A/N: Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews and follows! I wanted to get the next chapter out as quickly as possible, as this chapter (heads up) has a lot of foreboding. I really hope you enjoy the battle, and the continuation of Gohan's journey. At this point, Gohan is still struggling with his decision to stay away from Earth, and I hope I am managing to capture that for you. However, there will be snippets and a lot of character to development with Gohan into the man he is destined to become, and will be seen more and more as the story continues. My plan is to stick with Gohan's basic morals and values as a character but spending years with Gods of Destruction will certainly change some of his outlook and the way he carries himself, reacts to things etc. But he WILL still be Gohan, not OCC Gohan, just a more badass version of our boy in case anyone is worried about that! I have a few people asking me about time skips and when I will be getting to the Buu Saga... a time skip will happen in the next couple of chapters don't worry as I dont want to spent too much time here before we get to the main story, and as for the Buu Saga, well, I guess you'll just have to wait to find out what I do with that :) Hope you enjoy! ES x
Chapter Five
Hero
xxxx
The recruits threw themselves to the ground with no time to waste, their bellies hitting the crimson chalk as the manically charged monster flew overhead and landed a few feet away. It's landing caused the surface surrounding it to crack and fall apart, forming an enormous crater that was soon hidden by it's gigantic tentacles that protruded from it's slimy body.
They scrambled quickly to their feet and jumped high into the air as one of the offending appendages crashed into the space where they lay. Gohan heard Makhai swear loudly, and he couldn't help but silently think the same as he came face to face with the creature's large eye. There was no doubt in his mind that the mother beast was the biggest thing he had ever seen, let alone fought. It let out another bone quaking roar, sending bits of stinking saliva flying towards them. Some of it landed on Gohan's hoodie, and it was with horror did he realise that the jelly-like goo had burned a hole right through the fabric. He stripped himself of the tracksuit top hurriedly before it scorched his skin, throwing it down to the dusty ground before calling out to the others.
"Be careful! This thing spits acid!"
"Oh fan-frigging-tastic," Makhai huffed, rolling up his sleeves and getting into his flawless fighting stance, "That's just what we need, a sun sucking tentacled monster that can also melt your skin off."
"This is no time for your jokes Makhai!" Kratos snarled, his crimson aura erupting around his frame before he bellowed, "CHARGE!"
And just like that, he was gone, full throttle towards the rampaging beast without a second thought. Bia and Alala were right behind the older teenager, streaks of silver and violet billowing behind them in their wake. Eris rolled her eyes before grabbing a reluctant Deimos by the scruff of his tracksuit top and swiftly teleported them towards the epicentre of the battle.
"Ah well," Makhai shrugged, "If you can't beat 'em, do your best to try!"
"That's not how the saying goes-," Gohan frowned, but the fanged teen was already gone, rushing headlong towards the deranged octopus so fast that he nearly missed it.
With an almighty bellow, Makhai attacked, joining the others in their onslaught. Shockwaves rippled across the planet as the recruit's mighty blows connected and the monster was sent flying into the air. Though it didn't get far, as in a burst of deathly black energy did Eris materialise above the gigantic brute, delivering a hammer fist to it's gelatinous skull so that it plummeted back to the ground in a pitiful heap.
The beast howled as it recovered quickly, brandishing it's tentacles in anger, acid spitting from it's gaping mouth. The recruits were upon it almost instantaneously, the intensity of their assault reaching new heights as the monster attempted to knock them out of the sky. Gohan eagerly kicked off from the ground, determined not to get left behind this time. He joined his comrades in encircling their enemy, dodging Kratos' deadly warped spikes that erupted from the ground before finding an opening and booting the beast straight across the jaw with a powerful kick.
"Nice shot!" Makhai called, giving him a thumbs up from across the planes.
The pre-teen grinned back, feeling rather proud of himself as the monster toppled to the ground. Though his small victory was short lived, as a slimy tentacle shot towards him out of nowhere, wrapping around his torso and squeezing the air out of his lungs.
The young saiyan cried out, as the force from the deadly appendage caused his bones to groan in protest. He was being crushed, his head spinning from the lack of oxygen, his vision becoming blurred when -
SLICE
The agonising pressure on his body was released thanks to Bia, who appeared by his side, her arm encompassed by a brightly coloured Ki blade. The severed tentacle fell to the ground with a sickening thud as the young woman turned her concerned yellow eyes towards him, "Are you alright Gohan?"
"Y-yeah," he mustered shakily, his breathing coming up short, "Thanks for that."
She smiled back, before disappearing once more, just as the beast recovered from Gohan's blow. She reappeared just above the gigantic brute, swiping the Ki blade across it's skull. Though, to the young saiyan's horror, the blade splintered as soon as it touched the beasts skin, causing Bia to gasp.
"W-what?" she spluttered, before she was batted out of the air by another rough tentacle.
"BIA!" Gohan cried as she hit the ground, clouds of crimson dust exploding into the sky.
Kratos yelled with rage, his aura blazing as he hurtled towards the destructive monster, swinging his fists wildly as he charged. The beast roared as the teenager's fist connected with it's belly, the force was so great that it knocked the creature clean off the ground.
"Oi!" Alala cried, dodging swiftly out of the way as Eris shot up to meet it once more.
An abrupt shout escaped the dark princess' lips, and Gohan's eyes widened as her petite body was suddenly engulfed by an enormous tornado that swirled with pitch black clouds and crackles of bright white lightening. It grew bigger and bigger, speeding across the dusty planes, leaving a destructive path in it's wake.
"She always has to go overboard doesn't she?" Gohan heard Makhai sigh, before the raging winds picked up around them, and they both had to brace themselves in midair for want of not being sucked up in the twister.
The beast was not as lucky, and, distracted by Kratos' attack, was caught by the whirring cyclone, circling round and round with an irate shriek that escaped it's thick thraot before it was engulfed by the epicentre.
"Oh no you don't," Deimos growled, taking a strong stance against the hurricane-like winds, his palms outstretched and glowing a vibrant green, "You're not swiping away the victory of this battle Eris."
Without another word uttered, vibrant green flames erupted from his palms, the emerald fire created eerie shadows over the battlefield before careening towards the tornado. Kratos and Makhai followed suit, their own crimson and amber blasts intermingling before breaking through the surface of the whirlwind so that the torrent of air flashed and sparked with light.
"Wait! Won't you hit her?!" Gohan cried, aghast as the three males took aim once more.
"Ah don't worry Sparky, she's fine in there!" Makhai yelled back over the roaring winds, "It'd take a lot more than this to hurt Eris!"
Suddenly, a loud war cry cut across him, and Gohan just about made out the figure of Alala as she towered over the giant twister, her long dark hair whipping behind her in rapid succession. Her bow was drawn, her sharp arrow pointed towards the epicentre with a look of fierce determination in her eyes.
"What are you waiting for?! Do it NOW!" She roared, releasing the arrow into the darkness and causing the pre-teen to come to his senses.
"KAMEHAMEHAAAAAA!" He bellowed, the brilliant blue light erupting from his cupped palms as the others unleashed their attacks.
The blasts hit, swirling around the tornado and causing it to shine with a spectacular sapphire hue. Gohan could feel their combined power connecting, swelling, concentrating to a particular point where the beast was no doubt trapped. He crossed his arms over his face, bracing himself for the massive explosion that was to come when to his confusion, it didn't.
The twister continued to spin, though the light from their combined beams slowly diminished, before snuffing out completely. The young saiyan couldn't believe his eyes, as the familiar sound of the beast's shrieks reached his ears and the tornado was sucked out of the sky, revealing the now ballooned monster, completely unscathed.
"Oh shi-," Makhai started, when a cataclysmic explosion rocked the entire planet, bursting from the creature's jaws in a myriad of colour, sending shockwaves rushing towards them.
Eris screamed as she was caught in the blast, no longer protected by her attack. She was sent flying, her clothes smouldering and her wild hair completely dishevelled. Makhai caught her in midair, knocking the wind out of him before he and the rest of the recruits were hit by the aftershock, sending them tumbling to the ground in a heap. Gohan coughed, the dust from the wasteland filling his lungs. He was winded, though miraculously unhurt, the dark energy emitting from the monster stronger than ever before. His emerald eyes lit up with the fiery blasts that now erupted from it's acid dripping mouth, burning craters into the surface of the planet.
"Get off me you peasant!" Eris growled, gaining the others attention as they staggered to their feet.
The dark princess shoved Makhai off her, jumping down from his strong embrace before lifting her nose haughtily in the air. The fanged teen all but grinned cheekily, giving the halfling a wink.
"It's no use," Alala growled from several feet away, tossing several broken arrows to the floor, "It's skin is impregnable all of a sudden."
"Damn it," spat Kratos, regrouping as the beast continued to shriek, "our attacks are barely making a mark. This beast is far more powerful than it's offspring."
"Really now," said Makhai with a roll of his eyes, "I never would have guessed, honestly Kratos you're like a genius or something!"
"Now really isn't the time Makhai," said Alala seriously, as Kratos glared daggers at the ginger haired teen, "We need a plan to beat this thing before it destroys another galaxy!"
Gohan bit his lip, racking his brains as he tried to think of a way of how to beat a colossal monster with impenetrable skin that spat their attacks back at them whenever they got close to it, when a disgruntled noise distracted him. He sighed in relief, as Bia levitated before them, her tracksuit bloodied and torn in places, though she appeared otherwise fine.
"Bia," Kratos spoke, rushing towards her and grasping her delicate palm in his, "Are you alright?"
"I'm perfectly fine, Kratos," said Bia, her yellow eyes fixated on the beast who was busy decimating the mountain range nearby, "It feels great anger towards us."
Eris snarled in distaste, "It's feelings are the least of my concerns right now Bia."
"No that's not it," the older teenager spoke calmly, "It draws it's strength from anger, ignited from the flames of a thousand suns in it's belly. It feeds off of negative energy and chaos. The more negative energy it is exposed to, the stronger it becomes."
Makhai frowned, "So you're saying…."
"That we need to work together," she stated, her gaze drifting to Kratos who abruptly let go out of her hand, "Not an easy feat I'm aware, but that means letting go of our grudges, and believing in each other for once. Instead of dragging each other down and competing."
"Oh give me a break," snorted Deimos with a roll of his eyes.
"Not to rain on your noble parade Bia, but we are in a competition," said Makhai, as a debris of rocks flew overhead from the beasts onslaught, "We're not here to hold hands and braid each others hair, we're here to win."
As the others muttered their agreement, Gohan mustered boldly, "Bia is right."
Kratos turned to him, raising an eyebrow in amusement, "Oh? And what suddenly makes you the expert? This is your first mission newbie, know your place."
"Oh I know my place," the eleven year old spoke dangerously, "I was chosen for the same role you were Kratos, which like it or not makes me your competition."
The older teen blinked, as he continued, "I may not be as experienced as the rest of you, but right now that doesn't matter. We have a job to do, and what matters is that we finish it before that monster destroys everything in its path. I don't like it much either, but if Bia is right and it draws power from the negative energy that we all harbour for each other then we all have to swallow our pride, suck it up and beat this thing. At least for now."
The others stared, intrigued by the young half-saiyan's words until Makhai gave him a wicked grin, "Well, you've certainly got balls kid. And I'd be showing myself up if I didn't chip in after that little speech."
Gohan blushed, as Bia and Alala smiled.
"Surely you can't be serious!" Kratos spat, "Where is your sense of honour towards competition?!"
"They'll be no competition if we're all wiped from existence Kratos," Eris drawled, straightening her horned crown atop her head.
"Yeah so stop being a negative Nancy and help us beat this ugly git!" Makhai spouted cheerily, raising his arm and placing his hand in the centre of them all.
Gohan, Bia and Alala followed suit, their hands falling on top of the other in comradery, looking towards the others expectantly.
"I refuse," Kratos snarled, still glaring daggers at Gohan. Though with a pointed look from Bia he sighed, placing his hand on top of hers reluctantly.
"Yeah, no," said Eris, turning away from the group and kicking off into the air.
"In your dreams," Deimos scoffed, before following Eris swiftly into the sky.
"Oh well, suit yourselves," Makhai shrugged after them, lifting their hands in salute, "GO TEAM!"
"I can't wait for this to be over," Kratos drawled, as they all powered up and blasted towards the awaiting beast.
Gohan was the first to arrive to the fray after Eris and Deimos, who were showering the destructive monster with a calculated onslaught, courtesy of their fists. The young saiyan joined them in rapid succession, delivering a spinning kick to the beast's skull that sent a sonic boom echoing across the planes. But alas, it did no such damage. It's tentacles were wild, swiping at the air with such ferociousness that it was difficult to get close to the brute.
"TAKE THIS!" Makhai bellowed, stretching out his palms and releasing an enormous spherical blast that careened towards their enemy.
"NO DON'T!" Deimos cried, but it was too late, the monster opened it's black hole of a mouth and gulped the powerful orb down, whole.
It's skin glowed brightly, before it spat the energy back at them with another shock of an explosion, causing them to retreat so that they didn't get caught in it. They had barely escaped, smoking and slightly singed, when the green skinned hellion rounded on Makhai.
"IDIOT!" shouted Deimos, a vein protruding from his bald head, "Swallowing your energy only makes it stronger!"
"W-what?!" he yelled back, "It can do that too and you knew?! Why didn't you say anything before?!"
"Because you cretins were too busy kissing and making up!"
"Gohan noticed it too," said Bia, causing the halfling in question to gape at her, "He feels very bad about it and wishes he had mentioned it sooner."
"Bia!" Gohan whined as the others glowered at him, "Will you stop reading my mind please?!"
"Apologies young one," she smiled, "But your emotions are too strong to ignore, maybe you should work on controlling them more, it would be very useful in battle."
"Yeah let the newbie work on that after we've destroyed this thing Bia," said Eris, dusting off her tracksuit and kicking another rouge tentacle away from her.
"If you had listened to Master Whis instead of making ridiculous jokes," Deimos continued, still arguing, "Then you would have known that!"
"Oi! Positive thoughts remember?!" said Alala forcibly, before sighing, "This thing is already growing stronger by the second. Which reminds me, any ideas on how we're going to beat it?"
"Our only hope is to get through that wall of tentacles and hit it with everything we've got," mustered Kratos, "We could blast it like the last one, though we'd have to be careful not to let it eat our attack. If it does then there's no way we will be able to destroy it, and I don't plan on failing Master Whis today."
"So we need some kind of distraction?" Makhai smirked, bowing to them comically, "Say hello to your master of deception. That I can do."
"I can use magic to suspend it's tentacles enough for the rest of you to get through," said Deimos, "Though you idiots will have to be quick about it, with how powerful it's become I'm not sure how long it will hold."
"Sounds like a plan," said Alala, "If a combined blast that strong can penetrate it's skin, I could get one of my arrows through it."
"I suggest you go straight to it's chest cavity in that case," offered Eris, "Even the greatest monsters have hearts, I doubt this creature is any different. It'll be an instant kill."
"I'm in," said Bia, a silver silhouette encompassing her frame, "Kratos, will you do the honours of leading us into battle?"
The hardened warrior smirked back before turning to Gohan, "What say you boy, think you can handle a full frontal attack?"
The young saiyan grinned, though his emerald eyes remained as hard as steel, "Oh you bet I can."
Finally, they were working together.
"Then let's go!" Kratos yelled, and at once they hurtled back towards the beast, save Makhai and Deimos who shot to the ground, awaiting their next move.
Through the tangle of tentacles they flew, careful to avoid the sharp whipping appendages as they rushed the monster in a series of rapid attacks. It was difficult to get close, as the tentacles provided a wall of safety for the beast, and Gohan, being the smallest was the only one able to slip past.
"Careful!" Alala cried, kicking a tentacle out of it's murderous path as it headed towards the young saiyan.
Another hit the assassin in the calves, causing her to jolt forwards before Gohan caught her by the scruff of her hoodie to stop her from falling. The pair stood back to back, firing off smaller blasts away from the beast's gaping mouth to create a path for Makhai's distraction.
Kratos, Eris and Bia were over the other side of the monster's bulbous head, in much the same position. Their limbs blurring in motion as they fought off the shrieking beast.
"Oi beasty! Feast your eyes on this!" Came a sudden holler, and to Gohan's surprise it worked. The monster inclined it's head over to Makhai, who was now in plain sight thanks to the path they had created. It seemed that the beast was just as shocked as the young halfling was, as it came face to face with Makhai's naked backside that was waving in front of him from the ground.
Eris face-palmed, as Kratos roared, "THAT'S your master distraction?!"
"It's working isn't it?!" The younger teen smirked from between his legs, his trousers shamelessly resting on his ankles, "DEIMOS NOW!"
"Great Zalama among us," the green-skinned hellion sighed in exasperation, before waving his hands in a series of complex moves, and causing the beast's thrashing tentacles to stop in motion.
"Let's do it Gohan!" Bia shouted, a ball of white hot Ki building in each of her palms.
The pre-teen nodded, as both Kratos and Eris got into position and with a mighty roar, they all unleashed their most deadly attacks.
"TITANS WRATH!"
"ROYAL DISCORD!"
"THEMIS CRASH!"
"KAMEHAMEHAAAAAAAAAAA!" Gohan yelled, releasing his energy as the blast erupted from his palm.
To his delight, the combined blast hit the beast dead in the chest, and the monster was so distracted that it failed to react, it's tentacles still suspended in the air. The recruits poured every inch of their power into the beam, but ridiculously, it still hadn't broken through it's slimy skin. It was hurting, quite obviously so as it roared and squealed, attempting to move it's limbs as smoke rose from it's chest cavity over where they presumed it's heart to be.
"KEEP PUSHING!" Kratos bellowed, sweat pouring from his brow as he channelled more energy into the blast.
The young saiyan gritted his teeth, just how much was it going to take to kill this thing?!
"Hurry up!" Deimos cried over the beam struggle, his outstretched hands quivering against the beast's might, "I can't hold this for much longer!"
"We need to get closer!" Alala shouted, kicking off from her spot on the ground and drawing her bow, "More power!"
"Gotcha!" Makhai growled, his trousers thankfully back where there should be, firing another sphere of amber energy towards the monster, "HAAAAAAAA!"
It careened over their heads, crashing into the creatures scales in an explosive wave of power. It howled in pain, and the familiar smell of burning flesh tickled Gohan's nostrils. Sickly green blood oozed from the great gash in the beast's chest, and Alala swiftly fired her arrow, the Ki infused spear shining brightly as it careened expertly towards the monster's heart.
"Damn it!" Deimos spat suddenly, his magical grip on the tentacles loosening.
In an instant, the deadly limbs began to thrash, crashing into Gohan and the others, their beams cutting off abruptly. The young saiyan cried out as he was sent flying into a nearby cliff face, the rock crumbling around him as his back painfully hit the jagged surface. He was bleeding profusely from a gash in his side, his head spinning from the impact. But he didn't even register the amount of pain he was in, as a blood curdling scream cut through the air, causing his mouth to run dry and his eyes to widen in horror.
The alien creature had attacked them in a blind fury, and Alala was close. Too close. It felt as though it was happening in slow motion, as the beast grabbed her around the waist with one of it's newly free tentacles, squeezing her so tightly that Gohan could have sworn he heard her ribs crack. The recruits watched with gripping terror as it opened it's gaping mouth even wider, and then, just like how Eris' tornado had sucked the monster into it's depths, did the beast suck the light and heat from the red hot sun above them, and swallowed Alala down it's thick throat immediately after.
Gohan's blood ran cold, and he was certain that the icy feeling wasn't all to do with the fact that the sun had been snuffed out as easily as blowing out a birthday candle. The planet had been engulfed in complete darkness, his breath forming clouds in the freezing air. It felt as though he had been temporarily dunked underwater, his hearing distant and his brain cloudy, until a monstrous roar broke through the surface, and he realised that the wasteland surrounding him was on fire.
"ALALA!" He cried, coming to his senses, "NO! ALALA!"
He felt someone grab him from behind, stopping him from charging at the rampaging beast in front of him, who was too busy breathing fire than to pay any attention to the remaining recruits on the ground.
"Gohan!" Makhai yelled, the pre-teen realising it was his friend who had hold of him, "Gohan we need to leave!"
"W-what?!" he gaped, struggling out of his incredibly strong hold, "Leave?! We can't just leave! Alala is inside that monster!"
Makhai didn't look too happy about it either, the dancing flames casting shadows over his face. Though it was Kratos that spoke.
"She's as good as gone," he stated boldly, shaking his head in distain, "We need to depart before that beast devours us too."
Gohan couldn't believe what he was hearing, their solemn faces staring back at him. Were they all just going to give up so easily? Well he wouldn't. He couldn't just leave Alala, his friend, his comrade. The only one to comfort him on his first night of the camp. They had spent too much time trying to defeat this beast who had taken away countless worlds, he wasn't let it get away with it, especially after eating his friend!
"Fine, you go if you want to," he growled back, "I'm going to get Alala out."
"You're a fool!" Deimos spat, his dark eyes wide and frantic, "Without the sun we will perish within minutes! We may be dead and immune to most climates, but this isn't one of them!"
The young boy gulped, his eyes hardening, "I have to try."
"Try all you want, it's no use!" Kratos roared, "Alala is gone. The best we can do is ask Master Whis to bring us back to Lord Beerus' world before we all cease to exist! We will take solace in the hopes that we can bring that best to justice before it destroys any more suns! Where I come from, to retreat and regroup is the best course of action in defeating a powerful enemy, before anyone else gets slain."
"Alala is still in there," Gohan glowered, his hands balling up into fists as a ripple of electricity rippled across his torso, "I can sense her energy, and where I come from, we don't leave anyone behind. No matter what the cost."
With that, the halfling kicked off from the ground, ignoring the irate shouts behind him. The air was unbearably cold, freezing Gohan's insides down to the bone. He didn't really have a plan of sorts, he just knew he had to get to Alala, her Ki was weakened but it was most certainly still there. The creature had a weak point, he knew that, they had managed to penetrate it's solid scales and as a result there was a gaping hole in it's chest. Still, there was a matter of getting past it's tentacles and dodging it's acidic saliva. He swallowed dryly, he prayed that Alala hadn't been too hurt by it's deadly insides.
But how could he get her out? The hole they had made on the outside was too small, and by now the girl would surely be making her way through it's intestines. If only he could make a bigger exit! The monster roared again, its enormous mouth spitting and snapping at the air, the light from the fires dancing in it's dark eyes. It seemed enchanted, memorised by the light -
And it was then did Gohan get a very brave, and very stupid idea.
He stopped suddenly in the air, gathering a small ball of Ki in his palm and firing towards it's gigantic pupil, making a direct hit.
The beast squealed in agony, breaking out of it's trance and rounding on the half-saiyan who stood strong on the ground in front of it. Gohan let an almighty bellow escape his chest, ignoring the icy chill from the roaring winds he created as he pulled every part of his energy to the surface. His emerald eyes grew darker, as his blonde hair spiked further atop of his head, leaving a stubborn bang wavering over his forehead. He growled menacingly, his golden aura gathering around him as his power surged, building and building so that he now resembled a shining golden beacon in amongst the desolate wasteland. The fires blew out, the air from the sunless sky growing ever colder. Icicles began to form on cliff faces and rocks as the dusty ground hardened with frost.
"GOHAN!" He heard Makhai yell from somewhere in the distance, "WHAT THE BLEEDING HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
Though the young boy ignored him, his blazing aura growing ever bigger and brighter, electricity sparking and crackling in amongst the dancing flames that encompassed his body. The amount of light he was emitting seemed to enchant the beast, who slithered towards him at a surprisingly quick speed. He could hear the shouts of the other recruits as the monster towered above him, and opened it's mouth, exposing the great gaping maw of teeth drenched in sizzling acid that caused the rows and rows of gums to smoke and sizzle. The heat radiating from the monster was suffocating, though the pre-teen grinned wickedly through the humid air.
"You seem pretty tough to be able to swallow whole suns," said Gohan, still grinning, "Let's see if you can handle a super saiyan."
If his heart was any use at all, he was certain it would be pounding by now. Though the halfling stood strong, allowing the beast to come forth. The other recruits then watched, with horror, as the youngest recruit disappeared into the monster's mouth, swallowing him hole in the same way it had taken Alala.
"No Gohan!" Makhai yelled desperately, starting forwards until he was forcibly pulled back by a raging Kratos.
"You're not going after him!" the older teenager snarled, as Bia screamed after the young boy, "I won't have any more of you idiots die on my watch!"
"Get off him!" Eris spat, prying his strong hands off the red head though keeping hold of him herself, "Let's go Makhai, there's nothing we can do. Maybe Master Whis-"
"Master Whis is going to be so disappointed in us," sighed Deimos, "Either way, we should get going before we cease to exist."
"Poor Gohan, poor Alala," Bia sniffed, "We should have stopped them."
Kratos said nothing, though his eyes averted momentarily towards the seemingly indestructible monster. Makhai's shoulders visibly slumped, tears welling in his eyes.
"It was their own fault," Deimos said snidely, "This would never have happened if one of us just took charge. Working together? Ha! I've never heard of anything so ridiculous in all of my afterlife-!"
His rant was cut short, however, by a soft golden glow that seemed to be emitting from the literal belly of the beast. The ball of light started off small, then it started to grow and grow, getting bigger, stronger, brighter with every passing second. The beast made a startled noise, it's bulbous head darting around in confusion, it's eyes widening in sheer horror as it glanced at it's rapidly expanding, golden belly.
"Er, are you lot seeing what I'm seeing?" Makhai asked meekly, the sound of energy charging ringing in their ears.
KA-BOOM!
The inter-dimensional monster exploded in a shower of brilliant light and fragments of jelly-like flesh. Copious amounts of acid rained upon them like a downpour in a thunderstorm. Deimos immediately mustered a force field, protecting them from the flesh-burning liquid. But as they looked across the wasteland, their eyes widened in disbelief and amazement.
For there, amongst the smoking pile of remains of the beast, was Gohan. His hair was still ablaze with gold, his aura pulsating around his body in refreshing waves of light in the darkness. He looked a little worse for wear, what with his skin red and sizzled in places and his tracksuit trousers burnt to tatters. But he was still standing. Standing with his stance strong as he held a similarly burnt and frazzled Alala protectively in his arms. She was still breathing, thank goodness, although her violet skin was red raw and her tracksuit barely covered the rest of her body.
Gohan breathed a sigh of relief, giving the flabbergasted group in the shield a goofy smile before his golden hair reverted back to black and his onyx eyes rolled to the back of his head. He felt his body hit the icy ground, the weight of Alala firmly on top of him as Makhai's voice cut through the air. He had no idea what he had said, though in his semi-conscious state it sounded like a very rude word. Though Gohan didn't have time to contemplate any longer, as he allowed himself to fall into nothingness.
"…stupid brat nearly got us all killed."
"Yeah right... saved us all!"
"...bit of an exaggeration."
"You're just jealous ... didn't think of it first Deimos-"
"Like I'd be ... stupid half-breed!"
"- I mean, what nutter thinks of that? Oh hang on a tick, I'll just jump into the gaping mouth of an inter-dimensional beast with a thousand teeth to save my mate and kill the thing from the inside!"
The first thing that Gohan noticed, was that there was a lot of voices surrounding him. The second, was that he was lying on something very comfortable, something very comfortable that he had grown all too familiar with in the last few weeks, months or however long he had been here. But why were they all here in his sleeping quarters? Surrounding his bed? The last thing he remembered was battling that immensely powerful inter-dimensional beast, falling into the endless abyss of teeth and then -
He gasped, jolting upright immediately and snapping open his eyes, coming to rest on a pair of smiling golden eyes.
"Morning Hero! How you feeling?" Makhai jested, causing the young saiyan to recoil away from him in shock.
"Argh!" He yelped, "Do you have to sit so close?!"
"Charming that," the older boy scoffed, leaning back on the chair closed to his bedside, "And I've been by your side ever since you got yourself out of that beast. Holding your hand, stroking your hair, whispering sweet nothings in your ear…"
"He hasn't stopped sobbing since we got you back here," said Eris, who was standing next to him, "It was rather pathetic actually."
"Your just jealous of the manly bond we share," Makhai huffed.
"Hardly," she replied with a roll of her eyes.
"Where's Alala, is she alright?" Gohan asked, cutting across them.
"She's just fine, thanks to you," came a voice, and the young saiyan was relieved to find that the girl in question was sat at the foot of his bed, a beaming smile upon her face, and fully healed.
He smiled back, glad to see that they had all made it off that desolate planet in one piece. They were all there, Bia was stood next to Alala, an affectionate hand resting upon her shoulder, whilst Deimos and Kratos stood a ways off, the latter staring out of the enormous window with an unreadable expression upon his features. Gohan looked down, realising he was wearing his shiny golden pyjama's, and he was free of burns and crimson dirt.
"It's lucky that your head is so thick-skulled, else you wouldn't have survived that," Deimos sneered, though there was a spark of amusement hidden deep within his eyes.
"Um thanks?" mustered Gohan, causing the other recruits to laugh.
"Crazy stunt you pulled there," said Makhai, shaking his head, "mind telling us just where all that power is hiding in such a tiny-"
"Now now, thanks enough interrogation don't you think?"
The recruits turned, surprised to see that their mentor had suddenly appeared in the centre of the boys sleeping chamber.
"Master Whis?" the young halfling blinked, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to congratulate you on your victory," said Whis, his lips quirked into a smile, "I must say I was pleasantly surprised that you all survived when I came to retrieve you, not to mention having taken care of the Supreme Kai's problem so quickly. He is most delighted. Though you managed to get yourself into a bit of a mess didn't you Gohan? You certainly know how to keep things interesting."
"Well, I couldn't just leave Alala there," he mustered, blushing bright crimson.
"And do you think I would have too?" he asked, causing the recruits to gape.
"W-what?"
"My dear boy, I was watching the whole time," said Whis, "I wouldn't leave any of my recruits to perish at such a crucial time. A new God of Destruction needs to be selected after all, and with less recruits it means less chance of finding one now doesn't it?"
The young saiyan couldn't believe his ears, although it made complete sense. Whis really wasn't going to leave them to be wiped from existence! Well now he just felt silly.
"That being said," the deity continued, "The dedication you showed to your comrade today was exemplary, not to mention the boldness and bravery you showed when standing up to your peers."
He didn't think his face could get any redder, when Whis turned to the other recruits, "And I do believe that you've all learned an important lesson from this task. For the power of one, if fearless and focussed is formidable, though the power of working together is far greater. Congratulations to all of you."
"Thank you Master," they chorused, bowing their heads in respect.
Whis smiled, "Now I will need all of you to work together to make sure that our youngest recruit stays on bed rest for the foreseeable future."
"W-what?!" Gohan gaped, "But why?! I need to train! I need to get stronger!"
"Your enthusiasm is commendable Gohan," said the Angel with a sigh, "But rest is just as important as training."
Something sang within his memories, it was the same words his father had used before The Cell Games. At a time when Gohan had wondered why his father seemed so calm, when the world was falling apart, counting down the days to their inevitable doom. How could his father be so care free at a time like this? Did he have a secret weapon or something? But of course, there was a weapon. Gohan himself.
He gulped, as Whis' calculated gaze surveyed him. Did he know? Was he reading his mind?
"Yeah I need a rest after all that," said Makhai, shaking him out of his thoughts, "You nearly gave me a heart attack mate."
"You can't have a heart attack if your dead, stupid," said Eris.
"Then why do your words hurt so much?" he weeped mockingly, clutching a hand to his chest.
"Either way, a couple of days rest would be good for you Gohan," said Whis knowingly, "A Saiyan gets stronger when they come back from the brink of death after all."
"What?!" Deimos gaped, "How is that even fair?"
"Can that work still if I'm already dead?" asked the halfling, cutting across him.
"Nothing is impossible," the blue-skinned deity replied happily, "Come now everyone, Lord Beerus' sheets won't change themselves now will they?"
"Pretty sure you've got the power to just make them do that if you wanted them to," Makhai drawled, ruffling Gohan's hair playfully before begrudgingly following the others back down the spiral staircase.
He sighed, it was nightfall already, and he turned his head to gaze out the window at the twinkling stars, jumping when he realised that he was not alone.
"Kratos?" he mustered tentatively, realising that the older boy had been staring at him for quite some time.
The ancient warrior sighed, his muscular arms folded across his chest as he stepped away from the window. The young saiyan stared back, the boys expression still unreadable. They were silent for a while, making Gohan feel uneasy, when finally he said -
"I was wrong."
"Huh?"
"I was wrong," repeated Kratos, "About you."
"Y-you were?" he blinked disbelievingly.
"What you did out there today was… noble," he said slowly, "And even though I still believe you are too young and inexperienced to be here… you're not entirely useless."
"Er, thank you?"
"Don't mention it," Kratos shrugged, taking long strides towards the staircase before he stopped, his eyes hardening at Gohan, "Seriously, don't mention it, or else I'll think twice about saving your backside should you decide to act so valiantly on another mission. Am I clear?"
"Crystal," Gohan gulped, watching as he disappeared beyond the staircase.
He sighed as soon as his footsteps retreated, flopping himself down on the fluffy pillows and breathing deeply, his body finally relaxing into the mattress.
Rest was good after all, Gohan was a boy who certainly enjoyed his sleep. He knew his body must heal fully before he began training again for want of him not injuring himself, though he wasn't certain just how durable he was now he was dead. He wasn't stupid after all, it was obvious that Whis had someway to heal him, and had done so partly, so that it allowed for his stamina and strength to heal naturally. Whether it be for a biological reason or for him to just learn a lesson, he wasn't sure, Whis was a complicated character after all. Whichever way it was, it was certainly boring. He didn't want to be stuck in his sleeping chambers for the next few days when he had been spending all of his time here pushing his body and brain to the limits.
He sighed again, the pile of unread books on his bedside cabinet taunting him. He did have a lot to get through still after all, the other recruits were way ahead of him in terms of book smarts, which had been an unusual notion to grasp for a boy genius such as Gohan. Making his decision, the halfling sat up, grabbing the top one off the pile and bringing it into bed with him, lying on his side as he inspected it, the soft glow from the stars illuminating the engraving on the leather bound cover.
The Hero, Perses
He frowned, it was the very book that Makhai had given him on his first day at the camp. One of which he had never read, though Alala had apparently said was interesting. It wasn't required reading, though seemed like a good read to indulge himself in after an epic battle. He could worry about the required texts later, he was a fast reader after all. It wasn't a huge book by any means, so shouldn't take him more than a couple of hours. Then he could get onto the hard stuff.
Settling himself down comfortably, the young saiyan flipped the cover. It was an ancient text in every meaning of the word, the pages worn, yellow and faded and the leather binding smooth and fraying. The words were handwritten in ink, with neat loops and swirls joining up the lettering. As his onyx eyes scanned the first paragraph, a bubble of excitement grew in his chest. It was a fantasy it seemed, about an old war hero. Gohan loved reading about war heroes.
Three-hundred and twenty-one years before age, a boy was born on an ancient planet that has long since been lost to time. Though this story begins some years before that, when a lonely Kai of Supreme divinity stumbled across the galaxy it resided in. A humble planet to the outside galaxies, though housed some of the most powerful warriors the universe has ever seen. The Kai, of benevolent beauty and wisdom fell in love with an accomplished fighter with an extraordinary heart. And it wasn't long before their love created a new life, in the form of a baby boy. The boy, who they named Perses, was said to be the strongest of them all.
Bound to duty beyond her control, the Kai had no choice but to leave her love and son in the realm of the living, whilst she returned to her sacred realm. The laws of the divine did not permit her to see them again, but despite this, her son prospered.
Half mortal, half God, the boy was baptised in the fire of combat from an early age. Taught never to retreat, never to surrender and told that death on the battle field was the greatest glory that he could achieve in his life. The traditions of thousands of years of warrior society fled through his veins, the beating hearts of his ancestors pounded in his ears as he faced battle after epic battle. He bore everything his father had taught him like a shield, that protected him in times of turmoil, for which he would always overcome. The warriors of his planet looked towards him to lead the next generation of soldiers, he was their light, their beacon of hope and posterity.
Though Perses did not truly know what he was, for want of his father trying to protect him. He did not wish the boy to harbour bad feelings towards the mother that left him, nor to the Gods that had created the universe. Instead, Perses was told that his mother was an incredible warrior who had perished in an epic battle weeks after his birth. And so Perses did not know or understand his power fully. He and his comrades were aware that he had an enormous amount of hidden potential, that would appear in great times of danger or rage. It would come in fleeting, short waves of unbelievable intensity, but would always vanish with the moment.
Perses would not understand the true extent of his potential until he was twenty-one years old, when his race were caught up in a great war on a galactic scale. It has been said that it was the greatest war the universe has ever seen, though Perses, valiant and strong, the hero of his planet led his planet to glory. However, he was still but a boy, young and inexperienced, the heights of the power he had achieved causing him to become cocky and reckless. He became negligent of the task at hand, and his father, whom he had loved and looked up to all of his life, was slaughtered by the enemy.
Blaming himself and overcome by grief and anger, Perses' power erupted, overwhelming the enemy and destroying the fiends responsible for starting the great war. Unfortunately, the young man's influx of energy was too great, and his comrades, bruised and wounded from battle were unable to stop him from destroying himself. Perses was destroyed by his own power, the very same power that he believed he could have used to stop the enemy from killing his father.
Though Perses' journey was not over, and instead of passing on to The Otherworld, he was selected by an Angel to become the next God of Destruction. The Angel had been watching Perses for quite some time, and grew interested in the young man's incredible hidden strengths. Perses accepted to become the current destroyer's successor without a moments hesitation, wanting to make a difference to the universe and make up for the mistakes he had made in his life. As the years flew by, Perses power grew. He harnessed the energy of destruction, along with obtaining Ki so great that he was almost able to rival the God of Destruction himself. Through this power, he had achieved greatness as a junior destroyer, and was on the path to becoming a righteous and benevolent God.
However, one night, a prophecy came to light from the Oracle of the divine world. Something sparked within Perses, an obsession so great that it started to warp his mind. He became weary of mortals and their flaws, he developed the belief that the Gods should be doing more to wipe the stain of life from the universe. The Angel grew concerned, and confronted him. He told him of his true parentage in the hopes that it would help Perses to understand that Gods and mortals could live in harmony, and that neither were of greater value than the other. Unfortunately, Perses did not take lightly to the revelation, and it drove him mad. He had completely lost sight of the hero he once was, and, believing that the universe was corrupt and unjust, attempted to destroy it, in order to rebuild.
Knowing what he truly was, he created a monster than began to lay waste to the universe, causing chaos throughout the cosmos. Though the Angel did not know of his plans, having had grown fond of the young man over the years, blinded by the love he felt as though he was his own son, unable to accept that he had noticed the darkness building in his heart.
Imbedded in lies and deception, Perses read the great texts of history, gaining in-depth knowledge of divine and mortal ways to take over the universe. In it, he found the legend of an ancient sword, a sword of immeasurable power that with it, he would no doubt become unstoppable. Perses felt betrayed that the Angel had not mentioned to him, and came to the realisation that his mentor had become suspicious of the young destroyer in traning. The sword harboured a secret that Perses knew if it fell into any other hands but his own would surely put an end to him and his plans, just like the prophecy had foretold. For you see, the secret of the sword was -
The page had been ripped out.
Gohan blinked, flicking through the rest of the pages that didn't seem to have any more of the story to it. Just bits and pieces of old heroic feats that this Perses had achieved before he had seemingly died. He sighed, tossing the book towards the end of the bed. What a waste of time, and the story was just getting good!
He had an odd feeling about it though, this Perses person seemed very similar to himself. The fact that he had tremendous hidden strength that had inadvertently gotten his father killed, not to mention that he was spirited away to become the next God of Destruction instead of passing onto Otherworld, he was even a half-breed for goodness sake! Gohan felt a shiver run down his spine, it was stupid. It was only a story after all. Maybe he just felt a little weird because he had been eaten by a giant inter-dimensional monster only a few hours prior.
Something tingled in the back of his senses, and soon enough did the sound of small footsteps reach his ears. He smiled as Alala's dark hair appeared at the top of the staircase, she grinned back as she approached, an enormous tray of food in her hands.
"I thought you might be hungry," the assassin winked, gliding over to him, "And I'm not going to get in Whis' bad books for not making sure you're fed."
Gohan's stomach growled loudly, causing the two youngsters to laugh.
Her smile widened as she sat herself down on the edge of the bed, watching him devouring everything without a moments hesitation.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to how much you eat," she chuckled, as he forced a whole hunk of meat down his throat whole.
"I always get super hungry after a fight," he replied with a loud belch, swallowing his mouthful, "Whoops, sorry."
Alala waved him off, though her nose was wrinkled slightly in distaste, "So how are you holding up here by yourself? You bored yet?"
"I was," said Gohan, wiping his sticky mouth with the napkin on the tray, "I was reading that storybook you gave to Makhai, but the rest of the pages were ripped out."
"Storybook?" she frowned, confused.
"Yeah, that one over there," he said, pointing to the thick binder at the foot of his bed.
Alala grabbed it, her eyes widening slightly, "Yeah Gohan, this isn't a storybook."
"It's not?"
"No, it's real."
The young saiyan nearly choked on his next mouthful, "R-real?!"
"Of course it is," she sighed, "though I suppose you wouldn't know being a newbie. It's a history book written by Master Zuno."
"Who's Master Zuno?" he asked, come to think of it he hadn't noticed an author.
"To be honest, no one is certain who he is or where he came from," Alala explained sheepishly, "Though he knows everything about everyone in our universe and all that has ever happened. Because of this, he demands the upmost respect, he could tell you things about yourself that even you didn't know."
Gohan's eyes widened, "Have you ever met him?"
"No," she replied, "Though I know a few spirits that have. Some go looking for answers from him, but there are some things just not worth knowing. He and his attendants write a lot of the texts we read for our training, including history books about past heroes and deities. I don't know whether they've been ordered to do it by any other higher power, or if they just do it as a hobby. All I know is that one day my name will be there, displayed in the library of heroes and Gods. Who knows, after what you did today they might write a book about you too!"
"Oh I don't know about that," he said, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks before a thought popped into his mind, "So if this story about Perses is true, then what happened?"
"I'm not sure," Alala sighed, "someone had already ripped out the pages by the time I came across it."
"But who would do that?"
"I have my suspicions," she said thoughtfully, "Though I haven't mentioned it to anyone, I didn't want to be blasphemous after all. I tried to tell Makhai about it, but you know what he's like, I bet he hasn't even read the damn book!"
Gohan said nothing, he didn't want Makhai to get into trouble.
"I've managed to do a bit more research about this Perses," she continued, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Apparently this bloke was unbelievably strong, almost as strong as Lord Beerus!"
"W-what?" he blinked, "So you're saying that the God of Destruction he was succeeding was supposed to be Lord Beerus?"
"Well duh!" Alala exclaimed, "Master Zuno only writes about things that happened in universe seven, because that's what he knows! Destroyer Gods live for billions of years, and Angels have been around since the dawn of existence! Why do you think Whis is in such a big rush to find the next God of Destruction? Do you really think after that many years of practice he'd leave it until the last minute? No, it's because there was a candidate, long before us, that turned into a complete nutcase because of some prophecy that predicted his destruction!"
"That's mental!" Gohan gasped, reeling from shock over the revelation, "But Perses isn't around now, I wonder what happened to him?"
"My only guess is that Lord Beerus destroyed him before he completely wrecked the universe," said Alala, "But if what the book says if true and Whis loved Perses like a son, it must have been a difficult decision to make. Angels aren't usually capable of mortal emotion, they don't procreate or have any desire to do such things. Angels have a duty to train their appointed God, serve them and await the next. It's unusual for a deity like Whis to harbour those feelings. That's why I think Whis was the one to rip the rest of the pages out."
"Even so, poor Whis," the pre-teen said dejectedly, his mind whirring. Just because someone wasn't deemed capable of love didn't mean that it didn't happen. Look at Piccolo for example, he was his father's greatest enemy, the reincarnation of a Demon King who had once laid waste to the entire planet. But because of Gohan he had changed, he had loved the young boy like a son and had even sacrificed himself for him.
His breath caught in his throat, would Piccolo still see him as a son despite the path he had chosen?
"Thinking of home again?" Alala asked, jumping him out of his thoughts.
"Am I really that obvious?" he sighed guilty, as the girl gave him a knowing smile.
"Perhaps," she shrugged, "Bia was right in saying that you wear your emotions on your sleeve."
"Yeah, sorry," said Gohan, "I need to work on that."
"Nah," said Alala with a reassuring wink, "Let them think what they want. I don't think it's such a bad thing. After all, it's what makes you you, Hero."
He flung his pillow at her, hitting her square in the face. They laughed heartily, the aftermath of battle and troubles of the Gods melted into the back of their minds as their pillow fight continued into the night.
Or at least until Deimos kicked them out anyway.
10th June, 2018.
Reviews:
Aaron Leach : Thank you!
Mayonaka Yue: Thanks, hope you enjoyed the fight!
Lightningblade49: thanks for your review, glad you got that vibe from Kratos. So he's not completely redeemed, but hey at least he admitted he was wrong in this chapter right? There will be more of Kratos and his character to be explored as the story goes on. As for super saiyan two, I kept it as such as I didn't want to break into super saiyan three too quickly, but it will certainly come soon ;)
victor0606 : Thank you :)
yunayuu: thanks! Keep coming back!
iikd: aw thank you! sorry you're not happy with the pairing, but I aim to do the whole Gohan and Videl thing very differently. Things will happen in this story (spoiler) that will make Videl act slightly differently to how she does in the original, which I aim to be very entertaining. Hope you are able to give it a chance despite the Gohan/Videl being over done! But I just wanted to keep some things true to the original at least ;)
Chosen To Die: Thank you so much! That review means the world!
Animefortin95: Oh I think so too ;)
X3runner : not sure what you mean by parking? I aim to keep Gohan moving up through the ranks of super saiyan, gives some more background and explanation to his power and what he can achieve in that sense ;) Im not doing dragonball heroes stuff, not too familiar with that really! Thanks for reviewing!
ArkonWinfel: haha good spot! they didn't pay attention because they are all a bit bigheaded and focussed on their own power. You are right that the beast consumed light rather than aura though xD
ashlovesdbz: thank you for the fabulous review! Glad you are feeling connected to the characters and the pace is good! :)
Guest: Thank you!
Iwik: haha thank you! I like Gohan the cuddle monkey too :3 bless him. Im not sure how long this story is going to be, but I'm not imagining it to be a 70 odd chapter extravaganza nor a 20 chapter short story. If you think of an average book around 30-50 chapters its probably going to end up somewhere around there :)
Guest: some more snippets of the recruits pasts will be revealed, but I'm not aiming to go too far in depth with them just because they have all been dead for centuries and its not imperative to the story. Also I don't want to detract from Gohan's story too much! :)