Son Gohan and Trunks: Another Road - Android Saga Act II (Chapter 2)
Gohan
Zzzt. Tzzzz. Zzzzt. Chck.
"Kami really thought it through with the design of this place. I gotta hand it to him."
Loose black hair fell onto the bathroom floor and Gohan checked himself in the mirror.
"...That's so strange. Why have I never been able to grow facial hair? It doesn't make any sense. I don't even have any whiskers. Trunks has more than I do and I'm 23."
Gohan furrowed his brow and gazed deeply into the reflection as he caressed his jaw. The door flung open and Oolong shouted out.
"You might wanna get outta here, pal! I'm gonna blow!"
"Tcheh."
Zzzzzt. Checc.
Gohan just chuckled to himself as he closed the door and walked back out into the dining room in the middle of the palace.
Knn.
After taking a seat, Gohan was content to cross his arms and let his head rest dutifully on the white table, peering out into the fantastical beyond. Trunks met up with him and sat opposite before he commented.
"Can I cut my facial hair or should I leave that too?"
Gohan laughed out a bit.
"I don't give a shit. You don't have to keep your hair long if you don't want to. It was mostly a suggestion."
"Oh."
"..."
"..."
"We don't have a good way of telling how much time has passed other than our own fatigue. It would be foolish to try and count each time we went to bed because we can't measure it, not really. And it's incredibly unlikely that we've been sleeping on a consistent schedule in this place."
"Yeah."
"It's up to you though. It's your hair not mine."
Trunks nodded and looked out into the aether, mostly blues, greens, and purples dotting the dreamscape just in front of them. Colours shifted and peaked out of the shadows before receding just as quick as they came, reds, whites, and sparkling yellows shimmered just under the mostly blue aether. Puar yawned and floated over daintily before flopping onto Trunks' head.
"Hey Puar." He laughed.
"Hmm~"
"You sleep well?"
"Yeahuhhhh~"
Trunks let out a few laughs and the pair sat in silence for a while until Oolong waltzed out of the bathroom and fixed his belt latch.
Ka-chingg.
"So what are we havin' for breakfast?"
"Who knows?" Trunks answered with a chipper demeanor as Oolong pulled up the chair nearest the door.
"..."
"Puar?"
Puar looked his little dot eyes down to Trunks' from atop his crown.
"What was my dad like?"
"Wow!" The little cat laughed out, hype as could be as he soared through the air and spun in several loops. "I thought you'd never ask about The Great Lord Yamcha!"
"Here we go~" Oolong let out as he put his head in his hand and let his eyes glaze over.
"Mom told me you used to be over at Capsule Corp. all the time. Well… before Capsule Corp, ya know."
Puar shifted his gaze to the ground solemnly before bolstering his spirits and chirping back.
"Yamcha was the greatest bandit the world has ever known! Hya-Ha!"
"Bandit?"
Gohan raised a brow.
"Really? What the hell?"
"Yeah! He used to rob caravans, steal candy from babies, graverob, you name it!"
The Master and The Student gave each other a single glance before losing it.
"What!?" Trunks busted a gut laughing. "What are you talking about!?"
"Ohp~" Puar covered his mouth. "Hya-Ha!"
"Dad was a thief?"
"Well… yeah."
"Tried to kill me, tried to kill Goku, tried to kill Bulma." Oolong let on as he leaned back deep into the chair, crossing his arms behind his back.
"Wait Whaaat!?"
"Ooh, I messed up." Puar lamented as he put his paws over his eyes.
"Mom dated a dude who tried to kill her?"
"The Great Lord Yamcha never killed the ladies!"
"So you're saying he Did kill someone?" Gohan finally chipped in with a raised brow.
"..."
"Wow!"
"..."
Gohan just shook his head.
"What a world we live in."
Trunks
"It's called Kiai?" Trunks asked, his voice trailing off and warping in the deep end, colours shifting rapidly underneath their footing.
"Yup. You use your ki to manifest into what basically amounts to Telekinesis. It's really useful for getting the opponent where they need to be. If a ki blast is about putting pressure on someone, a Kiai is about manhandling them."
Pa~POKK! Skweeeee~ Dunn!
"Whoa!" Trunks let out as his feet slid across the stained glassy structure of the chamber, a wall manifesting behind him at his beck and call, right hand on the construct before it receded into the endless infinity below them.
"I want you to practice your Kiais because the androids can use their barriers to protect against ki blasts. Kiais I don't know."
Trunks nodded his head along and the pair went through the motions.
"A Kiai is basically just projecting your strike outside your actual attack range. My fist can only-"
Swuf!
"-go so far. But with a Kiai."
Pa-POKK!
"That range increases exponentially."
"..."
"One more."
Gohan mimed bringing up something out of the ground and the chamber responded, shifting a thin slab into position from a few feet away. He wound back his fist and:
Pa-POKK! Crashhhh~
The chamber wall shattered into pieces before assimilating into the beautiful below.
"You try."
Korin
Wsst! Wshah! FuFuFuuush!
The air cut in sharp winds, Korin dispelling them with various waves of his staff, the air currents billowing out in lame gusts before being swallowed up by the chamber itself as Oolong and Puar danced around the lightshow with frenetic energy. Puar flew high up into the air but instead of stalling The Pig leaped up and maintained a rigid but usable flight path.
"No fair!"
"HaHah!" Oolong chortled. "You don't like that I'm on an even playing field now, do ya!?"
"That's-"
WHAMM! BONKK!
"Oof~" Puar squeaked as he bounced off the ground from Oolong's furious blow.
"You gonna get up or are you gonna lay on the ground all day?" He questioned with a sassy disposition, hands on his hips.
"Noo~" Puar shot back with a childish disposition before rushing, kicking up another gale with his movement speed.
Bom! Ta-Tingg!
The silver metal warbled and Oolong's big eyes shot out and antagonised the blue furball as his fist collided with the shield.
"You're gonna need something better than that, I promise ya!"
"Rrrrrr~ You're gonna get it, Oolong!"
Korin's whiskers twitched and a smile crept across his face as Gohan filed in behind him.
"It's impressive."
Gohan had no comment, just gazing as the two animals quarreled by their lonesome in the mystifying abyss of blues and purples.
"They've come a long way."
"..."
"You sleeping alright?"
"No."
"Heh. Me neitha'."
Gohan looked up at the green sand that simply refused to trickle down inside the gigantic hourglass on the side of the chamber. Most of the sand was still at the top level, scant green minerals on the bottom end.
"You think it has something to do with the room?"
"Almost positive." Korin answered back, as quick as could be. "We don't got any sunlight in here. This place is a damn hellscape. The sooner we get outta here, the better. I'm getting a little fed up."
"..." Gohan crossed his arms with a cold disposition and stared at the shifting colour palette, greens starting to overtake the purples and the blue warping between slightly different navys and sky blues.
"You-"
"Don't say it. We're gonna do it. If we let doubt in that means we're not gonna try to the last when it counts."
"..."
"We're gonna win, Korin."
"Right."
Hercule, 47 y/o. Age ? ? Month - Earth Midday Orange Star City Ruins
"Dad~" A woman's shaky voice called out with a determined pointer finger. "Don't you~ dare."
A man with poofy black and grey curls and a handlebar mustache gave the woman a single glance.
"They have to answer for what they've done, Sweet Pea. I can't stand knowing that they just ravage the planet with no justice."
"You can't…" She let out heavy breathes and gazed down at the messy and ruined apartment flooring. Some parts ripped, most parts stained by water damage. "You're not going to beat them."
The tears were there but their viscosity lacked and they stuck to her dirty cheeks with deliberation. Her hands shook but her pleas fell on deaf ears as the man averted his gaze towards the door.
"I can't sit by and not try. If I die. I die."
"You can't mean that."
"I had to watch my whole squad go. All the guys in the office. Maybe a few survived, smarter guys than I… but I'm not going to sit around digging through trash just to get by. These fools are gonna pay."
The man checked his piece one more time and shelved it in his handgun pouch.
"I love you, Videl. I always have."
"Dad…"
"They're nearby. I can hear em'. You'd better get out of here darlin', … while you still can."
The man tipped his hat and bowed out of the building, rubble and all.
"You stupid…" The woman had her sleek black hair tied back in a tight black braid. She laughed a bit at the absurdity but her pain shone through quickly enough, stifling any residual joy she had left. She dried the rest of her tears on her denim jacket and filed out the back of the building in a hurry.
The two youths prowling the streets chatted it up while destroying building after building with glee.
Bzyuu~Ba-BOMM!
Smoke and debris filled the streets as Lapis and Lazuli gabbed it up.
"What would you be if life actually mattered?"
"Oooh~" Lazuli cooed. "That's a good one… lemme think."
Vyuu~BOMMMM-Fwofffle~
"I don't know, maybe I'd be a lawyer or something. That'd be kind of hype. I could be a badass proving people wrong and yelling objections."
"I gotta admit, you do have that necessary bitch quality."
"Huh!?"
"What!? If you're gonna be taken seriously in the courtroom you Gotta sound like a bitch. Everyone knows that. And you take the cake, Sis."
"I'm done with you~" She laughed it off, pushing him aside, forcing a laugh out from his end.
The pair giggled it out before Lazuli continued.
"And you? What would you be if anything mattered?"
"I don't know. This sounds like I'm cappin' but~"
"Don't be a capuleeet." She taunted, elbowing him on the shoulder.
"Alright, maybe I'm the biggest capulet on the planet but uhh… I was thinking about being a park ranger or something. Ya know? Rescue the little critters? Killing a person is one thing but an animal? That's fucked up. They just gotta hold that. They already have the whole animal kingdom hierarchy to worry about. They might not have to pay taxes but they def gotta stay on their toes about predators and shit. I don't want to add to that list, be free froggy. That's what I say."
"Bruh." She laughed, parting her platinum blonde hair once more. "..?"
"Hmm? What's up?"
"Look at this guy."
"Oh shi-hi-hit. Afro cop."
The man with the greyish afro and handlebar mustache said nothing, he only raised his piece and aimed between the eyes.
BLAMM! KOMM!
Fwt. Fsst.
"A little late to bring a gun, homie."
Clink-Clincc~
"We kinda already passed human limits. That shit isn't gonna work."
"I'm exhausted. Just go beat the dog out of him, Lapis. I don't even wanna think about our lessers."
"It's okay, amigo." Lapis waved. "I'll do you a solid-"
BLAMM-BLAMM-KLAMM-KOMM-KOMM!
Lapis didn't care, not even humouring a defence, just walking right through the bullets as they ricocheted off him like bb gun rounds.
"Well I might not anymore if you're so determined on being rude as-"
KLAMM!
"-hell…" He sharpened his brow at the middle aged police officer as the steaming metal fell off his forehead.
BYUU~BA-BOMMMMM!
The smoke cleared and all that was left was a smoky handgun, a pair of boots and ashes, plenty of ashes.
"I was trying to take it easy on him. That probably didn't hurt that bad. Ya think?"
"I don't know. We can't feel pain, dumbass. How are we supposed to know?"
"We were normal… once."
"That was like fuckin' a billion years ago."
"Touche'."
"Oh my god…" Videl couldn't keep to herself as she eyed the pair from an alley across the way.
"Yo!" Lapis shouted.
Her eyes just about shot out of their sockets.
"I'll give you 10 seconds! Get outta here girlie! Hah-Hah-Hah!"
Videl knocked over as many things as she could on her way out, not to slow them down but because everything just seemed to be blocking her path coincidentally.
"10! 9! 8! Run bitch! Hah-Hah-Hah!"
Lazuli just laughed it up from a debris pile.
"You're too much."
"I try."
Trunks
Trunks' long hair fell down as he shook it out, he scratched at the back of his head as he stretched it out, readying himself and limbering up. His purple locks extended down all the way to his beltline, he almost looked more like an exotic model rather than a fighter, an easy assumption to make considering his sky blue eyes. He breathed in deep through his nose and let out a cathartic exhale as he stood up tall.
Zzzt!
The not-so-young teenager spawned a white hair tie from nothing and conjured a mirror in the mist of the chamber, holding the band between his teeth as he got his hair situated in his hands. He tied it back in a bun and rotated his muscular shoulders.
"What are we looking at?" Gohan asked plainly.
Puar and Oolong sat on the steps of the palace, Korin stood there with them, looking back up at the green grains of the hourglass.
"This looks like our last day."
There were exactly five grains.
"So..? Five hours?"
"Looks like it." The green cat responded, looking a bit ancy.
"Okay. This is our last training session, Trunks. Give me everything. Show me what you've got!"
"Yes sir!" Trunks answered emphatically, punching his left palm with determination as he stepped out into the aether.
Trunks VS Gohan
Objective: Show Gohan just how much I've learned!
The pair stood opposite each other in the chamber, just in front of the steps.
Fwsht!
Gohan was already behind Trunks, forcing a scrambled reaction.
WHAMM!
"Gah!" Trunks yelped as he tumbled forward into a roll.
FOOSHH!
The son of Son Goku missed a big stepping side kick follow-up as the son of Bulma backpedaled with a backhandspring.
"There we go!" Oolong shouted.
"Come on, Trunks!" Puar wailed. "You can do it!"
Trunks patted down his sweatpants and took on a low stance as Gohan rushed back in with deep strides. Gohan dipped low, his chest parallel with the ground before he weaved back and readied a thumping right hand chop. Trunks raised his guard in time but:
Whapp~WHAMM!
"Not good enough!" Gohan yelled as the first hit stalled Trunks' guard long enough for the second hit to come crashing through and send him across the line.
Skweeeee~
"HYAHH!" Gohan screamed as he leapt high into the air, during the apex of his jump he flared his ki madly and plummeted back onto the ground in a stomp, barely missing Trunks' head.
DMMM!
Oolong and Puar were stunned. The chamber echoed from the heavy stomp and the flooring wobbled like soupy jello from the affair.
"The-this doesn't look like how they normally…"
Korin's whiskers twitched.
"Hmm~" The green cat hummed to himself. "Maybe this isn't the worst idea. Get his head in the game before the fight."
"Gohan…" Trunks thought to himself as he stared at his master's steely blue eye. "It almost feels like… he's gonna kill me."
Gohan read Trunks' mind, sending back a message immediately.
"I Am gonna kill you."
Trunks' eyes widened.
"If you don't wanna die, get out of the way."
And Gohan pursued feverishly.
"Eyagh! Yagh!"
Fshuu! Wsst! Fuush!
Gohan yelled like an ape, or a demon, whatever you want to classify it as, he roared and struck the wind, throwing bomb after bomb that painted a picture in the chamber, an island at sunset with a lone tree that became more vibrant to all five of them as the son of Son Goku continued his assault, each attack a brushstroke.
Fshuu! Wsht! FaFuush!
Trunks barely got out of the way in time as harsh gusts, Kiais, and arcs of electricity tore through the air. The son of Bulma finally found his moment as Gohan whiffed an overhand left. He lined it up and looked to punish with a left hand of his own only to be denied by a ferocious gale. Gohan screamed his head off and powered up, his ki blasting back Trunks with a typhoon.
Kuh-SHAHHHH!
"Ragh!" Gohan bellowed like a behemoth before blasting onto his location.
Trunks rolled to the outside, barely missing a lunging right hand. Gohan yelled loudly and shot out a ki blast as he stopped on a dime, his boots hitting the ground and squealing like tires.
VYUUU~Vwerrr~Ba-Bomm!
Trunks parried the blast with a slap and the sphere of energy hit the mist in a fiery explosion, dispelling the illusion of the island created by Gohan's mind, returning to the sparkling cool colours of blues, greens, and purples.
Skwee~
Gohan's foot pivoted off the ground and he shot at Trunks like a bullet again, feverishly pursuing his target. Trunks dipped low and got just outside the knee lift, looking to punish with a strong right hand. Gohan saw it coming, crouched low and lashed back with an elbow at the jaw.
Whapp!
A swing and a block, the son of Bulma caught the son of Son Goku's elbow in his left palm. The pair broke and stood across from each other, sidling with intent before Trunks finally came swinging. Gohan weaved his student's uppercut with ease and tried to punish with his own, turning at the hips and looking to deliver a decapitating blow.
FOOOSHHH!
The wind cut sharply as Trunks and Gohan bobbed and ducked around each other's boxing.
"Jeez~ they been taking it easy this whole time?" Oolong questioned, raising a brow at the all-in strikes they threw. "I don't think I've ever… seen them go all out…"
Gohan furrowed his brow as they shot out punch after punch. Gohan's forehead sharpened, a veiny line drawing over his eyebrows as he grit his teeth and stopped his end of the exchanges.
WHAMM!
"Gohan~" Trunks let out dumbly, dumbfounded. "Why didn't you..? Dodge?"
Blood trickled down from his forehead and Son Gohan barked.
"Because I didn't need to. Is this all you got, Trunks? Because it's not enough to kill the androids."
"..."
Cricc-Crocc.
"I'm gonna need more than that!"
"R-right."
"I Can't Hear You!"
"Right!"
FuushFuFuush! WhufFwufFwuuFufWufFwufSwuf~
Gohan easily weaved all of Trunks' attacks, after he found the right angle he just grabbed the kid by his tank top collar, locking him in furious eye contact before shoving him back like a ragdoll. The mist cleared and Gohan created a vision of the androids within the chamber. The blonde lady holding his mother hostage.
"No!"
CRACKK!
"NO!" Trunks shouted, his voice strained before red sparks enveloped his frame. He dashed like mad and cleared the mist.
FOOSHHH~
Wind parted and sent out in every direction. The Master and The Student were fist to throat on both sides, each of their right hands saved and tucked near their chests.
"..."
"..."
Trunks and Gohan stared down in front of each other, Trunks' eyes lit aflame. The Master grabbed the back of the teenager's head and their foreheads met in the middle.
"Now you're in it." He claimed.
Gohan presented his hand for a shake and Trunks met it emphatically. The red sparks lining his frame started to dissipate at the event.
"Trunks."
"Yes sir?"
"Gohan."
"Yes, Gohan?"
"Remember. We're going to kill them."
"..."
"Remember that."
Trunks nodded.
"Killing is not something to celebrate, but ridding the world of evil is."
"..."
Son Gohan looked back at the three animals.
"I think it's time to go."
"About time~" Oolong let out as he stretched. "We been cooped up in here for Wayyy too long. Can't even remember the last time I felt the wind. This fake ass wind ain't the same."
Gohan sharpened his brow and looked at the storeroom as Puar turned his paw around the knob.
"Guys."
"What's up?"
"The food."
"..?"
"It respawns~" Korin reiterated.
"Yup. We should take as much as we can."
"I'll keep watch over the time." Trunks stated as he backed out into the chamber.
The group got out as much packed rice, spices, noodles, bread, bowls, silverware, plates, and plenty of jams.
"This peanut butter came in clutch." Gohan asserted with a laugh as he threw it over to Puar. "Would have gone insane without it."
"Last grain people, let's go!" Trunks hollered as he made his way to the door.
Gohan's eyes widened and he pulled Trunks into the dusty dank hall with a forceful tug.
Ssssswuonkk! Dah-Tuhmmn!
"Oh my gosh~" Puar sing-songed. "Good thing we got out of there when we did."
Korin picked up one of the cases of peanut butter, split right in half, goopy brown liquid with nuts slopped onto the floor. The group all stared into the black nothingness. Trunks put his hand on it and felt cold concrete.
"It's just… gone."
Tnn-Tnn. Vwui~
The green cat conjured a ball of light with a stomping of his staff, flutters of dust and various cobwebs dotted the ancient abode. Korin's whiskers twitched a single time and he began leading the pack.
Bom!
Puar transformed into a shopping cart and the group all shoved the various bags, bottles, plates, and containers into the metal carrying device.
Krrrrrrrrrrn~
Gohan just picked up Puar with one hand and carried him up the stairs. The hallways took forever, much to Oolong's dismay.
"Did it take this long last time? Cause this sure ain't how I remember it."
"I mean it feels like we spent a year in there, I don't Actually know how long we took." Trunks remarked.
"I mean fuck it, felt like 10 years to me."
The group went all over the place before they reached the blue room with the throne.
"Finally! Hallelujah! Say it ain't so!"
Gohan smirked and let the cart down, wheeling it out onto the white tile of The Lookout. The wind finally rolled in and the five of them saw the stars up close.
"Ha-Ha-Haaaaa!" Oolong laughed heartily. "Even if that room didn't close up forever I'd neva go back there! That shit sucked!"
There was something indescribable about the way the wind felt that night.
The full moon loomed over the group and they soaked it all in.
"It's beautiful." Puar's dot eyes poked out from the cart.
"It is." Trunks agreed.
Fwuuuuu~
The wind rolled in, signalling to Gohan.
"It's about time."
"I'm staying up here for the time being."
"..? Real?" The tall Half-Saiyan asked.
"Mm-Hmm. I'm fighting alongside you guys but I need a bit of a break to clear my mind. Call out to me whenever you're ready to fight and I'll come through."
Gohan nodded and called out:
"Nimbus!"
vyuuuuuu~Vwerrt!
The orange cloud appeared before them and of course:
"Heh-Heh." Gohan laughed. "Yup. Thought so."
Trunks and Puar got on with ease and Gohan and Oolong filed in after that.
"Thanks Korin." Trunks said plainly as the yellow shine from the moon beamed on them. "... for everything."
"No problem. I should be thanking you."
"..?"
"You guys got me off my ass. I shoulda been doin' this a long time ago. Takin' risks, making moves. This right here, should have been me."
The moon was ethereal, much more magical than the literal magic room they were just inhabiting. Korin offered his final words to the four.
"I'll give the androids one thing."
"What?" Oolong asked with a grin.
"They totally wiped out all that pollution. Neva' seen the stars so bright. Been a couple hundred years since that."
And he was right. Gosh I love the night sky.
Trunks closed his eyes and let it fly.
FYUUUUNNNNN!
And boy did it fly.
"Whoa!" He shouted, their items rattling inside the shopping cart wildly. "This boy is freakin' fast bro!" Trunks laughed it up as the wind hit his hair and blew apart the bun he had it in within seconds.
The gang hooted and hollered as they tore across the night skyline.
"Nimbus!" Gohan yelled. "Take us to West City!"
Vwerrt~VYOOOONNN!
The orange cloud turned on a dime and away they went.
Gohan, ? y/o. Age ? ? Month - Earth Nighttime Capsule Tower C Ruins
The four of them landed on the outskirts of a beat up apartment complex. Gohan furrowed his brow and looked around.
"Uhh~ this doesn't look quite right."
"Yeah." Trunks laughed. "Looks worse."
Water drained out and flooded around the broken and dilapidated buildings. The land had changed, grass uprooted the capsule houses and towers, seeping through every nook and cranny available. Gohan's jaw slacked and he thought to himself for a moment.
"Hey Nimbus?"
Vwerrr~
"Take us to Bulma."
"Is it really that-"
VYUUUUUUNNN!
Oolong was almost knocked off but Gohan grabbed his overall straps just in time.
"Whoahoa!"
"Wow. The Nimbus is something else."
"Yeah. Dad told me The Nimbus can take you places you've never been if you just ask. That was a Lonnng time ago."
The Nimbus finally started to slow its pace, weaving through back alleys and broken buildings. Trunks sharpened his brow in anticipation.
"So she's still in West City?"
"Maybe. I don't know. Assumedly The Nimbus knows where she is."
The orange cloud stalled, its fluffy bits jived and flowed majestically. The Nimbus turned around, as if looking before finally deciding on a beaten up metal warehouse.
"Oh!" Trunks just about shouted. "That makes sense! I wonder if mom's working on something~"
"Is that it, Nimbus?" Puar The Shopping Cart asked.
The Nimbus nodded its orange cloud head and the four hopped off it, Gohan making sure the items didn't fall out of Puar's holding.
Rack~Kssh~Ksh!
The group looked around and there didn't seem to be a door anywhere in the front or the sides. There was a small latch at the bottom and Trunks motioned to Gohan. The son of Son Goku nodded and the son of Bulma knocked on the sheet metal with a familiar rhythm.
Rattle-Rattle! … Rattle!
Gohan manhandled the handle, flinging it up to its apex as the purple haired mother stood stunned, tears already running down her face. She shook her head at the four of them as streams of liquid lined her cheeks. They dovetailed around her face before falling onto the stained concrete, whimpers escaping her.
"Yo-yu-yu~" She could barely get out. "You're lying."
"What are you talking about, mom?" Trunks asked as he came forward. "I'm home."
Klangg~clang!
Bulma dropped everything and practically tackled Trunks. His strong frame holding upright as she pressed her shoulder against his.
"We're back…" He let out solemnly before realising:
"Where were you..?" She asked, equal parts ghoulish, dirty, and concerned.
"I… uh~ are you feeling okay, mom?" He asked, putting his hand on her strained forehead.
Gohan interjected.
"We went looking for somewhere to train. We found it."
"Do you guys not know how long it's been?"
"..."
"Two years. I thought you guys were dead."
"..."
"Two years huh?"
Bulma pulled away from her son and beckoned to Gohan. The only son of Son Goku met it emphatically and hugged it out.
"Where's me and Puar's?"
Bulma picked Oolong up and squeezed him tight.
"Relax! Jeez! We're not goin' anywhere! You tryna kill me or something!?"
Bom!
"Puar!"
"Bulma!"
The cart dissipated, letting all the loose food out onto the ground. The blue cat hugged her face tight and she stained his fur with a messy glove. Trunks and Gohan bent down to assemble their items and Bulma spared a glance.
"No… way."
Gohan smiled.
"Yeah. You're finally gonna eat good for once. Where's the kitchen?"
Bulma, 49 y/o. Age 782 December 6th - Earth 9:01 P.M. West City Storage Lots
"-It's just hard to stay positive, ya know? I just try to tune it out by tinkering my ass off."
Gohan nodded as he knocked back some coffee, making a bit of a sour face at the fact. He eyed the brown drink curiously.
"A time machine!?" Trunks laughed out. "That's awesome! How are you gonna get it running?"
"Dad… your grandfather." She cleared her coarse throat with a dominating display. "Had designs laying around Capsule Corp. for ages but he wasn't sure he should even do it. Mostly because he didn't want to put that kinda power in the public eye."
Oolong cringed.
"Yeah, that does seem a bit out there even for him… but why a time machine?" Oolong cranked his neck so hard from the inquisition his pink ears flopped over.
"Gohan?"
"..?"
"Do you remember Namek?"
"... God… wow. Way better than I should. That place was beautiful. It's the trees I think." Gohan looked into Bulma's faded blue eyes sternly as he took another drink. "Why do you ask?"
"When your father, myself and the others went to Planet Vegeta to go look for Raditz' and Goku's family we changed course mid way and went to Namek."
"Yeah, dad told me about that. That was… one of the last things."
"On Namek, we met a guy named Cooler and a guy named Frieza."
"Frieza won, right?"
"Mmhmm."
There was another silence followed by another drain from a mug as Bulma continued her tale.
"We got lucky. Frieza didn't chase after us or nothing. We should thank our lucky stars Piccolo was there and got everyone's ass in gear. Had we listened to Goku we might have all died up there." The mood lessened as Bulma let out a mix between a laugh and a sigh. "But remember the reason we went to Namek the first time?"
"Not really, no. It was so long ago now. I had to have been like… not even six yet."
"We went there to make a wish on the Dragon Balls."
Gohan furrowed his brow and the pair shared eye contact again before the son of Son Goku broke it and put his mouth in his hand, gears turning for everyone to see.
"You're right."
"It would have been a lot easier to build a spaceship and go to Namek to collect the Dragon Balls but Namek was destroyed."
"Real?"
Bulma nodded with solemnity, a lone strand of purple and silver fell down her face. She fixed her backwards hat and looked back at the two young men and two animals.
"Yeah. When the creator of the Dragon Balls is destroyed-"
"-The Dragon Balls turn into stone and can't be used." Gohan interjected.
"..."
"..."
Puar and Oolong shared a melancholic moment.
"That's why I'm making a time machine. There are no other options." Bulma notched a cigarette out of her front pocket, looking ready to light it. Trunks grabbed her hand harshly and stared back.
"I never liked that you started doing that."
"What do you expect me to do, Trunks?" She replied, dropping the cigarette on the stained table. "It's hard, okay? It's just really fucking hard."
"..."
"..."
She motioned her hand over the thin white line and hesitated, ultimately pulling her hand away.
"You're right. Mm-Hmn! I'll try to do it less."
"Thanks, mom."
"So what's the end goal? All of us go back in time? What does that even mean?"
Bulma looked back at Gohan before sighing and averting her gaze to the metal grooves of the storage container that had been makeshifted into a living space. There were a few cots, pots, pans and the like.
"Well. Yeah. You're strong Gohan but it doesn't really feel like your heart is in it like Goku's was. He loved fighting."
The staredown lasted a long time, Gohan let out a breath and closed his fist tightly.
"I don't think you can beat the androids."
"..."
"That's why I'm making it. To reset the clock and maybe find a better way to deal with them. Like, that's the real answer."
"..."
"I started working on it because I knew you'd have to take my baby boy into battle against those things and I thought I'd have a little more time."
Bulma stared back at Trunks and furrowed her brow.
"Yo-hoo look a lot older than 16, baby." She cooed, running the back of her veiny hand against Trunks' very similar purple locks.
"I don't even know myself." Trunks thought aloud. "We were in that chamber for so long, no sun or anything."
"Your hair is Really long."
"I know." Trunks blushed. "Gohan told me to grow it out to measure the time."
Bulma combed and combed through her boy's hair.
"This looks like more than three years of growth at least."
"Yeah. Doesn't really look like two years." Trunks agreed.
"..."
"We're going to win, Bulma."
"You think so?"
"We have to. Puar and Oolong trained with us."
"What?"
"Yeah!" Puar chimed in. "We stayed quiet until now but we spent a lot of time in there trying to hone our Ki Sourcing!"
"... What does that mean?"
"It means we can take a few hits now. We're not fighters but we can definitely pull something out of our ass now if it's down ta tha wire. That's all I eva' wanted anyway. These god damn androids have been a thorn in our sides for too long and I'm finally gonna give them a piece of my mind!"
"No way."
"What do you need to get your time machine running? After we get rid of the androids we'll make sure you can build it."
"What are you crazy!? We have to build it Before you fight them!"
"Bulma."
Gohan stood tall and loomed over her. She quickly got up and glared back at him, the table edged along the metal grating and squealed as a result.
"I Have to do this."
"That's stupid! You want to throw away your only chance!?"
Bulma threw her back into it, winding up for a monstrous slap before Gohan caught her wrist in an iron grip.
"If push comes to shove. You can get into the time machine yourself. It's not like you need a fighter to warn someone about something. This is about fighting back and standing up for ourselves."
"..."
"The only reason we lost is because we didn't have the resources necessary to train for this fight. The androids aren't fighters, they're just Strong. That's it, that's the only difference. Trunks, Oolong, Puar… we've trained for years in that room. That Has to account for something. And we're gonna make them pay. I don't like that innocent people die everyday while I sit back and watch the clouds go by."
"..."
"My heart hurts for them. There are people who have lost their whole families to those Mongrels who just laugh at them. Laugh!"
DONN!
The container dented harshly as Gohan's voice shook with anger not sadness, his veins drew to the surface of his large frame and his muscles popped a bit through the gi. Ki sparked, arced, and trickled around his physique as he let go of Bulma's reddened wrist.
"If I run now. After all this training. I'd never forgive myself."
"..."
"For abandoning all the people that don't have the privileges we have."
"..."
"How many people know genius inventors who can get them a way out?"
"..."
"None of them besides us. Not a one. We try this time travel shenanigans After we destroy them. After we rid the world of evil. After everyone knows peace."
"..."
"Because that's what they deserve."
"..."
"..."
Zzzzt~ Zyutt~
"... Okay~" She answered shakily, averting her gaze to the floor.
"But that doesn't mean that you can't help us."
Bulma met Gohan's eye line again.
"These androids are robots. Perhaps you can make some sort of scrambling device. Oolong's idea." He reiterated, pointing a thumb at The Pig.
"Oh wow. Nice to see I ain't forgot about after it got so tense in here."
Gohan, 27 y/o. Age 782 December 7th - Earth 8:47 A.M. West City Storage Lots
"Please tell me you're not going out to fight them." Bulma pleaded from the middle of the container as Trunks flung open the shutters.
Ratatata~
"Nah. Relax, mom."
"We're at least gonna wait until you get that EMP online. We owe you that much." Gohan replied as he put his hands on the ceiling.
"Puar."
"What is it, Trunks?" He squeaked.
"Could you turn back into a shopping cart? We've got to get some of this food to Chi-Chi. I know she'd really appreciate it."
"Oh! Sure thing!"
Bom!
The smoke cleared and the pair stuffed the wide eyed shopping cart with various items.
"Ahuhhhh~" Oolong blurted out as he stretched and stepped onto the rubble. "Wowee. Didn't see it that clearly earlier but this place is really the pits, huh?"
Kssssssssssssss~
Gohan didn't even attempt to shield his face from the onslaught, he stepped out onto the concrete and gazed at the grey skies as water plummeted and subsequently swam down his sharp cheekbones.
"It doesn't ever stop raining around here, does it?"
"Yeah." Bulma interjected as she stole a hug from her boy and kissed him on the cheek.
"Mom!" Trunks laughed out, face beet red.
The scarred purple haired no-longer-executive met the others outside, her face mostly safe due to the baseball cap she wore. It slowly stained a deeper red on the lip as she stood in a line with the group.
"I don't ever remember it raining this much all those years ago."
"Me neitha'."
"Nimbus!" Gohan shouted through cupped hands.
Kshhhhhhhhhhhhhh~
"We gotta go, Bulma. It was nice seeing you."
"It was nice seeing you too, Gohan. It's been too long."
Vwerrt!
Gohan nodded, throwing Puar onto The Nimbus. He gave one final wave. Bulma stood stunned, recalling just how Goku used to do it. Before she knew it, they weren't there anymore, replaced by the rain and one thin line of orange that dissipated under the low light and:
KOWWW!
Lighting.
Chi-Chi, 45 y/o. Age 782 December 6th - Earth 9:01 A.M. East District 439
Winds rolled out long on the grass, grey skies held strong overhead and dominated the light. Water ebbed and flowed in accordance to the winds commands as the orange cloud blazed through. The rolling plains provided a clear view and Chi-Chi washed her clothes by the nearby pond. Wrinkles and smile lines had taken over her face and she lost herself in the slowly shimmering water. She put her hand through it and watched her form shimmer and shake in the liquid before she noticed something come into frame once the water settled.
"Go-han..? …" She got up and turned on a dime, looking up at the big man before her and squeezed him tight. "Gohan!"
A smile formed on Gohan's face as he hugged back but Chi-Chi pulled away from her tight bear hug almost immediately.
"Gohan! What happened to your eye!?"
"The androids."
"The androids! Why are you fighting them!?"
"You know why mom."
The wind settled Chi-Chi down and she bent over to pick up the hamper but Gohan persisted.
"I got it mom."
"Hi, Chi-Chi."
"Ohh, come here, Trunks."
The pair hugged it out and Chi-Chi grabbed Trunks' shoulders firmly.
"It's been so long. Where did you all go? And why is Trunks so big?"
The son of Bulma had a couple laughs stolen from him as Oolong and Puar existed in the back.
"Wow. We're really second fiddle huh?"
"Hey, Oolong."
Oolong nodded back to Chi-Chi as she broke away from Trunks and presented herself in a more neutral position.
"Hi, Chi-Chi!"
"Hi Puar…"
Tears fell from her face but she endeavored to wipe them away as soon as they came, she fanned herself with her hands and took several composing breaths. She finally took another look at Gohan and noticed:
"Are you wearing contacts?"
"No. Apparently my eyes or… eye, is blue now." Gohan stepped forward and gazed into the slightly off-axis water in the pond. "I don't know why."
Fwuuuuuuu~
The wind rolled in and Chi-Chi beckoned everyone to come inside. They complied and filed into the old abode.
"Much nicer than what Bulma's got to work with."
"Watch your mouth, Oolong." Chi-Chi barked back almost immediately.
"Oolong? Haven't heard that name in-"
Fwompp!
Gohan smiled and locked eyes with the big man himself. He wore a white button up, brown suspenders and brown slacks. His brown hat had two horns on it.
"Good to see you, Grandpa." He welcomed with open arms.
Gohan's grandfather rushed him and squeezed him even tighter than Chi-Chi ever could, Gohan's face ran red as he squeaked out.
"okay Granpa~ you can take it easy~"
"Sorry. Heh-Huh." He laughed out goofily. "Just haven't seen you in so long."
Tomp.
"Hey there, Ox King." Oolong waved.
"Oolong. Nice ta see ya."
"Hey, Gramps."
"Trunks! Heh-Huh! What a pleasant surprise.
Oolong just blinked a few times.
"Hi, Ox King!" Puar shouted, rattling the shopping cart.
Ox King fixed his spectacles, looming down only to see eyes form on the shopping cart.
"Right!" He laughed out. "You two can transform into stuff. Right on!"
"You brought food?" Chi-Chi asked as she took out the various items.
"Yup. Don't ask how we got em'. Long story and I'm pretty beat. I just want to relax for a few." Gohan stated as he rotated his shoulders and laid down on the couch in the living room. He fiddled with the remote and:
"Vzzhhhhhhhhhhhh~"
"Didn't think so." He commented, turning it right back off, tossing aside the remote and reclining deep into the fabric.
"Wow~" she commented, looking over the various items of all varieties. "You've really got a selection."
"Yup. We almost got killed for it too so you better say thanks."
"Killed? What did you raid this from bandits or something?"
Gohan's laugh rocked the house from the living room as Trunks joined him.
"No, Chi-Chi. It's just a long story. But yeah. We could have died gathering it."
Ox King, Oolong, Trunks, and Chi-Chi grabbed all the leftover food and piled it on the table, Puar now able to return to his normal form.
Bom!
"Whew!" He chirped before flying in a circular dive and stretching out his stubby blue limbs.
"Well now you've got time for long stories don't you?" Chi-Chi beckoned, grabbing his hands and sitting down on the polished wood. Trunks let out a laugh and joined Gohan's mother.
"Sure."
Oolong pulled up a chair next to the son of Bulma and Ox King called out to Gohan.
"Gohan! Come sit with us!"
"I need a minute."
"..."
Chi-Chi frowned, her brow creasing as her son got up and headed for the front door, walking right past them.
"Gohan~"
"I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry."
Klm.
"He just needs his space, Chi-Chi. Don't worry." Puar assured as he landed on the table.
Lapis, assumedly 20 something. Age 782 December 7th 5:05 P.M. Sasebo
"Damn I'm bored!" Lapis shouted at the heavens. Water rained down from the sky, but not from the clouds. Lazuli blasted shot after shot of ki bullets into the large ocean, causing a gigantic swirling whirlpool that crescendoed into a geyser. The sea salt liquid rained all around the islands and muddied the grass in the nearby islands.
Bvyui! Sloshhhh~Skwa-KWOOOOOOOOOOOSHHH!
Trees fell over, low to the water islands capsized and the water level rose slowly.
"Maybe this whole do whatever we want thing isn't the move, Sis. I kinda don't really feel like going through the motions anymore."
"What and we just go back to being those weird kids in high school? Fuck that."
"That's not what I meant. Fuck all those guys. What I meant was… we used to not be like this ya know? It's not our fault we got turned into omega yoppers."
"Bruh."
"I mean it's true. It was that guy Doctor Gyro or something. We faded him too quick to ask many questions…"
"..."
"And that's kinda what I mean." Lapis presented as he laid down relaxed on the air, staring at his sister from across the skyline. "We do whatever we want without thinking about the consequences. And I mean... There Aren't Any. But if we weren't so rash maybe we'd know more about our programming or artificiality."
"Guess so." Lazuli responded as she brushed her hair aside and put her hands on her hips, looking down at the shifting tides down below.
"..."
"So what are you saying?"
Lapis looked up at the sky and furrowed his brow.
"I don't know. I guess maybe giving society another shot wouldn't be so bad because this destroy everything shit isn't hitting that hard like 20 years in."
"You're cappin'. 20 years?"
"We been doin' it for Wayyy more than 10, Sis. Stop pretending."
"Okay."
"..."
"But we can't just walk back up to the populace and be like: 'Yo, I know we killed all your loved ones but we're not gonna do it anymore, no hard feelings'? Like that's retarded."
Lapis chuckled his head off as he hit a tailspin on the air.
"Yeah yeah… but what else is there to do? There's certainly no one to fight. So this destroy everyone thing doesn't have an end goal until all the humans of the world are dead."
"..."
Fwuuuuuuu~
"..."
"No." Lapis responded as he stood straight up, a smile creeping across his face.
Lazuli had a smirk stolen from her as well just based on her brother's reaction.
"Hah-Hah-Hah! That's brutal!"
"Pepper Town first."
"Of course. Pepper Town is hittin'. We gotta make sure to go find some engineers and stuff first tho so we can turn back on those neon signs. That shit doesn't hit without the lights on."
"You're so right."
"Okay!"
Whapp!
"First order of business, Sis."
She smiled and brushed her blonde hair behind her ear.
"We find an electrician and learn how to do that shit ourselves."
"Agreed."
With swift flight, they pulled out of the string of islands, across deserts, over mountaintops, and finished their stretch at mostly intact buildings.
"Yup. The buildings too."
"We doin' some remodeling, Sis?" Lapis asked with a grin as the pair overlooked the weathered town.
"I think so. If Pepper Town is gonna be our little pet project, I'm not just gonna let half the city look like dog shit."
"Hah-Hah! Fair enough. So we hiring some contractors then?"
"Shit. I guess so."
"How bout this?"
"Shoot."
"We put out some ads."
"..."
"..."
"Bruh."
"What!? We even sign our names on em'." Lapis laughed out and put his hands up in the sky, miming putting up a flyer. "Love, the cyborgs."
"... Hmm~"
"Gotta nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
"I kinda hate that I don't hate it."
"Right!? We threaten them with deletion just like usual but hey!" He slapped his sister's shoulder with his back hand. "Instead of just getting rid of the humans for no reason…"
"...We get them to do something!"
They high fived.
"Right on! I'm on board with this!"
Lapis and Lazuli gazed out into the orange and purple mix as the clouds chugged along slowly and the sun set behind the trees far far away.
"Maybe We make a new world."
Lapis looked over at his sister, smiling at her words.
"We make the society. We don't return to it. We shape it. It's not like there's someone who's gonna come stop us."
"I'm fucking with this. Beats killing people indiscriminately."
"We keep the funny ones around for sure."
"I can dig it."
"And if you don't pull your weight..." She put her hands up, made a silly face scrunching up her lips and floating backwards up a bit.
"Yop."
Zyuu~Ba-BOMM!
Lapis' energy blast combusted in mid air, shooting out black smoke in all directions.
"Exactly."
The pair laughed and exited the city the same way they came.
"Come on! We gotta go put out our ads."
Gohan, 27 y/o. Age 782 December 7th - Earth 10:57 P.M. East District 439
"This your room, huh?"
"Yeah, live it up." Gohan fought back as he threw a pillow across the room. "I guess you're-"
"Yeah. I figure we should stick together until we beat the androids. There's no telling what could happen."
"I agree."
Gohan looked out through the door, and took a peak at Puar and Oolong taking a rest on the couch.
"Gnnnughhh~" Oolong tossed and turned, almost falling onto the floor several times.
"Hasn't changed much since then."
Trunks smiled and walked across the room, a lone desk on the opposite side of the bed. It was well kept and had several drawers. The son of Bulma had a field day studying Gohan's previous studying material.
"No way. Calculus, Geography, English… you were going through it."
"Yeah. Mom was on my ass back in the day. I never had the heart to tell her I thought homeschool was whack."
Chi-Chi's face ran pink as she walked through the doorway.
"Huh-Hah-Hah!" Gohan busted out laughing. "Thanks, mom." He giggled as he took away the extra blankets and pillows in her hands.
"Well I'd never."
"It was good though, mom. Studying is good. It's not like we knew the world was gonna turn to shit."
Chi-Chi turned her nose up and attempted to walk back through until:
"Thanks, Chi-Chi. I appreciate you letting me stay over."
"Of course. You are always welcome in this house."
Gohan couldn't stop laughing as his mother left the premises with an attitude, stomping on the wood and not the carpet. Trunks and Gohan shared a little bit of leftover goonery as they set the floor with blankets and pillows. The son of Son Goku sharpened his brow and let the window open, a bright and yellow moon in full glory.
Fwuuuuuu~
"You know."
"Hmm?"
"The Saiyans, like me, transform at the sight of a full moon."
"Yeah. I remember you told me that a long time ago."
"But we only do it if we still have our tails and I don't so… Just a normal full moon out tonight."
"..."
"..."
"What's our plan of attack?"
Gohan took a seat on the fabric and the pair sat criss-crossed staring at the stars.
"I think I'll take on one of them solo and gauge where we're at while you and the rest dogpile on the other."
"You're wild. That's nuts. You think you can do that?"
"My idea is… they like to make jokes. Half the time they're not fighting serious. At All. I want to use that to my advantage and play into it. I'm not gonna go all out from the get go, in fact, I might not even go half."
Trunks finally took his eyes off the moon, taking out his hair tie and letting his glorious purple mane shine in the night sky lights.
"If they think we're weak they'll lower their guard. And with four on one that should be good odds for your end. I'm not foolish enough to think I can take one by myself but I know I'm the strongest out of all of us. I'd stand the best chance at holding them off in a one on one."
"O~kay. Now I see what you're saying."
"We have the numbers advantage. Even if Oolong and Puar aren't all that good at actually fighting, them being there and Shapeshifting is definitely gonna help us out. Oolong's better at defence and Puar's better at offence. So we also have to take that into account."
Trunks nodded his head along and grabbed his ankles, rocking back and forth as he gazed up at the yellow marble in the aether.
"You said my hair was gold that one time, right?"
"Positive. I remember it pretty vividly. I was out of it, but your eye colour changed permanently."
"..."
"You can't disprove that something happened that day because it did. We know that for sure."
"Right."
"And if Saiyans can transform under the light of the full moon…"
"... Then maybe Uncle Raditz was onto something..?"
"You know something I don't?"
"Well. I can't prove it, and to be fair to him, he said it was a myth."
Trunks stared at him sternly, forcing Gohan's hand and the pair shared eye contact.
"Apparently, eons ago when the Saiyans were still roaming the galaxy and conquering planets there was a God among them."
"..."
"A Saiyan so mighty that he had no rivals. They called him a Super Saiyan."
"..."
"..."
"That's pretty goofy."
"Yeah, I know right?"
The pair laughed it off before Gohan continued.
"Did your uncle tell you his name?"
"His name was Yamoshi. So… if Raditz' speculation was accurate, the higher ups in his business conquered and started employing the Saiyans for that purpose. To abuse the power of potential Super Saiyans."
"I see."
"Yamoshi died long before what Raditz called The Cold Estate was formed. And they had been chasing the legend ever since. Renovating other planets and races with the power they amassed."
"You think you're a Super Saiyan?"
"..."
"..."
Birds fluttered on the night's still wind and the pair sat in silence for a long while, the stars seeming to shine brighter after Trunks' question.
"How could I be?"
"..."
"I'm Half-Saiyan. I'm not even full blooded."
"..."
"I don't have my tail either. How could I be the legend they've been chasing for all these years?"
"..."
"I would figure that if it came down to it, it'd make more sense for a second transformation to have something to do with my tail."
"Yeah." Trunks fell back onto the blanket, crossing his arms behind his back. "That would make sense."
Gohan joined him, the blanket ruffled and scrunched up.
"I don't know."
"..."
"All I do know is that I got fuckin' pissed."
"..."
"I saw you out there getting brutalised by that Mongrel and something in me snapped. I couldn't see straight. There was only one thing on my mind."
"..."
"I wasn't gonna let my brother die like that."
"..."
"Thanks, Gohan."
"..."
"..."
Gohan said nothing, he just presented a fist bump and Trunks touched his knuckles against the son of Son Goku's.
Gohan, 27 y/o. Age 782 December 9th - Earth 10:19 A.M. West City Storage Lots
"This is it?" Gohan asked sternly as he flipped over the device.
"Yup." Bulma answered as she handed him another device, really just a remote control with a single red button on it. "That's the detonator."
Oolong snatched the device and loomed over it.
"So this is gonna fry em'?"
"Well, it's an EMP. I don't know to what degree the androids are artificial or what. If they're fully artificial maybe this'll really kill em'. But if they're not then I'm not sure."
"What do you mean if they're not?"
"Well I just don't know is the thing. I'm not gonna give you answers I don't know~ Eh-Hehnn!" A phlegmy cough signalling the end of her statement.
Gohan nodded, handing off the detonator to Oolong.
"Wow. You're entrusting me with this?"
"Look. You're heading into battle with us, that already means I trust you with my life. You better not fail me, Oolong."
The Pig swallowed harshly as the Half-Saiyan stared down at him diplomatically. Bulma took off her oil stained gloves and beckoned to Trunks.
"Mom~"
"Just give me a hug."
"..."
The pair hugged it out before Trunks broke away.
"We're coming back, mom."
"..."
"I promise."
Bulma let a few tears escape her, nodding along to his assertion as choky squeaks came out.
"Okay~ Be careful."
"We have a gameplan, Bulma. We're not running in there without a strategy."
"Good." She answered, wiping her tears. "That was the one thing about Goku. Half the time he fought he wasn't thinking about anything like that."
Gohan tightened his fist into a ball and looked to lead the pack out of the warehouse.
Ratatata~
He lifted the shutter before she yelled her last words of encouragement at the group.
"Good luck!"
"Thanks Bulma!"
"We don't need luck, we're gonna rid the world a' those bastads!"
"Thanks, mom."
Gohan said nothing back, only loosely waving with a back hand as he looked out into the run-down city streets.
Lazuli, assumedly 20 something. Age 782 December 9th - Earth 11:23 A.M. Pepper Town
"Yes!" Lapis shouted as the man fiddled with the mechanism in the stained hallways of a musty dungeon of electronics. Machines whirred to life as the older gentleman tinkered nervously, sparing glances back at the pair behind him every so often.
"You spooked?" Lazuli chimed in with a smile, putting her hand on his shoulder, causing a sizable shudder.
"Hah-Hah-Hah! He's off the goop, Sis! Quit scaring him!"
"Oh please. I'm trying to be gentle. You're doing a great job."
"Yu~You should be able to turn on the lights from the circuit board in the back.
"Lead the way, amigo. I don't know how any of this shit works. You're the man." Lapis reassured as he picked him up from his squat and set him straight down the hall.
"These are the killer artificial humans I've heard about..?" He questioned, raising his salty white eyebrows. He fixed his round glasses and gave the pair another once over. "Why do they want the lights on so bad? They're the ones that caused this mess in the first place aren't they?"
"Whatchu' thinking about?" Lazuli asked with a smile. "I can see the gears turning ol' chap."
Lapis and Lazuli put their arms around the man, forcing another nervous recoil.
"Relaaax. We're not gonna do anything to you, my guy. You're the champ around here as far as we're concerned."
"We're gonna get Pepper Town back into the swing of things and it's all thanks to you."
Chu~
"Whoa-hoa-hoa!"
The old man's face turned bright red as Lazuli's lips met his weathered cheek.
"Didn't know it was like that! What in the world!? Hah-Hah-Hah!"
The pair lost it on either side of the man, pushing and pulling him all across the damp halls as they chuckled like fools.
"I was feeling it, ya know. Maybe he deserves a little reward for his hard work."
"I mean I'm not saying I disagree, it was just a little wild is all."
"..."
Tp. Tap. Dmp. Tup. Dup. Dmp.
The trio strolled down the various muddied halls until:
"This the circuit breaker?"
"Y~yes."
"Work your magic."
"It's just…"
"It's just what?" Lapis shot back with a shiteating grin.
"It's just flipping switches…"
"..."
"Anyone could do it."
Lapis and Lazuli fired duck faces at each other in their hype.
"Oh shit! He's cracked!"
"Hey! I like you, dude! Keep the jokes coming!"
Pat!
The man was almost shoved head first into the metal board but caught himself on either side with his hands. The old man cleared his throat harshly as he ran through the switches, one by one.
Da-Thnn. Zzzzt.
Da-Gn. Swa~Zssst.
Ga-Chnn. Zyeeezzt.
Da-Dnn. Sweyerrrtztt.
All the lights in the leftover buildings turned into a magnificent neon luminescence, the city's life returning once more. Between each building weathered by time were also buildings knocked over, destroyed, only a scant few truly standing pristine against the elements, most of the tall structures having faults and deep cracks near the bottom and practically all possessing shattered windows.
"Come on!" Lapis yelled with excitement as he shot up the stairs as fast as could be, turning on a dime and skidding on the water outside the dim halls.
A light drizzle poured down on the rocky, grassy pavement and the trio gazed up at the enhanced neon show, the rain adding vibrancy to the colours on display. Buildings popped and faded in and out of existence with their lighting before some ultimately faded out. Lapis and Lazuli couldn't help but smile as the bright lights raged on under the grey low lights of what was supposed to be daytime.
"Yes! Hah-Hah!"
"Awesome!"
"Neon! Is! The! Vibe!"
Their shouts echoed throughout the abandoned city, rats, racoons, and other animals scampered around at the brother's callout, fleeing the scene and skittering along to their own hideouts and shelters, little cubby holes and crevices marking the streets as the rain started to increase in its downpour. The animals squeaked in response as more muddy water started to leak and drain into their homes.
"Let's go!" Lazuli shouted, the siblings laughing it up like maniacs and high fiving.
"Good shit, dude! Hah-Hah!"
The man just about folded over from the slapping praise, a red mark lining his frame underneath the button up he wore.
"Gah!" He shouted unintentionally, leaning over from the 'blow'.
"Hah-Hah! Sorry about that, homie. I forget how not sick regular humans are. That's my bad."
Kssssssss~drip~dip~Ksssssssssss~
"I wouldn't mind some more people in here."
"You think so?"
"Nah. Once we actually get rid of these ugly ass buildings this city is gonna go crazy."
"Facts."
"There's really only…" Lazuli floated up into the air, looming over the rest of the town, Lapis following suit. "That one, that one… and that one! That are still mostly in tact. We'd probably have to throw away the rest of this shit."
"Mmhmm. Most of this city is too far gone."
"..."
Lazuli presented a fistbump and Lapis nodded his head along in a surfer-brah manner.
"Yuh."
Korin, Over 500 y/o. Age 782 December 9th - Earth 12:00 P.M. Kami's Lookout
The green cat stomped around the top of The Lookout, his brown staff churning and glowing an ethereal turquoise as he stomped out imperfections and cracks in the abode. Cleaning out dust and cobwebs with harsh gusts of wind. His whiskers twitched a single time and his white maw formed in a smile as he made his way outside the palace. As he licked his left paw, he waltzed out onto the tile and sure enough:
"Hey. Took you long enough."
"We're here to win, Korin." Trunks shot back.
"We weren't going to go in without a strategy."
"Yeah!"
"So what's your strategy?"
"Strategy? That's the first I hear of this. I thought we were just gonna pull up, use this doohickey, then bum rush em'."
Puar floated around and agreed.
"Yeah. I didn't know we had a grand strategy either…" He reiterated, point pointing his stubby blue paws at each other.
Gohan hopped off The Nimbus and stretched it out.
"I take one of them in single combat while the rest of you guys~" He made eye contact with the whole group one at a time before continuing. "Take the other one."
"Gohan!" Puar cried.
"That's… insane." Korin stated.
"It's not that crazy. We have the best shot at making a 4 on 1 attack strategy go through."
"Hmmm…"
"..."
"I also have another idea and it Could work with my main strategy but it would have to happen naturally during the course of the fight rather than at the start."
"So whatchu' got?" Korin asked in his gruff voice as he licked his paw.
"Oolong and Puar can Shapeshift so we have them turn into something inconspicuous. Puar."
"What is it, Gohan?"
"Can you turn into some sunglasses?"
"Uhh~ sure."
Bom!
Gohan snatched Puar up and put him over his nose.
"God damn, kid. That's pretty fuckin' brilliant."
Gohan just smiled as he took off Puar and put him back on The Nimbus.
Bom!
"Okay. I gotta pretty good feelin' about this battle!" Oolong shouted as he pumped his fist.
"Oolong and Puar learned how to actually Use ki as well so they've likely got one free shot at the androids during our fight. So we've got to make that advantage count. I'm thinking I'll take Oolong and after you get found out I distract my opponent long enough for you to run over and join the others."
"H-hey~" Oolong let out with a bead of sweat on his forehead. "You're the boss. Sounds good enough to me. I'd prefer being the four as opposed to the one."
"Do you really think you're strong enough to handle one of those androids by yourself?"
"..."
Fwuuuuuuuuu~
The others stared at Gohan with a stoic devotion but all the son of Son Goku could do was stare at the white tile below his feet.
"I have to. I have to be. How else are we gonna beat em'?"
"..."
"I'm willing to make that sacrifice if it comes to it."
"..." Korin nodded and stepped forward, hopping onto The Nimbus cloud.
Bwonn!
"You comin'?"
Gohan smiled before climbing onto the sputtering cloud vehicle, holding onto Trunks shoulder tightly.
"Nimbus!" He shouted. "Take us to the androids!"
VYUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu~