Beast Godization

In the third month after Caulifla was born, Gohan came to the base to find Kashu. His face was etched with exhaustion and frustration. He had hit a bottleneck in his Beast Form training. He could stay rational in Beast Form, but he couldn't infuse it with divine energy. Beast Form was primal life energy, while divine energy was the energy of cosmic order. The two seemed inherently incompatible, unable to coexist. "I've tried everything," Gohan said. "Compressing them, combining them, using them in turns. Every time I infuse Beast Form with divine energy, my body rejects it, like two incompatible liquids mixed together." Kashu listened in silence for a while. "Why are you trying to combine them?"

Gohan froze for a moment. "To get stronger." "Why get stronger?" "To... protect my family. Videl is pregnant, and I don't want my child to live in fear."

Kashu nodded. "That's the heart of the problem. Your motivation is right, but your method is wrong. You're trying to combine two powers through reason, but reason itself is the obstacle." "So I should stop using reason?" Gohan gave a bitter smile. "Last time, you told me to let go of control. Now you're telling me to let go of reason?" "Not let go," Kashu said. "Transcend it. Beast Form requires instinct; divine energy requires order. Instinct and order seem opposed, but at a higher level, they're one and the same. Like yin and yang, life and death, creation and destruction." Gohan pondered this. "You need to find a state where instinct and order no longer clash, but complement each other. The beast is no longer a mad beast, and the god is no longer a cold god. They become one complete, unified you." "A complete me?" "Exactly," Kashu said. "You're not a beast, and you're not a god. You're Son Gohan. A person of flesh and blood, with feelings and reason. Beast Form and divine energy are both parts of you, not foreign things. You don't need to combine them. You just need to... accept them." Gohan closed his eyes, absorbing Kashu's words. Accept them. Not control them, not combine them, but accept them.

He thought of the news that Videl was pregnant, and of the shock he'd felt when he first realized his bloodline would continue. It was the power of life, the power of instinct, the most primal and purest animal urge: to protect one's offspring. He also thought of what he'd learned at West City University, of all those theories about the universe, life, and existence. That was the power of order, the power of reason, the foundation of what made humans human. Instinct and order, animal nature and human nature, weren't opposites.

Together, they made him who he was. Gohan opened his eyes, a glimmer flashing in them. "I understand." Gohan returned home to West City. Videl was making dinner in the kitchen, her belly already slightly rounded. Hearing him, she poked her head out. "Gohan? Weren't you going to the base? Why are you back so soon?"

"I figured it out," Gohan said with a smile. "Figured what out?" "Everything." Videl frowned. "What are you talking about?" Gohan walked over and hugged her from behind, resting his hands on her belly. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you for making me a father." Videl blushed. "Y-you're being so sentimental today!"

Gohan didn't answer. He simply held her quietly, feeling the life growing inside her. That tiny, not-yet-formed life carried his bloodline, his past and his future. His body began to glow. It wasn't the dark red light of Beast Form, nor the silvery-white light of Mystic Form. It was a completely new light, one no one had ever seen before: golden radiance streaked with deep red, like lava flowing across golden earth. Videl jumped in fright. "Gohan! You..."

"It's all right," Gohan said, his voice calm and warm. "I'm just... being myself." The light grew brighter, filling the entire house. Videl felt no discomfort. Instead, she felt warm and safe, as if wrapped in her mother's arms. Gohan's body began to change. His black hair turned gold, but not the gold of a Super Saiyan. It was deeper and richer, like a field of wheat in autumn. His eyes turned dark red, with slit pupils, but there was no beastly madness in them, only profound serenity. No aura or halo surrounded him, only a faint, sacred presence, like a breeze brushing across a lake.

Beast Godization Form. A perfect union of beast and god. Gohan released Videl and walked into the yard. He gazed up at the sky, his arms hanging naturally at his sides.

"This is... the complete me." He gently clenched his fist. A wave of energy shot from his palm straight into the sky. It passed through the atmosphere, the solar system, and the galaxy, then disappeared into the depths of space. The power contained in that energy wave made the entire Earth tremble. At the base, Kashu set down his teacup and looked in Gohan's direction. "He did it," he said with a smile. Android 18, holding Caulifla, asked, "How strong is Gohan now?"

"He's on par with my God Form 2," Kashu said, "and he still has room to grow. His Beast Godization Form is an entirely new power system, unconstrained by existing limits. His potential... may be greater than mine." "That's the second time today you've said someone has greater potential than you," Android 18 said. "First Caulifla, now Gohan. Aren't you worried?" Kashu shook his head. "I've never pursued being the strongest. I pursue the safety of Earth. The stronger Gohan gets, the safer Earth will be."

Android 18 gazed at her husband, affection in her eyes. "You're a strange man." "Maybe." Caulifla wriggled in her mother's arms, pointed toward Gohan, and babbled. She seemed to sense his powerful energy, excitedly waving her little hands. "You want to get stronger too?" Android 18 asked her daughter.

Caulifla giggled and clapped. "Just like your dad, a little battle maniac." The next day, Gohan came to the base to be tested by Kashu.

The two stood in the middle of the training ground, the air tense. Goku, Vegeta, Cell, Piccolo, and the others had all come to watch. Even Buu had put down his ice cream and was watching intently from the stands. "Give it everything you've got," Kashu said. "Don't hold back." Gohan nodded and transformed into Beast Godization Form. His hair turned gold, his eyes deep red. No aura surrounded him, only a faint sacred presence. He looked like he was in his ordinary state, yet everyone could sense the terrifying power within him. Kashu transformed into God Form 2 as well. His hair turned white, his eyes gold, and a sacred halo surrounded him. Their divine energies faced off in the training ground. The air began to warp, and cracks appeared in the stone tiles. The protective barrier around the stands ran at full power, barely holding back the energy surges. "Begin." They moved at the same time.

They were moving so fast that even Goku couldn't keep up. Only afterimages and the sounds of impacts remained in the training ground—bang! Bang! Bang! Each strike shook the entire base.

Gohan's fighting style was no longer as academic as before. It was freer and more fluid, every punch a perfect blend of instinct and reason, combining the beast's ferocity with a martial artist's precision. Kashu's style was steadier and more seasoned. God Form gave him absolute control; every move was perfectly measured, not a fraction too much or too little. They traded hundreds of blows without either gaining the upper hand. "Stop," Kashu suddenly called. Gohan stopped and reverted from Beast Godization Form.

"Your strength is now on par with mine," Kashu said, "but your stamina is better. Beast Godization Form takes less out of you than my form does." "Really?" Gohan asked, scarcely believing it. "Really," Kashu said. "You're now the second divine warrior of the Earth Guardians." Goku leaped down from the stands and excitedly clapped Gohan on the shoulder. "That's amazing! Gohan, you've finally surpassed me!" Gohan scratched his head sheepishly. "Dad, I haven't surpassed you..." "You have," Vegeta said coldly. "Your strength is now above mine and Kakarot's. I don't want to admit it, but that's the truth." Cell walked up to Gohan and offered his hand. "Congratulations, Gohan."

Gohan shook Cell's hand. "Thanks." Buu floated over and circled Gohan twice. "Gohan smells different. He doesn't smell as delicious as before." "What did I smell like before?" Gohan asked with a helpless laugh. "Sweet, like cotton candy. Now you smell salty, like roasted meat." Everyone burst out laughing.

Watching Gohan, Kashu felt a rush of emotion. Seven years ago, Gohan had been a child who needed his protection. Now he'd grown into a comrade who could fight by his side.

"Gohan," Kashu said, "from today onward, you'll serve as deputy leader of the Earth Guardians. When I'm away, you'll be in command." Gohan froze. "Me? But Dad and Vegeta..." "You're more suited to it than they are," Kashu said. "You have a talent for combat and a scholar's reason. You can make the calmest decisions in the most chaotic moments." Goku nodded repeatedly. "Kashu's right! Gohan, you should accept!" Vegeta snorted, but didn't object. Gohan took a deep breath and nodded. "All right. I accept." Applause rang out across the training ground. Son Gohan, the boy who had once erupted with power during the Cell Games, had grown into the deputy leader of the Earth Guardians, a divine warrior. His story was only just beginning.