NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23: Next
The moment Dende's consciousness flickered back to life, he found himself on the shattered remains of Namek, a volcanic wasteland of fire and destruction. His first instinct was confusion—he had been dead, struck down by Frieza. But now, something had brought him back. As he slowly regained his senses, he realized it was the Earth's Dragon Balls that had revived him.
As Dende sat up, he immediately noticed Mori beside him, gravely injured and on the brink of death. His body was a mess, covered in blood and burns. Without wasting a second, Dende rushed over to him, his hands glowing with healing energy as he laid them on Mori's chest. "Come on, Mori, don't die on me," he muttered as the healing process began.
Mori's body twitched slightly before his breathing steadied, and soon his eyes shot open. "Oh, man," Mori groaned, sitting up. "I really thought I was done for… Thanks, kid."
Dende gave a weak smile, but his attention was drawn to the world around them. Namek was falling apart, lava spewing from the ground, the sky an ominous red, and the planet itself shaking violently. "Namek... it's gone."
Mori looked around, seeing the desolation for the first time. "Damn, Frieza really did a number on this place." He clenched his fists, feeling the surge of power within him. The healing process had triggered yet another Zenkai boost, his power soaring far past his old limit of 75 million. The sensation was intoxicating, but there was no time to enjoy it.
"Thanks for the save, Dende. But we've got a problem." Mori pointed toward the massive dragon Porunga, who still hovered nearby, waiting for the last wish. "We need to get everyone out of here—except me, Goku, and Frieza. The planet's about to explode, and it won't be pretty."
Dende blinked in surprise, then quickly nodded. He and Mori flew toward Porunga, landing before the towering dragon. Mori looked down at Dende, giving him a nod. "Go ahead, ask him to send everyone but us three to Earth."
Dende hesitated for a second but then turned to the dragon. "Porunga, please transfer everyone on Namek to Earth, except for Goku, Frieza, and Mori!"
The great dragon's eyes glowed as he responded in his deep, resonant voice, granting the wish. In an instant, the Dragon Balls, along with everyone else on Namek, were transported to Earth. Mori watched as the dragon and the others vanished, leaving only him, Goku, and Frieza on the crumbling planet.
With the wish granted, Mori wasted no time. He took to the sky, flying toward the location where Goku and Frieza were locked in combat. As he arrived, he immediately noticed Goku's new appearance—his hair had turned blonde, and his eyes gleamed a bright teal. The transformation had pushed Goku to a whole new level of power.
Frieza, on the other hand, had buffed up considerably, his once sleek form now bulkier and far more imposing. The two were at a standstill, their power clashing violently.
Mori hovered above them and let out a laugh. "Well, well, well, it seems the 'mighty lord lizard' is losing this fight. Hahaha!"
Both combatants turned their attention to Mori. Frieza's eyes narrowed in disdain, clearly irritated by Mori's arrival, while Goku allowed a brief smile to flash across his face.
"Mori! You're alive!" Goku called out, though his focus quickly returned to Frieza.
Mori landed near his brother, eyeing the ongoing battle. "Nice transformation, bro. But hey, how about we do to Frieza what we did to Demon King Piccolo back in the day?"
Goku's expression shifted from confusion to understanding, and then a nod. He began to synchronize his ki with Mori's, channeling their energy together. As they synced, Goku felt a surprising surge from Mori's power—it was only slightly lower than his own, but still higher than Frieza's. For a moment, he was shocked, but he had no time to dwell on it.
The two brothers charged at Frieza in perfect harmony. Their movements were fluid, almost like a choreographed dance, each attack flowing seamlessly into the other. Mori struck first, a heavy punch to Frieza's stomach that sent the tyrant staggering back. Goku followed up with a high-speed kick, launching Frieza into the air.
Frieza gritted his teeth, blocking a follow-up punch from Mori, only to be caught off-guard by Goku's energy blast that struck him from behind. The battle continued like this—Frieza struggling to keep up as Mori and Goku attacked in perfect synchronization, their blows landing with crushing force.
Frieza roared in frustration. "This… this is impossible! You're just a human!"
"Yeah, well," Mori smirked, dodging a wild swing from Frieza, "I'm not just any human."
Goku nodded in agreement, his golden aura flaring as he delivered another powerful blow to Frieza's side. The combined force of Mori and Goku was overwhelming the tyrant, driving him back step by step.
After several minutes of brutal combat, Frieza was on his knees, his body battered and bleeding. Goku and Mori stood over him, breathing heavily but victorious.
Goku, ever the merciful, extended a hand toward Frieza. "You've lost, Frieza. Take some of my energy and leave. I'm giving you a chance to survive."
Before Goku could release any energy, Mori stepped in, smacking Goku upside the head. "What's wrong with you, idiot? He's planning to backstab you the second he gets a chance!"
Goku winced, rubbing his head. "I was just—"
"Nope," Mori interrupted, forming a ki blast in his hand. "We're ending this now." Without hesitation, he unleashed the blast at Frieza, disintegrating the tyrant in an explosion of energy.
The silence that followed was thick, only broken by Goku's resigned sigh. "I guess you're right… But we've got another problem. The planet's about to explode."
Mori's eyes widened as he felt the planet's core destabilizing beneath them. "Damn it, we need to get out of here now!"
The two brothers flew across the crumbling landscape, searching frantically for a way off the doomed planet. Eventually, they found one of the Ginyu Force's old ships, still intact.
"Get in the ship, Goku!" Mori shouted. "I'll follow behind you."
Goku hopped into the cockpit, managing to activate the ship's systems despite his limited knowledge. The ship lifted off the ground, flying into space just as Namek's core collapsed. Mori followed close behind, encasing himself in a protective ki shield as the planet exploded in a massive fireball.
The force of the explosion sent both Goku's ship and Mori hurtling through space. Goku, still conscious in the pod, watched helplessly as he was pulled toward an unfamiliar planet. Mori, doing his best to follow, felt the gravitational pull of the planet and was dragged alongside Goku's pod.
After what felt like an hour of travel, the two finally crash-landed on the surface of a strange world—Yardrat. Mori, still awake, stepped out of his shield and glanced at Goku, who had fallen unconscious in the pod.
A group of Yardratian aliens approached, their eyes wide in curiosity. Mori raised a hand in greeting. "Hey! My brother's hurt. Can you help him?"
---
Meanwhile, on Earth, the group stood before Porunga, with Bulma making the final wishes. "Can you bring back Krillin's soul and revive him?"
The great dragon's eyes glowed, granting the wish. Krillin was revived, but before they could make any further wishes, Bulma looked to the Namekians. "We'll have to wait three months for the Dragon Balls to recharge."
Three months passed, and the Dragon Balls were gathered again. Bulma stood ready, but the moment the wish to revive Goku and Mori was made, the dragon's response shocked everyone.
"I cannot grant that wish. The two you call Mori and Goku are not dead."
The group gasped in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Gohan asked, his voice laced with confusion.
"They are alive," Porunga continued, "and they refused the summoning."
Gohan, wide-eyed, screamed, "What?! Why?"
The dragon shrugged, metaphorically speaking. "I don't know how they did it, but when I tried to summon them, they simply said, 'nuh-uhn.' Case closed."
The group slumped in confusion as the dragon completed their last wish. Namek was restored, and the Namekians, except for Piccolo and Kami, were sent to their new home.
---
One year later, Goku and Mori, dressed in Yardrat clothing, meditated in space as they made their way back to Earth. The familiar energy of someone they thought dead was heading toward Earth, and they knew they had to return. But as they closed in on the planet, they sensed a powerful battle unfolding.
Before they could cut the trip short, they felt a strong ki defeat the intruders. Frieza was gone, but someone had taken care of him before they could arrive.
---
Back on Earth, the Z Fighters gathered with a purple-haired teenager. "Goku will arrive in three hours," he said, as they stood around, waiting for their friends' return.
"What about Mori?" Gohan asked, curious about his other father figure.
The teen looked confused. "Who's Mori?"
The group shared confused glances as Krillin spoke up. "You know Goku, but not Mori? The two have been side by side for years."
The teen's brow furrowed, unsure of what to say. "Mom never mentioned a Mori…"
Three hours later, a pod crashed into the Earth. The group rushed to the site, Gohan carrying Bulma. There, they saw Mori standing atop the pod, stretching his arms.
"Ah, I missed the smell of Earth!" Mori declared.
Seconds later, Goku emerged, the two immediately starting to bicker about the landing. The group stared, dumbfounded, until someone cleared their throat, catching the brothers' attention.
"Oh, Vegeta, still here, huh?" Goku quipped, ignoring the stranger. Vegeta only grunted in response.
Mori, however, eyed the teenager and then looked at Bulma and Vegeta before whispering, "He looks like both of them…"
As the stranger flew off with Goku to have their private conversation, Mori was left with his thoughts. Everything had changed in the past year, but he couldn't shake the strange feeling about that boy…
---
Everything proceeded as it did in canon. The group prepared for the arrival of the Androids, each heading off to train for the battle that would come in two years. Mori and Goku were back, but a new threat loomed over the horizon.