Jeez life has been kicking my butt (and this chapter!)
I ended up revising my outlines a few times, soooo in the end I'm not sure how many more chapters I'll need to finish the Solitude Arc. It was supposed to be 26, but this is chapter n°28. I guess it'll end at 30... Sorry :')
Hope you'll forgive me and enjoy this extra long chapter while I wrap everything up in this arc, in preparation of the next one! :D
On the other website there's art matching the first part of this chapter, but otherwise you can find it under "my trunks" tag on tumblr
As always, your reviews (that aren't "an opportunity for collaboration" :-| ) and thoughts really help me stay motivated and focused as soemtimes I feel like nobody but me cares haha so please do keysmash, concrit, scream into the void, ask questions, etc... (albeit the other website allows me to resopnd to questions more easily, or feel free to ask me on my social media (vondbz or secretsofdbz depending on the website) ^^)
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"You sure we can look at this?"
"Shhh big sis' gonna catch us…"
Two young teenagers were carrying over a bunch of different open Scrolls, all tied together by different strings. They had to hide between two different storage shelves of the old library containing all the Time Scrolls they were tasked to preserve.
It was a mess to unroll this set in particular to have a proper look due to how tangled everything was. They had stolen —borrowed!— these in particular to have a peek at how Chronoa's oldest employee was recruited.
Chronoa herself was absent, so sneaking in a corner of the vast library to indulge in some well-placed curiosity hadn't been too hard. Their big sister, as they called her, would seek them out if she believed they were up to no good, so they had to be quick before their absence rang any alarm bells.
Star was just that kind of mischievous soul, and Comet couldn't really resist her own curiosity about the circumstances behind the formation of the Time Patrol. After all, Chronoa had only said she recruited 'Tora' out of necessity, and 'Tora' wasn't the kind to open up about her own circumstances.
So they snooped on the Scrolls and their mends and how they were all connected and torn together in different parts. Clearly a mess that had to be repaired several times.
"So big sis was already a time traveler before becoming a patroller…" Comet remarked.
"Mhm, Mrs Nova was the origin of most of it with that old Time Machine technology…" Star added. "I mean if anyone could've invented such a thing out of scraps and the power engine of a Space Pod, it had to be a version of your mom, right?"
Comat nodded with a knowing smile. "Of course, Mama's amazing like that, no matter which version!"
"She truly is, but she burns toast," Star taunted and Comet tssked. Truth hurt, but then Star noticed something. "Here, look! A tear that Lady T mended…"
In the Scroll with the most mends and strings, Star pointed at a particular small, barely noticeable fix. Comet leaned and gave it a closer look with her squinted eyes, quite curious about the events themselves as she noticed the moment this fix intervened at.
767. That was Chronoa's first intervention as Supreme Kai of Time in the Scroll, at least the first one chronologically. As they looked closely at the repairs, the girls saw their boss return Tora's soul to her body; her presence and subsequent death in a scroll that wasn't hers seemingly had caused one of the many issues that had caused this scroll to be so sensitive to tears. Almost beyond repair.
Star could see a young version of her dad, much younger than she was right now, side by side with Vegeta, and the two girls noticed Tora's unique hair color behind them.
"Big sis did really die protecting Dad, didn't she…" Star sighed, her fingers running on the scroll.
"It seems so," Comet whispered. "She's wearing Papa's armor, too."
The two of them heard stories about the events surrounding the Cell Games, but always sugar coated. It was Comet's father who had eventually confided about how 'his heir died protecting that reckless idiot' when warning her about getting drunk on power and to not drag fights for no reason. Moon even whispered that it was then that he understood it was one of the ways Earthlings expressed love.
Comet had then told the story to Star, and the two of them had gone to Astro to get his version, which he gave after much insistence. He had been reserved in his tale, and he conveyed he was worried 'Tora-san' wouldn't be able to come back to life because three years prior, Shenron couldn't act upon universes that weren't his own, but it ended up working, thankfully.
Turns out Shenron did have trouble bringing Tora back to life, hence the mend they were observing.
"Ah, but Lady T's not alone, look, there's a Time Patroller with her."
Indeed, a cloaked figure with red hair and a white and red mask was with Chronoa. The young version of Gohan and Vegeta were ready to attack, but the Patroller knocked out poor Gohan and submitted Vegeta before the Senzu thrown by Krillin reached him.
"The tiger mask, that's gotta be big sis," Comet pointed at the masked silhouette who held Vegeta up on his knees, forcing him to look at how Chronoa broke a vial over Tora's body. The long red hair was a truly strange sight.
"Yes that has to be her, but her hair is all weird…"
"That's because our hair has a special super recognizable shade, so she's probably disguised," Comet chuckled, playing with her own turquoise hair. Even if Tora's hair was more on the lavender shade, they both had the 'Brief' hues that were unmistakable.
"From Lady T's perspective it's not the first time they've met, since she'd already recruited her," Star concluded.
As they saw it, technically speaking, it had been Tora's first encounter with Chronoa, both agreed, but Chronoa already knew Tora as another Tora was helping her making sure her own resurrection happened. In other words, the Chronoa they were looking at had already recruited Tora.
"Aw look at her, she looked so confused..."
Star was positively endeared by Tora's reaction as she came back to her senses. Tora looked confused and ill at ease, uncomfortable because she was wearing only Vegeta's armor as a top. Comet remembered her father telling her about it. The girls both saw the joy in Gohan's face as he hugged 'Tora-san' and Comet even remarked how Vegeta looked somehow more relaxed when he left the moment he knew Tora was alright.
"Our Papas really cared a lot about her from the very beginning."
"Without her we wouldn't exist, in a way, so it's only deserved, right Bra-chan?"
"Yep! We gotta keep this in the blackmail folder," Comet chuckled, cunning and happy to use the newly found information to her advantage. Star seemed to agree with a bright laugh.
"Curious they never said Lady T was there, uh?" Star had to wonder out loud.
"Mhhh probably because the intervention left no trace," the other said while her finger ran over the barely visible mend on the Scroll.
"Oh! So they were erased from their memories!"
The Supreme Kai of Time and her Time Patroller had disappeared right as Tora came back to life and the tear was fully mended, so the witnesses actually forgot about their intervention.
"There's tears in the scrolls that were repaired oddly," Comet noticed while looking at the rest of them. "Look, Pan-chan, those are big sis' repairs, but it was before she was recruited."
Star looked closer. Repairs were made before she even became a Time Patroller, that was so strange… And why 787? Why travel further into the future? She squinted and traced the trails between the different scrolls with the tip of her fingers. This whole ordeal had affected the world where they both came from, but long before they were born. She found the origin.
"Is that another Time Machine?"
"Seems so.. and big sis returned it to where it came from… But it did another round trip almost immediately."
"Ah, I remember now! Dad told me about a certain 'Trunks-san'."
"Isn't that big sis?"
"I don't think so, Dad always called big sis 'Tora-san' and your dork bro 'Trunks-kun', so it has to be someone else… And this has to be this other Trunks' Time Machine. He told me they went to meet the Namekians to fix Earth because Trunks-san had died, or something along those lines."
Comet pondered and looked over again at the mends in the tears in the fragile textile. "So this means after the Cell Games, big sis returned that Time Machine to its rightful 'Trunks' and later returned home."
Star seemed to agree with the condensed version of events and looked at the other torn sections of the Scrolls.
"Mhm, Dad didn't give me the details when he was telling me those stories, he just said they had to do right by that version of Bulma-san. And after that, big sis returned to her own home, and he told me they saw her win against the Cyborgs of her time through a drone."
"Yeah, seems there's a mess in the scrolls because of all those trips with two different Time Machines… Oh, look, she came back around when your parents met!"
"Uh? No way! How come I never heard of that?" Star tilted her head, nudged her friend away so she could see. "This means this isn't where we come from? Dad never mentioned seeing Tora again after she left when he was ten."
"No, no, this is our original Scroll. Well, parts of it, considering how it splits and tears… But look. Big sis did arrive here," Comet insisted, giving a light pull to one of the strings tangled between the different scrolls and showing the different tears in the fabric of reality showing how much interference had happened. The end of the string did connect to the year where Gohan and Videl met.
"She really did… No way Dad and Mom missed her."
"Nor Papa or Mama… But… she never returned home?"
"So that's probably when it happened!" Star was excited at the prospect of seeing how Tora was recruited.
And yet, as they looked much closer at the different interferences in the Scroll, something caught Comet's eye.
"I found Lady T and big sis, look," she indicated a peculiar moment.
The two looked carefully as their boss had joined Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Videl, the Supreme Kai and his attendant, and surprisingly, Tora. They were hiding behind a large rock formation and spying.
Star squinted and paid close attention, until suddenly things took a dark turn. Chronoa was frozen in place by a surprise attack. She had been turned into a statue, and the girls were alarmed, they knew this was bad. They considered intervening when they realized the potential implications, but they convinced each other that they had to stay put, and hoped it would resolve itself as, as far as Star remembered, Dabura did not survive long. After all, her mom was also turned into a statue and she ended up being alright.
Seeing her father struggling with Dabura was frustrating, Star deeply wanted to step in and help him, but she knew it would be fine and it was nothing to what her friend was witnessing. The Scroll was intact when depicting these scenes.
Comet appreciated her friend squeezing her hand to convey reassurance. Her own father violently killing many at Papaya Island and turning against everyone was a rough sight, but she was aware of what had happened back then. Seeing it was different, of course, but she was strong and proud, and wouldn't shy away from the ugly and was even proud of how much her father had grown and made amends since. She squeezed back and her deep blue eyes focused on her father at his lowest for another moment.
"This is why looking at Scrolls when they're not in danger is a bad idea," Star sighed.
"It's fine, it's part of us… Let's find big sis instead," Comet nudged her friend's shoulder with a smile.
They found Tora going berserk against the Supreme Kai, and that the girls hadn't been aware of. They held their breaths as they saw Tora completely lose control of herself and her power and use all her raw strength trying to kill poor Shin who was seemingly making it all worse for himself. The girls also saw how Gohan intervened in hopes of calming her down. To no avail, Tora had a target and Gohan was in the way, so Gohan ended up having to fight his dearest friend. Seeing Gohan try his hardest to redirect Tora's anger towards him and not fully fight Tora broke both their hearts as they knew just how close a bond those two had.
"Papa…" Star whispered, touching the Scroll gently.
"I can't believe big sis went through that…" Comet doubted it was that simple, even if she was younger, she knew Tora didn't just lose it out of nowhere.
Right as they peered closer, trying to find out why and how it happened, new tears in the Scroll appeared before their eyes. With a gasp and as the lights of the library shut down, panic took over the girls.
"It's under attack!" Star noticed.
"With Lady T incapacitated like this, that's the perfect moment for them to strike! Let's go!"
The girls stood with the bunch of Scrolls, and went to properly spread them on the table so they could intervene as part of their mission. They each pulled a small communicator they hid in their ear, turned on the device on their wrists and found themselves changed out of their comfortable dresses and into their Patroller outfits.
Star then took the Deer white and red mask at her hip to cover her face, where Comet took the Fox one that was sitting on her ponytail. With a nod confirming their determination to each other, they put on their masks and entered the Scroll, just in time to help a past version of their uncle and big brother save the petrified versions of Videl, Kibito, and Chronoa. As little children, they were just so adorable...
By the time Heaven came running in the library, the alarm having rung in his own communication device, the girls were gone. Thankfully they had left the Scroll that was under attack right where it should be so without thinking twice, he also put his mask on, the one representing a dog, and quickly found himself in the Scroll to help. Hopefully they would be able to solve the crisis at hand without bothering any of the others.
Little did he know, he would encounter a strange version of his older brother fighting against Hearts, which meant they did end up needing to call for reinforcements. Chronoa's situation had been an opportunity that everyone tried to take advantage of.
Thankfully the Demon Gods were pushed back quickly enough, Heaven and Moon keeping their temporary alliance with the Warrior in Black to themselves. Thanks to his help, the Time Patrollers were able to bow out without leaving a trace of their interference (... to their knowledge). And so, they all returned safely to the Time Nest, their base of operations. The Scrolls were left open in the library, and the fighters reunited around it to debrief.
It had been incredibly important for their intervention to go without leaving a memory, as Nova had warned them that the Chronoa that was present during these events was not quite yet the Chronoa they knew.
"What do you mean?" Moon was the one to ask their 'dispatcher'. His own red and white mask, or what was left of it, was set on his shoulder, hanging by the strap of his roughed up chestplate.
Nova touched the communicator on her ear to remove the rabbit-shaped hologram mask covering her eyes. Her comfortable red overalls contrasted with her long aqua braid. She replaced the hologram with a pair of much needed reading glasses framing her light blue eyes.
"It's a time paradox, basically. You know how Lady T doesn't have multiple versions of herself due to her position as the Supreme Kai of Time, right?"
Heaven, Star and Comet nodded, curious about the explanation. Astro was quite interested in the details as well, but he knew they would be a much deeper discussion with Nova as the other three would grow bored of the nitty gritty of it all. Moon scoffed, he was the one who asked but he realized it was soon to devolve into a far too detailed explanation and an obscene amount of questions by the children. He would need to dip as soon as possible.
"Basically, Lady T here isn't the Lady T that recruited us, yet," Nova explained. "I guess her turning into stone there is why she suddenly disappeared."
"It's solving itself because Dabura was killed, so now it's a matter of her recruiting Tora-san before the Time Nest returns to normal," Astro added, giving a glance to Nova.
"As expected of Gohan-kun," she confirmed his understanding of the situation with a wink.
"So… we did good?" Star doubted.
"You sure did, kiddo," Nova gave her a bright smile, and her eyes went to Comet. "Both of you did."
Comet held her friend's hand and smiled back to this strange version of her mother.
"So I was the one who messed up?" Heaven scratched the back of his head, since he was not complimented, this meant...
"Oh please," Nova rolled her eyes playfully. "Goten-kun you're such a kid. Nobody messed up, the three of you did a good job. I know you're not used to working alone, but you did good. I'll give you a sticker later."
"It better be one with glitter," Heaven half-sulked at the jab, but he relaxed, reassured that he had indeed done a decent job.
Astro couldn't help but chuckle, which he tried to hide by fixing his glasses while Moon scoffed.
"What about big sis and big bro?"
"And Grandpa?"
"The pair of Trunks and Sun-kun are out on a special mission, their communicator is on a different frequency," Nova grinned. "They don't need to be aware of any of this, they've got enough on their plate as-is."
"And the Warrior in Black…" Heaven tentatively whispered.
"That's what Dad is working on with Trunks-kun," Astro said, trying to sound reassuring and cleaning his own glasses. "Lady T left us, all of us, in charge of the Time Nest, we'll do our best to keep it safe while she and Tora-san investigate what's causing all these rifts."
Those Scrolls were cursed, but they were the reason why they existed. All of them.
When the older Supreme Kai that was freed from the sword was done with his 'ritual', Gohan didn't truly feel any different. He could even feel anger flow through him when the waste of time hit him, and it overtook him even if for an instant.
And that was when he, the Supreme Kai and Kibito realized it wasn't a waste of time at all. He could access all of the strength that came with being a super Saiyan without having to summon the transformation and its drawbacks.
That surge of energy caught his father's attention, who was able to come to him, surprisingly. The Supreme Kai almost jumped out of his skin when Goku just appeared out of nowhere.
"Son Goku?!"
"Ah, the Sacred Kai lands are part of the border between the Living Realms and Otherworld, that's why," the old Kai explained.
"Gohan!"
"Dad!"
Goku, not really caring about the two Kais' surprise, couldn't contain his happiness seeing his son alive and well, even if he was dressed in such strange attire. He was especially glad to see that he hadn't been killed by Majin Buu and stuck in the limbo where those killed by demons would end, as King Enma had told him. He was alive.
Father and son were reunited and took a minute to catch up with what each of them knew had happened. It was best if Gohan had updated information before heading back.
Vegeta's death, Tora's going missing with another Gohan (Goku hadn't understood it all, but he relayed what Seventeen and the school-lady said), the kids having reached super Saiyan in the chaos of it all, the fusion dance, and how they would probably have enough strength to deal with Majin Buu… And how everyone thought he was dead. To which Gohan apologized sheepishly, as if he had any agency in the matter. Goku focused on what was important, he didn't linger on the details or grudges. He trusted Goten and Trunks to defend their planet, they had shown great determination after all, and with Gohan heading back, they would most certainly succeed.
"I'm so glad you ok, at least!" Goku expressed his deep relief once more while hugging his son tight. Gohan wasn't shy to hug back.
"Thanks, I'm not sure I'm happy about it, he took me out so easily, but we'll find a way to fix what can be fixed."
Truth was, Gohan understood from his father's words that Vegeta had also fallen, like Tora. Most importantly, Vegeta had died. Goku kept details to a minimum, always focusing on the ahead, but Gohan could read between the lines and confirm the Supreme Kai's words: like Tora, Vegeta had indeed fallen to Babidi's magic, but he had snapped out of it enough to confront Majin Buu after his own defeat.
He kept to himself that Tora had also fallen to the same spell, and Shin was kind enough not to fill in those blanks, as Gohan hoped his disappearance with his mother and his future-self would mean Tora would be able to snap out of it as well. Especially now that Gohan found out Babidi had died. There was no certainty to Tora's situation as it was all hearsay from what Miss Syowa had told Goku and he had relayed as much as he understood, so Gohan still held hope for his friend.
"With the Dragon Balls you'll be able to bring back most of 'em!" Goku tried to be reassuring.
Gohan didn't like the implications that not everyone could be brought back. Tora, Vegeta, Krillin… and almost everyone else in their friend group had been revived previously. And considering how long it had been since Buu was free and how destructive he was, Gohan feared many Earthlings who had fallen to Cell and the Androids may have been killed once more. Especially as without Babidi, according to Goku, his rampage had picked up speed.
If only Shenron could bring back a person twice… But wait, Porunga could! Suddenly, Gohan had a surge of hope, especially when he remembered a specific piece of information when it came to Elder Moori and the Namekian Dragon Balls.
"Dad! When you go back to Otherworld, could you please contact Elder Moori? You know, the successor to Elder Guru on Namek?"
"You thinkin' about the Namekian Dragon Balls? But it'll take time to revive everyone one by one, right?"
"No, actually no! In Trunks-san's world, Elder Moori changed them to be able to revive multiple people. He said he did that when they settled on their new planet. So he probably did it in our universe too! They can bring back everyone, even those who died twice!" Gohan's enthusiasm caused by the sudden idea made him forget his father hadn't known about his trip to 787.
Goku didn't fully follow the whys and hows and had no proper understanding of what Gohan was talking about, but his son clearly knew something he didn't and was adamant, so he was willing to trust him and go along with his plan, no questions and no doubts.
"Uh? Oh, okay, I'm on it!"
"And please ask them to revive everyone that has died since.. Let's make it April 1st."
"'Cuz of that weird ghost-thing ya fought with the rest of 'em? Got it, son."
Gohan didn't even question why and how his father was aware of the Hirudegarn situation from a couple of months prior, and was just eager the message would be passed along to the Namekians.
Still, it was time to go. Goku couldn't accompany his son, the two of them knew it, and this was goodbye. He had hoped for their time together to have been better than this, but he got to see his father one last time before heading to Earth and hopefully protect what was left of it. They hugged tight one last time.
"Thanks, Dad…" Gohan held back his tears.
Goku and Gohan both got alarmed all of the sudden, something caught their senses. The ki was far away, but it was huge. Incredible enough to break dimensions and reach them. A ki that exploded in anger, frustration and pure destruction. The Supreme Kai and Kibito paled, they felt it too.
"It seems Earth's last line of defense fell a little while ago, and now their power fully belongs to Majin Buu," the old Kai sighed after having peered at the source of it all, and when his descendant questioned him further, he explained. "The two little boys weren't prepared to make a sacrifice to save the universe."
"Goten… Trunks… He killed the children?!" Gohan was seething. He couldn't let the monster get away with it. His ire took him to Kibito. "Take me to Earth please, I'll make him pay! "
They could be brought back, Goku knew it and trusted that all would be well as long as the monster was defeated, but he also trusted his son's focus wouldn't falter under such dire circumstances. He trusted his son's determination and gained maturity over the past few years.
"I'll be watching over you, Gohan."
Goku's reassuring words reached Gohan, and he felt his father's trust with just that shared glance. He managed to give his father one last warm but determined smile, fully appreciating his support, before leaving with Kibito. Once on Earth, he requested Kibito give him an outfit similar to his dad's, albeit with his own symbol on the back. The realization that it was similar to his future self's outfit wasn't lost on him, and he hoped that strange other-himself and Tora were all right.
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With the mindset of 'hope for the best, prepare for the worst' Shin went on to inform other Kais of the situation and then reach a certain individual he hoped he could avoid dealing with. With him gone and Kibito and Gohan on Earth, Goku was forced to go back to Otherworld, leaving the old Kai alone, as he had fallen asleep. In the grand scheme of things, he was just another dead soul. With a lot of apologies to King Enma for his late return, he was sent back to his rightful place as the dead soul he was, and found his way back to his corner of heaven.
Heaven was a nice place, and while he met and fought interesting alien warriors from the past in a fun tournament, the place itself wasn't that interesting, even if the North Kai and Bubbles, both of whom had died because of him, kept him company amongst the chatty clouds and the occasional odd ogre taking care of the place. Even in heaven, Goku was restless, but at least he had gotten interesting encounters and training in such conditions.
Once back to his friend and apologizing for taking so long to return, Goku relayed the information to his old mentor and friend, and North Kai also informed Goku that King Enma had decided to spare Vegeta's soul and send him back to Earth for a chance at redemption, through Uranai Baba.
"I'm so glad Vegeta came back to his senses!" Goku exclaimed, quite happy to hear about his rival's situation.
That surprised the North Kai, he thought Goku would've resented or blamed Vegeta for the absurdity of the situation Earth was in once more, but truth was Goku was incapable of holding a grudge when he was the one that was wronged. He had kept the secret of Vegeta turning evil from the children because he clearly saw how Trunks ('the small one') saw him as his hero. Trunks ('the big one') had been confronted with the worst of Vegeta already, but the small Trunks was far too young to deal with that sort of truth. And Goku was certain Vegeta would come around.
And truth was, Goku blamed himself more than Vegeta for their failure when it came to not giving energy to Majin Buu's revival. Goku had wanted to fight Vegeta again for a solid ten years at this point, so he didn't shy away from his own blame in the situation, taking responsibility without hesitation. The moment couldn't have been worse, but that itch was just too strong to resist.
Sure, Vegeta had knocked him out when he was distracted, but when he woke up and found out about his sacrifice and efforts to destroy Majin Buu, Goku understood how his words about how he actually, truly and earnestly cared about his family had reached him. He had truly grown. He was sad to learn Big Trunks had also fallen to Babidi's spell, but hoped, like Gohan, that that other Gohan was dealing with it in a much smarter way than he had tried dealing with Vegeta.
After all, 'Tora' had a good heart. Goku knew he had come back to solve another situation that was important to him.
North Kai had also been kind enough to inform the South Kai about the situation, too. The South Kai was able to fetch Tapion and his little sister to bring them back to their rightful planet, as a token of gratitude for having defeated and captured the monster that had caused so much trouble in his quadrant. Big Trunks' use of the Mafuba had been a stroke of genius, but Goku expected as much considering who his parents were.
That strange intangible phantasm, the magic surrounding it, and how everyone came together to defeat it… That was another reason why he knew Vegeta cared. He had faith in him— in them all.
Soon enough, the information concerning Majin Buu was relayed to the Namekians and those Dragon Balls were to be gathered for use. After all, Buu's explosion in power when absorbing Gotenks was felt across their solar system as well. It was no surprise to Moori to learn that trouble had once more graced Earth, but Earthlings were their friends, and they owed them a lot, so it was without hesitation that he and the other village elders accepted to lend them the powers of Porunga once more.
The North Kai expressed his gratitude to Moori for his cooperation and then focused on watching over the events unfold on Earth with Goku.
"Kaio-sama, you think Gohan can handle it?"
The North Kai had been a great mentor of Goku's, so he was not shy to ask for his opinion. He adjusted his sunglasses, his antennae twitching. He observed for a moment before speaking.
"Majin Buu is far more dangerous in this state, no doubt about it, but I'd like to believe your son can pull off a miracle. He certainly has the power."
Goku nodded, confirming his hopes and observations. Despite the dire situation, he knew Gohan had it in him. Majin Buu's mutation from that childish blob to an evil creature of chaos and destruction wouldn't change anything, it might even play in Gohan's favor, even if that had caused the death of so many on Earth.
Ever since their time together in the Room of Spirit and Time, Goku had entrusted Earth's fate to his son: that was how much he trusted in his power. The ritual with the strange old Kai and the sudden unleashed inner potential only confirmed it.
"Gohan won't hold back. He knows we'll use the Namekian Dragon Balls, was his idea after all, so everyone will be brought back. And with Vegeta fighting by his side, they've got more than enough power to win."
"That young man certainly has potential," a new voice interrupted, startling both of them.
"Wha—?" Goku spun around, his eyes widening.
It was alarming that he hadn't felt this person approach, even other chatty clouds had a presence to them, and so did the various Onis and creatures inhabiting heaven. But not this person.
Standing there was a tall, slender figure with light blue skin and white hair in an updo that reminded Goku of Bulma's mother. Goku also noticed shimmery plum fabric, this person was wearing robes, and he was also carrying a strange staff whose top had a black orb that glinted faintly.
"Oh, hello there, dearest North Kai," the newcomer said with a playful lilt. "It's been far too long!"
"W– Whis!" North Kai exclaimed, nearly tripping over himself to greet this newcomer.
"You even remember my name, how lovely! Death has visibly treated you well," Whis said, his tone delighted and carefree. He turned to Goku, tilting his head curiously. "And who might this spirited fellow be?"
North Kai cleared his throat awkwardly. "This is Son Goku, a former extraordinary fighter from Earth, one of the planets in my quadrant."
"Ah, nice to meet you, Whis!" Goku greeted with a grin, then glanced at his friend and mentor to correct something that bugged him. "Hey, Kaio-sama, 'former'? I'm still strong, y'know? Just… dead right now."
"Goku!"
While the poor Kai tried to shush his friend who had a habit of being far too casual with people who demanded the uttermost decorum, Whis chuckled softly, his staff glowing faintly as he tapped it against his palm,
"Dead, yet still full of energy. How amusing. I noticed quite the disturbance, so I came to observe. This is your quadrant, after all, isn't it?"
"That'd be Majin Buu," Goku said casually, crossing his arms again as if he was talking about a riddle of sorts.
"Ohoo, Majin Buu, is that right?"
Goku did not see how Whis clearly knew about it already, but North Kai sensed the potential danger and kicked Goku's shin before he opened that big mouth of his again to say anything that could be considered even more offensive by one of the creatures in charge of monitoring their reality. No. Not today.
Wait. This was Whis. Suddenly, a surge of hope came through him, an idea that might just work. If Whis was there, then maybe the catastrophe of Majin Buu could be avoided altogether…!
"Whis– please, would Lord Beerus be willing to deal with him?"
"Our dearest Supreme Kai is… negotiating for such a thing."
"Beerus?— OUCH!"
"Keep quiet, Goku!"
"I'm sorry! But– Majin Buu… Yeah he's very tough, but my son Gohan's got this. He's stronger than me too, and with Vegeta to support him, it'll be a piece of cake!"
North Kai was quite unhappy about Goku's inability to stay put, subservient and quiet, but there was no use, the man was unhinged, stubborn and thick as a rock, and truth was… That was how he won him over, over a decade ago.
Whis' eyes squinted ever so slightly, and then he peeked into his staff. Within its crystalline surface, Gohan could be seen fighting against Majin Buu on Earth. Majin Buu was a formidable opponent, wearing that strange vest of an alien race Whis did not bother to recall the name of. No, what first struck him was the similarities between this young man's and Son Goku's outfit. That orange color was truly quite noticeable and suited their black hair quite well. Beyond their clothes and hair color, their parentage was not hard to discern, as both shared that air of determination and similar eyes and corpulence.
"Is that him? Such raw potential. You mortals truly are intriguing creatures."
He then sought this so-called Vegeta too, and found him arguing with a black-haired man. The tail whirling and twitching behind him and then wrapping again around his waist caught his keen eye, and a faint 'Oh?' escaped his violet lips. Now that was intriguing, he had recognized the name but thought of it as a coincidence. The Saiyan child was still around after all these years, what a surprise…
"That ought to be interesting …" he whispered to himself.
North Kai stepped forward nervously, his antennae quivering, and walked towards Whis, their backs turned to Goku, hoping to be able to have a short private talk with the Angel without Goku's interruptions… and he spoke low, hoping the Saiyan wouldn't overhear. Whis even humored his request, bending just enough so that their conversation could be heard outside of earshot.
"Whis, Majin Buu is a threat to the entire universe, this isn't just my quadrant's issue! This kind of crisis surely falls under Lord Beerus' prerogative, shouldn't it?"
"It would, indeed, my dearest North Kai, but convincing him to act upon such things is our young Supreme Kai's mission. Let us hope it takes a few of your days and not a few decades."
"What about you? This is a matter of the universe's stability, right?"
"Me?" Whis chuckled lightly and straightened up. "My own involvement would be uncalled for, as an individual's annihilation tendencies are still part of the fabric of reality encompassed within the stability of the universe. I am here out of pure… curiosity." He turned back towards Goku, not letting the North Kai continue their discussion in private, and as he addressed the Saiyan, his smile softened. "Though, Son Goku, I must admit, you and your kinship seem to be quite the anomaly. Fascinating. If your son and friend were to fail—"
"Fail?" Goku's expression hardened, completely forgetting the questions he had about their little secret whispers. "That's not gonna happen, they'll get him for sure. And if I gotta head back to make sure of it, then I'll do it."
"How bold are your words, you who are still bound by the laws of the Otherworld. But let's hope it doesn't come to that," Whis half-warned with a raised brow, his tone turning ever so slightly sly.
The North Kai wasn't fooled, Whis was most surely offended and just as surely, this would come back with a vengeance. Goku couldn't be controlled. Thankfully, instead of bantering further, they all focused on watching over Earth and see the events unfold, now through the angel's staff which he gladly provided where they could actually watch and not just feel through the Kai's antennae.
.
.
Seventeen was surprised to see Vegeta help him out of the debris. Well, 'help' was a big word, he was mostly just yanked out by the belt. He thought he was actually in hell, as he recognized Vegeta's voice and knew he had died, but the ground shaking under Buu's attempts at catching his sister confirmed he was still very much alive and on Earth.
"Vegeta, the fuck ? Thought you were dead."
"I am dead," Vegeta clicked his tongue. "Fill me in. Now."
The Cyborg briefly rubbed his eyes and pushed his hair out of the way, and noticed the halo. And then a movement caught his eye. A tail.
Vegeta had a tail.
Saiyan tails were real after all, he thought the data from Gero about Goku and Gohan was bullshit. He kept the questions to himself as there were much more pressing issues than this bullshit.
"Well fuck me sideways then… Uh, this Buu guy-thing basically wiped the planet before he spotted the others on that place above the clouds thing where that weird time-room thingy where time—"
"The Room of Spirit and Time, yes, I know it."
"Oh cool. So everyone scattered to give us— Piccolo, the kids, my sis and me— the time we needed in there. Gotenks— that's the name of the fusion between Trunks and Goten, yeah so now they can fuse into one—"
Vegeta gave him a 'get to the point' look, so Seventeen stopped himself from diving into the many details of that situation. It was an expression he often saw in his sister when he had a tendency to go into unnecessary rambling. Clearly, Vegeta wasn't questioning the information, which Seventeen saw as something… good actually? He believed him?! So he skipped the details about the Fusion and their stay in the Room of Spirit and Time and tried focusing on what was relevant right now.
"Anyway Gotenks almost had him, but that bastard used Piccolo as human— Namekian shield, and then he, uh, absorbed them; the two of them— well, technically three, you know what I mean— Anyway. He managed to grab Piccolo by surprise, to use his big brain and with that big brain, he got the kids for their stupid ass Saiyan power. Oh wait, did you know the kids could turn super Saiyan? Aren't they, like, five?—"
"I know, I saw that. Focus, Toaster. What do you mean, absorbed ?"
Seventeen squinted his eyes at Vegeta, the insult very much not appreciated, but he saw in his 'order' a very rude request to continue explaining and stop wasting time. Blunt and straightforward… like Tora. He took a second to calm down and let it slide, and finally continued.
"You're such a prick, you know that. Absorb, yes, with his own skin? Cell, but worse. Like he just throws a piece of himself, wraps it up around whatever he wants and it goes back to him and uses your abilities. Creepy shit," Seventeen explained and gestured at the same time to illustrate what he meant.
Vegeta nodded to express he understood the information and ignored the disgust-distress-loathing the Cyborg was expressing. What stayed on his mind was that perhaps this was precisely what Majin Buu had planned to do with him before the kids freed him from that goo sticky piece of him. That would've been a disaster.
'Good thing he killed Gohan instead of absorbing him,' Vegeta thought. "He better not catch you or the blonde and gain your infinite energy bullshit," he spat.
"Duh. We fought him to keep him distracted but we planned on disappearing once the rest of 'em were away and safe. Planned to wait until that Fusion Technique wore off and then jump him. If it even wears off inside of that thing," he whispered the last words as if dreading the possibility.
Seventeen glanced around, trying to locate Buu and his sister, but he could only feel the ground shaking once more. Eighteen was drawing Buu away, to protect him, to protect the others who had scattered.
"Sis…"
"Did that bastard also kill Trunks?" Vegeta's venom oozed, he didn't get all the information he wanted.
"No I told y— ah you mean big Trunks. No, actually it seems a random Gohan showed up and abducted he– him. Time travel bullshit? Old Bulma went after them, 'cording to Syo-chan."
With an annoyed eye-twitch, Vegeta tried to gauge whether Seventeen was bullshiting him, but the truth was the Cyborg looked quite uncertain about it all and was just relaying what he knew. No use worrying about his heir's situation if nothing could be done about it, so he pushed those thoughts aside. His expression hardened a little.
"Bulma? The Namekian?"
"They're fine. They're with Krillin and Marron and they're using a plane to keep their ki hidden. That's why sis and I are fighting and stalling until they all get to safety. And now you're here."
Vegeta bit his tongue before the thoughts 'I will punish those who let it happen' became words spoken into existence. The kids had died because of his stupidity. They could be brought back, but he only felt failure again. 'No need to cry over this, Bulma will bring them back and fix it, but that won't happen unless that blob is destroyed.'
The grounds had stopped shaking. Buu had either lost Eighteen, or had caught her. Vegeta sensed a ki surge, that kind of ki that expressed anger and frustration. And then it lowered, if only just a little. And then a column of flames became visible on the horizon.
"Sis!"
"Hmph. Don't fret, she got away," Vegeta was quick to deduce from the destructive anger burst caused by frustration; he recognized it as far too similar to his own.
It was time to draft a plan to stop that monster once and for all and hopefully, things would return to normal for the rest of them. Seventeen would be of use, hopefully.
.
.
Once on Earth, Kibito told Gohan he would stay on the planet, but far from the battle. Gohan entrusted him with the protection of his mother and friends, should he find them, to which the Kai agreed.
Despite finding the Kai outfit to be much more stylish, Kibito agreed to the request as the sacred robes did not fit a mortal, especially when they couldn't complete the outfit with their precious potaras.
They wished each other good luck and parted ways.
Gohan was quick to engage with this strange version of Buu, a tall, slender, and much more cunning version of the monster he had fought a few days prior. His enemy wore a strange vest too, and some of his traits reminded Gohan of Piccolo.
"Oh, you again?"
Buu taunted him, he was clearly more intelligent than the big blob Gohan had lost to a few days prior. But Gohan didn't give him a chance to talk more, and his fist met the monster's face. His ki burst out beyond super Saiyan, but his body didn't need to transform to harness the full power he had deep within, and it showed as he fought Buu with all he had.
Like Tora had when he killed his version of the Cyborgs, Gohan was not going to wait around and let the monster do any more damage. He was going to take the trash out and avenge his little brother, Trunks, Vegeta, and everyone else on the decimated planet.
Buu soon got serious and unleashed all sorts of techniques and his strength and speed matched Gohan's, if not surpassed him.
"You're engaging him at the worst time, brat!"
"Vegeta-san!"
Vegeta had soon reached them and jumped in, countering a ki blast that would've done serious damage if it had reached its target. He had wanted to wait to see if the Fusion Technique would wear off, be more strategic with their approach, but instead Gohan had engaged Buu the moment he arrived. While Buu was at his strongest.
"Fine. Let's get this bastard," Vegeta hissed.
Teamwork. They needed to fight together. It wasn't going to be an easy fight, but Gohan was not going to waver and let the monster win, no matter what, and Vegeta had the same mentality. Gohan was glad he could count on him, despite everything.
In between two scuffles, Gohan noticed Vegeta's halo. It proved he hadn't been brought back, so Gohan deduced his father hadn't used the Namekian Dragon Balls to wish him back to life. Questions for later. He trusted his father would not forget about Moori and the wishes would be used in a tactical way.
"There's no use, we just don't have the time to gather enough energy."
No matter what kind of techniques they threw at Buu, the pink monster kept regenerating and didn't give them any reprieve to do anything but fight all out.
Vegeta had realized that problem when he used all his ki to explode and hopefully fully destroy the monster at the time, taking him with him to hell, but now Gohan fully grasped the situation.
To destroy Majin Buu, they would need far more energy than what they could throw without preparation, and focus it enough to fully engulf and disintegrate the monster. Their multiple tries had taken a toll on their energy reserves, and after a while of this, Vegeta just couldn't sustain super Saiyan anymore.
Gohan was not looking much better.
And with the fighters Buu had absorbed, he had more than enough energy to survive just about anything, and his elastic body and taunts only infuriated the two fighters, threatening to let rage blind them.
"... You'll need to distract him for a moment, I have a plan," Vegeta growled during a brief reprieve moment. "Once it's done, I'll switch with you, and occupy him while you charge your strongest attack."
Gohan listened, and with a brief nod to acknowledge and trusting his ally, went to anger Buu enough to draw him away from Vegeta.
The beating was severe, and Gohan was hanging on by a thread but soon enough Vegeta's ki soared beyond comprehension… and so did his size.
The Oozaru. Despite his exhaustion, Vegeta believed the return of his tail was a blessing. Best case scenario, he could win. Worst case scenario, overwhelm Buu long enough for Gohan to charge his ki for a targeted attack that would be strong enough to obliterate every single atom of Buu.
The battle between the pink monster and the giant monkey could've gone either way; Vegeta was perfectly in control of this form, and even if he couldn't fully access his super Saiyan transformation, his rage and loathing for the enemy he couldn't destroy gave him an edge, and at this size, Buu just couldn't absorb him.
It was strange, seeing Vegeta in such a form over a decade after his last encounter with the giant monkey. The blue outfit and white gloves and boots he wore at the Tournament were made of the same material as the outfit from back then, actually, as they had stretched to match his new size. Bulma was a true genius and managed to reproduce those properties.
Gohan quickly retreated from the battlefield, focusing his energy as he prepared an attack powerful enough to obliterate the blasted creature. He was confident that Vegeta knew where he was and would ensure he had the perfect opportunity to strike without missing.
And finally, the power of Gotenks faded from Buu.
"NOW!" Vegeta roared.
But Gohan hesitated, seeing Piccolo's cape, he realized that his friends may be alive inside Buu. That hesitation gave Buu enough time to quick-think himself out of danger, away from that Kamehameha wave that would have sure destroyed him if Son Gohan had been quicker. He realized what was coming, and managed to throw a piece of himself to safety.
A piece that soon would engulf Gohan, and bring that newfound power to its owner.
Vegeta, despite his increase in size, speed and power, and despite his unwillingness to yield, stood no chance.
.
"I have a plan," Seventeen looked ahead. Even if he couldn't sense ki, he recognized the ground shaking and saw Vegeta's transformation from afar. "Gotta make myself even more irresistible than I already am, but if it works, we'll save them. All of them."
"And what if it doesn't?"
"Total annihilation I guess, but that's not on the table, right, sis?"
Eighteen looked at him with worry, but there was no use arguing with her brother when he had something in mind.
"Good luck," Kibito was solemn in his encouragement. Truth was he was more stunned than anything.
.
.
"Damn!" Goku cursed and his fist hit the grounds of heaven with strength.
"What an unfortunate outcome…"
The North Kai kept quiet for a moment, head down. This was probably the end. Not only of Earth, but of his entire Quadrant, of the four Quadrants actually, and maybe even the rest of the Universe.
"Gohan's own energy wasn't enough, that monster was too clever and exploited the care he has for Piccolo…"
"That's it, we need more energy!" Goku realized. "The Genkidama! With energy from everyone, it's possible !"
"But only you can pull off that technique, Goku, and you can't go to the Living Realms!"
Whis let out a soft whistle, and with a brief wave of his staff, removed three halos around him. Poor Bubbles had been an unfortunate victim of Cell's explosion, and the Angel had arguably a soft spot for the little creature too.
"It would be an unbearable loss if Buu were to engulf and erase large pans of the universe once more. Go forth, Son Goku, and show us all you are more than just your words."
Goku's expression of glee realizing he had been brought back to life was soon replaced by one of determination, and after putting two fingers to his forehead, he disappeared.
