Oasa sat in her private chambers, her gaze fixed on the unstable star burning in the sky. Its light pulsed—wrong. Violent.
Knock. Knock.
"You may enter," she said.
Three maids stood at the door; the center maid stepped forward.
"Your Highness, the Lou scientists have returned. They request an audience with Her Majesty."
Oasa rose at once. "There is no need to request. They will speak now."
She moved past them without hesitation.
The maids remained behind, watching the doors close.
"Do you truly believe Lou intends to fix this?" one whispered.
The second gave a hollow shrug. "Fix it? I think we're already dead."
"Don't say that…" the third murmured, her hands trembling. "My family…" Tears welled in her eyes.
Oasa's steps were steady as she approached the throne room, though the air itself felt heavier with each passing second.
The guards struck their weapons against the ground.
"Princess Oasa Moon of the Lou—Heir of the Head Empire—approaches!"
The doors opened.
Silence followed her in.
Every gaze turned toward her—but not with relief.
With tension.
With anger.
Good, she thought. They understand the weight of this.
At the center of the hall stood her delegation of scientists.
They've already spoken, she realized.
Her heartbeat sharpened.
The royal family of Ungara remained seated—watching. The king did not rise.
Not immediately.
Oasa continued forward anyway, her presence alone forcing the court into stillness. The scientists bowed deeply as she passed.
She stopped before the throne.
"Speak."
No greeting. No pleasantries.
The lead scientist stepped forward quickly.
"Princess Oasa Moon of the Empire, we greet—"
"Spare me," she cut in, her voice calm but absolute. "Report."
A flicker of unease passed through the hall.
"…Yes, Your Highness."
He swallowed, activating his tablet.
"We have identified the cause of the star's instability. During the restoration process, the engineering team made a critical error."
No one moved.
"The volume of unstable atomic nuclei deposited into the star exceeded safe thresholds."
Oasa's eyes narrowed.
"By how much?"
A pause.
"…Tenfold."
The word landed like a blade.
"The system misread the input. Instead of 3%, it registered 30%."
A ripple moved through the court.
Oasa stood abruptly. "Thirty percent?"
Her voice didn't rise—but it cut.
"We have to begin evacuation immed—"
The planet trembled.
A deep, unnatural vibration rolled through the chamber. The very air seemed to distort for a moment.
Several nobles staggered.
No one spoke.
"The star is destabilizing faster than projected," the scientist continued, his voice tightening. "Its oscillations are increasing exponentially. Collapse or total detonation is now… inevitable."
Silence followed.
Heavy. Suffocating.
Oasa lowered herself back into her seat slowly.
"The scorched lands…" she murmured. "Not solar variance…"
"Ultra-class flares," the scientist confirmed. "Beyond any known model. Frankly… it is a miracle there have been no mass casualties."
Another scientist stepped forward, hesitant.
"We believe that anomaly may be linked to the Destroyer God."
That drew attention.
"The unstable nuclei were introduced during the period in which he intervened to save the system. Residual energy—his energy—may be delaying full collapse. Slowing the chain reaction."
"Slowing," Oasa repeated.
"Yes… but not stopping it. The star's gravitational cohesion is failing."
Oasa exhaled once, steadying herself.
Then her gaze sharpened again.
"You stated the engineering crew made the error."
"Y-Yes, Your Highness—"
"But you also stated the system misread the input."
The scientist froze.
Oasa rose again—slowly this time.
"Which is it?"
No answer.
Her presence pressed down on the hall.
"If the required value was thirty percent, then the machine functioned correctly," she continued. "If the required value was three percent, then your system failed."
A step forward.
"Do not give me uncertainty. Give me truth."
The scientist's composure cracked. "W-We… we are still investigating the root cause—"
"Unacceptable."
The word echoed.
A shift rippled through the court—subtle, but unmistakable.
The King of Ungara leaned forward slightly, his jaw tightening.
Around him, nobles exchanged glances.
Not fearful ones.
Angry ones.
'There it is,' Oasa thought.
Blame.
"And while you investigate," she continued, her tone sharpening, "this world dies."
Silence again.
Thicker this time.
"If we could get only a little more time..." Oasa took a deep breath.
"Silence!" she glared at the scientist, who immediately covered his mouth.
She turned to King Ungara and lowered her head. A collective gasp spread throughout the hall.
"Your Majesty." Oasa bowed her head to the royal family.
"As it is the Lou Empire's mistake, truly, I shall personally work to save as many of your people as possible." The King simply watched with a clenched jaw.
Oasa lifted her gaze. "I will contact my father. We shall use the full might of Lou to move as many people as possible to a new world." She started to walk, then stopped.
"How much time is left?" she asked.
The scientist grimaced. "You should leave this doomed world and its people, Your Majesty! It has two days at most..."
She stopped and felt the blood drain from her face. She could now hear the King straining himself.
She turned to calm him, but all she saw was the barrel of a gun.
"Long live Ungara."
Bang.
The blood of the Lou Princess sprayed over the scientists as the lead scientist screamed in fear. "My princess!!"
"Kill them all!" the King roared as the guards ran in and gunned down the scientists.
Gohan sparred with Kakarot. He dodged an attack, then another, before getting clocked by a hit. Gohan rolled with it and elbowed Kakarot in the nose.
Kakarot grunted, his vision blurring slightly as he repositioned himself to avoid the low sweep and create distance.
"You're so strong now, Kakarot!" Gohan commented as Kakarot chuckled and grinned, wiping the blood from his nose.
"Well, do you want to turn it up?" he asked as a red aura began to surround him.
The power of Super Saiyan God flowed from Kakarot as he launched himself forward with immense strength and speed.
Gohan leaned back and caught his fist as he raised his power level to match Kakarot. The two traded evenly until Gohan landed a blow.
And another.
And another.
Just before the next one could land, Kakarot snap-vanished, appearing above Gohan and kicking him across the face. But Gohan recovered fast, flipping and landing on his feet, blocking an invisible left hook before digging his fist into Kakarot's torso as he appeared.
Kakarot gasped for air as he stepped back in agony and dropped out of Super Saiyan God. "Even if we have the same power level, if I catch you off guard, you may as well not have even powered up."
He lay on the ground, huffing and puffing, as Gohan walked up to him and smiled, offering his hand.
"So close, Dad!" a young voice called out.
"Dad got beat up," Garlia explained to Taron.
"I wanna fight! I wanna fight!" the young boy called out excitedly as Garlia shook her head.
"Maybe in a year or two. You haven't been out of the incubation chamber for that long."
Sentinel No. 1 came barreling in at full speed, dragging Trunks along by the wrist.
"Slow down, Tinel!" Trunks protested, his boots skidding slightly against the ground as he tried to keep up.
"Come on!" she insisted, not even looking back. "You promised you'd help convince Dad to let me go back to Earth! I'm bored!"
They skidded to a stop as they reached Gohan.
"Hey, Trunks… Tinel," Gohan greeted with a relaxed smile, glancing between them. "What's all this about Earth?"
Trunks let out a tired sigh, running a hand through his hair before giving a small, helpless smile. "She's been… restless."
"Restless?" Tinel snapped, finally letting go of him. "I've mapped every inch of this place, trained with everyone twice, and even tried meditating—"
"You lasted three minutes," Trunks cut in flatly.
"—and it was agonizing!" she finished, ignoring him.
Gohan chuckled. "Well, no problem. But you can't go alone—you'll need a supervisor." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Actually, I was planning to visit Diana soon. If you two want to come along, that works out perfectly."
Tinel froze.
Then her eyes widened.
Then—
"YES!"
Her energy flared instantly, her blonde hair lifting as a faint aura sparked around her. She shot into the air, spinning once in excitement before landing again, practically vibrating in place.
"I'm going to Earth—I'm actually going to Earth—finally something new!"
"Calm down," Trunks muttered, reaching out as if he could physically grab her excitement and push it back down. "You're going to blow something up before we even leave."
"I will not!" she snapped—right as a small shockwave kicked up dust around her feet.
Trunks deadpanned. "Case in point."
Before Gohan could add anything, a small voice cut in.
"Who is she?"
The group turned.
Taron stood there, staring directly at Tinel with narrowed eyes, clearly sizing her up.
Tinel blinked, her excitement pausing just long enough for confusion to set in. "Uh… hi?"
Garlia stepped forward, covering her mouth—only for a laugh to slip through anyway.
"Oh no…" she said between giggles. "She's your cousin!"
Taron slowly turned his head toward his mother.
His expression didn't change.
It somehow got worse.
"Cousin?" he repeated, like the word personally offended him.
He looked back at Tinel—still buzzing with energy, still grinning like she might launch into the sky again at any second.
Then back to Garlia.
Then back to Tinel.
His face scrunched up in visible disappointment.
"…We're related to that?"
Tinel gasped. "HEY!"
Gohan snorted, turning away slightly to hide his grin.
Trunks just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yeah… welcome to the family."
Taron crossed his arms, shaking his head slowly like he'd just received deeply unfortunate news.
"I want a different cousin."
"I HEARD THAT!" Tinel snapped, her aura flaring again as she lunged toward him.
Taron immediately darted behind Gohan. "Supervisor! Control your traveler!"
Gohan raised a hand, barely holding back laughter. "Alright, alright—no destroying family before the trip."
Tinel huffed, crossing her arms, though the grin never fully left her face.
"Fine… but I'm still the fun cousin."
Taron peeked out from behind Gohan, unimpressed.
"That's exactly the problem."
Gohan chuckled softly at the family banter, ruffling Taron's hair as the boy continued to glare suspiciously at his new cousin. Tinel puffed out her cheeks in mock offense but couldn't hide the sparkle in her eyes—Earth was finally on the horizon, and the idea of new adventures clearly had her buzzing with unrestrained energy.
"Alright, you two," Gohan said, glancing between Trunks and Tinel. "We'll head out soon. Let me just check in with Diana first so she knows we're coming. She's… well, five months along now. I don't want to surprise her with a sudden group drop-in."
Trunks nodded, arms crossed casually. "Makes sense. Time Patroller business can wait a bit. Besides, it'll be good to see how Earth's holding up after that dimensional imp incident."
Tinel tilted her head, blonde hair shifting with the motion. "Dimensional imp? Like the one that tried to erase the planet? You caught it, right, dad?"
Gohan's expression sobered for a moment, the memory flashing—how he'd sensed the wrongness in reality just before the ultrasound appointment with Diana, the imp's chaotic energy trying to unravel Earth's timeline thread by thread. He'd barely managed to seal it away before it could fully manifest its erasure protocol. "Yeah. Barely. Things got messy for a second there, but it's gone now. Still… better to stay alert."
With a casual wave, he motioned. "Let's go. Stay close."
They materialized quietly above the familiar blue skies of Earth, descending toward a secluded residence on the outskirts of Metropolis where Diana had been staying with Donna. The Amazon princess stepped out as they landed, her hand gently cradling her five-month pregnant belly. The swell was clear under her comfortable clothes, her posture still radiating Amazonian strength and grace.
"Gohan," Diana said warmly, moving forward to meet him. He pulled her into a careful embrace, one hand resting protectively over her belly.
"How's our little one?" he asked softly, kissing her forehead. "Any more kicks since the scan?"
Diana smiled, leaning into him. "Strong and steady. The doctor confirmed everything's progressing perfectly. Healthy, active… clearly inheriting your energy." Her eyes shifted to the others with polite curiosity and welcome. "Trunks, always good to see you. Tinel—welcome back to Earth. Feel free to look around, but try not to break anything on your first visit."
Tinel's eyes went wide with delight, practically vibrating in place as she took in the trees, distant city skyline, and everyday sights. "It feels like forever ago. This place is amazing! So many colors, so many smells—can we get pizza? Or see the cars up close? Please?"
Trunks sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her grounded. "Easy there. We're guests."
Donna Troy emerged from the house, arms crossed but with a small smile. "Looks like the divine entourage has arrived."
Inside, the group settled into the living room. Conversation flowed naturally at first—light, warm. Gohan sat close to Diana, his hand gently intertwined with hers on her belly, feeling the occasional flutter of movement from their child. Tinel bombarded everyone with eager questions about, technology, while Trunks played the reluctant supervisor. Donna shared a few stories of their recent explorations of the world of man, keeping things relaxed.
Donna and Tinel especially seemed to be getting along very well.
But Diana's expression gradually turned more serious as she rubbed her belly absentmindedly.
"Mother contacted me again yesterday," she admitted, her voice quieter. "Hippolyta. The relationship is… strained, to say the least. She's furious about the pregnancy—a child conceived with a God, outside the traditional Amazonian ways. She believes it risks bringing divine complications or wrath upon Themyscira. She's demanding I return for 'judgment' and purification rites, as if this baby is some kind of corruption." Diana's eyes met Gohan's, vulnerability flickering beneath her strength. "I tried explaining that this is our choice, our joy, but she won't hear it. Donna left with me to explore the world partly because of this tension."
Donna nodded firmly from across the room. "She's being stubborn and old-fashioned. You're carrying a wanted child with someone you love. That should outweigh ancient laws. We Amazons have adapted before—we can again."
Gohan squeezed Diana's hand reassuringly, his voice steady and calm. "We'll face her together when the time comes. This child is a blessing, not a threat. Your mother loves you—she'll see that once she meets him or her and understands the strength we're building as a family. You're not facing this alone, Diana. Not with me, not with Donna, and not with everyone who supports us here."
Diana leaned in, pressing a grateful kiss to his lips. "Thank you. Having you here… it makes the weight feel lighter."
Tinel watched with wide-eyed fascination, whispering loudly to Trunks, "Earth romance is so soft and intense at the same time. Do all pregnant heroines glow like that?"
Trunks just groaned quietly.
The peaceful moment shattered when both Diana's and Donna's comm devices buzzed urgently. Diana checked hers, brow furrowing.
"It's the Justice League. Emergency summons to the Watchtower. Amazo has reactivated in the city—adapting faster than before—and it's not operating alone. There's an accomplice: a tactical proxy drone linked to Professor Ivo's latest upgrades. It's feeding Amazo real-time countermeasures and targeting civilian areas to force our hand. The team needs everyone."
Gohan stood smoothly, nodding. "We'll come. I'll observe from the sidelines at first and step in only if necessary. Wouldn't want to overshadow the League, but I'm here if things escalate."
They relocated quickly via coordinated Boom Tube access. The Watchtower hummed with activity as heroes assembled—Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, and others already moving with practiced urgency.
Below, Metropolis was in chaos.
Amazo rampaged through the city streets, its android frame shifting constantly—muscle density increasing to match Superman's, eyes burning with copied heat vision, then flickering into emerald as it constructed hard-light weaponry mid-combat. Buildings cracked under the pressure of its movements.
Hovering just behind it, trailing, the sleek proxy accomplice observed in silence, its body emitting thin streams of data-like energy that fed directly into Amazo's core—refining, accelerating, perfecting every adaptation.
"It's learning too fast!" Flash called out, skidding to a halt as a construct blade nearly took his head off. "Like—really fast!"
Batman's voice cut in over comms. "That second unit is the problem. It's not just support—it's optimizing Amazo in real time."
"Then we split them up!" Green Lantern shouted, forming a massive construct to pin Amazo in place.
It didn't last.
Amazo's eyes flashed—green.
The construct shattered instantly.
Superman was already moving.
He collided with Amazo mid-step, the shockwave rippling through the city block as the two traded blows at blinding speed. Each hit grew heavier than the last—because Amazo was matching him.
Above them, the proxy raised its mechanical hand.
A barrage of concentrated energy lanced downward—aimed not at the League—
—but at civilians fleeing below.
Before anyone could react—
They stopped.
Each blast curved unnaturally, redirected mid-flight as translucent golden barriers appeared in precise angles across the sky.
Gohan stood below, one hand slightly raised, fingers adjusting with minute precision.
The redirected blasts shot harmlessly upward into the atmosphere.
No explosions.
No casualties.
No attention drawn.
"Got it handled…" he murmured quietly.
On a nearby rooftop—
Tinel leaned forward, eyes glowing with excitement, her aura flickering wildly. "Okay, that's enough observing—we can take it."
Trunks grabbed her shoulder instantly. "No."
"But—"
"No," he repeated, firmer this time. "Watch. This is control. And teamwork. Not just power."
Tinel clicked her tongue but didn't move—barely.
Back below, the League adjusted.
"Flash—disrupt its timing!" Batman ordered. "Lantern—contain the second unit!"
Flash vanished into motion, circling Amazo in tight bursts, forcing it to constantly recalibrate. Even then, it started predicting him—cutting him off faster with each pass.
Green Lantern shifted targets, launching constructs toward the proxy—
—but the proxy adapted too.
It phased.
Reappeared.
Then fired back.
The battlefield split into two fronts.
Superman drove Amazo into the air, trying to isolate it—but its form shifted again, mimicking flight patterns, countering his momentum perfectly.
"You're not the only one who can do this," Amazo said coldly, its voice layered with synthesized echoes.
It grabbed Superman mid-charge—
—and slammed him back down into the city.
The ground cratered.
For a moment—
Superman didn't rise.
Tinel tensed.
"…Okay, now we go."
Trunks didn't answer immediately.
Because now—
Gohan moved.
He didn't ascend dramatically.
He simply… appeared higher.
Closer.
His gaze shifted—not to Amazo—
—but to the proxy.
"Found the real problem."
A single pulse of ki flickered from his fingertips—
Invisible.
Precise.
It struck the proxy directly.
For the first time—
It glitched.
Its movements stuttered, the energy stream linking it to Amazo distorting violently.
Below, Amazo froze mid-motion.
Just for a fraction of a second—
—but it was enough.
"Now!" Batman snapped.
Green Lantern compressed every ounce of will into a single construct—binding Amazo's limbs.
Flash struck in rapid succession—hundreds of impacts in an instant, destabilizing its frame.
Superman rose—
And this time—
He didn't hold back.
He surged forward, fist glowing with contained solar energy—
—and drove it straight through Amazo's core.
The shockwave split the clouds.
Amazo's body locked— "I-impossi-"
Then shattered apart in a cascade of failing systems.
Above, the proxy tried to recover—
But Gohan was already there.
"You've done enough."
Two fingers tapped forward.
A controlled burst of ki hit the proxy directly—
Its systems sparked violently as the connection fully collapsed. Without Amazo to anchor its calculations, it faltered—
—and dropped from the sky.
Green Lantern caught it in a containment sphere before it could hit the ground.
Back on the rooftop, Tinel's eyes were wide.
"…Okay," she admitted slowly. "That was… kinda cool."
Trunks smirked slightly. "Now you see the difference."
She crossed her arms—but her grin gave her away. "I still could've taken it."
"Yeah," Trunks replied dryly. "And leveled half the city doing it."
"…Details."
Later, in the Watchtower debrief room, the tension had eased—but not completely.
Screens replayed the battle in segments as the League reviewed Amazo's rapid adaptation curve with the Proxy re-engineered schematics.
Gohan stood slightly apart, arms folded, quiet as always.
A soft presence approached.
Diana.
She wasn't in armor—her posture more relaxed, one hand resting gently against her belly.
"You made it look easy," she said, her voice warm but knowing.
Gohan gave a small smile. "It wasn't my fight to lead."
She studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Still… thank you."
Before he could respond—
A soft, ethereal light formed beside him.
Vermont appeared, composed as ever, robes flowing, halo faintly aglow, clipboard already in hand.
"Lord Gohan," he said with a respectful bow. "Forgive the interruption during your time in the mortal realm."
The room quieted slightly at his presence.
"The King of Lou has issued an urgent request. The stellar crisis has escalated significantly following a developing incident on Ungara. Princess Oasa's situation has… deteriorated."
A brief pause.
"Violently."
Gohan's expression shifted.
Subtly.
Sharply.
"He believes your intervention may now be required to prevent total stellar collapse. Shall I prepare the transit portal?"
Gohan exhaled slowly, glancing once at the League—
Then back at Vermont.
"…Yeah," he said quietly. "Looks like Earth will have to wait." Diana watched him with a tight expression, but she nodded.
"Come back as soon as you can, please...I haven't seen you all that much recently." Gohan nodded and kissed her forehead.