Chapter 1: The World Champ's Task

"I… I am Perfect!"

The loud wailing shook the very Earth around them as a wave of Blue Energy consumed the screaming being. As the Kamehameha engulfed him, every body part, every molecule down to the most basic Cell started to disintegrate. With a flash of light, it was over. The enemy of the World was destroyed, everyone was saved.

Cell had been defeated.

Several metres from where Cell had previously been, a golden light began to flicker until it completely dissipated to show a young boy with dark hair and even darker eyes. Slowly he began to descend to the ground. He was exhausted, beyond anything a normal person should have experienced. But he was not normal. He had just fought perhaps the Greatest Battle in history… and he won.

With a loud thud, he fell into the ground beneath him, a slight smile on his face. The smile grew bigger and bigger until he began to laugh softly.

'I did it, Father. I made you proud.' he thought.

'You did, Gohan' replied a voice 'I could never be as proud of you as I am now.'

Gohan's smile grew as his eyes began to shut and soon, he fell into unconsciousness; a well-deserved rest for the young saviour of the world. Soon other figures appeared beside him, all with smiles on their faces.

"I can't believe he did it" stated Krillin "I mean, I can sort of believe it but it's just… it's just so amazing, you know?"

Yamcha nodded.

"I feel you, man. If not Goku then Gohan, he's definitely his father's son" he said

Right beside where Gohan lay, a green man bent over, a slight smirk on his face.

"You did well, kid." Piccolo said to the sleeping Saiyan

Nearby, a solitary Saiyan stood beside a fallen warrior. Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans, the proudest of all the warriors present was not smiling, not even after that victory. He looked down at the young man sprawled out in a pool of blood. They may have beaten Cell but at what cost.

'Kakarot that damned fool is gone… and my son… Trunks… he's gone too. I wasn't strong enough.' he solemnly thought to himself

It had taken the death of his own flesh and blood for him to realize that maybe he wasn't as powerful as he thought himself to be. With a growing pain on his face, he looked down towards his companions then back to his fallen son.

'There must be another way. Kakarot died without fear. What does that make of me? I… I need to find this way.'

He looked back down to the others with Piccolo noticing him. With a curt nod to the Namekian, Vegeta took off towards the skies, towards the two people he thought could help him find this new way.

"We should get Gohan to Dende, Trunks too." Tien said as he knelt down beside Piccolo.

Piccolo nodded before looking towards a figure cowering behind a rock formation.

"Take him to Dende, guys. I'll catch up." he said.

Tien and Krillin nodded and promptly picked up Gohan gingerly before taking off towards Kami's Lookout, followed by Yamcha who had gone to retrieve Future Trunk's body. Piccolo began to walk towards the huge boulders, towards the man who had been watching them, shaking with fear. His Afro was frizzy and slightly singed; dirt had caked up onto his tanned skin. He was scared of the Green Man who was walking towards him.

"Can you walk, Mr. Satan?" Piccolo asked him.

Hercule Satan nodded.

"Good, I need you to come with me for a moment." said the Namekian.

Hercule looked around him towards the unconscious bodies of his students and news crew.

"Will they be ok?" he asked Piccolo.

Piccolo nodded.

"Yes, just knocked out. We'll be back before they wake up."

He walked over and stood behind Mr. Satan and grabbed his shoulders. Mr. Satan gulped before being thrust into the air, held by the flying Green Man.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"To meet the Guardian of the Earth" replied Piccolo "God, in a sense."

The trip to Kami's Lookout was uneventful, though Hercule Satan was in awe of how high they were. These were no tricks, as he had previously thought. There was no way that wires and cables could reach this high and yet, they were flying without any machine. Soon after, they reached a building in the sky. The floor comprised of white tiles that almost glimmered in the sun, lined with trees green enough to make the jungles near the Southern Continent jealous.

"We're here. Come, we have much to discuss." Piccolo said as he placed the World Champion down.

In the distance, Gohan was surrounded by the men that Hercule saw earlier. The ones who had helped the boy fight Cell at the very end. Another Green Man who looked almost like the man he arrived with was knelt down beside the boy, his hands raised above his body. Mr. Satan's eyes widened a little as he saw a yellowish glow surround the smaller Namekian's hands and the young boy's body. As he watched, the scratches, bruises and cuts on Gohan's body began to disappear and close. Giant gashes and cuts began to close up and were soon replaced by faint scarring. The worst of the injuries the boy had sustained was along his left shoulder. While the wound had closed and healed up, it left a much more pronounced scar that ran along his collarbone down towards the back of his elbow.

"Amazing…" Mr. Satan muttered "how?"

He moved closer and met eyes with the one healing the boy. The Namekian smiled at him as the yellow glow around them disappeared. He stood up, dusted himself off and began to speak.

"Mr. Popo, could you bring the Dragon Balls here?"

The next 30 minutes was like a blur to Mr. Satan. Everything seemed to go by both fast and slow, but every moment confusing. They had gathered a bunch of Orange spheres and not soon after, a giant Dragon appeared in the sky, asking them for wishes. His heart eased a little when he heard them wish the destruction Cell had left in his wake away, as well as bringing back the Lavender haired man he saw back to life. The young saviour who had beaten Cell was up and about like he hadn't just gone through the most intense fight in existence. He began to wonder how this was all possible. Everything he had seen today seemed like the kind of magic you'd read about in a fantasy story and yet here it all was before him, all real. No one seemed to pay attention to him and they all talked amongst each other like they were at a family reunion. For someone like the World Champ who was used to having cameras and loyal fans following his every move, he had never felt more invisible in his life. And on top of that, he still had to meet "God".

The one called Dende began to walk towards Mr. Satan and Piccolo, a slight look of apprehension on his face.

"Welcome, Hercule Satan. I am Dende. I am the Guardian of the Earth." he greeted the slightly shaking man.

"So, you're God?" he asked.

"Essentially, but I am still learning my duties."

Dende then turned towards Piccolo.

"So, Piccolo" he began to say "what was this plan of yours and why did you bring Mr. Satan here?"

Piccolo looked towards Hercule with a serious look upon his face.

"Hercule Satan, what we have to ask of you isn't something we might all want. But it's necessary. Can you do what must be done?"

The World Champ took a big gulp and nodded. What were they about to ask of him? Piccolo leant down, close enough to a whisper that the few others on the lookout would not hear.

"When you return down to Earth, we need you to tell everyone… that you were the one to beat Cell."

Hercule Satan's eyes opened wide. His mouth was agape.

"You want me to what?" he exclaimed in disbelief "But what about the boy? He was the one to do it; he was the one that saved the world."

Dende frowned slightly, picking up on what Piccolo had in mind and agreeing with his judgement.

"He's just that. A boy"

"He's just lost his father and I know his mother well enough that they might not handle everything well, especially if the World begins to search for him and hound him" Piccolo stated.

Hercule sighed. They did have a point and who was he to deny the request of God.

"I-I'll do it but… I don't really feel right about it" he said "I didn't really do anything."

He looked at Dende who smiled gently.

"Not necessarily true. You may have been out-classed by Cell. But you did show up, regardless. The Public still needs a Hero to look up to and we don't think he should be put through that, especially at his age and with everything going on in his life now."

That still didn't ease Mr. Satan's conscience. Sure, he was used to it all, being the World Champ and all. He had spent the past few years bad mouthing all the previous fighters before him for these tricks and yet, after today. How could he? He had seen everything with his own eyes unfold before him. This was all so very real.

"I… I guess you're right. Especially with his father gone, he is still just a boy" Mr. Satan said "I just don't feel good about what's going to happen when I do tell the World. He deserves some of that recognition."

Mr. Satan looked towards the boy off in the distance. He had a smile on his face but deep down, you could tell he was missing something within him. No boy should have to watch his father die in front of him like that. Piccolo took notice of Hercule's expression and spoke.

"I expect that the World will want to reward you for your 'services'. Alright, here's what you can do."

Hercule looked up at the taller Namekian.

"Tell me what I can do to help"

"Meet us at Mount Frypan in 2 months. The boy and his Mother will need time to grieve. We can discuss an arrangement on how they can be rewarded for their service to the people without the public knowing."

"Mt Frypan?" Hercule wondered "Isn't that where the tyrant Ox King lives?"

Dende chuckled lightly.

"I wouldn't call the Ox King a Tyrant from what I've seen. He's the boy's Grandfather and is as gentle as they come."

"HE'S ROYALTY?" Mr. Satan yelled "How do you expect him to stay hidden from the world then? Especially after everything that's happen."

"We'll handle that" Piccolo stated "No one really knows that the Ox King has a Grandson. The world will find out when the boy is ready. For now, you can meet the Ox King and his Daughter in 2 months and discuss a way to help them then."

"Very well" Mr. Satan replied "I'll do it and meet them then. God knows that the boy deserves something for what he's done."

Dende laughed at the human's choice of words.

"I do know that hahaha. Just remember Mr. Satan. You must not tell anyone about anything that happened here. Piccolo if you could be so kind to escort our guest back down."

Piccolo nodded and gripped Hercule again by his shoulders. As soon as they landed besides the still unconscious reporter, he was off again. Hercule sighed as the green figure disappeared into the sky. He looked down at the reporter who had begun to stir. The camera man beside him had woken up as well.

"Wha-what happened? Mr. Satan?" the reporter asked weakly.

"Is the camera still working?" the burly Champion asked.

The Camera-man nodded.

"We lost the feed connection for a while but I think I've got it back now."

He stood up and began to film Mr. Satan who was stood beside the now up reporter.

"Mr. Satan what happened? Is Cell gone? Where are the other fighters that were here?"

Hercule Satan took a deep breath and began to speak.

"WAHAHAHA! I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED! I HAPPENED!" he began to shout proudly.

"That oversized Cockroach was no match for me and my Megaton Punch!"

He looked at the Reporter and his students who had taken their place beside him.

'Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it' he began to repeat in his mind.

A wide grin appeared on the reporters face.

"Well there you have it, folks! It seems once again our beloved World Champion Mr. Satan has defended us from certain doom!"

A wave of relief came over Mr. Satan. He was almost in shock. There was no doubt they had seen all these 'tricks' during the battle and yet believed him.

"Tell us, Mr. Satan! What happened to those other fighters? What happened to the 'Delivery Boy' who had been fighting Cell earlier?" asked Caroni, the more flamboyant of his two present students.

Mr. Satan winced a little.

'The Delivery Boy… I… I wish everyone could know how much of a hero you really were, kid.'

"Well! He was fighting Cell alright but when he was starting to lose, he asked me to tag in for him!" Hercule Satan explained "I was the one to beat Cell but he did help me after all! Maybe one day I'll make him my student HAHAHA!"

Everyone looked up to him in awe as he stood there with his hands on his hips, chest puffed out, almost arrogantly. The Camera Feed was being broadcasted all over the World and soon, the entire world populace had begun to chant for their Hero: The Mighty Defeater of Cell. All including one young girl who sat in a large room, eyes glued to the Computer on which she had been watching the stream live. She smiled at the pictures on the screen as she held her black pigtails in her hands.

"You did it, Daddy" she muttered "I'm so proud."

She stood up in glee as her Father wasn't just the World Champion; he was the Saviour of the World. With a gentle twirl she sat back down at her desk and closed the stream. She moved the cursor down towards the taskbar and clicked the instance of Photoshop she had opened earlier. Sighing in admiration, she stared dreamily at the image she had screen shotted earlier. A young boy, dressed in a purple Gi with Golden Hair and Teal eyes who had held his own against the monster Cell. She hadn't been able to see all of the fight as the live feed had cut off but from what she had seen, he was… amazing.

She couldn't wait for her Dad, no her Hero to come back home. Maybe he could tell her more about the fight with Cell. Maybe he could tell her more about 'The Delivery Boy'.