Trunks slid off of the mattress onto the cold Capsule Corporation floor. Yawning, he made his way to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and opened the medicine cabinet behind it to remove his toothbrush and toothpaste. He looked at the Capsule Corporation logo on the brush as he flipped the switch to turn it on. As he pressed it against his teeth, the bristles foamed up as a paste was injected into his mouth. It seemed as if everything nowadays was a product of his mother's business. Even the tag on his sleeveless black T-shirt read "CAPSULE" across it, right above the little "100% cotton" inscription. He slipped out of it and his lavender lounge pants and stepped into the shower, toothbrush hanging from his mouth.
A lot had happened in his twenty-year lifetime. His father Vegeta and all of Earth's other adult protectors were killed by evil androids when he was just a baby. For years, he grew up with only a few close friends. His mother Bulma and her friends Chichi, Gohan, and Roshi were all that remained of their once-immense brotherhood. Even Kami, the guardian of the Earth, the keeper of the DragonBalls, was now gone, since Piccolo had fallen in battle against the Androids.
Gohan, being a fighter, protected what was left of the Earth's population with small battles. He knew he couldn't defeat the Androids, but every second he fought them, that was a second that millions of Earthlings had to live their lives.
Gohan had been like a mentor to Trunks. He taught him everything about battle and about being kind and remembering your loved ones always. Trunks grew strong, wise, and caring with Gohan as his teacher. Even after Chichi was killed by the Androids, Gohan remained strong and focused in his training endeavor.
Then came the day that Gohan fell in battle. Trunks lost his sparring partner, teacher, and one true friend when Gohan died. He vowed to find a way to defeat the Androids and somehow bring all the fallen to life once more. Bulma began working on a machine that would allow Trunks to travel back in time to set things right. Meanwhile, Trunks took over Gohan's role as the planet's hero. Being weaker than Gohan, he found it a little harder to deal with the Androids, but he didn't let himself be beaten.
When Bulma's time machine was completed, he traveled back to before the Androids were released. He warned the protectors about the Androids and returned home to see if he had changed his own timeline. He had not. But he had promised his father and the others that he would return, and so he did, but he found there an altered timeline. Instead of two androids there were five and then there was a new bio-android named Cell to deal with.
Cell came from a time when Trunks returned from fighting the two alternate Androids and had killed the Androids in his time off as well. Cell killed Trunks in that timeline and went back in time with Trunks's time machine, altering Trunks's reality. Since trunks was forced to face five Androids and then Cell, he was much stronger upon his return home and was able to defeat the Cell of his timeline. In a way, Cell's returning to the past created a skewed reality in which really, he didn't.
Trunks wiped off his face, placing the toothbrush back into the medicine cabinet.
That was two years ago… he thought. I came back and defeated Androids Seventeen and Eighteen and Cell two whole years ago. He parted his shoulder-length lavender hair down the middle and slowly brushed the tangles out.
Roshi returned to his peaceful island dwelling, but Trunks still lived with his mother. Together they provided relief efforts for those left homeless by the Android attacks. Not exactly a job for the world's strongest being, the sole survivor of the Saiyan race, but hey, it makes him happy!
He picked up his dirty laundry and wrapped a towel around his waist before he left the room. He yawned again. The floors were still cold, just like every morning. He stuck the clothes in the hamper as he entered his room to change.
Down the hall, Bulma stretched. No matter how early she woke up, her son woke up first. He got food for them, he did all of the cooking, he took care of dishes, the laundry, and the trash, and he made sure that the house stayed clean. All Bulma had to do was keep her new factory pumping out the Capsule supplies for the needy. Now that they had the ability to replicate all capsules, from food to clothes, to aircars and even homes, helping the needy was easy. Every day they flew to a new town to help restore its splendor.
Except today. Today was the first day in more than a year that they didn't have anyplace to go. Finally, all of the towns were up and going. Finally, they were harvesting their own foods. Finally, the economy was returning.
And Trunks was bored.
All day long, he paced around the house. He looked at his mother, sitting in front of the computer, sometime after lunch. "There's gotta be someone left to help!" he said to her. "Someone somewhere has to be hungry!"
Bulma smiled, the laugh lines on her face becoming more profound. "Knowing the Saiyans," she said, "that someone will be you here in a second."
Trunks smiled. "I need to be doing something!" he said. "I feel the need to help!"
Bulma swiveled in her chair. "They've gotta start doing that for themselves, sweetheart," she said. "They can't depend on Miz Brains and her son Mister Brawn to come solve every problem for them until they die!"
Trunks looked at the floor. "Then I need something else to pass the time," he said.
"Find a woman," Bulma said. "That seemed to keep your father pretty happy between battles."
Trunks rolled his eyes. "C'mon, mom!" he yelled, turning around. "Eww!"
His stomach growled. "I'm hungry," he said.
"Do I know your body or what?" Bulma asked, smiling.
DRAGONBALL
Trunks had tried everything. Sports were too easy. Collectibles were too boring. Puzzles and logic just weren't his thing. He tried some new recipes but quickly learned that he knew all of the good ones. Finally, he decided to just fly.
Faster than a ray of light, he flew all over the globe. He saw sights that he had never seen before. Some of the prettiest places on Earth had been untouched by the Androids. He stopped and enjoyed nature in places he had never seen before, but soon, each of those places bored him as well.
"I need to help people!" he said to himself, flying above a desert. "There has to be trouble somewhere!" He flew to the nearest town and all the happy people waved to him. No one in peril, no one hungry, not even a person that just needed a shoulder to cry on. Trunks sighed and flew on.
He landed on the Lookout.
"Hey, Mister Popo," he said, waving to the short, fat, black-skinned, turban-wearing resident of the tallest tier of Korin Tower. Popo was pacing around. "You look pretty bored too, huh?"
Popo nodded. "That I am, young Master Trunks," he said. "For awhile it was rather hectic up here as the Acting Guardian of Earth, but now that everything has settled down, I find it hard to enjoy my job much." He looked to Trunks. "I wish that Kami was here," he said. "Things were always easier when he was around."
"Yeah," Trunks said. "I miss my friends in the alternate reality. I've been putting thought to visiting them again, but I don't know when. I don't want to interrupt their lives, you know?"
Popo nodded. "It is hard to be without friends," he said. "It's too bad that I am only allowed one day a year to visit Kami."
"You can visit them?!?" Trunks asked, smiling, fists clenched in front of him.
Popo nodded.
"You mean, I can see Gohan again?!?" Trunks asked.
"You are allowed to do so once a year," Popo answered. "But you need a way to get to King Yamma's outpost before you can travel the Snakeway to King Kai's planet where everyone is."
"You can take me, right?" Trunks asked. "And what do you mean by 'everyone'?"
"Kami, Piccolo, Krillin, Goku, Vegeta, Yajirobi, Korin, Baba, Gohan, Chichi, Oolong, Puar, Doctor and Misses Brief, Yamcha, Tien, and Chaozu reside along the Snakeway or with King Kai himself," Popo replied.
"Can you take me now?" Trunks asked.
Popo's magic carpet appeared beside Trunks. Popo stepped onto it. "Stand on my magic carpet," he said to Trunks.
Trunks climbed up and the surroundings instantly changed. An immense man in a purple suit sat at a desk the size of a building.
"Ah," the man said. "Mister Popo, what can I do for you?"
"Trunks would like to spend a day with his friend Gohan," Popo explained.
"Well I suppose that's alright," Yamma said, "but you must not accompany him."
"Yes, I am aware," Popo responded.
"I'll have one of my men accompany you to the North Kai's home at the end of the Snakeway," Yamma said.
"No, that's alright," Trunks said, peering around the desk at a door that was obviously the door that led to his friend. "I can go much faster myself." He looked up into Yamma's eyes. "Can I go now?"
"I suppose so," Yamma replied. "Just don't fall off like Goku did. He got a little backtracked, you know?"
Trunks powered up and levitated. "I think I can handle it," he said. He saluted Yamma, thanked Popo, and in a flash he was through the doorway and miles down the Snakeway.
DRAGONBALL
"Who was that?!?" Yamcha asked his comrades as a figure flew by their home, built onto the side of the Snakeway.
"He was headed toward King Kai's place," Tien said. "I don't care who he is – if he starts trouble he's gonna be wishing he wasn't stupid enough to come here and challenge us." He hopped into the air. "Let's go!" he said. "We'll get him!"
Chaozu and Yamcha leapt into the air and followed Tien after the young terror.
They flew their hardest but couldn't catch up with their prey. They stopped at a larger dwelling down the Way. "Hey, Kami!" Yamcha shouted down. "Did you see who that guy was?"
Kami, Piccolo, Korin, Baba, and Yajirobi were all out on their porch.
"He was too fast for my old eyes to see," Kami said. "He has a great power. Stronger than any of our Saiyan warriors."
Piccolo leapt into the air. "He can't be strong enough to defeat us all," he growled. "Let's go!"
"I'm coming too!" Korin said. "Yajirobi will drive the rest of us down."
"I'm not going anywhere!" Yajirobi protested. "You can drive yourself!"
"YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE OF US THAT KNOWS HOW TO DRIVE!!!!!" Korin yelled at him. "So let's go."
The fighters disappeared into the distance. Yajirobi, grumbling, reached into his pocket and deposited the airvan capsule on the ground. As the quartet climbed in, he said, "I'm nobody's chauffeur," and drove off.
DRAGONBALL
Vegeta watched as the figure flew past his small home. "Just who could that have been?" he asked himself. "He was nearly as strong as me!" As Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, and Chaozu flew past, he jumped up to join them.
"Hey, there, Vegeta!" Yamcha greeted him. "How are you doing today?"
"I'm itching for a good fight," he replied. "This guy is strong, but I'll bet I could take him down."
Piccolo smirked at Vegeta's overwhelming ego.
DRAGONBALL
Trunks landed at the end of the Snakeway, looking up at the grand house before him. Krillin was cowering on the porch. "Wh-wh-who are you???" he managed to ask.
Trunks smiled. "Hey Krillin," he said. "Don't be scared, it's just me!"
"Yeah but who are you?" Krillin asked again.
Trunks wrinkled his brow. Oh, yeah, he thought. The Krillin of this timeline hasn't seen me since I was a baby, if he saw me at all.
Krillin stood up with one eyebrow raised. "Hey," he said, "where's your halo at? You're not supposed to be here, are you?" He wagged his finger in an very accusing way.
"I've got a day pass," Trunks explained. "I'm here to visit Gohan and meet my father."
Krillin scratched his bald head, putting thought to what Trunks had said. He stood up straight, all of a sudden, waving his hands in the air, eyes wide. "You're Vegeta's kid! Trunks!" He shook Trunks's hand. "It's an honor to meet the guy who saved the Earth when no one else could."
Trunks blushed. "Well, I had some help," he said, "but that's a long story."
The five fighters landed on the path behind Trunks. Krillin looked around Trunks to see them. "Hey, Vegeta," he said slyly. "Your son is paying us all a visit. Why don't you come over here and give him a hug?"
Vegeta blanched. "My… s-son???" he stammered.
Trunks stepped down the stairs onto the Snakeway. "Hey, dad," he said, waving once with his right hand.
Vegeta almost smiled. It's been twenty years… he thought. This is wonderful! I may not be stronger than Kakarot, but my SON is, and that's nearly as good.
Trunks hugged his father. Vegeta, at first, hugged Trunks back, but then pretended like he was above it. "Hugging is for children and lovers," he said. "Two grown men should not be hugging!" He pushed past Trunks and entered the home of Goku, Gohan, Chichi, and Krillin.
"C'mon, guys!" Krillin said. "King Kai and his friends are here, and your grandparents too, Trunks! It'll be like a reunion!"
Yajirobi slammed on the braking thrusters and the van stopped, the front bumper inches from Yamcha's nose. Yamcha, wide-eyed, gulped.
"Sorry," Yajirobi called, leaning out the window. The van slowly landed. Everyone went inside.
DRAGONBALL
"Trunks!" Gohan shouted.
"Gohan!" Trunks returned. They embraced.
"It's been awhile, huh?" Gohan asked.
"Yeah, it certainly has," Trunks said smiling.
Gohan turned. "I'd like you to meet my family," he said. "This is my dad, Goku." He gestured toward Goku.
"I know everyone's name already," Trunks said. "I've met you all on a parallel Earth."
Everyone suddenly appeared confused. "What?" Goku asked.
"Jeez, didn't Popo tell you when he visited?" Trunks asked them all.
"Tell us what?" Gohan asked.
Trunks began to explain his past to everyone, from the moment that Gohan died up to the point where he parted ways with Popo and Yamma.
"Interesting," King Kai said. "I just have one question for you."
"What's that?" Trunks asked.
"Did you hear any good jokes from the other me while you were dead in that timeline?" Kai asked quietly. "I've been dying for some new material lately."
Trunks smiled. "Sorry King Kai," he answered, "but I didn't."
"Rats!" Kai snapped his finger.
"You sound like you have lead a very deserving life," Gohan said.
"You sound like you have grown weak," Vegeta mocked. "You've spent the past two years rebuilding stuff?!? That is no way for a Saiyan to live."
Trunks smiled. "I'm just as Human as I am Saiyan, Dad," he said with one finger raised. "Anyway, I've been training hard in the past couple of years, too," he said. "Sometimes exercise is the most fun way to spend your time."
"That's the Saiyan in you talking," Goku said, half-laughing. "I'll bet you find it fun to take yourself one step closer to the edge with every punch."
Trunks smiled. "Ohh yeah…" he said. "An adrenaline rush is like the best feeling in the world!"
Vegeta smiled. "That's my son talking!" he said. "For a moment, I thought that you had grown weak and frail since defeating Cell."
"No way!" Trunks said. "I train a little every day, in a special gravity room that mom made me."
"How many times stronger than Earth's own gravity do you train at?" Vegeta asked.
"Well," Trunks said, "the machine only goes to a thousand…"
Everyone's jaws dropped. "A thousand G's?!?" Goku said. "That's incredible!!! You must go through meals like a hippo!"
Trunks smiled. "That's no problem," he said. "There's always food at Capsule Corporation headquarters."
"Mmm," Gohan said. "I miss Bulma's meals – fresh from freeze-dried food."
Trunks laughed. "Everything is stored at absolute zero now," he said. "Nothing spoils, and it's piping hot again as soon as you hit the button!"
Goku's eyes widened. "Why did I have to die?!?" he shouted. He started to tear up. "I want to try some capsule food." He sniffled. His stomach growled.
Trunks passed him a capsule. Goku swallowed the capsule whole.
"Wait!" Trunks protested. "That was a meal that could've easily fed all of us! Plus, you aren't supposed to eat it that way!"
Goku's belly puffed out in one swift motion. He burped yellow smoke. "Mmm…" he said.
Trunks's mouth hung open. "I've never seen someone do that!" he said. "I don't think that I could even do that after starving myself for a week in a thousand times gravity training."
"That's Goku for you," Krillin said, with slit eyes. "He could eat all the edible stuff in the universe and still ask for dessert."
Trunks laughed. "Jeez!" he said. "I'm impressed!"
"Thank you," Goku said and hiccuped.
DRAGONBALL
By the end of the day, Trunks had become buddy-buddy with all of Vegeta and Gohan's friends. He even learned a couple of things, like the "Instant Transmission".
"Gosh," he said. "I wish there was a way to bring you guys all back to Earth. I know my mom and Master Roshi would enjoy your company again."
"A bunch of people lost their lives at the hands of the Androids," Gohan said. "That's a lot of people to bring back."
"I could bring them back for a day," Baba said. "But Yamma says that I'm not allowed to, now that I'm dead."
Kami nodded. "If my DragonBalls were still useful, you could use those," he said. "Then you could wish us back one at a time."
"There's always Maury," Kai suggested. "His DragonBalls still work."
"But it has been twenty years since the killing began," Kami said. "Maury's DragonBalls cannot wish all of those people back."
"Oh yeah," Kai said. "I forgot that part."
Trunks had an idea. "In the other timeline, Piccolo and Kami fused and a young Namekian named Dende became the keeper of Shenlong," he said. "If we could somehow get to Dende, he could awake Shenlong again and make him more powerful."
"Dende?" Krillin, Piccolo, and Gohan said together.
Kami nodded. "That may work," he said, "but the chances are very slim that he could resurrect Shenlong after twenty whole years."
Everyone frowned.
Trunks wouldn't give up. "If Dende has the power to resurrect Shenlong and grant him even more power," he started, "shouldn't he also have the power to create a new Dragon and new DragonBalls?"
Kami smiled. "Yes," he said. "He does have that power, I'm sure. However, that is not something that we Namekians just do. It takes years of concentration before you have that kind of power, and even then he has to have a vision of the Dragon before he can begin working."
"But Dende was very young when he brought Shenlong back!" Trunks said. "Just a child!"
"Don't be absurd," Kami said. "A child could not even perform those tasks, let alone bring a new Dragon into existence!"
"I beg to differ," Piccolo interrupted. "Dende was very powerful. He and Nail were very close to Guru for a reason. Nail was the most combat-powerful of Guru's children, and Dende was a prodigy. Not even Guru himself possessed the Dragon-powers that Dende had, even as a child."
"Absurd!" Kami said. "How do you know all of this, anyway?"
"Because I am Nail," Piccolo replied in Nail's voice. "Piccolo and I live together in this body now."
Kami stood, nodding, remembering. "Are you sure about this Dende then?" he asked.
"I am positive," Nail replied. "He could create DragonBalls to revive us and every other kindhearted Earthling ever killed by an evil power in a single wish."
Kami looked at Kai.
"I'll talk to Maury," Kai said. He shut his eyes tight and focused. Piccolo placed his hand on Kai's shoulder. The two proposed their plan to Maury and Dende, unheard by any of the others in the room. After a few dozen minutes, Piccolo's hand left Kai's shoulder and Kai opened his eyes.
"They'll do it!" he said. "Dende is going to make the DragonBalls and travel to Earth when they are made so that Trunks can wish you all home!"
Everyone rejoiced.
Kami looked at Trunks. "Your twenty-four hours are drawing to an end," he said. "You better get home to your mother."
Trunks stood up. "I hope to see you all again soon," he said, placing his fingers on his forehead. "Goodbye."
Everyone said "Goodbye" and he disappeared.
"Such a nice boy," Chichi said.
"Yeah," Vegeta said. "What a shame."
DRAGONBALL
Trunks appeared on Yamma's table, right next to the immense pencil in Yamma's hand. "I'm going home now," he said and disappeared.
DRAGONBALL
Trunks appeared on the Lookout beside Popo. "Thanks again, Mister Popo," he said. "I had lots of fun!" He disappeared again.
DRAGONBALL
"WHERE ON EARTH WERE YOU?!?" Bulma screamed. "YOU DISAPPEAR FOR MORE THAN THIRTY HOURS AND EXPECT EVERYTHING TO BE JUST FINE AND DANDY WHEN YOU GET HOME?!?"
"No," Trunks protested. "It wasn't like that. I was only gone for twenty-nine-and-a-half hours, and with good reason too… and I wasn't on Earth…"
"Where'd you go?" Bulma asked quietly. "Save the Earth again?"
"No, but I might be able to bring Dad back to life," he said. "I visited Mister Popo and he took me to King Yamma and he let me visit Dad, Gohan, and the others in the afterlife."
Bulma's eyes widened. "Really?" she said. "You got to see your father?"
Trunks smiled. "Yeah," he said. "He's tough as nails, but I think he's proud of me."
Bulma held Trunks's face at the jaw. "Who wouldn't be?" she asked. "You're the best son that anyone could have."
Trunks smiled wider. "Yeah, well…" he scratched the back of his head, "I had some help getting this way."
Bulma smiled and walked away. She snapped her fingers and turned back around. "Oh yeah," she said. "I had an idea of something to keep you busy. You could always just get on the Internet. You can get a screen name on the Capsule Corporation Instant Messenger and start talking to ordinary people all over the world, without moving far from your training capsule!"
Trunks frowned. "I don't know, mom," he said. "Don't you think that kind of stuff is for social outcasts and ugly people?"
Bulma smiled. "You're talking to CapsuleBabe_24_7," she said.
Trunks fell over anime-style.
DRAGONBALL
"HalfSaiyan_Hero…" Trunks said, typing his new onscreen identity into the text box. He chose a password and hit enter. Then he entered in some information about himself and went on to the next screen.
"Browse friends?" he said. He clicked the button on the screen.
Type area to find local buddies! the screen said. Trunks typed in his regional address code and hit enter. Another screen popped up. Options like "Age, Gender, Height, Nationality, and Build" were listed down the side of the screen, adjacent to text boxes.
"Can't be too picky about my friends," he said. "My age… twenty… no gender preference… no height preference… no nationality preference… no build preference… only show users with images… check that…"
The next screen popped up. Due to the Android attack, the Internet was a luxury that some were without for a long time. However, Internet-ready radio-based personal computers were a regular addition to all of the homes that Bulma and Trunks had provided to the crisis victims, and the chat rooms were flooded with users once more.
Trunks realized that he didn't have an image up yet, so he opened another window, smiled at the Webcam, took a picture, and uploaded it. Back on the friends page, he clicked on a the first user thumbnail and watched the next page load in an instant.
Trunks smiled. A twenty-year old, blonde beauty stared back at him. "I guess the Internet isn't just for ugly people," he said. "Maybe I should say 'hi'."
Before he could click on the "Send message" icon, a message box appeared.
You shouldn't pretend to be Trunks, it said.
"I am Trunks," he said, typing as he spoke.
Another message box opened onto his screen. You aren't really Trunks, are you? It read.
"Yes," he said, typing.
Liar, the first box came back. Trunks spends all his time training.
"Not really," he wrote. "In fact, yesterday, I took a fly around the world for fun."
The second box came back: That's so cool! I'm talking to Trunks right now!!!
A third box popped up, reading simply, Hey there, sexy.
Trunks made a face.
The fist box came to the front, reading: Anyone could know that, Trunks was all over the place yesterday, checking up on the needy.
"I know," he said. "Its kinda hard being me and not being able to help people."
The second box came to the front. You still there?
A fourth box popped up. You suck! Nobody can be Trunks but Trunks!
The third box popped up again. Well, you gonna say anything?
A fifth box popped up. Do I know you?
A sixth box popped up. Nice pic! Have I seen you somewhere?
The first box came forward again. You really expect me to believe that you're Trunks?
Trunks's eyes widened. In a split-second he typed responses to every box and waited for their responses. He finally had found a hobby that required quick reflexes and a sharp intellect.
DRAGONBALL
Trunks did push-ups on his right index finger and with his right leg crossed over his left, the gravity meter in the center of the room maxed out. "Nine hundred ninety-nine… one thousand," he folded his legs the other way and switched to his other index finger. "One… two… three…"
Outside the room, Bulma did a load of laundry. She looked at the door to the training room. "That boy is pushing himself to the edge," she said. "Seven hours of sleep, seven hours of training, and seven hours of the Internet is no way to spend most of the day." She turned on the drier and carried a basket out of the room. "Leaves me to do most of the chores! Hmph!"
Trunks continued his exercises. "Nine hundred twenty-three… nine hundred twenty-four…"
DRAGONBALL
Trunks slid off of the mattress onto the cold Capsule Corporation floor. Yawning, he made his way to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and opened the medicine cabinet behind it to remove his toothbrush and toothpaste. He showered and got dressed, but not in any normal clothing. He slid into his gray, close-fitting, low-neck, ribbed sweatshirt and khaki slacks, then put on his socks and a pair of low-top, brown, suede boots.
At noon, Trunks was going on a date. When he finally got people online believing who he was, he remembered the girl that he had intended to say 'hi' to. They immediately clicked. Whenever they had a question for each other, they found that either the other had just said the answer or was already typing it. They typed the same phrase at the same time – word for word – and even reacted to the odd situation in identical fashion. They knew that they had to meet. So they set a date for Saturday, May 28th at noon, right in the Center Plaza of New East City. Even though Trunks was the single most popular guy left on Earth, Leena (the girl) wasn't star-struck at all. She was completely open about her life.
Trunks pushed his long hair behind his ears, trying to make it look better. He smiled, checking the gaps in his teeth for buildup. He checked his breath. He made a face and reached for the mouthwash.
DRAGONBALL
"Do you have any condoms?" Bulma asked.
Trunks's jaw dropped. "MOM!!!" he shouted. "That's none of your business, and this is only the first date!!!"
Bulma put her hands into the air, palms-out. "Fine," she said. "Just curious is all." She took a sip of coffee as Trunks put on his Capsule Brand watch. "I hope for your sake that this isn't a mistake," she continued. "You seem so infatuated with someone you don't even know. I just hope she's all you're hoping she is."
Trunks smiled. "I know everything about her," he said, looking his mother in the eyes. "She's perfect. Trust me."
Bulma just smiled.
"I don't want to be late," Trunks said, standing. "I'll see you tonight." He put his fingers to his forehead and everything around him disappeared, changing into the Center Plaza. He put on his Capsulebrand sunglasses and looked around. It was a work day, and it was the right time of day for everyone to be out for lunch. He sat down at the bench by the fountain in the center of the Plaza and tried to look for a young woman amidst the business suits.
His watch read 11:59A. He wasn't late.
The world slowed down, nearly to a stop, as he saw her face. Her big, brown eyes were complimented perfectly with just the right amount of eyeliner and mascara. Her blonde hair was tied in the back and shot out in all directions, similar to peacock feathers. She bit her lip and scanned the Plaza for him. Her white spaghetti-string crop top was complimented with a pink, close-fitting, long-sleeve sheer blouse, cropped shorter than the white shirt. Between the shirts and her dark blue, baggy jeans was her pierced navel, a single steel barbell, shining above her slim waistline. She turned and Trunks could see kanji writing tattooed between her shoulders, under the see-through pink shirt. The symbols were Wisdom, Peace, and Power.
Trunks smiled. That's Leena for certain! He decided to surprise her. He put his fingers to his forehead again and transmitted to her side, standing a foot behind her as she scanned the area where he had just been. He smiled, taking off his glasses. She stood nearly a foot shorter than him, even with the large heels of her Capsulebrand tennis shoes. She smelled like strawberries.
Trunks forced a cough, still smiling.
She turned, facing down with her eyes shut and mouth turned up into a smile. "How did I know that you were gonna do that?" she asked. She looked up into his eyes, showing a perfect row of teeth with an innocent smile. "It must be soo cool to be that fast," she said.
"It's nice to be able to get places as fast as this without paying or polluting," he said. "On the other hand, people look at me funny when I just appear out of nowhere.
Still smiling, Leena took his hand. "I'd like to experience it," she said. "Can you take me with you?" She held his large hand with both of hers. "Please?"
She is too good at being so darn cute, Trunks thought. Guess it wouldn't do much harm to show off a little…
"Stand close," he said. She stepped forward a little, still holding his hand. He put his other hand to his forehead. Their surroundings changed once more. In front of them was an endless ocean, no land in sight.
"The beach?" Leena asked. "You shoulda told me before hand so I coulda worn my bikini." She winked.
Trunks blushed.
"Bikini?" came the voice of an old man. "Who said 'bikini'?!?"
Trunks slapped his own forehead. "I thought we would have been here and gone before Roshi knew we were here," he whispered to her. "This guy is gonna be really into you." He turned, smiling and grabbing Leena's hand. "Hey, Master Roshi!" he said. "How are you doing?"
"Who's your… friend there, Trunks?" Roshi asked, smiling, blushing, and squinting merrily.
"This is Leena," Trunks said. "We're on a date and I wanted to show her the view from your island."
Roshi frowned. "I see…" he said disappointedly.
"And actually, Master Roshi, I've got to be going," Trunks said. "I've made plans for lunch and I don't want us to be late, you know?" He put a hand behind his head as he explained. He smiled wide when he finished.
"Mm-hmm," Roshi said. "Well it's nice of you to stop by." A wild look spread across Roshi's face as he yelled. "If your girlfriend has a sister, let me know, okay?!?"
They disappeared.
"They better come back with a sister or cousin or something," he said. "What a looker that one was! I sure taught that boy how to pick 'em!"
DRAGONBALL
"Mister Trunks, your table is ready!" the restaurant host informed them as they walked through the doors. Flashbulbs blinked everywhere.
Trunks frowned. "What's up with all the press?" he asked the host quietly.
"They came for you!" the host said. "And they paid for their seats, so…"
Trunks turned to Leena as some of the media got out of their seats. "You wanna go someplace else?" he asked.
She just nodded.
They disappeared.
DRAGONBALL
"Corndogs," Leena said, peeling some breading off of her meal and placing it into her mouth. "Yum…"
Trunks pulled a stick out of his mouth and held it with the twelve others in his hand. "You don't like corndogs?" he asked.
Leena smiled. "I like 'em," she said. "I just thought that the Earth's one true savior ate a little more extravagantly than corndogs."
Trunks stared into space with a blank look on his face. "Well I like food," he said. "If you want, I could cook you something like I'd eat at home."
Leena dropped her corndog into a wastebasket and grabbed Trunks's hand. "Let's go, then," she said, wrinkling her nose with a smile.
Trunks smiled. He felt so at ease in her presence. She was always smiling, even just two years after everything died down with the Androids and all. Happiness is one of the most respectable things in the world…
They disappeared again.
DRAGONBALL
"I'm getting so used to that!" Leena said as they materialized in Trunks's living room. "The first time I got kinda nauseous but now it's so natural."
Trunks smiled.
Bulma entered the room and introductions were made. Trunks fixed lunch for everyone and decided to spend the day with Leena. They went to East City Park (completely regrown) to feed the ducks, then went clothes shopping, to the movies, to dinner, and walked along the beach, watching the sunset. They sat down as it started to get dark. Trunks put his arm around Leena's waist. She leaned her head into his shoulder.
"It's really weird," she said. "First, I feel like I've known you a really long time and not just these past couple of weeks." She looked up into his eyes. "It's like I'm ready to spend the rest of my life right here with you." She looked back at the sunset. "Second," she said, "it's your popularity. I really don't feel so intimidated now that I know how normal and gentle you are."
Trunks kissed her forehead as she looked back toward the sunset. "I never thought I could fall in love," he said. "You see, I'm so different than other guys. I never thought that anyone could see through my power and fall in love with me for who I really am."
Leena looked back up at him, smiling wide. "You were wrong," she said.
Trunks just smiled again. They kissed as the sun made its disappearance past the horizon final.
"I've just got all these feelings I thought a warrior like me could never have," Trunks said, placing his forehead on hers.
"You can't change the way you feel," Leena responded.
They kissed once more.
DRAGONBALL
musical interlude
Got nothing to lose this time, and I'm bored with the same old lines. I never know what to do or what to say to you. One look and you'll knock me out; you put me on the floor with a ten count. I don't wanna make a scene - I gotta make you see that I've been waiting for a girl like you, and I know there's nothing I could do. Don't wanna make you hurt, don't wanna make you feel like the world ain't on your side, like you're never gonna get it right. No, I can't fight. I can't sleep at night, just thinking about you, girl; I'm a fool for you. Yes I am.
You've been on my mind since I saw you walking by. I knew I had to know you better; you were everything. But I didn't know what to say so you just walked away. I couldn't believe what a fool I was to let you go, 'cause I've been waiting for a girl like you and I know there's nothing I could do. Don't wanna make you hurt, don't wanna make you feel like the world ain't on your side, like you're never gonna get it right. No, I can't fight. I can't sleep at night, just thinking about you, girl; I'm a fool for you. Yes I am. Yeah.
Then I saw you at the beach talking with my friends. I couldn't believe my eyes; it was my lucky day. So I just asked you out to the Forum to see No Doubt. When you said you would go I thought I might explode, 'cause I've been waiting for a girl like you and I know there's nothing I could do. Don't wanna make you hurt, don't wanna make you feel like the world ain't on your side, like you're never gonna get it right. No, I can't fight. I can't sleep at night, just thinking about you, girl; I'm a fool for you. Yes I am. Don't wanna make you hurt, don't wanna make you feel like the world ain't on your side, like you're never gonna get it right. No, I can't fight. I can't sleep at night, just thinking about you, girl; I'm a fool for you. Yes I am. Yes I am. I am… a fool for you. Yes I am. I am.
"I'm a Fool" by American Hi-Fi, written/sung by Stacey Jordan
DRAGONBALL
It was two weeks later. Trunks had spent some time every day with Leena. Today, they were supposed to be going to a concert, one of Leena's favorite bands was playing at the Capsule Arena in East City, and Trunks surprised her with a pair of tickets.
Trunks wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he passed through the laundry room on his way to the shower. He dropped the towel and his drenched white T-shirt into the washer and continued on. Bulma stopped him in the hall.
"So," she said, "when are you and Leena going to get married, huh?" she asked.
Trunks smiled. "I'm sure you'll be the third person to know, Mom," he said.
Trunks got ready quickly. He was supposed to pick Leena up at 5:00P at her place in the city. He tied his shoe as Bulma entered the living room. He stood, and she pulled his face down to kiss his cheek. "Good luck," she said as he wiped the kiss away.
"I don't think I need luck," he said. "What I need is my own place…"
"What was that?" Bulma asked, turning. Trunks was gone, and had been smiling as he left.
DRAGONBALL
Trunks held a single red rose behind his back and rang the doorbell to Leena's Capsulebrand apartment. There wasn't an answer. He knocked.
Like a flash, the face of an evil entity passed through Trunks's mind. He turned, dropping the rose. In front of him stood a rather ugly purple-and-white alien with a long head, yellow lips, and a fancily drawn letter M on his forehead. He held one hand to the mouth of the struggling Leena as she fought to escape.
"Hello," the alien said. "If you want your girlfriend to live, you should follow me!" The alien flew away.
Trunks was hot on his trail. He was ten times as fast as the alien, and got the idea to pummel him. He looked down. They were a mile or two above rocky ground.
Don't want anything to happen to Leena… he gritted his teeth in anger as he followed the weaker being to their destination. After a minute or two of flight, the alien descended and entered a small shed-looking building in the middle of a field of upturned Earth. Trunks landed and ran toward the door.
A single figure stood in his way. "Wait!" another alien yelled at him. This shorter alien was much different than the first, with lavender skin, large pointy ears, and a white mohawk. "You must not enter this ship!"
Trunks pushed his way past the alien and entered the small building, which led down into what he now knew was a spaceship.
"Stop!" came the pleading cry from above.
Trunks landed on the spaceship's floor and looked around. No sign of Leena, the alien, or anyone else…
The second alien landed beside Trunks. "We must leave immediately!" he yelled. "You don't know what you're doing!"
Trunks now looked to his only companion in the room. "What's going on?" he asked.
"I will explain as soon as you leave!" the alien shouted. "We must go! Now!"
The narrow tube through which they had entered closed off at the near end.
"See!" the alien said. "Now the only way out of here is to destroy the evil wizard Babidi himself!!!"
Trunks frowned. "What's going on?" he asked.
The alien slouched, sighing. "I am one of five Supreme Kais, the protectors of the four quadrants," he explained. "A thousand years ago, an evil wizard named Bibidi created a powerful being named Majin Buu. Buu absorbed my four companions. I was only able to seal Majin Buu back in his egg after destroying Bibidi. I buried Majin Buu deep within this planet, hoping that he would never be resurrected again. Nearly thirteen years ago, Bibidi's son Babidi came to this planet in search of Majin Buu, but there was already a great battle waging on your soil. Babidi saw the great powers of two of the fighters here, and fearing his own demise, he ran away, hoping that when he returned one or both of the powers would be gone or defeated. I followed him from planet to planet as he recruited evil soldiers. You see, Babidi has the power of controlling the evil urges in one's heart and using those urges to cause others to do evil for his own purposes. One of his minions killed my friend Kibito, so I fled, watching them from a distance. Babidi returned to your planet yesterday, happy to find that not only were the two powerful beings gone, but so was the strong fighter who opposed them. In fact, Babidi found that there was no one left that was anywhere near as powerful as those three fighters. This was bad for him in a way. You see, Babidi must absorb energy from the people of this planet in order to resurrect Majin Buu at his full power. That's why he brought you here, you see… he wishes to control the evil in your heart so that you, an Earthling, can gather the powers of your people. He saw that you had the power of flight already and decided that you were a prime target for power-gathering."
Trunks tried to take it all in. He was afraid of Gohan and the Androids, he thought.
"Gohan and the Androids?" the Supreme Kai asked. "Who are they?"
Trunks's eyes widened. "You can read my thoughts?" he asked.
"Yes," the Supreme Kai answered.
Trunks was dizzy in thought. Even he couldn't take in everything in his mind. It was very doubtful that the Supreme Kai could understand him either. He looked into the Supreme Kai's eyes, smiling. "Can Babidi hear me?" he asked.
Shin frowned. "I cannot hear your thoughts!" he said. "You must be thinking very quickly to hide your thoughts from me!"
"Can Babidi hear me?" Trunks repeated.
The Supreme Kai nodded.
Good…
"Babidi!" Trunks shouted. "Is this the power you ran away from years ago?"
Trunks began to power up.
Supreme Kai, he thought, don't say anything, but I'm making it look as though I am actually weaker than Gohan and the Androids. Maybe Babidi will get cocky and try to absorb my power. That way, I can fight him, face-to-face, and win!
The Supreme Kai stepped back as the energy from Trunks's body began creating an air current in all directions. Trunks's hair began floating some. His muscles bulged out a little. He stopped powering up and landed back on the ground.
"Come out and play, Babidi!" Trunks shouted.
A door opened. The alien from outside stepped into the room, laughing. "I'm Pui Pui," it said. "If you can defeat me, you get to go down to the next level and fight the fighter there."
"Don't do it!" the Supreme Kai said. "All of the battle energy that Pui Pui damages you for will be absorbed by this ship and fed directly to Majin Buu!"
Trunks smiled and raised a hand, pointed at Pui Pui. A blast of intense yellow energy blasted from his palm, straight through Pui Pui's head. In a moment, the "dangerous" alien was gone, a decapitated body lying on the ground.
An evil cackling was heard in the room. "Ahahahahahah!!! Brilliant!" came a voice. "You will be more useful than expected! Pui Pui, however, wasn't there to fight you! He was supposed to be convincing you to join us!"
The Supreme Kai was obviously enraged. "Babidi…" he said.
"If you wish to 'proceed to the next level', you will have to fight my Yakon!" Babidi continued. "Yakon, come out and play!"
"Not Yakon!" the Supreme Kai shouted. "Yakon can absorb your energy attacks!"
Trunks turned to face the Kai. "Absorb them?!?" he asked. "That's not possible! Not unless he's one of Doctor Gero's creations!"
"Oh, he can," the Supreme Kai said, "and he will."
Trunks gulped, looking back at the door. Two long glowing red eyes stared back at him. I'll just use a small space and a large opponent to my advantage! He shot himself into the small room that Yakon was emerging from and pummeled the creature in the small space. The large, green monster didn't have any time to react. Trunks shot through him like a bullet through cloth, killing him instantly.
He wiped himself off as he left the small room. Yakon's coarse black blood had collected on Trunks's clothing in certain areas, but for the most part, Trunks was so fast that he didn't get very dirty at all.
The Supreme Kai was in shock.
The floor opened up.
Trunks went down.
Who IS this man? the Supreme Kai thought. He can't be HUMAN!
DRAGONBALL
As the Supreme Kai lowers himself to the next level of Babidi's fortress, it would seem that Trunks is much more powerful than you might assume. He appears to be fighting Babidi's henchmen with a greater amount of ease than his alternate reality counterparts. Does this mean that he will be able to defeat Babidi before Majin Buu is hatched, or does the evil wizard Babidi have some tricks up his sleeve. Remember that the Supreme Kai told Trunks that Babidi had been recruiting on other planets. Who have we yet to see? Find out on the next exciting installment of DragonBall!!!
