Dragon Ball: Mori's tales

The next chapter begins right after Mori, bored with waiting, teleports into a room where he senses Superman and Batman. As soon as he appears, Mori takes in his surroundings, realizing that this isn't just some meeting between Superman and Batman. He notices that he's standing on a large, U-shaped table, and that there are others in the room. 

Superman, amused by Mori's casual entrance, smiles and says, "Hey, Mori, glad you're here. But maybe you should get off the table and stand next to me?" Mori shrugs nonchalantly and hops off, standing beside Superman's chair. As he gets settled, he finally decides to acknowledge the others in the room. 

Mori's eyes scan the room, taking in a group of powerful-looking individuals. First, he notices a man who looks half-human, half-machine, his body augmented with futuristic technology. "The half-man, half-robot guy...interesting," Mori thinks to himself. His gaze then lands on a green-skinned alien with an aura that feels oddly familiar. Mori furrows his brow for a moment, mistaking him for a Namekian. "He feels like Piccolo...but not quite."

Next, he spots a man in red with a lightning bolt emblazoned on his chest, radiating energy and excitement, followed by another man wearing a black-and-green uniform with an odd glowing ring on his hand. Finally, Mori's gaze falls on a woman with long, flowing black hair and piercing blue eyes. Her aura exudes power and grace, but it's the warrior's spirit she radiates that catches Mori's attention. He feels a strange sense of familiarity, reminding him of someone from his past—Lisa, his wife. His thoughts linger on the resemblance for a moment before he shakes it off, refocusing on the group as Superman begins to speak again.

Superman, sensing the need for proper introductions, chuckles and says, "Mori, sorry about that. Let me introduce everyone. We were just talking about you, and I think it's important for them to know who you are. Let's start with our team." He gestures to the half-robot man and says, "This is Cyborg." 

Cyborg gives Mori a friendly nod and says, "Yo," to which Mori just nods back.

Next, Superman points to the green alien. "This is Martian Manhunter."

The Martian responds with a calm and dignified, "Greetings."

Superman then motions to the man in red, who smiles and waves enthusiastically. "And this is The Flash."

"Fastest man alive!" Flash says with a grin, to which Mori can't help but chuckle, reminded of a certain blue alien who once claimed to be the fastest in the universe.

Superman continues, pointing to the glowing man. "This is Green Lantern."

Green Lantern gives a casual wave, and Mori acknowledges him before Superman finally introduces the woman, saying, "And last but not least, this is Wonder Woman. She's also from a warrior race, believe it or not."

Mori and Wonder Woman lock eyes for a moment, both feeling the mutual respect of warriors. Wonder Woman's presence reminds Mori of the powerful women he's known in his life—Chi-Chi, Bulma, and especially Lisa. He breaks eye contact, slightly shaken by the memory, and turns back to Superman.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet all of you," Mori says, offering a polite nod to the group. He senses that each of them holds their own unique strengths, but Batman, ever the strategist, seems impatient.

"Enough of that," Batman says in his usual gruff tone. "Pick up where you left off when you were telling Superman and me your story."

Mori gives Batman a teasing smirk. "Sure thing, Batboy." He then moves to a spot where everyone can see him clearly. "Alright, where was I...?"

"You were talking about Frieza," Superman says helpfully.

"Ah, right," Mori continues, his tone shifting to a more serious one. "After Goku and I supposedly put an end to Frieza, the planet Namek started falling apart. For me, being in space isn't an issue, but for my brother, Goku, it was. He can't survive in space. So, we had to find him a ship—fast."

Mori goes on to explain how they found a space pod just in time, both escaping the planet's destruction as the ground beneath them erupted into fiery explosions. "We barely made it out. The shockwave from Namek exploding nearly knocked us both out of orbit, but we survived, heading toward a planet called Yardrat."

As he's about to continue, Green Lantern interrupts. "Wait a minute. How can you breathe in space? My ring is detecting that you're human."

Mori smirks at the question. "Family secret," he says with a wink, earning an eye roll from Batman but a laugh from Superman.

Mori continues, "When we crash-landed on Yardrat, the inhabitants took care of us. They nursed us back to health, and we stayed with them for a while, learning their unique techniques. Yardrats are an interesting race; they specialize in controlling their Ki in ways that even we hadn't seen before. After what felt like a year or two, though, we sensed something...an energy signature we thought was long gone. Frieza."

The room goes quiet for a moment. Flash, unable to contain himself, bursts out, "Wait! You guys survived a planet exploding, and now Frieza's back? This is nuts!"

Mori chuckles. "Yeah, it was a shock. Goku and I couldn't believe it either. We said our goodbyes to the Yardrats, and Goku boarded a ship while I decided to ride on top of it for the journey back to Earth. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, Frieza had already been taken care of by a warrior from the future."

"The future?" Batman interjects, his analytical mind piqued. "What do you mean?"

Mori explains the arrival of Trunks, the son of Vegeta and Bulma, from a future where the world was ravaged by androids. "Trunks warned us that in his timeline, androids wiped out everyone. Krillen, Vegeta, Piccolo,...except, in his timeline, I don't exist."

Batman's eyes narrow. "You don't exist?"

Mori shrugs. "Nope. For some reason, I was never born in his future. Anyway, we had two years to prepare for these androids, and we trained hard for it."

Mori's expression darkens as he recounts the next phase of the story. He talks about taking Vegeta into space to train him, toughening him up in preparation for the androids. "We spent a year out there. Vegeta's strong, really strong, but...well, he's no Goku." 

The group listens intently as Mori describes the android saga—how the androids 17 and 18 appeared, their overwhelming strength, and how they easily defeated Vegeta and the others. Wonder Woman, intrigued, interrupts. "If you were stronger than your friends, why didn't you step in and defeat them?"

Mori sighs and deadpans, "I didn't want to."

The room falls silent, and the League stares at him, incredulous. Mori, completely unfazed, shrugs. "I was curious, I guess. Wanted to see how things would play out. Besides, the androids left before things got too crazy. They weren't as bad as Trunks had made them out to be...not yet, anyway."

As the story progresses, Mori explains how Cell, the bio-android, entered the picture, absorbing 17 and 18 to reach his "Perfect Form." He casually recounts how he allowed Cell to absorb the androids, much to the horror of the League.

Superman, now visibly concerned, interrupts, "Wait...you let Cell absorb the androids? Why?!"

Mori smirks at Superman's distress. "I was bored, Superman. It had been years since I had a good fight."

Green Lantern can't hold back his frustration. "That's insane! Why would you do that?"

Mori simply shrugs again, his smirk never fading. "You ever get tired of being the strongest guy in the room? Sometimes you just need a challenge."

Batman's stoic face tightens for a moment, trying to process Mori's reckless logic. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, looks at Mori with a mix of bewilderment and fascination.

Mori continues, describing how Cell, in his Perfect Form, easily dismantled Vegeta and even threatened to destroy the planet. It wasn't until Goku and Gohan emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber that the final battle began.

"I told Goku and Gohan not to interfere in my fight with Cell," Mori says, his tone growing serious. "I didn't want them involved. Cell was my responsibility. I let him reach that form, so I was going to be the one to put him down."

"Why?" Wonder Woman asks softly. "Why take that burden on yourself?"

Mori sighs, his eyes filled with regret. "Because...it was my fault. Cell wouldn't have reached that level if I hadn't let him. Gohan, as strong as he was, wasn't ready for that kind of fight. And Goku...my brother...he could see through me. He knew I wasn't as confident as I pretended to be."

Mori describes the intense battle in space between him and Perfect Cell, a clash so powerful that it shook the cosmos. They fought for hours, both warriors pushing themselves to their limits. Finally, Mori reveals the ultimate clash—Cell's Solar Kamehameha against Mori's full-powered Starscourge Blast. The fight nearly tore a hole through space itself before the blast exploded, obliterating them completely.

Silence fills the room as Mori finishes his tale. The League members are left speechless, each of them processing what they've just heard. Even Batman, ever the skeptic, seems at a loss for words. Superman, however, is the first to break the silence.

"You...you really are something else, Mori," Superman says, admiration in his voice.

Mori shrugs, his carefree smile returning. "That's just how it is. But don't worry, I'm not the only one. There are others out there—Goku, Vegeta, Gohan—who are just as strong, maybe stronger."

The League members exchange glances, realizing just how small their own battles seem in comparison to the cosmic-scale threats Mori has faced.

Suddenly, the room is interrupted by an alarm. Flash quickly checks the console, his face growing serious. "Uh, guys? We've got a problem."

Mori raises an eyebrow. "What kind of problem?"

Flash's voice is grim as he responds. "It looks like something—or someone—just entered the atmosphere. And they're heading straight for us."

Mori smirks, his excitement palpable. "Well then...looks like I'm about to meet more of your friends."