Darkness.
Then pain.
These were Toji's first sensations as consciousness returned.
He floated in a viscous blue-green liquid, tubes and wires connecting to various parts of his body. The steady hum of machinery surrounded him, monitoring his vital signs with clinical precision.
Through the curved glass of the healing tank, he could make out a dimly lit medical chamber filled with advanced technology.
The Cold Empire's most sophisticated medical facility, he guessed, though he had no memory of being brought here.
His last memory was of Dragon Slug disintegrating in a vortex of black energy, then... nothing.
As his mind cleared further, he attempted to move, only to discover he couldn't. His body felt wrong - incomplete. Before panic could set in, a voice spoke directly into his mind.
"It seems you're awake."
The voice was refined, cultured, with a hint of playfulness that seemed incongruous with the sterile surroundings.
More importantly, it was a voice Toji recognized - one that shouldn't be here yet, one he'd only heard through a screen in his previous life.
'Who are you?' Toji thought, unable to speak aloud through the breathing apparatus in his mouth.
"My name is Whis!" the voice replied cheerfully. "How delightful that you are able to still communicate with me. That will make this conversation so much more efficient."
A tall, blue-skinned figure with an elaborate white hairstyle stepped into view, tapping his staff lightly against the floor as he approached the tank.
His expression was pleasant, even friendly, though his eyes held unfathomable depths of knowledge.
'Whoever you are... How are you here?' Toji managed to project mentally.
"Such curiosity! Excellent!" Whis replied, circling the tank with measured steps. "I'm here because you, Lord Duskborn, have done something rather remarkable. But before we discuss that, perhaps you should understand your current condition."
Whis tapped his staff against the tank, and suddenly Toji could see himself as if looking in a mirror.
What he saw made his heart - his apparently artificial heart - skip a beat.
His body was a ruin.
His left arm was completely gone, the shoulder ending in expertly healed but unmistakable evidence of how it was bitten off.
A lightning-like scar ran diagonally across his face, from his right temple down past his nose to his left lip. His right leg was noticeably damaged compared to his left.
Most disturbing were the burn-like markings covering his body - branching patterns that resembled lightning or fractalized veins, darkest at his core and spreading outward.
'What... happened to me?' Toji projected, shock evident in his mental voice.
"You attempted to channel destruction energy without divine ki," Whis explained matter-of-factly. "Quite impressive, actually! But also extraordinarily foolish. Your mortal body simply couldn't contain such power. For without the calmness of the divine, it lashed out against you."
Whis gestured to various machines connected to the tank. "These are keeping you alive. You require machinery to breathe and for your heart to beat properly. The damage was... extensive."
'Why am I not healed?' Toji asked, his mental voice steady despite his internal turmoil. 'Did they not give me any Senzu beans? Did they not work?'
"I'm afraid not," Whis replied, his expression turning sympathetic. "Your friends already tried. Destruction energy damage can only be healed by upper divine beings. Even those remarkable Senzu beans cannot repair what has been fundamentally unmade."
Whis tapped his staff again, causing the mirror image to zoom in on Toji's missing left arm.
"Your arm hasn't regrown despite the Senzu bean they fed you while you slumbered. The destruction energy you channeled has altered your very essence. Conventional healing methods are... inadequate."
A long silence followed as Toji absorbed this information. Yet despite the grim prognosis, he noticed something strange.
Despite his grievous injuries, despite being on life support, he had never felt stronger. His ki reserves were vast - far greater than before his transformation, perhaps quadruple what they had been.
'My power...' he began.
"Has increased dramatically," Whis finished with a knowing smile. "Approximately... fifteen trillion in your measurements of power level, if I'm not mistaken. Roughly four times your transformed state. Even slightly mightier than King Cold at his full power now. Fascinating, isn't it? The body adapts, even as it breaks down."
'How is that possible?' Toji wondered, genuinely confused.
"The destruction energy has fundamentally changed your ki," Whis explained. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, as the saying goes. And you came very, very close to death indeed."
Toji considered this, 'So I'm stronger but broken. Wonderful.'
Whis chuckled at Toji's sarcasm. "You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this and who I even am - formally speaking, of course."
'Yes, I would very much like to know,' Toji responded dryly.
"I am Whis, attendant angel and teacher to Lord Beerus, the God of Destruction for this universe," Whis announced with a slight bow.
"And you, Lord Duskborn, are the first being I have ever encountered who independently understood the essence of destruction. Your only failure was applying it without divine ki."
Toji's surprise was evident even in his mental projection. 'You've been... watching me?'
"Oh yes, for some time now," Whis confirmed cheerfully. "You're quite the anomaly! Which brings me to my proposition."
Whis tapped his staff once more, and the liquid in the tank began to drain away slightly below head level. As the breathing apparatus detached from Toji's mouth, he gasped, finding breathing difficult and painful.
"I would like to offer you the chance to become a God of Destruction candidate," Whis stated, his tone suddenly serious.
"What?" Toji managed to croak, his voice hoarse from disuse.
"If you can create even a single drop of divine ki," Whis continued, "I will heal you completely myself."
Toji stared at the angel, trying to process the enormity of what was being offered. "How... how would I even begin to do that?"
"That's the challenge!" Whis replied, his cheerfulness returning. "Oh, and before I forget, I should explain something important about your current condition."
Whis moved closer to the tank, his expression becoming more serious. "All your previous enhancement techniques - the Kaio-ken, your newly created transformation - are now unusable. Your ki has become inherently destructive and cannot be controlled to that extent in its current state."
"What?" Toji's voice was stronger now, edged with frustration.
"You need divine ki to create a vessel to contain and channel the destructive energy," Whis explained patiently.
"Destructive ki doesn't simply disappear - it must be channeled, used, and intentionally dispersed. Something you cannot do without control over its nature."
Toji's face darkened with anger and frustration. "So I'm crippled AND handicapped?"
"Not entirely," Whis assured him. "Your basic ki manipulation abilities - telekinesis, energy projection, and the like - remain functional. Just be careful not to overexert yourself."
Toji's expression remained stormy, his jaw clenched in barely contained rage.
"Don't look so glum!" Whis said with a slightly mischievous smile. "This is a magnificent opportunity! Besides, it's not all bad. Your face is still quite handsome, and your... lower appendage works completely fine, so Lady Freeza should not be disappointed."
Despite himself, Toji felt heat rising to his face. "That's... that's not-"
Whis laughed lightly at Toji's embarrassment. "I've brought you some gifts to help with your new condition."
With a wave of his staff, Whis conjured a complete Darth Vader suit, laying it carefully on a large white table that appeared beside the tank.
"I made this suit from a material I created myself, combining the properties of the most durable and comfortable substances in the universe," Whis explained proudly.
"It should be quite comfortable, with temperature regulation and enhanced systems to aid your breathing and heart function when connected. I believe you probably like the appearance, no? I've watched the movies recently, you've become Darth Vader - literally!" Whis stated with a smile.
After a long unamused silence from Toji, he continued.
Next to the suit, Whis placed a gleaming prosthetic arm. "This can channel ki and will warn you when destructive energy reaches dangerous levels in your body. Think of it as a monitor for your condition."
"And finally," Whis continued, creating one last item with a flourish of his staff, "this."
In his hand appeared what was unmistakably a lightsaber hilt, sleek and metallic with simple activation controls.
"This can only be activated with ki," Whis explained. "I've observed you enough to know you enjoy these sabers. I find them quite entertaining myself - perhaps I'll visit Earth someday to watch more than only those movies."
Toji stared at the device, momentarily forgetting his injuries. "Is that... real?"
"As real as anything," Whis replied with a smile. "But more importantly, it serves a purpose. This saber can withstand your destruction ki and will be your metric for success. If you channel your ki into it and the blade manifests as purple instead of black, you'll have created genuine God of Destruction energy."
Whis placed the lightsaber beside the suit and prosthetic arm. "That will signal me to return, heal you completely, and acknowledge your new status as a God of Destruction candidate."
Toji's mind raced.
A chance to heal completely.
A path to divine power.
A way forward from this broken state.
"Why help me?" he finally asked. "Why offer this chance?"
"Because potential should be nurtured," Whis replied simply. "And you have shown remarkable potential indeed. Besides, Lord Beerus has been sleeping for some time now. It's good to have... options."
With these cryptic words, Whis stepped back. "I must be going now. Do please try the suit - you'll geniunely find it quite accommodating."
Before Toji could ask any more questions, Whis tapped his staff on the floor and vanished in a column of light.
Left alone with his thoughts and Whis's gifts, Toji focused on his telekinesis. The glass of the healing tank cracked, then shattered as he exerted his will, freeing himself from his medical prison.
Water pooled around his feet as he stood unsteadily, favoring his left leg. With careful movements, he made his way to the table where the Vader suit lay waiting.
Piece by piece, he donned the armor, the knowledge how to do so appearing in his mind (he guessed that to be Whis's doing.)
Each component connected seamlessly to the next, the material both supportive and surprisingly lightweight.
As the chest plate locked into place, he felt his breathing ease, the suit's systems synchronizing with the machinery keeping him alive.
The prosthetic arm attached to his right shoulder with a satisfying click, responding to his thoughts as if it were his original limb. He flexed the mechanical fingers, testing their responsiveness.
Finally, he lifted the helmet, staring into its empty eye sockets. This was no longer a costume, no longer a choice.
This was necessity.
This was survival.
As he lowered the helmet over his scarred face, the mechanical breathing system activated, filling the room with its rhythmic sound. The world took on a red-tinted clarity through the helmet's visual processors.
In that moment, the medical chamber door burst open. Vegeta entered first, followed closely by Goku, Bulma, Freeza, Nappa, and Piccolo.
Behind them came Krillin, Yamcha, and Gohan, all wearing expressions of surprise (where'd he get the suit?), concern, and relief.
"Toji!" Bulma exclaimed, rushing forward. "You're awake! We've been so worried!"
"Are you alright?" Goku asked, his usual cheerfulness tempered by genuine concern.
Toji regarded them silently for a moment, the mechanical breathing filling the awkward pause.
Despite his internal frustration at his condition, he recognized the blessing hidden within it - his unprecedented increase in power.
"I am... functional," he finally responded, his voice transformed by the helmet's modulator.
He moved forward, each step deliberate and measured. As he passed between them, they instinctively stepped aside, feeling the pressure of his presence - a weight of power that hadn't been there before, even at his previous peak.
Without another word, Toji walked out of the medical chamber, leaving his friends staring after him in confused silence.
He had a new path now - a divine proposition to consider.
He had more power now than ever.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he truly felt like he existed in a realm of his own.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Some of you probably don't like this, but well... There needs to be a price. If there was no price for his arrogance- for him to try to do what a 'god' did so prematurely, then it would just honestly be... bullshit. Excuse my language.
So yeah, I hope you all still stick around, since he technically isn't nerfed. He is far stronger, just worse stamina, and needs to relearn to fight now, with his body's limitations.
I hope to see you all later, Well...
Bye!)