Remember Their Names

Super Buu and Gohan stood face to face; Piccolo and Trunks watched silently, trembling anxiously at Gohan's potential demise. His power had grown, yet there something bothered the two of them.

"Why hasn't he gone super, is he stupid or something? Buu just killed Goten and he won't go super!?" Trunks asked, looking at the Namekian. 

Piccolo looked forward, beads of sweat dripped from his face. "I think Gohan has found a way to surpass any form of Super Saiyan, even a Super Saiyan two. I doubt your father has ever told you this, but Gohan is the strongest of all of us. Even stronger than your father and Goten's power. He wasn't much older than you when he beat someone just as strong as Buu by himself."

"Seriously? Him?"

Piccolo nodded. "Look closely. He's not a Super Saiyan, but he's definitely in a state beyond his normal self."

Trunks squinted, seeing energy similarly crackling around Gohan's body like an ascended Super Saiyan.

"He's shooting out lightning like a Super Saiyan 2!" 

Again, Piccolo nodded. "Exactly. I don't know where he learned this form, but I suspect that the Supreme Kai is involved. This new power is something from beyond our world."

"So he's gonna beat him and then we'll use the Dragon Balls to wish Goten and everyone back, right?" Trunks had hope gleaming in his eyes. Piccolo, knowing Dende may be dead, lied and nodded.

"Gohan will bring everyone back."

Meanwhile, Buu was cackling in Gohan's face; he too noticed that the boy wasn't in his super form.

"Are you not going to turn yellow like the other fighters? You're gonna need it if you want to face me!" 

Gohan didn't say a word. He vanished, then hit Buu with a right hook to the gut. Buu's body curled into itself, putting his head at Gohan's level. Gohan leaned forward and whispered into Buu's ears.

"I don't need to become a Super Saiyan to beat you, I've surpassed that. Let's call this new form Potential Unleashed. And I'm going to use it to make you suffer for killing my friends and my family, got it? This next one is for my mother." 

Gohan grabbed Buu by the neck and sent an earth-shattering knee into Buu's midsection. The pink ruffian spewed fluids from his mouth as he bent over Gohan's knee. Gohan glanced over at Trunks, who was dumbfounded alongside Piccolo. 

"And this one is for Bulma!" As if kicking a ball, Gohan's foot collided with Buu's face, sending him rolling backward atop the rocky terrain until he crashed into a formation of stone, which then crumbled over his body.

Buu pulled himself from the debris, trembling in both rage and anxiety. This stranger was far more powerful than any opponent he'd ever faced in the eons he'd lived. He scanned the area in front of him, but Gohan was gone.

"I'm right here," Gohan said, crouching atop the rubble behind Buu. He grabbed him by his pink, stretchy antenna and lifted him from beneath the crumbled rock. Buu howled, flailing his arms to break free, but Gohan's hold was too firm.

"This one is for Vegeta." Gohan kneed Buu in the back, folding him backward before continuing to list names, each time, he dug his knee deeper into Buu's back.

"This one is for Yamcha!"

"And Puar!"

"And Krillin!"

"And Eighteen!"

"And Marron!"

"And Oolong!"

"And Master Roshi!"

Gohan, still holding on to Buu's antenna, slammed him into the ground repeatedly, creating a crater. Trunks and Piccolo were still stunned, watching with gaping mouths as Gohan played with Buu like a practice dummy.

Buu, with his back, dug into the crater and looked up at the Saiyan, whose eyes were quivering along with his muscles as he held back his rage; he needed to stay focused to maintain his form.

"What's wrong," Gohan mocked. "Has poor little Buu bitten off more than he can chew? Huh!?" 

Gohan stomped on Buu's body, expanding the crater's diameter and increasing its depth. "Huh!? You idiot!? I still have more names to go!"

Gohan continued pounding his foot into Buu's chest, each one compelling the monster to spew more saliva; if Buu produced blood, Gohan would have already punched, kicked, and kneed gallons of it out of him. The ground was beginning to tremble with each pounding it received through Buu's body; Trunks and Piccolo could feel it. They could even see pebbles around them bouncing with each impact.

"Don't forget the rest of my family!" Gohan roared, continuing to stomp the pink monstrosity out. With each name said, the ferociousness of his kicks nearly doubled.

"My grandfather, the Ox King!"

"My girlfriend, Videl!"

"And lastly…"

Gohan lifted his leg, prepared to shatter the earth with a single stomp. However, he noticed that Buu's mouth was beginning to emit a pinkish glow. "Oh, no you don't!" Gohan shoved his foot into Buu's mouth, blocking the incoming Ki blast. Buu's body, having nowhere else to send this energy, began to swell as Ki started pouring out from the other orifices in his body. Once he'd inflated to the size of his old self, the energy exploded him from the inside out, leaving a charred mess where he once lay. 

Still, Gohan had one last name to mention. As he stood over Buu, the Majin began to chuckle. 

"I knew you'd come, but I didn't expect you to be this strong," he said.

"What are you talking about?"

"When I was fighting those two brats, I could sense your power growing from far, far away. It felt like it was coming from another world entirely. I've been waiting for you this entire time and I refuse to let a power stronger than mine continue to exist."

"I don't care what you want. The scales are tipped in my favor. If my father was still alive; if Trunk's father was still alive, they would both let you live so that you could get stronger. In turn, they would surpass their own limits. But I'm not like them, I'm going to finish you off here and now."

Buu continued to laugh, his body started to crackle and pulsate, and his bloodless veins began to bulge from beneath his pink skin. This attack was unfamiliar to Gohan; however, Trunks and Piccolo knew it too well.

"Gohan! Get out of there! He's going to blow up the entire area, sacrificing himself to kill you, just like what Vegeta did to him!" Piccolo yelled. 

Gohan looked down wide-eyed, seeing Buu collecting enough Ki in his body to flatten entire cities in a single blast. Gohan took off, flying away from Buu and grabbing the others while Buu's body burst into a dome of pink energy, which kept expanding mere inches away from Gohan as he fled.

Once the explosion stopped expanding Gohan dropped Piccolo and Trunks and looked back at the explosion, seeing nothing but a mushroom cloud where they once all stood. 

"Thanks, Gohan…" Piccolo said, wiping the dust off his clothes.

"Yeah, thanks. We would've died… Gee, I didn't know you were so strong. Piccolo was right, you are stronger than my dad," Trunks added.

Gohan ignored them; he still looked at the crater and cloud left by Buu's explosion. Piccolo looked at Gohan's face. The Saiyan still wore his warrior's expression, as if the fight wasn't over. This compelled Piccolo to ask one question.

"Is he dead?"

"No," Gohan answered. "I'm certain he's not."

"But I can't sense him…" Trunks said.

"He obviously hiding his energy. He's planning something. This is exactly what happened with Cell. He blew himself up and then came back. I refuse to be tricked again."

"Well, you can just beat him again, right?" Trunks asked. "And if Goten was still here, we could've fused and gone super and beat him with you too!"

Piccolo still looked at Gohan, in awe at his unbelievable power. 

"How did you get so powerful, anyway?" he asked.

"I trained with the Supreme Kai. There are two Supreme Kais actually, one old and one young. The old one performed a technique that supposedly unleashed my potential. I simply call it, Potential Unleashed. You can barely tell by looking at me, but it's a transformation in the same way that becoming a Super Saiyan is, except stronger. I know because even before getting it, I beat my dad while he was a Super Saiyan 3."

"Super Saiyan 3!?" Trunks and Piccolo said aloud. 

"Wait, you fought Goku, how?" Piccolo added.

"Well, Other World and the World of the Kais are connected in some way, which allowed my dad to come to visit. And about Super Saiyan 3, Dad discovered it. This is even more powerful than that. I'll explain more later, but do either of you know where the Dragon Radar is?"

"About that, Gohan… Dende is dead. The Dragon balls can't be used," Piccolo confessed.

Trunks looked up at Piccolo with wide eyes. "You mean… you lied! We can't bring Goten back? My mom and dad? Grandma and Grandpa?"

"No, he's alive," Gohan told them. "I was able to sense his energy back when I'd arrived. Focus and you'll sense it too."

Piccolo and Trunks closed their eyes and searched for Dende's Ki. Sure enough, they could sense his energy.

The three of them started flying toward Dende's energy, and as they did so, they found a familiar human walking in the desert with a dog. 

"It's Mr. Satan…" Gohan said.

"We're not gonna save him are we?" Trunks asked.

"He's Videl's dad. I kinda have to. Trunks, you get the dog. I'll get Hercule."

Gohan swept down and grabbed Mr. Satan while Trunks grabbed his dog. Satan panicked for a moment as he felt the sensation of flying for the first time; however, he calmed down once he saw Gohan's familiar face.

"Oh, it's you! Videl's friend! Boy, am I glad to see you!"

Before long, the four of them came across Dende, who was hiding behind some trees not too far away from Mr. Satan's location.

"Dende!" Gohan shouted, landing and dropping Mr. Satan on the ground. 

"Gohan!" Dende waved. "Wow, your power is incredible…"

"Yeah, I did some training with the Supreme Kai. I'll give you the details later. First, we need to find the Dragon Balls."

"Before that," Piccolo interrupted. "Dende, how are you alive?"

"It's all thanks to Mr. Popo. When Buu attacked, he threw me off of the lookout. I landed on some weird cloud and then it brought me here."

"Nimbus... I'll have to thank them both later," Gohan said. "I'm glad you're safe, Dende."

Meanwhile, Goku, the Supreme Kais, and Kibito watched through a crystal ball, relieved that Buu was dead. However, Goku still wore a serious expression; just like his eldest son, he knew the fight wasn't over. 

"What are they planning to do with the Dragon Balls?" Shin asked.

"They're probably going to wish everyone back… If that's the case, I better talk to my son while I still have the chance." Goku stood up and placed his hand on his forehead. Before they could ask any questions, he vanished. 

In Other World, Goten, Chi Chi, and the others were waiting in King Yenma's lobby. They were all nonchalant about the whole death thing; they were certain that the Dragon Balls would eventually be used to revive them. Chi Chi, Videl, and Goten looked around for Gohan, thinking he was dead, but failed to find him.

Instead, they felt another similar, yet distinct presence appear behind them 

"Hey, guys!" said the man's voice. Goten watched as everyone crowded around the man who spoke; though he was unsure of his identity until his mother spoke the man's name.

"Goku!" Chi Chi yelled, sprinting at her husband before tackling him with a hug. Goku nearly toppled over, chuckling as he held onto his wife firmly.

"Hey, Chi Chi. How have you been?"

"Oh, Goku! I've missed you so much! Gohan misses you too!"

"I missed you too, Chi Chi. You know, I talked to Gohan not too long ago."

"Did you!? Where is he?"

"He's back on Earth fighting Buu. And winning. He's going to gather the Dragon Balls and bring you guys back. Before that, though, there's someone here I wanted to meet.

Chi Chi released Goku, knowing the exact person he was referring to. The crowd parted, and Goku saw a little version of himself standing before him as if it were his reflection. Goku approached him and knelt in front of him, getting a closer look at his miniature self.

"You must be Goten. Do you know who I am?" 

"Dad?" Goten asked, his voice quaking. 

"Yup, that's me. It's nice to finally meet you, Son."

Goten, with tears streaming, pounced at his father and hugged him tightly. Chi Chi and the others smiled as the two Saiyans embraced each other, but the moment was cut short once Goku and Goten vanished instantly. 

"What the!?" Chi Chi muttered. "He wouldn't… GOKU!"

When Goten opened his eyes, he was in another world entirely. It was a small planet, so tiny that its curves looked to be a short walk's distance away. 

"Where are we?" Goten asked his father.

"King Kai's planet. Before you leave Other World, I think it's important that you learn a thing or two to take back with you. Someone stronger than Buu might appear one day and your brother might not be enough to stop them on his own. You're going to be there to help him…" Goku hesitated for a moment. He remembered all the times he pressured Gohan into fighting and didn't want to repeat the same mistake. "That is… if you want to. I won't force you."

"No, I wanna get stronger! Trunks, that's Vegeta's son and my best friend, is stronger than me but I wanna be stronger than him!"

Goku chuckled. "So, it's not just your looks that you take from me, huh?" Goku rubbed his son's hair. "Good. Let's find King Kai."