A/N: As soon as I put this story on hiatus status, I immediately got a rush of motivation, inspiration, and sleep deprivation. It's amazing how you can fulfill both life's responsibilities and have hobbies when you only get about 4 hours of sleep. Honestly, I don't see that lasting n a sustainable manner, but for now, this story will be 'irregular updates' rather than 'on hiatus.' Hope yall don't mind, and hope yall enjoy the story. Comment if you have ideas, theories, questions, or just praise (I am like a dog). Favorite and follow if you like the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon ball Z, super, GT, or Daima.
Chapter 68
"Move over, I can't see what she's doing!" A man in glasses whispered sharply to another.
"You had her to yourself for three weeks!" A guy in a lab coat pushed him away.
"So? She hardly stepped out of her lab that whole time! Just go back to the robotics department. You've got professor Vomi there."
"Look, I'll never get tired of strawberry ice cream, but when blue bubble gum comes your way, you don't pass it up."
"You said it. Oh, what I wouldn't give for some private tutelage from her." Mumbled a third man. "I'd even defend my thesis from a dozen review committees for just 5 minutes with her."
"I'd go through my whole undergrad again as many times as I had to if it meant just one research session with her." A nasally fourth man wheezed.
"Curves like supple standard deviations on pulchritudinous periwinkle skin, and an IQ over 300. It doesn't get much better than that."
"She's like if Tyrande Whisperwind came to life. Only instead of the moon, she's the goddess of science." Another man with glasses swooned.
"Uh, excuse me." Scoffed the nasally voiced man. "Are you suggesting that some purple night elf could be compared to our science goddess's lovely shade of blue?"
"Night elves can be blue, Carl."
"Look at that little punk in there! He has the audacity to look bored!"
"Stupid super hero. Probably thinks she'll fall in love with him like all the other women in the world."
"I don't think night elves can be blue. Maybe really light purple."
While the academicals were simultaneously trying to ogle the new professor and arguing about game character skin pallet, the object of their creepy affections was in a classroom, conducting her very first lesson with her prized pupil. Smooth nylon covered legs were crossed seductively, leading up to a red pencil skirt. She wore a black, long sleeve blouse beneath a standard white lab coat that somehow seemed to accentuate her assets rather than cover them up. Her white hair was done up in a bun with two pens holding it in place, two bangs hanging down over her forehead. With a cool, almost taunting expression, it was no wonder every scientist in her department was head over heels for her.
With one hand, she held a clipboard up and read each item written down like a maître d listing each dish of a particularly sumptuous meal.
"Then, once we have finished our work on general relativity and quantum mechanics, we can get into the really juicy stuff. Of course, I know you have your generals to get done this semester as well, but I trust that won't be an issue for you, will it?"
No answer came. Towa furrowed her eyebrows and looked over her clipboard at her student. To her surprise, the young man looked as though he hadn't paid attention to a single thing she had said. The teen was staring out the window, his chin resting on his fist, and a faraway look in his eye.
SLAM*
Gohan jumped in his seat at the sound of the clipboard hitting his desk and looked around wildly, his eyes landing on the disgruntled expression of his professor.
"I am not accustomed," She began haughtily, "to being ignored by my students."
"Sorry Towa." Gohan replied contritely.
"I think you meant to say 'Professor Towa'." Towa corrected.
"Right." The teen nodded. "Sorry."
She narrowed her eyes on him. "Perhaps you don't realize how lucky you are to be taught personally by me, so let us get one thing straight." She began. "Regardless of our statuses outside of scholastic matters, here, you are the student, I am the teacher, and you will listen to me, or you will suffer the consequences." Her stern, threatening tone succeeded in getting Gohan's attention and the teen gulped. Then her tone switched from threatening, to a disappointed whine. "Honestly, I worked hard on this syllabus. I really thought this was the kind of stuff that would get you excited."
"I know." Gohan said apologetically. "It is, and I really am sorry. I just have some stuff on my mind is all."
Towa's face softened and she folded her arms with a nod of understanding. "Beerus?"
The dejected look on Gohan's face was all the reply she needed. She had fled to the demon realm before the god and his attendant arrived on earth, but she had seen every detail of the battle. To say that Beerus' victory was one sided would be like saying Saiyans were mildly interested in fighting and eating. Gohan had been demolished, and Beerus had barely been trying. Towa could easily guess that with the blood of proud demons mixed with that of a warrior race like the Saiyans running through his veins, such a defeat was not resting easy on his mind.
She sighed. "I tried to warn you. Even a weaker god of destruction is far beyond your current level. It will take years before you can challenge them with even a small chance of victory."
She looked to see what Gohan's reaction would be to this, but his lack of response suggested to her that he did not disagree. He knew all too well how lucky he had been to survive that encounter.
"Still…" she continued almost to herself. "You did much better than we expected at this stage in your development."
"We meaning you and your mysterious master?" Gohan asked with half a smirk.
"D-did I say 'we'?" Towa laughed nervously. "Must have been an old habit from when I stood in as the demon queen while my brother was missing. You know how royals have to speak."
"Sure." Gohan rolled his eyes. Smart as he was, Gohan was able to put two and two together to draw a few conclusions. He guessed that whoever assigned Towa to be his attendant was the same person, or persons, who had tried to contact him when he was still fractured (See end of chapter 25). He hadn't wanted to get involved with some shadowy figures, so he ignored them back then. They probably figured an attractive, intelligent woman would be more welcomed in the adolescent's life than them. Why they wanted to get involved with him at all was still a mystery, but it was apparent that they were courting his favor in a way. Whether it was to recruit him, or simply keep an eye on him so he didn't get in the way of some plot was unclear. What was clear to Gohan, was that they posed no immediate threat. Not that he wasn't keeping his finger on the pulse, so to speak, but for the time being, he could use this attention to his advantage. "Well, professor Towa, would 'we' be able to add something else to the syllabus?"
The change of subject, along with the sudden glint in the young man's eyes, caught the demon off guard.
"Oh? Well, let's see…" She picked her syllabus up and flipped through it. "I don't know if we can add anymore until we've covered the basics, but perhaps we can advance our studies of string theory and dark matter to-"
"I was actually thinking," Gohan interrupted, "Of a different field of study."
Towa quirked an eyebrow, somewhat annoyed. "I see. Losing interest in physics already? I didn't realize the subject would seem so dry to you."
Suddenly, she seemed to realize something. "Oh my…" her face became warm. "You don't mean… That field of study?" She looked the young hybrid in the eye, and his hard gaze met hers unflinchingly. Her ears became tinged with red. Her master had suggested that the boy's mind might lead to the carnal, but she never guessed he would be so forward about it.
'For the mission.' She gulped, and started to take her lab coat off. "Very well. I suppose a great warrior like you would desire such things, particularly considering your age."
Gohan's eyes lit up. "Really? You mean you'll teach me!?" He nearly yelled in excitement, which both flattered, and worried Towa.
"I-I suppose it is my duty. Though I am inexperienced in such things myself."
"What?" Gohan tilted his head in confusion. "But I thought you were one of the best practitioners in the demon realm. Don't you have tons of experience?"
"What!?" Towa became red-faced. "Where did you get such a ridiculous notion? Did Robelu tell you that!? Lying snake in the grass succubus. She's the real slut. She'd fit perfectly in the ring of lust if you ask me." Towa continued to grumble cursings at whoever this Robelu was. When she finally calmed down, she looked at Gohan and remembered that she had a job to do. "Ahem. I-I am sorry to disillusion you, but as I said, outside of a few texts on the matter, I have no experience in this area."
"Oh." Gohan sounded confused and dejected, but he quickly recovered. "Oh, I get it. You mean that you've never-"
"Yes. I've never-" Towa closed her eyes, readying for the embarrassing admission.
"Taught anyone magic before."
"Made love to a man before!"
Gohan blinked, while Towa's eyes widened comically as she realized what she had just said for no reason.
"…"
"…"
The weight of the ensuing silence could have cracked concrete. Gohan stared at his professor with an air of a person who had heard something extremely interesting, but was doing his best to not have heard it. Meanwhile, Towas embarrassment had reached new heights, and her brain seemed to have stopped as a result.
"You… Want to learn… Not that thing, but… m-ma…"
"I uh…" Gohan started in an attempt to assist his teacher. "I want to learn magic. Not… you know…"
Towa still seemed to be in a daze, so the teen continued. "I mean, you're pretty and all, but I have a girlfriend."
"O-Of course…" the demon said mechanically, looking straight ahead.
"And I mean, I think it could be a really useful thing to know. I fought this guy named Slug, and his magic made the fight way closer than it should have been. I thought about asking Piccolo, but as good as he is at teaching, I need to learn more than what he knows. I want to do more than just summon weapons and clothes." His expression became serious. "I know it probably won't be an instant fix. But fighting Beerus, I realized I can't just keep training the normal way. I Have to get as strong as possible, maximize every advantage as an earthling, Saiyan, or even as a demon. That means I need to learn the stuff that only a sorceress like you can teach me." The teen paused nervously. "Er, if that's possible for me, I mean. I wasn't positive I'd be able to learn. Magic, not… You know."
Another silence overtook the pair, and Gohan felt incredibly awkward. Then a long and loud sound made him reel back.
"OHOHOHOHO!" Towa forced a laugh like an ojou-sama in a shoujo anime. "Of course it's possible!" Towa exclaimed. "My brilliance will surely be able to bring out the talent in even the talentless! Training you in the mystical arts is but child's play to a teacher like myself! You already have a knack for manipulating Kili. Not to mention your understanding of science. You'll be a natural!" Towa took out a piece of paper and pulled a pen from her hair before furiously scribbling a lesson plan. "This is excellent! Believe it or not, some of the basic principles of magic overlap well with what we had planned this year anyway. We can even count it as a lab course, technically. I've never had an apprentice before, but how hard can that be!? Just you wait and see. Spitting into stone and breathing fire? Mere party tricks compared to what I can show you! Ohohohoho!"
Towa continued to ramble and laugh hysterically, her mind escaping from the situation by throwing herself into this new task. That night, she would likely bang her head against a solid block of katchin to drive the memory of the misunderstanding from her mind, especially after realizing just how seriously Gohan was thinking about his development. But, for the time being, she was lost in her passionate lesson planning.
"I'll just… be going to my next class then… Bye… Professor." Gohan backed away from the manic Towa and out of the room, where a gaggle of professors and grad students scattered. As he made his way to his next class, his brain, which had been trying very hard up to that point to show consideration for Towa, was overtaken by his hormones.
'Did she really think I meant… I mean, it really seemed like she did. I've had other girls come after me before, but my own professor…' His cheeks darkened as he thought of the sexy demon woman offering herself to him. He had to admit, she was hot. Maybe if he wasn't in a relationship with Zangya, the misunderstanding could have continued…
'No! bad Gohan!' he shook his head before the steamy thought cloud could fully form. Then another thought took its place. 'Come to think of it, she does kind of look like Zangya…' A new steamy cloud formed over his head, but this time, it was the image of a different sultry blue girl. Zangya was dressed very similarly to Towa, but her skirt was black and only went half way down her thighs, the blouse was white, almost sheer, the nylons were replaced by fishnets, the cloud like hair was put up in a pony tail, and best of all, in Gohan's opinion, she was wearing glasses. Like a nerd!
"Woah." A goofy grin plastered itself on Gohan's face as his mental image fully formed. "Yup. Definitely gotta log that one away."
The fantasy was rather short lived, however, as the mere thought of his girlfriend, even one of this nature, brought his mood down considerably.
Flashback
Despite having been interrupted in their festivities by a literal god of destruction, Chichi and Zangya were determined not to let Gohan's party be ruined. Fortunately, the easy-going nature of the family's circle of friends didn't make this too difficult. While Zangya's forced cheerfulness almost made things awkward, Chichi's fiery indignation somehow balanced this out. The rest of the party was spent indulging in dozens of desserts and trash talking at Beerus' expense. The Saiyans were particularly good at this party game, calling the purple cat a rather unflattering name for his species that, while offending the Son matron's sensibilities, endeared the band of warriors to her out of solidarity in disdain for the destroyer.
Still, despite the cheer that surrounded him, Gohan found it difficult to shrug off the defeat he had just suffered. He didn't much feel like celebrating now when he could be training, but he could not bring himself to bring the mood down for the others. So, when his mother finally announced the party was over, Gohan had to suppress an exclamation of relief. He thanked those who had come, and even made polite chit chat as they were leaving. To his surprise, the last guest to leave was the Grand Supreme Kai, who had remained at the party mainly for the desserts. The doughy pink deity made his way to Gohan and Zangya with a sack full of desserts slung over his shoulder.
"Wow." Gohan smiled. "You sure you don't need any more?"
"Is there any more?" Daikaioh asked excitedly.
"No." Zangya replied shortly.
"Oh." The pink face fell. "I thought not."
Gohan chuckled, and Zangya had to smile despite herself.
"Well, I guess it's fine that you pigged out on free desserts." She said. "How about you pay us back by letting us know the next time one of your guys are coming to destroy us."
"I'm sure there will not be a next time." Daikaioh stated. "I will see to it that 'my guys' know you are our friends. Oh, that reminds me." The kai set his sack down and started rummaging in his pockets. "Now where is that pesky… Ah, here it is!" he pulled out a letter from thin air, making the teens question why he bothered with the pockets. "Dean, I mean, the grand kai of your region, asked me to deliver this to you the next time I saw you. Which is now."
Gohan took the letter, surprise evident on his face. "You mean that old guy with the skateboard? Why would he write to me?"
"Hey!" Zangya almost shouted. "Maybe it's about your dad!"
"Oh yeah!" Gohan tore the envelope open. "How's dad doing up there any way, DK?" Gohan looked up to address the fat Kai, but there was no trace of him. Gohan shrugged with a vague thought of wishing he could do instant movement before he returned his attention to the letter. His eyes flitted across the page and his face fell when he found no mention of his father, only to shift quickly into stunned amazement when he took in what the letter actually said.
"It's… It's not about dad. It's for both of us."
Zangya looked in concern at her boyfriend. "What's the matter? What did it say?" Gohan handed her the letter and she started to read. Her eyes widened.
"He wants us to come to his world." She spoke in a quiet, confused tone as she looked up at Gohan. "The grand kai wants to train us?"
Break
The two teens sat on the roof of the son home, Gohan lay back with his hands behind his head while Zangya held her knees to her chest. The young Saiyan had a thoughtful countenance, while Zangya kept stealing furtive glances at her boyfriend. They had been this way for almost an hour, with no words being said between them. At last, Zangya could take no more of the silence, and spoke out.
"So… Whatcha thinkin?" She asked.
The teen continued to stare into space for another minute before he answered. He took a long breath with closed eyelids before exhaling. "I think…" He began. "I should take a rain check on the Grand Kai's offer."
Zangya's expression immediately became lighter, a smile breaking out on her face. "Really!?" she sighed in relief. While she recognized the need to get stronger, she really didn't want to deal with the Kais. She may have gotten over her grudge against them (mostly), but the way they came after Gohan just for being a demon really burned her bundt cakes. The old guy that asked her and Gohan for an autograph might be ok, and the grand supreme Kai was nice enough, but she would just as soon stay away from them as much as possible. She didn't want to train with them, even if Gohan was there. Of course, she would have gone if he wanted to, but she was glad he made the choice he had.
"I mean, yeah, absolutely." She said in a casual tone. "We don't need those bumbling kais to get stronger. Besides, how great can the training be if they couldn't handle Buu? They barely managed to trap my old gang, and we're way stronger than that now. Training with them would be a huge waste of time."
"No, it's not that." Gohan replied. "I'm pretty sure it would be worthwhile."
"Really?" Zangya sounded surprised.
"Yeah." Gohan nodded. "They may not be strong themselves, but they know how to train, if my dad and his friends are anything to go by." Gohan remembered how much stronger everyone was after only a few months of training with King Kai. His father especially seemed to grow exponentially every time he returned from the dead. "If anything, it might be worth it just to learn some new techniques, like the kaioken, or the spirit bomb."
"Oh yeah." Zangya nodded absently. "I hadn't thought about that." Her brow wrinkled in confusion. "So… Then why don't you want to go?"
Gohan gave her a sideways glance. "It's not that I don't want to. I definitely think the grand kai could help me break through my ceiling, but I haven't hit that yet. I'm thinking it's better to try to get to my limit on my own, then use whatever he knows to push past it. I didn't see any deadline on the offer, so like I said, I'm just taking a rain check. There're a few things I need to work on that I doubt he could help me with anyway. Not to mention all my other responsibilities."
Zangya gave him a smirk. "Well, sure, how could the earth go a week without the gold fighter and the red z girl? Plus, Chichi would never let you blow your chance at becoming a triple doctor."
Gohan smiled. "Well, there's that. But I meant Goten."
"Oh… yeah, of course." Zangya nodded in understanding.
"That whole thing with Turles made me realize how alone he must feel. I should have seen the signs. I should have helped him more." Gohan said, then thought about his own experience. 'After all, who knows more about PTSD as a toddler than me? I can't just abandon him to train like… well, I won't abandon him.'
"Hey, don't beat yourself up." The Hera put a hand on his arm. "You know Goten thinks you're a great big brother. There's only so much you can do."
"Maybe." Gohan replied. "But that doesn't negate the fact that he needs me right now more than ever. At least until dad gets back." The Saiyan sat up. "Plus, now the Saiyans have settled on earth, and I kind of feel responsible to see that through. Knowing my race, they'll plunge the planet into chaos by complete accident if I'm not around to keep an eye on them. Then there's the contract with Cooler, and who knows if we can trust him. I just think it's best that I stay where I am for now."
Zangya whistled in acknowledgement of Gohan's duties. "Yeah, you got it rough, rice ball. For what it's worth though, I think you made the right choice."
Gohan leaned over and kissed her. "Thanks." He said sincerely.
Zangya smiled before kissing him back, lingering on his lips a fair bit longer than his kiss had. She pulled away, hesitating to ask her next question.
"So then… What about Beerus?"
Gohan lost the goofy look her kiss had given him and became very serious. "I don't know. He's strong Zangya. I've never felt that wide of a gap in power before."
"But you could catch up to him, right?" Zangya asked hopefully. "Now that you've fought him, you know where the goalpost is, and you can close the gap."
"I don't know." Gohan shook his head, making Zangya's confidence waver. "I'm not sure I could sense where his limits were, or if he even has them. I kept upping the ante, and he just took it like I wasn't even a warm up. I never imagined a god of destruction would be so powerful." Despite such pessimism, there was an undertone of excitement. Overcoming an insurmountable opponent? Surpassing his limits? This was the part of himself he had buried for so long, and now he finally had a chance to explore it without shame or guilt. He was fighting to protect, and that would always come first. But if he happened to have some fun fighting powerful enemies, well, as long as the earth was safe, he didn't feel too bad about it. "Well, I've got a long way to go, but like I said, I've got a few things in mind that might even the playing field with purple Garfield."
Zangya grinned. "That's my Gohan." She said proudly. "We'll catch up to the jerk in no time at all. So, what are we gonna do first? New and improved gravity chamber? Room of spirit and time? I've been looking forward to a new training regimen."
Gohan gave her a look of confusion. Then he became sheepish. "Oh, uh, about that… See, the thing is, the stuff I have planned… well, It's more geared for me."
"Ookay." Zangya gave him a look of long confusion. "So what? Whatever training you have planned should work just fine for me. I'm not picky, and what's good for the goose is good for the gander."
"Technically, I'm the gander." Gohan said without thinking.
"Whatever." Zangya waved her hand dismissively. "The point is, I'm down for whatever crazy training routine you've got planned."
Gohan looked in bewilderment at his girlfriend. "Zangya, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but the stuff I'm going to work on isn't something you can do."
The Hera furrowed her eyebrows. "Just what is that supposed to mean?" her tone had a dangerous edge to it.
Gohan shrugged, unaware of the danger. "Nothing. It's just that I-"
"Are you saying I can't handle your level of training?" She cut him off.
"Well, I didn't say that-"
"But that is what you think." Zangya growled rhetorically. "You've got to be kidding me? After all these years training together, you're seriously doubting me now!?" The redhead snarled. "You know I can handle whatever comes my way, and I can keep pace with any bogus training you can come up with! I am every bit as tough as you!"
"Pft, ok." Gohan let out an involuntary snort. He didn't mean to be insulting, and it only slipped out because he thought Zangya was pretty cute with how angry she was getting. Unfortunately, that is not how she interpreted it. He looked her in the eyes, but all he saw was pure outrage.
"Oh, no, babe, I didn't mean-" he began.
"Don't you 'babe' me!" Zangya roared. "I have trained with you side by side, fought every battle right there with you, and you have the gall to act like I'm just some scrub!?"
"Zangya, I didn't say that." Gohan tried to calm her down. "I know how strong you are, and you know I respect you as a warrior, but you have to admit, we're not exactly in the same league anymore."
Which of course was the wrong thing to say.
"Not in your league!" The Hera bellowed. "Not in your league!? You think just because you have some stupid new transformation that you're better than me now!?"
"No, just stronger." Gohan corrected. "You're not weak, but you can't deal with the level of threats we've been seeing."
"I can hold my own just fine!"
"Like you did with Beerus?" Gohan countered.
Zangya remembered how ineffective even her most powerful attack was against the destroyer and hesitated. "Y-yeah but… But it's not like we're going to face guys like him all the time!"
"But that is what I'm training for. The power curve always seems to be on the upswing. Buu, Cooler, Slug, Turles." Gohan listed each recent foe one by one. "You tell me how we would have won if not for my 'stupid transformation'?"
Zangya thought about this and couldn't think of an outcome where she could have beaten their recent enemies.
Gohan continued. "Maybe those guys were flukes. Maybe the worst is behind us, but I can't take that chance. Especially now that I know that my new form won't always guarantee a win."
"So what, am I just supposed to watch you save the day from the sidelines?"
"No, you know that's not what I'm saying." Gohan was starting to get frustrated. "Your support is invaluable, and there are still enemies that you can handle, but at your current level-"
"Then I'm just a cheerleader?" She scoffed. "I yell 'go Gohan!' while cleaning up the henchmen you can't be bothered with?"
Gohan pinched the bridge of his nose. "For the last time, that's not what I'm saying. Why are you being like this?" He asked in frustration.
"Because you're treating me like some damsel in distress!" she replied angrily. "You say you respect my strength, that my support is invaluable, but you don't mean a word! I'm just some side kick to you now! The plucky girl that can't hang with the real heroes!"
"This isn't about being a hero Zangya!" Gohan started to raise his voice.
"Oh no, of course not." She rolled her eyes. "Because only the great gold fighter gets to be a hero. You with your massive messiah complex. Can't have anyone steal the spotlight!"
"I don't want the spotlight!" Gohan insisted angrily. Both teens were standing now, and their voices rang through the mountains.
"That's why you won't let me join whatever your training is. Can't let the eye candy sidekick get too strong. Might actually chip away at your massive ego! Bet you get a real kick out of rescuing me all the time, don't you. Next villain we fight, I should just tie my hands behind my back and wait for you while he bludgeons me to a pulp and-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Gohan finally lost control, and the rush of anger served to silence Zangya for the moment. "You think I like seeing you hurt? You think I want to spend every other week seeing my loved ones attacked, beaten, and near death? Like it gives me any kind of pleasure to see you in pain? Or my little brother traumatized? No, Zangya, I don't want that." Zangya wanted to retort, but Gohan's anger was mounting, and the energy seemed to freeze her in place.
"You know what I do want?" the Saiyan continued. "I wish I didn't have to protect everyone on my own. I wish jerks like Beerus didn't pop in and threaten destruction just for a laugh. I wish I had someone I could rely on to have my back when fighting guys like that. But I don't have anyone like that Zangya. You and Piccolo? Broly? None of you are strong enough. You always do a great job of holding the enemy at bay, but even then, what happens if the boss gets smart and fights right out of the gate? I wish I didn't have to worry about your safety all the time, but I do. And it's not because I have a messiah complex. It's not because I enjoy playing hero. It's because I'm not strong enough. I care about you, and can't bear the thought of you, or anyone else I love, getting hurt because I can't protect them. I wish you could help me get stronger, but you aren't at a level you can make any difference yet. Who knows when the next threat will show up. I don't care if you train with me, and I'm happy to help you get stronger, but I don't have time to coddle you until you're at my level. So, I'm sorry if it hurts your feelings, sorry you feel left out of the spot light, but I need to get stronger to protect you and everything else I love. If you can't deal with that, then tough luck, because while I'd love for you to be with me on this, I don't have time to deal with your immature jealousy."
At this comment, anger welled up inside Zangya, and overtook the force holding her in place. Her open palm flew through the air, but before it hit the intended cheek, it was caught in the iron grip of the Saiyan.
"If you can't touch me in base," Gohan said with a downward look at the girl. "What do you expect to do against Beerus?"
Zangya looked up in shock that Gohan stopped her slap. Then a mixture of shame and anger overtook her and her arm went limp. He let her wrist go, and she stepped back, looking down so her bangs cast a shadow over her face.
"So that's how you see me..." She said, almost to herself.
"Zangya…" Gohan started.
"Fine. I get it." She struggled to keep her voice from cracking. "If you don't need me, I'll just go." She spun around and took off into the night sky.
"Zangya, wait!" Gohan took off after her.
"SOLAR FLARE!"
"Gah!" Gohan covered his eyes too late, and the intense brightness successfully blinded him. When he could see once more, Zangya was long gone. He reached out to sense her energy and was surprised to find that she was half way around the world at…
"Baba's?" Gohan asked into the empty air. His confusion at why she went to Baba's of all places lasted only a moment, until he thought to search his pockets for the note from grand kai. When he found it missing, his eyebrows furrowed, then, surprisingly, he allowed himself a bitter smile. "Yeah. That's probably for the best."
present
Zangya exited the higher plane with her hand shielding her eyes from the bright sky. She scanned the planet for a moment, then jumped over the souls in front of her and landed gently onto the neatly trimmed grass.
"Let's see…" she said to herself. "Baba said I would find the old man at the palace. Could have at least come to greet me." She griped, her mood being less than cheery. "Whatever. With a planet this size, can't be too hard to find a palace." She shrugged and started walking in the direction where she sensed a group of moderately high-power levels. As she went, she tried to feel if Goku was among the fighters she was heading to, but to her annoyance, she couldn't feel his energy at all.
"Tch. Figures." She growled moodily. "Probably off doing his own training. Won't even tell the ones who care about him what it is. 'Oh, no Zangya'" she started speaking in a thick, dull voice. "I'm not gonna tell you what my special training plan consists of. I'm just so smart and special it's only going to work for me. But you just sit there and look pretty. No need for you to try and keep up with me. Don't bother training with the kais yourself!"
It would be fair for the reader to assume that the rant may have been directed at a Son male other than Goku. It was not Goten.
"Stupid jerk." She started walking faster as her fury mounted. "Thinks he's too good to train with me, huh? You don't think I can catch up to you? What? I'm just the goofy side kick now? Comic relief and eye candy rolled into one!? I'll show you, you pretentious monkey boy. I was a damned prodigy among my people! I was the most powerful woman in the universe at the age of 12! When I get back, I'm gonna be so strong that you'll be groveling at my feet." A sadistic smile crossed the ex-villain's features. "Yeah, beg for forgiveness. What's that? You want to buy me dinner? Dessert? Jewelry? Dessert jewelry? Well, think again gold fighter! Prepare to start seeing red! AHAHAHAHA!"
"S-S-STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Zangya stopped her maniacal laughter to glare in the direction of a group of warriors of varying species. At the front was a smaller greenish woman with sunglasses and a sun hat. Antennae poked out of the top, both quivering uncontrollably.
"Oh." Zangya forgot her indignation for a moment as recognition dawned on her. "I know you. You were with the old guy when he sealed us. You were taller then."
"Th-That's right!" East Kai tried to sound confident, but was failing spectacularly. "So… So surrender right now or we may just seal you away again!"
Zangya scratched her head in confusion. "Surrender? What are you… Ooooohhhh, I get it." She snapped her fingers. "You think I'm still a bad guy, huh?" The Hera smiled and held up her hands placatingly. "Ok, well, you might not have heard, but I was invited here. I'm one of the good guys now. Not that that makes up for the galactic destruction thing, but I am trying."
"Ha! A likely story! Then explain why you were laughing like a nut job at the thought of torturing a poor monkey!" East Kai demanded.
In addition to East Kai's warriors, more fighters of the other world were starting to gather to view the scene.
"Torture a monkey?" Zangya thought back to what she said. "Oh, right, Gohan. Look lady, I wasn't going to torture him, just teach him a lesson for being such a punk. Not that torture wouldn't serve him right. You know how stupid boyfriends can be." The blue beauty paused to look the small, portly female kai up and down. "Er, I guess maybe you might not know."
A fire erupted around East Kai. "Ah! You brat! How dare you!? I'll have you know, I've won my sector's miss galaxy more years than you could count!"
"Impossible!" Zangya shouted back. "I've seen every episode of sesame street and have been trained by the Count himself! There is no limit to my counting abilities! Ah Ah Ah!"
"It's called hyperbole you dimwit!"
"Oh yeah?" Zangya grinned evilly. This was turning out to be a great outlet to let off some steam. "Well, inflating the number of beauty pageants you've won from zero to 'more than I can count' isn't hyperbole, it's a fabrication. Just like your hair piece!"
gasp*
A collective gasp was taken by the crowd of warriors, then deathly silence.
"Why you! You… Terrible Trollop!"
"L'East kai!"
"Blue Bimbo!"
"Green gargoyle!"
"Ginger jail bird!"
"Glorified guard dog!"
Off to the side, Arqua, a humanoid fishlike warrior leaned to the side.
"You think maybe we should we try to stop this?" he whispered to the person next to him.
"Nah, man! You lost yo mind!? We're about to get a front row seat to a full on cat fight."
Arqua looked at the speaker skeptically, before doing a double take. "Gah! G-grand Kai!"
The water warrior's outburst was so loud that everyone around turned to look and straighten up in reverence, with the exception of the two arguing women.
"You wouldn't know style if it bit you on the tuchus!" The kai yelled.
"Well, you look like something Goku would throw in front of Ginyu's body change attack!" the Hera shot back.
"What does that even mean!?" East Kai shouted in exasperation.
"You had to be there, and or hear the story secondhand from someone who was, but trust me, it was a great insult!"
To attest to that assertion, King kai was trying to contain his laughter in the background, rather enjoying the girl from his quadrant putting a rival in her place.
"That does it!" East Kai declared. "It's clear from your manner that I was right to come and confront you! I can't let a villain like you near the grand Kai!"
"Oh, so you do know why I'm here? You think you can stop me?" Zangya's smile grew even more wicked. "Give me all you got, lady, cuz I'm pretty ticked off right now, and not in the mood to hold back on some lady cockroach. Get ready to go from old hag to punching bag! HAAAA!"
With a simple kiai, a wave of energy pulsed out from Zangya and knocked nearly every warrior present to the ground. The east Kai was blown backwards and she rolled head over heels till she slammed into a tree.
"Uwooo." The Kai groaned as she rubbed her head. Then, she let out a scream when the blue face of Zangya suddenly popped in front of her. "Kyaaaa!"
"Sorry." The girl said smugly. "But you started it. Wanna see how I finish it?"
"Ok, Red, you made your point." The grand kai chuckled as he finally made his presence known to the girls. "You two make nice now, alright?"
East Kai jumped to her feet and hid behind the old man. "Grand Kai, thank goodness you're here! This witch just made an attempt on my life! I told you it was dangerous to let her come here."
"Now, now." Grand Kai made a placating gesture. "East Kai, we talked about this. We agreed to give the kid a chance."
"But she-"
"Look, just cuz you write a check yo tushi can't cash, don't mean imma be yo co signer on the debt." Grand kai admonished. "Seems to me a kai oughta be above provoking a mortal anyway."
Zangya smirked in triumph and stuck out her tongue. "Meh!"
"Grr insolent little…"
"Alright, alright, alright, that's enough." Grand Kai waved his hand.
"But Grand Kai!? This monster-"
"I said." The old man's words were now devoid of their laid-back tone. "That's enough."
East kai broke out into a cold sweat, offering no more words. Satisfied, Grand Kai turned to the crowd, allowing his usual tone to return. "You know, maybe I'm gettin' senile, but aint yall supposed to be trainin'?"
Everyone looked awkwardly at the others in the group, unsure of what to do.
Dean held up a hand with his fingers extended. "Yall got five seconds to get back to it, or else…" he flashed a grin. "You'll have to hang with Goku."
As if by magic, the warriors of the other world scattered in every direction with panicked faces, jumping into sparring matches, lifting weights, or just doing pushups.
"Snort*Hehehe." King kai laughed. "See?" he gloated to the other kais. "You don't see him using Pikkon to motivate them like that? Guess that's why I'm the king."
"Grr, you just wait till the next tournament." West kai growled.
"Hey." Grand kai interrupted the squabble. "What I said goes for yall as well."
"Gyeeee!" the three male kais cried before running to find their students. East Kai followed, but not before shooting a withering stare at Zangya.
When there was nobody else there besides Grand Kai and Zangya, Dean gave her a sympathetic gaze. "Sorry bout East Kai. She's the 'up in yo face' type. Plus, she's still pretty sore bout what happened back in the day. What with you tryin' to destroy us and all."
Zangya stopped smirking at the mention of her past and looked remorseful. "I… I know I've got a lot to atone for…" Her decision to come to the Kais was rash, driven by a desire to get back at Gohan for his apparent dismissal of her value. But now that she was here, she realized how foolish it was. She was a monster as far as the kais were concerned, and she had to admit she couldn't blame them for thinking that. It's not like she needed their approval, and she knew she had changed, but that didn't excuse her for her past sins. To just show up to the place that she had once tried to invade expecting a warm welcome was incredibly naïve of her. Besides, after seeing how weak virtually everyone on the planet was compared to her, she realized she didn't have much to gain here anyway.
"That lady was right. I should have known better than to come here." she turned to leave.
"Hey."
Zangya looked back at the Grand kai.
"Whaddaya say we take a ride?" As he spoke, he spun a key around on his finger. Attached was a keychain with a sign that said 'foxy grandpa'.
For a moment, the girl was curious why a deity had keys, and by extension a car, but she shook it off.
"No thanks." She shook her head. "This was a mistake." She started to leave.
"I've got Cake-shakes."
Her foot froze half way in the air. "… What flavor?"
Break
VROOOOOM!
The Grand kai revved the engine on his vintage blue 1958 Cadillac series 62 convertible, peeling out as he exited his palace garage. The wind blew through the Hera's cloudy hair as she sipped her shake, occasionally getting a chunk of cake through the fat straw. "Not bad."
"I know, right!" the old man grinned as he sped around his planet, drifting round a corner every now and then. "All leather seats, and the horse power's-"
"I meant the shake." Zangya cut him off.
"O-oh." The kai deflated. "Thanks. The cake was one of yours."
Zangya nodded. "I thought so. The cars cool too, I guess." She admitted.
"Yeah, she's my baby." Dean's smile widened again. "Don't get much of a chance to take her out, but seein' as this is a special occasion, I thought we could enjoy it."
Zangya raised her eyebrow. "What's the occasion?"
"I got a hot young babe to come visit me! Ahahaha!"
BAAAM*
Zangya folded her arms and grand kai rubbed the massive goose egg that was sprouting from his head.
"Ok, ok, it was just a joke."
"Tch, whatever." She rolled her eyes. She was starting to think this guy was the same as the elder kai. "Once the shakes gone, so am I. Enjoy it while you can."
"Aw, c'mon now, I promised you a lesson. Least you could do is stick around to see what's up."
"Look, no offense gramps, but I don't think you've got much to offer." Zangya took another sip of shake.
"Oh, really?" Grand kai seemed more amused than offended. "That why the kid didn't come? He think he's too good for my lessons?"
Zangya turned to the side away from dean and became even moodier. "None of your business."
"Hm." Grand kai hummed thoughtfully. "Well, it's all good. Probably better he didn't come. Not yet."
Zangya gave him a confused look.
"Kid's got plenty of resources on earth to get where he needs to be. Not sayin I couldn't make him stronger. Just that my training aint what he needs right now. You on the other hand…"
"What about me?" Zangya asked haughtily.
"Well, you're just the type of sorry excuse for a pupil that I specialize in."
"Excuse me!?" Zangya yelled.
"I mean, sure, you got talent, but not much else." Dean continued.
"Are you kidding me!?" The Hera growled. "Is that why I could blow your sorry excuses for students away with a breath? No offense buddy, but I wouldn't go bragging about your teaching skills with such a pathetic portfolio."
"Hey, no offense taken." Dean shrugged. "After all, they aint my students."
"Tch, okay." Zangya rolled her eyes. "So not only are you weaker than me, but you don't even have a student you could show me to prove you're legit? Yeah, I'm sure you're just the teacher I've been dreaming of."
"Hey, thanks babe." Dean flashed a grin, then lost it the minute he saw Zangya's reaction. "Ahem, anyway. I guess it's fair you wanna see some proof of my puddin' so to speak. So, let's get on with it."
Before Zangya could ask what he meant, Dean moved his hand quickly to the shift stick and moved it to a gear labeled 'T'. Suddenly, Zangya was thrown back in her seat, milkshake splattering over her face, as the car picked up greater speed. Trees, fighters, and buildings blurred as they passed, and the world changed from a serene, green landscape, to a vibrant rainbow tunnel.
"HOLD ON BABE!" Grand Kai cackled. "THIS IS THE BEST PART!"
Before Zangya could make an angry reply, The car lurched, dropped, rolled, and finally the Hera passenger was overcome with a sensation of crashing, and an intense ringing in her ears. She fumbled to get her seatbelt off, then hopped out of the car, falling gracelessly in a heap on the ground.
"Hehehe." Dean chuckle. "I never get tired of that."
Zangya shook her head, then tried to get up. To her surprise, she had to exert a great deal more effort than she expected. She managed to get to her feet, ready to tear into the grand kai, when her attention was caught by the unusual landscape.
Red. That seemed to be the only color in this place. The trees, the grass, even the sky. Everything was bloody red, with the occasional tinge of black.
"Pretty freaky, right?" Grand kai asked with a smile.
"Is… Is this some kind of joke?"
Grand kai hopped out of his car. "Heh, I guess I could see why you'd think that of all people. But nah, your superhero name had nothin to do with this place's design. It's just cuz of the way the energy works here."
"And…" Zangya tried unsuccessfully to see any remnant of the planet she was on moments before. "Where is here?"
"GAH! Just, hah! Five, Hah! More, Hah! Laps!"
Zangya looked off into the distance where the vaguely familiar voice had come from.
"Go, Hah!, Goku! Sl-Slow down! I c-can't keep, Hah! Getting hit, YOW!" a voice that was less familiar cried out in pain.
"Then, hah! Go, hah! Faster, hah, lord, hah, south!" a third voice that Zangya had never heard before chided the second voice.
"Oh, goody." Grand kai rubbed his hands together. "Just in time."
Before The girl could ask what they were in time for, she heard an explosion and a shriek of pain. She stared, wide eyed at the old man, waiting for an explanation.
"Why don't I show you what my trainin' can really do?" the old man removed his sunglasses and wiped them with a cloth. "You might think you're pretty tough, but you aint seen nothin till you seen my personal slice of hell." He put his shades back on and gave the girl a devilish grin. "Welcome to the T-Zone."
Break
High above the Paozu mountain range, Gohan flew through the skies with a pensive expression. School had been pretty dull, all things considered, having covered most of the curriculum for his gen-eds long ago. Not that he wasn't still excited to learn, but part of him regretted not going with Zangya to train with the Grand Kai. Maybe it would have been better to learn from the old man. There was something about him the last time they met that made Gohan feel like there was more to him than met the eye. It's not like he couldn't put his education off for a few months, or even years. Not to mention the fact that he could have avoided the worst fight he and Zangya had ever had. He still wanted to punch himself for the way he talked to her. Maybe she wasn't as strong as him, but he could have helped her get there eventually. Maybe help her figure out a new transformation, or even spend some time in the hyperbolic time chamber. He could have just explained his training plan and why it wouldn't work for her. It wasn't like he was trying to keep it a secret or anything.
"Gohan! Wait up! You're going to fast!" Goten called from behind, pulling the older Saiyan out of his ponderings.
The teen looked back and slowed down to let his little brother catch up to him. "Oh, sorry Goten. You doing ok?"
Goten pulled up beside Gohan with a frown and nodded. "I guess. I still don't understand why we have to do this." He said with a pout.
"What do you mean?" The teen asked in confusion. "Don't you want to train with me?"
"Of course I do!" Goten exclaimed. "But why does it have to be with them? Why can't we train with Mr. Piccolo and Zangy like always?"
Gohan sighed. "Look, I know it's tough for you to trust them after everything that happened between you guys, so if you don't want to go, we can do some training just you and me."
"Really?" Goten asked in surprise.
"Of course. I'm not going to make you get along with them if you don't want to."
"Oh. Thanks Gohan." Goten said with a note of relief in his voice.
"So, wanna turn back?"
"Mm…" The little boy thought. "No. I guess we can keep going. They won't try anything with you there."
"Whatever you say kiddo." Gohan smiled. "You know, I don't expect you guys to get along, but you might think about giving them a second chance. I may not be the best template, but the guy that kidnapped me when I was your age and spent half a year beating me to a pulp every day ended up being my best friend. Plus, I met my girlfriend when she tried to kill me."
"I guess that's true." Goten became thoughtful for a moment. "I just don't see why you have to make those jerks even stronger though."
"Because I need their help to make myself stronger." Gohan explained.
"But why can't Zangy or Mr. Piccolo help you?"
Gohan smiled. "Piccolo's busy. Besides, it's a Saiyan thing."
As for Zangya, Gohan didn't really feel like explaining why she wasn't there. Especially after how badly his mom laid into him for letting her go by herself, not to mention her choice words about his reasoning for doing so. He didn't need the same thing from Goten.
After a moment of silence, Goten asked another question. "If it's a Saiyan thing, couldn't we train with Trunks and his dad?"
"Pft!" Gohan snorted. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen."
"Aw."
"Anyway," Gohan continued, "We're here. Looks like Lomen passed the message along."
The brothers flew down into a remote valley where Lomen, the eldest Saiyan, meditated under a shady tree, Rhubub leaned against the trunk, while Heiya laid down with his head on a particularly comfy root. Nira, the only female Saiyan present, was shadow boxing with such intensity, weather satellites started picking up tornadoes in the region.
"Hey, sorry we're late." Gohan apologized as he touched down.
Nira paused her exercise, hopping in place and shaking her limbs to stay loose. "You kids are fine. We're still waiting on my son and the other brats."
"Hey, don't lump us in with them." Chokly said as her and Nazz landed.
"What took you?" Nira asked impatiently. "I bet Sesamy has already got Broly to show her how it's done. I can't fall behind her just because we have to wait for you punks!"
"Hey, it couldn't be helped." Nazz shrugged. "We had to pick up an extra shift while the good for nothings went off to creep on some girls at Gohan's school."
"That little punk!" Nira cursed her son's behavior. "If he gets even one earth girl pregnant out of wedlock, I'll-"
"Relax, auntie Nira." Soga chuckled as the trio of Saiyan boys landed. "First he'd have to get one of them to acknowledge his existence."
"Stupid gold fighter and his stupid popularity." Kress mumbled. "The tail is not an attempt to cosplay him!"
"Should have known better than to try to score on lord Gohan's home field." Chokly chided.
Nira grabbed Kress by the ear and began to twist. "If you think I'm falling behind Sesamy just because you deviants can't keep it in your pants, you've got another thing coming!"
"OWOWOW!"
"Let the boy go, Nira." Heiya said lazily. "You're not going to fall behind. I'm pretty sure the big guy's still trying to avoid her. Can't say I blame him."
"That's because you don't know how to handle real Saiyan women." Chokly laughed.
"You got me there, short stack." The older Saiyan replied to Chokly. "Let me know when you see a real Saiyan woman so I can practice."
"Why, you bum!" Chokly aimed a kick that Heiya rolled away from. While the short Saiyan kept trying to attack the older man, Nazz knelt down to address Goten.
"You here to teach us little sensei?"
The little boy just took a step back toward his brother and glared at the girl.
Gohan looked between the two and sighed. Maybe it was a mistake to have everyone together like this. But it really was the most efficient way of doing things, and this wasn't a bad way of healing the bad blood. It seemed evident that the Saiyans were here to stay, so they might as well get along. At least they were better than Vegeta at the beginning, or even Vegeta a few months ago.
"So, is this it?" Gohan addressed the group.
"Yeah." Nira finally let go of her son's ear. "Sesamy wanted to train with Broly, Onio is off on a second honeymoon, and Kalif is harassing Vegeta. I guess her and his dad had a history."
"Well, that's something I don't want to think about." Gohan laughed awkwardly. "So, let's get the image out of our minds and get started."
The Saiyans started to gather around Gohan.
"Oh, uh, yeah, bring it in I guess." Gohan wasn't used to kind of attention. Sure, he'd been in the spot light as the gold fighter, but none of his fans ever stared quite so attentively, or at least not so formally. Suddenly, he felt a lot like a professor. He looked at each of the Saiyans, noting their various attitudes as they stood before him.
"So, I guess Lomen told you all about our deal." He started nervously. "I mean, obviously, otherwise you probably wouldn't be here. Anyway, basically, you all want to be super Saiyans."
"YEEAAH!"
Gohan was almost knocked back by the combined cheer. It looked like these guys were definitely serious.
"Ok then. Good. Well, I'm happy to teach you all what I know…"
He hadn't anticipated having to teach so many at once. Though, it only made sense that they would all want to achieve the legendary transformation. Fair was fair, and after all, he felt like he was getting so much more out of this arrangement.
"In exchange, I need you guys to help me with my transformation." He paused to take a deep breath. "I need you to help me master the oozaru state."
Here it was. Perhaps the most crucial element in Gohan's path to power. If he could master the great ape form, then a whole new level of strength opened up to him. This wasn't something Zangya, or even the grand kai could help him with. The Saiyans were his best bet at obtaining mastery. Right now, the form was a liability against people like Beerus, but with the right training, he was sure it could be the most valuable weapon in his arsenal.
"So, I think its best if we do this in turns. I can practice Oozaru, then you guys can try to transform. Or we can reverse the order. Either way, I'm sure you are all 'super' excited to start 'monkeying' around." He finished with a wide grin.
Though most of the Saiyans groaned at this lame set of puns, two of their number couldn't contain their approval.
"AHAHAHAHA!" Nazz grabbed her stomach while bending over laughing. "Monkeying around! HAHAHA! Never gets old!"
"HAHAHAHA!" Goten laughed, floating in the air and kicking his feet. "Monkey! Cuz of the tail! And super, like super Saiyan!"
Pleased that his joke had gone over so well, he smiled and coughed. "Yes, yes, well, good jokes aside, any questions?"
"I've got one."
Gohan looked at the Saiyan with white armor and short hair, rather less spikey than the average saiyan. He had impish features, but in an almost sinister way, and he appeared to be only a few years older than Gohan was. "Quillin, right? what's your question?"
"I want to know why we have to learn from some punk who can't even handle himself as an oozaru."
Everyone was dead quiet as Quillin glared at Gohan. Questioning the alpha at all, especially in such a disrespectful way, was not something taken lightly among the Saiyans. The older ones waited to see how Gohan would handle this challenge, while the younger ones stood on edge, unsure of what exactly might happen. The only ones not affected by the tension were Gohan and Goten, though for different reasons.
"Hey! You're lucky my brother is teaching you at all!" Goten yelled. "You think some jerk like you can learn how to become a super Saiyan on your own, then good riddance."
"Stay out of this runt!" Quillin growled, but his view of the smallest Saiyan was immediately blocked by a fierce looking Gohan, making the other Saiyan take a step back.
It only took a second for Gohan to drop his scowl and adopt an easy smile. "Ok, everyone, let's take it easy. It's a fair question after all." He put a hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner. "I mean, aside from the fact that I'm the only one here who can go super Saiyan at will, not to mention the first to push the form to another level, suppose it's because… Well, I'm stronger, smarter, more experienced, and better than you in every way that counts." He finished with a shrug.
"You think you're better than me!?" Quillin roared.
"You don't?" Came the easy reply.
Quillin grit his teeth and growled. "So what if you have a few extra transformations? All that means is you got there first. Once we learn how to do it, you won't hold a candle to us!"
"You think so?" Gohan asked, feigning sincerity.
"I know so." Quillin sneered. "I'd destroy you if the playing field were even."
"Interesting." Gohan mused. "You're saying that if I wasn't stronger than you, than I wouldn't be stronger than you?"
"No! That's not what I'm saying!" Quillin yelled in frustration.
"Uh, that is kind of what it sounded like, though." Soga scratched his head, before he was nudged into silence by Kress.
"Shut up!" Quillin roared in embarrassment. "You know what I mean! Once I have access to the same transformations, I'd thrash this punk! If that's all he's got going for him, then why should I listen to him!? Turles was far stronger than us without having to transform. Why are you all so ok to follow the jerk that killed our comrades!? We can learn super Saiyan without him. We can get stronger and then he won't be so high and mighty." He finished by glaring at Gohan.
Gohan met the glare with a guileless stare of his own. Then, to the other saiyan's chagrin he let out a slow laugh, that quickly changed into a boisterous one.
"HehehehahahaHAHAHAHA!" Gohan's laughter confused some of the Saiyans and infuriated Quillin.
"Stop it! STOP LAUGHING!"
"Ahaha, ok, ok. Sorry." Gohan offered a halfhearted apology. "I just couldn't help it. I guess when all you've had to do to get stronger is eat some fruit, you wouldn't understand what it takes to get to my level."
"Oh yeah, tough guy?" Quillin sneered. "You really think a sheltered kid from this backwater planet can compare to what I've gone through? What any of us have for that matter?"
Gohan almost had to resist the urge to laugh again. "Not trying to invalidate your life experience, but yeah. See, while you were gorging yourself on innocent weaklings by draining their planets, I've been constantly fighting opponents straight out of our worst nightmares. How many of you fought Frieza when you were 5? What about a bio-android genetically designed to destroy you and your whole family at the age of 10? You know my girlfriend used to run with a group of genocidal maniacs so bad the gods themselves had to seal them away before I beat them for good. Ever heard of the jade empire? What about Majin Buu? I mean, I'd never heard of either of them before I destroyed them, but maybe since you didn't come from a sheltered backwater planet like me, those names will mean something to you."
The truth was, the jade empire was the most well-known entity in the known universe, known to rival and even surpass the cold empire at its peak. The older Saiyans had also heard of Majin Buu, and the kid's resume definitely impressed them.
"But none of that really matters, does it?" Gohan continued. "Because you don't seem like you're the type to be convinced with a few fun anecdotes. So, back to your original complaint. Why don't we put your theory to the test? No transformations."
Quillin looked confused, then when realization dawned, he smiled maliciously. "Now you're speaking my language." He dropped to a low fighting stance.
"We've got a challenge!" Nazz yelled and Soga broke out a box.
"Alright, place your bets, rules are no transformations. Just a good ol brawl. What are the odds Heiya?"
"Oh, I don't know…" Heiya sighed. "I give it two to one, favor of Gohan."
"What!?" Quillin yelled.
"Overall, I'd say that's pretty generous." Gohan folded his arms. "Better make it ten to one."
"Oh, damn!" Kress yelled. "I'll take a slice of that! Gimme 20 steaks on Quillin!"
"That goes for me too." Soga said as he wrote both bets down.
Gohan and Quillin waited while the bets were made. Finally, the last wager was written down, and Soga gave the thumbs up to Nazz, who in turn went to stand between the combatants.
"Alright fellas" she began, "you both understand the rules? No monkey business and no glow ups. Cry uncle or pass out and you're done. Loser becomes the winner's bitch."
"Good thing you're already so good at barking like one." Gohan quipped while he stretched with a smile on his face.
Quillin bared his teeth. "Talk big while you can. I'm gonna enjoy making you beg for mercy."
"Begin!"
"HAA!" Quillin let loose a barrage of ki blasts, firing rapidly until hundreds of bombs were converging on Gohan. The hybrid dashed to the side, but the attack just followed him. Gohan took to the sky, while Quillin kept his attack trained on Gohan.
"What's the matter!? Getting too hot in here for ya!?" Quillin taunted.
Gohan stopped suddenly, then to Quillin's surprise he dove straight into the storm of ki, knocking aside blasts as they got close.
"HYAH!" Gohan shouted when he hit the center of the barrage, and a wave of yellow energy spread out in an expanding sphere, detonating most of the energy bombs in a blinding display of light and smoke. Quillin covered his face with one hand to shield his eyes, but without warning, a hammering pain to his gut made his eyes bulge and he gasped for air. Gohan pulled his fist from his opponent's stomach before following up with a spinning round kick to the face, sending Quillin skipping along the ground, finally stopping when he slammed against a boulder.
"Trust me." Gohan's hands ignited with black flame as Quillin got to his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth. He sent a spurt of flame to the ground and the two were encased by a ring of fire. "When it gets hot in here, I'll be the one to bring the heat."
"Nice." Nira nodded with satisfaction. "I had Gohan drawing first blood. 3 hamburgers to me."
"It aint over till the oozaru howls." Kress said. "Come on Quillin! I can't afford to lose those steaks!"
"Shut up and let me concentrate!" Sweat started to form on Quillin's face as he yelled, then turned his attention to Gohan. "Nice trick. But I've got a few of my own. HAA!"
Stretching out his hand, five energy rings shot out and spun toward Gohan. The hybrid readied himself to strike them down with one blast. Just before he hit them, a copy of Quillin popped out of each one, hopping over Gohan's attack and attempting a counter with diverse strikes. Gohan side-stepped the first copy, then kicked another away, while blocking a third and spinning over the top of the last two.
"Not bad." Gohan smiled as he landed and swayed back to avoid a punch from the original. "But I like mine better."
Before Quillin could ask what he meant, a pair of hands shot out from the ground and grabbed his ankles. Another Gohan erupted from the earth and started swinging his opponent around like a ragdoll, alternating between slamming him to the ground and drawing him close for a punch. The copies all tried to help their creator, but the first Gohan got in their way, tearing one in half easily with a flaming punch, then a fiery kick destroyed another. The remaining three retreated till their backs were seared against the ring of fire.
Meanwhile, the original Quillin was being dominated by his adversary. In desperation, he prepared a mouth blast to force his release, but before he could fire, Gohan started a rapid spin, disorienting his opponent before flinging him through the black flame wall.
"GRYAAR!" Quillin howled in pain as the flames seared his flesh, releasing his built up energy in a random direction. The burns made his impact on the ground all the more excruciating.
The two Gohan's then teamed up on the remaining copies, decapitating one with a chop, punching a hole through another, and crushing the final one's skull with matching spinning elbow strikes impacting the head on either side. The two Gohans merged into one before he extinguished the flames with a wave of his hand.
"Ready to give up?" The teen asked his opponent.
Quillin got to his feet, trembling with pain. "I-I'm just getting started!" he yelled as he charged energy into his hands and fired multiple large blasts in quick succession.
Gohan sidestepped the first easily, but before he could dodge the second, he felt arms wrap around him in a full nelson. A copy of Quillin had materialized from the first blast and grappled Gohan without him even realizing. The second, third, and fourth blasts all became copies, hammering Gohan with punches and kicks. Gohan struggled against the hold, but it was surprisingly strong, and the constant rain of fists and feet didn't help, even making him grunt in pain.
"HAHAHA!" The real Quillin laughed at Gohan's predicament. "Gotcha you punk! I'd ask if you're ready to surrender, but I'd rather just watch you flail like a pathetic fish!"
"I'm, ArgH! More of, Gah. A shark!" CHOMP
"GAAAAAH!"
Gohan bit one copy hard on the forearm, then whipped him around with his mouth and used him to smash head first into the other two assailants, knocking them away. He rammed his own head into his captor's face, loosening the hold enough for him to spin and drive an elbow across his brow. Gohan brought two fingers to his forehead, gathered just enough energy for a hasty special beam cannon, and let it rip through each copy like they were nothing.
"Ptuh." He spit the last one's arm out of his mouth, then finished it off by stomping through its chest.
"DIE DIE MISSILE BARRAGE!"
Gohan spun around just in time to get nailed with the first of countless energy bombs, more potent than the previous attacks. He staggered back and faltered with each fresh impact. The attack overwhelmed him, and his image was lost in a vibrant display of explosions.
"HAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAAYAYAAAA!" Quillin yelled as he sent his last round of blasts, stopping only when he was certain he'd done the job. "Haa. Haa. Haa… heh." He laughed as he caught his breath. "So much for the super saiyan."
"Quillin!" Kress yelled in exasperation. "You were just supposed to beat him! Not kill him!"
"Yeah, dude!" Soga chimed in. "He was totally gonna hook us up with some college chicks! Now what are we supposed to do!?"
"Tch." Quillin clicked his tongue. "Whatever. If that's all it took to kill him, he really wasn't worth much in the first place. So, Nazz, you gonna declare the winner or what?"
"Uh…" Nazz scratched her cheek. "Sure. When the match is over."
"What are you talking about?" Quillin sneered. "Just admit your golden boy wasn't all he was cracked up to be."
"Sure." A mocking voice said as an image suddenly appeared behind him.
Quillin spun around, only to be hauled up by his throat and slammed into the ground. "Kek!" he coughed.
"I'm not all I'm cracked up to be." Gohan's dark eyes bore down on the helpless Quillin as he spoke. "I'm actually far worse."
"Y-you… How?" Quillin gasped out.
"Maybe your attack wasn't all it was cracked up to be either." Gohan smiled, then slammed Quillin into the earth again. "Now, here's another question. Is it possible to knock sense into an idiot? My running hypothesis is yes, but I lack empirical data." Gohan picked the other Saiyan up and landed two blows to his gut, and a straight punch to the face. "Thanks for volunteering for the study."
The following 'study', which was so brutal that even the more seasoned Saiyans had to avert their gazes at least once, was very enlightening for Gohan.
"Interesting." He dropped the swollen lump of flesh that was unrecognizable for the saiyan who challenged him. "As it turns out, 237 hits and still no sense seems to be forth coming. But he is unconscious, so I guess I win, right?" he asked Nazz.
The girl slid nervously next to Quillin and nudged him with her toe. "Uh, yeah. Winner is Gohan."
"AW!" Soga and Kress groaned.
"Great." Gohan said cheerfully, displaying a complete 180 to the menace that had just brutalized the other fighter. "Goten, toss me a bean."
"Oh, alright." Goten sighed reluctantly. He knew he shouldn't have enjoyed the fight as much as he did, but it's not like Quillin stepped up to save him when Goyan was beating him up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a brown bag full of senzu beans. He threw one to Gohan, who caught it, then forced it unceremoniously into his victims swollen mouth. He squished his face, working it like putty to help Quillin chew, and finally, the bean worked it's magic and the Saiyan was back to 100%."
"Huh… Kind of reminds me of Buu." Gohan remarked on the sudden shift in appearance.
Quillin opened his eyes, staring up at Gohan in fear, then confusion, then anger.
"You cheated!"
Gohan rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks Gohan for being the bigger man and fixing my severe injuries with your miracle beans. I was wrong to question your strength in such a foolish manner."
"You transformed!" Quillin pointed an accusatory finger. "You had to have! There's no way you would have gotten away from my attack unscathed without going super Saiyan!"
"I wasn't unscathed." Gohan rejoined. "I got a wicked sunburn."
"Y-you!" Quillin stammered. He turned to appeal to the elder saiyan. "Lomen, you had to have seen it, right!? Didn't he transform?"
Lomen gave the younger Saiyan a disapproving look. "No, but if you stop whining, I might tell you how he did escape your attack.
Instant replay
Gohan staggered back as the bombs hit him one after the other. He was barely managing to minimize damage, but the rapid rate was wearing him down, and left him no room to properly defend, let alone counter. Another blast hit him in the shoulder and he went sideways.
"GRAH!" Gohan yelled in frustration as he stumbled, only instead of using his foot to catch his balance, he forced it down hard, creating a hole in the ground just big enough for his body. He let himself drop in, then he fired a ki bomb of his own, causing all the bombs to detonate and providing cover for him to get behind his opponent without detection. Thanks to his dad's stealth technique, avoiding discovery by anyone who wasn't skilled at sensing energy was child's play.
End replay
Quillin couldn't believe it. "I… Lost. All because of some stupid fluke."
"Not exactly." Gohan corrected. "I could have beaten you in two seconds, but I wanted to give you a fighting chance."
Quillin looked up at Gohan in astonishment, then regained himself and scoffed. "Yeah right! You barely won, and only because you got the drop on me. There's no way you could ha-"
Quillin suddenly froze, his whole body felt like a hand was crushing the life out of him. Breath left him, his strength failed, and all he was left with was crippling, unyielding fear.
"Gah!" the hand released him, allowing him to finally gasp for breath. He looked down at his trembling hands.
"From now on." Gohan took a knee and placed a hand on Quillin's shoulder, drawing him closer. "The only one who calls my brother 'runt' is me. Got it?"
"Y-y-yes." The terrified warrior stammered out.
Gohan nodded, then stood as he turned to the others, who themselves seemed a bit shaken by what they had just felt. Only Goten seemed to have been unaffected.
"Look," he addressed the Saiyans. "I don't want to control you. You can learn from me, or you can train your own way, I don't care. But don't mistake my mercy for weakness. If you're still mad about what happened on Namek, I'm sorry for the loss of your friends, but I did the right thing. If that makes you angry, I don't care. Just consider yourself luckier than they were. Move on from the past, and consider the opportunity that's sits before you now. A chance to atone."
The Saiyans all looked at Gohan with curiousity. He continued. "I don't presume to know any of your histories. We all come from different places, but at the end of the day, we're still Saiyans. We share the blood of a great warrior race. I didn't used to think much of that. I didn't want to be a savage killer. But I realized something not too long ago. Being a great warrior is about more than just making war. Protecting the weak. Fighting evil wherever it shows up. The Saiyans were once known as the fiercest warriors in the universe. We can be that again, but this time we can be a force for justice. I know we can do a lot of good together. But we've seen what kind of monsters are out there. Cooler, Beerus, You're your old boss, and who knows who else. We have to be stronger to face those threats, and protect the important things. The best way we can do that is by helping each other. If I can master the oozaru transformation, and you all can become super Saiyans, then one day, not even Beerus can push the weak and defenseless around. I'm not going to force anything on any of you. The choice is yours, but if you want to see our race be better than we ever were before, then choose to set aside the past, and walk with me into the future."
The Saiyans were silent. Gohan's speech was the last thing they had expected after such a display of dominance. Was he really offering a choice? Or was this a variation of 'my way or the highway'? Not to mention his goals seemed to be so contrary to everything they'd ever known Saiyans to be. Everything they'd known their whole lives.
After a long silence, Nazz was the first to speak. "So… we'd be like… the universe's greatest champions?"
"Something like that." Gohan cringed. That title was a bit lackluster in his opinion. "If that notion doesn't appeal to you, fine. But now you know where I stand. If you can't stand with me, then you should go find someone else to teach you."
He looked at each Saiyan in turn, trying to read their intentions. Finally, he got to Lomen, and the old man cracked a smile. "I don't see any of us leaving."
Gohan raised an eyebrow, and saw that each of them seemed to feel the same way. He allowed himself a small smile. "Good. Then let's get started."
End chapter
A/N: unrelated to this chapter, but I am going to post some character art on my deviant art gallery soon. I suck at drawing, but AI is pretty nifty these days. I know it's cheating, but I don't care. Plus, those prompts are hard to come up with to get the character exactly right. I started with the OCs from the Jade empire, but I also have good amount Gohan and Zangya (Mostly Zangya). Other characters will come soon. Lonewolfca171 is my name on deviantart.