Chapter 14 - Enter the Hakaishin

"Holy shit!"

"South Kaio, calm down!" North Kaio proclaimed insistently.

"I was only busy training my Heavenly Fighters for a few weeks and the next thing I know, Beerus wiped out HALF of the South Galaxies! Why?! Who pissed him off to go on that much of a rampage?!"

"How developed were they?" West Kaio snarked.

"Oh shut up, you're just rubbing it in cause you didn't have that many planets eradicated! I swear, he never bothered with my side of the Universe until now. I swear, that cosmic storm has something to do with it!" South Kaio wept.

"My galaxies had the usual fare. Only a few thousand planets destroyed this time around," East Kaio proudly replied.

"No way it's that low!" South Kaio rebuked. "You're lyin'!"

"I'm a god, why would I lie to another god? You can check for yourself if you want," The other portly deity egged on.

"I swear, it's always times that he's awake that I am one step away from getting a heart attack and ending up like North Kaio," East Kaio dabbed a handkerchief over her face. "Then again, I think he's the only god who's ever kicked the bucket and kept his position."

"Not in the mood, East Kaio!" North Kaio shouted. "Also, if you're all done panicking, I have to keep an eye on Beerus. He's changed course drastically off the North Galaxies."

"Hopefully he got tired and went back to take a nap," South Kaio moaned.

"Well, what's he up to?" West Kaio inquired, adjusting his monocle with unseen blinks.

"Oh...oh no!"

"What?!" The other three Kaio exclaimed with fright.

"He's heading to the Sacred World of Kaios," The blue-skinned, halo affixed creator proclaimed with trembling. "And Goku's there!"

Son Goku was indeed on the Sacred World of Kaios.

The last time he was here was to bid farewell to his son when he fought Majin Buu. It was one of the last times he remembered seeing Gohan, other than the results of him training with the Z Sword and the effects of his Unleashed Potential. He never forgot the dramatic effects of seeing such power before his eyes and how it felt when it was unleashed; it made his Super Saiyan 3 form pale in comparison before its might.

Yet, Majin Buu had found a way to exceed it. But in their haste to help support him, Gohan had too surpassed his devious enemy. If not for his folly of listening to the Old Kaioshin, perhaps Vegehan wouldn't have been a necessity. He still felt partial to the blame when it came to that critical choice.

But now, he realized just how far behind he was. He ordinarily wouldn't come asking this favor, to receive the same boost that Gohan had, but he knew it may take far too long. Enemies won't wait for him to play catch up to the strongest man in the Universe. So he came in, and thankfully he had bargaining tools.

Said bribery the Old Kaioshin spent a majority of the longer part of the ritual leering over while holding his arms out towards the very still -albeit impatient- Goku. It was a album full of about several dozen lewd shot pictures of the one that he promised the perverted god he'd let prude over though now indirectly. He had Roushi to thank, as he had heard had taken new steps to become an Exhibition Peeping Photographer as a means to increase his own training...whether it was legitimate or not was not his business.

He had almost fallen asleep in the last couple dozen hours but he felt like his legs were getting tired from being in one place. He swore he couldn't feel his left foot. Grimacing, he let out a loud sigh, gesturing slightly only to hear a hissing sound from the Old Kaioshin.

"Do not. Move. Goku," The Old Kaioshin spoke slowly, his eyes opening to glare dangerously at him. "Do you want this to succeed, or not?"

"To be fair, I feel a bit guilty doing this. It almost feels like cheating, getting a power like this for free-"

"Correction! You did pay me," He looked down, a boorish grin spread across his face. "Handsomely!"

"You know what I mean," The Saiyan of Earth pouted his lips, frowning back. "I've worked hard my whole life to get as strong as I've gotten. Nothing came for free. Even when I was in a desperate pinch, I had to put my life on the line to get it. This just feels a bit wrong, compared to all those other times."

"Then why do it?" The Elder asked tiredly. "Do you want me to stop?"

"Because we might not get another chance," He answered honestly, a rare look of solemn understanding of the graveness of their situation. "I've cheated death several times now, and other times I've straight up defied it. I'm under no delusion that I'll live forever, even if that's as nice as it sounds. But Goten and Trunks need a stronger teacher. If I can help protect them for just a little longer and be the best that I can possibly be, then I can accept my fate when I feel like the Earth is in good hands."

"That's...very mature of you," Old Kaioshin acknowledged with a surprised blinking stare. "Who knew you'd be this wise, despite the foolishness you've partook in?"

"Says the old man perv'ing out on pictures," Goku muttered with an averting glance to the side.

"What was that?!"

"Uh, n-nothing!" The spiky haired man rocked back slightly, chuckling nervously. Looking around slightly, he exhaled breathy to begin a change in the conversation. "So, where's Kibitoshin? Thought he'd be here."

"He SHOULD be here, but that whippersnapper is previewing the cosmos like he's on some glorified field trip," Old Kaioshin huffed out in response.

"I'm sure he'll be around. I want him to be here when I show my new strength off!" The Turtle Schooler proclaimed with an excited giggle.

"One moment, you're a responsible adult. The next, you're a giddy child," The older creator sighed, shaking his head with exasperation. "You're an oddball, that's for sure."

"Lord Kaioshin! Goku! Are you there?!"

The voice surprised the both of them. While Old Kaioshin was muttering obscenities under his breath, Goku looked up with an inquisitive set of blinks. What could he want at a time like this?

"Hey, Kaio! How goes it?" He inquired innocently.

"Oh you know me. Just taking a drive around my planet, enjoying the view, still have a halo over my head," The god of the Northern Galaxies paused, letting that sink in. Hearing no reply made him sigh sadly, before he shouted loud enough to make both of their minds ring like gongs. "AND BEERUS THE HAKAISHIN IS HEADING RIGHT FOR YA!"

"Ow, ease up will ya?" Goku complained, rubbing his head as if it had an instant migraine. "And who is Beerus? The Hakaishin? Sounds like bad news. Is he like Freeza?"

"Don't even compare the two!" Kaio proclaimed in an urgent yet indignant manner. A fist was clenched and his his face perspired heavily, fear radiating his whole body of the mere mention of the god's name. "B-Beerus has lived a hundred, no, a thousand of Freeza's lifetimes! And what's worse, he's not someone who got his title because he's evil but just temperamental. While we creator gods are charged with imbuing the Universe with planets and life forms, watching over them carefully, Beerus is someone who chooses who lives and who dies."

"He sounds like a bad guy to me," The Saiyan furrowed his brows with confusion. "A guy like that's short tempered and he gets to decide that kind of thing? That sounds messed up."

"He's the God of Destruction, to be specific," Old Kaioshin corrected, his own body's purple complexion paled and sweat covering his whole body. When Goku saw the terrified look in his eyes, he was surprised how collected his voice was when he spoke. "The Hakaishin, Lord Beerus, is older than I am. He's been chosen by higher powers than you comprehend to make sure the Universe doesn't spiral out of control and through his destruction we create new worlds, solar systems, and even galaxies in their place. Through our nurturing guidance we can mold newer, perhaps better species. I made the mistake of upsetting him one day and...he ended up sealing me away in that sword your boy Gohan found."

"H-He did that to you-?"

"Hold still, confound it!"

"Ah, sorry," Goku apologized as he maintained his stillness, having almost fell back at hearing this. Even after learning all of this, a part of him still shook. His hands clenched and his mouth tightened into a thin lipped visage. "So, what you're saying is, he's stronger than Majin Buu?"

"You can't hold a candle to him. If he saw that abomination, he'd have turned him into a dust in an instant," Old Kaioshin replied gravely.

"Heh...hehehehe...hahahahahahaha!" The Saiyan of Earth began laughing, his musical tone holding a tinge of madness and excitement that overlapped its usual innocent nature. A small smile with a crooked frame of his angled brows made him look dead serious. A look that perhaps put almost as much fear in the Old Kaioshin than the incoming Hakaishin. "Finally, a strong opponent other than Vegehan! I can't wait to meet him!"

"Meet who?" A voice sounded beside the pair, making both gulp audibly with surprise. While Goku turned to look up at a pair of individuals -one lean and tall with a silly hair style complementing his cyan skin, the other was a regally dressed lithe built bipedal cat- and looked up with rapt excitement, Old Kaioshin began shaking like a leaf. "Yo, old man. Who's this Saiyan you got here?"

"Uh, he's...uh," He dumbly answered. He didn't even get a chance to focus on sensing the god's approach. Had it not been for Kaio's warning, he'd have been completely blindsided. Trying to play it off like it was no big deal, he turned to look at Goku, whom just continued to stare a serious, excited expression. "This is Son Goku. You could say he's a friend of mine."

Beerus turned to acknowledge the Saiyan dressed in an orange over blue gi. His hair was angled to arch over to the right of his scalp, with the rest of it frayed near the temples in an almost messy way. His onyx eyes framed by angular sharp brows that looked up with rapt excitement showed his either understanding who he is; or on a fundamental level, showed his basest instincts of seeing a strong foe. Taking care to look at the insignia on both the front and the back of the uniform, one of them being the Turtle Hermit School and the other of a familiar mark only he'd be aware of through experience.

"I see, this makes sense. You're the pupil of that Kaio of the Northern Galaxies," Beerus stated aloud with a cheeky smile.

"Oh?" Goku's expression formed an oval with his mouth and blinked curiously. "You know Kaio Sensei?"

"Of course. I've visited all of the Kaio's homeworlds during my routine routes across the Universe from time to time," The purple cat deity proudly said with an upright stance, hands crossed behind his back. "Though, my memory's a bit foggy, can't remember the last time I did go there. When was that, Whis?"

"About a few centuries ago," The taller attendant replied in a melodious voice, hinting of a jocular attitude despite his formal stance. "I'll have you remember that you destroyed the poor Kaio's planet when you lost in a game of hide and go seek."

"Eh? Well he must've been a poor sport about it if that's what I did."

"I'm fairly certain the poor sport was you, Lord Beerus," Whis intoned directly, much to the Hakaishin's chagrin.

Clearing his throat to change subjects rapidly, Beerus returned his attention to Goku, "I see, Son Goku's your name?"

"You can call me just Goku, Beerus-"

"Lord Beerus."

"Ah! Right. Sorry, Lord Beerus," Goku quickly recovered after the quick reprimand by the older Kaioshin.

"I'm under the impression that you are one of the only Saiyans left. A Saiyan who brought down Freeza?"

"Yeah, that was me," He answered truthfully. "Though I didn't kill him. He somehow survived, and somebody else finished him off."

"Oh, maybe I should speak to him," Beerus raised a brow with intrigue.

"Eh, that's gonna be hard if you don't have a time machine. He came from the future," The Saiyan admitted with a laugh.

"Time Travel?" Beerus furrowed brows.

"Yeah, why?"

"Time Travel is one of the highest crimes to be committed in the Universe," Whis explained on the Hakaishin's behalf soberly. "Under only a few controlled circumstances, those who are not gods are forbidden from manipulating time that in any way allows someone to go back and forth across it's flow. Doing so without thought or conscience can tamper with a Universe's structure and create...irregularities."

"Tempted as I may be to investigate that, I'm more focused on acquiring knowledge of a particular type. More specifically, about the Super Saiyan God?" Beerus leaned down as he asked the question.

"Super Saiyan...what?" Goku cocked his head to the side with a scrunched up face. "What the Heck is that?"

"You don't know?" Beerus blinked with surprise.

"Hahaha! Sorry, I don't know of anything called that. Maybe somebody else could, but not me," He admitted with a chuckle.

"With due respect, Lord Beerus, we're in the middle of something," The Old Kaioshin insisted with a look of annoyance on his face. "If you could search elsewhere, I'd appreciate the peace and quiet to finish up what I'm doing."

A measure of tense quiet abruptly killed the informal mood. The atmosphere shifted as the Hakaishin's eyes drifted towards the old Kaioshin, glaring at him with a scrutinizing stare. Any sense of haughtiness was swept away as he felt impending doom fill his soul and his heart beat violently.

Seeing him point a sharp talon digit, he flinched and closed his eyes.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Beerus suddenly howled aloud with sputtering laughter. Even as the Old Kaioshin began to recover and looked on with a mixture of surprise and anger, the Hakaishin shook violently as he held his sides and fell to the ground. Rolling around, he wheezed for air between his bouts of undeniable humor at the situation. "I-I can't believe it! You just ended up dead after all this time, even after getting out of that sword I sealed you in! What, was life living not worth it?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Stop laughing at me, you maniac!" Old Kaioshin barked back, standing upright to wave his hands angrily. "Did you want me to die again from a heart attack?! I thought you were going to kill me!"

"Why would I kill what's already dead? That's stupid," The Hakaishin snickered as he regained his composure, standing upright. "Then, if you're dead, then that means your successor isn't otherwise I'd be...well, I wouldn't be here having this conversation. Hopefully he's not as suicidal as you are."

"Bah! With how much he doesn't respect his elders, it's clear he'll end up like me in half the time it took me to kick the bucket!"

"...please tell me you're joking, cause that's not very funny," Beerus intoned with a mixture of anger with genuine nervousness in his voice.

However, a loud clap took their attention off each other and back to a frowning Goku, still sitting in perfect stillness from they left him.

"Old Kaioshin! You didn't just end the ritual just now?!" He asked with distress mingling with frustration. He didn't want to sit through another 20 hours of inane ritual nonsense...

"Oh no, we actually finished ten minutes ago," The Old Kaioshin answered bluntly.

"AH! Then why didn't you tell me?!" Goku cried out with his hands pulling at his hair with distress. "I thought we had to do it over!"

"I was lost track of time," He intoned, looking over at the catalog of pictures of Bulma. Just as he began to shuffle over to grab it, he found them instantly vaporized by a purple beam. Mortified by what transpired, he looked over to see a dark grin spread on the Hakaishin's face.

"A man of your station has no right looking at such debaucherous images of mortals," Beerus reprimanded him with a tone bordering on mockery, but still held his professionalism regardless of any personal bias towards the old god. "I surely hope your successor isn't the lecher that you make yourself out to be."

"Goku," Old Kaioshin whispered, turning to look at the Saiyan with an almost crazed look in his eyes. "You want to fight Lord Beerus, don't you?"

"Uh, yeah! Why wouldn't I?" Goku asked rhetorically as if it wasn't plain to anybody.

It wasn't to the Hakaishin, however.

"You? Want to fight me?" Beerus inquired with a furrowed brow query. "Do you want to die?"

"No, it's nothing like that," The Earth born Saiyan shook his head, a challenging smile and the fevered glint in his eyes returned for the God of Destruction to see once more. "I just like challenging myself whenever I can. The best way I can do that is fighting stronger opponents of any kind. And you seem to be the strongest one so far," A devilish smirk formed as he almost whispered aloud in a beckoning manner. "Am I wrong?"

"No, you're not," The Hakaishin replied, an entertained smirk adorned on his feline face. "In fact, I've never been so brazenly asked to be fought without some vendetta or some act of delusional arrogance clouding their judgement. Not in centuries have I been called out like so," Chuckling, he turned to fully face him. "Very well, I accept your challenge to fight the Hakaishin, Lord Beerus."

Punching an open palm, Goku felt pumped up like he never had before. After twenty hours of no activity, this would be the best way to test out his new power; his Unleashed Potential. Whether it had any merit or not he'd soon find out.

"You better stand back, Old Kaio-" The Turtle Schooler had thought to warn, only to find the perverted Kaioshin was nowhere to be seen. Looking left to right, he found that on a distant mountain-top a purplish dot could be seen. He blinked curiously at his sudden hasty retreat.

"KICK HIS ASS, GOKU! AVENGE MY PICTURE BOOK!" He broadcasted with a megaphone he materialized into his hand.

"What skewed priorities he has," Whis intoned, making sure to take a few steps back as Beerus kept a patient stance of his own. Arms folded behind themselves, they'd await as the challenger Saiyan began to power up.

"Here it goes!" Goku dug his elbows into his sides, his hands balling up into tight fists and a deep breath inhaled.

Then, he let out a hallowed scream.

Warmth.

That was the first reaction Tarble felt. He had been in such terrible pain before the sedatives and the suspended animation kicked in the Attack Ball he piloted. The tingling that stemmed all over his repaired nerves and restored flesh was the thing that urged him to awaken. As his eyes fluttered, he saw a menagerie of unrecognizable individuals crowd around him.

The person with his hands splayed over his general vicinity was a green skinned man who looked not much younger than himself. Antennae were flared from his forehead on opposing angles, black eyes looked relieved as he gained consciousness. Without even exchanging words he could tell this person was a benefactor, not an enemy.

"W-Where a-am I?" He croaked out, his body still feeling dazed from the experience.

"You're safe now," Dende reassured him, retracting his hands from his completed task. "You were badly hurt when we pulled you out of your ship. But I made sure your wounds were healed. You're lucky, it looked quite serious."

"My wounds...right, I was fighting," He began to say, catching himself before he spoke too much. Tears welled up in his eyes and his throat filled up with a lump. As salty streaks swept down each side of his face, he shuddered while confessing out loud. "No. I-I was r-running. I couldn't save them."

"Save who?"

"The Tech-Techs. The people who took me in and raised me as one of their own," He explained, sitting himself upright, feeling totally undone that he had no qualms speaking to complete strangers. Even as tears continued to stain his cheeks red with their hot touch, his breath came out ragged and his shoulders shook. "G-Gure, my beloved wife, told me I had to save myself. That I was the only one that could get help. And yet, my world became the home of a battlefield between the dreadful Freeza Army...one that I was powerless to combat on my own!"

"To think you're a full-blooded Saiyan," A harsh voice spoke from the background, familiar while also foreign to Tarble's ears. He saw a man in simple sweats with a sash wrapped around his waist and a sleeveless shirt covering a muscular form. His arms were crossed and his gaze glared almost icily towards him. "No wonder our father sent you away for your own protection, Tarble."

"Hey!" Bulma turned towards Vegehan, marching towards her former husband had it not been both Eighteen and Chi-Chi restraining her. "That man, your brother, almost died getting here! How about a little more care given towards him, huh?!"

"V-Vegeta!" Tarble's sudden excited exclamation stole any chance of a retort Vegehan could've had. Rushing up to stand up and look at the man he heard so much about, but knew very little himself, he could only look up in awe. "It's good to finally meet my big brother! Though I wish it was under better circumstances. I heard all about how you were rumored to be the one to defeat Freeza, become the legendary Super Saiyan and broke apart the Freeza Army's hold on the galaxy!

"I had made plans once I found out where you were rumored to be. The last place Freeza and his father was last seen before probes confirmed their deaths. I would've shown up here with...with my wife..."

Hearing his voice drop and his face fall softened the fused Saiyan's heart. While he was adamantly disappointed, even nearly disgusted what his estranged brother turned out to be nothing more than a weak warrior, he felt a bit of pride in how he was talked so highly. Even if some of the details were skewed thanks to misconception and misunderstanding, to hear someone talk so highly of him in a positive light was new...at least, regarding that particular half.

The other part of him was horrified by what he was hearing. Someone messed with his peaceful, kindhearted sibling's livelihood and brought him to tears. That fury was stoked when he thought what would've happened if his own family or Videl had been caught in the cross airs of terrible people. Something like that had happened only a little while ago, and he felt empathy for what his partially related sibling was going through.

Averting his gaze slightly, suppressing any warmth he had felt from the downcast gloom Tarble was experiencing, he asked curtly, "Do you know the names of the ones responsible? The ones who hurt you and attacked your world?"

"There was two groups, actually," The younger, slender built brother of Vegeta explained with a far more serious and familiar expression; nearly identical to the proud prince's. "The first that had come by was simply making unreasonable demands and pushes to forcefully extract resources, manpower and sustenance for a paltry number of soldiers. While the Tech-Techs are formidable machine builders, they are no fighters so we complied and hoped they'd leave.

"It wasn't until a pair of menacing beings whose power is said to be on par with Freeza arrived, Abo and Kabo. They were the ones who instigated a bloodbath with their own batch of renegade soldiers. Our people were swept in the carnage and all we could hope to do was find shelter in reinforced bunkers they had constructed for safety. The battle had been going on that we were certain the planet was doomed if we didn't get help, so," Tarble finished, looking up at him with a desperate expression on his visage. "I've come hoping you were here, Vegeta! If you could go there, stop them, then my people could be free and I can be reunited with Gure!"

Vegehan felt a brewing conflict inside of him. All eyes were upon him, making his decision and choice of words all the more important. Grimacing, his eyes turned to look at Piccolo who immediately shrugged while looking to the other known friends he got no real immediate feedback other than an encouraging smile. The only pair that genuinely pushed him was Bulma and Videl, both showing their own credible stares that carried a knowing that he could help in this situation; and should.

"Damn those two, making me feel obligated and all," He thought with a twitching brow as his eyes remained closed. Peeking out to still see Videl's unmoved eyes and Bulma's increasing impatience reflected in her sky colored orbs. Palming his face, he let his hand drag exaggeratedly off his face and spoke in an unenthusiastic tone. "Sure, I'll fix your home world. Let's just hope Abo and Kabo are not so keen on the planetary devastation tactics that Freeza had a knack for."

Tarble's face lit up all at once. The first bit of good news since this horrid mess started. Welling up with emotion once more, he began to weep, his face buried in an arm at a pitiful attempt to quell the tears. Even though most of the other guests at the party had no idea what was going on, no one could help but look on with awe and empathy for the poor other worlder.

"Th-Thank you, V-Vegeta! Th-Thank you so much!" He muttered out between sobs of overwhelmed emotion.

"Compose yourself, already," Vegehan crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, trying to hide the fact his own face had a flush of embarassment on display across his face. "You're a mess, I swear. Go feast and socialize, you'll need it for the trip home we'll embark."

"I will," Tarble nodded politely, bowing in respect and smiling broadly. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it," The Fused Saiyan mumbled, watching out of the corner of his eye to see Tarble grab a plate and stack a hearty helping of edibles. The party soon rekindled its pleasant atmosphere, and he could let a sigh of relief as the attention waned on his person. What didn't was both Bulma and Videl sliding up to either of his sides. Looking at them both present with pleased smiles, he couldn't help but snort. "You both happy?"

"You're doing a good thing, for your brother no less," Bulma pressed a finger against his shoulder, much to his visible annoyance and her enjoyment. "I thought you'd feel more obligated to help out someone of your blood."

"Anyone who wasn't in line for the throne like I was isn't considered a part of royalty, let alone acknowledged as family. He was sent, like Kakarrot, at a young age to inhabit a peaceful world that he could aid their altruistic society. It wasn't supposed to be a threat given it was a past customer species that bought out the world that was inhabited by semi-sentient beasts that roamed the world. He shouldn't have been under any threat," Vegehan explained, growling as his crossed arms flexed with a show of his frustrated confusion. "Why they chose to settle their petty civil war on that planet is beyond me. The standards of procedure must have dropped low when Freeza's terror left his own army."

"Well, I'm glad you decided to butt in," Videl piped up, wrapping her arms and pulling Vegehan flush against her. Her eyes sparkled and her smile truly melted anything hardened inside of him. He'd exchange a soft smile of his own to aim at her, regardless of his prior feelings. "I know how you value your family's pride, but he didn't have the luxury of having strong and reliable friends to depend on. He was all alone, with just his new family. He didn't get to have a strong dad, Piccolo or your natural talent to fall back on. But now, he does have you."

"I just hope I won't have to make a habit of it," He muttered with a sigh. "He's a full grown man, despite his size. I can feel he has a strength surpassing most Saiyans of my generation but really doesn't hold a candle to somebody of Freeza's caliber. He'll have to find out how to gain that strength so he can rely on himself; in case I can't be there for him."

"Geez, you're starting to act like a old man even though you don't look it. Hope that sage talk doesn't make me feel old by standing near you," Bulma joked, downing another glass of champagne in a flash.

"Glad to see where your priorities are, Bul-"

In an instance, Vegehan felt it. Like a familiar thrumming pulse both sides' memories allowed him the benefit of knowing what this sensation was like.

Without turning to look at Videl, he could tell she was also experiencing it too and had remembered what it was. Piccolo and Dende exchanged wide-eyed glances while Eighteen just looked at Krillin with curiosity, having no sensory ability herself. Meanwhile both Android bodyguards, Violet and Gero, could feel an influx of Ki waft over their vicinity as well as most of the planet.

"W-What is that? Is that Goku?!" Yamcha cried out with disbelief.

"Is he fighting somebody?" Puar inquired, with Oolong gulping nervously.

"It feels like he's going all-out, but there's something strange about it," Tenshinhan noted, angling his three eyes with concern. "It's as if it's not a Super Saiyan form giving off this weight and intensity, if that makes any sense."

"If it isn't that form, how can he give off this amount of ki?" Chaozu queried aloud.

"This...this feels more like Gohan," Piccolo admitted, his teeth gritting visibly with the memory of it. The change in nature of Gohan's power underwent was so fantastic he mistook it for Goku, but was the boy he had singlehandedly trained and more or less raised since his youth. Now he could feel a similar change trigger in Goku, but was still remarkably akin to the amount of power it was at Super Saiyan 3 if not a bit more. "I can only think of one person who could've granted him this kind of power."

"Old Kaioshin," Vegehan furrowed his brows, a look of annoyance past by his face as he shouted up at the heavens. "YOU! TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON OR SO HELP ME I'LL FLY THERE TO FIND OUT MYSELF-!"

"NO!" Kaio's voice rang out. "Whatever you do, don't go there! You'll only make things worse!"

"Please," The Fused Saiyan growled, his eyes twitching with an unnerving anger hidden behind them. "Enlighten me as to why Goku's power has multiplied exponentially and is throttled to maximum?"

"The ritual was brief, but I have to let you know something. Beerus the Hakaishin is on the Sacred World of the Kaios and Goku just challenged him to a fight!"

So many questions rang in Vegehan's head after hearing this bit of news. A deep, haunted memory that as Vegeta possessed as a child. A foreboding figure far more terrifying than Freeza had entered their palace, used King Vegeta's head as a footrest and dined on their best meals. He knew well to keep quiet and not interfere but had overheard most if not all of the conversation that came about.

That Beerus, is going to fight Goku.

"That, IDIOT!" He howled out, his fists clenched and his face strewn into pure fury. If his gut feeling was right, something terrible was about to happen.

All thanks to Goku's meddling.

"So, this is my Unleashed Potential?" Goku finally spoke, his voice taking a deeper decibel and one reflecting his excitement. His hair had formed a passive upright crest, with a cowlick cast from the side of rigid spiked tresses of onyx and a curled series of bangs cast over his brows. Just like with Super Saiyan, his body reflected that state but felt far more natural, less carnal and forceful; almost soothing, much like how his improvement to the aforementioned transformation was but on a different level.

Admiring the feel of it, he turned his eyes at Beerus who looked adequately content.

"I see you choose to not use your yellow haired form yet?" Beerus inquired curiously.

"Heh, to be fair I might not need that state," He answered cockily, a challenging grin spread to complement his statement.

"Hm, very well," The Hakaishin sighed, closing his eyes and keeping his arms behind his back. "Do your best."

A stab of frustration went through the martial artist at being disregarded so casually. He prided his fighting abilities, even if he wasn't among the top tier. But now, he hoped this new unlock to his potential helped him breach the gap that was necessary. Even if he was underestimated, he'd show what he was really made of.

Not wasting even a second, he kicked off the ground, its soil parting before his feet through the dramatic acceleration. The dash was faster than anything related to sound as he used his max speed to reach the nearby God of Destruction. Stopping short in a crouch before the purple cat-man's feet he'd physically vanish in a field of static. Appearing behind him he'd throw a punch aimed for his head.

The fist connected, though instead of a cranium, it was deflected by a arching feline ear.

So flabbergasted by the sight that he failed to notice the tail that whipped out and struck him in the middle. The connection of the prehensile appendage was so dramatic that he swore he saw stars in this star-less world. Spit left his mouth as he pinwheeled for an untold distance, bodily crashing through mountains that his enhanced figure barely felt. By the time he rose back up into the rose colored heavens, he felt himself wincing and holding his chest.

"A single blow did this much damage?" He thought, panting with pain as he felt himself shake with a rare sensation. He was starting to feel afraid of what this person was. Shaking his head, he clapped his cheeks with both hands and returned his attention back to Beerus.

Whom had decidedly yawned, rubbing an eye that had begun to tear up through grogginess.

"Now!" Goku decided mentally, forcefully accelerating back to the ground once more. This time he charged a pair of ki orbs in both hands, throwing them and through expert control, guided them to hit him on either flank. Executing a perfect forward flip over the stationary god, he watched him stretch out while keeping his eyes closed; said stretch effortlessly popping his ki balls out like balloons.

But that's what he was counting on.

Seizing the opportunity where he couldn't be touched by both outstretched arms, his ears or his tail, the Saiyan leaped forth and threw his hardest punch towards his undefended chest. But even as he inched towards him, he swore he could see Beerus' right ear twitch. His body felt an instinct to withdraw but was already too far into the assault.

As a result, his head was struck by a simple hand chop that his eyes and senses were unable to perceive. The blow had so much impact that the whole planet shuddered, bringing about something akin to an earthquake. Soil discharged out like bullets and the general landscape split for the length of a football field, its webbed scar had Goku's body splayed out in a comical outstretched manner.

"What, already?" Beerus queried, his eyes opening and looking on with disappointment. "I was just stretching for our fight, you didn't even wait for a go. You're as hot-headed as you are foolish, but I can't help but liking that kind of spunk."

"Shall we be going, Lord Beerus?" Whis asked with politeness.

"Yes, it's high time I find the Super Saiyan God after all," He intoned as he turned to walk back to his faithful attendant.

"W-Wait!"

The voice of his fallen opponent made him stop. Turning, one hand placed on a hip, Beerus used the other to scratch his head. He looked on with amazement that his opponent found the nerve to stand. He could see blood sliding down his neck from his forehead and temples, his eyes having a dazed look common from head trauma. But even still, he stood before him, shakily and readied for more.

"I'm not interested," The Hakaishin feigned boredom when his curiousness had piqued now that he saw someone willing to fight on despite the obvious. "You're talented for a mortal but you aren't the Super Saiyan God. So long as you are not a god, I fail to see the point in fighting you."

"D-Didn't you...want to see," Goku ground his jaw together, his eyes squinting and his brow knitting tightly with his arms pulled up to cross under his chin. "My Super Saiyan form?"

Throwing both arms back, an effortless transformation underwent and his body became engulfed in a vibrant thrumming gold. Emerald-blue eyes glared intensely back at Beerus whose own eyes were drawn to a thin slit of focus. Realizing he recognized the appearance of the form, Goku knew he didn't have to explain or gloat.

"He's still underestimatin' me," He acknowledged with a guttural chuckle, complemented with a eager grin. "But that still works to my advantage. Even if he is a God of Destruction, he has to rely on old habits and instincts. Which is why, this first blow," He confirmed with a sudden movement that was nigh teleportation compared to the prior. "Will decide this!"

Beerus looked on with surprise, noticing a drastic increase in speed. Keeping his nonchalant posture, he saw his enemy throw a barrage of punches that'd seem like a machine gun of lightning strikes to any skilled observer. But to him, he might as well been telegraphing his attacks, moving around and in between each appendage's launch aimed at his vicinity.

It was during one of his dodges that he felt his hopping right ankle connect with Goku's, his balance thrown off in the moment. Feeling like he could correct himself the moment he got close to the ground, he allowed it. But the sight of his enemy being a lot closer unnerved him immediately. An uppercut was launched to hit his falling jaw, something he could at least lean back farther and allow gravity to pull him to the planet's surface.

What he didn't count on was the sudden elbow that jack hammered straight into his muzzle. His nose in particular exploded in a flash of golden light, the force of which forced the Hakaishin to rear back and skid upon his heels. A follow-up left hook hit him across the right jaw and a snap kick hit him in the chin. As his whole body lifted off the ground, Goku cupped his hands at his sides and swiftly threw clasped wrists to push his palms out to strike the unguarded midsection.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The Super Saiyan howled aloud, unleashing a monolith Super Kamehameha that dwarfed his frame by ten times. Beerus was propelled outward along the face of the blue column of roaring light, hurdling across the world. Speeds of the like had him crash through many mountain ranges and shave a good portion of flora while evaporating bodies of water covering the underpopulated planet.

When he finally hit the end of the horizon, the effects were felt almost seconds later.

An explosion of immense magnitude soon ended the coupe de grace of Goku's offense had brought upon him. A hurricane proportionate wind swept the land and blew trees violently back. Goku's hair whipped along with his clothes as he huffed with effort while Whis looked on with a calm smile as his own white crop blew with the gust that caressed the world.

It wasn't until this moment that Goku realized he wasn't able to sense a drop of Beerus' ki. Not only was he unable to feel anything, but now he couldn't even determine just how much strength separated the pair. He had only held back half of his Super Saiyan power so that he could double it in an instant to catch the laid back Hakaishin off guard. But now, he felt like his guard was the one let down-

-enabling for the hand that cracked against his neck.

"AH!" Goku gasped, his whole body swept with a pulse of pain and then numbness. His Super Saiyan form deactivated with a violent pop, sweeping the grassy fields with a gust of dispersing energy. Falling to his knees he slumped over and fell unconscious with his face fallen straight over on its side.

Whistling carefree, Beerus felt his mood far improved as he returned to Whis' side. All the while a nerve wracked Old Kaioshin was racing back to check if Goku kicked the bucket. As he checked his pulse, he sighed in relief and turned to glare as a futile means of defiance while Beerus grinned happily back.

"It was nice seeing you, Old Man," He waved goodbye while holding onto his teacher's back. "Ciao!"

In a flood of colored light shooting upward like a star, the divine pair left as suddenly as they came.

A/N: Heeeeeeeeeeey, it's another chapter. And so soon! Well ya know when inspiration strikes, it really comes swinging. That's what it's felt to me as of late. That and I feel like if I put it off too long, it'll be another couple months before this sucker is up.

This Chapter, for me, helped resolve a few things the Canon story kind of dropped.

One, Goten and Trunks are going to continue being trained under Goku. I touched this upon the Revitalized Androids Arc (as someone kindly help name for me) that he wants to prepare for the worst outcome and make sure they can take care of themselves in the event he can't help everybody. This was ultimately dropped and I'm maintaining his mindset on that, hence why he went to get his Unleashed Potential from Old Kaioshin.

Two, I've wrapped up some of the things that won't be mentioned far later in Super's run or around RoF at the least. The time travel thing and Future Trunks' existence being among of them. Not to mention I've made use of something that honestly was far less Canon than it brags itself to be given it only has two lines that are ultimately forgotten by the next movie, by which the Anime and Manga of Super have dropped altogether.

Tarble. Yeah, you know him. That kind, innocent smiling person bubbling with a near opposite personality in comparison to his stone-faced, nearly hardhearted brother? Yeah, he's still here and relevant in helping continue Vegehan's development. Other than what I'm sure a good number of you considered as necessity for a future foreseen subplot (for which a Deus Ex Machina baby won't be showing up for) I'm sure that what will transpire will surprise you when it does happen. Other than that, I do have plans on making him far more relevant than Toriyama, Toei or Toyble ever even tried to make him.

Got nothing else to say about the Chapter. I loved writing the comedy routine of Old Kaioshin and Beerus. The Kaios bickering was gold too, even if it was short. And Goku powering up to fight and then having him transform was also a lot of fun.

It'll probably be awhile before the next Chapter so I'll most likely see you all next month if not in a couple to several weeks from now. Until then, enjoy the Spring!