A plate was put in front of Ranch. She only stared at it as she felt more tears begin to well up. "If you think that more water works will help then keep 'em comin', baby girl," Ranch's blonde mother said, with an uncharacteristically soft smile and demeanor. Ranch buried her face in her mother's shoulder and started crying again, while her mother wrapped her arms around her.
Across from them Trunks looked at them rather glumly as he ate. After they woke up in the ruins of Super Land, Ranch was so shocked at what she was seeing that she could barely function. Trunks had to shake her back to reality so that he could get her to help with carrying Gohan to Capsule Corp. After Bulma called a doctor to see Gohan, she called up Launch and Chi-Chi. Trunks and Ranch had to be bandaged up as well, because the half a Senzu bean that they got didn't fully heal them. As a result the wound that 18 had given Ranch did stop bleeding and mostly healed over, but it left behind a scar that ran down her left cheek. That didn't matter to her at all, though. The only thing on her mind was how Gohan, the person that admired more than anyone in the world, had gotten badly hurt because she wasn't strong enough.
"Ranch, you should really eat something," Trunks said worriedly.
"Don't worry about her, kid," Launch told him. "She'll be back to herself soon. Just you wait."
"She's right, Trunks," Bulma said. "And as cute as that is, you should follow your own advice."
"So, Bulma," Launch started off, probing for a subject that'll get their minds off their trouble. "Long time, no see. Been up to anything interesting lately?"
"Now that you mentioned it," Bulma replied smartly, happy for the change in subject, "I've got a very special project in the works. If it goes the way I hope it does it could be the solution to all our problems."
"Ah, there were days when I thought my trusty pistol was the answer to everything," Launch said reminiscently. "But then I got roped in with all these people with super powers, and it kinda killed the reason for even having one." Then her eyes fell on Ranch, and she hugged her a bit tighter. "But it was worth it." Suddenly she pulled a pistol seemingly out of nowhere and twirled it in one hand. "Not that I still don't pack, that is."
Right then Chi-Chi walked in. "Well, Gohan is asleep again," she announced tiredly.
"Good, he was so restless last night," Bulma said gladly.
Chi-Chi sighed and looked at the kids with concern. "If anything I hope that you'll think better of picking fights."
"But what choice will we have if people are in danger?" Trunks asked. "What we need to do is keep getting stronger."
Ranch then pulled away and wiped her tears. "He's right, we need to get back to training as soon—"
"No," her mother said flatly. "You're going to eat up and rest. Once Gohan is back on his feet, then you can go back to training."
"Same goes for you, Trunks," Bulma said.
"But mom!" Trunks and Ranch said together.
"No buts!" Launch and Bulma told them. The two buckled under their mother's glare.
"Don't expect Gohan to be up anytime soon," said Chi-Chi irritably. "The doctor may have said he'd be out for a week, but I expect he'll be in bed for at least two."
Launch let out a bark of laughter. "HA! Come on, Chi-Chi, give that kid of yours more credit. Gohan'll be ready and rarin' to go in no time flat."
Just as Launch said Gohan was out of bed in no time despite Chi-Chi's protests. And from that point onward the training for Trunks and Ranch consisted almost exclusively of try to go Super Saiyan. Gohan took them back into the wilderness, where the two younger half-Saiyans went back to powering up. He kept on telling them what he's told them several times before: focus—focus on their pain, loss, and anger.
"You can do it!" Gohan was yelling encouragingly. "Come on! You have to ascend! If you don't your moms will die! I'll die! You both will die! Let those emotions build up until they burst."
Both Trunks and Ranch were concentrating on just that, at their dismay that they were unable to do enough to help Gohan. Not only that, but if they were also motivated by their desire for Gohan to finally have a worthy training partner, so that he could get even stronger too. But no matter how close they got, no matter how many times their hair managed to give off a yellow glow, they always fell short.
Energy expended, Trunks could no longer power up and fell to his hands on knees, heaving. Ranch, however, kept on going. She could feel it. She was close, so close. All she had to do was keep at it until she locked it in. She couldn't, though, and Ranch just ended up on the ground next to Trunks.
Some time passed. One day the three were hanging out on a rock formation overlooking a city.
"Damn!" Trunks exclaimed in frustration. "What are we doing wrong?"
"Relax," Gohan said, laying back and resting his head on his hand. "Let's forget about turning into a Super Saiyan for now."
"But seriously, Gohan, why can't we transform?" Ranch asked desperately.
"You can—both of you," Gohan told them. "You need to keep on focusing on rage and harness it. For me I just have to think about how Krillin, Piccolo, and Raditz were brutally killed by those cyborgs. And then after all the pain and anger builds up, it finally explodes."
Trunks and Ranch shared a look and sighed. Trunks opened his mouth to say that that's exactly what they've been doing, when they were suddenly bathed in a light as an explosion suddenly rocked the city below.
"Damn them!" Trunks cried, as they all stood up.
Gohan went Super Saiyan. "You two go back to saving civilians, while I—"
"No!" Ranch argued. "We should go with you to help."
"Yeah, Gohan, we're stronger than we were before," Trunks agreed.
"I can't risk that. I'll be a lot less effective worrying about you two," Gohan countered. "So either help evacuate or stay here!"
"But that's crazy!" Ranch pleaded desperately. "We can't let you go alone while you're injured like that. Please, Gohan, let us go!"
"We can take them this time, I know it!" Trunks added.
Gohan looked at their determined faces for a second, and then softened up. "Alright fine."
Relieved, Trunks and Ranch turned to face the city. Ranch started saying, "Let's g—" Everything went dark for her as she fell unconscious. Trunks looked over just in time to see her fall, as Gohan knocked him out as well.
"Sorry about this, guys," Gohan said, looking down at them. "But I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you." Powering up, Gohan flew towards the city to face the cyborgs.
Ranch suddenly awoke breathing heavily. The first thing she noticed wasn't how much darker is was, or the rain that began to fall, or even Trunks lying next to her. No, the first thing she noticed, which filled her with dread, was the lack of an aura. Ranch couldn't sense Gohan. Trunks woke up, too, and he instantly came to the same realization. Standing, they both looked towards the smoldering ruins of the city, and took off without saying a word.
They split up and searched the city in their desperate search. Ranch kept her eyes peeled but saw nothing in the damage and destruction. Then she spotted something that made her stop and land on the ground. She stood there paralyzed by what she was seeing up ahead, and slowly she managed to start walking forward. The rain began to pick up as Ranch got closer and closer, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. The figure was lying face down on the ground, unmoving. Tears began to well up and cascade down her face. "Gohan," Ranch whispered, getting to him and dropping to her knees. "Gohan!"
Ranch grabbed hold of his ghi and turned him over to looking into his lifeless eyes. "GOHAN!" she screamed louder than she had before. "Gohan! Get up! Please!" Ranch cried, shaking his body. Ranch let out another scream of anguish, involuntarily releasing a tremendous amount of energy as she did.
Trunks stopped in midair and turned towards the aura that Ranch was emitting. Horrified, he made a beeline towards her, and got to Ranch just as she screamed once more and pounded the ground before with both fists, smashing the pavement. Then his eyes landed on who was before her. "Gohan!" he cried just as she had.
Tears began to fall down Trunks' face, and he ended up next to Ranch letting out his own cry of despair. Together, the two half-Saiyans let out a loud roar that practically tore out their throats. Their roar contained all their rage, grief, and pain, while simultaneously releasing the tremendous amount of power that been sleeping inside them. Their hair flashed yellow, their eyes flickered green, and with one last yell they were consumed by their emotions. After one final burst of power the two went Super Saiyan and stayed that way.
They looked into each other's tear streaked faces, indifferent to their transformation, and embraced in a hug as they continued to cry.