Goku didn't even think—his body just reacted. The golden fire erupted around him as he shot straight past the first two forms and landed hard in Super Saiyan 3. But this wasn't the sloppy, energy-bleeding mess he'd used against Fat Buu years ago. Every strand of that impossible golden mane moved with purpose. His eyebrows were gone, sure, but his eyes burned with the kind of focus that came from knowing exactly what was at stake.
"Get everyone back," he said, and his voice carried that weird echo that Super Saiyan 3 always brought with it.
Vegeta's transformation came with significantly more cursing.
"Like hell I'm letting Kakarot show me up!" The prince's aura exploded outward in a blue-white inferno that made the tournament lights flicker. His hair shot out in every direction as he hit his own perfected Super Saiyan 3, but there was something almost elegant about the way his energy moved now. Controlled fury instead of just fury.
"I don't care what timeline you crawled out of," Vegeta snarled at Black, "nobody threatens my family and walks away!"
Future Trunks had his sword out before anyone saw him draw it. The golden transformation ripped through him like lightning, his hair whipping around as Super Saiyan 3 took hold. Then something weird happened—all that massive energy just... compressed. His hair fell back to normal Super Saiyan gold, but it was like looking at the sun through a magnifying glass.
"Perfect Super Saiyan," he muttered, and his voice was dead steady. "I'm done running from nightmares."
Present Gohan felt that familiar electric tingle as his hidden power woke up. No light show, no screaming—just this quiet shift that made the air around him feel heavier. Mystic form had always been weird like that. All the power, none of the drama.
"So this is why Elder Kai unlocked my potential," he said, more to himself than anyone else.
The fusion happened so fast it was almost automatic. Present Trunks and Goten had done the dance so many times they could probably do it in their sleep.
"Fusion—HA!"
Gotenks materialized already pissed off, his Super Saiyan 3 transformation immediate and spectacular. His ghostly pale hair defied every law of physics as it whipped around his head.
"Hey, discount Gohan!" he yelled at Black. "You just made this personal!"
Even scared out of his mind, the kid couldn't resist talking trash.
Piccolo's change was quieter but somehow more intimidating. His already impressive frame just kept expanding, green skin taking on this metallic shine as his Super Namekian state kicked in. The guy had always been built like a tank, but now he looked like he could bench press mountains.
"I raised that boy," Piccolo growled, jerking his head toward present Gohan. "Watched him grow up. You're not laying a finger on him."
The human fighters knew they were outclassed, but they'd been outclassed before. Didn't mean they were useless.
Krillin dropped into his stance and threw up his hands. "Kamehameha barrier!" Golden energy streamed from his palms, forming a wall of crackling power.
Tien flanked him immediately, his third eye snapping open. "Neo Tri-Beam formation!" His energy merged with Krillin's, turning their wall into something that actually looked solid.
Yamcha jumped between them, his Wolf Fang technique twisting into something defensive. "Spirit Ball shield!" Multiple energy orbs started spinning around the trio like a bunch of angry bees.
Chiaotzu floated above them, his psychic powers weaving everything together. "Linking our ki!" he announced. "Everyone hold steady!"
The four of them created this dome of golden light that pulsed like a heartbeat. It wouldn't stop someone like Black, but it might buy the heavy hitters some time.
Master Roshi felt his ancient bones creak as the old power stirred. His elderly frame bulged and expanded until he stood nearly seven feet tall, his turtle shell straining at the seams.
"MAX POWER!" The voice that came out was deep and booming, nothing like his usual perverted cackle. "I may be old, but I can still throw down when I need to!"
Blue-white energy began building between his palms as he settled into the classic Kamehameha stance.
Android 17 and 18 moved like they'd practiced this, which they probably had.
"Infinite energy barrier!" 17 called out, his hands weaving patterns that created geometric shields of pink and blue energy around the humans' defense.
"Photon Flash wall!" 18 added, her own energy forming a second layer that looked like crystallized light. "Our power cores don't run out—we can keep this up all day!"
They positioned themselves at opposite ends, their barriers creating this intricate double-layer defense that surrounded everyone except the main fighters.
"We've got your backs!" 17 shouted to the Saiyans. "Just worry about ugly over there!"
In maybe ten seconds, the whole tournament had turned into something out of a war zone. The air practically hummed with power as nine of the strongest fighters in the universe prepared to throw down with something that might actually be stronger than all of them combined.
Black just watched it all happen, that twisted smile never leaving his face.
What happened next wasn't planned. There was no strategy meeting, no coordinated attack plan. It was pure instinct—nine warriors moving as one because they all understood that talking time was over.
Goku moved first, but barely. His perfected Super Saiyan 3 form blurred as he launched himself forward, both hands cupped at his side. "KAMEHAMEHA!" The beam that erupted from his palms wasn't the usual blue-white. This was something deeper, more concentrated—like looking into the heart of a Massive BLUE star.
Vegeta came from the opposite angle, his pride refusing to let Goku attack alone. "FINAL FLASH!" But this wasn't the wide-spread blast he usually threw around. This was compressed, focused into a lance of pure yellow energy that could probably punch through a Black hole core.
Present Gohan didn't waste time with beam struggles. He went straight physical, his mystic form allowing him to move at speeds that made the air scream. His first punch was aimed at Black's solar plexus, followed immediately by an uppercut that carried enough force to shatter mountains. "You're not me!" he shouted as he attacked. "You'll never be me!"
Future Trunks came in with his sword, but not the way anyone expected. Instead of slashing, he used the blade as a focus for his ki, channeling his Perfect Super Saiyan energy through the metal until it glowed white-hot. "Burning Slash!" The energy wave that erupted from his swing was surgical in its precision—designed to cut through anything, even divine ki.
Gotenks decided subtlety was overrated. "SUPER GHOST KAMIKAZE ATTACK!" A dozen ghostly copies of himself materialized around Black, each one crackling with Super Saiyan 3 energy. But these weren't the usual joke ghosts—these were weapons of mass destruction wearing silly faces. "Let's see how divine you are when you're blown to bits!"
Piccolo took the direct approach. His massive Super Namekian form moved with surprising grace as he extended his arm toward Black. "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" The spiral of energy that erupted from his fingertips was easily twice as wide as usual, and it spun with enough force to drill through the world crust.
The coordinated assault was beautiful and terrifying. Six different attacks from six different angles, each one carrying enough power to level a Group of Galaxys. The air itself seemed to tear apart from the conflicting energy signatures.
Black's reaction was... disappointing.
He didn't dodge. Didn't block. Didn't even look particularly concerned.
The Kamehameha hit him square in the chest. The Final Flash caught him from the side. Gohan's punches connected with sickening thuds. Trunks' energy blade sliced across his torso. The ghost kamikaze attacks detonated in a chain reaction that turned the entire tournament platform into a crater. Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon drilled straight through the smoke cloud where Black had been standing.
For a moment, there was silence. Smoke and dust filled the air so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
Then Black's laughter cut through it all.
"Is that it?" His voice carried no strain, no pain, nothing but amusement. "After all that posturing, that's the best you can manage?"
The smoke cleared, and he was still floating there. His clothes were torn, sure, and there were a few scuff marks on his skin, but he looked like someone who'd just finished a light workout.
"My turn," he said.
What followed wasn't a fight. It was a masterclass in overwhelming power.
Black moved so fast that even the Super Saiyans could barely track him. One second he was in front of Goku, the next he was behind Vegeta, then somehow above Gohan—all in the span of a heartbeat. Each movement left devastation in its wake.
His fist connected with Goku's ribs, and the sound was like a gunshot. The most powerful warrior in the universe went flying, his perfect Super Saiyan 3 form flickering as he crashed through three stadium walls.
Vegeta tried to catch him with a point-blank Big Bang Attack, but Black just swatted the energy blast aside like it was a fly. His return strike sent the Prince of all Saiyans into the ground so hard that the impact created a secondary crater.
"DODGE!" Future Trunks screamed as he swung his sword in a desperate arc. Black caught the blade between two fingers, and the look of casual dismissal on his face was more terrifying than any threat.
"You brought a sword to a god fight," Black said, then flicked his wrist.
The blade—forged in the future, tempered by countless battles against impossible odds—shattered like glass. Future Trunks stared at the broken hilt in his hand for maybe half a second before Black's palm strike sent him spinning through the air.
Present Gohan came in swinging, his mystic power flaring as he threw everything he had into a combination that should have pulverized anyone. Left hook, right cross, knee strike, elbow—each blow carrying the weight of his hidden potential.
Black blocked them all with his pinky finger.
"You disappoint me most of all," he said to present Gohan, almost sadly. "So much potential, wasted on such pathetic ideals."
His counter-attack was a simple backhand, but it carried enough force to send present Gohan skipping across the tournament grounds like a stone on water.
Gotenks tried to rush him while he was distracted, but Black didn't even turn around. A casual backward kick caught the fusion in the stomach and doubled him over. Before Gotenks could recover, Black grabbed him by the hair and hurled him toward Piccolo.
The Namekian caught his student's fusion, but the impact sent both of them tumbling. Piccolo's massive frame absorbed most of the damage, his Super Namekian bulk protecting the smaller fighter.
"You okay, kid?" Piccolo grunted as he helped Gotenks to his feet.
"Define okay," Gotenks wheezed, his Super Saiyan 3 transformation flickering dangerously.
In less than thirty seconds, Black had dismantled six of the universe's strongest fighters like they were children playing at war.
But the others weren't done.
Master Roshi's MAX POWER Kamehameha erupted from behind the smoke, his ancient technique refined by centuries of practice. The beam was smaller than Goku's, but it moved with surgical precision, aimed at the spot where Black's heart should be.
The human fighters coordinated their next move without speaking. Krillin's Destructo Disc came in low while Tien's Tri-Beam hammered down from above. Yamcha's Spirit Ball attacks spiraled in from multiple angles, and Chiaotzu used his psychic powers to try and hold Black in place for just a fraction of a second.
Android 17 and 18 opened up with everything they had. Infinite energy meant they could spam their most powerful attacks without worrying about running out of juice. Pink and blue energy beams crisscrossed the battlefield as they tried to pin Black down with pure volume of fire.
For a moment, it looked like it might actually work. The combined assault from eight fighters created a light show that could probably be seen from space. Energy beams, ki blasts, and psychic attacks all converged on the same point where Black was floating.
The explosion was magnificent. The remaining tournament stands were vaporized. The artificial lake next to the arena boiled away into steam. Every piece of glass within a mile radius shattered simultaneously.
When the light faded, there was a crater where the tournament grounds used to be. At the bottom of that crater, Black was still floating, completely unharmed.
"Now that," he said, "was almost interesting."
His rose-colored aura pulsed once, and the shockwave it generated knocked everyone still standing to their knees. Even the androids, with their infinite energy, struggled to stay upright against the overwhelming pressure.
Only Future Gohan remained standing at the crater's edge, untouched by the devastation, his face unreadable as he watched his alternate self hover above the destruction.
That's when both Bulmas moved.
Present Bulma grabbed Future Gohan from behind, her arms wrapping around his waist in a grip that would've made a professional wrestler proud. Future Bulma took his shoulders, and together they started dragging him backward toward what was left of the stadium stands.
"What the—" Future Gohan made this weird strangled noise that was half surprise, half protest. The sound was so unexpectedly high-pitched that Videl, who was still crouched behind some debris with Pan, felt her cheeks go red for reasons she couldn't quite explain. (Lmao yea in this situation)