The sensation of being pulled back into existence was unlike anything describable.
One moment, Gogeta was floating in the otherworld, watching the Dragon Balls' light pierce through dimensional barriers.
The next, reality itself seemed to grab him and yank him forward through space and time.
It felt like being torn apart and reassembled simultaneously, every atom of his being dragged from the realm of the dead back into the living world.
Colors exploded behind his eyes....brilliant golds, deep blues, flashes of green lightning. He felt his heart—his single, unified heart...suddenly restart with a thunderous beat that echoed in his ears.
Air rushed into lungs that had forgotten the sensation of breathing. His skin tingled as nerves reconnected with physical sensation.
Then, with a flash of brilliant light, Gogeta's feet touched solid ground.
He stumbled slightly, catching himself as his body adjusted to being alive again.
The otherworld's ethereal energy was gone, replaced by Earth's familiar ki signature.
He could sense everything....the planet's life force, including the scattered power levels of the Z-fighters, and the most prominently, the chaotic, destructive energy of Kid Buu tearing through West City.
Gogeta opened his eyes.
He stood on the perfectly manicured lawn of Capsule Corp. The sky was clearing from Shenron's summoning, returning to its normal afternoon blue.
And directly in front of him stood two women, both staring at him with expressions that shifted from hope to confusion in the span of a heartbeat.
Chi-Chi and Bulma.
All of Goku's memories of his wives flooded through Gogeta's mind....Goku's and chi chi's wedding day, Chi-Chi's fierce protectiveness of their sons, the way she'd always tell him to stop training and get a job despite knowing he'd never stop fighting.
And simultaneously, all of Vegeta's memories of Bulma crashed over him....her brilliant mind, her refusal to be intimidated by Saiyan pride, the family they'd built together.
The memories were his now. The love was his. But he wasn't the men they'd married.
"Who..." Chi-Chi whispered, taking a hesitant step forward. Her eyes searched his face desperately, looking for something familiar. "Who are you?"
Bulma's scientific mind was already working, analyzing. She studied his appearance....the black vest, the white pants, the unique hairstyle that seemed to combine spiky defiance with softer edges. "You're not... you're not Goku or Vegeta."
"That's the fusion," Piccolo's voice cut in as the Namekian landed beside them, his expression grim. "That's him..or should I say them."
The words Piccolo said hung in the air like a foreign word, meaningless to the two women who'd just lost everything.
Gogeta opened his mouth to speak, but what could he possibly say? How did you explain that you were two people but also neither of them? That you carried their memories, their love, their very souls, but existed as someone entirely new?
"I..." he started, his voice catching. It carried Goku's warmth but Vegeta's controlled intensity. "I'm sorry. The fusion in the otherworld, it became permanent. I have all of their memories....everything Goku and Vegeta were, everything they felt, everything they experienced. It's all here." He pressed a hand to his chest. "But I'm not exactly them anymore. I'm... something new."
"No," Chi-Chi said, shaking her head. Tears were already forming in her eyes. "No, that's not right. The Dragon Balls were supposed to bring back Goku. My Goku. Where is he? Where's my husband?"
Gogeta felt his heart twist painfully. Through Goku's memories, he knew exactly how much Chi-Chi had sacrificed, how many times she'd said goodbye, how many lonely nights she'd spent wondering if her husband would come home.
"I'm here," he said gently. "Goku's memories, his feelings for you and the boys....they're all part of me now. I remember our wedding, I remember when Gohan was born, I remember every moment we shared. But—"
"But you're not him," Bulma finished, her voice hollow. She'd gone pale, her arms wrapped around herself as if trying to hold herself together. "Vegeta's gone too. They both are."
"As separate people, yes," Piccolo confirmed quietly. "The otherworld's environment made the fusion permanent. Their souls merged completely. There's no way to separate them now."
"There has to be something!" Chi-Chi's voice rose desperately. She turned to Gogeta, grabbing the front of his vest with trembling hands. "Can't you... can't you unfuse? Can't you try? Please, I just want my husband back!"
Gogeta looked down at her, and in that moment, he felt the full weight of both Goku's love for this woman and his own helplessness. "I've tried," he said softly. "In the otherworld, I tried everything. The fusion won't break. It can't break. Chi-Chi, I'm so sorry."
She stared up at him, searching his face for any trace of the man she'd loved. And maybe she found something there....the gentle way he looked at her, the familiar warmth in his eyes....made her expression crumbled completely.
"Goku," she sobbed, collapsing against his chest. "My Goku..."
Gogeta's arms moved automatically, wrapping around her in an embrace that felt both natural and foreign.
Goku's instinct to comfort his wife warred with the knowledge that he wasn't really the man she was grieving for.
Bulma watched this scene with her characteristic composure barely holding. Her brilliant mind was already processing the implications...her husband was gone, replaced by this fusion entity, and there was nothing science or Dragon Balls could do about it.
"The boys," she said suddenly, her voice tight. "Trunks and Goten. Do they know?"
"Not yet," Piccolo said. "They're still fighting Kid Buu with Gohan. Speaking of which—" He turned to Gogeta urgently. "We don't have time for this right now. That creature has already killed three of our warriors. If we don't stop it soon—"
As if on cue, a massive explosion rocked the distant city. The shockwave rattled windows across Capsule Corp's compound. Gogeta's head snapped toward the source, his senses immediately locking onto the battle.
Gohan's energy signature was spiking desperately, pushed far beyond his limits. Goten and Trunks were fighting together, their combined power still not enough. And Kid Buu's chaotic energy continued to grow, feeding on the destruction.
"We'll have to finish this conversation later," Gogeta said, gently extracting himself from Chi-Chi's grip. His expression hardened into the focused determination that both Goku and Vegeta wore in battle. "Right now, your sons need me."
"No!" Chi-Chi grabbed his arm, her fingers digging in with surprising strength. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me where my husband is! I want answers! I want—"
"I know," Gogeta said, covering her hand with his own. The gesture was tender despite the urgency of the situation. "I know what you want, and I promise we'll talk about this. But right now, Gohan and Goten are in danger. Trunks too. They need help, and I'm the only one who can provide it."
He looked at Bulma, seeing the same desperate need for answers in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't what either of you wanted. But I carry everything Goku and Vegeta were....their strength, their techniques, their determination to protect this planet and everyone on it. Let me at least do that much."
Before either woman could protest further, Gogeta placed two fingers to his forehead. Instant Transmission....one of Goku's signature techniques, now his.
He locked onto Gohan's energy signature and vanished in a blur of motion, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air where he'd stood.
Chi-Chi stood frozen, her hand still outstretched toward empty space. "He just... he just left."
"Like Goku always did," Bulma said quietly, a bitter smile on her lips. "And like Vegeta would have. At least that much hasn't changed."
Piccolo looked between the two devastated women and felt a pang of sympathy. "For what it's worth," he said carefully, "Gogeta isn't lying. Everything Goku and Vegeta were lives on in him. Their love for you, for the children...it's all still there. It's just..."
"Wrapped up in someone we don't know," Chi-Chi finished, her voice hollow. "Someone who looks like them, sounds like them, but isn't them."
There were no words of comfort Piccolo could offer. The Namekian simply nodded once, then took flight toward the battle himself. The women would need time to process this impossible situation, but time was a luxury none of them had right now.
---
Gogeta materialized in the heart of the battlefield with perfect precision, appearing directly between Kid Buu and an exhausted Gohan.
The half-Saiyan was breathing heavily, his Super Saiyan 2 aura flickering unstably. Blood dripped from multiple wounds, and his gi was in tatters.
Kid Buu's attack, was a massive sphere of pink energy....was already in motion, closing the distance with deadly speed.
Gogeta didn't even turn to the attack. He simply raised his left hand, palm facing the incoming blast.
The sphere struck his hand and stopped completely, its destructive energy contained by his effortless defense.
For a moment, the energy ball pushed against his palm, trying to force through. Then Gogeta closed his fingers around it, and the attack simply... ceased to exist, dissipating into harmless particles.
"What..." Gohan gasped, staring at the figure who'd appeared from nowhere. The build was familiar, the stance was recognizable, but something was different. "Who are you?...I can sense Dad? And even Vegeta's ki? What's going on??"
Gogeta glanced back at him, and Gohan saw features that reminded him of both his father and Vegeta..even the way their dark hair looked, yet belonged entirely to neither. "Stand down, Gohan. You've done enough."
That voice...it had his father's warmth but carried Vegeta's commanding authority. Gohan's mind reeled, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
"Is that... our dads?" Goten's voice came from above as he and Trunks landed nearby, both boys sporting their own collection of injuries.
Their young faces were scrunched in confusion, trying to understand what they were looking at.
"It's the fusion dance," Trunks said slowly, remembering the technique his father had taught him. "But fusion only lasts thirty minutes. They shouldn't still be..."
"It's complicated," Piccolo's voice announced as he arrived, landing beside the confused Saiyans. "Right now, all you need to know is he's on our side. Explanations can wait until after we deal with that creature."
Kid Buu had been watching this exchange with his head tilted curiously, like a child observing an interesting insect.
The pink demon giggled, his empty dark eyes focusing on Gogeta with sudden interest.
This new fighter felt different from the others.....stronger, more dangerous.
Gogeta turned his full attention to Kid Buu, his expression completely stoic. There was no playfulness in his demeanor. Just cold assessment of a threat that needed to be eliminated.
"I'll handle this," he said calmly, stepping forward. "Get everyone to safety. Find cover and stay out of the way."
"But we can help!" Goten protested, his young voice fierce despite his exhaustion. "We can fuse into Gotenks and—"
"No," Gogeta said firmly, not taking his eyes off Kid Buu. "You've all fought bravely, but this opponent is beyond you. Trust me. I've got this."
Gohan wanted to argue. His pride as a warrior, his responsibility as the eldest....everything in him screamed to keep fighting, to not abandon the battlefield to a stranger.
But there was something in Gogeta's stance, in his calm confidence, that reminded him so much of his father's serene certainty in battle.
"Come on," Piccolo said, placing a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Let's give him room to work."
Kid Buu didn't wait for them to retreat.
The demon's form suddenly blurred with speed, crossing the distance to Gogeta in an instant.
His fist, wreathed in chaotic pink energy, aimed straight for the fusion warrior's face with enough force to shatter mountains.
Gogeta tilted his head slightly to the left. The punch passed harmlessly by his ear, close enough that he could feel the air displacement but never making contact.
His expression didn't change...still calm, still focused, still completely unimpressed.
Kid Buu's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but the demon was already spinning into a follow-up kick.
Gogeta leaned back, letting the attack whistle past his chest.
Another punch, another dodge. A barrage of strikes followed, each one moving at speeds that should have been impossible to track.
Gogeta avoided every single one without moving his feet, his upper body swaying and shifting like water around stone.
His hands remained relaxed at his sides, not even bothering to block. He simply wasn't where Kid Buu's attacks were landing.
From their position at the edge of the battlefield, the Z-fighters watched in stunned silence.
"He's not even trying," Trunks whispered, his eyes wide. "That thing nearly killed all of us, and he's not even trying."
Kid Buu's giggles had stopped.
The demon leaped backward, creating distance, and his expression shifted to something approaching frustration.
"Nyaahhhh" Pink energy began gathering around his body, crackling with destructive power. He opened his mouth wide, preparing one of his devastating energy blasts.
Gogeta finally moved.
He raised his right hand, palm facing upward, and made a simple "bring it on" gesture with his fingers. His expression remained stoic, but the challenge was clear.
Kid Buu's mouth stretched impossibly wide, and a massive pink energy beam erupted forth....the same attack that had vaporized Yamcha and Krillin.
The beam was enormous, easily capable of destroying a city block, and it moved at near light speed.
Gogeta's left hand came up, catching the beam with his palm.
The energy pushed against him, creating a crater in the ground beneath his feet from the sheer pressure. Pink light engulfed him completely, hiding him from view.
"No!" Goten shouted, starting forward, but Piccolo held him back.
"Wait," the Namekian said quietly. "Just wait."
The pink energy beam continued for several more seconds, Kid Buu pouring everything into the attack.
Then, slowly, impossibly, Gogeta's hand began to close around the beam. His fingers curled inward, compressing the massive attack like it was made of clay.
The beam grew smaller and smaller until it was nothing more than a sphere of pink energy in Gogeta's palm. He looked at it with mild interest, then simply crushed it.
The sphere imploded with a soft pop, harmless sparkles drifting away on the wind.
Gogeta lowered his hand and met Kid Buu's gaze directly. His slight frown deepened just a fraction.
"Let's finish this quickly," he said, his voice carrying across the battlefield with absolute certainty.
He transformed to his Super Saiyan form.
The Golden aura suddenly erupted around him, a pillar of power that reached into the sky.
The ground beneath his feet cracked and cratered from the sheer pressure of his energy. Loose debris began floating upward, defying gravity itself.
The Z-fighters had to shield their eyes from the brilliant light. Even at this distance, they could feel the overwhelming pressure of Gogeta's power....something beyond anything Goku or Vegeta had ever displayed individually.
Kid Buu's expression shifted for the first time from playful curiosity to something else.
Recognition??...Understanding??...
This wasn't prey. This was a predator.
The demon's giggles started again, but now they carried a manic edge.
Kid Buu's own pink aura exploded outward as he powered up to his absolute maximum.
The two overwhelming forces clashed in the space between them, creating shockwaves that rippled across the ruined city.
Gogeta settled into his fighting stance...a perfect hybrid of Goku's loose readiness and Vegeta's rigid discipline. His eyes, sharp and focused, never left his opponent.
"Come on then," he said quietly. "Show me what you've got."
"Gooooooooooe!!!" Kid Buu screamed.....not a giggle or a laugh, but an actual primal scream—and launched himself forward with every ounce of speed and power he possessed.
The real battle was about to begin.