson or something?!"

"Huh?"

"NEVER MIND!" Poor King King, he sounded as though he was about to have an aneurism, "It's not as easy as you just popping in and out of reality and destroying a bad guy, Goku. You still don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation, this creature has put a complete block on the gateway to Otherworld and its surrounding dimensions. Nothing can get in to stop this thing! King Yemma and his staff were frozen completely solid!"

"What, really?" Goku gasped, his eyes widening.

"Yes!" He squawked, "Ugh, as if the situation isn't dire enough when we've got Perses to worry about. And Lord Gohan is - !"

He stopped sort, as the distinct sound of him slapping his hands over his mouth reached their ears.

"Gohan?" Videl interjected fiercely, "What about Gohan?"

"DAMN IT, GOKU!" The North Kai cried, "You see what you made me do?! Just forget I said anything!"

Videl opened her mouth to protest, when Goku cut across her.

"What's going on with Gohan?" He demanded, "Is he involved in this?"

"You know I can't tell you that!" He argued, "I can't just give you a run down of what higher deities are up to on a daily basis willy-nilly! I could be accused of treason! It's serious!"

"H-Higher - ?!" The Saiyan spluttered, he was starting to get angry, "He's my son King Kai! And don't you think that you owe me one? You did lie to me about his whereabouts for how many years."

"Yeah!" Chi-Chi growled, lunging at Goku's head and yelling in his ears, pulling roughly on his messy spikes of hair, "You tell us what our baby boy is doing right this instant you sorry excuse of a God! Is he hurt?! Is he in trouble?! Can you tell him that his mummy misses him?!"

"Yowch Chi-Chi!" Goku yelped, prising her hands away, "He's not in my head!"

"Are you CRAZY you two?!" King Kai guffawed, "He may be your son, but I can't just casually talk to a God above - and I mean WAY above my standing - and tell him that his mummy wants to kiss his boo boos!"

Chi-Chi gasped in horror, tears welling in her eyes, "So he is hurt!"

"Ow my head," He groaned, quite obviously feeling dizzy from the stress, "No, he's not hurt. Not yet anyway, but he will be if he doesn't get out of HFIL soon."

They stared at each other with flabbergasted expressions, before Piccolo finally snapped.

"He's in HFIL?! What the hell is he doing in HFIL?!"

"I can't tell you that!" King Kai shot back, "All I can say is that he's been trying to prevent the uprising of the inmates down there. But because no one else can get near Otherworld right now, I'm afraid that Lord Gohan is the only one that can put an end to this demon menace from his current position. If he can get those barriers reinforced, then you can clean up here on Earth. The Supreme Guard have already been alerted, and they'll be working across the universe in an effort to return the other souls that have escaped."

"Well, I wasn't expecting a fight today, but I suppose it can't be helped," Vegeta smirked evilly, dumping down heaps of shopping at his feet and giving his arms a good stretch, "I'll be keeping a tally of the amount of undead I'll be beating back into those vortexes, Kakarot. I hope that you can keep up!"

With that, he was off. A white aura gathering around his frame before he blasted through the roof, paying no mind to Bulma's shrieks of protest as he left a shower of falling debris in his wake.

"That's not fair, Vegeta!" Goku cried after him angrily, "You got a head start!"

"We should split up," Piccolo said wisely, attempting to formulate a plan before he could speed after the prince. "That way, we'll cover the most ground. I'll head to Dende first and see where the most powerful are causing havoc. No doubt some of our old enemies are bound to show up."

"Yeah, you're probably right, we should keep an eye out for them," said Goku, no longer pouting, "Someone should stop by Capsule Corp. too, the boys have probably caught wind of what's going on. They're gonna need back up if they want to help."

"I'll go," offered Krillin, "Knowing my daughter, she'll want to get in on the action too."

"I'll head back North and pick up Chaiotzu," said Tien, "I'll tell Yamcha to go East on the way. You should go South and let Master Roshi know the plan, Goku."

"Maybe I should pay my brother a visit," Eighteen hummed thoughtfully, a spark of something malicious in her eyes, "If those Red Ribbon goons are back, he'll definitely want to get a few hits in on them."

"Wow, Seventeen?" Goku chuckled, "I don't think I've seen him since your wedding, Krillin! It'll be good to see him fight!"

"Then that's everyone," Krillin grinned, "Let's go!"

"Right!" Videl nodded, kicking off from the ground and naturally following her mentor into the air, when -

"HOLD IT!" Chi-Chi started, her sharp gaze staring the girl down, "Just where do you think you're going, young lady?"

"Er, to fight?"

"I don't think so!" She spouted hotly, "You're pregnant! It's far too dangerous!"

"I'll be fine Chi-Chi," said Videl, "It's not like I'm about to pop or anything."

"That doesn't matter," The ox-princess pressed, "Piccolo is right. What if some powerful old enemies show up? You could get hurt!"

"But - !"

"She's right," Goku intervened, though he winced when he caught the look of betrayal in her eyes, "I don't want you or the baby to get hurt Videl. Maybe it's best that you just sit this one out, okay?"

"But Goku!" Videl argued, her eyes blazing with frustration, "You know I can fight! I still train with you every - !"

"Training - yes. Fighting - no," he cut across her, giving her a stern look, "Sorry Videl, but I just don't think it's safe."

The Satan girl glared back, but an even sterner look from Piccolo caused her to finally relent. She sighed begrudgingly, "… fine."

"Attagirl!" Goku beamed, ruffling her hair so that her pigtails became askew, before sending a wink to his wife, "See you later, Chi!"

"Be careful, Goku!" Chi-Chi called, watching him, Krillin, Piccolo, Tien and Eighteen blast into the hole Vegeta had made in the ceiling before their blazing auras shot off in different directions.

Videl landed, folding her arms haughtily across her chest as she relented in the fact that everyone was treating her like some delicate little flower that could be easily ripped from his roots by a sharp gust of wind. It was infuriating, she growled to herself, thinking about how Krillin's mission was to give the kids some back up. It wasn't fair that they got to fight, whereas she wasn't allowed because she was pregnant?!

Alright, maybe she was being a little naive, but she couldn't stand it when people deemed her weak or incapable. That, and she could take care of herself. She was doing this whole baby thing on her own right?

Right!

And that was way scarier to her than beating up a bunch of zombies.

She nudged one of the numerous boxes with the toe of her boot, abandoned by the boys in their haste to answer the call of the fight. Which was a point, how in sweet HFIL were they going to carry all of this shopping back?!

"Ah well, it was nice whilst it lasted," sighed Bulma in defeat, tearing her gaze away from the ceiling as the Z-Fighters became nothing but small specks in the sky, her voice echoing around the now deserted shopping mall.

Videl's eyes widened, as the blue-haired scientist pulled out a storage capsule from her handbag and clicked it, tossing it into the enormous pile of bags and boxes where they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"You had that the entire time?" She gaped, causing her friend to smirk mischievously.

"Of course I did," said Bulma, "Do you really think that the boys would have come with us if I hadn't told them that I'd forgotten my capsules when we got here?"

The magazines were right. Bulma Briefs truly was the greatest mind of her generation.

"It was a lovely idea," said Chi-Chi, though there was an evil glint in her eye that she couldn't help but notice, "I do love it when my Goku takes me shopping. And we managed to get some really cute outfits for the baby too. Oh, I can't wait to wash them all and let the mountain air get at them!"

Videl smiled gratefully, as Launch flung her arms around the pair of them.

"All that can wait," she grinned, pushing them into a walk,"I think that we've earned a cocktail!"

"Hm, well maybe just one," Chi-Chi chuckled, it was nice to see her let her hair down once in a while, "As long as it's just mock-tails for those two."

"Aw man," Bulma sighed, as the ox-princess looked pointedly towards both her and Videl, "That's one thing that I'm really going to miss."

"Wait," Videl frowned, "Hasn't everyone already fled? I doubt there'd be any bartenders willing to serve us…"

"Nah, we'll just help ourselves!" Launch chortled, nudging her playfully in the arm.

The girl was astounded, even though she knew all too well of Launch's bandit days, "That's stealing."

"No it's not, dear," said Chi-Chi, laughing her off, "We'll leave the money on the bar."

As her friends began to chuckle, she couldn't help but wonder if this was standard practice for them when their husbands went off to fight. She was shaken out of her thoughts, however, when her wristwatch sounded rapidly in alarm. They halted in their tracks as the communication waves reached her all the way from Orange Star City.

"Calling all units! Calling all units! All available officers report downtown! I repeat ALL available officers report downtown! A giant rabbit, and several men dressed in bunny ears are turning people into carrots! I repeat, CARROTS! All available officers respond with badge number immediately - !"

"Huh, that sounds like the Rabbit Mob," Bulma quirked, "But I thought that Goku kicked his sorry butt to the moon…"

"But didn't Piccolo blow it up?" Launch wondered.

"Oh right yeah, that makes sense now. Ouch."

Videl wasn't paying attention, she was too busy staring at her watch, biting her lip in thought, listening to her brave colleagues relaying their badge numbers, answering the call.

Chi-Chi's eyes were burning into her, as though reading what was barreling through her mind, "Videl…"

"Oh!" She blundered quickly, backing away, "You know what, I just remembered that I think I left my stove on!

"Wait a minute- !" Bulma started, but the girl had already lifted off into the air.

"I'd better go and check up on that!" She called, a white aura simmering around her frame, "Wouldn't want to cause a fire!"

"Damn it, Videl get back here!" Chi-Chi cried, but it was no use, as Videl had already blasted through the hole in the roof where her comrades had left moments earlier, a sonic boom causing the atoms around them to shudder as she headed in the direction of Orange Star City.

"She does know that we know that she doesn't cook, right?" Launch sighed, resting her arm the ox-princess' shoulder as she let out an exasperated groan.

"Oh why does that girl have to be so stubborn?"

Bulma chuckled, staring up at the swirling clouds of darkness that raged overhead, "Remind you of anyone?"

"That grandkid of yours is going to be a force to be reckoned with," teased Launch knowingly.

"Don't I know it," Chi-Chi gazed back hopelessly, though there was no denying the small sparkle of amusement in her eyes as she sighed, "Oh I do hope that my Gohan's alright. If he really is in HFIL like King Kai said, I can only imagine what horrors he must be facing right now."

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

Gohan sneezed, the action causing him to snap awake suddenly. He let out a low groan of despair as a sharp pain rippled across his skull. The harsh crimson light of the hellish sky filtered in through the broken windows of the tavern, invading his pupils and causing him to wince.

His body ached all over, his mouth horribly dry and the lingering taste of alcohol pungent on his tongue. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and will death to take him from where he lay, resting his head in a sticky patch upon the wooden bar.

Alas, he realised irritably, he was already dead.

WHAM!

"Breakfast time, brat! Wake the fuck up!"

He groaned again through cracked lips, scrunching up his eyelids tightly as the source of his rude awakening slammed a disgusting looking bowl of gruel down in front of him.

Knowing that it was better not to argue, Gohan tentatively lifted himself upright on the rickety bar stool. His long messy hair stuck out at odd angles atop his head as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He looked about him wearily, realising that he must have finally fallen to sleep sitting at the bar, although he couldn't remember much after he had managed to drink Raditz under the table.

Speaking of, he couldn't see hide nor tail of his uncle anywhere, nor his grandmother for that matter. There were several other Saiyans dotted around the tavern, the sound of their brutish grunts and snores filling the stale air around them. Some were sleeping under tables, cradling their tankards to their chests in their dreams, whilst others lay amongst fragments of broken chairs and barrels, leading him to believe that there must have been another bar fight at some point.

Another loud snore reached his ears, and he would have laughed out loud if the effort didn't make him want to throw up, spotting Turles sprawled out behind the bar like a starfish, wearing what was unmistakably Gohan's maids outfit.

"You look like shit," Bardock observed, dumping a wooden spoon in the bowl with an audible slop and encouraging him to eat.

"I feel like shit," the halfling griped, turning green at the sight of the greyish goop, and pushed it away from him, "No thanks. My mouth already tastes like drain cleaner."

"The hell is drain cleaner?" His grandfather scoffed, not bothering to ask twice and taking Gohan's breakfast for himself.

"Doesn't matter," he sighed, another sharp twinge of pain hitting him behind the eyes, "Ugh, what happened last night?"

"Ain't got time for a debrief, kid," said Bardock, inhaling the gruel in seconds and gulping down his last mouthful, "Now pull your hungover ass together and get outside, there's somethin' you might wanna take a look at."

He was confused, but followed him out of the tavern without question, careful not to step on any sleeping Saiyans as he did so. The stark crimson sky was so much brighter out in the open, the dark electrifying clouds shuddering with an eerie glow. He yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes as his vision adjusted to the brightness.

Stopping short, Gohan blinked out at the horizon again, which was eclipsed by what looked like hundreds of multi-coloured jellybeans suspended in midair. The jagged peaks of the distant mountains were warped and twisted in odd looking spirals, the amber ground surrounding them sloping and uneven - totally frozen solid.

Everything was frozen for that matter, a sheen of glistening ice covering every surface, reflecting the odd colours amongst the clouds. What remained of the Saiyan huts looked as though they had been flattened like pancakes, surrounded by dozens of ice sculptures that were shaped eerily humanoid.

Another wave of nausea churned in his gut, as he mustered weakly, "I-I think I'm still drunk."

"Nah, you're not," snorted Bardock, folding his arms across his strong chest as more colourful spheres popped into the sky, "Something's wrong, I can see it too."

"But I saw you drink way more than I did," Gohan quirked disbelievingly.

"Wouldn't have made a difference," he shrugged, "I can't get drunk."

His mouth fell open in shock, "Pardon?!"

"It's my own special kind of hell," Bardock huffed, "That great stupid bastard upstairs just loves messing with the inmates, especially me. I pissed him off a few years back so he took away my ability to drown my sorrows in mead. Listen kid, there's only three things that I enjoyed in life - drinkin', fuckin' and fightin'. I'm just damned thankful that he didn't take away one of the other two."

Gohan pulled a disgusted face, as he continued, "Jokes on him anyway, my liver died years before the rest of me did. It'd had a good ride."

"Then why did you make me drink so much?!" He chastised, causing the man to smirk.

"Because it was hilarious."

The teenager opened his mouth in an angry retort, when his foggy brain finally managed to process what his grandfather had just said, "Wait a minute, you said that something's wrong. You mean that all of this isn't normal?"

"Does this look normal to you?" Bardock growled in annoyance, gesturing to the jellybeans floating above them.

"Well, I -."

"Bardock! Gohan!" His grandmother's voice cut through the air as she raced towards them with Raditz in tow, careful not to slip on the ice.

"What's happening?" asked Gohan, "Did one of the inmates do this?"

"I'm not sure," said Gine, "But it's a lot worse than we initially thought. It seems as though the barriers are down between dimensions, and a hell of lot of spirits have escaped into the living world."

"WHAT?!" He cried, his jaw hitting the floor - Whis and Lord Beerus were going to murder him! "When did this happen?!"

"When you were sleeping," said Bardock, giving him a disapproving stare.

"Then why the bloody hell didn't anyone WAKE me?!"

"Aw but you looked so cute passed out in a puddle of ale," his grandmother cooed, pinching at his cheek and causing him to flush, "Besides, it all happened so fast, there was no way that anyone could have stopped it. Not even you, little cub."

Raditz slung an arm over his shoulder, "You were on fire last night, kid! Honestly, I would have just up and kidnapped you without even trying to bargain with Kakarot if I had known that you would have grown up to be this much of a riot!"

"Wha - ?" He blinked, utterly bewildered as his estranged uncle let out an ominous bark of laughter.

"Oh come off it brat, don't act like you don't know!" Raditz chortled, though there was a malicious glint in his eye, and the young Saiyan wasn't sure if he should be extremely glad that he didn't know what he was talking about, or extremely worried.

"Anyway," Gine giggled, before her dark eyes hardened in determination, "A few of us saw what was happening outside of the tavern and decided to check it out. Nappa took some scouts over the mountains, but Raditz and I went a little further up ahead, it looks like things were a whole lot worse as we got closer to the area below where Check-In station lies, but we decided to head back just incase things got hairy. You can feel that power, right?"

Gohan stretched out his senses just as Bardock did, his eyes flying open in shock when he felt the strong force of dark power eclipsing that of King Yemma's. His grandmother was right, it surrounded the entirety of the Check-In station, and he would bet his afterlife that whatever it was, was the source of this chaos.

"King Yemma's Ki is weak," he told them worriedly, "I can barely sense it."

"Who cares?" Bardock glowered, "It'd make my afterlife a lot fucking easier if that bastard dropped dead."

"Oh Bardock, behave," Gine tutted, "Do you really think that'd be helpful right now?"

"No, but it'd be funny."

Gohan rolled his eyes, as Raditz snorted with laughter.

"I'd better go and see what's going on," the halfling said boldly, "Something tells me that this is about to get a whole lot messier."

"Then we're coming too," his grandmother implored, "You might need help."

"But Grandma -," he tried to protest, but it was no use.

"You ain't got a choice, boy," said Bardock, his stern eyes daring him to challenge him, "So cut the noble shit, and hurry up and teleport us to that miserable old troll."

"Wait, I'm being dragged along to this too?!" Raditz spluttered, before both Gine and Bardock successfully glared him out, "Ugh, fine!"

Preferring not to get an earful from his grandparents too, Gohan relented, allowing his estranged family to place their hands on his shoulders before he disappeared. And an instant, they materialised directly in front of the Check-In Station.

He swore under his breath as he caught sight of the once proud temple - which looked in a much worst state than when he had sent that perverted Ogre crashing through it yesterday. It was encased in a giant orange sphere, and eclipsed by many others, its structure misshapen and distorted and surrounded by dark purple sludge that eclipsed the gateway between realms.

The air shuddered with a startling amount of nightmarish energy, the sludge emitting toxic clouds of dust that filtered over Snake-Way, the once impressive stone depiction now chopped up into pieces and - roasted? That was weird.

Crimson globules floated before them, previously belonging to the bloody pond thousands of feet below. Raditz popped one just to make sure, the warm blood coating his hand as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Though Gohan wasn't paying him much attention, as an eerie murmur of whispers reached his ears, chilling voices meshed together, breathy and mysterious. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, nor depict where it was coming from or if anyone else could hear it for that matter. What he could detect, however, was King Yemma's wavering Ki from within the dome, along with a few others which must have belonged to his attendants.

"Huh, I'll be honest, I didn't think that would work," Bardock observed, looking at the swirling sludge below him, "Last time I tried to get up here, I hit my head on some kind of barrier."

The teenager frowned, "Hang on, you tried to escape before now?!"

"Of course I fucking did," his grandfather scoffed, "Did you really think that I'd just stay down here willingly?"

Gohan sighed, why was he not surprised?

"I say we leave that old fart to rot," Bardock continued, an evil smirk spreading across his lips as he eyed Yemma's prison, "Or at least wait until I've made a trip to Earth to kick Kakarot's ass for the half-assed way he handled Frieza."

He opened his mouth to protest against his grandfather's vendetta, when a loud booming voice echoed around them.

"L-Lord Gohan!" King Yemma's frantic tone escaped the trapped temple, "Oh thank goodness you're here!"

"King Yemma?" Gohan quirked, as a shadow of the Ogre's liking cast out over the dome, causing Bardock to howl with laughter.

"Oh this is just precious!" He roared, his cackles reaching far across the disfigured Snake-Way, "Stuck are you, big man? Need a hand?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Don't mind him," the young Destroyer implored, as Yemma's cheeks reddened even more so in anger, "What's happening? Are you all alright?!"

"W-We were frozen, my Lord!" He cried fearfully, although it was unclear whether he was trembling due to the havoc that was unfolding or Gohan's Godly presence - he guessed both, "He froze us all and warped everything! We thawed after a while, and were able to sound the emergency alarm to alert the Kais, but we're still trapped here!"

"He?" He blinked, "Who's he?"

"The monster that's doing this!" Yemma said, his voice quivering, "H-He clogged up my toilet and now he's escaped! His strange powers are effecting every dimension in creation! He needs to be stopped before the realms of the living and the dead are completely one in the same, the entire universe could implode!"

"He got in through the plumbing?!" He guffawed, hardly believing his ears.

"I-I'm afraid so, my Lord," said King Yemma, "It's something to do with the dark energy building in the Void that Perses is trapped in. The negative energy has had a devastating effect on the evil realms, fuelling them almost. I believe that this has made the realms and the beings within them stronger, and the barriers separating them weaker."

"So what does that have to do with a toilet monster?" Raditz drawled, clearly unimpressed.

"It's no toilet monster!" The King of Ogres snapped, gritting his teeth in anger, "It's a demon, a demon monster from the demon realm!"

"Demon realm?" Gine gasped, before frowning at the imprisoned deity, "How in gracious HFIL did you not realise that a demon was stuck in your U-bend?!"

"Trust me Grandma," said Gohan weakly, "There was all sorts of demonic things in there, I doubt he would have noticed."

"Don't you think that I would have put a stop to it if I KNEW?!" Yemma roared at Gine in embarrassment, before looking towards Gohan, his large eyes pleading with him, "L-Lord Gohan, you're our only hope. This fiend has sealed off the Otherworld and its surrounding dimensions, nothing or no one can get in, meaning that we're cut off from any outside help! I-I know that it's not standard protocol, but -!"

"Don't worry about it, King Yemma," he grinned back, "I'll take care of it, no problem!"

"Oh thank you!" He exclaimed, bowing his enormous head, "How benevolent you are, my Lord!"

"You know," Bardock mustered, wrinkling his nose in distaste, "I thought that I'd enjoy seein' him grovel, but it's actually kind of sad. Not to mention pathetic."

King Yemma growled, snapping his head towards him, "DO YOU WANT ME TO LOCK YOU UP IN A CELL AGAIN, YOU RUFFIAN?! BECAUSE BELIEVE ME, WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE I WILL!"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY, YOU OVERGROWN TROLL!"

"Grandpa, can you not?" Gohan sighed in exasperation.

"Piss off kid," his grandfather spat, "That chubby fuckwit has been making my afterlife a fucking misery for the last forty years, so let me goddamn have this!"

"You got sent to HFIL!" He spouted hotly, "It's supposed to be a misery, it's not supposed to be easy!"

"Not as easy as it will be to put my hand upside your head if you don't quit your self-righteous yappin'!"

"Boys!" Gine yelled, as Raditz snorted behind them, "Will you stop arguing?! There are bigger things going on here! Mainly, the fact that some demon monster has unravelled the barriers between dimensions, or did you forget?!"

"Sorry Grandma, you're right," said Gohan, as Bardock all but scoffed and turned away, "Don't worry King Yemma, we'll get you out of there in no time!"

With that, the young Destroyer charged up a fairly powerful Ki ball, releasing it as soon as it formed. There was an audible shriek from inside the temple as the blast hit the barrier with a clattering BOOM! The entire sphere shook and waned from the impact, though to Gohan and the others' astonishment, the sphere glowed and appeared to absorb it.

"What the - ?" He stuttered, watching the smoke clouds disperse, "It didn't even make a dent!"

"Maybe you should try again," Gine offered.

"NO!" Yemma screeched, halting the halfling in his tracks, "I-I mean er, f-forgive me Lord Gohan, but I don't think that blasting it will work. I think the only way to break the barrier is to defeat the monster. Once the Check-In Station is restored then the realms will be too! H-He's on the roof, i-if you wouldn't mind taking care of that? J-Just please don't blast us again!"

Bardock snorted, "Pfft, what a cry baby."

"The roof?" The teenager quirked, pushing his Ki under his feet and ascending further into the air, "I didn't notice anything on the -."

"JANEMBA! JANEMBA!"

"Eek!" He squeaked, catching sight of the bulbous beast sitting happily atop of the sphere, "Never mind! I found him!"

"JANEMBA! JANEMBA!" The monster giggled, its thick, nasally tone penetrating the air around them.

It certainly didn't look like any demon that Gohan had ever seen before, its black limitless eyes widening at the sight of the four Saiyans almost cheerfully. Its excitement sort of reminded him of Bee, in the way that the daft mutt would playfully yap and dance around his feet in delight when he realised that he was about to chuck a tennis ball for him to run after.

"JANEMBA!" It bellowed again, causing the multi-coloured balls in the air to shudder from the force.

"What the hell is that thing?!" The young Saiyan gaped, watching in horror as the monster's round body swayed to and fro, its fat chins wobbling with every movement.

"It's fucking Janemba isn't it?!" Bardock snapped, "Didn't you hear?"

Gohan rolled his eyes, before addressing the monster. "Oi you! Are you the one that caused this mess?"

"Janemba! Janemba!" The beast chortled, clapping his enormous hands together gleefully, seemingly too interested in watching the floating spheres of multi-colour glisten amongst the sludge.

Was he being ignored?! He growled to himself, his eyes narrowing at the wicked demon, "I am Lord Gohan, Junior Destroyer of this universe! I demand that you answer me unless you want to suffer the consequences!"

"Ooooh Janemba! Janemba! Janemba!" 'Janemba' giggled once more, wiggling his long tail about him and playfully batting away some of the spheres closest to him.

"Do you say anything else?" Gohan deadpanned.

"Janemba!"

"OI!" He bellowed, his anger getting the better of him, "You let King Yemma go right now! By order of the Gods!"

"He's not listening oh mighty Destroyer," Bardock snickered, as Janemba absentmindedly picked his nose.

"SHOVE IT!"

"Do as he says you stupid oaf!" Raditz yelled suddenly, "I don't want to have to be out here any longer than I - !"

THWACK!

"Raditz!" Gine cried, as out of nowhere did the demon's tail collide with his uncle's chest, expelling all of the air out of his lungs and knocking him flying.

He crashed unceremoniously into a gigantic red jellybean, where it exploded with a loud BOOM! Raditz was livid, positively shaking with anger as the dust cleared, his skin littered with soot and nasty looking scorch marks. The fact that Janemba was cheering at the sight did nothing to quell the Saiyan's rage.

"HA!" Bardock barked, clutching his stomach as he doubled up laughing.

"So, it's a fight he wants," Gohan observed, noticing how fast he was. He didn't even sense a spike in the demonic being's Ki before he attacked! "He's a lot more powerful than he looks."

"No kidding," Raditz glowered, brushing off Gine's concerns as she continued to fuss over him.

"I'm going to have to lure him away from here if we're going to get anywhere close to fixing this," the teenager spoke boldly, glaring at the still laughing Janemba.

"Oh right, and what are we supposed to do?" Bardock said scathingly. "Act like sitting ducks whilst you have all the fun?"

"Well, King Yemma's barrier still needs breaking in…"

"Fuck that! He can save his own giant red ass!" He spat, glaring daggers at the teen, "And what the hell are you talking about anyway, boy? You saw what just happened, your attack was completely absorbed, we ain't gonna be able to break into it!"

"It's got to be worth a try," said Gohan pointedly, "And I thought that you wanted to help prevent an uprising? Well now we're in the middle of one, and it's a whole lot worse than what your psychic powers predicted. Come on Gramps, please? Help bust Yemma out whilst I deal with the big bad demon?"

Bardock growled in annoyance, especially when the kid was giving him those pathetic puppy eyes that sure as HELL didn't work on him!

"Stop that!" He snarled, as Gohan's bottom lip began to quiver.

"Bardock, my moonshine," Gine implored sweetly, giving him a wink, "Gohan's right. There's got to be another way of breaking King Yemma out of there. We might be able to reinforce the barriers even faster if we do. We can work it out together!"

The Commander looked at his grandson again - who was still pouting, and then back to Gine, who was suddenly giving him a threatening scowl.

"Ugh, FINE!" He relented, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat and shooting another glare at a triumphant Gohan, "But you're taking Raditz's whiny ass with you!"

"WHAT?!" Raditz spluttered, "Surely you can't be serious? Did you not see what that beast just did to me?!"

"Of course I did," Bardock shrugged, "I wanna see how long it takes for him to do it again, think of it as training. Besides, Gohan's hungover and might need backup."

"But Father - !"

"We'd better make this quick," said Gohan, scowling at his grandfather as the pair continued to argue, "The more time that monster stays standing, the more the dead reap havoc upon the living world."

"Maybe it's best you fight him back down in HFIL?" His grandmother quirked, "It wouldn't be wise if you accidentally destroyed the Check-In Station."

"S-She's right!" King Yemma's frightened squawk escaped the temple, "I-I think it would be best for you to move the fight as far down as possible, my Lord!"

It was true, HFIL would be the best place to battle the beast, he wouldn't want it getting into heaven and wiping anyone from existence. Unlike the occupants of hell, the dead up top wouldn't be able to re-spawn.

But how to lure the childlike demon away from the gateway? He wondered.

A small smirk crept across his lips, as an idea popped into his head, and he immediately burst into his Super Saiyan form.

"Ohhh Janemba?" The halfling grinned, clapping his hands towards the monster in order to gain his attention, the golden glow of his transformation igniting the air, "Look at the pretty Super Saiyan! Doesn't he look like fun to fight?"

And much to his satisfaction, it worked almost instantaneously.

"Janemba! Janemba!" Janemba cried, wiggling his fat rear and nearly toppling forwards, his wide eyes lighting up at the golden-haired teen in delight, "Ooh! Ooh!"

"That's it, come on boy!" Gohan called, floating away and lowering himself back into HFIL, careful to avoid the dangerous jellybeans for want of not getting burned, "Come on Janemba, follow the leader! You can do it! That's a good demon!"

"Janembaaaaaaa!" Janemba spouted once more, leaping off the temple roof and allowing himself to fall, his chubby fists reaching out for the glowing teen and making to grab him as he fell through the air. Raditz reluctantly following in their wake.

Gine and Bardock watched them go with curious stares.

"Is he still - ?" Gine started, prompting Bardock to snort.

"Drunk? Probably."

It was a long way down, so far that he couldn't even see his grandparents anymore beyond the warped purple clouds. He touched down on the icy ground just as Raditz did, the enormous demon following with a sickening CRASH!

They winced in unison, as Janemba's bulbous backside wiggled in the air from where he had landed head first, the solid dirt now marred with a spiderweb of large cracks from the impact. He whined and groaned, his pitiful cries reverberating over the desolate planes.

Gohan stared, feeling a little sorry for the beast, until he managed to flip himself over with an impressive amount of speed and agility for someone of his hulking stature.

"What the - ?" He blinked, his eyes widening in horror as Janemba's fat fist hovered above a group of frozen humanoid statues - that Gohan quickly realised were (or rather had been) Ogres - and in a flash of fuchsia light, did they contort and form into mini versions of the demon himself.

"Janemba! Janemba!" They squealed, their annoying voices ringing out several octaves higher than their maker.

"Lure him down here, they said! It'll be a great idea, they said!" Raditz snarled, as the giant Janemba cackled with mirth, forming an entire army of smaller pudgy demons that wobbled towards them. "What the hell are these freaks?!"

"Aw, I dunno," said Gohan, "I think that they're kind of cute."

His uncle sighed begrudgingly, "You're hopeless, brat."

"Janembaaaaa!" Came a sudden cry, and at once the little devils charged.

"Yikes! Incoming!" The halfling yelled, as they moved a lot faster than expected, prompting him to leap out of the way of several mini demons that barrelled towards him.

Raditz wasn't so lucky, and was completely knocked off his feet by the force of one of their heads as it collided with his stomach. He cried out, as the fiendish monsters swarmed and overwhelmed him, and he completely disappeared from view.

Gohan growled and sped towards his uncle, directing a well-aimed kick to the centre of the rabble and sending the majority of them flying. A gust of electrifying Ki erupted from his frame, blowing the rest away with a sharp gust of power. He turned, allowing Raditz to grasp ahold of his outstretched hand and help him back to his feet.

"Those little bastards," Raditz glowered, spitting out a wad of blood and saliva before rounding on him, "Still think they're cute now?!"

He ignored him, his emerald eyes fixated on the little Janembas, who chuffed and giggled as they recovered, and slowly meandered towards them once more.

But this time, the young Saiyan was ready, and kicked off from the ground before they could even so much as blink. He propelled towards them at break neck speed, his outstretched fist coming into contact with the closest demon's gut. His punch sunk into the monster's gelatinous flesh, causing it to gawp and wheeze in agony. In a flash, it was over, as the injured brute fired into their kin, mowing them down like a bowling ball would do skittles.

The mini demons shrieked, piling one on top of the other, before they vanished completely - almost as if the little blighters had never even been there to begin with. Although, he thought to himself, it wasn't exactly the strangest thing he had seen all day.

"JANEMBA! JANEMBA!" The giant monster suddenly cried, looking thoroughly displeased by the fact that the young Destroyer had just wasted his weirdo children.

"Yeah! How'd you like that?!" Raditz distantly called, "Now kick his ass, kid!"

"You're not going to help?" Gohan quirked, realising that his uncle was now shielded by a pair of icy boulders several metres away.

"Hell no!" He shouted, "I've done my fair share already! That ones all yours!"

The halfling sighed in annoyance, though supposed that it might be easier to deal with this brute one on one.

BOOM!

"Eep!" He yelped, dodging swiftly out the way of several spherical orbs that unexpectedly careened towards him, curtesy of the chortling Janemba.

He must have had some kind of telekinetic abilities, or was capable of magic, as it was with a mere flick of his wrist did the multi-coloured spheres hurtle after him, releasing from their suspension in the sky and taking deadly aim. They crashed into the earth, exploding with a calamitous roar that shook the area, and melted the ice away with the fire and suffocating smoke that followed.

Gohan easily evaded them, though the mere motion caused his head to spin in a sickening manner. Ugh, why did he allow his grandfather to coax him into drinking so much last night?!

Though the teenager was shaken - or rather punched - out of his thoughts by an enormous swinging fist that sharply impacted with his skull.

WHAM!

His entire body jolted, as the beast's tail thwacked him in the spine. Dazed and confused, Gohan was sent spiralling through the air, before he managed to grind himself to a halt just before he collided with a large green sphere.

What the hell?! He snarled, shaking the hair out of his eyes. I couldn't even sense his attack! How did he even -?!

WHOLLAP!

The young Saiyan yelped, as another rampaging fist seemingly appeared out of thin air and delivered an uppercut to his gut so hard that he was sent skywards in a rather spectacular display, and burst through the thick purple sludge that eclipsed Snake-Way.

Swallowing the bile that had risen in his throat and berating his grandfather once more - as well as his own lack of self restraint - he pushed out his golden aura and slowed in his fight, glaring down at the demon whose taunting laughter continued to grate on his nerves.

So, not only was this monster from the demon realm, it appeared that it had the ability to defy the laws of physics themselves and tear through the fabric of reality with its fists.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

"GOHAN!" Bardock's arduous tone bellowed from above the floating slices of Snake-Way, "WILL YOU STOP DICKING AROUND AND THROW A FUCKING PUNCH AT THAT FAT FUCK ALREADY?!"

The halfling rolled his eyes, "I'm trying - !"

THWACK!

He was cut short by yet another one of Janemba's punches as it ripped apart the atoms and appeared right in front of him, even though his irritating chortling could still be heard hundreds of feet below.

But this time, Gohan was ready, and halted the brute's attack before it made contact. He gritted his teeth in determination, grabbing a hold of the sausage-like fingers and delivering a crippling elbow strike to the knuckles which made an audible CRACK as they shattered.

Janemba's subsequent howl of agony reached his ears, before he withdrew his arm completely, his broken hand disappearing back through the portal he had made.

" - it's just a little difficult when this git can create mini portals in reality that I can't SENSE!" He finished, snarling up in the direction of his grandfather who was hidden by the pungent dark clouds.

"Well try harder!" He heard him snap back.

"Oh yeah?" The teenager scoffed, "You managed to break through that barrier yet, Gramps?"

"Shut it ya little runt!" He barked, his frustration evident, confirming Gohan's suspicions, "Don't make me come down there and shove my boot up your - !"

But Gohan didn't have the privilege of hearing the end of his sentence, as Janemba was back on the assault, and a massive foot came sailing out of another portal that suddenly opened next to his head. He reacted without another millisecond to spare, jumping out of harms way before driving a spinning axe kick downwards. Though to his shock, and subsequent anger, did the limb twist and warp, morphing into a hand that wrapped itself around his body and squeezed him tight. The halfling cried out as he was pulled through the rift, and back down to the monster below.

Bardock growled with contempt, as he watched Gohan disappear through the parted clouds once more, the sounds of the demon's laughter sending tremors through the air as the fight continued.

"Stupid boy," the old Saiyan griped, as a blur of black and green armour shot through the sky once more, "Can't he just Destroy that prick already?"

"Maybe he's just trying to come with a strategy," offered Gine, floating beside him.

Bardock snorted, as another explosion rocked the area, followed by a pained scream, "Oh? And how'd you think that's goin' for him so far?"

She sighed, looking unimpressed, "Don't you think that you should be focusing more on breaking into King Yemma's prison?"

"Tch whatever, woman," He scorned, bringing up his palm and unleashing rapid fire upon the barrier in question.

He ignored the shrieks of terror from the Ogres inside as the giant orange orb shook from the onslaught. Though much to is displeasure, not a scratch was made.

"Damn it!" Bardock said sourly, as Gine tried to make a hit again, "This is a waste of time! We've been at this for way to long! It's fucking useless!"

"There's got to be some sort of trick to it," the Saiyan woman reasoned, wringing her wrist as her punch all but absorbed into the sphere once more, "It doesn't make sense that even one of Gohan's blasts didn't make so much as a mark. Something's definitely off."

He huffed, "The only thing that's off is that this barrier is so fucking pathetic that it can't even break right - !"

Crack.

The sound was just on the edge of hearing, but made both husband and wife start. They turned, eyes widening as a small but prominent fracture appeared upon the surface of the orb.

"What the hell?" Bardock scorned, leaning closer and running his palm across the solid barrier, "Did your last hit actually do something?"

Gine frowned, "I don't think so, it looked more like it cracked as soon as you insulted it."

He looked at her as though she had suddenly grown another head, "Surely it can't be that stupid. That is really fuckin' stupid, Gine."

"Well I don't know do I?!" She fumed, her cheeks blazing with both anger and embarrassment, "I'm just telling you what I saw!"

"Alright, alright!" Bardock pressed, raising his hands in defence, "No need to go ape. It's just hard to believe that a friggin' magical demon barrier broke because I hurt its 'feelings'. I mean, what kind of useless ass piece of shit magic is that?!"

Craaaack!

His mouth fell open, as the barrier indeed, cracked right before his eyes.

"Well," Gine started smugly, folding her arms across her chest, "I guess there's only one way to find out."

The crass Commander fumed, drawing in a deep breath before unleashing his wrath upon the sphere.

"HEY LISTEN UP YOU DUMBASS WALL!" He bellowed, "YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN BEST ME YOU MORONIC BASTARD?! I'VE TAKEN DUMPS MORE INTIMIDATING THAN YOU!"

Silence.

His face burned, as nothing happened, and instead he rounded on his bewildered wife, "Great, what a fucking embarrassment that was, Gine. It didn't even so much as - !"

SHATTER!

Amber shards exploded into the air, sending more cracks spiralling across its centre, and causing Bardock to let out a low whistle.

"Holy shit, this thing has worse self-esteem than Raditz!"

Gohan was now suitably ticked off. The mocking taunts of Janemba were grating on his every nerve, and it didn't help that his head was most certainly pounding by now. Hangover aside, the demon that was Janemba was more than troublesome, and although he looked innocent, he was undeniably deadly.

The monster's strange powers were something that the teenager was not accustomed to, and the fact that his attacks kept shifting in and out of reality wasn't making fighting him any easier, even in his Super Saiyan form.

And Raditz was being less than helpful.

"On your left - ! No MY left - ! Goddamn it brat, what do they even teach you in God school?!"

Swiftly dodging out of the way of Janemba's giant tail that came soaring out of yet another portal, the halfling raised his palm high into the air, and, enveloped in a silvery fire of electrifying energy did he bring down the Ki blade in one rip-roaring swipe, slicing the end of the brute's tail clean off.

"JANEMBAAAAA!" It squealed in rage and agony, sickly greenish blood spewing forth from the stump that thrashed in protest.

"Aw I'm sorry, did that hurt?" The young Destroyer mocked, hovering before the beast who continued to sob and squawk, "Serves you right for knocking me around like a volleyball for the past ten minutes. Now are you going to reverse this mess you've caused? Or do you need a little more persuasion?"

"JANEMBA! JANEMBA!" Was the demon's angered response, dark limitless eyes flashing menacingly as he swiped his enormous fists through the air, making to take deadly aim.

"Fine, more persuasion it is," Gohan sighed, his frown deepening as he phased out of Janemba's attack and reappeared several metres away, his boots skidding on the frozen earth as he cupped his hands to his side, "KAMEHAMEAAAAAA!"

The brilliant swirl of blue energy erupted from his palms and careened towards Janemba. The shining beacon of the Kamehameha Wave reflected in the sheen of ice that eclipsed the warped planes, the bright light penetrating through the purple clouds and blowing them apart from the burst of raw power.

Janemba's flabbergasted expression was shrouded in shadows, the blast drawing closer and closer to its target. But then, did something unbelievably strange happen, and the demon seemingly conjured a replica of his assailant in the centre of his injured palm.

Gohan was too shocked to register what followed until it was too late, and all but watched in horror as a carbon copy of himself cupped his hands to the side and thrust them forwards in an all too familiar chant.

"KAMEHAMEHAAAAAA!"

"SHIT!" He spouted, as the blast engulfed his own, eating up the stream of Ki as it thundered towards him -

KA - BOOOM!

He coughed, his armour singed and burnt and his ears ringing as the smoke from the detonation subsided. It had been a direct hit, and would have been a whole lot worse if he hadn't of shielded himself at the last second.

"W-Was that me that just shot me?" The young Saiyan mustered in bewilderment, as Janemba clapped in delight, his gloating giggles ringing in his ears once more.

Apparently, he found the sight of the charcoaled Junior Destroyer unbelievably funny.

"THAT'S IT!" Gohan bellowed, exploding into the second level of Super Saiyan, "You're really starting to piss me off!"

"Janemba?" The demon quirked, cocking his bulbous head to the side as the halfling's crippling golden aura swelled.

His muscles bulged and shuddered with rippling lightening bolts, his long golden hair fighting to escape its low ponytail as the untameable spikes lifted further into the air. Gohan's sharp emerald green eyes narrowed at the beast, he was done with this joker.

In a burst of gold, he attacked, his boot embedding itself into Janemba's glutinous gut before he slammed a fierce uppercut into his many chins. The demon screamed as he was flung high into the air, crashing into dozens of colourful orbs as he went.

Though Gohan wasn't so quick to let the monster recover. Instead, he teleported above Janemba just before he collided with another giant jellybean, bringing his hands together and delivering a crippling hammer-strike to the beast's skull, a sonic boom roaring across the upper skies of HFIL as Janemba hurtled back towards the ground below.

Sharp, jagged spikes of ice splintered and shook apart from the impact, a deep crater forming around the brute's colossal form. Though to his surprise, did Janemba give a great heave of breath and blast himself out of the crevice. His manic, unfeeling gaze settled on the young Destroyer, the attack appearing to have no affect on him.

What the bloody hell is this monster? Gohan thought bitterly, as with an ear-splitting cry, did Janemba bring his unholy power forth. The heavens rocked and trembled high above them, as a devastating shockwave escaped the beast's jaws. The high winds blew back the teen's hair away from his face, though he managed to brace himself from being swept away by the hurricane.

He faintly heard Raditz's cry of rage as he was blown away, though Janemba didn't give him a chance to rescue his uncle, as he shot towards him with an unrestrained bellow - !

BOOM!

Gohan blocked the beast's attack, though it was with a frustrating sense of realisation that his opponent was all but matching him in power. Thinking fast, the halfling grasped a hold of one of Janemba's horns, spinning the wicked fiend rapidly around in a circle so that the pair were nothing but a revolving blur in the sky.

"JANEMBAAAAAA!" The demon yowled, as Gohan abruptly let go and Janemba soared across the planes, his arms flapping about him helplessly as he was sent crashing into a mountain range.

The twisted peaks and oddly-shaped rocks exploded, a cascade of frozen rubble discharging into the air. Though much to his annoyance, the broken rock all but warped into spears of ice, curtesy of Janemba's demonic power, and fired towards him in rapid succession.

The young Saiyan blew them apart with ease with a gust of Ki that escaped his outstretched palm, the icicles now all but glistening remnants of ash that filtered across his hardened features. The glittering particles swirled in unison until they entered his electrifying aura, evaporating in the heat that radiated from very being.

Janemba's roars reverberated throughout the realm, a gut-wrenching force attacking his senses in one foul swoop. The demon rolled back onto his feet, his gigantic stomach shuddering and jerking until it unleashed blazing hot balls of Ki from the strange holes that resided on his chest.

Gohan backhanded a blast that came hurtling towards him, twisting and flipping over himself in a surge of sizzling lightening bolts. He was fast, but it appeared so was Janemba. Something about the monster's energy was disguised almost, as the halfling was only just able to get a handle on predicting his attacks. For where he had previously been taught to rely on sensing Ki during a fight, he was certainly using more of his basic senses of sight and hearing.

Despite his childish demeanour, it was clear that Janemba was more than accustomed to his fair share of battle. The beast was determined in knocking the glowing teen out of the air, his entire body positively fitting as rapid fire exploded from his torso, and Gohan was making him even more enraged by zipping in and out of range. Though unfortunately for the halfling, he was struggling to find an opening.

Far above Snake-Way, Bardock and Gine seemed to be having much more luck in breaking down the barrier around King Yemma. Although, it wasn't by much.

"DUMBASS, SHITTY EXCUSE FOR A BARRIER! YOU'RE ABOUT AS USEFUL AS FRIEZA'S WRISTWATCH!"

Bardock panted, his voice strained and his breathing haggard as the orange orb broke apart little by little. They were about half-way through the barrier, he and Gine floating in the crux of the pair of great arms that had yet to shatter, though they had made a sizeable dent in the middle.

"GUTLESS TURD!"

BREAK!

"SPINELESS ORB!"

SPLINTER!

"WEAKLING WALL!"

CRACK!

"MORONIC, TASTELESS JELLY-BEAN!"

SMASH!

"YOU'RE NOTHING BUT AN INANIMATE FUCKING OBJECT!"

SHATTER!

Bright orange shards broke away from the prison, reflecting in Gine's dark eyes as she grinned at her husband, "Good job, honey. You're really good at this!"

"Shut it!" He growled, his chest heaving. He looked exhausted, "This wouldn't be taking so long if Yemma's fat ass didn't need such a big hole to fit through!"

"I heard that, you dirty rogue!" Came King Yemma's barbarous bellow from within the trapped temple.

"I meant you to!" Bardock snapped back, before turning to his giggling companion, "How's the kid doin'? He any closer to beating that tub of demonic lard yet so that I can stop babysitting this wall?"

"Let me check," said Gine, peering in between the gap in the blackened clouds and back towards where the battle was still waging fierce.

"Gohan?! Oh Gohaaaaaaaan?!" She called, cupping her hands over her mouth as she shouted, though much to her worry, she received no answer from the boy.

"Gohan?" She tried again, attempting to establish a connection in his mind incase he couldn't hear her. The sound of rip-roaring explosions hadn't yet subsided, the powerful aftershocks barreling towards them in ruinous succession.

"RADITZ!" Gine yelled in her eldest son's mind, as more ash and fire erupted into the air from below, "Are you there?! What's going on down there?! Is Gohan alright?!"

"Well," Raditz responded somewhat begrudgingly, "Janemba is currently shooting blasts out of his nipples… so you tell me."

"His w-what?"

"If I'm honest," he replied, "I'm more surprised that the brat hasn't hurled yet."

Though there was no further response, as another mind-boggling surge of dark energy engulfed the area. Gine and Bardock were blown backwards from the force, as well as Raditz and Gohan. The latter managing to catch himself before he was fired across the horizon from another white hot ball of Ki.

Gohan grasped the energy blast and flung it straight back at the demon, who was currently spinning wildly on his head, the amount of power he was exerting becoming completely out of control. The frozen crimson ground upheaved in a tidal wave of dirt and ice, it was as though the entire realm was about to rip apart at the seams!

Bringing even more of his power forth and hitting the height of his ascension, the young Saiyan shot towards the beast in a swirl of rampaging silver and gold. His boots touched down on the balls of Ki that continued to spew from Janemba's body, using them as momentum to zip and zap closer to the menace.

Janemba didn't notice the halfling's presence until he was right on top of him, and with a roar-cry that tore from his throat, did Gohan unleash a catastrophic Masenko directly in-between his eyes. A horrific, strangled cry penetrated the air, and it was so loud that he was certain the sound had carried all the way to the Grand Kai's planet.

Janemba's face contorted inwards, the glorious golden beam of light bursting out of the other side of his jelly-like skull. The demon fell back, toppling over and twisting onto his stomach, causing his devastating Ki attack came to an abrupt halt. The tempest faltered and the winds began to settle, as Gohan's onslaught began to melt the monster's flesh.

The demon's body deflated, as though he had previously been full of hot air, his limbs becoming distorted and disfigured. It was a disgusting sight to behold, and Gohan felt but a flicker of pity for the beast as it continued to squeal and mourn for its own demise. Turning away, his green eyes searched for his uncle, who he found half-buried under a pile of dirt and rubble with a disgruntled scowl upon his features.

Raditz glared up at him when he caught his gaze, though it quickly softened as he gave him a wry smile as if it say, You could have given me a little warning, brat.

What did you expect? Gohan smirked back, offering a cheeky shrug of his shoulders which caused the man to scoff in amusement.

Well, at least with Janemba gone, they could safely finish rounding up the rest of the hellions without much bother, he thought.

As soon as the idea crossed his mind, however, did a horrific chill run down his spine. It was as though all of the warmth had been sucked out of the air, and it suddenly occurred to Gohan that this battle was far far from over. It only confirmed his suspicions, as he watched all the colour drain from Raditz's face, his wide eyes fixated on the space behind him, where Janemba was currently melting away - or so he had thought.

Instead of fading away to nothingness like the mini-demons he had fended off earlier, Janemba was ever present. The gruesome sight played out before his very eyes, almost like it was happening in slow motion. The grating sounds of bones cracking, shifting in and out of place wore heavily on his eardrums as the beasts flesh squelched and shrunk, effectively turning inside out as the colour of its skin turned from yellow to blood red, warping into something that was startlingly more humanoid.

And as the shape became more clearer, did the halfling realise that what he had been fighting so far must of been an illusion of sorts. For there was no doubt in his mind that this was Janemba's true form.

He held all the physical traits of what he would have described as a typical demon, although this one resembled something akin to what more reverent Earthlings may have referred to as an obvious lurker of a realm such as HFIL. Sharp, devil-like horns protruded from an purple-armoured skull, much resembling the colour of thickened skin that encompassed his torso, wrists and shins. Scaled, crimson skin glittered in the darkening clouds that trembled with electricity, the demon's eyes opening and revealing bright yellow sclera that glowed menacingly at the teen from across the planes.

This new form of Janemba had a claw-like fingers that raked across the dirt as he stood to full height, flexing his muscles as his long pointed tail whipped behind him and broke apart a thick boulder of ice that had miraculously survived the fray.

An aura of darkness seemed to protrude out of the being, so much so that was almost suffocating. It was like invisible claws had wrapped around the molecules in the air, snuffing out any light that dared to break through. Gohan's senses were in a chokehold, he realised, as he remained frozen to the spot in much the same manner at the demon himself. He couldn't, no - wouldn't tear his glare away from him.

He heard Raditz gulp nervously behind him, and finally, the young Saiyan was able to find his words.

"Raditz, get out of here."

"W-What?" His uncle spluttered, "Are you positively insane, boy? What the hell did that monster just do?! I - !"

"I'm not sure," Gohan cut across him, though refused to look away from Janemba, "But I don't like the feel of this. You need to leave, now. Get Grandma and Grandpa and take them somewhere safe, I'll handle King Yemma."

He felt the Saiyan's eyes burning into his back as his commanding tone echoed around them. He had half expected Raditz to snarl or berate him, though to his relief, he felt his energy shift after a heavy beat of silence. He kicked off from the ground without another word, his form disappearing into the sludge still hanging above them.

Gohan grit his teeth in anger, as Janemba's haunting yellow eyes followed Raditz's speck into the sky.

"Oi! Janemba!" He growled, his hands balling up into fists as his aura grew wilder, lightening bolts snapping at his frame, "Your fight is with me, no one else in this realm or any other whilst we're on the subject."

The demon slowly drew his gaze back to his, a sadistic smirk spreading across his lips and revealing gruesome yellowing fangs.

Well, this is creepy, the young Destroyer observed, as Janemba refrained from saying a word. He was even starting to miss the garish taunts of his previous form - well, almost.

In a flash, Janemba sprang towards him without warning, prompting the teen to phase out and reappear behind him. Though, even quicker than before, the demon met his strike with his own. A crippling shockwave rippled the atoms around them, and Gohan's muscles strained from the force of pushing Janemba back with his own punch. Ripping his arm away, the halfling wasted no time in following up in his attack, ducking underneath the evil beings razor-sharp tail and delivering a devastating uppercut straight to his gut.

Now Gohan thought he'd hit him, he was sure of it. That was, until Janemba's form melted away in a sporadic fashion, as though he had been chopped up into square blocks that moved independently of one another.

"What the - ?!" He blanched, springing back in alarm before the beast materialised directly behind him.

He leapt up just as Janemba realised a vibrant blast from his gaping mouth, spinning around in the air before aiming a fierce kick to his opponents temple. This time, it made impact much to his satisfaction, and the he was fired across the ruined planes with a guttural cry of pain.

Though that cry quickly turned into laughter, subtle yet conniving as Janemba kicked off from the ground and took aim for him once more. Gohan was ready, matching the monster's deadly speed with his own and kneeing the brute directly in the jaw, before gathering up a hot ball of Ki and blasting him in the chest.

Spit flying and baring his fangs, Janemba's body jolted, before snapping back in a frightening manner. He was so quick to recover, that the teen didn't know if he had broken any bones or not - that was, if the beast had any in this strange form at all.

WHAM! THWACK! BOOM!

Gohan met Janemba blow for sickening blow, hoping and praying that his estranged family had managed to escape before he was pushed too far. He couldn't talk to Lord Beerus or Whis after all, what with his communicator broken, so wasn't entirely sure if he was actually allowed to Destroy this menace or not.

Either way, defeating the demon was the only plausible way to set the boundaries between realms back to their rightful place. He just really didn't want to get into any more trouble than he already was, he was well aware of the threat the Divine Council had made to Earth should he step out of line again, and he was certain that included if he wiped something from existence that wasn't authorised.

Similarly, using the Super Saiyan God transformation wouldn't be the best idea. Despite Grandpa Bardock's wisdom, the form was unpracticed and sporadic, and therefore the he couldn't exactly rely on it safely.

WHALLOP!

He was shaken out of his thoughts, as Janemba's deadly tail struck him hard across the skull. Head spinning, Gohan tried to blink away the dark spots of blood that had appeared in his eyes when he caught sight of the demon tearing towards him once more. He growled, low in his throat as he gathered up another palm-sized, though more powerful Ki ball to in order to deflect the oncoming attack when the dastardly bastard deconstructed himself just as he released it.

Detecting the sudden burst of dark energy beside him, the teenager whirled around, only to find Janemba holding the very same blast that he had released.

"Oh SHI -!" He yelped, as the attack connected, which packed one hell of a punch.

He skidded, his boots digging the dirt in two parallel lines as he was pushed backwards by the force of his own hit. His muscles jerked and twitched in pain, causing him to wince through the burning fog and shoot daggers at his assailant.

Janemba all but grinned wickedly back, as the halfling hissed in anger, berating himself for falling for such a cheap trick.

"You got lucky that time," Gohan glowered, the familiar feeling of fury bubbling underneath his skin, just begging to be unleashed, "But I don't think that you realise just who you're dealing with, you ugly mother f -."

Bleep bleep! Bleep bleep!

He stopped short, his eyes widening, as the distinct sound of his communicator reached his ears. Even Janemba looked a little perplexed by the sudden onslaught of sound, as the teenager quickly conjured the rounded device out of thin air.

Hope swelled in his chest, as the screen flashed an alarming red. He hoped that Whis wouldn't be too cross with the mess he had managed to find himself in the middle of this time, he thought, scrambling to answer it in the hopes that Lord Beerus may be able to give the order and he could attempt to Destroy this menace.

"Whis - ?!" He started, pressing the button eagerly, though much to his disappointment, the picture remained just as grey and fuzzy as it did last night.

It was still quite obviously broken, the device giving no other signs of life. He couldn't hear or see anyone for that matter, and was about to give up entirely and banish the communicator back to whence it came when an audible shriek erupted from the speaker, followed by a series of bellowing explosions.

"CCCRCKKK - ! GOHAN! Crrrrck - Gohan - ! Can you hear me - ?! Crrrrccckkk!"

"Makhai?!" The teenager blinked. There was still no picture, but he bashed the device against his palm a few times in order to get some clearer audio, "Makhai! Is that you?!"

"Gohan! Crrrrrrck! What the - CRRRRCK - shitting - Cccccrk - is happen - crrrrrck! Bollocks - crrrrck!"

Yep, that was Makhai alright.

"Makhai, I can't hear you properly," he said, the static ringing harshly in his ears, "I accidentally broke my communicator and - !"

"What?!" The boy called, "I can't crrrrrck - what you're saying - crrrrck! Crrrrck crrrck crrrck - RENEGADE BARRAGE! CCCRCKKK! - HFIL - !"

"HFIL?" Gohan tried to make out, shouting back to him for good measure, "Yeah, I'm in HFIL!"

"Yeah I - crrrrrck - know!" Makhai yelled over another rip-roaring explosion, "We were - ccccrccckkk! And then we cccrrrrck ambushed! Ccrrrck! FUCKING DEAD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE - !"

"I KNOW!" He shouted, his eyes darting to and from Janemba, who remained stoic and unnerving, "I - !"

"CRRRCK! You know?!" The Lethien hollered, "Did you - crrrrck - have - crrrck - to do with this?!"

"What?!" He gaped, astounded, "Of course not! I - !"

But Makhai appeared not to have heard him, "Oh holy Zalama's - crrrrck - Kratos is so - crrrck mad at you right now…"

"I didn't do it!"

"He says crrrrck - doesn't care if you're a - crrrrck - he'll stick his - crrrck - up your - crrrrckkk!"

"It wasn't me!" Gohan fumed, "It was some crackpot demon called Janemba! Who I'm STILL trying to defeat, so if you will just let me - !"

"Wait one crrrck - Gohan," he told him, a thunderous BOOM! erupting from the communicator, "Crrrrrrk!HA! TAKE THAT YOU DECOMPOSING SON OF A - !"

"MAKHAI! Crrrck! WILL YOU GET OFF THE DAMNED WIRELESS!" Deimos' angered tone filtered through the communication waves a moment later.

"Sorry Gohan," Makhai's voice came back to him, "Crrrck you broke up for a - crrrck - there. Who's mum's smoking pot?"

Gohan slapped a hand to his forehand out of exasperation, "No one is smoking - !"

"No Alala, he's not on drugs!" Makhai spouted, ignoring him and shouting off into the distance, "Crrrck! What do you mean my influence?! That was one - crrrck - time and you KNOW it!"

"Makhai!" The halfling snapped, trying to make some sense out of what was actually going on in the rest of the universe, "What's happening? Where are you?!"

"We're in the - crrrrck - Galaxy, on Planet - crrrck!"

This was infuriating, he thought, trying again, "What planet? I can't make out what you're - !"

"CRRRRCK - BLAST BLAST BLAST - CRRRCK - YEAHHHHH! WHY DONT YOU GET - CRRRRCK - YOU UNDEAD BASTARD!"

"MAKHAI FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY!" Gohan roared, finally losing his temper, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"Gohan, let me level with you," said Makhai, suddenly clear as day, although the screen was still blacked out, "I'm currently battling against an intergalactic, undead army and all I can hear is you screeching."

"But - !"

"Look," he pressed, as another explosion reverberated in the distance, "We've got to clear out the rabble and defeat whoever's behind this. Incredibly busy schedule. So I can't talk right now, kay? Love ya, have fun dusting in HFIL! TTYL!"

"WAIT!" Gohan yelled, as the sound of Makhai blowing kisses echoed over the speaker, "The thing that's causing this is in - !"

Click. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

"HFIL…," he finished, before snarling in frustration, "Damn it! He cut me off!"

Sighing to himself, the halfling looked back out across the plane and towards Janemba, who had been giving him an odd look ever since the call had ended.

"It's complicated," he told him, tossing the useless communicator over his shoulder and letting it clatter to the dirt.

Relenting in the fact that he was well and truly alone with this one, Gohan decided that it wouldn't do well to waste any more time than was necessary on this demon.

And then, reaching into the depths of his power, he grasped a hold of the next level - and pulled. He exploded into the rampaging might of a Super Saiyan Three, his wild golden hair becoming even longer and more untameable as it grew towards his ankles. His features became hardened, more defined in their appearance, his emerald eyes growing several shades darker than before.

Lightening bolts continued to ripple over his frame, snapping and crackling over his grandfather's armour, that was now heavily scuffed and dirt laden, the chest plate broken off on one side, revealing the thick scars on his chest and a nasty burn that Janemba had dealt to his left pectoral moments earlier.

Much to his aggravation, the evil being didn't seem at all fazed by the staggering power Gohan was emitting. Instead, Janemba appeared to relish in it. His teeth bared as the manic smirk reappeared, so widely that it looked as though it was going to split his face in two. A dark, ominous chuckle escaped the demon's throat, causing the halfling to raise his senses in high alert.

But all too suddenly, did the wicked creature deconstruct in his unusual way, disappearing and reappearing inches from the young Saiyan's nose. Unprepared, Gohan fell back, raising his arms to block the ruinous strike that aimed towards his head, before leaping into the air and out of the way of Janemba's oncoming tail.

He gathered up another powerful Ki blast, but before he could release it, did he notice the demon pick something up off of the ground. It was an Ogre's club, he realised, possibly abandoned when the owner had fled to safety or had indeed been turned to ice by Janemba's evil power.

The monster inspected it momentarily, before a vindictive glint appeared in his eyes and in an instant did the club morph into a large sword. It was a little thinner than the Z-Sword, the blade blood red in colour and reflecting the dark shadows of the gloomy sky above. The solid silver hilt was regal and impressive, and Janemba gripped onto it tightly with clawed fingers, swinging it once in a fluid motion.

A razor sharp swipe of Ki barrelled towards him as it exuded from the sword, causing Gohan to dodge out of harms way as the manic monster continued to cut through the air with unrestrained gusto. Janemba's speed and agility with the weapon was undeniable, and the halfling narrowly avoided a shock of energy that flew right over his head.

It sliced into a vibrant blue orb behind him, cutting it in two where it exploded in a cataclysmic display of smoke and flame. The teenager coughed as the fumes invaded his lungs, shaking himself free of the soot that coated his long golden hair. But Janemba did not give him any respite, as faster than the speed of light, did devastating shockwaves of searing Ki catapult towards him with every stroke of the sword.

Deep crevices struck the ground where Gohan had previously been, causing hot lava to shoot up from its depths and set fire to the planes. The ice melted rapidly, the heat becoming unbearable. Sweat rolled down the his brow as the air became thick and suffocating, his stomach churning unforgivingly as he spun out of range of another strike of Janemba's sword.

A wave of throbbing pain hit him in between the eyes, the demon's dark laughter coupled with his hangover was certainly doing nothing to ease his headache nor his wavering patience. He really needed to end this fight, and fast.

He braced himself for another explosion as the blade of Ki zipped behind him, but this time, it didn't connect. Instead, he felt a cold and eerie presence that caused him to whirl around. His eyes widened, as the air ripped apart, creating a dark portal that hung in the sky.

A whisper of voices, ones incredibly similar to what he had heard when he had first appeared above the Check-In station, echoed in his ears. Something gripped him, drawing him towards the deep abyss from which he could see no end. It was as though an invisible force was pulling him towards it, the haunting whispers getting louder and louder, and as much as his senses screamed at him to do so, Gohan just couldn't seem to tear himself away from it.

His lapse in concentration seemed to be all that was needed for Janemba to gain the upper hand in this intricate dance. The monster materialised behind him, aiming a fierce kick to his side that he caught at the last second. Gohan gritted his teeth, his fingernails digging into Janemba's shin as the force of impact pushed him back a few inches.

He felt a harsh chill at his elbow, so cold that it caused the bones in his right arm to ache. He gasped, as he realised that he had all but been forced into the rift. His golden aura shuddered in and out of existence, as though a freezing wind was attempting to blow it out. However, there was no wind to speak of, just a dark emptiness that he couldn't free himself of. He struggled to shout, to scream, as he was sucked into the blackness, but it was though ice itself had penetrated his body, taking away his breath and freezing his vocal chords solid.

The last thing Gohan saw was Janemba's large yellow eyes glow with malicious delight, as he disappeared through the portal.

16th May. 2020.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I really hoped you enjoyed it! I followed a lot of the Fusion Reborn movie whilst writing this, but wanted to bring a big twist into it as well. Janemba is incredibly difficult to write as a character seen as he barely says a word! Hopefully the fight was still interesting, and I'm going to switch it up in the next chapter! Which I am totes excited about. I can't wait to share.

In the mean time, stay safe out there everyone!

Hope to see you soon in Chapter Thirty: The Rise and Fall

ES x

Reviews:

Squidzi Galaxi: Thanks for your review, really appreciate it. Absolutely I agree that people hate on Chi-Chi way too much. I really wanted her to have a more meaningful part and establish her relationships in this story. I love her, but she is portrayed badly a lot of the time!

Thomas-The-TMC: Thank you! Middle Earth / Viking bar scene was exactly what I was going for so happy that came across!

Hek'UnnSkipper: Thanks for your review! Glad you enjoyed it! Sorry about the wait!

IanAlphaAxel : thank you!

BladeKnightmare: I'm undecided on Broly. Atm he's not really fitting into the story... will see how we go! I started writing this before the movie and he was deemed canon so yahhh.

X3runner : thanks so much for review! So happy that you are enjoying all the relationships especially with Bardock teaching Gohan and Gine calming his emotions. I really wanted to establish some strong relationships with his grandparents there so yay! Also yeah the Bleach speech wow that does really fit! haha. I love how you see Beerus as an older brother/parent figure and Whis an Alfred type - brilliant!

TheRangerBoy: No worries the singing isnt everyones cuppa tea! Thanks for your comments though, writing Bardock is a hoot!

WhiteEagle1985 : Thank you!

Outtanowhere : Soon! To both!

Iwik : Thank you so much for your review! And glad you're enjoying the meeting with the Saiyans! Yes that line was from HTTYD! Love it so much! haha. Im thinking another chapter in HFIL. Gohan's got some demons to conquer. But its all for reasons! Also Gohan in Saiyan armour is just lush :)

FireEmblemMaster101 :Thanks so much for your review! :) Really glad you enjoyed it. Yeah I really wanted to showcase the Saiyans and put my own spin on it as well. Especially with Gohan learning of his heritage, SSG is a Saiyan transformation after all, so hopefully he'll be able to utilise it a little better with Grandpa Bardock's influence! Glad you liked the Ginyu's too. Just had to get Gohan having his own back with a little not to saiyaman too! So happy you enjoyed the rest of the chapter with the taverns and Turles and Nappa being toned down too. I can't wait for the next chapter for Gohan to conquer some demons ;)

bizarrecoyote: Thank you so much! Glad you liked the chapter and it was worth the wait, hopefully this one will be too! haha.

Declan Campbell: Thank you! Oh and you'll see. I want the Janemba fight to be a little more interesting than Fusion reborn!

Amperohm23: ah! praise indeed! Thank you that really means a lot! :)

o- Nyx -o: My love, you are too sweet and I hope you have a blast reading this chapter too!

LoneRanger7: ah thank you so much! Your review is so lovely! Glad you liked the Chantey, it was so fun to write. I really wanted to bring a different spin to the Saiyans. Gohan and Gine meeting has always been a dream of mine in FF. I think they would get on so well cuz they are quite similar with their personalities I feel from how Gine is described. Glad you enjoyed the Ginyus too! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

Marbbles123 : aww thank you so much! so happy you liked the chapter! :)

super mystic gohan: thank you so much!

antipodean: haha happy to make you smile like a lunatic! Thank you! hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

Yashaissalvation78 : ah brilliant! thank you so much!

mythiggy (chap 26 review): I dont pretend to originate everything myself. On my profile I state that I am influenced by a lot of great reads, films, songs etc. Fanfic you make it your own and pull together a lot of things from different worlds. Isnt that what its all about?

Shadow1139: you're not offending dont worry! I got inspired by 'The Dancing and the Dreaming' from How To Train Your Dragon. So its not original, but I adapted the lyrics to fit with the saiyans myself :)

Z-Breezy: (chap 20) he's not for everyone, he's significantly different in this story to his canon counterpart. am curious what makes you dislike him though?

thebestofall: thanks for your reviews! Hope you got this far haha

LegendaryMob: (chap 11) He isnt british, or has an accent. Just the way I write!

Landex: "Drunken Saiyan" needs to happen. I agree.

Guest : thank you!

kyuubi ruler of all bijuu: thanks :)

: I love that quote so much! Thank you so much for your review! Haha yes that song would be fantastic too! I am loving the song suggestions for the Saiyans! Thank you for saying that it truly means a lot. Hope this chapter was worth the wait!

Green Cuppa: Thanks so much for your review! :) Ah yeah the Saiyans are getting some good points atm but unfortunately they still belong in HFIL. Gine would totally want to meet her great-grandchild though, I am with you on that! She is the purest I love Gine :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much and thank you so much for the well wishes! We are doing good in these crazy times, hope you are keeping well and safe yourself! :)

Leon Venxus: (chap 2) haha we may never know...

Pie 555: thank you! Glad you're all caught up and enjoying the story especially more of the saiyan culture :)