Hey guys,
Sorry, but it's been a great ride — and this is where it all ends. I just don't have the motivation to continue this fanfic anymore paired with complaints for people.
Please enjoy this last chapter. Thank you to everyone who has read, supported, and followed the story from the beginning. It really means a lot to me.
--+---------
The last shimmer of Future Max's chakra faded into the air, leaving only silence in its wake.
Thena stood there for a long moment, tears still clinging to her lashes. She took a deep, shaky breath and steadied herself before finally turning toward the door. Max watched her quietly, saying nothing—he knew better than to speak now.
When she reached the doorway, she paused and looked back at him.
"I need some time alone... please don't follow me," she said softly.
He gave a small nod, and without another word, Thena opened the door and slipped out. A faint gust of wind followed her departure, then a sharp boom echoed in the distance as she broke the sound barrier.
Max stood there for a few seconds, the quiet pressing down on him, before exhaling and muttering, "Guess that's that." He dropped onto the couch, figuring he'd sleep there in case she came back before morning.
The moment his head touched the cushion, sleep claimed him.
When his eyes opened again, sunlight was already streaming through the windows. A familiar voice called out above him.
"Did you stay up all night again, Dad?"
Max groaned, his vision still blurry, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. "Morning already…?" he mumbled, blinking up at younger Thena's standing over him
----------------------------
After breakfast, Max and Thena arrived at their training grounds in their usual fashion — via teleportation.
Thena frowned as she scanned the area. The trees were still there, taller and somehow more alive than before, but the ground told another story. It was barren — no grass, no flowers, just cracked and scorched earth stretching out around them.
"What happened here?" Thena asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Oh, that…" Max scratched the back of his neck. "It happened yesterday when I was cutting loose during training."
"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Thena demanded, crossing her arms in a pout. "I would've loved to see you go all out."
"I hadn't exactly planned it," Max replied. "It just sorta… happened. And besides, it would've been too dangerous for you to be here at the time."
"I guess that's fair," she sighed. "But I still want to see you next time."
"I don't know," Max said with a shrug. "We'll see."
"So this was you at full power?" Thena muttered, crouching down and scooping up a handful of blackened soil, letting the brittle earth crumble through her fingers.
"No," Max said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I wasn't actually going all out. I'd only go full power against a serious threat — like I told you before. This was just me at… roughly sixty percent."
"No way," Thena said, eyes widening in disbelief.
"Yes way," Max smirked. "Now give me laps, as usual."
Thena sighed but did as told, taking off across the scorched clearing with blinding speed.
Max watched her go, then let his arms fall as his expression grew more distant.
He'd learned a lot from his future self — things that still left his mind spinning. One of them being that he… somehow ended up with Wonder Woman.
Like, how? he thought, rubbing his temples. We're not even on good terms. She probably hates me after that last fight — especially since a few of her hero friends ended up in the ICU afterward.
He grimaced at the memory. And it's not like I've got a great impression of her either, so how the hell does that even happen?
But what concerned him most wasn't the "how." It was the consequences.
Thena's parentage.
If it were up to him, he'd rather not bring it up at all. But Thena deserved to know her full parentage. The problem was how to tell her. He could already imagine the scenario.
He tells her. She demands to meet her mother.
Then he has to go explain the situation to Wonder Woman.
Yeah, right.
He could already picture himself walking into the Hall of Justice, terrifying everyone as he appears out of nowhere, then awkwardly saying:
"I know this sounds crazy, but… you and I have a daughter."
He'd probably die on the spot from the cringe alone.
Even if he did go and tell Wonder Woman and she actually accepts it .Max could already imagine the fiasco that would follow.
Diana would probably want Thena to live with her, which would never happen. That was non-negotiable. Then they'd have to "work together" to raise her, deal with awkward family dinners and probably arguing about what's best for Thena.
And that wasn't even the half of it.
There was still future Thena , who might just end up staying with them. Which would be a disaster waiting to happen, because under no circumstances could young Thena find out she has an older version of herself living under the same roof.
Then there was what his future self had said before fading away: beware of Thawne.
Great, he thought bitterly. Does that mean he has to go hunt him down and kill him again?
And as if that wasn't enough, there was Terra.
From what he'd overheard between his future self and future Thena, he must've ended up adopting her. Which meant if he didn't do it this time, Thena would probably blame herself for saying too much and messing with the timeline.
Just thinking about all of this was enough to make his head throb.
He sighed, dragging a hand down his face.He missed the days those days where it was always about him getting stronger to survive what was coming.
But still, fighting Thena hadn't been for nothing. The fight had pushed his current Template Synchronization Progress from 3.59% all the way to 5.37% — a significant leap.
That progress came with noticeable changes, he could now project Ki blasts and even sense the life energy of living beings around him. If this growth continued, it was only a matter of time before he gained the ability to fly using Ki.
Status Window(updated)
Name: Max Schiller
Current Template: Goku Black [ 5.37%]
Completed Templates: Madara Uchiha, Might Guy, Monkey D. Garp, Logan (Wolverine)
Obtained Items: Madara's Sengoku Armor, Gunbai Uchiwa + Scythe, Might Guy's Green Jumpsuit, Garp's Marine Haori, Wolverine's Hero Suit
Max created a wood clone, which vanished in a flicker of golden light — the mark of the Flying Thunder God. He'd sent it to handle Terra's situation back home, trusting it to deal with things ,he wasn't in the mood of comforting someone.
Yawning, Max sat cross-legged on the barren earth and closed his eyes, letting the quiet settle in around him.
Nanda Parbat
Pain's eyes snapped open to find Zetsu hovering inches from his face — so close that if either of them moved, they'd practically kiss.
Pain flinched back as zetsu also backed off gracefully several meters away"What," he asked calmly, "were you doing?"
Zetsu chuckled, entirely unbothered. "I was doing absolutely nothing," he replied, his tone far too cheerful to be convincing.
Pain's eyes narrowed. Something about Zetsu's behavior was... off. Stranger than usual. But he decided not to push it and simply turned toward the door. "Stay close, but out of sight," he ordered as he unsealed the entrance and stepped out.
The moment Pain was gone, Zetsu let out a long, relieved sigh.
That was close.
If Max ever found out what he'd really been doing, he'd probably tear him apart. After all, Zetsu had recently disguised himself as Pain, and using his voice and his authority to issue one... rather unusual command to the League of Assassins.
He'd ordered every assassin to tell him what it feels like to poop.
Their answers, however, had been disappointingly inconsistent.
Some described it as "an intense moment of relief after carrying a heavy burden," while others said it was "a fleeting moment of bliss where you momentarily forget all the problems in the world."
He was probably not attempting that again anytime soon—unless he wanted to get himself killed. Zetsu let out a long, defeated sigh, then sank to the ground and followed after Pain.
Pain walked toward the courtyard, where the steady chorus of training filled the air. Shadows moved through drills and kata in precise, mechanical rhythm. On the raised platform, Ra's, Lady Shiva, and Talia stood waiting. Ra's and Lady Shiva bowed as Pain approached; Talia followed, reluctant but respectful.
"Ah," Pain said, taking in their presence. "So you have returned."
"Yes," Talia replied, her voice neutral.
"Good," Pain said coolly. "I hope you did not commit any acts of stupidity in my absence."
"I assure you I did not," Talia answered.
"Good." Pain turned his attention to Ra's. "It has come to my attention that we have a very capable biologist working for us."
"We do," Ra's replied. "His name is Dr. Kirk Langstrom. Shall I bring him before you?"
"Yes," Pain said. "And prepare a lab for his next project. See to it."
"It shall be done," Ra's said, bowing slightly before striding off to carry out the order.
Pain then fixed Talia with a hard look. "I am also aware you have a small group of capable individuals under your command. I want you to gather them."
Talia's brow tightened. "I don't know what you mean."
"Mad Hatter. Onyx Adams. I am pretty sure you know them," Pain answered. "Bring them here as soon as possible."
Talia ground her teeth but gave a curt nod. "It shall be done," she said, and turned away.
Pain's gaze then landed on Sandra. "You will be aiding me in turning this—useless cannon fodder—into usable tools," he said bluntly.
"Then shall we begin?" Sandra asked.
End of chapter.
---------
Ha, gotcha!
You really thought I was dropping the fanfic? Fat chance! It hasn't even reached the good parts I've got planned, so I'm not going anywhere — at least not as long as you keep supporting me.
Anyway, I want to hear from you guys — what do you think this fanfic needs to improve? What's it lacking right now, and how can I make it even better? Drop your thoughts below!