I woke up to my bones itching and aching. With a groan, I propped myself up on the bed I lay in and looked around for a second only to see that I was inside my bedroom in Portland. For a moment, I was a bit confused since I felt like I shouldn't be here, and then the memories rushed back in and dispersed the groggy state I was in.
My jaw tightened as I thought about the fact that I had almost died again. Here I thought I had put being helplessly outmatched behind me and then some random boogeyman appeared and slapped me half to death. If Gogeta hadn't saved me in the end, it would have been difficult to come back alive.
I grimaced slightly as I thought about the fact that I had wanted to destroy the barrier. Of course, I knew what it meant at that time, logically at least, but I was desperate. I could live with throwing myself into danger or even suicidal battles, but knowing that Kara, Raven, and Felicia were somewhere out there fighting for their lives- hoping I would save them.
To take the step out of the barrier to pursue Darkseid only to be beaten this easily and lose my only lead, just made me more desperate. I took a long breath as I calmed myself. Fortunately, Gogeta was there to stop me at the end, otherwise, I would have done something I would have deeply regretted. If the barrier had been truly destroyed it then Diana, Shayera, Maxima, and the rest of the league would be all in danger.
But damn, couldn't he have gone easy on me? I was already ready to submit at the end, there was no need to choke me to unconsciousness. My fingers brushed over the sore spot on my neck. How come this was still bruised, while my broken bones were already healed?
I closed my eyes and started to heal all the minor wounds as well. It seemed like my body went into survival mode and just focused the energy to the crucial wounds. It didn't take me long until I healed myself to my peak condition and even beyond with the Zenkai boost I got.
After a second, I stood up and made my way downstairs. I could sense Goku and Vegeta in my training hall, though they could wait. My eyes scanned the kitchen and the living room to find Diana standing at the stove with a frown on her face. "Hey," I called out, evidentially surprising her as her head snapped toward me.
She didn't even say anything and blurred toward me to embrace me in a strong hug. "You stupid- why did you leave the barrier??" I opened my mouth wanting to say something but when I felt her clutch to my shirt as she buried her face into the nook of my neck, I held it back.
I hugged her back and just stood there like this, giving her some time to gather herself. The Amazonian didn't take long to recover and separated before giving me a smile. "I am glad you are okay." I could only nod as I squeezed the hand that was resting on my cheek.
"Did you hear anything about the others?" Her lips thinned a bit as she heard my question before shaking her head. Even though I didn't expect any good news, this was still not something I had hoped for. "How long was I out? And where are Shayera and Maxima?"
She smiled wryly. "You weren't unconscious for long, barely 9 hours, but it has been two weeks since you exited the barrier. The two weren't able to sit down and do nothing, so after they saw you come back alive, they went out. It seemed like the battle at the barrier's crack had motivated them. Maxima is back on her planet, trying to spurn her inventors on to create something that would help her grow stronger. Shayera had gone to Thanagar and see whether there was something useful for her or for our search."
My first instinct was to get them back to prevent anyone from coming after the two, but in the end, I didn't say anything. They certainly wouldn't agree to be put on a tight leash just because I thought they wouldn't be able to defend themselves.
Of course, even if they disliked my decision, I would have gone through with it, but the crack had been mended, so there shouldn't be any danger. Regardless of whether it was true, I couldn't do much if that demon appeared again.
I might have a better time escaping with the Zenkai I just got, but protecting other people at the same time would be nigh impossible. In the end it came down to me being too weak again.
"What about the gods? Do they have a suggestion on what to do next?" Although she had already said that she didn't hear anything about the others, there might be another lead. The crack in the barrier was mended and we couldn't exit it for now anyway, but there could be another lead to another location we were previously unable to sense.
Perhaps, they hadn't exited the barrier and were stuck in some dimension. I knew it was unlikely, but I could only hope. As for exiting the barrier again, it wasn't something I wanted or could do with my current strength. Honestly, it was ridiculous, I could shatter universes with a single punch and even tear multiverses asunder, but I was still so utterly outmatched.
She just shook her head. "They didn't have anything to say. The Justice League had also been busy but without any luck."
"I see," I said, letting the situation sink in. There were no other leads, and the most likely situation was them being kidnapped and brought out of the barrier, which meant that we couldn't locate them, but also that we had some time- hopefully. "What are they doing?" I pointed at the ground, and she just snorted.
"After erasing Doomsday, they started training like the maniacs you Saiyans are." My mind went blank for a moment.
"They erased Doomsday? Why?"
"After they brought you here, his life force started climbing up and he had a symbol on his forehead that was glowing with power. The two immediately went down and killed him. They didn't explain much and just said he would be trouble." I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow at the actions of Time Patrol or Xeno Goku and Xeno Vegeta.
I didn't know much about them as I hadn't played all the games, but I knew they meant business. Goku was closer to his Z persona than Super was even if he wasn't canon. I shook my head and decided to go down and talk with them. The little encounter made me realize that I hadn't grown as much as I thought I had.
If my teleportation had been more refined and powerful, it might have been possible to escape directly out of that space or when the first crack appeared. At least, it should have granted me the ability to change my position inside that domain instead of being forced to receive its attacks. I wouldn't have broken my legs and arms and would have easily escaped. Either way, it showed me that my techniques were shoddy at best.
Although as a Saiyan I could be called a genius in terms of handling ki, I was still self-taught for the most part. Even the original Shallot had figured out most things by himself. Now that Goku and Vegeta were here and we still had some time until the barrier couldn't hold our enemies out anymore, I could learn a thing or two from them.
"I will check on them-" Just as I decided to go down, a loud crash sounded out and the ground shook. I frowned slightly as I stared at the front door where I felt the two kis appear out of nowhere.
Without hesitation, I stepped outside and looked at the two visitors. "You are back! How long do you want me to take care of your pet?" Giblet was clearly displeased, given his tone. A look passed him made it obvious what or rather who he was talking about.
"Pet? Choose your words wisely bastard or I will bash your skull in." Cumber growled before Giblet stared at the other Saiyan and spat on the ground.
"You won't even be able to touch me." It was obvious that Giblet wanted Cumber to try something, so he would have an excuse to fight him.
"I have only returned a few hours ago and was unconscious for that time, so I wasn't really capable of giving you a visit." I calmly stated as I sensed their power. They had grown more powerful. It seemed like they clashed a few times and gained quite a bit from it. Coupled with the lack of true hostility between them, it seemed like they had gotten some basic respect for each other.
The two seemed mildly surprised that I had been unconscious. I was guessing that they would find it weird that there was something that would force me into that state, after all, I was already stronger than the two.
We didn't have much time to chat before Vegeta and Goku stepped out of the house. I had half expected them to burst through the floor, but it seemed that they had learned some decency during their work as a time patroller. The two stared solemnly at Cumber, who returned it with a savage grin.
Although Gogeta thrashed me with ease even if I was at full strength, Goku and Vegeta were actually only at my level as were the other two Saiyans. At that moment, I couldn't help but feel strange. Goku and Vegeta were the main cast of a series I had enjoyed in my past life, someone that I looked up to, and the other two were also monsters in their own right.
Now I stood among them, and I wasn't losing out to them. In fact, just based on base form, I had the edge over them. Of course, that didn't mean I would win against either one of them. In a clash at our power level, the difference didn't matter too much if it wasn't two-fold or higher.
Just Goku's and Vegeta's techniques were top-notch and easily bridged and surpassed any gap in strength that existed between us. They all had a few years on me and were more experienced in combat. Not to mention, that due to their familiarity with their transformations, they were able to harness more strength with the same transformation or had their own transformation like Cumber.
Cumber's version of Super Saiyan 3 gave him the capability to keep up with me. Although I had won against him, the next time might not be as easy if he played his cards right. Regardless of who came out on top among us, I could learn something from all of them. Since I wasn't strong enough, I just needed to learn everything they knew and come up with something to rise beyond them.
The atmosphere grew more intense as they stepped closer. Our auras fiercely clashed against each other as they came to a stop a few steps away. No one wanted to retreat so the tension just started to climb upward with no end in sight. It wouldn't surprise me if we were going to throw hands any second now.
Before it could escalate, Goku finally broke the silence as he turned to me, "You certainly know how to live dangerously." He was probably also referring to Doomsday, who they had gotten rid of. Pretty ruthless if you asked me, but they should know what they were doing and if the goodhearted Goku was on board with it, there probably was no better alternative, so I just dropped it.
I didn't lose out since Doomsday had been useless to me, he wasn't able to keep up at all. "There aren't many opponents, so I kept a few," I responded before glancing at Cumber, who snorted, though it seemed that everybody present easily followed the logic.
"So, is your boss working for this Great Darkness?" I asked even though I wasn't truly sure who the Great Darkness was or what it represented. It was just that this demon dropped the name multiple times. It wasn't hard to figure out who the mastermind was.
I turned to Cumber, who uncrossed his arms and looked at me seriously. He knew depending on his answer that the situation would change. Since I was on the side of the three 'good' Saiyans, he would have a hard time even if he won against me.
"No, but he is using his power. He wants to create a better world without gods. Can't do that when everything is being devoured by it." He responded seriously after giving it some thought. It was clear that he was speculating with his assessment of his boss' personality.
I nodded and decided to drop it. If that were true, we might gain an ally. Not a trustworthy one, but someone we could use. My mind turned to Heart's other subordinates. They were all locked up and the only one missing was Hearts himself, but there was no way to easily locate him, especially if he was outside of the barrier.
With that out of the way, I started to walk back inside. I had been out for some time and all my energy was being used to heal myself, so I was already starving. Even as I walked away from the group, I could feel them stare at each other on the verge of escalating into a battle and I knew the Saiyans were itching for it.
However, it seemed like they knew they would lose more than they would gain. They suppressed their urge to fight and followed me inside. I have the feeling if it had been that other Goku and Vegeta with the Capsule logo, they would be duking it out by now. Fortunately, this pair was more serious.
I sat down and started to eat what Diana had cooked up, something Greek though I wasn't feeling it for some reason. The food was objectively great, but I just continued to shovel it into my mouth. I glanced at the boxes of takeaway. Seemed like Goku and Vegeta were already fed, and I could eat alone-
Just as the thought passed, Giblet sat down and took his share. I frowned at him but didn't say anything and just accelerated my eating. Cumber followed his example, though froze slightly as I glared at him. I sighed slightly and continued in silence. Although he had been present when Raven got kidnapped, he wasn't the one to do it.
If he made a joke about it thought, I would burn a hole through his forehead. "You good?" Diana suddenly asked as she sat next to me, her hand on my shoulder.
"I'm fine," I said after swallowing a mouthful. She raised an eyebrow and then pulled the bent fork out of my tightened grasp before raising it to eye level. She set it aside.
"Don't worry, they are fine." Her voice was filled with confidence. "Have some faith, they are capable." Although I knew they were just empty words of reassurance, they still calmed the storm that seemed to be brewing inside my head. I thought back at how I lost my cool when Kara was possessed by a demon. I really needed to get a grip on these kinds of situations.
"You are right. However, I am not going to sit still and expect them to save themselves." I said slowly, noticing that I was saying it in a harsher tone than I wanted. Despite this, she smiled at my words.
"Of course." I knew she would have my back and she knew that I would turn up the dial in terms of training. My gaze landed on Cumber, who solemnly stared back. His eyes narrowed a bit and my gaze wandered to Giblet, who nodded slightly. Goku gave me a thumbs-up, while Vegeta smirked at my look.
"I need you to teach me," I said slowly before standing up and cracking my neck. "I must get stronger, and you will help me," I stated as if it was carved in stone, though they didn't rebuke my words with the exception of Cumber.
"Hmph. We will see if you have what it takes to make me teach you." He spat, but I didn't expect much of the freak of nature. I would just copy what he did by fighting him. I was already able to replicate Broly's might without ever facing the legendary Saiyan and now I had a live example, if I couldn't learn anything from him, I should just die.
While I wanted to just start my training, I couldn't get to it just yet. I glanced at the ones present. "So, how about you give me a crash course on what the fuck is going on?"
Vegeta snorted. "Realities clashed, we accidentally arrived here. Some lowlifes of our reality allied themselves with the natives that want to destroy everything and want to use the Super Dragon Ball to do so, while we want to use them to get back because the Dragon Balls will return to our reality after being used. Great Darkness is a power between realities and is boosting the other side to cause mayhem. Now the entire reality is at war against 'good' and 'evil'."
I looked at Vegeta in surprise as his summary described a reality-wide war, with everything at stake. It meant I couldn't ignore it even if I didn't want anything to do with it. From what I knew the term reality meant all of DC or all of Dragon Ball, meaning this was already at the omniversal level, which was honestly not really surprising. My strength already allowed me to crush certain multiverses, certain universes that hold an infinite amount of parallel universes, with a wave of my hand.
"What about not saying someone's name since they would know?" I said as I remembered that Chronoa was quite unwilling to mention the Great Darkness.
"Doesn't really matter since you already attracted its attention," Vegeta stated.
"Alright, I guess everything else would be details I don't need to know. Then we meet up tomorrow in Giblet's universe. I will take you two with me." Goku nodded, while Vegeta closed his eyes still with crossed arms seemingly uninterested.
Unexpected Giblet interjected. "We won't be fighting in 'my' universe. I found a dimension of a pantheon. We can fight there, so after meeting up I will get us there."
After saying his piece, Giblet, and Cumber disappeared to Giblet's universe, while Goku and Vegeta decided to entertain themselves in my training hall. It had several modes that might be of interest to the battle maniacs after all. I, on the other hand, decided to visit Batman.
It didn't long for me to reach Gotham. Nothing was truly far away if you could travel faster than light and teleport instantaneously. I arrived and bypassed his cave's defenses, though I was pretty sure he left some kind of mechanism or scan to let me in easy, otherwise with how many people already knew where his hideout was, he must have already prepared all kinds of countertactics.
I arrived with him typing away on his computer, a large screen showed his searches for some demonic sightings and other magical phenomena that were causing an uproar. The data was clear, and it was certain that it observed something supernatural.
"I don't have any meaningful updates." He said before I could open my mouth. I remained silent until he finished whatever he was typing and closed the window. He turned around and looked at me.
"I already guessed." He would have mentioned if he had a lead that was feasible. Those sightings might be interesting and point at something supernatural going on, but they didn't seem related to the disappearance of my girlfriends. "So, how are you and Selina?" I asked as I leaned against his desk, looking around for the female's touch on the cave and finding none.
His eyes narrowed at me. "There has been too much going on and this is not the time. You should know." He said accusatorily and I guessed that was fair. I had asked them for help, so them handling something else until it was resolved would seem disingenuous.
"This isn't going to be resolved quickly and there won't be ever the right time with the kind of job you have." His glare intensified as I said this.
"The kind of job We have." He emphasized the 'we' and I couldn't help but shake my head with a slight smile on my face. Before I could rebut his words, he raised his hand. "I know you've changed, but that doesn't mean your core has changed. You're a Just Saiyan, I know it." I raised an eyebrow at him.
"You really like to try and rile me up with that don't you."
"I am just Saiyan you are not just a Saiyan but a Just Saiyan." He said in his regular voice as if he delivered some serious statement.
I rolled my eyebrows. "Man, fuck off."
He chuckled slightly, while visibly relaxing into his chair "So, what are you here for really?" He finally asked, making me push off the desk. I then started to explain the situation of what was going on and who we were up against. It wasn't good news by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a wake-up call of the sheer scale we needed to overcome.
After my little explanation, I raised my hand with a distinct bracelet. It was honestly a miracle that it had survived after the Empty Hand had crushed my arms. It had suffered some damage, but whatever Metron used to create this bracelet form, it was immensely durable. It certainly felt like it was up there with Nth metal, maybe even more durable than that.
I tapped on it and the Mobius chair appeared. "It's a device that lets you know virtually everything. Past, present, and future, though I would suggest not to peek at any beings that are too powerful, otherwise they might notice your gaze. It should be effective in any universe you visit." He stared at the chair for a moment, letting my words and their meaning sink in.
I transformed it back to its bracelet form and then handed him the bracelet, who took it solemnly. "I will do my best." He finally said after a few moments. When he looked at me again, I had the feeling that his features softened slightly. Might be a huge deal for me to hand him the ultimate spying tool.
"I am sure you will. You are more suited for this anyway. It's best if it blooms in your hands than rot in mine." He looked at the bracelet before putting it into his utility belt instead of wearing it as he nodded at me.
"Quite poetic tonight." He mocked slightly and I just snorted.
"Just don't do anything I wouldn't," I responded as I slowly floated into the air toward the exit he had for his jet.
"So, nothing is off limits?" He asked, making me freeze for a moment.
"Don't do anything that Kara wouldn't like." He raised an eyebrow in question since even if Kara wasn't evil, she wasn't the paragon of good or justice either.
"Would have guessed you would have mentioned Clark as the moral guide."
"We both know you wouldn't be able to use it at all in that case."
"Touché" These were the last words I heard from him as I rushed into the sky. The Mobius chair was an immensely useful and powerful tool in the right hands and I didn't know anyone that would be more capable of exploiting it to its limits. Bruce had his flaws, but he certainly knew how to make the best out of the things he had on hand.
Afterward, I made a quick stop at the Watchtower which seemed more armed and advanced than the last time I visited. I chatted with J'onn for a moment just to check up on the dude who was now practically holed up in the tower. He seemed more than willing to be on standby and handle anything that might come up in our absence, especially since the others were in some other dimension and wouldn't be able to react to any emergency calls.
I reminded him to keep up with his training as I remembered that Martians could be rather formidable. With that I went back to my home where only Diana waited on the couch, inviting me to her side. I sat down and tried to relax as I noticed the tenseness in my shoulders as her hands massaged me.
It was incredibly difficult to put my mind and body to rest, but I knew I had to in order to grow more powerful more quickly, which only stressed me out more. Diana suddenly straddled me and rode me without saying a word, just kissing me gently, and bit by bit the tenseness was relieved.