Mori's heart was racing as he found himself back in King Kai's house, abruptly waking up from his haunting dream.
"BROTHER—!" His voice echoed in the small space, his chest heaving as sweat dripped from his brow. His eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings, trying to make sense of where he was.
"Seven... Six..." A faint whisper, soft and ethereal, floated through his mind, the voice strangely familiar yet distant. He barely had time to register it before King Kai's voice cut through the fog of his confusion.
"Oh, Mori, you're finally up!" King Kai sauntered into the room, a wide grin plastered on his face, the trademark snicker dancing on his lips.
"King Kai… why am I back in your house?" Mori's voice trembled slightly as his hand rubbed his temple, trying to shake the lingering remnants of the dream. "I thought... wait, what the hell happened?"
"Eleven..." the whisper again, louder, but Mori pushed it aside.
King Kai chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. "You don't remember? Hehehe... You and Goku fought Lord Beerus and lost... spectacularly. It took only a single tap to knock both of you out!" His snickering grew louder, the sound grating on Mori's nerves.
Mori's expression shifted from confusion to shock. "Oh… yeah. That damn cat. I remember now... Jeez, man, that Beerus is strong! And where's Goku anyway?" Mori sighed, his body slumping back onto the bed, the exhaustion of the fight still weighing heavy on him.
"Goku?" King Kai's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh, he went to Earth to help them out. He's trying to become a Super Saiyan God so he can give Beerus a real fight. That was, what... ten minutes ago? He was going to wait for you, but you seemed to be having a bad dream and wouldn't wake up, so he left." King Kai shrugged nonchalantly, heading toward the kitchen.
Mori's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, WHAT?!"
King Kai turned back, snickering again. "Well, you didn't ask!" His laughter echoed in the room.
"Eleven..." The voice again, more insistent, but Mori pushed it to the back of his mind as panic set in.
"Damn it! I'm leaving!" Mori snapped, standing abruptly. Without another word, he focused his energy, using Instant Transmission to teleport to Earth, leaving the strange nightmare and King Kai's laughter behind.
---
Mori appeared suddenly in front of Bulma, causing her to jump back in surprise. She nearly dropped the drink in her hand.
"Mori! You've got to stop doing that!" She scolded, pointing at him with mock anger. "And you're late to my birthday, by the way!"
Mori raised his arms defensively, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "Birthday? Oh, right! I totally forgot, my bad. Honestly, I don't even celebrate mine anymore." He chuckled, trying to ease the tension, but his mind was still racing.
Bulma rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Well, happy birthday to *me*, 'old friend'." She teased back, her smile genuine as she walked off, heading toward the others who were preparing something.
Mori's smile faded as his eyes took in the surroundings. They were on a boat—a familiar boat. His heart skipped a beat as the memories of his nightmare came rushing back. He blinked, and suddenly, the peaceful setting around him transformed. The boat he stood on became twisted and warped, covered in flames, the bodies of his loved ones littered across the deck. Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta—everyone he cared about—lay in gruesome, brutalized heaps.
"No..." Mori gasped, gripping his head as he tried to shake the vision. His body trembled as the illusion held strong for a moment longer before finally dissipating, leaving him standing on the undamaged boat once again. His breath was ragged, his hands shaking.
He snapped back to reality when he felt multiple power levels rising nearby. Recognizing the familiar energies, he ran toward the source, hoping to clear his mind with something tangible. As he arrived at a wide open area of the boat, he saw them: Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Vegeta, and a black-haired girl he didn't recognize. They all stood in a circle, Goku at the center, and each of them was in their Super Saiyan form. Mori's eyes narrowed as he noticed the strange glow coming from the girl's stomach.
"Weird... but not the weirdest thing I've seen today," Mori muttered as he approached the group, his presence quickly drawing their attention.
"Uncle Mori!" Gohan, Goten, and Trunks shouted in unison, but Vegeta quickly ordered them to focus. Mori waved back casually, his curiosity piqued by the strange ritual.
"So, what's going on? Some sort of ritual?" Mori asked with a raised brow, his tone playful. "Ooh, are we sacrificing Goku?" He grinned mischievously, earning a brief look of shock from Goku before they both burst into laughter.
"Nah," Goku chuckled, shaking his head as he began explaining the ritual. "We're trying to turn me into a Super Saiyan God. Beerus wants a real fight, and this is the only way."
Mori nodded as he listened, though his mind was still half-focused on the nightmare that continued to claw at the edges of his thoughts. "So, the cat who knocked us out cold is letting you become a god, just for fun?"
The group nodded solemnly, and Mori facepalmed, shaking his head. "Man, how did we go from having tournaments as kids to fighting actual gods of destruction?" He sighed, stepping back to let them continue as he sat down, watching intently.
As the ritual progressed, Mori watched Goku's transformation. His body became slimmer, and a fiery aura surrounded him, before disappearing to reveal his new form. Goku now stood with blood-red hair and a slimmer build, his power immeasurable to most.
Mori's brow furrowed. "Wait a minute... going off of my nightmare, I thought his hair was supposed to be blue... hmm." He rubbed his chin, pondering the significance. Pushing those thoughts aside, Mori focused on sensing Goku's energy, trying to understand the extent of his new power.
As Mori extended his senses, he suddenly saw an overwhelming image—Goku's energy wasn't just normal. What Mori felt was a massive red ape, towering and ferocious, staring directly at him. The ape's blood-red eyes locked onto Mori's, its presence overwhelming and primal.
ROAR! The ape bellowed, shaking Mori's mind and forcing him out of his concentration. He gasped, blinking repeatedly as he returned to reality.
"What the hell was that?" Mori muttered, his heart still pounding from the intensity of the vision.
"I can't feel his energy anymore!" Gohan exclaimed, echoing the sentiments of the other Z-fighters. They all looked around, confused by the sudden disappearance of Goku's Ki.
Mori, still shaken, spoke up. "What are you talking about? I can feel his energy just fine." He leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, drawing the attention of everyone, including Beerus and Whis.
Whis chuckled softly. "Ohoho, it must be because of that Dovahkiin energy inside of you, Mori."
"Dovahkiin?" Beerus raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.
Whis smiled, looking at Mori with amusement. "Yes, the ancient race of Dragonborn. A race that existed long before Saiyans or Frost Demons, known for their unique connection to a Dragon God. They were powerful fighters, but sadly, they angered Lord Beerus once, and he wiped them all out. I'm sure that's why you can feel Goku's energy, as well as Beerus's and mine."
Mori's eyes widened slightly, but he shrugged it off. "Huh. Didn't know anything about that, but... cool, I guess." He glanced back at Goku, focusing on the fight that was about to begin. He couldn't help but feel that this was only the beginning of something much larger.
*Fight between the two went the same as canon, just Goku faring a bit better than he did in canon.*