"Dude...Where is Bardock taking us?"

Goten glanced over at his best friend who was beside him, and then to his grandfather that was flying in front of them. The boys' little fists were outstretched and the impact of their fast speed caused wild ripples in the vast ocean beneath them. Nighttime had approached faster than anticipated, but that was mostly due to the fact that their destination was too many miles from where they started.

"Are you taking us to the island where you been waiting for the Old Bat, Grandpa?" Goten called out loudly. The wind must be too loud for him to have heard. The boy cupped his hands to his mouth and called out again, louder. "OHHHH GRANDPA! ARE WE GOING TO-"

"SHUT UP! I ALREADY TOLD YOU TWICE!"

Goten gave his friend a thumbs up and nodded. "Yup, we're going to the island!"

The lavender haired hybrid nodded in return. Trunks was the one who came up with the brilliant idea to tell Chi-Chi Goten was spending the night at his house, while telling Bulma that Trunks was spending the night at Goten's house. There was no way it would backfire...

Unless the mothers called one another...

Which they very well might...

The boys followed Bardock's descent unto the isolated island. A mixture of large palm, oak, and papaya trees miraculously grew side by side and covered the island on top of dark green grass. In the dead center of the island was the arena where the World Martial Arts tournament of past and soon to be present occurred. This was a place where only the best of the best stepped foot on, and now Goten and Trunks were one of them.

Bardock's green-tipped boots were the first to touch the grass, followed by Trunks. Goten hovered over the blades gently, not quite ready to go down. He looked around at their surroundings uneasily. "Grandpa... I don't think we should be here this late at night..."

The spirit of his grandfather started walking towards the fighting arena while holding his hands out wide. "Kid, this is the best place you could possibly be right now. No people, no distractions," he looked over his shoulder at the prince's spawn. "Well...except for one."

Goten, now standing on the dewy grass, rubbed his little hands nervously. Under the moonlight, Bardock's eyes and fangs were glowing much brighter. He was looking more like a demon than a teacher. He looked at his best friend who was yawning as if this was the most boring place in the entire world. "Um, Trunks? Can you come here real quick? I don't want...you know who to hear..."

Trunks moved closer but looked behind him in the direction he assumed Bardock was standing. "Stand ten feet back you creep! This is conversation is none of your beeswax."

"...Are you fucking kidding me?" Bardock watched incredulously as the two kids huddled together. Goten's little companion should count himself lucky he couldn't see or feel the adult Saiyan.

"He's staring at you all evil-like, so I gotta make this quick!" Goten whispered as quietly as he could into Trunks's ear. "I think it's against the law to be here this late...and Bardock is starting to get a little more scary than usual..."

Trunks arched an eyebrow. "Wanna bail?"

The youngest son of Goku shook his head. "I dunno... I know we gotta save the world and everything but I think Bardock wants to kill me."

Trunks's blue eyes widened. Holding onto one another's shoulders, they began moving slowly towards a papaya tree to increase their distance between them and the ghost. "You serious, Goten? I thought after we left the library everything was good..."

Goten gulped. He released his friend's shoulder and grabbed his shirt instead. He pulled him so close that their noses were touching. "I wish you could see what I see right now! Bardock... He-he looks like that devil from Lucifer's Day Off."

"Seriously!?" Trunks' jaw nearly dropped. "Dude, I'll even admit that movie scared me. Should we just make a run for it?"

The kids were too invested into discussing their escape plans that they hadn't noticed the ropes from the arena had all been removed. Some poor person who was working the main event for the end of the week was going to be pissed in the morning, but Bardock could care less. He had some of it wrapped around his arm while the loose part swung around in his hand. He was stalking towards the unsuspecting boys with the corners of his mouth turned up to reveal large glistening teeth.

The sound of a twig snapping caused the boys to jump up and break up their huddle. Trunks was looking around frantically, unable to see the devil but knowing he was nearby. Goten, on the other hand, was pointing a shaky finger at his grandfather who was now twirling the rope like a lasso.

"RUN! IT'S LUCIFER!"

Before the boys could make their escape away from death, they found themselves back to back and wrapped up completely in the rope. They continued to scream loudly as they were being dragged towards the entrance of the arena, hoping that somehow somebody would hear them.

And somebody would, if they weren't on a lonely island.

In the middle of nowhere.

In the dead of night.

"Wow! What I wouldn't give to meet the guy that made my brother scream like a little girl!" Bra wiped a tear from her eye and rested her head against Goten's shoulder. They were standing outside the abandoned arena. Although there hadn't been a World Martial Arts Tournament in a very years, it was somehow very well taken care of.

"Yeah," Goten rubbed the back of his head and actually felt a little hinge of pain looking at his training grounds. "Bardock was an intense guy. From what I heard from Gohan, Piccolo was a saint compared to Bardock. Especially when it came to training."

Bra gave him a gentle punch to the shoulder before walking up to the fighting ring. She touched the soft velvet rope and smiled at the pretty red color. "Who won the tournament that year?"

Goten had left her behind and headed toward the bleachers, knowing that she was going to follow him. He relaxed onto the bench and leaned back. He placed his strong arms behind his head and outstretched his legs. The sun was slightly burning against his skin. It was a nice touch from the cold he experienced back in the city not too long ago.

"Calm down, I'm getting there. A good story takes time."

Bra rolled her eyes but she sat down next to him anyway. She sighed happily when bringing herself to his position and feeling the same sunshine he was enjoying. "You know what?"

"What?"

She sat up slightly and brought a piece of her long blue hair behind her ear. She studied his long spikes and bang free forehead. He would look exactly like his older brother if he had that one pesky bang. That was as far as hair goes. His face was Goku's, whereas Gohan looked more like his mom. "I think they're making this place look nice because there's another tournament coming up. You should definitely sign up if they do! I'd watch you!"

Goten opened one eye to find her smiling down at him. Seeing his dad for the first time and small moments with Bardock and Trunks was the only good memory he had of this place. The tournament, not so much. "I don't know about that, Bra. I've got some bad memories inside that ring. I'm more of a bench guy these days."

"Oh I find that hard to believe! As much as I love Trunks, I bet you could knock him out! Just don't kill him!"

"DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!"

Bra blinked her long eyelashes as Goten was suddenly holding her lips shut with two of his fingers. His breathing was heavy, and she was noticing that tint of red in his eyes that scared her earlier. Her hands shook as she took his fingers away from her.

"Goten..I-I-"

The young adult had turned her back on her and left her behind on the bleachers. Whenever that name was spoken, it was hard to control that side of him. He glanced up to see her crying and rubbed the back of his neck.

You're always fucking up, kid.

"I know, asshole."

"You call that a ki blast, kid!? There should be a hole in your little friend's chest right now!"

"Why would I want that!? He'd be dead!"

"EXACTLY!"

Goten pouted as looked at Trunks, who had just deflected the millionth ki blast he sent in his direction. The two were sparing in their base form, saving Super Saiyan mode for later in the week. "Trunks, he wants me to kill you."

Trunks blinked. "Uh...don't?"

In the ropeless fighting ring, the boys were standing in opposite corners. They had been repeating the same movements for over two hours and were growing exhausted. Both had their hands on their knees and were panting like a human who finished running a marathon. Bardock was on the outside, cursing under his breath.

"I want to see his ass right where I'm standing! That's a clean knockout! KO his ass!"

"What's he saying now?" Trunks called out and Goten scratched his messy head of hair.

"Uh, he said he wants me to kiss something."

"Gross."

Upon hearing Bardock release a growl, Goten risked a peek in his direction. His canines were on full display, his mouth large as he shouted at his grandson. "ROUNDHOUSE HIM OUT OF THE RING BEFORE I STRANGLE YOU WITH THE ROPE!"

Goten swallowed hard, knowing he was serious. He took a deep breath before making a dash towards his friend, who was already in a fighting stance with his fists protectively in front of him. But as he ran forward, he found himself falling down towards the smooth surface of the ring. He thought he would feel a smack to his face once he made contact, but he found himself continuing to fall.

He screamed until he made a stop on unfamiliar ground.

Oh no! Not another dream!

He sat cross legged in the dirt of an abandoned desert area. There were no buildings, Dirty hills, yellow dried up grass. That was basically it. What was he doing here?

Then, there was laughing.

Cruel, mocking, evil laughing.

Goten hid his eyes from it, but the louder it grew the closer it became. He had no choice but to look. It was the pink monster, but now he was short. Where his eyes should have been white, they were black. He had red irises and vile smile. He raised his hand up and sent a red power beam straight past Goten's head. When the boy looked over his shoulder, he saw Trunks standing there.

His best friend.

"TRUNKS! MOVE!" Goten tried to stand up to save him, but kept falling back onto the ground. The fine hairs on the back of his neck rose. A cold wave embalmed him and his mouth grew dry. He tried to open his mouth to scream again, but nothing came out. The red beam penetrated through his chest, killing him instantly. There was nothing of the victim left.

He had just witnessed his best friend die.

The smaller pink monster was now focusing his dead gaze on Goten, raising his hand again to send a similar attack in his direction.

The nightmares were all the same.

Goten had failed to save his mother.

Now he failed to save his best friend.

His body, no longer paralyzed, was brought up straight slowly through his rising strength. He threw his head back and screamed loudly, feeling the tears fall out uncontrollably. His entire body trembled with a long hidden rage, causing the earth to quack. Buu was looking at him with his head tilted all the way to the side, curious and intrigued but spoke no words.

The boy was now golden, but it wasn't the end. Anger curled hot and unstoppable in his gut. His nostrils failed and his fists were clenched to tight that his nails were digging into his skin, causing his hands to bleed. Goten was becoming a different person. His temperature was rising. His pulse was speeding up and his breathing was becoming shallow.

His panting continued as he brought his gaze up from the ground that he had completely shattered to the monster across from him. His eyes flickered between icy green and a bright crimson. His breathing was uneasy, but dark and filled with every ounce of hatred he had inside him.

"I'm going to kill you."

His raised a bleeding hand up and along with it, one of the hills lifted up from the ground. He pointed it towards the monster, and it went straight towards him. The hill collided into the pink being, knocking him off from where he was standing. Goten flew in for the kill, prepared to squeeze the life out of its neck.

"GOTEN! STOP! STOP! IT HURTS!"

The boy looked down to see his hands were wrapped tightly around Trunks's throat. The lavender haired boy was trapped under a bench from the arena's bleachers that Goten was pressing his body on for a hard escape. There were tears of fear in his eyes. Seeing them was slowly bringing Goten back to reality.

He released his best friend's neck and backed up slowly. He was no longer in the desert area, but back in the arena on Papaya Island. The bench that Trunks was currently lifting off himself wasn't the only one that had been destroyed. There were multiple in different areas, cracked and misplaced. Goten continued to back up until he fell out of the ring. Now on the ground, he pulled his knees to his chest and rocked himself back and forth. He didn't start crying until Trunks was looking down at him, bloodied and beaten up.

"Holy shit..." Bardock was frozen in place. "Holy shit, kid! Did you just move shit without touching it!?"

The spirit of the Saiyan observed his surroundings. His grandson had nearly destroyed the arena without moving.

Who the fuck is this kid!?

"Ahem."

"Shit!" Bardock jumped around to see Fortuneteller Baba standing behind him with that same damn scowl that was always on her face. "Old Bat! You have something to do with this?"

The fortuneteller placed her hands on the hips of her black gown and shook her head. She had witnessed it all, but wasn't too interested. "I could be wrong but the child seems to possess telekinesis."

"WHAT!?"

The witch hat wearing woman pointed at her pretend watch as she floated on top of her crystal ball. "Worry about it later. King Yemma wishes to speak with you and he's on a busy schedule."

Bardock pingponged his gaze between his crying reincarnation to the old woman. He raised his arms out and gestured to the nearly destroyed arena. "Now!?"

"Yes. I'd suggest you don't keep him waiting."

Bardock sighed and ran a hand through his hair. As much as he hated Yemma, the bastard still had control over his fate. "Alright, alright. We'll go see jolly red. Let me just tell my grandson."

With Baba's approved nod, Bardock jogged towards his grandson. He was still crying into his knees, but his beat up friend was now sitting next to him trying to comfort him with back rubs.

"Hey, kid. I need to do something. Stay right where you are."

Bardock waited for a response he wasn't getting. He bit his lip, wanting to say some praise but what could he possibly say to make the situation better for the boy? Nice job on almost killing your friend? Congrats on the fucked up life I gave you? Having a feeling that his friend was enough for the time being, Bardock returned to the fortuneteller to return to the gates of Other World.

"You just get angrier each time I see you!"

"What the hell do you want, red bastard!?"

Bardock, clearly not being amused by King Yemma, didn't stop the red being from laughing. He cleared his throat and looked down at him from behind his desk. "I see your little mission is coming along nicely. But I decided to give you a third option, you know, in case you fail."

The Saiyan with the halo eyed the judge as though his bullshit meter was ticking in the red zone. There was line of dead people waiting behind him and Baba that needed to be sent to Heaven or Hell. "What do you mean a third option?"

Yemma held up a large finger for each choice the fallen warrior had. "One, you abandon the boy and suffer in Hell. Two, you succeed and remain in Other World with no body. Or three, you become one completely with Goten."

Bardock crossed his arms over his chest and his cold gaze fixed on the red giant. "And why, the in hell, would I ever want option three?"

"Well, it's the only option that gives you a body. Granted, it's not your body. But it's a body. The boy will possess all your former strength and knowledge. The good and evil of your entire being perfectly balancing out. What do you say?"

The Saiyan's vision narrowed to a pinprick. Was this joker serious? If he were to have a body, it'd be his damn own! Not a seven year old's! The kid would still be in control. He'd be stuck inside them watching their stomach get destroyed by consumption of mud pies and cream filled banana cakes. His eyes would be forced to watch hours and hours of that purple talking dinosaur! His body would be squished and prodded by that harpy woman!

"Bardock?"

"Hell no," the Saiyan in question fixed his expression on the judge and pointed a strong finger in his direction. "We're going to save that damn planet and I'll be flying with my fucking wings all over Heaven. Hell, I might even share a cloud with the asshole that cursed me! Sound good to you, Yemma?"

The red giant couldn't believe that this one was the good entity. For Goten to be the evil one, he will end up destroying the entire planet before saving it. He just shook his hand and waved his hand for Baba to dismiss him. "Good luck, Bardock. You're going to need it."

"Goten?"

The son of Goku could feel his best friend rubbing his back in comfort, and it made him feel slightly better. At least it was better than him being afraid. Knowing that Bardock had left, Goten lifted his head up and wiped his snot away with the long sleeve of his navy shirt. He looked at his friend with the saddest eyes Trunks had ever seen.

"I-I'm..I'm so sorry, Trunks! I'm so sorry I hurt you!"

The Capsule Corporation heir had witnessed his friend having an episode before, but had never gotten beaten up until now. He wiped the blood away from his lip with his free hand and continued to rub Goten's back as he showed him the red mark it left on his skin. "You made me bleed my own blood! Nobody ever does that! You should feel pretty cool right now!"

Goten would have laughed and most definitely would have felt cool if he wasn't haunted by the vision of Trunks being killed. "Trunks... we need to get stronger. That pink monster... I don't want to lose you and my mama!"

Trunks was taken aback when Goten threw his arms around his neck and cried into his chest. It took him a second before he continued to rub his friend's back. He had never seen him cry this much before. Goten was a cry baby, yeah, but this was different. "Hey, it's alright dude. We're gonna get stronger. We already are."

The two young boys sat in silence underneath the million Papaya Island night stars. They had fallen asleep just as a spirit with green tipped boots was approaching.

"What's this?"

Bra wiped her tears away with her arm as she looked up at Goten, who was handing a piece of paper to her with an apologetic smile on his face.

"Check it out."

She eyed him suspiciously before swiping it away from his hand. As she read it over, a grin slowly grew. She looked back up to him. "You signed up for the next tournament!?"

Goten nodded wordlessly and sat down next to her. He hesitated before gathering her into a one-armed hug. One arm was good for hugging best friend's sister. Two, bad. Very bad. "I'm sorry for that little stunt I pulled earlier. It had nothing to do with you-"

"It's alright, Bardock."

"Don't call me that."

Bra offered him a wink and returned the copy of his sign up. "I won't if you continue your story."

Goten tucked the slip of paper into his back pocket and offered her his hand to get her off the bleachers. She brushed herself off like she was wrinkled. "Alright, but not here. Follow me."

"Where we going now!?"

It was hard to tell exactly what he was doing with his back facing her, but Bra still knew Goten had a smile on his face.

"To see an old friend."

A/N: Hello, everyone! What a long time it has been. I have to admit a couple of things have prevented me from continuing. Back in 2018 I began my career as a teacher, 2019 I became married, and in the beginning of 2020 I lost my grandmother. I have been wanting to update this for quite some time, but I couldn't even remember what direction I was going in and found myself lost. I hadn't realized that a few people have enjoyed this and I knew that I wanted to give them something great for sticking with me.

I got in contact with an old friend blue-hart who gave me some suggestions in what direction to go. I thank you my dear friend for being my muse and getting me back on track.

With virtual learning happening and the schools being closed, I have found myself writing again after doing lessons with my students. I am hoping that I can complete this story by the summer time and bring you a satisfying ending. Thank you all so much for reading this and following me all these years. If you are new, I hope this story makes you happy.

That is the end goal, really. Bringing joy. Thank you, and I will update in a week or less.