Son Gohan The Destroyer

by EmeraldSaiyan

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

32. The Battle of Olympus: Part One

Spinach Wastes, 9 miles outside of Lucca Village, Planet Earth.

The engine chugged and grizzled as the old pick up truck continued along the winding mountain path. Headlights shone as two bright eyes into the canvas of dusk, defiant to the threat of total darkness, the sun having disappeared beyond the horizon hours ago.

Come on, come on, just a little further ol' girl, the farmer chanted to himself, two gloved hands gripping tightly onto the steering wheel. Rigid at two and ten, he was careful not to stray for want of not skidding on the thick sheets of ice and snow that had impacted itself on the roads.

Swish. Swipe. Swish.

The wipers thrashed back and forth, barely clearing the windscreen before another spatter of falling snow obscured his vision in deadly waves of white.

Swipe. Swish. Swipe.

Great Gods, it was like a blizzard.

He gritted his chattering teeth, it was as though it was getting even colder out there. And he berated himself for not heading out as soon as he saw the first fine pattering of snowflakes appear.

It wasn't as though his birds weren't accustomed to a little spring frost, a common occurrence so close to the northern mountains. But then it kept falling, and falling, and falling from those horrific-looking black clouds swirling above, jagged bolts of purple lightening surging across the sky. In all his years of ostrich chicken farming, he had never witnessed a storm like it.

In less than an hour, the snow had reached above his boots and showed no signs of letting up. And with the storm clouds blocking out the few hours of sunlight they had left, he had hurriedly grabbed his keys and thick winter coat, fighting his way through the blistering cold wind and hopped into his truck.

Checking his rearview mirror, there was nothing but empty blackness behind him, save for the snow reflecting the eerie red glow of his taillights. He shivered, even though the heater was on full blast.

Swish. Swipe. Swish.

The engine spluttered and groaned. These parts were dangerous enough as it was, if you didn't know where to turn.

Not long now, almost there.

The road finally peaked and ventured onto a great plateau, and the farmer allowed himself a grateful sigh of relief as his headlights illuminated the pasture. The unmistakable silhouette of his flock peaked out at him though the imposing dusk.

Thankfully, it looked as though all twenty-four of them were huddled together in order to shield themselves from the storm, so it wouldn't take too long to round them up and into their pen. He prayed that the chicks had managed to survive the freezing temperature, for it had dropped incredibly fast and unexpectedly. Business wasn't like what it had used to be, after all. He couldn't afford to lose any hatchlings.

He slowed the old girl to a stop, leaving the engine running just incase she decided to freeze up. Headlights still aglow, and illuminating the snowfall in its spirals of rapid descent, he zipped up his coat a little further under his dithering chin and grasped a hold of the door handle when a sonic boom cut through the air.

It was akin to a bomb going off, causing him to scream in fright and duck behind the dashboard with his arms over his head. It sounded like the heavens themselves were falling apart, as something furiously bright lit up the atmosphere.

The farmer wearily peaked out over the safety of his steering wheel, his winter hat now askew on his head and revealing a thinning mop of grey hair. The damned birds scattered and squawked as a brilliant jet of light burst through the clouds, the tail end flickering gold, then red, then purple then back to gold.

It soared like a shooting star overhead, his keen yet bedazzled eyes watching it go, before it died out and a resounding crash followed. It landed a mere short distance from where he sat. Tremors rocked the earth, almost causing his truck to overturn. He held onto the wheel for dear life, the rumbling echo of destruction still resonant in his ears a few moments after the impact.

Then, a deafening silence. His breath hitched in his throat, his heart performing a somersault in his chest.

Please no, not again.

It wasn't particularly unusual in his line of work to come across peculiar sights, the sticks were full of weird and wonderful folk, and he'd had to chase a fair few of them off of his property from time to time. He had even come across the occasional satellite or remnants of meteors that had luckily dropped to a deserted place on Earth.

But this didn't feel like any of those times. The air felt different. Maybe it was due to the borderline arctic weather in the middle of March, or the strange way the sun had disappeared long before it was due to set.

No, he shuddered, this was like that other time. The time when he had found that … thing.

The alien.

No one believed him of course. It was a long time before the likes of Cell and golden haired warriors, when maybe the world seemed a little less complicated. There were no such things as monsters and superior beings that could catch bullets out of the air.

Nobody believed the crazy old farmer, nor did they want to toy with the possibility that something existed on the outside, far beyond their solar system and further than what their human 'techno business' could see.

Even his beloved Maple (may the Gods rest her soul) insisted that he was overworking himself. That maybe he had stumbled upon a trespasser who had shot at him before he could so much as fire a warning round, grazing his shoulder and causing him to fall in such a manner that he had suffered a hard knock to the head.

He would have believed it too, that he had hallucinated the rounded space ship and all - were it not for the enormous crater that remained. Not even Maple could explain it, but she didn't want to believe there was anything strange about it either.

He could still see the obvious dip in the earth, ironically not too far away from where this new UFO had landed. It was as though something massive had gobbled up a generous chunk of the field, although with time it now resembled a large slope. The grass had managed to grow back fully over the last fifteen years, of course now it was covered by a heavy blanket of snow.

Quickly making his decision and gulping down his fear, he struck his foot down hard upon the accelerator. The truck roared through the snow, the short drive painstakingly bumpy as the tires rolled over large rocks and deep dips on the plateau.

He had a bad feeling that he was going to regret this, but a crazy part of him wanted to see it for himself. If it was another one of those alien folk, then he could prove to those city slackers that he wasn't such a madman after all! We'll see whose laughing then!

Astonishingly, as soon as he stepped out of his truck, shotgun and torch in hand, did he realise that the harsh tempest of wind and ice had settled. No longer a storm of screaming silver and white. Instead, snow fell softly through the air, landing in gentle flourishes, as though kissing the earth itself.

The yellow glow of the trucks headlights still blazed across the white ground, that glistened as though crystals were woven into its depths. It was peaceful now, the air compact and complacent against his breath that came out in hot clouds in the cold.

The chill fought its way into his clothes, so much so he could barely feel below his knees. Goodness, it was almost up to his waist now.

He pushed on regardless, now only feet away from where the strange thing had landed. Haunting memories springing forth as soon as he reached the edge of the crater, his hand shook violently as he shone the torch directly towards the epicentre.

"M-My God.."

The crater was so deep that it had caused an avalanche of snow cascading inwards, though he could still clearly make out something at its core.

His stomach flipped as he gazed at the humanoid figure lying unresponsive in the snow before him. The person had clearly tried to drag himself out of the dense mass that had nearly suffocated him, but perhaps his injuries had proven too much.

The crimson blood was stark and obvious amongst the purity of white. It poured unforgivingly out of the young man's form, its warmth slowly melting away the icy grave. It stained his unusual looking clothes that resembled some sort of robes. They looked as though they had once been an elegant state of dress, regal almost. But now they were in tatters, burned and torn in places so that they hung awkwardly from his muscular body.

He felt sick, his gut letting out a queasy sort of rumble, as the beam of light from his torch ran over the bare torso, finding that the unfortunate soul had a shining silver spear sticking right out of his chest. It was caked in the young man's blood, though he didn't linger on it too long, moving the torch upwards so that it settled on his handsome boyish face that was framed by short bangs of unruly dark hair.

A cryin' shame, the farmer thought with sadness. He might have been an alien like that last guy, but the poor kid didn't even look any older than his grandson. What a way to go.

He trudged a little closer, tentatively shuffling his way into the crater, not sure whether to feel relived or uneasy that the young man was clearly deceased. Although, he frowned, looking about him as he approached the body, if he really was an alien, where was the ship?

He was only a few metres away from the mutilated boy when suddenly, his eyes snapped open. The farmer shrieked in shock and fright, falling on his backside and skidding the rest of the way down.

He was shaking like a leaf as he gazed upon the frantic onyx eyes of the young man, his gun not having made the full trip down, stuck in the snow more than an arms reach away from him. And from this close, he couldn't help but notice the shining golden halo hovering above the kid's head.

Then, he spoke. Cracked lips opened as he coughed, the deadly spear still wedged deeply into his sternum - a direct hit if there ever was one.

"D-Dad…I-I'm sor -," he gasped through the mouthfuls of blood that spewed forth, attempting to sit up, but to no avail.

Frustration, hatred, guilt and sorrow burned unforgivingly from those eyes before they rolled to the back of his skull, and he collapsed without another sound uttered.

Although, the terrified farmer couldn't help but notice that before the boy fell unconscious, did his petrifying stare shine a menacing shade of green.

---

Chapter Thirty-Two

The Battle of Olympus

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

"So, what's it like being in this much trouble?"

Gohan looked up upon his best friend's approach, who wasted no time in plonking himself down on the thick knotted branch beside him. He snorted, his legs dangling off the edge of the enormous ancient tree, whose colossal height gave them spectacular views of Lord Beerus' planet.

"This, coming from you?"

"Fair point," said Makhai, blowing away a strand of stray ginger hair, "But you know, I just nicked a few things and hid from the Galactic Patrol. I never went against the Divide Code, knocked up a mortal and wound up cleaning HFIL for possibly a millennia."

He clicked his tongue in aggravation, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Thought I'd pop by, see how you were doing," he shrugged, before eyeing him, "Not great, by the looks of things."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Gohan scoffed, "I'm perfectly fine."

Makhai raised an eyebrow, "I don't mean to sound judgy, but you're literally sat here eating whole sticks of butter."

He slowly looked down at the half eaten butter in his hand, averting his eyes to the dozens of other empty wrappers surrounding him.

"So?"

"So?" The Guardian blundered, "Isn't that bad for your cholesterol or something?"

"What cholesterol? I'm dead."

"That's not the point, and you know it," he said sternly.

Finally, Gohan snapped, "So I've had a little trouble adjusting, okay?!"

"You don't need to tell me twice," Makhai snorted, before giving him a sympathetic stare, "Look, I know this whole thing with Videl has been tough on you, but you've been carrying on like this for months. What you need is to let off some steam, get out there and spread your legs!"

He frowned, "Don't you mean wings?"

"Well," Makhai shrugged, flashing a cheeky grin, "Either or."

"No! Not 'either or' only WINGS!" Gohan spluttered hotly, before folding his arms across his chest, "And no thank you!"

"Alright, alright!" The ginger-haired Lethien pressed, holding up his hands in surrender, "I was just saying, Eris knows this great girl who trains on the Grand Kai's planet - she's half nymph, half nymphomaniac if you catch my drift…"

Gohan sighed heavily, gulping down the last mouthful of his butter stick and casting his gaze to his boots as they swung lazily from the branch, "Thanks for the offer, but I'm just fine being sad and alone forever. It's just one of the great perks of becoming a God of Destruction, didn't you hear?"

"Fine, suit yourself," Makhai hummed, "Shame though, I'm going to have to cancel that dinner reservation…"

The teenager rolled his eyes, "Why don't you go out with her then, if you're so bothered?"

"How dare you," He huffed, offended, "I'm completely monogamous now, I'll have you know."

Gohan snorted disbelievingly, "Since when?"

"Since Eris FINALLY acknowledged our secret rendezvousing as being more than just boink buddies."

"Gross."

"Don't be a prude, you're the one whose dirty laundry's been airing out for all the Gods to see," Makhai scolded, causing the halfling to shoot him a glare, "Besides, Eris and I are past that now, even though she still pretends to hate me. She's like my other half, my better half, and we complete each other… sometimes twice a night."

He groaned, as his best friend gave him a knowing wink.

"So enough about me and my fantastic sex life," he teased wickedly, "What else have you been up to apart from dressing in drag and eating your feelings?"

"Training, if you must know," Gohan replied scathingly, clearly unimpressed by Makhai's tactless way with words. "I train every single day once I get back from cleaning HFIL, my schedules been so packed that I've barely managed to spend any real time with my grandparents."

"Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning them," Makhai nodded, "So are you going to tell me anything about this strict training regime you've got going on? Or is it super duper top secret Destroyer God stuff?"

"Well, it's meant to be a secret for now," he told him with a grin, "But seen as Whis and Lord Beerus are out on senior divine business, I guess I can show you what I've been working on. I came up with the idea myself. Whis said that no one else in the history of the universe has managed to achieve it. I'm kinda proud of that, actually."

"Oh my Gods, I'm so excited!" Makhai gasped, his eyes lighting up so much that they were practically sparkling, "Son Gohan, you never fail to make my heart pound like I was alive again!"

Gohan gave him an odd look as he got to his feet, "Did you just flirt with me?"

"Have been for the last eight years, but thanks for noticing."

Rolling his eyes, the young saiyan pushed off from the branch and away from the ancient tree so that he was hovering several metres away in midair.

"You might want to brace yourself!" Gohan called, prompting Makhai to envelope himself in an amber shield of Ki. Safely secure, he gave him a thumbs up just as a sudden cold wind bristled through the forest hundreds of feet below.

An ominous rumble accompanied the brisk chill, as the winds grew fierce, more wild. The sky, once painted with streams of beautiful orange light, wavered and warped, turning rapidly to red, then purple - then black. A large flock of alien birds squawked in the distance, fleeing far and wide as the young Destroyer's power began to swell.

Makhai had no choice but to grasp tightly onto the branch he was sat upon, as the crippling pressure exuding from the halfling slammed into his shield and caused it to crack. He yelped, though managed to hang on as the gigantic branches groaned in protest, the output of power threatening to rip the entire tree from its ancient roots.

Gohan snarled, gritting his teeth as the divine essence of his Ki, now ingrained within him, flooded forth. Purple particles of energy and light burst to life around his strong frame, his veins and muscles bulging with his Almighty strength.

Dark clouds encircled the planet overhead, swirling with electrifying energy. Jagged daggers of lightening escaped their murky depths, striking at the earth below in an unrelenting succession. Gohan was unable to contain the bellow that tore from his throat, the calamitous roar reverberating over the entire planet and beyond.

The purple particles surrounding him wavered, flickering in and out of existence until it exploded upwards. A colossal beacon of purple and fuchsia light lit up the darkness, reaching up into the atmosphere as if trying to grasp at the stars and galaxies above. Gohan's powerful scream grew more feral, more desperate. It was as though the blinding sheets of lightening that followed were electrocuting him too.

Finally, the mighty cries settled, as well as the aura that nestled around his frame in flames of sparkling fuchsia. Flickers of red and violet danced intermittently through the buzz of crippling energy. It was akin to the Super Saiyan God transformation, although this time it looked as if Gohan was glowing, shining like a brilliant star amongst the darkness that surrounded him.

His long spikey locks blew back in the ferocious wind his aura was creating, yet instead of a startling shade of crimson, his hair had adopted a pale shade of pink. He looked towards Makhai with steely grey eyes, a smirk playing on his lips as he caught the flabbergasted look on his best friend's face.

"Well, what do you think?" He asked rather smugly, his voice echoing over the violent sound of his divine Ki pulsing around him like wildfire. It carried towards Makhai with a small delay, the sonorous tone finally breaking what was left of his now pitiful shield.

Gohan frowned, when Makhai had yet to speak for almost a full minute. "Well?!"

The Guardian showed no sign of giving him an answer, still positively dumbstruck, his mouth opening and closing uselessly - like a fish out of water. Finally, he managed to swallow his shock and muster -

"It's… pink."

He gaped angrily, his cheeks reddening, "It's not pink!"

Makhai scoffed, still attempting to blink the blinding light out of his eyes, "It bloody well is. Have you ever looked in a mirror when you've transformed into that monstrosity? It's PINK!"

"It's not pink!" Gohan snarled, "It's rosé!"

"Great Zalama, that's even worse!" He groaned hopelessly, placing his head in his hands.

"Whis came up with it!"

"Of course he did," Makhai sighed, as Gohan scowled. "Doesn't mean that it's any good."

"Well, it needed a name," he explained haughtily, "This transformation is the power of the Super Saiyan God combined with Super Saiyan. I can't exactly go around calling it Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, now can I?"

"Yeah, I suppose it is a bit of a mouthful," he admitted, scratching his chin in thought, "And the power from it is utterly devastating, almost made me do a whoopsie. But why in the ancient Gods name is it pink?!"

"Rosé!"

"Yeah yeah, rosé," he waved off, "Whatever, you know that it's just middle-aged mum talk for pink."

"It's not like I can help what colour my transformations are, Makhai!" Gohan growled, before turning away from him with his nose in the air, "Besides, I happen to think that it's a great colour on me."

"Is it? I can't tell, it's melting my eyes."

"SHUT UP!"

"You look like a scented candle," Makhai said pointedly.

"I do not!"

"Oh stop your boorish grunts of protest, at least it matches your maid outfit," he observed, ignoring the halflings exasperated cry of rage, "Might help if you had a hair cut though."

"A hair cut?" Gohan asked dubiously, grabbing at his long pink ponytail almost protectively.

"Yeah, it couldn't hurt," said Makhai, his lips drawing into a smirk, "Who knows? It might make you look less like a fairy godmother."

He sent him a most hateful glare, as he continued to chuckle, "What a shit fairy godmother you'd make though, showing up on people's planets in the creepy unexpected way you do. Instead of giving people wishes and making their dreams come true, you obliterate them all from existence. Utter carnage!"

"Will you just be quiet and cut my stupid hair already?" Gohan fumed, powering down completely and making his way back over to Makhai.

"Yeah yeah," he shrugged, materialising a comb and a pair of shining silver scissors out of thin air that most likely came from the pocket of reality he used as his safe place. "You're lucky that I took a course when I was doing my time down in HFIL. The ogres are pretty tough customers you know, even the bald ones. So what can I do for you today Sir? Undercut and a man-bun? A number one all over? Perm? Oooh what about some highlights?"

"Just make it shorter Makhai," he glowered, plopping himself down on the branch in front of him, wrinkling his nose in annoyance when he covered his shoulders and torso with an elaborate black cape.

The sound of snipping filtered into the air as Makhai set to work. After a few minutes, and what with Gohan unable to tolerate his friend's tone deaf humming any longer, did he call behind him, "So, what have you been up to? Any word of how close you are to finding Zamasu?"

"Oh, we're pretty close," he replied, still snipping away, "You know, apart from a complete absence of any evidence, suspects or leads."

Gohan rolled his eyes, "There really is no need for sarcasm."

"Well then maybe stop asking such ridiculous questions," he huffed, "Especially when I've got a pair of scissors in my hand. Do you want one of your ears lopped off?"

"Alright, alright sorry!" He pressed, "I'll be quiet."

"Good," said Makhai, "Being a master of your craft requires a lot of skill and concentration, you know. And I have a lot to work with here. Seriously, when did you last use a brush on this thing?!"

"I thought your 'craft' was being a thief," the teenager shot back in annoyance.

"Exactly," he replied with a devilish grin, "Where do you think I got this hairdressing kit from?"

Gohan let out an exasperated sigh, but before he could retort did the sound of a rapid screeching alarm penetrate the air, causing both boys to yell in fright and the rest of Gohan's ponytail to dramatically drop to through the air and towards the ground below.

Fishing around in his garb pocket, the halfling grasped a hold of his communicator, which was flashing a dangerous red. He looked over at Makhai, whose own device mimicked his, thwacking it several times with the palm of his hand to get it to stop.

When they had finally managed to silence the alarms, Makhai spouted, "What in the bloody hells was THAT?!"

"It's the distress signal," Gohan explained, his ears still ringing from the assault on his ear drums, "But Whis said that it should only be sounded if they found -."

He looked up, his eyes widening, a sudden rush of adrenaline and anticipation washing over him, "We have to get to the Sacred Realm of the Kais, now!"

Makhai paled, his mouth falling open, "You can't be serious! They've found him? After all this time?!"

"Look, there's the Warp!" He spouted, spotting a brilliant bright tunnel of light entering the atmosphere, "Whis must have sent for us, let's go!"

He kicked off from the tree branch, ready to hurtle himself towards the light before they missed it, when a sudden shout stopped him.

"Wait Gohan!"

"What is it?" He asked, whirling around to face his friend who looked rather frantic, waving a round container in his hand.

"I haven't applied the coconut oil yet!"

"Damn it, Makhai!" Gohan yelled in frustration, the glowing light of the Warp shooting right over their heads, "We haven't got time for that!"

"Oh fine!" Makhai scoffed, joining him in the air but not before chucking the offending oil over his shoulder, "Suit yourself, but don't come crying to me when you've got split ends."

---

The Sacred Realm of The Kais.

"Ah, there you are boys!" Whis called as soon as they landed, the white light from the Warp slowly fading away, "I was just about to send for you again, you were nearly tardy."

Gohan cringed guiltily on their approach, noting that the rest of the Supreme Guard were already present, "Sorry Whis, we were just -."

"Cutting Gohan's hair," Makhai unashamedly interrupted, waving a hefty bag of clippings in front of their noses, "We're donating this lot to cavemen in need of ratty extensions."

"Oi!" The halfling protested, "You LOVED my hair!"

"Yeah, until I had to rake a brush through it," he scoffed, "You owe me two combs and three brushes by the way."

"But I -!"

"Now now, settle down you two," Whis cooed, before looking Gohan up and down, "Although, I do have to say you've done a rather spiffing job there Makhai. Very strapping. You almost look a little more mature, Gohan my boy."

Gohan blushed bashfully, running a hand through his short yet still unruly spikes as Makhai let out a dramatic sigh.

"What can I say," he said, swishing his bangs across his forehead, "My talent knows no bounds."

"With all do respect, Whis," Supreme Kai interjected, clearing his throat as the group rolled their eyes, "Don't you think that we should move on to the matter at hand?"

"Oh of course!" The Angel flushed, giggling to himself a little before his features grew stern, "First off, I apologise for gathering you here without much warning, but myself and the other higher deities had to be certain before we sounded the emergency alarm."

"It's Zamasu isn't it?" Gohan blurted, his onyx eyes hardening like steel, "You've found him?"

"I'll get to that," Whis told him, before swiftly moving on, "Now Gohan, do you remember when you first achieved the transformation of the Super Saiyan God and fought with Lord Beerus?"

He blanched, as all eyes turned to him. Ignoring the horrific swell of emotions that bubbled up at the mere thought of that day, the disappointed stares of his family and friends, the hateful glare of his brother and those beautiful sapphire eyes… so full of hurt…

He nodded, "Yeah, what about it?"

"And do you remember blowing up Mars during that fight?" His mentor asked.

"I didn't mean to!" He started to protest, "It was an acci - !"

"Well, so do we," said Whis, ignoring his embarrassment. "Which is why we thought it odd that Planet Mars had so suddenly appeared in the outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. Right back in its former place."

Gohan and the Supreme Guard shared a look of confusion.

"But Supreme Kai, Master," Kratos spoke dutifully, "Forgive my brashness, but I would have thought that you would have corrected such a reckless move by now? It has been months after all, and isn't that planet devoid of life?"

The young Destroyer scowled, as Shin replied, "Ah Kratos, even the recreation of an empty planet has to go through authorisation before the go ahead can be given. Mars did have life upon its surface once upon a time, and its history is embedded into its very core. Not only that, the planet was eradicated - albeit accidental - by a Destroyer, so that makes things a little more complicated in its re-establishment."

"I said I was sorry," Gohan mumbled, as the Supreme Kai continued.

"Either way, Mars wasn't due to be reinstated for another month, and I certainly wouldn't have gone ahead with such plans without being given the go ahead."

"Then who would - ?" Deimos started, thinking the same as everyone else.

Whis was quick to answer his question, "Ah, now that is where it gets interesting. For when we gazed upon this 'New Mars' did we spot that a very familiar foe had made a base there."

Their eyes widened as the Angel turned towards Gohan, "And you were right, my boy. It is in fact Zamasu, in plain sight, and he is not trying to hide himself in the slightest."

"WHAT?!" The teenager gaped, anger and alarm surging forth, "He's on MARS?! But that's so close to - I can't believe that he would - the bloody nerve of that bastard!"

Whis nodded grimly, "Yes, it appears that he is trying to send us - or rather you - a message."

"Oh yeah?" Gohan snarled fiercely, "Well he's about to get one posted back to him in the form of my fist flying right into his slimy gittish face!"

"Woah, calm down Sparky!" Makhai yelped, smoothing his hands over the halfling's broad shoulders as his eyes flashed green, "As much as I'd love to go in there balls to the wall and guns blazing, we've got to think about this. This feels like a trap!"

"For once, Makhai is right," Eris stated firmly, prompting the Lethien to let out an audible swoon, "I don't like the feel of this either."

"It seems like a lot of effort for Zamasu to create a new Mars just to goad Gohan though," said Alala thoughtfully, "Something seems off."

"Exactly what Lord Beerus thought, dear Alala," said Whis, "It certainly rubs me up the wrong way."

"Where is Lord Beerus?" Gohan quirked, having realised the God of Destruction was not with them. He had a bad feeling.

"I'm afraid that he passed out again," the Angel informed them solemnly, "He appears to be in a much deeper sleep than last time, Kibito is currently tending to him in the Kais temple."

The teenager swallowed thickly, adrenaline pumping through his veins, "Well, we can't wait for him to wake up. We're going to have to deal with this on our own."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Kratos snapped at him, "Don't you remember what happened last time?!"

"That doesn't matter!" Gohan argued, "I'm stronger than before! And I'm not going to wait around and do nothing when that bastard is literally next door to my home planet, there's no telling what he could do!"

Kratos grit his teeth in frustration as the irate teen glowered, "If he wants me, he'll get me. End of story, and the end of Zamasu."

"That's quite enough," Whis interjected sternly, though the hot headed pair were still shooting each other reproachful glares, "I understand your anger Gohan but you would do well to not let your emotions get in the way of this fight."

Gohan doubled down, fighting with himself. He knew that his mentor was right, but he couldn't quite curb his frustration over the situation.

"Saying that," the Angel continued, "I do agree with you in that there is no time to waste. Zamasu has a brilliant and extremely tactical mind. It would be foolish of us to underestimate him. Which is why we are sending in reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?" Bia quirked, as the others frowned, "What do you mean by that, Master Whis?"

His cerulean eyes sparkled, "Lord Vermouth, the God of Destruction for the Eleventh Universe has graciously loaned us his Pride Troopers in order to bring Zamasu to justice."

"Wait, THE Pride Troopers?!" Alala gasped in excitement, "I don't believe it!"

"Yeah, me neither," Deimos scorned, he did not look pleased, "Since when do we need any outside help?"

"Too right!" Makhai spouted, "We can beat that greasy Kai git on our own!"

Whis pursed his lips, "The Divine Council passed the motion, that should Zamasu decide to show his face, then the Pride Troopers should be enlisted to confront him - despite universal barriers. It was felt that this particular matter required a little more … professional expertise."

Kratos looked as though he was about to faint, as Makhai squawked, "Professional?! Pfft! What a load of dung. I'm professional as hell! Name one time when I haven't been professional!"

Deimos sighed in despair, "You're drinking out of a sippy cup as we speak."

"It stops me from spilling my milk!"

"I'm afraid that you don't have a say in this, you will all be transported to New Mars post haste and join the Pride Troopers there," the Supreme Kai stated, before he gave his Guard a forlorn expression, "And please for the love of the ancient Gods, do try to behave yourselves."

"You aren't coming Whis?" Gohan asked his mentor, as the others began to mumble irritably between them.

"I am needed here with Lord Beerus," Whis smiled down at him, "But do not trouble yourself, even though I am fated to remain indifferent as per my duty to this universe, it doesn't mean that I can't give you a gentle nudge in the right direction."

He nodded, although he wanted to be certain of something before he left, "And Zamasu, has it been authorised?"

Whis regarded him for a moment, before closing his eyes in a firm nod, "Destruction as a last resort, Gohan. That is the order that has been given."

"Good," he muttered darkly, undeterred by the Angel's sudden frown, "Well, I'll see you later. Will you let me know if anything happens to Lord Beerus?"

"Of course, Gohan," he replied curtly, turning towards the Supreme Kai who was busy giving his Guard another lecture on decorum, "Supreme Kai, I do believe that our young deities are ready for battle."

---

New Planet Mars, The Milky Way. North Galaxy.

"Just pointing this out again for clarification, you do know that this is one-hundred percent a trap right?"

"Yes."

"Yep."

"Yep"

"Probably."

"Yes."

"Yep."

"Well," said Makhai, gulping down his resolve from where they were crouched behind an enormous boulder, "So long as we're all in agreement…"

"Stop whining Makhai," Kratos whispered harshly, his voice hissing over the desolate land, "You heard what Master Shin said, I'm not about to let you show us all up in front of Universe Eleven's elite team! We can't exactly afford for this universe to be disgraced any more than it has been already."

Gohan frowned deeply, as the large warrior gave him a pointed glare, "Why the hell are you looking at me?!"

"You know why."

"Boys please," Bia tutted, her golden eyes reflecting the reddish hue of the gigantic structure of mountains before them, "I can sense something up there, something… dark."

Gohan had never visited Mars, although he had caught sight of it numerous times from Bulma's father's telescope - as well as his own. It was just as barren a place up close as it was from afar. Wastelands upon deserted wastelands surrounded them far and wide, stretching on for miles.

The redness of the planet seemed even more stark in contrast with the midnight sky hanging above them. A vast array of twinkling stars shone brightly overhead - one of those stars being Earth, although Gohan desperately tried not to think about it too much. For he knew that if his concentration slipped and he sensed them … her. Well, it would be game over.

He knew it had been months since his quick and heart wrenching departure from his home world, possibly even a year. Who knew? What he did know was that he needed to focus right now, and leave his heart safely where it had been struck down and buried on that distant star.

He looked up, following Bia's gaze. The colossal volcanic mass aptly dubbed Olympus Mons by Earthling space explorers stood thousands upon thousands of feet above them. It shot up far beyond the horizon, and from what Gohan could remember from his studies whilst on Earth, it was the tallest mountainous structure in the solar system, standing nearly three times the size above Earth's tallest peak.

It was typical of Zamasu really. Ancient human mythology judged Earth's Mount Olympus as the home of Gods - not quite right. For there was indeed a 'God' or Guardian of Earth at the top of an ancient structure, but it was a temple not a mountain. And not one of those myths depicted any such God as a little green man from outer space.

Trust Zamasu to perch himself on top of the real Olympus, looking down at them from his pedestal way up high - like the 'lowly' beings he thought they were. The thought made Gohan positively furious, but he knew that the corrupted Kai was purposeful in his moves. It was more than clear to him that the bad mouthing little prick was just trying to piss him off!

"He's definitely up there," said Gohan, his eyes sharp like daggers, "Probably sipping tea just waiting for us to attack. Smug git."

"Do we really have to wait for these Universe Eleven clowns?" Deimos growled, "I'm fed up of waiting. And they don't seem to have the common decency to stick to a designated time!"

"Chill out Deimos," Alala sighed, polishing her bow, "They're probably already busy dealing with a universal threat of their own right now, I'm sure they'll be here soon."

The green-skinned warrior scoffed, as the girl continued, "Just wait until you meet them. They are so cool! I mean, I've only heard the stories. But they're the most valiant warriors of the Eleventh Universe! They're the real deal!"

"And what the bloody hell does that make us?" Makhai spluttered, folding his arms across his chest, "We're the real deal, I'll have you know. I can't even count the number of universal catastrophes that we've managed to put an end to!"

"That's because you can't count, idiot," said Kratos.

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"Shh! Be quiet!" Gohan scolded them suddenly, his heightened senses perking up. There was definitely a disturbance in the atmosphere, "There's someone out there."

"Is it Zamasu?" Eris snarled, her dark eyes narrowing.

"No, it's -."

KA-BOOM!

They coughed and spluttered, as a deafening explosion of dust and smoke erupted around them. Although, Gohan noticed, fighting to see through the fog - it wasn't like any normal explosion as it were. No, there was no fire or streams of white hot Ki. For one, the clouds were of vibrant multicolour, going off like flares and lighting up the wasteland.

"What the - !" Makhai yelled, but his words were drowned out by the resounding bellow that followed.

"HERE WE GO!"

Gohan blinked through the haze as five figures of different shapes and sizes emerged from the light, posing in a spectacularly dramatic fashion. They were donned in the same matching black and red spandex, with pristine white gloves and boots to complete the outfit.

"THE WARRIOR OF FREEDOM!" The largest of the group roared, a big white moustache muffling his words as he swung his ginormous fists about him in rapid succession, "I am, TOP!"

A feeling of recognition overcame him, Top? Wasn't that the name of Universe Eleven's Junior Destroyer?

Though he had no time to contemplate any further, as the next Pride Trooper came into view. Lean yet muscular, with large pointed ears - he almost resembled a humanoid rabbit with sleek purple fur.

"THE WARRIOR OF SONIC SPEED!" He shouted, posing in much the same manner as his team mate, "I am, DYSPO!"

"THE WARRIOR OF FORCE!" Another member called out, resembling a cyborg with a mechanical red eye, "I am, Kahseral!"

Next up, a pink-skinned woman with long dark pink hair, "THE WARRIOR OF ILLUSION! I am, Cocotte!"

"THE WARRIOR OF STEALTH!" A small, impish creature with curved horns and black wings posed lastly, spouting up towards the gloomy atmosphere, "I am, Zoire!"

"THE LIGHT THAT KEEPS THE PEACE OF THE UNIVERSE!" They chorused, charging into their next pose with majestic finesse, "WE ARE THE MAGNIFICENT PRIDE TROOPERS!"

BOOM!

The flares exploded outwards as they struck their final stance, leaving Gohan and the others speechless as Top thundered with determination.

"And that light will now purge this darkness!"

…

…

…

If Mars had crickets, they would certainly be chirping right about now.

"Great Zalama's beard," Makhai snorted, trying to stifle a cackle as he turned to Gohan, "Talk about a cheap tribute to the Ginyu Force, am I right? Er Gohan?"

But the teenager in question wasn't listening. Instead, his starry eyed gaze was wide, utterly transfixed by the valiant troupe of warriors in front of him.

"Hellooooooo, Mars to Gohan!" Makhai pressed, waving his hand in front of his face - but the young saiyan didn't so much as blink, "Oh great, we've lost him. Anyone got a napkin or something to wipe up Gohan's drool? Preferably a mop?"

"Be quiet Makhai!" Alala snapped, although her eyes mirrored Gohan's, she was buzzing with so much delight that she was hovering several inches off of the ground, "See Gohan, what did I tell ya?! They are so cool!"

Eris sighed in disdain, "Trust those two to be entertained by something so childish."

Gohan gasped in excitement, ignoring Eris completely, as an idea sprung to mind, "Maybe we should get matching outfits like the Pride Troopers!"

Everyone - save Alala - looked mortified.

"No way!"

"Hell no!"

"No thanks!"

"Get bent!"

"Have you lost your damned mind?!"

He pouted, doe-eyed, much resembling a wounded puppy, "W-Why not?"

"Gohan, let me level with you here," Makhai started wisely, throwing an arm over his shoulders, "There are two reasons why that is an utterly stupid idea. Number one, is that we - meaning the Supreme Guard - already have embarrassing matching outfits. Number two, is that incase you haven't noticed, those uniforms they've got there look extremely tight. And as much as I'm comfortable in flaunting my assets, trust me when I say that nobody wants to see an outline of Kratos' -."

"AH HOY THERE!" A gruff shout drew their attention before Kratos could strangle his comrade.

The owner of Makhai's saviour was none other than Top, who had spotted the group of deceased teenagers and made his way over in an overly flamboyant manner. He jumped high into the air, straight into a spectacular somersault, where he finally landed, feet planted firmly on top of the boulder above them.

Top stared down his wide nose, enormous gloved fists placed upon his hips, deep black eyes surveying every one of them. It was slightly unnerving.

"Apologies about the dust," he spoke heroically, noting the fact that they were all covered in fine red particles from the aftermath of the Pride Troopers' debut, "I didn't mean to get you caught up in my justicing!"

"Yeah well watch where you're posing next time!" Deimos spat venomously, "Not to mention that your little stunt just gave away our position!"

Top, however, seemed unfazed, "Exactly! It is only prudent to drive the enemy out in order to ensure a stellar victory! Though it is no matter, perhaps your Gods have not taught you this tactic yet."

Eris snarled, "Why you - !"

"Ah ha!" The warrior continued, jumping down from the boulder and striding right up to Kratos, the most physically imposing of their group, "And you must be this universe's Junior Destroyer that I've heard so much about!"

Makhai snorted loudly, as Kratos, whose tall stature stood around two heads shorter than Top, turned beet red.

"I-I'm not the Destroyer," he glowered, utterly livid as he flung out his muscular arm to point at Gohan, "He is."

"Oh?" Dypso quirked dubiously, he and the others having joined the group, although they remained standing at the top of the boulder.

He noticed that none of them had halos like they did, which led him to believe that if they were truly alive then the different races to which they belonged must have been able to breathe on Mars without any difficulty.

"Really? It's the short one?"

Gohan's mouth fell open, all of his prior excitement having dropped to his stomach, "B-But I'm not - shor - !"

"So it's you is it?" Top scorned, an aura of disapproval about him, now recognising Gohan's garb and solid gold wristbands - the mark of a Junior Destroyer, "YOU, who have disgraced the holy sanctity of the Divine with your fiendish ways?!"

The teenager blundered, as his fellow Junior Destroyer leered right over him, "W-What - ?"

Top's nostrils flared in anger, mistaking Gohan's bewilderment for straight up disrespect, "Is it not you who has lay with a mortal and ultimately created one of the biggest taboos in the multiverse? Is it not YOU who has sired a demigod?!"

He paled as Makhai whistled, nudging him in the ribs, "Gossip sure travels fast across the multiverse, doesn't it mate? Gutted, doesn't look like they'll let you into the Pride Troopers now."

"Piss off!"

"Disgraceful," Top said, shaking his head in disgust, "Such a disrespectful attitude. How you are the same rank as me, boy… well, I will always ponder it with great struggle."

"Just leave him be, Leader," Dypso snorted before Gohan could so much as defend himself, "He's just a stupid kid."

"Yes," he pondered, fingering his moustache, "A child he may be, therefore it is up to us to steer him on the right path! The righteous one!"

"Nah, you're wasting your time there," said Makhai, wearing a wicked grin as Gohan continued to fume, "He's too far gone."

"I think that the orange one may be right, Top," the pink-haired Cocotte sighed solemnly, looking sadly at the halfling as though he would keel over at any moment.

"Oi!" The young saiyan scowled, "Don't look down on me like I'm some lost cause!"

"Denial," Kahseral mused, shaking his head, "Such a shame."

"A glass shall be raised tonight in honour of the child's strayed innocence," the small Zoire mustered whimsically.

"Oh this is too much!" Makhai cackled, tears in his eyes, "They're actually going to toast your non-existent virgi- OOF!"

He fell to the floor, as Gohan sucker punched him in the gut, promptly shutting him up.

"Can we get on with finding Zamasu please?" He said angrily, cheeks burning crimson, drawing the Troopers attention once again.

"Absolutely," Top grunted, eyeing them sceptically, "Although, after assessing the situation and with knowledge of the outcome of your last battle with this traitorous menace, I think it best that you all stay here and let the Pride Troopers deal with this."

"Like hell you will!" Kratos spouted hotly, as the others looked suitably enraged, "We've been at the forefront of his investigation for months and - !"

"And what did you come up with, tough guy? Huh?" Dypso scoffed, "Zilch, nada. So why don't ya take a back seat like a good boy and let the real heroes handle it?"

"Listen up, bunny, we aren't about to take orders from the likes of you," Eris seethed, "And if you proceed to get in my way of blasting that damned Kai's head off, then I'll make sure you'll regret it."

Cocotte scoffed, "Is that a threat, little girl?"

"A threat? Ha!" Eris smirked evilly, "I haven't even begun to threaten you, you old hag."

"EEK!" Makhai squeaked, now recovered from being winded, "Gohan, do something! I mean, I'm all for Eris getting riled up, it keeps things alive in the bedroom ya know? But things are gonna escalate pretty swiftly if she winds up ripping that dame to itty bitty pieces!"

Gohan sighed in annoyance, as his best friend continued to flap and the arguing escalated into an intense verbal battle. They really didn't have time for this, and as much as the famed warriors had insulted them, treated them like a bunch of kids, Whis had said that they needed to work together, right? There had to be a reason behind it!

And he wasn't about to let Zamasu escape again.

"Our Leader here saw the need to dispatch only five of us Pride Troopers! What does that tell you?!"

"That your so called 'leader' must be as stupid as he is fat!"

"Which is a a lot!"

"Ha! Good one Alala!"

"Insolent brats!"

"How dare you!

"How dare YOU! We have every right to see this fight through to the very end!"

"Ruffians!"

"Old farts!"

"You're probably older than us, you pompous little - !"

"Whatever, the Galactic Zumba class called - they want their leotards back!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Gohan bellowed, stopping the rest of them in their tracks.

A golden glow illuminated the crimson landscape, as the halfling transformed into the first level of Super Saiyan. Their eyes widened at the sight, even his friends looked a little weary, as he snarled.

"We haven't got time to argue amongst ourselves," he stated boldly, glaring at the lot of them, "Zamasu is waiting for us on Olympus, probably plotting something catastrophic, and yet all you lot can do is insult each other?!"

Both warring sides looked down at their feet, ashamed of their outburst as the teenager continued, "Not only are you supposed to be each of your universe's symbol of hope, you're supposed to be doing the right thing here - not getting a 'one up' on each other."

"If you look out at the stars, you'll see a part of what you're supposed to protect," he told them, the sound of his pulsating aura reaching their ears, waves of destructive heat and power washing over them, "One of those twinkling lights up there just happens to belong to my home world, and holds everyone I love on it. I believe that Zamasu has set himself up here, so very close to Earth because part of his plan is to endanger my friends and family just to get back at me. The ones I chose to protect by dying and taking up this role as a Destroyer. And I won't let them down again."

"So here's the thing," he said, his emerald eyes staring out the lot of them, "I'm going after Zamasu before he tries anything funny. With me, or against me, you'd better not get in my way. Got it?"

Silence engulfed them, as well as the cold chill of the atmosphere that lay stagnant and unyielding in the air. That was, until Top finally spoke.

"A rather spirited speech for a young one," he observed gruffly, before nodding his head in affirmation, "Alright, we shall work together, but on the condition that Zamasu is brought before the council for trial, there will be no Destruction here today."

"No deal," said Gohan, folding his arms across his chest in a strong stance, "My orders are clear. If Zamasu does not comply - which I highly predict - I can Destroy him as a last resort."

Top frowned deeply, but the halflings stare remained unmovable. It was clear that the two Junior Destroyer's were not going to see eye to eye.

"Very well," the large Trooper mustered after another heavy beat of silence, "I suppose that we will have to make that judgement when it comes to it."

Gohan's his lips drew into a thin line as Top began to address the others, formulating a plan.

We'll just see about that one, tubby.

---

Olympus Mons, New Planet Mars.

" - take the East of the ridge and you three stick with the General and take the West," Top instructed, as they continued to climb higher and higher, "Gohan and I will charge in steadfast once Zamasu is surrounded."

"Ugh," Kratos grumbled hopelessly, loud enough for only the Guard and Gohan to hear, "I can't believe that I'm actually taking orders from this ingrate…"

"It's only for a short while Kratos," Bia cooed softly, her long hair whipping about her as they flew up towards the rocky peak of Olympus.

"Oh come off it Bia, I've had about all I can stand," Makhai huffed from beside her, before grabbing a lock of her hair and placing it over his top lip so that it resembled a moustache, "What ho! I spy some rapscallions over yonder! We must shower them with stupid poses and a jolly good justicing! Quickly! Before it's too late!"

Gohan roared with laughter with the rest of the Guard, as Makhai gave a rather good impression of the Lead Trooper.

"What's so funny back there?!" The cyborg General, Kahseral, shouted back, "There should be no laughter at a time like this! We're approaching the enemy!"

"Er, I was just 'rallying the troops' Sir!" The ginger-haired Guardian called, "You know, a spit spot and tickle of the old funny bone and they're raring to go!"

The deceased teens could barely contain themselves, as Top spouted, "Ah, not a bad idea chaps! Not a bad idea! Laughter is good for morale after all! We've got some sky to clear before we reach the summit! Did I ever tell you the one about the goblin and the manticore that walked into a bar?"

As the rest of the Pride Troopers were subjected to a undoubtably terrible joke, Gohan turned to his friends.

"Something definitely feels off," he said, having now powered back down to his base form, he didn't want to waste any unnecessary energy after all, "I can feel Zamasu's power up there, but it's eclipsed by something else."

"Hmm, that certainly is odd," said Alala, who was flying dutifully next to him, her features now serious, "What do you think he's up to?"

"No idea," he replied darkly, the peak of the massive volcano just coming into view, "But we're about to find out."

Bursting through the foggy mist of the atmosphere, they hovered just above the crown of Olympus. The mammoth shield volcano spread out for miles and miles beneath their feet, although the bottom was now much more difficult to see what with them situated on the cusp of the planet, the vastness of space behind them - threatening to pull them into its depths.

"Now, does everyone remember the plan?" Top asked, breaking the tension that was no doubt influenced by the dread of empty space lingering just beyond their reach.

He faintly heard the Guard groan with resentment behind him, as the Pride Troopers saluted, "Yes, Leader!"

"Smashing stuff!" He exclaimed, his furry moustache twitching, "But before we start, are there any questions?"

Unexpectedly, Makhai raised his arm. "Yeah, I have a question. It's been bothering me for a while now actually."

"Oh?" Top blinked, "Well, go ahead er… Makhai, is it?"

"You're name's Top right?" He asked, mischief alight in his eyes, as the Leader gave him a firm nod, "So, if you're Top… whose the bottom?"

A deafening silence rang out around them, as Top spluttered blindly, all kinds of furious. Until Gohan sighed in annoyance - totally oblivious, "Is now really the moment to be talking about bunk beds?!"

He was confused, as he was met with nothing but deadpan stares. Makhai, however, looked as though Christmas had come early, pure mirth illuminating his features.

"Imma tell him!" He sang, before Eris walloped him over the head.

"Don't you dare!"

"Oh for the love of - ! Can we just GO already?!" A red-faced Deimos yelled, prompting everyone to hurriedly split up (and escape the awkwardness), taking up their designated places that were scattered about the peak.

Gohan shrugged to himself, still no clue as to what everyone was so flustered about, and instead made his way closer to the summit.

As he flew nearer, he noticed that the crater was astronomically huge. It spread across the peak of Olympus in a large black abyss, by which he could most certainly not see the bottom. What he did spot, however, was a small and rather simple cabin at the edge of the crater - not at all like what was situated at the top of Mount Olympus in the old human legends.

It looked old, dishevelled and with the roof patched up in places, as though something or someone had blasted a hole through it a few times. Mesmerised, almost in a trace, he moved closer.

Something lingered here, something powerful and … familiar. With his boots tapping on the highest step, his keen eyes noted the rotting bark and curling wood surrounding him. This place was very old. Which didn't make any sense at all! Whis and the Supreme Kai had said Mars had just appeared, right?

Fingertips brushing across warped splinters, he noticed a few scribbles of strange drawings out near the foot of the porch. But the childlike depictions weren't ones coloured by crayons or chalk, no, it was as though tiny fingers had scratched the pictures into the wood - carved with bare hands.

He frowned, hesitating. The door was wide open.

Hell, Zamasu might as well have put a welcome mat outside that read, 'Welcome Lord Gohan, please obliterate me!'

He bit his lip, looking curiously about him. It was strange, he couldn't sense anyone in there, let alone the evil Ki of the disgraced Kai. Yet something pulled him beyond the threshold, even though whatever it was didn't feel in any way welcoming. He felt a presence, like remnants of energy dotted about the place, although the person to whom it belonged was no longer there.

It felt, haunted.

His curiosity getting the better of him - like always, Gohan quashed Top's annoying orders out of his mind. Perhaps he should be waiting to spring upon Zamasu as planned, but he felt as though something more pressing resided here. Something that he needed to see. Something instinctual. But for the life of him, he couldn't put his finger on what it was. All that he was certain of was that he needed to be here.

The others had probably stationed themselves in their designated positions by now, he thought, watching and waiting as he stepped into the cabin, entering a humble kitchen. Looking around, it didn't look as though it had been used much - or in a very long time, what with a thick coating of dust and cobwebs covering the countertops. The windows were caked in thick layers of crimson dirt, casting a gloomy red hue across the rotting wooden floorboards.

The place was quaint, scarce, there really wasn't much too it. Everything was only on one level, with three rickety doors that led to two bedrooms, a bathroom and a barren sitting room. He was immediately drawn to the smallest bedroom at the back. Bare and covered in filth, he noticed how it didn't even have a mattress, just a tatty old blanket that lay abandoned in the corner.

What was particularly eerie about this room in particular was the fact that scorch marks - which Gohan recognised as burns from Ki blasts - covered the walls and floor, along with deep cracks and holes in the wood that allowed the dust from the red planet to filter through. If anyone had been sleeping in here, they would have been freezing cold.

His brow furrowed even more so, when he caught sight of more of those childlike scratches in the bark next to the smelly old blanket.

The sudden creak of the front door caused him to jump, tearing his gaze away from the wonky etching of a woman and a small girl, faded and almost withered away - but ultimately recognisable. He turned quickly, his energy raised in warning as he bolted out of the bedroom and back into the kitchen. Letting out an outward breath, the cabin door appeared to be swaying against the doorframe of its own accord.

Still no sign of Zamasu.

He'd better not have made a run for it, he thought bitterly, his eyes settling on the table and chairs he had walked by earlier.

Oh how he wished he had paid more attention to it a few moments ago.

But he had been distracted, pulled towards that tiny bedroom for reasons he was still unsure of. Too focused on the aura of despair and hatred that exuded from that small space to realise the steam unfurling from the china cups resting on the table.

Black tea, unsweetened by the smell of it alone, the warmth radiating from the pair of fine-boned cups creating delicate patterns of hot steam in the frigid air.

Still warm…, Gohan thought to himself in bewilderment. But why are there two? None of this made any frigging sense!

KA - BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The cabin rocked, quaking from the force of a nearby explosion, sending a cascade of dust and debris toppling down on top of his freshly cut hair. The young saiyan groaned, shouting up towards the sky.

"Oh that mother - !"

BOOM! HISS! BOOM!

Jets of fire rained down upon him from above, blasting apart the splintered cabin and sending broken planks of decaying wood soaring high into the air. A searing heat crackled through the air, as a hot beam of rampaging energy burst through the wall and out the other side of the cabin.

Within seconds the small dwelling was engulfed in flames, tearing through the kitchen with colossal jaws of amber and gold, eagerly devouring every inch of wood it touched. The roof let out a baneful wail as it finally collapsed, cinders and blackened smoke exploding into the sky.

Gohan however, remained unharmed, having teleported himself out of the line of attack before the first shot connected. He glared viciously, wrought with contempt, at the figure hanging in the air several feet before him.

The dangerous sound of atoms hissing and popping filtered between them, as the fire continued to swam the wreckage beneath their feet. The charred, burning wood released thick clouds of blackened smoke, which rose up and unfurled much like the damning hatred they shared for one another.

"Some tea party this is," Gohan said scathingly, his tone laced with venom, "I didn't even get any cake."

Zamasu hovered before him, his eyes alight with malice. He paid no head to the halfling's jest, as he smirked, "Always wanting for things that you have no rights to. Although it would be foolish of me to expect any more from such an impure soul."

"It'll be pretty 'foolish' of you not to tell me where you've hidden the Super Dragonballs," he shot back, gaze sharp and unwavering, "But because I'm feeling generous today, I'll give you one chance to fess up before I send you back to the rotting pit of evil that you crawled out of."

The corrupted Kai said nothing, his pale green features stoic.

"Oh, and whilst we're on the subject of your Destruction," Gohan glowered, "Do you really think that you can scare me with this little stunt of yours? If you think that you're being clever by camping out so close to Earth then you're sorely mistaken. If anything, it only makes me want to beat the shit out of you more."

Zamasu snorted, a sickening smirk curling at the corner of his lips, before letting out a dark chuckle. To Gohan's ears, it sounded like nails screeching across a chalkboard.

"You never cease to amuse me, young Destroyer," he goaded, eyes dancing with manic delight, "You always act so bold in the face of adversity that you fail to visualise the true picture."

The teenager groaned in annoyance, he had the horrible feeling he was going to go off on a self-righteous rant again, "Let's just get to the point, Zamasu. Where have you been all of this time?"

His nostrils flared, ignoring the question, "Audacious as you appear, it is just an act. For I now know of the truth, oh yes, it is all an illusion to the fear that lies within."

"What truth?" He guffawed, "I told you that I'm not scared of you, never have been. You're just talking out of your -."

"You may not be afraid of me, half-breed, but you are afraid of yourself," Zamasu snapped, cutting across him, "You're afraid of what you might become. Am I wrong?"

Gohan snarled, "I don't know what you're getting at."

"Oh I think you do know," he snarked, his smirk ever widening, "And I have seen it manifest into its full fruition. Tell me, child delivered into darkness, do you want to see what happens when you stray too far away from the glorious path of the light?"

"What - ?"

BOOOOOOOOM!

Another explosion clattered through the air, sending a torrent of smoke and ash hurtling towards them. Gohan quickly conjured a small shield in front of his face, his shorter spikes of hair blowing backwards from the force. A startled yet all too familiar scream sent his senses into high alert, yet he breathed out a sigh of relief when he noticed to whom it belonged was mostly unharmed.

Alala and Makhai skidded to a halt before him, the former holding the latter in her arms. It appeared that Makhai had been thrown backwards into her, and was still smouldering from the blast.

He coughed and spluttered, his ginger hair singed black at the tips as Gohan ardently bellowed.

"Makhai?! What the hell are you doing?!"

Whatever he was doing, (most likely arseing around and getting on Kratos' nerves) it certainly wasn't apart of the plan. Not that he could say much, seen as he had gone off in search of Zamasu alone despite Top's instruction.

Although something was not quite right, as his best friend turned sheet white at the sight of him. Alala too looked as though she had seen a ghost.

"G-Gohan?" Makhai spluttered, almost disbelievingly, "Y-You're over here?"

He sighed, aggravated, "Yes, and?"

"With Zamasu."

Alala was still silent, clearly unnerved as Gohan looked towards Zamasu and back to Makhai.

"Obviously!"

"Right. Right, okay," he breathed, trying to wrap his head around the fact. "B-But if you're here… then who the fuck is THAT?!"

The young saiyan followed to where Makhai was frantically pointing. The smouldering clouds cleared at that very moment, revealing a dark imposing figure.

Immediately, he was struck with a sense of dreaded familiarity. He could not believe his own eyes, for it was like looking into a mirror. A distorted mirror. Like one might find at a fun fair. For apart from the fact that he looked pretty much identical, his reflection wore a completely different set of clothes, and moved and spoke of its own accord.

"Who am I?" It spoke, the threatening look encompassing its features disappearing as it gave the Lethien an innocent smile, "Dear Makhai, don't you recognise an old friend?"

Makhai did a double take, "Okay, as much as I'm LOVING the fact that you just called me 'dear', you are freaking me the F out!"

"Makhai, that's not the real me!" Gohan protested, finally able to find his voice. "Zamasu must have done something!"

"You know, I did consider that when you attacked us for no good reason…"

"What's going on here?" He leered towards the Kai, "What kind of stupid magic trick are you trying to pull this time?!"

"Magic?" Zamasu scoffed, though he still looked smug, "It is no magic you idiotic cretin. It is truth incarnate, don't you see?"

"I'm getting real sick and tired of your bullshit, Zamasu," he snapped furiously, "Tell me what that thing is that attacked my friends before I decorate this crater with some ugly ass Kai brain!"

"It is you."

The air was sinister. Still.

"He is your future, Son Gohan."

"What are you - ?!"

"You asked where I had been all this time?" Zamasu reflected with an aura of satisfaction, "Well, your answer is staring right back at you. You see, I have journeyed far and wide on my search for divine justice, across universes and dimensions. The only thing that was holding me back was the constructs of time itself. But what is mere time to such a superior entity?"

The cogs in Gohan's brain began to turn, a sinking feeling of foreboding churning in his gut.

Zamasu smirked boastfully, "It is nothing. A mere obstacle that was more than easy to overcome, for a Supreme Kai."

"Don't tell me," he breathed, his eyes widening, "You used the time rings?"

The Kai held up a hand, the shine of a solid silver ring glinting in the harsh redness of the planet, nestled firmly on his forefinger. Only, the green skin had withered, blackened and wrinkled. As if he had been burned.

"But that's not right!" Alala interjected hotly, finally tearing her gaze away from Gohan's dark copy, "Only elected Supreme Kais can used those rings to travel through time! Disgraced as you may be, you're still a junior!"

"Silly girl," Zamasu spat reproachfully, "Divine law may state that fact but it doesn't not mean that such a feat is not impossible."

"So the rules don't apply to you," Gohan scoffed angrily, "You're a real piece of work Zamasu. Let me guess, you stole the time rings during our last fight? I did wonder where you disappeared to at one point."

"You're not as entirely primitive as you look, Destroyer," he mocked, "Indeed, the time rings allow the wearer safe passage through the flow of time, and all I had to do was kill Gowasu after I had taken them for myself, stealing his potara in the process."

"Only you didn't count on Whis' temporal do over," The young saiyan smirked, eyeing his disheveled hand, "You didn't wind up killing Gowasu, nor could you steal his potara earrings. Which explains the manky state of your hand. Alala's right, you're banned from using the time rings, so it slowly kills apart of you every time you use them."

Zamasu's flashed in anger, though his features remain calm, "You would do well not to get ahead of yourself, boy. You won't be so sure of yourself once you're begging for your afterlife."

"Not likely," he shot back, "Although something doesn't make sense. Why even bother with time travel in the first place? Seems like a lot of effort to go through just to hide in another timeline."

"I did not hide you fool," he glowered, "It was always apart of my plan, even if I had expedite it a little earlier than I had originally planned."

"What plan?" He demanded, though the evil deity all but chuckled.

"Patience is a virtue, one that you do not possess," he observed, "All will be revealed soon enough. All that you need to know is that I sought to seek out something of great importance to aid us in the great reckoning of the cosmos, when something else caught my attention. Something much more fitting."

Gohan's jaw clenched tightly, as Zamasu's grating laughter rang out around them, "Oh yes! Five years is a mere millisecond in the life of a Kai, but it had changed you a great deal! The future holds the key to your demise, as well as your precious universe. Nothing that you cherish remains, and you are the very reason for its Destruction! Poetic, don't you think?"

"You're lying."

He scoffed unashamedly, "And what would I gain from such a lie? It is like I told you before. Mortal qualities do not taint true Gods. Kais are pure and splendorous, and Destroyers know nothing but what they deliver - the horror and dread that they continue to spread upon their own universes! I have seen it, Son Gohan, I have seen the ruins of your universe smoulder before me - its death dealt by your hand and yours alone!"

"No!" He yelled, hands balled up into fists. He was positively shaking with fury, "You're wrong!"

Zamasu seemed thrilled by such rage, "Oh I am? Then why don't you see for yourself?"

Without warning, his apparent 'future self' shot forwards. Fast and unrestrained in his attack, Gohan had no choice but immediately power up in order to block the kick that came sailing towards his skull. If he hadn't, he was certain that it would have tore his head from his shoulders.

Shit, he was strong.

He stared at the same eyes leering back at him, as they hung stalemate in the air. His forearm shook from the force of impact, stopping his opponent's offending leg from pushing forwards any further.

It was even worse up close.

Those dark onyx orbs may have been familiar but they glinted with nought but malice. Everything else was the same. The same thickness to his dark hair, the same broad shoulders. The same stance, the same way he threw his next punch -

Gohan couldn't believe it. Yet this copy cat was so realistic it was getting incredibly hard not to start believing.

They clashed ruinously in the sky, blowing back the remaining clouds of ash and sending shockwave after shockwave rippling over the atmosphere. His attacks were nothing short of painful, aiming to kill. And each crippling hit came with a follow up of bombarding kicks and punches that left the teenager no choice but to raise his Ki in order to counter.

He was dangerously close to transforming, but he stubbornly didn't want to give Zamasu the satisfaction.

Yet so far in this fight, it appeared that they were evenly matched.

The halfling growled in annoyance, wiping at a trickle of blood that escaped his bruised lip.

"What the hell are you?" Gohan spat, that last punch really smarted.

The imposter hung opposite him in the sky, his dark gi scuffed and torn in places from his onslaught. Yet his sadistic smirk didn't waver. Instead, he pulled at the blood red sash around his middle, that had become a little looser from their exchange.

He chuckled, with his voice, though it was laced with something foul.

"I think the better question - is when," his wicked tone reaching far across the abyss of the crater, "After all, it only took five years for your sins to fully manifest into something truly great. And fifteen more for your universe to crumble."

"So you're saying your from twenty years in the future?" The young saiyan scoffed dubiously, "And why should I believe you?"

"Whether you believe me or not is no concern of mine," his supposed counterpart observed, "All that you need to know is that I am your past, present and future, Son Gohan. Although I must warn you that as it stands, your future is incredibly short."

The air crackled between them, sizzling with heat and tension, as Gohan scorned.

"All I know is that you aren't who you say you are," he glowered, "I would never destroy my own universe. And I would never work with Zamasu to do it."

"Please Gohan," he barked with mirth, "You're soul is already crying out! Begging to be set free! You are burdened with a role that the Gods woefully unprepared you for, and those same pitiful deities punish you for trying to venture on your own path! They did the same to Perses, and they will do the same to YOU."

"You're wrong - !" He started hotly, but it was in vain.

"Zamasu is the one that set you free," he told him, "He is the one that cleansed this body and gave you true purpose. No longer are you those sinful Gods' lapdog. No longer are you the disappointment of everyone you ever respected and loved! You purged those souls and sought the righteous path. Divine justice is the only cause you serve now."

"Bullshit!" He snapped furiously, "Gods you actually sound like Zamasu!"

The copy snorted, "You may be naive but you're not blind. You can see that we are the same, your goals are just a little more immature so to speak."

"My only goal is to take Zamasu down," said Gohan boldly, "And if it means going through you, then so be it. I don't give a damn who you say you are!"

"Oh but you will," he chuckled darkly, "You will come to realise all too soon. You'll gaze upon the inevitable and realise that there is no hope for you now. After all, the desperate screams of your family and friends as you slaughtered them will all too readily join the others in your head. You hear them now, don't you Gohan? You remember how they begged you for mercy before you Destroyed them."

He swallowed hard, fury bubbling up from the pit of his stomach. He felt it rising rapidly, and it was taking a lot of effort not to completely fly off the handle.

No, he needed to remain focussed.

"That anger of yours will be your downfall," his horrific reflection mused, watching him intently, "This version of you will rot and die and a new one will be born from the destruction. I have seen it. I have lived it. I am it. But then again, what was a few more hundreds of billions of souls on top of your body count?"

The lid on his power burst. Hot lightening sung through his veins and exploded around him. His aura burned golden, surging around him in glorious waves of light. Electricity ignited the air, clashing over his frame as his muscles bulged with heightened Ki.

It was as though someone had flipped a switch, the atoms in the air popping and shuddering with catastrophic power. Gohan's hair swiftly turned gold, standing upright on his head in defiant peaks with a stubborn bang wavering over his now menacing green eyes.

"Super Saiyan Two," the haunting version of himself goaded, "Don't you think that you're a little above such an infantile form by now?"

The halfling said nothing, his jaw clenched tightly shut as his electric stare threatened to slice right through him.

"So be it," he said, a deadly black aura bursting into existence as soon as the words fell from his lips.

It was devastating.

Waves of terror washed over him as he felt the fraud's Ki reach a peak. Yet it was with dread that he could sense a limitless well of power beyond it, just waiting to be unleashed upon him. He was being patient with it, that much was clear. But if this copy cat really had that much potential hidden away, then why wasn't he using it? Was he stalling? Something just didn't add up.

He felt Makhai and Alala's energies rise in order to stop themselves from being blown back across the volcano by the force of the imposter's might alone. It felt heavy, full of dread and despair. A terrible weight on his chest - it was suddenly much harder to breathe.

And for a split second, Gohan couldn't help but wonder if this is what others felt when he too delved into the darkness.

"In my reality this strength killed every Kai in the multiverse," he gloated, shrouded by black particles of Ki, "Thus the Destroyers were no more. No one could stop me, and the cosmos was left to ruin."

"I've had enough of your lies!" Gohan bellowed, a feral bolt of lightening crackling over his eyes before he surged forwards with a calamitous uppercut to the brute's chin.

He skidded backwards through the skies, the sonic boom nearly cracking the air apart. With a frenzied burst of his dark aura, did he manage to careen to a halt. Though to the teenager's annoyance, did he all but bark with laughter.

"Hurt me as much as you want!" He called, seemingly enjoying the taste of blood that coated his teeth, "The pain only makes me stronger!"

"You're insane," he glowered, "A complete nutcase."

Eerily, he gave him a cheery grin - one almost identical to his own were it not for the crazed look in his eyes, "Takes one to know one."

Then, without warning, a vibrant ball of energy hurtled towards him. The dark crackling Ki was so quick to manifest that he barely had time to block it. He gritted his teeth, using both of his hands to knock the blast upwards and away, though no more than a split second after he had sent it flying, was the imposer upon him.

BOOM!

Gohan choked, lurching forwards and doubling up with pain. The punch was so hard that it sent a shockwave of agony through his bones. He was send spiralling to the earth not a moment sooner, as a crippling hammer fist connected with his skull, a plume of crimson dirt burst into the air as soon as he hit the ground.

"GOHAN!" Alala cried, catching the evil beings attention.

"Don't worry," he said almost soothingly, although it was sorely misplaced. He raised a hand in warning, another deadly attack building in the centre of his palm, "You and your little comrades are next - !"

"I DON'T THINK SO!"

WHAM!

A glowing figure of fire and lightening burst forth out of nowhere, driving a deadly kick to his opponents chest. A sickening crack echoed over the entirety of Olympus Mons, as Gohan's copy roared with pain. Ribs broken, blood spewed forth so rapidly that he had no choice but to spit out a mouthful to the ground.

Gohan, now covered in red soil and dust, teleported behind him, delivering a crippling hit to his spine that sent him hurtling across the sky once more. Blow for blow, they met in the air. Gold and black auras danced and clashed way above the peaks of the giant rocks, identical cries of rage and gasps of agony drew forth as they continued to match one another.

The halfling snarled to himself as he batted his attacker away. But he kept coming at him, and it was clear to him as the fight progressed that he was just getting stronger.

"Excellent! Excellent, Gohan!" His enemy chortled with unrestrained mania, as Gohan smashed him straight across the jaw, "Give into your anger! It'll only lead you down the path of damnation sooner!"

"SHUT UP!" He roared, a disabling blast of crimson Ki enveloping his raised fist as he struck him in the sternum.

The imposer was thrown several feet backwards, a horrific burn melting away the front of his gi and revealing the flesh that bubbled and stung with heat. And as part of his clothing melted away, Gohan could make out the familiar scars on his chest - much like the ones he had obtained years ago.

"That's it," the diabolical fiend breathed, closing his eyes with an almost somber expression that sent the teenager's senses on high alert.

Something was building.

"Oh yes, I have been waiting for this for so long," he continued, chanting to himself as his energy began to rise to new heights. "This day, this moment, this timeline where I can finally unleash this DISGUSTING mortal-bred fury upon you!"

Mortal-bred? What the hell was he talking about -?!

Although Gohan's thoughts were snuffed out, utterly ravaged by the wall of power that struck him. He could do nothing but watch with wide, awaiting eyes, as his copy's aura erupted. It changed just as quickly as his energy skyrocketed, flickering from black to deep purple, to a vibrant violet and back again.

It exploded upwards, sending tremors cascading through the atmosphere as it finally settled on the colour that shook Gohan to his very core.

As the dust settled, piercing grey eyes locked with his own, bright fuchsia hair wavering in the dissonant breeze that drifted ominously between them.

"And what better form in which to deliver such justice?" He asked, his voice echoing transcendently over the desolate planet, "It is your petulant mortal qualities that enabled you to achieve such a divine form in the first place - so bold of you to call yourself a God, don't you think?"

The halfling couldn't speak, it was as though his vocal chords had frozen solid.

Because this couldn't be. It just couldn't be true. Zamasu was wrong - he had to be! Whis had told him that he was the only one that had managed to obtain it, not even the ancient Saiyan's had discovered a level beyond the ritual.

And yet, it was as plain as day, as the damning depiction of the Super Saiyan Rosé grinned wickedly through bloodied teeth.

"What dramatic irony," he scorned, "After all, young Destroyer, you reap what you sow."

---

18th January, 2021.

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A/N: Happy New Year everyone!

Thank you so much for your continued support with this story. How super proud am I that I got a chapter out in a consecutive month? VERY. I really hope you like the change of pace here, a lot is about to happen and I'm super excited for the next chapter.

I really appreciate all the comments and reviews and support for the 'HFIL saga', I enjoyed writing it so much so I'm glad it came across well.

Atm it is still not a great situation in the UK as I'm sure a lot of you are aware if you keep up with the news. I will try to respond to reviews individually now as they come up, but address anything pressing in my authors notes if a few people are commenting/asking about the same thing as some of you may be wondering the same thing!

And yeah, I went there with Super Saiyan Rose. A lot of people were asking if Blue was going to come up. Not for Gohan and his Divine Ki ;) I hope you liked that touch. Finally cut Gohan's hair too, I know a lot a people were waiting on that!

As a side note, Olympus Mons on Mars IS actually real, look it up for some cool trivia! xD

And I threw in another spanner in the works there for our heroes in the form of YEP Gohan Black. Things aren't looking good right now. But I hope some Makhai humour makes up for what's about to come!

See ya next time! And stay safe and healthy!

ES x