Chapter 8: Fate


Age 780, Xeno Trunk's Timeline

The smoke billowed up from the fresh crater left in the wake of Broly's green energy blast, dispersing as Future Gohan dashed forward past it. Seconds later, a massive wall of muscle and green energy surged after him in the form of Broly, who held a monsterous smirk and grin as he extended out his right arm.

"What's wrong, Gohan?! Don't you care if I destroy your planet?"

Future Gohan suddenly disappeared into thin air a few feet ahead of Broly, causing the Legendary Super Saiyan to come to a halt in mid air. He lifted his chin, just in time to see Future Gohan suddenly bolting downward from the sky above with his one arm slamming into his head in a powerful power driver. Broly chuckled, completely still in mid air as the blow made contact. Future Gohan, however, yelped in pain and instinctively floating backward, pulling his arm into his chest in an awkward attempt to nurse it.

He coughed heavily, his throat constricted in Broly's hand encasing it within seconds, holding the dangling half Saiyan out in front of him. Future Gohan grimaced heavily, the fingers from his hand digging into Broly's exposed forearm while the Legendary Super Saiyan spoke with a dark tone.

"Keep running if you wish. But if you don't fight back...I'll just destroy this planet! You're father would be so ashamed, when I reunite you with him in death."

Future Gohan glared back in response, scrunching up his nose in frustration as he struggled to breathe. His arm shook heavily, slowly rising up to the side of his head with his fingers extended outward in a fanned out position while Broly watched the whole display in confusion.

"Solar...Flare!"

The Legendary Super Saiyan let out a small scream, tightly shutting his eyes and releasing his grip on Future Gohan's throat. The one armed Super Saiyan landed flat on his backside, taking a second to recollecting himself before bolting forward into an offensive flurry of punches and kicks. The sight of Broly being completely unfazed from the strikes caused Future Gohan to stop with a shocked expression of awe, completely offguard from Broly angrily swatting at him blindly with a powerful swing of his left arm. Flipping backwards into the ground, Future Gohan blasted through the cracked cement of the road and slowly sliding to a halt on his stomach.

His eyelids fluttered heavily, struggling to push himself off the ground while Broly broke out into a full sprint towards the collapsed Gohan. Future Gohan tensed his arms, preparing himself to take the full force of Broly's punt that was assured in his stride forward, but ducked his head from the small blast of blue energy striking the ground in between the two shortly.

Broly's eyes widened, the force of the blast catching him off guard with the wind nearly pushing him back alone. He turned his head to the left, his eyes locking onto the sight of the newly transformed Trunks slowly floating down to the ground. Future Gohan blinked heavily, raising an eyebrow.

"Trunks? Is...is that you?"

Trunks kept his narrowed, blue eyes trained on Broly, remaining silent at Gohan's question. Broly's narrowed eyes remained as he broke out into a smirk, turning his massive body to face towards Trunks.

"Ah...I remember you. That wizard told me I would only have to deal with Kakarot's worthless son...but it's only fitting that I end Prince Vegeta's legacy at the same time."

Trunks' strong glare remained unchanged, his tone flat.

"Are you really so blinded by your hate that you can't see just how outclassed you are, Broly? You should have never left your timeline; whatever Towa wanted you to accomplish stops here."

He raised his clenched fists, the glittering blue energy surging outwards in a violent surge.

"You will die."

Broly's eyes went wide, watching the blue aura suddenly shoot forward, Trunks having unsheathed his sword. With a thunderous roar, Trunks swung both of his arms up into the air before bringing the blade down, starting at Broly's massive right shoulder. The hatred in Trunks' blue eyes deepened once the blade had cleanly sliced through Broly's entire upper torso.

The Legendary Super Saiyan let out a strained hack, a small trail of blood flowing down the left side of his mouth. However, before he could make another sound, Trunks rapidly surged in a flurry of slashes, small white streaks shooting out from the force of his blows. The wind surged dramatically behind Broly, each slash resonating with a powerful blast of godly ki as Trunks continued to dice Broly into small pieces. The chunks of Saiyan flesh began to crumble down towards the ground as the green aura slowly faded away, before Trunks launched his free hand forward with an open palm that fired a massive wave of blue energy that barrelled forward towards an abandoned skyscraper, erupting into a small explosion shortly afterwards.

The calm winds of atmosphere caused Trunks' godly energy to billow forward from his body, the half Saiyan soon sliding his sword back into his sheath with a loud metal clang. He barely turned his head at the sound of Genn lightly landing on the ground a few feet away from him, Genn speaking up with a frown across his face.

"Are you really sure you have to do this?"

Trunks turned his eyes towards Future Gohan, who still struggled to sit upright in the crater. The blue aura slowly disappeared as he descended back down into his normal state, ignoring Genn and quickly kneeling down near the crater to help Future Gohan back up to his feet.

"Hey...it's alright. I've got you."

Future Gohan's own golden hair dropped back down into its normal appearance, fading to black while he smiled back at Trunks warmly.

"Thanks Trunks, I owe you one."

Trunks returned the smile, helping Gohan stand upright before taking a small step back.

"No...you don't. I'm returning the favor...you could never owe me for saving you."

Future Gohan chuckled back in response, shaking his head.

"Nah, Trunks, I don't know who that was. But that fighter was way stronger than 17 and 18 ever could be combined, and if you hadn't come when you did, I probably would've died from that next attack."

His smile grew into a wide grind, looking Trunks over from head to toe.

"But just look at you! You've gotten so much stronger; you beat that guy like it was nothing! And that transformation...what was that? I couldn't sense your energy at all; it's almost like you died!"

Trunks broke out into a small blush, glancing down.

"It's...umm...well, it's called Super Saiyan Blue. I got it from training with the Time Patrol, and I work with them to protect the timestream using that power."

Future Gohan blinked hard in response, but kept his smile.

"I see. So Bulma was able to finish her time machine after all, huh? You must've come from the future then?"

Trunks slowly nodded, still avoiding Gohan's stare as best he could.

"Yeah...we did. That fighter...wasn't supposed to be apart of this history. So we had to destroy him...to let history flow like it should."

Trunks blinked, however, the sudden weight of Gohan's hand landing on his shoulder causing him to immediately lift his chin.

"You're not that same little kid I found in the ruins a year ago, are you? It's great that you've really come into your own and doing so much good for everyone, I'm so proud of you!"

Trunks kept wide eyes for a moment, before his lips rose in a small, warm smile.

"Thanks."

Future Gohan nodded curtly, turning on his heel.

"Great...now that that's done, there's still the matter of dealing with 17 and 18 attacking the city."

Trunks' smile immediately morphed into a frown, watching Future Gohan glanced over his shoulder at the pair with an uncharacteristic grin.

"It probably won't be as big of a challenge for you with that power now...but I'm sure it'll be entertaining to see them try and stop you."

Trunks chuckled slightly in response, nodding once.

"Yeah...it would be. Don't worry Gohan, I'll take care of them for you."

Genn gasped, his eyes going wide as the Supreme Kai of Time's voice nearly screeched into his air.

::Genn! Please...you're our last hope. You need to stop him...if he goes through with this...the entire timeline could fall apart from the butterfly effect! I can barely contain the one Broly has left in his wake...but if Trunks kills the androids...then there's no telling how much history will change!::

Genn's panicked eyes frantically danced between Trunks and Gohan, the sweat running down from the top of his head.

"I...Trunks! You can't do that...you know what will happen if you do!"

Trunks narrowed eyes instantly turned to Genn, Future Gohan also blinking in confusion.

"Maybe it should happen! I don't care if it's not how it's supposed to be; Gohan doesn't deserve this future!"

Future Gohan's confused stare quickly vanished, his narrowed eyes staying locked onto Genn for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

Genn swallowed hard, meeting Future Gohan's eyes for a moment before turning his gaze to Trunks.

"If...if Trunks helps you kill the androids now...then he will be changing the course of history."

Trunks' angry glare intensified, the rage clear in his expression as he spoke.

"Why did you tell him?! I thought you were on my side Genn!"

Genn kept a strong frown, bowing his head in his avoidance of Trunks' stare.

"I just...I just don't want everything to be destroyed, Trunks. Please...stop this."

Trunks kept his angry stare strong for a few moments, but turned his head at the feeling of Gohan's hand resting on his shoulder again. His softened expression met Future Gohan's narrowed eyes.

"Trunks...is there something you want to tell me?"

Trunks frowned immediately in response, glancing down.

"I...I just..."

He tightly shut his eyes, tears beginning to swell at the edges.

"I just wanted to go with you, Gohan. I wanted to fight with you...and for once in my life...I didn't want to hold you back."

Future Gohan broke out into a frown, standing still silently for a few moments as Trunks sobbed into his left arm. He turned his eyes to Genn, staring into them for a few seconds while Genn blinked in confusion. Future Gohan soon turned his head back to Trunks, a small smile rising across his face.

"Hey...it's alright Trunks. You never held me back, not once."

He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, before turning his attention back down to Trunks.

"Look...I can tell it's been a long time since you've last seen me...and I think I know where this is going. I don't like letting those two getting away with destroying more of the city...but let's just take a little step back and calm down. Catch up on lost time."

Trunks lifted his head slowly from his arm, his eyes still red from the tears while Future Gohan grinned back at him.

"Why don't you tell me more about your adventures in the Time Patrol? I'd love to hear more about them."


Age 762, Unknown World in the Present Timeline

Vegetto glanced around in confusion, the white light slowly dissipating away. Standing inside a dark hallway, he began to slowly walk forward with a perplexed expression. He reached up slowly, tapping onto the small earpiece.

"Whis...where am I?"

::Just a little further please. I found this point in history that you need to see...Genn will be in the other room so do try to keep your voice down. If he discovers your presence, you might have to kill a few of his guards or even worse, him.::

Vegetto blinked, coming to a halt at the edge of a single door at the end of the hallway. He held his voice at a whisper, resting his back against the wall with his eyebrow still raised.

"Guards?"

The fusion instantly fell silent, the muffled sound of a woman's giggling catching him guard. His eyes turned towards the door, leaning his ear towards the wall to try and listen to the feminine voice a little better.

"Hey...don't tickle me like that!"

Vegetto's wide eyes soon narrowed, recognize the sound of Genn's voice following after.

"Mmm...I can't help it. Your little stomach just begs for attention."

Cringing slightly, Vegetto shook his head slightly and tapped on the earpiece again, whispering softly.

"Whis...is this history really necessary? I asked you to show me what his background is...not...whatever this is supposed to be."

::This is important, Vegetto. Trust me...you need to witness this.::

The fusion's eyes turned back to the door, the sound of the woman's voice returning.

"Seriously though...I really appreciate what you did for me back there. If you hadn't come when you did...that mugger probably would've stolen much worse than me."

Vegetto's eyes lifted slightly, growing a bit wider at Genn's response.

"Don't worry about it, I always try to help those in need. But I could use a little reward, if you don't mind."

The woman's voice lifted slightly, the tension rising in Vegetto's forehead in anticipation.

"Oh? What did you have in mind?"

The fusion's eyes went fully wide, Genn's tone darkening heavily as his voice dropped a few octaves.

"Why don't you go ahead and slip out of those heavy clothes there. I'm sure you'd feel better without all that cloth covering you."

Vegetto instantly narrowed his eyes into a sharp glare, the uneasy chuckle of the woman cementing his fears.

"Heh...well...I don't know about that. We just met...maybe if I knew you a little bett-"

"Perhaps I wasn't clear with my words."

Vegetto's scowl grew stronger, the shock growing in his expression as Genn's tone became sinister.

"I said take off those clothes."

"And I told you I'm not ready for that...hey!"

Vegetto's hand immediately lurched forward, grasping onto the knob at the sound of the furniture suddenly toppling inside of the room, the woman letting out a small scream.

"Hey! You're hurting me!"

Swinging the door wide open, Vegetto blinked in confusion as a sudden bright light overtook his entire body, blinding his vision. It soon faded, however, leaving the confused warrior standing in the what appeared to be in the living room alone. The mess of the toppled couch and tables littered the floor of the room, small portions of the walls indented with the frame of what appeared to be a human body. The fusion moved a little further into the room, his wide eyes immediately locking onto the red liquid pooling at the edge of the kitchen. The horror was clear in his expression, instinctively taking a step back at the battered appearance of a human woman, face down in the red pool with scratches littering her body.

Vegetto turned his head away, Whis' voice filling his ear.

::It seems your intuition was right; Genn was hiding something all along. Her death was not a quick one. But I'm not finished showing you what you need to see: you need to keep your voice down. Move to the edge of the door, and do not make a sound. He is outside of the room right now...talking to one of his commanders.::

The fusion moved towards the center of the room again, quickly pressing up against the wall. The door he attempted to charge through now hung open completely, Vegetto leaning up against the wall near the open frame. His eyes dropped however, the sound of Genn's voice ringing out and prompting a scowl from the fusion.

"I never like it when they scream, to be honest. If they were just silent and took it, they would live through the ordeal."

The small chuckle from an unfamiliar male voice unnerved Vegetto, his own tone as dark as Genn's but a few octaves lower.

"The rush of knowing they're powerless to stop you though...the added thrill of seeing them squirm just makes it so much more...fulfilling. "

Vegetto grit his teeth together, his muscles tensing heavily despite Whis' calm voice in his ear.

::Don't do anything rash, now. You said you wanted to learn more about him...this is crucial.::

"I suppose you're right, although I prefer seeing their shocked faces when they see their beloved hero was nothing more than a well crafted lie. It's always those damsels in distress, hoping for someone to save them and fix everything wrong with their lives. Even in the face of reality showing them what really exists from this world, they still hope for something better. Might as well pleasure myself before ending their pathetic lives, hmm?"

The fusion twitched heavily in frustration, Genn's tone shifting gears.

"But that discussion can wait, I assume you have an update about that troublesome pest that destroyed our last three caravans into the city?"

"Yes sir, she attacked one of our outposts a few hours ago. We have her pinned down in an old warehouse at the south end of town, but she's proving more...resilient than we anticipated. We need your help."

Genn's scoffed prompted a small shake in Vegetto's body, unnerved at his despicable laughter.

"Quite the warrior she's proving to be. A great conquest for sure, hopefully we won't have to do too much damage to her body before she submits."

His tone darkened.

"But what of the rumors you've gathered from those news outlets? Have you looked into this claim that she is my sister?"

"We have sir, but the reports seem to be more speculative than factual. I wouldn't take them too seriously."

"Ha, it matters little anyway. The little upstart thinks she can bring down my whole empire over night, she has another thing coming. Whether or not she is related to me is irrelevant."

Vegetto's eyes widened in shock, Genn's venomous voice oozing with confidence.

"She will suffer for what she has done, and I intend to take my time giving her all the...affection she deserves."

The fusion blinked, the white light glowing around him rapidly.

::Alright, that's enough. I'm pulling you out of there before you do something dangerous!::

Vegetto yelped suddenly, disappearing into the glow shortly afterwards.


The glow of the light faded, have transported Vegetto back into the Time Nest. The fusion's narrowed eyes immediately turned to Whis as the light faded, moving up to him with a heavy frown.

"What did you just show me back there?"

Whis kept an emotionless expression.

"Was it not obvious? Genn's history."

Vegetto shook his head once.

"No...I mean why didn't you tell me what I was about to see?! You could've at least warned me!"

Whis broke out into a small chuckle, Vegetto grunting in annoyance.

"You asked to see his history, and I showed it to you. Perhaps I could've told you what was going on, but this way, you have your own conclusion about the events, not mine."

Vegetto kept narrowed eyes, his gaze shifting slightly.

"Oh, I have my own conclusion alright. And it starts with what I should've done the minute he tried to put that ridiculous idea into my head."

The Supreme Kai of Time gasped, watching Vegetto rapidly move towards the Scroll of Eternity containing Xeno Trunks' history.

"No wait! You can't go in there now; He's helping Trunks with a mission!"

Vegetto scoffed in response, shrugging off the smaller Kai with his right shoulder and grasping tightly onto the Scroll. The white glow began to illuminate around him once more.

"I don't care what he's doing. He's a menace to not only the Patrol, but to anyone who seeks peace. It ends now!"

Both the Supreme Kai of Time and the Elder Kai watched on with shocked expressions as Vegetto began to disappear into a bright white light, Whis shaking his head once with a heavy sigh.

"I was afraid this would happen. But I suppose there's no avoiding this outcome now."


Age 780, Xeno Trunks' Timeline

The three warriors stood together in the street, the sun beginning to set overhead as they shared a laugh. Future Gohan stifled his first, shaking his head.

"That does sound like my dad; only he would spend that much zeni to have a strong opponent try and kill him."

A small frown replaced his smile shortly after.

"I...almost forgot what he was like, you know. It would be nice, to see him again."

Trunks frowned as well, glancing away. The three fell into a silence at the final comment, Future Gohan meeting Genn's eyes shortly afterwards. Genn swallowed hard at the determined expression meeting his panicked stare, the sight of Future Gohan winking with his left eye at him causing him to blink in confusion.

"So, Genn was it? You're the recruit Trunks is training in the Time Patrol, right?"

Genn blinked once again, caught off guard by the question.

"Uh...yeah. You could say that."

Future Gohan broke out into a warm smile.

"Well, I do appreciate you telling me about what would happen if Trunks intervened earlier. But I have to ask...this fight with 17 and 18 coming up..."

Trunks slowly lifted his head with wide eyes, staring at Future Gohan who still locked with Genn's.

"It sounds like the outcome of this fight is pretty important, and Trunks obviously really cares about intervening now, more than ever. Tell me..."

Genn twitched uneasily, Future Gohan's flat tone unnerving him.

"I die in that fight, don't I?"

Genn's sweat began to pour heavily down his head, his eyes instinctively shifting to Trunks, who shook his head from side to side rapidly. Before Genn could reply, however, Future Gohan's scolding voice spoke out.

"Trunks, you don't need to lie to me. I'm not afraid to face my fate, you know."

Trunks quickly turned his head back to Future Gohan.

"But you don't have to die here Gohan! Let me help you; we can take them together!"

Future Gohan shut his eyes tightly, exhaling deeply before slowly opening them again and facing towards Trunks.

"No, Trunks, you said it yourself. Your job is to make sure history flows the way it should, and not interfere."

Trunks rapidly shook his head.

"Gohan...don't! You don't have to die like this!"

Future Gohan broke out into a warm smile, turning on his heel.

"Trunks...I know it isn't easy. But this is what my purpose in life is...because if you're here, all grown up, then that must mean the future is safe."

He raised an eyebrow, watching Trunks bow his head.

"Isn't it?"

Trunks did not offer a response, Future Gohan turning his attention back to the ruined city skyline.

"If so...then this fight has a real purpose. That's good enough for me."

Trunks shook his head violently once more.

"No! Gohan...you can't!"

Future Gohan turned his head to the side, gesturing with his one arm to Genn.

"Trunks...your student needs you; your Time Patrol needs you. You've made a good friend...you can't just abandon a good friend, can you?"

Trunks eyes began to well up with tears once more, still shaking his head in response.

"Gohan...please."

Future Gohan then blinked, a sudden white glow at the edge of his eyes catching his attention. Turning around slightly, his eyes grew wide at the sight of the new arrival clad in blue and orange gi. Vegetto's narrowed eyes held strong for a few seconds, but softened at the sight of the sobbing Trunks, the rage completely leaving his expression for a moment.

"Trunks..."

Trunks lifted his head, the confusion clear in his expression too at the sight of Vegetto. However, his eyes quickly sharpened into a glare.

"Come to force me out of the timeline, huh? I wasn't going to fight those androids anyway; Gohan and Genn saw to that."

Vegetto's scowl immediately returned at the final name mentioned, clenching his fists together tightly.

"No. I'm here for another reason."

Trunks and Future Gohan both blinked, watching Vegetto rapidly raise his right arm with an outstretched palm, forming a large blue energy blast at the end. His arm shifted towards Genn, the blast point towards the stunned warrior.

"I've come to squash this little bug!"

With a small roar, the ball of energy rapidly shot forward, tearing into the cement as it quickly spiraled towards Genn.