A/N: Hi!


Hoi's Insidious Mind Tricks Part 2


Goku….Son Goku….

He jolted into a sitting position at the sound of his name being uttered, only to open his eyes to see…nothing. The thoughts of suddenly having lost his vision were brief, as he then dismissed those silly notions, instead rationalizing that he likely couldn't see because the light was unable to pierce through the darkness.

When he felt his son's ki signature, his heart began to beat quickly with joy. However, for some reason, it was difficult to lock onto his precise location. Since it felt like it was coming from all directions, he decided that perhaps it was worth a try to call out for him instead.

"Hey, Gohan? Are you here?

"Dad! Is that you?!"

"Yeah!" he replied with a grin, glad that his son was indeed around and also well. "Do you happen to know where we are?"

"No…and I can't see anything. But I did hear Shin…I mean Hoi say my name."

Goku stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, he called out my name as well…"

"He most likely used a spell to bring us here-urgk!"

His son's unexpected scream of agony startled the full Saiyan, causing him to panic and begin running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He transformed into a Super Saiyan, in hopes that his aura would illuminate his surroundings, but to no avail. Darn it, where the heck is he-

Oh, don't you worry about your son, Goku…

The Saiyan felt an unfamiliar supernatural force pull at his mind, leading him to fall to his knees and curl into a fetal position. His hands flew to his head, gripping clumps of his golden locks as the mental attack grew stronger with every minute that passed.

You should be more worried about yourself...

"Wha-what are you doing to him!" The Saiyan demanded, groaning from the ache suddenly pulsating on the center of his forehead.

The voice laughed.

The same thing I'm doing to you!

Goku's watered half-lidded turquoise orbs went wide when he realized what Hoi was doing; it was exactly as Bra predicted.

Hoi was doing exactly what he did to Towa, Dabura, and Mira; take over his soul, body, and mind. And he was willing to bet his life (which he no longer had) that he was casting the same spell on not only his son, but also on the others.

A smile spreading across his face, he willed himself to fight through the pain and uncurl and sit cross-legged on the pitch-black floor. Hoi better think twice if he thought such tricks would work on him. Goku has always been a benevolent individual... However, after all the drama with Bra, Chi-Chi, and Gohan, he turned into the worse version of himself. Having been raised by one of the world's kindest people, his Grandpa Gohan—the name he and Chi-Chi had decided to give their son—he never imagined that he could become such an angry and emotionally ugly person. Fortunately, as a result of his stay in the Otherworld, he was able to revert back to his gentle, kind, and loving self through daily meditations. Sure he had his moments where those nasty negative thoughts reared their ugly heads in, but doesn't everyone? It's just a matter of learning to cope with them and that-that was something that he has mastered.

He placed the backs of his palms on his lap, straightened his back until his spine was perfectly aligned, and drew a long breath in before holding it and exhaling it. He did this repeatedly until his body was totally at ease. He couldn't help but grin when he heard Hoi growl out of frustration; apparently, he had been talking, trying to work his spell on him while he was preparing himself for the mental battle.

Goku flinched when he all of a sudden felt a stinging sensation shoot up his spine, nearly making him lose his composure.

Heheha oh, Goku! No matter how much mental training you have done at the Otherworld, the events of the past will never leave your mind. You see, dark magic, if used properly, can be quite a powerful thing. A talented wizard such as myself has no probably utilizing magic to its fullest potential. So no, you don't get to use your stay in the Otherworld as a shortcut to overcome your past traumas. Let me give you the seven-year 'experience' of pain Bra had to undergo while you were blissfully having a jolly ol' time at the Otherworld; I'm going to break you, Goku.

Without any warning, Goku's calm and clear mind was abruptly assaulted, making him feel uncomfortable and stiff. Awful images of his past mistakes slammed into his head full throttle, making him start trembling from anxiety, the pure guilt that he felt for emotionally damaging his ex-wife and eldest son causing his stomach to turn unpleasantly. The images were so real, so damn vivid, that it felt like he was literally living that moment all over again.

After all those years married to such a careful and wonder woman such as Chi-Chi, why would you throw it all away for just some cheap one-night stand, with a whore?

The full Saiyan tried to fight off the unwanted visual memories that continuously crashed into the walls of his mind, causing cracks to form from the forceful impact. Still, the spell being cast upon him had him completely ensnarled in its clutches, unwilling to let go no matter how much he fought against it.

Goku, did you know? Did you know that Chi-Chi had seriously contemplated killing herself?

Goku paled, in utter disbelief. "Do-don't say such heinous things! Chi-Chi would never-"

Oh, Goku, I believe you misjudged how much she loves you. And you, being the blind idiot you are, couldn't see that. You were always so preoccupied with training to bother showing an ounce of appreciation for even the smallest of things that she does out of love, for you.

The ache on his forehead returned with a vengeance, causing him to double over as he raised his hands and threaded them through his yellow-gold locks of hair. "H-how-could you possibly knew if she-"

Did you forget that I'm also inside your son's mind? It's all there Goku. He witnessed it and hell he had to intervene one time.

His eyes began to well up with tears as he saw Chi-Chi snatching one of her sharpest knives and run it cleanly through one ear and out the other, the blood gushing from her mutilated skull as she hit the floor splattering all over the kitchen.

Unable to turn away from the gruesome scene, the full Saiyan's sorrowful heart sank as he saw his son, who was then much younger, enter the kitchen. Upon seeing his mother lying there on the floor, her dark eyes lifeless, his quivering son carefully made his way to his dead mother, and when he was close enough to reach, he unintentionally took a step back. He sobbed his mother's name gently as he fell to his knees, causing blood to soak into his pants, hoping to elicit a response from her, but of course, none came. His small hands moved on their own as they reached for the knife's hilt as his trembling eyes enlarged at the sight of the blade passing through her head.

Goku shouted for Hoi to stop the horrifying images from flashing before his watery eyes because the repulsive image of his son yanking the knife out of Chi-Chi's deformed head was too much for him to bear. He has seen his share of gore in his life, but this was so vivid and worse his own family; he could smell that it was their old kitchen, never having forgotten his ex's cooking; and now that memory was tainted with his terrified son, hugging his dead mother, with the tang of copper filling the air. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

When the Saiyan saw his son staring at the knife with death in his eyes, he cried out for his son to not do what he was thinking; too late.

When Goku saw his son penetrate his skull with the same knife his ex-wife had used on herself, he howled in despair, the regret, shame, and overall guilt of his past actions making its ugly return.

When the Saiyan felt a soft yet firm body cling to his back like a backpack and squeeze onto him as tightly as possible, he tensed at the unexpected contact…but then relaxed from the familiarity of it. His black-rimmed turquoise orbs became written with shock when a pair of slender hands glided across his chest lovingly, the alluring scent of cherry blossom that accompanied it wafting into his nostrils, bringing him back from the horrifying illusion.

He heard a short endearing giggle as he felt a sea-green aura brush against his

I'm always here…by your side…

Using Super Saiyan Soul, his nightmare of a reality was broken and the pitch-black emptiness turned white, finally enabling him to see through Hoi's trickeries. Exhaling shaky and heavily, he couldn't help but be amazed by the evil wizard's incredible control of magic. Hoi was able to overcome his mental training, which he had been doing for more than seven years, as though he had never done it before. It was quite obvious that what he saw never took place. And even if Chi-Chi or Gohan had any thoughts such as those, it's not an uncommon thing. Heck, though it was very brief, he himself has considered suicide in the past; he sincerely prayed that they never did.

He honestly wished he could have spent more time with the two—with all of his friends as well—but it appears that he will be spending his remaining time on Earth fighting against a wizard who is hell-bent on taking control of the Universe.

As soon as he caught a glimpse of an image of his youngest son and Bra, he quickly slammed the door, knowing what the false Kai was scheming next.

"Stop those minds games! What you did, it won't work again!" He yelled as he expanded his ferocious sea-green aura.

You might have won our little game Goku, but the same can't be said for your son.

His son's abrupt cries of anguish urged him to take action, the haloed Saiyan rushing in the direction of Gohan's ki signature, which he could now detect.

When he caught sight of his oldest son, he noticed that he was engaged in a mental battle with his own inner demons that, unfortunately, were probably worse than his. Sure Gohan has put their issues in the past, but-

"Get out! Get out of my head!" his son yelled at the top of his lungs, a terrifying gold aura soared high into the air in a column of ruby-red light as his son yelled at the top of his lungs, causing his voice to crack. The crimson bio-electricity that followed around his body struck against the white floor, slicing through it.

"Gohan! You have—what the?" When he realized he couldn't move, a confused expression appeared on his face. He gasped, feeling winded when his Super Saiyan Soul time limit expired, causing his golden hair to convert back to base. He silently cursed as he was unable to do anything but watch his son battle to escape the wicked wizard's spell.

With Gohan, he could feel the wizard push, poke and prod at his mind, attempting to take control of him; this was his fault. If he had adhered to his training regimen as Piccolo and everyone (even his mother!) had advised, he wouldn't be so weak…feel so helpless and useless.

But there was one thing that the evil wizard couldn't use against him as a weapon; his father and Bra. He had spent years of his life thinking about it all and honestly, he could without a doubt say that he overreacted. Yes, it was okay to be angry, but it was absurd for him to go so far as to cause such destruction. He wasn't some kind of monster…he was kind-hearted like his father. Sure, his father had made an awful mistake, but before he died, he had apologized to his mother, and him, so all was forgiven. Besides, he wasn't himself during those times. In fact, he technically wasn't the one that went berserk-

You might have Gohan, but there is something else inside of you that hasn't, am I right? Or should I say someone else…

When Gohan recognized who or what he was referring to, he suddenly felt awfully cold.

Let's bring him out, shall we?

Goku flinched when Gohan let out a bone-chilling scream, the deceased Saiyan staring in awe when he felt his son's power skyrocket. His eyed widened when Gohan's ominous aura crashed into him, making his gasp as he was then thrust backward. Releasing a Kiai to kill his momentum, Goku faced his son again to see him using his single hand to fist his golden-razor-tipped hair, which was tainted deep red.

Oh no… "Gohan! Fight it!"

"Wha-what do you think I'm doing!" Gohan shouted, his body shaking as he started feeling weaker and weaker, like his energy was being drained; it didn't help that he also felt something forcefully pulling at his mind.

Just as Goku saw the Majin symbol settle itself on his son's forehead, he was launched into the nonexistent wind, but not before catching sight of a pair of sinister merciless red eyes.

And then Gohan's head ceased hurting, fading away like a long-forgotten distant memory. When he opened his eyes, he blinked quickly in an effort to clear his vision of the fog that had obscured them. He looked himself over in confusion, wondering what on Earth had occurred as he stroked his orbs until they were clear. He was fine, right? He was still him…right? And if he was, how would he know? Well, he doesn't feel hateful and enraged like he normally does when he usually transformed into…it…so what does that mean? Is it…gone?

"Well, this is unexpected, but most certainly not unwelcomed."

Upon hearing the voice, Gohan looked ahead to see...himself.

"What the-?" his jaw dropped, utterly astonished at seeing himself, standing several feet away from him, curiosity examining his hands. Of course, he has to have both his hands…

Wearing Gohan's purple gi clothes, he clenched his fists, flexing his muscles experimentally to get a feel for his body. Lifting his head, a devilish grin was revealed, the glint of evil reflecting from his ruby orbs making it clear to anyone that he had nothing but ill intentions.

Looking to his right, he spotted his father standing there, equally as dumbfounded as he was.

Gohan quickly shielded his eyes as without warning, his doppelganger flared out his golden-red aura, causing him to slide back a couple of feet.

Hehhaha! This is great! No, fantastic! What a lovely turn of events! I cast the exact same spell on Goku that I did on you! I can only presume that, unlike your father, you have an alter ego, Gohan, who has similar desires to your own: You want more strength to protect those that you hold dear to your heart, while your other half craves-

"Destruction…" Gohan's darker half finished, the mark of the Majin on his forehead pulsating an angry red, the grin that lingered baring his teeth.

Gohan remained silent and still, unable to avert his fear-filled gaze from his doppelgänger.

But then he found his voice. "How…can you even be a thing!"

"Need further explanation? Fine Gohan, it is as you said, back then, after the fight with Cell. Since the day you were born, I have been living inside of you like a parasite. I'm the "thing" who has countlessly come to your aid when you needed it most."

He lifted a finger to count. "Baby stroller? Me. Raditz? Me. Vegeta? Me. Ginyu Force, Frieza, Cell, and Bojack? All me! You wouldn't be standing here right now if it weren't for me. Therefore, you should be grateful to me…and to him as well!" He spat in disdain, pointing towards Goku.

Goku looked down as he knew where he was getting at.

"He was the major catalyst that fully awakened me."

"Yes, you heard correctly. I was able to awaken when Goku and Bra started that ridiculous family squabble. However, it wasn't enough. I still lacked the strength to break free from you." He clenched his hands and growled, remembering his futile attempts of breaking the chains that linked him to Gohan.

"But even if I managed to, like any parasite, I would die without a host. So instead of making any more tries to flee, I once more went dormant, biding my time for my next chance of gaining freedom. I was not worried about my host running into trouble as these were times of peace – besides he was much too busy wasting away studying for fucking school tests and thinking about his shitty love life."

He grinned wickedly, sending chills down the Saiyans' spines. "Imagine my surprise when a wizard by the name of Hoi entered the scene, with promises of greater power! You really think I'd miss this opportunity? Looks like my patience paid off!"

"You know, I do often wonder how I came to be. Perhaps good ol' dad's spaceship programming was passed down to you somehow. If so, oh how thankful am I for that 'boop' on the head the old man received as a child!"

The evil being experienced an intense rush of high as he unleashed more of his strength, sending his blazing black aura further into the seemingly infinite white nothingness.

Ehhh, hate to dampen your mood…Dark Gohan? It's okay if call you that? Anyway, despite unintentionally separating you from Gohan, your connection to him is not entirely severed. And unfortunately, it can never be since you aren't the rightful owner of the body.

"What?!" He roared, his blood boiling. "I demand you tell me how to unbind myself from him this instant!"

Now hold on! I'm getting to that! Anyway, it's simple; just kill Gohan. Once you accomplish that, your roles will be reversed.

Dark Gohan smiled wickedly, Gohan shaking in his boots like he did as a child while his father stood tall with his eyes narrowed, readying to defend his son.

Meaning, the parasite will become the host and the host will be the new parasite.

"Excellent! That shouldn't be any trouble!" Dark Gohan said, confidence oozing from his voice as he got into his fighting stance.

In an effort to gather his courage, Gohan inhaled deeply and then exhaled after swallowing the awfully large lump in his throat. He didn't know where the heck his courage had gone—oh, right, it had gone out the window as soon as he saw himself wanting to kill…him. Fighting against him in his head, where he didn't have a physical form, was one thing, but here, in the real world, it was too much to handle. Were they in the real world anyway? I believe we are but in another dimension…

"Gohan, hold on." Turning, the half-Saiyan saw his haloed father transform into Super Saiyan 2. "You're too injured, son. I'll take care of him myself."

Gohan gawked at his father, astounded by the strength he possessed. Was this all the power he gained in the Otherworld? No, I feel something else…he's still hiding more.

Either way, it made no difference. Looking at his alter ego, he didn't bat an eye at his dad's transformation; he appeared to only have his focus on him.

So Gohan made his decision.

"No, dad." With a shout, Gohan released his own ascended Super Saiyan power. "It's me that he wants. So that's what he's gonna get!"

Goku blinked, his turquoise eyes filled with worry. "But-"

"I'm okay, dad." Gohan smirked, Goku returning the gesture. "I can beat him with one arm."

Dark Gohan chuckled. "Is that so? Let's find out!"

And then things took a turn for the worse when Gohan's power seemed to just drop. "What's happening? Something's wrong. This can't be my maximum!"

Oh, I can answer that. You see, Gohan, your alter ego has always been your major source of power. So even though your power has been 'split', it's not 50%/50%. Oh no, it's more like 40%/60%.

"You got to be kidding me!" Gohan expressed, shocked.

"He's…he's not wrong, Gohan." And just like that, Gohan's courage had been obliterated by his father. "But we can take him on together!"

Dropping to his knees and punching the ground, he began shedding tears of frustration. He wasn't naive enough to think that his father agreed with Hoi to hurt his feelings; he knew his alter ego was stronger than him since he could feel his power as well.

Awww, cheer up Gohan! Things could be worse…I mean he could have been twice your strength…am I right?

Gohan and Goku didn't like how he said that; it sounded much too casual.

They were right to be worried.

Paparapapa!

The Saiyans could only watch as Gohan's counterpart started to shake, his head lowering, his face contorting as some kind of pain seemed to have struck him out of nowhere. His fingers dug harshly into his skull, sinking deep into his golden locks as he yelled at the top of his lungs. Soon, the doppelganger's roar of agony turned to excitement as his body swelled with power.

Raising his head, he grinned manically, pleased at the expressions that the Saiyans wore on their faces.

Hehehahahaha! Gohan, are you certain you still want to fight him? Or will you make the smart decision and let your daddy handle it? It has always been like this, hasn't it? If not your father, it'd be either Piccolo or one of your other pitiful friends that will come to rescue you. Gohan, accept the fact that you are useless and worthless garbage. You are not worthy of such great power. It'll be put to better use if handed to another, like to your alter ego. So do yourself a favor-

"Don't listen to him!" Goku intervened, cutting off the wizard's bad-mouthing of his son. "Get up! We can beat him, son!" he added, with urgency.

Gohan did no such thing. He remained dead to the world, or rather the dimension, the disheartened and defeated look on his face saying it all; he had lost his will to fight. His spirit was all but destroyed. He no longer believed in himself and well Goku knew if his son went and fought his alter ego, he was most definitely doomed to fail.

Heheha, you know, I was actually trying to make him stronger but if I had increased his power any further, he would have become overwhelmed with power and literally explode. But given that your poor-poor son doesn't want any part of this, I'm confident that at 120%, he is more than capable of handling even you, Goku. Dark Gohan, I order you to kill him. Only then will you have the chance-

"No." Dark Gohan refused, his voice raspier than before. "I will not fight him. I want to fight my copy. I want his body."

Hoi obviously wasn't a fan of hearing the word 'no', especially from his subordinates.

What do you mean 'no'? How dare you defy orders?! Need I remind you that I was the one that gave you the gift of freedom?

"Which I greatly appreciate." He replied sincerely, flaring out his crackly red aura. "However, going forward, we're doing this my way. You'll get the ki you need to awaken your beloved pet, so don't worry about that. Now take us to a more suitable location for fighting. This isn't going to take long-"

Goku interrupted him with a flying punch, propelling him deeper into the space of nothingness. The full Saiyan quickly followed up with a double ax handle, causing gravity to do its job and pull him down to the white floor, where he crash-landed, fiercely rocking the entire area.

"You won't be laying a damn finger on my son!" The full Saiyan yelled, his ki surging significantly higher than Hoi and Dark Gohan had anticipated

Gohan, having snapped out of his stupor upon feeling his father's ki soar, did a double take. I don't…I still don't believe that's all of it. And I'm not talking about Super Saiyan Soul…it's something else. And knowing my dad, I bet it's something we've never seen before...

No matter how much he detested it, he was going to have to let his father protect him.

Like always.

Dark Gohan shrugged off the pain as he stood up, growling at Goku and his sucker punches. Both Saiyans charged at each other from different directions, with Goku coming down from above and Dark Gohan ascending from below. The full Saiyan avoided the collision by swerving around his foe; as soon as one of his feet touched the ground, he pushed off it, his golden spiked hair turning blue as he connected a crushing roundhouse kick against the side of his son's doppelganger's temple, the force behind the blow bending his neck unnaturally.

Stepped away from him while still in midair, he grasped his head and snapped it back in its proper position. He scowled. "Tch, if you believe that your Kaio-Ken knock-off will give you the upper hand, think again. Yes, you bested me this time, but how long before you wear yourself out with that little technique?"

Goku smirked uneasily as sweat trickled down his face. "I'll defeat you before that happens. Man…why did that drain me so much? Maybe my body can no longer tolerate using my ability here because I've gotten so used to using it at Otherworld.

He then stiffened, recalling what Fortunate Teller Baba had told him when she dropped him off.

Goku smiled with happiness as he appeared close to Mount Paozu, the place where his grandpa Gohan had raised him.

He was about to see Bra for the first time in seven years.

"Remember Goku, while you have 48 hours here on Earth, you can easily shorten that up."

This instantly caught the full Saiyan's attention. "What do you mean?"

Baba pursed her lips, hating having to repeat herself. "Your life force, which you deplete by using ki, also determines how long you can stay here. Knowing your attention span, I won't go into all the specifics. It'd go through one ear and out the other. Goku, again, I cannot stress this enough, the more ki you use, the shorter your stay will be. Am I being clear?"

Goku's shoulders sagged. This very crucial piece of information had flown past his head as the thoughts of seeing not just Bra but also his family and friends had overwritten it.

"Right…so no Super Saiyan…" he muttered, pouting.

Baba bobbled her head up and down. "No Super Saiyan. But don't be upset, you can still have friendly spars. I know you Saiyans love to fight…unfortunately to near death." She added, disgusted by the Saiyans' barbaric nature.

Goku beamed, his spirit lifted.

He might not get to go all out with his friends and family, but at least he can still spar with them. But then again, that wasn't his main reason for his visit, right?

He worked hard to get that 48 hours visitation pass, so he sure was going to make the most of it.

He wasn't going to waste a second of it.

Goku cursed himself for doing exactly what he had promised himself not to do. He had already spent his first 24 hours with Bra (which honestly he didn't regret the more he thought about it). But come on, he wasn't to blame for all of this! The last remaining 24 hours he had was more than enough time to hang out with his family and friends. Then again, during his fights with Bra, he occasionally did use Super Saiyan 2. Not only that, he nearly went even further beyond, which consumed a significant amount of his time.

Face it… no matter what way you slice it, as Bra would say, he fucked up hard.

And now he might never get another chance to see them all again.

This made his blood boil.

I need to wrap this up now then. If I could have just one more hour left with them, heck even thirty minutes, it'd be good. Who knows, maybe I'll get another chance somehow.

Someday...

They all hear Hoi laugh gleefully.

Well, will you look at that? Looks like you don't have any choice but to defeat Goku first before you can get your fight with Gohan. So off you both go, Paparapapa!

Gohan hastily got to his feet, searching desperately for his father and his other self.

They had seemingly vanished!

"Hoi! Where did you send them!?"

Oh, they should no longer be your concern. They are now engaged in combat in another realm as we speak. But don't think I'll be leaving you out of the fun. I have prepared a special battle for you. Remember Mira? Of course, you do. After all, not everyone is so pathetic that they can't save their lover from being severely beaten to death.

Gohan's lips curved into a scowl when his mind was filled with disturbing images of Videl's gorgeous body bathed with blood, the bruises and cuts causing him to tighten his fists.

Paparapapa!

And then he vanished, just as his alter ego and father had.

When he opened his orbs, he found himself in an awful environment; everything was painted with splashes of orange, yellow, and crimson, the foul scent of death nearly making him vomit. As soon as he saw Mira mechanical standing in front of him, his Saiyan blood started to heat up with righteous fury.

He had promised to make him suffer for what he had done to Videl, so while he was glad to see him, he knew he wasn't exactly in top fighting condition. Due to Hoi taking away his primary source of power, which was his alter ego, he was less than half as strong as before (losing one arm because of Dabura didn't help).

Currently, from what Gohan can gauge, he estimates that the soulless demon is about as powerful as he is in Super Saiyan form. Thankfully, he can still turn into Super Saiyan 2 despite losing a giant chunk of his power. He has a strong suspicion that Mira is more powerful than an ascended Super Saiyan, so if he could defeat him before he powers up, he might actually have a chance of winning.

Silently wishing his father luck in his battle with his evil alter ego, he transformed, his electrifying golden aura causing the ponds nearby to ripple violently.

His turquoise spheres narrow with reignited determination.


A/N: Laterz ^_^

(Posted: 3/11/2023)

~Gater~