(Several days later)
(Otherworld)
Across the sweeping, seemingly infinite skies of the heavens, orbiting high above the rainbow plains of one of the many worlds making up this part of space, everything that possessed physical form was as it should be; calm and peaceful. However, up on the Grand Kai's world, which orbited one of the many celestial bodies in this region, things had taken a startling turn for the residents of that world.
On the wide open valley making up the western half of the planet, the training regiments of every warrior in that region was suddenly and violently interrupted by a shockwave, which was immediately followed up by an earthquake. The tremors being produced by this anomaly, which continued to grow more and more intense as the seconds ticked by, rattled the entire planet to its very core, disrupting the many routines of the fighters scattered across the grass, and scaring the daylights out of the many creatures living on that planet. Heck, even the Southern and Eastern Kais overseeing their students' sessions were startled out of their wits by the unexpected irregularity.
The reason and cause of this planet-wide quake, turned out to be none other than the planet's current Otherworld Champion Son Goku, who could be seen standing out in the middle of the grass with his feet spread, fists clenched, and his head thrown back in an unbroken, deafening scream. Golden aura blasting around him along with a chain of blue lightning shooting off of his body and blonde locks, the Super Saiyan 2 continued to yell out towards the heavenly cosmos as his energy levels skyrocketed, generating so much force that it caused not only the planet, but the vacuum of the dimension to tremble under his fury.
Freaking the hell out as he often did, King Kai shifted his weight forward as he was rocked back and forth by the typhoon that was being emanated from his star pupil. "Whoa! Goku! Goku! Take it easy! At this rate, you'll split the entire planet in two!" the blue-skinned deity shouted, unaware that his fellow Kai had fallen flat onto his ass.
Grunting, the West quadrant trainer with the monocle looked up from his spot in disbelief, unable to believe the feedback he was now receiving from his rival's student. "North! This man is crazy! What in the world is he doing?!"
Goku's energy blasted across the landscape in the form of a golden typhoon, which could be seen as ripples of dust drifting across the grass. These clouds effortlessly reached the people who were watching his display from the sidelines, most of whom were attempting to hold their ground and were gaping at the dead Z-fighter in awe. Not only were the man's trainer North King and competitor West Kai looking on from a safe distance, but so were Pikkon, Olibu, Chi-Chi, Goten, Videl, Zangya, and Gohan, the latter of whom had brought his family up here for a well-deserved visit.
While most of the group were standing on that spot gaping and hanging on for dear life, particularly the man's wife Chi-Chi, Gohan and Zangya remained as they were, looking on with their arms crossed and interested looks on their faces. The former of the two had a smile pulled across his mug as he silently observed his father power up, pushing himself to a state that only one other person in their group had managed to achieve.
The demi-Saiyan's mother was currently holding onto her youngest son, who'd anchored both of them to the ground, and Videl was shielding her face from the debris and dust blasting into her from up front. If the gale force winds weren't enough to knock them off balance, the violent trembling of the ground definitely did and, as the next several seconds rolled by, they felt Goku reach the final hurdle.
After a full minute of focusing his energy and pushing it into overdrive, with one last mighty howl of agony, Goku allowed his aura to explode off of him in the form of a brilliant supernova. This flash of light had everyone surrounding him wince in surprise, moments before the flash faded and revealed the man in all his Super Saiyan glory.
The result not only had Goten and Videl gaping, but the Kais and their students as well.
Blue lightning shooting off of his aura and carving trenches into the ground around him, the full-blooded Saiyan hero was now floating an inch above a small crater, his body noticeably bulked up and his form bathed in an ethereal glow. Furthermore, not only had his face become more chiseled by the effects of his transformation, but his eyebrows had also vanished, leaving him with a very prominent brow, and his golden spiky hair had grown down to his waist, leaving a single bang beating over his forehead.
This didn't just give him a much more fearsome appearance. It'd also caused his energy to jump to a level that had all those in close proximity of him shaking and sweating in their boots.
"By the Gods," Olibu murmured, eyes widened and shimmering in awe as he gazed across at his training partner, "Are you feeling what I'm feeling, friend?"
"Yeah. It's unreal," Pikkon answered, trying not to look too shocked. "How in the world can he generate that much power?"
Wiping his face on a frilly handkerchief, the ruffled West Kai rose up from the grass and stared across at the glowing fighter with a deep frown. "He may have a lot of power, but that doesn't mean he can control it," the deity grumbled in his usual, snobbish tone of voice, before then dusting down the front of his tunic. "Kids these days… they have no respect for the old ways. It used to be about technique and skill, and focused solely on the aesthetics. But now it's all about who has the biggest muscles and who can blow up the most stuff."
Breathing a sigh of his own, the equally shaken North Kai nodded in agreement, "You can say that again, buddy."
Even though the amount of power radiating off of Goku was biblical enough to stun the entire planet, the blue-skinned deity was well past this stage of the process. After all, not only had he seen transformations like this more times than he could count, but he'd also seen this particular metamorphosis in another from his quadrant, and that person was standing only a few yards to his left.
Unable to believe what she was sensing either, Videl swallowed the saliva in her mouth nervously, "He… He did it. Goku actually did it."
"Wow," Goten exclaimed in amazement, also feeling completely overwhelmed by what he was sensing. "That is so awesome. Go dad!"
The fact that all of their clothing and hair was messed up by the gale made the impact of the scenario much more pronounced.
Upon feeling he'd finally achieved stability, the adult Saiyan looked across at his eldest and smirked in his direction. "Well? What do you think? Pretty cool, huh, son?"
Gohan, having also had to hold his ground at the closing stages of the man's transformation, grinned and nodded back at him, "Oh yeah. It looks great." He then placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head. "So this is what a Super Saiyan 3 looks like?"
"You have to admit, it's a hell of a lot different seeing the transformation on another person as opposed to transforming yourself, huh?" Zangya remarked, earning a nod of agreement from the demi-Saiyan standing next to her. She then looked at the boy and smiled. "Be honest with me. What does it feel like? Does it hurt?"
The young warrior chuckled, "Like a bitch." He was sure to say this as quietly as possible so that his mum or brother didn't catch wind of him. When he heard the Hera scoff, Gohan then took a few steps forward and nodded towards his father. "So… how was transforming for you, dad? Being dead with no actual muscles or limits to hold you back, it couldn't have been as bad for you as it was for me when I jumped for the first time under my own power."
Aura still warping around him brightly and a spark of electricity running up his front, Goku raised an eyebrow. "You want the truth?" When he saw his son nod, the man shrugged, "It felt like my blood was on fire…" He then laughed and scratched the top of his head through his spiky locks in his typical, boyish manner, which looked really comedic in his transformed state. "That is… if I had any blood. It still hurt a lot though."
"Yeah. I could tell," Gohan said, smiling as he got a good bead on his father's power level. Even though he didn't have a live body, he could still sense energy clear as day up here. "So far I've transformed into a Super Saiyan 3 at least two dozen times now. Trust me. You'll get used to it."
Looking down at his arms, the man flexed his fingers and biceps. "And… does it get any easier?" Goku asked, drawing on his previous experiences with previous transformations. He looked up towards his son and quirked his brow. "I can tell how taxing this can be on the body, what with the amount of power that's currently being put out. The transformation itself was also brutal."
"It's just like with everything else. The more you train with it, the better you get," the demi-Saiyan answered, hands still on his hips as he threw his dad a cheeky grin. "And sooner or later, all of that hard work will pay off in the end."
The full-blooded Saiyan smiled, "So then… what happens now?" With the amount of energy burning through his veins, you could assume the man was pumped and ready for some action.
Sensing his father's eagerness for a scrap, Gohan took on a competitive look of his own and, hands still on his hips, cocked his neck to the side. "Since you can transform to a Super Saiyan 3, how about we take it for a test run?" Without even a moment of hesitation, the demi-Saiyan jumped straight to Super Saiyan 2, a power up that was marked by a loud 'bang' and a flash of light. Golden aura blasting around him with blue currents of electricity dancing across his skin, the blonde haired young man then brought his fists up, held them above his head and, focusing his energy, let out a loud yell of effort.
This was immediately followed by a second, even more powerful shockwave when his aura intensified and his energy skyrocketed. In the blink of an eye, his eyebrows vanished and his hair grew right down his back, whipping on the wind as he went straight to max power.
His own transformation, though not as intense as his father's, still put stunned looks on the faces of everyone who was watching. Even Chi-Chi held a hand over her mouth in shock.
"Oh, wow. They can both do that?" the mother murmured. Obviously, she was still getting used to the process of identifying the different forms of Super Saiyan and, this being one of the first times she'd seen the third level, you could understand her surprise. "That's amazing."
Goten, grinning widely, threw his fists out in a loud and gutsy cheer, "Yeah! Dad and big brother look so cool!"
Beads of sweat running down her temple, Zangya grinned nervously, "Yeah. They sure do." She then gulped a little and tapped her foot uneasily. "Not to mention scary." The amount of ki that was sitting in one place was unreal.
Not to mention inspiring. Looking at the father and son duo, the orange haired woman allowed her more positive emotions to take over and a warm smile to grace her lips. Watching her most regular training partner stand out in the middle of the valley and clad in an armor of gold, not only lifted her spirits, but also made her want to join him in the throngs of power as well.
Of course, she didn't have a transformation state that could reach the same level that he'd reached… at least… not yet.
"Maybe… if I keep working on it…" the orange haired woman thought to herself.
As the two Saiyans stood across from one another, sizing each other up and letting their transformations burn away, Gohan then glanced behind him and grinned at their audience. "Don't worry. This won't take long." He then turned to his girlfriend, who'd also started smiling again as she and the others gazed across at him. "I'd hang on to my seat though."
Hearing him clearly through the crackling of their auras, the teen nodded and, along with Goten and Chi-Chi, took a big step back.
Turning to stare at his father once again, the young Saiyan in the orange and blue gi grinned, "Ready whenever you are."
The former hero nodded and grinned at his boy. "You know… we should really start trying to dress a little bit differently from now on," the man said, pointing between their two identical transformed states, as well as their identical uniforms. "Given how much you and I look alike in this form, people might be finding it difficult to tell the two of us apart."
Looking at his dad's orange and blue gi, the same one he'd been wearing for the past seven years, Gohan chuckled and nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I suppose you're right."
"But that's something to worry about for another time," Goku declared, clenching his fists and bringing them up into a horse riding stance. "Come on.. Let's have some fun."
"Yeah." Without another word or a moment of hesitation, the smiling teenager's expression tightened and his aura blasted around him at a fiercer rate, causing blue chains of lightning to shoot off of him.
His old man reciprocating his actions, the pair of them then took off from their respective places and charged at each other faster than their audience could track. In the blink of an eye, the duo intercepted one another in the center, their fists slamming into their opponent's and locking the father and son in a knuckle-to-knuckle grappling match. The impact of their collision punching an enormous crater into the floor and producing a violent shockwave, the Saiyan fighters gritted their teeth and at each other. Their auras fused together into one at the proximity they'd reached, causing their cyclone of power to converge on a single point.
The Kais and the pair's families looked on in shock as a massive gale started blasting off of the martial artists and across the valley, forcing all of them, including Zangya, to cover their faces and hold their ground. Then, just as the pair's grappling match began reaching its climax, the two warriors suddenly vanished with a clap of thunder, their golden forms leaving the valley floor and shooting up into the sky.
In a matter of moments, the heavens above the Grand Kai's world became filled with the sound of battle, as shockwaves powerful enough to turn mountains into dust rippled through the clouds.
For the next half an hour, the father and son spent fighting it out across the celestial plains that was their battlefield. While every once in a while they brought it back down to ground level, causing a ludicrous amount of damage as a result, the combatants spent most of their time off world and inside the clouds making up Otherworld. However, despite their altitude, this didn't stop the force of their attacks from rattling the small training world beneath them, which soon drew the attention of the Grand Kai and the rest of the fighters currently on station there.
The rock star of a guardian, along with his associates and staff members, watched from the edge of the valley as the two Saiyans sparred above the estate, clashing fists and trading blows of near equal strength and speed.
Having never had such powerful martial artists on his front lawn before, you could see why the Grand Kai was so invested in their duel. His interest ranged from amazed to frightened, as every blow the two landed on one another shook the planet to its core. Their fight was so out of this world and so unnatural that the Kais feared one misfire would lead to the destruction of half the region.
But as the minutes passed and the duel raged on, the intensity of the fight faded away, and both father and son soon became exhausted from fatigue.
Training alone to master Super Saiyan 3 was one thing. But fighting in the form and taking on damage from an opponent of the same class was another.
Soon enough, both Goku and Gohan found themselves on ground zero once again, on their hands and knees, and panting heavily from the damages of the fight. Having taken more hits due to his son being the strongest out of the two of them, the father wiped the sweat from his brow and looked up from his position on the floor, where he saw the demi-Saiyan standing with his arms at his sides, and also looking a little bit puffed out. When the pair exchanged looks, the older combatant grinned widely and allowed his form to dissipate, leaving him kneeling in his base state.
"Not bad, son," the dad exclaimed, rising to his feet to place his hands on his hips, "Excellent form… and not a single wasted movement at all. Your defenses and parries have gotten so much bet-… whoa." The man then wobbled when his legs nearly buckled, prompting him to stumble forward and slam a foot into the ground. Gasping in relief, he then turned his gaze upwards and grinned sheepishly at his surprised son, his expression reflecting nothing but exhaustion. "Heh. That was close."
Looking even better than his father in terms of appearances, the less damaged young man grinned and also allowed his form to fade. Dropping to his first Super Saiyan state, the teen breathed out and ran a hand through his hair, ridding himself of the sheen of sweat that'd accumulated, "Watch out for that first step after powering down. It's a real doozy."
"No kidding. Geez. I nearly passed out for a second," Goku laughed, dusting his torn pants down and staggering forward. He hissed when his muscles screamed in protest, "Even as a dead man, I can still feel the aches and pains of overtraining like I did down on earth. Who would have guessed?"
Gohan raised an eyebrow at his comment, "I thought you couldn't get tired when you're dead." Sure, his father had, in essence, become both immortal and ageless in his current form. Considering these facts, the young hybrid also fell under the assumption that a dead warrior didn't need sleep, rest, or any other necessities required to keep the body… well… 'alive'.
When the adult martial artist finally made his way over to where his oldest son was standing, Goku took a moment to catch his breath and smiled at his young scholar. "I may have a physical body to train with, but it still feels the same stitches and cramps it did when it had real blood flowing through it." He then jabbed the teen in the chest in a show of fatherly affection and good will. "But that's only on the surface. Even if my current body could take twenty four hours of nonstop training, there's no way my mind would be able to. I may be tough, but even a man like me still needs to lie down, close my eyes and recharge every few hours." He then grinned widely once again, "Why do you think I still eat so much?"
The demi-Saiyan shared in his dad's reverie, "Even in the afterlife your body still needs a Saiyan's daily intake of food to keep on going."
"That's right. And it's just like I told you before; rest is an important part of a fighter's training. It's what Master Roshi and Kami taught me when I was growing up. You can push yourself as much as you like, but there's always a limit to how much you can put out in a series of sessions; both mentally and physically. Sooner or later, you're going to need to slow down," Goku informed his son, reminding him of one of the most crucial aspects he'd previously taught the teen about fighting. When he saw his son's approving stare looking back at him, the older Saiyan folded his arms and beamed. "There's no such thing as perfect strength. If you fight, you will always face repercussions."
"I know dad," the young Super Saiyan said, meeting his dad's gaze before then looking over his shoulder. "You told me that a long time ago." When they saw their family and friends watching and waiting for them on the hill across the way, Gohan turned back around and nodded in that direction. "Come on. I'm sure those guys want to find out how it all went out here."
"Yeah. And I think King Kai might want to have a word or two to say about our fight as well. Heh. I'm definitely not looking forward to that lecture," Goku laughed nervously, patting his son on the shoulder as they both began walking side by side across the plain. As they strolled, taking it slow on account of one of them still being a little bit heavy footed from the spar, the father then looked over at his son and frowned, "How goes the search for your enemy in hiding? Is he still causing you problems?"
Hearing this question from his father, the young man shook his head and shared with him another troubled glance. "It's been quiet so far and nothing bad has happened over the last several weeks, but we still haven't found anything else about the guy. Heck, even Baba is coming up with nothing and she's a real whiz at this kind of stuff."
Nodding in understanding, the worried parent looked ahead of him as well. "If a man is able to shield himself from even Baba's magic, then it's safe to say that he is definitely no amateur. Whoever he is… or whoever she is… there's no doubt they're going to be causing a lot of problems in the future… especially if they're sending armored assassins after you." Feeling a troubled sweat trickle down his face, Goku then looked across at his boy and gazed at him seriously. "Be careful down there, son… and watch your back."
Gohan, processing his dad's words and sensing his concerns, nodded affirmatively, "Don't worry. I will."
As they continued to march and drew closer and closer to their group of friends, the full-blooded Saiyan couldn't help but spare a few furtive glances between them and his son. After a few more looks, particularly towards the pair of women his boy had come to associate with over the years, a mischievous smile soon formed, which then led to the teenager looking across at his father.
When he saw the older man grin, Gohan blinked, "Huh? What's up, dad?"
Leaning over, the spiky haired hero then spoke, "So… I see Zangya and Videl are looking nice and happy today. Have you figured out which one you're going to marry yet?"
Almost instantly after hearing that question, the demi-Saiyan face planted the floor in shock and slid across the earth for a few yards. When the dust eventually settled, Gohan then stood up, turned to his father, and showed off the full-body skid mark that ran from the top of his head to the bottom of his pant legs, and the bright red glow beating across his face.
"WHERE IN THE WORLD DID THAT COME FROM!?" the teen shouted, clearly flustered at the outrageous inquisition.
Goku laughed in amusement and waved a hand in front of him defensively. "Hey now, come on, son. I'm only kidding."
Sometimes the demi-Saiyan wondered if that was true.
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